A/N: Here is the third one I promised from the three new chapters. And this one I strictly on the original characters. Enjoy.
The blue sky had turned overcast – in other words, a dismal grey, and Tigress hated it. The dark clouds dampened their spirits, as low as they were already. She heard Po shouted as he accidentally stubbed his toe on a protruding rock. The trail they had been able to pick out continued to lead them in this one direction, not deterring from anything beside this casually wondering path, ultimately taking them in one direction. The assassins trail had started to lead them to higher ground and now they could look down at a vertigo inducing drop. The sides of the mountains were slanted, so the fall wouldn't be straight down, just a painful slide to their death.
Every step they took, it seemed too subtracted from the vigor of the chase and they grew weary from running everyday. Even Tigress, who had the most zeal for this, was beginning to truly wonder if this was what Oogway was talking about. Had she let anger control her and was she leading her friends on a useless journey. Revenge wasn't all what it makes out to be – most of the time.
Tigress looked up at the peaks of the mountains; they were still hundreds, if not thousands, of feet taller than where they stood. And that was despite the fact that they were already at least a hundred, maybe close to hundred and fifty, feet high. A flash of orange and red high above them on the side of the mountain on the trail caught her attention. The possibility of a fire was slim to none, with most of the vegetation up their unlikely to catch flame. A small shower of gravel came from the side and landed above them on other parts of the winding path.
"Crane!" Tigress called. Crane looked up and flew over when she motioned him over.
"Yeah?"
"Fly up there and tell me what you see. Near that area right there. Yep, that one."
The avian lifted off, flying higher and higher until he soared above them effortlessly. The crane veered to the side, gliding on the updrafts that blew off the side of the mountain. Crane felt the warm air ruffle his feathers. It was good right now to stretch his wings. He saw the other five running doggedly below, their bright colored furs – or scales or exoskeleton – in stark contrast with the grayscale background. Crane studied them for a moment. How they must envy him right now, able to fly and soar above the troubles that road possessed. If only they could all fly, they would have caught the assassins by now and delivered justice, as Po would have put it. Crane flew from each ledge, trying to remember which one Tigress had pointed out to him. From down there, each one seemed the same. From his vantage point now, everything still looked the same. Just a stone trail cut from the side of the mountain, going up and down in no particular manor. Crane did a flyby by one of them, then the next, and finally the one Crane did think Tigress might have been pointing at. There was nothing along the side or on it at all. Crane started to dive down, but changed his mind. He started to climb, beating his wings to gain the altitude he needed to see above the next intervals of the mountain. As soon as he passed two, he was glad he did. He saw three animals, a fox, a crocodile, and a rabbit, and working furiously at a pile of rocks. They were hammering away at it and he saw some of the rocks slip and fall. What were those idiots doing?
Probably getting more rocks for their skulls. After all, don't they have rocks for brains?
Crane laughed silently at his private joke. Suddenly, a fracture appeared and the fox threw in a handful of red power. A couple of small wooden barrels lay next to the pile of rocks and the crack that had been so recently made. What were the barrels for…? Crane squawked out loud when he saw a spark come from something the rabbit held. That was gunpowder, the stuff that Shen had used for his cannons! He had been told that miners used gunpowder to clear large areas quickly and somehow these animals had gotten their paws on some! He must warn the others.
The wind shrieked past his hears in a high pitch whine as Crane dive bombed from where he was to where his friends were. There was no way to tell when they would light the fuse. The rockslide they were going to set off was set to hit ahead of them, but at the pace Tigress was leading at, she and the closest one or two where going to be crushed instantly. He cawed loudly, trying to get someone's attention. Po turned around and his eyes widened. Po began to wave his arms frantically in the air, like he was trying to direct Crane elsewhere.
He thinks I'm going to crash, Crane thought dryly. I won't.
Crane pulled up suddenly, and flapped his wings feverishly to decelerate himself to a reasonable speed to land. As soon as his claws touched the ground he didn't let Po started to speak.
"Tigress!" Crane called to the tiger.
She didn't seem to hear here and she kept on running. Crane was running out of time and if he didn't stop her, she would die and that would be a crushing blow. A loud boom and report of thousands of shards of rock collapsing and plummeting down suddenly rent the air and still Tigress didn't slow. Crane groaned, he was too late…unless…
"Tigress! Stop now!"
If a bird could roar, Crane did so. His voice reached Tigress like an arrow from a bow and she stopped immediately, sensing the urgency that carried in his voice. She stopped and turned around to face back at Crane. Everyone, the four other Masters and the Dragon Warrior simply pointed up the mountain. Tigress's eyes went wide with shock as she finally saw the rock hurling down at her. She sprinted back to her friends, dodging the rocks that had been first in the rockslide. Tigress let her training take over. She had to treat the rocks like they were enemies. She slid under one and flew over another. The tiger practically danced through the rocks as they became more numerous. She had to make it out of the area before the full blow the rockslide hit. Po watched with awe as she bobbed and weaved around the rocks, almost like she was a spider spinning a beautiful web with uncanny precision of where to land and where to not. But, the dance ended as a large rock tripped Tigress by landing on her tail, making her loose her balance and pulling her back. She fell flat on the floor, the rain of rocks still coming down like from twisted storm cloud. Her anger had led her here, hadn't it?
No, she wouldn't give up! Just like Po hadn't given up, even though they had hated him, she wouldn't give up and she would triumph over a small victory such as this. Failure couldn't be in her vocabulary – at least at this moment. She got up and moved forward. She could see her friends running toward her, paws held out in front of them. A large rock came down on her skull and the lights of the world went strangely dim.
It was like she couldn't breathe. It felt like the weight of a thousand Jade Palaces rested on her chest. Tigress couldn't move her left arm, but her right arm was trapped. No pain came from it though, which was good. At least she hadn't broken it. The tip of her tail throbbed, but she could still move it. Her good fortune continued. Her legs moved still, only slight pain came from her ankle. But, like her right arm, her legs were trapped, immobilized. She just couldn't move them. The rocks shifted and a little bit of light came through. She squinted. Her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness. But, if light came through and she could see the clouds above, then her voice could reach out from underneath!
Fear then pierced her heart. How long had she been under here? Her friends could have very easily given up searching for her and have continued on without her, believing her to be dead. Her brow furrowed, but that wasn't how Po would act. None of them would act like that. Tigress knew Po's heart was bigger than his stomach – with his stomach being quite large. Po would never just give up and leave. They would continue to look for her. They would clear the entire rockslide to make sure their friend was all right. Tigress took as deep as a breath as she could and let her voice ring from her stony tomb,
"I'm here! Po! Monkey! Viper! Mantis! Crane! Anyone! I'm under here!"
She called this over and over again, eagerly expecting her friends to instantly come rushing over and help her out. No help came. Had they really just got up and left? Given up on her and called her dead to them? She heard rocks moving on the other side, but then they grew silent. Rocks above her head moved and, like the others, they too grew silent. A faint voice called out her name, but it moved away. They were looking for her! Only, they were looking for her in the wrong places.
"I can fix that," Tigress told herself. Using her free arm, she began to select rocks above and around her, careful to make sure none of the rocks she picked were to bring the entire interlocking structure the rocks had formed around her from crashing down. Piece by piece, rock by rock, she slowly began to make progress. At, what she guessed were five or so minute intervals, she would shout out that she was indeed underneath the rocks. Her left paw finally shot out from were she lay. She felt fresh air waft around her fur and travel down to where she was. The air tasted so much better than the stale air that had become to fill the small entombment. A scaly, snakelike body wrapped around her paw and squeezed. It was Viper!
"Tigress, are you okay? Is anything broken?"
Tigress smiled. Her friends hadn't deserted her. Why had she even thought something like that? Viper called the rest over and they worked with excitement. They had found Tigress! Better yet, they didn't just find her dead body, they had found her alive and, somewhat, well! They worked on getting her legs free of the rocks first. They were as shocked as Tigress was when they saw that her legs were fine besides the bruises that ran up and down her legs. There were no broken bones and her ankle wasn't twisted, it just stung. Her right arm was free minutes later with them all working together and at last, the victorious moment when Tigress was lifted out from underneath the rock. Tigress breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you all very much, I don't know what I would have done without you," said Tigress. Her voice was filled with gratitude.
"Ah, don't mention it," said Po with a wave of his hand. "Least we could do for you. Consider it a thank you for that cannonball you took for me. Those things hurt!"
They laughed, letting the stress and anxiety of the day go. It was true that they were on a mission, but right now, they needed to rest. Tigress had let herself get too overworked and she had been deaf to Crane's voice, even though she had told him to go and search up there in the first place. Now, now she knew that she needed to be calm and not let anger overtake her. Yes, Oogway had told her that before, many times in the past, yet she had struggled to do so. Today and always afterwards, she would try her hardest. Her friends had just saved her life and she needed to be wise as their unofficial leader.
"We should camp here," said Tigress, gesturing around at where the rockslide had finally halted in its destructive path. "The sun has almost set and I'm sure you are tired from your search."
"Uh, yeah, thanks Tigress," said Mantis. He seemed unsure of himself and he had a reason to be. Tigress had never, ever, stopped until after the sun had fully disappeared and the moon had risen just above the horizon. Now she had stopped before the sun was even halfway gone and the sky was a red and orange and yellow, like some painter had gather those three colors and thrown them across the sky indifferently.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Tigress asked with no real exasperation in her voice.
"Absolutely none!" called out Po who immediately sat down and began to kindle a small fire from the fuel he got out from his pack. Mr. Ping had put together a bunch of items they would need on their journey and so far the most precious was the dwindling amount of firewood and the tinder. They could forage for food and their training allowed them to go extended periods of time without food or water, though it left them weak. Dinner was passed around and they were all finished and quite satisfied by the time the stars started to come out from hiding.
Po munched on a dumpling that had been handed out to him. They had each received a dumpling. This was a treat because dumplings weren't usually packed for long missions. He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor that filled his mouth.
"This is good!"
Monkey snickered. Po said almost everything was good, so he wasn't surprised when Po had exclaimed that loudly. But, that was one dumpling he had kept an eye on for a while. Mantis and Monkey had sprinkled some Fire Pepper powder inside the dumpling and had made sure they knew which one it was. It was a joke they had been waiting to play on the panda for a while and here it came. Soon, the pepper would kick in and Po would be running around for water, tears running down his face as the burn of the pepper took hold. It never came, instead a sudden roar of surprised came from Tigress. Monkey and Mantis flinched and turned slowly to look at the tiger. This wasn't going to end well for them. Tigress dove for the canteen of water and drank as much as she could to quench the fiery sensation. Panting, trying to let cool air sooth her mouth, Tigress lay down.
"What did you guys put in that?"
Po walked over to the half eaten dumpling and casually popped it in his mouth. He let the dumpling's angry flavor roll over his tongue as he chewed and then swallowed. He smacked his lips.
"Fire Pepper and wow! That stuff is good, though a bit too much spice and not much flavor I gotta say. Usually you use it in small amounts but whoever made this dumpling put, like, a couple teaspoons in it."
Tigress sat up and took another swig of water, swishing it around in her mouth, desperately trying to get rid of the Fire Pepper. She let her tongue hand out of her mouth. She probably looked stupid, but right now, her mouth burned and she didn't care. As long as it cooled the spice down, she was fine with it.
"Who did that?" she demanded, searching their faces. Crane and Viper both looked at Mantis and Monkey. Her eyes narrowed and Monkey gave her a weak smile. Mantis's cricket like chirp came in place of facial expressions. Monkey tried to explain.
"It was for Po, but you got it instead. Oops."
"Oops is right, next time make sure you know which one!"
Monkey and Mantis waited for her to pounce up and take her revenge right there. Tigress didn't move at all. She just sat their, continuing to cool her mouth.
"You expect me to retaliate?" asked Tigress.
"Kinda," Mantis said.
"Then you are wrong. I'm not going to," said Tigress as she folded her arms across her chest. Right now, she thought. I'd just watch your back, because you won't know when it will come.
Mantis and Monkey were relieved. They had somehow escaped Tigress's wrath. After moments of silence Tigress decided to tell her ultimatum to her friends.
"I know it's been a long time since we have left the Jade Palace and I'm sure you are tired. Don't get me wrong, I am tired too. So, if you don't want to continue, you can go back home to the Palace. I won't hold anything against you. It doesn't matter to me. If you stay, I am glad. If you go back home, I am still glad; you came this far with me and that is more than a friend could ask for."
"Why do you say that?" asked Viper. "We will all follow you until you have reached your goal."
"But we haven't even been anywhere close to catching them!" Tigress said, almost pleading them to look past their friendship.
Po was troubled at the way Tigress was acting. It wasn't like her to ask her friends to go away if they didn't want to. She usually always took charge of them and listened accordingly to what they suggested. They were a team and Tigress seemed like she didn't want to continue on being a team. Po thought harder. There must be a reason why Tigress was acting like this. Her eyes still kindled the fire that usually burned within, but her voice was different. It was…what was it? Po snapped his fingers together in frustration. The noise silenced the camps. Po blushed. This was a bit embarrassing.
"Where you going to say something?" asked Crane.
Po's embarrassment grew. He started to stutter.
"No, uh, of course, I mean, no. Where you?"
Crane glanced back and forth at the eyes that were now looking at him.
"No. I thought you were. You did snap right now."
"Now? What are you talking about? I didn't snap my fingers."
Crane looked at Po suspiciously. The rest of the Masters were struggling to hide their smiles at the comical conversation.
"Yeah you did. I heard you. You guys heard him too, right?"
Tigress shrugged. Monkey just shook his head in mirth. Mantis and Viper made their smiles disappear and they turned on their best deadpan. Po kept his own face as straight as he could.
"Yeah, I didn't snap my fingers."
Crane flapped his wings, clearly aggravated with it all. Po couldn't hold it in. He got up and laughed.
"Alright Crane, I did snap my finger and for a good reason to. I figured out what I need to do."
Crane nodded, still annoyed that they had ganged up on him like that. Nobody asked what Po had figured out and the panda was glad for that. It was something that he was sure Tigress wouldn't want to answer in front of the rest of them. Po let the night mature, and as they each, one by one, went to sleep, Po got up and walked over to Tigress. He had to handle this correctly or he would upset Tigress.
"Hey, uh, Tigress, I was thinking, that if you're fine with it, if I could ask you a quick question," Po said. He rubbed the back of his head. "I guess it's kinda personal."
Tigress's eyelids snapped open and they revealed her stunning, not to mention bright, ocher eyes. They bore into Po's soul and he forced himself to look away. Po still had a special place for Tigress in his heart, but he couldn't let – a relationship – get in the way right now while he was talking to her.
"What?" she asked, though not unkindly.
Po sat heavily next to her and looked straight ahead.
"I don't think your okay," he stated bluntly. He cringed as soon as he said it. That wasn't very sensitive now was it? Po waited for the rebuttal, but Tigress only sighed and gave a slight chuckle.
"You know, Po, you are right."
"I knew it! Uh, why?"
"I'm going to be honest with you, Po, I'm scared."
Po went slack jawed. Tigress scared? Impossible. But, Tigress wasn't lying; Tigress was telling the truth.
"What?" he asked incredulously. "From those dudes up ahead?"
Tigress shook her head.
"I am afraid of no one but myself."
Po let himself process that for a while. He hadn't ever thought of something like that of someone as awesome as Tigress. She was a Master at controlling chi, herself, and her emotions. Then how, how did this differ from anything else?
"Yourself?" asked Po for clarification. "Why yourself?"
Tigress looked up at the moon and saw peach leaves floating across the sky in front of the moon.
"I am afraid that I am letting anger and grief cloud my discernment. I try everyday to stop myself from becoming blind to what is in front of me, but everyday I see Master Shifu's body lying on the jade floor and I feel the anger again. I didn't think much of it before, actually, it was just another battle. But today, when the rocks fell around me and I was trapped, I realized how much anger and grief had blinded me. I didn't even hear Crane calling out that I was headed straight toward danger. Just the thought of me tearing apart those who killed Master Shifu filled my mind. Underneath those rocks, I retreated into myself and what when I saw that I was, I was afraid. Oogway warned me about that and now I am embracing what he told me without any questions. So, that, Po, is why I am afraid. I don't want to lead you guys into danger like I led myself. I won't have it. Better to suffer for my own mistakes that to let others suffer with or instead of me."
Po didn't know what to say. This was the most Tigress had ever let anyone know what she truly felt. At the same time, he received some much from this little insight of the Master of the Tiger style. They were all close friends and thus it should stay, nothing more. Tigress didn't want any of them hurt and she was scared that she would hurt them because of her own misguidance.
"Hey, don't worry about it. We trust you Tigress and that means we trust that you won't lead us away from where we should be going. All you need to do is ask and anyone of us will be there to help. Heck, even Mantis will probably help, though I doubt you'll get anything from him. We will help you where you need help and, besides, if we weren't with you, we could've warned you about those rocks and helped you out. I think that we should as just stick together."
Tigress smiled.
"Thank you, Po, you've done it again. How we could live without you now, I don't know."
Po shoved Tigress playfully on the shoulder.
"That's what friends are for, right?"
Po meant it. No longer would he dream of romance under the stars. No, it was a friend that was better right now, more than anything else. A friend was something they all needed and a close friend was something that couldn't be more valuable.
A golden sun rose, taking command of the sky once more as the moon sank down. The stars began to disappear from their lofty height as the sky took on the light blue hue of the day. The pile of rocks lay motionless behind their camp and the drop to the bottom was still next to them as well. The early bedtime accompanied by, in their eyes, sleeping in let them all awake feeling rather refreshed. Po stretched luxuriously. He got up and popped his back. He yawned and blinked. He scratched his round bottom and started to go through his pack in search of breakfast. Around him, the Furious Five also rose and started to prepare for the day of chasing before them.
"So, what are we going to have for breakfast?" asked Po, his head still in the pack.
"Something light," said Viper. "I don't feel like eating a lot right now."
"Okay…how about some tofu?"
"Sure."
Po got out the tofu and a cutting knife and divided up the tofu they had. The breakfast was light, like Viper had asked for, and they left the campsite in swift pursuit of the assassins. This meant that they had to continue to climb up the mountain that had previously almost came crashing down on Tigress not the day before. Tigress prayed to whoever listened that the assassins didn't have anymore explosives to have the mountain topple on top of them all this time. Tigress, listening to herself and the words of Po from last night, led them all in what she felt was the right course and the right speed. There was no complaint once, though each one noticed the pace wasn't set to as near as fast as before. Po started to punch out in front of him, practicing his Kung Fu, even on the road. It was almost fun to watch Po hit out at the invisible enemies as he blocked and counterattacked them. Po truly was the Dragon Warrior, in all his awesomeness and, uh, largeness. Tigress kept her eyes focused ahead of her and she observed everything around her as well. She needed to be on her guard because what happened yesterday, she swore to herself, would never happen again. This time, anger wouldn't even have a foothold on her and she would have a clear, peaceful mind and outlook. Her decisions wouldn't be clouded by anything that the rage would whisper to her.
The path of the rubble that had collapsed from the top was clear and they crossed it with a sour taste in their mouth as they recalled what had happened. The entire side that had been carved away so long ago to provide a way to traverse the mountains had been ruined except a small portion of it. The walkway was wide enough for animals to go single file across. To the kung fu Masters it was nothing, but they worried about other travelers who weren't masters in the art of balance and kung fu as they were. Tigress noted that they would have to get it repair before anything bad happened. With the destruction of the rockslide cutting through every side of the path they reached, they were forced to go single file each time they were met by that. This slowed them down a bit, but it wasn't too much of a hindrance to their progress. Higher and higher they climbed, chasing after Master Shifu's killers.
Effortlessly, Po cleared a natural break in the stone. The panda thought back to where he could just barely touch his toes. He smiled at the fond memories of his training coupled by the bruises he got by sparring with Tigress or Monkey. Defeating Tai Lung had become his legacy and now he was even more famous for the defeat of Shen's cannons! Now he was on the road to avenging Master Shifu! The bitter memories still rankled Po, but he was glad that he was part of this now. Yes, Master Shifu's killers would be brought to justice and things could be sorted out again. A troubling thought suddenly wedged itself into Po's mind. Who would be the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace now? Who would continue to teach them and help them? Surely other masters would come to take the prestigious honor of become the Jade Palace's Grandmaster, but who would fill in the place.
"Hey, Monkey," Po said out of the side of his mouth.
"Yeah?"
"Who's going to become the next Grandmaster?"
Monkey shrugged.
"We'll figure it out when we get there. Usually it is decided pretty fast."
"All right."
I hope we get the right one, thought Po. Just the prospect of a different Grandmaster was vastly alien to him and he had known Master Shifu to a much less extent than say Tigress who had known him for almost all her life. Po continued on running and he watched the Furious Five with that same sense of awe he had felt the first time he fell from the sky right into the middle of them. They were nothing less than amazing and here he was, in the middle of them. He still couldn't shake that feeling; it would never grow old.
Tigress led the other five and herself all through the day. Of course, this was slightly unneeded because the path wasn't too hard to follow. All they needed to do in the mountains right now was to follow the path. Hard as it was, even with almost a full day lead, Tigress was confident they would catch up with them and that thought brought her hope in these excruciating days that lay in front of them right now.
The day flew by without them really noticing. Currently they had passed the point were the rockslide had been started and they looked upon it with contempt. Nothing good had come from this spot and nothing good would probably ever come from it. The emotional aspect around the epicenter of the rockslide was tedious, but it passed as soon as it was behind them now and, hopefully, forever.
Daylight began to run out and the sky once again took on the colors of twilight as the sun sank. The dark blue color of the night sky overtook the normally brilliant blue and all of China was plunged into nighttime. The overcast clouds that had been there on the day before were now ominous color of a storm cloud. Tigress groaned when she heard the unmistakable sound of thunder sounding within the clouds. Wind had begun to pick up and it blew against the study mountain, buffeting it relentlessly. With the wind speeding the storm to the mountainous area and its vicinity, they would be beset with whatever was in the clouds. Their normal campsite wouldn't do well against the elements like rain or hail and Tigress prayed that it wasn't the latter.
"I don't think we're going to be able to get far enough away from this storm," called Crane to Tigress. As a bird, he knew how to read the wind currents rather well and was extremely accurate when predicting weather – when he felt like it. "We need shelter!"
Tigress stopped running to look up and search for anything that could serve as refuge from what was going to come. The nearest trees had been left behind as soon as they had passed the tree line and there wasn't anything around that they could hide under that could stop the rain.
"How much longer until the storm hits?" asked Tigress, her voice rising above the wind. Lighter rocks started to shift as the wind pushed them around.
"I'd say we have maybe thirty minutes max!" Crane was sure about his answer. "If it's any help, I can fly up again and look for something that could be useful."
Tigress nodded and Crane took flight above the others in search of shelter. The five others continued on, not wasting any time just sitting there and waiting. Crane triumphant caw came down moments later.
"If you give it your best, we can make it to a cave up ahead. It's rather dark but it'll do."
Tigress nodded her thanks and they started back on the trail, this time for the cave and to shelter, not for revenge and for the assassins.
"Ow!" exclaimed Monkey as he was hit in the head by something rather dense. "What did you throw at me Po?"
Monkey turned to expect Po behind him smiling mischievously.
"I didn't throw anything. Ow! Who did that?" said Po. Now they were both looking around for whoever was throwing things at them. Nobody had thrown anything at them and they were searching the rocks for potential attackers when Viper got struck in her midsection. A white, chunky object lay next to the snake's tough body. It rough and was cold.
"Oh Heavens, why?" breathed Tigress. "Hail! Make for the cave. Double time!"
"Don't need to say it twice," said Po, his hands over his head, guarding it from the icy projectiles. A defiant shout came from their throats as they charged into the midst of the sudden onslaught of hail. The frozen balls of water struck each one of them like a punch from an enemy with iron fists and still they continued.
"That's gonna leave a mark," said Mantis as a hailstone crushed his one of his feet. Viper slithered by and picked him up smoothly. There was no halter to their mad dash for the cave. Nature was chasing them now and they had to win. Finally, the cave was in sight. The cavern opened up before them like the maw of some ancient beast. It was cut unevenly into the side of the mountain, more like a mine than a natural cave. A lighting bolt struck somewhere behind them and thunder rumbled instantly. Hail started to pour from the clouds, like the storehouses of Heaven had been opened up.
The hail continued to fall unceasingly from the sky, the Furious Five and Dragon Warrior made their way into the cavern. No longer were they sure if it was natural. Carvings of ancient writing and pictures traced the uneven walls. Some of their precious firewood had been spared for a torch. Very dry pieces of wood, most of it in splinters was found nearer into the cave, or, whatever it was they were in. They lit other torches they found strew around randomly and made the caverns glow with the golden light. The tunnel widened out into a larger room and two doors twice the height of Po were at the back of the square room. The doors were wide open and more stone features could be made out inside the next room. A soft, but barely visible, light came from the next room. Grouping together, they made their way into the next room. Tigress paid close attention to the doors, watching them and almost expecting them to slam shut as soon as they passed their threshold. They didn't. The room they stood in now was bare of anything except a single pulpit at the back of the room with two pillars on each side. Behind it were large stone tablets that towered above it the pulpit. The pulpit was high enough for Tigress or Po to rest their hands on while standing up and was the top was completely flat. The base of the pulpit was slightly smaller than the top because of a slight taper. The tablets that loomed behind it were riddled with writing from the past. The area around the pulpit seemed brighter than the rest of the room. Tigress let herself break her eye on the doors to look at the simple room. A skylight had been cut directly above it and it let starlight and moonlight come in during the night and sunlight come in during the day. Four torches total, though big torches, were at the four corners of the room. Tigress wondered how hail wasn't coming in from the skylight so she broke away from the group to see why. As soon as Tigress left the group, they all sort of went their own ways to look at something in the room that caught their attention. Tigress could hear the hail hitting something that covered the skylight, but didn't know what it was. Finally, she stood under it and saw metal crisscrossing itself, blocking the hail.
"Anybody know what this place is?" asked Po to anyone who would listen. "'Cause I haven't seen anything like this in China before or even heard of it!"
"Same here, Po," said Crane.
"Don't ask me," said Viper when Po looked at her for the answer.
Nobody could say the answer because nobody knew what it was. None of the many texts Master Shifu had them read ever mentioned something like this. Tigress studied the pulpit and the tablets closer. As she bent closer, she felt her nose feel tingly and she sniffled. Suddenly, a tremendous sneeze sent the layer of dust that had settled on the pulpit into the air. With the many specks of dust now floating the air, Tigress coughed but saw the now visible carvings also on the pulpit. The phrase was simple, but it piqued Tigress curiosity. To the Unknown. She looked up at the tablets and read the first lines of each one. Each one stated something about the Unknown or the Lost. She read further and her eyes widened when she saw that one word: Shiluo. They were in a shrine of the Lost Souls. Or the Shiluo. This occult group was ancient beyond belief and had been almost forgotten. These followers of this had felt bad for the souls that were lost on their way to Heaven and couldn't find their way. They thought they must try to appease them by offering them things to make them happy on this Earth as they tried to find their way to Heaven. The idea had originally been good but as the philosophy progress, it became a darker congregation. Finally, they had been wiped out thousands of years ago and their shrines had been buried. But before they had been eradicated, the followers had placed many traps stop those from further desecrating their places. Shifu had told them of this, but none of the shrines locations had been revealed. They had to tread carefully now.
"Everybody! Be careful," barked Tigress.
"Why? What is it Tigress?" asked Viper.
"There are traps here, this is a Shiluo shrine."
Everyone but Po froze. He very nervously turned around with an obsidian bladed knife in his paw.
"Uh, like what kinda traps?"
Tigress's eyes narrowed.
"Where did you get that?"
Po moved to the side to reveal a small cubicle cut out with prongs that held the knife that Po now had in his hand.
Perfect face palm, thought Po as Tigress did exactly that.
"Just put the knife back slowly," said Tigress. Po started to turn back to put the knife away put stumbled over a protruding rock. Something snapped. Po sharply drew in his breath. Everyone else held theirs as they waited for something to happen. Po sighed,
"Maybe the traps are so old they broke down."
"Good thing too, otherwise, who knows what could have happened!" said Mantis, clearly fine now with the fright of a trap being set off thinner. Rope started to unwind and the creak of pulleys undermined all of Po's and Mantis's ideas. Tigress sprinted to the door but they slammed shut.
"You spoke too soon," commented Crane dryly. "Now we're trapped."
"No we're not," growled Tigress. "We'll get up there and we'll be out of here!" Tigress pointed to the skylight and they nodded absently. "For now though, let's just go to bed, we'll figure this out in the morning."
A mutter of slight disappointment arose at being trapped in the ancient shrine, but they did so anyways.
"So, what exactly is the Shiluo philosophy?" asked Po. "Like, how did they 'appease the Lost Souls'?"
Tigress sighed.
"They sacrificed things to them."
Po gulped.
"You mean like, other animals?"
Mantis laughed.
"They weren't that occult, buddy. They just sacrificed stuff that was value to them. Food, clothing, toys, tools, and occasionally money; they never sacrificed lived animals. To them, it would just anger the spirits. They thought that any lost spirit that wasn't pleased on this Earth was an evil spirit. Basically the lost spirit was pissed off at not making it to Heaven. So, they would haunt the living. Not very nice if you ask me."
"That's it? How did they 'sacrifice' stuff?"
Mantis was silent. He didn't know.
"You know that knife you held?" asked Viper. Po nodded. "Yeah? Well they just broke it with that knife. Cut it up, smashed it, or something. It was very symbolic. Just showed that it didn't matter to them anymore and it was theirs - the lost souls."
"Oh, kinda stupid."
Tigress shrugged.
"It is. Besides, from what I know of, the Dragons just scare them away."
"Yep. Hey, does that mean the Dragon Warrior scares them away?"
"No, not necessarily, but I'm sure you could."
Po brought out the obsidian knife from his back pocket.
"Can I keep it? It looks cool."
"Just know its murdered thousands of dumplings and pottery...among other things," said Monkey chuckling. Po put the knife away in his pack.
They had managed a small fire. It sat dancing, eating away at the fire wood, casting light and warmth to them all. The sound of hail had turned to rain. The rhythmic pounding of the water droplets soothed Tigress as she curled up for warmth. Po dropped down heavily and lay down just as so. Soon afterwards, his snores echoed through the chamber. Crane groaned and rolled over, covering his ears. The rest of them had grown used to the panda's thunderous snores. It was almost comforting to their ears. Even in the shrine, trapped and chasing an enemy, Tigress felt peaceful. She hoped sleep would be kind to her as well because a dreamless, deep sleep would be so refreshing right now.
Tigress felt sunlight stream down on her. She felt soft grass beneath her and the blue sky was bright above her. She reached out to touch the grass. The pristine blades bent easily underneath her paw but sprung right back up as soon as she stopped. Tigress looked around. Nowhere was her friend and the Shiluo shrine was nowhere to be seen. This had to be a dream, like when the Dragon, Xiaofang, and talked to her. But, where was the Dragon or was this a normal dream? Tigress got up and she started to wander around the forest. She stopped and felt the smooth bark of a birch tree. It was impossibly perfect. Tigress looked around and saw two tigers standing at the base of a tall tree. They seemed important somehow and she started to walk, no, run, toward them. Their faces were obscured by the light that shone behind them and no matter how hard she ran she couldn't catch up with them. One of them called out "Tigress" and she felt the urge once more to go to them. She ran as fast as they could but the trees just zoomed past her and the tigers started to fade. The light started to dim and the two tigers disappeared. Tigress stopped reluctantly, still barely moving toward where they had been standing. The darkness consumed everything finally and she was left there standing there alone. No one around her and nobody to share her thoughts with.
We are not happy, came a thin, airy voice. We are lost, the voice came again. She cringed at it. The voice seemed to seep into her flesh and gnaw at her bones.
"Go away," she murmured. Her mind thought back to the Shiluo. They couldn't be real could they? She had met a Dragon – a real life Dragon – and surely they wouldn't let these lost souls bug her.
We are lost, repeated the voice. It was joined by others, chorusing after that one lone voice.
"What can I do?" she asked though she truly did not care. She had her own problems.
We were happy once…now we are not.
Tigress sighed in frustration. She knew that already. Tigress got down and tried to fall back into the dreamless sleep that she had had before this came along. After all, this was just a dream right now. Tigress felt herself being jerked up and suddenly, she had the sensation of floating. Still, she could see nothing. Then, two glowing red eyes met hers. They were large and had an almost iridescent sheen to them. The pupils were but black slits in the red glow. She tried to hold their own intense stare but couldn't do it. She looked away. Something seemed to grip her tighter.
We are growing restless! The normally airy, thin voice had become thunderous and loud. It reverberated everywhere and there was nothing she could do to block it out. She tried to cover her ears. She couldn't. The tiger struggled against the invisible grip that crushed her and immobilized her.
"Let me go!"
The grip just got tighter and Tigress stopped and let out a small whimper. Laughter rang out from the red eyes, it was enjoying this. A sudden roar blotted out the eerie laughter. Fire illuminated the darkness but there was still nothing – an abyss of nothing. A red and yellow Dragon streaked down toward the red eyes. Tigress was shocked when she saw fear actually register. It dropped Tigress and it flew back into the unlit abyss. The red Dragon settled down next to Tigress.
"Peace, Tigress," said Xiaofang. "Let them haunt you no more."
Tigress felt herself close her eyes and drift back into peaceful slumber. A final thought of the crooked tailed animal she was supposed to find was the last thing she thought of before she truly was asleep entirely.
Tigress awoke with a start. Whatever had happened had just happened and it was in the past. There was nothing she could do about it. Xiaofang had chased whatever it had been off and she was safe. She saw Viper staring wide eyed at a small patch of wet rock over at the pulpit.
"You okay?" asked Tigress.
"Just a bad dream," said Viper. "Nothing to be worried of."
Tigress just nodded slowly, unsure if it was a sign or not. The hail had stopped and Tigress managed to find a way up to the skylight. After all, the pillars made it extremely easy to bounce from one to the other and therefore to the top. Tigress cut through the rusted metal with her claws and as the metal grating fell to the floor with a clang, she dropped to the floor beneath her with an easy landing. The noise from the grating woke Po up quite suddenly. Mumbling about breakfast, Po, half awake, handed out some of the bean buns. Tigress grimaced at the breakfast of bean buns but ate it anyways – defiantly not her favorite breakfast. Tigress showed them how they could use the pillars to make their way up to the skylight and soon they were all out of the Shiluo shrine.
"Goodbye!" called Po down to the now empty shrine. "And I hope I never see you again!"
"You probably won't, Po," said Tigress. "Now let's catch up to those assassins!"
The escape from the shrine surprisingly left each one of them with a new vigor and a sense of accomplishment. The chase seemed less daunting now that they had hurdled not one, but two obstacles. A rockslide and an ancient shrine had both bee overcome and now nothing could really stand in their way – theoretically speaking. Tigress took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. A sudden burst of excitement came from Tigress and they all looked at the usually stoic tiger with interest. Tigress actually blushed.
"Sorry, but the tracks start to become more close together. That means they aren't moving as fast. They are walking! And they are headed down the mountain and back toward the forest!"
"Its good that their walkin'," said Po. "But why is it good that they are heading to the forest, that means that their tracks will be harder to follow, right?"
"Yes and no," admitted Tigress. "No, what's good is that it is bringing us closer to the Valley of Peace! Once we're finished, we won't have to go as far to get back home!"
They smiled at the thought of the assassins almost leading them back home – it was a humorous thought.
"How far to the Valley of Peace is it actually?" asked Viper. "We've been away from quite some time and I hope they are faring alright."
"I'm sure they are," said Monkey. "Otherwise they would have sent us something."
Tigress nodded.
"Let's go."
They set off running once more and the days passed on as they ran. Tigress could almost feel the assassins getting closer. But now, a new problem arose. Her sleep was no longer truly restful. The red eyes stared back at her accusingly and with menace. She hid her face from them but she could still sense her presence.
"When will it end?" she asked herself bitterly one night.
The fiery voice of Xiaofang filled her mind.
"When the time is right, cub. When the time is right. Peace!"
The strange sense of peace crept over Tigress and she slept soundly.
The red eyes squinted in pleasure. The seeds of darkness had been planted and they would sprout. Until then, it could wait. And yes, it would wait, no matter how long it needed to wait. It would.