Sorry for the really long wait. I'll try to get to publishing more often. Until then, here's your chapter!

Chapter Four: Accusations

The Masters stopped immediately.

"Us? Under arrest? Treason?!" Vixey cried. "Are you sure you got the right people? We've never committed treason in our lives!"

"On the contrary," a small figure said, walking a few steps away from the others, "we have legitimate proof that you, the Masters of the Jade Palace, are conspiring to dethrone our great Emperor. So we will tell you once, and only once, to surrender and avoid further harm to yourselves."

Tigress eyed the small figure, and she guessed Jin was doing the same thing. The figure seemed to be the size and nearly the shape of a weasel. Even though she had excellent night vision, it was hard to see the details.

"May I ask your name?" she asked. "You don't seem familiar to me. And you do understand that it's a crime to try to arrest someone if you don't have the right, don't you?"

"My name is Ruili," the figure said. "I am new to the force, as are my troops. I do understand, and I have the full right to arrest enemies to the Emperor."

The Masters noticed that the others of Ruili's group were becoming threatening.

"What will it be?" Ruili hissed.

Just that sentence sent chills up Tigress's spine. It may have been months ago, but it still reminded her of the time her friends' lives had been on the line, depending on her answer. But this time everyone could defend themselves. And this time, she knew what her answer would be.

"We won't surrender to enemies of the Emperor!" she shouted.

Instantly, all eight of the Masters shot forward. But so did many figures from behind Ruili. The many figures were all easily recognized as felines. But what kind of feline was the question.

The Masters fought valiantly, landing attack after attack. But these felines were tougher than the enemies they were used to fighting. These attackers were skilled fighters, blocking and using strong attacks. Tigress blocked one attack and was shoved back a foot or two. The others dodged and blocked constantly and attacked when they were able. These felines were nearly as skilled as the Masters were, and their great number began bearing down on them.

Amid all the fighting, all the Masters could hear a swish swish. The confusion of fighting suddenly turned into the confusion of where the Masters disappeared to. Ruili, wide-eyed and furious, looked around for her quarry.

"Where did they go?!" she shrieked. "How could you have lost them?!"

The felines came to attention and the chaos stopped at once. One of the felines, who seemed visibly stronger and tougher than the rest, examined those of her kind.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" she hissed. "How did they get away?"

"I-I'm not sure," one of the group answered. "It's like they disappeared."

The leader shot forward and lifted the other up by the throat, looking her in the eye.

"Of course they disappeared!" the leader spat. "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

She dropped her underling, causing her to scramble to stand up and at attention.

"Find them at once!" Ruili demanded. "And don't you fail me!"

Immediately, half the felines ran for one side of the path and the other ran for the other, both forces beginning to search the forests thoroughly.

"They can't have gotten far," Ruili murmured.

Vixey looked through the forest at the distant figures and turned to the others.

"They're searching now," she whispered.

"We need to get out of here," Viper started. "We should warn Shifu!"

"And what if that invitation is real?" Crane argued. "If we just go back as if it isn't, the Emperor would hunt us down anyway!"

"It was fake," Tigress said, watching their enemies in their futile search. "It was meant to draw us out."

An uneasy silence fell over the Masters.

"Then that means..." Vixey started.

"That we'd already be too late to warn Shifu," Tigress finished for her. "Ruili's people may have already been there, waiting for us to leave. If we go back now, we'll be overpowered."

"Wait a minute," Po began, "we're not even going back? What about Shifu? What about the Valley?"

"There's nothing we can do, Po," Mantis told him. "We'll be defeated if we go back, and what use will we be then?"

Silence fell again.

"So what was Ruili?" Vixey asked. "I didn't quite recognize her."

"She's an otter," Jin answered. "I've seen a few of them before, when I was a cub. They were stopping by for directions to Cheng Guang and I'd never heard of them after that."

"Whoa whoa whoa," Vixey continued. "I've seen otters before! Why couldn't I recognize her now?"

"Her species is native to China," Jin said. "They tend to keep to themselves."

"Stop talking," Tigress growled quietly.

Silence again. But now they could hear rustling as the enemy felines searched closer, but not close enough. The rustling died down as they got farther away.

"We need to move," Tigress finally said. "Go through parts they've searched already. The more distance we can get between us and them, the better."

"But what about the Valley?" Po weakly persisted. "We can't just-!"

"We have to," Tigress interrupted. "Don't argue, Po."

"But-!"

"Po," Tigress continued firmly, "I know. They'll be okay."

Po saw that his feeling was mutual. She hated to abandon the Valley like this. Reluctantly, he followed her lead and the Masters crept away and out of the forest. When they finally reached the end and climbed up a hill, Po looked back at the Valley. Shocked, he also saw Tigress doing the same. As she turned away to continue onward, he thought he saw pain on her face.

"Let's get going," she said.