The two sprinted across the rooftops of the Market District, Yuè, determines to do anything to get his daughter back, and the kidnapper, doing everything in her power to keep him away. The hunter and his prey bounded across the rooftops, leaping over the occasional gap between buildings. "This doesn't have to go this way!" Yuè called out, "All you have to do is give me Li!" The dark clad kidnapper scoffed, "Yeah, right! You're just another one of Jong's assassins!" she yelled back. Yuè's eyes widened, then narrowed as a blood red tinge creeped over his iris, "Another? What do you mean another assassin?!" he asked as he pushed to run faster. The kidnapper turned back and saw the rage in the wolf's eyes as he chased her. She was taken aback and stopped for a second to draw a bow strapped around her torso. She nocked an arrow and drew back the string, taking a quick breath to focus the shot. However, the wolf was moving too quickly and before she could release the arrow, he tackled her off the roof, sending them crashing in a pile of snow and discarded trash.
Yuè quickly got to his feet and shook the snow off. He began to look around the area and noticed he was in an alley, the same alley as the one he'd lost the kidnapper in earlier that day. The wolf quickly sniffed the air and found her scent to be very close, right behind him to be exact. Yuè quickly turned around, only to be met with an arrow to the shoulder, "S***!" he yelled as his gaze went to the arrow then to where it came from, the kidnapper with her bow drawn and another readied arrow nocked. He grabbed the shaft of the arrow and pulled it out, barely flinching at the pain. The wolf began to stalk towards her, fangs bared and growling savagely. She fired another arrow, the projectile making it's mark in Yuè's thigh and stopped him. He pulled the arrow out and took a step forward, "Stay back, or you'll never have pups ever." the kidnapper threatened with an arrow aimed at a more private area. Yuè stopped in his tracks and rested a hand on the hilt of the dagger strapped across his back, "You wouldn't." he snarled, his eyes narrowed and his fur bristled. For a moment both combatants were completely still, a slight breeze shifted the fur of Yuè's tail and ears. The tension between the two could be cut with a knife. Suddenly, Yuè lunged forward, blade drawn and desiring only to spill his daughter's kidnapper's blood on the snow. The kidnapper fired the arrow but Yuè dodged to the left and ran horizontally along the wall of the alley.
After several steps, he leapt from the wall at the kidnapper with his blade aim at her neck. She blocked the dagger with the riser of the bow, the blade digging deep into the wood. Yuè pushed on the blade, forcing his opponent to push back and use up her strength. As he pushed their faces got closer and he could feel her breath touching his nose, "Tryin' to steal a kiss?" the kidnapper joked, Yuè could sense a smile underneath her face cover and that only infuriated him further. He pulled the dagger from the bow and kicked the kidnapper in the midsection away from him, causing her to stumble backwards. "Either shut up and fight, or tell me where my daughter is." he said in a dead serious tone before flipping his dagger in a reverse grip. "Where does Jong find you guys? You're really dedicated to that story, aren't you?" she asked in a sarcastic and slightly a annoyed tone. The kidnapper put her bow back around her torso and reached behind her back, unsheathing a jiandao. She held the sword in a fencing stance, "Let's dance." she taunted. Yuè growled and raised his dagger defensively in his left hand with his right hand open offensively in a more tactical knife fighting stance. "Let's get this over with." he said with a growl.
The adversaries began to circle one another, each looking for a breach in the other's defense before attacking. As they circled they gradually got closer and closer into the other's striking range. Because Yuè was using a reverse grip however, his range was more limited and he had to be closer to his opponent to attack, which is exactly what he wanted. The wolf was the first to attack, slashing horizontally only for his strike to be blocked and slid off the kidnapper's blade, cause sparks to shower onto the snow. He quickly flipped his dagger back to the standard grip and brought the blade back with another horizontal slash, this time keeping the blades pressed against each other. His opponent pushed the blades apart and retaliated with a horizontal strike of her own. Yuè blocked, his opponent's sword grazing the edge of his dagger. She followed her attack up with a vertical rising slash. Yuè blocked again but nearly allowed his hold on the dagger to slip. The blow sent the lupine reeling but he quickly regain his composure and lunged at the black clad abductor. He slashed at her savagely in almost every conceivable angle, his opponent blocking every attack. Yuè struck one more time, but as his dagger struck his opponent's sword, instead of pulling his blade back, he moved toward her and spun to the side, cutting her shoulder in the process.
Yuè stood back with his dagger in a reverse grip as he eyed his daughter's abductor. He caught sight of fresh blood dripping from her shoulder and staining the snow below her red, "Oops." he said sarcastically with a slight grin. The kidnapper growled slightly, "You're gonna pay for that." she said before readying her sword and moving forward. Yuè began moving to his right to find an optimal time to attack again. His opponent was the first to strike this time. She slashed her sword down in a diagonal angle, clashing with Yuè's dagger and following up with a rising diagonal strike when Yuè reeled from the attack, slicing his shoulder. Yuè looked at the blood dripping from his wound and growled, "Oops." the kidnapper repeated in a similarly sarcastic tone. A tinge of red began to creep over his irises but he fought back the rage, deciding he needed a clear head to deal with this opponent. He bared his teeth with a growl and readied his dagger just as his opponent readied her sword.
Yuè took to the offense this time and rushed at the kidnapper. He slashed horizontally and followed up with a downward diagonal slash. When she reeled from the attacks, Yue kicked her in the midsection and followed up with a jumping punch with his dagger, slashing the kidnapper's cheek and cutting her mask. He followed up with a spinning slash aimed toward her stomach but missed when she dodged backwards. The kidnapper went on the offensive and slashed diagonally downward. Yuè tried to block but the blade missed his dagger and slashed his forearm. His opponent followed up with a rising vertical slash. Yuè dodged backwards but his chest was nicked by the tip of the sword. Luckily he was wearing his leather vest, otherwise he would've had another cut to add to his collection of scars. He back peddled away from his opponent, "What's the matter? Runnin' so a girl doesn't kick your tail?" the kidnapper taunted. Yuè got down on his haunches and placed his dagger in his teeth. The wolf crouched down on all fours and sprinted toward his opponent. She caught on to his strategy and readied her sword to block the impending strike but it was too late. When Yuè got within jumping range of his opponent, he leapt forward and came down with a diving slash, the blades clashed with a shower of sparks. He landed, crouched, and put the dagger back in his hand. He quickly rose to his feet and slashed her horizontally on her left side. The kidnapper dropped her sword in shock and fell to the ground, clenching the wound. Yuè stood over her and watched as she began to bleed out. Crouched down to look her in the eye, "Now I'm giving you a choice. I could leave you here to bleed out, or you could get up and take me to where you have my daughter. Your choice." he said coldly. The kidnapper began to struggle to get up and Yuè reached out to help her stand. When she had stable footing, the kidnapper looked to Yuè with uncertainty, not sure if he'd kill her or not. He gestured for her to lead the way to Li. As they walked down the alley, Yuè noticed that she began to drip blood and began to cover it with snow as they walked.
For several minutes Yuè was led through back alleys to an unknown location. Through the entire walk the only thing the wolf could think about was how close he was to his daughter. 'I'm comin' Li.' he thought to himself. After turning down another alley, the pair were met with a dead end in the form of a brick wall. Yuè moved ahead of his guide and began to look around the alley, "What the hell is this?" he asked in outrage, "Is this some sorta joke?" His fur began to bristle and he reached for his dagger. The kidnapper held a hand up to stop him and limped toward the right wall. She pushed a wooden pallet that leaned against the wall to reveal a hole in the barrier. Yuè took his hand off the blade and cautiously moved toward cavity. He looked to his guide, "In here?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. She nodded, "I wouldn't be leading you to a hole in a wall if I knew you were gonna kill me, now would I?" she asked sarcastically. Yuè scoffed and crawled into the crevasse. When he got to the other side he stood up and looked around. He stood in a large spacious garden courtyard decorated with plots of gorgeous flowers and trees in full bloom. Radiant plum blossom tree burst in a light pink hue. Bushes of elegant snow white chrysanthemums covered the inner walls of the courtyard. Brilliant crimson camellias lined the sides of cobblestone walkways that snaked several paths through the garden. A brisk breeze flew through Yuè's fur and carried the plum blossom petals on the wind. Yuè took on the sights and smells of the garden, but only thought of Li and whether she was okay or not.
He removed his hood and began walking through the garden, keeping an eye, ear, and nose out for anything out of the ordinary as well as his daughter. His view of the entire garden was partly obscured by the plum blossom trees growing in the center and around the sides of the paths. As he walked he soon caught a familiar scent and quickened his pace. He walked down a path that led to a small porch made of light brown wood. He caught sight of a small purple blanket lying on the edge of the porch. It looked oddly haunting, like from a bad dream. Yuè slowly approached the blanket, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. He could feel the breath leave his lungs as he bent down a reached for the fabric. When the pads of his fingers touched the blanket, it felt soft and velvety. He also felt the movement of soft breathing from a small body underneath the blanket. He gripped the cloth and slowly pulled it from the figure underneath it. His heart stopped and a warm sensation filled his body the moment he caught sight of something that was as white as freshly fallen snow. He pulled the cover from the form to reveal a young wolf pup sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling with every breath beneath a light blue robe. Slowly, her eyes began to open, showing a similar shade of jade green as Yuè's right eye, but also had a light tinge of light blue. "Is that you Kuo?" the pup asked in a tired high pitched voice. A tear threatened to fall from Yuè's eyes but he fought it back, 'Who's Kuo?' he thought. "Not quite, pup." he said placing a hand on her head and ruffling her fur. The puppy's eyes grew wide and she threw herself into an embrace with Yuè, "Daddy!" she squealed as she began to nuzzle the fur on Yuè's neck. "I missed you too, Li. Daddy's here." he said, nuzzling the fur on top of his daughter's head.
Yuè's breathing slowed and he became more relaxed than he had been in the last five months. He loved being with his daughter. She was the only family he had left and it destroyed him inside when he thought he lost her. Yuè pulled away from the hug slightly to look his daughter in the eyes with concerned glare, "Why did you run off? I thought I told you that no matter what, you stay home until I came back." he asked. Li looked down at the ground ashamedly, "I know. But Kuo said that she was your friend and you wanted me to go with her." she said looking back at Yuè. He ruffled the fur on Li's head again and placed his forehead against hers, "Li. What am I gonna do with you?" he said with a smile and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Aaww. That's adorable." a voice said from behind. The two wolves turned to see the black clad kidnapper holding her side and standing unsteadily in front of them. "Kuo!" Li squealed before running to the other person in the garden. She tightly hugged her leg and nuzzled into her pants leg, a sign Yuè knew that signified it must've been soft. His daughter adores anything soft and always wanted soft things. From blankets to stuffed animals, even the fur of others. If it was soft, Li instantly took a liking to it. "Ahem." Yuè said, catching both his daughter and her abductor's attention. His ears were folded back aggressively and his fur was slightly bristled, "Li, who's this?" he asked in an agitated tone. Li's ears fell flat and her tail hung limply at the tone of her father's voice, "I thought you knew her." she said looking down at the ground with her hands behind her back. Yuè crossed his arms with a huff, "Well, I don't. Is this the person you've been with this whole time?" he asked. Li nodded, "This is Kuo. She's my new friend." she said looking up at Yuè.
Yuè put a hand over his eyes, "Li, I know you remember what I told you about strangers, right?" he asked. Li nodded, "Are you mad at me?" she asked with a slight whimper. Yuè let out an exasperated sigh, "Right now I'm just glad you're safe. But I am a little disappointed." he said. Li's eyes brightened a little but kept the look of shame. She walked back to her father and clung to his side, "Can we go home now?" she asked, looking at Yuè with pleading eyes. "Not yet. Daddy has some work to do. Then, I promise we'll go home, okay?" he asked, rubbing Li's back comfortingly. She nodded and they began to walk toward the exit to the garden. However, when they walked past Kuo, she became very faint and collapsed the trunk of a nearby plum blossom tree. Li's eyes went wide and she quickly ran to Kuo's side. When she got near her, the pup saw the blood spilling from the wound in her side, "Daddy, Kuo's hurt! We have to help her!" she said. Yuè looked down at the wounded kidnapper with conflict in his eyes. On one hand, he should leave her. She kidnapped his daughter and he didn't have a clue where she was or whether or not she was living. On the other hand, this person had taken care of Li for five months. Something he was very thankful for. The wolf decided to follow his gut with the latter and picked Kuo up, slinging her arm around his shoulders, "Alright pup. Let's go patch your friend up." he said as they continued their walk with an extra passenger in tow.
After walking for several minutes Yuè made his way back to the Silver Horn Inn. He thought about the route he used to leave and remembered that he left the window open. He hoped that no one was awake and realized he snuck out. He opened the front door quietly and entered the building, holding it open for Li so she can come in. Yuè's ears perked up at the sound of hushed voices coming from the bar area. 'Well s***.' he thought as he walked into the bar. The lupine was immediately greeted with eight different glares ranging from upset to concerned. "Yuè! Where were you? And who's that?" asked Fan in a concerned voice. Just as Yuè opened his mouth to explain, a small bundle of happiness and cheer burst from behind him and ran toward the weasel. "Auntie Fan! Uncle Ji-Ji!" shouted Li as she ran to the table everyone was seated around. "Li?" Fan said in surprise, "Furball!" Jian shouted with glee as he quickly lifted the wolf pup into the air and spun her in a full circle, laughing heartily with the pup. The croc noticed a glare of bewilderment coming from Po and the Furious Five, "What?" he asked. "'Uncle Ji-Ji'?" Monkey asked, confused. Jian shrugged, "Only the little furball can call me that." He set the pup down and her gaze wandered to the six others occupying the room as well. "Hello. My name is Zhang Li. What's yours?" she asked, introducing herself to Po and the Five. Viper was the first to approach the young one, "My name is Master Viper. Nice to meet you." she said, bowing her head. Li bowed back and looked to the rest of the Five. "I'm Master Monkey." Monkey said as they began to bow and introduce themselves one by one. "My name's Master Crane.", "I'm Master Mantis.", "My name is Master Tigress. How are you?" Tigress asked after introducing herself. "I'm fine. Who's that?" Li asked looking behind the Five and spotting Po. They moved to the side to give Li a better view of Po, who waved, "My name's Po. I'm the Dragon Warrior." he said with a smile. Li's eyes lit up, "You're the Dragon Warrior?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes. Po nodded. The pup ran to the panda and quickly squeezed his leg in a tight embrace, "Your fur is really soft." she said as her tail swayed happily. Jian looked up from the display of affection and noticed that a certain wolf was M.I.A., "Where's Yuè?" he asked, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. They all looked around the bar area for any sign of the lupine but found none.
Meanwhile, In Yuè's Room...
"Quit squirming. You're acting like a pup." said Yuè as he stitched up the gash in Kuo's side. While Li was having a meet-and-greet with everyone downstairs, Yuè decided to not waste time and took Kuo upstairs to mend her wounds. It was the least he could do for putting her in that position. "Well I'm sorry, but I don't very much enjoy having metal driven through my skin." Kuo said. She was lying on her side with her back facing Yuè as he worked the suture through the cut. While stitching the wound, the wolf's eyes focused on both, the task at hand as well as the female lying before him. When Yuè carried Kuo up to his room, he had to remove the top layer of her clothes so he could mend the gash on her side. He started with her hood and mask so he could get a look at her face. She was a wolf with black fur and grey tips on every strand of hair, giving off a kind of silver sheen in the light. His gaze lingered on her left ear momentarily, wondering about the story behind why half of it was missing. He moved on and began to remove the equipment on her torso, starting with her weapons, then removing her vambraces and chest guard. When he finished Kuo's torso was clad in nothing but a cloth chest wrap to keep her front from being exposed. He looked to her face and saw that she was starting to lose consciousness, which meant he had to act quick or she'd bleed out. He reached into a satchel next to him and pulled out a small bottle of antiseptic and a clean rag. He poured the antiseptic on the rag and began to sterilize the wound. The moment the antiseptic touched the tender exposed flesh, Kuo instantly regained consciousness and hissed in pain, "Ugh! A little warning would've been nice!"she griped with a slight fidget. "Quit your bellyachin'. A warning would've been nice before you shot me in my arm." Yuè said as he began to thread a curved suture.
That was several minutes ago and Yuè had just finished the last stitch and dressed the wound with clean bandages, "There. Try not to agitate your side." he said as he got up and moved to sit on his bed. Kuo slowly sat up and looked at the bandages wrapped around her midsection. Considering how savage and aggressive Yuè was in combat, he did a surprisingly good job of providing aid and mending the wound, "Your bedside manner sucks, you know." she said with a grumble. Yuè looked at the cut running vertically on the outer side of his forearm to check how severe it was, "Yeah. So I've been told. You can take care of that other cut yourself" he said. He began to lick the minor wound, much how an injured wolf would do to a fresh injury. The coppery taste of the blood caused him to reminisce about the steak he'd eaten earlier that day and only made him hungry as well as a bit agitated by the fact that Jian greedily ate the extra. He was broken up from his licking by a voice he'd forgotten about, "Really? Licking your cut?" Kuo asked incredulously. Yuè scoffed, "I have you know this works just as well. Maybe even better." He finished licking his wound and looked over his other injuries. Two punctures, one in his shoulder and the other in his leg, and a cut on his shoulder, would require aid. He removed his shroud and started to unbuckle his leather vest. He looked up at Kuo, who was watching attentively, "Get out. I don't want you to see me without my vest." he said bluntly. "Aaww. And miss the show? No way." she said, sitting with legs crossed and watching Yuè. He stopped undoing the straps on his vest to look at the other wolf sternly, "Get out before I make you." he said with bristled fur. Kuo crossed her arms defiantly, "I'd like to see you try." she said with a grin. Yuè stood up and walked to the she-wolf, towering over her as she sat on the floor. He looked down at Kuo as he reached the limit of annoyance he could endure. He quickly bent down to pick her up and forcefully remove her from his room, but she quickly dodged to the side on all fours, careful to not agitate her wound. Yuè quietly growled as she stood looking at him smugly, "I said leave!" he nearly shouted. Kuo stuck her tongue out teasingly, "And I said no." she said with a grin. "I don't wanna hurt you because I just patched you up, but now I'm really startin' to reconsider." Yuè said, cracking his knuckles and stalking towards Kuo. He grabbed her shoulder with a hand and she spun from his grasp, getting behind him and smacked him on his hindquarters, causing him to yelp in surprise. Kuo giggled at the sound, which made Yuè growl louder. He turned around and grabbed her again, with both hands this time. She ducked his grasp and slipped under his arms to the side, once again ending up behind the annoyed lupine. Yuè turned to face her once again but something was different, he felt a slight breeze against his chest running through his fur. He looked down at his now bare chest before looking back at Kuo with more anger in his eyes. "Lookin' good. Why hide the eye candy?" she asked in a flirty tone. This was the last straw. Yuè lunged at the slippery she-wolf in a last ditch effort to get her to leave. He grabbed her again and started to shove her out of the room. Kuo tried to spin out of Yuè's grasp, but ended up tangling their feet together and sent them both to the ground. Kuo feel face first into a soft and fuzzy surface. Strange texture for hardwood floors. The she-wolf sat up to find herself straddled on top of Yuè, the wolf looking both uncomfortable and angry beneath her. "All you had to do was say something." she said in a sultry voice as she slowly leaned closer to Yuè's muzzle, a wide grin creasing her mouth. "What are you doing? Get off of me." he demanded, squirming underneath the female to get free. Normally he would've been back on his feet by now, but the injuries on his arm and leg began to feel sore and itch and all he wanted was to relieve the ailment. "Not a chance." she said softly, her nose just mere inches from Yuè's.
Just then Yuè heard the door to his room slide open and he quickly turned to see who opened it. Jian stood in the door way with a surprised look that quickly turned into a sly grin, "Wow Yu. I mean, I knew you worked quick, but damn." he said teasingly. Yuè quickly pulled himself from under Kuo and snatched up his medical satchel along with the bottle of antiseptic. He quickly walked to the door and squeezed between it and Jian. He stood in the hall and turned to the crocodile in his door, "It's not what it looks like, so you can get those thoughts outta your head. I'll explain after I patch myself up." he said grumpily before walking down the alley into a vacant room on the opposite wall. Several minutes later he left the room with a bandaged leg and shoulder and proceeded to explain to Jian what really happened in his room. "...and that's what happened. Guess this is karma for what happened with Tigress." he said. The pair were sitting in Jian's room during the explanation and Jian could tell other things were on his friend's mind. Partly Kuo, but mainly Li. However, he couldn't help but be curious at the mention of something happening between Tigress and Yu, "What happened with Tigress?" he asked, raising an eyeridge. Yuè sighed, "I tried to put some moves on her and wound up having my arm nearly ripped off." he said rolling his shoulder in remembrance, "Say what you want about her, but she can kick a guy's a** pretty hard." Jian shrugged, "Sorta figured that from what happened at the fort and the fact that she's in the Furious Five." he said, Yuè agreeing with a grunt and nod. After a moment of silence, Jian addressed the elephant in the room, "So Li's back. How do you feel?" he asked. Yuè looked away with a wry grin before looking back at the croc, "I'm happy. I mean, I have my daughter back. After five months of searching, a huge weight's been lifted. All my worries are pretty much gone. My life can pretty much go back to normal." he said. "So now what?" Jian asked. Yuè raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" he asked. "Your mission's over. You found Li and now you can go whenever you want. Rebuild your life with her and make up for lost time." Jian said. Yuè let the words sink in. He's done. He finished his quest and the Dragon Warrior served his purpose. He could just ditch them and live happily ever after, walk off into the sunset, close the chapter on this part of his life, and drink the memory away. But he felt a feeling tugging at the back of his mind.
He'd done so much and made so many memories during that journey. Meeting Po and the Five, dancing with Fan at the Full Moon Festival, the talk he had with the panda that rainy night and the song on the flute. He felt a sense of comradery he hadn't felt since he was a pup living with his—Yuè cut that memory short, but the sensation still lingered. Wolves knew a lot about such a feeling. It's how they live and how they survive. Without a pack, a lone wolf couldn't survive and would die alone and helpless. The feeling left Yuè's mind and moved to his heart, a strange and long forgotten warmth filling his body. "I couldn't do that. These guys have done so much for me and I couldn't live with myself knowing I abandoned them so far in their mission. They're my pack now. I couldn't leave them even if I wanted to." he said. Jian grinned, "Your pack, eh? I thought you already had a pack?" he asked. Yuè chuckled, "You know you and Fan will always be a part of my pack." Jian chuckled as well, "Just checkin'. You sorta have a penchant for leaving packs." Yuè went silent and looked away, "Way to strike a nerve Jian." he said. Jian's eyes went wide for a second, realizing what he said, "Dammit. Look, I'm sorry for bringin' that up Yu. Bad joke." he said scratching the back of his neck. Yuè waved it away, "It's alright. I'm glad I left them. Best decision of my life." The room went silent for a minute, neither occupant knowing what to say next. Yuè stood up and sighed, "I'm gonna go check on Li. She should be getting ready for bed. It's getting late." he said walking to the door. "Alright Yu. I'll leave you to it. Tell the furball I said 'sweet dreams'." Jian said with a grin. Yuè chuckled lightly, "Sure thing 'Uncle Ji-Ji'." he said before stepping out of the room. "Hey! Only the furball can call me that!" Jian yelled as the door closed behind Yuè.
The lupine entered the hall snickering from the teasing remark about the crocodile. He began to walk down the hall towards the stairs but stopped at the sight of another lupine in the corridor, one he'd rather wasn't there. "What's so funny?" Kuo asked with a sly, mocking grin. She'd recently dressed her torso with a cream colored vest to keep from exposing her chest to the occupants and had a bandage on her right shoulder. "Nothing concerning you." he said grumpily as he resumed walking. He only made it a few steps before she began talking again, "Really? I could use a good laugh." she called out to the lupine, stopping him once again. "What's your deal exactly? One second you're ready to kill me over my own pup, the next you're tryin' to kiss me and get in my pants." he said, trying to decipher who the she-wolf was. She giggled, "You're the one who fell and 'conveniently' had me land on top of you. You're not really my type anyway." she said, making quote gestures for the word 'conveniently'. Yuè looked at her for a second disbelievingly before turning back towards the stairs, "You're unbelievable." he muttered shaking his head. "It's a shame your friend caught us when he did. We probably coulda had something." she said, once again stopping the wolf. Yuè thought on the words for a second before turning back to Kuo, "Wait...you knew he was coming up the stairs, didn't you?" he asked. Kuo wiggled her ears, "These aren't for decoration, you know. Unlike yours probably." she said sauntering up to Yuè in a sultry manner and placing a hand on his chest. Yuè looked down at the female with a look mixing agitation and confusion, "Why are you doing this?" he asked. She caressed his chest, rubbing a finger in a circle, "I'm just having a little fun." she said before mockingly patting Yuè's cheek and walking into a vacant room opposite of the room Yuè was occupying. The wolf sighed heavily before walking down the stairs into the bar.
Down in the bar, he heard Po telling one his stories about a time where he vanquished a villain that attempted to take over the Valley of Peace. He saw his daughter was completely attentive and focused on the panda's every word and reenactment of the story. Yuè chuckled lowly at the sight and walked over to sit by his daughter. "Enjoyin' the story, pup?" he asked moving closer to Li and putting an arm around her shoulder in a slight embrace. The young wolf nodded with a bright smile and went back to listening to Po talk about the time he defeated a villain by the name of Taotie and a mechanical monstrosity he created to destroy the village. After the story Li began to feel sleepy but refused to give in to the urge. Yuè carried her up the stairs, holding her close to his chest, "But Daddy, I'm not tired." she whined before letting out a huge yawn. Yuè chuckled, "That says otherwise little lady. Let's get you to bed." he said as he moved down the hall to a vacant room across from his, right beside the room Kuo had claimed. Yuè had put Li in bed and tucked the blanket over her small body, the pup sinking into the fabric and nuzzling into the softness of it. "Will you tell me a story Daddy?" she asked with a pleading look. Yuè smiled widely, kneeling next to Li, "Sure thing, pup. Let me think..." he said looking up to feign a thought, already having a story in mind, Li's favorite story. "How about 'Why The Wolf Howls'?" he asked already knowing the answer. Li nodded vigorously, "Oh please please please pleeeaase!" she begged, nearly leaping out of bed. Yuè chuckled softly, "Okay, okay. I'll tell it." he said before beginning the story.
'Once upon a time, deep deep in the forest lived two wolves. They were best friends and did everything together. One day, one of the wolves went into a dark cave and found a small white stone. The stone spoke to him, 'Thank you for finding me. I thought I was going to be stuck in the dark forever.' the stone said. The wolf was shocked to see a stone talk, 'You're welcome. I didn't know stones could talk.' he said. The stone laughed, 'Ha ha ha, I'm not just any stone. I'm a magic moon stone.' the stone said. The wolf looked at him in wonder, 'A magic moon stone! What do you do?' he asked the stone. 'I grant wishes. But you can't tell anyone.' the stone said. 'Not even my best friend?' the wolf asked. 'Not even your best friend.' the stone said. The wolf was sad he couldn't tell his friend but maybe he could use the wishes for his friend. The wolf promised not to tell anyone and carried the rock out of the cave.
When the wolf went back to his friend, the other wolf was worried sick, 'Where were you? You don't usually go places without me.' he said. The wolf smiled and said, 'Oh, nowhere too interesting. I just went to look at rocks.' His friend was confused, 'Rocks?' he asked. The wolf nodded, 'Yep. Rocks.' His friend shrugged and they went to go on an adventure together. Little did he know about the magic moon stone his friend had. On their adventure they went into a maze and got terribly lost. 'This isn't fun anymore!' said the wolf's friend, 'I wanna go home!' The wolf saw how upset his best friend was and whispered to the moon stone, 'I wish we were back home.' And in an instant they were home. 'Wow!' said the wolf's friend, 'How'd we get home?' The wolf smiled and showed his friend the magic moon stone. 'I wished us back with this magic moon stone.' Suddenly the sun disappeared from the sky and the moon rushed to take its place, 'I told you not to tell anyone!' the stone yelled, furious the wolf broke his promise, 'Now I will send you to the moon forever!' And just like that, the wolf was taken to the moon with the magic moon stone. His friend was very sad and started to cry. But then he heard a voice, 'Don't cry. I'm okay.' said the wolf. His friend looked up and saw the wolf in the moon, smiling at him. 'But you're in the moon! How can we be friends if you're so far away?' he asked. The wolf smiled and the moon shone brightly, 'Whenever you see the moon and start to miss me, just howl, and I'll hear how much you miss me and we can stay friends forever.' the wolf said. His friend looked up at him and let out a loud howl to let him know how sad he was, and when he was done, all the sadness disappear and all he felt was happiness. And every night, he howled up at the moon to tell his friend that he missed him.'
"...the end." Yuè said finishing the story. He looked down at Li to see the young wolf snoring softly and sleeping soundly. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead, "Night, pup. Sweet dreams." he said before getting up and leaving the room. Yuè entered the hall and sighed heavily. His ears perked up to the sounds of everyone in the inn sleeping, most of it blocked out by Jian's snoring. He walked over to Po's room and quietly slid the door open. The panda was sprawled out in his bed and murmured something about bean buns and fists of awesomeness. Yuè poked him on his side, "Po. Wake up." he whispered. The giant ursine rolled over to the side and mumbled something else about killer noodles. Yuè sighed and moved to the side so he was face to face with Po again. Lost on any other way to wake him, Yuè flicked the panda's nose, instantly waking him up with a yelp. "Ooowww! Why'd you do that?" Po shouted in a whisper. "I need to talk to you. Meet me on the roof." Yuè said before leaving the room. Po looked at the door for a moment in bewilderment, wondering if he was dreaming or not, but the flick on his nose felt too real an he could still feel it. The panda rose from the bed, the frame creaking from the loss of a large weight it carried, and left the room as well. He entered the hall and began looking for a way to the roof, like a door he missed or a ladder that happened to be in front of him. Wait, a ladder in the middle of the hall? Po decided to ignore the strangeness of the random object before climbing up.
On top of the black tiled roof, Po saw Yuè sitting on the edge and looking up at the moon. When the panda stepped onto the tiles Yuè's head turned at the clinking sound, "You came." he said in a voice feigning enthusiasm. Po could tell he was forcing it, "Well, when a friend wakes me up and wants to talk to me, what can I do?" he asked rhetorically. Yuè nodded and patted the spot beside him, gesturing that the panda have a seat there. Po complied and carefully walked across the roof, not wanting to fall and hurt himself. He carefully took his seat and followed Yuè's gaze at the moon, shining bright and full. "It's pretty." Po said, commenting about the moon. Yuè continued to stare, "Yeah. When I was a pup, I love looking at the moon. I even practiced howling at it. I didn't get my name until I was almost one. My dad named me after the moon." he said in a near emotionless voice, the tone sounding melancholy. "That's pretty cool, to be named after the moon. Your dad must be a pretty awesome guy." Po said with a grin. Yuè looked at him with a slightly surprised look before turning back to the radiant satellite in the sky, "That's...a word, you can use." he said, giving no real opinion about his father. The two sat in silence for a minute, both admiring the glow of the moon. "Am I a good father, Po?" Yuè asked, breaking the silence. Po cocked an eyebrow, "What?" he asked, wondering if he heard the question right. "Do you think I'm a good father? Am I fit to raise Li?" Yuè asked again, looking the panda in his eyes. Po nodded, "Of course. I couldn't think of anyone better to raise her. Why do you ask?" he asked. Yuè looked back at the moon, "With everything that's happened, and all the danger I put her in, I can't help but think she could have a better home. One with someone that's not so irresponsible and negligent." he said, hanging his head sorrowfully. "Irresponsible? Negligent? You're not either of those. As much as you talk about Li, and how I saw you treat her after you brought her back. Yu, you could've died during this trip, so many times, but you didn't care and kept going. If that screams 'irresponsible parent' then I should've been in a foster home years ago." he said pointing at himself. Yuè looked at the panda, "So, you're comparing me to your dad, Mr. Ping? Right, Yuè Làng, five star chef." he joked in a half humored voice. Po chuckled, "Doesn't sound too bad. I could totally see you running a kitchen and serving noodles." he joked. Yuè playfully punched Po's shoulder, "Shut up, panda." he said as both began to chuckle. The laughter died down and they both went silent for a minute, eyes gazing at the moon. "But seriously, Yu. Li needs you. I couldn't think of anyone better for that little girl." Po said encouragingly. Yuè looked at him and smiled slightly, "Thanks. That means a lot to me." he said. Po patted Yuè's shoulder, "No prob. What're friends for?" he said before turning back to the moon.
"Right, friends." Yuè murmured under his breath before speaking up, "What do you know about wolf packs?" he asked. "Wolf packs? Well, not much. It's just a bunch of wolves living together." he answered. "You're close. It's a family of wolves living together. Interconnected with common interests and held together by synergy and companionship. Wolves care for each other and use that to strengthen their pack and themselves." Yuè said wistfully. "Why the sudden talk about packs. Were you in one or something?" Po asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Yeah. But that was a long time ago. I got a different pack now." Yuè said before standing up and walking to the ladder. He stopped and looked at Po with a grin, "Thanks again for listening panda. Just to let you know, we're gonna start planning our next move against Jūnfá in the morning. I'm gonna go get some sleep." he said before climbing down the ladder. Po sat on the roof for several minutes thinking about the conversation he just had with Yuè and began to feel like he was hiding something. He ignored that feeling and chalked it up to the wolf feeling a bit melancholy but mostly relieved he has his daughter. The panda stood and walked to the ladder to climb back inside the inn. Once he got into the hall, he pushed the ladder back in it's position tucked away in the ceiling. Back on the rooftops however, a shadowy figure stood on top of the adjacent building, and listened to the entire conversation between the wolf and panda. His muzzle curved slightly in a satisfied grin as his blood red eyes pierced through the darkness, "I wonder what they're up to? I'm sure Jūnfá would love ta know too." Zhuo said to himself as he stepped off the roof and landed on the streets below, landing in a snow drift to break his fall and sauntering off to the palace.