The horror approaches at random chapters, which will go for minor fear and brief disturbances! We'll have to be wary at all times! Friendships always go from the beginning through the end as a hidden message will reflect the meaning of my fic.

Volume One: A Visitor

Chapter II

The Drawings

Tigress's nephew hated the scar — all over his right eye refused to maul. He would only get used to this nasty scratch, which the four-armed warlord almost ripped his good right eye. Instead, the tear on his eyes and right cheek could last forever, even slowly healing. He did not like getting mauled; nothing but the rest of the soldiers had battle scars to tell the tale. As for his, the only scar Xing could say to the story of his wound.

Chen Xing dressed in his cobalt silk uniform and black trousers.

His red bow was stashed on the left side of his room, crafted with Mongolian fires. The quiver held on its wrap on the nail mounted on a thick, wooden structure behind him. These were a gift as Wolf Boss (Lotus's father) gave both to him, which meant Xing's extraordinary skill that no one could precisely shoot for two weeks. Regular archery training could take years to be an accurate bow archer, depending on how you experience it.

A shoji door opened slowly after Xing was adequately dressed. "Is everything okay?" the scratchy, calm tone asked the tiger. A one-eyed wolf broke his grin.

"Yeah. It was only a dream," Xing smiled at the wolf. The presence of a one-eyed wolf gave the tiger serenity without fisting against the structure (which you could be going crazy when a nightmare did hurt you inside).

Zhong rolled his head in curiosity. "Terrible?" Wolf Boss wandered.

"Not entirely," he stepped out of his room, strolling into the Nine's Hall along with the one-eyed wolf rounding his arm behind the tiger's neck. "You slept well, Zhong?"

"Aye. Nothing much to see any horrors," Zhong said, his silvery voice mixed with honey and tea absorbing his social approval. His thought deepened a bit more; the former commander continued. "Only battle cries they sang over my head."

"Those cries bother you the most, sir," the tiger's monotonous tone suspected the wolf's agony, contemplating more than a hundred wolves howling and barking at the moon, then shattered bangs which slaughtered most, left with only survivors. "Dwelling the past can shed your heart."

There's no denying how this tiger regarded small memories, including the inside you may not hide — a possible mind absorbing the feelings you shared. "My daughter knows how you feel about anyone's perception," Wolf Boss determined.

"Yeah, that's me sharing the empathy. Especially this thing inside me can sense it," Xing gestured to his chest.

"Does that thing bother you?" he inquired tenderly.

The tiger described this thing as his only avatar, one dragon called Mind of Metal, one of the five elements of China that sharpened every sword's edge. Another known to those who witnessed the mighty creature and the Mightiest Warriors that purged the darkness was the White Dragon. It had been quiet for two weeks past. Ever since the ending battle of Gongmen City, along with the defeat of the Prince of Darkness, Xing feared that his avatar could awake more without knowing how you could exactly remember where you were.

For a few weeks, the reports from Golden Temple had one of the Emperor's generals witness a snow-white creature soaring within reach of the tall mountains beyond the north and even close to the Valley of Peace's eastern land. Xing thought of the thing inside him, could awake without disturbing the tiger. Strange, perhaps.

"Nothing yet," Xing replied, strolling ahead of the front door hall. The doorway had been crafted with deep brown mahogany; many sides detailed water waves, which the Nine's Shui Palace meant as a water monastery. So as Jade Palace is jade, you could see the difference between any school or palace's decorative elements or symbols and ancient creatures.

The tiger and one-eyed wolf reached outside of the Shui Palace. The square platform had filled eight ancient Wing Chun models, the weapons of wood for beginners and blades for professional stashing at the courtyard's far left corner. "So, are you ready to practice Wing Chun?" Xing patted Zhong's shoulder.

"Two words: Hell yeah," Wolf Boss rotated his neck and popped five over him, then his paws crushed with more pops and stretched while he chuckled sinisterly. "I cannot wait to kick your fluffy cheeks. Lotus said you chuffed at night when she brushed your cheeks."

The tiger blazed his stone eyes, gaping. "Oh? Challenge accepted," Xing elbowed the wolf's shoulder.

Many hours gave in.

The Prosper Valley — A neighborhood village you could walk or ride on the vessel to the east toward the Valley of Peace for ten miles. Amid this boundary, the Valley of Peace had a prospering land that the village from the west villagers called home. The Masters of Jade Palace's official class partnership, Fellowship of the Nine, also became the village's guardians, vowed as the Prosper Valley's defenders beyond the town's borders.

The quintet jogged across the light cinnamon cobble road. The villagers cried from the sides and second-story apartments, their paws and hooves waving at their guardian masters. Behind the Nine, their one-eyed student let his tongue out, panting heavily during twenty laps sprint. "Keep up, sir!" the tiger teased, breaking his lips.

This boy!

Wolf Boss grunted under his soft throat. Both lungs of his spread the tense warm. Most of his fur swarmed with sweat, absorbing mild cold within. His feet skidded to a halt, his breath engulfing and panting.

Moments went on after jogging within the next ten laps. The challenge had yet to escalate even more than intimidating. "Sum Lum Tao!" the Nine's Leader Xing announced.

The first level of Wing Chun form was essential to recall the importance of blocking and attacking. The mind was your distraction; you went where you encountered difficult times you face, a long day ahead of you, whether good or bad — leave them behind, and let yourself go forward.

The Nine remained in their chin stance, their right paws pulling toward their chests as they followed the tiger's motion. Slowly heave forward, open, revolve your wrist, and pull. Rinse and repeat thrice or four times. In amid of pulling, their fists struck.

"HAA!" Wolf Boss launched his straight fist.

"Good. Perfect, Zhong," Xing approached the wolf, who guarded both paws down than all four. The tiger guided both hands in the exact position of Zhong's head, and his opened left paw separated about an inch from his other arm. "Always keep your guard up," Xing advised him. "The bandits can ring a bell on you."

"Ding—dong, Xing!" Wolf Boss revealed his sharp teeth, grinning.

Moments went by as the Nine faced their training opponent, one by one.

The gorilla Bao maneuvered his forearms into a circle as the other followed the guidance. Xing forearmed the ape's launching fist forward; his paw swiveled the hand down and struck simultaneously; each rotated their striking and blocking. As Bao made his effective defense while bending his waist to strike, Xing countered under the bridge, palming the ribcage.

Bao and Xing manifested Wolf Boss with this chi sao block. As told by the tiger's grandmother and many masters before her, the deflection is like an attack. Another basic strategy: one arm deflects against the opponent's arm. Xing bridged a tan sao (open palm deflection) to the lupine's wrist before Wolf Boss thrust. As Xing hit forward, Zhong guarded his open palm vertically (fook sao) to the feline's paw. Oh, I got it! Wolf Boss grinned.

"My turn," Xing challenged.

For a moment, their wrists connected in a circular motion. Not as simple to the beginners, Wolf Boss eyed his feline teacher, who softly circulated the wolf's forearms. One fast fist launched into Wolf Boss's upper chest. "Wuh-oh!" he stunned. His black ears perched up by his daughter's high chortle. Lotus covered her lips. "Er—I yield?"

Xing wickedly smirked. "That's too early," the tiger hummed. "Pak sao!"

Wolf Boss deflected the sides of Xing's wrists with average speed to the tiger's bicycle punches, keeping on-hand deflections precise. Wolf Boss bridged (bong-sao) while pivoting his body to the left — he hammered the feline's paw and the other back-knuckling near Xing's muzzle. As Xing blocked the knuckle, the lupine swiveled the arms down — the open palm and fist clouted Xing's jaw and upper chest.

The Nine swallowed their surprising inspiration. One of the beginner blocks made Zhong trick Xing's determination. Did the tiger let his opponent go easy? Let the father win for his son or daughter!

Motioning his jaw, Xing chuckled; Wolf Boss swallowed his apple throat in horror, masking the fear as he smirked. "That felt good." Xing nodded. "And one more thing."

In a short puzzle from Zhong, Xing hastily caught the wrist, his right foot mopping behind the wolf's ankle, bowling him back. The tiger's fist clouted about an inch of Zhong's ribcage and did the bicycle punches near his muzzle, resulting in a nasty defeat. Lotus covered her startling lips. "Never hesitate in front of your opponent. I let you go easy during chi sao. The next will be challenging."

While training or in dangerous situations as you fight the smart or weak, don't let your hopes level your winning. Wolf Boss had his Wing Chun teacher, but try not to underestimate him! In relief, as their breaths drew to a serene, Xing reached his paw to Zhong, lifting him. "And finally, you got me." Xing teased, chuckling.

"For a month, figuring out how to hit you? Peace, at last!" Wolf Boss admitted, his vicious teeth revealing the grin as the Nine around them softly cheered.

"Master Xing!" a sow farmer was knocking on the gate. The gray sow in a brown robe and red sash bowed and gave a pleasant smile with innocent dawn eyes. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Can I have two of your students lift heavy cargo for me? I need a burdener, plant more carrots and plow fifty yards."

"Duty calls!" Xing bobbed, turning to the ape. He knuckled Bao's lofty shoulder. "Bao, you help Mrs. Yan to plant more carrots across the yard with Zhong. The rest of you patrol the Prosper Valley and help a few villagers if they need assistance."

Many bowed and were guided out of the Fighting Square, following the sow farmer. The tiger's black ears picked up from the soft wind that flapped. The wings flipped and came down to him. Watching the goose land safely, Xing grinned. "Good day, Master Xing!" The Nine's Messenger greeted.

"Good day, Kong!" Xing returned his proper manner with a bob, stepping forward to the elder goose. "Have you got some messages?"

"Precisely, Master Xing," Kong nodded, handing the rolled envelope with a jade yin-yang wax pin. "A letter from your colleague and Kung Fu master."

Untying the wrappings, the tiger read the panda's script — his ocean eyes marveled with brilliant heavens.

To my Wing Chun friend Xing

Hey Xing! Thank you for giving me birthday wishes today! Your brother Lao wrote and sent his letter to me as well! I invite you and the Nine to Jade Palace and the Valley of Peace! Let us meet at the Pool of Sacred Tears, where Shen and I will go there to meditate today! It's gonna be awesome!

The one hundred dumpling challenge is today! My buddy Yoo accepts the challenge! Can you bet I will win the eating dumplings contest at Noodle Restaurant tonight?!

We should discuss and see what pure form you are afraid of, Xing. My dragon doesn't bite. See you in Jade Palace, buddy!

Po

"The Nine accept your invitation, Dragon Warrior," Xing approved.

"Xing."

A bright, female tone entered the tiger's black ears behind him. Xing met his grandmother's stone blue, which fixated on her grandson in greeting presence.

"Your favorite farmer is on his way shortly. He wishes to speak with you at the Nine's Meeting alone."

Xing's grandmother's colleague farmer was a student of Thundering Rhino, which they recognized and envied. With a soft grin, Xing nodded to Ming. "Very well, Nana. I'll wait inside the meeting," He returned to the Nine's Messenger. "You've been traveling long enough for more than five days, Kong —" the tiger palmed the goose's shoulder, "— rest for a while."

The goose bobbed and grabbed the message without noticing the tiger's mysterious thought. "Of course," agreed Kong.

The tiger merely sat in the extent for a short moment — the Nine Dining Room, commonly known part of this room as the Nine's Meeting. A stack of painted papers on the table's left side lay there. Each seat, but one remained empty, but for those who sat, Xing recalled the Nine's Pirate giggled with a faint presence. Beside the Pirate's surroundings, the son of Master Ox and the reptilian student chortled back.

Memories and faded gray movement of the Nine let the tiger's lips pull more. The only quartet stayed in Gongmen City — the Nine's Heavyweight Students have their new home — The Nine's Pirate Shou became the Peafowls' Sea Defenders as the rest of the former pirates returned with their knowledge of sea barriers.

For a moment, Xing watched the right-side view of Fighting Square. A group of five messengers stood around the circle.

Giant welcoming steps from the front mahogany door entered. "Master Gidahn."

The yak villager with a wooden tree root pole nodded; the tiger rose and shook their hands. His hoof fingers seemed keen. "Hello, Xing," Gidahn's elder, a bold voice, greeted. "How are you and the Nine?"

"We had a blast in the morning earlier. No troubles from bandits." Xing shared the news. "How have you been, Gidahn?"

The yak took his seat. "I had a beautiful morning earlier. Mika is now in charge of looking after Tanhuang — my sons now own Mùliào Trade."

Mùliào Trade was Master Gidahn's lumber organization in Tanhuang, where he crafted several wooden types, passing many logs throughout little provinces and in all of China if his wood factory could grow well and deeds well. As a wood maker, essential to Master Ming's partnership to receive Wing Chun models, he also delivered the Nine numerous and tactical equipment, having the Fellowship to train weaponry.

The tiger widened his eyes. "That's good to hear!" Xing was impressed, handing the stack of painting papers to the yak. "Tai and Mel better make more wooden dummies. The Nine keep fracturing them like there's no tomorrow."

Both the yak and the tiger chuckled. "I expect my sons will," Gidahn hummed, his lips pulling to one side. "And your scar? Has it seemed to heal well?"

"Yes. It's going well. Hong gave me more remedies to sink some burns. My scar isn't going mad."

Browsing these drawings let the tiger remain patient as his paws on the wooden table clasped. The room was surrounded by a soft shiver and humid, combining the beginning of the autumn season. For a moment, two geese messengers from the Fighting Square wandered — their eyes meeting Xing; the tiger gestured, and both geese returned their genuine smiles after waving.

"You have been busy, Xing," the yak's eyes observed the paintings. "Your grandmother concerns your drawings — those visions that you saw every night. Half of the villagers thought of you in unhinged."

Xing's grinning lips had dissipated. "Pardon me. I'm not that crazy, Gidahn," the tiger pointed out casually. "Every time I go to sleep, dreams haunt me, forcing my eyes to watch every vision like these drawings I painted. My Ox student Niu saw plenty of hallucinations. He only recalled vomiting, drowning in the black lake with his father, and fire - burned them both. Those were the only visions Niu remembered."

Gidahn continued browsing the paintings as he placed a few he already saw. His zooming half-moon glasses fixated light grayish terrain and tall mountains, detailed spears, stairs, and eyes splayed in ink. "What was the last encounter from the dream? The vision that this bear in black spilled you with a void ball?"

The tiger sensed it all — one hot splash had stung him, let his whole eyes spread fire like a soap it accidentally spilled to your eyes. He had yet to witness these horrible trances (or visions). Again, the seeds grew slower than if you could plant and watch them grow within a few weeks if you treat them well. If you could witness dreams, would you hardly try to remember how you experienced them? You only remember the trance for minutes, then the vision fades.

Xing's mind sunk deeper into soft glimpses.

First was the reddish surroundings of the dark hole.

Inside the darkness, a face figure of threatening bones and sharp teeth roared.

Xing rubbed his eyelids. "The black hole and komodo skull," Xing theorized.

The yak tilted his wandering head to the tiger. "Any place that you described before that?" Gidahn inquired.

Another thought seemed to itch the tiger's visions. Xing's feet met soft and hard ground specks that whistled with many light brown and red tips. The tiger shut his orbs, his fur and uniform meeting thick winds of scorching. Farther down the edges elsewhere, water-like reflections waved and broke when you approached, and they dissipated. The sun among the blue heavens kissed on boiling white and black striped fur.

"Humid. Hot sand. Mirage."

"The desert," Gidahn figured. "These visions are the tracks. Something you can only notice is not everyone made it through nightmares, even when the bear's magic spat few warriors like you and Niu. You are the only one who survived after the panda and the albino lord pulled you out of the 'ascendant' vortex."

The tiger rolled his head to the left. "Ascendant?" he repeated.

"My mother's grandmother saw her disturbance illusion. The dark leaves spat water onto Huong's eyes wherever she went through the bamboo forest. After awakening from the trance, she only remembered one scene of herself surrounded by a peaceful pink lake. Turning from behind, Huong encountered the darkness and lizard skull, which terrified her."

Mother of blessings. Huong and I do have that same encounter. Xing feared. His thought had clouded with distinct.

"Even when describing the night and fire, Xing, you dream of your parents where they died."

With concern toward the yak who clasped both hooves on the table, Xing, nevertheless, itched this word flames that murdered both of his loving parents, despite only one shadow of an ox slaughtered after the tiger's mother, the first struck behind by a black arrow. The fire became water's enemy.

Xing shook his head. "Not just one dream, Gidahn," he regarded. "My drawings mean something and remain a mystery to discover. The only way to search for answers is how I must confront the black bear."

"One thing for sure, according to Huangdi's imperial guard who survived black water: the black bear can do mind tricks, creating a false future," Gidahn stated, placing Xing's stack of paintings to one side. Seeking the tiger opening his lips, the yak gestured him to a halt. "I can understand what you are going to ask. What if these visions are true? If the illusions are real, we may not expect when and where to happen."

These visions depended on how every scene would impact or not. Despite what this black bear, Phantom, now Huoju's Commander after the Prince of Darkness's defeat, trickster could be one thing — perhaps visions might be real or not. Xing remained cautious wherever which of the illusions went first.

"So, your sons are still jealous?" Xing cunningly inquired the yak villager he strolled with near the front gate of Shui Palace.

Clasping paws behind, Xing turned to Gidahn, who chuckled. "They seem to figure out how to steal your heaven sword," the old yak determined. "Mel and Tai are desperately craving to come to your presence in Tanhuang, love to challenge. If they win, both will keep your sword and never hand the chokuto to you."

The tiger suppressed his snicker. "Good luck to Tai and Mel. You know I can beat them with wooden sticks," Xing hummed. Their feet had ceased; they observed most villagers working, roaming, and children chasing themselves in various directions. "The Nine have plans with the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five, Gidahn. Even the Prosper Valley I must look after since Huangdi messaged me. He informed me that the Fire Clan would soon attack my village when and if they find—the white dragon."

"I understand," Gidahn bobbed. "May I ask: How is the Mind been up to?"

The yak was too interested in Xing's mysterious creature, who mainly slept and woke randomly; the tiger feared it. "It has been quiet for a while. Lotus sometimes sees me waking up without remembering how I have awakened," Xing fixed at his chest, his paw brushing thoroughly. "The Dragon Warrior might discover the problems soon as I must catch up to him today. If not, he has another time to inspect me."

Both she-wolf and tiny bunny warriors approached the yak. "You both are leaving with Gidahn?" Xing lifted one eyebrow toward Hong.

"Yeah, we have to bring more lotus flowers. Your Nana seems desperate to plant more in the garden. We'll be back tonight," the Nine's Doctress winked.

"Can I borrow your katana for a while, Xing?" the wolf's silk sunlight eyes met the tiger naively. "There's no need for the troublemaker, but Gidahn, Hong, and I need to keep our eyes on those woods."

Even though most of the lands meant peace over the outskirts of any village, troubles were always there — as you go there where you suppose to be, the problem might sometimes be in your way. You will endure those unexpected neighborhood gangs when you go there where you do not belong at the wrong time.

Xing knew these woods, and farther down, the outskirts were not safe — despite what thieves, spies, and dark warriors were looking for: yuans, innocent lives, the white dragon. "Okay. We'll be back after Po's party." Xing curled his arms over Lotus's back, his forehead meeting her fluffy head. "Kong, you have a watch in Shui Palace."

The Nine's Messenger to the tiger's right near the gate bowed. "Yes, Master Xing," Kong obeyed.

Lotus licked Xing's muzzle. "Send us the Dragon Warrior regards and wish him a happy birthday!"

"Hey, big cat. Are you ready to head to Jade Palace?" Wolf Boss, beside his daughter, grinned his vicious teeth with a wicked eye. Nodding to the Wolf, Xing fisted one-eyed alpha's fist.

"I'll see you soon, Gidahn," Xing waved the yak.

"So will I. Be careful, Xing."

The four warriors began trekking to the eastern outskirt, where the bayou sang with the breeze's quiet ripples. The next ten miles reaching Jade Palace were the only Prosper Valley's neighborhood companions — although you could pay the boatman's vessel and let you venture toward China's most famous village, which the Masters of Jade Palace occupied. This Noodle Restaurant many people never get quiet about it every day.

The four never minded the vessel ride as the tiger, one-eyed wolf, cobra, and bulky gorilla sauntered through the ocean of bamboo trees in their preference. Walking keeps your energy going, giving you good health instead of sitting.

Nine miles later, Xing's left eye followed a soft green form in a metallic kilt and red pants within the hilly bamboo forest. A red mark with three words written on the wooden wall nailed in front of the bamboo sticks.

For my cousin.

"You spot somebody there?" Wolf Boss suspected while walking with Xing.

"I thought I saw someone. Maybe that was just a wooden board with red letters," Xing answered.

"Hmm."

"It's not one of Shen's eyes, I mean," The tiger carefully stated.

The nostalgia for Shen's eye symbol made Wolf Boss revolt. Behind the remembrance of himself how insane he was, he held a patch from his shoulder, the sigil indicating a blood-red eye of Lord Shen's train, which reflected the meaning of fear — full of hate. Months after Shen's fall, Zhong used to occupy Master Wolf's palace in the peaceful snow mountains. After months of recovery, while scrutinizing his closest friend's emblem, he hated carrying or pinning it on.

Zhong's eye seemed stiff as he locked on the sight, and his black ears recorded the peacock's war cry, the dying wolves, and most of the cannons burst with innocents' sobs. His paw pressed against the eye's edges and hurled it into the pale, shivering wind. His throat wanted to scream, knowing his heart had shredded into a thousand pieces. He murmured his grunt as if his sores stung within his wrapping bandage chest.

"The sign or a mark could be a gang hideout nearby. It's better not to get close to their territory — whether you trespass, invade, or not," Wolf Boss expected.

"What do you think of this rumor, Zhong — about this bamboo forest that kept quiet for a while?"

This terrain was quiet ever since the crocodile gangs left Gongmen City after helping the Masters of Jade Palace along with Huangdi's Resistance. A rumor, perhaps, but be careful how you share the news that is true or not. "Er— I think the trees had softly cried by every crocodile's sob. Since I was walking with my daughter a week ago, the night before we went to Weeping River, more than ten torches were swimming into the forest."

"They lost someone?" The cobra, Fanshe, queried.

"Possibly."

The reptile figure skulking in front of the thick bamboo lines eyed all four, passing on the dry dirt path through the Valley of Peace. Neither one (but the tiger almost) had spotted him. Fung relieved his long sigh, took his helmet with a spiky tip-off, and walked away into the opening field along with his grief crocodile bandits.

Thank you for reading!

Still, no sign of the other two villains while we got Wolf Boss. Regardless of him as the supporting character, I believe he's crucial in the series — nevertheless, we only saw him on KFP2, where Shen threw knives at him.

To SheyConYamo: I might have to borrow your OC Gidahn for a while, as he's part of the supporting character. Hopefully, I didn't change his character arc because he's an intelligent villager with a few bits of knowledge of my boy's painting/drawing visions — Gidahn mentioned one of his own who witnessed the apparition before.

Feel free to notify me if I wrote words that are hard to read.

Next stop: Pool of Sacred Tears!