Author's Note: I feature my OC wolves returning from my short book, The Last Survivors!

To SheyConYamo from Gray: Your OC names are featured, so their appearances will be on 46 and 47 chapters!

GZ


Episode Six: Light


Chapter XXVII

The Company of Dragon Warrior

I. An Adventure

The breeze has been silent for over a minute. No pushing winds caressed my fur. Lao and I saunter ourselves at the golden stairway, descending to the Valley of Peace. The moment of my grandmother's wrinkling eyes, she saw me as a courage grandson. I breezed her soft biting lip by my voice along the Company for not long ago. Her red panda friend beside my grandmother, Shifu crinkled his cheek when he targeted Tigress from his blue eyes. His adoptive daughter shall provide a risk to convene after she volunteered herself to salvage her closest friend that Tigress always encounter Po in proper prosperity. Ming and Shifu's eyes, their light went lower and shrouded with white tears. Am I risking my life with Tigress and the Company to help the Dragon Warrior?

It feels like you are a child to your parent's vision. Likely, if you venture yourself through the horizon at those beautiful and flawless breezes of the blue skies, your family concerns you more than what you contemplate of threat appears nearby.

"That went well," I say, sauntering down an enormous ten thousand steps of the golden stairway continuously.

"Is that how you call I volunteer?" he insists, brightening his ocean eyes towards me. "You are going to kill yourself, Xing!"

"The Five needs the panda, Lao," I calm his wider eyes. "The Masters, Li Shan, and Mr. Ping need their panda most importantly, and I will support three of the Furious Five as they must watch their backs." My brother sighs deeply without going rage, as we nearly approach to the ground about a hundred more steps to go. "By the way," I turn to him, "you did a fantastic speech back there. You know, part of grandson's voice and your grandparents' thing."

So as I said to my brother remain outstanding beside me when Lao spoke, he softly trembles his beak. "I do not know if I am the grandfather's grandson," he says, concerning. "Somehow, I should have acted as a highly noble prince before becoming myself as lord."

"You'll learn about your grandparents' life soon, Lao," I say, tapping his back at once. "Not really how I can train you to become royalty, but the way I taught you about kindness, friendship towards the people, and a weapon to discipline your mind accurately towards the bandits."

"Yes," he agrees.

Not for long, we have arrived at this noodle restaurant for a couple of minutes. Lao and I walked from the bridge to ten thousand stairway behind us. Now, an elder panda in the green vest sweeps his large broom slightly to the floor as the goose gathers plenty of white bowls mounted on the big rolling tray. The moon above us lightly beams in their pouring suns. Seeking my eyes on Li Shan as the elder panda gazes on a red poster, featuring his son with the Furious Five in all combos of kung fu forms.

"You coming, guys?" Lotus asks, turning myself to her as she carries a white bag of rice on her back with left grasping paw.

"Tell the Company that Lao and I will be at the vessel about ten minutes, Lotus," I tell her, she nods before our sister leaves to the intersecting roads.

The company can manage to have patience; Emperor Huangdi's men gather some bags of rice, kinds of pasta and teas to place on board right now. Lao and I entered this noodle restaurant. Every wall fills with jade tea lights on the floors in front of multiple posters, and floating lanterns attach the strings across the wall around us above. Li Shan's tears drop gradually while he hardly peers to his son's smirk.

I can barely see their shattering pours from the goose and elder panda's eyes. Something that if I ever had a child, I would experience the same as where the agony of tea river cannot stop. I gather six empty white bowls, mounting every plate in one place to deliver Mr. Ping as the goose drag his moving tray nearby. Their teas of a river in their eyes, they both knew we arrived here as Lao and I can desirably apologize to their son, realizing that Po is all that matters to his dads' hearts, and the Dragon Warrior needs them both for their connection to a family.

Now as Mr. Ping being appreciated to help him with a gentle smirk on his right beak, I focus on my brother he peers to Li Shan closer while I am sitting down on a chair.

"Your grandfather," says the elder panda, continuously peering Po on the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five poster ahead of him. "I used to know Lord Feng since we were great colleagues, and he ventured me inside of his palace, Tower of the Sacred Flame." Li Shan turns his head steadily to Lao. "Since we met to our eyes, uh... Lao," he figures my brother's name when palming to Lao's chest. "You reminded me of him."

Harder to believe, Lao seems precisely like his father's father Li Shan knew Lord Feng before. I never know how close they both became as great friends during Shen's younger days. All I notice is Lord Shen's parents are absolute royal peafowls they ruled Gongmen City before, even their ancestors as only one of the Mightiest Warriors members was part of the nobles.

"Sir. Xing and I just wanted to say that we are deeply sorry for your son's missing," Lao regrets to Li respectfully, patting the panda's wrist as an endearment and peering into elder panda's grass eyes. "Even though we encountered Po and Furious Five as our new friends to present their knowledge of kung fu, and inner peace more than your son became the greatest teacher than the Nine's master in all of China."

I nod to the elder panda while Li comprehends. Mr. Ping transfers his big tray wheel, filled with white bowls to the front mahogany door it has been opened for a while when the goose enters the kitchen. "Not trying to be offensive, sir," says Lao, looking myself to him in front of Li Shan, opening his beak nonchalantly as chunks of crystal light from the moonlight. "I understand you do have a problematic to see me as—"

"It's not like that, your Highness. It is not the reason to hate peacock with those wolves who caused my abandoned village." Li Shan says reasonably, putting his broom on the edge of the flat, wooden table straightforwardly. "Your father" — he embarks while having thought of Lord Shen — "I met him around your age, he merely cherished what Shen mainly focused on: His parents and future. When Shen saw me along to your grandfather at the tower above Feng's throne, I was a stranger to your father's thoughts. It's true."

Po's father indeed encountered Lord Shen's dad. I contemplate clearly. How close were they? Li Shan, I speculate on his origin, there could be a reason how this elder panda became closer together toward Lord Feng's trust. Something like a best friend, something like a companionship, something comparable to my best friend we are close profoundly with Lotus.

"You are no problematic, son," Li says tolerably, palming my brother's feather. "The only complication was… your father. He glowered to pandas with a loathsomeness in him, and it is a wrong thing that people of pandas and I are his enemies to Shen."

"I know, sir. You and all pandas are not common enemies," my brother realizes.

"Please, your Highness. Call me Li," says Li, chuckling sympathetically. "You don't have to call me sir."

"Li," Lao corrects a name to the elder panda. "Every soul's life have various personalities. My father merely observes the visual of enemies that can fear himself to stop. Then he went through an unacceptable path to let Shen became a divinity warlord who will not surrender in front of his enemies. Lord Shen is too oblivious; something that his opponent tried to convince him, an object that the enemy of my father's enemy is a friend, that shall let Shen go into his scar to rehabilitate my grandparents with grace towards the people."

"Peace," Li perceives. "My son coveted to show your dad inner peace before Shen took his life in a better place."

"Exactly," Lao nods. "I'm afraid… my father has returned from the dead, Li. Not likely that Shen's cannon crushed him to death to swim back at the bay, but that barbarity Ox-demon merely resurrected him to let my father wish him a reciprocate. For my concern to volunteer myself with two of my companions, Li, I must venture with three of the Furious Five to salvage your son. Your son I mean."

"And we will be, Mister!" I say lightly, approaching in front beside Lao. "Mr. Ping, Li Shan. I realized you two are unbalanced your emotions about Po's missing. As what my brother was trying to say here, the Company, three of the Five, my sister, Lao and I will save your son, and bring him back home safely."

"You all will?" asks Mr. Ping with a lighter tone from the moonlight's glare. The goose grasps his feathers squashy. I nod to him with a touching smile on his trembling beak. Mr. Ping embraces my whole body tightly, crushing my spine as a stone. Li Shan, however, hugging my brother the same as Lao can manage the tightest crush like Yoo's embrace style. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

"We will bring him back, guys. I promise," I chuckle, caressing the goose's back whenever I listen to some soft cracking bones from Lao's spine with a deep inhale. Next, the enormous panda who hugs many people every day comes forth with a laughing smirk. Yoo approaches rapidly with wide open arms. "LET ME GET SOME OF THAT!" Yoo astounds. Oh, no!

I quickly loosen Mr. Ping's grasp, then at a short second when Lao escapes Li Shan's hug, Yoo snatches both my brother and me crushing in front of our bodies. One tight squeeze, our eyes nearly burst into flesh.


Two Minutes Later

"That felt good," I say, balancing my cracked back behind me as we saunter ourselves to the road.

"Oh, shut up!" Lao snaps his feather to my left rib. I snicker terribly, suppressing my bursting laugh in my whole mouth. A little sense of humor brings my brother into comical thoughts. Not actually a comedian I feathered his crest. Shortly, we arrive one block path on this road, glimpsing the three warriors of a bull pirate, the young Ox and ferocious crocodile communicating themselves ahead near Mrs. Chow's gift shop.

I tell Lao to head over the vessel at once I will return to the Company about plenty of minutes. Lao agrees as he strolls himself to the left intersection road to lead a riverboat at the river. I relax my back firmly; all three warriors peer to me awkwardly with their heads tilted.

"You alright, Xing? What happened to you?" Niu inquires bewilderedly, palming my right arm.

"Lao and I had that big hugging panda on the ropes," I jester easily after I am in front of them.

"You both had a fight?" Shou asks smirkingly, bending his left eyebrow with a wide open right eye towards me.

"A hugging combat," I describe them; their whole mouths exploded, laughing empathetically. Confidently, I pictured them punching hands to typical hugging arms battle. I consider. I think my humorous is born. Quickly, they serene their comical throats, grinning on me blithely.

"I'm sure that panda gave you a hearty look, brother," says Niu, indicating me with fingers unite as the picture of a heart symbol on the young Ox's chest. Oh, you imbecile!

"Yeah," I concede without bursting another comical, vibrating my head, facing down to the floor.

"I can wish to say for you and the Company, good luck. Don't lose yourselves," says Zhao. The crocodile knuckles my fist. "Any suggestions, Xing?" he asks.

"Fight like water, and stay alive," I energetically advice, examining to their eyes each. Without apprehension from these encourageable students of the next era of Street Fighters, their bond shall be unbroken, even in a battle tremendously. Besides, what if Huoju's army will outnumber all five (part of two Masters included) and those pirates without benevolence? What makes Shou, Niu, Zhao, and two Masters can control Zei Dao where every pirate and clan fills with unsettling blades of scream? "I do not know how you three and two Masters of Gongmen will arrive at that unwelcoming island of pirates over there," I scrutinize their crazy thoughts, then gazing into the bull's eyes ahead of me, asking him concernedly. "Wasn't that your father banished you to the sea, and left you to drown, Shou?"

"Aye! Such no men of Huoju's army will ever recruit my father's blood brothers of the pirates," Shou retorts, clenching his right fist into the breeze. "With my banishment I accepted, Haidao is still my father."

"Are you highly sure about this?" I ask the bull with one right eyebrow rising.

"Nope!" Niu shakes his head, palming Shou's upper-left shoulder. "But Shou cannot be alone to face against those ruthless armies to seek justice, and pirates if they try to intimidate us."

Uh huh, I narrow my eyes to Niu, making sure my big guy does a prospect along my students and two Masters. "By that means," I admit with a bending face, then eying on the new era Street Fighters, pointing with my left-pointing finger to them. "You three are excellent swimmers, savvy?"

"AYE!" They all clamor towards me tumultuously.

Their shout impacts my whole ears, ringing elsewhere within me. With no sound of deafening to theirs, or anyone's mouth around me. Just dull, soft ringing ears as the sky tremendously vibrate as the collapsing white river. "No need to open your pie holes loudly," I retort, can barely hear my voice across a slight mute. "You all are good." I gesture them with a right thumb up.

Just as I officially double check their strengths with knowledge of survival swimming instincts, one of the yak guards ahead of us in few yards away at the eastside bridge calls them three. Every travel package has delivered by authority of Emperor Huangdi's top priority. Clothing, grains of rice, kinds of pasta, bottles for water or green tea to have sustenance.

For Niu, I concern him more than my brother. As my colleague does know how to swim, and front crawl abilities at the lake river near Lady Xia's cabin, I may not have seen his father Master Ox been swimming before, regardless of Lord Shen's reckless ambition at Gongmen Bay, I once told by Po and kung fu masters. Within the blue moon shines all three warriors sauntering themselves ahead to the east bridge, I softly sprint behind Niu.

"Niu, one more thing, brother," I call him, then my Ox buddy rotates after he concluded. "If you gonna journey there in Zei Dao, does your father ever been to bandits battle before at the seas?"

Not what I expect about his blue eyes aiming at his dad and Master Croc they approach nearby at Mrs. Chow's gift shop. At this time, Niu embarks. "I don't think so, Xing," he shakes his head as Niu cannot notice. "You are wondering what my father can swim in the ocean?" He inquires me firmly.

"That's what I am reflecting," I ponder as we are on the same page with our thoughts.

"You know many large people like me can swim, Xing," he suggests, standing in front of me, palming his own heart. "Except the gorillas, they are not truly excellent swimmers. I'll keep an eye on my dad."

"I bet you will, buddy. Stay close to him, Niu," I advise my colleague, patting his right navy armband. "Good luck, brother. And by Oogway's blessing, be very careful."

"Nothing will happen to my son, young warrior," says a robust voice from behind. Master Ox has intervened near to his son, with Master Croc aside me. "What honor does my son need? Live longer instead sacrifice." Niu's dad utters generously.

"Unless we get riches by Oogway!" the reptile extends his whole arms widely. "We can help your son, and his friends for Thundering Rhino's sake, brother!" Master Croc leans over to the left side of Master Ox, and tap his back kindly, looking briefly at the scarlet eyes of his colleague. "Show our beloved friend a true meaning of godson."

Brilliant. I think contentedly. A definite, courage speak. That appears as considerably inspire that any warrior in death can peer to their loved ones logically. Whether in a Spirit Realm or otherwise a better place as the same as where Oogway occupies there, a spirit warrior can grow their love with strength. Once I have realized the purpose of the true meaning part, I am likely as the father's son. Something how my grandmother always talked about her son every night since my early days. Leadership. A strength of the pack. Companionable. The father's son before his grandfather.

"Good luck to you both, Masters," I shake their hands differentially and looking briefly at Master Ox's focus. "Stay very close to your son for me, Master Ox. Niu is like my brother to me that I taught him not to temper his eyes."

"I will, Xing," Ox assures. "Bring Po home."

They pack, and formed themselves up to the eastside bridge after all five easily spread the word of goodbyes. Not directly goodbyes, but stated to many villagers We will return safely. While three of the Nine and two Masters lurch forward in the plain lands of the east, they are gone on an adventure as their goal is to conclude all possible threats coming to China, and then the battle of Zei Dao.

I reach into the blue stream that glared by the moonlight's pale. A brown bamboo riverboat with gray mast mahogany and two floors that can capsize seventeen to twenty people each; a perfect size for the fifteen members of the Company. Orange lanterns on the sides attached below the ceilings. One for the indoor and the other is regular as similarity to the goose boatman's sail, infiltrating myself at a kitchen that smells like onions across the drawers and equipment tools to use for cooking. Tons of white bags of rice lay near the opposite side above the outdoor floor.

This room will be my kitchen for now. I think wisely.

I saunter to the stairs as three pandas accommodate their items of luggage of clothing. Mei Mei kindly caresses my jaw before she infiltrates the indoor room with Dim and Sum. The wolves, carefully seek at every tree and hill on both sides of the outdoor deck instead of a distraction. Hopefully, none of these wolves can turn back on me or any fourteen. Besides, these wolves were supposedly aggressive, and reckless. Three of the Furious Five and two of my companions stand in the front left of the outdoor deck, glimpsing and waving at the citizens of the Valley of Peace.

Once the boat leans forward after two ropes darted off from those large poles, Dim maintains this riverboat with a steering wheel alone; Sum leads himself to attach many strings and loosens the sail with balance. Peng and Mei Ling, Tigress, Viper and Crane, Lotus, Lao and I wave these villagers as they all position near the edge of a blue river. With one step closer to adrift this boat off the Valley, the eyes of my grandmother beams as the crystal moon. She gestured her right palm, uniting with Shifu, and both Monkey and Mantis near the edge.

Bao, Fǎnshè, and Hong waves to me with cobalt starlight from their eyes. Lastly, both of these dauntlessness villagers steps forward beside Shifu and both Monkey and Mantis. The eyes of cinnamon and grass highlights in their own son's chi, motioning their hands (likely a feather to the goose) at our heads acutely. These words I may never forget in my mind reminds me of their sorrowful to joyous sunset eyes I told them. We will bring him back, guys. I promise.

Hopefully, my promise won't let Po suffer. If the Dragon Warrior dies at that mountain, his two dads will endure. I can imagine my nana's heart shattering my memory if I broke my promise to them.

Believe Po in him. Convince his light in him.

Remember the path.


II. Catching Dawn

In a good night sleep near the kitchen, I embark to experience prosperity than a course of beaming sun, compensating me with outstanding warm clouds touching my whole fur. You can see every living thing growing from your feet; Flowers, chi flowers, and grasses massage my feet with my grin, softening my breath. The sky colors into pure gold, then pale sun to the horizon, and now orange as a sunset.

Ironically, I feel the sun's breeze. I sense the gentle of waving, chi below me from the ocean. I see shaded scorch from light mountains; No burning outside of me, however, the fire soars me into the dark forest. Those quiet, green snare trees. Brown logs quietly shatter its drink from the inside. I position myself in front of this dying tree. It's log slowly spill as golden water, shifting it into crimson. The smell of blood enters my nose thoroughly. An image of the scarlet, horrifying eye.

Incoherently, I've never seen how pale chi spawned to a crimson eye that sensed as the person's flesh. In the middle of it, I crane my neck closer to the drinking spill, with my heart as pumping rapidly by my suspicious eyes. Indicating a mild scream inside of its red; Painting me a hot, thick, face of peacock's wrath, spattering by the whole look I screeched with a burn.

Awakening in my new bedroom terribly, the dawn breaks from the left window. Breathing my hot air from the sweat fur below my neck, I nearly got soak in front of my robe's v-neck to the chest. That has happened to me sometimes on random days, months, slightly a year. My grandmother's lesson to me she always said: Discipline your emotions. Control your fear from unexpected things.

My breath changes to brisk shortly, as I sight my aunt glimpsing at me with serene; she must have seen me what I lurched my half body from the awakening.

"Where are we?" I demand, calming, and removing half of the red blanket slowly as I discipline the pain in my headache.

"We are at Tánhuáng. Fifty-five miles from Jade Palace," Tigress replies. This riverboat does not travel faster enough to reach the mountain; here to that horrendous mountain can take nearly a week and a half to arrive there. "You had a dream?" My aunt asks. She should realize how my body flinched from that an inadequate dream Tigress does not see. I think, not rudely.

"It's just a stupid nightmare," I answer. Every warrior has nightmares. My aunt's memory was her orphanage palace, that place where caretakers and orphans called Tigress a monster; frankly, however, Lotus's grieving mind is the same as Tigress's. But to my trance what I saw? It is not the same as from the dark forest, unless only an enemy who screeched in shadows with flames, burned, and killed my parents alive.

I instead not start recalling at it again, the one with drinking blood that spilled on the brown log turned to Shen's wrath. Instead of remembering it, my eyes brisk bitterly, raising myself from the bed. "I better start cooking," I say, heading towards the kitchen.

I pour three cups of white rice into the large gray pot. Six cups of water to fill correctly and placing it on the massive stove fire I once ignited before the procedure. Shortly, I let this water boil inside the pot that filled with white rice. Next, a little mixture of peppercorn right on a large dash beside me, I gather plenty and randomly place it in a boiling pan to let many rice joints through (making the mixture into rice can go something original taste). Minutes later, I slow the fire down and placing a flat lid above the pot, letting the rice with peppercorn flavor simmer.

Sensing steam that enters my nose, the white rice is unfinished. I wait for it at least fifteen to twenty minutes. The next minutes after will leave the steam and let the rice go fluffy as a soft chew. I feel the hands embracing my entire belly behind me with someone's both arms. I recognize the gray paws.

"Morning," I say radiantly.

"Morning," Lotus says, grasping my whole belly, comforting my back body with her warm body, then licking my right cheek. "Why you cook without me?" she insists quietly.

"Because… you don't look like a cooker," I say, she releases my body from her grasp.

"I bake cookies," she implies, softly hitting my right arm. "Don't you remember how I cook better than yours?" she asks.


I recall the dining room with my grandmother and our peacock brother inside. It was lightened as the pale sunlight, the lantern touched my cheek with its light, and so to theirs in front of me. We used to sit together for great thanks as we celebrated Winter Festival, twelve years ago. Within their eyes they glimpsed their feast meal of many rice plates, Lotus once started cooking as Ming likely offered her to train with knowledge of taste, and sense of great joy.

I cooked the rice with my grandmother. We gave Lao, Hong, Fǎnshè, Lady Xia, Kong and Mrs. Yan to our special ingredient rice they feasted with a success taste of the spirit; however, one did have to sustenance differently. Lotus merely cooked her fluffy rice. Green and yellow. Hundreds of peppercorn flooded in her white bowl. What did I expect to see her cheek after she tasted her food with a wooden spoon in her mouth? A swollen. Lotus's cheek became pale green. She ran outside and threw herself a puke nastily. Fǎnshè beside me from the left, tilted his head while he carried a spoon using his tail.

"Oh! What happened to her?" Fǎnshè perplexed,

"Fatality," I replied.

Well, it was not the worst day after all. Lotus considered she would not ever cook because of what she mainly dazed, and didn't realize what my sister did. Frankly, she used to scrutinize those white rice inside the kitchen where Ming and I cooked there while Lotus had spent ten days of sickness in her room beside Hong. Probably, Lotus will not make that disgusting rice ever again.


I start staring at her trembling eyes, observing that Lotus does cook (not directly a green and yellow rice) to support. "Let me help you make tea," she says. Sure you do. I think. I position still as the stone. Lotus, at frankly, can forge the knowledge of tea gradually, even in turns as Niu and I make green tea every morning around breaking daylight from the horizon. For every week, we get to take turns: First is me, second is Niu, and Lotus is third. Without Niu around here where he goes to the Zei Dao quest, Lotus can manage the tea for this week.

One thing that I cannot ignore Lotus, her beautiful cheek with ocean eyes. Something how I cannot control my awkward discipline, whereas I stood beside her in front of the wooden dummy at Shui Palace ring, spooned Lotus in her bedroom since random days of childhood, and honestly, she does the same as we have been through since our first day to see each other.

"Is Lao up?" I ask.

"Nope," she shakes her head, gathering a bag of water behind her. "He's the only one to wake himself lastly."

"Well, it's time for him to grab some sustenance," I remind Lotus.

Not for long, this rice has finished cooking as I simmered it wisely enough. Lotus and I grab two large tray carts to motion all fourteen bowls of rice and cups of tea; Lotus's tray fills with fourteen dishes of rice, and mine's gathering fourteen mugs of green tea. As we shared already, Lotus heads to the second deck above, the slope on the front of the indoor deck only supports the moving tray with wheels on, as the stairway on the back does not recommend to move it, you likely have to manage a large platter to carry manually.

Lao rises from his bed when I arrive in his new room with crumpled bedsheet with preening feathers on the floor, giving him a sense of healing I placed the teacup next to the drawer beside him. Next, I approach around the oval indoor. Mei Mei, Dim, and Sum snatch three mugs in their brightening eyes, sipping by themselves freely, and Mei Mei gently tickles my back with her paw. What the—?

Next, I go forth to the slope, reaching the second floor. The color of the sky turns pale yellow to ocean blue. Trees on the sides with the color of green shades of both light from the sun, and shadow behind branches. Tigress said we are at Tánhuáng. I sometimes heard this greatness village before, selling lumber and crops. Ming mentions this village on every weekend as she spoke to me. The elder yak villager Gidahn who lives this village with two brave sons, and a bunny farmer Mika is the head of Tánhuáng. Her, and Gidahn are our partners they shape lumber crafts, build many wooden dummies and poles.

I roam with the moving tray towards the right deck of the riverboat, reaching two archer wolves eating white rice on dishes with their paws they carry.

"Whoa! This rice is good! Who made this, Lin?" one wolf behind the wooden deck fence inquires happily. I walk in front of two, considerate wolves closer on the right side.

"I did," I answer.

"It's delicious, kid! Man, I haven't eaten this rice like forever," says Lin dearly. Really? I ponder.

"How come?" I ask politely.

"One of the wolves pack who used to work with Shen before, he once said that some sheep's rice was raw," the archer wolf beside him explains to me when eating his rice with chopsticks.

"Not necessarily, Lee," Lin says. "Sheep's rice was not entirely raw. That guy who intimidated the goat, he was imbecile."

"I strongly agree with you, brother," Lee concurs. I believe they are wolf brothers. I think. They converse about only one wolf bandit who intimidated the innocent sheep villager, and then other wolves fought the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five terribly. These two wolves were, frankly, no longer bandits. The reason? Probably Lord Shen's betrayal before this Dragon Warrior's quest.

"Anyhow, you are a great cooker, kid," Lin compliments. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-three years," I reply. "I started cooking since I was five."

"Outstanding," Lin thrills at a normal voice, gazing the sense of mugs on my moving tray as the wolf gently grabs one. "You made this green tea too?"

"My she-wolf made these," I say candidly, as the other wolf Lee freely snatches one cup. "I do know how to make green tea as well."

"So do we," Lin adds. "Commander Zhong, Lee and I were at Master Wolf's Palace in the north that our mentor including the elder goat Soothsayer taught many people and wolves to create a green tea with some honey in it."

"That's cool," I smirk. Next, Viper slithers near the right deck, climbing onto those green bamboo poles slightly ahead. "Enjoy your feast, you two. When you both done eating the rice, my she-wolf will gather bowls and mugs in her tray."

I stroll to the interior room close by in between the two decks. The hawk in here, Fei manages his feathers on a wooden steering wheel. He must have volunteered after one of the twin pandas desirably want to reserve a rest, and likely take turns for a day and night. His brown eyes are heavily glanced into a star, smelling the spirit steam on his beak, and sipping his mug with a grinning nod. I got to speak with him soon. I think. Have to conversate about him and all six members of the Seventh Righteous in all of China.

Shortly, I head over to the extended, upper-right deck. Seeking at two warriors of the bird and clouded leopard communicating each other actively next to the bamboo platform. "Really?" Crane asks.

"You should come over to our palace we used to hang, Crane," Mei Ling tells him expressly,

"I. . ." he stammers, quivering his feathers, shaking his beak, cringing himself coldly. "Oh that's crazy, Mei Ling," Crane says, billowing his cheek largely.

"If not, I'll be at Jade Palace," Mei Ling says, pointing a flash of green hill mountains. "How long have we been not seeing each other for years?" she asks.

"Maybe. . . Twenty?" Crane guesses bewilderedly.

"Twenty," Mei Ling nods.

I draw myself with the moving tray closer to both cunning warriors. Not able to snoop my nose near, Crane's cheek shades into pale rose as Mei Ling slowly drags him with her whole left arm. In their eyes targeted with gracefulness, Crane spots me as I pretend to not gazing them intensively. Ironically, the bird bursts his air from both sides of his face.

"Oh, hey there, buddy!" Crane blurts as both he and the leopard turns to me simultaneously. "What brings you here with eight mugs of green tea, Xing?" he asks.

Pondering about some complicated relationship seems odd how Crane cringes in front of Mei Ling. Such reasonable to Crane's beginning as I read a history of the Furious Five, he must have had honestly met someone who opened his heart with brilliance. Born him to some incredible techniques of balance: his legs (trying not to laugh loudly), large beak, glide wings and a conical hat. "It's gracious," I smile.

"About what?" Crane asks confusingly.

"You and your friend," I point.

"No. I—" Crane begins.

"You see? He's not the only one who can see us we are likely in together!" Crane's friend points the fact; I chuckle benevolently. That's so awkward. I think. The leopard opens her palm, shaking my right paw respectively. "I'm Mei Ling, Crane's best friend."

"I'm Xing," I shake her paw respectively. "Fellowship of the Nine's leader from the Prosper Valley."

"You fought so amazingly at the stadium, where you fought that panda with your peacock friend," Mei Ling says, immediately contemplating to Crane's heavily eyes. "Crane did some fancy soar moves since we were young back then at home."

"Sounds like you two are flawless to inhabit each other for the record," I acknowledge.

"Heh!" Crane laughs, vigorously breathes in instead hesitate. "Maybe I—"

"It's been twenty years!" Mei Ling realizes utterly. "We must speak about what you have been doing at Jade Palace with Dragon Warrior and Furious Five!"

"This seems Master Crane should have a long tale to convey," I say. "Perhaps he'll have time to convince everyone here, and likely I will have mine to talk soon." A slithering sound approaches below my feet. Viper crawls over my leg, rotating upwardly as the curl. Her moving reptile skin relieves me through my belly, then eyeballing my ocean eyes.

"Too many fighting tales to say, Xing," Viper reasons. "We can share our stories, probably have to talk about Tai Lung at once, then some indignant peacock from a famous city, and also that ominous bull guy who beefed at us rudely and mostly collected everyone's Chi."

Viper does have a point. So do the Furious Five, I think, then carefully picked one name I mainly focus on all the time and Po.

"Maybe a fire camp where we'll talk later," Crane encourages. Secondly, Mei Ling thrums lightly from her throat, eating a bowl of rice she has brightened her yellow eyes.

"This rice is good. Who made it?" Mei Ling asks.

"I did," I answer to her. "I am a cooker to my grandmother's rice restaurant near Shui Palace at the Prosper Valley."

"I LOVE it, Xing!" Mei Ling says in higher tone excitingly.

After I give all three warriors a green tea to their mugs they snatched, I sauntered myself across the deck to the left side. The riverboat vacates a village of Tánhuáng. Although, this place seems great area for any people to commune on plenty of yaks. Those people genuinely care in their hearts and greatest strength for farming than other large people like bulls. The Prosper Valley only have plenty of farmers. However, Niu, Shou, and Bao are the heavy lifters as they do work at Mrs. Yan's big yard on every three days in a week to carry large types of equipment.

Once I reached the left deck, a snow leopard gazes all the green shades of trees on my right. Peng bears his bowl of white rice, eating it plainly with red chopsticks. I presume the fact that Peng needs his air to consider alone. Something that he recalled the former student of Jade Palace. Many souls remember the great dragon who had darkness in his heart and somehow cannot discipline his rage because of Oogway's reflection truthfully. Does Tai Lung ever soothe his outrage? Perhaps not.

"Still getting to hang on my rice, Peng?" I ask him, leaving my moving tray behind after I seized two mugs for both of us.

"It's delicious, Xing," Peng replies. "Nothing to compare Dragon Warrior's noodles."

I chuckle. "Not gonna lie," I begin, giving Peng a mug of tea. "Mr. Ping's noodles are one of a kind, especially Po's food I prefer."

"Yeah," he agrees after he sipped his cup. "Barely looking forward to that."

We take a sip of ourselves as the dawn breaks over the mountains, paling green and yellow without disturbance, then a colorful life of flowers across the terrain. Every land of prosperous reminds me of home I thought more, like anything the sky colors peace. While I relish the tranquility around these reflection light on the water, I recall the questioning of the Mightiest Warriors inside the Jade Palace Library.

What about that snow leopard guy? The one with friends of the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five, what is his name again? Lotus asked the Masters of Jade Palace.

Peng. Monkey answered.

Is he one of the Mightiest Warriors too? Lotus inquired in front of the Furious Five.

Optimistically, we'll have to stay tuned when he gets better soon. Shifu resolved.

At this moment, those words are predictable to perceive. Peng has to be one. I consider. I must talk to him.

"Hey, Peng. I—" I embark.

"I already noticed," Peng says. Did he know? I ask bewilderedly. I don't think he has. "My uncle has returned. I don't like how he almost strangled me from his paw to my throat." He lurches his eyes to the water lights below him. "I cannot strengthen to speak Tai Lung since I realized he was or is evil in him. He must have remembered me, and I cannot remember how I met him since my birth age when I was with my parents at Southwest."

"I've known much about your uncle turned himself darkness, but all I noticed was the return of Great Dragon, Shifu's former student," I say. Gently targeting these reflection suns on the river below us on the riverboat. "There must be a reason why your uncle has returned. Especially my brother's dad."

"Your 'brother's dad?'" he repeats, giving me a brightening look of soft surprise.

"Lord Shen. Lao's real father from Gongmen." I answer, drinking my tea steadily as the hot flow soothes my throat. Silken.

"I've heard about that peacock before," he carefully perceives. "Was Shen the one who banished his home and something crushed him to death?" Peng asks. I nod to him. "I'm wondering how that guy returned."

"There's no way Shen could've been alive after he went crushed by his creation of fire that spat metal," I say, sipping and swallowing my tea slowly. "Theoretically, Huoju resurrected Shen for highly reason to reclaim vengeance. If I can understand correctly, I believe your uncle will probably do the same, like the Dragon Scroll when Po became the Hero of China. Whatever that means Lord Shen and Tai Lung have recruited, Huoju is making more bandit friends where most of the clans will go to war with him."

It is a fact that Prince of Darkness invites many bandits, and similar lords like Shen to do battle plans. By whatever Huoju proceeds with his army in anywhere else, every land will go catastrophe. For instance, Ox-demon's flaming sword stabbed the arena, softly shook the whole terrain, and nearly devastated the entire Kong Bai. Additionally, he can manage that silky shadows from his palms, impacting and forcing most warriors on the battle angrily.

"Peng, can I ask you freely?" I ask him, he nods. "Do you have your valuable bloodline of the Mightiest Warriors?"

"'Mightiest Warriors?'" Peng replicates before he drinks his mug.

"It's four of those superior warriors who they fought against the Fire Clan, and some komodo dragon sorcerer since the Great War, five hundred years ago," I clarify. "Oogway was one of the Mightiest Warriors, then other three as Lao's ancestor, then snow leopard guy named Zhanshi—"

"Zhanshi?" he says in a higher voice. "Wait a minute. That's my grandmother's ancestor!"

"You probably have your valuable bloodline," I say. "You sure your family haven't told you any of your ancestors?"

"I know nothing much about my bloodline. Honestly," Peng says. "I always know families of mine, including... my uncle. I must find out the truth to my grandmother near Tibet. She probably knows about her ancestor, and also my mother as well."

"Your brother maybe?" I inquire.

"I never have a brother, Xing," he shakes his head. "Just only a first born son on my mother's side. My father lives near Tibet that he never mentions his brother, I mean my uncle." Peng finishes his tea. He hands the mug over to my paw. "If it's true that I am one of the Mightiest Warriors in my bloodline, then. . . it seems you have found me, just in case."

Ever so gently, I discover (for now) Peng can be a possible member of the Mightiest Warriors. What I consider, on the other hand, is that the fourth one remains missing. Optimistically, this will have to figure some part soon. Conflagration, Birth of Water, Chi of Nature, Light.

"Why would you ask me about it? Is there something that we must concern?" Peng asks while he carries a white bowl, eating rice using red chopsticks.

I realize his concern about his thought. I too have a question. Many questions when I look up to the breeze ahead of me. "Just the only matter of uniting all four who passed incredible Chi powers by their families and ancestors before them," I reply, elucidating as possible as the Jade Palace Masters and the Nine read the blue scroll yesterday. "The reason why? All four including you might or will soon become part of Huoju's worst nightmare. Technically, the Mightiest Warriors were those who have their incredible chi powers against the immorality warlords. They somehow avenged Oogway's students and masters whom all sacrificed by the hands of Prince Huoju from my ancestor's ancient palace, Qing Temple. Oogway fought many battles and united with Zhanshi, then Lao's ancestor Li Han, and Oogway's brother in the Great War about five hundred years ago."

"Oogway's brother?" he questions.

"An enormous bull brother of his," I answer, the describing who the collector was. "The one who called himself, Beast of Vengeance, Maker of Widows and he mostly collected everyone's Chi."

"Oh… right!" he softly perceives, then calming gently. "I heard about Kai before. Gladly I wasn't around in China when I went to Tibet with my girlfriend at my grandmother's barn near my mother's temple."

"For now, one of my colleagues who is the Nine's Pirate," I tell him, "he journeys himself across the East Side with my friends and two Masters of Gongmen to travel the sea where they must head to the island of pirates."

"I've heard about that too. Monkey once said about your pirate friend having trouble with his father," says Peng, "and some deadly battle over there."

"Likely an army of Huoju's men," I detail, sipping the rest of tea on the bottom of a mug. "They all skirmish against the pirates, then addressed them as they either join Prince's army or death by the worse of it."

A soft whistle arrives from the flash of the star. Behind me on this middle deck, Lotus waves at me, gesturing using her paw and a moving tray filled with multiple white plates she moves it. Frankly, she passed every meal to the others around this riverboat elsewhere. "We'll talk later with the Five," I urge, Peng gives me his empty mug and I place both cups to my moving tray next to me, adding him a polite manner. "If you need some rice, ask. I better be going with my crazy she-wolf."

Peng nods before I disperse with my moving tray. Three mugs of tea left. I think, gazing the cups. Tigress, Lotus and Commander Zhong. I move to the middle of a river boat's deck. Lotus leaves her cart behind, smirking at me with a grin, sharp teeth. Her breath of cookies land in my nose, grasping me around my body smoothly. "All of your rice well served to everyone on board," says Lotus.

"I'm glad you're with me to boil Nana's tea," I intone, affecting her thin fur, and silky blue vest solely. Years of sense in her mouth Lotus ate many cookies. She's not the only warrior who eats every day. Po's breath has filled with sweets, and exclusively Monkey's. As long as she uses her snacks, I do the same part to let Lotus receive my air of spirits in her.

She quickly licks my left cheek, noticing myself as we land our foreheads to ourselves quietly without a splatter. Her kiss is my greatest contentment to all what I encounter; for worst days, complementing, and even deficient dreams, Lotus can support my emotion. We do control ours.

"Xing," Lotus calls me softly. Waking my eyes to her where we continuously hug in a middle of the deck, her eyes are gazing by yellow dawn. "Can I—"

"Of course he can speak," the voice comes closer to my right. A one-eyed wolf Zhong gently grins. Grasping the bamboo balcony rail, and stepping closer near Lotus. "My strongest appetite I ate the rice, has brought me to an unusual, gift from someone who embraced in front of my…"

He smirks inevitably. "... daughter."


Side Note: That will be the surprising part, and just wanted to say have a great day, people! :)

Gidahn and Mika belong to my fanfic writer friend SheyConYamo!