Author's Note: Holy crap, sorry for taking so long! It's been a crazy busy month, so I've barely even had time to breathe recently. (after all, dissertation prep has begun) Luckily, I was able to get this chapter out. As for the chapter, it has some more action and some small bits for other characters to shine. Things are building up and getting crazier, trust me! Also, I'll hopefully take less time on this chapter. (Hopefully) Anyways, let's get on with it!

(DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KFP!)

Enjoy.

The Tide Turns

Crash!

An alligator is chucked through the window of a nearby clothing store as the owner is escorted outside by a rhino soldier, leading her back to a larger group of civilians alongside his comrades. Once the little duck reaches the group, he considers going to aid Viper.

Crack!

Only to have another alligator soldier launched out straight through the front door, landing on the ground in an unconscious heap as the serpent master's kung fu shouts emanate from the building. With a few more audible smacks and the whip cracks of her tail, she easily dispatches the last of these soldiers before meeting up with her allies outside. "Is that everyone?"

"Yes, ma'am." The rhino soldiers bow their heads, "None of these bandits could've gone farther than here." Viper graces them with a grateful nod and a gentle smile, only for it to evaporate as she feels the air shift behind her. In an instant, she springs up off the ground and breaks the arrow mid-flight, shocking the imperial guards.

Sky-blue eyes narrow as they focus on the culprit who is joined by four of his comrades at the edge of the pier. Five alligator archers stare them down from afar, priming their bows as Viper formulates a plan of attack. Without a word, her rhino allies form a line in front of the civilians and hold their shields up. "Run back on my mark!"

"Yes, ma'am!" All three soldiers yell back as Viper surges forward, dodging, weaving, and snapping the onslaught of arrows raining down on her.

Midway through her journey, another alligator soldier wielding a sword and shield leaps from the rooftops, attempting a downward slash on the lithe serpent. She dodges with ease and counters with a tail swipe to his gut, forcing him to smack against the wall. They both narrowly miss a stray arrow, the archers unwilling to stop even at the sight of their brother-in-arms. A sign of Zhongcheng's teachings no doubt. Taking advantage of his dazed state, Viper wrenches his shield out of his paw and uses it to block a stray arrow before thwacking him out of their line of sight with her tail. "Go!" Charging forward, she belts out this command as she throws the shield directly at the archers, forcing them to fall to the floor. This brief reprieve gives enough time for the rhinos to escape with the civilians and for Viper to begin her offensive. Leaping forward, she spins her body downward, right onto the lead archer's head.

Bam!

The ground cracks from the impact of her attack, knocking out the alligator instantly. By the time she readies herself back into her fighting stance, her four remaining foes already have their bows trained on her, two standing on each side. Within seconds, arrows fly through the air only for her to dodge every single one before sweeping their legs with a wide swipe of her tail. Only one alligator manages to hop over her attack before brandishing a knife from his side. Several swipes slice through the air yet never make contact with flesh, she's just too good. To the alligator's surprise, she doesn't attack back, why? As his comrades get back up, he is given the answer.

Seeing her enemies recover, Viper shoots towards the alligator's upper body, wrapping herself around his neck and shoulders as the other archers advance. Confused, they hesitate in their offense until their comrade attacks them, helplessly controlled by Viper's unyielding grip. They fight back with one alligator charging forward, knife in paw as his two comrades stay back with their bows ready. Viper's puppet clashes his knife against his comrade's and is forced to throw out a punch directly into his jaw, the pain dazing the alligator for a few moments. As this happens, Viper feels a wave of air crash against her once more, making her abscond her current puppet and dodge the arrow now impaled in poor soldier's shoulder. Ignoring his pained scream, she slithers over to the dazed alligator and climbs up his body. Two more arrows are fired but they miss their target completely, impaling themselves into the alligator being used as a playground. Once she reaches his head, the serpent master wraps the end of her tail around his neck and tosses him at one of the archers, knocking them both out as they crash into a heap. She darts her head away from the unconscious pair and focuses on the archer backing away even further as his last remaining comrade charges forward, an arrow still lodged in his shoulder. It takes little effort to slide under his attempted attack before making her way to the cowering archer. A rapid stream of arrows meets her, yet she ducks and weaves past them again. With nowhere to run, the archer attempts a desperate strike with his bow only to be ducked and dispatched with a sweep of the legs, an upward strike and a brutal tail swipe that lodges him into the ground. She turns back to see her last remaining enemy…

Riddled with arrows.

He slumps down to the ground, evidently lifeless, forcing a frown onto the gentle serpent's face. Of course, those arrows would hit something, but she was hoping that none of them would die. They are soldier after all, they're only following orders. Sky-blue eyes are soon drawn to the flaming tower once more, the entire building now engulfed in its ferocious blaze. Focus Viper! There's no time to waste! With this thought, she rushes back to the main docklands. Back to the centre of the alligator's attempted invasion.

As she makes her way back, Shifu and Zhonglei continue pushing back wave after wave of alligator soldiers alongside the remaining imperial army. Yet, in spite of their efforts, only more alligators emerge from the waters of the yellow river, making the golden tiger frustrated yet morbidly curious. Bubbling questions begin to pop in his mind as he takes down a group of soldiers with a single wide swing of his bo-staff. To think that Zhongcheng has been hiding such a formidable army from them. But why? Why bother with a secretive plan when he could simply overpower them with sheer numbers alone? Why use so many soldiers for a single distraction? Why even attack a residential building when the cannons matter most? Why split them all up if he is targeting the emperor specifically? Just drawing them away from the child of heaven should be enough. It simply doesn't add up.

As if in answer to his confusion, the air of their battle loses its voice. What was once a triumphant shout of mayhem whittles down to a hoarse croak of retreat. Yes, retreat. To the surprise of the outnumbered imperial forces, Shifu and Zhonglei, every single member of the alligator forces stops their offense and run back towards the yellow river. One after another they turn back, leading to a few befuddled, quiet cheers and cocky jeers from some of the imperial soldiers. The grandmaster, however, stays silent, concentrating on the individual soldiers. Their eyes. They don't dart back to their enemies as they run away. They dart up. Steely-blue irises follow their gaze, falling squarely on the burning sigil towering over the city. As a realisation forms in Shifu's eyes, they meet Zhonglei's ruby irises, sharing that same realisation. That tower wasn't just a target. It was a signal.

Zhongcheng never intended for his men to win this battle, yet they somehow aren't disposable. If he didn't plan to take them out here, then what is his plan? Why split them up if he didn't want to take them all out in one fell swoop? Heck, this in itself is a prime moment to take out the emperor, yet they allowed direct passage to him to be destroyed. Surely, this isn't to only buy time, is it? With each question answered, a hundred more pop-up.

As more and more of them re-enter the chilling waters, Viper arrives, smiling at the sight of the enemy retreating. Her face falls however, at the serious expressions of her master and the golden tiger. "Did we push them back?"

The two old friends stare at the retreating forms of Zhongcheng's alligators, certain that something sinister will emerge from this strange outcome. "They ran even though they outnumbered us." Shifu's gruff response brings a bout of befuddlement within his serpent student.

"Why?"

"We don't know." Both kung fu masters look over to Zhonglei, his growl making the chilling winter air shiver as he gets onto all fours, a venomous intent contaminating his eyes. "But I'm going to find out." He bides his time, waiting for the last of those soldiers to dive into the water as Viper and Shifu give him a look of concern.

"That's out of the question." Shifu intervenes, "Heading into enemy territory by yourself will only lead to certain death."

"So, we should wait until Zhongcheng's plan unfolds?" This rancid snarl only bolsters Shifu's stern expression, forcing Zhonglei's scowl to burrow deeper into his face. "Whatever information I can get from this is worth the risk."

The grandmaster doesn't budge, "If that army is even a fraction of what Zhongcheng has, then you'll be slaughtered before you can find anything. Besides, how will you even tail them underwater without any of them noticing?"

The former general grins at his stubborn old friend, "Why don't you let me worry about that?"

Boom!

All eyes are yanked over to the tower turned inferno, a vicious roar of fire punching out several of the windows with a deafening explosion. His features once again paved with a dark seriousness, Zhonglei reminds them, "Your friends need your help, and we have little time as it is." He turns to face the retreating alligators, noticing the very last of their ranks diving into the river as he prepares himself. "Don't wait for me." Leaving no room for further protest, Zhonglei sprints off and leaps onto one of the buildings lining the edge of the pier, trailing alongside its perimeter as he follows the swimming soldiers.

Shifu and Viper look back towards the residential building, now a gradually decaying tomb of ash. "He's right, master. We need to go." After a few moments of deliberation, grandmaster lets out a reluctant sigh.

He gives one last glance to his old friend's retreating form before gazing back at his student, "let's move." They zoom toward the burning tower at full speed, unaware of the petrifying events that have taken place within the residential inferno.

Meanwhile, within the underground cannon facility, carnage ensues as Po fights wave after wave of soldiers. Wolves, gorillas, mind-controlled rhinos, cheetahs, and ox all throw frantic attacks his way, some with swords and others with bare fists. He is only just able to dodge their strikes thanks to his inner peace mode, but it isn't without difficulty. Seeing an opening in their offensive, he catches the fist of an unfortunate wolf and lifts him up, spinning him around at the enemies circling him. Many soldiers are knocked down by his makeshift weapon whilst many others are forced to back away. Now given some space, the panda master throws the wolf at one of the gorillas who catches him and tosses him aside. Unfortunately, this leaves the primate open for a follow up attack from the now rolling ball of black and white. Just as Po reaches said gorilla, he extends his legs in a brutal double kick.

Bam!

A small chi shockwave ripples off the gorilla's chest as he is sent careening backwards, ploughing through the crowd of soldiers behind him and crashing right into another gorilla trying to lug a cannon over to the fight. "Ouch, that's gotta sting." The dragon warrior quips with a cheeky smile on his face before continuing his assault on the troops attempting to dogpile him. Fist, kicks, and belly thrusts make quick work of the unprepared, but there are plenty of soldiers who manage to guard or swiftly evade his attacks. What alarms the panda the most is that it isn't the mind-controlled imperial soldiers giving him trouble. Somehow the wolves and gorillas are actually managing to keep up with him. Granted, they aren't his equal or anything, but compared to how amateurish some of them were at Gongmen, they may as well be masters.

He manages to sock another mind-controlled cheetah in the jaw until three wolves slash at him with their swords, coordinating their attacks in such a way that no break is given between their strikes. After parrying a few strikes from this endless barrage, Po tries to take advantage of an opening he created but is immediately cut off by another sword slash.

Shink!

A pained hiss escapes from his mouth as the cold steel slices his stomach, leaving a burning gash there that he attempts to cover up before rolling backwards for more space. Seeing their opportunity, the three swordsmen rush in whilst their comrades join them, thinking the dragon warrior is ripe for the taking. However, he still has one more trick up his sleeve. Imbuing chi into his right fist, he raises it up in the air before slamming it back down into the ground. As the earth quakes beneath them, Zhongcheng's soldiers are forced to halt their assault to keep their balance steady, some crashing to the floor in the process. Without a moment to spare, Po lands four powerful chi strikes around his encircling opponents, forcing the sea of soldiers to back up as their comrades' hurtling bodies crash into them.

Now given even more room, he finally has a chance to think. These guys were definitely trained by Zhongcheng. Jade irises dart around as he waits in a defensive stance, his enemies clearly fearful of his power yet itching to take him down. I dunno if I can beat them all by myself. As he thinks things through, his gaze is led upward by the sound of his tiger's kung fu shouts, clearly giving her all against her bison foe. A new resolve flairs within him at the sight of her relentless offense. No, Po! Keep it together! She's counting on you! Everyone is counting on you! Years ago, this thought would've made him a nervous wreck. Now, bravery morphs his face into another cheeky smile. "You guys had enough!? No!? Then, who else wants to feel the thunder!?" With that, the waves of soldiers crash into him again, but like a mountain against the might of the ocean, Po welcomes the growing tide without a second thought.

Whilst his battle recommences, Tigress' rages on as she trades blows with Gongjiang, the force of each attack making the catwalk shiver underneath them. A display of focused ferocity from both fighters, fists and feet fly at each other yet they only connect in blocked attacks. She ducks past a left hook aimed for her chest and retaliates with a left kick to his chin. Before it has a chance to connect, he catches it in his right hoof. However, this doesn't stop her. Instead, this lets her strike in the same place with her right foot.

Wham!

His head shoots upward, her kick forcing his mouth to clamp shut. Yet, he doesn't let go of her leg like she had expected. No, he grabs her other leg with his free hoof and knees her in the back, forcing out a pained gasp from Tigress. After this, the bison general tries to slam her face into the railing, but she recovers fast enough to grab the railing and thrust her feet out of his grip to land a double kick in his face. As her attack pushes him into the opposite railing, Tigress swings herself around and lands another kick to his face.

Boom!

A golden shockwave explodes from Gongjiang's cheek, the tiger master's powerful attack throwing him down the other side of the catwalk. Landing back in an offensive stance, Tigress pays close attention to how he responds. Amber eyes widen to the size of miniature stars as he picks himself off the ground with little issue. Her shock only deepens at the sight of his lower jaw dislocated and locked to the left of his face. However, she doesn't hear any groan or hiss of torment. There isn't even anger burning in his orange eyes, only a noxious viciousness.

Gongjiang stares at his opponent as he grabs his lower jaw and relocates it with a bone-crunching snap, a sound that even invites Tigress to gag upon its presence. Yet again, no agonising noise escapes him, only a quiet sigh. With a quick test of his repaired jaw, the bison general walks forward whilst holding a basic stance. "Did you seriously think Zhongcheng wouldn't warn me about that little trick?" Tigress' scowl deepens as he finds his smirk again. Of course, Zhongcheng trained him. Why wouldn't he? And unfortunately for her, the commander built him up to be a defensive powerhouse.

A hint of a snarl escapes her maw as she goes back on the offensive. This time however, the pair don't trade blows. Gongjiang manages to block and flat out tank her strikes without so much as flinching, greatly alarming the tiger master as she rolls out of the way from a counter punch. Sure, her enemies have managed to take on her powerful blows before, but never did they simply not react to them at all. She attempts to punch back, but her fist is caught in his hoof once more, his own formidable strength keeping it held in place. She tries to attack again by jumping up and stepping off the railing to deliver another chi infused kick. Yet, it is only met with his free hoof managing to contain the golden shockwave with a bit of effort, the bison clamping down on her until her bones begin to shake. Without giving a moment to break from his grip, the towering general raises her up in the air and slams her down on the catwalk back-first.

Bam!

Coughs splutter out of Tigress' maw as the impact punches the wind out of her lungs, leaving her vulnerable to a kick in the stomach that makes her roll further down the catwalk. Still coughing and wheezing, she picks herself up and observes her opponent for a brief moment, reading his next move within his eyes. The problem with only relying on defence, is that the offence suffers as a result. Offence that can be used to her advantage. Her own plan set in motion; she takes a deep, calming breath and allows her body to flow with the air around her, resulting in the inner peace stance. This brings out an unimpressed scoff from her opponent, clearly unaware of its significance. Amber irises glare at him with a tranquil yet unyielding intensity, "And where is your commander? Cowering away whilst you do his dirty work?" This banishes the smirk on the bison's face immediately, his muscles tensing and clenching at the gall of her accusation.

"Don't presume to know my brother." Venom fuels his raspy tone, embedding his eyes with a new, growing fury.

Tigress stares glares back, her tranquil look taking on an incredulous distinction. "He's left many other soldiers to die, what makes you think he won't do the same to you?"

She can practically see the smoke fuming out from his boiling blood, inching the brute ever so closer to launching his ravenous attack. "Let me guess, you got that from Zhonglei." The corrosive sting of her uncle's name ignites that fury into an unyielding rage. "So, you'll happily trust the word of a traitorous coward when the truth stands before you?"

"Perhaps you should ask yourself that first."

A wildfire breaks out from his eyes and courses through his veins, transforming his blood into searing lava. That vengeful fire forces his body to act on its own, making him run forward with arms prepared to attack and right into Tigress' hand. His fists fly through the air with a savage madness, bearing the wrath of a lifetime of subjugation and desecration. There isn't any strategy, any bigger plan to his movements. Only the aim to break that audacious tiger. With each swing of his fists, the tiger master dodges and parries with ease, serving to infuriate the bison even more.

"We have only ever fought for our home!" Gongjiang spits out as she redirects one of his punches into the railing, leaving a nasty dent and a slight soreness in his hoof. "Each victory we had held was for the greatness of China!" Another attack glides past her, leaving the bison open to a rapid three punch combo to his left kidney. Gritting his teeth at her powerful strikes, the bison tries to break her defence only to be dodged again. "Every sacrifice we made was only done for the protection of our empire!" Tigress scowls at his twisted justification, catching his arm in her paws and kicking out his legs to throw him onto the catwalk on her other side.

Despite his massive frame, her strength doesn't fail her and the bison flops onto the catwalk belly-first, forcing a gasp out of him. She attempts a follow-up stomp, but Gongjiang rolls out of the way in time, getting up immediately after to continue his offensive. To his surprise, his attacks still don't seem to hit her, making his teeth grind against each other to the point of shattering. "You are no protector! Not when you'll happily throw away the lives of your own soldiers!" A boiling growl exits the tiger master's throat as she bats away the general's arms and lands two powerful chi punches on his stomach, making him hold it in pain before commencing his offence again. "Not when you betray the very people you've sworn to defend!" After dodging more wild haymakers, she kicks the back of his shin, a golden light radiating off her foot. The force of her strike makes his leg buckle, making him plummet to his knee. She continues her offence with a feigned strike to his face, promptly switching direction to his gut as he guards his face. Two flashes of gold light up his right side, punching out a groan of agony from him as pulls away his arms to counterattack only for her free paw to hit him square in the chest.

He wheezes out, her brutal palm strike forcing his own bout of coughs to rumble out from him. As Tigress charges her chi into her paw pads once more, her mind flashes through the events of the past few days. The horrific screams and cries engulfing the hospital, the hollow eyes of the emperor's own trusted army. The horrified tears of her panda reliving the nightmare that damned wolf put him through. Her pupils dilate slightly as she reals her arms back, "Not when you'll make the world suffer for your own weakness!" With this sickening growl, she thrusts her arms forward to the still recovering Gongjiang, her glowing paws smashing into his face with a double palm strike.

Boom!

With a massive flash of gold, the bison general is sent flying farther down the catwalk, pieces of teeth following his hurtling body as he hits the wooden surface. As the golden glow dissipates from her paws, Tigress keeps her glare on her writhing foe. Amber irises note how he spits out drops of blood mixed with broken teeth, slowly rising from the ground though his aching body begs for rest. Orange irises glare into amber as he remains on his knees, unable to believe that this putrid tiger has managed to overpower him. She snarls, "The only traitorous cowards here are you, and your pathetic brother."

At this, Gongjiang slams his fist onto the catwalk and tries to pick himself up until two wolves leap up from the huddled mass below, landing on either side of Tigress, each wielding a sword. They attack at once, yet she is unfazed by their sudden appearance, evading each swipe of their swords. Though she does manage to keep up her defence, the tiger master can't help but notice the improvement in Shen's former army. They strike in near perfect timing, their strikes coming one after another in a relentless barrage.

But that's just it, near perfect.

It's enough of a window for her to duck under one of their strikes, sweep one of the wolves' legs out from under him and catch the wrist of the other as he tries to keep up their offense. Panic sets into the swordsman's eyes as the tiger master kicks his sides, tightening her grip on his wrist so he drops his sword. He attempts to punch her with his free paw only to have it caught in hers. She gives a hook kick to his side, forcing him over to the railing just as his ally gets back up. Tigress doesn't seem to notice as she follows up with a kick to the wolf's torso, throwing him over the railing and back down to the warehouse floor. Seizing his opportunity, the other wolf raises his sword just as the tiger master finishes her attack and slashes down.

But before his blade can meet her flesh, she grabs him by the armour without even turning to look at him and yanks him closer, raising her leg up to kick him in the face over her shoulder. Gongjiang can barely even believe the sight. Just how flexible is she? Without giving the wolf a second to recover, she turns to him and delivers a brutal elbow strike to his chest. This forces him to the other side of the railing and the sword to fall from his paws, the tiger master catching it before it can fall to the floor.

As the wolf manages to steady himself from falling off the railing, he can't help but stare at his opponent as she grabs the sword from both ends and bends it with little effort. Terrified eyes can't look away as what was once his sword is now a piece of scrap shaped like a 'U'. A feat that she would no doubt be able to replicate with him. With a panicked yelp, the wolf doesn't give her the chance and leaps off the catwalk himself, leaving Tigress unimpressed and Gongjiang fuming. "Gutless coward." She manages to hold back a humourless laugh at the bison's disgusted murmurs as the two combatants face off once more, ready to finish this.

Whilst this calamitous battle rages on, a green blur takes down soldiers left and right, putting a stop to any attempts to get past the blocked warehouse entrance. Three wolves and gorillas watch on as their comrades get pummelled by an unstoppable force they just can't seem to track. They try to rush in with their weapons but before they know it, Mantis zips past them and ricochets off all six of them. A punch in the gut, a kick in the shin, a whack in the chin, each of his attacks strike with the speed of a shuriken and the devastating power of the very cannons the soldiers are trying to move. His rapid onslaught concludes with a single, golden kick aimed at the leader of the group.

Boom!

All six soldiers are knocked out by the sheer force of the attack, its shining shockwave shooting them around the room. Their bodies join their unconscious brothers as Mantis finally stops in the centre of the brothel turned battleground. "Whew, thought they were never gonna stop." He pants, hazel irises darting towards the front and back doors as he takes a moment to rest.

Crash!

The ceiling crumbles above him as a blue light blasts off the shattering wood, forcing Mantis to leap back as six figures drop down. "Guess I spoke too… soon…" Through the shroud of shattered wood and splinters, two of his newfound opponents catch his eye as they glare at him, their hollow blue glow making his heart drop in despair. "No."

As this happens, Tigress and Gongjiang remain in their stances, ready to take advantage of the other's attempted offense. However, the stare down is halted by the sound of a thunderous, metallic clang! They both dart their heads over immediately, both combatants knowing it's coming from the cannon blocking the warehouse entrance. A devilish smirk crawls onto the bison general's face as the tiger master glares at the entrance with bated breath. Mantis.

Clang!

The storm grows ever larger as thunder echoes around the warehouse again, freezing the dragon warrior and the soldiers surrounding him in place. Jade irises can't help but worry, fearing the worst for his insect buddy. But none of these guys can get past him that easily, right? They may be better than before but they definitely ain't fast enough. Unless… oh no.

Kaboom!

An explosion of blue and gold thrusts the cannon out of the entrance, sending the massive weapon flying straight at the gaggle formed around the dragon warrior. Quick to react, Po and several of the soldiers around him duck whilst many others are either crushed or rendered unconscious by metallic monstrosity. He looks back to see the damage. Misshapen metal, obliterated conveyer belts, and a field of corpses. Some imperials, some not. Either way, it makes the panda master scowl as a venomous sting swirls around in his stomach. Jade eyes dart over to the entrance only to expand in horror.

He watches Mantis land in a hesitant stance as he is thrown into the warehouse, his opponent jumping through the dismantled entrance and aiming a kick towards him. "Monkey." A breathless whisper rips itself out of the dragon warrior as the langur's hollow blue eyes shoot a merciless glare at the insect master. Luckily his attack falls short, the two best friends forced to trade blows as the soldiers around look to each other in a mix of confused expressions and wicked grins. Their reactions only deepen the scowl on Po's face as he readies himself to aid his friends. But something stops him, a whisper that he cannot decipher yet understands what it means. It's the voice of the universe.

And it's telling him to watch his back.

He leaps forward, narrowly avoiding the blade of a wind-and-fire wheel before kicking away two soldiers attempting a follow-up attack. Another whisper, this time from above. Jade eyes dart up as two figures dive towards him, their legs reeled back. Po just manages to block their kicks in time and push them away, his eyes only growing bigger at the sight of his new opponents.

"So nice to finally meet you, dragon warrior." Hungry smiles litter the faces of the Wu-sisters as their prey is left shocked by their presence. Seeing the questions floating around his head, Su-Wu decides to take advantage. "Girls, how about we give him a proper welcome?" Her sisters' yellow eyes practically glow in excitement as they rush towards the panda master, snapping him out of his reverie immediately. As they trade blows, the eldest snow leopard stands back motioning a wolf soldier over to her. "New orders from Zhongcheng, focus all your manpower on getting these weapons out of here." She licks her lips as she stares at the dragon warrior, her tail thrashing in joy at finally being able to 'play' with him. "We'll handle them." With a quick salute, the wolf runs over to his comrades to relay their orders whilst Su-Wu joins her sisters' fight, a toothy grin plastered on her face.

Amber eyes watch on as their battle turns catastrophic, a mosaic of emotions churning her heart alongside the confused thoughts assaulting her head. The Wu-Sisters, what are they doing here? Why is Zhongcheng enlisting them? Soon her focus shifts to her hollow-eyed brother. We should've been there; we should've been able to stop this from happening. We walked right into his trap. However, her train of thought is halted by the absence of a certain avian. Wait, where is-

Before she can finish this thought, the subject of her worry shoots into the room, his captor holding onto his leg. Tigress can't keep back the vicious growl ripping through her throat, her glare setting threatening to set the wolf's pale fur ablaze. Zhongcheng responds with an evil grin that only deepens the scowl scarring her face, the two holding eye contact as he leaps off his bird soldier and lands on the catwalk.

"Well, it seems the tides of battle are fickle indeed." His taunting observation only serves to kindle the brimstone burning in his enemy's eyes as Crane flies away, sights set for the dragon warrior. "Then again, it was wrong of you to assume they ever were in your favour." Tigress' ear twitches as Gongjiang steps closer behind her, but she doesn't look at him. Instead, her eyes remain focused on Zhongcheng as falls back into her signature tiger style stance.

"We'll never let you win."

The commander's evil grin morphs into an arrogant smirk, "Oh, I don't have to." This response brings a noticeable confusion within Tigress' flaming eyes as the wolf settles into his own fighting stance, "All it takes is one moment for your entire world to fall apart. Then, you'll be mine for the taking." Her fiery eyes incinerate the confusion that was once there, now aware of what he's trying. If only she could understand why. She can hear Gongjiang shifting in place behind her, clearly readying himself for a rematch. An evidently lopsided rematch.

Oh boy, things are really heating up! And Zhongcheng is aiming for Tigress too... Oh boy. I hope you lot are ready for the next chapter, because things are pretty much going to go off the rails. Again, I'm going to try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but do bear with me if it takes a bit longer than I'd like. Hope you're enjoying the story so far, and until next time :)