Author's Note: Hey there people! Just managed to squeeze this one out before Christmas, talk about a close one. This is fairly short but is a fairly tender moment between two characters that haven't gotten as much focus as I would like them to. A bit of fluff, a bit of anxiety, a bit of character building. Gotta love it :) Anyways, let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP (Plz Dreamworks, its Christmas)

Enjoy.

What Lies Ahead

Another day of travelling, another night to rest before their fateful arrival. Soon after making port at a nearby village, the jade palace masters had little time to socialise with the villagers as they continued on to the forbidden city. Skeletal trees and barren forests had soon turned to formidable mountains and exceedingly dark caverns. Rough terrain that had almost guaranteed Po's need for a lunch break. Surprisingly enough however, he had dismissed the idea of taking one, knowing full well how little time they really have.

By the time they had scaled down yet another icy mountain, Tigress noticed the sky had gone dark. Seeing this, she demanded that they all rest up for the night, not like anyone would argue. At the base of the mountain, they had found a cave large enough to fit them all in yet still remaining cosy to some degree.

A campfire still burns bright in this very cave, bringing forth a soothing warmth to its sleeping audience. Po and Tigress remain curled up in a loving embrace, bright smiles littered upon both their faces as the two lovers shift in their sleep every now and then, savouring each other's warmth. Coiled up beside them is Viper who, like Monkey, lies under a blanket to keep warm. Funnily enough, Shifu had found one unnecessary as he lays flat on his back with both his paws placed flat on his chest.

Mantis lets out a quiet snicker as he rubs together his claw… thingies together by the campfire, still impressed by his master's ability to will out the freezing wind. Both him and Crane are the only members still awake, volunteering to keep watch for the night. As for what could possibly be venturing out at this time of night, in such a hostile place, is beyond them, but they know better than to assume everything will go smoothly.

Whilst his insect friend tries to keep himself warm by the fire, Crane stands by the cave's entrance, eyes entranced by the soft specks of snow floating down from the heavens. They glide through the air with a cheerful radiance, thankful to finally grace the earth for the first time since winter had begun. Yet, in all their excitement, they descend as if they are feathers plucked from the clouds' wings. Yellow eyes find themselves hypnotised as snowflakes slowly but surely cloak the mountains in a blanket of pure white. So peaceful. So breath-taking.

"So damn cold." Crane smiles to himself as his comrade's quiet murmurs echo off the cave's walls, the bird practically hearing his bones shiver. That's the one awful thing about this first snowfall, about winter in general. Especially when most of them hadn't packed particularly warm clothes. Regardless, the avian master still stands by the cave entrance, his beak close to freezing and still admiring winter time's undeniable beauty. His trance is soon broken by the sound of Mantis hopping towards him, "You think it'll be like this in the forbidden city?" Even his usually gruff voice sounds frozen by this winter chill.

Pondering this for a few seconds, Crane shrugs, "Maybe, but I don't think it'll be as cold as it is out here."

A white mist puffs out in front of Mantis as he lets out a hopeful sigh, "I hope so, we've got enough crap to deal with as it is, I don't wanna add hypothermia to the list." He starts rubbing his shoulders as a more forceful gust of wind enters into the cave, making his arms tremble.

"Yeah." Hearing his bird brother's voice wilt to a whisper, the insect master turns to face him only to see a downtrodden look in his eyes.

"Everything alright?"

Snapping his attention back to his insect brother, Crane tries his best to hide his despondence only for the first mate's words to echo in his head. These words soon turn to a picture of him lying in a cot, crying, screaming and thrashing wildly, trapped in a prison within his mind. His family lies next to him, all prisoners in a place they simply cannot escape from.

He blinks away these thoughts, convincing himself that this is the worst-case scenario to no avail. Fear still emanates from his eyes, and he knows that Mantis can see it. With a deep sigh, Crane admits, "I'm scared… About this whole, trapped in our worst nightmare, situation."

Mantis nods at this, "Well, it'd be weird if you weren't. Y'know?" He smiles up to his avian friend, hoping to cheer him up.

A small smile graces Crane's beak, but it disappears as soon as his mind goes back to thinking about the horrors that have befallen the forbidden city. "It's just… unbelievable. Why would someone go through the trouble of doing all of this? How are they even able to do something like this?" He doesn't notice the confusion lighting up Mantis' face as he asks the last question.

"Wait, wasn't master Ding able to control minds and stuff?" The bug master's confusion soon transfers over to Crane.

"I think you've been hanging out with Po a bit too much." This snarky comment only deepens Mantis' befuddlement until the avian master explains, "Master Ding was capable of maintaining immense concentration and was able to fight people whilst meditating. Where'd you hear that he could control minds?"

Slightly embarrassed, Mantis darts his eyes around as he thinks up an excuse, "Oh, y'know, just a rumour that went round… No biggie." Crane chuckles at this, seeing right through him but not wanting to rub it in too much. Though Mantis is tempted to chuckle along, a realisation forms in his mind. "Aside from the fact that now, whoever is attacking the emperor, has powers we've never seen before."

This immediately shuts up the avian master, his mind now taken back to this new threat. Someone truly despicable and undeniably powerful awaits them, and with a technique they may be woefully unprepared for. Both masters sit in silence for a whole minute, worry and anxiety eating away at their mind. Yet one thought ails them the most. Not the thought of them being caught in this horrific prison, but of the five, of Shifu being subjected to this torture. They distract themselves by idly watching the snow's graceful, carefree descent. Its calm and delicate beauty eases the minds of both warriors, shooing away their worries as they form their majestic white carpet that will soon shepherd them to a city worthy of the Gods themselves.

"Mm, I love you, baby." Their serenity is soon disrupted by Po's sleepy mumbling, which makes them turn to see the panda holding Tigress closer in his sleep. What earns a warm smile from them both is the sight of Tigress' unconscious grin widening and the quiet chuffs rumbling from her throat.

"Aww, ain't that sweet?" Mantis whispers out as he and Crane turn their heads back to the valleys of snow outside.

Somehow, the avian master's smile grows even wider as he remembers something Viper had told him as they got off the sailboat this morning. "Yeah, and apparently, they're already considering having kids."

Hazel eyes outgrow the very head that contains them as the insect master turns to his bird friend, silently asking if he's joking. Crane responds with a nod containing just as much surprise as him. "Huh…" For a few seconds, Mantis is unable to think of anything to say. For once the loud mouth of the furious five has nothing to say. Instead, he can only feel happy for the both of them. That through so much pain and hardship, they had found each other. "Guess they've got their life sorted." A heartfelt grin spreads across his face as he whispers with sincerity, "Good for them, man… To be honest, I've always thought about settling down. Y'know, have a wife… Have kids… and then-

"And then she'll eat your head. I know, I'd prefer not to think about that." His bird brother stops him from finishing up this sentiment, a smug, knowing grin on his beak.

Mantis grins back as a question forms in his mind, "So, what about you and Viper? You planning on settling down anytime soon?"

Yellow irises freeze as quickly as the icicles forming at the top of the cave entrance, "Um…" In spite of their relationship beginning to bloom after Nuba's defeat, neither Crane nor Viper had ever spoken about their future. After all, Oogway always said to keep the present in mind rather than looking to far ahead. But it is a question that should be answered nonetheless.

"You don't know? It's cool, bro." The insect master hops onto his brother's shoulder and then onto the tip of his beak, "But word of advice-

"Oh boy." Crane mutters under his breath, aware of his friend's infamous dating history.

"Hey, this is actually good advice, okay?" This assurance only makes the avian roll his eyes, "Time slips away fast, so if you're gonna be serious with her, best to tell her soon." With this Mantis hops off his comrade and heads back to the campfire, feeling his bones becoming ice from the unrelenting winter air. However, as he heads over to the fire, he leaves his bird brother with one last thought to chew on, "Cuz there's no guarantee we'll all make it back from this alive."

Crane notes his insect brother's sombre tone, his expression wilting in sorrow. He's right. There is the horrifying possibility that some of them may die on this mission. It's a possibility that has always been looming over them. But something about this mission clutches at his heart with a merciless grip. That whatever they will face in the forbidden city will show them no mercy. That this threat has the very real possibility of beating them with a frightening amount of ease. Something doesn't feel right about this mission yet he can't place his talons on why. Instead, he can only look out into the growing stream of snow paving winter's way, a certain serpent taking centre stage in his mind.

Ooh, talk of the future, always full of worry and potential despair. Also, a lot of talk of death these past few chapters... Wonder why... Anyways, next chapter should come out fairly soon (maybe even before this year ends?) I hope at least some of us have had a great year cuz mine has been... rough to put it lightly. All good now luckily. Have a merry Christmas, and happy holidays and until next time :)