We're back with another update!

Enjoy.

…

Chapter 10: Footprint

The next thing I knew, I found myself in a cage. I was outside by the entrance of the Jade Palace complex it seems. Standing across from me were some duck/goose guards (who were astounded by my alien appearance.) Then I saw the panda.

"Good, you're finally awake. I thought you were never going to wake up…" he said that first part with intimidation, yet his mood completely shifted to that of concern, "you actually had me worried there for a while."

I tried finding a way out, but without Zhen it was impossible. I had no knowledge or tools at my disposal to escape without the vixen.

"So, where did your friend take the staff?"

I scoffed, looking away with a visible scowl. Good luck getting me to talk, great Dragon Warrior…

"Not the one to talk, huh? We'll have plenty of time to get a confession out of you during your two-year stay at the Valley of Peace prison!"

I narrowed my eyes at them and imitated a growl to them, not the least bit intimidated by this revelation by them.

Is that supposed to make me feel scared?

If only THEY knew what our forces were capable of. If Lady Chameleon wanted, she could lay waste to this valley…you're lucky she's merciful, panda!

Then, I smiled mischievously. I may have to be the one to suffer through all this, but it's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. We are victorious after all: Zhen still has the staff and that's all that matters to me.

"Man, you're really going to give me the cold shoulder and not say anything?" He asked as I silently sat down in the cage…crossing my legs. The warrior sighed, quite frustrated with me.

Then, as if on cue…several animals (by the looks of things they were mountain sheep) approached him.

"There he is!"

"Dragon Warrior!"

"Tai lung is back!"

"He's returned!"

"What?" He looked around, confused by the revelation. One by one, the small group of mammals began explaining everything.

"He demanded all our iron…then destroyed our quarry!"

The Dragon Warrior shook his head in return, "he's supposed to be in the Spirit Realm…"

Plot twist…he IS in the Spirit Realm…Chameleon must have sprung her trap at almost the exact time Zhen and I took the staff. Her plan was to lure the Dragon Warrior back to her and take the iron back to the city.

I crossed my arms while still seated down, giving a smug grin, and the Dragon Warrior had NO IDEA…

"Well…he's back!"

"He said he's not going to stop until the Valley of Peace falls and the Dragon Warrior bows before him!"

As the animal foreman and their workers encircle the panda, begging him to respond to the crisis, I am led away in the cage: comedically blowing a raspberry at him.

Good luck fighting your way out of this one, Dragon Warrior!

Unknown to us both…high above us was the vulpine Zhen. She was squatted on the rooftop, surveying the scene below. She still had the Staff of Wisdom with her. The vixen managed to hear everything thanks to her superior ears.

As I'm led away and the panda is overwhelmed by the panicked crowd, Zhen makes a small grin and said to herself quietly, "every step leaves a footprint…no matter how small…"

The gray fox could have left at any time…she considered leaving me to my fate and completing the mission; however, the thought of leaving me here to suffer didn't sit well with her. Even with her rough exterior and such, I, like the Chameleon, was a part of her life. Ultimately, she was about to risk everything.

…

I am taken to a small jail not too far away where I am thrown into the cell and locked away. I didn't try to resist by this point, I ought to get comfortable here, I guess. It's going to be a while before I see the outside world again…

Meanwhile, the panda went searching for the staff, but it proved futile…he even searched the Hall of Heroes again but found nothing. With no other leads, he is forced to investigate the quarry that was attacked and sacked.

There, he found the footprints that changed into the shape of different species. He gave a confused face…not sure what to make of it. He thought maybe somehow Zhen and I were connected to all of this (maybe he thought we were working with Tai Lung or something.) Oh boy, he wasn't that far off from the truth even though it really wasn't Tai Lung.

In the end, the fighter decided to pay me a visit to try and get me to talk again (times like this make me wish I could say I'm mute to make it more obvious to people.)

So, there he was, standing on the other side of the jail cell with no leads and no hope of solving the case.

Outside, the sun was rising at this point, and I had my back against the wall with my head lowered. Just before the panda decided to show up, the geese that watched over me couldn't help but make their opinions about me known.

"So…what is it?"

"I don't know, but man are they ugly!"

"I can see why they had that mask around!"

Both laughed endlessly at me, but I was unphased by it. By this point in life…these kinds of things didn't really get to me anymore.

Sure enough, the panda appeared by the entrance…asking the guards to step aside (and they did so without question.)

Once he faced my cell, I grumbled...barely giving him an eye.

Came to make fun of me too, bear?

"Listen…I know you don't like me…but that staff you guys took…I need it back. If you tell me where it is, where it was taken…I can see what I can do to reduce your sentence" he offered but I simply scoffed and looked away, "innocent people got hurt, and stuff was taken. Please…"

Still no reply from me. Sure enough, he got frustrated enough and slammed a palm against the stone wall (which actually shook the inside of the jailhouse for a bit!)

"Jeez, just say something…anything!"

"She can't talk, oh great Dumpling Warrior" he snapped his head toward the entrance. A shadow stretches across the floor…the shape of the mysterious fox he had encountered in the Hall of Heroes. She was here, and they were holding the Staff of Wisdom in their paws.

I jumped at this. My heart stopped as I ran to the prison bars and tried peering out as best as I could.

No…no…no! Zhen, what are you doing here!? You ought to be halfway back to Juniper City by now!

The panda's eyes widened too; he marched toward the girl…holding out his paw to her. The guards ran to his side with their weapons drawn, "the staff! Hand it over!"

Zhen was clever. She knew she wouldn't be able to get me out any other way, and she thought of a plan to lure the Dragon Warrior to Juniper City. After all, there was no mistaking it now…he is the Dragon Warrior and could be a BIG threat to us.

And so, the gray vixen nodded…brandishing the green weapon, "let my friend go first. She was just following orders."

The men across from her stopped, one of them said, "orders?"

I grumbled at that…what am I: her lap dog? She probably didn't mean it though.

"We're just trying to save our city" Zhen lied.

The large panda across from her mused, "let me guess…from Tai Lung?"

She shook her furry head, "it's not Tai Lung…never was."

He began to rub a finger against his cheek…narrowing his gaze to the thief, "you know something about what's going on…don't you?"

Zhen, from the corner of her eye, could see my face behind the bars…shaking my head without end. Still, she couldn't help herself.

"Maybe I do…maybe I don't…"

After a moment of silence, she scurried over to him…not caring if he or the guards might react negatively, "okay, I do! I really, really do!"

The large beast across from her held his ground, "tell me…"

Zhen hid a smirk, "okay, but let my friend go."

"I can't do that!"

"You wanna know who's been wreaking havoc in your valley, or not?"

He just stood there, thinking about it. The vulpine brandished the Staff of Wisdom to him, "and, I'll give you the staff back."

I gasped at this, Zhen…no!

The man finally yielded, nodding his head.

"Okay…get this, Panda…because I'm about to blow…your…mind!" She looked back and forth as if she was making sure the coast was clear…again, she's a bit of a showoff with these kinds of things, "Tai Lung isn't really here" Zhen winked at him "…she's trying to make you think Tai Lung did all those things."

"She?" Suddenly, his lantern was taken before he realized it, and the fox was now holding it, "mine!" As if it were all a show, she began to tell the story, "the Empress of disguise…capable of taking any form…mimicking anything…the master of deception! The wizard of lies, with glowing teal eyes!" The others seemed to get roped in the whole charade…I just sank against my cell in annoyance.

"I'm talking about…" she leaned in closer to him as if to make the reveal more dramatic…like it's a Peking Opera, "the Chameleon-ah!"

The Panda and his guards gasped in response to this revelation. I just groaned loudly before everyone looked at me. Zhen just gave a "are you serious, I'm in the middle of something" face back to me.

Anyway, the Dragon Warrior looks to the geese next to him and orders them to leave, "this is kind of a private conversation …" they soon ran away amusingly enough…just leaving the three of us.

He walked closer to her, demanding to know more, "who's the Chameleon?"

I snickered at that; she just told you…oh great Dumpling Warrior! I imitated Zhen's voice in my head…funny enough. He turns to me with narrowed eyes, but I pretend to be ignorant, darting my eyes back and forth.

The vixen continued, "only the most powerful shapeshifting sorceress…." She put on a serious look, setting the lamp down beside her and walking toward him…still holding the staff.

"So, she shapeshifted into Tai Lung!" He said as if he thought at the same time, Eurika!

Soon, though, he turned to face the fox and me again. She somehow managed to get to me and he didn't even realize it…he was just lost in the moment of discovery.

By this point, I was resting against the bars…thinking quietly to myself, ugh…why do I have to put up with this? Maybe two years in this jail won't be such a breeze after all!

Zhen slightly turned toward me and winked just before I rolled my eyes.

"But…what does she have against me and the Valley of Peace?"

She leaned against the wall next to my cell, twirling the staff around in response, "these are good questions…you should ask her" that last bit was a little cynical on her part. She's reeling him in, that's obvious now.

The panda nodded, "you're right…how do I find this…the Chameleon?"

He took the bait.

Zhen hid a smile, amused by how easily influenced he was, "she isn't someone who can be found…at least without someone in the know…" she brandished herself to nail the point…making it super obvious that it was her.

"And how do I find someone in the know?" Funny enough, he was still clueless…it went over his head.

Zhen grunted and I shook my head in retaliation, groaning.

"It's me. It's obviously me. I mean, I'm in the know…"

He considered it, but then he remembered we were both thieves and Zhen had yet to be caught and brought to justice, "forget it…I'll find her on my own. I think it's time you fulfill your end of the bargain and give back the staff."

She simply turned around, strutting away silently as she reeled him in again, "you could try. How hard can it be to find someone who can look like anyone…blend in anywhere…and be anywhere? I just hope you can find her soon before she attacks the valley again."

He grumbled and as he approached her in defeat, Zhen (with her back still faced toward him) smiled…she knew she got him again.

"Fine, you lead me to the Chameleon, and once I stop her…you'll turn yourself in, and I'll try to have you and your friend's sentence reduced…okay?"

With a fake smile and intentions disguised as altruism, she held her paw out to him, "deal."

Oh boy…

He took the staff from her. He shook her paw and sighed. Just as he did, the doors to the prison opened and the three of us heard a stern voice call out.

"Po! What do you think you're doing!?"

Po? That's his name? That's the name of this legendary fighter of Kung Fu…Po? Oh boy…watch out Chameleon…here comes Po!

Zhen probably thought the same thing too, but her attention is soon drawn to the newcomer. As "Po" begins explaining what is going on, the small beast across from him snaps back, "listen Po…I know that change is difficult, and you enjoy being the Dragon Warrior, but your job is finding a successor!"

Zhen's ears drooped in response, not enjoying this chit-chat one bit, "the Dragon Warrior and us made a deal, mind your business…squirrel!"

"Mr. Shifu is NOT a squirrel!"

"I'm a red panda…" the not squirrel responded.

Sure enough, the room fell into awkward silence before Zhen snapped back amusingly, "you know what, I love that for you!" He looked at her with daggers in his eyes.

Master Shifu, as the panda called him, looked toward me as I pulled away slightly. He narrowed his eyes…he's never seen my kind before. He was cautious, but ultimately wanted it to be decided by his companion, "Po…this is your decision, but I think you know the choice Master Oogway would want you to make…"

Po just looked away, thinking about it with a smile creeping up on his face. Zhen looked at him, then at Shifu, and then at me. I simply shrugged in a comedic fashion.

…

Ultimately, the Dragon Warrior made the choice his master least expected. Zhen kicked the door open, guiding me out…forcing me to shake the wings of the guards.

"My friend here thanks you for the free stay! She told me it's not bad for a daycare!" She continued making me shake hands, soon bringing me to Master Shifu to shake his paw. His apprentice, the panda, tried reassuring him, "don't worry! I'll have them back before you even knew they were gone!"

"You were supposed to be passing along wisdom and inspiring hope!" Shifu retorted, but the panda was adamant, "just think of it as one last Dragon Warrior adventure!"

I just rolled my eyes, not even bothering to look back at the jail or the red panda one last time before we left. I'm just glad to be out of there. I just focused on the road ahead, yet Zhen had one last humiliation to inflict upon the guards and the Kung Fu master behind us. She turned me around and forced me to show my hands to them. She brandished my arms…making them wave…as if I was waving goodbye to the group. That's when I realized she had taken off my cuffs and wrapped them around Shifu and a guard. Funny enough, the latter waved goodbye back before Shifu stopped them and noticed the cuffs…growling back to us in response.

I finally forced her to let go before I huffed and looked back toward the trail. It was still sunrise. The path to Juniper City was laid out for us.

I guess this worked out for us in some way. The Dragon Warrior was coming with us, AND we had the Staff of Wisdom. The best part was that we weren't on the run now, so we could focus on getting back home as peacefully as possible.

I lightly punched the fox in the shoulder as she looked up at me with a smug grin. I smiled back and nodded.

Clever girl

…

That's the end of this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time. Peace!