Twin Dragons

The Road Home

"Pray tell, what are you two doing here?" asked Tai Lung, crossing both arms.

"We came out for our son!" Li Shan answered.

"Besides, I think we're also suspects," Mr. Ping admitted. "Back in the Valley, Li Shan and I saw imperial troops ransacking our restaurant."

"Guilty by association unfortunately," added Li Shan.

"That's not good," Po told them. "But I'm glad you came to find me. I missed both my dads."

"Do you two have any ability to defend yourselves?" asked Tai Lung out of curiosity. "This journey we're undertaking is potentially very dangerous and Po and I already encountered enemies who have tested us greatly."

"Well, Ping and I aren't formally trained," Li Shan replied. "But when we're in a bind, we know to stick together and use our pans."

"So are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Po. "It turns out Wudang isn't going to work out for any of us. So there's one final option."

"The Panda Village," Li Shan smiled and bumped bellies with Po.

"I certainly hope the village has room for a new chef," Mr. Ping added.

oooo

"So, this is where you encountered Fenghuang and the panda?" asked Heilang.

"It was," Scorpion answered.

The wolf assassins were at the top of the mountain temple that Fenghuang formerly had made her home. Scorpion and Temutai had accompanied them but neither of them was particularly fond of being around the wolves. And neither of them was thrilled at being demoted by Pai Mei so Heilang could have the glory.

Heilang started sniffing the air around the area.

"I can make out two smells," Heilang confirmed. "One avian… and one mammal. Unlike the bird, the panda's smell has tracks I can follow on the ground."

"Well aren't you special," Temutai muttered.

"What was that?" asked Heilang.

"Are you sure you have their scent?" asked Scorpion.

"Listen, I know you two don't come from species with a great sense of smell," Heilang told them. "But my snout can track and find things you simply cannot. And that's why Pai Mei appointed me for this mission."

"Well, we found Fenghuang first, DIDN'T WE?!" Temutai growled.

"Yes, and you wouldn't have made it this far without our efforts," Scorpion pointed out.

"Then it seems I misspoke," Heilang seemed to bow his head apologetically.

From the corner of his eyes, Heilang's eyes turned an icy blue. In an instant, the wolf unleashed a sudden and unexpected blast of ice that froze Scorpion and Temutai's lower sections to the ground.

"Thank you for your service," Heilang smiled. "But I'll take it from here."

Heilang howled and ran off as his cabal of wolves followed him.

"D-Did you know he could do that?" Scorpion asked Temutai, bristling in the cold.

"N-No…" Temutai growled in anger.

oooo

Back at the Wudang temple where Pai Mei resided, he walked down from his throne room to address the other set of minions he had at his disposal.

"Since we are going after the former Dragon Warrior," Pai Mei stroked his beard. "I think it would do us well to gather intelligence on the Valley of Peace, his former residence."

A Mongolian gazelle and a large brown rat stood before Pai Mei. The rat happened to be one of the rare minions in the temple who happened to be even smaller than Pai Mei.

"What would you have us do?" asked Madam Zhou, the gazelle.

"I want you, Madam Zhou and Ju-Long to go down to the Valley of Peace and test their defenses," Pai Mei ordered. "I'll leave it up to you how you wish to deal with the Jade Palace but just know that I expect something in return, whether it's valuable information, a prisoner, or the complete subjugation of the Valley if it is within your abilities."

"My Lao Shu are ready and willing to serve," Ju-Long, the rat, promised.

"Then go," Pai Mei told them. "And do not disappoint me."

Both Madam Zhou and Ju-Long bowed and headed off. After that group left, Sanzu and the white ape joined the tamarin.

"I do not foresee Madam Zhou and those rats being able to defeat the Jade Palace, even without Po being there," the white gorilla told Pai Mei.

"It is fine if they do not, Prophet Yuan," Pai Mei replied casually. "Those rats are good for intelligence gathering and that is my main concern. I wish to see if the new Dragon Warrior of that place is anyone I should be concerned about."

"You always send the scrubs to go test the waters," Sanzu complained. "You should send me. I'll make short work of the Jade Palace!"

"You are needed here," Pai Mei told him. "Besides, the strongest always stay behind. Any day now, I'll be expecting a visit."

"My visions have always served you well," Prophet Yuan told Pai Mei. "The Emperor of China fears your power and the day will soon come when he will make his imperial presence known. Just know that if you engage him, your path will be one of victory."

"Your power of prophecy has always served me well, Prophet Yuan," Pai Mei smiled. "I will need you by my side in the new world I will build in the wake of the Emperor's destruction."

oooo

Because of their great speed, the wolves of Heilang were able to track down the scent of Po and catch up in a relatively short amount of time.

Hiding behind some rocks, the Lin Kuei observed as Po was joined by an additional party of a snow leopard, a goose, and another, older panda.

"I wasn't expecting guests," Heilang looked at the traveling party from the mountains as they continued on their journey.

"Who are all those people?" asked a lieutenant.

"I don't know but it would appear the panda got some extra traveling companions along the way," Heilang observed. "And it would also appear that Fenghuang is no longer with him."

"What do you suppose happened between her and the panda?"

"Who cares," Heilang bared his teeth. "Our mission is Po and we'll strike when the time is right… in our case, the dead of night."

oooo

"We made it!" Li Shan stopped at the elevator which led to the mountain home of the village.

"I take it we're here?" asked Tai Lung.

"You'll love it," Po told him. "This is the perfect place for us to hide out."

"Well, it would be nice to finally get some peace and quiet," Tai Lung admitted.

Li Shan ushered everyone into the basket and tugged on the rope. At once, everybody was taken up as Tai Lung waited in anticipation, being the only member of the party who had never been to the Panda Village before.

Once everyone got to the top, the pandas greeted their familiar guests happily.

"Good to see everyone again!" Po smiled.

"Hey!" Big Fun grabbed Tai Lung, hugging him.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Tai Lung demanded angrily.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Po told him.

"You're back!" Lei Lei cried. "Is Tigress with you?"

"I'm afraid she's not," Po told her. "You see, I'm a little separated from the Furious Five right now."

"What're you looking for, Ping?" Li Shan asked Po's co-parent.

"The best place here to open a noodle shop," Mr. Ping scanned the area.

"Hey Po, who's this mean looking fella right here?" asked Grandma Panda.

"Oh, it's just Tai Lung," Po told her. "He was my very first enemy but now we're alright."

"So what brings you here again, Po?" asked Mei Mei.

"Well, it's a long story," Po told her. "You see, Tai Lung and I became fugitives after fighting government soldiers trying to conscript him. We've been trying to find a place to lay low."

"Oh, so I'm dealing with a wanted criminal," Mei Mei chuckled.

"You could say that," Po smiled. "I've been thinking about what to call myself now that I'm no longer the Dragon Warrior."

"Alright guys," Grandma told the guests. "Why don't we get you settled down? I'm sure you've all been through a lot."

"Good idea, Grandma," Li Shan replied. "C'mon Po, let's get some rest."

oooo

In the room Po was set up in, he put his staff against the wall and sat down on a chair, sighing.

It had been a long day and he was dead tired after traveling with his two dads and Tai Lung. In addition, he was still reeling from everything that had happened, from losing his title to meeting Fenghuang to fighting Pai Mei's forces.

"Oh man, did Oogway ever go through times like this?" Po wondered aloud.

Soon enough, a knock was heard at his door.

"Who is it?" Po walked over to the door.

Po opened up to see a young panda cub at his door. He looked older than before but Po definitely recognized who it was.

"Bao!" Po exclaimed.

"Hey Po," Bao waved. "Good to see you again."

"Great to see you again, Bao," Po told him. "How's everything in the village?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Bao told him.

"What's up?" asked Po.

"Uh look Po, I know right now may not be the best time," Bao told him. "But I've been having some problems lately. I was wondering if you'd become my teacher."

"Whoa, come again?" Po was taken aback.

Everything was happening so fast. Already Po was depressed over the fact that he would not have the chance to train Zhen and now someone else asking to be his student was just a little overwhelming for his mind at the moment.

"Look Po, life hasn't been great for me lately," Bao told him. "I figured I'd at least try to ask you to train me to defend myself. "

"W-What happened to your chi?" asked Po. "During the battle with Kai, every panda here developed the ability to use chi."

"Yeah, that's the thing," Bao told him. "After a while, I lost that ability. And it's just never come back to me."

"That's strange," Po scratched his head.

"So… do you think you can be my teacher?" asked Bao.

"Uh look Bao, I'm not saying no to you," Po told him. "But I've been through a lot and I've got a lot on my mind. Plus I lost a student very recently along with my Dragon Warrior title. Then there was this owl lady I thought was my friend and new master but she betrayed me. I'm just a little… overwhelmed. Right now just isn't a good time."

Bao's head sank in depression. Po recognized that look and it was the same expression he had when he felt the whole world was against him back when Shifu and the Five didn't want him as the Dragon Warrior.

"Look Bao, I'm sorry, but give it a few days and I'll be in a much better state of mind to talk to you about this, alright?" Po offered gently.

Bao had a depressed look on his face but finally nodded.

"I understand," Bao finally muttered and walked off.

Po felt terrible for not being able to give Bao an answer but right now, he did have a lot on his mind. To the side he saw Tai Lung looking at him disapprovingly. The snow leopard shook his head and went off, following Bao.

"Great, as if I didn't feel guilty enough," Po's head sank.

oooo

Heilang and his Lin Kuei pack stopped at the mountain where the panda village was located.

"The smell ends here," one of his wolves told him.

"Then that can only mean they're up there," Heilang looked upwards.

"Should we go now?"

Heilang shook his head.

"The rest of you wait here until sundown," Heilang told them. "I'm going to do a little reconnaissance work at this village and scoop it out."

At once, Heiling blasted himself into the air with his ice to reach the top.

oooo

"Hey Bao."

The young panda turned around. In front of him was larger panda cub who was older then Bao but still youthful enough to be an adolescent.

"Uh… hey Tseng," Bao took a step back.

"So I was thinking… I'm a little short on cash and I need you to lend me some," Tseng told him, walking menacingly towards Bao.

"Didn't I already let you have some last week?" asked Bao nervously as Tseng cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah, but now I need more," Tseng got right in front of Bao.

From the sidelines, Tai Lung observed the situation. It was clear now that Bao was being bullied and this Tseng was his tormentor. How long it had gone on was unknown but it occurred enough times that Bao's spirit was now at its lowest. And how Tseng had gotten away with it for this long was unknown. Tai Lung speculated that perhaps he had a wealthy, connected parent or something of that nature to be able to get away with this behavior.

"Look, can't you just wait a little longer?" Bao asked.

"I'm afraid I can't wait," Tseng grabbed Bao by the collar. "What're you going to do about it? You can't even use chi anymore!"

Tseng threw Bao to the floor.

"Ow!" Bao cried.

The older panda bully placed his foot on Bao's stomach to prevent him from moving and powered up his fist with chi, raising it in a threatening manner.

"Pay up or pay the price!" Tseng warned.

In that moment, Tai Lung sprung into action, hitting Tseng on every part of his body with chi-blocking strikes.

"Ack!" Tseng's body froze up as the bully fell off of Bao.

"You're… you're him," Bao looked up at Tai Lung who helped the panda cub up. "Tai Lung."

"Yes, I am Po's traveling companion," Tai Lung told him. "How long has this been going on for?"

"About two years," Bao admitted. "I learned to live with it after a while."

"Well, you won't have to live with it anymore," Tai Lung told him firmly.

"How?" asked Bao. "I can't even use chi anymore to defend myself."

"Because I see now that you're facing a situation that not even the former Dragon Warrior can deal with currently," Tai Lung told him. "Po has too much on his plate and right now, being a teacher is the last thing on his mind. In fact, I'd say it's the last thing he should be doing as of now because with his mental state, he won't be able to train you well."

"So what now?" asked Bao.

"Now… I will become your master," Tai Lung told him resolutely.

At first, there was a look of dismay on Bao's face. Slowly, however, that dismay turned into pleasant surprise and soon, Bao was smiling.

"Do you really mean it?" asked Bao.

"I do," Tai Lung promised. "And since I have reason to believe I won't be able to go anywhere else in China for a long time, I may as well start making a new life for myself here."

"I… thanks Tai Lung!" Bao exclaimed before correcting himself. "I mean, master."

"Do you know why you can't use chi anymore?" asked Tai Lung.

"I'm not sure," Bao looked at the ground. "One day I woke up and it was just… gone. I haven't been the same and the rest of the village can still use chi. I just feel like the odd panda out these days."

"Hmm, well, let's go find an isolated spot where I can train you on some of the basics," Tai Lung told Bao. "Then… maybe we'll find some way for you to regain your chi."

oooo

Later that night, Po, Li Shan, and Mr. Ping sat in Grandma Panda's home. Mei Mei was also there serving tea for the guests.

"That's some mess you've all gotten into," Grandma told them.

"I know," Li Shan took a sip. "It's why we'll need to stay here indefinitely."

"The good news is that Emperor's presence isn't really felt up here," Grandma poured a cup for herself. "And neither is Pai Mei's for that matter."

"I'll need to start over again," Mr. Ping told them. "Is there any available land or an abandoned place where I could set up shop?"

"Well, there is a plot of land just outside the main village," Mei Mei pointed out.

"Really Ping?" asked Li Shan. "You don't want to hang up the hat and retire? I mean, the noodle shop back in the Valley did have a good run."

"Stomachs never rest," Ping told him in a serious tone. "And my work never stops either."

"So can we trust that snow leopard?" asked Mei Mei. "He's kinda creepy. And I heard from some parents that he attacked a kid in the village."

"Oh that," Grandma told her. "I helped straighten the whole thing out. Turns out Bao was being bullied by Tseng and the snow leopard was only helping Bao. He even took him on as a student."

"Wait, Tai Lung took Bao as a student?!" Po looked surprised.

"Well, what did you expect?" Grandma told him. "You were walking around all day with a mopey face. And didn't you turn Bao down?"

"Yeah but…" Po looked a little shocked. "Well, I mean… I didn't know Bao was being bullied. I might've said otherwise if I'd known."

"Too late now," Mei Mei shrugged. "Sometimes we miss our shots in life."

"Yeah, maybe I need to be more decisive," Po admitted. "But it's hard to do after being uprooted over and over again."

"Son, remember when you told me you deflected those cannons?" asked Mr. Ping. "Well, maybe that's what you need to be again. Re-learn that move but not with real cannonballs. Learn to accept and re-direct whatever life throws your way. Like a soup ladle catching a stray, flying mushroom and putting it back into the soup."

"Hmm, you know what, dad?" Po managed a smile. "That does sound like good advice."

A knock was heard at the door.

"Wonder who that could be," Grandma looked up.

"I'll get it," Li Shan got up.

The older panda walked to the door and opened it up. To everyone's shock, it was a non-panda in the village. And this time, it wasn't Tai Lung.

"Hello folks."

Heilang held a panda cub in his arm. It was Lei Lei.

"What?!" Li Shan cried.

Immediately, an ice dagger formed in Heilang's hand. Heilang held the dagger at Lei Lei's throat as everyone in the room looked at each other in shock.

At once, the PTSD Li Shan felt from Shen's invasion decades ago kicked in again as he began to panic. Not helping matters was the fact that it was another wolf invader at the very gates of the Panda Village. This wolf, in particular, bore some striking similarities to Boss Wolf who attacked his previous village.

"Help me!" Lei Lei cried.

"Put her down!" Po shouted.

"I think not," Heilang replied. "You see, my name is Heilang and I came here on a mission to capture you, Po. But I spent a little time spying on this village. And I noticed how all the pandas here had the ability of chi. I daresay this village has the potential to make even Master Pai Mei take notice."

Po looked like he wanted to attack but Heilang's ice dagger at Lei Lei's throat made him decide otherwise.

"You… you can't do this to us!" Li Shan growled. "We've lived in peace for this long… and another wolf army attacking us now?"

"Another wolf army?" Heilang looked confused. "Listen, I don't know who else you encountered in the past but not all wolves in this country know each other. My Lin Kuei are not a standing army like the Qidan. We are a guild of thieves, spies, and assassins. And recently, we've declared our loyalty to Pai Mei of Northern Wudang. Temutai and his army are the blunt force weapons. My Lin Kuei and I are the daggers and surgical scalpels."

Heilang carefully analyzed the look on Li Shan's face and came to the conclusion that he had suffered from wolf marauders in the past, but it had been some other pack than the Lin Kuei.

"You know," Heilang told Li Shan with a sadistic grin. "I may not be the wolf who hurt you before… but I'm still glad I can make you relive your worst nightmares."

"Enough!" Po growled. "What do you want from us, Heilang?"

"It's very simple," Heilang gestured towards the center of the village where all the other pandas were gathered.

Everybody else in the village was now at the mercy of the Lin Kuei who had several panda cubs held captive and were holding them at weapon-point.

"This entire village is going to be conscripted into Pai Mei's army," Heilang told them. "The amount of chi in this village is off the charts. The winds of change are blowing and you will all be a part of that change. The Emperor is a decadent, vulgar weakling and Pai Mei is the spark that will grow into the wildfire of revolution where a new order will be established, one where the strong will rule and weak will be culled. And all of you will take part in that change if you value the lives of your children and the future awaiting them."

To be continued.

Author's Note: I'm giving Heilang an extra power for this story that he didn't have in Legends of Awesomeness and it's cryokinesis, since his pack is called the Lin Kuei and we all know which Mortal Kombat character had control over ice. For some show characters in future chapters, I might give them an additional new power or ability here and there.