I know this is a little late, but it's been a challenge finding time to write when there's a lot of school stuff to finish. Hopefully, you all understand...even just a little bit. Anyway, here's the much anticipated FINAL CHAPTER of this little holiday story. This has been so much fun to write, as if you couldn't already tell. I always appreciate some reviews - that is if you have time and don't mind doing so. All your feedback is so wonderful. Thanks and enjoy!

The shining, golden sun had settled itself into a crack between two mountaintops when Tigress had arrived back at the Jade Palace. The snow had stopped falling, leaving the air crisp and clear with an introduction to a new, early morning.

Tigress back flipped easily over the high stonewalls and landed directly in the snow-covered courtyard of the famous Kung Fu training Palace. It was completely void of any company. Not even Zheng was waddling around the grounds. She sighed out of relief…and exhaustion. As much as she hated to admit it, she was tired. She had sacrificed a whole night of sleep for this annual tradition. It was worth it, though. It was only one night out of hundreds of others.

But still…how could she deflect suspicion off of her if she spent the following day yawning and dazed during training? It might put her in a situation that she would not be prepared to defend herself against. The tiger master contemplated this idea while walking through the Palace grounds back to the student barracks. Suddenly, she stopped herself. The barracks? Was that were she was going?

No. If she was going to be accused of being tired and overworked, then it would be through something everyone thought she'd be doing late into the night. Tigress pushed her already aching muscles, running with strained speed to the Training Hall.

Silently, the stalking feline moved swiftly into the sacred Hall, gently closing its large doors behind her. She was pleased to find that it was as empty as the courtyard. Trying to stifle her cat yawn, Tigress bounded gracefully to the Jade Tortoise at the center of all the training equipment and sunk into its deep pit. She estimated that she had at least an hour before Shifu arose and started his meditating, which was when she would start her early training. But for now, the large feline just undid the toggle to her cloak and draped it around herself, then set the empty, cloth sack at a place for her head. Stretching a bit, Tigress finally settled herself on her left side, puffed out her thick pelt, and curled into a comfortable half-circle in order to retain further body heat.

The female tiger gently cuffed herself behind her right ear before finally falling into a light, dreamless sleep.

Gong!

"Good morning, Master!" five voices chanted in unison, each stepping out from their separate rooms and standing erectly by their doorframes. Said master was standing at the end of the hall, looking expectantly at his students.

"Good morning, students," Shifu addressed them, hands holding his master's staff behind his back. His glance rested briefly on the undisturbed room across from the Dragon Warrior's before clearing his throat and adding, "Now, I know you must be wondering where – "

"Master, do you know where Tigress is?" interrupted Po a little worriedly, obviously noticing the empty room across from him, as well. His friends could hardly contain their concern as well. They had expected to arrive back at the Palace before Tigress, but not by this much time!

Shifu, however, just remained frustrated by the fact that he had been cut off short by the painfully unmannered Po. "Hmmm, I was getting to that, Panda. You should know that she is in the Training Hall at the moment. I found her this morning perfecting her skills on the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, and have reason to believe she has been there the entire night." He paused a moment, letting a small wave of pride rush through him. "She should be an example to all of you."

A series of smiles adorned each of the faces of the five students, headshakes accompanying them. That silly tiger was just a raging whirlwind that never slowed down. Viper dipped her head to the elderly red panda, "Of course, Master."

Nodding, Shifu turned to leave: "Good. You have the same assignments from yesterday, so see that they get done. I assume Tigress will join you for breakfast shortly. That is all."

Bowing and placing their fists to their other open hand (save Viper), the Dragon Warrior and the remaining Five watched the red panda walk swiftly down the opposite hall. A nod to each other and they each retreated momentarily to their respective rooms, each returning with an item(s).

"You all got your stuff?" Viper prompted.

Another series of nods confirmed the answer.

"Good," the snake replied happily. "Now, just like we planned: don't hand them over or even let her know we have them until we get her to spill the beans."

"Gotcha!" affirmed Po.

Toting said items; each proceeded to the kitchen and eagerly awaited the joining of their feline companion.

Tigress ran a paw through the fur along her head and cheeks, smoothing out the chilled sweat that had accumulated from her early morning workout. Her plan had worked brilliantly. Not only did she get a moment of undisturbed sleep in the Jade Tortoise, but also her brief training session had given her the needed energy to face the day with less exhaustion than before.

She was padding to the kitchen, knowing that her comrades were probably just about ready to eat. With a sigh, the tiger master walked through the entrance, and was suddenly welcomed by a series of exuberant smiles from each of her fellow warriors, each sitting in their respective seats. Po had to turn around to deliver his grin.

Tigress stopped for a moment, a little caught off guard by their unexpected looks. She just stared at them for a second before refocusing on her own, empty chair.

"My apologies for being late again. I trust Shifu told you I was training?" Allowing her tail to slide through the opening in the back of the chair, she sat herself down with paws folded in her lap.

"Yep…" murmured Po as his green eyes shined excitedly.

Still, those expectant smiles never left her comrade's faces. Tigress' eyes narrowed involuntarily and brought her brows a little closer to her nose. "Have I missed something?" she asked cautiously. "Don't take this offensively, but you're all acting a little strange."

"We're not the only ones," Monkey stated.

Tigress raised a brow. "You're referring to me? What do you mean by that?"

A moment of silence passed before Viper said sweetly, "Why didn't you tell us, Tigress?"

"Tell you what? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." Deep down in the pit of her heart, a small flutter of panic escaped. It never showed, though.

"Yes, you do," chuckled Mantis.

Tigress' ears flattened to her head threateningly. "No, I don't!"

The remaining warriors exchanged a knowing glance at each other before each belting out their greatest attempt at a tiger roar. The fur along Tigress' neck couldn't help but stand up as she stared at them all as if they'd gone completely insane.

"Master Tigress, could you teach us how to roar too?" they all said in unison, in the best 'kiddy' voice they could muster.

Said tiger master's eyes widened and mouth dropped open a little. The realization smacked her in the chest so hard it almost hurt. For the first time since, she couldn't remember, she was at a loss for words. She just gave them one of her country-famous glares, followed by its close cousin: a menacing growl.

She immediately thrust herself up from her seat, chair sliding backwards with a violent screech! Her breath seethed through her bared teeth. The five warriors in front of her couldn't help but be a little intimidated. Although, in the back of their minds, they anticipated a reaction very much like this one.

"You…You all had no right to – " the tiger stopped herself, letting go of some of her anger and replacing it with a bit of shame. She could not blame them. She silently rebuked herself for not detecting them following her when they did. How in the world had they even managed that? Tigress sighed, turning away from them slightly, "That was rude of me. I'm sorry."

Po responded coaxingly, "It's okay."

Another instant of silence passed before the striped feline stated, "How much did you see?"

"The whole thing," answered the Dragon Warrior again.

Tigress squinted, a twinge of embarrassment stabbing her in the heart. How could she face such quizzical glances and answer such inquiries?

Viper approached the large feline and asked again, "Tigress…why didn't you ever tell us about this – tradition – you do every year?"

"You kept it a secret for so long," Crane added.

Tigress faced her golden eyes on them again, surprised to see only warm smiles and understanding expressions. It eased the pent up tension in her muscles. "Because…" she started, hardening her voice again. "It was not worth anyone else's concern but my own. You saw everything. You learned that it is a…" she cleared her throat while staring at the ground. "It's a personal tradition."

Viper grinned deeper and slithered off her chair and onto the table to meet her friend's downcast glance. Tigress met her blue eyes with a little reluctance. "It doesn't have to be just you, anymore."

Before the feline could respond, both Monkey and Crane wrapped a hand/wing around one of her shoulders. Mantis jumped to the top of her head while Po filled the empty space on the side by just standing respectively.

"Yeah, Tigress," bellowed the insect.

Crane suggested, "You should let us help you."

Tigress instantly gave them all astonished looks, preparing to break away from their closeness to her. "What? Oh, no, I really don't want – "

"Nonsense!" Po interjected, beaming brilliantly. "We even got a little something from each of us to help you get started for next year!"

The striped cat raised both her brows at the panda, repeating, "What?" She watched each of her comrades shuffle behind them to reveal different items in their grasps.

"Here!" Po said, offering his first. "They're yours!"

He placed in Tigress' paws his six, hand-carved and painted action figures – each resembling a member of everyone in the room. Tigress immediately sent him a shocked expression. "Po, no, I couldn't take these. You made them yourself and I know how much you care for them." She picked up the doll of herself and examined its details.

Po's ears flattened bashfully. "Hey, I can always make more! Besides…" he paused, "I can think of a certain group of kids who'd really get a kick out of them."

A small smirk crossed Tigress' muzzle, setting down the toys carefully. "You're right about that. Thank you, Po."

"Here's mine!" exclaimed Monkey, dropping a decorative jar into Tigress' grasp. She recognized it immediately.

"Your almond cookies?" She opened the jar and sniffed its contents, surprised by what she smelled. "You're special Holiday cookies, with mint and cinnamon! Monkey, you only get these once a year."

The primate gave her a playful punch in the arm. "Take them. Maybe little Daifu could give them a good home." Tigress chuckled, knowing exactly how thrilled the easily excitable Daifu would react to fresh, Holiday spice cookies.

"And mine!" Crane was next. "I know a couple of those girls would like to paint with better supplies." Opening the wooden box that Tigress accepted, she observed the tidy array of brushes, fresh sheets of parchment, and expensive inks – all kept neatly aligned with not even a blotch of black scattered anywhere.

"Crane, how could I possibly take you're only calligraphy set? You've been using this one for the past twenty years!"

The avian chuckled, tipping his hat back a little. "And I'll get another one that I can use for the next twenty years." He paused to increase his beaky smile, "Don't worry. I want them to have it."

Tigress closed the box, brushing a paw over it before setting on the kitchen table with the other items.

A chirp from Mantis signaled it was his turn, "Hey, don't forget about me, now!" Another box was presented to the feline's paws. A red one, with a golden latch that she flipped open, only to be presented with a line of about twenty or so acupuncture needles and the diagram of a tiger with a sloppy diagram of a panda painted over it. Tigress couldn't help but let out another small chuckle. "Mantis, I've seen you guard these needles as if they were a family member. They mean too much to you for me to take them. Are you sure about this?"

Mantis hopped back onto the tiger's head and hugged one of her furry ears. "Positive! They can be used for medical purposes, so I'm sure that old matron would be pleased with that."

Tigress nodded and set aside the box as well. As she did so, she felt linen brush the fur on her striped arm. She turned around and saw Viper holding up to her, by her tail, her red, silk ribbons. Tigress gasped a little, feeling the ribbons with her fingertips before the snake shoved them enthusiastically into her paws. "No, Viper. This I honestly cannot take. These were the first ribbons you ever danced with, aren't they?"

Viper nodded, her smile growing with each passing minute. "And now they can go to another little girl, who will hopefully find the same beauty I did when I danced with them."

Tigress frowned and held out her paw with the strands of silk still in them. "No. I refuse."

But the fellow female warrior just curled Tigress' fingers closed with the tip of her tail, raising a friendly brow at her. "Please, sister. It's my present to them."

The large feline still looked uncertain as she brought the ribbons away from their previous owner. Giving her and everyone else one of her rare smiles, she said, "Thank you. All of you. I can't tell you how much this will mean to the children. What it means to me." They nodded, but stopped when Tigress asked, "But I still don't understand…why do you want to give your closest items away?"

"Tigress! It's the Holiday," Viper giggled, slithering her head under the tiger's chin. "The time for giving your friends and family a little bit of yourself – showing how much you care for them."

"We want to spend it with you," added the Dragon Warrior.

"And all the crazy, secret stuff you do behind our backs!" finished Mantis.

Tigress frowned a little at that, but soon brightened both her eyes and her smile. But it instantly fell again once she said, "Forgive me. There's not a lot I can give to you in return."

Shaking their heads at the tiger warrior's ridiculousness,

"You've already given too much, you silly cat," Monkey chided respectfully.

Tigress rolled her eyes, secretly amused by the comment. "Still, if there was only something…" She stopped for a second to think, continuing only when a revelation came to her. "There is one thing I can give you all. As a token of my appreciation for all…this," she gestured to the gifts on the kitchen table and to her friends as well.

Po got excited, causing the others to beam as well. "And that is?" the panda prompted.

Tigress smirked as she reached into her vest and pulled out a thin piece of folded, red paper. From what they could see of it through the tiger's large paws, it was adorned with little ink drawings. With gentle fingers, Tigress pulled out the corresponding string ends of the paper, causing it to unfold into a plump little sun lantern.

A couple gasps escaped the warriors' mouth as they recognized the same sun lantern that the striped feline had been given last night. They observed it with greater detail, getting a chance to see all the drawings that encircled it as it rotated in the breeze. A couple laughs followed when they say the happy tiger in the middle of a line of children.

Tigress' grin increased ever so slightly at the sight of their faces, returning to the small lantern as she informed, "It isn't much, but it's the only thing that has any value to me that I can give to you. Treat it well. It's very delicate."

She held out the lantern to them, expecting one of them to pick it up. Viper just shook her head. "But Tigress, the children gave you that lantern. It was meant for you. It would be wrong for us to take it!"

"It was meant to be admired. I want to share that with you, just like you want to share your gifts with me," she paused. "I've been keeping it close to my heart. But now, you can keep it close to yours."

The fellow five immediately embraced a part of the tiger from where they were standing. Tigress was a little shocked – both by the unfamiliarity of the act and the fact that she did nothing to stop them. Orange eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, she looked around at all her fellow warriors. Her friends. Slowly, she wrapped her own arm around Po and Crane and gave them a tight squeeze as well, secretly grateful for the act of companionship.

Releasing the embrace, she held up the small lantern to Monkey and shifted her eyes to the doorway to the kitchen. "Monkey, could you…?"

Nodding and smiling, the primate took the paper orb with his tail and hung it carefully in the place Tigress had motioned to. It dangled from the archway, giving a little light color to the typical dullness of the barrack's kitchen. It revolved until it settled exactly before the little tiger – her little eyes looking on at the scene of the real tiger and all her friends growing into a full-fledged family. Undeniably, the most perfect Holiday present.

THE END! I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for all the great reviews. Happy New Year to all!