Happy Kung Fu Panda 2 day! It's the fifth anniversary of when the movie first came out in theaters! Wow, has it really been that long already? I feel old! xD Anyway, I figured that today would be the perfect day to post this chapter, or rather, the epilogue of The Fire Within! I had a really great time writing, and I thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, faved or simply read this story! It's been awesome and in case you were wondering, I DO have yet another story in mind that would make this series into a TRILOGY, but it's still in the planning stage so it might be awhile before that's posted. Keep an eye out!

Thank you for sticking with me all this time, guys! I might not respond to all of your reviews, but I do read each and every single one as they come in, and I save and read them often! I just never know what to say in response besides "thank you," lol! So thank you for all of your continuous support, everyone! I really appreciate it! *hugs you all* Oh, and one last thing! I finally finished the music playlist that I've been working on all this time! Since I can't post links here, I added one to the playlist in my fanfiction profile.

Enjoy!

xxxx

"Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend...he was first a panda, but then transformed into a dragon. He gave up everything in order to protect the universe and all of time..."

Two cubs panted heavily on their way up the mountain. No one had been to the Dragon Grotto in decades, and they wanted to be the first to make it to the cave now that a thousand years had passed just like in the story that they had heard over and over.

Of course, they knew that it was just a story. It wasn't real. It had been passed down from generation to generation, and everyone who had actually believed—those who had claimed that they were actually there—were gone by now, with no proof to back it up. But they were determined to find out if a dragon had been truly resting in the cave for a thousand years like the legend said.

"Are you coming or not, Chao?" a small, black and white panda cub asked his orange and white tiger friend who had fallen very behind.

Chao gasped for breath, shaking his head wildly. "Maybe I should just wait down here, Lotus..."

"Aw, you're just a big scaredy-cat," Lotus teased. "You don't really believe in that stuff, do you? The end of the world? Dragons? They don't exist! It was probably just a story that some crazy person made up."

"A thousand years have passed, and that's when he's supposed to wake up!" Chao objected, bending over to try and get his breath back. "My great-great-great-great-something grandma was a part of the Furious Five and was friends with him! This toy actually used to be his!" The tiger pulled out a torn and dirty panda toy from the pack around his waist.

Lotus scoffed, waving a hand at his friend. "That old thing? It's a panda, not a dragon. You can't just change from a panda into a dragon. You also can't live to be a thousand years old and I don't see any weird red clouds, either." In fact, the weather was nice today. Maybe a few clouds here and there, but it didn't look anything like the end of the world. The world just couldn't end. That was impossible!

"But that's what the story said," Chao protested. "My mom tells it to me all the time."

"Ah, you'll believe anything anyone tells you," Lotus laughed. Chao frowned as he finally caught up. They had finally reached the cave!

Slowly, trying their best not to make any sounds, they entered the Dragon Grotto cave. Well, only one entered. Chao stayed behind, refusing to go any further.

"But we're not supposed to go in there!" he cried in a quiet whisper for fear that whatever might be inside would hear them. If there was anything inside.

Lotus let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't you want to find out if it really is true?" he prodded. "We can't tell if anything's inside from out here!"

Chao nodded nervously. Of course he did. But this was trespassing and they could get into serious trouble!

"Then come on!" Lotus pushed, beginning to enter the cave. Chao squeaked at the thought of being left alone outside, rushing to catch up to his panda friend.

They walked silently through the cave, Chao holding his panda toy tightly to his chest for comfort. Who knew what they would find in here? It was one of the oldest caves in the Valley of Peace!

But as they entered deeper with nothing but a lantern to light the way that Lotus had brought along, what they didn't expect to find was a massive dragon sleeping in the center. The two cubs stood stock-still, hardly believing their eyes that the story had actually been true.

It was actually real!

"So it was true," the black and white cub whispered in shock, staring in awe at the huge creature that was resting before them. Its sides fell up and down in a slow kind of manner, its eyes closed. There was an old, worn basket sitting next to it filled with a number of different items, and pictures that had been hung up on the cave walls over the years. He noticed a weird stick-like object in between the dragon's front feet that looked shiny and almost new compared to the other items that scattered the cave.

"Lotus...what are you doing?!" Chao whispered frantically as the panda reached for the staff.

The dragon flinched and Lotus jumped, fearing the worst, but it remained asleep. The little cub grinned and pulled the staff away.

"Cool," he said in excitement, running his paws over the staff. He waved it in the air, pretending that it was a sword.

"Put it back!" Chao screamed in a whisper, his eyes widening when the dragon began to stir. He hugged the old panda toy closer to his striped chest.

"You worry too much," Lotus protested, oblivious to the fact that a giant dragon was starting to wake. "It's sound asleep."

He finally froze, staff still in hand, when bright green eyes snapped open, and the tiger and panda cubs found themselves staring back at the very same dragon from the legend—the dragon that had finally woken after a thousand years.