My very first fanfiction for Kung Fu Panda. ENJOY!

I don't own Kung Fu Panda. DreamWorks owns it.

CHAPTER 1: MORNING AT VALLEY OF PEACE

"The last couple years, after general Kai's defeat, I've been working so hard to be a good teacher like master Shifu, but only my own way, and teach even more the secrets of Kung Fu to my panda family. But sometimes, even the high skilled teacher and legendary warrior like me needs the break."

"Well, even though this can't be called as a break."

(A violent thunderstorm rages on the sky as soaking wet panda Po was standing in the defensive position in the middle of the open area in the bamboo woods, surrounded by the large group of armed bandits, with in the storm's darkness glowing blood-red eyes and armed with the long serpentine-bladed and the flame-shaped swords.)

"At this beautiful morning, which had now turned into this violent thunderstorm, I left from the Jade Palace for some walk, or more likely for some investigation, to the Valley's bamboo woods to catch some fresh air, only to find myself surrounded by the group of two dozen nasty bandits."

"And not just any bandits… but the pack of wolves."

"And as I said earlier, I came here more likely to investigate... and I just crossed my path with the reason why I came here in the first place."

"There's been lately a lots of both reports and observations about the wolf activity inside of the borders of the Valley of Peace, but just in the forms of the small packs at times... too small packs to attack to our villages or villagers."

"Still, me and the Furious Five have been lately kept an eye on them, just in case."

"But these wolves, however, were not just any wolf-bandits."

"These wolves were carrying with pride the symbol of the blood-red Flaming Red Sun as tattoo in their chest armors."

"Blood-red Flaming Red Sun, that seemed more than just a familiar."

"And no wonder if it does, because it is the symbol of my most dangerous archenemy, Lord Shen, who's now dead after my and his very last duel in his damaged flagship back in the harbor of the Gongmen City several years ago.""

"This was odd, I though that Lord Shen's wolves were either imprisoned, banished, or even executed by Gongmen City's Kung Fu Council for their crimes after Shen's defeat."

"Even though these might be what's left from his mighty wolf army, it's strange and the wolf clan under Shen's symbol was still in active even though their evil master is gone for good."

"However, whatever they're up to this time and whatever they're doing here anyway, they don't seem to have learned the last time one thing..."

"NEVER MESS WITH THE DRAGON WARRIOR!"

"In fact, I'm a quite bored now, due of these wolves being still around. Maybe it's time to give them some a little remedial teaching."

(Some wolves suddenly backs off, making the way to the huge dark-blue furred gorilla, one of the many of those whom had served Lord Shen in his army. He had the same blood-red Flaming Red Sun tattoo on his shoulders and one in his chest.)

(With the challenging manners, the gorilla prepared himself for the duel against Po, and the wolves formed the ring around of them.)

"Well, seemingly this is not gonna be an easy day for me."

"Luckily master Shifu has told me how to act in such of situations like this... I just needed to breath nice and slowly and stay calm when I have to fight some enemies, who're bigger than me myself, for example the rogue elephants and gorillas."

"Well, now was one of those times."

"Shifu had also taught me to remain silent and let my moves directing instincts and senses to take over my mind and body, so that I could be able to block any attack my enemies would launch upon me... and that if I'm careless with my instincts and senses, I would pay for it with my life."

"Training myself hard by following Shifu's teachings lately, I've learned to hold my ground longer, even against Tigress, the strongest of the Furious Five, and after mastering this new tactic, I've not lost my several training matches with Tigress anymore as often... or at least not so easily."

"But now, I hope that it's enough against this gorilla dude's incoming attacks in today's duel."

"It was time to find out who's tougher. The panda, alias me, or big bad primate."

"But of course, Master Shifu has told me do not be too overconfident against my upcoming opponents. Because even though I've defeated three the greatest maniacs of the China, I had on my side my panda-style of Kung Fu, the numerous usable materials around of me and my quickly learned mastery of Inner Peace and Chi and a lots of luck, which of necessity will not last forever."

"However, even though I'm not overconfident even now, I still trust in my luck now and in the future."

(Po stretches out his arm and signals with his paw for the gorilla come and fight, panda to giant ape.)

"Alright, here we go then. SKADOOSH!"

(Po leaps into the attack and gorilla, answering to Po's "war cry with loud roar, lunges straight at him as the fierce thunderstorm and the dense lighting of the stormy sky gets even more violent above of them.)

Earlier today...

SHIFU'S POV

I was meditating peacefully in my inner peace front of the re-carved statue of my great master Oogway in the next of the rebuilt Jade Palace. Both Oogway's statue and the Jade Palace were destroyed two years ago by the vengeful and powerful spirit warrior from the past, Kai, in order to destroy Oogway's legacy, before he was stopped and defeated by the Dragon Warrior and now the teacher, Po the panda.

Now, the palace and Oogway's statue were returned back to their glory and the peace was returned upon of these lands.

I usually spent my time by meditating through the whole night, until the dawn was starting to break.

Sun was not yet risen from behind of the mountains, but it started slowly light up the sky above of the Valley.

I breathed a deep of fresh morning air into my nose.

It was beautiful day upcoming over the Valley of Peace and the Jade Palace.

It was so peaceful and quiet…

Maybe a bit too quiet.

I was a bit expecting Po to be awake and up from the bed, and I also expected to have a short discuss with him before the sound the gong and ready to take Furious Five to Training Hall for today's lesson, as the sun started to rise from behind of the mountains.

However, Po was nowhere to be seen.

"Ugh! Did he oversleep once again?" I asked from myself out of frustration.

With reluctance, I broke my meditation and heading towards the barracks to force that panda out of the bed.

I had to move quietly in the barrack's corridors when the Five were slumbering in their rooms, but mentally they all waited for the sound of gong as sign for them to get up from the beds and get to the train hall ready for today's lesson.

And ss the sun slowly raised in the outside, its rays casts sleeping Crane's and on top of his own tail meditating Monkey's shadows to the wall. I heard also slumbering Viper's hissing and Mantis quiet buzzing from the opposite rooms.

But what made me pleased was the hear a purring sound of still slumbering Tigress from her room opposite of Po's room.

I remember well those times long before Po's sudden and unexpected arrival, when I sounded every morning the gong and harshly ordered my students to get ready for the lesson of the day. Tigress was from all of them the one who from her childhood to her adulthood obeyed with loyalty, daughter's love and without the question the rules of the Jade Palace while training long and hard under of my teaching, and just trying desperately to prove her worthiness to me… and I did never showed to even her my approval to her talents neither that true father's love from a good adoptive father as I did with Tai Lung before…

Well, those were just the bad haunting memories I've put in the past long time ago, and thanks to Po for it.

Tigress' purring sounds of slumber almost made me to pay a quick visit in my adoptive daughter's room to watch her while she was sleeping.

However, I quickly changed my mind, not wanting to disturb her slumber until the sound of gong and I headed to Po's room.

"Po, get up you…!" I was immediately cut off by the sight I saw when I stormed inside of Po's room to force him up.

His bed was empty?

"Where is that panda right now?" I asked from myself and I quietly exited from the barracks.

I then turned to the Training Hall and went to check our training area to see that was Po there already.

And it seemed to be obvious as the doors of the Training Yard were and were left to open.

I of course had told to Po that the doors of the Training Yard and Hall should never be left open, but they were supposed to be close through the night in case if the bandits would dare to sneak on top of the Jade Mountain.

However, once I stepped into the Training Yard through of the doors, I found the space of the yard empty and yet awkwardly silent... and even the doors of the Training Yard were left open as well... and they were still slightly moving like somebody had just entered through of them into the Hall.

With Master Oogway's staff in my hands and in the defensive position, I went to investigate the Training Yard.

But when I entered into the Hall, I found it all dark, silent and empty.

There was no trace about anyone's presence here during of the nighttime.

But when I walked outside of the Training Hall, I saw that there was someone standing still at the edge of the stone porch in front of the Jade Palace.

It was probably the intruder, or maybe even a bandit, who knows, who had dared to intrude to the top of the Jade Mountain.

So, I quickly exited from the Training Yard, after which I crossed the Jade Mountain's narrow but deep chasm by going through of the stone bridge built over it and rushed through of the Garden of the Masters, before I reached to the stone stairs, leading pass of Oogway's statue and to the stone porch of the Jade Palace, where the intruder was apparently still standing.

And at the last part of the stairs, I took support from Oogway's staff as I struck its another end to the ground and bounced upwards into the air and flied in arch over the last part of the stairs, after which I landed to the ground outside of the yard and took defensive position against whoever was standing in the porch of Jade Palace and against me.

However, I soon realized who was standing in the edge of the porch.

It was Po, standing in the edge of the One Thousand Steps!

The panda had dressed into the hooded cape and he was standing silently still while staring down to the valley.

I don't know how long Po has been standing here alone, nor the fact that how he had ever got pass of me to the porch of the Jade Palace without being detected by me. As I know that Po's stealth mode needed still training, I should have heard him coming by listening his soft steps in the steps of the stairs pass of Oogway's statue. Maybe I was too focused to my meditation that I didn't heard him coming or else Po's stealth mode and silence has been developed to the level that he's able to move silently and undetected like any warrior should have if needed.

That hooded cape he was wearing over himself told me that Po had something in his mind, once again, instead of the traditional ways of the Jade Palace.

And after such of realization, I quickly calmed myself and walked to next of him.

"Po, what are you doing here? I though you were gonna prepare yourself to take Furious Five and the pandas for today's lesson."

Po turned to me with the nod. And when he did, I could not only see but also sense his quite worrying feeling from his worried expression.

"Yes, master Shifu. I guess I was supposed to. But I was just thinking..." He said humbly to me.

"And what you were thinking, Dragon Warrior?" I asked from him, giving him the all time he needed to explain to me.

"Just… got the strange feeling, Master Shifu. These lately wolf activity inside of the borders of the Valley of Peace. Even though they've not yet attacked to the village and they've been a quite quiet, I'm sensing that something bad is coming to this Valley. Something really bad. I don't know what it is but I don't like that feeling. I already heard the wolves howls the last night. This time, too close of the village, nearly on the village's edge. I believe that something must to be done with this late activity, not anymore keeping an eye on it, before it becomes certainly a big threat for the Valley and to villagers." Po said.

Yes, I've already heard from the goose scouts that there has been lately wolf activity. They have been seen moving in the small packs in the bamboo woods inside of the borders of the Valley of Peace. These wolves happened to be the same wolves, who long time ago served evil peacock Lord Shen, when he tried to destroy Kung Fu with his superior weapons.

Some of them had probably survived from the fierce battle in the river and harbor of the Gongmen City. even though I thought that all survivors from Shen's wolf army were captured and sentenced to either exile or executed for their crimes against citizens of Gongmen City and Kung Fu, but some of them seems to have somehow managed to escape that fate to the woods.

I ordered Po and the Five to get rid of these wolves since I got the first reports from my goose scouts about these wolves. However, even over dozen wolf-packs had been kicked outside of the Valley's borders, the wolf packs are only kept coming and intruding to the Valley's woods.

However, fortunately for the villagers for now, there has not been reported from any wolf attacks to the village, so I changed my order to Po and to Five to keep an eye of these wolves just in case,

However, I was more than just pleased of seeing Po showing his seriousness and sense of responsibility.

"I like your seriousness and sense of responsibility, Po. And I hardly even expected such of talents coming that way from the panda like you."

Po turned to me with a a bit scolding look on his face.

My words probably reminded him about those two days after he was chosen as the Dragon Warrior by Master Oogway, and was during of two following days treated like a practice dummy and as the target of the mockings, insults, humiliation and scoldings by Furious Five and me, when we tried to get rid of him, stubbornly refusing to believe and accept him as Dragon Warrior.

Well, now when we've accepted him as one of us many years ago, those times were just the memories which everyone wanted to forget.

And also, Po probably was mentally asking from me that haven't I already seen him this serious, worrying and responsible ever before, especially at the times when it was about to stop three the big threats of China.

So, I pulled myself back in this case and I returned to the issue.

"So, you're planning to go to investigate for while instead of teaching Five this morning?" I asked from him, though I already knew how he was gonna answer.

Po nodded, even though he was rather surprised that I somehow found out his today's plans.

"Yes, Shifu. At least half of the time of daylight. I'll be back in mid-afternoon." He answered.

I nodded as agreement.

"So be it, but remember to be back in time as you said yourself. The poor student might be every time late from the lessons, but that's very unexpected and unacceptable from the master and teacher himself to be late from the lesson of the day when the students needs it."

Po was then about to leave to the valley, until I spoke yet again.

"And because I want you to be back in the Jade Palace in time to teach Furious Five and your panda students, you're allowed to investigate the area of the Valley's borders only the inside of the borders." I said.

I saw how this slightly frustrated Po, even without seeing his hidden expression on his face, because he knew that because of my orders he would never find out what was bothering him after he sensed "something bad" being on the way to the Valley of Peace behind of their backs if he was only allowed by me to investigate only the area inside of the borders of the Valley.

Well, Po however had a deep respect for his master's orders.

"Alright, master Shifu. I will obey you, but still this recent wolf activity inside of our borders and those wolves carrying with the pride the Lord Shen's symbol is bothering me greatly and that order restricts my chances to check them out from closely and find out that what is that "something bad" what I've been sensing for while and being coming on its way right to our direction."

"Besides, I'm starting to get tired of keeping an eye of these wolves instead of trying to drive them outside of our borders. I'm even now hungry for some cool action, master." He said, squeezing his paws into fists and taking really serious and burning look on his face when he mentioned Lord Shen's name

I took the frustrated expression on his face.

"I don't know how important it is to you to find out what is this "something bad" which is haunting you, Po. And speaking of action, even the title of the Dragon Warrior, your panda style of Kung Fu and your… my pre-apologies for this… overly chubby body shape against the nerve attacks and many other attacks doesn't make even you completely proof against the everything. And the lonely warrior, even the Dragon Warrior, can be sometimes outnumbered, overwhelmed and even defenseless in middle of the great number of enemies." I said.

"And remember especially this one, that if we're going to have chance against our foes, let it be either the group of bandit, rogue Kung Fu warrior or even a very big threat to the Kung Fu itself and the whole China, we need to always act together as a team, not as a rash individuals. That's why I forbid you to to engage the wolves into the battle, if their packs grows too great by numbers for you to defeat. You understand me?"

Po turned back to me and nodded with the respective look.

"I understand, master Shifu. And I know that I'm not proof to everything and not completely unbeatable. I've knew it already since my duels with Tai Lung and Kai... and back in the Gongmen City when I had to rescue my friends from Lord Shen and his army when he almost completed his plans to conquer the china." He said.

"And speaking of which, about Lord Shen and these wolves with his symbol tattoo. This recent wolf activity inside of our borders makes me a curious of these late events since the first sighting of the wolf activity. There's not been attacks to the village and the packs are quite small for such of attacks. They just wander in the bamboo woods caring nothing about the innocent villagers, leaving them alone in every encounter. So, here's my question; When Lord Shen is gone for good, what are his remained wolves up to... and what they are even doing in the Valley of Peace?"

I put Oogway's staff to vertical position next to Po and jumped on top of it so that I was in the level of Po's head. I then gently landed my hand on his shoulder to calm him down from his worries.

"Be patient, Dragon Warrior. Because I'm also worried to which this wolf activity would lead and I've been meditated to find the reason to it and solution to reduce it." I said, calming our panda master down.

"Besides, I've feeling that we're gonna find the reason to this activity all too soon." I added, as I jumped off from top of the staff, landing to the ground and I started to walk towards the stairs leading away from the stone porch of the Jade Palace.

Suddenly, my instincts told me to stop and turn around to Po, so that I can say something more to him, but when I did so, I saw that Po had already left.

However, I took a proud smile on my face, because his training under of my teachings had served him well by making him almost silent warrior with ability to vanish without a sound or trace, despite him being a big and sometimes loud and clumsy panda.

And the best part of it is that how quick Po is able to learn and develop himself even within of so short time, just like during of those days when I trained him before his first duel with Tai Lung.

"Pandas. Sometimes I really don't understand how they can be the only ones from all beings who are capable to learn surprisingly quickly the arts, the secrets and techniques of Kung Fu within such of short of time." I muttered to myself.

Then I returned to the training yard.

TO BE CONTINUED…