Short chapter, I know, but I got quite a few requests to update as fast as possible. That meant uploading whatever I had completed of the next chapter. And I DO realize that it has been 4 months since my last upload, and for that I am truly sorry. There's not much else I can say except: read, enjoy, and leave a review.

Grandmaster Shifu inhaled, and then exhaled just as deeply. The chill of the early morning made his white and brown fur ruffle a bit. Without actually having to open his steely, blue eyes, he could sense the warm glow of the steady sunrise beginning to peak above the distant mountains to the Valley. But the constant coolness of the Dragon Grotto didn't allow the sun's warmth to reach him completely.

"Breathe in…Breathe out…"

There he was, the recently appointed Grandmaster meditating perched upon his adopted peach tree staff. His posture was erect while his tiny hands were held up on either side of him, thumb and index finger touching tips. The elderly red panda's entire stance was still, not even his fluffy tail or whiskers twitched in the slightest. That was, except for his naturally elongated ears. They couldn't help but swivel and turn about at the top of his head – quivering at the tiniest rustle of movement. In nature, its ambiance seemed to be an all around and constant, and it was. But Shifu had so often sought the refuge of his coveted grotto that nature's continuous whispers had become normal to him, no longer taking every single, tiny movement as a sign of danger. After all, a master with inner peace didn't normally fret over insignificant sounds – but focused on the mysteries of the universe and their own person.

"Feel the flow of the universe…"

Suddenly, his left ear twitched spastically, and it stayed swiveled in the direction behind him for some time. So much so that it caused his entire countenance to become suspicious and less peaceful. He scrunched his furry, white brows together and rumbled his snout. His eyes still remained closed.

"Hmmm…" he grumbled to himself.

Was that sound…the scarping of gravel? And that other noise…could it have been an erratic heartbeat? He daringly opened his eyes, seeing nothing in front of him, but knowing that he was not alone in this scared grotto. He strained for any animalistic giveaway as to who and what this person was. His ears detected no ruffling of feathers and the steady breeze of the air revealed the person to not be a bird or avian, so a vision of Crane was immediately dropped. He also heard no gentle slithering, the caressing of scales upon a rocky surface. No flickering tongue. Viper was also ruled out. No insect chirping or primate snickering, so neither Monkey or Mantis.

The panda? Could it have been the Dragon Warrior trying to get the upper hand on him when he knew the aged master least expected it? Was it a serious test of his stalking skills or was he merely trying to be playful about it? Shifu was getting ahead of himself. In the first place, he failed to detect the massive presence that Po always possessed. No heavy footsteps that would normally give him away. And no grumbling belly that could easily do the same.

No. If it were Po, he surely wouldn't have made it this far into Shifu's domain. This creature was somewhere within the grotto walls, that much was certain. Its heartbeat was mighty and strong. Its presence obvious, yet subtle. As talented as the panda was, he still had a lot to master in the areas of stealth. Besides, that wasn't his style anyway. Po had other ways of 'surprising' his opponents. The aged red panda found it unlikely that he would resort to his weakest skill when secretly confronting his master like this.

Master Shifu's right ear twitched frantically, catching the faintest sounds of an ominously low rumble that reverberated from the hidden creature And then it hit him. A mental image of his pursuer snapped into his mind. He didn't even need to strain to listen to the scratching of stone that it made. Sharp objects being teasingly dragged across rock. He knew who had come to face him, and a small smirk plastered itself onto his aged muzzle.

WHOOSH!

A slender and flexible mass threw itself at the red panda with a huge fist balled up and directed with expert dexterity, who was still perched upon his staff. But, in a flash just as fast as the attacker's movements, Master Shifu bent his weight forward onto his platform, causing it to fall forwards with him on it. Immediately, he landed on one of the many stones in a defense crouch, catching his weapon in his hand and twirling it with impressive, speedy movements. The attacker, seeing that their initial assault had been foiled, landed on the exact spot that the red panda had resided in a tuck and roll then ejected itself forward so that it clung with its claws onto the shadowed rocky wall.

Shifu turned to face his opponent, staff held firmly in one hand and the other, palm facing outwards in battle-ready stance. With his knees bent and tail held erectly, he stared amusedly into the orange, gleaming feline eyes that observed him from its grappling position on the stonewall.

He chuckled, still holding his position, "Impressive as always; you still had me guessing until the very end. But you might want to restrain those threatening growls of yours until after the battle has begun."

The gracefully lean silhouette triple-flipped and landed lightly onto an equally shaded area of ground in the cave, its appearance still masked by early morning darkness. Except for its eyes, of course. Its massively hypnotizing amber gaze was locked on the Grandmaster, even as it prowled steadily within its hiding place. Shifu could tell his opponent was smirking as well. "Why thank you, Master," dipping its head but not removing its focus for an instant. "But I feel it gives my rival a slight hint as to who exactly they're dealing with. Fear is the mind's worst enemy, after all," came the smooth and velvety reply. Female.

"It's unlike you to retort this cockily," he smirked.

"Well, that means I still have the element of surprise on my side." With a flash of orange, striped fur and the sheen of red silk, the legendary Master Tigress skillfully lunged herself, fists first, at the prepared master.

He knowingly used her velocity against her with a parallel swipe peach tree staff that sent her forward. But she instantly recovered herself, returning to a tiger-style stance – knees bent, one arm curved upwards behind her head, and the other extended outwards into a mighty fist. She grinned at him, whiskers twitching ever so slightly - all perfectly aware of her master's tactics. She knew him too well…

She struck first again, hardly landing a blow before Shifu swiftly jumped out of the way. The female tiger then sent a cascading wave of furious punches and kicks while still maintaining her stamina. Shifu blocked each with his sacred implement, although soon found himself growing anxious over her pure, relentless strength.

"She's still getting stronger and faster…"

Tigress bent backwards in a perfect ninety-degree angle once Shifu decided he had had his fill of being on the defensive, swiping his staff in a complete 360-degree turn whilst in the air. Time seemed to slow down for the Grandmaster as he observed his oldest pupil acting with superior tactfulness to avoid his attack.

"And more flexible."

More powerful kicks and punches ensued from both, as did continuous blocking. The striped-feline then saw an opening through her and her master's constant bombardment of strikes. Instinct propelled her and she reached out one of her paws (while still defending/offending herself with the other) and clamped it forcefully on the middle of Shifu's staff. Immediately, the red panda knew he had exposed himself to a serious blow, letting his student even touch the stave.

Upon the instant, Tigress wrenched the Grandmaster's staff out of his grip and promptly propelled herself up and backwards into an impressive Talia Leap, her signature move. Again, time seemed dragged out as he observed the tiger above him, leaping in a spiral with expert flexibility. The moment she landed, he would have humbly expected defeat. But his surrender was premature, for as Tigress extended a foot, so as to land cleanly in an upright position, Shifu noticed that the stepping stone she was aiming to touch down upon had a stalactite directly above it, continuously dripping grotto water onto its surface.

He couldn't help but smirk, simply telling himself that there was no use in warning the warrior.

He quietly watched as the moment Tigress' shoe made contact with the wet stone, that it skidded unsteadily to the point where her entire sense of balance was completely lost. Her amber eyes narrowed in shock when she felt no secure terrain beneath her feet. And before she could even mentally respond to the idea of saving herself, she suddenly landed with a heavy splash into the Dragon Grotto's gurgling ponds.

Master Shifu cringed a tad, both for the fact that cold flecks of water landed against his white fur, and for the embarrassment of his prized student; a humorous smile never leaving his face. He settled back onto the image of a drenched Tigress sitting on her backside with her arms propping her up, her usually impeccably groomed fur now scruffed and dripping. But it was her expression that made him actually release a chuckle. Her heavy brows were lowered furiously to her nose, the pupils to her shining, orange eyes no larger than a mere sliver. Her tiny ears were flattened to her skull as well, and he noticed how the slight curve to her black lips formed an all around unamused scowl.

A growl of displeasure escaped her throat as another chortle escaped Shifu's. She instantly perked her ears at the sound of it, resting her enraged glare on him. But the red panda simply smiled at her, completely unfazed by her threatening expression. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his green robe and walked nimbly towards her, his limp not paining him for months.

Tigress noticed and removed her paw gripping her master's staff out from the water. When he reached her on the stone before her, he uttered, "'Balance is the key to all victories', as Master Oogway used to say."

The female tiger ruminated on this for a second, before allowing her brows to lift up again and a tiny smile to appear on her muzzle. She looked up towards her master again and let out a light chuckle too, despite her situation. She extended out her paw so as to hand her master back his staff, which he accepted thankfully.

"Or maybe, just a little less water," tested the female warrior in good humor, getting to her feet and briefly examining her soaked clothes and fur.

The red panda raised an eyebrow, "Although we constantly battle with nature, but it is best not to blame it for our mishaps. But that aside, I must commend you for your cunning, your focus, and your undeniable improvement in all aspects of your training, Tigress. You have done exceedingly well. I wouldn't expect any less of you, my student." He gave her a respectful bow with his fist to palm that signaled the end to their training battle, and Tigress gave one back just as swiftly.

"Thank you, Master," she added, straightening up. Suddenly her face fell to that of abashment. "Though I really should have paid more attention to the atmosphere of my surroundings. I'm ashamed to say I failed to remember that I fought you in a grotto; stalactites dripping water onto unassuming stones."

"Ah, but with every failure comes the chance to better one's self. Do not consider your downfalls as your weakness, but perhaps as an advantage."

"I understand, Master."

Shifu rubbed his bearded chin in thought of Tigress as she got onto all fours and quickly dried herself off with a swift shake of her fur. She stood back up to face him, paws folded behind her back in an obedient manner.

"Still, I cannot help but feel this somewhat careless accident in your attack was the cause of a troubled mind, or something of the sort. There are no accidents, after all."

"Another of Oogway's wise sayings." Tigress paused, trying not to make herself appear vulnerable. "But you are right, Master," she added sternly, "And to ambush you in a mock fight was not my only intention by coming to see you this early in the morning. You see, it's about the mission the five and I are requested to take today."

Shifu perched himself again on his staff, retaining his Zen-like stance while observing the feline's features. "Ah, I do see." His face grew hard for an instant. "Well, what is it that concerns you?"

She sighed, "Yesterday, I was informed briefly of what our mission is in the north, to the Great Wall. But I would like to be kept abreast of all the details, Master. I humbly request that you inform me of what exactly it is we are to be faced with."

Shifu nodded to his pupil, hardly needing to contemplate on what she proposed. He trusted Tigress completely, having more than once proven herself a capable leader. "You are clever to think so. Well, I shall tell you all that I know. I recently received a letter from the predominant Lord of the State of Ji, Mo Wai – a timid, but friendly hog if I ever saw one. He informed me of a threat that has existed in his land for some time - a problem that he has tried to deal with through various forces, but regretfully, all have failed to keep order. He hoped that by me sending you and the others, the threat would surely be put to a stop."

"I see," commented Tigress respectfully.

"The way he described it, it was hoards of bandits looting villages for supplies and actually kidnapping citizens with almost every raid."

Tigress' brows scrunched in racing thought before posing, "Did he tell what he knew of what happened to the hostages, whether they were used to get anything in return? A ransom, perhaps?"

Shifu sighed, and the tiger detected a hint of agitation in his tone. She was about to inquire its meaning, but he continued before she could, "No. Nearly all of them, over two-dozens, have not returned. He does not know what has become of them. He can only assume, because some have returned." His large ears flattened to his head, as did his bushy, white eyebrows to his nose. Tigress was watching him closely with concerned, flashing eyes. "All found dead. In alleyways and in streets mostly. Gory depictions, Mo Wai illustrated for me: gashes in the throat, stomachs torn open…" he shuddered briefly. "Grizzly, dishonorable deaths."

Tigress' orange orbs flashed dangerously, shocked by this discovery. Murders? And by what had been described, it seemed all in cold blood. She hung her head low for a moment, to allow her master and herself to grieve over this terrible news. For fallen brothers and sisters. Dishonorable deaths, indeed.

But this was vital information, and was immediately satisfied with her original idea to confront her master on this subject. "Well, this certainly changes everything. It's obvious these bandits are skilled with weaponry: swords and knives, no doubt, in order to commit such – "

"No," interrupted Shifu, eyeing his student seriously. Tigress immediately held her tongue and remained silently curious by his earnestness. "These invaders could perhaps be very skilled with such weapons, but from how Mo Wai described the murders to me, the victims were not killed with blades."

Tigress squinted her eyes, confused. "What do you mean, Master Shifu?"

He let out another regrettable sigh. "The gashes in the victim's bodies where not clean, like the kinds blades usually leave. Not even serrated through which a knife could make. Instead, they were torn. Ripped. Clawed…"

Silence passed before the female tiger's jaw fell open as she made the connection. Her pupils narrowed even further, and she couldn't help but also flatten her ears out of this horrifying revelation. "Master…" she breathed, unable to finish her thought.

He looked at her again with a steely coldness to his already icy-blue eyes. "Yes, Master Tigress. They were made by teeth."

She let in and out a quick inhale and exhale, disturbed expression still holding strong.

"Whoever these 'bandits' are, they are predators - cannibals!" he practically spat the word. "These innocent victims: mothers, fathers…children. They had been partially eaten."

More shocked silence passed.

"And the honest reason why I didn't tell you sooner about this was because I knew Mo Wai would have told you. He insisted upon it in his letter, to make sure that you were at least in the State of Ji when he told you. That way, it would have been harder for you to decline his plead."

Tigress instantly shot an angry look back up at the red panda, a hard frown on her face. "I assure you, Master, that the others and I would never deny such a blatant cry and need of help! The citizens of the Valley of Peace know that, as does Gongmen City, and as should all of China!"

For the first time in a couple of long, heart-felt minutes, Master Shifu grinned. He also nodded to his prized student. "And it is because of that, Tigress, that I decided to break Mo Wai's wishes, and inform you of all the details."

Yeah, I know, not TOO much going on here - mainly a fight scene and a lot of dialogue. I intended this to be longer, but I thought, if I HAD to cut it somewhere, it might as well be here. But BIG revelation here in this chapter. Yes, there is some SERIOUS cannibalism going on up in Northern China! Gory description, I know, but it makes for a better story. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review if you're willing! :D

*Mo Wai means "timid/concerned" in Mandarin