KFP - Origins - Chap. 12

Rated "PG" for violence and some frightening situations.

Kung Fu Panda: Origins
Chapter 12: So It Began

"Heeeeeyyyyy!!" Po promptly tripped over his own feet. "Mr. Izo, wait!!"

The elder panda came to a stop and turned to give him an unenthusiastic glance.

Po pointed at him, then at the letter with his mouth gaping open. "Y-Yeh…Aah-buh…You…! Gah…!" He couldn't get one word out, instead grasping his head. "Daddy…?" he squeaked.

"Yes, congratulations." Izo lowered his eyebrow. "You figured it out."

Po now was able to see just how similar in the face he was to him. Except for Izo's slightly bushy eyebrows, steel blue eyes, larger chin, and facial scar, it was a scary similarity. "B-But if you're my father…h-how did you turn into…that?" he motioned to the scarred, stone-cold panda before him.

Izo didn't say anything just yet, instead staring at the letter. Po couldn't tell if he didn't want to speak of it, didn't care to answer any question, or simply couldn't remember. "…Long story," was his informed answer. "A long, long, very boring story." As he turned and started to leave, Po put it together. He really didn't want to talk about it.

No, man, I gotta know!!

"I like long stories when they're about me!" he ran after his estranged father, his words coming out in waterfalls. "L-Look, the letter talks about your hardest of times, what does that mean? A famine or war or something? Where did we live? How was it that you had time to even write the letter? D-Did you guys ever know I would become the Dragon Warrior? Wh-What about Mom? Did Mom really have green eyes? I've always tried-"

"Stop asking me questions," Izo snapped, his patience reaching its limit.

"Shifu told me you killed Chang! Ah-I mean killed you!! I-I mean-"

"Yeah? And did he tell you my story? Did he tell you about the famed dark origins of Mitsuo-Izotakeshi?"

"N-No… H-He said you and Uncle Kasem were his students and you killed Mom and-"

WHACK!! Po stumbled back, startled at the sound and the sharp pain up his snout. Izo growled, his fists clenched. "This is an outright lie, boy. I loved your mother more than anything in the world and I could have protected her if it wasn't for that little white rat you've been kissing up to like the Emperor himself!!"

The younger panda's shock was distracted only by the agony he was currently in from the break of the older panda's patience…and possibly his nose. "Oww…" Po whimpered, nursing what he was sure was bleeding. "What…?"

"Your precious Master Shifu has been lying to you, Dragon Warrior."

Shifu doesn't lie… Po reminded himself.

He just did, didn't he?

Now Izo was sitting on a nearby rock, tersely sharpening his throwing knife on an old Indian whetstone. The younger panda urgently clenched his fists, biting his lip a little. He couldn't leave without some answers… He was so close to them, and he was here with his own blood, the one who knew everything, who could tell him everything. Yet, unable to leave and wise enough not to pry while the old man was holding a throwing knife, he could only flop to a sit in the snow and stare at the letter in his paw. He just wanted to know… He had once been loved by this guy, the letter proved that. If what it said was true, what could've happened to turn his heart so dark? And what had really happened to his mother? If Izo hadn't killed her, who had? And why hadn't he or she killed his infant self if they had the chance?

Scraping rock against metal, Izo glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the young panda. Stubborn cub…

The two sat in absolute silence for a few minutes, in which snowflakes started to carefully fall from the sky. Po was completely distracted, however, and took a deep breath to try one more time.

"…Dad…?" he spoke up, noting how Izo's ears tilted back at the address. "Please…?"

Once again, his only acknowledgment was the scrape, scrape, scrape of the knife against the whetstone. Po finally gave up with a slump of the shoulders and listlessly rubbed his sore paw and snout. He stared up at the snow, continuing the awkward silence.

"…It was snowing like this the evening before you were born."

Po looked up at him quickly. "What?"

Izo looked him in the eye, his mouth set in an undaunted frown. "I said it was snowing like this the evening before you were born."

A moment of silence. His ears perking up a bit, the younger panda leaned forward a bit to confirm what he had just heard. "So you're gonna spill…?"

"I will if you shut up," came the abrupt reply. The Ju-long leader continued his sharpening. "Kasem and I were students of Oogway and Shifu at the time…as was Tai Lung."

It then occurred to Po. "T-Tai Lung… Is he the one that killed Mom??"

"I'm getting to that," Izo snapped.

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Training at the Jade Palace during the months following Changzhi was torture; Chang and Kasem could agree on that much. Sweating out training in 34°F weather wasn't quit a winter wonderland…especially when one of your two masters was a crotchety old red panda that scrutinized your every move.

The young panda warrior that was currently in the middle of the practice spar was absolutely nothing like the scarred warrior of twenty years time. He more resembled his offspring at the time Po had been thrust into the Palace against his will. But, with a few years of kung fu training already under his belt, he was slightly more coordinated. He had his brother in a stronghold, with one paw holding Kasem's arm behind his back and the other holding his head down against the floor. The triumphant panda's steel blue eyes grinned as he leaned forward to mutter in his victim's ear. "Who's the awesome-er?"

"You are," Kasem murmured, voice halfway muffled by Chang's palm driven into his cheek. Unfortunately for the victor, his last remark earned him a knock over the head with Shifu's flute. A retribution for his swaggering. He kept forgetting his master had those big ears for a reason…

"Today is the day you end the days of your cubhood and become a man," Chang had been told during his manhood ceremony. "It's time for you to leave childish thoughts behind and set your mind on being a mature adult."

Both Chang and Kasem seemed to be very slow on that part. Shifu often related them to 13 year-old rapscallions. On one particularly bad day, he had related them to bratty 8 year-olds. This being said, there was no malice in the brothers' mischief…only immaturity.

"Now, Tai Lung," Shifu turned towards the young snow leopard, keeping the eyes in the back of his head on the pandas. "I want you and Chang to spar-"

"Chang!!" a messenger goose suddenly hurried through the doors of the training hall, catching the attention of the giant pandas, as well as Oogway, Shifu, and Tai Lung. "Your wife's in labor! The cub is coming!"

Chang's ear pricked forward at the news, and he quickly looked over at Oogway to request dismissal. The old tortoise was far ahead of him, however, and smiled with a single nod of his head. With a respective bow to both of his masters, Chang turned and hurried out of the training hall. Throwing a shawl over his shoulders, the panda had to make sure not to slip down the snow-encumbered steps as he raced down them like never before, barring through the nasty winds that had settled into the Valley.

It was quite possibly the fiercest winter it had seen in decades. The snow fell in torrents about every night and the wind was blistering – the very worst weather in which to be forced to birth a cub. Chang had nearly broken his back making sure every gap, every imperfection in the façade of the humble house was covered… Aiding Fei to a doctor was out of the question, so the delivery would have to be made right there and then by the fireside.

Though the wait wasn't long, it was as pregnant as the house's mistress had been for about the last five months. Once all was said and done, Chang still wasn't quite through panicking.

"Are you sure you're warm enough?" he questioned, positioning the blanket so she had as much coverage from the cold as possible.

"We're all right…" her voice came softly, tiredly. She remained slightly hunched over, as she herself was trying to provide as much warmth as she could for the fragile little miracle nestled against her. The cub was nearly buried in Fei's fur, blind, helpless, and no bigger than her finger. His squeaks and cries were only calmed by his mother's gentle touch.

"You positive?"

"Sit down, Daddy," she urged, scooting over a little to make room for her husband. Being as quiet as possible, Chang sat beside her. He lovingly put an arm around her and pulled her against him. His nose nestled against the soft, white fur of her forehead as he kissed it gently.

Never had a man and his wife loved each other more, of this Chang was sure. And never had a man and wife received a more precious gift than the little one that now slept soundly in his mother's fur. Chang beamed like the proud new papa he was and carefully stroked a finger along the cub's head and back.

While the snow and wind raged outside, the little family completely surrendered themselves to the peace and security of each other's company in the warm, flickering light of the fire.

Kuang Po… Their very own "precious light" in such a dark night.

I could hold you right in the palm of my paw, you were so tiny. You grew fast, though…a little more fuzz on ya every day. Unfortunately for us, walking wasn't the first thing you learned…climbing was.

"Po!" Chang was shocked beyond belief when he and Fei had looked up and seen their seven month-old cub up in the rafters, babbling and smiling without a care in the world. "How did you…?" the father's jaw was set in a gape, which he quickly shook off. Fei stood beneath the rafter, set to catch her son if he slipped.

"No, wait, wait, I'll get him," he urged. "Po? Son, c'mon, come to Ma mi and Baba!" he coaxed sweetly.

Po only blinked and watched his frantic parents, delighted by how much attention he was getting simply by playing this game. He stayed planted right where he was, leaning over the rafter to look at his baba in his inverted field of vision.

Chang put his paws on his hips. "All right, little yo tz, am I gonna have to come up there and get you myself?"

Rolling onto his back and tilting his head back, the little cub smiled widely. "Ba-ah," was his enlightened response.

"Is that a 'yes', young man?"

Smiling, the infant cub merely blew an innocent raspberry at his parents.

Chang's shoulders slumped a little. "Aie-ya…" He slipped off his vest and went to get a chair. "If he's this defiant now, he'll make for an interesting teenager…"

Fei watched worriedly as her husband stood up on the small chair and reached for the cub. "Come on, son," he smiled brightly, trying to lure the youngster over. "C'mon!"

"Baa!" the youngster gave a toothless grin, yet still remained just out of his father's reach no matter how much Chang cooed and smiled.

"Po…" he gave a sigh and pulled one foot up on the back of the chair, hoping to get enough of a lift to pull the infant carefully into his arms. Instead, however, the chair tipped under his weight and caused him to have to cling to the rafters with both paws, legs dangling in the air.

Fei gave a gasp. "Chang, honey?!"

"All under control!" Chang reassured her, grunting as he tried to hold on tight. "Ahh, my back…" He looked up at Po. "...I'm sure Master Oogway would've loved to see this." His eyes then widened a little when he saw the infant lower his head and wiggle his little tail. "Ah-ah-ah! Po, no," he tried, as if his son understood that magic word yet. "Don't you even think about-"

"Dahh!!" the panda cub pounced, landing straight on his face with his tiny paws gripping his father's nose and using the nostrils as handlebars.

"Aye--!! No, no, no-!!"

Fei gasped sharply as Po clung to his father's face and Chang fell with an ungracious crash to the floor. "Chang?? You all right?"

Chang stared at the ceiling. "Retirement will be a wonderful thing…" The weary father laid flat on his back, holding his son just as far above the ground as he could. "…as long as this kid doesn't kill me first…"

"Eeh!" Po happily wiggled out of his father's paws and onto his bouncy belly, looking to explore a bit more.

"Whoa, whoa," Chang quickly sat up and lifted the cub up into his arms. "I don't think so, little yo tz," he smiled. "I think you've had enough adventure for one morning."

When he realized that he had been caught and his moment of freedom was over, Po fussed and squirmed and tried to work his way out of his father's arms. "Naaaah!"

"You are quite the elusive one, young man." Fei gently chided. She approached with a bottle in one paw and scooped her son up with a smile. "Come on, sweetie."

Much to the relief of his parents, he decided that breakfast sounded better than climbing at the moment and began sucking hungrily at the bottle. Fei gave a loving smile.

The little family was abruptly startled from the moment by a tap-tap at the door. The two adult pandas exchanged a baffled look. Chang then walked over and carefully opened up to see who their visitor was…and admittedly couldn't tell what it was. A tall, muscular, cat-like animal, with the build of a leopard and the fur and stripes of a tiger. Behind him stood a rather burly ox.

"…May I help you?"

The large cat spoke abruptly. "Kuang Chang?"

"Yes…?"

"I wish to speak with you… May I come in?"

"…No," Chang frowned. There was something he immediately didn't like about this character, and he wasn't about to risk his wife and son with him in the house. "What do you want?"

Fei pulled the bottle back for a moment to try and hear what was being said. She couldn't see the visitor, but she could pick up the irritated edge in her husband's voice.

When he didn't get the answer he wanted, Hei's ears went back. "Sir…" he glared icily, "I don't believe you know who I am."

Chang glowered. "Maybe not…but you're not welcome here." The door was then slammed in Hei's face, though the cat did not change his stone countenance.

The ox stood poised to brandish his ax. "Should I break it down, Commander?"

"…No," the tigard growled. "Mr. Kuang has chosen to do this the difficult way." He looked at the medallion in his paw, studying its smooth surface.

Wrapping her cub up in his blanket, Fei looked up at Chang coming away from the door. "Who was it, love?"

"N-No one," her husband said quickly. There was no sense in scaring her with talk about the stranger. "Desperate solicitors…"

Fei gave a concerned frown, but couldn't say anything, as Po chose that moment to demand the rest of his bottle. After breakfast, the young mother was seeing her husband off. Chang gave both his wife and his cub a goodbye kiss. He then slipped the strap of his knapsack over his shoulder and started off for the Palace.

Turning back for the house, Fei noticed a black cord necklace with a medallion hanging next to the door. She carefully took it into her free paw to examine it, perplexed by what it was doing next to her front door. With a delighted squeal, Po reached out to catch the shiny object in his tiny paws.

That very afternoon, after a rigorous training regimen, Tai Lung was startled out of his room by a furious shout out in the hall.

"KASEM!! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU AND HIDE THE BODY IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED OF PLACES!!!"

The snow leopard opened his door just in time to see Kasem sprint down the hall like a fire-breathing dragon was on his tail. Worse than that, he realized, when Chang came skidding around the corner, breathing heavily. Somehow, his entire head and shoulders were drenched in blue watercolor paint.

The two warriors made eye contact for a brief moment. Tai Lung finally found his tongue. "…Uhhh-"

"Don't ask." Chang muttered and bolted after his brother again. He caught sight of him and picked up the pace, lunging at Kasem just before he could turn the corner. "HA!!" He threw his arms around his victim's ribs, and both pandas yelped as they crashed headlong through a paper wall. When they looked up, they found themselves on the floor in a heap of fur, looking straight up at the faces of their two masters. Chang saw Shifu's ears tilt back and start to twitch, a sign that their own ears were about to be conformed beyond their limits.

"…Practice sparring," he grinned innocently.

"With…watercolor." Kasem put in.

I am not going to repeat the tongue-lashing Master Shifu dished out afterwards… But he made it clear that we were on his very last nerve. Our penance? Completely repairing the wall we had crashed through before we could go home.

Chang absolutely hated it when Shifu had to stare over his shoulder with stuff like this. Kasem was getting more wooden frames, so the aging master had nothing else to scrutinize but Chang measuring out the rice paper. Quite honestly, the young panda was beginning to feel like his master didn't exactly like the two of them. He and Kasem had first come to train at the palace when they were both eight. They seemed to get along with Shifu for a while…until Tai Lung showed up on the doorstep a couple of years later.

True, the snow leopard was the head of the class – it had been that way pretty much since the three year-old kitten had floored thirteen year-old Chang during a spat in the hall. But with all this talk he'd been hearing throughout the years about this "Dragon Warrior" and the fact that Shifu had given Tai Lung a name meaning "Great Dragon"…it was obvious. Chang wasn't dumb in the least, he knew what Shifu wanted to believe. Whether or not Tai was the Dragon Warrior, that was for Master Oogway to decide.

The sun had already set by the time the pandas finished work and plodded out into the Hall of Warriors with sore arms and backs. Kasem, however, quickly brightened when he saw a familiar form by the door. "Sumi!"

Chang watched his brother dash over and meet the awaiting female panda with embrace and a deep kiss.

"I thought you'd be home by now, Chang," Sumi put in once the kiss was broken.
"Nah…" Chang jabbed his brother in the rib. "Your little dim sum here got us in trouble with Master again."

Kasem shrugged. "It wasn't my-!"

"Yes, it was."

"Was not."

"Too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Kasem?" Sumi interrupted. Her eyes sparkled expectantly at her love, and she suddenly seemed rather excitedly. "…Did you tell him…?"

Chang glanced between the two. "What?"

"The big news!"

"Master Oogway is permitting Sumi and I to get engaged," Kasem came out with it, grinning like a fool.

"…What? Seriously??" Chang smiled. "I-It's about time! When's the wedding?"

"Four months away."

Sumi took a gentle hold of her fiancé's arm. "Why wait so long, baby?" she giggled. "Let's just get married!"

Chang smirked at this. Knowing Sumi, she was dead serious in saying that. "I better get back to Fei," he excused himself, allowing the affianced couple time together before Kasem was due back in his chambers. "She and Po are probably worried I've fallen off the edge of the earth."

After saying his goodbyes, he hurried out the door and down the stairs into the night…completely oblivious to what awaited him at home.

He first became aware of an uncomfortable change in the air as he approached the small house. It was too quiet…and there wasn't the usual smell of Fei's cooking wafting out from the chimney. He then froze in his tracks when he saw the front door cracked and half torn of its hinges. Heart dropping to his stomach, Chang dashed over to look inside, and his face fixed to a horrified stare.

It looked as if a typhoon had just torn through the house. Everything in sight was either shattered or ripped to pieces. Furniture was in shards. Strings of beets, bundles of wheat, and bags of rice were ruined on the ground. Worst of all, Chang didn't see a single trace of life in the room.

Fei and Po, Fei and Po, the two names raced constantly through his mind as he plowed feverishly through the rubble.

When he found his wife under the broken chair, he almost didn't recognize her. He raced to her side, gently cradling her head in his paw. It looked as if she had been victim of every weapon of war under the sun. Blood and bruises were all about her face, arms, and back. Most of her wounds were clearly the three parallel marks of a big cat's claws. "Fei??" he gently yet frantically shook her, hoping for a response. He put a paw over her heart. The cold and stomach-twisting nothingness underneath confirmed Chang's worst fear. He stared at his love's still, lifeless face. Even in death, her face remained gentle.

He would've broken down in uncontrollable bawling had a certain thought not come to him and make his insides calcify in horror.

Po…

"PO!!" he found himself yelling and practically tearing the place upside down trying to find his infant son. The bassinet had been knocked over not far from where Fei had fallen. He feared the sight of that which could be waiting for him at any area. Those monsters wouldn't have taken him with them, would they??

He right ear suddenly pricked to the side at a sound – or at least what he hoped was one. He listened again, this time hearing the defining sound of an infant's crying. It seemed to be coming from the corner of the room. Racing over to the source of the noise, he pushed aside a broken-down table and about two or three torn cushions.

His heart gave a leap in thanks to the heavens when he saw his son lying on his pastel blue blanket. He was a little dirty, but he was well and alive, and that was more than enough for Chang. The tiny cub was crying from the scare of the chaos that had just occurred and from the sudden absence of his parents. Catching his breath, Chang reached his large arm down to gently scoop Po up. He rested his son in the crook of his large arm and spoke to him gently, trying to calm him down. The cub's whimpers began to subside at his voice.

It had been Fei's quick-thinking that had saved Po's life, Chang knew. She had hidden him soon enough and well enough for Hei and the others to miss him altogether.

"It's okay…" he comforted and gently ran his large fingers along Po's fur, trying to soothe his cries.

Still whimpering, the cub reached up his tiny paws and clutched his baba's finger. He looked up at him with his mother's jade green eyes.

"See?" Chang smiled gently. "Baba's not leaving you." He held his tiny son closely against his chest, gently touching foreheads with him. "Baba's never leaving you..."

It wasn't long before gentle breathing confirmed to him that Po was curled up and asleep against his chest. Chang gave a weary sigh, taking in the calm after the storm.

But it was only the pause before a hurricane.

At that moment, the panda felt something quietly graze the fur on the back of his neck, seemingly coming from above. His heart all but froze in his chest as it crept around his neck and finally revealed itself as what Chang feared it had been – the tail of a large cat.

Whipping his head up, he saw Hei crouched on all fours in the rafters, his sapphire eyes flashing. The leopard-tiger hybrid was still in full hunting mode from his previous kill, his broad shoulders flexing, his ears back, and his tail twitching back and forth. "Hallo," he grinned sinisterly.

Had the scenario been any different, Chang would've attacked. But the simple presence of his cub in his arms turned him from a ferocious fighter to a fleeing gazelle in seconds. Po's startled yelps quickly gave way to cries as his father dove to avoid Hei's claws and the sudden noise of crashing and growling grew to a frightening height. Chang leapt through the window with a snarl, instantly picking up his cub in his jaws and taking off on all fours.

As he dashed through the streets with all the speed he could, he could hear Hei Long's snarls and the scrape of his claws against the sides of buildings. He was straight on their heels. He then became conscious of a burly gorilla barreling right alongside him on the next street. Then a wolf was coming up at his heels on the other side.

Securing Po in his jaws, Chang took a rapid turn and barely avoided a swipe of Hei's claws. He took a powerful leap at an old building, barely grasping onto the ledge with his paws. Hoisting himself up with a snarl of effort, he went tearing across the rooftops. If there was one time to put to use all those speed and stealth techniques Shifu had drilled into his head, this was it.

The panda ran just as hard and as fast as he could, the only thought being in his mind to escape. He wasn't sure how long he had been going when he suddenly realized he wasn't being chased anymore. But in his dash, he didn't dare stop. If he could make it over this last red-tile roof, he'd be right at the palace stairs and he'd have the backup of his two masters to turn to.

His final leap was abruptly cut when Hei fiercely lashed out from behind the red rooftop and grabbed his arm, slamming it into the side of the building. Chang hit the wall hard, losing his grip on Po and only quick enough to catch him in his free arm. When the panda looked up, he saw a certain medallion hanging in front of his face. His eyes then lifted to meet the cold, arctic eyes of its holder. "Well, I suppose we can both see now that asking nicely wasn't very productive," Hei growled. "So I'm going to try this again, Mr. Kuang."

Chang's response came with flattened ears and a seething snarl. "Over my stone-cold body, you SICK little-!!!"

Like a set of steel switchblades, Hei's claws instantly sprung out and drove fiercely into the panda's arm. Chang had to bite back a yelp. In his recoil, he caught a brief glimpse of just how high up he'd gotten in his escape attempt. If the tigard were to let him go, it would be a brutal fall towards breaking a leg if not worse.

Hei's ears were flat against his head and his eyes were reduced to near slits. "Now listen, you worthless insect… The way I see it, you have a few choices here. Ether you come quietly, you fall and break your neck, or you give your brat to me."

Chang snarled fiercely at this and started to lurch at him, set to bite his face off. Hei savagely slammed the claws of his other paw into the panda's arm, making him instead duck his head and bite back another cry of searing anguish. The young father thought he'd stop there, but - at this point - Hei had reached the end of his rope. The brown fur of his mane was standing straight up in fury. He dug his claws deep into the bear's arm, raking them down. His victim's head dipped lower. It took everything he had for Chang not to cry out and startle his son.

Breath shaking, he opened his eyes and found himself looking straight into the eyes of the frightened cub. Po could read the distress on his baba's face and the anger in the voices around him...and he didn't like it. Whimpering, he buried into the older panda's fur.

Still panting and writhing in pain, Chang stared down at his son. Hei was right about one thing… He didn't have many options at this point. He would die before willingly handing the cub over to those paws… but if he refused altogether and allowed the Ju-long leader to drop them, he risked - at the least - breaking a limb and having Po swiped from him. He closed his eyes again.

If this was what it came to…if his cub's future and very life depended on this one moment…Chang just couldn't say no.

Another hard rake of the cat's claws made him again bite back a yelp. "Answer me, panda!!"

"I-I'll go…!!" his victim forced out, voice breaking both from defeat and the searing sting. "...I'll c-come with you… But…i-if I may…" he caught his breath. "…If I-I may please…take my son to his uncle… Please…"

Hei's ears tilted forward complacently yet dubiously. "…And why should we allow that…?"

Chang's breath shook. "…If you allow me to see to my son…I'll a-accept your proposition… I-I'll take that medallion…"

The tigard seemed to ponder on this for a while, his icy eyes seeming to search the idea. It was perhaps a full minute before a growl rolled in his throat and he tightened his clawed grip on the panda's arm, leaning towards him.

"One hour," he sneered. "And if you're so much as spotted by anyone else, the cub is mine."

Chang remained silent, fighting to endure the stabbing pain. He gave a tight flinch as Hei abruptly seized a handful of black fur between his shoulders and hoisted him roughly up onto the roof. Grunting, the young widower hugged his club close so as to protect him from the tumble.

"Now beat it before I change my mind," Hei snarled, and this time, Chang obeyed. Within minutes, he had scaled back down to the ground and taken off for Sumi's house. He knew he couldn't go straight to Kasem at the Palace – if Hei saw him running there, the house of the Grandmaster, their deal would be eliminated in a second… And the last thing Chang wanted was to risk Po any more than he already had.

Racing up to the little house, Chang momentarily forgot about civility and barged straight into the house. "Sumi!!" he shouted. "Sumi, I know it's late, but I need you guys!!"

He paused just for a moment, straining to see across the pitch-black room. Not only was it dead silent, but the bed mat was empty as well. And on top of it, there laid a solitary piece of paper. Attempting not to fumble over furniture, he hurried over to the mat and grabbed the paper with his free paw. He had to move into the moonlight coming through the window to read it. Inked on it was one word alone: Eloped.

No, NO, Kasem, you little rat!! Of all the days!!!

His fingers curled tightly, angrily around the paper until it fell crumpled on the bed. Defeated, he stumbled back onto the tatami, his cub in his lap. Po sucked on his paw and looked around the darkened room while his baba's empty gaze remained on the floor.

Now what?

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Of all the little things he'd come to admire and treasure since Po had been born, never had Chang imagined that bath time would be such an important moment for him and his cub.

Cradling his son in one arm, he dipped a paw into the water to make sure it wasn't too hot. Once it seemed adequate, he attempted to recall what Fei had taught him of the proper method to bathe a baby. He lowered Po gently into the water, placing his favorite bath toy in with him – a little wooden duck.

Chang's mind was unpleasantly full as he slowly, carefully lathered soap into the cub's fur. He had less than an hour to decide and carry out the most important decision of his son's life. Where was Po supposed to go now? Who in the world – or in the Valley of Peace, at least – would be willing to take in an abandoned panda cub at the drop of a hat?

There was always the old widow standby of leaving him at someone's front door…but Chang wasn't about to give his cub to just anybody. There had to be someone out there that needed him as much he needed them… Someone he'd feel safe with. If only Kasem hadn't left…

No. Chang didn't dare let his son out of the safety of the Valley. Even if he did, Kasem was untrustworthy in his book. Skipping off like a pink pixie pony through the daises and out of the village, that little brat…

The young widower eventually proceeded to the rinsing. Blissfully unaware of his father's plight, Po gnawed on the little wooden duck with his milk teeth and stared up at the elder panda.

Smiling a little, Chang gently pulled the toy from his mouth and lifted the cub up, setting him on a towel atop the counter. Po contently leaned into his baba's paw as he was dried off. The young father smiled gently at his son, pulling the towel a little up over his head to rub his ears dry. Po's head poked up and Chang saw a single little green eye peeking out at him. His heart melted. Even at his lowest, the cub could always bring a smile to his old man… How he was going to miss that…

Spirits still lifted a little, he leaned down and playfully poked his nose into the towel. This instantly got a giggle from Po, who wiggled back farther under the folds. Chang grinned and stuck his head completely underneath, tickling his son's neck with his nose. Po squeaked and took a playful lunge at him.

"Hey-Ow!!" he quickly pulled his head back, finding his cub clinging and gnawing on his nose. "Oh, being cheeky, are we?" Grabbing him, Chang pushed his snout into Po's tummy and blew a raspberry. The cub gave a laughing squeal and grabbed at his baba's fur, trying to climb over his shoulder. Chang chuckled and wrapped his son up in the towel, getting a comb and gently brushing his wet fur out. After a few strokes, he abruptly stopped. He took another look at the wooden duck toy sitting at the bottom of the basin. It dawned on him.

He knew where he could find Po a good home.

Directly after he got his son dried off, Chang fed him one more bottle and set him down in his bassinette – the sides of which now somewhat rickety from the onslaught on the house – to sleep.  Then, as the cub napped silently under the security of his blanket, Chang sat down to write the letter to whom he hoped would accept the part of Po's new father.

It was only minutes later that – with the letter in his belt – the young father gently lifted the cub from his crib and wrapped his blanket around him. "Sorry to wake you up, buddy…" He kissed Po on the forehead, making sure he was bundled up warmly before slipping out of the house.

Hei Long and his troop were waiting for him in the bamboo forest, which stood straight in the middle of the little village. All eyes turned when he came marching into view, a hawk-eyed glare across his face. For all Chang knew, he might as well have been carrying a newborn lamb through a pack of starving wolves. The panda's guard elevated at least one hundred fold as he walked through pair after pair of leering eyes, keeping his cub wrapped securely in the crook of his arm. Anyone who so much as took a musing glance at Po was met with a low, warning growl from the protective father.

Coming through the brush, he looked up at the building that was both the noodle shop and the residence of its owner. Alongside the back door were sacks and old storage crates, common of the business. The panda sighed quietly and looked down at his son. "…Okay…" he forced a smile at the cub. "…Here we go, little yo tz."

He kneeled and rested his son carefully down on the ground, to which the cub gave a loud protest. "Shh-shh!" Chang whispered, allowing Po to clutch his finger and calm down a bit. "C'mon, buddy, this is your only chance, okay? You gotta be quiet."

"Aah…" Po intently studied and felt every bristle of fur on his father's finger.

"You be a good boy for Mr. Ping…" He caressed the cub's face with a finger, kissed his forehead, spared every second he could with him. But his time was almost up, he knew. He knew Hei was watching him from the shadows, counting the minutes and poised to make consequences dire if he hesitated too long. Taking a deep breath, Chang gave his cub one more affectionate pet on the head. "Bye, buddy… I love you."

Po looked up at his father and blinked, watching him rise to his feet. The young father staggered over to the back door, raising a paw to knock on the timber.

He paused for a moment, knowing that if he did this, things would be final – his son would be off with another family and he himself would be imprisoned with the Alliance for life. Everything he had always dreamed about in being a father… Seeing Po take his first steps, hearing his first words, teaching him all the things that a boy should learn from his father… He'd never get to experience any of it. But he wanted nothing more than for Po to have the second chance at life that his father couldn't. Raising his head high, Chang bit his lip a little and gave the door three forced knocks. He immediately turned and ran back towards the shadows, fighting all he could not to look back one more time at his son. He knew if he did, he would break all over again. He'd be tempted to scoop his cub up and race off as fast and as far away as possible. And then, even if they could escape, they'd be out of the safety of the Valley and Hei Long would never stop hunting them.

Ducking behind the nearest tree just as fast as he could, Chang held his breath and listened for the opening door. It wasn't long at all, however, before Po took notice that his father was nowhere in sight. Between that and being left in complete darkness, the cub began to whimper and fuss. When left unnoticed, they quickly escalated.

With those cries, Chang could hear the small voice in his head. Don't leave me, Baba! You said you'd never leave!

He shut his eyes. Don't go back, you can't go back… You can't help him anymore. If you're seen, it could cost him his life. It felt like ages waiting for Ping to come out and find the cub. Chang then had a horrid thought… What if the guy wasn't home? He had no time to take his son to another home… He had only minutes left before Hei Long would take extreme measures on both of them. All he could hope was that somebody, somewhere would find Po and have the heart to care for him, or at least take him to someone who could.

Click.

The young father nearly jumped, then gave a deep sigh of relief. That sound of an opening door was, at that moment, the most precious sound in the world. While remaining in the shadows, Chang peeked out from behind his tree. Just as he had expected and prayed, there was the same gray goose standing in the doorway, poking his head out. Almost immediately, his brown eyes lowered to rest upon the whimpering, swaddled cub.

"…O-Oh, my…"

Po squirmed unhappily in his blanket, waiting for his father to come back for him. His eyes eventually opened a little, and he gazed up tearfully at the approaching chef.

"...I-It's all right…" he smiled softly. "I won't hurt you, little one…" He gently petted the cub on the head with one wing, noticing the scroll and picking it up with the other. The cub's tearful gaze soon turned to one of wonderment at this kind-faced stranger.

"Who in the world would give up a darling little thing like you?" he unrolled the scroll and read it over carefully. "...Po…" he smiled at the young cub when he finished. "You poor dear…"

The little panda infant innocently clamped his milk teeth on the edge of the rice paper, tiny nose twitching at the familiar scent of his baba still on it. He looked up at Ping, his shining green eyes melting the goose's heart. He couldn't possibly say no, not when this little cub and his poor father depended on him…

Looking at the similarity in little Po's face, he was reminded of that visitor to his noodle shop…  Honest, reliable, and a charming wit about him. Yet he couldn't quite remember what the name had been. Chong? Choy? Chan?

Po gazed up at the goose, and Chang saw an immediate connectivity between the two as the latter carefully scooped the infant up into his arms. His cub would be happy and loved here. Heavens bless you, Ping Tzu…

Ping smiled fondly as the little one sleepily curled up into his wings. Then, wrapping a fold of his robe around the contented cub and holding him close to his chest, he turned and disappeared back into the small house, closing the door behind him.

The light from inside the little house was the last hint of warmth and comfort that Chang would experience for decades. Letting out a breath, he came out a bit more from behind the tree and rested his cheek on the trunk.

He felt a paw on his shoulder… But it wasn't a friendly gesture in the least. It was much more like those nightmares where the cold-blooded monster reaches out of the darkness and grabs your shoulder, dragging you off into its lair just as you wake up.  Not for Chang. There was no sitting up in bed in a cold sweat next to Fei, no glance around the quiet little house and no relieving realization that it was all in his head. His wife wouldn't be there with a peaceful smile in her sleep and little Po wouldn't be snuggled up in his bassinet, quietly suckling on his fist amidst his dreaming and snuffling – that none of it really happened and they were all safe and sound in bed.

Finally gathering his strength, Chang lifted his head with an undaunted mask across his face, turned, and followed Hei Long into the shadows.

Please don't worry about me, Fei… I'll be all right… He still needs you…

TBC...