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Word Count: +1,370

Thrown by sheer force of Kai's jade-tipped chains, Tigress landed far from the Jade Palace. She was out of Kai's view, safe from his attack.

Master Shifu wasn't.

She saw Kai take his Chi, like the rest of her friends. She saw the glowing orb he manipulated become a jade pendant, resting on his chain. A mockery that she was severely outnumbered.

And Po was their last hope. Shifu's order repeated in her head. Her eyes dotted around, searching for the scroll. Where, where?

tink!

She looked over, spotting the object responsible for the sound. The scroll! She reached over, grabbed it, and rushed down the hill.

However, she wasn't careful. Something out of character for her. Her foot got caught in... something. The root of a tree or a rock, she wasn't sure. It wasn't important as she rolled down the hill, and once she reached it, she ran off into the woods, in search for the Dragon Warrior, just hoping that she'd somehow find him.

What she didn't realize was that the sudden burst from earlier was her Chi, connecting to its origins. That burst had been enough to subconsciously guide her to it.

. . .

Meanwhile, Po was traveling towards the bamboo forest, joining Li and the other pandas. The bamboo forest was said to be full of the best spices and herbs, which the pandas were in need of restocking.

They found the hidden area, a place that only they knew of, and began harvesting. The folk were careful with the plants, some of them teaching Po how to do so properly. Doing it improperly would harm the plants that provided them with the ingredients.

It was as they were finishing up that the atmosphere felt tense. Po was the first to feel it.

Then hear it.

A soft growl came from the surrounding shrubbery. The others froze, not knowing what to do.

Carefully, Po lurked around until he got to where the noise was the loudest. He slowly reached in and pushed the shrubbery out of the way. As he did, the rustling of the bushes and the footsteps on dirt could be heard.

"Po, wait!" Li whispered hastily. He told the others to stay put as he followed his son.

Po kept walking, ready to defend himself, when he spotted a patch of orange in the distance. He stopped, watching carefully, only to gasp when he saw the subtle shimmer of the patch's gold fabric.

"Tigress?" he whispered, approaching the being. The being stopped, ears twitched, and looked up, her eyes meeting with the panda.

"Po!"

"Tigress!" he rushed over, helping her and letting her lean on him. "What're you doing out here?"

"Kai attacked the valley."

Po froze, unaware of his father and the other pandas approaching him. "...What?"

"The palace-" She took another breath. "It's destroyed. He took all them with him."

"Who?"

"Everyone...! Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and Shifu-"

"Everyone?"

"Everyone... and now, he's heading for all pandas. For you."

Po's mind became clouded. Kai was on his way, and here he was, miles away from the panda village. He'd left them defenseless at such an important time. "We need to head back!"

And just as the others' agreed, Po felt Tigress slump, so he looked over and saw she'd blacked out.

. . .

The trip back was as difficult as the first time Li brought Po to the village. Po fell on his knees, right at the entrance gate, careful with Tigress who was hanging from his shoulder.

She hadn't moved at all since she'd passed out. It was worrying him. About her. About his friends and family.

About Kai.

Li guided him towards the medics' hut. An elderly lady immediately ushered Po inside, helping him lay down Tigress on the cot. Once she was laid down, Po left, ready to ask his father about chi, only to find that Li was gone.

So he began his search, checking the huts, shops, and farms. However, much to his dismay, his dad was no where to be found.

. . .

The tiger awakened, and she was met with a wooden ceiling. Scrunching her face made her aware of the dry cloth on her forehead. It was odd, until she pulled away the blanket covering her, exposing herself to the cold.

"Big Stripy Baby!"

Sharply getting up and turning her head, she was met with a young, little panda, who hadn't been startled by the sudden movement. She held a figurine, waving it around with glee. "Big Stripy Baby!" she squealed again. Her eyes focused on the figurine in her hand, realizing it was of her. It must've been one of Po's action figures.

And if that's the case.

I'm at the village. Sitting up in the cot with ease, Tigress surveyed the hut, spotting bottles, boxes, herbs, and other medical aid scattered around. A fire was lit in the fireplace, where tea was brewing.

The little girl climbed onto the cot, enveloping Tigress into a hug. The tiger felt uneasy, not used to affection from strangers. Unsure of what to do, she chose to observe what the young panda did.

With the action figure still in hand, she presented it to Tigress, holding it in her paws. "Stripy Baby."

"...Me?" Tigress pointed to herself.

"You hold!" She grabbed Tigress' other paw and pulled it towards her, ready to hand over the figurine.

Unlike her, Tigress was careful with it once she got it. This was custom made by Po from what she heard. Carefully carved and painted, the details showing the time, effort, and care put in them.

She brought her attention back to the little panda, who climbed off the bed and pulled at her arm once again. Feeling fine, she got up, moved the cloth from her lap that had fallen earlier, and followed the little one.

"Lei Lei!" she piped, smiling at Tigress

"Is that your name?" she asked, reaching for the doorknob.

Lei Lei hummed and nodded.

"Nice to meet you. I'm-"

"Big Stripy Baby!"

"No, I-"

"Big Stripy Baby!"

Something told her that Lei Lei would be stubborn about it, so she let it be, sighing and opening the door. Tigress was hit with a wave of cold air. The environment that she saw, told her that it should've been humid. It wasn't. It was fresh and welcoming. It was surreal.

And so was the sight of many, many other pandas. They were calmly roaming around, though some had a noticeable faster pace. There weren't any children in view, apart from Lei Lei, who hugged her leg.

They must've been preparing to hide or evacuate.

Tigress walked down from the hut's porch, careful with Lei Lei, only for an elder panda to quickly approach, one she hadn't originally seen. "Dear, you shouldn't be up an' about!" she shrieked, grabbing Tigress by the elbow and pulling her away. "You took a very nasty beating! You need to rest!"

"But ma'am, I feel fine-!"

"No, no!" she shoved Tigress to the hut, insistent. Lei Lei had let go, merely following behind the two. "Back to bed!"

"I-!"

"Tigress!" The three looked over to see Po running towards them. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied. Though the elder panda disagreed, she went back inside the hut, leaving them be, and Lei Lei resorted to hugging her leg once more. "What's going on? Have you learned chi?"

"About that..." Po hesitated continuing, seeing Tigress' expression shift. "I can't find my dad!"

"Which one?"

"Li!" he exasperated. "Ever since I dropped you off here, I haven't seen him. I've searched everywhere! I've checked his home, the shops, the streets, the pools, the farms-"

"Po-"

"I knew I should've asked him on the way back. I know I should've but I got worried and-"

"Po!" The panda shut his mouth, all attention to the tiger. Tigress sighed. "Ok. Let's split up and look for your father."

Clapping his paws together, Po nodded and exclaimed. "Ok!" It was a simple response. Po was out of it, too, the stress of the situation slowly picking at him.

Tigress huffed and acknowledging his response while Po ran off in the other direction. She carefully pried Lei Lei away and guided her back into the hut before heading off.

And that's my rewrite of this scene from KFP 3! This is based on its early storyboards, where Po and Tigress find the panda village together after a mishap. :3 I just wanted to write out how something similar could've worked out and also explain how Tigress might've found Po. Maybe the chi that radiated in the fight scene, which I assume was hers, had something to do with it? That's my theory and I'm sticking with it. XD

I do hope I was able to capture the "calm before the storm" vibes, with more seriousness than humor. There's a smidge of it but hopefully it's not too out of place. :3