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Instinctual
By: Lacey52

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Author's Note: Hello everyone.

First off, I'm sorry that this has taken me so long, but it has been a rough past couple of weeks. We had a death in the family of someone very close to us.

Also, there's been a lot of other stuff going on and I just haven't felt like writing. You can't force it, as I'm sure you all know, so this chapter is quite a lot shorter than you're used to and more "not edited" than usual.

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In Loving Memory of Agnes Moy:
A Wonderful Grandmother Who Loved to Play 31 And Feed You All The Polish Food You Could Handle.
We Miss You And Love You.

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Zhen Xue translates quite literally to rare/precious snow.
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Chapter Fourty Four: The Gift

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The day was dawning in less than an hour's time and Crane woke to Po trying to be quiet as he rolled from his cot and planted his feet with a heavy thud. The boards under his feet chirped and squeaked as he moved around, and Crane could almost picture the panda clumsily shuffling along in the stupor of sleep. A loud yawn caused Crane to roll his eyes, 'Guess I'm awake now too.'

The bird was not truly upset, though, at Po's early rising. It meant that breakfast would be provided before they left on their journey to the Imperial Palace, and of course, the invitation to said palace was lifting everyone's moods greatly. It was hard to be upset when you were summoned by the soveriegn rulers personally for a visit.

Crane caught himself cockcing his head towards Viper's room, unconcious of the action as always when he would seek her out without thought, finding the reassurance of her stirring to wakefulness as well something that calmed him and agitated him in the same heartbeat. He had known for several years now that he held a great fondness for the snake, and she in turn held him in the same reguard. Niether, though, had ever acted upon their feelings; whether from fear of the repercussions or fear of themselves, Crane didn't know. With Tigress and Po developing their relationship now, though...

He let his mind wander, eyes unfocused as he methodically began to move through his morning routine of ablutions and meditating on the word he would focus on today in his calligraphy.

Before Crane knew it he had already prepared his ink and put brush to scroll. His mind had made the decision for him.

Before him, beautifully written, was the character for hope.

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The days long trip was not epic, or fraught with great peril, or spent running or training or contemplating inner peace or life choices. It was just a simple journey, easy and enjoyable, with a hint of anticipation amougnst the companions. The tension Tigress had been feeling from being the center of what seemed to be everyone's attention and teasing was eased a great deal, and she blushed lightly thinking of the night before spent in Po's company. Light kisses, being held close to him, tucked into his arms and warm and safe as they talked and touched, and just simply were with one another.

The great city was shining and wonderously busy and colorful, teeming with life as their senses drank in the sights and smells and tastes. A festival was well under way and their arrival was harolded with much singing and happiness.

The palace itself was in was full preperation for an evening of entertainment, food, and court revelry, but before any of the masters could spare a moment to appreciate the lavish decorations or the wonderous smells wafting from somewhere within the Imperial walls, a familiar voice called out from one of long palisades around the entrance to the interior palace grounds.

"Masters! Welcome!"

The youngest of the Dai clan came bounding eagerly down from his perch, bow clutched tightly in his paw and a wide smile breaking across his muzzle. He landed in a low bow, before cheekily tilting his head up in familiarity, "It's so good to see you all again. Welcome to the Imperial Palace."

"Dai Song," Shifu bowed in acknowledgement, "We are pleased to be here."

"Please, allow me to escort you," Song stood, bowing again to all of the Masters before him, "The Emperor and Empress wished to see you as soon as you arrived. They've found a...well, a wonderful treasure of a sorts."

"I'm beginning to wonder," Shifu moved to follow the wolf, staff tap-tap-tapping with each step on the polished floors, "Every mention of the so called gift for the Dragon Warrior has been very vague. Perhaps some artifact of legend?"

"Ooooh, like the Wenshi Blade of Thunder?" Po started to dance from paw to paw, happily lost in his own world of guessing, "Oh! Or maybe the Shoes of a Thousand Steps?"

"Or maybe the Robe of Absolute Silence?" Tigress cut into his game with a wry grin and a paw on his shoulder.

Po however gave her a funny look, "Wha-? Nah, that's just a tall tale, just like the Moon Amulet or the Fire Feathers of Xiashin Mountain. I thought you'd know that."

"Of course," the tiger refrained from rolling her eyes as her friends tried and failed to stiffle their laughter, "How silly of me."

"It's okay," Po patted her paw gently, eyes bright and full of caring, "There's so many cool things in Kung Fu history it's easy to get them confused."

The panda dropped her paw and stood before two massive doors being opened by oxen guards, the groan of the massive moving wood hiding Tigress' amused chuckle and sigh. As soon as the doors were opened, squeals of delight errupted from the opposite end of the room, where the chicks were scrambling off of their cushions and rushing to meet their dearly missed friends. Longyu even managed to beat her siblings, and was swooped up into a massive hug by her favorite of the guests before her, "Oh! Master Po you came, you came! I'm so happy that you came to us!"

"Well of course I came," he let himself be tugged forwards by the hem of his pants towards the patiently awaiting royal couple, "I promised right?"

"Right!" the chicks all echoed, all pleased to be with their friends once again.

"Welcome, my warriors," the Emperor greated, "We are filled with joy at the sight of you all before us."

"We are blessed to be here, O Son of the Heavens," Shifu bowed low, the others remaining silent and following suit for the formal portion of the greetings, "To have personally invited us and welcomed us into your home is an honor above all honors, My Emperor."

"We were the ones honored by your fierce devotion and protection," the Empress dipped her beak elegantly, skillfully hiding her smile at the sight of her children fawning over the bowing group beofre her, "Forgive us for not letting you rest after your long journey, but the gift we wish to bestow upon the Dragon Warrior is not one that could, or should, wait."

"Aw, you don't have to give me anything," Po grinned up, a blush under his white cheek fur barely visisble, "We were all just doing what was right."

Xian Da Yu grinned widely, then nodded to a servant waiting to his left who disappeared back into the shadows, "All the more reason I feel I've made the right decision in this. But first, I must make someting clear to you Ping Po."

"Uh, okay?" Po followed his friends' lead and moved to sit on his legs, an uncomfortable, but familiar position. Gifts didn't usually come with strings attatched and something was causing Mr. Instinct to tug at his gut, 'A little bit of something is up...hope everything's okay...'

"Po, please do not worry," Xiaolin soothed, "This gift is special to you, and only you for certain reasons you will see shortly. We could think of no other creature more suited to care for such a treasure."

"Indeed?" Shifu's curiosity was peeked, as were his students', and he leaned forward slightly in keen interest.

"If, for any reason at all, Po, you feel uncomfortable with this which we are about to give you, you must feel no guilt in declining," the crane stressed, her eyes breifly meeting her husband's before continuing, "It is...a difficult task you will take on should you accept."

"I have the greatest faith in you, though," Xian motioned the returned servant forwards, a tiny moving bundle laid gently in the Emperor's waiting wings, "And this is the greatest treasure we feel we could offer you."

A hush fell over the hall, with even the chicks feeling the gravity of the situation. All eyes were on the panda as he leaned up onto his knees, ears perked and eyes wide in disbelief at what all of his senses were telling him. The Furious Five was astonished as well, and Shifu breathed out a hushed, "Can it be?" as they watched Po's shaking paw reach out to ghost over the tiny bundle of pink, black, and white.

"It's...," but no words fell past that from the panda's lips, even when the Empress moved to lay gentle feathertips upon his arm and guide his paw to accept the bundle from the Emperor. His eyes welled with tears, all his senses overwhelmed by the sheer emotion of seeing another panda, alive and well and so, so small, tucked into his single paw and held close to his heart. He had moved witout even realizing it, and stared slack jawed at the sight of the cub blinking sleepy eyes up from under long dark lashes.

"If it would please you, Longyu saw fit to pick a name for her in your honor," Xian Da Yu looked to his small daughter who was beeming with pride, "We've called her Zhen Xue, though if you wish to change her name...?"

"No! She's...that is," Po still couldn't find the words and his friends could not blame him, for the miracle laying in his arms was just that.

"Gods," Viper whispered, and slid forward for a better look, "Oh Po, another panda."

"She's...she's mine?" Po looked up, tears spiling out and down over his cheekfur, "I can be a dad?"

"If you wish to take responisbility for her, we wish it with our whole heart," the Emperor answered, "When we heard of a panda cub found alive in the far north, her mother stricken by a fatal illness that she could not be saved from, we rushed to have her brought here to our care with the sole intention of offering you the greatest gift we could imagine."

"It was ordained by the Gods," Xiaolin agreed, pressing her wing against Po's arm once again, "We had heard you wished to be a father, but were unsure...of opportunity or of yourself. Seeing you with our children only solidified the idea that you would make an excellent parent in our minds. Little Zhen Xue was a blessing meant to come to you Po."

Po slowly shook his head in disbelief, "I had thought I was...the last..."

"Perhaps that isnt true," Shifu let his eyes slide steathily over his daughter's silent frame, "Perhaps there are more pandas living in remote areas."

"I'm not the last," the panda was awash in delight, trembling from the force of emotions he was experiencing, "Tigress, I'm not the last."

He had turned to her, and seen, for just an instance, a flash of something unidentifiable skitter across her face, before she melted at the cub before her. Po watched as first her eyes, then a gentle fingertip traced the baby's face, running up over the rounded ears and back down under the chin. She was so small, so fragile, and yet...

"She's beautiful," and Tigress could feel her heart twisting up and pausing and filling with a deep warmth in that instance, and knew that this child would be just as the Emperor had written, "A treasure, in all truth."

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Wherther by design or by divine intervention, no one wished for an audience with the Imperial family that day and more cushions had magically appeared and arranged themselves, thanks to attentive servants, for the Masters to arrange themselves on and fawn over the newest addition to their family. Po was silent for almost the entire afternoon, in awe or shock or perhaps just falling in love with the tiny being he held in his massive paws. Monkey and Mantis chattered excitedly about the possibility of going on a search for the hidden panda villages, while Shifu, Crane, and the Emperor discussed the matter of the sinlge female panda found with the babe in the mountain village. All agreed that it was yet another miracle that the cub had not taken sick and faced the same fate as much of the village and its mother.

Tigress sat by Po's side, tail curled around her ankles as she watched the cub grab onto one of Po's fingertips. She also noted the slight panic in his eyes as he tried to disengage his finger without letting the cub near his claws, "She's strong to hold on so ably to your finger. That's a very good sign."

"I don't want to hurt her," Po finally gave up, a grin creeping onto his face as it all sunk in, "I can be a dad. I am a dad."

"You're going to be a great father," Tigress smiled tightly, wondering what the overlapping emotions she was experiencing were. She didn't have the time to sort them out, all of her attention being focused on Po and little Zhen Xue before her, "I can already see how spoiled this little one is going to be."

"Oh, we'll all end up spoiling her," Viper grinned from amidst the crane chicks who were tucked into her coils napping, "And to a fault I'm sure."

"Will she be allowed to stay with us?" Monkey turned questioning eyes to their Grandmaster, "I've never heard of a baby staying in the barracks of any school beofre."

"Master Shifu did keep, well," Mantis' eyes darted to the red panda, "I mean..."

"No, you are correct," Shifu closed his eyes briefly, "When Tai Lung was left on the steps to the Jade Palace, I took him in and raised him as my own. Po, you will need to realize the burden you will be taking on. Are you prepared for this? For sleepless nights, crying without reason, and the constant need for food?"

"I mean," Po looked confused for a moment, then his eyes lit up, "Oh, you mean the baby! I thought you were talking about me for a second, and I was gonna' say-"

"Po," Tigress tried to interrupt.

"-that I am totally used to training now, I mean I haven't cried in like-"

"Po."

"-a whole two weeks and-"

"Po."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he turned to look at Tigress who nodded to the amused, but still impatient, Grandmaster, "Yes, I think, no I mean, I am definately ready for this. I mean, how hard can it be?"

The Emperor smirked, the Empress tittered sweetly, and Shifu blew out a deep breath. The panda was in for a surprise.

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