Prologue

                                    

                                          


                          
Welcome to 'The Lion and the Ox'! This story will complete the trilogy that I have been writing for the past six years (Yes, Six!). I hope you guys are excited because I sure am! 
                          
In this story, our favorite lion, tiger, and panda bear trio will face their toughest opponent yet. I strongly recommend you read the two predecessors to this story ('The Lion and the Leopard' and 'The Lion and the Peacock') if you haven't already.
                          
I have watched and taken plenty of notes on the movie and, like the previous stories, this one will deviate from the plot. Although I will try to maintain some adherence to the original movie plot (Shifu retiring, Li arriving to the Valley, The Five vs. Kai etc.), it may take several chapters and some divergence before we see that.
                          
This story will likely contain entire chapter-long battles, plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat, main characters who will lead the fight for their lives, side characters who don't mess around, and a villain who will stop at nothing to achieve the ultimate destruction of all who oppose him. Many of the characters we have met so far will come together for the ultimate showdown of good vs. evil in the epic conclusion we've all been waiting for! So buckle your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen, and let's get this show on the road!
                          
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The last thing Alpha saw before he died was Shui's lovely face. He saw her beautiful blue eyes, and the tears that fell from them. Alpha smiled weakly up at her. {My only regret} he thought, {is that I can not raise my child with you.} The commander lifted his arm up to her, and he gently held her cheek in his. He felt his strength fade, and he knew it was time. He had to let go.
                          
That was when darkness swirled in his face, blocking out his senses and environment. His paw fell and hit the wooden bridge with a thump. The pain in his body seemed to fade. Alpha let this sensation sweep over him.
                          
Despite the seemingly endless amount of black surrounding him, Alpha gazed around. Was this death? He didn't feel any more pain. In fact, he didn't feeling anything. Was he upright? Or was he on his back, in the same way he died? Where did his body begin? Or end, for that matter? His one good eye strained, trying to find anything- any light, any people, any thing that would give him an idea of where he was.
                          
Hours seemed to pass with nothing happening. {Is this how I'll spend eternity?} He sighed sadly at the thought. Would he ever see Shui again? Or the pack? He closed his good eye in sadness- not that that made any difference, he still couldn't see anything in the darkness.
                          
"You won't spend eternity in the dark if you open your eyes." A voice said out of the darkness.
                          
Alpha opened his eye and nearly gasped. The environment had changed! The scenery, instead of being as black as the void, was now a deep red. He was in a circular room, made of deep red bricks. Alpha was indeed on his back. He moved to stand up.
                          
When the wolf was on his feet, he thought he would feel the pain that Tigress had inflicted on him. But Alpha felt no pain as he stood. He examined himself and saw that many of the deep slashes and bite marks still littered his body. They were red, but not bleeding. In fact, it seemed like they were glowing. {That's weird.} He thought.
                          
When Alpha looked around, he was confronted by an dark brown ox and a light grey horse. They were both clad in deep red- almost black- armor. Both of them carried large spears.
                          
Alpha stared at the two and gathered his strength to speak, "D..Did you read my mind?" He rasped. His mouth felt dry, like it was full of cotton, and his tongue felt swollen.