The first rays of dawn began to spread over the land. It dyed the grass and the water pink and gold as the light crawled across fertile soil and vibrant grass. Birdsong filled the air, a hundred thousand little creatures chirping furiously, trying to find a partner.

The cacophony ceased as a pair of fighters traded blows.

A leg, armored in the light of the sun, met a paw surrounded by cutting blades. A shockwave tore through the air followed by a clap of thunderous noise.

Yin was thrown backwards and slammed into the ground beside the fields. She barely got her feet under her when Tigu slammed into the ground beside her, eyes sharp and predatory.

She was in the form of a cat, at the moment. She had shifted back with a muttered statement about her getting rusty.

Everybody else was still asleep back at the house, working off the booze. They had actually mostly made it to their beds this time—though for some reason, after a whispered conversation with Xiulan and a fist bump, Master Jin had taken the dozing Mistress Meiling into the Blade of Grass’ room, while Cai Xiulan claimed the main bedroom. He had only stepped out to grab the baby and returned to his wife. The child hadn’t seemed at all bothered by the louder voices. It probably helped that everybody went to check on him during the night and make sure he was okay.

Yin knew, because that was where she had spent most of the night with Tigu. The both of them on self imposed duty. Yin… hadn’t really felt like joining in last night. There had been too much on her mind.

She had even been distracted when they had gone for a patrol. She and Tigu hadn’t talked much there either, until mid-way through Tigu had offered to spar with Yin.

Yin had accepted, as she needed a distraction as well.

‘You’re not paying attention.’ Tigu scolded as she jabbed chastisingly, rocking Yin’s head back and forcing her attention back into the present.

‘Fuck off.’ Yin fired back with no real heat as her armor ignited. [Sun Arts: Solar Ring]

Tigu’s eyebrow rose as she interspersed her Qi claws, simply catching the blow without resorting to a technique of her own.

The solar power faded as a paw came in from the other side, ramming into Yin’s armor and shattering it.

The rabbit hit the ground and just lay there for a moment. Shifu had taught her to never stop moving, never stop trying to fight… but Tigu had clearly stopped.

So Yin stopped too. Honestly, there wasn’t really any point in the spar anyway, other than to burn energy.

So instead, Yin watched the kind, and gentle dawn, as the rays touched her, her fur turning the same colour.

As the light hit Yin’s fur she felt her Qi surge with it, higher and higher, the highest it had ever been.

And yet, on seeing its heights near the Profound Realm, utterly eclipsing her past self… it still wasn’t enough.

And that was the crux of things wasn’t it.

Yin sighed at her lack of power.

‘It’s the Old Man, isn’t it?’ Tigu asked, and the rabbit chuckled mirthlessly at the deduction.

The old bastard. The old monster. She shuddered as she remembered his Qi. How utterly small she had felt. With Master Jin, it was alright, because he was their friend. It had never even occurred to her that she may have to fight Jin. He was calm, controlled, and… nice in a way that Yin still had trouble believing sometimes. He was too much like Shifu when Shifu wasn’t lying to himself, the stupid snake.

But Shen Yu? Shen Yu had made the sun seem cold and small. Shen Yu had been an existence that she could not even try to challenge.

‘Yeah.’ Yin muttered.

She had run with them, all of them, towards Shen Yu, but for the first time in her life, as the world shuddered and Shen Yu’s Qi roared like a living thing…

Yin had been absolutely terrified. Not for herself. A weapon could be used until it broke. But for this place. For Bowu’s laughter, as she helped him in the forge. For Huo Ten’s grumbling, as she misidentified an ore again. For Chun Ke showing her spots to nap; for Pi Pa’s tea, and Ri Zu’s attempts to be friends, even though they were so different. For Wa Shi sneaking her carrots after a hard day; for Bi De’s companionship, as they debated the sun and the moon. For the sheep and the river; for the barn and the fence.

For a snake, her Shifu, smiling genuinely.

Long, long ago, Yin had asked why her Shifu had cared so much about the village. The snake had seemed sad when he turned his one-eyed gaze upon her.

‘I pity you, Yin, for you do not know what home is; I envy you, Yin, for you do not know what it is like to lose it.’

Back then, it had been a contradictory statement. A strange thing that had gotten Yin to drop the subject, because no, she didn’t know.

But now she did. And his wistful whisper, filled with both joy and pain, had exploded in Yin’s chest.

Home.

Fa Ram was home.

She could safely say that she loved it here. She loved having a full belly. She loved that Shifu was finally happy. She even loved being the first one people went to when they needed a fire.

Shen Yu’s Qi. The threat of this place being destroyed… that had been sobering. Before, it had seemed like an impossibility, with Master Jin’s power. Now, that illusion of safety had been broken.

And a useless weapon hadn’t been able to do anything to protect it.

Yin turned away from Tigu and glanced at a little shed down by the river.

Yin’s shed. At first it had been a pile, and then a lean-to, before Master Jin and Gou Ren made it into a little building. It was full of a random assortment of projects, from glass to little rocks. From nuts to dried mushrooms in inexpertly crafted pots.

The works of an aimless weapon, trying to find something that suited her. She had gone and done anything and everything that had caught her eye, instead of focusing.

She had not been needed as a protector. Hells, what was she now at all, other than a mobile fire pit? It was nice to be needed and thanked… but what exactly was she anymore?

Yin just felt lost.

Perhaps… perhaps she had strayed too much.

She didn’t need any of those things. None of them were any good, anyway. The workings of an amateur.

She would burn the shed down, later. Destroy everything that had occupied her mind that was not battle; for she had become lazy. Midday naps? Sitting around admiring flowers in the sun room? When a monster like that existed? No, that wouldn’t—

A paw batted into Yin’s side.

‘You’re thinking something foolish. I can tell by your ears. Stop it.’ The cat commanded.

‘You don’t know what I’m thinking, ass!’ Yin fired back, tugging at her ears with her paws, for the things were obviously traitors.

‘Then tell your Senior Sister, so that I may either be proven wrong or right.’ Tigu replied after a moment.

Yin huffed at the slightly arrogant tone. It came out more when Tigu was like this. ‘I’ve been meandering too much. It's unnecessary. I’m no good at anything but fighting—and I'm not even good at that. I should be training instead of wandering aimlessly. I wanted to try too many new things. Digging in the dirt? Making things? What use have I for that? It was a mistake.’

Tigu considered Yin’s words. Then, her paw batted onto Yin’s forehead again.

‘See? Foolish.’ The cat stated bluntly. ‘It was not a mistake to try and find something more out of life. Are you not stronger now than you were before?’

‘I am, but—’

‘But nothing. There was nothing any of us could have done. The foe was beyond us. I know your struggle with strength well, Yin. I am still not Bi De’s equal, no matter what I’ve done. Xiulan still defeats me, now that she has recovered herself. The only thing we can do is our best, without letting it consume us.’ Her voice was almost gentle at that point, and Tigu leaned forward and licked the disturbed fur on Yin’s forehead back into place. ‘It's fine to want to train and grow stronger—your humble, perfect, and powerful Senior Sister will help you with that! But do not be so quick to burn down everything you enjoy.’

Yin said nothing as she thought about Tigu’s words. There was some frustration in her voice. Her eyes had tightened when she said there was nothing to be done.

She had been absolutely furious… and yet here she was, trying to comfort Yin.

‘...you sound like Bi De when you talk like that’ Yin stated after a moment.

Tigu went from comforting to horrified. She really did sound like Bi De in that moment, warm and nurturing. A true Senior Sister.

‘What?! I don’t sound like him at all!’ Tigu yowled out.

Yin hopped away from the cat as she stood, the hairs on her back puffed out.

Yin snorted and then forced a smile. ‘Rooster cat!’

‘I try to be nice, and this is how you repay me?!’ Tigu snarled. ‘Come then! If you want to get stronger, it starts here! Let's trade pointers properly!’

The world descended once more into combat.

Yin pulsed with the beat of the sun—and with a pop, Tigu was once more human.

Yin took that as a victory. Tigu foughte a lot better as a human than as a cat.

Yin stared at Tigu’s muscles and the ease with which she moved her human body.

She felt the earth beneath her feet, atthe little strands of gold.

But in the end, Yin was defeated and then taken into Tigu’s arms.

Normally, she would have been content there. But today, Yin wiggled and hopped out of the embrace.

‘I’m going to go and take a walk before breakfast. I’ve got a lot to think about.’ Yin said at Tigu’s questioning gaze.

Tigu stared at her a moment before nodding.

“Just… remember what I said, okay?” The girl said. “I know Master and Miantiao would be sad if you just destroyed everything you loved.”

Yin sighed and nodded before setting off. She could understand Tigu’s words… but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

She looked up at the ghost of the moon. No matter how Bi De praised it… She never could really feel anything but distaste for the object.

Distaste and a nasty headache. She didn’t remember much about the night Shifu had found her, save for the fact that the moon had seemed oddly foreboding.

The rabbit turned away and looked back at the warm, beautiful sun. She allowed its strength to fill her body.

She didn’t really have a purpose anymore. She was no longer a weapon aimed at Sun Ken; and so she had floundered. She hadn’t grown as much as the others.

So, she needed a purpose. She had already tried many things, yet nothing had really clicked. The closest was dancing, but even that didn’t feel entirely right at times.

So, it was time to try something new.

The rabbit huffed as she stopped her forward progress and looked at her paws.

She thought back to Tigu’s power.

She thought back to Tigu’s form.

She looked at the ground again, brimming with determination. Tigu had said there were lightning bolts involved, didn’t she?

Well, best to do a bit of training first. Wa Shi spat lightning, didn’t he?

=====================

Rou Tigu watched Yin go with a slight amount of trepidation.

Honestly, she was completely unsure if she had gotten through to the rabbit.

She did know intimately what the rabbit had been feeling. Wondering what exactly she was, and feeling disconnected from parts of herself that she was still trying to reintegrate. Her cat form, the part of her that felt less real than her human body sometimes.

But it was still a part of her. Just like Yin wasn’t really a weapon, but referred to herself as one.

Tigu would have smacked Miantiao around for what he had done to her Junior Sister if she didn’t think that the snake already punished himself more than Tigu ever could.

Tigu sighed.

Stupid rooster made this whole “Big Sister” thing seem easy. And now the idiot had gone and said he would be beholden to Shen Yu.

Tigu was conflicted about the old man. He had sparred with her Master, displaying his overwhelming might—but in the end, he bowed his head to Tigu’s Master and apologised to him.

She honestly was still a bit confused about the whole thing. But Her Master had tamed the old monster somehow.

Truly, her Master was her Master. His words were more powerful than any sword he could wield.

She could be fine with Shen Yu, Tigu decided… after he stopped annoying everybody else, that was. He was strong, and if he could show her one thing that she could use to protect her home… then she would be polite, at least.

It still didn’t mean she wanted the rooster to have to owe the old man though, either.

She sighed. Things had changed. And now… all they could do was change with it.

Tigu kicked a rock in irritation.

Geh! All of this stuff was so complicated!