Back on the road, now leading away from Gongmen city, Po walked along the path before him, not very attentive to where he was. “Looks like we’re heading North.” Tigress said. “Was the Soothsayer in the north?”
Po shrugged. “I don’t know, I only remember coming back. The Sooth found me—” Po’s words were lost after that as he disappeared into a river. Po burst forth from the water gasping, then got his bearings. Then he looked up at Tigress as he treaded water, who looked down at him from where she stood at the river’s edge.
“I remember being washed into the river, this is probably the one.” Po said, feeling sheepish. Tigress took off her pack and jumped in after Po, keeping herself from sinking as she raised her pack above her head. She offered a hand to help Po with his pack, and once she held it aloft, the two paddled down the river, going with the flow of the current.
A couple hours later, the two came across the dock Po remembers the Sooth finding him washed up against. “We’re here.” Po said as he climbed aboard. Po helped Tigress with the packs, then offered her a hand to help her up. Tigress took it and she stood. The two noticed a fog had fallen since as they traveled the river, so walked more closely in the woods. The two trekked until Po held up a hand. Tigress stopped. In the distance, a small fire was made in a small hut.
“She’s in there.” Po said, pointing. As they continued on, the mist lifted and Tigress, for the first time, could see the remains of Po’s village. Tigress gasped slightly.
“Po, what is this? What happened?”
Po looked at her straight in the eyes and said “my village.”
Po continued walking, but Tigress stood there, transfixed.

“So, you have come a long way,” the Soothsayer said to Tigress, “why?”
“I’ve come looking for answers.” Tigress said.
“To what questions? I sense there are many questions encircling you.”
Tigress paused, but then answered, “I want to know about my parents.”
Po, who had been standing behind Tigress, gaped in astonishment.
“Mmm, I see.” The Sooth said, preparing her bowl of foreknowledge accouterments. “Anything, ELSE you wanted to know?”
Tigress’ gaze wavered, and Po sighed, mumbling something to himself about how hard it was to understand the Sooth’s riddling speech.
“No Soothsayer,” Tigress lied, looking up, “there’s nothing.”
The Sooth held Tigress’ gaze. “Hmm, maybe you’re not ready for the answer.”
With that the Sooth began. Tossing some powder of sorts into her bowl, she looked as the powder erupted into a suspended cloud, into which both she and Tigress gazed into.
“There’s a lot of mystery encircling your origins, Master Tigress,” the Soothsayer said, “but I am able to unravel the beginning of this tricky knot of your past. Far into the east came your ancestors, and it is across the dessert is where you’ll find your answer.”
Tigress stood stoically, bowing. “Thank you Soothsayer.” She turned to go.
“As I told your friend,” the Soothsayer added, making Tigress stop, “you may not like what you find.”
Tigress looked down, than up at the destruction of Po’s village. She thought of what she might find if the same had happened to her own village. She turned, and looked at Po. Suddenly, she felt so sorry for Po. He had seen such chaos and destruction, and she was so insensitive to it. This man was surely more hard-core than she was.
Her mouth slid into a frown. “I’m sorry Po. For everything.”
Po took a step towards Tigress.
“Tigress.” He said softly.
“You’re far more hard-core than me…” Tigress muttered, looking at the ground.
“No, Tigress.” Po said, shaking his head.
Tigress kept speaking as though Po wasn’t there. “I’ve been a fool to treat you so poorly, and all you wanted was to be awesome like me.”
“Tigress, you don’t have to—”
“And for you to only want,” Tigress paused, looking at Po, her eyes tearing up, “to be my friend.” Tigress said, looking away, “how can you do that? How can you not think badly of me?”
Po looked sad now. He put a hand on Tigress’ shoulder, turning her towards him, lifting her head. “That’s what friends do, Tigress.”
The two hugged, Tigress’ eyes squeezing out silent tears.