Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. Kung Fu Panda is property of Dream Works Studios.

Spoiler Alert: This story may contain spoilers for the movie Kung Fu Panda 4.

A Broken Tool

This was it; her chance to shine; her chance to make up for the mistakes of her past. With Po trapped in a cage of enchanted steel, Zhen was the only one left to stop The Chameleon. The fate of Kung Fu, nay, the entire world lied in the fox thief's paws.

"You don't actually believe you can defeat me, do you? I know all of your moves." The Chameleon boasted confidently.

"Not this one!" Zhen retorted, brandishing the Staff of Wisdom which Po had entrusted to her. The fox swiftly performed a series of intricate motions, perfectly mirroring those she had witnessed Po do that day in the tavern.

With the final swing, the Staff of Wisdom shined bright, unleashing a burst of chi that took the form of a mighty dragon. The wave of energy barreled towards The Chameleon, Zhen's confidence swelling as victory seemed all but certain. But her hopes were quickly dashed as The Chameleon simply smirked and launched high into air. The Sorceress took on the form of a great falcon before swiftly diving upon the stupefied fox. Taken aback by the fact that her ultimate attack had failed, Zhen was too slow to react, allowing the raptor's talons to drag her down while sending the Staff of Wisdom clattering across the floor. Another flash of light, and the fox suddenly found herself in a literal bear hug as The Chameleon lifted her back up in a tight hold.

"Did you forget? I possess the knowledge and skill of history's greatest Kung Fu masters." the bear mocked her "Did you really think I wouldn't see through your little parlor trick?"

Zhen looked distressed at first as she struggled to free herself from the ursa's grip. But then she dawned a smirk of her own "Or maybe you have forgotten." With the skill of a master thief, the fox slipped from her tunic, escaping the hold and landing at the bear's feet where she delivered a swift sweeping kick to knock her foe off balance. "Never leave yourself exposed." The irony of the line was not lost on her as her little maneuver had left her own upper body exposed for all to see. But now was hardly the time to worry about such modesties.

"Insolent brat, you dare to lecture me?" the annoyance was clear in The Chameleon's voice.

In the blink of an eye, she shifted again, and Zhen felt something suddenly slither around her ankles. With frightening speed the fox found herself being wrapped in the coils of a massive python. "You were only a blunt instrument when I took you in. But I refined you; Forged you into my greatest weapon." the snake ranted as she wormed her way around her hapless prey. "You should have listened to me when I warned you not to change." the serpent hissed into Zhen's ear "Now you are nothing more than a broken tool." she began to tighten her coils "And there is only one thing to do with broken tools... Dispose of them."

Zhen found herself truly trapped this time. With her arms pinned to her sides and no longer having anything to slip out of, her prospects for escape were slim. To make matters worse, she could feel her prison growing tighter; the python's powerful muscles making the bear's hug seem gentle by comparison. Instinct demanded she fight back, but no matter how hard she tried, she could manage nothing more than craning her neck and wiggling her toes. She tried to speak, either a witty retort or a plea for mercy the world would never hear as all that escaped was a desperate gasp for breath.

All the while, The Chameleon watched on, her cold serpentine gaze devoid of mercy; her coils growing ever tighter, determined to crush the traitorous thief. 

Zhen could only groan in pain as the pressure on her body grew. Her lungs started to burn, squeezed of precious oxygen, while her bones began to creak, pushed to their limits under the strain. Her vision was growing dark. Was this really how it ended for her? But just as her consciousness began to fade, the pressure suddenly released, dropping her to the ground where she frantically gasped for air.

"Actually there is one final way you can be of use to me." The Chameleon realized.

Zhen heard the sound of The Chameleon transforming one last time, and when she looked up, she was once again met with the visage of imposter Po. Before she could even recover, the fake panda scooped her up, holding her firm in its surprisingly muscular arms. Zhen wasn't sure exactly what The Chameleon was planning, but something in the panda's eyes made her feel uneasy. Even so, what happened next was so completely out of left field, she never would have imagined it. The imposter leaned forward, allowing her large panda tongue to slip from her mouth.

"Hey! What are you...?" Zhen began, before the slimy muscle took a long lick up her defenseless face "Gah! Bleh! Chameleon breath!"

"Hmm, surprisingly tasty for gutter trash." the fake panda observed.

Tasty? No, she couldn't be serious. The realization of what was coming reignited Zhen's struggles. "Let me go! I'm not your snack!"

"Struggle all you want my scrumptious morsel. It will not change your fate." The Chameleon licked her lips "Now, make yourself useful one last time, and die like a good little pawn."

Despite having faced death mere moments before, the prospect of being eaten ignited something within Zhen; a primal fear she didn't even know she had. In desperation, her eyes darted around the chamber, searching for any means to help her escape her predicament. There had to be something; anything that could save her from this fate. In that moment, her eyes met with the real Po's. No words were exchanged between the two. The despair in their gazes told each other all they needed to know. "I'm sorry..."

The next thing she knew, her head was engulfed in darkness. Hot and humid breath blew against her face, while slimy saliva soaked into her fur. Outside, her struggles intensified, her legs flailing wildly in a desperate attempt to dislodge herself from the greedy maw. But her efforts didn't even phase The Chameleon, who was lost in enjoying the fox's unique flavor. The faux panda was groaning in a manner so obscene as she dragged her tongue around her prey, that even Po questioned if he sounded like that when eating. It wasn't long until the fiend craved more, shoving Zhen further into her eager gullet.

Any verbal protests the fox had were quickly silenced as her muzzle was pressed into the tight confines of the predator's throat. Powerful muscles clamped down on her, determined to drag their catch down to its final destination. Yet her progress was halted as her captor continued to toy with her. Indeed, The Chameleon was trying to savor as much enjoyment from devouring the traitorous vixen as she could. Her tongue aggressively probed all over the fox's upper body, slathering every inch of her prey in sticky saliva. The slimy appendage moved ever lower until suddenly the delicious taste of flesh was replaced the bland flavor of fabric.

In her haste she had forgotten to remove the fox's trousers. A careless mistake, but one easily rectified. Since Zhen had already been kind enough to remove her own tunic, it was a simple matter to slip her tongue under the flimsy garment. She could swear she heard a yelp of protest as the appendage explored the vixen's more intimate region. She lapped at Zhen's juicy thighs and slurped at her succulent behind, all the while pulling the helpless vixen further into her gullet.

Zhen wasn't sure which was worse, the humiliation she was suffering at the maw of her captor or the ominous gurgling of the predator's gut that was growing ever closer. The answer to that became clear rather quickly as her muzzle pressed against an even tighter ring of flesh. Her nose was first to slip through the sphincter, assaulting her with a acrid blast of air that made her whiskers curl. Another gulp, and the rest of her face squeezed into the fetid chamber. Immediately she wished she was back in the predator's throat, but unfortunately for the hapless fox, there was no going back. All she could do was wait until the rest of her body joined her, and The Chameleon was taking her sweet time with that.

The imposter panda cared nothing for the plight of the fox entering her belly. She was too busy enjoying the lower half of her impromptu meal. Her tongue held the trousers in place, while her throat worked Zhen's body deeper into her greedy gullet. Soon she was licking over the vixen's squirming legs and tail, taking in their unique taste. Originally she had only planned this punishment as a way to feed her body and further torture the insolent traitor. But she was pleasantly surprised by just how much flavor a single prey could hold. She should really consider using this form of execution more often. She was about to rule over all of China. Why shouldn't she indulge herself every now and again.

But for now, her attention returned to her current meal, which was alas, approaching its end. With a final flick of her tongue, she sent the saliva slicked trousers to the floor, leaving only the fox's paws and the tip of her tail left inside the imposter's ravenous maw. Seeing one last opportunity to torment her foe, The Chameleon turned to Po, letting the panda watch helplessly as the last of his partner slipped into the abyss. Her maw slowly closed, settling into a malicious grin. With the Dragon Warrior trapped, and her former protege dealt with, her victory was complete. Now all that remained was to sit back and enjoy the afterglow of her latest meal.

But while The Chameleon was enjoying the heights of bliss, Zhen was suffering the depths of misery. With the last of her body finally joining her within that gastric prison, she could once again gain some semblance of control over her mobility. Until that point, she had struggled to keep head above the pool of caustic chyme; forced to use her paws solely for support. But now she could maneuver herself into a somewhat upright position, and at last she could focus her attention on getting out of this hell hole. She fought hard to push down the terror inside her, and instead allowed anger to take its place. She would make The Chameleon regret eating her.

The fox began to punch and kick furiously at the fleshy stomach walls, determined to give her devourer the worst stomach ache of her life. Sadly, her strikes seemed to be having little effect on her surroundings. The flesh was surprisingly elastic, absorbing her blows with relative ease. At first her rage pushed her to continue on despite how hopeless her situation seemed. But as her strength began to wane, so too did her resolve. Each strike came with less force than the last, until she was feebly pounding her fists against the unyielding chamber walls.

Worse yet, she was now realizing just how much her paws were burning. Ironically her attacks had done more damage to her own flesh than that of her opponent. Though she couldn't see it, the fur had begun falling away from her hands, exposing the raw angry skin underneath. It was like a grim preview for what awaited the rest of her body, which was already starting to itch from the caustic stomach environment. She groaned in discomfort, curling up to try and protect as much of herself as possible. It would ultimately prove to be a futile endeavor. Even if enzymes and acid weren't seeping through the cracks, her outer defenses would inevitably fail. She was only prolonging her own suffering by trying to resist, but her drive to survive was too strong to ignore.

She had always been a survivor, no matter what life threw at her. Even when she was a yuan-less child, forced to live off the streets and steal just to avoid starvation, she had persevered. She had endured The Chameleon's harsh lessons. Lied, cheated, and stole on the tyrant's behalf just to remain in her good graces. But then she met Po. She didn't know why, but something about the goofy panda brought out the good that lied dormant within her. And for the first time in her life, she found that she truly cared for someone other than herself. But it seemed fate had a cruel sense of humor, as it looked like her first time would also be her last. Had she really made the right decision?

Zhen didn't have any more time to reflect on her life choices. Pain was quickly overwhelming her senses as acids and enzymes ate away at her bit by bit. Fur fell from her body in clumps, leaving behind patches of exposed flesh. Her skin started to burn and her knuckles began to bleed. She writhed desperately, trying to shake the corrosive chyme free. But there was nowhere for her to escape her torment. She was trapped in a caustic prison. The juices, the walls, even the very air were all designed to destroy her. They would break her down, slowly converting the fox into a nutrient rich soup that would serve to nourish her killer.

Unfortunately for the poor vixen, there was still a long road of suffering ahead of her before she reached that state. Her skin was just starting to peel away, opening up gaping wounds all across her body. She let out a blood curdling scream as her agony soared to new heights. A fresh shot of adrenaline surged through her system, breaking her from her senseless writhing and once again throwing her against the stomach walls.

"Please! Let me out! I'm sorry! I'll be good! I promise! Just let me out! I'm begging you!" Any trace of defiance or dignity she had was gone, replaced on with desperation.

But whether The Chameleon did not hear her pleas or simply didn't care, there was no response given to the blubbering fox. Save for a loud belch that brought her prison walls closing in around her. The crushing flesh chafed her aching skin and further ground digestive fluids into her body. Her strength left her as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her powerless against the stomach's cruel embrace. When the pressure finally released, she simply slumped into the acid bath beneath her; too weak to protest despite the maddening pain. Most of her skin was missing now, scraped free by the relentless churning walls. Her muscles twitched and spasmed as enzymes began to unravel the newly exposed tissue. The vixen was almost unrecognizable by this point. She was just a slab of meat, stewing away in a broth of steaming chyme.

Hours passed inside that noxious hell as Zhen was slowly but surely torn apart. The stomach had done its job well, stripping the poor fox of nearly all her flesh. Yet by some twisted miracle she still lived. It was a wretched existence, filled with only agony and despair. What little remained of her conscious mind wished for nothing more than for it all to end. It wasn't until what felt like an eternity passed before fortune finally favored the forlorn fox. Despite lasting an impressive amount of time, her body simply couldn't hold out forever. One by one her organs failed, victims of the relentless assault of digestive juices. Her thoughts became hazy. She felt lighter somehow. And as her anguish grew further and further away, at last she felt she would be at peace.

Suddenly she was aware again. Her sanity jolting back after the nightmare she had just endured. She looked down at her paws with disbelief. Her body appeared whole again, yet different; more translucent. When she looked back up, a grand gate stood before her... The doorway to the spirit world. She was surprisingly calm as she approached the gate, like the horrible events that had just occurred were far behind her. Beyond those doors, she would find true peace.

But just as she reached out to touch the sacred gateway, a golden chain ensnared her wrist, pulling her away from salvation. The calm she felt was instantly shattered "What?! No!" she desperately reached for the door with her other paw, but it too was swiftly chained "No! Wait! Stop! Noooooo!" she wailed as she was hauled back into the darkness.

What she saw next filled her with even greater dread than she could have imagined. Dozens of other souls, all imprisoned in similar golden chains. But they weren't just any random souls. Tai Lung; Lord Shen; General Kai; These were all spirits that The Chameleon had consumed. And The Chameleon had consumed her... Panic filled her as her mind put the pieces together. She would not be going to the spirit world. She would remain trapped here; her knowledge and skill used to aid the very tyrant she had hoped to defeat.

She struggled desperately against her bindings, but just like everything else she tried that day, it was a futile endeavor. More and more shackles joined the fray until she could hardly move any of her body. Finally she slumped forward in defeat. She felt a terrible weakness as the chains began to constantly sap her essence. All she could do now was pray. Pray that someone would somehow defeat this monster and set them all free. Otherwise she would remain imprisoned in this hell for all eternity.

******

The Chameleon had wasted no time in flaunting her newfound abilities. In fact, the very next day she was already in the court of a nearby city, smirking smugly as a rabbit furiously read over the parchment laid before him.

"You can't seriously expect me to agree to this?!" the hare protested with indignation "These demands are outrageous!"

"On the contrary Mr Wong, I think you will find my terms quite agreeable once you are faced with the alternative." as if on cue, The Chameleon unleashed a very unladylike belch, sending a bile covered skull clattering across the table where it came to rest right in front of the shocked ruler.

"Wha-What is that?!" the rabbit recoiled in disgust and horror.

"Oh, just a broken tool who outlived her usefulness." The Chameleon replied nonchalantly before her tone grew more sinister "Now, I will ask you again Mr Wong, will you be of use to me?"