Hey everyone! It's here! The first chapter of the new series! You've waited for this, and here it is!
Ah, it feels good to be back. I've had a nice break and have had time to stock my head full of twists and turns for THE WHOLE SERIES!
Thanks to Fox Mcloud SNR and M4dG4rl for editing this chapter! I really appreciate it! I urge you guys to check out their stories as well! I'll give a shout out to Animation Universe 2005 and SpiritualLoneWolf XIII when I introduce their OCs, which will not be in this chapter or even five chapters from now.
I know you're excited to read this already, so I'll just shut up now…
*With nineteen year-old Tang, in the Jade Palace*
A young panda; the adopted son of Tigress and Po wandered to the kitchen to prepare himself a snack of dumplings and rice. Tang was a little shorter than Po, but other than that was a spitting image of his father. The only difference though, were the three gold bands on Tang's right arm and he the fact that he wore light green pants instead of his dad's usual tattered and poorly stitched ones.
The panda reached into the pantry and brought out a jar of rice and began to set up a small fire to cook them. Just then, a lion/tiger mix walked into the kitchen, seemingly talking to himself.
"No! N—NO! Shut up, Los! We're just friends! No, she won't! If I get you something to eat, will you drop it? Good!" The teen hissed. "Hey there, dude, what're ya making? Smells amazing…"
The son of Kiro Takimuro, a white tiger, and the legendary kung-fu master Mei Ling, Dega was one of the best fighters around. Trained under his mother and receiving the reckless attitude from his father made him a deadly opponent. His fur was light brown and he was dressed in all grey with his two swords strapped to his back. Also, when the teen was born, a spirit took its chance to harbor inside of him and provide him with, often bad, advice. The ghost's name was Los and had been an unpredictable, reckless bobcat that fought alongside Dega's father.
"Oh no ya don't. Not this time! You can tell your spirit friend that if he wants more food, he's gotta have you go make it yourself. You're not mooching off me again!" Tang said as he moved the ingredients away from the walking vacuum.
"Aw, come on! You know I can't cook! Besides, it's the only way I can get Los to get off my back about…" The tiger whined.
"About…?"
"Never mind! Just give me some food! I need him to shut up!"
"Then go down to Grandpa Ping's noodle shop!"
Dega stopped and thought for a moment. "Not a bad idea…"
The tiger turned and jogged out of the kitchen. Tang looked out the window to see his tiger friend summon a sled and surf down the palace stairs, only to lose his balance and go tumbling down the rest of the way, hitting his head on multiple occasions.
"Wouldn't be the first time he hit his head." A feminine voice stated.
Tang turned to see Dega's sister, Lupa, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Lupa was an eighteen year-old tiger/lion mix with white fur, but had a different personality than her brother. While he liked to fight and mess around with the others in the palace, Lupa liked to spend her time brushing up on her fighting skills using her claws. She was like the younger version of Tigress, except nicer. She was the wise-cracker and sassy one of the new breed of warriors.
"Oh, hey Lupa. Didn't see ya standing over there." Tang replied.
"Where was my brother going?"
"Oh, I wouldn't let him have any of my food, so he decided to head down to Grandpa Ping's for some noodles. I'm sure he'll be back soon." The panda answered, turning back to his meal.
"Well, if anyone asks, just tell them that I'm in my room practicing." Lupa said over her shoulder as she walked away.
"You're always practicing! I swear, sometimes it's like you wanna be just like my mom!" Tang stated as he poured the rice into a bowl of water and placed it over the fire.
She turned back around and faced the panda. "Sashi told me to tell you to be nice."
"Yeah, yeah. Sashi can't do anything about it!" Tang called from over his shoulder.
"She's already told me eight ways that I could incapacitate you just from using that bowl of hot water."
Tang turned around to face Lupa. "I'm not sure which spirit has more issues. It's either Los, or Sashi. Los is annoying at times, but your ghost friend is violent!"
Sashi was also a spirit who harbored in Lupa's head. Unlike Los, Sashi was a female wolf and a tactical genius when it came to battle. She too, had fought with Kiro way back when. Now, the ghost gives Lupa tactical combat advice.
"If you're nice to her, she'll be nice to you!" The tiger lion called as she turned and walked away.
*With Lupa*
As the warrior rounded the corner of the hall of the barracks, she noticed a female snake whose head was buried in a book.
Typical Lily. She just plows through one of those every day! Lupa thought as she walked up to the snake.
"Hey Lily! What're you reading?"
Lily was the daughter of Crane and Viper and was the brains of the team. She always was reading up on different bits of information, and her kung-fu was just as impressive as her ability to learn. She was, however, extremely shy when it came to boys and stammered uncontrollably when it came to talking to them. She even had trouble talking to Dega and Tang. The only two she didn't have a problem with was he brother, Zan, and her dad, Crane.
The snake jumped a little at the sound of her voice. "Oh geez Lupa, don't scare me like that! Uh…Oh never mind. That wasn't important anyway! To answer your question, I'm reading about battle strategies that were used by the Japanese a couple centuries ago. Quiet fascinating really! The way that they formed themselves so that it was almost impossible to penetrate their defenses…"
Lupa was starting to fall asleep just listening to Lily go on about different formations. The warrior forced herself to stay awake and waited until Lily had finished her explanation. "Ya know Lily, I should take you out so you can meet a nice guy! That'd do you some good!"
"Oh…Uh…No, that's fine! Thanks, but no one would want to date a brainy person like myself. No, knowledge is my mate!" The snake replied.
Eventually I'm gonna set her up with someone… Lupa thought to herself.
"Alright then! I'll leave you to your studies! If anyone asks, I'm training." The tiger lion stated.
"Again? Geez, you train more than Master Tigress!" Lily responded, rolling her eyes.
Lupa just shook her head before she walked into her room.
*With Dega*
"AUGH!" The male tiger lion shouted in agony as he slammed into the ground at the bottom of the stairs.
Note to self, never do that again…
Who're you kidding? We both know that you will because it's AWESOME! Los shouted.
Heh. Yeah, I guess you're right.
Now, unless you want me to bring up L—
Los was cut off by Dega suddenly.
FINE! We'll go get some food! I wish that there was some way to mute you sometimes… The tiger lion thought.
Dega made his way through the busy streets of the valley. Merchants shouted at potential customers, claiming that they had the best deal; Shopkeepers were busy selling merchandise in their shops to consumers; Restaurants boomed with happy and cheerful customers. The sun shone down on the valley, clothing the entire village in its bright light. Blue sky stretched out across the land and the smell of lotus blossoms flowed through the air. Yes, it truly was a great day to be alive.
Soon, the tiger lion made his way to his grandpa's noodle shop.
"Heyo, gramps!" Dega greeted.
"Oh! Dega! So nice to see you again! How've you been? You look so thin! I'll prepare some food!" Mr. Ping exclaimed as he rushed around the kitchen.
Only a few customers sat and quietly ate in the noodle restaurant.
"Slow day?" Dega asked, looking around.
"Yes…People just aren't craving noodles today! However, I've come up with a new idea for a recipe! Here, try this!" The goose replied as he set down a bowl of steaming yellow liquid.
"Uh, what is it?" Dega asked unsurely.
"Oh, go on! Just try it!" Mr. Ping pressured.
The tiger lion slowly picked up the bowl and took a little sip of the liquid. It tasted tangy yet had a mild cheddar background to it. Whatever it was, Dega liked it.
MORE! I WANT MORE! Los shouted.
You always want more food. If I don't limit you, I'll be the size of Po! Dega scolded.
"Well? What do you think?" The goose asked with hope.
"It tastes great! What is it?"
"Seasoned potatoes in a broth and cheddar mix! I figure that if I put this out on the menu, hungry customers will come flooding in!"
"Sounds like a great idea! Uh, can I have two Dragon Warrior sized dumplings and a bowl of that new soup?" Dega asked.
"Coming right up!"
Soon, the goose had prepared a new batch of his special soup and placed two large dumplings on the counter.
"That'll be twenty yuangs." Mr. Ping stated flatly.
"But I'm practically your grandson! A little cheaper?" Dega whined.
"Fork it over…" The goose commanded, motioning for his money.
*With Xin*
Xin, a snow leopard, was dressed in a silver cape and hood and a black shirt with pants. The wind howled and made his cape flap in the air, but the leopard lowered his hood and kept moving. As the snow leopard made his way across the Yen Desert on his way to the Valley of Peace, his mind began to pulse with fragments of flashbacks from his childhood.
*In Xin's flashbacks*
"I'm going to take what's rightfully mine! No one will stand in my way!" His father roared.
"Please think rationally! You'll go to jail! You're no match for them!" His mother pleaded.
The flashback shifted and the last thing Xin saw before shooting back to reality was his father walking away from his family, bent on taking what he believed was rightfully his.
*In reality*
Xin snapped his head back and he collapsed to his knees. His head was throbbing and his heart was racing. Sand swept across his body and some got in his eyes, making the snow leopard howl in pain and rub his eyes furiously. He hated this place.
The snow leopard stood up and continued to press on towards the Valley of Peace. Haunted by fragments of his past, Xin had only one goal: Kill the people responsible for his father's death.
"I will avenge you, father…" The leopard muttered to himself as he pressed onward.
*With Kiro*
The adult white tiger halted in front of Lupa's door and knocked. He heard his daughter practicing her skills and slowly opened the door. Lupa spun around in mid-air and slammed her feet into a wooden dummy before calmly landing.
"Impressive!" He stated.
"Dad! Don't you EVER knock?" Lupa complained.
But you DID knock! Song exclaimed from within his head.
Let it go… Kiro thought.
Long ago, the heroes of the Jade Palace went on a rescue mission to save Kiro from the grasp of Grandmaster Feng, who was the leader of China's criminals. The grandmaster even had the emperor of China as his pawn, which explained why the baddies got out of prison so fast. Unexpectedly, Feng captured and killed Song, who was Kiro's girlfriend at the time. After the battle was over, Song was apparently put inside of the white tiger's subconscious forever.
"I was wondering if you and your brother wanted to go to the theater or play some Chinese checkers tonight!" The white tiger said, interlocking his fingers.
"Dad! You know that kids my age don't do that stuff anymore! That's for little kids and babies! We like to go out to parties and hang out these days!" Lupa exclaimed before whacking another dummy.
"Well I was just wondering… I mean your mother and I barely see you or your brother any more. We just thought it'd be nice if we could…I don't know… have a family night?" Kiro added in a hurt voice.
"Maybe some other time, dad. I'm going to hang out with Sin and Kai tonight at Pit's house!" His daughter answered.
"I see…Well, I guess I'll…let you get back to your training." The white tiger murmured before walking out of her room and shutting the door.
Once outside of his daughter's room, Kiro sighed deeply and slowly made his way back to his and Mei Ling's room. He flopped down on their bed and shut his eyes briefly.
Don't worry, Kiro. She'll hang out with you eventually. Song reassured.
"Yeah, I know Song, but I'm…I'm losing my baby girl." The white tiger replied sadly.
*With Tang, later that night*
"Hey, has anyone seen Zan? I haven't seen him all day!" The young panda asked his friends, who were sitting at the dinner table eating their meal.
"I don't know, cuz. He must still be sleeping or something." Dega responded before biting into his sandwich and chewing so everyone could see.
"Manners?" Lupa hinted.
"Wha? Iph you don' like ih, don' watch!" The male tiger lion stated with food flying out of his mouth.
"Don't you remember? He got dumped by his old girlfriend, Seng-Fi. He must still be heartbroken!" Lily cut in.
"Poor guy. I'll bring him some food. He must be starving!" Tang exclaimed before scooping some mashed potatoes onto a plate and grabbing a bowl of dumplings.
As Tang started to walk off to Zan's room, a knock sounded throughout the Jade Palace. Monkey walked over and opened the door.
"Kai! How nice to see you again! You brought you're brother Sin along also! How…nice!" The chimp exclaimed.
"Nice to see you again, Master Monkey. May we come in?" A suave voice asked.
Monkey motioned for them to come in and two foxes walked into the palace. The two brothers made a b-line for the heroes who were eating as soon as they saw them.
Kai was a handsome, intelligent, and strong orange fox who was kind to everyone he met. He never carried grudges against anyone and was always eager to have fun. He was dressed in a purple shirt and black pants, which was held up by a gold buckle.
His brother, Sin, was the complete opposite of Kai. Sin was a dark brown fox who was moderately handsome, intelligent, and strong. He always carried grudges against people and was constantly looking for a fight. Despite all of this, though, he was nice most of the time, just quick tempered. Sin was dressed in all black with a gold X running through the middle of his shirt and down to the edges.
Both brothers had a crush on Lupa.
"Ready to go, Lu?" Kai asked.
"Sure! See ya guys!" The female tiger lion called out as she began to walk out of the palace with the two guys.
Dega made kissing noises until his sister had made her way out of their home.
"Can you believe that? She actually enjoys being made over by those two! I can't believe it!" Dega exclaimed, turning to Lily.
Lily realized that they were the only two left at the table. "Well, statistically, Kai has a better chance of dating your sister than Sin due to their compatibility towards one another."
"Whatever you say, professor! You could say that they find her FOXY!" Dega joked.
Lily just stared at him blankly.
"Get it? Foxy? 'Cause they're…"
Dega realized that Lily still wasn't getting the joke. The tiger lion's head slumped down and he sighed. To avoid making an awkward moment, he decided to ask Lily about one of her favorite topics.
"What's new in the world of knowledge?"
"Oh! I'm so glad you asked!" The snake exclaimed excitedly. "You see, a great Chinese physiologist his just made a tremendous discovery of…"
Why did you ask that, Dega? Why? The teen thought to himself.
Thanks a lot, bro! I have to sit through this now! Los whined.
Aw, shut up! You can surf some waves or play games in the afterlife! I'm stuck here! Dega shot.
But I thought you—
Didn't I tell you to DROP IT earlier? Hm? The tiger lion thought.
*With Xin*
"Excuse me," Xin asked, coming upon an elderly goat, "But do you know how far away the Valley of Peace is?"
"Oh! It's about a three day journey west!" The goat croaked.
"Thank you for your help! Sorry to bother you!" The leopard apologized before continuing his quest.
He observed his surroundings slowly. Traveling through a dark and almost abandoned forest at night was dangerous and stupid, but Xin had to keep moving, even if he did run into bandits. He had to stop these flashbacks. They'd be the death of him if they continued.
"Three days…" The snow leopard murmured to himself before continuing to plunge through the forest.
He must kill the people who destroyed his father.
He didn't know his father's name; only what he looked like.
However, one name guided him along his journey.
One that made people stay clear of him.
There it is! The first chapter of the new story! Hope you guys enjoyed it! I still have to introduce Zan to you all, so I'll do that in the next chapter!
Since this one was extremely long, the next few chapters will be shorter!
Again, thanks to M4dG4rl and Fox Mcloud SNR for editing this chapter! Sorry it was so long and boring, guys!
And to you all, sorry that it was so boring and not really action packed. It'll pick up though as the story moves on. I had to introduce everyone first.
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More to come…
