Note that I don't own KFP. Dreamworks is!
Heavy KFP3 spoiler.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
But I will never do you wrong.
I've known it from the moment that we met,
No doubt in my mind where you belong.
I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue,
I'd go crawling down the avenue.
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love.
-Adele "Make You Feel My Love"-
The warrior ran as fast as she could. Her body was painfully battered, her qipao was torn and tattered in many places. But she couldn't afford to stop, no... not now. She occasionally cringed as she forced her body to speed up through the treacherous snowy mountain range. Time was not on her side and so was the weather. The wind became bitterly cold. She shivered but try to ignore all the vital sign of her physical declination. She was in pain, she was hungry, she was weak, she desperately wanted to stop and gave up. But before she could do it, the mental image of her destroyed home vividly played before her. How her beloved family had now been taken as hostage, every single one of them. Her last memory of her father holding her qipao, his cobalt eyes stare and pleading with his only daughter to run away. She was their last thread of hope. And her mind raced towards her last prospect of survival - the Dragon Warrior. With every ounce of her breath, she pushed on her four legs, trailing the scent of a familiar panda and his footprints. 'I would not fail them'.
The trace of the bears and the goose disappeared in front of a frozen waterfall. '
This is it'.
She jumped with all her might, it was slippery, it was hard and cold. She struggled to extend her claws as much as possible to get the grip, then she realized some of her toenails were badly broken from all the running. She fell a few time on the hard icy floor, her shoulder started to bleed profusely as she scraped through some of the sharp icy walls. 'I can't give up, I have an important mission to accomplish'. After numerous persistent try, she finally emerged on the top. She battled her aching legs and arm from getting the best of her. Her vision blurred, but she determined to remain focus. She barely made it to the gate of the Panda Village, when suddenly a pair of warm fuzzy arm caught her from falling to the ground.
It was Po.
"Tigress, what are you doing here?"
There is a mix of confusion and apprehension in his voice. He studied the tiger in front of him meticulously and saw how badly wounded she was. She quickly handed him what appear to be a scroll. Clinging to his arm, she fought back to stand and then their hearts met on the eyes. A few second of silence which conveyed more than words as they exchanged glance. Po had to admit, he missed her although he barely went for a week, and he wished to hold her and simply watching her train or sparring with her. Alas, that thought must wait. This is just a wrong time and place to do it.
"Kai attacked the valley, everyone's gone Po..." She looked at him grimly. Po hardly saw Tigress afflicted or afraid. She was the bravest, fearless fighter he ever knew. Yet now he was left with her deep sorrowful eyes - the evidence how she had to witness her the destruction of Jade Palace and having all her brother, sister and her father being taken away.
"Everyone...?" The bear replied incredulously with a look of dismay and regret. 'I should have been there to stop him'. He mentally cursed himself.
"Everything... everyone." She confirmed his nightmare.
"Please tell me you've mastered chi." Po knew this is the very reason of his trip to the Panda village. Little did he knew why his panda dad still deemed him not ready for the challenge.
"What about my shop?" Suddenly Po's other dad raised his voice. The others stared at him giving annoyed look. "Right, I might ask you later." He cowered while giving one final gaze at the feline, hastily retreated behind the monochromatic crowd. With that Po's dashed to look for his panda dad. The next thing she knew was all the panda screaming and scouring in panic, try to gather all they had and got ready to escape Kai's venture for their chi. She perched alone again with her thoughts as Dragon Warrior left her to pursue his father. She sighed in relief. 'Mission accomplished'.
As Tigress stand amidst the havoc, unknowingly a pair of blue eyes had been watching her intently from the moment of her arrival.
"Who is she?" The panda girl questioned her fellow villager but no one was certain of who the tiger's identity. She just noticed Lei Lei was clutching a doll with matching resemblance to the injured feline - only her costume looked slightly different.
"Big Stripy baby."
The female panda knew where that doll came from none other than Po's travel pack, but until then she was assuming it was a mere doll - until she saw the tiger in front of her. Her consciousness throwing a wild guess on who this 'Tigress' was. She figured that she need to find out.
The perfect opportunity revealed itself as everyone heads toward different direction and Po had left the tiger alone with her thought.
"Hi, I am Mei Mei". Tigress instantaneously snapped from the trance and peered to the female panda in front of her. She was chubby, in fact, extremely chubby. Her round face was even rounder than Po. She was wearing a pink and red dress, and somewhat looked like wedding outfit. Her eyelashes adorned with extremely thick blue mascara and not to mention her ultra feminine giggle. She was holding a long pink ribbon in one hand and a fan on the other. Tigress quickly concluded that the panda was a ribbon dancer.
"Tigress." She bowed respectfully. Her demeanor remained expressionless and her tone unreadable. "What can I do for you?"
That certainly not the sentence Mei Mei prepared to answer.
"Uhm... no, I don't want you to do anything for me." She chuckled nervously as this is her first encounter with a tiger.
"I saw you are injured, would you like to come over to my house so I can dress your wound before it gets worse?" She kindly offered.
'Was it that bad? did I looked terrible?' Tigress loathed people took pity on her. She is a capable, independent, fearless warrior. On a second thought, Tigress took a quick glance at her arms which now covered in dry blood, a portion of her qipao ripped due to rough friction while falling down the waterfall. Her silk trousers are equally battered and she could feel bruise on her shoulder and her knee cap. Not to mention her ribcage was throbbing with pain as she attempted to bow, it might have been broken. But Tigress really didn't like the idea of going to a stranger's house, moreover, a casual friendly chat wasn't really her forte. But inwardly, she admitted she was tired and cold. She was about to rejected Mei Mei's proposal when her stomach disagreed in loud gurgles. Yes, it's been a few days since her last meal, she was too occupied to even feel hungry. She finally surrendered to her physical need and accept the panda offer.
Mei mei house was on the top of the hill. Tigress gaped in awe looking at how beautiful the surrounding of the village was. The moon rose brightly revealing white mountain peaks and surrounding river, a border of pink trees paving the pathway to a simple house on the end of the hill.
Mei mei opened the door and politely invited the tiger master to come in. Her house was literally covered in pink and red decoration, just like her dress. Tigress recognized a lot of the ornaments and decoration were actually somewhat wedding related. And then she saw a collection of picture of the panda and her parents smiling cutely almost in every corner of the room. 'That must be her parents'.
Mei Mei gave a sign to her guest to sit down while she retrieved some food and tea from the kitchen. Tigress obeyed nonchalantly while continuing on sweeping her glances towards the unfamiliar surrounding. A picture next to Mei Mei's bedroll grabbed her attention. There is four panda on the picture, two of them was Mei Mei's parents who appeared like decades younger, stand next to another panda couple. Tigress squeezed her memory, she was certain the male panda on that picture was unmistakably familiar, his smile and his face feature reminded her of someone. However, she didn't recognize the female panda next to him but judging at his pose - embracing her shoulder and such, this man had to be her husband.
Her thought was interrupted when Mei Mei came back with a pot of warm tea, bean buns, and dumpling.
"Help yourself, I am sure you are hungry after all the... workout." The panda placed the plate and offered a friendly smile.
"Thank you." Tigress finally pulled a small smile. Mei Mei dashed out of the room again for her medical supplies. Tigress perused the picture she was focusing earlier on. That male panda looked like someone she knew so well.'He looked like Po...! Of course'. She mentally congratulated herself. But she was certain it wasn't Po. The panda was taller and chubbier than Po, he was wearing black trousers and a green robe. A big goofy grin plastered across his face, and his jovial outlook spelled out from his jade orbs.
'Li Shan'. That's it, it was Po's panda dad. No wonder he looked familiar.
Mei Mei walked back to the room, quickly open her medical box. She stole a quick look at the warrior who is sipping her tea and munching bean bun silently. Her eyes were fixated on the picture.
"That was my parent's and Po's parents." She almost understood what was going on the tiger's mind. "They were best friend since they were young. That picture was taken on lunar festival a year before my parents getting married." Tigress turned her face towards the panda. Now she was getting interested.
"They were best friends?"
Mei Mei moved her head in agreement. "Yes, they still are. However, Li lost her wife and I lost my dad during the massacre." She said bitterly.
Tigress recollected the mission in Gongmen. How could she ever forget that evil Peacock had done to thousands of innocent soul. He nearly took all of her family - her master and the rest of Furious Five, and more importantly he nearly took Po away from her.
"I understand your pain, Lord Shen nearly took my loved ones too." Tigress put a comforting gaze towards the panda. When Po defeated Shen, the pandas suddenly gained their confidence and freedom back. Although they still much preferred to remain very low key about their existence, they knew for once they can stop being afraid. The news traveled far and quick into Li's ear - who was the panda's leader - and he set quest to meet his long lost son. The Dragon Warrior.
"Those were bitter-sweet memories now, we are all thankful Po single-handedly defeated Lord Shen and we all can live in peace." Mei Mei retorted.
"Would you mind if I start cleaning up your wounds?" She pulled a bowl of warm water and a clean cloth next to her. After Tigress gave her the permission and opened up her qipao's sash. The panda took the liberty to observe the female tiger's bare body closer. Not only the warrior was covered with cuts and bruises, but she seems to have a lot of battle scars hidden underneath her orange fur. Her body was undoubtedly muscular, her arm muscle was as hard as stone.
'She must be a serious hardcore warrior'.
There is one big scar on her belly, what appeared to be a round burn mark. Mei Mei stared at the tiger bare torso for a minute or so wondering what kind of painful ordeal had left a memory in the tiger's stomach.
"Ahem". Tigress pretended to clear her throat winning Mei Mei's attention back.
"Oh, of course, s-sorry...," realizing she'd been completely mesmerized, the panda quickly gained composure and proceeded with the cleaning. The tiger remained quiet with an occasional wince, but make an indication to her helper to ignore it. Mei Mei began to think about what next question to ask without sounding too meddlesome.
"So, I take it you are Po's comrade?" She asked apprehensively, not entirely sure whether Tigress would mind answering her question.
"Yes," Tigress answered her short and exact.
"Sorry, I couldn't help noticing you have a lot of scars. You must have been involved in so many battles." Mei Mei worded the sentence carefully to avoid it sounding rude or hurtful.
The warrior in question just tugged a smile in return. Mei Mei left baffled.
"My scars are the reminder of people I tried to protect, I know a lot of girls won't be so thrilled at the prospect of having them. But for me - it was like souvenirs from my missions and training."
The monochromatic creature in front of her still frowned in disbelief. "Mind if I asked you where you've got this from?" She pointed at the burn mark.
"That was indeed one of the deadliest mission. It was a cannon shot in a short range. I am sure you are aware of our mission against Lord Shen." The panda understood what she was talking about. That mission in Gongmen had been the epitome of their freedom.
"You were involved in that mission too?"
"Not just me, I there are others as well". The tiger sipped her tea.
"I think I owe you and your comrades a big thank you, and sorry to put you and your family in a dangerous situation in order to defend us from that evil peacock," the panda looked at her sincerely.
"Well, don't be. It's our duty to protect China. Besides, if I didn't take the cannon blow, someone else will die - and I can't risk that. I am glad I do what I did."
"But you could have been killed!"
She paused and a satisfied smile appear on her muzzle. "The person who I tried to protect was a greater warrior than me. The future of China depended on him."
Mei Mei's eyes widened, 'she just said that she was sacrificing herself for China? for her fellow warrior?'
"That was brave!"
She replied coolly "I am sure my other comrades will do the same for each other."
"Are there many of you in Jade Palace beside you and Po?" The female panda asked inquisitively.
"There is 5 of us, and Po joined us a few years ago." She replied.
"So were you always been on a mission with Po?"
"No, not really". The warrior sipped her tea again. "But because he is the only one with a body about the same size as mine, we often have been paired up on missions together. Dressing wounds and doing team combat would be easier that way. Not to mentioned if any of us badly injured and need to be carried."
Mei Mei can see Po would be able to carry Tigress any day. But the other way around?
"You, you can carry 300-pound panda?" Mei Mei dumbfounded in amazement while still cleaning her wound with clean pads and warm water.
She winced slightly at the motion."Believe it or not yes I can, and I did." She paused. "However, I am not the strongest. Mantis actually beat all of us including Po in arm wrestling".
"Mantis as in, a bug?"
"Yes."
The bear jaw nearly dropped. Except if Tigress meant a giant Mantis the size of a panda which anyone knew would be impossible. Mei Mei took a mental note : 'Po does have a bunch of "interesting" friends'.
"I think I need to learn Kung fu." Mei Mei muttered playfully. She opened the bad smelling solvent for the wound and start to dab it on Tigress's injured arm. The tiger just gave an encouraging look at the notion and nodded in agreement, touching the ribbon next to where she sat. "Yes I think you should, we have one comrade - Viper - who used to be a ribbon dancer like you, and she is brilliant with kung fu."
"Ah, yes, I failed to mention I am a dancer. Where is Viper now?"
"Unfortunately turned into a jade zombie, all my comrades including my adopted father". She said casually.
That had struck the panda again. She just lost her entire family and managed to keep her cool as if nothing had happened. Mei Mei thought she probably would cry buckets of tears and would forget how dumpling and bamboo tasted like should it happened to her.
"So you came here to warn Po after all your family basically turn into…. jade zombies?" She pried further. Mei Mei heard Po's stories about jombies of various kung fu master after Kai took their chi."It must be hard to fight your own friends." Mei Mei retorted with sympathy.
"Yes, I came immediately, no time to waste, so you all can prepare". She almost sounded disheartened with the prospect of winning the battle. "I don't know what can we do to stop Kai, he had taken so many Kung Fu master all over china, but I remain hopeful that the Dragon Warrior will master Chi in time to defeat him, the same way he had saved China from Lord Shen's cannon."
Mei Mei's was trying to stitch all the puzzle. "Dragon Warrior - You mean Po?"
Tigress nodded. It dawned upon her, the 'person' Tigress saved from the cannon as she mentioned earlier was actually Po, the Dragon Warrior, savior of China. It must take some nerve and dedication to be able to do what she did.
"You did take the cannon blow for Po?"
She nodded silently. Mei Mei braved herself to ask the next question.
"So, are you…. Po's girlfriend?" She probed carefully. "I saw two of you are very…. uhm….close, so I just wondering". Mei Mei stood gesturing the tiger to move to her bed so she could put the bandage on her torso.
She grimly looked at the panda,"No", she replied pensively, "I am not. Po just my best friend." There was a pregnant silence between them while Mei Mei attempted to occupy herself attending the wound.
"Why you asked?" She reciprocated the question.
The panda chuckled with relief. "That's good. I had to admit I had a bit of crush with Po the first day he came, I mean who wouldn't... he is handsome, kind, gentle and severely cute". She contemplated the given answer in silence. There was a brief moment of grief in her eyes. But she restrained herself from saying anything.
"Tigress, are you ok?" The panda asked as the tiger's mood seems to change. A moment of eureka came upon Mei Mei.
"I know you said you are just his friend, but, you took the cannon for him…. do… you…..care for him?"
She lifted her head and gave me quick piercing gaze. But still remain quiet.
"I don't think that's relevant." She finally responded.
'Great, she refuse to answer…. let's do plan B. I might have to bring up the matter that I've been avoiding.'
"Po was betrothed to me at birth." Mei Mei explained shortly. "But I have my own reservation about the matter that's why I kept it a secret, I had not met him for a long time after the massacre. But I am interested to know him and his friends more, especially those closed to him." The panda tied the last knot of her bandage and waited for her reply.
There a brief moment of shock and the situation soon became apparent, she averted her uncomfortable gaze to the floor, her jaw tightened and her tail stiffened. Tigress just wanted to escape, she didn't want anyone to pry about her feelings for Po, leave it alone Po's fiancee. A sudden knock at the door had saved her.
It was Mr. Ping.