Before they were Masters
Synopsis: Based on Kung Fu Panda. We're already familiar with Tigress' past as a cub being trained by Shifu, but what of the other Fearless Five ? And what of Po's true background ?
"You're the Dragon Warrior ?! What are you going to do, siton me ?",--Tai Lung
"Don't tempt me."—Po
Chapter 1—Master Oogway's Wisdom
Not long after Tai Lung had been imprisoned, Master Shifu had found himself without a pupil to train and his life had become empty. His only comfort was his bamboo flute, which he would play whenever his spirit was downtrodden, and it seemed now more than ever, his spirit had almost been broken. Just then, he sensed the vibration of the wind, and flipped Master Oogway over him.
"Still as perceptive as ever, my student.", the wise terrapin said, bowing elegantly. Oogway could sense the young red panda had been troubled and knew he needed healing.
"Why don't you start teaching again, Shifu ?", Oogway questioned, walking up to the Peach Tree of Sacred Wisdom. The blossoms were in full bloom, full of color and fragrance. The elder terrapin breathed in deeply and sighed euphorically. The universe seemed at peace when he did so.
"I don't want another incident like I did with Tai Lung. It…hurts too much to even consider it. I fear my heart will wither within me.", Shifu confessed as he grasped his chest, feeling the tremendous anguish that Tai Lung had caused him.
"You never know unless you try, my pupil. Only recently, I have seen you developing a new hold using only the tips of your fingers. You haven't mastered it, but I know you will not quit until you perfect it. You have the ability, so use it. And who knows, you may be taught in return.", Oogway said. Wuxi's eye's widened. It had been so obvious. He thanked his old master with a gracious hug and rushed to his study in the Jade Palace to begin his work.
Shifu wrote flyers to attract the attention of students that would learn kung fu no matter what race, gender, creed or background they had. As soon as he could, he exited the sacred temple, said his thanks to the gods and had his advertisements printed. No sooner had his advertisements been printed were they placed in periodicals all over China and plastered on walls where passersby could see them.
Chapter 2—Not Always Graceful
There had been a heavy deliberate knock upon the temple doors. The doors opened slowly and Tigress walked in, carrying her belongings.
"Hello ? I'm Tigress. I seek training from Master Shifu.", she said, calling out into the halls. The acoustics in the temple were stupendous, and her voice came back to her instantly upon her call. She felt a hand upon her arm and turned to see a red panda by her side. It nearly caused her to jump out of her fur.
"Don't do that !", she stated, shaken up a bit still. The red panda eyed the young cub, seeing that she had potential, but she would need a lot of work. He could sense she had a bit of trouble with her anger, which would be a detriment in battle if she let it control her. He prayed to the gods she wouldn't become another Tai Lung, but read her aura. There were plenty of good vibrations coming from her soul and somehow he knew she was just the start to something greater, something he never could have anticipated.
Tigress had begun as soon as she could and showed progress immediately. She had been taught unofficially alone but had little discipline. Now that she was under Wuxi's rules, she was learning that he had a strict regimen to follow. At first, she loathed it, especially waking up so early in the morning. After a few weeks however, she began to get the hang of it and even considered Shifu to be a second father.
For quite some time, Tigress had thought of herself as Shifu's best and only student, but that soon changed. One day, after training, she heard a crash in the storage room.
"Ahhh, owww.", came a rather pathetic voice. A triangular straw hat poked out of boxes, pots and pans.
"Are you alright ?", Tigress asked as she reached for the poor fellow's arm, which was a wing. Fairly soon, she saw that she was helping a rather young, gawky, crane.
"Yes, I am fine. My flying though, could use some work.", Crane said awkwardly.
"I can…see that.", Tigress said, with a sneer. Crane brushed himself off.
"How rude of me. I'm Crane. I'm here to see Master Shifu.", Crane stated, showing her the papyrus flyer with a quick whip of his wing and rolling it back up under his left wing. He then bowed to her and teetered a bit before catching himself from another fall. Tigress rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh at Crane's klutzy nature.
"I'm Tigress. I will see if the Master can be found. Most likely he is meditating.", Tigress said, bowing properly. The young crane followed the tiger to the Pool of Sacred Tears, where Shifu was quietly contemplating the nature of the universe. Something told Tigress that matters were only going to become more interesting, because Shifu had been "expecting" Crane all along.
The training session was relentless, and Shifu did not go easy on the newcomer. After going through an obstacle course as well as having the stuffing kicked out of him by Tigress and Shifu, Crane looked as if he had been spit up by the jaws of life.
"I can be taught !", Crane vowed.
"I am sure you can my son. But you have much to learn.", Shifu said, helping the frazzled bird to his feet. His knobby knees wobbled a bit. Saying no more, the training day had come to a close and now it was time for everyone to sleep. As Shifu departed from them, he could sense there would be more youngsters who would want to approach him for his kung fu secrets and mastery. They would learn that it was not only him who would be teaching them but that they would learn also from themselves.
Chapter 3—Small Green Warrior
Shifu banged the gong to awaken his newest students to breakfast and prepare them for another day of training. There was another newcomer that had arrived, and the poor fellow was out of breath from bounding up all the stairs just to reach the temple.
"I seek training from Master Shifu.", the little mantis chirped, puffing out his chest proudly. Shifu smiled. He had been waiting for the mantis to arrive. So far, the prophecy Oogway had given to him about Warriors from different lands was coming to pass. They weren't exactly what he expected, but he thought that Oogway was onto something that he had not been. He then, had an epiphany. Perhaps, he believed, he should have more faith and believe in what his master had told him since his first day meeting him when he was nothing more than a child himself;
"Shifu Wuxi, you must never allow yourself to be clouded by conventional thinking. There is so much you do not understand. There is always the possibility for a miracle to exist, even within the ordinary. The trick is, you have to keep your mind and heart open to them, wherever they are. Believe me…you will know when they appear to you." While looking at this pipsqueak bug, he couldn't help but smile. The students, taken aback, weren't sure of what to think but Mantis had a feeling that perhaps he was in for more than he had bargained for. But, it would be nothing that he couldn't handle.
Mantis had been training from his father, Liu, from the time he had been hatched. He still had much to learn but he was a bit more advanced than Crane and Tigress. Shifu had no trouble showing the small warrior who was superior though, but the red panda remained humble in victory.
Mantis rested his poor backside in the communal hot springs while Crane joined him. There were sides designated for each gender, but Tigress had already taken her bath and gone to sleep. She was one level below Mantis, but he wasn't always going to be the top dog in the temple, at least not for long.
"Rough day, huh, Mantis ?", Crane questioned, stretching his arms and yawning. The warm water felt incredible to his skin and his muscles were feeling more relaxed.
"Yes, definitely. Our master is a tough one, but I am glad he is so harsh and critical. If he mollycoddled us, we might not become better.", Mantis stated.
"I have a feeling we'll be having two more visitors, but I'm not sure why…", Crane said, having a flash of foresight.
"Why's that ? Did you have a vision ?", Mantis questioned, wondering why Crane had said something so peculiar.
"That's what Master Shifu says. He expected me when I first arrived, he knew you were coming, and I feel he is going to make us into something tremendous. I'm not really sure what yet, but when that day comes, I believe we'll all know.", Crane said, slowly getting out of the bath and shaking himself off. Mantis thought of what Crane had told him, and wondered exactly what Shifu could see that they couldn't. Crane had only caught a glimpse of the future. Quickly, Mantis exited the bath and followed him to his quarters.
"What exactly did you see in that flash, Crane ?", Mantis asked.
"I saw something…quick and sly. And then something fuzzy I could hardly make out.", Crane said, rubbing his temple a bit. It hurt to think too much on it and he was rather tired from pushing himself so hard.
"I didn't mean to strain you. Forgive me.", Mantis apologized.
"It's of no matter. I'm sorry I couldn't give you much to go on, but I don't think we can worry ourselves with my flash of consciousness. We'll know who the new students are soon enough, right ?", Crane said, yawning again. Mantis nodded at Crane's wisdom and left his quarters for his own, quickly settling into bed and sleeping for the night.
Chapter 4—Slick, But Conspicuous
It was a morning similar to the others when Viper had arrived to the Jade Temple. She too had shown her proof of interest and had met the rest of the team. Tigress was delighted that another female fighter had joined the group and made fast friends with Viper.
Viper proved her mettle in her first test run of the obstacle course, and she had no trouble fighting against the other three kung-fu students. She had only one problem, though. Shifu couldn't be deceived. No matter where she hid, Shifu always threw her down and pinned her. The others found her attacks predictable. She was quick, slick and sly, but they always knew where to find her. Again, she was caught, but this time, by Tigress.
"But why ? I could've sworn I was untraceable.", Viper stated as Tigress set her free and she straightened up. The two students bowed and Viper expressed a deep sense of respect and awe for her elder.
"All of us can hear you coming. You have to be one with the wind, child.", Shifu said, demonstrating fluid movement. Not a sound came from his feet or hands as he executed his stances. The students' mouths fell agape, but Viper began to understand that she could use nature to her advantage rather than simply hiding behind it.
It was already evening and the warriors were ready to go to sleep for the evening. All the while, they traded stories back and forth about the coming Dragon Warrior Shifu had been told Oogway had seen in a recent vision. Tigress believed that she was the rightful Dragon Warrior and trained harder than all of the others to reach her goal. "No matter what", she thought, "I will earn the Dragon Scroll and the power it contains. Once that happens, the Valley will rejoice and life can resume a sense of normalcy." With that, she went to her quarters, meditated and then slept for the rest of the night, dreaming of the day she would become the Dragon Warrior.
Chapter 5—History is Made
It had been a rainy afternoon and training couldn't be held. Instead, the warriors were undergoing a different type of training: mental dexterity. A rapping of knuckles was heard on the doors and a golden tamarin monkey shook himself off at the door.
"It was a bit troublesome, but I have come to see Master Shifu.", the primate said, not noticing he had drenched his new companions. He awkwardly placed his hand behind his head and chuckled nervously, feeling chagrined.
"We are simply playing a game of Chinese checkers. If you wish to join us, friend, then go ahead.", Mantis said, gregariously. Tigress was the only member that had been miffed that her fur had been dampened. She was more so annoyed than angry.
"Feel free to play with the newcomer. If anyone wants me, I'll be dodging javelins.", she said, pushing her chair abruptly out of her way and exiting the room in a huff.
"Don't mind her. She just doesn't like newcomers all that much.", Crane said, honestly. Viper fetched a chair with her agile tail and placed it underneath Monkey and gently drew it to the table. Monkey grinned pleasantly and cracked his knuckles. Since the time he had been a young primate, he had been a wizard when it came to the game of Chinese checkers and thought he would have the upper paw on the other players, but Viper outwitted him.
"I can see I have a worthy opponent. I hope we can match wits on the battlefield someday as well. Perhaps all of us can be a fearless group, once we are put together.", Monkey said. The words sparked an idea in Mantis' head.
"We could be known as the Fearless Five. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think ?", he suggested. The others nodded their heads. Of course, they would all have to learn how to work together, and Tigress had been distant recently thanks to her obsession with becoming the Dragon Warrior. She would learn later that sometimes, even though we have pure intentions to start out with, we don't always get what we think we should deserve.
As the years passed, the team became more fluid together and worked well off of each other. They had become brothers and sisters, occasionally subjected to the typical fights and tiffs but these were always resolved. Monkey's idea for the team to be named was taken into consideration.
"Master, it has been many years for me to bring this to the forefront.", Monkey declared as they all sat down for a hearty meal.
"What is that then, Monkey ?", Shifu replied, inquisitively, stroking either side of his mustache, deep in thought.
"We were all thinking that we should have a name. Thanks to your training, we can do anything we put our minds to. I'm without doubt we'll defeat Tai Lung someday.", Monkey responded.
"Yes, we're fearless !", Tigress chimed in, perhaps a bit proudly.
"The Fearless Five…it has a certain ring to it.", Viper agreed.
"That it does, my students. I think that is what I will call you from now on. How does that suit you ?", Wuxi said, taking a slow sip of his hot green tea. The students thought of their own designation, a name they would be known by for the rest of their lives. As they chattered and arrived at a decision, they agreed.
"Then so it is. You are the Fearless Five. From this day forward, I sense we will make history.", Shifu smiled congenially as he sighed pleasantly after finishing his meal. He watched them dine, each in their different manners and had to smile to himself. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt fulfilled again.
Chapter 6—Not My Blood But Still My Boy
Mr. Ping had worked hard all of his life and did everything himself. He had never married, but had always longed for children of his own. Often, before going to bed, the noodle shop owner would gaze at the stars and pray to the gods to be blessed with a child. He never let go of his faith and believed in miracles, thinking that the gods would answer his prayer very soon.
In the evening, while Hai was closing shop, he heard a tiny, almost muffled mewling outside of the restaurant. Intrigued, he made his final adjustments and went to investigate the sound. Immediately his eyes saw a bundle that seemed to be moving. Crouching down to take a closer look, he saw that the towel held a tiny infant panda within it. He was hungry and cranky. Hai, drawing the baby into his arms, almost felt like weeping for joy upon seeing the infant for the first time.
"I'll name you Po after the mighty river that runs through the valleys here.", Hai said, and noticed that no sooner had he begun rocking Po that Po began to quiet down. He still needed to feed the infant and began instantly. Po hadn't opened his eyes yet, but already trusted the duck with his life. If it hadn't been for Hai's sensitive hearing, the cub might've died.
As Po Ping grew, he began to idolize the Fearless Five. He collected everything related to them and desired secretly to learn Kung Fu, but helping his father kept him from reaching his dreams. However, Po never gave up believing in what he thought was his true destiny: learning kung fu and meeting the Fearless Five in person. It wasn't much longer that his dreams became his destiny and he defeated Tai Lung. To this day, he still makes a mean noodle soup and lives in luxury in the Jade Palace as a Dragon Warrior.
Chapter 7—Enter Lotus
Lotus Ling the red panda had many talents since her birth. She had been taught the art of kung fu from her mother Zhao and her father, Mao taught her about the beauty of art, literature, culture, and music. Lotus caught on quickly to everything that she learned and used her talents in every area of life well.
As a young lady, Lotus traveled constantly and by the time she had become a woman, she had reached the sacred temple. She had seen ashrams, shrines, churches, cathedrals, but never a temple of this size or beauty. Inspired, she found a fountain nearby for sitting and pulled out her sketchbook from her backpack to begin drawing. As she drew, she was drawn to the ethereal melody of a bamboo flute that began playing. She wondered where the music could be coming from and caught sight of a red panda exiting the palace. Her heart rose to her throat and she felt paralyzed. She had never seen a red panda so handsome in her entire life and she didn't know what to do. Putting the sketchbook away, she decided to follow the teacher to the market and observe him. There was really no harm in observing someone from afar, was there ?
As she watched the red panda carefully choosing his groceries, she accidentally bumped her head from underneath the booth he was buying.
"I knew you were watching me. Come out of there.", he said, not sounding the least bit perturbed, but actually a bit humored.
"I heard your flute from the Jade Palace and I was drawn to the one who played it. I thought 'One who could play a melody so purely must be a beautiful soul to behold.
And I was right.", Lotus said, meeting his dark eyes with her sapphire ones. He blushed somewhat and looked to be concerned with paying his dues more so than anything.
"Forgive my rudeness, but I must be going.", the red panda said, taking his tote and starting to walk briskly. Lotus was undeterred. She couldn't deny she was attracted to the teacher, so she continued following him.
Shifu was impressed that the woman had followed him to the sacred gardens without breaking a sweat.
"Why haven't you given up, madam ?", he asked, becoming a bit upset.
"It's because…Pardon the boldness, but…I fear I might've fallen in love with you. I'm Lotus. Lotus Ling.", the red panda, dressed in a red silken kimono with golden dragons stated in a mellifluous voice, bowing. Her speech was eloquent and proper, the mark of a high-bred girl. Again, the master blushed. He had never encountered someone like this before. She was forward, but not in such a way it wasn't tactful. She knew what she wanted and would wait eons for it.
"I am Shifu Wuxi, master of kung fu. I don't have time for love, Ms. Ling. I have students to train and much work to do. Unless, of course, you wish to be trained by me.", Shifu stated logically. Lotus smiled gently.
"I will take that as a challenge. You shan't regret training me, Master.", Ling vowed, bowing with her right fist to her right palm. In her mind, she thought,
"Just you wait, Shifu. I will steal a kiss from you yet !"
Chapter 8—Stealing a Kiss
Po fell in love with Lotus the day she had arrived, but was scared to death of her when he saw her chopping through blocks of wood as if they were nothing. She had already gone through so much training and was an expert at sensing weaknesses in the structure of that wood but no matter what she did, she couldn't catch Shifu off guard.
It was a spellbinding spring day in the courtyard and Shifu had been playing his flute as usual. Lotus crept in to listen and sang lyrically along with it, harmonizing perfectly. Suddenly, he felt a couple of arms graciously draped around his neck.
"I've got you exactly where I want you.", Lotus said, trying to embrace him.
"No, you don't Lotus.", Shifu stated, slyly as he easily flipped her over his head. The two then began their lesson, Lotus came close to planting a sweet kiss on Shifu's lips but always managed to be pinned or thrown off guard.
"I might've missed you this time, but when you least expect it.", Lotus said after accepting her defeat.
"We'll see, Lotus. We shall see indeed.", Shifu responded, as the two bowed and headed to dinner before winding down for the evening.
One year had passed since Lotus had been training with Shifu and she wrote to her family consistently. They had even visited on a couple of occasion and asked her secretly if she had planned on marrying him. She hadn't even had the chance to kiss him, let alone acquire the intestinal fortitude to propose to him. She knew she couldn't let this golden opportunity slip through her fingertips, though. Either she would go through life trying to catch him or she would let him know her true feelings during tonight's training session. Knowing what path she wanted to take, Lotus thanked her parents for their advice, said her goodbyes and prayed that she would be encouraged enough to do what she needed to do.
That evening, Shifu had been stargazing and Lotus sat next to him.
"I hadn't had the courage to ask you, but would you become my mate ?", she asked, resting her hand atop his. He quickly climbed the sacred peach tree to hang upside down from his tail and stole a kiss from her.
"Is that enough proof for you, Lotus ?", he questioned. Before he could respond, she grabbed him from the tree and kissed him deeply.
"Yes, darling.", she said, stroking his hair lovingly. He drank in her kiss again before departing for the evening. They walked together, hand in hand, kissed each other goodnight and without saying a word, said goodnight and went to sleep.
Chapter 9—Room For One More
When the spring came, the red pandas were wed. Shifu's parents had come for the event and had met Lotus' family for the first time. The families had already meshed so well together and the wedding had been a spiritual experience for everyone involved. Both pandas looked splendid in their white garb, all smiles and ebullient for every portrait drawn. Even the Fearless Five was looking particularly stunning in formal clothing.
As the festivities for the evening came to a close and the fireworks faded, the red panda families said their farewells. Should they need the wisdom, advice or comfort from their parents, they would be found in the village nearby. Needless to say, the parents were looking forward to the possibility of grandchildren in their future.
Shifu could sense a change in Lotus' appearance. In the past few days, she had become more radiant than ever. She was laughing out of turn at strange moments in the day.
"Can't you tell she's expecting a child, Master ?", Tigress said while watching Lotus gobble a third bowl of noodles rapidly, which wasn't like her to do. Usually, she would have only one bowl of noodles accompanied by a small cup of green tea. Shifu was wise, but he had no experience in such matters. He placed his hand tenderly on her stomach and felt tiny feet kicking against his hand. He grinned peacefully.
"This means we have another addition on the way.", Lotus stated, peacefully. The Fearless Five didn't seem at all bothered by this. They had dealt with kids before during the more festive times of the year outside the temple with constant portrait drawing and autograph writing. Whether the child would be boy or girl was whispered in the wind. And even though the red pandas were seers, they didn't know which gender he or she would be. Just so long as the infant was healthy was all that mattered.
Epilogue
Lotus gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Tang. She fell in love with everyone and they also with her, but Po was her favorite plaything. Po, however, didn't mind playing with little Tang. After all, she was enormously cute and adept in everything even for being a newborn. It was certain she might become the sensei and sentinel of the temple once death came to claim Shifu and Lotus, but that time was not for many years. Red pandas lived long, vivacious lives, right into their golden years, so little Tang had nothing to worry about. And after all, with such guardians as the Fearless Five, life was going to be a never-ending adventure for her.
The End