Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned it, you'd know it.
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With a roar, a seventeen year-old snow leopard broke the last of the training dummies. It had been six months since Master Shifu had left on a mission to deal with a "monster" at a nearby orphanage, and Tai Lung was getting irritated.
Six months, he thought. Six bloody MONTHS! Master Shifu should have been back by now. Hell, he should have been back five months ago! No "monster problem" should take this long! Patience had never been one of his strong points, but after six months of training with nothing but equipment he had long since demolished, he felt he had the right to be on edge. After all, those six months Shifu was gone were six months NOT spent on training him to be the Dragon Warrior.
Kicking away the shattered remains of a training dummy, he decided he needed a light jog to clear his head. Of course, his definition of a "light jog" was rather different from most people, as it usually consisted of lapping the Valley of Peace at least ten times. Glancing behind him at the mess he left in the training hall, he determined that he had managed to break every piece of equipment in the palace. All, of course, except for the bouncing dummy, and he wasn't going to lower himself to using equipment meant for children. He often wondered why Shifu even kept the old thing. He had outgrown it roughly a decade ago, and no one but he and Shifu trained at the Jade Palace, so it wasn't as if it were being used by other children. In fact, the only purpose it seemed to serve was to be a memento of his childhood and to keep the door open when it was hot outside. He shook his head. Without a child, the thing was useless.
As he prepared for his jog, he heard the frantic flapping of wings. Looking up, he spotted Zeng, the palace's newest messenger bird, flying towards him at breakneck speed.
"Master Tai Lung! Master Tai Lung! Master Shifu has-" he didn't get the chance to finish, as he crashed into the wall only a few feet from Tai Lung's head. The big cat sighed and pulled the duck out of the stone.
How this fool managed to get this job I'll never know, he thought to himself.
Zeng, though understandably dizzy from his painful landing, continued, "Master Shifu has just returned. He's coming up the stairs now, and he has someone with him." The unlucky duck then promptly passed out.
The snow leopard grinned. Finally! He thought, sprinting to the gate, completely ignoring the unconscious Zeng. Despite his excitement about returning to training, he was curious as to whom Shifu had brought with him. A fellow master, perhaps, that Shifu wanted to show him off to? If that's the case, then I'm less than presentable, he realized, looking down at himself. He was covered in dirt, sweat, and dust from his intense workout, and his fur, which was usually perfectly smooth, was in horrible disarray. He quickly brushed off as much dirt as he could from his indigo pants and smoothed down his fur as much as he could. After all, if Shifu was displeased with his appearance, then he would probably be forced to take a bath, something he wished to avoid at all costs.
After ten minutes of waiting, the gates finally opened, and in walked Shifu, looking none the worse for wear despite his long journey. Tai Lung instantly straightened his back and squared his shoulders. "Welcome back, Master Shifu. I take it your mission was successful?"
"Quite. I apologize for taking so long, but the end result was well worth it."
Tai Lung was confused. Zeng had said Shifu had brought someone with him, but there was no one else around.
The red panda noticed his confusion and turned to the still opened gates. "You can come in, you know. This is your home now."
After a moment, a small, orange-and-black-striped head peaked out from behind the heavy gate. The owner of the head slowly stepped out, revealing a small tiger cub.
This sparked a whole new set of questions in Tai Lung's mind. Who was this? Why has Shifu brought him here? What did Shifu mean when he said "this is your home now?" Instead of asking verbally, he simply stared at the diminutive master.
Shifu seemed to sense his adoptive son's confusion. "Tai Lung, this is Tigress. She was the reason I was delayed. I have spent the past several months training her to control her strength, and through that I've come to see she has great potential. Because of this, she will be training with us here in the palace. Now," he beckoned the cub forward, to which she shyly complied. "Show her to the room next to yours. I assume I will have to order new equipment?" he asked in a tone both amused and reproachful.
Tai Lung was in shock. A new student? What was he, chopped liver? And a girl no less! Despite his anger, he nodded. "Everything but the dummy."
"I'm not surprised. I'm just glad you didn't destroy that. We'll be needing it." He gently pushed Tigress forward. "Go with Tai Lung. It's been a long journey, and you need your rest. We will continue your training tomorrow at sunrise." With that, he strolled past them both, mentally preparing himself for the horrible mess that he was certain awaited him in the training hall. The two felines, however, didn't move, Tai Lung simply staring after his master, while Tigress stared at him.
Tai Lung was livid. What was he, a babysitter? First Shifu adopts another student, then he expects him to play nursemaid to her? He was the Dragon Warrior, or at least he would be soon, yet his own father figure was abandoning him in favor of this…child!
Tigress, however, was in silent awe of the colossal warrior in front of her. Shifu had told her he had a son whom he was also training, but she had expected another red panda, not a snow leopard. Her young mind attempted to wrap itself around the fact that they were not the same species, before it finally settled on the explanation that, like her, he was adopted. Even so, Shifu spoke of him with such pride that he might as well be his own flesh and blood. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Summoning up her quickly fleeing courage, she decided to speak.
"Hello. I'm Tigress," she said in a soft voice, one she was unused to. She usually spoke with strength and determination, but simply being around such a large and powerful-looking warrior was stealing away her self-confidence.
At the sound of her voice, Tai Lung whirled around to face her. "I know who you are!" he snapped. The small cub shrunk back, and he wondered what Shifu saw in her. He claimed she had potential, but all he saw was a tiny cub who apparently had no common sense. However, he knew he would have to put up with her until Shifu realized how wrong he was and sent her back to wherever she came from. Growling, he gestured for her to follow him, and she reluctantly complied. He led her to the dormitories, never speaking or even glancing back to see if she was still following him. When they finally reached her room, he spoke. "This is your room. You will awaken directly at sunrise before the morning gong, and when you hear it ring, you had best be in the hall to greet Master Shifu. If you are not, the consequences will be dire." He barely glanced at her as he walked away, growling to himself about how it was demeaning for him to have to watch over "the little brat." Tigress silently entered the room and curled up on the tatami mat, wishing for the first time since she left that she was back at the orphanage.
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Shifu smiled fondly at the old bouncing dummy. It was through that very object that he would begin to hone young Tigress' potential, much like he had Tai Lung's. His musings were cut short when the door to the training hall banged open, shattering the peaceful silence he had come to enjoy.
"Master Shifu!"
Speak of the devil and he will come, he thought wryly, turning to face his greatest student. "What is the matter, son?" he asked, confused as to what had set off the usually stoic snow leopard.
Said snow leopard growled, his ears flat against his head in agitation. "Why the hell did you get a new student? What, am I not worthy of your attention anymore?" he shouted, furious at his own father's disrespect.
It took the normally quick Kung Fu master a moment to register what Tai Lung was saying. "What are you talking about, Tai Lung? Of course you're worthy of my attention, you always have been."
"And yet you find another student! Tell me, father," he spat out the word with such contempt that Shifu couldn't help but wince. "Is she my replacement? Will she be the new favorite once I'm gone? Will I be tossed aside like garbage once she begins to show potential? Tell me!"
Shifu was shocked that his own son could think such a thing of him. "Tai Lung, be silent!" The force in his tone of voice caught the furious leopard off guard, effectively silencing him. The old master sighed, once again looking at the bouncing dummy. "Tai Lung, how old were you when you stopped using this?"
Tai Lung, though puzzled by the almost randomness of the question, answered, "Seven, Master."
Nodding, Shifu continued. "And since then, it has had no purpose. You outgrew it, and there was no one to take your place, so for the past ten years, it has been virtually useless." He turned to his student. "How many scroll have you mastered?"
"973," he answered proudly. A thought dawned on him. "Master, you don't think I am outgrowing you, do you?"
Smiling, he replied simply, "You have nearly mastered all 1000 scrolls, and soon you will be the Dragon Warrior. There is little else I can teach you, and without someone to train, I become like the dummy: useless. That is why I brought Tigress here. You remember what my mission was six months ago?"
"There was apparently a monster at an orphanage nearby. You were sent to deal with the problem."
"Exactly. Although the "monster" part of the story was highly exaggerated. It was simply a little girl who was too strong for her own good. I taught her how to control her strength, and during that time I discovered that she had untapped potential, much like you were at her age. So, knowing that you would soon no longer need me, I adopted her and brought her here, where I hope I will be able to be useful once more."
All the puzzle pieces began to click together for Tai Lung. But he couldn't help but add in his own two cents. "That little cub was the monster? She doesn't look like she could even hurt a fly!" he laughed.
Shifu smiled, pleased his son had calmed down and his good humor had returned. "Neither did you, and look at you now!"
Tai Lung chuckled a bit. "You're right. I apologize for doubting you, father. I just didn't want to lose you."
The old master nodded. "I accept your apology. Would you care for a light spar before dinner? I must order new training equipment in the morning. Hopefully, you and Tigress will manage to share." He gave him a pointed look.
Tai Lung was tempted to accept, when something dawned on him. Tigress. He flinched as he recalled how he had snapped at the young cub. "Perhaps later. There is another I think I should make peace with first."
As the big cat left the hall, Shifu couldn't help but smile. His son truly was growing up.
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As he approached Tigress' room, he tried to think of what to say. She was just a child, after all, and she hadn't deserved to be on the receiving end of his anger. But what could he say to make it up to her? He had little experience with children, having spent most of his childhood training instead of playing with others his own age. He sighed. I suppose I'll just have to wing it, he thought, knocking on the door.
"Come in," her small voice whispered.
Opening the door, he was surprised to see the floor covered in dominos. She stood in the center of a small circle, the symbol of Kung Fu spread out before her. Tai Lung smiled a bit. Shifu had used this same practice with him to teach him discipline and self-control. He remembered getting frustrated so easily from the complexities of such a simple toy, and he silently marveled at how well she had learned. He still had trouble keeping a steady hand, as the game required more patience than he was naturally gifted.
"Is there a reason you're here, Master Tai Lung?" she asked timidly. He could tell from her posture and tone of voice that she was wondering if he was there to yell at her some more.
He shook his head. "I'm here because I wanted to apologize for earlier. I had no right to snap at you, and I hope you can forgive me." He barely breathed as he waited for her answer.
After a moment, she said, with a small smile, "Would you like to knock the dominoes over, Master Tai Lung?"
He smiled back. He usually had no patience for dominoes. He hated setting them up, but he did enjoy knocking them down. "I'd love to," he said softly. "And you don't have to call me "Master." Shifu is your master, and I am just a fellow student." He kneeled down and gently knocked the first domino over. In a way, that same act of knocking over the domino, he had begun the chain of events that would change their lives forever.
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Whew! That took me a while! So what do you think? Should I continue and make it a multiple-chapter story? I must warn you, if I continue, the story will start to become darker, as Tai Lung will become more corrupted, and more mature themes will be involved. Because of that, the rating will also go up. If I stop, It will remain a semi-fluffy one-shot. This is my first Kung Fu Panda story, so try to be gentle. I know this chapter seemed kind of sugary-sweet, but I promise, it will get darker in later chapters. I got the idea after watching one of the cut scenes from the game, where, when Tigress tells Tai Lung she's the Dragon Warrior, he claims that he was there when she was a cub. I hope you can give me some positive feedback and constructive criticism, and also don't be afraid to contact me with ideas, as I'm always opened to suggestions. This is also very new to me, as most of the stories I've written have been wrestling related, so any feedback you can give would be wonderful. Keep on Rollin'!