NOTE: You will benefit from reading what has been so far written of "The First Step" in regards to a few OCs mentioned in these drabbles. I recently started a "drabble challenge" where I found a list of words and phrases I'm using for themes. For each theme, I've been writing a little blurb/drabble. They've all been Kung Fu Panda so far, some with my original characters, some little young Shifu, and even some with little Netra (if you read "The Master's Eyes" you know who that is). I thought I'd take the drabbles of little Shifu and post them as they come along. :D

Just so ya'll know, Shifu's age might be jumping all over the chart here, depending on what drabbles come to me when. In one chapter he may be 9 and in the next he may be four… Bear with me, this is a good exercise. :D Also keep in mind that Shifu was six when Koto was killed.

Enjoy!

One-Mile Runaways

Shifu's age: 6 yrs (Koto's still alive)

"Shifu!" Benjirou whispered as loudly as he could up to his friend's window, throwing the occasional pebble at it. "C'mon!"

Some slight rustling was heard before he saw the moonlit head of the red panda cub stick out to stare at him. "You're late!" he whispered back.

"I had to wait 'til my sisters were asleep! They'd squeal on me if I didn't! You ready to—AAH!!" The otter pup leapt out of the way when a knapsack came flying out of the window and almost landed on top of him. Shifu then followed suit, landing a kung fu flip in front of his friend. "Shh!" he snapped. He grabbed his knapsack and the two boys quickly scurried off into the night. "Is Taplo comin'?" Shifu whispered.

"He's meeting us just outside his house. You got the food?"

Shifu smiled and patted his bag. "I got better than that – I got the last of the sesame cookies!"

Going as quietly as they could, they headed for the outskirts of the village. It wasn't long until a familiar little goral scampered from the bushes with his own knapsack. "If our dads find out about this…" he whimpered. "About us crossing the borders—!"

"Taplo, you slowpoke, c'mon!" Benjirou teased. "Last one to the raft's a little girl!"

The moment the boys were out of earshot of most of the farmhouses, they picked up speed and headed for the farthest reaches of the Zongxian River, where the rice paddies dwindled out into muddy marshlands. The boundaries of the Valley were marked with a dense shrub along the perimeter. Beyond that, however, the river continued to flow through miles and miles of estuary wetlands before eventually dumping itself out into the Pacific. This was just where Shifu and his friends were headed – out towards the docks of far-off Taiwan to become seafaring officers.

Once they finally reached the river border, the three runaways veered off into a deep cushion of vines among the trees, where a fisherman's raft sat securely with ropes tied around its two front corners. Dropping their knapsacks onto the bamboo-logged deck, they instantly proceeded to start and pull the raft out onto the water.

"I can't believe we're finally getting outta here," Benjirou smiled.

Shifu pulled at one rope with him. "Benji, how'd you convince your dad to let us borrow one of his rafts?"

The otter pup's eyes shifted back and forth slightly. "Uhhh…well, I didn't really…exactly convince him of anything…"

Taplo would've gawked open-mouthed at him if he wasn't still clenching the other rope with his teeth. "You mean you nebber tolt im?"

"Yeah, right. 'Hey, Baba, can we take one of your rafts to hightail it off the borders?'" Benjirou rolled his eyes. He hopped onto the raft with them as they finally pulled it onto the water. "Hey, I mean, once we're officers and we're captaining a bigger boat, we'll bring it back to 'im!"

Shifu stood at the head of the raft with his arms authoritatively behind his back, feeling like this vessel was truly his. "Unfurl the sails, Lieutenant Taplo! Weigh anchor, Commander Benji!"

"Aye, Captain!" they barked in unison and went about performing their duties. Within the minute, they had shoved off from shore and were well on their way up the river.

"Whoo-hoo!" Benjirou shouted and waved his coolie hat at the village. "So long, Valley of Peace!"

"So long, Valley!" Shifu cheered.

"We're off to Taiwan!" Taplo called with an enthusiastic tap of his hooves. The small raft slid past the boundaries of the secure little Valley, and the boys soon found themselves floating through the harbored wetlands with nothing but a fresh enthusiasm for what lay ahead of them.

None of them could've guessed that mingling in the sulfuric shadows of the banks, it was a pair of glassy, yellow eyes barely peeking out the water and simply waiting for its moment.

Oooooyyyyy!! How many of ya'll know that trip's gonna be cut short? Sorry ya'll, I'm not expanding on that ending as far as I know… They don't die, though, I assure you. I have to give credit to the opening scene of Disney's Tom and Huck. It inspired me to write a story of three boondocks-raised boys stealing away in the dead of night to become big-city seafarers. :D