"Reflections"-by Christina Aguilera
Tigress sat at the edge of the stream, a pile of flat rocks at her side. She threw each on towards it; watching them skip twice, thrice, then sink into the water. Ripples emerged from the now startled stream, crippling the reflections of the trees and rays of sun on it. The currents died out only in a matter of seconds.
The sun was now resting in the horizon, offering beautiful coloring in the sky, other than the regular blue that would be there throughout the whole day. It was almost night, and the moon was already visible in the sky, along with a few stars that were only glimmering tiny dots painted in the giant canvass known as the sky.
She threw another pebble, and watched the same routine start all over again. Skip, sink, and ripple. She sighed and stood up. Looking up at the sky, she closed her eyes and made a personal wish. She longed for the wish to come true. She smiled to herself and opened her eyes.
She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. She bent down to look at her own reflection in the water. Her smile down-sided at her own reflection; She didn't even recognize herself.
Lost within her own being, and yearning to be found, Tigress just sat down and through another pebble.
"Always"-by Dope
He forgot. He forgot all about it. But how could one forget his own student's birthday. Yes, she was turning 17, but he celebrated it for the last 10 years! How could he forget the year after that?
Tigress stopped pacing the floor and pinched the bridge of her nose. She breathed in slowly, trying to calm herself down. It's bad enough that he never tells her that she's good enough in her face, but forgetting her birthday is just too much.
Looking at a nearby chair, she made her way over to it and slumped down. The others had gone to visit their families for the holidays, but since Shifu was her only family, she had no choice but to stay in the one place she calls home.
Tigress sighed. She looked to her right and spotted a book. The Peony Pavilions…sounds better than nothing. She took the book and opened it. And right there—right on the first page—laid a small orange card. On the card was a picture of two small children holding peaches. She took it, dropping the book in the process. Scanning the paper, she smiled.
Happy birthday, I will always be proud of you, my daughter.
And the now acclaimed, Master Tigress.
-Master Shifu
Tigress jumped up in excitement and squealed. Whoa, where'd that come from?
But what mattered most, was the he remembered…he cared.
"Runaway Love"-by Ludacris and Mary J. Blige
Tigress used to be terrified of thunder. The way it would rumble angrily in the air. Or the way it would always come after the lighting that flashed outside her window.
But that fear quickly died when she ran from the jade palace.
The rain fell upon her fur; damping it faster than jumping into a river could. Her tiny feet pounded angrily on the cement of the ground. She wore no coat, and had no umbrella.
Why did she runaway? She was tired of always listening to Shifu's constant corrections. 'Do this!' or 'Finish that!' or 'It's not that way, it's this way!' But honestly, Tigress didn't see any difference from the way he demonstrated it. So she ran. Where? She had no idea.
Little Tigress found herself in an alley way. Alone and scared, she sat away at a corner, crying unnoticeable tears. The lighting flashed again and the thunder rumbled.
Suddenly, someone appeared in front of her, a look of regret, fear, and sorrow in his wet, dripping face. He opened an umbrella he carried to her and put a coat around her.
It was Shifu, and he had come to take her home.
"Hold On"-by Jonas Brothers
Little Tigress watched Master Oogway perform a series of Tai chi movements. Balancing on one foot, he moved his knee upwards, and then spread his arms out in a graceful movement. Tigress was supposed to do the last form and she had no idea how to do it.
As she tried to do the last from, she had fallen on her bottom. She hit the ground and frowned angrily.
"Why such a twisted face, lotus blossom?" 'Lotus Blossom' was the nickname he gave Tigress. He called her that because every time she would learn something, it would be as if he were watching a blossoming lotus.
"I fell." She stated angry.
Oogway smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"Yes there is! If I fall that means that I failed you and this lesson, Master!" Tigress stood up and attempted the form, but failed once again.
Oogway smiled again. "Tell me, why is falling so bad?"
"It makes me look like I can't do anything." This time, she didn't even try to get up.
"It's not that bad. What's wrong about falling down? You can always get back up." He said wisely with some added enthusiasm. "Try it again. You can never expect to get it perfect the first time."
Tigress sighed. Getting up, she attempted it again. Doing the form, she remained like that for a few moments, not realizing the wide grin that grew on his aged face.
She was doing it, and all it took was perseverance.
"Smile"-by Lily Allen
Tigress wasn't really the kind of little girl to ask such rude questions, but every time she sees Oogway she always wondered the same thing. And one day, she might have wondered a bit too loud…
"Why do you have so many wrinkles?" she asked abruptly. It was an innocent question, she thought. Nothing that bad. But the way Shifu's left eye began to twitch made her feel uncomfortable.
Oogway laughed at the question. "Ah, such a curious mind. She's almost as curious as were you, Shifu…" he said, looking over at the humiliated red panda. Shifu faked a smile. As soon as Oogway tuned back to Tigress, he shot her a death glare. She winced.
Great…more stairs…
"As for your question, wrinkles merely indicate where smiles have been." Upon hearing Oogway's response, Shifu breathed a sigh of relief.
"So…you smiled like…a gazillion times?" the curios cub asked, spreading her arms out. The red panda slapped his forehead and cursed silently to himself.
"Why, of course! It's the 2nd best thing you can do with your lips."
"What's the first?"
Oogway winked. "You'll find out when you get older…"
"Paralyzer"-by Finger Eleven
Tigress walked through the crowd of people that danced around her. She now wished she had never agreed to come here with Viper. It was a party; it was supposed to be like this. But, she wasn't having any fun. She went over to a table near a window and sat alone.
"Um…hi." She heard a voice say. She looked up at a shy looking panda.
"Hello." She said, staring intently into his eyes. He immediately looked back at his small notebook.
"W-would you like anything?" he asked nervously. Tigress smiled at his stuttering.
"I'd like to get outta here. But I guess that won't be happening anytime soon…" she looked out the window, oblivious to the frown the panda had on his face.
When she heard him sigh and walk away, she turned back to him. A sudden guilt plagued her. "Wait!"
He turned back around. "Yeah?"
"There is one thing…"
"What's that?"
"I'd like to talk to you…"
The panda smiled. "Coming right up…"
"La La Land"-by Demi Lovato
"He won't approve of it."
"Who says he won't?"
"We both know he won't."
Tigress and Viper argued about what Tigress had decided to where at the special ceremony at the theater. Tigress was ordered to wear a dress, but since wearing a dress is girlie enough for her, she decided to where her training shoes. She wore a black jacket made of silk with cloud embroidery on top of the red winter dress.
Viper on the other hand, wore a black vest with red lining and rose embroidery. She carried an umbrella with roses and bamboo painted on it.
"Whoever said I can't wear my training shoes with my dress?" Tigress asked.
"No one, but—"
"Exactly. Why should I change? I mean look at me." Viper did so. She wasn't fat and she wasn't as thin as a stick. Her body was the perfect size. Nothing was disproportional. "I'm not a supermodel. I still eat at Mr. Tong's fast-food shop and you don't see me bloating. Why should I change anything in my life?"
Viper just nodded. "Fine, c'mon! They're waiting for us!" she tugged at her dress and they both ran for the door.
"Anxiety"-by Black Eyed Peas feat. Papa Roach
Tigress punched the adversary with all her might. As it came back to return the hit, she jumped back. She had just heard about Tai Lung's rampage on the Valley. She was asleep throughout the entire night. Oogway said she was lucky; Tai Lung could have used her to get what he wanted. He could have hurt her. He could have killed her.
That's what got her so angry. He could have killed her. But would he? Tigress had an urge to beat up something. She wanted to know what would happen to the person she had come to look up to as a brother. She might have had a slight crush on him. But she quietly kept to herself.
She slapped the adversary. But not just any slap, a bitch-slap. The adversary bumped the floor and quickly hit her with the same force. She fell back and bit her lip to stop the tears from falling down.
She felt distress. She felt a loss. She felt anxiety.