Instinctual
By: Lacey52
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Author's Note:
I'm back to writing, though it ain't Danny phantom :) Sorry to the peeps who were expecting that, I ain't got no motivation! This hit me like a ton of bricks!
I know no Chinese, so I'm sorry for the randomness, but man is it fun to make up bad guy names in a foreign language! Food and scroll names are real though! I sincerely hope I am not cussing at anyone or insulting their grandmother or anything lol. Forgive me if I am. O.o'
Love Kung Fu Panda, don't own it. Love the movies; have seen a few episodes of LOA. Please enjoy and help me out here if I get something way wrong.
Ps-Pandas totally have sharp claws.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Chapter One: The Story of Beginnings
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
The early morning light was creeping though the barracks' windows, dimly illuminating the hall and casting delicate dancing shadows on the paper screens that separated each room. Shifu breathed deeply, standing with his back to the hallway and enjoying the peace as dust motes drifted on gentle currents through the golden light.
Strangely, it reminded him of Po.
His ear flicked unconsciously towards the panda's room at the far end of the hall behind him, 'Peace. A precious peace. More fitting than any of us realized.'
The gong was to have sounded a half hour ago, and already he could sense all of his students, save one peacefully sleeping panda, shifting in their rooms, impatient to begin the day and eager to please their master.
Another deep breath lifted Shifu's small frame as he brought one hand in front of his chest, vertically, and bowed to the small picture of Oogway at the end of the hall. The incense he had lit moments ago had already sent curling tendrils of smoke towards the ceiling, and hopefully would carry his silent prayers heavenwards as he asked the Founding Master for patience, foresight, and the courage to pit his students against their greatest adversaries; themselves.
The peace in the valley would not last forever.
He let his staff tap gently as he turned to moved forward and began to open his students' rooms one by one. Curious eyes peered out at him as he passed from one to the next, needing reassurance that all was right, or waiting for orders, or trying to master impatience at his slow movements, or scrutinizing the look on his face.
Their next challenge could be even bigger than Tai Lung gone mad in his lust for ultimate power, or a lordling with grand aspirations determined to sway the course of his destiny through genocide and retribution.
The tap, tap, tap of his staff and slide of the door was echoed by curious eyes, a bow, and then he was on to the next. He hesitated at Tigress's door for only a moment, her large shadow already filling the paper doorway. She was ready in a deep bow when the door slid home with a clack, concern pulling her brow low and wrinkling her muzzle in a half-formed frown of worry, "Good morning Master Shifu."
Their next challenge could be bigger and this worried Shifu greatly. They were not as prepared as they could be, and that was partly his fault. A fault he was going to remedy, wary though he was of the method.
He stood before the panda's door, reassured by his slow, and loud, breathing.
The scroll he had tucked into his long sleeve weighed heavily on his mind. It was tried, tested, proven. It worked, however, it was considered drastic and dangerous. He had never put Tai Lung through this training, for he never needed it. He had already been quite...unrestrained...in some ways and obeyed his base instincts closely.
The red panda's grip tightened on his staff at that sour thought, 'Things that should have been heeded as warning were a source of pride, and my own folly.'
He glanced back over his shoulder at the young tiger behind him, giving her a reassuring nod before he turned back to Po's door, 'Perhaps it is not to late to salvage what I can.'
"Ah, good morning Dragon Warrior," Shifu said dryly to the sleeping heap of fur and blankets, before tipping him unceremoniously from his bed with his staff, "Time to rise."
"Ah! Good morning Master!" Po scrambled to sit up as the others poked their heads through the doorway, "I was just...you know, getting the ol' morning meditation out of the way early..sleeping...style."
The chuckles of the others rippled through the room warmly as Po's cheek fur tinged the slightest red, the skin under his fur burning far more brightly. Viper slid to his side with a gentle, "Of course, Po," as she removed the blanket the had draped partially over his head and shoulder.
"Ah man, did I miss the gong again?" Po scratched at his chest, and stood to stretch and yawn at the same time, "You'd think a guy wouldn't be able to sleep through it..."
"That's our panda," Monkey shook his head with a smile, "Always defying the odds, right Po?"
"Right on, brotha'!" the two greeted each other by bumping fists, "But seriously, no gong?"
"No gong,"the small Grandmaster agreed, "I had the geese and pigs leave the palace grounds for the time being."
"Oooooh, are we under attack," Po began to shuffle around, swinging back and forth to the amusement of Monkey, Mantis, and Viper, "Is it the Shi-Lin Warriors of Tsu-Xiao Pass? Kan Shu Wo and her Army of the Moon Petals? Or maybe the Grand Dao Masters of the Dark Ling Wei Yu!?"
"No," Shifu sighed, wondering for the hundredth time where he came up with these scenarios, and for the thousandth time how he could remember every facet of Kung Fu history, but still forget when it was his day to clean the training hall, "Today is a meditation day, Panda, though very unlike what the six of you have done before. I have cleared the grounds for various reasons. We will meet in the Hall of Heroes in an hour, after you all have had a good breakfast. We have...much to discuss."
"Yes Master," five spoke in unison. Po's enthusiasm was lacking, though not because of the promised breakfast, and caused him to speak last, "Yes Master Shifu."
"Dismissed," the red panda bowed again to his students and started out, already knowing that the day would be long.
Po, on the other hand, flopped backwards onto his cot with his paws behind his head, letting out a hefty sigh as he did so, 'Great, he knows I hate meditation. Is this punishment for accidentally knocking the Invisible Trident of Destiny across the hall again yesterday?'
"You coming, Po?" Crane spoke as the group began to move towards his door, following after Shifu, "Not like you to be last to breakfast. Even I can smell the congee from here."
"Coming!" Po rolled out of bed as gracefully as he could and shot past the others, "I call dibs on the youtiao and bamboo shoots!"
"Hey," Tigress lunged after the panda, "I called the youtaio already!"
"Wait up you guys!" and the group was off, thundering past Shifu, carefree and happy. The Grandmaster shook his head, a small smile forming at the sight before him of a ball of black, white, and orange tussling at the doorway, Monkey and Mantis shooting past them while Crane and Viper tried to separate their much larger brawling friends.
'It will be fine,' Shifu breathed deeply again, 'I know whom I can put my trust in.'
The breeze outside shifted slightly as they all managed to find their way to the table and break their fast, Shifu moving on to await his students in the Hall of Heroes.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
The six masters moved to the Moon Pool, their Grandmaster before them perched upon his staff and seemingly deep in meditation. They had arrived on time, even though they had to drag Po from the kitchen, "You guys, a clean kitchen is a happy kitchen!"
"Clean later Po, we'll help you," Tigress relaxed into a seated lotus, preparing for the new lesson Shifu was to present them, "The rice pots need to soak anyways."
"Students," he finally spoke when all were sitting, "today our meditation lesson begins with a story you all know."
"The story of Liu Fang Wa!" Po managed in a high pitched squeak of excitement, acting like a child before the village storyteller. Tigress rolled her eyes and shifted slightly to the left, leaning closer, "Shush, Panda."
"Hm," Shifu nodded, more to himself than the others, "Ten thousand years ago the animals of this world had nothing. No homes, no families, no sense of self or thought of others. They had only instinct and the gods deemed this good and necessary."
"The Story of Beginnings?" Viper flicked her tongue as she looked between the others, "Master, we all know this story."
"Be still and listen again, not with the thoughts and ideas of a child, but with the mind of an adult and the heart of a warrior," Shifu closed his eyes and continued, much to the confusion of the Five. Po sat still, a frown forming on his muzzle.
"One day the gods grew sad, realizing they had only themselves for company. After much discussion it was decided they would take a few animals from our plain of existence and deliver them to a pool created to give them true sentience. After that, they would move on to give all the gift of Understanding so their family would grow and there would be many for the gods to be with."
"Master?" Po felt strange hearing the story from Shifu, 'This is not meditation. This story always rubs my fur the wrong way.'
Shifu continued, ignoring Po's agitation, "The animals drank deeply and were filled with thoughts of who and what they were, why they were alive, where they were. The gods were pleased and waited for the animals to orient themselves after the sudden shock of Awakening. When the animals noticed the others around them, their instincts began to push forward and darken their hearts."
"Some were prey, some were predator. Some were the same species, some were different. Fear, Aggression, Confusion, Hate, Anger, Lust, all of these things and more rushed through them as their minds struggled to balance Instinct and Reason. They began to fight."
"Master, can we do a different story?" Po broke in suddenly, his features hardening in a way that the others recognized as troubled. They had seen it often during their time in Gongmen City, "I don't like this story."
"You don't?" Mantis craned his head to look up at his friend, "Really? You love stories usually..."
"Po," Shifu tried to keep his voice gentle and patient, "There is a reason you are to listen, but I have a feeling you already know the lesson I am trying to impart."
Po sat back heavily, arms crossed, making the others shift uneasily. Po loved all stories, whether he was telling them, listening to them, or making them up. This was the story of the start of civilization, and all children learned it early on. Something was strange for Po to be so upset.
"They began to fight. For food, for mates, for life itself, and the gods watched in horror as they killed and ate and maimed and raped."
"Master, that is not how the story goes," Tigress cut in, reacting to the moody panda beside her, nerves on edge.
"Yes it is," said Po tersely, "This is the real version. The one all the old scrolls have, not the one you learn as a cub. My Dad's dad was super religious. I found the scroll in the storage room a couple of years after Dad pulled me from school...he had a hard time explaining everything in it. Can we skip this part, please Master Shifu? I don't like it."
"I will not be as detailed as the scroll you read must have been Po," Shifu felt his ear twitch towards the increasing heartbeats and breathing of his students. The panda was affecting them, as was the story, "But I will set the truth before you. These horrible things happened, and happened again and again as the gods tried to find animals worthy of the gift they were trying to bestow."
"Finally they realized the mistake lay not in the animals, but in the gift. To give them sentience and let them retain all of their instincts was a dangerous and deadly combination. It would lead to a catastrophe if it were bestowed upon the world as a whole. The gods grew sad with their realization, and spoke to one another with heavy hearts. Their lack of companionship was pressing, but not at the cost of the beautiful world they had created."
"It was decided, in a moment of brilliance, that to give sentience would require a sacrifice."
"Yin and Yang," Mantis nodded, "There must be balance in all things."
"Yes," Shifu agreed, "and the sacrifice would be taking the very thing that drove the destruction."
"Their instincts?" Monkey chimed in as well, "But master, we still all have instincts. They are natural to us. I love to climb, Crane flies and squawks, Tigress growls. These are things that are in us."
"They are, but do you feel fear sitting near Tigress or Viper?" Monkey glanced between the two and shook his head before Shifu continued, "But you should, because they are a monkey's natural enemies in the wilderness. You have instincts to a certain extent yes, but the baser instincts, the primal urges, are dulled greatly or lacking entirely."
"Are you talking about the Ferals, Master?" Crane began to ruffle and flatten his feathers as he worked through conflicting emotions. He was curious, but this was mostly a taboo subject.
"Yes, I am," he continued, "When the decision was made, the gods brought one last group before the pool. To either side sat a pile of meat and a pile of ripe fruit, both piles enchanted to be irresistible. Inside every piece was the Second Gift, the very thing that dulled their instincts. The animals drank deeply of the First Gift, then went to the food as their minds demanded they consume as much as they could. The process was completed, and as the animals came out of their stupor from Awakening, they looked upon one another without fear or desire, and then upon the gods with wonder, and the gods saw that it was good, and so were pleased."
"When the gods took the gifts to our plain of existence they allowed the animals to choose; they could retain this small piece of enlightenment and so be closer to the gods or they could refuse, without consequence, and return to the wild. Most chose the path of enlightenment, but there were a few who turned away. To this day there are many animals who live as Ferals, with no consciousness as we know it. And so the story comes into our time and we are still Awake and thankful for the gifts."
"This is the story of the beginning of our civilization,"Tigress spoke into the silence left at the end of the story, "I have listened Master, but I still don't understand. You spoke of the Ferals?"
"It is what we will be meditating on," the red panda jumped from his staff to the floor, looking evenly at his pupils as they settled themselves to begin, "What are the things to be feared from Ferals? What are the things to find admiration and inspiration in? Po?"
"If you're feral, then...you only have instinct. You're not gonna second guess yourself about anything, you're just going to do it. There isn't any right or wrong. It's only...die or live," the panda wrung his paws nervously as the others shot him incredulous looks, "What? That's how Dad explained it to me."
"He explained it well," he laid a paw on Po's large forearm, "Now, why do you not like this story?"
"It bothers me, " Po tapped his claws together as he kept his eyes averted and began to gently rock back and forth, "I dunno' I guess 'cause all this bad stuff happens all the time out in the wilderness, but it isn't really bad to them 'cause there isn't bad or good."
"It scares you," Shifu nodded, "it scares all of you to think that way. To think that honor has no place, and not from a decision to ignore honor, but because it is a concept that doesn't exist."
The students nodded quietly, each thinking deeply on instincts as their master had asked. Shifu left them to their task, quietly moving back to the stairs of the Moon Pool.
Eventually, the slant of the sunlight told him that it was past time for lunch, and as if on cue Po's stomach gave a little gurgle of displeasure, causing the giant panda to crack open an eye with a hopeful expression, 'Maybe it wasn't that loud?'
The red panda clapped twice, "Go prepare yourselves lunch before someone's stomach causes an earthquake. After that I will speak with you one at a time. You will continue meditating and complete your daily chores until I speak with you. Crane, you will be first."
"Yes Master," Crane bowed, as did the others, and watched as they left the Hall, "If it's alright, I would like to speak with you now. I'm not exactly hungry. This subject is...difficult to meditate on."
"Yes it is," Shifu sat, motioning for crane to do the same, "but I'm afraid this part will be far more difficult to digest."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Lunch was spent in cleaning, as Tigress had promised, with Po preparing quick dishes for everyone to eat in between the chores set before them, two on the side for Crane and Shifu. As he scrubbed at a particularly difficult bit of rice burnt onto the bottom of his favorite pot, his brow furrowed as he began his own form of meditation. Doing dishes brought him back to being a simple noodle maker in his father's shop. Some days he looked back at those peaceful times with envy of his past self.
'But this is bodaciously, awesomely worth it,' Po grinned to himself, handing Tigress a scrubbing brush before she had the chance to ask, 'I wouldn't give this up for anything. Not even a million dumplings.'
He continued to scrub, musing on dumplings and the lack thereof for those who were Feral. Tigress continued cleaning dishes at his side, feeling strangely protective of Po as his mood fluctuated drastically, emotions flying across his face. He wore them so openly and changed moods so quickly that at times she felt a little dizzy. She had mood swings, sure, but no one could match the panda at lightening fast changes of heart, 'He'd sell his own shorts for an enemy if he really thought they were trying to change their ways...'
She bit off a sigh as her paws stilled of their own accord, risking a quick glance at the happily humming bear beside her, "So, why do you think Shifu told us a children's story?"
'Wrong question,' Tigress chastised herself as she literally felt Po stiffen beside her, his arm pressing into hers, fur gliding over and through fur. Soapy water glistened on both their paws, as Po stared down at his pads, then curled his fingers inwards, then out again, "Po?"
"Hm?" He glanced up and seemed to snap out of whatever mood had taken him for a second, "Oh, um...I dunno'. I was thinking about dumplings."
"Dumplings?" the tiger asked, brow raising in question, 'Only Po would be thinking about food as part of his meditation.'
"Yeah, like," he flung a soapy paw in the air, splattering suds across her face, "Ferals have never had dumplings! That is totally the opposite of awesome."
"They could have had dumplings," Tigress wiped her face with her forearm, shrugging, "Maybe they've found one someone dropped or maybe...they were like us, and then...went Feral."
"You can do that!?" Po turned wide eyes towards her, "Whoa! That is so cool! Does it work the other way too? Oooh! Ooooooooh! Do you think I could learn how to use my claws and then change back and be all, 'What now bad guys, I have claws like Tigress!'?"
"Po, you can just sharpen your claws," she let the scrub brush slide from her paw and thump onto the counter, "Yours look awfully dull most of the time."
"Ah, yeah...well, I kinda', you know, chew on them...a lot."
"Yeah, I know," Tigress gave him a half grin, then picked up a rag to dry off, "when you're nervous, or hungry, or worried, or excited, or watching us train..."
"Hey now, that's not fair, I-" but Po was interrupted as Crane walked stiffly into the kitchen, nearly bumping into the table, "Hey, you alright?"
"Oh. Yes," Craned pulled his hat from his head and scratched at his feathers. He placed his hat on the table, stared at it, then put it back on, "Where is Viper? I'm supposed to send her to see Shifu next..."
"In the courtyard, making sure the weapons are stored and maintained," Tigress answered, tipping forward to try and catch Crane's eye, "Do you want your lunch?"
"No. No, I'll skip today. No food," Crane turned and started out, shaking his head. The panda and the tiger stood staring after his retreating form until they heard the main door slide shut with a clack of wood hitting wood.
"What in the world did Shifu say to him?" Po was practically vibrating with nervous energy, "Dude, he was all out of it!"
"He was definitely not himself," Tigress slid into a chair, contemplating the situation with a twitching tail, "Maybe we should do as Shifu ordered and continue our meditation. Perhaps Crane was unprepared."
"Aw, I'm never gonna' be ready then! I hate meditating..."
"Come," Tigress stood suddenly, gesturing towards the door, "since you and I both don't enjoy sitting still we will do something else as we meditate."
"You want me to show you the Inner Peace move, huh? Only took you a month to ask..."
Tigress just growled.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Tai Chi was never easy for Tigress. It was a soft style, a modified martial art meant for calming and not fighting. It did, however, do its job and help clear her mind as she relaxed her normally tense body enough to flow through the movements. From their vantage point above the Hall of Heroes the pair spent most of the afternoon flowing from one set to the next, with Tigress showing Po new forms from time to time.
They also watched as Viper left and Mantis entered. Then Mantis left and Monkey entered. No one looked happy upon leaving. It would be their turn soon.
After watching their last friend enter the Hall, Po had offered to show her, again, the steps to his redirection skill, but she had turned him down with another growl. She could redirect him quite easily, and had proven so in the filthy prison below Gongmen and Tigress let him know just that.
"I was emotionally compromised," Po explained with arms held wide, voice just shy of being whiny, "besides, you know I think you're the coolest master this side of Oogway. I wasn't thinking straight and I was trying to face off with you? No way I could win that one."
"Po, thank you...for the compliment," the tiger canted her head and laid her ears back slightly, "but you could win, if you tried. You've beaten many enemies that I could not. You beat Tai Lung when the Furious Five couldn't together."
"Pretty cool, right?" he wagged his eyebrows up and down, leaning forward with a smirk on his face.
"Pretty cool," Tigress came to stand beside him, "Alright, Dragon Warrior. I know you're dying to teach me something..."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Yes!"
"You know that I won't be able to actually do it, right?" She shook her head as she watched an excited Po run to a small stream, gather water in his paws, and then run to a tree and fling as much as he could up onto the leaves, "Po..."
"It's all good and under control!" He was grinning like a child, running back and forth, flinging water and drenching himself in the process. Tigress watched as he repeated his self appointed task until he seemed satisfied with the amount of water hanging in tiny droplets from the leaves, "Okay, okay, come over here."
"Alright," Tigress did as he bid, getting into a ready stance, "Now what?"
"Close your eyes and just stand normally."
"How will I see the water drop?" she looked over her shoulder, only to find Po right behind her, "Po?"
"Here, just trust me on this one. You've seen the moves right? Just relax," he grinned and patted her bicep, "Soft style isn't exactly your thing, so I'll help you out, sorta' like you helped me."
"Right," she stated dryly, not entirely sure what Po was up to, "just don't-"
"Close your eyes."
So she did. A water drop caught the tip of her ear and she flicked it away. Another hit her right eye. Another, her right arm, then the back of her neck. She was becoming impatient when she felt the air around them change somehow. Po stepped closer, her back to his chest, "Ready, Tigress?"
His foot started to move before she could answer. She followed, seeing every part of every step in her mind's eye. They stepped back, arms sweeping up as though brushing away cobwebs or thoughts. Perhaps the second was the more accurate. She had to give him credit, too, for being able to stay right against her as they moved, but she was startled out of her thoughts when he grabbed the back of her paw, reaching skyward at an angle that was unfamiliar to her.
He moved her quickly once she felt the water droplet barely begin to touch her paw pad, pulling her other arm up just in time to meet the downwards flow of the water riding on her skin and her fur. She forced herself to breath slowly, keep her eyes shut, and relax into Po, letting him guide her though the motions; adjusting the speed from time to time, and softening the abruptness of of her movements.
The water slid over, around, under her paws and arms, making her feel like it was dancing across her. She was immersed in water by one tiny droplet, her concentration solely dedicated to feeling it trace it's path, with no worry for the technique. Expert hands were guiding her through it in a way no one had since she was a cub.
She did not have to think.
She only felt.
And for one brief moment, Tigress felt that she understood why Po loved Kung Fu in the way he did. Why he was the Dragon Warrior, if this was how he experienced Kung Fu all the time. Why Soft Style was so powerful. Why Water was powerful.
For a moment she felt like she understood the universe itself.
Po began to lean down, guiding her with him, bearing most of her weight.
"Watch," he whispered in reverent awe, and her eyes slid open to see his hand angling hers down gently, the droplet passing from the tip of her pad onto a blade of grass and slowly rolling down the stem to reunite with the earth. It was, possibly, the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced.
"Whoa..."
And the moment was broken by Monkey, his mouth hanging open as he stood with an equally shocked Shifu at the crest of the hill. Po righted Tigress by lifting her suddenly stiff form straight up and let go as if his paw pads were on fire, scooting awkwardly away with flaming cheeks. To her embarrassment, Tigress felt her cheeks flaring in kind.
'That was the single...most...and then they-,' but she cut her thought off when she felt the growl beginning deep in her chest, settling for standing stock still, save for her tail lashing wildly behind her.
"Aha ha ha, um, didn't see you guys there," Po began to stutter, eyes a little too wide, "well, I mean our eyes were closed so of course we didn't see you, but I didn't really hear you, but I mean you don't really hear much when you're doing that, you just sorta' feel, ya know, and I'm gonna stop talking now because Shifu's eye is twitching...creepy..."
"Monkey, leave," Shifu's tone brooked no argument, and the golden langur turned to move off, but not before shooting the pair a look over his shoulder and laughing out, "Now I know how to learn new moves from Po, right Tigress?"
"Monkey!" three shouts followed him as he sped down the hill, one indignant and two angry, 'Like father, like daughter they say!'
The others would need some cheering up if Shifu had spoken to all of them about the same training, and now he had just the thing...if they even believed him.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
The door to the training hall slammed shut, and a startled Po gave a small whimper as he turned to find Shifu standing by the doors with one paw to his forehead, massaging gently. Tigress winced at the force she had accidentally put into closing the doors. It was almost as if being broken from their moment on the hill had pulled anything Soft right out of her.
'Good thing Shifu didn't hand me any domino tiles,' she thought grimly as she bowed in apology.
On the hill, Shifu had stared at them for a good five or six minutes straight. Po had been nearly dancing from nervousness by the time the red panda finally took pity and turned away, expecting them to follow.
Follow they did, right into the training hall, and Tigress felt her heart sink a little for Po. He didn't deserve to be punished for showing her such a sacred technique. After all, she had already seen him perform it, 'And I asked him, this should be my punishment.'
"Master, I," Tigress started, but found her jaw pushed up and closed by Shifu's staff.
"Sit down, both of you," Shifu began to pace, but stopped himself and with a very deep breath, and only minor twitching, sat in front of them, "Panda, the next time you want to show Tigress, who I consider a daughter, anything, it will be done hands off."
"Yes Master Shifu!" Po all but cowered while Tigress felt herself blushing from head to toe, though whether it was from the pleasure of Shifu calling her daughter or from the hands off comment she couldn't quite tell. Perhaps both...
"That was, however, incredibly impressive, and," he paused, "and I can't believe I am saying this, but an amazingly innovative way to show Tigress what the technique should feel like without her having to obtain Inner Peace first. Which took me so, so, so very long to find..."
"I'm really sorry about that Master," Po winced, holding up his paws in a gesture of apology and trying his best to resist the urge to hide behind Tigress, though her small form would never hide his bulk, "I just thought it would be cool if I could share it with somebody. I mean we were doing Tai Chi and meditating...what's better than a little Inner Peace on the side, right?"
"Po, I think I'd stop while I'm ahead," Tigress intervened, "Which one of us did you want to speak with first, Master?"
"Both of you actually," he glanced tiredly towards the doors, then back again, and pulled a small silver scroll from his sleeve, "There is an ancient technique I am going to require all of you to learn. The others will perform their tasks one at a time. You two, however, will do this...somewhat together."
"What is it?" Po's enthusiasm came rushing back, Tigress could hear it in his voice and thought back to that moment of epiphany while dancing with water. He truly loved Kung Fu in a way she hadn't understood.
Everything shattered with Shifu's next words however.
"This is the Yexing Scroll. You will use it to hone your instincts by being Feral for three months, each. No cooked food, no beds, no clothes, no outside help what-so-ever. You will survive by instinct and instinct alone."
The panda and the tiger could only sit and listen in disbelief.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
