I'll post a new chapter every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Don't forget to also read my other stories, "Help Yourself" or "Why Not?"
IMPORTANT- Po is not in this piece, and altogether I've decided not to use his character, this story is written just for Tigress; I wanted her to be the star.
Lastly, don't forget to R&R (Rate & Review) for Herr Regis!

The Order

It was as any day in China, happy and without alarm. There hadn't been any bandits in The Valley of Peace for quite a few months, so the warriors were doing what they did best, training; exercising patience also. In the valley, the sun beamed down its bright hello on heavy heads, full of thought but without worry, far away, there were troubles, luckily not there though. On a hot day like today a light breeze was appreciated, and so it was given. Things were running smoothly, and the weather was nice. Many a citizen would look up and see the Jade Palace, thinking to themselves that they were safe, and that high in the mountains they had someone to protect them- especially when other regions had no one protecting them at all.
The Jade Palace was clean, very clean and very shiny as it always was. Most if not all hard stone corridors were cold and vacant, excluding the training hall where the furious five were training. Everyone wanted to be The Dragon Warrior, and training was the road to perfection, the constant and frequent stamping of motions and actions creating parts to a machine that would be sewn together by good ethics and hard work.
Within The Furious Five, there were a select group of very well trained Kung Fu students. Yes, they were students beneath their master, but skills were indeed strong amongst their ranks. The Jade Palace was a place of peacekeeping rather peacemaking, it was the Imperial Armies responsibility to make peace when it has gone or to bring it where it never was. Both parties were successful at their peace ventures, so no one asked questions.
Tigress, the leader and most fluent in the workings of Kung Fu, had a strong tendency to impress those who saw her. She was not particularly attractive for a woman, but her strength and raw power were immeasurable. Master Shifu always thought she was an excellent warrior capable of great things, but whether or not she was The Dragon Warrior was a debatable topic.
She was considered widely by her peers to be emotionless, but they knew very little in the spectrum of emotion as of yet.
The remaining four members, Viper, Crane, Mantis and Monkey were all also excellent students of Kung Fu, perfecting- to their degree of perfection- their own style of Kung Fu.
In the training hall, wooden warrior training stands were being promptly clawed apart by a woman with a strong vengeance for absolute perfection, she had completed her most recent Kung Fu scroll today, and was ready personally to move on to another.
Master Shifu thought she should wait at least another day before continuing, but she must chose her own path at times.
As Tigress destroyed the last of many wooden warriors, she pounced into the air, doing a backwards spiral flip and landing flawlessly in front of her master, standing up promptly and bowing.

"Well done Tigress."
Master Shifu was uncertain why Tigress was so inclined to continue her training so aggressively, but he too had personal problems preventing him from picking up social cues.

"Thank you master, so your permission..."

"Yes, you'd like to start on the next scroll."
Looking past her body, Master Shifu could clearly see that the wooden warriors were all destroyed and she hadn't a scratch on her, so whatever it was she was doing, she was doing it right.

"Yes master."
Tigress was indeed a stone wall if one ever existed, there were no emotions evident to her peers. She was, a wind up trinket, after some slight motivation and pointing her in any given directions, she would proceed.

Tigress turned away from her master, walking swiftly out the large opening that is the training hall doors. In the courtyard were her four companions, who happily congratulated her on yet another marvelous achievement.

"Well done Tigress, you did a really good job in there!"
Said Viper with a smile, flicking her tongue afterwards and looking up at Tigress, the small flower on her head gleaming against the sunlight.

"Thank you Viper, that scroll wasn't the easiest. I'm going to go get the next one."
Tigress placer her paws on her lower back, bending her spine so it cracked as she spoke.

"Already? You just finished..."

"I know, but it's still morning, I have more work to do."
With that, Tigress continued onward toward the main hall of the palace, the place where Kung Fu scrolls were kept.
She passed her other three companions who all in tern congratulated her on excellent work.
The door to the hall was heavy and difficult to swing open, but a set of muscular arms could do so easily. Tigress was sore, but that never stopped her, and those doors never weighed much to her anyway.

Walking now onward across jade green stone flooring, Tigress strut down the wide entrance hall, passing columns and artifacts of Kung Fu history. At the end of this lengthy hall sat a pool of crystal clear water, reflecting the image of a coiled golden dragon symbol on the ceiling. Tigress spent a few moments starring at the water, seeing the flawless copy of what lie overhead before she looked up, craning her neck to see better. The dragon had in its mouth an ornate scroll. The Dragon Scroll.
Wordlessly Tigress reached up at the sky, imagining what it would be like to simply touch the document, let alone read it.

"Soon, soon I'll have you."
Whispered Tigress to herself, smiling as she retracted her paw and walked slowly, still looking up, over to the stacks and stacks of scrolls. She parted her gaze from the ceiling and down to the shelf, where yet again her arm reached up, digits shuffling through different rows and columns for the correct scroll.
She pulled one out, a white tube, inside rattling a waxy paper bundle. After unscrewing an end cap, she tilted the tube and out fell the scroll. After unraveling its top and reading the heading, Tigress' satisfied facial expression meant that she had found the correct scroll.
Taking the tube and paper with her, Tigress quickly jogged out of area known as the Hall of Heroes, and back into the court yard where her friends still stood. As Tigress' eyes adjusted to the sunlight, the training efforts of her friends came into view, and Tigress saw something she didn't like.

"Monkey!"
Shouted Tigress, rushing over to where he was standing, in sparring position with Mantis.

"What's up Tigress? You're all knotted up again."
Joked Monkey.
"Yeah, didn't we tell you last week to find a fire before you scream?"
Snickered Mantis.

Tigress simply starred on, unimpressed by their antics.
"I have found a fire. Monkey, you're stance is all wrong, you don't have your arms held out straight enough. Like this."
Tigress took a fighting stance next to Monkey, letting him look at the straightness of her arms. He perked his up some, now in correspondence with hers.

"There."
Said Tigress happily, feeling like she were somehow superior to them, something she liked to feel from time to time. After showing Monkey the revised stance, Tigress jumped up, wrapping both her legs around his neck and mid flight flipping the warrior upside down and slamming him hard into the rock ground of the court yard.

Looking up, dazed and confused, Monkey saw standing over him the face of an orange south china tiger, a female, who had a rather smug look.

"You really should work on your defense Monkey, you need it."
Tigress walked away then, rolling her tongue over her teeth in slight happiness.
After walking a little further, Tigress arrived inside the barracks where she slept, opening the double doors, Tigress entered her room and closed them behind her, then proceeding to walk over to her bed and sit.
Flicking through the scroll and all of its length was indeed a challenge. The words were big and the meaning unclear. The words were arranged as if to distract you from the true focus, forcing you to think like a paranoid crazy person.

After several hours of reading, Tigress realized something, something that needed to be said a while ago, but she ignored the feeling.

"I don't understand any of this!"

She knew she didn't over an hour ago, but like a warm blanket false ignorance told her to push on, that she understood the words at this point her eyes simply slid over like a hot iron over smooth ice.

It was after lunch time now, Tigress had missed lunch because she was swarming so diligently on this scroll. Being less then one quarter of the way through, and yet to get to the physical parts, Tigress simply put the scroll down.
Running her digits through the fur on top of her head, Tigress leaned back and laid down, considering her options.
They were narrow and few.

"Maybe some air will help me think."
Tigress quickly stood up, walking across her small barrack room and out onto her small balcony. Her room was the only one with a balcony, so it was a special treat and a solitary place for her to think. The sky was a light and hazy orange while clouds covered the setting sun, pushing it away even faster.

"It must be dinner time by now."
Tigress rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly, hanging her shoulders and walking back into her room, closing the balcony doors and heading over to the hallway, from there leaving the barracks altogether and going back out onto the court yard. The doors to the training hall were shut, and no one was around for her to see.

Tigress turned her head quickly at the sound of Zeng- the palace messenger- flying over the wall, and without the slightest hesitation falling to the ground in a big thud, loose feathers ruffled. He looked up, seeing Tigress standing at the entrance to the barracks looking at him.

"Tigress! I have an urgent letter for... Um, it doesn't say really but it's urgent!"
Shouted Zeng in his high and squeaky voice.

"Who sent it?"

"The Imperial Army!"

"Really?" Questioned Tigress as she delicately took the large and heavy scroll from the tired birds mouth, "I wonder why they'd be sending something to us." Tigress used one of her claws to open it, unraveling the top as she normally did to see what something was about.
Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the text. The words.

"Mistress?" Asked Zeng, reading her eyes as terrified.

"You're dismissed Zeng, I'll get this to Master Shifu and the others right away."
Tigress swallowed, pulling the collar of her vest loose before she sprinted away toward the kitchen. It was dinner time, so she safely assumed everyone would be in there.

The scroll was hot and heavy like an undeniable order from the gods, demanding that something be done immediately that no one otherwise would want to do.
Around the dinner table were the four other members of Tigress' group and Master Shifu himself.

"Excuse me master but..."
Tigress was slightly out of breath, clenching the order in her paw tightly.

"What is it Tigress?"
Asked Shifu, looking around and seeing the letter scroll in her paw.

"I'm sorry master, it had no specific recipient so I opened it."
Master Shifu moved over slightly so she may roll the scroll out across the table, it wasn't long, maybe only twelve inches.

Everyone moved their soup bowls out of the way to see the words, and their eyes grew wide just as Tigress' had.

The letter read:

To whom this letter may concern at/in the: JADE PALACE

It is The Imperial Army's great displeasure to hereby call into use the draft of civilians to assist in war related efforts. Able bodied citizens with relevant occupations and experiences will be called on first such as those listed below. A briefing will occur two days after the arrival of this letter by a military official, see time below. Fleeing the draft is punishable by imprisonment or in severe cases execution. If a draft card containing your name and species is not included, you are thus exempt. If your draft card contains errors, please see your commanding officer.

The commanding officer of your assigned unit is:
COMMANDING COLONEL JAY HAIFU, GREAT IMPERIAL ARMY OF CHINA: SQUAD 3

Time of Briefing: 12:00PM

Thank you: JADE PALACE DRAFTSMEN

South China Tiger: Tigress: Female
Green Tree Viper: Viper: Female
Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey: Monkey: Male
Chinese Mantis: Mantis: Male
Black Necked Crane: Crane: Male

The names read in a way only describable by the falling of an axe, reaching a slow an high apex, only to fall with great, striking conviction.

"No."
This is all Master Shifu could say, his students, dare it be said, his children were being taken away from him and there was nothing he could do now- and he wasn't welcome to come along.
There stood The Furious Five, holding their draft cards and completely unsure how to react.

"I hope we impress our colonel."
Said Tigress, trying to loosen e figurative noose tied around their necks.

"How can this be? Woman aren't even allowed in the army... not that you two aren't good enough..."
Said Crane, shocked that the girls would be drafted as well.

"They must be really desperate if they need us."
Said Viper, drawing a just conclusion.

"They've been doing a lot of fighting against those terrorists to the NorthWest haven't they?"
Asked Monkey, trying to find out what exactly they were needed for.

"And it says squad three, what does that mean? Who are squads one and two?"
Added Crane, sounding slightly worried.

"Students, calm down. I admit I too am distressed, and I will be having a word with this colonel 'Jay Haifu.' But if the army needs assistance, then you must go and help them. The letter clarifies a briefing of sorts, so in two days I suppose we should expect are colonial to arrive."

"Should we run?"

"Don't be ridiculous Viper! Master Oogway would never permit you, of all people, to run from a problem you face."

"Unless it was a very scary problem."
Joked Monkey, receiving snickers from Mantis and a death stare from Tigress and Master Shifu.

"Everyone, sit down!"
Said Master Shifu demandingly, rolling up the scroll and placing it off to the side, waiting for everyone to calm down so he could issue some form of reassurance.

"Thank you, wherever it is you five will go, I am sure the colonel will maintain a level of safety in the... squad, and that you all will be serving a great duty, possibly in combat or possibly humanitarian. Either way, know that you all will be safe."

"Will he even take us master? Like Crane said, they don't allow woman into the army, maybe they made a mistake..."

"No, they wouldn't make the same mistake twice. We will fight."
Said Tigress, knowing that the army was very prestigious and secretive, and that it would NEVER allow a mistake, especially a double mistake, to be leaked out into the public.

Everyone felt tense as they continued to eat their now cold soup, if you could call it eating. Their throats were dry and nothing, not even liquid, wanted to go down.
Finally, Crane broke the silence with yet another attempt at comedy.

"This guy has a funny name though, Haifu, it sounds like a sneeze."

"It sounds like Shifu." Added Monkey with a smile.
"That guy could probably beat you up." Added Mantis.
"No!" Monkey and Crane both said loudly.

While the boys were arguing. Viper tried to make small talk with Tigress.

"What do you think he looks like?"

"I don't know, male."

"Do you think he's strong and handsome?"

"He's probably no stronger then I am."

"What about handsome?"

"Maybe."

"Would you ever..."

"Viper! Enough!" Tigress was getting flustered, maybe he would be good looking, but that wasn't the important part. The important part was that he was a competent leader, because Tigress HATED incompetence.

Master Shifu had tried his hand as remaining silent, but the arguing was to much for his old ears to bear.

"Stop! This discussion is over! I will hear no more gossip about the colonel! Go now, do what you want until curfew."

"Yes master."
Stated all five warriors simultaneously, standing up and departing the kitchen with some haste.

"I'm going to meditate."
Said Master Shifu to himself, rubbing his temples with his head held low and his eyes closed, cold soup pushed off to the side.

"What were you talking about that got Tigress so mad?"
Asked Crane, seeing that Tigress did not remain back to walk with everyone else. Not that she usually did, she simply disappeared quicker then usual, and she had yelled at Viper.

"I asked her if she thought he'd be handsome."

Crane scoffed.
"There's your mistake."

"Maybe she's just nervous about all of this, I am."
Said Viper, blushing at the thought of being scared like a child going to school for the first time.

"Plus, she'll have to take orders now, that'll be a nightmare."

"No, not necessarily, as long as this colonel treats her well then I doubt Tigress will have a problem with taking orders."
Viper was sure of herself in this one, Tigress would listen, but if you're an awful person? Then that's how she'll treat you.

As the other four members of The Furious Five began to fall asleep or do leisure activities, Tigress was pacing around two documents, one being her draft card, the other being the Kung Fu scroll she had yet to decipher.
As she sometimes did, Tigress was talking to herself.

"What if he doesn't respect me because I'm a woman? What if he thinks I'm a man! Should I correct him? Will he leave Viper and I behind just because we're not male? I don't think so, that wouldn't make sense."

Tigress continued pacing, her paws behind her back as she moved around the small room.

"Maybe I could start that scroll in the next two days, master it and then use the knowledge to impress him!"

Tigress felt in necessary to prove herself to this man, to this colonel. She didn't have to, no one else was going to do anything special.

All night long, well passed curfew Tigress read and reread the scroll, trying to understand what it was saying, and what the underlying subtext was saying. That was much easier said then done, but she had a will to succeed.
The next day Tigress was very groggy, and luckily Master Shifu had excused them from this one day of training for leisure time, as a going away present if you will.

The next day, Tigress woke up feeling energized, partially because she slept through the majority of her day off, not studying the scroll as much as she would have liked.
It was the day before the scheduled briefing, and as usual everyone was training in the training hall.
Breakfast, training, break, lunch, training, break, dinner, sleep. Repeat.
And of coarse somewhere in there the five had to find time to complete chores.

Normally, chores such as polishing floors, dusting, sweeping, cleaning, etc. were for servants, but knowing a very important person was coming over very soon, Master Shifu had his students cleaning the palace and the grounds from top to bottom, not wanting the colonel to think he was running a sham operation.

It was late now, the sun had practically set, the students arms and legs were sore and weak from over use. Every step to the barracks shot a heavy tingling bullet up their nerves and straight to the core of their beings, sleep would be much appreciated.

Tigress was feeling worthless. She hadn't read the scroll through yet, and she was out of time. She had nothing new to impress her master, her colleagues, or the colonel.

"I'm staying up all night." Whispered Tigress to herself, knowing that it was now or never.
When she got into her room, Tigress spun around and closed the doors tightly behind her, then proceeding over to her small writing desk where there were two drawers and a table top.
The top drawer had paper goods and writing utensils, and the bottom drawer had the scroll inside of it. Tigress was suffering what many know as procrastination, so she decided in a last ditch effort to avoid working she would change into more night friendly clothes.

Opening the top drawer of a bureau not to far away Tigress was confronted with her bland and basic wardrobe, back pants, red vests, and undergarments. Although, she did have some rather spicy and risqué red undergarments that were very out of place in her things, but you know- rather have them and not need them then need them and not have them.

After rummaging around for a different vest. tigress removed her current top as well as chest wrapping, replacing it with the night vest. She also replaced her bottoms and those undergarments with fresh new ones, avoiding the skimpy red number.

"Some other time."
Tigress snickered. She'd never wear those. They probably didn't even fit.
As she closed the drawer, a loud glass like thunk and swish was easily heard by her sensitive ears. Opening the drawer again, Tigress bent down a little and peaked inside, looking for whatever had made the noise. She reached in with her arm, stretching to reach the back of the very deep drawer. Her digits dug and scratched up until they stumbled clumsily over a square bottle. Pulling it out, Tigress, stood it upright in her two paws, one on the bottom one on the back, scanning the label with her eyes.

Fung Hern Rice Vodka
100 Proof
Drink Responsibly

"Strong stuff."
Tigress jiggled the bottle in her paws, feeling the weight of the extremely alcoholic liquid.
There was a time when she was younger and more rebellious that this beverage was her closest friend, keeping her warm when it was cold, keeping her safe when there was danger, or even holding her when no one else would.
The bottle was over half full, and sealed well.
Tigress closed her eyes, placing the top of the closed bottle to her lips, the feeling surfacing memories as vivid and strong as the spirit. Tigress had some screwed up memories, but these memories of being drunk were surprisingly clear.
The images took her away from being in trouble, and brought her somewhere nice.

Tigress extended a single claw, admiring it's sharpness before digging it into the cork of the bottle plug, slowly twisting to get the top out of the neck of the bottle.
With a quick pop, the cork fell out and tumbled down to the ground where Tigress left it.
Now, no longer in control of her body, Tigress placed the square bottles neck to her lips and took a swig of 100 proof vodka. It burned her tongue slightly, the same tingling feeling she got in her muscles when Tigress exercised a lot at one time, but this was in her mouth.

It's a shame that the fluid designated to calm and focus her nerves would make her numb and intoxicated.

From there, Tigress fell completely into a world of drinking, consuming over half of the three quarters of remaining vodka.
Nearly incapable of standing, Tigress stumbled over to her desk, corking the bottle and shoving it into the bottom drawer, also sloppily shoving the Kung Fu scroll on top of the bottle, slamming the packed drawer roughly and walking back to her bed, where Tigress quickly fell asleep on top of her covers, face down.

She had not learned her scroll; she had gotten drunk; she had passed out; she was up WAY passed curfew; the colonel was coming the next day. Pray he has a bad sense of smell. If Tigress were conscious, she would be.
It was already very late, practically morning, so she would be getting very little sleep out of her final night as a free citizen of China, because tomorrow afternoon, she'd be a solider in The Great Imperial Army of China, serving under Commanding Colonel Jay Haifu.

Don't forget to R&R (Rate & Review) for Herr Regis!