The Valley of peace was almost silent, even though the day was as beautiful as possible, not one living soul felt like enjoying the weather. The famous Dragon Warrior had to everyone's disbelief betrayed them, causing shock to everyone that lived in the valley. He was always known for his warm heart and caring nature and was loved by all, that was until last night, where he and his primate friend had done something so unexpectedly stupid that it had landed the two justices of the peace under arrest by the very people that were well known to be their comrades, the rest of the Furious Five.
Po sat on the floor cold stone floor, his knees brought up to his face in shame "How did one joke go so badly wrong?" He thought to himself as he sat in the dungeon of the jade palace. He took a quick glance up to view his surrounding before hiding his face again. It was a plain stone room with two rags on the floor to be slept on, a single iron door and one lonely window in the top corner of the cell. Monkey was laid down on his pallet apparently asleep "How can Monkey sleep at a time like this" Po asked himself "Although," Po considered "It's not like it was his fault or anything. It was me being the complete opposite of awesome" He shifted his weight to lie down onto the pallet.
"Why just why did I have to try and pull of that stupid stunt why why why" He whispered as tears started to form in his eyes "and to make things worse not only have I ruined my reputation I dragged Monkey into this stupid escapade so now he's in bother too. I'm such a big fat stupid panda. " The last seven words were almost shouted by the panda causing Monkey to jump up into a defensive stance scanning the room.
"What the hell Po," Monkey threw at the panda. When he noticed the panda was the only creature in the room, crying on his mat covering his face with his forearm he let down his stance and strolled over to comfort the warrior. "Look Po," Monkey said with a calming and caring tone, "it's not just your fault. I joined you when I should have seen the possibility of this happening if it went wrong but I still managed to land myself in here"
"What the hell were they thinking doing something like that?" enquired Viper, a tree snake that was coiled up on a wooden chair in the kitchen.
"I don't think they were." Crane replied finishing his mouthful of soup
"But they obviously planned the prank and it's clear due to their actions that they would end up achieving nothing but this, I don't believe it. It's too odd" Stated Mantis
"Po is possibly the most immature person above the age of twenty in the whole of the valley but for Monkey to follow suit there is something wrong here" Tigress added finally deciding to input her view after being silent most of the meal
"Wrong, yes but it's obvious that they're guilty, they were caught red handed." Crane interjected
"I just wish we knew why." Viper asked looking down at the table as if it held all the answers
"I agree." Tigress stated sitting as her usual emotionless self
"Yeah." Crane and Mantis added simultaneously, as the remaining members of the five nodded in agreement
Grandmaster Shifu sat in the lotus position meditating under the beautifully blooming Sacred peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom.
"What am I going to do with those two?" He questioned himself. "I know they wouldn't do this on purpose but urgh. Under protocol this kind of action requires banishment but I can't break up the Furious Five and the valley needs its Dragon Warrior. What am I going to do?" At this thought Shifu felt exhaustion fill up his body
"I need some sleep" he said out loud to himself. "I'll have to deal with them in the morning. I'll get Tigress to take the prisoners something to eat and tell everyone else to get some sleep." He started to slowly make his way back to the palace looking at his former Master's Staff all the way "I need your guidance Master I am lost." He said before heading off to find his students.
Meanwhile back in the kitchen the four were finishing their dinner.
"Do you think we should talk to them?" Asked Viper curiously
"No, I'm sure Master Shifu will deal with them." Crane answered trying his best to hide his exhaustion even though he was stifling a yawn
"Yeah but…" Mantis stopped mid-sentence as Master Shifu walked in. "Students we have a long day of training ahead tomorrow, it might be a good idea for everyone to turn in for tonight." Shifu said in a voice that stated it was not a suggestion but a request
"Yes Master Shifu." They all said in union bowing in respect to their Master, with their fist against the palm of their other extremity. They all started to leave the kitchen, when Shifu called back Tigress
"Tigress would you mind taking the 'prisoners' a loaf of bread and bowl of soup each?" Shifu asked as he started walking back to his own room
"Of course not Master." She replied as she headed over to collect the stated food and make her way down to the dungeon
As Tigress got closer to the dungeon she could start to hear hushed whispers of comfort, which she recognised as Monkey's voice
"Look Po you done stupider things than this and they've been sorted out in the end with little harm done." Tigress heard Monkey say with forced humour hiding the still very obvious sorrow in his voice. "Remember when you paralysed Mantis at that geek convention, or when you got us all kicked out of the palace by Junjie?"
"How can I forget that, Tigress still hasn't forgiven me for making her have to run a birthday business." Po cut in before Monkey could bring up another of his plentiful mistakes. Starting to cheer up with a chuckle, tears were still present in his eyes but a weak smile crept onto his face.
"You're right I still haven't forgotten that, and I will get you back for it when I get the chance." Tigress spoke as she walked around the corner with a scowl on her face
"Aahh" Po screamed in shock as he heard Tigress speak out. "When did you get here, how much did you hear" He asked his face a mask of curiosity and a little discomfort finding out that his conversation was being eavesdropped on
"Only from about you paralysing Mantis" She replied indifferently, shrugging slightly as she put the food through the iron flap at the bottom of the door. "I was told to bring you this"
"Not hungry" Was the response she got from the last person in the whole of China she would ever expect to turn down food, especially considering that the two "Prisoners" hadn't been fed since that morning and it was now an hour after sunset in the middle of summer.
"Po … Did you just turn down food." An obvious expression of concern and confusion broke through Tigress' usually hard-core character, as Po called it but only for a split second. Monkey however was so shocked he dropped the bread he was holding to his mouth, causing it to fall and splash the primate in noodles as it landed in his bowl.
"Who are you and what did you do with Po" He stated with concern before placing his bowl of food which now had his half of the bread floating in on the floor, before walking over to Po. Po looked up just in time to see Monkey place his hands on Po's shoulders and start shaking a little more aggressively than he meant to. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH PO." He repeated louder but with a voice on the verge of laughing, as he watched the head of the panda bounce back and forth. Spilling the soup Po was holding over the both of them.
"DAMM IT MONKEY" Po screamed at Monkey, standing up to watch the soup drip off his pants. "What the hell was that for?" Po asked in a mix of confusion and anger, which was not helped by the sight of the primate rolling on the floor in hysterics
Po looked over at Monkey before seeing the rest of Monkey's food behind him, causing an evil grin to spread over his features as an idea popped into his head.
"Monkey" Po said the smile still on his face as he picked up the bowl containing Monkey's food. "I think you need a bath." He stated as he poured the whole bowl over Monkey, who was still on the floor laughing. This caused the primate to jump up being his turn to stand obviously uncomfortable as the soup slipped down through his fur and clothes towards the floor. He just stood there his face only showing discomfort as the panda took his turn to roll on the floor laughing. "If only you could see you now, it's SSSOOOOOOO FUNNY" Po blurted out between laughs
"I hate you sometimes." Monkey groaned
"I can't believe how childish you two can be sometimes. Why the hell would you go and do… THAT." The female tiger shouted now fuming because of the fact it would be HER job to fetch more food and oversee the cleaning up. "You know what, you can stay like this until morning good night you two." She spoke with no emotion in her voice and a slight smile that looked as if she was inwardly laughing at the two soup soaked suckers in the cell. This caused Monkey to now look slightly afraid, as he hoped that she was joking knowing full well that she never did. Po on the other hand immediately stopped laughing sat up and looked dumbstruck as he watched the feline walk away.
"NO" they both screamed after her "PLEASE" they begged as she ignored them disappearing out of view. "Well that's just great." Po whispered to himself loud enough for Monkey to hear, as he slumped onto his wet mat
Tigress continued towards the master's sleeping quarters openly laughing, making sure to stay quiet enough so that nobody would hear her "The look on their faces was priceless." She thought to herself she would never admit it but it took all of her mental strength and discipline to keep an angry appearance as she watched the two 'children' argue. She inwardly wanted to laugh along but she valued her pride and reputation too much to attempt that. What would people say if she did that, would they be thinking that the hard-core tigress was going soft or that she was finally lightning up?
"That will never happen." She scowled to herself for even considering that fact. True she had lightened up since Po came to the palace but not that far, NEVER that far even if she had been hiding something with the panda, all those years of training to show no weakness would not go down the drain. "No big fat panda is going to…" wait why was she thinking foul of him? All he was doing was being a good friend and more to her and the other Kung Fu Masters. No they were not just comrades but members of a family. "Yes that's what we are a family." She sighed to herself "And family ... help each other no matter what." She turned around heading back towards the two jokers, knowing that it was her obligation to help clean them up and get them something to actually eat. "Besides" She thought to herself with a slightly evil smirk "by the way they were begging for me to come back, I think they have learned their lesson. If not I'll teach them in training." The last part of that though caused the tiger'ssmirk to grow into an evilly frightening grin before turning unreadable again.
She turned the last corner to come into view of the holding cell only to freeze in shock. The door was wide open and without even looking through it she could tell what was transpiring on the other side of the large iron door
"WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED HERE?" Shifu was screaming during one of his, "what's the best thing to describe them" she pondered "outbursts, rants, telling offs?" whatever they were they could turn ugly at the least serious of times and by the tone of his voice the way it created fear into its victims and lone onlooker he was not happy at all. "FIRST THE VALLEY AND NOW YOUR CELL." Tigress was getting a big urge to leave before this somehow also became her fault like a lot of Po's other mistakes. She bit her lip and continued towards the "rant" as she decided to call it. "DO YOU NEVER LEARN AFTER EVERYTHING DO YOU THINK THIS A JOKE." He stopped only a split second to catch his breath before continuing. "IS THIS FUNNY TO YOU, WELL IS IT." The response he got was the last thing he thought he would hear and from the last person he expected to hear it from "What did you say" Master Shifu spoke his voice returning to its normal volume but holding the same tone with an added hint of confusion
"I said" trying to keep her tone objective as Tigress spoke to her Master "it not what it looks like." Shifu's temper rose as she repeated those words, all he could think was why is she defending them?