I am a horrible author I know! But I have been listening to the Les Miserables soundtrack for a long time now, and I've had this idea for the longest of time, but I just had to post it!
So just please give it a chance, pretty please?
-Four Years before Po's Arrival at the Jade Palace-
A tall, strongly built, male panther in his late thirties with pitch black fur and silver eyes (along with all his other fellow convicts) were standing chest-deep in sea water. The ship they were in charge of bringing in was proving to be quite a challenge. For one, it was storming; the wind was spraying all the salty sea water into their faces, and all they had to pull in the heavy boats with only ropes.
The panther grunted and groaned as he worked. Pulling in the rope to the beat of the crashing waves.
"Look down, look down. Don't look 'em in the eye." The panther thought to himself as he glanced up to see all the royal guards scattered across the boat dockings. "I'm here until I die…" The feline thought bitterly.
"Oh god, it's as hot as hell below!" One of the panther's fellow convicts complained.
"There's just twenty years to go!" Another shouted happily.
"I've done no wrong!" The convict in front of him said. At a time, the panther thought that of himself too. "Please good gods, hear my prayer!" The convict shouted to the sky.
"Look down! Look down! The gods don't even care!" The convicts shouted at him.
"I know she'll wait! I know that she'll stay true!" An elderly convict shouted
"Don't hold your breath!" A convict behind the panther shouted to him. "They've all forgotten you!"
"When I get out, when I am free, you won't see me here for dust!" The panther shouted.
"Look down, look down!" Every convict chanted in unison. "You'll always be a slave. You're standing in your grave."
"Prisoner 24601! Bring me prisoner 24601!" The head guard shouted to the others. The panther's head shot up. That was his prisoner number! Not wanting to end up in even more trouble than he probably already was, he let go of the rope and swam toward the guards who were waiting for him.
He hoisted himself onto the docks and let the two guards lead him to the head guard, a fifty-something lynx with bright yellow eyes. He glared at him then turned toward the other two guards "Bring him to the gate."
The two guards nodded then dragged the panther away from the other convicts, away from the sea water. Although you could still smell it on the panther's clothes (or rags as he called them).
When they arrived, the two guards shoved the panther to the ground which caused the panther to land face first in mud, then laughed at his misfortune. "Wouldn't get any ideas if I were you, bub!" A guard said snidely at him, and then he walked away with the other guard.
It was then the panther lifted his face out of the mud and saw where he was. He was at the front gate of the prison! And the gate was un-locked! Ever since we was imprisoned here, nineteen years ago, he had tried multiple times to escape and learned one thing the very first try, the front gate was never unlocked. Only when a prisoner was coming in or when one was being…
"Released…" The panther whispered, appalled.
"You must be him!" The panther heard a male voice from behind him. He turned to see an Indochinese tiger who was probably either twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old with orange and white and black striped fur and amber eyes wearing brown sandals, silver silk pants, a long-sleeved, teal silk shirt with silver trim, and a green robe draped across one of his shoulders walking up to him. The tiger was carrying some papers in one hand and a ring of keys in the other.
"You must be Prisoner 24601." The tiger said, smiling at him in a friendly way. "Your time is up
and your parole's begun. You know what that mean?"
The panther smiled happily. Released, he thought he was going to die here in all honestly. "Yes, it means I'm free!"
The tiger cringed as if he was punched in the gut. "I'm sorry, but no. It means you get this." The tiger handed him a yellow paper with information on it. His information. His age, his name, his crime, what he's done since he's been here, and how long he's been here.
"What is this? And shouldn't the head guard be giving me this?" The panther questioned in an irritated manner.
"This is your yellow-ticket of leave. Your parole papers. This is what shows that you could possibly be a threat." The tiger said in an apologetic way.
"I stole a loaf of bread!" The panther shouted at him.
"According to these papers here," The tiger said grabbing a white piece of paper and read off of it for a moment. "You robbed a house to get that bread."
"I had to! My sister's child was close to death and-and we were starving!" The panther retorted, he could feel his anger staring to rise.
"Well, unless you can follow this parole to the exact letter and learn the meaning of the law… you will starve again." The tiger said.
"I know the meaning of these past nineteen years, as a slave of the law." The panther snarled.
"Listen," The tiger said sternly, as if about to punish a child. "You got five years for stealing that loaf of bread and the rest for numerous escape attempts. So prisoner 24601-"
"My name is Shā-Wēi Xing!" The panther snarled bitterly at the tiger. (A/N: Pronounce it like Sh-aah Way.)
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Xing." The tiger said in an annoyed tone, yet he still held out his hand as if to shake it. "My name is Grandmaster Tai-Yang Long of the Marble Palace in Bùxiǔ de Xīwàng City." It was then that the strong, yet rusted, iron gates opened. "Enjoy your freedom, Shā-Wēi Xing. But remember, you must become an honest man, now."
Shā-Wēi mentally scoffed in response, then he walked hastily out of the prison, leaving Tai-Yang standing there, glancing in a somewhat sadden way. Unaware of the danger and suffer that came with letting Shā-Wēi go free.
-About five miles away from the prison-
Shā-Wēi glanced back at the prison, which was now a speck in the distance. "Freedom is mine. Freedom at last. I can feel the wind. I can breathe again. Never forget the years, the waste." He glared at the prison and shook his head. "Nor forgive them, for what they've done. They are the guilty ones - everyone. The day begins... And now let's see what this new world will do for me!"
Shā-Wēi smiled as he made his way toward a nearby village. Confident that the good people will understand that the good-people of the village will understand.
-Three weeks later-
Shā-Wēi collapsed to the dusty ground below him, unable to walk another step without rest. His bones barring from lack of food, his once magnificent coat of fur oily and covered in filth. And he had thick bags under his eyes. Why? All because of his damn parole papers! By law he was required to show them to every employer, every inn keeper, and every establishment that he dared entered. And they all turned him away because of his crimes.
He knew he had done no wrong, his sister and nephew needed that bread. But then again, he did break the law. And he knew very well that there were consequences. But is Grandmaster Ta-Yang hadn't given him that exact same paperwork, he wouldn't be in this mess!
"Hi mister." Shā-Wēi looked up to see a little bunny child, no older than seven, smiling down at him. "Why are ya so skinny?" The child pointed to his rib cage.
"What city am I in, child?" Shā-Wēi asked in a voice that was just above a whisper.
"Bùxiǔ de Xīwàng City, sir." The child answered sweetly.
"Lea, get away from him!" A bunny in her early thirties shouted and grabbed the child and leads her away from the leopard. "I've heard of him, he's that scumbag that was released from jail. He could've stolen your money and be gone in a flash!" Shā-Wēi heard the mother rabbit explain to the child.
"Bitches…" He growled under his breath. That's when he saw it, a loaf of bread! At the top of a trash-can pile not too far from him. With his mouth watering, Shā-Wēi crawled over to the trash and greedily grabbed the loaf. He was about to shove the entire loaf into his mouth when…
"Citizens! Citizens! Wonderful news! Wonderful, Extraordinary news! Grandmaster Tai-Yang's wife, Mistress Ming Yuè is pregnant with our future leader!" A young goose ran out of a massive building made entirely out of various types of marble.
"Grandmaster Tai-Yang… His wife… Is pregnant!" Shā-Wēi thought furiously. The exact same bastard that is to blame for his predicament has a wife. Who, within nine months time, will give birth to a baby boy or girl. This infuriated Shā-Wēi. For the past nineteen years, he was made a slave of China's law and then he was released, then he wandered aimlessly around for the past three weeks wanting only food and shelter and acceptance, and now he learns that the man who caused his burdens had a wife who was pregnant! Oh the joy and happiness the tiger must feel.
"Damn that man, damn his wife, and damn his child!" Shā-Wēi cursed under his breath as he dropped the bread and staggered out into the opening. He was finally able to take in the true magnificence of marble building in front of him.
"His life is full of happiness, while I'm stuck obeying the law! Some law, it's supposed to punish those who have done only wrong, while I am-" Shā-Wēi stopped mid-sentence as he came upon his realization. He was wrongly punished. And Tai-Yang, even though he released him, had inflicted the punishment of ever even considering stealing that loaf of bread. And that's against the law to wrongly inflict punishment on someone who is innocent.
"I have done no wrong, and yet Tai-Yang has. And the law states that those who break the law must be punished. And Tai-Yang and his entire family must be punished!" Shā-Wēi smiled viciously and then glanced down at his parole papers and glared. But these accursed papers were standing in his way. "But even in my weak state, I am stronger than paper!" The panther hissed mercilessly.
He grabbed his papers and begun to rip then into little shreds. Each one tinier than the last. All the, Shā-Wēi was imagining that he was ripping Tai-Yang's throat open. This brought him great joy.
"Prepare, Tai-Yang… Hide your wife… Hide all you love…For I'm coming to take all of their lives." Shā-Wēi smirked angrily-yet at the same time crazily- and walked away from the marble palace in an angry-yet determined- huff.
-Nine months and one week later-
Tigress, along with Master Oogway, Master Shifu, her fellow Furious Five members, Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc, sat quietly along with many of the citizens of Bùxiǔ de Xīwàng City. All of them were wearing some type of white mostly, save for Master Oogway who wore his green grandmaster's robe and Grandmaster Tai-Yang who wore both white and his green grandmaster's robe.
Tigress glanced up at the coffin and felt a very tiny lump start to form. Mistress Ming Yuè lay dead in that coffin. She was only twenty-five years old; she passed away after giving birth to her and Tai-Yang's daughter, Tigria. She only held her daughter for five minutes before she passed on. Tigress figured it was too painful, and that she wasn't strong enough. But Tigress knew that she was happier now.
Tigress, who was sitting next to him, glanced over at Master Tai-Yang. She could tell he had been crying, and she didn't blame him for it. He just lost the love of his life. Tigress, feeling sympathetic for the man next to her, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Tai-Yang smiled at her, which she returned slightly.
Then Tigress glanced down and saw Tigria looking up at her father with the curiousness that any child her age would have. Tigria was a very unique tiger. She, like both of her parents, was an Indochinese tiger, but the similarities ended there. Tigria, unlike her parents, had snow white fur and black stripes and she had big round eyes the exact same color as sapphires.
"Poor Tigria," Tigress thought to herself. "She'll never know her mother. But at least she still has her father."
Without a second thought on that subject, Tigress returned her attention to the funeral service for the beloved Mistress of Bùxiǔ de Xīwàng City.
-Later that night-
Silence. The only sound that could be heard inside the entire Marble Palace was itty bitty Tigria's happy giggles and gurgles. Tai-Yang had gone to put her down to bed, and was in the room just down the hall from the dining room that Tigress and the other masters currently sat in. A gourmet meal, their dinner, sat in front of them… but nobody felt like eating.
"It took awhile, but I believe Tigria's finally asleep." Tai-Yang said as he walked back into the room and took his seat at the head of the table. "Once again, thank you all for coming. This means so much to me."
"It was the least we could do." Ox smiled kindly at him.
"Ming Yuè will always be in all of our hearts." Shifu said.
"She is in a better place now." Tai-Yang said, with just the hint of sadness in his voice.
"You still have Tigria." Tigress spoke up. "And she is Ming Yuè's legacy."
"Yes," Tai-Yang smiled weakly at Tigress. "Tigria is her legacy."
"Speaking of Tigria," Master Oogway said, a small smile appearing on his face. "Would you mind if I pay her a small visit?"
"Of course not Oogway, just do not wake her up. I do not want to be up all night trying to get her to sleep." Tai-Yang joked lightly. There was a small chuckle to go through the group as Master Oogway left for the nursery.
The group sat in silence for a moment, not knowing what to do except attempt to eat the meal in front of them. After about ten more minutes of this, Thundering Rhino stood up. "Well, I thank you for the meal and I'm sorry once again for your loss, but I believe it's time we return to Gongmen City."
"We should be heading back to the Valley as well." Master Shifu announced. He turned to Tigress and Mantis. "Would you two please fetch Master Oogway and tell him we should be leaving."
"Yes Master," Tigress and Mantis said in unison and left to find the elderly turtle, with Mantis riding on Tigress's shoulder. They found him looking out of the window into the night. They could hear light snoring which they quickly figured was Tigria's.
"Master Oogway, we're leaving soon." Mantis spoke up.
"Come here you two," Master Oogway said. Tigress and Mantis exchanged glances but Tigress walked over to join the elderly grandmaster. "It's a magnificent city isn't it? Such grace and eloquence and elite power in one city."
"It is pretty cool, Master." Mantis said.
"Amazing," Tigress said.
"But," Oogway's small smile turned into a frown. "I sense a great danger in the city. One that is far away from being a threat and yet more deadly than any poison. One that we cannot stop or control. "As quickly as Oogway's smile vanished, it reappeared. "But I also see a light of purity and goodness. One that we can help grow and learn."
Before Tigress or Mantis could question the turtle, they heard a happy giggle and all three masters turned and walked over to the crib, and sure enough, little Tigria was awake. She looked up and spotted Tigress first. She smiled and giggled at the other tiger, which caused Oogway and Mantis and even Tigress to smile.
"So much for not waking her up." Mantis said.
"We better get going, the others will want to-"Tigress stopped short when she saw what looked light a sky blue light coming from the crib.
All three of the masters had to double take. The crib? That was impossible! Tigria was in there… unless. Oogway, Mantis, and Tigress glanced into the crib just in time to see an orb of sky blue light forming on top of Tigria's belly. Tigria began to laugh loudly; completely unaware of what was happening. Soon, the orb of light stopped growing but it got brighter and brighter and brighter until…
BANG!
Tigress blinked her eyes open slowly. It took a minute for the blinding light to disappear from her vision, but once it did, she could see Oogway and Mantis not too far from her. And the other masters had come rushing in to see what happened. Shifu and Rhino were helping Oogway to his feet, Monkey and Ox were checking on Mantis, Croc and Viper were helping Tigress to her feet, and Tai-Yang had rushed to his daughter's side.
"We're ok, we're ok." Tigress says after she is standing.
"What happened in here?" Ox asks examining the room. Tigress looked around and was shocked. Black ash was covering everything, even the three masters. And it seemed that the ash was less heavy as you got closer to the crib, it was up until the point that there was no ash at all.
"Is Tigria ok?" Mantis asked.
"She's fine!" Tai-Yang said as he cradled his daughter in his arms. "What happened in here?" Tai-Yang asks.
Oogway, Tigress, and Mantis exchanged surprised glances. Did what just happened really happen? Did Tigria just unwillingly and unknowingly cause an explosion with an orb of bright blue light? Could a mere week-old tiger cub have caused something like this? Something so extraordinary and powerful?
"That light…" Oogway said in a voice that was the equivalent of a whisper.
The conversation that Tigress and Mantis had just had with Oogway moments before came back to them. He talked of a light of purity and goodness. Could Oogway have been talking about Tigria? Or was it all some freaky coincidence?
Tigria's laughter caused all of the Masters to jump; it had been so quiet for a few moments that it had scared them slightly. Tigress's amber eyes met with Tigria's sapphire ones, and Tigria giggled and gurgled happily.
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Tigress said.
-Outside the Marble Palace, about an Hour later-
After the ash had been cleaned off and Tigria had been layed down to bed, the group of Masters was standing outside the Marble Palace, waiting for a cart big enough to take them all to the docks so they could get on their respective boats and head home.
Tigress stood there, bored out of her mind, at the end of the group replaying the events of the past two hours in her head. She was both surprised and astounded by what Tigria could do. "Is it possible that someone like Tigria could do something like that?"
But Tigress was caught short from her thoughts when she saw a panther with night black fur and cold, silver eyes wearing silver pants, black boots, a blue-gray, long-sleeved, brass buttons and ambulates on the shoulders, and black hat with gold trim. He seemed to be glaring at something behind Tigress.
Tigress, utterly sacred of the intense hatred and anger in the panther's eyes, turned to see nothing more than the Marble Palace. Tigress glanced back again, but this time followed the panther's gaze and saw what he was glaring at Tai-Yang's silhouette, Tigress could tell just by looking at him that he was cradling Tigria in his arms.
Tigress's curiosity was perked. Why would this panther be so angry at Tai-Yang? Tigress turned around and was surprised to see the panther staring at her with an unreadable expression. This made Tigress extremely uncomfortable and, for some odd reason, nervous.
The panther then raised his brow at her, nodded toward the window in which Tai-Yang still was, and then glanced back at Tigress again. The female tiger understood the message clearly. 'Are you two related in anyway?' Tigress's eyes widen ever so slightly with a sudden rush of fear as she shook her head. The panther nodded and turned away.
It was then that Tigress noticed the man approaching the panther. A forty-something, warthog in a similar uniform that the panther was wearing. The warthog caught Tigress's attention; she could've sworn that she saw him before. Then it hit her "He's a criminal… I saw him on a wanted poster a few weeks ago."
Then Tigress saw what the warthog was handing to the panther. A picture. Tigress squinted her eyes and saw who it was of, Tai-Yang and newborn Tigria. For whatever reason, Tigress did not like this. Then the panther looked over his shoulder at her again and saw that she was watching. Smirking, the panther turned back to her, so she could see what he was going to do next. Both curious and terrified, Tigress raised her brow at the panther. With his smirk growing even louder, the panther ripped the picture into many pieces in such a violent and blood-thirsty way, that Tigress could only gasp. Thankfully none of her fellow masters heard her do it. When the panther was done, he glanced up to see Tigress staring at him with an appalled look on her face. And even though she couldn't hear him, due to all the noise of the city, Tigress could tell that he was laughing. And he continued to laugh as he walked away with the warthog and disappeared into the city crowd.
"Tigress?" Tigress jumped at the sound of Oogway's voice.
"Y-Yes master?" Tigress stammered, both startled by Oogway and still appalled by what the panther did. She didn't like being this way.
"Are you alright?" Oogway asked. "What were you looking at?"
"Nothing Master. I was just thinking." Tigress lied. She felt bad about lying to the Grandmaster, but did not want to worry Oogway about what she just saw.
"Well, you just seemed a little quiet; I was just making sure you were ok." Oogway smiled at her. No doubt referring to the incident that just happened no more than two hours ago.
"Thank you master, for your concern. But I can assure you that I am fine." Tigress said.
"The cart's here!" Monkey shouted to them.
With that being said, the ten masters boarded the cart and left for the dock. Tigress, who was sitting close to the window. Glanced out the window and saw the panther and warthog walking in the street. The uneasy feeling returned to Tigress. In an attempt to make it go away, she looked away from the window and sat back in her seat. Completely unaware that this would not be the last time she would see that panther…
Ok, before any of you asked:
1; The panther is the bad guy.
2; Po will make an appearance next chapter
3; TiPo will be one of the main couples.
4; You are free to leave a review.
Tell me what you think! Pretty, pretty please?!