There were quite a few words in Master Tigress' vocabulary, such as discipline, focus, graceful and even pleasant but, there was a word Tigress did not use and that word was cute. She thought said word had nothing to do with being a disciplined Warrior, therefore she never used it, that is until a certain panda came to the Jade Palace. Tigress had tried to find other, more professional words to describe the panda, like friendly or endearing but, she would always come back to the word cute. Tigress wouldn't tell Po this of course but, for some reason it was getting harder not to blurt out in front of him.
It was, yet another beautiful day in the Valley of Peace, and the Jade Palace students were ready for a nice breakfast, prepared by none other than Po Ping.
" Okay guys, it's almost ready!" Said the Dragon Warrior proudly, not noticing the tiger behind him staring with a far off look in her eyes.
" Why is that panda so cute? He does it just to annoy me, the way he smiles or laughs when he's happy, the way he frowns and pouts when he's sad, it's so stupid yet I like it." Tigress was thinking. " Why was he..."
" So cute?" Tigress said aloud, looking shocked that she'd lost control so easily, had her years of training been depleted by a mere panda?
Po's ears twitched, picking up something that sounded like Tigress' voice. Po turned around.
" Did you say something, Tigress?" He asked, slanting his head to one side, making him all the more adorable.
" Dang that panda!" Tigress silently cursed, trying to find a reply that would not portray her as weak.
" Ahem...I said, so mute. Um.. you're being very mute, you haven't said anything for awhile." Tigress said, sounding very calm for her internal conflict.
" Oh, okay Ti, I'll just sing then." Po replied, not knowing a thing about what the tiger was really thinking, he began to sing a very endearing song about how he would make sure his friends ate well.
Tigress clawed the table, restraining from telling everyone what she thought of Po.
The next day, Po and the Five were on a mission. They were on their way to a nearby village to get supplies, not exactly " Super bodasious awesome stuff of legends" as Po would put it but, none the less the young panda was still as excited as ever.
" WOO-HOO! Yeah, alright this is awesome!" Po shouted, even though they were only walking though a small clearing.
" Keep moving, Po." Tigress called the over enthusiastic panda.
" Okay Tigr-AAaaaaahhh" Po screamed as he tripped on his own two feet, falling flat on his face.
Monkey snickered, " Nice one, Po! That's gotta be your best one yet Tee-hee-ha!" He was going to say more, but was cut off by a low growl, Monkey turned and was met with very angry scarlet eyes.
" Uh what I meant was, you okay buddy? Hehe." Monkey quickly remedied.
Tigress gave a curt nod of approval. " No one messes with my- I mean that panda." The feline shook her head, clearing her thoughts of said panda.
Night fell, and all of the warriors were asleep on the ground, as they did not pack for such a quick trip. Po was tossing and turning, obviously having a nightmare. He jumped up, seeing no evil bean buns but was still spooked. He looked over to Tigress, seeing her stir, he decided to see if she would stay up with him.
Po walked over to the seemingly asleep tiger and reached out to touch her, only to have his wrist grabbed.
" Po, What are you doing here?" She asked calmly.
Po looked down, now feeling embarrassed for waking her up for such a childish reason.
" I h-had a nightmare." He told her, sounding very much like a child who wanted it's mother. The sight of Po looking so upset made Tigress want to hug him right then, but she refrained from doing so.
" What do you want me to do about that, Dragon Warrior?" She inquired instead.
Po blushed hard, knowing how silly his request would sound.
" Um.. can I sleep next t-to you?" Po asked shyly, holding his head down slightly and looking up at Tigress.
" No! Of course not!" Is what Tigress would have said to anyonelse who dared ask her a question like that, but this was Po. Sweet, innocent, adorable Po, and to him Tigress could not say no.
" You may." She said kindly, gasping softly as he hugged her close and nuzzled his face into her neck, causing the feline to suppress the urge to purr.
" Thanks Ti." Said the very bold, very cute panda barried in her fur, he was asleep in mere seconds.
Tigress stroked Po's ears softly, making him sigh in his sleep. The tiger chuckled, " Why are you so cute?" She asked, even though he was asleep, it made her feel better knowing it was out in the open now. For both tiger and panda, this moment was perfect, nothing could stop the amazing feeling the two shared.
" Hey Tigress, What are you do-" called one of the now awake masters.
And with that Tigress threw Po across the yard, making him yell in a high-pitched voice.