Chapter 1: Lost At Sea

It was a few hours later, after the baby Panda had cried himself to sleep did he blink open his large green eyes, awakening from his slumber. It was dark, but small slivers of light filtered in from the cracks in his turnip crate. He yawned and stretched his paws in his confined space, hitting the top of the closed box. He wiggled against the remaining turnips, smelling one before picking it up with his small paws and taking a big bite.

Giggling and cooing as he ate the turnip he looked around his box. Where was his mother?

The little panda remembered being carried through the snow, till his mother placed him in the crate before leaving. He sniffed the air a bit, but couldn't find a trace of her scent anywhere. The panda decided he wanted out of his crate now. He wobbled up on his back paws and placed his front pads on the side of the closed crate and pushed.

The box wobbled a bit, but didn't budge from its spot. Now he was getting frustrated, tears began to well up in his eyes as he pushed again, and again, but it was no use. The little panda began to cry and whimper as he scratched at the top of the box.

"Momma!" He cried as he peaked out the cracks of his wooden prison. He could see the outlines of other wooden crates that surrounded him. Suddenly the ground began to roll, throwing the little panda and his crate against the other boxes of vegetables.

A door swung open to reveal a large pig dressed in worn brown pants and a large white apron that hung from his neck and tied around his waist.

"That's one hell of a storm out there!" he said to the goose that walked in behind him out of the rain.

"Buuur, it's freezing out there", the goose exclaimed shaking himself of water.

"Well let's hurry up and get these crates to the kitchen so we can warm up."

The big pig grunted as he bent down to pick up a box of cabbage. They were currently sailing on a merchant ship to Gongmen City, sent to deliver food and gunpowder for some celebration of sort. The goose bent to grab a box of carrots when he heard a whimpering sound coming from a turnip box.

"What the?" he said, eyeing the crate suspiciously.

He slowly walked over to the crate and knocked on it with his wing, "Hello?"

"Ahhhh!"

A cry came from side the box as well as the sound of scratching wood. Startled, the goose jumped back.

"My goodness!" he said looking around the crate room, "that sounded like."

He trailed off when he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the crowbar from behind a few other crates and began to pry the top off the turnip box. With a grunt the, nails gave away and the top flung open to reveal a small baby panda surrounded by a few half eaten turnips.

The panda gave a sniff, and looked up and the goose looming over him with wide eyes. The Goose stared back in shock as the baby gazed up at him with curious eyes. Letting out a giggle and reaching up for the goose, the baby panda smiled.

"Boarus!" the goose yelled for his companion, turning from the child.

"WHAT?" He responded entering through the door way.

"What is all the shouting, Ling?" Boarus asked walking over to him and the crates.

"We have a problem." Ling responded stepping aside to reveal the panda cooing in the turnip basket.

Boarus was dumb founded, "A baby? How did it get in the crates?"

"How should I know" Ling shouted nervously.

"Alright! Alright! Don't shout," Boarus said picking up the baby panda.

He cooed a little at the contact and pawed at the pig's snout. The big pig huffed but his eyes warmed bit at the affectionate child.

"What's a pandas doing on our ship" he wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but we better get rid of him soon!" Ling whispered looking around nervously.

"Captain Al won't like a stow away."

Al was a Chinese Alligator and the captain of this vessel, The Lotus. He was a strict leader and would take kindly to anything that threw off the balance of his tightly managed ship.

"And what do you suggest?" Boarus asked, narrowing his gaze at Ling.

"Throw him over the side into the waves?"

"No, but he can't stay here!" Ling responded exasperated, waving his arms in the air.

"We will reach Gongmen city in two months time." Boarus said turning away from the exasperated goose.

"We can keep him in the kitchen and out of the way of the captain till then."

Turning back to the infant in his arms, "Come on you little rascal."

He said walking towards the door. "Let's get you something to eat!"

"Goo!" the baby responded, raising his arms excitedly.

"Oh, this is going to be very bad!" Ling groaned and ran after the Boarus and their new secret baby panda.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story is kind of an experiment in a different beginning to Po's story. Plus I just think that baby Po is the cutest little thing EVER! XD