Karate Leopard

Part One

There was once a time when eight kingdoms lived united as one. Each had a scroll that was rumored to have powers.

There was the wise Jade Palace of the Dragon. Master Oogway himself took it upon himself to make this a home for all who wanted peace. Most of the inhabitants were pigs, ducks, and geese. He kept the Dragon Scroll in the mouth of a golden dragon that was above a pool of water that was rumored to be bottomless. The Dragon Scroll was red with green edges.

Actually, all the scrolls were red, but the edges were different colors. They were held in shrines of different creatures.

Then there was the solitary Quartz Palace of the Ki-Rin. Surrounded by temperate forests, it is inhabited by all kinds of animals. They specialized in craftsmanship, strategies, and ninja training. Their scroll had purple edges, held in the teeth of the unicorn/dragon hybrid, the Ki-Rin.

After that was the adaptable Sapphire Palace of the Yeti, located in the snowy mountains. Its people were only monkeys and apes, all of them used to changes. They specialized in hunting and archery, which helped with their adapting abilities. Their scroll had blue edges and was held in the paw of the apelike Yeti.

The peaceful Emerald Palace of the Naga was only populated by snakes. The palace was surrounded by cherry trees and beautiful ponds. The snake people loved the arts such as painting and music. Their scroll had yellow edges, located in the mouth of one of the hundred Naga heads. They are the most peaceful of kingdoms.

The Ruby Palace of the Chimera was very militant. Only cats such as tigers and leopards live there, and the palace is surrounded by grasslands. Military and (surprisingly) religion is very important to them. Their scroll had red edges, held in the mouth of the Chimera's serpent tail.

The warlike Topaz Palace of the Behemoth was surrounded by rocky deserts. Large animals such as elephants and rhinos lived there. The Topaz Palace was the most warlike and savage, and most of the people never learned to read and write. The scroll had brown edges and was held in the mouth of the Behemoth shrine.

The Obsidian Palace of the Leviathan was always power hungry. The palace lied on the shores of a muddy swamp. Only fish, crocodiles, and amphibians lived there, all of them being experts in sea trade and manipulating people. The Leviathan Scroll had black edges and was in the mouth of a Leviathan. As extra protection, the Leviathan shrine was underwater.

The last kingdom was the all-powerful Imperial Palace of the Phoenix. Seeing how it was the center of the other seven kingdoms, it has all the same environments as the other kingdoms. It is mostly inhabited by flying animals. This is where the Emperor lives. The scroll has orange edges, held in the talons of Phoenix shrine that hung over the Emperor's throne.

Now, I must remind you that the Topaz Palace is very warlike and the Obsidian Palace is power hungry. Over time, the Obsidian Palace grew jealous of the Imperial Palace. They wanted to be the top kingdom in China. The Obsidian Palace leader made a deal with Ganesha, leader of the Topaz Palace. The two kingdoms waged war across the land. Villages were destroyed, thousands of soldiers and villagers alike died. It wasn't until three powerful warriors, one of them being Master Oogway, came into battle and stopped the army. The armies of the Obsidian and Topaz Palace were obliterated, and Ganesha went into hiding. Everyone thought that it was all over.

Little did they know that the emperor of the Obsidian Palace had some eggs. One of the eggs just happened to hatch into a tadpole in a nearby pond.

Time went by. Oogway went back to the Valley of Peace. The other two masters left to start families. Three years after the war, the Ruby Palace found a surprise on their doorstep: a baby clouded leopard.

The master of the monastery was a kind man. He took the child in, taught him kung fu, and raised him along with three other students at the palace. There was Cheetah the cheetah, who can run at high speeds, faster than most cheetahs can run. Jake the monitor lizard, who can track anything from miles away and can see three seconds into the future. And finally, Surnam the gliding frog, who can glide far distances. The master of the Ruby palace named the adopted cub Xai.

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER

Xai aimed a kick for Cheetah's head, but she managed to duck and swipe at the clouded leopard's legs. Xai jumped and kept fighting. Jake and Surnam were fighting pretty great. Though Jake was mostly winning because of his powers.

Soon, the four friends stopped.

"Nice moves." Xai said. He stared at the palace walls. "You ever wonder what it's like outside the palace?"

"Yeah." Cheetah sighs. "I've been living here my entire life."

"I spent about two days out there before Master brought me here." Surnam said.

"The outside world isn't for us." Jake insisted. "We belong here in the Ruby Palace."

"Jake, quit being so uptight." Cheetah said, giving the lizard a friendly shove. "Have some fun for once in your life."

"Let's go tell Master we want to go out tonight." Surnam insisted.

"Nah." Xai shook his head. "Let's just go. I mean, think about it: the war has been over for at least two decades. What's the worst that'll happen?" Cheetah and Surnam both agreed, but Jake seemed wary. It wasn't until Cheetah kept pestering him that he finally agreed. So they left. And they all, including Jake, had the time of their lives. It was so great that they didn't really pay attention to the time.

Then, as Xai watched Cheetah discuss things with Jake and Surnam, the clouded leopard noticed smoke out of the corner of his eye. At first, he thought that it was someone cooking his favorite meal: stir fry. But, with further looking, he soon realized the truth.

"The Ruby Palace is burning!" he told his friends. The four of them sprinted back as fast as they could. Once there, they were horrified to see a mysterious giant Chinese salamander there, holding the Chimera Scroll and standing on the body of their dead master.

"Greetings." The salamander said. "I am Rik-Zi, son of the king and heir to the Obsidian Palace. I'm here to make things right. Ever since my father lost the war, the world's just been flat out messed up."

Then, Jake sensed something. His eyes turned white as he saw three seconds into the future, seeing some people jump at him. He dodged, landing on Cheetah's shoulder.

Rik-Zi seemed very calm and casual. "Allow me to introduce my minions: Saimang the gibbon, Tarantula the tarantula, Pangolin the pangolin, and Komodo the komodo dragon."

"Why is it that the gibbon has the only normal name?" Xai muttered. Komodo hissed, and then he and the others attacked. Xai, Cheetah, Jake, and Surnam had no choice but to run, seeing how they're outnumbered and overpowered. Cheetah and Surnam, using their powers, managed to escape with ease. However, Komodo caught up with Xai, and the two of them engaged in a violent fight. But the two warriors managed to match each other blow for blow, until Komodo swiped at Xai's legs and pinned him to the ground.

"You know, you're pretty good, kid." Komodo mused. "But I bet I could teach you a few things." Jake rushed towards Komodo and tackled him, freeing Xai and buying them some time so that they could catch up with Cheetah and Surnam. Komodo attempted to get up and give a chase, but Rik-Zi tells him to forget it.

"We have the Chimera Scroll." Rik-Zi reminded them. "Now let's go." Komodo seemed hesitant, but followed his master.

Xai, Cheetah, Jake, and Surnam managed to escape the city and came to the top of a large hill. They watch with heavy hearts as the city is destroyed.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

The four warriors walked around for a long time. They didn't have anywhere to go and they weren't aiming for any certain palace. But when Cheetah spotted the Jade Palace, they decided that there was the best place to go. They wandered around, not really knowing where they're going. But soon, Xai noticed a poster for bounty hunter recruitments.

"Huh, bounty hunters." Xai sighed. "At least that'd get us some money."

"And those guys can help us arrest Rik-Zi." Surnam added. "That little creep should be in chains."

"Are you kidding?" Jake protested. "Being a bounty hunter is disgraceful to a kung fu warrior."

"Come on, Jake." Cheetah sighed. "It can't be that bad. Besides, it's technically doing good; we're arresting people who are doing wrong deeds." Jake nodded in understanding.

"Then it's official." Xai said. "We'll go sign up."

Meanwhile, at the signups, the leader of the bounty hunters was bored and disappointed. He was a gavial that was named Gavial. He used to have five other bounty hunters with him, but they had all died out. So now, he was discouraged for he hadn't seen or met anyone who was good enough.

"Excuse me."

Gavial looked up and saw Xai and the others.

"Can I help you kids?" Gavial asked.

"We wish to join you." Xai said.

"Alright." Gavial droned. What did he have to lose? "Show me what you can do."

"I can track down anybody." Jake said. He led the others outside and told them that there was a thief on the other side of town.

"Back in a flash!" Cheetah said. She and Surnam rushed off. In about three minutes, they returned with a tied up fox. But when they put him down, he slipped out of his bonds.

Gavial was already surprised, but this was freaky. "How did you do that? And who are you?"

"I'm Yukio." The fox said. "I grew up on the streets and taught myself an improvised version of kung fu."

"Nice." Gavial was impressed. "So far, you guys are fitting the bill." He turned to Xai. "Now what can you do?"

"I can fight pretty well." Xai said. "My friends and I learned kung fu in the Ruby Palace."

"Okay." Gavial said. "Spar with me." Xai smirked and agreed. A ring was set up, and the two warriors started their battle. Xai soon found out that Gavial knew martial arts, and he was pretty good at it. The fight between the two warriors was intense, but Gavial eventually won by swiping Xai's legs from under him.

"I gotta learn to dodge that." Xai chuckled. "Where did you learn kung fu?"

"I used to live in the Obsidian Palace." Gavial said. "But when the war started, I came here in hopes of living in peace." He stared at the four Ruby Palace warriors and Yukio the former thief. "Well, there are five spots open, and I think I just found my new recruits. What do you say?" The five warriors bowed to their leader.

A month passed by. Gavial's new recruits were just as good as his old ones. They never disappointed, and it was a good life. One day, while having dinner, Surnam caught sight of a poster that was advertising a tournament for the (currently) Terrific Three. After reading the poster, Surnam got the attention of the others. "Hey guys, you see that poster?"

Gavial glanced at it. "Seems the Jade Palace needs another person for their tournament. Winner gets a thousand gold."

Yukio whistled. "Nice. That would be some good money to have." It was true; the bounty hunters had gotten so good that business was slow.

"Well, who's gonna go?" Cheetah asked.

"I'll go." Xai offered. "I bet this Terrific Three aren't as bad as they may sound."

"Sounds good." Gavial said. "Let's get going." They all finished their dinner pretty quickly and went to the Jade Palace to sign up Xai. Then, it was lights out early because it was gonna be a long day tomorrow.

The next day, the bounty hunters traveled to the Jade Palace. Gavial led Xai off to see the master of the palace while the others went to find seats to watch the show.

At first, Gavial was surprised to see that the master of the palace was a red panda. But when he found out it was Master Shifu, apprentice to Grandmaster Oogway, he instantly respected him.

"Well, here's Xai, ready to go." Gavial said. "I'll see you after the show."

Shifu stared at the clouded leopard with a solemn stare. Xai got a bit uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"

"No….you just look like a certain snow leopard I know." Shifu said. He didn't tell Xai that he looked like Tai Lung, currently in jail. Shifu composed himself. "Come with me and I'll introduce you to my students." Shifu led Xai to where the contestants for the tournament waited. Once there, he introduced Xai to Tigress, Crane, and Monkey, who composed the Terrific Three. When Xai saw Tigress, he suddenly felt his heart race. He didn't really think he was in love for once. But Tigress was really good-looking. Cheetah looked nice, but she was a tomboy. Tigress was a kung fu warrior, but she was hot!

Xai was pretty thankful he didn't say that out loud.

Eventually, Shifu did start the tournament. He thought that a mere bounty hunter couldn't beat his students.

There were three rounds to the tournament. First off was Xai fighting Monkey. The fight lasted for a while and Xai kept getting more and more frustrated. While he kept trying to lay down a blow, Monkey kept jumping around like a possessed flea. Then, Xai started to lose, seeing how he had long since lost his focus. Then, Monkey made a swipe for the leopard's legs, and Xai jumped, dodging the attack. He had been working on that for weeks. With newfound energy, Xai attacked with more force. Monkey hardly had any time to block before he was thrown and pinned to the ground. Shifu was thoroughly surprised, but a bit amused when he declared Xai the winner of round one.

During round two, Xai watched the battle intently. He would either have to face Crane or Tigress, and he had to know what he was up against. He was utterly surprised at Tigress' skill as she lay down a serious beating on Crane. He was a bit nervous when Shifu announced Tigress as the winner and called him out. But he also felt butterflies in his stomach.

The final fight began, and the two cats matched each other blow for blow. They were equal in strength and both had similar strategies. They twisted, turned, kicked, and punched, but neither cat was going to get beaten anytime soon. Xai soon found that out, seeing how the battle was lasting for at least ten minutes. So, out of boredom, he let Tigress punch him and he ended up on his back. She pinned him down, and Shifu declared her the winner.

As Xai walked back to the contestant room, Tigress approached him. "You let me win."

Xai shrugged. "The fight was going nowhere and I was bored."

Tigress smirked. She was about to say something else when Shifu intervened.

"If I may ask, where did you come from?" Shifu said. "Xai, right?"

"Yeah." Xai said. "My master told me I was found on his doorstep as a cub. He took me in and raised me. My friends and I are his top students." He didn't mention they were his only students. "But then some Chinese salamander named Rik-Zi attacked and killed our master and destroyed our home. So we came here to get a job and Gavial recruited us as bounty hunters. We're still on the hunt for Rik-Zi."

"Did Rik-Zi say anything about coming here?" Shifu asked.

"No." Xai said. "But he took the Chimera Scroll. Why?"

"If he comes here, we might be in trouble." Shifu said. "If you see him, defeat him immediately, alright?" Shifu turned on his heel and walked off. As he did, Xai noticed that he was walking with a bad limp.

"What's with him?" Xai asked.

"His heart's been wounded." Tigress explained. "Long story; but if Rik-Zi does invade the palace, we'll have a crisis on our hands."

"Won't Master Oogway help?"

"He's on a ten year long meditation." Tigress said. She picked up a towel and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I was very intrigued by your story, Xai. Maybe I should tell you my life story sometime."

"I'd like that." Xai said. Then, he and Tigress parted ways. Xai was feeling pretty good; he kind of felt like he had been on a date.

On the other hand, Gavial and the others weren't very happy that Xai purposefully gave up a thousand gold. They wouldn't stop grumbling, even when they were home. Their home was actually a large house with a high wall, complete with a training dojo.

"You are such a flirter." Jake told Xai. "I bet you gave up the money for a date with that Tigress girl."

"She is quite attractive." Surnam agreed. "But I don't think you're ready for a serious relationship."

"Come on!" Xai protested. "I'm seventeen and a half years old. I'm completely ready."

"Whether or not that's true can be decided later." Gavial growled. "Now, I realize that the battle could've gone on for quite some time, but that doesn't mean you should slack off. Next time that happens you're on suspension, got it?"

"Yes sir." Xai said. Gavial smirked.

"Kids…."he muttered under his breath.

Then, Cheetah and Yukio came in thru the door, having just caught a thief and got done putting him in jail. "Hey, what's up?"

"Xai's in love." Jake said.

"Seriously?" Cheetah asked incredulously.

"Hey, it's natural for someone his age to be in love." Jake said.

"Yeah." Yukio agreed. "But he didn't have to give up the gold."

Then, the bickering started, and Xai sighed. "Hey!" he shouted. That got everyone's attention. "Look, I'll make it up to you; I'll take all the night watchman shifts."

"You're willing to stay up all night just to make it up to us?" Gavial asked.

"Yes." Xai said.

Gavial smiled. "Very well. Start whenever."

Xai smiled and walked off immediately to start the shifts.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

That night, Shifu meditated peacefully by the Moon Pool. Above him was the golden dragon that held the legendary Dragon Scroll.

Shifu was still a bit worried. Rik-Zi hadn't attacked yet, but he had destroyed the Ruby Palace and its village over a month ago, and he hasn't come to the Jade Palace. Shifu desperately wished he could go to Master Oogway, but the old tortoise had left for the Sacred Pool of Tears for his meditation.

As Shifu meditated, he didn't hear two unwanted visitors come in thru the opening and up onto the rafters. The smaller of the visitors quietly slipped behind a large pillar and signaled towards his large companion. The large visitor moved across the rafters until he was right above Master Shifu. The glow from the Moon Pool lit up the large visitor's face, revealing Komodo's killer glare.

Suddenly, Rik-Zi's slippery foot slid sharply across the floor, making a squeak. He ducked behind the pillar as Shifu's eyes snapped open. He stood up quickly and stuck a kung fu stance. He slowly walked over to where Rik-Zi was hidden, but when he circled the pillar, he found no one. He started walking back to the Moon Pool when Rik-Zi suddenly locked his arm around the old master's neck. Shifu managed to throw the salamander off, but then Komodo attacked. Shifu turned and attempted to punch the lizard. Komodo grabbed Shifu's arm, twisted it painfully behind his back, and swiped his legs from under him, pinning the old man to the ground.

Shifu struggled to get up, but Komodo had a tight grip on him. He could only watch as Rik-Zi scampered up the shelves that held the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu and come back down with the Dragon Scroll in hand.

Komodo, seeing that Rik-Zi got what he wanted, let Shifu go and gave him a brutal kick to the ribs. Shifu recovered fast, lunging for the lizard. But Komodo grabbed him by the throat and forced him to his knees. Komodo then raised his claws…

"What are you doing?" Rik-Zi asked.

Komodo stopped. "What does it look like?"

"Don't kill him yet." Rik-Zi said. "Bind him. We'll take him with us."

"And why would we do that?" Komodo demanded.

"First off, because I said so." Rik-Zi snapped. "Second, the Terrific Three and the Bounty Hunters will come after him. It'll be the perfect opportunity to kill them. After they're dead, you can do what you want with the old man." Komodo growled a little, but reluctantly let go of Shifu. Then, he tightly tied the old master's hands behind his back and gagged him.

"We'll settle this later." Komodo hissed. Shifu only cast him a glare. Komodo followed Rik-Zi out of the palace, dragging Shifu along. They met up with Saimang, Tarantula, and Pangolin before heading back towards their base.

Shifu immediately went to the worst case scenario. His students would come after him, and the bounty hunters would surely follow to help. If Rik-Zi could capture him, then they would surely be killed.

But Shifu did see something that gave him some hope.

As Rik-Zi and his group walked, they passed by a high wall.

On top of that wall was Xai.

A/N: This story is split into two parts. The last mcgormanp story may be three. Read and review!