Disclaimer is the same.
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Chapter 2
Tigress says goodbye to those of the Five that see her. She leaves the Jade Palace and sprints towards the side of the vast villages that touches the Tora Kingdom. She recalls everything that she was taught about it. There was no bias in her teachings, but she can tell it is a much different world than China.
They do not have kung fu, they have a royal family to govern them, and they rarely have any people other than tigers living among them. Tigress has never wanted to go there, because she does not wish to be ruled by a king who could change the law on his high and mighty throne.
And here she is, going to keep the peace by protecting his daughter. She pushes faster and reaches the gate in the mountain that divides the land. She skids to a halt, looking at the large wooden gate, two tigers etched into it with their paws touching in the middle, standing on their hind legs.
Tiger guards wait at the top, bows in hand. "Who goes there!?" One bellows down to her.
Tigress watches one slide a paw behind him, within reach of an arrow incase she is an enemy. "I am Master Tigress," she yells back, standing tall, "I have been sent for by your king in a matter of great importance." She takes the scroll out of her bag and thrusts one end into the air above her so the guards can clearly see the insignia of Tora.
The other guard nods, "Welcome, Master Tigress. Open the gate!" He yells to someone behind the wood. There's a large shudder and the doors start to open with a groan. Tigress bows to the guards and then walks through the gates. There is a handful for tigers waiting, all wearing armor that Tigress would find clunky and inadequate. But she holds her tongue.
"..Master Tigress," an armored tiger says. He looks her up and down, a little surprised. He bows to her, in a different way than she is used to. He has deeper etchings on his armor, signifying that he is a higher rank than those around him. "I am Kaen, leader of the highest order of knights to the king. Welcome to Tora."
Tigress bows back, like she was taught, "What is the fastest route to the palace?" She asks.
"We will take you there. Let's go men," Kaen states, motioning the others forward. Tigress walks next to him, the soldiers behind her.
"Sir Kaen," Tigress states, remembering the title of knights, "with all due respect, I can reach the palace with more efficiency on my own."
"The king sent us as an escort, Master Tigress. We are to escort you to the palace," Kaen states. He leaves no room for argument, so Tigress settles to walk. "But we may pick up the pace, if you are in such a rush."
"The scroll said it was urgent," Tigress says, looking at said scroll in her paw.
"That it is." Kaen then gives a command and the soldiers behind them start to move faster, as does Kaen to stay in front. Tigress matches his movements and then they are on all fours to run.
Tigress looks out of the corner of her eye at him. His armor seemed like it would not work to run. But the pieces fit just so that they do not scrape at each other, and are not clunky enough to hinder his powerful limbs.
She does not remember the last time she's seen another tiger. She was the only one in the valley, and the only one in probably the whole area of China. She looks at the tiger next to her, keeping most of her focus on where they are going.
He's powerful, bigger than her. He must be older, experienced. His helmet graces from his brow to above the nape of his neck, with holes on top for his ears. His armor is silver, with stripes of gold going horizontal, matching those on his face.
She looks behind her briefly, seeing the others have the same coloring, although the markings are different. There are different fur colors, though. The majority is orange and black with a white belly, like her and Kaen. But some are white and black, or gray and black.
They pass through some towns. They are designed for tigers. Little cubs and their mothers look out windows or stop their activities on the street to watch the escort pass by. Tigress sees everyone there, in wonder at how many stripes can be in one area.
"You haven't been around many of our kind, have you?" Kaen asks, interrupting her thoughts.
"Huh?" Tigress looks at him. "Oh. There aren't other tigers in China, no, sir," she states, looking ahead again, "Not that I've seen, at least."
"Hmm," he purrs to himself, "When King Hono had sent the message for a warrior, I am certain he did not expect a tiger." Kaen chuckles, "Another of our kind will soothe the worries. Are you familiar with our culture?"
"I have read scrolls that came from this land, but I do not know everything," Tigress states, "we do not have many of your literature in the library."
"Perhaps King Hono will grace you will knowledge to take back, to add to your collection," Kaen suggests.
They arrive at the gate of the palace. Tigress tries to keep herself focused on the task at hand, not at the sheer size of the estate. It makes the Jade Palace look like a hut. She follows Kaen to the throne room, which is covered in elaborate decor. The ceiling has stripes made of gold and glass panes, letting light shine down.
The stripes can be seen on the floor of the room, all the way up to the throne itself. The armrests are great paws, and the back of the throne is three tigers on their hind legs; one facing left, one facing right, and the middle one facing forward. And the seat is wide, so the monarch can lounge. 'Like the spoiled cat he is,' Tigress thinks before she can control herself.
The king is on his crimson cushion, watching the escort walk in. Sir Kaen and his soldiers bows on one knee once they reach the diaz. "You may rise," King Hono states, his voice loud and regal. It echoes through the chamber. Only Kaen stands up, the rest only raise their heads. Kaen steps forward, with Tigress right behind him.
"May I present Master Tigress from China," Kaen states. Tigress bows to the king, hand on fist, head dipped briefly. She looks at the king, who has a drooping crown on his head, stripes of gold crossing between his ears. A single sapphire gleams on his forehead. His robes are a mesh of many colors, the most prominent are blue, gold, and silver. He has a vest, with a long sleeved shirt underneath. His pants flow to a stop at his ankles, where no boots cover his paws. Tigress sees that he too has orange and black stripes, the tuft of fur at his collar is white, as is his muzzle.
The king looks at the warrior, examining her. "How old are you, Master Tigress?"
Tigress looks up, "Excuse me?"
"I asked how old you are," the king repeats.
"Uh.." she looks at Kaen. "I'm on my twenty ninth year," she answers, looking back at the king.
"Ah. And what are you a master of?"
"Kung Fu. Tiger style," she says, bowing again.
The king nods. He motions with one paw to a servant. The tiger leaps over to him, "Yes, Your Majesty?"
Tigress grits her teeth at the title. The king answers, "Where is my daughter?"
"With the tutor, your Majesty, she is still in her daily lessons."
"Mm, of course. Thank you." The king looks at Tigress. "Heida will take you to where you will be staying, near my daughter's room." He motions to the servant, who bows. "Then she will escort you to the library, where Tutor Guka has his study. My daughter will be waiting."
"Of course," Tigress says, bowing again. She walks over to Heida. The servant with beautiful white and black fur leads her to a pair of double doors.
How do you like the fantasy world I created? I do!
On to Chapter 3~!