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Take Me Under
(Tigress)
What are they doing? What were they doing in there? More and more questions race through my mind at a million miles a minute. I can see the three figures descending down a slanted line, disappearing into the forests below. The line now goes limp and is left to hang on the side of the building; they must have cut it.
Why did they break into Liang's temple? Were they looking for something? It's not like I should be asking these questions. What they do doesn't concern me to any extent. I have nothing to do with their business. But who were they? That's the question I want answered the most. But again, it doesn't matter. They could be high-class thieves or just figments of my imagination. That sounds reasonable. In this day and age, people will think of anything just to keep their sanity...or at least remain mentally stable.
But still...if they aren't just my brain messing with me and they are actual people, what was their purpose for being there? Are they there for a greater importance? And if so, are they here to help? If they had to break in, then they probably were after something they shouldn't have been. I wonder that if, they are here to help, then maybe I could be of some assistance to them.
I haven't felt useful in over three years. It's not like I don't have the right to. The only thing that I ever truly loved or was ever good was taken from me, so yeah, I do feel helpless. What would I be thinking if I followed them? It's not like I could provide any use for them at all. I'm too out of shape, and my skill have probably worn down over the years; my fighting skills would be average at best. I'm not as tough as I used to be either, plus my abilities would be sub par in comparison to theirs if they have any. I'm pretty much good for nothing.
What's gotten into you, Tigress?! Are you seriously doubting yourself? Wow, maybe I'm not so stable after all. Yet, maybe I am disapproving myself too quickly. I was a kung fu master, after all. Yeah, and plus, what am I to be scared of? Am I scared? No! Absolutely not! I have never been scared and I never will be.
I begin to see everyone dispersing and walking back down the stairs. Finally that blubbering idiot shut his trap. I get up from my knelt position and begin to follow everyone down the stairs.
We all shuffle down the large set of steps, each one getting longer and longer. I look over my shoulder at the spot I saw the three strange figures. Why don't I just follow them and see what they're about? It wouldn't be hard to track and follow them. All I have to do is find the angle at which the rope was positioned and follow it to where they landed. Then, uncover their tracks and catch up with them. So, why aren't I? I snap my head back to the front of me to find my answer.
Shifu. Crane. Viper. Mantis. Monkey. And even Mr. Ping. If I were gone without them knowing, even for a couple hours, they would worry too much about where I was. That would be selfish of me, to let them suffer because I wanted to look for some mysterious guys that may not even exist.
My straight face frowns deeply at the fact that the people I care about most in this world, are also the ones holding me back. It's terrible to think about my friends like that, but it is the truth. I give up on my hopes of following them, until I remember something...something that Po told me, within his last hours of life.
"Tigress, people like us are meant to take risks like this so no one else has to. You know that, and I know you know that. This is my risk, not yours."
Po. You took that risk. You taught me that we need to risk it all sometimes, even if it is for the stupid things. Huh, I guess you were the king taking risks for something stupid. But maybe now...it's my turn to be stupid.
I look down at Shifu and tap his shoulder lightly, getting his attention. He stops and looks up at me, his bright blue eyes shining at me.
"Master Shifu," I speak quietly, making sure not to alert anyone that may have been eavesdropping.
"Yes, what is it, Tigress?" he asks, now fully turned to me.
"I think I'm going to spend a little more time with Po," I lied. I can't let him know what I'm doing, he may disapprove, and that's the last thing I need on my conscience. He looks at me with a faint smile.
"Take your time. Just please be back before nightfall." Shifu has always been understanding, which makes it even more stressful that I'm doing this behind his back.
"Thank you, Master," I say as I bow to him. I suddenly remember something: Mei Ling. She's still feeling ill. It would be inconsiderate of me not to ask how she is doing. "Oh, Master. How is Miss Mei Ling doing?" He gives me a feign smile this time.
"She's...doing better." That's a lie, but I don't want to worry him anymore than he probably already is.
I never really have had a real bonding connection to Mei Ling. I've never truly been fond of her either. I guess I just never completely come to like former criminals, but she is important to Shifu, so I guess I must at least pretend to get along with her.
I give Shifu an understanding nod and begin to walk down the steps in the direction of the graveyard. I slow my steps dramatically and let the others pass. They don't seem to notice my intentional slowing and walk right past me.
Now for the guards. They're normally eyeballing the crowd pretty well, so sneaking past them won't be a casual stroll. I'll need a distraction of some sort. I begin to pat myself in hopes of finding something of use in my pockets. Drats, nothing but my money pouch. Wait...maybe...
I pull out the money from my pocket and dump it into my open paw. Hmm, thirty-seven yuan. That's plenty. I clutch the money in my paw tightly and begin to mix in with the rest of the crowd. I made sure that the guards were only a few feet behind me so that they wouldn't see me slip over the edge of the stairs. In one motion, I toss the bunch of golden coins on the ground, letting them scatter across the stone pavement. Suddenly, everyone in a thirty foot radius heard the clang of the money hitting the ground immediately dove over to it, causing an all out mosh pit for the gold. It became such a brawl that the ten last guards in the back of everyone had to run in and intervene, struggling to break up the fight. Just as I planned. Now, to make my move.
As soon as the last guard sprinted past me, I shuffled over to the edge of the staircase and peered over. I take another glance at the brawl to make sure no one saw me. Yup, just as I thought. Too obsessed with money to notice one person go missing. I swiftly swing my body over the edge with my right claw dug into the side and begin to slowly slide down the near vertical surface.
I feel the rush of air blow past my face. It feels nice, to break free like this. But I suddenly remember how sloped the surface was, and immediately snap back into reality. I have to keep my weight shifted towards the mountain or else I'll fall, and that won't feel too good. I keep doing as my instincts tell me as I begin to descend quickly to the ground. I'm coming in too hot, I'll need to improvise.
Okay, that'll work. Just before I hit the ground, about seven feet from it, I pounce from the slanted wall by planting my foot on it and pushing off. Right before I hit the ground now, I tuck my head under my legs and barrel roll on the ground and land on my feet.
Well, at least my judgmental skills are still intact.
I dust off my outfit of any dirt or debris. I loo up at the hill to see my claws had dug into the surface deeply. Hope no one notices that.
Okay, let's focus. Now, to find that rope.
(Cho)
I'm still a bit skeptical about leaving that rope there. Anyone could find it, which means that the Quan-Lo could be on our tail as well. But, the Quans have never been too observatory, so they wouldn't be too tempted to look for tracks.
Well, I guess my skepticism reaches my thoughts at times. It's not as if they WILL find us, it's just possibility that I fear, even if that chance is slender to none. But, I digress. We should be safe.
Tao and Kai walk ahead of me on the hidden path back to the Coalition encampment. It's silent, no one utters a word at all. They both seem to be lost in their own worlds; Kai appears to be studying the book he found back at the tower, and Tao was doing the same with the scroll he found in that cabinet.
I haven't got much else to do but examine my ax while we walk. I feel it's black metal surface with my thumb, and slide it across the blade without pressure. No blood is drawn; it needs to be sharpened again. Is it really so silent and unamusing here that I insist on cutting myself? I guess so.
I look at Kai, and it appears he's staring at the book strangely, squinting his eyes and biting his lower lip. He's frustrated. I wonder what he's reading in that book. Tao isn't having any easier a time either. He's giving the same look at the scroll, but instead he's biting his thumb.
"This...makes not...a single ounce...of relative sense whatsoever," Tao grumbled as he continues to grip the open scroll tightly.
"Here, Tao. Let me have a peek at it," I offer my assistance, to which he looks over at me and hands me the scroll.
"Go nuts. This thing is hurting my brain."
Tao has never been the patient type, or the intellectual type either. He's always the one we have to give instructions to simply, or else the entire job could end up ruined. Yet, he shows a promising acquisition towards being able to be a...complete utter nuisance. That's probably how he got into the Coalition in the first place. Fang must have seen the panther's annoying personality as an advantage for us. Because, as Fang had said when he signed him as a member, "Annoying's bigger and better older brother is Distracting". Hmm, I guess he was right.
However, Kai is a completely different story. Unlike him, I knew Tao before 'Death Day', three years ago. We even worked in the same clothing shop. I knew Tao as a friend before the Coalition was even formed. But Kai, he's is someone I am not so familiar with. I met the leopard about a year ago, and the only three things I've noticed about him is his seriousness, lack of conversation, and his short fuse. I noticed his temper when he had a sparring session with Tao, and of course, Tao lit his fuse within seconds. Even though Tao had won, I could see the anger and fire he let out in Kai's attacks. He doesn't tolerate foolishness easy, but I guess that's an upside for us as well.
I now take a glance at the scroll and immediately understand why Tao was so confused. The names of the leaders were all written with arrows pointed towards words written horizontally from them:
Tian - Heaven = ?
Shao - Blood = ?
Kor - Earth = Fong Abandoned Mining Cave - RETRIEVED
Sang-Fo - Death = ?
Jhong - Love = ?
Fuan- Nay - Nature = Xing-Tay Jungle - NOT RETRIEVED
What are these listings supposed to mean? They leave me puzzled and confused. Why would Liang have a list like this? Each of the Quan-Lo leaders, minus Liang and Kahn, is mentioned here with their names pointed to a word.
Kor, the current ruler of the Land of Sand to the North, has his name pointed to 'Earth' with it being labeled, "RETRIEVED". And Fuan-Nay, ruler of the Valley of Wood, is pointed to 'Nature' with it labeled "NOT RETRIEVED". Then there's these locations...it's all too confusing, but I feel that as if I had one little clue, I could uncover a piece of it. Just a small tear in this fabric, I could rip it open.
"I can't flip heads or tails on its purpose either, friend," I tell Tao, who now is snacking on some peanuts he must have had stored away.
Did I mention he eats constantly?
"Well, maybe Fang will have something in his bag of tricks to decode it," he says aloud, tossing another nut into his mouth. I nod at him turn my attention back to the scroll once again. I look over at Kai again. He's closed the book now, and he's staring at the title.
"Say, Kai?" I ask politely. He turns over to me, his brow raised to me. At least he's calmed himself. He looked very frustrated at the book. "Do you mind if I see that book for a moment?"
"Uh, yeah sure," he says while handing it over to me.
"Thank you."
I have the book in my left, the scroll in my right. The book's title reads, "EARTH". Hmm...Earth...wait... Earth! What did the scroll say about that word again?
Kor - Earth = Fong Abandoned Mining Cave - RETRIEVED
Yeah, that's it! Kor has something to do with this. This book must be what the scroll means when it says 'Earth'. Then there's these locations...Wait, the locations...they must be where the book was found! That makes sense!
"Hey, guys!" I call out. They look over at me confused as to what I would be yelling about. "This book and this scroll may have something to do with each other!"
I show them the scroll and book and point out what they had in common. Then, I told them my theory about them, and how it made sense to me. They came to nod and understand completely where I was coming from.
"Now, this is all just speculation," I remind them. "But these may have a grave importance to the Quan-Lo." Kai lets out a long breath, and exhales while staring up ahead the path.
"Let's let Fang decide about that."
(Tigress)
I found them.
A leopard, lab, and panther. They aren't imaginary, they're real, and I've been following them about an hour now. It appears they have a book...and a scroll with them. Is that what they found in the temple? I don't know, but that isn't my main objective at the moment. I need to remain invisible, undetectable. I need to find where they reside, so I can have a good idea of what they are about.
Wait, they're stopping. They look around one last time and all give each other a quick nod. There's nothing out here. I've followed them all the way out to the bottom of a mountain known as Wong Mountain. It's known for being a large summit covered in foliage and vines. It's even been called the Hill Hidden in the Leaves. Why would they stop here? There's nothing but vines, bushes, trees, and more vines.
Hang on...they're going over to a large group of vines. Wait, those vines are fake! The leopard pulls on the vine furthest to the left. causing the other vines to go up. It's a pulley system, but what was it covering?
A large steel door! Of course they would hide in this mountain! It's hardly near anyone and it's foliage is a perfect cover for their location. Clever.
The panther knocks on the door...but in a certain pattern: two knocks, pause, one knock, pause, three rapid knocks. Got it. The door slight opens enough for the three to slip in and have the door close immediately. The fake vines fall back down, completely covering the entrance the three mysterious men when through.
Something is pulling me to go further into it. I should just head back, but...this could be the risk I'm looking for...
