Chapter 3
The Escape
The wolf, Sky, slid his weak legs along the freezing snow. A cave nuzzled along the mountains, he stayed in, to hide from the wintry winds. He curled up into a ball, just as a dog would as he sleeps, to keep warm. He didn't sleep, for he was too agitated from the battle, in which he failed, but managed to make it out. His goal was to make it to the Jade Palace, to find and defeat the new dragon warrior. He wasn't like Tai Lung, where he was seeking out evil to all humanity.. well, to all the animals, but he was looking to change the way kung fu is. He could see it now: Sky, the new dragon warrior. How? He didn't know. But in the end he would. Hopefully. Just maybe everything will work out, and kung fu will be different than what is was now. Maybe a little more adjustments.. yeah... maybe some... Sky fell asleep, as he rested his muscles. He could just have a little sleep. For now.
"Check his pulse.. I'll look for the others." Tigress ordered. She automatically knew she was the new leader, for now.
"But... what about Po?" Crane asked, checking Master Shifu's neck for a pulse.
Tigress sighed, looking down, as she tried to make up her mind. "Po will have to wait." She jumped down to the bottom of the mountain, where the waterfall from the springs ended up. While in mid-air for about 15 seconds, she thought about Po.. and about what Tai Lung would do to him. In a split second, the rocky ground came into sight. It seemed closer than she thought, and for that, she landed and rolled, for she didn't land exactly as she intended to. If you were to be caught in the hot springs, and fell down its waterfall, you would have landed at the bottom perfectly fine, because it's a deep pool at the bottom, although it would be a little cold from the air.
Po was somewhat in the air of the forest, tied up. "Ah, come on! You didn't have to tie me up! Not like I could run!" He yelled into no where. He looked around at the inky blackness all around him. "Hello?!" No one answered. He started to think Tai Lung left him here to die. A few long seconds passed.
Bmm! He got punched powerfully in the cheek by a fist.. supposedly Tai Lung's. The panda could not tell who's fist it was, for it was pitch black all around him.
"You fool, I bet you had this whole thing planned out." Another overtaking blow.
"I don't know what you're talking about! I already told you it was in the drawer. Dude, you could have just taken it and left!" Po said, knowing now that he was talking to Tai Lung.
He almost punched the panda again. "Don't play your silly games on me. I know it was a trick. I'll untie you if you tell me where that damn scroll is!"
Minutes passed. The wolf quickly awoke with a gasp. No, he shouldn't be sleeping. He should stay on his goal. He got up, grunting by the bloody pain in his leg. He was about to walk out of the cave, but, where was the exit? He felt around, then felt snow on one side. He felt up, realizing snow was all over one side of the cave. Was it a side of the cave... or the entrance? He quickly thought about it. It was dark, and cold. If the cave is dark, then the entrance would have been closed off by something... like... he felt the wall again. Like snow! He was closed in. He cursed under his breath, and he started to dig. How long was he asleep? He thought despertely again, what if this cave was like a tunnel? He squinted at the ongoing darkness, seeing not a thing. He smelt, finding the distance from here to the other side. Yes, there was another side. But how far, he didn't know. Luckily he was a wolf, for wolves have a perfect sense of smell. He sighed. Then opened his glowing green eyes. He then started running on all fours for the other side of the cave, or possibly tunnel. Hopefully.
Seconds rapidly passed. Soon light filled the dim, gloomy cave. He slowed his running, and looking out, in search for the other side. He saw it was very near; maybe a several meters away. He sprinted to it and ran out, realizing there was no ground on the other side. He quickly gasped, as he braced himself for a long drop, or hopefully a short drop.
"AAAAAAH!" Tai Lung, now furious, kicked Po hard in the crotch.
Po doubled over in pain. "Ohhh... why'd you do that??" He grunted.
Tai lung yelled. "Tell me!" He then heard wind swiftly swoosh in. He froze. That didn't sound like wind. That sounded like....
THUMP! Something landed on Po, snapping the ropes he was tied to. "Huh. A soft landing." Sky said, patting the panda's fat belly.
Tai Lung jumped back in shock. "What in god's name..."
"Hey! Get offa me!" Po stood up fearfully, squinting to see who landed on him. The landing shocked the panda, but it didn't damage him.
"Who are you?" Tai Lung ordered.
Sky looked around. "Uhmm.. sorry. I must've ah-"
"Yeah, who are you?" The panda repeated sheepishly.
The wolf seemed angry. "I am Sky, leader of the army of Thoros, the one-"
"Army of who? I've never heard of them." Tai Lung spat.
Sky sighed. "It doesn't matter if you know me or if you do not, for I have no intent to waste my time confronting ones I do not need to know. Unless you are the dragon warrior." Wolf asked Po.
Po looked around. "Well... actually-"
"Good, I'll be on my way then. Carry on with your.. ah.." Sky thought. "business." He spoke professionally, chest up. He then walked off.
Po managed to tag along with him, to get away from Tai Lung. The panda tried to follow the wolf without a single sound, so that he wouldn't be found, but the wolf already knew he was coming off of the smell, along with the loud noises.
"Stop acting and just walk." Sky ordered, making Po quickly agree and walk normally. Apparently they just left Tai Lung there, looking for Po.
"PO! Where are you?!" Tai Lung screamed.
The wolf turned around to the voice, making Po bump into him. "What the hell were you two doing?"
"Oh umm..." Po rocked back and forth, playing with his own paws. "He was. Well ya know.." He hesitated. "He wanted to know where the dragon scroll was, and he thought I was the only one who knew where it was."
The wolf started to walk again. "Well it's in the hands of the dragon warrior, of course. Why didn't you tell him that?"
"Because! I umm... I'm the dragon warrior." Po answered.
Sky laughed loudly. "Right, of course! Some fat panda, the dragon warrior. If that was true, you'd be dead by me right now."
There was a long silence.
"You're telling the truth?" The wolf asked, now in a darker tone.
The panda thought. "No, I'm not, I was just joking." He smiled, nudging the wolf.
"Good. Then why didn't you just tell him it was in the hands of the dragon warrior-"
"Lets just stop with the questions right now... heheh.." Po kept walking.
"Po?! I'm not done with you yet!!" Tai Lung yelled again.
Sky sighed. "I'll be right back." He rushed for Tai Lung, preparing to teach him a little lesson.
Po started running.
"A pulse, good." Crane sighed in relief, along with Viper.
"Bring him inside," Viper said. "I'll take care of him from there." She rushed inside, leaving Crane with Master Shifu. He swiftly carried him inside, and away from the closest forest, cautious that Tai Lung might strike again.
Tigress walked slowly along the waters edge. The moon shown much of a bright, mysterious light on the waters. It was a full moon, luckily. Tigress sighed, then dove into the water, shocked at how cold it was. She went under, and opened her eyes, looking for any sign of Mantis and Monkey. She swam and swam and looked for any sign of them, hoping nothing bad happened. A minute passed, and she came up, gasping for air. She looked around. To her right, the shore she dove from, to her left, a... wait...
She swam over to the other edge, and there by the waterside lay Monkey and Mantis, passed out. She sighed gratefully, and picked both of them up. She started her way back up to the Jade Palace, jumping from rock to rock, with only feet to use as her support.
Panting loudly, Po made it back down to the Jade Palace. Once inside the smashed kitchen, he fell to the floor, almost shutting his eyes and falling asleep. Minutes passed, and he quickly got up to look for to the others. He got to where he once was just a little bit ago, but found no one. "Hello?" He rested his palms on his knees. "Anybody-" He swallowed. "Anybody here?" He looked around some more, then ran indoors. He walked by his room, then Tigress', then Viper's, then... wait... "Master Shifu! What happened!" He asked, afraid of what the answer would end up to be.
Viper looked up at him, as she placed a cold towel on Shifu's head. "He's unconscious from Tai Lung.. I don't know what happened, he just..." Her head went back down. "He's still alive, we know that."
Po was out of breath. "Okay... umm.. I have good news and bad news."
"What's the bad news?" Crane asked, flying back in. He was surprised that Po was here, for he still thought the panda was taken away by Tai Lung.
"I'd rather give you the good news first.." Po explained.
"Fine, just tell us." Viper sighed.
"Okay.. well Tai Lung is gone..." he hesitated, as he panted again. "And the bad news is that some wolf named Sky is after me... but he doesn't know I'm... me, I'm not... I mean.." He panted still. "He doesn't know I'm the dragon warrior, and he said he was going to kill the dragon warrior!"
"Oh, dear." Crane sat down. "This couldn't get any worse. I mean, three of the five are gone-"
"I found them." Tigress came in, finding Master Shifu unconscious. She was also glad Po was back, as she thought Crane or Viper went out to find him. She already saw Master Shifu pass out, but now seeing him paler than ever, she looked shocked.
Tigress put down Monkey and Mantis. "I hope it's nothing bad.."
"Don't get your hopes up Tigress... because truthfully, it is bad." Crane hesitated.
"What happened to Monkey and Mantis?" Po asked.
Tigress took a deep breath. "They drowned, I think. But they're still alive." She did CPR on monkey, then gave him air through the lips. Po became jealous. Monkey quickly woke up and spat out water, coughing hard for a minute, along with Mantis.
Viper sighed. "Too bad you can't do that to Master Shifu.. he doesn't have water in his system, nor does he need air. He's just... knocked out."
"What happened...?" Mantis asked, woozy. Po explained.
A couple minutes of silence passed, as the furious 5 and Po went over what happened in their mind. Over and over agian.
Tigress finally spoke, in need of comforting. "Tonight can't get any worse.." She laid down to rest, along with the others.
