Big or Little Ears?
By corset-rebellion-follower
Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda
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Chapter 4- Tigress's Fate
Tigress was tired. She hadn't slept in three days, and her feet felt like they were on fire. But she wanted to get as far away from Jade Palace as quickly as possible. This is all for the best. She finally sat down on the ground and started rubbing her feet.
She was in the middle of a dense forest, with fog rising up from the ground and just floating there. The forest was strangely quiet. There were a few birds chirping, but that plus the wind rustling the leaves of the trees were the only sounds Tigress could hear. The forest was dense enough that she was almost completely surrounded by various shades of dark green, except from the shafts of light coming in through the trees.
She concentrated hard on rubbing her feet. She hadn't come to a stream since early yesterday, and the peaches she had "borrowed" from the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom were nearly gone. She rubbed her feet harder as her stomach rumbled.
Just keep going. Food and water will come up soon. Don't be so soft. Just focus on the path ahead of you.
She closed her eyes tight, trying to keep tears from falling. She had cried when she had left the Valley and across the Thread of Hope. She didn't want to cry anymore.
Her old life was behind her and this is the way things had to be. There was a crack of thunder. Despite the heavy canopy of the trees, rain came pouring into the forest. She spotted a cave nearby and ran inside. It was a little damp and cold, but it was better than being out in the rain. She shook the water off her face and sat down near the entrance to the cave, watching the rain fall quietly to herself.
Her thoughts drifted back to the Jade Palace and her friends. Master Shifu had probably sent them to go look for her. Either that, or they went themselves. Whichever it was, she knew it was only a matter of time before they found her and brought her home. She sighed, a small smile growing on her face.
Home… I wonder if Viper and Crane have started flirting again. And if Monkey finally found out that it's been Mantis that's stealing his almond cookies and not Po.
As she thought about all the quirks of her friends and her home, she slowly let her eyes flutter shut. And as she fell asleep, she could hear Shifu's reed flute playing in her mind.
Tigress slept for hours before stirring again. She sat up and yawned. She felt a lot better after a long nap. It was now dark out and the rain had stopped. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She blushed, even though no one was around to hear it. She decided to sacrifice her last peach to save her stomach.
But on a nearby rock, there was an apple and a cup. She cautiously walked over to them and picked them up. I'd better not. They don't belong to me.
She put them back down and turned away. Her stomach growled loudly again and she put a hand over it. She picked up the cup again. It was filled with regular water. She sighed. Until she found another source of food and water, she would have to eat what she could.
She fell upon the food like a French Revolutionary.
At least I still have my peach for lunch. With this thought, she knew she had to stock up on food and water before she could go anywhere else on her journey. So she grabbed her bag and headed out of the cave.
The forest seemed more alive than yesterday. The breeze was warm and inviting, and the sounds of running water could be heard. She followed her ears until she came to a river. At least I know where the water came from. She ran down to the water and splashed her face with it. The water was cool and clear. The forest was much nicer during the day than at night.
She washed her face and changed her clothes, feeling much better than she did last night. Her feet still hurt, but she could wait until she found food to rest. She found the tree where the apple came from along the riverside. After she had a lunch of apples, she went back to the cave and sat down, rubbing her feet and expecting them.
They were aching and had little cuts in some places, but she could handle it. This is actually really comfortable. It's no palace, but it is beautiful.
That night she had no trouble falling into a deep sleep. But before she went to bed, her guilt had caught up with her again. She left her last peach and the cup which she had refilled on the same rock where she had found the apple. When she woke up the next morning, the peach was gone and had been replaced by a handful of sweet blackberries. Tigress smirked at the present before eating the berries.
It became like a game. Every night before she went to bed, she would leave something on the rock, and in the morning there would be something new. After about three weeks, things stopped being left on the rock. Tigress knew it wouldn't last very long, but still, she missed going to bed knowing there was going to be a surprise for her. It was a way to keep her hopes up, that she might still have friends.
No one from Jade Palace has come anywhere near here yet. Maybe they all hate me for running like a coward. She sighed and rested her head on her knees. She sniffled and held back her tears.
I wonder… I wonder if they went to look for me at all.
She shook her head and lay down to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, both of her feet were carefully bandaged. She gently ran her fingers over the white cloth. Her feet had stopped aching a long before, but some of the bigger cuts hadn't fully healed. She smiled. She did still have friends. Even if it was just one.
Another downpour struck the forest that day. It wasn't the usual light, warm rain that usually came down every once in a while. It was a hard, cold rain. She stayed in the cave, keeping warm by a small fire made from wood she had managed to collect before the cloudburst. Tigress used the time to think of what to do next.
I can't stay in this cave forever. Three weeks is two long as it is. But all of China knows about the Furious Five. Anyone would recognize me in an instant. She hugged her knees to her chest. I'm stuck in this cave forever, unless I want to leave China. But it would take days and days to make that kind of journey.
She drifted back to thoughts of her friends. She missed Viper and Mantis and Crane and Monkey and Po. And Master Shifu. I don't even have a picture of them. She curled up next to the fire and fell asleep.
Sunlight hit her face and she squinted against it, shielding her vision by putting her hand up to block it. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the cave.
"Good, you're up."
Tigress jumped up into a fighting position. "Who's there?" she demanded, looking around the cave.
"No need to be alarmed. I'm not going to hurt you."
She didn't back down. Her heart was pumping. She recognized that voice.
"I know that you haven't trained since you left the Jade Palace. It wouldn't be that difficult to defeat you."
"Show yourself!" Tigress yelled.
"It's good to see a familiar face," Tai-Lung said, stepping out of the shadows.
A/N: I know there was a lot of sleeping and waking up in this chapter, but it's how the story must be told.