Matriarch
By corset-rebellion-follower
Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda
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Chapter 4: Apple-cheeked
Tigress watched Jiang as he sat on the edge of the kitchen table. He just sat patiently with his paws folded in his lap, head down, and perfectly still and quiet. I'll have to get him some new clothes.
The shirt he had was torn at the sleeves, exposing his striped arms. It also was starting to rip on one of the side seams and the fabric at the stomach was starting to wear out. The bottom of his pant legs were torn and frayed, and his knees were visible through two holes, both of which had large scabs on them. His fur was matted and wet, and splattered with mud.
Po stood at the stove, stirring a pot of noodles. Crane was right, even though he had made the cub cry. Jiang was extremely thin. In addition to freezing to death, he could have easily starved.
Or been kidnapped. Or he could have slipped on ice and broken something. Or he could have choked to death if one of the weeds wrapped around his throat and he couldn't get it off. Or he could have fallen down the stairs and cracked his head open. Or he could have killed himself. Tigress shook her head. It wasn't exactly pleasant to think of every way Jiang could have died out in those weeds. He was alive, and he was safe, so it didn't really matter. But I wonder what happened to his parents… who would just leave him to die out there? If they wanted him to be taken in at the Jade Palace, they could have just knocked on the door.
She caught Jiang watching her, and the minute his eyes met hers, he looked back down to the paws in his lap. She smiled and scratched him behind the ear. He flinched and shook a little in response, but calmed after a while and let her continue.
Po watched them from the corner of his eye. Poor little guy… I would be dead by now if I were in his condition. No place to sleep, no warmth… NO FOOD. Though we do have a similar sense of fashion, he thought, looking down at his own patched shorts. Hmmm… maybe I should get some new pants.
"Okay, soup's on!" he exclaimed. He poured some of the broth into a bowl and placed it next to Jiang.
"Thank you," Tigress said.
He shrugged. "No problem. You want some? It's good," he coaxed, waving a ladleful of soup in front of her face.
She pushed it away with one finger. "No, that's alright." Even though Tigress had warmed up considerably to Po, she still stuck to her strict diet of healthy foods. She scooped up a spoonful of broth and held it near Jiang's mouth. "Drink this, it will make you feel better."
She moved it a little bit closer to his mouth, but he turned away from it. "Please, Jiang? It's really delicious," she beckoned. He shook his head and turned his head the other way. She put the spoon back in the bowl. "What's wrong? Aren't you hungry? You look like you haven't eaten in a while." She stroked the top of his head and down his cheek. He cried out and ran across the table, covering his face with his paws.
"No, no, don't run! It's okay, I'm not going to make you eat it if you don't want to," she soothed, reaching towards him. Jiang curled up until he was just a little ball of fur and cloth. Tigress sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I am such an idiot."
"No, you're not. It's not your fault that he's scared. This has to be a big adjustment for him, he's probably just a little overwhelmed," Po comforted.
"What am I doing, anyway? I have no idea how to take care of a child. Master Shifu was right, he should be somewhere where he can be well taken care of," she scolded herself.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing a pretty good job so far. This is just a little bump in the road. And you're only just starting, you're not going to be perfect at it right away."
She shook her head and rested her forehead on her palm. "No. I can't do this. I'll do something to screw it up."
There was a light tap on her arm. She looked up. Jiang put his little arms as far around her as he could and snuggled close to her. Tigress smiled a little. "Aww, that's so cute!" Po squealed girlishly. Tigress ignored him and took the cub into her arms, cradling him.
She took a spoonful of broth and held it to Jiang's lips. He slowly accepted it and drank it down. "See? You're not a failure. You just need some practice," Po said triumphantly.
She wasn't paying attention anymore. She just watched Jiang as he ate his soup. She set him back on the tabletop to make it easier for him to eat. Po smiled. Man, she's a natural. It's almost like he's her kid.
Tigress chuckled when Jiang tried to pick up chopsticks to eat the noodles. Jiang sniffled and wiped the corners of his eyes, putting the chopsticks down neatly next to him. She picked them up. "Don't feel bad about not being able to use these. Chopsticks are tricky, and you probably haven't developed your fine motor skills yet." She picked up some noodles and held them close to his mouth. He slurped them up, with some difficultly.
She laughed as he tried to get a stray noodle off the side of his mouth with his tongue. She wiped his mouth with a cloth. "There. Don't you feel better now that you've eaten a little?" He nodded meekly. "Are you still hungry?" she asked. He looked down at his paws and said nothing. She smiled a little and stood up. A few minutes later, she placed a small plate of pieces of plum in front of him.
"Eat this. It's good, and it's the last plum we have." Jiang looked up at her cautiously, and she nodded. He took a small chunk of the fruit and inspected it. He took a tiny nibble of it, and slowly finished the piece before picking up another.
Each time, he looked at Tigress, waiting for her nod of approval before he would eat it. "I wonder why he does that," Po said. She shrugged as she watched the tiger cub. He wasn't smiling, and he still had crystal tears in the corners of his eyes.
There's something strange about Jiang… I don't know why he's so afraid. She looked down to the floor and bit her lip. Maybe… maybe it's me. Maybe I'm too overbearing, or too harsh on him. He's only a little boy, I need to be gentle with him.
When she looked up, Jiang was looking at her, holding another piece of plum. She nodded and waited for him to eat. But instead he held up the piece to her. She smiled a little before taking it and popping it into her mouth. He sat down and took another piece, waiting again for her nod.
She sat down and gently kissed his forehead before nodding. And she could have sworn she saw a tiny smile on his face, even if it was only for a second.
A/N: Trust me, for anyone who doubts that you can crack your head open, you can. I did when I was eight, and it was not fun. I had to go to the emergency room. And my child development teacher is probably cackling right now, because somehow I actually remembered some of the stuff she taught me. OH NO! I'M LEARNING! AHHHHHHHHHHH! Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Holla!