Hi! Long time no see. School just started and it decided to load me with homework… So updates may be slower (maybe not as slow as this one though). Anyway, this is Tai Ling's POV… now you get to learn a little bit about Tai Ling that you didn't know before… Enjoy!
I made my way back to where I had left the Five and Po. They were not there. I mentally slapped myself. Of course they wouldn't wait! What was I thinking? I rolled my eyes. They would be trying to escape the tunnels—which actually wasn't that hard to do… for me. Well it wasn't really a matter of getting out of the tunnels; it was a matter of not being stopped by the wolves. That wasn't a problem for me. For them? Yes.
I decided it'd be best to let them figure out how to escape; that way no one could accuse me of anything I did or would do. With a sigh of irritation, I wandered around out of boredom, old memories flowing freely back to me.
***
I was scared and unaware of what had just happened. At the time I had been about eight, and at the moment I was feeling nothing but fear. Just a second ago I was living my life happily and now I was running for my life. 'He' wasn't chasing me; he didn't care about me at all. It was the village he was after, not me. But nonetheless, I continued to run, relying on nothing but faded memories of the roads to escape. Without many memories of the roads, I soon found myself running in a loop… and suddenly running into him. I froze in terror, hoping that he did not see me. Against my hopes, he turned to face me and the fury in his eyes faded for a moment, replaced by sadness. "Tai Ling…!" he began softly.
I shook my head and back away, stumbling. "No," I whispered. "No! Get away from me!" Shrieking, I ran off with the rest of the terrified villagers. But I soon saw that they were cowering away from me too. They knew that I used to know him, and I that used to always follow him around. But that was before he turned on the village. They needed to know that. "Don't worry, I'm not with him," I told a group of fearful bunnies.
Their eyes widened and they took off with a huge squeal.
I watched them, the horror settling in. My village wouldn't except me because of 'him'. I had no home. Tears in my eyes, I ran away. I didn't know where I'd go, or who I'd find safety in, or if I'd be killed in the process of finding a home. Soon, I was sprinting blindly through mountains, only stopping when I knew no one would pursue me. But now I faced the dilemma of finding shelter in the center of a mountain range.
After at least a day of wandering the mountains, I ran into a dark black wolf about the age of 13. He had no weapons on him so I figured he couldn't be dangerous. So I greeted him with a little bow. "Hello," I said quietly. "I was wondering if you may know a place of shelter."
The black wolf turned on me, his eyes ice-blue. His ear was torn and he had a scar on his left arm which ran all the way from his wrist to his shoulder. I shuddered. "Hey, what is a young cub like you doing out here? Your so young, you could get hurt out here," He told me, thankfully not sounding hostile.
"Well you're not much older than me!" I protested indignantly.
The black wolf rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm much safer than you. What's your name?"
"Tai Ling. Yours?"
"Ruì Chǐ, but call me Sharptooth," he answered briskly.
"Oh… ok. What are you doing out here?"
"Me? I'm just out with my wolf pack," Sharptooth looked around. "Well, I was out with them. But I got bored. Father always has me doing the 'important duties' since he wants me to become the alpha, or boss of our gang to follow his footsteps."
"What's your dad's name?" I questioned softly. I had never had a father.
"Gǔ. But like me, call him Bone when you see him," Sharptooth grinned a toothy grin.
"Wait… so I'm gonna meet him?" My chest fluttered with hope. I had found a place to stay for a while!
"Why not? I mean, it's not like you're going anywhere."
"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled.
"You are certainly lost. So, stay with me and my pack. That is if Father will let you. He probably will though, he's very kind... For a wolf," Sharptooth reassured me.
I looked up at the wolf, struggling to trust such an evil looking creature. I shouldn't judge him, he was only about 5 years older than me with no visible means of harming me. I nodded slowly. "Very well… I guess I'll come with you."
That was a little less than 20 years ago.
***
I tried to shake off the memory; it held little good in it. The only part I appreciated was that Sharptooth took me in and became my closest friend—though he wasn't such a kind person anymore. After his father retired to supervising boss, Sharptooth became cold-hearted. He wanted to fulfill the steps his father had laid out, and honestly, I think he did quite well.
I looked down the hall that lead towards the exit tunnel.
Should I go see if the Five and Po got out? I thought doubtfully. I thought about the look of hatred and distrust on their faces. No. I shouldn't.
I hated that they had come to distrust me… even though they had a total right to do so. But… I liked that someone in my life actually trusted me for a little bit. No one, not even Sharptooth, had ever put full trust in me. I couldn't really blame him. I always was the one arguing with his plans and trying to make them better… and sometimes worse. I rubbed my ear with was still crusted with blood. The stinging didn't bother me much… but the meaning of it said it all.
Hm... so now we know a little more about Tai Ling, ay?
I'm really sorry that this chapter isn't very long but I have some homework to do... I'll update again very soon, please leave me some reviews! :D