"A New Beginning"
Much farther away from the Valley of Peace, nestled in the treacherous mountains of Mongolia and hidden by a thick veil of wavy fog - Chorh-Gom Prison lay like an enigma.
The actual prison looked absolutely serene, almost an extensible part of the natural, craggy formations surrounding it. To any onlookers on the outside, the only thing visible about it were two small pillars poking out of the thick fog, gently guiding the misty air around them in perfect harmony.
Travel a bit deeper, and that illusion was destroyed.
Ingrained deep in the heart of the Prison, removed well past "impenetrable" stone walls and legions of arrow-enabled slingshots, complete with roughly a 1000 of China's finest rhino warriors - was a sole snow leopard, completely alone in a massive citadel.
He was the only one.
The Prison had been made just for him.
An insult.
It wasn't worthy of holding someone like him.
Yet he could do nothing about it. His massive forearms were shackled and tied via chains, attached to large boulders dangling off the platform he was kneeling down on. A green and black turtle shell, complete with pressure point arresting Jade needles furrowed into the shell's holes - kept the snow leopard from moving in any direction. The only free part of him - the part that the warden of the prison had just stepped on a few moments prior - was the tail.
Tai Lung.
The snow leopard startled, yellow eyes flashing open at the sudden voice. He scanned the surrounding environment to detect whoever was there.
Just rocks. Metal. The empty platform. The citadel.
No one was there.
I am real, boy.
Tai Lung growled, thinking the warden was here somewhere.
"Vachir," the leopard spat, bass in the voice reverberating across the citadel. "If you're going to torture me again, just get it over with…"
Tai Lung paused, expecting a response.
"VACHIR!" he roared. "ANSWER ME!"
There is a feather that will land near you. Use it to pick the lock on this shell.
Tai Lung grew increasingly more irritated, unable to rotate his head yet absolutely sure that no one was there.
"Vachir, what did you put in these needles?" Tai Lung asked to the empty room. "A poison? A HALLUCINOGEN! IT WON'T WORK! I - "
A soft feeling. Something landed near his tail.
Tai Lung wanted to growl, but stopped.
It felt too soft. Too thin.
A feather.
Don't question me, boy.
Tai Lung gasped, for the first time in many years - felt some semblance of fear.
"Who - who are you? Where are you?"
No answer. Tai Lung slowly began curling his tail around the feather.
"Answer me!" the snow leopard yelled.
I don't answer to you boy, because I am not in your head.
"Then what are you?" Tai Lung asked more calmly. "Where are you? Who's speaking? I - "
In time, I will reveal all to you - boy. But for now - focus on getting out.
Tai Lung obeyed no one, but he did listen to this.
The tail went up, gently guiding the feather into the central lock in the shell. Tai Lung's ears pricked up, gently listening for the clinks in the lock.
Clink.
Clank.
Clink.
A pause. He had to be careful. He slammed down his tail.
Another pause. The Jade needles began loosening, twisting outwards as the counter-mechanism began activating.
Tai Lung breathed out fully, for the first time in twenty years.
"Ahhh - ergh - Ahhh…"
Make it quick, boy.
Tai Lung was growing irritated of the voice, but chose not to act against it.
He was out now.
He flexed his back, ripping at the thin remnant of the deactivated Jade Shell. With a powerful movement outward, the Shell cracked into harsh chunks, scattering across the rock platform and into the abyss around it.
A chatter of noises came above him. Tai Lung could just barely make out Vachir hundreds of feet above him, firmly protected on top of the guard wall. Next to him was the messenger - the bird he knew had to have come from the Jade Palace.
Tai Lung could make out the symbol.
Be careful. They will start firing arrows at you soon.
The snow leopard's ears pricked up, hearing a faint whizzing noise as the unmistakable sound of air being cut in two approached.
Tai Lung looked up. A large, wooden, metal-tipped arrow came right at his head.
He swerved to the right, letting the arrow push itself into the ground.
Stay alert. There's more.
More whizzing noises. Tai Lung caught a glimpse of at least three or four arrows propelling themselves towards him - all at his head.
Vachir was scared. He should be.
Tai Lung only had to move his head a few times to the left and to the right. None of the arrows made a mark.
Dodge to your left. It'll cut one of the chains.
Tai Lung obeyed without question.
The arrow came, perfectly cleaving one of the forearm chains into pieces. It took him a moment to rip the second shackle from his wrist. The boulders - the same stones that had held him in place for twenty years - were gone.
It was over. He was out.
"Tai Lung is free!" the snow leopard heard above him, from the Jade Palace messenger bird. "I must warn Shifu!"
Shifu.
Tai Lung growled. Memories came flooding through him. He watched the rope-operated elevator ascend away and into the ceiling.
Stay sharp boy. There's another one coming your way.
Tai Lung was getting annoyed with the constant usage of "boy".
But it was never wrong. Another arrow came screaming through the damp air.
Tai Lung perfectly positioned his claws and wrist, flicking the arrow upwards. With a simple leap and sidekick to the center of the arrow, it went back faster than it had been fired - splintering the crossbow machine in two.
Do the same thing with the arrows in the ground. Jump on them.
Tai Lung smiled harshly. He pulled the grounded arrows into the air and flawlessly spin-kicked the centers.
They embedded themselves into the wall.
Well done. You will be very useful to me…
Tai Lung smiled, not knowing but also not caring.
. . .
Alf couldn't believe his eyes.
He wasn't sure what - or who - Po had been listening to, but the giant panda had somehow managed to get back his abnormally steely resolve and force himself into the Palace Courtyard, propping his legs onto two bamboo sticks in a split position. It was still very early in the morning however, so there were two advantages for Alf: primarily, the dim sunlight was not fully capable of showcasing Po's jiggling body as he tried to flex his torso into unnatural positions, and secondly - no one was around yet. The Five were asleep, Shifu was asleep, and he hadn't seen Yu in a while.
Yu.
Had he gone too far last time?
"Alf, a little help?" Po suddenly broke in.
Alf sighed, watching the irony of Po failing to do a split right on top of the Jade Palace emblem painted onto the central area in the open courtyard.
"No," Alf firmly responded. "I'm not going to see you hurt yourself like this. And what happened to trying to get the autographs and split? Did Monkey get back to you?"
The panda groaned, giving up on stretching from such an awkward position. "Yeah - about that… I'm staying man."
Alf practically choked on the air he was breathing. "Wait - what?"
Po shook his head defiantly. "I - "
"What are you doing here?!"
Shifu's suddenly irritated voice - as sleuthy as it was irritated - cut through the conversation like a hot butter knife.
"Oh, hi, um - Good morning, Master!" Po responded first, returning to his dismal attempt at stretching his legs. "I just thought I'd warm up, a little…"
"You're stuck," Shifu groaned.
Well duh, Alf thought - privately trying to inch away. He couldn't fully leave because that might tempt Shifu into shocking him Yfor no reason, but he couldn't stay too close to the action and risk getting shocked for "getting in the way".
More importantly, he had to talk to Oogway so he could get the damn collar off.
Even more importantly, he had to find u again.
Had he really been insensitive? She asked him questions about his past. It was only natural to return the favor…
KRACK!
Alf realized he wasn't paying attention. Po was standing upright now, and both suddenly saw Tigress split-kick some tiles in the air and land on the ground gently. A piece of the debris landed on Po's head - the panda tried to hide a chunk behind his back.
"Put. That. Down!" Shifu commanded. "The only souvenirs we collect here - are bloody knuckles, and broken bones."
"Yeah!" Po agreed foolishly. "Excellent!"
Shifu smiled evilly at him. "Let's get started."
Alf still felt in a perpetual state of disbelief, but could accurately predict what would happen now as the Five and Shifu rounded up against Po - almost in a single-file line for punishment.
Viper was the first.
"Are you ready?" she asked rather redundantly.
"I was born ready - " Po began. "AUGH! OWW! AH!"
Alf groaned. Po was on the floor, upside down and writhing in pain.
What did I do wrong? Alf questioned internally. Yu had made every attempt to be friendly with him, now suddenly she decides that she would rather keep some things private? Was that even fair, considering how open he was being with her?
And why did he even care?
Monkey was next, spinning a bamboo stick in all his limbs with deft precision. Po was given one of his own, but this might have actually worked to his disadvantage rather than the opposite.
He was hit multiple times - then blocked one. But before Po could properly celebrate, a well-placed hit to the cranium sent the panda down.
That totally came out of the blue, Alf emphasized to himself. I was like - totally being forthcoming with her. I even made a joke before…
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she had something worse to hide.
Maybe she was scared.
Maybe I shouldn't think I'm the only guy with a horrible life.
Some rumbles from inside the Training Hall - Alf barely noticed that the Five, Shifu, and Po had gone inside again.
I have to find her. It's the only way to say sorry.
He had to.
She was the only one - in all the years he had been in the Valley - to look at him different.
As someone.
Not a fleshling. Not a Seeker.
Just Alfalfa.
He smiled.
"What are you smiling at, boy?"
Alf shut his eyes, cursing himself.
Shifu and most of the Five were outside again. Po was still inside - presumably sparring with Crane, as he was the only one missing.
"I said," Shifu reiterated. "What are you smiling about - boy?"
Alf kept his eyes down to the ground, feeling the collar slightly fizz - but not activate. He had to play this smart.
"It's involuntary, Master Shifu," Alf proclaimed, stressing the Master as hard as possible. "It's a See - I mean, fleshling thing. The healers tell me it's because of our abnormal um - brain development. Low intelligence…"
This was a flat-out lie. However, after realizing that the best way to calm down Shifu was through self-derogatory comments, Alf didn't feel so much that it was a lie - but rather insurance.
So the collar would be kept at bay.
But Shifu kept a stare at him. The Five watched in earnest confusion. There was a kind of tinted eagerness behind their gazes, but also a sense of apprehension.
Over what was to come.
"Do you know - what legend says about the Seekers, students?" Shifu asked rhetorically, walking slowly around Alf's position.
The sunlight was beating down. The Five twitched. Alf merely kept his cool. Nothing was alarming yet.
"Ferocious," Shifu answered, still pacing. "Terrible. Legend tells us that for every scroll of kung fu that was written - the Seekers had ten more."
Alf nodded. "Yeah - I sort of get the impression that they were sort of messed up, you know?"
A few chuckles from Viper and Mantis.
"You want to know what I think?" Shifu asked, again rhetorically.
No one spoke for a minute. Alf - as much as he tried to prevent it - gave a gaze to the Five. Tigress ignored him, while Monkey merely returned the stare with mildly sympathetic looks. The rest were determined to not participate in this.
Po and Crane made their way out, Po limping and tired. They both silenced themselves at the scene unfolding in front of them.
"I think," Shifu went on, walking closer to Alf. "They were cowards."
Another pause. Alf nodded his head in quiet obedience.
"They were cowards who nearly ran kung fu, the world, and everything in it into the ground," Shifu whispered. "They were the weakest, the worst, the biggest scum on Earth."
The longest pause thus far. Alf kept himself from staring at Shifu, seeing a finger gently lay itself on the button.
The red button.
Shifu was just waiting for an excuse.
Alf wouldn't give it to him.
"Prove me wrong then, boy." Shifu commanded, stepping back and getting into a fight stance.
Alf gasped, looking back at the Five and Po. The panda merely shrugged his shoulders in confusion, still tired.
"What?" Alf asked. "You want me to - AUGH!"
Shifu had picked the boy up, slamming him down into the ground.
An onslaught of shocks. It was temporary, but painful.
Alf gasped for air. He watched the Five and Po observe him with interest. He had noted the progression of their looks towards him over time - at first it seemed hateful, then indifferent, and now - well, it still felt indifferent, but there something else.
Pity.
"I said, prove me wrong," Shifu demanded, walking away and resuming his fight stance. "The true path to victory - "
He grabbed Alf's torso, spinning it in his hand before slamming it again on the ground.
" - is to find the opponent's weakness, and make him suffer for it!"
Shifu instantly flipped Alf over, taking his arm and returning it to the twisted position he had so often put the boy in.
"I suppose you proved my point, fleshling," Shifu stated, twisting the arm again. "The Seekers were cowards."
And something finally snapped. Alf had enough. It had been too much.
Too many times.
The same thing.
"ENOUGH!"
Alf roared, using his free arm to swing viciously behind him - making direct contact. Shifu stumbled for a bit, having moved a solid four feet away from the boy.
Alf quickly exchanged a glance with Po and the Five. They looked shocked.
He knew he had made a mistake.
"Shifu, I - AUGH!"
The shock came back. It was bigger this time.
More unforgiving.
"Please!" Alf begged, seeing just the vague outlines of Shifu and the Five surround him. "Stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm - ERGH!"
It was getting worse. He couldn't control the pain.
His vision was becoming hazy.
"HOW DARE - "
His heart was beating faster than it ever had.
" - YOU EVEN LAY A FINGER - "
His head was swelling. His chest was heaving.
" - ON ME, FLESHLING!"
He couldn't breathe. He was close to the end.
"I WILL TEACH YOU RESPECT TODAY, BOY!"
He was going to die.
"Master."
The pain stopped. Alf couldn't get off the floor. He couldn't see anything except fuzzy outlines.
The voice was oddly soft.
Alf focused his eyes. Tigress was near Shifu, arms folded back respectfully. He couldn't see her face.
"Killing the fleshling won't look good for the Palace," Tigress stated bluntly. "Don't concern yourself with him."
Shifu's finger quivered on the button. Alf's hands flew into a submissive pose, begging for mercy.
"Very well," Shifu agreed, taking his finger off. "Why don't you be in charge of this, Tigress?"
Shifu handed Tigress the device, gently easing her finger onto the red button as Alf kept his gaze on the floor and away from the button.
"It is not an honor," Shifu spat, looking at Alf. "I just fear that if this thing is in my hands - I don't know how far I'd go."
"I appreciate you trusting me with this, Master," Tigress replied, taking the device while bowing slightly. "I promise to keep this dog on a tight leash."
Shifu walked away, dragging Po into another part of the Courtyard before starting to fight him as well.
Alf ignored the sounds of Po wailing in pain. "Thank you, Master Tigress."
Tigress looked unreadable as always. "Don't mention it."
"No really I - "
"Ever."
Tigress harshly pulled Alf close to her, staring with pure loathing at him.
Alf nodded. He was thrown back to the ground.
. . .
To an outside observer - Chorh-Gom Prison almost looked serene.
In a second, it wasn't.
An explosion came. A sudden burst of rhino guards - at least hundreds of heavily armored warriors - came crashing out of the prison and into the snowy, mountainous terrains of a Mongolian mountainscape.
A lone bird crashed outside, roughly coughing out snow.
Zeng was scared. He had to go now, before -
"EEK!"
Something grabbed him by the throat. A smooth bass voice came behind him.
"Shifu sent you, hmmm?" Tai Lung let out, mockingly petting the quivering bird's feathers. "Good - I was worrying that I'd been forgotten. Tell him…"
Tai Lung moved closer, feeling Zeng's feathers practically go in an epileptic fit.
" - the real Dragon Warrior, is coming home."
Tai Lung tossed Zeng in the air like a ball, watching the bird squawk and fiddle around in the cold, windy air for a while before zooming off into snowy darkness.
Well done. Now do what we have planned.
Tai Lung let out an animal growl. He was letting the world know. He was letting them all know.
A/N
Yay! More KFP scenes!
One thing I will note is that because I'm doing a remake of KFP 1-3 - I really want to pretend we're doing the whole movies over again, with new concepts like Alf obviously. So don't worry about if it goes slow sometimes, there will be payoffs! And remember - I have LOTS, LOTS (i mean lots) of new material to introduce, new twists and turns… hehe…
Loving all the support guys.
~TW
