Instinctual

By: Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Author's note: Hey guys, sorry it's later than normal and a little shorter than normal. I spent most of yesterday and today plotting out the rest of the story and things I want to happen. And I wasn't planning on posting on Sundays. Day of rest and all that. Love and cookies to all my reviewers, guest or logged in :) Couldn't resist posting for you guys.

To my guest reviewer: I totally agree with you that there have been cases in captivity of males or females choosing animals of a different species, or even human handlers, to be their long term mate (as in companion). What I was pointing out, however, is that they are probably not going to try and initiate a sexual aspect (mating) to that relationship. It could happen, but it is extremely rare and I felt like it would be pushing Po and Tigress' romance (companionship-wise) a little too much. Good catch on that though!

Ps- Noodle making video accompanied by KFP Music *smiles* can be found at (remove spaces, put an equal sign between the v and the V):

www. you tube watch?v VzHtPuqUIIO
It's super cool. Po and Mr. Ping totes own that in my mind.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Chapter Eight: Change Upon Change

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Po's eyes opened to darkness, sensing the pre-dawn mist in the air by smell and taste and a bit of another sense that wasn't physical. He just knew.

It was strange to be in a bed…fur clean, a roof over his head, no dirt in his claws. Trying to get to sleep last night was hard as well. Four other hearts beat with varying rhythm, breathing and sighing, and the sound of footsteps from time to time was heard as Monkey and Mantis took turns patrolling the grounds, keeping their home, their friends, and their Master safe, as their Master in turn focused on protecting the Beads.

It was also strange to be separated from Tigress.

He felt odd at having two paper walls and a hallway between them, almost as if it had been an insurmountable gulf. It felt even wider than the very first night he had ever spent at the Jade Palace, after she had told him in no uncertain terms that he did not belong. He worried that she was not beside him and he would not be able to get to her should something happen.

Po stopped himself, though, at that line of thought though. He knew Tigress was much more than capable. She had handed him his furry tail more times than he cared to count, though their sparring matches had been more even the more he had practiced and trained and learned.

When he had finally settled down enough to feel drowsy, the panda found himself amazed at how comfortable the cot actually felt after sleeping on the packed ground for five months. He chuckled quietly to himself.

The cot had always felt awful in the past. Now it was his best friend.

As he drifted off, Tigress sat in her room meditating. She breathed lightly, gently and focused on her own heartbeat, aiming to slow it and settle her ruffled instincts, so accustomed, was she, to hunting at this time. The only problem was that she also found herself focusing on Po's steady, quiet heart as well.

His was slower, being a larger animal than she; and it was rare to find an animal around them that was, unless other masters had gathered for a feast or fight.

Instead of trying to fight her drifting focus, she switched her goal and began trying to match his heartbeat.

She awoke the next morning curled on her side, having no memory of drifting off. She hadn't fallen asleep while trying to meditate since she was a cub, just on the cusp of adulthood. Shifu had caught her at it and lectured her sternly. She looked around her room wearily, half expecting the red panda to pop out and do so now.

She was safe though, and her ear pulled her attention to the room across from her's, where Po was standing and stretching.

The panda was going to keep true to his word, then. Third thing in the morning, they would be leaving for the temple. It would take a week to reach the mountaintop peak the monastery sat upon and, even though it was still summer in the valley and in their low mountains, it would very much still be winter there.

In the high peaks of the Yulongxue Shan, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the temple sat, guarded for hundreds of years by the animals that had chosen to become monks, leaving the world behind them and dedicating themselves solely to the study of the spiritual. There were no roads or true paths up the mountainside. Tigress knew that after reaching the Jade Water Village at the foot of the range, their ascent would be difficult.

She was looking forward to the climb, however. It was said to be one of the most beautiful natural areas in the known world, and she would relish being out in nature again. Just spending one night inside the walls of the barracks had rubbed her the wrong way.

She felt she had been pulled back into civilization far too quickly, with no time to readjust, but understood Shifu's reasons for doing so. Many people would be in grave danger were the Yexing Beads to fall into the wrong paws or remain unsealed for too long.

Po shuffled out into the hallways, as quietly as the giant panda was able, tiptoeing around the squeaky boards that he had come to learn by heart. He broke her train of thought and woke the others anyways, and the tiger grinned to herself.

Pandas weren't made for stealth after all.

Tigress stood as well, taking a moment to cleanse her paws and forearms with her tongue, bathing her face with the residual as she swiped them over her muzzle and cheeks repeatedly. She continued on in this way for a few minutes before realizing she had a bowl of water and a towel for this purpose in the corner of her room.

Another habitual routine of five months in the wilds that she would have to break in favor of older, more civilized ways.

Finishing her morning cleansing, she too quietly stepped into the hall, successfully walking past her comrades who were settling in again without alerting them to her presence. Stealth mode would have to be her next lesson to the bear. He needed help in that department badly.

As she stepped around the corner of the kitchen, she thought back to several times when the panda had surprised her though. However, he had never done so purposely. Much like the rest of his Kung Fu abilities, it would just happen.

If he focused on something too hard, he would be shaken, thinking it was impossible, even if she had seen him performing the feat moments beforehand.

'For instance,' the tiger observed the panda moving fluidly around the tiny kitchen, chopping, stirring, frying, mixing, checking the fire and the boiling water and the steamer; rapidly moving between each task without missing any detail. He added a dash of herbs to one dish, moving the skillet in his left paw rapidly as the dish fried, while smoothly lifting the lid off of another pot and inhaling the wafting aroma.

He didn't need to see what his paws were doing. He just performed the actions.

'If he would only realize that he can do things,' she folded her arms and leaned against the circular opening's wooden frame, 'He learns techniques after seeing them performed a handful of times…masters them nearly as soon as he tries them. Things that take a lifetime to comprehend, he innately understands.'

The smells called to her instincts; she was hungry and ready to eat. A small part of her was saddened that she would very rarely have the delicacy of meat before her again, but the larger part of her was thankful. In this world, the one away from wildness and instincts, there was no need.

She would not have to feel guilty for taking an innocent life again.

With the bamboo leaf wrapped zongzi, stuffed with pickled carrots, in one pot steaming, youtiao frying in the next pan along with congee being boiled to it's thick, porridge texture, Po seemed to be preparing a feast. He was chopping scallions and fresh fennel for cong you bing, a pile of water chestnuts and wood ear fungus waiting to be cut for mapo doufu, and had a bowl of the tofu itself for the dish already cut into cubes and set aside.

It seemed that Po was going all out, as it would be his last meal not eaten over a campfire for a while. It also appeared that he had missed cooking in a fully stocked kitchen greatly.

"Do you…need any help?" the tiger offered, unfolding her arms and shifting nervously. The happiness was rolling off of him in waves as he hummed and cooked, and while she was hesitant to intrude, she also knew that most of the food was for the pleasure of his friends. His favorite was steamed dumplings, and though she thought she might smell those in the steamer that was already sitting to the side, the other food was prepared for them.

"Hey, morning!" he called over his shoulder smiling at the slight surprise she gave him, "Could you grab another wok for me to stir fry the tofu in, and the bean paste in that brownish-green jar in the cupboard?"

She moved to do so; first handing over the wok, then went to search for the right 'brownish-green jar', as nearly all of them were the same viridian color. When she found it, she turned it over in her paw and tilted her head…she supposed it was a little more brown than the others.

"Here," he moved over jovially, tending to the cooking food and plucking the jar from her paw, "Just start chopping these water chestnuts and the fungus. Thin slices."

"Alright," she took up the knife and began. Her slices were not as uniform as Po's were, but she knew the bear wouldn't care, "Having fun?"

"Yeah," he nodded, blowing on a spoonful of congee to taste, "Haven't gotten to cook like this in, like, five whole months."

"The meals you cooked were very good," she countered, pausing to look up at him, "Especially with the limited supply we had…and for never having dealt with cooking meat before."

"It was sort of fun," he smiled back at her, not really noticing as the others sleepily came to the kitchen, having smelled the cooking food, now observing the pair, "A chef's son's challenge!"

"The mighty Dragon Warrior versus the lack of vegetables?" Tigress teased back dryly, as she continued her task. Po reached across her, Tigress leaning back easily, to grab a handful of the water chestnuts she had already sliced, "What all are you making?"

"Oh, you know," he waved the steam away from the largest pot, "zongzi, youtiao, congee, cong you bing, mapo doufu, braised bamboo and ginger, popiah, misua…and dumplings."

"That's quite…a lot," she glanced around, noticing some dishes already set aside, and started to find three sets of eyes staring at them from the table, 'I didn't hear them!'

"Good for us," Monkey broke in, causing Po to miss his paw placement and burn a finger on the edge of a wok, "I missed Po's cooking…now we will have to go without it again for who knows how long!"

"Only two weeks," Mantis was perched at the head of the table, trying to sneak a bite of the bamboo and ginger Po had already placed on the table, as the panda comically waved his singed finger in the air and hopped foot to foot, "It's a week up and a week back, but hopefully they can make it a little faster. My belly missed Po, too."

"It does smell good," Crane admitted quietly, "I missed having your congee and youtiao."

"Master Shifu missed it too," the small insect joked, smacking his lips to savor the piece of bamboo he had snagged, "Mmmm. He lost a little weight while you were gone Po. He's too old to lose weight, so make sure to feed him, and by extension, all of us, well."

Tigress lashed her tail at that comment, but managed to keep quiet. She knew it was all good-natured teasing, but she felt strange in having been interrupted in her morning chore of helping Po. For several months it had just been the two, and now she felt the intrusion keenly. She shook her head to clear it, then moved to grab a plate.

"I'll take some to Viper's room," she began to fill it with the items that were already done, knowing that the snake didn't care for the still cooking mapo doufu or misua,"

"I'll take it," Crane offered suddenly, moving to take the plate, and one for himself, with only a few dumplings on it, "You guys enjoy your meal before you have to go. Besides, we don't know if she's quarantined or not yet, and I was with her the most before we returned."

He left sullenly, head lowered with the brim of his douli casting his face in shadow. The room fell silent as he left. Po, as usual, broke through it, "What's wrong with Crane?"

"Don't know," Monkey shrugged, happily making his own plate to begin eating as Po filled the last of the serving dishes and moved them to their small table, "When he and Viper got back after you two had left to the barracks, they both looked bad. I overheard Viper saying she may be sick…she dug through a dhole's poo to find the bead."

"That is not something I would want to do," the panda sounded a little grossed out, "So, she might need to be quarantined?"

"Guess so," Mantis replied around a mouthful, "As for Crane, he hasn't really talked about what's bothering him. He barely slept last night though."

"He looked like something was weighing heavily on his mind," Tigress took up her chopsticks and began to eat.

"Or his heart," Po pointed out softly causing the others to pause. He was observant in a way strange to them sometimes, but his intuition was generally correct when it came to matters of the heart, "Hope he's alright."

"Me too," Monkey slowly agreed, poking at the meal on his plate.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Down in the Valley of Peace Mr. Ping was lighting his lanterns and preparing to start a fresh batch of noodles. He missed his son, who was a noodle maker extraordinaire in the goose's opinion, 'That boy can pull and stretch noodles like nobody's business. Broth, like Kung Fu, runs strong in his veins.'

He rolled his dough out and began the stretching process, repeating the pattern over and over. Po was better at it because of his longer arms. He was more muscular than his father as well, and could pull and bounce the noodles more quickly, and work with much heavier pieces of dough. The panda was taller, too, and where Ping had to stand on the counter to bounce his noodles effectively, Po simply stood to his full height.

Mr. Ping had several balls of dough to work with this morning. Business had been good, especially since he had added tofu to his menu. It was daring, but fortune often favored the bold, 'And my son taught me that sometimes dreams are worth fighting for.'

He was so engrossed in the smooth movements of stretch, bounce, twist, that he missed the two large forms moving through his courtyard, "Hi Dad!"

"Po!" Mr. Ping felt a moment of conflict. Should he drop the noodles and run to his son? But to drop the noodles would ruin them! Blasphemy! "Po, son, you're home safe! You're face!?"

"Is fine, Dad," Po stooped through the narrow entrance as Tigress took a seat at the counter, watching in amusement as Mr. Ping kept working the noodles even though she knew he wanted to throw his wings around his son. They were always hugging, and it made sense why the panda was so inclined to touch others.

Po stood beside his father and took up four of the rounds of dough, starting out by forming them together as he pulled and worked at the floured countertop. Tigress had never really seen the noodle makers work at their trade before, and she had to admit that it was impressive to watch. It fit Po's personality as well. It looked fun, and the movements were bouncy and fluid.

Flowing, too, like water, 'Po's element.'

She continued to observe the pair moving in tandem, obviously a moment between father and son, but did not feel like she was intruding. Rather, she smiled as Po and Mr. Ping began to grow flashier in their movements, obviously trying to entertain her.

"Watch this!" Po pulled extra hard, then pushed downward, letting the noodles bounce towards the floor, only to recoil sharply and fly upwards over his head. The panda spun in that moment twisting the noodles in the air as they came back down.

He wagged his eyebrows at the accomplishment, continuing his work.

Mr. Ping pursed his beak and rolled his eyes, "Show off."

They both laughed at that and began speaking as they worked. Ping had done well while they were gone, though he had missed his panda greatly. He was just so thankful and pleased that Po was back, that it suddenly occurred to Tigress just how hard it was going to be for Po to break the news of them leaving again so suddenly.

She understood now why Po had requested they leave third thing that morning.

Po spoke of their time training, glossing over the wound on his face. It only upset his father, and so Po spoke as little as was necessary, saying simply that another wild bear had found them and surprised them. He wasn't really hurt and it was healing nicely, "Besides, what an epic war-wound if it does scar, am I right?"

Ping just shook his head, preferring that his only child remain unblemished and safe. He sighed as Po spoke excitedly though, 'The main thing is that he is safe. If this is the worse that happens, I can live with it.'

"So…that sort of brings us to why me and Tigress are down here so early…"

"Well, of course I approve," Mr. Ping looked between the two seriously, earnestly, "It is not exactly traditional, but after spending all that time alone together, two animals might find they have a certain close bond and…"

"Uh, Mr. Ping?" the tiger felt the need to cut in before that disaster of a sentence could be finished, "I don't think you understand what Po is talking about."

"Well," he laughed a little, working on the last ball of dough as Po finished with hanging his to dry, "I may not have ever found another goose to be with, but that doesn't mean that I didn't favor anyone when I was younger…and she happened to be a very pretty water vole."

"Dad?" Po cut in, in confusion, "Me and Tigress have to go to a temple and retrieve some sacred box thingy. What're you talking about?"

"Come on, Panda," Tigress stood and turned to hide her blushing face, ignoring Mr. Ping's wide smile, "I'll explain it to you when you're older."

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

After goodbyes were made, tearfully on the gander's part, Tigress and Po set out at an easy pace. The road to the Jade Water Village was fairly straight and well traveled, and they would make good time.

"So…what was my Dad talking about?"

"When you're older."

"I am older. I'm twenty eight!"

"Not mentally."

"Hey!"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.