Okay, I admit, the last chapter was a bit shorter than previous ones. But hey, they can't all be 8 thousand words...well except for this one. to make up for it, this chapter is 10 thousand words. Now that being said, quite a bit happens in it...sort of. Thanks for all the awesome reviews by the way and Enjoy the Read!
Chapter 11
Settling in…For now
Po had just turned back from watching his Dad scurry back into the Noodle shop and just sighed. He really didn't want to be here right now. Every single bone in his body was screaming for him to just run for the noodle shop, to run back to his Dad, to his life. His wonderful, noodle filled, father loving, happy life. He only got to spend a month with his Dad before he was back in the hands of the "Masters". 20 years of longing to see the goose again, and he managed to only get one month with him. It may have been the greatest month of Po's life, but to the Panda, it wasn't nearly enough. Their time together was too short.
Po looked up to see the two Masters in front of him watching him closely. Oogway put on a smile and said, "Well then Panda, shall we?" Po's eyes just narrowed as he grunted in reply, hefting his travel sack over his shoulder as he adjusted his hat. The Red Panda merely turned his back on the Panda and began walking closely behind the turtle, grumbling to himself silent enough so that Po couldn't understand him, but loud enough for the Panda to know that he was not pleased.
Po turned his head to see the Tiger standing a few feet behind him watching the Panda carefully. Po assumed she was going to follow the Red Panda behind the Turtle, but when she didn't move and just motioned for Po to follow the Two Masters in front of him, Po knew she was planning on following him and so he started climbing the stairs and the Tiger quickly began to follow.
As the four made their way up the mountain steps, Tigress was watching the Panda closely, caching him looking back at her from time to time and even down into the village longingly. It was strange. Every time the Panda would crane his neck to try and see down into the Village below, Tigress swore he looked sad. Like the further away he got, the more miserable the Panda became. Tigress began thinking to herself as she observed the Panda, "Odd…he doesn't seem as…hostile, now. Yesterday I thought he was a menace to society based on how he acted. Today…other than his conversation with Master Oogway in the restaraunt, he almost seems…civil."
The Panda was proving to be exactly the kind of puzzle Tigress had originally guessed. Hot headed one minute, then the next he clams up without saying a single word. Not to mention, they had reached the halfway point of the stairs and the Panda wasn't slowing down. She expected the Panda to want to stop and rest by now, but here he was not skipping a beat. His breathing wasn't even labored or anything. Well…no more than hers was.
Oogway however seemed to be wondering the same thing, as he often would look over his shoulder to see if the Panda was still with them. Other than being a modest 12 feet or so behind the Red Panda, Po had been keeping a rather steady pace with the Masters as they climbed the steps. Oogway decided to ask anyway as he came to a stop and turned, "Young Panda, would you maybe wish to stop and rest? These stairs can be quite a bother sometimes."
Po stopped to look at the Turtle crossly and just said, "No…thank you." Shifu then snapped, "With all due respect Master, If the Panda can't even climb a set of stairs then he has no reason to be coming to the Palace in the first place." Po just looked at the Red Panda sternly before Oogway then turned to Shifu with an annoyed look of his own on his face, "Is that so Master Shifu? So, you are saying that my invitation alone is not warrant enough to have someone come to the Jade Palace?" Shifu's eyes widened as he began stuttering, "F-forgive me Master…I did not mean…" But Oogway held up his Hand silencing the red Panda saying, "You know exactly what you meant Shifu…as do I. Come, let us continue on our way then."
Shifu quietly uttered a "Yes Master Oogway." And began following his Master once more, with Po and Tigress following behind once again. Only this time, Po now had a slight grin on his face at the Red Panda's expense. A grin Tigress could not help but notice.
Soon Po could see a set of massive wooden gates situated at the top of the steps. "About time…I don't even want to know how many steps we had to climb to get here. Am I really ready for this? I could just turn back now…Should I?" but as Po was in the middle of his thoughts, Master Oogway turned around to face him and said while gesturing to the Palace with both his arms. "Young Panda…I welcome you to the Magnificent Jade Palace." And with that, Oogway threw open the doors and stepped off to the side motioning for Po to enter.
Po nervously shifted from side to side before tightening his grip on his travel sack and began walking through the Palace gates. Once he was through, Oogway, Shifu and Tigress quickly followed and Tigress closed the gates with a loud *Bang*, locking the gates shut for the night.
Po slowly stepped forward and couldn't help but marvel at the courtyard he stood in. to his right were several trees lining the Palace walls while in front of him was a cobblestone walkway leading up to what Po was assuming to be the Jade Palace the turtle was speaking of, which was situated at the top of yet even more stairs. To his left, was another building that was significantly shorter than the Palace and clearly made of wood, yet had only a single set of stairs leading up to it. Outside the building were a few weapons racks and a weird ring painted onto the ground within a giant box pattern(sparing arena). In the distance, Po could see a couple of smaller buildings beyond that one. All in all, he had to admit. The Grounds were rather beautiful…at least the grounds that he could see.
Oogway then walked up to the Panda and looked at him for a reaction, but was disappointed. Although the Panda had originally been admiring the grounds, the moment Oogway came into his line of sight, the Panda quickly forgot about the grounds and his eyes narrowed at the turtle.
Oogway then spoke up saying, "Well, I do hope you will find the Palace to your liking Po. Now, perhaps we shall introduce you to the Palace Masters. You have already met Masters Shifu and Tigress." at this Oogway briefly motioned at each Master who Po hardly even acknowledged, this of course forcing Shifu's ear to twitch in annoyance, and so the four of them began making their way over to one of the smaller buildings.
As they walked, Master Oogway gave Po a brief tour, pointing out that the large wooden building was the training hall where Po would be spending much of his time training with the Masters, while also pointing out other various locations and details about the palace. They even passed a small garden that the Panda did actually admire for a few seconds.
But throughout it all, Tigress noticed the Panda was barely paying the turtle any mind. Instead, Tigress observed him analyzing each and every detail of the grounds, as if he were trying to remember where a specific rock was laying. It was strange. He almost seemed, like he was a bit nervous about being here.
The minute Po had stepped through the giant doors he immediately felt himself diving back into his old habits. Scanning his surroundings as fast as he could, planning quick escape routes should he need to make a run for it, and remembering the path in which they were taking. He also started talking less and less once again, giving someone an occasional nod or one worded answer if it was absolutely necessary. He couldn't help it. He was feeling something he hadn't felt for several months again. Something he wished he never had to feel ever again. The minute those giant doors slammed shut and the Tiger locked them, he felt trapped.
Soon the four came to a smaller building with lanterns lit inside the windows and it was then that Po had noticed the sun was practically down by now, casting a dark shadow from the mountain over the Palace grounds. Upon approaching the building, Oogway turned to face Po and said, "This building is known as the student barracks. There is a lovely kitchen in here for you to prepare your meals in and It is here where you will be sleeping. Master Shifu, did you by chance have Zeng prepare a room for our newest student?"
Shifu merely uttered dryly, "Of course Maser." Oogway smiled as he said, "Excellent. Now, let us go and meet the others, shall we? I'd imagine they would all be finished with dinner by now." And with that Oogway began making his way into the barracks followed by Po and the two Masters.
As the four made their way down the hall, Po was memorizing each and every turn he was making until they came to a stop outside a set of double doors. "Seriously, what is it with this place and having more than one door?" the Panda wondered, as Oogway opened the doors and greeted, "Good evening students!" Po wondered who Oogway meant by "students" but not for very long, as he could easily make out the sounds of a few chairs skidding back, followed by several voices saying at the same time, "Good evening Grandmaster!"
Po's ear twitched in annoyance at the greeting and his fingers were starting to twitch as well, but he was doing his best to remain calm. He wasn't back in his father's shop anymore. Now he was in their hands, their territory, and he just knew that red Panda wanted an excuse to punish him for any reason.
Oogway then continued, "I have brought you someone that I would wish for you all to meet. Po, if you would?" as Oogway stepped off to the side to make room. Shifu quickly rushed past Po and stood next to his Master glaring at the Panda while Tigress waited for the Panda to move. After taking a deep breath, Po slowly walked around the door and through the threshold.
He found himself now standing in a rather spacious eat in kitchen, with a ceiling that was impressively raised high above his head making the Panda feel slightly smaller than he really was, since the only kitchen he had ever been in was one he couldn't even stand up straight in. But Po didn't even get to finish admiring the kitchen as he was met with four rather surprised faces all staring at him as if he was the last thing they expected to see.
Standing around a large table in the center of the kitchen was a Crane, a Monkey, a Snake, and a Mantis. Po quickly recalled that he had seen them all in the village the day before and immediately his face fell into a frown as his eyes narrowed. These were the rest of the Masters who lived here at the Palace. Oogway then began motioning to each individual with his hand saying, "May I introduce to you Panda, Master Mantis, Master Viper, Master Crane, and Master Monkey. Together with Master Tigress, these Masters make up the Furious Five."
Po was now looking at the turtle oddly as he wondered, "Furious Five? I think Dad mentioned something like that last night. But why the Furious Five?" Po had several theories but was brought from his thoughts when Oogway said, "Masters, this young Panda is Po Ping and he is to be the newest student here at the Jade Palace for the next two months." Tigress could just barely make out Shifu whispering, "We'll see about that."
Mantis then shouted in victory, "YEAH! See? I told you the Panda would show up. Looks like you get to start baking me those cookies Monkey!" Monkey just shook his head in defeat as he grumbled "Yeah, yeah, you'll get your cookies eventually. Can't believe I lost that bet though." Viper looked over at Crane who sighed heavily and nodded his head that he understood. He had lost his bet with Viper and now owed her 50 cookies too, but neither were about to say anything in front of the others. Mantis then looked up at the Panda and said, "Best wager I ever made."
Po's eyes widened over one word in that bug's last sentence. "Wager!?" Po couldn't believe it. He was in this Nightmare for maybe five minutes and already the Masters were making wagers on him, just like those scumbags back in the Village taverns who used to force him to fight for money! How much coin did he win this lousy insect? And what did he even do that merited it? He hadn't fought anyone yet. So What?
Without meaning to, Po let a low growl slip out from his throat, causing everyone to stare at the Panda. Tigress was tensed and ready to strike should she need to. Something that Mantis said had upset the Panda again, just like down in the noodle shop earlier. Shifu was also ready to take the Panda down, while Mantis was looking around asking nervously, "What? Was it something I said?"
Oogway however came up with a solution quickly and stated, "The Panda has a point Master Mantis, Gambling is rather un-befitting of a Master and a habit best left alone." Po looked over at the turtle crossly yet remained silent. Whatever the turtle had said just now seemed to let everyone in the room relax a little, even the Tiger standing behind him.
Mantis bowed before saying, "Yes Master Oogway." And stepped back a few paces and returned to staring at the Panda. Po suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable as he looked back at all the faces staring at him. For a moment nobody said anything and the awkward silence remained. That is until Viper spoke up saying, "Well…it certainly is nice to meet you Po. But Master Oogway, I thought yesterday you asked for only one month to teach the Panda?" everyone except Po, who went back to examining the kitchen, looked at the Master as Oogway explained, "Well there have been a few…changes, to our arrangement." Oogway stated and looked over at the Panda who appeared to be admiring the oven off to the far left.
"But enough of that. It is growing late and you all have training in the morning. Come Panda, Master Shifu shall show you to your room." Po remained silent as his nervousness returned and horrible thoughts of dark and cold rooms with chains filled his mind. Yet the Tiger edged him forward as the Red Panda began making his way down the hall way.
Not too far from the kitchen, Po was lead down a long hallway that was lined with numerous rooms, each constructed out of rice paper walls. At the far end of the hall, Shifu stopped outside of one rooms and turned to face the Panda, who eventually had caught up with the Tiger in tow. Shifu then stated dryly to the Panda, "This will be where you will be sleeping. I expect you to be up with the morning gong Panda, just like the rest of us." Shifu then stepped forward and gave the Panda a warning as he stood up on his cane to get closer to the Panda's height.
"But mark my words Panda, if I so much as suspect you trying to get anywhere near Master Oogway without the proper consent, it won't matter what sort of arrangement you two have, I will beat you within an inch of your life and send you flying down those stairs faster than you can blink!" There it was. There was the usual treatment Po was expecting. Threatening his life unless he did what he was told. "Typical Masters…" Po thought dryly as he glared into the red Panda's eyes unflinchingly, which only served to anger Shifu all the more.
Shifu then hopped down and threw the door open quickly and motioned for the Panda to enter. After hesitating for a minute, Po carefully entered the space and was surprised at what he had found. Four white rice paper walls, and a wooden floor was all that greeted him. It was about the same size as his room back in his Dad's home but it was completely empty. But at least there were no chains on the walls. "It would be really easy to just break out of here if I needed to. At least I wouldn't have to spend 3 years digging a tunnel with a rusty knife,"
Despite that, Po was actually disappointed. He wasn't expecting much of anything of course, but he was at least hoping for a bed to sleep on. Po then smirked as he thought to himself, "Wow…dad's spoiled me. As if I should be expecting anything less." Po then looked over his shoulder to see the Tiger now looking in, but she wore a slightly confused expression on her face. She quickly looked down at the Red Panda for an explanation and then back to Po as the Red Panda said with a slight smirk. "Sleep well Panda. For tomorrow you will wish you refused to accept Master Oogway's offer to come here. I promise you that." And with that, Shifu slammed the door shut.
Shifu then looked at Tigress briefly as she nodded her head in understanding. He had tasked her with keeping an eye on the Panda during the night should he leave his room. "Perfect…I've gone from Kung Fu Master, to babysitter." But she dared not voice her discontent to her Master. It was an order and she would follow it without question. As Shifu began to exit down the hallway, Tigress followed closely. But not before taking one last look behind her at the shadowy form of the Panda who appeared to be watching them leave.
Po watched as the two shadows began to exit down the hall off into the direction they had come from. As they disappeared from view, he whispered to himself in response to the Red Panda's statement, "I already do." Po then took one last look around the room he was left in and sighed heavily. He then placed his travel sack down onto the floor against the one wall and sat down next to it.
He slowly began rummaging through its few contents and pulled out one of his spare robes and his red cape he had folded at the bottom. Po smiled to himself, happy that he decided to bring it with him and that the Masters never took it from him. He began folding the robe up into a small bundle that he set down on the floor, next to his cape. Po sighed; at least he had a roof over his head.
He gently placed his hat down next to his sack and lay down onto the cold floor not bothering to take the robe he was wearing off, placing his head onto the folded robe, using it as a pillow and he draped his cape over his frame, using it as a blanket. He turned so that he now faced the door and just laid there. He wasn't exactly tired. Truth be told, he was wide awake. He was nervous, unsure as to what was awaiting him the next day for certain. The Turtle had said it would be training of some sort but the Red Panda made it sound more like it was going to be torture.
Without anything better to do, Po tried to close his eyes and sleep. It may have been a bit early, but something told him he was going to need as much sleep as he could get for the following day.
Tigress was following Master Shifu down the hall and back towards the kitchen. When they had managed to get far enough away, Tigress asked, "Master, forgive me for asking, but are you sure that we gave the Panda the proper room?" Shifu stopped and turned to face his student with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And why would you ask Master Tigress?"
Tigress then said, "Well…when Master Oogway asked if you had a room prepared for the Panda I thought you had Zeng get one together for him. I didn't see a bed or a blanket of anything." Shifu then continued walking as he stated dryly, "If that Panda wants a bed so bad then he can go back to the village. He will receive no special treatment from me just because Oogway seems to think for whatever reason that he may be the Dragon Warrior."
As the two reached the kitchen, Tigress noticed that Master Oogway had taken his leave and no doubt had retired for the night. Shifu then regarded his students saying, "Get some sleep, for tomorrow will no doubt be a rather trying day for us all." His students bowed and with that, Shifu began to leave the barracks.
Once their Master was gone, Monkey looked to Tigress and asked, "So how did it go in the village?" Tigress sighed as she sat down and Crane handed her a plate of Tofu while he turned around and started boiling her some tea. "About how I expected." She replied simply, as if that explained everything that happened. Mantis then coaxed her on, "Well don't just sit there, tell us what happened!" Viper then added, "What's the Panda like? He didn't really say anything when you guys got back."
After taking a bite of her Tofu and thinking about the question for a bit, Tigress looked down at her plate and stated rather solemnly, "He's… very angry." Nobody said anything for a moment as they waited for Tigress to continue. After a moment she did, "In the village, he was very vocal, not afraid to voice his opinions or his disrespect for Master Oogway much like he was yesterday. There were however moments where I would see him tense after something was said, but I couldn't catch what it was in regards to."
Tigress paused for a moment again before she continued on looking across the table over to the snake, "As we climbed the steps from the village, he kept looking over his shoulder down into the village, almost as if he were afraid that he wasn't going to see it again." Crane then asked, "Why would he think that? It's not like we're holding him here against his will or anything right?" Tigress shook her head and stated, "Of course not, but once we entered the Palace grounds he began acting rather odd."
Monkey then asked as he leaned back in his chair, "What do you mean Tigress?" At this point Crane had placed a small cup of tea down in front of Tigress and took his place next to her, watching the Tiger closely. Tigress took a moment to gather her thoughts as she took another bite of her tofu, followed by a sip of her tea, nodding over to the bird in thanks. Eventually she spoke once more saying, "It was almost…like he was nervous. Like he was…trapped…or scared."
Nobody said anything to this and for a long time there was only silence that hung in the kitchen. After Tigress had finished her dinner Viper finally spoke up saying, "Well…Perhaps tomorrow we can learn a bit more about him." Mantis then spoke up for the first time since he had upset the Panda, "I just want to know what it was I said that upset the big guy so much. Kinda hard to apologize for something I don't know I did."
Tigress then stated, "It wasn't just you Mantis, he did it down in the village too." Crane then asked the question everyone had been avoiding up until now as Tigress stood up and took her dishes over to the washtub, "So…did you find out how Master Oogway and the Panda know each other?" Tigress stopped as she hung her head low in frustration. After a moment, she turned to face her comrades and said, "No…"
It was then that Tigress began to exit the kitchen, but not before she stopped at the door and half turned her head to look back at the Masters and finished, "…But I intend to find out." and with that, Tigress exited the kitchen altogether and went to retire for the night, leaving the other four Masters looking at one another in confusion.
As Tigress was walking along the hallway her eyes were trained on the room that the Panda was left in. she could just make out the shadowy form of the bear lying down on his side not moving. Tigress listened for a moment and could just make out some light breathing but there was no snoring coming from the room. As she approached her own door, she noticed the Panda's form jerk as his head lifted slightly. He was watching her thorough the rice paper wall.
For a moment, nobody moved and the two just watched each other. After another moment though, Tigress opened her door and backed up inside. Before she closed her door though she watched as the Panda laid his head back down without saying a single word.
As Tigress walked over to her bed she stretched her arms briefly before lying down and staring up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night for her, she could feel it. She suddenly heard her comrades coming down the hall wishing each other goodnight. When all the lanterns had been extinguished, Tigress looked over at her door knowing that across the hall the Panda was also lying awake.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day and not just for the Panda, but for her as well. And with that, Tigress closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.
The next morning…
The Morning Gong had sounded as it did every single day. Shifu stood at the end of the Hall in the barracks where the students slept. He was NOT looking forward to what this day had in store for him. However, if he played his cards right, That Panda would be heading down those steps by the end of the day for good.
At the sound of the morning gong, four doors opened quickly followed by four figures dashing from their rooms, all greeting their Master in unison, "Good Morning Master!" The Four students waited for their master to return the greeting, but when he didn't they all looked down the hall towards him.
Shifu was staring at Tigress's door which had remained closed. Tigress was the last person Shifu expected to be late for anything, much less a daily ritual such as the morning greeting. Shifu quickly walked up to the door and rapped on it calling out, "Tigress?...Tigress!" after the second attempt at calling for his most accomplished pupil, Shifu threw open the door and his eyes widened.
The room was empty. Tigress wasn't here. "Where on earth would she be? It's not like her to be anywhere else at this time…unless!" Shifu quickly whipped around and glared at the door across the hall. Without even knocking on the frame, Shifu stormed across the hall and threw open the door shouting "PANDA!" But again, no one was here.
Shifu looked around the room briefly, it was more empty than Tigress's own room, with the only item being a tattered old Travel sack sitting up against the one wall. "The Panda is gone as well…if the Panda is gone, then perhaps Tigress is merely following my orders and keeping an eye on him. But…where would that blasted creature go at this hour of the morning?"
At this point, Viper had slithered up alongside her Master and peered into the room. she was surprised to see that it was so empty; there wasn't even a bed for the Panda to sleep on. "Did he sleep on the floor last night!? Oh dear…I wish he would have said something, one of us could have gotten him the proper accommodations…but…didn't Master Shifu have Zeng prepare a room for the Panda?"
Viper looked over at her Master questioningly, yet Shifu failed to notice, as he whirled around and ordered at his remaining students, "Find that Panda at once!" The guys all bowed and said "Yes Master." And with that, the three Males along with Master Shifu began making their way down the hall. After Viper took one last look at the bedroom the Panda had stayed in that night, she too quickly slithered after the others to catch up.
Meanwhile, Po was standing in the kitchen standing over a pot of noodles string them ever so lazily. He had woken up after managing to actually sleep for a few hours last night only to learn that it was still dark outside. He was hungry since he never got to actually eat any dinner the night before since that Red Panda left him in that room. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to venture back into the kitchen or not so Po decided to play it safe and just wait in the room for the night. But by the time morning started to approach, Po decided that he was willing to risk searching for some food to eat.
It took him a while to actually fall asleep, as he laid there on the floor listening to the sounds that the Masters made as they slept. That was one thing he was pondering as he lay there staring at the ceiling. Why was he sleeping in the same hall as a bunch of Masters, much less in the same building? That had never happened before. It was always in some shack at the edge of the property he was living on, or a cellar build underground. But to share a room in the same hall with a bunch of Masters? Po couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.
Once he had found his way back into the kitchen Po quietly began shifting through the cupboards, looking for something simple to eat to take the edge off of his hunger. Perhaps if he was lucky he could find some bread or maybe even some apples to stash in his bag back in his room. "Maybe I can stash some food in the floor? That way I can at least have something to eat if that Red Panda decides I don't get to eat one of these days."
But the thought was quickly dashed away when Po realized he had access to enough ingredients to make some noodle soup and decided he couldn't pass it up. So he got to work, finding what he needed to light the stove and gathered enough ingredients to start preparing the dish.
It was only when he started chopping up the carrots he had found that he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Po had then slowly turned to see the Tiger standing in the doorway watching him closely. Nobody said a word. The two just stood there and stared at each other. Was she going to yell at him for being in the kitchen? Was she going to go and get the Turtle or the Red Panda? ...Was she going to say something?"
After a moment of continued staring the Tiger then glanced down at the knife Po was still holding. Po looked at the knife and quickly sat it down on the counter, then he returned his gaze to the Tiger. She hadn't said a word. Seeing the Panda put the knife down, the Tiger then walked over to the counter and stood next to the Panda, eying him closely. She then grabbed a tea kettle that was sitting on the counter and started boiling herself a cup of tea.
Po watched her for several seconds before picking the knife back up again and finished cutting up the vegetables, chancing a glance at the Tiger every now and then. This went on for quite some time. And so here the two were, Po now scooping himself a bowl of noodle soup while the Tiger was sitting at the table watching him as she was drinking her now third cup of tea.
As Po started eating his noodles, he noticed the Tiger was now watching him with a new interest. Po hesitantly lowered his bowl and looked from her to the dish. Remembering that she was one of the Masers, Po set his bowl down and began preparing a second bowl. Once he had it, he slowly walked it over to the Tiger and placed it in front of her before walking back to the counter and returned to his own soup.
Tigress watched the Panda with a raised eyebrow. Had she given him any indication that she wanted any of his noodles? She hadn't eaten Noodle soup in years, and this Panda just handed her a bowl? "Well, it's not like he would know my dietary habits anyway. But why does he not sit down? Is he afraid I'm going to bite him or something?"
Tigress then spoke for the first time that morning to the Panda, "You know…you can sit down." Po looked at her as if she had just grown a second head. He then lowered his bowl from his face and asked in a warily tone which Tigress could not help but catch, "I…Can?" Tigress nodded and again the two dove into their awkward silence once more. Tigress studied the Panda. It was as if he didn't trust her words. Like he didn't believe that he was allowed to sit at the table with her.
After staring at the Tiger for a long time, Po slowly walked over and pulled out a chair, his eyes never leaving the Tiger's. He hesitantly sat himself down onto the chair, their gaze never breaking as he scooted himself forward.
Po couldn't get it. Why was a Master allowing him to share a table with her? He nervously picked up his chopsticks again and started eating his noodles, never once taking his eyes off of her. Again the two resumed their eye staring contest as they watched each other. This went on until the Panda finished his bowl and stood up to take it over to the wash tub, stopping only to notice the Tiger had not even touched her bowl of soup.
As Po walked over to the stove to stir the noodles once more, the doors to the kitchen burst open, causing the Panda to jump and whirl around. Even Tigress was caught off guard as she got to her feet and entered a fighting stance, only to exit it once she heard her Master shout, "PANDA! What do you think you are doing!?"
The Panda was at a loss for words as he was trying to figure out what it was that he did to upset the Red Panda so much this early in the day. Shifu then stepped forward casting a quick glance at Tigress only to return his glare on the Panda. Shifu noticed the noodles and tea and suddenly it all made sense.
"So…somebody got hungry last night did they?" Po's ears flattened but his eyes only narrowed. Shifu then spat, "We do not EAT until after the early morning Gong Panda!" Po then tried to defend himself saying, "I didn't-" But Shifu interrupted him shouting, "Do NOT interrupt your Master!"
Po's ear twitched over that statement. "My Master?...MY MASTER!?" Po then rushed up to stand before the Red Panda who held his hand up stopping his students from interfering as the Red Panda wore an slight smirk on his face, but what the Panda bellowed into his face right then, even he did not expect. "I. HAVE. NO. MASTER!"
Nobody said a word. All eyes were wide with shock at the Panda's outburst, even Master Shifu was shocked that the Panda had the audacity to shout into his face. Shifu then snarled as he stared into the Panda's eyes unflinchingly, "So long as you remain on this mountain. You will do as I say Panda. Master Oogway has seen fit that I oversee your training, but let me make this clear to you right now! I make the rules and you will follow them without question, or I swear, you will spend every day for the next 2 months wishing it were your last. Have I made myself clear?"
Po just stood there and growled into Shifu's face. He was not backing down and Tigress could not help but respect this, and yet at the same time she wanted to pulverize him for treating her Master as such. He may be disrespecting her Master, but the Panda wasn't one to be taken lightly. Like she discovered the day before, he did not scare easily. Shifu then snarled once again, "Go outside…and wait for the rest of us inside the training hall…NOW!" Po glared into Shifu's face for a few seconds before straightening up with a huff and walked past the Masters, who all backed out of his way.
Once he was gone, Shifu sighed in frustration as he pinched his brow and said, "Eat your breakfast…and prepare yourselves for a rather long day. That Panda is going to be trouble…I can feel it." And with that, Shifu exited the kitchen, leaving the Masters all alone.
Once he was gone, Mantis hopped up onto the table and said, "Whoa! Didn't see that coming. Hey, what smells so good?" as the insect began hopping over to the stove. Viper then slithered up next to Tigress saying, "I didn't know Shifu would get so upset over someone eating before the morning gong, did you Tigress?" Tigress shook her head no as she stared at her bowl of noodles. Crane looked down at it and asked, "Noodles? I didn't know you ate them."
Tigress shook her head no saying, "I don't, the Panda made them. Take them." as she slid the bowl over to Crane, they heard Mantis shout right then, "WOW! This stuff is great!" Monkey then walked over to the insect saying, "Let me try!" After the Primate gave the noodles a try, his eyes widened as he said, "Wow! You guys have to try this stuff. It's incredible!" Mantis then looked over at Viper saying, "No offense Viper, but if the Panda's dinners are as good as his breakfasts, then you won't be cooking for the next 2 months!"
Viper hissed in annoyance but said nothing. She was worried about the Panda. He went from being nervous to being incredibly hostile In a matter of seconds, just like last night. "I. HAVE. NO. MASTER!" The Panda was so angry…but why would he deny Shifu as a Master? Shifu was perhaps the greatest Kung Fu teacher in all of China…why anyone would deny being his student, Viper couldn't understand. Not feeling overly hungry, Viper stole a quick bread roll and left the kitchen and headed over the Training Hall. After what just happened, it was probably best not to leave Master Shifu and the Panda alone together.
Crane then stated once Viper had left, "I don't wanna say anything against Master Shifu, but making the Panda leave without any of his own cooking certainly isn't going to help earn the Panda's trust." Mantis then stated as he hopped over to the table and Monkey set 2 bowls down filled with the soup, "Yeah, come to think of it, I don't think the big guy had any dinner last night."
Monkey then said while taking his seat, "Poor guy, he must be half starved. I feel sorry for him." Tigress then stated as she got up to follow Viper, taking her tea cup over to the counter, "Don't feel bad." Crane tilted his head asking, "Oh come on Tigress, I know you must be a bit annoyed that Oogway wants the Panda to be the Dragon Warrior, but that's no reason to deny someone a meal." Tigress turned around and growled. It was true, she did hold some resentment towards the Panda but her resentment for the moment was outweighed by her puzzlement over the bear.
Tigress then said as she was m king her leave, "You're right, I do deserve the title, far more than that Panda, but that's not what I meant." As Tigress exited the hall she stated with a slight smirk, "The Panda managed to eat a bowl of his soup before Shifu found him this morning." And with that, she was gone.
Later that day…
It was now late afternoon and after a long day of throwing the Panda through the ringer with continuous training, Shifu couldn't understand how the bear was still breathing. They were all standing outside the Training hall, with four of the Masters standing along the stairs while Shifu stood before them. As they could see the Panda returning back to them from his latest exercise with Crane flying just above his head.
That morning, Shifu found the Panda inside the training hall just as he had ordered him examining many of the training stations. The Panda seemed especially interested in the gauntlet of wooden warriors, spinning one around and examining the craftsmanship it seemed. Shifu decided that since he found the equipment so interesting that he would spend the entire morning running the course again and again…and again.
An entire morning of running the course and still the Panda had not so much as asked for a break. In fact, he had only stopped once to relieve himself of his breakfast later in the morning. Shifu had kept the Panda moving so much that he had even denied the bear any lunch, which Po wasn't surprised at in the least. It was part of the reason he made sure to get something to eat early in the morning anyway.
As the Panda made it to the Training hall steps the Panda stopped running and dropped to his knees panting heavily. Crane landed beside the exhausted bear saying, "He managed to make it to the top of the Mountain path and back without stopping Master." Shifu's ear twitched in frustration, as Tigress raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was not expecting the Panda to be able to keep up with Shifu's ridiculous attempts to get the Panda to quit, but he was proving to be in better shape than any of them had ever guessed. But by now he was clearly exhausted yet his eyes did not leave Shifu.
Shifu then stated Dryly, "Fine, your next task will be to spar with Master Viper Panda." Viper instantly hung her head low, she knew the Panda had to be at his limits now, maybe even past them, and now Shifu wanted him to spar with her? She felt guilty for the poor Panda. But she would never refuse her Master as she slithered over to the right half of the sparring ring.
Po looked over at the snake and then back to the red Panda and asked, "Spar?" Shifu then snapped at the Panda, "Yes Panda, spar. As in fight with Master Viper…or at least try to last for more than five seconds." The red Panda said with a evil smirk.
Po looked back over to Viper with a confused expression on his face and then back to Shifu as he got to his feet. "You mean…you want me to fight…a Master?" Tigress watched the Panda's face as she saw he was clearly confused and wasn't believing Shifu's words." Shifu then Spat, "YES you idiot! That is what I said, now get moving!" Po hesitantly made his way over to stand in front of Viper. after looking at the snake warily he then looked back at Shifu and asked, "So…you want me to fight her…as in hit her?" Shifu then chuckled as he stated, "You can certainly try…heh heh…tell you what Panda, if you can land so much as a single attack on Master Viper, your training shall be done for the day."
Po looked at Shifu as if he didn't trust his words and then back at Viper who nodded her head encouragingly. But before the two said another word, a new voice was heard, "How goes the Dragon Warriors Training Master Shifu?" Po whipped his head around to see the Turtle now walking to stand before the red Panda and instantly a low growl left his lips.
Oogway ignored this though and simply began leaning on his staff as Shifu stated, "Poorly Master Oogway, but we are just about to see just what kind of ability your Dragon Warrior…may possess." Oogway noticed Shifu's bitter tone but said nothing as he looked at the Panda closely. The Panda was only now catching his breath from his last exercise, he was dirty, sweaty, and his clothes which Oogway noticed were the same ones he wore the day before were slightly torn. "I will allow Shifu this one match, but afterwards the Panda will be done for the day regardless…I should have known Shifu would be hard on him his first day."
But the only reason Oogway was allowing this particular match was so that he too could observe the Panda's skills and see just how he handled those bandits yesterday. Shifu looked at both contenders before saying, "Prepare yourselves!" Viper instantly entered a fighting stance while Po adjusted his feet and eyed her suspiciously, bringing his arms up slightly. He was still having a hard time being convinced that he was expected to be fighting a Master. Viper smiled at the Panda and said, "Good luck brother." Po's eyes widened in shock as Shifu then shouted as he snapped his fingers, "BEGIN!"
Instantly, Viper lashed out with her tail and struck Po hard in the face with a loud *CRACK* forcing the Panda to stumble back in surprise…and fear. Viper however continued her assault and continued striking Po across the arms, legs and stomach. Each time the snake attacked Po, his eyes would grow ever so wider. It was just like all those times he was attacked by his owners…this snake…her attacks reminded him so much of that awful weapon of his nightmares. So much…of the whip!
Viper's attacks did not lessen however, as she continued to strike against the Panda, pushing him back more and more. Po finally managed to snap out of his shock though, as his eyes narrowed and a low growl escaped him again, "No…Not again…NEVER again!" The Masters had been watching the match all along and up until now, the Panda had been doing his best to protect himself. At first it was like he was afraid of Viper for some reason, but the minute Oogway heard the Panda growl, he felt a sudden change in the wind. "Oh dear."
Viper leaped into the air and flipped as she brought her tail down in a powerful smash. But as her attack was about to land, the Panda had brought his right arm up above his head to protect himself and allowed her tail to wrap around his forearm a couple of times, before twisting his wrist around and grabbing the snake hard and fast, catching the snake off guard as she looked into his eyes and saw a raging fury burning before them, as his pupils began to dilate.
With a loud snarl, Po took the snake and slammed her hard into the ground head first, causing all six Master to gasp at the turn of events. Monkey couldn't help but cringe at Vipers expense as the Panda picked her up, his right hand still holding the snake nice and tight and slammed her down onto the ground once again, this time earning him a cry of pain from the snake.
Viper tried shaking the stars from her head and lunged for the Panda once more head first, but she was met with the Bear's fist, as the Panda landed a mighty punch to her face with his left hand. Po suddenly felt the snake uncoil from his arm as a result and so he spun around and threw the snake in the direction of the Masters, the Furious five all leaped out of the way, as Viper was sent sailing over Shifu's head and head first into the stairs, a low groan escaping her mouth as the others rushed to her side.
Shifu didn't even turn back to look at Viper as he continued staring at the Panda who was breathing heavily. He could hear the Panda's heartbeat from where he stood, beating rapidly. It wasn't from exertion…it was from fear. Viper…had frightened the Panda somehow and his fighting right now…it was more instinct than any actual skill.
Oogway was watching the Panda too, as Po was taking several deep breaths, his eyes slowly softening as he realized the snake was down and what he had done. Viper sat forward as Crane was now beside her asking, "You okay?" Viper nodded as she looked up at the Panda and noticed his nervous expression. She wasn't mad that he had managed to beat her…but his methods were a bit…extreme.
Master Oogway then said, "I think that is enough training for today. Master Viper, I suggest you have yourself looked over at once, I shall send one of the healers to your room." Viper bowed as she said, "Thank you Master." Po was now looking at the red Panda that was glaring at him with intense hatred, yet Shifu never said a word as he walked away and began making his way over to the peach tree.
The five slowly began leading Viper over to the barracks, and once Po gave Oogway a stern look, he too began to follow them back to his room. Oogway watched as the Panda's shoulders began to slump and his head lowered in shame, and somehow, Oogway felt the Panda was feeling guilty about his fight with Viper. Oogway then turned to search for one of the servants to go and check on Viper at once.
"Interesting."
Later…
Monkey exited from the bath house followed closely by Mantis and Crane as he exclaimed, "Ahh…nothing like a nice relaxing bath after a hard day's training." Mantis and Crane agreed silently as they heard Tigress exit the other side of the bathhouse with her towel in tow. As the four made their way down the path, they noticed the Panda sitting against a tree as if he were waiting for them or something.
Once they approached, Monkey asked, "Need something big guy?" Po just looked from the Masters to the bath house and it was then that Mantis spied the Panda's bag. "Gee, you know you could have gone in at any time right? There's plenty of room in there you know." Po's eyes fell as he slowly made his way to his feet and began making his way up the hill. The Masters watched as the Panda entered the side the guys had come out of and closed the door to the bath house behind him.
Crane then suggested as they began making their way back to the barracks to check on their friend, "Maybe he's shy?" while Monkey added, "Or he's still feeling bad about his match with Viper and wants to be alone. You think the Panda will cook something tonight?" Mantis then added, "Hope so, because I'm starving." As the three Masters began making their way down the hill, Tigress was watching the bath house with curiosity.
Why had the Panda waited to use the bath house? Was he shy like Crane had suggested? Or perhaps he just preferred his privacy. Regardless, it wasn't any of her business and so she decided to follow her comrades back to the barracks to check in on Viper.
As Po slid himself into the hot water he felt himself relaxing immediately. This was heaven! He hadn't taken a hot bath since he was a child. He was always forced to wash up in a river of some sort before and the only time the water was ever even close to warm were a few days in the summer season. But this…this was incredible!
As Po submerged himself in the water, his mind drifted to that of the snake. After thinking about it, he realized that he was pretty much acting on instinct before, never even really thinking about what he was doing. It was just…her attacks…they reminded him so much of the whip, that he just panicked. "Maybe…I should apologize somehow…" Po actually surprised himself right then as thought to himself, "Wow…listen to me…wanting to actually apologize to a Master…Still…"
With the exception of the Red Panda, these Masters were somehow different than what Po had thought they would be. Not once had the Five Masters he shared a hall with ordered him around or insulted him to his face. Even the Turtle had kept his distance most of the day. Still, it would have been nice if the Tiger at least warned him about the Red Panda's rules about breakfast, because of that, the Red Panda force Po to skip lunch today too, not that Po wasn't expecting that, but it was still harsh.
Once washed clean of his sweat, Po then exited the bath and began washing his clothes he had worn that day in the hot water, since he wasn't sure where he was going to get any more water from. After he washed his clothes, Po grabbed a clean set and got dressed while putting on his now clean wrist wrappings and exited the bathhouse with his now wet clothes in hand.
The sun was now setting and Po's stomach was starting to growl. Maybe this time the Masters would let him cook something for dinner if he shared…!"That might work" the Panda thought, as he began making his way over to the barracks, an idea slowly forming in his head. as he made his way over to the barracks, he stopped only to hang his clothes on a nearby tree to dry, before entering the barracks and heading straight for the kitchen.
Meanwhile…
Viper was sitting all coiled up on her bed resting. The healer Master Oogway had sent her basically said she would have some bruising but that she would make a full recovery. She heaved a heavy sigh. What had she done to upset the Panda so much? They were sparing, nothing more, so what? Suddenly, she heard the sound of some heavy footsteps coming down the hall way. she looked up and could see the large figure of the Panda making his way down the hall but stopped in front of her door.
Viper watched the Panda curiously as he bent down and set something on the floor in front of her door. The Panda then rapped on her door quickly before making his way down the hall and into his own room. Chuckling at the thought of the Panda was trying to be sneaky when she could easily see his shadow, Viper slithered out of her bed and opened her door. Looking down, she was shocked to see a steaming bowl of hot noodle soup with a piece of paper placed underneath it.
Curious, Viper slid the bowl over and picked up the paper with her tail to examine it. It was a simple drawing of a Panda's face with a frown drawn on it and a small tear coming down the Panda's cheek. Viper was stunned as she looked at the picture. "Is this…his way of an apology?" Viper looked down the Hall at the Panda's room and just stared. She then lifted the spoon that was sitting in the bowl and took a sip of the Panda's soup that he had left her and her eyes widened in surprise, "Wow…this is amazing! Mantis and Monkey weren't kidding! Maybe I can get the Panda to show me how he makes such incredible food!"
Viper then took the bowl into her room and was about to go and thank the Panda when she remembered seeing his room earlier that morning. He had no bed, no pillow and no blanket. Was he seriously going to spend another night sleeping on the cold floor? Suddenly Viper had an idea and a smile grew across her face as she slithered in the opposite direction towards the storage closet.
Po was sitting in his room eating his own bowl of noodles. He decided he wanted to be alone since he still felt like the Masters would be angry with him for the way he acted in his fight with the snake. That was another thing, why did the Masters want him to fight one of THEM? Sure he had been made to fight others before, but they were slaves like he used to be...so why did the Red Panda have him fight with the Serpent Master?
Po was about to take another bite of his soup when there was a quick rap at his door. Po looked up and was confused to see nobody's shadow standing before his door. Curious, Po got to his feet and walked over and opened the door cautiously. Nobody was there, but as he looked down his eyes widened in surprise, "What?" Po whispered to himself.
There sitting in a small pile in front of him was a bedroll, a pillow and a heavy blanket, while sitting on top was a small piece of paper. Picking the paper up, Po flipped it over to see the image of a snake's face smiling at him. It was the Master down the hall. Po looked down the hall both ways but saw no one was around and so he returned his attention to the gifts left for him at his door.
Smiling slightly to himself, Po picked up the items and returned to his room, closing the door behind him. When the door closed, Viper brought her head from around the corner and smiled. Her plan had worked, and she had to admit, the Panda had a pretty nice smile. And with that, Viper scurried back to her room silently as she watched the Panda's shadow unroll his mat and sit down on it comfortably.
Satisfied that the Panda at least had something to sleep on and to keep warm with at night, Viper went back to finish her bowl of those amazing noodles. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day for them all.
So...quite a bit went down. Sorry if the fight between Po and Viper wasn't too impressive, but I wasn't going for Po to be showing any actual skill in that fight. he was terrified at what Viper was representing for him mentally and I wanted it to kind of show that he wasn't really focusing on anything but taking her down any way he could. the kind of fight where he shows what he knows will come next.
Po is slowly realizing that these Masters are different than the ones he's familiar with, and before ANYONE says anything, No...this is not a ViPo story. lets face it, Viper is just really nice and sympathetic, its what makes her awesome.
A good point brought out by Redsaber2020, yes Po's reading problem will be addressed at some point.
Thanks for reading everyone, and remember...
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