New chappie!
C.R. Meadows- lmao I luv when people find the story and they review every chap. Your reviews were hilarious XD
EatingaDonut-Yep, Po is still the same in spirit as for Silas getting his ass beat..meh. Eventually XD
FFcrazy15-Yep. My english teacher is a bish. thanks for the compliment *gives u a cupcake for being awesome:)
Azure X Jen- lol I apologize for the next couple chappies then cuz Silas only gets worse...
NeonTemplar- R and R means Read and Review.
Tigress sighed in exasperation.
"Po…you're lost aren't you?"
The proclaimed Dragon Warrior glanced fervently around them. "No I think it's that way." He hummed, rocking back and forth on his heels and glanced unsuredly to their left. "Or maybe that way." His ears flattened against his head as he slowly glanced to their right. "That way is also a possibility."
Tigress twitched. They had been running for an hour now. She was shocked when Po's venture led them to the edge of the Valley. This was the lawless section of town. It was where the poor lived. There were no houses just shacks and poorly crafted inns. Po lived with his father in the noodle shop across town how did he know anyone over here?
"Wait! I recognize that wall!"
Tigress glanced sideways at the white tiger who was bouncing up and down in an almost puppyish excitement. She blinked. What wall? That grime smudged wall that looked like every other wall they had passed. She rolled her eyes. Po crouched down on the stone floor, hefting the pot of soup over his shoulder and loped out of the alleyway they had been standing in. Tigress sighed and forced herself to follow. She still had no idea where they were going.
The white tiger lithely dodged around vendors selling stolen junk, and careened down a different alleyway. Tigress gracefully loped behind him-stretching out her limbs as far as they could go feeling every nerve, and every brush of fur as her paws pushed off the ground.
The South China tiger's eyes narrowed as they shoved past an overhanging worn and stained blanket. As the clothe rushed past her Tigress screeched to a stop digging her claws into the dirt ground. She paused crouching on all fours and then stood up panting and taking in her surroundings.
They had arrived in clearing. Surrounding them were several wooden overhangs, and run down shacks. It was odd because clearing itself was almost shaped in a perfect circle. Po stood next to her eyes narrowed as he stared at the shadows beneath the overhangs as if he was searching for someone.
Tigress tensed.
They were not alone.
The South China Tiger blinked as a dagger hissed through the air and hit the dirt a centimeter from her foot. On instinct she moved to slide into her stance, but a gentle paw on her shoulder stopped her. Her eyes slid over to Po.
"A dagger just got thrown at us."
"Yeah but never fight these guys. They're good people."
Tigress stared at the white tiger uncomprehendingly. Those good people just tried to stab her. She reluctantly stood upright out of her half stance, and Po blinked down at her gratefully. The white tiger turned back to the shadows, and Tigress slowly moved to follow his gaze. Suddenly a large darkened form surged from the darkness. As it moved further out of the shadows the moonlilght lit his form, and Tigress blinked as the bulky figure of a bear became visible, and not of the cuddly panda bear variety either.
The brown bear growled eyes glinting menacingly in the moonlight.
"This is our territory. You don't belong here."
The bear took a threatening step forward, and Tigress tensed itching for a fight.
"Jun, stand down."
Tigress blinked as a smooth feminine voice from the shadows halted the bear in his tracks. Who was that? Her eyes narrowed, looking for the voice. She didn't have to look far. There above the overhang were two cerulean eyes glittering predatorily in the moonlight.
The bear looked up at the command, still tense. "But Ro-"
A distinctly feline snarl echoed throughout the clearing, and the blue eyes narrowed to slits. "Jun do you smell that? There's only one idiot that would dare to travel all the way to this side of town with nothing but a pot of soup. "
The brown bear's brow wrinkled in confusion.
"But you said he died."
There was a deep sigh, and the unknown feline lithely leapt off the overhang deftly landing on all fours in the corner. The cat-like figure stepped out of the shadows and Tigress blinked as a young teenage lioness became visible. The lioness stood at about her chest with piercing blue eyes, and dark beige fur. Long scars covered the entirety of her pelt and her arm hung limply in a sling in across her chest.
What was with all these lions lately, and why did a child have that many scars?
"There's a rumor floating around that the Dragon warrior died and came back as a white tiger. I didn't believe it…" The lioness paused looking pointedly at Po. "and yet, here he is."
Po chuckled, showing off a mouth full of fangs. He placed the steaming pot of soup on the dirt floor, and with no warning lunged forward, bounding across the clearing in a few leaps and tackling the lioness, wrapping her in tight hug so she was dangling off the ground.
"Get off me you multicolored behemoth."
Tigress grinned bemused as the adolescent feline lightly battered Po with a sheathed claw pressing her bad arm protectively into her chest and-grinning all the while.
With a slight pout, Po released the lioness gently placing her down on her paws.
"You're no fun Rona."
The lioness-newly dubbed Rona snorted, rolling her cerulean eyes. "I don't wanna hear that from you. You're idea of fun is playing with cannon balls, and having your fur singed off. By the way how long do you plan to leave your friend standing there in the corner?"
Po blinked confusedly as if to say what friend? Then his eyes widened, he chuckled nervously ambling to back to stand next to the South China tiger-close enough so they were brushing shoulders. His ears flattened against his head in embarrassment
"Sorry about that. This is Master Tigress-leader of the Furious Five." Po motioned to her with a paw, "Tigress, that-" Po motioned to Rona and the fuming brown bear behind her. "Is Rona. She provides a place for the stray kids that the orphanage rejects."
Tigress's eyes narrowed. She was intimately aware of how the orphanage functioned. They hated dealing with any child that wasn't cute and docile, and felines of any species NEVER were. The South China tiger paused and eyed the lioness again, taking in her self-assured persona and her wary expression. The lioness had become independent overnight to take care of these younger strays. Tigress felt a twinge of sadness. No one that young should look that world weary.
"It's a pleasure to meet the infamous Master Tigress…"
"Likewise, meeting Po's friends is always interesting."
Rona acknowledged the South China tiger with a slight nod, and then glanced sideways toward Po. "You remember the layout of this place? One of the kids is sick. Your soup could help. Jun take him to see the kid in the back.."
That sounded suspiciously like a dismissal. Should she be worried?
Po wasted no time. He bent down-hefting the pot of noodles in one hand, and leapt forward running after the rapidly disappearing brown bear, after a couple of seconds he paused peering back over his shoulder.
"Look Rona I know you're basically sending me off so you can talk with Tigress alone and have your… she-cat testosterone moment, but can you refrain from telling her anything embarrassing?"
The lioness chuckled baring her fangs in a creepy half-smile.
"No promises."
The Dragon Warrior sighed despairingly, and trudged out of the clearing, the Bear who had been silent up until now trudging sulkily in front of him.
Scarlet eyes met with cerulean.
"Let's take a walk Master Tigress."
There was an awkward silence as they traveled over the overhanging rooftops, Tigress loping silently next to the young lioness. As they leapt onto a separate rooftop landing simultaneously on light paws, Rona's even voice broke through the quiet.
"I hear you've been keeping my friend busy up there at the palace? Six months ago he fought Tai Lung, this last month he fought Shen. He's building a name for himself."
Tigress snorted derisively, slowing down to a more leisurely pace.
"Yeah, Po's had an interesting year. He has a lot to learn, but he's done extremely well so far…" Tigress paused ears flicking back uncertainly. "Yunno when Po said he was going to visit his friend-"
"You didn't think he meant some orphaned kids living in the gutter?"
Tigress's eyes narrowed. Petty insults weren't her style. She was would be the last one to judge these kids based on their orphan status.
Rona slowed down to a walk, cradling her bad leg, and the tiger master stopped running completely-glancing exasperatingly at the lioness who was grinning lightly all the while, showing off pearly white fangs.
"Tigress, I met Po when I was a cub, and he was an awkward teenager who wanted to do kung fu more than anything. " The lioness looked up at the night sky gazing nostalgically at the stars, lost in her memories. "Around the time we met, I was scrambling for money to survive and the only thing I was good at was street tricks, and pick-pocketing, until Po came along and gave me an alternative. " Tigress's ears perked in interest and Rona chuckled at the intent expression on her face. "Master Tigress, why do you think Po knows so much about kung fu?"
Tigress blinked at the unexpected question. She had never really considered that before.
"I dunno, years of studying I guess."
Rona laughed outright at that. " Yeah right. Po doesn't study. No it was because any time me or any of my friends were free, he asked us to collect any information about we could about the subject. Scrolls, pictures, stories, hell we even followed masters around sometimes to see their fighting style. Po soaked up everything he could-whenever he could. It was almost sickening."
That sounded almost unhealthy.
Tigress stared at the teenager blankly.
"So you're saying the reason Po knows so much about kung fu is because he has his own mini spy network?"
Rona's whiskers twitched in amusement, and the lioness scoffed. "No. We're not a spy network. We're THE spy network, and Po is hardly our only customer. He just happens to be the one we enjoy working for the most, because he doesn't just use us. He helps us out too. Have you noticed his ridiculously high tolerance to pain?"
Tigress winced, remembering Po's first day of training as the Dragon Warrior. Any normal person would have left..or died.
"Yeah. I've noticed."
"When I was a cub, there were these wolves that came and traded in the Valley every year during the springtime. The younger pups always came by and harassed me and my friends. Po-even though he had no idea how to fight- he would still try and play the hero. I can't tell you how many brawls the panda ended up in. He never won any of them, and they beat him bloody. He went home bruised and bleeding but he never stayed away. Every year he brought us noodles from his dads shop year he went home with new bruises, but no scars-like clockwork. That's why his pain tolerance is so stupidly high now."
Tigress smirked. That was an extreme Po-like mentality. Screw the consequences; the noodles must be delivered.
The lioness smiled, and glanced over at the tiger master. "And yunno Po never brings any of his friends when he visits us because he's scared he won't be able to protect them…somehow I'm not surprised you're the first friend he's brought down here with him."
Tigress blinked.
She was the first? …ever?
Her head tilted comically to the side in almost puppyish confusion.
"Out of all the kung fu masters we've ever researched for him, for some reason you were always his favorite."
Tigress blinked uncomprehendingly.
WHAT?
Meanwhile at the Jade palace
"Put that over there."
Silas glared at the incompetent servant, and lashed out with his foot kicking the bunny to the ground. It hit the wooden floor with a thud whimpering, and he rolled his eyes. Such weak creatures were disgusting.
"Get out of my sight." Silas hissed, baring his fangs threateningly.
The bunny scrambled out of his room, tripping as he went.
Silas sighed relishing in the silence. For now, that odd red panda had stationed him in the Dragon Warrior's room. The white tiger would be rooming with someone else. Silas flattened his crimson fur as he began to bristle impressively. The Dragon Warrior. He snarled. That white tiger was an embarrassment to tigers everywhere. He didn't dominate. He didn't claim. Tigress had been in his presence for how long, and he had done nothing.
How could you have a beautiful creature like Tigress within arm's reach and not try to possess her. Foolish boy, he would learn.
Silas was at his physical peak. He was such a catch it was frightening. No female could resist his charm. Tigress would be no different from his hundreds of other conquests.
Silas extended his claws, forcing them to curve maliciously.
He didn't know if the white tiger was even interested in Tigress but if he was The Dragon Warrior couldn't protect her, couldn't provide for her. Sure Tigress was out with the idiot right now, but in the end she would be his.
Silas's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.
The Dragon Warrior didn't stand a chance.
Back with Po
The Dragon warrior sat boredly in a shack twiddling his thumbs, and trying not to touch his abused paw.
Po had finished feeding the child soup an hour ago .The child in question was a baby chick barely at the age where he could talk. The baby bird bit his hand and wouldn't let go. Friggin demon child. His paw was still bleeding, and he could hear Jun snickering in the corner.
His ears flattened against his head.
"It's not funny."
The snickering got louder.
Pfft fine then. No noodles for him.
Po rolled his eyes, and his ears perked as he heard light paws on the roof. He instantly recognized Tigress's light gait, and Rona's limp. The white tiger leapt to his feet just as the two felines dropped to the ground in front of the entrance and ducked under the blanket that covered it.
He beamed, not bothering to hold back an ear-splitting grin.
"Tigress! Rona! You're back."
The lioness snorted stepping further into the hut, Tigress trailing behind her. "In one piece. Po I think it's time for you all to head back to the palace though. You've been gone all night. Dawn's already started. You can see the sun rising."
Po's ears flattened against his head, and he paled-trembling. Slowly he turned to look at Tigress.
"Tell me she's joking."
The South China Tiger sighed, covering her eyes tiredly with a paw. "I wish I could."
Po had a sudden inexplicable urge to crawl into a hole and die.
Bloody hell, Shifu was going to friggin murder them. They had never stayed out this late before. Ever. He whimpered internally. Maybe he could just stay here. He didn't NEED to go back to the palace right?
He opened his mouth eyes widening hopefully.
"You're not staying here." The lioness deadpanned.
Dammit!
Po scowled, scuffling his foot against the floor. This sucked.
"But Po before you go," Rona brushed past him, trudging across the room. The lioness disappeared behind a beaded barrier, and Po's head tilted to the side curiously as distinct popping and crashing sounds were heard. What was the lioness doing? Minutes later, the odd rummaging sounds stopped and Rona reappeared from behind the beaded barrier holding several scrolls in her good arm.
Po eyed the parchments in her arm warily.
"What are those?"
The lioness's smile was pure evil as she tossed the scrolls at him. The white tiger scrambled to catch them before they hit the floor, when he successfully managed to grab them before they were damaged-he stood there glaring at the lioness, panting slightly.
"Those are scrolls on tigers. I'm sure Tigress has already shared a lot with you but this will explain their culture,and society in depth. Po I don't think you understand the world you entered into. Everything is a delicate game to felines. If you don't know how to play, you lose, and every loss comes with a price. Oh yeah, and for kicks I threw in an extra scroll about lions, just in case."
Po couldn't decide if he was grateful or not.
He chuckled uncertainly. "Thanks Rona."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't lie. You have no desire to read those."
So much for his failed attempt at sincerity.
"Ah and Master Tigress, one last thing before you go." The South China tiger paused, and looked back- peering over her shoulder. Rona locked eyes with her, the lioness's tone changing from light and teasing to somber. "Tigress, there's a rumor going around that you have a guest staying at the palace. You can't trust him. He's about as corrupt as they come. As a friend of Po's I'm asking you to be careful. It's said that your guest will do anything to get what he wants." The lioness's eyes narrowed. "Rumor also tells that right now he wants you."
So yeah end of chappie. Um as for all the felines showing up in this story. They're there for a reason so bare with me XD R and R.