Chapter 12
"Tigress..." Viper whispered breathlessly. She couldn't help but stare at the feline's attire. The feline was no longer in her coronation Kimono. She wore an elegant ice dress; a crystal-blue, off-the-shoulder dress made out of ice with a right knee-high slit, a crystallized bodice and translucent, powder blue sleeves, half hidden by a long winter cloak. Tigress saw this, and moved her eyes towards the empty space behind her, worried.
"You look..." Po gulped as he tried to think of the right word to describe her appearance, and not to embarrass her at the same time. All he wanted to say to her was that she looked; beautiful, flawless, amazing, wonderful, stunning...
"Different," Mantis said for him. It wasn't what he intended to say.
"Don't get him wrong!" Po said quickly, in hopes the feline didn't take it the wrong way and get offended. "It's a good different... A great one even!" Okay Po, Viper thought. Don't over do it... "And this place..." He motioned around them. "This place is amazing." He looked around as he said it, and when he turned back, he saw Tigress stepping down the few steps beneath her cautiously, with a smile visible. Then he threw his head back up towards the ceiling to see the chandlier. "Didn't see that before! Wow!"
"Thank you," she replied politely. She took off her winter cloak, and held it over her arms as they folded across her adomen, granting Po more of a reason to keep his eye on her. Attached to the back of her bodice, a long, floor-sweeping cape made of sheer ice, see through, and decorated with large snowflakes materialized in front of them. Her fur managed to remain it's radiant orange too. "I never knew what I was capable of..." She looked around them, sweeping her left foot across the floor to make sure it wasn't as slippy as Po made it look like from afar. Even her sandals were made of ice, almost see through looking when exposed.
"It's truly amazing." Crane praised as she placed the cloak down. He began to walk towards her, with the others not far from following. "This palace is a work of art. How did you make your clothes like that, if I dare question?" Tigress watched them walk towards her like a hawk, while remaining rooted on her spot. It felt like they were closing in on her, whether they meant it innocently, or to make her feel threatened and unsafe. Once they thought about it, they were possibly the ones in danger, so they slowed down as little as their patience allowed them to. "We're so sorry about what happened. If we'd known-"
Viper soon began to out race Crane by slithering a little faster. When they were halfway across, the feline instantly took a step back, parking herself on the step behind her. "We wouldn't have pushed you so much..." Viper joined onto Crane's sentence, while the others nodded and mumbled 'yeah' or 'that's right' or 'you got it' in obvious agreement.
"No, it's okay." She held her paws up to stop them. "Its-" Looking at them briefly from left to right, she ran her paws over one another, and to Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, and Po's amazement, light blue gloves glove soon appeared on them. "It's fine... You don't have to say sorry..." She lowered her covered paws, that balled into little fists against her stomach.
"You sure?" Mantis asked. "I'm pretty sure it was mainly our fault your here."
Tigress stared down at them, and rubbed her wrists against each other like they were hand-cuffed. "I'm sure... it's fine- but you should probably go, please..."
"But..." Monkey chuckled nervously. "We just got here..."
"...You all belong back home, in the Valley Of Peace." Tigress turned away, and started walking up the steps again.
"So do you Tigress..." Mantis said. He beckoned her towards him, even though she still had her head turning away from him. "You just said it yourself... You called the Valley of Peace your home."
"Please Tigress... come back with us." The serpent pleaded.
"No," she replied firmly, turning her head towards them quick enough to make her eyes spin if she didn't sound so stern. With a small scowl appearing expressed on her face, she watched them cower away from her slowly, and sighed. "I don't belong there. Everyone there is normal, with little flaws, while I belong here." She said finally, the face softening. "Alone... with my many." Watching her paws close together against her chest, she walked to the left, like she was doing a presentation, looking around them, but minus the gestures. The others copied by looking around too. "This is my home now... You may feel the chill here... But..." she chuckled a little. "The cold never bothered me anyway..." Her eyes edged to the near-by window. "This is where I belong... Where I can be who I am, and embrace the flaws I have, without hurting anyone..." She stopped on the spot as her voice died. Po watched this in silence as Viper looked at Monkey, who mirrored the same look on her face. Crane and Mantis glanced at one another briefly, brows raised, but Po couldn't help but think over everything that had occurred in the Valley. Both before, and after Tigress revealed her powers, and what they shared together.
"Who else?" She said. Crane felt a lump forming in his throat, and glanced at Po and his friends. It was probably the first time Tigress has ever spoken to him, ever, besides the fact she hasn't spoken to the others much either.
"Hey?" He said for all of them, let alone his own. Tigress' nostrils enlarged as she looked down, straightening her kimono skirt layer, biting her lip miserably. Maybe she was unsure what to say next... like them. They were happy she was finally talking to them after all these years. But even though after all this time watching her stuck in the training hall, or in her room, hoping to be oblivious to them all... it didn't mean it wasn't nerve wrecking.
...
Master Tigress, can I ask a strange request?"
"Depends," she looked at him with a curious look. "How strange is the request?"
"Well I don't know if you could count it that strange," he looked at the center of the ballroom. "Would you like to dance with me?"
He reached out for her paw bravely, but Tigress must have sensed it and smoothly lowered her paws, and clenched them in a lower position.
He bowed at her first like a gentlemen, and then she gave a curtsy, bending one knee, and bowing her head. Guests watched as they began to waltz around the room. They started slowly, but once they got the hang of it, they glided across the floor gracefully.
...
"I had no choice..."
"...In the two years I was away, I would sit in my room, waiting to hear you say say good night, to each other, before shouting into me, and then... I'd wait for the snores... the mumbles... the laughs... All those little weird things about you all... made me feel part of a family. Something I never had..."
...
"Tigress, in my eyes, you have done nothing wrong. If you feel that you did something wrong towards me, OK! I forgive you! But you had your reasons to hate me! I took your title for the Dragon Warrior for Pete sake! Who wouldn't be mad over that!"
...
"To Tigress!" Po raised his glass as well, making Tigress blush that tad bit more.
"To Tigress!" Repeated the congregation, and clapped and cheered Tigress smiled at them all, before facing Po whilst everyone clinked their glasses.
Her eyes met his, and his smile widened too. They continued this, until the warmth of the room pulled them slowly towards each other, eyes starting to close as they edged closer... and closer...
...
"As your new master, you will do what I say... or leave the Palace by sunrise tomorrow morning."
...
"What did we ever do to you Tigress?!"
"Enough, Mantis." .
"Not until we get an answer!"
"Why do you shut us out?! Why do you shut the world out?!"
"What are you so afraid of?!"
"I said, enough!"
...
"Monster... she's a monster!"
...
"Tigress, stop!" Mantis called out agitatedly as they all ran out after her onto the frozen water. They rushed out onto the ice so quickly, they all wobbled, slipped, and fell. Po's impact somehow didn't crack the ice they were now lying upon, dazed, and slightly in pain.
...
He turned, to see Tigress, only a tiny, visible orange blob on the far shore. There he could see her drying out her dress, before looking back at them, and scrambled into the mountains.
"No..."
"...Actually, about that-" Po blinked quickly, snapping out of his multiple flashbacks. It was Viper who was speaking. He was standing behind her, so he could tell her expression from the back obviously. However, within her voice, he sussed out the kind of sound he would have used on when he did something stupid, which ended up annoying someone. "The Valley is..."
"Fifty-eight... Fifty-nine... SIXTY!" Tigress' eyes rose up above her friends, and stared at the door.
"What is that?" She asked suspiciously. Without waiting for an answer, she immediately crouched into her battle stance.
They were all about to ask the same thing, but turned and smiled to see Jījí, running in from the front door. He waved crazily. "You guys said to give a minute, and I did!" They all chuckled at him, and then turned to Tigress, who could only stare at Jījí with bewilderment. "Who is this?" She asked softly. Jījí stood on the very tips of his toes to see who was talking.
"Beep beep you guys!" He hinted. They chuckled again and all moved to one side, and he stared right back at Tigress, big eyed. He soon inhaled deeply, almost dramatically, and began jumping about. "Hi, I'm Jījí and I'm an Snow Dragon!" He ran for Tigress, who raised her arms to defend herself, but ended up catching the little Dragon instead. "I finally get to see you face to face!" He hugged her, wrapping his arms around her neck like a toddler. Tigress staggered back and forth by his sudden weight pressing upon her. When she could stand still without the fear of falling, she tried to slip Jījí off her neck, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Jījí?" He loosened a little to look into the feline's eyes at the sound of his name, with a small look of worry on his face.
"You built me. You remember that?" He grinned as he jumped down before Tigress could put her paws on him. "I came back to ask if you could give me wings? These guys keep thinking I'm a lizard cos you built me without the specific part that seems so important." She seemingly ignored his request, and knelt down to his level, and brought her paw up close to his face. Jījí didn't know what she was even planning to do, but then he smiled gleefully when she gently cupped his face into on paw, while outlining the details on him with the other. He even pushed his cheek into her paw like a kitten, his tailing waggling about happily.
"And you're alive as well?" She asked. Jījí blinked slowly, and clasped his talons like fists, making sure his limbs moved during his inspection. Viper and the others looked at each other quickly. As well'?
"Um...I think so?" He said.
"He's helped us get here..." Viper paused and waited for Tigress to look at her. "What do you mean by 'as well'?"
Tigress smiled as she stood up straight. "When I meant alone... I actually made a mistake by saying that." She backed away until in was standing right between the two ice walls, which was a wide open space. "I didn't mean it that way... I would be lying if I continued to say it that way..." She gestured towards her right with an open palm. "Come on out." She said loudly.
"Is it safe?" They watched Tigress nod, before turning towards where her palm was facing. Soon, another ice dragon, came walking in. They all gasped. This little ice dragon was like Jījí, but less like Jījí in other ways, let alone the gender. She watched them cautiously, as she walked up to Tigress, and bowed to her. This one was missing the horn and whiskers, and her eyes were also big and blue.
"This is Fù," Fù nodded on cue, narrowing her eyes a little as she stepped behind Tigress, sheltering herself under Tigress' cape. Jījí's mouth dropped, and slowly turned his head towards Po, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis, as if to say 'do you see what I see?!' They nodded in amazement back, as if their words were taken from their mouth.
"Hi Fù," Po greeted politely. "I'm Po, and we're Tigress' friends." Fù and Tigress furrowed their brows in unison. Fù's was in more question, and Tigress was in worry.
"Friend..." Fù whispered uncertainly. "OK..."
"Am I a friend too?" Jījí asked excitedly, turning his head back and jumping up and down again towards Po and the others. He then ran back up to Tigress, and grabbed her paws and leapt up and down again, with Tigress' arms bounce with him "Or a brother? Is Fù my sister?"
"Or girlfriend?" Mantis chuckled. Tigress smiled at the bug, but only laughed when she saw the little dragon behind her wrinkle her nose.
"I don't know if I even like that idea..." she said, looking up at Tigress, looking more serious. Jījí stopped jumping up and down, and let go of Tigress' paws. "But these are trespassers, they must leave, now."
"Tell that to them," Tigress muttered to herself. Fù's ears picked up the sound of Tigress' mumble, but was unsure what she was saying. Tigress took a deep breath, and stared down at her paws briefly once more, and looked up at Po and the others. They were all smiling at her. "I'm a danger to all of you... the Valley... everyone...." A memory returned to her.
"Monster... she's a monster!"
Her face suddenly sank in pain. "Tigress?" Po walked up to her slowly, reaching out to her bravely. Viper watched on worriedly as Crane, Monkey, and Mantis covered their eyes. As for Jījí and Fù, they were having a serious staring contest. Fù could tell that he had so many questions to ask her about being a snow dragon like he was, and this stopped her from stopping Po at whatever he was gonna do. "You okay?"
"I'm fine... it's just..." She turned away from him, shielding her face away from him. "I'm just trying to protect you... You must stay away from me."
"You don't need to protect us Tigress, we're not afraid..."
Tigress gestured 'no' with her finger. "Liar. You were at the coronation." She had a point. Crane brought his wing up to his neck. Who knew women could be so stubborn about themselves?
"Well- that was because we didn't know at that time." Crane jumped in quickly. "If you told us before, we wouldn't have reacted the way we did..." He added in a sing song way, making Tigress turn back to them. She rolled her eyes a slight annoyance, but he knew she was thinking about it, and possibly agreeing with him. There was so denying it, he had a good point.
"It was to protect everyone. I could hurt someone with these powers." She knelt beside Fù. "At least if I hit Fù, she can be rebuilt."
"We understand that Tigress, but that didn't mean you had to shut us out at every opportunity you had..." Po said softly. You told me yourself that you failed so many people... I forgave you... and they are willing to forgive you too...
"The Valley is better off." Tigress continued. "I'm sure that the Governors, and the Master's Council are going to sort out their plans to kill me, and capture me at this very moment."
"Actually no," Tigress raised an eyebrow at the avian's response. "They're looking after the Valley..."
"While Shen is sorting out his wedding plans." Viper hissed at Mantis, who covered his mouth. Crane, Po, and Monkey stared at him, and Tigress stood with confusion, carefully detailed.
"Wedding plans?"
"Mantis!"
"What wedding plans?"
"Sorry! I had to say it!"
"What is going on?"
"There is no wedding Tigress-"
"Viper likes Shen!" Monkey and Mantis received a slap from both Viper and Crane. Tigress' tongue slowly ran along her teeth, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Shen... as in... Governor Shen of Gongmen city?" Monkey and Mantis nodded. Po pressed his thumb and index tightly together on the bridge of his nose, and Crane hid his face with his hat. Tigress' eyes widened and stared at Viper. "Exp-"
"For goodness sake, I don't like him!"
Fù - Negative.
So I have introduced! Yay! So what will happen next?
Find out in chapter 13!
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