Instinctual
By: Lacey52
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Author's note: Reference to Toomba! the video game. Can you find it? It was in the last chapter too...Great Playstation (original Playstation) game by the way...
Also, Soup Nazi reference from Seinfeld :0 Loved that show.
Kudos and cookies to those that can find them…
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Chapter Fourteen: Duplicity in Motion
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Po breathed in deeply, stretching as the cold morning air filled his lungs and nose. He rolled heavily to his four paws and shook, his breath puffing in the air before him. The panda swung his gaze in an arch, taking in the morning sounds that were so familiar after five months, and he realized, much missed now that he had them back.
"Good morning," Tigress' voice came from above followed by a quiet chuff. Po slowly tipped his head back to meet her eyes, noticing her tail lazily flipping back and forth. She lay on her side, four paws daintily hanging over the rounded edge of the boulder. He had found her this way often after she had spent the night hunting.
"Mornin'," he replied happily, suddenly loving being back in the mountains, even though he had been complaining the past few days, "Sleep at all last night?"
"No," she replied to his quiet question honestly, then thought of something that would bring forth his smile, "I cat napped from time to time though."
He grinned and chuckled at her answer. Already she was more relaxed with him here in the bamboo forest, "What'd you do all night?"
"Mostly I watched two snoring bears," she stretched as well, then nimbly leapt from her spot, "I would never have been able to sleep anyways between the two of you."
"Must be a bear thing," Po shrugged, then stood to his full height to stretch again and yawn, teeth flashing, "Breakfast? We've got leftovers."
"That's fine," she nodded, then moved towards the large, black lump still snoring peacefully, "I'll wake Yan."
Yan proved to be a light sleeper and woke easily. Tigress, who had been tensed and ready to dodge should he awake frightened, was surprised to see the moon bear stretch and yawn in a way similar to the sleepy panda, 'Must be a bear thing after all.'
"We need to start looking for the Bead right away," Tigress moved back to Po's side, confident now that the other ursine would not be doing anything funny, "Shifu knows something that we don't, and I'd like to get back as soon as possible."
"I'm worried about my Dad, too," Po answered kindly, handing her a cold pawful of the veggies that had simmered the night before. Not the best meal in the world, but it would sustain them while they began their search.
"How do you do that?" the tiger shook her head in wonder, making room for Yan to sit beside them.
"Just boil a bunch of stuff together," Po shrugged, looking at the pot in slight confusion, 'It isn't that great...'
"She means how did you know she was worried about her Dad," Yan cut in grabbing his own pawful and eating heartily as he had the night before, "She wants to know how you figured out what was bothering her instead of answering what she said."
Both turned to look at the moon bear, who looked back incredulously, "What? I had a girl, back in the city. I really liked her and I sorta' knew how she thought. Sometimes."
"I uh...just knew?" Po answered the question at hand, turning back to Tigress, "I'm worried about my Dad, so I know you gotta' be worried."
An awkward silence was only made more pronounced by the two bears chowing down messily. Tigress wasn't sure if they noticed the tension...they were too busy with the food, 'They are way too much alike...if I were a bear would I be this...easily distracted? Or sit like they do?'
She shuddered at the thought and finished eating quickly, "Let's go."
"Now?" Po looked up with a mouthful, then forced himself to swallow, "Where do we even start?"
"Don't look at me," Yan shook his head, "I have no clue where I could have shit out the Bead."
"Language," Tigress snapped, grimacing as she heard Po giggle, "Stop it, panda. Get up, Yan, you're with me today."
"Look, I'll go back with you guys, I owe you that, but I'm staying right here until you come back for me," the bear stubbornly shook his head, "The further I stay from that accursed Bead, the better."
Tigress growled and stood, fur bristling, "You expect me to believe that you'll just sit here and wait for us to come back and take you to town where you'll be imprisoned?"
"Tigress," Po grabbed the hem of her pants to intervene, looking up at her imploringly, "he's telling the truth."
She was immediately at war with herself over his statement.
Tigress trusted Po completely, more so than anyone she knew, but he was too good hearted, too kind. She knew how the world worked...but maybe her view was just a shade too jaded. Maybe Po saw things in an innocent way, yes, but he trusted his instincts, and this was the place that was supposed to call that forth in them both. Instincts were not biased. They just were.
She let go of her fear, her doubt, her worries and let herself go, looking through the eyes of just a tiger, not Tigress. The moon bear was looking directly back, but not in challenge.
In earnest.
He wanted nothing to do with the Yexing Beads, and if she were being honest, were she in his situation, she would want the same.
"Fine," she broke eye contact and felt Po's paw slip from the fabric of her pants, "but if you try to run, this is the only warning I'll give you; I'm an accomplished hunter."
"Fine by me," Yan leaned back, belly full, "I'll be here whenever. I ain't got anywhere else to go."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
A gong rang out from the village below, the valley's messengers at the bottom of the stairs taking wing after they had announced their intentions of flying up the Ten Thousand Steps. Shifu met them at the entrance to the grounds.
"A messenger has arrived from the Imperial Palace, bearing a scroll with the Seal of the Emperor himself," one of the finches managed as he bowed. No sooner had he spoken though, than a hawk swooped down and landed behind the much smaller birds, scaring the pair badly, "T-t-this is S-Sh-Shang Quon."
"Grandmaster Shifu," the hawk noticed he had not managed to make the small red panda flinch at all, and inwardly was surprised, "I come directly from the Offices of the Emperor bearing this message to be delivered only to you."
Shifu silently accepted the scroll, breaking the golden sealing wax with a stiff fingertip. His eyes skimmed lightly through the message as Mantis came to his side, "Master Shifu? Do you need to send a message back?"
"Yes," Shifu answered slowly as he finished reading, "The Imperial Son of the Heavens, Chosen of the Gods, Mighty and Great Emperor of our land has expressed his...deep dissatisfaction at our lack of progress in bringing the Beads back into his custody."
Mantis shifted uncomfortably at the revelation. Shifu, however stood his ground, knowing that in the world of the royal court, many things were done through deception, guile, cunning; the best way to sometimes throw a sniffing dog off a trail was to give it a bone, "Messenger Shang Quon, I will respond orally. Carry this message to our most beloved Emperor."
"Of course, Grandmaster," the hawk bowed low, "I am ready."
"O Glorious Son of the Stars and Moon and Heavens above us, Beloved of all the peoples of the world, and Mighty and Glorious Defender of the Good and Innocent," here Shifu paused to close his eyes, gathering his thoughts, "It pleases me to tell you that we have gathered four of the Yexing Beads and the Sacred Box created to contain their power. The Dragon Warrior, along with Master Tigress, will have recovered the final Bead by the time you receive this message, fast though your messenger may be."
The hawk glanced up with proud eyes, then looked back down quickly. Shifu continued, "All will be returned to you before the turn of the next moon. Ever your faithful servant and advisor, Grandmaster of the Jade Palace."
"Is this your message?" Shang Quon asked, before repeating it back perfectly. Shifu simply nodded, then watched as the hawk streaked away with a piercing cry. The scared village birds, fled back down the Ten Thousand Steps. The Grandmaster watched with knowing eyes.
"He wasn't really from the Imperial Palace was he?" Mantis felt tense, unsure of what had just happened.
"He very well could be, but the message itself was a fake," Shifu breathed deeply, "Though they did a very thorough job on the forgery. Let's see what they do with this new information."
"Why tell the truth?" Mantis had his own theory, but wanted to hear it from the red panda's mouth.
"Sometimes the best hiding place is in plain sight," Shifu smiled lightly, "Let them have the truth, and they'll be less likely to know we've already grasped the true situation. Perhaps they'll continue to underestimate us as well."
"Sounds like an excellent plan, Master," the insect nodded to himself, "Just one problem."
"And that is?"
"What if Shang really is the Emperor's messenger and we just promised the impossible?"
"In that case, my two students in the mountains will have to succeed," Shifu turned to walk back into the palace, hands behind his back with Mantis shaking his head and smiling behind him, "They seem to do best with the odds set impossibly high."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Po and Tigress had swept most of the mountainside they were familiar with, coming back to camp each evening to find Yan already boiling a few scavenged scraps for dinner. After the first miserable meal they returned to, both the panda and the tiger had started brining back their own pawfuls of mushrooms, wood fungus, ginger root, garlic, and wild fennel.
The meals had gotten better, but their spirits were failing them. It seemed an impossible task.
Po sat heavily, frustration welling up in him as he breathed deeply, scenting the air around him. This area was new territory to him. It was seven li passed where his usual range had been, and the air was much cooler here.
Unbeknownst to him, Tigress was observing him from a tree, tail twitching in frustration, 'How are we to find this Bead with a whole forest and mountain to search?'
Below her perch, the panda folded himself into a half lotus seated position, breathing deeper and deeper. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The world floated away from the bear and Tigress stole forward on silent paws, watching over her friend as he slipped away.
In meditation, Po sought an answer. He centered himself, thinking about the situation, 'Yan is a bear. I am a bear. Where would I go if I was hurt and moving on instinct?'
After an hour or so, Po sat forward suddenly, almost causing Tigress to come down from her branch. He leaned heavily on his front legs for a moment, shaking his head with a blank countenance, an air of vagueness hanging over him. The tiger was startled; she watched as the bear swung his head side to side, scenting the air.
He had slipped completely into a Feral state, 'Will he ever stop surprising me?'
She followed as Po made his way up the steep mountain on a winding path known only to him. He avoided cliffs and waded straight through flowing streams. They climbed higher and higher, the giant panda stopping time to time to listen, smell, taste, and cast searching eyes around. He stopped at a tiny puddle and pawed at the water's edge for a joyful moment before moving on. It was...cute.
'He is bad for my mental health,' Tigress sighed lightly, shaking her head as they continued, 'Po is not cute...but, well, some of the things he does are sort of charming...and he is a good provider of food, a...friend? Is that the Word for the...panda?'
She stopped at the thought, having found her consciousness growing clouded. She sat back on her haunches, shaking her head to try and lift the fog, not even realizing she had been moving on four paws for quite some time already.
'It is near,' she realized, focusing as hard as she could on her most important task, 'Keep my panda safe...'
She came along side of him now, a thought forming on why she was behind him at all, before it drifted away unneeded. She chuffed in greeting, rubbing along his side as he replied. It was...funny. Yes, that was a Word she knew.
The pair eventually came to a cave, scenting the air together. The Pull was stronger now than ever before, their instincts having been called forth over the past few hours of searching. They had unknowingly spiraled towards it, losing themselves a little at a time. It was the same unsettling feeling that the panda had felt at the moon bear's approach...
Something.
He was supposed to do something.
He could not Think. He became frustrated. The female tiger pushed against him, offering comfort, butting her head against his shoulder. He needed to Find something, but it was not Shelter, or Food, or Water. He did not seek a Mate, already having a companion at his side. A pile of excrement marked the cave as already having a resident, so why was he here?
'...no clue where I could have shit...'
He shook his head at the odd memory, the Words not lining up right, but the more he stared at the waste, the more the thoughts drifted back into his mind, allowing him to piece together a strange picture.
'...no clue where...'
'...the Bead...'
'...where I could have...the Bead...'
He needed to Find a Bead. It was in the Shit.
He did not want to put his paw in another animal's refuse, knowing that the scent would linger and draw attention.
But…he had to put his paw in it, 'Find the Bead.'
Pushing against every instinct that screamed for him to back away and leave, he moved forward and let his paw hover over the pile for a second. He swung his head back to the tiger, her nervous energy feeding off of his own feeding off of her in an endless loop he couldn't understand.
'Ripples,' the thought pierced his mind, shining and bringing other thoughts, 'Concentric circles. Dancing water droplets.'
The panda plunged his paw into the nearly dry excrement and shifted, feeling...Dirty? Disgusting?
A hard, rectangular object made contact with one paw pad and he closed his thumb over it, holding it as he would a fragment of bamboo.
He had found It. The Bead. What he searched for.
'Dancing water,' he focused on the thought as he beat a hasty retreat from the cave, 'Inner peace...moving the tiger, Tigress, through the steps on the hill above the palace. Ripples, circles, learning characters, symbols. Learning Words.'
Po sat heavily outside of the cave, clutching the Bead so tightly that his paw began to shake. He had no need to worry about the cave, the bear that had been there was down in their camp, 'His name is Yan. I am Po. Tigress is beside me...'
"Tigress," he worked his mouth as he tried to come back out of the Feral state, having never been so deeply immersed for such a long period, "Not my...brightest idea, huh?"
He looked over his shoulder, only to find Tigress leaning her head forward over him. They nearly bumped noses and he pulled himself free the rest of the way out of the Bead's hold. He laughed and blushed when she nuzzled against him, "Whoa-ho-ho-kay. Someone's a little affected by the Bead right now and I really don't want my face clawed off when you snap out of it."
Po stood to his full height, brushing himself off with his clean paw. Tigress' paws settled heavily on his shoulders from behind, and he turned quickly to brush her off, watching as her tail twitched playfully, 'She thinks I'm playing?'
"Hey!" he grabbed a paw that smacked at his arm lightly, "C'mon, snap out of it. Tigress...Tigress. Tigress!"
He hadn't meant for his voice to drop and get all growl-y, but it seemed to work as she sat back puzzled, "Po?"
"There we go!" the bear grinned, "That's my name, now what's yours?"
"It's Tigress," she jerked her paw loose and rebalanced herself, one paw to her forehead. She looked up at the unpleasant scent emanating from the bear and noticed something clutched in his paw, "The Yexing Bead."
"Yep," Po confirmed, popping the 'p' and tossing it lightly in the air, catching it as it dropped, "Found it!"
"And went Feral to do it," she began pushing him towards a tiny trickle of water melting off the very last vestiges of snow and ice on the peak, "Wash your paw and the Bead. It smells awful."
Po moved to do as he was told, struggling to keep his head clear, "I'm gonna' say you're not too happy with me on that Feral part?"
"It was a brilliant idea," the tiger folded her arms, tail twitching sporadically, "and the most idiotic thing you've ever done. I didn't even realize how far gone I was until we were almost on top of it, and by then it was too late. What if we hadn't managed to come back out of it?"
"Ah, we would have eventually," he shrugged, still trying to rinse the scent from his soiled paw in the ice cold water, "I would've dropped it or you would've wandered off to hunt..."
"Po, don't take chances like that," Tigress chastised, angry with herself as well for letting it happen, "Good luck isn't always going to be enough."
"You were right there with me though," Po pointed out innocently, "I didn't need luck. I had you."
That stopped her running mouth in its tracks. She blushed faintly as a wave of pleasure rippled up her spine, the praise filling her, "Don't think you can talk your way out of this!"
"I'm not really trying to," Po stood, grinning and examining the cleaned piece of Jade, "but if it's workin', I'm not gonna' question it."
"You are infuriating!" Tigress growled, but pulled up short at his knowing look. Flatly, she asked, "What?"
"Just wondering if you're only saying that 'cause you're mad...'cause a few seconds ago someone," he pointed to his friend, then to himself as he spoke, "was giving the old panda bear here a friendly nuzzle under the chin and wanting to play."
"If you weren't the Dragon Warrior, Po," Tigress fought a losing battle with a bright blush that not even her thick fur could hide, "I would have skinned you a long time ago!"
"To what? Cuddle me without protest?" Po took off running down the steep hill, laughing and dodging Tigress' furious swipes as he went and taunting her the whole way, "It was pretty cute, you know! Wouldn't mind you doing it again!"
"Too bad you won't be alive!" she raced after him, coming to enjoy the chase that was quickly turning into a friendly tussle, "Shifu never has to know what really happened when I drag you back beaten black and blue!"
"I'm telling my Dad! No fried tofu for you!"
"Oh, now you are really in trouble panda!"
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Blowing off steam by running and play fighting had helped, letting their instincts run just this side of wild. They made it back to camp quickly, exhausted and thankful that the ordeal was almost over. Tigress approached first, wanting to warn Yan that Po had found the Bead.
"I won't go near it," the bear's ear twitched madly, as though something was tickling it, "I can already feel it from here! It's driving me crazy!"
"Okay," Tigress thought quickly, feeling the stressful dissonance of instincts versus reasoning, "We'll walk apart from Po, far enough that it's barely noticeable. Tonight, Po and I will switch places, then trade back in the morning. He handles the Bead better than I do anyway. We'll continue doing so until we reach the Jade Palace."
"That's...fine," Yan finally nodded, "I'm ready now. I'm tired of campfire meals and sleeping on the dirt. I don't care if it's a jail cell, just take me back to civilization."
"That, we can do," Tigress nodded and began their preparations to depart.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
A fleshy smack echoed against damp walls, a strangled yelp following the sound closely, "I'll ask you again, pug, why did you betray your Emperor?"
"I...never...," the tiny dog panted heavily, already having trouble breathing as his nasal passages began to swell shut from the abuse, 'Gods...have mercy on me...save me...'
"Liar!" a large hoof smacked his face once more, the gazelle managing to make his nose bleed again, bringing forth a howl of pain, "Ping Wo Ip cease this deception; repent for your wrongs and confess! Tell me, who did you give information to!?"
"No...one," the pug was beaten bloody and raw, one ear already torn off, and barely able to breath and still he held firm, 'Never...never would I betray him!'
The dungeon guard, a gazelle of high rank, folded his arms. He had tried several of his preferred methods of torture to extract information, but Wo Ip persistently confessed his loyalty, and his ignorance on the thieves' or would be assassins' plans, 'He knows nothing; it is ridiculous to try and extract information from him. Still, boss is convinced...'
"Ah, I see that my servants were correct," a voice with a pronounced aristocratic air echoed through the stone cells as the elegant red-crowned crane descended the stairs, royal entourage at his heels, "An unauthorized torture session in my dungeon. I signed no missive giving permission for this."
The gazelle wisely fell before the Emperor, pressing his face into the dirty and bloodied stones below the stool the pug was bound to, "My Great Emperor!"
"Stand," the crane commanded magnanimously, "On who's orders did you seize my Royal Treasurer and Keeper of the Sacred Treasures?"
"By the Captain of the Lower Guards, sire," the gazelle bowed again in deference, "I was told that he had good information from the Head of Household Staff that an informant had come forward and given Ping Wo Ip's name as a part of a plot against Your Grace."
"Indeed," the Emperor sadly looked over his long time friend, the dog being one of his most fiercely loyal court advisors, 'Oh Ping Wo Ip, that this had to happen to you. Why did you not come to me? I owe you my deepest apologies, my old friend.'
"Cut him from the bindings," the red-crowned crane gracefully turned his back on the groveling soldier, "Bring him to my private suite and have my personal physician attend him."
"At once, Your Grace," several servants scrambled to do his bidding.
"My Emperor," Wo Ip called weakly, "I am, and have been, loyal only to you...I never..."
"Yes," the Emperor turned his head for a moment, a gentle smile pulling at the corners of his beak, "I am aware, Ping Wo Ip."
"Your Grace," the pug breathed heavily as he was lifted by the same servants that had freed him, "Thank you, O Merciful One."
Xian Da Yu paused in his ascension, eyes focusing on some far away thought, "Yes."
He continued moving upwards, planning his next move in silence.
When they reached the Royal Wing, where only his most trusted were allowed to ever set foot, he turned to his Private Guards, an elite group of ten wolf warriors, "Guard the pug and indeed, this entire wing, well."
"Yes sire!" they answered in concert, knowing that things were happening beyond their control. Xian moved off towards his chambers where his wife and children were waiting.
"Did you get to Ping in time?" a silken voice called as he entered.
"Yes," he walked straight to the beautiful crane that was his mate and let his beak slide along hers in a loving greeting, "Heart of my Heart, what do you think of a very...unplanned trip?"
"Where you go I will follow, Xian," she leaned against him, knowing that danger lurked in every shadow of the Imperial Palace, where once it had been their haven, "Where did you have in mind?"
"The one place where I know the truth may be found and my family will be sheltered from harm, Xiaolian," he held her close, letting his worry and weariness show, "We leave for the Jade Palace in the night. It has been many years since I have seen Master, now Grandmaster, Shifu."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.