Sorry for the delay in posting update, been busy with other matters.

Chapter 14

It had been a week since Po left with the female panda Jiao, and though life had gradually returned to a normal routine, things were far quieter. Tigress had gone back to her old room in the student barracks, seeing how she claimed there was no need for such vast space for just one person; which in turned caused Rose to move into Po's old room, thankfully she did seem to mind. The young leopard's training was moving along slowly, much to Shifu confusion. He remember back when Tigress first began the child's training she felt so confident in her teaching, and yet now with Po's absent she had become somewhat for lack of a better word—moody. She spent her early moments of the morning in the kitchen, eating several bowls of noodle soup and a number of plate loads of dumpling, and when the others would arrive asking if they might have some of the dumpling, she would snap unexpectedly even going as far as trying to claw them.

Shifu also noticed a change in the tiger's training. Appeared more hesitant when sparring with Monkey or Tai Lung; she'd place more of her defense toward her waist. In fact, during her last match against Tai Lung she left her face and shoulders completely open while training on the spinning beams and when she finally fell, Shifu was confused as he watched Tigress allow herself to land along her back instead of all fours like she normally would. Shifu could tell that Po departure was having an effect on the tiger, but there was more to it than that, something that was deeper.

As the day progressed and the others went down to the valley to get something to eat from Mr. Ping's noodle shop, Shifu position himself in a lotus stance before the Moon Pool, awaiting Tigress's arrival. After snapping at Tai Lung once again for making a rather unsettling remark about Tigress during today's training, he would need to find out once and for all what was troubling her. The sound of heavy footsteps drew his attention and cast his gaze to the side to see Tigress entering the room. She approached him with steady movement, her hands conjoined about the waist and head tilted the side so as to not meet his eyes. She came to a stop at arm's length of Shifu and just stood there, only the sound of her deep sighs betrayed the level of grief she was in.

"You wanted to see me Master?" She said in a shallow voice, she would still not return the red panda's gaze.

"Yes," he said with a deep sigh, "I wanted to speak with you about your recent behavior."

"I don't think there's anything wrong," she said, "I'm still hardcore as ever."

"Perhaps, but threatening to skin Tai Lung is going slightly over the top of being hardcore, especially when all he did was offer to help up after knocking you from the rotating beams."

"He had it coming!" Tigress snapped, finally turning to glare at Shifu, though her expression had changed from one of sadness to that of pure rage, so fierce that even Shifu inched back from her. Seeing the red panda's reaction, along with her own fury reflected in his eyes caused Tigress to blink several times and shook her head regaining her calm demur saying, "Sorry Master, it's just that when he attacked me, he…he…came close to my…" she trailed off tightening her hold around her waist.

This did not go unnoticed by Shifu as he whispered, "You're waist." He then began to stroke his beard, looking worried. "Tigress, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes Master," she said shifting her gaze away again.

"Master?" Shifu repeated with an arched eyebrow, "whatever happen to calling me Baba?"

"Sorry…Master," Tigress whispered.

"This is about Po and Jiao isn't?"

Tigress didn't reply if anything she turned her gaze further way from him.

"Why weren't you there the day Po left?"

"I…" Tigress began though something caught her attention and she began blush. "Forgive me Master, but I'm getting hungry, can we discuss this later?"

"No," Shifu said in a level tone, "that's another matter I would like to discuss with you. You've been eating far more than usual and snapping at everyone who even comes close to the dining table, and quite honestly it's beginning to show," he paused to eye her waist as she sought to conceal her small plump belly. "Tigress?"

There was nerves glint in the tiger's eyes and before she could respond, Shifu jumped from his seated position and brought a hand against her waist. Closing his eyes, Shifu focused on his chi using a technique that was taught mainly to medic for seeking out people trapped under rock slides or snow. The technique allowed him to delve deep inside Tigress feeling the rapid beat of her heart. He could tell she was in a state of panic but there was something else, something deeper. Reaching deeper, Shifu drowned out the sound of Tigress's heart beat as he searched what she held hidden beneath, praying that he was wrong.

And then he felt it, small at first but grew louder with each moment. A beating of a second heart.

Shifu's eyes snapped open, yet instead of facing Tigress, he now stood alone in the Great Hall; the sounds of a storm raged on outside and a cold chill ran down his body. Oh no, not again.

"Po, get back here."

Shifu turned about, confused by the sound of his own voice as he laid eyes on Po. The panda had his back to him, yet by the look of his bunch up muscular back he did appear all too happy.

"Po you have to stay." He heard his voice once more, though it was if he were hearing from a distance. "You can't leave when the valley is in the most need."

"You don't understand," Po said his body just as rigid. He said something else that Shifu was able to make out, but the last part of it was clear enough, "Tigress is carrying my child I need to be with her." Po then charged through the open gate way and disappeared down the steps.

Shifu shook his head once again as his vision began to blur, and once it cleared he found himself standing before Tigress who held an awkward and fearful expression.

"Tigress," Shifu asked gazing up at her, "are you pregnant?"

Tigress said nothing, as her emotion ran feral, her eyes narrow yet instead of feeling angry a sensation of doubt swelled within and suddenly ran from the hall, leaving Shifu far behind.

Elsewhere…far from the Valley of Peace…

This is getting up nowhere.

Po and Jiao had been traveling for close to a week and half, each step taking Po that much farther from the Valley of Peace, the Jade Palace, his friends, family…from Tigress. And yet not once did it seem to bring him anywhere closer to his kin, a village that Jiao claim can only be found by a panda. It was slow going, Jiao insisting they travel at night, avoiding any group of passersby any larger than four or six and whenever they approached a village she would refuse to enter or even go near it.

It took some doing and a bit forcefulness on his part, but he finally convince Jiao to make a stop at the next village in order to get more food rations. Surprising as it sound he was getting tired of eating nuts that looked like rocks they found on the trail. They strolled through the main street of the village with Po checking out several different stands selling fruits and fish; however, Jiao kept to herself, clutching the folds of her robe or holding the hood firmly about her face to keep people from seeing what she looked like.

"Jiao," Po said releasing a low sigh, "you know there's no need for you to wear the robe any more. You don't see me hiding."

"Maybe that's because you've been living the easy life, Xiong, up in that rigid fancy palace."

"That's not true," Po said, "and can you please stop calling me that. I don't go by that name any more. My name is Po."

Jiao turned on him, and though the shadow concealed most of her face, Po could still make out the look of rage burning in her eyes. "You can forget who are or where you belong, but you shall always be Xiong, never be ashamed of that."

A narrow look formed on Po's face; though soften as he nodded his head. "I guess you're right."

"Good," Jiao said walking beside him, "now if you're done with all this foolishness, can we get going? Being around so many outsiders is making me nerves."

"I might know a way to settle your tension," Po whispered. Waiting until she passed him, Po took a firm hold on the back of Jiao's robe, and with a hefty flex, tore the robe from the female panda causing Jiao to stumble and fall flat about the ground. Underneath the robe, Jiao wore a simple green tunic with a matching shirk, a scarf of a darker shade of green hung about her left shoulder down across her torso where it was clipped to her waist.

"Xiong?" Jiao snapped getting her feet, glaring at him. "Just what are you—"

"Look everyone!" Po shouted pointing down at Jiao, "A panda, quick someone call the guards!"

"Xiong are you mad," she said casting her gaze about her while fiddling with her scarf, "what if the guards do show up?"

"I don't know," Po said shrugging his shoulders, "maybe sign a few scrolls, I am the Dragon Warrior after all," he paused to wave a hand about the courtyard, "and as you can see, no one seems to care that you're a panda. Now it's your turn to not to hide who or what you are."

Jiao narrowed her eyes, though said nothing of it as she turned to leave, placing as much distance between her and this village as possible.

Po sighed, it was hard to see Jiao like this, so cold and hard, but there was still no telling what hardship his kin were forced to endure while he was living safely among his friends in the Valley of Peace. He only hoped that he could make it up to her one day. Following Jiao, giving her a wide berth, folding up her robe, might have been foolish for her to wear in public, but there was still the chance it might rain. He had just about finished when he noticed a strange image along the sleeve. Stretching the cloth, he could see it was a paw of some kind where the fingers were slightly curled to form a fist. Shifting the robe to one hand, Po raised his free up so that it was level with the image and began to arrange his fingers to see if he could mimic the design. He had just about got it when he heard Jiao cry out. "Are you coming Xiong, you know your father does not have much time left."

Po released a low growl, narrowing his eyes at the reminder of his father's illness. Pushing his thoughts of the image aside, Po slung the robe over his shoulder and cleared the distance between the two pandas and fell in step with Jiao.

They travel for another few hours, neither one said a word they strolled along the open path. They stopped to set up camp as the sun began to make its decent toward the horizon casting a swath of pink hue across the sky. After collecting a group of branches and dried grass, Po got a fire going, and whipped up a small batch of noodle soup for the two of them.

"I must say," Jiao said, the faint hints of a cheerful smile finally showing, "living among so many outsiders must have been difficult for you, but you did manage to pick up some tasty cooking skills. Whoever taught you to make this dish?"

Though there was the lingering insult clustered within her statement, the praise Jiao gave his cooking brought a smile to his face. "Mr. Ping taught me."

Jiao came to a dead stop, a spoonful of noodles mere inches from her lips. "You mean to say that small gray avian taught you how to make this?"

"Yes."

Jiao said not a word as she raised the bowl over the fire and slowly tipped it over, allowing the soup to drench the charred wood.

"Hey," Po snapped, trying to stop her, "what are you doing?"

"I refuse to eat anything made by that foul smelling goose," she said, "and neither should you. There is not a single good avian in whole world. Don't you remember what an avian did to us…to your mother?"

"I can never forget," Po said taking a deep breath, "but I have managed to move on. And beside not all avians are not as evil as Shen, and even then the peacock was truly not evil."

It was Jiao's turn to snap. "You've got to be kidding me? What could possibly make you believe that?"

"Shen acted out of fear," Po sought to explain, "fear that his life was in danger and did the only thing he could think of. His only down fall was the means to his ends were far too extreme."

"Extreme!" Jiao mocked. "And what about Yumao? Would you call how he chased our family from our home after the death of his son an act of fear?"

Po released a heavy sigh. "Yumao was blinded by his grief after losing his son…an avian that both you and I once consider a close friend."

"Well about Fenghuang?" Jiao jabbed with a sly smile. "I heard she betrayed her own comrades in pursuit of power and glory."

Po felt that Jiao did have a valid point regarding the deadly dark owl, though as the realization sunk in so did something else that cause Po to jerk his head back up. "Now wait a minute! How could you possibly know about her, with the exception of myself, the rest of our kind have been hiding away from the rest of the world…right?"

Jiao cast her eyes from side to side, looking somewhat nerves before finally answering with, "Well word gets around, and we still have send to out scouts to determine the best place to trade with. That's how we found out that Shen was dead and that the Dragon Warrior was a panda." Jiao shifted her body away from Po, spreading her bed roll out about the ground, going on with, "Now please Xiong, I don't want to talk about it. I just want to get home where we belong."

Po cast his gaze skyward, wondering how much longer it would be before they did reach the panda village, though as his view drifted back the way they came in a vain attempt to peer all the way back to the Jade Palace and the tiger her love, he began to question if his own kin was he truly belong.

I know this is a bit short regarding my last few chapters and there's still not a whole lot going on in terms of action, that will come later, plus I've left a little hint…shouldn't too easy to miss which will be brought up later. Also this is the last of the vision that Shifu will be receiving regarding the deadly future on the horizon.

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