NaruharemForever- Lolz I caaaaaaaaaaant give Po two lovers it will ruin my plot, and Silas has 20 or 30 lovers cuz he's a douche that cant stick with just one...or two. Lolz if it helps i can do a one shot or an alternate story later where Po ends up with both.
brwainer-yep they're travelin and training at the same time
Steelblastbee- Eh, actually...i cant tell you who the demon guy is, and he doesnt appear too much in the next arc. He shows up more in the arc after that.
FFcrazy15-lolz indignant much? I think you're gonna hate this next chapter then. As for the Tigress reaching her full potential all will be revealed...laterXD
Azure X jen-pfft skimming.i didnt skim last chappie...too much. *twitches Um. -poofs away-
Comrade-you're kind of a creeper, but you're still amazing!
Alright so I decided to focus more on tigress this chappie and next chappie. The showdown is coming soon.
"This is Master Tigress, Silas' mate to be."
Tigress stiffly inclined her head.
Everyone was abnormally still as they stared at her, judging her. The day Tigress took her oath to become a kung fu master and defend the Valley hundreds of people of varying species had shown up, and stared at her in wonder. Today, several different species were staring at her for a completely different reason. High class females bred with wealth and prestige glowered at her resentfully like she had stolen their favorite toy.
What respectable female would be heartbroken over losing Silas? She would pay someone to take that arrogant waste of fur.
"What kind of ridiculous name is Tigress anyways?"
Her eyes narrowed coldly at the speaker.
A slender leopard met her gaze evenly.
Tigress flexed her claws.
Why did every female here feel the need to challenge her?
"Rhian play nice. This is Silas' new favorite. She's not expendable like the rest of us."
Ashia's bell like voice halted the leopard's aggressive stance.
Rhian huffed at the lead consort's request, letting her tawny fur lay flat.
"As you wish."
Ashia acknowledged her with a nod, and turned on her heel. "It's time to be sociable girls. Make sure to familiarize Tigress with her responsibilities… I can guarantee she knows next to nothing about her new place in life."
Tigress growled softly.
Her place?
Ashia stalked out of the room leaving Tigress in a room full of vain, temperamental females. She glared icily at them. Slowly, they all turned their backs on her. They then went about the arduous business of ignoring that she existed. It was truly a wonderful thing when felines of every species can join together and ostracize someone else.
Tigress found herself relaxing against the reed wall behind her.
Never had she imagined she'd be among consorts planning on how to ruin her future with a man she loathed with every fiber of her being.
Her ears perked as soft, almost inaudible footsteps warned her that someone was approaching.
"Wow, you're simply amazing at making friends. How could anyone resist your natural charm? The death glare you sent Ashia was truly heartwarming. "
Tigress blinked as she came face to face with a delicate looking cat with tawny fur.
"Who are you?"
The slender cat bared her tiny fangs. "My name is Koza. I'm a Marble cat from South East China." Koza's whisker's twitched as she studied Tigress. "Yunno, I've been all over that region, and you are the first South China tiger I've ever seen."
The tiger master rolled her eyes. "That makes two of us."
Koza chuckled at her exasperation. "Despite the fact that you two almost mauled each other, I think you and Ashia are a lot alike. You're both rare breeds. She's a Eurasian lynx from the North. You're a South China Tiger. You both have really bad tempers too. I bet you're an awesome leader like she is as well."
Koza finished with a huff, finally remembering to breathe.
Tigress blinked at the hyperactive feline, and her lip curled in distaste.
"I'd rather you didn't compare us."
Koza purred in amusement.
This marble cat truly reminded her of a certain panda turned tiger. Po's warm green eyes flashed across her mind, making a small part of her quiver in pain
"Yunno, Rhian and Ashia already hate you and you've been here five minutes. Those two have seniority over the rest of us. I'd watch out."
Tigress had faced Bao Gu Orphanage.
Dangerous bandits.
Tai Lung.
Shen.
A bunch of trifling females with narcisstic issues were nothing in comparison.
Koza chuckled at Tigress' perplexed expression.
"C'mon I'll give you the layout of the place."
"You cannot be serious."
Silas snarled at his chief guard.
"The Lai Chen Province has requested your assistance. The raids have been happening more and more frequently. Our borders are in jeopardy. Every raid brings them closer to your estate. If I may say so sir, now was not the time to acquire a mate."
The noble twitched.
Lately, there had been an influx of foreigners buying Chinese silk. Silas' province mass produced a lot silk, and everyone wanted his resources. They would kill for it. The first thing Silas had done upon returning home was check in with his chief guard, Jiro, a battle hardened ox. Southern raiders had been swarming around his territory since before he was born. Now that he was making a profit they were getting twitchy, greedy, and reckless. They already occupied Lai Chen, the neighboring province.
They would get nothing from him.
His eyes narrowed.
"Jiro, my father drove these curs out in his prime. They cowered before him. I will make them fear me." He gnashed his teeth together angrily. "Gather a handful of men. I will drive them out myself. Make sure my mate prepares for our ceremony in the meantime. When I return, she will become mine."
The ox bowed his mighty head.
"Yes, my lord."
Silas watched with cold, uncaring eyes as his chief guard scurried out of the room.
Forces were conspiring against him. He'd defeated the dragon warrior. He claimed a female that was said to be unattainable. Nothing else should hinder him.
His bitter thought process was interrupted by a soft knock at the door.
Silas blinked.
What now?
The door slid open, and Ashia's slender frame filled the doorway. Silas appraised her from head to toe. The lynx was exotic. Silky reddish-orange fur covered the expanse of her body. Her beauty was unmatched by all except his intended. The noble's hazel eyes darkened, and she never bothered him without a reason.
"What is it?"
The subtle threat in his tone made her steps falter, and she gazed resolutely at the floor.
"Silas, I have never questioned you." The noble stiffened at her words. Clearly she was hinting that this was about to change. "I have never doubted your decisions. As your consort, it is not my place. But this is insanity. The girl you have chosen is not mating material. She does not possess an ounce of femininity. Tigress is disgustingly violent, and aggressive, and is not fit to bear your cubs or your name."
Silas' eyes narrowed into tiny chips of ice.
She had overstepped herself.
The noble stalked toward her, his muscles rippling beneath his pelt with every step he took. Her eyes widened as she realized the immediate danger she was in. Silas grinned frostily, and stepped within touching distance.
Ashia was trembling.
He ran a paw across soft cheek noting her frozen expression.
His claws extended without any warning digging into soft flesh. Ashia gave a muted cry of horror as Silas held her up by the throat. He dragged her so they were mere centimeters apart, his hand never loosening its iron clad grip on her throat.
"You're right. You're place is beneath me. Always. Tigress is not your concern. My mate is not your concern." His claws pierced past the fur around her throat. "Never question me again."
With a cold sneer he released her, and she collapsed to the floor struggling to intake air. Blood trickled down her neck from where his claws had penetrated her sensitive skin. She didn't meet his eyes. Her head bowed in the submissive position. Ashia's warm chocolate eyes were dull with pain.
"I'm sorry my lord. It won't happen again."
Silas growled softly.
Tigress wasn't like that. The South China tiger wasn't weak.
She wasn't trained to submit to him.
In the end she would.
He had to break her spirit first though.
Viper blinked as a hulking figure stepped out of the shadows. The large bulk faded into an enigmatic stranger wearing a dark billowing cloak. Her eyes narrowed and despite all of the shadows she could dimly make out muzzle with soft white fur. Fluffy fur or not said stranger was grasping Mantis in one paw, claws dangerously close to the bug's throat.
"Um...Can you kindly refrain from murdering our friend? We kind of need him."
Mantis nodded emphatically in the unknown person's grip.
"I would let him go, but then I'd have no collateral. I still don't know who you are, and why you're here instead of my fickle teenage boss."
The cloaked figured drawled.
"Dude is your boss about yay high?" Monkey placed his paw a foot above his head. "super scarred? And just about the only lioness in China?"
A snicker.
"You've met her?"
The three masters shared equal looks of annoyance.
"I'm going to take that as a yes." The voice chuckled softly. The cloaked figure released Mantis who immediately jumped away. The unknown person gripped the hood of their cloak, and pushed it back revealing a distinctly feline face. Viper gaped at the odd azure glow to the fur. What type of cat was this feline?
"My name is Raja. I'm a Maltese tiger from the East."
Maltese tiger?
Mantis' eyes widened as he noticed Raja's visibly female figure and he careened forward with a smile that bordered on creepy. "Dude. Marry me."
The Maltese Tiger sent him an incredulous look that screamed F-ing no you creeper. "I'm flattered but I don't have the time or the inclination."
Viper cleared her throat awkwardly.
Weren't Maltese tigers extinct?
"I'm Viper." Her tail swerved to point at her three companions. "This is Monkey, Crane and Mantis. We're part of the Furious Five that guard the Valley of Peace."
Raja whistled appreciatively.
"You are far from home."
Crane nodded in agreement.
"Rona sent us. She said you could help us."
Raja twitched, an annoyed expression crossing over her face.
"With what?"
Viper slithered forward eyes bright with sadness.
"Our leader, Master Tigress, was forced to bond with a noble named Silas. We have to know if you can help her. Rona said you have ties with the council and can keep them from interfering."
Raja's ears flattened against her head and she fell silent.
"Raja?" Crane prodded after a moment.
The Maltese tiger blinked, and shook out her fur, as if forcing herself to pay attention.
"Raja, is there any possible way you can help us?"
The feline sighed in exasperation.
"I don't know…My father's on the council. I'll see what I can do."
Everyone froze.
Her father was on the council?
What. The. Hell?
Tigress blinked at her room.
Elaborate designs of tigers, and gods decorated the walls in a brilliant display of orange and red. Blue satin tapestries hung from the ceiling. The floor was made of pure mahogany, with lavish calligraphy carvings at its center. An abnormally large futon rested at the front of the room, mocking her. Tigress' nose wrinkled. Silas had a profuse amount of cash, and he was wasting it on materialistic garbage like this …Shocking.
"How do you like your room?"
The South China tiger turned to her petite companion who was staring up at her with large doe like eyes. Telling the slender she-cat that Tigress loathed every inch of the room and wanted Silas' to die an incredibly violent and graphic death for dragging her here might have been overkill.
The kung fu master rolled her shoulders in a vain effort to loosen her muscles and gave her shiny new prison one more cursory glance.
"It's fine."
Koza studied her expression, and after a minute the marble cat declared.
"Riiiiiiight. I'll pretend like I believe you."
Tigress shrugged tiredly.
Whether the marble she-cat believed her or not was irrelevant. Tigress didn't care about anyone or anything here, and despite being the only nice person Tigress had come across since her arrival Koza was still one of Silas' consorts.
"We're not supposed to be here long so I'll take my leave of you now. Silas will expect you to appear before him tonight, and has left clothes for you to change into."
With an impish grin the marble cat sidled out of the room.
Tigress followed her with hard eyes, her expression downright mutinous.
Silas could eat dirt and die.
As the door to her room was about to slide shut Tigess bounded forward, and caught the edge of the door with her paw. The South China tiger silently slid the door open and peered out into the large hallway catching sight of Koza just as she rounded a corner. Tigress slipped fully into the hallway and, silent as wraith, crept after the marble cat.
She would never fully understand this place with a guide or an escort. To know everything that went on in the dark and behind closed doors she had to explore the estate on her own.
A loud cry of pain distracted her.
Tigress surged forward at the sudden noise.
The tiger master bounded down the elegant hall, sliding to a silent stop just before the end of the hallway so she would not be seen
Her ears perked as she heard her favorite person rasp in pain.
"I'm fine Koza.."
"Ashia! Silas extended his claws into your neck, and flexed until he broke past the skin. Your neck is still bleeding. You are not fine. "
Tigress stiffened in anger.
Silas had done what?
"Koza, He's done far worse before. Let it be."
A soft sigh signaled the marble cat's exasperation and reluctance to drop the matter.
A pause, then in a small voice the marble cat asked, "Why this time?"
Ashia gave a very unlady-like snort. "That new girl. I told him she was unsuited for him. We have been groomed to please him. She knows nothing of our world. She's callous and violent. She's—"
Koza abruptly cut off the Eurasian lynx.
"Just like you."
Tigress grimaced from her place in the shadows, and she imagined Ashia was feeling just as annoyed at the concept as she was.
"Ashia, you're always looking out for us. I know you were hoping Silas would choose you so you could protect the rest of us, and now that isn't an option, but did you see her? Beneath that cold exterior, she hates it here. Anyone with eyes could see that."
A slight snarl was the lynx's response.
"She ruined everything."
The marble cat emitted a weary chuckle that sounded odd coming from the hyperactive feline.
"Not willingly. Tigress is the first female of her kind to ever become a kung fu master. She defied all tradition, and overcame every obstacle. From the expression of utter horror on her face, I can tell she's not here out of undying love for Silas. I don't think she would have ever come here if she had the choice."
Understatement of the century, she would have avoided this hellhole like the plague.
Tigress' grinned bitterly.
Ashia hissed, making the fur on Tigress's pelt stand on end.
"I don't care. People like her…they deserve whatever happens to them, because of her we're going to lose everything. Silas won't need us anymore and we'll have to struggle. Every day will be a struggle for survival."
Tigress drew back, melting into the shadows.
People like her…
Ashia thought she was a monster.
She thought she was past the age where people hated her for no other reason than her being alive.
Tigress bared her fangs as she arrived to the entrance to her room suddenly feeling exhausted. She slid the door open, and to her chagrin there sat Silas lounging on her futon. Upon hearing her enter the room the noble looked up, and her eyes locked with hazel.
The universe hated her.
"Ah, Tigress, I was looking for you."
Whoop-de-freakin do. Did he want a treat?
He leisurely slid off her futon, and stalked toward her.
"I've come to tell you that I'll be leaving for awhile. Something has come up at the Lai Chen province, and they've requested me. I'll be gone for seven days. The day after I return we will mate."
Her eyes widened.
He bumped up the mating ceremony.
Five hells. She must have brutally eviscerated someone in her last life. Why was her luck this bad?
"Great." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "In the meantime I'll frolic around with your harem, and ponder on the existence of the universe."
He stepped closer, purposefully invading her personal space, and trailed a paw gently down the side of her arm. She shuddered, disturbed at having to endure his touch.
"They will take care of you while I'm away. I expect you to be more cooperative and formally dressed when I returned. No more of your red and black…ensembles."
Turd.
Tigress glowered at him as a smug grin stretched across his face.
He chuckled at her frustrated expression.
"We will talk more when I return."
Wonderful. She woke up this morning praying she would be that fortunate.
She grit her teeth.
Where were her friends when she needed them?
Next chapter is in progress! R and R