It is time for Shifu and Leo to discover the key to training Po! But first, Leo has to grieve the passing of a loved one.
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The night was cold. Leo's mane felt heavy on his neck. The lion was sitting on his rump, hugging his knees to him while he looked at the Valley below. His eyes gazed across the Valley that was spread before him, golden dots that were lanterns lit across the valley. He was on the very edge of the cliff that Oogway had ascended on. The Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom was behind him, bare of any leaves or petals, almost as if the tree had died along with Oogway.
Leo, unlike the Furious Five and Po, had not gone to bed. Guilt had caused him to not be able to find sleep. So, instead, he had headed straight to the Peach Tree. The lion had felt like he was stabbed when he saw that the tree was bare. He had collapsed on the edge of the cliff, for grief and sadness had replaced the blood in his veins. But Leo had stopped crying at about midnight, for his eyes had dried out. From then on, he simply sat there, letting reality seep into his skin.
Quiet footsteps approached the lion, but he did not turn and look who it was. The footsteps grew closer and a tiny paw touched his back. It was Shifu. Leo cast a sideways glance at him, but then stared at the ground again. Shifu opened his mouth, as if he were to say something, then closed it. The red panda also seemed to be filled to the brim with grief, but he did not cry as the younger master did. He simply stared forward into space. The two animals sat in silence, breathing quietly.
"Oogway was very proud of you."
Shifu had spoken. Leo lifted his head to see that his master was staring up at him. He felt a small smile appear on his muzzle. Shifu continued, "I remember once, when you were very young, Oogway approached me and said you would be a great warrior one day. You were going to grow into a magnificent creature, he said. He was not wrong." Shifu added quietly, "He never was wrong."
Leo felt his fur heat up, and he chuckled softly. Oogway always knew what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. He never was wrong about anything. Leo glanced over to Shifu and saw that he was holding the tortoise's staff. The lion felt his throat tighten and he looked towards the mountains. The sun was starting to rise at this point, and the stars began to fade as the clouds turned a light pink.
"I wish I could have spoken with him in his last moments. I have so much I still want to say." Leo whispered hoarsely. Shifu laid a tiny paw on Leo's larger paw, and spoke to him quietly,
"Do not worry, Leo. Oogway is always with us. He is somewhere better. One day, when my time is come, I will see him again. And when your time has come, you will see him as well. All in due time." Shifu said quietly. Leo nodded in agreement. Shifu continued speaking, "It is said that grief is all of the love that we can not give. All of that love and respect that we can not give to Oogway is grief." The red panda said. Leo felt his throat tighten. Shifu was right on that one. He wanted to give Oogway so much love, but he could not. Not anymore. Leo stared forward, his mind clearing. The gleaming red sun rose past the mountains and touched his skin, causing the lion to slowly exhale.
A sudden shout caused Leo's ears to twitch. He slowly raised his head. Leo looked over to Shifu, and spoke up, "Did you hear that?" The smaller master raised his head and looked towards the palace. He had heard it. The shouts continued. It sounded like someone was training. But Master Shifu narrowed his eyes in confusion; nobody should be training today, as he had let them have a rest day as they mourned Oogway's passing.
Leo rose to his paws and helped Master Shifu up. The two masters walked in silence as they went to investigate the shouts. As Leo pushed open the doors to the Training Hall, he and Shifu were only met with more confusion. None of the equipment was in use. The Adversary was as still as a statue. The Hall was still, and nobody was in it, yet both of the masters still heard shouts in the air.
"It must be coming from the main Palace." Shifu said quietly, almost to himself. Leo nodded in agreement, though he was still confused. Who in their right mind would be training in the main Palace when they had the Training Hall?
Both the lion and the red panda entered the palace and looked around. The courtyard was empty. They could still hear the sharp cries, and Leo pricked his ears, falling onto all fours and trotting towards the sound. Shifu fell into pace beside him. Leo slowed down as he neared the kitchen. Shifu moved ahead of Leo, hearing that the shouts were coming from the kitchen.
The two masters entered the doorway, and their eyes widened considerably. There, in the middle of the destroyed kitchen, was Po. His cheeks were wide, probably stuffed with food, and his fist was clenched, as if he were about to deliver a punch. Po spotted the two masters and froze, slowly swallowing his food. Shifu, who was beside Leo, looked cautiously around the kitchen. There was not a single piece of furniture that had not been presumably attacked by the panda. The red panda shifted his gaze back to Po, who was staring at Leo with apprehension in his eyes.
"What? I eat when I'm upset, ok?!" He said, swallowing the rest of his food. Shifu narrowed his eyes while Leo took a turn to look at the kitchen. His tail twitched as he saw the broken cabinets and empty pantries. Holes were punched into the wood, leading Leo to believe that Po had physically attacked the kitchen. The panda must have been really upset.
"Oh, no need to explain, Po. I thought you were Monkey, that's all." Shifu said, a glimmer in his eyes. "He always tends to hide his almond cookies on the top shelf." Shifu then turned and left the room. The red panda, eager to see his plan in action, grabbed Leo's tail and impatiently pulled him out of the door. Leo gasped and fell on his rump beside Shifu. But the smaller master frantically motioned for him to be quiet.
Leo heard quick footsteps in the kitchen, followed by a few clangs of what was probably pots and pans. Shifu ran eagerly forward, and his jaw hit the floor. Leo stood on all fours and looked curiously into the room. He was equally as shocked. There, ten feet in the air and doing a magnificent split, was Po. He was eating almond cookies.
"Po..." Leo breathed, almost in disbelief. The panda looked at both him and Shifu, and his eyes widened,
"Don't tell Monkey!" He said, his mouth filled with almond cookies.
"Look at you!" Leo exclaimed, his whiskers twitching eagerly as he stood on his hind legs.
"Yeah, I know, I disgust both of you." Po muttered, glancing at another cookie.
"No! No!" Shifu exclaimed, "How..How did you get up there?" He walked forward, looking at Po.
"I don't know. I was just..I was getting a...cookie." Po replied, eating the cookie in his large paw.
"But you are doing a perfect split ten feet in the air!" Leo said. Po looked around him while Shifu nodded in agreement.
"No! This? This is just an accident." Po said, digging around in the jar for another snack.
Po, Leo Lung, and Shifu stared at each other for a moment. Creaking filled the air as the shelf the Po was resting began to snap. The shelf broke and the panda fell. Leo leapt forward and caught Po by the stomach. He gently placed him on the ground on his feet. Leo moved to stand beside Shifu.
"Thank you, Master!" The panda said. Shifu spoke, a cookie in his hand.
"There are no accidents." Shifu said sagely, handing the cookie to Leo. Shifu continued, "Come with me, Po."
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Leo, Shifu, and Po were trekking through the mountains. They were several miles away from home. Shifu had told Leo, while Po was packing a hiking backpack, that the key to training the giant panda was through food. Leo had agreed. It all made sense. Po could not be trained through fighting and sparring. He needed to be motivated.
Now, the trio was on their way to the Pool of Sacred Tears. Po had asked both of the masters multiple times where they were going, but they both remained in silence until they arrived at their destination. Shifu hopped onto a rock and began meditating. Leo laid down next to him, in a Sphinx style, and began meditating as well. Leo deeply inhaled the morning dew, feeling the peace of the pool touch his fur. About a minute later, Po arrived, panting heavily.
"You...dragged me...all the way out here...for a bath?" Po exclaimed in disbelief, looking around and setting his gear down. He crawled over to the pool and began to pat his armpits with the water. Leo, without even opening his eyes, cringed. Shifu spoke,
"Panda, we do not wash our pits in the Pool of Sacred Tears."
"The pool of...?" Po stopped and glanced at Shifu, almost in surprise. The realization glinted in his eyes.
"This is the very place where Oogway realized the secrets of harmony and focus." Leo said quietly. He opened his eyes and stood up. Shifu did the same, and spoke.
"This... is the birthplace of Kung Fu."
Po held his chest in disbelief. Golden light flooded the clearing and Leo remembered training here with Oogway. It was the best thing he had ever done. Shifu leapt onto the highest rock, doing a couple of demonstration kicks in midair before he landed. Leo copied Shifu, doing a roundhouse kick in midair. Leo landed on all fours on a lower rock, closer to the ground. Po looked at both of them in awe, a huge smile on his muzzle.
"Do you want to learn Kung Fu?" Shifu demanded.
"Yeah!" Po said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then we are your masters!" Shifu said, gesturing to himself and Leo.
"Ok!" Po said, tears welling up in his eyes. He sniffled.
"Do not cry, Po." Leo said, his whiskers twitching.
Po nodded, wiping the tears away with his forearm. Leo smiled. This was actually going to happen. Po would be trained. Hopefully it would not be too hard.
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Authors Note: Po is eager to start his training, and Shifu and Leo are eager to train him! Be sure to review if you want to leave feedback, critiques, or ideas. Favorite this story if you liked it, and follow the story if you want to know when more comes out! Follows, favorites, and reviews are my best motivators!
