Instinctual
By: Lacey52
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Author's Note: Takes me a while, but I get the chapters out eventually lol. Hm…lets see how we all feel about the change of heart in this one…though it's been a long time coming I think.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Round-A-Bout
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Jian stood, blowing a sharp breath through his nostrils as he watched the Dragon Warrior relax his muscles, eyes closed and paws open, as though he were mediating, 'A powerful move? A building of his chi?'
The yak brought his gada to bear, swinging in a wide arc to see how the panda would react after making such a ridiculous statement. He was shocked, but strangely relieved, when Po sidestepped the blow, gently bringing his paws up to sweep the mace to the side as he moved. Intense concentration was clear on the bear's face as he let a deep breath flow from between his lips.
"Do you get it yet?" he peeked open one green eye, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips and irritating Jian to no end, "Guess not."
The yak struck again and again, trying to reign in his anger and let himself not be mocked by the warrior who wouldn't fight. Again and again, though, Po simply moved his paws to the rhythm of the strikes, directing the motion with simple sweeps and rolling steps.
It was as if Jian were fighting water.
Chest heaving, the yak looked between his heavy weapon and the patiently waiting bear, "I don't need this to strike you if you continue to refuse to fight. It's slowing me down."
"Maaaaaybe," Po shrugged, then closed his eyes again, "Try again."
The yak threw the gada away and stepped forward, throwing a right hook right into Po. For one moment, Jian thought he'd landed a solid hit, but that was shattered as he felt his hoof slice through air alone and watched in slow motion as Po's arms wrapped around his own in a move that broke bone.
It was over...
Jian closed his eyes.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
The box was damaged, but not completely destroyed.
Shifu sighed deeply in relief as he swept the sanctified item into his arms and dodged his way through Hu and HI fighting a sun bear and trying to land a solid hit on its face with their sleeping powder.
Mantis met him with three of the four Yexing Beads, twitching and eyes darting and trying his hardest to not fly away from the giant stamping paws and hooves all around him. Shifu was a sight for sore eyes and sore spirit.
"Quickly," the red panda slapped the sides of the box hard, setting the wood back into place, though it was still lopsided. As Mantis loaded the beads, Shifu removed his outer garment and wrapped it tightly around the box, securing it and making it easier to carry, "Go find the last one, I'll defend the box here."
As the insect gratefully darted away from the Beads that were fraying his nerves and into the fading mayhem, Shifu stood over the box, wearily eyeing creatures around him who were somewhat coming back to themselves now that most of the Beads' presence and power had been removed.
'This is both a blessing and a curse,' he noted to himself as a few predators began to circle, murmuring so lowly to one another, that even his sensitive ears were having difficulty hearing, 'They are no longer frenzied, and so will be easier to fight. However, they are now able to organize-'
But he had to cut off his thoughts as a fox leapt in a feint, letting a badger dodge in from behind hoping to catch Shifu by surprise. The Grandmaster rolled his eyes as he easily caught the fox's tail and slammed him into his companion, 'No one ever learns. I cannot be surprised.'
The thought of Po kissing Tigress washed over him and he grimaced as he had to rethink his view, 'Or rather, I am rarely surprised...'
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
The Lazikou Pass loomed large before them, causing Xioalian to pull her chicks close to her breast. It seemed ominous somehow and Viper pulled herself across their path before they could continue further in, "Wait here. Something is not right."
"I'll be right above you," Crane took to the air, as she moved quickly ahead, nodding her once sharply in acknowledgement.
The Dai family stood in a tight protective ring around the Emperor and his family, wearily watching the slowly ebbing commotion just behind them as the assassins did their work. Several minutes had passed when Monkey started forward, "I'm going to check on them."
"No need," Crane touched down just behind him, Viper sliding from his back and spitting out a mouthful of feather, "It was an owl. Snatched Viper right off the ground before I could call out."
"Thank you for the help, Crane," she coiled, then stretched, easing her aching muscles and hissing as several wounds pulled further open from where the owl's claws had pierced her scales.
"By the time I caught you, you didn't need it," he grinned, letting his douli tip down slightly, "The owl has been taken care of."
"We should keep moving then," Monkey pointed ahead, darting to the top of a nearby outcropping to peer back at the on going fights, "Back to the Jade Palace?"
"Lead the way," the Emperor dipped his beak, then calmly began to walk, "And I shall enjoy this beautiful walk far more this time. I'll have much better company."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Shifu watched as the number of supposedly Feral animals decreased rapidly around them. Only about half were sleeping from the powder, some had slunk off in the confusion, abandoning their lofty plans at the sign of a first defeat. Others yet were surrendering, cowering in the face of such powerful warriors and with no pills to offer a false sense of aggression towards others.
The Emperor and his family were far in the distance, heading for the Jade Palace. Tigress was fending off a small circle of animals well. Po was handling the yak that had bested him before.
The red panda breathed deeply and settled atop the Yexing Bead Box, the feeling of unease washing away as the activity around him settled.
All was well underhand.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
A heartbeat.
Two heartbeats, then five, then ten.
Jian opened his eyes to find his arm still intact with the panda's large paws still lightly laying against his own forearm.
The move that should have come, but didn't, would have broken that forearm and a foe as formidable as the Dragon Warrior should then have either thrown or swept him from his feet, to deliver a killing blow. Three steps in a process that led to defeat for one, and victory for the other.
"Good, good," Po patted the arm lightly, opening his eyes, "Starting to understand now?"
The bull stood straight, moving back only a step to test his arm, flexing and relaxing the muscles to search for damage done internally, or with pressure points, or with magic…but there was no damage, just lightly ruffled hair.
"I…do not understand," Jian shifted again, ready to fight if needed, but feeling significantly foolish for some reason in front of the panda, "You do not fight me, you flow past me as though I were fighting the current of a river. Ping Po, you say that you want to end this fight, but you do not retaliate and let the chance to damage me slip away."
"Well, you sort of gave up there," he shrugged, looking down at his paws as he let them clench close and unfurl again and again, "You would have let me break your arm."
"I-," but he could not refute it. He had stopped; just closed his eyes and given in to the little voice that told him to just let it end.
"Do you want to hear about it again?" Po snapped the yak out of his deep thoughts, elaborating as the bull's confusion became clear in his eyes, "About what I believe about good and bad and light and dark. About being Feral or being Aware."
Jian stood, the wash of activity around him fading away as his focus became intensely filled with Po. There was something building around them, a strange tenseness swirled by a current of ease. It was the strangest feeling, but he supposed that in the presence of the strangest beast he'd ever encountered it made a sort of sense. Po had completely disoriented him, wedged himself firmly inside his mind, and now was offering up a tantalizing piece of the puzzle that Jian himself never seemed able to put together.
The world was on its axis around them and the yak could feel, smell, sense the change. One word either way would be the end of their personal conflict. Jian closed his eyes for a second to just breath, and then chose.
"Yes."
"It all starts with my family, and my friends," Po's green eyes caught the yak's and held them firmly, gaze never wavering, "I really, really, really believe that Master Oogway was right. There are no accidents. You and me were definitely meant to meet, 'cause you gave me the swift kick in the tail I needed. Now it's my turn to return the favor…with less kicking."
"I still don't understand," Jian started to speak, but was interrupted by a stoat flying onto the stage and making a beeline for Po. The yak lashed out without hesitation and sent the stoat flying back off the stage, then continued without missing a beat, "When we fought before, I knew why I was fighting and you did not…"
"That's why you won," Po shrugged, a grin creeping over his face at the yak's actions, "But then everyone gave me a pretty good talking to and I realized some stuff. I've done bad things and good things…and some pretty awesome things…but I've always had a choice, even if I didn't think I did. Like, I totally could have walked away with my Dad and the Dragon Scroll and its big secret and let Shifu and everybody fight Tai Lung by themselves. But I chose to go back and try. That's what made the difference."
"You chose to stay."
"Pretty much," Po looked up and away for second, remembering everything that had happened over the past few months, "So right now, I chose to not fight you. I dunno', you just don't seem like a bad guy to me. Gut's telling me that, and my gut's, like, never wrong."
"Your gut," Jian glanced down at the bear's rounded belly, suppressing the urge to smirk and crack wise about the girth of it, "You mean your instincts."
"Sure, same difference," Po caught sight of Shifu glancing around the battle, then settling atop the Beads, "Most of the things about our instincts can be useful, but a lot of it I ignore. I don't need to sniff around for food, there's plenty of it from the farmers. I don't need a territory, I already have a home. I chose to push those urges down and that's what makes all of us strong. We're Aware."
"And because I am Aware you will not kill me?" Jian challenged, crossing his arms and posturing, trying to dig into the bear's mind and understand.
"No, I let you live because you haven't really done anything bad or wrong as far as I can tell. I mean, sure, you sort of followed the wrong guy around for a long time," the Dragon Warroir let a funny expression creep across his face, "but who am I to judge? I've made all sorts of bad calls that've got my friends in trouble…heh…lots of trouble…"
"What do we do now then?" Jian unfolded his arms, feeling much less foolish and less definsive, "We are at a stalemate."
"Nah," Po waved him off, "We're at a crossroad. You have a choice. Make it. As long as you don't try to hurt my family or friends, or ya' know, take over China, I really don't care what you do."
The foolish feeling was back full force at Po's words. Had it really been so simple? Had he always had the choice, even though he felt so bound by duty and honor and achieving Nabendu's, no, Ge-Ming's dreams?
Awestruck, Jian simply stood uncertain what to do or say or where even to begin. His feelings were roiling, almost bubbling out of him, and the panda simply stood calmly before him, trusting. Choosing to trust a creature that had moments before been an enemy.
It was unfathomable to the yak.
Something caught Po's attention suddenly and the Dragon Warrior perked, head and ears and eyes whipping to focus on a fight still going on where he and Tigress had originally been thrown by the gada's sweeping blow.
"Tigress!" Po shot forward, leaving a stunned Jian behind with only a few words thrown back over his shoulder, "You stay here until I get back…I gotta' go help her!"
So stunned by the entire situation, and the absurdity of it and the oddness of the warrior who wouldn't fight, Jian simply did as he was told.
He had much to ponder.