Viper was busy. Extremely busy. One more stitch and her embroided tapestry would be finished. She held the needle tightly in her tail, she reached it through the fabric, she was so close and then…..there was an almighty crash. Viper was so shocked she dropped the tapestry, it fell on to her desk, rolled and then split in two over the edge of it.
Curious, she opened the door and peered out into the hallway. Po was lying on the floor amidst rubble and splintered wood and all of the other warriors were all standing in their doorways looking shocked. Tigress was the first to break out of the shocked trance. She ran over to po and kneeled next to him.
"are you alright?" she asked tentatively.
"wha- yeah, it's a scroll from Master Shifu, Tong Fo's been spotted!"
The other warriors all immediately flocked to po's side as he read out the scroll clamped in his paw.
"My dear warriors, Tong Fo has been sighted. He was seen last in the beautiful village of pleasure in Mongolia. It has been rumoured he has kept it night there for over a week. Crops are failing and families are splitting apart because of the trauma, you must catch him. I shall return from the emperor's palace as soon as I can, please leave immediately. Very best wishes Master Shifu"
"it's because he's got that vase, the vase of properties isn't it?" tigress speculated.
"what you mean the vase me and crane and viper failed to bring back?" po asked. As crane and viper both looked uncomfortable. That trip had been a very unfortunate one leading to crane splitting up with po and viper and them having to head back abandoning their trail on Tong Fo.
"yes, that one" tigress snarled, trying not to relive the tale.
"well let's get ready to go then!" mantis shouted. Having to shout so he could be heard after all because he was so tiny.
The warriors all turned back to their rooms to pack but before they could enter tigress turned back to face po. "why did you have to crash through the wall when you came in po?" she asked.
"yeah why? I was in the middle of meditating" crane demanded as the sudden news had distracted them all from po's dramatic entrance.
"and I was in the middle of training" tigress growled.
"and I was in the middle of sewing and now my tapestry is split" viper added furiously. " I worked hours on that thing"
"oh well I thought it was really important news, which it is and I wanted you guys to hear it straight away" po mumbled.
The warriors spent the rest of the day packing. There was a lot of noise as everyone tried to find what they needed and blaming each other for stealing it so eventually crane decided to fly up and meditate on the roof for an hour so he could relieve himself from all the tension. However viper was already up there, gazing at the pink sky. Crane flew over and sat down next to her. She smiled at him.
"hi crane"
"hi"
There was a comfortable silence as the two sat together admiring the setting sun and the colours of the sunset.
"this will be an interesting trip" mumbled crane. Viper nodded but said nothing.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up." He added noticed her still face.
"it's alright. As master Shifu said, we let our emotions get in the way of our work the last time we tried to catch him and retrieve the vase" viper replied.
"but we've got over that now" crane agreed although silently wishing he didn't have to keep thinking about the horrible things he'd said to her last time.
Viper could see that he was sad. "it's alright we all said things we didn't mean"
"you didn't say anything mean"
But Before viper could answer they heard monkey calling for them in the courtyard. "we are all packed and ready to go! Where are you lovebirds?" crane flew down from the roof and viper slithered down the wall.
"we're here" they replied just as the others appeared from the training hall, tigress and po arguing audibly.
"for the last bloody time po, we are not going to need emergency action figures"
"what about just regular action figures unless there is emergency action figures which I don't have yet, where do you buy them?" po questioned excitedly while tigress put her head in her paws, smiling.
"to be fair to po they helped us with lord Shen when he was about to kill us and we used the mantis figure" monkey debated.
Tigress was silent for a second and then she said: "bring the whole box"
Po bounced back to the barracks ecstatically.
The warriors packed and began to leave the jade palace. Tigress and po walked in front with mantis on monkey's shoulder a little behind while crane, with viper wrapped around his neck flew above. The warriors didn't get far before it started to become too dark to see, so they set up their camp in a wood clearing in the bamboo forest.
Crane, monkey and po gathered fire wood while mantis began cooking and the girls set up the tents. There were two. One was a massive one for all the boys while the two girls had a slightly smaller tent to themselves.
That night the six warriors sat on branches seated around an open fire just outside of the tents. It was a rather mild night with warm breezes so it was comfortable enough to sit outside without getting too cold.
"now" started mantis. "down to very important business….who ate all the dumplings roasting on the fire?" mantis didn't need to ask all heads pointed towards po.
"what? They were just sitting there! I thought someone just left them!"
Everyone groaned. "how many did you eat, po?" mantis asked afraid but sure of the answer.
"ummmmm two ok maybe three alright twelve!" po burst out.
"twelve!" cried everyone.
"that means there isn't any for us po! That means we can't have dinner!" crane hollered.
"but you guys can just eat some of the other ones we brought!" po debated. "there's more than enough!"
"no we can't because we need those for later on in the trip!" mantis argued back.
"ok, ok everyone please calm down!" viper instructed politely.
"alright well then there's no point staying out here then, I'm going to bed" monkey grumbled as the others mumbled agreement.
"aww can't I tell you a story" po begged.
"no!" everyone roared back.
Tigress put her paw on po's shoulder. "not tonight. Tomorrow" she soothed.
The boys all retired to their tent. It had two beds, one regular sized matt and one tiny matt. Monkey and po dropped onto the beds while crane flew over and stood on his matt. All of them were still mad at po for robbing them of their dinner so they all scowled at him and went to sleep straight away.
In the girl's tent Tigress was lying in the bed starring up at the ceiling of the tent while viper sat curled up on her matt. They were talking to each other in quiet whispered voices.
"so, viper did you talk to crane about the trip like you wanted too?"
"yeah" viper yawned. "he seemed ok with it I think and once we've retrieved the vase and bought Tong Fo to justice we can both forget abut what happened the first time"
"that's true. Good night viper" tigress murmed as she rolled over.
"goodnight tigress, do sleep well" viper responded.
The next morning was a dull grey one. Tigress was first up in the girl's tent. She sat up, stretching and turned over too look at viper on her matt on the floor who was still asleep. She got up and left the tent just as crane walked out of the boy's tent.
"morning tigress" he yawned.
"morning, why are you up so early?"
"po an- he stifled a huge yawn -d mantis really snore." He groaned. "want some food?"
"sure" she replied as viper came slithering out of the tent.
"good morning crane, hi tigress"
The other two mumbled replies as the other kung fu masters began to leave the tents.
The continued trek out of the valley of peace and along the road of misfortune was a rough one. The weather, which had previously been dull and grey worsened to a miserable downpour. It was cold and dreary and tempers were rising between the six friends. On one such morning after being on the road for four straight days, monkey, who had been previously on edge due to the lack of food curtesy of a certain panda, lost it.
It was a depressing morning. Po and crane were busy studying a map of china while tigress and viper sparred against each other. Monkey and mantis were playing mar gong.
"I win again, ha ha that's fifteen games in a row!" mantis bragged.
"only because you cheated" monkey pouted.
"did not" replied the stubborn praying mantis.
"did too"
"did not!"
"did too!" their voices were becoming increasingly louder.
"alright I'm done with this stupid game" monkey screeched and he tipped the table over.
"hey!" mantis squawked.
"hey monkey, don't break the game that's po's special set!" viper cried.
"don't tell me what to do bossy!" monkey hollered back.
"I was only saying, you shouldn't wreak other people's property!" she grumbled.
"you didn't even need to get involved no-fangs!" monkey shouted to viper's horror.
"hey, don't take your anger out on viper!" crane cut in.
"hey you've got your knight in shinning armour to protect you now no-fangs, looks like he doesn't even believe you can fight your own battles" monkey raged on as crane looked apologetically at viper who just hissed.
"can you guys cut it out" tigress roared. "I'm trying to train!"
The shouting went on for several minutes. And as the weather worsened it started to become to dangerous to go back.
"well I'm leaving, I'm going back to the jade palace" monkey squawked and started to pack his things.
"you can't it's too dangerous to head home" viper pleaded who as much as she was angry at him still didn't want him to get hurt.
A storm was raging and as the master's couldn't go home, they were stuck all together which only raised their tempers. Everyday there was a new fight blazing, with some angered person fighting and some poor innocent person getting the hurt.
One grey day after so many others that it had started to become hard to distinguish what day it was crane found tigress sitting quietly by herself, her head bowed.
"are you ok?" he inquired.
"yea-no, not really" she mumbled not bothering to hide her sad face with her brave façade. "I it's just po had a go at me for- something, I don't remember what and I just feel like I'm always fighting with him."
"we are always fighting right now, all of us, with each other, ourselves and the weather I think we all just wish we could have a little alone time, because right now we are all stuck in little tents together, all day and all night and at least at the palace we could escape to the comfort of our own rooms but here we're always with each other and this miserable weather isn't helping either" he replied trying to cheer her up but finding it hard.
"I know it's just that- oh hi viper" tigress greeted her friend. Unnoticed by either of them viper had entered the tent, and waited to for them to finish so she could talk.
"po says dinner's ready" viper announced. Her face looked confused, sad even.
At last the warriors had arrived at the first village stop since they had left the jade palace. The village was called the village of sorrow. And it was really a very depressing place. Poverty was everywhere, citizens were rude to each other and food and items were extremely overpriced.
"why do we always end up at depressing places?" crane wondered out loud. "first the mountain of darkness and demon wood and now the village of sorrow it's like we're some magnet for misfortune"
Tigress laughed out loud at this comment.
Deciding no one could spend one more night in a tent with each other the warriors decided to rent hotel rooms for everyone. Though everyone had to pay his or her own fare of course. They rented a room for the night for everyone but they were yet to decide whose room was whose.
"you take this room tigress; it's got an excellent view" crane offered as he left one of the rooms.
"oh thanks crane" tigress replied, smiling.
Viper tried her best not too hiss at them.
That night five of the brave kung fu warriors all slept peacefully, glad of the exchange from the hard tent floor to the comfort of a real bed. Of course viper was thankful for the warm bed, she was very pleased it's just that something was bothering her so when she noticed crane out on the landing as she got herself some water it was an opportunity she couldn't miss.
She immediately slithered over to crane who was on his way back into his room with a glass of water and followed him to his room where she slunk in, shut the door quietly then approached crane. She wanted to yell, she wanted to shout and scream but she couldn't wake the others and she had to keep calm. She slithered over to crane and said:
"are you dating tigress, crane?" in a calm yet slightly demanding tone.
"no, of cour- viper what are you even doing here?"
"making sure my boyfriend isn't cheating on me" she replied in a louder voice.
"we're we- what makes you think we're together?"
"I'll tell you what" her voice was rising; crane could hear mantis stirring in the next room. "because of all the times I've came and saw you two together, that first morning, when she was sad about po, when she laughed at your comment when you let her take the best room!"
"look viper I'm sure if you asked tigress, she'd let you have the room- "
"I don't care about the room, it's not about that it...it...it's just-"and she fled his room. Trying her best not to cry she slithered back to her room, slamming the door behind her, and sobbed into the bed. She could hear po waking up from the loud door slam but she didn't want to go and apologise for fear she'd start crying in front of him so she just lay there, crying herself to sleep.
"am I the only one who heard a big slam last night?" asked a groggy mantis next morning at breakfast.
"you know I thought I heard something too" po yawned. "or it could have been in my dream"
"ok guys now, battle plan" began tigress as she unrolled the map. "so I suggest we stay here for one or two more nights so we can gather enough food and start thinking about our next move"
"really this place is so depressing" crane groaned.
"yes, we need to think about how we're going to catch Tong Fo" tigress debated.
"hey where's viper?" po asked the room in general. No answer.
"I'll go and see her" decided tigress.
"that might not be the best move" crane winced as he moved to stand right in front of her.
Tigress looked at him oddly then pushed him aside. Crane grimaced as he watched tigress head up the stairs. She walked up to viper's room and knocked on the door.
"viper, it's me tigress" she called through the door.
Viper who had been trying to fix her tapestry hissed at the door. "stop, don't come any closer" she hissed.
Tigress was very shocked, viper had always been able to talk to her, she was their if she needed her always a shoulder to lean on. "viper...i"
"I said stay back" orded viper. "stay on the other side of the door I don't want to hurt you."
Tigress looked confounded, she knew she could help viper and fight her if things took a turn which they were headed in that way, but she held back.
Back in the breakfast hall everyone (except crane) were surprised that viper had not came down with tigress.
"where is she?" asked po.
"she's not coming down" tigress answered simply before sitting down.
"well what's wrong with her?" asked monkey.
"I…I don't know I went up and knocked and told her it was me and then she started hissing and told me not to come any closer because she didn't want to hurt me and her voice was so demanding and mean, it didn't sound like viper at all" tigress finished to the others shocked faces. "but it was also sad and sounded like she'd been crying" she added.
Everyone was shocked even crane. He knew she wouldn't be happy but threatening tigress? He had to speak to her.
"crane you told tigress not to go up, do you know why she's acting like this?" monkey asked. After his angry outburst monkey had had a couple of days to think and after a night in a proper bed he truly was a lot more like his old self again.
Everyone looked at crane who simply said:
"I need to speak to her" and left the room.
"what was that all about?" wondered mantis out loud.
"I don't know but I don't think it's anything good" tigress answered quietly.
Crane made his way up the steps and along the hotel landing. He knocked on viper's bedroom door.
"tigress I told you too stay back" the angry voice burst out from the room.
"it's ummm not tigress it's actually crane" crane murmed in the quietest voice he could manage as two other hotel members walked by.
"crane!" viper's voice Roared much to the surprise and terror of the other hotel guests who were walking by. "you dare come back after you betrayed me! I loved you with all my heart and both times after I have said it and we have fallen in love you've either said you don't love me back or cheated on me!"
"I thought you had forgotten about what I said to you last time" crane cried back in almost as much anger.
"things like that you don't forget easily!" viper's voice hissed.
The other warriors had heard the shouting down stairs and had came up stairs to hear what it was about.
"oh no couple fight" mantis yelled.
"shhhhh" tigress snarled at him.
"well you have got to forget about it! You can't blackmail me with that for the rest of my life" crane shouted.
"crane! I'm not blackmailing you I'm just saying, I haven't forgotten about it! That comment hit me really hard!" viper tried to shout but half way through her voice cracked and turned into a sob.
"a…an..and don't get tigress! Sh…she's as muc…much a traitor as you are I though…t…she…wa..s my frien..d" viper sobbed.
At that moment a door to their right opened and Master Shifu appeared holding a map. "can someone get those two people to sto-" he stopped. "my dear students you're here!"
"master shifu!" everyone cried and ran to him.
"why are you here?" asked po.
"I'm here because I said I'd meet you once I could leave the emperor's Palace and I knew this would be the first place you would stop as it's closest to home so I thought I'd meet you here!" he answered. "now let's go downstairs and sort out a battle plan!"
Viper was sewing her tapestry crying consistently to herself. She dropped it and fell back onto her bed. An angry voice cried out from below her room.
"can you stop making so much noise please, the floors sounds like it's about to fall in!"
Although this was a perfectly normal demand viper felt her heart shatter at the thought. And just cried harder into her bed wishing more than anything, a wish she hadn't wished in a long time, to be home. Not the jade palace home but her real home. She could imagine it as she thought it. Sliding up the steps, seeing her mummy and daddy on the doorstep, seeing her sisters. But then she thought, would her parents be pleased she abandoned kung fu or would they be upset? If she left she'd give up being one of the revered furious five, she probably wouldn't be able to come back.
And the she thought of Master Shifu and Tong Fo. She may have a broken heart but that didn't stop her wanting to bring Tong Fo to justice it didn't matter how sad she was she had to fight against him for the good of the innocent civilians. So she wiped the tears from her face and straightened her hair flowers and left her room. She came quietly up behind the others and listened to Shifu's plan, no one even noticed she'd arrived.
"Tong Fo has already taken over the village of pleasure and is residing here," he pointed to a cluster of houses on the map. "when we get there we will take out his warriors from all si-"
"wait" viper instructed startling the others as they hadn't noticed she was there. She started writing something out on parchment then she ripped it up and placed the seven pieces of ripped paper on the table. "with the vase of properties in his hand Tong Fo can make people fight on his side instead of their own, on these papers is written your name and that you are fighting on our side so that if he makes it that we suddenly are fighting are own team we need only to look at the paper to remind ourselves. You must keep your paper on your person at all times" she instructed and then shrank back to behind the others.
"thank you viper" shifu smiled at her. "these will come in good use, take them please" he orded to the others. At first it looked like no on wanted to touch the paper in case she'd poisoned them but after the strenuous stare from shifu they all took one, mantis struggling under the weight a bit.
The next morning they set off for the village of pleasure. Viper hadn't said a word to anyone since the battle planning and no one wanted to speak to her for fear she'd turn on them and attack them. On the walk tigress, po and master shifu took the front with monkey and crane walking slightly behind and with mantis bouncing from head to head of the five (avoiding Shifu's). viper slithered at the back. Keeping to herself. At last they arrived at their first stop.
Beginning to set up their camp it didn't occur to viper until after dinner that she didn't know where to sleep. No one told her to go somewhere and she wasn't a fan of that. She liked being told what to do instead of having to find out herself. Eventually she decided she didn't want to sleep in the girls tent with tigress so she took her matt and set it down on the ground outside. At least she was near the fire, she thought as she curled up and went to sleep outside in the bitterly cold wind because she was too sad and afraid to sleep inside.
What a coward
she thought to herself sadly.
The next morning po woke up, scratching his head he left his tent. Outside, it was a slightly sunnier morning and the fire had started to go out. Only then did he notice the sleeping snake, curled around next to it. He grimaced. Suddenly a horrid thought hit him. Oh gods! I hope she's not dead from the cold! He reached down and poked viper on the side. She turned over and po gave an enormous sigh of relief. At that moment tigress came out of the tent.
"I wish she'd at least tell me what I did" tigress grumbled curtly to the curled green snake.
"you don't know, do you?" po asked.
"know what? You know what happened?"
"yeah, she kind off, sort off started thinking you were in a relationship with crane" po murmed, watching tigress's face intently for the response.