Hold up, before you start reading, be sure to check out "Leopard Print", by FeatherPen2019! They wrote a story inspired by this trilogy, and MissFirefly601's "The Lion and the Leopard" series. They currently about 10 chapters in, and I'm loving the story so far! I hope you guys will too, and show FeatherPen, and MissFirefly some love!
Chapter 10
Po and Tai Lung were greeted by a massive crowd as they came down from the last step. There was jeering, shouting, booing... everything that was normally heard from villagers when Bandits and Pirates were battling against them, and were getting the upper hand. This time, the hurtful words were towards Tai Lung... while the booing were thrown at Po.
"Lock him up!"
"Throw away the key!"
Jun and Lok almost stumbled over one another when they stepped out of their Inn, to be greeted by the sea of citizens surrounding them. "There's no sign of Sapphire..." Towering over the majority of the village people, they could easily see what was going on. "No..." Jun whispered, before they moved their way through to get a closer look.
"We don't want that Monster here no more!"
Looking around wildly, Po and Tai Lung both saw the anguish, and felt the betrayal bouncing off of the villagers like overwhelming heat on a summer day. The anger in their faces were almost strong enough to send waves of negative energy, and Po was almost stumbling along as each boo or cry that was thrown at them. He saw Jun and Lok watching them in distraught, and several pandas watched him with a mixture of emotions; some were sad, some were disappointed, others were angry, and some were just staring at them both with no real emotions coming to surface.
Tai Lung inhaled, and pressed on-
Splat!
Droplets of juice sprayed Po's face as he attempted to move away, but a guard pushed him forward, demanding him to keep moving. Tai Lung stumbled a little, before shaking his head to remove whatever it was that hit his face.
"Protect our wives." Men held their fair ladies close.
Splat!
"Protect our children!" Kids were almost hanging out of the windows to see what was happening.
Splat!
"Protect our livelihoods!"
Squelch!
"Preserve our lives!"
"Preserve our lives!"
"Protect us all!"
The droplets kept on coming, carelessly hitting the ground, with something soft and squishy had hit his shoulder, and the side of his face, and for some time he kept his eyes to the ground, not daring to look up until they stood in front of a prison wagon; It resembled a brown radish basket, but bigger, made with stronger material, with small barred windows on either side, and a large door with another small window.
"Wait!" the guard standing by Po gruffed in annoyance, and both of them turned to see Jun standing behind them; his breathing was laborious, head leaning forward a little, eyes almost ready to tear up.
Tai Lung exhaled softly, before nodded at him. "Protect your sister." That was all that he could say, before the guard forced him to enter the wagon with a pointed spear.
Only then, once seated opposite each other, Po worked up the courage to look at Tai Lung's face, which, along with his chest and shoulders, were battered by food. Whatever kind of food it was Po couldn't identify; it smelled putrid, and mangled the snow leopards fur in clumps of stickiness, which he didn't attempt to remove. Po took a moment to wipe his face with the back of his paw, to reveal a dark purple stain of what perhaps could be rotten fruit, before flicking his wrist, spraying it around the enclosed space. After the splatters settled, and the voices of the people grow louder as the guard that pushed Po stood in front of the door. Tai Lung was watching the blasted Rhino the whole time, while Jun was forced to move away by one of the other guards, almost fighting against him.
"Take one last look at the Jade Palace Tai Lung," the leopard's golden orbs elevated and were locked on it, as was Po's. Despite everything, the Palace managed to catch what little sunlight that was being delivered. "It'll be the last time you'll have the right to see it," and the door was sealed tight. There was a slamming against the side Po sat on, and the wagon started to move.
In a matter of seconds, Po was up on his feet, staring at their home through the tiny window. Would Crane and Viper recover? How were his dads going to cope with the villagers altered views? Would Tigress and the kids going to be okay?
There was a rattling of chains behind him as the wagon drove over a stone, making the panda wobble just enough to make him sit back down. Tai Lung was standing up now, watching the Palace, and ignoring what the villagers were calling out. He glanced at Po, who glared at him, and turned away, closing his eyes, and hiding his face.
All he could think of was what Sapphire said to him the night before;
"No matter whether it's the first or second time... it's still going to hurt."
Tai Lung sat back down, and closed his eyes too, holding his head in his paws and prayed to whatever Gods that had the time to listen to him, to protect Sapphire, Shifu, and the others. To shield AJ away from everything said about him. It was too late with the twins, he just wanted someone... anyone to stand with Sapphire, not hating him. And as the wagon was dragged away, Lok shoved his way through the crowd, with their cries growing louder and louder around them. Standing by Jun, they voicelessly watched the Master's being taken away from their home. No, more then Masters; someone's friend, someone's brother, son, uncle...
Father.
Po was wide awake to watch a day go by during their travel. A day away from his family, from home. Numerous times he had done that before, for missions on the Master's Council's behalf. Times he spent away from his children, not being their to watch them train or spend time with them, it used to almost kill him... but this? It was ten times worse then before, and he could feel that ache rocking at the pit of his chest. so strongly, it was almost enough to throw himself against the bars and pry them open.
After some time, Tai Lung had hoped everything was a dream, but when he opened his eyes to find the prison wagon stopping at the base of a snowy mountain, he knew that pinching himself wasn't going to wake up from this nightmare of a reality. His heart beat became louder in his ears.
"How does it feel to be back?" Po uttered to fill the space.
Tai Lung rose his head sharply at the panda's words. Not that they were rude; it was the first time he had spoken to him since their argument in his room. Po was leaning against the wall, his legs sprawled about in the small space between their benches.
"Not quite there yet." The leopard replied, before the door opened, and a guard stood before them. Letting the gale force winds enter the box, Po shivered a little at how cold the wind bit at his cheeks.
"Move it." Tai Lung rose up first, and moved out slowly, before Po got up and followed him, trying to shield his face from the snow that was pelting him. The guard then ushered them along a long twisted path. Blankets were carelessly thrown around their shoulders, but at least it gave them some warmth during the walk. Neither of them spoke for the length of time it took to walk to the top, but once they got there, it was night time once more.
Po had been to Chor Gom, for check ups in the past. After the first defeat, he and the other Masters had come and see the traps and lock in systems once the prison was restored as a jail for anyone to be locked in. That was story they told the kids once, and the kids found it hilarious that one of the rookie guards set off one of the alarms and had them locked in a cell together... but before he was Dragon Warrior, he only heard about it from what was said around the village growing up.
For Tai Lung, it was all too familiar; when he broke out, he remembered the damage and destruction left behind on his trek to the Palace, and since his escape, the enormous set of double doors which serve as the entrance to the prison, were rebuilt to its natural glory... if it ever had any. There was the fortress-like structure visible in the mountain area above the doors, and the formation of the mountain surrounding the prison closely resembled a mouth that would swallow them both whole, at least until Po was freed. When was that going to happen? No one was sure, but only one of them was going to get out.
They were shoved along inside, met by the newly reformed Anvil of Heaven was awaiting them. More then one thousand men stood strong, and Commander Vachir stood proudly in front as they close in on him. He aged somewhat, a wrinkle here and there, but his eyes gleamed with anger at the mere sight of the Leopard. His horn... ceased to exist. "Well would you look at that?" His praise was dripping in sarcasm as he looked at his men. "Behold gentlemen..." he turned back to motioned at Tai Lung with an open hand. "Tai Lung... back from the dead, only to return to us once more." Their laughter echoed through the cave as Po looked around, taking it in. "You think you killed me off Tai Lung? You were very wrong..." The leopard however, glared at Vachir, who moved in dangerously close to his face. "I'm sure you'll be very comfortable here." Vachir then turned to Po, who transferred his attention back to him during his talk of Tai Lung. "My sincerest apologies to you and your family Dragon Warrior." Po's brows crinkled a little, unsure whether to take him seriously. "Getting fooled into thinking he was ever able to redeem-" Tai Lung growled. "I pity that you have to suffer with him, when all you're trying to do is help." Vachir then clicked his fingers. "Fao, Ding!" Two guards stood to attention. "Bring Tai Lung to his original confinement." They both stepped forward. "Dragon Warrior, I can trust you not to escape..." Po nodded slowly, before they started walking past all the prying eyes of the guards.
Even if Po wanted to try to get out, there was a guard on every corner; he could beat them, he was sure of it, but he didn't want his family to suffer if he was at large. There wasn't any certainty of what would happen if Po ever attempted fate, but the thought of Tigress being sent to prison in his place was sticking out like a sore thumb.
Passing what seemed to be an empty cell, Tai Lung paused, with Ding standing behind him, a spear to his back. "Keep moving Tai Lung." The leopard ignored him, and leaned in towards the bars, eyes narrowed.
Swipe!
He dodged the claws just in time, as an cackle echoed off every surface of the prison corridors. Fao and Ding got their weapons at the ready towards both parties, and Po watched on as two black paws wrapped around the bars, to reveal a black and beaten down wolf; Po wasn't sure who he was, but judging by Tai Lung's growl and baring teeth, he was someone he should know. "As I said before... only good for the worms," the wolf said. "That's all that you'll ever be useful for." Tai Lung felt the spear lightly stabbing his back, so he forced himself to get moving, while Ding turned and jabbed the Wolf in the face with the blunt end of the spear, which caused the prisoner to yelp as fall back into the dark.
"Why did you do that?" Po asked, as they started walking again.
Ding twisted his head towards him. "I heard he attacked Tai Lung's daughter a few years back, when Tai Lung was rediscovered. Is that true?" When Po nodded, he continued. "I have a daughter too, and I could only imagine him doing the same to someone else. You have a daughter too... I'm sure you understand?"
Po gave himself a few moments to take in the information, before nodding. "I thank you on her behalf..." Ding nodded stiffly, before they collected both prisoners into the lift. Giving the operators the signal to go, they were lowered down into the deeper depths of the prison, until their reached the bridge that connected their platform, to another one, where several rounds of chains awaited them. Tai Lung was brought out first, and by the time Po crossed the bridge, he was chained down by his wrists. Ding waited by the door, while Fao chuckled and kicked the back of Po's legs, causing him to hit the ground, hard on his knees. This angered Tai Lung, but before he could react, he felt his whole body stiffen up, and he too hit the ground, crumbling to his knees as a turtle shell brace was placed on them both. Po could feel every acupressure needle touch his back, but couldn't move an inch. Neither could Tai Lung.
Fao and Ding were gone, and they were left there in the silence. "I'm sorry." Po heard him say, to which he moved his eyes towards him. "For everything," Po blinked at him, before he replied.
"That isn't going to save us."
Shifu stood by his lonesome at the Reflection Pool, eyes closed, swaying on the support of his walking stick. He had requested the Palace Staff to leave him be; he was expecting Li and Mr. Ping to bring the boys back up at some stage, where they would agree to some sort of arrangement to look after them, and until then, his thoughts plagued him the events of two days ago.
AJ continued to cry as Tigress took her into her arms, a paw pressed to the back of her child clung to her desperately as Tigro and Lotus watched their father being led away, trying to keep in their tears and stop themselves from running after him. Shifu tried keeping himself up with his staff, leaning forward a little to gain some support, and Sapphire fists closed over one another against her chest as she landed on her knees. A moment of silence passed before both turned to the sound of shuffling, to see Mr. Ping and Li collecting what was left of their family in a hug, and then looked at one another.
A gentle breeze blew through an open window somewhere in the building, which ignited his ears, which lay almost dead across his head, to twitch... that was until he heard the door open.
"Zeng?" the goose flew closer to him, and with heavy breathes, passed him a scroll.
"The Master Council... sent you... a letter." The red panda opened it quickly, scanning the contents briefly as Li, Ping, and the boys entered the room.
"What is it?" Li asked as Tigro, Lotus, and Chang's faces lifted to attention. Shifu took a breath himself, and thanked Zeng by passively dismissing him to go rest. Turning to them, he rolled the scroll by up.
"Your Mother and Sister have made it to Gongmen City." Their journey began at sunset, which gave Tigress time to gather whatever belongings she and AJ needed for their stay. It was decided that it was best that AJ went with her to the city, with everything that was going on, it was a lot for the child to handle without one of her parents already not there suddenly.
The offer was on the table, but Tigro and Lotus deemed themselves strong enough to remain at home, because someone had to look after Mr. Ping and Li; they have stayed with them since the arrest, and their house remained empty on the outskirts of the valley. No one was really sure if they did it for the benefit of their grandfathers, who were struggling with their own acceptance of the situation, or that it meant they could stay in their Dad's childhood bedroom, which never changed long after Po moved out. However, even if they tried to hide it, everyone could see how unsettling all this change was for them; they were barely talking, and unless they were spoken to, they made no attempt to keep the conversation going.
"Where's Mono?" Chang asked, gazing around the room in case he would be around.
"Here." They turned around again to see Monkey tiredly shutting the door behind him, pressing his hand firmly against it a few times to confirm it was securely shut. The little primate ran for his Dad, and hugged him tightly, while Tigro and Lotus looked away from the scene, a little hurt, and Shifu caught on quickly. "No change down below Master Shifu; no crime reports have been made."
"Very good Master Monkey, I dismiss you to get some rest."
"Whose going to do the patrol past curfew?" Monkey was already taking on several patrol shifts, leaving Chang in the care of the panda and goose too, and with Viper and Crane still on bed rest, and Mantis being their primary Doctor, there was little job-sharing to go around for now.
"I'll be on the next patrol soon."
Monkey nodded firmly, before bowing towards him, and smiled at Tigro and Lotus. "It'll be okay, if you ever need me..." both boys nodded as solemnly as they could, before he placed a hand on his son's shoulder, and stirred him back out the door. Neither of them said anything as they walked down the stairs, before Monkey moved his gaze from straight ahead, to see Chang grinding to a halt a few meters behind him. "Chang?" He said softly, before the child threw his arms around him so suddenly it nearly caught the Master by surprise. "What is it?"
Chang pulled his head back to look up at his father, a little teary-eyed. "I don't want you to get taken away from me."
"Bud..." Monkey forced out a halfhearted chuckle as he placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "I promise you I'm not going anywhere. And Po won't be gone forever. He'll be back before you know it."
"What about Tai Lung?" Monkey felt his lip stiffen a little, trying to stop himself from glaring at the thought of the snow leopard.
"I..." Monkey exhaled in defeat. "I don't know about Tai Lung... he broke his promise to Po, Tigress, and the Master's council, and is being punished."
"But Sapphire needs her dad too..."
"Well..." Monkey scratched the back of his head, close to defeat, "she lived without him for a long time, remember? She was in the orphanage with you... I'm sure she'll be okay."
"That doesn't mean she can do it again." Chang argued softly, and Monkey just held his son again, unsure how to respond.
Once it was shut, Tigro and Lotus didn't look back at Master Shifu until he spoke up. "It's a difficult time right now, but it'll be over soon."
"No it won't." Tigro crossed his arms and twisting his head to face the door again. "Mom, AJ and Dad aren't here."
"It isn't a permanent situation," Mr. Ping tried to sound positive, but he felt his throat closing up at the first syllable.
"Well then until they're home," Lotus glared at the floor, his fists tight against his sides. "What we feel about everything isn't going to change."
Ping looked at Shifu for support, and Li scratched the back of his neck, ears drooping slightly. "This isn't easy for everyone, Lotus." Li knelt in front of them, and place a paw on his heart almost heavily, but they didn't look at him. "It hurts us not to have them here too."
"Maybe not as much as it hurts you-" Mr. Ping tried to add in a sentence, but Li stopped him.
"No, we're all equally unhappy about what's going on." What was the point in trying to sugar coat it? It wasn't going to protect the kids from what they already know. There was nothing knew to update, or hide from them.
"Li's right." Shifu stepped in closer, and kept his focus on Tigro, who tried avoiding eye contact with him,
"It's... just not fair." Lotus was nearly crying now, and it seemed to have unsettled Tigro, because he stepped away from him. It was only by a few inches, but his face was plastered in a look of discomfort, and some ounce of sorrow himself. "Mom and Dad were only doing what the creed has told them. They did their best, they shouldn't have to be punished for what Tai Lung chose to do."
Shifu shook his head slightly, trying to remove the image of Tai Lung being arrested. To his his wrists laced in chains again was heartbreaking, only this time; he lost both Tai Lung and Tigress. Both of them were taken away from him, and he had to hold down on any power that he had to stop himself from going after her when she left at sunset the very same day. He knew she would be back, as would Po, but it was just the question of when, that would end the strangeness that was round them...
"We all feel the same thing," he finally said, catching the attention of Lotus and Tigro; both fixed their gazes on him, with Lotus trying to wipe away his tears. "... and that's what we need right now. We need to, and keep, supporting one another, and it will be easier... you have every right to express how you feel, but I can't bare seeing you two so unhappy."
Mr. Ping thought for a moment, and his face lit up a little. "Would the boys be able to go see Tigress in the city?"
"We're staying here with you!" Tigro argued.
"That's not what I meant. You can stay here, but we'll let your mother and sister settle into Gongmen city, and then we can go see them and see how they are, if that's allowed Master Shifu?"
Shifu took a moment to think about it, before nodding. "Woo informed me last night that if you ever chose to see her, we are welcome to go. No one's stopping you from seeing her. You both need her... and she needs you too." Lotus and Tigro glanced at one another, before nodding, and smiling back at him weakly. "Sounds great... thanks Grandpa." Shifu nodded with a small smile of his own as the two closed in to hug him.
"How about we go back to the restaurant and have some noodle soup?" Mr. Ping suggested, clasping his wings together. Everyone liked the sound of that, and Li's stomach growled on cue, which got a laugh out of the boys. "I'll go whip some up!"
Shifu ushered the boys along once their hug broke apart. "You four go ahead, I'll meet you down there. I just have to do something first..." He hadn't seen Sapphire since the day before, and she was asked not to wander too far from the Valley. He needed to make sure she was Okay, and there was only one place she could be.
"Who can that be at this hour?" Lok muttered in annoyance, as he was up on his feet and moving towards the soft rasps against the door. Sapphire, who had been sitting on a bench by the window, hoisted her head up to see who it was. Jun was sitting beside her, a firm paw on her shoulder as they watched the door opening... a pair of icy blue eyes immediately fell on her, which drew her breath to an anxious halt; a inhale so sharp it could slice the skin if it were a weapon.
"Master Shifu." Lok said in surprise. "Is everything-"
"I was wondering if I could speak to Sapphire..." Lok cleared his throat, before turning away from the door, observing Sapphire as she rose up slowly, with Jun grabbing a cloak to drape around her shoulders. Clasping it in place, she quietly walked out past them, and Shifu followed her outside. Lok and Jun watched on worriedly, before shutting the door behind them.
There were one or two souls still around them, but no one paid attention to them. Sapphire remained silent the whole walk through the desolate streets, checking around for anyone who might be watching her; she had her paws curled into a uneasy clump against her stomach, which was shielded by her long ebony cloak. Shifu walked alongside her, his arms hidden under his draping sleeves. His eyes darted between the street ahead of him, up to her, and back again.
"What did you want to see me for?" Her voice murmured above him with uneasiness.
"I just wanted to check on you. To make sure you were okay." He stopped moving, and she kept going for a few more steps, before she forced herself to a slow, anticipated halt.
"I'm fine." Her voice was almost hoarse. "Everything's fine..." his lips curled a little, not buying it, and she turned back to him. "About yesterday, I-"
Shifu watched as her dense eyelashes swept the air in front of her eyes as they morphed to a look a fear, and he wasn't far to copying her, and he moved closer, and placed a paw on her shoulder. "I'm sorry..." he whispered, before she started sobbing, pressing the heel of her palms hard against her eyes.
"Why do you need to apologize?" He wasn't truly listening to what she had to say, but whatever came out of her mouth was definitely running along those lines.
"I don't know honestly... maybe to keep the conversation going?" He could see the embarrassment on her face.
"You had your father taken away from you. Whatever you're feeling, or have felt, is normal."
Sapphire folded her arms, revealing a small section exposed to the gentle wind, "and your son has been thrown in jail, your daughter has been sent away, and her husband has also been thrown in the gutter, which has you left with looking after your two grandsons, and picking up the broken pieces. How is that for you?"
Shifu watched her closely for a moment, before smiling weakly. "This isn't the first time." Sapphire's brows knitted together, almost sympathetic.
"I used a bad choice of words, I'm sorry..."
Shifu chuckled. "It's fine," he motioned her to continue walking with him, and when she asked why, he replied with. "Mr. Ping is making some food, and has invited you to join them."
"Why..."
"Simple." They stopped a few meters away from the restaurant entrance, and Sapphire moved in closer to peek around the corner, to see Tigro and Lotus helping Mr. Ping chopping vegetables. Li was watching them, and uttered something that made them all laugh in unison. "We're all grieving their absences, and we all need to look out for one another." Sapphire continued to watch the scene, feeling the warmth and glow as a smile slowly stretched across her face, for the first time in two days, and Shifu also smiled at the sight.
Sapphire then realized something and looked back down at him. "What about you?"
"I have to finish patrol, and then I'll join you." Sapphire looked around as she heard a gong sound off, and the last few souls had entered their homes, the lights inside still on.
"I can do it with you... if that's okay?"
Shifu gave it a moment, before nodding, and motioned her to come along. "Of course."
Isolation got me back into writing, thank you Jesus!
Hope you guys liked it! I wanted to get some more moments between Shifu and the kids, and I got it!
Next chapter is in the works! Ciao!
