Crane was falling.
Again.
And not because he couldn't fly. It's because he wanted to.
He had strayed from falling on his own terms after his near death experience a few weeks ago, just for the others' sake, but he could only hold out for so long without the freedom that came with the fall.
That's why he's here, out by himself, falling.
He'd never felt so free.
He closed his eyes and smiled, feeling the wind spinning around him and blowing stray leaves by him.
He knew that he'd developed a small phobia of heights, but it's not enough to stop him from falling. He loves it too much to ever stop. He's done it so many times that he's sure that he knows what he's doing.
It also gave him a break from all the stress and fast-paced life of a Kung Fu master. The wind seemed to reach into his head and pluck out his worries, carrying them far away until he was ready to face them.
He spread his wings and turned up in a sharp turn, gliding back up sky high and flying on his back for a moment, before falling back down into an average altitude.
He floated there, recollecting himself before diving back down again.
He did this a couple more times before settling down on the edge of the cliff.
He placed his hat by him, one wing on top of it to weigh it down, as not to let it float away.
It wasn't nearly as fun as free falling, but it was still nice
The wind ruffled his feathers playfully, making a few of them stick up on end. A couple of leaves bounced around, twirling and dancing and flying by.
He wished he'd brought his paint brushes and parchment; he'd love to paint the serenity of the scene: the gentle glow of the moon, the beautiful stillness of the trees, the twinkling of the stars. . .
The best he could do was memorize the scene; he filed it away and would draw it later, whenever he had the time.
He sat in silence, the occasional bird or insect flying by, flitting and swooping about. Once, a little sparrow had stopped and pecked at his hat, before giving him a kind of undignified look and flying away gracefully into the night.
He hummed quietly. It wasn't really a song, but it wasn't a jumbled mess of notes, either.
He stayed like that for a few minutes, for once in what seemed like forever, at peace with himself. The racing thoughts he usually had were unusually calm tonight.
Maybe it was because of how long a break he took from free falling. The thrilling sensation took away his worries and insecurities for a night, refreshing him so that he was ready to face another day, another worry, another battle.
It was a peaceful night. All was well.
Crane's never seen the land more beautiful. He really wished he'd brought his brushes. He wasn't sure if he could ever catch another moment like this.
Sadly, he'd left them in his room, placed neatly on top of his corner desk.
He didn't feel like going back. He was too content out here to ever think about going back so soon.
He stood up, flicking up his rice hat, catching it midair with one of his slender feet and placing it atop his head.
One more time. One more time, before he turned in for the night.
Standing near the edge, he eyed the trees and boulders, oh so far away below.
He took a deep breath and jumped.
A paw reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back and falling to the ground with him.
Crane flew up as soon as he stood, eyes frantically searching the ground for what-or who-may be attacking him.
The horrified gaze of Tigress's eyes met his.
His wings flapped quietly, and he hovered there, a confused look melting onto his face.
He continued to look down at his friend, before realizing what he was doing, and how it would look in the eyes of someone who didn't know what he was doing.
Oh. Oh.
"Tigress, it's not what it looks like, I swear!" he cried desperately, his wings fluttering faster.
She gave him a look of what seemed like doubt and skepticality. She didn't seem to believe him.
He felt a bit dizzy. Deciding that if he didn't fly down soon, he would drop out of the air, he glided down, setting down nervously a few feet away from the concerned feline.
He ruffled his wings nervously. It wasn't what Tigress thought it was, but he didn't think any amount of insisting and begging and telling would convince her that it wasn't.
They stood in an awkward silence, each waiting for the other to say something.
Tigress shifted her weight and said, "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you do it?"
He sighed. "Tigress, please. You have to believe me. It isn't what it looks like," he said, a twang of panic hidden deep within, like a different meaning behind each verse of a song.
She didn't say anything. Somehow, that was worse. If she had screamed or cried or hissed, it would have been better. But the silence seemed like it was judging him. It was too quiet, and he didn't like it.
He sat down, and she followed. They sat on the cliff, watching the wind blow the leaves and scatter them into the world.
They didn't say anything for a while. Just the two of them. Sitting on a cliff. In silence. Yay.
Crane pursed his lips. "Tigress, I know what I was doing. And it was never-I never-It's not what you think, okay?"
She kicked her feet over the edge, stirring up little particles and blowing them away. "Honestly, I don't know what to believe anymore."
Crane gave her a confused look. What did she mean by that?
She took a deep breath and continued. "When. . . When we saved you, after you, uh, you fell, you didn't seem scared. Like, at all. And then, just now, when you jumped. . . It. . . I-I just can't." Her voice cracked at the end, along with part of Crane's heart.
He couldn't remember much of the ordeal. The events after the concussion were maddenly fuzzy. He didn't remember how he acted all that well. He didn't even think about how the others felt. And now he felt even worse than he did before. So much for a relaxing experience.
He sighed, tapping his feet against the edge of the cliff. "There was a time where I felt like that," he admitted slowly. "But that's all in the past now. I mean, after I got passed the test and into Lee Da Kung Fu Academy, I was so happy. No one ever made fun of me again, because this twiggy thing of a janitor beat the odds and got into one of the best Kung Fu schools ever. And then you found me and the others, and. . . And It felt like it all fit." He looked at her, a bit of a shy grin growing on his face. "If that makes any sense."
Tigress stared at him for a few moments before nodding slowly, the barely there grace of a smile curling up the tips of her lips. "No, it makes sense. It's just," she took a deep breath, obviously calming herself, before saying, "people never liked me because I was 'dangerous'." She made air quotes. "And then I met you, and you weren't scared, and neither were the others. You were just 'oh hey, you're asking me to come with you to train with some guy I don't even know? Cool, sounds legit', and you never made fun of me for being a tiger. You guys are my family. I-We came too close to losing you, Crane. I-I can't lose you."
Crane looked away and down at the ground, thinking. "I can't lose you guys either," he said after a moment, his voice just barely above a whisper. "When Shen-When we thought Po had died, I couldn't. . . I didn't want to believe it. But there wasn't anything to prove that he was still alive. For gods' sake, he was blown up into the sky by a cannonball. And then he came back, and I was so relieved. I think Mantis started crying," he added as an afterthought, satisfied with the laugh he produced out of the tiger.
The new silence wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as the previous one. Things were resolved. They were wrapped up neatly with a bow, set down to be read again another day.
He exhaled, a little puff of breath mixing in with the wind.
He sat there, with his sister in all but blood, and thought.
He felt calmer, somehow. More sure of himself.
It's funny how one thing can suddenly change to another in the blink of an eye. Like his fall and Tigress catching him.
What a strange free fall this turned out to be.
Bruh the ending doesn't really make any sense but oh well
Also there might be third (and final) story. Haven't decided on the name yet so idk when it'll be out or what it'll be called so lol
I do deeply apologize if they seem OOC this is only my second KFP story and I'm not at all familiar with their characters yet skkskskskskksksksks
Also this was meant to be family fluff not a ship so
So you all next time!