Song was still visibly aggravated with the way she was shown into the village. How rude the manner was, how disrespectful the action was, and how disregarding the mood was. And it could all be simplified like this:
"Get inside already, wench!"
Yes. If Song wasn't in such a difficult position right now...she would be clawing these guys eyes out. Being treated in such a manner was enraging. But she would have to keep biting her tongue, as she was in no suitable position to resist them.
Dusting herself off and sighing in exhaustion, Song regained her composure and began making her way through the camp.
The Ladies of the Shade Camp tends to be larger depending on where they move. Sense there was a lot more space out here, they we're able to expand their camp just a bit and avoid ending up cramped and uncomfortable. Thoroughout the area, there were multiple tents that housed many of Song's fellow comrades. Some were simply chatting with one another over the strange turn of events. Others were honing their skills in thievery, dancing, and seduction. During the third, they usually get really into their roles. Sometimes on the male guards, and even each other. It sometimes produces rather...interesting results.
...Very...interesting...results. Results that the male guards tend to enjoy from a distance...
...
...ANYWAY!
When the other snow leopards caught wind that Song has finally returned, they all got out of their tents and stopped whatever they were doing. They all focused on the girl walking past them as they waved and called out to her in happy and relieved manners.
"Hey look, Song's back!"
"We haven't heard from her in a long time! I'm glad she's safe."
"Hey Song, over here! What took you so long to get back! You took longer than expected this time!"
"Oh good, not a scrap of your beauty has been tampered with during your absence! I would have been crying so hard!"
"Song! Don't be rude, alright? We all know that anyone who returns from an expedition is welcomed back with kisses!"
Once again...interesting images for the male guards...heh...
Either way, Song smiled playfully as she smiled and waved through the crowd of her sisters. That's right. The Ladies of the Shade are all sisters, through and through. They have been thinking that way for many years now, before and after Song joined up with them. They also treated each other as such, to double that kind of bond.
But right now, Song had one to see.
Song walked right up to the largest tent that was also more eloquent and fancy, as well as clean. By just by a slim margin. She took a deep breath, placed her paws through the tent, and there she was.
Su was the leader of the Ladies of the Shade. Or to be more precise, the latest leader of the Ladies Of The Shade. But that's a story for much later. Her eyes were a deep blue,and unlike many of the other ladies, her vest was also blue. But other than that, she looked much like the others. Yet somehow she manages to be the most beautiful of all the snow leopards in this camp.
And there was another thing special about her. Well not really too special, but...interesting.
Her eyes were currently closed. But when she heard Song entering her tent she opened her eyes slowly, and calmly observed her. "Well well well...looks like my daughter has finally returned. I'm relieved."
Song rubbed her neck slightly. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you we're going to be mad at me."
"...Oh don't misunderstand. I'm mad. I'm very...VERY mad."
Song shivered quietly from this, as she attempted to explain. "W-Well-"
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" Su suddenly shouted, looming over Song with comical sharp teeth. Song had fully expected the outburst, yet she was still very much terrified. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BACK HERE THREE DAYS AGO! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GO FIND YOU MYSELF!"
"I...I...I-"
BOP!
"OWIE!" Song was now nursing the lump on her head lightly where Su had struck her, crying comical tears streaming down her face.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT THERE?! YOU HAD EVERYONE WORRIED SICK!" Su roared. She placed her paws on her hips and glared at Song like a mother reprimanding their children. "What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"
Song whimpered slightly under Su's gaze, staring at the ground in slight shame."...I'm sorry, Mother..."
This caused Su's anger to simmer down, and her glare softened considerably. She then sighed as she kneeled down and petted her head. "Alright, alright, that's enough. No tears." Song kept whimpering quietly, which made Su pull her into a complete hug. "Okay okay, you win. I apologize, alright? I just got really worried about you when you weren't back at your usual interval. You're usually on time or really early. You've never been late before, and that greatly troubled all of us." They pulled away a bit, as Su rustled the fur on her head. "Come on, I didn't hit you THAT hard. I bet half of that is just an attempt to guilt-trip me, isn't it?"
Song sniffled a bit as she wiped her tears away, kept rubbing the bump on her head and chuckled softly. "Maybe I did. But it did hurt just a bit. Just thought I'd milk it.~"
"Hahaha! You've learned a lot from me about deception. Like I keep saying, Song."
No, it's not how one might initially think it is. They are not blood related. In truth, Song was adopted by Su, a very long time ago. But again, that is a story saved for a later time. For now, these two had a slight catching up to do. They sat down side by side, as their smiles we're full of warmth, the tension between them and the anger from Su now completely gone. After that, they got into the subject a bit more seriously now.
"For real, Song. What was taking you so long?" A small pause, and they both laughed aloud, slapping their knees. "Ah jeez, I didn't mean to rhyme!"
Song took a moment to calm down her laughter, because her stomach would start feeling cramped if she laughed too hard. She regained her composure and gazed at her foster mother. "I meant to come back earlier with my treasure horde...but I found myself wanting to stay longer...a lot longer..."
Su blinked as se turned to her daughter with a curious look in her eye. She was actually getting attached to the ones she was plotting to steal from? Now the elder snow leopardess was very intrigued, because this has never happened before. "Really...? I'm fully interested now. Do tell."
"Well...you see..." Song sighed, her head now rising up to stare at the ceiling of the tent. "Its not that I'm particularly close to them or anything like that...but I found myself wanting to hang around them. They're not like other people I stole from. They seem to be wandering about, trying to find some way to spend their time. Usually it's by helping somebody out or something related to that. All of them are silly, crazy, weird, and interesting in their own unique way." She scratched her ear a little as an excuse to pause for a moment. "Especially these three people...a Panda named Po. A Tiger named Tigress. And a crocodile named Fung. Out of everyone there, they are the ones that somehow confuse me the most."
A Panda...? Su thought with inward surprise. "Is that so...?"
"Fung...he seems like a seriously awkward guy. Every time he's a bit too close to me, or I ask him to split up in teams, he freaks out a little and tries to create distance between us. He usually turns a little red in the face too." Song folded her arms. "That's a bit rude. If he doesn't want me to be too close to him he should just be up front with it. He didn't have to be so jumpy."
He's jumpy around you because he might be smitten with you. Su guessed with little to no effort at all. And she also had a certain feeling that Song is unaware of this 'Fung' and his feelings. He must be trying to keep it that way. She chose not to share her suspicions with Song, and allowed her to continue.
"Although I heard that he was personally trained by Master Croc. I don't know what his connection to him is or how deep it is though. I just know that he seems fond of him. Fung didn't tell anyone much other than that." Song tilted her head. I'm still wondering if there's something else about him and Master Croc that he's not telling me..." Su narrowed her eyes slightly at this. Seems to her that Song is not the one who's keeping possibly dangerous secrets.
"Next is Tigress. She seems to be a rather serious and focused individual whenever the situation calls for it. She was immensely distrustful of me from the get-go, and she was not completely wrong to feel that way. She sensed and knew I was a thief from minute one. She's really smart, and crazy powerful. And I'm not going to lie...she's very, very beautiful." Su raised an eyebrow when Song started laughing after that comment. "Though she gets really really shy when someone compliments her on her looks. It always made me laugh on the inside." Song lowered her eyes. "The two things that really stand out about her is the scarf she's immensely protective of, and that her older brother...is Tai Lung."
"What?! Tai Lung is her older brother?!" Su shouted in honest shock. 17 years earlier, she heard that he went on a major rampage that killed many people, because he wasn't chosen to be the Dragon Warrior. But she was NOT aware that he had a little sister who witnessed it. She guessed she was around, five/six years old at the time. That isn't something a child should witness, especially by a family members paws.
"She was clearly deeply hurt about it. It disturbs her greatly because the only thing that kept Tai Lung from killing Shifu was her walking in on them at the wrong time. He stopped when he saw her stare at him in fear. Even after only knowing her for a few months, it was clear he loved her dearly. Then he turned tail and ran before Oogway could capture him. Not only was she traumatized by the incident, but her troubles didn't end there." Song looked at the ground. "Apparently being Tai Lung's sister was more than enough to give her lots of trouble as she was growing up. And Shifu, her father, wasn't paying much attention to her. She was becoming quite a, miserable, bitter, and angry child..." Su listened on, her mind now clearly into the details Song was given to her. It was unbelievable how much emotional torment one tiger cub could take. "...And this leads to the last one. Po."
"The panda?"
"Yes, the panda." Song repeated. "Po is...I don't know how to describe him. At least not accurately enough to give away a very clear answer. Because it turns out, no one can really grasp a true deep understanding of him, or how he thinks." Su once again raised an eyebrow at this, seemingly confused bu Song's wording. "Like Tigress, Po is an adopted orphan. Adopted by a goose named Mr. Ping. He's a bit...no...he's VERY ditzy in the head, and I bet a lot of that rubbed off on Po. So much that it's close to impossible to tell who's the diztier one. They both also make some pretty amazing noodles, dumplings, bean buns...cakes...tofu...oh gosh I shouldn't be talking about their food. I'm getting hungry now." Song rubbed her stomach with a small pout on her face, earning a chuckle from Su. "Though it seems that Po didn't really have an easy childhood, either. It's obvious that being a certain species seldom seem around this part of China is bound to cause him problems on making friends. Being kidnapped didn't really help him much either. Luckily he was able to return home safely. And as an added touch, he managed to make friends with Tigress and Fung, so they weren't alone anymore. They also had something to return to when their fifteen years of preparing to face the harshness of the world have passed. And then he just gets more unpredictable..."
"Even MORE unpredictable? How so?"
"I don't know how to explain it." Song shrugged. "Not trying to be mean, but Po isn't very high in the intelligent department. In fact I'm was a bit surprised about how he was the one technically leading the entire group, while the elders around us usually gave advice or are bickering amongst themselves. After hanging around them for a while...I've begun to see it for myself. Most of the people in that group were there in the first place because of him. Turns out, in one way or another, he's helped them out in one special way after another, and he gained their friendship as a result. I could hardly believe my eyes. Despite them occasionally calling Po out for being such a moron on certain things, I could see deep down that they are REALLY beginning to care very much about him, as well as one another. And according to them, that haven't even known him for that long yet, aside from Tigress and Fung. Its just...really strange..."
Su blinked as Song described Po in such a manner as she did. Processing it and getting susupicious, she turned to her with a questioning look. "What exactly did he do?"
"Well...he saved Mosho Town, the place we met up, from going into a famine by having the others expose the culprits and give away cakes he and his father made. Then a little while after that, he set a fugitive free so that he could reunite with his daughter. And that was after the story that told us that he was innocent. Then he went toe-to-toe with the Kung Fu Express to keep someone's secret safe, or else he wouldn't have been the target of a manhunt. And there was also his fight with the Qidan King to free a princess from a short life of slavery, because she would have died before the year ended. And recently, he and Tigress took the fight to Master Mugan in retaliation for her harsh treatment towards the people she was supposed to protect. I used that conflict as a distraction to get away undetected. And that's all that I've seen up to this point."
Su had her eyes lowered as she began to process what was being told to her about the panda Song was describing. After a minute of silence, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Song...what was his reaction to you joining his...wandering group?"
"Huh? Well...he gave me an 'initiation hug'. He hugged me tight, and apparently that's how they officially count you into the group. It's quite silly when I actually think back."
"...Song. He'll be coming for you soon." Su said suddenly.
"What?! But why would he do that?!" Song shouted in surprise, standing up abruptly. "I mean, look at what I did! I stole from them when their backs we're turned and I left them to deal with the trouble themselves! Why would they come back after me even after that?"
"By the way you described him, this 'Po' person values his loved ones above all else. It's no different for how we all treat one another as the Ladies Of the Shade." Song's eyes widened at this. "I know how hard it is for you to trust other people besides us, Song. But you actually had true, genuine fun with people that aren't us. And that's a feeling you haven't had in years.I believe that this panda sensed this with nothing but his heart, and that will be his reason for coming here to you."
Song remained silent, her eyes just slightly shadowed. "But we're so close to just...buying our freedom from these stupid crocs...if he interferes now, it'll ruin everything."
"I'm afraid I have unfortunate news about that." Su stated seriously, and sadly. Song's ears picked up, but she didn't look at Su just yet. "These loathesome crocs...they were lying to us this entire time."
Song's eyes widened and dulled significantly when she heard these words. She turned towards Su slowly, her body trembling with slight fear/anger at those words. She could only mouth a small, weak, barely audible: "...…What...…?"
"All that treasure and money we've been gathering for them...they've been trading it with 'business partners' across the land, while still forcing us to keep stealing for them. We were being decieved while we were decieving. The irony hurts..."
"But why would they do this?! We're doing what we asked of them, why won't they fulfill their end of the bargain?!"
"The truth is...they never said anything about not keeping us from reaching our quota. The twisted logic is that since they've been giving away the treasures and money to their mornic friends. In other words, we technically haven't achieved the goal of gathering the maximum amount we needed...so why should they fulfill their end of the bargain if they can keep us from fulfilling ours?"
Song allowed these words to sink through her mind, and realized that no matter how much it angered her...it was the truth. She clenched her fists angrily as the reality of their situation has finally been accepted by her.
They were never going to let them go...
(Meanwhile)
"Eh...? Are you serious...?" Monkey stated dully as they we're once again on their way. "There's an entire organization of highly skilled thieves...and they're ALL female snow leopards?" He paused for a bit as he managed a small grin on his face. "Interesting...very interesting-OW!" Viper swiped him in the head hard, making him recoil and nurse the bruise.
"Don't make me regret bringing you." Viper scolded with a reprimanding look towards the primate. "You and Mantis might be the only ones whom I don't think will allow this to go smoothly. And possibly Fung."
"WHAT?! Why me?!" He shouted, clearly offended.
"Why not you?" Fenghuang shrugged. "We're headed towards a camp filled with skilled thieves that are also beautiful women. So of course us females have to make sure the guys behave yourselves." She raised her wing and lightly rubbed her beak. "However...I DO advise against bringing Shifu, Mr. Ping, and Taotie."
"What? Why would you say that, Fenghuang?" Mr. Ping asked, but was inwardly ho poo ing she wouldn't answer, for some reason. Unfortunately for them, she did answer.
"They might mistake you three as dirty old men. Wouldn't want to have an incident like that, now would we?"
CRACK!
That there...was the imaginary sound of their composure cracking. All three of their eyes have turned blank white like dinner plates, as they processed what Fenghuang was accusing them of.
"Dirty...?" Mr. Ping whispered, blushing in embarrassment as the accusation.
"Old...?" Shifu scowled, his teeth tightly clenched grinding together in anger.
"Men...?" Taotie jaw dropped at such a matter, which served as sight amusement for Bian Zao.
The owl then huffed. "Then again, Shifu's precious Mei Ling has finally decided to show her face to him again. So he might be off the hook. Key word being might. That and I still don't know where the Palace Servant stands." Zeng's eyes widened and he looked away, clearly not wanting ANYTHING to do with this subject whatsoever. This was a smart move on his part, because she seemed to give up after that.
"I do agree that we might get a bit of backlash if we just show up there uninvited. We'll have to be very careful when it comes to approaching them. Which means we shouldn't do anything that might rouse their anger. Because I can be pretty sure that we're vastly outnumbered." Crane broke down some of the details regarding their plan. "Let me repeat. Let's try to do this quietly first, THEN we'll take more assertive action if the situation calls for it. Understand...Po? Fung?" He turned to them with a blank stare. They both nodded affirmatively. "Good. Now that's out of the way, we can pick up the pace and proceed along."
"We'll be following behind you lot and see what happens. We'll also keep anyone one who could disrupt your progress off your backs." Fenghuang nods.
"Actually Fenghuang...I believe we should trust them to manage this in their own. There is another matter that I want us to get to, and we should have a head start on it." Shifu stated quietly, to the confusion of the owl beside him. "Will you all excuse us for a moment?" Shifu said as he dragged Fenghuang along, prompting Taotie, Mrs. Yoon, Mr. Ping, and Mei Ling to follow him with questioning looks on their faces.
When he managed to get them a decent enough distance away from the others, Taotie folded his arms. "Alright Shifu...what's this about?"
Shifu took a deep breath, and turned towards everyone. "I think it's time that me and Fenghuang made our way towards Mugu Mountain."
"Eh? That dark and creepy place where you imprisoned Master Ding all those years ago?"
"The very same. We'll be going off there...alone."
"REJECTED!" Mei Ling shouted, prompting Shifu to cover her mouth and harshly shush her. When the fox managed to calm herself down enough to speak quietly, he removed his paw. "Why would you want to go back there now after all of these years?"
"Back at the Qidan Village, me and Fenghuang we're given some...unnerving information about the current status of that mountain and who's occupying it. I don't believe it's something me and Fenghuang can ignore at this point. We must return there...and see if Master Ding is truly pulling the strings on everything that's happened so far. We need to be sure. Plus, the Lin Kuei is said to be there as well, which is all the more reason to go there and settle things with them."
"You want to just stop them altogether by yourselves? What about Po and the others?" Mrs. Yoon asked, worriedly. Seeing Shifu getting reckless was not a common sight.
"Once their business with Song is completed, they can catch up with us. I know that she's the main thing on their minds right now, so let's have them focus on one thing at a time. In the meantime, like I said, we'll be going on ahead first. Just tell them to continue as they were, then find the time to catch up."
"Shifu, allow me to go with you. I don't like the vibes this decision is giving off." Mei Ling stated strongly, though on the inside she was highly concerned. She had just met up with Shifu again and she had a bit of a rocky start with their reunion, so she didn't want something like this to make it several times worse.
"No, Mei Ling. You should stay behind and look after the others in our absence. If anything goes sour, I'm depending on you to provide them support. Besides, a matter like this...is personal to me." Shifu said with finality. The vixen lowered her ears in sadness, but she didn't argue further.
"If that's what you want, I'm not gonna argue with you over it. I was getting a bad feeling as well. It's never left my mind ever since we heard it." Fenghuang nodded silently. "Very well. We're heading to Mugu Mountain. The rest of you make sure Po doesn't anything TOO stupid. Wish us luck." With this, Fenghuang gripped Shifu by the shoulders with her talons, and swiftly took off with a mighty flap of her wings.
"Gah! Must you dig your talons so deep into my shoulders?!"
"I need a good grip on you! Just be glad you're not bleeding, and enjoy your flight!" Even when discussing a serious matter, they still manage to find a way to bicker and conflict with one another. Jeez...
Taotie sighed at this development. "I really hope they know what they're doing. So anyway, you heard them. Gotta make sure they get Song back before we can follow them. Does anyone else have something they want to say?" All eyes shifted to Mei Ling, who lowered her ears and shook her head as her answer. "Very well, time to regroup."
The others noticed that Shifu and Fenghuang were now currently absent. "If you're wondering where they went, they're heading to Mugu Mountain without you." They all gasped at this information. "Not to worry. As soon as Song is taken care of, we'll all head that way together." Mr. Ping nodded, though Po could see that the goose was worried about the elder Masters going there alone.
"There's nothing we can do about that. They made their choice, so we should finish up here and follow them." Tigress spoke up, snapping everyone out of their shock and they nodded in agreement.
Ànyîng was again put back on the spot, as he was the one following the scent. But he did not carry on without first visibly flinching from hearing the destination they would have to take next. He was actually going to have to go back to Mugu Mountain. He's already well-aware that he's been branded a traitor to the Lin Kuei, he wouldn't be surprised if he was now branded a 'kill on sight' target. He dreaded going back there where an entire clan is now set to kill him.
But these people had saved him regardless of his connections or his species. Po and Mrs. Yoon both sensed that he was far from a bad person. And from the looks and actions from the former, he seemed fiercely prepared to defend the wolf if harm was aimed at him. One thing that he's learned by now is that this goes for all his comrades present, not just himself. The others seem to be starting to share the same sentiment. He wonders if the panda himself inspires such a nature and if he even knows it.
Ànyîng must have been thinking for quite a long time, because it took three consecutive taps from Monkey for him to return to his senses and actually look ahead of himself. Luckily the Canyon of Shrieking Wind was not active at the moment, so they passed through that unhindered. No sooner than that, they've finally discovered their destinationd ahead.
"I see a camp up ahead...that's got to be it." He said quietly. "...But look, there's also a huge fortrees right in front of it...and crocs are all over the place guarding it."
"I see...so that's going to explain a bit of the situation." Lian nodded quietly. "If it's all the same to you guys...I think us gals should handle speaking to Song. Whatever crap she's dealing with, it's serious enough to make her break off from us." Fung looked like he was about to object, but after seeing the crocs for himself, he kept his mouth shut. "So it's settled. Tigress, Mei Ling, Viper, and I will be going after Song. The guys are going to go after the boss of this little operation...if there is one."
"Alright, y'all heard the lady, we're gonna sneakily try to find the boss man while they go and look for Song. If something is going on here, we're gonna shut it down!" Po grinned with folding arms.
"I thought we were going to be cautious about this, first." Crane reminded him with a stern look.
"We are! I did say we would be going in sneakily, didn't I?" Po said as if it were the words of a genius. Crane just stared at him, completely deadpan at first. Then he shrugged, granting the panda a feeling of false victory. "Alrighty boys, move out! Sneakily."
"Stealth mode!" Monkey pointed out, causing the panda to clap at the word.
"That's it! We're gonna do this while in...stealth mode." Po said, with a slow swipe of his paw.
"Though that might be a bit difficult for you, Po. You're quite an easy guy to spot."
"Pfft! I'm plenty stealthy! Just you watch!" The panda declared with shining confidence...then began to tiptoe towards the fortress as quietly as he could. Crane just sighed as he and the guys followed the panda. But Peng was held back a bit by Lian, who was giving a rather, at least to him, adorable pout.
"This area is supposedly filled with beautiful women...will I have anything to worry about?" She asked, jokingly.
Peng chuckled in amusement, as he took her paw and lightly kissed it. "Not a worry in the world." He smiled as he let her go and followed the other guys.
Mei Ling rolled her eyes while smiling. "Did you really need to worry about something like that?" The question made Lian shrug.
"Not really, but it doesn't hurt to joke around." She smiled. "Now, let's go and find Song for real." They nodded to one another as they made their way towards the camp.
Mei Ling the fox, Mr. Ping, Zeng, Mrs. Yoon, and Taotie stayed where they were, watching the two factions plan and then separate. Worry was clear on their faces for the younger troops. Well, all but the vixen's. Her mind was still mainly focused on Shifu and what he was planning to do. Though she couldn't really stand the silence either, so she broke it with this...
"...Are you guys really dirty old men, like Fenghuang said?"
"NO!"
(Female Team)
Tigress has been in this camp for quite a time at this point. And she can say with confidence that she's not that big a fan of it. Maybe because she didn't have the desire to be totally feminine like Viper tends to bug her about recently. It was the attitudes most of the snow leopardesses gave out...that as well as the smell of perfume being all over the place. It was agitating her rather sensitive nose to varying degrees that she strongly disliked.
Viper, having worn perfume many times before and had many types of incense around her home, has gotten rather used to the various smells that should be uncomfortable to her. She noticed her friends discomfort, and turned towards her with worry in her eyes. "Tigress? Are the smells bothering you too much?"
"No Viper...it's fine, truly. I will endure and adapt to it with little to no difficulty...-CHOO!" Tigress started, then she sneezed. She sniffles as she sighed in irritation. "...Moderate difficulty. That snow leopard better be here."
"She's here alright. Just gotta keep looking sharp for her. She's gotta be here somewhere. Right around...HA!" Lian pointed to the largest of most of the tents. "Larger tents than the others? I bet someone important is in there."
"Lian made the call, girls. Let's see if she's right." Mei Ling whispered as she stood up slightly while sneaking through most of the tents to get to the largest one. With luck on their side, they were able to make it through each of them undetected, getting to the large tent through the method of a sort of waiting game. Be patient enough to wait for the snow leopards to pass by, then dash silently when the coast was clear. And every time Tigress passed through a tent, she wrinkled her nose slightly due to the many types of incense used to make them smell nice.
Eventually reaching the large tent was within their reach. Mei Ling sighed. "Okay, what a relief, we didn't get caught. Now we just gotta go get Song-"
"There you are, Song." Tigress said nonchalantly. The girls gasped in surprise as Tigress had already entered the tent without their consideration. They quickly followed after her, but the confrontation has already begun.
"W-W-What?! T-Tigress?!" Song shouted in surprise and slight anger. Su's eyes rose in amusement and also curiosity.
"Oh? This is one of your friends, hm? I told you they'd come for you."
"Tigress, what the heck are you doing here?! Better yet, how the heck did you get in here?!" Song shouted.
Tigress shrugged new nonchalantly. "We found our other recruit, he's a wolf. A wolf with a very effective nose. More effective than mine, at least. We tracked you all the way over here...to your camp. And who would have guessed you we're part of the Ladies of the Shade?" She sighed. "Truth be told, I've never heard of them until just recently. Its very surprising."
Song blinked. "Is everyone else here?"
"The guys are somewhere else, Shifu and Fenghuang left for a bit, and our mentors are outside the camp. I did bring Viper, Mei Ling, and Lian, though."
Viper slithered in nervously, waving with her tail as Mei Ling and Lian also walked in. "Hehehe...hi Song."
"Hello there." Mei Ling smiled.
Lian waved casually. "Sup."
"Are you kidding me?!" Song shouted in frustration. "You all are gonna get us in serious trouble-"
Poke
"H-Huh?" Song winced as Tigress poked her gently in the forehead with her claw. She rubbed the itching spot in confusion. "What, are you mad at me or something?"
Tigress folded her arms. "As a matter of fact, I am. I'm most displeased with the fact that you just ditched us without warning. Fung seemed visibly upset with your disappearance, as well as Po. You couldn't even spare us a farewell. And even despite all of that...I'm mostly upset that you thought you could just break away from the group to deal with some problem yourself and not allowing us to assist you."
Song blinked in confusion as she slowly moved her paws away from her forehead. "Wait...you know what's going on here?"
"You ladies like to talk. When I was sneaking around to get to you, I happened to have my ears open in case I needed to know something important. These crocs have been giving you all a lot of trouble. I'm volunteering to assist in getting rid of them." Tigress said as the other women behind her nodded.
Song continued to blink at the feline before her, and she got up to meet her eyes. Su watched the scene from where she was, with interest in her eyes. "But...you don't even like me."
"Nope. I sure don't."
"Then...why help me?"
"Because regardless of whether or not I like you, you're my comrade. And now that I've been assured that you're not a bad person...just really...REALLY annoying...that's the only reason I need."
"Yeah! You didn't think you could get rid of us that easily, did you?" Viper smiled. "There are more guys in our little band of misfits than there are gals. We gotta stick together or else their immaturity will drive us crazy."
Lian rubbed her neck. "But to be fair...we're not totally mature either...except Tigress, maybe. But the rest of us...not so much."
"We have a higher maturity level than they do, at least. Even Crane has his moments." Mei Ling jokingly added. They, minus Tigress, giggled lightly at this, as the mood lightened up a bit, as Su smiles from where she stood. If they were so adamant to assist all of them, then she knew what she had to do and say. But for now, they have to get rid of these troublesome crocs.
"Obviously these hoodlums take orders from their leader. If you can deal with him, then obviously the rest of them will run off as well. I've seen the looks on their faces, they hide behind their boss when things don't go their way. That'll change pretty soon, won't it?"
"Indeed, Po and the other guys will deal with it. If there are any serious issues, we'll go assist." Tigress said confidently.
"Very well. In the meantime..." Song clapped. "Who wants to see how good Tigress looks with makeup!"
The color temporarily left Tigress's face when Song said this. She waved her paws in denial. "No no no no...that's alright, I just-hey! OOF!" Viper swiftly wrapped around Tigress and pinned her arms to her sides, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud. "Viper, let go of me!"
"I got her pinned but not for long! Get to work!" Viper said with a mischievous giggle.
"No! Let me go, dammit!" Tigress struggled against Viper's grip, but it was no use. The feline silently cursed Fu-Xi for being the one to train Viper. The serpent's coils were very close, but not exactly, to be considered inescapable.
"Oh come on, Tigress, you hardly ever wanna do something remotely feminine. Think of this...as a small step forward." Song said with a mischievous smile of her own.
"Small steps?! What is small about this?!"
"Hush up and hold still." Song and Viper said in unison, with mischievous...no wait...they we're evil smiles now. Tigress was extremely nervous as Song drew closer to her with dangerous star-like eyes. She was flabbergasted when Mei Ling and Lian did nothing to help her. They seemed very interested in seeing how this would turn out. This eliminated any other chance of escape.
Oh dear...
(Meanwhile)
"So this is the fortress, huh? I swear it looked a bit more impressive from a distance. Don't know whether to be disappointed or glad about it." Mantis said atop Crane's hat as the guys stared up at the large structure before them. "Well, this shouldn't be too hard, really. Pretty sure we've done severe damage before."
"Obviously. Shall we head inside while we're still unnoticed?" Peng said. Then he noticed right at the top, there were two guards watching out for intruders. "No wait, patrollers at the top."
Ànyîng silently gripped his tantō, looking towards them. "I'll deal with them, the rest of you should head inside and find the boss."
"Right! Inside fellas!" Po said. "...But ya know...sneakily. Stealth Mode..."
Crane rolled his eyes. "Eventually that's gonna get old."
"That is where you are incorrect, my avian friend. Stealth Mode is gonna catch on. You'll see." The panda said confidently as he snuck into the fortress as quietly as he could. The others followed him just as sneakily, while Crane still didn't think that Stealth Mode would catch on. Ànyîng suddenly jumped down from the wolf and also followed them inside. The two crocs we're now beaten and unconscious. They saw the blur of a wolf coming at them, then all they saw was black.
Monkey was still mumbling on about how they got stuck with this assignment. "I can't believe this. All those beautiful women are out there...and I'm stuck in here dealing with some stupid crocs. I thought I would get a chance to mingle, especially since Fenghuang isn't around to squander my efforts."
Crane resisted the urge to facewing while he listened to Monkey's complaints. "Viper knew you would be acting like this, that's why she didn't want you going in there at first. You're not very trusted when it comes to an arrangement like this one."
"Oh come on, have some faith! I...have a mild interest in women, that's all."
"That depends on your personal definition of mild."
"Why you-!"
"Hold it, guys. I think I'm hearing something..." Po said quietly as he pointed towards another hallway. They all pressed against the wall and slowly looked around the edge, trying not to be seen. They peeked over to see that a group of crocs were speaking to one another.
"I heard that Song is finally back, and with a larger haul than ever before. How did she pull it off?"
"Heard she was mooching off of some pack of suckers she happened to come across. Funny thing is, she was actually beginning to bond with those guys. You'd almost feel sad for her when you see the disappointed look on her face when she walked by."
"Oh wow, she was called back as she was actually beginning to like them. That must've hurt her quite a lot."
"Yeah...oh well. She got us the loot, that's all that seriously matters. But I do wonder how many times she'll have to keep doing this. Having to keep lying and lying like this...then she ends up actually liking the people she lies to...then she vanishes out of sight without a word, therefore breaking their hearts that they mysteriously lost a friend, vice versa for her. It took her a longer time for this one. She must have really begun to like them."
"Yeah..." they chuckled nastily, wiping tears from their eyes. "Too bad she'll never see them again."
The glares from the guys were very intense. These crocs have been using the Ladies of the Shade for s very long time, as this information reveals. It also seems that Song was the one doing the most lying. She's been doing this many times in her life, and it's apparent she's was hating it intensely with each passing moment. Bet she didn't expect that one of the group of friends she betrays would actually come back and get her.
Crane glared angrily. "I'm beginning to ignore the whole 'let's do this quietly' idea."
"Same here. They were using her this whole time. They don't actually care about how she does her job, as long as she gets it done." Monkey narrowed his eyes. "I say we take them down. What do you think, Fung?" Monkey turned to the croc for his thoughts, but he only saw a flashing, dotted outline of him. He blinked in confusion. "Uh...where'd Fung go?"
SMASH!
They almost jumped at the sound, before turning around to see what happened. Fung had swung his tail and it smashed right into the group of crocs with slightly terrifying force.
"SONG ISN'T SOME EMOTIONLESS TOOL TO BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN HER ENTIRE LIFE, YA BASTARDS!" Fung shouted, enraged. "And neither is the rest of the Ladies of the Shade for that matter!"
"Hold it right there!"
One of the other crocs jumped on his back to try and restrain him. This proved erroneous, Fung slammed his tail on the ground and used the momentum to push his back into a wall, smashing it and the croc. Fung then threw him off his back and kicked him aside into the other wall in front of him. With a small growl, he turned around and moved forward with small stomps. The other guys shifted a bit nervously as they followed him into one of the other rooms. While they had no qualms with Fung beating down those crocs, they didn't expect him to snap so randomly.
When Fung reached the end of the hall, he busted down the door and looked around in a fit of anger. He was angry, and he really wanted to take it out on someone. Luckily for him, there was a target right in front of him. He stared up at the large croc sitting atop a seat. He was not as large as Lidong, so Fung was not intimidated.
"Here's the thing...I don't approve of the crap your doing here! So I'm gonna tear it down while you sit there quietly and watch."
The large croc suddenly stood up from his seat and stomped his feet, snarling at Fung. "A little whelp like you is trying to kick me out of my own territory. I have ways of dealing with distractions like you."
"This territory isn't yours and you know it!" Fung shouted, as he pushed his helmet off his head, allowing it to land in Po's hands. "Hold that for me, will ya? I need to do this guy in myself."
"You think it'll be that easy?" The Croc Boss made it clear that he was well aware that something like this was very possible and could happen at any time. So he allowed his men to hide in the shadows until the appropriate time was given. They all snarled at the boys as they loomed towards them.
"Oh look at that, he has extra dudes backing him up. Nice." Monkey nodded in slight approval, but it was quickly silenced by a glaring Crane. "Anyway, these guys won't be much of an issue. Seriously, this looks pretty easy.
The crocs around them heard these demeaning comments about their difficulty to be combated, and they continued to snarl at them. Fung folded his arms angrily. "He's right. I've been personally trained by Master Croc, and he used to be like all of you. A bully who picks on those weaker than him because it benefitted him better. But he eventually figured out that that kind of thing was wrong, and he changed his ways. It took a bit of help, but he managed to turn himself into a fellow hero like Master Ox and Great Master Rhino. But you guys...you're not gonna change, why would you?" Fung shook his head. "I'm well aware that I'm no saint, but I know I'm better than all of you."
They all snarled lowly at him once again, as Fung watches the boss flash his sharp teeth in anger. "You don't know anything! Master Croc...he used to be a decent fellow and he was quite the skilled thief. But he gave up the good life all because he lost a fight to Rhino. If you ask me, that kinda makes him a sore loser."
Fung's growl deepened slightly, his own teeth beginning to flash. "Alright...you want to play that game? It's your call, buddy." He sees his enemy get up from his position and jump up as high as he could, and bring his fist down to strike the younger croc down. However, he saw nothing but cracked ground where his fist lied. His eyes wide with surprise, he looked up to see that Fung has jumped up with the momentum of slamming his tail on the ground. Fung didn't waste the opportunity, he came down on the boss and slammed his tail upon the leader's head. The result was his head crashed into the ground and he felt his skull crack slightly. As a result, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he laid upon the ground, unconscious.
All the other crocs stared at him in utter disbelief, as they fearfully looked towards Fung. He dusted off his helmet and placed it back on his head. He then turned around and glared angrily at the remaining crocs. They seemed a bit demoralized and much more fearful to see that their boss has been taken down so easily. With uneasy faces, they made their way towards the exit. However, all they did was run into their enemies who blocked their way.
"Yeah...sometimes we'd like to bring the hurt upon the entire group of hostiles." Monkey stared at them, clearly angered by them. "Harassing a lovely group of ladies is unforgivable in my book. Hope you're prepared for a beatdown."
"Yep. I heard Peng has a hard time holding himself back." Po said with a slight shrug. To demonstrate this, Peng struck the wall next to him, cracking it slightly. This action continued to build fear in them. Po merely grinned. "Guys...these dudes deserve everything that's coming to them."
They nodded in agreement with slightly evil grins, which drained the color out of the crocs faces...
(Back with the girls)
"There we go! Now you're all pretty!" Viper smiled cheerfully.
Tigress seemed to disagree. Makeup was not her thing, she feels too similar to an overly dressed doll that little girls tend to play with. She didn't enjoy feeling like that. Her displeasure was clear on her face when she saw her own face in the handheld mirror, a vein pulsing on jer forehead.
"I look ridiculous. "
"You look great! Come on, give it a chance!" Song pouted at her playfully, though the striped felines face didn't change at all. "You're a real spoil sport, you know that?"
"I don't care. I want this stuff off of my face, right now."
The guys we're just getting back from dealing with the crocs, and we're about to discuss their success with the girls. But they were met with the frustrated growls of Tigress and the amused laughter of Viper and Song, which indicated that they did something silly while they were away.
"Ah boy. It was our fault for leaving them alone. And they say WE lack maturity." Mantis rolled his eyes.
Po rubbed his chin, seemingly in deep thought. Then he clapped once. "I know what to do!" He declared as he ran right into the tent. The other guys looked at one another in confusion.
Later...
"Okay he's been in there for far too long. What is he doing in there?" Monkey finally asked after ten minutes. They see the curtains separate, and they watch as all the occupants of the tent came out into the open.
They did not expect what they saw next.
Po had as much makeup on his face as Tigress, he was using Viper as a makeshift parasol with his straw hat on her head, and he was doing a playful sway of his hips like some of the felines we're. He then set his 'parasol' over his head and batted his eyes rapidly.
"Meet Po, the new member of the Ladies of the Shade. Ha-ha~"
...
...
...
"Pfft...TAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Monkey and Mantis burst into laughter first, then the rest of the guys followed suit. They found Po's terrible attempt at acting as a female oddly hilarious. Po pouted playfully and placed his paw on his hip.
"Why ya laughin', boys? Ya jealous because I look...beautiful?~" He sounded, once again batting his eyelids, one could see he was trying not to laugh as well. "They made me an honorary Lady of the Shade for kicking those crocs out of their camp. And now I'm all pretty, just like Master Fenghuang!"
"Po...dude...that's just..." Fung tried to say, but he couldn't finish due to his constant chuckling.
"Ha...hahaha...I can't...I can't breathe...tahahahaha...!" Crane wheezed, his hat falling off his head and he was holding his stomach from laughing so hard.
Su noticed what the panda did there. Give himself a fair share of the embarrassment so that Tigress could have a bit of a break. While it was incredibly silly, he didn't look like he cared. He was a strange one, indeed. And this also told something about the rest of them. They were willing to go far for one another, even for a thief like Song.
...Su has made her final decision...
(Mugu Mountain)
"Sheesh, you all look terrible." Master Ding stared blankly as Heilang came back with his pack of wolves with Masters Snow Leopard, Rooster, AND Elephant...and all of them looked battered and terribly bruised. None of those battles were easy, he took it. But Heilang was the only one who wasn't ready to completely collapsed, and he has taken the most damage. "But nonetheless, you've done a splendid job. You won't need to go after Shifu or Fenghuang...they'll be coming to me."
Heilang wheezed, having a difficult time. "Ha...thanks...Ghost Pig...we'll be...taking...our reward now..."
"Of course of course. Take as much as you like from Jong's treasury."
"But won't that piss him off?" Master Ding stayed silent. Heilanf got the meaning, and he smirked. "You are such an unfair schemer, Ghost Pig. Alright men, when you can all stand up again, we're raising Jong's treasury! Then we're outta here!"
Master Ding stared outside, the Spirit Orbs rotating around him. He sighed as he recalled his memories. "The Furious Five...five of the greatest Kung Fu Masters in all of China. Personally trained by Master Oogway. They we're known far and sides by other Masters and many citizens cheered their names." He placed one orb in front of him. "However...their will to stay together as a team fell apart. Due to Shifu's strict procedures to stick to the rules, and Fenghuang's chaotic tendencies..." The orb showed an image. Many years ago...a younger Ding was practicing using the Spirit Orbs, and was always getting a bit frustrated. Fenghuang always mocked him for it, and Shifu criticized his impatience even more than Oogway. He smirked madly.
"And the third reason...was me. So it would be fitting. I'm the one who drove the final wedge in their disbandment. It's only fair that I also be the one to put them out of their misery..."
Sorry this took so long. I was rummaging through my head trying to decide what to use and what not to use...then I decided on this. Here's to hope that it doesn't do too badly.
Now we've reached a very major event. The Furious Five: Part One. You may have ideas on where this may be going...keep it to yourselves, tho. :3
Until next time...