Chapter 4

The years flowed in and out of the Jade Palace like it normally would; Tigress would get up and train with Shifu every morning, with Oogway watching closely at the progress being made. Sying would appear at the end of training to cater to the Master's needs before, during (to Oogways exclusion) and after, once she took over watching Tigress when Shifu was finished. On top of it all, she was also caring for her cubs, whom were never to far away from her. Whether Shifu liked it or not, they were within the young mother's proximity. It didn't bother him as much to have them around; the most they did to vex him was to cry, taking Sying's time out of her formal duties.

It didn't last long.

They started walking; he was there at their first steps.

Azure started walking first one autumn morning; Shifu just woke up to find her toddling about the court yard, while Jian made no effort to copy her. Tigress was encouraging Jian to move, but he wouldn't budge...

Not long after, when Shifu was practicing Tai Chi with Tigress in the court yard that evening, and Sying was settled by the steps with Master Oogway, waiting for them to finish so she could get Tigress to the bathhouse. The cubs were there too, not making a sound; Azure was asleep in Sying's arms, while Jian was propped up on the ground by his mother's feet, both paws supporting his body by being printed into the ground between his legs. He watched, wide eyed as Tigress and Master Shifu wove in time with the pace of the wind. Shifu had his eyes closed, while Tigress opened hers every once in a while to make sure what she was doing was correct...

Before Sying knew it, Jian was crawling towards them, and she was just about to get up, moving Azure closer to her chest so she could get up to scoop him up, but Oogway's hand was soon on her shoulder. She looked up at him worriedly, but he watched straight ahead as Jian continued to move.

When Shifu opened his eyes finally, he glanced aside to see Tigress smiling down at Jian... who had pulled himself up when she stopped to reach down and hold him up. "Concentrate." He corrected her sternly, and she reeled her arms back... and he stood there.

Sying gasped, which promptly woke Azure. Oogway smiled at the scene, and Tigress grinned down at Jian again, who just laughed as he started moving around on two feet. "That's it Jian!" Tigress praised, reaching out to him with open arms. The baby giggled and waddled towards her, and fell into her arms, while Master Oogway chuckled and praised the boy. Sying just smiled while Azure wriggled out of her arms and moved about.

Tigress turned her head towards Master Shifu, but he was walking straight out of the courtyard, and down the stairs.


Seven years on, changes slowly came to the routine.

As they grew older, they would join them at the table, and once they started talking, that was his exit. He began not showing up to the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oogway would join them alone mostly, but sometimes he was away on business in Gongmen City, which left only Tigress to spend time with them one-on-one. Not that Sying was upset about Shifu's absence; she rathered Tigress giving her undivided attention to Azure and Jian, rather then sit still and chew her food whilst letting silence reign, while the red panda avoided talking to any of them.

Jian would always try start a conversation, but Shifu would ignore him, and speak with Tigress and Sying only. 5 year old Azure was always curious to why Shifu was like that, and once asked her mother, when she was putting them to bed.

Sying hesitated, before noticing Jian sitting up in bed, anticipating a response. With a sigh, she kissed them both on the forehead, and tucked them in; they were residing in a small house beside the palace steps; similar to the rest around the area. However, there was no room for them both to have a separate room; so they were sharing for now. "Shifu is a serious man, love," she spoke softly, caressing the side of her daughter's face before standing to place her paw against Jian's cheek. "He wants Tigress to be the best warrior she can be... you'll understand when you're older."

"Will he teach us how to fight?" Jian spoke now, but Sying's ears flattened against her head. If Shifu heard that request...

It was getting darker, but in the dim candle light, they could see their mother slyly suck air through her lips. "If you ask nicely..."


And he did the next morning. Shifu stood there and stared him down blankly, while the boy blinked unknowingly at him with his lips curled up into a little smile; so innocent...

Shifu glanced up; Azure had her eyes lined with the ground, shifting from one foot to the other, brushing imaginary dust off of her violet tunic, while her brother stood in front of his eagerly waiting for his response. Sying was elsewhere, prepping lunch, and Oogway said the little ones could sit with him and watch Tigress train; the feline was doing her stretches, and listening to conversation intently. Now a lot older, she was determined then ever to master her craft; but as she grew, Shifu demands of her perfecting his style became less... promising. As a child she was able to follow the commands, eager to make Shifu proud.

However, as a teenager, she was finding it hard to follow his routine.

The turtle was watching Shifu too, but he was calm upon hearing the boy's request.

"I'll think about it." That's the most he's ever gotten the panda to sat to him, which was almost as exciting as the fact Shifu would think about them training. Jian grinned up at him thankfully, but Shifu just grunted in response, before turning away when Tigress finished warming up. Jian remained on the spot for a moment or so more, his arms bent by the sides of his chest, before Oogway welcomed him and Azure to sit with him on the steps.

"Do you really think he'll let us?" Azure asked, as she settled on the turtle's right hand side. Jian plopped down beside her. Oogway just chuckled and patted her on the head.

"What is to happen," he stated slowly, "will happen..." he was then interrupted by Shifu-

"Straighten up!"

"Yes, Master Shifu."

Shifu spoke again, and while doing so, he shifted a different part of her body after every ensuing command, progressively making her mimic his stance. Azure almost grimaced at each word that came out of his mouth, while Jian watched on with excitement. It was a sunny morning; the main body of the Jade palace was in the distance, the sunlight bouncing off of its shiny roof, and they took shelter in the shade of the training hall entrance.

"Wider! Lower stance. Hold your ground. Steady! Strong! Chin up! This is the way of Kung Fu..."

They proceeded the punch the air in front of them.

A duck servant poured Master Oogway tea as he and the cubs watched the training session. "I can't even tell them apart." He commented, as Azure glanced up at him. The duck servant did the same, before he too watched the scene. The turtle passed the cup along until it reached Jian, who took it without taking his eyes off of Tigress and Shifu. Another cup was poured and passed to Azure, who whispered her thanks, and then Oogway finally had his own.

"I can..." Jian whispered in confusion.

"Focus!" Punch. "Control!" The leaves from the ground were uplifted into the air, swirling together in a delicate pattern. Tigress shifted her glance from whatever she was staring at up ahead, to her tail, which was particularly hyperactive today; her ears flexed, and she growled, teeth flashing, before nervously looking at Shifu. "Control!" Shifu emphasized angrily. Yes Master, Azure assumed Tigress would say... but her pupils constricted, and she extends a palm instead of a fist.

Shifu turned his gaze to her, almost alarmed, as Tigress growls and then leaps into the air to break the leaves into tiny pieces. This made Azure and Jian whip their heads up towards the same direction she went.

"Ah… there she is." Oogway said. Azure and Jian's eyes followed her every move; the little girl was quiet, but her eyes widened. Jian just gave a soft 'wow' as she landed on all fours with ease, pupils dilated back to normal...

"What are you doing?!" They then cringed at him telling her off, but it was nothing new. "That's not proper form! This is not control! And stand on your feet!"

"I'm sorry, master! I—I don't know what got into me. I won't let it happen again."

"I wish I could believe that." Azure frowned as the old Master sighed in disappointment. "100 laps," he ordered, turning away and walking towards Oogway and the children, by then the girl's frown was gone, and Jian watched as Tigress bowed her head into his bow of respect.

"Yes, Master Shifu."

What was wrong? He thought, before Azure stood up to allow Shifu to sit. He didn't have to ask; seeing him coming was enough of an order. As she moved to settle by her brother, she heard him shout;

"Higher knees!"

"Yes, Master Shifu!"

"She wants to make you proud." Oogway spoke gently as Shifu took a seat, and the servant made him a fresh cup of tea. Azure and Jian kept their eyes to the ground, drinking their tea in silence; it was bitter tasting, and neither of them liked it, but seeing it was given by Master Oogway, they took it with honor... if there was much honor in a cup of leaf juice...

"Well, maybe I could be proud, if she was doing the correct form." Shifu broke the cup as it was handed to him.

"Your form." Oogway corrected.

"Is there another kind?" Azure asked abruptly, making both older men look at her. Jian's golden orbs moved from the ground, up to see Shifu staring her down. However, instead of shriveling back and apologizing for speaking out of term, Azure waited for an answer, cocking her head to the side.

"An acorn can only become the mighty oak. Not a cherry tree, my dear..." That... just confused her more, but she nodded. "Shifu..." the turtle turned back to him. "You must let her grow into what she will be."

Tigress was just turning into her 3rd lap, when Master Mongrel came rushing into the courtyard. "Master Oogway! Master Shifu!" He cried breathlessly. Shifu leapt to his feet and ran down the steps to stop Master Mongrel from falling on the ground by holding him up. Oogway ushered the children to move down the steps once they sat their cups on the ground. They ran down past Shifu and Mongrel, who didn't seem to notice, and ran for Tigress, who had stopped her laps. They ran to either side of her, and she placed a paw on each of their backs slowly.

"What's wrong with him?" Jian asked, looking up at her. Unsure herself, Tigress knelt down and they held themselves closer to her.

"Master Mongrel! What is it?" Shifu asked.

"He's coming! A giant of a warrior. He calls himself… Boar."


"Some boar has destroyed the north road. So, I have to go get vegetables in the south."

Not far from the Jade Palace, down in the Valley of Peace, a Goose Merchant, named Mr. Ping, was placing empty boxes into a cart outside his restaurant; Mr. Ping's Noodles. He was grey, draped in a red lengthy tunic, and a hat designed to resemble a bowl of noodles. "And now," he turned towards the door to his desolate restaurant, his braid bouncing in the wind as he spoke, "while I'm gone, you're the chef."

He watched as his teenage son struggled to put on an apron. "Alright! Don't worry, Dad."

His son was a panda; taller and wider in stature, a tuft of tussled hair on top of his head. His eyes were a deep shade of white fabric was over his head, shielding his eyes. "I've watched you cook like 1,000 times." He pulled it down off of his face... even then it was stuck under his armpit. "I'll be good at cheffing. Uh, cheffering." He corrected his sentence quickly, but not the position of his apron.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Goodbye." His son opened his eyes, anticipating a hug, only to reopen to his empty arms, and his father walking into the kitchen."I'll miss you." Mr. Ping spoke tearfully, looking around the kitchen. "I'll be back soon." The tips of his feathers touched off of the ladles hanging on walls the door. Once he was done, Mr. Ping looked back at his son as he walked out. "Now, don't forget. Before you open, sweep the sidewalks, wipe down the tables," he whipped out fliers from out of nowhere, and place them in his paws. "And pass out the menus."

"Sweep, wipe, pass out. Like every day! Don't worry, Dad. I got this. Go."

"Okay, bye Po!" Mr. Ping was out of there in a flash, with his cart behind him. As Po stood in silence, the wind picked up and the menus flew out of Po'a paws.

"Oh no!" He said as they disappeared out of his sight. "Well, that's done!"


One of the menus traveled to the Jade Palace, where Master Oogway was meditating atop his staff, hovering over the waters of the Moon Pool. Catching it gently by his fingertips, he brought it down to view, and studied it briefly, before smiling, climbing down the staff, and leaving the Hall.

"Master Oogway?" Sying was standing outside, waiting for him. He smiled when he saw her; the children were absent from her side. Instead she had baskets of vegetables; not too much to carry alone, but he offered to take a basket from her. "Thank you... but I've been needing to talk to you."

"Is everything alright my dear?" He asked.

Sying said she was fine. "It's my family." They haven't really been in touch since Tai Lung's spiral; she went to them with the children once she was fit for travel not long after their births. It was an awkward reunion, and emotion was torn; Sying's mother was relieved to know her daughter and grandchildren were well... but Jian Senior was more... cold. He had the same mind set as Shifu, which made each visit more and more unbearable. He stared down at the children with a look of discomfort and kept his distance. "He's not well, and I've been asked to come visit."

"And the children?"

Sying bit her lip.

"They'll be fine here. Tigress and I will look after them. Besides..." they journeyed down the stairs behind the Hall, towards the training yard and bunkhouse. "Shifu has promised to teach them how to fight."

Sying almost dropped her basket. "What?!"


Bang!

Shifu's fist destroyed a stone block. There was more coming, slowly, but manually moved on a conveyer belt by a servant.

"He's defeating the masters one by one. He's heading this way. Shifu, only you can stop him." Master Mongrel's voice echoed through Shifu's head. That was just after dawn; he'd been stuck here practicing since.

"That boar will be here by morning, but I've dealt with his kind before." Bang!

Tigress was standing behind Shifu, mimicking his punching stance. Azure and Jian were close by, observing voicelessly. "I hold my ground. Steady. Strong." Bang! Particles of rock sprayed the children, leaving them to brush the rock and dust from their arms, shoulders and heads as Tigress threw a punch; she noticed them repeating their actions, and laughed softly. Bits of dist was stuck to her too, but she didn't seem to mind.

"If you don't want the dust on you, I suggest you move back." They both listened, kicking the little bits of rock out of their way, before noticing their Mother and Master Oogway closing in on them.

"He's been at this all day, hasn't he?" Oogway asked Tigress as he walked closer. Sying stopped and beckoned Azure and Jian over. On the way over, Jian took his upon himself to take the basket from him, and then walked over to his mom.

"Yes! He's amazing..." Bang! "I'll never be like him..." Her ears flattened sharply, and the turtle quickly glances at Tigress' hyperactive tail, before she stood on it to stop it from moving., twisting her head down towards it with a small glare.

"No, you won't." Tigress' ears flickered at his words, her face softening, and her arms fell a little as Oogway moved towards Shifu. "Shifu, there's a matter of the utmost importance."

The servant working the conveyer belt finally dropped to the ground in exhaustion. The rock was close enough for Shifu to reach out and punched it. A piece of rock flew threw the air, past Tigress, and towards Jian. Azure saw this, and pulled the pan, which was sitting in the basket he was holding, up far enough for the rock to crack off the bottom of the instrument, and rolled across the ground. Jian stared down at it, before smiling at her thankfully. Sying asked him to help her bring the baskets to the bunk house, but Azure sensed she wanted to talk to him about something else...

"What could be more important than preparing for battle?" Shifu asked in slight annoyance as Oogway's staff was swished about to clear the dust up.

"Food!" A menu came into the red panda's view. "Let's order in."


Azure accompanied the servant to the choice of eatery to pick up the order.

Mr. Ping's Noodles.

It was a small, quiet place; more so, there was no one else there but themselves, but Azure just passed it off as being too early for some, or everyone was due to have lunch yet... if that was a thing?

The servant waddled to the order counter, where a panda stood to serve him. Once the order was taken, Azure walked up to see the panda rushing about, grabbing ingredients, utensils, and prepping the meal in front of them. The servant didn't seem amused, but Azure took in the scene, with a look of worry on her face; he was wasting a lot of his resources, and there was mess starting to form in the kitchen. He didn't seem much older then Tigress; he was young, the hair was unkept, hopefully it wouldn't fall into the food...

"Chop, chop, chop. Ow! I know I put it around here somewhere. Oh! The spices, right." Hoisting the boiling pot of noodles onto the counter, he spoke to the servant, in attempt to make a conversation, sprinkling pepper into the pot. "So, uh, what do you do all day up there at, uh- ACHOO!" He sneezed, and Azure visibly grimaced, but kept her mouth shut. "Jade Palace?"

"Kung Fu." The servant said, before she could say 'bless you'.

"Thank you. Bless you too."

The servant glanced down at Azure, stone faced. She looked back up at him, shrugging slightly. "No. Kung Fu," she corrected with a little smile on her muzzle.

"Oh! Yeah, Kung Fu. That's really, neat…" The cook bundled the pot up in fabric and brought it out to them on the other side. Passing it to the servant, Azure continued to watch him ramble, making various hand gestures that made no sense to his words, "how you do the… Fu thing… with the… Kung." He smiled through his embarrassment, which Azure giggled at.

"You have no idea what that is, do you?" The servant was not entertained at all.

"No. No, I don't." The panda looked disappointed in himself saying that, and she felt bad for him. Realistically they were on the same page; although she knew what it was, she didn't know how to do it. If Shifu allowed her and Jian to learn...

"Well, we should get this back." That was their cue.

"Right! Of course-"

"Come along Azure." They started leaving, but the cook stopped them briefly.

"You live up there too?" He asked the girl. The servant was getting a little annoyed; he didn't have to show anything for her to sense it. Turning on her heel slightly, she smiled at him and nodded.

"Yes sir." Mother always taught her to be polite.

"I bet learning Kung Fu... whatever it may be, is awesome!" The servant held back a snort, and Azure looked a little muddled, before laughing it off, glancing at him.

"Yeah... goodbye sir..." she remembered the name of the restaurant. "Ping?"

"No! Mr. Ping's my dad, you can just call me Po."

"Alright... Po, see you around!" She said, giving him a timid wave. "Thanks for making the food." They walked out of the restaurant with the pot.

"He probably thinks Kung Fu is some sort of dance..." Azure chuckled at the servant's agreement; they weren't as strict or cold as Shifu when they were around. Although this one in particular is serious about his work, he took his time with Azure and Jian for whatever need be.

"Although it looks good..." she patted her belly mid whisper. "I don't think I'm hungry."

"I couldn't agree more..." As they turned towards the palace, they could hear Po's voice carry out through the air.

"They're gonna love it. Love it!"


"What was… in that food?" Shifu slouched in a chair, green skinned and poorly. Azure, Jian, Sying, Shifu, and Tigress stood alongside Master Oogway, looking a little anxious.

"Please, fetch a doctor." Oogway asked the same servant that delivered the food, while eating noodles, whom bowed quickly and made his. Jian glanced at his half empty bowl, and planted it on the ground slowly. Azure didn't touch her share, and pushed the bowl away with her palm. Tigress and Sying weren't hungry, but came running when Shifu had grown unwell.

"He's in no condition to fight that boar..." Tigress whispered to Oogway.

"I can hear you." The red panda mumbled thickly.

"Tigress is right. You need reinforcements..." the turtle glanced at the children with a subtle smile as Tigress realized where he was going with this. Moving towards Shifu a little, a paw connecting with her fist, she said;

"Master, it would be an honor to fight for you-"

"No! You are not ready." Sying glared at this. When will she be ready? Shifu failed to notice, as his face abruptly puffed up into a furball, which Oogway laughed at. Jian and Azure chuckled too; and Shifu scowled at them with narrowed eyes. The boy was quick to shut his mouth almost fearfully, and Azure bowed her head in shame. "Get me a scroll." Jian nodded in embarrassment and rushed off; a few seconds later, he returned with a brush and parchment, allowing Shifu to scribble on it. "This is a list of four warriors." Snatching it out of the boy's grasp, he groaned as he attempted to sit up in his seat. "Fetch me a messenger..."

Azure was about to go hunting for one, but Oogway stopped her. "No. Send Tigress."

Tigress finaly knelt to his level, eyes aligned with the floor. "Master, I won't disappoint you," she didn't look up after she spoke, so she didn't see Shifu glancing at Oogway, who nodded at him... still eating.

After a moment of silence, he handed her the scroll. "Find them in the Wang Fu village and hurry; be back before dawn..." He stared down at her intensely as she smiled at his approval. "Do. Not. Fail me."

Taking the scroll delicately into her paws, Tigress nodded sincerely. "I will make you proud."

"Hm..." was all she got from him, and with that, she was on her feet, and made a run for the door.

"Will she be alright?" Sying asked worriedly.

"Of course, it's a simple mission." Oogway replied, placing his chopsticks into his now empty bowl. "It's a good start."

Shifu watched the doors close slowly with a dull look on his face, before hearing a shuffle beside him; Azure had a blanket in her hold, not taking her eyes off the floor. Green spots appeared on his face as he took it slowly.

"I'm sorry for stepping out of line Master," she said, before bowing to him. It wasn't pristine; but not bad for a beginner. He grumbled as he nodded at her, before looking at Jian; his stand was straight, arms firmly by his sides, mouth zipped shut.

"That won't be tolerated." He said warningly, his voice cracking slightly. Jian said nothing, but before his mother could say anything in defense, he nodded. It was nothing new.

Nothing he does ever is.


Hey all! Sorry for the long wait. Works been insane right now, and I've been away XD

Hope you like it so far!

See you for chapter 5!