Chapter 17

A gong rang through the Valley as a new day had arrived for all to rise to. Shifu was up long before it, as usual, and entered the bunkhouse. The moment he stood down the hall where the Master's slept in, was when he heard the gong sound off. The second it rang, the Master's burst out of their rooms, standing to attention. "Good Morning Master!" They all spoke in unison.

The door opposite Tigress' room remained closed, and Jian (whose room resided beside Tigress), eyed the door suspiciously as he began to lean against the frame of his open door. "Panda!" There was no answer, and Jian remained poised as Shifu hobbled past each of them, glancing at the leopard briefly before he turned to face the door. "Panda, wake up!" He threw the door open, and took a moment to look around, and when he let out a satisfied chuckle, the snow leopard felt his heart twist as he looked into the room. "He's quit." The panda turned, and motioned the Master's to follow him for morning training to commence, and they waited for him to move ahead before they started moving.

Tigress hung back when she was swift to notice Jian looking a little disheartened as he stood in front of Po's open door. When he slowly closed it over and turned to walk up the hall, he caught sight of her very quickly, before glaring at her.

"Are you alright?" Tigress folded her arms, waiting for his answer.

"Why should you care? You got what you wanted." He said. Not waiting- or wanting, to hear her response, he walked past her, looking straight ahead. Tigress stood there for a moment, before taking a breath.

It had been some time since the last time he acted out like this. Coming into adolescence was a bit of a nightmare, but in the letters expressing her concerns to Sying, she could only imagine her laughing as she wrote back. "He's going through changes," she would say. "He's experiencing emotions that he had thought he can combat, but there's a whole new pathway he's stumbled onto. We have all been there dear. Just give him time, everything will fall into place."

It was easy for her to say because she wasn't around to witness anything...

Tigress decided now wasn't the time to dwell on it, and followed him out of the barracks.

Once they caught up with the others, Shifu was walking ahead of the Masters, with more energy as he approached the the gate that let them into the courtyard outside the training hall. "What do we do now, Master? With the panda gone, who will be the Dragon Warrior?" Viper asked as Shifu was about to push the gates open.

"No need to worry Master Viper." Shifu replied, to which Jian pulled a face at; Tigress and the others were aware of Oogway's vision, once Shifu and Azure brought it to their attention. They were concerned obviously, but when they pondered on whether or not to ask Jian and Azure how they felt about the situation, Tigress made sure she put a stop to it, telling them it was the last thing they needed. "All we can do is resume our training and trust that in time, the true Dragon Warrior will be revealed."

He finally opened the doors, and to their shock, and Jian's surprise, Po was in the middle of the courtyard, back (and butt) facing them as his legs were spread wide apart on two training horses. Several pieces of training equipment was sprawled about the yard; arrow and target, a punching bag, stone disks "What are you doing here?!" Shifu barked, catching Po off guard. Tigress and the rest of the five just stared at the panda when he looked over his shoulder.

I knew he wouldn't give up, he thought, smirking at Tigress, who didn't seem at all pleased, and almost feeding off of Shifu's obvious annoyance.

"Hey! Huh... Good morning, Master! I just thought I'd warm up a little-" a strain rang through his throat as he stretched to his right-side, trying to lift one leg, but fails as he wobbles back into place.

"Are you stuck?" Jian asked, a eyebrow raised as his face twisted into a look of discomfort- a rookie mistake. Po seemed to have put himself in a position he can't get back out of, and he would've been immensely embarrassed to admit he had done the same. Luckily for him Shifu wasn't around to see it, but Monkey and Mantis got one hell of a kick out of it as Viper helped him off, and told them off as he began to gain the feeling in his legs again.

"Stuck?! Whaa? Pfft... stuck... does this look stuck to you..." Again, no one was buying his lie, and he bowed his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm stuck."

"Help him," Jian wasn't sure who Shifu was speaking to, but Crane hesitantly approached the beached panda, gingerly grabbing his waistband, flapping his wings to gain some height to pull him off.

"Maybe on three. One. Two-" before he could get to three, Crane had him hoisted off of the horses, and Po fell on his back. A wheeze was heard, and Crane just glanced at Shifu and the others, unsure what to say or do.

But Po was up on his feet in an instance. "Thank you!"

Master Crane just stared at him blankly. "Don't mention it," he started to walk away.

"No really, I appreci—"

"Ever." Po falls silent as Crane returns to stand by the group, earning a glare off of Jian.

Shifu chuckled, finding this amusing. "You actually thought you could learn to do a full split in one night?" In a single swift movement, Shifu fired two stone disks into the air. "It takes years to develop one's flexibility..." Po quickly watched them soar up into the air, as Tigress brushed past Jian, and at the snap of his fingers, she leapt up, and executes a perfect split kick, "and years longer to apply it in combat."

Tigress leapt into the air, and Po's eyes followed her as she executed a perfect split kick. Jian and the others watched him in neutral stances, as the disks were broken into pebbles and dust. Po was still starstruck as she landed back on the ground on all fours, glaring back at him before she straightened up and returned to the group. The broken stone followed her not long after, and fell around them like rain. Jian and Crane fanned the dust away before it had a chance to reach their faces, and Po felt a piece of stone bounce off of his head, but didn't react. Instead, he scooped it up, and hid it behind his back.

"Put that down!" Shifu scolded as he moved in closer towards the panda. "The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones."

Mantis took this opportunity to jump from Monkey's shoulder (where he had been chilling the whole time), and landed on Jian's shoulder to get a higher view. "Do you think he'll be okay?" He asked.

Jian didn't answer him at first; he watched Po chuck the stone away, laughing as he connect a fist to his palm eagerly, awaiting Master Shifu's order.

His mind briefly brought him back to when he was five years old, with Azure by his side, and his mother and Oogway as his witnesses, he had the same eagerness; eyes wide, a smile on his muzzle, the sense of responsibility that overcame him, before his heart fluttered inside his chest. There an oath was put between them.

"We won't be like him." His words were sincere, but Shifu didn't seem too sure.

This time, Shifu was absolutely certain, and with a confident smile, ordered them all to move the equipment, and get ready for Po's first session. "I'm not sure..." Mantis seemed surprised at his statement.

"Well," Mantis patted the back of his neck as Jian started walking. "What's the worst that could happen?"

He saw Jian's eyes darken as Shifu instructed Viper to face off Po first. "I know what."

"Huh?"

Jian didn't reply, and made sure he walked past Shifu. It wasn't until Mantis had left his shoulder to join the others on the sidelines, and when they made eye contact, that he finally spoke; "I'm standing down. Whatever you have planned to get rid of him, I will play no part. Po is more resilient then you think, believe it or not." Shifu remained stern, but unspoken, as Jian marched off, and took a seat on the steps, once he wished Po the best of luck.

Tigress watched him settle on the steps, with his elbows balancing on his knees. "As am I." Both Master and Student locked eyes; there was one true time Tigress had stepped out of line, and that was when she was a teenager, and she called him out on how resented Jian and Azure for their roots; something they didn't have control of... and he still does, towards Jian anyway. Azure's absence didn't rebuild or strengthen any branch of the relationship they had, more so... preserved its status. Her return to palace without warning was surprising for all of them, but there was no attempts of a conversation as to how she was doing, or what it was like since she had left.

The red panda narrowed his gaze, before turning away. "Alright then. Master Viper," Jian looked at Tigress without turning his head, and when she did the same, he smiled at her softly, and she nodded back. He was grateful she wasn't getting involved in the sparring; but he wanted to wait and see how much further she could withstand playing the peace treaty. "You go first."

Viper slithered in front of Po for his first sparring lesson. Twisting into her battle stance, Po tried to set himself up into his own pose. "Are you ready?" She asked, eyes locked on her target.

"I was born read-" Viper raced for him, and using her tail, pushed Po back, tossed him into the air, and smacking him back down to earth, crashing right on top of his head. "OW! Oh..."

"I'm so sorry, sweetie!" Viper leaned in to check if he was okay, while the Tigress, Mantis, Monkey, Crane, and Shifu all tilted their heads simultaneously in their observation. "I thought you said you were ready!" Jian just breathed through his nostrils; he couldn't ever imagine Viper doing that on purpose, and in his brief judgment, she seemed sincere in her apology.

"That... was awesome! Let's go again!" Po saluted her respectfully, irritating Shifu.

Shifu snapped his fingers, and Monkey was up next, as a bamboo was staff was tossed into his hands, as well as Po's. Monkey briefly bowed before jumping right into combat. Jabbing and hitting Po in various parts. Po took each beating, but got excited when he blocked a single attack out of many, but the mini victory distracted him enough for Monkey to bop him right on the head- hard enough to knock him to the ground.

Everyone moved inside the Training Hall where Crane was going to spar with Po on the the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom, but as soon as Po moved, he fell inside and was tossed about like a sack of rice. Crane simply stepped off as he felt the bowl move, and hovered above and watched him quietly, before turning his head towards Shifu, wondering what to do about it.

Jian's smirk widened across his face as Shifu got angrier, and ordered the Panda to get out of the bowl, and told everyone to go back outside.

...

By sunset, no improvements, or signs of the panda quitting, had been made or shown. Po had been picked up, tossed and thrown about like a rag doll, and finally he crashed into the ground, flat on his back... as Mantis hopped away and sat on Monkey's shoulder. The Master's watched as Po raised his arms shakily... only to salute. The Furious Five were quite dumbfounded that he was somehow still alive with everything he had been through.

Shifu finally had enough, which took longer then Jian had expected him to; this had been going on all day, and how he hadn't exploded yet? Only the Gods know. "I've been taking it easy on you, panda, but no more!" His tone wasn't matching his facial expression. "Your next opponent, will be me." Shifu was smiling now.

"Alright yeah, let's go!" Po was too excited. Monkey and Mantis exchanged worried looks, Viper and Crane just glanced at each other. Tigress was neutral, but Jian sucked the air through his teeth, and averted his eyes.

"Step forth." Po did- and Shifu immediately whirled him around with no effort. "The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weakness," he threw him to the floor, pinning him as he held his arm in a lock behind his back, "and make him suffer for it." A sickening crack was heard, and Jian felt his ears flatten against his ears.

Po on the other hand, despite being in pain, was delighted in combat.

"To take his strength," Shifu kicked Po repeatedly in the face, before he tossed Po around the courtyard some more, and the ground shook a little with each impact, causing the other Masters to bounce where they stood, but they remained in balance, "and use it against him. Until he finally falls..." As soon as he touched the ground a final time, Shifu stood on his back, and gripped the fallen panda by the nose, "or quits."

Po didn't call for a time out; he was totally inspired. "But a real warrior never quits," he said nasally. "Don't worry Master, I will never quit!"

Jian's felt like he heard something snap; not a bone or plate; but someones patience had just hit its breaking point. That was when Shifu flung Po into the air, the air around them filled by Po's yelp. Jian was quick on his feet, and dove for for the space between his friend and Master.

"STOP!" But his command came too late; Shifu leapt at Po with a flying kick, but came in contact with Jian's shoulder as he landed between them. However, the force was too strong for Jian to withhold. He flew back and bashed into Po, who was thrown back, crashing out of the doors, and tumbling down the stairs. Jian would've followed him, if he hadn't sank his claws into the fame of the gate, and hit the ground with a thud, his shoulder scrapping across the stone.

"Jian!" Viper cried. Tigress was quick to run to his aide, the others not far behind her. "Are you-" Jian got to his feet before any one could help him, and fanned them away.

"I'm fine-" Po's cries echoed as he ascended down the steps, with an 'ow' and a 'oh', and an 'ack' as every tumble. They all turned to look at him, but Jian growled as he turned away and marched back into the yard, holding his shoulder.

"If he's smart, he won't come back up those steps." Tigress said.

"But he will," Monkey turned his head to look at her, before she walked back inside. When she passed the gates, she stopped in her tracks and watched Jian approaching Master Shifu speedily. The old Master's face was easy to see; his eyes were wide, and his ears stood tall as stumbled backwards, while Jian closed in on him, unable to see what emotion he had hanging around his eyes, thanks to the view of his back.

"You're wasting valuable time, Shifu." He spoke calmly, but a lump was forming in his throat with the effort of a thousand warriors to stop him from screaming; not from the pain in his shoulder, not from the unintentional attack, but the little time they had. "Tai Lung's return is looming, and you're trying to kill our only chance of defeating him."

Shifu kept moving, but to the side this time, to let the leopard go by, and make his way to the student barracks. When he looked back, he saw Tigress staring at him. He waited for her to say something, but she just shook her head, and followed Jian.

"He's not gonna quit, is he?" Shifu heard Viper, before turning to leave for the Hall of Heroes.

"He's not gonna quit bouncin', I'll tell ya that-" Mantis commented, laughing before Viper silenced him with a stern hiss.


Later that night.

Elsewhere...

Tai Lung had long left the chilliness of the mountain face, and found himself far down below, where things were a little warmer. However, Zeng's journey to Chor Gom started early in the morning, and by the time the bird had arrived, it was night time, and now that he was in drier ground, the sun had made it's appearance only one. Now it was back to night time, which could only mean that he was moving fairly quickly, to his delight.

But twenty years locked into one position had its toll, if only temporary, on his body. When he came to an eventual stop in the forest, his whole body felt desensitized, and a little cramped.

He needed to rest, and it was almost stupid to admit that to himself. Why would he need to rest after being stuck in jail all this time? Well, whether he liked it or not, his body was still trying to get the rest of its strength... not to mention he was a little parched.

Observing his surroundings for anything suspicious, he found a river close by. Kneeling down to quench his thirst, he stopped when he saw his reflection, just barely, in the pale moonlight. The currents distorted his imagine, and he could barely get a still preserved impression of his face, but chuckled anyway as he scooped water up in his paws and took a drink. "I can only imagine what they look like," he muttered, feeling the droplets escape through his fingers. May the Gods help them if they look anything like me...

It was sad, now that he thought about it. He can only imagine what they would like; what they would act like. All he knew about them was their birth, and their gender. No indication who they looked more like, their current location, if they were identical, their personality... and he felt a little bit of resentment towards Sying for retaining what he deserved to know.

No worries, he told himself. In the next few days he'll return, and take what's rightfully his, get his revenge on Master Shifu, and get Sying back.

A breeze laced over the tops of the trees, but it was enough for him to stand straight. Voices loitered around him, but some part away from where Tai Lung stood.

"There's someone down that way, we'll see what they got."

Who would be out at this time? He pondered, but then moved along to investigate further.

...

Azure sat on the ground by her tent, a bowl sat on her lap as the fire that cackled and twisted into infinite shapes in front of her. The contents of her bowl were halfway gone, but it was still piping hot. A charitable being, her previous client that evening was, and was nice enough to donate food for her journey, enough to last her til the journey across the water.

"Where to next, my dear? Must you stay and spend time with your brother?"

Azure just shook her head. "Not this time," she replied, before taking the food from them. "I have another client on the way back to Gongmen City, so I'll have to come back another time..."

Which brought her here, alone in the middle of the woods. There was a little chilly, and the cold was lapping around her ears a little, so she kept the hood of her cloak; she couldn't go anywhere yet. This was where she needed to be.

Her ears picked up a sound in front of her; a gentle rustling on the bushes. Soft breathing, and footsteps padded around her. Raising her head, her eyes locked on the shadow closing in; a trio of rugged crocodile bandits downed in patched cloths that was piteous to call clothing. The biggest one stood in the front, looking down at the girl with a twisted smile. "On your own little lady?" He asked.

"No," she said smoothly, placing the bowl on the ground. "My father went to fetch some water." It was too late to say firewood. "Can I help you?" The leading bandit's smile went bigger as his associates laughed wickedly. Pulling out a dagger from his belt, Azure felt her breath catch itself short.

"We don't appreciate being lied to girlie," she kept her eyes on the sword as he pointed it in her direction. "We saw no one else within the proximity but you. Whatcha got?"

Azure rose to her feet, and raised her arms. "I have nothing worth taking. I have a tent," she gestured at the tent, and their eyes followed. "If you're hungry, I have food," a small satchel had sat beside her this whole time. "But I bare no riches worth taking."

The bandits didn't seem convinced, and before she could react, two of them were on either side, firm grips on her wrists as they kicked the satchel away. "You're lying..." the tip was place right onto her throat, but she didn't react, "and I hate liars. There's a reason why a pretty little thing like you shouldn't wander out here by your lonesome..."

"Leave her alone." Her ears remained flat against her head thanks to the hood of her cloak, but the crocodile that had the blade to her twisted out of the way far enough for her to see the shadow that stood in the bushes; his height and width was distinguished fairly, but the glow of his eyes sent a shiver down her spine for all the wrong reasons.

The bandits must of felt the same chill- or threatened by it. The two that had hold of her wrists had stepped away from her, wielding her own weapons. The larger croc just scoffed, but turned the dagger towards the shadow. "I ain't scared of a little kitty cat," he snarled, the grip on the handle tightening by the end of his sentence. "Come out and fight us then."

The shadow stepped out, and the dagger hit the ground. The leaders tail, once pointed and hovering off of the ground. There was a scuttle, and when he look behind, his friends had made a run for it. Looking back at the potential opponent, and then at Azure, who just shrugged at him casually, he took the chance-

And scarpered.

But Azure didn't turn to watch him leave; she kept her eyes straight ahead, looking at the stranger with mixed emotion.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

The man didn't look away from her either, but stood at a distance, but he didn't speak. Not even to ask if she was alright; he stood tall and broad shouldered, with slick and pointed whiskers, and dark clothes to camouflage himself with the darkness, and would've gotten away with it, only if his eyes didn't capture the shine you would see in the campfire that cackled between them... a pair of eyes ones she had seen before; not only in her dreams, but the very same ones her brother was graced with.

Before she knew it, he started walking away. "Wait! Where are you going?" She asked, almost frightened.

"Away." He spoke bluntly, not stopping his movement. "I have no business here."

"But you're meant to be here, as a matter of fact..." he turned to back to face her, eyes narrowed, impatient to get moving. "You're my next client."

"Your what?" His fists tightened by his sides.

"I've been brought here to speak with you." Azure took a deep breath, before reach for her hood. "I'm a Soothsayer-" The very mention of her occupation sent his eyes rolling, and he started moving, so she reeled her paw back.

"You've got the wrong person." His voice was starting to fade away at every step. "I'm not interested." Azure had to think fast, and chased after him. Once she was close enough, she reached for his shoulder, and he turned to grab her wrist before she could even touch him, and she gasped at the speed. "What part of 'no' do you not understand?" He growled, almost threateningly.

"You have no choice..." he raised his eyebrow amusingly. "You won't be able to find my Sying otherwise." That caught his attention. Letting go of her wrist, she allowed her to step back a little. Folding his arms, he waited. Her paw shook a little, but she finally pulled the hood off of her head, and watched as his eyes narrowed a little, to study her- before widening a little.

"Are..."

Suddenly feeling brave, she folded her arms back at him, and raised her eyebrow, leaning her weight to one side... and she wasn't afraid anymore.

"Hello to you too... dad."


And chapter 17 is done!

Moved in and nearly done my first full week of college! Woop! Thank you all for your patience!

So Po's first day of training was an absolute fail... and Azure and Tai Lung have met each other for the first time! How will the reunion go?

Please leave me a review, I love hearing your input!