Unnecessary Burden


Several days went on, and Viper was guarding the wolf who tapped his foot impatiently. Viper rose a scaly eyelid. "What are you waiting for?" Wolf just gave a brief smile and went back to tapping his foot. Viper sighed and tended to her boring duty. Then webbed footsteps drew closer, perking up the wolf's attitude. "Zeng? Is that you?"

"Oh, Master Viper," The duck bowed, carrying a ton of scrolls. "Don't mind me, I'm just enlisting Wolf's help."

"What? How?"

"He's helping me rewrite the scrolls. Shifu's asked me to do it, but it's twice as much and I'm the only one he really trusts to do the work. I need help, Master Viper, so, since Wolf isn't doing anything right now, I... wanted his help," Zeng replied. Viper tilted her head.

"Why don't you ask us?"

"None of you have the time," Zeng readily answered. "Plus, what I gathered from Tigress, you all have more important things to do than do my small chores." Wolf winced at the words as Viper frowned. The tiger could be blunter than she needed to be.

"Tigress doesn't speak for all of us, Zeng."

"I-I-I-I know," Zeng shrank a bit, "But with you guys constantly fighting off bandits at a moment's notice, I need someone's help."

Viper sighed. He had a point, and even she knew that Shifu wouldn't help with Zeng's chores. And with Wolf added in the mix, the Furious Five really didn't have time to help the duck out. "What about Po?" She asked.

"Uh... I... don't trust... him to... find this... exciting," Zeng replied slowly, "He's not the kind of person to really sit down and write something... history related." Viper rolled her eyes and smiled. Of course, the panda would get bored. Unless he was writing the next great fiction, it wouldn't really interest him.

"Okay, go on."

"Great! Thank you Master Viper," Zeng bowed and got prepared. He placed the writing board inside Wolf's cell and faced him as they began copying the scroll laid out. It was sideways so that they could both understand the words, rather than have one of them write upside-down. "Okay, that's the last one. On to the next pile." Interestingly, the wolf made fewer mistakes than Zeng would make, even though the duck was faster. Wolf smiled as he wrote. Viper couldn't figure out why he was so happy about it, but a small smile of her own rested on her face as she listened to the calming scratches of pen to paper.

A few moments of this continued until they came to a scroll that Wolf glared and frowned at. "What's the matter?" Zeng asked, seeing his change of face. Wolf picked up the scroll through the bars and shook his head. "Huh? What are you trying to say?" Viper perked her head up from her comfortable snake bundle. "That's just a history of some village the Emperor conquered. The Jai-Yin bandits." Wolf still shook his head. Zeng huffed, "You're gonna have to use some kind of words or charades. I can't figure out what you're talking about."

"Maybe I can help," Viper spoke up. She slithered closer to the bars. "Is something wrong with the scroll?" Wolf nodded. "What is it?" Wolf pointed to a section on the page and 'asked' Viper to read it. "The Jai-Yin bandits were a menacing army organized by four warlords atop of their mountain. The Jai-Yin repeatedly attacked the villagers and farmers at the foot of the mountain, scattering them. Then the mighty Emperor Fu came and vanquished the Jai-Yin, destroying their small hovel in the mountain." Wolf shook his head. "So none of that happened?"

The wolf made a shaky wave with his hand as if he meant yes and no. "Do you know about the Jai-Yin?" Viper asked. Wolf nodded. The snake thought for a moment. "Here's an idea. Zeng will copy the imperial record and Wolf will write what he knows. It is important that we know a little bit more about these people."

"Why?" Zeng asked.

"Because if we know how villains started, we can figure out how to prevent other villains from arising. That is... if we know who the villain is," Viper sighed. The wolf nodded and grabbed a clean scroll, scribbling down the history. "Not only that," She mumbled to herself, calling everyone's attention. "I'd like to know who you are. If this Jai-Yin is connected to you, then we may need it." The wolf sighed but nodded as he continued writing.

Meanwhile, Po scanned scroll after scroll in the Official Records room. It was a tall jade hexagon-shaped room lined with scrolls at each side except the entrance. A splash of scrolls decorated the floor with the panda hopelessly scanning through each of them. "GRAAHH! Come on! Isn't there anything about a wolf that isn't a ruthless crook or a noble warlord?!" Po shouted. Unbeknownst to him, two warriors watched him through the circular entrance. Shifu fretfully stroked his beard.

"I wonder what Po is trying to find," he said to his student. Tigress didn't answer. Her arms were crossed tighter than a powerful dam. Shifu rose his eyebrow. "Master Tigress, I hope you understand that holding grudges only hurts you, not the person you hold a grudge against."

"Master?"

"What happened between you and the panda?" He asked more directly. Tigress sighed.

"Po is keeping a secret from me- us."

"And why is it important to you?"

"It's important because it's about the prisoner. The guards told him something, but... he won't tell us." Tigress recrossed her arms, glaring daggers into the panda's skull. "It could be dangerous."

"And you don't trust Po to already know that?" Tigress looked at her master, puzzled. "Tigress, any secret about this criminal will come to light eventually. If Po has been burdened with the task of keeping this secret, then making it harder for him to keep it away from his friends and family is only playing the villains' role... Or pushing him to do something drastic." The tiger's eyes widened as she looked at Po again. The tired eyes and slight wobble to his frame were obvious, but less obvious were the small jitters in his hands. Tigress groaned as she dropped her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. Of course, he hadn't slept. Not when he had a secret eating him up inside that he HAD to keep. "It's something to consider," Shifu finally ended and walked away. With a new crushing weight of guilt and regret on her shoulders, Tigress sadly trudged into the record room.

"Have you... found what you're looking for?" she asked. Po looked up and frowned.

"No. I haven't." The haunting stillness made them both shiver. Po stood up and sniffled, making Tigress's eyes jump wider. "Sorry, I just..." He muttered as he wiped his eyes. "I haven't been sleeping a lot."

"I... I understand." She could feel her hands shaking behind her. Were his eyes always this red? No, not since they fought.

"I'll clean up later. I just... need some time alone."

"That's... that's fine," Tigress said. Po walked past her. The room watched the two in silence. Tigress's heart gripped her gut, gnawing at her mind while she heard Po's soft sniffling. They both knew his eyes weren't tired. She knew tear marks when she saw them. Po gazed at the floor as he walked on. There was so much in his head, on his heart, but he had been told to keep it away from someone close to him. If this was the burden of having secrets, what was the point of keeping the hurt and pain in that no one could help you with? The two passed each other in silence. Po was about three inches from the entrance when Tigress spun around and blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?"

"I'm... I'm sorry for making it hard for you to keep this secret. I know you're going through a lot, but... my curiosity shouldn't bring you pain."

Po sniffled but smiled, "Yeah. I'm sorry too. I really wish I could tell you what's going on." His shoulders looked like they would collapse to the ground as he wiped his eyes. "I could really use some help."

"Po," Tigress said, stepping closer. "Even if you can't tell us, we're always here for you. I'm sorry for adding to your burden." Po opened his mouth. "And don't say it's okay. It's not. You were right. I have plenty of secrets most don't know about. I can't be... selfish if you have one that you didn't want in the first place."

"Yeah," Po grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks, Tigress. I really really wish I could share this, especially with you."

"Why?"

Po narrowed his eyes but still smiled. "Are you trying to get me to say the secret again?"

The tiger rolled her eyes. "As much as I would like to, no. But I am curious why you want to share it with me so much."

Po looked out of the circular entrance, glancing down both ways before returning to Tigress. He spoke in a low voice. "Okay, there is something I think I can tell you. The wolf isn't what he looks like."

"We know that."

"No, I mean REALLY really not what he looks like," Po said. "You remember when Mr. Three said that Wolf was fond of felines?" Tigress nodded. "I think I know why, but I don't think it's for the same reason. But I can't figure that out yet. I need more info on who the heck this guy is."

"I think we all need that," Tigress sighed, "If only he'd talk."

"Ha! I'd settle for a written note at this point," Po joked, cracking a smile on Tigress's face.

Suddenly, the two heard familiar shouting. "That's Shifu," Tigress said.

"How do you how Shifu sounds when he shouts?" Po asked. A dropped face and a quiet judgmental glance stared back at him. The panda facepalmed himself. "Right, stupid question. Forgot what Shifu was like before I arrived."

"Come on!" The two ran down to the dungeon where an infuriated red panda yelled at a frightened duck.

"Are you insane, Zeng? Why on earth would you let this criminal write our sacred scrolls!"

"I-I-I-I was just... I needed the help and-"

"The Furious Five and the other servants are more than capable for the task! You could have asked any of them, or asked for more time!" Shifu shouted.

"Hehe, Shifu being patient. That's rich," Po murmured to Tigress. Shifu snapped his head around and glared at the large panda. "I-I-I-I mean what's wrong, Master Shifu?"

"Zeng has been letting the criminal write some of the historical scrolls," Shifu said.

"It was to save time, and... he's not really doing anything. I made sure that he didn't put anything wrong or-"

Shifu snatched a scroll from the foot of Wolf's cell. "Then what is this?!" He briefly glanced at the paper.

"It was a small... correction. It was about the Jai-Yin or something. He said he knew-"

"The wolf doesn't talk," Shifu barked. His eyes moved to Viper. "And Master Viper. I'm very disappointed in you for allowing this to happen." The snake hung her head in shame. Shifu looked at the wolf whose ears drooped and throat emitted a small whine. "Po, take this scroll and burn it. It's tainted information."

"Wait, the wolf wrote about this?" Po asked. Zeng slowly nodded. The panda cleared his throat. "Don't worry, Master Shifu. I'll get rid of it."

"Good," Shifu grumbled. "From now on you are banned from being down here except for the wolf's rations. The prisoner is still dangerous beyond our comprehension." The frightened duck scampered away as Shifu took a long breath. "Master Viper, you may return to your duties around the rest of the Jade Palace. Tigress will take your shift."

"Yes, Master Shifu," Viper sighed. She sadly slithered up the stairs with Shifu close behind.

"This wolf is proving to more and more trouble. If we don't get rid of him..." Shifu didn't finish. He just marched up the stairs.

"Po," Tigress said, snapping Po out of his silent train of thought, "What are you going to do with the scroll?"

"Uh... burn it. Of course," Po grinned nervously. Tigress glared and shifted her weight to her left leg. The panda rolled his eyes. "What would you do in my situation?"

"Tell Master Shifu."

"And if you couldn't?"

Tigress stared at the panda. As the thought process in her head slowly keyed up the answer, she sighed in defeat. "Gather more information."

"Exactly. Don't worry, I'll put this in a safe place," Po told the wolf. The dog nodded, and Po ran up the stairs, leaving Tigress and the wolf alone. Wolf walked around his cell a bit before resting on his paws, whining a bit. Tigress had an idea why.

But if that were the reason, it would mean he actually did care what happened to them and what his actions did to them; a fact that Tigress wasn't ready to admit to just yet.

A week after the whole debacle, Zeng returned to his neurotic demeanor around Shifu. Either the duck was stressed out with the work he had or tried really hard to avoid Shifu's glare. Po stashed the scroll in his room and decided to read it later. During that time, he'd spent most of the time training and patrolling with Tigress at the tiger's request. Po found it strange but went with her anyway. He would often ask why she wanted to go with him. "The least I can do is be there for you emotionally while you bear this burden," She'd say.

And that was the story she was sticking to.

Continued...