A full week had passed since Aden had woken up in the Jade Palace. The air was still thick with an uneasy tension, as he tried his best to acclimate to the new world. His days were conducted repetitively and with a somber expression. Wake up. Eat. Sit in his room. Cry. Eat again. Sleep. Rinse and repeat. Some days he'd take a stroll up to the peach tree and lay there for quite a while, silently hoping that Master Oogway's spirit would return to ease his mind from the plethora of unanswered questions but to no avail.
He hadn't mentioned that he was visited by the wise turtle to the other inhabitants of the Jade Palace yet, but that was because talking to anthropomorphic beings was still a nerve-wracking experience for him. The furious five made various attempts to communicate with Aden, but they were typically met with one word responses and almost always without eye contact. The only one that had any luck of holding longer conversations with Aden was the Dragon Warrior. The lighthearted nature of the panda helped him relax and slowly come to terms with the unique form of intelligent life in this new world.
Aden laid on his bed with his hands tucked behind his head, the sun bouncing off the thin walls letting him know it was about midday. A sudden rap was heard at the door, which caused Aden to move into a sitting position.
Aden let out a quick sigh before speaking. "Come in."
The door slide open to reveal the panda twiddling his thumbs.
"Oh, hey, Master… Uh... Dragon Warrior," Aden awkwardly addressed him.
The flabby panda grew a smile and chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, It's beyond cool to hear 'Master Dragon Warrior.' But, you can just call me Po."
Aden returned a brief smile. "Alright."
"I came here to ask if you were interested in meditating together."
"Um, sure, I guess... I've never done it before."
"I can show you the ropes. Master Shifu says it might be a good idea to give it a try."
"Well, what do I need to do?"
Po sat down and lightly patted the floor next to him. "First, you take a seat on the floor."
Aden stood up, moved next to Po, and took a seat without saying a word.
"Awesome. Now, close your eyes."
Aden did as he was told, slowly letting his eyelids lower until his vision disappeared.
"Inhale slowly for 6 seconds."
Aden breathed in at a rate that matched Po's.
"Exhale for 8."
He felt his mind begin to relax, as he finished his first focused breath.
"In for 6."
Most of his energy was now directed at his breathing alone.
"Out for 8."
His mind and body were now fully immersed in meditation. The struggles from the past week were temporarily dissolving, as his mind reached a state of pure tranquility.
"Hey... You hungry?"
And with that, the switch had been flipped. Aden burst out laughing at Po's amusing question. He leaned back until he was laying the floor while his hands held onto stomach in an attempt to control his fit of laughter.
"Uh, we don't have to get a snack if you don't want," Po's confusion at Aden's reaction shined through in his tone. "I just wanted to check if you had enough... meditation fuel."
Aden's outburst had subsided into giggling, giving him an opportunity to respond. "You know what? A snack sounds perfect, Po. Thanks."
Po returned a smile and a nod before they both stood up and walked out of the room. As they walked towards the kitchen, Aden couldn't help but glance over at Po. His eyes told him animal, but his heart was now telling him human. He had been so conflicted on how to function in a world where no people existed, but what makes him a person? On his home world, only humans possessed a level of consciousness that allowed them to exist in a complex society. But here, that concept no longer existed. This world took those concepts, tossed them out the window, and let the unique world around him blossom.
As they approached the kitchen, they heard 2 voices echo from it. They crossed the doorway threshold to find Viper and Crane enjoying a cup of tea. Both of their heads turned towards Po and Aden upon hearing them enter.
Viper made eye contact with Aden. "Woah, is that a smile I see? That's 2 in one week."
Aden chuckled at her comment. "I guess Po's stomach gave me something to laugh about."
Crane and Viper giggled.
"Oh we're quite familiar with that feeling," Crane chimed in.
"Hey now," Po defended himself. "How's the Dragon Warrior supposed to save the world on an empty stomach?"
"I wouldn't say 'empty,'" Crane retorted.
Aden's smile remained perched on his face as the 2 made friendly jabs at Po. The camaraderie amongst the fighters was pleasing to watch. It made him feel much more at home.
"You know," Viper addressed Aden. "You don't have to stay in your room all day."
"Yeah!" Po added. "You should totally come watch us train."
Aden thought it over for a second before giving a light smile. "Sure. That sounds good."
"Great!" Viper happily replied. "Training starts in an hour."
Po gave a double thumbs up before walking to a cupboard and pulling out a bag of cookies. Aden took one and munched on it while Po scarfed a few down. The 4 of them chatted lightly for a few minutes before Crane and Viper left. The remaining 2 people in the ktichen finished snacking and moved back to Aden's room to continue meditating, this time without any distractions from Po's stomach.
Po led Aden to the training hall once it was time to head over. Aden was slightly nervous as to how Master Shifu would react to him watching, but Po assured him it wouldn't be a problem.
"It's gonna be fine," Po reassured him. "Master Shifu knows you're not a threat, so why would he care if you watched."
Aden simply shrugged as a response.
"Besides," Po continued. "Viper, Crane, and I vouching for you. That's 3 against 1!"
A chuckle escaped Aden at Po's last comment as they approached the training hall. It was a beautifully constructed, wood building with red accents throughout. The double doors that led into the training hall were covered in ornate markings and creaked as they were pushed open. Inside held a training dojo unlike any he'd ever seen. There were spiked posts with rotating arms, a platform of tubes that spit fire, rings hanging from the ceiling with knives spaced along the outside, and a massive jade colored bowl sitting in the middle of the room. There were even geese sitting up in the rafters with loaded crossbows!
Master Shifu glanced over at the panda and human as they entered the building. Aden made eye contact with the senior master and gave a sheepish smile. Shifu simply nodded in response and turned to face the remaining students who were busy stretching.
"You can just hang out right here while we train," Po motioned for Aden to take a seat next to one of those egg-shaped punching bags that always return to an upright position.
Aden followed his instructions while Po ran over to join his fellow warriors. A few minutes went by before training began, and Aden became enthralled with what they were doing instantly. It was like an elegant dance as the students glided through the labyrinth of obstacles at Shifu's command. The person he found the most fascinating to watch was Tigress. The look in her eyes had one of pure focus and determination. Her movements were polished and graceful, and every attack held immense power. He got lost with in her every motion as she worked.
Training ran for 2 hours, while Aden sat patiently and watched. Shifu eventually raised his palm up in the air indicating for them to stop. They all rushed to him and waited for his next direction.
"You have 15 minutes before we begin sparring," he addressed them.
"Yes, Master," they all returned at once.
The group dispersed to use their 15 minute break, so Aden decided to take a short walk outside. He walked down the steps of the training hall but didn't make it much farther than that before being blocked by a certain tiger.
Aden jumped in surprise, as Tigress appeared in front of him.
"You were staring at me," She stated matter of factly, while her sour glare drilled into him.
Aden rubbed his an arm nervously. "Um... I was watching all of you."
"You were staring at me," Tigress repeated, her gaze growing more hostile. "Almost like a spy would if they were trying to find flaws in their technique to use against them."
"What? No!" Aden countered. "I was just… impressed is all."
Aden received no reaction from Tigress, her demeanor completely unchanging.
"Your… um… movements are very focused."
Tigress ignored his comment. "How did you stop my attack from before?"
"I don't know."
"Stop lying and tell me why you're here."
"I'm not lying!" Aden shouted, frustration taking over his vocal control. "Why do you hate me? I've done nothing to warrant this resentment from you!"
"You've done nothing to warrant my trust either," she growled back.
"I don't care!" He shot back, his voice raising even further. "Just leave me the fuck alone!"
He attempted to plow past her only to have her grab his arm and twist it. This allowed her to easily spin and drop him to his knees. He tried to wriggle free, but her hold on him only tightened.
"Let go of me!" He yelled.
"Not until I get the truth," she replied, her voice firm.
"I said, let go of me!"
Then, in one swift movement he kicked a leg back and made contact with her foot. The unexpected hit caused her to loosen her grip just enough for him to untwist his arm and spin around on his knees and land a kick directly on her stomach, all in a matter of seconds. The resulting strike resulted in Tigress stumbling a few feet back and falling to her butt.
Silence filled the air as Aden and Tigress gazed at each other with wide eyes. However, Tigress' disbelieving gaze didn't last for long before it turned into a fiery one.
"Tigress…" There was a shakiness in Aden's voice. "I'm really sorry. I didn't do that on purpose, I swear."
Tigress only saw red as she got to all fours and lunged at him while baring her teeth and claws, but her attack never made contact. The small form of Master Shifu had moved in front of Aden in a defensive pose. Shifu's timing was impeccable as he subdued her with a few rapid movements with his staff.
Upon seeing Tigress being held back by Shifu, Aden looked over at the entrance of the training hall to see 5 sets of bewildered eyes.
"That's enough, Tigress," Master Shifu finally spoke. "I will handle it from here."
Tigress growled and shot daggers with her eyes at Aden before turning and walking towards the training hall.
"Woo-hoo!" Po exclaimed as he ran down the steps towards Aden and Shifu. "That was severely cool! She was all like 'you're gonna do what I say,' and you were all like 'nu-uh, I'm going to bust out some kung fu craziness on you,' then she was all li-"
"Po!" Master Shifu interrupted, stopping Po's tirade. "That's enough from you too."
"But Master Shifu, he could help us! He knows Kung Fu!"
The red panda chose not to respond to Po's retort and directed his attention back to Aden. "Where did you learn to fight?"
"I didn't," Aden answered plainly. "I swear I've never fought a thing in my life."
"That can't be true," Shifu pinched his forehead as he spoke. "Master Tigress can't be bested by somebody with no formal training."
"Well, I'm not sure what to tell you, but I've never raised my fists to anybody on my home world. This world seems to work differently than back home. Maybe when the universe chose me, it gave me special powers. I don't know, I'm just as confused as you."
Shifu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'the universe chose you?'"
"Um… So, this is going to sound completely insane, but that turtle guy that made Po the Dragon Warrior-what was his name? Oogway?-Well, his ghost or spirit or whatever visited me at the peach tree and told me the universe brought me here to become a warrior or something."
Po squealed. "Master Oogway came back from the spirit realm to tell you about your destiny?! Looks like we got a new student of the Jade Palace!"
"Po, could you try to refrain from speaking for just minute," Shifu's exasperated voice cut through.
"Master Shifu, he got a letter from the universe, and you're just going to return it to sender?"
Shifu looked at Po sternly. "I don't know, yet. I need time to process this. Training is cancelled for the afternoon, while I look through the archives."
"Yes, Master," echoed through the air as Shifu walked away.
Po looked over at Aden and gave him a wink. "You better start getting used to saying that."
My favorite color is blue.
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- Jennifer