"They're everywhere!" The cream colored rabbit cried. "They came out of darkness, and I was so scared, and I… and-"
"It's ok, ma'am," Master Thundering Rhino consoled, attempting to kneel down to her level but still dwarfing her. "You can relax. We'll handle it from here."
She nodded in response, and Rhino confidently turned his body towards the rest of the party goers. "Those who can fight, I need you front and center."
Without missing a beat, the Furious Five, Po, Aden, Mei Ling, and the rest of the Kung Fu warriors in attendance strided towards Master Rhino.
"We'll gain control of the situation quicker if we split up into groups," Master Rhino announced. "I want three even squads: one at the northern end of the village, one at the south, and the rest should maintain control in the center. Ensure all civilians are safe before engaging."
The group of fighters nodded in agreement.
"You six," Master Rhino continued, gesturing to Master Antelope, Master Wolf, and a few others. "Take the north. All those from the Jade Palace, take center city. The rest of you follow me to the south end."
"Yes, Master Rhino!" The group returned in unison. The rhino nodded approvingly, and the squads bounded out of the restaurant.
As the Jade Palace entourage neared the village center, the sound of commotion grew in intensity. The group slid through the last alley before the cobblestone path lining of the main road came into sight. When all of a sudden, the slender figure of a jackal quickly darted out from one of the homes. Po lunged at it's small frame but fell short and landed flat on his stomach. The Jackal cackled like a witch and dashed into the main clearing.
"Oof, sorry guys," Po apologized, picking himself up off the ground and dusting his tattered shorts off. "Looks like I missed one."
"I don't think it's one we need to be worried about…" Crane responded flatly.
Po looked over to see the group standing at the end of the alley, gazing out into the main boulevard. As the panda approached, his draw dropped at the utter chaos in front of them. Jackals were absolutely everywhere. The pattern to their movement was impossible to trace as each one darted in a different direction.
Aden scratched the back of his head. "What kind of attack is this?"
"It's chaos," Monkey replied plainly.
"It's too hard to catch them when they keep moving in random directions," Viper added.
"Not with my lightning feet!" Po exclaimed before lunging at another jackal only to faceplant once more.
"What do we do, then?" Mantis questioned, chuckling under his breath at Po.
"Split up," Tigress directed. "I'm certain the other teams have already done the same thing. Two people per group. Same plan as before: ensure the safety of the villagers before rounding up the jackals. Mantis and Monkey, Viper and Crane, Aden and I, and Po… I trust that you can handle yourself."
The group gave a resounding nod and quickly broke off into their respective groups. A thumbs up gradually raised from Po's furry arm, his face still buried in soil.
Aden and Tigress darted towards the south end of the boulevard, their eyes seeking out distressed villagers like a hawk. They swept through homes with lightning speed, making sure families were safe while subduing the occasional jackal or two. Tigress studied Aden's movements intensely as they passed through each domicile, but not for his technique or skill. She marveled at his movements in a way she'd never appreciated a Kung Fu warrior before. He looked over at her, and her body tensed up uncharacteristically so.
Is he watching me as well? She pondered. Why does he look so scared and confused, then?
"Tigress!" Aden screeched. "On your left!"
Like the snap of a twig, Tigress had reentered combat mode. Her body instinctively lowered to the floor as the sharp prick of a spear grazed her upper back. A swift sweep of her leg followed by a heavy palm to the chest and the jackal had been successfully subdued. Aden quickly rushed to her side, kicking the spear out of reach of the dazed jackal.
"Tigress!" Aden ran his hand down her back to check for injuries, while she used every fiber in her body to not react to his touch. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she bluntly replied.
"What happened? You looked like you were in a trance."
"I… was distracted."
Aden smirked and chuckled. "Distracted? You? Come on…"
A copy of his smile appeared on her face, but it didn't last for long. Her mind was rapidly analyzing what he just said. She was distracted, and that is extremely out of character for her. It was dangerous territory as well. A preoccupied mind would not only only endanger herself and her friends, but also the rest of the village.
Aden quickly caught sight of her developing frown and moved closer. "Hey, what's up? I just don't want you getting hurt."
Tigress locked eyes with him, re-entering a bewitched state once more. "I'm nervous…"
"Ok, now I know this isn't the real Tigress. That badass isn't nervous about anything," he winked.
A smile flickered on her lips before taking a deep breath. "Aden, I think I-"
"Help!" A frightened woman bellowed. "Somebody please help me!"
Aden and Tigress immediately sprung into action, a silent and mutual agreement to put their conversation on hold. They raced in the direction the cry came from, attempting to isolate the sound from the madness occurring outside.
"I'm upstairs! Please, hurry!" The voice called out again.
As the tiger and human pair dashed for the stairway, two jackals swung around the corner, their legs aimed for Tigress' neck. She quickly deflected both but didn't see the third jackal sneak up and tackle her to the ground from behind.
"Tigress!" Aden rushed to her aid but was quickly knocked back into the bannister by a powerful kick from the two hind legs of one jackal.
"Just go!" Tigress yelled back, hurling the third jackal into a nearby wall as she continued to fend off the other two. "We'll regroup later. Make sure the villagers are safe."
Aden hesitantly nodded before rushing up the stairs. The sounds of chaos outside dwindled as he reached the top. The home seemed relatively untouched with the exception of a few scrolls and toys strewn across the floors of various bedrooms.
"Hello?" Aden called out.
"In here!" The voice returned from the quiet open room at the end of the hall.
His body flew past the door's threshold at the first sound of her voice. He readied his stance for battle but found himself in a near empty room. The bed and armoire were dressed with brilliantly colored fabrics, and the walls were painted with an elegantly simple white.
A light sobbing rose from behind the bed, and Aden quickly moved towards it. A familiar female lioness came into view curled up and shaking in fear.
"Liu?" Aden kneeled down to check whether she was seriously injured or not. "Are you alright?"
The lioness peeked her teary eyes over that instantly turned to ones of relief. She lunged at him, wrapped him in a tight hug, and toppled his body over with her momentum.
"Thank you, Master Aden!" She cried happily. "I was so nervous nobody was coming for me!"
"Shh, it's ok," he consoled. "Are you hurt?"
She slowly raised her body off of him. "No, thankfully."
Aden sat up and pulled himself out from under her, which she gave resistance to.
"I'm glad you're ok, but we need to get you someplace safe. Please, come with me."
He stood up, she reached out and grabbed his hand, and they made their way towards the stairway. He stopped briefly at the top and quickly peeked downstairs, but neither Tigress nor the jackals could be found. An eerie silence bounced around the room.
They dashed outside, Liu tightly holding onto Aden's arm. He looked around for the safest exit for Liu, but it seems she had other plans.
"Come this way," she yanked on his arm. "I know where to go."
"Liu, wait up!" Aden tried to stop her. "I don't know if that way is clear yet!"
"It'll be fine! Just follow!"
Aden tried to stop her again, but she had already taken off down a nearby alleyway pulling him in tow. She methodically led him through the twists and turns of the village, Aden barely able to keep up. Suddenly, they came across two jackals blocking their path ahead. Aden instinctively jumped in front of Liu and prepared for a fight, but it never came. The jackals laughed and darted away without another word, leaving Aden scratching his head.
"Let's keep going!" Liu yanked him towards the now clear exit before Aden could question anymore.
They ran directly out into village central where the jackals once blocked their path. A fountain stood tall at the center of the paven clearing, a horde of jackals waiting in a circular formation around the area.
Once again, Aden readied his stance whilst keeping Liu a safe distance behind him, eyeing up each jackal in the process. A hesitation between both parties was thick in the air, nobody dared make that first move. A bead of sweat ran down his face, as he was unsure how many he'd be able to hold off.
Suddenly, each jackal dropped their weapon and fled the scene in nearly perfect sync. Aden felt like his head was about to explode from confusion.
"What just happened…" He muttered to himself.
"Oh Aden!" Liu burst out comically loud, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did it! You scared them all off!"
"I didn't do anything…"
Aden was about to push back more, but his kung fu entourage arrived and robbed him of the opportunity.
"Aden!" Po gawked at the sight of the jackal tails rushing out of view. "Oh man! You really had them running! What super sick movies did you pull out this time?"
"I didn't DO anything," Aden repeated, sounding almost exasperated.
"It was incredible, Dragon Warrior!" Liu responded to Po for him. "Those nasty beasts were so frightened by Master Aden that they took off before he even made his first move!"
"Woah, really?" Mantis approached with the furious five.
"I mean..." Aden stalled. "I didn't fight, but I also didn't think I was that threatening."
"Modesty suits you," Master Thundering Rhino joined from behind, the rest of his squad in tow. "But, I think this deserves a bit more praise."
Aden's head swiveled like an owl to see everyone gathering. The holiday party and a large portion of the village population began suffocating him with praise.
"What a hero!" Liu exclaimed. "My hero!"
Liu nuzzled his neck and wrapped her tail around his waist, an act that caused a certain set of yellow eyes to begin marching away in a fit of rage. The crowd hollard at the affection Aden was receiving from his rescued damsel, while he tried to gently pry her off. She clung to him like glue, and he wasn't interested in making a scene with half the village staring him down, though. The cheering grew louder as the crowd around him grew.
"The night is still young, party people!" Po added. "The festivities shall continue at the one and only Ping's Noodle Shop. We gotta pour a tall one for this guy!"
"This doesn't feel right…" Aden mumbled, a migraine of confusion still boiling in his head.
"Oh, Aden," Liu purred, her grip tightening around him. "I was so scared today. I would've never made it out of there without your help. You… You saved my life today."
Aden coughed awkwardly in response, and began to make an effort to pry her off of him. "I'm very happy you're safe. I didn't do anything, though."
"No, no, no, I simply can't let a heroic act go unnoticed." she playfully protested. "Especially since I've certainly taken notice of you."
She gently dragged her soft paws across his neck leaving light scrapes along the way. "Let me take you out to dinner. I promise to make it worth your while." A giggle escaped her lips.
Liu was attractive, and Aden couldn't deny it any longer. He'd be lying if her offer wasn't at least somewhat enticing. But, he wasn't interested. It baffled him. This is the exact opportunity Crane was talking about, but Aden had no interest. He wasn't opposed to dinner itself. Even if he wasn't interested in dating her, the meal would only be received as a simple thank you. But, the implication made him feel strange, and he just couldn't put his finger on why.
The frustration built in his head until he began searching the crowd for the answer. His eyes danced around the crowd for nothing in particular, the villager's excited faces morphing into a conglomeration of people. One person wasn't morphing in his vision, though. A single individual that stood out to him from everyone else. It was the feeling that a simple glimpse of her striped orange fur pattern gave him solidified his answer. It was the woman that he'd been growing closer to every day. It was the person that he cherished the company of most. Tigress. She was his reason, and he needed to tell her immediately.
"Thanks…" He sighed. "But, no thanks. You seem nice, but I've already taken notice of someone else."
Aden was watching Tigress march away from the crowd when he responded, slowly pulling away from Liu's clutches. She didn't respond right away, and once he'd fully separated himself and turned to face her again, he was met with a look of utter bewilderment.
"Uh, Liu?" He questioned her unmoving features. "Is everything alright?"
She hurriedly shook herself out of her stupor. "Of course! I just wasn't expecting you to… reject my offer." An eyelid briefly twitched.
"I'm sorry, Liu. I'm just not interested. Thank you for your offer. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find someone."
"A-at least let me repay you for your courage and bravery!" She begged.
Aden chuckled under his breath, as he began to push his way out of the crowd. "I'm flattered, really. But, I don't think there's anything you can give me that I want right now."
"How about a way home."
Told ya I wasn't leaving ;)
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Darwin Watterson