A/N: Welcome back to the story guys! One of my favorite things about writing is having witty and interesting character encounters, dialogue, and conversations. This chapter is full of it. I love it when new characters meet! Anyways, hope you guys enjoy! Some things may surprise you and some may not. Regardless, let's get into it.
As always, Read & Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Dream Works or Kung Fu Panda. I only own this specific plot and my OCs.
Chapter XIII: The Princess & the Panda
Ra-Lin Village
"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"
It'd been a busy day in the Ra-Lin Village. The bustling crowds of people throughout the markets and stores had been proof of that. The cooks had been cooking. The farmers had been farming. And the paperboys had been annoyingly loud as per usual.
However, it was nearing the dead of night. Everyone was shutting down for the day. Businesses were closing. Workers were retiring to their homes. All except for the annoying news service.
Kiara grumbled in irritation as she walked down the dirt road. The nice thing about traveling at night was that she didn't have to worry about being trampled by the bustling crowds that plagued the town throughout the day. The night was almost peaceful except for that aggravating paperboy. Didn't he know that people were trying to sleep? If she heard one more 'Read all about it' she'd probably pull her hair out. Thankfully, her journey was coming close to a finish.
She'd stopped by to have dinner at a local restaurant an hour back, and the owner had told her that the Valley of Peace was only about fiftyish or so Li away. She just needed to follow the Ra-Lin Road northeast. That meant she'd most likely be at the Valley within a short day or two.
As the princess continued her trek through the town, she came to an abrupt halt when something yanked her tail.
"OW! Hey!" she let out in indignation as she turned around to find the same irksome badger, the news boy, that had been inescapable for past several hours as she walked the length of the town.
"Oi! Lady! I'd betcha'd like a final extra of today's paper!" he advertised, waving the paper in the vexed lioness's face.
Kiara let out a mix between a snarl and a groan. This guy was like a leech; just louder and more obnoxious.
"I don't want the newspaper! And certainly not from you!" she remarked before turning around and trying to take her leave.
"They were sellin' like hot cakes lady! This is my last one! It's big news!" he said following her in an attempt to get her attention.
Kiara snorted, "What could possibly be so interesting that you're selling out of extras?"
Picking up the pace, the lioness continued her walk, trying to get away from the bothersome badger.
Huffing and puffing, the badger stopped and put his hands on his knees. His next words however, stopped the lioness in her tracks as well.
"H-haven't ya heard? T-the Dragon Warrior is d-dead," the paperboy let out in between huffs.
Kiara froze at that. Turning around, she strode over to the badger. Looking down at him, a look of anger and impatience adorned her attractive features.
Crossing her arms, she growled, "How much?"
Fearfully, the badger gulped, "S-seven yuan," he stuttered out.
Kiara grumbled, stuffing her hand into her bag, she retrieved seven of the brass coins. Thank the gods she'd stopped at a currency exchange a few days back.
"Here. Now give me that!" she said, dropping the coins into the awaiting badger's grasp before seizing the paper.
Not taking any more chances, the paperboy quickly fled, leaving the lioness by herself. Kiara barely noticed his absence as she skimmed the paper. Although it was dark, the torch lights on the street side allowed enough light for the lioness to read the blasted paper. Thanks to a Chinese Mandarin dictionary she'd been reading for the past week, she could make out parts of it. The words 'Dragon Warrior' and 'Dead' were constantly repeated throughout the entire article. If that wasn't a good sign, a picture of the 'Valley of Peace' was shown burning and partially destroyed.
"Stupid paperboy probably sold me a fake paper," Kiara grumbled in irritation tossing the newspaper aside. However, inside she was worried. What if it was true? What if the Dragon Warrior was actually dead?
Kiara shuddered to think who or what was powerful enough to kill the seemingly invincible warrior. Dispersing the negative thoughts from her mind, the lioness readjusted her travel pack straps and continued on.
After ten minutes she finally was nearing the edge of town. She sighed as she passed the last of the buildings. Although she'd love to stay in another cozy inn for the night, she was on a schedule. If she traveled several hours into the night, it'd cut her remaining travel time down to barely a day.
'Guess It'll be another night of camping in the woods like a caveman,' she internally sighed.
As the princess was about to pick up her pace, a foot came down on her tail, trapping her in place, quite painfully.
"OW! I swear to the gods! What more do you wa-" Kiara let out in pained anger, turning around expecting to see the pesky paperboy, only to come face to face with a large wolf.
Her anger turned to shock in a split second as the wolf let out a feral smile.
"Well, well...what do we have here boys?" he laughed, his mouth opening, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Behind him, two more wolves looked at the princess menacingly, one holding a spear, while the other grasped a mace.
"What do you want?" Kiara hissed in a steely voice, trying hard not to be intimidated by the group of wolves that could easily eat her for lunch...or dinner technically since it was dark.
Raising an eyebrow at the defiance of the feline, the wolf growled, "Give me your bag and I'll consider not gutting you like a fish."
"Wait just a min-" the lioness retorted before the impatient wolf ripped the bag off her.
He then tossed the bag over to his comrades who ripped it opened and began sifting through its contents. After that, he kicked the lioness over, sending her tumbling to the ground.
"Ouch!"
Shaking his head at the stubborn feline, he turned towards the other bandits and helped look through the bag.
"Book? Worthless!"
"What is this? A burnt stuffed animal?"
"A sword? What kind a girl carries a sword?"
"Girl clothes?"
"Aha!"
One of the bandits reached inside and pulled out a sizeable sack of coins. Their efforts were halted by the furious words of the princess.
"You despicable losers! Can't you find something better to do with your time than rob travelers!" she snarked at them, turning all their gazes to her.
Kiara gulped. On second thought, maybe she should've just kept her mouth shut. The angry glares from the bandits pretty much confirmed her thoughts, as the leader strode forward, unsheathing his sword.
"We were going to just steal from ye'. But now I think I need to teach ye' a lesson by cuttin' off that pretty mouth of yers," he growled, striding forward.
Kiara's eyes widened as the wolf brought the sword above his head for an overhead strike. She barely managed to roll out of the way as the sword embedded into the dirt where she'd been a second earlier.
Scrambling to her feet, she managed to duck under another swing from the wolf before he kicked her to the ground. Just as the criminal was about to finish the job, he was sent flying back into a tree.
Wham!
"Evening fellas," the figure said calmly in a rough voice. He was a large snow leopard. Most likely in his mid to late forties, possibly early fifties, judging from the slight greying of his formerly sleek black whiskers. Nonetheless he was in better shape than most males in their prime. Muscled and obviously trained in combat, the impressive figure stood at 6'4".
Seeing their leader being taken out so easily, the other two bandits fled into the night—taking the bag and money with them.
Snorting at their cowardice, the snow leopard offered the lioness his hand.
"Are you alright?" he asked, glancing at the passed-out wolf bandit.
Kiara nodded in gratitude, "Yes I am...thank you."
However, her moment of relief was short-lived as she realized the bandits had taken her travel bag. Pushing aside the leopard who'd saved her, she ran over to the items that they'd dropped onto the ground. Her sword...Mr. Bear...some of her clothes...the stupid mandarin dictionary.
"No. No. No. No," she rambled, frantically looking around for anything else.
The male feline looked at her in interest. A lioness was rare in these parts, especially one who was alone.
"Is...everything alright?" he asked, before the tanned feline turned towards him with a look of anxiety.
"No, it's not! They took all my money! My map! My ticket back to Egypt! Now I'm stuck here in a place I have very little knowledge of! With a bunch of strangers! With no way to get home!" she rambled her voice getting louder and more unstable every sentence.
The stranger just stood there with a confused look on his face. Why did she come here from Egypt? He'd thought he'd seen it all, but apparently not.
"All because of that Stupid Dragon Warrior! And stupid Akua! And those stupid thugs! Aggh!" she screamed in anger, marching over to the knocked-out bandit before delivering several painful kicks.
After calming down, Kiara tiredly walked over and sat down on a rock, huffing in anger. Reluctantly, the snow leopard walked over to her, standing a few feet away.
"Is there...anything I can do?"
Kiara snorted at this. She was thankful that he'd saved her, but she really wanted to be alone right now.
"Not unless you can raise the dead. I heard the Dragon Warrior died," she mumbled, kicking a pebble off into the grass.
"Well, he did...technically," the larger feline responded.
Kiara looked at him in question, "You can't technically die. Either you're dead or you're alive."
Crossing his arms in irritation, he remarked, "Well he's alive if you put it that way."
Kiara's eyes lit up slightly. So maybe that newspaper was just a hoax? Turning towards the older feline suspiciously, she cocked an eyebrow at him.
Rolling his eyes, the snow leopard gestured behind him.
"If you want to talk to him, he's back at my cabin."
It was now Kiara's turn to roll her eyes. Now although she was sheltered, extremely so, she wasn't stupid.
"Listen, I'm thankful for you saving me and all. But I'm not a hooker. So, no thank you. Besides, you're old enough to be my dad," she responded with a knowing tone.
The leopard did a double-take. That is NOT what he meant.
"I'm serious. If you want to talk to him, he lives back at my place. Are you coming or not?" he asked in an annoyed voice.
Biting her lip, Kiara thought over her options. She had no money. She was alone. Stranded. Things couldn't really get any worse. Guess following a stranger to talk to the 'Dragon Warrior' was better than nothing.
"Fine, one sec," she said, jogging over to the remaining items she had. Slipping off her cloak, she wrapped her dictionary, Mr. Bear, and remaining clothes in the fabric. Her clothes under the cloak weren't her most decent pair. They were thin, cheap material. What's worse was they were a little small, so her curves and cleavage were more prominent than she would've liked. Shrugging, she strapped her sword to her back, adjusting it so it fit snugly.
Turning towards the older feline she nodded, "Let's go. Grandpa."
Eye twitching in annoyance at the younger feline's smart-ass antics, he led the way back towards the cabin. It was about half a dozen Li to the East, so the journey would be a short one. He'd originally just been scouting the surrounding area for bandit activity; he could've done without infernal damsels in distress.
After half an hour of traveling, the tanned feline broke the silence.
"I never caught your name," she said as they ducked under a low-lying tree branch.
He hesitated for a second. Usually, he'd give a false name, or just not answer. But she was from Egypt. And judging on her antics, she was fairly new around here. He supposed it wouldn't hurt.
"Tai Lung," he answered stoically.
"Like the organ?"
Tai Lung looked back at the lioness with a furrowed brow, she was really getting on his nerves.
"Yes, I suppose."
Kiara snorted, "That's weird."
The former villain in him wanted to strangle the lioness, but he decided against it.
"Yeah? And what's your name?" he responded, trying to change the subject.
"Kiara."
Tai Lung tried and failed to keep a wicked grin from spreading across his face. Kiara looked over at him in question. She hadn't seen him so much as break out a small grin. This huge smile was quite a change from the previously stoic mask he wore.
"Sounds like a hooker name to me," he let out with a small chuckle.
That small chuckled grew into a full-blown laugh as the leopard struggled to compose himself. Kiara grew red in anger as the leopard hunched over in a fit of crude humor.
Thud!
"Ow!" Tai Lung griped in pain, holding his tender left leg that the lioness had just kicked.
Smirking, the princess looked up to see a torch lit cabin a few dozen meters away. Picking up the pace, the snow leopard caught up to her.
"You're a pain in my neck," he grumbled looking irately at the lioness.
Smiling innocently, Kiara responded, "Oh. I'm sure you've had neck pain for some time now. Old age and all that," before stopping at the door.
Tai Lung grumbled in annoyance. Kiara couldn't make out much of it other than a few words like 'Pain' and 'Nusainces'.
Opening the door, he let her inside, before following behind her. They were met with the sight of an overweight panda sitting in a wooden chair. In one hand, was a bottle of whiskey and the other was a dark brown chestnut wooden cane. It was a beautiful work of art. Tai Lung had gotten it for him at the market a week or so back. Although thoughtful, it was rather pointless, given that Po hadn't left the cabin since he'd first woken up.
The panda just woke up, ate, slept, ate, read a book (maybe), and then slept some more. Weeks without exercise and excessive drinking and eating had undone all of Po's hard work. His body was back to its original pudgy self before he'd started Kung Fu, maybe even more so, not that he really cared. There were very few things the bear cared about anymore.
Looking up to see them, Po tilted his head in thought as his bloodshot eyes came to a stop on Kiara. Snorting, he took a small swig from the whiskey bottle.
"Tai! What did I tell you about hookers?" he said in an annoyed voice.
'Either more than one or none at all. You know the rules,' Red commented.
Po rolled his eyes.
Tai Lung face palmed. This wasn't going to be a good first impression. He'd hoped Po would've been at least somewhat reasonable...And somewhat sober.
"Uh. You said tha-" he began.
"Rhetorical question," Po sighed, cutting him off.
Kiara features were a mix of indignant, shocked, and insulted. This was possibly the most ludicrous thing she'd ever seen. This must be a joke. And for the love of the gods, she was NOT a hooker!
"You're the Dragon Warrior?" she let out in disbelief.
Po turned his attention back towards her with a fake indignant look.
"Why so surprised? Looks can be deceiving y'know," he said in a knowing tone, setting down the whiskey bottle.
Kiara rubbed her temples in confusion, "So, you ARE the Dragon Warrior."
Po snorted, before scratching his chin with his free hand, "Aaaah, No. Sorry. We discontinued that service. You're a couple months late," he apologized sarcastically.
'Man, you're getting good at this.'
Po internally gave himself a pat on the back.
Kiara's eye twitched at the comment. Before she could respond, Po rose from his seat and limped over to the counter. Digging around he found a container of cashews. Opening it, he popped several into his mouth.
"Want some?" he asked, gesturing to the cashews. Kiara shook her head, frowning.
Shrugging his shoulders, Po set down the container and hobbled over to the lioness. He stopped a couple feet from her. Looking down, he tilted his head as he studied her. Kiara met his gaze back with composed determination. He would've been an imposing figure if he lost some fat and if he was a little taller. Po had actually lost a few inches of his height when Daemon had damaged his spine. Before he'd been an even 6'0". Now it wouldn't be a stretch to say he was under 5'10".
"Maybe I should introduce myself. My name's Kiara," she remarked, extending her hand for a handshake.
'She's pretty hot dude. Like smoking.'
Po raised an eyebrow at Red's comment. He didn't disagree though. With both hands on his cane, he made no move to return the gesture. After a minute, Kiara awkwardly put down her hand
*Ahem*
Po looked behind Kiara to see Tai Lung, with his arms crossed. His eyes screaming, 'Be Civil'.
Putting on a fake smile, Po looked back to Kiara.
"Hi. I'm Po Ping. I used to be the Dragon Warrior. Key word USED. Are we done here?" Po returned sharply before turning back around and heading towards his chair.
"Well I need your help Dragon Warrior. I've come a long way to meet you," Kiara said, looking hopefully at the panda.
"I can see that...Lioness. Probably early twenties. Royalty, given your speech and body language. Probably arrived on boat, you don't seem to be the land voyaging type...closest port would be Zhanjiang...Your accent screams Northern Africa...Probably Egypt," Po listed off boredly, spinning his cane in a circle as he plopped down onto his chair.
Kiara's eyes widened as the bear listed off extremely accurate assumptions. Feeling self-conscious, she folded her hands behind her back.
"You can tell all that by my appearance?" she questioned, partially in awe, but partially nervous.
"Yep but there's more. Since there's no royal guard here. I'm assuming your alone. Of course, no princess would be allowed to roam free without protection. You ran away," Po pressed with an eyebrow raised. Looking around he spotted a newspaper laying on the coffee table next to his chair. Picking it up, he flipped to one of the articles and began to skim it.
Kiara's mouth was ajar as she tried to speak, but nothing came out. She knew that she was easier to read than some people, but the 'Dragon Warrior' was reading her like an open book. Looking over to the panda, she saw he was immersed in newspaper, reading it as easily as he was reading her. Ironic yes. Irritating...also yes.
"Daddy Issues? That's ok. Dysfunctional Family? Everyone has one...But judging on your lack of feminine charm. Your posture is off. I believe you were raised by only a father. No mom. Divorce I guess?" Po continued, voicing the question more as a statement not bothering to look up from the paper.
Kiara's magenta eyes were watery and her lips quivered very slightly at the mention of her mother.
"She was killed. When I was a child," she stated icily, her gaze burning holes into the panda's skull.
Po at least had the courtesy to look up from the paper, if only for a moment. He was met with a heated glare from the attractive lioness.
The moment of decency was ruined when he shrugged before looking back down to the newspaper, "Six of one, half a dozen of the other."
Kiara growled at him. How dare he? She'd come all this way. Hundreds and hundreds of miles to ask for his help, just to be ridiculed by him as if she were a two-year-old.
"You are a JERK!" she snarled pointing at the uncaring panda.
Barely glancing up from his paper, Po returned in a disinterested tone, "And your cleavage is way to revealing to be considered ladylike princess."
Kiara's eyes widened before glancing down. Unfortunately, he was right. Her tunic was drooping down revealing her rather ample bosom. Cursing, she grabbed the fabric and pulled it up until anything below her collarbone was covered.
Turning her vexed gaze back towards the panda, she let out a soft growl.
Glancing up to see the look on her face, Po's mouth formed a perfect 'O'.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were having a state the obvious contest...I'm competitive by nature," he quipped in a smug fashion before turning his attention back to the newspaper.
Steam could almost be seen coming out of the princess's ears as she marched over to the so called 'Dragon Warrior'.
Before he had time to react, she snatched the paper out of his hands, crumbled it up, and forcefully threw it into the fireplace across the room. Turning back to the bear, she crossed her arms in anger.
Po looked at her before glancing across the room at the fireplace.
"Anything else you'd like to say?" she questioned sharply.
"Yeah...you throw like a girl," he remarked with a straight face.
Kiara wasn't amused. She leaned forward and poked her claw finger at his chest.
"I can't believe I traveled all the way to meet the Dragon Warrior...you're a FAT, CRIPPLED, DRUNK WHO IS POSSIBLE THE BIGGEST ASS I'VE EVER MET!" she berated, her voice getting louder as she continued.
Taking a few breaths to calm herself, she continued her rant, "From what I'd heard I thought you would've been this perfect, heroic, nice guy who did the right thing, but no! You're selfish!"
Po had been indifferent to the lioness's words up until this point. However, what she said next struck a nerve.
"You've probably had a perfect life! Loving friends! Family! Riches! Fame! Women, single and married, throwing themselves at you! And you act like you have it so bad! I lost my mom when I was nine! I've had to live under a dictator of a father! I could never leave the palace! A tyrant wants my head! What's your life like?" she finished with a glare.
However, when she met his eyes, she almost flinched. His emerald orbs were a mixture between hurt and fury. Something both frightening and beautiful at the same time.
"MY LIFE IS PAIN!" he bellowed, rising abruptly, startling the lioness.
Looking down at her, he let out a breath.
"This isn't a competition princess. Don't act like you know me," he stated more calmly than before. Kiara couldn't tear her eyes away from his as she tried to analyze the meaning behind his words. She could almost see the pain and hurt bubbling beneath the surface.
Tai Lung, who they'd both forgotten about, slowly walked over in a placating manner.
"Guys it's getting late. I'm sure you're both tired. Why don't you head to bed Po. Kiara can take my bed, I'll take the floor," he offered in a neutral tone.
Kiara turned to the snow leopard, "No, I can't make you sleep on the floor. If you don't mind me staying, I'll take the floor."
Tai Lung shook his head, "You're a princess. I can't let you sleep on the floor."
"Yeah? Well your old joints probably couldn't handle sleeping on the floor," she shot back with a smirk.
They both continued to negotiate until Po shut them up. He was beginning to get a migraine.
"Enough!"
They both turned to the panda, Tai Lung with confusion, and Kiara with curiosity.
"Neither of you is sleeping on the floor. Kiara can have my bed," he finalized before grabbing his cane and slipping past both of them.
"What about you?" Kiara questioned in genuine curiosity.
Heading towards the exit, Po turned back around with a shrug.
"I need to clear my head..." he admitted, opening the oak door.
"Also, he snores and you're annoying," he remarked sarcastically before shutting the door behind him.
Kiara gave the snow leopard an exasperated look, "That's the famous Dragon Warrior?"
Tai Lung chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head.
"He's a big softy, once you get to know him," he said with a grin, though it wasn't a very convincing one.
Motioning to the panda's bed, Tail Lung grumbled, "Might as well head to bed. I usually read for a bit before hitting the hay."
Sitting down in one of the armchairs, the former felon slipped on his reading glasses before picking up on his night novels.
Kiara raised an eyebrow before sighing. Climbing into the panda's bed, she wiggled around until she found a comfortable position. Sighing in content, she buried her face into one of the cool pillows. It was rather quiet aside from the crackling of the fireplace. Moments later, Tai Lung was brought out of his reading by Kiara.
"Hey! These sheets!" she let out, taking a handful of the fabric and sniffing it.
The snow leopard internally cringed. They hadn't washed their bed sheets for quite a while now. They were two guys living in a log cabin in the forest. Expecting guests and having clean bed sheets wasn't at the top of their priorities. He'd actually been planning on doing it today, but he'd been preoccupied. And Po didn't really care. All their extra bed sheets were dirty, so there was nothing he could've done. He'd hoped that they weren't too dirty, or at least not bad enough for the princess to notice it. Expecting to be berated by the princess, it was a relief when she didn't.
"Did you replace the bed sheets recently? They smell amazing," she let out in interest, taking another breathful of the scented sheets before snuggling deeper into them.
Tai Lung almost choked on the air but managed to disguise it as a cough.
*Cough*
"Uh...Yeah. Just this morning."
*Cough*
Luckily, the lioness didn't catch his slip. The snow leopard let out a sigh of relief. Within half an hour later, the princess was deep asleep, her lithe form rising and falling with each deep breath. After a few hours of reading, Tai Lung bookmarked the page in his novel before setting it and his reading glasses down onto the coffee table. Quietly rising, the leopard stealthily made his way over to the cabin door before exiting onto the cabin's outdoor patio.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
He was greeted by a continuous tapping sound originating from the far-left side of the front door's patio. Glancing over, he saw Po's large form sitting down, leaned up against the cabin's outside wall. The tranquil night would've been almost dead silent, if not for the panda. Po seemed to be completely ignorant of the subtle yet quite annoying sound that came every time he absentmindedly bounced his cane into the cobblestone patio floor.
"Stop playing with your cane. It's quite loud y'know," Tai Lung stated with a smirk. It'd been a constant dirty joke ever since he'd gotten Po the wooden walking aid.
Po scoffed back at him, "Well, you and I both know I can't do it inside. Not when there's a lady present."
Tai Lung chuckled at the panda's retort. The former 'Dragon Warrior' had always been fairly witty, at least for the short time he'd known him in the past. But before it'd been childish and goofy. Nowadays, more so since he'd reunited with the snow leopard, his wit had shifted dramatically from childish to intellectual, maybe more cynical and derisive than the former villain thought was possible from a previous goody-two shoes, but an interesting development nonetheless.
"I think she likes you," the leopard teased, sitting down next to the bear.
Po snorted at the comment. Yeah and Daemon was an elephant in disguise.
'Though that would explain why the bastard was so damn hard to kill,' Red pondered.
Po shook off the thoughts. The last thing he needed right now was Red explaining another one of his conspiracy theories for hours on end.
"I didn't take you for a comedian Tai," Po yawned.
The snow leopard looked off into the night as he scratched his back, he always got itchy in the winter for some reason.
"But the more interesting question is why you like her?" he pressed with a smirk.
Po raised an eyebrow as he looked over to his former enemy. His expression voicing his thoughts. 'You're joking right?'
"You haven't stepped foot outside the cabin the entire time you've been here Po. I don't think it's a coincidence that you've finally done so the moment she showed up," the leopard theorized.
Po simply scoffed at the presumption. Tai Lung knew better though.
"You might fool her Po. You might even fool yourself. But you ain't fooling me. You're drawn to her for some reason," he analyzed with a crooked smile.
And from the brief flash of realization that dawned upon Po's face, it looks like he'd struck gold. That panda wasn't the only observant guy around here.
"Yeah, well. She reminds me of someone," Po mumbled, looking at the designs in the wood of his cane.
"You dated a lioness before? She's the first one I've ever seen," Tai Lung asked with a raised eye brow.
Po waved him off, "No I haven't dated a lioness before. I didn't even date the girl."
Tai Lung shook his head in confusion.
"Then what the hell reminds you of her?" he inquired, looking at the bear in question.
"Her eyes."
After Po's comment, there was dead silence between the pair for nearly a minute. Without them talking, the faint sounds of the wind against the trees and the crickets chirping in the night was all that remained. That was until Tai Lung ruined it.
"Well if that isn't the cheesiest cliché shit I've ever hear —"
Thwack!
"Ow!"
The snow leopard massaged his bruised shin, handiwork of a miffed panda with a hardwood cane, and expert weapons training.
"As I was saying, her eyes are pink magenta. The only ever person I knew with those eyes was an old friend," Po continued on.
Tai Lung was still nursing his shin and his pride, but that didn't stop him from pestering the bear.
"If you liked her that much why didn't you and lover girl hook up?" he asked.
Po's face darkened as he looked back at Tai Lung. Even though he didn't utter a syllable his message was heard loud and clear by the leopard.
"That bad huh?" Tai Lung let out with a grunt.
Po simply nodded as they both stared off into the pitch-black night, only illuminated by the florescent glow of the moon.
"Her name was Kenli."
Tai Lung nodded, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, "I probably could've guessed that."
Po looked over to his cabin mate with a confused look. The feline shrugged his shoulders awkwardly.
"You talk in your sleep," he admitted.
Po quirked his lips in irritation. Not wanting to bother the panda further, for his health sake, Tai Lung rose from the ground.
"I'll be leaving early in the morning. I need to scout out the Jade Palace and the surrounding areas to see the extent of Daemon's criminal network and influence," he informed Po, who nodded in understanding.
"I'd ask you to come, but I think we both know that It'll be much faster and safer if I do this alone. Given your...current situation," he finished awkwardly.
"Permanent situation. It's fine Tai. I've come to terms with it," Po shrugged gesturing towards him bum leg.
Tai Lung nodded, heading towards the front door before turning back around, "Another thing. Let the girl stay if she wants. I saved her from bandits, but she lost all her money and her ticket back home. She's lost Po. So, try to be a little nicer," he added in a scolding tone, much like an older brother would tell off a younger sibling.
Po let out a small grin, "You know me Tai. I'm an expert."
"Riiiiight," Tai Lung let out suspiciously before heading inside to get a night's rest.
"Mmmm," Kiara groaned, screwing her eyes shut. The harsh morning rays of sunlight that beamed through the cabin windows disturbing her resting form. She really didn't want to get up. The princess couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that well. The bed was much nicer quality than any of the hotels she'd been staying in. And much better than her previous accommodations with the pirates or even on the ship that she'd left Egypt on. Not to mention the soothing scent of the pillow and the bedsheets. She'd have to ask the snow leopard what they washed the sheets with. With that in mind, Kiara snuggled back into the sheets, determined to get a few more hours of rest.
Minutes later, the lioness's ears perked up at the sound of sizzling from the stove. Soon after, the delicious aroma of spices that filled the air was finally enough to get her to open her eyes.
Sitting up in bed, the princess stretched out her arms while arcing her back in typical feline fashion. Rubbing the sleep residue from her eyes, Kiara turned her attention to the stove, expecting to see Tai Lung. However, to her surprise, the Dragon Warrior...or 'former' Dragon Warrior, was at the stove cooking. She watched in interest as his hands skillfully performed a variety of tasks. Cutting up ingredients, flipping and stirring, adding dashes of spices and herbs. His arms were a blur as he exhibited perfect execution and dexterity that rivaled that of a master chef. The panda was so absorbed in his craft that he hadn't even noticed her wake up. Either that or he didn't care enough to acknowledge it. Kiara was willing to bet on the latter.
"What are you making?" the lioness questioned, covering her mouth as she yawned.
The panda made no move to respond, or even a cue to show that he'd heard her. After nearly a minute without a response, he finally answered.
"Breakfast," Po returned curtly, not evening glancing up from his proceedings.
Not offset by the panda's obvious lack of tact, Kiara slipped out of bed, walking closer to the kitchen area.
"Very specific," she drawled, crossing her arms at the bear.
Po continued to ignore her as he added the finishing touches to his noodles and stir-fried eggs.
Kiara huffed. So, he wanted to play that way? Fine. She could ignore him too. Confident in her abilities, the lioness marched over to the clothing rack and slipped on one of the aprons. Selecting a pan from one of the drawers, she strode over to the stove. Bumping the panda to the side quite forcibly, she set the pan down on one of the remaining unused stove tops.
"What are you doing?" Po asked in irritation.
Kiara scoffed at him, selecting a variety of random ingredients that Po had been using. Tossing them carelessly into the pan, she turned a knob opening small stove top door allowing the flames from the fire below to heat up the pan. Po grumbled in annoyance before finishing up. Draining the noodles, he poured them onto a large platter. He then scrapped the stir-fried eggs onto the other side of the platter before setting it on the far end of the counter away from the stove.
"I'm making myself breakfast. Why don't you mind your own business," she replied in the same tone of voice he'd used earlier.
Po crossed his arms with a look of contempt written across his face. Kiara took this as a challenge. Having a burning desire to prove him wrong, the lioness picked up an unlabeled bottle waving it in the panda's face.
"If you must know, I'm going to simmer these vegetables and chunks of meat in water," she remarked, pointing to the mixed ingredients she'd thrown into the pan and then gesturing to the bottle she held in her hand.
"That's not water," Po returned with a bored sigh.
Not listening to the panda, the lioness unscrewed the cap and began to dump the contents of it into her sizzling pan. Glancing to see the clear liquid pouring into the pan, Kiara felt smug.
"Oh yeah? I suppose this isn't a bottle either," she mocked, waving the now empty container in the panda's face.
Po rolled his eyes. Dumb blondes.
"No that IS a bottle. What you just poured into your 'breakfast' wasn't water...it was vodka...And now it's about to explode," he stated matter-of-factly.
Kiara's face fell. Spinning back around, she spotted the flames of the stove making their way up the side of the pan before licking at the vodka. In result, the entire pan shot up in flames. Kiara shielded her eyes as the heat from the flame eruption singed some of her hairs. After a few seconds, the feline opened her eyes to the witness the result of her innocent mistake. Her pan was still on fire, the ceiling above was blackened quite severely, and the surrounding stove area was also blackened.
Kiara turned around to see the bear looking at her in irritation. His arms crossed, he looked rather displeased with the current situation.
"Uh...I'll clean it up," she offered with a bashful smile.
Kiara spent the next half hour scrubbing down the stove and counter with Po watching her every move. Although not used to manual labor, the princess wasn't about to give the bear another thing to gloat about. Wiping sweat from her brow; the feline's next thoughts were cut off by the growling from her stomach. She still hadn't eaten yet. Turning hopefully the panda, she fiddled with her fingers.
"You wouldn't mind if I tried again would you?" she asked gesturing to the now spotless stove top.
Po rolled his eyes before unhooking his cane from the cabinet top, where he'd hung it earlier.
"No. You aren't allowed around anymore fires...or flammable things...or anything related to the subject," he rumbled.
Kiara looked at him in exasperation. Surely, he didn't expect her to starve?
"Well what am I supposed to eat? I'm famished!" she let out in frustration.
"Just eat that," Po said, nodding his head towards the platter of food he'd cooked earlier. Untouched, the food was still steaming in the brisk cabin air. It looked quite appetizing, even by royal standards. Kiara could still smell the aroma of the food through the smoky air. If it tasted half as good as it smelled then it would be more than delicious. And if the princess was being honest, she'd eat about anything at this point.
"But what about you?" she asked tilting her head in curiosity.
Po shrugged before making his way towards the door, "Not hungry."
Kiara stared at the bear as he walked towards the door. He was such a confusing figure. He seemed aggressive at first. Rude. Sassy. Snarky. Serious. Neutral. Now...timid?
"Po," she called out, using his name for the first time since they'd met.
Sighing, the former hero looked back towards his house guest. To his surprise he was met with a genuine smile. Her pearly whites were in the form of a smile, rather than the snarl that he was accustomed to. Her magenta eyes sparkled in the morning light like radiant orbs of energy.
"Thanks," she beamed at him, in genuine appreciation.
Po momentarily froze. That smile...slightly crooked, perfect pearly whites. It was almost a perfect copy of Kenli-
'Get a hold of yourself panda!' he scolded himself.
Regaining his composure, Po scoffed although the corners of his mouth tiled upwards ever so slightly.
"I just don't want you burning down the cabin. Infuriating as you are, Tai would have my head if I let you kill yourself," the bear gibed before swiftly exiting the cabin, leaving the lioness to eat her breakfast.
Taking a bite, Kiara moaned in delight. He sure could cook, if anything.
"There's hope for you yet panda," she let out with a grin.
*Days Later*
It was rather tranquil out here. The cool air and the warmth of the rising sun signaled the break of dawn. The gentle lapping of the water was quite calming. Po was currently seated along the sandy shore of a lake, resting his head on his cane. He'd heard Tai Lung rambling about it the other day. The former villain was convinced that it was a new discovery, seeing as it wasn't on any of the maps they owned. It was only half a li or so south of the cabin. Hidden by a grove of trees, and sheltered by a range of thick forest covered hills, the reservoir was untouched by the outside world. He named it 'Leopard Lake'.
'How original,' Po thought sardonically.
It was a nice change from the crowded cabin. In fact, it almost made him forget about all the hellish things he'd been through the past few months...almost. Nonetheless it was better than being in the cabin with...her.
Po absentmindedly, reached down and picked up a small flat stone from the sandy ground underfoot.
It was like fate was taunting him. As if he already didn't have enough troubles when fate was involved. The princess was almost a spitting image of Kenli. Aside from the obvious difference in species. Her voice, her witty attitude, her stature, her banter, her smile...her eyes. Po had never seen another girl with a pair of magenta eyes. The closest thing being the pale pink of Kenli's mother. Kiara's eyes weren't just magenta...they were the exact same illustrious shade. Like hypnotic glowing orbs. It was almost scary if it hadn't been so...so intoxicating. That was possibly the scariest thing of all. He wanted to dislike her; to act indifferent. But she was so similar to Kenli that it was hard for him not to be drawn to her.
'Hey! Also, their names both start with K! That's kinda weird!' Red let out in wonder.
Po was too deep in his thoughts to respond to the voice's revelation, as he twirled the skipping stone in his right paw.
'What-what if she's a clone! Or an alien...or a ZOMBIE!' Red panicked as chaos ran amuck inside the bear's mind.
'Shut up Red!' Po thought in annoyance.
Po tried to make sense of it all as he massaged the back of his skull, a headache forming. Whether it was from overthinking or Red's insanity he didn't know.
He just needed to stay away from her. Keep his distance. Hopefully, she'd be gone within a week or however long it took her to find a way home. Then she'd be out of his life...
'Just like Kenli,' Red helpfully added.
"Not helping," Po growled in anger, furiously hurling the stone at blistering pace towards the lake. The stone spun in a blur as it skipped across the water almost faster than the naked eye could perceive. It continued its course across the sizeable lake until it finally disappeared from eyesight.
'Wow! I counted 107! That must be a record! You should consider competing...'
Po blocked Red out, sighing in irritation as the voice continued to ramble about God knows what. It was like having an annoying...sometimes helpful...crude younger sibling that you couldn't punish (physically anyways).
After a few minutes, a small morning drizzle peppered the landscape around him. The cool morning air's temperature allowing the droplets to be refreshing rather than uncomfortably cold.
Rising from his seated position, the bear almost fell over. Steadying himself with his walking aid, he took a deep breath. Looking up at the sky and the water droplets, a thought came to the panda's mind. Bringing his hands together, Po steadied his breathing before closing his eyes.
"Inner Peace," he muttered.
Trying to mimic the familiar motions of the technique, Po set down his cane and began to sweep his arms back and forth. Eyes closed; the bear balanced on his good leg. Taking another breath, Po centered himself. It was a challenging task to perform inner peace, given that he was without the use of a leg. He tried again. And again. And again. Stumbling, the bear tripped over his useless right leg and fell to the ground in a heap. He couldn't do it. Whether it was because he'd lost the function in his leg and couldn't perform the technique properly or the fact that he was no longer at peace with himself he didn't know.
The drizzle had ended a few moments ago, leaving the panda covered in rain dew, and frustrated at his situation.
He couldn't do Chi. He'd lost his ability to do Inner Peace. He couldn't do anything without the need for a cane. He was hopeless.
Reaching down, Po retrieved his fallen cane and dusted the sand off of it. Despite his efforts the sand still stuck to the piece of wood in irritating fashion. Muttering in annoyance, Po limped over to the water's edge and dipped the cane into the lake. Washing off all the dirt, the panda glanced down at the calm water's surface. His reflection stared back at him. What he saw just made him sicker than he already was.
His fur and attire were unkempt, much like a homeless beggar. Overweight once more. Dirty. His eyes dulled to almost a dark grey at this point with only a hint of the former jade green.
Splashing away the reflection in disgust, the panda looked up towards the sky in hatred and despair.
"WHY! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?" he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the area.
Falling to his knees, the panda let a single tear stream down his face.
"Why am I cursed?" he let out quietly in pain.
It was quiet after that. No response from fate or the universe or whatever omnipotent forces that seemed to enjoy watching the Dragon Warrior suffer.
"Um...Are you alright?" a voice questioned from behind the grieving warrior.
Recognizing the voice, Po turned around to face Kiara. The lioness stood there timidly, here arms behind her back.
Clearing his throat, Po recomposed himself.
"I'm fine princess," he returned sharply.
Sighing, the feline fidgeted in place. She'd thought that the Dragon Warrior would've been perfect. Infallible. Steady as a rock. Turns out...he was as messed up as everyone else. Maybe even more so.
"Is there a reason that you dislike me so much?" she asked in an honest tone.
Every man she'd ever met, bar the criminals, had been nice or at least respectful to her. Some for more noble reasons than others, but at the end of the day her wealth, looks, and status were generally enough to charm most men to their knees. However, this panda not only didn't seem to care about that, but actually was rather discourteous to her, especially her. Then again, maybe he was this rude to everyone he met. For some reason, she liked that he was different. He was authentic...in a rude snarky sort of way.
Po shrugged, rising from his knees and dusting off the sand.
"Not much of a fan of royalty," he let out with a grunt. Taking his cane, the bear began to walk towards the grassy hilled areas a few dozen meters south of the lake. It was a relatively short journey and he'd grown rather fond of laying in the comfortable luscious grass. To his dismay, the perky princess swiftly followed him.
"Why's that?" she pressed, wanting to know more about the enigmatic panda.
Po rolled his eyes. This girl couldn't take a hint.
'Well at least she's hot. Better than an ugly girl following us around,' Red supplied.
Po shrugged, somewhat in agreement.
"Because they ask too many questions," he replied to the lioness in an irritated tone before trying to pick up the pace.
Kiara sped up until she was easily keeping pace with the crippled bear.
"You can't outrun me," she stated in a bored tone.
'We could if we broke her legs. What'd ya think?'
'Tempting but no. Tai wouldn't be pleased,' Po replied to the voice.
Po looked over to the lioness in aggravation before slowing his pace to something more comfortable. His left leg was burning since it was the only one doing the work. Kiara sighed in content, looking rather pleased with herself.
Finally making it to the hills, Po laid down in the soft grass. It was one of the few pleasures he had now. Kiara shrugged before following suit. So peaceful, so comfortable. Po stared up at the blue sky. The sun was finally reaching up into the sky, lighting up everything in sight. The moment was ruined by the princess.
"Y'know you never answered my question," she let out from her spot next to the bear, looking over at him.
Po sighed.
"Let's just say we had some disagreements," he returned in a tired tone, hoping the answer would be enough to shut up the feline. It wasn't.
"About what?"
Po snapped his attention over to the lioness who looked back at him in curiosity, her head resting on her hand.
"Why do you care so much?" he asked with a frown.
Kiara huffed, sticking out his lower lip slightly in an irked fashion.
"I'm just trying to make polite conversation. You aren't really helping," she returned in a vexed tone. After saying this the princess closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself.
"Listen. I know we got off on the wrong foot...I think we both said things that we shouldn't have the other night...And I probably could've handled myself better and I'm sorry," she apologized in a sincere tone, looking at the bear in anticipation.
Po stared back at her with an unreadable expression. She gazed back boldly, not breaking eye contact. Finally, Po sighed.
"His name was Shen," he finally admitted his eyes still locked with the lioness.
Kiara leaned in closer, gesturing for him to continue.
Po grumbled before continuing, "He attempted a massacre on my species when I was a baby. And he tried to kill me...multiple times actually."
Kiara's jaw dropped, "That's awful!"
"You said it," Po returned wryly.
They were both quiet for a moment, the sound of the breeze the only noise present.
"But he didn't succeed right? You said 'attempted'," she coaxed nervously.
"No. He didn't."
Kiara let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't stand the thought of something so awful happening.
Sitting up, she crossed her legs.
Scooting closer to the bear, she pressed, "So...what was your childhood like?"
Getting more comfortable with the lioness, Po scratched the back of his head.
"You don't need to hear my sob story...what about you?"
Kiara shook her head, "It's kind of a sob story as well actually."
Po leaned forward, intent on listening. Sighing, the princess supposed she might as well humor the bear.
"If you must know, it was wonderful...for the first nine years. After that, my father's kingdom was divided and fell into chaos. My mother was killed the night it happened," she said quietly, a small tear streaking down her face. Wiping it away, Kiara tried to lighten the atmosphere with a choked laugh.
"The rest was just boring. Sitting inside the castle walls. Overprotective Dad. Locked in my room," she released with a humorless smile.
Po nodded neutrally as he observed the emotional feline. Clearing her throat, Kiara crossed her arms looking at the bear with conviction.
"I've told you my sob story. I feel it's only fair if you tell me yours," she remarked.
Po let out a small scoff before sighing.
"What do you want to know?"
Kiara tapped her chin with one of her clawed fingers in thought.
"What was childhood like? I missed out on it," she finally remarked wryly.
Po snorted at that.
"You didn't miss much. School. Bullies. People. Parties I didn't go to. Yeah, fun times," Po grunted.
Kiara tilted her head in curiosity, "What about friends?"
Po let out a genuine laugh at that. If she was being honest, Kiara wished he did so more often.
"Hard as it is to believe, making friends isn't easy looking the way I do," he deadpanned.
Kiara frowned at that, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's hard making friends when you're twice their size," he returned with a shrug.
Kiara winced at that, further regretting her words from a few nights before. As much as it surprised her, Tai Lung had been right. The bear was nice...under a hundred layers of sarcasm and snark. He just put on a rude exterior to block people out. Somehow, she doubted that had always been the case. The night before he left, Tai Lung had told her to try and make peace with the Dragon Warrior. He said that the panda 'had suffered a lot. Especially the last few months', whatever that implied.
"Well it's their loss," Kiara stated firmly, giving the panda a small smile.
Po returned the smile, although it looked rather forced, Kiara guessed it was better than nothing.
"What about your parents? What are they like?" she asked, however she immediately wished she hadn't.
Po's small smile disappeared, being replaced by a guarded expression. Distancing himself from the lioness, he shakily rose with the help of his cane.
"I think that's enough pep talks for today. After all, curiosity killed the cat," he remarked, back to his sardonic self. He began to make his way down the hill.
Kiara cursed herself. All her progress had been for nothing. And now she was back to square one. Quickly jumping to her feet, the princess jogged after him.
"Hey!"
Po stopped with a groan. Turning around he saw Kiara running down the hill. Jogging up to him she huffed out, "I originally came out here to ask you something."
Po rolled his eyes, "Trust me princess. You did plenty of asking. You get an A for annoying," Po let out sarcastically, giving the feline a thumbs up before continuing his walk back towards the cabin.
Kiara ran around and jumped in front of him, stopping his progress once more
"Can I ask you a favor," she continued holding up her hands in a placating manner.
"Sorry, fresh out. It's been a busy week," Po quipped, walking around the lioness.
"Please."
Po came to a complete stop at this.
'She said the magic word. You must obey or face the consequences!' Red nagged.
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, the bear turned around looking at Kiara expectantly.
"What is it?"
Unstrapping a sheath from her back, the lioness presented the weapon to the bear. Po quickly examined it. It was a unique design. The blade unlike standard swords curved out into a C. Unsheathing it, he examined the fused metals that the blade was composed of down to the finely constructed pommel.
"Khopesh sword? Nice," Po mused before handing it back to the princess.
Kiara held the sword with a determined look on her face.
"I want to learn how to fight. With and without the sword," she began.
Po crossed his arms, now intrigued.
"Could you teach me?" she asked, looking intently at the bear.
Sighing, Po thought over the situation. Training a princess in the art of violence seemed like a bad idea. There were so many things that could go wrong. But then again. Maybe having her train was the best way to get her to shut up. After all, talking was rather hard when you're occupied with a hundred other things. Looking back at the princess, he shrugged.
"Sure...why not?"
A/N: And that's a wrap. What do you guys think? About Kiara? About Tai Lung? About Po being a sarcastic ass? Red's probably been a bad influence. As well as Po's optimism shifting to pessimism. I had a bunch of fun writing the banter between characters and it'll only get better in the future. Maybe Kiara and Tai Lung will be able to appeal to Po's better nature? Who knows? Only time will tell...
Leave a review if you want on your thoughts, opinions, and whatnot! Hope you guys enjoyed the latest installment of KFP:ODT! I'll catch you guys in the next update!
Frost2001 Out.