Chapter 3 - Problems Begin
Tigress's POV
I woke up early as always and then I got up but I noticed that Luke wasn't in the room with me. I looked around for a note but there wasn't one and he didn't even take his sword. Something must've happened to him last night.
The morning gong went off and I shot out of the room along with the others.
"Good morning, Master." We all said in unison. Luke's absence didn't go unnoticed as Shifu walked up to me and looked into my room.
"Where's Master Luke?" Master Shifu asked me with a concerned look on his face.
"I don't know Master, he didn't even leave a note." I replied back. I'm just worried at this point.
"Alright, all you, search the Palace grounds for him. Viper, go with Tigress. Monkey, with Mantis, Po, with Crane. Go!" Shifu explained to all of us and we all immediately went into our partners and searched all over, me and Viper started at the Peach Tree, nothing, then the Training Hall, nothing as well. Where could he be?
"Wait, what about the Pool of Sacred Tears?" Viper said to me. Why didn't I think of that earlier?
"C'mon. I knew that something's wrong with him but this is just bad." I said to Viper as we ran to the Pool. She looked at me confused by what I said.
"What do you mean?" Viper asked me.
"Haven't you noticed that for the past several days, he's kept to himself and doesn't leave the Palace. Something's wrong with him and I can't believe he didn't tell me about it." I explained to her with clear frustration in my voice. I've been having feelings towards Luke for some time now because I can't help but feel at ease with him and we're both practically equal in our skills, and I can't help but feel like we're similar in a lot of regards. It's just that I don't know if he feels the same way about me and I'm not great at handling my emotions.
Viper noticed my frustration and is clearly having ideas in her head.
We ran for a short while until we reached the Pool and we saw Luke lying on the ground right next to the Pool and it seemed as though he was in some kind of struggle. Something is definitely wrong.
"Stay here with him, I'll go get Master Shifu." I ordered Viper and I ran on all fours to get Shifu as quickly as I could.
Viper's POV
Tigress ran back to the Palace and I have to watch over Luke to make sure nothing happens. I slowly slithered my way to Luke and his body position made it seem as though he was in pain before he passed out it seemed.
Then I noticed something weird, I looked at his face and noticed that some kind of black smoke was coming off his right cheek, right where Tigress struck him when he first got here. I was freaking out internally and I decided to touch it with my tail and see if I can stop it.
The moment I touched the scars, my whole body was in searing pain and then I heard a dark voice in my ears.
"He will be mine once I've convinced him." The voice told me. Before I was able to say anything, I blacked out. I hope we can help Luke in time.
Tigress's POV
I just made it to the Hall of Warriors and saw Shifu meditating by the pool.
"Master, we found Luke, he's by the Pool of Sacred Tears, and he's blacked out." I said to Master Shifu in deep breaths from running on all fours down here. He sharply turned towards me and he gestured to me to lead him.
We didn't say a word as we were just focusing on making sure that Luke is okay.
We reached the Pool and Viper is unconscious, now I'm fully worried, what the hell happened here?
"Come on, let's take them back to the Palace." Master Shifu ordered me and I immediately grabbed Luke and held him in my arms. Master Shifu grabbed Viper and we walked back to the Palace, in particular to the barracks. We put Viper in her room and Luke in mine and his. I laid on his bed and I noticed the scars from when I struck him, they were blackened as though they're bruised. Something is definitely wrong.
"Master, we need to keep an eye on Luke, there's something wrong with his scars." I told Master Shifu and as he was about to say something, we heard Luke breathing quickly and in shallow breaths.
"Hold him down!" Master Shifu ordered me and I did just that and then he put his hand on Luke's forehead and muttered something which made Luke calm down a bit. Then Shifu looked at the scars on his cheek and he had a look on his face that read shock.
"I need to read Master Oogway's scrolls and figure this out. Until then, take care of him." Master Shifu further told me. I nodded in response. He then left the room and I decided for today to stay close to him.