Chapter 19 : Guards Everywhere
It had been almost two hours since Tigress, along with ten soldiers, started their search for two escaped prisoners. They had checked almost the whole village, from the highest to the lowest places, from the brightest spot to the darkest one. But there were no any sign of two mountain cats.
The day was getting hot and the activity in Darknest Land was getting crowded. It would be difficult to search for the prisoners among that huddle.
Two soldiers were gluing some posters on a building, the other five rummaging a house while the rest, that were with her, patrolling to keep the village safe.
As an experienced warrior, Tigress knew the best ways to find the prison escapes. One of them was ; you should get a whole view so you can see everything clearly.
"You stand guard here," Tigress ordered to the three soldiers near her.
"Are you going to somewhere place, Your Majesty?" one soldier asked.
"Yes, but I would not be long," she replied. "just give me a signal when something happens."
The soldiers nodded.
Tigress walked a few steps. When she was far enough from the soldiers, she jumped up to a roof of the biggest building in that village.
'Perfect', she thought.
From up there, she could see almost the whole area in Darknest Land. Even Khan Palace could be seen cleary.
TLoTDaTT
Po was still disguising as a grocer, carrying his comrades that were hiding in the crate on cart.
"Are we there yet?" Monkey whispered.
"Not yet," Po told him as he still carried the cart. "too crowded here."
"Where are we?"
"I don't know," Po slightly tilted his head, taking a look around him as he noticed some bustling of tigers that were trading in their stalls with some customers. "In marketplace, maybe."
Suddenly, Po's view was caught by two soldiers that were gluing some posters on a building. They stared at them suspiciously.
Po gulped, hoping his disguise was good enough to trick the tigers.
The two soldiers then walked toward Po, with some posters in their grips.
Po bowed his head, attempting to turn back but the soldiers had already called him.
"Hey you. Stop!" they ordered.
Po could not do anything except froze in his spot. He could have revealed his disguise and attacked the soldiers. But no. The best thing to do when you don't want to get some troubles in your enemy's area is by not attracting any attention.
"Hey, big guy," one of the soldiers addressed him.
Po tried to stay calm. "Is there something I can help, Sir?" he asked politely, still bowing his head.
"Yes. Have you ever seen them?" the soldier showed a poster with a picture of two mountain cats. "Prisoners escaped last night."
Po clearly knew the prisoners that the soldiers showed him.
It's Hai and Lee. Dao and Liu's brothers. He had promised Dao to bring them back to The Greatest Valley.
"I'm sorry, sir but I have never seen them," Po answered. "I've just reached here to deliver these vegetables."
"Alright. But we only to warn you that these prisoners may still have been roaming around us," the soldier handed one poster to Po. "just tell us if you see them and Emperor Tiger will give you the reward."
"I will, Sir. But if I may, Sir ; can I continue my work? I have to deliver my vegetable to three restaurants before midday."
The two soldiers stepped aside, allowing Po to proceed.
The first soldier turned back, looking at Po over his shoulder a second later after that panda walked past them.
"That's awkward," he said to his comrade. "I've never seen a tiger as fat as him before."
"You kidding me?" his friend replied. "I've seen even bigger than that one. Now let's back to work. Master Tigress wants these prisoners back to their cell before sundown."
The first soldier shrugged before continuing his job until he surprisingly realized that the grocer he just met didn't have a long tail like a tiger has.
Po sighed in relieve after he managed to trick the soldiers.
"Phew," he whispered. "Wow, that was almost close."
TLoTDaTT
As Tigress kept watching over the village, her view caught four unconscious tigers lying in a dark alley.
Startled, she jumped down and called the three soldiers.
"Follow me!" She ordered.
The three soldiers sprinted, following where Tigress heading to.
They halted in a dark alley and found four unconscious tigers.
Tigress patted their cheeks gently, trying to wake them up but it wasn't work until one soldier picked a board and hit them in the face.
The four tigers suddenly awakened, mumbling inarticulate words rapidly in panick.
"No. Please let us go…"
"Please… don't hurt us…"
"Just take my money and let me go…"
Tigress narrowed her eyes, noticing those weird action of those tigers.
"What happened here?!"
The four tigers realized the situation they were at.
"Your Majesty," they bowed to Tigress.
"Get up! And explain to me what has occurred here?!"
"Something big," one of the victims explained anxiously. "really big attacked me and—" he then, with a shock in his face, realized that himself was almost naked. "No!" he covered himself shyly. "They stole my clothes and cart."
"There were five strangers," another victim continued. "sprung out of crates out of a sudden."
"Five? Not four?"
"No. Five. Didn't you see the smallest one?"
"No."
"He's green. And strong too."
"Oh. I thought he was just a little…"
"Wait, wait, wait," Tigress stopped their little chat, returning to the bussiness. "Who are you talking about?"
"The assassins." They said in unison.
Tigress gawked, open- mouthed. But not so with the three soldiers. They were frantic with worry .
"Assassins?"
"We must report this to the emperor."
"Yes," Tigress agreed. "you two," he pointed to the two soldiers. "take this victims with you."
"Er, are you not going to come, Your Majesty?" one soldier asked.
"No. I still need to complete my mission soon."
TLoTDaTT
After passing some villagers, stalls, houses and buildings, they finally reached the palace.
"We're here,"Po whispered.
But his step stopped as he almost reached the gate.
"Oh, no." he groaned.
"What's wrong?" asked Mantis.
"It's surrounded by wall and guards everywhere."
"Find another way in," Crane suggested.
Po observed. He noticed that the Palace's backyard wasn't guarded. "I got an idea." He stopped as he reached there. "All clear." Po told them. "You may out."
One by one, the four came out from the crate.
The backyard was quiet with no soldiers patrolling.
As they stayed watchful, they climbed up the wall and landed safety without making any sound. But when they were just about to continue-
"Who are you?!"
Those five pairs of eyes opened wide. Four soldiers caught them in the act. Those tigers aimed their weapons toward the warriors and shouted out loud.
"Intrud—"
Before the soldiers could finished the word, Po silenced them with a punch landed on their faces. Within two seconds, the soldiers fell unconscious.
"Wow. That was too easy," Mantis commented.
"Hurry. Hide them," Viper said.
Po, Monkey and Crane dragged the soldiers and hid them behind shrubbery.
They then tip toed and sneaked in around the backyard. Every time they met another soldiers or guards, they hid behind a tree.
"Now we're in the palace area," Monkey said. "what's your next plan?"
"Sneak attack," Po replied shortly.
"Oh, not sneak attack again," Craned palmed his head. "we cannot provoke more chaos anymore."
"But that's the way to find Tigress. Remember how when we were in—"
"Hey!" someone exclaimed.
Three another soldiers, along with five villagers, one of them was almost naked, saw them.
One of the villagers pointed at Po and his comrades. "It's them. They attacked us."
Po and the four set their Kung Fu stance, ready for another attack.
"Intruders!"
Five seconds later, about fifty soldiers appeared from all directions, surrounding Po and the four.
"Get them!"
There was no way out but to stay and prepare for an attack.
But those soldiers were too much.
They five could not win. They were outnumbered.
TLoTDaTT
"No," Po struggled, trying to unhand himself from the chain around his wrist. "You don't understand! We're not your enemy!"
"Shut up!" One of the soldiers snapped and dragged Po and the four to their cell.
They opened the door and pushed Po and the five hardly to force them to enter the cell with a thud.
"No!" Po got to his feet, running toward the door. But before he could reach it, a soldier already had the door closed and locked it.
"Let us out of here!" Po shouted out, banging the bars.
"I said 'shut up!'" The soldier glared at Po.
"We're just looking for Master Tigress! We're her friends!"
Upon hearing that name, the soldier narrowed his eyes.
"Please let us go," Po begged. "I-I just want to see her."
The soldier chuckled. "Friends of Master Tigress?" he shook his head and laughed. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Where is she?!"
"None of your business, Panda! You and your friends will be rotting here and there's no chance for you to see any of your friends again."
Po was annoyed, kicking the bars, only to hurt his leg.
The soldier laughed again, turning his back and walked away. He should report this to the emperor.
"Hey! Where're you going?! I'm still talking to you!" Po yelled.
But the soldier ignored him. His step then stopped as he found someone walking toward him. And that someone wasn't a commoner.
"Prince Yuan Sheng." The soldier bowed.
"I heard a commotion here," the prince said. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Everything is under control," the soldier reported. "we just arrested these intruders." He pointed at the cell.
Yuan Sheng's eyes widened as he saw who's the prisoners were.
He indeed still remembered that panda.
"You?!"
And Po did too remembered the prince.
"You?!"