When she opened her eyes she lay on her back in a dense, snowy, and unfamiliar forest.
Wasn't it summer?
To her near left Tai Lung crouched. He looked up at the trees and gave a brief growl of disapproval. She shifted as she woke, crackling leaves under her. Tai Lung snarled and hit her with a nerve strike directly in the center of her chest. She seized up and froze.
Tai Lung followed suit.
He tipped over like a wooden doll, arm still extended, landing with a puff in the snow next to her. They stared at each other, physically unable to look away. His eyes were baffled and incredibly angry.
Tigress's mind raced. What happened? How did he freeze himself? Had the strike ricocheted somehow?
Did he know how to get out of this stasis? Surely he must, Shifu never taught anything less than complete technique. But how long would it take? And what would he do to her all alone in this forest? When he recovered he was sure to be very very upset. If she was lucky, he would just kill her quickly. If she wasn't her fate could be much, much worse.
After a few hours Tai Lung made a sound. It was deep, guttural, and distressing, especially coming from his frozen face. His chest stuttered. Movement rippled up his into his neck and muzzle. With an agonized groan he rolled his jaw open and slowly began to unclench himself. It looked painful, as though he was in a battle with his own musculature. He stopped to pant and curse a few times before finally regaining movement.
He shook it off then turned to look at her with a dark gaze that made her heart pound. He was deciding what to do with her. She wondered how many times she would be forced to ponder her fate today. He leaned into her with a low growl.
"Listen to me," he rumbled, close to her face. Tigress shuddered. "I'm going to release you now. Do not continue to be a pain. Are we clear?"
She could not speak or nod, but he accepted whatever was in her eyes. Quick as lightning he tapped a few points on her body. She came unclenched and rolled on her side, dry heaving into the snow.
"There's no way Shifu taught you nerve attacks, you're not nearly advanced enough," he said. "How did you reflect the strike back at me?"
"I didn't," Tigress croaked.
"You clearly did," Tai Lung said, growing impatient. "Tell me how!" he growled, grabbing her vest and baring his teeth in her face. Tigress gasped and smacked him hard across the mouth. To her confusion she felt a bright pain bloom in her jaw, tasted blood in her mouth.
Tai Lung roared and drew his arm back to strike her, his teeth stained red.
"Wait!" Tigress shouted, putting her hands up. He startled long enough for her to keep talking. "Just - just wait. Something's wrong."
He gave a brief questioning growl, arm still drawn back.
She gingerly extended her arm to him. "Scratch me."
"What?"
"Just do it."
Looking skeptical, he gave her a quick slice across the forearm. They both flinched. There were bright red cuts on both their arms.
"Wh- wh - what?" Tai Lung flustered. "What in the -?"
They looked at each other, equally baffled.
"What is this?" Tai Lung asked softly. "The work of that -that -"
"Dragon?"
"Dragon!" Tai Lung sputtered. "The - that wasn't -that couldn't have been - dragons aren't real!"
She grabbed at his wrist gauntlet. "Let me go."
"I told you not to be a pain," he snarled, giving her a hard jerk by her vest. "Are you ready to behave?"
She showed him the scratch on her forearm. "What choice do I have?"
He grunted, dropped her on the ground, and began to pace. They started at each other. When he looked at her she could see wheels turning in his head and she didn't like that.
"What do you suggest we do?" she asked.
"We? What's this 'we?' I'm returning to the Jade Palace to collect my scroll. You can feel free to do whatever it is you do."
She straightened. "What I do is stop you. You will not return to the Valley of Peace, Tai Lung."
Tai Lung rolled his eyes. "Do you have a death wish? Stop throwing yourself into my teeth!"
"Only now you cannot bite me."
Tai Lung's eyes widened.
"Anything you inflict on me will be inflicted on you. But I will not stop pursuing you."
"Fine! Chase me all you like! Who are you trying to impress?" he asked. His eyebrows raised. "No need to explain, I know all too well who you're trying to impress. I wonder what lies Shifu filled your head with, hm? The same lies he told me? Or did he cook up a new batch for my replacement?"
Tigress gave a low, warning growl.
"Oh what a sweet little rumble you make," he said, chuckling. "My dear, it's been a pleasure, but I must be on my way. Pursue me if you wish, but really, don't - I can tolerate a lot of pain and keep moving. Don't make me inflict it on the both of us. In the meantime - "
He poked her shoulders and breastbone. She immediately felt drippy and relaxed.
"That will slow both of us down," Tai Lung said, yawning. "But it will slow you down more. Happy hunting, little kitten."
Angered rippled through her. She hated being called kitten.
He gave a curt bow, then dashed off into the strange forest on all fours.
Tigress rose, wobbled a bit, and followed.
He was right. The strike did slow her down. She tried to keep up with him but she was soon overcome with the desire to find somewhere to curl up and nap. That compounded with the exhaustion she'd fairly earned meant Tai Lung gained ground and was quickly out of her sight. When she could run no more she climbed into a tree to rest. The stars burst into life above the canopy as she dusted snow off the thick branch she selected to sleep upon.
She got a look at her surroundings. There was not much to see. The forest gave way to a flat snowy plane, broken only by a road, forever off into the horizon. Far in the distance were flickering campfire lights. Nothing looked remotely family to her, not even the trees. She knew of no place anywhere near the Valley of Peace this unending and flat.
And snowing. In summer.
She moaned softly and rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted and this was more than she could properly consider. In the morning she would continue to pursue her insufferable quarry. He also had to rest and it was unlikely he was far. She put her head down on her arms to sleep.
When she woke it was still dark and she knew with every inch of her body that Tai Lung was two and a half miles directly southeast. She felt him the way one feels an oncoming storm. In a sort of fugue, without stopping to think about it, she leapt down from her branch and began walking towards him. Her footsteps were loud in the snow. He would hear her coming. But he already knew she was coming. She felt him know it. She felt him turn to come meet her.
She came to a clearing just as he stepped out of the opposite side. As soon as she saw him her fugue evaporated and she didn't remember making the conscious choice to seek him out. Yet here she was.
He was a hulking silhouette, lit only by moonlight and the glowing gold of his eyes. They stared one another down, but the intimidation was tinged with mutual bafflement. To her surprise Tai Lung spoke first.
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you?"
They were both silent for a long moment, Neither of them knew.
"Well," he said. "What now?"
"What?"
"What's your end game, dear?"
"My end game is stopping you."
"Yes you've told me," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm curious how. You can't strike me without inflicting pain on yourself, and apparently you can't sneak up on me. So what's your plan?"
"I can kill you painlessly," Tigress said. "Silently."
"No you can't."
"How do you know?"
"Try," he replied darkly.
Tigress growled.
"Don't growl at me, you're the one making threats."
"Fine. Since you are so wise, what's your end game?"
"I'm going back to the Jade Palace for my scroll."
"It will never be your scroll."
"That remains to be seen," he said smoothly. "But it's certainly not yours. You're no Dragon Warrior."
Tigress took a sharp breath. Growled.
He chuckled. "I'm bored with growls. What else have you got?"
She clenched her fists and began to circle him. He watched her, amused.
"I see," he said. "Yes yes, get yourself a nice good view. I don't mind. I'll even help you." He lifted his arms slightly and turned for her, flicking his tail. "Any ideas?"
Tigress was quiet.
He smirked over his shoulder. "I'm waiting."
She did not answer. He faced her and looked her up and down.
"What's your name?" he asked. "Or shall I keep calling you little kitten?"
She turned on her heel and stalked off into the dark forest.
"Giving up already?" he called after her, laughing. "Very wise, little kitten! Very wise."
She kept walking for a long time. She eventually stopped at another sleeping tree but could never sleep for all her seething. Instead of climbing into it she punched the base of it, flipped and kicked at it, tore at the bark with her claws. Everything she would have liked to do to his stupid smug insufferable princely face.
I'll smack that underbite right back into place, Tigress thought, punching the tree. I'll be your dentist.
She thought suddenly of the panda.
She punched the tree hard.
He was pointing at me, Tigress broiled. Oogway was pointing at me. I know it. Shifu knows it.
She turned and kicked the tree with the back of her heel.
If I defeated Tai Lung I would PROVE it.
Swiped her claws across the trunk, digging deep trenches in the wood.
But instead I'm stuck out here - wherever THIS is -
She took a few steps back, panting, clenching her fists. She flew at the tree, extended her leg in midair -
With HIM!
She hit the tree. It wobbled for a moment, creaked, and with a great crash came down. Tai Lung probably heard it. Good! She hoped he heard it. Maybe if she kicked down a tree on top of his big flat head she could kill him that way.
Not knowing what else to do she started walking in the direction of the road she'd seen. Throughout the night she kept walking until she hit that same boundary of two and a half miles, then she suddenly knew Tai Lung's location and felt compelled to turn around and head back to him.
"Stupid dragon curse," Tigress muttered, and forced herself to stand still. She may not be able to move forward but she could wrest enough control of herself to not walk all the way back to him every time she pinged off his aura. Once she no longer felt him she rose to her feet and got on her way.
Eventually she hit a wall she could not pass. He must have stopped to rest. She turned in his direction. Perhaps she could creep back to him and deliver that painless silent death in his sleep?
She sighed. Her shoulders sagged. She simply did not have the energy, and truth be told she had no clue how she would do it.
"Goodnight, you dumb beast," she muttered, found a branch, and slept.
o
The next morning they both emerged from the forest onto the windy plain at the same time. He was perhaps a mile away, a hulking figure the size of her pinkie. He gradually grew larger as he came towards her.
"Good morning!" he called.
Tigress didn't return the greeting. She stood with her side to him, a defensive posture. He stopped about ten feet from her.
"Do you have any food?" he asked politely.
Tigress was taken aback. "Where would I be keeping food?"
Tai Lung shrugged. "You look like a girl who might have some cookies on her."
She blinked. "Are you…calling me fat?" she asked incredulously.
"No!" Tai Lung replied. He grinned toothily. "I'm calling you sweet."
She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.
Tai Lung frowned.
"Now listen, there's some sort of walled fortress in that direction," he pointed towards the horizon. "It's a few hour's walk down the road. That's the best bet for food. I'm hungry, you're hungry, we're hungry, we'll both go there, we'll walk together. Come on," he said. He gestured for her to follow and stalked off.
"I'm not sure who you think you are barking orders at me," Tigress replied.
"I don't think I'm anyone!" he snapped. "Did you plan on heading somewhere else?" he asked, gesturing to the barren white plain. "We're going the same direction. We both need food and there is food!" He jabbed his hand at the horizon. "We can walk together or we can walk two and a half miles apart. Your choice."
"I'll take two and a half miles apart," Tigress growled. She turned to walk away from him.
"Oh, come on!" Tai Lung cried.
She kept walking.
"What are we going to do, walk at a distance all the way back to the Jade Palace?"
She shook her head. He started following her.
"I'm not asking much," he said. "Do you know what it's like to go twenty years without speaking to anyone?"
Tigress spun to face him. "If you are so concerned about speaking to people then perhaps you should have thought about that before you destroyed the Valley of Peace!" she snapped. "I have nothing to say to you! My only purpose is to stop you!"
"Stop me from what?"
"From taking the dragon scroll!" she shouted.
"Well I don't see any dragon scrolls out here, do you?" he shouted back.
They stared at one another. After a long moment Tigress sighed heavily and started walking towards the road.
"Fine!" she said. "Fine. Walk where you want. But I don't want to talk to you."
Tai Lung made an exasperated sound but remained quiet. They crunched through the snow.
"At least tell me your name."
"You made it a whole three minutes!"
"Well what am I supposed to call you?"
"Nothing! You aren't going to speak to me!"
Tai Lung raised his chin, crossed his arms and fluttered his eyelids, imitating her. "I'm not sure who you think you are barking orders at me," he said.
"Seriously?"
"That's how you sound."
"Yes. I understood what you were doing there."
"Oh, have a sense of humor!"
"Stop telling me not to have - or to have - or - just stop talking to me!" She stalked off ahead of him, frustrated at how easily he made her lose her composure.
"Goodness, what splendid company you are. Maybe it would be better if we did kill each other. Only we can't."
"Maybe I'll hire someone."
He gave her a withering look. "Oh. Oh right, little kitten. Who are you going to hire to kill me? Oogway? Here, Oogway. Here's ten gold and a picture of the guy."
"I - " Tigress began a retort, but found herself distracted by the image he painted of Oogway as a hitman. She cracked a tiny bit, gave the smallest breath of a laugh. His expression brightened upon seeing this.
She shook off her amusement. "Don't call me little kitten," she said.
"If you'd tell me your name - "
"Quiet!" she shouted, and sped up her pace. To her relief he respected her wishes and did not speak to her the rest of the morning, though she felt his eyes on her constantly. Finally they approached the fortress.
"The gates are open," Tai Lung remarked. "That's good. Probably a peaceful place."
Carriages and traders, most of which came from the opposite direction, entered and exited freely. Tigress and Tai Lung strolled in without incident, and with no one stopping them. The fortress walls encircled a long low hill, on which was a huge city of yurts. Yaks walked by with embroidered coats, along with goats and long haired sheep. A bear or two. They faced a long row of traders and cook-shops, beyond which more yurts rose up on the small hill, at the top of which was a huge tent bearing differently colored flags. The smells of foreign food and the sounds of a foreign language drifted in the air.
"This is Mongolia," Tai Lung said softly. "We're in Mongolia."
Tigress's heart, which until that moment was full of fury and hope, fizzled down into her stomach like a feather in a rainstorm.
"We're in Mongolia!" Tai Lung growled through clenched teeth. The fur on his shoulders bristled. Tigress could feel anger pouring off of him.
"Tai Lung," she said warningly.
"Do you know what that means?" he seethed at Tigress.
She put her hands up in a calming gesture. "Tai Lung."
"That means - that means - " he sputtered and panted. "That means it'll take years - YEARS! - to get back to the Valley of Peace!" he roared. Startled passerby scurried away. He heaved and snarled. His pupils went narrow and his claws came out. It was like seeing a bomb seconds before detonating. Tigress nearly took a step back. She began to grow afraid that, in his rage, he might destroy this yurt city the same way he destroyed the Valley of Peace.
"Tai Lung -"
He gave a snarling growl. Her eyes widened. She thought suddenly of Shifu.
"Tai Lung, FOCUS!" she barked.
"I am focused!" he barked back, but in turning his attention to her his emotional momentum broke. He began to stalk back and forth but at least he breathed, and some sort of selfhood returned to his eyes. He shook his head, growling softly.
"Listen. Tai Lung, listen." Tigress said. "Let's eat something."
"I don't want to eat something," he grumbled, sounding like a petulant child.
"I'm not happy about this either. But we both need food, and there is food," she said, jabbing her hand at the lane of cook-shops.
He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. Then another.
"I don't have any money," he mumbled.
"What?"
"I don't have any money!"
"Fine!" Tigress said. "I do. Now come on," she said. She started towards a noodle stand and gestured for him to follow.
"If I ever find that dragon again I'll kill him," Tai Lung seethed.
"You can't kill a god," Tigress replied.
"I absolutely can kill a god. I am the Dragon Warrior."
Tigress rolled her eyes. "How about you kill a bowl of noodles first?"
"I will murder a bowl of noodles," he grumbled.
o
They ate in silence. Tigress finally began to process her shock. It might be years until she saw her Master or her friends again. She was stuck in Mongolia - Mongolia! - with a huge psychotic hellbeast she could neither kill, maim, nor abandon. Her fate suddenly seemed very grim indeed. She watched him as he ate, feeling surreal.
Tai Lung finished his noodles and stared down into his empty bowl.
"Thank you for the meal," he said, calmer now that he was fed. "I was very hungry."
She nodded. They sat in silence for a long time, watching the city's people go abut their daily business. Her mind raced.
"You know, some very strange things have happened in my life," Tai Lung said quietly. "But nothing like this."
She shook her head.
"Were you aware that there's a god living off the Thread of Hope?" he asked.
"A god that grows cabbages," Tigress replied. "What kind of god grows cabbages?"
"And he was a tiny god! When I think of a god, I think big. Imposing."
"He was imposing," Tigress said quietly.
They sat in silence for another while, watching families stroll by and traders do business.
"Shall l I be the bigger man, then?" Tai Lung finally asked.
"What?"
"We've broken bread together. I propose a truce."
She crossed her arms. "I don't know how much of a truce I can have with someone like you."
"Someone like me? You don't know a thing about me."
"I know enough."
"I'm sure you think you do. I'm sure Shifu told you plenty."
"Oh he did," Tigress lied.
"Whatever he said, I promise you it was only half the story."
"Your half of the story ends in mass murder and the destruction of my home," Tigress said. "Why would I want to hear it?"
He scowled at her. "Because in it are some things you might be interested to know about the man you call your Master."
"I know enough. I know you aren't fit to speak his name."
"I'll speak his name all I like. But that is beside the point."
"Then what's the point?"
"The point is, without a truce, we'll just end up going in a two and a half mile wide circle hoping the other gets caught in an avalanche or dies in battle," he said.
"An avalanche?" she asked. "On a plain?"
"I -" Tai Lung began. He shook his head. "No - I mean - you know what I mean."
"I really don't. How would that happen?"
"Stranger things have happened. Stranger things happened yesterday. Stranger things may very well continue to happen, and we are best off facing them together. We should at least attempt to be friendly."
"Oh I'm sure you'd like that," she replied. "I'm sure you'd like to be friendly with me after twenty years in prison."
He rolled his eyes. "Why do pretty women always think so highly of themselves? Don't be deluded, little kitten. I in no way desire this or you. This is a very unwanted setback and you are sour company for such a long journey. But we don't have to like each other. All we need to do is cooperate and we can both manage to get back to the Valley of Peace one day."
She bristled. "The Valley of Peace? Try Chorch-Gom."
Tai Lung shut his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.
"If you can think of a better plan, given the current…" he gestured back and forth between them "…whatever this is, I'd like to hear it."
Tigress looked down at her empty bowl.
"No," she admitted softly. "I don't see any way around it."
"Then it's agreed." He extended his hand. "Truce."
She paused for a moment. She did not take his hand. Instead she saluted him, fist to palm, as they did at the Jade Palace. He accepted this and returned the salute.
"Thank you. Now will you please tell me your name?"
"My name is Tigress."
"Your given name, not your rank title."
She scowled. "Tigress is my given name."
"Your parents named you Tigress? How unoriginal."
"No, the matrons at Bao Gu named me Tigress."
"The orphanage?"
"Yes."
"Oh I see!" Tai Lung huffed. "So I'm off to prison and Shifu immediately starts trawling the Valley of Peace for his next Dragon Warrior orphan! Got right back to it, did he?"
"No. It didn't happen that way at all."
"Fine, then how did it happen?"
"None of your business!" she snapped.
He growled at her. She growled back. All the people in their immediate surrounds grew quiet and scampered away, giving a wide berth to the two clawed and fanged killing machines that may or may not be about to fight in their presence. The proprietor of the noodle stand scolded them loudly in Mongol. He pointed away from his store.
"We're off to a splendid start," Tai Lung muttered.
"We don't have to like each other, all we have to do is cooperate," Tigress said, standing. "Don't get used too used to me buying you lunch. I didn't bring enough money to cover being blasted into Mongolia by a dragon. We'll need a lot of supplies for a journey this long."
He looked skeptical. "You're suggesting we stay here? And … what? Find jobs? Should I ask the noodle man if he's hiring?"
"I'm not sure how else one gets money."
Tai Lung rolled his eyes. "In such circumstances as these, one doesn't bother with money. One silently takes what one needs in the night and leaves quickly."
Tigress looked at him with disgust. "You can't just resort to theft every time things don't go your way."
"Yes, in fact, I can," Tai Lung said. "No one here can stop me. Or you, for that matter."
"'Because they can't stop me' is not a good reason to rob innocent people."
"No, getting back home within our lifetimes is a good reason to rob innocent people. Do you have any idea how long it will take to earn the kind of money you're talking about?"
"Do you have a better suggestion?"
"Yes. I just made it."
"No. If you want to be a lazy coward go right ahead. I'll let the entire city know what you're up and then sit right down like an anchor. All you'll be able to do with the supplies you steal is orbit this place as a criminal. With that kind of visibility I'm certain a decent Mongolian archer can get an arrow through your eye eventually. So go ahead. Please. Rob the city and take yourself out for me. It would be the first good thing that's happened since we met."
Tai Lung stared at her. He slowly rose to his feet and came close to her, his eyes never leaving hers. When she was sure he would stop he kept walking, stepping directly into her space. He came close enough that she could hear him breathe, hear the air fill his massive chest. She could smell him. He smelled like wind and fur and something else. Something delicious.
This threw her entirely.
"What - what are you doing?" she demanded.
He reached behind her. She heard a piece of parchment ripped off a post. Tai Lung wordlessly held it up for her to see.
"What is it?" she asked, still startled by his scent, his closeness.
"It's a flyer for a prizefighting tournament," he said, pointing to a pair of figures depicted battling in a ring.
Tigress rolled her eyes. "You're just determined to do this by underhanded means, aren't you?"
"What's underhanded about it? It's an honest competition."
"A master of your level fighting total amateurs is not an honest competition. And Oogway always held that it's an affront to the spirit of kung fu to fight for money at all."
"I could not care less for Oogway's opinion on the matter," he growled. "That turtle has been senile for at least three hundred years. And you are being irrational. If you want to spend the next year cleaning yurts so we can afford to leave Mongolia, be my guest. In a few hours I'll have more money than we can carry out of here."
She crossed her arms. "Will you? Have you ever competed in a prizefighting tournament before?"
"Of course not! I was a good boy. No prizefights, no wine, no gambling, no girls. To earn the Dragon Scroll one must be utterly perfect. So I was utterly perfect."
"Except that one time."
He cast her a dark look. He leaned in close, close enough that with a mere jerk of his chin he could kiss her.
"You have a smart mouth," he said softly. "Did Shifu train you to have a smart mouth?"
She lifted her chin and met his eyes, defiant. She did not give a reply, though she knew she had a good one. Something about the combination of his eyes and closeness and scent thickened the air between them so much she could barely breathe.
His gaze fell to her mouth. Something flashed in his eyes.
Desire.
Her eyes widened. It was unmistakable and filled her with … something. Like fear but … not quite.
Tai Lung shut his eyes and shook his head. Straightened and stepped away.
"Do as you wish," he said. He shook the flyer at her, raised his eyebrows, and stalked off into the city.
"All right," Tigress replied absently, but he couldn't hear her. She couldn't quite think straight. It as though her head had floated away from her body. She shook the haze off, came back to herself. What strange thing overcame her when she saw the look of hunger in his eyes?
Tigress startled. That desire should have been an awful thing to see. She should have found it repellent. But she didn't.
She wanted to see it again.
o