Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda and any of these characters. Damn... it feels so long that I've ever written a single disclaimer.

Anyways, whatever it is, I've gone and did this next chapter. Possibly boring but, what the heck. Anything to get this story on the road and done with. I don't intend to leave it unfinished like my old stories.


224th month

"But, Tai Lung," the striped feline cocked her head, moving aside to examine her stance. "Master Shifu said that by having the lowest point of gravity, we can move quicker than a fighter who has a higher point."

I know what she means. But even with my body mass and height, I can move quick and strong.She, however, was still learning the basics of kung fu. So, having the lowest point is sufficient for her level.

"This is your level." I positioned her legs apart, making a horse-riding stance out of it. "We all need to start from one point. In your case, the lowest level."

"Like level zero?" she incredulously asked.

I smirked and stifled a light chuckle. Level zero… There is no such thing as level zero. Only an idiot buffoon like a fat panda or a lazy bum will think of such a level; level zero. What I wouldn't give to see a crack pot lazy bum to say right in front of me that I should be giving a level zero kung fu training.

"Tai Lung."I heard Master Shifu call out to me. Here I am, standing proud of myself in front of my master. A few more scrolls and I would have mastered the thousand scrolls;Shifu would be proud of me. As a fearless warrior, I had no doubt that I will achieve my greatest dreams, making dad proud. Heck, I'd make the whole Jade Palace beam with pride and honour!

No one will insult the palace that held the legend of legends, artifacts that dated way back over to the first emperor of China and now, finally, Tai Lung: the snow leopard that became the Dragon Warrior. Tai Lung, the Dragon Warrior.

"Tai Lung?" The female feline snapped me back from my reverie and thoughts of grandeur. I blinked a few times as my focus returned back to the figure. Despite my clear senses, the striped cat started to fade and it was vague in vision.

"Tai Lung?" Her voice echoed in my ears as if my brain was a hollowed hole. Nothing there in the empty void. She repeated her words even longer, her image fading away. I turned around, looking for Master Shifu, looking for an explanation. My efforts were pointless when a word struck my now throbbing ears.

"Kitty!"

I moaned out silently as my eyes tried to open up. Blinding light engulfed my vision, obscuring my vision but I tried to focus. A strong whiff hit my nostrils and I gagged out at the smell. The foul odour! The very stench itself burned my snout till its bleeds for mercy.

Shaking my head violently, my eyes dilated over the flashing light. Once my vision had cleared over, reality struck my mind as I remembered my previous assault. With quick realization, I growled loudly under my breath.

I have failed… Failed tremendously with my feat…

I hung my head low and closed my eyes with a sound. Meanwhile, the commander had voiced out his displeasure over to me; telling me what a fool I am to think to escape from his prison, away from his clutches. He puffed out his chest and boasted even more as he made extra precaution in the prison hold.

"The ballista has added as a new weapon," he boasts on, how it was made form the best timber wood and steel that could be had, it could break a dragon's scales. "The tip has been tested time and time again. Just the right precision and velocity. It could cut your body in half."

He gloats even more about his new rock manacles that pinned me down. Apparently, they gave me an even larger rock for each wrist. It's a wonder how these steel shackles that clamped hard on my strong paws were able to hold on to the boulders that hung down way below the cavern. I'm not surprised though that they were able to pull these hard rocks all the way up to the mountain and putting them on me.

I'm strong, so, they don't worry a damn about me, whether I'm able to put up with this horrible punishment or not. Heck! What does Shifu care? He doesn't care a fucking shit about me!

Smack!

I turned my head, eyes burning with rage and anger. I'm so sick of this! The anger and rage inside of me was overwhelming but I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was bottle them up into my heart and let them all out when the time is right again. Every time that bastard commander comes in, I'm always the subject of abuse for him. Nothing else in the world mattered, not even if his actions could have caused death upon me.

"Look, kitty," he snorted. "Your act of misbehavior nearly cost me my job and a few of my men. My men. I love them all – "

"Bullshit…" Venom seethed over my teeth as my voice trembled and cracked with rage. For that, I got another punch on my cheek. My jaw felt like it could fall off any moment but I urged myself to be strong. I couldn't be weak to him.

"I love them all and if you hurt them, I will hurt you a thousand times worse than anything before. Not only that, I had to put in so many new equipments just to hold you down and don't give me your jab about escaping again. You will never get away from this place."

A momentary silent deafened my ears. Nothing happened between us, except that he licked his lips like a hungry dog.

"Let's play now, hmm?" His hooves moves across my fur spotted head and I did nothing at all. Once again, I was nothing. Just a play toy for him. Even after a few months of being incarcerated here, his amusement hasn't waned. Being man handled like this is nothing I had imagined before but over the years, I began to just let it all out. It was futile to fight the commander, a total lost. So I just accepted it.

Under the face of failure, I bore an austere expression that dimmed to be unpleasant. He was about to start his actions when a guard ran up to him, alerting his commander about something important. Vachir flared with anger when he heard his subordinate, his fun would have to wait. I was quite relieved that I was spared once more from his rudimentary behaviors, of loving to play with males, shackled and helpless.

What a sick bastard…

Vachir grabs the parchment away from his first line soldier and nonchalantly opened it up. I didn't even care what the letter said. Bet that it has nothing to do with me but just a letter commending the improvements to the security of this hell hole. It's already bad enough they added extra precautions, which in turn meant a harder escape route.

The rhino's eyes moved top to bottom as he read the parchment; eyes squinted to narrow slits and he grimaced a little over the information. As if he couldn't believe his own eyes, he reread the letter once more to confirm the meaning of each character. He kept interrogating the messenger right then and there, demanding to know who dares to bring to him this piece of papyrus.

"I don't care!" he roared with tirade. "I don't care if that bird had flown halfway down the mountain, bring him back to me now or you will never see daylight ever again."

Some commander he is to care so deeply for his men. I rolled my eyes.

"Y-Yes sir!" The scared soldier retreated back quickly and disappeared without a trace.

In the end, a snow leopard convict was left alone, once again, with an angry rhino. His nose flared with aversion and blood must be pumping through his calloused skin as his chest rose up and down in rhythm. His eyes turned upon me when he was done feeling angry but a pinch of rage was still in him. At least I think his pleasure senses had just depleted when the letter had arrived.

With much bravado that I still had in me, even though I knew that it was useless, I asked a question with a whole lot of sarcasm in it. "You lost your job because you failed to keep me held?"

His face turned from rage filled expression to a smirk and grin that made me lose any hope of intimidating my opponent.

"No, dear kitty," he shook his head. "Master Oogway is coming."

My jaw would have dropped to the ground if hadn't been chained. Master Oogway!

What the fuck does that senile turtle want from me?! He denied me my title as a Dragon Warrior, crushed my dreams, filled my mind with words of wisdom that hell knows what they mean and now, paw-carved this nerve mechanism just for me to hold my body still. He's here to gloat about it!

"Not very happy I see," Vachir said with a touch of satisfaction.

I elicit a loud growl that even the commander could have heard.

"When?" I asked.

He counted on his hooves a while and did slight arithmetic in his mind. Not only is he a dumb rhino, he's a slow counter as well. How hard is it to actually count a few months ahead?

"A few months," he finally said.

That long, huh? An early warning letter to Vachir and myself, so both of us will be prepared to hear his rambling of idiotic wisdom. Even now I have yet to truly grapes the meaning of it.

"Be prepared, kitty." He rolled up the parchment in his hooves. "Not like there's anything for you to be prepared for." And with those words, he walks away from me like I was nothing. What do I care? He treats others like dirt, why am I any different? What is a convict snow leopard to him? Nothing.

Nothing… except a play toy to fulfill his unquenchable desire for lust.

Oogway's taking his time, even though he knows that I have tried to escape before this. He wants to give me an early warning so I can prepare myself for his verdict. Maybe, just maybe, he will let me go if I am nice to him. It's worth a try. I need to clear my mind from now on, prepare myself. Meditation always helps to keep my nerve intact. I can't afford to lose myself now. Not now.

What were his words of wisdom again? Something about tomorrow, today, yesterday and a gift…

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There you have it, till here and done for. Next chapter is on the way but don't keep your hopes too high. Of course, personally, I'd like to thank Exilo for everything that you've done for me for this chapter.

R&R people! That's... if you want that is.