Ohayho New York! Konnichi wa London! Konban wa Tokyo! CJzilla here with another chapter! The inspiration for my OC "Lady Layla" was the villainess from the awesome film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The masterful, the deliciously evil, Jade Fox. Now in this chapter, Lady Layla pushes and Tigress shoves back. Enjoy.
As I crush this city under my monstrous feet, alls CJzilla has to roar is this: R&R! Love on me, hate on me... I don't care.
Smiling Faces Sometimes
Po forced a laugh, trying to keep his cool around this experienced warrior. Was there anything NOT corny that would come out of his mouth?
Then the grey vixen turned on her heel, spinning.
"Then please, most honorable Master Po-" she bowed.
Lady Layla bounced over to a pair of bamboo staffs lying on the ground. Doing a single handed handstand, the vixen snatched one of the staffs. Flipping to her feet, she flicked the second rod into her free hand with her ankle. Walking over to the panda, Lady Layla spun the staffs in her hands.
"-show me what you've got," she gave him a wily smile as she held out the rod.
Po gingerly took the rod from her soft hand.
"Uh-… I… I don't really… uh… I don't think I should fight with you…" The panda floundered for the right words. "You're a chick… and I'm a dude… Oh, man! This is hard to explain-"
He was cut off when Lady Layla threw part of her robe to the side. Under the cloak was a tight ashen silk top, hip cut pants and a silk over-skirt. The silvery vixen spun her staff and laughed.
"Who says we're fighting?" The vulpine asked. "I haven't trained with another Kung Fu Master in a long time. You are schooling me, Master Po."
With that she bowed to him. Po glanced around. When he saw no one watching, the panda shrugged.
"What the heck?" Po smiled, gripping his staff. "Prepare for 110 percent of Dragon Warrior awesomeness!"
The panda spun it around his body before clocking his face. Lady Layla held in a giggle as she watched Po hold his nose.
"I meant to do that," he croaked. "It's how I warm up. Ow…"
Lady Layla giggled and the two warriors honorably bowed to each other.
"And since you're a lady, you can go first," Po remarked.
Those words scarcely left his mouth before he had to throw up his staff to block a hit from the vixen. Lady Layla did all the basic offensive moves; aiming for his ankles, sides and head. Po blocked them easily. Setting his staff just behind her ankle, the panda gave the vulpine a push with his big belly. Lady Layla went reeling backwards, tripping on Po's staff. She danced clumsily, trying to retake her balance. The panda laughed, spinning his rod.
"Wow," he teased. "You are rusty. Why don't you just give up now? Save yourself the embarrassment."
Lady Layla laughed, determination flashing over her yellow eyes. And she dove at Po again.
Raising her staff, she aimed for the panda's head. Po easily blocked it. And when he swung his rod around toward her head, Lady Layla blocked it. The vixen managed a gentle stroke across Po's side as she pinned his rod to the ground.
Layla's yellow eyes locked with Po's green ones. The vixen saw a cool calm and a love of life in the panda's eyes. That's why she was so drawn to this light-hearted warrior. He didn't take himself or his fighting that seriously.
Po saw the vixen give a big, happy laugh as she jumped away. The panda smiled as he took the offensive. Lady Layla held her staff firmly in her hands and Po simply snuck his rod between her arms and spun it. Her wrists were hit and her grip was gone. Lady Layla's staff went spinning into the air. Po gave his opponent another belly push. Lady Layla bounced with it as she watched her rod spin skyward. The panda thought he'd won the fight but she jumped into the air, high into the air. Catching her staff, she twisted in midair and hurled it to the dirt. The bamboo rod stuck straight out of the dirt.
Po watched the vulpine glide out of the air. She landed gracefully on the tip of her skewered rod, not a splinter of the wood was heard.
"Whoa," the panda awed, surprised.
Lady Layla laughed and she jumped to the ground. Bowing, the grey vixen finished the fight.
"That was fun," she voiced bringing her body upward. "Thank you, Master Po."
Their eyes locked again. Po found that he was staring again. He was about to say something cheesy when both warriors heard clapping from the pavilion of the Hall of Heroes. Po and Lady Layla looked up and saw Tigress clapping, a neutral look on her face. Without a word, the female warrior bounded from out of the shadows and to the training yard.
Tigress eyed Lady Layla with a distrustful look. Going against her normal stickler manner, Tigress gave a blatant disrespectful glare to the older female. Lady Layla returned the stare with her own. Both females' tails flicked back and forth as they silently sized each other up.
Po was confused and uncomfortable with the silence. He decided to end it.
"Hey Tigress!" The panda cheered. "Glad you liked the show!"
Tigress didn't peel her eyes off of the silvery vixen. She felt jealousy rise inside of her as she glared at the vulpine. Tigress was very well aware of who the female was in front of her, but that didn't take the edge off of the envious sting she felt when Lady Layla was flirting with Po.
"Uh… Tigress? Lady Layla?" Po's voice was getting high, a sign that he was feeling uneasy.
After their eyes bored into each other's, Lady Layla snorted. Turning on her heel she pulled her training staff from the dirt and placed it back where she found it. Picking up her tattered cream-colored cloak, Lady Layla put it over her shoulders.
"Leaving? So soon?" Tigress jeered, though her ridiculing tone was subtle.
The vixen Kung Fu Master picked up on the female tiger's contemptible attitude and immediately turned.
"Not at all," Lady Layla responded. "I was just getting comfortable."
To vex the disrespectful tiger further, the vixen let her eyes come to Po.
"You are very skilled with a staff, Master Po," Lady Layla flashed a smile. "How are you with your bare hands?"
THAT WAS IT!
Tigress gave a loud, angry snarl and dove at Lady Layla. The vixen moved quickly to the side and the tiger passed her harmlessly. Tigress recoiled and took a swipe at the vulpine with her claws. But she saw a blur of cream-colored cloth wrap around her hand before she could strike Lady Layla. Tigress was then yanked off of her flow of attack and thrown away from the silvery vixen. She tumbled in the dirt before coming to a quick stop.
Po was horrified at seeing one of his friends and an honorable Kung Fu Master getting into a fight.
"Hey!" The panda ordered. "Knock it off! Both of you!"
Tigress was on her feet. She let out a growl and sped toward Lady Layla. Again, the female tiger aimed to shear that smile right off of the vixen's face. Lady Layla spread her arms, the cloth of her cloak flowing with her movements.
The vixen caught her fists with one of her cloak's sleeves. Lady Layla then clapped a hand on Tigress' thigh and ollyooped the girl over her head. She slammed the younger warrior to the ground. The Kung Fu Master dropped Tigress to the ground, her hand still on her thigh and sleeve still tightly wrapped around her fists.
Lady Layla grinned down at Tigress.
Tigress gritted her teeth and raised a foot, placed it on the vulpine's belly and gave her a shove into the air. Lady Layla gave a yelp of surprise as her sleeve ripping from her cloak. The vixen hit the dirt.
Tigress shredded the remainder of Lady Layla's sleeve from around her hands. Bouncing to her feet, the female warrior was ready to continue the fight. She was met by angry green eyes of a certain panda.
"That's enough Tigress," Po commanded.
Tigress seethed, ears flat on her head.
"Get out of the way Po!" She snapped. "I'm going to teach that fox a lesson!"
She sidestepped only to have Po match her move.
"No," the panda firmly returned. "We were having fun. You took it to the bad place."
Tigress' mouth fell open at the panda's reprimand. Then Po turned and gated to Lady Layla.
"Are you all right?" The panda knelt beside the vixen.
Lady Layla nodded, looking stunned. Taking Po's hand, she got to her feet.
"Sorry about Tigress, Lady Layla," the panda explained, eyeing Lady Layla's missing sleeve. "Maybe there's something in the bean curd."
The vixen dusted herself off.
"That's all right," Lady Layla returned. "I was young once too."
Po shot Tigress an angry glance.
"C'mon, Lady Layla," the panda said quietly. "Let's get into the shade."
He motioned for the steps and pavilion of the Hall of Heroes.
"I'd be delighted, Master Po," the vixen returned. "Thank you."
Without another word, Lady Layla took Po's arm and the two walked up the steps. Tigress watched in disbelief as the two warriors moved under the dark pavilion. But at the last second, before the shadows swallowed them up, Lady Layla looked back at her. The vixen's yellow eyes sharpened into taunting daggers and an evil smirk split her lips as she pulled Po tighter to her. Then both Lady Layla and Po disappeared.
Tigress' blood boiled. She closed her fists so tight it hurt, the fur on the back of her neck stood straight and she let out a furious yowl. This was not over! Not by a long shot! That tease of a vixen would not tear her friends apart, Tigress swore!
Tigress burst into the training room, hoping blow off some of her anger by mercilessly beating the candy out of the equipment. Instead of being the only warrior inside the training room, Viper and Mantis were casually working through the hazards. But the female viper stopped once she heard the doors practically kicked in. She spied Tigress, looking as mad as she'd ever seen her.
Without a word, the female tiger gave an angry snarl as she leapt head first into the obstacle course. In the blink of an eye the swinging hazards were reduced to sawdust. Viper barely had a moment to grab Mantis and move out of the way before Tigress continued her warpath. Viper and Mantis stood on the sidelines, eyes bugged as they watched the usually calm perfectionist turn into an angry whirlwind, tearing things apart.
The spinning exercise dummies were turned into fire wood, busted in unrecognizable ways. Tigress moved to the fire spitting bamboo tubes. Twisting, flipping and leaping among the flames, the female tiger growled loudly. With one thrust of her palms, a blast of wind shot through the air and doused the strong flames. Falling from the air, Tigress landed at the end of the course breathing hard but her anger in no way spent.
"Whoa," she heard Mantis awe.
Turning her furious amber eyes to her two friends, she shot them a glare. Viper sighed and turned to Mantis.
"Mantis, could you excuse us for a second?" The snake asked.
The bug darted his eyes between Tigress and Viper.
"Girl talk," Viper explained with a grin.
"OoooOh," Mantis realized. "All right. I'm gone."
Mantis bounced to the door and disappeared.
Viper then turned her attention to her friend. Slithering over to Tigress without taking her green eyes off of her, the snake approached.
"What's wrong?" Viper questioned raising herself so that she could look the female tiger in the eye. "I've never seen you so troubled."
Tigress gave a growl, taking an intimidating step toward the snake.
"It's none of your business!" She snapped.
Tigress jumped off of the sidelines and back into the exercise course. Viper let her tongue lap the air and followed. The female tiger stood on the Brawling Bowl, fighting an invisible opponent. Viper joined her and blocked an unintentional blow. Tigress growled and began to fight with the snake.
"Anger is not the way of the Kung Fu master," Viper voiced, easily dodging Tigress' jukes. "Anger makes you careless, emotional; making you do things that you regret seconds later."
The snake caught Tigress' fist and yanked her off of her feet. The emotional tiger fell, coming to a stop at the bottom of the bowl on her back. Tigress' anger was in her nose but felt her eyes blur over with tears. Viper too noticed the withheld tears in her friend's eyes.
"Tigress," the female snake sympathized, "I am your friend and I care for you. Please, tell me what's wrong."
Tigress closed her eyes and sniffled.
"You'll laugh," she returned rolling to her side.
Viper sprawled herself on the edge of the bowl, looking down at Tigress.
"Something to upset you this much is no laughing matter to me," the viper answered. "C'mon. You know you can tell me anything."
Tigress sniffled again, but turned over to Viper.
"It-… It's-… It's about a boy," she whispered.
Viper tried to not let her shock show.
"Uh huh. Go on," the snake calmly returned.
Tigress was clearly uncomfortable with her emotions.
"I saw… this boy I-… I care about flirting with another woman," the female tiger flopped over to her side, avoiding Viper's eyes.
"Uh huh," Viper bit down a laugh.
"And this woman's like, twenty years older than he is!" Tigress blurted out. "It's disgusting and I'm thoroughly jealous."
The female viper paused, thinking of what to say.
"I see," Viper returned.
Then Tigress turned back to the snake.
"But this woman's dangerous," she looked dead serious. "She could hurt this boy."
Viper's eyes flashed with concern.
"Tell him then," the snake answered. "If there was someone I cared about in harm's way, I'd tell them! The loving thing to do is to expose the danger."
Tigress nodded.
"But I acted like a fool," she sniffled. "What if he doesn't want to listen to me?"
Viper smiled.
"Don't give up," she answered. "You are earnest and he'd be stupid to not listen to you. And if that doesn't work, use the Wuxi Finger Hold on him. That always knocks sense into men!"
Tigress laughed.
"Now, dry your eyes and let's get something to eat," Viper told her friend.
Tigress nodded and hopped out of the Brawl Bowl.
"Thank you, Viper," she voiced.
"Anytime," the snake returned.
And the two girls walked and/or slithered out of the training room.
R&R! LONG LIVE ROCK!