I raised my head to look at my mother as she tucked me into bed, "Goodnight my beautiful tiger," My mother said smiling at me.
"Goodnight, mama," I said returning her smile. She kissed me on the cheek and I giggled as her large feline whiskers tickled my nose. Then she turned, walked out the door and closed it behind her.
Snuggled up and warm I started to drift away into sleep. But a knock at the front door prevented me from doing so. I heard one of my parents walk over to the door and open it up. Sensing that something was weird I got up out of bed and scurried over to my door, opened it slightly, and peaked outside. I noticed my dad was standing in front a large rhino.
"May I help you?" My father asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"Yes you may," The rhino said in the deepest voice I've ever heard.
Suddenly he punched my dad in the head, sending him flying to the ground, and forced his way in. He reached down and seized my father by his throat.
Wide eyed and paralyzed with fear I watched my mother come unaware around the corner. She saw the rhino choking my father and screamed. But soon the fear was gone and with a roar she attacked the intruder. My father managed to get free and joined my mom in the attack. But the rhino countered both of them and this time grabbed both of my parents by the throats.
"Now you screwed up. Where is the money?" The trespasser said.
"W-we don't have any, d-don't you see?" My pa said, now on the brink of passing out.
"I know you have some! Give it to me NOW!" The rhino bellowed.
"Please let us go we don't have any money!" My mother cried, then he looked around as if noticing that we definitely weren't the wealthiest family in the village, but this only angered him more.
He tossed my mother over the couch and holding up my father still, he did something I never saw coming. He unsheathed a dagger with a golden dragon for a handle out of his belt.
"Please no, please don't!" My father pleaded. The rhino reared back his arm holding the dagger, and right before he brought it forward I stepped back from my door, too scared to see anymore of this.
Then I heard the loudest roar I've ever heard from my father, then with a breath, "Yan Sue, run, r-run."
Next thing I knew my mother came busting through the door of my room. But just before entering, a large wrinkly hand grabbed her by the back of her shirt and dragged her back out into the living room.
"Who are you? Why are you doi-?" She yelled, but was cut off by a load thud.
I ran into the corner of my room, pulled my legs close to my body, and buried my head into my arms.
Please wake up, please let this be a dream. I thought to myself, letting the tears flow out of my eyes.
My ears perked up when I heard the rhino walk around. Then I heard him say, "I am the Gray Demon…"
….
I shot up breathing hard. I looked around to see what had just happened. Most people couldn't see in this environment but my feline eyes could see most things in the cave.
I saw a rock beside me with a little blood on it. Connecting the pieces I reached up to the top of my head and felt a large gash. It was then when the pain hit me all at once. I cried out holding my head cussing under my breath.
But I stopped my whimpering when my dream came back to me.
It was only a dream, Tigress… A horrible one.
It wasn't just a dream Tigress.
It had to of been I was too young to remember those memor-, Wait that wasn't my thought. I started to look around cautiously.
Your right, you were too young to remember that memory now, but everybody remembers everything. It just remains hidden the depths of your mind.
My hands curled into fists, "So it was the Grey Demon who killed my parents." I said growling lowly.
Yes and you must find him and deal with him appropriately before he hurts anybody else.
Without saying or…thinking another word, to who I knew must be Oogway, I got up to inspect the exit, or lack thereof.
"You've really messed up now Tigress." I sighed and followed with a few curses.
It was at least ten feet of rocks and debris to the other side. So I did what everybody would have done, I started digging. Fist full after fist full, I managed after only a little while to dig about one foot into the pile.
"Ok screw this."
I stood in front of the mass of rocks and focused. I figured that I would needs a lot of energy for this, energy I really couldn't spare, but it's my only choice.
Feeling the warmth rise in me, through my arms and into my hands was a hell of a rush I must say. I started to swing my arms, pushing past my own normal pain threshold letting the Chi burn my paws. I stopped my arms and opened my eyes, there are no words. Both of my front paws were enveloped in a dark blue flame, and then with a roar made with pure pain and rage I launched the ball towards the rocks.
With an explosion that sent me hurtling backwards, I skidded on my back for a couple of yards before flipping onto my stomach. I shakily stood up seeing with blurry eyes the best thing I've seen in a while, daylight.
Then tunnel vision started to settle in and I fell to my knees. Then as if icing on the cake I raised my paws in front of my face, all the fur was gone and my skin was burnt badly. Suddenly I heard ringing in my ears and started to feel numb, and then I finally gave in to the darkness.
…..
"Why hello there little one." Said the demon.
"What did you do to my mommy and daddy?" I asked fully knowing the horrible truth.
"They're going to be sleeping for a long time, just like you." He took a step in my direction.
I screamed and roared as loud as my lungs would allow me. I unsheathed my claws and bared my teeth. This seemed to only annoy the monster even more.
"How cute." He started to walk towards me.
I jumped up and ran between his legs.
"Where you goin girl?" he bellowed.
Shielding my eyes from the horrors that lay in silence in my house, I ran outside.
"Someone please help! A man has hurt my family! PLEASE someone, anyone!"
I ran around asking, pleading for someone to help me, but everyone just turned their heads. Not wanting to deal with my kind.
I made it to the local guard and told them what happened.
"Ok little one, I'll send someone out to look." The sheep behind the counter said. Even she seemed reluctant to help me.
After waiting a little while, two pigs walked in carrying a stretcher with a white blanket with something under it, followed by the same.
I don't understand.
I walked up to the sheep, "What's going on where are my mom and dad?"
She couldn't look at me, I saw tears develop in her eyes, and she got up from behind her desk. She walked over to me and sat me down in a chair.
"Honey, mommy and daddy aren't coming back, that was them." She told me with a tear falling from her eye.
I knew this already but I didn't want to face it. I looked down at my feet, feeling the wetness welling up in my eyes.
"Come with me to the orphanage you will be happy there." She said taking me gently by the arm.
But I didn't want to move, I just wanted to curl up in a ball somewhere and cry.
She finally led me to the orphanage and handed me over to another sheep.
"This is your new home you'll be happy here I promise…"
….
I woke up slowly this time, sitting up just as slow, and groaning as my burnt paws touched the ground.
"I've got to cover up these burns." I said to myself, standing up to search for a sharp rock. After finding a suitable piece of obsidian, I proceeded to cut the bottom part on my slacks on both legs. I wrapped up both of my paws and still extremely tired and shaky I walked out of the reopened entrance.
I stumbled through the woods, back to where it led me into the courtyard where Po and the others were waiting.
"Tigress! What happened? We have been looking all over for you." Viper yelled slithering up to me obviously noticing my poor condition. She was followed by everyone else as I fell to my knees.
Po kneeled down and held me by the shoulders to keep me from falling over, or at least that's what I kept telling myself.
"Tigress what happened? Why are your hands burnt?" Crane asked, and I took note on how much these people really cared about me, they weren't just friends they were family. I opened my mouth to tell what happened but Shifu cut me off.
"The Strike of the Inferno, she disobeyed my direct order, and she paid the price…and will continue to."
I almost could bear seeing the disappointment in his eyes as he turned to walk away. I just hung my head low and stared at my hands.
"Tigress lets head to the aid quarters." Po said caressing me to get up. I nodded my head in agreement and got up to walk with him.
"Po, how could I have been so stupid?" I asked him.
"Well for starters," he said opening the door for me, which I would normally scowl at him for but I was in a bit of a pickle with the door handle.
"You directly defied your master."
I didn't say another word, I couldn't say anything, he was right I made a fools mistake. One which no student should make. We walked silent for a while before finally making it to the aid station. We walked in and Po sat me down on the cot and pulled a chair up in front of me.
"May I?" He asked.
I nodded and held my hands out for him to unravel the makeshift bandages. I winced as the cloth came snagging off my badly burnt paws. I looked at him as he was studying my paws, he looked extremely worried.
"Wait…How did you do this? I know the ball of Chi was hot, but not this hot." Po asked, and which was a question I really didn't want to answer, but I did anyways.
"I did the technique normally on a column of rock and I must say it felt good… but like Shifu I got really tired. I sat down on a nearby rock and then the cave started coming down. I ran tired towards the exit, but it too crumbled down. A rock got detached from the roof and it had my name on it, hit me square in the head. It knocked me flat out and I had a crazy mem-…dream. After I woke up I tried to dig my way out only wasting more energy. So I harnessed what was left of my Chi to the point I did this," I said shaking my hands. "I shot the Chi towards the wall of rock; I broke through, passed out, woke up, and walked back." I left out many minor details just to get the story over with; I just really didn't want to talk about it.
There was just one thing I needed to get off my chest.
"Po,"
"Yeah?" He replied putting a bowl beneath my hands and pulling a cork off some bottle.
"Po i-I'm, OUCH!" I roared as he poured alcohol onto my burns.
"Sorry I should have waited," Po said.
I know he got some sort of sick satisfaction from that.
"Anyway, Po I'm sorry... Sorry for everything. Sorry for the way I've been treating you since you became the Dragon Warrior. I had no right."
"Tigress I accept your apology and I understand. I would be mad too if I lived most of my life expecting to be the Dragon Warrior and a fat oaf just took it from me."
I normally would have smiled at this, "Po you're not, ow, a fat oaf."
He stopped wrapping my hands in a bandage to look me in the eyes.
"You're a good warrior and a great friend." I said smiling, half expecting Po to erupt in laughter.
But he beamed a smile back, "Thank you Tigress that means a lot especially coming from you."
We sat in silence until he finished up the bandages.
"Po where did you learn how to be such a good nurse?" I asked playfully.
"Well when your father owns a noodle shop and there are sharp knives and hot pans flying all over the place, you tend to get good at it." He said standing up, "Ok you are free to go."
"Thanks Po… for everything."
"Your welcome, oh and why did you hesitate when you were telling me the story you almost said mem-."
"Memory, Po I know who my parents murder is, it is the Gray Demon. And the second time I blacked out I had another memory. It involved me running for help, but no one would they just looked away. I mean I know no one really liked my kind, but no one? No one wanted to help a small child?"
"Tigress that's so sad I-I'm so sorry."
"Why would you be its not your fault."
And with that we headed for the training hall. Nothing seemed to stop Shifu's latest training regime. Also Shifu took my burnt to a crispness to my or rather his advantage. He told me to spar with Po and to not use my hands.
I stood in front of Po and took a stance that involved me just turned sideways with my left shoulder pointing towards him and my hands behind my back.
We stood locked in a death stare contest, which Po seriously lost, he couldn't scare a butterfly. No he is a great warrior. I griped at myself.
I was gently brought out of my thoughts by a cooling breeze that cut through my fur and I could see it doing the same to Po.
"Ladies first…" Po was trying to get under my skin with that one, but I simply obliged.
"With pleasure,"
I ran at the panda jumping up and aiming a hook kick right at his head. He blocked easily…just what I wanted. Landing softly and before he could counter I executed a perfect butterfly kick to the pandas jaw. Po quickly rebounded and back flipped to create distance between us.
"I can't even beat you when you crippled." He said panting and rubbing his jaw.
"Try and be more aggressive in your attacks and counters, don't be afraid to hit me. Because in the end the only person you are hurting is you, a bandit won't give you this much leniency." I advised.
He seemed to ponder this before suddenly running at me. I smiled; glad I'm getting through to him.
Po stopped right before me and shot a roundhouse kick intended for my head. I ducked, but as I did his other foot came up in an attempt at a butterfly kick. It almost hit me just grazing my whiskers as I bent over backwards to dodge it. Even then he didn't stop. It wasn't a second after I ducked under a right hook when it was followed by a left hook. Now it was my turn to create some distance. As I got the chance between a jab and a kick I side kicked him in the stomach making him grunt and back up. I in turn side flipped a couple feet away.
"See better just be aggressive." I said trying not to show that I was beginning to tire.
Po however couldn't hide it, he was close to hyperventilating. I took this in favor of me by sprinting at him once more. As I ran for him I saw him tense up, ready for impact. But instead of making any sort of contact I hit the dirt and slid beneath his legs feet first. Once through I caught myself and shot up. And before he turned around I kicked the back of his leg behind the knee, but not to the point that I seriously could hurt Po.
As he fell to one knee, I kicked out the other. Then being careful not to use my hands very much I reached around the panda's neck to cut off the blood supply to his brain with a choke hold. But his flabby neck prevented me from succeeding.
Po countered by reaching behind him, grabbing me by the arms, and flipping me over top of him. I turned in mid air and landed gracefully before him. As he was getting up, I snap kicked him in the side receiving a low grunt upon impact. But he grabbed my leg and started to spin me around, I tried to get away by bringing up my other leg to kick him in the head, but he grabbed that leg too making me hit the ground flat on my back.
I got up growling loudly. "Ok my turn to be aggressive."
"Can't wait."
I walked closer to the panda, staring him down. Then suddenly I jumped up into the sun so that Po couldn't see me. Then I came down spinning into an ax kick. Po rolled to the side just before I hit him, making my foot implant itself in the earth. Giving no time I ripped my foot out of the ground and spun around to try and catch him with a roundhouse kick. He dodged and as he did I came back around with a backwards roundhouse. But he jumped behind me; suddenly I felt extreme pain in my hands. I whipped around claws extracted through my bandages. Only to see Po rolling around on the ground, laughing.
Just when I was warming up to him he goes and slaps my burnt paws.
"Po!" I yelled enraged.
"What? You said be aggressive." He said still chuckling.
I walked over to the now scared panda. He started to get up but I planted a foot in his chest keeping him down.
"That was a mistake I admit but let's rational about this. Don't want to hurt me right when we are about to go on a mission do you?" he pleaded the smile now completely gone from his face.
"Oh it will be a couple days before we go on that mission and a couple more to get there. You will have plenty of time to heal. But I will give you a choice, burnt paws," I said holding up my paws. "A new scar of three claw marks across your face, or be my personal servant for two weeks."
He pondered this for a while, "Well, what's it gonna be?" I urged.
"Being your servant would be worse than death and three claw marks on my face would look cool." He replied.
This really surprised me I was really expecting him to chose something that would avoid pai-.
"I chose servant,"
That's what I thought.
"Tonight I will have my normal tofu, with dessert. Also in the morning after greeting Shifu you will make me breakfast and bring it to me in my room. So we will start with that, got it?" I thought for a second that this was a little harsh but he had the choice for a quick and painful way out.
"Yes," He grumbled as I took my foot off his chest.
"Yes what?"
"Yes mast-."
"Students come please." Shifu ordered and without question we all ran up to him and bowed in unison.
"It has been brought to my attention that the Gray Demon has marched upon another village, and has decimated the local guard. We must leave soon."
I smiled I couldn't wait to get to my parents murder, to get my revenge.
Then Shifu turned to me, "Tigress it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that it has become a liability to have you on this mission. You may come along, but as for the battle, I cannot use you… You are dismissed."