Author's note: Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter.
Now, it's a very emotional one for Tigress, and while it may seem out of character to many, I think we're beginning to see who Tigress really is, as she's beginning to figure it out herself.
We also find out who Li is in this chapter! This is really quite a pivotal point in the story, I think.
I hope you enjoy reading it.
~..~..~..~..
The pandas believed that their new visitors needed something to lift their spirits, and so the welcoming party was going ahead as planned. Po was amongst it all, cooking rice and dumplings alongside Jia, while the five helped to set out extra tables.
"Shouldn't we be trying to find out what happened to them?" Po asked his cousin with concern, "I mean, if their village was attacked, we need to bring whoever did it to justice."
"True," Jia granted, carefully lifting dumplings from a pot of boiling water and adding them to a heaving plate before passing the plate to another panda to take out to the table. "But it may also have been something natural, like a fire, or a rockslide. We do get rockslides in the mountains, you know, Po. Besides," Jia added new dumplings to the water to cook and got a fresh plate. "These people have been through enough as it is. They have nothing. They're in shock. They're worried about their family's future. Our main concern is helping them to feel safe, give them what they need and to lift their spirits. Perhaps after the party, some will feel comfortable enough to tell us what happened to them."
"Okay," Po agreed slowly. 'I guess there's no point worrying when we don't know what to worry about,' he thought. 'Although,' he added 'not knowing can be pretty worrying too.'
The sun had begin to set, and in the party clearing, a bonfire had just been lit, the tables were spread with many dishes of food, and every panda in the village was escorting their guests to the welcome feast.
Once everyone was settled with a plate of food, Xi-Wong took to the centre of the clearing, calling for silence.
"Welcome everybody!" He announced, his warm voice reaching everyone in the clearing. "We've invited you all here this evening to welcome our most honoured guests to our village. To my son, the Dragon Warrior, his friends, the Furious Five, and our new guests: We hope that you consider our home as your home, for as long as you wish. One Village. One Family."
"One Village. One Family!" Everyone echoed in a toast.
"And now," Xi-Wong continued. "To begin tonight's festivities, out best Tai Chi practitioners and their students will perform a demonstration for you all. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy your night!"
Xi-Wong moved aside as applause rang throughout the clearing, which hushed quickly as Yue-Yan, Nuan, Li, and his five children all came forward.
"Tigers," the refugees whispered amongst themselves, and Tigress' ears twitched as she took her seat. Hadn't these people ever seen a tiger before?
Yue-Yan stood on one side of the clearing, while Li and his children encircled her. Nuan stood alone a distance away.
Po noticed Jia amongst a group other pandas holding instruments, Jia holding a mandolin. Slowly, the musicians began to play a slow, haunting tune, and Nuan began to practice a Tai Chi form. Yue-Yan and Li's group stood frozen.
After performing a few moves, Nuan froze in her position, and automatically, all the attention travelled to Yue-Yan and Li's group.
Li and his children crouched into battle positions, and began attacking Yue-Yan, who smoothly deflected them every single time, using the moves that Nuan had just demonstrated.
"Awesome," Po whispered. Nuan was demonstrating the form of Tai-Chi, whereas Yu-Yan was demonstrating how the form could be applied to a battle sequence.
The demonstration continued, with Nuan performing a few moves of the Tai Chi form, and Yue-Yan demonstrating the application against Li and his family, who reset themselves and stood frozen after each application, waiting for their next turn.
Not only was it an excellent demonstration of Tai Chi skill on Nuan and Yue-Yan's part, but it also showed the skill, control and grace of Li and his family, who rolled out of each deflection with practiced ease. Tigress was especially impressed with how much control Cheng showed, although the cub clearly couldn't resist adding overly theatrical falling and sound effects on occasion, it all added to the show, and the audience appreciated it.
When the demonstration was finished, all the performers bowed in unison to great applause.
Po nodded to his friends, who all stood up.
"Thank you, Yue-Yan, Li and your students for that demonstration of skill," Xi-Wong took to the centre of the clearing once more. "And now, The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five have offered to demonstrate their own Kung Fu skills for us. Welcome Masters Po, Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Crane and Mantis."
Applause rang out as Po and his friends took to the centre of the clearing. While they hadn't been expected to perform tonight, Po wanted to show his people what he could do as The Dragon Warrior, and all that he had achieved, thanks to the sacrifice of his mother.
"Alright everybody!" Po cheered. "Get ready for more awesomeness!"
At Po's signal, the Five attacked.
The six of them had agreed that, as this was Po's family village, he should be the star of their demonstration. So, much like how Li's family attacked Yue-Yan, the Five began sparring Po.
Punching, dodging, rolling, kicking and even doing the occasional 'double team' moves to show the team work of his friends, Po put everything he could into his performance.
Xi-Wong, Jia and the other pandas watched, awestruck as their village's prodigal son
sparred the five Masters. It was the first time any of them had seen Po and the Five fight.
Eventually, all six warriors landed evenly on the ground, panting with exertion. Bowing to each other, the demonstration ended to clapping and cheering.
"Awesome!" Cheng cheered from beside his father, who was also clapping proudly.
Po felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Xi-Wong and Jia standing behind him.
"That was…" Xi-Wong's voice trailed off.
"Awesome!" Jia exclaimed. "Absolutely amazing."
"Thank you for sharing that with us," Xi-Wong told the group, who bowed.
"Can we have another round of applause for the six Kung Fu Masters of the Jade Palace!"
The six Masters bowed graciously to the cheering crowd.
"Now please," Xi-Wong continued. "Eat, drink, and enjoy your night!"
Jia rushed over to where the musicians were and they began playing a more lively tune.
"So," Yue-yan asked the Five. "Do Kung Fu Warrior's dance?"
"Yes," Viper answered.
"No," Tigress said firmly.
"Well, everyone but Tigress," Mantis amended.
"Well in that case…" Nuan tugged Po towards the centre of the clearing. "Come on, Po, dance with me!"
"Alright," he waved to his friends as he moved off. "Later guys!"
"Master Viper," Xi-Wong bowed, "may I have the honour of a dance?"
"Of course, Xi-Wong," Viper bowed.
"Master Crane," Yue-Yan bowed. "Will you dance with me?"
"I would be honoured, Yue-Yan," Crane bowed.
"Master Monkey, dance with me!" Lian pulled Monkey into the dancers.
"Master Mantis, dance with me!" Maylin had to get in quickly.
Li walked carefully up beside Tigress, who was now standing alone.
Her muscles tensed.
"Come on," Li offered, "Let's get something to eat."
Tigress let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding and followed Li to a table with relief.
"Incredible," Li smiled as he offered the Kung Fu master a bowl of soup.
"What is?" Tigress asked warily as she sat down.
"That a Kung Fu Master can move with as much grace and skill as you can, yet you are afraid to dance to music." Li commented, popping a dumpling in his mouth.
"I'm not afraid," Tigress defended. "Dancing's just…"
"Not what's expected of the hard-core Tigress?" Li supplied.
Tigress stared straight ahead, not even seeing the festivities before her, or even hearing the music.
"Who do you think you are?" Tigress demanded. "You don't know me."
"You're fighting again," Li observed mildly.
"That's what I do," Tigress spat through gritted teeth. "I do what's expected of me, there's nothing wrong with that."
"You're expected to fight your enemies and keep the innocent safe," Li corrected gently. "You're not expected to fight your own emotions."
"You don't know anything about me," Tigress hissed. Why was she even talking to him?
"I know more than you think," Li told her softly, his voice more gentle and… vulnerable than Tigress had ever heard him speak. He wasn't a teacher, or a protector, or a father now… Li was just himself.
'You have to tell her, Li,' the large tiger told himself. 'This is what you've been waiting for…'
While dancing, Po caught sight of Tigress sitting with Li, and looked around for his friends.
"Hey, Viper," he called out over the music, "what's with that guy talking to Tigress?"
"That's Li, remember?" Viper supplied. "We met him when we entered the village."
"You may not have noticed he was staring at Tigress, 'cause you were too busy staring at your dad," Monkey interjected, in the middle of an acrobatic dance-off with Lian.
"What?" Po stumbled to a stop. "He was staring at Tigress? Why?"
"She was also training with his family all afternoon, while you were talking with your dad," Crane added as he and Yue-Yan went passed.
"But why was he staring at Tigress?" Po demanded.
"Maybe he likes her," Viper commented thoughtfully
"What?" Po stumbled slightly. "That can't be right."
"Why?" Viper reprimanded.
"Come on," Po could feel his hands shake slightly. "This is hard-core Tigress with nerves of steel we're talking about here."
"That doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings, Po." Viper told him.
Po looked back over to where the two tigers were talking.
Did Li really like Tigress? He'd shown off how good he was during the demonstration…
Could it be true?
"Okay Tigress." Li said. "Get ready, I'm going to tell you a story."
Tigress frowned. "A story?" She repeated flatly.
"Well, it's either that, or talk to me." He grinned. "And I take it you're not one for chit chat."
Tigress' frown didn't shift. "I-"
"Here's the story." He began. "I grew up travelling everywhere with my parents. Tigers weren't exactly reputed to be like the fluffy bunnies in most towns, so it was often difficult for my parents to find work. No one wanted to hire you, if they were afraid you were going to eat their customers." Li grinned again, flashing his sharp teeth, but Tigress simply stared ahead of her, appearing to take no interest.
"It was tough" Li carried on, unconcerned. "We often didn't have a roof over our heads, as no innkeeper wanted to let us in, but we always took care of each other." He paused, remembering. "That's what my parents always said: Families take care of each other."
"When I was ten, I got the best news of my life." Li continued. "I was going to be a big brother. When my sister was born, I was so excited. Dad said I couldn't see her or mum until the following day, so I spent every coin I had, buying material, and spent all day making this doll to give her."
Tigress turned to see the small tiger-doll the male tiger now held in his large paws.
"I even thought of a name for my sister," Li added. "Lin."
Tigress frowned. "Lin?"
Li nodded. "It means 'fine jade'. He explained. "Jade was my mother's favourite stone." His eyes became downcast.
"When I saw my mother the next day, my new sister wasn't with her. They'd given her away. Taken her to the Bao Gu Orphanage."
Tigress' head snapped up, giving the male tiger her undivided attention. The Bao Gu Orphanage?
A smile pulled at the corner of Li's mouth as he regarded the female tiger next to him. "That got your attention, didn't it?" He asked softly.
Tigress found herself staring harder at this larger tiger beside her, studying him, searching.
"Would you like to hear the rest of the story?" He asked, holding out the doll.
Numbly, Tigress slowly took the doll in hand, and nodded.
"When mum and dad told me that they'd given my sister away, I was so angry." Li admitted. "I was yelling at them: What happened to 'families take care of each other'?"
They said that that was why they gave you up. It was hard enough to find food and a place to sleep for ourselves. What kind of life was that for a young cub? They said that, at least at the orphanage, you would be taken care of."
"But I was so angry." Li continued. "Knowing how often we were turned away out of fear, how would an orphanage filled with bunnies and ducklings, handle a tiger cub?"
Tigress felt the memories coming to the surface. Being locked up. Everyone running away. Being caught with a net every time she left her room. 'Monster!" They had called her. "She's a monster!"
"I snuck off to the orphanage that night." Li continued. "I was going to get my sister out. But when I got there, they turned me away, afraid of this young tiger at their door."
"My parents and I continued to travel, and eventually we were able to get work protecting a village from a gang of bandits that routinely stole from them. It was nice, to finally have a real bed to sleep in. After we lived there for several months, I asked my parents if we could go back and get you. And they said yes." He smiled for a moment.
Then his face turned dark.
"The next night, the whole village was attacked. Not by bandits this time, but by a whole army. All I can remember is everyone shouting and running. My parents fought the wolves, while I had to get as many of the villagers away as quickly as possible."
Li sighed, closing his eyes against the memory, speaking faintly, as if he were far away.
"I remember camping with the survivors, moving, constantly moving, trying to find the villagers a new home. And waiting, always waiting for news. Eventually, those who had stayed to fight caught up with us, having lost the wolves in the bamboo forests. They told us that the village had been completely razed to the ground, and every panda with me had lost at least one family member."
"Panda?" Tigress repeated, surprised. Li nodded, smiling. "My family were protecting this panda village."
"And the wolves that attacked." Tigress continued. "Were they led by a Peacock?"
"Yes. " He nodded. "Yes they were."
Li took a breath. "Mum and dad were among those killed." He continued slowly, and Tigress felt her throat tighten. "I felt cheated once again. Not only had we failed in our duty to protect the panda village, but my parents had been killed right when we were going to go back to get my sister."
Tigress was silent. It was yet another thing that she and Po had in common. For the night he had lost his mother, she had also lost hers.
"What did you do?" Tigress asked.
"I stayed with the Pandas until we found this place, where they could rebuild their home, before heading back to the Bau Gu Orphanage on my own. I was going to get you out myself, and we were going to live together in the Panda village, and be a family." He shook his head at the innocent belief.
"But I was still a cub." He continued. "And when I arrived at the Bao Gu Orphanage, I couldn't even get in to see you. They were afraid of Tigers, you see." Li grinned ruefully again, and this time, Tigress gave a small smile back.
"But I was determined," he carried on," and demanded that they bring my sister out to me. 'If you're afraid of tigers, let me take the young cub away', I told them. 'If you won't I'll keep coming back until you do'."
"Then they told me that, while they would love to get rid of the- monster- in their midst, I was too young to adopt you. They said that I could only adopt you once I became an adult. So, I was forced to leave yet again, but vowed to return once I became eighteen."
"I travelled again, learning anything from anyone who would teach me. Kung fu, Tai chi, carpentry, archery, swordplay, I trained as a blacksmith, building weapons and prison cells. Eventually, my eighteenth birthday came, and I rushed to the Bao Gu Orphanage, determined to finally meet my little sister. For I was an adult now, so there was nothing they could say or do to make me leave."
Li closed his eyes. "Except for one thing."
Tigress sighed, knowing what he was about to say.
"When I arrived, I was told that you were no longer there." His voice was strained as he spoke. "Master Shifu had adopted you and taken you to the Jade Palace." He smirked slightly. "Fitting, really, that the name I gave you meant 'Jade'."
Tigress studied this male tiger next to her. Her brother. She had a brother. And he'd been looking for her all her life. Tigress had thought his story was finished, but he had once more part to add.
"So I went to the Jade Palace." He continued.
Tigress' head snapped up again. "You what?" She gasped.
"I went to the Jade Palace." He repeated, his face becoming one of hard determination, an expression Tigress saw every time she looked in a mirror.
"I knew Master Shifu had adopted you, so I knew that, officially, he was your father now." He began. "But still, I needed to know that you were alright, I needed to know that you were being taken care of. I had learnt kung fu in my travels, and had won many battles. I was determined for Master Shifu to take me on as a student. That way I would still get to be with you."
"When I got there, I had to sit on the Palace steps for three days before anyone would see me, and I made my request to Master Shifu, telling him you were my sister, and that I wanted to be taken as a student to be with you. He said no. There was no trial, no test, no demonstration of my skill, just a flat 'no'."
"To be trained at the Jade Palace, one must be devoted to Kung Fu," Shifu had told me. "You cannot hope to be accepted as my student if Kung Fu is not your reason for being here."
"I was furious." Li growled. "I had spent years waiting to get you out of the orphanage, only to have someone else adopt you. Then when I tried to at least be near you, Shifu wasn't even giving me a chance to prove myself. Thankfully, Master Oogway appeared at that moment, and said that I should at least be given the opportunity. So, Master Shifu told me that if I could get from one side of the training area to the other, without getting hurt, then he would take me as a student."
Li's claws extended reflexively.
"You failed." Tigress stated.
He shook his head. "Oh, it was different to my usual training, but I was determined. It was the best I had ever done up till that point. The flying clubs never touched me, I kept my balance on the Jade tortoise, I blocked every one of the wooden soldiers, and cleared the fire pit with one leap, avoiding any flames."
Growling, he slammed his fist into the ground in frustration.
"But just as I was about to land on the other side, Shifu kicked me."
"What?" Tigress asked.
"I didn't even see it coming. I fell to the ground, and Shifu just stood there. "You're determination and focus are good, but you must be constantly aware of your surroundings" he told me. I stood up as quickly as I could and bowed. "Then will you teach me to develop my awareness, Master Shifu?" I asked him "I made it through the training area."
"No you didn't." He said. "I was able to kick you before you made your final landing. Therefore, I will not take you as a student."
I was shocked, to say the least, followed by outrage. "You have to take me!"
"Why?" Master Shifu asked calmly.
"Because you have my sister." I told him again. "Ever since I found out she was in that Orphanage I've been waiting till I was old enough to get her out, to adopt her. Then I found that you were the one to get her out. Thank you for that. But while I may not be able to adopt her now, I want to at least take care of her as she grows up. "
Master Shifu stood before the young tiger, composed, his face an expressionless mask. "If you truly mean that-"
"I do." I interjected.
"-then you would have blocked my kick." Shifu finished, turning and walking away.
Roaring, the teenage tiger pounced.
Shifu swiftly turned and dealt another blow, which sent the young tiger flying out the palace doors. Leaping to his feet, the young tiger ran at the palace entrance, just as the doors slammed shut.
"I pounded at the door, roaring until I lost my voice." Li continued as his mind slowly came back to the present day. "After a while, I left, only to return later that evening. I had to make sure you were alright. I went around the edge of the palace grounds, until eventually, I saw you."
Tigress' eyes widened. "You did?"
He nodded. "You and Shifu were playing a game of checkers. You looked so happy, playing with him, and I realised…you actually didn't need me."
"What?" Tigress asked.
"You didn't need me." Li repeated. "Heck, I was a complete stranger to you. And what did I have to give you, anyway? Only the love of a brother, nothing else. I had no money, no real home…Mom and dad were right, that's no life for a cub."
He turned to meet the eyes of the sister he had always wanted to know. "But at the Jade Palace, you had a home, you had a father to take care of you, and when the furious five were formed, you had them as your siblings. You didn't need me there, tucking you in at night."
Tigress delved into her own memories growing up in the Jade Palace, and couldn't recall one time when Shifu 'tucked her in' at night.
"But I still wanted to keep an eye on you." He finished. "I attended every tournament you competed in growing up. Watched you become Master Shifu's prized student, and then 'Master Tigress' of the Furious Five." He smiled. "I was so proud of you on that day. I even sent you a present. Did you get it? The dagger?"
Tigress' eyes widened as she remembered receiving the wrapped package the day after she became a Master. Unwrapping the cloth to discover a black handled dagger, with a pouncing tiger adorning the hilt and scabbard. There had been no note.
"That was you?" She whispered. Tigress had assumed that Shifu had given it to her.
Her…brother…nodded. "I forged it myself." He smiled. "Didn't think you'd want a doll this time, so I thought a dagger was a more appropriate gift for a Master."
"Thank you." Tigress whispered.
"I eventually made my way back here, to the Panda village," he continued, "where, surprisingly, they welcomed me back as their protector. I met my wife, Mei, who died last winter, and raised my own cubs here."
"When Master Bunny arrived, saying the Dragon Warrior was a panda living at the Jade palace, I encouraged Xi-Wong to contact his lost son. Not only for the happiness of my friend, but to have the opportunity to meet you, finally." He turned toward Tigress, a smile spreading across his face. "Lin. My strong, spirited little sister."
Tigress was speechless. All her life she had wanted the love of a family. And now, she had a brother.
A brother…
"Tigress?"
She looked up to see…her brother… gazing at her quizically.
"I know this is a lot to take in," he said carefully, "but please say something."
Tigress looked down at the tiger-doll she still held. "I have a brother." She stated.
"And three nieces and two nephews." Li added with a smile.
A smile spread across Tigress' face as she met her brother's gaze. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out, and gently cupped her face with his larger paw.
This tender gesture was all Tigress needed and she threw her arms around him, hugging her brother for the first time.
"I have a brother." She repeated, and it was then that she realized that tears, actual tears, were trailing down her face.
~..~..~..~..
After the party ended the Five were in Li's house, learning where they will be sleeping.
"Cheng, you'll share your room with Master Monkey, and Master Mantis" Li informed them, "Wei, you will be sharing with Master Crane, Lian and Maylin will be sharing their room with Master Viper, and Da-Xia will share with Master Tigress."
"You're not sharing your room?" Cheng asked.
"And here I was, thinking you'd love to share with two Kung Fu Masters," Li commented.
His youngest son was quick to back track.
"Oh no, I love it!" Cheng was quick to assure his father before clinging to his father's leg, "please don't change your mind? I want to share!"
Li smiled. "Well, if you insist, son."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Li," Viper told their host.
"My pleasure, Master Viper," Li bowed.
"So?" Viper whispered to Tigress, as they made their way down the hall.
"So what?" Tigress asked.
"What's going on with you and Li?" Mantis asked bluntly, appearing suddenly on Tigress' shoulder.
"What do you mean: me and Li?" Tigress knew she was stalling, but she wasn't ready to tell her friends about what happened yet.
"Oh, come on," Crane prodded gently. "We saw the hug. Surprising, to say the least."
"And the way he touched your face was so sweet!" Viper sighed.
Tigress tensed up.
"It's not what you think," she told them.
"Then tell us what it really is," Crane suggested.
"Why should I?" Tigress could feel herself tensing. 'Fighting' as Li said earlier. She wasn't ready to tell, yet.
"If you don't, we'll just keep assuming," Monkey said in a sing-song voice, only to be wacked lightly by Viper's tail.
"We're your friends, Tigress," Viper said gently. "You can talk to us."
"I'm…still trying to figure it out myself, okay?" Tigress really wanted them to stop pushing her. "I'm not ready yet."
"Okay, Tigress," Viper said quickly. "We'll be here for you when you are."
Sighing with relief as her friends moved off to bed, Tigress carefully opened the door to Da-Xia's room.
"Master Tigress!" Da-Xia greeted happily. She'd spent all afternoon tidying her room, and hoped it was to the famous Master's liking. "Uh…" the young girl swallowed hesitantly. "May I call you Auntie Lin?"
Tigress started, staring at the girl before her.
"Your dad told you about me?" she asked.
Da-Xia nodded. "You're our favourite bedtime story," she explained. "It's why I've studied Martial Arts so much. I wanted to be able to leave here and visit the Jade Palace one day, to meet you myself." She smiled. "But you came here instead."
Tigress stared at this young girl with her eyes full of hope, and for a moment, saw a younger version of herself, from long ago.
The door opened behind her, and Tigress turned to see Li standing cautiously in the doorway.
"Is everything all right in here?" He asked.
"Auntie Lin is going to have my bed," Da-Xia informed her father. "I'll sleep on the floor."
"You don't have to give up your bed, Da-Xia," Tigress told the girl, still slightly unnerved at being called 'Auntie Lin'.
"You're the guest, of course I do." Da-Xia said easily.
"Hey!" Cheng announced himself as he came barreling in the room to skid to a halt at Tigress' feet.
"Cheng, you're meant to be getting ready for bed," Li reprimanded.
"I am!" Cheng said defensively. "I just wanted to ask Master Tigress something.
"Of course you did, son," his father sighed.
Cheng turned back to the Kung Fu Master.
"Why did Master Shifu call you 'Tigress'?" Cheng asked curiously.
Tigress frowned slightly at the strange question.
"Because that's what I am," Tigress informed the boy. "It's just like how Shifu call's all his students, like Crane and Viper. Even Po is called 'Panda'sometimes."
"But," Cheng didn't understand, "Shifu adopted you, didn't he? So, you're his daughter. So, why didn't he give you a real name?"
Li watched as Tigress' face changed, becoming an expressionless mask.
"Cheng," he told his son in warning.
"Shifu adopted that other guy," Cheng continued, focusing on satisfying his curiosity. "Tai-Lung. He adopted him and gave him a real name. He didn't call him 'Leopard'. So, why would he adopt you, and just call you 'Tigress'?"
"Cheng," Li felt a growl enter his voice.
"What?" Cheng asked, unsure of what he'd said wrong. "I'm just asking." He turned back to Tigress, waiting.
Tigress' expression was difficult to read as she took a slow breath.
"I don't know," She said in a voice of forced calm. "You'll have to ask Shifu. Excuse me for a moment."
Bowing, Tigress quickly left the room.
"Well done, Cheng," Da-Xia told her youngest brother sarcastically.
"What?" The young cub looked worriedly from his father to his sister. "What did I do wrong? I just asked a question."
"And there's nothing wrong with asking," Li tried to keep his patience. "But you must learn the right way to ask, and who to ask. And think whether you should ask at all."
"What do you mean?" Cheng asked.
Li sighed, more worried about his sister at the moment.
"Da-Xia, could you deal with Cheng, please? I need to find Master Tigress," Li asked his daughter, who nodded.
As her father left, Da-Xia turned disapprovingly to her little brother.
"When will you learn to keep your mouth shut?" She demanded.
"What did I do?" Cheng asked, frustrated. "What's wrong with asking a question?
"Didn't you see the look on her face?" Da-Xia prompted.
Cheng shook his head.
Sighing, Da-Xia sat on the ground, inviting her brother to join her.
"By asking why Shifu called her 'Tigress', rather than giving her a real name, like he'd done with Tai Lung, despite the fact that Shifu adopted her, you were implying to Tigress that Shifu only saw her as a student, and didn't love her like a daughter." Da-Xia explained to her brother slowly, trying to make him understand.
Cheng's eyes widened, and Da-Xia thought he was getting it.
"I did?" He whispered, guilty.
"And how would you feel," Da-Xia pressed, "if it turned out that the only father you've ever known didn't really love you?"
Cheng swallowed and hung his head.
"I hurt Auntie Tigress' feelings, didn't I?" He asked his sister glumly.
"Yes, Cheng," Da-Xia confirmed. "You did. Now can you see why father was angry with you?"
Cheng nodded.
"I'll go apologise!" The cub got up quickly, wanting to correct his mistake, but Da-Xia placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Wait till morning," his sister told him. "I don't think she'll be ready for apologies tonight."
Li made his way outside, where he found his sister punching a tree repeatedly.
"What did that tree do to make you hate it so much?" Li asked lightly, trying to help his sister calm down.
"Go away," Tigress hissed, adding kicks to her attacks.
Moving quickly, Li redirected Tigress' technique, forcing her to turn and face him.
"I apologise for my son," he told her gently. "His curiosity often gets him into trouble."
"I'm not angry at him," Tigress growled.
"And you're not angry at the tree, either," Li granted. "So, what are you angry at?"
Tigress tensed, saying nothing.
"Alright then," Li nodded, getting into a fighting position. "Take it out on me. The tree's clearly no challenge for you."
Growling, Tigress pounced.
The two tigers sparred, Tigress attacking and Li defending, allowing his sister to vent her frustration to its fullest extent. After a while, he could tell she was relaxing, and so ended the match by redirecting her towards a tree, which she easily maneuvered around to land lightly on her feet before him.
"Now that you've calmed down," Li told her. "Let's practice form: Tai Chi style, like before."
Nodding slowly, Tigress closed her eyes, consciously relaxed her muscles, and slowly began to move.
Li practiced alongside his sister, though he watched her more than anything else. Many times, he could see her getting tense, and so gave gentle reminders of relaxing and focusing on breathing.
"Focus only on your breath, sister," he told her. "Just let everything flow."
Tigress inhaled deeply, continuing her movements. In her mind, flashes of memory rose, unbidden.
"Let it flow," Li's calm voice told her as she felt herself tense again.
Tigress tried to focus on her breathing, but her throat felt tight. Shaking, she stumbled to a halt.
"Tigress," Li came to kneel before her, looking concernedly into her eyes. "Talk to me."
Tigress stared at her newfound brother.
"You're wrong you know," she told him. "I did need you."
Li swallowed.
"Tell me, Lin" he invited.
"Shifu's the only father I've ever known,' Tigress whispered. "He was the only one who didn't call me a monster. But even when he adopted me, I was never allowed to call him 'father'. I tried to, many times, but he always corrected me. I had to call him 'Master Shifu'."
Li frowned slightly.
"When I heard about Tai Lung for the first time," Tigress continued, words pouring out of her mouth that she never recalled ever saying before now, "and how Shifu raised him as a son, I knew that's what I wanted: to be treated as a daughter." Tigress hung her head. "I'd heard stories about how Tai Lung was the greatest student Shifu had ever trained, so I thought that was how I could get his approval of me. I thought, if I proved my worth, I could make Shifu love me the way he loved Tai Lung. I began punching iron wood trees when I was ten, trying to make myself stronger. I would practice my forms and my combinations and demonstrate for him, each time hoping to see pride or joy in his face, but all he ever did was simply correct my mistakes. So I trained even harder," Tigress continued. "I wanted to be perfect, for him. I wanted to be his best student, the one he thought of as his child…" Tigress angrily punched the ground beneath her.
"But I was never good enough!" Tigress couldn't stop herself now, the floodgate had opened, and the water was released, free at last. "I wanted to be the Dragon Warrior for him, to prove that I could be what Tai lung could not. When Po was chosen, I defied my Master, travelling to fight Tai Lung myself, determined to prove that I was better, that I was worthy. That he could be proud of me… and I failed again."
Li listened silently, letting his sister tell her story for what appeared to be the first time.
"Surely Shifu's told you he's proud of you?" he put forward hesitantly.
"He says he's proud of us, the Five, as a group. That he's proud of his students." Tigress admitted. "But he'd never told me that he's proud of his daughter. He's never once treated me as his daughter."
Tigress hung her head, curling into herself.
"Maybe I should stop hoping," she whispered, tears trailing down her face to drip onto the ground. "I'll never truly be his daughter. He'll never love me like he did Tai Lung."
Li gently lifted his sister's chin until he could see her eyes.
'I'm so sorry, Lin," he told her. He had really thought she had everything at the Jade Palace. Why else would Shifu turn him away?
"I did need you, Li," Tigress whispered.
Li wrapped his sister in a hug, trying to offer her as much comfort as she could.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to take care of you, Lin." Li told his sister. "I can only offer you a brother's love," he added. "And I hope that's enough."
Tigress held her brother tighter, feeling like the cub she had once been who would sit, huddled on the edge of her bed after a nightmare. Slowly, she could feel her muscles relax into her brother's embrace, and warmth began to spread through her, healing her pain as if she were sinking in a hot bath after a hard day's training.
Taking a deep breath, she sat back to meet her brother's gaze.
"A brother's love is enough," she told him.
~..~..~..~..
Author's note: So, what did you think?
Ever since Tigress told the story about Tai Lung in the first Kung Fu Panda movie, I felt that one of the main reasons she pushed herself so hard was to make Shifu happy.
While I was writing the last scene, I was reminded of when Tai Lung was fighting Shifu and yelling: 'Everything I did, I did to make you proud!'
I imagine Tigress actually feels similarly, wanting to make Shifu proud of her, and everything she did, was for that reason.
I think she did want to become the Dragon Warrior, to prove that she was better than Tai Lung- I just kept on thinking of the scene where they confront Tai Lung on the bridge: Tai Lung asks, 'Where is the Dragon Warrior?" and Tigress replies 'How do you know you aren't looking at her?" I think she was trying to, not just intimidate her opponent, but have a dig, to try and make him think that she had achieved what he did not.
Please tell me what you think of the chapter, and I'll try to update as soon as I can.