Chapter 3:

Tigress sat on the wall surrounding the Jade Palace, overlooking the mountains and villages. This was her favorite place to think, it always had been her private spot since she was a cub. Questions had come flooding back to her; questions that the stone hard tiger always thought gone. She buried them deep inside her, only to find that they had hunted her down once again. Who am I?, she silently asked herself. This was childish, the Tiger Master needn't ask such juvenile things. She was an accomplished warrior, a hero to the land of China. Sighing, she stood and hopped down.

A slightly annoying voice greeted her, making the feline's tail twitch.

"Tigress!" Po yelled. He quickly ran over to her, his stomach jiggling with each step the panda took. "I brought you these." He held up a bowl of dragon peppers. "Monkey and I did a contest on who could eat the most without taking a sip of water. The winner gets to face off with you. I, of course, won." He puffed out his black chest.

"Not in the mood, Panda."

Po looked at her with pleading eyes, "Pleeeeeeeeeeease? I won't bother you for the entire day! Promise!"

Tigress smirked and examined the large animal. "….fine. But I'm warning you Po, I've never lost at anything."

The two students walked into the kitchen. Po quickly set the bowl of dragon peppers down and pulled out a pot. Tigress raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

He replied, "Making my dad's famous Shibō Sūpu."

Tigress swallowed. "Shibō Sūpu….That means…"

Po nodded, "Yep. Death Soup. It uses the three hottest peppers in the entire land of China! The only one able to completely finish a bowl is my dad himself. Whoever finishes their bowl, or at least eats the most, wins."

Several minutes later, the smell of forbidding spice rose up through the air. Tigress nervously tapped her fingers on the table, trying not to show fear. The scent vaguely reminded her of the defeated Tai Lung. Only this enemy would hurt a lot worse. Even Po's eyes were watering as he scooped the soup into the bowls. The panda set the two bowls on the table. Tigress sat down and looked at the reddish brown color before her. Don't do it! Her mind screamed, but the master ignored it. Time to see what her tongue could handle.

"Alright," Po sat down across from her and picked up a spoon, "On three! One…..two…." Tigress gulped and raised a spoonful of the chili like substance to her mouth. The smell alone made tears come to her eyes. The panda continued counting, "Three!"

The pair quickly shoved the spoons into their mouths. Tigress's mouth exploded as what seemed like fire touched her tongue. She quickly swallowed, the soup burning her throat as it travelled down. She looked across and saw that Po was having trouble as well. She lifted her spoon again and sent the melted lava into her mouth. The tiger couldn't take much more. Tigress's eyes widen as her mouth cried out in panic.

"I can't do this!" She screamed as the feline quickly surrendered, only to find that the panda had given into the Shibō Sūpu as well.

"So," Po panted, "Can we call it a draw?"

The feline quickly nodded as she felt her belly swelling from the heat. The Death Soup was quickly disposed of. Her stomach churned inside of her, and by the looks of it, Po wasn't feeling exactly bodacious either.

"Ugh," He groaned, "We need something to help settle our stomachs."

"Agreed. What we need is the Jiāng root."

The panda snorted a little, "and where on earth are we going to find that?"

"It grows along the southern mountains, but to get there would be a few days. How long do these stomach pains usually last?"

At that moment, his milky white stomach acted up on him. Po clutched his stomach in pain. "A-about three to four days. One time, an ox even had to go to the hospital. AAAAH!" He cried as the twisting and coiling of his stomach enthralled his body.

Tigress bit her lip nervously. She couldn't let Master Shifu and the Five see that their hardcore tiger had fallen ill because of a stomach ache. She would have to stay and continue her training, battling it out until the end. But then again, if one of her fellow companions saw her in pain, they would know something was up.

"Po."

The furry panda looked up at her, "Yeah?"

"I'm going to ask you something incredibly insane."

His eyes brightened, "Ooooo what is it? You need a warrior buddy to help defeat the demons of the Lao Hu Hills?! Or perhaps you need style advice on the continuing dress pattern of yours? No offense, but you should really switch up your look. All you ever wear is red and black, red and black, red and black! Maybe you should try like a purplish color or OOOO you should totally wear blue! It would make your cold, steely eyes pop."

Tigress glared at him, "Says the guy with only two pairs of burlap pants. I need you to be completely silent."

Po raised an eyebrow, "Uuuh….why?"

"You'll see."

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Shifu looked at his two students in shock. "Po….took a vow of silence? For a week? H-how?"

Tigress bowed her head in respect, "Yes, Master. It took some….persuading." Tigress looked at the silent panda with merciless eyes, "But Po finally decided that it was for the best. He has asked me to travel with him to the southern mountains. There, he hopes to find a connection between his surroundings and his…innermost being." Also known as his stomach, she silently added.

The Grand Master thought for a moment about this, his mind was still recovering from the shock that his loudest, clumsiest, and most fumbling student took an oath of silent for an entire week. Then there was a fact that he wanted to take TIGRESS along. The pair never exactly had anything in common. The feline was loyal, hardworking, cold as ice, silent except for when justice was at hand, and one of his most promising students. Po, on the other hand, was, well, just Po. This journey that they were requesting to take could strengthen their bond, allowing more "peace" at the Jade Palace and the training grounds.

"Very well," he finally said, "I give you permission to embark on your quest. Po, I hope you discover what a little listening can do to your mind and skill."

The panda opened his mouth to say something, but Tigress elbowed him in the ribcage. She spoke for him, "Thank you Master. We will not disappoint you."

Shifu nodded, "I know you won't. You are dismissed."

Po and Tigress bowed, exiting the room.