Within about an hour, the boat was back at port and arrangements had been made for the containers to be reloaded the following day. Now it was time for everyone to go home.
Mitsuko and Alice had been released from the hospital and were helping eachother around the house as they waited to here from Long. They were doing the dishes when there was a knock at the door. Alice answered and was excited to see Long and a with him.
"Sorry to disturb you so late, may we come in?" Alice quickly limbed back from the door and called for her mother to come into the room.
"Alice, I'd like you to meet Alan and Shina Gado, Scarlette, Javier, and Jenny." Long introduced everyone as they came in and greeted the Nonomura women. "They all played crucial roles in retrieveing Uriko safely.
"Thank you all for helping to get my baby back." Mitsuko said struggleing to stay on her feet.
"Where is Uriko anyway?" Alice asked excitedly trying to look out of the window. Just then another person entered behind the group and Uriko jumped over their heads with an extatic expression.
"MOM! ALICE!" She shouted before grabbing both of them in a hug careful not to upset their wounds. The women hugged eachother and came to tears of happiness to have everyone back together. They were all hugging, talking and apologizing for the way things have been recently.
"Mom, mom, you'll never believe it! I got to beat up the bad guy and Shenlong saved me!" She said with a glowing pride in her eyes. Mitsuko and Alice gasped and looked to Long in concern for an explaination.
"Yes well, truth be told. It was Shenlong who formulated and executed a plan to get her back safely.
"It's true." Gado said. "I don't think it all would have come together without him.
"Mom, he saved me. He never stopped looking for me." She said happily. With that, Shina pulled him from behind the group as he was about to slip out of the door without upsetting them further.
"Mitsuko… Alice… I'm sorry for getting her involved in all of this. I never wanted to place her in any danger." He said sadly bowing his head before attempting to leave again.
"Stop right there!" Mitsuko ordered struggling to stand back up from the couch. Alice continued to hold her sister and stare at Shenlong. He turned to face Mitsuko, but kept his head down. She limped up to him staring at him with reddening eyes and to his surprise, didn't hit him.
"Thank you for protecting my baby." She said greatfully and grabbing holding his hand. "We after every thing we did to keep her from you, you never stopped fighting for her. And for that, we owe you such a debt." She said with tears in her eyes. Shenlong was dumbfounded, but couldn't help but smile greatfully back to her and take her good hand in his. Alice was at a loss for words, because while she was greatful to have Uriko back, she still blamed Shenlong for all of this. While she was lost in her thoughts, Uriko ran to him and hugged him tightly burying her head in his chest.
"You really are the perfect big brother Shen." She said happily. Mitsuko patted her back and nodded to Shenlong in approval.
"This is just precious." Scarlette said breaking the quiet from the rest of the group.
"There so cute." Shina added with a snicker.
"Who knew the big lug had such a soft side." Jenny added as the trio burst into a giggle fit. Javier and Gado placed hands on Shenlongs shoulders and chuckled with him. Even Mitsuko and Uriko joined in on the laughter. Only Alice was still quiet until Long came over to speek to her.
"He never did stop fighting for her." Long said quietly enough to not break the laughter but loud enough for Alice to hear.
"But it would have never happened if she stayed away from him." She said in response.
"That's one way to think about it, but I like to think everything happens for a reason. Whatever the reason, they were meant to run into eachother that morning, and meant to be in one anothers lives." He said with a twinge of pride. Alice looked to him quickly trying to comprehend what he was saying. "All things considered, I think no one would be a better brother for Uriko or a better sister of Shenlong." He finished before rejoining the group to praise Uriko's fighting back on the boat. After about an hour of talking and story sharing people started leaving, until only Long Shenlong and Shina remained.
"What are you boys planning for the summer?" Mitsuko asked while patting Uriko's head.
"I was going to assist Shina in her slef defence class before heading out to the country side for training and meditation." Long said smoothly.
"I'm leaving for the mountain soon for the same thing." Shenlong said warmly.
"And you Shina?" Alice asked wanting to join the conversation.
"Dad invited me to tag along on a trip to france for an international peace summit." She said with a smile.
"My, it sounds like you will all be quite busy for a while." Mitsuko said warmly. "Now the only question is what are you going to do all summer long Uriko?" She asked to her daughter's surprise.
"What are you saying mom?" She asked curiously excited.
"Well I've been thinking about it and it seems that you have made some very interesting friends. Everyone gave us their contact information incase we ever need anything and after everything from the past couple days, I'm afraid you'd get bored cooped up in here all summer. So I decided that if you want to, you can spend the summer training." She said with a warm smile. Uriko hopped up and hugged her mother around the neck.
"Thank you so much mom! You have know idea what this means to me." She said in a giddy voice.
"Well you're growing up and its time you explore a little bit and have some fun. Just promise you'll keep in touch. I want to hear all about your adventures." She said returning her daughter's hug.
"That's great. So, who's it gunna be?" Shina asked, curious her self.
"Master Long, I get to train with you all school year, so I want to go with Shen and try mountain training." She said excitedly.
"Alright, if your up for it. The nights up there get pretty chilly, even in summer, so be prepaired for some crazy weather." He said pretending to be stern.
"Sir yes sir." She said with a smile before running off to her room. She was over due for some conversation with her boyfriend.
"She's quite fond of you." Mitsuko noted.
"The feeling's mutual." He said with a warm look in his red eyes. "Well I have to go prepair a few things myself. We'll be leaving sometime tomorrow." He said standing up from his seat.
"Yea I have to get back too." Shina stood next.
"As do I." Long said and headed for the door.
"Thank you all again for everything you've done." Mitsuko waved them off. "And Shenlong… I know you'll take good care of her out there. All of you feel free to come by anytime." She finished with a wave before closing the door.
They all walked toward the down the sidewalk before reaching the point where Shenlong and Shina would turn to reach a subway station.
"Shenlong…" Long spoke before they slpit off making him and Shina stop. "Good luck with your training. I hope to see you at the end of the summer." He finished extending a hand to the clone.
"Likewise." Shenlong said returning the shake. "Who know's maybe well finish ahead of schedule and come join you in the country before comeing back into the city. The three of us can train together." He suggested.
"Mind making that four?" Shina chimed in. "I'm sure the kid will get tired of nothing but guys around her by then." She laughed.
"Sounds like a good idea." Long said with a smile. With that they separated. Shenlong and Shina talked about what kind of training he would be doing out in the mountain and even hinted that she may come up herself from time to time. They talked about beast mode training and Shenlong explained the benefits of spending days or weeks at a time in his tiger form so that everything feels natural in both bodies.
"Of course you know for the full experience, you gotta do it naked." He said with a wink and a smirk. Shina blushed a little then punched him in the face for the comment.
"What was that for? Animals don't wear cloths." He joked.
"So you're going to be up there naked with your teenage sister?" She asked skeptically.
"…Never mind" he said after letting that thought sink in. She just laughed at him for the rest of the ride. When they reached their stop, Shina was surprised to see him walking toward her building.
"Where are you going? Don't you live across town?" She asked curiously.
"Nope, my new place is at the top of this building." He said with a smurk. "Arnt you coming up?" She punched him again for the suggestive question.
"Actually, I was going to my own place. It's only a few floors from the top." She said proudly.
"Well then maybe I should come see your place instead." He said with a half grin.
"Do you never get tired of getting hit?" she asked before tagging him in the arm this time. "I think I'll stay at my dad's place for the night, just to be on the safe side." She said with a grin before making her way across the street.
With a light laugh, they both disappeared into the buildings. Shenlong showered and put on silk pajama pants to walked around his condo looking into Uriko's room. She had really made heself comfortable in there, loading it up with stuff to make it her own. They even got a real bed and a dresser for her so she would be more comfortable in there. He walked out to the den and turned the TV to a smooth Jazz music station and just relaxed on the couch for a while. After a few minutes of daydreaming, he heard a knock from his balcony window. He peaked threw the shades to see large cat eyes looking back at him. He pulled the shades and opened the door as she changed back to her human form and came in with a sports bra on and basketball shorts on and a disturbed look on her face.
"What happened to being on the safe side?" Shenlong teased.
"When I got into the condo, Dad and Jenny were…. Eeewww! Adopted or not, some things I just don't want to see." She said shaking her head. Shenlong fought back the urge to laugh.
"So you came over here instead." He stated still holding back a smile.
"Yea, thought I'd get a late night tour of your new place." She said with a smurk before walking ahead oh him.
"Help yourself." He said sarcastically waving a hand out for her. She took note of the weights set up in a corner of the main room and the pool table in the, the large TV and sound system. Suede and leather couches, an led lighted water feature and a number of awards and a few pictures were up on his wall. One imparticular caught her eye. It was a picture of him and Uriko at the gym messing toying around infront of a boxing bag.
"Aww, how nice." She said running her finger down the pictures frame. She laughed at him before making her way down the hall. She stopped when he saw Uriko's room and took in how much he had done to make sure she was comfortable. Then she moved on to his room and made herself comfortable on his bed.
"Nice place you got here." She said mockingly. He shook his head and smiled before joining her in the bed.
"Glad you like it, though I gotta tell you. I wasn't expecting a sleep over tonight." He said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well dad isn't the only one who can have some fun now is he?" She teased before leaning in to kiss him. Just as they were starting to make themselves comfortable Shenlong heard his balcony door slide open and closed again.
"What the hell?" He stood and went into the hallway to be tackled to the by Uriko who dropped her bag and pounced on him. Shina held her sides in a fit of laughter as Shenlong sighed at his rotten luck.
"I told mom I had my own room over here and that I didn't want to miss a minute of training with you, so she let me come over." She said with a she saw Shina in his bed she got excited and went in as well.
"I didn't know you were having a sleepover! This is gunna be so much fun." Uriko hoped under the covers and started talking to Shina about her room and their plans for the mountain. Shenlong stood in the door way and watched them talk and share stories with one another. He had to be the luckiest man in the city.
"Hey Shenlong, whats it like in the mountain?" Uriko asked entrigued.
"It's pretty nice. Some monks used to live up there before the city was built and theres a temple hidden up there. It's a cozy little place close to the waterfall." He explained.
"Wow a temple and a waterfall! Here I thought we would be sleeping outside on the ground. She said nervously.
"Not quite." He chuckled. "Even a tiger likes to have a den to come home to." He said mater-of-factlty poking her on the forehead. She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. They joked on into the night, even played a game of pool and a few rounds of cards before Uriko gave into her sleepyness. Shenlong carried her off to her room before going to his own bed. He was pleased to see Shina had made her self comfortable and was starting to doze off. He cralled into bed with her and they fell asleep in eachothers arms. About an hour later Uriko made her way into the room as well and climbed on his back. Shenlong felt her struggle to get comfortable so he smoothly transformed and felt her and Shina nuzzle into his fur before all of them were asleep again. The next day, Shenlong prepaired breakfast and Shina elected to give them a ride out of the city.
"What's the best way to get there?" She asked moving to her own car.
"Actually we're taking the boat." Shenlong smirked. The waterfall empties into a stream that runs to a cove where I dock the boat." He explained. Uriko was pictureing the place in her mind and couldn't wait to see this mountain paradise.
After a train ride, a short walk, and a relaxing boat ride, the trio had reached the place. The cove exceeded Uriko's expectations. The water was clear and full of fish. The stream flowed into the bay from inside a cave that housed the network of underground rivers and streames that ran throughout the mountain. They spent a few hours playing in the water and snapping photo's for Uriko to show her family at the end of the summer. Shenlong showed Uriko how to catch fish with her claws and how to tell what the weather will be like by looking at the waves and the clouds. As the sun started to set, he made a final round securing the boat before instructing Uriko to take her cat form and follow him into the forest. She and Shina did as instructed and followed him to the temple. They passed threw the dense forest quickly in the orange light of the sun and even had time to pause and observe tracks in the soft ground and tell what kind of animals were in the forest this summer. When the sun was nearing its lowest point, the animal night life came alive and a fog started to fill the area. Just as Uriko was getting tired of running, Shenlong stopped and pulled aside some brush to reviel a surprisingly well kept temple. The pillers were a bright red, the grass healthy and soft. A simple yet ornate bridge passed over a section of the downhill stream that cut threw the grounds. There was a stone flored training ground on eitherside of a path that led up to the main building. When they got inside, Shenlong started lighting slow burning cangles and oil lamps to light the prayer area that housed a large stone Buddha. The bamboo floor was lightly aged, but the red and gold pain was still pretty well preserved. There was a kitchen with a wood stove. Shenlong took the liberty of adding and ice box to store food and keep it safe from curious creatures of the forest. The dining area had a low table with green sitting mats and clay dishes and a sky light that ran the length of the room to let in moon and sunlight at any time of day or night. The sleeping quarters were about the size as Uriko's room in Shenlong's condo. They had less firm bamboo floors and a single round jade window in each room. The support beams of the building were read with jade green bases.
"Wow… Shenlong this place is beautiful!" Shina said still taking all of it in. Uriko was speechless, she just wanted to explore the building and see what it must have been like when the monks were around. At the end of the tour, Shenlong took them to the tiled roof that over looked the side of the mountain. When the moon was risen and bright, they could even see the waterfall from there.
"Shen, this place is amazing. Thank you for bringing me here to train with you.
"Why hasn't anyone been able to find this place?" Shina asked looking out into the distance.
"The terrain around here is rough and dangerous for people. A lot of sheer rock faces and some pretty nasty falls if you're not careful. There used to be a path straight here from a small shrine at the base of the mountain close to the city. But over time, trees grew and the stream carved away large portions of the ground until this place became unaccessable. The dense fog makes it almost invisible to aircraft that might come looking for it too." He explained looking straight up
"Then how am I supposed to get back smart one?" She teased.
"What do you mean how? Leopards are excellent tree climbers and more nimble than most." He complimented. Shina giggled at the flattery.
"True enough, but how will I know which way to go?" She asked. Shenlong chuckled at her before moving over to the court yard. The girls followed him and listeed as he pointed out a compass stone in the ground. The temple faced northwest, and the stone pointed directly north.
"If you go west from here, you will reach the shrine at the base of the mountain. It's a ways away from the city, so you will have to call for a ride back. If you get lost, just follow the smell of burning incents. People leave them at the shrine to pay there respects." He explained in an almost flirtaios tone. He was so preoccupied with Shina he didn't notice Uriko slip off. When he did, he almost panniced.
"Uriko! Where did you go? You shouldn't leave the temple grounds yet. You don't know the area well enough yet." He turned his head frantically for any amount of movement, but saw nothing. "SHIT!" He transformed and quickly started sniffing the ground. Once he had the scent, he followed it into the temple. He changed back when he found her sleeping in the meditation area amongst the candles.
"Guess that bear was right, she really is a handful." Shina said with a snicker. Shenlong folded his arms and let out a sigh of reliefe.
"This going to be an interesting summer." He said scratching the back of his head.
"Hey Shenlong, so what was that you were telling me about the full experience of beast mode training?" She said with a wink before strutting outside. Shenlong quickly got the hint as she kicked her shoes off into one of the bed rooms. "Gotta love these long summers." He said before coming out of his own shirt and joining her in the room. Uriko slept soundly as the larger cats stripped naked and ran out of the temple.
The two played around out in the grass for a while and Shina often found herself distracted by Shenlong's nude form, certain parts in particular seemed to catch her eye more times than not. Shenlong was pretty well endowed in his human form, but seeing him like this, she had to wonder Buzuzima added some horse DNA when he made him. She was both scared of it and fascinated by it at the same time. It didn't help matters that as they pounced and stalked at eachother, her own… assests were on full display for him, and he was taking in every bit of it. Not wanting to start a scene with Uriko close by, Shina leaped over Shenlong's head and darted off into the forest toward the waterfall. Shenlong quickly took after her. He was right about leopards being nimble. Despite being the faster of the two, Shina effortlessly ran threw the thick brush dodging trees and vines, taking to four legs at times for the added agility when it suited her. Shenlong was fast behind and gaining. When he was just about to catch her, she vaulted and took to the trees traveling over his head Shenlong easily keept pace with her, his cat eyes able to captue her every move with the moon light to guide them.
Soon the sound of rushing water could be heard just past the tree line. Shina darted ahead in a burst of speed and Shenlong exploded from behind a bush skidding to a stop when he saw Shina's human form against the rushing water of the moon-lit waterfall. She was a vision of spray form the water had lightly coated her body and the droplets shone like diamonds on her tan skin. He watched every inch of her as she walked from him, her round perk backside could make a werewolf change on a moonless night, but tonight with the moon already full it served to effectively hypnotize Shenlong. She looked over her shoulder at him as she took dramatic, seductive steps over to the edge of the water pool and licked her lips just before diving in. Just as Shenlong was starting to come out of the trance, she burst from the water in a flash of golden light. The water exploded around her as she thrust her ample chest forward and arched her back and tail almost completeing the circle. She looked at him with those piercing golden eyes of hers and dared him to come get her.
Shenlong couldn't resist her anymore and ran to her full speed. He landed into the water with a huge splash and disappeared below the surface. Shina looked for him for a moment, but quickly found him, or rather he found her. She felt his clawed hand sliding up the length of her legs and thighs before finding their destination hold her soft round cheeks in his mighty palms. He lifter her, then brought her back slowly to him kissing, licking and nibbling the inside of her legs unti he reached her sex. She moaned in extacy as he lapped at her most sensitive of parts. The sensation was enough to twist her tail and force her claws to extend and retract with every breath. He moved his head closer to hers continuing to lightly tug at the fur on her body until he reached her full breasts. He suckled on them roughly and brushed her nipples with his fangs defore finally bringing his face to meet hers. As he lowered her, she pulled her body into position for him to slide into her. She clenched his massive arms as he was even bigger than she had anticipated and her claws welted the flesh under his fur as he went deeper and deeper still, until finally they were one. They moved with the rythem of the water in extacy with one another to the point where they had to move over to the grass for better footing. Shina peaked at least five times that night and only after Shenlong finally reached his were their bodies able to relax again and enjoy the serenity of their surroundings. Against the cool night air, the cascading water felt warm to the touch and was the perfect spot to take in the view. From their position, they could even see a portion of the city.
The next morning, they mady sure to return to the temple before sunrise in order to avoid an awkward and potentially traumatizing run in with Uriko. Shina took her cloths and left with a kiss for the shrine just in time for Shenlong to prep some of his rations for a light breakfast. Over the next couple days the two perfected her basic technique in both human and beast form. From there, he started introducing his opening dragon forms. He stressed the importance of balance withing the body and the mind. They spent countless hours meditating in various places across the mountain. Because of her inexperience, Uriko couldn't maintain her beast form for more than a couple hours, so part of her training focused holding her cat form indefinitely if needed even while sleeping. This as well as other aspects of their training were put to the test when their rations ran out. Shenlong intentionally only packed a couple weeks worth of food. He told her she would learn how to survive out here, and that included learning how to hunt.
Uriko wached silently from high in the canopy as Shenlong stalked a dear threw the morning fog. The young buck strayed form the heard for a soft patch of grass. It had a small limp and looked so helpless that Uriko couldn't help but fawn over the creature. She found herself feeling bad for the poor creature, and then faster than she could blink, it was gone. Shenlong pounced on the crippled deer and took it to the ground.
"Shenlong, no!" She cried out coming from the tree to aid the deer. To her delight, it wasn't dead but was definitely injured.
"Uriko, it's time for your next lesson. You need to learn how to hunt. Fish will only give you so much nourishment. Your body needs more energy to survive out here." He said sympathetically.
"But… she's so helpless. Look, she's hurt; we should help her." Uriko said hopefully. Shenlong looked at her with sad eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Uriko we cant do that…" He said looking for a way to explain.
"What do you mean we cant help her? It's a broken leg, all she needs is a stint and she'll be back on her feet in no time." She said becoming frantic.
"It's called kulling the heard. In order for the heard to stay healthy and strong, the weak and sickly members need to be removed. Otherwise, there would not be enough food to go around and the whole heard would be vulnerable to preditors. This one separated from the others on purpose. She knew she was too injured to carry on." He explained as best as he could. Uriko understood, but still didn't like it.
"If that's the case, why didn't you kill her when you pounced on her?" She asked shakily. Shenlong sighed and scratched his head knowing she wouldn't like his reason one bit.
"Because in order to be a good hunter, I want you to know how to take down your own food. With this dear you will learn where vital points are and the fastest, most painless way to finish your prey. Uriko gasped and almost came to tears as she looked into the deer's eyes and watched her breath heavily.
From there, they brought the doe back to the temple where Shenlong taught Uriko the basic anatomy of the dear, how to disable it quickly and how to get an almos instant kill. He warned her that more times than not, prey will not be so cooperative and will fight fiercely for its life even if it's already coming to an end. He taught her how to clean and prep the meat, which organs are best to eat and which are more wastefull and should be left for the scavengers. He also showed her how to clean the pelt and use it to keep warm on cool nights. This combined with constant lessons on stalking, moving silently and swiftly, and tracking potential prey.
Eventually the day came when Uriko finally had to go out and get them food. She had been able to catch fish and birds easily, but this time she had to get something substantial. She crouched low to a wide tree branch as she followed the heard of dear. She scanned the heard for anyone moving awkwardly or slower than the others. After about an hour of following them threw the dense forest, she picked her mark. The heard approached the stream and her target bent down for a drink as others periodically looked up and scanned the area for and danger. There was silence, only the sound of flowing water and the occasional chirp from passing birds. Uriko poised her claws and made her move. She lunged from above at her target. The dear quickly tried to make a run for it, but a few quick moves it was all over. Her first big kill pained her a little inside dispite Shenlong's praise, but they had been watching the heard for a while and she saw for herself that even though they were hunting the weaker members of the heard, new borns would have pleanty to eat, and the heard would stay strong.
Shina came to visit a few more times, even bringing Javier and Scarlette with her to help teach Uriko different skills not to mention the occasional late night romp around while the child slept. By the end of the summer, Uriko was on an entirely new level and with a fighting style all her own. She was stronger, faster, and more agile than ever. Despite all the hard training, she still had her bright hopefull personality. Even as the chill of fall set in around the city, it warmed Mitsuko's heart when she finally heard that voice.
"Hi mom!" Uriko called out glad to be home.