Hey everybody!

I'm sorry that I haven't updated this story but I had a writer's blockage.

Well please review! (and enjoy the story of course)

I do not own Kung Fu Panda

Chapter 7

Tigress took a step backwards. She couldn't fight the stranger that still looked like a threatening shadow. She would probably have attacked the person if she had met him just a week ago. Now she just wanted to slowly back away. But it was too late; the shadow knew that she was there. It was moving closer and closer to her. The closer it came the more could Tigress see that she had a reason to be worried. The shadow became a black bear with a scar across his left eye. It was the bear-leader.

When the bear-leader was only a few steps from Tigress he started smiling.

"Where is your tiger-friend to protect you?" he asked scornfully and Tigress remembered the anger she had felt the last time she were fighting against him.

"I don't need anyone to protect me," she answered while she was trying to hold her temper down.

Tigress didn't see it come. The black bear kicked her that hard so she flew into a tree. Tigress forced herself to stand up. She was trying not to feel the pain.

"You should consider what you really need, my striped friend," he laughed and took a knife from his sheath.

It had the same notch as the other dagger and Tigress felt the fear growing inside of her. She stood with her back against the tree. She wasn't strong enough to fight the bear and she was too exhausted to run away from him.

But Master Proelio stood behind him with a smile on his face before the black bear could react.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back?" He said and punched the bear-leader when he turned around.

And then they started fighting. Tigress just stood there without knowing what to do. She couldn't join the fight and she felt so useless when she couldn't do anything. But she didn't need to help the male-tiger. He was doing great and the black bear was now lying on the earth with blood dripping from his scalp.

"I will give you one other chance," Master Proelio said, he wasn't panting at all, "Leave and if you'll ever come back then I will personally track you down and kill you."

The black bear nodded and ran away – again.

Master Proelio turned his golden eyes at Tigress. Right now he wasn't smiling and looked just as serious as the last time she saw him.

"You shouldn't have walked into the forest when you hadn't control over your feelings," he said and took the knife that the bear-leader had left behind him.

"I…" Tigress wanted to say 'I had everything under control'.

But the truth was that she hadn't. That horrible feeling had made her mind foggy and that's why she didn't see the bear coming.

"Isn't this the second time I saved your life?" The old Master Proelio was back and the annoying smile too.

"Why did you follow me into the forest?" Tigress asked instead of answering his question.

"I didn't," he answered and looked at the knife, "I just took a little walk and then I saw you with the bear."

Tigress didn't believe him. And why should she believe him?

"You should have killed him when you had the chance," was the only thing the feline said and then she turned around and started walking towards the palace.

Master Proelio followed her without answering. His eyes were on the knife and the smile was once again gone.

"This is worse than I thought," he mumbled and Tigress went curios.

What was he talking about? Was he talking about The Rulers of the Four Winds?

"Who is The Rulers of the Four Winds?" Tigress couldn't hold the question back anymore.

Master Proelio looked at her and Tigress couldn't read his glance.

"The Rulers of the Four Winds are none of your business."

And that was the last thing he said. Tigress and the other master were silent for the rest of their way to The Jade Palace.

Next day

Master Proelio had told the students that they wouldn't have to train today but Tigress had spent all the day in the training hall anyway. She still couldn't hit the dummy but she didn't know what else to do. So she just continued trying to punch the dummy.

She knew that the black bear had something to do with The Rulers of the Four Winds. And it made her frustrated that Master Proelio wouldn't tell her about it. Speaking of which, it was like the master tried to avoid her. Something told Tigress that Master Proelio cancelled the training so he wouldn't be forced to talk to her. And the bears and their leader were still out there. They would come back. Tigress just knew it...

"Tigress?" Viper's voice made Tigress stop hitting the dummy.

The tiger turned around and saw her friends and Po standing close to her. Tigress hadn't spoken to them since she came back from the forest.

"Why are you training when you have a day off?" Po asked.

Tigress didn't answer. Instead Monkey came with a nervous laughter.

"Po, it is Tigress that you're talking to. She loves training," he said, "She can't live a day without it."

The monkey's joke didn't go that well. Nobody laughed but it was mostly because of Tigress impassive glance.

"So Tigress," Crane tried to save the situation, "Will you take a walk with us to The Valley of Peace?"

Tigress were about to say no. She didn't like that people stared at her and the others like they were some kind of gods. But something made her change her mind.

"Yes that would be nice," she answered and joined her friends. Maybe this wasn't a bad idea.

As always the citizens surrounded them the second they took a step into the valley. Tigress did what she was used to. But she couldn't hold back a sneer when an annoying child kept pulling her tail. And then the child went scared and ran away.

"That wasn't necessary," Viper whispered while saying hello to a sheep and her two lambs.

And then one of the sheep's lambs yelled out loud:

"Look over there! It's Master Proelio!"

Tigress and the others were not the interesting people anymore. All the citizens ran towards Master Proelio and he greeted them with a charming smile. He seemed to be use to people that adore him.

Even the irritating boy was back and was now pulling Master Proelio's tail instead of Tigress'. The male-tiger seemed to ignore him.

Tigress knew that she was being foolish but she went a little suspicious. What was Master Proelio doing here?

And like Master Proelio was reading her mind his golden eyes were on Tigress.

"Master Shifu told me that you were in the village and I wanted to join you," he smiled.

Tigress wanted to ask 'Why do you want that?' but didn't say it.

"Master Proelio," A little gosling tried to get the master's attention, "Is it true that you once fought one hundred bandits with your hands bound behind your back?"

Master Proelio laughed friendly and looked down at the kid who looked at him with big blue eyes.

"No, that's not true. I only fought seventy," he said.

Was Tigress really the only one that could see how selfish he acted?

After some time Master Proelio finally managed the people to go away and he walked towards Tigress and the others.

"Are you enjoying your day off?" he asked when he stood in front of them.

The others said 'yes' and thanked Master Proelio. But Tigress didn't answer.

She couldn't figure it out. Why did Master Proelio act as the same when he just yesterday found Tigress in the forest with the bear-leader?

"That was great," Master Proelio didn't look at Tigress and didn't care that she didn't answer his question.

"I'm sorry but I can't talk with you anymore. It's almost dinnertime and I have something to do."

And then he was gone.

"He couldn't stay for long," Crane mumbled and looked at the corner where Master Proelio disappeared.

"He must be a busy man," Mantis said and jumped up on Po's shoulder.

"I always thought that it was a hundred bandits he fought…" Po clearly didn't know that the subject had been changed.

"No one can fight a hundred bandits without using his hands, Po," Tigress said.

A little girl stopped in front of Tigress.

"Master Proelio can," she said, "He is the best master of the tiger-style. He's even better than you."

Another girl ran pass them and the little girl followed her.

Tigress wanted to growl but didn't. Then she would show her friends how angry she was at Master Proelio.

But where was he going? Tigress went even more suspicious. She needed to follow him. But how could she get away from the others.

"Speaking of dinner, I'm hungry," Po said while looking at his growling stomach and Tigress saw her opportunity.

"You can go ahead and then I'll come later," she said hoping that they wouldn't suspect her.

Her friends hesitated. They could feel that Tigress had been very mystical and absent.

And Tigress could see that they hung back.

"I will come as soon as I can," she said, "I promise."

"Shall I save bowl of soup for you?" Po asked.

Tigress shook her head. "You don't need to. I will eat tofu as always."

"Okay then," Viper said, "Bye Tigress."

Tigress watched her friends walking towards The Jade Palace. She didn't like that she promised to be home soon. She didn't know how long this would take. But it was the only thing Tigress could do to get rid of them.

And then the tiger turned around and walked after Master Proelio. She needed to see what he was up to.

The sun was heading down and Tigress could easily walk in the shadows. And Master Proelio wasn't hard to find. He was talking with the blacksmith and in his hand he was holding the black bear's dagger.

Tigress hid herself behind a little shop where she still could see Master Proelio and the ram.

"I will try to find a track on the knife and locate where it's made," the grey ram said and took the knife from Master Proelio.

Master Proelio nodded. He didn't show any feelings.

"Thank you, Hao," Master Proelio said and then the two men said goodbye.

Master Proelio walked away. Tigress followed him. She hid herself around corners, in the shadows and behind shops and went more and more curious. Where was he going?

Master Proelio walked into the forest. Tigress followed him behind the bushes.

"I know you're watching me, Master Tigress," Master Proelio said after taking a deep breath.

Tigress froze. Master Proelio had seen her. Why was he so calm when she had been spying on him?

"I know that you've been there all the time," he continued and hid the tree.

Tigress saw how the tree broke in the middle and fell to the ground. She was stunned.

"You can come out from the bushes now."

Master Proelio turned his back on the tree that wasn't a tree anymore. He was smiling like Tigress never had been spying on him and like he never had found Tigress and the bear-leader in the forest.

Tigress slowly walked out from her hiding place and looked at Master Proelio.

"You should probably go home now," Master Proelio said, "Your friends are waiting for you."

Tigress didn't want to go home. Not before she knew what Master Proelio was up to.

"Why did you need to locate the place where the bears are?" she asked seriously.

"I need to know who I am up against," Master Proelio said and hit another tree.

It fell to the ground too. Tigress tried to ignore the fact that she was impressed.

"It's just some normal bandits." Tigress didn't mean that, but she needed to see what the master thought.

"I don't think so," he answered and took up a bough, "I think that the black bear's name is Xi."

"And why is his name important?" Tigress asked. She had no idea what Master Proelio was talking about.

"As you know Xi means 'west'," Master Proelio pointed the bough at Tigress, "And that means that he's from west."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Master Proelio didn't smile anymore.

"Let me tell you about The Ruler of the Four Winds."