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Memoirs of a Master

Chapter 19

"Well, that sounds familiar."

Tigress suddenly felt very uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the other five warriors. "What?"

"Tai Lung—he left to fight a big bad enemy, alone, to protect his master," Monkey said. "Who does that sound like?"

"How dare you accuse me of—"

"Of what? Of loving Shifu like a daughter should love her father?" Viper asked. "Or accuse you of being more like Tai Lung than you thought?"

"Tai Lung and I have nothing in common," Tigress snarled viciously, forcing the males to curl away in fear of the awe-inspiring awesomeness of her Flying Claws of Immediate Agony technique. But Viper wasn't impressed, for she was also female, and sported her own set of sharp implements of pain and torture…even if they'd taken longer than normal to grow for her species. She flashed her fangs in an uncharacteristically wicked grin, which—amazingly—calmed the tiger down.

Viper smirked; even if she lacked venom, her Deceptively Dangerous Grin defied her best friend's Fire-Hot Tempers. No venom, but damn if she didn't have a nasty bite. Only her closest friends knew she didn't have any venom. Everyone else—including Tai Lung, Viper thought with a satisfied smirk—saw the fangs and freaked out.

Sometimes, being a snake felt really, really good. "Are you finished?" she asked her friend, who nodded glumly, striped arms stubbornly crossed over her chest. "Good. And Monkey has a point, you know. You and Tai Lung do have a lot of things in common."

"We're both cats."

"Well, yes," Monkey started, "but less obvious things, like being kung fu masters, being raised by Master Shifu, being or—"

"SHUT UP!"

Monkey gasped and drew back when Tigress got in his face, seething, a furious, dangerous light in the tiger's eyes. Tigress hissed darkly, claws drawn, "What did you say, Monkey?"

The simian was completely and totally cowed, "I-I'm sorry, I forgot…"

"You forgot?!"

"Like Shifu's not going to mention you in these scrolls!" Monkey shouted to save himself. "He's mentioned you already; what makes you think he won't write down your story like he did Tai Lung's?!"

The disturbingly murderous fire in her eyes was immediately doused; now, they looked panicked and frightened. "He…he wouldn't."

"What makes you think he'd leave you out? You're his best student."

"No, Tai Lung was his best student," she argued.

"Yeah, he was," Mantis pointed out, "Before he went into lock-down."

"Face it, you're the leader for a reason," Monkey said. "Shifu is going to mention you, and where you came from…whether you like it or not."

"Face it," she growled, returning to her chair and stubbornly crossing her arms, "He doesn't care enough about me to write anything; that's abundantly clear."

The simian fixed her with a significant look, "Is it?"

It was with this sickening dread that Tigress slumped down into her seat, looking like she had been struck by lightning. Po looked at her worriedly as he picked up the scroll. How bad was her past? Was Shifu harsher on her because of Tai Lung? And if so…how harsh had he been?

I was going to kill him.

First, I was going to worry, panic, rave at Oogway, the servants, and anyone else for letting him out of their sight. I was going to scour the valley, the mountains, lakes, rivers, every part of the Jade Emperor's green earth. I was going to do anything and everything I could to protect him.

Then I would kill him.

Why worry, you say? Why worry about a grown man who knows kung fu for cripes sake, could kill a garrison of gorillas with the flick of a finger and lay low a regiment of rhinos with just a single punch? Why worry if you trained him from infancy in kung fu? If he's nineteen, shouldn't you be cutting the apron strings?

To you, I say…clearly you've never been a parent.

It's a parent's duty to their children to worry. We Chinese (traditionally) are fond of telling children about their duties to their elders, but rarely do we ever hold the elders accountable for their children. If a child misbehaves, it's the parent's fault. If the child can't read while the rest of his class is on to reading the Classics, it's not the school's fault, it's the parents'. And in my case, if my child runs away…well, okay, whether or not it was my fault is debatable. Either I had done something wrong, or he was just too stubborn for his own good.

A parent's duties to their children are: to love them, to teach them, to hold them to a higher standard than everyone else, to care for them when they are sick, to worry about them whenever they are out of your sight, and to cherish them more than life itself.

So there I was, dashing through the grounds like a chicken with its head cut off, panicking and raging all at the same time.

Borte landed right in front of me, wingspan barring my way, "Shifu, for the Sky God's Sake! SETTLE DOWN."

"How can I be calm when my student has run off to get himself killed?!"

"You don't know that—" I shoved his note in front of her beak; she paused, then said, "I take it back—he's in trouble."

"How many is Rong sending?" I demanded.

"I don't know—a few thousand? It was difficult to tell from my altitude."

"I need to find Oogway, there has to be something…"

"No, Shifu," she said, "Go after your son—I will find Oogway and tell him what's happening."

"I can't leave the palace—I'll be executed!"

"Damn you, you stupid oaf!" she snapped her beak. "What's more important, your life, or his?!"

My mind flashed back to the memory of the first time Tai Lung went down to the village alone. I had been afraid to leave and bring him back, because I knew I would surely be killed. After he had returned safely, and after I had ruminated on it for quite some time, I realized I had been such a coward. A real parent wouldn't care about their own well-being, or put themselves before their child.

I sighed and nodded. "How will you find me?"

Borte only smiled, "I'll see you from the air, my friend. Now hurry—that boy of yours is faster than any snow leopard I've ever seen. Fare well, my brother in arms!"

I didn't bother to arm myself; I took a bamboo staff and the clothes on my back. It was foolish and foolhardy, I know, but as I tore down the same path that my son had left behind, I was reminded of an event similar to this in my life many years before. The last time I had taken this route in such a manner, I was racing to intercept Khan at the Battle of Red Claw Ridge.

This time, I was racing to intercept Tai Lung before he got himself killed.

As it had been years before, it took me three days to get to the Chasm and the Thread of Hope. I was hopelessly behind my student, who was always much faster than I, even if I had been right on his tail.

Two and a half days passed since I left the Jade Palace, with no one in my way, and none to oppose my path; a small miracle. I could see the tall spires of rock jutting out of the chasm like fangs from a monster's mouth, only a mile ahead.

I stopped long enough to check that I was still on Tai Lung's trail. I found one of his footprints in the dirt; I pressed my fingers into the impression, starting to harden. He had only been through there a day before. But judging from the depth of the impression, he had been going fast, very fast. I needed to keep up if I intended to catch up to him.

As I continued on my way, the sun began to rise in front of me, blinding my way. I had been running all night. If I was slowed in my journey, those fiery rays were bound to slow down my pupil, whose eyes were much more sensitive than mine to begin with. Though I wouldn't put it past him to continue at break-neck speed anyway; when it came to training, he didn't care how much pain he put himself through, or how many bones he broke.

I heard a cry overhead, and looked up, spotting Borte high above me. But she was too high to warn me of the threat at ground level…

I skidded to a halt as the stone gateway to the Thread of Hope loomed into view. On the granite steps leading up to the flimsy bridge stood a company of no less than fifteen gorillas in Imperial uniforms. Those gorillas, however, were little more than hired goons, mercenaries probably paid an obscene amount of money for their loyalty. The minute they spotted me, they grinned maliciously.

"Shifu."

"That's Master Shifu, punk," I growled. "Get out of my way."

"I don't think so," the ringleader mocked. "We're under orders by His Excellency Emperor Rong…"

I spit on the ground at the wolf's name. "His Excellency, my eye! If you know what's good for you, you will let me pass, now."

The other gorillas snickered and brandished their weapons. "No way," the leader guffawed. "You take one more step, and your head is mine."

I knew I was in trouble. While they had pole arms, axes and maces, I was armed with just a staff. Somehow, this situation felt oddly familiar…

That was when I recognized the ringleader…and smirked triumphantly. "Hello, Tiny."

The gorilla froze, then paled. "Wait…you're that pipsquea—"

I struck, jumping up and grabbing him by the nostrils and slamming him down into the ground, propelling myself up to deliver a dozen kicks apiece to the next two gorillas behind him. I swung my staff out and knocked another in the head, two more jabbed between the eyes, one butted in the stomach, and another's pressure points hit with a nerve strike from the very tips of my fingers.

Eight down, seven to go. I jumped onto one's shoulders and hit the back of his neck, snapping it instantly. As he fell, I swung myself up onto a tree limb and launched myself off, twirling my staff and hitting another in the head with a sharp crack, splitting his head open. Ten down, five more…

I back-flipped, landing on Tiny's back and smirking at the audible crunching of his ribs. One gorilla came at me with his mace high over his head. I grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it in his face, making him cry out and double back into the one behind him. With a swift roundhouse kick I sent both of them teetering over the edge of the chasm, and then they fell, the poor wretches disappearing into the mists with horrified shrieks.

The last three looked ready to lose their nerve, until they all decided to gang up at once. I was losing too much time, and if I wanted to catch up to Tai Lung, I needed to end this fast. I decided to forgo my staff and struck open-handed attacks, disarming the three instantly, then flung one over my shoulder. He tried grasping at the bridge's ropes and missed…another victim to the chasm.

At this point, I had given up on mercy. Rong, and any of his followers, did not deserve it. In quick succession, the last two met the same fate as the other three, and by this point, the ones I had injured were either too injured to move or had already fled in a disgusting act of cowardice.

When I looked back at Tiny, I stalked over, yanked him up to meet me eye to eye and hissed in his face, "My name is not 'Pipsqueak'. My name is Shifu."

With a sharp jab to his forehead, I knocked him unconscious…though I probably should have killed him. Nevertheless, I never heard from him again, so I assume he learned his lesson after I literally knocked sense into him.

Borte landed right next to me, casting a quick glance at Tiny's unconscious body. "You should just throw him into the chasm."

"There's no honor in that," I said. "He's stupid, thus harmless."

"He's an ally of Rong; he is anything but." She paused and sighed, "I flew ahead. Tai Lung is nearly to the other side."

"Already?"

"If you let me fly you over, we'll get there right before he does."

I gulped and looked out over the Thread of Hope, that rickety old bridge that had probably had more than one reincarnation in the entire Valley's history. Needless to say, dangling precariously from Borte's talons—strong as she was—was very unnerving. I had very little issue with heights…it was the long drop and sudden stop and the splat at the bottom that bothered me. But as I looked far into the distance, perking my ears for any sounds at all, I sighed in resignation.

"Alright."

"You're sure?"

"I stand a better chance with you than I do alone on those ropes. Besides, you were able to lift both Li and I at Red Claw Ridge—I place my trust in you."

Borte smiled, "I always knew there was something I liked about you." She flapped her impressive wingspan once and took my shoulders in her talons.

"Hold tight," I warned.

"I always do."

I had little time to appreciate the beauty of the chasm below. When not in fear of falling—which I was—I'm sure it is truly a breathtaking sight. But Borte was true to her word; before long, I could spot a very familiar shape far below. The suspension bridge swayed and rocked vicariously with Tai Lung's feet pounding against the boards as he raced to the other side. I didn't need to see his face to know that it had that blank, determined expression he always sported when he was focused on something. Judging by the ferocity of his trek, he was very much focused on the mission ahead.

I started to have second thoughts. Maybe I should let him do this, I thought. He's right, he's never had the chance to prove himself, and maybe if he does, maybe he'll prove he is in fact the Dragon Warrior.

But I was jogged out of my musings as we neared the last spire, the last span to the Outside. Below, Tai Lung had rounded the stone pillars holding the last span…and paused as surely as I would have.

It was a sea—a solid mass—of soldiers in shining armor, facing off against a thousand large rhinos, all garbed in black and grey. Behind the rhinos was the Chasm, and before us was a solid, high cliff face at the backs of the Imperial soldiers, that jutted up into the sky, sharp as a blade. They had the advantage; they had a solid wall which archers and snipers could hide and ambush, we had nothing but No Man's land and a bottomless pit. Either way it looked, we were probably screwed. Judging from the din that arose from the earth below, I felt my stomach churn with dismay.

The battle had already begun.

The acrid odor of spilled blood and rotting corpses littered the ground, and the unearthly roar of the two armies facing off below rose and echoed off the spires, the very chasm walls vibrating with the war cries and death cries.

Borte let out a loud screech and dove without warning. I shouted in alarm as she swooped down over the heads of the Anvil of Heaven, then just as swiftly adjusted her wings to slow herself down, dropping me quickly by the feet of an extremely tall and bulky rhino. The armor was impressive, covering his entire body, leather armor plated and studded with metal spikes, and a helmet that covered his entire face, but for the narrow eye slits and slit over the mouth.

I didn't recognize him behind the armor, but the booming voice was unmistakable: "Shifu?" It was Ochir. I had never been happier to see him. That happiness quickly degenerated into annoyance when he added, "You got old."

"Nice to see you too," I deadpanned. I gasped when Ochir raised his axe high over his head and brought it down on top of me—

—to cut down the lizard that had snuck up behind me.

"Nice to have you," he shouted, "But you gotta look alive! These sonsabitches won't give you time to breathe!"

"Ochir," I called, "Have you seen a snow leopard here—"

He froze, glaring at me through the visor. I suddenly realized he and I were not thinking of the same snow leopard when he snarled, "I wouldn't want his help even if he were on our side!"

With a sudden angry roar, he charged on a trio of lizards wielding spinning butterfly knives. They let out horrified shrieks as they sliced and struck against his armor, the blades either nicking the armor or snapping clean off the handles. Ochir roared and slammed his fist into one, sending him flying, and that one's comrades tried to attack the mighty bull rhino, swarming like locusts around him in a desperate attempt take him down.

A monk's spade cut into the dirt at my feet. I reacted, brandishing my staff and struck out onto the creature's sternum. The crocodile fell back and I jumped up and delivered a tough kick; the croc fell back, knocking down his comrades. I jumped over their heads and into the next clearing. Rhinos and reptiles fought ferociously around me as I desperately searched for any signs…

The roar was what did it. It was so random, so unlike the other sounds of the battle, that rhinos and reptiles alike paused long enough to glance up, the sun blinding their eyes as a body fell from the sky and right into the middle of the melee.

As soon as Tai Lung's feet landed on the blood-stained earth he laid waste to the four crocs who had recovered enough to know he wasn't on their side. He snarled and punched one, threw another over his shoulder, kicked another and grabbed him and threw him to the ground, and the last he grabbed by the throat and slammed him into the ground.

The reptiles immediately recognized two things: he wasn't on their side, and he was unarmed.

I swore my heart stopped. But to my amazement—as well as the rhinos—Tai Lung zigzagged, dodging and sweeping past the gauntlet of spears, swords, lances and arrows as they fell. From a distance, it looked like the weapons were passing right through him, but he had nary a scratch on his body. Despite his bulk, Tai Lung was amazingly agile, something he had spent years perfecting; before long I realized which style he was using: Monkey. I shook my head in amazement. Drunken Monkey technique to dodge a thousand arrows…

"Holy crap," Monkey gaped, then grinned. "That's awesome! I should try that…"

"Totally!" Po agreed. "That's hardcore, man."

"Will you please get on with it?" Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay, where was I…" Po continued.

…to dodge a thousand arrows, and the jabs of swords and pole arms alike. I was stunned. But I wasn't the only one.

Ochir suddenly appeared by my side, lifting his visor in stunned silence. "Who the fuck is he, and is he on our side?"

"That's my student, Tai Lung," I said proudly. "And yes, he's on our side."

"Where the fuck did he learn how to do that?" Ochir gasped. We watched in mute shock as Tai Lung leapt high into the air and performed a drop kick, slamming his heel into the ground, crackling the earth around it. Slamming his foot down, he dislodged a nearby boulder, which he kicked at a column of lizards as they charged. The last thing those lizards saw was a wall of rock.

Ochir was staring at me; I shrugged, "Well don't look at me, I didn't teach him that!"

"Then who did?"

We shared a quick look and nodded, agreeing on the most obvious culprit: "Oogway."

But Tai Lung was still moving, still fighting, barely a breath or a heartbeat to pass the time he had been on the battlefield. Ever since he had arrived, he had strictly been on the defensive. I couldn't help but notice that now he had arrived and shown such remarkable feats, the enemy reptiles had all but abandoned fighting the Anvil of Heaven, instead swarming over to my student…

I tried to run forward to stop him, to get him out of there, to protect him or die trying. Ochir's firm hand on my shoulder stopped me, "Wait!"

"Let me go! He needs help!" I shouted.

"He's getting it!"

I looked back and suddenly saw an explosion of lizards and crocs as they flew into the air like sea water crashing against a cliff, screaming as they fell over the edge and into the abyss. Tai Lung knew he was dangerously close to the edge of the chasm as well, and fought ferociously to keep from falling. Just as his heel fell back onto nothingness, I could see the panic and frigid fear in his eyes. My heart stopped as I watched him falling back.

Somehow, out of the swarm, a rhino came and grabbed onto Tai Lung's wrist, yanking him back into the fray as the tattooed rhino slammed into the wall of lizards with butterfly knives and spades. Tai Lung's fur stood on end, fully aware of how close he had come to death. Over the roar of battle, I heard the young rhino laugh heartily and slap a hand on the snow leopard's shoulder,

"You almost bought it that time, pal!"

Tai Lung forced a smile and recovered quickly, "I came to help you!"

"You already are! You took down, what, twenty, or forty?"

"The hell with keeping count, I want to live!" he replied as he punched one croc in the jaw, running his fingers down the reptile's face before hitting him with the Leopard Strike he was perfecting.

"Here!" the rhino yelled, offering his hand. Tai Lung hopped onto the outstretched palm and used it as a boost to fly far over the heads of the other combatants. As he came in for a landing, I saw him draw something out of a sheath he had strapped to his waist.

The Sword of Heroes.

I laughed in spite of myself. Like father like son.

Ochir nudged me, "C'mon, this battle ain't over yet."

"How long have you been fighting?"

"Since dawn. We've been holding them back, but they've got superior numbers."

"How many casualties?"

"None on our side." Yet. I truly felt for him; these men were more than his soldiers. They were his students. They were his children. If even one fell, I knew Ochir would lose it, as surely as I would if Tai Lung died in battle.

The sudden shriek from far on the other side of the battlefield alerted us to what had happened in the few seconds we had turned our attention away. Tai Lung, using the Sword of Heroes, had beaten back a company of four score, pushing them back against the sheer cliff face in front of us. Remarkably, there was no blood. How? How could he wield that blade—the sharpest of any sword ever to exist—without spilling a single drop?

Then it occurred to me…he's not trying to kill them.

"Holy shit," Ochir cursed. "We've gained ground."

"That's…good?"

"Shifu, we've been losing ground since the battle started; your kid just gained it all back and then some! Wow, look at him go!"

I did, and I saw the tattooed rhino following in his wake, taking down stragglers and felling those still stupid enough to charge a bull rhino. The rhino called out to Tai Lung who fell back a little to stand by the rhino's side. The rhino whispered something to Tai Lung, who looked perplexed, but only nodded…and handed his comrade the Sword of Heroes.

He leapt back into the fight.

The rhino stuck the sword in his belt and swung his war hammer high, sweeping lizards and crocs out of his path. He hailed Ochir, who waved his axe high. The younger rhino drove his way through, making a path right towards us. I make no secret of it; I was incredibly impressed. Not since Tai Lung had arrived had the enemy taken one look at Ochir and I. Tai Lung, and now this younger bull, was their main concern.

When the rhino got close, he tore the Sword of Heroes from his belt and tossed it to Ochir. Ochir caught it and handed it to me. "Take up your sword, warrior. This fight's not done. Vachir!" he called out to the rhino, "Assemble the line, we need to take them, and take them now!"

The rhino nodded, but I recognized the look in his eyes. "He's going to defy you, you know," I warned my friend.

He shouldered his axe and nodded, lowering his visor, "I know. I'm counting on that." With one last impressive roar, Ochir charged right for the enemy. I charged with him, leaping nimbly across the ground, in between bodies of fallen reptiles and shattered weapons. Close to the line of battle, I climbed a boulder to look out over the battlefield for a better view. What had once been a choppy sea of bodies and fighting warriors was now as smoothed over, bodies of enemies strewn on the blood-stained ground like flotsam and debris washed up on a shore.

The waves kept crashing, but instead of upon the shore, those waves of enemy soldiers slamming into the wall that was the Anvil of Heaven. The Anvil of Heaven, from my perch, I finally saw in all its glory. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, wielding in equal parts lances, monk's spades, spears and arrows, each heavily armored but remarkably free to move. They stood as impenetrable as the Great Wall, stern and unmoving like miniature mountains, every single one of them. With a shout from the tattooed rhino, Vachir, they all stepped forward, bracing themselves for an attack, pole arms stuck out in front of the column as the lizards and crocs literally impaled themselves on the weapons.

I had lost track of Tai Lung. I scanned the scene, desperate for a sighting of him. With ever-increasing dread I searched the sea of dead and dying bodies for a spotted pelt…

Movement high above, climbing the cliff face far above the heads of the reptiles, caught my eye. I had to strain my eyes to see him, but he was there, his pelt the perfect camouflage. The speed at which he climbed was frightening, but I knew he was climbing because his life—and our lives—depended on it. Far below, Ochir yelled something at Vachir, who appeared to ignore him and ordered his archers to fire.

The archers drew their arrows and aimed for the reptiles, the scaly bastards recoiling in fear, knowing they were trapped and expecting the sting of a hundreds of arrows. But at the last minute, Vachir shouted, the words that made me gasp, "Shoot 'em to High Heaven, boys!"

Tai Lung had stopped, three-quarters of the way up, but hearing that order echoing off the wall of solid rock told him to move faster until he was close—so close—to the top of that cliff.

Vachir noted his progress and ordered the volley to fire. Most of the arrows flew high overhead and rained down on the heads of the reptiles who fell in droves. One arrow, though, was affixed to a twine, and flew high, high, higher and higher until the arrow came within inches of my student. He reached out with one hand and grasped it, then viciously stabbed the arrow point into the rock at the top of the cliff.

Clutching the twine, he jumped.

I was so terrified I didn't have the sense of mind to scream, but I watched with wondering eyes as Tai Lung fell, then arched his body to take him back to the wall of rock. He drew in his legs close to his body, then as he got close to the wall of rock, suddenly kicked out, slamming into the cliff face with the mighty boom of a bomb.

As soon as he made contact, Vachir grabbed his end of the rope and pulled it taut. Tai Lung grasped the twine in his hand, wincing as it broke through the skin.

I was close enough…

"TAI LUNG!" I screamed, "THE SWORD!" I took it by the blade, holding the point in my fingers. I had done this as a young boy, when learning to throw knives. Now the life of my student and the lives of Ochir's, all hung in the balance, on this one throw. I let it go, the blade twisting and turning in the air like a wheel, right toward Tai Lung.

He caught it with one hand and threw the blade over the twine, grabbing onto the blunt side of the blade. He began to slide down the twine, using the sword as a glider. At twenty feet off the ground, he let go, slamming into the earth by Vachir's feet.

Then he turned back to me, and broke into a run. Vachir called out to him, but Tai Lung ignored him, dashing right towards me. The look in his face was unmistakable, the panic, the fear, the duty of protecting a parent…

That was the only notion I had that I was in any danger.

Then I heard the cracking above me.

I looked up and felt as someone would if they had been walking on an icy lake, and only just heard the cracking beneath their feet. Rocks, little ones at first, began to fall from the cliff face, but then larger ones, and finally the entire cliff was crumbling. There was no way out.

The wind was knocked out of me as Tai Lung slammed into me, somersaulting and skidding on the dirt before turning back and dashing like a madman back to our lines. I grasped onto his fur as he ran on all fours, the landscape a blur as he jumped, leapt and dodged between bodies and debris. Behind us the cliff was falling, raining down on the enemy and before I knew it, the falling rocks were much too close to us.

I climbed my way onto his back and jumped up as the largest of these boulders fell, and was heading right for us. Holding out my hand flat, I took a deep breath, focusing my chi and struck my hand out like a blade. The rock crumbled and I jumped from falling stone to falling stone like a frog on lily pads. Tai Lung had stopped long enough to grab me as I fell to the ground and we broke out into a run again.

The Anvil of Heaven were waiting by the Thread of Hope, urging us on. Ochir was roaring my name, "Shifu! SHIFU! MOVE!"

"Come on!" another screamed.

"You're close! You're so close!"

Vachir was the only one proactive enough to break rank and run out to meet us. He grabbed Tai Lung's paw and yanked sharply, both of us falling forward and right into the waiting arms of the rhinos as the last rocks fell where our feet had been mere seconds before.

Tai Lung panted next to me, both of us looking out over the battlefield. Amazingly, the line the rhinos had occupied when I had arrived had been the cut-off point, the safe zone far from the crumbling wall of the cliff.

The lizards and crocs lay, all dead, under the rubble, and those that weren't soon would be. There was nothing but silence from any of the rhinos as all one thousand of them stared at the field where they may very well have died had no one come to their aid. Vachir grabbed Tai Lung before the snow leopard could collapse; he was the first person to say anything,

"You…are a lucky son of a bitch, you know that?" he laughed.

My student couldn't help but crack a toothy smile, then laugh nervously, still panting, "I…I almost died."

"And if it were up to me," I said suddenly, standing and glaring at my student. "You'd have something far worse to worry about."

Tai Lung visibly paled when he looked down at me, and I could see his eyes starting to roll back into his head, close to passing out. I hoped it was the battle fatigue. I want to say it was battle fatigue that made him so faint. Secretly, I think he honestly feared I could kill him.

"So, my student," I said, my voice echoing off the field and down the line of rhinos, a few of which drew back with worried looks. Apparently my reputation as a hard-ass trainer preceded me. That, or they figured Tai Lung had very good reason to look so nervous. "We seem to have a…problem, haven't we?"

He just set his jaw and stood as straight as his exhausted body would allow. His shoulders were slumped, his tail practically between his legs, and he wouldn't look me in the eye.

I snapped, "So, let's go down the list of all the rules at the Jade Palace you broke, and all the laws of Empire for that matter. You defied your master's orders to never leave until your training was complete. You stole the Sword of Heroes from the Sacred Hall of Warriors, a priceless relic that is sacred to our world, to use in battle! BATTLE!"

He cringed when I raised my voice.

"Not only that, I can't tell you the number of reports of you trespassing onto the properties of the Valley's citizens, or the damages to the Thread of Hope that will need to be fixed…oh, and don't get me started on completely destroying that entire mountain!" I snapped, pointing at the now-destroyed cliff. "I should say you have completely dishonored me by running away, and dishonored yourself by such a sloppy performance on the battlefield. In fact, I should very well throw you out of the Jade Palace right now…"

I knew I had gone too far. Still pale, he looked like he was about to be sick. Behind him, a few of the rhinos looked angry—angry!—that I was berating him like this. But just as it had happened to me more than twenty-five years before, I strode forward, my hands clasped behind my back.

"I say I should," I said pointedly. "…but that would be hypocritical of me, wouldn't it?"

Tai Lung stared at me in confusion.

I smirked, "I did the same exact thing when I was your age."

He finally cracked a hopeful smile. "So…I'm not in trouble?"

I picked up the Sword of Heroes.

"Those scratches were there before," he gasped, "I swear to the gods!"

I chuckled, running my fingers over the scratches Xue Shan had made during our duel, "I know. They got there when I last wielded this blade."

Ochir nudged me, whispering, "Why don't you make up with the kid before he passes out, okay?"

"I'm working on it," I hissed back. Looking back at Tai Lung, I sighed, "I shouldn't be angry—how can I be? When I was exactly your age, I came to the aid of the Imperial army…"

"The Battle of Red Claw Ridge," Tai Lung gasped. "That was you? Master Oogway never…"

"Strange, I would've thought he'd mention me somewhere," I said curiously.

Tai Lung pointed at Ochir, "He said Master Flying Rhino was there."

I nodded, "As were Master Dong Li, Lieutenant Jian Ren, and…" my breath caught in my throat as I uttered her name, "And Master Yeying."

Tai Lung's ears flattened against his head; he knew how hard it was for me to talk about her. But I noted a bit of pride there in his smile, pride for the mother he had never known. I smiled at him, "No, you're not in trouble. I'd be a hypocrite if I punished you for doing the right thing. However, be that as it may," I pointed at the cliff. "You should've used Oxen Fist, not Dragon Kick; it would've ensured enough time for everyone to get to safety before it crumbled…" Ochir gently kicked me to get me to reach my finale. "…But otherwise, good job."

Tai Lung grinned. He punched his fist into his palm and bowed low, completely relieved, "Thank you, Master."

I bowed back. Straightening up, I nodded, "You're welcome, my student. You're also welcome to pass out now."

"Thank you, Master," he said before promptly falling into unconsciousness. Vachir caught him before his body fell, the rhino looking between me and Ochir for further instructions.

Ochir just chuckled, smiling as Borte finally came to land on his shoulder, "He lasted a lot longer than I expected for his first battle. Vachir, go tell the men to make camp in the next valley over…and find some smelling salts for the rookie."

Thus came to pass the Battle against the Warriors of Guangdong Province, at the Gates of the Thread of Hope, where the Anvil of Heaven cut their teeth on true battle for the first time; where Master Flying Rhino wore his legendary armor only once, and where it received its Authentic Battle Damage; and where Tai Lung began his career as a kung fu warrior unlike anything the world had ever seen.

"How is he?" I asked Borte later that night. The falcon looked back at the fire pit where Tai Lung—still pale—was sitting amongst the rhinos and listening to their stories of training; they in turn paled when he told them about some of his own training practices. I didn't think I had been that harsh. But before long, I was amazed to see how quickly he had fallen in with them.

He and Vachir were now inseparable. I had never seen a faster bond develop between two warriors as it did for them. I recalled my student had never really had any close friends; this friendship with Vachir was crucial, like blood in a vein or air in a lung. They were remarkably similar—both were the star pupils of their respective masters.

The circle that Tai Lung was sitting at suddenly erupted into laughter as he recalled one story from his childhood. I smirked, knowing which one he was telling. When he had been about fourteen, he had a, well, a "strength spurt" where all of a sudden, he couldn't control his own strength. I spent more time filling out work orders than training him. Oogway and I didn't pay it much mind at first—just a boy going through those changes that all boys do, we thought.

Then Tai Lung accidentally tore off the door to the Sacred Hall of Warriors when he had tried to open it.

At that moment, surrounded by his new friends, he was pantomiming holding the door—the whole door—by the handle in his hand, and the others took it with much fanfare. Vachir laughed the hardest, adding one of his own embarrassing training stories.

"I think he's doing well," I smiled. "You look relieved."

She smiled and nodded, "My husband and sons are safe; why shouldn't I be happy?"

"I wonder what Rong Lang will say when he finds I'm still kicking, but his army lies defeated?" I mused.

"I hope he eats his own tail," Borte smirked.

I laughed, then turned serious, "Is the army heading to the capital?"

She sighed, "As far as I know. We've heard whispers of rebellions around China, but it is my hope—and Ochir's—that this victory will convince others to rise up against Rong's tyranny. So in a way, yes, we will take it to the capital."

Shouting in the distance alerted us to a disturbance at the edges of the camp. Rhinos were up at arms immediately, Vachir reaching for his war hammer and Tai Lung jumping up just in time for a shape to descend from the sky.

The shape jumped back as Tai Lung punched, the stranger, nimbly dashing side to side to avoid the attacks from him and the rhinos. The stranger jumped up, pushing off of Tai Lung's shoulders and somersaulted in mid-air, landing a few yards away. The stranger took up a shield and staff, which struck me as very odd. He—for his physique marked him as such—was unarmed, alone, in a camp full of rhinos armed to the teeth, and he was going to fight with a shield and bamboo staff?

But he was expert at the staff, swinging it in ways that kept even the more hardened of Ochir's students at bay. Not Tai Lung. Tai Lung was on him like lightning on a tree, striking with such blinding fury that he didn't see the other warrior's foot arching around to kick him in the side. Tai Lung recovered quickly, coming back at him, blocking the blows from the staff and kicking out.

I saw the flash of recognition cross his face when he recognized the form of kung fu he was fighting.

"I didn't think monks were allowed to leave the Temple, at least not ones so young," he snapped, grabbing hold of the staff and tearing it from the assailant's grasp.

The assailant chuckled, "Monks my age? No. But I'm no monk."

"Obviously. But if you're not a holy man," my student said, crouching low and preparing for an attack, "Then who are you? And what do you want?"

The stranger straightened, dropping the shield and looking my student right in the eyes. "My name is inconsequential, for I have no family, thus no identity. I am an orphan, a rogue, a pitiful thing that the monks took in out of the goodness in their hearts…"

I saw this striking a very dear chord in my son's eyes. I think he and I both knew that this stranger was not lying, or had no capacity to lie.

The stranger met my son's golden gaze with one of his own, "And what I want is a home. The abbot told me I could find one in the Valley of Peace, with Master Shifu. I was told Master Shifu somehow knew me, had known my family…"

Before us stood a most impressive tiger who, despite the rough clothes he wore, carried himself with pride in a way I had only seen from nobility. He stood eye to eye with Tai Lung, just as tall, just as imposing, but with a gentler spirit I saw only in the virtuous valley citizens. I was amazed at how remarkably young he was, perhaps a few years older than the snow leopard, and yet, how remarkably familiar…

"So," he said with a strong voice and a kind, reverent smile as he looked at my student, "I understand you are the student of the great Master Shifu."

"I am," my son replied. "And you are?"

The tiger smiled thinly, as if embarrassed, "Xin, my name is Xin."

Both Tai Lung and I were taken aback by the collective gasps around us…and just as surprisingly, all the rhinos around us knelt and kowtowed. Ochir and Borte were both kneeling. Tai Lung, with his usual eloquence, was the first to ask, "What the bleeding hell?"

The tiger called Xin laughed, and smiled warmly. That was when I recognized him.

"The General!" I gasped. "You're the General's grandson! But…how? You were all massacred!"

"My entire family was, yes," he replied with extreme melancholy, "but I was away at boarding school at the time of the revolt." He sighed, forcing his expression to something more resolute, "Rong Lang and his henchmen never got to me. I lived as a peasant these past twenty years, in a monastery waiting for Rong to make the crucial mistake so I could take my revenge."

"So…" my son asked, "You are…related to someone very important, aren't you?"

"Only to the Late Emperor Yi, but yes, I guess you could say that," the tiger said with a roguish grin, undoubtedly inherited from his grandfather.

"Emperor Yi?" Tai Lung asked. Well, how could he have known? That emperor died before he was scarcely six months old.

"He was my great uncle, and as far as I know, I am the last of my clan…" Xin explained.

"And heir to the empire," I added. This seemed to impress Tai Lung a great deal…but also intimidate him. Fortunately, the General's grandson was not like most royals, having been raised a peasant, and in the company of monks. Truly he was most like his grandfather, humble and dedicated.

Xin made a face, holding up his hands soothingly, "Please, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to take the Imperial City and oust Rong Lang for good…" he sighed forlornly as the Anvil of Heaven stood once again and listened carefully. "I need to bring honor to my family and honor their memories. The abbot told me that the only way to do this is to take Rong Lang out for good, so he can no longer hurt the people of China."

"And you think you can do this alone?" Ochir asked.

"I…I didn't intend…I mean, I heard about you and Master Shifu, I thought of asking Master Oogway for help," he said calmly, "I never expected to find you here, fighting Rong's army…But it makes me hopeful that I'm not the only one in the empire who dislikes the emperor…"

I couldn't help myself: I started laughing uproariously. This drew stares and glares so I calmed myself down, "Young man," I said to a very confused Xin, "That is the understatement of the dynasty."

"Son," Ochir said flatly, "You didn't get out of the monastery much, did you? The entire empire hates him."

"So…" Xin said slowly, hopefully. "…does that mean you'll help me?"

Ochir glanced down at me, and I smiled, "I think it's safe to say you have our full support."

"Not to mention an entire army at your back," Ochir winked. Xin looked positively out of his element, coming from nothing to having everything, from having no hope to having the hopes of an entire empire.

"I…I'm grateful, Masters. I did not expect anything from anyone. This is truly…I mean, I don't know what to say."

"Saying 'Lets go kick Rong Lang's ass out of my palace' is a good place to start," Ochir smirked.

"But I don't know how to lead an army. I've never seen battle before today, when I watched you…" he turned to Tai Lung. "You were amazing. I thought the monks at the temple were amazing, but I have never seen anything like you."

"Oh, well," Tai Lung smiled; I sighed a little, seeing the natural feline pride swelling. I knew I should have reined it in, but at the time, I was just as proud of his accomplishment as he was. What could it hurt?

"Prince Xin," I started.

"With all due respect Master Shifu," he bowed, "It's just Xin. I have no title…"

"Yet."

"But if I am to regain my family's lost honor and honor my ancestors, I need to do this," the tiger bowed to Ochir, "Master Flying Rhino, I am honored to have your offer, and I would be much more honored if I may take you up on it…"

Ochir rolled his eyes, "Kid, just give the order to kick the wolf's ass."

Xin looked exceedingly uncomfortable giving an order, but did so anyway, "I order you to kick that wolf's ass."

"Little more force behind it…"

He took a deep breath and let it out, pulling on some reserve inside before he barked out, "Master Flying Rhino, I order you to bring me that wolf's hide!"

Ochir smiled, "There ya go. See? Just takes a little practice."

Tai Lung sent me a look and I just shook my head, "Don't worry about Flying Rhino," I told my student. "He's just…"

"Just fucking with him?"

"Yup."

Early the next morning, the Anvil of Heaven was breaking camp and making ready their long trek to the capital to drive Rong Lang from the palace he had usurped. Tai Lung, Xin and myself sat at a small fire with lukewarm rice and vegetables for breakfast, the three of us subdued. I noted Xin looked nervous, and why shouldn't he be? He was barely twenty-one, and had come from a life of extreme poverty, depending on the kindnesses of others to survive, and now he had the entire empire at his fingertips. I don't think there's a soul alive who could truly understand the mind of Emperor Xian Xin—Valiant Heart—who in the coming months would live up to his name.

"The world's a lot bigger place than I thought it was," he confessed to us. "I've come from nothing, and am coming into everything. I don't know if I can handle it. How do I know I won't let the power corrupt me?"

"Because you were raised by monks?" Tai Lung offered.

I smiled at my student's efforts to cheer his peer. But Xin shook his head, "Power can easily corrupt the purest heart. I don't even want the throne, but its expected, isn't it?"

"Well," I said, "Its expected insofar as tradition is. You felt you had a duty to your family, to your ancestors…"

"A family I don't remember," Xin sighed. "How do I know I'm honoring them if I never knew them?"

Tai Lung had stopped eating and was staring blankly into the fire.

"I'm an orphan," Xin continued, "I don't remember my parents, or the grandfather you knew so well. How do I know I'm not making a huge mistake?"

"You're not," Tai Lung said suddenly. "You're doing what is right."

"How can you be sure?"

"Are you doing this for money?" he asked. "Are you doing it for glory? For pride? If none of those, why are you doing this?"

Xin's answer was automatic: "Because it's the right thing to do."

Tai Lung smirked as realization fell on the tiger's face. "There you go."

I smiled at my student. Truly, he had been spending some time with Master Oogway. Xin smiled back at the snow leopard, then said, "I wish you could come with us, Tai Lung. We may require your skills if we are to finally bring peace to China and end this senseless bloodshed."

"Yes!" he jumped at the chance. "Yes, that's what I want! I want China to be safe, I want…" he looked at me and my heart welled with hope and pride. He still wanted to protect me. "That is…if I have my master's permission."

Both cats looked at me expectantly, and…well, how could I possibly say no?

"Just be careful, both of you. The fate of the empire rests in your hands." I waited until I saw the nervous looks they exchanged; I smirked, "But no pressure."

"Not at all, Master," Tai Lung said sardonically, with such a deadpan expression that it made Xin laugh. It broke up the silence, which we all welcomed.

"So where is this monastery you grew up in?" Tai Lung finally asked.

"Oh, it's awfully small," Xin explained with a bit of an embarrassed blush. "Its on Song Shan, in Henan, above the town of Dengfeng…you've probably never heard of it."

"Try me," I said.

"Shaolin?" he asked.

I looked at Tai Lung who looked back at me. We both shrugged, "Never heard of it."

"Like I said, it was pretty small…"

"So…you're not a monk, so what did you do there?" Tai Lung asked.

Xin smiled, looking proud of himself for once, "I learned kung fu. Can you imagine it? Monks, knowing how to fight—it's crazy, right?"

Borte perched on a branch above me as we watched the Anvil of Heaven—and Tai Lung and Crown Prince Xin—depart for the capital. The sun was only just starting to peek between the mountains, lighting the way for the troops. I heard Borte sigh above me.

"He'll be back," I said, implying her husband.

"Funny, that's what I was going to say to you," she said.

I looked out as the column of 1000 rhinos disappeared into the mountains to face battle, to face an uncertain future. Instead of dread, however, for the first time I felt hope. For the first time in twenty years, I had a broad, unshakable hope growing in my chest. My student—my son—was a hero, and gone with other heroes to do Heaven's work. At that moment, I had nothing but hope left.

"So that's how he got the authentic battle damage!" Po exclaimed. "Cool!"

"I kinda hate to say it," Monkey said, "But Tai Lung is…well…likeable."

"Yeah," Viper said with a sweet smile. "Even when he was a young man, he still wanted to help Shifu, and he believed in honor and filial duty. He…sounded like the perfect son…" she trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Po asked.

"If he was the perfect son back then," Viper started.

"Then how did he end up in Chorh-Gom?" Tigress finished. "Even to have Commander Vachir as a war buddy, to consider the Anvil of Heaven his brothers in arms, and then to be imprisoned by them…how could he come to hate Shifu so much, to hate everyone and deny every virtue he ever learned?"

"Something must've happened," Monkey pondered as Po put the scroll away.

"You'd think that it would've been something huge," Mantis said. "Can't be more than just being denied the scroll, because it sounds like he wasn't that bad of a guy…"

"No," Monkey said suddenly, "That's not what I meant. It's been two weeks. Shifu's not back yet."

Silence fell over the table and they looked to the basket of scrolls. There were three left.

"Guess we should speed-read through those before he gets back, huh?" Po asked. He got up and started rummaging through the cabinets, collecting bowls, utensils and ingredients. "Someone else take up the next scroll. If we're gonna breeze through 'em, I'm not doin' it on an empty stomach. Who wants wontons?"

Man, I'm so glad I got over this hurdle. Thanks so much for being so patient! Please review!