No Family

He ran. He ran through the night forest panting and breathing hard. The average person would not be able to get a glimpse of his gray fur chest. He ran not from fear, but to revenge. Revenge for what was rightfully his, what was stolen from him. A revenge for a certain panda.

Po, Zeng, and Mr. Ping were camping by the fire. As they ate, Zeng finally asked, "Um...Dragon Warrior?" Po rolled his eyes.

"For the last time, Zeng, you can just call me Po," He interrupted.

"Well, um...Po, why are we here?" the servant duck asked. Po's smile disappeared as he was silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said,

"If I asked you to not freak out, you would do it anyways, so I'm just going to come out with it. Tai-Lung is alive." Zeng and Mr. Ping gasped.

"He is?! Then we have to tell Master Shifu quickly and-"

"It's my duty to redeem him," Po interrupted Zeng. He explained his mission that Oogway had given him. The two birds just sat there in awed silence.

"So what will you do?" Mr. Ping asked.

"I have to try, dad. If Oogway trusts me so much that he gave me this mission, then I have to give it my all," Po replied.

"But he could kill you," said Mr. Ping sorrowfully. Po smiled at his father.

"It's alright dad," Po assured his father.

Morning came and Po and the others continued the journey until they came to a snowy mountain. They struggled up the mountain until they reached a cave to shield them from the intense blizzard. They stayed there. Po waited a while before he stood back up. "If you see one figure going down the mountain, run and tell Shifu about the mission, and if you see two, everything's alright," Po instructed them as he disappeared into the blinding blizzard. Mr. Ping watched, worried about his son. Po struggled up the snowy mountain side. He heard a growl. "You're here," Po shouted. Tai-Lung's figure came closer to Po until he could see him clearly. He smiled darkly at the panda stuck in the snow.

"So you came to fight me. You must have figured out about the secret of the Wuxi Finger Hold. So sad how it only transports you to somewhere else, huh?" Tai-Lung said as he punched Po in his gut. The blow forced Po all the way to the only visible rock on the mountainside. "So I see that Shifu sent you to finish me off."

"He didn't send me to fight you. I was sent to help you and change you," said Po struggling to get up. Tai-Lung laughed.

"Help me? What could you possibly help me with? My lot is already destined. The only reason I'm alive is to take revenge on the people who deserted me," Tai-Lung said throwing a punch at Po. Po dodged it and they started to fight and talk at the same time.

"They didn't desert you, and I can help you change. I used the Wuxi Finger Hold because I knew that it wouldn't kill the opponent. I didn't know what it did after that," Po said. Tai-Lung stopped for a moment.

"You mean you knew that you were giving me a chance to live?" Tai-Lung asked sincerely. Po nodded. Tai-Lung shook it off, "That still won't excuse what the people did to me." He said throwing a punch at Po.

"You tried everything to get Shifu to be proud of you and yet he already was," Po said. This name only seemed to get Tai-Lung madder. "He loves you and I still see that in his eyes. You were the only person that he ever love like a son. Not even the Furious Five could get that much attention or approval from him."

"You're wasting your time, panda! The only way I can get any type of honor back is to finish you off and then finish off all the masters of the palace," Tai-Lung yelled back.

"Then what?! Is your quest so short-lived and purposeless? Why are you so determined to be the Dragon Warrior? What honor is there in it?" Po asked.

"Are you making fun of me or do you not realize it yet? The Dragon Warrior is the greatest honor there is. If I get it, then I'll have my life back; you don't know what it's like to be me with no family." Tai-Lung said. This got Po angry. He started to punch back taking the offense.

"No family? You think that just because I'm the Dragon Warrior everything is hunky dory for me? And family, what family? The first time I got to the Palace, Shifu and the Furious Five tried to get rid of me. Calling me names, talking about me behind my back, finding ways that I would just want to quit. The only time that they stopped is when I defeated you, but they still treated me indifferent. They look at me like the Palace clown or fool. And I looked up to these people. Then there was life before Oogway gave me the Dragon Warrior title. Everyone teased me and laughed at me, even the adults. Friends? I had none. They told me I would be nothing. You want the title? Take it! I'll save you the fight! You can go right now and take it and say I'm dead! Just let my father go with me and I'll be okay! I've had no one. No one to call my brothers. No one to call my sisters. No aunts, no uncles, no cousins. All my true friends are gone and have left me! Except my father, I HAVE NO FAMILY!" Po threw Tai-Lung at the rock. He had Tai-Lung by the neck. He was about to punch him in the face, but he stopped. Tai-Lung looked into Po's eyes. All he could see was hurt that lasted for years. This changed him. Not Shifu's words or what Po said when they first fought. This changed him the most. Po released his grip on Tai-Lung and backed away. The blizzard had now quieted to a light quiet snow fall.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Tai-Lung replied in a hushed whisper. He didn't sound like he usually did, menacing. He sounded...touched, calm, gentle.

"It's funny actually. Considering all that has happened, I should be you and you should be me. You've had it all. Everyone adored you, trust me, I know. They all hated me and now that I'm their protector they instantly love me," Po said sitting next to Tai-Lung. "What was it all for? Was it really for Shifu, to make him proud?" Tai-Lung was about to defend himself but he found himself chained to the truth.

"No, I thought that power would be the way to show my father how much I loved him. When I was denied that, I did everything to get it. Then it turned into selfish desires. I guess I really was a monster," Tai-Lung said sadly. "So I guess you were sent to send me back to prison, huh?" Po laughed a little.

"The story I have to tell you is very interesting. Come on, let's get out of this cold. I have some food down the mountain," Po said as they both got up and went down the mountain.