Chapter 9

Decision

Awakening from a shallow sleep, Tigress slowly opened her eyes to the thought of Tai Lung once again. She got up, intrigued by her thoughts of coming to him instead of waiting for him to come to her. She thoughtfully made her bed, as she soon made her way to her closet. The Furious Five's only place that they can keep their possessions in was below the floorboard to the top right of each of their rooms. Tigress walked over to her floorboard, lifted it up without a sound, and withdrew her uniform. She then thought. If I leave... what will the others think of me? Will they think I just ran away for selfish reasons, or... She closed her eyes, as she lowered her shoulders. And where could Tai Lung be? Am I really this desperate? Opening her eyes, she knelt down, and started ruffling through her possessions. She picked up a rather large scroll. Slowly opening it up, she saw many signatures from Master Shifu approving the learning of each of the thousand scrolls she destined to learn. Her newest signature was the one of 'Disguise and Surprize'. She had just recently learned it yesterday, very quickly. This lesson was based off of the flying mantis; for the insect resembled knowlege over strength, and thoughts before actions.

Tigress rolled up the scroll, and looked more into her little hole in the floor. She brushed away nasty perfume that she got once for her birthday, a bow from Viper, a letter from Po... and here we are, a writing utencil. She looked around more and more until she found a blank scroll that was yet to be written on, and ink. She sighed, as she was about to leave all her friends for a soon to be new life. She dipped the pen in red ink: for red was her most favorite color to write with. She opened up the blank scroll, as she lowered the pen down to it. Sighing, she began to write.

Dear fellow friends, or should I say family members. I've been with you ever since I was but a spouse, and I've stayed with you in every situation possible. You all have been great help to me, and I have been learning much from all of you, and I have yet to learn more. Thank you so much for everything. Tonight I've realized that my heart dwells somewhere else, though. Every time I lie awake at night, I think of living somewhere else. Somewhere that's very distant from my past: from here. Tigress stopped, thinking a second time what she was doing. She was going to leave her family for someone she loved? It seemed like a perfect love story... but she couldn't just get up and go. Sure Master Shifu is a cruel instructor, and sure he's a person who does not care for their wants and needs, but he's taken care of Tigress for the longest of times, and he's a great trainer. She couldn't leave him, not after all he's taught her. She can't... but she wishes to, terribly..

Tigress softly hit her head with her right palm of her hand in serious thought, while the pen was still in it. The red ink splattered all over the ground, as Tigress quickly cleaned it up with the swipe of her paw. Of course, it was ink, and it rubbed into the ground. She looked at her paw, grunting at the sight of smudged ink. She walked slowly out of her room, swiftly sliding the door open, getting some red paint on the sides of it. Some ink was dripping from her paw. She walked out without closing her doors, knowing she would be back in a couple minutes, for her task was to just wash the ink off her paws. She walked to the springs as quiet as she could, biting her lip from the cold snow that her feet walked on.

Po awoke, hearing footsteps creeping down the hall. Wide-eyed, he got up without a sound. He made his way to his door, and opened it curiously. He looked down the hall with his head poking out of his room. Seeing nothing, he started to think it was Monkey in the other room, rolling over as he slept, for he did it a lot. Po started to close his door, right when he heard the footsteps again. In a flinch, he raced out his door, and got in some stance that he thought looked offending to others, but just looked stupid. He looked around frantically.

Nothing.

Frowning, he began to investigate. He walked down the halls without a sound. He looked in Viper's room, where she slept softly in a somewhat spiral shaped form. Po surprisingly has never seen Viper sleep before, therefore it looked interesting to see her laid out on her bed, mouth open and all. He stopped staring, and closed her door.

Po then walked over to Crane's room, who was sleeping steadily on one foot. It was entertaining how the bird could balance on one foot for a whole night. Crane's head was down, as his hat drooped. His wings were down, and his tiny chest rose and grew softly. Po then made his way to Tigress' room, in witch he saw the door open. He gasped and ran inside, finding her gone. He looked around frantically, finding droplets of red stuff all over the floor.

"Oh my gosh..." He whispered to himself, as he started to think each the red spots were droplets of Tigress' blood. He picked up the paper, and started to read.

Sky ran silently on all fours towards the Jade Palace, panting like a puppy. He knew exactly where it was, therefore he would be there in no less than a couple minutes. Plus, the town and palace were both just a couple miles from each other. He passed steady standing trees in a flash, and tore through bushes that came in his way. He found the high-elevated mountain coming into view. He snickered while rushing over to it, in dead silence.

There was no plumbing in the Jade Palace, in fact there was no such thing as plumbing anywhere, so Tigress had to wash her hands in the springs. It was the only lasting hot water around. Everywhere else, like the lake for example, was frozen solid. The tiger dipped her hands in the water, and washed them thoroughly. She was still in her night gown, somewhat looking almost like she just got out of the hot springs. She wanted to splash the hot water onto where she was standing to melt the snow under her feet, only that would be foolishness, for the ground underneath her feet would freeze in less than a couple seconds after the splash. She washed up quickly, but it somehow wouldn't come out of the white bits of her paws. Grunting in disapproval, she got up and started to walk back to the Jade Palace in a jiff, while her paws started to freeze.

Tai Lung sighed in disbelief. His friend... who cared for him much just got killed! Killed by someone who has nothing to do with her story! Her incredible, developing story. The leopard was back in his house, as he couldn't stand the sight of his loved one pinned to the wall by that wolves sword, now known as a Katana. He remembered Song knew every single weapon there was, bows and arrows, swords, axes, everything. She taught him much about them. She even showed him how to use them. Tai Lung's head was in his hands once again, as he tried to force his last tears out before going back to Song's house to clean everything up. Tears couldn't come, for he was dehydrated from his crying. It wasn't like him to sob like this; he was usually a strong kind of person. He sighed, as his breath hiccuped upon inhaling. Soon enough, he got up to bury his lost friend, and mourn.

Minutes passed, as Tai Lung carried his loved one slowly to the lake. The sword, he washed off and kept in rememberance of her. He put it on his right hip. The moon shone bright. He kicked up dirt while he walked, watching it rise and dissipate in the air. He was breathing hard, as he made his way up the tallest mountain. He was above the tree line, as he stood up on a boulder, looking down at Song. "This is where you would always hike, remember? Just to look at the mountains with me... oh, how you used to cry at the sight every time?" He smiled tiredly. He set her down in the hole he dug. "You never got the chance to gaze upon these mountains like you used to." He sighed greatly, as his breath fell from his mouth with a large white cloud. He started to put the dirt back into the hole, now with Song in it. His lips quivered as he buried her. "At least now you'll be able to look upon them forever." He pat the dirt down, as he gave way, and sat down with a large thump. He clenched his fists, as he held in the tears that would not come. Minutes of silent mourning continued, soon slowly settling down.

Tai Lung got up, as he stared over the mountain range for one last time. Sighing, he slowly walked down from the mountain, thinking, then desperately turned back. "I... love you, too, Song. More than you'll ever know." He wiped his eyes, starting back down the mountain again. He had to leave this village, no matter how many memories it held. Now his objective was to go out and find his true love; Tigress, and hopefully save her from Sky's wrath. Hopefully.

"'...Although tonight I've realized that my heart dwells somewhere else. Every time I lie awake at night, I... I think of living somewhere else. Somewhere that's very distant from my past: from here.'" Po slowly but clearly read to the others, who were all crowded around the scroll stunned, along with Master Shifu.

"That's it? That's all she has to say to us?" Viper asked, voice quivering.

"Harsh..." Po added.

"So.. she's just gone? She just left without saying a proper goodbye?" Crane asked.

"That was proper. It's a letter." Master Shifu said. "And I think I know why she left..." He sighed.

"Why? Why did she leave just like that?" Mantis ordered.

"It's something that has nothing to do with your knowledge."

Mantis was in deep thought. "She wanted to leave us... and her past, what is that supposed to mean? Was she looking to... leave her life all together?"

The four students moaned and sighed, while Po looked at the now dry red blobs on the ground. "Guys... I don't think she went anywhere... I think she..." He gasped. "Follow me! This trail better not be blood..."

Tai Lung slowly walked by the lake he always seemed to look at every night in search of Tigress. He stopped, and looked at his reflection once again. "Tigress..." He held the sword's handle at his right side. He slowly withdrew it. He moaned. "I'm not strong enough... for him. I can't save you. I can't defeat him. I can't... I can't... He gripped the Katana hard with his left hand. He opened his tightly closed eyes, and looked at his reflection again. He began to see the white one... the wolf. Skyler. His eyes blazed with disgrace, as he started to growl at his reflection. In great anger, he took his sword and slit the water a million times, taking the moves he learned by Song out on it. He cried as he slit on, letting the tears hit the water. The lakes water splashed everywhere. Tai Lung realized this did nothing, for revenge would only satisfy him. But he couldn't... no matter what happened, he couldn't take back his revenge..

He groaned, as he dropped his sword, collapsing into the water. Deep in desperate thought, Tai Lung floated slowly to the bottom of the frozen lake. His muscles tensed up, as he opened his eyes, resisting the cold. He wanted to just be by Tigress once more, once more before she moves on. Just once. He breathed in the water, as he rid the air from his body. Scroll Number 746: Learn the principle of the Fish - Fight like one, breathe like one, be one. This lesson was extremely complicated for Tai Lung to achieve, for he didn't have gills. He was not supposed to breath underwater though, just hold his breath for minutes without a sweat. He looked around as he shivered. All these scrolls that he mastered... all that hard work... it was for nothing. Was this what his training was for? To live as a nomad, banned from his home, living the life of an ordinary citizen? No..

He twitched in thought. No... there had to a meaning of learning such things like these. There are no mistakes... he cocked his head at the thought. He started to go into the state of hypothermia. He began to suffer from the cold. Maybe my fate was to not be the dragon warrior, but to defeat the one who seeks the same... The one who seeks the profession of holding the universe in his hands... Maybe he was chosen for something else. Maybe I was only chosen to protect the one who holds the right of the dragon warrior... Maybe he was chosen for something much greater than a possession. Maybe honor is better than power. Maybe he was the one ...to save me from myself, and earn the greatest thing of all... Trust.

Tai Lung gasped and jumped out of the lake, barely making it to the shore. The water on his skin froze into thick ice, and he fell to the ground powerfully. Because of the landing, the formed ice broke off from his fur. Getting back up, he looked down at the sword he dropped. Maybe it is my destiny... to protect the dragon warrior. Tai Lung gained much confidence, picked up the sword, and ran off. Yes, he will kill Skyler. Not for his revenge, but for the protection of the Dragon Warrior, and his lover.

Tigress walked back on the same steps she came in. She looked down at the snow, which was glowing from the moonlight. It seemed peaceful. She smiled, as she looked up.

Hearing a noise, her ears propped up, as she turned around. She began to dimly see a tiny black... bird? She squinted, finding that it wasn't a bird. It was a, being... but who could it be? Tai Lung? Her eyes lit up, knowing that this time it was him. "Tai Lung! Tai!" She ran for the falling object, stumbling foolishly on her night gown.

BOOM! It crashed hard into the ground. Tigress quickly stopped sprinting in sight of the formed crater. She stood there, panting, staring. The dust cleared, as the being slowly got up. Its eyes lit up a dark red. Tigress gasped, knowing that it wasn't Tai Lung... it was-

"Tigress!" It spoke, seeming to have the same voice as her lover, as it pranced for her. She started to back away. She wasn't ready for a battle! It was in the middle of the night, and she was basically half-asleep!

It was about 10 feet away when it stopped. "Tigress? It's me!"

Tigress was about to flee from a possible battle, but then noticed he didn't intend to fight. A thought then popped up in her head. "Tai Lung?" She sniffed from the cold.

"It is I!" The creature smiled. "Tai Lin- Lung!" He laughed. "I missed you so much!" He went running to her. He was wearing a black cloak, and a hood over his head that seemed to hide his identity. His eyes were a dark red, but that didn't matter, because he had the voice of Tai Lung.

Tigress smiled with great joy. "Tai Lung...." She held him as he came up to hug her. He seemed much stronger than he was four years ago. She then looked at his hand, which looked almost exactly like Tai Lung's, only a bit more white. Maybe he got a moon tan. There was no green wrist band, meaning it wasn't the wolf that she confronted just four years ago. The wolf who had the name of Skyler, who was seeking out the dragon scroll, also.

He hugged her tight, soon letting her go. "A lot has happened in the past four years, Tigress. Many things. I must not tell them to you here, though. Come with me to the forest!" He took her hand and started running through the snow.

"Yes, he said he would kill you if he saw you around here, don't you remember?" Tigress added, starting to believe that this being was Tai Lung.

Tai Lung thought. "Yes. That, of course!"

Tai Lung seems different... the way he talks... and why is he wearing this robe? Tigress thought to herself. And his eyes have changed, and his personality. I suppose a lot did happen in the past four years. But how could his own eye color change? Tigress stopped running. "Wait. How will I know you really are Tai Lung?" She shivered from the cold air.

He turned around cleverly, smiling. He deeply looked at her in the eyes. "It's me." He smiled, breathing in her face. He had horrible breath. "It's me, Tai Lung."

Tigress could not tell he was Tai Lung, for he had much different eyes. "Remove your hood."

"I cannot do that, for we are still in Master Shifu's territory." Tai Lung said, with a little growl in his voice.

Tigress noticed he talked much different. What has he gone through to make him talk like this? It's much more mature, but he can't get that mature. Tigress didn't take his hand. "Do it, or I will not come with you."

"I do it, and I will be with you no more. I will be dead, for goodness sake!" He yelled.

Goodness sake? That is definitely not him. "You're not Tai Lung." Tigress breathed. She slowly backed away, knowing exactly what would happen next. She got into position, as the shocked stranger who says he was Tai Lung stood there, breathing hard. He was not Tai Lung, and she knew it.