Chapter Two...

After a few days, and still no communication between Master and student, Tigress was in her room, about to start dressing her wound with a new set of bandages.
She dropped the soaked cotton into the rubbing alcohol, and gently placed the first layer over the sensitive area. The developing scar was going to be starting from
the right flank, and stop at the center of her stomach once the stitches come out, but thankfully nothing inside her was damaged severely.

"No training for the next two weeks, not even tai chi exercises, nothing but rest, redress the wound three times a day until the stitches are removed, and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated." As much as she hated those words, those were the precise words from the healer, who couldn't emphasis them enough... while the others will return to training a week prior. Not that she was envious, it meant she could meditate and catch up on her studies, so she didn't have talk to Master Shifu until, or unless, it was necessary... which she deeply felt was sooner than she hoped.

"Ti?" She sharply turned, pausing after doing the third layer, and saw Viper, her head poked in. "...Can... can we come in?"

She sighed. "Wait a secon would you?" Viper nodded and pulled away, and Tigress made sure her bandage was secured, and shirt was set, and called them in as she cleared up the first aid, and taking out her paw wraps. She was just about to start unraveling the bundle when the others came in simultaneously, quiet, and stiffened as she turned to watch them in the same level of volume. They too eyed her tentatively, and then at each other when she asked what they wanted. "Well?" She asked after they didn't answer the first time. "Something must of happened for you guys to suddenly show up out of nowhere, when for the last few days it was like you were all on low profile."

Mantis shrugged. "Just been busy." He replied casually.

"Yeah," Crane carelessly flipped his right wing from one side to the other. "Just been going about in the Valley, nowhere special." Tigress felt her chest suddenly easing a little, so she went on with her business with a lighter lift on her chest. "And we figured you needed some space..."

"Thanks."

"As for being here now..." Po gulped as he gently scratched the back of his neck. "We've been a little... curious." Her eyes slowly closed with her small, but visible cringe, while her tail was swindling into an almost whirlpool like curl by her leg. Her ears picked up the panda's small inhale, and the short pause that he held his breath in, while the others softened their intakes of air the best they could.

"Why are my past injuries suddenly a subject worth having a conversation over?" Their response was something about individually being lost in thought about it once or twice, before it popped up at the breakfast table before she left the medical wing. She rolled her eyes slowly as she replied; "Whenever it's about me, all I can say is; t hat's unsafe territory, let alone unusual, your wandering into."

"Well sometimes- we like to take the risk." Viper slithered closer bravely. "Tigress... what you said about Shifu leaving scars-"

Tigress sharply turned to face her slithering friend, raising her paws up to the level of her chest, almost like she was stopping someone from attacking her. "They're not physically on my frame if that's where your mind is going." They all sighed with relief. "The ones he left... they're more personal." She frowned at the thought of protecting her Master when she shouldn't be thinking of him. What he said to her, in front of the others, was close to making her blood boil. He said nothing of what went on when she was young after Tai Lung was sent to prison, yet he clearly announced the ones she wasn't willing to share? As much as I appreciate, I don't want you to get hurt. "That goes for all my students. You know better than to train on a fresh wound. Your health comes first for now. Especially one that will leave a scar... Haven't your other scars make you think of this?" She never had felt so stuck, in a more uncomfortable position in her life. In a way, he deserved to get the same feeling when she pointed out the very ones he emotionally caused. "The ones I have physically, they were from training... and when I was little, and still in the orphanage..." She swallowed slowly, and used each paw to hold her elbows gently above her new scar. "When they carried out their severe punishments." She watched the others squint their eyes a little, probably to replace the movement of quickly shying away from her. Could they hear the same sound in their heads as she did?

"Can..." Po briefly glanced at Viper sideways, "... can you show us?" All eyes fell on him at the speed of light, and he almost squirmed at the look they gave him. "If your comfortable with it?"

Tigress' pulled her arms tightly against her frame. Preferably she didn't like the idea at all, but the thought of her friends thinking she didn't trust them, or that she was comfortable around them came crawling into her mind, and she disliked that part even more. "Turn around please guys." All but Viper turned around slowly, even covering their eyes while they were at it as Viper slithered over to Tigress' wardrobe by her request, to fish out a certain shirt as she removed the one she had on gently. She eyed the boys like a hawk as she placed the tunic on the bed, and thanked Viper after she passed the shirt to her. She called them to turn around, while Viper was ready to see at the same time as them. Mentally counting to three together, they turned, and stared;

The bandages she had just put on were visible thanks to the shortened tunic she was now wearing. With the same design to her other one, but the only difference was that it stopped a inch or so, before her rib cage ended. In an almost reluctant way, she turned, and they all saw the rest of it. It was like a spiral around her frame, starting from her left flank, and wounding around her while travelling upwards, stopping at the back of her neck like some kind of tattoo. It was mostly covered in fur, and it stretched out with her with time, but by the way her fur was settling, the way it sat, and the way it stood out to them, they knew it was a scar that her fur tried to hide, and was doing a good job... kind of. She then twisted to the left a little, where they saw a vast, ruffled clump as few inches below from the spiraling one, in the center of her back. She brushed the fur back on each one, revealing the fibrous tissue beneath it. Mantis whistled at the site as the others continued to stare. "Well," he said slowly. "There's another one to add to the collection, right?" They looked at him and narrowed their eyes sharply, as Tigress briefly brushed the fur back in place as she turned to look in on their reactions. "What? I was just making an innocent point is all... while trying to lighten the mood."

"Har, har, har," Viper said, stone faced. "Watch how my side splits." Her eyes rolled to Tigress. "How old are these again?

"The one that wounds around," she raised a finger, and rotated it slowly in mid air. "I've had that since I was seven. Back in the orphanage, I can't exactly pinpoint why they did it, but I was punished."

"With a whip?" She nodded, and they all cringed. "How cruel..."

Tigress shrugged a little, wringing her paws slowly. "I was blamed for things in most of the situations in the orphanage... and most of the time I tried to fight back. I eventually snapped at them, resulting in the scar."

"Sick..." Monkey said, but continued to stare at the marks. "Never knew orphanages were so cruel..." He watched her paws tighten their hold on one another. "What about... what about the other one?"

"That one was from me training on the course I do every other day. I was sixteen, before the Furious Five was formed... and I got distracted while I was training, because Shifu was telling me to demonstrate certain moves, as Oogway was there to see my progress... I turned to them to demonstrate the Soaring Eagle Punch, and one of the swinging clubs slammed into my back, spiky side and all." They all inhaled deeply, their faces scrunching dramatically, which she briefly rolled her eyes at. "It turned out that I could've died from the impact, if not, I was scarcely close to breaking my back. I felt fine, but I was out of training for two months. The spikes lightly prickled my back everywhere else, but where my marks are."

Mantis briefly looked at the other, who were still staring at Tigress dumbfounded. "Well..." He chuckled uneasily. "At least this wound has you out of training for two weeks... right?"

This time, they all laughed, but it was short, and tight fitting once they saw the uncomfortable look the feline had on her face, as she folded her arms, as she looked down to the floor slowly, while quickly glancing at them. "I have things to do here... and I'd like to do it privately... you've seen what you were asking about... so you can go." She forced herself to turn away, and walked towards the tunic she had thrown carelessly on her bed. They watched her straighten her posture, and noticed how her scars were more clear when her muscles tensed, and they all bit down on their lips as they shared a surreptitious glance between one another, as they respected their friends wish and backed out of the room. By the time they all stumbled out of the room, Po held onto the slides on either side of him, as he watch Tigress, stuck in her stance after she had her shirt in her paws. He couldn't see her face, but he saw her thumbs slowly caressing the pattern on the fabric, as if it had some kind of 3D effect, and slowly shut the door as her grip tightened around the very fabric that covered her cicatrices. Her personal stories...

Her secret chronicles.

Sorry for the long wait you guys! Hope you like it and I'll update asap!