Chapter 2: Moon Lily Lake
Po led the Furious Five out of the Valley into a rainforest that overlooks the area that surrounded their home. The numerous mountains that cascade the landscape and the roaming misty clouds that hover about, it was a marvelous sight to see, the warriors were glad to take this trip for their day off, until Po got them lost.
"Please Po, can we ask for some directions?" Monkey protested, slightly agitated that the panda got the group lost, again.
"Oh come on now, have a little faith. My instincts are telling me that the lake is that way." Po pointed toward an area that lead straight into a wall of trees.
"Ok Po, give me the map." Tigress demanded.
Before she could lay a paw on the map, Po swiped the scroll away with surprising speed,
and his eyes bulged out from his face. He started to sniff the air, an aroma taking his focus away.
"That smell…" Po whispered.
The panda started tip toeing his way through bushes with childish giggles escaping his mouth. The Five sighed in disbelief as they followed the Dragon Warrior deeper into the forest.
"What has gotten into Po?" Crane asked. Everyone looked at him in confusion, not knowing if they should be worried for Po or not.
As they continued to follow Po, the panda made an abruptly stop in front of a cliff. The Five stopped and look at Po, his eyes widening with every second.
"What is it Po?" Tigress asked. Po simply lifted his hand and pointed towards the horizon. The Five looked at the direction Po pointed, and fell into the same trance he's in.
Moon Lily Lake, vast green plains stretched for miles while the sparkling water of the lake reflected the sun's rays. Trees stood in the area, providing shade for any visitors. Small birds flew around, singing peaceful tones to the beautiful landscape. In short, the lake was beyond amazing.
"Yun picked a good spot." Po mumbled. The Five couldn't respond, but slowly nodding their heads in agreement. Amidst the lake, the group found their contact, Yun-Seong, floating and drifting pleasantly on top of the water, arms around his head.
"There's Yun. Let me surprise him." Po snickered and started tip toeing his way toward the unaware wolf. The Five wondered what Po is up to, but knew it was going to end bad. They signed as they followed Po down towards the lake.
Yun-Seong drifted pleasantly around the lake, enjoying the cool water that enveloped his body.
"As life couldn't get any better." Yun thought happily.
The wolf was glad that he found this place a few years ago. All started from a trip to visit a friend of his in a village near the Valley of Peace. He stumbled through the forest until he came to a clearing for a break. What he didn't know is that the clearing he found was no other than the Moon Lily Lake, the most beautiful landmark he thought to believe. After reflecting his discovery, he wondered back to reality.
"I wonder if Po and the others got my letter?" Yun thought.
He soon heard the thunderous steps of his panda friend echoing the lake. Yun looked up toward the shore of the lake, but not a single soul in sight. He figured that he's hearing things, until a great black and white ball appeared above him, heading straight down at him. "Oh crap."
The Furious Five finally reach the main shore of Moon Lily Lake. They notice their wolf friend drifting pleasantly in the water. A sudden look of fear wore Yun's face as he stared into the sky. The Five look up, and find their dragon warrior in a cannonball position, straight for Yun.
"HI YUN!" Po screamed as he crashed into the lake's water. The force of Po's cannonball sucked Yun into a wave created by the panda's weight. Yun screamed as a wave from the lake launched him onto shore in front of the Furious Five with a crashing thud.
"Hey Yun." Tigress giggled, along with the others.
Yun didn't respond as he spurted a geyser of water into Monkey's face. After ridding the water in his system, and ignoring Monkey's rage, he waved back to the group.
"You came earlier than I thought." Yun said as he dusted himself off.
Everyone looked over to Po, who's swimming around the lake as silly as his personality.
"It was pretty easy since Po smelled the lake or something." Crane pointed out.
"Ah, Po must've smelled lunch. Always food in his mind. We'll eat after swimming. In the meantime, hurry up and change into your swimming suits, the water's great!" Yun said and dashed off toward the lake. The wolf leaped into the air and swan dive into the shining water.
Monkey, Crane, and Mantis quickly changed into their swimming suits and dove into the water after Yun and Po. It eventually turned into a huge water fight with the boys while the girls stayed on shore, discussing on the topic why Tigress refused to swim.
"Come on Tigress, you don't look bad in a swimming suit." Viper insisted. She and Tigress went off toward an area of the forest to change, well, at least Tigress since Viper doesn't wear any clothes.
"I refuse to make myself look like a fool in front of everyone!" Tigress yelled from the bushes, obviously not wanting to take part of the fun.
"Oh come on Tigress! What's wrong?" Viper asked.
"Promise me you will not laugh AND dare not tell anyone I said this." Tigress demanded.
"I promise." Viper firmly said.
The female tiger stepped out of the bushes she hid, and Viper was stunned by Tigress's swimming suit. Viper never seen Tigress in any other form of clothing other than her training outfit. The red swimming suit with tiger lily designs and a small dragon symbol on her bottom piece made her look stunning, even for Tigress.
"Wow…" Viper uttered.
"Yeah yeah I know." Tigress growled, but somewhat thankful for Viper's complement.
"Sorry, but what were you going to ask?" Viper asked.
Tigress gulped and blushed violently as she stuttered her question to her comrade in embarrassment. "D-does t-this suit make me look…fat?"
Viper stared at Tigress in astonishment, and trying her best not burst into laugher, not by the fact she questioned her figure, but the fact that she actually ask that question.
"Of course not! Every guy, especially Po would die upon seeing you." Viper complemented her friend.
Tigress smiled at her reptile friend as the two made their way back to the lake with the boys swimming and screaming like children.
"You better not mention this conversation, or you'll be my sparing partner when we get back to the palace." Tigress threatened.
'Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Viper responded, true to her word as always.
Po and the rest of the boys continue swimming and laughing as they enjoyed the lake waters. Crane, Monkey, and Mantis were the ones mostly enjoying themselves as they, along with Tigress and Viper, never enjoyed a day off like this in awhile. The boys continued their swimming, until they stopped dead in their tracks when Tigress and Viper returned from changing, Tigress at least.
"Oh my garsh!" Po screamed. He was the first to swim out to shore to great the girls while Crane, Monkey, and Mantis followed suite. Yun stayed in the water as he watched Shifu's students bicker and snicker among themselves.
"Hm…." Yun thought, until a 'great' idea burst his bubble.
"Wow girls, you look amazing!" Po complemented Tigress and Viper.
"Indeed, just as stunning as ever." Crane added.
"You're so hot!" Monkey and Mantis squealed.
Everyone quickly glared the two misfits, already making the warriors feel smaller by the second from their outburst.
"Smooth move guys!" Yun laughed from the lake.
Po and the warriors glanced back Yun, who was laughing his head off.
"Come on guys, lets go swimming." Tigress insisted.
Everyone agreed and joined Yun back in the water. The group continued swimming for another few minutes until Yun swam back to shore, commencing his 'great' idea he plotted earlier.
'Wonder what Yun's up to?" Mantis asked.
The group of heroes swam back to shore to see what Yun was doing, and found him placing two bamboo sticks along the sand facing toward the lake. Yun started to tilt the sticks toward the land and placed some rocks on the sticks, sort of acting like weights.
"What are you doing buddy?" Po asked.
"A friend of mine from another country told me of this thing called a human slingshot, and I thought we test it ourselves." Yun snickered.
"Excuse me, but what?" Tigress asked, just as confused as everyone else.
Yun continued making his strange contraption until he finished it by tying a vine like rope on the poles. It seemed that the rope looked elastic, giving the idea of what a slingshot should look like, but much bigger.
"First you stand here." Yun pointed in the sand. "Pull back on the rope using your body." Yun grabbed Po to demonstrate by placing the panda in his invention. He pulled Po back like a projectile until the rope reached its elasticity limit. "And let go." Yun sneered. He lets go of Po, and the panda was launched straight into the air at a surprising speed.
"WAAAHHHHHHH!" Po screamed as he soared over the water, and finally crashing into the lake. The Five were shocked by this device's power, and mad at Yun for launching their friend unexpectactly. Po rose from the water, laughing and shouting back at the group on shore.
"THAT WAS AWESOME! AGAIN!" Po yelled back to his friends.
"Help yourself Po! Here I come!" Yun readied himself in his makeshift slingshot, and launched himself toward the lake, screaming just as loud, and more frightening as Po.
"WHOOOO!" Yun screamed as he rose from the water near Po. The panda high fives his buddy for coming up with a 'brilliant' device.
The Furious Five stared at the slingshot, and back at the water. It seemed that Yun has came up with something that actually gave them fear.
"So, who's going first?" Monkey bluntly asked.
"I say Mantis, he made that rude comment about me and Tigress." Viper insisted.
"That was a complement! I say it should be Monkey!" Mantis argued.
"No way! I have to agree with Viper. Mantis, no hard feelings, but you've been a terrible influence to me!" Monkey defended.
Monkey, Mantis, and Viper continued arguing, until Crane came up with a 'brilliant' idea.
"How bout we go all at once?" Crane insisted.
Everyone stared at the avian master, shocked and stunned by his plan.
"If you're thinking what I hope you're not thinking, I'm going to-" Tigress couldn't finish her threat as Master Crane used his wings to blow a gust a wind, and pushed everyone into position of the slingshot. He quickly soared over to his confused comrades and wrapped his wings around everyone. He started walking back onto the rope, and stretched it as far back as possible.
"You're mad Crane! Mad!" Mantis screamed as he tried to pry himself from the trapped position.
"You're so dead when I get my hands on you!" Tigress screamed as she struggled from the avian's grab.
"This is going to be great!" Viper squealed, waiting for Crane to ease off the tension.
Monkey didn't say anything, but prayed about what was coming.
The second Crane lets go of his strength, the Furious Five soared into the sky with speed that can't be measured. Po and Yun could hear the screams and cries from the Five, ones that they would never hear from China's greatest heroes.
"OH MY GOD!" Tigress screamed as tears started sliding off her face from the speed of the flight.
"WHEEEE!" Viper cried, obviously enjoying herself.
"My hat!" Crane yelled as he lost his hat from the intensity of their ride.
Monkey and Mantis were hugging each other, and possibly whimpering like little girls.
"I love you man!" Mantis cried.
"I love you to! Not in a gay way!" Monkey replied.
The Furious Five finally plummet into the lake with a huge splash, drenching Po and Yun. The warriors quickly surfaced and spurted water out of their mouths and noses. Po and Yun were laughing their heads off to actually see panic from the Fives' faces during the amazing flight time they had.
"So, what do you think?" Yun sneered.
"Again!" They said in unison.
For the rest of the morning, Po, Yun, and the Furious Five continued slingshoting themselves, individually, into the lake until lunch time, one of Po's favorite things of the day.
A/N: You like? Write a review if you want. Just taking a little break from Shadow of Woe. Rest assure, I'll go back to it. Just to add, this is not really related to SOW (Shadow of Woe), just something for fun.