A/N: *dancing around in my room* Thank you so so so much for your reviews! I have never gotten this many reviews! I have to admit that my ultimate goal is one hundred reviews… If we reached that I will go crazy of happiness…
A special thanks to all of you new who has reviewed.
Just a little information for you; Wang and Jie aren't going to be some big characters. I just needed some names and personality to some few of the Shadow Warriors.
No I don't own Kung Fu Panda (How I hate repeating that)
Behind The Golden Eyes, Reasons To Hate Blizzards
Tigress had never really had a love for snow. But right now she hated it. One thing was a little fine snow that children could play in, another thing was a merciless snowstorm. And that happened to be the thing that Tigress was fighting against right now. With her stuff on her bag and the cloak around her, Tigress followed the Shadow Warriors through the heavy snow.
"Nice weather, huh? Nothing like you is used to in your palace." One of the masked warriors yelled at her. Tigress decided not to answer; she had quickly found out that not all was just as friendly against her as others.
After all she was the intruder, the enemy's student and, according to them, Enlai's girl. But she enjoined their company compared to be back with Mei-Hua. Then she didn't mind their angry eyes or their mocking words. She was strong and she could handle it.
Tigress thanked her many years of training when she barely dodged a flying snowball. Turning around, she saw a feline with a way too big smile on his face. Snarling, Tigress felt how her paws were itching to dig down in the snow and give the jerk with he deserved… But no, that would be disgraceful. She was a kung fu warrior, and she didn't throw snowballs.
And before she could react, she was in pushed into the snow. Not playfully, but hard. And Tigress knew who had done it without looking up. Apparently, Jie had been born with a hate to her. Well, it was not like she was a big fan of him either. But how she wished that he would just disappear; it would make her trip with the Shadow Warriors much easier.
Avoiding his eyes, Tigress stood up and brushed the snow of her body. Jie watched her calmly, waiting for her reactions. What he didn't know was that the revenge would come from behind him. A snowball hit him perfectly in the back of his head, causing him to stumble a little forward. He turned around and growled at the bunch of warriors that was laughing hard, nearly howling.
"Are you enjoying that snow, Jie?" One of them managed to gasp out while laughing.
Jie growled again and leaped towards them, ready to make them pay for the snowball. Even Tigress had to smile when she saw the masked warriors rolling around in the snow like little children. Though, after some time Wang grew tired of them and decided to stop the fun.
"Fun's over, boys. We got to keep moving." He yelled trough the cold wind. After some disappointed mumbling and the last snowballs had been thrown after a target, the Shadow Warriors slowly started to become serious again.
Tigress sighed; it was only noon and they would first be at Jiao-Long's house in the late evening. Again she felt the butterflies in her stomach when she thought about her dad. The Shadow Warriors apparently didn't know that she was his daughter. Tigress believed that Jiao-Long hadn't told them about her and maybe she just didn't look like him.
When she was a little cub in the orphanage she had dreamed of this heroic father that would come and save her from the cruel people that were taunting her. So many hours had she been waiting, staring at the door while hoping that it would open to reveal him standing there. But it never opened. At least not for her. Her parents never came back for her, they never saved her. Shifu had. It was him who had taken her out of the orphanage, it was him who had taught her kung fu and it was him that had giving her something to live for. And she had turned her back to him. She had chosen another master over him. And she was regretting it so badly.
Tigress wanted to know why her parents hadn't come. She wanted to hear their excuses. And the only way to get them was by talking with her father.
A part of her mind had kept the unreal imagination of this wonderful, brave father, and Tigress was scared of being disappointed when she saw him. Mei-Hua had told her that they Shadow Warriors were evil, but wasn't she that too? Tigress was raised to protect people from evil, but would she be able to fight her own parents?
"Princess, are you frozen back there? I told you to hurry up!"
Tigress silently growled, but abandoned her thoughts. She didn't really want problem right now, so it was easier just to do what Wang told her to.
The snowstorm was even worse now, and Tigress had to squint to protect her eyes. "Wang!" She tried to call his name, but the wind took her words before he could hear them. "Wang!" The snow was taken much of her sight, and she could only see some blurry black shapes in the white.
"Wang!" Suddenly he was in front of her, his green eyes staring into hers. "Are we there soon?" She yelled again, her voice and body shivering in the cold. It was long time since she had lost the feeling in her ears and fingers.
"The mission had been changed. We are not going to Jiao-Long."
"What?" Tigress snarled with a voice full with disbelieves and anger.
Wang remained calm. "You heard what I said. Continuing climbing this mountain in this weather is suicide!"
"So you are saying that after all I have been doing to get here then I am just going to give up?" Tigress snorted, lightning in her eyes.
"Let me make this very simple. Right now you have two choices; you can follow us to a shelter so we can rest in some days to it is safe to go outside again or you can try and find Jiao-Long alone and freeze to death."
Seconds passed before Tigress answered him. "Which way should I go to find him?"
"You got to be kidding me!" Wang growled. "Do you want to die?"
"What I want is to talk with Jiao-Long as quick as possible. And believe me when I say that a little snow isn't going to stop me."
"Fine. Fine!" Wang hold up his hands in despair. "Do whatever you want. I don't care! If you want to see Jiao-Long then you just have to continue that way." He showed the tiger with his paw which road she should take. If Tigress' eyes were right then she would have to go further upward the mountain.
Tigress shortly nodded before turning her back to him. She wasn't going to stay with the Shadow Warriors in some days just because of some stupid snow. Wang walked towards the others and said something to them that Tigress couldn't hear.
"You are crazy!" One of the felines' yell was heard through the wind. Tigress decided to ignore him and started to walk without even looking back.
When Tigress fell again she had a hard time with getting up. Every part of her body was stiff from the cold, and she constantly flexing her fingers to try and get the feeling back. Her cloak was wet from the snow; not helping her situation at all.
"Just a little further. You can do this. You just have to stand up." Tigress wasn't even realizing that she was talking to herself, though it sounded more like mumbling because her lips now only could do small movements.
With some trouble, she shakily stood up. Tigress' brain imagined the warmth in the Jade Palace, herself surrounded by friends while drinking Po' soup that slowly thawed her up. A weak sob escaped her throat but quickly became to a growl. She couldn't let herself be weak now.
Fighting the wind, she continued walking. Her eyes were focused on the ground so the snow wouldn't irritate them even more. Tigress prayed that she actually was going to right way; she had followed Wang's instructions as good as she could, but the storm was making it hard.
Again, Tigress' foot slipped and she found herself in the snow. That was when the anger came. Tigress growled and smashed her paw into the white snow. Again and again she clawed it to no avail. Snow was snow, and snow couldn't feel. But Tigress could. She turned her head to the sky and roared. A roar full of pain and hopelessness.
When she was done, Tigress collapsed in the snow. Why was she even here? She should just have stayed at the Jade Palace at the beginning. Master Shifu had once called her stubborn and now Tigress understood what he meant. Sometimes she could just be so stupid! She had been so foolish to think that she actually could find a real parent that would care for her. Tigress made a dark chuckle and laid her head down in the snow. She was just so tired… No! Tigress forced herself up on her legs again. She knew what would happen if she fall asleep out in the cold, and she wasn't ready for that yet.
Tigress wouldn't give up now. A real warrior never quits. Tigress smiled weakly at the memory of Po's words. She had to admit that she missed that panda right now. She missed all of her friends right now. Master Shifu, Po, Viper, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, Piao, Lu Chu and Enlai. Especially Enlai. But still, she wasn't going to let him get away easy for not telling her that he was a Shadow Warrior.
The tiger lost the sense of time as she walked through the snow. All she could think of was just to continue walking. And when she finally slammed her head directly into a door she just couldn't believe it. Well, it took some time before she realized that it actually was a door.
When Tigress finally dared to believe that it was real, she held her frozen paw up to knock on the door. But before she could touch it, the door opened. An older male tiger was standing in the doorway, his eyes scanning her. Aware of how she must look, a frozen tiger covered in snow, Tigress tried not to be ashamed.
In long time the tigers just stared at each other, the storm outside howling. Tigress was the first to speak. "I am…"
"I know who you are." He cut her off. He scratched his neck, eyes not leaving Tigress that was waiting for him to say more. "Then come in." He sighed and stepped aside so Tigress could enter.
The warmth was the first thing that Tigress noticed. She quickly took of her wet and frozen cloak. Then she turned to Jiao-Long who hadn't done anything else than closing the door. Tigress was a little unsure and waited for something to happen. Finally, it was herself that started the conversation. "You're Jiao-Long?" She asked and was answered with a nod. "I need to talk with you. I…"
"Yuan, please escort Master Tigress to her room." Jiao-Long had turned to a servant, an older raccoon that had suddenly arrived. He gestured Tigress to follow him, but the tiger didn't move a muscle. Instead, she continued staring at Jiao-Long. "No, I am not…" She protested, but again he interrupted her.
"I refuse talking with someone who is so exhausted that she can't even understand her own words. Now, follow Yuan and we can talk tomorrow." Jiao-Long said with a voice that told her that this couldn't be discussed.
Finally, Tigress moved her eyes away from him and did was she was told. Sure enough, she was tired and a warm bed sounded like heaven right now. Tigress followed Yuan who looked at her with warm eyes, but did not say a word. The situation felt familiar for the tiger, and she then remembered her first night in the Dragon Palace. And the same thing happened as for four months ago; Tigress fell asleep before her head touched the pillow.
Tigress murmured softly while she slowly woke up. Her body was wrapped in a thick blanket, making her to forget everything about yesterday's cold. When Tigress opened her eyes, they widened. For a moment she had forgotten what had happened and where she was. She slowly sat up, legs crossed, and looked at her surroundings.
She was in what Tigress believed was the guest room. A few pictures were hanging on the wall and then there was the big bed Tigress was laying on and beside that a bed table. The door cracked open and a servant that Tigress recognized as Yuan walked in.
"Master Jiao-Long wants you to eat this before your conversation." He said and gave her a tray with a bowl of soup and a cup with water. Then he left the room, and Tigress was alone again.
Tigress smiled softly; compared to yesterday's hard travel then this was pure pampering. No snow and no wind, just a warm bed. While she ate Tigress started to get herself ready for her meeting with her dad. She tried to remember last night.
His eyes were still clear in her memory; dark, hard eyes that could see just through her. His face has been like stone, and Tigress knew that it never would show fear. She just knew it. Her father, the hardcore tiger, just like her.
When she was finished, she jumped of the bed and walked towards the door. But her paw stopped just before it could touch the doorknob. Instead she brought the paw to her head and gently brushed fur with it. She did the same on her arms, trying to repairing the wind's damaged on her fur. Tigress had learned when she was little that she to make a good impression, and this situation reminded her too much of the orphanage.
There were no mirrors, but when Tigress felt like she was ready she opened the door and walked out on the hallway. And of course she had to stop there. Tigress didn't exactly know where she should meet Jiao-Long. She silently growled for being that nervous. Picking a random door she walked closer, but froze when she heard someone clearing their throat. She turned around to see Yuan, his eyes and mouth were smiling at her.
"Please follow me, Master Tigress." Relieved, Tigress followed him through the halls and finally, Yuan opened a door. Tigress entered the room, and her eyes immediately saw Jiao-Long sitting on a chair with a table in front of him, waiting for her. When the door closed behind her, Tigress walked closer and took place on the chair in front of her father.
"You wanted to talk?" Jiao-Long said after some time. Tigress nervously clenched her firsts.
"Yes, I…" Tigress had trouble with finding the right words. What could she say? 'Hi dad, I just walked by and thought that you might want to know that I am your daughter. So now I can stay with you and we can live happily ever after!' Nope, that wouldn't work.
Tigress closed her eyes for a moment. "How much do you know about me?"
"Enough."
Surprised, Tigress opened her eyes again and glanced at him. There he was, the tiger of stone, calm as ever. He reminded her a little of Enlai with his thick, dark stripes and muscular building. But the way he acted was different. Enlai was shifting between friendly and annoying, but Jiao-Long was hard, cold, calm and proud. He was leader, and Tigress couldn't help but feel small in his presence. A sleeveless, dark green shirt was covering his chest, and he was wearing black pants. Pretty simple after all.
Tigress forced her eyes away from her father. "Then you must know that I have been Mei-Hua's student and right now I am on the run. I would appreciate if you don't tell her where I am."
"And why do you think that I would do that?"
Not able to find an answer, Tigress just shrugged. "I needed to find you because I heard some rumors. I… I believe that you are my father." She stopped, waiting for an answer.
"You were wrong."
The time seemed to stop. "You're… You're not my father?" Tigress carefully asked, with the feeling that her stomach was full of rocks. Had she gotten so far for nothing?
"I didn't say that, did I?"
"Then what did you mean?"
Jiao-Long folded his paws. "You should have stayed in the Jade Palace."
"I know that. I know that!" Tigress growled at the last sentence. "I know that, and believe me when I say that I am regretting my choice. But I just thought that I actually could find my parents. I thought that when I left with Mei-Hua and I thought that when I decided to find you." Tigress paused, trying to calm herself down after her outburst. "Are you my dad?"
"I am impressed that you have gotten so close to the truth. Am I right when I say that it wasn't your mother who told you this?"
"She didn't tell me anything, but I can say that I had friends who helped me. But you haven't answered my question yet."
"I have to admit that I never imagined that you would become a student of Master Shifu. But with your mother's and my blood, you were destined to become something great."
"How do you know all this?" Tigress demanded, again sure about the fact that she right now was sitting in front of her father.
"I couldn't just leave you at Bao Gu and not knowing what would happen later in your life. My spies have been doing their job well."
Tigress felt how her blood first became ice, and then in a flash started boiling. The anger took control, and the female tiger rose from her chair so quickly that it fell to the floor. "You knew? You knew where I was all that time and didn't even visit me? You knew that I was your daughter, but yet you didn't care!"
"A child like you has no right to speak like that to me." Jiao-Long thundered, and stood up as well.
Tigress snorted. "A child, that is all I am for you, isn't it? But not your child! You don't want me as a daughter and I have wasted my time coming here. I am leaving now." Tigress turned around, barely able to keep her anger in control. Her fists were shaking, screaming for something to hit.
"The storm is not over. If you go out there, then you'll die of cold. If you use your brain and stay here, then I can tell you my story."
Tigress stopped in the doorway. She was angry, no, furious at the tiger. But still, he had a point. She had been lucky yesterday, and the Shadow Warriors had showed her the way. If she went out alone, then she wouldn't have a chance. And after all, maybe Jiao-Long had a good excuse that she hadn't heard yet.
The female tiger turned around, deciding to stay. Her golden eyes didn't leave her father's. "Then speak."
A/N: Phew! That was hard to write! Cold father, huh? But (as Tigress said) we haven't heard his excuse yet. So many secrets will be revealed in the next chapter (that will come soon)!