AN: I do realize that it's been a while since I've updated and I would like to quickly say Happy New Year and Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you have been well and that you have had the chance to watch Kung Fu Panda 3! It was fairy well. I hope this new chapter passes your expectation. Cheers! IB.

The dim golden moon quietly observed the still village as clusters of dark and ominous clouds loomed over it. If there was a person standing outside at this late hour, without a doubt, would have said that it looked as if a horrendous storm was slowly rolling in from the seas. Additionally, if that person had looked above, he could have possibly seen a stroke of grey whoosh by and if he also strained his furry ear, he could have possibly heard a soft thud landing upon the shiny, black roof tiles. However, no such person existed that night and it was nothing but a long list of possibilities. It was merely the serene moon basking its sight upon a young snow leopard. A snow leopard leaping across the broad sky and treading across the empty streets on his light paws.

It was Tai Lung who was blazing across the dirt paths out of the sleeping town and towards the mountains whose mighty, rocky crowns tearing through the clouds. His blood was pumping throughout his body as his heart pumping furiously as it tried its best to keep up with the speed. Meanwhile, his thick, long tail swayed from left to right, keeping his muscular structure balanced. As his speed rapidly accelerated bit by bit, Tai Lung's sharp claws engraved their marks onto the trail which turned from dirt to rubbles of tiny and big stones. It was clearly a sign that he was steadily intruding deeper into the mountainous region.

He was fully aware that his father and Master Oogway would be fairy displeased due to his judgement to go search for Tigress. Yet when he detected the parchment note, he already predicted that they would both try to keep him at home and cool his admittedly foul temper. That was the reason why he tore the end of the letter. He knew that his anger could cause lots of problems. That was another reason why he vented out in the courtyard. He had to bleed out his rage one way or another. The passing hours offered some time for his father to find Tigress while he slowly cooled his anger.

Rage was possibly his worst and powerful asset; truly a double edged sword. That emotion could be described as the color of blinding white because it felt as if a flaming white metal rod was being stabbed through his gut and then that sizzling heat would ooze and spread throughout his body- through his veins. However, that amount of heat and anger could at first feed him an incredible amount of energy. Adrenaline. Yet if it pushed on, the heat would muddle his mind and self-control until it was powerful enough to render him unconscious. Thus it took a lot more inner-strength and ample amount of tie to reign in that emotion, control it, and make that bubbling rage to a cold sizzle. It was something that could be said very easily, but the process was so much more difficult. If he had to make a comparison... It was like asking a person to grab the sun and attempting to compress it into a sphere that was the size of a fist. It was something that was nearly impossible to imagine. How could a being turn a massive ball of flames and violent energy, that was the size of the sun, into a calm and controlled ball of energy?

Time. That was the only answer. It was an answer that he knew fairly well. It always took him time to sit down and meditate in order to sort out his inner turmoil. However, once he succeeded to control his emotion that was when he was the most dangerous. He still felt the pulse of anger pounding within, but this was when his focus sharpened, power strengthened, and he was prepared to focus his rage upon his targets.

As Tai Lung lunged onto the sharp and rigid rocks and carved his claw marks onto the stoic face of the mountain. As the violent wind began to cut through his fur, the storm finally unleashed its wrath as the cold rain began to pelt down from the heavens. A shiver danced its way down from the nape to the black of his tail. However, heat radiated within him to continue as he recalled the last bit of the note: "Surrender yourself from the competition. Come to the mountains."

It was possible that Tigress wouldn't be held there and it would have been very difficult to pinpoint which mountain was the designated area only if he wasn't a leopard. It wasn't only his eyesight that differed from other animals, his hearing was superb enough to hear the water dripping from each stone edge and his sense of smell was incomparable. He knew that he was on the right mountain as he smelled the faint smell of soaked fur of canines. It was a scent that burned his noes and made him want to hurl. It was an unbearable scent that he smelled off the parchment. As he reached the top of the mountain, his eyes glowed a dangerous colour of golden red.

Then he saw a thin line of grey smoke snaking its way up towards the thundering clouds. With his keen eyesight, he saw a small fire flicking in the darkness along with bushy grey tails. A low growl escaped from his lips as he also saw a sliver of orange and black stripes. He would undoubtedly need to get closer and thus, he dug his claws even deeper into the surface of the mountain, flattened his ears, lowered his body against the sharp, damp, and freezing boulders, while keeping his hard gaze on the loud and boisterous group.

When he got closer, he could hear them talking amongst themselves.

The first voice sounded very nervous as he asked, "Do you think this plan will work?"

A more coarse voice rumbled, "O' course it'll work."

The third voice said, "It better work, otherwise our Master won't be happy in the least."

The first voice muttered, "I heard Master Tai Lung is very strong though..."

Then a group of voices howled and screamed at once!

"He is no master, it's nothing but a cub acting tough."

"That's right! It was a sheer insult that Shifu enrolled his son into an adult tournament!"

"It's an insult to every kung fu master in China!"

Then one of the group's members finally came to view. Coyotes! One of the coyotes yanked Tigress also into view. It was clear by the blue mark which marred her face that the coyotes had used brute force upon her. He felt his heart break and his body trembling when he saw her. She was gagged and bound tightly with thick ropes as she struggled to keep distance from the stinking coyote. Once she started to struggle the most, he growled in frustration and smacked her across the face.

Before the fresh red blood dripped down onto the ground, a bright flash of lightening was painted across the dark clouds, and amidst the coyote pack stood Tai Lung while one of the coyotes dropped onto his face without a noise. The outcome was catastrophic as confusion erupted amongst the pack. They had not expected to see the large, muscular back of a snow leopard. It was evident that they had not imagined Tai Lung to be much taller and stronger than them. Then fear took its rough grip on them which in turn made them weary.

The biggest coyote screamed, "Enough! We have a hostage."

The snow leopard slowly turned his head and the only response he gave was a deep growl as he unsheathed his deadly claws. There was ferocity behind his golden red eyes, but they only softened once they rested on Tigress who looked teary from shock and relief. She read him mouth: I promise to get us out of here. She nodded.

Tai Lung gingerly said, "Close your eyes. I don't want you to see what's about to happen."

Tigress obediently closed her eyes and then lots of screaming, yelling, howling filled the air as each swipe of Tai Lung's paws were welcomed by loud cheers of thunder and eruptions of lightening. Instead of killing them, they were thrown off the edge of the cliff where violent, churning waters awaited for their prey. They would live, but Tai Lung never wanted to see their faces again.

When he turned to his final opponent, he discovered a very young youth. The one who had the cowering voice. Tai Lung grabbed him by the collar and growled, "I don't know who your master is, but here's my reply to his wager. I better not see him at the tournament tomorrow because I won't show any mercy upon him... Now be gone."

Without any further utterance, the boy fled from the scene through the bush and tress, down the mountain side.

The beating was completed with quick precision as none of them were around them anymore. Tai Lung knew that his paws were soiled with some blood, so he wiped them against his linen quickly before walking towards Tigress. She still kept her eyes closed as the faint smell of blood was quickly washed away by the pounding rain.

He softly wiped away the wet blood from her wounds and he felt a wash of guilt come over him. She got injured because of him and it wasn't just. He hated seeing her hurt. It was a stinging sensation against his chest. Tai Lung embraced Tigress and felt the tears stinging his eyes. She got hurt because he was still far too weak. Surprised, she opened her eyes and felt a tear drop on her shoulder as he faintly whispered into her ears, "I am so sorry that you got hurt because of me. You must have been scared."

Not wanting her to see him cry, he carried her against his back as he descended from the mountain. As his emotions finally calmed down, Tigress softly asked, "Tai Lung, can you teach me Kung Fu? I want to be able to protect myself... I don't want to be your weakness again..."

Tai Lung's jaw went ajar as he listened to her. She felt as if she was his weakness. There was some truth to it, but he didn't want her to feel that way. He responded, "Sure, I'll teach you Kung Fu. Tigress?"

She placed her head onto his back and said, "Yeah?"

Tai Lung looked up at the luminous moon as the storm clouds began to move away. He craned his back to meet her eyes and vowed, "I promise to become stronger. The strongest. I will be the Dragon Warrior and I promise to protect you away from any harm."

Yes, he would become the Dragon Warrior and always keep her, his town, and his father safe. It was his destiny.

I realized that there has been a big increase in readers, reviews, and favourites! 60 followers! Thanks for the constant reviews! I hope you had fun reading the new chapter and I wish to hear from you again. Cheers. IB