Leo Lung would know those stark white feathers anywhere. The young lion stared out of his meditation cave at the army below in the mountain. Wolves, hundreds of them, led by Shen himself. The crown prince of Gongmen City. Shen and his army marched tirelessly forward, their red torches illuminating the snow in the night.
Master Leo, crouched outside his cave, began to stalk down the mountain. His golden eyes were wide as he slid through the snow. His mane, still growing, was standing on end to try and keep him warm, and his muscles began to shiver. He never liked the cold.
A voice in his mind urged him to turn back. Shen and his wolves were armed to the teeth, and Leo had not trained in months. Instead, he spent those months meditating in his cave. His mental state was strong, and Leo knew he was still very mighty. But something told him he needed to turn around.
If he knew Shen was on the attack, maybe he should report to Gongmen City, Leo thought. Were Lord and Lady Peacock attacking a neighboring city? Was Shen simply following his parent's orders? Or was the young peacock striking out on his own, and forcing another city, or even country, to war?
Leo shook his head. He had never met Shen, or his parents Lord and Lady Peacock. But what Leo had heard was that the Peacocks were peaceable. They would never attack unless necessary. Surely Shen would be the same. The young Master stalked after the army, silent as the night.
It wasn't long until he was spotted. One wolf, a skinny black male with a katana, turned and spotted Leo stalking them from a distance away. With a flurry of barks, the entire army was alerted and turned to face the lone lion.
Leo took in a steady, quiet breath. He had faced entire armies before, but that was with his brother at his side. Now he was all by himself. Leo's claws slid out, and his lips curled as the wolves stared him down. Some of the wolves murmured to each other. The words stalker, predator, and dangerous floated among the wolves, but Master and Kung Fu seemed louder. A worm of grim satisfaction wiggled in Leo's stomach. His reputation preceded him.
They surrounded the lion with ease, their spears, swords, and loaded bows pointed at his stomach, torso, and head. Leo's eyes flitted back and forth. His muscles twitched, and his breathing hitched in his throat.
Leo was so twitchy he almost jumped when a raspy voice spoke, "Who are you?" The wolves parted to reveal Shen himself. The peacock stood just shorter than Leo Lung, and his ruby-red eyes were narrowed with suspicion. A scarily sharp lance was held at his side.
"We believe he's been stalking us, sir." One of the wolves, a burly wolf with a large war hammer, spoke. He looked to be Shen's second.
"He's Master Leo from the Valley of Peace!" A random wolf howled out. Master Leo nodded in silent agreement.
Shen stared at the lion with a mix of surprise and slight awe. "I've heard of you!" Shen smiled. He stepped forward, lowering his lance to greet Master Leo. The greeting was returned. "Your accomplishments are worthy of the highest praise." The peacock smiled proudly.
Leo smiled and dipped his head in favor of the young lord. "Thank you," he rumbled, "but I have a question to ask. Where are you heading?" Leo used his paw to gesture toward the army of wolves, each of them carrying some sort of weapon.
Shen went quiet for a moment, his gaze quietly sweeping his army. He stared at Leo and murmured, "A threat has been made against the throne of Gongmen City. I am leading an army to dispatch the threat before it has the first attack." The young prince answered.
Master Leo's eyes widened. He cursed himself for meditating, for running away from the Palace in the first place. If he had stayed, maybe he could have figured out sooner that a threat was developing.
"In that case, let me come with you. I am well-versed in Kung Fu. I can be of service." He spoke sincerely.
Shen stared back at Leo, almost in surprise that the lion was offering his skills up like this. "Are you sure, Leo Lung?" The peacock asked, sending a skeptical look to the lion. Leo sent a confident smile back.
"No enemy has prevailed against my claws." He didn't mention Tai Lung. Shen's suspicious glare turned into a satisfied grin,
"Let's head out, then."
With that, Leo Lung and Shen marched the army through the night. Leo asked for elaboration on the threat made to Gongmen, but Shen refused to elaborate beyond what he had already told Leo.
So they settled for talking. Leo shared his life story. Either he or Tai Lung was destined to be The Great Dragon Warrior. But it was not to be. Tai Lung went crazy, Leo said. He attacked everyone and everything in sight. However, with help from Master Oogway, they were able to subdue the leopard and arrest him.
Shen was silent as he listened. "I'm sorry to hear about Tai Lung." He whispered. Leo murmured thanks, and Shen continued, "I had heard about the Jade Palace from my parents, but I have never been there for met anyone from there. My father wants me to go on a tour throughout China. Maybe I will stop there."
"Well, you are always welcome in the Jade Palace, and the Valley of Peace." Leo smiled. Shen smiled back. "Whenever you do come, I can show you my favorite restaurant for noodle soup! It's the best." Leo chuckled.
"The servants always serve food for us, whatever we want, and security in my parent's palace is tight. I rarely can go out into the city to explore restaurants and the like." Shen spoke, eyeing his lance. "I would love to be able to see your city."
The two young warriors continued to talk and laugh together for another hour or so while they marched on. They traded stories, talking about their parents- or parent figure, for Leo- and palace life. Leo wished he and Shen had met before this. The peacock was good company.
"Shen!" The wolf with the war hammer barked quietly from ahead of them. "We're here."
Leo Lung and Shen crept forward. They crested a slight hill and stared down at a quiet village. It was a panda village. Although it was an hour or so until dawn, several round, black, and white pandas were up early, tending their farms. "That's where the threat is, Leo," Shen murmured.
"Who's our target?" Leo murmured. A village full of friendly pandas would be the perfect place for a criminal to hide out. The pandas were so kind they would never turn away a weary traveler, even if that traveler was a criminal. Leo bunched his muscles as Shen smirked excitedly,
"Our target is the entire village." Shen straightened out. "Attack!" He crowed to his army, and, without any hesitation, the wolves surged forward with loud howls and wild barking.
Leo watched in surprised horror as the wolves surged past him and into the village. He felt a stab of confusion and betrayal in his heart. The pandas were famous for being pacifists! They've never hurt a soul in all of written history!
"Shen! What are you doing?!" He shouted, grabbing the peacock by the shoulder and spinning the bird to face him, stopping Shen from charging into the village.
Shen glared back at him and slowly raised his lance. "The pandas." He seethed. "They have threatened the Gongmen City throne." The peacock sliced his lance near Leo's face, and the lion flinched just enough for Shen to wriggle free. Leo noticed that Shen didn't cut Leo's face. Just close enough to spook Leo off.
Screams erupted from the village as multiple houses were lit ablaze. Shen rushed towards the destruction, and Leo, now just as confused as he was angry, chased him down with ease. He leaped and collided with the peacock, pinning him underneath his claws.
"The pandas?! Seriously?" The lion roared, not buying Shen's story. "Call off your wolves!" His lips crinkled into a snarl.
A wooden house burned and collapsed, sending a wave of heat toward the lion and the peacock. Half of Shen's face was illuminated red with a fiery light. He grinned a manic smile at Leo.
"The Soothsayer foretold a warrior of black and white will one day defeat me. All threats against the Gongmen City throne are met with immediate and deadly force. No exceptions." The peacock recited quietly. "Now unhand me, lion, before I deem you a threat."
Leo tensed his muscles in anger. A baby's cry alerted the lion, and he glanced upwards. In the distance, Leo spotted a tiny baby panda clutching a toy. The baby was lost in the chaos, and crying for his mother as pandas and wolves stampeded around.
Without a second of hesitation, Leo let Shen go and charged toward the baby panda. One of the wolves, the one with the war hammer, was faster and closer. Leo watched in anguish as the wolf pounced on the baby panda.
In a split second, an enormous panda carrying a large farming rake smacked the wolf away from the child. Leo leaped next to the large panda, who handed the child off to a nearby panda woman.
"Take our son, and run away!" The larger panda shouted, "Go!"
Leo turned and watched as the panda woman and her child turned and fled into the forest behind the village. The triumphant crow of a peacock was barely heard over the roar of the flames. Leo, with a resolute growl, grabbed the father by one of his large shoulders.
"Protect your family!" He shouted. "Go, hurry! I'll hold off the wolves!"
Several wolves charged into the forest after the fleeing villagers. The large panda glanced worriedly at Leo, and the wolves, then his village.
"Hurry!" Leo roared. "I'll buy you time!" The lion nearly pushed the panda toward the forest.
Stunned into action, the enormous panda turned and hustled into the woods. Leo Lung turned and charged back into the village.
Leo searched for Shen, but he had no time to look before another panda cried for help or another wolf attacked him. The lion did what he could to save whatever villagers were left in the flaming ruins. He lifted pandas out of fallen homes and knocked aside wolves before they were able to deal the final blow.
Leo saw the lead wolf- the one carrying the war hammer- talking with Shen in the distance. Several dead pandas surrounded the two.
"Leave no survivors!" Shen shouted over the flames. "Go! Track every last panda down!" The two began to charge into the woods, with the remaining wolf pack in tow.
With a roar of fury, the lion charged straight toward Shen. Shen barely had time to glance over his shoulder before Leo landed a nasty kick to his head. The young peacock was sent sprawling into the snow. He didn't get up, and Leo was half-tempted to finish the prince off.
Immediately, the entire wolf pack attacked. Leo Lung fought bravely. He punched, kicked, slashed, and jumped. The wolves were skilled, but Leo Lung was not only a Master of Kung Fu, but furiously trying to buy the villagers time to escape. The lion fought valiantly, but when the lead wolf marched up behind him and raised his war hammer, Leo wasn't able to move out of the way in time.
The hammer slammed against his head, and the young Kung Fu warrior fell, landing next to an unconscious Shen.
. . .
. . .
. . .
Leo Lung gasped as he woke up. He quickly climbed on his hands and knees. A horrid half-snarl half-gag noise wrenched itself out of the lion's stomach as he unsheathed his claws. Blood roared in his ears. The lion lunged upwards, right towards the lead wolf's throat.
And was met with thin air.
Leo tumbled to the ground, and he groaned as he stared around him. The day was silent as a butterfly's wing beat, and fresh snow covered the ground. The cold pricked his skin.
With an increasing feeling of dread in his stomach, the young lion slowly raised himself to his feet. His head pounded and he moaned in pain. The silence was deafening, and he slowly spun around as he gathered his bearings.
The entire village was destroyed. The pandas, the wolves, and Shen were nowhere to be seen. "Hello?" Leo tentatively called out. He hoped someone, anyone, would answer. Even if it was Shen himself.
Nobody responded to his call.
A voice echoed in Leo's mind: You lost. The pandas are dead.
An overwhelming feeling of defeat caused Leo to sink to his knees as he stared at the decimated village. Sobs began to shake his chest as he stole glance after glance at the destroyed buildings.
"Please, don't let this be true!" He roared in agony. "Oh, please, no!" This was just like Tai Lung all over again! Except for this time, it was worse. It was so much worse. An entire village was destroyed, and Leo did nothing but help a few villagers escape to the woods. Those innocent pandas might be dead now for all Leo knew. He screamed in frustration, anger, and pain.
No wonder Oogway passed him up for the Dragon Warrior title.
Leo clenched his paw into an angry fist. His claws pricked his paw pads, but Leo didn't care. He deserved it for letting Shen commit such a horrible act against the pandas! Leo should never have trusted Shen! If he had simply known…
But how could he? Leo released his claws, staring sadly at his bloody paw pads. Shen was cunning. He never revealed his plan to Leo, and, just judging by the conversations they had on the way here, it seemed like Shen and Leo could've been friends. The peacock knew. He knew that if he told Leo what he was about to do, the Kung Fu Warrior would put a stop to him. Or tried.
There was no way Leo could have known to stop Shen. The lion crawled on his hands and knees to the nearest home, which was reduced to just a few wooden planks and stone slabs. A bloody trail followed him.
When he reached the pile of rubble, he sat down with a dejected sigh. He stared at his feet. Leo had rarely suffered a loss this great. Even though he lost in paw-to-paw combat against Tai Lung, he still triumphed in the end with the help of Masters Shifu and Oogway. His chest hurt, even though it was his head that pounded with a dull ache.
As Leo stared silently in front of him, the weight of defeat sagging his shoulders, he spotted a tiny little toy panda underneath some rubble, almost hidden in the snow. Leo reached down and grabbed a hold of the toy. It was the same panda toy that the baby was holding before his father took him away into the forest. Fresh sobs wracked his body as he cried out apology after apology to the supposedly dead child. He held the toy close to his chest as he wept.
Eventually, Leo stood up, albeit a bit shaky. He clutched the toy panda in his paw and glanced around at the ruined panda village.
What was he supposed to do now? There was no way he could go back to the Jade Palace now. He would be disgraced! What kind of a Kung Fu warrior can't even defend a village against an incoming threat?
The wind blew quietly throughout the remains of the village. Leo thought back to his cave in the mountains. He could continue his meditations there. Maybe find inner peace, if that was even possible after being a part of such an attack.
The thought of the cave, and perhaps the cold winter wind, made Leo shiver. He shook his head. The lion went into the woods- but not too far, for fear of what, or who, he would find. He gathered some firewood and built a campfire in one of the ruined houses.
"I'll stay here for a bit." Leo Lung murmured to no one in particular. Perhaps he spoke to the panda toy, which was now propped up against a piece of stone.
And stay he did.
Leo Lung remained in the village after the attack. He used large pieces of wood and stone to build himself a hut. The hut was just large enough for him to sprawl out while he slept and a campfire to keep warm.
Going back to the Jade Palace was out of the question. No doubt Shifu and Oogway have heard about how Leo Lung failed epically to save the pandas. They would be disappointed.
But he didn't have to face their disappointment. Instead, he trained. Whenever Leo was not meditating or gathering food, he trained his Kung Fu skills. He built fake opponents out of trees, rocks, and bamboo.
Every time Leo closed his eyes, he saw the burning village. He saw the crying baby, the fleeing family, and the manic grin on Shen's face all the while. It all fueled him with anger. And it drove him to train even more. One day, Leo promised himself. One day, the peacock would feel his wrath.
Every time he threw a punch at a tree, he imagined Shen on the receiving end. When he landed a particularly strong kick to a boulder, he wondered if kicking Shen in the face would give him the same satisfaction. Every time he slashed a branch off the tree with his claws, he fantasized about slashing Shen's neck open. Whenever he bit down on food with his teeth, he thought about doing the same to the peacock.
Every day was like this. Wake up before the sun rose, gather and eat food- whatever he could find-, meditate while the sun rose, train ferociously until the sun went down, bathe in the river, meditate some more, and go to sleep. Repeat.
Leo's mane grew unruly until it covered his entire torso. His amber eyes, once bright and shining with youth, faded until they were almost a dull orange. His muscles grew as his training continued, though.
The lion's connection with nature grew as the years dragged on. He watched the trees grow wider, and produce more fruits and nuts, while berry bushes grew on the outskirts of the village- all of which he ate. Food was a lot harder to come by when you didn't have personal cooks, and the lion couldn't be picky.
Every time he ventured into the woods, the lion gently greeted every tree, every boulder, and every stalk of bamboo he saw. At first, it was a simple head nod in acknowledgment. Then, he patted every tree and bamboo stalk and boulder as he passed them. Soon, he began talking to them. They never responded, but Leo liked it that way. He could rant and rave about whatever, and he knew his secrets were safe with them. He also talked to Panda Toy. Leo never gave him a name, but sometimes he called him P.T. Leo never got any visitors, and he never left the area near his hut, so he kept his company with nature and P.T.
Slowly, the village was reclaimed by the earth. First, it was moss regrowing on wood and rocks. Then, flowers began to bloom in between stones in the road. Soon enough, trees began to grow in the middle of where a house used to be.
Leo continued to train, but as the tiny saplings turned into mighty trees, he began to forget why. Nature and the world around him were always so peaceful. Why would he need to continue training so violently if he lived such a life of pacifism?
He began to meditate more to try and find an answer. He remembered a blazing fire and a bird. A white bird. A red fire. But he had a campfire every night, and birds of all different colors were everywhere. He listened to their songs every morning. Surely this wasn't the reason why he was continuing his violent practice of training every day. Why would a red fire and a white bird make him so angry?
Soon, the fire and the bird left the cat's mind as he continued his life of solitude. His training began to taper off. He began shortening his training from sunrise to sunset, to sunrise to noon, then, eventually, he stopped.
No point in training to fight if no visitors ever come to fight you.
The lion replaced training with meditation and long walks in the forest. He lowered himself from standing on two legs to walking on all fours. He felt closer to nature that way. The lion began making new friends- those friends being trees, rocks, bushes, and bamboo stalks, of course. He talked to them daily, giving them names and spending time with them. Sometimes they responded back to him if he listened carefully.
The large cat had just finished a five-hour walk through the forest and returned to his hut with some firewood that had been graciously donated by one of the trees in the forest. Before he built his campfire, the lion began meditating.
It wasn't long before he heard a voice. "Leo Lung. Where have you been?"
His eyes shot open. "Who's there?!" He growled. His hut was empty, save for P.T. "Was that you?" The lion gruffly asked the toy. But the tiny panda stared back at him, just as confused, as if to say, 'I heard that voice too'. Nobody has come to visit the lion in decades. How could they know he was here?
"It's been a long time, Leo Lung. You are needed at the Jade Palace."
That voice sounded kind of familiar. And the Jade Palace. Hmm… The large lion knew he heard that phrase before. The cat exited his hut and went to the woods. He stood on all fours, his claws digging into the soil, and faced the forest: "WHO SAID THAT?!" He bellowed at the trees.
The trees were silent. Odd. They usually responded when he talked to them.
His tail lashed in frustration. He whipped around to return to his hut. Those blasted voices were playing tricks on him again.
"Leo Lung." The voice repeated. A flurry of peach petals began to swirl in front of the lion.
The lion- Leo Lung, as the voice said- backed up, his eyes wide, as he stared at the peach petals flying in a circle before him. He roared and swiped at the petals, but his claws were met with empty air.
The peach petals settled, and a large tortoise stood in front of him. The tortoise gazed warmly at him. The lion's mane stood on end as he snarled, "Who are you? This is my home you're intruding on." His muscles twitched, and he was ready to pounce.
The tortoise frowned in despair. "I am Master Oogway. I trained you at the Jade Palace."
"Lies!" The lion roared. "I trained myself!" He slowly backed away, tail lashing threateningly.
The wrinkles on the tortoise, Oogway, seemed to deepen. Oogway slowly, calmly, approached. The cat continued to growl, but quieter. Something about this tortoise was soothing to Leo's temper. Almost as if he could trust the tortoise.
Oogway touched his claws to Leo's forehead. "You must remember."
Leo gasped and almost collapsed as an intense wave of pain flooded his head. Memories cascaded into his brain. Tai Lung, Shifu, the Jade Palace, the Dragon Warrior, Kung Fu, Shen, the wolves, the panda village, all of it!
"Ack!" Leo collapsed onto his stomach. He clutched his head as his brain was swamped with thousands of memories at once. He moaned in pain as his eyes widened in disbelief. So many memories and they all belonged to him!
"Leo Lung?" Oogway gazed at him questioningly.
The cat lay still on the ground for several moments, groaning as he recalled countless moments, an endless amount of memories from decades ago. Oogway watched quietly. Slowly, Leo Lung rose on his two back feet. His back creaked and his knees shook. It had been a very long time since he stood on two legs. Leo wobbled a bit as he regained his balance. He stared down at Oogway.
"Master Oogway…" He breathed. "I..." He searched for words, but couldn't find anything to say. What would he say?
"The time has come for you to go home." The tortoise spoke, "You are needed at the Jade Palace."
"The Jade Palace? I-" Leo wrung his paws in front of him, "I can't go back. You see I…I failed, many years ago. People died because of my failure. I won't be welcomed." He stared sadly at his paws. "That's why I have been out here. I was afraid of what Shifu would say."
"Ah yes. Failure is a hard part of life." Oogway slowly nodded in agreement. The tortoise walked around him and sat down on a rock. Leo embarrassingly remembered how many times he talked to that rock. Oogway spoke, "But, from what I've learned, there is an even harder part of life than failure."
Leo followed Oogway. He sat down, cross-legged, in front of the tortoise. "What could be harder than failure? Especially when it was a failure as big as my own?" Leo Lung sighed in defeat.
"Getting up, and using that failure to succeed in what you do next." Oogway smiled at him.
Leo thought for a bit about what the tortoise said. "What's your point, Master?" He asked.
"When you fall down, it would be easier for you to just lie down." Oogway chuckled. "But you'll never get anything done lying down. First, you must get up, and move forward! But that's the hard part, even harder than falling down in the first place." He encouraged.
The lion stared, the wheels turning in his mind. "Are you saying that I need to go back to the Jade Palace in order to move on?" Oogway nodded, and Leo hummed. "What's going to happen when I go back?" He asked.
"Shifu will be waiting for you, as will other students that Shifu has taken on since you left," Oogway said.
Leo felt a twinge of happiness in his chest at the mention of his father, and the idea of meeting new Kung Fu students. But that excitement was soon replaced by worry. "Shifu…But, won't he be disappointed in me for failing to protect the village?"
Oogway shook his head, "Shifu thought you died bravely defending the village. He has missed you terribly. It would bring him the greatest joy to see you again."
Now, Leo Lung felt guilt replace his worry. He thought for several minutes. If Shifu thought he was dead, did word spread of how Shen destroyed the village? Did Shen speak of how he killed the Lion Warrior? Leo cringed in sadness. Maybe that's what he has been called back to the Jade Palace for. Or perhaps some new threat was presenting itself at the Jade Palace.
Then, he took a deep, steady breath and looked at the tiny little hut that had housed him for all these years. "I have to go back." He growled, mostly to himself.
The lion advanced towards the river. If he headed downstream, he would be back in a few days or so. Hopefully, that wouldn't be too late. He began the trek back.
"Wait." Leo suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look back at Oogway. "Master Oogway. If you're here then that means." He took a shaky breath, "Are you…dead?"
Oogway smiled, "I'm not dead! Just enlightened!" The tortoise laughed, and disappeared just as he came, in a flurry of peach petals.
And with that, Leo was by himself again. The silence, which Leo loved before, was now deafening. For the first time in decades, Leo felt alone. He shuddered at the cold. The trees swayed and Leo looked around, feeling just as lost as he did that first day over 20 years ago.
With a resolute huff, the lion began his journey home.