Secrets

Chapter 13 – The kidnap

"It was three months after I was born," Tai began her story, "Mum and Dad went out for new nappies for me and left me with Shifu- what a mistake!" Tai laughed to herself but did not smile, "Only after five minutes after they left, my grandfather broke down the palace doors down, together with my evil grandmother, on my father's side, and Catherine."

"Wait, do you mean Tigress' father or Tai-il's father?" Viper asked curiously.

"Tigress' father," Tai answered.

"Who's Catherine?" Monkey asked, just before Tai was going to continue the story.

"Catherine used to be a friend of mine," Tai-il answered for Tai, "She used to fancy me. Thought we would make a good match. When I said my heart belongs to Tigress and that she was pregnant with my child, she just went bonkers. She went to the evils –immortal being who use their powers for bad- and swore revenge on me and Tigress. The evils thought revenge was a worthy cause and gave her powers. Soon after, she went to join the brotherhood. The brotherhood was previously made up of all the sons of Sofia, the Goddess of Death but then they accepted two other people-my mother and Catherine. My mother become immortal the same way, only she thought that Tigress stole her 'little boy' away from her."

"I'm sorry for everything you've been through," Dr. Mantis said in pity. Dr. Mantis did not realise that his son, who he didn't know was there, was hiding desperately behind Po.

"Going back to the story," Tai spoke the words that Shifu dreaded her to say at that moment, "I was in my cot when this all happened. I saw my evil grandmother reach down and take me. She called me 'the devil child'," Tai was almost in tears, "When she took me out of the cot, I could see everything that was going on. Catherine was behind Granddad, and do you know what Shifu was doing... he was talking to Tai Lung, trying to reason with him. They were practically chatting! Shifu didn't even touch them, any of them! That was the night that my grandfather..." Tai thought back to all the lies of her family, the pain, the torture they bring. Tai did not want that anymore, she had decided that at least one secret will be uncovered – the one that would lead to more secrets. A phrase went through Tai's head – 'To kill two birds with one shot. She took a deep breath, "...my grandfather, Tai Lung."

"What!" Everyone, except the obvious gasped and everyone turned to Tai Lung who just gulped and laughed nervously.

"Tigress," Viper started, "does this mean that Tai Lung is your father?"

Tigress just nodded.

"It was his fault," Master Shifu said, trying desperately to defend himself, "If he didn't kidnap her we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. If you didn't trip up while trying to rob the Jade Palace, you would still be with him!"

"HE TOOK ME BACK!" She snapped. Everyone's faces dropped.

"What..." Shifu whispered in disbelief.

"He took...me back." Tai repeated, her jaw shivering. Tears were running down her cheeks.

Everyone stared at Tai Lung who had tears in his eyes. They were waiting for an explanation. He was staring at thin air. He wiped the tears from his eyes and sighed.

"I knew how it felt to grow up without your real parents to tuck you in at night or sing you a lullaby. Nobody deserves that." Tai Lung explained.

Shifu did not have any more excuses to cover up his mistake so he lowered his head and ears in shame.

Suddenly, Shifu felt a sharp pain to his chest and he flew twenty meters in the air – Tai-il had kicked him. Shifu saw the anger in his emerald eyes. When Shifu was about to hit the ground, Tai-il kicked him towards the group of masters and student. When he was a meter away from the disappointed group, Master Eva then jumped up in the air and kicked him with both her feet and he crashed to the floor, breaking the floorboards around him.

Master Shifu looked Eva in the eye and said, "I loved Tai Lung too much. How could I destroy what I created?"

"Loved?" Tai Lung shouted from afar, "You didn't even let my mother come into the Jade Palace!"

Everybody gasped.

"You can't prove this, any of this!" Shifu shouted overwhelmed by the situation.

"What if I said it was true? Hmmm..." Whispered a soft female voice from within the shadows at the other end of the corridor. A figure in a black hooded cloak walked a few meters towards them. The figure took off the black hood covering her face. She was a lioness with light blue eyes and the hair on top of her head was overgrown- It was shoulder length.

"Catherine..." Tigress gasped in horror at the sight of her old nemesis.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

New OC! I hope you all now that this means that Tai Lung's mother is the goddess of death...WICKED. Also, in a couple of days I'm gonna be away for a week on holiday in Greece and won't be able to update as there is no internet...again! But I'll do what I did when I was in Romania, OK? Hasta La Vista & I'll be back with a bouzouki – a small Greek guitar!