"What is the life without love? Eternal Winter. Cold and Snow."

David Gemmell, In the Realm of the Wolf

Kung Fu Panda

The Long Night

Chapter IV: Snow Panda

"Yes now it is ready." I say and look at my work.

"What is this, Po?" Viper asks behind me.

"Don't you see? Snow Dragon Warrior!"

The last weeks it had snowed stronger than usually and that even before the winter had started. Today is the first day without snowing. That's why I have built a Snow Copy of myself in battle posture. It looks great!

"Eh, really? It looks like a common Snow Panda for me.", Monkey, who has stepped to Viper, replies.

"What?! Can't you see the difference? This posture. This blowing cape. This Strength. This Awesomeness!"

"This belly…it is obviously Po." Mantis replies chuckling and the others join him. I can't admit that I am calm, although I know this was only a joke.

"Po, have you built this?" Crane, who had left the Training Hall in this moment, asks. Still one to impress!

"Yeah, I have. Do you recognize who it is?"

He looks at me with an odd look. "Po, you are the Dragon Warrior and you have built a Snowman like a child." he replies and shakes his head and I feel scolded, "There for you could do much better things with snow.", he adds before he throws…"Pfffff…!"…a snowball at my face.

"Ha ha, yeah." Monkey replies joining him by creating snowballs with his feet. Mantis and he throw Snowballs at me.

"That's it! You have angered the Great Dragon Warrior right now." I say with acted anger and begin to create snowballs. After some time a real war starts in this place before the Training Hall.

"Guys, can't you stop?" Viper tries to bring out peace, but a misdirected snowball from Monkey hits her. "Okay, I have enough! I will show you how one needs to throw snowballs." and then she joins my ranks. I create the snowballs and she fires them with her elastic body. Soon the others are more hiding behind their self-created walls of snow, instead of firing back.

Then Monkey achieves to throw another snowball, but we can dodge it easily. "What the…!" we hear a yell behind us. We look around and see Tigress, who was hit in the face by the snowball.

"Who have thrown this?!" she demands to know immediately. Somehow I don't want to be in Monkey's skin right now. But maybe…I can help him.

"Eh, Tigress this is not important now. I want to talk with you." I say to her trying to hide the others behind my body.

"Po, not now!" she demands and tries to see, if someone tries to escape.

"But it is important!" I insist and it is not a lie. I wanted to talk with her for a while already. But either we had to fight against some bandits – awfully much appeared after the incident with Tian Yi – or we hadn't the chance to talk. Sometimes it looked even like, she wanted to avoid me.

She sighs and then nods. I lead her away from Monkey and the others. "And don't destroy my Snow Pa…I mean Snow Dragon Warrior!" I yell back, "Mantis, I have seen this!"

We leave the Training Hall and reach the peak, where the Peace Trees of Heavenly Wisdom were still standing – the best place to talk in private. The two trees were the only ones, who had lost their leaves in time before the snowing began. Like they would have known that winter will start sooner this time. Their branches are holding firmly the snow on it and don't even waver. With the shining sun and magnificent mountains behind it, it looks even a little romantic. And that is what I need.

"So, Po what do you want?" Tigress asks and I hear that she thinks about being completely somewhere else. I turn around and show her, what is inside the box I have carried around for a while already.

"Tada!" I say and she looks at the still closed box.

"You have dragged me out, because you wanted to show me a box?" Tigress says with an annoyed voice.

"No….no of course! What is inside It.", I reply and hide the box again, so I can open it, "You see, since your birthday – or better the day, where Shifu adopted you – I have thought, that I have not given you a good present."

"You have given me none, because I don't want to have presents at my…birthday."

"Yeah, not a good present, that's what I am saying! So I have thought what I could give you." I hear a sigh, "And because neither Master Shifu nor the Furious Five know what you like…"

"I like Kung Fu."

"…yeah, beside this, I went back to the orphanage, where you were raised as a small kitten. They could help me. Tada!" I exclaim once again and show her the interior of the box. First she doesn't look properly, but then she recognizes it.

"This…this is the necklace, which my parents had left with me." she says and I nod. It was a crystal necklace shaped like a tear. Its colors are changing always from deep blue to emerald green.

She takes the necklace in her hand and examines it. "Where…where you have found it?" she asks finally still surprised.

"Well, I have searched for it. The orphanage manageress said that in your early life, you have worn this necklace always and everywhere, but one day, you have lost it. They could not find it since then. But after searching the whole orphanage – and showing the kids the awesomeness of the Dragon Warrior – I have found it finally at the roof. No one knows how it ended up there."

After my explanation she looks down on the necklace again. She smiles even, while caressing the necklace slowly. I smile as well at this sight. She seems to be once again a child.

But then her face turns serious and maybe also sad. "Why have you done this, Po?"

I am surprised. "I said it already, a better present and…", "The truth, Po." she demands and steps closer to me. I scratch my head and then I admit it. "I wanted only to be closer to you."

"Closer to me?" she asks, while stepping to the cliff. "Yes, closer….you see, more than friends. While thinking, how many times, you have helped me always I think…we are already more. So I wanted to show…that it doesn't need to be a one-sided relationship." I have stepped back to the tress and she has still not turned to me.

"Po,….what are you feeling for me?" she asks in the same voice as earlier.

I gulp. "I think….no I know, that I love you." she doesn't answer, "And I thought you feel the same way."

She sighs. "Po, we can't become closer than now." she replies and turns around to me. I feel like someone had hit me.

"What?...Why?" I stammer.

"We can't.", she replies, while turning her head away from me.

"But why? Are….you disliking me?"

"No…no…I like you. More than the others. But there lies the problem."

"Problem? I don't see a problem."

"Because you never think everything through!" she reacts angered, "You are always so…..We are Kung Fu Warriors! Our destiny is Kung Fu. Romantic is only in the way."

"That's not true!"

"It is! I have felt it myself." the last words she has said quieter and I look at her. I still can't believe it. "It has started, while we wanted to defeat Shen. I felt it already then, but have not cared much about it. But then Tian Yi came. I have almost ripped off Cien's arm only, because I was worried of you!"

I listen and I feel more and more hits. "I can't lose my control! My discipline! When this happens, I can harm someone. Even people, who are close to me. But as a Kung Fu Warrior, my duty is to protect the innocent. I can't lose control even for a moment."

She glares at me, but her eyes are rather sad than angry. "Po, we can't come together. Never. No matter, what we feel. It is for the sake of us all."

I feel like someone had thrown me in a bottomless hole filled with Sorrow and Pain. I can't look into her eyes anymore. Then I smile.

"Eh…this is okay….I was only joking. Yeah…joking…." I stammer these lies.

"Po…"

"I need to go now. Have….still something to do. Bye." I turn around and begin running immediately.

…

I can't cry! I can't cry! I am the Dragon Warrior!

I reach the Training Grounds, where the others are speaking to each other. I pass them fast and enter the Training Hall.

I pant loud and long. Then I see the skipjack. I go to him and hit him with as much force as possible. Again and again. Again and again.

"Po?" I hear Viper's voice from behind. I stop the skipjack with one hand.

"What is it?" I ask trying to conceal my pain.

"Are you okay?" she asks in her innocent manner.

"Yeah, never felt better." I reply trying to imitate a smile once again. Before she can say something again, Crane enters the Training Hall. "Have you said it to him?" he asks Viper.

"No, he is…" she wants to say, but I interrupt her: "What said?"

"Master Shifu wants to talk with you. You can find him in the Hall of Warriors."

"Understood.", I reply fast, before Viper can say still something. I leave the Training Hall immediately.

The Fourth Chapter and finally you can read about Po.
I hope you enjoy reading it and I appreciate every review.

"Kung Fu Panda" (c) DreamWorks Animation

I own nothing except for the written word.
Characters you don't know are from me. The Idea is also from me.