Creatures of darkness. Chapter 8
Tigress awoke a few hours later in her bed.
She slowly opened her eyes to see Po (tiger) smiling at her.
"Good you're up." Said Po. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to hit you so hard."
Tigress said nothing, but she did smile back.
Something about Po being this close to her made her feel good and warm.
She didn't know what she was feeling, but it felt wonderful.
"Tigress, are you there?" he asked.
"I-I..yes, thanks Po. I must still be a little woozy." She stammered.
"Well I'm glad you're ok. Everyone else has gone to bed." He said.
Tigress stared again at his eyes.
Those beautiful green eyes.
She saw stress and worry in the eyes.
She didn't like those eyes to be anything but happy and she didn't like that face not to be happy either.
"Po, is something wrong?" she asked concernedly.
"What? No, nothing is wrong. Why do you ask?" said Po hurriedly.
Tigress took his hand and pulled him to her side.
"Po, tell me." She said.
Po blushed deeply and was very visibly red.
Tigress blushed too; thankfully her fur covered this up.
Po walked away and stood with his back to her.
Tigress sat up in her bed curiously.
"It's just…I can't get Crane's question out of my head. Who am I really? I don't want to show anyone. I haven't been myself for years. Eleven to be exact." He said.
Tigress stood up and walked to him.
"Po, I can see this tearing you up inside. Please let me in?" she said.
"Why? Why should I? I've never let anyone in before and I'm fine. I don't need your…don't need… I gotta go." he stopped talking and ran out of the room.
"Po wait!" Tigress yelled running after him.
He had vanished.
She began to search in all the usual places.
She finally saw a large creature by the pool of sacred tears.
It wasn't the tiger she had seen before.
It wasn't even the panda.
It turned around and spread its scaly wings.
Chapter end.
Tigress was staring at a black dragon.
It had Po's green eyes and sad expression.
A long neck held the face.
Large wings were on his back.
It was about a foot taller than Tigress.
It was covered in scars from whip and stab wounds and slashes.
It also had a horrible scar across its face running from near its ear across its eye lid to the end of its snout, looking like it was created by three claws.
Tigress gasped.
Flashback
Tigress had finally completed her first major mission with the five.
They had made a name for themselves that night.
She lay in her bed happy that she had finally come another step closer to receiving the dragon scroll.
Then she heard a noise.
She opened her eyes to see a dragon in all black clothing standing over her with a knife.
She knew he had been there long enough to have killed her many times.
She prepared herself for death as he raised the dagger, but he hesitated.
Tigress took the opportunity and clawed his face.
He screamed in agony and dropped the knife.
Tigress kicked him in the stomach, making him double over.
Then she pressed a point on his neck putting him to rest.
They had imprisoned him later and Tigress couldn't have felt prouder.
He escaped a year later and they never saw him again.
End flashback.
Tigress stared open mouthed.
"P-Po?" she asked him.
The dragon held up his arms.
"Look at me." Po said. "Look at my face. I'm hideous."
Tigress knew how proud dragons were of their majesty.
When a dragon was banished from a clan their face was marred to mark them as traitors.
It was a shame to have one's face scarred in the dragon family as it meant you were weak.
Slowly she walked up to him and extended her arm.
He allowed her paw to slide over the scars that had been carved into his snout.
The scars that she had carved into his face.
"Po, I'm so sorry I didn't know." He simply turned and sat staring into his reflection in the water.
"Now I have to hide my true face from the dragons. I've got no one. They hate me. All but me and my father." Tears began to fall into the pool.
"Po, no. Don't cry. You look fine. Better than fine. You look very handsome." The words slipped out before she could stop them.
"R-really? You really think so?" asked Po, cheering up slightly, not noticing her blush.
"Yes, and you're not alone. I am here for you." She said sitting beside him. "Po, I am so sorry. I did this to you anyway."
"No, it wasn't your fault. How can I blame you? We hadn't ever met anyway." Said the dragon.
Tigress leaned against his scaled chest.
She felt a low rumble before she realized that Po was purring.
"Po….there's actually something I need to tell you. Something I've wanted to tell you for a while now." She moved her lips toward his when she was cut off by someone approaching them.
"Hey Tigress what are you doing up this late?" asked Monkey.
Tigress looked over then heard a splash.
Po had jumped into the pool.
"Monkey! What are you doing? Why did you interrupt us?" Tigress shouted at him furiously.
"I'm sorry I was just checking on you. We all were kind of worried." Monkey said revealing the rest of the five.
"How's your head Tigress?" asked Viper.
"It's fine no thanks to you. Po took good care of me. And now, just when I got him to open up you chase him off." Said the angry tiger.
Tigress turned back to the pool to look for Po.
"I'm sorry Tigress. We didn't realize." Said Viper.
Tigress sighed heavily.
"I know. I'm sorry I snapped. It's not your fault." She said.
Viper looked at her curiously.
"Tigress, did anything happen between you two?" Viper whispered so only she could hear.
"Almost, I was really close. Then you showed up." She said.
"Oh. Sorry." Said the snake.
"Well there's nothing that can be done now. I'm going to try to get him out of the pool." Said Tigress.
She stepped close to the edge and spoke to the sacred site.
"Po? Please come out. It's ok. Just please come out." She stepped closer and then accidently fell in.
She started to flail and sputter.
"Tigress!" yelled Viper, who knew that she couldn't swim, and neither could Tigress.
She sank beneath the waves.
Her vision began to fade.
Until she felt a smooth surface press against her own.
Tigress grabbed it and hung on for dear life.
She felt that she was out of the water, but she still did not let go.
"Tigress. Tigress you can let go now. Tigress." She realized that it was Po. More specifically it was the back of Po's neck.
She still didn't let go.
"Po is that you?" asked Viper.
Po lowered his head.
"Yes, it's me. This is…*sigh* this is who I am." Said the obviously depressed dragon.
"Well, I never knew. Sorry about throwing you in jail back then." Said Crane.
"You..you don't mind that I'm a dragon and a hideous one at that?" asked Po in amazement.
"No…you're my best friend." Said Mantis.
"As you are mine." Said Monkey.
"And mine." Said Crane.
"Mine too. If you don't mind though my other friend needs to get warm." She said.
Po too noticed how badly the tiger was shivering.
He jumped in the air and flew to his room where he nosed under some blankets and put them the tiger who was completely in shock.
Po realized that it would take a while for Tigress to get back but then noticed that Tigress was no longer gripping him, but breathing in and out, upon inspection it appeared she was purring in her sleep.
Po smiled both on the outside and the inside and purred along with her then closed his eyes and knew no more.