Episode One: Mother of Mine, Part Three
It was very early in the morning and the barracks was already full of activity. To calm his nerves, Po had left to start breakfast. The other Masters waited outside Tigress's door.
Everyone tensed up as the door opened, but only Vixey stepped out.
"Something must've gotten into the cut when it reopened," she said quietly. "The infection caused her fever... and she still hasn't woken up."
A forlorn silence filled the hallway for a moment.
"Dear," Aijia started, "I know something that may help."
Vixey was about to roll her eyes in frustration, but stopped. Remembering Shifu and Tigress's words of counsel, she decided to give her mom a chance.
"Then what is it?" she asked, her frustration clear in her voice.
"Do you remember that tea I always made whenever you got very sick?" Aijia started.
Vixey almost flailed.
"That never works!" she told her sharply. "It's disgusting, it makes me want to puke just thinking about it, and it won't help Tigress!"
Aijia seemed extremely patient, but only Shifu caught the deep breath she'd taken.
"Just... give me a chance," she said calmly. "You never saw it working because I'd only ever used it on you. If it doesn't work... I'll stop trying to help and leave it to the resident expert."
Vixey looked ready to cry. She looked down, fists clenched. Then she started walking briskly down the hall.
"Let's get this over with."
In the kitchen, Po set a large bowl of bean buns and several bowls of rice on a large tray and moved to pick it all up to take it to the others. Then, for the hundredth time, his eyes strayed to the cookie jar up on the highest shelf. It had been taunting him so very badly. Po looked toward the hall and listened. All was silent.
He couldn't help himself. He grabbed a nearby broom and, deciding it was sturdy enough, stood it up straight and climbed it as he'd seen Shifu climb his staff. He reached desperately for the high shelf, wavering a bit, since the broom wasn't anywhere near as sturdy as he'd thought. He muttered gibberish to himself before surprising himself with catching the shelf.
He breathed a sigh, but then caught sight of the two foxes who had just walked in.
Nothing happened as Po and Aijia exchanged surprised glances and Vixey gave an unimpressed and annoyed look. A moment passed before Po hurriedly dismounted the broom, set it aside with an embarrassed chuckle, and picked up the tray.
"I'll... just be taking this, so..." he said, inching out of the room, and then hurrying down the hall.
Aijia watched the hallway with a shocked expression for a few seconds while Vixey went to pour water from a pitcher into a teapot. The older fox snapped out of it, retrieved a small bag from her pocket, and put it on the counter as her daughter started heating the water.
"Just prepare it as you normally would tea," Aijia instructed.
Vixey felt her frustration boil again, but refusing to back down from Shifu's council, she kept herself calm. At least on the outside. Then she noticed her mother had grabbed a bowl and sat at the table behind her.
"What're you doing?" she asked.
"A salve from the same herb may help," Aijia answered, working to grind up dried leaves. "Especially if used with the tea."
The two remained in silence as the elder concentrated on crushing the leaves and the younger contemplated the meaning of this. But as the silence went on, Vixey's frustration boiled down and she started silently crying, keeping her back toward her mother.
"Vixey... I'm sorry."
Vixey jumped and slightly turned, still trying to keep her tears secret.
"What?" she asked.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused," Aijia continued. "I just wanted to do whatever I could to help. I just felt so lost when you left, and I thought I did something to make you leave. I thought you hated me. But I realize I never really lost you."
A fresh tear slipped down Vixey's cheek. She wanted to say something, but didn't so her voice wouldn't crack.
"The fact that you kept writing to me should've been a dead giveaway. If you truly hated me, you would've done as much as possible to shut me out and make me disappear from your life. We were both just so hurt after your father passed, and I..."
Aijia sighed.
"I'm so sorry. I just wanted to help you, and since all you write about is your friends, I wanted to help them so I could get through to you. You never wrote about if you were having a good day or a terrible week. I thought this would be the only way to be such good friends as we were back when you were a kit."
The sudden reminder of her childhood made Vixey break down. And since she couldn't keep herself from making any sounds, she stopped trying to hide it.
She didn't hear her mother get up or approach. She just suddenly felt her arms around her.
"I'm sorry, Vixey," Aijia said again.
"N-no," Vixey told her. "I'm s-sorry. If I h-hadn't t-tried so hard t-to make you s-stop, I'd h-have found out w-why. I'm s-sorry, M-Mom..."
Aijia stopped hugging her and turned her around to face her. She looked into her eyes before wiping away a few fresh tears.
"Don't worry about it," she said gently. "We'll work things out. Let's just do our part for Tigress."
Vixey pulled away, a bit upset.
"It still won't work," she muttered.
The tea on the stove started to whistle.
"We'll just see," Aijia said, going back to finish the salve.
The two foxes returned to the hallway a little while later, Vixey stepping carefully to keep the tea from spilling. Doubt was still clear on her face.
The other warriors looked at each other before Viper started toward the door.
"Good luck," she said, knocking softly.
Barely a moment later, Tian opened the door looking rather upset.
"What is it?" she growled, primarily at Aijia.
"I believe I have something that will help Tigress," the fox told her plainly.
Tian looked like she was about to explode in anger, but caught a very slight movement from Shifu. She turned slightly and saw him make a very brief and small nod. She turned back to the foxes with a glare and stood aside.
"Fine then!" she hissed. "What do you have?"
She shut the door after the two came inside.
"A tea and salve made from Phoenix Leaf," Aijia said.
Tian's expression suddenly turned to surprise.
"Phoenix Leaf?" she started. "Where did you get that?"
Vixey had set the tea on the bedside table and was fanning it when she was startled by Tian's response.
"My mother grew it and passed it on to me," Aijia told her. "She told me it was very rare and useful."
"Oh, she was right about that," Tian said. "It's a very powerful herb with significant healing properties. I hadn't considered it in Tigress's healing because I'd never gotten my hands on it. Heavens... And your family has been growing it since before you were born?"
"Yes," Aijia answered, handing her the salve.
She and Tian gently applied it to Tigress's wound while Vixey, still fanning the tea, watched.
"I hope this does more than remove the infection," Tian continued. "At this point, it's a bit much to hope for."
She suddenly turned to Vixey.
"That may be cool enough now," she said.
Vixey felt the side of the teacup as she was about to hand it over.
"Feels like it," she told her.
She moved to carefully position Tigress so the tea would harmlessly trickle down her throat. As she watched Tian give Tigress the tea, she'd never hoped so hard that she herself was wrong about her mom's tea. With everything Tian said about the Phoenix Leaf, she felt convinced.
After only a few minutes since receiving the tea and salve, Tigress seemed to relax a bit.
"It appears to be working," Aijia said.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Tian told her. "The both of you can go if you want to."
The two foxes nodded and silently went to leave. As soon as they were in the hallway, they felt bombarded by the hopeful looks of the others.
"It's too early to tell," Aijia said. "However, I have a feeling Tigress will be just fine."
The others seemed to have looks mixed with worry and hope.
Aijia turned in time to see Vixey walking past her with her arms crossed and looking down. She nodded to the others to silently excuse herself and walked after her daughter. She didn't try to stop her until they were just outside the barracks.
"Are you okay, Vixey?" she started.
Vixey stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.
"I'm sorry, Mom," she said.
"For what, dear?" Aijia asked with a kind smile.
Vixey turned to face her.
"For not believing you," she continued. "If your cure really didn't work, as I thought for so long, it would either have done nothing or made her worse. I'm just... sorry..."
"Don't worry about it," Aijia told her. "You were so young when I last gave it to you, so you must have remembered it being torture. That tea is rather bitter."
Vixey shrugged, refraining from eye contact. Aijia put a paw on her shoulder.
"Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?" she asked.
Vixey glanced up at her, tears beginning to come.
"I... I d-don't remember..." she admitted, ashamed to tell the truth.
"Well, I'm very proud of you," Aijia continued. "I'm proud of how well you recovered after that terror in the Valley all those years ago. When you started such a difficult line of work, I worried, but I was also proud of what you wanted to achieve. I'm proud of how well you responded after those poor friends of yours fell in the line of duty. And I worried again."
Vixey's shoulders shuddered as she started crying again, stung by the memory of her friends.
"I'm so proud of having such a caring daughter," Aijia told her slowly and with purpose. "You care more about your friends than you care about yourself. To me, you've already achieved greatness."
She pulled her daughter into a hug, and the younger just cried.
"Just keep caring and taking care of yourself. That's all I want from you."
"'Kay, M-Mom..."
Tigress stirred from sleep, feeling much more rested than she'd felt in a long time. Her mind felt addled for a little bit and she didn't dare sit up.
Tian dropped the scroll she'd been looking at, startled upon hearing the slightest movement from her patient.
"Tigress!" she started, rushing gleefully to the bedside. "How do you feel?"
Tigress carefully sat up, still looking a bit confused.
"I'm... fine," she said. "What happened?"
"Your wound became infected after that fall yesterday," Tian explained.
Tigress seemed to be taking some time to process this.
"I'm not in pain," she said. "I'd thought I'd be in a bit more after a..."
It was like she was just brought back to reality.
"I'm not in pain," she repeated. "The cut isn't hurting anymore! It had been burning ever since I got it!"
Tian looked surprised, and then went for the bandage.
"Well, we might as well check it, then," she told her. "It needs to be cleaned again, anyway."
"What did you do to it?" Tigress asked.
"Vixey's mother made an herbal tea and a salve from a rare herb," Tian said, nearly finished taking off the bandage. "It's called Phoenix Leaf. It's so rare that I didn't previously consider it. Her family has been growing it all this time."
She bundled up the used bandage to ready to dispose of it, but stopped upon sensing she missed something. Then she noticed the bandage. Tigress also sensed something was off, but didn't catch the connection.
Then Tian looked at the wound, prompting Tigress to do the same. The tiger gasped.
"It's scabbed over!" Tian proclaimed. "At long last, it's finally scabbed over!"
Tian's shout attracted the others, everyone gathering just outside the door.
"You mean I can start walking soon?" Tigress asked eagerly.
"Yes!" Tian answered. "We'll have to strengthen your legs again, of course."
The others cheered and almost swarmed the room, but Aijia was somehow suddenly in front of them and took a few steps inside.
"I just knew it would work," she stated, remaining a few steps away to avoid overwhelming Tigress. "I haven't seen a time where it hasn't."
Tigress looked a little ashamed.
"Thank you for helping me," she started. "I'm just sorry for not giving you much of a chance to help me before now."
"As am I," Tian added.
"Honestly, dears, it was for the better," Aijia told them. "I hadn't even thought of the Phoenix Leaf until you fell ill. Speaking of which..."
She pulled a small bag out of her pocket and handed it to Tian.
"Seeds and a few months' worth of dried leaves," she continued. "I'm sure you'll find good use for them. If you run out of leaves before the plants mature, just ask."
Tian looked like a child on the morning of the Winter Feast.
"Oh, thank you so much!" she said giddily.
"It isn't a problem," Aijia said. "I'd like to stay and chat, but I believe I've long overstayed my welcome."
Everyone was startled.
"Wait, what?" Vixey yipped from the hallway.
"I only meant to stay for a few days," Aijia continued, now addressing all present. "How long has it been? A week and a half? I really need to get going now."
She started walking out, right past her daughter.
"I'm sure I'll be back before you miss me, though," she called out.
Vixey stood in the hallway, stunned as she watched her mother go outside. Then she ran after her.
"Mom!" she shouted, bursting from the door.
Aijia turned, looking surprised. Vixey ran to her and stopped about a foot away.
"You're leaving?" she started. "Already?"
"Don't worry, dear," Aijia told her daughter, "I'll be back before long."
"But what if you won't?" Vixey asked.
The two foxes looked at each other with worried glances. Then Aijia smiled kindly.
"Vixey," she started, "don't worry. I'm a retired woman that did nothing but raise a family during my working years. I'm perfectly healthy. Life isn't going to just throw me out in the next few months."
Vixey looked at her feet. Still sensing worry from her, Aijia walked to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't worry about me," she said. "Worry about yourself. Stay safe and healthy. And tell me about it. Okay?"
Vixey broke out of the hug and nodded to her mother, who smiled again. Then Aijia left to get ready to leave.
The next morning, Vixey sat near the peach tree, watching her mother grow smaller as she descended the staircase. She felt rather empty inside.
"Morning, Monkey," she said dully, out of the blue.
Monkey suddenly dropped down, swinging upside-down by his tail.
"Not in the mood for jokes, are you?" he asked.
Vixey shook her head slowly, still watching her mother. Monkey dropped out of the tree and onto his hands and feet in silence.
"You miss her already," he presumed. "She'll be back in just a few weeks, won't she?"
"Who knows," Vixey muttered. "For a retired woman, she does a ton of work."
She paused.
"I have to apologize," she said. "Seeing how I reacted to Mom must've been an insult to you, Po, and Tigress."
"If you had a brother you got along with," Monkey started, "would you be offended with my brother and me fighting?"
Vixey glanced at him with a confused look, thought about it, and then turned to watch the Valley again.
"I guess not," she said. "But Tigress took offense."
"She takes offense to everything."
"But she was right," Vixey continued. "Now, thanks to her, Mom and I are..."
She fell silent for a moment.
"Well, we're getting there."
Monkey stood there for a moment, feeling awkward. Then he started walking toward the Training Hall.
"We'd better get training," he said. "Shifu doesn't like us to be late, even for one of Po's lessons."
Vixey nodded, still looking out at the Valley. After Monkey left for the Training Hall, she waited for another minute or so before standing up. She dusted herself off and started walking toward the Hall. Then she smiled.
Tigress was healing faster, Monkey refused to prank her for once, and she herself had begun to be on better terms with her mother. What was there to be upset about?
Next Episode: When Po is called down to the Valley to help with repairs, a few familiar faces pop up. But familiar doesn't always mean friendly!
First episode complete! I'm so happy I'm publishing again!
Fair warning, though. It may still take me ages to get the next episodes out, but please be patient. I'm nowhere near done with this! I promise!
Stay tuned!