Ailurophile

Author note: Making OC's is harder than I thought but I DO try, any advice is appreciated.

Seize a Tiger

Moaning, Tigress awoke to the warm sensation of the morning sun kissing her face. At first, she wondered if what had happened was actually just a bad dream, and hoped that she had just woken up in her room like any other day. But as her eyes began to focus, her surrounds told her otherwise.

Leaning up groggily, she put her hand to her forehead as she felt a numb pain spike all over her body. It was just like the first time she'd been hit by Tai Lung's nerve attack. She shook slightly at the soreness that reached even her bones. She would have thought it would be less painful the second time around, but she had to admit it was just as bad- if not even worse. Looking at her surroundings, she could tell instantly that she was still on Tai Lung's ship. She couldn't recognize this place as her home. She had been laid on top of a corner post bed with a thick red quilt and large cushions at her head, but she didn't pay this much notice.

Getting off the bed, she lowered her feet slowly to avoid feeling any more pain. She walked toward the nearest window from where she was standing and saw that there was no sign of any land nearby... How long had she been here? Where were the others? Were they safe? ... Or even alive?

Huffing angrily, she turned to the double doors leading to the outer cabin, walking toward them. She heard the noise of a muffled conversation. She could recognize one of the voices as Tai Lung's, but the other was unfamiliar to her. It was extremely deep, even more than the snow Leopard's. From how loudly they were talking, she guessed they were having an argument. But about what? Moving closer, she put her ear against the door.

She could make out Shifu's name being mentioned, and then they both began to raise their voices higher. Their conversation seemed to be getting worse. But then- oddly- they both went into immediate silence. Furrowing her brow, she tried harder to listen, but could hear nothing. Then, without warning, the doors burst open, making her stagger through. She almost fell over, but luckily managed to regain her balance by leaning on the nearest thing to her. Her head rested on something very hard yet very warm. She felt a deep chuckle vibrate through the object she was pressed against. Looking right up in front of her, she saw Tai Lung's chest. Slowly raising her head, she looked into Tai Lung's blazing eyes.

He smiled deviously.

"Careful now, you shouldn't go throwing yourself in harm's way just so you can get your hands on me," he mocked.

Leaning off his chest, she managed to hold back her embarrassment and not turn red faced. He merely smirked. She didn't know if he was referring to her attacking him or that she had clumsily fallen right in front of him again. She kept up a stern frown. Truthfully, she was scared- very much, in fact. Her friends were nowhere to be seen, and she was trapped here with him. She pushed down those feelings. Now was not an ideal time to be afraid. Steeling herself, and ignored her current pain, she jumped away from him. She went into an aggressive mind state.

Her expression turned furious as everything that transpired rushed back to her. "WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?"

"No longer here," he stated. But then he saw the panic on her face and decided he should elaborate. "I mean they're no longer on board," he said calmly. But this only made her more distressed; the look on her face reflected her thoughts shamelessly. What he was saying didn't seem to help. Gripping the bridge of his nose, he went over how he could say it so that she understood. "They were removed before we left Hong Kong... and they are all alive," he ended reassuringly.

She didn't look convinced, however. Scoffing disdainfully, she searched his profile for any deceit. "How do I know you're not deceiving me?"

He glowered. "I'm not." The vibe coming off him told her that he was insulted, so maybe he was being honest. She couldn't tell for sure, so she had no other choice but to believe it for the moment. She had to force herself to calm down. If they were safe, that was all that mattered. But why was she here? If Tai Lung had spared them and let them go, why had he not done the same to her?

Glad she'd calmed down, Tai Lung sighed. He watched her gaze divert to Hong, who had argued that her being here was foolish and that it would bring upon them the retribution of the Jade palace. Hong wanted her to be thrown off with the rest of them, saying that if he would not kill them then maybe their beating would be enough to discourage any pursuit. But Tai Lung knew better. Shifu would not stop either way. This way he, at least, had leverage. So he had told him she would stay and that was the final word. Turning to him, he inclined his head for him to leave. Hong regarded him with a single nod. He went out on deck leaving the two cats alone. Turning back to her, Tai Lung was about speak, but she cut him off.

"Why am I here?" she asked bluntly.

Tai Lung grinned at her. Right down to business, eh? "I would ask you the same question! You somehow knew where I was, and when I would be there. I'll assume that you were tipped-off." Crossing his arms, he looked her over. "So tell me, how did you find me? Who was the rat?"

An insolent smirk appeared. "Perhaps your plans weren't as foolproof as you thought they were."

He scoffed. She still seemed to think he had been planning an attack, even now. He shook his head. "Have you looked at where you are? Or do still believe that I have some GREAT army ready to ravage the provinces of China?"

She narrowed her eyes. Though she hated to admit it... looking at the situation and adding the whole mess up, the idea that China was under an imminent threat didn't seem as plausible now. Tai Lung back-tracked to her earlier question. "You asked me why you're here? There are a few reasons, but honestly... Did you believe I'd just let you all off without any repercussions?" he condescended. "Your little group put my departure back a full day, and I don't take kindly to idiots interfering with my plans. By the time I had finished with them and had thrown them back on land, you were still unconscious. And since they were no longer on the ship, I decided that I'd keep you as a captive," he informed her.

His explanation did nothing but increase her ire. "What purpose could keeping me here possible serve? I'm your enemy- be rational. I would only get in the way." Surely he could see this?

The look on his face seemed to change from amusement to thoughtful. "Well, I can think of a few reasons why having you around could serve me. Now that you've mentioned it, I'll need to give you some chores while your here."

She became guarded; whatever he meant, she knew it wasn't good. "What do you mean chores?"

"Yes, well I can't have you doing, nothing can I?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. Now she understood. He actually thought she would do what he told her? He had another thing coming.

"You can take your chores, and shove them," she hissed at him. He really was mad if he thought she would.

He stared for a moment, then smiled darkly at her. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't unnerving. She had only ever seen him wear that look before he used his nerve attack on her. It wasn't less threatening the second time. She knew defiance would only serve to antagonise him. "I think you might want to reconsider. You're in no position to be disrespectful." He spoke tonelessly, but she could feel the underlying threat behind it.

She held back looking away from his glare and met it with her own. Showing him that she would not back down, she snarled, "I'd rather slave away for your fool crew than perform a single act in your service."

His smile widened and his eyes seemed to become dimmer. She swallowed; she had never seen that before. The intensity made her blood turn to cold. He uncrossed his arms and stepped in front her. "Perhaps I might grow on you."

The way he looked at her made her shiver. She gathered her bearings and glared venomously, not faltering under his scrutiny. But she'd be lying if she said it wasn't hard. "I'd prefer plague."

His smiled faltered for a moment, appearing to twitch. He leaning his head at her patronizingly. She would not have known it yet, but she'd regret saying that. "Are you sure? I really doubt you'd be safe with them." She knew what he was talking about, but she doubted that all of them together could handle themselves in a fight as well as she could. And it would be better than being near him.

"I'll take my chances."

He shrugged. Grabbing her wrist, he threw the female over his shoulder and rounded his arm over her back, trapping her. He proceeded to walk out on deck. She started flailing. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she yelped. "PUT ME DOWN!" she growled. She began struggling and making noises of agitation as she attempted to get him off, but it was futile.

Tai Lung walked across the deck gaining a few of the onlookers staring in amusement at their Captain carrying the ship's newest passenger, kicking and screaming. Tigress glanced to her side and her eyes widened as she saw some of the crew grin mirthfully. "Get. Off!" she growled. She attempted to harm him by continuously punching his back, but he was unfazed. Walking down some steps leading to the center of the ship, he dropped her in front of Hong, who looked at Tai Lung incredulously.

"Tigress has been kind enough to volunteer to swab the whole deck. Have someone bring her a bucket and rag, will you?" At first, Hong looked at him as if he were joking, but then nodded uncertainly and went to see to it.

He looked down at her scowling face- and smirked. He briskly took her shoulders lifting her up.

She was surprised by his sudden actions and noticed that he was looking her in the eyes. She stared at him cautiously, but made no move. He brought his face closer till they were but a few centimetres from each other. At first, she was confused by his actions. Then she looked into his golden eyes. They held much, and yet they were empty and draining... She was suddenly captivated by them; something drew her in, and before she knew what happened, his lips brushed softly across hers.

Instant protest began. She tried to push away. How could he dare- but thoughts seemed to die as quickly as they came... She closed her eyes tightly. It was gentle at first, and her lips remained passive under his own, taken by the pure shock of it all. Until he pushed their mouths against each other even further, making her blink rapidly, and her breath hitch. This feeling was unusual to her, and she couldn't deny that... it wasn't unpleasant. Her mind went blank. Slowly she allowed him and- though unaware of it- wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head for a better angle. It seemed to go on for some time, from what she could comprehend, but then he suddenly pulled his mouth away. She almost forgot where she was, but managed to keep herself from falling. She felt something in her hand and saw a rag placed there.

Blinking, she came out of the daze. His eyes moved to her hand now holding the rag. Then she looked behind Tai Lung and saw Hong, who had an unreadable expression. He set his gaze at something in the sky. She looked back at Tai Lung, who was eyeing her in an extremely haughty manner. Fully coming out of her dazed state, she gasped in realisation.

Without thought, her palm connected hard with his cheek. His head only moved a faction, but he didn't react. He seemed to be registering the attack. Then he snaped his head toward her, his eyes burning. He looked like a volcano about to explode. She awaited his retaliation, shout, rage at her as she predicted, but it was not at all what she expected- in fact, it downright stupefied her.

He burst out laughing.

It wasn't chuckling, either. He was shouting in mirthfulness. She stared at him like he was he was crazy, then, confusing her even further, the on-looking crew joined in- even the apathetic gorilla was smirking. Frowning, she stared at them all in irritation. What was so funny about that? Growling quietly, she made it known that she wasn't the least bit amused.

Catching his breath, Tai Lung grinned whimsically. Noting her confusion, and overly obvious anger, he decided to put her at ease before she got any more frustrated. "I'm sorry, I know that deserved that. It's just that no one would even dream of ever doing something remotely like what you just did... it was very refreshing," he explained with a frolic tone.

Tigress stared open-mouthed. Yes, certainly not what she expected.

He sighed. "You do hit hard," he said, thoughtfully touching his cheek. He actually sounded impressed. She was too baffled to say anything.

His eyes then changed, turning cruel. "You have a lot of spirit, but that trait will only amuse in the short-term. Since you volunteered to help the crew, this is how you can start. And if you refuse to do this, then I'll find another way you can help them. Perhaps, I'll tie to the mast, naked. That would definitely boost morale." He gave her the bucket forcefully.

Collecting herself, she stared at him in disbelief and struggled to talk back. It was a frightening suggestion and not one she was willing to test. Besides, he was already walking away.

"I'll leave you to it then," he said over his shoulder. He gave the audience a deadly look. "BACK T' WORK!" he barked. Being prudent, they all fled back to their jobs. Tai Lung walked back the way he came and left her in a state of unbalance.

She touched her lips feeling a wave of faintness, but she quickly cut herself off and wiped her mouth with the back her hand in disgust. Looking at the rag in her hand and feeling upset... she begrudgingly began to work.

Tai Lung sat in his cabin in deep thought over what had transpired throughout the course of the day and the night before. But mostly, he was thinking of his captive. She was an intriguing one. He had enjoyed provoking her. Simply because she made it too easy. He also pondered the kiss they shared- or, rather, the one he gave her. It hadn't bothered him in the slightest, but she appeared to have been greatly affected by it. She was so disciplined and controlled, but when properly stimulated, very receptive. Perhaps, he'd set himself the goal of seeing how far he could push her to act outside her taciturn nature, maybe she'd try to kill him again, but she could be handled if she tried to harm him. After laying low for as long as he had, he understood that amusement was a pursuit worth reaching for, and he would find a lofty amount in her.

Hearing the doors open, he saw Hong wearing a deep frown- no doubt there to further discuss their newest guest.

"Zhǔ," Hong's deep voice rumbled.

Of all his allies, Hong had been the most loyal, whereas the Wu Sisters and Dun had essentially been in it for themselves. Hong followed him unwaveringly, no matter the course, and decided to stay with him. Unlike the others who promptly left after the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior had been dispatched, and sent back to the valley in a beaten pile.

Tai Lung nodded, acknowledging him. But then he frowned. "I've said before, Hong, you have no reason to refer to me with an honorific. Just use my name."

The gorilla seem to have qualm about that, but he did agree. Since Tai Lung won him as an ally, Hong insisted on showing him a master respect. Tai Lung had no desire to be viewed as such by Hong; he regarded him as an equal. "Do you think it is wise to leave her out there?"

Tai Lung looked at him. "I don't see the problem, it's not like she can't handle herself."

Hong's frown deepened. "It's not her I'm worried about."

Tai Lung chuckled. Yes, he could see a few broken limbs in the near future. "Well, if the men give her trouble, then it's their own faults. By the way, the squealer, any clue on who let slip our meeting?" Tai Lung couldn't bring himself to regret that he hadn't kept a tighter grip on things, because he had. It was something he found difficult to work out, and he after the battle yesterday he needed to know who the traitor was.

Hong shook his head. "Perhaps the Wu sisters?"

Tai Lung didn't believe that. "No, I don't think they would. Although, Dun had been jolly with his men recently. Maybe someone had taken him seriously enough to report his bleating." It was certainly possible.

"Maybe, but I don't think we'll ever find out whose responsible." Hong said nothing else.

Tai Lung looked to the window. The sun was setting. He would check on Tigress shortly, maybe relieve of her duties if her disposition was any better. "Have one of the men bring a hearty meal to my cabin, will you?" He left to Hong to do that, confident that his prisoner would be more agreeable now.

To say she was tired was an understatement. She was completely worn out; bad aches engulfed her whole body. She had... cleaned the whole area. Slumping back against the side of the ship, she slid down it until she was sitting. Damn Tai Lung for making her do such demeaning work... She was even a little mad at herself for actually listening, but what if he had followed through with his threat? Would he have? Though conflicted, it wasn't something she wanted to test.

She pondered the mess she was in, and how she ended up like this. She blamed the poor quality of windows on these ships. Not that she knew much about how they manufactured them. But all she did was put a small amount of pressure on the glass, and then she was through it? It didn't really add up. She was leaning on it before with Viper and Monkey, and it was more than stable. Shaking her head, she put aside these thoughts. They weren't getting her anywhere, so it was pointless to ponder it.

Many of the crewmen that passed her by took a look at her while she was working. She reacted by sneering at them, to which most had fled. Any that weren't frightened of her... well she be happy to teach them why they should.

"Hi!" She heard a childlike voice speak in front of her. Looking up warily, she prepared herself for battle, but she saw what appeared to be a... lion cub?

Furrowing her eyebrows, she observed him to be just above two feet tall. His fur was unkempt, making him look like he had been running around all day. He wore a cheeky smile. She also noticed that he was wearing a very tall hat, which was almost half his height. If she looked at the child from a distance, his look would have probably had him confused with a larger animal because of it. She smiled kindly at him, but it faltered. She had to wonder what a child was doing on Tai Lung's ship.

"Hello, what's your name?"

The boy smirked. "My name's-" He coughed in an attempt to make his young voice deeper. "My name's Xiaodan." She snickered at him in amusement. "You're Master Tigress, aren't you? Hong says you got caught by the captain sneaking on the ship." The gorilla can talk? Interesting, he hadn't spoken a word near her even once yet. Not like this little one. The youth spoke energetically, and it brightened her mood a little bit.

"Yes, I am. I and my friends were on the ship last night." This was her chance to ask some questions and find out for sure if Tai Lung said was telling the truth. "Do you know what happened to my friends?"

Xiaodan looked at the ground thoughtfully. "You mean that snake, monkey, crane, and mantis?" She nodded. "I saw the Captain kick them all off the ship."

"So they were all alive?" Xiaodan nodded quickly. Then she remembered that she had not asked about the Dragon Warrior. "What about Po?"

Xiaodan looked thoughtful again, then his face brightened as if he had remembered. "Is he the really ginormous panda?"

She raised her brow at the boy. 'Correct,' she thought in surprise. Ginormous seemed like quite a big word for him. "Yes?"

She didn't think it was possible, but the boy's bright smile seemed to become even brighter. "He got SQUASHED!" he said, stomping. "By the captain!" She held back her laughter. Honestly, she couldn't help but find his amusement a bit comical. Coughing, she resigned herself. She needed to take this information seriously. The boy was too innocent to be living here; this place wasn't exactly an ideal playground, considering it was filled with cut-throats and all other manners of unpleasant people. She would have to find out more from her captor when the opportunity came. Astonishingly, he seemed to be quite happy despite the living arrangements he had.

Tigress' expression became one of confusion. "Squashed you said?"

"Yeah, the panda was all like, 'Am gonna unleash my awesomeness!' but then the captain got really mad, and he decked him," he finished his little tale, snickering at his own imitation of Po. She winced at the last part, but that didn't answer the question. The cub had noticed she wasn't looking too good; at least, she didn't from her body language. Her posture was slouched, and her limbs seemed to be limp. The cub looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?" He tried leaning down so he could see her face properly, but it was too slouched- even for his height.

She ignored the question. "So Tai Lung spared him?"

"I did," she heard his deeply rich sardonic voice sound at the side of her. Tigress and Xiaodan both turned to him. Looking up, she saw Tai Lung watching her with a nuance she couldn't recognise. Turning to Xiaodan, the snow Leopard beamed. "Have you been polite to our guest, Xiao?" The cub nodded eagerly at him.

"Good, run along now." And with that, the little lion cub ran off to his own devices.

Looking back at her, he frowned. Observing her, he could tell that she was absolutely exhausted. It had eluded him till now, but he remembered that his nerve attack usually left victims in poor shape for a while after, and making her work all day obvious hadn't helped her recovery. He could only really blame himself for that. He should have remembered. She might have ignored him and done nothing when he left her, but it looked like she had taken his threat to heart. Picking her up bridal style, he proceeded to walk back up to his quarters.

She was far too knackered to protest to his action, so instead she asked him a question. "Where are we going?"

"To my room." He did not look at her as he spoke; nor did he really need to. He ought to have been more careful with her. She was obviously ignoring her pain, and it was his fault she was like this. She wouldn't endure any more stress. After all, she was his responsibility for now, and he would be a very bad host if he did not take into account the wellbeing of his game.

Your thoughts?

Chinese - English

Xiaodan - "little-helper."