Ailurophile

Author note: Thank you to Shoujokrm26, industrialbacklashingdragon, K, Niama, Bellathewhitetigress, Sayuri and Annie hope you continue to read and give me feedback.

Warning: Mature content. Things get physical so if it bothers you skip the whole middle part and read the last part, it will give you the general idea. But if you want to read it then go right ahead.

Word of honour

She was, to put it lightly, overwhelmed. "Singapore?"

"Mm," he replied curtly.

Tigress gave in to the shock. She hadn't really taken any time to put things into perspective, but now she had no choice...

She had no idea they had travelled so far from home in such a short time. It was... too much to take in. To be honest, she thought that they were still bordering China, at the very least. But it seemed Tai Lung wasn't making any stops, which in turn meant that the others would have no clue as to where she was being taken. This also meant she could not escape, since she'd had never been beyond China. In fact, she had never set foot on any foreign lands before. Singapore was on the very tip of South Asia, and very far from China itself. Not that such a distance made a difference. She had still never been there, which meant she couldn't navigate her way back if she were to escape.

She spluttered for right words, but all she could do was state that which was obvious. "But that's hundreds of miles from China!"

Tai Lung nodded and smirked at her reaction. "You know your geography. Very good," he said in a faked a voice.

She should have gotten used to his mocking by now, but she was so far from amused by his manner... Centering herself enough to process what she had been told, she considered it wise to ask a few questions. "When will we get there?"

"Sometime in the early morning, if the wind is on our side." His side, not her's... She looked around. It was bright and the wind was heavy.

"And why would we be going to Singapore?" She didn't bother to hide her irritation.

Tai Lung noticed her frown and avoid the temptation to tell that it would give her wrinkles. "Mainly to restock, however, on top of that I am now forced to rid myself of some worthless subordinates too." His tone altered somewhat when he referred to the one she knew to be the large Bull he had made a show of a few moments ago. Despite what she believed him to be, he seemed not kill without with a cause... Regardless, he was getting rid that man so it must have been something that really bothered him.

Before she could ask, he carried on talking, though his voice had lightened considerably. "I also have a friend or two in that area, and I will be paying a visit."

This made her curious. Tai Lung didn't seem like the type who had friends... not like she would know. She wondered the type of character one would be? If she was purely going off his reputation, then she would guess that they were dangerous people. "A friend?"

He gave her an odd look. "That's right."

She waited for him to elaborate further, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. She narrowed her eyes. "Not answering any questions then?" She was getting tired of pretending like she wasn't trying to get information. He somehow dodged giving her any real information with ease. He must have been on to her...

He repressed a groan; she was far too uptight. "Oh, you have questions? Perhaps you shouldn't veil what you want to ask." He'd admit it was fun pushing her buttons, but he wasn't against to telling anything really. She had no power over her fate under his care, and she letting out her anger on him because she had no other way of expressing the distress of her situation. He knew first hand that it was unhealthy to keep such negativity held inward, but he had his own ways of dealing with such things.

She sighed crossly. "You didn't give me the chance."

Tai Lung stared for a moment, then shrugged. "Ask me what you want then."

First, "When are you going to let me go?" He wondered when this would come up, and to be honest, he had no idea. It would sometime before he would return to China... if at all. He wouldn't let her make her own way back; he'd already decided on that. She was simply stuck with him.

"I don't know. Perhaps in a few days or months, maybe even years."

"What?" Years? She could just about tolerate a few weeks, maybe a month... or two if she had too. But staying as Tai Lung's prisoner for years? The level of shame the thought alone brought her... She couldn't do it. She had her duty to China to, to her friends and to her master. The valley needed her protection, and the rest of the Five needed her to lead them. If she was stuck here, then who knew what could happen... "I can't stay."

"I don't think I gave you a choice if I recall." Sharp were his eyes; she quickly looked away.

It was foolish to think he'd just let her walk away, but still, she attempted to argue with him. "I'm needed back in China."

Tai Lung scoffed at this. She was stubborn... Even now the thought of her responsibilities. "China was no different than before you were born; it will still be China long after you're gone. Besides, you should be more concern with your own situation." His reasoning was sound... or would have been to anyone but her. She never took any reprieve from her duties, but it did nothing to change her mind. She was duty bound. Her mind was set.

"I'm not talking about the land, I'm talking about the people. They need me."

He scowled. "The people, is it? I think they'll do fine without you. After all, they got along just fine after I was buried the mountains." Eventually, all his stories of heroism had been totally expelled some years after he'd been placed in Chorh Gom. They had either been forgotten or altered drastically to a degree that painted the role of a reprobate who sought to gain only for himself. He could see that this was at the beginning of was turning this into something circular so he decided to change the subject. "Have you seen the whole of the ship yet?" Wasn't the best he could come up with, but it seemed to work.

She blinked in confusion, wondering why he even asked. She might have by now... but after getting on deck, her attention had been drawn elsewhere. She frowned at him. "No, your earlier ostentatious performance distracted me." She was still a little uneasy after witnessing what happened, but she had to admit the little lion left an impression. Despite Tai Lung altering the bolt to ensure nothing awful occurred, Xiaodan's shot was accurate. It was definitely luck. Even Tai Lung didn't know he'd hit the apple.

"Then I'll show you myself."

Tigress aired indifference, but her gut told her to be on her guard. It wasn't that he would harm her― which also frightened her― but his proximity, hostile or no. The contact he made with her when he had been sleeping or the first time he kissed her. Each time he felt her, it was more intimate than the last. She feared the vulnerability she felt when he...

She forced back a shiver. She couldn't understand it.

"Something on your mind?" his deep voice rumbled. Tigress looked at him, and he smirked. At the look on his face, she guessed that on some level he must have sensed the type of thoughts she was having, but she pretended not to notice.

"No, shall we go?" He stared at her a moment. His smirk did not fade, even as he turned and motioned for her to follow.

The tour had been fairly concise though not uninteresting. Tigress found herself asking him a few questions about how things worked on the ship, like the helm and rudders. Tai Lung found it surprising she had a curiosity for it, but it was, at least, a pleasant surprise. By the end, she knew where everything was, from the galley to the brig. Currently, they were below deck in the store, which had almost no light apart from a few dim lamps. It appeared to be a somewhat empty at the moment.

"What are you looking for?" she questioned as he browsed through an empty bottle rack.

"The... Lǎng mǔ jiǔ," he answered while he searched.

"What's that?" She had no idea what it was besides that it was a drink.

He began to explain. "It's alcohol. Very strong. An acquired taste I've found, but those that don't like it find it vile. The crew seems to love it, so I usually keep a generous supply down here." At the moment, that wasn't the case.

She had never been one to drink, but she knew it did nothing beneficial based on observation. It only served to turn people senseless and corrupt them to poor choices. Shifu had forbidden alcohol consumption for all his student, apart from special occasions, and he was especially adamant with her about it. Not that she would have ever taken to such a poor habit. "Why?"

"For some reason, it keeps morale high... It can make even the laziest or most useless sailor transformer into a jack of all trades, that's the word at least." She very much doubted that, but it remained to be seen. If such a thing was true she'd have to be impressed.

"Any proof?" she asked.

"I've seen that the crew is generally less competent when without it, so I keep it down here and ration it out. Well, I would usually have it, but I can't find any." He stopped searching. There seemed to none. "Oh well. The crew will have to wait until we make port." It was a shame. It worked well in keeping everyone reined in. He'd just have resort to force if they needed a little nudging...

"Well, I think you've seen everything now."

He turned to her and caught her gazing at him. When their eyes met, she looked down at her feet swiftly. Was she shy? She shouldn't be. He'd done a little bit more than look at her for her to be shy about... Unless it was because of what happened between them before. He could have laughed out loud; kissing her was the very least he could do... If she shied from mere semi-contact with him, then she could hardly begin to imagine the real depths of what he could do to induce her shyness. A dark look arose in his eyes. "Let's go.

Tigress walked towards the door, with Tai Lung following behind her inaudibly. She reached out for the handle, but at the moment she touched it, she was spun around fast. She felt Tai Lung's large chest pressed into her own and pin her against it. She narrowed her eyes, irritated, but not able to formulate a thought. As she attempted to move all she ended up doing was pushing herself nearer to him. He smiled fiendishly. She began to panic. "What do you think you're doing?"

He didn't answer. She caught a dark glint in his eye as he looked down at her. The usually brilliant gold had dimmed and had a shadow encircling it. The same shadow laminated his eyes before... when she'd insulted him. Something had changed, and it was something petrifying. She had no time to ponder it further as Tai Lung's mouth pushed into her own. Her eyes widened in alarm. She put her hands on his shoulders and tried pushing him off, but with an ease that shamed her, he retaliated by grabbing both her wrists and pinning them above her head. She moaned into his mouth, trying voice her protest, but that had been a mistake because the moment her lips parted his tongue found it's way inside.

She steeled herself and forced her mouth off his. She turned her head away quickly. This did nothing to stop him; he began planting slow kisses down her neck. Her words came out in whimpers as his muzzle trailed down her throat, dragging his fangs down her neck. "S―Stop...!" He took one of his hands from her wrists and placed it behind her neck, forcing her closer to his mouth. He could feel her voice vibrate through her into him while he was kissed her. He did not stop. She tried to force her wrists out of his grip, but he only tighten his grip and seemed to be encouraged to continue. "... Don't."

He held her tight in one hand while his free hand roamed up her rib cage. And that was when she felt it. His hand grasped her breast softly, and a ragged moan slipped out. She had no idea where it came from, but what she was experiencing was completely new to her. Her eyes moved to his hand, and she watched him hold it softly... What was even more confusing was how she could be taking any titillation from him doing this. Her lips quivered. Her control was slipping... she knew this because her body seemed to take on a mind of its own... and decided suddenly that what he doing was somehow sufferable. Could this be what she was afraid of?

She was starting to forget herself and she ceased moving. He took clear joy in kneading her through her shirt, but his wasn't enough. His other paw released both her wrists and her arms fell limply at her sides. Why did she feel so weak? Her knees wobbled... She shook her head.

She wasn't weak; she could free herself. "Tai... Lung!" She brought her arms up again and started pushing at him. But he did not give her the chance to muster a decent protest. With his other hand free, he moved it lower until he had reached her pants. He placed his hand between her legs, then began caressing her gently through the material. Her mouth open, after a second delay, a deep groan ripped out of her mouth. This untrodden sensation, what was it? And why did she respond to it in such a way when he was touching her there? Her mind couldn't grasp it, but it was so good...

No! She couldn't let this go on. In one more attempt, she tried to push her way out, using all the strength she could find. With her arms pressed behind her, she thrashed her pelvis. But instead, ended up pressing her hips into his, causing her to feel something hard press between her legs― enhancing how strong the sensations felt. She looked into his usually shining eyes with fear. They seemed more profound, darker. A deep void represented his pupils, revealing everything to her. This was the real Tai Lung. He took her yearned face in, and she took in his eyes, utterly enamored by them. She could not bring herself to put a stop to this... She was unable to rouse the desire to.

His hand untucked her shirt and pushed under it. He moved up until he could feel her soft breast properly against his paw. He reveled inside. Her eyes quivered, and she breathed out in heavy pants as he assaulted her neck with soft bites. He took her nipple between his fingers and began more tender play. She bit out a gasp as she still tried to fight against it, but it was a failing effort.

They looked each other in the eyes. At first, she would have looked away out of pure embarrassment, but when she stared in his own golden pair, she began to realise how possessively he was watching her. She swallowed heavily at the sight. It was as if he would eat her up at any moment, and felt that if she were to look away even for even a slight moment, she would perish.

He pulled her shirt half way up, giving him a view of her toned stomach and the bottom swell of her breasts. His hand was already around one of them, whilst his other hand was between her legs, still on the outside. He stroked, jolting her, and causing Tigress to yelp out his name again― only this time, it was not in protest. His hips pressed into hers and his mouth moved on to her own, making her head bang against the door. She felt his tongue move inside her mouth, caressing hungrily.

She was completely flushed. Her cheeks were almost glowing in the dark room. Her face was contorted in a need for this to go further, but in her eyes was a strong denial of the fact that she was taking any pleasure out of this. There was some part of her that still wanted this to stop. It made him growl.

He was about to slip his hand into her pants when― Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hello, Captain?" Tigress gasped, regaining her senses. Her eyes were wide with shock, but she dared not move. Tai Lung snapped his head towards the door and scowled as if he could see right through it. He didn't move for a moment, contemplating the situation. And then, suddenly, he released her. Pulling her shirt down, she was quick to move away from him, which annoyed Tai Lung slightly.

Opening the door quickly, he sneered at them. It was the two mongrels that had shared banter with the bull earlier on. The red dog began to speak. "Captain," he chuckled nervously. "We just wan' id t' say sorry for what ap' end with what we said about the young tiger lady."

The black dog nodded in agreement. "And we also want you to know that we said nothing in the same subject about her as he did." Tai Lung seethed. Being proactive wouldn't help them. To be honest, he'd not considered either of them when he'd overheard the conversation. The longer he thought about it, the more angered he was by their presence. His throat rumbled; it was a display of how rapidly his rage was growing. He didn't give damn why they had interrupted...

They glanced at each other, wide-eyed. They knew they'd upset him again, which was the opposite of what they were trying to do. "WE'RE SORRY!"

Oddly, Tai Lung seemed to calm instantly. "You two... your names?"

They looked at one another in confusion. "Dai." "Dan."

He placed his hands on their shoulders and spoke quietly. "Well," His grip on their shoulders tightened, making them flinch. "If you value your fickle tongues, then I suggest you get the out my sight. Now!" And with that, they ran off. Idiots. He would deal with them when he was good and ready; right now he didn't even wan to see them. He sighed in consternation.

Tigress gathered enough bearings to listen to his short talk with them and managed to make sense of what they were talking about but decided act as though she wasn't aware. "What were they talking about?" He had almost forgotten she was there.

Tai Lung wasn't fooled, though, he was more fascinated by the fact that she was attempting to speak to him after what had just happened. He did not turn to her. "You know exactly what they were talking."

"So... that's why you were angry. Because of what he said was about me," He side-glanced and noticed emotions flicker behind her red eyes but he couldn't pick up on what they were. Tigress didn't know what to make of it; Why would he care? What did he want from her? The fact that he had acted in the way he did because of her filled the smaller feline with so many different emotions, she couldn't keep up with them. She didn't understand... had to ask. She actually felt

She had to ask out of curiosity. She actually felt grateful towards them; they had indirectly stopped― or postponed― what he was going to do to her. "What did he say about me?"

He frowned, still not answering, then he opened the door and motioned her to go through. Initially, she hesitated, but then rushed past him, making her unease all too obvious.

They had returned to his cabin without a word. She had her back to him, but could hear him quietly close the door. Then he began making his way towards her. She swallowed the fear that refused to completely the closer he came to her. She found that she was frozen, unable to move because of it. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her against him, then moved to kiss her neck. She placed her hand on his arm and tried to move away. He sighed loudly, making his annoyance known.

"Why resist when I can make you feel such pleasure," he whispered in her ear.

"I don't want that," she claimed shakily. Her voice had trouble not breaking. She still resisted, which annoyed him. He could practically smell that she wanted it, but she carried some sense of principle that made her refuse.

Tai Lung scowled at her back. Why should he listen to her? She'd flag if he tantalised her enough― in fact, why hadn't he done so before? He wanted her, and he wanted her right now... His dark train of thought continued and his hands move further down, then he felt her stiffen. Tai Lung looked at her face, seeing the fear she was trying desperately to hide, yet failing miserably. He was scaring her. He didn't want her to be scared... Making himself stop, he removed his hands from her. Almost forcefully, Tai Lung away from her.

His eyes were set on the ground thoughtfully. "You're afraid." It wasn't a question.

Her eyes widened. "No!" Her face was suddenly filled with rage as she spun around at him. Tai Lung wasn't surprised that she was quick to deny it, but he could tell when someone was lying.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everybody is afraid of me," he stated.

"I am not afraid," she growled.

He stared at her blankly, then lurched forward a step. To someone without a keen eye, she would have appeared to have not reacted to this. But Tai Lung saw the slight shift of her eyes, and could nearly feel the heightening of her heartbeat. She was afraid, and he knew it.

He couldn't fathom his own thoughts... It was disquieting to see the effect he had on her. Finally, when he spoke, his retort lacked the same fire her voice carried. "Fine." She turned to him, surprised yet relieved at the same time― although it seemed a little suspicious. "I won't kiss you again." Then he fell back into familiar tendency. "Until you give me permission."

Until... Was he that certain? If she had anything to say about it, then not likely. "You aren't... lying?" She wore a guarded look. With him, it couldn't be that simple...

"No, I give my word." She clearly needed his reassurance, whether or not she valued it was another story.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Tai Lung hadn't lied to her yet, but she hardly knew him well enough to latch on to his word. Still... there weren't any better options in front of her. "Alright, and I'll hold you to it," she told him seriously.

He let out a weary breath."Glad we have that sorted. Now you should get some rest... I'll wake you when we reach our destination." She could have gawked. He was so quick to revert back to haughty indifference. How could he brush off all that happened moments ago? She knew in her heart that unless she found a way home soon she would end up getting into something she'd regret. "Singapore, you say?"

He smiled. "Singapore."

Chinese ― English

Dan "Black".

Dai "Red".