Tigress' Deep Memory
Chapter 1
Nightmare Return
Tigress experienced a flash in the middle of the rain, throughout the night. Zooming through with flashes of lightnings, she heard shouting and screaming through the rain, but uncertain what they are saying. They soon came another shout joining in, just angrier and more dangerous than the other.
She listened to the shouts with fighting combats in the background, colliding each punch and kick, till she was thrown all of sudden. She crashed to the muddy ground, yipping to the impact as she is an infant cub. Looking around in confusion, she glanced up to witness an angry, bloodshot eyes that are full of rage and hatred in them.
Tigress stared at the dark figure before her, uncertain what is going on and happening. The bloody three lines scratch glared at her and her tiny blood claws, which she has scratched, not realizing what she has done. The larger paw lifted the rainy and dark sky, unclenching its claws before striking incredible speed along with the lightning flash and thunder.
… Out of Dreamland
Tigress quickly sat up gasping before panting hard softly, sweating uncontrolledly to the nightmare she just has now. She never had this kind of nightmare, unlike her other nightmares, this one felt so real to her. She couldn't get her mind out that she has been having this nightmare for a while and it felt too real that she has been there, but don't remember where. She listened to her surroundings that her friends are still asleep, haven't awaken luckily.
Lying back on her bed, she sighed of relief that they didn't woke up, but wonder came to her mind… why did she have this quite of dream? Why does it feel it has gotten more worse? Questions filled her mind, unable to go back to sleep till she remembered one thing that same similar from her dream to reality.
Tigress sat up again with her feet on the floor and unbutton her lower vest to see the scar on her right waist. She doesn't remember how she got the scar, but it reminded her that she has seen the same scar in her dream. Feeling the old wound, it still felt like she was injured again, but in the dream.
"I can't sleep." She muttered annoyance and stood up walking out the barracks.
Tigress arrived to the Hall of Warrior to clear her mind from her dream and try to go back to sleep. Sitting down in front of the Moon Pool, Shifu sensed her Chi and woke up feeling something is off in her Chi. She began meditation steadying her breathing and exhaling to releasing the tension building inside of her, however it doesn't seem releasing so easily.
"Tigress." Tigress heard the call and looked up to watch Shifu approaching out of concern.
"Master Shifu." She bowed slightly as she sounded trouble and disturb in her voice. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry, Master." She apologized if she has disturbed his slumber.
"It's alright. I just have a vision by the time you just entered." He replied rubbing his beard, which it is a lie to prevent more stern on her than she is now.
"I see." Tigress can only reply, staring back at the Moon Pool to see her tiredness expression on her face.
Shifu noticed how exhausted she has gotten. "Are you alright, Tigress?" He asked what bothering his student for her to be how she is now.
"It's nothing, Master." Tigress responded rather quickly, shaking it off so she doesn't want her master to be bother by her lack of sleep.
"Did you have some kind of nightmare, Tigress?" She heard him ask the question she doesn't want him to know.
Shifu noticed Tigress has stiffen and not answering his question to only be correct what the issue. "Go to bed, Tigress. I will have a task for you tomorrow. You don't have to worry about training." He sighed giving her order to go back to bed and telling she won't have to worry about her training since her mind isn't in the right peace.
Tigress turned her head rapidly fast in shock what she heard. "But Master Shifu…" She was cut off with a raise of her master's hand.
"Don't argue with me, Tigress. I have been noticing you haven't been in the right mind due to the state you are in. I can also see you haven't been getting enough of sleep." Shifu told out of concern since he aware she hasn't been herself and lacking sleeps for couple of days.
Tigress wanted to argue, but don't have the strength to as she nodded understanding his order. Shifu watched her returning to her room, leaving left alone in the hall. Sighing heavily, he recalled the vision, which it is exactly true on his end, of an old foe that he and Oogway put away decades ago. He can still feel the rage vengeance but has worsen even much more.
Once she is out of distance, Shifu clutched his staff with a disturbing hum along a trouble expression. In truth, he, indeed, have a vision of the foe he and his master have put away long ago. If Tigress' nightmare is happening the same time with his vision appearing, it must be fate, but the meaning behind it. He retreated to his room to meditate later on to seek answer for the fate for the future.
… The Next Morning
GONG!
"Good morning, Master!" The rest of the Furious Five, minus Tigress, dashed out their rooms to greet Shifu to notice Tigress and Po is still not out.
They saw Tigress hasn't been herself for a while and getting worried of the state she is in. Shifu noticed their concern for Tigress to dash out her room two second later. They noticed the lack of sleep showing on her eyes with a tired expression on her face.
"Good morning, Master!" Tigress quickly greeted knowing she is seconds later in the morning route.
Shifu nodded understanding as he turned his attention back to Po's room, seeing he is still not up yet. So, he approached to the room to… wake him up… to hear crashes and destruction with the door open in front of him. Po appeared panting and looking extremely embarrass for nearly sleeping in again and have his master waking him up.
"Uh, Morning, Master Shifu." Po greeted nervously with laughter in the background.
Monkey and Mantis snickered and Crane and Viper shook their heads chuckling, leaving Tigress not in the mood to care. They done morning training before having breakfast to go on whatever plans each have today. Po made noodles while Tigress just have her stir tofu for breakfast since she doesn't seem in the mood for noodle.
The other began to worry since she hasn't been herself and getting sleeps for days, even Shifu is aware of their concern. "Hey Tigress. Are you sleeping well?" Viper, knowing there no point to ask this question, asked out of concern as she saw she isn't getting enough sleep.
"I'm fine." Tigress answered drinking her tea.
Viper and the other blinked once, full of doubtful and more worries. "What?" Tigress asked getting rather annoyed of their concerns and pity.
Shifu sighed lowering his cup on the table. "You all have the rest of the day to yourself as I have matter to take care of. I won't be certain when I will return, but doesn't mean you all will keep your training." He grabbed his students' attention on him, informing he has a matter that need to be taken care of, which involving last night vision.
He also mentioned them to still train when he is not around before giving the Dragon Warrior the look who looked away quickly of awkwardness and eating his noodle. "Are you going somewhere, Master Shifu?" Viper asked curious where he is going and should be worried if they are needed.
"It isn't something you all should worry." Shifu reassured that they are not need, relieving them with a sigh.
"Tigress." Tigress turned her head slightly. "I want you to go down to the valley with a list I want you to retrieve. Once you'll have them, meet me in the in the Hall of Warrior." She is given a task, which she recalled last night order and nodded without argue.
Tigress headed to the Valley of Peace to do what she is given to do, unaware Shifu is in the valley for his matter. She walked through the crowd with a basket on her back while skimming through the list. The children of the valley ran by her, greeting the master before continue running off laughing loud and smiling wide.
She stopped to watch them run off with a slight smile of her own till she came across a family nearby. She watched a family of pigs walking calmly, chanting, and laughing to themselves. Her mind replayed a memory with laughter and chanting in the back of her mind.
Shifu walked by noticing her frozen on the spot and staring at the family. He approached and stopped to stare at her later to the family then back. He can see no life in them, but only emptiness, toward the family who isn't aware they are being stared. The family bought an apple at the apple stand for the small child to eat with a huge smile of joys.
"Tigress." Shifu called out standing next to Tigress who didn't notice nor hear him. "Tigress." No respond from her.
Shifu sighed seeing her like this last night, so he stepped on her tail, acting he didn't see her there. Tigress snapped back to reality and roared in pain, gathering all eyes on her, expectedly the family she is staring at. She searched around to see who did it and found her master walking away, which she didn't know he was even here when she arrived.
"Oh, hello Tigress. Didn't expect to find you here." Shifu turned around then acted surprise to see her with a smile.
"Was that necessary, Master?" Tigress asked hearing laughing behind her to glare for them to stop and walk away. "Also, you sent me here with a list you want me to buy." She continued walking over while examining her tail to see the damage.
"Oh, that's right. My apologize, Tigress." Shifu recalled and apologized still smiling just as Tigress stopped next to him, letting go of her tail still glaring.
"I thought you have some matter to taken care of." She later asked him that he told he has something to do before the meet up.
"I still am." He replied heading back to the palace… still smiling.
Tigress grunted annoyed and followed along since she has everything she need to retrieve. They returned to the palace and headed to the Hall of Warrior, leaving the grandmaster to lit the candles, which placed by the tiger master. They soon sat down in the middle as they finished placing and lit them around them.
"Alright, Tigress. I suggest that you meditate, focusing to the nightmare to get more depth of why you are having them." Shifu told Tigress to focus the nightmare through meditation to have full understanding of it.
Tigress nodded and brought her knuckles together, closing her eyes as she began to meditate. Shifu stayed nearby encase he is needed if something gone wrong. In her mind, she entered the realm full of darkness and can't see anything, just voices everywhere. She soon began seeing the nightmare, which she will not expect the unexpected what she will see.
Shifu waited patiently for the worse to come to have his wish granted, but what he didn't expect to be. Tigress let out a loud gasp then fall to the side as she began to have a seizure. She gasped for air like she is struggling to breathe, even her eyes are roll back of her head.
Few candles are either knock down by her tail or unlit to the gust of wind from her collapsing. "Tigress!" Shifu's ears lifted in shock and widened his eyes as he rushed over to examine the solution.
Shifu pressured points certain areas of her to watch her gasp for air and back to normal. Tigress continued lying on the floor as she gasped softly closing her eyes, uncertain on what just happen. He examined her furthermore to see nothing else to worry for him to sigh of relief.
"Tigress. Will you be alright?" Shifu asked watching Tigress to sit up slowly.
"I think so…" Tigress took a breath before exhaling hard. "…Master Shifu." She closed her eyes against, resting herself on her left arm, which resting on her left knee.
Shifu began to remember time when he took her in the Jade Palace as a cub and Tai Lung were around. He and Oogway were sleeping one night when they heard Tigress' scream in the barrack. They rushed over to witness her tossing and turning as she screamed in terror. Oogway quickly pressured certain area to calm her from the nightmare.
He began to ask why he did that to hear this nightmare isn't like a normal nightmare he ever seen. The next morning, they retrieved the healer to examine the young cub who couldn't explain about her nightmare. They soon learned she is experiencing a trauma, a dramatic trauma, that she has experienced for some time.
Letting Tigress to rest with Shifu watching over her, Oogway headed to the Orphanage to question if they have ever experienced her night terror when she was there. He spoke with the staffs and learned they indeed experienced her night terrors once a while, but it is not bad when she was there. The masters tried to understand what the difference from there and in the Jade Palace when they recalled a scar.
The healer and the staffs from the Orphanage mentioned Tigress has a scar on her left waist, which gave them the understanding of the night terrors. Oogway asked how she received such a scar, which discovered she have them when she was dropped off as an infant. She was battled wounded from somewhere they don't even know where.
They asked Tigress about the night terrors to only reply a dark figure with bright, slight darker amber eyes glaring down at her with so much rages. They couldn't get much since she couldn't see what else the dark figure looked like. So, while trying many method to overcome the night terrors with every fails in the end, Oogway did a skill to seal away the night terrors in the back of her mind.
Tigress has fallen into coma for three days and woke up to be back to her normal self. Shifu and Oogway observed from the distance, ensuring she is completely well and heathy continued training again. Oogway also gave some warnings to Shifu that the seal may weaken over the years, and she will have to face them if she'll want to overcome trauma that wait for her in the future.
Shifu has returned to reality and turned to Tigress who began to calm down finally. He can see fear and confusion in her eyes, uncertain what is going on and what is happening to her. He can also the seal has weakened and awakening the fears that he hasn't seen for a long time.
"Tigress." He spoke and grabbing her attention to him. "You don't have to hold back and hide the fear anymore. Whatever you are having trouble and uncertain what they are, you can come and speak with me about it. You don't have to face them alone. I am here to help and guide through whatever is in your mind. Not only as your master, also your father." He told that she doesn't have to act like doesn't affect her and come to him like daughter need her father's help.
Tigress widened her eyes stun to hear him say that. "Yes, Master Shifu. I will." She replied uncertainly, but understood as a student to her master, not ready for a daughter to her father.
Shifu nodded smiling. "Also… do not tell this to the other, expectedly Po." He quickly mentioned for her never speak of this relationship to the other, mostly to Po since they knew how he is to something like this.
Tigress chuckled slightly smiling. "Don't worry, I won't." She promised since she even doesn't want him to annoy her of the father and daughter bond.
"Good." He last replied as they continued the meditation.
This is the end of Nightmare Return. I will have "South China Tiger Cub Arriver" up soon. Please leave a comment and thought of the chapter.
Tigress' Deep Memory Next Chapter-
Shifu- Ah, Tigress. Did the walk help… what is this?
Tigress- Master Shifu! This cub is losing his strength and need to see the healer!
Shifu- This is not good! Take him to the infirmary! I will inform the healer and Po to make some foods teas to bring to the infirmary!
Tigress- Understood!
Next Chapter South Chian Tiger Cub Arriver
Tigress- Don't you die on me Cub. You had to live and yet see the future that is waiting for you.