Tai Lung's Journey
"I thought you would write about something else," Demi mentioned.
"Shush. I'm thinking," I muttered.
*****F*****
The young snow leopard crawled up the steps with his little body alongside his father and master. "Where are we going?" He asked.
"We're going to see the Hall of Heroes," His master smiled warmly, "I think it's time I show you the wonders of the Jade Palace."
The snow leopard bore a wide smile that melted the red panda's heart as they came to the front entrance. The large doors opened. The snow leopard's eyes widened and dazzled like amber diamonds. Inside were the gleaming treasures of the Jade Palace. The snow leopard stood to his feet, gawking. Supple portraits and mystical shining artifacts overwhelmed his little brain. Though he didn't realize it until later, his body drew closer to the end of the hall where a still mirror pool lay on the floor. He looked at his reflection and stumbled back, gasping. "What's wrong Tai Lung?"
"Ther-there's a dragon!"
"Oh hohoho," Shifu laughed. "There is, but I don't think he'll hurt you." As his master drew near the pool, Tai Lung bravely looked back into the water and found the reflection of the dragon still. The young snow leopard gazed up and saw a golden-coiled dragon clutching a scroll. "That is the Dragon Scroll. The key to infinite power."
"Wow!"
"It is supposed to be given to the Dragon Warrior. A warrior whose power rivals that of all masters in the world, even Master Oogway."
"Whoa! Who is the Dragon warrior?"
Shifu smiled at his son's question. "They are to be chosen from Master Oogway and then they'll be trained to accept the Dragon Warrior Scroll."
"Do you think I'll be Dragon Warrior?" Tai Lung asked with gleaming eyes. The red panda's heart pinched him. Oogway had told Shifu that the Dragon Warrior would be chosen, not built up. He said that all the rumors and myths about the Dragon Warrior would be true, to the very detail. As far as Shifu could tell, Tai Lung didn't make the ground quake, he didn't come in a ball of fire, and worst yet, he wasn't unlike any warrior the world had ever seen. In fact, with the little training he had, Tai Lung started becoming the warrior that everyone had seen.
And there was anothing thing that worried Shifu.
If Oogway had to choose the Dragon Warrior, why didn't he just choose Tai Lung now if he was destined to be it? Unless...
"Baba?" Shifu shook awake and looked at the child's concerned look. The red panda smiled and bent down to Tai Lung's height.
"I... I... I don't think you'll be able to be the Dragon Warrior, Tai Lung."
"But... but why?"
"The Dragon Warrior title comes with a heavy burden and it's a lot of work."
"But I can train for it," Tai Lung eagerly said.
Shifu sighed. This was breaking his heart. To tell his small son no was the hardest thing. But the truth was better than error. "It isn't something you can just train for. Tai Lung, not everyone is destined to be great in the same way. I know you'll be great in your own way."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," said a voice behind them. "That there are other more important things that you could do, little leopard."
"Master Oogway," both Shifu and Tai Lung bowed.
The tortoise smiled, "But your master is right and wise to tell you the truth now rather than later." Oogway looked up. "The Dragon Warrior title is not meant for you, but there are other positions made for you."
"But I want inf- in- lots of power," Tai Lung whined.
Though Shifu smiled, Oogway frowned a bit from the seed of power lust starting to germinate. "Yes, but would be able to give up that power if it meant saving the world? The pain of losing your friends, your family, Shifu?"
Tai Lung blinked and clung to Shifu's body. "N-No?"
"Tai Lung, the Dragon Warrior title isn't meant for you," Oogway said more directly. "Another must carry that burden."
"Bur-dun? Who?"
Oogway's smile returned. "You will see in time."
And time did go on. With the addition of a new tiger and a fleet of unexpectedly different warriors, Tai Lung sat as the best warrior but also a distant one. Though he did his best, he didn't know what his best was for. Bandits and villains, fight after fight, spar after spar, training after training, all for what? If he wasn't destined for the Dragon Warrior title, what was he destined for?
His 'sister', Tigress, seemed more like the warrior that would be the Dragon Warrior, but Master Shifu seemed to neglect her to take care of his lost son. That neglect boiled until the snow leopard actively had to deal with it daily. "Tai Lung," called a familiar voice. Tai Lung woke up from his meditation and turned back to the tiger.
"Tigress? What's the matter?"
"Master Oogway wants us to get some... food for him," Tigress grumbled. Tai Lung rose his eyebrow.
"And he sent you and me to do it?"
"Yes," Tigress said. She wasn't fond of Tai Lung. Even though Tai Lung was too busy with himself to really be a nuisance to her, Tai Lung didn't understand why she was hostile to him.
"You don't seem too happy about it," Tai Lung commented.
"Let's just get this over with. I have to train."
"There is such a thing as overtraining, Kitten."
"Don't. Call me that," she growled. "I'm a grown woman."
Tai Lung sighed, in defeat and outright apathy, "I still don't understand why you have such bitterness towards me."
"And I still don't understand why you're here," Tigress grumbled. Tai Lung rolled his eyes.
"I have better things to do than toy with you."
"Funny, I was just about to say the same to you," Tigress groused. The two walked down the steps in silence. They met the villagers, waved, and continued on. Tai Lung was in his own head like most times, trying to figure out what he was put on this earth to do. What was his goal? Be the best warrior? But that could only be the Dragon Warrior and-
"Welcome!" A loud quack shook Tai Lung from his thoughts. In front of him was a small white goose in front of a quaint noodle shop. "Welcome, welcome to Mr. Ping's noodle shop! We have a buy-one-get-one-free off of all dumplings and bean buns. With the purchase of items 10 yuan or more. Would you like a menu?"
"Uhh... sure?" The goose happily shoved a menu into the snow leopard's paws and showed them to their seats. "Why are we here again?"
"Master Oogway wants food from this place," Tigress explained, crossing her arms.
"Why? Don't we have food at the Jade Palace?"
"He specifically wanted this place." As the felines sat down, Tai Lung noticed Tigress's frown.
"Why does this assignment bother you so much?"
Tigress sighed with a huff, "How would you feel if your skills were downgraded to delivery work?"
"Honestly? I would be relieved that it's not one of Zeng's duties," Tai Lung smirked, but only a bit. "But I'm sure that's not why Master Oogway wanted us to come here."
"Then what?"
"I don't-" Tai Lung paused. "What do you mean downgraded?" Tigress scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Tigress, you've been in the Jade Palace for a while now. Don't you think this rivalry between us needs to end? I don't even know why you hate me?"
Before Tigress could speak, they heard a loud clang in the back. "Po! Be careful!"
"Sorry, dad."
Tai Lung saw a giant panda emerge from the back of the kitchen and cook up some food. Tai Lung widened his eyes. "A panda?"
"What?" Tigress asked.
"A panda. I... I didn't know there were pandas in the village."
Tigress rose her eyebrow at the panda and then at Tai Lung. "What's so special about him?"
"Pandas haven't been seen since... well, I'm sure Master Shifu has told you about Lord Shen."
"Yes."
"I'm just surprised that there is one here," Tai Lung mentioned. Suddenly, the panda spotted the two felines, gasped, and ducked behind the counter, peeking over with saucer-wide eyes. "And I think he's a fan," Tai Lung smiled.
"We're here to get food," Tigress repeated, hoping to get him to focus.
"And we will. But first, let's meet this panda."
"Why are you so curious about him?" Tigress asked.
Tai Lung shrugged. "Talking to Master Oogway made me realize there's, apparently, more to life than just training. You have to know why you're doing what you're doing. Unchecked ambition is dangerous."
"And what is your ambition?"
Tai Lung frowned and stared into the table's wood, "I don't know." He paused and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "And what's your ambition?"
"To protect the village from dangerous people. Doing that would be easier if you weren't meditating all the time," She growled lowly.
"That can't be the only reason. You do protect the village. What are you really training for?"
"To protect the village. Nothing. Else."
Tai Lung growled. "Tigress, this is getting old. You have no reason to hate me. No reason at all to be distant to me. I've done nothing to you-"
"That you know of," Tigress snarled.
"Then what is it?!" Tai snapped back. "Do I snore too loudly? Do I not help you enough when I fight the bandits? Do I leave my socks or-"'
"Do you really think that something so little would cause me to act like this?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know," Tai slightly growled. "So unless it's because of something insignificant-"
"Getting Master Shifu's approval isn't insignificant!" Tigress hissed in a sharp whisper not to alarm everyone else. "Do you know how hard it is to train twice as hard as you and not get one ounce of validation or even a well done?! It..." She stopped and sighed. "Forget it."
Tai Lung lifted his head and gave a small chuckle. "So that's it. I make it hard for you to please Shifu."
"I am not reduced to petty jealousy," Tigress lowly growled.
"And yet, here we are."
"Excuse me?" Said a voice that made them both stop. "Uhhh hi! I'm a huge fan of you two. Uuuhhhh gosh this is awkward. I'm sorry I just can't believe you guys are here! In person! You're almost exactly like my actions figures."
"Action figures?" Tai Lung asked.
"Yeah! I made these action figures that look just like you! But it's just so cool you two are actually here! EE! Is it weird if I ask you to sign my belly?"
"Ummm."
"You're right it's weird! Sorry, sorry. I'm uhhh-"
"Po! Stop distracting the customers and take their orders!"
"Right! Sorry, dad!"
"Your dad's the... goose?" Tai Lung asked.
"Yeah, uhh sorry. My name is Po, and what can I get for you, Master Tigress and Master Tai Lung?"
Tigress made a sideways smirk. "Is the order going to come with our action figures?"
"Oh! I can make you guys your own if you want! It'll just take some time," Po grinned nervously. The tiger smiled a bit wider, something that wasn't unnoticed by Tai Lung. They gave him the order. Soon, the two were on their way back to the Jade Palace with their food. They had gotten an earful from Po rattling off their grand adventures, but somehow, they felt light. Or at least, that's what Tai Lung thought by the way the tiger next to him was smiling.
"Well, that was... weird," Tai Lung muttered.
"He's just a fan. We have a lot of them in the village," Tigress replied.
"And you seem to appreciate him."
Tigress scowled, "I don't know what you mean."
"Hmmm." They walked on and reached the tortoise who turned around and told them to eat it. When they did, they were astonished. "This is amazing! It's the best thing I've tasted in my life."
Oogway smiled, "I thought you'd like it."
"But why did you make us get our own food, Master Oogway?" Tigress asked.
The tortoise breathed in deeply and smiled wider, "Because there are other things more important in life than trying to figure out why you're here and trying to please someone. Life is more fulfilling when you worry less about the ambition and learn to appreciate the journey." The two felines stood speechless. "I hope you enjoy the food." With that, the tortoise left. The two felines looked at each other in the silent Hall of Heroes. The spotted feline looked up at the golden dragon clutching the object of his many thoughts.
Finally, Tai Lung sighed. "He's right."
"What?"
"We've... I've been so caught up in trying to figure out why I'm here that... I haven't thought about the journey I'm taking. It's really... depressing." He looked straight at Tigress. "And you've been miserable all because you're trying to please someone... who's probably already pleased with you."
Tigress stared at him for a moment. Was it true? Was it true that all this time she was fighting for something that she already had? Tigress turned away. "It doesn't feel like it."
"Then maybe you have to aim for something else. Where the ends don't only justify the means, but where the journey is more enjoyable than the destination."
It was wise advice, though Tigress had trouble admitting it. Over time, the Furious Five and Tai Lung made the noodle shop their home. Everything seemed fine until Master Oogway ordered everyone to get ready to choose the Dragon Warrior. Knowing that it wouldn't be him, Tai Lung eagerly watched each of the Furious Five to figure out who the Dragon Warrior was. But his and everyone's expectations were literally crashed when Po came flying in front of Oogway and took the Dragon Warrior Title.
Needless to say, everyone was more than a little upset, though they didn't take it out on Po. The excitable lovable panda that they knew turned sheepish overnight because of the guilt of his plunder. Master Shifu wasn't too pleased with him, and though the others tried to stand up for Po in different ways, the red panda wasn't budging.
But the more Tai Lung thought about it, the more Po actually seemed to fit the description, though in a way that seemed more of a comedic punchline than a serious prophecy. "This makes no sense," Shifu murmured as he walked the palace steps under cover of night with Tai Lung and Tigress. "Master Oogway won't admit that he's made a mistake in picking the panda. He's nothing like what a warrior should be."
Tai Lung took a look at Tigress, who only seemed torn. It made sense. She had begun to see Po as a good friend in the village. Someone to keep her grounded. Now that same friend had taken the thing that she wanted. They were all in a hard place.
Tai Lung took a brave breath. "Maybe... that's the point."
"What?" Tigress and Shifu said, stopping mid-way between the barracks and the Jade Palace.
"Master Shifu, you told us that all the rumors and myths about the Dragon Warrior would be fulfilled in detail. Po came in a ball of fire-"
"They were fireworks, Tai Lung."
"He does make the earth quake."
"He's fat enough to make China quake!"
Tai Lung had never seen this side of Shifu. More importantly, he had never been the target of it. That didn't mean that Shifu got a pass for talking badly about someone who didn't deserve it. Tai Lung glared at his master. "And he is unlike any warrior that the world has ever seen."
"Because he is a panda!" Shouted Shifu. Tai Lung's ears sank. The red panda sighed and regained his composure. "He is not the Dragon Warrior."
"Maybe not the Dragon Warrior you expect, but the Dragon Warrior you need."
Shifu glanced back at his son, grumbled, and walked away. Tai Lung sighed.
"I think you're right," Tigress finally spoke up.
"Hm?"
"It makes sense. I just... don't understand what Master Oogway sees in him that we don't."
Tai Lung shrugged. "Maybe we're too focused on the expectation that we don't accept the reality." Then the snow leopard's head perked up. "Maybe that's why Po's having such a hard time being trained. Shifu's training him the way he trained us."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"No," Tai Lung said, "Remember when Oogway told you that you can't be like Shifu? What if it's the same thing with Po?"
Just then, Zeng flew in under the night sky and fluttered straight to the ground. "The horde! The Horde is coming! The Mongolian Horde is coming and they're bringing Huairen, the fiercest Mongolian of them all!"
The two felines gasped. "Get the rest of the Furious Five. We have to wait for Shifu to come back from seeing Master Oogway," Tai Lung said. Zeng nodded and flapped away. "Maybe Master Oogway will help us figure out what to do."
He wasn't prepared for Master Oogway to leave them with only his staff to remember him by. Surprisingly from that point, Shifu started acting like he actually believed that Po was the Dragon Warrior. And more surprisingly, Po did not.
The two felines watched in quiet as the pandas shouted at each other on the steps of the Jade Palace. "I stayed," Po exclaimed. "Because I thought that if anyone could change me. Could make me... not me, it was you! The greatest Kung Fu Teacher in all of China!"
Tai Lung watched from the roof. He shook his head and sighed. "Now what?"
"Now we fight the Mongolian Horde and Huairen." Tigress stood up. "This is what Master Shifu trained us for."
"It's going to be difficult," Tai Lung mentioned.
"Are you going to stop me?" Tigress growled.
"Ha! Stop you? I wouldn't dream of it," The snow leopard cracked his back as he stood up. "No, I'm coming with you."
"We all are," said the rest of the Furious Five. They were off but returned more battered and bruised than they left. Huairen proved to be much too strong. But after Master Shifu finally understood how to train the panda, he allowed Po to receive the Dragon Scroll. Though Po was scared, he bravely took the scroll to achieve his destiny.
"It's blank."
"WHAT?!"
Tai Lung let the words slowly sink into his skull. The object of his unrequited desires. The thing he was told wasn't made for him. The thing that made him feel disconnected from the whole world because he wondered what it could be. The thing that he daydreamed and fantasized about. The item he secretly longed for... was blank.
If Oogway was trying to help Tai Lung with his confusion growing up, this did not make things any better.
But somehow, someway, Po made it work. The horde came. Huairencame. And Po defeated them and saved the village.
Tai Lung's smiled couldn't be matched when he saw Po, humble and a bit overwhelmed, waving back to the Furious Five before darting off to make sure Shifu was okay.
Through the years, Tai Lung and the others saw Po grow into the role he was meant to play. But Tai Lung also saw the immense pain that came with the title. While Po went through the agony of fighting Lord Shen and discovering who he was and where he came from, the others started to understand why they weren't chosen to be the Dragon Warrior.
It came to a major head when Kai returned to the mortal world. Though Tigress and Tai Lung did their best, they couldn't stop the mighty yak. They were the only ones left to escape Kai and tell Po at the secret panda village, but when Po figured out his real father didn't know the technique he needed to save the world, their panda friend went into denial.
"This isn't going to work," Tigress sternly said, catching his hand.
"It has to work," Po grunted.
Tai Lung stood watch as the two fought each other. "This is ridiculous Po," Tai Lung grumbled.
"Fighting the dummy or fighting Tigress?" Po asked.
"Both!" Tai Lung growled.
"Kai can only be stopped by a master of Chi," Tigress said.
"Oh, you sound just like Shifu with the chi. Chi this. Chi that. Chi chi. I'm not a master of chi. OK? I don't know if I'm the Dragon Warrior. I don't even know if I'm a panda. I don't know who I am!" He groaned and sighed, trying to shut his eyes and make the world stop turning for half a second. "You're right. There's no way I can stop him and his army."
The snowy mountain they were on fell silent. For a fraction of a moment, Tai Lung could see the full weight of the Dragon Warrior title. It made sense. No amount of hard work would be able to prepare him for questions that would shake his very identity. And that's what Po had to go through, time and time again.
That was the burden of being the Dragon Warrior.
Even as they returned from Kai's defeat, Tai Lung still thought back to that moment and what it mean. There was a lot to learn and a lot to understand. And yet, the snow leopard was happy. Excited even. It meant that where was more to the journey than just the destination. "Hey," said a familiar voice. Tai Lung looked up from his steady gaze over the peaceful village. The panda and tiger came up behind him and sat with him on the top of the Jade Palace steps. "What are you doing here all by yourself? You missed the party."
"I'm not really much for parties, Po. Not after your... surprise birthday party."
"I said I was sorry," Po whimpered, twiddling his fingers. Tai Lung shook his head but smiled.
"What are you thinking about?" Tigress asked. The snow leopard took a long breath and stood up.
"I... I want to leave the Valley of Peace."
"What?" Po bolted up to his feet "Why?"
"I want to know where my place in the world is. I think I've been trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be in the wrong place. Looking at Po battle with being Dragon Warrior has shown me a lot."
"Like what?" Po asked.
Standing up, Tai Lung smiled and rested his hand on the panda's shoulder. "That there's more to life than just your destinations. You've got to learn to enjoy the journey too." He looked over to Tigress. Her eyes hid a sadness that wasn't expressed anywhere else on her face. They had gotten closer over the years with Po, and for the first time, it wrenched both of their hearts to see the other go. "I'll come back. I promise," He said.
"How do you know you'll find what you're looking for?" Po asked.
Tai Lung looked at the rising sun basking the village in a brilliant glow. "I don't know, but I'm not worried about what I'm looking for. I'm gonna enjoy the journey."
And with that, Tai Lung walked down the Jade Palace steps to find his own destiny.
Now I don't know if he ever found it, but Po and Tigress will tell you that he's never been happier on his journey.
The End
A/N: Yeah, this is coming from a semi-lost heart. Just here to tell everyone that we're all trying to find the journey we were meant to be on.
