Feathers

Don't own KFP


"Again? You're going to do this again?" Demi asked. I rolled my eyes. "Are you trying to shoot for 200 this time?"

"HECK no! I'll be lucky if I get to fifty!" I said. "No, this is just so I don't keep littering the fandom with random one-shot stories."

Demi shrugged, "Your torture."

"Hey, it's not that bad. Just take your greasy black hair and-" I stopped for a moment, but Demi beat me to the punch.

"They don't have hair, remember?"

"But they do have other things," I smirked.

"You already did something about fur, remember?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't talking about fur."

"Whatever. And by the way, it's not greasy. It's hair product," Demi corrected. I simply rolled my eyes and went to work.

******************F****************

Reptiles have scales, but they can still feel. In fact, they're highly sensitive to touch. The reason why this came up was because a curious panda asked Viper about it. "Why are you so curious about it, Po?" She asked. Po shrugged. "Well, we can still feel. We're not callous."

"Calwho?"

Viper sighed with a small smile, "We can feel things." It was tough to explain some things to Po at times, but it was understandable.

"So how do people feel to you?" Po asked.

"Hm?"

"I mean, it feels different for reptiles, right?"

"No," Viper said. "Something soft still feels soft and something hard still feels hard."

"Wait, so... can you feel the ground underneath you?" Po asked. The snake master nodded. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"Underneath my body doesn't feel as much. It kinda molds with the rocks and pebbles, but I can still feel sharp needles and pins, but my body can tense and relax so they don't poke me."

"Oh... soooo... just wondering," Po said with his cheesy grin. "Which one of us is the softest?"

Viper nearly dropped her spoon; they were eating in the barracks' kitchen when this was happening. Viper had quirked her eyelid. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... which one of us are the softest?"

"You mean... my friends?"

"Yeah?" Po said.

"AH-HA!"

"DAHH!"

"I knew you would cheat," Called Tigress from the kitchen entrance.

Po crossed his arms and huffed, "I'm not cheating. I'm just... trying to figure out a question."

Tigress rolled her eyes as she sat down beside Viper. "I told you not to ask them."

"I was just asking. Asking doesn't offend," Po said.

"Yes, it does. To me," Tigress grunted.

"What are you two talking about?" Viper asked.

"Po and I have a... running bet. If we can figure out which one of us has the softest fur, we have to do something for the other."

"What's that?" Viper asked.

"Well, Tigress has to pay for my food for a week," Po said and narrowed his eyes at the tiger. "But she hasn't told me what she wants."

Tigress gave the smallest smirk. "I'll never tell."

"Well, I'm kinda biased anyway," Viper stuttered. Tigress and Po looked at the snake. "I... I think Crane's feathers feel the softest."

"Really?" Po asked.

"Why am I not surprised," Tigress smiled. The panda tilted his head in confusion, but Viper hissed for her silence. "But anyway, it's a tie with Viper, Po. And I heard that Crane likes Viper's skin more."

"WHAT?!" Po and Viper yelled. Tigress's sly grin only stretched wider.

"There's no way," Po squabbled, glaring at his feline comrade. "I want to hear it from Crane himself."

Tigress's eyes suddenly turned hard onto the panda. Viper lowered her head and tried her best not to meet the tiger's gaze. Po was somewhat used to it. He still darted his eyes around whenever she looking at him sternly. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"N-n-n-no. I just... I just want to know for myself. Heheh heh heh," Po mumbled. Tigress turned her glare off and gave a small huff. "So why don't we go and see Crane and settle the issue?"

"I thought we settled on not telling the others?"

"Yeah well... now I don't care."

"You're cheating," Tigress growled.

"So are you by asking Crane," Po smirked. He got her there. Her low growl confirmed it.

"Alright, alright. Let's go," Tigress huffed. Po and her left the kitchen, but they were unaware of a green serpent master quietly slithering after them. As the two warriors entered the Training Hall where Crane was, they asked the question again. Crane looked away for a moment, clearing his throat.

"Uh... why are you asking me this?"

"Crane, buddy," Po grinned a little too widely. "We're trying to settle a bet." Crane rolled his eyes. "And I heard from Tigress that you said that Viper's skin was the softest. Is that right?"

"Uh... yeah?"

"So it's a draw?" Tigress said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," Po said, "We don't know who is the second softest." Tigress's face fell.

"Really? The second softest?"

"So Crane, after Viper, who is the second softest?" Po asked. They could see the bird's face dusting a bright red hue.

"Look guys, it's not like I... feel you guys every day. Why are you even asking this?"

"I want my dumplings!" Po shouted. Tigress shook her head. "Plus, I am curious. There is no way that a tiger has softer fur than a panda."

Tigress rose her eyebrow. "And why is that?" She crossed her arms, standing straighter as if to stand over Po. The panda wisely thought first. The wrong words would end him pretty quickly, and he was already on thin ice as it was.

"Pandas... have more fat, which is more huggable and people usually like squishy fat."

"Are you saying I'm not huggable?" Tigress asked. Crane stepped back as she inched closer to Po.

"I... I didn't say that. I'm just saying that it's a... different feel."

"How so?"

"Uhhh."

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"You've hugged pandas and me before. Is there a difference?" Tigress asked. Po swallowed the thick clot of mucus accumulating in his throat. "Well?"

"Uh... Wait a minute! You're distracting me. We're asking Crane questions, remember?"

Tigress stared for a moment and sighed before turning back to a cartoonishly sweating Crane. "Uh... as a close second... from what I remember... Tigress's fur is softer."

"WHAT?!"

"HA!"

"HOW!" Po screeched.

"Po, you don't really take care of your fur as much as you think," Crane argued.

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Po exclaimed.

"Apparently a lot," Tigress hummed. The panda made a side-ways glare at the smirking tiger.

Grumbling profusely, Po said, "Let's get Mantis and Monkey. I'm not convinced yet."

Tigress followed the panda to the other comrades. Crane breathed a sigh of relief and turned to train again when he heard an unmistakable noise. His eyes jumped out, and he smelled the sweet scent of rosy flowers. "V-V-Viper? Is that you?"

Silence.

"Viper, I know you're there."

No sound. Then something slowly slid from behind the pillar, bashfully glancing at the bird. She couldn't meet his eyes for very long. She tried looking away but it didn't work. Crane stood like a stick. They were silent for a minute before Crane spoke again. "So... you heard what I said?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Oh... I'm sorry if-"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why am I the softest?" Viper repeated. "All I have are scales." Crane moved closer to her, awkwardly rubbing his other wing.

"Well, I don't think they're bad. I like them."

"Why?" Viper asked.

"Well... I've always... liked having you around my neck... even though you tried to choke me the first time we did it."

"I said I was sorry," Viper chuckled embarrassedly.

"It's okay," Crane smiled, "I... I like you... around me! I mean, like around my neck and... you know."

"Hehehe." The snake quickly slithered and swirled around the blushing bird's neck. "I can stay around here... if you like."

"Y-Y-Yeah, I'd like that a lot."

Viper smiled widely and pecked the bird's cheek. "Good."

Meanwhile, Po sulked as the triumphant tiger walked upstairs by his side to the barracks. Tigress finally sighed, still smiling, and stopped. "Come on, Po. No need to be a sore loser."

"I still think you paid Monkey and Mantis off."

Tigress frowned, "Po, I wouldn't stoop to bribery."

Po sighed, "Right, right. I'm sorry. I'm just really confused. How are you comfier than me?!"

"Why are you so offended?"

"Because! You have a perfect muscular figure and I'm practically pudge! I thought I would at least have that working for me." His frown was contagious, and Tigress found herself feeling the panda's disappointment. She sighed and rested her hand on Po's shoulder.

"It doesn't matter, Po. You're great the way you are," She smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, I think you're the softest."

"Re... really?" Tigress nodded. Po scratched the back of his head as a shaky grin came to his face. "I... I think you're specialllll fur!" He recovered, "Is soft too?" Po shook his head awake. "But that doesn't settle the issue."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Okay, now that we know that you have the softest fur on the team, I have to do what you want me to do. What is it?" Po asked. His heart sank as a wide grin crossed Tigress's face. They stood about three feet from each other, but Tigress closed the gap, standing one foot away. The panda gulped. This is getting a little weird, he thought. Tigress folded her hands behind her back, brimming with her long cheeky smile.

"I want you... to close your eyes."

Po's voice cracked, "You're... you're not going to punch me, are you?"

"I could," Tigress smirked. "It all depends on whether you trust me or not."

"When you're like this? No," Po sighed, "But I trust you."

"Good. Now close your eyes," Tigress said. The panda took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The night air whistled around his ears. He stood in complete darkness, feeling each aching second tick by.

"Tigress? Are you still MPHH!" That's all he could say. His mouth was captured by Tigress's lips pressed against his. Po's eyes jump to saucer size. Before he could even make a move, she pulled away, still smirking in her own playful way.

"I might have the softest fur, Po," She said as she walked on towards the barracks, "You definitely have the softest lips."

Poor Po was left standing dazed and surprised and didn't come out of it until the others found him... the next morning.

Though we're often told to be tough, it is good to have a soft spot sometimes. ;)