G'day!
Welcome to chapter 6 for Eye of the Tiger.
Hope you've been keeping yourselves safe and healthy. Sometimes these uploads sneak up on me. Time certainly flies when you're not thinking about it, but the good thing is you're the pilot of your own journey. Alright, I gotta stop trying to be all inspirational and focus on the actual chapter. This is another chapter where, when I first started writing, didn't expect it to be much more than 6k words, but here we are, with a chapter nearing 9k words. Maybe that's all I need to do. Aim for 6k words and give myself 3k words as a leeway. But yeah, by now this version of the story should look completely different to the previous version. I mean, you're getting more insight into Tigress' mind, but also more detailed chapters too. It's always challenging writing these chapters, but it's a good challenge. There's been a few flaws to manoeuvre around, but one of the more trickier (and less obvious) flaws that has been difficult to incorporate into the chapters is the movement of time. It's something the movie(s) don't necessarily focus on, which has made it difficult planning when the sequence of events occur. That aside, the next chapter will mark the end of the first movie, and the beginning of linking the 1st movie with the holiday special. Anyway, there's not much more to say about this chapter.
Happy Easter (for last weekend) to those that celebrate it. Hope you were spoilt with lots of chocolate. I certainly was. Too much for my own good.
Thank you to Starless Echoes for your latest review and continued support. It's always a nice surprise receiving reviews, so thank you for your positive feedback. To everyone else, thank you for taking the time to read my works. I highly encourage you to leave a review. Reviews are an extremely helpful guide for me to understand how these chapters are being perceived. Without reviews, I'm working off my own judgement, and while I do my best to sure these chapters are of the highest quality that I can produce, getting feedback is invaluable. I'm not asking for long essay-like reviews. If there's something you liked about a chapter, let me know. If you think something could be improved on, let me know. The only way I'll know is if you tell me. If you'd rather send me a PM, that is also fine. My PMs are open anytime. All reviews (or PMs) are welcomed (as long as they're acceptable), whether it's positive feedback or constructive criticism. Your reviews will help shape this story, so don't be afraid to share your thoughts. I'll respect the time you take to leave a review.
I dunno how many fellow Australians and New Zealanders happen to come across this story, but today, April 25th, is a special day for many of us. In Australia and New Zealand, April 25, known as ANZAC Day, marks and remembers the first major military participation by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym 'ANZAC' stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. After the invasion of Belgium in 1914, war was declared against Germany by Great Britain. As part of the British Empire, Australia and New Zealand were obligated to participate in the war. In 1915, the Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, in Turkey, to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germy during the war.
On April 25, 1915, the ANZAC forces landed at Gallipoli at dawn, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied forces lost over 56,000 soldiers, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand. Though the Gallipoli campaign failed to achieve its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war, the actions of the Australian and New Zealand troops during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of the "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. Their efforts shaped the lands we live on today.
They shall not grow old
As we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them
Nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them
Lest we forget
Anyway, I think that's enough dribble for now...
Disclaimer: All characters and settings used in this story are property of DreamWorks (except for the characters/settings randomly created by me throughout the story.)
Without further adieu, here is chapter 6
Please Read, Review & Enjoy!
Chapter 6 - Tai Lung Returns
A sharp pain shot through my abdomen, forcing me to grasp for air while clutching my ribs. After taking a breath, my eyes refocused, seeing myself lying on the ground with Master Shifu standing next to me. "I thought we could stop him."
Master Shifu looked at me, worried, but showed disappointment in his facial expressions, too. "He could have killed you."
Guilt flooded my body, knowing we had gone against his word, almost costing the others their lives. "Why didn't he?" Mantis asked, as I pushed myself up from the ground, being careful not to further agitate my ribs.
Master Shifu walked over and freed Viper from her paralysed state. "So, you could come back here and strike fear into our hearts. But it won't work."
"Uh, it might. I mean, a little. I'm… I'm pretty scared," the panda said, bringing my attention to him.
It wasn't surprising seeing the panda had stayed, but something seemed different about him. Something was different about his demeanour. It was difficult to pinpoint what, but for starters, Master Shifu showed respect towards the panda. He didn't disprove of the panda's presence. Master Shifu turned to the panda, showing no traces of anger, but seemed assertive with his mannerisms. "You can defeat him, panda!"
The panda half-chuckled. "Are you kidding? I-I-If they can't. They're five masters. I'm just one me!"
"You will have the one thing that no one else does." This caused me to glance at Master Shifu, astounded by his statement, before looking at the panda, seeing his face light up with optimism. Though he also seemed surprised, too. "It is time, panda. Meet us at the Hall of Warriors. I want to speak with the Five briefly." The panda nodded and left the training courtyard. With the panda gone, Master Shifu turned to us, looking disappointed but not angry. "You should count yourselves lucky Tai Lung didn't kill you."
My ears lowered, ashamed for having disobeyed Master Shifu, and almost getting everyone killed. "I'm sorry, master. I couldn't allow myself to watch Tai Lung march into the Valley without trying to stop him."
Master Shifu looked at me, still disappointed, though his eyes displayed some empathy towards me. "I understand, Tigress, but I stated you were not destined to defeat him. The panda is."
This confused me. How could Master Shifu believe the panda can defeat Tai Lung? Something must have happened between Master Shifu and the panda while we were away. "I don't understand, master."
"What made you feel the need to fight Tai Lung? The fact the panda showed no confidence in himself?"
"Yes and no, master."
Master Shifu raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain your reasonings, then?"
I sighed. "I heard the conversation you and the panda had, master. It made me realise we had not given the panda a chance, but with you not knowing how to help the panda, I felt the need to step up. And if you haven't spent the past twenty years training us, preparing us for the moment Tai Lung escaped prison, then what have we been training for?"
Master Shifu maintained eye contact with me for a few seconds, before glancing at the others, sighing. "You are trained to defend the Valley against any danger, but disobeying your master is ill-disciplined and disrespectful. In saying that, I cannot deny my relief knowing Tai Lung did not kill you, but there is something you must know. While you were away, I discovered how to train the panda. I couldn't train him how you were trained. The way I trained the panda was with food." That wasn't surprising. "After discovering that, I trained the panda day-and-night, pushing him past his limits. He has proven to me he is ready. I believe in him. You need to trust me and believe in the panda, too. He is ready to receive the Dragon Scroll. Follow me. We have little time left." Master Shifu turned to leave the training courtyard before he paused, looking back at Monkey. "Oh, and Monkey. You'll want to hide your almond cookies somewhere else."
Monkey tilted his head in confusion as Master Shifu left the training courtyard. We followed Master Shifu to the Hall of Warriors, but along the way, my mind couldn't comprehend anything that had happened or was about to happen. So many questions flooded my mind, but none of them had answers. It made no sense how Master Shifu could believe the panda can defeat Tai Lung. The panda couldn't even defend himself against the adversary a few days ago. He has displayed no skills the entire time he's been here. How could the panda have gone from being some psychological mess to convincing Master Shifu he's worthy of receiving the Dragon Scroll? Nobody has convinced Master Shifu of their worthiness in a matter of days. I trust Master Shifu with my life, but still have my doubts about this panda.
The other thing that made no sense was how Master Shifu used food to train the panda. It is well-known pandas have large appetites, but how Master Shifu exploited that to train the panda is unknown. This felt like a dream. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. As we walked up the stairs towards the Hall of Warriors, the magnitude of the situation dawned upon me. This was really happening. We were about to witness Master Shifu present the panda the Dragon Scroll—the most powerful scroll in the history of kung fu. It feels wrong saying this, but after failing to defeat Tai Lung, and with the panda having found confidence from nowhere, perhaps he is our last hope. In saying that, it doesn't seem right for Master Shifu to present the panda the Dragon Scroll when we haven't seen the panda's capabilities.
For me, at least, he's still somebody with no skills in kung fu and lacks in confidence. It's obvious the panda has gained confidence in himself, but we have seen no proof of his worthiness. That's all we need. If the panda can prove to us he's worthy of being given the Dragon Scroll, then my doubts will disappear, but for now, we have to trust Master Shifu's judgement. We don't have any other choice. If he believes the panda is ready, then we have to believe that. Upon reaching the Hall of Warriors, Master Shifu walked up to the panda, who was standing near the doors, and bowed. The panda bowed back to Master Shifu before the panda turned to us and bowed. While the others bowed to the panda, my mind's inability to process everything that was happening prevented my body from moving.
Despite not bowing to the panda, our eyes met, maintaining contact for several moments. Twice our eyes have met, but never have the panda's eyes displayed such confidence, yet gentleness. It was almost like looking into Master Oogway's eyes, and that forced me to look away, unsettled by that thought. "This is a historic day for us all," Master Shifu said, bringing my attention to him. He was standing in front of the doors, facing us. "A day I never thought I would have the privilege of presenting the Dragon Warrior the Dragon Scroll." Master Shifu glanced at the panda with a small smile tucked on his face, before looking at each of us. "I understand some of you may doubt my decision to present the panda the Dragon Scroll, but now is a time you must trust in your master and believe in the panda. Let us begin the ritual."
Master Shifu turned around and pushed open the doors, entering the Hall of Warriors with the panda alongside him. We followed Master Shifu and the panda to the end of the Hall of Warriors, where the Moon Pool resided. Above the Moon Pool was the dragon sculpture with the Dragon Scroll clamped in its jaws. It didn't seem real that this was happening, yet here we stood, about to witness Master Shifu present the panda the Dragon Scroll. Knowing it wasn't me receiving the Dragon Scroll amplified how much of a failure the past few days have been. It didn't seem fair to my dedication towards kung fu, but after disobeying Master Shifu, only to fail defeating Tai Lung, and almost getting everyone killed, it's obvious becoming the Dragon Warrior and obtaining the Dragon Scroll was never part of my destiny.
If my destiny was to never become the Dragon Warrior, then what is my destiny? Is my destiny to be the leader of the Furious Five and nothing more? Don't get me wrong, finding these skilful warriors was one of the greatest mistakes of my life. It's a privilege to train and fight alongside them every day, but that cannot be where my destiny ends. There must be more to my destiny than that. Master Shifu is one of the most formidable kung fu masters on these lands. Why wasn't he selected as the Dragon Warrior? There must be a reason Master Oogway chose the panda as the Dragon Warrior. Perhaps we haven't seen it yet. Maybe that's why Master Oogway told me to give the panda time.
"There is more to being the Dragon Warrior, but there will be no Dragon Warrior if no one believes in him. Give the panda time, and he will prove himself."
It still isn't clear what Master Oogway meant, but after thinking about it, it seems like Master Oogway was hinting it was never in my destiny to become the Dragon Warrior. That doesn't help answer what my destiny is, but he said no one can control my destiny, except me. Does that mean the events of the past few days have occurred to prove the title of the Dragon Warrior wasn't for me? That the panda needs my guidance to become the Dragon Warrior? Is that what Master Oogway meant when he said the panda needs me to guide him, nurture him and believe in him? Sometimes Master Oogway leaves me with more questions than answers, but as his last request was for me to believe in the panda, perhaps it is time to accept my fate.
The Dragon Warrior was never my destiny. It was the panda's destiny, and he will only fulfill his destiny if we believe in him. We trust Master Shifu, and if he believes in the panda, then maybe we should, too. After all, the panda has gained confidence in himself, but it's difficult to trust the panda when we haven't seen what he's capable of doing. He's still the panda with no skills in my eyes, but he could also be, as Tai Lung put it, like a warrior no one has ever seen before. We just don't know. We're trusting Master Shifu's judgement, which we do ninety-nine percent of the time, but this is different. This is the Dragon Scroll we're talking about. The most powerful scroll that Master Oogway created. We don't know what powers lie inside, nor what will happen when it's opened.
No amount of doubt is going to stop what's about to happen before my eyes. Master Shifu and the panda walked up to the Moon Pool as we stood back and watched. The panda glanced up at the dragon sculpture before looking back at Master Shifu. "You really believe I'm ready?"
Master Shifu looked at the panda. "You are… Po."
That was the first-time hearing Master Shifu acknowledge the panda by his name, and given the look on the panda's face, that must have been the case. By addressing the panda by his name, not only was Master Shifu accepting the panda for who he was, but also as the Dragon Warrior. Both accolades would feed more confidence into the panda. Master Shifu walked over to where Master Oogway's staff hung, picking it up before bringing it back to the Moon Pool. At the edge of the Moon Pool, Master Shifu began twirling the staff around while performing precise movements with his hands. We watched in awe as the petals rose from the Moon Pool, swirling upwards towards the dragon sculpture before a single petal landed on the end of the Dragon Scroll.
At the petals' touch, the Dragon Scroll shifted from the dragon sculpture's jaws, causing it to fall towards the Moon Pool. Master Shifu reached out and caught the Dragon Scroll with the staff, preventing it from landing in the Moon Pool, before turning around and holding it out to the panda. "Behold, the Dragon Scroll. It is yours."
The panda went to take the Dragon Scroll from Master Shifu but stopped himself. "Wait. What happens when I read it?"
"No one knows, but legend says you will be able to hear a butterfly's wing beat."
"Woah! Really?! That's cool!"
"Yes. And see light in the deepest cave. You will feel the universe in motion around you."
This caused the panda to become overexcited. "WOW! Can I punch through walls? Can I, can I, can I do a quadruple backflip?"
Master Shifu looked at the panda, unimpressed. "Focus."
"Will I have invisibility? Will-"
"Focus."
"Huh?"
"Focus."
"Oh, yeah, yeah."
After several attempts, Master Shifu regained the panda's attention. Though the panda had become overexcited, he showed a glimpse of his training, demonstrating his defensive stance and punching techniques. Neither of which he possessed when he first arrived at the Jade Palace. "Read it, Po, and fulfill your destiny. Read it and become… the Dragon Warrior!"
"Whoaaaaaa!" The panda took the Dragon Scroll from Master Shifu, and tried opening it, but appeared to struggle. "It's impossible to open." After straining for several moments, the panda handed the Dragon Scroll back to Master Shifu, who held up his hand, becoming impatient with the panda's inability to open the Dragon Scroll. Master Shifu opened the Dragon Scroll with little effort, before giving it back to the panda. "Thank you! I probably loosened it up for you, though." The panda took the Dragon Scroll out of its casing. "Okay, here it goes." With his paws trembling, the panda grabbed both ends of the Dragon Scroll and opened it with extreme caution. A golden aura shined from the Dragon Scroll, lighting up the panda's face. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" We stepped back, startled by the panda's screams, unsure what he had seen or was experiencing. The panda stopped screaming and looked at Master Shifu. "It's blank."
"WHAT?!" Master Shifu yelled.
"Here, look."
The panda showed Master Shifu the Dragon Scroll, only for Master Shifu to turn his head away. "No! I am forbidden to look upon…" Master Shifu paused, with curiosity getting the better of him. He snatched the Dragon Scroll from the panda's grasp, opening and closing it several times, while looking at it from different angles. "Blank? I don't"—Master Shifu looked at us, baffled—"I don't understand." None of us knew what to say. Had Master Oogway forgotten to put something in the scroll? Or did none of us understand the message the Dragon Scroll implied? If the panda doesn't understand the Dragon Scroll, perhaps he wasn't meant to be the Dragon Warrior. Whatever the case, Tai Lung is still on his way. We must find a way of stopping him. He may not understand the Dragon Scroll either, but that won't stop him.
"Okay, so, like, Oogway was just a crazy old turtle after all." For once, the panda's words could be agreed upon. It has never been easy to understand the motives of Master Oogway. He has always gone about his business in simple, but complex ways.
"No, Oogway was wiser than us all."
"Oh, come on! Face it! He picked me by accident. Of course, I'm not the Dragon Warrior." The panda plonked himself down on the ground, dejected after having lost confidence in himself. "Who am I kidding?"
Seeing the panda lose his confidence was like watching our last hope slip away. It left one question in my mind, causing me to look at Master Shifu, who had turned around and was staring into the Moon Pool. "But who will stop Tai Lung?"
"He'll destroy everything and everyone," Crane said.
"No!" Master Shifu turned around, handing the Dragon Scroll back to the panda, before walking over to us. "Evacuate the Valley. You must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage."
Worry crept into my mind, fearing what Master Shifu planned to do. "What about you, master?"
"I will fight him."
This was turning into the worst imaginable situation, with Master Shifu confirming my fears true. "What?" the panda asked, sounding concerned.
"I can hold him off long enough for everyone to escape."
"But Shifu, he'll kill you!"
Master Shifu turned to the panda. "Then I will finally have paid for my mistake." Those words struck a place few words have reached. "Listen to me, all of you. It is time for you to continue your journey without me. I am very proud to have been your master." Master Shifu looked at me as he spoke his last sentence with a proud smile, almost insinuating he was directing those words at me, before he bowed to us. We reciprocated the bow, but this was the first time, in a long time, my emotions broke through to the surface. It was heartbreaking knowing this may be the last time seeing Master Shifu. The person who saved me from the orphanage and gave me this life. Despite wanting to stay and fight alongside Master Shifu, he would forbid me from doing so.
He had made a decision, and no amount of arguing would change that. With time against us, we had no choice but to follow his orders and evacuate the Valley, despite my body not wanting to walk away. We must protect the villagers from Tai Lung. While turning to leave, my eyes caught a glimpse of the panda's face, who appeared anguished, but he wouldn't be feeling the sort of pain going through my body. My ribs may hurt, but that's a physical pain which can be ignored. Leaving Master Shifu created a heavy feeling, but had to push the pain to the side and focus on evacuating the Valley. There's no doubt Master Shifu can defeat Tai Lung. If anyone can, it's Master Shifu, but it feels wrong leaving him behind to face Tai Lung by himself.
It seems like we're neglecting him, but we must obey his orders and ensure the safety of the villagers. We cannot risk history repeating itself. It's unknown where we'll take the villagers, but the further away they are from Tai Lung, the safer they'll be. As we made our way down the thousand steps, the sun slipped behind the mountains, with dark ominous clouds gathering around the Valley, typifying the looming threat the Valley was facing. By the time we reached the bottom of the thousand steps, the villagers were already fleeing the Valley. "We've got to get them out safely," I said to the others.
Monkey picked up a young piglet who was on her own. "Come, little one. Let's find your mama." Monkey sprung off the steps, disappearing into the Valley, in search of the piglet's mother.
With the villagers scrambling, we had to prevent them from stampeding on each other while ensuring no one was left behind. I turned to Viper and Mantis. "Viper, gather the southern farmers. Mantis, the north." Viper and Mantis left, heading towards their respective parts, leaving Crane and me. I looked at Crane and handed him a lantern. "Crane, light the way." Crane grabbed the lantern before taking to the skies, flying ahead of the villagers to guide them out of the Valley. My duty would be to round up the stragglers, but ahead of me, a mother rabbit struggled to pull the cart her children and possessions were in, causing me to approach her. "Ma'am? Allow me to carry your cart for you."
The mother rabbit turned and bowed to me. "Oh, thank you, Master Tigress!"
Picking up the cart's handle and pulling it behind me, the mother rabbit walked alongside me as we made our way out of the Valley. It was undetermined where we were taking the villagers, but our safest option would be to take them to the nearest village, Jindesichou Valley. However, with Jindesichou Valley being sixteen miles away, it would take the entire night to walk there. It wouldn't be ideal forcing the villagers to walk all night, though. Once we reach a safe distance from the Valley, we'll let them rest for the night, and continue in the morning. By now, we had left the Valley, following the pathway towards the bamboo forests situated to the north of the Valley. The journey wasn't difficult, except for pulling the cart over the occasional set of stairs.
It was no trouble bringing the mother rabbit's cart for her. We're required to help the villagers however we can, whether it's protecting them from danger or performing mundane tasks such as transporting things that are too heavy for them to carry. Besides, her children seemed to enjoy the bouncy ride, screaming and yelling with each bump the stairs caused. The further we got from the Valley, the more difficult it was to comprehend everything that was happening. My body wanted to turn around and go back, but knew that wasn't an option. After everything Master Shifu had done for me, it just felt wrong leaving him behind, knowing he may not survive the battle with Tai Lung.
We should have stayed and faced Tai Lung instead of fleeing from the danger. That doesn't mean we would have come out victorious, but together with Master Shifu, the odds had to be in our favour. It would be far better dying in battle alongside Master Shifu than fleeing, but someone has to protect the villagers. Master Shifu is one of the greatest kung fu masters to ever live, but he knew this battle would be like none other. He knew he could die in battle. It's one of the few times Master Shifu has shown doubt in anything, which made it even harder leaving him, but if we all stayed and died in battle, we would leave the villagers unprotected. That's why Master Shifu ordered us to evacuate the Valley.
He was sacrificing himself to provide us with the time required to flee. It makes me wonder how we've ended up in this situation, and the only thing that comes to mind is the panda. In the time we were away, the panda appeared to have proven himself to Master Shifu, feeding him with hope. Yet, when it mattered, the panda failed everyone. By not understanding the meaning of the Dragon Scroll, the panda has failed to fulfil his alleged destiny as the Dragon Warrior, causing Master Shifu to sacrifice himself to let us escape with the villagers. The panda should be the one sacrificing his life, not Master Shifu. He was selected as the Dragon Warrior to defeat Tai Lug and bring peace to the Valley, but the complete opposite has happened.
Not understanding the Dragon Scroll may have knocked the confidence out of the panda, but if he won't even attempt fighting Tai Lung, then why did he bother allowing Master Shifu to train him? Why did he endure everything only to get to this point? This is his opportunity to prove, not only to himself, but to all of us, that he's worthy of being claimed the Dragon Warrior. Instead of seizing the opportunity, he's running from it. Perhaps my instincts have been right all this time. The panda has turned out to be nothing but a waste of our time, but that's all in the past now. Our focus must be on protecting the villagers. Nothing will change what has happened, nor that the Dragon Warrior was never part of my destiny. What my destiny is remains unclear, but for now, we must focus on the present.
"Excuse me, Master Tigress!" a small voice called out from behind me, causing me to peer over my shoulder and look at the children sitting in the cart. "Where are you going?"
"Children, please respect Master Tigress," the mother rabbit said before she looked at me. "I apologise, Master Tigress. You know how curious a child's mind can be."
A small smile tugged the side of my mouth. "No need to apologise, ma'am." I looked over my shoulder at the children. "We're heading to Jindesichou Valley."
"Why are we going there?"
That would seem like such a simple question to the children, but it's a difficult question to answer. How do you explain to children why we're fleeing the Valley? They wouldn't know who Tai Lung is, but that was a starting point. "Have you heard about Tai Lung?" The children shook their heads, as expected. "He's an extremely dangerous person and is putting the Valley under threat. We're taking you to Jindesichou Valley for your safety."
"Why is he a dangerous person?"
"Yeah, what did he do?"
Their mother was right. Her children possessed curious minds. There's nothing wrong with having a curious mind, but their innocence prevented them from understanding how complicated such questions were. They have a right to know, but now wasn't an ideal time to explain to them the situation we're in. "Once we stop for the night, I'll tell you a story about Tai Lung. How does that sound?"
"YAY!"
"I love stories!"
"Okay, children," their mother said, interrupting them. "Let Master Tigress focus on her duties. No more questions for now."
The children settled back into the cart, allowing me to focus on where we were going, as we had ventured into the bamboo forest. It should be safe for the villagers to rest here for the night, although the storm clouds over the Valley had strengthened. The storm had produced no rain yet, but there was the occasional flash of lightning, increasing my vigilance and causing the fur on my neck to stand up. After walking deeper into the bamboo forest for another hour, Viper emerged from the crowd, approaching me, appearing concerned about something. "Tigress! Have you seen Po? The others are ahead, but they haven't seen him either since we left the Valley."
It made me curious to know the panda's whereabouts, but at the same time, we had other issues to focus on. "I haven't seen him since we left the Jade Palace. He's big enough to look after himself. We need to stay focused on keeping the villagers safe. How did you go with the southern farmers?"
"They moved out without any issues. Mantis said the northern farmers didn't cause any issues either, and Monkey found the piglet's mother."
Though it was pleasing knowing the farmers moved out with no issues, for they can be quite stubborn, Viper still showed concern on her face. There's no point being concerned about the panda. Where he wishes to go is his choice, not ours. Viper travelled beside me, as we continued trekking deeper into the bamboo forest. It wasn't long afterwards when we met up with the others, for they had stopped at the base of a hill, with the villagers gathering around. "Hey, Tigress! Hey, Viper!" Crane said. "Do we have plans on where to take the villagers?"
"We'll take the villagers to Jindesichou Valley in the morning. For now, we should let them rest."
"She also hasn't seen Po since we let the Valley," Viper said. "Where could he have gone?"
"For a big guy, he's done well to disappear," Mantis said, only for Viper to hiss at him. "What? I'm being serious. He's one of the largest animals in the Valley, and he's gone vamoose!"
The last thing needed was for them to start talking about the panda again. It's the first time since he was selected as the Dragon Warrior that we've got him out of our lives. "Excuse me, Master Tigress." A familiar childish voice called out, causing me to turn around, seeing the children from the cart approaching me. Only then did it remind me of my promise to tell them about Tai Lung. "Could you tell us that story you promised to tell us, please?"
"Children, please," the mother rabbit said, walking over to her children. "Master Tigress does not have time to tell stories."
"Aww, but-"
"Come along now." The mother rabbit looked at me. "I apologise for my children. They seem to have found a liking to you." She turned around, taking her children away.
"Ma'am?" The mother rabbit glanced back at me. "There's time to tell them the story."
She glanced at her children, who seemed saddened, thinking they had missed out on a story, before she looked back at me. "I appreciate your kindness, Master Tigress. Alright, children. Gather around Master Tigress, but once she's finished telling her story, it's straight to bed."
"YAY! Thanks mama!" The children gathered around me, settling down on the ground.
"Many, many years ago, well before our time, one evening, Master Shifu found a young snow leopard at the doorsteps of the Jade Palace. There was no note explaining why the cub had been left there, but with the cub alone, cold, and hungry, Master Shifu had no choice but to bring him into the Jade Palace. Master Shifu ordered a widespread search for the cub's parents, but despite those efforts, the cub's parents were never found. To this day, no one has discovered any traces of them. The unexplainable disappearance of the cub's parents forced Master Shifu to nurture the cub. Master Shifu could have handed the cub over to the Bao Gu Orphanage, but he didn't. He had always wanted a son, but his duties as a kung fu master prevented him from fulfilling those dreams until the cub turned up.
"The universe gifted him what he always wanted. A son to call his own. During the time they spent looking for the cub's parents, Master Shifu became fond of the young cub, and after six months of failed searches, Master Shifu decided to adopt the young cub. He named him 'Tai Lung', meaning 'Great Dragon', hoping he would become the Dragon Warrior one day. As a child, Tai Lung showed a natural talent in the art of kung fu. Master Shifu spent the next twenty-five years training Tai Lung, becoming more convinced each day he was the foretold prodigy. He believed Tai Lung was destined for greatness. That he was destined to become the Dragon Warrior. Over time, Tai Lung became overconfident in his abilities, having mastered Leopard Style kung fu and the advanced techniques of kung fu, such as the nerve attack.
"Tai Lung was the first to ever master the thousand scrolls of kung fu, but despite these accomplishments, it was never enough. He wanted the power of the Dragon Scroll, said to contain the secret to limitless power, but only the Dragon Warrior would be deemed worthy of reading the Dragon Scroll. Tai Lung believed he was destined to become the Dragon Warrior, but this overwhelming pride and lust for power forewarned Master Oogway of the darkness in Tai Lung's heart. When Master Shifu presented Tai Lung to Master Oogway, he refused Tai Lung the title of the Dragon Warrior, surprising and disappointing both Master Shifu and Tai Lung. Master Shifu had no choice but to respect the decision of Master Oogway, leaving Tai Lung feeling betrayed.
"Confused and outraged, Tai Lung laid waste to the Valley, leaving a swath of destruction in his fury before charging back to the Jade Palace to take the Dragon Scroll by force. Master Shifu advanced to stop Tai Lung with a direct attack, but hesitated, unwilling to strike a lethal blow to the one he still considered his son. Tai Lung did not hesitate, though, knocking Master Shifu to the side, shattering his hip, before leaping for the Dragon Scroll. Master Oogway halted Tai Lung mid-air, jabbing multiple pressure points on Tai Lung's chest, blocking his chi, and rendering him unconscious. By then, the damage had been done. The cub Master Shifu found, raised as his son, and trained as his student had fallen before him, overtaken by the darkness in his heart.
"Tai Lung had destroyed the Valley, with many villagers perishing during the attack. To this day, it remains the worst attack on the Valley. Master Shifu had no choice but to prevent such devastation from happening again. He bowed to Master Oogway's wishes and helped oversee the construction of Chorh-Gom Prison in the frigid, snowy mountain peaks of the Tavan Bogd Mountains in the Northern Wastelands. The prison was carved inside the mountain, taking several months to complete. During its construction, Tai Lung was chained and fitted with a restraining tortoise shell, before being placed inside the Jade Palace's Dungeon Chamber. The restraining tortoise shell contained various acupuncture needles in crucial places along his back, keeping his chi blocked and reduced his breathing to the minimum, making him almost completely immobilised.
"When Chorh-Gom Prison was completed, Master Shifu and Master Oogway transported Tai Lung to the prison, leaving him under the supervision of Commander Vachir and the Anvil of Heaven, an elite army of one-thousand rhino guards. They placed Tai Lung in the deepest part of the prison, attaching chains to his arms that were weighed down by large boulders, making an escape improbable, but not impossible. Tai Lung would remain here for the rest of his life, as punishment for his crimes against the citizens of the Valley. It took many months to repair the Valley, and despite its successful reconstruction, the scars of Tai Lung's attack never healed. Master Shifu has never been the same since. Tai Lung inflicted so much pain on Master Shifu that he shut away his heart to anyone who set foot on the Jade Palace."
"It has now been twenty years since Tai Lung's attack, and to this day, Master Shifu's sternness has not faltered. He has not allowed himself to become attached to anyone. Not even us. His teachings became rigorous, installing a strict routine that has not changed to this day. A few days ago, prior to the Dragon Warrior tournament, Master Oogway informed Master Shifu about a vision he had. Master Oogway envisioned Tai Lung would escape from Chorh-Gom Prison and return to the Valley. Frightened by this, Master Shifu sent Zeng, the Jade Palace's messenger goose, to Chorh-Gom Prison, ordering them to double the guards and tighten their security. In the time Zeng was away, Master Oogway held the Dragon Warrior Tournament, as you all attended, to select someone as the Dragon Warrior.
"Whoever Master Oogway chose would be trusted with the secret of the Dragon Scroll after achieving the highest level of kung fu. By reading the Dragon Scroll, the Dragon Warrior would be granted limitless power, destined to defeat Tai Lung, and restore peace to the Valley. However, the tournament didn't go as planned. As you would have witnessed, a panda crash-landed in the middle of the Palace Arena, interrupting the choosing ceremony, claiming he wanted to see who the Dragon Warrior would be. What we didn't expect was for Master Oogway to declare the same panda as the Dragon Warrior, brought to us by the universe. The outcome of the tournament shocked and angered many of us, but we had to respect Master Oogway's decision, even if we disagreed with it.
"Over the next few days, the panda displayed everything but why he deserved to be claimed the Dragon Warrior, demonstrating no skills in kung fu. He was not worthy of being presented with the Dragon Scroll, and that left us in a tough predicament of what to do once Tai Lung escaped. We didn't know when Tai Lung would escape, but we had to prepare for his inevitable breakout, for Master Oogway's visions are never incorrect. Tai Lung could have escaped at any moment, and unfortunately for us, we were informed by Master Shifu, the night following the tournament, that Tai Lung had indeed broken out. After being locked away in Chorh-Gom Prison for twenty years, Tai Lung was free, and heading back to the Valley of Peace to claim the Dragon Scroll as his.
"No one knew how long Tai Lung would take to return, but with the panda, the proclaimed Dragon Warrior, showing no confidence in himself, someone had to step up and protect the Valley. It left us no choice but to travel to the Thread of Hope, to defeat Tai Lung and restoring peace to the Valley. Upon arriving at the Thread of Hope, we confronted Tai Lung, engaging in a tense battle, lasting many minutes. Momentum swung several times during the fight, but in the end, we subdued Tai Lung, wrapping his body with ropes from the remains of the bridge, before sending him into the gorge below. When it seemed like we had defeated Tai Lung, he used what we had left of the destroyed bridge to swing up and break free, landing behind us.
"How he broke free remains unknown, but our attempt on defeating Tai Lung was futile. Tai Lung utilised the nerve attack on us, blocking our chi and rendering us unconscious, except for Crane, allowing him to transport us back to the Jade Palace as a warning. That Tai Lung could defeat the five strongest warriors any anyone who opposed him, including the Dragon Warrior. When we returned to the Jade Palace, after Master Shifu unblocked our chi, and we regained our consciousness, he informed us the panda was ready to receive the Dragon Scroll. To us, that never seemed possible, but during the time we were away, Master Shifu discovered how to train the panda, and so he spent day and night training the panda until he proved his worthiness to Master Shifu.
"Somehow, the panda had installed belief into Master Shifu that he was indeed the legendary Dragon Warrior, destined to defeat Tai Lung and bring peace to the Valley. However, when Master Shifu presented the Dragon Scroll to the panda, he did not understand the message depicted inside. This caused the panda to lose his confidence, believing Master Oogway had selected him by mistake. Whatever the case, Tai Lung was still on his way, and we needed someone to stop him from attacking the Valley. We had tried and failed, and with the panda losing faith in himself, this left Master Shifu no choice but to order us to evacuate the Valley, while he would stay behind to fight Tai Lung. And thus, that is why we are here now, taking you to Jindesichou Valley. To ensure you are not harmed when Tai Lung returns."
The story became far longer than expected, and by the end, one child had climbed into my arms and fallen asleep. That didn't bother me, nor did the mother seem concerned with her child being asleep in my arms, which is rare. Most villagers are cautious around me, but the mother rabbit has shown great trust and respect towards me, which is much appreciated. Her child cannot stay with me, though. He would distract me from my duties, although part of me didn't want to disturb the child from his slumber. Mind you, he wasn't the only child to have fallen asleep. Most of the children had fallen asleep, which was no surprise, given today would have been quite exhausting for them.
Being careful not to disturb the child, the mother took her child from me, bowing her head, before proceeding to place him down with the rest of her sleeping children. Now that the child was in his mother's care, it allowed me, with the others helping, to monitor the rest of the villagers as they rested during the night. In the morning, we would escort them to Jindesichou Valley, but there was no need to wake the villagers up at dawn. The bamboo forest provided plenty of protection, so we could leave when the villagers were ready. We just had to ensure they were in safe hands, which they are. Nothing was more important than their safety, but despite that, my mind couldn't help wonder about Master Shifu.
There were no signs of Tai Lung, for we had a clear view of the Jade Palace, and had seen no commotions coming from the Valley, but the skies still showed ominous signs. That didn't seem to worry any of the villagers, for they had settled down for the night, but the anticipation of Tai Lung's arrival brought some anxiety to me. We just had to keep watch, to ensure no one was put in any unnecessary danger. For now, the five of us gathered on the large boulder in the forest to keep watch of our surroundings. The only problem was staying awake. It had been a few days since my last proper sleep, and after the past few exhausting days, everything was starting to catch up to me…
- {Following Morning} -
A foreign object brushed against the side of my face, triggering my reflexes to snatch at whatever the object was and toss it away from my face. "WOAH!" The sudden yell caused me to open my eyes and bolt up from the ground, realising it was well past dawn.
"Hey, hey! Easy, Tigress! It's just us," Crane said, placing a wing on my shoulder, bringing my attention to him. This caused an anxious look to dwell on his face as he took his wing off my shoulder. "That was Mantis, by the way. He, um, he thought it'd be funny to tickle your face with a branch while you were sleeping. We didn't, cause we know what you can do."
Though that answered who, or what, had touched my face, it wasn't the answer to the question that sprung into my head. "Why didn't you ensure I was awake during the night?"
"Well, to be fair, whenever we wake you up, we always get smacked in the face, but you also seemed to need the rest."
"That's not the point, Crane. If Tai Lung had attacked us during the night, it would have taken me longer to react to the situation."
"I… sorry. We just didn't want to disrupt you from your sleep."
"Be more disciplined, Crane. We have a duty to protect the villagers until the threat of Tai Lung passes."
A scuffling noise brought my attention to my left, seeing Mantis climbing up the boulder. "Man, I knew that wasn't a great idea." Mantis looked up, seeing my irritated expressions. "Oh, you're awake. So, it did work." There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Mantis pointed at Monkey. "He dared me to do it!"
"I did not! It was your idea."
"We need to get going," I said, interrupting them. Now wasn't a time to joke around. "We've lost enough time already." Without another word, I leapt down from the boulder, seeing the villagers were awake and standing around the forest. It displeased me, knowing we had kept the villagers waiting. The others should never have allowed me to fall asleep, or at the worst, wake me up at first light. It was also poor self-control on my behalf to have fallen asleep. That should never happen during current times. It's my top priority to ensure the safety of the villagers. Sleep can wait. After gathering the villagers, we set off for Jindesichou Valley. It should take a few hours to get there, though the hills would slow us down. No matter the topography, we had to push on. We began climbing up a steep hill, when we came across a family of rabbits, with one child sitting on the ground looking upset. It caused me to walk over to the family. "Apologies for interrupting, but is everything okay here?"
The mother rabbit looked at me and bowed. "Oh, forgive us, Master Tigress. We didn't mean to trouble you. Our son is just being a nuisance."
"There's no trouble, ma'am." I crouched down to the child, so he wouldn't feel intimidated by me towering over him. "Why are you upset?"
"M-M-My feet a-are soreee!"
"Stop complaining, Jiǎotòng! Now you've distracted Master Tigress from her duties," the mother said, causing the child to become more upset. It annoyed me seeing the mother speaking to her child with such disregard. No child should be treated like that.
"My duties include helping the citizens of the Valley when they require it, including your son." The mother quietened down, allowing me to focus on helping the sobering child, holding out a paw to him. "Would you like some help up the mountain?"
The child looked at me, confused, with his tears coming to a halt. "What, what do you mean?"
"We have a responsibility to care for you. So, how about we help you up the mountain and save you from walking? How does that sound?"
Tears in the child's eyes dried up as a large smile engulfed his face. "Really?"
"Of course. Come on." The child stood up, grabbing onto my paw, allowing me to pick him up and cradle in my arms. He snuggled down as my eyes shifted to the child's mother. "We cannot have any delays escorting you to Jindesichou Valley. The longer we're out here, the greater the danger you're in." Though the mother didn't respond, she seemed a little intimidated by me. Not the first villager to feel that way, but sometimes you need to stamp your authority over them when they're being unreasonable. As we resumed trekking up the mountainside, the child became so relaxed, he fell asleep in my arms, but something else caught my attention. For the past ten minutes, a goose had been walking beside us, looking quite distraught. His behaviour had not changed, causing me to approach him. "Excuse me, sir? Are you okay?"
The goose looked at me, appearing visibly upset. "No, I'm not okay! My son is gone! I may never see him again!"
His response was unexpected, but also made me curious who his son was, and what happened to him. If his son lived with him in the Valley, then his safety fell under our duty of care. "What do you mean? What happened to your son, sir?"
The goose sighed. "He's gone to fight that stupid snow leopard, and now I may never see him again."
This caused my heart to skip a beat as confusion and concern flooded my body. A goose wouldn't stand a chance against Tai Lung. "I don't understand, sir. Why has your son decided to fight Tai Lung?"
"Because he's the Dragon Warrior!"
Now, that was unexpected. My confusion turned into complete bewilderment, trying to understand what the goose was implementing. Just when it seemed impossible to feel more relatable to the panda, here he is, also an orphan. The goose is suffering, but how can you comfort the father of someone you disprove? It feels forced, but he needs some reassurance. "I-I'm sorry you have to go through this, sir. Unfortunately, as your son, the panda, is the Dragon Warrior, it is his duty to protect us from any danger. If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know." The goose lowered his head and kept walking ahead. Despite trying to block out any thoughts about the panda, after that, it's all that was going through my mind.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" someone screamed in the far distance behind us, causing us, and many of the villagers, to turn around, attempting to figure out what was happening. All we could see was a small figure sailing high into the sky, screaming their head off. Though their screaming was faint, given they were several miles from us, it sounded familiar. Too familiar. After reaching peak height, the creature plummeted back towards the ground, continuing to scream. We watched as it landed in the middle of the Valley, with a puff of dust exploding from the ground. Something was happening in the Valley, and it most likely indicated that Tai Lung had returned, but with all activity ceasing, we turned around and continued climbing up the mountainside.
Moments later, a sudden change in pressure and an approaching whistling noise caused me to look around, becoming alarmed, seeing a shock wave of golden chi racing towards us. It caused me to turn my back to it and close my eyes while pulling the baby bunny close to my chest, shielding it from the shock wave. Gale-force winds accompanied the shock wave as it passed over us, taking some strength to remain stationary. With the shock wave passing, I opened my eyes and checked on the baby bunny. He was snuggled in my arms, sleeping. How he remained asleep the whole time was beyond my comprehension. Though the bunny was safe, my focus returned to the Valley, stunned by what we had just experienced.
"What the hell was that?" Mantis asked.
Part of me couldn't understand what we had just witnessed, but the other part of me knew exactly what had happened. "That was a chi shock wave," I said, looking at Mantis, who was standing on Monkey's shoulder. "It's the effects of using the Wuxi Finger Hold."
The others looked at me, fascinated, but perplexed. "Does Tai Lung know how to use it?" Crane asked.
"It couldn't have been Tai Lung. His chi is blue. Master Oogway and Master Shifu were the only people who knew how to execute it." A glimmer of hope rose in my chest after saying that. Perhaps Master Shifu had defeated Tai Lung with the Wuxi Finger Hold. It's an extremely difficult technique to learn, let alone execute with no complications. Improper use of such techniques can lead to fatal consequences. Master Shifu has perfected the technique, but something seemed different about the chi shock wave we experienced. It had a different strength to what Master Shifu's would feel like. Something about it kept leading me to think it was Master Oogway, but that couldn't be possible. Or could it?
"Maybe it was Master Shifu," Mantis said.
"Something tells me it wasn't Master Shifu, either." Nothing could make me share who was popping into my head, though. "Let's return to the Valley, but remain vigilant. We don't know who executed the Wuxi Finger Hold."
[End Notes]
That concludes the end of this chapter. Lemme know what you thought in the reviews (or PM me).
There may be some hidden Easter eggs scattered throughout these chapters too. Keep an eye out and see if you spot any common themes popping up. Hopefully the extended version of Tai Lung's story was a nice edition, as were everything that made up this chapter. Some parts of that were made up, but most of it was based on known facts about Tai Lung. For those who have read "The Golden Gift" you would have noticed the reappearance of a certain "unofficial" valley based near the Valley of Peace. That being Jindesichou Valley. It may feature in future chapters. I realise some of you might wonder where the name comes from, and how to pronounce it.
Okay, Jindesichou is pronounced "Jin-dis-e-chew"... and where does the name come from? Well, my fellow fanfictioners. You'll probably laugh at this, and I encourage that, because it was a random thing at the time. So, when I was writing The Golden Gift I needed a name for this valley, and after playing around with google translator, translating basic English words to Chinese, this is what resulted:
Golden = Jīn de (金的)
Silk = Sīchóu (丝绸)
And thus, it became Jīndesīchóu, but I removed the accents (also known as diacritics) from the letters, just to make it simpler.
So, there you have it. Random, right? But what isn't? I realise google translator can cause translation errors, so these translations may not translate properly. If you understand Chinese and that is the case, I apologise. I know absolutely nothing about the Chinese language.
Anyway, as mentioned at the start, any review, no matter the size, will be muchly appreciated. If you find any mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know, either. All feedback, no matter the size, helps me gauge where the story is at and how to improve.
Thank you for taking the time to read the latest chapter.
Chapter 7 is scheduled to be released on May 16
Until then, take care and stay safe!
Footrot Flats :)