Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Wolf and Tiger. Enjoy the 2100-word. I don't own Kung Fu Panda, Dream works does.
Kiba sat next to his friend as Mantis continued to stick acupuncture needles into Po following his climb back up to the Jade Palace.
"Still surprised how angry you were after Shifu kicked Po out of the palace, only person I seen that's as destructive as you is Tigress." Mantis said, not looking up as Kiba leaned against the wall of the room.
"Yeah well, she and Shifu could learn not to bully someone for not knowing how to fight. Ask Po, it took me 8 years to learn Martial Arts and I started when I was 12." Before Mantis or Viper could respond, another voice cut in.
"I started when I was 6, age is no excuse." Kiba along with Po and Viper looked up to see Tigress in the doorway.
"I honestly don't get you, you started out with barely controlled strength and had to be trained to turn that into power and your berating Po for not even starting training when no one wants to teach him."
"How do you know?" Kiba blinked and turned to Po who was still getting needles in his back.
"Po spent every time I came over to hang out geeking out about the Furious Five and other Kung Fu masters." Po gave his friend a look of anger.
"I still don't know why Shifu is throwing such a hissy fit about Tai Lung, Po, isn't he in jail still?" Tigress's ears perked up at the name of the snow leopard.
"Neither of you know how close they were." Kiba turned his head back to the feline.
"Then enlighten us, oh Mistress of the Tiger Style." Po coughed.
"Master." Kiba turned back in confusion.
"I thought it was mistress in that case?" Po shook his head as Tigress sighed.
"From what I remember, Tai Lung mysteriously showed up at the Jade Palace, Master Shifu loved him like a son and chose to train him after he saw the skill and dedication in him." Kiba could see more anger in Tigress's eyes but allowed her to continue.
"Shifu became dedicated to training him…. But Oogway began to see the greed in his heart consumed him." Kiba spoke up.
"He wanted the Dragon scroll and Oogway said no…. Then I'm guessing Shifu supported the decision and it didn't sit well with Tai Lung." Tigress was a bit surprised by Kiba's guess and a bit annoyed but nodded.
"Yes, he went on a rampage through the valley until he returned to take the scroll, Shifu tried to stop him but he couldn't harm his own son…. Oogway did and locked him away." Kiba took another guess based on Tigress's anger.
"You were the second he trained and he didn't show you the love he did Tai Lung…. I'm sorry." Tigress blinked in confusion before her anger returned.
"Well now only the Dragon Warrior can stop him and Oogway picked your friend, a big, useless Pan-..." Kiba turned to look at Po and laughed at the face the panda was making.
"Ok, now he's dead!" Tigress roared, unsheathing her claws.
"Wait! I tweaked his facial nerve!" Mantis yelled before Po fell over, a barrage of acupuncture needles in his back.
"And might have stopped his heart." Kiba groaned.
"Way to go, let me handle it, I took lessons in acupuncture in Japan." Kiba helped Mantis and Viper fix the needles before he looked up at Tigress.
"And at least you have a father…. Mine…. Wasn't the best." Viper looked over at the wolf in sympathy.
"Why?" Kiba turned and began to walk to the door.
"Let's just say, I was glad when he left and my mother remarried someone who cared for her." Kiba walked off to go to the reflecting pool at the back of the Jade Palace.
Kiba leapt into the stone in the middle of the water before siting cross-legged and beginning to meditate before he sniffed the air and leapt out of the reflecting pool before making his way back inside.
"What's new, Kiba?" Po asked as Kiba entered the kitchen.
"I'm going to guess that's the same type of noodle soup I had before I left for Japan?" Po nodded and smiled.
"Yeah, I was going to ask if the f-…" He was cut off as the group entered as well, Kiba had to bite back a laugh from how everyone besides Tigress was looking at the soup.
"What?"
[10 minutes later]
Kiba laughed after finishing a bowl of the soup as Po did an impression of Shifu which even Tigress couldn't help but share a smile at.
"This isn't the time for jokes!" Kiba turned to see Shifu in the doorway and as Kiba was about to defend his friend, Shifu spoke up again.
"Tai Lung has escaped prison and is on his way here." Kiba turned to walk out the door.
"I'll go get Master Oogway." Shifu cut him off.
"Master Oogway cannot help us…. He has passed on." Tigress and the others turned their heads as Kiba growled.
"That just ruined my good mood." Tigress saw an anger similar to her own before the wolf left.
Kiba didn't have many people he considered close to him besides his family and Po but part of him was still angered at the death of the tortoise, he reminded Kiba of his former master, kind, fatherly, respectful. Kiba's ears could make out Shifu chasing after Po, Tigress trying to convince him that she and the Furious Five should handle Tai Lung as she was trained for it. He also heard Shifu denying it as he continued his chase.
'Why do I hear running towards the mountain side….' Kiba thought in his head before realizing what was happening, he ran towards the side of the cliff and flung himself over the edge, he used a tree branch to fling himself towards the edge of the village as he dug his claws into the tile, scaring it but stopping himself as he looked up.
"Where are you going?" Tigress growled, her golden eyes meeting the ocean blue eyes of Kiba as the wolf stood between her and Tai Lung.
"Out of the way." Kiba huffed in annoyance as the rest of the Furious Five stood behind the tiger, unsure of what to do.
"Not a chance, if you're going after him, I'm coming to, this is my home before I left and he isn't going to destroy it if I have anything left to say about it." Tigress growled in annoyance before looking at Kiba.
"Fine, but do not tell Master Shifu." Kiba nodded before turning.
"Keep up." Kiba looked back and laughed.
"I should tell you the same thing." Kiba leapt off the roof and ran on all fours as Tigress blinked in surprise before taking off after Kiba.
"I'm starting to think she has a rival." Monkey said before the rest of the Five took off after their leader.
Kiba and Tigress were barely about to keep ahead of each other as they neared the bridge, Kiba easily spotted the Snow Leopard as he ran towards the last stretch of the bridge.
"That's Tai Lung? I expected someone better." Kiba said as he stopped as Tigress and the five caught up just as Tai Lung rounded the corner.
"CUT IT!" Tigress roared as the Five snapped the wires, Kiba and Tigress growled as Tai Lung leapt towards the other side.
"No, you don't!" Kiba roared as he took a running start towards the bridge as Tigress used a flip kick to knock the Snow Leopard back as Kiba landed on the other side of bridge by using Tai Lung as a spring board.
"What, you needed another member to defeat me?" Tai Lung laughed as Kiba and Tigress struggled to keep their balance.
"Where's the Dragon Warrior?" Tigress growled.
"How do you know you aren't looking at her?" Tai Lung laughed as he walked along the bridge as Kiba continued to try and keep his balance.
"I was there when you were a cub, I know. None of you are the Dragon Warrior! I heard he fell out of the sky on a ball of fire." Monkey looked at the others.
"Is he talking about Po?" Tai Lung laughed.
"So that is his name…. Po. Our battle will be legendary!" Kiba watched as Tigress roared and charged as Kiba was able to find somewhat of a hold on the bridge before charging and launching a side kick which nailed Tai Lung across his back as Tigress launched a barrage of quick strikes before Tai Lung kicked her back before striking Kiba with a palm strike in the face which tossed the wolf back and nearly off the bridge.
'Blast it, I can't keep my balance enough to fight.' Kiba thought as he climbed to his feet. Kiba's fighting style required him to be firmly planted on the ground for it to work, the swinging rope bridge put him on a disadvantage. Kiba ran ahead as Tai Lung and Tigress traded blows under the bridge before Tai Lung kicked her up and back through the boards of the bridge and into Kiba who was knocked off the bridge as Tai Lung flipped the bridge to strangle Tigress.
"Go, get them, we got this!" Monkey cried as Kiba steered his fall towards the mountain before using his claws to race back up as Crane grabbed Tigress while Viper wrapped around Tai Lung's neck and forced his fist into his face.
"I wish we weren't fighting right above a bottomless chasm!" Kiba cried out as he leapt over the gap Tigress had made as Monkey handed the ropes to Mantis as he joined in before Kiba landed a butterfly kick on Tai Lung as the Leopard growled and squeezed Viper before tossing her to the side as Kiba struggled to keep his balance on the ropes as he and Tai Lung traded blows.
Kiba was hit back by a side kick as Kiba pivoted and used the momentum to land a roundhouse kick that hit the Snow Leopard in the face. Monkey landed a flip kick before Kiba landed a double palm strike that launched the Snow Leopard back.
"I don't have time for you!" Tai Lung slammed a fist into Kiba as the Wolf struggled for air as the Snow Leopard ran towards the other side, using the ropes as a surface.
"Now!" Tigress cried as Mantis whipped the ropes before Kiba barely caught his breath and flipped into the air. Monkey kicked Tai Lung down as Viper whipped him with her tail, Tigress launched a Tiger strike as Kiba used a hammer fist the slammed Tai Lung into the ropes as Craned used a bit of the bridge to tie up the Snow Leopard as Mantis whipped the bridge which knocked the Five and Kiba back onto the other side.
"Nice work, I didn't know you were that trained." Kiba turned and gave a wry smile to Tigress as the group began to walk away.
"I learned a lot in Japan, Master Tigress." Before she or the rest of the Five could respond, they heard a whooshing sound as Tai Lung swung and landed in front of them.
"Shifu taught you well, that was good." Before Tigress or the Five could respond, he hit them with nerve strikes before kicking Crane into the rocks. Kiba looked down at the unconscious Furious Five before he gazed back up.
"And you intrigue me, you're not part of the Five and no Kung Fu style is like that." Kiba blinked as Tai Lung launched a palm strike before Kiba pivoted around the blow and elbowed Tai Lung in the middle of his arm. Tai Lung growled as he felt like his arm had been bent backwards and broken.
"What was that!?" Kiba laughed as he gave a fanged grin.
"It's called Ling ren jing De lian he hangs feng ge style, I made it myself after my training." Tai Lung translated the words from the Chinese language.
"Shattering Joint Wolf Style…. Interesting, reminds of a painful version of this!" Before Kiba could get his guard up as his style demanded, Tai Lung struck him in the chest with a nerve strike, Kiba cursed himself for using so much energy on the bridge.
"I'm sorry, Po, I guess it's up to you." The Last thing Kiba saw before he passed out was the Furious Five on the ground.
Author notes
Ok, I hope this chapter is big enough for you readers… Also, yes, Kiba has his own style of martial arts and that sentence does translate into Shattering Joint Wolf Style. I will have Kiba explain it next chapter. Anyway, let me know if you guys have an idea or liked something about the chapter, I will be posting another chapter on Saturday. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!