Tai Lung: Conqueror
Author's Note:
Greetings people of the internet. Here on , I go by the pen name: TheTropicalWolf (I used to be known as Jeffwolf, but I think the new name sounds cooler). Although I'm an amateur writer, I've finished works on a series of Kung Fu Panda fan stories, known by its fans as the "Erdan" Series; continuing it after past writer finished their contributions to that fan created saga. It's been awhile since I've written a story, and I figured I should get back into this pastime I grew to love. As of the Time of writing this, Kung Fu Panda 4 has been released. Like many people, I was excited to see the return of the best villain in the franchise: The badass, awesome snow leopard, Tai Lung. I always loved him in the first KFP film. And though he returns for the 4th film, I believe he deserves better. A chance for him to be the badass warrior he always was. So readers, sit back, grab a snack and a drink and enjoy the story Tai Lung deserves: an epic tale of violence, sex and revenge.
((()-()))
Chapter 1: Waters of Death
The ocean waves crashed violently in protest to the punishing winds and pouring rain. Lightning flashed in the distance both near and far; clouds of darkness canceled out any remaining light from the distant sunset. The evening sea became deadly to a small ship being violently tossed and pushed from wave to wave. Onboard the little vessel, its only passenger struggled to keep his vessel from being torn apart. The helmsman, a strapping, powerfully muscular snow leopard, held onto the handles of the mast with all the might he could possibly muster. His paws gripped tightly in pain and his face snarled with the frustration and strength of an apex predator. The roars of thunder rang into his ears and ocean water crashed against his naked torso, forcing his senses to shiver. The wrath of nature crashed upon him with relentless brutality.
The leopard looked to his left and steered his boat the best he could. His biceps ached after struggling against the ocean itself for three hours. Out of nowhere, he heard a crash from behind. Taking a quick glance back, all he could do was gasp as he saw a hole torn from the wall of his cabin, the only roofed space on his boat.
"NOOOOO!" He shouted in a mixture of frustration and rage, seeing the crates containing his food, water and money pushed by the wind and thrown into the cold, deathly ocean.
He glanced back forward in time to see one of the hooks on the front of his ship break free and come flying at frightening speed. The leopard reacted in time to avoid his leg being pierced; though his only piece of clothing, a pair of purple pants, suffered a large tear on his left leg. He growled in pain as he his desperate fight lingered with little hope of escape.
But only moments later did the massive sound of death echo throughout the sea and into his ears. The leopard looked to his right and his jaw dropped in shock. The largest wave he'd seen formed in the near distance. It easily was more than a three storied building and was approaching quickly. The leopard mustered whatever energy and strength he still had, attempting to veer the vessel out of the path of the incoming giant wave. But despite his desperate efforts, they were in vain. Within minutes the wave grew close to the small boat. All the leopard man could do was brace himself for the next few moments. He had accepted the very real possibility that this would be his death: A watery grave. Despite the many victories he won throughout his life, no matter how powerful or strong his body and skills were, he was no match for the forces of the seas and storms. He closed his eyes, prepared himself and accepted his own mortality. And then… impact.
Once he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by shivering cold waters, plunged below the surface by a good measure. Shattered and destroyed debris of his boat resided around him before beginning to surface. His vision was blurry, but some piece of his natural night vision allowed him some sight below the waves. He knew he needed to surface immediately. But as he began to swim upwards, out of the corner of his eye, a shadow dashed in the distance. The leopard turned his head and realized the dark blob was becoming larger and was swift too. Not only that, but it also had fins. A deathly realization rapidly took the feline's mind, and he instantly noticed the large cut he suffered on his thigh from the crash, bleeding red that spread throughout the waters. He looked back towards the shadow, only to find it was mere seconds close, and sported dozens of dagger like teeth and a killer instinct. The Leopard quickly forced his arms against the shark's nose and bottom of its mouth, taking care to avoid placing his fingers near its jaws. The cold blooded beast snapped it's jaws viciously to devour the snow leopard, who was rapidly running out of air. The shark pushed him farther down and the waters got darker and colder. With desperate determination, the leopard wrapped his arms around the shark's head and attempted to chi stun the monster; only to find his go-to tactic rendered useless without the required speed that the waters were prohibiting. He was only moments away of dying from drowning, if not suffocation, then by being chewed and ripped apart alive. It was now or never. The feline quickly extended his claws and drove them into the shark's eyes, blinding the beast in excruciating pain. It was a messy and crude attack, but it was his only effective option. The sea beast swam in wildly random maneuvers, its senses panicking from the excruciating pain of sudden and total blindness. It swam upwards as the leopard held on for his life. Seeing the surface was nearing, he knew that this was his single, slim chance. He placed his hind paws on the beast, used the shark as a board and, using his muscularly powerful legs, pushed himself upwards and swam up as fast as possible. Audible groans heard from his throat as he saw the waves from above get bigger and bigger. His lungs continued to lose more and more air. His chest began to feel tight, his throat in pain and his eyes shown with the desperate struggle for life.
"UUUGGGHHHAAAAAHHHH!" Was all he could make audibly once he reached the surface and his lungs grabbed for as much air as possible.
The leopard noticed that the waves were less violent and the roars of thunder were not as loud as hours ago. He swam around and witnessed the storm move away, out to further sea. The feline scanned his surroundings, finding the waves still large and rapid. He spotted a piece of the wall from his boat's cabin floating near him in the ocean. No hesitation was held as he swam to the free floating debris. It was just large enough for him to lie on. It had to become his makeshift raft. It was just big enough for his large body, but he'd rather lie on top of a flat wall than leave his legs vulnerable are any more blood lusting monsters that may be lurking underneath him at this very moment.
Quickly, he inspected the scratch on his thigh. It was minor, though lengthy. So he tore off the lower part of one of his pant legs and bandaged the scratch. The small wound stung endlessly. He laid his bare back on the wooden raft, breathed heavily, with his large, strong chest heaving in and out with each huge breath of air his lung could take as he collected himself. Every muscle in his body (no matter how strong and built) ached with stressful agony. As fortune would have it, the waves finally calmed and he was able to rest on the raft without worry of being thrown into the sea again. He moved his arms and body, keeping what little amount of body heat he still had left. Though his snow leopard fur was made for extreme frost, it was no match for the coldness of nightly ocean. Any normal man would have already died by nature or monster or fear. The feline man had numerous, if not, hundreds of brushes with death before. He thought this was no different deep down.
After what felt like hours, hunger and dehydration began to take effect on his body. It was at this time he stared at the night sky. Darkness surrounded him, from both below and above. The lightlessness forced his memory to surface the past. He was told once that darkness was all that resided within himself, and the vast emptiness brought his mind to remember for a brief moment before he brushed off his thoughts. He placed his paw on his large chest to feel his heart beating slower and steadier now.
An hour had passed at sea. Luckily, the ocean was now completely calm and quiet. Waves were now small and gentle compared to earlier that same evening. The snow leopard's body had finally dried off and the pain in his hard earned muscles passed. He dared not sleep, lest he become capsized while unconscious. Taking a heavy sigh, he turned to his right and a glimmer of hope shown: an island, with a port town and a few lit street torches. The small dots of light were a beacon for the lone warrior. At long last, after a near deathly voyage, his destination was finally within reach. Wasting no time, he stood up on his knees, tore off one of the planks of the raft and used his new paddle to make his way to the island.
After a half-an-hour he reached the stone bricked harbor at last. He jumped off of the raft and onto the deck. His legs felt uneasy for a few minutes. What is said by sailors about sea legs adjusting he found to be true. Even still, he was thrilled to be on dry land at last. The shirtless snow leopard then took a whiff of himself. It only dawned on him now that he reeked the stench of fish and blood. Before he could proceed further, he needed to take care of himself first.
The island town was almost abandoned, say for a few drunks passed out or stumbling in the streets. Almost no light were visible in the windows of the multi-storied buildings. The feline looked around, panting with tiredness before finding a store. The door was locked, of course. So he punched through the wooden barrier and unlocked the entrance. Upon inspecting the place, he found a lantern and lit it, finding various wares to be taken advantage of. He took some towels, medicine, a dozen bars of soap, a basket of vegetables and ten jars of fresh water. Immediately he gulped down the clean, clear liquid and felt the freshness rejuvenating his dried throat. After all he survived through; a simple drink of water was like a sacred blessing from the dragon gods. He washed his paws before eating and once his hunger was satisfied at last, he found a fountain in the town square, removed his pants and under-garments to bathe. It took nearly an hour for him to wash and scrub the entire stench from his ripped body. The snow leopard found the simple, if unorthodox, bath to be soothing. Once he was finished he dried himself with the towels and ripped the other end of his pants legs, turning them into temporary shorts. Returning to the store he broke into, he found a cloak hanging in a closet in the shop. He took it, draped it over himself, including the hood over his head and set out to find his target within the small port town of Ang Zang.