Twin Dragons
Panda in the Owl's Shadow
"I take it everyone's alright?"
Po and the rabbit couple looked at their savior. She was a female owl in a purple martial arts uniform and boasted a very formidable appearance.
"We are now," Po told her.
"Thanks for your help!" the male rabbit told her. "Who are you?"
"My name is Fenghuang," the owl informed them. "Where are you headed?"
"My husband and I are going to Hengyang," the brown rabbit told her.
"I see," Fenghuang nodded and pointed down a path. "Keep going down that path and you'll arrive there late but not so late the local hotels won't be open. And keep away from the edges of the trails."
"Thank you!" the rabbit couple waved and headed off.
"And what about you?" asked Fenghuang.
"I'm… on the road to nowhere," Po told her.
"Why's that?" Fenghuang looked at him oddly.
"I lost everything I knew," Po stated glumly. "I'm an exile from my home town. Lost all my friends and family. And I had to leave behind my student when we just got to know each other!"
"That's quite a story," Fenghuang suddenly noticed Oogway's staff in Po's hands. "Say, is that what I think it is?"
"This?" Po held up the staff. "Yeah, it's the staff that belonged to my master's master. I was going to become the spiritual leader of my home but all sorts of bad things happened and I won't be that spiritual leader anymore."
"But at least you got to keep the staff," Fenghuang told him with great interest.
"Yeah, but I can't really do much with it now, except defend myself in fights against bad guys for the rest of my life," Po shrugged.
"You're him, aren't you?" Fenghuang finally asked. "You're the Dragon Warrior?"
"I was," Po told her. "Then I lost it all because I thought I was doing the right thing. Next thing I know, I'm in trouble with the law and had to leave town."
"It's clear to me that your mind is clouded," Fenghuang told him. "Listen, why don't you return to my place for some rest?"
oooo
Tai Lung entered into a bar in the city of Hengyang. He had a lot of regrets over the way he attacked Po. However, he was not regretful over going his separate way. Both he and the former Dragon Warrior had very contrasting views on life and if they had stayed together, they would've only had even more clashes.
The snow leopard sat down at the bar.
"You're not from these parts, are you?" asked the ibex bartender.
Tai Lung looked apathetically at the ungulate.
"What gave it away?" Tai Lung frowned.
"Well, either ways you're welcome here," the bartender told him. "What'll it be?"
"Hmm," Tai Lung looked at the menu. "Just water and scallion pancakes."
"Coming right up," the bartender wrote down the order.
Tai Lung looked around the tavern. He did not see any government soldier so the coast was clear… for now.
"So what brings you here?" asked the bartender after filling up the drink for Tai Lung.
Tai Lung took a sip before answering.
"Oh, I had to leave my hometown," the snow leopard told him. "It wasn't easy but I had to do it."
"I see. Well, that must be rough."
"There's another place I'd rather be right now but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," Tai Lung took another drink.
"Yeah, I hear you," the ibex smiled. "My life didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted either. I always did want to work at the imperial capital but it didn't pan out. Guess I just wasn't good enough of a drink maker to become elite."
"Yes, life's just full of disappointments," Tai Lung said disappointedly.
oooo
"Nice place."
Po looked around at the mountain temple where Fenghuang made her home. So far, it appeared that she lived alone and preferred it that way.
"Thank you," Fenghuang told him. "I hope you'll find it to your liking."
"So how'd you recognize me as the Dragon Warrior?" asked Po. "Not everybody in China recognizes me at first glance. I found that out first hand when I went to Juniper City."
"Well, let's just say that I knew your master's master, Oogway," Fenghuang revealed.
"Whoa, really?" asked Po.
Po tried to do the math in his head. If Fenghuang knew Oogway, then she had to be some kind of contemporary to him, which meant the owl was definitely older than Po.
"Yes, he and I were acquainted with each other," Fenghuang answered.
"Whoa, that's awesome!" Po brightened up. "So were you two friends?"
"You could say that," Fenghuang replied. "Say, how did you get all of those wounds anyways?"
"Oh," Po frowned. "Yeah about that… it's a long story but I had to relinquish the title of Dragon Warrior and my companion on this journey and I didn't see eye to eye."
"You didn't see eye to eye so he… pummeled you?" Fenghuang tilted her head skeptically.
"Well, it's a little more complicated than that," Po tried to explain. "He's also been through a lot and I screwed something up for him. Plus he at least bandaged me up and didn't try to attack me anymore after our fight."
All this time, Po did not notice Fenghuang eyeing Oogway's staff with a hungry glint in her eye.
"I won't pry too much," Fenghuang said to him. "It's clear you've been through a lot. And your whole life just got upended."
"Yeah, things are rough for me right now."
"Would you perhaps care to stay here?" Fenghuang offered. "Have a fresh start. I could take you on as a student and teach you the Twelve Impossible Moves."
"The Twelve Impossible Moves?" Po looked curious. "But, uh, what about my own master? I mean, Shifu taught me kung fu for years."
"It's alright," Fenghuang reassured him. "Throughout history, there have been kung fu practitioners who have taken on more than one master. It doesn't happen all the time but it has occurred."
"Really?" Po asked.
"Of course," Fenghuang told him. "Oogway was once my master but over time, I had to leave the Jade Palace and find another master who taught me the Twelve Impossible Moves. All of this happened before your time, by the way."
"Whoa, that's one interesting backstory," Po admitted.
"Let's face it," Fenghuang continued. "You're an exile. And your old life is now behind you. What else do you have to lose?"
"Well, nothing really, I guess," Po told her. "I lost everything… my friends, family, student… and the only person left I thought I could call a friend. You're right. What else is there for me at this point?"
"So Oogway never mentioned me to you?" asked Fenghuang out of curiosity.
"Well, not really," Po revealed. "I mean, Oogway and I didn't get to talk long before he ascended and I had to be trained to take on Tai Lung. And the other time I met him, it was in the Spirit Realm where he passed on his staff to me after Kai went down. So you could say he and I never really got the time to have a chat over tea about past students he had other than Shifu."
"Well, you and I will be getting acquainted quite well," Fenghuang told him. "Now, since you're still injured and tired, we'll have to do something about that."
"Well okay," Po bowed to her. "What do you have in mind?"
"I have something for your injuries," Fenghuang created a powerful ball of chi in her wing.
"Whoa," Po looked at it in awe.
The owl covered Po with the healing chi and before long, Po could feel his injuries fade away.
"I… I feel a lot better," Po took off his bandage, feeling his face and formerly swollen eye.
"There won't be any sparring today but I will give you your first lesson," Fenghuang said to him.
"Alright, what're we doing?" Po said, finally feeling a wave of enthusiasm wash over him.
"The first of the Twelve Impossible Moves," Fenghuang got into a kung fu stance. "The Thundering Wind Hammer!"
oooo
"Uh oh," the ibex bartender gulped.
"Hmm?" Tai Lung turned around.
"Hey boss-man!"
Three barbaric looking pigs entered the establishment.
Tai Lung didn't say a word but merely observed.
"Bao!" the ibex stammered. "I see you and your companions are doing well!"
Bao casually pushed aside a patron and walked towards the bartender with his two companions, Tsao and Lao.
"Can I get you anything?" the bartender offered.
"You can," Bao told him. "You see, you're late on your payment."
"Gotta pay that protection money so we can protect ya," Tsao added.
"Listen, is it alright if I get the money in two more days?" asked the bartender. "I haven't made much lately and you know, sometimes life doesn't let you move up as much as you'd like…"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalling," Bao told him.
"You know what that means, barkeep?" Lao asked.
"N-No?" replied the ibex.
Bao reached over the bar and grabbed the ibex, lifting him up easily.
"It's time you paid us with interest," Bao told him.
Finally, Tai Lung spoke up.
"It's time you let this ibex go."
"What do we have here?" Bao looked at Tai Lung. "A snow leopard?"
"Wait, doesn't this guy look familiar?" Lao took a look at his face.
"It's Tai Lung, isn't it?" asked Tsao.
"I think I saw a wanted poster of this guy," Lao pointed out.
Tai Lung sighed. Even though Zhao had been slain by the Qilin, the after effects of his political hunt for both Tai Lung and Po could still be felt throughout the country. Readjusting to a new life would certainly not be easy at this given point.
"Just put him down and there won't be any trouble," Tai Lung reiterated.
"Hey boss," Tsao told Bao. "If we take down Tai Lung, just think of the reward!"
"Change of plans," Bao's greedy eyes lit up and threw the ibex aside.
Tsao reached for Tai Lung but the snow leopard took him down with multiple nerve strikes before the pig could even grab him. Instantly, Tsao fell to the ground.
Both pigs took a step back, realizing this wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
"We attack him together," Bao told Lao.
Bao launched a kick at Tai Lung who promptly ducked it. Lao came in next swinging a chair at Tai Lung who avoided the attack and kicked Lao back. Bao attacked again, swinging his fist but Tai Lung blocked it and punched Bao back.
Lao got up and grabbed a plate, hurling it at Tai Lung. At once, the snow leopard caught the dish with one hand like it was a Frisbee and used it to smash Bao across the head as the leader of the pigs charged again. Tai Lung then somersaulted across the air and landed behind Lao. Lao tried to attack but Tai Lung struck him half a dozen times in rapid succession.
With a groan, Lao fell to the floor as Bao got up, realizing he was the only pig left.
"Got anything left in that tank?" Tai Lung taunted.
Bao cried and charged, taking out a sword. Tai Lung caught Bao's hand as he swung the sword, skillfully twisting the sword out of the pig's hand and into his own. With his opponent now disarmed, Tai Lung swung the blunt end of the sword into Bao's face a couple of times. As the pig grunted in pain, Tai Lung drove his knee into Bao's chin, knocking him back a few steps.
As Bao came to, Tai Lung spun around and hit him with a double mountain punch to both the face and the stomach, sending the pig flying across the air until he smashed into the wall.
"You alright?" Tai Lung asked the ibex.
"Uh… are you really Tai Lung?" the ibex looked frightened. "Look, the drinks and meal are on me! Just don't hurt me!"
The snow leopard sighed, realizing there was no point arguing with the bartender if his mind was already made up. He had his work cut out for him just getting people to trust him.
"I'll be off then," Tai Lung sighed.
Only when the snow leopard left did the ibex bartender finally breathe a sigh of relief.
oooo
"Focus, Zhen!" Tigress told the fox.
Zhen leaped over a punch from Tigress and grabbed onto her from behind in a chokehold. Quickly, Tigress threw her off as the fox landed on her feet.
Tigress attacked a few more times for their sparring session as Zhen avoided the blows. Soon, Tigress blocked an incoming kick from Zhen and returned fire with a swing that Zhen step-sided.
The fox came in, punching Tigress in the stomach, forcing the feline back from the blow.
"Good," Tigress told her. "Now you're getting there."
Zhen attacked again but soon, Tigress flipped the fox on her back and held her down, with the fox being unable to break out of the hold.
"I give," Zhen admitted defeat.
Tigress let up and helped Zhen to her feet.
"You seemed a little distracted there," Tigress noted.
"You're right, my head's not totally in the game," Zhen had to admit. "I just didn't think Po would leave this early."
"Sometimes life throws you curveballs," Tigress told her. "Did you know that I thought I would be the Dragon Warrior at one point? And then Po shows up and shatters all of my expectations. I never thought a chubby panda like him could become Dragon Warrior but I was proven wrong and had to reassess my attitude."
"So, did the universe mean to throw me into deep water and make me Dragon Warrior this soon?" asked Zhen.
"It's possible," Tigress told her. "Just remember to keep an open mind. Expect the unexpected, as they say."
"Well, wherever Po is, I hope he's okay," Zhen sat down for a break.
"You and me both," Tigress nodded.
oooo
"Ready?" asked Fenghuang on top of her mountain temple. "Try it once more."
"Alright," Po took a deep breath and stared at the training dummy. "Thundering Wind Hammer!"
Gathering up his chi, Po began spinning around a few times to concentrate all his power. Finally, he unleashed a green blast from his paw, striking the training dummy and sending it flying into a large stone, destroying it.
"Excellent work, panda," Fenghuang told him. "It took me a few days before I could master that move. And here you are learning it in just one day."
"Thanks," Po told her. "I never thought I'd take on a new teacher one day but being your student has really taught me things I never thought were possible in the Jade Palace."
"In the world of kung fu, there are many possibilities," Fenghuang informed her new student. "Oogway had a lot to teach but even as the founder of kung fu, he couldn't keep track of all the different schools that developed and evolved differently after branching off from him in different parts of the country over the centuries."
"That's really interesting," Po sat down. "I bet Wudang also has its own unique style, right?"
"Oh, I don't think you want to go to Wudang right now," Fenghuang told him.
"Huh? Why not? I even got a map to the place."
"Well, aside from the fact that you've pledged yourself to be my student," Fenghuang reminded him. "Wudang is in the midst of a civil war right now."
"Whoa, really?" asked Po.
"Yes, two different branches of Wudang are now at war with each other," Fenghuang informed the panda.
"That doesn't sound good," Po frowned.
"Master Pai Mei, a legendary master renowned for his harsh ways, decided to branch off after the main council at the Wudang school investigated him for his cruel practices," Fenghuang continued. "He's since created his own splinter sect and the two have been at odds ever since. Trust me when I say it's not a good place for sanctuary right now."
"Oh wow, I didn't even know that," Po frowned.
"Well, when you can fly," Fenghuang showed off her wings. "You can get news faster. Beats having to rely on a messenger goose over the length of days."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Po told her. "The road I traveled led me to you rather than to the Wudang school. Maybe I should just stay with you here."
"That would be the wisest choice, "Fenghuang told him.
"So how good is this Master Pai Mei?" asked Po.
"I don't hold a candle compared to him," Fenghuang readily admitted. "And his followers also have abilities that could be considered unnatural even by the standards of kung fu."
"Sounds like a scary bunch of guys," Po admitted.
"Indeed, which is why you're safe here with me," Fenghuang nodded. "Now, what do you say to learning the Mongolian Fireball?"
"I say… let's do it!" Po grinned.
To be continued.
Author's Note: I know the Wu Dan Mountains, based off the real Wudang Mountains, is the name of the mountain range where the Valley of Peace is at but for this story, Wudang is going to be a separate school from the Jade Palace and will come into play for future chapters.