~~A/N; hey! sorry for not really... writing anything... for a while- PFF- I've been more focused on other works (mainly art works) as well as my own family, platonic and romantic relationships (not sure if Naidvar/Dashishen is reading this but... hai, baby! :3), as well as, you guessed it, school! Y A Y! :') I think with summer break finally being here tho, I'll slowly find myself more time to get back into the rhythm of writing again! anyways, about the chapter, it's another filler and more so a prequel chapter to an event that was briefly mentioned in the last chapter by Tigress, and I wonder if you guys can guess what it was ;) nyeheheh- I'm so sneaky! UwU LOL- anyways, I'm gonna quit rambling now and let you all enjoy the chapter! have a great day/night, remember to live, laugh, love, and until next time, Yarart out! ;D~~
The jaded-eyed panda stood in the assumed starting position with his legs widened and his arms closed and bent to his sides with his clenched fists under his chest with a determined smirk on his face. The feline master that had guided Lotus through their training sessions this past month stood in front of him with her own smirk plastering her face and with a swish behind her tail as she folded her paws behind her back.
"Your training has paid off, Student Lotus. Your strength and stamina have improved greatly, your concentration on point, though not always focused, and you have been using your services to assist your village. I must say, I'm impressed with your progress."
Lotus' smile beamed as his eyes glimmered in pride.
"But if you think your training is finished here, you are sorely mistaken. Though you have faced trials and successes, you're still far from ready to be a full-fledged warrior. Are you ready for the next phase of your training?" She glanced at the panda, to which he merely slouched and scoffed.
"Bring it on, Master Tigress! I'm ready for whatever you wanna throw at me!" He pumped his fists together and bowed, to which Tigress only continued to smile deviously at him, finally revealing why she had her paws folded behind her. "Good. Because now we're focusing on... stealth."
Lotus looked down excitedly at Tigress' paws, but felt immediately felt underwhelmed by the sight. Slightly relieved, yes... but mostly underwhelmed.
"Uh... you know for sure how I am with food and I know my training kinda revolves it considering... ya know," He flopped his belly, "Panda instinct, but um..." He tilted his head and looked at the items in Tigress' palms weirdly, unknowingly continuing to amuse the feline.
"Mind explaining to me what bean buns of all things have anything to do with stealth?"
Tigress simply walked forward to the monochromatic bear with aforementioned pastries in hand, took one out, and without warning, simply smeared the whole pastry around her student's face, paste and all.
"WHA—HEY~! SHEESH A HEADS-UP WOULD HAVE SUFFICED! BLEGH!" The poor panda continued to stammer and tried to swat Tigress' paw away, only making her laugh, something she has been doing a lot around her student.
"Hold still, will you! These are supposed to give you a distinct scent. Sometimes, on the battle field, we really too much on what the eye can see, that we find ourselves unprepared in situations where our eyes wouldn't be as helpful. That is what stealth is for. I know that other than your eyesight, Lotus, your sense of scent and taste are your best companions, and I ought to train with that, your scent more so... and... done!" As soon as she pulled her hand away from Lotus' now intoxicated fur, she decided to reciprocate that action towards herself by taking the other bean bun and smearing it over her fur, letting the paste sink into her essence the same way Lotus had.
"Whoa, the Master Tigress, covering herself in bean buns? Well that's certainly a sight you don't—snrk~—see too often... hehe!" Lotus tried to cover his muzzle to hold back his tiny fit of giggles that clearly brought the attention of Tigress' sharp ears, having her whirl her head towards the panda with a stern glare, making him clear his throat and dart his eyes away in nervousness.
Tigress' smirk came back, clearly proud of how she was still able to intimidate the poor panda. After all, she did like seeing him nervous. "Hey, do you by any chance know the friendly game of tag?" She asked slyly.
Lotus turned back to Tigress and gave her a look. "Uh... yeah? I played it a lot with the kids at the orphanage... why? "
"Good." A blur of orange and black fur zoomed over to right in front of him, making him gasp and stumble back a little, realising his tiger master was standing right in front of him, their muzzles were centimetres from touching, and it was clear Tigress had to force herself to stand tall over him with the help of her tail and her hind paws. She growled right in front of the panda, her huffs and her whiskers tickling his snout, making him whimper.
"Because I'm it."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A scream was heard all over the village as the civilians in the village looked all over their surroundings, paranoid to the possibility of another intruder, before finding themselves ducking out of the way as they encountered a familiar panda, crouched over in the iconic panda roll they all usually use to travel, being chased by another familiar feline.
Lotus jumped out of his roll and panted as he dashed over the obstacles of his village, jumping over tables and carts, trying to finding ways to cut corners and lose track of the incredibly fast tiger, constantly excusing himself from trying to bump into his neighbours and family members. The bear fairly quickly became aware of the point of the game, which was why he was working extra hard to get out of reach of the wild cat on his tail. It was a clear game of predator and prey, and a test to see how he would act in intense situations where he needed to rely on his wit and other unlikely senses to aid him in battle.
He panted and turned back as the master and student dodged away from the village into the distant forest, higher in the mountains, "HEY! NO FAIR! DON'T YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE!?" He called back as a sudden realisation dawned on him, "YOU GOT THOSE WICKED SHARP EARS! YOU COULD LITERALLY SENSE ME FROM A MILE AWAY IF YOU COULD—WHOA!" He paused his ramble when he tripped over a log. He stopped his little run for life and kicked it in frustration.
"Stupid wood... ACK!" He ducked his head as soon as he looked up and saw Tigress trying to pull a sneaky pounce attack on him. He rolled out of the way and pathetically hid behind a tree in order to 'hide' him. The hard-style master only chuckled lowly and cracked her knuckles as well as the muscles in her neck as she readied herself for another strike. "For your information, panda, I'm actually training in this aspect just as much as you are. I'm only going to rely solely on my nose and sense of scent. My ears and hearing shall not be in the equation, so there's no need to worry."
"Oh yeah, because THAT'S reassuring! You usually only call me 'panda' when I'm about to be in big trouble with you! EEP!" He quickly dodged and headed for another tree as Tigress tried to pounce on him yet again, but only grinned at how the ursine resisted. "Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. It depends."
"ON WHAT!?"
"On if you do or don't comply to my game, panda."
Lotus jumped and ran towards another tree and turned his back against the trunk of it in order to catch his breath, "You know, you continuously calling me 'panda' is NOT helping with my stress levels AT ALL!"
"It's not supposed to~" She sang as she seemingly popped out of no where and once again coming face to face with the nervous-wreck known as her pupil, making him jump in fear and stumble back.
"WOULD YOU QUIT DOING THAT!?"
Tigress, unphased and simply convinced she's won their little game, simply strut forward to her student, only encouraging Lotus to continue to back himself up and away from her, "Game over, panda. I officially got you cornered." She snarkily stated in pride. Despite this supposedly being a training lesson for Lotus, she had to admit that this chase was a bit entertaining for her.
In her moment of arrogance, however, she seemingly failed to notice how while Lotus stumbled backwards, he picked up a pawfill of dirt that he hid behind him. "Heh, sorry Master Tigress, but the game's not over until one of us stands down or quits... and if there's one thing I learned from you... is that a real warrior never quits!... please don't kill me for this."
"Huh?—HISSS!" With one blow from the palm of his hand, Lotus was able to distract Tigress—for a short amount of time—by blowing dirt right into her face and running for it.
"SHE'S GONNA KILL ME, SHE'S GONNA KILL ME, SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!" The jade-eyed panda chanted under his breath in a haste, running towards and open space in the forest with different bushes and trees surrounding the area, as if nature built its walls around this specific area.
"OH CRUD— I GOT DISTRACTED TRYING TO BREAK FOR IT THAT I CHOSE LITERALLY THE WORST PLACE TO HIDE! Okay! Okay, Lotus, THINK! Come on, trust your wit! If this is a test on my stealth, I need to work smart here! There's gotta be something I can use to hi—"
SPLOOSH
"... ew...",Begrudgingly, Lotus lifted up his leg and realised, if the situation already wasn't bad enough, he just stepped in a icky muddy pile. "Great... Tigress definitely heard that! If my bean bun scent wasn't already a dead giveaway, now she'll certainly be on my tail!..." The panda slumped his shoulders, willing to accept his inevitable defeat...
That was, until, a sudden revelation came to him.
"...Wait a minute... That's it!" He slammed his fist down into his other paw, "My scent! If Tigress said she's only going to rely on her sense of smell... maybe I can disguise my scent!" He came down from his eureka high, looking down in dread at the mud that was meant to define his fate.
He gulped. "Well... here goes nothing..."
Meanwhile, after moments of desperation, Tigress was able to finally get the dirt off her face and out of her eyes. Though a bit peeved by the panda's reckless decision, she did have to admire his ethic. "Well, a bit immature for an escape tactic, albeit even cliche, but... effective. Hmm, not bad for a rookie... Well played, panda." She grinned before sniffing the air, catching a whiff of a sweaty and bean bun-infested bear, and followed the trail of the exact scent.
Soon enough, she found out that the scent led her to the same open and vast expanse that she believed Lotus led to, but felt odd when she realised the scent was soon enough gone once she arrived. She continued to sniff the air, but only found herself at what seemed to be a dead end. "Huh?" She looked down at a pile of mud where the scent seemingly stopped and knelt down to investigate it. Something seemed... strange about this muddy pile. It looked concave and sunk in, as if a huge boulder dropped down on it. And judging how the aftermath shape was still there, it seemed as if it was a recent occurrence too.
Before she could think too much about it, she picked up on a distant snapping noise. She looked towards a group of bushes and saw it rustle vastly. She chuckled evilly to herself and stood back up, preparing herself in one of her fighting stances, "Oh goodness, I wonder where my oh so innocent pupil has hidden off to~," She sarcastically stated, readying herself to pounce on the unsuspecting panda. The closer she got to the moving bushes, the more she felt her accomplishment being served to her on a silver platter.
"I GOT YOU NOW!" She exclaimed, moving the bushes aside, only to be torn into an asunder of confusion when the defensive student she was expecting to be looking up at her with horrid in his eyes... Wasn't there.
"What the...?"
"SHAKAAAAAAAA-BOOEYYYYY!"
Tigress instantly looked up, but it was too late. All of a sudden, a big ball of black, white and brown fur came crashing down on her, sending her and the heavy ball down past the expanse to what seemed to be... a hill? Before Tigress could process what just happened, out of reflex, she tackled the ball back, not caring who or what it was, just eager to get control of the situation. Before they both knew it, they both tumbled down the hill into a thick meadow of various different kinds flowers.
The tiger had no idea how it happened, but with the tumbling and the tackling, for the first time ever, she found herself pinned down against her mysterious opponent, the impact of her being slammed down against the flowers made some of their petals spring up into the open air. She panted and looked up, only for her eyes to widen and her cheeks to mysteriously warm yet again when she found out the one that successfully caught Tigress by surprise, tackled her and even pinned her down with her arms to the side of her head was non-other than Lotus himself, with his entire form covered in mud, dirt, leaves, grass and some of the petals that also somehow stuck to himself admist their minute of springing into the air, with his own pants and warm breaths showering the feline's fur.
"Gah... phew, gOTCHA!" He exasperatedly exclaimed, making Tigress smile a bit at how ridiculous yet relieved the panda looked. "I can see that..." She quickly flipped the two of them over and pinned Lotus down instead, "But you're still it."
The panda couldn't help but chuckle, the exhaustion kicking in as he just threw his head back, "Whew! Okay, fine! I submit! You win! Heheh," After she slipped off his dirty form and sat by his side, Tigress helped Lotus up by the arm to sit up as well. "Though I do have to admit, those tactics you used... diverging my sense of hearing, distracting me by throwing dirt into my eyes—"
"I still hope you don't rip me to shreds for that..."
"Even disguising your scent by covering yourself in mud! They were all impractical yes, but they were still very much efficient and aided you on your stealthiness and sneak attacks, which counted the most. I'm proud of you." The feline smiled, making Lotus beam back a smile of his own.
"Heh, rolling myself in mud, sacrificing my dignity and putting my life on the line in fear of you was all totally worth it!" He grinned as Tigress gave him a bemused look.
"Really?"
"No. I'm stinky, felt my heart drop to my stomach and I'm sweating more than a sinner walking on sacred monk grounds. It's a good thing I'm not wearing my robe either or else dad would KILL me."
Tigress simply shook her head in the hilarity of it all and finally took the chance to look up and gaze in awe of her surroundings.
"Whoa..." She stood up and marvelled at the glorious sight. The expanse of this place seemed endless, with various different sections of the fields filled with different kinds of flowers. There were sections for daffodils, petunias, begonias, jasmines and much more. The flower section she and Lotus were currently standing in consisted of tiger lilies.
The black and white bear stood alongside his tiger companion and dusted off his pants before placing his hands on his hips, "Admiring the view, huh?"
With her jaw slightly gaped in awe, she simply uttered few words whilst not once tearing her eyes away from the wondrous meadow, "I thought you only had lotuses here..."
"Oh, ha ha." Lotus sarcastically laughed, still wearing a smile on his face.
"Not in any of my twenty years living at the Jade Palace have I ever seen such beauty as I see here. There are so many more flowers than I know where to start counting..." Tigress continued to whisper, taken aback by the breath-taking sight in front of her. "Yeah, this is actually one of my favorite aspects about this place. We've planted many kinds of flowers here!"
"Do you know how many?" The striped warrior asked in her natural cat-like curiosity.
"Uh... last time I counted I think there was... fifty-ish sections?"
"'Fifty-ish'!?"
"We pandas really like gardening... and our herbs! Some of these flowers really make good ingredients for tea and pastries! I call this place 'The Meadow of Fortunate Goodies'!"
"Why am I not surprised..." Tigress simply pinched the bridge of her nose. Lotus looked around him for a second before perking up, "Oh! Wait! Stay right here, Ti!"
"I thought I told you not to call me—" She tried to warn, but was caught by surprise yet again when she witnessed her panda student just dive into the flowers below them. "Uh... Lotus..?"
"Hold on! I'm just... hmm... give me a minute! I just need to make a small... thing... hehe~" He called back, further confusing the feline as she continued to look around at the flowers around her. Before she knew it, a few short minutes later, the very same panda popped up from the meadow with a group of flowers linked on some kind of chain on his messy head, more flower petals stuck to the mud on his fur, and what looks to be another flower chain in his grasp as he smiled brightly at her.
"Ta-da~! I made us flower crowns!" Lotus stated in satisfation, before blowing a petal that fell on his nose during his scramble through the flowers. Tigress couldn't help but give another one of her questionable looks upon the sight, "You... made one for... me?"
"Mhmm! Look! They're tiger lilies too! A tiger lily crown made for a special tiger lady!" He winked, causing Tigress to turn her head away, hiding her flustered yet also slightly flattered feelings. "Uhm, I'm not really a jewellery person..." She winced, trying desperately to keep what was left of her hardcore facade in front of the panda.
Slightly dismayed, but not wanting to pressure his master, Lotus simply shrugged and looked down, trying not to let Tigress notice his slightly crestfallen ears, "Oh.. that's okay, you don't have to wear it." He grinned sheepishly, causing the tiger to panic as seeing him even the tiniest bit upset was enough to tear her in two.
"No, no! Just...!" Tigress sighed in exasperation on what she was going to say, before simply crossing her arms and looking down in embarrassment, "You can... put it on... if you want. Just get it over with."
Lotus felt his wide smile come back as he couldn't help but squeal to himself. "SQUEEE~"
"Please just put it on before I change my mind..."
"Sorry! Sorry, eheh... boop!" He leaned forward with his tippy-toes and placed the flower crown right on Tigress' head, making her grumble with her cheeks burning a bright red that could not even hide from the panda if it tried.
"Are you... blushing!?"
"You're already on thin ice, panda, watch your step." She glared at the ursine playfully, making him laugh at her threat.
"Wow! You know, I've noticed something different about you today, Tigress!" The feline rolled her eyes at Lotus' obvious statement, but decided to play along as she quirked up an eyebrow at him, "Oh? And what would that be?"
"Well, this entire time, you really shown to, well, loosen up a little!"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, the laughs, the smirking and smiling, the playful remarks, you even made us play tag of all things!"
Tigress soon became on the defensive. "It was for training."
"Yeah, but you made this training, as well as many of our other exercises, y'know, fun! If I didn't know any better," Lotus crossed his arms and grinned, "I'd say you were actually enjoying yourself during your time with me."
"Thin. Ice." Tigress reminded sternly, but soon retreated her gaze when the panda seemed unphased and just continued to give her that smug look. She sighed in defeat and gently took her flower crown off her hands and into her paws. "But... you wouldn't be... entirely wrong. I've actually never felt so... relieved and carefree before.."
Lotus softened his expression and walked closer to the tiger, "You mean you never felt that back at the Jade Palace."
It was obvious Tigress wanted to say something, but she held her tongue and simply looked down. Lotus took the hint. "Sorry, was that too personal?"
"...No, it's alright. I just..." She scoffed as a small smile crept onto her face, "This is probably the first time in a long while I actually had... fun. And to think it was here with you of all things."
The ursine awkwardly chuckled that, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was." The tiger glanced at him smugly, making Lotus playfully roll his eyes. "Come on, it's getting late. Let's head back to the hut." He recalled and held his paw out towards the feline, waiting for her to place her own in his. She looked down at his paw hesitatingly, but trusted how he was patient with her, and she slowly yet surely let her paw be held in another's grasp. It was the first time she ever genuinely held hands with anyone, so the feeling felt odd but... it was a good odd. She felt so light in his hold; felt... gentle. At peace.
So much so that she never took her eyes off of the way they held each other's paws up until they returned to the hut.
The sun had just set and it was evening, but the two felt too worn out to join the rest of the pandas at the dinner in the village square. Lotus already told his father about the matter, and though he wasn't immediately fond of the idea, he could see how exhausted his son was and simply bid him and Tigress goodnight before heading out.
"Whew! What a day!" Lotus slumped down on the couch, preparing to head to sleep by taking off his flower crown and settling into the cushions. Tigress simply shook her head fondly and headed to her temporary room to sit down on Lotus' bed. She brought the flower crown in front of her and examined it carefully. Her hardened claws caressed the petals and leaves woven together. She did admit, the events of today truly did give her a sense of joy she hasn't been able to feel in a while. She truly feels like she's warming up to this place, albeit a little bit.
"AW MAN!" Tigress' head sprung up at the sound of Lotus' distant exclamation outside of the room, "I'M STILL COVERED IN MUD! Ugh, I need a bath..."
She couldn't help but laugh to herself at what she just heard. 'Silly panda...'
Yep. She's definitely warming up to this place.
~~yeah, if I wasn't already rusty in my past chapters, I DEFINITELY am now ;-;
also, update, I just realised how similar this chapter is to Naidvar's recent one-shot, and I promise you guys that this was NOT INTENTIONAL! I SWEAR HE AND I JUST HAVE SIMILAR MINDSETS OR THE LITERAL SAME BRAINCELLS! PFFF~ anyways! I hope you found SOME enjoyment in this chapter, as I have to admit this isn't really my best one, hehe! :'3 (also yes, I DID make whole entire chapter based on how Tigress briefly mentioned a meadow to Zeng in the last chapter, what about it? UmU)~~