4 chapters to go...
Valley gongs went off in the brink of morning, the whole Valley of Peace called to wake up and start their days. All the way up in the Jade Palace, on cue, just as they always did before, the Furious Five jumped right out of their beds and headed out their doors to greet the red panda master.
"Good morning, Master." They all said in unison.
But Shifu couldn't care about protocol right now. He was trying to find someone...
"Panda?" He called.
No answer.
"Panda!"
Still no answer.
Tigress looked to the door ahead of her. Was this where Lotus was meant to stay? She didn't know why, but the concept of that as well as the implications made her smile a bit as her heart thumped for a moment.
She had to admit, though she was tempted to go after her friend yesterday, she felt more of a need to retreat to her room and deal with the mixed emotions she has had over the last few days. With the title, with the growing resentment towards Shifu... with Lotus.
The minor eyebags she has grown to have would tell you how long she stayed up to 'clear her head'.
And all her conclusions gave her was that... she just genuinely wanted him here.
Unfortunately, Shifu's patience was done for, and so with no more waiting, he stormed to the door and busted it open, "Wake up!" he proclaimed, but stopped once he looked into the room.
There was no panda.
The thought internally crushed Tigress behind the smirking Shifu as he announced with glee, "He's quit."
The Furious Five and their master walked up together to the court yard in haste, though Tigress felt herself trailing behind, not trying to make herself noticed.
She didn't show any signs of sadness, other than the small sight of her rubbing her knuckles behind her back. Her ears perked when Viper slithered up to Shifu. "What do we do now, Master? With the panda gone? Who will be the new Dragon Warrior?"
Shifu proudly looked back at the rest of his students, "All we can do is resume our training and trust that, in time, the true Dragon Warrior will be revealed."
He opened the doors to the court yard and felt his smile drop instantly, while Tigress perked her head up, as everyone graced their sights at the 'Dragon Warrior' ahead of them, on a couple of wooden bars, trying to do the splits.
Emphasis on trying.
"What are you doing here!?" Shifu asked harshly, alerting Lotus' attention.
He looked behind him and saw everyone's mixed faces as he meekly bowed, "Hah! Hi! G-good morning, Masters! I just uh... thought I'd warm up a little..." He pretended to stretch before quickly trying to get his leg off the wooden bar.
It was at this moment everyone took a good look at his predicament, and Tigress internally face-palmed herself once she realised that, during the months of training Lotus, she forgot to exercise one thing...
His flexibility.
The others seemed to have noticed as well. Viper, Mantis and Monkey chuckled under their breaths wile Crane and Shifu shared a look of distain towards the struggling ursine.
"You're stuck," The red panda pointed out.
"Stuck?" Lotus panicked, "Nah? What? Me, stuck? No! Pffft haha! O-of course not! This is just one of my—yeah, I'm stuck." He finally muttered, defeated with himself.
"Help him." Shifu nodded towards Crane, who groaned to himself. "Oh dear..."
Letting no more complaints slip, he grabbed the hood of Lotus' robe as he flew up. The poor panda was not prepared when this occured. "O-okay slow down, on the count of three, ready? One, two—oowoOOWHOA!" Before he knew it, he we dragged and flipped by his hood and plopped on the ground.
"...Three." He groaned out, before getting up quickly to address Crane. He awkwardly cleared his throat and avoided gazing at the bird's deadpanned expression, "Uh... thank you."
"Don't mention it." Came his curt reply.
"Y-yeah, of cour—"
"Ever."
Lotus' face dropped when he saw the avian strut back to the others, not sure if he meant to not mention the assistance or the ease-dropping from last night. Either way his thoughts were silenced when he heard the bitter chuckle of Master Shifu in front of him.
"You actually thought you could learn to do a full split in one night?" His eyes darted to the brick plates next to him, silently telling Tigress to move forward and prepare herself. He hastily took two of the plates and flung them high in the air. "It takes years to develop one's flexibility!"
Tigress knelt down low and looked straight at Lotus in sympathy. But He just looked back in awe, which gave her a bit of ease. It didn't even matter to her what Shifu was saying at this point.
"...And years longer to apply it in combat." He snapped his fingers, alerting Tigress to spring up high into the air, posing in a perfect split as she successfully crushed each brick with her feet.
Lotus was, needless to say, fascinated. His face morphed into that usually floppy, grinning expression that he makes whenever admiring his mentor's awesomeness.
She gracefully landed on the ground on her four limbs, still feeling his eyes on her.
On a... specific part of her as well.
'Is he... no, there's no way he could possibly...' She indecisively thought to herself. She looked back at the bear, still captivated by her very existence.
She smiled at him over her shoulder and stood up confidently. "Hmph." She huffed, though her tone was a giveaway with how amused she truly was.
She would be lying if she said she didn't like his attention.
She briefly shook her head and walked over to the others, surprised with her own mannerisms and thoughts.
This wasn't the time for thoughts like that.
During this time, she failed to notice as she walked away, a chunk of the brick fell on Lotus' head and plopped beside him. But rather than have him flinch at the impact, he was so enamored by the feline that he didn't even react, more so just grabbed the chunk and hid it in his pocket. She only discovered this when Shifu started shouting again.
"Put that down! The only souvenirs we collect are bloody knuckles and broken bones."
She looked back at Lotus again and smirked while raising her eyebrows, almost asking a silent 'really?' towards him. Which made him nervously rub his neck with a shy smile of his own.
"Are you listening, panda!?"
"R-right! Yes of course!" Lotus said abruptly said as he put his paws together in a bow, "Excellent!" He beamed.
The tiny master smirked, "Then let's get started." He snapped his fingers again, having everyone lined up behind Lotus on cue. His first opponent to slither up was the sweet and unsuspecting Master Viper.
She put herself in a starting pose and narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you ready?" She asked.
Lotus put himself in his own starting pose. Arms in, legs bent and out. "Yes ma'am, I was born read—AAH!" Before he could even finish what he was saying, Viper got the best of him and tried to knock out his feet. He flung up in the air and immediately ducked into the familiar panda roll on the ground and rolled back. He panted when he sprung out of it and stayed knelt to the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry brother, I thought you said you were ready." Though Viper apologised, her tone was anything but sincere. His eyebrows furrowed as he got up, threw off his robe and made a gesture for her to come at him again.
"I am ready."
Tigress smiled, feeling prideful again of her student as she watched the whole ordeal.
Viper hissed and slid fast to him, but this time, he showed he meant what he said. The snake used her tail to make her usual sharp attacks but Lotus actually managed to defend himself a bit. He punched down at her but only achieved in punching the ground and making a cracked crater around it.
Crane's jaw dropped while Monkey and Mantis watched on in shock. Monkey then broke into a slow smile, "He's... actually pretty good."
Of course, Viper managed to easily evade this attack, slither around Lotus while grabbing his other arm and twisting it behind his back, Causing the bear to quickly give out and fall on his front, the serpent on top of him.
Shifu smirked, feeling a sense of victory was just ahead of him.
Viper hopped off Lotus' back as he groaned and slowly got up, dusting the crusts of ground off of him. She genuinely smiled at him this time, "You defend yourself quite well."
Lotus didn't smile in return, but still respectfully bowed towards her, "Thank you, Master Viper." He stated curtly before turning to the red panda. "Who's next?"
This only made Shifu angrier as he snapped his fingers again, making Monkey go next.
They sparred with bamboo staffs, and though Lotus was definitely unskilled with weapons, he still managed to hold himself together, even almost beating Monkey before he tripped the panda.
Lotus groaned on his back as Shifu smirked. But when Lotus pressed his palms together, his smirk quickly disappeared and he snapped again.
It was a humiliating cycle really. Lotus wouldn't give up, Master Shifu would call for someone else to spar with him, the panda would get the upperhand for just a moment before falling on his ass, and repeat.
It was sunset by the time Master Shifu's hand started cramping and Mantis landed on top of Lotus... again... for the fifth time in a row.
And yet, weakly, Lotus still pressed his palms together and bowed, showing his persistence.
Shifu was fuming at this point, "I've been taking it easy on you panda, but no more! Tigress, go!" He ordered.
"No."
Lotus glanced up with wide eyes, while the rest of the Furious Five dropped their jaws in shock. Master Shifu visibly flinched at this rebuttal. He slowly turned his head to the cold and collected Master Tigress.
Shifu gazed at her, feeling flabbergasted and second guessing if she even said that to him just now.
"...Are you... defying me!?" He asked slowly, his eyebrows curling in furiously.
Tigress narrowed her eyes at Shifu, "I know exactly what you are trying to do, and it won't work. Not on me. I never back down from a fight, unless the fight is unjust." She crossed her arms to show her own control.
"Who taught you such idiocy!?" He shouted.
"You did!" She stated firmly. She looked off to the side, bracing herself for what she was about to say. "...But that was before Tai Lung—"
"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK OF THAT NAME IN MY PRESENCE, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!?"
The other warriors slowly moved back, a little freaked out themselves by this exchange. But Tigress didn't back away. It may have only been a few seconds of her and her father staring each other down, but to her it felt like an agonising eternity. She didn't care though. She promise Lotus' father and herself that she would protect him, to defend him with her life. She wasn't going to back down. Not for Shifu, not for anyone.
Finally, Shifu sharply turned towards the admittedly scared panda. "Nevermind that, if your so-called teacher wants to be a coward, so be it. Your next opponent... will be me."
Tigress' face softened but she looked on in horror. "What—"
"Tigress is right after all. The Furious Five shouldn't fight my battles," He stated bitterly, walking towards Lotus as he slowly stood up himself. "If I want you dealt with I might as well do it myself." He muttered.
Lotus simply gulped in reply.
"Step forth." Shifu folded his paws behind his back.
The bear knew that blindly listening to the tiny master was going to end badly for himself, but he didn't want to test the waters of defiance any longer. Shaking, he finally took a step forward...
Only to be flipped and tossed around like a sack of potatoes.
This wasn't like with the Furious Five, where they were skilled in years beyond him but he could still keep up. Shifu's might and speed simply made it impossible for him to even think about his next move.
"The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weakness..." The red panda flopped Lotus on the ground, twisted his arm, hopped on his back and pulled back on his ear, "And make him suffer for it."
Lotus groaned in pain and tapped on the ground, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to give Shifu the satisfaction of his suffering. Before he knew it, he was being dragged around by the same ear as the master continued, "To take his strength and use it against him!..."
He pulled the panda close and vigorously kicked him at the chin, before flinging him across the courtyard.
Lotus quickly spat out some blood that was caused by the harsh treatment on his jaw, before he was dragged by the feet and flung over again, "AAH!" He shrieked, landing on his front before Shifu grabbed at his nose and finished his statements, "...Until he finally falls or quits."
He took a good look at the amateur fighter's face, disgusted with how bloody and bruised up it was.
"Pathetic." He finally released, satisfied with himself as he walked towards his students.
Lotus' face fell against the ground, his banged up but still vibrant eyes glancing up at the Furious Five.
And that's when he saw it.
Tigress, in front of the other members, looking down at the ground in shame.
Now he didn't know if she felt ashamed in him or herself, but he did know one thing...
He never wanted Tigress to have that look of shame on her face.
Though his arms and legs were weak and he was bleeding out of his mouth, he balled up his paws into fists and steadily placed them against the ground, weakly raising himself in the process.
Shifu's ear twitched at the sound of grumbling and shuffling, making him exasperatedly turn his head back to the rising ursine.
Lotus spat out a bit more blood from his mouth before lifting himself to his feet, wiping his lip and assumed his starting position. He panted and said, in a low tone, "One thing I learned from a super cool master is that a real warrior never quits..."
He made a similar gesture towards Shifu that he made towards Viper, encouraging him for one last go.
"So I will never quit either!"
Shifu, fully enraged at this point, speeds over to Lotus before grabbing his arm, flinging him in the air, jumping high and kicking him out the doors and onto the stairs.
The red panda grunted as the sounds of the struggling Lotus falling down the stairs faded into the distance. "That's... quite enough for today." He walked into the Training Hall, leaving Tigress to instinctively run out the door and look over the edge, the rest of the Five following suit.
Mantis scoffed on Monkey's shoulder, "So, you gonna go and pick up your flabby panda again?"
Tigress glared and growled at the insect in reply to his harsh joke. "Watch it."
"If he was smart, he wouldn't dare come back up, but..." Crane winced, while Monkey smiled and finished for him, "He will."
The tiger master rolled her eyes at all their remarks before running down the stairs after her student. Viper arched her eyebrow at her and the falling Lotus, "He's not gonna quit, is he?" She asked.
"He's not gonna keep bouncing, I'll tell you that!" Mantis howled in laughter before timidly clearing his throat after the snake hissed at him.
As the feline found herself at the bottom of the steps, she stops and sees her exhausted friend, lying on his back, his whole body finally giving out on him as he gazed at the pink and orange sky.
She smiles sadly and walks closer to him, kneeling at his side. Before she could get a word out, Lotus finally spoke up.
"I really am pathetic... aren't I?"
Her ears pinned down in sympathy as she rested her paw on his shoulder, "You're anything but that..."
As encouraging as she was, Lotus couldn't help but deadpan at her through his bruised face.
"... To me." She clarified, averting her eyes awkwardly. He at last chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing your opinion is the only one I value right now.."
She smiled and lifted him over her shoulder, "Come on, let's get you back up those steps."
But Lotus stopped her, "Actually, if it's okay, I have another place in mind." She cocked up her eyebrow at him curiously.
"OW! YEE-HA-OWWW!" Lotus shrieked as Tigress struggled to put in needles in his back. "Lotus, please! Hold still!"
"I thought you said acupuncture would make me feel better!" He whined. She rolled her eyes in reply, "I promise it will. I just need you to help me out here and stay still." She pointed out, before Mr. Ping walked into the spare room on the second floor of his shop with some tea.
"Are you sure you know what you are doing with those needles, dear?"
"Of course, I've done this a hundred times to myself and to the others..." She muttered, plucking another one into Lotus' back, "YOW!"
"It's just a little difficult to find the nerve points under all of this..." She hesitated.
"Fat?" Lotus asked in irritation. Tigress' narrowed her eyes back at him, "You know I wouldn't say that. I was going to say fur."
"Sure you were," The panda scoffed, putting his chin in his wrapped-up hand, "AYY! Enough with the sharp poking!"
The feline arched her eyebrow, "Actually, that one was on purpose."
"Hey! What for!?"
"For thinking I would make fun of you," Tigress replied, feeling a little hurt. "I thought you thought better of me."
"Sorry," Lotus stated in frustration, "But all the people I thought 'better of' have made fun of me! I would have assumed you would too at one point.."
"But I didn't." She gently grasped his shoulder from behind, "And I wouldn't."
He looked back at Tigress and remembered the sincerity she held in her eyes, making his expression soften as he sighed, "Yeah I know... I'm sorry. It's been... a rough few days."
"I know..." She cupped the side of his bandaged face, making him smile wider.
Mr. Ping looked between the two of them with a beaming grin of his own, "Oh! Don't you two make quite the item! It's nice to know you've got a soft spot for your special someone, Master Tigress~!"
The two felt their faces heat up and they pulled away from each other, stammering as they did so.
"Me, Tigress, an item!? Oh no no no—"
"He's not my special someone—!"
"I mean we're pretty close but—"
"I mean I suppose he is a special someone but not my—"
Mr. Ping's giggling interjected between the two. "Don't worry, don't worry, I was joking! No need to defend yourselves, hehe! I'll just uh... go and give you both some space." He bowed and left the room, still chuckling to himself.
The two awkwardly stared at each other before laughing softly amongst themselves. Embarrassed as they were, it was a pretty funny interaction. Lotus turned forward again and let Tigress pluck more needles into his back.
Finally, after a moment of silence, she spoke up again. "I will admit, though... I heavily commend you for your persistence today. I was so proud of you every time you got up from the ground."
Lotus chuckled, "Thanks. I was hoping you were. After all, you did teach me a lot about persistence!... and about being stubborn—OW! Sorry!"
The feline smirked, "You are forgiven."
Lotus smiled but then looked down. "And uh... thank you. For... sticking up to Master Shifu for me. I know that must have been hard for you..."
Tigress' ear fell slightly, "It wasn't... not if it's for you. But I feel horrible for just encouraging him to hurt you himself..."
"Ah! It wasn't that baaaAAD—GAH!" He exclaimed, instantly debunking his point. "Eheh, ahem..." He cleared his throat, amusing the tiger more.
"I will uh... admit though... I think I was the most scared when Master Shifu snapped after you mentioned Tai Lung." Tigress flinched at the name as Lotus looked back at her. "I've never seen him that angry before. Any idea why he reacted like that?"
Tigress finally sighed. "...I'm not supposed to talk about it but... if you are meant to stay here..." She looked up at the panda. "Are you aware of... the story of Tai Lung?"
Lotus tapped his chin, "I mean... I believe so. He was a student prodigy under Master Shifu, the first to ever master the thousand scrolls of kung fu... but then something happened that made him turn bad and now he's locked up at Chorh Gom prison, right?"
"... It's... a lot more complicated than that," She started, turning her body to the side as she fiddled with the needle in her paws.
"Believe it or not, there was a time Shifu used to actually smile."
"What? No way...!" Tigress grinned slightly at Lotus' incredulous reaction.
"The truth is... Shifu found Tai Lung when he was a cub. And... he raised him as his own son. And when the cub showed talent in kung fu, Shifu trained him... he believed in him. He told him that he was destined for greatness..." She sunk her shoulders down, "But it was never enough for Tai Lung."
Lotus turned his body to be next to Tigress, intently listening to her now...
The striped little cub peeked through the door of the Training Hall and saw a big snow leopard tearing apart the wooden warriors... again.
Little Tigress has only been in the Jade Palace for a week after being adopted by Shifu, and with all the times she has seen who was meant to be her big brother, she has only seen him train, and train, and train some more.
She was curious about him. She wanted to actually talk to him. So, timidly, she walked in and watched as the ferocious Tai Lung pounded the last standing warrior to bits, "HIYAAA!" With one last kick, with the limbs crushed and destroyed, the wooden warrior finally collapsed on the ground.
Tai Lung rolled his shoulders as Tigress watched from the sidelines, admittedly amazed. "Wow..." She whispered.
"Haven't you ever been told it's not nice to spy on others?" Came his abrupt reply, making the tiger cub jolt.
"I uh..." She spoke up, "I-I wanna learn how to do that! Like you! Could you teach me...?"
Tai Lung grunted, "I don't have time to babysit. I have to train."
"But you've been training all day!" She exasperated, sitting on the edge of the sideline, "Don't you ever get tired?"
"The Dragon Warrior never rests."
"Dragon Warrior?" She asked innocently. "What's that?"
"Something you will never achieve." He harshly turned back, glaring at the child, "That title is MINE."
Tigress pouted, "Oh yeah? Well, I can be Dragon Warrior if I wanted to!" She stood proudly and teased. Tai Lung laughed in her face.
"YOU!? Really? Do you think you can survive off a single dew leaf and the energy of the universe?"
"Well, maybe—"
"Have you mastered the thousand scrolls of kung fu?"
"...No, not yet—"
Suddenly, Tai Lung was towering her, despite him still being in the Training Hall pit, "Have you devoted your entire life, bleeding out of every bone, spending sleepless nights training, and working every ounce of your body to achieve greatness!?"
Tigress trembled. "..N-no..."
"Then don't even think you can accomplish being the Dragon Warrior. It's not just a title, it's an identity. A prestigious identity. An identity you could never accomplish being..."
Tigress clamped down on her tears and bit back, "I can accomplish it! You'll see!"
"Stay out of my way, kid. The only way to become the Dragon Warrior is to reach for the Dragon Scroll and be given unlimited power. And you can't even reach the top shelf." He smirked.
"And what if I can?"
"Trust me," His eyes burned fear into the child, "I'll make sure you won't."
Tigress huffed and ran out of the hall, making Tai Lung scoff and turn away to continue his training, unaware of a tortoise watching the whole encounter from a distance with a deep frown.
"He wanted the Dragon Scroll," Tigress continued, "But Oogway saw darkness in Tai Lung's heart and refused."
Lotus' ears dipped slightly, worried about how the story was going to turn out.
"Outraged, he laid waste to the Valley. Terrorised everyone, and tried taking the scroll by force. And Shifu... he had to destroy what he created." The tiger focused her vision on one part of the wall, dozing off into it as another vivid memory popped into her head.
"But how could he?..."
It was dark and windy. But the Valley beneath the Jade Palace was hot and red with flames. Tigress watched on in horror at the steps as guards took a knocked out Tai Lung into a dark wooden cart, throwing him inside, as Oogway ordered.
The tortoise stood behind her and Shifu at the front of the Palace, while the two stayed standing on the steps together.
Horrified, Tigress gently pulled on the red panda's sleeve, "W-where are they taking him, Shifu?"
Silence came her reply, which admittedly scared her more.
"... Shifu?"
When the cub first met her master, he was quiet and collected, but kind. She could see traces of light smiles from him at certain moments. He was still... bright.
But now all that she saw of him was coldness. A quiet darkness surrounding him as he looked on at the cart being taken away.
How he so badly wanted to stop that cart.
He tightened his hold on the crutch meant to keep him and his broken leg balanced.
Finally, he pulled his sleeve away from the child next to him, "Don't cling onto people... it shows weakness."
And with that, he walked up the stairs towards Oogway, leaving Tigress alone at the stairs.
"Shifu loved Tai Lung like he had never loved anyone before..." She dipped her head low and gripped tightly on the needle, "Or since."
Lotus looked at her sadly and gently placed his paw on her arm. She looked back at him and weakly grinned before looking down again. "And now... he thinks he has a chance to make things right. To train the true Dragon Warrior."
"... And he's stuck with me." He frowned. 'A big, fat, nobody panda.' He kept this thought to himself, feeling selfish if he were to try and voice this insecurity while the feline shared something vulnerable with him.
Tigress' looked at him sincerely, "Shifu has always started out not believing in others since Tai Lung. Ask the Furious Five and they will tell you how Shifu first reacted to them. And even after he accepts you, he will continue to push you to your limits. That's just... what he does to make sure you improve."
"Yeah, or make sure you quit." He muttered.
After a moment of silence, Tigress plucked out the needles from his back and stood up. "I will talk to Shifu. He needs to learn how to properly train you as I have."
"I appreciate it Tigress but," he made another floppy grin, "I don't think Shifu would accept the thought of training me with food."
Tigress started walking out of the room, grinning over her shoulder as she did, "Who knows? Masters are full of surprises."
Lotus rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He looked around at his surroundings. The spare room Mr. Ping had was pretty empty despite it's tall walls. Barely anything littered in it other than a few boxes and crates.
And yet, despite this, it seemed a little... familiar to him?
Suddenly, his thoughts were cut by the sound of pitter-patter on the wooden floors. He looked out the door and saw Mr. Ping enter the room awkwardly. "Mind if I come in?" He asked.
Lotus slowly nodded and invited the goose in the room. Mr. Ping gently shut the door and sat next to the panda on the ground.
"I did mean what I said before," Mr. Ping started. "About you and Tigress?"
Lotus' cheeks burned at the mention, "W-we're not—!"
"I know, I know!" The bird smiled, "I meant with Tigress having a soft spot for you. I've... never seen her interact with anyone so... gently, the same way she does with you. Well," He chuckled, "Unless it's with kids."
"..Do you think Tigress sometimes treats me like a child?" Lotus asked shyly.
"Oh no, I don't think that. I mean she also treats me softly and I'm an old man. It's just..." Mr. Ping smiled, "I can tell she likes you especially~"
The panda curled in on himself in embarrassment, but couldn't help but grin at the thought. "Oh no, I-I don't think so... besides," His smile dropped. "I can't think of that stuff right now."
Mr. Ping shook his head, "Don't do that."
"Do what?" Lotus quirked up an eyebrow.
"Reject yourself of pleasantries in life because you feel it is expected of you. Trust me, you'll regret it..." He hung his long neck down sadly.
Lotus looked down at the floor himself as the room fell into a deep silence.
After what felt like forever, he finally asked an unforeseen question. "Have you ever felt like there was more to you than what even you expected, but it just keeps getting... robbed of you?"
Mr. Ping jerked his head back at the sudden inquiry before sighing, "... All the time. I mean, look at this room for example!" He gestured around him. "I have no idea why, but I feel like there's always been something missing in here that I needed... something important."
Lotus looked around the room himself, "Now that you mention it... me too..." He mumbled.
It was a strange feeling to describe. Was it nostalgia for a place he had never been to? Was it Deja Vu? He couldn't say.
"But ah," Came the bird chef's reply, "That's probably just a metaphorical feeling. But what I have learned that sometimes, those feelings of miss is necessary..."
"What do you mean?"
Mr. Ping gazed at the bear with an endearing smile, "Think of it like my Secret Ingredient Soup! People usually appreciate the 'more' they subconsciously get with the secret ingredient added, but without it, it's still a great and whole dish. Sometimes achieving the 'more' is nice, yes, but you're not incomplete without it, my dear boy."
Lotus tilted his head at Mr. Ping in amusement. "You're quite a wise chef, aren't you?
"I'd say so!" The avian puffed out his chest proudly, making the young panda chuckle.
Suddenly, a chill went through the open window in the room and flew straight to Lotus, making him shiver before feeling something soft and light fall onto his knee. He looked down and saw a petal gracefully on his lap.
But not just any petal. A peach tree petal. He picked it up and examined it. "Strange."
"What is it?" Mr. Ping asked with high curiosity.
"It's weird. I feel like I got flowers all over me sometimes. I wonder..." He hesitated, trying not to sound insane with his following sentence. "Is this meant to be a sign?"
The bird shrugged. "Depends. What feeling are you getting with this sign?"
"I'm not sure," Lotus admitted. "Something just feels... off." He looked out the window worriedly.
After Shifu had momentarily 'dealt' with the amateur Dragon Warrior, he quickly retreated into the hall to light up some candles and meditate. "Inner peace..." He chanted to himself.
"Inner peace..." His ear twitched a couple times, hearing a distant sound of flapping in the distance. He tried to shrug it off. "Inner... in-in-in—inner... inner peace." He stumbled, his irritation not ceasing as the sound continued.
"Would whoever is making that flapping sound quiet down!?" He snapped, looking back slightly.
There was silence. Then a twitch of noise. And silence again. He looked back at the candles and tried to regulate himself.
Inner—"
"QUACK!"
THUD
Shifu sighed with an eye roll, finally getting up and looking at the culprit behind him.
"Ah, Zeng," His expression softened, pleased to see his trusted diplomat. "Excellent. I could really use some good news right now."
The goose opened his beak to start his message, but hesitated at the expecting look on the red panda. He really did not want to do this.
He fiddled with his wings nervously. "Uh..."
The ever peaceful Master Oogway could be seen humming and performing some Thai Chi on the top of a hill that held a beautiful peach tree. A peach tree known for 'heavenly wisdom'.
The petals blew off into the valley and seemed to dance gracefully around the tortoise. They seemed to yearn for him. Calling to him.
Suddenly, he heard vast foot steps heading towards him from the bottom of the hill, making him stop his practices.
"Master—Master!"
"Hmm?" Oogway side-eyed Shifu.
"I have... It's..." The small master panted in fear, "It's very bad news."
"Ah, Shifu," Oogway turns and sees his student and old friend running towards him. Despite the panicked look on the red panda's face, he smiled. "There is just news! There is no good or bad."
The red panda had to roll his eyes at the tortoise's wisdom, a very rare occurrence.
"Master, listen to me! Your vision... your vision was right! Tai Lung has broken out of prison! He's on his way!"
Oogway, for the first time in front of his student since Lily, froze.
"That is bad news..." He admits before smiling once again, "If you do not believe that the Dragon Warrior can stop him."
Shifu tenses, his eye twitching in rage, "The panda!? Master, that panda is NOT the Dragon Warrior! He wasn't even supposed to BE here! It was an accident!"
"There are no accidents." Oogway repeated, still smiling gently. The sight made the panda sigh.
"Yes, I know. You've said that already... twice." Shifu's expression softened before looking off to the distance.
The tortoise chuckled, "Well, that was no accident either!"
"Thrice." He muttered.
"My dear friend," the wise creature walked towards him, "the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you let go of the illusion of control."
"'Illusion'!?"
"Yes," Came Oogway's reply to his student's flabbergasting question. He then gestured to the plant among them, "Look at this tree, Shifu. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before it's time."
Fed up, Shifu argued back, "But there things we can control!" He kicked at the trunk, making the peaches tumble down. "I can control when the fruit will fall—" His ears flattened when a peach fell atop his head. Oogway only chuckled and looked on in amusement.
Shifu then took a fallen peach and threw it up in the air, "And I can control..." He jumped up to the peach, sliced it in half, and landed back down with grace. "Where to plant the seed." He finished, punching the ground to make a tiny hole before catching the seed in his paw.
"That is no illusion, Master!" He forcefully planted the seed in the hole.
"Ah, yes." The wise tortoise slowly walked towards the hole, "But no matter what you do, that seed will grow into a peach tree. You may wish for an apple, or an orange..." He grinned at Shifu's impatient pacing, "But you will get a peach."
"But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!" Shifu finally snapped. But Oogway wasn't phased in the slightest.
"Maybe it can. If you are willing to guide it. To nurture it..." He tenderly covered the seed in the soil it lays in.
"To believe in it."
"But how? How!? I need your help, Master!" The red panda pleaded.
"No," Argued the wise master, "You just need to believe... Promise me, Shifu." Oogway's eyes curved upwards almost solemnly. "Promise me you will believe."
Taken aback, Shifu hesitates. "I... I will.. try."
Satisfied, Oogway hums. "Good." The petals flying around him intensifies in the way they dance in the wind.
This was it. This was his calling.
"My time has come."
Unexpectedly, he gives his notorious staff to his long term student and friend, leaving him more confused and worried. "W-wha-what—what are you...?"
"You must continue your journey... without me." He walks to the edge of the hill as the peach petals start to swarm him.
Tears start to form in the red panda's eyes as he tries to chase after him, "Master!" He calls out to him in desperation.
After entering the Jade Palace grounds, the tiger walks solemnly to herself. Her ear twitches when, as she coincidentally walks closer to the peach tree of heavenly wisdom, a few stray petals from the tree lead to her and dance around her form.
She spins while they surround her and curiously grabs one of them. But the second she did, she felt something was immediately wrong.
This wasn't like the other times where the flower petals she would follow gave her ease... this felt off. Wrong.
After softly caressing it in her numb paw, her ears suddenly perk up and her eyes widen worriedly.
"Oogway." She whispered, dropping the already faltering flower and running in the direction of the tree.
"You can't leave me!"
At last, as Oogway starts to glow and fade within the peach petal storm, he turns to his student and dearest friend, respectfully placed his wrist into his claws to bow and, as his final words...
"You must believe."
Shifu's eyes widen at Oogway's form fading, trying to reach out to him, "Master!"
But it was too late. Soon enough the petals surrounding him whisked him away to the night skies.
He ascended into nature itself. Exactly how one would expect someone the likes of Oogway to go out.
Shifu purses his lips together, trying to swallow down the tears threatening to leave his eyes. He nods his head to himself, silently accepting Master Oogway's words.
Suddenly, his ear twitches at the sound of someone running up to him. He knew exactly who it was. Yet he couldn't bring himself to turn to her.
Tigress pants as she makes it to the top of the cliffside, darting her head side to side, looking for something... or someone.
"Where...? Shifu, have you seen Master Oogwa—" She stops once she sees what the red panda, back towards her, was holding.
It was Oogway's staff.
Taking a careful step towards him, "Master Shifu?"
And that's when she saw it. Her small mentor finally gathered himself and turned his body towards her. His expression and the item he held told her all she needed to know.
She gasps herself, staring at the ground as her mind raced, not knowing how to handle this situation.
Shifu takes a steady breath and his somber eyebrows turned inwards in a stern manner. He finally stood the staff on the ground and grasped it tightly, clearing his mouth as he did so. "I'm afraid I've been keeping something important from you and the others. The truth is... the reason why we needed the Dragon Warrior and why we needed you was because... Tai Lung has escaped from Chorh Gom."
"What!?" Tigress whispered, though her shock was still apparent. This was...
A lot to process.
"I know. And now he's one his way. And Master Oogway says the only one who could stop him is—" He grumbled in shame, "The Dragon Warrior."
Tigress clenched her fists, "How long have you been keeping this from us? From the Five!?" She gestured to the barracks in the distance. "You knew how dire the situation was and instead of telling us and having us prepare for the attack, you make a fool out my student and our Dragon Warrior!? For what? Because your favorite didn't get the title himself!?"
Shifu snapped his head towards the feline and glared, "How DARE you disrespect me at this moment!? I don't have time for your pettiness or jealousy—"
"JEALOUSY!?" Her eyes turned to slits.
His ears pinned down as his glare stayed steady. "Get out of my way, Master Tigress. I need to set the record straight with the panda." He tried to walk past his student but jolted back once she stomped in front of him.
"His name is LOTUS." She snarled softly at him, "And you don't just get to dismiss him nor I like that again. You threw him down the stairs today and now you want to act civil!? You're supposed to be our teacher and guide us, not humiliate us every chance you get! Do you understand what it's like to be undermined for EVERYTHING you do!?"
"Tigress—!"
"No, for ONCE listen to me! You have no idea what you put Lotus through. What you put me through! I used to want the Dragon Warrior title, but what I truly wanted? What I wanted more than the title!? I wanted your approval!"
Shifu's expression softened.
"I trained more than anyone at the Jade Palace! I punched Iron wood trees for twenty years until the bones in my paws broke into numbness! I did everything you asked of me, and I kept pushing and pushing myself to the point where I don't even know what's life beyond kung fu! To the point where getting attached to anything but kung fu was scary to me! All so I would get that stupid title and so that you would... love me." Tigress didn't even know what she was saying anymore. All sensible thoughts were out the window and two decades of suppressed emotion started pouring out of her mouth.
"But it was never enough. I kept pushing myself because I knew if I didn't, you would. Nothing I did was ever enough for you! I wasn't enough for you!"
She panted to the stunned and surprisingly heartbroken master, trying to blink away the tears in her eyes. Her shoulders finally sagged as her expression went from anger to sadness.
"But... how could I be? I should've known the moment Tai Lung got taken away... that I would be nothing to you but his replacement. His shadow." She looked down and started to shake.
"I should have known you would never love me the way you loved Tai Lung."
The red panda's eyes widened and his eyebrows curled up again. It all struck him at once. Before he could say anything to his student and daughter... she was gone. He looked longingly at the staff he was holding.
"Oh Oogway... why must you leave now?" He whispered to himself.
Lotus walked up the stairs, still caressing the petal in his paw and trying to figure out the message that was being sent to him. He figured going back to the Jade Palace would probably give him a good idea of what's going on.
Suddenly, a voice calls out to him. "Lotus!"
He looks up, instantly recognising the voice and found the woman he immediately pictured running down the stairs towards him.
"Tigress!" He called back, running up the rest of the way until they met each other in the middle. His concern for her peaked. She clung to his arms and panted, her expression showing just how distraught she was.
He had never seen her like this before.
"Tigress, what's wrong?" He asked as he gently held her arms.
The tiger warrior took a few laggering breaths, "O-Oogway... he's gone."
The panda's eyes widened, "He's what!?"
"And Tai Lung has escaped from prison as well. He's coming for the Dragon Scroll. He's on his way as we speak." She grasped the fur on her head as she stared at the steps under them. "And I need to go after him."
The panda was in determination mode quite quickly, "Well then what are we waiting for!? Let's go get his spotted butt!"
"What?" Tigress asked, but the bear was already moving back down. "Come on, let's go together!"
"No, Lotus," She stood in front of him and physically stopped him. "I can't let you come. Not this time. You have to stay here."
Lotus jerked his head back. He was obviously bothered by that last statement. "What!? No! I'm coming with you! You need backup!"
"I can't risk the thought of him killing you on sight. You're a hot target. If he sees you he will destroy you, Lotus." She said firmly.
The panda's expression showed only a fraction of his true hurt.
"... You don't believe in me either, do you?"
Tigress' frowned. She didn't want to undermine Lotus, but he is still a student. And Tai Lung was a maniacal but thoroughly skilled master who managed to destroy the valley with his bare hands.
The thought of what he could do to Lotus shook her to her core.
Finally, she pulled him close into a surprising hug, stunning the panda. "Of course I believe in you, Lotus. And I know if I wanted anyone fighting by my side right now, it would be you."
"...B-but...?" Lotus stuttered out, admittedly flustered to be in the tiger's arms.
Despite her hardcore exterior, her embrace was surprisingly... gentle. Warm and welcoming.
"But I promised your father I would protect you. With my very life. Not just as his son or as the Dragon Warrior," She pulls back to look at the panda in his ever-so alluring jade eyes, and cups the side of his face. "...But as my friend."
His cheeks burned brighter at this seemingly forbidden contact. At last he sighed, closed his eyes and gently grasped her paw resting on his cheek. "I don't want you doing this alone."
"I'll be fine. I promise." She finally pulled away fully from him, letting their paws hang low and slowly slip from each other. "And this is something I feel I need to do. It's what I was trained for."
She gave one more small smile and flipped off the stairs to the valley below.
Though melancholic himself, Lotus smiled a bit, fascinated by the now gone tiger.
"... Awesome." He whispered.
"And now," Shifu sighed to himself as he looked at the four warriors in the kitchen, "Now I have to find a way to train the panda in enough time before Tai Lung comes here and destroys everything... again."
The other four were, needless to say, stunned. Having Oogway gone, Tai Lung coming, and their only way of salvation being the panda?
"Oh we are so screwed." Mantis whispered.
But Viper looked around for a moment. "Master... this... is a lot. Do you know where Tigress is?"
Shifu's firm expression broke. He looked down, upset with himself. "I... wish I could say, Master Viper. But... she seemed to have run off thanks to the news."
Viper gave the boys a look. And they all already knew.
"Excuse us, Master. We need to train." The snake politely said as she and the others quickly dashed out of the kitchen, leaving Master Shifu alone in the kitchen. Confused and concerned.
Suddenly all weary thoughts for Tigress faded once she found herself falling. She hyperfocused on the one rooftop in the valley as her target. Her eyes stayed fixated and her pupil dilated as it got closer, bracing herself for her next move. Finally, she flips and slides down the tiles before hopping off of it and landing on another rooftop. She pants and looks off to the mountains far ahead. She then took one last look at the Jade Palace over her shoulder.
"This is what I was trained for."
And with that, she was off. She ran on all fours across the rooftops, hopping through balconies and over walls, fully locked in on this secret mission of hers.
Suddenly, through her tunnel vision, she hears a voice call out from behind her.
"Tigress!"
But it wasn't Lotus, like she thought for a moment.
The tiger master looked back and saw instead Viper, Mantis, Monkey and Crane. Crawling, slithering and flying behind her.
Tigress narrowed her eyes and turned away to focus on what's ahead of her, stating simply, "Don't try and stop me!"
Viper slithered faster and caught up to the feline's side, "We're not trying to stop you!"
"What?"
"We're coming with you!" The serpent beamed. Tigress looked at her other side and saw Mantis, Monkey and Crane caught up to her side as well. Mantis smirked, Crane nodded in approval and Monkey gave her a supportive thumbs up.
Tigress hid a small smile of her own. Jumping to the boys' rooftop to join them together, then to Viper's, officially uniting them all. The tiger had to admit, she felt exactly like when they were just teenagers who just got together at this moment. And that gave her just a little bit of ease in this trying time. Finally, as the last rooftop that ended off the Valley of Peace neared, Tigress' eyes turned to slits again as she mentally prepared herself.
The silhouettes of the Furious Five could be seen jumping off the last rooftop and into the night sky.