Why Not?

The tiger scanned through the scrolls, intensely struggling to find something she couldn't put into words. "I know this is immensely astonishing coming from me, but is something wrong?" Tigress raised an eyebrow and turned her head to the cross-armed snow leopard. "You're not looking through those scrolls we found about the previous Dragon Warrior to try and predict your future, are you?"

"No, I'm just looking over the Kung Fu scrolls," Tigress replied.

"For what?"

"I... I don't know," Tigress sighed putting the scroll back on the shelf. "In any case, I don't think I can find it here. I have to go down to the village."

"To cook?" She nodded. Tai Lung sighed. His weight went down on his right side as his head dipped, kind of like Shifu when he was exasperated. "Master Tigress, why are you doing this? I know the panda won't ask because you're tight-lipped, but I don't care. So what is it?"

"Even if I knew what it was, I couldn't tell you."

"Why?"

Her ears drooped as her gaze found the floor. "Because I don't know how to say it." She silently walked past Tai Lung and went into the valley. The snow leopard sighed again. He traveled to the barracks where a panda eagerly ate his dumplings.

"Any luck?" He asked with a mouthful. Tai Lung shook his head. "I told you."

"It doesn't seem like she even knows what she's after. That's what has me worried." The feline looked at the panda still munching away. "How are you so relaxed about this?"

"Because I trust her," Po replied. "And I trust that she'll tell me when things are too much for her. That... and it sounds like she needs to figure out what it is that's bugging her."

Tai Lung exhaled and sat down, eating alongside the panda.

Tigress had been coming to Mr. Ping's shop for a month. Over time, she became skilled at certain techniques and tools, but Mr. Ping seemed to grow uneasy with her. Or at least, that's what Tigress thought. As she and Lei Lei were kneading dough, Tigress saw Mr. Ping frowning at the oven. To her knowledge, nothing was in the oven. The tiger left her dough and walked over to him. "Mr. Ping, is something wrong?"

The white goose rose his head, a bit startled, but sighed, "Tigress, you're a very good student. You're learning much faster than I thought. I'm very proud of you, but," He paused for a considerable amount of time. "I think you're doing this for the wrong reason."

"W-What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"You've already got the techniques and tools, but I'm curious. What do you want to cook?"

"Food."

"But what kind? What type? Do you want something savory, spicy, bland, filling?"

"I... didn't think cooking meant all of that."

"Cooking is an expression of yourself. For me, broth runs through my very veins," Mr. Ping paused, "I think... you're doing this because of something else. So what is it?"

Tigress stared at Mr. Ping for a while. She sat into a short stool somewhere behind her and sighed, "I... I don't know. I honestly don't know why I'm doing this. I know I want to, but... I don't know why. I... I just feel... lost."

"Does it have to do with your Kung Fu?"

"I... think."

"Why not talk with Master Shifu?"

"He's the problem," She unconsciously said. Both she and Mr. Ping were shocked by those words. "What I mean is-"

"You told the truth the first time. You know how I feel about your... master after learning what happened to Po up there," Mr. Ping griped. Tigress struggled with what she wanted to show: A smile or a grimace. Grimacing because she was also responsible for treating Po horribly when he first came. Smiling because Tai Lung was right about Mr. Ping's grudge-holding, though in this case, it was understandable. "But... what is it?"

Tigress sighed, "I was-"

"Mr. Ping!" Lei Lei called. "I'm done! Can I use the stove?"

"The stove?" Mr. Ping asked. The little panda had cut her large ball of dough into smaller flat pieces on trays. She added some kind of oil on it, herbs, and... something. Mr. Ping sniffed. "Did you put garlic on this? Why?"

"Because I wanna try it."

"This... isn't how you make noodles."

"I know, I want to try something else."

Mr. Ping sighed with a small smile. "Okay, should I grease the pan?"

"Hmmm, no. I think this should be fine," Lei Lei smiled. Tigress watched as the little panda gently placed the lumps of dough onto the pan. Soon, a little smoke came from the dough before she flipped it. It began to puff up and balloon before Lei Lei poked it with a small knife and it flattened. Intrigued, Tigress watched Lei Lei flip the dough again and again before taking it out. "Huh, why is it smoking like that?"

"Remember what I told you. Some oils burn and smoke at lower heats."

"Mmm, Oh!" Lei Lei's eyes lit up as she put on a dry flat dough and cooked it. It did the same as the first, but the smoke wasn't there. She pulled the flatbread out. The little panda looked around before going up to Mr. Ping. "Can I use your feathers?"

"What?" Tigress and Mr. Ping asked.

"I need something to cover the bread with oil."

"Uhh, why don't you use this?" Mr. Ping smiled, giving her a small bristled cooking brush. Lei Lei dipped the brush in oil, spread it on the cooked dough, sprinkled some crushed garlic and herbs onto it, and let it dry. She took a bite and smiled widely.

"Mmmm! It's good."

Mr. Ping took a piece and his eyes widened. "It is good. Hmm, I think I've had this kind of bread before when I was traveling west. What did that merchant call it? Naan?"

"I've heard of it. It's a flatbread of the Western world," Tigress said, "Lei Lei, how did you know how to make it?"

The little panda shrugged. "I just played with the dough and-and I wanted to try it."

"But that's not how you make noodles," Tigress clarified, "Did you even put eggs in the dough?"

"No. Just flour, salt, water, and a little yeast."

"Because you don't like dealing with the eggs?" Mr. Ping smiled knowingly. The little panda huffed and crossed her arms.

"But... you didn't follow any recipe," Tigress argued.

"No, I was just playing around."

"But that's not how you cook-"

"Why not?"

"Yeah," Mr. Ping joined in, "Why not?"

The tiger stood still for a moment. Her wide-eyed stare froze in place for a time. She sat back in her stool as her jaw slightly dropped. Her mind went far back when Kung Fu was fun and exciting, where learning each new move sent a pleasant shiver up her spine. When was the last time she just had fun or because she wanted to? Sure, discipline was required, but it really just meant showing up. Another moment passed and Lei Lei walked over to her, worriedly resting her chin on her leg. "Mastah Tigess something wrong?"

Tigress slowly blinked out of her daydream. "Nothing, Lei Lei. I just... you made me realize why I'm doing this in the first place," she smiled grandly. "Come on, let's make some more of this bread, and then I'll take you up to the Jade Palace to show you some... new moves. Is that okay with you, Mr. Ping? Hey!"

The white goose snapped his head around, munching on the last piece of bread. "What?! They were good! I might hire her. For half wages, of course."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Let's cook some more," She smiled.

"Yay!" Lei Lei beamed.

Continued...