The heavy heat of the forge enveloped the air in a glowing glow. The incandescent metal crackled in flames while Kael struck the iron with precision, each blow resonating in the small room.
"Hold the hammer well, not too loud, not too weak," he said in a calm voice.
Tigress, still young but already stubborn, frowned and tightened her grip. In front of her, a piece of metal partially formed was waiting to be worked.
"If you hit too hard, you will crush the metal and make it brittle. Too soft, and it will never take shape."
She nodded, breathing deeply before raising the hammer and striking. The shock made her tremble, and Kael held back a laugh when she saw the grimace on her face.
"Not bad... but try again. Feel the metal under your fingers, listen to it. It will tell you what it needs."
Tigress blew, concentrated. This time she adjusted her grip, tried to measure her gesture... and struck. The resulting sound was sharper, more accurate.
Kael nodded, satisfied. "There you go. Now remember this: every forged blade is a promise. A commitment. One mistake, and it can break at the worst time."
Tigress looked at him, perplexed. "Like in a fight?"
He smiled slightly, wiping his forehead with a backhand blackened with soot. "Exactly. An imperfect blade can cause the loss of its wearer. But a well-made blade, in good hands..."
He grabbed a finished dagger and skillfully twirled it between his fingers before placing it gently on the bench. "... it can protect or destroy."
Tigress remained silent, absorbing the lesson. Then she glanced at her own piece of metal, still formless. "What if we make a mistake?" she asked, hesitantly.
Kael looked at her for a moment and then smiled. "we start again. We heat, we knock, we shape... until it becomes what it is meant to be."
Tigress observed the glow of the oven, its reflection in the half-finished blade.
The night air was cooler than inside the forge, a light breeze driving away the heat that had lodged in their clothes. After a long day of work, Kael and Tigress had left the workshop, walking side by side through the quiet streets of the village.
"I still have sparks in my whiskers," Tigress growled as she rubbed her face.
Kael chuckled softly, her blue eyes twinkling under the moonlight. "That's the price of wanting to be a blacksmith."
Tigress gave him a little nudge. "I don't want to be a blacksmith; I just wanted to see if I could do it."
Kael raised her eyebrow, amused. "So what? Verdict?"
She crossed her arms, falsely proud. "I am good. Of course."
Kael shook her head, laughing softly. "One good punch and you're already getting the big head?"
"You told me yourself it was a good shot," said Tigress with a smile.
"That doesn't mean you're an expert."
Tigress stopped and stared at him. "A duel here and now?"
Kael raised her hands in surrender. "I'm not fighting a debutante."
She grunted, but a glimmer of malice in her eyes betrayed her amusement. Then she noticed that they had stopped near a bridge overlooking a quiet river.
Kael leaned against the railing, watching the reflections of the moon dancing on the water. For a moment they remained silent, enjoying the quietness of the night.
"Say, Kael..." ends up whispering to Tigress.
"Hm?"
She hesitated, searching for her words. "Why are you doing all this? Forging for everyone, without distinction. Even for bad people."
He did not answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the river, but something in his expression had closed.
"A blacksmith does not choose who wields his weapons," he finally replied. "He only shapes them. What we do with them... It's not up to me."
Tigress bowed her head. "Do you really believe that?"
Kael looked at her, the moon's shadow accentuating her serious look. "You can't always control what you become, Tigress. Sometimes we're just... forged by the world around us."
There was silence between them, heavier than the previous one. Then Kael sighed and gave a slight blow on his shoulder. "Come on, enough philosophy for tonight. Do you really want a duel?"
A bright smile lit up Tigress's face. "Try to beat me and we'll see."
The night wind was blowing gently on the clearing, making the grass tremble under their feet. The moon projected a silver glow, illuminating Tigress and Kael facing each other.
"All right," said Tigress in her battle posture. "Show me what you have."
Kael, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, the last time you said I was a bad student."
Tigress rolled her eyes. "Because you're not listening to me. Now, be careful."
Kael sighed but obeyed. He raised his fists, feet apart in a too stiff position. Tigress shook her head.
"Too cold. Relax."
"I am relaxed."
"No, you look like a statue."
Kael smiled amused, but tried to relax a little. Tigress nodded.
"Good. Now attack me."
Kael hesitated. He knew full well that he had no chance. Yet, he leaped forward, attempting a direct punch.
Tigress easily dodged, turning sideways. "Too obvious. Try again."
Kael launched again, this time with a series of faster moves. But his Kung Fu was still unfinished, incomplete. His movements lacked fluidity, too brutal and uncoordinated.
Tigress parades effortlessly, deflecting her blows one after the other.
"You attack like a blacksmith," she taunts.
"Perhaps it is because I am a blacksmith?" he replied, attempting an awkward sweep.
Tigress jumped to avoid him and, in the same momentum, gave him a small tap on the back of the skull before landing loosely.
Kael stood up and growled, "Are you mocking me?"
"I teach you," she replied with a smile. "If you want to become a real fighter, you must learn to anticipate."
Kael frowned, analyzing her posture. This time he took his time. He watched the way she stood, supporting her legs.
Then he attacked differently.
He feigned a punch to distract her before sending a real elbow.
Tigress blocked the attack just in time, surprise. "Not bad."
Kael did not respond and tried another, more instinctive approach. He did not have the discipline of Kung Fu, but he had the strength and cunning of a blacksmith accustomed to physical efforts.
He grabbed Tigress's wrist to immobilize her, but she freed herself from a fluid movement and gave him a croc.
Kael fell heavily on his back with a thud.
Tigress crouches beside him, arms crossed. "Brute force will not suffice."
Kael, lying down, stared at the sky for a moment before laughing. "All right, I'll listen to my master this time."
Tigress smiles. "Don't make me regret being your master."
He reached out his hand. She hesitated for a second, then grabbed her to help her get up.
After several minutes of training, Tigress breathed a sigh and slowly collapsed on the floor, lying on her back with her arms apart. His breath was regular, but a thin film of sweat testified to the intensity of their session. Kael, still standing, looked at her with an amused smile before sitting next to her, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Tired?" he asked with a touch of derision.
Tigress opened an eye, then a second eye, and kicked her slightly to the side. "It is not me that almost fell three times."
Kael laughs softly. "I see you still have no respect for your teacher."
She turned her head to him and smiled, "I am your teacher."
He shook his head with amusement before lying down in turn, crossing his arms behind his head. The night sky stretched out above them, studded with thousands of sparkling stars. For a moment, they remained thus, silent, enjoying the moment.
Then, slowly, Tigress turned to the side and put her head against his chest. She felt Kael tremble slightly, but he did not move, just exhaling slowly. After a moment, he raised an arm and passed it around her, drawing her a little more against him.
"You are really tactile," he whispered with a smile in his voice.
Tigress closed her eyes. "Only with you."
Kael felt a gentle warmth in him at these words. He lowered his head slightly, placing his snout against her forehead. "And I only with you."
A complicit silence settled between them. Tigress listened to the regular beating of Kael's heart, letting herself be lulled by that closeness she cherished so much. She knew that she would soon have to return to the palace, take up her responsibilities. But for now, under this infinite sky, she didn't want to be anywhere else.
"We should stay here forever," she murmured.
Kael squeezed her a little bit more. "Yeah... that would be nice."
And in the peaceful darkness of the night, they remained thus, just two souls bound by a sincere love...
Tigress woke up suddenly because she heard a noise in the forest surrounding them. Looking around she saw her friends still asleep, peaceful and serene. However, when she looked in the direction of where the Shadow was, he was no longer there. She stood up and began looking around for the bounty hunter.
But nothing, he was not there. 'Where are you? what are you hiding from us?' asked the young tigress. Looking closer, she noticed footprints, she had a lead. She looked at her friends one last time before starting to follow the hunter's footsteps: her friends were safe for the moment, the woods where they camped seem out of danger.
After some time of walking, she heard the slight sound of voices talking not far away so she made sure to be as discreet as possible before approaching the place where the voices came from.
She arrived at the beginning of a small creek where there was a monkey resembled a little to Monkey except that his fur was dark brown and his eyes were greenish. And there was in front of this monkey the shadow but what immediately disturbs Tigress is that he wore neither his helmet, which was hanging on his waist, nor his hood but he was back to her, so she could only see the back of his head and everything was confirmed: it was a tiger, white, rather tall and imposing. But it was the only thing she could discern, it was impossible for her to move to see his face because the ground did not allow it, so she could not see the marks adorning his face.
'oohhh come on, K. you know well that I don't play in his games here! you know me, right? I don't deal with that kind of person, much less guide them to a colleague who I'm sure they'll cause trouble." the monkey, the voice clearly indicated that it was a female. "You're not going to tell me that you think I'm responsible for what happened to you?"
«these men knew my reputation when they came to see me and only someone of your kind knew where I was at that moment» the tiger replied in a neutral tone
The monkey took a wounded expression before laughing «Oohhh you did not change my little snow tiger... always to suspect people even your own… 'friends'»
"Do I have a reason not to do it?" said the tiger.
The monkey chuckled before adding, "No, you're right. With what we do, we can't trust anyone." he let glide a silence before continuing "but I can assure you that I gave no direction to this group, they certainly came to me to propose an information gathering mission on the famous "Jade Palace", but I was already on a more lucrative contract if you know what I mean."
Tigress could only squint eyes of anger to hear this: the thieves really planned everything... but how did they not spot intruders in the Palace?
"and when did you receive this request?" the Shadow asked, asking from the tigress's head
"Some time ago... maybe a year? a little longer?" replied the monkey. Tigress's eyes widened, it was more or less the period of Kai's attack! The palace was partially destroyed at that time and workers came to repair... 'it is really necessary to be careful who enters the Palace in the future', thought Tigress.
"Do you have any additional information for me?"
The monkey smiled maliciously, "It depends, what are you willing to do for these informations?"
The tiger rolled his eyes, "What do you want in exchange?" he asked. The monkey looked at him with a look full of lust. The Shadow growls «all but this»
The monkey moaned a little "ooohh come on now! I have never done it with a tiger! I heard that it is masterful" she took a look that begged the tiger "pplllleeeaaassseeee"
"You know very well that's not how a tiger works, right?" the tiger replied annoyed.
The monkey sighed "well ok, at least I would have tried," she said. " What you can do for me is to eliminate these dogs. They tried to kill me because I had turned down their offer and was aware of their plan, so if you're going to do that I won't bother you again for a little night with you" she said with a smile.
The tiger sighed his annoyance «you are really a case, do you know that? Why don't you look for a mate and settle down instead of spending nights with everyone you meet?»
The huntress looked at him with a wounded look "not nice" then she chuckled "I don't know where their main hideout is but I know they have other 'HQ' somewhere else. there is one in Yueliang. it's a village not far from... "
"I know very well where it is, Kira." he looked at her "well, thank you for your help."
Tigress also knows this village... and very well. This is the village where she went to see Kael, the village of all their memories together, where they met... where she left him.
"So you do this for revenge? you want to make them pay for what they did to you?" the tiger nods "and what did they do to piss off the great 'Iron Shadow'?"
«why do you care? this isn't any of your business»
«rroohhh come on! tu me dis... please» the monkey begged
The tiger rolled his eyes and sighed "they came to me for equipment for their mission against the Jade Palace" he explained. Tigress' blood began to boil 'he's been in the theft all along! He can be leading us straight into a trap.'
"And did you forge what they wanted?"
"No, I haven't forged for men without honor in a long time. That didn't please them and they looted my forge so I made them pay" this seems to calm Tigress down.
"So you settled their account? then why pursue your revenge if they paid?" she asked
«First, if I do not cut off the head of the snake, what proves to me that they will leave me alone? and secondly I have a contract for the Jade Palace to recover and return its artifacts»
"a contract with the Jade Palace? I thought you didn't carry the Jade Palace in your heart"
"I don't like it, yes. But a contract is a contract."
"and they came with you? or are you doing it alone?" Kira asked
«I would have done it alone but the red panda wanted some of his students to come with me to ensure the success of the mission» he explained calmly but Kira could feel a semblance of annoyance in his voice
"Where are they? did you sneak out?" she asked.
"They sleep in the camp that they did not too far east from here... except Master Tigress who has been hiding in the bushes behind me for a few minutes already." He says, surprising Tigress and Kira at the same time.
Kira immediately leaned to her side and with a little effort found Tigress "Well well well. Not so discreet for a big cat." she frolicked.
The shadow took the helmet to his waist before putting it on and turning also to Tigress who came out of her bush. "I thank you for your help, Kira. I will see to it that your condition is respected and I will eliminate those who have harmed you." The Shadow says looking straight at the other tiger.
"I thank you also, K. See you soon! " and with that she went clinging from tree to tree.
The bounty hunter did not take his eyes off Tigress while watching her approach. When she got close to him, she expected a reproach, anger whatever it was but nothing
"Come, the others will probably wake up soon" he said, looking at the sky which was beginning to take on colour and brightness.
They started walking when Tigress asked confused, "wait, you're not going to tell me anything, I'm spying on you and you're not going to say anything?"
The shadow stopped in its footsteps and turned to her "I knew you would come" then resumed its walk.
"How?" asked the tigress
"I knew it... that's all"