Southern Mountains

Fire and flames entrapped them. Her lungs clogged from the smoke. The baby in her arms cried. She clutched it tighter to her chest. "Qiangda!" Shouted her husband. She looked through the flames, seeing a hole through her burning house. She leapt through the window into her husband's arms. "Come on, stand up! Are you okay, is she okay?"

"Yes, she's fine! We have to get out of here," Qiangda pushed on. Her husband followed, rushing straight into the forest. The rain became a torrent. The lightning flashed across the sky as they ran further and further into the darkest woods. Tree branches felt like swords and pitchforks, scratching against them, as they came to the southern region. Qiangda saw among the flooded plains, a round little structure. An orphanage. She quietly stared at her babe, then her husband.

"Do you think it would be safer for her?" Qiangda asked.

Her husband widened his eyes as he clutched her closer. He pursed his lips, staring at the orphanage in the distance.

A tear threatened to fall from Qiangda's eyes. "Let's chance it," She said. Her husband nodded. They kept on, passing the plains where the orphanage stood. Qiangda gritted her sharp teeth as she sped along with her husband. Glancing at the child in her arms, a deep dread came over her.

She was being selfish.

If they didn't survive this, her baby would die. What kind of mother was she to risk her child?

"There!" Shouted a voice. Qiangda snapped her head to a distant rolling peak covered with small torches defiantly shining in the rain.

"RUN!" Her husband shouted. Qiangda fled further south where the trees grew thicker and the air more humid. The torches behind them disappeared as they kept their speed. They ran on, further and further until her husband took the lead. "This way."

"Where are we going, Lao?"

"Just follow me!" He shouted. Qiangda followed. How the child in her arms didn't cry from the thunder, lightning, and rain, she would never understand. But the forest suddenly cleared as they ran. She pushed and fought up a sharp incline. Huffing and panting, she clutched her child and struggled on. Lao's tattered garment became her focus through the pouring rain. She looked back. Specks of light dazzled far behind them. Was it the enemy? She pushed on. Pushing the aches in her muscles and the thought of quitting out of her mind.

She couldn't quit. For her child, she couldn't quit.

At last, there was a summit. A cooler yet temperate climate upon a green mountain. The rain began to clear, but the darkness was still thick. In the distance, Qiangda could see dots of lights in front of them. "This way!" Lao said. She halted for a moment. Were these the enemies? She trekked on and saw houses and huts familiar to her.

Yes! This was Lao's Uncle's village. Gasping for air, Lao found the door among the houses and banged on it. "Uncle Lee! Uncle Lee!"

"What, what! Who's calling at this... Lao! Qiangda, dear! What happened?"

"We're being followed. Please! We need your help!"

"Of course, come in. Come in!" The couple stumbled into the house, collapsing to the ground. Uncle Lee eagerly scanned outside.

Then, they heard something. The distant clanks and shouts of swords grew closer. "Stay here," Lee ordered. The older man stepped outside with a lantern. Lao searched the home and found some towels to dry Qiangda.

"We'll be alright," He smiled bravely. "Is she okay?"

"She seems fine. I can't believe she didn't cry once," Qiangda panted. A moment of silence took away their smiles. "Lao, what are we going to do? Those bandits took everything from us! Father, mother, my sister, your brother. Everything is gone. And if we had stopped at that orphanage we... we could've-"

"Shhh, shhh, it's alright. It's alright." Lao held his wife close, gently caressing her striped head. "It's going to be okay. Tigers are tough, you know."

Qiangda gave a faint smile.

Bang Bang Bang!

Their head spun to the door. They didn't say a word.

Then

"Lao! Lao! You have to see this!" The two tigers slowly stepped out of the timber house and gasped at the sight.

"You're alive!" Shouted a neighbor of theirs, running up and hugging Qiangda. She was careful not to squish the baby.

"What happened to the bandits?" Lao asked.

"We did our best to drive them off. Some of the others... didn't make it. But the village is decimated. Is your baby okay?"

"BABY!" Lee shouted, marching up to Qiangda and Lao. "Why didn't you tell me you had a baby?!"

"Sorry, we just came from running for our lives!" Lao growled.

"Before that! You never come to visit, you know."

"Stop it you, two. You'll upset the baby!" Qiangda shouted. For some reason, the child didn't say a peep. Lao studied the small group of survivors. Some faces he knew, others he couldn't find among them.

"Many gave up their lives to make sure the bandits were gone," said the neighbor somberly.

"Their sacrifices won't be in vain," Lao quickly said. "We'll rebuild here. On the Southern mountains. Whoever comes to fight us again will be sorely disappointed."

"Lao, what are you doing?" Qiangda whispered.

The tiger stood atop a small box just outside his uncle's house. "Each one of you fought a great fight today. I tried to help but-"

"You would've been killed almost immediately, nephew," Lee muttered patiently. "You're not invincibly strong."

"So we'll become stronger. All of us," Lao said in a loud voice. "From this day on, we form a clan of strong people. A clan of strength, both physical and mental. So no matter what we face, we will never be incapable." He looked down at his wife and gently grabbed his baby from her arms. "We will become strong to protect those we love."

"YAAAAAA!" Came the rousing cry.

Then came another.

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Lao!" Qiangda snatched the crying baby from him. "Now you've made her upset."

Everyone laughed.

It was a small comfort in a trying time.

Seasons turned and changed upon the high green mountains. The semi-isolated clan mostly consisted of tigers, but other hearty animals lived here. Years passed until a young female tiger bounced from her hiding spot to strike at the unsuspecting gazelle and bunny. The two smaller creatures put up a fight. The bunny dove for the legs while the gazelle jumped over her and attacked from behind. The little cub jumped left, kicked the bunny back, and elbowed the gazelle with her right arm.

"Ha! I win!" The little tiger grinned widely.

"Oww, that hurts," The bunny cried.

"Don't be such a baby, Lin," Said the gazelle. The tiger helped both of them up. "Thanks, Hu Li."

"Hehe," The little girl smiled. "And Lin's not a baby."

"Yeah, Hu Li just punches harder than any tiger I know," Lin groaned. "Can't we play tag?"

"Sure! I'm it."

"NO!" Both Lin and the gazelle said.

"Why not?" Hu Li pouted.

"You pounce on us too hard. And you don't need to nibble on our necks," The gazelle muttered.

"I... I don't mind the nibbling," Lin shyly said. "But you're a bit... heavy."

A loud laugh came from behind the tiger. "Of course, she's a growing girl," smiled her great uncle. "Soon she'll start to pick you two up in both her hands."

"Hey! I'm not gonna be that small!" Exclaimed the gazelle.

"Hey, who's that?" Lin pointed towards the wooden gate at the entrance of their village. Lee turned and saw a small creature walking in a dull red robe. He scanned the village left and right. Almost immediately, Lee saw his nephew and Qiangda approach the stranger.

"Uncle Lee, what's wrong?" Hu Li asked.

"I don't know. Stay here, little one." Lee quietly approached Lao and Qiangda from behind, joining them in the solemn conversation. "I hope I'm not interrupting. Who are you?"

Lao cleared his throat. "Uncle Lee. This is Master Shifu. He's come from the Jade Palace on orders of Master Oogway."

"Your nephew was just telling me your origins. Rumors of mysterious tigers have caught the attention of the villages below."

Lee scoffed, "People are afraid of anything."

"Yes, a clan of strong tiger warriors would strike fear into anyone," Shifu replied calmly. Lao and Qiangda glanced at each other. Her husband took a long deep breath, folding his hands behind him.

"So... why have you come?"

Shifu sighed, "Well, after hearing your story, I think I know why my master told me to come here."

"To size up the threat?" Lee grunted.

"Uncle," Lao hissed. "You'll have to pardon my uncle. We've tried to be as reclusive as possible. We mean no harm to the people below. We're simply here to stay safe and to grow stronger."

"Why?"

"We weren't strong enough to fight the people who tried to kill us," Qiangda answered frankly, "We just... we don't want to have that happen again."

The red panda stroked his long beard, stoically staring at the taller tigers before him. His eyes drifted southward to think but caught something on the descent. Another speck of orange caught his eye. A young tiger girl, a small distance behind her mother, peaked out from behind a small hiding crate.

Shifu stifled a smile and laugh before shaking his head. "That won't be wise. Isolating yourself will only give you a false sense of security. And you won't know how strong you are if you never face anyone stronger," Shifu explained.

"What would you have us do?" Lao sighed, exasperated.

"Strength for protection," Shifu said, "means being aware of the area. You and the villagers below might benefit from being their defenders. Learning as much as you can about the strengths and weaknesses of others will help grow your resilience. As well as sending out scouts to gather knowledge to protect yourselves."

The three tigers glanced at each other until Lee sighed. "He's right. Our isolation only makes us weaker. To be strong, we must learn from others."

"It's not like every bandit is going to stop and tell us how to use a sword," Qiangda countered.

"I... might be of service," Shifu said. The tigers looked down at him. He walked past them, over to a plain-looking box. He pushed it over and revealed the hiding Hu Li. Her amber eyes went wide.

"HEY! No fair!"

Shifu smiled, "My master has instructed me to stay one year here. I will teach you Kung Fu during my stay. From there, you can figure out what you can to learn more about... strength."

Lee sighed and turned his head to Lao and Qiangda. Qiangda looked over to Lao who only dropped his head in a sigh. "Alright. But we're not trying to conquer villages or nations. We just want to be strong enough to protect ourselves."

"That's all one can ask for," Shifu said. He looked at the wide-eyed cub. "What is your name?"

"Hu Li."

"Hu Li," Shifu smirked. "It's short for Tiger Strength." He turned to the grown-up tigers. "I hope to learn more about your... perspective on life here."

"And we hope to learn from you," Lao bowed along with his wife. "Master Shifu."

The clan soon changed. Shifu's idea called to Uncle Lee, and he started sending people and representatives into the nearby villages and to other fighting dojos, learning as much as they could. Slowly, knowledge and wisdom came in scores, and the clan began to train in several forms and styles.

Lee also enlisted Lao and Qiangda into new roles. Lao became the official leader of the clan while his uncle became the scouting system leader. Over the year, the red panda taught the clan all he could. Qiangda, surprisingly, became one of the greatest training leaders. She was one of the faster learners of Master Shifu, something that the red panda took great pride in. Her devastating attacks and cunning strikes would leave most in the dust.

But she was not THE fastest learner. Hu Li started to become a prodigy, mastering strength and forms faster than most adults. Shifu taught the cub to control her strength, which only seemed to grow with time, but her parents coached her to use it. Qiangda had told Master Shifu that she was glad she hadn't left Hu Li in that orphanage when they ran away from the bandits. Shifu agreed, "That area doesn't have many tigers. She would have to learn how to control and blunt her strength rather than let it grow to its fullest," Shifu explained. "Of course, we should be concerned with what is, not what could be."

"That doesn't seem like your wisdom, Master Shifu," Qiangda said bluntly.

"It's... not," Shifu muttered. Living among the tigers, he had learned their... frank. Suddenly, Shifu's ears twitched and he ducked from the sneak attack of a young tiger. Hu Li lunged over the red panda and tumbled into the grass.

"Awww!"

Shifu smiled, "You'll get me one day young tigress."

"Tigress?" Hu Li said. "Who's tigress?

"Sorry. Tigress is what a female tiger is."

"Oh! So I'm Tigress!"

Qiangda smiled gently, rubbing Hu Li's head. "You are, Hu Li. You're a strong tigress."

Shifu smiled. The tigers were blunt, but they were deeply kind.

Hu Li turned her head to the red panda with a questioning look. "Master Shifu, why are you training us to fight?"

"Because you need to learn how to protect yourself and others. We have to show the world that they need not fear you. But after training your mother, I'm beginning to question the... success of my work, but we won't know until later."

"Huh?"

"He's saying that I'm scary when I fight people," Qiangda glared at the simpering red panda.

"Why are they scared of us?"

"People tend to do bad things out of fear, and they are afraid of what they don't know. Of what they can't control. That's why you should learn to be strong. You must be strong enough to face those fears."

Hu Li stood proudly, pointing her finger up to the sky. "Then I'll become the strongest warrior ever!"

"Well, I don't think-"

"That's my girl," Qiangda smiled, picking her daughter up. "You'll become stronger than anyone I know." Hu Li cuddled her mother with a smile and looked at the red panda.

"Do you think I'll be the strongest, Master Shifu?"

The red panda looked at the young tiger's wide expectant grin and sighed. "My master said that nothing is impossible. I'm sure you'll find strength like no one else."

Hu Li smiled, but Shifu cursed himself internally. The words were just cryptic enough to give the tiger hope, but not outright tell her a lie. A vulture of guilt bit into his heartstrings. Qiangda set her child down and let her run off to play and spar with her friends. "Thank you, Master Shifu."

"For what?"

"I know there will always be someone stronger." Shifu bowed his head in shame. "But what you said gave her hope. She might not become the strongest, but she will be stronger than she could ever think possible."

Shifu's thin lips cracked a smile. "I don't doubt that."

A year passed on. The red panda left the tiger clan in a much better spot than he found them. The villages around the lofty mountain came to know their presence, though there was much to do to better relationships. Hu Li was one of the first ones to hug Shifu goodbye, using all her strength to squeeze him tight. "Ahh! Thanks Hu Li. I think I'll be fine," Shifu wheezed. He didn't expect the child to be that strong, let alone squeeze the air out of his lungs.

"When will I see you again?" Hu Li asked.

"When you're older. When you're ready, come to the Jade Palace. I'm sure my master would love to see you," Shifu smiled.

"What should we do in the meantime?" Qiangda asked, standing next to her husband.

"Learn as much Kung Fu as you can. Have Hu Li practice and train. Make sure she gains all the wisdom and experience she can," Shifu looked into Qiangda's furrowed brow. "I know you're still scared of what could happen, but you can't keep her in one place forever."

"We'll learn to be as strong as we can," Lao said. "To protect ourselves and protect others."

Shifu gave a small smile. "That's all I can ask of you. Until then, I hope to see you again sometime."

"Goodbye Master Shifu!" Hu Li cutely waved. The red panda smiled and turned to leave, hiking down into the misty valleys below. Looking back, Hu Li saw her parents frown. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Nothing, honey," Qiangda smiled, picking her daughter up. "We're just... a little worried."

"About what?"

"The future," Lao said heavily. "I'll see if Uncle Lee needs me." He disappeared over to the array of houses before Hu Li could speak. Her inquisitive eyes turned to her mother.

Qiangda sighed, "Little cub, we're just a little scared for you."

The little tiger hugged her mother. "I'll become a strong warrior. So you don't have to be afraid."

"Thank you, dear. But there will always be fear. Always," Qiangda's mind drifted to that fateful night when her whole life changed. Her daughter's arms tightened their hold. "But... you can only get better at facing your fears. I'm sure you'll see Master Shifu again." Her eyes gazed over the sea of proud far-off mountains, towards the north and then the west. "Maybe, once we learn more about the world, you'll make all kinds of friends."

"Really?" Hu Li said excitedly.

"Of course you will," Qiangda smiled, hugging her tighter, "My strong little tigress."