I'm gonna catch up on some fic writing tonight but really wanted to tackle some asks from you. So if you have some new year's asks please send them my way. It can be about anything. Kfp, my fics, personal stuff (within reason), headcannons, or if you just want to know what I had for breakfast today. Whatever you want. Let's get this ask train going. Choo choo!
Want to give @wolfchalk a big thanks for her input with this chapter
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Tigress is on the run as Li-Shan tries to attack her. Thankfully Song and the Ladies of the Shade intervene. But Tigress ends up confronting Song about her hidden feelings for Po. Meanwhile, Shifu discovers something is amiss at Shenko Village when he comes face to face with a haunting new foe.
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Regaining consciousness, Song awakens with an abrupt gasp. Her head pounding, her broken arm searing in pain as she lifts her face from the cold floor. With no idea of how long she was out, worry quickly settles in her mind as she sees the bloody arrow beside her.
Sitting upright, she attempts to set her arm back into it’s sling, though the simple act of moving it this way hurts so intensely, she grunts through the pain. Wearily standing, her eyes set on Po as he sleeps peacefully. Still, quiet, tranquil. If only he knew what just happened here. But that has to wait for now as Song takes her nunchucks in hand and sprints out the door.
Outside, Tigress has done everything she can to avoid Li-Shan’s oncoming assault. For such a large panda, he moves with incredible speed. She doesn’t want to fight him but soon realizes she may not have a choice. Protecting her unborn child is her top priority at the moment as she races up the thousand steps towards the Jade Palace.
Looking over her shoulder, she sees the frightening image of Li chasing her down as quickly as he can.
Leaping through the open gate, Tigress presses her back against one of its doors. Spotting Crane and Viper tending to the nearby garden, both of whom are startled by her sudden appearance, she calls out to them.
“Viper! Crane!”
They both dash to her side, “What’s going on?” Asks Viper.
“Shut the gate! Hurry!”
Together, the three manage to get the gate doors closed. But just as Tigress reaches for the locking beam, the gate is forcefully flung open by the savage panda, sending her and Viper to the ground.
“Li-Shan?” puzzles Crane at the sight of him stomping onto the palace grounds.
Without a word, Li grabs the bird around his long neck and slams his head down into the gravel. Seeing her fiancé in danger, Viper coils herself and lunges towards their attacker. She strikes her tail across his face a few times but his massive size proves too much to knock over as he counters her advance by clutching his hand around her throat.
This has gone on long enough. Tigress jumps to her feet and assumes a defensive stance.
“Li!”
He peers in her direction.
“I don’t know what’s happening but you have to fight it. Think about your son. Think about our baby.”
The old panda’s hate filled expression wavers for a moment, “T…Tigress…?”
“Baby?” Monkey asks as he and Mantis appear at her side. “You’re…”
She nods, “Pregnant. Yes.”
Li’s eyes, still glowing red, slowly begin to fade into green. “Tigress…what’s-” He suddenly lets out a pained grunt as he clutches his head and falls to his knees. Tigress runs to his side. “She…she’s in…my head…” He groans as the pain intensifies.
“Who is?”
Grabbing her arm, he looks up to her with tears in his eyes, “H-help me!”
Before she can give him any assurance, he rears back and lets out a loud, gutteral growl before pushing her away. His large arms sending her to the ground as he rises and turns to look behind him. Tigress can now see a throwing star now lodged in his shoulder.
Averting her gaze towards the gate, she is surprised to see Song and her Ladies of the Shade standing there, a dozen by her count.
“You.” Li states upon seeing them. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for long enough!”
As her twelve soldiers attack, pouncing and leaping around him, moving too quick for him to strike; Song runs to the fallen tiger and helps her up.
“Tigress, I’m getting you out of here.”
“I have to help him!”
“That wasn’t a request!” The leopard declares firmly, grabbing Tigress’ arm and dragging her away into the safety of the palace. As they put distance between themselves and the danger, Monkey and Mantis make their way to their injured friends to assist them.
Her eyes never leave the sight of Li as he fights against the dancing warriors. That is until her line of sight is broken by Song shutting the Hall of Heroes’ doors as they enter.
“Don’t worry.” Says Song, “They’re just going to try and subdue him until this wears off.”
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“No more than you. But whatever is affecting him must be the same thing affecting Shou.”
“Mommy?” A small voice cries, bringing Tigress’ attention towards Shifu’s chambers.
“Lei Lei!”
The little cub quickly runs across the room and into her mother’s open arms.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m glad you’re safe!” She exclaims with a sigh of relief.
“Mr Monkey and Teeny Greeny told me to hide here.”
Standing, Tigress cradles her daughter in her arms while turning towards her rescuer. “Song, we have to go back to the clinic.”
“We’re safer here.”
“Po’s alone, he could be in danger.”
“Right now, keeping you safe is my priority.”
She steps closer with a stern look about her face, “I’m going.”
Stomping her foot to the marble floor as she turns, Song shouts, “You’re staying here!”
A bit taken back by the leopard’s firm tone, Tigress finds herself in stunned silence for a moment.
“Why…why are you doing all this?” She asks softly.
Clinching her good hand into a fist, Song replies simply, “Because you…” she sighs, “You’re important to him. I have to protect you.”
Stepping towards her, Tigress places a hand to Song’s arm, “You love him, don’t you?”
Her eyes widen immediately as she feels all the breathe escape her now tense body. “W-what?”
“I know.” She adds with a long exhale. “I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
Taking a step back, she turns towards the sealed doors. “I…I d-…it doesn’t matter. When this is over and he wakes up, you are going to be right there waiting for him. I’ll make sure of that.” Exasperated, she leans against the door, “I want him to be happy. And THAT is what will make him happy.”
“Song.”
“Tigress, I don’t expect you to understand.”
“I do understand. But if you do love him then you’ll know he’s defenseless right now, vulnerable. We need to make sure he’s alright. Your ladies can apprehend Li until we can figure out how to help him but in the meantime, I HAVE to go back.”
Looking over her shoulder to the mother and daughter behind her, a soft smile begins to appear on Song’s lips. “I want you to know that I…that I respect you. I may still have feelings for him, but I will never come between you two.”
Tigress gives her an appreciative nod, “Thank you.”
A loud thud of something hitting against the outside of the doors causes the two women to take a step back. Lei Lei buries her face into her mother’s chest in fright as Tigress tries to comfort her. Song grabs her nunchucks and readies to go on the defensive as a deep growl can be heard from the other side.
“This place have a back door?” She asks.
“This way.”
As the three of them head towards a side door which leads to a hallway connecting the Hall of Heroes to the barracks, something catches Tigress’ eye. In her peripheral vision, a strange green glow emanates from a nearby wall. Coming to a halt, she walks over to investigate.
There, mounted on the wall behind the Flying Rhino Armor is Po’s chi staff. The dot which floats inside the empty yin portion of the staff’s head is emitting a steady green light.
“Tigress?” Asks Song as she stands in the doorway.
But Tigress doesn’t reply as she is drawn closer towards the staff, being somewhat hypnotized by it’s glow.
“Tigress, come on!” Her yell snaps the tiger back to her senses.
Remembering what Shifu said to her before, she feels this must be vital to their current situation. Using her free hand, she takes the staff from the wall before joining Song at the door.
Having ran through the barracks, they peek out the door to see if the coast is clear. Quietly exiting, they see Li and the ladies still fighting on the far end of the courtyard.
“Let’s make this quick.” Says Song in a hushed tone.
Giving her scared daughter a comforting smile, Tigress tells her, “Mommy needs you to keep your eyes closed. Okay?” No matter what happens, she doesn’t want this innocent child to see the state her grandfather is in right now. Once Lei Lei’s eyes are shut, they begin making their way across the yard with haste.
Nearing the halfway point, they are stopped when the unconscious body of a female snow leopard lands before them. Looking up, they can see he’s spotted them as he bats a few more of the ladies away from him.
Moving with an impressive speed for a panda of his size and age, Li grabs one lady by her ankle as she attempts to kick him and, with a mighty swing, tosses her towards the pair. She screams as she is sent hurtling towards them but Song jumps forward, catching her soldier with her good arm.
As the panda sets his glowing red eyes on his striped target, he begins running towards them, completely ignoring the continuing assault from the remaining leopards.
“Get out of here, I’ll keep him busy!” Song shouts only for Tigress to refuse.
“I’m not leaving you behind!”
“Quit being stubborn and go!”
With that last order, Song runs toward the oncoming panda. Tigress, wanting to get Lei Lei out of danger, sprints towards the gate. Upon reaching the exit, she looks back to see that Song landed a swift yet powerful kick to Li-Shan’s gut with enough force to make him double over. Using this momentary opportunity, she kicks his feet out from beneath him causing him to fall forward. Jumping into his back, she wraps her nunchucks around his neck with one handle tucked under her broken arm and the other in her good hand. She begins pulling back tightly, hoping she can knock him out without hurting him too badly.
Gasping for air, Li forces himself back onto his feet before jumping up and tilting his large body backwards allowing his full weight to slam Song against the cold, hard ground beneath him.
Knowing she should leave, Tigress steps beyond the gates but stops after a few feet. Her honor to the ones trying to protect her preventing her from leaving. Something or someone is making him do these things. She has to stop him, she has to save him. This is Po’s father. One of the kindest men she has ever known.
Beyond that though, he is her father now too. Tigress realizes she can’t keep running away. If it’s her he’s after, then it’s her he’s going to get.
Approaching a gathering of bushes beyond the boundary wall, she carefully sets her daughter and the staff to the ground.
“Mommy, what’s going on?” Lei Lei asks with a shaky voice.
“We’re going to play hide and seek. Now, you hide here and mommy will make sure no one finds you.”
“B-but-”
“Don’t worry, sweety. Just stay here and keep quiet, okay?”
Worried and confused, she nods, “Okay.”
Leaping back into the courtyard, she runs towards Li who is occupied with fighting off the remaining ladies as Song lay unconscious on the ground beside him.
Taking a deep breathe, Tigress lets out a loud growl which gets his attention immediately. Turning to face her, he gives a sickening smirk.
“Ah, there you are.” He says with a cackle.
“You’re not Li-Shan.”
Holding out and examining his own hands, Li grins, “I was weary of using this body, but I must admit it’s more useful than I thought. It can certainly take punishment.”
“Who are you?” She asks in a demanding tone.
“Now there’s the eternal question.” He laughs, “However, the proper question isn’t who I am, but rather, who you are.”
Tigress’ brow furrows as she refuses to go along with whatever game is being played right now.
“That’s right, you don’t remember yet, do you? Don’t feel left out, it took me a while to learn the truth myself.”
Hands now clinched into fists, she takes a step closer, “Leave Li out of this. He’s innocent.”
“No one is innocent.” He huffs. “Not him, not you, not even your precious Dragon Warrior. In due time, though, you’ll see.”
Having had her fill with these puzzling remarks, Tigress stands firmly, planting her feet to the ground like tree roots, “I won’t ask again, tell me who you are.” She snarls.
Her only reply from this malevolent force is an arrogant laugh which fills the air, “That’s the beauty of it, deep down, you already know the answer. Afterall, you and I have a long history together.”
****
In Shenko Village; Wajo and Shifu have just arrived at the entry of the Pearl Palace, home to Master Jau-Shah. The palace itself is quite extravagant, constructed will pillars of white marble, walls of gray metal and a set of entrance doors made from actual pearl itself. Two warthogs, armed with spears, stand guard beside the door. As Wajo leads Shifu inside, these two guards follow them.
Shifu thinks nothing of it, given what he’s been told of heightened security here in the village. But as they continue down the long hallway, a sense of unease begins to settle within his chest. Something feels off though he can’t quite put his finger on what it is exactly.
Going through another set of doors, Shifu now finds himself in what looks like a throne room. A large and relatively empty space with a white tile floor and white painted wooden walls. Four pillars stretching up to the high ceiling form a path between them which leads to a small set of stairs with an elaborately decorative throne sitting atop them.
But the figure who sits in the throne is not whom he is expecting, but rather a tall, broad shouldered being whose features are hidden beneath a tattered brown hooded rhobe.
“Master Shifu.” A deep voice bellows from the man.
Before he can respond, the doors slam shut behind him as Wajo takes his axe in hand and the other two guards point their spears at the red panda.
“What is this?” He blurts out in surprise.
Slowly, the man in the throne stands to his feet.
“Where is Jau-Shah?”
The man holds up his left hand and gestures, “I’m afraid she is…indisposed at the moment.”
Recognizing the danger he is in, Shifu acts quickly by throwing his staff at Wajo, hitting him hard in the chest with it, then leaping backwards to attack the two guards. Landing on the end of a spear, Shifu swiftly runs the length of it’s handle and delivers a quick kick to this warthog’s face before launching himself away and in the direction of the second guard.
This warthog strikes but the elderly master dodges his attack. Shifu kicks the spear upwards which gives him an opening to strike the soldier’s knees with a series of punches, sending him tumbling over.
But Wajo manages to catch him by surprise, slamming the handle of his axe against the back of the master’s head. Stunned but not knocked out, Shifu’s entire body goes numb for a moment. A moment is all it takes for the warthog to wrap his hands around Shifu’s throat.
“Now behave!” He snorts while dragging the weakened master towards the throne as the hooded figure descends the steps to meet them.
Hands still gripped tightly round his neck, Wajo raises Shifu off the floor and holds him closer to the mysterious stranger.
The hood casts a dark shadow over the man’s face, but one feature is still visible, his glowing red left eye.
With a wide grin, showing off his fangs, the man says, “Now Shifu, you’re a guest in my home. Is this any way to act?”
“This…this isn’t your…home.” He struggles with speaking as he can barely get a full breathe in. “What have…you done… with Jau-Shah?”
“She’s alive, for now. She still has a purpose.” Reaching his left hand into Shifu’s rhobe, he retrieves the scroll. “You brought my scroll, good.”
“Yours?” Shifu grunts between gasps, “Who…who are you?”
Setting the scroll into a pocket inside his cloak, the man raises his left hand and pulls back the hood to reveal his horribly disfigured visage. A large scar left by a deep burn stretches across his right eye; this eye itself is foggy, indicating partial blindness. His right ear is all but gone, nothing more than a jagged nub where it should be. The right side of his mouth also carries intense scarring, looking as if this half of his lips were burned long ago.
But, past all the scars, beyond the disfigured features, Shifu is left in shock at seeing just exactly what this man is. His orange fur, the black stripes and facial markings, the fanged teeth, the whiskers…all the characteristics he has only ever seen in one other person before.
Decided it was time to change around my blog design a bit. Got a new profile pic drawn by the amazing @wolfchalk, new header, and replacing the orange page with a dim grey. Alot of it is due to me just wanting a change of scenery. But, it's also due to reflect what's in store for The Five Year Journey. As I've discussed with a few folks privately, the story is about to take some darker turns. Alliances broken, relationships tested, faith lost, betrayal of those once trusted, the mysteries of the past coming to haunt the present, a villain revealed, a destiny fulfilled. But through it all, the hope for a brighter day lay just beyond the horizon. Like a candle shining through the night, so too will a love so rare be a guiding light. If you need to breathe, do it now.
