Faith

[Tai Lung's POV]

"Why did you do it? Why did you help me? I didn't ask for it!!" Tigress said as she hit the table of the tavern on which we were eating.

I did not pay much attention to her as I ate my food with satisfaction. Two decades rotting in jail made sure you are grateful of everything in life.

"You didn't have to do anything!" She said and although I did not pay much attention, I think she was referring to the time when I used nerve attacks on her and paralysed her so that I could properly take care of her injuries and make sure she survived.

I mean, what else can I do? She insisted on doing everything herself and tried to wrap her body in bandages with broken hands. She had a false sense of pride so I had to immobilize her and take care of her wounds.

"You talk a lot." I said, slurping down on the stew. "A simple 'Thank you' would suffice." 

She opened her mouth to speak but I raised my hand to stop her. Silence prevailed as I swallowed all the food in my mouth.

"You're welcome."

She growled at me and her ears stood up. She looks cute. 

She reminds me of the orange cat I once had. Sadly, she died after she ate the cake of rat poison which I put under my bed.

Not only was she so useless that I was forced to use rat poison to kill the rodents in my house, but she proceeded to eat the poison and also die at the same time.

Truly worthy of being an orange cat.

"What is your goal? What do you want from me and what do you get by helping me?" She asked again for who knows how many times.

'I don't know. Maybe I want you to bear my future cubs because although Snow Leopards are called 'leopards', they are more closely related to Tigers than leopards so you should be able to bear my cubs.' I answered in my mind.

It was just a flying thought I had. I meant it when I said I wanted to leave a permanent mark in this world, a legacy. And what better way to do that than having powerful children?

I could start the Lung clan or something which would be a powerful clan that would forever dominate the world. I will always be remembered through them and they would forever pray to me, their great ancestor. 

To do that, I would need plenty of powerful females. There were some feline characters who would be worthy and capable of bearing my cubs in Kung Fu Panda and Tigress was one of them.

But it was better to not think that far ahead. I still needed to become the strongest first, starting a powerful clan would just be the cherry on top.

"You spared my life after our battle, took care of my pain and then my injuries. Not only that, now you are giving me food to eat, saying I need it to heal. What is up with that? You are supposed to be evil!!" Tigress said in exasperation.

This time, her words made me look up at her seriously. She seemed a bit surprised that her words finally seemed to elicit a response.

My yellow eyes deeply gazed at her and after a moment, I opened my mouth as if to say something important and to answer her question, but instead I said.

"Give you food? I am afraid you are mistaken." I said and pointed at her, "You're paying for both of us."

She deadpanned at me. 

"What? You expect me to take care of you AND pay for your food?" I asked and she sighed, shaking her head.

"It's fine. You don't have to answer me and yes, I will pay." She said and she finally dug into her food like me.

After that, she finally stopped asking me stupid questions and we ate our food in silence. The people in the tavern were all sitting as far as possible from me and watching us from a distance.

I paid no mind to them as I ate my food. I was the first to finish as I started first and I silently watched Tigress as she ate.

The questions she had asked me resounded in my mind. 'Why are you helping me? You are suppose to be evil!'

I pondered on the question for a bit

"You are my junior," I said all of a sudden and she stopped eating her food to she look at me.

"You are the future of Kung Fu and my fellow student who studied under Master Shifu, that's why I helped you. I know you hate me because you have always lived in my shadow and you must've heard many bad things about me but you shouldn't let those be the base of your judgement." I said.

"People live," I said and paused to let the meaning sink in. "They are not puppets in a story whose whole existence is dictated by words. There is no one who is purely evil or purely good, everyone has their own story, their own motivation on why they do certain things."

"So next time you want to know if someone is good or evil, do not trust your ears and find out yourself," I said, leaving her to think to herself.

"You are surprised I am doing all this because you heard I was evil? Well what if I am not. At least not how the rumors made me out to be." I finished.

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Now that a few seconds have passed and I have a chance to think on what I just said, I couldn't help but get embarrassed a little at the wise tone I was using. Was it the effect of Kung Fu? Why did I sound so sagely?

I coughed in my hand to hide my blush, "Do you understand kitty?"

Tigress looked me in the eye and after a few moment of hesitation, she nodded. 

"I-I apologize if what I have heard about you cause me to have a bias view on who you are." She said, "And don't call me kitty." She hissed the last part.

I scoffed, "Of course I will call you kitty. That's what you are to me, you are only half my age. I was already travelling around China and kicking every Kung Fu master's ass when you were a baby." I said.

She just gave me a glare, the slit in her eye seemed to slice my image in her eyes.

Huh, she's surprisingly fun.

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[3rd POV]

The Dragon Warrior, Master Shifu and four of the furious five were in the pond of the Jade Palace.

Shifu had just given the Dragon Scroll to Po in hopes that there was a hidden technique or power which would help Po in defeating Tai Lung.

But to their horror and despair, the Dragon Scroll was empty.

"I-I don't understand." Shifu said in confusion as no matter how much he searched for a hidden clue, there was nothing.

The Dragon Scroll was truly blank.

There was no infinite power, no special technique or wisdom.

It was nothing.

That fact shook him to the core. Then what was everything for? Selecting the Dragon Warrior, the prophecies, his dream of training the Dragon Warrior and his...

His betrayal and banishment of his own son.

All for what?

An empty scroll?

Nothing?

Shifu quickly shook the thoughts out of his head. No, he couldn't doubt now. There must be something he did not see, something he could not comprehend.

Oogway wouldn't lie to him like this. There must be something more to it.

He just needed to believe.

'Have faith.'

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"We're all gonna die!!" Mantis held his head and said in panic.

Shifu turned towards his panicked students who were still traumatized after their fight with Tai Lung.

His eyes shifted and landed on Po who was standing there with a complicated look. It was something which he had once seen on Tai Lung's face.

A face of disbelief. A face someone makes when something that they truly believe in and have faith in turns out to be wrong.

Betrayal.

'No.' Shifu told himself.

"No one is dying!!" He said to his students.

"I will stay here and deal with Tai Lung myself. It has been long overdue that I bear the consequences of my own action." Shifu said as everyone looked at him in shock.

"But Master Shifu, he will kill you?" Po said in a soft voice.

"If that is the price I must pay for my mistake, then so be it." Shifu said, "But you and everyone else in the Valley of Pece should not bear the consequences of my own mistake. Evacuate the village and protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage." 

His students remained in place as they refused to leave him to face Tai Lung alone

"Don't you hear me?! Do you wish to disobey your master? GO!!." Shifu yelled at them and they all reluctantly took their leave.

Po took a last look at his master before he too left the Jade Palace, his shoulder slumped in defeat.

The Dragon Warrior?

He can't even protect his own master.

Who was he kidding, he was just a noodle-making, big fat, Panda.

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[Image of Tai Lung enjoying food]

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Author : This adorable author who update two chapters, does he not deserve to be spoiled with stones? 😃🥺

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