A whole new world

Chapter 3 : Mystries and escapades

So why? Was he a criminal who had had enough of that life, and desperately wanted redemption? Was he a hero? An gentle soul like Po who rushed in without thinking and did the right thing without having the panda's luck? A phantom of sorts? Or was he still something else entirely? After all, she didn't even know what he was. He walked straight up and when he pulled off his shirt she had seen that he had no fur, or very little except on top of his head. His hood had prevented a good look.

"Tigress?" came the voice of Master Shifu.

She turned around and asked, "yes, master?".

"There is nothing we can do here now, I'm afraid. Let's head back to the palace. I need to meditate on this, and I will visit Feng and Xia later to get more answers."

"Yes, master."

They turned away, noticing that most people had already left the place. The day was beginning, and it would be a busy day. What a way to begin a day. But then Tigress stopped.

"Master, stop!"

"What is it, Tigress?"

"His bag! He was wearing a grey backpack and threw it on the ground before he went inside. It will give is some answers."

"Where?" Shifu asked, his tone curious and a bit hopeful. Tigress walked a bit back over the grass.

"It is right he...". Shifu was over there fast. Tigress stood before a small rock, her brow furrowed.

"I don't understand master, it was right here."

"Are you saying that someone took it?"

"It must have. But I don't understand why!"

"There is more happening here."

"But what master? Was it a set-up? Do you believe the stranger had anything to do with the fire?"

"I don't know. But search around, maybe we'll find a clue to who took the bag".

They both began to search around, searching for tracks or anything, but the grass did not show much tracks. Nothing clear anyway. But Tigress wasn't just a peasant. She was extremely cunning Kung Fu master, and a tiger too. Her senses were perfected. She could still smell the unfamiliar scent of the grey bag on the rock, and there had been movement in the grass. She was certain of that. And in the loose, wet dirt she found what she was looking for. Tracks. Fresh ones.

"Master, over here!" She yelled. She didn't recognize those tracks. They didn't look anything like sandals, and where not in any shape she was used too. Shifu studied them for a moment and then seemed to realize something.

"Tigress, did you by any accident notice what kind of shoes this stranger was wearing?"

"Some sort of strange boots Master, why?

"I looked a bit ahead of you and found something else." With this, Shifu showed his hand. In it, he held a few green leaves that had a bit of red on them. Blood.

"Master, are you saying that the stranger is still alive? That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible" said Shifu, quoting his old master.

"But.."

"Tigress, it should also have been impossible for this Xia to survive. And it should certainly have been impossible for someone to get both children out of that hell, unharmed. Not to mention that his cloak seems to be unable to burn and protect from heat, if I understand it correctly. If he has such a strange bag, and a cloak of such a strange material, would it truly be impossible for him to survive?"