The Countdown

Back into action (sort of)

"A game?!" Po exclaimed. "Playing?!"

"I can well assure you, Dragon Warrior, this isn't your definition of playing."

Po frowned.

Right. This is Shifu we're talking about.

"Tigress, you'll be sparring with Viper. Crane, you'll be sparring with Monkey. Mantis, you'll be sparring with Po. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then lets get started. Tigress, you and Viper can go first."

The girls took their positions in the center of the room and awaited their master's order to begin. Tigress was a little nervous to go against Viper after getting creamed by the bandits nearly a week earlier, but she narrowed her eyes fiercely and showed no signs of how she felt.

"Begin."

Viper struck at the master within a second, knocking Tigress backwards into the course with the seven swinging clubs of oblivion. Tigress felt a sharp pain rise through her head, but she got up in time to dodge another hit from Viper. The master grabbed her friend by the tail and hurled her across the room, collapsing against the wall when the pain became unbearable within a slip second.

"Tigress, are you alright?" she heard Shifu ask.

"I'm fine," Tigress assured him. "I just need a second to rest my head."

"Well, come back up here and rest and we'll see how you're feeling in a few minutes, alright?"

Tigress nodded and wearily walked back over to her friends. She layed down in the corner of the training hall and laid down in an effort to give her headache a rest.

"Who knew five weeks of no training could make you so out of practice," she heard Po comment.

"That's why we train every day," Shifu told him. "So that you're not five weeks behind."

Tigress closed her eyes, the noise drowning out with the pain from her head. She wasn't sure how long she was laying there for, but the next thing that she knew, Po was shaking her awake.

"Tigress?" the master was saying. "Hey, Ti, you asleep?"

"Stop it," Tigress grumbled, sitting up. Her headache was gone, but there was still a throbbing pulse where she had gotten hit.

"Well, I guess that answers my question."

"How's your head?" Shifu asked, walking over.

"Fine. I just needed a break for a second."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. We let you rest through the kicks; you were out cold."

"I was?"

"You and I can work on them later," Shifu promised. "In the meantime, we have our game to play."

"As long as I'm not anyone's punching bag, I'm good," Po commented.

"Not yet, anyway," Tigress told him. "Unless you were complaining while I was resting."

"Sleeping," Po corrected. "And no, I wasn't. You can check with Shifu."

"He's correct," Shifu acknowledged. "But now isn't the time for chit chat." He turned to sternly face everyone. "How good are all of you at hide and go seek?"

"Seriously?!" Po exclaimed happily. "I used to play that game with my dad when I was a cub! Of course, I was always easy to find, but I still had fun."

"Well, we're going to play that kung fu style," Shifu told him. "Here's how we play: I'm going to pretend to be a sorcerer with the ability to turn you all into mindless drones by cutting you with my blade."

The master held up a nasty looking dagger with red marks scattered around the ebony handle. "When I say 'Run", you are all going to run for your life. No headstarts. Your goal is to hide until dawn tomorrow without getting cut with my knife. If I find you, I will attempt to cut you. If I do, you are to head my every command as well as bring me anyone else who will be hiding. When the gong sounds tomorrow, those who haven't gotten cut, meet back here in the training hall. I will then tell you all how you did. Am I clear?"

The students nodded nervously, obviously not thrilled about the idea of being cut.

"Tigress, I assume you are well enough to play?"

"Yes, master."

"Good."

The students eyed their master as he ran a finger gently along the end of the blade and then slowly looked at them. The students felt chills run through their bones at the sight and shuddered when they were looked at. Shifu said nothing for a second. Then, eerily, he said a single word:

"Run."