Cloudless Authors

Chapter 2

Tai Lung woke up the next morning in a tree near the Jade Palace. After being spotted by Tigress the night before, he figured she would probably alert the other masters and he took to hiding. He wasn't really afraid of getting caught; he had defeated the quintet before along with the Dragon Warrior to some degree. But the snow leopard wasn't really in the mood for confrontations at the moment; he had other things on his mind. He stretched himself out in an effort to ward off any morning drowsiness and then climbed down from the tree. The morning sun glinted through the trees and shone somewhat harshly in Tai Lung's eyes as if to tell him he had a long time to wait.

I can't risk going into the Jade Palace with everyone there, Tai Lung thought to himself, walking through the forest. Not that I mind being outnumbered; I love a good challenge. But it'll be easier to talk one-on-one to Shifu without the kitten around to try and beat me to a pulp.

The snow leopard didn't reflect on his past wrong-doings with pleasure. The thought of turning on people that he loved, especially one who had raised him as his own, haunted him even in his sleep. He wasn't sure if Shifu would accept any apologies anytime soon, but regardless of the outcome, Tai Lung wanted to talk to his master without any unneeded confrontation.

The rebel walked around the forest until he came to a small and very secluded area that wasn't too far away from the Jade Palace. He picked off a few blueberries that were in a nearby bush and tossed them into his mouth for some energy. He wasn't able to eat much since he didn't have access to much food, but he was perfectly fine with it. While growing up, he had heard the many tales of the legendary dragon scroll and of the many abilities that the Dragon Warrior possessed. When he heard that such a warrior could survive on little to no food, he drove himself to train his stomach to survive on almost nothing. After being denied the Dragon Scroll and the title that came along with it, the snow leopard thought that all of the training had been worth nothing, but he soon discovered that being used to eating nothing would come in handy in terms of surviving prison and surviving post-Wuxi Finger.

Tai Lung let out a small sigh and proceeded to practice his kung fu. He had a long time to wait before dusk when it would be easier (and perhaps safer) to confront Master Shifu. The snow leopard was admittedly nervous about talking to his former master as he didn't know if the red panda would hold a grudge for all of his wrongdoings or if he'd actually be willing to listen to an apology. However, he figured that the odds of something going terribly wrong were highly unlikely and soon eased his nerves enough to keep focused.

The snow leopard practiced his kung fu all day as he waited for time to pass by. He brushed up on his signature moves, knocked a few trees over, and even practiced a little bit of Tai Chi. The bright sun soon cast a shadow over the valley as it dipped down below the mountains, indicating the day was almost at an end. Tai Lung waited for darkness to completely engulf the area before he finally set out to the Jade Palace. He felt another wave of nervousness wash over him as he headed over to the temple, but he pushed the feelings aside so that he didn't get any ideas about changing his mind and turning around.

Tai Lung slunk through the trees, keeping careful watch to avoid bumping into anyone and scaring them. (or bumping into Po and getting Wuxi Fingered again). Tense moments went by as the snow leopard dodged around branches and bramble and listened carefully to unknown footsteps, but he finally reached the Jade Palace with no confrontations. Tai Lung glanced up to the top of the mountains and proceeded to climb upwards. He didn't want to take the stairs to the top since he didn't want to risk running into Po. The snow leopard continued to steadily climb until he reached the top of the mountain. He then pulled himself onto the wall surrounding the Jade Palace and quietly landed inside where he proceeded to slink around.

Over the course of 22 years at the Jade Palace, Tai Lung had grown very accustomed to Shifu's habits and was familiar with his daily schedule. He wasn't sure if much had changed during the time that he was gone, but if much hadn't, then Shifu would probably be studying some scrolls in the Sacred Hall of Warriors. The snow leopard cautiously walked through the fancy arena and crept towards the second set of stairs. No one seemed to be around much to his relief.

Though it's possible that Shifu might get Po once he finds out I'm here, Tai Lung thought to himself as he ascended. He took a few breaths to steady his nerves when he reached the top and carefully creaked the door open. Shifu wasn't studying scrolls, but he was busy meditating by the moon pool. The snow leopard took another silent breath and walked into the Hall of Warriors. As he shut the door behind him, he saw Shifu's ear twitch.

"Who's there?" Shifu asked, not bothering to look behind him.

"Hopefully not someone you'll set the panda on," Tai Lung replied.

Shifu froze and turned his body around in order to see the snow leopard. "That's impossible..." he said.

"Surprise," Tai Lung told him with a slight smirk. "I'm home."

Master Shifu immediately scowled at him. "This isn't your home anymore!" he snapped. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You banished me after my little meltdown. How about this then? 'Surprise. I'm back.'"

Master Shifu continued to glare at him.

"Oh, come on, Shifu! At least tell me whether or not this is helping."

"Why are you here?!" Shifu demanded, ignoring the snow leopard's latest statement.

"I wanted to talk to you," Tai Lung answered, carefully watching the master's facial expressions.

"Is that so?" Shifu asked suspiciously. "Because the last time we 'talked', it was simply a ploy for you to attempt to steal the dragon scroll."

Tai Lung frowned. "That wasn't a ploy," he replied. "I was actually trying to talk to you. Stealing the scroll was just the next thing on my to-do-list."

Shifu continued to scowl at him, an ear twitching in irritation.

"Hey, I'm sorry to bring up wounds from the past, but-"

"Tai Lung!" Shifu snapped. "I don't know why you are up here at the present moment, but I don't appreciate you wasting your time to mock me!"

"I'm not-"

"You are going to leave the Jade Palace immediately and never return! I'll fight you if necessary, and I'm sure Po would have no problem re-destroying you with the Wuxi Finger!"

"I would rather not have Po come here," Tai Lung admitted. "I didn't come here for any of...that."

Before Shifu could open his mouth to respond, a flash of light streaked across the ceiling where it promptly erupted. Startled, Tai Lung and Shifu jumped backwards and covered their faces to shield themselves from the blast. As they did so, large cracks began to form in the ceiling and a few pieces began to fall, instantly trapping Shifu underneath them.

"Shifu!" Tai Lung cried. He suddenly heard the front doors slam and he turned his head to see who was there. He didn't catch much except for a dark shadow that vanished as soon as he saw it.

Choose what happens next. Skip to chapter:

E- Tai Lung stays and tries to talk to Shifu

F- Tai Lung tries to find the figure

G- Tai Lung gets Shifu to bed and leaves