The Lion and the Leopard

Mission Possible

"I wonder..." Oogway started quietly as he walked to the table, "Your past remains behind you, but it has a habit of coming to mingle with the present." He said, looking into the food basket.

The lion looked up and fixed his gaze on the Grandmaster. Was he talking about Tai Lung? The name sounded almost foreign in his mind. He had not heard that name in a long time. Many animals chose to leave the past behind them. It was good to do that, as it brought horrid memories back to haunt both Shifu and Leo.

Leo remembered when Tai Lung was sent to prison. He remembered when he visited the snow leopard in prison. The fire in his eyes golden had seemed dull, like he had nothing left in his life. As whatever fire the snow leopard had left had been trampled and snorted out by the rhino guards. Leo remembered. The golden lion growled and shook the memories from his head. He glared at Oogway,

"I don't mean any disrespect, Master Oogway, but I don't need to be reminded that my brother is a criminal."

"Did I say anything about Tai Lung?" The tortoise gazed at Leo, a sagely gleam in his eyes. Leo cocked his head to the side, slightly confused. Leo felt his fur heat up. He had instantly assumed that Oogway was speaking of his brother. But Oogway was right, as always. The lion had simply jumped to conclusions. If Oogway was not talking about his brother, then what did he mean? {He is simply thinking out.} The lion thought to himself, returning to packing the food, {He may be referring to something in his own past.} Leo smiled as he came to the conclusion.

The asiatic looked down at the basket of food. The basket contained enough food to last each of the Furious Five members for 5 days, assuming they rationed it out correctly. It certainly was not a feast; but then again, they never did feast at the Jade Palace- simply eating what they needed to survive. But peaches, bread and rice would be a nice change of pace to the noodle soup they ate every day at breakfast and dinner. {Hopefully the bandits that are terrorizing the village haven't cut off the villagers food supply.} Leo prayed.

Leo had lost count of how many bandits he had dealt with since he had returned to the Jade Palace. Starting a few years back he and one of the member of the Furious Five would go out once or twice a month into the Valley and deal with criminals, whether it be murderers and rapists or even the common hoodlum and thief. The villagers greatly appreciated these acts, and Leo, as well as the Furious Five, enjoyed these trips into the Valley. It provided a nice break from training and also let the animals in the Valley know that the masters at the Jade Palace were there to protect them.

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As dusk approached, Leo had gathered the basket of food he packed and left the Jade Palace, meeting the Furious Five and Shifu in the courtyard. Shifu glanced at the basket the Leo carried and nodded. He spoke up,

"I have arranged a boat for you all. Meet him on the banks of the river, and he will take you to the village. Now go. The longer those bandits control the village, the worse."

All six animals bowed in unison to Shifu, and they all left the Palace. As the Kung Fu master descended down the steps, Crane spoke up,

"Let me carry the food, Leo, so you can run faster."

Leo nodded in gratitude and passed the basket onto Crane, who took the basket in his talons. Even with his skinny legs, he had no trouble carrying the basket. Leo, now free of his burden, dropped onto all fours and ran to the front of the group. As they entered the Valley, Leo leapt onto the rooftops of buildings and leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

"What are you doing?" Tigress asked him.

"It will be easier to find the boat if we have higher ground." Leo answered.

With that, the rest of the Furious Five made their way to the rooftops. Leo spotted the glimmer of the moonlight reflecting off of the river water in the distance. He leapt from house to house, careful not to slip on the steep shingles, and the Furious Five followed. As Leo grew closer to the river, he spotted the boat on the water. It was tied to a post. It wasn't large, but it would hold the six of them until they reached the village, and hopefully on the return voyage as well.

Leo leapt from the rooftop and ran the remaining distance to the boat and the river. As he approached, an animal exited the boat and spotted them. It was a ram with dark fur and horns.

"Y'must be the warriors Shifu sent t' save the village 'n the mount'ns." The ram said, looking at the six animals

"Indeed," Leo replied, "but we must hurry. We can not afford to waste time on small chatter."

The ram grunted, motioning for the six to come onto the boating vessel. As the Furious Five boarded, Leo turned and looked at them all,

"Get some sleep now. We won't get there until late tomorrow morning, and we will need our strength."

"The sleeping quarters are over there." The ram motioned to a room to Leo's left. As the animals made their way to the sleeping quarters, the captain began to untie the boat from it's post. The current began carrying the ship downstream and towards the village. Leo walked to the edge of the boat and stared at the water. It was beginning to get dark, and a wind blew through his mane, causing him to shiver slightly.

"Y' better getcha some sleep now." The ram said. Leo turned and looked at him. "I heard them bandits was pretty tough, 'n you might need your strength."

"I know. I was just thinking." Leo said, turning and making his way to the sleeping quarters.

The rest of the Furious Five were already sleeping on their own cots, and Leo saw a space available to him between Tigress and Monkey. Leo lay down on the cot, and closed his eyes. Hopefully tomorrow morning would not be so bad.