The Lion and the Leopard

Jailbreak

{That is where you are wrong, Vachir.} Tai Lung thought. He staggered forward. His legs were quite sore. His ears twitched as he heard a click behind him. The leopard whipped around just as the last crossbow fired.

The final arrow sped towards him. Tai Lung raised his paw and knocked the arrow upwards. He jumped into the air and kicked the arrow towards the rhinos. The pair of rhinos screamed and jumped out of the way. The arrow destroyed the crossbow and dug into the wall behind it.

An idea forming in his head, Tai Lung glanced at the rest of the arrows. He had five other arrows to work with. He would have to time this right. Tai Lung freed the rest of the arrows from the ground, excluding one, from the ground and kicked them all up the wall. They all landed into the stone wall, forming an escape route for the leopard.

Tai Lung rolled his head on his shoulders, eager for the action that was about to come. He leaped onto the wooden shaft of the first arrow that he left in the ground and, using it as a springboard, leapt onto the arrows that stuck out of the wall. Tai Lung ran against the wall, using the arrows to propel himself forward.

"He's coming this way!" Screamed the goose that accompanied Vachir.

"He won't get far!" The rhino bellowed, "Archers!"

Tai Lung saw the rain of arrows descending upon him. He glanced ahead of him and saw the elevator that was being brought up. Thinking quickly, Tai Lung leapt off of the final arrow and reached for the elevator. Just as he grabbed the underside of the elevator, the arrows whizzed past him. If he were one second late he would have been struck by countless arrows.

The snow leopard surged upward, grabbing the underside of the floorboards just as the chain was cut on the elevator. He watched as the platform fell hundreds of feet down. The leopard then flipped upward, split-kicking two rhinos in the head.

He grabbed the chain and, holding on tight, leapt over the edge of the wooden floorboards. The chain swung towards the wall, and the platform where countless rhino guards waited for him. Tai Lung leapt onto the wall and engaged in battle with the first rhinos he encountered.

The rhinoceros guards were relentless. They swung and attacked at him with each and every type of weapon imaginable. But Tai Lung, despite the fact that he had not trained in twenty years, was skilled. He skillfully maneuvered out of the way whenever a rhino attacked him.

At one point a whole line of rhinos came at him. Tai Lung reared his paw back and slammed it forward, shattering the first rhino's shield. The rhino cried out as he was shoved backwards. The rhinos behind him were pushed backwards. Some of them even fell over the edge. Tai Lung showed no remorse.

Once all of the guards were destroyed on the first floor, the leopard advanced to the second floor. A pair of guards tried to barricade the door, but, with one punch, he easily knocked them back. Tai Lung leapt forward. He grabbed two rhinos, spinning them in midair and effectively disabling them. Several more rhinos charged at him. Tai grabbed the mace of one of the rhinos and used it to defeat several more rhinos.

One rhino charged at Tai Lung, and the leopard shoved the spiked mace into his mouth, before kicking him into the air. Many more rhinos stampeded towards the leopard. Tai effortlessly tossed them aside, almost as if he were a child throwing away broken toys. The rhino that he had kicked into the air came back down, and he shoved him into the room ahead of him.

He leapt onto the wall and ascended to the third and final floor. He stood upright and faced the army of rhinoceroses. Tai Lung felt a twinge of fear in his heart. This is would not be like any other battle he had fought before. There was an entire army facing him down. Led by Vachir. Tai Lung's momentary fear was replaced with absolute hatred. Vachir snorted at him. Tai Lung snarled.

"We're dead. So very, very dead." The goose said, being held in a chokehold in Vachir's large hand.

"Hahaha! Not yet we are not! Now!" The rhino bellowed. An archer to the left of the rhino fired a lit arrow. It fired not at Tai Lung, but above him. An explosion rang out throughout the cave.

Tai Lung glanced upward, surprise filling his golden eyes. There was dynamite lining the ceilings. Huge stalactites fell in front of him. The bridge was being broken. Thinking as quickly as he could, Tai Lung surged forward. The bridge fell around the leopard.

With a loud roar, Tai Lung bunched his muscles up and leapt towards the rhinos. He heard a collective gasp as he fell towards them. But Tai Lung's leap was too short. His claws scraped against the side of the cliff, and he fell downwards.

"AH HAHAHAHA!" Vachir's booming laughter filled the leopard's small ears as he fell. Tai Lung glanced up, praying for anything that could get him free. And he saw it. A rope full of dynamite was still intact. Hope flooded his veins. He only had about ten seconds before it ignited, but that was enough time.

Tai Lung flew upwards, grabbing at any piece of falling debris to propel himself. He had to hurry.

Eight seconds left.

He was almost there. Tai Lung reached a giant stalactite that has just fallen. He ran towards the end of the large, falling stalactite.

Six seconds left.

Tai Lung bunched his muscles and launched himself off of the enormous stalactite. He leapt into the air. He grabbed the tip of the stalactite that the dynamite was tied to. Vachir saw what he was doing, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Four seconds left.

Tai Lung heaved himself upwards, towards the dynamite. He did not have much time left. His heart raced his in large chest.

Three seconds left.

The snow leopard grabbed the rope and yanked it free. He launched himself towards Vachir and his army. The goose asked if they could run. Vachir responded solemnly with a yes.

One second left.

Tai Lung threw the dynamite at the rhinos. The final explosion rang out. Tai Lung landed on the platform as the rhinoceros army was blown outward by the explosion. Satisfaction replaced the adrenaline in his veins. He looked at the outside world, breathing in a breath of fresh air. This was the first time, the first time in twenty years, that Tai Lung had seen the outside world. It looked beautiful and serene, despite the chaotic battle that just took place.

The leopard heard a quiet sigh ahead of him. It was the goose. Tai Lung grabbed the goose by the neck. It honked miserably and flailed it's little legs about wildly. Tai Lung glared at the bird for a second, then sighed.

"I'm glad Shifu sent you." His voice sounded almost foreign to him, he hadn't heard his voice in so long. Tai raised a large paw and moved to touch the goose's feathers. The goose winced, and Tai hesitated for a second, before touching the goose on the head. His feathers were soft. He spoke, "I was beginning to think I had been forgotten. Fly back there and tell them.." He thought for a second, "The real Dragon Warrior is coming home!" He smirked triumphantly.

The goose nodded quickly, and Tai Lung threw him up into the air. The goose gasped and began to fly back towards the Valley of Peace.

Tai Lung inhaled deeply. Now that he was out, he reached behind his back and began to scratch between his shoulder blades. He smiled and began to walk forward, in the direction that the goose flew. Nothing could stop him from his destiny.