Cloudless Authors

Chapter k

"And you stay down," Tai Lung threatened. "Or else...." 

"As if I'd take orders from a filthy barbarian," Lord Shen sneered. He reached into his robe to pull out a blade, but Tai Lung noticed what he was doing and quickly smashed it to pieces. Shen cried out in pain as his wing was badly squished in the process. "You did that on purpose...." he accused. 

"Try and hurt someone again and let's find out what happens." 

Tigress winced and got to her feet. Hearing her move, Tai Lung glanced over to watch her steady herself. "Are you alright?" he asked, his face etched with concern. 

"Tigress nodded. "It's really not that bad," she admitted. "He just hit a sensitive part of my arm." 

Seeing that the snow leopard was distracted, Shen quickly threw the other blade he had hidden in his sleeve. However his wing was still injured and instead of striking somewhere lethally, he simply slashed Tai Lung's eye. The surprise and pain was still enough to loosen the snow leopards grip. 

"Ahh!" Tai Lung yelled as Shen began to sprint away. 

Tigress did her best to ignore her arm gash and quickly moved forward to grab the sliced chain taken from the swinging clubs. She whipped it over to Lord Shen and wrapped it around his feet, tripping him and sending him flying onto the ground. The fallen prince, however, yanked his foot back and yanked the chain away from the master's injured arm. He didn't get far though as Tai Lung, having recovered from the swipe to his face, grabbed the chain and pulled Shen across the ground and over to the two masters. 

"Nice arm," Tigress told him, still wincing from her gash.  

"Good thinking," Tai Lung answered. He smiled at her in exhaustion as he wrapped Shen up in the chain to avoid anymore surprise blades. "He was pretty quick." 

"Unhand me!" Lord Shen demanded. 

Tai Lung chuckled. "I'll never understand why people say that. What, they really think I'll say, "Okay, sir, I obey. Forgive me!" 

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Where exactly did you get your sense of humor from?" she asked. "You're not funny." 

Tai Lung shrugged. "That's just how I am," he answered. "Although Shifu once blamed my absent biological parents."  He took Lord Shen over to the rotating alligator limbs and tied him tightly to one with the chain. "Don't move," he warned. "Or else the rest of these swinging death traps will take care of you." 

Lord Shen's face darkened in fury as he winced uncomfortably in his present position. However, he said nothing else to Tai Lung. 

Tigress walked over to them and turned to the snow leopard. "Is your eye okay?" she asked. 

"It stings," Tai Lung admitted, looking at her. "But as long as I don't move this side of my face too much, it's fine." 

The two fell silent and turned their attention back to Lord Shen. He was still staring at them. If looks could, this one would shoot venom at them in a heartbeat. 

"So," Tai Lung said finally. "What do we do with him?"

Tigress frowned in thought. "It might be best to get Master Shifu and have him sort this out," she suggested. "He's after Po, but he's also threatened the masters in Gongmen City, so perhaps Shifu' will draw help from there."

Tai Lung whistled. "Gongmen City, huh? That's quite the trip."

"I've been farther," Shen muttered viciously. "That's my place of royal birth!" 

Tai Lung looked to Tigress. "Is he really royalty?" he questioned.

Tigress nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. "He was banished by his parents for mass genocide, but he's still royalty." 

"Ah, I see."   Tai Lung carefully leaned on the alligator limb and looked Shen in the eyes. "So," he asked. "How many hits on the head will it take to get through to you?"

Lord Shen glared at him and said nothing. 

"We need to inform Shifu," Tigress reminded the snow leopard. Glancing at Shen, she added, "But I also don't want to leave him here alone."

"Split up," Tai Lung replied immediately. "You get Shifu and I babysit Shen." 

Tigress eyed him suspiciously. "Leave you alone with a highly dangerous megalomaniac?" she questioned. 

"Do you have a better idea? I'd volunteer to get Shifu myself, but considering how volatile your reaction was...probably not a good idea." 

Tigress considered this before sighing in defeat, He had a point. "Fine," she said. "Just be careful with Shen. He's known for being slippery." 

"That won't be necessary." 

Tigress and Tai Lung nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound and snapped their heads towards the front of the training hall where Master Shifu calmly stood. 

"Master Shifu?!" How long have you been in here?!" Tigress exclaimed. 

"Not long," came the answer. "I heard a lot of ruckus coming from over here that sounded concerning, so I grabbed Po and came to make sure everything was alright." 

Tai Lung stiffened. "You brought the Drag-AHHOOOWWW!!!"

The snow leopard went suddenly flying across the training hall after Po leaped down from the rafters and whacked him on the back with an unusually large shield. Tigress recognized it from the Sacred Hall of Warriors. Tai Lung, who hardly had enough time to yell and thus had no time to turn his head, landed against the Jade Tortoise.

"Ow," he grumbled. 

Po then swiftly clamped handcuffs onto the snow leopard and turned back to Tigress. "Well, this has been one crazy night, hasn't it?" he remarked. 

Tigress glanced at Shen for a half-second before turning back to her friend. "You have no idea," she said. 

Shifu sighed. "I'm glad we got this situation under control before things got worse," he commented. "Not that I don't think you couldn't handle yourself, Tigress, but..."

"I know," the master assured him. "We've all had previous experience." 

"I'll go get the Five," Po offered as he quickly made his way to the front of the training hall. 

"No, get the guards," Shifu corrected. "I want these two in prison as soon as possible." 

"Throw me in one of your dirty prisons and the panda's head won't be the only one I have hanging on my wall!" Lord Shen threatened. 

Tai Lung, still handcuffed, managed to painfully sit up and comment on the threat. "Not to call the kettle black, but you're being a little psychotic over there and I don't particularly like that." 

"Says the cauldron," Shifu agreed.

Tai Lung turned to look at him just as Po left the training hall. "I admit I'm no saint, but I've learned from my past errors. I would have talked to you first, naturally, but my plans changed at the last minute."

"I'll hear nothing out of you!" Shifu snapped. 

Choose what happens next. Skip to chapter:

二十一- Tai Lung and Lord Shen are thrown in jail

二十二- Tai Lung and Lord Shen are spared