Cloudless Authors

Chapter o

Tai Lung stood there for a second and blinked in shock. "Me?" he repeated.

The figure pulled out some more blades and threw them at the snow leopard, but he was quick to duck out of the way. 

"Who's trying to kill me?!" Tai Lung exclaimed, sliding under another blade and then kicking a second back at the cloaked figure. "I haven't been in the valley that long!"

"Well you could ask my lovely patron," the figure said, blocking the blade with another up his sleeve. "But I plan on delivering you to her carved on a fine gold platter!" 

The figure the pulled out a glass ball attached to a piece of thin rope and hurled it at the snow leopard. Tai Lung wasn't sure what it was, but he figured it would be best to get out of the way, just in case. Sure enough, just as he disappeared behind a grove of trees, a large explosion rung out and nearly knocked him off his feet. He quickly scampered up a tree and watched as the figure made his way into the smoke he created. 

Ah, he's a hider, Tai Lung noted. Clever. Though not for long if I have something to say about it. Tai Lung looked down and saw a few of the blades still wedged upright into a few tree trunks. Seeing the figure settling into the smoke, he quickly made his way down the tree and grabbed the blade, ducking behind a few trees next to the figure. Tai Lung poked his head out and saw the figure swinging another explosive, though his back was turned to the tree. The smoke was starting to fade, giving him a clearer view of the assassin. Tai Lung readied the blade he had swiped and then leaped forward and sliced the figure across the side. The assassin yelped in pain, dropping the explosive and setting it off. Tai Lung just barely managed to avoid the blast and walked over to grab the cloaked figure who was now moaning on the grass.

"I can...see...why she...hates you," it groaned. 

"Oh don't cry about it," Tai Lung snarled. "Serves you right for trying to kill people." 

The snow leopard watched the assassin curl up in the tatters of his cloak and debated about what to do. He should probably take this guy back to the Jade Palace, but it was a bit of a walk away and he was sure this assassin had more tricks up his sleeve. Of course, he could always just knock him out. That would solve a lot of problems. But then he'd also have to deal with the masters and explain what happened without getting Wuxi Fingered. 

Of course, as it so happened, the snow leopard heard familiar noises and rustling from nearby and three faces soon showed up to solve both problems. 

"TAI LUNG?!" Po and Monkey exclaimed. 

"Figures," Tigress snarled. "Shifu's battered and unconscious and the tracks lead to you!"

"It wasn't me, I promise!" Tai Lung quickly explained. "I was with Shifu, but we were just talking and trying to be civil. At least we were until this psycho decided to start throwing explosives at us!"

"We figured that's what happened," Monkey told him. "Parts of the ceiling are all over the floor and one of the wooden beams was smoking."

Po walked over to the assassin and winced at his condition. "Well thanks for stopping him," he said. "Who knows how far he could have gotten." 

"Yeah, sorry he looks like a mess. I was just trying to immobilize him, but then he dropped his own explosive on himself." 

"Oh he'll be fine," Monkey said. "Mantis did that once when we were in Gongmen City."

Po lifted the assassin up and began to drag him across the grass. "Why don't you head back with us so that we can talk more?" he suggested.

Tai Lung did a double-take. "Really?" he asked.