Cloudless Authors

Chapter 十三

Because the night was so late, Shifu let the students go to bed to rest from their fight with Tai Lung. The following morning, the grandmaster had announced training to be cancelled until they put the training hall back in order from the mess made the night before. Thankfully only one or two small parts were terribly damaged or needed new wood or metal, so everyone was finished by noon. Shifu then dismissed everyone to remain on guard duty around the Jade Palace in case Tai Lung returned. Crane was told to make several sweeps above the valley while Monkey checked the forests. Tigress was to stand guard of the Wu Dang Mountains while Po took the Dragon Grotto. Viper was then given charge of the kitchen and barrack areas while Mantis stood as look out in the Peach Tree over the remaining guards.

The Wu Dang Mountains were extremely large, covering long grassy plains to bamboo forests overlooking peaceful cliff-sides. The area was very open but large enough to lose yourself in if you didn't know where you were. Fortunately for Tigress, she was very familiar with the mountainous layout. Shifu had taken her up there multiple times when she was younger to train her and her fellow comrades in landscape combat. She knew exactly where everything was, she knew how to navigate the terrain, and she knew of a few good places any good master could keep look-out. Tigress had thus chosen a spot on a set of mountain tops covered heavily in bamboo branches. It allowed her a good view of the area without being seen. When she wasn't scoping out the grounds, she was keeping watch from her high-up hiding spot. 

Master Shifu had promised to collect her around dinner to give her a rest from guard-watching. Having started her shift in the afternoon, it didn't take long for sunset to soon cross over the mountains and cast radiant shadows everywhere. Tigress sat in her hiding spot waiting for Tai Lung of Shifu to show up. She hadn't ended her shift early, so Tai Lung had to still be on the lam somewhere. Unless he had left the Jade Palace grounds entirely. While scanning the perimeter, the master was startled by a short yawn behind her and nearly jumped straight off the edge in surprise. She already knew who it was before she had even turned around. 

"Sorry," Tai Lung apologized from his position against the wall. "Didn't mean to scare you again." 

Tigress sliced off the top of the bamboo tree in front of her and threw it violently at the snow leopard, hoping to knock him unconscious. However, he easily sliced the flying tree in half, preventing him from getting a nasty concussion. 

"Hey, easy there! Let's not be hasty." 

He had barely finished his sentence when Tigress lunged at him with the intent of kicking him right through the mountain. Tai Lung was quick to catch her through and pull her roughly to the ground. Tigress went to stand back up and fight, only for Tai Lung to pinch a nerve that sent shock waves of pain through her body. 

"Before you try and flatten me like paper," he warned her, still sitting calmly on the ground. "I was going to say Shifu sent me to collect you." 

"Liar!" Tigress spat out through the agonizing pain flowing through her body.

"I went to talk to him this afternoon after lunch, after he sent you all to guard the grounds. There was some expected hostility,  especially after yesterday." 

"And...your last...visit!"

"That too. But we talked for a while and I apologized for everything. Even for spooking you." 

"Oh.....So I'm...in tr...trouble...then?"

"What? Oh, no. I didn't tell him we met the other night." 

Tai Lung finally released Tigress' nerve, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief as the pain went away. Tigress rubbed her sore limbs and asked what he had said. 

"I told Shifu I came in from the back side of the mountain to avoid being spotted," Tai Lung explained. "And on the way over I heard you fighting and decided to pop in. Then I startled you into messing up up and you decided to fight me. And naturally I can't resist a match."   He saw Tigress' look mixed with suspicion and surprise and added, "I do know how to keep my word, Master Tigress. Besides, it's pretty close to the truth. Provided you omit some little details here and there. You did go flying through the alligator limbs, yes?"

Tigress frowned at the memory, but it wasn't really one that she could argue against. "Why send you out here?" she asked. "He must have known I would have tried to fight you again. And as you've said, you can't resist."

"Believe me, this is torture," Tai Lung admitted. "But I promised I wouldn't and I know it's harder to do kung fu sitting down. For the most part. Besides, Shifu warned me that if I engaged with kung fu, he'd set Po on me. And I don't feel up to that fight. One Wuxi Finger was enough." 

"Trust me on this one, Po's first instinct is usually not to Wuxi Finger his opponent."

"I'd like to not take that chance, thank you very much." 

Tigress sighed, not knowing what else to say.

"Why don't we head back?" Tai Lung suggested, finally getting to his feet. I'm sure Shifu and Mantis have already grabbed the others by now." 

"Mantis know?!" 

"He has a good vantage point from that peach tree. He saw me coming and went to make sure everything was okay." 

The two warriors proceeded to make their way down the mountain pass and began the long trek back to the Jade Palace. They kept pretty quiet for the whole walk, though Tai Lung did occasionally comment on the sunset and the landscape below them. He started discussing the serenity of extremely early morning walks and training just as they reached the main palace grounds with Shifu and Po coming their way.

"There you are!" Shifu exclaimed. "I was about to come and get you myself." 

"We're fine," Tai Lung promised. "A little hostility and some long explanations, but all's well."
 

"And no fighting?"

"All clear." 

Tigress thought about bringing up the nerve pinch he had done earlier, but decided against it. He did keep his promise to spare her from Shifu's wrath. Even if it was a memory she hoped to erase from her mind permanently. Shifu, satisfied with the answer, dismissed everyone to dinner. He stuck next to Tai Lung on the way over to the kitchen though, probably to avoid him getting clobbered by the other masters. Just in case. Tigress looked over the sight and just sighed to herself. If this was indeed how things were going to be, then she better start getting used to it.

THE END

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE FINISHED READING ENDING 22.