FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

-5-

Walking in the moonlight Tigress growled as she made the now familiar trek to Kataki's cave. She was going to get a moment to talk to him without him trying to force himself on her or without interruptions. She was hauling a basket of what she hoped were enough peace offerings to make it worth his while. She crept closer to the cave and heard voices. Growling inwardly she crept closer. She was sure those Wu sisters had returned and right now they were throwing themselves on him. But as she entered the entrance of the cave she could hear two distinctly male voices talking. One of them had a very thick accent she couldn't place. "Why you not just kill this panda man and come back to Africa," The one voice asked. "Africa not as cold as dis place." "Because if I just kill him what good am I? I want to know that I can beat him fairly." Kataki's voice growled. "I want to give him enough time to train. To get ready for the fight, and so I don't underestimate him... Again..."

'Again?' Tigress mussed. Had this lion fought Po before? Po hadn't even known what a lion was before Kataki had arrived. Tigress smiled. It might have been a childhood rival. A lion doesn't get a mane until it's an adult. Tigress nodded with a grin. That had to have been what it was. She stood listening to the conversation waiting for a good opening to enter. "Setsuna," The male voice said. "None o' dis is gonna do any good. I don't want to patch you up again. Your fadder put me in charge of you. To make sure you grew up and was a good man." "And you see what that got me!" Kataki growled. "Maybe if my father had been there none of that would have happened." "You juz like 'im. Both hot heads. It would have been same way if he been dere or no," the other male said and then chortled. "Ugh! Get off me," Kataki growled. Tigress took a step forward but then stopped. "You and those balls!" Tigress blanched at the thoughts in her mind. Balls? Get off? "You and you fadder both same. Neither you appreciate my nuts," The male screech/laughed. "Maybe it's because we aren't gay," Kataki growled. "Gay? I'm no gay," The voice said. "I have had 400 wives!" "Here we go again," Kataki groaned. "That damn number gets bigger every time you talk about your wives." "Well, I don't count their heads every day, but 600 wives is right," The voice said. "Shakka, just stop," Kataki laughed. "I might go back to Africa after I defeat Po." "Good... Good..." The voice stopped for a moment, and then whispered. "How long you gonna keep da lady waiting at the entrance?" "What..." There was scuffling and Kataki appeared in front of Tigress. "Oh, you..." "Peace," Tigress said shoving the package she'd been carrying in to his arms. "What... What's this?" Kataki asked. "Peace offering," Tigress said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the tunnel in to his den that was illuminated with a fire in the center of the room. "What's in it?" Kataki asked opening it. "Is it the sword of heroes?" "No," Tigress said. "Blankets, Tatami mats, towels, some food." "I got all the supplies I need," Kataki told her. Tigress looked down sadly, but Kataki looked up at her and saw the disappointment. "But... Thank you."

Tigress looked over at him and smiled. "And I guess I'll be needing these now," Kataki said. "Really?" Tigress smiled. "Why?" "Because I only have enough provisions for me," Kataki said. "And now that you're my prisoner." "PRISONER?!" Tigress yelled. "Yes, I told you to stop coming back here, and you keep coming back. So, for the remainder of the year you'll be my prisoner." "I... I..." Tigress stammered. "I'll sleep over there, and you'll sleep over here, but I will be keeping a close eye on you." Kataki growled. "And if you try to escape I'll just come get you. I know where the Jade Palace is and how to sneak in. So, don't think you'll be safe there." "I just wanted to try to make peace," Tigress said. "And you and I do have peace. But for me and the stupid, fat, panda... There will never be peace." Kataki roared the last sentence before adding. "So, get comfortable, Master."

Kataki shoved a mat at her before going over to his own sleeping area and laying down. Tigress unrolled the mat and sat down on it staring forlornly at the fire. What had she gotten herself in to. She had only come hoping for... She shook her head. She didn't really understand why she kept coming back to Kataki's cave. She just did. There was something about the man that was irritating but attractive at the same time. She had only wanted to save Po. Why should he have to fight someone that he didn't know? Why should he risk his life so futilely. She looked around the cave. Was he insane. Had he been talking to himself in different voices the whole time? She peered in to the darkness away from the fire. Hoping that Kataki wasn't insane and that someone else had been here with him. Was there an exit somewhere else. She sniffed the air, but there was no other scent except for his and hers and the faint scent of the three women and Po.

There was a crash of thunder outside the cave that echoed down the tunnel and reverberated off of the cavern they were in. Kataki rolled over and mumbled something about a crazy monkey before snorting. Tigress shuddered as the fire slowly started to dwindle. She noticed rain coming in from a hole in the roof. She had wondered how he kept the fire without the cave filling up with smoke. But now the rain was coming in and putting out the fire. She got up quietly watching Kataki the entire time, but just as she was about to run back out up the tunnel she heard a commotion from outside and then footsteps running inside. She backed up in to the darkest corner to watch.

Just then the three Wu sisters ran in and all jumped on Kataki. There was some rustling as Tigress could see dim outlines from the waning firelight. He saw them trying to pull him out of his clothes. Tigress groaned inwardly. She didn't want to see this. Kataki growled in his sleep. "Hi dere," A voice said from beside her. Tigress jumped and had to suck back a screech as a hideous face loomed close to her own. "Would you like to see me balls?"

Tigress shoved the tusked brightly colored face away and ran up the tunnel out in to the night. The rain was coming down harder now and torrents of mud were coating the mountain making climbing and running nearly impossible. She lunged up the slippery slope just as she seen lightening streak across the sky and then thunder rolled out heavy and loud. She pulled herself to her feet, but didn't know which way to go to get back to the valley. She couldn't see far in front of her face as the torrential rain poured down on her. She heard a voice screaming for her from behind so she ran forward as fast as she could. It was then another streak of lightening ripped across the sky with a sound much like someone ripping sheet metal in two. She heard the loud crack before she seen what had made it and by that time it was too late. A large tree came crashing down on her. It struck her across the back and rolled on to her shoulders pushing her face and muzzle down in to the mud. She tried to pull her head out but the tree on her shoulders only made it possible to slightly twist her head. She attempted to push it off using her powerful back muscles only to realize that the tree itself was even heavier than Po. The water was rising and would be over her head soon even if she kept it tilted sideways. The pain in her head and chest was becoming blinding as the weight of the tree bore down on her. 'Po,' she thought to herself, but she knew no one from the Jade Palace was near.

"Kataki!" She screamed in desperation before succumbing to the darkness and passing out.

Kataki's sharp ears flicked as he heard Tigress' scream his name. He ran in the direction he heard the scream come. He found her with her muzzle buried in the mud with a tree across her shoulders. He attempted to push it off, but couldn't. He slipped in the mud and desperately looked around. He couldn't let her die. If he did than he would be accused of murder. He watched Tigress sputter in the mud, air bubbles rising from the muck around her muzzle. With a scream Kataki raised his fist high above his head and brought his paw down hard across the wood. It split in two right above Tigress. Kataki reached down grabbing her by the back of her shirt hauling her up in to his arms before running with her back in the direction he had come.

Viper stared out at the rain from Li-Tang's room which had been Po's room at one time. She had been laughing at the story Li-Tang had told her about when she had first gotten the room. There had been action figures of Tigress all over and paintings of all of the furious five. Not to mention all of the ninja stars stuck in the walls, or under the bed. Viper and Li-Tang had been in the hot spring when the rain had started and Mr. Ping's shop was closer then the Jade Palace. "I hope it's okay for you to stay here until the rain stops," Li-Tang said. "It will be," Viper said turning to smile at her new friend. "Won't your master be upset?" "Shifu? Oh, no, he'll be fine. I don't think he wants to see me anyways after what happened the other day," Viper mused looking out at the rain again. "Okay," Li-Tang said as she put a mat on the floor. Viper started to get off of the bed, but Li-Tang gestured her back. "You take the bed. I'm fine on the floor. Besides... You're my guest." "Oh..." Viper said taken aback. "Thank you."

Li-Tang waved off her comment with a smile as she pulled a blanket around herself and blew out the candle.

Crane and Mei-Ling laid coiled together in Crane's nest. Crane's hat was laying on the floor along with all their clothes. Mei-Ling was batting at a feather as she kept it floating in the air. Crane looked down at her and smiled to himself before wiping some sweat off of his brow and pulling the blanket up around them as he kissed her in his own way by running his beak through her fur. Mei-Ling purred deeply before turning and lunging on top of him. Crane laughed and she giggled before leaning down to lick the feathers of his neck and head.

Kataki was growling in his cave and muttering to himself about how women never listen. Tigress could hear him slightly through her waterlogged ears. He had bundled her in blankets and the fire was roaring brightly now heating the cave and casting light in to all of the once dark corners. She looked around for the creepy monkey she had seen before she had run out of the cave, but didn't see him. Kataki looked her way and she closed her eyes tightly, but then opened them again. She couldn't believe her eyes. She coughed loudly and spit up dirty water and mud. Kataki jumped over the fire and was beside her immediately pounding his paw between her shoulder blades. "Cough it up," he whispered. "Don't worry I'll clean it up if you throw up." "Kata..." Tigress turned to look at him and she gasped and then coughed up more mud. She looked up at him. His face was streaked with mud and water was bunched up in places. She stared at him. "That's right... That's right..." Kataki said again pounding her on the back.

After a few minutes Tigress regained some of her composure and stared up at him from where she was laying bundled in the blankets. "Tai... Lung?" Tigress said in an asking tone. "Yes?" Kataki said pulling on his ears and slicking rain water off his head. "Kataki?" Tigress said again in the same asking tone. "What is it?" Kataki asked again wondering if she was still so out of it she didn't hear him the first time. Then slowly it dawned on him who she had called him at first. He rushed to a barrel in the room and looked down in to it. The drinking water in it reflected back his reflection. His true reflection and he saw Tai Lung staring back at him. "You're Tai Lung..." Tigress said propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him as she coughed loudly. "I thought you were dead!" "Shhh... Shhhh..." Tai Lung said coming slowly over to Tigress. "I think you're dreaming. You did get hit pretty hard." He pushed her back on to her back and bundled the blankets around her again, and then lay down next to her nuzzling his nose against her neck. "We'll talk tomorrow," He whispered to her. "Sleep now." But Tigress hadn't heard him she had fallen asleep as soon as he laid her back against the Tatami mat.