Bounty Hunter

Act I - Unexpected Adventure

[Author's Notes]

Hello and welcome back to another chapter of Bounty Hunter!

I wasn't as mean with the cliffhanger last time. Believe it or not, I write cliffhangers a lot to satisfy myself and to keep me on the edge of my own seat to inspire me to write more once I have time to write... It seems to be working well when it comes to a writing perspective but I wonder if it's working when it comes to a reading perspective. Feel free to leave me some feedback and let me know if you'd like!

Anyways, I've rambled on as always. I hope you're all enjoying this slight twist to the plot as well! I can't give any spoilers though, I don't want to ruin my entire story now do I?

Okay, that concludes these notes. As always, I thank you for your support and without further ado; Naidvar proudly presents to you...

Unexpected Adventure...

10 AM - Suurin Settlement - Hotel...

After weathering the storm that was a painful journey through a perpetual trail and array of trees, Tigress and Po had finally found salvation inside of a strange rural settlement in the middle of nowhere. Their minds were initially a whirlwind of confusion as they couldn't wrap their heads around the concept of being halfway across China from their original location, however, their minds chose to allow them to rest in their deep slumber instead of plaguing them with such anxiety... At least for now.

Tigress had winded herself multiple times and was a resting heap, splayed across the majority of the bed as Po laid on the floor. He was resting down there as he did some dream kung-fu and ended up falling onto the floor, seemingly unaware of his current position, Po began to wake up and shook his head only to realise that he was now on the floor.

He held his paw to his head as he rubbed his eyes, instead of expecting the first whispers of dusk, he heard the bustling streets outside of this settlement as well as felt the morning sun shining up against his fur. His mind was briefly unsettled as he realised that they hadn't woken up in the Valley of Peace and this wasn't some strange illusion, it was reality.

The panda grumbled to himself as he lifted himself onto his feet, smiling at the splayed out striped feline on the bed who appeared to be having one of the most comfortable nights of her life. Po already knew that as soon as she woke up, her passive smile and unconscious acceptance of her location would fade and she would immediately stress as soon as one of her eyes cracked open. To ease the pain, Po decided to gather some of his leftover ingredients and begin cooking his noodle soup in a freakishly small kitchen. He had initially praised the kitchen for its generous size but alas, his tired mind was playing tricks on him and he had to squeeze around every single corner in the kitchen to get to the places he needed to so he could heat his pots and prepare his soup.

After some fighting with the daylight shining down upon her from the windows, Tigress cracked open her eyes and tilted her head up. The absence of the Dragon Warrior as she tilted her head left to be met with nothingness caused her to shoot up. As she did so, her nose awoke and so did her ears, being blessed with the sound of Po's humming as well as the smell of his rich noodle soup.

Tigress's mind was almost struck with a thousand firecrackers as the intellectual portion of her brain woke from its slumber and forced the realisation that they were far from the Valley of Peace, in fact, they were halfway across China. Tigress, with the sheer force of her will, was able to push that thought aside and swallow it; banishing it to the depths of her mind as the bed creaked under her weight. She subtly rose from the bed to be greeted by Po's warm smile, officially banishing any pessimistic thoughts to a pit that would be looked into later in the day.