Shifu's Point of view
"Tigress, may I see you?" I asked, looking up at the feline who was currently resting on the roof. She hasn't been doing the best in training. I can tell she has been getting distracted, and she is getting clumsy. She fell onto the table earlier where there was sop being served by Po. She nodded, and jumped down, landing face first into the dirt.
"What?" She asked, getting up. I flinched with the lack of respect, but then realized she was asking herself what just happened.
"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, looking her over. She had tired looking eyes, as if she hasn't a decent night's sleep in a while.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she attempted to lie. I raised my eyebrow.
"No, no your not. What's wrong?" She looked down at me in disbelief. I normally didn't show this kind of concern, I admit, but something really seemed off. I kept finding her training sloppily in the middle of the night, though she didn't know I know.
"What's distracting you?" I asked, hoping she would tell me. I looked her in the eyes so she couldn't lie. Her eye twitched.
"Nothing!" She insisted, looking away. I sighed.
"You can tell me. If it's affecting you this badly-"
"It's not your place to know!" She hissed.
"Tell me now, Tigress!" She didn't say a word. "Fine, let me guess. Is it Viper?" She shook her head. "Crane?" She shook her head again. "Mantis?" And "Monkey?" Had the same response. "Po?" I asked. She turned away. "What did he do?" I asked. It was the wrong thing to ask.
"Nothing! It's not what he did, it's what I didn't do! I didn't stop that cannon ball from hitting him, I didn't keep him safe from the enemy, I didn't win the war for him- for anybody! I mean, what a waste of space I am, I can't even keep myself from being captured!" She said, still looking away. I was mortified. She thought she was a wasted of space? She looked at me again with tears in her eyes. "I couldn't keep him from getting hurt," she whispered, then took off on all fours up to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly wisdom. I watched, I wasn't quite sure what to do. Then a flash of black and white flashed by. 'So he had been listening' I thought. How could I not be aware if his presence? I waited for a couple minutes, then walked up the hill and hid in the trees branches.
Po's point of view
I was in the kitchen when I heard them talk. I was sad at what she said. She thinks it's her fault?! It's not even close to her fault! I watched her race up the hill in front of me. Gods! She was crying! I got I the top of the hill as she hid in the dip in the base, sobbing. Wow, 20 years of pent up emotions really make you cry.
"Tigress, it's okay," I told her, sitting down in front of her. She looked up, tears in her eyes. You know how some people look beautiful when they cry, without the puffiness, or the redness? Well, Tigress is one of those people, although I'd rather see her smiling. She sniffed
. "Go away," she said, weakly.
"No. It's not your fault," I said, scooting closer as she looked away.
"Yes, it is. I couldn't keep you in the jail, so you got hit," she snapped. I grabbed her paw in one hand, and with the other it made her look at me, not caring about the mud in the slightest.
"It's not. I know you think it is, but it's not," I said. She started to object but I pressed my lips (A/N do pandas or tigers have lips? Oh well) against hers, still not minding my fur getting dirty. "It's not. Now, come here," I said holding out my arms. She flung herself into them and started sobbing again. I stroked her fur as she cried, and whispered comfort words to her. She started to relax, and eventually she was lightly snoring. I smiled and kissed her head softly, as not to wake her up. I turned us around, so I was leaning against the tree trunk. I eventually fell asleep too, still hugging her.
No one's point of view
Not once did they notice the small red panda in the tree branches, looking down on them. When The rest of the five found them, Tigress and Po were a little muddy, but you could still see them turn cherry red, Viper squealed and demanded to know everything, Crane chuckled and flew off, Mantis and Monkey congratulated Po, and Shifu watched.
