Lotus

Chapter 17. Meet Fate on Your Path Taken

3 chapters to go...

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The burning red light of dawn stung Shifu's eyes. He hasn't a slept a wink the entire night. How could he?

With Oogway now gone, Tai Lung's reign on the rise, Tigress and the Furious Five running off last minute, and the red panda's only hope being thrusted onto a total nobody?

He needed a lot of meditating that night. 

His ears twitched as he heard the sounds of the training hall being activated in the distance. He perked them up and was shocked with himself. He didn't expect his students to be up this early to start training. The looming threat of Tai Lung must have shaken them.

He got up from his sat position, a little drowsy from no sleep and staying in the same position for several hours, before balancing himself on Oogway's staff to move down the hill from the peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom. 

He walks quite a distance to head to the Training Hall to greet his students, only to see no one training in sight.

Well... not exactly no one.

He still heard noise in the Training Hall, making him enter the hall and look from the sidelines, surprised with himself to see a certain panda bear dodging and hitting the wooden warriors that surrounded him.

Shifu's eyes widened. Was this the same panda that two days ago was fumbling and getting whacked around by the same wooden warriors?

Although the ursine was still getting some hits swung to his face, he took it like a champ and swung back, showing to actually have great persistence in attacks and stable defense.

Shifu darted his eyes to the side for a moment. He may have messed the boy up intentionally before but he didn't think he messed him up that much... was he really too harsh on him?

After looking back at lotus, he cleared his throat and finally spoke up, "Panda."

Lotus stopped one of the limbs from swinging at him, but didn't turn his head to look at the red panda behind him. 

Seeing Lotus not move from his place stunned the red panda, but regardless, he plopped into the pit and approached the young man.

"How long have you been in here?"

Lotus shrugged. "Not sure. Entered the hall last night."

Shifu's eyes widened and his ears lifted in shock. 'Has he been here all night?' He thought to himself.

Thankfully the panda didn't see how perplexed the master truly was. "Your... attacks are quite sloppy and inconsistent but you're... actually quite competent in your kung fu... for a panda."

Lotus scoffed. He would have actually taken the compliment if it wasn't for the back-handed remark for his species being added.

"Something funny?" Shifu firmly asked, noticing the bitter chuckle Lotus produced.

"Yeah. It's funny how you make fun of me for being a panda when you're a red panda yourself," Lotus finally looked back with a smirk, though it wasn't as cocky so much as it was angry, "Aren't you?"