A Friend Indeed (Kung Fu Panda)

Snowfall

It was nearing the dead of winter when Tigress had made one of her trips to the shop, and like usual, Po and her had headed out back to practice. The Tai Chi that she had originally set out to teach had bled more into actual Kung Fu. The tiger style was proving surprisingly compatible with Po's physique. Of course, he was nowhere near flexible enough to do something like a split-kick. When Po had suggested it, she had immediately shot the idea down.

A few of the non-splitting kicks had left him unbalanced. After watching him fall onto his large backside had stopped being funny and starting being distracting, she told him to show her what he was doing. She spotted the problem immediately. "You need to shift your hips," she said. Without thinking she put her paws on his waist and shifted them manually.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa,' Po said confusedly. His face was starting to burn, and he desperately hoped his fur was thick enough to hide the color.

Unfortunately, Tigress noticed. She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Not good with physical contact?"

Po shook his head, a grin beginning to form. "Nah, I've got not problem being physical. Usually it's the other way around. This is a nice change of pace."

"Don't get used to it," Tigress said flatly. She stepped back, leaving Po to balance on the foot that was currently planted in the ground. "Try it now."

Po extended his leg in a kick, feeling the difference in power. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, yeah. That's more like it." He tried a few more kicks, stepping forward with each.

"Remember; keep your stance. That's where your strength comes from."

The next kick, Po did just that. Unfortunately, Tigress had neglected to teach Po how to aim. The kick went directly towards a stack of boxes, sending them a couple of feet outwards and toppling over.

Still in position, Po's eyes went wide as his mouth shut itself, while Tigress's paw hit her forehead. Po's leg fell back down as he looked back at Tigress with a nervous smile. "Ehehe. . . whoops."

Tigress sighed. "Just help me pick these back up."

The two set to work cleaning up after the mess, with Po inspecting the vegetables for any that were unsalvageable. "Dad's gonna have to wash these before we use them."

"Yes, it would be a shame if anyone else got food poisoning from your cooking."

"One time, Tigress. One time."

Mr. Ping shot out of the shop. "I heard a crash, what's going on? How's my produce?"

"Hey, Dad," Po said, trying to block the disorganized crates with his body.

"What's behind your back?" Mr. Ping asked, already suspecting the answer.

"What? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Why-why would you think something's behind my back?"

Mr. Ping stared levelly. Po's smile wasn't getting any more convincing. A few moments of silence passed between them before Po sighed in defeat. "Alright fine. Tigress and I were practicing a bit of Kung Fu and I may have. . . maybe. . . sort of. . . pushed the veggies away a bit. . . forcefully."

Mr. Ping honked in surprise. "My cabbages!" Quickly, he waddled past the panda and inspected the crates.

"I already threw out the nastier ones," Po said. "But we're gonna have to soak the rest before we use them."

Mr. Ping picked up one of the crates. "Hmmph. Clearly we're going to have to find a bigger area for you two to practice."

Po picked up a few boxes himself, with Tigress soon following his example. "Wait, so you're not mad," Po asked, heading into the shop.