Shifu post grief of original furious five disbandment
(practicing writing him and oogway during sensitive time, NOT SHIPPING)
"Hurry, before the Furious Five show up!"
The group of Oxen bandits shoved the silk into barrels, meant to hide the goods while the shop keeper trembled next to the lone wolf bandit.
"Enough!"
All of the bandits turn to the source of the deep voice. Looking at eye level, they don't see the little red panda holding a powerful stance.
"Down here, criminals!"
Everyone's eyes snap down. The entire room seemed to pause before roaring in laughter. One of the bandits coos, "He's so tiny and fluffy! Awww cwoot widdle babyyy!" Before getting kicked in the face. The shop keep blinked, surprised. "Master Shifu! Where are the others? You can't handle all this!"
"YES I CAN!" He roared, bracing against the front counter following a upwards kick to the jaw of the wolf next to the shopkeeper. Anger radiated from the warrior, and he spared no energy bounding, taking out every single enemy until they laid flat on the ground, not letting anyone get a hit in. The Furious part remained within the Red Panda that everyone once knew as a silly, curious child that hung out in the trees of time. Now he was a hardened Warrior, and the Valley had to welcome a man who's team disbanded, and whose love betrayed him. The adventurous youngster was six feet under his soul, and replaced with a worthy protector.
For years, Shifu stewed in anger between meditations. Abandoned by his father, his friends, his love. Oogway grew silently worried as his adopted son slipped further and further into despair. Steps away from becoming selfish and wicked, the ancient turtle stood in front of him during training. "Master Shifu, my old friend. You must stop with this wrathful behavior. You are losing sight of who you are. The true you."
"What?! How can you say that!! I've been doing nothing but protecting the Valley by MYSELF!" His fists shook at his sides, ears flattening. Oogway scowled, a rare occurrence.
"Red Panda." He warned. "You leave me no choice. I have been telling you for weeks to manage your anger through meditation. You need to be put in your place." He said firmly, presuming a battle stance, raising his staff behind him, foot drawn in front of him at an angle. "You are moving to a dark path just like Fenghuang!"
"You cannot be serious! I don't want to fight you Master!" He struggled to restrain himself. A fire raged in his heart, urging him to lunge and attack. He anchored his stance. "AND DON"T MENTION THAT TRAITOR!"
Oogway sighed, and then spun forward on his shell before kicking up. Shifu barely backed up enough to see his beard fly up past his master's heel. Arms up, he was hit once, twice, thrice from different angles.
"You're so eager to let your anger out! Let me see it!" Oogway jabs without insulting him. Keeping tight control of the situation, yet pushing his student to see the error of his ways. Shifu groaned, and then screamed, redirecting Oogway and tossing him. Returning just as fast, Shifu began to fight back, blow after blow being blocked with one scale covered arm before being pinned by the back. "Shifu, listen to me. STOP. BOTTLING. EVERYTHING. UP. I don't care if you need to scream your head off in the Hall Of Warriors. You are killing yourself!" Each word was one that another would have yelled, the ancient one said with firm instance with an agitated inflection. It made the Red Panda stop squirming, and lax. He did not care for Oogway's stress, as every day he woke up worried that he would lose the last bit of family he had. But until now, he never thought of it the other way around. What else could make the master step out of his shell? When the others left, or were banished, he did not shed a tear. While still not shedding any tears, the younger master could tell his elder was trying hard to keep his composure through the most recent set of grief and guilt in his life as he processed it. Maybe he was too busy watching over the red panda to notice his own need to grieve.
"We do not have the luxury to be acting out of anger for months and months here. When I was young, I destroyed a life I had made for myself doing so. Why do you think I began my journey of travel and meaningless brawling in the first place? I was planning on passing down my family's rice farm to children, but.." Oogway said each word with a gentle tone, but his words bled with regret that he had made peace with. Seeing Shifu in this moment did not give him time to meditate something so ancient, yet hidden within the shadows of the old ones' memory. Shifu panted, and frowned. "You...I've never heard you express such emotion over a regret."
"Because I am frustrated. The Valley depends on us, China depends on us. As long as I am here, I will defend it with honor. Will you do the same?" Or will you stray like the rest, is what remained unsaid. Shifu could feel it.
