Yuki was in the training room, trying her best at the obstacles once again. The Five were nowhere to be seen. Their beds were empty.
Yuki growled when Tigress' angry face flashed through her mind. With a ferocious snarl, she blasted one of the spiny dummies into smithereens.
"Why do you hate me so much?!"
She whipped around at lightning speed and blasted another with one of her back paws.
"Yuki."
"What?!" Yuki spun and thrusted her paw forward, claws unsheathed. Right at Shifu. He easily blocked it with a raised brow.
"That was.." he searched for the right words. "Nice form." He nodded and made eye contact with her. "But too much anger."
Yuki scoffed and stalked out of the training pit. "What do you want?"
Shifu followed her. "I am your teacher, remember? And I have just learned how to train you."
Yuki flicked an ear and glanced back at Shifu. "Oh?" She smoothed back the fur on her head with one paw.
Shifu merely smirked at her. "Pack a bag. We are going on a trip."
—
Yuki walked along quietly behind Shifu. She had a huge bag on her back but it didn't bother her any. She looked out over the foggy mountains.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Shifu cast a glance back at her.
"It is." She looked towards Shifu. "Where are you taking me?"
"Patience." Shifu focused on the path ahead.
Yuki simply scoffed, "Tai Lung is coming and you want me to have patience?"
"Yes." Was all he said.
Yuki sighed and flicked her tail in annoyance.
When they finally reached the top of the mountain they had been climbing, Shifu sat up on a rock and closed his eyes. Yuki stared at him momentarily before setting the bag down.
"Did you bring me all the way up here for a bath?" She made her way over to the water and kneeled next to it.
"We do not wash ourselves in the Pool of Sacred Tears."
"Oh.." Yuki looked over her shoulder at Shifu as he climbed off the rock.
"This is where Oogway unraveled the mysteries of harmony and focus."
Yuki stood and made her way over to Shifu as he spoke.
"This is the birthplace of kung fu."
Yuki's ice blue eyes grew wide as she looked around in wonder.
Shifu lunged into the air and landed gracefully on a pillar of rock. He stared expectantly down at Yuki. "Do you want to learn kung fu?"
Yuki bushed her tail out excitedly, "Yes!"
Shifu pointed down at her, "Then I am your master!"
Yuki clasped her paws together, "Okay!"
Shifu leapt down and led Yuki to a more open area. He stepped up onto a rock and turned to face her. His eyes met her determined ones.
"When you focus on kung fu, when you concentrate..you stink."
Yuki's ears fell flat.
Shifu closed his eyes briefly, "But, perhaps, that is my fault." He met her gaze once more, "I cannot train you the way I have trained the Five. I now see that the way to get through to you, is with anger."
Yuki glared at Shifu. "Excuse me?"
Shifu held his hand up for pause, "I saw you in the training room. You had perfect kung fu skills whilst you were fuming about Tigress."
Yuki shook her head, "That wasn't kung fu."
"But it was! Tigress is your idol, yes?"
Yuki looked away, "I mean..yeah.."
"I figured as much. Your stance is exactly like hers. All we have to do is put thought in place of anger."
Yuki shook her head in confusion and gave him an exasperated look. "What??"
Shifu sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just..while you are angry, try to think about what you are doing. If you do that-"
"Then I'll know how to do kung fu!" Yuki finished eagerly.
"Hopefully." Shifu leapt down and walked over to a tree. Yuki followed. "Climb this tree, and hang down by your legs on that branch." Shifu pointed with his staff.
Yuki quickly dashed up the tree and carefully made her way over to the branch. It was hanging over the edge of the mountain. Yuki's fur stood on end. "What if I fall?" She looked down at Shifu.
"Don't fall." Shifu scurried up the tree out to the end of the branch. He smirked at her. "Tigress can do it."
Yuki growled at him before she made her way onto the branch. With a small sigh, she hung down by her legs.
"Good. Now do sit-ups." Shifu crossed his arms when Yuki shot him a glare. "Tigress can do at least ten."
Yuki lashed her tail and began doing sit-ups. "I bet Tigress can do way more than ten."
"Oh, yes. Many more. Ten is the amount she did as a cub."
Yuki let out an annoyed hiss. "Rub it in. When I was a cub, I made my first pot of soup."
"But did it taste good?" Shifu lifted a brow.
"Oh, shut-" The branch snapped, and with a gasp, Yuki quickly clung onto the trunk. Shifu had leapt away onto a rock.
"Good. You did nineteen. Let's continue." He walked away.
"Ugh!" Yuki jumped down and hurried after him.
Shifu led them back to the clearing where he grabbed two bamboo sticks. He tossed one to Yuki which she thankfully caught.
"Defend yourself." He quickly swung at Yuki. Yuki's eyes grew wide and she quickly dodged the initial strike, but Shifu was way faster. He swung at her side, making contact.
Yuki let out a pained hiss and backed away some.
"Is that as fast as you can move?" He swung again.
Yuki's eyes narrowed to slits and she quickly dodged. She successfully dodged two more and then swung at Shifu's feet. He dodged at the last possible second.
"Nice form! But Master Tig-"
Yuki snarled and swung again, successfully knocking Shifu backwards.
Shifu grunted and stood back up. He gave Yuki a grin. "Good."
Yuki huffed and dropped her stick.
"Next task: catch me." He sped off.
Yuki dropped to all fours and gave chase.
"Your opponent will try to confuse you! Don't attack where they are, but where they will be!"
Yuki watched Shifu's erratic movements before she caught onto his running pattern. She quickly leapt at the expected spot and successfully pinned him to the ground.
Shifu grunted beneath her. "Maybe I shouldn't have given you that tip so early." He suddenly disappeared from underneath her.
Yuki lifted a paw in confusion and glanced around.
"Next task." He was behind her.
Yuki rose and turned to him. He had some burning coal already set up. Yuki eyed it warily. "What's that for?"
"Push-ups." Shifu crossed his arms.
Yuki visibly winced before she hovered her body above the burning coal. She shot Shifu a nervous look.
Shifu lifted a brow, "Shall I tell you how many Tigress can do?"
Yuki scowled and began doing the push-ups. The tendrils of heat tickled their way up to her stomach each time she went down.
Shifu walked around her, studying her form. "Straighten your back."
Yuki made her back more straight. Her arms were getting wobbly already.
Shifu narrowed his eyes at her. "Control your arms. Warriors don't show weakness."
Yuki ground her teeth together and maintained control over her arms. She did ten more push-ups before Shifu allowed her to stop.
"Now I will teach you balance. Follow." Shifu made his way up onto a tall boulder. Yuki climbed up after him.
Shifu turned to face Yuki. "Stand on one foot with your arms out."
Yuki gave a curt nod and followed his instructions. She even held her tail out for more balance.
Shifu gathered stones and placed one in each paw, one on her head, and he even had her hold one with her tail.
"I feel ridiculous.." she stared out over the mountains.
"Just relax." Shifu stepped away and started balancing on one foot as well.
Yuki had zoned out long enough that she had passed the balance test, claiming it wasn't that hard. Shifu chuckled and led Yuki back down to the clearing.
—
By the time they were finished, night had fallen, and it was morning yet again. Shifu had successfully taught Yuki proper kung fu skills. She was fast, albeit, not near as fast as Tigress.
Shifu sat Yuki at a boulder. "You have done well. I am proud of you." He placed a bowl of dumplings on the boulder. "Here. You have earned this."
Yuki stared at the dumplings suspiciously before looking back at Shifu. "Just like that? No tricks?"
Shifu waved his hand towards the bowl, "Enjoy."
Yuki hesitantly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and picked up one of the dumplings, but before she could eat it, it was snatched away by Shifu. Immediately eaten.
"Hey!" She growled.
Shifu gestured to the bowl, "I said, "enjoy". Have a dumpling."
Yuki went to grab another but it was immediately smacked out of her chopsticks and eaten.
"Hey!" She bared her fangs this time.
"I said "enjoy"." He gestured again.
"Can I?!"
"Can you?!" He waved his chopsticks around threateningly.
Yuki quickly swiped at the bowl with her tail and sent the dumplings flying into the air. Shifu immediately leapt up and ate all but one; he landed back on the ground and they both eyed the last one as it fell towards them.
With a snarl, Yuki sprung into the air to grab it in her mouth. Shifu was faster, he grabbed it with his chopsticks first.
The two fought over the last dumpling for a while before Yuki finally managed to catch it. She had done a twirl of sorts, confusing Shifu, and in the process she caught the dumpling with her tail.
She grinned down at Shifu who smiled and bowed to her, one hand out. Yuki tossed the dumpling into his hand. When he gave her a confused look, she shrugged.
"I'm not hungry." She bowed to him. "Master."
Shifu smiled and tossed it. He returned the bow happily.