The Apprentice

The Apprentice

 

A week later, Dai was still in the Village, having changed his mind about leaving. He’d even managed to purchase a small apartment, how he could afford it Tigress didn’t know, she wasn’t she wanted to know either.

Going down to the Village during a lunch break one day she saw the white tiger in question out for a run.

“Hey Ti,” He said spotting her, running over, slightly out of breath.

“Hello Dai,” Tigress greeted him, noticing he was shirtless, something the male tiger didn’t do very often. Her eyes travel over Dai’s body, she saw how physically fit he was, he wasn’t overly fit or muscle bound like some males she’d seen, his stomach and abs were both flat.

“Nice day for a run,” He said snapping Tigress out of her gaze.

“Yeah,” She said, quickly turning her head away, making Dai chuckle.

“No training today?” He asked.

“No, I’m on a lunch break,” Tigress said.

“Alright well, you wanna get some lunch?” Dai asked. “I was about to go myself.”

“Okay,” Tigress said after a moment of thought.

Dai and Tigress walked over to a stall selling caramelised apples, and Dai bought two, one for each of them.

“Here ya go,” Dai said handing Tigress an apple.

“Thank you,” Tigress said taking the treat.

Far above them, Master Shifu watched through a looking glass, his ear twitching as the two walked through the Village eating the apples Dai had bought them. He grumbled and put the glass away. There was something he didn’t like about that tiger, but he didn’t know what. And it wasn’t just because he thought Tigress was getting too close to him, either, ever since Dai had shown up she’d seemed…distracted, now she was visiting him in the village every other day.

Back in the Village both Dai and Tigress sat next to each other, leaning against a building talking about random things as they ate their apples.

“So, how long did it take you to become a Weapons Master?” Tigress asked out curiosity.

“About ten years, my Dad started training me when I was about six,” Dai said

“Who is your father?” Tigress asked.

“A Samurai General,” Dai said.

“A Samurai?!” Tigress asked genuinely surprised, she wouldn’t have thought Dai came from a Samurai bloodline, from the way he acted.

“But what about you? How long have you trained at the Jade Palace?” Dai asked.

“Since I was about six,” Tigress said. “Master Shifu adopted me and brought me to the Palace, to train.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a childhood,” Dai commented, throwing his stick away.

“No, I guess not,” Tigress said finishing her apple.

“Thank you, that was delicious,” Tigress said finishing hers

“Don’t mention it,” Dai said. “You…should probably head back to the Palace; before Master Shifu gets too angry.”

“Yeah,” Tigress said standing up with Dai.

Before they could go anywhere, a hooded figure dropped down from the roof top wielding two red, glowing staff weapons.

“You!” Dai snarled recognizing the figure from the orphanage.

“Rematch, baby!” The figure said whirling the staffs around in his hands.

“Oh? And what are you gonna do? Swing those glow-sticks at me? Real intimidating,” Dai taunted, drawing his sword.

“RAH!!”

“Tigress! Wait!” Dai yelled out but it was too late, Tigress charged the hooded figure, attacking him with a series of punches and kicks. At first, she succeeded, until the figure hit her with one of the staffs, causing Tigress to yell and back off.

“What are those things?” She asked holding her arm where it had been burned.

“You like my staffs?” The Figure asked. “Let me show you how they work.”

The hooded figure drove them into the ground shocking both Dai and Tigress, causing them to fall to their knees.

The figure took advantage of this and charged at them, swinging the staffs at Dai’s head as he stood up, making him roll backwards. Dai had just managed to stand back up when the figure hit him under the chin with staff, sending him back to the ground.

“Who’s laughing now, huh?!” The figure jeered, advancing towards Dai, who reached behind him and threw his Kunai at the figure, it missed, flying over his shoulder, but it gave Dai the chance he needed to stand up and rush the cloaked figure with Tigress.

Together, Dai and Tigress pushed him back, forcing the figure to take a defensive stance against the two tigers, so he combined his two staff weapon into one long weapon.

“That’s a neat trick,” Dai commented as the figure whirled the staff around, beckoning them to attack.

The figure smirked and counter-attacked with the weapon.

 

“The Dragon Scroll belongs to my Master!” The apprentice said.

The Apprentice hit Tigress in the gut with the end of the staff, when she doubled over he hit her on the side of the head, spinning her to the ground.

Dai looked at Tigress on the ground and growled.

The Apprentice chuckled evilly and beckoned Dai to attack.

“Come on tiger, avenge your girlfriend,” He said.

“She’s not my…Oh forget it,” Dai said and ran at the other tiger.

 

Ripping the staff weapon from his hand and hit him under the chin with the weapon, sending him to the ground.

Dai stood there a moment, panting, heavily he examined the staff weapon in his hand, then, not knowing how to separate the weapon, placed it on his back as guards from the prison showed up.

“Hey,…that’s mine,” The figure mumbled as the guards picked him up off the ground. “Give it back.”

Dai ignored the apprentice and hurriedly went over to Tigress, who was lying on the ground, she had a nasty looking cut on the side of her head.

“You okay?” he asked kneeling down next to her.

“I feel sick,” Tigress said, slowly getting up on all fours.

“That was quite a blow to the head,” Dai said, helping Tigress to her feet. “You’ve probably got a concussion, I’ll take you back up the Palace.”

Dai walked Tigress up to the Jade Palace, to the Infirmary.

“What happened?” Master Shifu asked seeing Tigress.

“We ran into Tai-Lung’s apprentice in the Village,” Dai explained. “The Guards hauled him off to Chorh-Gom Prison.”

“With his Apprentice in jail, Tai-Lung will attempt to steal the scroll himself, we cannot allow him to succeed,” Master Shifu said.

“And, how are we going to do that?” Dai asked setting Tigress on a cot. “Tigress is out of action, I’m wounded.”

“I don’t know,” Master Shifu said.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I don’t know!” Master Shifu repeated.

“You can not fight Tai-Lung,” Master Shifu said.”For now, evacuate the Village, I will fight Tai-Lung.”

“But Master…You’ll die,” Tigress said from the cot, sitting up.

“Then I will have paid for my mistake,” Master Shifu said.

“Go, NOW!” Master Shifu ordered the two.

“Yes, Master,” The two said and ran out of the Palace.

“I’ll take the north, you take the south,” Dai said pointing at the Village.

“Right,” Tigress said running down the stairs.

Dai, however, looked around, finding a shield grabbed it smiling and ran towards the stairs, dropping it, surfing down the Palace Stairs, past Tigress.

“See you at the bottom Ti!” Dai shouted as he passed her.

Tigress stopped, marveling at Dai’s ability to stay balanced on the shield…until he fell off about three-quarters of the way down, making Tigress wince each time Dai hit the stairs.

“Are you okay?” She asked running up next to him chuckling lightly.

“Haha, I knew I could get you to laugh!” Dai said making Tigress punch him on the shoulder.

The Evacuation went about as well as it could, no one argued with them.

“The Village has been completely evacuated,” Dai said when they returned to the Palace that evening.

“Good,” Master Shifu said. “Tigress, I wish to speak with Dai alone.”

“Yes, Master,” Tigress said bowing, leaving the Hall of Heroes.

“So…what did you want to talk about?” Dai asked.

“Tigress,” Master Shifu said.

Dai winced slightly, knowing where this was going already. With Tigress visiting the Village so often over the last week or so, rumors had spread about him and Tigress, they must have reached Master Shifu somehow.

“What have you been doing with my Daughter, when she visits the Village?” Master Shifu asked, turning around to face Dai.

“Nothing much, just hanging out in the Village,” Dai said shrugging. “Stopping the occasional bandit or two.”

“I see,” Master Shifu said.

“Tigress tells me you’re a weapons master,” Master Shifu said.

“Yes,” Dai said unsure of where this was going.

 

“You are the Dragon Warrior.” Master Shifu stated holding out the scroll for Dai.

“I don’t want to be Dragon Warrior, I can’t be! I’m only sixteen years old.” Dai protested. “Pick Tigress instead, she deserves it more.”

“No, you are the Dragon Warrior,” Master Shifu insisted.

“I can’t,” Dai said backing up, running out of the Hall of Heroes.