Kung Fu Panda: The Hunt For The Heir (OC x Tigress fanfic)

Chapter 3: Honour Among Thieves

:2 Months Earlier:

On a rainy cliff overlooking the entrance to the village residing in the shadow of The Jade Palace, Hunter was standing with someone who was sheltering under a dainty looking parasol. They seemed to be deep in conversation already judging by their demeanour. Upon closer inspection, the one under the parasol was a female Leopard. Hunter shook his head in response to whatever the aforementioned female Leopard had said to him. "I'm not an idiot, Su." he seemed to reply to her, his voice as deadpan as usual with a mild hint of annoyance to it.

The Leopard, whose name was apparently Su, shook her head in response to his statement. "Of course not. I would never imply such a thing, my dear Hunter." She purred his name to him and fluttered her eyelids. "I am simply... presenting an opportunity for you to take on my behalf, in exchange for monetary payment of course." She spoke nonchalantly to him as if it were a simple thing she were asking of him. "With the fat Panda and two of the Five sent away, the Palace will be easy for someone with your... Unique skillset to infiltrate. I simply want the Sword of Heroes for my... collection." Su said in an overly innocent voice, despite the fact they were currently discussing whether or not Hunter was going to commit a crime for her.

Hunter scoffed at what Su had proposed, clearly unconvinced by what she was saying. "Stealing from my previous employer is not a smart move, Su. Stealing from The Jade Palace? Even less so." he pointed out to her with slight disdain creeping into his tone. "Especially if I get caught. I'm never getting another job from them again for a start, let alone where I'll end up if they catch me." Hunter said to her and threw down the scroll at Su's feet which apparently contained the job offer in question, shaking his head at her as he was about to walk away from the situation.

Su chuckled at his attitude towards her and the job, quickly walking over and standing in front of him. "That's why I like you, Hunter. You think ahead. It's why I trust you with this job... and no one else." she said to him, walking forwards towards him while sashaying her hips and smiling in a way one could describe as seductive. She was trying to butter him up and he knew it, judging from how his expression went from 'mild annoyance' to 'Are you seriously trying this bullshit on me?' "After all, I only just esca- Was released from prison, and I need something to help feed myself in these desperate times..." Su spoke in a whiny voice to Hunter, who rolled his eyes at her 'helpless little kitty' act, knowing that she was talking complete shit.

He sighed then as he looked thoughtful before seemingly coming to a final decision on the matter. "Fine, I'll do this for you. But this is you cashing in that debt I owe you and the other Ladies." Hunter stated to her seriously. Su seemed like she was about to argue otherwise, but Hunter cast a scathing look her way that made her shut her mouth and simply nod to him in agreement instead as he realised that this was likely the only way she'd get him to agree to do the job. "Very well." Su agreed to his terms.

At that confirmation, Hunter took a deep breath at what he was about to do, turned, and leapt from the cliff they had been standing on. Catching a vine in mid fall, he swung on it and flipped onto the branch of one of the trees that dotted the entrance to the Valley of Peace village that was below the Jade Palace. Dropping to the grassy floor silently, he quickly and again silently entered the Valley as he usually did and followed the same path to the Palace he always took via using the back alleys and shadows, albeit this time for more nefarious purposes... 'As long as I'm finally out of debt to those damn cats...' he thought to himself with no small amount of disdain. They were Leopards of course, but he meant the word 'cats' as an insult in this case.

However, what he saw when he was finally in view of The Jade Palace gave him pause and made him reconsider the job altogether.

It was unlike Hunter to stay out in the open, but he stopped dead in the middle of the market street and looked up towards the mountain on which sat the Palace, his eyes widening in shock at the... Spectacle before him. Some kind of huge angry spirit warrior thing was attacking the Palace, even going so far as to throw the statue of Master Oogway through the Palace itself, the force sending it crashing down the 1000 steps leading up to the place. It was certainly a fight to behold, and not one that Hunter wanted to involve himself in. Not because he couldn't handle himself, quite the opposite, but he had no intention of making enemies of huge angry spirit warriors. He had enough enemies as it was in the physical world, he didn't need spirits trying to make his life harder.