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

Chapter 7: The Hunt Begins

:4 hours earlier - break of dawn:

Hunter woke up wrapped in the furs he had slept in, sitting up and stretching out, hearing satisfying pops from his bones going back into their proper places. He stood up and stretched out, making sure to limber up before his journey to the Valley of Peace. He got to work taking his tent down and packing up what little he had unpacked the night before. The Crane Clan members were also now getting up, being extra careful with their still healing wings. They talked among one another quietly for a few minutes before two of them approached Hunter. "You'll make better time if we show you a secret way into the Valley." one of them said.

The other explained what they were talking about. "It cuts off much of the journey and halves the time the journey would take on foot. Only The Chih Kuan Crane Clan and Master Oogway himself know of this secret entrance. You must swear on the Ancestors, you will never ever speak of this to anyone." Master Qǐzhòngjī said to Hunter seriously.

Hunter then gave a single laugh as he packed everything back into his backpack. "I don't believe in the power of my Ancestors. But..." He then took out a small blade from somewhere... It was hidden very well. He then moved the fabric of his handwrap to show he had no fur. It was smooth. He cut the blade along his palm and held it up. "I swear, with this blood oath that I will not speak of this secret to anyone." Hunter swore to Master Qǐzhòngjī, who seemed pleased with that.

While he was shocked that Hunter did not believe in his Ancestors or their power, he supposed he either wasn't from China originally or just simply didn't believe in that kind of thing. "To clarify, if someone's life is in danger and the time it takes to cross The Thread of Hope will lead to their death, and if you trust them, then you may reveal the entrance. However, they must also take an oath." Master Qǐzhòngjī elaborated to Hunter, who nodded in understanding. "I am telling you now because I fear for the lives of those in the Valley, and you selflessly rescued us with no promise of reward." He said to him, before taking the backpack containing his sleeping supplies from Hunter. "We will ferry your camping supplies across The Thread. You'll move faster without this weighing you down."

Hunter bowed respectfully to the Crane, who did his best to return the gesture as a sign of equal respect. Two Cranes performed a complicated dance in front of a giant tree, leading to the tree cracking down the middle and parting in half, revealing a cave in the cliff face. He entered the cave, and the tree closed again behind him...

He wound his way through the caves that apparently were concealed in the mountains. They were easy enough to navigate for someone like him, although it wasn't exactly a difficult task either. A couple of hours later, he finally emerged in the Valley of Peace, seeing the Jade Palace sitting on the mountain over from the one he had come from. He carefully made his way down the mountainside and quickly moved to the entrance of the village below the Palace... It wasn't long until he saw a member of the bandits in question. Looks like this village was their target... A Jackal and a Wolf were going around extorting various traders and shopkeepers for 'protection money'. He had to wonder where the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior were while all of this was happening... Hunter made sure to limber up, stretching out and making sure he was ready to complete the contract.

However, before he could make any kind of move, he felt and heard his stomach rumble... It had been a while since he'd eaten. While usually he'd hunt for his own food, this time he figured he'd just go right to a restaurant instead and save himself some time. Around here he was getting lots of side eye and even outright staring in a few cases, but he just weaved through the crowd like always. Always fluid, always in motion. He stopped near the foot of the Palace and decided this was a good place to eat and maybe gather some information about The Qīngtóng Bǎihé and their leader. He looked around the area found a place to possibly suit his needs... 'Dragon Warrior Noodles & Tofu' and written below in smaller letters was 'Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop'... Shrugging to himself at the odd choice of names, he entered the open outdoors noodle shop and walked over to the counter to make his order.