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

Chapter 32: Dead Man's Memory

A/N: Sorry for the delay again. Lots of stress recently. I am still writing though! Slowly but surely working on this.

=

After that night, the Winter Festival fast approached, and as expected, snow began falling on the Valley of Peace in the rapid onset of the winter months. Hunter was kneeling down on Peach Tree Hill in silent meditation as the freezing winter winds whipped over him as he felt at peace. However, he showed no reaction to what must have been a blistering cold temperature. Only very slight amounts of steam came from his mouth, showing that he was barely breathing in his meditations.

"You must be freezing."

It was the voice of Master Shifu coming to see him as he sometimes did now.

Hunter slowly opened his eyes, glancing to the side. "I'm used to it." Came the simple and unphased response. "The cold winds no longer affect me. I became the master over my own body long ago. It is only my mind that still gives me trouble." Hunter admitted to Shifu, who was wrapped up warmly in a thick robe to protect himself from the elements. "What is on your mind, Master Shifu?"

Chuckling at the question, Shifu sat down beside him, closer to the warm fire that was roaring beside them, which Hunter was likely not feeling the effects of due to his distance from it. "It is more what's on your mind that I am here to discuss, Hunter. However, instead of allowing you to tell any story, I would like to ask you about something specific, if that is agreeable with you. I would like to know exactly how you came to know Tigress back in the orphanage? How did you meet and become friends with her?" He asked. Shifu wondered that if he got to the root of how they became friends, perhaps he could get to the root of Hunter's problems.

His eyes slightly widening, Hunter huffed in shock at being asked that. "Hmm. I've not thought that far back for... for a very long time." He said, hanging his head slightly, knowing he was going to need to dig up more painful memories to be able to answer the question. "Despite that, I remember it vividly, as if it only happened yesterday..."

...

Bao Gu Orphanage - many, many years ago

A young boy of around 6 or 7 give or take, who could only be The Hunter, peered around a corner in the dark. He was thinner than the majority of other kids in China, and even in the Orphanage itself, but he was also taller and somewhat fitter in general. He wore a red tunic and dark pants with red highlights, although it was clearly fashioned from very cheaply made material. Hunter had a cut below his eye, and a few faded bruises around his face, and one or two poking out from below his tunic around his neck, betraying that there were more scars and bruises to see. He also looked older than he actually was.

It was clearly nighttime in China right now, and he was seemingly using that to his advantage as he snuck around, using his thin profile and smaller size as well. It was pouring with rain outside while thunder was booming and lightning was briefly brightening up the night sky. He carefully ran his eyes over the hallway he was looking down, the left side facing into the centre of the orphanage itself, the right side being a straight wall with a few doors and turns within. No one was around. Good. He quickly ran to a pillar, taking cover behind it. Looking around again, no one had seen him. Moving to a nearby door, he slowly and carefully opened it up... there. Spotting it on a wall, he slowly approached to grab it. But then...

Footsteps!

Hunter quickly and with some ease slipped into a wardrobe in the room itself, slowing his breathing down to a crawl. He'd seemingly had experience doing this before. First, a booming voice sounded out as the door was closed behind whoever had entered. "At this point, he's a waste of our Yuan!" the voice complained, clearly annoyed.