The Tales of the Dragon Warrior

A Snow Leopard's Tale and the Start of a Love Shape

Tai-lung was a determined person, he himself would be the first to admit that.

When he had been a little boy, he had been determined to make his father proud of him. So he paid extra close attention to Shifu when he would practice his kicks, until one day, he was able to replicate it. He had made sure Shifu had been watching, and after the old man's surprise faded at seeing a five year old do an aerial kick, he showed him the thing that would be the source of Tai-lung's determination for years; his smile. The old man gave him a proud smile, and Tai-lung knew he would do anything to keep that smile on his face.

So Tai-lung trained. He trained until he had broken every bone in his body at some point, until he couldn't move anymore. He trained until he developed his own Snow Leopard Style kung fu. He trained until he was the best master the Jade Palace had seen in a decade. All of that should have been enough for him, but when his father talked wistfully about his desire to train the Dragon Warrior and looked directly at him, he knew it would never be enough. Not unless he became the Dragon Warrior.

So he trained even harder, until all he could think about was the jade container in the golden dragon's mouth, said to contain the scroll with all the secrets to the universe. He trained until becoming the Dragon Warrior wasn't just something Shifu wanted, it was something he wanted too. Then Laofu came along, and Tai-lung had another smile to motivate him. He wanted to see his father look at him with pride, and to see his little brother look at him with admiration. It didn't matter that they already did even though he wasn't the Dragon Warrior, because in his mind, he still needed to be better. It didn't matter that he had already mastered all one thousand scrolls of kung fu. It didn't matter that the people of the Valley cheered his name when he defended them. He could still be better.

Then the day came when he was officially presented to Oogway as a possible candidate for the title of Dragon Warrior. Laofu hadn't been there. He was thirteen, still too young to be involved in the 'adult discussions'. Shifu had listed off all of Tai-lung's many accomplishments and heroic acts to the old master, the pride growing in his voice with every accomplishment he listed. Tai-lung had looked at Oogway with confidence (perhaps arrogance, now that he reflected on it) and pride. This was it. This was the moment he truly became great. This was the moment he cemented his father's pride in him.

But Oogway had simply shaken his head, whispered something into his father's ear, and walked off. His answer was clear. And Shifu... Shifu did nothing.

Shifu did nothing.

Fifteen years of his life dedicated to kung fu, to being the best, only to be denied by an old man he compared to a turtle when he was younger! It was humiliating. His father wouldn't even look him in the eye. In Tai-lung's mind, that action solidified him as the ultimate disappointment in his eyes. He would never be enough, not to Shifu, not to Oogway, not even to himself. He would never be the best.

'Fine.', he had thought, clenching his hands at his sides in rage as Shifu walked off with Oogway, leaving him alone to stew in anger.

'If I can't make you proud of me, then I'll make you fear me.'

And he did. He made Shifu so afraid of him, he and Oogway created China's most tightly secured prison just to keep him from ever seeing the light of day. Tai-lung let his anger take hold of him. He destroyed every structure in the Valley he came across. He sent the citizens he had once protected running for their lives, screaming in terror. He went from a stalwart protector to a boogeyman in their eyes.

Tai-lung destroyed everything he could get his hands on before he finally reached the Jade Palace. He made a beeline for the scroll the second he broke down the doors. Shifu tried to stop him, but his hesitation to hurt him was his downfall.