The Lion and the Leopard

Midnight Training

Leo Lung ran up the stairs, faster than he thought possible. He ran as fast as he could, sometimes clearing 4 or 5 steps at a time. Shifu ran down the steps to meet him.

The lion bunched his hind muscles and sprang up the steps in a mighty leap. Leo landed right by his master, and he threw his arms around him in a big hug. Shifu let out a shaky breath and hugged the cat, even though his smaller arms didn't even reach his waist.

"Shifu..Master..I've missed you so much." Leo said in a shaky sigh, trying not to crush his master in his embrace.

Shifu barely uttered a word, tightening his grip. He never wanted to let his son go. The red panda had once trained himself to have iron control over his emotions, but he couldn't help himself as tears streaked down his face.

After what seemed like an eternity, Leo gently let go and looked at Master Shifu, a large grin creasing his muzzle. The lion looked past his master and looked at a young tiger, standing a few steps above Shifu.

"Who is this?" Leo asked curiously. Shifu turned and looked at her. The tiger flicked her tail, slightly nervous.

"My name is Tigress." The young cat introduced herself. Leo smiled.

"It is very nice to meet you, young Tigress. I am Leo Lung." The lion said, watching the tiger cub. She was very small, but Leo was sure that, under the guidance of Shifu, she would grow into a powerful young warrior.

"Leo Lung?!" Tigress said, her eyes widening in awe. "The brother of-"

"Tai Lung. Yes." Leo finished her sentence. He stared at the ground for a moment, as he remembered seeing his brother in the prison. But Leo shook those thoughts away. This was not a time to be sad. He was reunited with his family!

"Come, Leo Lung," Shifu said, a smile on his small muzzle, "let us go home and feast."

As Leo Lung, Tigress, and Master Shifu entered the Jade Palace, Leo saw the outline of a tortoise on top of a hill, coming slowly down the stairs. Leo slowly gasped. Was that Master Oogway? He was still alive?!

Leo ran up to Master Oogway and stopped before him. The Grandmaster looked up at him slowly.

"Welcome home, Leo Lung." Oogway said.

The asian lion kneeled down before the tortoise and felt tears well up in his eyes again. Leo sobbed once and opened his arms. Oogway hugged him gently. Yes, Leo did miss Shifu and the Jade Palace, but the Grandmaster had always held a special place in his heart. When Leo was making his way back home, he wasn't certain whether he would see Oogway again. He knew Oogway was old and his time might come soon.

But, as Oogway gently pushed Leo away, the lion knew that Oogway would not be leaving for a very long time. Shifu and Tigress joined Leo and Oogway. Shifu was smiling from ear to ear, and Tigress had a curious look in her eyes.

"Let us feast to you, Leo Lung. You have come home."

Over the next few weeks, Shifu made sure Leo Lung never left the Jade Palace. Leo honestly did not blame him. He probably did not want to risk losing his son again. But, once the months began to pass, the red panda was more lenient on the guards.

Leo began made trips into the Valley. Sometimes he visited villagers and merchants and other times he took a walk to simply enjoy life as it was. But on most days he watched and sometimes trained with Tigress.

It was obvious the young tiger was making splendid progress in her training. Even though she barely reached his waist, she was a force to be reckoned with. When Leo Lung watched her first training session, which was only with the training dummy, he could see the power behind her moves. Leo had to swallow his pride just to admit the cat could grow as powerful as him, even more powerful.

Speaking of training, Leo resumed his training several days after he got back to the palace. He usually trained in the early hours of morning and finished by noon or the hours after, taking the rest of the day to observe Tigress's training or to spend time meditating with Master Oogway.

Leo Lung was glad he made the decision to come home when he did. But he could still remember when the hallways were occupied with the large snow leopard that was his brother. But, before Leo's grief could wash over him like a rain, he would bottle up his feelings and put them in the back of his mind. But those feelings would come back that night as he lay in bed. Could he have stopped his brother? What if Tai Lung came back?

Leo tossed and turned in his cot, his tail twitching. His sole blanket had fallen to the floor some time ago, but Leo disregarded it. His thick mane often kept him warm during the night. His mind seemed to be scattered everywhere, and trying to close his eyes and wishing for sleep did not help either. Sleep always seemed to avoid him when he needed it the most.

Finally, having enough of tossing and turning, the lion stood up and gazed around the room. Master Shifu had had the palace servants dust his room and tidy it up. Leo was thankful for the wooden flooring. The stone floor of his meditation cave and the sudden journey back home had made his knees sore. But he had disregarded the pain. Nothing could compare to the emotional pain of losing your brother forever.

A growl built up in his throat. He had to figure out some way to clear his mind! Leo trudged out of his room- quietly of course, he did not want to disturb Shifu or Tigress, and made his way down to the training hall. Maybe some training could ease up his mind. Hopefully, if he trained hard enough, he would tire himself out so he could easily go to sleep instead of tossing and turning all night.

Leo Lung stared down at the floor as he made his way to the Hall. He did not see the small figure in front of him until he almost bumped into him.

"Leo? What are you doing awake at this hour?" Shifu asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Was his son running away again?

"I could not sleep. I thought some training could help clear my mind a bit." Leo answered, his voice laced with sleepiness.

Shifu almost sighed in relief. He feared Leo would leave for good this time. But he restrained himself, and looked up at the lion,

"How about we go train together? Late-night training never hurt anyone." Shifu commented. Leo nodded in agreement. Both the red panda and the lion walked together to the training hall.

The two trained and sparred until the sun began to crest the horizon. Leo Lung was tired at first, and his insomnia showed when he first began to throw his punches. But, as the minutes flew by, he felt the rush and adrenaline of training pump itself into his blood. He sparred with Shifu several times, even beating him on one occasion when he pinned the panda underneath his body. Leo wasn't sure if Shifu let him win or not.

Eventually, Tigress awoke and found the two masters training each other in hallway. She stood quietly, watching as the lion moved across the floor. He moved with grace, almost as if he were dancing. He would be, if he weren't blocking the hits of the wooden warriors and almost destroying them with one slash of his claws. Shifu noticed the tiger cub was awake, and halted Leo Lung's training.

Leo watched as Shifu commenced young Tigress's training. It was not as intense as his own training, but she was much younger. She had a long way to before she could become a worthy opponent of him. But, until that time arrived, Leo was content with observing.