The Lion and the Peacock

The Musicians Village

In the Training Hall

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"Well, who wants to spar first?" Leo Lung asked, falling into a sparring stance and the Furious Five smirked. Po had just left for one-on-one training with Master Shifu, so Master Leo decided to oversee training with the Furious Five.

The five Masters circled him. Leo glanced from side to side. He had sparred against all five Masters before. He had beaten them multiple times. The group of Masters had only beaten him once, when they had decided to suddenly implement weapons into the spar. No animal was injured, but Leo was taken off-guard and this allowed the animals to pin him, unmoving, to the ground.

Now, the Five would have to spar with him bare-pawed. The weapons rack was on the other side of the Training Hall, and they would have to completely retreat in order to grab a sword or a staff.

"Ready when you all are, Masters." Leo stated. His brown mane prickled at the scruff. Someone was behind him. The quiet click of talons on wood led the asian lion to infer that it was Crane. Mantis and Viper were on either side of him, and Tigress and Monkey stood rigid in front of him.

Then, Tigress flicked her ear. All five animals surged forward, shouting out battle cries of different pitches, tones, and volumes in an attempt to disorient the lion. But Leo Lung was not phased. The lion pinned his ears to his head, ducked to the ground and rolled onto his back. Mantis attacked first. The quick insect struck Leo in the shoulder, causing the lion to narrow his eyes and grit his teeth. Mantis rushed towards his chest , his scythe-like claw gleaming in the light. Leo, determined not to get overwhelmed too quickly, raised a paw and swiped the insect out of the battle before he could strike. {One down..} Leo thought. But he didn't get his hopes up too soon.

Viper and Crane came at him from different angles. Crane flew from above in a dive bomb attack, and Viper from below, aiming for his underarm, a sensitive area of Leo's. However, Leo did not let this throw him off guard. Leo leapt upwards, using his momentum to kick his feet upwards and land a high jump kick to Crane's chin. The bird crashed to the ground; his attack failed.

Leo landed on the ground below, using his foot to pin Viper's neck underneath him. However, the snake used her whip-like tail to strike at Leo's waist. The lion hissed and grabbed her tail, effectively disabling her.

Tigress and Monkey charged at him next. Leo promptly released Viper so he could face his next opponents. Monkey leapt into the air, aiming at Leo's muzzle. However, Leo jumped up and roundhouse kicked Monkey in his temple. Monkey shrieked as he collapsed, and Tigress charged Leo head on. The two cats exchanged and blocked punches. The rest of the Five watched, battered, as the two ferocious cats traded blows. Leo was much bigger and more experienced than Tigress. However, Tigress was young and determined to win.

They were evenly matched. No matter how many punches, kicks, and strikes were thrown, the big cats could not break each others defenses. When Tigress reared her paw back and threw it forward in a powerful strike, Leo threw up his arms in a common X pose, and then, finally, two felines ceased. Tigress and Leo promptly bowed to each other,

"It seems like we are finally a match for one another." Leo huffed, his chest rising and falling. Leo did not have any trouble at all beating the four other members of the Five, he had over twenty years of experience on them. Tigress, however, was beginning to become an opponent.

"You were always a match for me. Now, I am finally a match for you." Tigress corrected Leo. Leo smirked at her remark. He then turned to address the Five as a whole,

"Keep up your training, all of you. Do not be set back by one defeat. I look forward to the day where all of you are matches for me." Leo's voice filled the room. The Furious Five began to perk up a bit at his encouragement.