Chapter 4: The journey

It was now time to prepare for the journey our heroes would have to face. However, before they took off, they thought of the best route to use.

They asked Shifu if there was anything that could be useful to aid them, to which he suggested looking in the scroll room. They then made their way to the scroll room and starting searching.

"Have any of you guys found anything?" Po asked everyone who have been searching for a piece of paper (that being a scroll) for about ten minutes now.

"No" everyone replied in unison.

"It's really hard to find the things that you need in here." Mantis said in annoyance.

"Just keep looking, it has got to be here somewhere." Tigress replied trying to keep everyone motivated.

"Aha, found it" Monkey said to the group.

Everyone rushed towards to where Monkey was and looked at the map. There were red dots leading towards the island from the village, every other path that was displayed were only going in circles.

"Ok, so we now know how to get there but the question is how long will the journey take?" Po said to the others.

"About a week if we keep moving" Tigress replied.

"Alright, what are we waiting for, let's go." Po said in a determined tone.

"Before you go, I have to tell you something." A familiar voice said behind Po and the five.

Everyone turned around to see Shifu slowly making his way to them with a walking stick (still suffering from his injuries).

"Master, what are you doing here?" Tigress asked her master.

"I need to tell you getting to Yuan Chao island will not be as easy as you may think, I tried travelling there 30 years ago, even I couldn't achieve such a journey alone."

Mantis tried to ask what he was talking about.

"So what you're saying is- "

"This will be the most dangerous journey you will put yourselves in. You will all need each other more than you thought you ever would. Because neither of you can do this alone. The people you will be up against are relentless assassins, and show no pity or remorse. Mercy is not an option for them. Oogway told me what was there and I didn't believe him until I saw that place with my own eyes. That place can turn you against each other if you're not careful, there is some kind of dark magic there. It can consume you and drive you to madness, from which some people cannot return from. Promise me you will not fall down that path. Promise me you will look out for each other. And when you think one of you might fall to darkness, prevent each other from turning by any means necessary." Shifu begged his students.

"We promise" Tigress replied. Everyone acknowledged what Shifu said and nodded as a way of telling him they understood.

"Then go" Shifu said to his students, not knowing if he was going to see them again.

As the Dragon warrior and the five made their way outside of the palace and into the village, Po suddenly remembered to do something before he left.

"Guys I need to say goodbye to my dad" Po said to the five.

"Po we need to go" Crane replied

"This may be the last time I will ever see him. Please" He begged his friends.

Tigress sighed and responded "Ok"

"Thank you"

Po then ran to his father's noodle shop where he found him working on a soup recipe he recently created a week ago(by accident).

He went up to him and looked up before saying something

"Dad" Po said in a soft voice.

Mr Ping turned around from the ingredients he was working on to find his son.

"Ah Po you're here" Mr Ping said in exitment

"Yeah hi, I just want to say-"

"Come, come. Tell me what you think of this?"

"Dad, I don't have time"

"Of course you do there is never enough time for the shop"

Mr ping grabbed his son by his hand and dragged him towards his cauldron in a hurry. As if there was an imaginary race in his head.

"Now tell me what you think of this"

Mr Ping grabbed a ladle that was next to him and put it in the soup. He then pointed it towards Po so he could taste it.

Po took the ladle from his dad and slurped it.

"It's ok but-"

"OK!" Mr Ping replied in anger.

"I didn't mean it like that" Po said trying to explain himself.

"I spent days on this. Hoping it would be great for my business! And look even my own son doesn't like it."

"Dad! It's good ok. Can I just say what I want to say!?" Po said angrily.

Mr Ping felt shocked as soon as he heard Po say that.

"Ok Po, I'm listening."

Po took a deep breath and explained why he was there.

"I'm going away for a while"

"For how long" Mr Ping questioned him.

" I don't know"

Mr Ping was distraught over his son's words.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad.. I'm going to a place, which is very dangerous. So dangerous I could either go insane. Or die."

"Is this because of the attack on the bank that happened?" Mr Ping said.

"Yes"

"Po don't go. I can't bear the thought of losing you. You're the only family I have left" Mr Ping exclaimed.

"I have to. For everyone's well being. Even yours."

Mr Ping hugged his son has tightly as he could. Developing a fear of letting him go.

After the two had embraced their hug for a minute, Po broke and said something that would probably be the last thing he would ever say to the person that had raised him since he was a cub.

"Goodbye"

Po walked out of the noodle shop, not looking back.

He then rendezvous with the five.

"How did it go?" Viper asked him

"Fine." Po said whilst looking towards the ground.

Tigress looked at him with a sad expression as a way of feeling empathy for her comrade.

"Come on let's go" Po walked past the five and walked away from the village. Everyone didn't move during his first ten steps. As they were feeling empathetic towards him.

As soon as that was finished, they followed their friend to their destination.

The journey they took lasted days. As they had to go through the unforgiving mountains that were so steep it was almost impossible to hold on to them. Then through the harsh dessert that was so hot even the bird fainted by heat exhaustion. This at one point led Po to eat cactus juice thinking it would make him hydrated. But it turned out to make him hallucinate like there was no tomorrow.

At one point they were lost. So tigress had to look at the map(which they took with them) to find out where they were.

"Guys, I think we need to go south" Tigress announced to everyone.

Po ran up to her talking a load of rubbish.

"No Tigress! No. Why don't we ask that giant mushroom that's there. He will tell us." Po pointed to where he saw the mushroom.

Tigress looked behind her and didn't see anything. She then looked back at po very confused.

"What?"

"Oh grateful and all powerful mushroom. Show us the way!" He said as he was walking towards nothing.

causing Tigress to start hitting herself against the metal case that protected the map.

"Why, Why Why!" She said as she was bashing herself with the case.

The final obstacle was the snowy mountain that was brutally cold. It was as if someone who was controlling the weather was playing a sick joke on our Heroes.

Po and the five took shelter in a cave after the weather was too dangerous to travel through. Po woke up after having difficulty sleeping. Thinking about all the things that have happened to him six days ago. The reason why they were on this journey.

He got up from the floor then looked at everyone else to make sure he didn't wake then up. He found that Tigress wasn't where she was when he fell asleep. Po then looked around to find her sitting near the entrance of the cave with her legs folded. Looking at the blizzard outside.

Po walked up to her in a friendly manner to find out what was up with her.

"Tigress?"

"Oh hi Po" She said to him as soon as she looked up and notice him standing next to her.

"What's wrong?" Po asked her softly.

"Nothing"

"Oh don't tell me that" Po sat down next to Tigress and mimicked her position.

"Really Po, nothing is wrong" Tigress said to him trying to make him go away.

" Tigress I have known you for about a year and a half now. I sort of know you like a well known book."

"Is that so?" Tigress replied after hearing that.

"Yeah. Well, a book that you read for a bit then you forget about it a few days later. So quite well."

Tigress chuckled at that.

" See, I told you there was knew you, kind of sought of."

"Ok you've got me there" Tigress replied.

"So tell me, what's the matter?" Po asked her begging for a reply from her.

"It's about what I was about to say to you at the bank"

"You mean what you were about to say to me before Monkey interrupted you?"

"Yes"

"Well?" Po said asking her to continue.

Tigress took a deep breath before trying to say it.

However she quickly stopped herself.

"Never mind" She finally said to him.

She then got up and walked towards where she was sleeping.

"Will you please tell me?"

"I said no!" Tigress snapped at him

Po felt distraught and slowly turned his head from Tigress(who was lying down) to the blizzard wondering what was up with her. And worrying if he had done something had had upset her in some way.

"I knew I shouldn't have eaten that cactus juice!" he said to himself with anger in his voice.

The next day they continued there journey towards Yun-Choa Island. Po and Tigress didn't say a word to eachother. Fearing they might say something that might everything go from flaky to an absolute travesty. However Po kept looking at her(she noticed but didn't acknowledge it).

Mantis went up to Po to see what was going on.

"Hey Po, what's up between you and Ms Stoic" he said jokingly

"Nothing" Po replied.

"Come on. There has to be something between you two. After all you two haven't spoken at all today, in fact you have barely spoken at all since we set off. Tigress has been acting odd around you. You have been more of a shut in than you usually are when you're angry or tired of something, which then again is rare for you to do from what I have seen and also I forgot to mention that fact that-

"Will you just shut up!" Po shouted at Mantis.

Everyone suddenly stopped and looked at Po.

"Are you ok?" Crane asked took a deep sigh and replied."Yeah, I'm fine."

Tigress looked at him then looked towards the ground.

"Come on let's go. We are almost there."

"Jerk" Mantis said quietly to Po.

A few hours later they had reached the cliffs that was the edge of china. The Island was in front of our heroes, however there was large amount of water that was blocking their path. Plus it was very deep.

Luckily there was a pile of wood that was conveniently placed by the cliff. It was almost as if someone planted it there.

There was enough for them to build a raft that could hold six passengers. So they made themselves a raft that they could use to swiftly cross the ocean that was blocking them. They made it strong enough so it would support the weight of the passengers(especially Po) and the strength the waves might bring them.

It was a long and tiresome challenge to cross the river. But they finally made it to the island. They destroyed the raft so it couldn't leave any traces people came here.

After making it uphill. They got to the front door. Only to find it heavily guarded by wolf bandits(including Ivan Weng and his droogs) plus a ten six and a half foot gorillas that were wearing armour so thick even a strike from the sword of heroes would be like being hit with a worn out pillow.

Po and the five had their jaws wide open.

"What do we do now?" Crane asked everyone

"I don't know. But one thing for certain is we have to get through that door."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you soon.