Chapter 2: Eye of the Storm

About fifteen years had gone by since that faithful day that Bao had accepted Master Dai's help for his anger. The two of them had travelled many miles until they arrived at what was known by the locals as the mountain of the heavens. To everyone else, it was known as the Wudang mountain. It took many days to arrive at the base of the mountain, upon which Master Dai had taught Bao one of the most simple principles of controlling one's anger. "When you get angry, simply think of the consequences."

Though Bao knew fully what it meant, he was still not well trained enough to tame his fury. The real training started when they had begun to climb the stairs that led up to the sky temple. They were made of white stone, and quite well kept too. It was clear that Master Dai took great care of his homestead. Though it took Bao quite some time to walk up there, Master Dai simply ran up to the top.

The temple itself was quite a spectacle to be admired. No one could see it from below, as it was high up in the mountain and the clouds pretty much blocked view of it. Like the staircase, it was made of pale white stone and the gates themselves were a mix of the stone material with wood framing and black marble trims along the outside. In the center of the gate was the same insignia that was on the tips of Master Dai's belt. It was a large circle with a black side to it, and a white side to it. Within the black and white, there was a tiny circle of the opposite color on each side. This was the symbol of the school of Master Dai.

It was known as the symbol for ying and yang, the principle of balance according to Master Dai. There was the darkness and there was the light, with a bit of each in one another as well. The balance was what made one achieve perfect harmony with themselves and everything around them. Once those massive gates were opened, Bao's training truly began.

Over the next fifteen years Bao would use the many training grounds, which were completely empty as he and Master Dai were the only ones there. He would practice the art of Tai Chi which was the framework for the Tiger Style Kung Fu his master practiced, Mountain Tiger. It was much slower than the traditional tiger form, but it focused much more strength in its blows and the form allowed for greater defense against attacks by redirecting the force back at the opponent.

Bao grew much larger than he'd expected, even for a tiger. It was clear he was not native of China as he grew to be almost his Master's height. His clothing had changed as well, as he wanted to represent the school he was being taught under. He now wore a long sleeve black shirt with white trimmings along the sides and sleeves, with black pants of the same nature and a white belt with the insignia of yin and yang on the tips.

The school didn't remain too empty for too long, as over these many years Master Dai brought in two more disciples. One of them was a clouded leopard by the name of Lin. She wasn't much older than sixteen when Master Dai brought her in as well. Her parents were wealthy nobles who always wanted their daughter to grow up and appreciate the wealthy life style, but she refused. She wanted to learn Kung Fu and she wanted to be world renown for it. They called on Master Dai, as they knew him personally from one of his visits to their area.

Lin was almost half Bao's size, and quite slender in her build. Like many clouded leopards, her fur was a brownish baige with large oval spots all over her body. She wore a powder blue sleeveless shirt with matching powder blue pants. Her eyes were gentle and amber in color. Both parts of her uniform had intricate red designs that were made to look like blooming flowers. This was not her choice, as her parents had sent her the fine silk clothes. She was learning more leopard style oriented Kung Fu.

Cheng on the other hand came to train under Master Dai when he was about twenty. He used to be a part of a bandit gang that terrorized villagers, but when Bao and Master Dai came around the area to help with that problem, Cheng was easily defeated. It was there that much to Bao's protests, Cheng became a disciple of Master Dai. Of course there was the catch that he renounce the life style of a bandit and move to protect the innocent, not terrorize them for profit.

Cheng was a snow leopard with a pair of green eyes. He was bulkier then both Bao or Lin, and that was by his own choice. He wears a similar uniform to Bao, but his shirt is sleeveless and his belt is red. One could tell just by looking at him that he's had a rough life, but his attitude would lead one to think the contrary.

Lin was respectful to her Master and Bao, but not so much to Cheng. She acted like an older sister to Cheng, despite him being older than her. In terms of her attitude, she's usually compliant and quite gentle in her nature. However, she doesn't like her wealth being talked about or her family name being a descriptive aid in what her talents were. Cheng on the other hand is more easy going, tends to not linger on formalities and tends not to think before he speaks. This of course, leads to trouble with Bao who would easily subdue him in training.

As of the present, Bao was thirty one, Cheng was twenty eight and Lin was twenty four. The temple had many rooms so they all were within their private confines at the moment. The moon was hanging overhead, indicating that the lot of them should be resting. Their master was strict about getting enough rest. Bao liked to cheat by getting up earlier than everyone else and training anyway.

Lin was currently laying down on her straw bed within her spacious room. Plastered on the wall was a portrait of her parents, which they had painted by the greatest painter they could find and sent to her. She loved the both of them, but sometimes she hated the attention she got because of her luxurious gifts. She did appreciate them, but she wished they weren't sent so often at the very least. Cheng teased her the most about them.

There was a knock at her door which made her turn her amber gaze towards the sliding door. She quickly got up and made her way towards it. "M-Master? It's a bit late for you to be up, isn't it?" Lin asked in her calm and gentle tone. He was always asleep before all of them, so seeing the old white tiger wandering about out this hour was very odd.

"Gather some supplies and meet me outside. I've already told Cheng and Bao. Please hurry." Master Dai said in a worried tone before quickly making his way into the Meditation Room.

The meditation room was generally a calm and well organized area that was primarily, as the name suggested, for meditation. Why their master wanted to go in there with such urgency was beyond Lin, but she wasn't about to sit around and think about it. She did as she was told and packed some spare clothes before making her way out her room and towards the front yard of the massive temple.

Once she was outside, she noticed Bao simply standing near the gate, looking up at the moon. Cheng on the other hand was on the ground, trying to lift his foot over his head. "I'm telling you Bao, I saw some Shaolin monks doing it when we were in the village a few weeks back! I'm sure I can do it if I can just -OW! Ok! That does NOT bend that way!" Cheng groaned in pain as he fell to the floor holding onto his leg.

Lin rolled her eyes and made her way towards Cheng. She pushed him down and pressed on several pressure points in his leg. "You pulled a muscle. Why do you have to be so stupid?" Lin asked with a frown. Cheng chuckled.

"To give you something to deal with of course. Be honest Lin, without me around you'd be bored. You know, unless Bao tells jokes without me around." Cheng said with a smirk. Bao didn't even turn to look at Cheng right now. The urgency that his master displayed meant something bad was happening, and he was trying to figure out what it was.

"Can't say it's not true, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. Anyway, Bao, what do you think is going on here? Master has never woken us up like this before. I've never even seen him awake so late..." Lin pointed out as she stood upright again.

Bao remained silent for a moment, then he turned his emerald gaze down to Lin. "Something is wrong, I'll tell you that much. I've never seen Master Dai so scared." Bao replied in his calm and deep tone.

"Well how bad could it be to scare Master Dai? Are there canons being rolled over here to destroy the temple?" Cheng asked with a slight frown. Lin turned and looked to the front doorway as it slid open once more. Stepping outside was their master, looking quite messy and distraught. In his paws was a medium sized bundle and atop that was a black letter sealed in wax.

"I have done my best to train all three of you. Now I must ask for one thing in return." Master Dai said in a quiet tone. "I want you three to travel to the Valley of Peace, and take this package with you." he murmured as he walked over to Bao and handed him the package, as well as the letter atop of it.

"Master...why is this so important that it couldn't wait? We've delivered stuff before but -" Lin said as she was interrupted by her master's raising paw. This always meant for her to silence herself, but her master had only done it once before towards her.

"Lin, Cheng and Bao. I have trained all three of you, and I just need you to do this without asking any questions. I also ask that you do not look at the content of the package or the letter. Please make your way now." Master Dai murmured quietly.

"But master, why -"

"Now!" Master Dai roared, showing the three a stern side to him that never had shown itself before. Bao gripped the package tightly and bowed his head.

"Yes master." he replied simply as he picked up his supplies off the ground with his free paw. Lin followed suit, opening the gate for Bao and Cheng just stared at their master as he turned his back on them, heading back into the temple.

Once the three of them had made their way to the base of the mountain it was already morning. "Why did master yell like that? I've never seen him so tense. What's going on?" Cheng asked with a scowl.

"Just trust Master Dai. I'm sure this is important and he's just troubled about something. Let's just do it, and ask him about it later." Lin said silently.

Bao didn't say a word as the two other disciples spoke about Master Dai's reaction. Having been basically raised by Master Dai he grew to be a friend, a brother and a father figure for Bao. Seeing him lash out like that troubled Bao on every level, and he wished he could've inquired further. If his master was getting stern, then it meant this package needed to reach its destination, no matter what the cost.

Hours passed, and Master Dai had made his way back to the meditation room. He needed to prepare for the fight that was going to occur very soon. He had to be mentally ready to fight and bide time for his three disciples. The rolling sound of thunder could be heard outside, indicating the coming of a storm. His eyes opened slowly as he heard the sound of breaking wood outside.

"Where are you coward! Come out and fight me! I will tear this temple down brick by brick if I have to! Give me what is mine! Give me the box!" A voice snarled from outside. It was hoarse and the tone of voice blazed with fury. Master Dai slowly stood and made his way outside where he saw a single black leopard wearing a black sleeveless shirt with golden dragon designs and black pants, with the addition of a gold colored belt. The amber eyes of the leopard before him met with his blue ones.

"You know I cannot give you the box, Lei. It is my duty as guardian of the temple to not give it up, no matter what the cost." Master Dai said in a silent tone, leering down his opponent.

"I was the guardian, not you! Oogway played favourites when he gave you that title! I broke my back while you just sat back and took all the praise." Lei growled as rain began to drip from the clouded skies.

"Have you ever considered Oogway preferred me because I was stronger than you without needing to take anymore effort?" Master Dai asked as he got into the traditional tiger stance. Lei growled his fists clenched.

"Oogway was a fool. He could've had immortality, and immeasurable strength, but he gave it up. What's more is that you were a fool following another fool's steps. You could've solved the box and learned its secrets! You could've been a God!' Lei snarled as he got into a somewhat different stance than Master Dai. His was similar to tiger, but his paws were more bent back and his arms were much higher up, almost parallel to one another.

"I see you've given up leopard Kung Fu." Master Dai said with a look of sadness in his eyes. "I wish I could've saved you from banishment, Lei. You were my brother. We trained together, tended each other's bloody knuckles and our ambitions were one and the same. Look at how far you've fallen."

Lei let out a snarl as he jumped at Master Dai, swinging his arms and legs in a flurry of attacks. Master Dai attemped to block the blows, but the force of the swinging along with Lei's strength made the blows hit much faster and harder. That was the beauty of dragon Kung Fu. Master Dai began to dodge instead of block, which was much more effective.

"I don't want to have to kill you Lei!" Master Dai said as he was being pushed back by Lei's flurries of attack.

"And that's why you'll never win." Lei responded as he jumped and swung his leg right into Dai's chest. Master Dai held his arms up to absorb the blow but felt a searing pain run up as the leg made contact with his arms.

Both his arms now lay limp at his sides as he stepped back even further into the temple. Lei simply advanced towards him, no stance or anything. "Both your arms are broken, and that was just one kick Dai. You and Oogway always told me rage was not the way. That anger would consume and destroy me. Do you see my strength? Your bones withold blows from iron plates, while I shattered both of your arms like they were glass." Lei said simply as he landed a swing of his paw into Master Dai's face, sending him rolling back on the stone floor.

"You are destroyed Lei. You are not the same...not anymore. You demanded the box when it was not your place, and Oogway effectively banished you. You've come back after he's dead to kill your one and only true friend."

"Shut up." Lei growled as he swung at Master Dai again with his leg and hit him in the right side. Master Dai could hear the crack of his ribs as he was sent crashing through the doors that led into a massive chamber.

This chamber had many pillars with torches of flame along them. In the back edge of a room was a large pillar with a cushion and a hole above it illuminated it with light. "Master Oogway and I loved you, Lei. We tried our best to stop you from becoming this...to stop you from being consumed by your passion."

"I said shut up!" Lei snapped as he grabbed Master Dai and slammed him against one of the pillars. "I am definitely not the Lei you knew! I am stronger and faster! I am not a naive child who thinks the world runs on good deeds and love! The strong live and the weak die! THAT IS THE LAW OF THE LAND!" Lei said as he threw Master Dai across the room, making him crumble a portion of the wall. Lei made his way to the edge of the room now, looking up the pillar that had the cushion. His fists began to shake and his eyes widened in even greater fury.

Laughing could be heard where Master Dai was struggling to get up. "Your rage blinded you Lei. I was told you were coming. You will never get the box." Master Dai said quietly as he pushed himself up against the wall, slowly falling down again.

"What? You mean...no! No! Where is it?! Don't you die on me!" Lei snarled as he ran towards Dai and picked him up by the collar.

"Where is the box you fool?! WHERE IS MY PRIZE!?" Lei snarled. His eyes narrowed as he noticed Master Dai letting out one last laugh.

"I've trained three disciples Lei. Bao is stronger than the both of us, if he can tame his rage and my other disciples will help him get there. You will never find him. If anything, he will open the box and he will destroy its contents. Your rage blinded you Lei. It always...has..." with those last words, Master Dai took one more breath and slowly closed his eyes.

"You can't die! I am not immortal yet! You will tell me where they are! You WILL!" Lei roared as he held up Master Dai's body. When he realized there was no point to any of it, Lei let the master fall to the floor. He let out an angry roar that echoed through the halls of the temple.

"Fine. I'll play it your way! If there is no puzzle box, then there's no point of a temple to house it, right?!" Lei said as a sinister smirk spread on his muzzle. It was then that he picked up one of the torches off the wall.

In a hut in the village a few miles away from the temple, Bao, Lin and Cheng were resting. When the rain started falling, Cheng suggested shelter and no one was about to protest. The thunder rolled outside and Bao let out a sigh. "Something is wrong." was all he murmured before drifting off to sleep.