Be A Dragon (Patreon)

After his devestating defeat at the hands of Po, Tai Lung picks himself up and looks for a new destiny and unrelenting power. Enjoy!

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Tai Lung was left in a crater, stunned and barely clinging to life after taking the full force of the Wuxi finger hold. How had it come to this? He had been defeated in a fair fight, which he had never experienced before. Even his defeat at the hands of Master Oogway had been only done after facing the full force of the Jade Palace and Master Shifu, but now? This fat panda, this ridiculous creature that dared take his title of Dragon Warrior, had defeated him.

There was no escape from that fact. The worst possible thing that could happen to him had come to pass… and he was still alive. The snow leopard found the strength to pull himself to his feet, and peek over the edge of the crater Po had left him in. The people of the Valley were cheering for their Dragon Warrior, and a flare of indignant rage swelled up inside him. He could do it, take Po now while his back was turned, but no. There was no good way around his humiliation— and so, the snow leopard slinked away into the shadows as the rest of the Valley reveled in his defeat.

What followed were days and weeks in the wild places of China. Tai Lung kept a wary eye out for anyone from the Jade Palace, but none came; perhaps they thought he was dead? Tai Lung laughed bitterly at that thought. Is this what he was reduced to? Hiding and hoping that the authorities thought him dead, as if he was a common bandit? This was not his destiny— but it was also oppressively clear that being the Dragon Warrior was not his destiny, either.

Tai Lung crossed his arms as he stood on the precipice of a cliff. He could still see the Valley of Peace, far off in the distance from this perch.  "Well… What am I to do now?" He had done many things— several of them savage and brutal— to try and claim his rightful place, and all of it had been for nothing. There was more bitterness there; he was supposed to be the Dragon Warrior, a Kung-Fu champion, renowned throughout all China. But how would he be remembered now?  A brute and a thug, to be defeated by the fated hero?

The snow leopard growled, clenching his fists. "No. No… if I am not to be the Dragon Warrior, I will not let this be my destiny, either."

Tai Lung continued his climb up the mountain, his powerful limbs regaining their former strength. He had always flourished in the bracing, snowy climes of the mountains, and in this air, his mind felt clear— even if what little food he had foraged was beginning to run low. In search of shelter for the night, luck seemed to finally give him a good turn. In a large cave he found a grotto, with a pristine hot spring. The energy here was active, but tranquil— his training under Oogway and Shifu told Tai Lung that he had entered into a sacred space.

"Hm." He stroked his whiskers, letting out a long sigh. He bowed formally, to not offend the spirits, then sat down, crossing his legs and preparing to meditate. This was as good a place as any to try and untangle everything building inside his mind and spirit.

Hours in sullen silence passed. Inner peace eluded Tai Lung, his thickly roped limbs tensing with resentment, bitterness, and a sense of loss. Then, the silence was broken by a deep, growling voice.

"Who comes here, invading my lair?" the voice rumbled across Tai Lung, the snow leopard's ears flicking. "Such a little morsel."

Tai Lung was still as a statue, eyes still shut. He could sense the power of this being, but he would not flinch or show fear. "I didn't know this was a lair," the leopard responded. "I was looking for shelter from the snow."

"And what do you want, morsel?"

"As I said— shelter from the snow."

The deep voice chuckled, resonating off the cave walls. "No. You are no mere traveler, and you did not come here because of happenstance— you want something. Tell me what it is, little one."

Tai Lung's ears flicked with annoyance. Little one. "I want… I want power."

Again, the voice's laughter reverberated off the walls. "Power? Well! That is something I have in great abundance." Tai Lung's fur began standing on end, hot breath washed over him, the voice so close it must be right on top of him. "But I am loath to share it. And so I think the time for talk is over, morsel."

"Indeed." Tai Lung opened his eyes, steeling himself. He was staring straight on into the snarling face of a dragon, its long snout and dagger-sized fangs large enough to swallow Tai Lung. The snow leopard leapt back, taking a defensive stance. "If this is where my destiny has led me, so be it—" he grinned ruefully. "Our battle will be legendary!"

"Perhaps. If you survive more than a few seconds." The dragon coiled its long, serpentine body, blue scales shimmering like sapphires in the dim light. "I am Long Shanfei, and this is my mountain, my domain. And you, morsel, will bear witness to my might!"

The dragon lunged for Tai Lung like a cobra, but the snow leopard leapt back. Coiling his long body around the cave, he blocked the snow leopard's means of escape. "Come, warrior! Face me head on!"

Tai Lung snarled, lunging for the dragon in return and landing a powerful kick, Long Shanfei's scales rippling like turbulent water from the impact. He laughed in turn. "Good, good! Some spirit makes it more fun for me!"

He reared back his great head, power building in his mouth. Tai Lung gasped softly, and braced himself, bringing his hands together to face the dragon's breath. Blue flame washed over him, powerful enough to melt the stone around him to slag, but Tai Lung's training kept him from harm. In fact, if anything, it reinvigorated him— was his destiny here? Tai Lung, Dragon Slayer? Perhaps. He struck again, the dragon pulling back from the strike.

The snow leopard breathed deeply, his thick, beefy chest inflating. His arms tensed, biceps swelling from the rush of adrenaline. Tai Lung struck again, the joy of battle taking hold of him.

"Good! Very good!" the dragon chortled, striking the snow leopard with fire again, lighting the cave in radiant shades of blue. The snow leopard went from being a fly to be swatted to a scorpion ready to strike, his attacks precise and powerful. The snow leopard felt his deep wells of strength overflowing as the battle raged on, his burgeoning form illuminated by the dragon's fire. Every punch and kick seemed to fuel his inner fire. The snow leopard could feel himself grow stronger, and he swore the dragon even began to look just a bit smaller— victory could be his.

"You are no mere morsel after all, Tai Lung," Long Shanfei remarked, the dragon now thoroughly on the defensive, his fire still surrounding his opponent.

The snow leopard smirked. He brought his leg back, the coiling muscles of his thighs bristling with power, and kicked once, powerful enough to throw the dragon off balance. "You know my name? Good." He thumped his engorged chest, rolling broad, sprawling shoulders and preparing his beefy arms. "The humble warrior should always know the name of one who has defeated him."

He struck Long Shanfei with such an overwhelming strike, the dragon was knocked out of the air and slammed into the cave wall— the snow leopard's power and the dragon's sheer mass crumpled the stone wall, and both of them tumbled into the snow outside. Tai Lung planted a foot on the dragon's neck, huffing as he held his hands, ready to strike. "I have bested you, dragon! Tell me your last words, and I will grant you a swift and honorable end!"

Long Shanfei, bruised and beaten, stared up at the leopard, then chuckled. "Why would you kill one that has given you such a gift?" Tai Lung's balance was shaken as his foot went through the dragon and into the snow; Long Shanfei disappeared before his eyes.

"What?! What trickery is this?" Tai Lung demanded, roaring into the howling winds.

The wind responded in the dragon's voice. "Look at yourself, Tai Lung! Your quest for power and fearlessness has earned my respect— and interest. Look into my spring, and see what I have given you."

The snow leopard snarled, but returned to the cave. In the still waters of the spring, he saw his reflection, and his jaw fell open. Already powerfully built, the snow leopard had become mountainous— his body was engorged with immense, burgeoning muscle, from trunk-thick thighs to arms rippling with sinewy bulk. His biceps swelled larger than his head, and his chest was clefted deep as a canyon. His back sprawled out like the valleys beneath him, his fur standing on end. "What… how is this possible?"

Long Shanfei reappeared in the reflective waters. "I have watched you since you entered my domain. You hunger for power and purpose— I can provide you with the former, and I will watch with keen interest as you search for the latter. I bathed you in my fire, and granted you some of my own might. But I warn you, Tai Lung— accepting a dragon's favor is not without consequence. I may have need of you, and my summons will not be denied. Do you accept my gift?"

Tai Lung breathed deeply, looking at his augmented body, power swelling inside him like a raging fire. His eye looked away from the dragon and outside the cave, back in the direction of the Valley of Peace and the Jade Palace. He was tempted for a moment to exact revenge, but then his eyes turned skyward— perhaps the Valley of Peace was too small for him, now. He could set his sights higher— and who would deny him, he thought, as he curled his arm and a bicep the size of a melon rose to meet him.

"I accept, dragon— wholeheartedly."