//------------------------------// // 22. Rampant aggressive mentality. // Story: Baa-Ram-Ewe! // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// - The next day some time before midday, evacuation point, Pom- “Hopefully we can put all of this behind us, right Shanty… Shanty?” I felt my whole world tilting, Shanty wasn’t here. Why wasn’t Shanty here, she was here with us ten minutes ago before I went to check on the other evacuating citizens of The Valley of Peace. “Oh no… no, no, no… please tell me she didn’t!” “I think Shanty ditched us to go back and fight Tai Lung.” Smolder pointed out in a confirmation of my fears. “She did mention that she didn’t think it was right for anyone to be losing a home. She definitely knows what it’s like to be homeless and scared, I can guess that she probably doesn't want anyone else to go through that too. The people here have been entirely nice to us.” “We have to go…” Ocellus tried to say, but I was already out of earshot and running back towards Jade District as fast as my legs could take me. -Thoroughfare of Jade District, Shanty- I be a bit out of breath as I sat in the street waiting for Tai Lung to come. Why didn’t Pom say anything about the blank scroll? She obviously knew the secret or at least something about it, she didn’t even act surprised at all to hear it was blank. All she be saying was that they should see things in a different light, I certainly be wanting to know what different light she was talking about and she was not being very upfront with that information. Even if Pom does not want to face Tai Lung, then I just have to be doing it myself! He be wanting the scroll. If I am being him, then I be thinking the scroll was up at the palace and would be coming straight through the thoroughfare leading to the steps of the Jade Palace I think the scrolls was currently being held by Ocellus, she had taken it and looked at it in the light and thought the glow of the reflective material was pretty. I still don’t know how the blank scroll was going to give someone ultimate power in kung fu, but I be thinking Pom knew the secret and wasn’t willing to tell anyone about it. Was it because Mr. Oogway told her not to? I remember her taking him home after having a meal at Mr. Ping’s restaurant, maybe he told her about the scroll then? Why did she not be saying anything about that to us then? So I stood there on the road, right in the middle of thoroughfare waiting for Tai Lung all while thinking about Mr. Oogway and what the secret of the scroll was. Maybe it was something that only special people like Pom could see? It didn’t take long for Tai Lung to arrive and I got a good look at him when he stopped to look down on me. There he was in purple cloth pants, using a sash as a belt and he had wrappings around his ankles. His fur was grey and white, with black and brown spots. He stood tall, looming over me with his golden eyes staring down on me. He had several injuries, from his run in with the Furious Five and there was a rather painful looking one on his head where there were several stains of what looked like dried blood. I stared back at him fearlessly, even if he is having lots of muscles, size and quite a scary presence. “Glad to see I have the kind of pull and respect to have a whole city to myself. Now what do I see when I come running up the street? A little waif trying to stare me into the ground.” He chuckled dryly with his arms behind his back as he came forward to look down on me. He be very big, but bigger just means more places to hurt. “At least I know Shifu wouldn’t run from the Jade Palace. I have to ask, did he train you too?” “No, I be trained by someone better than him and her name be Pom!” I said while spreading my legs out ready to make a move. “Yes, Shifu is being up at the palace at the moment, please do beat him up. He be kind of deserving it.” “Of that I have no doubt, he’ll get what’s coming to him... me.” Tai Lung then gazed over me curiously. “Is this Pom of any relations to someone named Po?” “You not be getting a chance to be hurting Po if I be winning this fight!” I stated with confidence. “Big ‘if’ there. I’m feeling nostalgic today, so I’ll give you the first hit. Better make it count.” He be taking me too lightly! “Oh and thanks for the confirmation that the Dragon Warrior is around. My battle with them will prove quite enlightening I think. Also, I wouldn’t call what’s about to happen here a fight, that’s not quite accurate to what I can do to you.” I was not about to be giving that one a response, other than using my first attack. I ran forward and focused my weight down onto my right hoof, I kicked off the ground and threw my entire body into a horizontal pivot where both my rear legs slung upwards at an angle. Two crescent shaped arcs flashed out as I continued onward to complete my spin. Ripping through the air, the two arcs sliced up Tai Lung’s chest a bit causing him to grunt and back up with two small cuts leading from the lower right side of his belly and lower chest up towards his left shoulder. He not even be flinching or bleeding that much from my attack, I be practicing my own style so that my hooves can be cutting through the air no matter how I position myself. I would always create the shape of a cutlass with my wide swings, so I be calling this my ‘Cut-lash style’. I could call it ‘Cutlass style’, but that being too on the nose and I do not be owning a sword. I actually did want one of those eventually. I be cutting with my hooves as I lash out, so I named my style what I wanted as it was mine. “Okay, I clearly asked for that.” Tai Lung then crouched down and his tail flicked back and forth as he took on a more menacing tone. His eyes narrowing on me made me back away from him quite a few steps. “Good on you for doing some damage. You have one chance to run and to let me carry on my way so I can do as you ask and beat Shifu within an inch of his life. Otherwise I suggest you absolutely be prepared for a fight that you can’t win.” “I not be running from you.” I be waiting for him to attack, I didn’t have to wait long as he lunged. He be fast, but I be just as quick and small, maybe I am being a bit 'too small'. I dash underneath him and launched my left leg up and barely grazed him, as he twisted out of the way, landed and swung his right paw for my head. I quickly ducked under it and ran to leap to the nearby wall, I kicked off of it and launched a flying buck for his face. He just leans to the right with a smile on his face as I sail past him, I landed in a roll narrowly avoiding his tail swiping up at me and bounced back on to my hooves looking at him carefully. He rushed me and started to thrust his fists straight at me. I go onto my hind legs and dodged his attacks. The ones I couldn’t dodge I deflected outwards or too far inwards to hit me, which was all I be capable of. He is being very fast for his size. I not be taking my chances with trying to block, he be far too strong for that. I don’t want to be flung into a nearby wall by the force of the impact... or do I? Pom be saying being unpredictable is a problem for skilled opponents. I grin and let his next strike directly hit me, I even be jumping straight into it much to the surprised look on his face. I used the force of the blow to propel me backs towards the wall of a nearby building. I flipped myself into position and once all of my hooves were pressed up against the wall I smiled at him and activated my ‘goat fly’ ability at full strength. I shot forward and slammed into his big dumb face with a powerful flying buck, both my hooves landing on either side of the injury on his head. I be easily knocking him over and bouncing off his skull to land on my hooves, but then I turned around to see he was already getting up. That should have been enough force to be making him dazed! “Interesting technique, your teacher must be proud.” He said standing up and looking none the worse for just taking two hooves two the skull with as much force as I could be putting into it. “More than mine ever was of me at any rate.” He be having a lot of baggage, I be knowing that feeling personally. “Now let’s see how you do when I actually feel like trying.” This was him not trying?! Also the wounds I caused not be bleeding much anymore, so he be healing pretty quickly too. I gulped and prepared to move, he lunged and I launched myself backwards to put all of my hooves on the wall behind me. Instead of launching off it for him, I ran up and looked back to see he went for a block and was surprised to see me climbing up to the tiled roof. I started running along it while looking towards him in preparation to leap off at him, only he leapt up first to land in front of me. I not be knowing he can jump this high! He nearly back pawed me in the head with his left fist. Rolling under it and through his legs into a standing position, I bucked for his right leg as he turned. He dodged it by lifting his right leg high and then he be thrusting it down at me. Rolling to the side and off the roof for the street as his foot slammed through it behind me, I hit the ground using the tumbling techniques from my Wild Windmill lessons with Pom. “Okay, maybe I be running from you.” Okay, I now be believing that I am biting off more than even I can chew, and I can be chewing on quite a lot! He came down with his right fist hitting the street in front of me, I did a spinning hop forward and lashed out an overhead crescent slash of my left hoof. I be cutting along his arm causing him to hiss angrily. A second later his left fist hit me in the face and sent me tumbling down the street, I curled up and allowed myself to roll until I was slow enough to stop myself. By the time I did that he was already on me and slashing his right set of claws for the left side of my face, I went onto my hind hooves and dodged backwards before leaping forward with my rear hooves to smash my horns into his belly. He only grunted and had the wind knocked out of his sails for about a second before he be kicking me in the jaw with his right leg that sent me flying down the street again. I could see the steps to the Jade Palace from here, I slowly rolled to my hooves and glared at Tai Lung. “Seriously now, do you really think you can win this?” He asked as he sauntered up to me. “I clearly have you outmatched in every conceivable way.” “No, but I can still be doing damage!” I shouted as I ran forward and sprung up into a cartwheel and then launched myself into a Wild Windmill, my own personal variant that added my ‘Cut-lash style’ into my spinning. This be making me not very safe to stop as all my hooves be moving like bladed edges in a series of flashing crescents. Tai Lung went wide eyed and tried to block high as I launched myself, knowing this I quickly forced my hind legs together with as much force as I could put into them to slow my spin or even reverse it before I reached him. My spin only slowed down immensely, I still not be getting the reverse spin thing. If I had not seen it personally, then I would not be thinking that it was even possible. Landing right in front of him on my front legs with my rear legs reared up. I snapped my rear legs outwards and upwards right into the middle of his pants, the crunching sound be somewhat satisfying to hear and he be falling in clear pain while clutching at where I just bucked him. As Pom be saying, do everything that you can while fighting for your life! I be spinning around to my right to thrust my left hoof into the right side of his face, knocking him onto his back. Taking this opportunity, I be jumping on top of him and started to stomp down on him as much as I could. I suddenly felt a strong grip wrapped around my hair and be yanking me upwards, said grip then changed to my throat. I could barely be breathing with the sudden crushing grip on it. I kicked at Tai Lung's arm with my hind hooves and he just glared at me for trying to free myself. “I think I’ve had just about enough of you! You know, I never did get your name.” Tai Lung be tightening his grip on my throat. Pom be saying my weakness is being grabbed, she didn't teach me how to escape and I be losing strength quickly. “Oh stop struggling, you’re not going to do that much more to me.” “I… be… Shanty.” I managed to get out through the grip on my neck. “I’m Tai Lung, nice to beat you.” He be punching me in the left eye as he said this, I whimpered in his grip. I still be giving him a defiant look with my right eye, while my left one was being in quite a lot of pain. “I’m not the type to go an eye for an eye, I wouldn’t blind a child.” He be punching me in the gut as he said this. “If you can fight, then you shouldn’t be surprised when I start hitting back.” “Someone… will…” I felt him strike me in the side, leaving me whimpering again. “Stop… you…” “Let me disagree with you and tell you that no one can stop me at this point, I’m the strongest fighter in the world.” I would disagree with you Tai Lung, but you be having a really tight grip on my throat. “I’ll be seeing to you when my reign as Dragon Warrior begins!” What did he mean by... I felt a sharp jab in my chest and I felt an indescribable pain as the world faded away. When did I enter a tunnel with a light at the end of it? -Ocellus- We just arrived in time to to see Tai Lung holding a battered Shanty’s limp, unmoving, form. Oh goodness, that looked bad, really bad! We watched as Tai Lung dropped her limp body and started moving towards Mr. Shifu that just came hurtling down the steps while glaring at Tai Lung. “Tai Lung!” Shifu shouted out as he charged forward towards Tai Lung, he was really showing his skill when they started fighting one another. “It’s about time you showed up.” Tai Lung stated as he attacked his father violently, while we were busy looking over Shanty’s disturbingly still body. “I’m all warmed up, so I hope you’re ready for my triumphant return!” They were quite evenly matched so far. I looked over to Shanty to see Pom lifting her head from the goat’s unmoving chest. She was just sitting there staring down at the body, Smolder went over to her and place a claw on her left shoulder. -Smolder- “Pom, she’s…” I tried to comfort Pom, but her eyes sharpened on Shanty’s still chest and the fact that she wasn’t breathing. “No, not yet she isn’t!" What did Pom mean by that, what was she going to do? "This is going to hurt… a lot!” Pom raised both her legs above her head and brought them together. She started to roughly rub her legs together. “What is she…” Ocellus quieted as Pom grit her teeth and arcs of energy started surging from between her two rapidly shifting legs. They were two indistinct blurs with lightning slowly building up and arcing all over her body. The lambkin looked to be in extreme amounts of pain as she continued to forcefully rub her legs together. She moved over to Shanty with this energy pouring off of her body and arcing all around in sparks and small bolts. “Special lambkin fluffmancer technique: SHOCK-RAM, clear!” Pom quickly moved her hooves to above Shanty’s chest and then carefully pressed down, the eruption of energy transferring between the two was enormous and Pom was eventually flung back from Shanty’s body and painfully into a nearby wall. Slowly we heard a gasp, it was followed by a weak coughing and then Shanty opening her eyes to look around blearily. “M-m-mom—my?” Really don’t think you should be talking when Pom just restarted your heart Shanty. “Don’t worry I’m here, everything is going to be alright Shanty.” Pom was there in an instant and caressing Shanty’s head gently in a rather panicked worry, she currently smelled like scorched ozone. Not quite like brimstone smell of home though. “Please get some rest now, I’ll make sure that the big mean kitty won’t hurt you anymore.” We all heard a laughing and looked over to see Shifu taking a direct hit to the chest and then Tai Lung raised him into the air by the throat to start choking him. Pom motioned Ocellus forward and made her take hold of a shivering Shanty that curled up against her, Pom had a look in her eyes as she stepped away. “She’s, ironically enough, going into shock!” After Ocellus said this, she looked to me. “Smolder can you come over here and help me keep her warm by hugging her?” You didn’t need to ask Ocellus, I’m already right here with you and Shanty. Also I’m terrified of Pom now, she’s much scarier than Fluttershy doing the stare. -Pom- “You two. Please, take care of Shanty, and Shifu too when I free him from Tai Lung’s grasp.” I turned away from Smolder and Ocellus. I lowered my head facing Tai Lung, my body was trembling and tears fell from my eyes. I was going to do something I really didn’t want to do, but it had to be done. I approached Tai Lung. “Baa… ram… ewe…” “Hmm… and just what is that supposed to…” Hearing this Tai Lung turned and was about to ask me something. No one saw it coming, much less Tai Lung as Shifu dropped to the street in his wide eyed paralyzed state looking up at me. -Mountains, evacuation area, Tigress- I felt something, as did Monkey, Mantis, Crane and Viper. As one we all looked back towards the Jade District and saw a gray figure flailing through the air before falling towards the entrance to the main thoroughfare leading all the way to the steps of the Jade Palace. “BAA-RAM-EWE!” The scream sounded like it came from Pom, that she could be heard at this distance was disturbing and that declaration was likely heard by everyone in The Valley of Peace. She didn’t even look like she had the lungs for her voice to do that. “ARH-WOOOOOOOOO!” “Was that…” Viper started to say at the sound of a wolf’s howl echoing around the valley. “Pom?” Monkey, Mantis and Crane stated at the same time while shivering. I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t want to be in front of, or near, Pom at this moment. She was a fairly interesting person with highly unusual friends and equally unusual origins that was kind, intelligent and knew how to fight. I really should thank her for the Wild Windmill technique I learned by watching her train her student, wouldn’t have gotten that axe kick in on Tai Lung’s thick skull otherwise. -Ocellus- “Did Pom just seriously…” I was really scared of Pom now, a lambkin who was mostly no threat to anyone and usually never meant any to ever really speak of. There was Pom standing on her hind legs with her right hoof fully extended. It was pointed upwards at forty five degree angle and lightly smoking. Pom wasn’t looking upwards, she was looking at the far end of the thoroughfare where the speck that was Tai Lung eventually came down. “Revive Shanty and then uppercut Tai Lung so hard that he ended up flying across the entirety of the Jade District.” Smolder was as freaked out as I was. “Yeah, I can confirm that she just did that…” Nobody had seen her move, Tai Lung likely saw more than we did… if he actually saw anything at all. It almost seemed as if Pom teleported. There was also that bone chilling howl Pom unleashed while still holding her hoof skyward. That wasn’t the scariest thing, the scariest thing was that she was only feeling one emotion and that emotion was pure fear. I thought it would be raw rage, but I’m not feeling anything like that. -Tai Lung- What… just… hit me? What did 'Baa-Ram-Ewe' even mean? Did that sheep just perfectly replicate the howl of an actual wolf? I sat up and looked at the scorch mark in the shape of a hoof on my chest, I ran my right paw over it and grimaced. I didn’t even see the blow coming, I didn’t even sense that scrawny little thing move. I hadn’t even let my guard down for a second and she got through it unimpeded. A worthy challenge as any that I’m getting today now that I beat Shifu, but it still seems that my goal of getting the Dragon Warrior scroll and ultimate power is being impeded by the least threatening looking creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. I found it hard to stand, that blow actually messed up my chi pathways from the sheer brute force behind it. Propping myself up on a building and looking at the far end of the thoroughfare, I felt 'her' glaring at me with contempt. I could sense the wild look in her eyes as she started walking towards me. She was shivering in clear fright, even then she was clearly determined and was highly dangerous. Had she been aiming to kill me, she could have easily done so. I charged forward on all fours to meet my destiny head on. Even if she isn’t the Dragon Warrior, she was still a warrior of the likes I’ve never seen before. I started feeling a rising chill down my spine the closer I got to her. This... 'creature'... didn’t change her steady forward pace to come meet me, she just kept walking. There was something fundamentally 'wrong' with her and I couldn’t place what it was exactly.