This is a fanfic based off my old, five-year-old fear of thunder and lightning. The trick Shifu uses in this fic (LOL, it rhymed!) is the one that my mother used when I was a little girl. I'm not afraid anymore, thanks to her.
Kung fu panda © Dreamworks.
Fic © To the smartass that wrote this.
Thunder and lightning
Tigress had only been at the Jade Palace a little over a week. Shifu trained her hard, everyday, when the gong rung. He showed little emotion to her, but when she did something right, a showed a small smile (that was rare, though). It was late and she ate, alone, in the kitchen. It was steamed rice and leek soup. Shifu must have been meditating by now. He always looked so sad and angry. Outside was cloudy and dark, and it seemed like it would rain. After she finished eating, a loud crash startled her out of her skin.
She dashed to her room, and coiled into a tight ball. She trembled. Tigress had always been afraid of thunder and lightning, ever since she was tiny. Thunder crashed out, like an angered god thrashing out. Blinding light beamed out, like another god was deflecting a sharp attack. She yelped a little, scurrying under her blankets.
"Tigress?"
She peaked out one eye from her covers, trembling. Shifu stood there, his arms in his sleeves, his huge ears twitched in concern for the little tiger child. "What is it?"
Tigress pulled herself out from under the covers, only to have coward under them when thunder crashed loudly. Shifu stood perfectly still, and went over to her side, and sat there. He didn't seem too frightened about it. He smiled down at her. "Are you afraid of thunder and lightning?" he asked. The master could tell when she screamed when another one banged through the night.
He laughed. "There is nothing to be afraid of," Shifu said.
Tigress shrieked again and lunged at him, holding the master red panda tight. He was surprised by this, but held her back. Shifu pulled away and said, "You want to know of a way to get over this aching fear you have?"
The tiger girl nodded sharply. He took her paws and pulled her over to the window, and sat her down. Shifu waited for a loud bang, and then held up his hand. "One. Two. Three. Four—"
Bang! Crash! Tigress screamed. Shifu calmed her quickly, "Four. The thunder is four miles away." He said.
Tigress's ears perked up. "Four miles?" she asked.
Another one rang out in the cold night.
"Yes. One. Two. Three—"
Bang! Tigress jumped a little out of fear, but she didn't scream. "Three miles away?" Tigress said. Shifu nodded with a smile.
"See. The thunder is far from us; it won't hurt you," Shifu said as another loud crash sounded off. "You try this time."
She began to count and stopped at "five" when one loud bang interrupted her. Tigress jolted a little, her fur on its ends. Shifu was getting through to her, and it made him feel good. It had been such a long time since he had ever felt that. He frowned a little, but turned his attention back to the small tiger child.
"See, so that one is five miles away," Shifu said. "Understand?"
Tigress nodded with a smile.
"Do you want me to stay with you?"
"No, Master Shifu," Tigress said with a confident grin. "I think I'll be fine."
Shifu nodded, and he got up and went to the door. Tigress was crawling back into her bed by now. "Good night, Tigress," Shifu said. "Sleep well."
"Thank you, Master, and g'night!" she cried out in calmed delight.
He nodded and closed the door, chuckling as he heard her murmur when thunder roared out in the cold night. Shifu limped over to his room, and saw Master Oogway sitting there. "Master!"
The aged turtle opened one of his eyes. "Ahh, Shifu, my friend," he said. "Taking care of the little one?" How is she?"
Shifu blinked. "Fine. Tigress is just fine," he said rather hurriedly.
Oogway sat up, holding his staff, and went over to him, and patted the red panda on the shoulder. "She will be a fine warrior," was all he said as he left.
The vision of Tai Lung entered the old master. He shuttered, and began to think that Tigress would in fact be the Dragon Warrior. He may have failed with the snow leopard, but he wouldn't fail with the young tiger. Shifu loved her too much. He sighed and went to bed, having nightmare-filled dreams of his former son.
The next morning, he waited by the door of Tigress. She was dressed and ready to learn more kung fu. He looked at her as he hobbled on, hands behind his back. She said nothing, but beamed at him all morning. Shifu was confused by this. "Why are you so happy, young one?" he asked.
Tigress stopped for a moment, then smiled again. "No one else helped me get over my fear of thunder when I was at the orphanage," she said. "They just were afraid of me."
Shifu recalled as the lamb that owned the orphanage kept calling her a monster when Shifu arrived to help the young tiger cub. His ears flattened at this. "But you helped me." He looked over at her. Tigress moved and held her master. Shifu blinked, trying his best to retain the information. He smiled slightly, and patted her back. He coughed a little.
"Come, Tigress, let us train," he said, breaking from the embrace. Tigress smiled and trailed after him. Out of the corner of Shifu's eye, he thought he saw his turtle master smile at him from the shadows.