---Thunder ---
The storm rolled in quickly on Tigress's first night living at the Jade Palace. She had always hated storms; the thunder, lightning and the agitated feeling that had always plagued her. Up in the mountains, the thunder echoed far louder than what it sounded like back at the orphanage. No matter how tightly she rolled herself into a ball, she could not bring any comfort to herself or fall asleep. The rain made the already-cold-night freeze and pounded on the walls of her room. Little Tigress sat up as another fork of lightning flashed through the windows; an abruptly loud scream of thunder made her jump clear out of her bed and bolt out the door.
Master Shifu stretched as he entered his bedroom and slipped on his nightgown. The echoes of rain and thunder didn't bother him as he readied himself for bed; the vicious sounds of the storm were just another one of Nature's symphonies. Shifu lit and placed incense in a small round porcelain plate in the corner of the room and tucked into bed. Before he could drift off into his now-nightmare-troubled sleep, he started wide awake when he felt something quivering and wet jump into the bed. He rolled over to address the culprit.
"Tigress?! What are you doing? You're soaking wet!" He exclaimed as he sat up. He noticed that her shivering wasn't only due to the water that clung to her fur; she jolted when more thunder sounded overhead.
"I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry Master. I-I-I-it's the st-storm, I…" Tigress stammered. The storm let out another fit and caused her to curl up tighter against his side.
"Hush now my dear," He said, pulling the bedding up over her. "Try to sleep, the storm will pass."
It was another hour before her shivering ceased and another again before a deep purring told Shifu that she was finally asleep. He placed a comforting paw on her head and fell asleep.