Chapter 11 of Signal in the Sky



Everything Falls Apart
By Purrsia Kat


WilyKat sat before the giant telescreen of the Lair’s control room, swiveling in his chair as he sulked. He glanced at his sister, unable to believe that she wasn’t just as annoyed at the situation as he. WilyKit sat on the edge of the console adjacent to him, swinging her dangling legs and happily munching on a piece of candy fruit.
Every time she took a bite of the crisp fruit, WilyKat winced. It seemed the least thing was hitting a nerve. “For Jaga’s sake, Kit,” he snapped, “how can you sit there....crunching on that darn candy fruit?”
WilyKit swallowed before regarding her brother with a curious look. “What’s got into you?”
“What’s got into me is the same thing that should be into you! I can’t believe you’re not upset that we’re being left behind again while the others go to the Balkan Bar. And what chaps me more this time, is today is our birthday, Kit! I mean, we’re 13 now...that’s practically grown up!” WilyKat sat back upon concluding his tirade, his arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face.
WilyKit risked fanning his temper farther by simply shrugging. “Nothin’ we can do about it, so why bother gettin’ mad?” she reasoned.
Snarf’s entrance stopped WilyKat short in his reply. He mumbled unintelligibly and pointedly ignored the snarf.
“Well, the others are about ready to go,” Snarf remarked casually. “So you two better hurry up if you want to tag along. Of course, if you’d rather stay here that’s fine with me...”
WilyKit nearly choked on her candy fruit. “Moons of Thundera, Snarf! Are you kidding?”
“Of course he is,” WilyKat interjected. “You know, Snarf, I appreciate the good practical joke as much as the next cat, but now is not the time.”
“Rrrrwl, I’d never joke around when you’re this sore, WilyKat....I’m serious,” Snarf insisted. “They wanted to surprise you for your birthday.”
“Well, who’s going to watch the Lair?” WilyKat asked suspiciously.
Snarf sighed. “Bela and I will be staying behind, sneeeyarf snarf. I’m getting too old for that scene anyway...”
“C’mon Kat!” WilyKit squealed as she pulled him out of his seat. “Let’s go!”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Lion-O was nearly run over by the boisterous Thunderkittens as they piled out of the Thunder Tank. Turning to Tygra, he shrugged, “Oh to be so young and easily amused.”
Tygra’s warm laughter echoed through the damp fall evening. “You have to stop talking like that, Lion-O. You’re making me feel ancient before my time.”
“I just can’t see why they’re so excited about going to a tiny shack in the middle of nowhere,” Lion-O explained while they all headed into the bar.
Cheetara commented, “You have to understand, they feel as if they’ve been missing out on something big. It won’t matter to them that nothing spectacular really happens when we come here. Just the fact that they get to share in it with us is exciting to them.”
The strong scentl of wet autumn leaves was replaced by that of cigar smoke and whiskey when Lion-O entered the bar. He spotted WilyKit and WilyKat amid the throng of dancing Wolos and Balkans crowded in front of the jukebox.
Cheetara leaned toward Lion-O. “It’s good to see the kittens having a good time.”
“And it’s likewise good to see the villagers enjoying themselves again, too,” Tygra added. “Between the late summer Mutant raids and the early frost, they’ve had it rough...”
“I suppose there is much to celebrate,” Lion-O conceded, taking a seat at a nearby table. “With the help of our allies, we’ve managed to keep the Mutants in check. It’s been a peaceful few months.”
Felina seated herself beside Lion-O. He watched her try to convince Jax to have a seat, but the pup insisted on clinging to her. Lion-O found it amazing that Jax developed such an attachment to Felina. Especially since the child was clearly terrified of Thunderians. It seemed to Lion-O that Jax was just as terrified, if not more, of Mutants and was trying to make the best of being forced to rely on the ThunderCats for his well being.
“Jax,” Felina said gently. “what’s wrong?”
The pup looked about the bar, his clear brown eyes wide with a mix of fear and wonder. “I...I...too many people,” he managed to sputter.
“Aw, there’s nothing to be afraid of here, kid,” Panthro said, sitting beside the two. Lifting his pant leg up to reveal his bionic leg, Panthro continued, “If anyone gives us any trouble, they’ll have to deal with this.” With a hiss, a 12 inch portion of Panthro’s calve opened. He pulled his nun-chucks out of the compartment and held them up for the child’s inspection.
Jax shyly buried his snout into Felina’s shoulder. “Honestly, Panthro. You’re scaring him with that leg of yours,” Felina said with amusement in her tone.
Panthro shrugged. “Actually, I should send Jackalman a thank-you card for blowing my leg off. This bionic leg I built beats the old fashioned flesh variety any day. I’ve got all sorts of gadgets in here...”
Cheetara regarded Jax with evident concern. “Perhaps we should have insisted that Jax stay at the Lair with the snarfs--”
Perking up, Jax shook his head vehemently. “No, no! I wanted to stay with Felina!”
Tygra laughed good-naturedly. “You’re letting those maternal instincts take over a bit prematurely, Cheetara. I’m sure Jax will be fine once he gets used to his surroundings.”
Cheetara patted her stomach, where she was only just beginning to show. “I guess you have a point, Tygra.”
The Thunderkittens ran up to the table from the dance floor, nearly colliding with the petite waitress who was bringing the ThunderCats’ drinks.
“H-hey! Slow down there, kittens,” Tygra exclaimed.
“We’re 13 now,” WilyKat puffed, his hands on his knees. “We’re not kittens anymore.”
“Yeah,” agreed WilyKit, “I think we should be called cats now.”
Panthro scoffed. “One trip to the bar and you think you’re adults. We’ll start calling the two of you cats when your actions merit it. Almost plowing into our waitress is not a good first impression.”
“Aw gee,” WilyKat sighed, “if actin’ all stuffy is what you want, then you’ll be calling me a kitten when I’m Tygra’s age.”
“Anyway,” WilyKit said, “we came over to see if anyone wants to play darts with us. That dartboard with Mumm-Ra’s creepy face on it is too good to pass up. I bet I get the bulls eye--right between his eyes!”
To everyone’s surprise, Jax spoke up. “I’ll play, if you teach me how.”
WilyKit took his hand. “Great, Jax! You’re a little short for darts, but we can work something out.”
Finally free of Jax, Felina turned to Lion-O. “This is a great song,” she remarked, referring to the ballad that lilted from the jukebox. “Care to dance?”
“I think I’ll pass,” he replied. “Maybe later.” Lion-O made an effort to ignore her crestfallen look. It’s not that he minded dancing, but being that close to her would only aggravate the frustration he felt in the months since their stay at the Tabbot Inn. Felina seemed eager to be close to him, but she always backed out before sharing any deep intimacy with him. Things were getting so strained between them, that he hadn’t studied with her at all in the past week.
Their exchange didn’t go unnoticed by Tygra. “Miss Felina, I wouldn’t mind dancing with you,” he offered.
Lion-O tried not to seem visibly disturbed when Felina brightened. “Sure,” she said as Tygra came around the table and escorted her to the dance floor.
Lion-O abruptly excused himself and stalked up to the bar.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Aw, crap!” Panthro grumbled. “I guess I better get up to the bar and talk to Lion-O-- keep this situation from getting out of hand.”
Cheetara sighed. “Perhaps you better. You know, sometimes I think we should have made an exception in their case. I mean, forcing them to marry given the extraordinary circumstances of their backgrounds--”
“Bah!” Panthro interrupted, clearly irritated. “Don’t you start with that. I know Lion-O and Felina missed out on the mental maturing of their teenaged years, but I think they gained that and more with all the crap they’ve been through on this forsaken mud ball called Third Earth. Besides, if we waited around for their minds to catch up with their bodies, they’d probably die in battle before producing an heir to the lordship. If we can trust Lion-O to be our Lord, then we can trust him to handle being married.”
He could tell by the cheetah’s expression that she was unnerved by his anger. Cheetara never had cared for his outbursts, and cared for them even less when they were directed at her. “If you have such faith in Lion-O, let him sort out his petty jealousy on his own,” she coolly suggested.
Panthro scoffed and dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Damn females...” he muttered as he headed to where Lion-O sat near the end of the bar. By the time he reached Lion-O, Felina and Tygra finished their dance and rejoined Cheetara at their table.
Panthro stood next to Lion-O, leaning against the bar. As he waited for Lion-O to acknowledge him, he watched the Thunderkittens pump the jukebox full of coins. The nonsensical song that they selected caused Panthro to chuckle and shake his head.
“Fates be damned, where did they come up with the music in that thing? That’s got to be the most asinine jumble of noise I’ve ever heard...” Panthro commented.
Lion-O merely sighed and gave a lackluster nod.
Tague overheard the panther’s comments and offered an explanation. “Those little discs and that player are one of the few relics ever found from the era known as Second Earth. My father found them all when he accidentally discovered the buried ruins of a city beneath our old village.”
“Well you should have left this song buried, along with that goofy song Snarf likes to play,” Panthro replied with a laugh. Nudging Lion-O, Panthro continued, “Come on back with the rest of the group. You should never waste time sulking over women; believe me, it’s not worth it.”
Looking up at Panthro for the first time, Lion-O said, “What makes you think a woman has anything to do with it?”
“Heh, I wasn’t born yesterday, Lion-O....it’s just a little obvious,” Panthro stated with amusement.
“Well, it’s not what you think,” Lion-O insisted. “I mean, it does have to do with Felina--”
“See there!” Panthro interrupted.
Holding up a hand, Lion-O continued, “But, it’s not about Tygra and Felina. They can dance together all night for all I care.”
“Oh?” Panthro said, arching an eyebrow. He was about to press farther when he was distracted by three aliens entering the bar. He recognized the gray, jowl jawed aliens as crewmen from Captain Shiner’s ship, the Vertis. “Damn blast it,” he muttered. “Mercenaries!”
The three interlopers headed straight toward Panthro and Lion-O. Two of them sat on either side of Lion-O, while the third stood beside him.
The alien ignored Panthro completely as he regarded Lion-O. “Excuse me, cub, but you’re in my seat,” he sneered.
Panthro tensed and fought back a verbal snipe. It would be best to let Lion-O take care of this buffoon himself. Lion-O’s response was to pointedly ignore the comment altogether.
“I’m talking to you,” the towering mercenary continued, his voice raised.
Panthro’s eyes darted back to the table where his fellow ThunderCats sat. He noticed Cheetara pointing toward the bar, a look of alarm on her face. Everyone else in the place seemed oblivious to the intensifying situation.
“Hey boss,” the one seated to Lion-O’s right spoke. “I say we get a sack and toss this kitty into the river.” All three shared a laugh.
“Now fellas,” Tague warned, “Don’t be startin’ trouble. Lion-O was here before you were. Why don’t the three of you sit at that table over there.” He gestured to an open table in the corner.
“I always sit on this stool when I come here,” the alien argued, “and this feline punk needs to learn how to yield to his elders.” Shoving Lion-O in the shoulder, he seethed, “Out of my seat, boy!”
Panthro couldn’t remain passive any longer. Though the mercenary was a foot taller than him, Panthro was not intimidated. Grabbing the alien by the shoulder, he growled, “Back off!”
The mercenary glared at him. “Keep your whiskers out of this, old cat, before you get hurt.” He gave Panthro a shove that sent him back several paces.
Lion-O must have saw the rage flash in Panthro’s eyes. “Panthro! Don’t!”
The burly panther was beyond the point of heeding Lion-O’s warning. “This is personal now!” Panthro spat as his fist made contact with the mercenary’s jaw.
The punch carried such a force that it sent the alien slamming into the jukebox some 10 feet away. The music stopped cold and a hush fell over the crowd. Seconds later, utter chaos broke loose. The remaining aliens began assaulting the ThunderCats with everything from liquor bottles to bar stools. Terrified Wolo and Balkan villagers ran in a stampede, tripping over one another in an effort to escape the fracas.
Panthro noticed Felina frantically searching the crowd. Between dodging airborne bottles, he watched her push against the grain of the fleeing crowd. With Lion-O keeping the mercenaries occupied, Panthro sprang across the room and tackled her to the ground just as half a wooden table flew by where she had been standing.
“Damn woman,” Panthro exclaimed. “you nearly got yourself decapitated. What the hell are you doing going this way? Get out of here!”
“I’m going after the cubs,” She explained with evident irritation.
“Wha--?” Panthro stuttered, letting her up. He spotted the youngsters huddled near the jukebox. “Great Jaga! I’ll get the kids. You get out of here and take Cheetara with you.”
“Tygra already took Cheetara outside...” Felina called after him. He looked back at her long enough to see she’d heeded his warning before he charged through the hysterical masses toward the kids.
“Kit, Kat. Are you alright?” Panthro shouted over the din of the fight.
WilyKat nodded. “We weren’t scared, but we can’t get Jax to move,” he explained.
Ignoring the pup’s frightened recoil, Panthro scooped Jax up into the protection of his muscled arms. “C’mon, we’ll get out the back way, through the kitchen.”
The Thunderkittens filed out ahead of Panthro. Before he disappeared through the kitchen door, he spotted Lion-O. “Lion-O!” Panthro shouted. He gestured for the Lord to follow him.
Lion-O leapt over the bar and met up with Panthro. “We’re going to owe Tague,” he noted.
“Yeah,” Panthro agreed dryly. “For now let’s get the hell out of here.”
“We’re just going to leave the place like this?” Lion-O wondered.
Glancing over his shoulder, Panthro shrugged. “The mercenaries are nowhere in sight--cowardly bastards probably ran first chance they got. But once these villagers calm down -- I don’t want to be around when Tague’s anger is fresh...”
As they weaved their way through the kitchen, Lion-O said, “The two of you have a lot in common that way...”
Panthro shifted the quivering Jax awkwardly in his arms. “Heh, yeah I guess so.”
Uncomfortable silence descended over the pair as they headed for the Thunder Tank parked out front.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Later that evening Felina sat at her desk, staring at the open Book of Omens. But with the prior events of the evening still swirling in her mind, she found it nearly impossible to concentrate. At least she had succeeded in getting Jax to sleep. He looked the picture of serenity curled up on her bed next to Bela. Jax usually slept in the kittens’ bedroom, but he was so shaken up by the scene at the bar, Felina took pity on him. Felina was still amazed at how quickly the child’s tough facade fell apart shortly after he was found and allowed himself to open up to her. The poor child’s head had been so stuffed full of propaganda, no wonder he was weary to trust any Thunderians. She shuddered as she thought of the horrendous things Jax must have witnessed among the Mutants on Plundarr.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Enter,” she called.
Felina tried to hide her disappointment when the one who entered was not Lion-O, but only Snarf. “Sorry to bother you so late, Felina,” Snarf stated. “But Lion-O insisted I ask you to see him, sneeyarf.”
“Oh?” Felina was puzzled as to what he could possibly want at his hour, but the opportunity to try to sort the tension between them overrode any other concerns.
“Rrrwl...he didn’t go into detail about why he wants to see you,” Snarf said. “Of course, nobody lets ole Snarf in on anything around here.” Sighing, he continued, “He’s in his bed chamber.”
“He probably wants to study,” Felina assumed. “He’s been neglecting that lately.”
“I thought only scholars were supposed to learn that...that...whatever language of yours, and know the secrets of the Book of Omens,” Snarf pointed out.
As Felina gathered her books, she gave Snarf a smile. “Well, yes, but I hardly think it’s harming anything to teach the Lord of the ThunderCats. He’s already entrusted with the Sword of Omens after all...”
Snarf still seemed skeptical. “I’ve known Lion-O since he was a cub, and that boy has never liked to study, sneeyarf snarf. I just don’t see where his interest in something as complicated as that Book came from.”
Felina frowned slightly as they exited her room. “Well, good night, Snarf.”
“Good night,” Snarf replied before ambling down the corridor.
Felina pondered Snarf’s comments while waiting for permission to enter Lion-O’s room. Upon entering, Felina surveyed the area for Lion-O. She ventured to the center of the room with still no sign of him.
“But he bade me enter, so he has to be here somewhere,” she reasoned to herself. “What sport are you playing now?” she asked with amusement. “Come on out.”
The high-backed chair across the room swiveled around to reveal Lion-O sitting there, clad in only a bath towel around his waist. Felina’s eyes widened and she immediately blushed.
Eyes cast to the floor, Felina stammered, “Y-you should’ve said you w-weren’t dressed yet.”
Lion-O rose from the chair and stood before her. Cupping her chin in his hand, he tilted her head up. “Don’t be embarrassed, Felina,” he said soothingly.
Felina took a few steps back and gave him a questioning look. “What’s been going on with you lately? When we first recovered the Key of Thundera, all you wanted to do was what the Guardian of the Book said we must to uncover Mumm-Ra’s past--to learn as much about Egyptian culture and language as we could before his past is revealed to us. But recently you’ve been so distant. Don’t you hunger for knowledge?”
“Yes,” Lion-O said, advancing on her once more. “I hunger for knowledge.”
In the dim lamplight, Felina noticed a rather nasty bruise that blazed a narrow path from Lion-O’s shoulder down across his chest. “Oh, what happened here?” she wondered, touching the area gingerly.
Lion-O blinked several times before glancing at the contusion. “Mmmm, caught some shrapnel from a bar stool during the fight,” he explained.
Felina suddenly realized she was standing close to her nearly naked husband yet no longer feeling awkward. Looking up into his amber eyes, she realized the knowledge for which he hungered. Impulsively, Felina placed a hand onto the nape of his neck and kissed him. Though she still feared the mysteries of joining with a man, she couldn’t forever deny Lion-O what he clearly desired. Truthfully, a part of her wanted to sate the curiosity concerning the deeper levels of passion as well.
Time seemed to stand still as their kissing grew more intense. Felina was barely aware when Lion-O scooped her up and carried her to his bed. What followed also seemed to be lost in a lusty blur, until the moment of truth arrived.
Felina took in a sharp breath. She hadn’t known what to expect, but pain wasn’t something she’d considered. Articulating her pain in her second language, she cried, “Inoseu modere faulos.”
At first she thought that maybe he hadn’t understood her declaration that he was indeed, hurting her. Felina soon realized that Lion-O was so enraptured in his own pleasure he was oblivious to anything she said or did. Having reached the point of no return, Felina decided to suffer in silence. Mercifully, their coupling was brief.
Felina remained awake long after Lion-O drifted into peaceful slumber beside her. She stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of emotion that followed this milestone experience. The lioness couldn’t help but feel all innocence was lost. It seemed like an eternity before Felina fell into a fitful sleep.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Lion-O awoke as gray light filtered into the room. He startled when Felina stirred beside him. He wasn’t used to sharing a bed with anyone, and in his half-awake state, he’d forgotten she had stayed with him last night.
Normally, a ThunderCat is always up at first light. Felina, however, looked as if she were still in the deepest of slumber. Lion-O watched her sleep for a moment, her lean body entangled within the sheets. He sighed and took in the faint vanilla scent of her hair. He glanced out the window to see the sun peeking above the horizon and knew he couldn’t linger any longer--there was much for him to do today.
“No sense in waking her,” he inwardly mused, carefully sliding out of bed. “Seems like she needs the rest...”
After quickly dressing, Lion-O stepped out in the hall and was immediately questioned by Bela. “Have you seen Felina?” the snarf worried. “She wasn’t in her room when I woke up just now. In fact, her bed didn’t even look like she slept in it at all...”
Cheetara and Tygra made their way around the corner in time to hear Bela’s plea. Lion-O glanced at the couple and back to Bela uncertainly. “Well, uh, she’s alright, Bela. Our study session went a little, uh, long last night and she’s still sleeping.”
Bela was clearly not satisfied with his explanation. “But I just told you she’s not in her bed. What do you mean she’s still sleeping?”
Lion-O sighed. “She’s sleeping in my bed,” he said flatly.
It took a moment for the implication to sink into Bela’s mind. “Oh!” she chirped, “I see...”
Cheetara placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, and Tygra raised an eyebrow before clearing his throat. “Well, now that that mystery has been solved, are you ready for a day at the Thundrillium mines, Lion-O?”
Lion-O was grateful to change the subject. “Yes. I don’t like the idea of our supplies being so low. The sooner we get the Lair’s reserve tanks full again, the better.”
“Great,” Tygra stated. “Snarf already has breakfast on the table. You know he won’t let you out of here without a good meal.”
Lion-O grinned knowingly. “I wouldn’t expect any less,” he said. “While I’m at the mine, I think it’d be a good idea if you and Panthro do some prospecting...our current mine is nearly tapped out.”
Tygra nodded. “We were thinking the same thing.”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Lion-O lead the group of a half dozen Berbils into the Thundrillium mine. “I really appreciate your helping us mine Thundrillium, RoberBill,” he said. They descended into the mine via an elevator.
“No need to thank me, Lion-O,” RoberBill assured him. “The ThunderCats have delivered us from the clutches of evil numerous times. It is the least we can do to help.”
Stepping off the lift, Lion-O instructed the Berbils. “I’ll start over on that side,” he began, pointing to the far wall. “We need to fill at least 10 carts to bring our reserves back up to where they should be.”
As the Berbils dispersed to do their work, the Sword of Omens let out it’s warning growl. Lion-O drew the Sword and was about to call upon its powers of Second Sight, when the earth began to shake.
“Earthquake!” he shouted. “Everyone back on the lift!” As he helped the Berbils file into the lift, Lion-O couldn’t shake the feeling that this earthquake was not of the natural variety. Lion-O pulled on the lift’s rope quickly, hoping they could make it up the shaft before it caved in. Suddenly, a particularly violent tremor sent a large rock slamming into the side of the lift. The impact caused one Berbil to fall from the platform. Lion-O managed to grab the robot bear. But in his efforts to pull the Berbil back to safety, he lost his balance and went over the edge as well. Lion-O and the Berbil went plummeting back to the floor of the mine.
Lion-O managed to right himself enough to make a cat-like landing on all four limbs. He caught the Berbil a second later. He tried to dodge the crumbling walls of the mine as they came cascading down around him, but his efforts proved futile. As he and the Berbil were buried beneath a heap of suffocating earth, Lion-O could hear the familiar rumble of evil laughter.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Felina sat hidden in the tall grass in the surprisingly warm afternoon sunlight. Her mind was hardly on the hunt, however. She couldn’t stop thinking about the embarrassment of waking up much later in the morning than any sensible cat would have allowed herself. And what was worse, she could sense that her comrades knew about what had transpired between her and Lion-O during the night. The only positive point was that Lion-O himself had already left on his mining expedition, thus sparing her the awkwardness of having to face him on the dreaded morning after.
She had wanted to question Cheetara about certain side affects of her recent activities. Both the bleeding and the pain had Felina alarmed, and she needed to know how long it was going to last. She found it difficult to bring up the subject, however, so she went out on her hunt without ever asking.
Felina was just about to get up and try her luck in a field to the west, when Cheetara came upon her at full speed. The cheetah was certainly showing no signs that the pregnancy was slowing her down at all. But Felina felt uneasy, as something must be wrong for Cheetara to race across a hunting field in such a fashion that would spook the game.
“What’s wrong, Cheetara?” Felina asked.
“It’s Lion-O,” Cheetara explained quickly. “I--I had a vision of him trapped in the mine and hurt. Just after I contacted Tygra and Panthro about my suspicions, RoberBill called in to the Lair to say he had just escaped a cave-in at the mine...”
“So, Lion-O made it out with him and the rest of the Berbils...right?” ventured Felina, although she had a sinking feeling she knew what the answer would be.
“No,” Cheetara said gently. “My vision was correct. He’s trapped along with a Berbil.”
Felina gasped. “Is he--?” She couldn’t bring herself to actually say the words.
“I sense he’s still alive,” Cheetara explained. “But we’ve got to get him out of there if he is to stay that way. Panthro and Tygra are going to meet us at the Berbil Village in the Thunder Tank.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Felina was shocked when they roared upon the scene at the mine in the Thunder Tank. Sitting amid the group of Berbils that escaped the cave-in was Lion-O. He looked no worse for the wear, save for some dirt and a few scratches.
Felina hardly waited for the Thunder Tank to come to a stop before leaping out and rushing over to Lion-O. “You made it!” she exclaimed.
When Felina tried to embrace him, he rebuffed her and regarded her coolly. “Of course I made it. It’s nothing for everyone to make a fuss about.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Felina asked.
“Yeah, Lion-O,” Snarf chimed in. “We feared the worst when Cheetara told us about the vision she had of you trapped in the mine, rrrawl.”
“Well lucky for us, Cheetara was wrong this time. I’m fine,” Lion-O stated shortly.
Panthro looked at Tygra and shrugged. Eyeing Lion-O with suspicion, Cheetara asked, “What do you suppose caused a cave-in like that?”
“Who knows?” Lion-O responded flatly. “I just want to get back to the Lair.”
“Wait,” Tygra said. “What happened to the Berbil that was down there with you? And how did you manage such an incredible escape?”
“Oh, the Berbil is fine too,” Lion-O replied, gesturing to a dirt covered bear nearby. “And where is this questioning my ability to get out of something like this coming from? How many times do I have to remind you all that I’m not a kid anymore? I can handle myself fine, and I don’t need to be rescued.” The anger with which Lion-O spoke caught Felina off guard and she could tell the others were equally stunned.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I guess I’m just edgy from the whole ordeal.”
“Right,” Panthro said. “Let’s just get you home.”
As they drove away from the mine, Felina couldn’t help but notice how distracted with worry Cheetara seemed to be. Felina guessed that maybe Cheetara wasn’t convinced she was wrong. Something just didn’t feel right.
“Then again, maybe I’m just making excuses for the cool way in which he seems to regard me now. Perhaps he sees me as inadequate and this is the way the rest of our lives together is going to be...” Felina thought worriedly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Felina hadn’t lingered long at the Lair before heading out again. The tension in the place was just too much for her to handle. She hoped picking some candy fruit near the Berbil Village would help take her mind off of Lion-O. Felina took along the Book and the Key, just in case she felt up to studying afterwards.
Lost in her thoughts as she filled her basket, she didn’t notice when Lion-O crept up behind her.
“Who do you think you are taking off without telling anyone?” he demanded by way of greeting.
After getting over the initial shock of his sudden appearance, Felina was astounded he’d speak to her in such a way. Lion-O was usually so much more diplomatic about things. “Perhaps he suffered a head injury in the mine cave-in,” she wondered sarcastically to herself. “I wasn’t aware I needed your blessing before everything I do.”
“Remember who you’re speaking to, Felina,” Lion-O warned.
Felina tried in vain to disguise the hurt that had been building up within her. “Is this how it works? A man has his way with a girl and then treats her like so much property?”
“This isn’t the time to be petty, girl,” Lion-O spat. “Now, where is that Book and that Key? I have decided, as Lord of the ThunderCats, that you are unfit to keep them.”
Felina stared at him in utter shock. It was almost as if he wasn’t the Lion-O she’d known since cubhood; like he’d morphed into some kind of totalitarian cad over night. His disgraceful treatment of her made her once again wish she could reside anywhere but at the Cats’ Lair. And to think she actually started to believe she would escape the unhappiness that marked most arranged marriages and allow herself to fall in love. “You can’t do that,” she said hoarsely, backing away from him a few paces.
“Oh no? I can, and I will,” Lion-O announced, advancing on her.
It was then that Felina saw something that made Lion-O’s bizarre behavior come into focus. The bruise on his shoulder was completely gone. There was no way on Third Earth it could have healed that fast. “This isn’t Lion-O at all!” Felina inwardly panicked. “It must be him--the face of evil itself!”
The faux Lion-O must have read the terrified realization on her face because he lunged at Felina. Skillfully, she dodged out of range of his grasp. She broke into a run in the direction of the Lair.
“Holy Thundera!” she thought as she ran, “If that’s not Lion-O, then he’s still trapped inside that mine! I have to get back to the Lair and tell the others before--”
Felina’s thoughts were cut short by a piercing pain in her shoulder. The pain was so intense, it made her vision flash white. She nearly passed out. It wasn’t until the impact of the shot slammed her against a tree that she realized she’d been hit with an arrow, just below her clavicle. Felina was further sickened when she discovered the shot went through her shoulder and into the tree, pinning her there.
“You idiot!” Lion-O roared. “You could’ve killed her. I need her alive, at least for a little while.”
Felina’s eyes focused on Monkian as he emerged from some nearby brush. “Woo hoo! I know what I’m doing Mumm-Ra. You should be thanking me, you ungrateful bag of bones. She almost got away!”
Felina struggled weakly as the two approached her. “Wh--what have you done with Lion-O?”
Looking her squarely in the eye, the faux Lion-O sneered, “He’s dead. So don’t harbor any hopes of your hero coming to your rescue. And by the time the other kitties figure out what happened, it will be too late for you and them. This is what happens to cats who get curious about Mumm-Ra’s past!”
“No!” Felina choked, “I don’t believe you.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe,” he replied. Turning to Monkian, he continued, “Now, get her down from there and let’s see what’s in her little backpack.”
Monkian crudely ripped the arrow out of her flesh. Felina to cried out in agony as she fell to the ground. Blood quickly flowed down her arm and soaked the earth. She was helpless to resist as Monkian proceeded to rifle through her back pack. He soon produced the Book and the Key and gleefully handed them over to Mumm-Ra. When Felina looked up, Mumm-Ra had shed his disguise and stood before her in all his menacing, ever-living glory.
“Hoo HOO! Do you think Slithe and Jackalman have recovered the Sword of Omens yet?” Monkian wondered.
“They had better. Once I have the Sword, I will possess every source of ThunderCat power. And you,” Mumm-Ra said, glaring down at Felina, “will show me how I may tap into that power. Now, we shall return to the Black Pyramid and wait for those miserable Mutants to deliver the goods.”
With that, the trio dematerialized from the forest.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Cheetara couldn’t quite explain it, but she still felt strongly that Lion-O was in grave danger. The bad feelings hung over her, even though she saw with her own eyes that Lion-O walked away from the mine. But his curt and angry demeanor since his return had Cheetara’s senses further on alert. So while Lion-O was gone looking for Felina in the forest, Cheetara managed to convince the other ThunderCats to return to the mine with her.
Now, as she rode silently in the Thunder Tank, she wondered if it was her foolish pride that wouldn’t let the matter rest.
“A Sky Cutter?” Panthro’s baffled query jolted Cheetara out of her introspection. Sure enough, the Mutant vehicle was parked near the mine entrance.
“Something is definitely wrong here,” Tygra noted. “Why would Mutants be interested in a collapsed Thundrillium mine, unless...”
Cheetara gasped. “Unless I was right and Lion-O is buried in there!”
“And the Eye of Thundera with him,” Panthro added with a growl.
Cheetara’s mind was racing. “But if the real Lion-O is still in the mine, the one who came back home with us must have been--”
“Mumm-Ra,” Tygra finished for her. “And that means Felina is in great danger. But we’ve got to get Lion-O out of the mine before we can help her. Agreed?”
Panthro and Cheetara nodded grimly.
WilyKat stood up when the Tank came to a halt. “Let’s go rattle those Mutants’ bones.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The strong odor of damp earth filled Lion-O’s nostrils as he struggled to breathe. He guessed the mine shaft hadn’t completely collapsed, as he wouldn’t have survived something of such a scale. However, one of the mine’s crossbeams had him pinned flat on his back, not to mention the pile of loose dirt he was buried beneath. The berbil was nearby and managed to tell Lion-O he was badly damaged by the crossbeam. Lion-O tried to give the robot bear words of hope, but only ended up with a mouthful of earth for his efforts.
Lion-O was certain that the Berbils that escaped would contact the ThunderCats and they would be rescued in short order. But as the minutes flowed into hours, Lion-O began to feel a hopelessness more crushing than any amount of earth. Though he uncovered his head and torso from their earthy confines, Lion-O knew it wouldn’t be long before the air would grow too thin to sustain him.
Of all the ways the young lord imagined his life ending, getting buried alive was not a method he’d considered.
“This is it. This is how I’m going to die,” Lion-O lamented as he made one last, weak attempt to free himself. “It’s up to the remaining ThunderCats to carry on the Code of Thundera...”
“Don’t give up, young Lord.” Though Lion-O could not see Jaga, he knew the spirit of his mentor was near. “Your friends are fighting their way down here at this very moment. You must find the strength to hang on, Lion-O.”
“The...air...is so thin,” Lion-O wheezed.
“Call them with the Sword, Lion-O,” Jaga urged. “Call them so that they may find you quickly.”
In his weakened condition, Lion-O couldn’t free the Sword from the claw shield at his side; the weight of the crossbeam preventing that. Between shallow breaths, Lion-O whispered, “Sword of Omens, come to my hand.” The Eye of Thundera growled to life within the Sword and easily broke free. He found he was too feeble to even catch the Sword as it flew to his hand. The magical blade slid to a halt a few feet above Lion-O’s head. With the last of his strength, Lion-O commanded the Sword to summon his fellow ThunderCats. Lion-O squinted as the red cat signal illuminated the mine and blasted up toward the surface. He closed his eyes and prayed they would reach him in time.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One by one Lion-O’s senses came back to him, the roar of the Thunder Tank rousing him back to reality. When his eyes finally focused, he realized he was already in the Tank, lying in the rear cargo area. Cheetara looked down at him when he began to stir.
“He’s awake,” the cheetah said softly, laying a hand on Tygra’s arm.
“That he is,” Tygra responded. Kneeling beside Lion-O, he asked, “How do you feel?”
Pushing the oxygen mask aside, Lion-O couldn’t resist responding with an old Thunderkitten standard. “With my fingers.”
Tygra grinned. “Feeling well enough to be a smart ass I see.” Taking on a more matter-of-fact tone, he continued, “That crossbeam you were pinned under gave you some pretty nasty bruising. Luckily, no bones were broken. You’ll just be quite sore for a few days.”
When Lion-O pushed himself up to a sitting position, he understood what Tygra meant. His thighs and torso ached with the effort of his movements and he winced slightly. “What of the Berbil?”
“We already dropped him off at the Berbil Village. RoberBill said he’ll be as good as new with a new circuit board,” Tygra said.
Getting to his feet, Lion-O could see over the rear of the Tank that they were heading through the forest near Castle Plundarr at breakneck speed. “Where are we headed in such a hurry? Is something wrong?”
Tygra glanced at Cheetara and sighed. “Apparently, that mine cave-in was engineered by Mumm-Ra and the Mutants to, uh, take you out of the picture. While you were buried, Mumm-Ra actually impersonated you and we think he has Felina and the Book of Omens. We had to take care of the Mutants to get to you, and now we hope to get to Felina in time...”
Lion-O looked back at Tygra with determination. “Oh we will get there in time. And it’s been a long time in coming that we put that mummy in his place.” Lion-O wasn’t sure what had him angrier--the fact that Mumm-Ra used his image as a disguise, or that he had Felina as a hostage.
WilyKit and WilyKat stuck their heads into the hole that separated the front and rear compartments of the Tank. “We’re almost there, so--” Kit began.
“Be ready for action,” Kat finished.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Mumm-Ra, still in his ever-living form, brooded over his magical cauldron. His hostage lay behind him upon the altar. He wasn’t weary of turning his back to her. The lioness was so pale and weak from loss of blood from her injury, she could pose no threat to him. Besides, she was unarmed.
“So, those incompetent fools failed to finish off the Lord of the ThunderCats and retrieve the Eye of Thundera,” muttered Mumm-Ra as he gazed into the cauldron and saw the ThunderCats approach the Pyramid. “No matter. I have the Key and the Book. And with Lord Lion-O’s bride as my hostage, he will be forced to hand over the Sword of Omens.”
A burst of pain in his upper back cut Mumm-Ra’s musings short. Instinctively, he whirled around and struck the offending body. He was amazed to see the wounded ThunderCat had had the gall to attack him. Mumm-Ra was quite satisfied to see his blow sent her flying into the altar, her dagger clattering to the stone floor.
“Monkian!” Mumm-Ra barked. “Wake up and put our hostage back on the altar....and watch her this time, simpleton!”
“Hoo!” Monkian exclaimed while shrinking back slightly from Mumm-Ra’s obvious anger. “I--I was watching her, Mumm-Ra,” he feebly explained. “I merely glanced away for a second and she was on you...”
“No wonder you Mutants can’t advance -- you’re hopelessly incompetent,” the mummy grumbled, the stab wound stinging enough to make him mildly uncomfortable. “I gave you a simple task to do, now DO IT!”
“Y--yes, Mumm-Ra,” Monkian stammered. He clumsily scooped Felina up in his bulging arms and tossed her roughly onto the stone altar. “Now, girlie, if you know what’s good for you, you won’t try anymore stunts like that. You wouldn’t want to force me to bash your pretty head in...” threatened Monkian with a malicious glint in his eye.
Felina’s response was to sigh and turn her head away from the sight of the simian. “Good, we understand each other then,” Monkian said.
“End of the line, Mumm-Ra.” Mumm-Ra and Monkian spun around to see Lion-O and the rest of the ThunderCats standing on the other side of the cauldron. “Turn over Felina or else.”
“I don’t see that you’re in a position to make demands,” sneered Mumm-Ra as he rounded the altar to stand menacingly over the wounded Felina. “It’s a shame you didn’t meet your end in that mine ‘accident’. But I must thank you for delivering the Sword of Omens to me. Hand it over now or prepare to become a widower.”
Felina shook her head. “No, don’t do it! He already has the Book and the Key. He must not get the Sword as well.”
Mumm-Ra produced the Book and waved it tauntingly. “That’s right. I have 2 pieces to the puzzle of your ThunderCat power. And I will have the third....NOW.”
Mumm-Ra watched Lion-O carefully. He could already tell the young cat’s resolve was breaking. That was the ultimate weakness of fools that value things such as honor; they are far too willing to give up their power to spare one worthless life.
“Lion-O, don’t do it,” Felina pleaded. “Don’t worry about me. If I am to die, then it is fate. Fate has already demanded that you protect the Eye of Thundera above all things.”
Mumm-Ra’s eyes narrowed. He watched the ThunderCats look to their Lord for the next course of action. Sensing they may try an attack to rescue the girl, Mumm-Ra determined they would need evidence that he meant business. Raising his palm, he released a magical beam that brought Felina’s discarded dagger to his hand. “My patience is growing thin, cub,” Mumm-Ra growled, raising the dagger above Felina. A collective gasp went up from the ThunderCats when Mumm-Ra plunged the blade into the lioness’ wounded shoulder, causing her to writhe in pain. “The next stab won’t be so kind.”
“That’s it!” Panthro roared, snapping his nun-chucks. “I’m busting his skull!”
Lion-O held out his arm to halt the panther’s advance. “No,” he stated simply. A tense silence followed, until suddenly Lion-O threw the Sword of Omens over the cauldron toward Mumm-Ra.
“No!” Felina gasped. She watched the key to her people’s freedom sail toward the evil hands of oppression. “Mipilis, oerri ti ilta enti Ihesatura.”
Mumm-Ra looked down at Felina curiously as she spoke in a foreign tongue. “Ancient Thunderian prayers won’t save you now,” he thought with self satisfaction. Shock soon replaced his smugness, when the Book of Omens tore out of his grasp and met with the Sword of Omens in mid-flight. A blinding flash filled the dank chamber of Mumm-Ra’s tomb, followed by a deafening roar.
Mumm-Ra saw Monkian run to cower behind the statue of the Vulture King. He barely had time to be disgusted with the Mutant’s cowardice, because the entire Pyramid began to shake and fall apart. Mumm-Ra turned in time to see his sarcophagus crack and break.
“Noooo!” he wailed. The source of his rejuvenation destroyed, he withered and turned to dust.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Felina awoke hours later in the safety of her bed at Cats Lair. Because of the hazy veil the pain killers had her mind under, it took her a moment to remember exactly what happened. The last thing she remembered was the Black Pyramid literally crumbling around her. A falling cinderblock nearly finished her where she lay helpless upon the altar, and it would have, if not for Cheetara’s lightning fast rescue. The pain overwhelmed her shortly after, and she’d been out ever since.
Felina used her good arm to push herself into a sitting position. Whatever Tygra had administered for the pain worked great. Although she could move the wounded shoulder a bit without suffering much, the fact that her arm had been put in a sling told Felina she probably shouldn’t try to move it. Lion-O entered her room and clicked on the bedside lamp to fend off the gathering darkness. He placed the tray he carried over her lap. “Snarf thought you might be hungry,” he explained.
Lifting the lid on the serving plate, Felina was pleased to see it full of steaming hot meat and vegetables. “Looks delicious,” she said with a smile. “But I’m afraid my stomach is a little unsettled from the medication still. I’m going to have to wait and hope it goes away soon,” Felina added with regret as she replaced the lid.
“That’s what both Tygra and I told Snarf, but he insisted,” Lion-O replied with amusement. “How are you feeling?” Lion-O asked seriously.
“I’ll be able to assess that better when the drugs wear off,” she replied half-jokingly.
Lion-O nodded. “It’s been quite a day. Seems everywhere we went today, things were falling apart.”
“Not to mention Mumm-Ra impersonating you,” Felina added. “Can you imagine what could’ve happened if we had followed his orders?”
“Luckily, he can’t act as well as he can conjure up disguises. I hear he made a pretty ruthless impression of me.”
Felina sighed. “That’s an understatement. On your worst day, you couldn’t be that mean. By the way, that was mighty bold of you to just hand over the Sword of Omens to Mumm-Ra.”
Lion-O shrugged. “I just figured he’d give you up if he had the Sword, then we could figure out how to get it back. It’s not like he can use the Sword anyway. It can’t be used for evil intent.”
“Actually, there is a way it could. Not using the Sword directly, mind you, but with the Book there is a way to siphon the power of the Eye from the Sword. In that state, the power can be used for whatever intent deemed appropriate,” Felina explained.
“Perhaps that little fact should have been in my first lesson with the Book,” Lion-O stated with a slight smile. “But at least none of us would tell Mumm-Ra how to do that...right?”
Felina regarded Lion-O indignantly. “If you’re asking whether I revealed such a volatile secret to our arch enemy, the answer is no. It’s hammered home for a scholar at an early age what a weighty responsibility keeping the Book is, and I would never buckle under any kind of pressure or torture to betray that. I just worried because a being like Mumm-Ra has eternity to figure it out for himself.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound accusatory,” he apologized. “I’ll leave you to rest, but first I wanted to ask you...wasn’t it a bit dangerous to ask the Guardian to summon the wrath of the gods? I thought you told me that incantation has never been invoked because of the unpredictable way in which the gods react to such a summons.”
Felina was surprised that Lion-O had known what she had said in the Thunderian tongue. “He pays more attention to his lessons than I thought.” Out loud, she said sheepishly, “You know what they say about desperate times. I just couldn’t think of anything else that would be powerful enough. And yes, as you could tell by the fact that we almost got buried in the collapse of Mumm-Ra’s pyramid, the gods don’t distinguish good from evil when they unleash their anger.”
“I see,” Lion-O commented. “Oh, I also wanted to say, I’m sorry if I hurt you the other night...” His voice trailed off and he nervously shifted his weight from one leg to another.
“Correction--he pays too close attention to his lessons,” Felina thought. She sighed and said, “It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean any harm.”
After a thoughtful silence, Felina asked, “Do you think that will be the last we see of Mumm-Ra?”
Lion-O stared out the window at the twilight for a moment before answering. “Wrath of the gods or not, I don’t think he’s gone for good. We probably won’t hear from him for awhile, but I think he’ll be back.”
Felina was disheartened to hear that, but knew what Lion-O said was likely. After all, a being with the title of Ever-living wasn’t going to be easily disposed of. “I assume you wish to press on with the mission to uncover his past then?”
“Yes. The more we know about him and his origins, the better chance we have of winning the long term struggle against him,” Lion-O replied. “But for now, you get some rest. We managed to recover the Sword, Book and Key from the rubble of the Pyramid. So we can go into the Book and find out about Mumm-Ra as soon as you’re better.” He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead before leaving Felina to ponder the uncertainty of such an undertaking.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



If I listened to the things that you said
Everything would fall apart
If I did all the things that you do
Everything could fall apart
Let’s not listen to the things that they say
Everything can fall apart
Let’s think about our actions before we do them
Everything will fall apart

I got nothing to do
You got nothing to say
Everything is so fucked up I guess it’s natural that way
Everything falls apart

--Everything Falls Apart, Husker Du

Continued

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