Chapter 13 of Signal in the Sky


Defender
By Purrsia Kat

This chapter dedicated to Lance S. Duncan :-)


“What the--” Panthro croaked. He blinked in an effort to clear his blurred vision. His thoughts seemed just as mottled and unfocused as the scene that swam before his eyes. Then, a single lucid thought cut through the hazy swath, jolting the panther back to reality. “Cheetara!” he rasped, trying in vain to move his arms. “Damn!” he growled, squinting down the length of his outstretched arm at the shackles that chained him firmly to the wall. Though he strained against the restraints with all his might, Panthro was still too weakened by the fight with Grune and his Thundranium club to break free.
Panthro fought back a gag reflex at the overpowering stench of the dungeon. The pungent odor of human waste informed Panthro that he was likely held hostage in Castle Plundarr. His previous experience regarding the Mutants’ treatment of prisoners and their dungeon ‘upkeep’ practices made him almost certain of his suspicions. Panthro drew his knees up to his chest and let his head fall back against the cold stone wall. He was helpless to do much more than sit and think about Cheetara, and wonder if the same, if not a worse fate, had befallen her as well.
“If they hurt Cheetara,” he thought bitterly, “the Code be damned I’ll bust every bone in Slithe’s body.” He was at least past being angry at himself for failing to protect Cheetara. After all, he reasoned, what the hell could he do against Thundranium for Jaga’s sake? The sneer on Monkian’s face when he lunged at Cheetara with deadly intent was the last clear thing Panthro could recall. Anything that happened afterwards was just a blur of pain and darkness. Hell, he didn’t even know if Lion-O and Felina ever made it out of the Book of Omens.
The sound of Jackalman’s nervous cackle brought Panthro out of his thoughts. He stared into the darkness in the direction of the sound. Panthro emitted a deep growl as the glimmer of lantern lights illuminated the staircase leading down into the dungeon. The light soon revealed Jackalman, Slithe and Grune emerging from the corridor.
“Well, well, Grune...so it is true!” Jackalman brayed. “You did succeed in capturing a ThunderCat! I say we kill him before the others come to the Castle and rescue him.”
Grune’s glare was made all the more sinister by the flickering light of the lantern Jackalman clutched. “This is why you’re all lucky I’m here to lead you, fool! As for you, you cowardly jackal, you don’t have a say in Panthro’s fate. I recall you were here sniveling while the rest of us faced the ThunderCats.” He looked down at the bound ThunderCat with a mixture of disdain and amusement. “Besides, I have my reasons for keeping him alive...for now.”
“Still,” Slithe grumbled, “any ThunderCat that still breathes causes me concern. We had Tygra in our custody at one time, ready to be flung to the four winds, when that miserable cub saved him.”
Grune sighed, “I suppose I’ll have to spell it out to you. Let’s go!”
“Good,” Jackalman agreed, wrinkling his nose. “It smells bad down here anyway.”
Grune grunted. “I ought to string you up along side the ThunderCat, Jackalman...you’re about as useless!”
Jackalman snickered uneasily. Before following Grune and Slithe out of the dungeon, he turned to face Panthro. “I hope you enjoy your brief stay at Castle Plundarr. I’ll leave you with a gesture of Mutant hospitality.” With that, Jackalman kicked a pile of nearby manure onto the captive cat.
“You’ll pay for that,” Panthro growled, trying to shake the offending material off himself.
“Will I?” Jackalman mocked. “I don’t think you’re in any position to make good on that threat. Soon, your reputation will evolve from Panthro the Deadly, to Panthro the Done-in.”
Panthro scoffed. “You’re brave enough while I’m bound to this wall, Mutant, but I look forward to making you piss yourself when I get out of here.”
Angered, Jackalman swung the lantern wide. Panthro tried to shift enough to avoid its impact. The last thing Panthro remembered was the burst of pain as the lantern shattered against the side of his face.


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


“Lion-O,” Felina said with apprehension, “do you think this is a wise endeavor? I mean, you agreed with Tygra that you’d wait until--”
“I know what I said,” Lion-O cut her off sharply as he prepared to fire up the Thunder Tank. Though he still felt completely drained and nauseous from his time traveling turn in the Book, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Panthro needed to be rescued now, not later. “I’m not going to sit around and wait while Panthro is at the Mutants’ mercy.”
Felina, apparently in no mood for Lion-O’s hostile attitude, countered, “But to go after Panthro in the light of day is insane. They’ll see you coming miles away.”
“And when they do, they’ll get out of my way if they know what’s good for them,” Lion-O snarled, hitting the ignition sequence on the Tank’s control panel. He stared a moment at Felina, who stood beside the Tank, her brow furrowed. He could tell she didn’t care for this side of him at all.
“Well,” she sighed, her expression softening slightly, “if there’s no talking you out of it, then I’m going with you. You can’t face all the Mutants by yourself. But shouldn‘t we bring along the others?” She nearly begged the question as she jumped into the Tank’s passenger seat.
Bela followed suit, hopping onto Felina’s lap. “Looks like Snarf’s right. I better start keeping a closer eye on you, Felina. You should be resting.”
“No time for that,” Lion-O curtly replied to both Felina’s question and Bela’s remark. “Besides, Tygra would waste even more of my time than you just did trying to talk me out of going.”
The cat’s paw began its ascent and Felina squinted at the late afternoon sun that glared down on her. Lion-O pointedly ignored her heavy sigh, bearing down on the Tank’s throttle.
“Rrrwl. You two shouldn’t be so sore at each other,” Bela remarked.
“Neither of us are fit for battle right now. I just have a bad feeling about this.” Felina looked for any sign that Lion-O was paying heed to her worries. But he continued to stare straight ahead, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

*****

WilyKat entered the hangar, followed closely by his twin. “I know that socket set is around here somewhere,” he muttered, searching the shelves and boxes nearby. “We’ll never get that control panel fully functioning without it. I still can’t believe little Jax was the one who did all the damage in the first place.”
“Hey!” WilyKit exclaimed, “the Tank’s gone! You don’t suppose they all took off after Panthro and Jax without us?”
WilyKat gazed through narrowed eyes out over the horizon. “By Jaga, they have! Look!” He pointed at a plume of dust rising from the ground off in the distance.
“I can’t believe Tygra would leave Cheetara given her condition,” WilyKit said, her brow furrowed in concern. “And he seemed awfully set on waiting ‘til nightfall before we did anything...”
“Huh. Well he obviously changed his mind!” Kat declared as he grabbed his space board from its perch on the wall. “What I can’t believe is they left us out of the action again, Kit!”
“Wait! Who’s gonna watch the Lair?” Kit wondered.
WilyKat gave her a mildly annoyed glance. “I saw Snarf wandering around on our way down here. He can get stuck with boring Lair duty. Now let’s go!”
“Yeah,” his sister agreed, leaping onto her own board. “To Castle Plundarr!”

*****

“How do you feel?” Tygra asked, though his smile couldn’t completely hide his concern.
Cheetara sighed contently. “Much better. The contractions have stopped, but I’m still pretty tired and sore.”
“That’s to be expected,” Tygra said, visibly relieved. “We just can’t have that cub born too early.”
Cheetara propped herself up onto her elbows and allowed Tygra to adjust the pillow behind her back. “I owe Monkian a good thumping.”
“Yes, I believe the Code of Thundera might briefly slip my mind the next time Monkian and I cross paths,” Tygra said only half-jokingly. He leaned back in the chair next to her bed and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I’m still trying to think of the best way to infiltrate the Castle. Nightfall will benefit us some, but we still have some logistical hurdles to overcome...”
“Hm. What are Lion-O’s thoughts on the matter?”
Tygra sighed. “Actually, I was thinking of asking him to let me go alone.”
Cheetara gave her love a questioning look. “Oh?”
Tygra rose and paced at the foot of the bed. “Yes, for two reasons. Alone I have a better chance of getting inside the Castle undetected -- especially with my invisibility advantage. Secondly, Lion-O, although I know he probably won’t admit it, isn’t physically up to a scrap with the Mutants. I can tell he’s still suffering from a that jet lag type of illness brought on by the time travel.”
Cheetara smiled. “Jaga chose wisely when he named you head of Council. I’m sure Lion-O will agree with you. I know he can be quite headstrong, but he’s also a reasonable young man.”
“Yes, I’m sure he’ll--” Tygra ran to the window. “Great Jaga! I don’t believe it!”
Cheetara struggled to sit fully upright. “What? What is it, Tygra?” However, he didn’t have to explain, for it was then that she heard the source of Tygra’s distress. “I hear the ThunderTank -- he’s trying to rescue Panthro himself, isn’t he?”
Tygra’s scowl cut deep across his brow. “Not that I doubt the wisdom of the ancients, or Lion-O’s worth as our leader, but I tell you, Cheetara -- I fear that young lad’s rash behavior will never cease!”
“Not that I’m excusing his behavior, but you have to remember -- he missed a whole part of growing up when he aged so much in stasis.”
Tygra replied as he stalked across the room, “Maybe so, but his continuing to act out without thinking things all the way through is a testament of our failing him. Because of the aging phenomenon, it’s up to us to work all the harder to mold him into the wise leader we know he can be.”
Tygra nearly tripped over Snarf as he stepped into the hallway. At the last moment, Tygra leapt straight up and over the snarf. “Snarf! What in blazes --”
“It’s -- it’s Lion-O!” Snarf huffed, struggling to catch his breath. “He took off in the direction of Castle Plundarr. And the kittens have followed him, sneeeyarf! I don’t like this, Tygra.”
“Neither do I, Snarf. You stay here with Cheetara. I’m going to get reinforcements.”


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


Jax sat folded in a most uncomfortable position in the shadows, tucked in the corner of the Mutants’ council room. The boy kept a wary eye on the bulky saber-toothed Thunderian known as Grune. He was reasonably sure that they all had forgotten he was even in the room, and he hoped it stayed that way. The entire lot of them were agitated, and Jax knew better than to draw attention to himself whenever an agitated adult was within striking distance of him. He’d been the target of his own father’s misdirected anger too many times not to know better.
“I still don’t see why you won’t let me go down there right now and put his lights out, hoo HOO!” complained Monkian to Grune.
Jackalman snickered. “I used the side of his head to put my lantern light out.”
“Yessss,” Slithe interjected. “And you came running up the dungeon steps like a whining snarf with his tail on fire!”
“Well -- it was dark down there afterwards--”
“Enough!” Grune boomed.
Vultureman cackled. “You see what I have to deal with on a daily basis, Grune?”
“As far as I’m concerned, scavenger, the four of you don’t have 3 pebbles worth of brains between you.” Grune paid no heed to Vutureman’s indignant cries. Glaring at Slithe, he continued, “We’re keeping Panthro around for one reason -- I want to draw Lion-O into a trap here. If we kill Panthro too soon, he’ll know it.”
“How can he possibly know!” Monkian protested.
Grune walked around the table and bent so that he was face to face with the simian. “It’s that wretched Sword of Omens. In my days of being Jaga’s second banana, I’d seen it warn him when other ThunderCats were in danger.”
Monkian smiled weakly under the weight of Grune’s scrutiny. “Oh.”
They had been debating the proper fate of the blue panther for nearly an hour, and Jax simply wished they would shut up altogether. Then again, if they came to a conclusion as to Panthro’s fate, then they might start pondering what to do with a certain jackal pup...
“Let that mystic piece of tin warn him!” Slithe roared. “I say we eliminate the ThunderCat we have while we have the chance.”
“Fool! If he sees his friend dead through the Sword, he has no incentive to come here. And Lion-O’s head on a platter is the real prize,” Grune declared, punctuating the statement by driving his fist into the table, splintering the plank at the point of impact.
Monkian was either unimpressed with Grune’s show of brute force or he truly did have a pebble for a brain. Rising to his feet, he protested, “Lion-O will just bring along his friends and we’ll be beaten again!”
“You forget,” Grune seethed, mere inches from Monkian’s face, “that I know things about the ThunderCats you don’t. If the son is anything like the father was in his youth, the cub will come...alone.”
Monkian suddenly shoved Grune. “Outta my way! I’m going to bash that panther’s skull in whether you like it or--”
Before Jax could blink, Grune slammed Monkian with frightening ferociousness into the wall. The boy flinched, causing the chains that bound his hands and feet to rattle loudly.
Grune stepped over the unconscious heap that was Monkian toward the corner where Jax crouched, trembling. “You,” he growled, “on your feet!”
The combination of the chains and his uncontrollable trembling made obeying Grune’s command a difficult task indeed. Jax finally managed to get himself upright.
“How old are you, kid?” Grune demanded.
Jax gulped and dropped his eyes to the floor. “S-s-six.” His voice was little more than a pitiful squeak.
Jax stifled the urge to cry out when Grune lifted him off the floor by his tunic. “Then you’re old enough to stay the hell out of the way!” Grune tossed Jax aside. “Jackalman! Take this traitorous tyke somewhere and lock him up. We don’t need him getting in the way of our plans like he did at the Lair.”
“With pleasure,” Jackalman said with a sly grin. “We’d already have the Sword of Omens if it weren’t for this so-called Mutant. What a shame he was brainwashed by those insipid cats.”
Jax kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut, and lay curled in a fetal position. He could feel the warm moisture spreading through his pants and knew he’d wet himself in fear. Jax was petrified of the Thunderian more than all the other Mutants combined. His eyes flickered open briefly when Jackalman took him roughly into his clutches.
“Alright, brat, you’re off to Mutant Reform School,” Jackalman snickered, tucking the child awkwardly under his arm.
Grune proceeded to instruct Slithe and Vultureman. “You two...check all the canons and make sure they’re loaded with the Thundrainium shells.”
Slithe grudgingly agreed with a curt nod.
“Wait a minute,” Jackalman called from the threshold. “Did you hear something? I think I heard something...”
“That was just the draft from the hall blowing through your ears, Jackalman,” Grune snapped, “quit stalling and get that kid out of my sight!”


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


Panthro blinked past the dried blood that was crusted across his face. Navigating the dark dungeon stairwell was proving difficult with his head throbbing in pain caused by Jackalman’s earlier abuse. At least he’d recovered from the Thundrainium exposure enough to break free of his bonds. In fact, he’d succeeded in ripping the entire metalwork of the clasps out of the wall, leaving the bands still attached to his wrists.
Panthro paused mid-way up the dark corridor. He crouched down slightly, making sure his footing was secure upon the step he occupied. The sound of flapping wings was getting louder -- which meant that whatever was flying toward him was getting closer. Panthro gulped fearfully when he realized just what variety of creature was flying above his head -- bats!
He flailed his arms wildly at the group of bats, hoping to blazes to scare them away. It wasn’t so much the bats themselves he feared, but what they represented. Namely, the unbearable years he spent in the hellish Pits of Plundarr decades ago. It seemed an eternity before the miserable beasts winged their way past him. Panthro knelt down in the silence that followed, waiting for his fear and the horrifying memories to subside.
His composure finally regained, Panthro continued his painstaking trek up the dungeon stairs. When he got to the top step, Panthro cautiously peered around the corner. Seeing no sign of Mutants about the torch lit hallway, Panthro stepped out into the open. He wasn’t sure which way to go, so he arbitrarily decided on a direction. The Castle seemed oddly deserted, and Panthro vaguely wondered why they didn’t have the area near the dungeon more heavily guarded.
His aching head was in no condition to ponder such issues. “Who knows how Mutants think,” he grumbled.
Panthro turned the corner and spied a window at the end of that corridor. Assuming he wasn’t too far up inside the Castle, Panthro figured that window was as good an out as anything else. His attention was suddenly drawn to a shadow cast against the wall. He turned just in time to halt the downward swing of Jackalman’s club. Panthro squeezed the end of the club with all his might until the weapon splintered.
Jackalman’s expression changed from wicked determination to that of almost-comical fear. “S-slithe!” Jackalman howled at the top of his voice while backpedaling away from Panthro.
Panthro snarled. His punch landed squarely on the jackal’s jaw with a sickening pop. “You son of a bitch,” Panthro growled at the unconscious heap at his feet, “I owed you that.”


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

Felina watched the forest go by in a blur, as the Thunder Tank sped closer toward what would surely be a total disaster. Though the trees were devoid of their usual vibrant verdure due to the winter season, the day turned out to be a surprisingly balmy one. She could hardly revel in the pleasant weather, however. Not with Castle Plundarr looming ominously ahead.
Felina had to try one more time to convince Lion-O to change his mind. “It’s not too late to turn back and try a differnt approach,” she blurted, with no attempt to hide her apprehension.
Lion-O visibly tensed. “I’m growing tired of your protests, Felina. We’re here, and we’re going to get Panthro out of there.”
“And I’ve grown quite tired of your capriciousness!” Felina declared, her anger flaring. “I may not have the field experience you have, but even I know all you’re going to accomplish is getting us killed. It’s your duty to not only lead us, but lead us responsibly.”
Lion-O brought the Thunder Tank to a screeching halt. Felina fought to stop her forward inertia while keeping Bela secure on her lap. Without turning to look at her, he said coolly, “If you’re so worried about your own neck, then you’re welcome to get out now. And you really aren’t one to speak of duty -- I had to take an interest in your studies to even get you to crack a book.”
Felina paused, struggling to keep her temper in check. She was more than a little hurt that his interest in the Book of Omens was borne out of a desire to manipulate her. Ignoring that issue for the time being, she calmly replied, “I believe I’m not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea. Tygra didn’t--”
“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Lion-O said with a weary sigh. “I’m well aware of what everyone’s opinion of the situation is. But I’ve reached the proverbial point of no return anyway...we’ve probably already been detected on the Castle’s radar by now.”
Before Felina or Bela could comment, the Thunderkittens circled around the Tank upon their space boards. After a few playful cycles, the pair hovered near the driver’s side of the Tank.
“Kit, Kat...what in blazes are you doing here?” Lion-O demanded.
Pointing at the Castle only a few hundred yards ahead, WilyKat replied, “You’re not going in there without us.”
“Yeah,” agreed his sister. “We figured we could help distract the Mutants while you look for Panthro.”
“Let’s get on with it, then,” Lion-O conceded.
The kittens excitedly blasted ahead.
“Lion-O?” Felina’s voice now reflected fear that was real rather than imagined. Her eyes didn’t move from the Tank’s monitors as she continued. “We’re surrounded. Completely surrounded.”
As though on cue, armed Mutants by the dozen emerged from the brush of the surrounding forest. Without a word, Lion-O dropped the Tank into gear. Bela looked over the hood of the Tank, the concern evident on her face. “Kit! Kat!” the snarf called over the roar of the Tank’s engine. “Get in the Tank!” She pressed the button that opened the vehicle’s rear cargo doors, as Lion-O turned the Tank away from the Castle.
Her warning to the kittens was followed by a hail of Mutant laser fire. The kittens struggled to steer their boards through the deadly blue rays. Kat was the first to land into the safety of the Tank. Kit would have made the perilous trip likewise, if the concussion by a blast from the Castle itself hadn’t knocked her off her board. That same blast left behind the telltale linger of haze that were characteristic of the dreaded Thundrainium shell. Lion-O turned the Tank back in the direction of the Castle toward the fallen kitten.
“WilyKit!” Kat cried, jumping up onto the divider that separated the rear and front ends of the Tank.
Felina leapt to her feet and vaulted into the rear of the Tank. “Kat, get down from there. Getting yourself killed isn’t going to help your sister.”
A laser volley that came close enough to singe his whiskers convinced WilyKat to obey Felina’s sage advice. “I’m not just going to sit back here and do nothing,” Kat declared, situating himself behind the Tank’s own laser canon.
Felina cautiously peered over the divider wall. She saw Kit lying on the ground, and she seemed to be both injured and weakened. Felina gasped as she saw a reptilian Mutant rushing toward Kit, his weapon aimed at the kitten. Just when Felina thought the child would meet her end, she did a double take. A fuzzy pink and red streak blazed into the path of the reptile’s shot, sparing WilyKit, but at a deadly cost. Felina stood transfixed, stunned to have witnessed Bela’s demise. It seemed as though it took several minutes for her to take her next breath. Felina only took a cursory notice when amazingly, Panthro leapt from the brush and scooped WilyKit out of harm’s way moments later.
In fact, she nearly leapt out of her fur when Panthro’s deep voice came from behind her. “Felina. Kit needs medical attention.”
Felina blinked. And instead of comprehending what Panthro had said, she was only aware of the fact that the Tank was once again turning around. “We...we’ve got to go back for Bela. We can’t just leave her like that--”
Grasping her firmly by the shoulders, Panthro said sternly, “There’s nothing more we can do for her. It’s too dangerous to retrieve -- to retrieve her body. Right now, Kit needs your help. She messed up her leg pretty bad I think--”
Felina noticed the Panther’s eyes flash with a mixture of rage and disgust as they focused on something behind her. Instinctively, she turned to have a look for herself, only to be stopped by Panthro’s rough grasp. “Felina...don’t,” Panthro warned before hollering over his shoulder, “Lion-O, shut the damned cargo doors!”
As the doors came down, Felina managed to catch a glimpse of what had Panthro so uptight. There in the path behind them stood a band of reveling mutants. In the center of the gleeful group was the reptile who’d nearly finished Kit -- proudly hoisting Bela’s limp body into the air on the end of a spear.
The Tank rocked violently as the Mutants fired another barrage of Thundrainium shells. The resulting turbulance sent Felina tumbling to the Tank’s floor. She slid down the length of the compartment, the wall providing her with a painful stop. Kit slid next to Felina, howling out in pain as the rough ride wreaked havoc on her injuries.
Kit’s cries pierced through Felina’s veil of grief. Felina sat up and gingerly placed her hands on the girl’s affected leg. WilyKat watched over the examination with a mix of curiosity and worry. “Is she gonna be alright?”
Felina noted Kit winced only when she applied pressure to the cub’s ankle. “I think she just twisted her ankle....her leg doesn’t appear to be broken or fractured at least,” Felina answered flatly. The weakening affects of the Thundrainium only added to Felina’s lackluster mood.
“That’s good,” Kat responded, the worry disappearing from his face. “I’m going to squeeze up front and see if Lion-O can use some help blasting a few Mutants.” The boy scampered on all fours toward the opening between the two seats of the front compartment.
Panthro, who had managed to stay standing during the last attack, awkwardly cleared his throat. “Hey kid....I’m sorry about your friend.”
Kit tried to keep her sympathetic smile steady while Felina wrapped her swollen ankle. “Yeah. If it weren’t for Bela’s bravery, I’d be nursing something a whole lot worse than a twisted ankle and a few bruises.”
A slight smile flickered across Felina’s face. Looking up at Panthro she gasped, realizing for the first time that he was in need of medical attention as well. “Hey, you’re hurt, too.”
Panthro shrugged off her concern. “It’s not as bad as it looks -- scalp and facial wounds tend to bleed a lot is all. Besides, I’ve been dealt a tougher hand by Mutants when I was in --” Panthro grimaced and his jaw clenched, as if he were in pain. The Tank rocked with the force of another bombardment, causing Felina to seriously wonder if they would make it through the Mutant gauntlet alive. “Well, I’ve been through worse, anyhow. Lucky for me, this generation of Mutants are as stupid as they are ugly.”
“Hey, looks like we have a whisker of a chance now.” Kat shouted to be heard over the din of the fight, as he called back to those in the rear. “Tygra’s showed up with Turmagar and his troops.”



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

Slithe stared blankly at the slain snarf creature the reptilian underling tossed onto the table. “What’s this?”
“I’ll tell you what it is,” Grune said. “It’s a token of failure!”
The triumphant smirk on the underling’s face melted into an expression of indignant bewilderment.
“Failure?” Monkian echoed. He rubbed the knot on the back of his head he received when Grune slammed him against the wall earlier.
All Jackalman could do was nod in approval of Monkian’s query, his busted and wired jaw preventing him from speaking intelligibly.
Grune paced about the Mutants’ war room. “Yes, failure! Taking out a snarf is akin to shooting a caged rabbit with a pellet gun -- hardly a feat worthy of bragging about. The only acceptable victory would be if Jaga’s precious protege was lying dead upon the table.”
Slithe narrowed his eyes. “I told you we should have finished Panthro while we had the chance! Now, not only has he escaped, but his would-be rescuers have as well!” Slithe hoped the others would see the situation as he did -- that Grune was a hopelessly incompetent leader. After all, Slithe didn’t scratch and scheme his way from lowly Mutant cook to become leader, only to be usurped by a Thunderian of all things.
Grune scoffed. “If a couple of ThunderCats can escape an entire troop of Mutants, that’s pathetic on the part of your leadership, oh great commander Slithe.”
Slithe boldly stepped up to Grune, too angry to be cowed by the Thunderian’s intimidating presence. “I s-s-seem to remember it was some overconfident blow-hard that declared Lord Lion-O would come alone.” A secret part of Slithe rejoiced in the current failure. When he finally achieved the dream of crushing the ThunderCats and possessing the Sword of Omens, Slithe wanted to be sure that he and he alone received the glory. He’d show High Commander Ratilla that he wasn’t just some dispensable fool, in charge of the Plundarrian misfits and sent on a suicide mission.
“And all that wouldn’t have mattered,” Grune retorted, “if your gunners could hit the dark side of the Moon of Plundarr.”
Monkian shook his head in agitation. “The two of you stop arguing already, hoo HOO! You’re giving me a bigger headache.”
Grune positioned himself so that he was nose to nose with the simian. “You’re lucky all you have is a headache. Next time, I won’t merely dent your skull. I’ll crack it open like a coconut. You can understand that concept, can’t you monkey boy?”
Jackalman’s face contorted into a bizarre expression that was half grin, half grimace. It was clearly a disadvantage for him to be prone to fits of laughter in his current condition.
Monkian avoided Grune’s piercing stare. “W-whatever,” he mumbled.
Vultureman was too excited about the other capture of the battle -- WilyKit’s spaceboard -- to be unnerved by his comrades‘ battle of wills. The bird ran his hand over its smooth metallic surface. “Caw! Just imagine what we can learn of Thunderian technology, just from this kitten toy!”


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

Snarf rushed down the stairs to greet the Thunder Tank as it rumbled to a stop in the Lair’s courtyard.
He approached just as Tygra was attending to Panthro. Inside the Tank, Tygra was prodding Panthro’s battered face. “Ouch!” Panthro exclaimed with a measure of annoyance.
Snarf was taken aback at the sight of Panthro’s injuries. Even though most of the blood had been wiped off his face, it still looked to Snarf as if the Mutants used Panthro’s head as a punching bag.
“Does it hurt here as well?” Tygra asked, once again applying pressure with his fingertips to Panthro’s cheek.
“Only when you press on it,” Panthro responded while swatting at Tygra’s hands.
Tygra glanced up at the Lair. “Your cheekbone is likely fractured. We can treat that better in the infirmary.”
“Bah,” Panthro scoffed dismissively. “What are you going to do? Put my face in a cast? Just keep your fingers away from my face. I’ll be fine.”
Tygra sighed. “Do whatever suits you. At least you got off luckier than others did this time out.”
Panthro leapt from the Tank and took to assessing the damage. “Holy hell! Would you look at the damage those blasted Thundrainium shells did? And on top of this, I have to build another space board,” he grumbled.
Felina glanced at Tygra, who now held WilyKit in his arms. She seemed as though she was about to say something to him, but Snarf could no longer contain his joy at seeing them all arrive and intact. “Lion-O! Tygra! Panthro! Everybody! Thank Jaga you’re all okay! Cheetara and I have been so worried about you all. What’s worse is, we learned the Black Pyramid is standing once again. I thought for sure that old bone bag would show up and make whatever trouble you got in, worse, sneyarf snarf.”
Lion-O came out of his own noticeably dark mood at that bit of news. He exited the Tank and circled around the front to stand before the frazzled snarf. “What? How do you know?” The others piled out of the Tank as well and gathered around Snarf.
“Rwwl. Well, the telescreen was working well enough to give us that information,” Snarf explained. “The reception was a bit fuzzy, but there’s no mistaking that creepy skyline. The Pyramid is back, and Mumm-Ra likely with it. Sneeeyar-arf!”
Tygra frowned and Kit squirmed a bit in his arms. He looked to Lion-O and Felina. “Looks like time is getting short where Mumm-Ra is concerned. Didn’t you say you’d brought back some information pertaining to Mumm-Ra’s human form?”
“Hmmmph,” Panthro snorted, glancing up from his inspection of the Tank’s tread, “I can’t believe that mummy was ever human.”
Felina’s voice was little more than a whisper when she spoke. “Yes, we did. I didn’t want to remove any artifacts from the past, so I took the liberty of committing certain documents to microfiche. They’re all on the desk in my bedchamber.”
“Good,” replied Tygra. “Those need to be analyzed quickly.” Returning his gaze to Snarf, Tygra continued, “And just what is Cheetara doing out of bed? She’s supposed to be restricted to bed rest, Snarf!”
Snarf shrunk back slightly and let his ears droop. “I told her that, Tygra. But she was just so worried...and besides, I had enough to worry about --- what with Lion-O running off like that!” Snarf regarded his charge with a combination of hurt and annoyance.
Lion-O simply cast his eyes to the ground and sighed.
“And there’s no dinner, because on top of everything else,” Snarf continued, his agitation evident, “that Bela rearranged my entire kitchen again. I can’t find anything in there!”
WilyKat glanced up at Tygra with alarm. “Uh, Snarf--”
“I know, I know,” Snarf interrupted. “As a kindred species I shouldn’t speak poorly of her, but that female really gets under my fur. In fact, I’m starting to think she does it on purpose.”
Tygra looked anxiously at Felina, who was biting her lip hard. “Snarf, you should --”
Snarf waved his hands dismissively. “I know what you’re going to say, Tygra. I should just tell her how I feel. Well, I’ve tried to the nice way, sneeyarf snarf. Now she’s going to get a dose of good old fashioned snarf attitude. Where is she, by the way?” Snarf took a few steps this way and that, his eyes scanning the area around the Tank for any sign of Bela. “I assumed she went with you guys.”
“I -- I need some air,” Felina said shakily, and hurried off toward the drawbridge.
Snarf puzzled over her comment. They were all outside, for Jaga’s sake. The air was going to be just as fresh -- not to mention just as chilly -- where they stood as much as anywhere else. “It’s nearly dark out!” Snarf called after her. “And it’s going to get really cold, and you don’t have proper clothes on!” His advice unheeded by Felina, Snarf turned to the remaining group. “What’s got into her? Was it something I said?”
“Snarf!” Panthro cried impatiently. “Bela’s dead.”
Snarf was momentarily flabbergasted, his mouth working but no words forming from its efforts. “I -- I -- I didn’t know,” he finally stuttered.
Tygra sighed heavily. “If you’d have stopped going on about Bela for an instant, you would have known, Snarf. That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you.”
“Rwwwl. I -- I feel awful. I really stuck my paw in my mouth this time. Heck, make that all four paws and my tail.”
Panthro scratched his head. “If only that were literally true. Then we’d have some quiet around here at least.”
“I’m going to get these shivering kittens inside,” Tygra said, referring to Kit and Kat. “And then Cheetara is due for a stern lecture for ignoring my medical advice.”
“I think I’ll skip out on that world of joy and get working on repairing the Tank,” Panthro said, patting the hood of the Tank affectionately before heading for the hanger and his tools.
Once everyone dispersed, Snarf and Lion-O were left alone. The pair remained quiet for an awkward moment. “How...how did it happen, Lion-O? And Jax....is he -- ? You know, is he...too?” Snarf asked in a small voice.
Lion-O rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Snarf, I couldn’t tell you what hand fate has dealt Jax. Things happened too fast to even attempt locating him. But, I don’t think even the Mutants would do away with a child of their own kind.”
“Oh.”
“It all happened so fast,” Lion-O repeated. “The Mutants came out of nowhere. I was just going to seal off the passenger compartment when Bela leapt out of the Tank...and...and was...” He trailed off, looking out over the horizon at the gathering twilight as if searching desperately for a distraction from the very thought of Bela’s last moments. “But if she hadn’t acted when she did, we’d likely be without WilyKit right now.”
Snarf was speechless for a rare time in his many years. Sure, he often complained about Bela. But the truth was, he was going to miss the old girl. Snarf wasn’t sure how long he’d been wrapped up in his thoughts, but when he looked up he saw Lion-O preparing to mount WilyKat’s space board. “Where are you going now? To find Felina?”
“No, Snarf,” Lion-O answered. “My guess is I’m the last person on Third Earth she wants to see now.”
Snarf frowned. “Why would she be upset with you, Lion-O? You didn’t kill Bela -- those blasted Mutants did.”
“That may be technically true, Snarf. But it was my poor leadership decision that lead to the circumstances under which Bela perished,” Lion-O sadly admitted. “Although Tygra and the others have avoided pointing that out, it’s true nonetheless.” Balancing upon the hovering board, Lion-O continued, “I just need some time and solitude to work this out.”
Snarf bit his lip to squelch the laundry list of worrisome warnings. He had to remember -- Lion-O was grown now and could take care of himself. Even if it was dark out there. And cold. And with Mumm-Ra, the Mutants, and Jaga only knew whoever else wanted a piece of the Lord of the ThunderCats lurking around. “Okay,” Snarf conceded with effort. “I’ll tell the others not to worry.” He figured he could do the worrying for the whole lot of them.
“Thanks, Snarf.”
Snarf heaved a sigh as he watched Lion-O disappear into the darkness.


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


Felina rubbed her arms and shivered against the cold. Her short fur provided her with some protection against the season’s chill, but not enough to completely shield her from it. She found herself heading in the direction of the burned-out Emite village, instinctively going that way in her distress. Tired of walking and her head feeling swollen and achy from weeping, Felina sat down against the trunk of a great oak tree just off the path. She sat there with her eyes closed for several minutes. She thought she’d surely lost her mind when she opened her eyes to see Alderan standing before her in the pale moonlight.
“A--Alderan?”
“Come inside,” he replied, motioning for her to follow. “Get warm.”
Completely stunned out of her sorrow, Felina followed Alderan farther into the forest. They soon came to an outcropping of jagged rocks. Alderan led her around the side where he disappeared through a narrow opening in the wall of rock. Felina had to make quite an effort to squeeze her much larger frame through.
Felina looked about the modest shelter, which was only supplied with the most basic of necessities. As she stepped before the fireplace to warm herself, she marveled at what a contrast this abode was compared with his hut in the former village. Gone were his massive collection of books. Not to mention the shelves of herbal remedies and elixirs he once owned. All were lost in that horrid inferno.
“You must be troubled to be out in the forest by yourself, child.”
Felina, her eyes fixed on the flickering flames, nodded in reply. “It’s not been a good day.”
Alderan reached over the fire, careful not to let the drooping sleeves of his robe hang into the flames. He retrieved the tea pot from atop the iron plate that hung inside the fireplace. After offering Felina a steaming cup of the tea, he remarked, “Your faithful companion has parted from this world, yes.”
Felina nearly choked on her first sip of tea. “How did you know?”
“Many of my fellow Emites survived the Great Fire, Felina. We see much that goes on in and around the forests,” he explained.
The lioness was truly glad to finally have confirmation of not only Alderan’s survival, but that of some of his brethren as well. “But you live here....alone?” She couldn’t help but notice how truly haggard the Emite looked. His scraggly beard was now completely white, and the wrinkles on his face more pronounced than she remembered.
“Aye,” he confirmed. “My people are scattered once again. We likely should have never banded together in the first place. Even still, we are determined not to be driven into the underground caves as the majority of our ancestors were.”
“Yes. My husband has met the descendants of your ancestors,” Felina remarked. “He said that so many generations had been forced to dwell in the dark caves within the Maze of Infinity, they couldn’t come to the surface now if they wanted to -- their eyes unable to bear the bright light.”
“Indeed. Those few who escaped that cruel fate scattered to the four corners of Third Earth. Eventually, they came back together and formed the small community in the jungle you knew. But then the fire....seems our existence was not meant to be an easy one.”
Felina felt the urge to express the sincere apology she’d longed for him to hear since the blaze that shattered both their worlds. “Alderan. I’m sorry I brought that terrible fate down upon your village.”
Alderan waved off the apology. “No, no. That devil priest has been the instigator of my people’s persecution for ages. He would have found our settlement eventually, so do not blame yourself. In fact, you and your feline cohorts have delayed or prevented that unnatural being’s persecution of several tribes of Third Earthling by diverting his energy and focus upon yourselves. At least your kind is a formidable enough opponent to his evil to withstand his treachery for the most part.”
“It’s selfish to admit,” Felina confessed, “but sometimes I wish I’d never been reunited with the ThunderCats. When I found them, the Mutants and Mumm-Ra were discovered along with them. Things were so much easier when I was in the village. And Bela....Bela would still be with me if...”
Alderan reflected quietly a moment. “Responsibility such as you bear is not always pleasant or easy,” he agreed. “But if people like the ThunderCats won’t stand up against the dark forces of evil, who else can?”
“Like I said, it’s a selfish way for me to feel, but I feel it nonetheless. I just have to wonder why we were chosen to be the defenders of the meek.”
“Ah, fortune is an odd mistress to court. She has many moods. I’ve found it’s best not to question why fortune leads you down the path she chooses -- no matter whether she’s smiling upon you or dealing the harshest of blows,” advised Alderan.


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


Lion-O cruised about the countryside aimlessly. He eventually found himself near the wreckage of their original spaceship. Suddenly feeling compelled by the mangled mass of metal that was once the Royal Flagship, Lion-O veered the space board sharply to the right. Dismounting near the ship’s open side hatch, Lion-O carefully navigated the warped ramp and entered the fuselage. The roof had several gaping holes in it, allowing the moon to bathe the ship’s interior with its mellow light.
Lion-O rummaged through the wreckage half-heartedly, doing so in an effort to put off facing the ThunderCats’ collective disappointment in him more than by a need to actually locate anything particular. Out of nowhere, a familiar blue aura saturated the room in its glow. Lion-O spun on his heel . “Jaga!”
“Lion-O,” the apparition spoke, “you seem troubled. What’s on your mind?”
He hesitated to say precisely what he was thinking of doing, knowing Jaga wasn’t likely to approve. Going against his better judgment, Lion-O confessed, “In light of my recent poor decision and the resulting tragedy....I think it would be best if Tygra took over as Lord of the ThunderCats. At least until I can get a grip on my impulses.”
Jaga’s concern was evident. “You mustn’t let a mistake -- no matter the scope of its consequences -- keep you from fulfilling your sacred duty.”
Turning away from Jaga, Lion-O shook his head vehemently. “No disrespect, but I feel you’re wrong on this, Jaga. As of right now, anyway, I’m unfit to lead.”
“Do you honestly believe every decision your father or I made, right up until Thundera’s demise, was perfect and without cost?” Jaga implored. “As long as you realize the underlying lesson of your mistakes, you will become a better leader. But ducking your responsibility to lead will hurt the ThunderCats more than any poorly executed plan.”
“I’m not ducking anything,” Lion-O argued, more than a bit resentful. “If anything I’m swallowing my pride enough to admit I can’t handle this job right now.”
“I realize that upholding the tenants of the Code of Thundera and acting as the guardian of the weak and defenseless is not an easy task,” Jaga conceded. “But no one ever said upholding those virtues would ever guarantee your own happiness or security.”
Keeping his back to Jaga, Lion-O scowled fiercely. “This isn’t about me or my happiness.”
Lion-O immediately regretted his stubbornness when the blue light faded from the room marking Jaga’s exit. Turning around, Lion-O futilely cried, “Jaga....wait!”
The moonlight shining off a metal box near the spot Jaga had disappeared caught Lion-O’s eye. He vaguely thought it odd that he hadn’t seen it lying there when he first entered the ship. He ran his fingers over the smooth metal surface of the box’s lid and the ThunderCat insignia etched there. The box was perfectly square, measuring two feet by two feet. Lifting it up, Lion-O was surprised at how light it was; its metal construct nor its contents lending it much heft.
Once Lion-O seated himself on a nearby sturdy piece of debris, he popped the lid back on its hinges. Inside sat a neat stack of papers. He carefully extracted the paper that lay atop the pile and gingerly unfolded it. Lion-O squinted in the dim light to decipher the handwriting on the page. It appeared to be a letter his father, Claudis, had penned nearly a decade before Thundera met its end. In fact, thanks to the knowledge of Thundera’s history the Time Capsule had imparted on him, Lion-O deduced from the date on the letter it was written on the eve of Thundera’s most legendary battle. More specifically, it was the self-same battle in which his father had been seriously injured as well as blinded, making it necessary for Jaga to step into the role of Lord of the ThunderCats. Lion-O was further intrigued to see the letter was addressed him, though at the time Lion-O would have been not much more than two years old.

Day 146 of Thunderian Year 1260


To my son, Lion-O, future ThunderCat Lord:

I write to you on the eve before I depart for the Northern Border. Though I’m full aware that you are too young to read my words now, this is a mission from which I’m not likely to return. My hope is that someday, as you take the reins of the kingdom and with them the fate of your fellow Thunderians, you will understand through this letter all the things I never lived to show you in life. With your mother gone and my own fate closing in on me, I hope that you will spend a productive youth under Jaga’s capable care and heed his wise advice.
By the time you read this, you will already have knowledge of the weighty responsibility you inherited, as well as possess the essence of your destiny -- the mystic Sword of Omens. With Jaga’s advanced age, it’s likely you will take over the Lordship at a young age. Though it may be a difficult path to trod, my son, do not grow disheartened. Stay strong and keep the faith in the Code of Thundera just as strong in your heart as it was in the heart of the first Thunderian to possess the Eye of Thundera. For if you truly know the meaning of the Code of Thundera -- Justice, Truth, Honor, and Loyalty -- it will become more than just an ideal, manifesting into a force that will someday overcome the evil hatred that fuels the Thunderian / Mutant feuds.
I have nothing but the utmost faith that you will grow into a fine man. I only regret that I was not be there to witness that growth and guide you through it. As a ThunderCat Lord, much will fall on your shoulders. Find the strength to bear the burden in your faith in the Code of Thundera. The Code, along with your fellow ThunderCats’ belief in the same, will get you all through the most desperate of hours and the darkest of days.

Your father,
Claudis

Following the closing of the letter, Lion-O read a portion that appeared to be added later. It was written in someone else’s hand but marked with the seal his father used to sign official documents after he’d been blinded.

Though I did, in fact, live through what was the most treacherous of battles, I find this letter rings with a renewed relevance on this, the day of Thundera’s destruction. I must stay behind and guide the Flagship off this dying planet. Regardless of whether I can escape in time myself, it is not likely that we will meet again, my son. I am truly grateful that I had more years than I ever thought I would with you. Still, trying times surely lie ahead for you and your charges. Therefore, I hope you find comfort and wisdom in the above letter.

Lion-O returned the letter to the box and shut the lid. He sat there for a long moment, letting the contents of the letter impress upon him. Unsheathing the Sword of Omens, Lion-O studied the dagger-length blade, with the mystic Eye in the hilt dark and sleeping. He thought of his father and his father’s father, his mind going as far back into his family tree as he could fathom. He marveled at how they had held the same blade, upheld the same code, and lived the same dream.
Gathering the box, Lion-O walked out of the wreckage with his head held high. He would return to Cats Lair as Lord of the ThunderCats and confront his folly head on. If one thing registered from his father’s letter, it was this: he was given an unusual power and Lion-O had to get serious about it. It was not Tygra’s job to take over the Lordship. At least not while Lion-O still had breath in him. He was determined to find a way to cope with his position and make his father proud.


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

When You Are Old Enough To Read These Words
Their Meaning Will Unfold
These Words Are All That’s Left
Though We’ve Never Met My Only Son I Hope You Know
That I Would Have Been There To Watch You Grow
But My Call Was Heard And I Did Go
Now Your Mission Lies Ahead Of You As It Did Mine So Long Ago
To Help The Helpless Ones Who All Look Up To You
And To Defend Them To The End

Defender
Ride Like The Wind Fight Proud My Son
You’re The Defender
God Has Sent

Father, Father
Father I Look Up To You And Heed Thy Call
This Letter Ends My Search I’ll Live Your Dream
Now Passed On To Me
And I Now Wait To Shake The Hand Of Fate
Like The Dusk Awaiting Dawn
So Wizards Cast Your Spell With No Heart To Do Me Well
So It Is Written
It Shall Be

---Defender, Manowar

Continued

Back to Fanfic Archive