A/N: I would like to thank Prairie24 for being my beta reader as well as my inspiration to wright this story.
I'm still not 100% on the direction I will take this story or if I will continue it. That all depends on the reader and what they think of it. So please if you don't like it don't flame it, If you do please review and suggestions are welcome. Hope you enjoy it.
Darkness had settled over Thundera, and the city was beginning to quiet down as the crescent moon started come over the horizon. Most of the city's citizens were in for the night - that is all but one. A lone figure could be seen, if anyone paid attention, perched up on the roof of one of the highest buildings in the city. The person was on the hunt for anyone that tried to bring harm to the city's citizens.
Dressed all in black with only his deep sky blue eyes showing, he watched the streets below him. Rumors had been going around that a big crime boss was planning on moving in some illegal substances into the city tonight. While the city guards tried to stop this man, they were bound by the laws. That was not the case for this cat. The laws didn't apply to him when it came down to protecting the city.
"Where are you?" he thought to himself as he waited.
Movement down the narrow street caught his eye, and everything in his body told him it was time. Yet if he didn't time his assault just right then everything he had been planning for up to this point would be for naught. So he waited, and as if on cue, the crime boss showed his face, just as the informant said. He reached to his side and pulled out what looked to be a small pistol. He aimed it across the alley and squeezed the trigger. It made little noise as a grappling line shot out and attached itself into the wall. Every muscle tensed as the young cat readied to spring into action.
When the moment came he wasted no time to strike. He stood up and with a deep breath he jumped from the rooftop hanging onto the line. He swung down and before the crime boss or his men knew what had happened he was on top to them. His strikes were quick and powerful, knocking out each one of them with a few well-placed hits. Before long the only one left standing was the boss himself. The young cat walked over to the boss who was looking about for anyone else to help him.
"You've brought in your last shipment," the young cat said in a deep voice.
"Please I'll cut you in on the deal; just let me go," the boss pleaded.
"I don't make deals with criminals," the cat in black responded. He went to say more but he heard the sound of the city guards coming. "Your reign of terror over this city is over tonight., he said and stepped right in front of him.
"What are you going...?" the boss started to ask.
The young cat looked down at the unconscious body of the crime boss and smirked. He looked down the street just as he spotted the guards running in his direction. They were yelling at him to not move, but he simply smirked under his mask. He pulled out his grapple and fired it above his head. With a quick tug on the line it began to retract and pulled him skyward just as the guards reached the scene. He looked down at them and gave a slight wave as he disappeared into the darkness of the night. A smirk was still on his face as he ran along the rooftops toward his home. Tonight was a success and the entire new tech that he had put together worked perfectly.
The Following Morning
Lion-O walked down the stairs of the palace on his way to breakfast. As he headed to the main dining room he could hear his father and brother Tygra talking. The topic of conversation made him stop just out the door.
"I'm telling you father, whoever this guy is, he handed Ghatoro over to the city guard on a silver platter," Tygra answered his father.
"I don't care Tygra; I will not have someone like this person running through the city and taking matters into his own hands," Claudus answered back,in a harsh tone.
His elder son just shook his head at his father. He could not understand why he was so against this one person taking down the criminals in the city that his own city guards could not even catch. As far as Tygra thought, what this guy was doing kept the guards and for that matter himself out of the slums of the city tracking these thugs down. It was a job that their father, the King, had asked him to do. It gave him time to flirt with the pretty young ladies in the court as well as one special Cleric.
For Lion-O, still standing outside the dining hall, he could not agree more with Tygra's thoughts on what this one person was doing for the city. Then again, the city guards were pretty much incompetent as far as he was concerned. He was sure a few of the area commanders were being bribed by the thugs to let their little ventures go unnoticed. What made it even worse was the fact that his brother, the Commanding Officer of the city guard appointed by his father, seemed to not only not care but was happy about the fact that someone else was willing to do the job for him.
"Prince Lion-O, what are you doing out here?" an elderly male voice said, bringing the young prince out of his thoughts.
He looked up and was a little startled when he heard Jaga catch him off guard. It was not like him to be taken off guard like that anymore. He was normally not so easy to sneak up on, but then again Jaga and his Clerics where the exception to that rule. Of course Lion-O never had an issue with a certain female Cleric surprising him.
"I was just getting ready to head in for breakfast," Lion-O quickly answered him. "What brings you here so early in the morning?" Lion-O asked his mentor.
"I have come to speak to your father about the recent events within the city and the rumors that are going around."
"Oh," he said sounding surprised. "And what rumors would that be?" he asked.
Jaga just looked at the young lion with a telling look. The elder Cleric knew well enough that Lion-O had heard about the rumors going around the city. So why he was just playing like he didn't know had Jaga thinking. Did the prince know something that he was not letting on to?
"Jaga please come in," the booming voice of King Claudus said from the dining hall, bringing the elder Cleric from his thoughts.
"Your Majesty, I need to speak to you about the reports that have come to my attention about our lone vigilante," Jaga said walking in with Lion-O in tow.
"Very well, let us go to my study and speak on these matters," the king said getting up from the table.
Without a word to his youngest son, the King and the elderly Cleric left the dining hall. The brothers watched the two leave for a moment before returning to their morning meal. Neither really said a word to each other as they ate.
"Well I have duties, so I will be going," Tygra said standing up. "Try to learn something today," he said walking away from Lion-O.
Lion-O let out a small growl deep in his throat at his brother's snide comment. He hated the fact that even at nineteen his elder brother always looked down on him and treated him like a child. If he only knew what he was capable of, then he was sure that Tygra would see him in a different light. However, it was something that he was sure he would never know about. Finishing his meal, Lion-O got up from the table and headed out the door. There was plenty that he needed to get done today and he was deep in his thoughts on what he needed to do first.
However, as he walked down the long corridor leading to the courtyard, he spotted Tygra with another young female. He watched as he brother talked to the girl with such ease and confidence. It was just another thing that frustrated him to no end when it came to his brother. He wasn't able to talk to women so easily, not like Tygra was able to. What made matters worse for the young lion was the fact that no sooner did he take interest in a female than Tygra came swooping in and found some way to take any chance he had with her away from him. It was the same with Lion-O's new interest.
She was about his age and had stunning ruby red eyes that he would get lost in and forget how to speak. When he did speak he was sure that he sounded like a giant fool. Somehow Tygra found out that he was interested in the cheetah Cleric and at every turn when Lion-O found himself able to talk to her Tygra seemed to show up and ruin everything.
Lion-O took a deep calming breath and kept walking; he had work to do before tonight, and he didn't need to think about his brother destroying his self-confidence when it came to women. There was too much for him to do, too much to prepare for.
As he moved across the palace he thought he heard someone calling for him. He stopped and looked around but he didn't see anyone at first. Then he saw it, a servant calling after him. Lion-O waited for the man to catch up to him.
"Prince Lion-O, I've been sent to find you. Your father wishes to see you in ihis study right away," the man said trying to catch his breath.
"Very well," Lion-O said with a slight groan.
He was not sure what his father wanted, but something told him that he was not going to like it the least bit. However, he knew that when his father called for him it was best not to let him wait too long.
"Father, you wanted to see me," Lion-O asked as he walked into his father's study.
"Yes, son, please come in."
Lion-O walked in and noticed Jaga; another Cleric was standing next to the elder Cleric. The person was in their full Clerical garb and Lion-O had no way of knowing who the person was. However, now was not the time for wondering who was under the robes. He faced his father and tried his best to square his shoulders and stand tall.
"Jaga and I have talked about the reports of the vigilante running about the city," Claudus started, and Lion-O had a bad feeling about where this was going. "I agree with Jaga, and for the time being a personal Cleric will be assigned to you at all times."
"Father, the Clerics are already charged with protecting the royal family, so why the personal guard?" Lion-O questioned.
"I feel that at some point this person will turn on the royal family," Jaga interjected.
Lion-O had expected this answer from one or both of them. The rumors that were going around the city said that even the royal family was corrupt and would become a target for this person. However, Lion-O knew differently. Sure there were a few nobles that could be taken down a notch with their underhanded dealing, but he knew for certain that the person would not attack the royal family.
"So for the time being son, this Cleric will be with you at all times," his father told him in a tone that left no room for discussion.
Lion-O wanted to argue with his father on this issue; having a personal guard following him everywhere he went was going to impede on his activities. He was going to have to find a way to escape from the Cleric and get on with his plans. However, it was going to take time to come up with a plan. Lion-O didn't say another word but nodded to his father and the elderly Cleric before turning around and walked out of the study. He didn't have to look back to know that his personal shadow was following him down the hall.
"Look, I know you have been ordered to watch me, but if and when I need it ,I would like some privacy from time to time," Lion-O told her as they rounded a corner of the palace.
"It is my job to keep you safe Prince Lion-O," the Cleric responded in a female voice.
Lion-O stopped for a moment and looked to the Cleric that was charged with being his guard. Something about her voice sounded familiar to him, but he could not quite place from where. He studied her for a moment but all he could see was a hint of her eyes behind the mask she wore. It was not enough for the young lion prince to see if his suspicions were correct.
"Be that as it may, I don't need a babysitter," Lion-O finally said after giving up on who was behind the mask. "I'm sure that my brother does not have one of you Clerics following him around like a shadow," he continued as he started walking again.
"No, Prince Tygra is not heir to the throne, like you are Prince Lion-O," she answered him.
"Perfect," was all he responded with.
After a few moments Lion-O reached his destination. He stopped for a moment before opening the door to his private workshop. He looked at the Cleric and let out a sigh. This was so aggravating that he ran a hand through his thick red hair. There was no way that he could let her in to see his collection.
"You wait out here," he told her.
"I am to be wherever you are," she answered.
"Whiskers," he groaned. "Look, this room is my private place and I let no one in here except maybe Snarf, and that's it." Lion-O told her. "So, you wait out here and if I need you for some reason I'll call for you," he said before unlocking the door and walking in.
It was dinner time by the time Lion-O walked out of his private room. Much to his aggravation the Cleric was still standing there where he had left her. He shook his head and headed down to the dining hall. His stomach grumbled after missing lunch, but he was too deeply involved with a new piece of tech that he was working on. He said not a word to her as they made their way to the dining hall. It was not until he was about ready to walk in when he stopped and looked at her.
"Don't you have something better to do?" he asked with an irritated tone.
She said nothing, but just stood there like a statue. Lion-O let out an aggravated growl before turning back around and going to his seat at the table. Dinner was not different from any other and having a Cleric standing behind him made things even worse. It was just more fuel for Tygra to pick on him. He wanted so badly to get up and shove his brother's snide remarks down his throat, but that would only bring his father's wrath down on him. So when dinner was over, Lion-O quickly left. He headed towards his room, with his thoughts on how he was going to ditch the Cleric babysitter
There were rumors that another shipment would be trying to make its way into the slums again. Apparently, the criminal bosses didn't listen to the warning left to them. Lion-O knew if that one shipment got in then there would be a lot of cats in the slums that would be paying the price for it in a few days. So his mind was quickly coming up with a plan to get out of the palace.
"Well, I'm going to turn in early for the night," he said as they came to his door. He was trying to get her to leave him alone. Looks like you need to get your sleep as well, so go and I'm sure I'll see you in the morning," he said with a bit of a sarcastic tone.
"I am not to leave your side your highness," she answered.
"Look…," he started in a frustrated tone, before taking a calming breath. "Remember when I told you I wanted some privacy from time to time, well this is one of those times," he told her.
"I will be right here if you need me," she answered.
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair before he closed the door to his room. There was no choice left to him now but to go with the only option left. He made his way over to his closet and changed into his all black outfit. Using all the training that he had, he quietly moved to the window in his room and opened it. Taking out his grappling pistol he shot a line across the courtyard. He looked back to the door for only a second before jumping out into the moonless night.
It was well into the early morning when he returned to the palace. His mission for the night was only a semi-success. He was able to stop the shipment, but the major players in the game had gotten away. He quietly climbed back into his window, but as he did he felt a presence in the room with him. He tried to move into the shadows, but before he could completely conceal himself he was being attacked. He room was too dark for him to see who it was, but they were fast and fought him harder and any thug he had ever faced to date.
There was a blur of yellow to his right, as he tried to avoid what was coming, but he was not quick enough to dodge the attack. He flew across the room and fell with a hard thud onto the floor. He tried to get up, but the attacker was on top of him before he could move. He let out a painful groan as his attacker pressed his weapon to his throat.
"Tell me what you did with Prince Lion-O now, and I might spare your life," a female voice asked laced with venom.
It was the cleric that had attacked him. Somehow she had gotten into his room and got the drop on him. He tried to throw her off of him, but the more he moved the more she pressed her staff to his throat.
"Master Jaga was right in having me here with the Prince. So where is he?" she spat at him.
He tried to answer but it was too hard with her pressing her staff to his throat. He had to get her off of him quickly before the guard heard the scuffle and came running. Yet no matter what idea came to him it always ended up with him getting his throat crushed. He let out a low deep growl of frustration for being caught like this.
"Well, if you won't tell me where he is then let's start by who you are," she said reaching for his hooded mask. She ripped it off and what she saw underneath caused her to quickly back away in shock. "Prince Lion-O, but…how…why?" she said bumbling for words.