The Heart of the Problem
By 18lzytwner
Chapter 1
The sound of the underbrush being trampled ruined the quiet of the forest. Birds and animals scattered as the first pair of feet were followed by a second. There was shouting and taunting soon followed by laughter.
"You really need to keep up bro," Sahara chuckled as she came to a stop alongside a stream. They had been running in the woods, something they had been doing for the last ten years. They were accompanied by their mother until they'd grown old enough to go on their own.
"I'm moving as fast as I can. How do you do it?" Leo asked as he huffed and puffed before collapsing on the ground.
"I guess I got a little more Cheetah in me than you do," she smirked as she dropped down beside him.
"I guess," he shook his head still trying to catch his breath. He was only two years older than his sister and now a budding adult at the age of twenty. Still he wondered how his eighteen year old sister kept her stamina up at those speeds.
"Well I'd say that this new prosthetic works great. No excess wear or tear and the bottom isn't hot like the last one," the younger litah was glad to see her new limb was working. The last one had melted when she tried running at full speed and she'd almost broken her arm trying to stop herself.
"You sure that one isn't rocket propelled or something?" Leo asked, teasing her.
"That would be awesome but then I'd be lopsided," Sahara chuckled.
"A critical success. You think you could carry me home?" He wondered.
"Are you ok?" She suddenly grew very concerned for her brother.
"I have no idea. I can't seem to catch my breath," Leo admitted.
"I know you're old but you aren't that old," Sahara tried to diffuse the situation with a joke. Leo rolled his eyes but then had to steady himself.
"I'm really dizzy all of a sudden," he said. Sahara helped him lay down and then she grabbed a towel from her backpack and soaked it in cold water from the stream. She placed it on his forehead to cool him down and then grabbed a water bottle out of her bag.
"Have you been hydrating?" She asked.
"I thought I was," he said, his eyes were closed and he tried to slow his breathing. Sahara frowned and checked his pulse. His heart was going almost as fast as their legs had been. She shook her head. This had nothing to do with his hydration. Once again it was into the backpack and she fetched the portable radio.
"This is Sahara calling Cat's Lair. Come in Cat's Lair."
"Cat's Lair here. What's up?" It was Punthar.
"I need a transport to my location ASAP. Something is wrong with Leo," the litah explained. There was silence for about thirty seconds before he came back and said,
"Transport is on its way with a medical team. I've got Pumyra on the line for you."
"Sahara, what's going on?" Pumyra asked.
"Leo's heartrate is super-fast, he's dizzy, and he's having trouble breathing. I know we were running hard but I've never seen him like this," the eighteen year old told her.
"All right. The transport is only a few minutes out. In the meantime, keep an eye on his pulse and his temperature. See if cooling him down helps and make sure he stays awake. I'll get the Med Bay prepped," Pumyra said.
"Ok will do," Sahara said. With that the radio call ended and the litah turned to her brother.
"Now the whole Lair is going to be in a tizzy," he said, his eyes still closed.
"Well you are the Crown Prince," she tried to keep it light as she took the now warm towel away and soaked it again.
"Yes well I think we all know that I'm not next in line to lead the ThunderCats," Leo smirked slightly, his self-deprecating tone obvious.
"I think the future King gets a crack at that job too," Sahara wasn't going to start that argument now. The fact was, the Sword of Omens had chosen her to bond with and had yet to show interest in her brother, the first true heir.
"I can hear the transport," she changed the subject.
"Good because I'm getting really tired," Leo admitted.
"Stay awake. The medics won't want you sleeping on the job," Sahara tried to make sure that he didn't lose consciousness.
"No sleeping on the job? Oh come on now," he joked. The transport was above them and para-rescue Cats jumped out of the airborne vehicle with a medical basket. They carefully secured Leo and sent him up to the waiting medics before grabbing Sahara. The Princess held onto the ThunderGuardsman as they ascended up to the transport and before they knew it, they were off to Cat's Lair.
To Be Continued…