New ThunDera: fall 4455 (September)
It had been a few months since Lion-O had gone into the Book of Omens for his extended training and while he was in there he defeated Mumm-Ra once and for all. It had been a long, hard-fought battle and Lion-O was exhausted, both physically and mentally by the time it was over. The Guardian sent him out of the Book with its thanks and a mention of the prophecy of a human woman coming to join with the lion lord.
"Is that happening now?" Lion-O asked, surprised.
"Yes and she will arrive on Third Earth and soon," the Guardian told him as Lion-O grew thoughtful. He sent the lion lord out of the book and into the Sword Chamber and Lion-O found Lioness-A waiting for him. She was smiling.
"Good going on getting rid of Mumm-Ra," Lioness-A said as Lion-O exhaled, glad to be home. She came up and hugged him as he grinned. "His pyramid here has been flattened and there's no sign of him or Ma-Mutt," she added.
"That was by far the hardest battle I have ever faced against him too," Lion-O said and sighed heavily as Lioness-A laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He placed the Sword on the stand and the claw shield below it and turned to regard her. "How'd you not sense anything?" he wondered.
"The Guardian shielded my end of the bond so I wouldn't feel it. He told me right after you went in," Lioness-A answered as they left for the council room. The others were there and they greeted Lion-O with hugs and high-fives. He told his friends the news of the prophecy then.
"That's coming into play?" Cheetara asked in surprise. Lion-O nodded.
"The Guardian was firm in that it was happening soon and this woman, whoever she is, will arrive on Third Earth," Lion-O said. It was decided that a regiment of Thunderguard could guard Third Earth and they could bring Tygra and Pumyra back along with the human woman if she should show up while they were staying there preparing the Thunderguard for guard duty. Lion-O could use the break on Third Earth to rest and try to relax after dealing with Mumm-Ra. His twin sister and the other Thundercats were overjoyed he'd gotten rid of the mummy and agreed that a time away might do the lion some good. He'd been under a good deal of strain before going into the Book and the battle with Mumm-Ra hadn't helped either since it came at the end of his training. They had a Thunderguard detachment along with a senior Thundercat named Jaguarus holding down the Cat's Lair on New ThunDera while they were gone.
Cynthia's arrival: Third Earth 4455 fall (October)
Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats was out visiting the Berbils near the lair a couple of weeks after the Thundercats had arrived when he heard what sounded like a huge thunderclap in the distance. His twin sister Lioness-A came up a moment later.
"Any ideas what that was?" she asked. He shook his head.
"It came from near the Trollog's encampment," Rober-Bill said as the two looked at each other. A few minutes later they heard a scream and took off towards the direction and came upon a young woman trying to outrun the two Trollogs who were on her tail.
"She's not going to be able to keep ahead of them," Lioness-A said as Lion-O nodded and pulled out the Sword of Omens.
"Go get her away from them and let me take care of these guys," he said as she took off running towards the female. She caught the woman and pulled her behind a tree as Lion-O tackled the two Trollogs, knocking them to the ground. The woman was wrestling with Lioness-A.
"Easy, we're on your side," Lioness-A told the panting woman as she started to calm down. Lioness-A wondered where the young woman had come from since she was dressed in the oddest of clothing but looked similar to the Warrior Maidens though she was somewhat shorter. She had reddish brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore glasses similar to the Thundercats' friend Dr. Dometone, the commander of the undersea station.
"What were those things?" the woman asked as she caught her breath. Her voice had a strange accent to it that Lioness-A couldn't place.
"They're called Trollogs and they're mostly big brutes," Lioness-A explained. "I'm Lioness-A," she said as the human smiled, though surprised at the odd name. The lioness wore a purple and silver outfit with a red circle with a black cat's head in the center of it.
"I'm Cynthia and thanks," the human said as Lion-O came up after sheathing the Sword. The two Trollogs were heading back to their encampment as Rober-Bill came up. "I guess I owe you a debt of thanks too," Cynthia said as Lion-O smiled, though puzzled at the accent. This one was taller than the other one and both had thick red manes, and peach markings, though the ones on the female were lighter and their eyes were a dark golden brown. The male wore a solid black outfit with a brown collar and the same insignia on his chest. He was also superbly muscled and Cynthia thought handsome in a weird way.
"My pleasure and I'm Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats," he said as the two shook hands. There was a slight jolt but only he noticed it. 'Is this the woman of the prophecy the Guardian was mentioning as coming to Third Earth?' he thought.
"Thundercats?" Cynthia asked. She was totally confused by what had just happened and Lion-O saw her face crease in worry.
"You okay?" he asked gently. She shook her head.
"What year are we at?" she asked. "Cause I have no idea what the hell just happened to me and nothing looks like anything I recognize," she added.
"It's 4455," Lioness-A said gently as Cynthia's eyes grew wide. Lion-O saw they were a deep green color behind her glasses. "The year you're from is?" Lioness-A asked.
"2002," Cynthia answered as the two Thundercats blinked. Over two thousand years in the past and no clue as to how she'd gotten there. "Some weird vortex brought me here," Cynthia said softly as Lioness-A looked at Lion-O.
"There's that sound we heard," he said. An odd dinging noise reached his ears then. "What the..?" he asked as Cynthia sheepishly reached into her back pocket and pulled out a flat black object that was making the noise as Cynthia shut it off. "What's that?" Lion-O asked her.
"My cell phone," Cynthia answered. At their puzzled looks she sighed. "It allows me to make calls to other people but right now it's not working because I can see there's no towers anywhere," she said with a sigh. She looked at it closer and frowned as she slid her finger across the screen and tapped once. "Weird thing is that there's a map on here and it's working. Claims I'm somewhere in Kentucky if the global positioning system is right," she said. Lioness-A and Lion-O exchanged looks with each other.
"Now we're really confused," Lioness-A muttered.
"You and me both," Cynthia said as she lowered the phone. Lion-O invited her back to the lair and Cynthia met the other Thundercats that afternoon. The size of the lair floored her as she got closer to it. The other Thundercats were surprised to meet her for one and Cynthia had to show them the cell phone again and she pulled up the map on it. It was matched with the one on the computer the lair had and Cynthia now knew exactly where they were. "What the hell happened in twenty four hundred years?" she wondered.
"Changed?" Lioness-A asked.
"Way too damn much," Cynthia said sourly. "I want to know what that warp was now and why I'm even here."
"That makes several of us," Lion-O said as she nodded and looked up at the map.
"So, where are we on your map there?" asked a female cheetah named Cheetara. Cynthia smiled.
"North America in the mountains of western Tennessee if this is right. Your other building is in what used to be Kansas, though why it's a desert now is a mystery. This whole area you're in was called the United States but I can see it's not that now," she said as everyone blinked in awe. She pointed out the two states as they looked closer. "I was living about a hundred thirty miles south of this location when the vortex hit," she said, pointing to a state that said Alabama.
"Close to Mumm-Ra's old pyramid," Lion-O said after bringing up the location which Cynthia saw was close to her old hometown's location.
"Who?" Cynthia asked. They filled her in as she shuddered. "He looks hideous," Cynthia said at the photo of him and she noticed he looked like a zombie except for the red eyes. "How old was he?"
"Several millennium but all we have to go on is these pictures from his pyramid that we think tell his story but we can't be sure," Lynx-O told her and pulled up a photo on the screen. "Some of them show him being sealed in his sarcophagus and it buried." Cynthia blinked and got a closer look at the pictures. It was impossible but she'd seen pictures of these before and could read a few.
"No way that's possible. He's actually an ancient Egyptian and these pictures are called hieroglyphs," she said as they blinked. "That would put him at least over several thousand years old in my timeline and part of what's here is his life story. He was in his forties when a conversion happened to him."
"Wow," Lioness-A muttered as Lion-O nodded. He noticed that Cynthia was still looking through the pictures of the hieroglyphs they had managed to take photos of on an excursion earlier.
"There's more if you're interested," Cynthia said as they nodded. "I can read part of this and it says he was sealed during the time of one of the more powerful pharaohs and the building of their pyramids," she said, pointing to a picture of a pyramid and a tomb outside it.
"Does it say anything about the Ancient Spirits of Evil he came into contact with and ended up serving?" Tygra asked her. Cynthia read through the pictures using a guide on her phone before answering.
"According to this, he met them before he was sealed and they turned him against the current pharaoh who he was serving as a priest. That's the conversion I mentioned earlier. The ancient Egyptians were around at least a thousand years before my world came into existence fully. He must have pissed those ancient spirits off somehow to have been sealed up for as long as he has. Though how he lived this long I have no clue."
"The Ancient Spirits of Evil sealed him the first time I imagine and probably preserved his life. And when he got out is when Third Earth came to be like it is," Lynx-O said as Cynthia looked through the rest of the pictures they had. "And we think that was a millennium ago if the history we've learned from the native people is correct. This version has only been around since the beginning of the forty-second century."
"He eliminated about six billion people in the process if any people survived whatever destroyed the world a few hundred years before he came out by the way these hieroglyphs read. Someone added them to his pyramid later," Cynthia said as they blinked. She'd been looking at the pictures again. At their looks she said, "It was the population on my world around the time I was taken off."
"Holy...," Panthro muttered.
"ThunDera didn't have that many people on it at the height of the royal lions' power several millennia ago," Tygra said as Lynx-O nodded.
"So is that why Mumm-Ra looked like he did?" Wilykit asked. Lynx-O nodded.
"These ancient spirits you mentioned changed him by the looks of what the hieroglyphs say," Cynthia said and shuddered. "The only thing I don't get is how he got here from Egypt where the pyramids were actually located," she said. At their looks she showed the two locations on the two maps. They were on opposite sides of the world.
"Maybe he came over here to start his reign of terror because something drove him out of his home lands when he was freed," Bengali suggested.
"Could be and the answers were in his pyramid here but it's been flattened. What Cynthia just read is what we were able to get before the rest collapsed," Lynx-O observed. "The only one that might know would be Maftet but he's probably gone." He explained that one to Cynthia as she nodded.
"I knew of Maftet being one of the Egyptian gods but he might've died off by now without any worshipers," she said as they nodded.
"What about Mumm-Rana?" Lioness-A asked. Cynthia gave her a look. "Mumm-Ra's opposite and on the side of goodness. She's fought with us on our side a few times. I think she's been here as long as he has though she looks a little like you excluding the bandages," she added.
"Ah. A counterweight to Mumm-Ra's evil," Cynthia said as they nodded.
"Something to investigate while we're here to put the history together when we go home," Lynx-O told Lion-O as he nodded.
"If all this is right, then Mumm-Ra was roughly over five millennia before you eliminated him in the Book," Tygra said with a glance at Lion-O. The lion nodded. Cynthia shook her head.
"Too much?" Lioness-A asked gently. The human nodded.
"Things on my world were bad but to know it was destroyed millennia later to become like this doesn't even come close to how I feel," Cynthia said. "Hold on, I'll show you what my world was like so you'll see what I mean," she said and fiddled with her phone a moment, pulling up a few pictures. Thanks to a special data cable she was able to project them on the screen for everyone to see. In them were buildings and some strange looking vehicles Cynthia called cars. She even had a set of keys that worked one of them. She was in a few pictures and she explained things as the Thundercats listened. The pictures showed a side to the human that wasn't known before but it also answered questions on Third Earth's history as well that none of the natives knew. There was also a short video that she had shot while out in the park and going through her home and neighborhood. She also showed a few pictures of the larger cats of her world and it was amazing to compare them to the Thundercats. The names were even similar which was something that had gotten Cynthia's attention.
"How big is that male lion?" Lion-O asked her. Cynthia chuckled.
"Top weight for him was about 500 pounds easy," Cynthia told him as he blinked. "Why he's called 'King of the Beasts' cause of his size and dominance," she added as everyone looked at Lion-O a moment. The female lion looked like the male only she didn't have a mane and was lighter.
"What can I say?" Lion-O asked. "The lion clan has always ruled ThunDera and has for millennia. This may be why," he added as they nodded.
"Wouldn't surprise me if that were the case," Tygra said.
"I would love to hear your planet's history and why you look like you do," Cynthia said as they smiled. "Seeing these pictures and looking at you makes me wonder how you came to be."
"We'll share it with you," Lynx-O told her warmly. Most of the other male cats were nearly as big though not quite the size of the lion. The panther and jaguar were close in relation as were the cougar, puma and mountain lion. The Siberian tiger was larger than the Bengal tiger but both were close in relation as well. The lynx and wildcats were two of the smaller ones along with the ocelots, caracals and servals and the leopards were the most agile, being in trees a great deal.
"Always wondered about that," Pumyra said as the others nodded.
"Everything we've seen that Cynthia's shown us is quite fascinating," Tygra said. "To think that this is part of Third Earth's distant history though the views of the big cats make me wonder if we're tied to her world somehow," he added. Lion-O glanced at Cynthia then.
"You're welcome to stay here with us until we figure out what's going on," he said as she nodded.
"Thanks," she said as the women grinned. Lioness-A found a chamber for Cynthia after several Thunderguard were sent to another wing. Cynthia liked the fact that the chamber had its own bathroom. There was also a place to plug in her phone and Cynthia was relieved she had the charger for it. Panthro was going to tweak it to work with the relay towers at the lair and tower so it would work again. Pumyra also brought several changes of clothes and Cynthia was able to find some that fit. The shoes were going to be a problem since Cynthia's feet were so small but she could use hers until a pair could be found that fit. Lion-O seemed surprised when she came in for dinner wearing one of them because it showed her to be a lot thinner than she had looked in her clothing. Her curves were also more pronounced as well and Lion-O quickly turned his head to hide the warmth in his cheeks. The food was strange to the human but good and she enjoyed listening to the antics of the younger twins as they told what they had been doing that day.
That night found her in the council room watching the sun set as Lion-O came into the room. He had his arms full of papers and a rolled up map.
"Everything all right?" he asked her. She smiled and nodded before sighing.
"This is unreal," she said softly as she looked out the window. "One minute I'm about to leave my apartment for work and the next I'm on a completely different world."
"I can imagine," Lion-O said as he set the stuff down on the table and unrolled the map before he sat down in one of the chairs. Cynthia glanced at him.
"Only place to have peace and quiet?" she asked him. He chuckled and nodded.
"It's either here or my quarters and I need the table in here for a while," Lion-O said as she came over to see what he was looking at. She was surprised to see it was a map of the entire area. "Recognize anything?" Lion-O asked her. She nodded.
"The river you call the "River of Despair" was the Mississippi River in my timeline," she said, pointing to it. "It was a mile wide at the base where it emptied into the Gulf of Mexico." This to a large body of water at the bottom of the map. "I remember seeing ships sailing up and down that river because of the width and depth it had. One of the biggest shipping lanes the country had," she added.
"Now it's home to a Black Widow Shark," Lion-O said as he showed her a picture of it.
"That thing looks ugly. Who would have thought to cross a shark with a spider. Yuck," Cynthia said and shuddered as Lion-O smiled. "I gather nothing of my world's timeline even survived," she said softly. Lion-O shook his head.
"Not that we've seen since we've been here," he said.
"How long has that been?" Cynthia asked him. He smiled.
"We crashed here three years ago and established the two bases here. Our homeworld reformed about ten months ago so we've been back there but only came here to settle the unit of Thunderguard here," he said as she nodded. Lioness-A came into the room then and sighed as the door closed behind her. "Got annoyed?" Lion-O asked his twin. She scowled.
"By several of the Thunderguard who think it's funny to ask stupid questions," Lioness-A muttered as Cynthia hid her smile. Cynthia left with the lioness a moment later as Lion-O went to his work for a while until Cheetara found him.
"You know she's the one from that prophecy," she said as he nodded. "I can sense it in her."
"I felt a jolt when we shook hands earlier," Lion-O told her as the cheetah nodded.
"She is kind of cute looking," the cheetah said and was surprised when Lion-O blushed. "I see you've noticed that already," she said dryly.
"Would it matter if I hadn't?" Lion-O asked tartly. He was not keen on anyone match making him with anyone yet after two near misses the last two years. One of those had been with the cheetah who had rejected him for Tygra, saying she only had a crush on him and nothing more. Cheetara scowled at him and left a moment later as Lioness-A came back.
"Cynthia's settling down for the night but she knows to be up by first light. She's setting an alarm on her phone to wake her," she said as he nodded. "I think you ticked Cheetara off. She looked mad when I passed her," she added as he sighed.
"A snide comment about Cynthia being cute and she thinks I like her already even though Cynthia just got here," Lion-O muttered as his twin smiled.
"There might be something to that," Lioness-A told him as he sighed.
"Cheetara broke my heart two years ago and I don't feel like going through that again," Lion-O said as Lioness-A sighed.
"Try being friends with Cynthia first and see where it goes," Lioness-A said gently. "She seems different than everyone we've known and I think that there's a reason the prophecy pulled her here." Lion-O sighed and nodded as she smiled at him before heading off to bed herself.
The following morning Cynthia came in a few minutes behind the kittens and her hair was down around her shoulders. It curled slightly and it was easier to see the reddish tinge to it.
"Got any hot tea?" she asked and stifled a yawn.
"Sleep alright?" Lioness-A asked her as she handed Cynthia a tea bag and showed her the pot of water. The human nodded.
"The noise of the changing guard takes some getting used to," Cynthia said as she poured hot water into a mug and added the tea bag to it. She found a seat beside Lion-O as he smiled. He passed her the pancakes and Cynthia dove in a second later. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of coffee coming from somewhere. "I didn't know there was coffee here," she said as Lion-O sipped his mug.
"Some of us like it," Panthro told her. She sighed.
"My parents drank that stuff all the time although my dad had a nickname for it," Cynthia said.
"Which was?" Panthro asked curiously. She smiled.
"Battery acid because of the taste before he added the cream and sugar to it," Cynthia answered. "The smell turned me off at a young age so I went for the hot tea in the mornings," she added and sipped her tea. Panthro shrugged and left for the hangar.
"Only child?" Lion-O asked her. She nodded.
"Led to a boring childhood for the most part," Cynthia said and finished eating. Lioness-A, Pumyra and Cheetara took Cynthia on a tour of the lair which helped Cynthia figure out where things were in addition to some other areas that might be useful to know about. And when Cynthia's period hit a few days after her arrival, Pumyra showed her the pads they had which to Cynthia's surprise, worked better than hers had. The medication to kill the cramps was also better as well and Cynthia was beginning to like where she was. She was also flexible to a point and could somersault rather well.
There was one night when the Berbils dropped off dinner as a thank you for helping with the harvest and Cynthia blinked when she saw it.
"Tacos?" she asked in surprise. That was one food she thought she wasn't going to see again.
"You recognize the food?" Rober-Bill asked. She nodded.
"Common in my timeline actually," Cynthia said to several surprised looks. The meat was a little different but the concept was the same and Cynthia also demonstrated how to eat one in addition to eating something she called a fajita.
"You're probably familiar with pizza too," Wilykit said as Cynthia laughed.
"Naturally. During my timeline it's a big hit usually," she said as everyone chuckled.
Over the next few weeks Cynthia became a good friend to Lioness-A, Pumyra and Cheetara and in an odd way, Lion-O as well. He and Lioness-A were also training her to defend herself and were surprised at how well she learned.
During the winter months Cynthia went with Lion-O and Lioness-A over to Hook Mountain to check out the snow which had fallen everywhere but was the thickest here. It was now winter and the skies were clear and fresh. Cynthia smiled at the sight of the snow.
"Know how to ski?" Lion-O asked her. She nodded and strapped on a set of skis as he did the same and stood next to her. Lion-O blinked in surprise as Cynthia took off down the hill and he quickly followed her while his twin came down on the Thunderclaw. Lion-O could see that Cynthia had everything under control going down as she swayed on the turns. At the bottom of the hill, she arced sideways and sprayed snow everywhere as she came to a halt as Lioness-A landed nearby.
"You're good," Lioness-A said as Cynthia smiled.
"Learned from an aunt but it's been a while since I've done it," Cynthia said. "This place is amazing," she said as Lion-O smiled. "Wish I knew how it got like this," she said softly.
"Maybe we can find out," Lion-O said as she nodded.
Lynx-O went over ThunDera's history with Cynthia and found her to be a fast learner. She understood the reasoning behind uniting under one leader and why the Code was established. Lion-O and Lioness-A's family had held the throne for millennia and they were truly some of the strongest of the cat clans on ThunDera. Cynthia now had a greater understanding of the Thundercats, their culture and ways and she respected them and agreed to abide by the Code. Lion-O was appreciative of that and saw that she was determined to make it here now.
Lion-O found himself eyeing Cynthia throughout the time she was there and wondering more about her. She had a slender figure with a gentle curve to her hips and breasts. She was a good three to four inches shorter than Lioness-A but that didn't stop her from learning how to do things. It was also discovered that she was a year younger than Lion-O and Lioness-A as well. The Thunderkittens discovered the music on Cynthia's phone by accident one day three weeks or so after she'd arrived and Cynthia ended up sharing it one night and explaining it to them. Hearing her sing along surprised a few folks along with the dancing she broke into and she liked Lioness-A's flute playing as well. Cynthia also knew how to play the piano and there was one in the lounge.
"May I?" she asked. Lion-O nodded as she sat down and lifted the cover. "Lioness-A can I borrow you to turn the pages?" she asked as Lioness-A grinned.
"Huh?" Lion-O asked.
"You can't read sheet music and I can thanks to my flute playing," Lioness-A told him as she got ready to turn the pages. Cynthia played a tune and sang along as Lioness-A turned them at a nod from Cynthia. Lion-O discovered that he liked the sound of Cynthia singing.
"Incredible," Pumyra said as the others nodded. One of the next songs had a video to go with it and that involved setting up her laptop to project the video which were pictures to match the lyrics of the song as it played. Cynthia's voice was soft as she sang. She was sitting down on the windowsill but as the song continued she got up and moved closer to the screen. The song was powerful and there wasn't a dry eye left in the room when Cynthia finished.
"That song is powerful," Lioness-A said softly.
"Always was and will be," Cynthia answered softly. "It's part of the religion of my world and one that's helped me get through a rough time after I lost my parents." At one point Lion-O's eyes met hers and she Lioness-A saw it and carefully hid a smile. Her brother was beginning to notice Cynthia as more than as a friend. If the truth were known, the lioness knew it was the prophecy at work but even she suspected that the two were growing close on their own and in a way no one could have predicted.
Cynthia also got along well with the Berbils and then later the Warrior Maidens and Nayda taught her how to use a bow and arrow. Cynthia was very proficient with this during her practice sessions with it. Thanks to the sessions she was building up strength in her arms and was getting better in the unarmed combat training with Lioness-A.
"I think you might want to test her once," Lioness-A told her brother as he raised an eyebrow after watching the two one afternoon.
"She beat you already?" he asked. Lioness-A scowled at him as Cynthia went to go change clothes.
"I've gone as far as I can on what I know. You know more since you trained with Panthro," his sister pointed out as he nodded. "I can keep her going on the staff training still," she added. The next few sessions after that were a tie since Cynthia still wasn't trained enough but she had gotten pretty good so far.
"You're good," Lion-O said as the two stopped for a break. Cynthia smiled.
"Thank you," she said as he smiled. Lion-O decided to ask her to dinner that night. It had been six months since she'd arrived and he was growing to like her and the others were definitely noticing and teasing him when Cynthia wasn't around.
"How would you like to have dinner with me tonight as a token of appreciation for how well you've been doing?" Lion-O asked her. Cynthia blinked and then blushed, which on her pale cheeks was easy to see. "She looks cute when she blushes," he thought.
"I'd like that," she said as he smiled. They made a decision to meet at six outside the dining room and left the gym and Cynthia went to find her friends. Cheetara and Pumyra squealed with glee as did Lioness-A. They helped her find a dress and got the dining room cleared so that Lion-O and Cynthia would be alone. The Thunderguard and the rest of the Thundercats would eat in the council room. Tygra and Panthro were slightly annoyed until Cheetara told them what was going on and they had a good chuckle as well.
"About damn time," Panthro said as Lioness-A chuckled softly.
Lion-O was leaning against the wall outside the dining room when Cynthia walked up clad in a green dress that highlighted her green eyes and for once, she'd gone without her glasses. It was the clicking of the low heels she was wearing that announced her arrival. The green also brought out the reddish tinge in her hair which was down around her shoulders and curled slightly.
"You look different without your glasses," Lion-O said as she blushed as he straightened up to his full height of six foot nine. Cynthia knew he was tall but she had no idea how much taller he was over her as she got closer to him. He was over her by a foot.
"Different good?" she asked shyly. He nodded gently and led her into the dining room where two chairs on either side were ready with a meal waiting. Lion-O and Cynthia sat across from each other and talked lightly of different things, from her time before she came to his time growing up. It was actually quite refreshing and Lion-O liked how it had gone.
"Follow me. There's something I want to show you," Lion-O said softly as Cynthia followed him through the halls after dinner. He took Cynthia for a walk up to the lookout in the mouth of the Lair and her eyes grew wide at the view from this height.
"Wow," she said as the two watched the sun set. Lion-O slipped his arm around Cynthia's shoulders and she let it stay, feeling safe with him. She leaned against him as he smiled. Lion-O decided that now would be a good time to tell her he loved her. Would she feel the same for him?
"Cynthia there's something I want to tell you," Lion-O said softly as Cynthia looked up at him. "I love you," he said as her eyes grew wide.
"I love you too," she whispered before he bent over and touched his lips with hers. The kiss was soft and sweet and both reveled in the feel of it. They parted and looked at each other before sharing a hug. "I know now that I can't go home and I want to be with you always," Cynthia said softly as he smiled.
"You will be with me always girl," Lion-O whispered and kissed her again. They left holding hands and the next few days were blissful after that with the two hanging out together and going on picnics.
One night Cynthia found him in the council room and he smiled when she came inside and sat down beside him. The lights were low and Cynthia saw the night sky through the window.
"Still the only place to have peace?" she asked. He chuckled and nodded. "What are you working on?" she asked softly.
"A few things that the Thunderguard here will have to be doing once we leave," Lion-O answered. He leaned over and his lips caught Cynthia's in a gentle kiss. "Love you," he said softly as she smiled.
"Love you too," she whispered. She watched as he worked and afterward, he walked her to her quarters hand in hand again. They kissed before she went to bed. Cynthia found a few songs that were for her and Lion-O alone and he loved it when she shared them on their moments together as a couple. He took her to a special place outside the lair that only he knew.
"Can I teach you how to dance?" Lion-O asked softly a few days later. Cynthia nodded. Lion-O took her hands as she started a song playing. He gently swayed with her in his arms as she smiled. "I love you," Lion-O said softly to her as Cynthia looked up at him. Her eyes shone.
"I love you too," she whispered as he kissed her gently. They continued dancing and Cynthia sang along as Lion-O hugged her close. The other Thundercats left the two alone for the most part. They knew how happy Lion-O was and seeing Cynthia happy as well was a source of relief since she'd been so hurt at being taken from her timeline and brought here. That lasted until the bounty hunters landed later that summer and started attacking and then Cynthia found out she would have to rescue the man she loved from them. What happened after she rescued Lion-O would change both of them forever.