Destiny Awaits
Summary: Surviving a most traumatic murder of her family, Florence has nothing left to live for. Even with the help of government security, she fears that the murderer would come back for her. She only wished to be somewhere safe. Something to make her feel alive again …. She got her wish.
A/N: Holy hell hole! XD Second chapter! I'm on a roll! In this piece, starting from now, may come slow. Because it is set two years before the actual start of their journey. Which means that Lion-O is at the age of 15, and Tygra and Cheetara are 18. Can any of you imagine Lion-O at the age of 15? XD Onwards to the story.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THUNDERCATS. ONLY OC'S AND THE PLOT. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE OWNERS.
Chapter 2: Found
**‡**
Dozens of thunderous footfalls of strange creatures that were like horses in height and build, but nothing like them in appearance. They had thick, light blue fur, and a face that are the likeness of some kind of rodent. Leading the head of the parade is fairly large cat man with hid red mane like hair cascading down his head, with it a crown. A scar across his nose, a sign of past battle, and he wore heavy royal armor. Beside his right was an older male cat with a long white beard that adorned his front facial features. He dressed in a fashion of a head cleric of the kingdom. Next to the older was a younger male cat, similarities to that of a tiger. He carried himself with dignity, and the air around him held in confidence and pride. On the far left side, was a younger male cat, his features bearing the same as the first male cat. But his hair was similar to him but was much more tamely.
"I believe this will be a proper spot for setting camp for now, King Claudus.", said the elder cat to the muscular king. He nodded.
"Agreed, Jaga." He addressed the cat before turning his head to the few soldiers that accompanied them. "Set camp here, men. We leave at first light." And thus the soldiers went to work.
"Hey, Tygra.", called the young lion to the older tiger. "Why don't we start on our sparring while we wait until to cook finishes dinner?"
The tiger chuckled. "Are you sure you want to be humiliated by me, again? Lion-O?", he teased.
Lion-O slightly narrowed his eyes. "I'm being serious about this, Tygra."
"So am I young king.", his older brother chuckled as the tiger retrieved two swords produced by a nearby armored soldier. "Catch!"
As soon as the older prince threw the other sword at his brother to spar, Tygra charged the young king that resulted him to be off balance but eventually parried back. "Nice rebound, Lion-O."
"Thanks Tygra.", said Lion-O as he flexed the sword in his hands. "But that doesn't mean that you're going easy on me, are you?" Tygra chuckled.
"You know me quite well." And thus they charged at each other again. The metal sounds and the vibration their swords gave off, echoed throughout their camp site. As they continued to spar within an hour now, the two showed their concentrated effort. But through trained eyes, it is clearly visible that the tiger played with the young king from the beginning, thus Lion-O showing signs of stressed muscles from Tygra's strikes. Even though both boys were glistened with sweat. Claudus sighed.
"That boy has still a long way to go.", he whispered to the elder cleric.
Jaga chuckled with amusement. "The boy is you, King Claudus. He still has time to learn."
A small growl escaped the kings throat. "The boy needs to settle his priorities as the next king, Jaga!"
The cleric grabbed the kings shoulder in a way to calm him. "Be patient, Claudus. Time will tell when he is ready." Claudius sighed, silently agreeing to the old cleric. Only time will tell.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!", shouted a random soldier that ran and made himself known to their camp site. And everyone stopped what they are doing. King Claudius immediately took action.
"What is it soldier? Speak up, man!", as Claudus gave the soldier to regain his breath, he stood straight and reported.
"S-Sir! I've spotted a body by the river when I went to gather water! And it's a female from what I've seen! She must have been washed off here, sir!"
"A body?", asked Tygra. "Is it alive?"
"I have not yet confirmed that, prince Tygra! Please forgive me, your highness. I wanted to report the situation as soon as possible. All I could know that enemies might be nearby if I stayed longer, sir!", added the soldier as he bowed from the waist on seeking forgiveness from his king. Claudus sighed and nodded, understanding the circumstances. He then looked at his armored men.
"I need five men with me and Jaga! Everyone else stay here and guard my sons!" the king commanded to his men before he, Jaga, and five soldiers followed them into the forest lead by the same soldier that went there as their guide.
"Why do we have to stay here? Why can't we come along, Tygra?", asked Lion-O to his brother who only shrugged as a reply.
"It's not like we have a choice in the matter, Lion-O.", he said as he brushed his clawed hand (paw?) through his mane like hair. "What can we even do when we came along, for that matter?"
"I wanted to see the body." Tygra raised a brow at that when he looked at his brother. Only to see a grin in his face. "That has to be…the most stupidest thing I've ever heard coming out of your mouth, Lion-O. We're better off staying here-Hey! Lion-O!"
Before the tiger could even register the situation, his brother went off on his own and followed their father's small party to the river. Tygra growled. "You better repay me for this, Lion-O!" the tiger then sped off to follow his brother.
Xx0xX
As the king Claudus with the accompany of the old cleric and his men, arrived at the scene they immediately stopped and observed with silence and awe. There in the rushing waters of the river was that appeared to be a young female Tigress in looks. But on the closer inspection of the cleric, Jaga, her mane was very different from a normal tigress. As he signaled the king and the others closer, Tigra and Lion-O have arrived at the scene. Mouths gaped in similar awe of the female.
"Is this the one you spoke of, soldier Niba?", his highness king Claudus spoke to the same soldier that lead them here.
The soldier nodded. "Yes, your majesty. I'm sure of it." With that the king nodded in confirmation, then turned to the wise cleric.
"What do you think of it, Jaga?", asked the king. But Claudus then noticed his two sons were already next to the comatose girl. A growl came from his throat. "I told you boys to stay back at camp!"
The boys flinched from their fathers tone. "But, I wanted to see the body, father.", said the young king. "What's wrong with that?"
Claudus sighed. "You could have waited until we returned her back at camp."
"Told you.", teased Tygra as he poked his little brothers side to annoy him. Lion-O swatted it away, his attention drawn back to the unconscious female. His sapphire eyes sparkled in both curiosity and awe. The mane/hair color the girl possessed was strange, but unique. Starting from the roots from her forehead was in a sunset orange color, but the faded into a lighter tone as it went upwards, and then finally fades into a grayish white. She also had a strange black markings at the crown of her head. She adorned the qualities of a regular tigers stripes, but he wasn't sure if it stayed at her mane/hair, or in every part of her body like her brother Tygra's.
Jaga finished inspecting the unconscious girl then turned to Claudus. "The young one is fine, Claudus. Although I've noticed that the poor girl has been stressed beyond relief. An event must have occurred for her to end up in this river. But never the less, we bring her back with us in Thundera." Cladus nodded before turning to his men and ordered them to carry back the female to the campsite.
As they all marched back, Lion-O nudged his brother to capture his attention. It did. "What is it, Lino-O?"
"Did you notice the color of her fur?"
Tygra scoffed playfully. "Yeah. Another circus freak to join in the city."
"She is not a circus freak, Tygra!" Lion-O snapped. "She's a tiger, just like you! Aren't you happy about that? It shows that you're not the only tiger in Thundera now!"
"I know that! But, as you've noticed, she has white fur! Not exactly a normal Tiger, Lion-O!" Tygra snapped this time around. Emitting a growl from his throat. Lion-O returned back with his own. As the two went into a stare-off, they quickly turned away from each other. Things will cool down as it always has. Eventually.
Xx0xX
It's dark. But it's not the kind of dark where it's already night time. I feel warm and not exactly cold as I thought I would be. After I remembered that I went under the creek, and how the hell was it deep? I don't remember being it that way. But it seems like I'm out of the water, because I was very comfortable on where I lay. 'I'm sure that I'm not in the hospital, or that murderer would have killed me by now.'
'So the question is; Where am I?' As I'm wandering in the dark abyss, a sudden sound caught my ears. My eyes widened. 'The sounds…it can't be! This can't be! The sounds of stabbing and screaming…! No, not this!'
My eyes were suddenly blinded by a flash, and there I stood in the same room when it happened. I felt my eyes widened more in fear. Blood….The blood was everywhere!
'AHHH!' I turned to a horrible sound. That was my brother screaming. He's being stabbed several times before he decided that he was dead. My parents were long dead before Michel joined them in the other side. 'No! Why? Why must I see these again?'
As I opened my tear streamed eyes I found movement in a corner. And what I saw was me, when I was just fourteen. The look of my face was pure fear of it all. Terrified and traumatized. My muffled screams were the only things that came out of my gagged mouth, and my tears stained my face with blood splatters that came from my kin. I remembered it well, even if I didn't want to. My current eyes wondered to my older sisters frail body on the blood soaked carpet. I saw it happened. The sicko beat her as he raped her, that left her so exhausted.
Clarice attempted to move her head to look at me. She even smiled when she was in that state! Her darker shade of strawberry blonde was stained with blood. And before she was killed, she said something to me.
'We'll always be with you. Ad vitam aternam.' And then she was stabbed.
Xx0xX
"NO!" Florence shot out of her bed, covered in sweat and trashing around. The covers that were on her was now on the carpeted floor. Two pairs of arms were restraining her, trying to calm her down. But Florence's mind was in a haze that she was not aware of it. And on impulse, she swatted away the hands, not realizing that they were somehow furry to the touch. The two cat nursemaids-one was that looked like a tabby cat, and one that looked like a lynx-tried to calm her down again.
"Calm down, dear. It's alright. Everything is all fine.", said the tabby.
"You're safe now. Come now, lay back down on the bed. You need to rest more.", added the lynx as she and the tabby calmly made their way closer on Florence.
Florence, on the other hand, was a mess. Both physically and mentally. Her eyes were dilated and her breathing came in quick and uneven. "Who-Who are you? And where am I? how did I get here?"
"You are in Thundera, dear. King Claudus and the Master Cleric, accompanied you here, in the healing ward. I'm Lynxa, and this is Tabbytha. We are nursemaids that are taking care of you."
Florence stared at them like they grew two sets of heads. "Thun-Thundera, you say?"
Tabbytha nodded as she finished fixing the bed she ruined earlier. "Yes. You were quite lucky when his majesty found you by the river on a nearby forest terrain about north-east, takes about a day's worth of travel. You've been unconscious for two days now."
"T-Two…days?" all of Florence's uncertainties evaporated, but then turn into doubt and disbelief. "I-I don't believe this! I'm in Thundera? This isn't real!" Florence shook her head fiercely and pounded it to knock some sense into her head before she ran for the door.
But before she could reach it, the door opened on it's own. Florence's eyes widened to see a familiar face of an old and wise Jaguar. "Jaga…."
Said jaguar meet her in the eyes for a moment before he smiled. "My, my, look who is awake. But I'm afraid, my dear, that you need more rest." He paused before the cleric raised his hands(paws?) in front of her face. An almost transparent blue light glowed from his hands, and then Florence was unconscious. With reflexes you'd expect from the cleric. Jaga caught her before hitting the floor.
"Return her to her bed, my dears. She will awaken tomorrow. She needs her rest, with that current condition of hers."
The nursemaids bowed before they picked the unconscious patient. "Yes, Master Jaga."
And with that, the master cleric left. To report the news to the king.
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A/N: And done! Took this a while to type. Please R&R! see you again in the next chapter~!
Ciao!