Disclaimer: I do not own the Thundercats. I do, however, own Onsa, Anco, all of the Thundercats' children, Cia, and Penelope.
Chapter 10: Prepare For Battle
The invasion begins on Thundera, and the cats brace themselves for whatever may come.
Claudea fumbled to get the sheets that wrapped around her body like a caccoon as she woke up from her terrible dream. The princess finally managed to get the cursed sheets off of her, and she stared at her hands, gasping and panting for breath. Her mind swam, trying to probably place the pieces she saw in order.
She nearly screamed as she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Instantly, she swatted it away and stumbled back against the bed, staring with wide eyes at the figure.
"Ease yourself, child!" a sharp voice spoke, belonging to the mysterious person. Claudea noted how it had a female tone, and she looked the woman up and down. The woman was a jaguarundi, her fur bearing a brick red tone, along with a matching mane, and striking cornflower yellow eyes. She wore an orange and yellow outfit.
Claudea breathed a sigh of relief, as she knew this woman very well. This was Rundija, Kat's wife and the mother to his three children.
Right now, Rundija was sitting on her knees at the girl's bedside. Beside her was a bowl of water along with a washcloth. She slowly edged closer to the bedside and laid her warm paw on top of Claudea's. "Please, your majesty, be at ease before you worry yourself into a panic attack."
The kind gesture finally allowed Claudea's heart to slow down. She then relaxed against the elder cat and let her gently press the now wet washcloth against her forehead. Claudea then realized her surroundings.
"Rundija, w-where are my parents?" she asked worriedly. As soon as she asked, images of the horrible nightmare came back to her, and the princess shuddered with the memory.
"Lord Lion-o is currently holding a meeting with the village elders and deciding where we should go from this ambush. Lady Cheetara is currently helping with the plans for repairs for the palace."
Claudea nodded. She remembered how a great deal of the palace was burnt to a crisp do to the outsiders' attack. Suddenly, the memory of how her brother's location was unknown, and she suddenly felt like crying.
"Rundija, have they...have they found Chiro yet?"
Rundija, not expecting the question, hesistated while looking into Claudea's ruby red eyes. She breathed a sigh of defeat, and shook her head to implicate that there still was no clue of where Chiro had gone.
Claudea looked down, tears beginning to slowly make their way down her cheeks. Rundija, without saying a word, sat next to the girl and put her arm around the girl's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
The silent heartwarming moment was interrupted when one of the guards came prowling into the room, his eyes wide in fear.
"Everyone, listen up! You all need to evacuate as soon as you can!"
This caught both the attention of Claudea and Rundija, and their heads raised in concern. Rundija took her arm off Claudea's shoulder and got up from the bed, waltzing over to the guard. By this time, everyone in the infirmary was now looking at the guard. Some were exchanging confused and worried looks, and a few were starting to get nervous.
"Evacuation, why?" Rundija questioned as she came up nex to the guard.
"An army is coming to Thundera right as we speak."
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Ten Minutes Earlier...
"We need to declare war!"
"Are you mad? We can't declare war if we don't even know who did it!"
"What we need to do is handle this like mature adults!"
"How can we do that when traitors are using bombs to attack this city?"
Lion-o sighed and rubbed the skin between his eyes. For over an hour, the cat elders had been going at it. He sat back and listened to each of their tactics, which ranged from guerilla warfare to a peaceful treaty.
"What do you think, Lord Lion-o?"
The lion king was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his voice. He looked to all them looking at him, waiting for his two cents on the matter. Lion-o considered his options
On one hand, resorting to violence too quickly could lead to a revolt (which he really did not need with the extra stress of Chiro missing). Yet, simply deciding to lie back and talk peace could lead to a sudden scheme right under their noses.
Taking a deep breath, he stood up, his palms flat on the table. The now middle aged king straightened himself and looked at all the elders straight in the eye.
"I believe we should-"
"Lion-o, Lion-o, LION-O!" Kit's frantic voice shrieked as she barreled into the room. Her mane was feral and whipped around her face, and her eyes were wide with fear and worry.
He, along with the elders, turned to the wild cat as she nearly tripped trying to get near the king.
"Kit, what is it?" Lion-o asked, his eyes clear with concern as Kit looked him in the eye, hysterical gold meeting worried blue.
Kit struggled to get the words out clearly as she heaved for breath. "Army...spotted along the border...coming this way."
Several murmerings were instantly heard among the elders. The hair on Lion-o's neck stood on end as the words hit him like a tidal wave.
It seemed that brief but stern warning would not do the trick.
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Young Rufus, the son of Kit and her mate Bob-cat, was contempt with himself as he fiddled with his arm blades. They were retractable, made of stainless steel, and were in conjuction of two brown leather bracers that went from Rufus' wrists to right below the elbow (1).
As of now, the bob-wildcat hummed happily as he polished them. The tune was that of Kit's lullaby, as she had taught him herself how to play it on the flute.
The bliss moment was interrupted, however, when a vicious snarl came his way, "Would you stop that annoying humming?"
Rufus's smile disappeared immediately, and was replaced by a deep frown as he looked up at who had snarled at him. Sitting near the window, decked out in a brown and gold outfit, was Yago, his cousin. Right now, she was giving him a death glare, as if her grey blue eyes were trying to burn a hole through him.
Rufus narrowed his eyes at her and replied, "If you don't like it, ignore me."
"I have been, but it's hard to concentrate when that irritating song keeps making me want to fall asleep!"
Rufus stuck his tongue out at the pre-adolescent cat. Just as she was right about to give him a piece of her mind, Bob-cat stepped in. He chuckled at the exchange and rumpled his niece's mane. "Now knock it off, you. No need for the claws to come out." Giving out an exasperated sigh, Yago shot Rufus one last look before she turned back to her books. Wilykat, who was examining some maps at a nearby table, rolled his eyes.
There were several moments of silence before a brief question broke it. Cougara, one of the soldiers that was on patrol, asked from outside near the balcony, "What's that?"
Lynx-o, who was on the balcony with her, slightly nudged her out of the way. He sniffed the air, "I can smell many different species approaching. And they are approaching at a great speed."
The two grown men immediately went to their side. Bob-cat took the telescope from Cougara and looked sharply. His breath caught in his throat a familiar site.
"SOUND THE ALARM!" he suddenly shouted at the watchtower, his volume startling Rufus and Yago. He turned to them, his eyes hard.
"You two, go warn the others that there's an oncoming attack!"
Without hesitation, they took off.
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Pardes didn't realize how long he was staring at Tatiana. He didn't even realize he was staring until a loud crash broke him off of his stupor.
He shook his head as he once again glanced at the white-furred beauty, a slight blush coming across his cheeks and on the bridge of his nose.
Tatiana stared sadly out the window of the library. Her arms were crossed under her bust, her hands digging into the fabric of her dress and gripping it tightly. The white tiger stared at the three moons of Third Earth (2). She felt tears prick her eyes, but swore to herself that she would not let them fall.
"Are you alright?"
A warm hand incased her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, obviously trying to transfer some reassuring warmth. Tatiana felt herself at ease when she recognized Pardes behind her. "I'm fine," she muttered shyly.
"If there's anything I could do..." Pardes explained. Tatiana mumbled something, but it was so soft that the leopard-panther couldn't hear her. He noticed her blushing, as she repeated, "Pardes...c-could you j-j-just...hold me?" she squeaked, her fur failing to hide the bright red blush.
Pardes's heart beat rapidly in his chest as he nodded, gently embracing her and pulling her close to his chest. He lay his chin on her head. Tatiana listened to his heartbeat. She hugged him tighter.
Pardes felt like crumbling right then and there, just wanting to take her face in his hands and press his lips against hers. But he couldn't. You chicken, he scolded himself once again for failing to reveal his true feelings toward the white tiger next to him.
The relaxed moment was ruined by a sudden siren in the air that was so loud it could shatter glass. Tatiana and Pardes quickly broke off their embrace and looked around, realizing that it was the warning siren.
Pardes raced over to the window, his eyes widening as he saw a large herd of black approaching dangerously fast toward the city. Tatiana, now next to him, gasped in shock at the sight near her.
Instinctvely grabbing his battle axe, Pardes grabbed her hand just as she grasped her bolos.
"Come on."
"But shouldn't we tell the others where?"
Pardes stopped and thought for a moment. His parents would be worried-
A sudden BOOM! shook the room and made the two stumble. Images of the previous attack flashed before Pardes's eyes. The two looked at each other, nodded, and jumped from the balcony.
Note: I promise, promise, PROMISE that the next chapter will be the battle. This was orignally going to be it, but it came down to the different perspectives of some of the characters when the invasion began.
1. Rufus's arm blades are meant to be based off the hidden blade from Assassin's creed.
2. I have no idea how many moons Third Earth has. I remember hearing that it had two or three by Grune in "Into The Astral Plane" but I'm not sure. Sorry if I'm incorrect.