Disclaimer: I do not own Thundercats
Special Thanks to Heart of The Demons for coming up with the chapter's title.
Chapter 12: A Journey of Life
Chiro learns more of Cia's past and her past of how she came to live in the Makárioi Oi Psychés Forest.
Chiro woke up at the break of dawn, the sound of soft rains once again echoing through the hut. As he opened his eyes, he attempted to stretch his muscles. Upon doing so, however, invoked a series of aching that made the prince grimace and forced him back into a laying position.
After a few days' medication and rest, the litah's wounds were finally beginning to be on the path of recovery. The wound on his head was healed and no longer required a bandage. However, the burn on his chest and the sprain on his foot,along with the damage on his hand, still forced the litah to take it easy.
And he was starting to get tired of it.
Deciding he could take the pain, Chiro propped himself onto his elbows and sat up, stretching his arms over his head until he heard a satisfying POP! in his back. He looked around, concluding that Penelope and Cia were still sleeping. That said, Chiro decided he would actually do something himself. He reached Pulling the quilt off, he put his palm flat on the table and pushed himself to his feet.
However, he was not expecting the sudden surge of pain that jolted through him as he put weight on his left foot. He winced and leaned against the stove.
Okay, this was hard. As he leaned against the stove, a fierce soreness began to spread throughout his right hand, a slight sting occuring on his palm. He growled and clenched his teeth. Why did it seem that he had the worst of luck?
"You should be resting."
Chiro nearly screamed as he spun around, facing Penelope. The snow leopard was standing in the archway that led into the hallway. She had one hand propped up against the wall, while the other was resting on her hip. The prince automatically looked away once he eyed her tank top and sleep shorts, some erotic thoughts entering his mind.
Shaking them out, he furrowed his brow and scoffed, "I'm fine." Penelope raised an eyebrow at him, looking at how he had raised his left foot and the position he hand his hand; it was almost as if he was trying to avoid putting too much pressure on his palm.
The litah noticed her staring and frowned. As if to prove he was fine, Chiro took his hand off the stove in an attempt to put his foot down. However, his timing was off, and the chion fell backwards, landing on his back.
Why me? he thought as Penelope burst out laughing, holding herself as high pitched giggles racked her body. Chiro lifted his head, wrinkling his nose at the snow leopard. He REALLY felt like hitting something.
"What is going on in here?" Cia's soft voice asked. Both Penelope and Chiro looked up to see the elderly snow leopard from the hallway, a lit candle in a tray on her hand as she looked at both her granddaughter and Thundera's heir.
Blushing so heavily that he felt the heat on his ears, Chiro managed to pull himself off the floor and lean against the wall. Penelope shared a look with her grandmother, as if they were exchanging a mental conversation. Clearing her throat, Cia walked to the stove-rather fast-as she took some food out of the cupboards and began to prepare breakfast; no cat said anything, the awkward silence hanging in the air.
Penelope smirked at Chiro, the ever lingering hint of lust present. Chiro stared at her, before turning away from the grey spotted temptress and limping back toward his cot.
The gods must really have a bone to pick with me.
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Shortly after breakfast, Chiro sat up in his cot as his bandages were being changed once again. This time, though, instead of Penelope, Cia was now helping him. Her granddaughter had been sent out to gather the dew berries.
There was not a word spoken between the elderly cat and the litah. Chiro, the whole time, was staring at the floor as Cia wrapped a new bandage around his ankle. The cheetah-lion had been pondering whether or not to ask the old woman the topic he had on his mind. The thought ate at him and constantly nagged him, but the prince had decided against it.
"There's something on your mind, young prince," Cia suddenly inferred as her silver pools gazed into Chiro's.
Uneasy, Chiro stumbled on how to say it, "Well, you see Cia,t-there's been, well, um...something that I've been meaning to, uh, ask you about."
Cia offered him a warm smile as she rested her hands on his knees. "Ask away, prince."
Chiro rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to get the words out of his mouth. Why was he so unsure about this? He was the prince to Thundera, he had survived a bomb rattling off his body, and now he was scared about asking a quesion to an old bat?
"How...how did you get here?"
Cia took her hands off his knees and folded them in her lap. She looked down at them for a second and then brought her head up, offering him a gracious smile.
"I had a feeling you would ask me that."
Feeling embarassed, Chiro bit his lip. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! he scolded himself, his mental side kicking him in the crotch.
"No need to be humiliated prince."
He looked at her, saying nothing. She closed her eyes at started her story. "I was born long ago, VERY long ago. Probably around the time of that Master Jaga was born. In fact, my husband was a good friend of your grandfather, Chiro." He simply looked at her, giving his full attention. It intrigued him to hear of this.
"Well, I was very rowdy from the start, since I was a cub. I was always jealous of my brothers. While they got to learn military tactics and were taught the fine art of swordsmanship, I was forced to stay inside. While their education was of training and fighting, mine was of learning how to be dainty and the ways of becoming a proper housewife and mother."
Chiro was quite shocked by this. "You mean, girls weren't allowed in the Thundercats?"
"Oh, heavens no!" Cia exclaimed a light chuckle coming off her words, "It wasn't ladylike for a girl to be getting her hands dirty. You see, Chiro, there were two different ways of a cat bringing honor to their family. For boys, it was taking up the sword and defending the country. For girls, however, it was bearing sons to take up the sword (1). After all, men didn't want to take a wife that had the courage to talk back and defend herself.
"This was also before Lord Claudus's father, Lord Liontari, abolished the law that allowed betrothals at a cat's birth. In case you don't know, that meant that men and women were to marry each other even if they never met each other. It was a horrible thing and many men and women were unhappy. However, they allowed it to happen as to not shame their families. Not only that, but many cats thought that more honor would come at younger engagements. Therefore, no surprise, I was to be married when I was seventeen."
Chiro's jaw dropped open at the snow leopard's word. He couldn't imagine having to get married at seventeen, much less to someone he hardly knew. Come to think about it, he knew he wouldn't be here if that law were to apply to Lion-o or Cheetara. He shuddered at the thought that he may have had to marry someone besides Bobbi.
"As you can guess, I was quite unhappy. The marriage law also banned out-of-species marriages, and many hybrid cats were disgraced. My fiancee, Abomino, was a brute and ten years my senoir. He was rude and very stuck-up. He flirted with other girls and was very, very, very egotistical. And he made it quite known that he was NOT happy with having to marry someone else besides his lover," Cia continued, all the while keeping a calm demeneor.
"However, when he met me, he was actually very happy. See, my family was quite wealthy, and Abomino knew that marrying me would mean he'd get the right to my finances. And, not to brag, but I was quite a beauty in my youth, and he would be happy to have a little trophy to show off to his friends."
This statement made Chiro wince. Cia was quite kind; what kind of man would marry such a great woman like her just for wealth and bragging rights?
"However, I would not stand for it," Cia explained. "I had enough sense to know what I wanted. And I would not spend my life just being paraded around like a prize, and certaintly not let such a pitiful man to get his grimy hands on my father's hard earned money. I will honest, though, it was not the biggest reason."
"What else was it for?" Chiro asked, confused. But then, he made a quick realization.
"Quite correct, Prince Chiro," Cia told, seeing the widening of the prince's eyes, "I fell in love with someone else.
"His name was Blizzario. He was only a few years older than me, and he was one of the wonderful people I've ever met. He was a snow leopard like me. He had dark grey fur, a mane the color of smoke and the most lively green eyes. Quite the looker," Cia explained, smiling with her eyes closed.
"Well, like I, Blizzario was also forced into an arranged marriage. His fiancee was a rather selfish woman who treated him like her own personal servant, and constantly expected him to spend all his time and wealth on her. Well, one night, he and I went on a walk together, and we both agreed we would not want to spend the rest of our lives unhappy. We both made the decision: We would run away together."
Chiro was quite amazed with this story. Cia sounded like just the person to do such an act.
The grey spotted elder narrated, "But there was a problem: Thundera. We both knew we couldn't get married in the settlements, with everyone knowing of our engagements. But we couldn't live in any of the neighboring cities, either. We would live in prejudice and our families would surely track us down.
"But one night, when we were traveling, we came across this forest," Gesturing, Cia spread her arms wide and slightly turned. "There was just something about this forest. It just seemed so...safe. No need to live in fear, and no reason to be unhappy. It was then that Blizzario and I decided that it would be our permanent home. We married in a settlement that is just beyond the eastern boarder of the forest and we raised our children, one of them Penelope's mother, in this forest. And pretty soon, even after our children moved back to Thundera and started their own lives, we still lived here. And as you can see, I have continued to thrive here many years after my beloved Blizzario passed on to the next life."
After that statement, Cia wiped a tear from her eye. Chiro felt slightly saddened. It was clear that this Blizzario person made Cia very happy.
"No need to look so down, dear prince. Like the old legend says, sometimes I can still fear my Blizzario's presence right beside me, reassuring me whenever I'm down."
Chiro smiled, amazed at her story. Cia reminded him very much of Claudea; in fact, he wouldn't be surprised if his twin attempted something similar.
"One day, Prince Chiro, you'll find out what it'll feel like to risk everything for that little spitfire of yours. To know that no matter what the price, you'll do anything if it means spending your life with the one you love."
Chiro smiled, "I'm think I'm already there, Cia."
1. Cia's quote is actually a reference to Mulan.
