Felline stared at him, too surprised to laugh. The months of hard labor, harsh weather, and malnutrition had taken their toll on him. He was thinner than before, his black mane grown out and hanging lank around his face. His attitude hadn't changed any, however, for he laughed merrily at her.
"How?" she asked at last. "How did you make it out of there?"
"Well." Bastien glanced down at the calico woman in his arms, who, Felline could see, would not be standing without his support. "Once the clerics fell, the wall went, and we were cut off from both sides. Commander Snow –"
"Just Snow," Snow interjected with a growl. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
Bastien grinned and went right on talking. "Commander Snow organized the last charge. We were going to try to take out as many as we could before they mowed us down, make them work for it. But the lizards had orders to capture, not eradicate. Any of us still on our feet were taken. Anyone not . . ."
"Shot where they lay," Snow grimly finished when Bastien hesitated.
The woman retreated into Bastien's chest, her slender shoulders shaking with noiseless sobs.
"What about you?" Bastien asked over the woman's head. He patted her tangled, tri-color hair as best he could with his wrists shackled. "You look . . . good."
Felline glanced down at herself. She was wearing a stolen pair of goggles, a dog's clothes, and a shiny, no-nonsense rifle strapped to her thigh. Compared to these three, she was as healthy as a mount. Months on the road had toughened her, in spite of her going long days without enough to eat. She'd kept her freedom at the cost of many lives, and had learned more about Third Earth than she ever would have dreamed. Her journey had been hard, and it wasn't over yet. "That is a really long story, I'm afraid," she said. Then, she did laugh.
"Felline, what are those?" Snow sharply asked.
"These?" She held up Panthro's nunchaku. The snarling cat heads reflected the distant lightning. "Exactly what you think they are, and I need to return them," she said. "Lion-O survived, Father. And Prince Tygra, and General Panthro. There are others, too. That's who I've been traveling with all this time."
She tucked the nunchaku into her belt, figuring that the fastest way to get back to her friends was to help the woman so that Bastien could help her father. "The first thing we need to do is get those binders off. May I?"
She held out her hands. The woman, who appeared to be the same age as her, looked at her out of feverish green eyes, and then silently appealed to Bastien. He nodded encouragingly at her.
"Hi," Felline said softly, smiling as kindly as she could. "What's your name?"
"Cleo," the woman whispered. An orange spot circled one of her eyes, a black one the other. Her lips, however, were as white and bloodless as her cheeks.
"It's going to be okay, Cleo," Felline told her. The binders jingled when they hit the rocks at their feet.
"If you'll give me your arm, Commander," Bastien said after Felline helped him free his hands.
"Snow," Snow snapped.
"You'll always be Commander to me, Commander," was the laughing reply.
Felline smiled to herself. She'd forgotten that Bastien was like that. She pulled Cleo's arm across her shoulders, taking most of the taller woman's weight. Bastien braced Snow, and the four of them headed at a slow shuffle toward the hill on the outskirts of the gulag. Cleo fainted before they reached true freedom. Felline's shout for help brought Pumyra at a jog, her limp barely noticeable.
Pumyra's eyes first widened and then narrowed. All business, she knelt at Felline's side. She peeled back Cleo's eyelid, peered into the glazed eye, made a quick pass over her mouth and nose to check her breathing, and then pressed her fingers to her throat. She waited, and then barked at Panthro, "We need to get her into the tank."
"Yes, ma'am," he rumbled. He scooped up Cleo and bore her away. Pumyra went with him.
Bastien's eyes followed them, but he made no move to do the same. Felline led him and her father to the enormous pile of binders. Lion-O had just released the old cat they'd first helped, who stood there, rubbing his wrists.
"Thank you, my king," he said.
"Ratar-O fled back underground. You'll be safe in the old settlement just outside the ruins of Thundera," Lion-O told him. They'd decided this earlier. With the cats' departure, Thundera had lain abandoned by all; the lizards had what they'd come for. There was no reason for any other animals to go near such a cursed, defiled place. From the most desirable to barely inhabitable: Thundera was the only home left to the cats of Third Earth.
"Thank you," the old cat repeated with a reverent smile. He turned and followed the trail of cats already heading for the desert and the long trek home.
"Think they'll be all right?" Felline asked, coming up next to Lion-O. The line wasn't moving very fast.
"They'll be fine. We've looted this place of as much as they can carry. I see no reason to give the rats a helping hand if they ever come back here," Lion-O said savagely.
"A sound decision," Snow said.
Lion-O turned to him, a question in his complicated blue eyes. "Can't say I've heard that recently," he said, but without his usual rancor. "I hope you're right."
Even though she was sure Lion-O couldn't mistake him for anyone else, Felline introduced her father to him.
Lion-O's eyes brightened. "I can't tell you how glad I am that we've found you alive, Commander."
"Just Snow," Snow said, for the third time, but he did take Lion-O's hand. "The lad and I are little better than deserters of your army."
"I hardly think that's your fault," Lion-O said, but Snow shook his head.
"We failed in our duty. Thundera fell, and so did most of our people. I no longer deserve my rank."
"Don't listen to him, Your Majesty," Bastien said. With two whole legs, he stood much taller than the grizzled snow leopard, and his voice was stronger, too. He demanded attention, and Lion-O gave it to him.
"You are?"
"Bastien, sire. Without the Commander, more of us would have been lost here. He stood up for us when no one else could. He kept us organized, kept us together, kept us believing in you. We couldn't have lasted this long without him."
"That's enough, now," Snow muttered. He leaned weakly on his crutch, fur matted with filth, ears lopsided, whiskers damaged beyond repair.
Lion-O gripped his arm. "It appears I owe you my thanks and more, Commander."
"Your Majesty." Snow bowed his head respectfully, but Felline uncomfortably realized that his eyes were swimming again.
She looked at the ground, confused. How much Snow had changed! Was he her father anymore? Here was another version of him, the cat who had borne the wrath of rats to protect the last of their dead king's people, sacrificing his own well-being for everyone else's. Why, then, hadn't he done the same for his wife and daughters? What had made him turn rat on them when he was so obviously a hero to Bastien and the others? Who was he?
"We should go," Snow said at last. He turned to hobble away. "Felline, come along."
Before Felline could recover from her surprise – he expected her to leave Lion-O, to jump and stick to his heels as if she was just a cub? – Bastien frowned at his broad back. "How far do you think you're gonna get on that leg, Commander? You need to rest."
"Don't coddle me."
"I'm not coddling you."
"Then keep your opinions to yourself."
"How is this an opinion?"
They were arguing like father and son. Felline listened with increasing incredulity. She'd never dreamed that Bastien and Snow would become so close. Jealousy gnawed at her while they bickered, but she didn't understand it. Jealousy of what? They were close because of what they'd been through together – she didn't wish she'd been brought here as a slave, too, just so she could have been part of . . . whatever this was.
"He's right, Father," she said, finding her tongue. "It's more than a day to Dog City on foot."
At the scuff of gravel, she glanced toward the ThunderTank, out of sight behind a dune, and saw Panthro returning. He was alone. Bastien noticed him too, and his face changed. Felline couldn't put a name to his expression, only that it was intense.
Bastien turned back to Snow. "Besides, it wasn't you I was worried about. We can't leave Cleo by herself. It would kill her," he said.
"Then what do you propose we do?" Snow asked.
"Stay with us. Pumyra says your friend is in no shape to make the journey," Panthro said in the way he had that said the matter was closed. He looked down at Lion-O, ready to make an official report. "That's every cat accounted for except for Tygra and Cheetara. What if they couldn't find the Sword?" He crossed his arms, not hiding his obvious worry.
"As if there was any doubt," Tygra smugly called from behind, surprising them all.
Felline turned. Together, Cheetara and Tygra carefully carried their booty down the trail and then laid it on the ground. The stormy light caressed it where it lay, looking like a puddle of oil, toxic and iridescent. Felline stared at the monstrosity, her skin crawling.
The Gauntlet of Plun-Darr dwarfed the Gauntlet of Omens much like Ratar-O had done to Mordax. It was huge and black, shining with symmetrical red designs, shaped like the long, horned skull of some reptilian beast. The Sword of Plun-Darr fit inside it the same way the Sword of Omens fit inside its partner, hinting at a common creator. The gaping holes in both black Gauntlet and Sword were clearly where the War Stone was meant to go. The black Sword sang as it lay there, mocking them as if it knew they could not hide it from its master forever.
"This isn't a weapon for cats to wield," Cheetara told them. Her face suggested that merely looking at it was painful for her. "We should take it to the Tower of Omens before Mumm-Ra learns it's been unearthed."
"It's too late for that," Panthro growled. He pointed with a metal claw, indicating the gray desert beneath the continuously swirling clouds. There, before the horizon, violent lightning strikes illuminated an army of misshapen figures eating up the miles with long, deliberate strides.
War mechs, Felline realized with a chill, their headlights glowing faintly green through the gloom. A hundred war mechs, maybe more, trundling straight for them, flanked by hovercraft with an entire army of lizards marching along at their feet.
A/N: Hello, friends! Guess what. It's my birthday! I thought giving myself the gift of updating this poor, neglected story.
Reviewer Thanks! Of course, I could never forget you guys! Ashleyjenko (If I ever do a Lion-O POV, I can promise it'll be as a Bonus Theater - it's a good idea to step outside Felline's POV every once in a while, isn't it? :3), Heart of the Demons, KelseyAlicia, Momochan77, CaptainCommanderLucy, Flaming Belladonna (twice! Welcome to the madness!), Mooncloudpanther, The Night Whisperer, Moonlightdeer, Seeds of Destruction, Darwin, Justchillin15 (okay! X3), Anonymous Pickle, Blacktiger93 (I am NEVER giving up on this story, you have my most solemn promise. I took a break this summer to get some other aspects of my life in order. I can't promise a quick update schedule, but I'm goin' all the way, baby. X3 Thanks for sticking by me), WyldClaw (I know you're still back in "The Exiles" and may never see this, but - thanks), Guest (Aw, no username at all? Oh, well. Your question: Yes, Pumyra is a puma. Where I live, we call them mountain lions. Same cat, different name. :3 There's a reason I've chosen to use my local dialect. I hope you stick around to find out why!), Lady Aurora Nocturne, Guest (number two! Hee. :3), MagiLover13, rkanti15 (welcome to the story! Thank you so much for reviewing! Here's another one, just for you :3), Kirsty (welcome, thank you, but - why on wattpad?), and Medusalith Amaquelin. So, I know a couple of you have gone through name changes since my last update, but I simply copy and paste usernames out of the review email alerts. Sorry if I'm still stuck in the past!
All my love,
An extremely exciteable Anne