Episode 6: Revenge of the Rats

Part 3 of 4

Roughly 23:00 hours; The present

Keeping his distance on the high grounds Tygra circled Castle Plun-Darr for the tenth or twelfth time already. Dozens of war bots guarded the ravaged surrounding area. Armed lizards and dogs marched between the battle mechs in search of trespassing enemies. Between them and the castle was a chemical moat; the fumes of which made Tygra's whiskers singe. He noticed a few exposed drainage pipes on the base of the south wall. Maybe a useful entrance to a rat, but the tiger did not like the idea of breaking in through the plumbing.

He would have to scale the facade the Castle itself and drop in through the roof somehow.

Tygra inhaled a deep breath. *"I wouldn't ask you to do this for me, Lion-O, but… you would go in after me without my asking so… here it goes." With a quick yank backwards he cracked his whip overhead.

"Wait!"

Cheetarah's unexpected call from the shadows broke his concentration. He lowered his whip as his invisibility failed to take full effect.

"Finally, there you are!" Cheetara whispered harshly as she cautiously emerged from the swamp onto the craggy ledge. "Lynx-O and I expected you to return hours ago."

"I know; I'm sorry." Tygra's ears lowered apologetically. "We ran into a snag."

She exhaled a quick sigh. "What kind of a snag? Where's Lion-O?" She glared at him as she placed her bo staff back in its holster.

"I lost him in the swamp."

"You were supposed to watch out for him." She scolded.

"He didn't make it easy for me!" Tygra forced his tone to soften. "I heard that enough from father; I don't need to hear it from you."

"Fair enough." She struggled to study Tygra's face in the moons' light. She could see a bloodied, swollen/ crooked nose between two black eyes. "Good gods, what happened to your face?"

Tygra quickly explained the events that led up to the present.

"ROOAW!" Tygra's roar of agony nearly echoed as Cheetara held his head back and popped the cartilage in his nose back into place. He instinctively covered his mouth to muffle the cry.

"Keep your head back a minute." She instructed, cleaning off both the wet and dry blood with a cloth. "So Lion-O chased after the rat? Even after he tried to rob you?"

"Rat? I meant rats-" Tygra fibbed/ exaggerated the number and circumstances to spare his bruised pride. "Thr-er Five hulking sewer rats tried to rob us then Addicus zoomed in out of nowhere. He fired at us from some kind of air craft. I didn't recognize the model. They started going after him, so Lion-O, using his back-assward Lion-O logic, decided to abandon our original plan to join their fight."

"You didn't try to go stop him?"

"Of course I tried to stop him; he never listens to me! I was just going to meet up with you and Lynx-O without him, but then I…I felt guilty for leaving him to rot out there." He admitted.

"Why did Lion-O try to defend the rats from Addicus in the first place?"

"I don't know! To make peace between the species or some stupid, sentimental crap!" His scowl softened to a worried frown. "That was hours ago. I found pieces of the wreck, but not much else."

"Was he captured? Has he been taken inside the castle?" Cheetara asked, peering down at the danger below.

"I didn't find him in the swamp and he never made it to the rendezvous point, so we can only assume… I'm going to try to break my way into the ventilation system from those smoke stacks on the highest tower." He motioned to the very highest peak; above the beast's face. "If that doesn't work then I guess I improvise. Two problems however; One-"

The jowls of the iron beast face open wide. In place of a tongue the giant cannon barrel poked out. Following an ear-splitting/ ground shaking BOOM a massive fireball tore through the night sky. Cheetara watched in horror as the fireball soared overhead. It landed deep into the interior of the swampland; setting the surrounding trees ablaze.

Tygra continued, "The second problem-"

"The big shit-storm of war bots?" Cheetara guessed.

"No, I can get around them with my whip." Tygra assured her. He glanced over his shoulder. In the mud, knocked out cold were several canids. "But dogs are patrolling the area. They sniff me out every time the wind blows."

Cheetara, still peering below took a brief pause to think. "Have you ever tried to make two people invisible before?"

"No…" Tygra smirked at her. "But that's not a bad idea."

"I'll take out as many war bots as I can to try to buy you some time." Cheetara informed him. "If I can I'll join you inside. Lynx-O will come looking for us in a few hours if we're not all back at the rendezvous point by then."

"Let's hope to free Lion-O and be far away from the castle asap. I'll hang myself if I have to sit and listen to Lynx-O lecture me over this."

"Oh stop." She smacked him across the bicep playfully. "How long can we both stay invisible?"

"I'm not sure." He confessed. "But this still might work. Stand back to back with me."

They kissed for good luck before Cheetara did as instructed. Tygra closed his eyes and concentrated. Within seconds the chords of the whip cloaked both he and Cheetara in an invisible shroud.

"Whoa…" Cheetara's disembodied voice floated in the air. A log sank in the mud when she apparently stepped on it. "It's a funny feeling; being invisible."

"You'll get used to it." Tygra's disembodied voice assured her. "Okay, I'm right behind you."

"And I'm right in front of you." Cheetara raced off. To the naked eye it appeared as if a powerful wind torpedoed through one of the war bots. Invisibly Tygra slipped by the chaos of exploding war machines and panicking enemy soldiers almost effortlessly and started the treacherous ascension up the castle walls.

Earlier that day; (where episode 6 part 2 left off)

In order to keep Addicus in his sight Lion-O leaped from tree top to tree top. He followed the trail of exhaust spiraling above. Snarf raced along the forest floor, struggling to keep pace himself. Above Vyrmin refused to be thrown off; yanking on Addicus's thick white hair with a death grip.

"HooHOO! Buck-toothed little shit!" Addicus finally abandoned his hold on the controls in an attempt to reach for the bothersome rodent. Lion-O instinctively dropped to a lower branch as the enemy craft took a sharp turn backwards and downwards. The top quarter of the tree scattered into a million pieces as the sky cutter plowed through it.

Addicus tossed Vyrmin off the side. He seized the opportunity to straighten his controls and gain altitude. Barely clinging to the foot pedal (while being smacked repeatedly by tree branches) Vyrmin clamored his way up the side once again. Addicus roared in agony as he jabbed him in the thigh with his sais. He scrambled behind Addicus, ready to strike him in the in the back of the neck.

Once again Addicus lost control of his air craft. Using careful timing and a little luck, Lion-O leapt from the trees onto the wings of the cutter. He snatched Vyrmin off Addicus's back right before the ape managed to lock him in his enraged grip.

Addicus looked back over his shoulder in wide-eyed terror. "What the hell are you doing?! You're going to crash us!" He cried, struggling to keep the sky cutter balanced with the extra weight awkwardly teetering on the wings.

"That's the idea!" Lion-O drew his sword. The blade growled as it grew to full length.

"Wait!" Vyrmin squeaked.

"Cats always land on their feet; trust me!" With all his might Lion-O swung downward, slicing the wing clean off.

Still holding the screaming, terrified Vyrmin, Lion-O leaped for the ground, leaving Addicus's sky cutter to nose dive in the opposite direction.

As lion-O predicted he landed on his feet however he misjudged his landing spot. Instead of the level, relatively soft, marshy swamp he landed just yards past on a steep incline laced with large rocks and thick, gnarly tree roots. The knee Vyrmin had injured earlier gave out as his feet hit the ground. Both he and the young rat toppled violently all the way down the incline at break neck speed.

A long blank moment passed. Lion-O awoke lying flat on his back. His head ached and his surroundings at first seemed blurry and lacked some color…and also tilted on its side. "I have a concussion." He realized inwardly. "But I'm definitely NOT dead…"He groaned as he felt something stand on his chest. Overhead, Vyrmin's cute, chubby-faced scowl appeared followed by a series of punches.

"WHY… DID…YOU…DO THAT?!"

Lion-O finally snapped back into reality well enough to claw Vyrmin off of him. "Back off; I won't warn you again!" He snarled, tightening his fist around Vyrmin's throat a moment. He released him with a slight shove forward. "A cat THANKS a man for saving his life! What's your problem, rodent?!"

"Save me?!" the colonel fumed. "You almost KILLED me! I could have crashed that monkey's war toy myself, dick-nuts!"

"And then what? Lay in the wreckage a paraplegic until that monkian rips your head from your torso like a plush burble?"

"Thank you, sir, but I can look after myself." Vyrmin paused to smooth down his fur and uniform before stomping off in a huff.

Lion-O followed close behind. "Are you heading for the castle?"

Vyrmin's tail twitched in annoyance as he quickened his pace. "None of your concern. Piss off mister "cats always land on their feet"." He glanced back over his shoulder, glaring up at him. "By the way, landing on your feet doesn't do you much good when you're jumping, like, two hundred some odd feet in the air from a speeding, god-rotting air craft!"

Lion-O shrugged. "Any landing you can walk away from, right?"

Vyrmin jabbed him in the inner thigh as hard as he could before storming off once again. Lion-O doubled over, scowling as he held his throbbing bruise forming. His pained hissing soon turned into laughter. He continued to follow Vyrmin, giving him a swift scratch to the back of his head. "You don't learn, do you?"

"STOP following me, if you know what's good for your health." He warned.

Lion-O ignored him. "If you're trying to find a way inside Castle Plun-Darr maybe I can help."

"I don't NEED your help. Leave me alone."

"I can't let you take off without me."

Insulted, Vyrmin's fur stood on end. "I may be young, but-"

"No, I mean, I can't let you take off without me; I don't know where I am." Lion-O explained further. "I've never been this far into the west swamps before."

"Oh…"

"But yes, you ARE too young to be out here alone. " Lion-O added. "What kind of barbaric species enlists twelve-year-old pups as foot soldiers?"

"Reminder, I've been promoted to colonel, thank you very much. I was enlisted when I was seven like every rodent boy worth his weight." Vyrmin puffed out his chest as he struggled to keep marching ahead of Lion-O (a difficult task considering his stride is so much longer).

"Whatever happened to adolescence?"

"That's the invention of spoiled felines." The colonel stated bitterly. "Maybe had king Claudis been more concerned about training you in combat and preparing you to handle your kingly duties you might actually be a lord of something today."

Something inside Lion-O snapped. He yanked Vyrmin off his feet by his tail and held him at eye level. "Mention my father again and I'll rip out your tongue, YOU GOT THAT, RAT?" He shook Vyrmin violently before throwing him to the ground.

Vyrmin's eyes locked intensely with his as he pulled himself to his knees.

"I'm not here to fight you or your species today, colonel. I'm here because I need to find a way inside castle Plun-Darr. I need to take back some of what my enemies took from me and THEN I want to watch that eyesore collapse." He offered Vyrmin a hand. "Would you like to make that happen?"

Vyrmin took the lion's hand, allowing him to help pull him to his feet. "Me and about fourteen million other rodents would like to see that happen."

Lion-O's stomach sank a little. "Whiskers; there are fourteen million rodents in Ratilla's empire?"

"No, in his military." Vyrmin clarified.

"Why haven't you pushed them out of your territory yet?"

"For one thing; they outgun us." Vyrmin exhaled a heavy sigh. "Also, it's not my call to make yet. Lord Ratar-O must lead the charge."

"What is he waiting for?"

"I don't know, maybe for his Mt. Plun-Darr injuries to heal!" Vyrmin snapped. "If you don't want me to ditch you in rat-terrier hunting grounds DON'T mention MY father either!"

"Your father? You mean Warlord Ratar-O…?" Lion-O studied Vyrmin's features for a moment. He tried to picture a younger, much smaller Ratar-O and then it clicked. "You're the next son of Ratilla?"

Vyrmin sighed. "Yes, I'm the next son of Ratilla; the ONLY next son of Ratilla."

"Well, yes; that's how being an heir works."

Vyrmin cocked his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The king's eldest son inherits his crown, kingdom and sword, well, provided no unforeseen circumstances happen." Lion-O clarified.

"Wait, the sword of Omens automatically gets passed down to the eldest lion cub?"

"Well-"

The pup pouted. "That's totally lame and unfair! All sons of Ratilla, oldest to youngest have to challenge each other and the warlord in power to a duel to the death. Even daughters duel sometimes. The enchantment that empowers the rat's eyes is renewed by the spilling of old blood."

Lion-O raised a brow in disbelief. "You and your siblings have to kill your father for his crown?"

"Well, traditionally the sons and daughters would have to fight each other off first and then the last standing descendant of Ratilla has to kill Lord Ratar-O for his crown. I have no siblings, so I have no middle men to deal with. It sounds convenient, but it's really a lot of pressure."

Lion-O looked appalled. "No way; you can't kill your father."

"I know; I've tried- like three times. He's inexplicably strong and fast for a rat THAT fat and old. Even if I break through his defense it's like stabbing a giant globba-gooie; I never hit anything vital before he knocks me out or puts me in a sleeper hold. I just can't take seeing the disappointment in his eyes anymore."

"No I meant morally—never mind; That's… insane."

"That's my heritage." Vyrmin half chuckled, half sighed.

"Is Ratar-O aware that you're out here alone trying to infiltrate an enemy base?"

"We really shouldn't keep chatting. I wasn't joking about the-" Vyrmin felt his left foot sink into the soil and heard the slightest ping of a wire snapping. "SQUEEEEAK!"

Lion-O instinctively jumped backwards and off to the side as a massive trap hole formed beneath their feet. Vyrmin, not lucky enough to dodge the trap, toppled forward. He managed to grab a hold of some exposed roots, saving him from landing on a bed of poisoned wood spikes.

Lion-O peered over. "Are you alright?" he asked, offering Vyrmin a hand.

"A-affirmative." The colonel confirmed, a little shaken as he struggled to reach.

The sword of Omens growled. Lion-O jumped, slightly startled. "A warning-" He noticed a number of shadows scurrying along the bushes, all fairly short in stature. Lion-O quickly yanked Vyrmin out of the hole and placed him on the ground. They stood back to back and drew their weapons.

Moments later a large circle of small, short-haired dogs with white fur and black and/or brown spots surrounded them. They were dressed in bone and leather armor and carried spears and daggers. The alpha, a crazed odd-eyed female barked violently as she led the charge for intruding lion.

He dodged the alpha's attack, but not well enough. The tip barely grazed his exposed shoulder, drawing blood. Lion-O felt his body become overwhelmingly heavy as the poison on the rat-terrier's spear soaked into his bloodstream.

He swung in defense one last time before dropping his sword and then to his knees. He watched with blurred vision as Vyrmin was overpowered and restrained.

Roughly an hour and a half later…

In a dirt walled prison behind makeshift vine and wood bars…

Lion-O shot upright as he violently ripped himself from of his drug-induced black out. He quickly realized his hands were tightly bound behind his back and his feet awkwardly bound beneath him as well. "My sword-!" He gasped as he glanced at his side and saw an empty claw shield.

"The alpha bitch has it; hold on…" Vyrmin grunted as he struggled to scrunch up tight and pull his legs and tails through his bound arms. "I'm...almost... CRAP!"

Lion-O glanced through the bars. The alpha rat-terrier paced a pit (similar to the pit in Dog City, but smaller and less grand in ambiance). Dangling from her hip was the sword of omens; the eye covered in a leather strap so not to come alive and resist her. In her arms she carried Snarf, stroking his back gently (the pack must have found him in the swamp earlier). She wore a malicious smile as she peered above to what Lion-O could only assume was a cheering crowd. The prison walls/ bars obstructed his view, but he could hear the other terriers barking and cheering.

Younger, lower ranking terriers armed with only their teeth gathered in the pit. Alongside them, also unarmed, but unfairly bound at the wrists behind their backs were twenty some odd rodents; a few mice and some younger rats, two of which familiar red-eyed whites, a hand full of elderly rats, some young tree squirrels and a young opossum.

"Three extra points for the marsupial!" The alpha reminded the contenders, exciting the spectators.

"What's going on?" Lion-O whispered to Vyrmin.

"It's a *god-rotting rat-raid! Gusto is out there! Mikhail and Mikkhi too—I have to help them before it's too late!" Vyrmin explained, gritting his teeth in desperation.

"What's a rat-raid?"

"It's a rat-terrier pack hunting ritual. *They gather a bunch of us rodents and throw us in their pit. Contenders try to kill as many of us before the drums are struck again. Whoever kills the most gets the best meat at dinner for a week. The dog working for Mumm-ra must have traded the captives from my squad to the terrier pack." Vyrmin finally pulled his hands to the front and started to gnaw at his binding.

Outside the alpha terrier barked. The low rumbling of bones pounding over war drums echoed through the pit, signaling for the slaughter to begin.

"No!" Lion-O cried. With a burst of strength he ripped apart his binding and then Vyrmin's. He then proceeded to kick down the bars. Feeling a little resentment for being upstaged by a cat, Vyrmin followed Lion-O's lead into the rescue.

A number of the youngest/ weakest rodents had already been pinned, but before the terriers could sink their canines into their prey they were swiftly and mercilessly knocked out by Lion-O and Vyrmin. Morale boosted by the rescue, the other rodents started to fight back.

"Stop them!" The alpha ordered. "Get them out of my pit!"

"Shnaarf!" Snarf instinctively noticed his cue and bit the alpha terrier's hand, hard. She yelped out as she dropped the cuddly creature to the ground. Snarf pounced at her, snatching the sword of omens by the handle in his mouth and scurrying off. He pushed her to the ground as he kicked off with his feet.

"Good boy, Snarf!" Lion-O commended him as his cub hood companion passed him his sword then scurried off once again to chew through the binding of the captive rodents, allowing them the ability to hit back.

"HO!" Lion-O outstretched his blade. The eye opened, disintegrating the binding blinding it. "This ends NOW!" Lion-O declared, pointing the sword towards the alpha.

She growled at him, clutching her still bleeding hand. "How dare you, cat! These are MY rats!"

"They're MY rats!" Vyrmin corrected her with a venomous hiss in his voice that inspired a cheer from his fellow rodents. "I'm bringing them back underground with me!"

"We'll see about that!" The alpha reached for her spear. "Attack, you curs!" She and her fellow terriers leapt into the pit, ready to fight.

With a swift overhead swing of the blade, Lion-O summoned red energy shield that repulsed the entire pack. The surged knocked the terriers several feet backwards. Those left conscious, including the alpha ran off whimpering with their tails between their legs.

Convinced the threat had vanished Lion-O lowered his sword and turned around. "No need to thank me, I-" He immediately realized the rodents had no intentions of thanking him. They crowded Vyrmin; showering him with gratitude instead, shaking his hand and giving him pats on the back.

The two white rat pups several years younger than Vyrmin hugged him tightly and cheered in unison "Colonel Vyrmin! Colonel Vyrmin! You came for us!"

"I would never leave a soldier behind." Vyrmin kissed their foreheads. "Are you two alright? Is everyone alright? Any wounded?" He asked, looking around to inspect the others.

"Nothing we can't walk off, Colonel. We're just really hungry and shaken up." Gusto assured him.

"Our father is still in the castle, Colonel." One of the white rat pups informed him.

The other white pup glanced up at Lion-O. "Why is a cat with you?"

"He's- under arrest and in my custody." Vyrmin lied to his subordinates. He begged Lion-O with his eyes to play along. Lion-O, despite his desperate urge to do otherwise, played along. "Private Gusto," Vyrmin addressed his friend formerly. "I need you to lead everyone back underground for me. I'm going to proceed with our mission alone."

Gusto's ears drooped. "But, Colonel-"

"I can't risk losing half my patrol again." Vyrmin explained. He placed a hand on the opossum's shoulder. "Go; that's an order. Jenyo is waiting for you at home."

Duel tears rolled down Gusto's cheeks as he gave Vyrmin a salute. "Yes, Colonel. Best of luck. Ratilla protect you."

"You too, private."

"What do we tell Lord Ratar-O if-?"

"Don't tell him ANYTHING unless I'm missing for more than 24 hours. NO MATTER WHAT." Vyrmin gave the pups still clinging to him one last affectionate squeeze. "Mikhail, Mikkhi, be good, soldiers."

"Yes, Colonel." Finally they released him and scurried off with the rest of the group. Lion-O watched as the rodents he helped rescue climb out of the pit and disappear into the shadows of the swamp without so much as a sideways glance at him.

Vyrmin, starting to get teary eyed, tried to climb out of the pit before Lion-O noticed. Lion-O clawed his way out with ease. Thanks for hogging the glory back there." He offered Vyrmin a hand, but the pup swatted his hand away and climbed the rest of the way out of the hole himself.

"After the way cats have treated us for generations you expect thanks? We don't want your help, "Lord" Lion-O. We have our pride too."

"Well, I'm in no position to care about pride." The young king informed him. "I can't help you infiltrate the castle unless you fully explain to me YOUR side of the situation. Who knows you're out here?"

"No one, okay?!" Vyrmin's voice cracked as he cried out. "Lord Ratar-O has no idea I went AWOL. I hate to dishonor him, but he left me no choice! He's forbidden me to engage the enemy. I've been suspended for disobeying his orders once already. I… I tried to lead my patrol on a rescue mission to free all the rodents that have been captured and forced to do who knows what inside the Castle, but the mission failed. Miserably; I got even more rodents captured."

"Why risk another failure and your life?"

"Because I can't wait around for Ratar-O to decide enough is enough. Mumm-Ra is terrorizing MY people and destroying MY homelands. If no other rat will stand up to his armies than I will."

Lion-O looked at Vyrmin with a sense of respect he never thought possible for a rodent. Despite how violently he squirmed and squeaked in protests. Lion-O picked Vyrmin off the ground and placed him on his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Vyrmin's voice cracked as he cried out.

"Letting you save some energy." Lion-O explained, carrying the pup the way a an older brother would carry his baby brother The gesture made Snarf a little jealous. He tailed behind on foot, pouting. "How far from Castle Plun-Darr are we now?"

Vyrmin sighed in defeat. "You're really hell bent on doing this."

"I'm willing to trust you if you're willing to trust me, Colonel."

"...Thank you." Vyrmin finally forced himself to say after reflecting in silence for a few moments. "Turn left." He instructed. "We're only twenty minutes away from here."

"Good; we'll work out a plan on the way." A triumphant smile formed on his face. If he could persuade the next son of Ratilla to cooperate with him, maybe there was hope for peace between the two species after all. "Just out of curiosity, how much time do you think we have before your father notices you're missing and tries to drag you back underground?"

Vyrmin shrugged. "At least a few more hours." He guessed. "I planted a distraction in the Rat-Star."

"What kind of distraction?"

"A very intimidating one."

Lion-O could only imagine what the rat pup was referring to. He only hoped his decisions would work out for both his cats and Vyrmin's rats in the end and not later come back to bite him…

Author's note: Special Thanks to Heart of Demons; who's latest Punks of Thunder chapter finally kicked me out of my lazy writer slump. I had more to this chapter written than I realized. I hadn't looked at this fic in forever so I thought it would be hard to finish this chapter, but a little Punky in the morning helped me crank the rest out ^^. Punks of Thunder is his Thundercats/Punky Brewster crossover; a great read especially if you're looking for a good story out of the norm for a Thundercats fic. Please give it a read through if you ever get the opportunity.

It seems lord Lion-O and Colonel Vyrmin can develop a friendship after all. Hopefully not at the cost of Lion-O's original goal lol… but he is inclined by nature to make friends before he makes an enemy (despite the popular opinion of others) and that's one quality about Lion-O I find enduring about him leadership wise.

*Several bits of dialog were quoted/ modified from the 1980's Thundercats episodes, Tower of Traps and the Fireballs of Castle Plun-Darr :) Tygra has a soft spot for his baby brother after all. Who knows? Maybe Lion-O will be able to see things through Tygra's perspective a little better at the end of all this :]

*the term "god-rot" and/or "god-rotting" is the original term where the word "drat" comes from. The word has nothing to do with rats at all XD. I incorporated it into rodent slang (similar to how "whiskers" is used in Thunderian feline slang) (yay internet for random facts)

*The terrier pack hunting ritual is based on a (in my opinion, mean) Victorian sport where terriers were released into a pit filled with rats. The winning terrier could kill the most rats in the shortest amount of time. Third Earth rats are so much fun to write for. After my wedding/ after I actually have time to finish this fic I would eventually like to write a bunch of spin off one shots about the species of Third earth and the past wars between them that took place. It would be a good excuse just to develop their place in my fandom a little further.

So many directions for this episode to go in. I hope this fic is not too long forgotten by now. Please read and review. Questions/ comments/ requests and suggestions are welcomed.

Until next time, whenever that is, Ho everyone!