The next morning after escaping the new generals the ThunderCats team gathered around.
"How about we fire up the Book of Omens, Panthro?" Asked Adam.
"Find out where the next stone is." Said Adam as he needed to get this done as soon as possible.
Panthro nodded and went over to the book and activated and a soft beeping was heard and then the book showed them a holographic red compass.
It took a moment to calculate the directions and location and the needle pointed upwards and a small beam of bright red light pointing towards the ceiling of the ThunderTank.
"Up?" Asked Panthro when he saw it.
"How can it be up?" Asked Panthro as he looked well up.
"I don't know." Said Adam.
"But if the Book says the stone is up, then that's where we're going." Said Tygra as he moved over to the console of the tank and began activating it so they would be able to see where to go.
There were cameras all around the tank's screens and the pictures they saw were put onto a group of screens to give them a large range of view.
The first thing that showed up before them was a long mountain range covered in ice.
"Yeah I don't think that's what It mean, Tygra." Said Adam as he knew it wouldn't be as simple as that.
"Adam's right, the Book can be cryptic at times, maybe you're misinterpreting the message." Said Cheetara in agreement.
Tygra shook his head with confidence.
"When have I've been wrong?" Asked Tygra as he walked off.
"Do you want an actual list?" Asked Carter as he called out.
Regardless the Tank began moving towards the location.
The tank suddenly jerked to a stop and they could see a long mountain range that went up very high.
"It'll take us weeks to get around these mountains!" Yelled Panthro in anger.
"we don't have to the Book will lead us to the Stone, me, Adam and Carter can scout it out to find it and then return." Said Tygra.
After with a little tinkering the Book came out with it's holo arrow still working and went up.
Carter shivered and brought his arms closer around himself and was looking up at all the high snowy cliffs of the mountains they traveled on.
The trek itself was difficult.
The snow was knee-high and even deeper if you stepped in the wrong place.
They had been walking for a while but the Arrow still hasn't budged an inch.
"So much for finding the stone." Said Adam as he put the book away.
"I know it's here, we just haven't looked everywhere yet." Said Tygra as he walked forward.
"Stubborn ideot" Said Carter as he shook his head.
"Why can't you admit your wrong Tygra, the stone's obviously not here." Said Adam.
"I'm not wrong." Said Tygra in stubbornness.
"What is it with you and your pride?" Asked Adam in frustration.
"PRIDE IS WHAT MAKES ME A TIGER!" Yelled Tygra.
His yelling came across the mountains and the three of them froze and was looking around them.
A rumbling could be heard and a part of the mountain's snow broke off and began to fall quickly towards them.
"Avalanche!" Yelled all three.
They ran to find somewhere to take cover.
They soon found a high boulder in the ground and they all ran towards that.
Tygra grabbed the two of them to safety and were against the rock as the snow fell over them.
After a moment the avalanche stopped and they slowly got up.
They all looked to see the direction they came from.
"Still think we're gonna find that stone?" Asked Adam
He glared at Adam and looked around and his gaze stopping on something above them.
"We found something, look!" Yelled Tygra as he pointed up and they saw a cave hidden away in the side of the mountain.
It didn't take them very long to reach the cave.
They warily approached the entrance and were being careful to keep an eye out for any potential threats.
From the light of the sun they could see a little ways into the cave and could tell that someone had been living there for some time.
Tunnels had been dug in the sides of the cave walls, and a few tarps rested over the entrances and were acting like doors.
Seeing that no one was there at the moment the three of them entered the cave and was looking around.
There weren't any signs of current life but that idea was destroyed when they saw a group of hooded men approaching them.
They all readied themselves for a battle as they were not sure if these were enemies or friends.
"Hello, my friends and I mean no harm." Said Adam as he was stepping forward.
"We're lost, and—" Said Adam before he was cut off.
Tygra stepped up and shoved him back a step.
"We are not lost." Said Tygra in stubbornness.
Carter stepped up closer.
"Not the time, Tygra." Whispered Carter harshly.
A murmur suddenly buzzed through the group of men at the mention of his name.
One of them stepped forward.
"Your name is Tygra?" Asked one of them.
Tygra removed his hood to properly look at the people addressing him and Adam and Carter did the same.
"You ask as if you know me." Said Tygra.
The other man removed his hood and was showing that he was a tiger as well.
"I am Caspin, of the Tiger clan, we have long waited for this day, Tygra." Said Caspin as he smiled warmly at him as the others removed their hoods and was showing that they were all tigers.
"Welcome home, your father will be eager to see you." Said Caspin.
Tygra's eyes widened.
"My father?" Asked Tygra in shock.
The trio followed Caspin as he led them through the village and Caspin brought them to a separate room and opened the large double doors.
"Look who it is, Javan." Said Caspin.
The three of them were shown to a room where seven cats sat around a bonfire and the head cat looking remarkably similar to Tygra.
It still held a sort of majesty to it that made them think of a throne room and chances were it most likely was.
Javan's eyes widened when he saw Tygra and he did the same.
"Tygra is that you?" Asked Javan.
"I can't believe it." Said Tygra in disbelief.
"All this time I thought I was alone and here you are!" Yelled Tygra as he looked around.
"It's quite a surprise to see you." Said Javan.
Javan looked away from his son and Tygra looked to the ground in sadness.
"Forgive your father, your return is nothing short of miraculous." Said Caspin.
Tygra said nothing.
Adam stepped forward.
"Where did you come from?" Asked Adam.
"In ancient times, the tiger clan was the pride of Mumm-Ra's elite fighting force." Said Javan.
"During the Great Mutiny, we stayed loyal, because of it, the Tigers were treated as outcasts by the other Cat clans." Said Jaga.
"Our people settled in these mountains, even under such harsh conditions, we prospered for generations, until—" Said Javan.
"Enough of our history." Said Caspin quickly.
"We want to hear about you, Tygra, tell us how you came to be a prince among lions." Said Tygra as he closed his eyes to try and remember the events happening.
Tygra looked up and at the small group who had gathered before him.
"It wasn't until I was older that I was told the story of my arrival, the king and queen had yet to bear a child to continue the royal line, one day, a crowd of people gathered around a balloon that held a basket that carried a baby tiger and a piece of paper that bore nothing more than my name, since they had yet to give birth to a son and had lost their first child, a princess, they took me in, and raised me to become the king Thundera deserved." Said Tygra.
"Mother would always called me her Little Prince but, as I grew older, my parents approached me, and told me that I was going to be a big brother after that, I wasn't the 'Little Prince'. When the time of the birth came, there were complications, a raid happened and my mother had been taken to another world beyond our knowledge, that night, I lost the two things I cherished most, my mother, and my kingdom." Said Tygra.
Adam and Carter felt sorry for Tygra now, he lost everything, his mother, his elder sister, his father, his brother and his kingdom.
Caspin approached Tygra with a warm smile.
"But today, you become heir of the land of your own." Said Caspin.
Tygra looked up at Javan.
"If I'm part of this royal line, then why did you give me away?!" Yelled Tygra in anger as all of this was taken away.
"I did not give you away." Said Javan as he was refusing to meet Tygra's eyes.
"It was for your protection." Said Javen as he looked up above at a sky light in the room.
"Now, look, darkness is falling." Said Javan.
Everyone was seeing that two of the moons had risen in the sky and the sun was beginning to set.
"You need to leave for your own safety." Said Javan as he began to leave.
The other tigers in the room stood up to leave as well.
"Not until I get an explanation." Said Tygra firmly.
He stayed still as the other tigers began to file out of the room.
"This village has long been haunted by an unspeakable evil." Said Javan as he walked by.
"I only wish to keep you safe from it, my son." Said Javan.
"I'm a ThunderCat. I don't run from a fight." Said Tygra as he glared at him.
"Something my father taught me." Said Tygra.
A flash of pain flickered across Javan's face but it left as soon as it came.
"Am I supposed to believe you sent me away because of boogeymen?!" Yelled Tygra as he angered by the idea.
"If you cherish your life, you will go now." Said Javan as he walked around the group and was heading off into another part of the village.
Tygra growled angrily in his throat.
"I wish I never found this place!" Yelled Tygra as he clenched his claw.
Adam turned to him with wide eyes.
"Tygra, he's your father!" Yelled Adam.
"Claudus was my father!" Yelled Tygra.
"He's just a cat who abandoned his child." Said Tygra.
"Don't let your stubborn pride get in the way of forgiving him." Said Adam
Suddenly they heard a strange hissing noise from the darkness of the village.
"What was that?" Asked Tygra as he turned to see what it was.
Their eyes widened when they saw tall black thin creatures with huge frightening yellow eyes crawling around on the rocks towards them and some kind of a black smoke radiating from their bodies.
"I think it's the boogeymen." Said Adam as he pulled out his sword.
Carter and Tygra got prepared as well.
They charged in to the gang of strange monsters.
Adam using the sword to beat down two at a time while Tygra used his whip to knock them back and Carter used fire to push them away.
The battle was relatively short and it ended with Adam, Carter and Tygra all against each other's backs.
"What are these things?!" Asked Adam as he saw their fallen forms.
They all watched with wide eyes as a black smoke began radiating off of them again and they all began to stand up looking like they weren't hit.
"Whatever they are, they're not going down!" Yelled Tygra.
"And we will if we don't get somewhere safe now!" Yeleld Carter.
The three of them turned and ran down a tunnel that led to an icicle-covered cavern.
The monsters didn't hesitate to follow after them.
"Guess your father was telling the truth!" Yelled Adam as they ran.
He looked back over his shoulder and was seeing the monsters were a good distance away from them.
He jumped up and slashed down a good number of the huge icicles that filled the cavern, and they fell to the ground behind him.
The three stopped to look back at the wall Adam had made and was watching as the monsters tried to push through the small cracks.
They kept running until they were out of sight of the monsters and moved into a small cavern.
They all sighed in relief once they were safe.
The cavern was dark which forced Carter to make some fire in her hands.
Seeing as there was no wood to help them light a fire they used their cloaks to keep themselves warm in the darkness.
Soon enough, their eyes adjusted to the dark, and they all settled down.
Meanwhile the tigers have gathered in a meeting.
"We have been given a second chance, Javan." Said Caspin.
The other tigers mumbled in agreement.
"Do you realize what you're asking?" Asked Javan in shock.
"And it is because of you we are in this position." Said Caspin as he glared at Javan with a hateful expression.
"We all made that Pact, Caspin." Said Javan as he snapped back.
"If you cannot kill Tygra, then we will." Said Caspin with an emotionless voice.
The other tigers nodded in agreement.
Suddnely a light came behind them and they saw of what appears to be a circle portal with the Ancient Spirits of Evil inside it.
"Tygra is no longer our concern." Said The Spirits.
The tigers were in shock.
"But years ago you told me that-" Said Javan before he was cut off.
"That was before the White Wizard and The Avatar came to Third Earth." Said the Spirits.
"You means those creatures Tygra was with?" Asked Caspin in surprise.
"Yes, the pose an even greater threat then Tygra ever will be, so we will undo the punishment we gave and the heir can be returned if you kill those two boys." Said the Spirits.
They disappeared in a flash.
"That must make you happy, Javan." Said Caspin.
Javan said nothing and glared at Caspin.
The next morning, Tygra got up, saying that he was going to talk to his father, and Carter and Adam bid him goodbye as they know he should talk with him in private.
Once Tygra had left, Adam and Carter went to go out to see where the creature's tracks had and looked out along the path where they had come into the village the night before and was searching for any sign of the tracks of the creatures from the previous night.
But for some unknown reason there was no trace at all.
"Strange." Said Adam as he muttered to himself.
"What is it?" Asked Carter as he was at the entrance to the cave.
Adam continued looking out at the snowy path.
"There are no tracks anywhere, not a single trace." Said Adam.
"Do you think the snow covered it?" Asked Carter as he looked also.
"With snow falling this slowly I doubt it." Said Adam.
They both heard footsteps and looked back to see Tygra approaching them.
"How'd it go with Javan, Tygra?" Asked Carter.
"I had a long talk with Jav—my father." Said Tygra with a smile.
"Maybe this can be a home for me, after all." Said Tygra.
"Your sure?" Asked Carter as he didn't know if Tygra thought this through or not.
Tygra nodded and went back into the cave.
"I don't get it, those creatures that attacked us last night, I looked for their tracks leaving the village and I couldn't find any." Said Adam.
"Maybe they didn't leave outside?" Asked Carter.
"No one ever left the village since we came here." Said Adam.
"Not to hunt, or forage and come to think of it i haven't even seen them eat yet." Said Adam.
Carter remembered they had never at any point ate.
"They don't even attempt to fight back." Said Adam.
"There's something strange about this place." Said Adam as he looked around.
"Best not mention that to Tygra, he's finally happy about having his own kingdom." Said Carter.
Adam nodded in agreement.
"There's something I'm not seeing." Said Adam.
Adam suddenly got an idea and held out his hand to his chest.
"Ancient Power of the War Stone, give me sight beyond sight." Said Adam.
The Stone glowed and Adam began to see a vision of the tigers in the village.
They looked normal but then their forms changed to those of the creatures they saw the other night.
"It can't be." Said Adam.
"What is it?" Asked Carter.
"The tigers, their the monsters." Said Adam as he finished looking.
"He must not know the truth." Said a voice from behind them.
Adam and Carter looked up towards Javan.
"You don't understand how it is for a father." Said Javan.
"How did this happen?" Asked Adam.
Javan sighed and closed his eyes.
"Years ago the tigers were not welcomed into Thundera because we worshiped Mumm-Ra and one day a disease plagued our villaige, knowing the cats were turn their backs on us, we turned to the Ancient Spirits of Evil." Said Javan as he began his tale.
Adam and Carter's eyes widen.
"The same ones that Mumm-Ra called his masters?" Asked Adam in surprise.
Javan nodded.
"We were desperate, the spirits spoke to us, and said they had heard our plea, they said they would grant it on the condition that I slay my son and when I asked them why, they said he would become a threat to the Ancient Spirits, i refused outright, but they produced a knife, saying One life for many and i took the knife, and they instructed me to take Tygra to the highest peak and slay him there, soon after we called to them, our people were cured, all of them were healthy and happy again, and our village was at peace once more but I still had to do what was asked of me, so, I did as the Spirits wanted, and took my son to the highest peak, but, when the time came for me to take his life I couldn't, he was my son, i couldn't let him die, so, instead, I placed him in the basket of a balloon and sent him away, with nothing more than a paper bearing his name and when the Ancient Spirits discovered my betrayal, they put a curse on us." Said Javan as he finished his tale.
"Then the curse can only be broken when you take Tygra's life." Said Adam.
"The real curse for the tigers has been pride." Said Javan.
"We've never been able to overcome it." Said Javan.
"But Tygra is no longer their concern now, they've demanded that we kill you two instead." Said Javan.
This shocked them, why would the Ancient Spirits of Evil want them dead, sure they stopped Mumm-Ra's plans but they never acytally met the spirits themselves.
He looked at them pleadingly.
"You must leave before sunset with Tygra, for my sake, he must never learn the truth." Said Javan.
Adam and Carter shared a glance.
They looked back towards Javan.
"We'll leave, but you'll have to be the one convince Tygra to go with us." Said Carter.
"If we tell him he'll think we're just making it up and will never leave." Said Adam.
Javan nodded.
"I understand." Said Javan as he turned and started walking back to the entrance.
Soon they walked by back to the village and were waiting for Tygra.
They jumped back from when they door just as Tygra opened it.
"What happened?" Asked Adam as he was feigning innocence.
"We're leaving." Replied Tygra as he walked past them.
"You two!" Yelled a voice.
The three of them turned around to see a cloaked Caspin nearby.
"I've a message from Javan." Said Caspin.
"We heard his message." Said Adam as both he and Carter slowly backed as they have a feeling they know what their going to do.
"Oh, I don't think you've heard this one." Said Caspin slyly with a smirk on his face.
Suddenly another cloaked tiger came down from above them and quickly pushing Tygra out of the way as he went straight for Adam and Carter with a crescent-shaped blade.
They dodged the blow easily enough but as Adam reached for his sword the second one hit him hard and he was temporarily stunned.
He fell to the ground, his whip unfurling as he collapsed.
Before Carter could help he was grabbed and thrown to Adam.
They was quickly surrounded by the other tigers with all of them bearing the same kind of blade.
They were just about to strike when Javan suddenly ran out with a knife of his own the swinging of his blade easily pushing them back away from the two.
He looked over to Caspin with a frightening glare, and the tiger stepped back out of fear.
He ran at him faster than he could get away and stabbed him in his side.
Caspin fell to the ground and holding his wound that but strangely he didn't bleed.
"It didn't have to be this way." Said Javan.
"It was the only way." Said Caspin as the wound making it difficult for him to breathe.
He looked up at Javan.
"You betrayed your own clan, you alone brought the curse down upon us and your son will die for actions." Said Caspin.
The other tigers who were with Caspin stepped forward.
Javan turned and growled at them and they stepped back.
He looked back at Caspin.
"Then they'll have to go through me first." Said Javan.
Caspin let out a bitter laugh.
"They won't have to." Said Caspin as he collapsed on the ground with his eyes closed and looking very much dead.
Javan turned to the others.
"You three are in grave danger, these creatures have no conscience no remorse." Said Javan.
"What's going on, Father?" Asked Tygra as he was completely shaken up by the entire ordeal.
"What are you hiding?" Asked Tygra in confusion.
"Tell him, Javan or we will." Said Adam.
"My actions have turned me into a monster." Said Javan solemnly.
"I pray you can forgive me." Said Javan as he let out a tear.
Adam saw through an opening in the mountain that the sun had set.
Tygra watched with wide eyes as the tigers behind Javan began to turn into the monsters they had seen before.
He began to panic as he saw his father begin to undergo the same transformation.
"Father!" Yelled Tygra and was about to run toward him but Adam and Carter held him back.
They watched in horror as Javan turned into one of the hideous black beasts.
It let out a wild cry and they all stepped back.
Everyone saw that as the rest of the village became monstrous and the main fire in the city changed to a purple hue and they saw the faces of the Ancient Spirits of Evil.
Their faces were shadowed by the world they resided in, but they could tell their species easily enough.
One of them was a demon like Mumm-Ra another was a dog and a gorilla and the third was a glaring bird with two beaks.
"Kill them, kill them!" Yelled the spirits in unison and the monsters all began to run at them.
"Tygra, watch out!" Yelled Adam as he was pulling out his sword before slashing away one of the monsters that was about to attack Tygra.
Seeming to snap back to himself Tygra pulled out his whip and started hitting the monsters away.
Carter made sure to keep them at a good distance using the earth around him.
"Can someone explain to me what's going on?!" Yelled Tygra as he knocked away another one of the monsters.
"It's kind of a long story, but basically, your dad had to take your life to save the village!" Yelled Adam as he was swiping.
"He chose to save you instead!" Yelled Adam.
Tygra's eyes widened at this news.
"And as a consequence, the Ancient Spirits of Evil cursed the village and that's why they're like this!" Yelled Adam.
The three of them kept fighting but the monsters seem to be only get stronger as time went on.
Eventually, it got to a point where Adam was fighting off three of them at once and Carter was fighting off four and Tygra was fighting off five.
He took down the last of the ones around him when one of the monsters ran up and grabbed him putting their claws around his throat.
Adam and Carter saw this and tried to get to him but the monsters kept pushing them back.
"Tygra!" Yelled both Adam and Carter.
Tygra recognized the monster as the one his father had turned into.
His yellow eyes glowed brightly in the darkness of the cave and Tygra saw no resemblance to his father in them but he still spoke to him.
"I know…You did what you did out of love." Said Tygra.
He gasped as he was trying to breathe as his father's claws tightened.
"I forgive you." Said Tygra.
Suddenly the bright yellow eyes on the monster began to dim and slowly changed into the eyes of his father.
He stepped back and released Tygra and allowing him to breathe again.
"No, it cannot be!" Yelled the Ancient Spirits from fire pit.
Tygra watched as the monster before him changed back into his father, as did the rest of the monsters.
They all stopped attacking Adam and Carter and were changing to their original forms.
"NO!" Yelled the Ancient Spirits.
Everyone watched with wide eyes as the purple fire began to twist and turn unnaturally, and a huge bream of light began to break through the darkness near the Ancient Spirits as they lost their grasp on the cursed village.
The fire exploded and sending it's pieces of it into the air where they flew around erratically before finally exploding into a purple firework.
Soon the fire began to calm down and returned to its original orange-yellow colour that all fires had.
It seemed the curse that was over the village was gone.
Everyone in the village looked around them as if they were unable to believe that the curse was finally broken.
Javan was no exception as he looked at his hands and was surprised that they weren't still claws.
His face broke into a smile and he looked at his son.
"You did it." Said Javan in disbelief.
"You broke a curse born of pride through an act of humility." Said Javan.
Tygra looked at his father and walked towards him as he kept talking.
"Perhaps if I'd done the same we'd still be together." Said Javan with a smile.
"We're together now, that's all that matters." Said Tygra.
Javan's smile fell from his face.
"I'm afraid it is not to be." Said Javan.
"I don't understand." Said Tygra.
"It's how they survived without food or water." Said Adam as he looked at Javan.
"When the Ancient Spirits cursed you and this place, they must have let the disease back into the village." Said Adam.
He looked back at Tygra.
"I don't think there were any survivors." Said Adam with sadness.
"What are you saying?" Asked Tygra as he looked to his father.
"You're all dead?" Asked Tygra as he was afraid of the answer.
"Not dead but not alive, someplace in between." Said Javan.
"That was the real curse." Said Javan as he looked up at Tygra with a proud smile.
"But you have released us, Tygra, we can go home now." Said Javan.
He reached out and placed his hands on Tygra's shoulders.
"Always remember, son, i will be watching you with pride." Said Javan.
Tygra gazed at his father his heart was breaking just to hear this.
He hung his head sadly before sharing a final embrace with his father.
Suddenly the Spirit Stone began to glow.
What are you telling me to do? Asked Adam in his thought.
Suddenly remembering the Scroll he pulled it out from his hoodie and read about the part of Spirit Stone.
"Stone of the Spirits, please return these spirits to their bodies." Said Adam as he read to what appeared to be an incantation.
Suddenly a pink blast came from the stones and the spirits became flesh again.
Everyone was in shock.
Soon enough everyone left the cave and went their seprerate ways.
Javan promised Tygra that they will meet again.
Most of tigers refused to join Javan because they still blame him for turning his back on them over his own child.
Adam was the last to leave when suddenly he heard something.
He turned around to see the Ancient Spirits of Evil.
Adam sighed.
"Let me guess, your here to say 'I will have my revenge' cliché or something like that?" Asked Adam with a smirk on his face.
"Joke all you want but I will have gained those stones." Said The spirits.
Now Adam was confused.
"I, don't you mean we?" Asked Adam.
Suddenly the spirits formed to became one entity.
That entity was revealed to be Zhan Tiri's demon form!
"Zhan Tiri!" Yelled Adam in surprise.
"Know this little boy, I will obtain all six of the Stones of Power either through you or Mumm-Ra." Said Zhan Tiri.
She soon left with a cackle.
Adam soon caucht up with the others but hasn't been paying attention to them much.
Know that he knows Zhan Tiri will attempt to return, finding the Stone will be more difficult.