Fall Of The Empire
Rating: T (for now.)
Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did, the second season would have been out already, and I would be all over that like white on rice.
Author's Notes: Alright! Another chapter down! Hey everybody. Expect delays on upcoming chapters. I just don't think I'll have time. . .
Pfft, okay, I lied. I love procrastinating on my homework. Even though I'm taking more classes than I need to, sometimes you just gotta escape from it all, you know? Anyway, FOTE updates can sometimes be found in Happenstance, but I'm trying to limit those. Echo has plenty of screentime here. Though, I will admit, it is a lot of fun to write about her in another person's POV.
Anyway, upcoming chapters are going to be fun. I'm so excited!
Thanks to everybody keeping up with FOTE so far, and special thanks to Anne. :D
** two new notes has been posted up on my profile! Please check it out!**
Warnings: My dog ran over my keyboard and ripped up almost half of my keys. A lot of them don't work properly anymore, but I do my best. Spelling errors and words not capitalized when they're supposed to are likely going to be the fallout. I'm sorry. I just don't have the cash to fix my poor, broken laptop.
But otherwise, some mild cursing for this chapter.
Echo ran her hands over the weathered pages of her book, her fingers tracing around hand-drawn doodles. The small sketches framed black printed words that told he tale of a very strange world, and a very human girl that had wandered into it.
'. . . there was such splendor everywhere. Every inch of the house was contorted and misshapen, cupboards and cabinets jutted out of the wall at all angles, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to anything. One moment, she would be standing on checkered tile, and the next, a rich, red rug, and then hardwood floor. Glass bottles glittered on the shelves, the lights of the candles twinkling on their surfaces.
'My,' She said, 'Whatever is this?'
She picked up the first bottle she saw, an unlabelled little jar, but dared not drink it for fear it was poison. . .'
There was an illustration next to the excerpt, a sketch of a girl with shoulder-length hair, and a bow on her head. At first glance, Echo had thought the girl to be herself, but the name written under it was foreign to her. Still, the book itself was a huge consolation prize.
It proved that humans were real, and Echo wasn't the only one.
She just. . . had to find the other humans. Somehow.
Echo let out a thoughtful hum as she stared down at the pages, a heavy breeze ruffling over her. She looked at the words, mouthing them silently as she read them. It was difficult, but she was slowly starting to get better. She was reading a completely different language than Thunderian, and none of the sentence structures were the same.
She was starting to pick it up again, slowly but surely. Hell, just that morning, she'd accidentally switched to the foreign language when replying to Cheetara, and both women had exchanged confused - but amused - looks.
The book had occupied most of Echo's time after their leaving the Berbil village, which had been four days ago. With every passing day, Echo felt like she was more and more like her old self. Yeah, she'd done a lot of things she wasn't proud of, but she still had a chance to redeem herself. She had a new purpose, after all.
Sunny said that her past was there, somewhere, out in the world, and she was going to find it. But first, she had to make good on her word. She'd vowed she would stay until the very end with Lion-O, and that was exactly what she intended to do. So, her past could wait.
Taking down Mumm-Ra was her first objective. . . as it always should've been.
She flipped another page of her book, and was greeted with a piece of loose paper. It was white and lined, with small holes along one edge. On it was a short entry, along with more doodles (apparently, her past self loved to draw, as not an inch of fairy tale book had been spared). It read, ". . . going to go out and see the man today. Not looking forward to that, but after. . . I get another meeting. With him. I told him about this story. He says I look just like her, and my head's in the clouds. . . I beg to disagree. I only daydream when I'm reading this."
Echo absently ran her fingers around the words, afraid to actually touch them. She wanted to try and copy the script, to see if it was really hers. . . but she was scared to do that, too.
Instead, over the past four days, she'd committed herself to reading the book. And Echo had taken to ravenously devouring the stories inside of it. Kit and Kat regularly joined her in her reading, and she would read out loud to the twins, albeit it was a slow and difficult read. Some aspects of the language in the book did not want to translate well into Thunderian.
They were already halfway through it. And earlier, that might have terrified Echo.
But she was at peace with it. She wanted to read her book, a thousand times over. She had already reread a few of the stories from earlier, and her hand-written notes scrawled into the margins had given the stories new meanings. It was insane, really, how many ways a fairy tale could be interpreted. But she loved it. One story cold really be tens of stories packed into one.
Idly, Echo heard a low humming grow into a steady, growling purr-
And then she was thrown out of her seat. Echo let out a squeak of surprise, and tumbled onto the ground. Her book hit with a dull thud, loose papers fluttering out of it and onto the ground. Echo quickly snatched them up, safely tucking them inside of the the pages. The engine of the tank was roaring voraciously through the cargo compartment, signalling a speed boost.
Where did everybody go?
Echo peered around, and found herself alone. Tucking her book securely into a hideaway compartment, she got up and made for the ladders leading topside. I didn't even notice when they left. Maybe it was that gust of wind I felt. . .
She opened the hatch and squinted against the bright sunlight that blinded her. Rubbing her eyes, she finally adjusted to the light and saw Cheetara sitting just a little ways away from her, fur brilliantly glowing under the sun. The cleric turned and acknowledged her.
"We were wondering when you were going to come up."
"Sorry, got sucked into that book."
Echo shut the hatch and joined the cleric on the roof of the tank. Directly in front of her, Panthro was driving, a wolfish smile on his face, and in the seat next to him, the twins jumped up and down ecstatically, crying, "faster! Faster!"
The Book sat directly between them, projecting a red map into the air, proudly declaring a flashing dot. The Berbils had done a wonderful job overhauling Panthro's tank, and they'd done an equally excellent job installing the Book as the tank's GPS system. Echo invited herself to sit next to the cleric, the wind whistling in her ears.
"Where are the-"
Cheetara pointed ahead, cutting her off.
A ways off, the human could see two plums of dust growing closer as the tank caught up to them.
"Looks like somebody was suffering from cabin fever." Echo commented.
"That might be the case, but those cycles are mine." Panthro grumbled crabbily.
Ah, the baby to his baby. Poor Panthro almost had fits when they were learning how to drive.
In their seat, Kit and Kat jumped around, and finally turned their pent-up energy on Panthro.
"Panthro, they're beating us!" Kit whined.
"I don't wanna push my girl any farther. The engine wasn't built for those kinds of long distance hauls."
Defeated, the twins sat back and pouted.
"What Panthro is trying to say, kids, is that he doesn't mind losing."
The cleric's words rankled poor Panthro, whose hands tightened on the wheel. Echo twisted to look at Cheetara, amused and exasperated at the same time.
"That's playin' dirty." She commented.
Cheetara's smile broadened.
Panthro, unable to resist the barb, let out a sharp, irritated growl.
"Hold on! It's about to get bumpy!" He shouted.
Yanking back on the throttle, the Thunder Tank lurched ahead, throwing everybody backward. Echo's stomach leaped up into her throat as she fell over, and almost slid off of the slick metal. She hissed as her head smacked against the mirror, and when she sat up again, she rubbed tenderly at the spot, grumbling under her breath. The tank started gaining more speed, eating up the desert, gaining on the princes.
As Echo sat back in her spot, the twins cackled madly and jumped up an down, eagerly pumping their fists in the air.
"Faster, Panthro! Keep going faster!" They cried, giggling.
"It's looking like slow and steady doesn't win the race."
Cheetara gracefully eased into a crouch next to her, and with all of the poise of being a Cat and a cleric, jumped and landed in a neat crouch in front of the tank.
Seems like everybody's suffering from cabin fever today, Echo thought, noting the playful smile on the cleric's face.
"Hey! Where you goin'?" Panthro asked.
"To give these boys some real competition." She replied playfully.
With that said, she was off, a golden blur streaking over the ground.
Echo shielded her eyes from the sun and wind, and caught sight of Cheetara rapidly approaching the cycles on foot. Panthro said something, but she could barely hear him over the wind whistling in her ears. She had no idea how the cats were able to hear anything over the gales.
". . . listen to her purr!" Panthro crowed.
The engine revved loudly, and began to creep closer to the trio of cats ahead of them.
We are going way over the speed limit.
. . . but I like it.
"Faster, we gotta catch up! Fasterfasterfaster!" Kit cried.
Echo watched as the cycles began to disappear again, Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara easily outpacing the tank. . . and that was when she noticed that she didn't hear Kat. She glanced down, wondering why he was silent, and found the kitten examining the instrument panel spanning around him.
"Will this make us go any faster?" He asked, reaching for a button.
Echo's eyes landed on it a second too late.
"Don't touch that!" She shouted, lunging down to grab Kit's arm.
Echo snagged his wrist, but she was a moment to late - the kitten managed to press it anyway.
Immediately, panels on the tank slid back, and missiles launched themselves into the air. Kat looked at Panthro sheepishly, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
"Uh. . . she did it!" He exclaimed, pointing to his sister. Kit shook her head desperately.
"Nu-uh! I didn't touch anything!"
Panthro growled, eyes narrowing on the two. Echo smoothly shoved the kittens aside and sat beside them, shielding them from Panthro's irritation. There would be a time to lecture them later. Right then and there would not be the best of them.
"Incoming!" Tygra shouted over the comm system.
"Be careful!" Echo yelled, "We don't know how many launched-"
Distant explosions interrupted her, and her head snapped up to look at the destruction. Silence reigned as they all stared at the plumes of smoke and traces of fire that dotted the air.
". . . Lion-O?" Kit asked hesitantly.
"Tygra?" Kat continued.
The comms were quiet, until a crackling noise popped into existence.
"That's cheating! Tygra, you used the explosions to get a boost!"
Echo felt like her relief was nearly palpable as she sighed and flopped back against the seat. Thank god nobody was hurt.
Tygra laughed at Lion-O's claim. "Winner, and still champion, my adoring public!" He gloated, "Even in the face of danger, I still win!"
Echo shook her head, smiling at his words. Tygra would take a moment to rub it in Lion-O's face. Panthro turned the tank in the direction of the missile strike, and reduced speed as they got closer. He came to a skidding halt beside them all, where Echo was glad to see everybody standing, safe and sound. The twins clambered out of their seat, and Echo was quick to follow them, hopping up and sliding down to the ground.
"Nobody hurt?" Panthro asked, joining them on the ground.
Cheetara shook her head. "No, but how did the missiles even launch?"
"It was Kit!" Kat cried, pointing to his sister. "She dared me!"
"Did not! You pressed the button!" She shouted in return, glaring at her brother.
The exchanged prompted a fight, which resulted in Kit chasing Kat and yelling all the different ways she'd get her revenge.
Cheetara shook her head in exasperation.
Lion-O, taking no notice of the twins, sulked, and turned away from them all. Echo noticed how he straightened up a moment later, craning his neck back.
"Check that out." He said, awed.
Echo did look, and was momentarily taken aback. Through a quirk of fate, they had wound up right next to a gargantuan stone staircase leading up the mountainside. The desert they had been speeding through had somehow given way to a semi-tropical jungle, complete with greenery and moss. Guarding the staircase were two strange rock effigies, depicting some kind of animal with tusks.
Echo stared, lost.
It looked. . . decidedly familiar. All of the moss covering the staircase lent it an ancient feeling, though the stairs were all wrong. They were supposed to lead down, weren't they? A cloud passed overhead, and shadows around the base of the staircase flickered. Echo stopped breathing as they gathered around the bottom of the staircase, where they piled up and lifted. . .
And it was there again.
The shadow.
It pointed up, to the staircase, body slowly turning transparent.
". . . village. Sunny. . . village."
The cloud overhead passed, and the light dissipated the shadows entirely, taking the stranger with it. Kit, Kat, and Snarf raced over to the steps, disloding Echo from the moment. She shook her head forcefully, willing the voice of the shadow to go away. Unfortunately, it just left her with more questions than it did answers.
I already found Sunny. And the Berbil village. What the hell is it saying I should find now?
"These stairs are huge!" Kat said, struggling to climb the first one. The kitten managed it, but only after a couple of wiggles.
"Book says the stone is here." Panthro announced. Echo looked back at the general, who had climbed back up into the driver's seat to consult with the map. Tygra looked at him skeptically.
"Here?" He repeated, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Here. If the giant blinking light means anything." The general returned. He lifted himself out of the driver's seat and rejoined them.
"The Book may only give general coordinates." Cheetara offered, "It would be dangerous to hide the stones in unguarded locations."
Lion-O grinned as he regarded them.
"I say we climb up the steps. Find out what's on top!"
Echo sighed, but relented.
"I need to get some supplies out of the tank. Be right back."
I need a minute to regroup.
She'd decided that she was going to help Lion-O. And now the shadow was back, telling her where to go. That wasn't going to help her any. Shaking her head, Echo made her way back to the tank and entered, retrieving her pack. She was securing it over her shoulders when the comm system began to chime. She looked at the screen, confused, and saw the words, "INCOMING TRANSMISSION" blinking.
Somebody's. . . calling the tank?
TRANSMISSION ACCEPTED.
Sunny flickered to life on the screen, eyes flashing in happiness.
"Sunny! I didn't know you could call the tank!" Echo chirped, grinning at the bear.
"Sunny can do many things. Sunny like calling Ro-E."
Tightening up another strap, Echo came to stand in front of the screen.
"Can I call you back? I'm sure Kit and Kat would love to talk to the other Berbils, too."
"Yes. Berbils install firmware when fixing tank. But Sunny call for another reason."
"Okay, what?"
"Sunny find active biosign where Ro-E is. Active biosign means part of Ro-E is there. Sunny received two biosign signals. One disappear. Something belonging to Ro-E is where Ro-E is right now."
Echo didn't understand half of what Sunny was saying, but in her mind, she saw the shadow. It had pointed up to the staircase, telling her to investigate. And now Sunny was telling her something of hers was there, too.
She was silent for a second, but then nodded at the Berbil.
"We're heading out now. Thanks, Sunny - and I'll talk to you later!"
"Sunny wait for Ro-E call!"
Echo breathed heavily as she carefully climbed up the steps.
Well, she wasn't really climbing up the steps per se, but it was still taxing work. She had lost count of how many times she had slipped and skinned herself on some moss. She had no idea what giant animal required the ginormous stone steps, but she had to give them credit for being able to walk up them.
The kittens had absolutely no trouble hopping up from step to step, as they were filled to the brim with energy. Instead of jumping up and down the steps, Echo had taken to climbing up the side of the staircase. Bordering the stairs were flat ridges - likely leftovers to scaffold the staircase. The ground sloped up a little more gently there, albeit it was covered by an ungodly amount of moss.
The rest of the cats had taken to Echo's solution as well, except for the twins.
"That's cheating, Echo!" Kat said, sticking her tongue out at her.
Echo grinned smugly at the kitten, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"Humans have to be crafty sometimes too, you know."
"It's better than having to jump up each individual step." Lion-O agreed, climbing behind Echo.
Tygra laughed.
"You could us the workout! Your arms are getting skinny!"
"My arms?! Have you seen your stomach lately, Tygra?"
Tygra looked at Lion-O in surprise, and then down to his abdomen. He glared at Lion-O.
"I am not fat!"
"You're loud, that's what the two of you are." Panthro groused.
Unlike the rest of them, Panthro was tall enough to climb the steps with ease, and he did so, off and on. He'd switch between the flat border of the stairs and the stairs themselves, moving up with ease. Cheetara seemed to have no problem either, and didn't seem out of breath. . . while Echo felt incredibly self-conscious as she labored up the stairs, breathing raspy and shallow.
I think I'm the one getting out of shape.
Kit and Kat squealed.
"We made it to the top!"
Echo looked up, and much to her relief, found the end of the staircase only a few feet away. Oh my dear sweet lord, thank you. The last few steps were the absolute worst to climb, but Echo managed it, and flopped onto the ground gratefully, catching her breath. The twins didn't seemed winded as they ran around, celebrating their victory.
The rest of the Cats joined her at the top of the staircase, and everybody took a moment to catch a breath of air. Looming in front of them, a high wall crawled with ivy, framing a ginormous doorway.
Echo, getting to her feet, stared at it in awe. It was pretty.
"Everything's so. . . big." Lion-O remarked, as he walked through it.
Echo fell into step beside Panthro, eyes ravenously taking in the sights. They had entered a village comprised entirely of stone, with equally large huts sprawled everywhere. She could see a wall-less temple in the distance, and in the center of the village, there was a pond, framed by bridges and rocks. Everything was old, and covered with bits of moss and ivy. Gorgeous flowers dotted the grass, scenting the air with their perfume. The inhabitants sat at the pond, completely oblivious to their presence.
"Yeah, including the residents." Tygra agreed.
"I haven't seen an elephant in a long time. . . not since the war, I think." Panthro mused.
"They're a what?" Echo asked.
"They're elephants." Cheetara reiterated. "They're friendly. You didn't read about them?"
"And here I thought you were our bookworm." Tygra said, a smirk on his face.
"I did!" Echo said, slowly, "I've just. . . never seen one in person before. That's all. These are what elephants look like."
"They're a lot bigger in person, I know." Panthro said, grinning, "Hard to imagine anything bigger n' me."
Echo laughed. "Never thought there'd be a day where I actually saw your ego."
Panthro grinned, and together, the group stopped before the elephants. The elephants were sitting in the middle of the pond enclosure, the water gently lapping around the stones, lotus flowers bobbing along the surface. None of the elephants even bothered to look at them, and if Echo was being honest with herself, she honestly thought they were sleeping.
Lion-O coughed into his hand to break the silence. The elephant didn't even notice.
"'Scuse me." He said, somewhat meekly. Silence was his reply, and, fed up, the lion shouted, "Hello!"
The elephants jumped awake, startled.
"Sorry," He apologized, and then announced, "I am Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats."
The elephants came to stand, and Echo craned her neck back to look at them, baffled. How could creatures that tall exist? It was absolutely incredible, that was for sure. One of them stared down at her, black, small eyes echoing her curiosity.
One elephant, with a wisp of pink hair on his head, and garbed in a red toga, smiled and greeted them warmly.
"There is no reason to be sorry. We were almost finished meditating, anyway. I am Aburn. And. . . you are?"
Echo glanced at Aburn, even more curious. How was it that an animal that size have such a quiet voice?
"Uh," Lion-O said, taken aback, "Name's Lion-O. Lord of the ThunderCats."
"Welcome, Lionel." Aburn smiled.
"Lion-O." He corrected.
"How can we assist you?" Aburn continued, not addressing his blunder.
Past the pleasantries, Lion-O became all business.
"We're looking for a magical stone. We have reason to believe it may be in your village."
"Yes, we were hoping you wouldn't mind our retrieving it." Cheetara added, peering at her nearby surroundings.
Aburn looked dumbfounded, and shared a confused glance with a few other elephants.
"What is?"
Kat glared moodily up at the elephant.
"Kinda forgetful, isn't he?" He remarked to his sister.
Kit shrugged, "I think he's cute!"
Echo shook her head in disbelief. "I read that. . . elephants have really good memories. . . don't they?"
"We do?" One of them asked.
"Listen, Aburn," Lion-O cut over, regaining control of the conversation, "We're searching for a stone that looks like this." He tapped the Eye of Thundera with his talons for emphasis.
Aburn glanced at the stone, and then to Lion-O.
"When did you lose it?" The elephant asked helpfully.
"We didn't lose it." Cheetara answered, voice - and patience - strained.
"So. . . you have it?" Aburn continued, sounding confused. Like he didn't understand what they were asking for (for the fifteenth time).
Echo rubbed her face with her hands, trying to suppress a giggle. Guess they don't have good memories after all.
"No," Tygra said, tone bordering on impatient, "We're looking for it."
"And. . . what is it exactly you are looking for?"
Echo stared. I'm starting to think he's touched in the head.
If this was what every conversation was going to be like, then things were going to go downhill pretty quickly. Echo could already see the irritation on her companion's faces.
Panthro crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, shaking his head.
"You have got to be kiddin' me." He muttered peevishly.
Lion-O, Cheetara, and Tygra glared up at Aburn, while Echo stood there, huffing a sigh of her own. Right as Lion-O was about to try and tell Aburn what he wanted, again, another elephant approached them. He was wearing a faded red cloak, and held a weathered staff in his hand. He seemed a little more distinguished than the other elephants, and carried a wiser air about him.
"I can't remember the last time I saw a cat in these parts." He said softly in greeting.
"Yes, Annet," Aburn said, "They are looking for. . . uh. . . what were you looking for, lion-lord?"
"The stone!" The Cats snapped in unison. Even Kit looked angry.
Echo rubbed at her head and looked at the elephants dubiously. I don't think they'd remember their own names unless they were written down somewhere.
"If it is the Spirit Stone you speak," Annet said, "Then you've come to the right place. We have it here. . . or, we did. Once. . . maybe?"
Echo couldn't help the weirdly frustrated chuckle that left her. Of course this would happen. Finding these things can't ever be easy.
Annet, seeing the angry faces staring back at him, hastened to add, "I'm afraid our memory is not as great as our size. But please, feel free to have a look around!"
Taking the invitation, the Cats had a short conference, convening in a huddle.
"These elephants are useless," Tygra said, "It's best if we just look around ourselves."
"As aggravating as they are, I believe they deserve a measure of respect," Cheetara added, "We are guests in their village, after all."
"Depends on how long they remember it for." Panthro said.
Echo shrugged. "they're more amnesiac than I am, and that's saying something."
Surprisingly, that got a chuckle out of Lion-O. Echo paused for just a moment, wondering how long it had been since she' d heard Lion-O laugh. It had been a long while.
"Alright. Let's break up and search for the stone!"
Aburn and Annet - and the other elephants, actually - didn't seem to care that the Cats separated to nose through their village. Echo wandered away herself, a bit uncertainly.
If she was on her own, that would give her an opportunity to really search.
Sunny had told her to investigate. And so had the shadow.
Lion-O had told her to look for the stone.
Echo meandered through the small hilltop town, taking the chance to tour a scenic route. She halfheartedly looked, examining buildings and the surrounding wall framing it all. Elephants passed by her, paying her no mind, and Echo preferred it that way.
There was a strange familiarity that blanketed everything, and for the life of her, Echo couldn't really figure out why. More so, she didn't know who - or what - to trust anymore. Investigating the elephant's village could mean uncovering something about her past, maybe even getting a step closer to discovering the identity of the shadow.
It would be nice for a change, to actually get some answers, instead of, you know, having to ask fifteen more questions.
But. . . but finding out more about her past might also lead to another episode. . .
Echo came to a stop against a hut, fingers idly running over the wall. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she mulled over her thoughts.
Every time she had pursued part of her past, she'd freaked out. Especially when there had been roadblocks preventing her from learning anything. Jaga, the Book, slavers. . . Echo leaned against the hut and heaved a heavy sigh.
She had a decision to make. And she wasn't going to like admitting it to herself.
Moving away from the hut, Echo instead chose to perch herself on a rock close to the wall. Time passed as she sat there, tossing and turning her thoughts over each other. Finally, however, she came to a decision.
She cleared her throat.
"Lion-O, I really wanted to apologize for being a jerk lately. I've been in the wrong, and I know it. I just wanted it so bad, and we just haven't been the same. I mean, after what happened in Duelist's town and all. . ."
She trailed off. Echo stood, raking her hands through her hair. No, no, no. That would not do at all.
"Okay. Lion-O, I think we really need to talk about. . . us. . . god, that's even worse."
Why didn't the words just come to her?
"I'm failing miserably at this."
"Yes you are. I've been watching you sitting there, talking to yourself, for ten minutes now. That stone isn't even on your mind."
Echo jumped and spun, startled out of her wits.
Her heart sank as she found Tygra standing only a few feet away from her, arms crossed over his chest. Great. Great. Just what she needed. Cynical, sarcastic Tygra, coming to berate her for something or another. Caught red-handed, Echo stood there, awaiting her fate.
". . . how much did you hear?" She asked tentatively.
"Practically all of it. You're a lousy public speaker - I could've told you that. So, human, pray tell, what were you going to tell my brother?"
Tygra invited himself to sit down, looking at her expectantly. Beside that, his expression appeared nigh on unreadable. That bothered Echo a lot about Tygra. She could read Lion-O like an open book, and that reassured her. It helped give her social cues on how to act around him. But with Tygra?
With Tygra, she just tread water and hoped she didn't drown.
Echo couldn't get anything from him, could never tell what he was thinking, and that drove her nuts. She didn't like dealing with unknown factors.
Like right then and now.
She felt her face flush in embarrassment, and she looked away, deciding the ground was much more intriguing.
"N-Nothing." She mumbled.
"Nothing, huh? Are you sure it's nothing?"
She nodded her head.
"So, you weren't planning on telling him that you love him?"
For a brief, brief moment, the world stopped spinning.
Then her head snapped up so fast she heard her neck crack, and her heart stilled in her chest. She knew her eyes were probably wide, and she could already feel her hands shaking at her sides. She stared at Tygra, who was still as impassive as ever, as he looked right back at her.
"W-Wha-"
"Come on, Echo, it really is pretty obvious, if you think about it longer than two minutes."
"I d-don't. . . I c-can't. . . I w-wasn't going to s-say that!" Echo protested.
"Alright then. Tell me one thing. Tell me you don't love Lion-O." Tygra countered, resting his elbows on his knees.
Echo opened his mouth to tell him just that, but the words were stuck in her throat. She stuttered, trying to force them out, but it just didn't work. Eventually, she lapsed into silence, flustered and scared. Tygra nodded, as though affirming something he knew all along. That gave Echo the strength to speak again.
"It. . . it doesn't matter! He likes Cheetara, anyway."
At the mention of Cheetara's name, a hard glint filtered into his eye.
"I'm aware."
After another bout of silence, Echo shuffled, hands clenching and relaxing at her sides.
"A-And I don't think I do. . . at least, not anymore." She continued, doing anything to fill the silence.
Tygra looked at her, eyes so scrutinizing that Echo thought she was transparent.
"You think you hide things well, human, but you don't. If you know what to look for, you can find it pretty quick. You tell me that you don't think you love him, but you do. I see it when you look at him. When you talk to him."
Echo fidgeted, wanting to hide under a rock. She'd never imagined the day would come where Tygra would sit down and talk to her about. . . this. Whatever this was.
"Uhm. . . why are you asking me this? You're not going to t-tell him. . . ?" She trailed off, unable to say the words.
She'd hoped for a change in subject. Thankfully, Tygra seemed to go for it.
Mercifully, the tiger shook his head.
"No. I'm not that cruel. Especially when I know you have enough restraint not to tell him yourself."
She looked at him, puzzled.
"I don't follow."
"Right now, Lion-O doesn't need to be in love." Tygra said simply.
Echo stood, aghast.
"You can't. . . you can't make those decisions for him, Tygra! Lion-O has the right to decide that himself-"
"You misunderstand, Echo." Tygra said softly, cutting her off, "And you proved my point. You always get prickly when you defend him."
She blushed, and rubbed at her cheeks in a futile attempt to get rid of it somehow.
"W-Whatever." She mumbled. "What do you mean?"
"It's a strategic move, if anything. Lion-O needs to be totally focused on finding those stones. I know my brother like the back of my hand - throw a girl his way, and he'd try to impress her, and then his goal would be all about her, and not about the stones."
Wow.
It made sense, Echo (grudgingly) conceded, but she didn't like it.
"That's a hard decision to come to." Echo replied, "You don't even know if that's what would-"
"I do know. Much as it pains you to hear, I know him better than you do."
"I think you're wrong." Echo said, a hard edge in her voice.
Tygra smiled, but there was no emotion behind it.
"And I know I'm right. We'll have to agree to disagree on this, however. We'll never see eye to eye. Now, let's talk about what you were going to tell him, instead."
Echo shifted, trying to decided whether she should confide in Tygra or not. A large part of her was still reeling from before, when he'd just outright told her she was still in love with Lion-O. . .
Wait, wait, wait. When did I ever agree that I was in love with him in the first place?
Her head hurt from the circular notion of it all, and deciding it was best for them both, she figured she'd move on. For now. She heavily disagreed with Tygra on his views of Lion-O's love life, but at the moment, that was the farthest concern for her, too.
Nodding her head, Echo decided she might as well go for it. Tygra already knew her deepest secret.
So, she launched into her problem, explaining exactly what she planned on telling Lion-O and how. Tygra looked at her and blinked in surprise.
"Really? That's what this is about?"
Echo nodded.
"That's it? All of this fuss over that?"
"It's not easy," She snapped, glaring at him, "Don't treat it like it is."
"I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting that. But if it's what you want. . . here's a better approach."
Echo stood still and listened, soaking in Tygra's suggestions like a sponge.
Afternoon was beginning to set on the elephant village, and as Echo looked at the sun, she was actually excited for the sunset. A lifetime ago, she would have sworn that the sunsets in Thundera were the most beautiful things on the planet. But after seeing the wonders of just a fraction of Third Earth, she wasn't so sure anymore.
She wandered through the small town, looking for Lion-O.
She didn't find him, not right away, but she did find Panthro, who had seemingly also given up on his search for the stone. The cat spotted her and shook his head.
"This village hides every species of moss and lichen I've seen. . . no stone. Blasted elephants probably lost the damned thing."
Echo chuckled at his irritation.
"That could very well be true. But we'll find it."
"At least one of us is confident."
Echo approached the general and patted his arm.
"Gotta have some faith. Do you know where Lion-O is? I need to talk to him."
A low hum sounded in her ear, and Echo rubbed at it absently. It was uncommon for anybody in the party to experience "phantom buzzing." The tank was notorious for creating a low, droning noise that lasted for hours, and sometimes, the sound plagued the group even if they left the tank.
"Last I saw he was with the leader. They were. . . what is that blasted noise?"
The humming grew even louder, filling the air with a loud drone. Panthro stiffened as he looked up at the sky, and Echo looked behind her and momentarily froze.
Bugs. Hundreds upon hundreds of bugs.
"The wraiths have returned!" An elephant shouted.
The bugs? God, look at those stingers.
Some of the younger elephants ran, hiding themselves behind their parents' legs. Instinctively, Echo drew a sword - it wouldn't do much use, not on bugs, but it was better than nothing.
"Attack!" Lion-O shouted, drawing Omens smoothly.
Almost immediately, the wraiths fell upon them, sweeping over them like a plague. Echo didn't believe she had a fear of bugs, but the wraiths were easily proving her wrong. They zipped by her, and she tried in vain to smack at a few of them, but a few would dive bomb her face, and the notions of stingers anywhere near her face terrified her.
"Attack how?" Panthro snapped, from somewhere to her left.
Echo gritted her teeth and pressed an attack, ignoring a few grazes she received, she finally managed to wave a few of them off. The space she created for herself increased, as the wraiths flew away from her and rejoined the group up in the air.
"What the hell was that?" Echo breathed, completely confused.
"The bugs are stealing the food!" Kit shouted, pointing.
Echo could hardly believe what she was seeing. The bugs amassed in large groups, latching onto a heavy basket of food, and flew away with it. Where are the elephants? Why aren't they doing anything?
A quick glance found them all gathered in the middle of the village. . . meditating.
What the hell?
"ThunderCats, ho!" Lion-O leaped at the bugs, brandishing Omens in front of him.
Echo took that as her cue to pick up fighting the bugs again. It's not really fighting them. It's just batting at one and hoping I hit it! She tried. She really did try. But she only managed to knock one or two out of the air before the swarm was gone, disappearing into the skies just as quickly as they'd appeared. Echo, now thoroughly confused, sheathed her swords and surveyed the damage done to the village.
Thankfully, there was almost no structural damage, but the food stores had been raided.
One of the baskets sat, broken on the ground, golden yellow fruit spilled on the ground. A decent portion had been outright smashed, but some of it was still salvageable.
Panthro stared after the retreating bugs. "Look at 'em. Tuckin' tail and running!"
"Yeah," Lion-O said grimly, "But they got what they came for."
Annet approached them, an easy, gracious smile on his face.
"Don't worry, LightningKittens. What has happened today is not a tragedy." He came over to survey the damage, small eyes taking it all in.
"They wiped out your harvest. How are you going to eat?" Lion-O asked, tone guilty.
At that, Annet beamed.
"They took most of our food, lion-lord, but not all of our food. We still have enough to survive." He wrapped his trunk around one of the fallen fruits and passed it to Lion-O. "In order to get the water it needs to thrive, this fruit suffers the storms. We, too, must endure hardships to live. Such is the balance of this world."
Lion-O stared moodily down at the fruit, and then up to Annet. The elephant was already walking away, joining the rest of his tribe to right the food stores. Silence fell over the camp, and the groups began dispersing again, Lion-O included. Echo stood there, shifting her weight from foot to foot, and though the mystery of wraiths made her want to question Annet (not like that would get her anywhere), it was the perfect time to approach Lion-O.
She just had to work up the nerve.
"Lion-O!" She yelled, running after him. Her friend looked at her curiously from over his shoulder.
"Echo?"
"Hey." She said, falling into step with him, "Got a minute? I've been wanting to talk."
"Sure."
He stopped.
Echo shook her head, and tugged on his arm.
"A little more privately. If you don't mind."
She led them both over to a small hut, and, satisfied that it was private enough, released him and began to fidget. Lion-O was silent behind her, waiting for her to talk. Echo chewed the inside of her cheek and absently rubbed at her time, trying her best to remember everything Tygra had helped her cobble together.
"So. . . what did you want to talk about?" Lion-O finally prompted her.
"I've been, uh. . . wanting to talk to you. For a few days now." She mumbled.
"What about?"
"About. . . about what's been happening lately. With me. And how I've been acting."
Lion-O quirked his head slightly, confused. Then a look of understanding dawned on his face.
"Echo, is this about the Tower, or the Book? You don't have to apologize again. Really."
"No," She said, shaking her head, "It's not. . . exactly that. See, after taking a few days to think about it - to really think about it, I started noticing that the closer I got to finding out any answers about me, the crazier I started getting. I turned into a nutjob."
"Yeah, but it's understandable. I mean, you've been looking for answers for close to a year now. And then you had all of these people tell you that they wouldn't let you. That would upset anybody. But we've already been through this, Echo. What's really bothering you?"
Count on Lion-O to see right through her.
"I haven't been honest with you, Lion-O. And I figured it was about time to start telling the truth. You know how I sometimes get flashbacks?"
Lion-O nodded. "You zone out. Kinda hard not to."
"Lately, I've been seeing. . . places. And I saw this village. I know there's something from my past here, but I don't know what."
Lion-O perked up, fangs flashing as he smiled. "That's great! You get to learn something about yourself, and look, you even have a new ability, too!"
Why am I lying to my best friend? She thought, mentally sighing. She wasn't lying, per se, but she was only telling half truths, and that may as well have constituted a lie. It wasn't right, and Echo knew it. She should tell him the truth, about the shadow-figure, and everything it had said. . . but she couldn't.
Echo shook her head again, and cast her eyes to the ground.
"No, Lion-O, it's not. I'm not going to risk having another breakdown - I don't want to alienate anybody again. Besides, what if it's something I don't like? Something terrible? If I remember, I'll never be the same person again. If I'm somebody cruel-"
"Echo." Lion-O cut over, voice firm, yet gentle. When he had her attention, he smiled softly.
"You'll always be you. So what if there's something bad that happened in your past? If you did something bad? It's in your past. You could tell me all about it, and I wouldn't judge you. I promise."
Just like you, Lion-O. You're always so ready to help somebody else when they need it.
"My priorities are mixed up," She tried again, switching tactics, "I'm being the most selfish person on the whole planet - my focus needs to be on the stones. Not finding my past. Mumm-Ra is threatening all of Third Earth, there isn't time to focus on my memories."
At that, Lion-O shook his head sharply.
"No. That isn't true. The stones are important, and I have to find them - but that's my task. You're here to help me, not to serve me. Besides, I don't see the harm in getting a little sidetracked every now and then, taking a detour or two. Besides, Mumm-Ra is my destiny. Not yours."
Echo dropped her eyes again, staring at the grass. He won't listen. . . also just like Lion-O. It's all going in one ear and out the other.
Lion-O touched her arm, and she looked up at him again. He grinned.
"It's true that I'm king now, and I have to do this. But I'm also your best friend, too. And I always help my friends. You know that."
"That isn't true. The stones are important, and I have to find them, but that's my task. You're here to help me, not to serve me. Besides, I don't see the harm in getting a little sidetracked every now and then, taking a detour or two. You've been fighting for this for too long to give up now, Echo."
Echo dropped her eyes again, staring at the grass. He won't listen. . . also just like Lion-O. It's all going in one ear and out the other.
Lion-O touched her arm, and she looked back up at him again. He grinned.
"It's true that I'm king now, and I have to do this, but I'm also your best friend, too. And I always help my friends. You know that."
"Yeah. . . I do." Echo replied, giving in. There would be no use trying to dissuade him.
Lion-O knew how much it meant to her, and he wasn't going to let her give up on it so easily.
"Don't worry about it so much, okay? We'll look for your memories along with the stones. And when you remember something, you can tell me all about it. I wasn't there for you last time, but I'm here now. It'll be different. I promise." Lion-O patted her on the shoulder, "I'm glad that we had a talk like this. It's been a while. I'm going to go check on the food stores, now though, but if you want, we can talk about this later?"
She nodded her head. Lion-O departed, disappearing around the edge of a hut.
Only when she was sure she was alone did Echo let out a low moan and bury her face in her hands.
"How am I going to tell Tygra that that backfired spectacularly?"
The tiger had given her pointers on how to get Lion-O to understand that she had changed her mind about finding her past. But all of her protests had sounded half-hearted, like she didn't want to give up. . . because if Echo was being honest with herself, she really didn't want to. But at the same time, it wasn't fair of her to continue blindly searching for her past and nothing but.
Letting loose a sound of frustration, Echo took to walking around the village again, trying to work through her emotions. A calm quiet had descended over the village quite quickly, kind of surprising, considering that the wraith attack had happened just a few minutes ago. It hadn't seemed to ruffle the elephants any, that was for certain.
Most of them were picking up any small debris they could find, paying the rest of the Cats no mind. A few of the elephants caught her eye, and she watched as they walked by a hut, and she stared at it, almost transfixed.
The door was open, and inside of the hut, she could see a giant broom. It was just a simple, little hut, completely plain in decoration and exterior. If Echo had to wager a guess, she'd say it was probably used for storing cleaning equipment or surplus food. The human looked at the hut, giving a little frown when she couldn't readily take her eyes off of the hut.
There really wasn't anything special about it.
There isn't. It's just a hut.
Something tapped on her shoulder, and Echo jumped, startled. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she turned around and saw the surprised visage of Annet.
"Annet! You're the second person to scare me like that today!"
"My apologies, Snowy. I did not mean to."
Uh. . . Snowy? Oh, I don't think we've been introduced yet.
"My name is Echo. And it's okay. Can I help you, or. . .?"
"Yes. I was hoping you'd take a walk with me, if you'd be so kind."
Echo peered up at the elephant quizzically.
"Uh. Sure. I'd imagine you wanted to talk about something?"
They started walking, with Echo having to take a good five strides to match one of Annet's. The elephant kept a snail's pace as they walked, mindful of her small stature.
"I was actually hoping we could talk about you."
Echo shot him a bemused look.
"I'm afraid I don't follow."
Annet smiled patiently. He led her over the pond with the lotus flowers, staff rhythmically hitting the ground. Echo followed alongside him, curious as to where this conversation was going.
"I have been instructing the young Lionel in the ways of his sword. . . or, more specifically, the stone in his sword."
"He's been having some trouble with that, lately." Echo agreed.
Annet directed them away from the pond and toward the wall-less temple. A light breeze picked up, bringing tidings of cooler temperatures as the sun began to set. They approached the temple, and Annet ushered her inside. Echo felt a slight pang of discomfort as she noticed they were somewhat alone.
"Yes. The Spirit Stone has opened a line of communication with the young lion lord. . . however, I seem to have noticed a slight. . . disturbance."
"Do you think it could be Mumm-Ra? Er, the evil we're trying to prevent from taking over the world," She added at seeing Annet's blank expression, "It would make sense! Lion-O's trying to use the Eye to find the Spirit Stone. Mumm-Ra must be trying to find it now, too."
To her surprise, Annet shook his head.
"No, young Cloud. The disturbance I see filtering over Lynxio's bond has no evil intent."
"Oh. Then what is it?"
Annet looked away for a brief moment, and a seed of foreboding sprouted in her heart. Another breeze rolled by, and on the wind, she could hear the low, melancholy notes of Kit's flupe. It certainly didn't help her anxiety. She knew she wasn't going to like what Annet said.
"I sensed the disturbance was close by. Upon seeking it, I found you. You, Sky, act as a filter for the lion lord's connection with the Spirit Stone."
"What?" She gasped, reeling in shock. "That's not possible! I-I helped him once! I even wielded that sword! I can't be ruining his connection to it!" Echo protested, her heart beating painfully in her chest.
Annet had to be lying. There was no way-
"Lionel informed me of your kind. And your powers. I have come to the conclusions, young human, that those powers you wield are not yours. Your wielding them is disrupting the connection between all the stones."
Echo's mouth actually dropped open in shock as she stared up at the elephant. Annet gazed down at her compassionately, but that didn't make his words sting any less. Echo's head felt like the entire world was spinning around her.
If I don't have these powers, then what am I?
Without them, I don't even belong on this journey.
She'd be a freak. A furless, white-haired freak with no purpose in the world.
Echo's throat felt like it had swelled shut, but she struggled to speak anyway.
"T-That can't be true," She croaked. "It can't."
"I'm sorry to tell you this, human. But the Spirit Stone has informed me that it is true."
Echo shook her head, raking a hand through her hair and then massaging her temples. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
"Then. . . then why do I have these powers? I have to have them for a reason, right?"
At that, Annet shrugged.
"I do not know, Snowy. All I do know is that your presence disturbs the harmony of the Stones. You do not belong on this quest."
Anger, rage, confusion and doubt swirled in her. There was no way she didn't have these powers for a reason. There was absolutely no way. She had to fit inside of the grand scheme of things somehow, and she'd be damned if some magical, powerful stone told her that she wouldn't.
She stared up at Annet, determination flooding through her.
I have been fighting for too long to give up on this now.
"So what if these powers aren't mine? Well, they're mine now. I'm not going to leave Lion-O because I damper his connection or whatever. He wouldn't want that. I know it. So tell that Stone to shove it. I'm here to stay."
Annet looked slightly surprised at her outburst, but both of them were torn from their conversation as music flowed through the air. Kit's light, airy flupe mixed with the deep, throaty trumpets of the elephants, all of which were parading around the village, happy grins on their faces. Annet, with his memory span of a goldfish, smiled.
"Ah! Harmony! Come, Snowy, let us enjoy this together."
Without any further words on the matter, he walked away from her, joining in on the revelries. Kit bore a happy smile on her face as she twirled and hopped along the ground. Kat had drawn his newly-acquired Flank, and was using the stringed weapon as an impromptu instrument. Even Annet joined their little musical group, using his trunk as an makeshift instrument as well.
Echo watched from under the overhang of the temple, a mixture of emotions broiling in her blood. How could Annet say something like that to her? At the same time, however. . .
My powers aren't mine.
But that leads me to beg the question. . . whose are they?
Their music swelled, and hit a high note. Echo jumped as the sound of it - something sharp and piercing, but not shrill - flooded the air and vibrated. Rocks about her trembled, and some completely cracked and shattered. She jumped out of the way of some falling debris and looked at the small kittens and the elephants in shock.
Their surprise morphed into laughter, an unexpected reaction, considering some of the damage it had caused.
Echo shook her head, nudging a rock with the edge of her foot.
"I need to get some sleep." She muttered to herself, disembarking from the temple.
I can only hope tomorrow is a better day.
Echo had watched the sun sink below the horizon. She was right - the sunsets on the mountaintop were beautiful. Everything was dappled in shades of gold and red, and the heat it emitted was soothing and warm. Night fell quickly, then, with Third Earth's signature two moons rising in its place. Echo remained where she was, content with stargazing.
"Hey. Human. Have you seen my brother?"
Echo looked at Tygra and shook her head.
"Not since this afternoon. Why?"
At that, Tygra waved his hand airily. "Curiosity. So how'd the talk go?"
Time to deliver the news.
Echo turned to face Tygra fully, and steeled herself.
"Lion-O suggested we carry out both."
Tygra looked puzzled as he stared at her, and then realization struck.
"That was not what you proposed to me, Echo," Tygra said, tone flinty, "What changed?"
I have to be calm. Pitch my. . . our proposal that way.
"Lion-O brought up a good point to me. The world isn't black and white, and it never will be. It doesn't have to be ultimatum after ultimatum, one or the other. He told me I've been fighting for this too long to give up on it, and he's right. I have been. I don't think I could give up on finding my past. I really don't."
Tygra's ears narrowed in irritation.
"What happened when you chased your past last time, human-"
"Won't happen again." Echo cut over him confidently, "I was alone last time. I'm not this time."
Tygra opened his mouth, ready to deliver more holes to poke through her logic, but Lion-O's voice echoed over the village.
"Aburn! Aburn!"
Both Tygra and Echo turned to the source of the sound. Lion-O sounded excited, as though he'd discovered something. Wordlessly, both the human and the tiger jogged over to the elephants, which Lion-O had come to stand in front of.
"Aren't you supposed to be practicing with Annet?" The elephant asked.
"I thought I'd do you a favor instead." Lion-O grinned, catching his breath back, "I took care of your wraiths. They won't be bothering you anymore!"
Tygra glowered, glaring at his younger brother.
"That was what he ran off to do?!"
Panthro joined them, and offered Tygra a shrug. "Can't say that I disapprove. One of those nasty buggers stung me."
Aburn, instead of reacting with a bright grin, shot up to his feet and gasped.
"Oh! You shouldn't have done that!" He said, fearful.
"What?" Lion-O asked, shocked. "Why?"
Aburn opened his mouth to reply, but then stopped.
"I don't remember." He said, the urgency draining from his voice and posture, ". . . but there's a good reason!"
"I think it's a good idea. Now the bugs won't steal your food anymore!" Kat proclaimed, putting his hands on his hips proudly. Next to him, Kit looked uncertain. That gave Echo pause - normally the kittens were always in agreement.
"Now, however, the harmony of the universe is out of tune." Annet said, approaching the group. Everyone looked at him inquisitively.
"You see, Lion-O, the wraiths may have taken some of our crops-"
Echo stumbled as the ground trembled, staggering into Panthro. The general looked down at her, confused, and helped her right herself.
"Feelin' alright there?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that was weird."
"-but their loud sounds were all that kept out something far worse from our village."
The ground trembled again as he pointed. Echo was quick to follow the Cats as they scrambled to the closest wall, struggling to keep their footing with the ground shaking. Echo hoisted herself up, perching on the lip of the wall, and paled when she saw what was ascending the mountainside. The rock monster looked like a strange hybrid between a troll and an elephant, an old tree growing from its head. White, pale eyes looked absently at the mountain, hands and feet crushing and digging as it ascended.
"Without its natural enemy patrolling the sky," Annet continued, concerned, "This creature will do worse than just eat our food."
Echo could see Lion-O reeling in shock. The lion shook his head in disbelief. "I. . . I didn't know!"
"We elephants may not remember much, but we never forget there is a delicate balance to all things. Come. Let us meditate."
First Annet spewed all of that nonsense about her powers not belonging to her, of her blocking Lion-O's connection to the Stones, and now this? They aren't even going to defend themselves! Echo shook her head, muttering about the stupid elephants under her breath.
Lion-O seemed to agree with her.
"Come on. We can't wait for it to come to us. It'll destroy the entire village."
The Cats jumped, rushing off to meet it, and Echo followed, hardly noticing when Kit and Kat lagged behind.
"ThunderCats, HO!" Lion-O shouted, jumping and drawing Omens.
In reality, Echo was glad for the monster. She had aggression to burn off, and it felt good fighting at Lion-O's side again. They all charged the stone giant, Lion-O cleaving at the rock with Omens. Echo hadn't really seen Cheetara let go, but with a powerful swing, the cleric smashed through an entire leg of the creature. Tygra's gun and whip cracked through the night air, and Echo took that as a cue to run forward, both swords drawn. She was careful to aim, and even more careful and precise when she swung, unwilling to shatter her swords on the rock.
She hit at the other knee joint for the golem, and was rewarded with century-old rock crumbling under her strike. Panthro hurled a boulder at the creature, taking it down completely. The human stood there, hands itching with the need to keep swinging, but she forced herself to remain still. Silence fell over the battlefield, as every one of the party scanned the fallen rocks.
Something hit her foot, and she looked down, discovering a tiny rock wobbling, rolling on its own accord. Then the night air came alive with the sounds of rocks groaning and scratching against each other as the golem rearranged itself. Not even bothering to glance at the Cats, the golem continued to climb the mountainside again, newly-formed fingers digging into the dirt. The tree atop its head glowed, and before Echo could move, a heavy stone shoved itself behind her and slid forward.
What the hell? What is it doing? Is it going to crush us?!
The Cats had their backs pinned to the large slabs of rock, and all of them were speeding to meet each other. Echo dug her feet into the ground, trying to fight against it, but it was useless. The rock connected, throwing them all together, and Echo wheezed as somebody's elbow jabbed into her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her.
Something crashed overhead, and darkness greeted them all.
"It trapped us!" Cheetara growled.
"Is everybody accounted for?" Panthro asked.
"Everybody except the twins." Tygra replied grimly.
The words were like ice piercing her heart.
The twins were out there, facing the golem, alone! Panic clawed at Echo, and though space was limited, she began to search for a way out, hands and nails scratching over the surface of the rock, searching for a weak spot. Every second that passed was another second she had to endure the golem's heavy footfalls getting further and further away.
With a sharp cry of frustration, she hit a rock slab with her hand, uncaring of the pain it caused.
"We have to get out! The twins!"
"It's okay. They can handle themselves."
A gentle hand laid on her shoulder. Cheetara's, if she had to guess. It was impossible for her to see in the pitch black environment of their cage.
"We need to think of a way out of this." Lion-O said. The sound of claws scratching at the walls resounded a moment later, assuring Echo he was doing the same thing she'd been.
"Those elephants are useless on their own." Tygra snipped, his voice a growl.
"But we're all they have right now," Lion-O returned, "So suck it up."
Echo shifted, trying to move to another wall, when her foot landed in a hole. Her ankle twisted, and she went down, collapsing into somebody else. Her nose whacked into armor, and pain exploded in her head. She groaned as she sunk to the ground, gently massaging the injury.
"Hey, Short Stack. You just found your way out."
"What?" She asked, blinking away tears.
She heard Tygra digging, and felt dirt hitting her feet, but then the tiger grabbed her hands and guided her forward. She felt cool night air hitting her hands.
"You're small enough. Wriggle through, and get the elephants out of the village."
She nodded her head, and helped Tygra widen the hole just a little more. She bit her lip, hard, when she dropped her sword harness, but it wouldn't fit through the hole with her, and it was useless against the golem anyway.
Damn if it doesn't make me feel naked, though.
Satisfied that the hole was large enough, Tygra shifted away from the entrance, and Echo pushed herself through. Dirt filtered into her mouth and nose, but she wiggled her way through, thanking whatever diety there was for her smallness. The hole had been caused by the golem's feet pressing against the ground, it had seemed. Once outside, she raced up the cliffside, hearing the shattering of rocks, and the telltale groaning of the golem.
Echo opened her mouth to shout to the twins, the elephants, but notes from Kit's flupe floated on the breeze, stopping her. Climbing up the rocky wall faster than ever before, Echo heaved herself on top, muscles burning, and watched in horror as the golem grabbed the top of a temple, intending to eat it-
But then that sharp, piercing note hit the air again, and Echo covered her ears as the sound made her head pound. The elephants joined in, and the note swelled in volume and power. The roof of the temple crumbled, crashing messily down to the floor below. . .
And so did the golem.
The stone giant imploded, rocks shattering under the influence of the note. When the golem fell, Kit and Kat celebrated, jumping up and down in the air and shouting.
Echo was so overcome with relief, she collapsed on top of the wall and laid there, dirty hair splayed messily about her.
Sunshine had greeted them once more, and the elephants, ever industrious, were picking up pieces of the fallen giant. From what Echo had gleaned, they were going to use him to rebuild some of their village. Echo stood with the ThunderCats, swiping dirt off of her tunic. After the golem had fallen, so too, had the cage, and they had found her last night on top of the wall.
She hadn't even bothered to lift her head to tell them everything was alright.
We cut it a little close last night.
Annet turned away from the recovery to peer down at them all, before his eyes landed on Lion-O.
"You see, Lion-O, when you failed to look at the bigger picture, it becomes impossible to know the consequences of your actions."
"I guess it's no wonder why I'm struggling with sight beyond sight." He conceded.
Echo shot a discreet glare at Annet. Never mind it's because I'm throwing off his delicate equilibrium, with stolen powers that aren't mine. You forgot to mention that tidbit.
"Let's try it one more time." The elephant said patiently.
Ever a good sport, Lion-O drew his sword again.
"Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!"
Echo fully expected herself to get sucked into the vision, as she had the other times. But no, this time, she remained firmly rooted in reality. It was such a shock, that she stood there, not knowing what to do. If what Annet said is true, did that mean Lion-O figured out how to tune out my influence? Lion-O jerked back from the sword, exhilaration on his face.
"The hut! The stone is in the hut!"
"What hut?" Cheetara asked, as Lion-O blew past them.
He raced over to the shed with the oversized broom, and yanked open the heavy door. They waited - quite impatiently, too, on Echo's part - as Lion-O emerged, disheartened. Of course. It can't ever be that easy, she thought.
"I don't understand." Lion-O mumbled, sounding equal parts bitter and confused.
Annet nodded his head.
"Perhaps a different approach is in order." The elephant suggested, "Go to the forest of Magi Oar. One of the most enchanted places on all of Third Earth. There, the power of the sword will be amplified - and your connection with it."
"Where is this forest?" Lion-O queried.
"Uhm. . . isn't it. . . uhm. . . uh." Annet mumbled, looking embarrassed.
Echo gave a defeated sigh and rubbed at her temples. Not again!
Panthro threw his hands up into the air in exasperation.
"If it's a forest, I can find it! We're going to the tank now!"
The elephants waved as they left, and Echo was beyond ecstatic that she didn't have to walk up the elephant-sized staircase. Kit and Kat chirped happily, dancing around the others excitedly.
". . . then I played my flupe and it blew up!"
"It was the coolest thing ever! I want a flupe now!"
"Well, you don't get one! This is my flupe!"
"Not anymore!"
"Hey, give that back!"
"Don't fall." Cheetara warned the kittens, as Kit chased Kat for her flupe. Echo continued her walk down the staircase, when Lion-O joined her side.
"So. Did you find what you were looking for?"
Echo shook her head.
"Not even a little glimpse."
His expression fell.
"I'm sorry. I was sure you'd find something."
At that, Echo stopped. Lion-O, noticing her absence, paused as well.
"Echo?"
She looked at those blue eyes, that spiky red hair, and Echo smiled, albeit it felt painful.
"Annet did tell me something. He told me that part of the reason you've been having so many problems is because I'm here."
"You do not belong on this quest."
"What? Why would he say something like that? It isn't true and you know it - so does he. Come on. Let's get to Magi Oar. We'll prove him wrong there."
Echo watched as Lion-O marched on, gesturing for her to follow. It felt good, to have Lion-O say those things to her. It reassured her and made her feel like she wasn't alone, that she wasn't undertaking this huge quest of hers all by herself. She watched his retreating back for just a moment before clouds pooled overhead, and a familiar shadow raced over the ground.
Echo turned, looking at the archway leading into the elephant village, and there, underneath it, stood the shadow.
Everything was quiet as they looked at each other.
"You'll be waiting for me, won't you?" Echo murmured.
With a decisive foot turn, the shadow turned and walked into the village. The clouds overhead moved, dispelling the darkness, and the shadow dissipated.
I might not belong here, Echo thought, but I'm here now, and I'll be damned if people tell me to go away.
I've come too far.
Turning her back to the archway, she resumed her trek down the mossy staircase.