29

A Warning

Saber did want to stay longer at the Cats' Lair, as the place fascinated him to no end, and somehow he felt right here. He felt safe, even though he'd been abducted from here, but the place felt secure. He also felt a connection with the warriors that had denned there once before. Closer to them then even most of his own people. Still he only stayed a night, as he was very eager to get home. He was eager to see his family again, and sleep in his own bed.

He was about as happy to see the cliff face he had climbed now, as he had been the first time. But it was easier this time. And he did notice that the eye did not shoot at him. It had been broken out. The Lunattacks must have done it, he thought. Well that was fine, then he did not have to worry about it.

It took him less effort this time to descend. His feet seeming to almost natrually seek out the footholds and handholds, the climb went faster, and he was able to make it in a day and camp out at the bottom.

As he continued once more, having put on his armband and ankle skin-cover that he'd left at the Lair, he thought of the unicorn guardians. His extraordinary directional sense let him remember where they were, and he remembered how kind they had been to him. He wanted to see the once more before returning home. He would come back here, he knew that. He vowed he would come back here again, but it might be a while. And he wanted to give his thanks once more.

It took several days, but he did seek out their comfortable abode in the forest. "Hello?" he called out.

After a moment, a gentle voice answered, "Yes?" The woman poked her head from the privacy cover to look mildly on the boy. She smiled, not recognizing him at first. "Hello, traveler. Where are you headed?"

Saber looked confused for a moment. Maybe they did not remember him. It had been a long time, almost a year! "Do you remember me?" he asked.

The woman looked on the tan, healthy looking boy she saw before her, and her eyes widened in recognition. "Saber! Saber, yes, I do remember, the brave young adventurer from the east. Please come in!"

Saber grinned and did so, saying hello to the woman's mate as he did. "I finally made it back. And I wanted to see you guys again and tell you all that's happened."

The female smiled warmly at him as she sat back down. "We would love to hear your tales, young man. I nearly did not recognize you."

"Yes," her mate agreed. "You have grown stronger, and taller, too. I believe you are an inch or so taller than when you first came through." Saber was about that much taller, but that was not all that made him seem so. He walked taller, more proud, confident, strong.

The boy grinned widely. "Really? That's good! Everyone in my valley says I am too short." He laughed good-naturedly.

"So did you find your animal fortress?" the female asked with a smile.

"I did, and a whole lot more! And I found out what it's called, Cats' Lair, right? And the animal, it's a cat! I've never seen one before."

They both smiled. "Yes, that's just right. The cataclysm made it impossible for their kind to live here." Her expression saddened.

"Yeah..." Saber said, and made a face. "And I saw it."

"'It'?"

The boy nodded. "The weapon you told me about. It looks just like you described." Saber went through, in detail, his experience at the swamp, and the thing of metal he had found uncovered by a recent earthquake.

Both the immortal guardians gasped. "You saw it?" the male said. "A thing of evil. I hope you did not stay."

Saber shook his head. "No. It was weird there, creepy. It was too warm, and the air tasted funny. I could taste the air. And I twisted my ankle." He scowled. "On some old building I think that used to be there. There was a gargoyle head near it."

"Oh! My boy, how did you get way over there? That is miles and miles from here, where Castle Plundaar used to be!"

At Saber's inquiry, the two immortals told Saber what Castle Plundaar had been, and who it inhabitants had been. "Mutants?" he asked, and when they were described, his eyes lit up in recognition. "The beast warriors! I saw them! I saw cat people fighting them!"

"Saw?" the male asked in surprise.

Saber pulled out some of the disks he had used and showed them to his friends. "Yes, on these...they're like magic pictures, pictures that move. It saw the people that used to live in the cat fortress."

They both smiled. "The ThunderCats," the female said. "They were great forces of good. but they were cats, and could not return here to help when evil took over once more." Then she gasped, looking suddenly alarmed. "Oh, how could I have forgotten?"

Saber frowned, concerned. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

The male stood and shook his head. "Saber. Do you know who Mumm-Ra is?"

Saber shook his head.

"The Lunattacks?"

Now those he knew! He frowned and said, "Yes. What about them?"

The female shook her head angrily. "They are looking for you, young traveler. Mumm-Ra, he is their lord."

Saber felt a momentary flash of fear from the Gathering Day he had gone on. Still believing the Lunattacks to be demons form hell itself, he had wet himself that day, thinking them to be the most horrible things he'd ever seen. And his father had said, "Imagine what their lord must be like." Such a thing sticks in a person's head! "Th-they are?" he asked.

They both nodded, and the male put a hand on his shoulder. "They were here not three days ago, demanding to know what we knew of you. It was very little, and we told them so. They were terrorizing our unicorns, the poor creatures. Finally they set off to search again. I know you must be eager to get home, but won't you stay and hide for a while?"

Saber was tempted. Boy, was he tempted. But now he wanted to get home more than ever. The Lunattacks knew where he lived! They took their metals and food every moon-time, didn't they? And he remembered the fat one that had toyed with him; he knew that one's name: Earthquake. He shook his head. "No...no, I can't. What if they hurt my family or my people? I can't let them do that looking for me." He bit his lip.

The female nodded. "I admire your courage, little one," she said. "You have come a long way. Hurry, then, and maybe they will not find you. But be careful, and travel as fast as you can without exhausting yourself."

Saber swallowed hard as he backed from the guardians' home. He almost ran into a curious unicorn as he did. "I'll be careful, I promise. And thanks again!" Giving the unicorn a quick pat, he turned and walked into the forest as quickly as he could. Now he had a reason to hurry home, and now he would be peering around every tree as he journeyed.

For days he traveled as quickly as he could, until it was too dark to see. Then he slept uneasily, the noises that had so comforted him now making him jump when they woke him. Every minute he listened for signs of someone in the woods that should not be there.

One of those days, as Spring more heavily endowed itself on the land, he had run into a pack of the Bolkins, the mutated, devastated creatures they had become when the cataclysm hit. This time he'd recognized the first one he saw and vaulted up into a tree. Just in time, too, this must be their territory, as he was in the same general area as last time. "Go away, you stupid things!" he growled in frustration. Every delay was making him tense.

A chill ran down his back as he recognized, actually recognized the leader of the Bolkins' pack. He saw the hateful eyes, and snarl, he recognized its matted mane of wool and its filthy snout, and he could see that the semi-sentient thing recognized him, too. It was not a pleasant memory for either of them.

They were more patient this time. Saber had to spend the whole night in the blasted tree before they left. When he was sure they were gone, he beat it out of their territory.

Saber checked the date on his journal that night. He blinked in surprise as he realized what day it was. It was his birthday. It was well into the second moon-time of spring now; his birthday was the thirteenth day of it. The realization both made him smile and made him sad. Sad because he realized just how much time he had been away from his people. He had expected a journey of a couple of weeks, and that had turned out to be a year.

It is my birthday, he wrote in his journal. I don't know whether to feel sad or happy...I feel both. Sad because everyone will be a year older. Drii...Drii's birthday was in the fall, near the day of Hallows Night. He is six now. I feel happy, because I'm older now, not such a child... But even that makes me feel a little sad. I think after all that's happened, I want to be a child. And I am sad my journey is ending.

And now I have to worry about my family. The Lunataks. I am not sure how that is spelled, and do not care They are looking for me. If they can't find me, would they go so low as to threaten innocent people? I know they would. I've seen it. I've felt it. I was innocent, causing no harm, and they put me through Hell. I hope that they give up their search. I am not even sure why they want me. I've done no harm... Well little harm.

I will have to travel as quickly as I can. I've been eating what I hunt now, and that takes time. I eat a lot of fruits and berries, as I don't have to hunt them down and skin them. My stomach has not protested, however. I've had to eat or drink too many disgusting things for it to be picky. And so I eat fruits. I hope that it will not be too late when I get there.

Putting the bark-parchment away, Saber slept for the night.

In the couple of hours before down, he was awakened by a noise. A familiar noise. A noise he had hoped never to hear again in his life. The boy jumped to his feet, craning his neck and straining his eyes to peer into the darkness. Had he heard it? Or was it only a dream? His human eyes squinted, peering into the star-studded sky for what he had thought he heard: the faint revving sound of the fortress the Lunattacks called Skytomb.

Such a fitting name.

After a few moments, not seeing anything, Saber felt he had imagined it. But he was spooked. It was only an hour or so until dawn, he would start early tonight. Saber picked up his pack and shouldered it.

Seconds after he donned his pack, hee screamed in startlement as a hand grabbed him from behind. He heard a curse in a voice he recognized. It was that female with the red eyes! The eyes that could see through things!

With a growl of part fear, part aggression, Saber grabbed his dagger from its sheath and whirled around, lashing at his attacker.

Infra saw it coming and was able to dodge it, but she'd had to let go of the boy to do it. "I found him!" she yelled loudly, and now Saber could hear others looking around the woods. He remembered one that could hear anything, and another with the red eyes.

Saber took off running, after decking her in the face as she looked back to yell. Caught of balance, Infra sprawled on the ground as Saber sprinted into the trees. "He went that way!" Infra pointed. Chilldon was up in the Icerunner, and now he turned on his lights.

Saber ran through the trees, dodging the lights, weaving in and out of the trees. He was scared now that he would not get out of here alive, and he being so close to home. But still he did not let it stop him from thinking clearly. He still ran, trying to think of some way to lose them.

And as the fugitive ran, all throughout the woods, the Lunattacks searched. And now, just returning from an intense rest period in his sarcophagus, Mumm-Ra hovered above the trees, searching for the boy that had caused him so much trouble without even knowing it.

Part 30: Battle

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