38

Orion slept very little that night, as he could not stop thinking about his family, and his father's words.
For all these years, living alone in the forests and jungles, he had never thought of his home, Thundera, as it was
too much sorrow to deal with at the time. He'd needed to heal, in body and soul. but now... He was an adult,
now, twenty years old. Approximately. He was not exactly sure when his birthday fell on Plundaar. At any
rate, he was not a cub anymore, and he had been thinking more and more about his parents. Were they alive?
Were they in a slave complex somewhere? He shuddered to think what someone like Blackmoor could have
done to his mother and father.

Long ago, he and Hyder had spoken about going to Thundera. Hyder had asked Orion if he could go,
too. But Hyder wasn't here and Orion had never been able to find him. For all he knew, his friend was dead. If
not, Hyder had a much larger chance of hiding and retreating back into the population of Mutants. He hoped
that he had made it. But now he had to think about what he was going to do in his life.

Should he try and get off planet? If he did, there was a good chance he'd be found and killed, and he
had Falcon to think about. But if not, then he was stuck on Plundaar, skulking around the towns, stealing what
he needed, and living in the forests like an animal. he did not really mind; he felt at home in the wild than anywhere else on the planet. but even so, was that what he really wanted to do in his life?

He and Hyder had spoken of what they wanted to do once they were free. Hyder had wanted to be a
fighter pilot, and Orion wanted to be a racer. Now, all he wanted was to go home.

But what then?

Orion sighed, turning over in his sleep, and tried to get the circular train of thought out of his head. It
was going nowhere at the moment, and he needed to sleep; he was exhausted.

He did finally slumber, and when he awoke, he had nearly forgotten his long musings of the night before. For now.
The weeks passed once more, and the winter came. in this part of the planet, the winters were not quite
as miserably cold as in Blackmoor's part of the planet, and Orion and Falcon slept easily enough at night with
their blankets.

Winter passed, and spring came pleasantly enough. Falcon grew into a hyperactive, skinny little cub. he
and Orion were fast friends by then, and more than that. Orion might as well have been his papa, as the shopkeeper had said in the town.

But once again, Orion had been thinking of Thundera.

"I've got to try, Falcon," he said to the cub. Falcon, sensing the seriousness of his guardian's words,
cocked his head and listened. "I can't live my whole life here... Even if I am free now, I have no doubts that
if Blackmoor even found out where I was, he'd have his men on me faster than i could blink. Even now, so many years later." he sighed and leaned back against a tree.

He yelped a moment later when he realized it was one of the spined trees of the region and glared at it.
Orion moved and resumed his soliloquy. "There's plenty o transports. If I could get enough credits, I
could pass for a simian if I was clever about it. And there are plenty that admit animals." he frowned.
"But...can I keep up the masquerade long enough to go through a whole flight?" And then there was the other
problem; there was not a transport that would go anywhere near Thundera.

The young man sighed. "This is hopeless, Falcon." he shook his head and put his face in his hands.
"There's no way...I would have to stow away. Or steal a ship and pilot it myself. But I don't know how! how
hard could it be, though?"

Falcon whimpered, wanting to help Orion with whatever was making his so sad. he nuzzled the cat's
hand, and nibbled his fingers a few times before Orion smiled and petted him. "We'll find a way...I swear it."

A few weeks later, Orion decided that then would be the time. The biggest city in the area was about
fifteen miles away, and he could make it there in a day or two, depending on how fast he worked. There was at
least four different spaceports in the city, and probably more little ones spread around the town and the suburbs.

And it was a crowded city, and there was less chance of someone noticing him, hyena cub or not. And the chances of him hopping a transport were far better.

Yes. That was what he needed to do. "Come on, Falcon," he said, picking up his belonging and
beginning to pack up the camp. he made sure the cooking fire of the previous night was out and stuffed all his
things into the backpack he had been using. He ruffled Falcon's mane, and they started off.

It was a couple of days before they reached the outskirts of the city, and Orion once again wore pants and
a long sleeved, hooded top. The hood could be drawn clear over his face, which was god, because he didn't want anyone to see it. If he only kept his head down it should be okay. He had his mask on as well, which covered his nose and mouth.

Little happened as Falcon and Orion went through the city, Orion with his head down, Falcon sniffing
everything he came across. A few people looked his way, but didn't stop him or give him any trouble. So far so
good, he thought. So far so good.

Eventually, as lunchtime approached, the suburbs gave way to the city, and Orion couldn't help but look
up at the tall buildings and crowded streets. Until now, he had been avoiding the big cities, for fear that someone would recognize him. But surely not this many years later...

Orion could not just go to a spaceport and sneak aboard. he had to watch them for a few days, get an
idea of how things worked, and what transports went where. He had to get used to the schedules and what
transports he could hide on hand which ones were too small. And...he ahd to find out if there were any with
escape pods that got close enough to Thundera. Of course the very idea of getting into a tiny escape pod make
him shake.

But to be home, he would risk it.

As he walked, he saw something that made a chill go down his body, and for a moment he wasn't sure if
it was now, or seven years ago. He stopped short, squinting at something on a light pole. Falcon frowned and
amde an inquiring sound. Not even hearing the cub, Orion went over and looked at the poster that looked all
too familiar. "My gods..." he said to himself. it was ripped, but it still was what Orion thought it was; a
wanted poster. And it had his picture on it. Him, at thirteen. Was it an old poster? A ghost from seven years
ago? It was ripped and dirty. "No..." he said to himself, shaking his head. "It's got to be an old one." He
scowled and ripped it down, throwing it into a trash receptacle on the street. It did seem like an unpleasant omen, though, seeing that old poster.

But was it old? It was dirty and ripped, yes, but it had rained lately. Orion shook his head and
dashed the thought from his mind. It was just an old poster that had somehow survived on the lamppost from
his escape. Blackmoor probably had forgotten all about him by now.

Falcon was still looking up at him, looking perplexed. Orion laughed and picked him up. "Hey it's all
right. We're gettin' out of here." he set the cub down and headed for someplace he could get lunch.
He rooted through his pack and found a few credits, that he could use to buy a decent meal.

Sitting in the corner of the outside diner (The Jackal-Den), he slipped some of his meal to Falcon here
and there. The first thing he ahd to do was find out where the spaceports were, the public ones. And then...well, he'd see what happened.

"Do you really think he's even still here?"

"I dunno... Maybe. but after all this time, I highly doubt it. He's probably not even alive, still."

"What was the name again?"

Two vulturewomen were talking at a table a few yards over, and Orion hardly even noticed them
talking...until amazingly enough, he heard his name.

"Well there wasn't a last name, as it wasn't known, but the name he answers to is Orion."

Having been feeling a little sleepy and sitting laid back in his chair, Orion was suddenly wide awake,
his eyes popping wide open. Nearly choking on the drink he held in his hands, he leaned forward to listen to
the conversation.

"Orion, huh?" The woman shook her head. "A Thunderian name if ever I heard one."

"It doesn't matter," the second one said. "Blackmoor's got rocks in his head if he still thinks that cat's
hanging around. I mean, this is halfway across the whole planet, and he's got his posters here."

"It does seem a little obsessive," the first agreed with a shrug. "Who knows? maybe we'll find him
someday...could use the extra money. But still...seven years ago?"

The woman laughed, and changed the subject.

Orion was staring at the women, horrified, but he thanked the spirits or gods that were for giving him
this advance warning. He did always seem to hear what he needed to, when he needed to. Someone was looking out for him. He hoped.

Hastily he stood, motioning sharply for Falcon to follow him, and nearly ran from the diner. Puzzled, the
cub followed.

Several blocks away from the diner, Orion finally stopped, panting in fear behind a bank. he closed his
eyes and tried unsuccessfully to calm himself. Damn Blackmoor to hell! Even now, he hounded him. Had he
had out his bounty the whole time? Orion paled at the thought. All those years. At any time a posse of
Blackmoor's men could have tracked him down and killed him in his sleep. "This can't be," he whispered. "It
can't."

Well that just might make things a lot more difficult for him. If the jackal had been sending
out pictures this whole time, there was no telling who would recognize him. he was an adult now, yes, but his
markings were the same, and anyone that realized he was Thunderian was going to stop him to question him, and he'd be discovered.

Falcon whimpering in confusion brought Orion out of his panicked thoughts, which had run away with
him. "This changes things..." he whispered to Falcon, now paranoid about being seen or heard. "We've got to
get off planet, and fast.

Falcon let a small sound of agreement, even though he couldn't possibly understand what was going on.

"Yeah..." Orion took a big breath to steady himself and stood up from where he'd been huddled. A
man across the street was looking at him oddly, and he vacated the block quickly.

Orion wished he could read better as he checked the public computer system to find out where the
public spaceports were. he got a few maps ot the place (and found out he could read maps no better than basic)
and by reluctantly asking a few people here and there was able to find one of the bigger ones. Hakint Aerocenter.

Keeping his hood and mask carefully over his face, Orion walked around, trying to find something that would tell
him when the ships took off and where they went. For now he would settle for just getting off of Plundaar. He
could see to getting back to Thundera once he was out of danger. he was panicking, this he knew, but at least
he still had control of his thoughts and actions.

No one gave him or Falcon a second glance, although he did have to pick the little cub up so he did not
get trampled in the mass of people at the spaceport. So far so good. In fact, as he walked, he noticed a crowd
standing around something that looked like an electronic bulletin board. It was, of sorts; it showed departures
and arrivals, and destinations. He couldn't have asked for anything more convenient! he squinted his eyes
trying to sound out the difficult destinations. he didn't know any of these places. With a fresh surge of panic, he
realized that he could not possibly know if the place he chose would go somewhere he'd be safe or if he would
be going to some death camp. In fact, some seemed to be slave transports and prisoner transports!

Jakilnd. Orion's face pales as he read the word. That one he had heard of, one of the most feared
camps in the Plundaarian system and the planets it controlled. It was called a labor camp, but no one got out of
there alive. no one. most didn't last five years.

And no one escaped.

Orion bit his lip. Spooked, he began backing out of the crowd, feeling suddenly very claustrophobic, even
though not very many people were standing close. But as he turned to run, little reptilian kid bumped into him,
and Orion's hood fell down. As Orion froze for a moment in fear, the reptilian gaped. "A cat!" he exclaimed
in Plundaarian. "Mama a cat!" His mask was still up, but with the hood down, it was obvious he was no Mutant.

Orion cursed, throwing his hood back up as people turned to stare, and bolted through the crowd.
"Hey!" came a man's voice. "A Thunderian! Hey catch that guy!" The cry was taken up by people
throughout the crowd, but Orion had gotten enough of a head start that by the time people close enough to him caught the cry, he was far enough from them to evade being caught.

Felling a surge of panic and a nearly overpowering sense of deja-vu, Orion ran as fast as he could from the
spaceport, keeping Falcon clutched tightly to hi chest and using his other hand to keep his hood up. The crowd
in this case was a help, not a hindrance. He was able to slip into it and escape undetected from the spaceport.

Abysmally unnerved, Orion did not stop running until he was at the edge of town, although he did slow it
to a moderate run instead of a sprint, s he didn't get exhausted. once out of the city limits and on the edge of a
jungle area on the other side of town that he'd started from, he collapsed to his knees, panting and shaking. He
let Falcon down, who whimpered in fear and confusion and ran around Orion trying to figure out what was wrong and how he could fix it.

After a while, Orion began to calm himself down and sit down, gathering the confused hyena in his
arms. "I-it's all right," he said to the cub, fighting to control his breathing. years of wild living had enabled
him to run nonstop to the edge of town, but now he was exhausted. "It's okay... We need to get back to the
jungle though, deeper inside." Oh gods, what if word got back to Blackmoor that there was a Thunderian in
hakint? Hakint was a big city, but was Blackmoor obsessed enough to come after such a slim lead? Orion was
an adult now, but did look a lot like he did when he was thirteen. If anyone got a good look at him...

After a while, he sighed and stood up, letting Falcon down once more. "Let's go," he said, trudging
along deeper into the jungle with his pack on his back.

Meanwhile, in the city, there was an uproar at the spaceport. Excited about the idea of a Thunderian
running around that didn't belong to anyone, people had been milling around the port trying to find him. Flights
were having to be delayed because the passengers weren't at the post, they were running around looking for the
cat. Soon, the guards had to be brought in to get people settled down and where they belonged. A few overzealous searchers had to be thrown out, and the guards were starting to question people...

"I saw him first!" said the little reptilian excitedly to the guard that had stopped him and his family to
speak to them. When it was determined that they had no ship to catch, that they were only seeing their friends
off, they had stopped them to talk.

The jackal guard smiled tolerantly at the boy. "You did, did you? Are you sure it was a cat?"

The boy nodded vigorously. "Yeah! he kinda looked like a simian, but a lot smoother, and he had cat
eyes, and pointed ears, too, under his braids."

The guard smiled again. "You;re doing well, young man. Can you tell me what color he was? Did he
wear the collar of a slave?"

The young Mutant shook his head. "No, sir, there wasn't any collar at all, I saw his whole neck when
the hood slipped off. He was tan, and his fur on top was brown. I dunno about his eyes but I didn't see them long enough."

"They were brown," said his mother, who had gotten a better look at them from eye level.

"An' he had a hyena with him too," the child added.

The guard raised a brow. "A...Mutant? I thought that he was alone.'

A shake of the head preceded his answer. "No, sir, it was an animal one. It was...what's that word
again, mama?"

"Feral?"

"Yeah! That's it!" The boy grinned at his mother and then at the guard.

The guard raised his brows further. "Really...they are not common, and certainly not taken for pets.
That should make things easier. His clothing?"

"Um...I just saw the tunic that had a hood on it. It was dark red."

The mother patted her boy on the head and spoke up; the guard looked up to give her his attention. "He
was, as my son said, wearing a red hooded top. His pants were dark brown, and he wore a pair of green hide
boots. He wore a large hiking backpack as well."

"And which way did he run off to?"

The mother and the child both pointed in the direction Orion had gone.

"But I couldn't see where he really went," said the child, tugging on the guard's belt. "'Cause there's
too many people an' I;m too short."

His mother laughed and whapped him playfully on the head. "I didn't see either, by then there were a
lot of people trying to see."

The guard punched in a few more commands to his handheld Infopad, then turned it off and put it away.
he smiled at the pair. "Well thank you for your help," he said to them. "We're going to be looking for him, as
a free Thunderian is a danger to the public."

"It's 'cause we're at war with them, right, sir? And he might be a spy or something?" the child asked.
The guard smiled and patted the boy's head. "That's exactly right. Of course he might just be an
escaped slave, but we have to take precautions. You did very well, son, thank you."

The child beamed proudly as the guard walked away.

Within an hour or so, the law enforcement people of the city had been notified that there was a
Thunderian running around the city, and were told to apprehend him on sight. They were given a description
from the people in the spaceport, and a description of what he had with him. And after a while, they began to
get a general idea of where he had gone.

Word even got to the military in a day or so, as rumor. A solitary Thunderian runaway was of no responsibility to them, but some of the enlisted men were talking about it with their supervisors, during mealtime.

"Why haven't we gotten involved, sergeant?" one of them asked, frowning in puzzlement. "I mean, I don't
even think the land warriors are getting involved."

The sergeant shook his head. "If he was a spy, we would have, or if it was even suspected. We've been
keeping an eye on the situation. But based on the description, they think it's a runaway slave that's been
missing for a few years." he shrugged. "They;re still keeping an ear out of course, until it's proven either way,
but for now they;re letting the local authorities take care of it."

"No sense committing resources to it unless it's needed, right? What with the war going on?" The jackal
leaned back in his chair.

"It's not like there's been any real fighting now for about five years," piped up another soldier, a simian.
"The ThunderCats've stepped up their planetary security."

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean it couldn't start again."

"Yeah...that's true, I guess. I heard we're not attacking for a different reason though. I heard that
Ratilla's got this powerful new weapon that could gain us the advantage."

The other soldier raised a brow, looking interested. "Oh really? What it is, a planetary missile or something?"

The second shaking his head. "Nope. It's just a blade. A blade of magical power..."

The jackal burst out laughing. "Blade? As in Sword? A sword's gonna win us the war... yeah right."

He shook his head at the simian's indignant look. "You've got rocks in your head, old friend. Well it's time to
get back to work." Still chuckling, the jackal left the mess area.

There was another soldier across the table, who ahd been listening very closely to this conversation. he
frowned, looking concerned. He himself was about to start a vacation from work, well-deserved and fully paid.
And he showed a great interest in their conversation. Not about the weapon, but about the cat. Frowning, he
also got up and left.

Orion, hunting on Thundera, long after his escape.
(Orion is a bit young looking and Falcon is *way* too old, since I messed up and couldn't make him look right, but otherwise, the picture is good.)
Orion and Falcon

Chapter 39

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