46

Over the next four days or so, Falcon was examined by an animal handler, judged to be harmless, and
put in a cage in the handler's office until Orion was set free. If he was not set free, Falcon would be sent to a
zoo that knew how to take care of such animals. he was fed and watered.

Orion's belongings were locked in a storage closet somewhere.

And Orion... He was questioned nearly every day, sometimes attached to lie detectors, and sometimes
having used a truth serum that left Orion dizzy and sick, and he vowed never to agree to that again.

But eventually, they determined, as far as they could, that Orion was not a spy. Orion had actually told
him all that he knew (although absolutely refused to tell them Hyder's name) about the place, which was not
much. he knew of the wilderness which they said might be of use if they ever had to fight on Plundaar's terrain,
and told him of Blackmoor, but that was about it.

He did tell them there was a group of Mutants that wanted changes in the government,. That were
fighting to stamp out slavery, and right some of the heinous wrongs the government did their people. Again, he
gave no further information than this, but the Thunderians did not pry. They were surprised but pleased that
such an organization existed.

The only injuries that were not at least just barely healed were his hand and the deep puncture wound in
his gut that Blackmoor's boot had dealt him. he was no longer in any real pain, and once it was established that
he was not a spy, he'd been taken from the cells and put in one of the visitors' quarters and given his
belongings. They wouldn't allow Falcon anywhere but the rooms for the animals on base, but had allowed him
to visit. Orion had a time calming Falcon down and soothing his ire.

Finally, Lionthrar knocked on the door of his room, and when Orion answered it, the lion smiled a bit
"Well, I guess I owe you an apology," he said to Orion, extending his hand. Orion took it after a moment of
surprise. The commander handed Orion his dagger back, and the young Thunderian took it, strapping it to his
breeches. "You're being sent to the surface," he said. "They've sent the order to keep the ship, though." He
actually sounded apologetic.

Orion shrugged. "I-it isn't mine," he said. "I o-only needed it to get home."

Lionthrar nodded. "Good. Actually...this is something that might interest you a little bit. See, we are
still at war with the Plundaarians and don't have nearly a large enough force to send people to Plundaar to
fight." he sighed, leaning against the doorway. "We've not been able to recover any of the prisoners that were
taken."

Orion bit his lip hard, thinking suddenly of his parents. He did not hold any hopes that they might still
be alive, not anymore.

"And King Claudus actually would like to meet you. You are the first that has escaped and been able
to come back, that he knows of."

Orion blinked, in shock this time. First, at the fact that Claudus wanted to meet him Actually wanted to meet him, a common mutt. The second was that he was the only one he knew of to have escaped from being taken prisoner. The though made him very sad.

Lionthrar nodded. "Yes...the transport we're sending you in will take you to the Cats' Lair," Orion felt a
rush of excitement at that, "and you will be taken to meet him if you're willing."

Orion smiled a bit nervously, and then finally nodded. "A-all right...I-I can do that." What would the
king think of him?

"Yes...well. The transport will be leaving in an hour, you'd better get ready then."

Orion nodded as the commander left his room. Closing the door, he was not sure what to think. He
packed his things, and put on a pair of unripped breeches and a tan and green tunic. Cinching his belt around
his waist and attaching his dagger to it, Orion felt better than he had in a while, now. And his dagger. He had
been given it back, knowing he'd be seeing the king? They really must have decided he was on their side.

Falcon was brought to the room on a harness, which was how they said he must be when they went
inside the Cats' Lair. Orion did not like it, and Falcon liked it even less, but it was better than him being left
behind, and both tolerated it.

Orion was a bundle of walking nerves when he was led to the transport, carrying his pack, the leashed
Falcon at his side. The commander shook his hand once more before leaving, and Orion crept into the small
transport with one of the soldiers from the base. The Thunderian was very uncomfortable, not really knowing
how to behave in society, other than trying to do whatever others did in the same situation. Shaking hands was
nearly alien to him, as he'd never done it as a child, and certainly not as a slave.

The trip took less than an hour, and was far less shaky than the ride from Plundaar. Orion found that he
was nearly bursting with eagerness to step on Thunderian ground, and see the Thunderian sky, It should be
blue, now, in the midmorning, and he had not seen blue sky in fifteen years. And, he was eager to get out of the
transport, as he had had enough little ships now to last him a lifetime. At least this one was not so cramped.

When the ship finally landed, a strange calm had come over Orion's features. he was still shaking inside, but his reflex of not showing how he felt had taken over and he looked calm, and truth to tell a little subservient. When the transport doors opened, he nearly jumped out, startling the still-wary soldier, and stopped short outside in the bright sun, squeezing his eyes shut.

After several moments, the soldier put a hand on Orion's shoulder, making him jump, but the cat still did
not open his eyes. "Are you all right?" the soldier asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Um...no, actually," Orion said. He had not anticipated not being able to withstand the bright sunlight of
Thundera. he was used to a dull light; even the artificial lights of Plundaar were not very bright, because
people were used to it being dim. "It-it's really bright..." he cracked his eyes open, which at least allowed him
to see where he was walking, but it frustrated him; he wanted to look out onto his planet, see if he even recognized anything.

He wanted to look at the trees and the buildings, and the Cats' Lair.

Still not moving, he forced himself to open his eyes a little more, to at least see before he went outside.
The scene appearing almost too bright, like someone had messed with the brightness controls on a computer
console, still looked wonderful to Orion. The more he saw, the more he remembered seeing it before.

The soldier waited patiently while Orion had his look around, and then squinted his eyes once more and
let the soldier lead him in.

once inside, after taking several moments for his eyes to adjust to the subtle, warmer light of the inside of
the Cats' Lair, Orion was able to see normally again. The first thing he noticed was how huge the place was!
no claustrophobia in here, he thought. From the look of everything, even the dish cabinets were probably the
size of his cell on Plundaar.

He could not help but gawk at just the foyer. It was a huge hallway with tan walls, and simple, pleasing
color trimmings. There were portraits here and there of Thunderians that Orion had no idea who they were on
the walls, too high for him to be able to touch, and there were little tables here and there with decorations on
them.

He was led through similar hallways until they reached a room that made Orion's eyes widen. It was the
throne room itself, he finally realized. He was being taken into a throne room.

When he was finished being shocked, he actually began walking again and realized that the king was in
there, selecting a book from a bookcase on one end of the cavernous room. he turned around at the sound of
their footsteps and smiled.

The first thing Orion noticed about him was the color of his mane. t was a pale blond, not the normal
red or brown that most lions seemed to have. Orion blinked as he realized he remembered this about lions!
"Welcome, Orion," the king said, his voice gentle and dignified. He did not quite seem to be looking at Orion,
and the mixed cat realized that he was blind, his eyes an unnatural, milky white. had they always been like that?

Realizing held been addressed by someone who had been legend to him until this moment and he'd not
responded, he managed to stammer out, "Th-th-thank you, Your M-majesty." He remembered how the king of
Plundaar had insisted he be called.

To his surprise, Claudus chuckled and shook his head. "No, my young visitor. Please, call me Claudus.
I dislike the use of pompous titles, and such."

Orion only gaped at him. he did not think that those with such power ever acted humble, or even overly
kind. Realizing he had been rude, Orion shut his mouth and took a tentative step forward. "A-all right,' he said
in answer to the king's request.

Seemingly amused, Claudus moved forward a little bit and extended his hand. "I am glad to meet you,
young Orion."

Again, Orion reverted to staring for several moments, before stepping forward to hesitantly take the
man's hand. The king grasped his forearm for a brief moment, and then withdrew his hand. "I am sure you are
wondering why I wished to meet you," he said.

"W-well...y-yes, sir, I was." he was still marveling that instead of expecting to be knelt to, the king had
shaken his hand. In a different manner than the commander had, though. now that he was closer, and speaking
to him, Orion saw the king's sightless eyes had more or less settled on him.

"Please, sit down," he said indicating a few chairs by the bookcases. There was a fireplace, but as warm
as it was outside, there was no fire in the grate. Orion did so, stiffly. "You seem to be nervous, young Orion,"
the old king said. "I hope that I do not intimidate you. That was not my intention."

Orion fidgeted. "W-well...n-not...I mean, I don't mean to be... I-I mean I just...I met the Plundaarian
king...I mean not that you're anything like him!" Orion hastily amended. The soldier that had brought him in
had actually left the chamber, but Orion hadn't noticed.

The king smiled, this time seeming a title bit sad. "It's all right, please relax. I mean no harm towards
you at all. So you met the Mutant king, eh? Is it still Scile?"

Orion nodded. "Y-yes." he hoed that the king would not ask him much about his enslavement.

Claudus had no such intentions. "Well I did want to meet you, Orion," he said. "You are the only one
so far that Thundera has seen again since the raids, and the fighting." he sighed. "That brings me great sorrow."

Orion gulped, thinking of his parents. "M-me too," he said.

"I am told you gave a lot of good information?" Claudus said.

Orion nodded before realizing the king couldn't see him. "Y-yes...I-I guess so. It wasn't a lot."

The king smiled. "Oh, but it was. Every bit helps. If not now, then at another time. Do you remember
what city you were from?" Orion said that he did not. "What's your clan name?" he asked, and again, Orion
had to admit that he did not know. Claudus nodded sympathetically. "You were taken at a very young age," he
said quietly to Orion. "It is understandable that you remember little. Please, tell me what you do you remember, and maybe I can find out what village you came from."

Orion thought a moment, and described some of the village, although it was likely to have changes a lot
in fifteen years. then a name popped into his head. "Bowan... m-my father's name was Bowan..."

Claudus frowned, thinking for a moment, then said slowly, "Bowan Kiros?"

Orion's eyes widened, and he leapt from his seat, noting he had not startled Claudus at all. "That's it!"
he cried, his eyes wide. "That's my last name!"

The king's smile widened. "Well good! I am glad that you've remembered it. I have heard a bit of your
father. In the military, am I right?" Orion nodded, suddenly finding it difficult to keep his eyes dry. "you're
from the city of Swift, then, as that is where he lived." His face became sorrowful once more. "I'm afraid
Swift did not come well out of the battles. They are only now beginning to thrive again. I can have you taken
there, though, and we can find a place for you to live, if you like."

Orion sat down, too much information being passed through his mind at one time. "Y-yes..." he said.

"I...I would like that, sir...I-I mean Claudus." he bit his lip. "There...are there still woods nearby?"

"Yes, I do believe there are. Why?"

"Well...I...am kind of accustomed to living in the woods, and it would probably be best for Falcon, too."

"Is Falcon the animal lying by your side?" falcon had jumped up when Orion did, but was lying down
once more. Orion nodded. "Hmm. I think I know some people that would be willing to help you set up a home
there...or wherever you would want to live."

Orion bit his lip for a moment, and then asked a hesitant question. "Sir...why are you doing this for
me?"

Claudus sighed, stood, and paced. "Orion...it is the least that I can do. The Mutants attacked our
villages and I was helpless to stop it. Many, many people were killed or taken away, and I could not stop it. The
least I can do is help those that make it get back on their feet."

Orion did not answer for a minute as he looked thoughtfully at the floor. Then he looked up and smiled.

"A-all right..." he said finally to the king. "Thank you." He looked down again at Falcon, who had decided that
maybe there was something interesting about the king that he'd missed because he was sniffing him out.

Claudus jumped a bit in startlement as Falcon sniffed an area quite natural for a feral animal, but

Orion's face turned bright red. "Falcon!" he said sharply, and the cub looked at him as if wondering what he did
wrong. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered to Claudus, but the king only chuckled.

"It's quite all right, Orion," he said, bending down and holding his hand out for the cub to sniff. "My
son has a pet. I am familiar with their ways."

Orion nodded, still blushing furiously.

Finally, the king stood once more. "Well, I am going to make a few radio calls and get a hold of
someone that can help you find a safe place to live, my young friend."

"If...it won't be a nuisance," Orion said as the king went over to one end of the vast chamber, pulled
out a drawer from the seemingly smooth wall, and produced a radio microphone. "I...don't like sleeping inside
very much, I get tense when I'm closed in. just...a territory, somewhere near town."

"That should be very easy." Orion wandered over near the books as Claudus made his calls, giving him
privacy to talk. he looked over the titles, none of which he could read.

After a few minutes, the king came over, smiling. "I have asked the soldier that brought you in to show
you the way back out to the front of the lair. There is a transport on the way, that can take you to Swift." he
held out his hand, and Orion took it once more. The king grasped his arm. "Good luck, young man. I hope that
more will make it back...and that this damned war will end."

Orion did not really trust himself to speak at this point. Feeling of relief and gratitude conflicted with
hatred and sorrow for his parents not having been found. he did, however, wholeheartedly agree with Claudus
in the he wished the war would end.

There was, indeed, a transport outside, and the gruff soldier gestured impatiently for him to get into it. he
did, and saw it was very like the one that had taken him down to the planet, except that it was smaller. But that
did not bother him at this moment, so eager was he to see his home. He had a vague memory of them having had
burned his house, but maybe they'd salvaged it? Even part of it? But then maybe it would be better if the
house had not survived. His whole childhood he had wanted nothing more than to sleep in his own room again,
but now he thought that it might just be a horrible mockery of his early childhood. With his parents gone, and
himself an adult, it would not, and could not ever be the same.

Squinting hard into the rapidly fading sunlight, he tried to catch something that was familiar to him, but
it was all as alien as if he'd been sucked into an alternate dimension. The sky was a little familiar, but
everything else seemed so strange, so smooth. most of the architecture on Plundaar was so severe, with sharp
edges and decor that suggested power and strength. most the houses and buildings here seemed to be rounded
on the tops, or even be round in shape. Those that weren't still had a soft, comforting look about them. They
suggested home and family; clan.

Finally, they arrived in what used to be his hometown, and his face fell. For one, it seemed a lot smaller
to him. Part of this was he remembered it as a child, where everything seemed s big. but part of it was that it
was smaller, only half the size it had been, there were still lots with nothing but burnt rubble in them. Not
many, but some. There were empty lots, that had been allowed to grow over, and some that were being built on.
many houses were new, an those that weren't were repaired... he bit his lip, knowing this was caused by the
battle in which he'd been taken, and the whole horrible day replayed itself in his mind, as if on a televiewer.

He tore his gaze from the window somewhat forcefully, and sat back in his seat, feeling shaky. "I-it was
destroyed," he whispered. Almost totally destroyed. Was anyone he even knew still alive?

Orion did not look again until the transport had reached the edge of the town and gone into the woods as
far as it could go (which wasn't far). "This is as far as I can get you," said the guard. "The king seems to have
taken a liking to you, Plundaarian."

Orion almost didn't notice what he'd been called, but when he did, it was like a slap to the face. The
guard didn't notice his stunned expression and continued. "He's sent ahead a cargo transport with the supplies
to make your home with..." he shook his head. "Well come on, I need to show you where you can safely build, and what areas you can hunt in that aren't claimed by the meat vendors."

Somewhat subdued, Orion walked after him and listened to everything he Said. The areas that were
pointed out, he marked, by running his claws across the bark of a tree. When they returned, he saw the supplies
had been unloaded.

As the surly guard left, Orion smiled tentatively to the workers that had unloaded the truck. one was a
lion, the other looked like a mixed breed. "Hear you came form Plundaar," the mixed breed said, but didn't
seem too unpleasant about it. Orion nodded quietly. "That had to be rough. Well we're supposed to make sure
you're all right, and help ya if you're needin' it."

"Well..." Orion said softly. "I...have never built a building before..."

"Hey no problem. Come on over here, lemme write ya up some plans you could use as a guideline,
write down where everything needs to go. Me an' Liona," he indicated the other man, which Orion realized was
actually a strong looking woman, and turned a little red for thinking her to be male. "We got time, we can start
ya off."

"Thank you," Orion said gratefully, but when the mixed breed began to make out his plans, Orion found
out they were nearly gibberish. "I...I can't read," he said, feeling very ignorant.
The mixed breed blinked, and sat back. "Hmm," he said. "That might be a problem...." Seeing Orion's
embarrassed look, he chuckled. "Don't worry bout it. I didn't learn to read until I was about 25. We'll come up
with something else." in the end, he had drawn out the plans, and simply shown Orion what it all meant.

Orion told Liona and Nagari (the mixed breed) that he wanted a lot of room, and that having only one
room was acceptable. Liona did convince him, though, to have a toilet area that they could link into the city's
sewer system, and Orion agreed. The pair got him started building his foundation, and he helped eagerly, the
prospect of having his own home lightening his mood.

They had gotten a lot done, and Nagari had made the comment that Orion was a hell of a worker, "and
smart to boot! "Ya don't get that all too often." And he'd chuckled; told Orion he should consider working
for the company they worked for. His compliment unwittingly made Orion feel ashamed, because he knew why
he was a good worker. but he said nothing, and only smiled and thanked the cats that had helped him.

"We'll be coming back to help until it's all built," said Liona.

"I-I don't know how to thank you enough," Orion said, staggered by the kindness the king was showing
him, and how willingly these two had helped.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Nagari said. "I been in tough spots before, now that's I'm all right again, I
like helping others get out of those tight spots."

Orion smiled and waved at the pair as they left.


Chapter 47

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