Thundercats
ThunderKids Part Five
Confronting the Present
The Thundercats stood shocked to see their companions, Snarf and Snarfer, lying helpless and unmoving in front of them. Lion-O took a step forward but quickly backed away when something very hard and very solid flew past his head. All eyes were on the prone Snarfs. Both Panthro and Tygra let their hands slip idly to their belts where their weapons were kept. Panthro slowly took out his nun-chucks and held them at the ready. In the same instant Tygra had his bola-whip out and was ready for action. With a flick of his wrist, Panthro's nun-chucks let out some small spheres that, when they struck the ground, let out a dense smoke. Tygra wrapped his bola-whip around himself, giving him the power of invisibility, and under the smokescreen both Thundercats ran forward and rescued their companions.
"Now let's see how well you fare without hostages," Panthro said issuing a challenge to the figures before them when the smoke had finally cleared.
"You really believe that we couldn't have stopped the two of you from rescuing those two?" Jaga's grandson asked. "Your puny tricks are nothing compared to the powers we hold."
"Yes," a female voice said from the shadows. "You shall not be able to stop us." She threw a ninja star to her left and it stuck in the wall. A shadow seemed to be pinned. Slowly Tygra's form could be discerned in the darkness. "Don't think that I didn't know you were Tygra," she said his name with a sense of familiarity.
"No," he said as he tried to loose himself from the cave wall. "It cannot be." The shock was evident in the Thundercats voice.
"Yes it can. And it is," the female figure stepped into the light. When she was in clear view, Tygra let out a gasp. The female laughed at his astonishment. "Yes dear brother it is I."
"Brother?" both Lion-O and Panthro said in shock.
"Margarie," Tygra said softly. "I thought you died back on Thundera."
"You could only wish. I survived that unfaithful day, no help to you. I barely made it off the planet with my life. Why would you leave me there to die? Was it so that you could get away and take over some world letting the Mutants have ours?"
"I didn't want to leave you Margarie. I had to. I had to protect Lord Lion-O," Tygra, still stuck to the wall, nodded his head to the Lord of the Thundercats.
"It's futile to struggle Tygra," Margarie said with a smile on her face. "These stars are laced with Thundrainium. So just relax you won't feel a thing." With that she lunged at him. Tygra lifted his right leg and gave her a swift kick to the midsection. He slumped back feeling the effects of the Thundrainium.
"Tygra," Panthro said worried for his companion. He rushed across the length of the cavern to rescue him.
The other figure hidden in the shadows ran across the length of the cave and tackled Panthro before he could help his comrade. The two rolled away from one another and stood at the ready. Panthro was shocked that the figure was able to take him down so easily. The figure looked at Panthro with a sly smile on its face.
"And what twisted relation do you claim?" Panthro asked the figure with contempt.
"Well since you asked," the figure said as he circled around Panthro, putting himself between the Thundercat and his companions. "I am your son," he whispered.
Panthro stared at the figure and saw the truth in his eyes. The figure stared back with a smile on its face. Panthro picked up his dropped nun-chucks and ran towards the figure. Panthro swung at his supposed son. The figure grabbed the nun-chucks in mid-swing and used Panthro's momentum to toss the unsuspecting Thundercat across the cave to crash into Tygra, knocking him loose from the wall. Both Thundercats lay tangled together. Panthro slowly got back to his feet and advanced once again.
"Finish him Manuelle," Jaguarondi said irritated that he was toying with the Thundercat. He turned his gaze back to Lion-O. "And you, Lord of the Thundercats, shall soon fall. But not before you see the fate of your friends." Jaguarondi seemed to have Lion-O in some sort of trance that he could not break.
Manuelle nodded in affirmation of his leader and went into the shadows. When he emerged again he was carrying a staff of immense beauty and power. The tip of the staff was adorned with a gem that seemed to have a power all its own. The length of the staff was covered in strange runes that seemed to flow the entire length of the staff. Manuelle slammed the butt of the staff into the ground. The gem atop the staff began to glow with an eerie power.
Panthro, wary of his foes newly acquired weapon, took a step away from Manuelle before charging him head on. As he neared his foe the spikes on his suit shot out in the direction of Manuelle, who stood watching their approach. When the spikes were mere inches away from him, Manuelle slammed the staff butt into the ground again, this time emitting a strange shock wave the sent the spikes headed back at Panthro.
Panthro jumped out of the way of his spikes and soon had them retracted into his suit once again. Panthro took a couple steps away from Manuelle. He felt weak and tired from that one attack. He glared at Manuelle and rushed forward in an attempt to tackle him. As he neared, Manuelle stood and watched his approach before he lifted his staff and jabbed the gem into the midsection of the oncoming Thundercat. Thus struck, Panthro fell back and held his stomach. A sly smile came across Manuelle's face.
"Thundrainium," he said as he neared the prone Panthro. "It is such a powerful tool. And quite versatile," he added as Margarie neared with a length of rope, with which she bond the Thundercat as she had done Tygra while Manuelle and Panthro had fought.
"Well Lion-O," Jaguarondi said. "You have now seen that none of your fellow Thundercats have been able to stop any of us."
"But you have not witnessed the power of the Sword of Omens," with that Lion-O took the sword for its place on his hip and held it before him. "Thunder, thunder, Thundercats HO!" the Eye of Thundera remained closed in the hilt of the sword. A worried expression crossed the face of Lion-O.
"Ha. The eye sleeps cub. And even if you could awaken the eye the sword would not obey your commands. How quickly you forget that the sword cannot be used against fellow, and I use the term quite loosely, Thundercats."
"I have bested all of the Thundercats without the swords help in my trials. I do not need it to best you."
"How easily you forget things, cub. I am of Jaga's blood. No Thundercat has ever bested him, not even Grune the Destroyer. And you think that you can defeat me without the Sword of Omens. I, Jaguarondi, shall be the one to defeat you Lion-O," he drew his own sword and held it up for Lion-O to see.
"Impossible!" he cried out as he saw the sword before him.
"Yes it is the Sword of Omens, much like the one which you yourself carry. However, this one was forged by both Jaga and Grune when they were both Thundercats. It was hidden away when the power within was said to have turned Grune against the Thundercat name. Jaga kept it and passed it down to his son, my father, before the destruction of Thundera in a hope that it would once again be used for the right purpose. The holder of this sword is the rightful heir to the title Lord of the Thundercats."
"That sword has corrupted you just as it did Grune, Jaguarondi. It is not meant to be used. The power within it is too strong for any one to handle. We must destroy it."
"Never," Jaguarondi yelled as he swung the sword at Lion-O who brought his own Sword of Omens up to block it. The two swords clashed together and gave off a spark of light that momentarily blinded Lion-O. As he blinked to try and refocus, Lion-O stepped away from Jaguarondi felling drained.
A smile crept across Jaguarondi's face. "Ahhh, I see that you realize that this too has been laced with Thundrainium."
"But how," Lion-O said as he continued to keep a distance from the sword. "Thundrainium is deadly to Thunderians. How is it that you can harness it and feel no effects?"
"When one lives on a planet of Thundrainium, one learns to grow tolerant for it. Our world, New Thundera, its core is pure Thundrainium. The volcanoes send deadly gases into the air. After many experiments and tests we were able to slowly integrate Thundrainium into our bodies and thus we lost our weakness for it."
Lion-O looked at Jaguarondi to his fallen comrades to Margarie and Manuelle. A feeling of hopelessness crept into him. He hefted his sword and charged Jaguarondi with astonishing strength. Lion-O continued to pummel his opponent until the effects of the Thundrainium began to be too much and he quickly retreated.
Jaguarondi surprised at such a move smiled at the futility that Lion-O showed. "One cannot say that you are without bravery, Lion-O. But that bravery shall soon be tested. Let's see just how brave you are when your friends are in danger."
Lion looked down at Tygra, Panthro, Snarf and Snarfer. He then gazed back at Jaguarondi. "I will not allow you to harm them," he said as he once again raised the Sword of Omens.
"That may be true," Jaguarondi replied a smile on his face. "But how are you going to stop us from harming your other friends." Jaguarondi lifted his Sword of Omens. "Sword of Omens give Lion-O the sight beyond all sight."
An image appeared on the back of the cave of the Cat's Lair. The image zoomed in to show Lynx-O, Pumyra, and Bengali being loaded into the Feliner by a strange female.
"As we speak Leona is taking your fellow companions to Aelurus' Palace."
The picture faded and an image of the Black Pyramid appeared in its place. The image then zoomed into the interior of the pyramid to show WilyKit, WilyKat, and Cheetara chained to the walls. Two figures no older than the ThunderKittens were guarding them.
"And your precious ThunderKittens and Cheetara are already at the palace. They were captured by Oclian and Pampiana. Soon," he indicated the fallen Thundercats. "They shall join them and with your Sword of Omens we shall sacrifice it to Aelurus, daughter of Mumm-Ra, and be rid of the Mutant threat forever."
"Mumm-Ra?" Lion-O said surprised. "Jaguarondi, you must listen to me. Mumm-Ra is evil. He would do anything to defeat us and gain the power of the Eye of Thundera. You must not—"
"Silence!" Jaguarondi yelled. "You will not tell me what I must or mustn't do. I am sworn to defeat the Mutant threat and all that help them. And since it is you who allowed for them to take New Thundera so that you could live a life of peace and tranquility here on Third Earth then I am sworn to defeat you as well."
"On Jaga's—" Lion-O started.
"Do not use my grandfather's name in vain!" Jaguarondi said clearly irritated at the Lord of Thundercats.
"On my father, Claudus' grave and namesake, I, Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats, do swear that I have never heard of this New Thundera until you yourself have mentioned it to me. And I would never allow such a threat to fellow Thunderians go unattended."
"I will have no more of your lies cub. I will see you at Aelurus' Palace."
With that said Manuelle, who had snuck behind the Thundercat as he was speaking, hit Lion-O with his Thundrainium staff. Lion-O lay drained and helpless as he was forced to watch as Jaguarondi and his comrades took Panthro, Tygra, Snarf and Snarfer out of the cave. They took the Thundercats and Snarfs back down the mountain and loaded them into the ThunderTank and headed south towards the Black Pyramid.
Stay tuned for more.