Chapter 5
The tip of the Sword of Omens came down and planted into the floor of Cat's Lair. Cheetara could see the look on Lion-O's face. Whatever was inside him hadn't even flinched. It had known she wasn't going to do anything.
"You just remember to watch your back." She whispered to Lion-O. With that the cheetah got up off of him and walked away. Her bo-staff was retracted and attached to her armband. Panthro finally moved toward Lion-O but the Lord of the ThunderCats got up and walked away before the panther could do or say anything.
Cheetara made it back to her room and locked the door behind her. Flinging herself down in the bed she buried her face into her pillow. The cheetah kept going over what had just happened. The Sword of Omens had growled and forced her to put the blade into the floor. How could the Sword not feel the evil that had taken over Lion-O?
Panthro sat in the control room trying to wrap his mind around what he witnessed when Tygra came running into the room.
"We have something to discuss." He said.
"What happened now?" The panther asked.
"What do you mean?" Tygra wondered.
"I'll tell you after you tell me." Panthro said. Tygra nodded and explained what had happened inside the Book of Omens. His friend listened and tried to piece together everything he said and what had happened only moments before.
"Looking inside yourselves? Do you suppose the Book meant the ThunderCats? Or could it mean us in general as Thunderians?" Panthro mused.
"I don't know. Personally I don't see how looking inside ourselves would do any good. I mean whatever has control over Lion-O is something evil. I don't think any of us is capable of evil." Tygra said.
"I'm not so sure about that." The panther told him as he went on to describe what he saw earlier. Tygra couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"So what do we do?" He asked.
"The first thing we'd better do is to get Lion-O and keep him locked up. The last thing I want is for that thing to hurt someone. The next thing we'd better do is figure out that riddle." Panthro said.
"There has to be something else we can do." Tygra said.
"I don't see any other way. It'll be hard but we have to do something before someone gets hurt." The panther was firm. Tygra sighed and nodded. The two walked out of the control room in search of Lion-O.
Cheetara got up and went from her room. She needed to find Tygra and talk to him. Hopefully, he'd had some good luck with the Book of Omens. Instead she found, WilyKit and WilyKat.
"Have you guys seen Tygra?" She asked.
"He told us to wait in the control room until he and Panthro got back." WilyKit explained.
"Thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes ok." Cheetara smiled. The cheetah didn't want to let on that something bad was happening.
She walked down the hall and saw Panthro and Tygra. Quickly, she came up to them and was about to ask what they were doing when the panther gave her a look.
"What's wrong?" Cheetara asked.
"Lion-O is gone. We've searched Cat's Lair top to bottom. We can't find him." Panthro explained.
"What do we do?" She asked.
"We have to go out and look for him. He can't get near the new settlements. We have to keep whatever is inside of him within Cat's Lair." Tygra said.
"Lets go." Panthro said. Quickly the three ThunderCats raced out of Cat's Lair. Each one hoping they weren't too late.
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Lion-O stumbled along the path towards the forest. After what had happened he knew he couldn't stay at the Lair. The thing inside his head was trying to stop him but he couldn't let it. There was only one way to save the ThunderCats and that was if he was gone.
"You can't do this! I won't allow it!" The voice inside his head screamed.
"I have to destroy you and if that means destroying myself then so be it!" Lion-O roared. With that the Lord of the ThunderCats pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield on his hip.
"Ho!" He shouted and it extended. The thing inside him continued to fight. This was not the way things were to be. Lion-O tried to raise the Sword above his head but the evil being wasn't letting him.
"Sword of Omens, I Lion-O command you to…"
"NO!" The evil gained momentary control. The Sword seemed confused; unsure of whom it should listen to.
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An image flashed across Cheetara's eyes and she grabbed the side of her head. She could see Lion-O struggling with himself in the forest. Quickly at top speed, the cheetah raced toward the forest. She had to get there before it was too late.
To Be Continued…
