Chapter 6 of Signal in the Sky
By Purrsia Kat
Felina stood knee deep off the shore of Treetop Lake, tossing bits of Bread Fruit to the soaring seagulls. She was so wrapped up in watching the screeching white birds, she didn't notice Tygra's presence on the beach. The tiger cleared his throat to catch her attention.
She whirled around to see the unexpected company. "Oh, it's you," she sighed. "What brings you to the Treetop Kingdom?"
"Well," Tygra began, "I've just been a little concerned about you lately, that's all." He waded into the waters as Felina returned her focus on the circling birds. "What have you been up to here with the Warrior Maidens?"
"Willa has been kind enough to help me perfect my archery skills," the lioness replied. "It hasn't been easy but I must say, Queen Willa has been most patient."
"That's all well and good," he conceded, "but I can't help but notice how you have been neglecting your studies for the past month since....well, since the fire."
A heavy silence hung between them, until at last Felina spoke. "I haven't so much as touched the Book of Omens since the blaze, it's true. But I feel as if my training as a warrior is more important at this point."
"So is that what this has been about... your running with Cheetara, the hand to hand combat sessions with Panthro, the fencing practice with Lion-O...you're trying to become a warrior? But why, Felina?"
"They say knowledge is power, but the only thing my knowledge has brought is a handicap to the entire team. I need to be able to hold my own against our foes. You have to agree that with the dire threats we ThunderCats face, would it not be more helpful to gain another warrior rather than a scholar?"
Tygra struggled for the right words. "You have inherited a great destiny, Felina. The things you know and the things that you will eventually discover will be an asset to our cause, not a hindrance. I witnessed the wonders you can achieve with that Book when you performed the Lifting on Cheetara...you mustn't give up on it now."
Felina shook her head. "I refuse to be a victim anymore, Tygra!"
"What you don't understand is the failure is ours, not yours. For centuries, it has fallen to the ThunderCats to protect the scholars--"
The lioness sighed in exasperation. "But I am a ThunderCat," she exclaimed, her hand clasped over the ThunderCat insignia on her chest. "The scholars of yesterday were ordinary Thunderians, but I inherited the title of ThunderCat because of my father, Jaga. I can't ignore that part of my heritage any longer."
"Hear me when I say it's a mistake to try to be something you're not--" Tygra's words fell on deaf ears, as Felina dove headlong into the water. She floated in the calm lake. Staring at the pale blue sky, she tried to forget Tygra's wise words.
Lord Lion-O sat in the empty council room, absentmindedly thumbing the Book of Omens. His reverie broke when Tygra entered the room.
"How did it go?" Lion-O asked.
Tygra shook his head. "I couldn't get through to her. Felina is determined to abandon her life's calling to become as skilled as we are in battle."
"Do you think this is just a temporary passion brought on by her grief?" the lion wondered.
Tygra shrugged. "It's hard to say at this point. I think she still blames herself fully for that inferno. I just hope she doesn't let herself get so far gone that the knowledge contained within the Book never gets passed on."
Lion-O gave a solemn nod.
"Well, I have to relieve Panthro on watch. I just thought you might want to know where things stand....perhaps you should talk to her. You two have much in common; she may open up to you."
"Thank you, Tygra," replied Lion-O.
Alone again with the Book, Lion-O skimmed through it. He could quickly see why it took years of study and patience to make sense of the text. Not only was the Book written in a language most Thunderians haven't uttered in a thousand years, but the sheer volume of information contained within its covers was amazing.
"Still, there's got to be a way to harvest the Book's knowledge without a scholar," he mused. "After all, what if something happens to Felina? This Book would be useless..."
He lifted the Sword of Omens from the claw shield at his side. Lion-O studied the Eye of Thundera as it slept in the Sword's hilt, pondering the way the lioness had used the Book and Sword in tandem.
"The Sword and the Book of Omens are like two pieces of an ancient puzzle," he reasoned to himself. "Perhaps the Sword's powers of Second Sight will reveal the Books secrets."
Lion-O peered at the Book through the holes in the Sword's hilt. But before he could summon the Sword's powers of Second Sight, he found himself being drawn into the Book. His body was enveloped in an aura of blue light and thrown into the black emptiness of the Book's open pages. The Lord of the ThunderCats vanished within the Book, the Sword of Omens left behind on his empty council seat.
Upon her return to Cats Lair that evening, Felina sought Snarf and Bela. She brought a basket full of candy fruit from the Berbil village, hoping the pair of old snarfs would make something delicious with the tasty fruit. When she finally tracked down Snarf, he was on the verge of hysterics.
"Hey there, Snarf," Felina said, "what's the matter?"
"It's Lion-O! I've searched the Lair from top to bottom, and I can't find him anywhere...and the others just think old Snarf is acting like a worry wart again, but I tell ya, something's not right...I just know it!"
"Calm down," the lioness spoke soothingly. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Now--"
Without warning the power to the Lair shut down, leaving the pair in darkness.
"Snaaaarf, I knew something was wrong!" worried Snarf.
"Just wait a moment and emergency power will come on. I'm sure it's nothing," assured Felina.
When they stood in the hall for several minutes without the backup power coming on, Felina began to feel uneasy. A point of light bouncing toward them caught her attention.
"Ho there!" came a voice on the other side of the light. She recognized it as Tygra's.
"Tygra, thank Jaga it's you!" exclaimed Snarf. "What's going on? Any word from Lion-O?"
"We don't know. The Lair is completely powerless, with even the reserve power not working... and I was hoping I'd find Lion-O with you guys," Tygra added.
Snarf grumbled. "I don't like this..."
"Let's get back to the basement and see if Panthro has made any headway with the master generator. Maybe Lion-O is there by now," stated Tygra.
The trio entered the lower level of Cats Lair to see Panthro puzzling over the power generator by candlelight.
Panthro scratched his bald head. "I just don't understand it...there's nothing mechanically wrong with the damn thing."
Snarf glanced around the dimly lit room accounting for every ThunderCat but their young lord. His troubled scowl deepened.
"I just got back from atop the Cat's head," Cheetara added, "and it looks as if the whole countryside is in a blackout. There's no sign of lights anywhere."
"Well if the problem isn't a mechanical one, then some other force must be at work," Tygra mused. The cats exchanged glances that conveyed their unspoken suspicions of Mumm-Ra as the culprit.
"I'm worried about Lion-O," insisted Snarf. "He should be here by now!"
"Here's the plan," announced Tygra. "Panthro will stay here with WilyKat to see if something can't be done about the power. Cheetara, Felina and Kit-- go back up on the Cats' head to keep watch. With a far reaching blackout like this, there's bound to be riots and looters. The snarfs and I will search the Lair again for any sign of Lion-O."
At least two hours had lapsed since they had begun their vigil. All remained eerily quiet across the darkened countryside. Not even the crickets dared chirp their summer song. The lack of moonlight on the overcast night made the task of seeing anything more difficult. Felina struggled to stay awake. Cheetara, however, was alert and on edge.
"My sixth sense tells me something is wrong," she murmured.
WilyKit grasped the cheetah's arm. "This is too creepy," the cub said nervously.
"There!" Cheetara exclaimed, pointing to the east. Felina perked to attention. "There's a flicker of light over there...like flames, near the Berbil Village!"
"It is fire," Felina confirmed. "And listen!" The trio fell silent, listening to the sound of angry voices floating across the valley.
"Looters," Cheetara guessed. "I'd bet Jaga's gold it's the work of Trollogs."
WilyKit shuddered at the thought of those stocky gray beasts terrorizing the gentle Berbils. "Aren't we going to help the Berbils?" wondered the Thunderkitten.
Cheetara shook her head. "We have no way of reaching the village in time with the Thunder Tank out of commission." She motioned to the Tank, left sitting useless in the courtyard where Panthro earlier had tried in vain to get it running. "Besides, it sounds as if they're finished with the Berbils and heading this way..."
"Let's get below and warn the others," suggested Felina.
The girls rushed into the basement. Panthro and WilyKat had parts and tools strewn everywhere in their futile attempt to rig up some kind of power source for the Lair. Panthro saw the worried expression on Cheetara's face and knew the news wouldn't be good.
"What's going on, Cheetara?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"Trollog looters are headed this way from the Berbil Village," she answered.
"Dammit," Panthro cursed. "We're easy targets sitting here in the dark...how many do you think there are?"
Cheetara reflected for a moment. "I would say there may be as many as 3 or 4 dozen by the sound of it."
Panthro heaved a sigh. "Well, round up anything that can be used as a weapon and prepare yourselves to defend the Lair."
"I take it Lion-O is still missing." Cheetara directed her comment at Tygra, who stood nearby.
"Yes," he replied solemnly. "The only clue I found was the Sword of Omens lying on his council seat." Tygra held out the Sword as if presenting evidence that he spoke the truth.
"It's not like him to just leave that lying around," observed Cheetara.
"Tell me about it!" snapped Snarf. "I've been pleading with you guys all night about how Lion-O is in big trouble but did anyone listen? Nooooo. Snaaarf, snarf."
The Lair suddenly shook violently, knocking the group of cats to the floor. Sparks rained from the huge generator.
"Great Jaga, what was that?!" Panthro bellowed. "Can't be the Trollogs already...can it?"
Before anyone had a chance to respond, the sparks gathered until they formed into a towering beast of pure energy.
"I control your energy sources, and now I control you," the beast announced.
"Who are you?" Cheetara demanded.
"It does not matter who I am," came its angry reply. "The only thing you need to know is that you are my slaves!" With that, the beast sent a massive wave of energy at Cheetara. She quickly drew her staff and managed to spin it fast enough to deflect the first onslaught. But it was abundantly clear to the ThunderCats that this creature was much more powerful than anything they had faced before. It would only be a matter of time before they fell to its greater power.
"Tygra," Felina whispered, grasping his shoulder. "I think I may know what happened to Lion-O. You didn't happen to find the Sword and the Book of Omens near one another?"
"Yes, the Book was on the table, but--"
"Give me the Sword and I'll go get Lion-O. He may be our only chance to beat this thing," Felina pleaded.
Tygra handed her the mystic blade. "We'll hold this thing off as long as we can...now go, with Jaga's luck."
Felina slipped out the door while the beast busied itself fighting with Cheetara and Panthro. The thunderous battle raged behind her as she felt her way down the darkened hall. Her feline eyes helped her see somewhat, but not enough for her to make an all out run for it. Finally, she reached the council room. The lioness fumbled her way to the table, her hands eventually brushing across the cool steel of the Book's cover. She gripped the Sword tightly and gulped nervously. If what she had read about the things that awaited those who dared enter the Book were true, she was not looking forward to the journey.
"I hope I arrive in time to save you my lord," she murmured. "If not, I'm afraid we'll both perish within the Book--a regular pair of crispy critters."
Before she lost her nerve, Felina lifted the Sword to her face and peered through the Eye. Surrounded by a blue light she was whisked into the Book, the Sword clattering to the floor. Felina was terrified as she went into a free fall. Just when she feared she may fall for an eternity, she landed on solid ground. Felina lifted her eyes to see a great altar, with what looked like a giant Eye of Thundera perched atop it. The altar was surrounded by four pillars adorned by unfriendly looking scaly beasts.
"Felina!" Her name was all Lord Lion-O managed to choke out, clearly exhausted and out of breath.
"My lord, you're alive!" Her relief was overshadowed by her sudden annoyance with him. "What on Thundera possessed you to mess with the Book of Omens?" She surprised herself with the scolding tone of her voice.
"Well," Lion-O gasped, his anger flaring at such an attempt to lecture him. "Maybe if ....you had been....doing your job....I wouldn't have tried to do it...for you!"
Their argument was abruptly ended by the Guardian of the Book. "Do you have the key?" it demanded of Felina in a booming baritone.
"Please tell me... you have that damn key," Lion-O whispered.
The scholar shook her head. "No, I don't have the key," she nervously answered. Lion-O cringed.
"Then you will perish." As the Guardian delivered its verdict, the serpents of the pillars sent flames roaring toward the pair of lions.
"I've been dodging these blasted flames for hours," Lion-O said as they jumped clear from another volley of fireballs. "Got any bright ideas?"
"You've got to use the Sword of Omens to escape without the Key," Felina informed him.
Lion-O shook his head in frustration. "But I don't have the Sword."
"Just call to it. The Sword will pull you out from the outside," insisted Felina.
Lion-O lifted one hand skyward as Felina roughly clasped the other. Lion-O shot her a sharp look.
"Well....I'm going with you!" she explained.
"Sword of Omens, come to my hand!" Lion-O's command echoed into the council room chamber, stirring the Eye of Thundera to life. The Book rose from the table and the Sword met with it. The magical blade began rotating upon the Book's cover. With the power of the Sword of Omens pulling on them like gravity, the lions began their ascent out of the frightful Book. They were tossed forcefully from the Book, landing in a heap on the floor. Lion-O reached for the Sword where it had fell beside him, and was burned by the searing hot hilt.
"By Thundera, the Sword's boiling hot!" he exclaimed, shaking his burned hand.
"Friction will do that," Felina pointed out sarcastically.
Lion-O ignored the moody lioness, and scooped up his weapon with his claw shielded hand. The Sword's blade took on a soft blue glow that illuminated the room.
"What's going on here? What happened to the Lair's power?" He asked Felina.
Felina's irritation with Lion-O faded away as she recalled the dire situation they faced. She was further unsettled by the lack of activity in the Lair.
"The ThunderCats were fighting some kind of beast made of pure energy in the basement when I left to get you, my lord. That creature is what is responsible for the blackout," Felina explained.
"I don't hear anything going on now," Lion-O worried. "Let's go!" He sprinted toward the lower level of the Lair with Felina in tow. When they reached their destination, both were shocked to find no trace of their friends. In fact, there was no evidence that a battle had even took place. It was as though the ThunderCats had simply vanished. Lion-O quickly conjured the Sword's powers of Second Sight.
"The Sword showed me nothing....absolutely nothing."
Felina sensed an oppressive feeling of doom creep into her heart. "That awful creature will be back for us," she murmured with a shudder.
"Pull yourself together," Lion-O said sternly. "I'm going to need every ounce of courage you can muster, Felina, if we are to survive this."
The lions' attention was abruptly drawn to a commotion just outside the Lair. As they exited the basement Felina grabbed her bow and quiver, steeling herself for the battle of her life against that invincible wall of energy. Lion-O once again used the Sword's visionary powers to see what awaited them outside.
"It's Trollog looters," he informed her. In all of the excitement, she forgot they had those hideous trolls to deal with as well. "They've got the Thunder Tank rolled and set on fire. Now they're trying to get inside the Lair. We'll have a better chance against them out there than if they manage to get inside."
Felina nodded in agreement. She followed him up to one of the Lair's larger windows. "I think it's wiser if we grapple down from here," Lion-O explained, "rather than open the front doors allowing the Lair to be penetrated."
Felina watched Lion-O attach the claw shield to the window sill and proceed to slide down the chain hanging from it. Felina secured her bow over her shoulder and quickly followed suit. They found themselves surrounded by club wielding Trollogs the instant they hit the ground. Standing back to back in the glow of the burning Thunder Tank, the pair of ThunderCats made their stand. Felina fired steel tipped arrows, while Lion-O doled out electric shocks from the Sword. They drove many of the their assailants back. Yet for every Trollog they downed, two more seemed to take their place.
"We're going to have to split up. They have us cornered here," observed Lion-O. He quickly grabbed his claw shield and managed to dodge his way to the other side of the overturned Tank. Felina bolted in the opposite direction, narrowly missing a Trollog's crushing swipe. After firing off countless arrows, she felt as though she finally made a dent in the relentless onslaught of Trollogs. Taking advantage of the reprieve, she caught sight of Lion-O across the courtyard, locked in a fierce struggle with a particularly strong Trollog. He was so involved in sparring with the beast, he failed to notice the Trollog lurking behind him. Felina hastily drew an arrow, hoping at this range she could at least drive the Trollog away. She let go of the string with a silent prayer. To her great surprise she hit her target squarely, mortally wounding the creature. At the same instant, Lion-O got the upper hand in his battle with the brawny Trollog, successfully running him in with the Sword. As Felina reveled in her ace shot, she barely avoided disaster when another Trollog brought down his club, grazing her arm and shattering her bow. Lion-O had no time to react, helplessly watching what was surely to be the disarmed lioness' bloody end. To his amazement, the scholar produced a dagger from inside her boot, and leapt toward her foe. She delivered a fatal knife wound to the troll's gut. The few remaining Trollogs decided to cut their losses and hurriedly deserted their efforts.
"I thought you were done for," Lion-O told Felina. "How many weapons do you have hidden in there anyway?" He gestured toward her knee-length leather boots.
"Quite a bit actually," responded Felina. "It never hurts to be armed to the teeth."
Lion-O nodded emphatically. "I see that. You've got the warrior's golden rule down at any rate."
Feline felt spent, a side effect of the adrenaline rush. "Now all we have to contend with is that creature of pure energy."
"You said it came out of the power generator in the Lair?" Lion-O asked.
Felina nodded. "I suppose we should head back there and see what clues we can find."
The ghost of Jaga unexpectedly appeared to Lion-O. "The enemy you face is called Ergus. He escaped from the Interstellar Council's imposed exile. He has already absorbed all the energy sources of Third Earth, as well as the energy of this planet's most powerful beings. In addition to our fellow ThunderCats, Ergus has successfully defeated the Mutants and Mumm-Ra," the apparition explained. "He now possesses unfathomable strength because of all the energy he has taken. And he will be back for the Eye of Thundera. Your only hope of defeating Ergus lies with the Book of Omens. It will enable you to use the Sword to reverse the polarity on Ergus' energy, thus destroying him." Jaga then vanished as swiftly as he had appeared.
Felina stood by impatiently. "Are we going back inside the Lair or not?"
"Yes, but not to the basement. We need to get the Book of Omens--it will tell us how to defeat Ergus," Lion-O explained in a rush.
Felina was thoroughly confused. "Who--what? Did all this information just fall out of the sky?"
"Uh...sort of," he responded before bounding toward the Lair.
Back inside the council room, Felina pored over the Book by candlelight after Lion-O had revealed all that Jaga had told him.
"Maybe my father was mistaken," Felina suggested, leafing through the pages. "I've never come across such a notion in this Book."
"Keep looking. I'm telling you, it's our only chance," urged Lion-O. He felt more edgy as the minutes ticked on, knowing time was growing short.
"Oh, this looks like something," Felina said excitedly. She felt a faint flicker of hope as she read on through the passage. The Lair rumbled mightily, heralding the return of Ergus. The lioness heard her pulse pounding in her ears while she frantically tried to decipher the Book's instructions.
Lion-O was on the edge of panic. "What does it say, Felina? Hurry!"
"Give me the Sword," she ordered, without looking up. Lion-O handed over his weapon without question, all the while watching the door in anticipation of Ergus' arrival. She placed the mystic blade upon the Book and recited a command in the ancient Thunderian tongue. As the Book and Sword started to react together, Felina grimly told Lion-O the part he would play.
"From what I understand," she said, "the Book is energizing the Eye of Thundera to be able to reverse polarity on Ergus' power. However, it's still not going to be easy beat him. With all the power that will be surging through the Eye during your struggle with Ergus, the Sword is going to be very hard to control, not to mention fiery hot."
Her explanation was interrupted by Ergus's efforts to blast in the council chamber's door.
She hastily continued. "You must be able to hold onto the Sword long enough to direct his energy back at him at precisely the right moment."
The council room door gave way with a thunderous crack, just as the Sword of Omens fell from atop the Book and into its master's hand.
"How will I know when the right moment arrives?" Lion-O asked.
Felina managed to dodge Ergus' first volley before she anwered. "I'm not sure. I couldn't understand that part of the passage. You'll need to trust your own instincts."
The energy beast sent off another powerful bolt of raw voltage, hitting Felina directly. She disintegrated into a blinding ball of white light that was quickly absorbed by Ergus. Lord Lion-O was left alone to fight the fearsome creature.
Lion-O stood ready, waiting for Ergus' next assault. When the attack began, the Lord of the ThunderCats commanded the Eye to action. The growling Cat's Eye sprang to life with a jolt of power Lion-O had never felt before. It took all his might to keep his grip on the hilt. The Eye was fast soaking up everything Ergus was throwing at him. The blade glowed bright white with pure power. The hilt grew so hot, Lion-O could feel the intense heat even through the claw shield.
Finally, the energy beast reached the peak of frustration. Ergus summoned all his strength, emitting one giant electric fireball at Lion-O. Its impact knocked the Lion-O off his feet. He managed to hold onto the Sword of Omens, which successfully shielded him from certain destruction. The Sword shook violently in his hands as the energy of the giant fireball surged through it. Lion-O struggled to stand, ignoring the pain in his exhausted muscles. He sent out a silent prayer to Jaga and the ThunderCat ancients. He tried to level the Sword at Ergus in hopes of delivering a triumphant blow. It took all his remaining strength to force the Sword down, his unshielded hand slipping in the process and touching the white hot hilt. He screamed in agony as his flesh baked, but he dared not let loose and risk losing control over the Sword. Lion-O managed to croak out the command that sounded Ergus' death knell. With a force that slammed Lion-O into the wall behind him, the Sword let loose of all its stored energy. Ergus was destroyed in a breathtaking display of sparks and colorful light.
Lion-O sat against the wall, half conscious and vaguely aware of the throbbing pain in his right hand. He thought he was dreaming as he watched the last of the sparks materialize into his friends---along with the Mutants and Mumm-Ra. Oddly, the evil-doers exited the Lair without a skirmish, apparently too depleted to fight. The weary ThunderCats were too grateful to question it.
Snarf felt reinvigorated when he caught sight of his fallen lord. "Lion-O! You're here!" He ran across the room to greet the lion, his joy turning to dismay as he saw Lion-O's badly burned hand. The palm was a chalky white and blistered, the fingers actually fused together. Lion-O was barely aware of Snarf's resulting hysterics before he succumbed to darkness.
The following evening, the group of adult ThunderCats, along with the snarfs, sat around a small table at the Bulkan Bar. Felina gazed at Lion-O's bandaged hand, shuddering at the memory of helping to cut his fingers apart and draining the blisters. She had never seen a burn as bad as that, save for the fatally scorched bodies of her Emite friends. The lioness tried to push the unpleasant images from her mind.
"WilyKit and Kat were pretty sore that they had to stay back at the Lair," commented Lion-O.
"Well, if I know the Thunderkittens, they're busying themselves by lacing the Lair with all kinds of little 'surprises' for us to come home to," laughed Cheetara.
"I think we need a toast to Felina," Tygra announced as he held up his glass of bourbon. "If she hadn't figured out Lion-O was trapped in that Book, we'd still be fueling that creature's rampage. And she saved us with her great knowledge of the Book."
"Please," she begged, a blush coloring her pale cheeks. "It was the Lord of the ThunderCats who should have the honors. If he hadn't had the stamina to last in that Book, I'd still be stuck in there. Not to mention the sheer strength of body and spirit it took to defeat Ergus. Besides, if it weren't for my father telling us to look to the Book of Omens for the means to survive Ergus' attack, none of us would be here."
Cheetara raised her wine glass. "Then we toast you all! Lion-O, Jaga, and Felina--to whom we owe our gratitude." They all clinked their glasses together and shared a hearty laugh.
"I still say it's too bad that destroying Ergus also freed Mumm-Ra and those damn Mutants," grumbled Snarf.
Panthro snorted in agreement. "And I have a mind to head over to the Trollog's caves and beat their asses for what they did to my Thunder Tank. It's completely destroyed! I gotta start from scratch to build a new one."
"The Trollogs took a heavy beating for their greediness," Lion-O assured the angered panther.
"Still, in all my forty years I've never seen anything like it....the destruction of property just for the hell of it!" scoffed Panthro. "And what they did to the Berbil Village? No wonder RoBear Bill is getting sauced." He motioned to the bar where the robotic bear was consuming the electronic equivalent of hard liquor.
"One good thing came out of all this," noted Tygra. "at least Mumm-Ra and those Mutants are going to be just as worn out as we are from this ordeal to cause any trouble for a while."
"Thank Jaga for that, snaaarf snarf."
What's this humming in my head?
Was it something someone said
It's connecting us with them
Electric wires turned on again
Well it aggravates, and it pacifies
Hear the power in the lines
Well it captivates, and it hypnotize
Feel the power in the lines
Strung high on every pole
How can this power be bought and sold?
Trying to harness solar rays
Making minutes seem like days
----Powerline, Husker Du
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