A totally new and redone chapter. I am happy with what i did here:

Two weeks later found things at the lair somewhat settled down for the most part. Lion-O had Jassin put Sindaris through the Thundercat training courses and so far, it appeared that those were going well for the saber. The saber found the trials daunting but he was willing to go through with them because he felt that by becoming a Thundercat, it would undo everything that Grune had done to destroy it while he'd been one.

For Lioness-A, this was an interesting experience in that she was literally watching the same trials again but with different candidates. Sindaris was in the category with the panthers and a few of the other stronger clans. The tests were guaranteed to test him and that had been part of Lion-O's intention.

"Is there a reason why you're testing him so hard?" Cheetara asked Lion-O.

"I want to make sure that he's truthful about wanting to join the ranks of Thundercats Cheetara. It's expected out of everyone that's joining the ranks. He's taking the same tests as the others," Lion-O told her. Cheetara excused herself to head off to prepare for one of the community services as Tillen joined Lion-O.

"You two having trouble?" Tillen asked Lion-O when he saw the sour expression the lion had.

"Cheetara thinks I'm singling Sindaris out because of what he is," Lion-O said. "She doesn't think he's bad but she feels he's hiding something."

"He's being watched closely by everyone Lion-O," Tillen said. "If there's something there, we'll find it." He handed a datapad to Lion-O. "This came in over the communications for you. It's from the saber elder named Silaro." Lion-O began reading the note then.

"He wants to set up a meeting later to discuss a few things about bringing the sabers back into the Elders' Council and Royal council," Lion-O said as Tillen frowned.

"I think it's possible but we need to consider some things before we meet with Silaro," Tillen said. "I left Lynx-O at the lair talking to him."

"Is Jaguarus back from Boktor?" Lion-O asked, referring to Tillen's cousin.

"He got here a day ago and I've got him checking some stuff," Tillen said. "He was going to look into things on the sabers once he finishes that up. I sent him to talk to Lynx-O on it."

"Good," Lion-O said.

.::~*~::.

Down in the arena Sindaris was busy moving boulders around to build a wall and so far, he was handling it with little effort. He was strong, that much was obvious. Lion-O had to give him credit for it in that the saber had found a way to handle things on his own.

Cheetara was also watching the saber and if the truth were known, she was attracted to him, more so than she was to Lion-O. Something about the saber seemed haunting, like he had something hiding but what, she couldn't place. He was nice to her but that was all he was interested in, since he knew she was the king's girlfriend. When it came to doing the community service though, Cheetara had Sindaris work with her some and that had them talking about different things.

"Do you remember anything before the explosion?" Cheetara asked at one point.

"Not much I'm afraid. I lost my parents not long after we landed on our adopted world and I spent time with my father's family," Sindaris said. "I did hear the stories about Grune though and while I know my tribe's related to him, we were trying our hardest to change things for the better."

"Has that been successful?" Cheetara asked him.

"So far it has," Sindaris said. "Some of the other clans are accepting the sabers back and Elder Silaro wishes to speak to the king about it." He frowned. "Does he know what you are doing?" he asked.

"I am my own woman and I can do what I want without him at times," Cheetara said. "I may love him but I do my own things regardless."

"I understand my lady," Sindaris said. He watched her a moment and found himself eyeing the shape of her through her orange and yellow uniform. Her blond mane was dotted with black spots and her winged markings were a dark brown. She was really beautiful to him though. He went back to work and soon they were back at the tournament grounds. Lion-O had left to see about a meeting but Lioness-A was watching them for him, being as she was his sister, she was also his eyes and ears on things when he wasn't there.

Tillen found the lioness in the king's box a short while later watching several trials that were still going. Sindaris was done for the day and waiting with the other candidates for these trials to finish.

"Anything interesting?" the jaguar asked her.

"Not really. They're going about like they're supposed to," she said. "Lion-O's talking with Silaro right now and I hear a meeting with all of the elders is being set up in a couple of weeks."

"That might have some answers we're needing," Tillen said. He glanced down at a clipboard he had. "Cheetara had Sindaris working with her during the community service hours. You might want to look this over." Lioness-A frowned and read through the notes.

"Do we know anything about his tribe?" she asked.

"I've got Jaguarus looking into it now," Tillen said. "One of the members of the Black Claw is checking the validity of the sabers as well." Lioness-A rose to her feet then.

"Let's head back to the lair then," she said. "I'm curious to see what Lion-O has in mind and also what Lynx-O has heard as well."

.::~*~::.

Back at the lair later that afternoon Lioness-A found her brother in his office going through a few law books that were stacked on one corner of his desk.

"I gather you have an idea of what to do?" she asked.

"A small one but it's doable," Lion-O said as he closed the book to begin some work on his telecom. "I'm waiting to hear back from Jaguarus."

"Where has he been?" Lioness-A asked.

"He was on Boktor with you for a while I heard and came here for a brief bit until I sent him back to oversee how things were going with the Mutants and Lunatacs joining the Interstellar Council," Lion-O replied.

"How is that going?" Lioness-A wondered.

"So far so good," Lion-O answered. "There's some decent rulers for the Moons and Ratar-O wants the peace as well cause of some problems on PlunDarr but they're under control now he said."

"Did this saber elder have a lead on who's leading the marauders?" Lioness-A asked.

"Not really. He has a vague idea though and Jaguarus sent someone out to track it down," Lion-O said. Lioness-A sighed heavily then. "What?" Lion-O asked.

"Tillen showed me the community service sheets for the first few winners today on the trials and Sindaris was working with Cheetara on his," she said as he sighed.

"She's her own woman. She doesn't need much input from me on what she does," he said.

"There's that but I got word before we got here from someone who overheard them talking together about a few things, namely his tribe and such. Plus a few things about you and her as well," Lioness-A said and hesitated at his frown. "I know it's probably a bad idea to mention that."

"No you did the right thing sis," Lion-O said with a heavy sigh. "It just means that I might be looking elsewhere for a wife if things continue to go the way it is."

"You sure you want to go that route?" Lioness-A asked.

"I might not have a choice sis," Lion-O said sourly. She gently patted his shoulder and left the room as he sighed and stared out the window after closing the telecom.

'I guess it's time to reconsider the relationship with Cheetara. She had that crush on me while we were on Third Earth and I'm beginning to suspect that's all it was,' he thought. A purple glow got his attention.

"Lion-O you're having some deep thoughts here," Claud-Us said softly.

"It's the relationship with Cheetara. It's not going as well as I'd hoped it would," Lion-O said as his father found a seat on the sofa.

"I've been hearing how it's going plus the conversation with your sister," Claud-Us said. "Your mother and I thought that you and Cheetara would end up together but in recent times, we've been made aware of something vastly different that's going to happen."

"Such as?" Lion-O asked.

"I can't say much now but know that things between you and Cheetara will fall apart if you stay with this as it is," Claud-Us told him. "Grant her the freedom to pursue the one she wants. Sindaris is a good man and he will end up proving himself to you later. In time you will find the one you're looking for and she is not what she seems nor is she from this world."

"I see and thank you Father," Lion-O said as the two grasped hands before Claud-Us vanished.

.::~*~::.

Sindaris became a Thundercat later that week as he had passed his trials and his weapon was a battle ax. True to what Claud-Us had said a few days earlier, Lion-O and Cheetara underwent a nasty break-up not long after that, especially when it came to light that she had been with the saber during times when she should have been seen with Lion-O. He was heartbroken and threw himself into his work, but Shayanya, one of Lioness-A's Huntress guards, introduced a young Barbary lioness to him named Ashryn and the two hit it off rather well. Ashryn knew of Lion-O's troubled heart and would be there to help him heal from it so he could finally move on and meet the one for him as that one hadn't arrived yet.

Flashback: Sindaris's past

It was a year or two before the destruction of ThunDera and Sindaris was only a boy of thirteen at the time. His father came home with a box one day and left it on the table while he went to see to some things. Sindaris's mother had died during the raids that Grune had started against the Thundercats and things between most of the sabers and the rest of the Thunderians were still tense. Sindaris saw it most of the time when he went to school but the other kittens did leave him alone.

It wasn't for two days before Sindaris found out what was in the box when his father opened it one night and lifted out a large beetle looking thing.

"This scarab is a gift for me from someone who wants to see our clan rise to greatness again," Saldar said as Sindaris quivered as his father stuck it to the back of his neck as the youth cried out in pain. His eyes flashed and he was composed again but his thoughts were laced with evil. The scarab had come from Mumm-Ra and he had told Saldar where to find it in an abandoned ruin on ThunDera outside the city of Sylnlond, the home of the sabers.

ThunDera exploded the next year and Sindaris was soon on another world with thousands of other Thunderians and he had found that his father had died enroute when his suspension capsule failed, suffocating him. Sindaris grew on that world in the care of his uncle and the scarab never bothered him until the clans started to return to New ThunDera as the call came out. The name of the King was Lion-O and he was Claud-Us's son who had grown well and was crowned king not after the clans had returned.

.::~*~::.

Mumm-Ra had pretty much known that Sindaris wasn't the one he was needing to control to take out the Thundercats and avenge the death of Grune, but rather another saber by the name of Othorion, who as it happened, was a nephew to the mighty ex-Thundercat and a fact that would come to light very soon.

During the night while Sindaris was asleep, the scarab worked loose from his neck and flew through the window towards the barracks where it knew a rogue Thunderguard was. This one was the key to getting Grune's club out of the armory and back to the marauder camp in time to mount an attack.

Over the next several days Jaguarus and the other members of the Black Claw or the secret intelligent branch of the Thundercats began working hard to find out what was going on and Sindaris had put them in touch with Silaro who allowed them access to Syla Serin to gain information. There was one saber who was part of the Black Claw named Tasar who talked to Sindaris before leaving and between Tasar and Jaguarus, they were able to learn who the leader was of the marauders.

The day the news was learned a meeting was called and Sindaris had been invited to sit in because he was representing the sabers now. Everyone got along with him but not all of them were happy at what had happened between Lion-O and Cheetara as a result.

"Out with it before you burst," Tillen told his cousin.

"The leader of the marauders is a saber named Othorion," Jaguarus said as Tasar nodded.

"He's also Grune's nephew and we only found that out when I got to check the saber family logs," Tasar said.

"Doesn't he look like Grune did?" Sindaris asked. "I think I've seen that saber before and not long after we came here on one of the liners. He moved to the other end of Syla Serin I thought." Tasar grunted.

"He takes after his uncle since his mother was Grune's younger sister and he's about as evil as Grune used to be," Tasar said. That had everyone floored at the news.

"How long before we have to prepare for something?" Panthro asked soberly.

"That's what we don't know cause we can't locate the hideout of where they are and we need to send out parties to try and locate it," Jaguarus said. "The Black Claw is looking but this Othorion is keeping it very well hidden." Colonel Cougris came in then and whispered something in Tygra's ear as he looked at Lion-O who nodded. The tiger left the room a moment later. The tiger came back a moment later and whispered something in Lion-O's ear as he growled silently.

"What now?" Panthro asked.

"A Thunderguard got into the armory's locked area and stole Grune's club last night," Tygra said. "Colonel Cougris told me they went back and checked the records on this one." He handed a folder to Tasar then who took a look at as Jaguarus peeked over his shoulder.

"He's one of Othorion's men that was slipped in here to find it," Jaguarus said as everyone growled.

"Panthro, Tygra go through the entire ranks of Thunderguard and get them vetted with help from Cougris. I need this done as soon as possible cause I want to see how bad this has spread before we get into a confrontation with Othorion himself," Lion-O said as the two nodded.

The meeting ended after that but everyone was on pins and needles of what the future was going to hold or when the first battle would occur. Lion-O also knew he was going to have to train Lioness-A on how to use the Sword of Omens in case worse came to worse on the battle. When that was, no one knew.

Thanks for the reviews everyone and this is a new chapter and sorry to have ended things with Lion-O and Cheetara, but don't worry, good things are coming for Lion-O. It just takes time. Ashryn will provide comfort for him but the one he is meant to find will appear but not quite yet. Thank you frankannestein, Heart of the Demons, St4r Hunter and Darkalphawolf01 (my silent reviewer) for following me on this journey so far. I will update again closer to December or whenever I can get a break from classes to work on this.

Cheers,

Lionessa