IdontKnow: Glad you liked the chapters. I was hoping to get a little more in depth with them. ;)
Chapter 22
Lion-O soon found he had a companion as he walked off of the last paved stones of Cat's Lair.
"You know you're very stubborn." Cheetara said.
"This is true but I have made a decision and that is to give up my title and privilege. The only thing that will change that is a unanimous vote by the remaining ThunderCats in favor of restoring me as Lord of the ThunderCats." Lion-O told her.
"You don't think you can get it? Do you remember what I said earlier? 'We would all lay our lives on the line for you', remember?" The cheetah hoped this was getting through his thick skull.
"Yes, I remember and I was kind of hoping that the others would follow me out that door but only you came." He said.
"Do you not want me here?" She asked slightly offended.
"What I meant was that on a personal level you are all that matters but on a professional level…" he never got to finish as he heard his name being shouted. The two turned around and saw Panthro, Pumyra, and Ben-Gali running towards them.
"You two make good time." Ben-Gali huffed as he pointed out how far away from the Lair they had managed to get in such a short time.
"Can't help it, she's a cheetah." Lion-O smirked.
"I think this belongs to you." Panthro said, handing the Sword of Omens and Claw Shield to him.
"So you voted while we were away. That's what took so long." The lion smiled and gladly accepted what was rightfully his.
"Yes we did." The panther lied. None of them really knew what Tygra was thinking but they had agreed it didn't matter.
"Well then there is work to be done. We need to get back to Third Earth and deal with the Mutants." Lion-O said.
"Agreed. The ThunderKittens can stay here and we will deal with those blasted Mutants." Panthro nodded. The group then began to walk back and discussed their options about how to handle their prisoners. As they neared the Lair, Lion-O stopped.
"What is it?" Cheetara asked.
"I just had this awful thought." The lion told them.
"What?" Pumyra wondered.
"Can we not tell Snarf what happened?" Lion-O pleaded, trying to lighten the mood. At this the group laughed.
"The Lord of the ThunderCats afraid of a snarf?" Ben-Gali teased.
"I just don't want him to make a fuss. That is the last thing we all need." The lion defended himself.
"I swear not to tell." Cheetara smiled and gave him a bump with her elbow. The other three followed with similar promises.
"Good now that that is settled lets see what's for dinner. I'm starving." Ben-Gali said.
"Sounds great, I don't know how much longer I could control my stomach growling." Panthro told them. Laughter once again could be heard as they climbed the steps to the entrance of the ThunderCats' fortress.
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Around two am, the lair's silence was broken by the sound of a door opening. Footsteps could be heard heading down the vacant hallways. Another door opened and the lion took his seat behind his desk. He had a lot on his mind and lying awake in his bed wasn't helping.
First on his mind was how to deal with the Mutants. Banishing Monkian, Vultureman, and Slythe was the easy part but dealing with Jackalman wasn't going to be so easy. As the Lord of the ThunderCats, he would have the final say as to what would happen and after dinner he'd ordered the security tapes from Third Earth. They had been beamed over immediately and the lion had stored them on disks to review in his office. He had watched and rewatched them for hours and poured through the books on Thunderian law. It was obvious that when he destroyed the Amulet of Seti, the resulting force that had knocked everyone back had forced Jackalman on top of Lynx-O. In all actuality, the jackal had inadvertently killed Lynx-O. However, on the other hand wasn't that his intent? Hadn't the Mutants tried to take over the planet? Weren't they trying to rid themselves of the ThunderCats? This is where things got fuzzy.
According to the law book, killing someone on purpose is murder. An accidental death however is manslaughter. Only murder gave an option for a death sentence whereas manslaughter only offered a prison sentence. Should he even consider manslaughter or was he being too lenient? Then again, Lynx-O died from a wound received in battle so was it even a chargeable offense? Lion-O then spent some time looking at the war crime offenses. All that did was make his mind more confused. He sat and pondered it for a little while until he eventually decided he needed something to help him relax, so he got up from his seat and headed for the kitchen.
On his way down there he heard animated voices coming from the control room. They were not loud enough to wake others but loud enough to be heard through the door. He soon recognized Panthro and Tygra's voices. There was a scuffle followed by the panther saying,
"Are we going to have a problem?"
"No." Tygra replied. "I agreed with you didn't I?"
"I'd still like to know why you didn't follow us this afternoon." Panthro said. Lion-O had been wondering too but he hadn't brought it up.
"I told you that someone had to stay with the Kittens." The tiger responded.
"Bull shit. They don't need that much help anymore. Did you really think that Lion-O doesn't deserve to be our leader?" Panthro's anger grew. Lion-O waited for the answer but got nothing as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"You should be in bed. We are flying to Third Earth in a few hours." Cheetara said.
"Why aren't you in bed?" He asked.
"I was looking for you. I figured since your office was empty, the kitchen would be the next spot to check. Besides when you don't sleep, neither do I." She told him. With that the two headed for bed while Lion-O wondered what Tygra had been holding back.
To Be Continued…