With Alana's friends now buried, everyone felt a little more at ease. The ThunderCats knew their new friend still had a long way to go but at least they were able to work. The only thing that kept slowing them down was the salvage operation. Even with the Warrior Women and Berbils help, the ThunderCats were only able to get the engine room dismantled. A hallow room was all that was left after one week. But the alarming part was hearing about the Wollo village seeing signs of the Mutants roaming about. As much as the information bothered Lion-O, he was glad they decided to start now.
Lion-O was also a little disturbed with Alana. Ever since the day her friends were buried, she had busied herself with helping Panthro in building the shell casings for the new weapons. He wasn't sure if it was healthy for her to bury herself into work so quick and soon. The grief was still too new to her.
He remembered how he felt when the ThunderCats arrived on Third Earth. He felt lost and lonely and lost the best of his learning years. The young Lord went straight from a twelve-year-old boy to a twenty-two year old man. It wasn't fair for him but had to make the most of it. Luckily for him, he had understanding friends who guided him to be the man he was now and a good leader. He knew once in awhile he'd still slip up but it never stopped him. However, Alana was a different matter.
Alana not only lost the best years of learning, though she did live through it, but she also lived in a trapped life. Lion-O still did not know what had happened in the human's past but he knew enough to know it wasn't pretty. Her past was a secret but from placing two and two together, he was able to figure out she hardly had a life. He realized his first twelve years were as bright as the sunshine but hers was dark as the midnight sky.
"Is something troubling you?"
Lion-O, sitting by alone in the conference room, seemed to stare off into space until a voice brought him out. He straightened himself up before turning to see the transparent image of his mentor, Jaga.
"Many things Jaga," Lion-O admitted. "We have been able to put Alana's friends to rest and were able to get some of the ship dismantled but now the Wollos have given us information they have seen the Mutants roaming the country side."
"The Mutants are always troublesome."
"But that isn't all. I fear Alana is burying her grief."
"That can be a problem. She knows you have gone through a great deal but she doesn't want to admit you two have more in common than what is actually said."
"I've tried to convince her to do other things but she just won't listen. I'm not sure what more I can do." Lion-O looked away, as anger started to seep into his voice.
"You and I both know if she continues at the rate she's going, she will snap. Maybe you are being too hard on her."
Lion-O turned back to the ghost. "You know something about her, don't you?"
Jaga sighed before allowing his arms to fall limp at his sides. "Yes but it's not up to me to tell you. She must be the one. It's the only way for her to be able to put trust into another person. There were only her brothers to trust."
"And now she has no one."
"What I can tell you, you will soon learn from the database from her computer. Her mother died shortly after her 13th birthday. From that day her life fell apart. Her life wasn't easy before her mother's death."
"So, she only had Safari Joe and her brothers."
"As well as her sisters until they left her, unwillingly. There is more to Safari Joe than what you know when you met him a couple years back."
"I've guessed that. I wonder if he'll come searching for Alana."
"From what I've been told, no. He had…" Jaga suddenly coughed into his fist.
"He had what?" Lion-O stood.
"I've said too much. Just remember she will need all of you if she is to survive this." Jaga swung his arm up and disappeared.
"What was Jaga going to say?" Lion-O mumbled to himself. "Now, he's got me curious. But I can't stick my nose where it doesn't belong. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long before getting the answer."
Alana sat on the floor of Panthro's workroom, alone. The panther had just left to grab a few more items to finish one of the weapons. He had only been gone a few moments before Alana realized she was on longer alone. She quickly snapped her head around, hoping to get the intruder by surprise. But she was the one who was surprise.
Standing before her was Jaga. She still couldn't get over how she could see the spirit nobody else outside of the ThunderCats could.
"I hope I didn't startle you."
"No, not at all," she said soberly. "How are my brothers?"
"Peaceful. They witnessed the memorial you gave them while the ThunderCats buried everyone. They were quite impressed as the others showed their respect and were particularly impressed with Lion-O's show of respect."
"Even me."
"I was there as well, watching from a distance."
"You did not come here to talk to me on the memorial."
"No." Jaga bent down to the girl and placed a hand on her leg.
Alana gasped as she could feel his hand. A slight breeze is what she would feel when her brother would touch her. This feeling was different. It was as if he actually was alive and kneeling before her. The only thing that stopped her from believing he was, was the fact she could see right through him.
"I came here to let you know I know everything."
She looked into his concerned face. "Know everything?"
"Your brothers have told me what has happened. Why you are scared and why you ran away."
Alana turned away from the man, as a single tear slid from her eyes. "Why would they tell you?"
Jaga placed a gentle hand under her chin, moving so she was looking at him again. "They love you and want to help. I have promised not to tell Lion-O or the others. It's up to you to tell them."
"They don't have a right to know." She pushed away from his hand in anger.
"Are you sure on that?" he asked gently. "You only know what you have seen. Soon you will meet, the ThunderCats' enemies and they are less merciful than your father."
"I've heard."
"I'm not here to tell you what to do or who to talk to, but I am here to offer suggestions. That is one of the big reasons why I have been able to appear to you. I am here to help you to move on but at your level and time."
"I suppose you're going to suggest for me to allow the ThunderCats to know my past."
"Like I already said, it's up to you to tell them. I will suggest you eventually tell them. To get past the shame and pain, one first must admit that pain and then move on."
"Even if they were to learn what happened, how could I move on. The ones who helped me to get past the worst parts are gone. The ThunderCats would never understand."
"Don't be so sure. They may have lived a more peaceful life than humans but they have had their own share of guilt and pain." Jaga lowered his head down.
Alana slightly tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I once placed all my trust into a person and they went and betrayed me and the ThunderCats. This was back when we were on Thundera."
"Who was that person?"
"Grune. I had banished him from Thundera and he traveled here and created havoc. But he was sealed up by a magic spell. A few years ago, he was let free, but as a ghost. He began to terrorized the people of Third Earth. I was called to battle him as I was the only one who could."
"I heard of that legend. He had the name of 'Grune the Destroyer' and he had the looks of a saber tooth lion but was missing one fang. He was a Thunderian?"
"And a ThunderCat."
Alana's eyes widened in surprise. "Someone betrayed the ThunderCats? How was that possible?"
"Once he became a ThunderCat, he wanted more power. That power turned to greed and he even tried to overthrow me, as I was the Lord of the ThunderCats at the time, which was before Lion-O's father."
"I never knew that."
"It's something the ThunderCats are not proud of or like to talk about. If this information was to get to their enemies, the ThunderCats could be overthrown. Grune could return."
"If it's that important for only the ThunderCats to know, why are you telling me?"
"I've already told you, you could become one. And if you were to take the trials, and succeed in becoming a ThunderCat, you would have the right to know our past history. Plus, this also lets you know the ThunderCats are not perfect, as they have been led to believe. I should leave you now, Panthro will return in a few moments."
Alana watched as he stood back to his full height, the ThunderCat symbol on his chest glowed for a few seconds before he swung his arm up and disappeared.
Moments after Jaga disappeared, leaving Alana alone, Panthro walked in. "Sorry for taking so long, I couldn't find the right…" Panthro trailed off, looking at Alana staring towards the opposite walls. "Alana, are you alright?" He knelt down to the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.
"Panthro. I didn't hear you come in."
"I noticed. Why were you staring at the wall?"
"Jaga was just here."
Panthro slightly smiled. "He makes the greatest entrance and exits. What did he have to say?"
"He wanted to tell me about Grune and why he was banished from Thundera. I didn't even know he was Thunderian. I only heard the stories that he terrorized the country. He also said it's something the ThunderCats are not proud of."
"He's right. But we can't let that control our lives. Our enemies would be able to stomp all over us so quick, we would not know what happened."
"I take it then it almost happened before?"
"A few times actually. Whenever we have gotten side tracked, Mumm-ra ends up taking it to his advantage. Luckily, he's not a winter person. So we're usually pretty good during the winters. But at the first sign of warmer weather, he strikes with a vengeance. Something usually ends up waking him."
"Waking him? I'm not sure I understand." Alana stood to stretch her legs.
"When winter comes, he ends up going into a sleep and as soon as evil creeps its ugly head, he awakens."
"Let's get back working on the weapons. We should have one ready by the end of the day."
"That sounds like a good idea."
Cheetara was in the command room, watching for the unexpected. From being told of the Mutants being near the Wollo village, the ThunderCats did not want to rule anything out. She did the routine maintenance check on the neighboring villages before keeping a close eye around Cats' Lair. Every once in a while she would change her scans to the villages again.
She was a little troubled herself. Cheetara knew Alana was still grieving but was going about it the wrong way. But Cheetara wasn't the only one who felt like that. Both Tygra and Lion-O had spoken of their concerns about Alana's state of mind. However, there was nothing either of them could do to help her. She had to come out of it on her own.
"Would you mind some help?" Lion-O asked as he walked into the room.
Cheetara turned. "I think I have everything under control. Is something wrong?"
"I just spoke with Jaga and it was something I'm not sure I can handle."
"What's wrong?"
"Jaga said we might be too hard on her. I'm not sure if I understand his meaning. He also knows everything about Alana and will not tell me."
"Chances are he has his reasons for knowing and why he isn't saying anything. And as for his meaning, he's probably trying to say that we are pushing her too much to talk to us. She will come to us on her own."
"Have you had any progress?"
"I have but that is something between she and myself. I don't know anything about her past but I do know why she keeps backing away."
"And I suppose it's something between women," Lion-O slightly smiled.
Cheetara nodded, before deciding to change the subject. "If the Wollo leader is right in seeing a sign of the Mutants, they are probably wanting to find out what crashed on Third Earth. They could have seen Alana's ship crash but haven't had the time to investigate."
"I've sent Wilykit and Kat to check things out at Castle Plun-Darr."
"That's a good idea. And I suppose Tygra is helping the Berbils with the salvage operation?"
"They have just arrived with another load. Even with the Berbils help, the process is slow. If it was summer, it would have been done in a week."
"I agree with you there. The snow keeps getting caught in the treads of the Thundertank. Oh, before I forget, Snowman contacted us just a few minutes ago. He asked about the crash. He said he has been trying to contact us but we have been too busy."
Lion-O shook his head. "If the Mutants were to attack, we would be defenseless."
"Well, we're now getting back on full alert. Perhaps we won't be as defenseless as we are leading on for everyone to believe."
"Perhaps. But I would feel better if Alana was being more cooperative and her ship was fully dismantled. If the Mutants were to get a hold of the ship, we would be in a whole lot of trouble."
"Have you had anything to eat since breakfast?"
"No, why?"
Cheetara stood and walked over to her friend. She quickly turned him around and started to push him towards the door. Lion-O tried to protest but she wouldn't stop pushing.
"You are to go and get something to eat before you wear yourself down and if you want to defend the Mutants, you need to have your strength."
When she finally managed to get Lion-O out the door, she turned away and walked back to her seat. Lion-O smiled and did what she requested. Well it was more of a command than a request but he shrugged it off and left to find Snarf. She was a good friend and wouldn't have pushed him out of the room, if she weren't right.
Lion-O found Snarf sifting through the salvaged equipment from Alana's ship. Also with Snarf was Tygra and three of the Berbils.
"There's more here than what we can do with," Lion-O announced.
Tygra looked up. "Not really. Alana and Panthro have some good ideas and this equipment is right for their ideas. We're going to have to place the rest outside, though. Luckily with the Berbils help, we are able to get the ship dismantled."
"I agree. But its still going at a slow rate and it's all caused from the cold weather. At least if the Mutants try and break there way through, they may have a little trouble getting past the front doors."
Tygra chuckled. "That they would," he agreed. "How is Alana doing? I haven't seen her all day."
"I haven't really seen her myself. But she has been with Panthro all day from what I've heard."
Tygra shook his head. "She's working too much. Her friends haven't been buried for too long and she's got her sights set on work."
"Either she is doing that to prove she is worthy of being with us…"
"Or it's just a cover up to hide her true feelings. If it weren't for the fact she has some good ideas, I'd probably would want her to take it easy."
"Perhaps, when she and Panthro are finished with the new weaponry, I'll insist she take some time off."
"She may not want to listen," Tygra pointed out.
Lion-O sighed. "I know. Jaga appeared to me a few moments ago."
"Oh." Lion-O now had Tygra's full attention. Tygra moved away from the equipment to stand beside his leader.
"He says we are could be pushing her and he's also knows more than he's telling us."
"I'm sure he does, considering her brothers are in the astral plain with him. They could have told him what we should know about Alana and her troubled past."
"Tygra. Lion-O." The two ThunderCats turned to see Robear Bill standing beside them. "I could not help but over hear and I have possible solution."
"We're opened to suggestions," Lion-O said.
"Why not let us handle the salvage operation and you help Alana. She might not want to admit it, but she seems more social when she is around you. I feel sorry for her loss."
"We don't want you to do all the work," Tygra protested.
"We are not. The tough job right now is making Alana feel safe and secure in her new home. Strangers on a strange planet surround her. I know she wants to be your friend, but she is scared."
Lion-O looked to Tygra and smirked. The irony of the conversation was slightly similar when they had first met the Berbils and offered to help build Cats' Lair. He turned back to Robear Bill.
"We accept your offer."
Robear Bill nodded and quickly ran over to his fellow Berbils. The three burbled together for several minutes before turning to the ThunderCats.
"Leave everything in our hands," Robear Bill replied.
"Keep an eye out for the Mutants," Tygra warned. "Apparently there's been sightings of them near the Wollo village."
"We will," Robear Bill answered. He turned to his friends and the three quickly scrambled out of the lair.
"Even after four years," Lion-O commented. "They still amaze me. They are small robot creatures but have the strength and intelligence like a regular humanoid."
"They are one of a kind," Tygra agreed.
A slight noise interrupted the two. Lion-O first gave a blank face before laughing. "I forgot. I came down here for a reason."
Tygra lightly laughed. "Let me guess take Snarf away."
"That about sums it up."
"What about me? Snarf, Snarf." The small Snarf came up to Lion-O.
"I've been given orders by Cheetara to get something to eat."
"Then why didn't you say anything before?" Snarf swiftly scrambled up the stairs and towards the kitchen to make Lion-O something.
"That is something else that amazes me," Lion-O replied when Snarf was gone. "Even though I'm grown, once in awhile he still thinks of me as a child."
"In reality, you should still be a teenager. But thanks to the Mutants when they attacked us, your stasis pod was damaged. Thus allowing you to grow ten years during our long journey. Not even Jaga expected that to happened."
"I have come a long way since the day we woke here on Third Earth. And the same will happen with Alana. We just need to be patient. I just hope we don't have too many problems with the Mutants or even Mumm-ra until she's used to the place."
"I know the feeling. Come on; let's get some food. I haven't eaten in awhile and I know my body is starting to tell me so."
The two ThunderCats walked away not knowing there was something lurking in the shadows. It was too dark to get a good view of the lurker but was it friend or foe? The figure in the shadows watched for several more minutes, looking at the debris of the crashed ship.
"We shouldn't be here."
The figure quickly turned. "You can be just as bothersome now as when we were alive."
"What if they were to see you? They're not supposed to know we can see more than what they've been told."
"I know, but I just can't sit around and watch her suffer. She's been through enough, you know I've always hated her like this."
"She's in good hands. Besides, I've noticed someone has fancied her. He will help her. It will take time but she will learn to trust new people and perhaps learn to love."
"But she doesn't share the same feelings. Her heart has already been damaged with the death of her mother and now her friends. I don't know how much more she can take."
"And if she were to see you, it would make it that much harder for her to move on. Look at her already, the memorial was only last week and she's been keeping herself busy as if the crash happened years ago. That is not normal."
"No it isn't. But what can we do?"
"Nothing."
"That's not good enough!" the first shadowed figure slammed his fist at the wall. To his surprise, his fist connected with the wall.
"That's new," the second replied, astonished.
"We can do more than what's let on. I have an idea."
"What's that?"
"Before I say anything, I'm going to see if it will work." The figure quickly disappeared, leaving the other alone.
"I hate it, when he does that." The second figure disappeared.
Jaga, however, watched the whole conversation from the other side of the room. He shook his head in sadness. He knew who the two were and had tried to reason with them not to interfere when Alana first arrived. He knew they wouldn't directly contact the ThunderCats but there was other ways to communicate with the living and he was afraid they would figure the other ways out. But he knew he couldn't stop them, they were free to do what they pleased.
Whatever they would do could end up having repercussions and could make Alana draw away further than she already was. And if that were to happen, the ThunderCats would really have their work cut out for them. Then again, it could help Alana get back on her feet again.