Fleur D'Amour
By Fuuko no miko
11/29/2011
Chapter 2
Flirt
Author Notes:
I think I'm writing this more as fillers for the actual ThunderCats episodes. Exploring on how Cheetara and Tygra came to be mostly because the writers of the show didn't have time to expand that and properly build up the love triangle.
No triangles here though, just the two of them.
Of course they belong to their respective creators. The only things I put ownership to are the secondary characters that are not officially in the show.
Also, I don't think cats really sweat. I used to have 5 cats, none of them sweated, but for purposes of this fiction, the sweat will roll!
xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
The Thunderan sky was burning in the midsummer heat. Blistering to say the least, with many a cat sweating under the circumstances and trying to get through the labors of the day.
At the courtyard of the palace were two characters engaged in a friendly combat. One a young tiger armed with a bolo whip, and the other a slightly older snow leopard with a wooden staff. They were sweating profusely, breathing fast, prowling around an imaginary circle, waiting for the other to make a move.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah."
The tiger disappeared as the snow leopard pounced. He had stepped aside, and quickly evaded the attack, but much to his surprise he had found himself alone in the circle.
Where on Thundera did he go?
A hit on his upper back with a thick staff answered his question. He fell face first in the dust, the next thing he knew there was a booted foot on his back. He subsequently lost his invisibility.
"Urdu 2, Tygra 1."
He muttered a curse under his breath as he allowed himself to be pulled up from the ground by the older cat.
"How about 3 out of 5?" he suggested as he dusted himself off. One of the guards threw him a towel to wipe off the mixture of sweat and dirt on his chest. Perhaps it was his imagination, or that he heard admiring females sighs.
Not that he can blame them. Win or lose, he always seems to hear a sound of female admiration. He is, after all, one fine specimen. On the corner of his eye he saw a minimum of three admirers waving at him, ogling to say the least.
"If you actually used that brain of yours for thinking rather than preening, you'd have better luck defeating me." chided Urdu.
Idiot read his mind again, Tygra thought. But he supposed that's what friends are for. "You just got lucky."
"I've been lucky for the last five years then," the snow leopard laughed. He tapped Tygra on the back as they headed towards the palace to cool off. "I have to say though, that you're easier to train than your little brother. He gets a little too careless."
"Does that surprise you?" he countered. They entered the palace and were greeted by the cool breeze from inside. They started heading off to their respective quarters. Along the way, they passed by the hallway that led to the clerics quarters. Tygra paused as he saw something dash past him heading towards there.
Was that who he thought it was?
"Hey, you know better than to go in there."
He craned his neck, apparently not hearing Urdu.
"Master Jaga is going to have your head on a platter."
That sentence completely went over his head.
"Tygra."
He craned his neck further.
"You do remember the last time you tried to stick your nose in there."
Yes he does. He was 13 back then and got his tail handed to him by no less than his father.
"No entry means NO entry."
"Who are you looking for in there anyway? Katarah's too old for you, you know." Urdu joked. "Besides, you're not her type. She likes bald, muscular soldier-types."
Something glistened on the marble palace floor. Tygra bent to pick it up. It was a long strand of golden cheetah hair. He raised it within eye level, as though scrutinizing it.
"I hate to say this, your highness, but YOU are beginning to give me the creeps." Urdu forcibly yanked him away from the hallway. "Plenty of kittens in the sea! No sense in going after a cleric. They have their priorities and you are not going to be one of them."
Tygra didn't seem to hear him at all as he held on to that hair strand for dear life.
"You're only 16. You've got many years ahead to find the perfect cat for you." the leopard kept hammering at a fact that the tiger didn't seem to be paying attention to. "Are you even listening?"
Urdu went on and on with his tirade about how he shouldn't waste his time chasing skirts. All of which seemed to go from one ear to another. Sometimes Tygra wondered if some feline broke his friend's heart. He doesn't want to be in the same boat.
Tygra turned his head. He felt as though a pair of eyes were burning holes in his back.
No one was there. Simply an empty hallway.
Behind the passage door to the clerics' quarters, Cheetara was holding her breath, making sure not to make a sound. She felt her heart pounding through her cloak. She was not supposed to go through this way, but it was a faster route. She had the lousy luck to end up with quarters at the very corner of the cleric's wing. This place was her favorite shortcut. It just so happened today that these two clowns chose to stop right as she was passing by and there was no way of avoiding them.
Is that him?
Wow.
She knew who Urdu was. He's one of the palace guard captains who helped train the princes. The other cat was one she almost didn't recognize.
Through a slit in the doorway, she tried to take in his profile.
Katarah said he had a growth spurt, and what a growth spurt it was.
Oh my.
He had added about another foot or so to his height. He towered the leopard by at least four to five inches. His shoulders were broader, his arms more muscular. He didn't have a shirt on so she was able to see, although only for a breath or two, the well-chiseled chest and abdomen, the sweat trailing off from his neck and back, his hair a fluffy mess.
Somebody's been working out.
She can almost hear Katarah laughing and teasing her. She turned around and put her hand on her still palpitating chest.
Great Thundera, this is embarrassing.
She held her breath, and again risked peeping through the slit of the doorway.
This time he was standing two feet away from the doorway, his eyes meeting hers through the slit, although she wasn't sure he actually saw her, he was standing right there.
"Is someone there?"
His voice was even a few baritones lower than she remembered. Cheetara covered her mouth to gasp.
Crap, he saw me.
"Just us, busy clerics." Cheetara heard a familiar voice boom right next to her. Katarah pushed her aside, opened the door and gave Tygra the stare that gave a thousand clerics the goosebumps. Cheetara moved behind the door where she was still able to see him but he wouldn't be able to see her. Maybe.
"No crossing into cleric territory, prince or not." The more senior cleric stated firmly.
Tygra crossed his arms and smirked, "So I can't invade your territory but you can pass through our hallways randomly? Isn't that against cleric protocol?"
"Nobody's perfect." Katarah replied. "Which is why we have punishment for breaking protocol." She sidekicked Cheetara with a booted foot. "But thanks for reminding me, Prince Tygra, that I should keep a more watchful eye on my juniors."
And with that she firmly closed the door.
A protest died on Tygra's lips. He knew he saw a feminine figure through the narrow slit of the doorway and he was certain it was not the senior cleric. Katarah was a six foot tall lioness with fiery tresses and eyes that would burn a hole through your soul. What he saw in passing was an amber-eyed beauty with hair that shone like the Thunderan sun.
He knew that was her. It had to be.
Cheetara couldn't find the words to defend herself when it was her turn to receive the glare of death.
"You know what Master Jaga's going to say." Katarah began sternly.
"Taking shortcuts is bad?"
"Cheetara!"
"The cleric's anonymity is one of our greatest weapons." She blurted out nervously.
"Exactly." The glare softened a little, but the intimidation that came with it was no better. "What else?"
"Duty above all else." She continued.
"And most importantly?"
"Taking shortcuts is the way of the impatient."
Katarah shook her head and rolled her eyes upward, "For a minute there I thought we've shaken you of that impatience of yours." She loosened her shoulders and took the younger cleric aside, leading her towards the passageway. "You are lucky it wasn't Master Jaga that caught you." She said. "Otherwise all of that sacrifice of yours would've gone to waste. He has little tolerance for bending rules."
Cheetara swallowed. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise."
The lioness smiled at her proudly. "I know it won't. If there is something I know about you, is that you typically learn from your mistakes the first time around." She paused again. "Typically."
Later that night, the young cheetah had found herself scrubbing the floors. She didn't realize the cleric training room was that sizable. Talk about corporal punishment.
For a glimpse of him, it was worth the labor.
Oh gods, listen to me.
She scolded herself for acting recklessly and getting herself in trouble. "Duty first, Cheetara!" she declared to no one in particular. "No acting like an awestruck teenager!"
Tygra had a very hard time sleeping that night. All he could see was the split second image of who he thought was the prettiest cat he'd seen in all of Thundera.
Maybe he should've joined the clerics too. Damn. He wondered if it was too late to quit being a prince and become a cleric.
The following day during training, he made Urdu eat dirt. Five times in a row.
"Is there something that you're taking that you're not telling me about?' the leopard muttered after the 4th time he rolled over in defeat.
Tygra smiled to himself despite his sleep deprivation, Now that, he mused, is what I call inspiration.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Cheetara: I thought we spoke about this, fanfic writer.
Me: I do have a name you know.
Cheetara: You don't listen to me. I wasn't that head over heels, good gods! I'm not like that!
Tygra: The way I see it, she's giving you an excuse to be smitten, she set us up as teenagers. Teenagers can be smitten!
Cheetara *ominous glare.* You're supposed to be on my side.
Tygra: And you're supposed to be on mine. What is up with you and Lion-O anyway?
Cheetara: Cleric duty.
Tygra: The last time I checked that didn't include kissing on the cheek! I've never seen Jaga kiss anyone to encourage them!
Back to our fic…..
Out of sight did not necessarily mean out of mind.
Years passed. Times changed. The passing of the torch became inevitable. There were other things to keep in mind, other things to do. There was training, and lots of it. Cheetara had become one of Jaga's best students. Katarah was beaming when Cheetara was bestowed the honor. This allowed her to participate in the most important missions.
"Your task is to watch Prince Lion-O." Jaga had told her. "Make sure he doesn't get into any more mischief than he already has."
"Yes Master Jaga."
That was the first time she laid eyes on the crown prince. He was a good-natured fellow. She liked him instantly.
Apparently he liked her instantly too. Or so it seemed.
He was going to be a handful, she admitted to herself. But she vowed to do her best to keep him on track.
"Clerics," Jaga gathered them all one morning. "Prepare yourselves for the ceremony in the palace. It is time for the ritual of the Sword of Omens."
They all proceeded to place their hoods and march quietly to the palace. They lined in precise positions as the event started.
Tygra was yawning in boredom. This should've been his moment. The sword of Omens should have been his. But noooo….
He stopped mid-yawn when the clerics walked in.
She's got to be here, he thought. Which one? His ears perked up and his ho-hum attitude disappeared in seconds as his with lethal precision he scanned the clerics one by one.
"Are you flirting?" Lion-O blurted when he saw his brother wink.
Lion-O suppressed a look of disgust when Tygra kicked him in the shin.
Did he just wink at me? She thought, mostly aghast, partly excited. Although the conflicting emotions didn't register on her features, as she simply blinked. Her cleric side wanted to throttle him for doing this in the middle of a very important event, while her other half wanted to flirt back.
Not seeing him for six years didn't have a less lethal effect on her senses than it did then. He was no longer the boy who gave her a flower at the steps of the cleric house. He was now a man.
She cleared her throat to erase what she considered unpleasant thoughts in her head.
He better stop looking at her. It was beginning to be uncomfortable.
She tried to focus more on the event and less on the smirking tiger on the other side of the room. Clerics don't fidget, Cheetara, she reminded herself.
Of all the feisty felines literally begging him to marry them, he just had to have warm and fuzzy feelings for the one who didn't want anything to do with him, Tygra snorted. The look she responded to his wink with is deader than a 3000 year old mummy.
Deep inside him a 10 year old's heart broke in half.
Maybe I should've been more subtle. He thought.
But he wasn't about to stop trying.
Later that night more celebrations commenced at the arrival of Grune. It was one lively festivity that brought most of the kingdom out in jubilation. Jaga had allowed several of the clerics to mingle with the regular folk sans their cloaks. Katarah had begged off and left Cheetara by her lonesome. She ended up seated next to a bunch of cats she didn't know. She remained in the background, observing for trouble as opposed to actually enjoying the party. She had her gaze trained to Prince Lion-O who was with Master Jaga. Tygra was seated next to Grune earlier but had now dropped out of sight.
"He's pretty good on the dance floor, yes?" an older woman sitting next to her leaned over and commented.
"I'm sorry?" Cheetara's eyes glanced over the dance floor and spotted the point of reference waltzing with one of the ladies of the court. "Um, yes I suppose so." she replied politely.
Not that she didn't really notice. This was dance number 5 if she counted correctly. He had his way among the felines, indeed.
Tygra can sense that she looked his way from time to time. Whoever said feline intuition is exclusive to females doesn't know what they're talking about.
Truth be told, the whole time he was asking a lady to dance, what he truly wanted to do was ask her to dance.
He was afraid she was going to turn her down flat if he went and asked her to. Petrified was the more operative word. For all his cockiness, deep inside he was still a tongue tied ten-year old.
Cheetara has mastered the art of controlling her blushing. Yes! Cleric training has its perks! She managed to suppress one when she saw him approach their table.
"May I have this dance?"
"But of course."
The elderly feline who sat next to Cheetara's cheerily replied and gave Tygra her hand as he led her to the dance floor. He put on a smile, kissed her hand, placed his arm around her waist and guided her to the slow waltz. It was quite a sight to see, as she was half as tall and twice as wide as he was. The expression on his face was genuine and warm towards the older lady.
"I've missed you, Nana." Tygra addressed the older woman with a nod.
"Well aren't you looking dapper?" the former governess laughed. "I have to refuse to be another one of your conquests."
"I know better than to cross you, Nana." He teased back.
"That's the smartest thing you've learned from me." She verified.
"That, and how to treat a lady." Tygra added.
"Ah! No wonder you're Thundera's most eligible!" she joked.
They laughed heartily at that comment. Tygra maneuvered his old nanny closer to where Cheetara was sitting. He wanted more than a glimpse of her this time.
She's so beautiful….he thought, echoing his thoughts when they first crossed paths. What's a cat got to do to get close to you, Cheetara of the Thundercats?
"Are you and Lion-O still trying to outdo each other?" the older woman interrupted his train of thought.
"Oh come on Nana, you know it would be a no contest." He quickly responded.
"You boys! Still fighting about everything!" She reflected. She then changed her tone, "Is that her?"
The unexpected comment brought color to Tygra's cheeks. "Erm…I don't know what you mean, Nana."
She tilted her head towards Cheetara's direction. "The girl you plucked my prized astrid for."
"Nana!"
He was full blown red. Luckily the shadows of the night concealed it. He quickly diverted his former governess away from Cheetara's hearing range.
"Your body is over here but your eyes are over there." she commented with a wink, "Maybe you should have asked her to dance instead."
All of a sudden he felt like a child again, getting caught with his paw in the cookie jar.
"Listen to your Nana." she muttered and led him away as the music ended. She whispered to him before lumbering her way back to the table, "Ask her to dance Tygra, before someone else does."
"I will, Nana." somehow pep talk from his old nanny gave him courage.
It was too late. She was gone.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo
Cheetara: *eyes Tygra warily* YOU can actually dance?
Tygra: *smiling proudly* Tygra can do anything.
Cheetara *rolls eyes upward* Except ask ME to dance.
Tygra: Erm….
*Crickets chirping*
Cheetara: Cheetara 1, Tygra 0
Me: Touche!
This is a song from my childhood in the Philippines. Its title is "Don't Know What to Do." I thought it would be most appropriate
for our story here so I am sharing the lyrics with everyone out there.
I have loved you only in my mind
But I know that there will come a time
To feel this feeling I have inside
You're a hopeless romantic is what they say
Falling in and out of love just like a play
Memorizing each line, I still don't know what to say
What to say...
Don't know what to do whenever you are near
Don't know what to say, my heart is floating in tears
When you pass by I could fly
Every minute, every second of the day
I dream of you in the most special way
You're beside me all the time
All the time...
[ Lyrics from: .com/lyrics/r/ric_segreto/dont_know_what_to_ ]
I have loved you and I always will
Call it crazy but I know someday you'll feel
This feeling I have for you inside
I'm a hopeless romantic I know I am
Memorized all the lines and here I am
Struggling for words I still don't know what to say
What to say...
Don't know what to do whenever you are near
Don't know what to say, my heart is floating in tears
When you pass by I could fly
Every minute, every second of the day
I dream of you in the most special way
You're beside me all the time
All the time... all the time... all the time...
11/30/2011