Episode 27- The Next Chapter
Disclaimer – I own nothing, this is pure Fan Fiction
It's only been a short while since the Thundercats left the crashed remains of Avista city. And after returning the Elephants, the Berbils, the Fishmen and Dobo's crew back to their respective homes, they returned to their quest for the Stones, now with the help of their new airship, the Feliner.
The entire group was on the Airship's bridge, and while Tygra was at the controls, Cheetara was sitting right next to him on one side, while Lion-O sat on the other. Panthro was sitting next to the instruments this time, while WilyKat and WilyKit were sitting in the passenger seat with Snarf sitting in between them.
Panthro was visibly upset about something, but it was not made clear what until he actually came out and said - -
"I liked it better when we used the ThunderTank. I was the one got to drive then"
Tygra didn't need to look at Panthro to smugly reply:
"Feeling a little jealous are we, Panthro? You should count yourself lucky that the Berbils even stopped to repair the ThunderTank before we sent them home"
Panthro pouted and grumbled silently after that, and that's when Cheetara saw fit to interrupt by saying-
"Alright, you two, focus. I think we should be using this time to think about our current situation"
"I can save you some trouble there, Cheetara, it's not looking good" Tygra replied, his smug smile now turned into a serious frown
Suddenly, Panthro's grumpy face became slightly remorseful as he sighed and added –
"Tygra's right, we're in deep swamp water. Just when you think we've gotten one step ahead of Mumm-Ra, he manages to get his bony fingers on the Sword of Plun-Darr and then makes off with the Tech Stone"
"At least we didn't loose the Sword of Omens or the Spirit Stone" WilyKit said
"…And like Cheetara said: that's something" her brother added
"Maybe, but now that Mumm-Ra has the Tech Stone, things just got a whole lot more…complicated for us" Cheetara replied
"There's only one stone left, and if we want to turn the tide of this war, we're gonna have to get to it first" Panthro said
"Which reminds me, where is the last stone, anyway?" Tygra asked
After that, the Thundercats found a nice place to land their airship and then all headed down to the Cargo hold, which was also where the recently rebuilt ThunderTank was currently resting. Its basic design was still the same as it was before the Soul Sever's machines took it apart though, and that was because the Berbils didn't see the need to upgrade it this time.
Anyway, the group of seven quickly made its way inside the Thundertank, and once they were all there, they immediately hooked up the Book of Omens, which then proceeded to display its large, red, graphic hologram of Third Earth. The Book showed the location of the third stone, of course, but without a lot of distinct markings on the map, it was hard to decipher exactly where this specific location was.
"Hmm, it says the last stone is here…" WilyKit started as she pointed to where the map showed their target's location
"…Yeah, but where exactly is "there"?" her brother finished
"Oh, great, it's giving us another riddle" Panthro said as he crossed his arms in an annoyed way
"Well, at least it's not just pointing up anymore" Tygra said in a dry-witted tone, minus the smile
"Riddle or not, we have to find the last stone! This could be our last chance to finally defeat Mumm-Ra" said Cheetara
"Yeah, especially now that that two-timing, feather bag, Vultaire has joined his team" Tygra replied
"(Scoffs) you think that's the part we need to worry about, Tygra?" Panthro said as he got in closer to the holographic image of Third Earth "No sooner do we finally rid ourselves of that backstabbing Saber-Tooth, Grune. Now, we have to deal with that lying, two-faced She-Cat, Pumyra!"
It was at that moment that the old Panther noticed the angry glares of Cheetara, Tygra and even the twins and Snarf. He was unsure of their reason for doing so at first, but that quickly changed when Cheetara said...
"Be quiet about Pumyra, Panthro! Can't you be a little bit more sensitive than that?!"
…in a hushed voice
Suddenly, Panthro realized his mistake and even started to stutter as a result of it. But before that could last for more than a few seconds, the Cats heard the voice of their young lion monarch, who had finally decided to speak after such a long time of being quite.
"It's okay, you guys, you don't have to keep dancing around it; it doesn't matter in the slightest, not now. Pumyra's made it clear where her allegiance lies, which means we'll deal with her when the time comes. But for right now, we need to focus on finding the last stone first; I won't let us lose any more ground to Mumm-Ra"
Lion-O looked at the Holographic image with determination after that, and because of it, he completely missed the looks of concern made by his fellow Thunderians. They all knew how much Lion-O cared for Pumyra, and now that her true colors have been revealed, they could only imagine what kind of feelings their king was experiencing at that very moment, but chose to not show.
Still, just like what happened after gaining the Spirit Stone, Lion-O had no intention of letting his own aching heart get in the way of stopping Mumm-Ra. And this was only made more apparent by his serious demeanor as he stroked his chin, looked at the red holographic image and said…
"There must be someone who has a map of this area"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Feliner started to shake like crazy, almost as if something were attacking it from the outside. However, when the Thundercats all rushed outside to see what was going on, they were surprised to see that there was nothing out there.
Lion-O still had the team look around, of course, but even then, there was nothing to be found. Not even a footprint or anything. Naturally, this mystery left everyone a bit puzzled, but it was quickly put on hold when the Cats all looked to their south and saw a nearby village in the distance.
"Hmm, I can't tell who lives in that town, but maybe, just maybe, they'll have someone with a map we can use" said Lion-O right before looked towards Panthro and continued "Worth a shot?"
"Worth a shot" the old Panther replied
After that, the TCats all hopped into the Thundertank, revved it up and were soon on their way to the nearby village.
Meanwhile, back at the ever gloomy place that is Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, Mumm-Ra himself was in his Chambers, admiring his recently acquired prize; the Tech Stone, as it lay embedded in the Gauntlet of Plun-Darr. In the chamber with him was his other recently acquired prize from Avista, Pumyra, who just stood there watching, as her "master" admired his first actual Power Stone.
Eventually, the evil Mummy finally broke the silence by saying "Beautiful, isn't it, Pumyra, simply marvelous. After generations of the Tech Stone's power being squandered on a race that could only tap into a fraction of its true potential, it is, at long last, back in the hands of someone who understands its true power"
Pumyra just smile wickedly after that, right before she bowed her head and replied "Oh, absolutely, my lord"
"There is only one stone left unattended now, and while the Thundercats may still live, it will be worth leaving them alive, if only to see the looks on their faces when they see me with the fourth and final power stone in my gauntlet."
Pumyra smiled even more wickedly after hearing that comment, but suddenly, the two are then interrupted when Slithe and Vultaire enter the chamber, along with four other Lizard troops.
"Ah, General Slithe, I was just about to summon you, is everything ready for our departure?"
"Not quite, Lord Mumm-Ra, the Lizard army is nearing completion with the preparations, but we still require a little more time to finish up"
"How much longer?" said Mumm-Ra, his look of joy now turned into a look of annoyance
"Um, according to Vultaire, another couple of hours at the very least" said Slithe
"A couple of hours, you idiots have had more than a couple of days, what is taking so long?!" said Pumyra
"A question I've often asked myself, but I suppose this sort of thing is to expected when your only engineers are a band of Lizards" said Vultaire, unknowingly getting an angry glare from Slithe "Still, regardless of how long it's taking, I assure you, my lord, all of the modifications we're making to your armada are only to ensure your acquisition of the last stone"
"Speaking of which, Vultaire, are you sure that you know where the last stone's location is? Because I, for one, do not appreciate being dragged on a wild goose chase" said Slithe
"Oh, relax yourself, my reptilian friend; I assure you that my coordinates are to the letter. We Avistans have been keeping a close eye on that primitive culture for years after all"
"(Chuckles) got scared that they might rise up against you one day…?" said Slithe, rather smugly
"What..? Of course not, it was purely a safety precaution; we did the same for all the animals in charge of a power stone"
"(Chuckles) so basically, you were scared that they would rise up against you" said a smug Pumyra
"The Avistans fear no…!"
"Enough, Vultaire, all of you just get down to the fleet and make sure that everything is prepared for our attack. The sooner we retrieve the last stone, the sooner the real fun can begin" said Mumm-Ra, right before he started to laugh his signature evil laugh
(Commercial Break)
The Thundercats soon arrived at the nearby village, and once they were there, they got out of the Thundertank and split up so that they could to take a look around. When they did, they were surprised to see that the inhabitants were all a race of humanoid sheep creatures: these were the Bolkins. As for the village itself, it seemed rather rustic, even by the standards of Dog City. The shops and houses seemed stable enough, but were still a little run down and the streets were nothing but dirt paths.
Still, the Cats were still in need of a map, so they looked around town in hopes of finding at least one shop that sold them. They didn't have much luck at first though, and, for a moment, while Lion-O was looking around, he could've sworn that someone was following him. He didn't see anyone when looked behind him the first time, but right after her went back to his searching, the steam coming from one of the local houses began to form some type of shape behind him. It seemed like an ordinary Steam cloud at first, but in mere seconds, it became the face of what looked like an elderly, yet lovely looking woman, and it was looking directly at Lion-O.
The young lion knew that there was something amiss at that point, but when he turned around for a second time, he once again saw nothing, as if the smoke cloud was never there at all. This puzzled him to be sure, but before he could give the matter anymore thought, Cheetara approached him and said-
"Still no luck any finding map shops, Lion-O"
This caught Lion-O off-guard for a moment, but he quickly got his mind off of what he thinks just happened and replied-
"Oh, well, uh, keep looking, there has to be someone here who sells maps. There just has to be"
The two Cats kept on walking after that, and during that time, Cheetara felt the need to reestablish her forgotten role as Lion-O's counselor and said—
"You know, it's okay to feel hurt about what happened in Avista City. What Pumyra did was a shock to all of us"
The young lion heard the cheetah's words, but he did not look her in the eyes to give his response. No, he just kept looking around, while maintaining a serious look on his face, and said-
"Yeah, I know"
Still, Cheetara could not sense any emotion in her king's response, so she kept talking
"What's with you, Lion-O? Ever since we lost the Tech Stone, you've been as quiet as the wind and more serious looking than Panthro. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, Cheetara, I'm just focusing on finding the next stone, that's all. You said it yourself, if we don't find the next stone, it's all over. And I cannot, I will not, allow that to happen. (Brief pause) I won't fail again"
Lion-O walked on ahead of Cheetara after that, but, as usual, Cheetara was quick notice the sudden shift in Lion-O's tone when he spoke. It started out in a very serious tone, but then it started to turn into an almost remorseful tone. No doubt to serve as a sign of Lion-O's inner turmoil. This made Cheetara all the more concerned for her king
Meanwhile, back at Mumm-Ra's pyramid, the Lizard army was seen preparing itself for some type of an invasion, and the ones overseeing all of this were non other than Mumm-Ra's four Generals, along with Pumyra. Vultaire looked upon all of this technology with pride and was particularly proud of the advancements he himself added.
"Amazing, isn't it, my friends? Your once highly advanced fleet is now even more advanced then before" the vulture said, as he looked upon the fleet of upgraded vehicles "But then, I was the one who upgraded them after all, so what else could they be besides highly advanced?"
That last comment made both Addicus and even Kaynar roll their eyes in an "Oh brother" sort of way. But Slithe just dryly said-
"Alright, Vultaire, we're all impressed by your technological know-how, good for you"
"Well, excuse me, Slithe; I was only admiring the considerable improvements I've made to your already advanced armada. Though, to be honest, I am a little concerned that the changes I've made will be too much for the Lizards to adjust to"
That last comment struck a nerve in Slithe and he was quick to respond to it by grabbing Vultaire by the wing and saying-
"What do you mean by that, Bird?"
"Well, let's face it, Slithe; the Lizards have never been the most advanced species on Third Earth, have they? How else do you think the Cats were able to walk all over you for as long as they did?" this statement only made Slithe more angry, but that didn't stop Vultaire from continuing by saying "In fact, I'd say that your kind is just barely below the Dogs and the Monkeys on the Animal food chain, and let's be honest, that's hardly saying very much"
It was then that Vultaire realized just how far he put his foot into his mouth; Kaynar and Addicus were none too happy about that last comment. Pumyra nearby at the time, but instead of watching, as the three generals advanced on the smug vulture, she just sighed and made an "oh brother" look on her face as she leaned up against a nearby hovercraft. This made her blissfully unaware of the two Lizard troops who were sneaking behind that very same hovercraft. They made sure that they were in good blind spot before they did anything, of course, but once they were certain that they were in the clear, one of the Lizards brought out a strange looking green crystal and placed it onto the side of Pumyra's hovercraft. It somehow latched on to the machine's haul, and what's more, once it was there, it started to blip like it were a piece of technology (specifically like the homing beacons used in the fall of Thundera). That was when the two Lizards smiled at one another and revealed that their signature red goggles had changed into a shade of blue. The two reptilians scurried away from the hovercraft at that point and elusively made their way far away from the Lizard fleet; no one even noticed them. This made the two Lizards confident enough to look back at the armada and admire the good work that they've already done; apparently, Pumyra's hovercraft was not the only vehicle to be given a glowing green crystal.
Suddenly, Pumyra felt a strong presence of some sort in the air, and it made her head throb painfully for a few seconds. It didn't cause her much pain, of course, but even so, the whole thing still left the Puma feeling a little bit baffled. Not that she had time to ponder on it for too long, mind you, because in mere seconds, the entire area around her started to surge with electrified green energy. Slithe and the other generals noticed this too (which was fortunate for Vultaire, because it was right before Addicus was about to pummel him), but unfortunately, all any of them could do was watch as the multiple bolts of green lightning began to strike every single vehicle in the Lizard fleet without mercy. Much of the fleet was destroyed within seconds, and while the Lizard army just scrambled about in scared confusion, Pumyra and the Generals just looked upon this mysterious occurrence with shock and amazement.
What nobody saw, however, was that the green energy was actually coming from the green crystals that were attached to the vehicles themselves. This was what they were for and seeing them in action only made the two blue-goggled Lizards all the happier as they made their unseen escape.
Meanwhile, in Mumm-Ra's chambers, the undead warlord himself was becoming aware that something was wrong in his Pyramid. Mainly because his magical pool had suddenly turned green and began to swirl like a whirlpool. He also went through a throbbing headache like Pumyra did, and when he looked up at the Ancient Spirit statues, he was shocked to see that their eyes had begun to flicker back and forth from their usual bright red to an even brighter shade of blue.
Eventually, all of this subsided, and when it did, Mumm-Ra's only response to it was-
"What-what a strange phenomenon, although, it does bring one name to mind"
Meanwhile, back at the Bolkin town, the Thundercats were all just returning to the Thundertank after, regrettably, coming back empty-handed from their search for a map. They had already searched every shop in this rustic town, and there was not one single map store among them.
"(Sigh) I can't believe we didn't find a single map store in this entire town" WilyKat moaned as looked at his sister…
…who then responded with "…There wasn't even a single map-maker in this entire town…"
"I guess, for whatever reason, these Bolkin creatures have no need of maps" Cheetara replied as she stood next to Tygra…
…who then dryly added "Doesn't surprise me, there's not a lot out here, why make a map when there's nothing to map out?"
"Well, isn't this just perfect?" said Lion-O "Another dead end for us and another moment for Mumm-Ra to get one step closer to finding the last stone. Just terrific"
"You know that this isn't your fault, Lion-O" said Cheetara, after she quickly noticed the sense of remorse and self-loathing in Lion-O's tone
"So this town didn't have any maps, big deal. We just picked the wrong place to look" Tygra added in a nonchalant sounding tone
That's when Panthro walked up to Lion-O and said "Look, kid, we just need to find another town and look for a map there, no big deal, let's get going"
Lion-O nodded in agreement after hearing that, and he and his subordinates all started to board the Thundertank with intent of leaving. However, before they could all get on board, they were suddenly hailed by two locals; a Bolkin with brown wool, and another with yellow wool.
"Um, excuse me, uh, feline beings?" said the Bolkin with brown wool
"Uh, forgive us for overhearing, but did you say that you needed a map?" said the Bolkin with yellow wool as he reached into the bag he was carrying and brought out a rolled up map (Convenient, huh?)
The Cats were surprised by this supposed stroke of good fortune, but that was before they actually looked at the map and saw that it only covered the general area.
"(Groans) still not the part of Third Earth we need" WilyKit groaned
That's when the Bolkin with brown wool looked up at the TCats with confusion and asked-
"I'm sorry, is there something wrong with the map?"
"No, it's not that, it's just, we need to get to a very specific location and to even get an idea of where it is, we need full map of Third Earth itself" explained Cheetara
"A full map of Third Earth, eh?" said the Bolkin with yellow wool, as he rubbed his fuzzy chin and pondered for a brief second before coming to a realization "I think I know just the place you need to visit"
"And that would be?" Asked Panthro
That's when the Bolkin with brown wool pointed to a part of the map that showed a small mountain range found due west, and said-
"Here; the Aresian Mountains, the only mountain range within sight of our village and the ancient home of the Bull Bolkins…"
"Bull Bolkins?" Asked WilyKat
"Yes, a much larger breed of Bolkins. Not like the ones who live here in our village; oh no. They're much more aggressive, much more challenging, and they have the horns to back it all up. They hate it whenever anyone goes up to their mountains, that's why we regular Bolkins stay down here, where it's safe" replied the yellow furred Bolkin
"Well, if all of that's true, then why are you trying to send us up there?" Tygra asked
"Because, as troublesome as the Bull Bolkins are, they might just be the solution to your problem" said the brown Bolkin
"Come again?" said a confused WilyKit
"You see, in addition to being a bunch of thick-skulled savages, the Bull Bolkins are also surprisingly well skilled in the making of maps" the Yellow Bolkin explained
"Nobody's quite sure how, but the Bull Bolkins have managed to map out every corner of Third Earth. If you need to find a specific location, those beasts are the ones to ask" the Brown Bolkin continued
As expected, the Thundercats were quick to hurry themselves towards this mountain range. And once they were gone, the two Bolkins were suddenly approached by a mysterious hooded woman wearing a dark blue robe, and she said-
"So, did they take the bait?"
"Oh, yes they did, mistress, absolutely, just like you said they would" said the Brown Bolkin
"They seemed fairly eager to take the offer, actually" added the Yellow Bolkin
"After all that's happened to them already, I wouldn't expect anything less. But now, wheels are within motion and it appears that it's time for me to do my part" the cloaked figure said as we got a close-up look at her hood shrouded head.
(Commercial Break)
It took a while, but eventually, the Thundercats arrived at the Aresian Mountain range by sunset. However once they were there, they were mildly put off by the giant ram skulls that acted as markers for the main path. One of the skulls even rested on a stone podium that had the following message carved into it-
"Turn back, all who come this way, or be forced to feel the deadly consequences of your failure!"
Cheetara read this message out loud, but while Kit, Kat and Snarf all looked worried, Lion-O showed no signs of fear at all, and instead just said-
"We'll rest here for the night; then we'll start climbing in the morning"
"So what, we're just ignoring these kinds of warnings now?" asked Tygra, as he watched Lion-O start to walk back to the Thundertank
"It said that there would be consequences for failing, but I won't be failing, not this time"
Cheetara heard every word of this, and it only further fueled her growing concern for her king. As he seemed a bit too concerned about not failing. WilyKit shared these feelings of concern and the two of them briefly shared a glance at each other before looking at Lion-O as he went back inside the Thundertank. However, what none of the TCats knew was that the hooded figure from the Bolkin village had followed them and was looking upon them from afar. Her true face remained unseen, but the way she stood implied that she was prepared to do something. What, exactly? Well that remains to be seen.
Anyway, the hours flew by and the Thundercats were all fast asleep in the Thundertank. But as soon as Snarf heard a loud noise coming from the outside; he immediately woke up and headed towards the nearest window to see what was causing all of the noise. He did see the cause, but when he did, the small, lizard-cat creature started to wish that he had not seen anything. A large horde of tall, shadowy creatures was surrounding the Thundertank, and they did not look friendly. Snarf immediately started to panic and went to wake the others, but while he did so, the horde outside began to throw large stones at the Thundertank, while they growled and shouted like members of a primitive tribe.
The Thundercats quickly made their way outside to confront the horde at this point, and when they did, they were surprised to see that these brutes appeared to be little more than much larger and muscular versions of the Bolkin people. They wore tatters instead of rustic clothing, they were as muscular as Addicus at the very most and Kaynar at the very least, and instead of having sheep's heads, they had the heads of curved-horned Rams with long, sharp, pointy teeth. These were the Bull Bolkins.
"Let me guess, the Bull Bolkins, right?" said Lion-O with a slight tint of sarcasm in his voice
That's when the leader of this horde, the tallest and most muscular of all the Bull Bolkins, came up to face the young lion, and said-
"Who wants to know…?"
"Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats"
"Oh really, well tell me, "Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats"; did you and your friends simply not see the marker that we put up at the main path or read the warning we carved into the stone over there? Because, in case none of that was straightforward enough for you, my people and I do not take kindly to strangers and trespassers!"
"Yeah, we were already informed about that, but we were also informed that your people are, somehow, expert map-makers" said Lion-O
"What of it?"
"We were told that you'd be the ones who would have a detailed map of all Third Earth; we need it. Simply let us have it and we'll leave your territory in peace. We didn't come here to start any trouble"
"(Softly scoffs) is that so?" said the Bull Bolkin leader as he smiled smugly, almost as if he were implying that he thought Lion-O was lying
That's when the large Bull Bolkin was called over by his vicious band and started to converse with them silently. Once they were done, he went back to confronting Lion-O and said-
"Alright, "Thundercat", my people and I have talked it over and the Bull Bolkins have decided to grant you your request, but on one condition: a challenge"
This made Lion-O growl in anger for a few moments, but that didn't stop the Bull Bolkin leader from talking-
"Oh, but don't worry, it's a fairly simple challenge, you see, every once in a while, we Bull Bolkins like to test our physical might, so, as a result, we created a game called "Grapple". The idea is that two people sit down, lock arms together and then attempt to push down each other's arms. The first person to do so is the winner. And since this is a matter between our two groups, it seems only fitting that this be a contest between the leaders, yes?"
Lion-O nodded in agreement to this challenge, of course, but because he did, the other Thundercats were left both shocked and worried, especially Snarf, Cheetara and WilyKit. Regardless though, the Bull Bolkins still led the TCats to a pile of stones that looked remarkably like a stone table of some kind. And when Lion-O and the Bull Bolkin leader approached it, they both started to prepare their right arms for the competition while the other Bull Bolkins looked upon this state of affairs with much anticipation. The other Tcats, however, were looking upon the state of affairs with much worry and concern, all the way to the part when both Lion-O and the Bull Bolkin leader sat down at the stone "table" and faced each other.
"Are we ready to begin, O' Lord of the Thundercats?" said the smug Bull Bolkin leader
"Yes" a stern Lion-O replied
"Oh and, uh, by the way, you understand that with my enormous and all, I can't always control my amazing strength. So, when I win this, you might feel a little numbness in your arm for a few days, after the obligatory searing pain, of course" the Bull Bolkin leader continued
"I'll take my chances" said Lion-O as he placed his right arm on the "table"
Only for the Bull Bolkin leader to do the same, while saying-
"Okay, but please remember to scream, that's the part I always look forward to the most"
After that, the competition finally began, and Lion-O and his Goat-faced opponent started to "grapple". They both gave it everything they had, but while both had their brief moments of gaining the upper-hand; neither was really making any head-way. This was saying a lot, actually, considering that the Lead Bull Bolkin was twice the size of his Feline adversary. The other Bull Bolkins were cheering on their leader the whole time, but the other Thundercats were still looking upon the whole thing with concern in their eyes, especially Snarf, Cheetara and WilyKit.
Meanwhile, back at Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, the Lizard army was faced with a completely decimated fleet of ships and was doing everything it could to repair it. Slithe and the other generals were overseeing these repairs, but they still couldn't figure out what caused all of this in the first place, particularly because all of the crystals responsible for this affair have all fallen off their respective ships and have all disintegrated into nothing.
"I still don't get it (hooping), what just happened?" asked Addicus
"Beats me, but whatever it was, it sure was a shock" joked Kaynar as he cackled insanely
"I have not witnessed this kind of power since the day I first saw Mumm-Ra use his" Slithe continued
"Indeed, and this power was just as precise, just as potent, and yet somehow…completely different" Vultaire added
"You're right, Vultaire, it was different, how though; I cannot say" the Lizard general replied, right before he noticed that someone in the hangar was missing. "Hey, where's Pumyra?"
"I think she went back up to Mumm-Ra's chambers, she sure looked like she was in a hurry to get there, too" said Kaynar, right before he started cackling again (this time for no particular reason)
Still, the Jackal was right; Pumyra had gone back up to Mumm-Ra's chambers and while she was there, her undead master said-
"So, that strange sensation, it happened to you as well, Pumyra?"
"Yes, master, and the strangest part of it was…the sensation felt somehow familiar"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, while I was travelling with the Thundercats, there were times when I didn't feel like myself, when I couldn't feel your all-enshrouding power. Like when I chose not finish Lion-O in the Pit, there was brief moment where I actually felt glad I didn't end it there"
That last part made Mumm-Ra a bit uneasy, but he hid it well when he said-
"That was only because we needed him to help unearth the Sword of Plun-Darr; nothing more, nothing less"
"That was what I thought too, but the feeling didn't stop there. It continued to hit me randomly throughout the entire time I was in Mount Plun-Darr. In fact, right after you took the Sword of Plun-Darr, I didn't start to feel like myself again until after we arrived in Avista City. I'm sorry, my Lord, but I can't explain it"
This only made Mumm-Ra more uneasy, and it showed by the way his eyes shuddered and the way his face looked. Pumyra noticed this and asked-
"Master, is something wrong?"
Mumm-Ra came out of his trance-like state after hearing this, and his reply was -
"I believe I know what the source of our trouble is, Pumyra. And until that problem is dealt with, our invasion is going to have to put on hold"
"On hold…? But, my Lord, the final stone…"
"…Can wait until later, Pumyra, we will deal with it and the Thundercats when time allows. But for right now, if the cause of that strange phenomenon is who I think it is then everything I have worked so hard to achieve is now at risk."
Pumyra wasn't sure what her undead master meant, but she knew better than to argue with him.
Meanwhile, back at the Aresian Mountains, Lion-O and the Bull Bolkin leader were still grappling, with neither side giving or gaining an inch. The other Bull Bolkins were still cheering on their leader, of course, but the other Thundercats chose to use this opportunity to talk amongst themselves-
"I just don't get it, why is Lion-O putting himself through all of this?" said WilyKit as she looked at her twin
"Well, we do really need that map, sis…" her brother replied
"Maybe, but Lion-O knows as well as we do that we could just as easily go somewhere else and find the map we need" Cheetara added "To go through all of this for piece of paper just seems pointless"
"Is it or is it exactly what Lion-O needs right now; an honest to goodness victory for himself?" said Tygra, in tone that seemed much more at ease than Cheetara or WilyKit's
"What are you talking about?" said Cheetara
"Did you think that Tygra's people were the only Cats that were proud? The Lions have a lot of Pride too, especially when they feel like they've failed somehow" said Panthro, in a tone that was just as calm and collected as Tygra's
"You mean Lion-O doing all of this because of what happened with Pumyra…?" said WilyKat after quickly coming to a realization
"…and because of what happened with the Tech Stone and because of what happened with the Sword of Plun-Darr…" Panthro carried on
"Those were all fiascos and Lion-O blames himself for them, I can see it in his eyes" said Tygra "He needs this, you guys, if he's going to have at least half the will to go on, he needs this"
Tygra's eyes never wavered once from his nonchalant tone when he said this, and the other Cats knew that he and Panthro were right, though they still did not like it one bit.
Anyway, during the competition, for a brief moment, Lion-O's arm was starting to go down, but as soon as he noticed this, he immediately started pushing back harder and kept on pushing until, finally, he brought down his opponent's arm, and thus won the competition. The Bull Bolkins groaned in disappointment, but the TCats all cheered in victory, with the obvious exception of Lion-O, who was still worn out by his little exertion.
As promised, the Bull Bolkins (begrudgingly) presented the TCats with a map from their collection, and just as they specified, it was a full map of all Third Earth.
"Alright, a deal's a deal, here's the map we agreed upon. Just like you wanted, it covers every corner of Third Earth, I hope the dust on it makes your eyes water when you blow it off, Thundercat" said the Bull Bolkin Leader as he gave the map to Lion-O
"Thank you very much" said Lion-O, while smiling smugly; implying that he knew fully well that the Bull Bolkin leader was angry and only wanted to make him more mad.
The group made their way back to the Thundertank afterwards, but while they did so, Cheetara and Tygra got to talking-
"One thing's still bothering me, though" said the Cheetah Cleric "The Bull Bolkins attacked us while we were still on the outside of the Aresian Mountain range, why venture out of their own territory just to attack campers?"
"You heard the regular Bolkins; those people are savages. Who knows what their civilization considers to be logical?" Tygra replied
Once the TCats were out of hearing range, one of the Bull Bolkins approached his leader and said-
"Master, I am so sorry about all of this"
"(Sighs) this is what I get for listening to you, Muvang; "challenge the Lion to a grapple match" you said, "Humiliate him while breaking his arm as a bonus" you said, "That will make the Cats sorry" you said. Oh yeah, Muvang, I'm sure that the Cats are feeling low right now. They'll probably spend all night crying in that map they won off of us!"
"Master, please…!" said Muvang in a gravelling-type way
It was then that the Bull Bolkin leader dropped his anger and instead, sighed in defeat, before saying—
"You know what, it doesn't matter now, what's done is done and, if nothing else, at least the Cats are leaving like they said. (Snorts angrily) I just wish that I could have done more to make those furry little runts hurt for what they did to us!"
"(Clears throat) yeah, about that, Master; forgive me for saying so, but are sure that those Cats were the ones we came looking for?" Said another Bull Bolkin as his statement caught the attention of the Bull Bolkin leader
"Why do you ask" the Bull Bolkin leader replied in an almost menacing fashion
"Well, sir, it just that when you claimed to be the only one who got a good look at the creature that attacked us earlier, you said that he was hooded figure dressed in a blue cloak. None of those Cats were wearing a blue cloak or anything resembling a blue cloak for that matter" said the third Bull Bolkin
"Well, of course not, you fool; the Cat responsible for that attack knew we would come after him, so in hopes of throwing us off the trail, he abandoned his blue cloak and tried to evade us by blending in with the other Cats. It's just that simple"
The other Bull Bolkins weren't entirely convinced by their leader's reasoning, but that didn't stop him from continuing with-
"…Anyway, let's get back up to the mountains"
- While giving the order to head back up. But he did so with his left hand, because his right one was still sore from his bout Lion-O.
Meanwhile, from a far away distance, the two sides were both being watched by the same hooded figure from before, and considering how torn and dirty her robes were, it could be assumed that this was the person who attacked the Bull Bolkins and led them to the TCats. Anyway, the figure looked upon the two groups as they all went their separate ways and then went off in another direction in a very mysterious fashion.
We next see her approaching a part of the mountain side, where she then used a small rock to carve a strange and ancient looking design onto the stone wall. Once the design was finished, the hooded figure just backed away as the design she just drew started to glow and float off the mountainside altogether. Once it was in midair, the design quickly transformed into glowing green circle that only showed a pair of bright blue human eyes. And from out of this circle… came a voice.
"Ah, my lost soul, I was just thinking about you. I assume that everything went well on your end, yes?" is what the voice said, and the sheer tone of it would indicate that it was an elderly woman who was speaking.
"It went exactly as said, Milady" said the hooded figure after she bowed her head to the glowing circle "But, I have to be honest with you, it didn't exactly do wonders for my conscience to actually attack the Bull Bolkins and then lead them right to the Thundercats, just so that they could have a possibly dangerous contest of strength. The whole thing felt kind of…wrong"
"And I can understand those feelings, my child, but I assure you, it was a necessary action to take. As the Tiger Prince himself put it; Lion-O needed this victory if he was going to be able to carry on after…well you know"
"Yeah, I do, however, I'm still not sure that this type of "victory" was enough to make all of the damage done in Avista just go away. If it even can just go away…"
"Fret not, my dear, our plan is in motion and the Thundercats are on the right track now, we just need to be patient for now. Soon, the truth will come out and when it does, the healing for our young Lion can truly begin"
"…What about Mumm-Ra, how did things work out with him?"
"I've managed to delay him by crippling his fleet, but I fear it will not be long before his forces are up and running again. (Snickers) fortunately, finding the next stone is last thing on his mind right now"
"You mean…?"
"That's right, my child, he knows it was me, and with any luck, his hunt for me will buy Lion-O and his friends all the time they need. But for right now, I want you to go back to the village and await further instructions. And tell the others to do the same while you're at it"
The hooded figure then got down on her knees and said-
"Yes, milady"
Meanwhile, the Thundercats had returned to the Thundertank, and when they were there, they activated the Book of Omens once again and then compared the next stone's location to their newly acquired map of Third Earth. However, much to their surprise, they discover that the next stone's location is in the middle of the Great Sea.
(Episode Ends)
