A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this new chapter posted. Life happened, and I simply didn't have the time. It was also difficult with all these ideas bouncing around in my head, I could stop until they were all out. I hope you enjoy, and remember, I don'yown the TC or make anything off of them.
Chapter 7
The next day brought with it an excitement that was almost palpable. Everyone was more than ready to head into town and enjoy themselves for a while. Even the usually stoic Panther-O was anxious to see what it had to offer. As they were all preparing to leave for the day, Lion-O couldn't help but notice that something was wrong with Cheetara. Her normally bright and chipper attitude was missing today. She was quiet and withdrawn, and she seemed to be avoiding both Tygra and Lion-O.
Tygra had mentioned that she had another night-terror last night; perhaps that was the reason why, though Lion-O thought this was a little odd. She would normally seek him out after a night-terror and they would discuss it. She had always told him that talking it through helped her understand it better and made it easier to deal with. Maybe, with the excitement of going into town, she just didn't want to bother him with it yet. Whatever the reason, he made a mental note to ask her about it later.
The city of Altintas was very busy this morning. Although it was paled in comparison to Thundera, it was still the largest city in the region, and today marked the opening of the harvest fair. As such, hundreds of people have come from the surrounding areas to buy, sell, or trade their goods. There were Cats and Dogs, Rabbits and Birds, Badgers and Rodents, and a variety of other species present making the crowd appear to be a massive wave of pulsating colors and shapes.
Storekeepers began to open their shops for the day; sweeping their sidewalks, placing their samples out front, and greeting the people and they passed on by. Children raced one another or played games, as families moved their way down the streets browsing the goods as the went. Vendors set up their various wares in stalls within the large open Bazaar at the far end of town, calling to the passersby to come and view their displays.
The eyes on both of the Wiley-kits were as wide as saucers as they took in the festive view. Their mouths began to water as they looked upon the large open eatery. There were booths that offered different foods and drinks, tables set out for customers to sit and enjoy their meals and a large stage where bands or other performers could entertain the crowds. There was even a roped off area where patrons could dance to the lively music. "Can we try some of the food Lion-O" the kits begged simultaneously, "Can we…PLEASE!"
Lion-O chuckled out loud as he looked into the pleading faces of the young twins. "Of course we can get some food." He replied. The other thundercats were also snickering at the children's antics, but they all agreed that food sounded like a good idea. They sampled the various foods from different booths and all of it tasted great. After deciding what they wanted, they purchased their meals and sat down to eat.
"Since we will be here for a few days, and the harvest fair will be going on all week," Lion-O began, "I think we should buy all of our necessary supplies now. That way when we come back, we can just enjoy ourselves." He then nonchalantly shot a questioning look towards his brother. Realizing what the look meant, Tygra nodded his head, very slightly, up and down. "In fact, we could even pick up a few things for a Picnic" the lion stated, bringing his hand to his chin in mock consideration, "What do you say guys" he finally asked looking directly at the Wiley kittens, "Would you like that?"
The cubs both cheered their agreement and rushed over to thank the young king, nearly tackling him to the ground in the process. Meanwhile, as this was going on, Tygra leaned over and whispered to Cheetara "and while they are off at their picnic, we can enjoy our day together without any interruptions." The cheetah's cheeks blushed red as she looked down and simply nodded.
The rest of the time there went by swiftly. They were able to buy all of the necessary supplies they needed as well as a few extra treats for their picnic. Tygra even managed to make some mental notes of special places he wanted to take Cheetara on their date. On their way back to camp, Lion-O called Kit and Kat over to him and related what they needed to do before their big day. "I want to get as much done as we can today," he explained, "That way, we have all day tomorrow to enjoy ourselves. So that means we gather as much firewood and water as we can and do everything else that we need to do, so that after breakfast tomorrow we can head straight out." "Okay Lion-O," came their response. They couldn't wait to have a whole day to themselves with nothing to do but relax and play.
Once they had made their way back to camp, the team divided the work between them. Each cat was looking forward to a day of relaxation, for his or her own personal reasons. So it was imperative that they took care of their responsibilities now, so as not to prevent them from making the most of their time later. The twins took the buckets down to the river to fetch the water while Lion-O grabbed an axe and headed off to the forest to get their firewood. Now, Lion-O was against cutting down any tree just for firewood, fortunately there was plenty of fallen trees and logs around that were available for their use. Unfortunately, many of them were just too big to be carried or pulled to the campsite, which is why Lion-O had brought the axe.
An hour or so later, Cheetara found herself walking through the woods in search of her king. He had gone out to get firewood and hadn't come back yet. As she followed the sound of wood being chopped, she came upon a sight that stopped her short. There in a clearing only a few yards away form her, was Lion-O placing a log onto a level stump. His shirt was laying on a nearby rock, and he was covered in a thick layer of sweat. She wrapped her hand around a small branch of a nearby sandalwood tree as she silently gazed at him. His glistening body was reflecting the day's sunlight, giving his outline a radiant glow. She watched closely as the corded muscles in his back rippled and moved as he lifted the axe high above his head; and she saw the powerful sinews in his arms as he effortlessly brought the axe down with enough force to split the log in half. She was somewhat surprised at how fluidly he moved as he first repositioned the wood, and then returned to his original spot so that he could repeat the process.
That was when she was hit by a wave of his masculine scent. Her eyes snapped shut and she gasped as images of the previous night's dream came flooding into her mind. The smell of his body and the taste of his skin came rushing back to her, along with a torrent of other memories. She could actually feel the touch of his hands, so gentle and loving, that her skin began to tingle. So unexpected was this onslaught, that if she had not been holding on to that tree, she probably would have stumbled and fell.
Lion-O heard a sound behind him, when he turned he saw the profile of his cleric. Her eyes were closed and it looked like the only thing holding her up was her grasp on the tree she was standing next to. "Cheetara!" he called as he dropped the axe and rushed to her side; reaching for her to ensure that she wouldn't fall. "Are you okay?"
Cheetara's eyes flew open as soon as she heard her name. A second later and he was by her side supporting her. Being this close to him was making her head swim, why was her body reacting this way? She realized at that moment that he was asking her something, but the words just didn't quite register. By the Ancients why does he smell so... "Yes Lion-O," she finally replied, blinking her eyes and shaking her head a little. His words had finally clicked in her mind. "I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy there for a moment." She paused for a second, and then continued, "I just need a little time and something to drink and I'll be alright." The cheetah then steadied herself and patted his shoulder to reassure him that she would, in fact, be alright.
Lion-O slowly released the arm he had been holding, still unsure if this was a good idea. After seeing that she could stand on her own, he seemed to settle down a little. "Are you certain you will be alright?" he inquired, concern was clearly written on his face. She swallowed hard and nodded her head. "I'll be fine." She reiterated. "I just came out to check on you." She stated, suddenly remembering why she was out there. "You've been gone a while and nobody has heard from you."
"Sorry" he responded sheepishly, "I just got into a rhythm and lost track of time. Besides, I wanted to finish splitting all of the wood before I started hauling any of it back to camp." The fact that I have been thinking of you the whole time doesn't need to be said, he thought to himself sarcastically, nether does the fact that chopping wood is a great way for me to work off my frustration.
She nodded her head in understanding. "Do you need any help getting it all back to camp?" she asked, glad that she had succeeded in getting control over her emotions. "Um…. yes, actually I do." He answered, looking back at the huge pile of cut wood. "I think I've split enough wood to last us for almost a week." She giggled softly at his response as they both got up and headed for the stockpiled wood.
It was a few short hours after sunrise the next morning when the thundercats found themselves ready to part their separate ways. Lion-O and the kits had packed and were ready to enjoy their picnic, while Tygra was eager for Cheetara and him to start off for the city.
Panther-O was the only one that was remaining in the camp. He planned to use this time to perform some repair work on the thundertank as well as do a little preventative maintenance to boot. He noticed that a hydraulic line was damaged and was in desperate need of replacement, so he figured now was the best time to do that. Besides, if they wait too long and it goes out on them, they could end up stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Before they departed, they each agreed that they should return prior to the sun completely setting. It was better for everyone to be with the group at the campsite after darkness fell. With their 'goodbyes' said the two groups headed off in their own directions; Lion-O and the twins started off towards the river, while the two older cats headed towards the town.
The bazaar was full of people this morning; the vendors were trying to attract new customers and the crowds were busy browsing the merchandise looking for the best deals. Cheetara let her fingers lightly glide over the bindings of the books she was looking through. There were so many good writings here that she was having a hard time choosing. "Who is your favorite author?" she asked as she moved her eyes from the books to the tiger that was standing next to her.
"I don't really have one," Tygra replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I never enjoyed reading just for the fun of it; there was always so much to do outside."
"I thought that the royals were taught a wide variety of things?" Cheetara inquired, turning so that she could look at her companion easier.
"Oh, we are," he hastily answered. "We are both schooled in History, Economics, Politics, Courtly Customs and Courtesies, Etiquettes and even Ballroom Dance. Why…HEY! Don't laugh!" he warned when he saw her hand quickly come up to cover her mouth. After a moment, she schooled her features back to normal and signaled him to continue. "Anyway, it is in the electives where we differ. I always enjoyed sports and outdoor activities like Archery; when I got older, my interest turn to Weapons and Military Tactics. Since Lion-O could never compete with me, he stayed inside and became a 'bookworm'. He actually enjoyed studying things like Science and Literature." Tygra then shook his head like the idea was inconceivable to him.
Cheetara just nodded to him, this actually made sense to her. Lion-O loved science and technology, but he also seemed to be so much better versed in areas like philosophy and religion too. You could see it in the way that he spoke to you. This also explained why Tygra was so proficient in other things like battle strategies and tactics. She briefly wondered if this was yet another reason why their personalities clashed so much. She also wondered how accurate Tygra's statement would be now; with as hard as Lion-O has been pushing himself with his training and his conditioning, his brother would be hard pressed to beat him the way he has done in the past, and that thought brought a small smile to her face.
After making a few selections, Cheetara and Tygra continued their browsing of the market. It was on their way out that they came upon a stall that was much busier than all the others. As they got closer, Tygra noticed a variety of fragrances assaulting him. Some were spicy, while others were woodsy. Some smells were sweet and some were musky.
"What is this place?" he asked her as they entered the crowded area. "A traveling Apothecary." She replied casually as she examined some items on a nearby shelf. Tygra just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "An apothecary is a potions maker" she explained. "They gather and process the ingredients that many herbalists and doctors use for their medicines. They also collect the incenses and oils that clerics and priest use in their ceremonies and rituals." Cheetara smiled as an almost forgotten lesson came to mind. "When we travel, clerics often look for apothecaries to replenish our supplies. You never know what you will need out there, and it's always nice to have a few extra medicines on hand." Tygra nodded his acceptance to the validity of that fact, and Cheetara returned to her shopping.
While she continued to look through the herbs and spices, she came upon a nice selection of fresh sandalwood. As she inhaled the woody fragrance, the picture of Lion-O chopping wood came to mind. She felt her breathing speed up as she remembered the way his toned body moved as he repeatedly worked the axe.
"What is that look" Tygra questioned as he bumped her shoulder playfully, "You have the goofiest grin on your face right now!"
"Nothing," she replied while lowering her eyes. The heat in her cheeks told her that she was still blushing profusely. "I was just…. re-living a pleasant memory."
"Want to tell me about it?" he inquired, wagging his eyebrows earnestly.
"Trust me," She responded with a smirk on her lips, "It's nothing you would want to know about."
"Okay, okay." He stated as he brought his hands up in a sign of surrender. "If you say so, but what made you think of it in the first place?"
"The sandalwood" she answered honestly. "Smells are the strongest trigger to memories that we have. Don't you have a memory that's always triggered by a particular smell?"
"Yeah, Lilacs" he said as he started to gaze off. "I remember my mom holding me in her lap while sitting in the palace garden every time I smell Lilacs, they were her favorite."
"Oh, that's sweet!" she said as she brought her hand up to gently cup the tiger's face. "That's a special memory for you, and I'm glad that you will always have it."
He gently held his hand against hers, "Thank-you" was his only reply.
After a short time, they had gathered up the supplies that they wanted and waited in line to pay for their goods. Tygra shifted uncomfortably as they stood there waiting. The line was moving slowly, very slowly, and he wondered what the delay was. As he looked to the front of the line, he noticed a weasel, presumably the proprietor, weighing all of the items that the customers were buying.
Now, this in and of itself was not strange, because that was how all of the vendors determined how much you owed. You paid a certain amount per ounce and you weighed the substance on a scale against brass weights to determine the total that you needed to pay. What was different was the way he was doing it. He was being cautious, practically too cautious. He was very gentle with the weights, almost as if they were fragile. In fact, he was more worried about the weights than he was about spilling any of the customer's purchases. This didn't set well with Tygra, the scale that he was using didn't look new, nor did the weights for that matter. They didn't shine like new brass normally did, and when he looked closer at them they seemed to be rather dull, like they needed to be polished. This also didn't feel right to Tygra. He's known many merchants over the years, and they all took good care of their scales and weights. After all, this was what they used to get paid, so they definitely took care of them.
When they finally approached the table, Cheetara handed her items over to be measured. Tygra watched closely as the weasel slid each selection onto the scale and then counterbalanced them with the weights.
"Seven ounces" the vendor said before looking up at the cheetah. He smiled politely as he started to put her purchases into a small bag.
"That seems a little high" she remarked mostly to herself, "I though I was a better judge of weight than that"
"You are." Tygra replied, then quickly grabbed one of the weights from off the table. "STOP" The weasel yelled; he tried to stop him as soon as he saw him move, but Tygra was too fast for him. As soon as he had it in his hand, Tygra knew the weight was fake. He placed it between both hands and snapped it right in half. He lifted up both hands and showed everyone that it has made of clay rather than brass. "This man is a liar and a cheat." He called out loudly to get everyone's attention. "He has been using fake weights in order to charge you more for your purchases"
"That's a Lie" the weasel shot back, but he never got to finish his argument. He was immediately enveloped by a mob of angry customers demanding their money back while others shouted for the town guard. "Let's get out of here" Tygra whispered as he took hold of Cheetara's hand and led her away from the growing chaos.
This was not how he planned on spending his day with her; he didn't need any more problems. Luckily, the day was still young and he had other plans that he could, hopefully, bring to light. If nothing else, there was always time for dinner and dancing…
Lion-O was really enjoying his time with the thundercubs. The afternoon had started off warm and bright and the kits were bouncing with anticipation of their day out. This was the perfect distraction to help him keep his mind off of….other things. They had decided to take their picnic down to the river where they found a nice open place to lay out all of their stuff. They started off by playing catch, but that quickly evolved into a game of 'Monkian in the middle' with Lion-O being the said monkian. They threw the ball over his head then taunted him until he came close only to throw it again at the last second. This quickly evolved into a game of freeze tag and that lasted for what seemed like quite a while; it definitely succeeded in burning up the majority of their energy. All of that running around had left the trio hot, sweaty, and pretty dusty. They remedied this little problem by removing their shoes and wading into the river. The water was cool and refreshing and the current was very gentle. It was only about waist deep, which was more than enough to swim and play in. Wiley-Kat demonstrated one of his near flawless cannon-balls as he threw himself off one of the nearby rocks causing a torrent of water to splash across Lion-O and his sister. This earned him swift retaliation in the form of a two-on-one water fight that left all three soaked and nearly waterlogged.
After returning to their blanket, they basked in the sun as they leisurely enjoyed the lunch they had prepared for the day. Lion-O noted how nice it felt to just lean back and enjoy the warmth as he allowed the suns rays to dry his still damp clothing. Try as he might, his mind kept circling around back to Cheetara. She had become a constant thought in his mind lately; a warm comforting companion that was always there. He couldn't keep from wondering what was she doing now, was she having fun with Tygra? Or was she thinking of him as well? Though it pained him to think of who she was with, he wanted her to enjoy her time, even if it wasn't with him. He wanted her to be happy, regardless of what it took. That was why he encouraged her to go with him today, but by the ancients why did it have to hurt so much?
As evening was beginning to fall, they re-dressed themselves and starting packing up their things for the day. That was when Lion-O felt a rumble coming from the Sword of Omens. He looked down and saw the Eye of Thundera glowing brightly as it growled out its warning. He quickly brought the hilt of the sword in front of his face and declared, "Sword of Omens, give me Sight beyond Sight."
Wiley Kit saw the hilt of the sword grow around Lion-O s eyes and encompass them as he asked for his sight beyond sight. She observed that his eyes began to glow a brilliant white as the sword revealed its vision to him and she wondered what it could possibly be. That's when she noticed that all of the blood had drained from his features. With a look of horror that she had never before seen on his face, Lion-O uttered a single word "Whiskers…"
It was late afternoon when the two cats decided to leave the city. Cheetara's diminutive paw was tucked securely in Tygra's larger one; his grip was firm and almost possessive as he led them on a leisurely stroll down the path that marked the way back to the campsite. Their fingers were not intertwined though, and as they walked, he thought back over the day they had just spent together. Even though it had only been the two of them here today, there were times that he felt like he needed to fight for her attention. She would often gaze off into the distance, like something was drawing here consideration away form him. The funny thing was that every time she did it, a silly little smirk would creep onto her lips. Still, he reminded himself that they were alone, and that he had better make the best use of what little time he had with her.
Lion-O was running as fast as his legs would carry him. His heart was racing and for the fifth time in the last ten minutes, he wished he had Cheetara's speed. He kept his legs pumping as hard as he could and his lungs began to burn as thy tried to pull in more and more oxygen. This was not the longest he has ever run, but this was the first time he has sprinted the entire way. The road they would be on was still over half of a mile ahead of him, and prayed to the ancients he would get there in time…
Tygra stopped near a large boulder along the side of the road and brought Cheetara to stand in front of him. He slipped his arms around her slender waist and clasped his hands together, resting them in the small of her back. He gazed affectionately as the lovely cheetah before him. Even though this date didn't go exactly the way he planned, he still didn't want it to end just yet. The light from the setting sun was giving her mane a golden hue. The effect was beautiful and made it look as if she were glowing radiantly. He brought her close as he leaned in, his lips seeking hers.
Cheetara let him pull her in for a kiss and even responded, her lips meshed with his and her arms coiled themselves around his neck; but she found that her heart was just not into it. The intensity and desire that she had always felt before, was definitely missing.
Tygra sighed to himself as he ended their kiss. Her passion was gone, he could tell. He knew it by the way she reacted to him; it wasn't the enthusiastic reciprocation that she normally gave, it felt like she was merely going through the motions. His heart began to ache when he thought of the possibility of losing the incredible woman, what would he do if she decided to leave him? Before he could even begin to contemplate the idea, he was brought out of his reverie by the sounds of something quickly approaching them from the wooded area across the road.
Lion-O slowed only momentarily as he broke through the brush into the clearing. He quickly located his brother and Cheetara standing along the opposite side of the road and headed for them immediately. They were only about 25 yards away, but the distance seemed immense. His legs burned with fatigue and moved sluggishly like they weighed a ton. His breathing was ragged and his lungs felt like they would explode. "Tygra….take….cover!" he managed to shout as he rapidly closed the gap between them.
"Take over?! Take over what?" Tygra questioned as he stared at the lion with a puzzled look on his face. It was at that moment that Lion-O launched himself at his brother tackling him to the ground. Lion-O hit Tygra with enough force to slam the tiger right onto his back, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Unfortunately, the momentum was also so great that when Lion-O came down he bashed his head hard against the unyielding ground.
"LION-O, WHAT IN THE ABYSS!" Tygra yelled a moment later as he tried repeatedly to kick his brother off of him. He was absolutely furious now. First his date with Cheetara bombs out because she is so distracted she can't think straight, then it gets even worse when she kisses him with all of the passion of a dying goldfish, and now his idiot brother tries using him as a freaking tackling dummy.
Tygra nearly jumped out of his skin when Cheetara screamed "LION-O!" This was not the sound of anger or frustration by any means; this was the sound of terror. He promptly looked at the cheetah and followed her gaze back to his unresponsive brother. There between his hip and his ribcage, approximately a hand-width apart from each other, protruded two black shafts. They watched in shocked disbelief as the blood started leaking out from around the two wounds and began to spill into a pool of crimson red beneath him.
Tygra immediately threw himself back trying to dislodge his legs from underneath the lion's body. This act very well may have saved his life, because a second after he moved, two black streaks flew in front of his face. He quickly turned to see two more shafts sticking out of the ground next to him. "There still shooting at us!" he warned, but Cheetara was already gone in a blaze of golden light.
Cheetara raced down the path with fury churning in her stomach. She had traced the path of the second set of arrows as soon as she had seen them. While she scanned the area, she saw the gleam of reflected light that indicated the whereabouts of their attackers, and then she was off. The image of Lion-O's body lying in a pool of his own blood burned into her memory like a branding iron. Of its own volition, her hand closed around her staff and pulled it free of its sheath. With a quick flick of her wrist, her staff grew to its six foot length as she held it at the low ready. Her rage and fear boiled inside of her, compelling her feet to move at higher and higher rates. Lion-O needed immediate medical attention, but they couldn't move him while they were still in danger of being shot at. She would soon deal with the ones that dared to harm him, and deal with them severely; her wrath would be unleashed upon any who tried to take him from her.
The two would-be assassins ducked back down behind their boulder. They needed to reload their crossbows quickly in hopes of getting off another shot. They had no idea where that crazy lion came from, and truthfully they didn't care. Nor did they really care who the tiger was, only that they had been paid a great deal of money to take him out. So they would put a couple of bolts into him and be on there way to enjoy their newfound wealth.
The sound of a high pitched squeal distracted the two rodents from what they were doing. They looked around for the source of the noise when they saw a yellow light streaking towards them. Unfortunately for them, they would never see anything after that.
The rats never knew what hit them. Once Cheetara had seen her attackers, she shot at them like a bolt of lightning. She brought the center of her staff to her chest and leaned forward as she ran in between them. Traveling at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour, her ironwood staff struck like a clap of thunder with a resounding 'CCrrraaaacckkk!'. The force of the blow was more than sufficient to crush their skulls on impact; the poor fools were both dead before the even hit the ground.
When Cheetara returned to where Lion-O was laying, she discovered that Tygra had ripped off aportion of his shirt to use as bandages as he tried to restrict the flow of blood coming from his brother's side. "We need to get him to a doctor as soon as possible." He exclaimed with a worried look on his face. He was trying to apply as much direct pressure as possible to the injuries, but he was not having much success. He also knew that he could not remove those shafts because the arrowheads were barbed and designed to rip the flesh if they were pulled out. "I think one or possibly both of these arrows have hit his spleen; that means he doesn't have much time left. What's worse is that we can't even pull these blasted shafts out, because they're the only things stopping the blood from gushing out of him like a river."
"We have even bigger problems than that" Cheetara said in a voice that sounded hollow and dead. Tygra watched as she lifted up one of her paws, it was shaking visibly, and in it she held a single black arrow. The tip of the arrowhead was cover in a bright green slime. "I don't know exactly what this green stuff is…but I'm pretty sure that it's poison."
Tygra's face lost all expression and his body went completely numb. His brain stopped processing anything for a moment and he just stared at the tip of the shaft that the cheetah held in her hand. A couple of seconds later, when his brain finally started working again, he muttered the only word that came to his mind, "Whiskers…."
To be continued…
A/N: Many animals, humans included, use smells to attract potentail mates. Both males and females do it, and many people are attracted/stimulated by different things. If this was not the case, the perfume/cologne/deorderant business would not be the Billion dollar industry it is today. Since the Thundercats have a more accute since of smell, they react more powerfully to different scents.
