4
Leanne followed Lion-O through the streets of the city until they came to an area that was very familiar, and she recognized it as the seedy part of town where she had lost the guards the first time. Snarf let out uneasy mews as they walked through.
"Relax, Snarf." Lion-O said to him with a laugh, "You think we're gonna get killed every time we come to this part of town."
"That's a pretty decent assumption when you think about it." Leanne whispered to him.
"Where do you think you're going, mutt?" A rough voice shouted. Leanne and Lion-O looked to see, as well as everyone else, a dog that was getting roughed up by a few cats. She recognized them as the posse from before. They threw the dog against a stand, like they had with another dog yesterday. He grabbed this one by the collar as he whimpered and yanked him up, "That's right, pay up or get hurt." Lion-O walked closer to the group, glaring at them. Snarf mewed again and tugged on Lion-O's cloak.
"No, they're not cats, Snarf." Lion-O said, referring to the dog they were hurting, "But no one should be treated like that."
The leader of the gang turned around, glaring at Lion-O's form hidden underneath the cloak.
"What are you lookin' at?" He demanded.
"Whiskers…" Lion-O hissed, Leanne assumed this was a ThunderCat version of a curse word. They watched as the posse surrounded them. Snarf ran and hid behind Lion-O's cloak.
"You gotta pay up, too." The big cat man said, "In the slums, everyone's a dog." He held out his hand for Lion-O's money. His yellow-eyed gaze went over to Leanne, who shrunk slightly behind Lion-O. He raised a furry eyebrow, "Don't I know you?"
Leanne didn't answer, not wanting to cause a panic in the slums like she had last time.
"I have a feeling you're the one who's going to pay." Lion-O said, reaching out and grabbing the cat man's hand painfully and throwing him back. The only female cat member of the group pulled out a knife and was about to put it at Lion-O's throat, before Leanne grabbed her arm and stopped her before she could, bringing her hand down so she could see her face. Her eyes widened at the sight of Leanne, and she smirked.
"Hi," She greeted, she pulled her fist back and, using some of her newfound powers, made a gust of wind increase the speed of her fist as she punched her in the face. The shortest of the group came running at Lion-O, wielding a knife, and Lion-O kicked him back. The last member of the group let out a battle cry as he ran at Leanne with his sword. Snarf ducked between his feet, weaving in and out of them as he ran, causing him to lose his footing before he even got to her. Leanne smiled down at the little creature, "Thanks, Snarf." The little creature mewed happily, then looked worriedly at something behind Leanne's back and she turned to see the big cat man had gotten up and held Lion-O in a chokehold.
"Now, I'm gonna gut you like a fish!" He threatened, tightening his grip as Lion-O struggled against his gigantic arms. Leanne was about to stop him, when something hit him on the back of his head, making him fall temporarily unconscious and drop Lion-O. Leanne recognized the silhouette of the person spinning their staff around before having it go down onto the ground to show that they weren't going to attack anymore.
"Not that I needed it," Lion-O said, adjusting his cloak, "But who can I thank for the assist?" The person stepped into the light and Leanne smiled when she recognized the cleric from the other day.
"Cheetara!" She said happily, Cheetara smiled back at her. Lion-O looked over at Leanne curiously.
"You know her?" He asked, Leanne nodded.
"Yeah, she was helping me train earlier." She said. Lion-O looked back at her.
"Hello—" He cleared his throat when his voice cracked, and Leanne snickered at the sound of it, "Hello there."
"I'm sure the king would not be happy to learn that his son was wrestling alley cats." Cheetara said. Lion-O sighed and pulled his hood off, revealing his red mane of hair. The cats he had been fighting earlier saw this and the leader looked at him with wide eyes.
"He's the prince?!" His eyes darted to Leanne and he saw her face, his eyes flashed in recognition as she winked at him, sticking out her tongue, "It's the Wood Forger from yesterday! Scatter!" His goons didn't need to be told twice as they ran off, away from the two of them.
"It's my dirtiest cloak, and it's still a bad disguise." Lion-O sighed with a smile as he adjusted the clip on his cloak.
"What's so important you'd risk your life coming down here?" Cheetara asked.
"That depends," Lion-O said with a smirk, "Can you keep a secret?" Cheetara mirrored his smirk and followed him as he pulled up his hood again. She walked so she would be in-step with Leanne. "It's just a quick little visit to an old friend in the slums. It won't take too long." Cheetara quirked an eyebrow at Leanne as they walked, and Leanne looked back at her, mirroring her look in confusion.
"What?" She asked with a small laugh.
"'That Wood Forger from yesterday'?" Cheetara asked, repeating the words of the leader cat, "What was that about?" Lion-O looked over his shoulder, wanting to hear Leanne's answer. She giggled in response.
"I may have run into them yesterday." She said with a smile, "And I might have found them being bullies towards another dog, and perhaps I taught them a little lesson. Maybe." Cheetara smirked and said nothing as they kept following Lion-O to the edge of the slums, and Leanne was a bit nervous about traveling down a pathway on the edge of the cliff, but followed Lion-O and Cheetara down, trying not to think about it. She kept her eyes on the wall of the cliff they were passing, and not looking over the edge to the ground waiting below. She wasn't afraid of heights, though. If that were the case, she would never go free-running. No, it was just falling from heights that scared her. It was strange for someone who would actually perform free-running, but that's just how she was. She would push herself in her free-running to try and overcome her fear.
After what seemed to be a risky eternity, they finally reached their destination. Leanne's eyes widened when she saw who Lion-O had come to see. It was the dog she had helped the other day.
"Lion-O!" The old dog said happily when he saw him, "Come in, come in! I have something for you." He went back into his hut. Leanne's eyes met his for a split second before he smiled and the curtain doors fell closed behind him.
"Jorma here sells certain, hard-to-find… collectables." Lion-O explained to the two girls with him.
"I think the proper term here is 'black market items'." Leanne said.
"They're more than that." Lion-O said, going inside. Leanne and Cheetara shared an uncertain glance with each other before following him. What they saw surprised them both.
"What is all this?" Cheetara asked, looking around at everything with wide eyes. Leanne was no different. She reached out to one of the strange things and looked it over. It was definitely technology of some kind, but it was more advanced than any she had ever seen. One looked like the head of a tentacle creature, and she warily fingered one of the metal tentacles and looked at the strange red lenses that might have been its eyes. She looked over at Lion-O and saw he was holding something that looked like a mechanical robot arm.
"It's what's out there." Lion-O said, "Beyond Thundera's walls. What the Book of Omens calls technology." Lion-O tossed the robot arm to Cheetara, who easily caught it.
"Doesn't everyone think those stories are just fairy tales?" Cheetara asked, putting the arm down. Jorma went over to something he had covered with a drape and pulled it back.
"You think this is a fairy tale?" He asked, everyone went over to look at the device, and Leanne cocked her head to the side in curiosity. It looked like a big, metal Frisbee, only it was too thick to be one, with a strange indention with a tiny screen covered in vertical lines.
"I think it's probably another fake people like you sell to people like him." Cheetara said, pointing to Lion-O, who seemed completely engrossed in the technology before him.
"As cubs, we believe the tales about ships that could fly." Lion-O said, "Maybe everyone else outgrew them, but I didn't. I know there's a bigger world out there." He looked over at Cheetara, and smiled sheepishly, "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"
"I think you're… different." Cheetara said. Lion-O smiled at her, and then gasped as they heard a bell ringing throughout the city, announcing the time.
"Oh, I'm late…!" He sighed, he pulled some money out of his pocket and tossed it to Jorma, "I'll take it." He pulled up his hood, smiling at Cheetara, "Maybe next time, I can bail you out of trouble." He was about to run out, Leanne and Snarf following him, when Jorma spoke up.
"Hang on!" Leanne and Lion-O stopped to look back at him as he tossed something in a pouch to Leanne, "For yesterday." Lion-O quirked an eyebrow and looked down at Leanne, who nodded.
"No problem." She said, she looked back at Lion-O, who still looked curious, "Aren't you late or something? Come on!" She grabbed his arm and they dashed out of the hut, heading up the cliff and going as fast as they could to get out of the slums. Once they reached flat ground, Leanne took off down an alley, "Follow me! I have an idea!" Lion-O, not really having any better options at the time, followed her as she climbed up a ladder resting on the side of the wall and onto the roof. When she got to the top, she looked back down at Lion-O, who had Snarf resting on his shoulders, climbing up after her, "We're free running back to the palace!"
"We are?" Lion-O asked as he got to the top, Leanne nodded enthusiastically, taking Snarf from his shoulders and holding him in her arms.
"Yeah, it'll be fun, come on!" She put Snarf on her shoulders as she dashed towards the western side of the roof and jumping off to land on the roof of the building below. Lion-O hesitated at the sudden jump, but moved quickly to jump and landed on the roof, his footing a little unstable. He gave her a small smirk, and Leanne nodded approvingly, "Not bad." Lion-O smiled at the praise until Leanne winked and said, "For a rookie!" She ran off to head to the other building, and Lion-O followed her with no hesitation. "Got to keep up, Lion-O!"
"Believe me, I can!" Lion-O said, he heard Leanne laugh as she ran.
The two of them ditched the cloaks at the entrance of the throne room and ran in where they saw King Claudus, Tygra, and Jaga sitting on their thrones and waiting for Lion-O. He ran up the stairs, while Leanne stopped at the bottom of them, panting harshly as she rested her hands on her knees, leaning over with Snarf still on her shoulders.
"Sorry!" Lion-O said hurriedly with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, sorry!" King Claudus looked a little peeved that he had taken so long, but said nothing as he nodded to Jaga.
"Let us begin this sacred rite of passage, Jaga." He said, Jaga nodded once and raised his staff.
"Guardians of the crown!" He called, "Bring forth the Sword of Omens!" Leanne looked up as she saw a group of clerics, one of which she knew to be Cheetara, come in. Cheetara carried the sword, which was covered with a blue silk of some kind, forward and kneeled before the king. Leanne caught Tygra winking at her, and she gave him an incredulous look.
"Are you flirting?" She hissed in surprise, Tygra waved her away, and she rolled her eyes at him.
"While you will one day wear the crown, Lion-O," Jaga said as he pulled off the blue covering, "Only the Eye of Thundera, the source of our power, knows if there is indeed a king inside of you." Leanne looked at the sword, and she couldn't help but notice the similarity between the stone in the sword, and the jewel around her neck. "Take the sword, and become one with it." Lion-O reached out and picked the sword. He walked away from the others and practiced swinging with it.
"You hold in your hands what built the ThunderCats Empire." King Claudus said, "But only he who is deemed worthy can harness its awesome power." Lion-O didn't seem to listen as he kept swinging the sword. "Let me show you what it's capable of in the proper hands." King Claudus stepped away from his throne and took the sword from Lion-O. Tygra, who held a sword looked at his father as he turned away, then he looked back at Lion-O.
"Uh-oh. Catch!" He threw the other sword at Lion-O and he caught it just as his father turned around and swung the sword at him, small bolts of lightning coming from it. Leanne's eyes widened when she saw this, and she clenched her fists when Claudus knocked Lion-O back with his strike. She was about to run over and help him, but she was stopped by a hand and looked to see Jaga was the one stopping her. He shook his head, silently saying Lion-O would be fine.
As their swords clashed, Lion-O just barely defending himself against his father's blows, Claudus spoke, "The book told that it was the ThunderCats, our ancestors, who first defeated Mumm-Ra! It was the ThunderCats who brought law and order to a world of warring animals! And it is now the ThunderCats who are strong enough to maintain this fragile peace!" Claudus raised the sword high and brought it down, the force of it causing Lion-O to lose his footing and he fell back, dropping the other sword. Leanne clenched her teeth, and looked ready to charge, but Jaga still held her back, a little surprised at the protectiveness she had for Lion-O, whom she just met yesterday.
Claudus brought the sword down into the floor, into the middle of the ThunderCats emblem, powerful bolts flying from the blade. Once they had stopped, Lion-O got up and grabbed the hilt of the sword, pulling it out from the floor. He made the same moves his father had, and Leanne watched in awe as lightning came from the sword as Lion-O used it.
"That's it!" Claudus encouraged, "Concentrate!" With every swing Lion-O made, more bolts of lightning came from the sword. Leanne relaxed the grip she had on Jaga's arm, and he felt it was safe enough for him to put it down. He saw Leanne's astonished eyes as Lion-O wielded the sword.
When Lion-O had finished his display of power, he held up the sword, bringing the hilt closer to his face. Leanne's astonished expression turned to one of curiosity as she saw the ends of the sword's cross guard curl up slightly around Lion-O's eyes, and the red jewel in the hilt of the blade began to glow, looking like a cat's eye. Leanne felt something on her chest, and she looked to see the jewel around her neck was doing the same thing. Suddenly, Lion-O and Leanne saw two evil red eyes in darkness, and a wrinkled demon's face appearing in the blade of the Sword of Omens. When it was done, they both gasped, Lion-O moving away from the sword, and Leanne's hand going to her forehead, suddenly feeling dizzy as a result of the vision she saw.
"Lion-O, why did you stop?" Claudus asked. Lion-O looked back at his father.
Lion-O hesitated in telling his father that he saw a vision. Leanne groaned as she couldn't fight the dizziness anymore, and fell onto the floor. Lion-O's eyes widened as he saw it. He dropped the sword and ran to her fallen form, "Leanne!" He gently picked up her head and held it. Jaga came over to Lion-O's side and put his hand on Leanne's forehead. Claudus went over to the sword and looked back at his son and Jaga.
"She's fine, Lion-O." Jaga assured, "It seems she has merely fainted." Lion-O looked at Jaga, then back at Leanne worriedly, moving some of her dark hair out of her face.
"Lion-O." He looked up when his father called his name and looked at him when he brought the Sword of Omens forward, "You abandoned the sword."
"I-I'm sorry." Lion-O said, "It's just… she…" Claudus stopped his son's excuse by holding up his hand.
"The sword is ready, Lion-O, but you are not." He said, he took the sword with him as he walked away. Lion-O frowned sadly, seeing that he disappointed his father again. Jaga stood up, keeping his eyes on Lion-O. He noticed this and looked over at him.
"What?" He asked
"I did not say anything." Jaga replied, he waved his hand and two of his clerics came up, picking up Leanne, "Take her to her room." They nodded and did as Jaga ordered. Lion-O followed them, his blue eyes never leaving Leanne's face.
Leanne's eyes slowly opened, and she groaned as a sudden bright light filled her vision. She tightly shut her eyes and turned away from it, not wanting to be blinded by it.
"Leanne! Are you alright?" She heard Lion-O's voice ask her. She carefully opened her eyes, blinking quickly at the sudden brightness, and looked around, seeing she was in a room she was unfamiliar with in a large, soft bed. Lion-O was at the bed's side, looking at her concernedly. She moved so she would sit up on the bed, and Lion-O gently steadied her. "Careful." Leanne waved him off and settled herself on the pillows behind her.
"I'm fine." She said, then she coughed roughly. She didn't realize how dry her throat was until just then. Lion-O reached over to a small basin and dipped a small cup in it, coming back up with the water and handing it to her, "Thanks." She quickly downed the clear liquid, welcoming the feel of it running down her throat, relieving its dryness. "What happened?" Lion-O took the empty cup from her and filled it with water again, handing it back to her.
"You fainted." Lion-O said as she took a sip from the cup, but not downing it like she had down before, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I feel fine." She said, she brought her hand up to her head, rubbing her temple, "I just… got a little dizzy, I guess." She looked over at Lion-O, remembering what made her faint, "I saw something."
"What do you mean?" Lion-O asked, seeming to be a little wary of her answer.
"I'm… not sure what it was exactly, but…" She looked away from him, "I saw… some kind of ancient-looking lizard guy. He was all mummified and stuff, and he was laughing. It was really creepy." Lion-O didn't meet her gaze, knowing she had experienced the same vision he had, "What was that?"
"It was a vision." Lion-O said, making Leanne turn to him in surprise, "I had the same one." He looked up at her, "Listen, don't say anything about what you saw to anyone else, okay?"
"Why?" She asked, "Isn't it kind of important that they know we had the same vision?"
"Well… It's just… I don't want my father to worry." Lion-O said, "So don't say anything, okay?" Leanne sighed, nodding her head.
"Fine." She said, crossing her arms and moving to get out of the bed. When her feet hit the floor, she noticed something was different about her appearance. "What the heck?" Her clothes had changed, instead of her tank top and cut jeans she was in a dark blue, sleeveless tunic, with a red crystal resting just underneath her bosom, and her pants were a shade of white, the ends of it hemmed with a pair of buckles. On her feet was a pair of blue and white sandals that wrapped around her ankles. She looked over herself, turning around, "What happened to my clothes?"
"Oh, they changed them." Lion-O said, "Apparently, your old clothes stunk a little from our little free-running trip back home, and the maids weren't exactly happy with the idea of you stinking up the sheets, so they dressed you and put you in here."
"They… dressed me?" She asked, "So, they saw me naked?" Lion-O shrugged. Leanne shuddered, "Dude! Invasion of privacy!" Lion-O chuckled at her reaction, but he stopped once she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously at him, "You didn't watch, did you?"
"What?! No! No, of course not!" Lion-O said quickly. Leanne's suspicion didn't disappear as she pointed her finger at his face.
"If I find out that you did, I will kill you." She said, she stopped once she heard a loud horn going off, "What's that?"
"It's the alarm." Lion-O said, he grabbed Leanne's hand, "Come on." He dashed off to the lookout point at a high point of the castle, Leanne's hand never leaving his as they dashed up to where Claudus, Tygra, and Jaga already were. Claudus looked through a telescope to see what was coming and saw a huge yellow and dark green stone being moved forward by a huge group of animals.
"It can't be!" He said with a laugh as he put the telescope down, "It can't be! At long last!" He turned around and Tygra and Lion-O followed him.
"What? It can't be what?" Leanne asked as she followed the cats, having no idea what was going on. They went down to the stables and mounted some strange creatures that Leanne had never seen before. They were like horses in height and build, but nothing like them in appearance. They had thick, light blue fur, and a face that reminded her of some kind of rodent. Lion-O held out his hand to her once he got on the saddle.
"Come on." He said, Leanne hesitated and Lion-O smirked as she looked at the creature, "Don't worry. He doesn't bite."
"It's not the biting I'm worried about." Leanne said as she took his hand and he lifted her up onto the saddle in front of him. Lion-O whipped the reins on the creature and they took off after Claudus and Tygra. Leanne squeaked at the sudden movement and scooted back into Lion-O, grasping his arms so she wouldn't fall off. Lion-O couldn't help himself as he chuckled at her scared state. She heard him and glared at him, slapping his chest, "Shut up!"
"Sorry, sorry." Lion-O said, the creature galloped through the front gate and towards the huge stone. Leanne's eyes widened when she saw that the animals pushing it forward was a huge group of lizards, who must have been the slaves of the cat standing on top of the huge stone. The lizards glared at her and Lion-O as they passed by and Leanne couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them. She looked up, seeing the cat on top of the stone was a big, brown cat. He wore what must have been armor, and had only one saber tooth sticking out of his mouth. He was a big cat, bigger than Claudus, and definitely younger than him. Tygra, recognizing the cat, had his creature go faster as the large cat had all the lizards stop walking for a small break.
"Grune!" He said happily as he dismounted from his animal and ran over to the stone.
"I come bearing gifts!" The cat, apparently named Grune, called back from the top of the stone, "I know it's not much now, but just wait until the Thunderian stone cutters are done with it!" He jumped down from the stone, which must have been over thirty feet high, and landed before Claudus and Tygra just as Lion-O was dismounting and Leanne was following him off.
"Are you a sight for sore eyes, old friend!" Claudus said happily as he went over to Grune and they shared a brotherly embrace. When they pulled away, Claudus looked around him, "And where is our dear friend, Panthro?" He looked back at Grune, who shook his head solemnly.
"He fought valiantly." He said, "Alas, he came up against a force that was too powerful for even him to overcome." He took out a small, leather bag and pulled out what looked like a pair of clawed nun chucks and presented them to Claudus. "It is only through his sacrifice I stand before you today."
"Lies." A voice whispered in Leanne's ear, she jumped and looked at Lion-O, thinking he was the one that said it.
"Why do you think that?" She asked him, Lion-O looked at her confusedly.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"You just said he was lying." Leanne said, "…Didn't you?" Lion-O shook his head.
"I didn't say anything." He replied. Leanne hummed thoughtfully.
Claudus took the nun-chucks from Grune, a sorrowful expression on his face.
"Tomorrow, we will mourn this great loss." He said, he put his hand on Grune's shoulder, "But today, we celebrate the return of Thundera's greatest general!" Grune nodded. He looked behind Claudus and smiled at Tygra. He walked over to him and they clasped their hands in a rough, friendly greeting.
"It's good to see you, Tygra!" He said with a laugh, "You certainly have grown since I saw you last!" Tygra laughed in response.
"It's good to see you, too!" He replied, he released Grune's hand, and he went over to Lion-O, doing the same greeting to him.
"Welcome back, Grune." Lion-O said with a smile. Grune sighed happily as he released Lion-O's hand.
"It's good to be back." He said, his smile grew slightly, "And you seem to have grown as well!" Lion-O chuckled in response. Grune's eyes wandered behind Lion-O, and rested on Leanne, who looked back at him suspiciously. "And who might this be? Another pet for you, Prince Lion-O?"
Leanne's eyes blazed in fury at his sudden assumption.
"Pet?!" She repeated angrily. She clenched her fists and grit her teeth angrily as she started to march over to him, "I'm not a pet you furry little—!" Lion-O grabbed her and restrained her, covering her mouth so she wouldn't be able to finish.
"This is Leanne." Lion-O said, struggling to keep the girl in his grasp, "She's a friend of mine." Leanne let out loud, incomprehensible screeching noises towards Grune. She lifted up her middle finger towards him, still trying to speak through Lion-O's hand. Grune looked at the lifted finger curiously, not knowing what the gesture meant. Lion-O tried to get her to be still, but she would not, eventually, she got her mouth free from Lion-O's hand.
"—Arrogant S.O.B fuzz ball! I oughta—!" She growled out before Lion-O quickly covered her mouth again.
"She's new here." Lion-O said, still restraining her. Finally, Leanne got tired of him holding her back and used some of her newfound air manipulating powers to push Lion-O back and let her go. Grune's eyes widened at this, then his eyes went to the red jewel hanging around her neck.
"I'm gonna throw you into the nearest mountain top and turn you into the next Mount Rushmore!" Leanne threatened as she came over to him. Her threat was met with a reaction she didn't expect.
Grune laughed.
He reached out and put his hand on her head, ruffling up her hair the way a man might do to a child. She let out an unhappy groan as he did so.
"Ha, ha! Oh, she's feisty, this one!" He said, Leanne smacked his hand away and tried to straighten up her hair. She almost fell over from the force of Grune's hand patting her back, "I hope you'll stick around for the celebration, it's going to be a hoot with you!" Leanne glared at his back as he walked away, joining Tygra on his riding creature and they took off, having the lizards continue to bring the jewel into the city. Lion-O came up next to her, holding the reins of his riding animal looking at her warily as she glared at Grune.
"I don't like him." She said to Lion-O.
"You'll come to like him." Lion-O assured, he mounted the riding animal, and Leanne got up behind him, following the others towards the palace. Leanne stole a glance back at the lizards who were pushing the huge stone forward, still looking angry and miserable. Her scowl in anger towards Grune faded into a sad smile, and she wrapped her arms around Lion-O's waist, resting her head on his back sadly as they went through the front gate. Lion-O looked at her confusedly over his shoulder, but didn't say anything.
That night, the huge stone was brought into the middle of the city's square, where streamers and lanterns had been set up for decoration of the celebration. Leanne stood next to Lion-O as Claudus addressed the crowd of people.
"It was many seasons ago when I set out Generals Grune and Panthro to find the fabled Book of Omens." He said, "While it remains lost, Grune has returned with tales of adventure, great treasure, and new lands to conquer! Today, we show him our appreciation!" Grune stepped forward, and the crowd cheered loudly, applauding him and his efforts.
A second later, music began to play, and people began to dance. Leanne soon found herself swaying in time to the beat of the music not long after it had begun to play. Lion-O noticed this and smiled, holding out his hand to her the way a gentleman might. She jumped and looked at him in surprise.
"May I have this dance?" He asked with a smile. Leanne smiled back and took his hand, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. Once out, Leanne noticed how some people shied away from the two of them, and she realized why. She was human. She was strange and different, and she terrified them. She hesitated a little in dancing, and Lion-O saw her discomfort as she looked around at all the people. "What's wrong?"
"Maybe… we shouldn't." She said, Lion-O looked around at all the people who were looking at them, and they quickly turned away. He frowned slightly, then looked back to Leanne.
"It's fine." He said, he took her hands in his and they began to dance, "Don't think about them. Right now, it's just you and me, okay?" Leanne blushed a little at his words, knowing how a lot of movies used those words in romantic scenes, then nodded. They danced to the lively beat, laughing every now and then when Leanne got a little confused on the steps and accidentally stepped on Lion-O's foot. They stumbled around every couple of steps, and when Snarf decided to join them, Leanne couldn't stop herself from laughing as the little creature weaved itself in and out of their feet. Eventually, they had to stop dancing so they wouldn't fall over. Leanne reached down and picked up the little pet, planning on giving him to Lion-O, but was surprised when he waggled his way out of her arms and onto her shoulders. Lion-O didn't seem to mind Snarf picking her shoulders over his, and he gently scratched behind one of his ears, making him purr happily.
"You want to get something to eat?" Lion-O asked, Leanne nodded and the two of them left the dance floor, heading over to where a huge feast was set out for everyone to eat. As they walked towards it, they passed by a pair of stocks where two lizards were locked inside. Leanne watched as two cat boys came up and started nailing them with, what looked like, purple tomatoes. Leanne felt her blood boiling in anger as they did so, and started marching towards them. Lion-O immediately noticed her absence from her side, "Leanne?"
"Hey!" She snapped at the two kids, "Cut that out!" One of them chucked one last tomato at the lizard, and Leanne started charging towards them, "I said quit it!" They dashed away from Leanne and one took a tomato and flung it at her, having it land on her arm when she put it up defensively.
"Freak!" One of the boys jeered. Lion-O growled and ran up to Leanne's side, scaring the two boys away as she tried to wipe off some of the strange vegetable juice on her skin.
"You okay?" Lion-O asked, Leanne nodded her head.
"Fine." She said, she looked over at the lizards and walked over to them. She looked at the two of them pitifully, then turned to one and asked with a soft, genuine smile, "Do you want some help wiping that off? It probably doesn't smell too good." The lizards looked at her in surprise, and the one she had asked nodded his head. Leanne looked around, and saw a bucket of water, which she assumed was given to them to drink, and brought it over. She ripped the hem of her shirt off and dipped it in the liquid before carefully wiping the purple juice from the lizard's face. When it was all washed off, she walked over to the other one to do the same, but he just hissed angrily at her, making her jump back.
"We don't need your pity!" He spat. Leanne's expression was blank and she stepped back, letting the lizard hang onto what little pride he had left.
"She was just trying to help." Lion-O said, stepping up and giving the lizard who had turned away her offer a harsh look.
"No, Lion-O, it's okay, really." Leanne said, holding up her hand to get him to stop.
"Please, your majesty!" The other lizard begged, recognizing his name, "Show mercy!"
"Why should I?" Lion-O asked, "If the roles were reversed, you'd have lopped my head off by now."
"We were only scavenging for food!" The other said, "When we were captured as slaves…" The other lizard hissed at him, making him stop.
"Forget it!" He said, "Looking for mercy from cats is like trying to squeeze water from a stone." He glared at Lion-O when he said this. Leanne looked at Lion-O in surprise, wondering if the ThunderCats really were such a murderous people.
"Hold your tongue, fool!" The other yelped worriedly, "They'll kill us!"
"No." Lion-O said to the first lizard calmly, "I want to hear this." He turned to the other lizard, "What do you mean?"
"We only attack to survive." The second lizard said, "You control the best lands and resources, leaving the rest of the animals to fight over scraps! If we steal your crops, it is to feed our children!" Lion-O turned his gaze to the ground, his eyes clouded in thought. Leanne stiffened slightly in anger when she saw Tygra, who she still didn't like very much, come forward and put his arm around Lion-O's shoulders.
"You're not taking this criminal seriously, are you?" He asked Lion-O with a joking grin.
"Criminal?!" The lizard hissed angrily, "The lizards' only crime is being weaker than the cats! And it's the same for all animals." He turned his eyes to Leanne, "And whatever you are." Leanne scowled slightly.
"Human, I'm a human." She corrected, not seeing how both lizards eyes flashed in recognition of her word.
"Let's go." Tygra said to Lion-O, "It's time for the games." He walked away, and after a moment, Lion-O and Leanne followed him.
Leanne was surprised when she was invited to sit with Lion-O, along with his father, brother, and Grune. By Tygra, no less. She was pretty sure he still hated her and had no want to have her sit with him at the same table, but he still invited her. Still, having an incurable curiosity, she asked him why.
"Lion-O had a chair set up for you." Tygra replied. It made sense. After all, Lion-O was a good friend of hers, and she was a good friend of his, and she was fairly certain he didn't really have any other friends other than, maybe, Tygra.
Now, she sat next to Lion-O at the big table that had the best seat for the games. At the table were his family and Grune, along with a picture of a cat that looked like he was going bald with a scar over one blind eye.
"These games are dedicated to the life of an outstanding general, and loyal friend." Claudus said, addressing the crowd before he started the games, "Who gave all he had in the name of Thundera." He raised his goblet up high, "To Panthro!" Lion-O, Tygra, and Grune did the same, and Leanne quickly copied them by lifting her own goblet and repeating what Claudus had said when everyone else did.
"To Panthro!" The crowd cheered loudly once they had done this, meaning it was time for the games to start. Leanne looked at the center of the arena, where a large arrangement of thick branches had grown out of something resting beneath the surface of the huge pool of water. She watched as two cats began to climb up the branches, each one doing whatever they could to knock the other down into the water.
She leaned over to Lion-O and whispered, "So, how does this game work, exactly?"
"It's a race, kind of." Lion-O said, "See, they're both racing to the top where that big bell is, and whoever rings it is the winner. In order to win, they have to knock the other one off the branches to make them fall into the water, and they aren't allowed any weapons." Leanne nodded, understanding the basics of the games.
"Ah," Grune sighed as he ate some ripe grapes, "It truly is the little things you miss most." Leanne couldn't help but think of the lizards she had spoken to a moment ago, who talked about how the cats had all the best lands and resources, and how the other animals had nothing.
"I imagine it was the experience of a lifetime." Claudus replied.
"When you were out there, did you see any… technology?" Lion-O asked eagerly. Leanne mentally groaned, leaning back in her chair.
"Don't ask him stupid questions, Lion-O." Tygra said, Lion-O frowned at him.
"I see nothing has changed, Claudus." Grune said, speaking to the king, "One son with his head on his shoulders, the other still with his in the clouds." He turned to Lion-O, "I'm afraid, Lion-O, I encountered all manner of beast and warrior, but nothing even resembling technology. We did everything we could to find the book." Lion-O's hopeful expression fell.
"Lies." A voice whispered in Leanne's ear. She jumped again and looked over at Lion-O.
"Again with that?" Leanne asked Lion-O quietly, who looked at her confusedly.
"What?" He asked, not understanding, "What are you talking about?"
"Maybe I'm just hearing things…" Leanne muttered, cleaning out her ear with her finger.
"Perhaps what the skeptics say is true," Tygra began, "The books existence is no more real than its stories of technology and Mumm-Ra." Leanne's ears pricked at the name, wondering just who this Mumm-Ra person was.
"I see so much of me in you." Grune said to Tygra as he put his arm around his shoulders, "You would have made a great king. But such honors must be reserved for the bloodline!" He glanced at Lion-O when he said this.
"Lion-O will be a great king." Leanne said, speaking up for her friend. Lion-O looked at her, slightly surprised at her words.
"Of course he will," Tygra said, "I just would have made a better one!" Grune laughed heartily at his words.
"Doubt it…" Leanne muttered before taking a sip of the drink in her goblet, then grimacing slightly at the strong taste of wine.
"You're just so perfect, aren't you, Tygra?" Lion-O asked with a sarcastic bite.
"Thank you, Lion-O." Tygra replied with a smirk.
"Too bad you're afraid to get your tail kicked in front of your hero!" Lion-O snapped, standing up from his seat and pointing at Tygra.
"Now's not the time." Tygra said in a warning tone as he stood up from his seat, giving Lion-O a hard look.
"Oh, I'd say now's the perfect time!" Grune said, pointing to the arena in front of them, "Why don't you two have it out? Whoever rings the bell is the winner."
Lion-O and Tygra glared at each other, "You're on." Lion-O growled.
"Oh my God…" Leanne muttered, resting her forehead in her hand.
Leanne looked down at where Lion-O and Tygra were waiting at the base of one of the biggest branches in the arena. A trumpet sounded, and Lion-O took off, clawing his way up the branch, heading straight for the bell. Tygra was only a little ways behind him, then he jumped up behind him, and Lion-O shot out his leg to kick him away, but Tygra blocked it and punched Lion-O's face, making him lose his grip and fall. Leanne stood up when she saw him falling, and Grune noticed her reaction to Lion-O being in danger. Lion-O bounced off one of the branches, and then flipped over, landing on all fours the crowd cheered loudly at Tygra's move. Lion-O dashed up the branches, going up to Tygra. He tried to knock him off with punches and kicks, but Tygra easily blocked them. Finally, Lion-O landed a hit on his face and he tried to kick him off, but Tygra caught his foot and pushed him away and he kept climbing up the branch as Lion-O tried to regain his footing. Tygra said something to Lion-O that Leanne couldn't make out, but whatever it was, it aggravated Lion-O and he ran up to where Tygra was standing, waiting for Lion-O to come to him. He lifted his fist, ready to punch Tygra, but he was faster than him, and punched Lion-O back, making him fall down into the water. Then, he did a victorious stroll to the bell and jumped up on top of it, making it ring when he swung on it.
Leanne sighed in relief when she saw Lion-O's head poke out from the water. She walked away from the table, planning to go where Lion-O was getting out of the arena.
When she met him at the entrance, a servant who had been waiting gave him a towel to dry himself off. Leanne went up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way, and he shrugged it off. Leanne, determined not to let him just walk off on his own, followed him.
"Lion-O, it's not that big a deal." She said as he walked to his room, "There's no need to get so worked up over it."
"No, there is." Lion-O said, turning to her, giving her one of the hardest looks she'd ever seen him wear, "Do you know what he said to me? When it comes to everything but the crown, I'll always be second best, and he's right." He turned away and kept going to his room. Leanne kept going after him.
"He's wrong." She said as they walked, "Lion-O, there are so many things that you can do that Tygra can't."
"Like what?" Lion-O snapped, "Name one thing!"
"Well," Leanne began quietly, slowing down until she stopped, "Tygra can't see past appearances like you can." Lion-O stopped at her words, his ears pricking up, "Everyone in this place looks at me like I'm some kind of freak, and when you compare me to the average person, yeah, I guess I am kind of a freak. But you didn't see me like that!" Lion-O looked back at her and looked at the sincere expression on her face, "You looked at me, and saw me for who I really was: A scared, confused girl, who had no idea where she was, or how she got there, and just needed someone to be her friend." She walked up to him, "That's something Tygra can never do. That's a gift, Lion-O. Not a lot of people can look past… this!" She gestured to herself, "And see me for me. Not for how I look." She smiled gently at him, and he smiled back.
"Thanks, Leanne." Lion-O said, Leanne smiled back.
"No problem." She said, they kept walking to Lion-O's room. When they walked in, Snarf looked up from his place where he was napping on Lion-O's bed, and dashed towards them. He jumped up at Lion-O's legs, and he petted his head. Snarf went up to Leanne and she picked up the little creature, laughing as he climbed on her shoulders again. She looked over at Lion-O, and her eyes widened when he pushed away part of the wall to reveal a secret hiding place. Lion-O reached inside, and pulled out the piece of technology he had bought from Jorma earlier that day. They walked down the hallway, and as they passed by a pair of servants, they started whispering to each other, their eyes shifting to the two of them. Leanne looked back at them, and they quickened their pace, but didn't stop whispering. She looked back at Lion-O, and saw his expression fall. He sighed as he went up to a balcony that overlooked where the festival was.
"It's official." He said as he looked over the piece of technology he had bought, "They think I'm a failure. And they always will unless I can prove I'm not chasing a childish dream."
"Lion-O…" Leanne sighed, not wanting him to start being depressed again, "You will. I told you all about technology from my home."
"Yeah, but that's a completely different world!" Lion-O pointed out, "How am I supposed to prove it, when even Grune said there was no tech out there?"
"Don't let what Grune failed to see stand in the way of what you believe." A voice said, the two of them looked to see Jaga walking towards them, and Leanne saw Lion-O hide his technology behind his back. "The book says that our greatest king will possess the ability of sight beyond sight."
"You mean like… having visions?" Lion-O asked.
"More than that, Lion-O." Jaga said, "It's the ability to lead with clarity. For sight is useless without action." Lion-O looked away from Jaga for a moment, thinking, then looked back up at him.
"There's something I need to talk to you about, Jaga." Lion-O said, thinking that he should hear about his vision he had seen.
Jaga put his hand on Lion-O's shoulder, "There will be time to talk later," He conspicuously moved Lion-O so he would go down the hallway in the direction to the festival below, "There's a party still going on. Enjoy yourselves." Lion-O smiled at the old cat man, and he smiled back.
"Thanks, Jaga." He said, he started walking to where the festival was, but Leanne didn't follow him. He noticed her absence and looked back at her, "Aren't you coming?"
"In a second." Leanne said, leaning back on the balcony, "I'll meet you there." She waved him away, and Lion-O hesitated in leaving, but did as she asked and headed to the festival without her. Once he was gone, Leanne looked back at Jaga, "I have a question, Jaga."
"What is it?" Jaga asked.
Leanne's hand unconsciously went to the necklace she wore, her fingers tracing the shape of the red jewel embedded in it, "This Jewel of Omens thing… Can it… talk?"
"I'm not sure what you mean." Jaga replied.
Leanne looked down at the necklace, "Earlier… When, uh… a person was talking," She didn't think it was a good idea to tell him that one of the heroes of Thundera was a liar, "I heard this voice in my ear, and it just said 'lies'. And when I heard something else, it said it again. I thought it was Lion-O saying it, but he swears he didn't say anything." She looked back up at Jaga, wanting an answer.
Jaga hummed thoughtfully, putting his hand to his chin, "It is said that the bearer of the Jewel of Omens will be able to know the truth in all things… But, I always thought that this was only lore. I didn't believe it to be true."
"So, what does that mean?" Leanne asked, "The whole 'truth in all things' deal. Is it some kind of lie detector?" Jaga put his hand at his side.
"Perhaps," He said, "Or perhaps, it will be able to reveal to you the truth in all things, when you ask or not."
"God, you are just full of mysterious metaphors, aren't you?" Leanne asked sarcastically, Jaga only smiled in response.
"Would you like a hint?" He asked.
"Yes! I want a freaking hint!" Leanne said, Jaga chuckled.
"Your answer, I believe, lies in your past." Jaga said, "Your family tree wasn't always a family tree." With that, he took his leave, and left Leanne to ponder his words.
"My family tree…?" She said quietly, putting her hand to her chin in thought. She hummed thoughtfully, and jumped when she felt someone nudging her, and looked down at Snarf, who had remained with her when Lion-O had left. He let out a worried mewl and Leanne turned to him fully, "What is it, Snarf?" He used his paw to point to where Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara were fighting a group of cats outside the stocks where the two lizards were. "Oh, no…" Snarf quickly climbed up onto her shoulders, and held on tightly as she ran from the balcony, heading over to where the others were. She cursed under her breath when she saw how intense the fight was getting, and realized that she might not be able to get there in time to stop anything horrible from happening.
Thinking quickly, she looked around, and found a tapestry hanging on the wall. She ran over and took it down, grasping both ends tightly in both hands and she stepped onto the balcony railing with Snarf still holding onto her shoulders.
"Hang on tight." Leanne told him, watching as he curled into her neck at her words, "I'm not sure if this will work or not, but it's worth a shot." She raised her hands up and jumped off the balcony and, using her abilities, had an updraft of wind blow into the tapestry, causing her to go upwards. She pulled different parts of the tapestry to direct herself to where they were. When she was right above one of the cats that was about to come at Tygra's back, she released the tapestry from her hands and fell on top of him. His loud grunt of pain when she landed on him caught Tygra's attention and he looked back at her, then at the man below her. Neither of them noticed Snarf scurrying away from the crowd to find a safe place to hide.
"Thanks…" he muttered, surprised she would help him.
"Don't read too much into it." Leanne said as she got up. One of the cats ran at her, holding up a bat, and she blew him back with a wave of air. Soon, she was surrounded by cats, and she was fending them off as best as she could, punching, kicking, and using her powers to keep them away, but she didn't try to seriously injure them. Eventually, someone's back touched hers, and she jumped back at the same time they did, and she saw it was Lion-O.
"When did you get here?" Lion-O asked before he punched a cat back.
"Just now." Leanne said, kicking a cat down before he could hit her.
"How?" Lion-O asked, yanking on the back of her shirt and pulling her away from a cat that was about to come at her back.
"I borrowed a tapestry." Leanne said, she grimaced when she saw how some of the cats were trampling over it once it had landed on the ground, "Okay, maybe 'borrowed' isn't the right word…" Lion-O didn't ask her what she meant by that as he grabbed one cat by the collar of his shirt and got ready to punch his face, but was stopped by someone's voice.
"Lion-O!" He looked up to see his father, Grune, and two guards approaching. He dropped the cat and looked up at his father, "What is going on here? Protecting lizards?!"
"No, I'm protecting us," Lion-O said, he gestured to the lizards, "From turning into the very cold-blooded creatures we fear! These lizards did nothing, and should be released!"
"Release them?" Claudus repeated in shock, "Don't be foolish! As Lord of the ThunderCats, it is my duty to keep our people safe. And one day, it will be yours."
"You wanted me to start acting like a king," Lion-O began, "Well this is it. And I don't think the only way to rule is with a sword. Maybe we'd have less trouble with the lizards if we weren't always repressing them!" Claudus looked at his son thoughtfully, and then nodded once. The two guards that had come with him released the lizards from the stocks, and before they had a chance to thank Lion-O, the guards shooed them away.
"My lord," Grune said in a warning tone.
"Consider this an act of goodwill between the species." Claudus said. He walked towards Lion-O, "Perhaps now, you might show some goodwill of your own, and take your responsibilities as prince more seriously." Lion-O nodded once and Claudus turned away, he, Grune, and the guards walking away. The crowd Lion-O had been fighting dispersed, and Lion-O started to walk towards the palace walls. Cheetara came up to Leanne's side.
"Come on," She said, putting her hand on Leanne's shoulder, "I'll take you up to your room." She said, Leanne nodded and let her lead her up to the room she had woken up in earlier. It was only after Cheetara had bid her goodnight and after she had dressed for bed did Leanne notice Snarf's absence. Becoming worried for the small creature, Leanne left her room to go and look for him. She found him in front of the huge stone that Grune had brought with him, which still rested in front of the castle, even though the celebration had ended hours ago. She smiled when she saw him making faces in his reflection in one of the large yellow stones sticking out from it.
"Snarf!" He looked over at her, and let out a happy cry when he saw her, jumping into her open arms. Leanne laughed, "Come on. It's late. You want me to take you to Lion-O's room?" Snarf let out a low, unhappy grunt as he snuggled into Leanne's arms. "Or, do you just want to sleep with me in my bed?" She giggled as Snarf suddenly reached up and started licking her cheek like a puppy dog, "Okay! Okay!" She shifted him in her arms so she would be more comfortable carrying him. She put one hand under his rear end, and the other rested on his back, his front paws resting on her shoulder and looking behind her as they walked.
Neither of them saw the snake-like silhouette appearing in the yellow stone where Snarf had been looking at his reflection.