This chapter is a little request from my fan codecupid59234, featuring her OC Tabby! I hope you like it! ;)
19
Lion-O felt his heart breaking at the sight of Leanne and Tygra together, but that heartbreak soon turned to a boiling rage, and he turned away, afraid that he might start another fight with Tygra again. Cheetara only stood there, speechless and motionless as she looked at the scene before her.
Tygra pulled away from Leanne, putting distance between them, and Leanne opened her eyes, "Well…?"
Tygra was silent for a moment, then stood up straight, removing his hands from Leanne's shoulders, "I…"
"Yeah?" Leanne egged.
"I feel like… I just kissed my sister." Tygra said with a small, humorous grin, Leanne let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, thank God." She said, "I was so worried it might be the other thing, and I just made a huge mistake." Tygra smiled.
"So… friends?" He asked, holding out his hand to her. Leanne smiled.
"Friends." She said, reaching out and shaking his hand. Leanne released his hand and turned to go back to the party, but stopped when she saw Cheetara looking at them.
"Oh no…" She muttered.
When Cheetara noticed that she'd been spotted, she turned and ran. Leanne ran after her, "Cheetara, wait! It's not what you think!" She dashed after her, but found that she was unable to keep up with her incredible pace. She was a cleric, after all. Thinking about a shortcut, Leanne jumped up into the air, flying a little ways over the village, and she saw the quick movement of Cheetara's golden fur moving through the village until she stopped behind one of the houses. Leanne began to fly over to where she was, but the cleric's speed was too much for her to keep up with, and she couldn't reach her. "Cheetara!" The girl didn't answer as she ran off. Leanne landed, feeling guilt well up within her.
How was she going to explain this?
The next morning the ThunderCats and Leanne bid goodbye to Anet, Aburn, and the other elephants in the village. As a parting gift, they had meant to give them some food and money for the road, but they had forgotten to wrap it all up for them, so they just put them in their own containers.
"Thank you for all your hospitality." Leanne said to Anet.
"Where will you be going now?" Aburn asked, curious as to what would become of his ThunderCat friends.
"We're going to Janmasthala." Tygra said, "We have a friend there that specializes in prosthetics," He looked back at Panthro, "It's there that we might be able to get some new arms for Panthro."
"Where is?" Aburn asked, Leanne let out a sigh.
"Don't worry about it, Aburn." She said, "We'll be seeing you." They all waved goodbye to the elephants, careful to carry the food they had given them as they began their descent down to where the Thunder Tank waited.
"Um… I have a question." WilyKat asked as he walked next to Leanne down the stairs.
"What is it?" Lion-O asked.
"If we're going to Janma-hala-bala-blah…" He couldn't pronounce the name, "How are we getting there?"
"In the tank." Leanne said, as if it were obvious.
"But… who's gonna drive it?" He asked, "I thought only Panthro was allowed to drive the tank." Everyone stopped as they realized this. Panthro never let anyone drive the tank but him, and he couldn't drive it now, unless he was a master of driving with his feet.
"Um… I'll drive it." Lion-O said.
"Oh, no you're not." Panthro said quickly, "There is no way on this good earth you are driving my baby!"
"Why don't I just drive it?" Tygra asked, "I know how it works."
"After you used it last time?!" Panthro snapped, "I don't think so. I've never seen the tank so scratched up."
"I'm more suited to running than driving." Cheetara said, that left just one person. Everyone looked at Leanne, who didn't notice their stares at first. When she did, she jumped.
"Me?!" She asked, her voice reaching a high pitch in surprise, "Um…" She looked down at where the tank waited, "Well, I've driven a car before… I don't know about a tank…"
"Well, you're the only one left." Tygra said.
"I was… kind of hoping to ride in the back." Leanne said, glancing at Cheetara, hoping she would get a chance to explain herself to her. Cheetara sent her a glare and looked away.
"I'm not letting either of them drive." Panthro said, nodding to Lion-O and Tygra, "And the kittens can't drive it."
Leanne sighed in resignation, "I guess…" She looked down at the tank again, "Well, driving a car isn't so bad, how hard can a tank be?"
"Lee, you're going to kill us!" Panthro shouted at the teen as she came to a sudden stop by slamming her foot down on the brakes.
"Sorry, sorry!" She said, frantically trying to get her bearings as she manned the controls of the tank with Panthro beside her in the cockpit of the tank. "Just… trying to figure out how this works…! Um…" She looked at the many buttons and switches, trying to figure out which was the one they needed for travelling on a rocky ground, because the ride so far had been unbelievably bumpy. "Is… this it?" She reached for one of the switches.
"Not that one!" Panthro's sudden shout made her flinch back.
"Sorry!" She said quickly. Panthro sighed, trying to calm himself down.
"It's the blue button near the wheel." He said, nodding to it, wishing he could point to it.
"Um…" Leanne reached in the direction he had nodded in, finding four identical blue buttons, "This one?"
"That's the—!" Panthro tried to tell her to stop but she had already pressed it, and a rocket shot out of the side of the tank, landing in the cliff behind them, making a small rock avalanche.
Once it was out, the tank started charging up to fire another one, "Ack! No, no, no, no, no, no!" She quickly pressed it again, stopping the charge. She and Panthro sighed in relief.
"That's the rocket launcher." Panthro said, Leanne nodded, committing that particular button to memory so she wouldn't press it again.
"Okay… is it this one?" She pressed another blue button and let out a small, terrified squeak as the tank jumped slightly, the proper equipment for rough terrain travel coming out. When she saw she had pressed the right button, she smiled, "Oh."
"Okay…" Panthro sighed as Leanne took the wheel again, "Now this time, ease out of here and start her up gently." Leanne nodded putting her feet on the proper pedals to drive the tank.
"Gently… got it." She pressed down on the gas, and the tank shot forward with a great lunge, shoving Panthro into the back of his seat as the tank started quickly driving forward through the terrain. The voices of the two in the cockpit could be very clearly heard as they kept up the speed.
"LEANNE!"
"I'm sorry!"
Leanne sat in the back of the tank, Tygra driving up front with Panthro in the cockpit. Leanne's head was hung, and her face was red with her shame. On either side of her were the twins, who were patting her shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"It's okay, Leanne." WilyKit said, "Not everyone's perfect at everything."
"And look on the bright side!" WilyKat said, "At least you didn't kill us!"
"Yeah…" Leanne's head hung a little lower in shame.
Snarf let out a worried mewl and went over to her. He moved between her legs and looked up at her with his big, green eyes. Leanne looked at the little creature, and he let out another worried mewl. Leanne sighed, reaching up and petting the top of his head. Snarf purred at the gesture, and he jumped up in her lap, letting her continue to pet him.
"Thanks for your concern." Leanne said to him, and to the twins, "I'll be alright… The only thing that's hurt is my pride." She sat back up and gave them her best reassuring smile, and they smiled back. Leanne glanced up at where Lion-O and Cheetara were sitting on the other side of the tank. Lion-O didn't make eye contact with her, and Cheetara gave her a small glare before doing the same. Leanne's smile quickly fell at the sight of it. The twins and Snarf didn't notice.
It wasn't too long afterwards that they arrived at Janmasthala, Leanne walking with the twins beside her as she followed behind Lion-O. Panthro brought up the rear of the group, a little ashamed to be seen without his arms, although he would never admit it.
Not too long after they went into the market place, a voice called out to them.
"Hey! Lion-O!" The cat looked up and saw a young fox boy on a roof in a pair of overalls waving at them with a big grin on his face, "Heya!"
He smiled and waved back, "Hello!" Kitsune smiled and put down whatever tools he had been carrying to go over to a ladder, quickly going down it and rushing over to see them.
"Kitsune!" Leanne greeted happily, "It's so good to see you!" She went over and hugged the young fox boy as if they were the best of friends.
"Good to see you, too, Leanne." Kitsune greeted, returning the small hug. Once she pulled away, he went over to Lion-O with a smile, "Glad to see you guys back in town." He looked over at Panthro, the twins, and Snarf, "And with some new faces."
"Let me introduce them," Tygra said, "This is Snarf," He let out a small sound in greeting, "The twins, WilyKat and Kit," The two twins smiled and waved at him, "And this is Panthro." The huge cat nodded at the fox boy, and he nodded back, "Guys, this is Kitsune. He's a pickpocket that actually became our friend while we were here."
"Nice to meet you." Kitsune said, "And I'm not a pickpocket anymore."
"You're not?" Leanne asked. Kitsune smiled, puffing out his chest in pride.
"Nope. I do honest work for my money now." He said, he looked over at Lion-O, "I've been doing freelance jobs ever since you talked to me, and it's really been helping out. It's not quite as much money I made normally as a thief, but this is much better. Stirling's even been taking some of my payments to him!"
"I'm glad to hear it." Lion-O said.
"Yup!" Kitsune grinned widely, "At this rate, I'll have paid him back for my legs in no time!" He knocked the back of his metal heel against the ground, making a small clanking sound.
"Speaking of Stirling," Leanne said, "He wouldn't happen to be in town today, would he? We need to talk to him about our friend." She pointed back to Panthro, and Kitsune looked at where his arms were gone.
He let out a low whistle as he approached the panther, looking at the stumps, "Talk about a clean cut. It looks like your arm was cut straight off!"
"That's because it was." Panthro said, stepping back from the fox.
Kitsune saw that he wasn't comfortable with him staring, so he stepped back, "As luck would have it, Stirling's in town today. He and Banvor just opened up a shop not too far away from here. You know, get more business to help pay for the new baby."
"Where is it?" Leanne asked.
"I'll take you there." Kitsune said, "It's just down the way from the market, come on." Everyone began following the young fox as he began to lead them down the street. The resident scientists took notice of their little group, a few of them eyeing Leanne in a way that made her think they were gonna mob her again. She sent them all terrifying glares to make them back off as they walked through the market.
"Seems you just get everyone's eyes lately." Cheetara muttered from her spot beside Leanne. She instantly turned her attention to the cleric, surprised that she had even spoken to her.
"Cheetara, I need to talk to you about… what you saw." Leanne said quietly, trying not to get anyone else's attention.
"What is there to talk about?" Cheetara asked, her tone cold.
"Listen to me," Leanne said quickly, "It isn't what you think it is. I wasn't doing… that… because I wanted to. I was just helping him."
"How were you helping him?!" Cheetara snapped.
"No, listen, please." Leanne said, "Tygra wasn't entirely sure of his feelings for me, so I thought I'd just…"
"You'd turn them towards you?" Cheetara growled.
"No, turn them towards you!" Leanne said quickly, trying to keep her voice low, "I won't say that I don't love Tygra, because I do, but I love him like a brother. And… now he knows that he cares about me like a sister."
"Give me one good reason I should believe you." Cheetara said, Leanne looked at Cheetara, her expression begging her to understand.
"…I can't think of one." She was telling the truth. "You're just going to have to trust me."
"I don't." Cheetara said, she quickened her pace to walk with the others, leaving Leanne behind. She looked down at the ground sadly.
What she didn't know was that Lion-O had heard every word that had been said between them. He knew that Leanne didn't know that he had seen, and he did feel betrayed by her, and by Tygra, and that feeling of betrayal translated into anger towards both of them, but there was something underneath it, something that kept that anger from turning into pure, unrighteous rage.
He didn't want to admit it, but it was the love he felt, not just for Leanne, but for Tygra as well. Tygra, even though they weren't related by blood, was his older brother. He would never betray his loyalty to him as Lord of the ThunderCats, but he had his own ambitions to follow, just as Lion-O did. One of those ambitions was being with Leanne, the one he loved. He couldn't stand it. He and Tygra had been rivals in everything but matters of the heart. And the idea of Tygra taking Leanne from him tore him to shreds, but the only thing keeping those shreds together was the anger he felt towards both of them.
"Here we are!" Kitsune said, gesturing up to a small building with a sign at the top that read 'Stirling Outfitting'. He led the way through the front door, and Banvor was already inside. He smiled when he saw them.
"Lion-O!" He said happily, "When did you come back in town?"
"Today." Lion-O replied, "How are things, Banvor?"
"How's the little one?" Cheetara asked.
"He's doing very well." Banvor said, completely beaming at the mention of his son, "Completely healthy, and he's such a rowdy boy, too! I'm sure he'll be strong when he gets older."
"Sounds like it." Cheetara said, "I'm glad to hear he's well."
"Did you name him yet?" Leanne asked, excited at the mention of the baby.
"Yes, we've named him—"
"Who's there?" A familiar deep voice came through the shop. Everyone looked and saw Stirling coming in through another room. "Ah. It's you cats again."
"Hey Stirling." Kitsune greeted again.
"Brat." He said in return, which, knowing Stirling, was the most greeting Kitsune was going to get from him. Stirling's eyes traveled to Panthro and the others, his eyes landing on the kittens, "And even more brats."
"Come on, Dad." Banvor said, "These are friends."
"We only knew them for a day." Stirling said, "They're acquaintances at best."
"Yes, but we're acquaintances with business." Leanne said, stepping aside, showing Panthro's stumps. Stirling's attention was immediately grabbed.
"Well, that's quite a wound." He said, stepping forward to Panthro. He bent down to take a look at them, "Interesting…" He stood up straight, "I've made prosthetic arms before. Yours are going to take a bit more metal than usual because of the sheer size of your arms, but I can use some chrome to make it lighter."
"Hey, whatever gets me back into the fray fastest." Panthro replied. Stirling looked up at the cat, his eyes meeting his. The two hardened soldiers stared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up as they continued to speak.
"You still need to go through rehabilitation to get used to them." He said, "Operation's gonna be painful."
"I can handle it." Panthro said firmly. Stirling raised an eyebrow at the cat. They were both silent as they stared each other down. Kitsune looked between the two panthers as they kept sizing up the other, silently speaking to one another through their eyes in the way that only warriors could.
After a moment, the two of them grinned, and started chuckling, "I bet you can." Stirling said, he clapped his hand on Panthro's shoulder, "War heroes like you are always welcome in my shop." Everyone smiled at the friendship formed by the two cats. "Come this way and I'll see what I can do."
"Well… that's… hum…" Stirling looked completely dumbfounded. He looked at the strange inter-dimensional cut that existed under Panthro's bandages. "Never seen anything quite like this before." Panthro lay on a small chair, being examined by Stirling to help him decide what to make for Panthro. He sat on a small stool in order to be comfortable while examining him, everyone else stood around, waiting for his diagnosis.
"So… how much will it cost to get him new arms?" Leanne asked, a little nervous about how much money it would be.
"I might charge you a small fortune," Stirling said, "If I could do anything about it."
"What do you mean 'if'?" Lion-O asked.
"This is very unusual." Stirling said, "I've never seen anything like this before in all the years I've been alive."
"Which is how many, exactly?" Kitsune asked, Stirling shot him a glare.
"You mind your own damn business!" He snapped at the fox boy, who jumped back at his voice. He turned back to Panthro, "If you want me to make you some new arms, I'm going to have to… well, cut your arms up a little more, and that won't be comfortable, I promise you."
"Why do you need to cut him up more?" Leanne asked, wondering why he couldn't attach new arms to Panthro now.
"Because in order for my prosthetics to work," Stirling explained, "I need to connect the machines directly to the nerves in the body, so the arms will move like your old ones, but… with this… whatever it is that's in the way, I'll have to scrape it off to get to the nerves underneath. And that makes the operation for it that much longer, and considering that you got this kind of wound, I'm assuming you guys don't have a lot of time to waste waiting around for your friend to get better." He looked over at Lion-O.
"We can wait until Panthro's got some new arms." Lion-O said, "How long will it take?"
"Well…" Stirling looked at Panthro's arms, "Regular operations with easily connectable nerves… that takes about ten hours, depending on how much the patient squirms. I should warn you," He looked at Panthro, "The operations alone are torturous, I can't tell you how many hardened soldiers I've seen cry like little children on that operating table. The wounds, even if they've scabbed over, need to be open. There can't be anesthetic, because the nerves need to alive and kicking when you connect the prosthetic to the body, and I can't let you pass out either, because that causes them to be a little dulled as well. You can ask the brat about it," He pointed to where Kitsune was shifting from one metal foot to another uncomfortably, "He was just a child, and he fainted six times. His operation took well over fifteen hours. We had to get smelling salts to wake him up, and he never sat still."
"I was in horrible pain!" Kitsune growled, "And I was eight! Of course I didn't want to sit still!"
"And on top of all that," Stirling continued as if he hadn't spoken, "There's the rehabilitation. For new legs, it takes about three to four years. For new arms, it takes four to five. And that's not including the month-long rest time patients require after the operation.
"Five years?!" Tygra repeated in shock.
"We don't have that kind of time." Panthro said.
Stirling nodded, "I guessed as much. Which is why, if you want to get to where you're going and be ready for any enemies along the way, I'd recommend learning to shoot a gun with your feet as the fastest route. The operation is just going to waste your time, and who's to say that, even if I did start operating on you, there's not more of this stuff hiding underneath your skin?" He pointed to the inter-dimensional cover on Panthro's wounds. He got up from his stool, "I'm afraid I can't help you."
"You can't… you can't find some way to fix it?" Leanne asked desperately.
"I can't." Stirling said, "I don't have the time to go through whatever kind of research I need to go through in order to be prepared for this." He heard the door opening, and looked through the entry way of the door to see one of his customers, a dog man with a metal leg, coming in. "I'm sorry I can't help you." He walked out of the room to go and see him, "What's the problem this time, Mr. Canis?" The man, who smiled at seeing him, told him about how his new prosthetic had been bothering him.
"Now what are we supposed to do?" Leanne asked sadly.
Panthro was silent for a moment, thinking, before speaking, "Keep going."
"Excuse me?" Tygra asked.
"Keep going." Panthro repeated, "Keep looking for the next stone and stop Mumm-Ra." He let out a sigh, "I've been a soldier for years… Maybe it's time I retire."
"We aren't leaving you behind, Panthro." Lion-O said firmly.
"Well, you can't keep going with me as a dead weight." Panthro said.
"We'll find a way to get you a new pair of arms!" Leanne said, standing up. "If not here, then someone else!"
"And just who could we count on to make some new arms, when even an expert in prosthetics can't make them for me?" Panthro asked her.
"You know," Kitsune began, getting everyone's attention, "You don't have to connect the mechanics of the arms to the nerves in order to get them to move. I bet if you just find some way to transfer the signals from your brain to the new arms that doesn't involve painful surgery, I'm pretty sure you'd be fine."
"But in order to do that, someone needs to be very adept at technology." Cheetara said.
"You're in a town full of tech-enthusiasts!" Kitsune said, "I'm sure you'd find someone who would be more than happy to help you!"
"…What if we went to someone who was already made of technology?" WilyKit suggested, everyone looked at her oddly, "Am I the only one that remembers the Berbils?"
"The Berbils!" Leanne said with a smile, seeing a hopeful outcome to Panthro's loss of limbs.
"The Berbils…?" Panthro groaned, "Not those fur balls!"
"…What's a Berbil?" Kitsune asked, completely unfamiliar with the mechanical bear race.
"When it comes to building," Tygra said, "They're the best. I wouldn't be surprised if they could build a new set of arms for Panthro."
"Then that's our best option right now." Lion-O said, he smiled at Panthro, "Looks like we'll be visiting our old friend Bill." Panthro groaned.
"Great…" He muttered.
Leanne rewrapped his bandages and started helped him to stand, even though he protested against it, saying he wasn't so helpless yet. Once he was on his feet, Banvor came in.
"Ah… I thought it was odd that your examination had gone so quickly." He said, "So… when will you be fitted for your metal prosthetics?"
"Never." Kitsune said, "Apparently, Stirling can't do anything about it. It's a really unusual case."
"Oh…" Banvor looked at Panthro apologetically, "I'm sorry."
He shrugged it off, "Don't worry about it."
"Are you leaving?" Banvor asked, looking at the group.
"Well, we won't gain anything by sticking around here." Tygra said, "And our friend needs new arms as soon as possible."
"I was… Well, Belata and I… we were kind of hoping you'd stay a little longer." He said sheepishly, "Our little one just opened his eyes yesterday and… I was hoping he'd get a chance to see the cat who delivered him." He looked hopefully at Cheetara, who looked at him in surprise at the request.
"Well… I'm certainly honored." She said, "But we should be going…"
"I can't stop you from leaving." Banvor said, "But we'd be so happy if you stayed a few moments longer."
Cheetara looked back at Lion-O, wondering if they could stay, and he nodded.
"We have some time." He said. Banvor smiled.
"I-I'll be right back!" He said, before turning around and dashing through the hallways. Everyone stepped out of the examination room, seeing that Stirling was examining the leg of his current patient, tapping against the metal.
"It's fine, you just need to get used to the weight." He told him, "But I have some painkillers that should work for you." He got up and went past the ThunderCats to get to the examination room, where he kept the medical supplies.
"Hey, seeing as you guys are sticking around a little longer," Kitsune said, "You wanna come check out the circus that's in town? They come every year, and they have the best freak show exhibit."
"I don't know if…" Lion-O was quickly interrupted by the excited voices of WilyKat and WilyKit.
"I wanna go!"
"I love the circus!"
"Can we go?"
"Can we please go?"
"Please, please, please, please?!"
"I don't think we really have time for…" Lion-O trailed off when he saw the twins looking up at him, eyes big and sad, lips pouting, "Guys, it's a travelling circus, we'll find one somewhere else, I'm sure."
"Why can't we go to this one?" WilyKit whined.
"We haven't been to a circus in forever! Please?" WilyKat begged.
Lion-O looked between the two kittens, who were begging him to let them stay to see the circus with their huge eyes and quivering lips. Finally, Lion-O sighed.
"Fine, but we're leaving right after." The kittens cheered happily.
Not too long afterwards, Banvor and Belata came around the corner, carrying their little baby in Belata's arms, who had grown considerably since they last saw him. His eyes were a bright blue color, and they were big and curious as he looked at all the new faces that were presented to him.
"My, he's gotten big." Cheetara said as she walked over to the baby, smiling at him. The baby reached up for her, and she let him grab his finger, which he then attempted to eat. She didn't mind, the baby didn't have his teeth yet, but it was an odd feeling for her finger to be chewed on by something that only had little pink gums.
"Aw, he's so chubby and cute~!" Leanne squealed as she came up beside Cheetara, who immediately took a small step to the side to put some space between them. "What did you say his name was again?"
"Oh, we named him Beltharo." Banvor said, "After my wife's father."
"Aw, he's so adorable." WilyKit said, looking at the little kitten.
"Thank you." Belata said with a smile. Little Beltharo looked up at Cheetara and kept chewing on her finger, letting out a little coo. She pulled her finger away from him, but he didn't seem to mind. He held out his arms, his big blue eyes soon spotting something else that caught his interest on the ceiling.
Everyone adored and admired the little kitten a little longer before the twins began tugging on Lion-O's arm, saying they wanted to go to the circus. Banvor and Belata bid them goodbye, but Stirling stopped them before they left.
"Hang on." Everyone looked at him as he approached Panthro, "Why don't you stick around? I haven't been able to speak to another old soldier in a long time."
"I don't want to be any trouble." Panthro said.
"It won't be." Stirling said, "I can imagine how awkward it is to walk around town without any arms. I may not be able to do anything, but the very least I can do is treat you to a good meal." Panthro gave the other panther a grin.
"Well, who would I be to deny an offer from an old soldier?" He asked, Stirling smiled. The two of them left in another direction as everyone else headed off towards the circus. Kitsune was more than happy to lead them to where it had been set up in a great big blue and red tent somewhere near the edge of the town. A few people were already heading inside as they prepared to watch the next show. They went inside and got a seat up higher in the audience, the bleachers already full with spectators who wanted to see the show. Leanne sat down next to Lion-O, and smiled at him. He returned the smile half-heartedly, then looked away. He didn't really want to face Leanne at that moment. She noticed his behavior and frowned.
"Is something wrong, Lion-O?" She asked, putting her hand over his. He took his hand away from her without saying anything. Leanne looked at him confusedly, wondering what was making him act this way. His silence unnerved her, and she was about to ask him again, when Cheetara spoke up.
"Don't bother." She said, quiet enough for only Leanne to hear since she was sitting on the row behind her, "He saw it, too." Leanne's eyes widened. Lion-O had seen her kiss with Tygra? She turned to him, and he didn't meet her eyes.
"Lion-O, let me explain," She said quickly, "It's not what you think it is!"
"I don't want to know." Lion-O said.
"But you have the wrong idea!" She said.
"I really don't want to hear it." Lion-O said. His voice was cold and stern, and it cut Leanne to the core. Lion-O got up and moved one row back, leaving Leanne with the twins and Tygra just on the other side of them. Tygra saw how sad she had suddenly become and was about to ask about it when someone stepped into the ring that was used as the stage for the circus. It was a monkey man with a very hairy face, big ears, and a long tail dressed in a red suit.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" He shouted, his voice booming across the entire tent, getting everyone's attention, "Welcome to the Fortien Brothers' Travelling Circus!" The crowd applauded him loudly, and the twins cheered and whooped in joy. The ring master bowed and waved his hands for them to calm down. "We have a wide variety of entertainment for you today! And we certainly hope you enjoy yourselves! Now, to begin our show, we have the Valvari sisters!" The crowd cheered loudly as a pair of girls who looked like ring-tail lemur twins with dark hair pulled up into buns came out on special riding animals. As they entered the ring, they attached themselves to harnesses, standing on their animals, waving to the crowd as they whooped and hollered at the two beautiful girls.
Leanne wasn't really paying attention to them, she was lost in her own depression, trying to figure out a way when she could better explain what happened to Lion-O. Tygra carefully moved around the twins to her so he could speak to her better.
"You okay?" He asked over the roaring crowd as the lemur sisters performed a trick.
Leanne shook her head, "Cheetara wasn't the only one who saw us." She said, "Lion-O saw, too." Tygra looked at her in surprise. He glanced back at his brother, who wasn't paying attention to their conversation. He looked back at Leanne, understanding why she was so upset.
"I'll talk to him for you." He promised, "I'll explain all of this to him."
"I don't know if he'll listen." Leanne said as the lemur sisters' show ended and a new one began.
"I'll make him." Tygra said, he patted her shoulder comfortingly, "He'll listen to what I have to say, I promise." Leanne nodded.
The circus was an entertaining show, to say the least. It kept Leanne's attention for a little while and pulled her away from her thoughts of Lion-O and Cheetara. She applauded the acrobats and the fire breathers as they came out.
"And now, a very special performance for all of you," The Ring leader said, gesturing to the curtains, "Our very own Circus Siren, the very last of her kind, I give you Tabby!" He turned to the curtains, only for no one to come out. The ring leader frowned and the crowd began to laugh softly at his embarrassment. He went over to the curtain and walked through it. He came back out yanking the arm of a cat girl. Immediately, everyone's attention was caught as the ring leader shoved her onto a podium in the middle of the stage. Lion-O's especially, his eyes flashing in recognition as he looked at her. She was a very skinny cat with ruby red eyes of average height. She had pure white hair with black ears and tail, the rest of her fur was deep grey, with a bell tied around her neck, and a ribbon tied around her tail. She didn't move, not meeting the eyes of the ring leader or anyone around them, keeping her sights on the ground. Sweet music began to play, but she did nothing. Everyone in the crowd began to murmur, wondering what was going on. The ring leader, clearly infuriated by her actions, stopped the music by raising his hand to the ones performing it. He grabbed her arm again and muttered something into her ear, she shook off his grasp. When he released her, she rubbed the spot he had grabbed and looked up at the crowd. The music began again, and she began to sing in a language no one understood.
"Lacrimosa dies illa.
Qua resurget ex favilla.
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus.
Pie Jesu Domine."
The way she sang was in a very melancholic and sad tone. Her voice carried throughout the tent, and her words seemed to speak of some kind of tragedy. Leanne was sure that's not what the words translated into, but there was something underlying it that made her think that the song she sang was a song about death, or loss. She felt she might cry because of its sadness, as well as from the beauty of her voice. She truly was something like a siren. Leanne looked around to see she wasn't the only one who felt that way, as many of the circus's spectators seemed to be on the verge of tears. Some were already letting some tears fall, and a few were sobbing like babies. She looked back at where the girl stood, singing the next verse.
"Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus.
Pie Jesu Domine."
The music slowly came to a stop. Once it was quiet, the entire audience erupted in applause, all of it for the girl. She didn't look very happy to receive it. The ring leader got her off the podium and shoved her into the hands of one of the circus workers, who led her back through the curtain to where the other performers were.
"That's Tabby, ladies and gentlemen!" He said, the applause kept going, even after Tabby had been led behind the curtain. "And with that, our dearest friends, our show has ended. We hope to see you all another time at the Fortien Brothers' Circus! Thank you!" He bowed to the crowd, who applauded him. Once some cheery, bouncy music started up, everyone started getting up from their seats to go back to their daily lives, but Lion-O did something else. Instead of heading for the exit, he headed for the curtain where all the circus performers had gone. Everyone else followed him.
"Lion-O, what are you doing?" Cheetara asked as he went up to the curtain.
"Didn't you see her?" He asked her, "Clearly she didn't want to be there." He went up to the curtain, being very quiet as he moved it over to the side, just enough to peek through it to see some of the performers cleaning up a few of their things before the next show. He looked around and saw Tabby sitting on the ground, a chain attached to her ankle, the other end attached to a huge metal ball. The ring leader stood in front of her, glaring.
"Listen, kid," He growled, "It's all well and good for you to whine about what's going on here backstage, but if you don't get out there and perform, it's going to cost me some serious business! You got that?" Tabby didn't respond, she looked away from him. The ring leader growled and grabbed her throat, turning her face towards him, "You look at me when I'm talking to you!" She let out a small choking sound, reaching for where his hand was, trying to pull it away from her throat, "No, you shut up!" She was quiet, but she still tried to pull his hand away. He grabbed her hands and held them tightly, "Now you listen and listen good. If you try and pull a no-show like you did just now, you're gonna get a hell of a lot worse than just my hand at your throat!" She nodded, showing she understood, and he released her throat. She took in a deep breath and hunched over, coughing harshly, her hands reaching to gently hold onto her throat as she tried to get rid of the feeling of the hand that had been there previously. The ring leader stood up as something else caught his attention and he walked away, calling, "Jean! What are you doing? I told you to put the torches somewhere the animal food isn't! Do you want a repeat of what happened in Solstara?"
Tabby sat back up, rubbing her throat as she caught her breath. She looked in the direction the ring leader had walked away, but did nothing more. She looked down at the chain on her ankle, reaching for it and tugging on it a little seeing if it was loose. It wasn't.
Lion-O looked back at the others, motioning for Kitsune and Tygra to keep an eye out for anyone as they snuck in. Tabby looked up in surprise at her visitors as a pair of cats went over to where the other employees of the circus were setting up for their next show later on tonight. WilyKat and WilyKit went over to her and began to pick the locks of the chain on her ankle.
"Who are you?" She asked the twins, "What's going on?"
"Oh, come on," Lion-O said, "Don't tell me you don't recognize me." She looked up at him, and her red eyes widened at the sight of him.
"Lion-O…?" She questioned quietly.
"You know her?" Cheetara asked as she and Leanne came into the room.
"From a long time ago." Lion-O said. Kitsune looked back at the twins, seeing they were still picking the lock.
"Oh, what is this? Amateur hour?" He asked, moving away from his post and pulling out some tools from pocket, "Watch and learn, kiddies. This is how you pick a lock." Cheetara went to cover Kitsune's position as he swiftly undid the lock for the chain around Tabby's ankle. It came off with a small clang and fell to the floor. Tabby looked at her ankle, then at Kitsune.
"Thank you." She said.
"T'was no problem." Kitsune said with a grin as he helped her up, "It's what I do."
"Okay, we've got her, now let's go before someone spots us!" Tygra said, they all listened to him and ran out of the circus, Lion-O hanging onto Tabby's wrist as they ran.
"I have to say Lion-O, this isn't quite how I pictured our reunion!" Tabby said with a smile as he pulled her along, "But I'm glad for it anyway!" Lion-O grinned at her and they ran from the circus as quickly as they could.
"So… you knew Lion-O and Tygra when they were cubs?" Leanne asked as they all sat in Banvor's home, keeping Tabby, her full name being Tabitha, safe until the circus departed tomorrow morning. They all had some drinks and some food that was put out for them by the couple.
Tabitha nodded, taking a sip from the drink she had gotten from Belata, "Yes, it was a very long time ago. We were very young, but I frequented Thundera's palace many times as a child. My father was one of Thundera's noblecats, and he was a good friend of King Claudus." She turned to Lion-O, frowning sadly, "By the way… I heard the news about him. You have my deepest condolences." Lion-O nodded.
"Thanks." He said.
"How'd you hear?" WilyKat asked her.
She gave the twins a small smile, "Well, when you travel with a circus, the latest news tends to reach you pretty fast."
"How did you end up at that circus, anyway?" Tygra asked, Tabitha looked down, suddenly depressed.
"I was taken from my home." She said, "It was by complete happenstance. I was in the gardens, practicing this new song I had heard a few days prior, and the next thing I know, I'm being grabbed from behind, tied up, and shoved into the cart of a circus carriage. At first, they offered me a large sum of money to sing for them, but I refused. So then, they threatened to kill me if I didn't. I've been there ever since."
"When was this?" Cheetara asked.
"Three years ago." Tabitha said sadly, "I've tried escaping, but none of my attempts ever worked, and I ended up getting punished for it later on."
"Did they beat you?" Lion-O asked, his face contorting to one of anger.
"No." Tabitha said, "No, they would never risk putting scars on me for fear of people knowing about what they had done. They would normally just starve me for a few days. The most being ten."
"They wouldn't let you have food for ten days?" Leanne asked in shock, Tabitha nodded, "My God, that's awful!"
"It wasn't as bad as you might think." Tabitha said quickly, "The other circus creatures had it much worse than I did, and even some of the other performers. I was the only one there against my will, but in some cases, I was treated better than they were. I had my own place to sleep every night, albeit a cage but still a place to sleep, and I got food when I needed it. It could have been much, much worse."
"It's still pretty bad!" Leanne said.
"What about your family?" Lion-O asked, "Where are they? Or did Marluxa fall when Thundera did?"
"I don't know." Tabitha said, "I haven't heard anything about home, and I desperately hope that my parents are still on this earth."
"Just who were your parents?" Cheetara asked, "You speak very well, even for the daughter of a noblecat." Tabitha blushed at the compliment.
"Yes, well…" She began, "My education was significantly changed when King Claudus gave my father the kingdom of Marluxa."
Kitsune spat out whatever he had been drinking in shock, "Your dad had a whole kingdom?! How did that happen?!"
"As I said, my father was good friends with King Claudus." Tabitha said, "Marluxa is… something of a 'sister kingdom', I suppose you could say, to Thundera. He gave it to my father as a reward for all his service during the Great Lizard War. My family and I lived there for a time, as well as many other Thunderans looking for a change of scenery."
"That was one sad goodbye." Tygra said, "I still remember how much you were crying." Tabitha's cheeks turned red in shame. Leanne reached up and smacked the back of his head.
"Be nice." She chided. Tygra rolled his eyes.
"Yes, mother." He said, Leanne smacked him again, "Ow!" He glared at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He latched onto it with his fingers and she let out a noise of surprise.
"Naah!" She moved his hand away, "Don't do that!"
"Don't smack me." Tygra returned. They looked up when they heard Tabitha giggling at them.
"You two must be close." She said, looking at them.
"Closer than you think." Lion-O muttered before taking a sip from his drink, no one had heard him.
"So… what are you going to do?" Leanne asked Tabitha, "I mean, you're away from the circus now, right? Are you going to go home?"
"I'd like to." Tabitha said, "I'd so very much like to return home to see my mother and father again. But I'm not entirely sure of where I am, or how to get home, and I fear that if I travel alone, I will be caught by the circus once more."
"Then we'll go with you." Lion-O said, everyone looked at him in surprise, "The kingdom of Marluxa isn't far from where the Berbil village is, if I remember correctly. We'll head there, then go to the village to get you a new pair of arms, Panthro. It's not too far out of the way."
"Would you?" Tabitha asked him in surprise, "I-I'd be so grateful!" Lion-O looked at everyone else, wondering what their say is on the matter. Everyone gave a general murmur of agreement.
"You guys mind if I come with you?" Kitsune asked, "I've never really been out of the city before. I'd love to see this Marluxa place."
"Only if you can make it back to Janmasthala on your own." Lion-O said, Kitsune scoffed.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" He asked, crossing his arms with a confident smirk on his face, "I'm Kitsune! The light-footed fox! I can handle a simple trip from one place back to Janmasthala." Lion-O grinned.
"Of course you can." He said, "We'll just have to make some extra room for you in the tank." Kitsune looked at them in surprise as they got up.
"Tank? What tank?" He asked.
Kitsune gaped in awe at the sight of the Thunder Tank, amazed at the sight of it. "That's a nice tank."
"Don't even think about stealing it." Panthro growled at him as he walked past the fox down to his tank.
"I wasn't thinking about that." Kitsune said, but he was lying. His old thief was beginning to reemerge at the sight of the tank, wondering how much money he could sell it for, but that thought was quickly dashed away as he followed the ThunderCats down to where it was, Tabitha walking beside Lion-O.
"You seem to have done very well for yourself, considering what's happened to Thundera." She said.
"Well, it helps to have good friends." Lion-O said to her. A hand touched his arm, and he looked back to see that it was Tygra. He frowned at him, "What is it?"
"I need to talk to you." Lion-O said, dragging him away from Tabitha and somewhere else, "Now." Tabitha looked after the pair until they had gone somewhere no one could hear them speak.
Leanne came up next to her and smiled at her, Tabitha returned it. "I never had a chance to introduce myself, I'm Leanne." She held out her hand for her to shake, and she did.
"Tabitha." She said, "If I may ask for your pardon for a moment and ask… just… just what species are you? I've never seen your kind before."
"Everyone's wondering that." Leanne said with a sigh, "I'm getting tired of everyone asking me."
"I'm sorry." Tabitha said, Leanne shook her head.
"Don't worry about it." She said, "I'm human."
"Human?" Tabitha questioned, tilting her head to one side, "I've never heard of them before."
"That's probably because humans aren't of this world." She said, "I think humans might be of a different dimension, or a different planet from where I come from."
"Oh." Tabitha said, obviously intrigued by her, "Can you tell me more about your world?"
"I guess," Leanne said, "But only if I get to ask a question for every question you ask." Tabitha nodded.
"That's fair." She said.
"I'll go first," Leanne said, "How well do you know Lion-O? I know you knew him when he was a kitten, but…"
"Oh, yes, that," Tabitha began with a giggle, "It really is quite silly, but there was a point in time where I once held his heart." Leanne looked at her with wide eyes.
"What?" She asked, Tabitha giggled.
"I suppose you could say I was his 'first love'?" Tabitha said, "Although I didn't return his affections at the time."
"You were Lion-O's first crush?" Leanne asked in surprise.
Tabitha nodded, "Yes, I suppose I was."
Lion-O looked at Tygra once he was finished explaining to him what had happened between him and Leanne. Lion-O was quiet for a moment.
"So…?" Tygra asked, wondering what his reaction was.
"So what?" Lion-O asked in return.
"What are you going to do now that you know?" Tygra asked. Lion-O was quiet, and that unnerved him, "Are you at least going to talk to Leanne about this? Just promise me you'll do that much. She's miserable with the way you're acting to her, and she's worried she might have ruined what you had."
"She did." Lion-O said, "But I'll talk to her."
"Good." Tygra said with relief, "That's all I really wanted to know." He walked away from him and towards the tank, where Panthro was waiting for him to come up and take the wheel and drive them to the kingdom of Marluxa.
Leanne sat on a bench by herself as Tabitha spoke to Cheetara, talking about the kingdom of Marluxa, where she had never been before. She was telling her about how their kingdom went on with no clerics. Kitsune was talking to WilyKat and WilyKit about the ways to form a piece of metal to best suit their lock picking needs. She looked up when Lion-O came up and sat beside her on the bench. He was quiet for a moment, and didn't look at her, and she started to get a little nervous.
"Lion-O…?" She questioned quietly.
"Tygra told me what happened." Lion-O said, still not looking at her. Leanne smiled and let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, thank God," She said, "I thought you were going to hate me."
"I wasn't done." Lion-O said, Leanne's smile fell as he looked at her, "It's going to take a lot for me to trust you again. I'm willing to look past this, for the sake of our mission, but…" He looked away for a moment, then back at her, "Maybe… this was a bad idea."
"What was?" Leanne asked, fearing his answer.
"…Us." Lion-O said, Leanne's face fell a little more, "Leanne, we're two completely different species. There was no way it could have worked in the end. I'm surprised it worked for this long." Leanne looked away from him, her eyes settling on the ground. She felt a little lump forming in her throat. Lion-O saw that she was about to cry and frowned, "I'm sorry."
"No, no…" Leanne said quickly, waving off his apology. "I understand… I do." She stood up and started walking away, "Don't worry about it." She went over to the communicator on the wall and pressed the button. A moment later a picture came up of Tygra and Panthro, "Guys, open up the roof, I'm coming in."
"What?" Tygra asked in surprise. She didn't say anything else as she pushed the small opening on the roof up and started climbing out. The sudden 'whoosh' of wind alerted everyone in the carrier of her departure and she shut the opening once she was completely out on the roof. She carefully climbed over to the front of the tank, where Tygra had opened up the top so it would be easier for her to come in. She seated herself at Tygra's side and he closed up the top again. He looked over at her, and noticed how she looked like she might break down at any time. "You okay?"
Leanne took a moment to answer, letting out a huge breath and moving back into her seat, "…Not really." She brought her hand up to her face and sighed, "I just needed to get out of there."
"What happened?" Panthro asked. Leanne was quiet again, taking a deep, shaky breath in and out.
"I think Lion-O broke up with me." She said, her lip quivering as a tear trailed down her cheek.
Tabitha watched as Leanne got out of the carrier with a surprised face. Why was she suddenly leaving? She looked over at Lion-O, who looked a little upset at the sudden leave, and a little guilty as well. Once the opening was closed, she looked at Cheetara, who looked just as surprised as she did.
"Will she be alright?" Tabitha asked, concerned for her wellbeing outside the tank.
Cheetara nodded, "Leanne has the gift of flight, and she can keep up with the tank if she has to." Tabitha noticed how Cheetara's tone seemed to get a little harder when speaking about Leanne.
"Um… Cheetara," The cleric looked over at the princess, "Is there… something between you and Leanne? You both seemed rather tense around each other…"
"I suppose you could call it that." Cheetara said, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back against the wall of the tank. Tabitha looked at her questioningly.
"Care to explain?" She asked. Cheetara looked over at her.
"Well… actually, it started yesterday." She began quietly, not wanting the others to overhear her, "Leanne… she… betrayed me, I guess you could say. She betrayed my trust, and whatever friendship we had."
"And… how did this happen?"
Cheetara began to quickly explain the situation to Tabitha. Normally, she wouldn't have done something like this to someone she just met, but she really felt like she needed to vent about it. Tabitha listened carefully as Cheetara elaborated here and there about how she told Leanne of her confession about Tygra, and how she saw Leanne sharing a kiss with the one she cared about most. Tabitha nodded in understanding when Cheetara finished.
"I see… and, how does Leanne feel about Tygra?" Tabitha asked.
"She says it was only to help him figure out his feelings," Cheetara said, "But I don't believe her." Tabitha nodded again. She looked over at where Lion-O sat, slumping in his chair, looking guilty and depressed.
"And… is Lion-O involved in that somehow?" Tabitha asked. Cheetara looked over at the young king, then back at her.
"He was there when I saw it." Cheetara said, "He was hurt more than I was, I think. After all," She leaned back against the back of the tank, "He was romantically involved with her." Tabitha's eyes widened.
They couldn't make it to the kingdom by the time they hoped they would, so they had to stop for the night and make camp. Panthro would be taking watch all night, "I may not be much of a fighter, but at least I can be a pair of eyes for tonight." He had said. Nobody objected to it, but Lion-O promised that Panthro could get some rest before the middle of the night, and he would take watch.
As they set up camp, Lion-O noticed that Leanne stayed as far away as possible from him as she unpacked and set up her place to sleep for the night, and she tended to stay by Tygra or Panthro. She would help the kittens with their camp, and Kitsune promised to help her with her things after he finished helping Tabitha, who was very embarrassed by the fact that he continued to call her 'Princess', because that's what he saw her as. He spent so much time speaking with her, that he never noticed that, by the time they were half-way through their conversation, Leanne had already unrolled her sleeping bag and gotten out some food from the rations to snack on.
When the bonfire was made, Leanne made sure to sit beside Tygra, Tabitha was on her other side. As everyone spoke, it was very obvious of the tension between Leanne, Cheetara, Tygra, and Lion-O. It made the kittens uneasy, and Kitsune tried to make the tense air a little looser by beginning a story of how he had played a prank on Stirling a little while after he had been fitted with new legs. The kittens listened with interest, trying not to focus on the atmosphere as Kitsune did his best to describe the story in as much detail as he could so as to drag it out and keep their attention on something else.
As the story continued to be spun, Tabitha leaned over and quietly whispered to Leanne, "Cheetara told me what happened." Leanne jumped and looked over at Tabitha with wide eyes, wondering if she would hate her now, too. "I was wondering if you wanted to tell your side of the story."
"Oh." Leanne sighed in relief, "Well, I don't want to say that Cheetara was wrong for thinking the way she did, because she has every right to, but… I kind of wished that it had never happened at all." Leanne began to explain what had happened, and the reasons why it had happened, so Tabitha would be able to better understand how she felt, and how Cheetara and the others felt. Tabitha was quiet, and listened intently and patiently as Leanne whispered various things to her about what had happened. She ended it with a tiny description of how they all felt at the moment, "…So now, Cheetara hates me. Tygra's either oblivious, or he's adjusting to that. Lion-O doesn't want to be with me anymore, and I'm just depressed." Tabitha nodded.
"I see…" She murmured, taking a bite of the fruit she had been given, "It's all quite… dramatic."
"Tell me about it." Leanne said with a small groan, she rested her head on her hands, "Considering this is a totally different world than the one I'm from, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to deal with stuff like this. But I guess drama exists anywhere there are people smart enough to make it."
Tabitha paused for a moment, "You make it sound like a good thing."
"It's not!" Leanne hissed harshly. She took a deep breath and calmed herself when she noticed Tygra looked at her oddly. "I really wish I didn't have to deal with this."
"Well, perhaps it was for the better." Tabitha suggested, trying to help her to stay optimistic.
"Then why does it feel so terrible?" Leanne asked, swallowing the last bit of her food. Tabitha looked at her pitifully, then she looked over at Lion-O, who seemed to look just as guilty as before.
That night, Lion-O couldn't sleep. Leanne's face haunted his dreams, and it was in such a way that he couldn't stand to dream of it anymore. He sat up, looking over at where Leanne had set up her sleeping bag over in between the twins, who were snoring loudly, their bodies spread out all along the ground in that way that only little kids could sleep. Leanne seemed to be perfectly comfortable, tucked away inside her sleeping bag, her arms curling up by her head as she slept soundly. As he remembered when he last spoke to her, he could just see her heart breaking on her face, especially when it was in such a delicate state after Cheetara chewed her out. He couldn't believe that after such an emotional thrashing, Leanne could still have enough calmness to sleep. Or perhaps, it was all so much for her that she wanted the sleep. He wasn't sure, and it wasn't like he could ask her about it.
"You know, there was a time when I hoped you would look at me like that." A voice said, Lion-O quickly turned around to see Tabitha was wide awake, and sitting on top of her sleeping bag. "I couldn't sleep. I was too excited to go home." She explained.
"Me either." Lion-O sighed. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Tabitha looked over at where Leanne was, "She's a lovely girl." Lion-O looked over at Leanne, a forlorn expression on his face.
"Yeah, she really is." He said softly.
"Then why did you cut it off with her?" Tabitha asked, "Surely, if you still feel for her, then you shouldn't be apart from her."
"I can't trust her." Lion-O said, turning back to her. "What if this happens again?"
"I doubt that." Tabitha said.
"You don't know that for sure." Lion-O said.
"Neither do you." Tabitha shot back. Lion-O frowned and said nothing. Tabitha sighed, "Lion-O, Leanne is miserable, from what I can gather. At the very least, set things right between you and her, or her and Cheetara." Lion-O didn't say anything to her. Tabitha lay down in her sleeping bag. "Just think about it."
The next day, Leanne rode in the carrier of the tank, sitting beside Tabitha, who was talking happily with Kitsune. Although she had been wrapped up in her misery, she couldn't help but notice how close the two had gotten over the short amount of time they had spent together. She wondered for a moment if the princess and the former thief had a forming romance, and she smiled a little at the thought. She looked over at where Cheetara sat, who was occupying herself with the twins' conversation. She glanced over at Lion-O, and at the same moment, Lion-O looked over at her and their eyes met. Immediately, they looked away from each other. It was so hard for her to look at him after everything that had happened, and it was no different for him.
Leanne wasn't sure why they would be like this. She knew that she had betrayed Lion-O's trust, and she wanted his forgiveness, but after everything that happened, she could see why he wouldn't be so apt to give it. Let's try and look at this in a different light, She thought, Maybe this is for the best. After all, in the long run, I need to go home at some point, and the chances of coming back and finding Lion-O are slim at best. Maybe… this just spares the pain of goodbye. The thought of it made her eyes fill up with tears, and she shook her head. She didn't want to say goodbye yet! Not yet! She wanted to see this adventure through to the end, and then she wanted to go back home. She didn't want to think about goodbye.
Leanne focused her attention on her hands, trying not to look at anyone as she sat in silence. She tried to keep her mind blank and off of everything that had happened. She went over to her bag and began rummaging through it, pulling out the small, aged book that was her Nana's diary. It couldn't hurt to have a little distraction in all the craziness that was going on. She opened it up and flipped it to a random page.
August 8th, 1976—
Today was Francis's birthday, and Marissa wanted to celebrate it by going to the zoo. Of course, she's wanted to go to the zoo for months after she'd heard one of the lions had a new cub, and today just happened to be the day that they were going to start letting the little one run around the lion exhibit with its parents. It was hard to say no to such a happy face. It was the first time that I had gone to the zoo after my time on Third Earth. I thought I could handle it. But, when I looked at the animals in their exhibits, trapped inside… I just… I could barely make it pass the reptiles. I just kept being reminded of my friends from that time. Garflin and Leo… I just kept seeing their faces as I looked at the lions. I kept seeing the faces of all the animals, trapped in Mumm-Ra's cages. They looked at me with fear, and sadness. They were in captivity, and there was nothing I could do about it this time. These animals were afraid, but they weren't smart enough to function in society as normal humans, maybe they could be able to in a few million years with some strange kind of evolution, but not today, and not now.
I actually had to excuse myself from my child and husband just to compose myself. Francis was worried about me when I suddenly had to run to the washroom, but I told him I was fine. I gave him the old "My period just started" excuse.
Leanne let out a small snort of laughter when she read that.
Lion-O saw this and was surprised at her sudden lightened mood. After everything that happened, she could still smile? Clearly, Tabitha was mistaken. She didn't look miserable. Maybe… maybe she was okay with it?
He felt a little insulted at the thought. She was okay with it? How could she be okay with it? After everything that had happened? He felt his blood boiling a little in anger. He was the one that initiated it, and he wasn't okay with it! How could she be?
He sighed, stopping himself from getting too angry. Maybe there was another way to look at this. He wasn't really sure about any other way, but he would see it eventually. He looked up when the tank soon came to a stop. Tygra and Panthro's face soon appeared on the screen. Lion-O got up towards them.
"Well? Are we there?" He asked.
"Oh, we're here." Panthro said, "But I don't think your little princess friend is gonna like it too much." Tabitha's brow creased in worry and she went over to the entrance of the tank, pushing the button that opened the door. She stepped out, everyone else going out with her. Tabitha went around to the front of the tank to see what had become of Marluxa, and her heart stopped.
Before her, the small kingdom of Marluxa lay in smoking ruins. The remains of the castle lay in the distance, a few towers still standing. All the homes in the kingdom had been either burned down, or had taken a serious hit. There was no sign of life. All homes were deathly silent, and there wasn't even the sound of chirping birds as they looked out at the kingdom.
"Guess the lizards got here before us." Leanne said.
Lion-O went over to Tabitha, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Tabitha, I'm so sorry."
Tabitha's eyes filled with tears as she looked out over what she once called her home. She stepped away from Lion-O, getting a little closer to where it was. "If this is my kingdom… then what has become of my parents?" Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Kitsune looked at her sadly and walked up beside her.
"If it's any consolation, Princess," He said, "I lost my family, too. I know how you feel." She looked over at the young fox.
"What am I supposed to do now?" She sobbed out, leaning onto him and crying, "Where will I go…? I've lost everything…!" Kitsune held her close, rubbing her back, standing tall as she cried, letting her take all the emotional comfort she needed from him.
"I know that it's hard to lose the ones you love," Kitsune said softly, "But that can change. You could come back with me to Janmasthala. I'm sure Stirling would let you stay, and he could set you up with a good job." He pulled back slightly, giving her a smile, "One of the good things about losing a family is being able to gain a new one." Tabitha sniffled as she looked up at him.
"I… thank you, Kitsune." She said, giving him a small, watery smile as she tried to compose herself.
Tygra looked down at the screen in the tank, seeing it was the radar.
"Hang on," He said, his voice catching everyone's attention, "I don't think the lizards were finished." He saw two little blips on the screen, "We got two lizards headed this way, from the west." Everyone turned in the direction of the west, ready to fight as the possible enemies came closer and closer to them. They soon heard the rustling of the remaining foliage, and a pair of cats came out from the woods.
"Hello?" The male said, "Please… we don't mean you any harm." His and the female cat's clothes were dirty and raggedy, but it was clear that they had once been wearing fine clothes. "We're just looking for some help." Tabitha turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw the two of them.
"Papa!" She cried, running from Kitsune's arms to go to his.
"Tabitha!" He exclaimed, seeing his daughter coming towards him, he quickly gathered her up in his arms, holding her close to him, not wanting to let her go. The female cat, her mother, came towards her, kissing her cheeks.
"We thought we had lost you." She said, her eyes filling with tears as she embraced her daughter.
Everyone was quiet as the family was reunited, letting them have their moment together. Lion-O glanced over at Leanne, who looked back at him. He could see the hurt in her eyes, but she managed to give him a small smile, and he awkwardly returned it.
"So, what will you do now?" Leanne asked Tabitha as she stood with her parents and Kitsune. As it turns out, her parents had heard about the lizard's attack on Thundera, and prepared escape routes for them and all their people. Some people stayed behind, unfortunately, and were killed when the lizards stormed through the kingdom. For weeks, Tabitha's parents had been hiding out at the borders of their kingdom, hoping that the lizards wouldn't find them. Now they were here, with their daughter they thought they had lost three years ago. Lion-O was back with the twins, having them help him to separate a few rations for Kitsune and Tabitha and her family to use as they headed on their own path while they continued on to the Berbil village. Tygra had taken Cheetara off somewhere private to speak with her, and Panthro was just sitting uselessly in the tank, grumbling to himself and sending the occasional glare at Snarf, who had apparently decided it was Panthro's snack time.
"We will go to Janmasthala, and start over there." Tabitha said, she looked over at Kitsune, "We will find a new life, and we will live it with all that we have with our fellow cats in that city." Leanne smiled.
"I'm glad. Best of luck, Tabby." She said, she shook hands with the cat and her two parents before looking back at Kitsune, "Take care of yourself."
"You know I will." Kitsune replied, "Good luck getting your friend some arms."
"Thanks." Leanne said, she grabbed his hand in a rough friendly way. Lion-O came up to them, holding a bag of food.
"Here," He handed the bag to Tabitha's father, "That should last you until you get to town."
"Thank you, Lion-O." Tabitha's father said, "I hope our paths cross again someday."
"You and me both, sir." Lion-O said, smiling at him. He shook hands with him, and gave the mother a small embrace before they turned and started heading on their way.
Leanne looked up at Lion-O, and he looked back at her. She looked away, biting her lip for a moment, then turned her attention fully to him, "Look, Lion-O… Can we talk about… us?"
"Um… sure." Lion-O said awkwardly, putting his full attention on her.
"I won't lie, it still kind of hurts that we're… like this." She said, "But… um… I've given it some thought, and… You were probably right to… break us up."
"I was?" Lion-O asked, surprised that she was saying that.
"Yes. I mean, your original reasons were… well… you know." She didn't feel comfortable talking about what happened, "But, um… in the long run, this is probably for the best, because I'm going to be leaving at some point, and if I'm with you the whole time… that would just make it harder to go home. But, at the very least, I don't want all this… awkwardness between us. Can we just go back to the way we were before we were together? When we were friends?"
Lion-O was quiet, remembering back before he figured out he was in love with Leanne. "…Yeah. I'd like that." He said, Leanne smiled at him, glad he was willing to be her friend.
"Friends?" She asked, holding out her hand. Lion-O reached out and shook it.
"Friends." He said, smiling at her. They started walking back to the tank, and they saw Tygra was coming back with Cheetara, whose face was slightly red. She approached Leanne and pulled her aside.
"Tygra just told me he loved me." She said quietly, "And he explained everything to me, and… Leanne, I want to apologize. I've been… I've been a bit of…"
"…A bitch?" Leanne offered.
Cheetara was confused, "I'm a cat, not a dog."
Leanne blinked at her a couple of times before bursting out in laughter. Cheetara looked at her oddly, "Sorry, sorry… I just," She snorted in laughter, "That was just too funny. But, um… yeah, you've been a little mean, and I can see where you're coming from and… yeah."
"So… you accept my apology?" Cheetara asked.
"As long as you accept mine." Leanne said, Cheetara smiled.
"Deal." They shook hands and filed into the tank. Cheetara sat down next to the twins, who were animatedly talking about how to improve the way that Kitsune had showed them to pick locks. Snarf was back in the carrier while Tygra was up with Panthro to drive the tank. Leanne sat next to Lion-O and they were quiet as they felt the engine start up and the Thunder Tank took off for the Berbil village.
HOLY CRAP ON A STICK THIS TOOK FOREVERRRR! I'm sorry this took so long, but I had a lot of drama to write down, and this drama stuff is HARD. But, I hope it's good enough for you guys. I'll be starting on the new episodes now, and hopefully, you can expect more chapters soon.
Also, I just wanted to note that this chapter might be a little Mary Sue-ish, and I'm just hoping it's not that bad.
The song that Tabitha sang can be found on http: / / www. youtube. com / watch ?v=KbiFSfj_BcA Just take out the spaces.
I love you all so much, thank you for sticking by me after all this time! ^_^