24
Leanne sat in the passenger seat of the tank as Panthro drove, looking through the pages of her Nana's diary as they followed the book's directions. They all figured 'Up' wasn't really a necessary direction they had to go right away. It was better for them to find a better way 'up' than just climbing a gigantic mountain. She heard giggles and looked back to see the kittens playing with Snarf. Behind them, Cheetara and Tygra were happily talking to one another, in very close contact, and Lion-O was across from them, taking a much deserved nap. After all that trouble he had gone through with the trials and saving them? He deserved a little rest. Leanne smiled when Snarf jumped up on WilyKit's head and they began to squeal happily. She looked over at Panthro, who was concentrating on the road ahead of them. She turned to face him.
"Panthro, have you ever thought about having kids?" She asked. The panther looked at her oddly.
"What?" He asked.
"It's a simple question." Leanne said.
"No, why are you asking?" He said with a laugh, "Why do you want to know if I've ever wanted children?" Leanne shrugged.
"I dunno." She looked at the windshield, "It's just, out of all of us, you're the oldest and I'm sure you've got plenty of stories on you."
Panthro scoffed, "If that ain't the truth."
"So, surely, in all that time, you must have had someone you cared about." Leanne said, Panthro's face became expressionless, but Leanne didn't notice, "Maybe a girlfriend…? Maybe a wife?"
"My life was dedicated to the Thunderian army." Panthro said, "Romance wasn't really at the top of my list."
"Oh." Leanne said disappointedly.
"Although…" Panthro began, "There was this… one girl." Leanne listened to him, "It was a long time ago, back when I had just joined the ranks. She was beautiful. Had the most amazing eyes. You could look at them every day for the rest of your life, and you could be mesmerized each time." Leanne smiled.
"Sounds like you really liked her." She said, "What was her name?"
"Siamne," Panthro replied, he let out a long breath, "Boy, was she beautiful. She was kind, too. Real gentle. Especially with little creatures. She adored kids."
"How long were you two together?" Leanne asked.
"Four days." Panthro said, "That was it. I met her in a bar when I was on a mission. She was the kindest thing. After a minute, I, uh," He cleared his throat, "Worked up the courage to talk to her."
"You? You had to work up courage?" Leanne asked. Panthro nodded.
"Hey, Lizard armies I can take any day," He said, "But a beautiful girl?" He let out a low whistle, "I'd be runnin' from the battlefield." Leanne giggled at the thought of a shy Panthro. "It was only one night, but… it was special."
"Did you two, uh…" Leanne wasn't sure how to put it, "You know." Panthro quirked a brow at her, "…Under the covers?"
"We were both adults and we both agreed, so, yes." Panthro said, "We did just that. She was something, though."
"Sounds like it." Leanne said, she looked back out at the windshield, watching the forest life pass them by, "Do you ever think you could start a family with someone Panthro?" The old cat paused in thought as he drove.
"Yeah, maybe." He said, "I'd like to. Someday. When I meet the right girl." Leanne nodded.
"That sounds nice." She said.
"Why do you ask?" Panthro asked her.
Leanne shrugged, "I don't know. I was just wondering. Random things pop into bored minds sometimes." She giggled a little, "Although, I'm curious to see how your kids would turn out, seeing how you handle Kat and Kit." Panthro snorted.
"Yeah right, when I get kids, they're not gonna be anything like those two." He said. Leanne giggled.
"No, I guess not." She said, "They'd be little soldiers, like you."
"Damn right." Panthro said, Leanne giggled again. She turned her attention back to her grandmother's diary, looking through the pages, her eyes scanning over all the circles scribbled onto the pages. It was rare to have these little moments of quiet and relaxation when they were traveling. It made Leanne think of road trips she would sometimes take with her mother and her friends, where they would drive for hours on end, just talking, listening to music on their iPods or something, or just napping. She smiled at the thought of the ThunderCats group being a family. It kind of was, in a sense.
The tank suddenly jerked to a stop that almost made Leanne lose her grip on the diary. She looked up at Panthro and saw a scowl on his face.
"Great…" He muttered.
"What is it?" Leanne asked as the other Cats came up to see what the problem was.
"That." Panthro pointed in front of them, and in the distance, they could see a long mountain range that went up very high. "It'll take us weeks to get around these mountains!"
"I guess there's no shorter way around?" Cheetara asked.
"There might be a pass through the mountains." Tygra suggested.
"You want us to blindly ride through a mountain?" Panthro asked with a growl, "No way am I putting my baby through that."
"Then we'll pick someone to scout it out to find a pass." Tygra said, "I'll go and find a shortcut."
"I'll go too." Leanne said, "I'll get bored out of my mind, otherwise."
"So will I." Lion-O said. Tygra looked at him, and Lion-O gave him a stern expression. Tygra could see that he still didn't trust him to be alone around Leanne, but he said nothing about it. "Panthro, you and Cheetara will stay here and look after the kittens. The three of us will go." Panthro nodded.
"Pack warm." Cheetara said as the three of them got up. Once they had all their supplies, they put on some cloaks to keep themselves warm in the icy landscape. Cheetara shared a goodbye kiss with Tygra before they headed out, promising to be back in a few days.
Leanne shivered and brought her arms closer around herself, looking up at all the high, snowy cliffs of the mountains they traveled on. The trek itself was difficult. The snow was knee-high, and even deeper if you stepped in the wrong place. Leanne had already fallen into two snowy pitfalls, and both brothers had helped her out of them.
They had been walking for a while, when Tygra, who was leading the expedition since it was his idea to go, stopped and looked around the area, seeing that the path there wasn't quite big enough for the Thunder Tank to go through.
"So much for scouting ahead to find a shortcut." Lion-O said when he saw him looking around. "We're lost."
"I don't get lost." Tygra replied, "There's a pass through these mountains and I'm going to find it!"
"Hey! Shh!" Leanne hissed, "I don't know about you guys, but I think with these high cliffs, and all this snow, we should keep our voices down. We don't want to start an avalanche." She looked at Tygra though, "But, this way seems to be something of a dead end. Maybe we should go back and try another direction."
"It's this way. I know it is." Tygra said firmly, and started walking ahead. Leanne sighed at him.
"Stubborn…" She muttered. Lion-O grinned and reached into the snow. Leanne looked at him oddly when he did, "What are you doing?" Lion-O held a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet as he made two snowballs. He threw one at the back of Tygra's head and held onto the other one. Tygra looked back, glaring at them, and Leanne held her hands up defensively, showing it wasn't her as Lion-O tossed the snowball in the air.
"You never admit when you're wrong." Lion-O said.
"You never act your age." Tygra replied, brushing the snow off his shoulders and head with the dignity he held high in himself. He turned around again, and Lion-O offered the second one to Leanne. She bit her lip, and thought it would be fun, so she grabbed it and chucked it at the tiger, landing on his head again. She giggled mischievously when she did. Tygra growled and turned around, sharply shouting, "Lion-O!" His call echoed across the mountains, and the three of them froze, looking around them. A rumbling could be heard, and a part of the mountain's snow broke off and began to fall quickly towards them.
"Avalanche!" They all cried, and ran to find somewhere to take cover. They soon found a high boulder in the ground, and they all ran towards that. Tygra grabbed Lion-O and pulled him to safety, and Lion-O did the same to Leanne, all pressing their bodies against the rock, Lion-O shielding Leanne as the snow fell over them. After a moment, the avalanche stopped and they slowly got up. Leanne blushed when she realized how close she and Lion-O were, even if he didn't realize it at the moment.
"You alright?" He asked her as he stepped back.
"Yeah." She said, pushing herself up, moving away from him. They all looked to see their previous tracks were completely covered by the snow, although they knew which direction they came from.
"Still think we're gonna find that shortcut?" Lion-O asked Tygra. He glared at him and looked around, his gaze stopping on something above them.
"We found something. Look!" He pointed up and they saw a cave hidden away in the side of the mountain.
"Maybe we can warm up a little bit there." Leanne said, shivering as she brushed off the snow that had covered a little bit of her shoulders in the avalanche. They all began their trek upwards, silent, until Leanne spoke up, "Would it have killed you to keep your temper in check? It was just a snowball."
Tygra growled lowly in his throat in anger, "Well, Lion-O should have been mature and threw it away, instead of at me."
"Actually, Leanne threw the second one." Lion-O said.
"Yeah, nice try." Tygra said.
"Um… he's telling the truth." Leanne spoke up, Tygra whirled around to look at her with wide eyes. She shrugged, "What? I'm not allowed to poke a little fun at you?"
"Ugh! You're both children!" Tygra snapped, and he was quickly shushed by Leanne.
"Not so loud!" She whispered, "We don't want to have another avalanche!" Tygra rolled his eyes and kept walking.
It didn't take them very long to reach the cave. They warily approached the entrance, careful to keep an eye out for any potential threats. From the light of the sun, they could see a little ways into the cave, and could tell that someone had been living there for some time. Possibly several people. Tunnels had been dug in the sides of the cave walls, and a few tarps rested over the entrances, acting like doors. Seeing that no one was there at the moment, the three of them entered the cave, looking around. There weren't any signs of current life, but that idea was destroyed when they saw a group of hooded men approaching them. They all readied themselves for a battle, not sure if these were enemies or friends.
"Welcome." One of them greeted warmly. The three relaxed when they realized that the ones around them weren't intending to do them any harm and put their weapons away.
"Hello, my friends and I mean no harm." Lion-O said, stepping forward. "We're lost, and—" Tygra stepped up, shoving him back a step.
"We are not lost." He insisted.
Leanne stepped up closer and whispered harshly to him, "So not the time, Tygra."
A murmur suddenly buzzed through the group of men at the mention of his name. One of them stepped forward, "Your name is Tygra?"
Tygra removed his hood to properly look at the people addressing him, and Leanne and Lion-O did the same. "…You ask as if you know me." Tygra said hesitantly.
The other man removed his hood, showing that he was a tiger as well, "I am Casmin, of the Tiger clan. We have long waited for this day, Tygra." He smiled warmly at him as the others removed their hoods, showing that they were all tigers, "Welcome home. Your father will be eager to see you." Tygra's eyes widened.
"My… father?"
The trio followed Casmin as he led them through the village, pointing out different things about it, like where the market was, and where any special landmarks were located. Leanne looked around at the people, who paid close attention to them as they passed by. They had a strange look on their faces that Leanne couldn't decipher, and as they ventured further into the village, she felt the Jewel of Omens vibrating around her neck, and she could see it dimly lighting in the cave. She didn't like this feeling of unease. The last time she had felt it was just before Claudus was slain by Mumm-Ra. Lion-O noticed how she kept grasping at the necklace and gently nudged her.
"You okay?" He asked, Leanne shook her head.
"The Jewel is trying to tell me something." She said, whispering so the tigers around them wouldn't hear, "There's something off about this place. It can sense it." She looked up at him. "What should we do?"
Lion-O paused, thinking, and then said, "We'll see what happens and decide what to do." He looked to Tygra, who was walking ahead of them, completely unaware of their conversation, "This is his clan. It's important to him." Leanne solemnly nodded and continued to keep up with the group.
Casmin brought them to a separate room and opened the large double doors, "Look who it is, Lord Javan!" He called inside. The three of them were shown to a room where seven cats sat around a bonfire, the head cat looking remarkably similar to Tygra. Leanne's eyes widened when she saw the place. It was decorated in many old relics, most of which she assumed were sacred, and the place was covered in dust, as if none of it had been touched in years, but it still held a sort of… majesty to it that made her think of a throne room, and it most likely was.
Lord Javan's eyes widened when he saw Tygra, and he did the same.
"Tygra… is that you?" Javan asked, as if unable to believe he was there.
"I can't believe it…" Tygra breathed, "All this time I thought I was alone, and… here you are!"
"It's quite a surprise to see you." Javan said, Leanne grasped at the Jewel of Omens, waiting to sense where it would decipher the truth in his words, should he lie to them, but he seemed to be completely sincere… so far. Javan looked away from his son, and Tygra looked to the ground in sadness, clearly thinking he's disappointed him in some way.
"Forgive your father," Casmin said, "Your return is nothing short of miraculous."
When Tygra said nothing, Lion-O stepped forward, "We always suspected Tygra came from a lost clan. But where did you come from?" Leanne's grip on the Jewel of Omens tightened, planning on paying close attention to what Javan said.
"In ancient times, the tiger clan was the pride of Mumm-Ra's elite fighting force." Javan began, "During the Great Mutiny, we stayed loyal. Because of it, the Tigers were treated as outcasts by the other Cat clans." Lion-O and Leanne shared a glance, knowing just what 'mutiny' they were talking about. It was sad to think that they couldn't resolve any differences between them, but… that was war. Even decades after the end, the formerly warring enemies would still hate each other. "Our people settled in these mountains. Even under such harsh conditions, we prospered for generations, until—"
"Enough of our history." Casmin said quickly, interrupting Javan. "We want to hear about you, Tygra! Tell us how you came to be a prince among lions."
Tygra looked up and at the small group who had gathered before him, "It wasn't until I was older that I was told the story of my arrival. I know that it was a few years after the king and queen had been married, and they had yet to bear a child to continue the royal line. One day, a crowd of people gathered around a balloon that held a basket that carried a baby tiger and a piece of paper that bore nothing more than a name… My name. Since they had yet to give birth to a son, they took me in, and raised me to become the king Thundera deserved." He let out a small chuckle, "Mother always called me her 'Little Prince'." The smile fell, "But, as I grew older, my parents approached me, and told me that I was going to be a big brother… After that, I wasn't the 'Little Prince'. When the time of the birth came, there were… complications, and my mother lost her life. That night, I lost the two things I cherished most. My mother, and my kingdom." Leanne looked at Tygra sadly, not having known that story.
Casmin approached Tygra with a warm smile, "But today, you become heir of the land of your own."
Tygra looked up at Javan, "If I'm part of this royal line, then why did you give me away?!"
"I did not give you away." Javan said, not meeting his eyes, "It was for your protection." He looked up above at a sky light in the room, "Now, look. Darkness is falling." Leanne looked up, seeing that two of the moons had risen in the sky, and the sun was beginning to set. "You need to leave for your own safety." The other tigers in the room stood up to leave.
"Not until I get an explanation." Tygra said firmly. He stayed still as the other tigers began to file out of the room.
"This village has long been haunted by an unspeakable evil." Javan warned them as he walked by, "I only wish to keep you safe from it, my son."
"I'm a ThunderCat. I don't run from a fight." Tygra said. He glared at him, "Something my father taught me." A flash of pain flickered across Javan's face, but it left as soon as it came, "Am I supposed to believe you sent me away because of boogeymen?!"
"If you cherish your life, you will go now." Javan said, and he walked around the group, heading off into another part of the village. Tygra growled angrily in his throat.
"I wish I never found this place!" He snarled. Leanne turned to him with wide eyes.
"Tygra!" She said in an admonishing tone, "He's your father!"
"Claudus was my father!" Tygra growled to her, "He's just a cat who abandoned his child."
"Tygra," Leanne turned him to face her and she looked into his eyes, "Don't let your stubborn pride get in the way of forgiving him. I—" She was cut off when she heard a strange hissing noise from the darkness of the village.
"What was that?" Tygra asked, turning away from Leanne to see what it was. Her eyes widened when she saw tall, black, thin creatures with huge, frightening yellow eyes crawling around on the rocks towards them, a black smoke radiating from their bodies.
"I think it's the boogeymen." Lion-O said, pulling out his sword. Leanne and Tygra got prepared as well. They charged in to the gang of strange monsters, Lion-O using the sword to beat down two at a time, while Tygra used his whip to knock them back. Leanne used the wind to push them away, and used the earth underneath her feet to knock them down. The battle was relatively short and it ended with Leanne, Lion-O, and Tygra all against each other's backs.
"What are these things?!" Lion-O asked as he saw their fallen forms.
They all watched with wide eyes as a black smoke began radiating off of them again and they all began to stand up, looking perfectly fine. The Jewel of Omens vibrated around Leanne's neck again and she grasped it.
"Whatever they are, they're not going down!" Tygra said.
"But we will if we don't get somewhere safe now!" Leanne said. The three of them turned and ran down a tunnel that led to an icicle-covered cavern. The monsters didn't hesitate to follow after them.
"Guess your father was telling the truth!" Lion-O said to Tygra as they ran. He looked back over his shoulder, seeing the monsters were a good distance away from them. He jumped up and slashed down a good number of the huge icicles that filled the cavern, and they fell to the ground behind him. The three stopped to look back at the wall Lion-O had made, watching as the monsters tried to push through the small cracks. They kept running until they were out of sight of the monsters and moved into a small cavern. Leanne made sure they were safe by bringing up some of the icy ground to cover the entrance. They all sighed in relief once they were safe. The cavern was dark, so Leanne made some fire in her hands. Seeing as there was no wood to help them light a fire, they used their cloaks to keep themselves warm in the darkness. Soon enough, their eyes adjusted to the dark, and they all settled down.
"What, in the name of all that was good and holy, were those things?" Leanne asked the two.
"I've never seen anything like them before." Lion-O said, "I don't know. Javan said the place was cursed." Leanne nodded and held the Jewel of Omens.
"At least now I know why the jewel was freaking out earlier." Leanne said, she looked at it curiously, "But why would it get so freaked out over a curse? Normally, it only reacts when someone lies."
"Could you tell if anyone from before was lying?" Lion-O asked. Leanne shook her head.
"No, from what I could tell, they were all telling the truth." She said.
"There are ways to get around telling the truth." Tygra muttered, "Like telling half-truths." Leanne gave him a sharp look.
"Tygra, that's enough." She said, "This man is your father. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for him to do what he did. And it's clear that he really cares about you."
"He gave me up! If he cared about me, he wouldn't have done it in the first place!" Tygra snapped.
"Tygra, the man is obviously sorry about it." Lion-O said.
"It doesn't matter how sorry he is." Tygra said.
"Tygra, look," Leanne turned so she could face him, "You should be happy this happened. You've been given a second chance to have a dad. Something Lion-O and I won't ever get." Lion-O looked away at the mention of his father, "I know you're angry at him, and I know you're upset, but give him a chance. He's your dad. When Thundera fell, we lost Claudus, and you and Lion-O were left alone. I've never had the chance to meet my father, and I never will. I lost him a long time ago. Javan is your dad, and from what I can tell, he really was doing it for your protection. He just wanted you safe. He cares about you, and I don't think it would kill you to at least try to get to know him." Tygra was silent and he sighed, bringing a hand up to his temple.
"…Maybe you're right." He said after a moment, "But how am I supposed to approach him? How can I look him in the eye after what's happened?" Leanne paused to think.
"I don't know." She said, "But you're smart Tygra. You'll figure it out."
The next morning, Tygra got up, saying that he was going to talk to his father, and Leanne and Lion-O bid him goodbye, knowing he should talk with him in private. That left them alone, together, in a village where people gave you strange looks if you happened to meet their eyes.
Once Tygra had left, things got very awkward, very, very fast. Leanne and Lion-O still weren't comfortable looking directly at each other, at least, not when they were alone… together…
Lion-O cleared his throat to try and ease the silence between them, "I'm going to go look for the tracks of those creatures. If we find where they're hiding out, we might be able to get rid of them."
"Okay, you do that." Leanne said, she looked around, "I think I'll… just… investigate this place… a little."
"Yeah…" Lion-O reached up, scratching the back of his head. He watched as she began to walk away from him, pulling her cloak a little tighter around her to try and warm up. He noticed she hadn't done the fastener quite right. When they had gotten the cloaks, she had Cheetara do the fastener because her fingers weren't quite as 'dexterous' as hers, she had said. "Hey," She looked back at him, "Um…" He walked up to her and took the cloak, beginning to re-do the fastener, "Let me get that." The fastener was placed just above her chest, and he was very careful to avoid that area and try not to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. When it was done, he smoothed out the cloak around her shoulders, "We don't want you getting too cold. Getting sick and all…"
"Yeah… thanks." Leanne said, a small blush on her cheeks. She stepped back from Lion-O and began to walk away to do as she had said she would, and Lion-O turned to go out to see where the creature's tracks had gone.
Leanne walked around the village, asking the people about the creatures that had come to attack them last night. The adults only gave vague answers, saying, "They are a curse upon us." Or they would avoid the question entirely, giving some excuse. As Leanne walked around the village, she noticed how, even though these people seemed to be living, there was an underlying melancholy to the place. As if, they were all putting masks of fake happiness, and walking around as normal, when there wasn't really anything normal about it. She asked a few people why they didn't fight off the monsters, but again, they avoided questions with excuses, or only gave a vague answer she didn't understand. She even came up to the children, asking about the monsters, but at the mention of them, they either began to cry, or they ran away, or they told her off, calling her names before running away.
"What is with these people?" Leanne asked herself as she looked around the village. After a little while of walking, she came upon a familiar face, and figured since he was so willing to speak to Tygra, he'd be willing to talk to her, "Casmin!" The tiger turned around.
"Ah, you are the young lady who accompanied Tygra," He said, recognizing her, "What did you say your name was, again?"
"Leanne." She said, "Casmin, I have to ask this, but what were those monsters that came to the village? I've never seen anything like them before, and no one's been able to give me a straight answer about them. If you could—"
"I'm terribly sorry, Leanne," Casmin interrupted, "But I have an important meeting with Javan that I cannot afford to miss. I will answer your questions at another time." Leanne scowled at him as he walked away, heading for Javan's chambers.
"I guess no one in this place knows what they are." She muttered. She headed towards the entrance of the village, planning on helping Lion-O with the tracking.
Lion-O looked out along the path where they had come into the village the night before, searching for any sign of the tracks of the creatures from the previous night. It was snowing up there on the mountain, so he suspected they wouldn't be easy to find, but he wasn't expecting there to be no trace at all!
"Strange…" He muttered to himself.
"What is?" Lion-O jumped at the sound of someone's voice and turned to see Leanne at the entrance to the cave. She giggled at his startled expression, "Sorry, just coming to check on how you were doing."
"Oh… Well, it's not going very well." Lion-O said, he looked out at the snowy path, "There are no tracks… anywhere. Not a single trace."
"Are you sure?" Leanne asked, she looked upwards, "You don't think the snow covered it, do you?"
"Not when it's falling this slowly." Lion-O said.
They both heard footsteps and looked back to see Tygra approaching them.
"Hey, Tygra." Leanne greeted, "How'd it go with Javan?"
"I had a long talk with Jav— …My father." Tygra said, Leanne smiled at his correction, "Maybe this… can be a home for me, after all."
"Take a look at this, Tygra," Lion-O said, looking around them, "Those creatures that attacked us last night, I looked for their tracks leaving the village and I couldn't find any."
"Snow covers things, like tracks for instance." Tygra said with a sarcastic tone, "What's your point?"
"Haven't you noticed no one ever leaves the village?" Lion-O asked him, "Not to hunt, or forage… I haven't even seen them eat." Leanne thought about this, not remembering any point in time where they ate.
"You saw those monsters! I'd stay close to the village, too." Tygra said.
"They don't even attempt to fight back!" Lion-O said, "There's something strange about this place."
Tygra glared at Lion-O, "I've spent my whole life never quite belonging. Now I find my home, and you can't even be happy for me!" He took a step back, "Guess I shouldn't be surprised." He turned and walked back into the village, leaving Leanne and Lion-O alone again.
"There's something I'm not seeing…" He muttered quietly.
"Well, there's only one way to fix that." Leanne replied. He looked at her and she smiled, "I'll help you, if you want." Lion-O pulled out the Sword of Omens, and put one hand on the hilt, Leanne put her hand on it as well, her fingers overlapping Lion-O's. She blushed a little at the thought of holding hands with him again, but said nothing about it.
"Sword of Omens," They said simultaneously, "Give me sight beyond sight." The hilt's edges extended, curling around their eyes, and they began to see a vision of the tigers in the village. They looked normal, milling about as usual, but their forms changed to those of the creatures they saw the other night.
"It can't be…" Lion-O breathed.
"No way." Leanne gasped. All throughout the village, there were nothing but those creatures. All of them, milling about as the tigers would. The entire village was nothing but a den of monsters!
"He must not know the truth." A voice said from behind them. Lion-O put the sword down and he and Leanne looked up towards Javan. "You don't understand how it is for a father…"
"He may be your son, but he's my brother." Lion-O growled at him.
"How did this happen?" Leanne asked, "Surely the Tiger clan isn't a bunch of black monsters, otherwise Tygra would have turned into one a long time ago." Javan shook his head.
"I cannot say." He said.
"Can't or won't?" Lion-O asked.
"I think I can fix this." Leanne said, stopping Lion-O from any hostility. She held out her hands to the tiger, "Let me see your hands. Gloves off." Javan did as he asked and removed his gloves. He held out his hands, palm-up to her, and she rested her much smaller hands in his and closed his eyes. "I'm going to search through your memories, I just need you to think about how this happened, and I'll tell the story." Javan nodded, albeit a little reluctantly, and Leanne's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "It was a little after Tygra was born… There was a disease… I see so many people lying in beds…" Her face shifted to one of slight pain as she felt a headache coming on, but ignored it and continued, "There are so many… They're all in such pain…"
She was transported to the throne room where they had first met Javan, along with many other tigers, she continued to tell the story.
"You called for a meeting to see what could be done about it…"
"More are dying every day." Javan said to his advisors, "We must seek help or risk extinction. I propose sending an envoy to Thundera."
"They turned their backs on us." Casmin said, "We will not go crawling to them now."
"You would instead sacrifice our people for the sake of our pride?" Javan asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Pride is all we have!" Casmin snapped.
The other advisors in the room voiced their agreements with him.
"No one would take your idea… So Casmin suggested another one…"
"Why turn to the lions, when we can turn to the Ancient Spirits who protected our ancestors?" Casmin said with a sly grin.
Javan was reluctant to do it, but when everyone else agreed with Casmin, he had it set up so they would be able to communicate.
"You set up a ceremony to communicate with… Some… ancient… spirits. I don't know." The headache was starting to get a lot stronger now.
Javan stood before the bonfire, "Ancient Spirits, we seek your help in our most desperate hour. Give us a sign of your presence!" For a moment nothing happened, then the fire turned a deep purple, and became a vortex that revealed to the tigers the Ancient Spirits of Evil.
And suddenly, the headache became too sharp and too hard for Leanne to continue.
"Ah!" Leanne jumped back and held her head. Lion-O was by her side in an instant.
"You okay?" Lion-O asked.
"Fine." Leanne replied, the headache suddenly gone, "I… I don't think I can look on anymore. Those Ancient Spirits… There's some dark magic in them. I couldn't see any more past that."
"Then, perhaps I should finish the tale." Javan said, the two looked up at him, listening intently, "The spirits spoke to us, and said they had heard our plea. They said they would grant it on the condition that I slay my son. When I asked them why, they said he would become a threat to the Ancient Spirits. I refused outright, but they produced a knife, saying 'One life for many'… I took the knife, and they instructed me to take Tygra to the highest peak and slay him there. Minutes after we called to them, our people were cured. All of them were healthy and happy again, and our village was at peace once more… but I still had to do what was asked of me. So, I did as the Spirits wanted, and took my son to the highest peak. But, when the time came for me to take his life… I couldn't. He was my son. I couldn't let him die. So, instead, I placed him in the basket of a balloon and sent him away, with nothing more than a paper bearing his name. When the Ancient Spirits discovered my betrayal, they put a curse on us."
"Then the curse can only be broken when you take Tygra's life." Leanne murmured.
"The real curse for the tigers has been pride." Javan said, "We've never been able to overcome it." He looked at them pleadingly, "You must both take him and leave before sunset. For my sake, he must never learn the truth."
Leanne and Lion-O shared a glance, knowing that this place wasn't safe for any of them, but especially Tygra. They looked back towards Javan.
"We'll leave, but you have to convince Tygra to go with us." Leanne said, "He believes this place can be a home for him, he won't come with us willingly. The one who has the most influence over him is you." Javan nodded.
"I understand." He said, he turned and started walking back to the entrance. He paused and turned back, "Thank you… for letting him come here. It was good to see him after so long." He continued on the path he was walking before, leaving them alone together again.
"Why did you tell him to convince Tygra to leave?" Lion-O asked after a moment of silence. She looked up at him questioningly, "You could have just asked him to tell the truth."
"He won't tell the truth." Leanne said, "He's trying to protect Tygra from all this." She shifted her weight to one foot, "Like my mother was trying to protect me. She never told me about my family and what we were capable of. Javan won't tell Tygra the truth because he doesn't want him involved in any of it." Lion-O was quiet for a moment, his brows furrowing.
"But that's not protecting him," He said, "That's just keeping him ignorant. If he knew what was going on, I'm sure he would comply with what Javan wants."
"Or he would just jump straight into the battle and say that he should fight them all off." Leanne pointed out, "He's your brother, Lion-O. Surely, you know him better than that."
"Tygra could do that, or he could be sensible and leave." Lion-O said.
"Tygra's got too much pride in him to back down from a fight." Leanne replied. She started walking back to the village, "I'm gonna go look for him. Tell him to go talk to Javan." Lion-O stared at her back as she kept walking away. He instantly missed her presence by his side.
"Leanne—" He called out her name without thinking, and she turned back to face him.
"Yeah?" She asked. Lion-O wasn't sure what he was trying to say. She turned to face him completely, her sparkling silver eyes looking up at him inquisitively, "What is it?"
"I…" Lion-O paused, trying to put words together in his mind. He stepped towards her, "You…" He sighed, "Do you mind if I walk with you?" It wasn't what he wanted to ask her, but it was a start.
She quirked an eyebrow at his request, but shrugged it off, "Okay. I don't see why not." He walked by her side through the village, over to where Tygra was speaking to one of the villagers. He looked up when they saw him, and told him that Javan wanted to see him. He went to do so. Leanne frowned when he saw how happy he seemed as he went to go and meet his father. They waited a little outside the room where Javan was waiting for Tygra, and Leanne sat beside Lion-O.
"I feel so bad for Javan." She said, "After years of keeping him safe, he comes back… only to be taken away from him again." She sighed, "I feel really guilty for it."
"That may be, but it's for his safety. Our safety." Lion-O said. Leanne nodded.
"Yeah, I know." She said, "I just wish it didn't have to be that way." Lion-O reached up and put his hand on her shoulder, restraining himself from a hug, seeing as things were still so awkward between them.
She moved away and headed towards the door, listening in on what was said between Tygra and Javan.
"…forsaken your pride by living under the rule of that child you call a brother!" Javan's voice snapped, "Living amongst their kind has clouded your judgment. Made you soft. You're no longer a Tiger. I could never let you lead… and I'm not sure I can call you a son!"
There was a pause of silence where Leanne could just feel the tension between the two.
"And to think I ever considered forgiving you." Tygra growled. She heard the sound of footsteps and jumped back from the door just as Tygra opened it. He glanced at her on his way out, but said nothing about it as he stormed away. Leanne glanced inside at Javan and saw him leaning against a table, his shoulders slumped sadly. She felt a little pity for him as Tygra walked by Lion-O.
"What happened?" He asked, feigning innocence.
"We're leaving." Tygra growled. Lion-O looked over at Leanne, and she shook her head, silently telling him not to ask about their conversation.
"Tygra!" The three of them turned around to see a cloaked Casmin nearby, "I've a message from your father."
"I heard his 'message'." Tygra said disdainfully.
"Oh, I don't think you've heard this one." Casmin said slyly. Suddenly, another cloaked tiger came down from above them, quickly pushing Lion-O and Leanne out of the way as he went straight for Tygra with a crescent-shaped blade. He dodged the blow easily enough, but as he reached for his whip, the second one hit him hard, and he was temporarily stunned. He fell to the ground, his whip unfurling as he collapsed. He was quickly surrounded by the other tigers, all of them bearing the same kind of blade. They were just about to strike, when Javan suddenly ran out with a knife of his own, the swinging of his blade easily pushing them back away from his son. He looked over to Casmin with a frightening glare, and the tiger stepped back out of fear. He ran at him faster than he could get away, and stabbed him in his side. Casmin fell to the ground, holding his wound that, strangely, didn't bleed.
"It didn't have to be this way." Javan said.
"It was the only way…" Casmin rasped out, the wound making it difficult for him to breathe. He looked up at Javan, "You betrayed your own clan… You alone brought the curse down upon us… And your son will still die." The other tigers who were with Casmin stepped forward, Javan turned and growled at them, and they stepped back. He looked back at Casmin.
"Then they'll have to go through me first." He said.
Casmin let out a short, bitter laugh, "They won't have to…" He collapsed on the ground, eyes closed and looking very much dead.
Javan turned to Tygra, "You three are in grave danger. These creatures have no conscience, no remorse." He warned them.
"What's going on, Father?" Tygra asked, completely shaken up by the entire ordeal. "What are you hiding?" Leanne stepped forward.
"Tell him, Javan. Or we will." Leanne said.
"My actions have turned me into a monster." Javan said solemnly, "I pray you can forgive me." Leanne saw through an opening in the mountain that the sun had set. Tygra watched with wide eyes as the tigers behind Javan began to turn into the monsters they had seen before. He began to panic as he saw his father begin to undergo the same transformation.
"Father!" He exclaimed, and was about to run toward him, but Leanne held him back. They watched in horror as Javan turned into one of the hideous black beasts. It let out a wild cry and they all stepped back. Leanne gasped as she suddenly felt that sharp pain in her head as she did before, and she saw that as the rest of the village became monstrous, the main fire in the city changed to a purple hue, and she saw the faces of the Ancient Spirits of Evil. Their faces were shadowed by the world they resided in, but she could tell their species easily enough. One of them was a demon, like Mumm-Ra, another was a dog, and a gorilla, and the third was a glaring bird with two beaks.
"Kill them! Kill them!" Their voices cried in unison, and the monsters all began to run at them.
"Tygra, watch out!" Lion-O cried, pulling out his sword before slashing away one of the monsters that was about to attack Tygra. Seeming to snap back to himself, Tygra pulled out his whip and started hitting the monsters away. Leanne made sure to keep them at a good distance using the air around her, blasting them back before they had a chance to strike.
"Can someone explain to me what's going on?!" Tygra demanded as he knocked away another one of the monsters.
"It's kind of a long story!" Leanne said, blasting back one of the monsters, "But basically, your dad had to take your life to save the village!" She blasted back another one, "He chose to save you instead!" Tygra's eyes widened at this news, "And as a consequence, the Ancient Spirits cursed the village! That's why they're like this!" She blasted back another one.
The three of them kept fighting, the monsters seeming to only get stronger as time went on. Eventually, it got to a point where Lion-O was fighting off three of them at once, Leanne was fighting off six, and Tygra was fighting off four. He took down the last of the ones around him, when one of the monsters ran up and grabbed him, putting their claws around his throat. Lion-O and Leanne saw this and tried to get to him, but the monsters kept pushing them back.
"Tygra!" Leanne cried, trying to get to him.
Tygra recognized the monster as the one his father had turned into. His yellow eyes glowed brightly in the darkness of the cave, and Tygra saw no resemblance to his father in them, but he still spoke to him. "I know…You did what you did… out of love…" He gasped, trying to breathe as his father's claws tightened, "I… forgive you…" Suddenly, the bright yellow eyes on the monster began to dim, and slowly changed into the eyes of his father. He stepped back, releasing Tygra and allowing him to breathe again.
"No! It cannot be!" The voices of the Ancient Spirits came the fire pit. Tygra watched as the monster before him changed back into his father, as did the rest of the monsters. They all stopped attacking Leanne and Lion-O, stepping back, and changing to their original forms. When the entire village was normal again, the Ancient Spirits cried out, "No!"
Everyone watched with wide eyes as the purple fire began to twist and turn unnaturally, and a huge bream of light began to break through the darkness near the Ancient Spirits as they lost their grasp on the cursed village. The fire exploded, sending pieces of it into the air, where they flew around erratically before finally exploding into a purple firework. Soon, the fire began to calm down, and returned to its original orange-yellow color that all fires had.
Leanne looked down at the Jewel of Omens, no longer feeling it vibrate. It seemed the curse that was over the village was gone. Everyone in the village looked around them, as if unable to believe that the curse was finally broken. Javan was no exception as he looked at his hands, surprised that they weren't still claws.
His face broke into a smile and he looked at his son, "You did it." He said, "You broke a curse born of pride, through an act of humility." Tygra looked at his father, and walked towards him as he kept talking, "Perhaps if I'd done the same, we'd still be together."
"We're together now. That's all that matters." Tygra said.
Javan's smile fell from his face, "I'm afraid it is not to be."
"I don't understand." Tygra said.
Leanne stepped forward, her hand resting on the Jewel of Omens, "It's how they survived without food or water." She looked at Javan, "When the Ancient Spirits cursed you and this place, they must have let the disease back into the village." She looked back at Tygra, "I don't think there were any survivors."
"What are you saying…?" Tygra asked, he looked to his father, "You're all… dead?"
"Not dead, but not alive. Someplace in between." Javan said, "That was the real curse." He looked up at Tygra with a proud smile, "But you have released us, Tygra. We can go home now." He reached out and placed his hands on Tygra's shoulders, "Always remember, son. I will be watching you… with pride." Tygra gazed at his father, and Leanne could see that his heart was breaking just to hear this. He hung his head sadly, before sharing a final embrace with his father. Leanne and Lion-O were silent as Javan pulled away. They saw the villagers around them slowly become engulfed in a beautiful white light before fading away into the air. Tygra watched as his father walked a few steps away from his son, and as he became engulfed in the same light, he looked back at his son, with tear-filled eyes, and smiled. Tygra's eyes filled with his own tears as his father faded away, leaving no one in the village but the three of them.
In the place where Javan had been standing, there was something left behind. It was a whip, one that looked to be newer, and in better condition than Tygra's, even though it was probably much older than him. He walked over and knelt down to pick it up, looking at it sadly, and sighed.
"Tell me something, Lion-O," He began, "Is it always my destiny to lose the things I care most about?" Lion-O looked at his brother then came over to his side, placing his hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"You aren't gonna lose me, brother." He said. Tygra was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lion-O, giving him a grateful smile, and Lion-O smiled back, "Let's go find that shortcut." Tygra nodded, attaching the whip to his side and stood up. Leanne followed the two brothers out into the cold to continue the search that got them here.
Not my best work, but at least it's an update. I'm sorry if this took too long, but college is just... bleh.