Chapter 15

Cheetara didn't hear the scream but when the commander heard over the radio that her son had been seriously injured, she knew immediately in the pit of her stomach that Sahara knew too. The cheetah wanted to rush to her child but she knew she couldn't. There was a war to win and that took precedence.

"Destroy that ship!" She ordered the men and then raced down to the lower portion of the Lair where the troops led by her son stood awaiting orders. Their second in command had been killed in the first explosion and with Leo out of action, they needed someone to lead. However when she got down there she found they already had one.

"Sahara!" Cheetara could not believe what she was seeing. The litah held the Sword in her hands and was busy instructing the troops while tending to the wounded. Nearby a very familiar pumiger lay on a bed, his face bandaged. She wanted to be angry with her daughter but she could not. No doubt her husband had goaded her into leaving the safety of the Lair.

"Mom! There is no time! I'm only doing as I was ordered!" Sahara defended herself before turning back to Tyler.

"Great Jaga's ghost," she held back her emotions as best she could.

"I'll take good care of him Princess," the medic smiled as he patted her on the shoulder and then instructed two men to help him lift the litter and carry Tyler back inside.

"How many troops do you have left? Panthro is reporting he has most of his but I've no word from the twins or Ben-Gali," Cheetara forced herself to stay calm.

"We've lost a dozen and we have at least ten more injured," Sahara shook her head.

"We've got to…" the cheetah didn't get a chance to finish as a large explosion rocked the air sending people tumbling. Sahara crawled out from underneath the tent and looked up at the sky. The Lunatacs' ship had suffered a direct hit to one of its engines and was heading downward. In a flash, the litah got on the radio and ordered for everyone to fall back. The ground invasion was about to begin.

Inside the Lair, Tygra and Pumyra were doing their best to assess the medical needs of every patient brought in. The hospital had been tapped for all available surgeons and inside the hangar they held a makeshift hospital, treating those that could be treated and aiding those who would soon make their trip into the Astral Plane.

"Lord Tygra!" His name was shouted across the hangar and he quickly assigned the patient he was working on to a nearby nurse.

"What is it?" He asked as he arrived at the medic who had called him.

"They've brought in Leo," the man could barely finish what he was about to say as they rushed the litah into the nearest surgery bed.

"What's wrong with him?" The tiger demanded to know as they ran.

"Tyler!" The shout went up and he knew it to be Pumyra's but he could not help her now.

"Jaga help us," Tygra shook his head as he scrubbed up. Entering the small cordoned off room made up of metal frames with cloth, he immediately saw the large gaping wound in the litah's back.

"He's lost a lot of blood and he complained of a tingling sensation all over his body before he lost consciousness," the medic explained. Tygra did not answer but took a look at the body scan results.

"His spinal cord has been damaged and the swelling will only damage it more. I need him in an ice bath immediately. Once we get the swelling down, I can operate," with that Tygra rushed out to find Pumyra. He was going to need her expertise with spinal injuries. He didn't have to go far before he found her kneeling next to a boy who could not have been much older than her daughter Maya.

"He's just a kid," she held back sobs as the boy struggled out his last breath; the gaping wound in his chest, revealing everything inside had been practically destroyed.

"I have another kid who needs your help. Without you he may never walk again," the tiger pulled her to her feet knowing that somewhere her own son was in surgery. She nodded and they headed off to help Leo.

To Be Continued…