Well... I don't own Cats. Or Thundercats. I have house cats back home.
Jemima awoke late in the afternoon. With a stretch, she got up out of bed and then went to check on Wilykit and Wilykat: they were both asleep soundly and likely won't be awake until the next day. The Jellicle tribe lived in what seemed to be a hole in solid rock. Carved all around were the dwellings in which the tribe lived and at the bottom was the communal area where they also hold the Jellicle ball once a year. The moon at midnight would be directly above them and that would signify the start to the ball and every year, Old Deuteronomy would show up at exactly that time without fail.
The tribe already had a handle on technology, they were practically steampunk. There was even a trolley that took everyone around the winding spiral road that lead along the edge of the giant hold in the ground. It could transport people from the bottom to the top and back again. Skimbleshanks ran the trolley, of course. Jemima's day job was to help operate the trolley or run one of the shops the trolley would stop at. Jemima may be held in regard like that of a princess, not even needing to actually work, but she felt guilty if she didn't give back to her beloved tribe. However, she was lucky to have the day off with most other cats treating today like a holiday and though Skimbleshanks may still be operating the trolley, he had enough help to keep everything running smoothly.
Jemima bounded on outside, noticing the trolley zooming past. Lion-O and his friends on it with Munkustrap in front of them, likely telling them about the village and the Jellicle tribe. Lion-O spotted her. She smiled at him and waved. She had a feeling he'd be getting off at the next stop seeing from the look on his face. She walked towards the next stop and sure enough, there he was, heading towards where he last saw her. Jemima decided to play a game with her newfound interest. While she was not full on wanting to pursue Lion-O romantically, there was no denying that a handsome lion like himself didn't earn somewhat of a crush out of her. Still, she watched and followed him to the outside of her place. She grinned and walked up behind him.
"Hello, young King." She said, opting to call Lion-O the same name her grandpa does.
Lion-O was startled as he turned around but, he quickly recovered. He was still clearly flustered however.
"You know, you can call me Lion-O, i-if you want anyway." He said, blushing.
Jemima smiled. 'Cute!' she thought, seeing how obviously flustered he was. She was giddy upon finally being in his presence. Now she could ask him several questions about this world and his culture. She was also happy that he barely knew her and was already letting her call him by name. However, she then had to calm herself down. She hadn't actually introduced herself to the king yet and she knew that even if she was so excited to learn what she could from him, she still shouldn't skip a formal introduction.
"Oh, right! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Jemima!" She said, still enthused.
"You seem to be really excited. You can't be that happy to see me, can you?" He flirted playfully.
Lion-O had come a long way since his infatuation for Cheetara and Pumyra, finally able to openly flirt playfully although would have likely gotten even more flustered depending on Jemima's response.
"Of course I am! I'm excited to see what I could learn from you guys! I have so many questions about your world!" She said.
Lion-O absolutely love the fact that she seemed to be eager to know more things. This meant that she would spend more time with him and this meant more time to get to know the gorgeous cat. Munkustrap answered most of Lion-O's questions earlier so he was more than happy to be focusing more on answering questions than asking them.
"Well ask away. I'll be more than happy to answer." He said.
She asked him several questions for awhile. Some of them, he could answer with ease and some took more explaining. One of them was one that Lion-O didn't know the real answer to.
"Why is it that some of you guys have tails and some of you don't? You don't have a tail." She said, patting the area where his tail should be.
"That is a good question. I don't really know that one. I guess some of us are just born without them. Some of my kind also has theirs removed so that they won't get in the way in combat." Lion-O said.
"I can't imagine why. None of us ever lost a tail in combat. In fact, they really do help with balance." Jemima said, balancing on one of the trolley rails with ease.
"Ever tried balancing without one?" Lion-O asked.
"My friends and I used to play a game where we'd tie our tails to our legs and then see who could balance on the trolley track the longest. Victoria always won but I'd come close." Jemima said before leaping onto the other trolley rail and gracefully landing.
Lion-O continued to gain more of an admiration for Jemima. She was rather surprised she hadn't put him off with her excitement and questions. She thought that maybe he'd see her as foolish and drop his little crush but, now it seems that he liked her more. Deciding there was no way around putting this male off, she decided to entertain the idea of letting him court her by getting to know him more.
"So you and Tygra aren't related?" She asked.
"No. Tygra was adopted by my parents. He was originally in line for the throne but then I was born. If he was related to my parents, he would have still remained in line for the crown and I would have been next in line." Lion-O said.
"So what if you were a girl?" Jemima asked.
"I still would have been next in line regardless of gender. All because I was blood related to my father." Lion-O said.
"So just because of blood, you were automatically first in line the moment you were conceived? That doesn't really sound fair, especially to Tygra." Jemima said.
"No, it really isn't but it's how it was, that's how we were brought up. But, Tygra had to take my place for a little while and he honestly didn't like the responsibility and the work. I had been groomed to accept the responsibility more so than Tygra. Tygra had a bit more freedom than I did. It's not like he wasn't given the same education I had about running the kingdom but I was pressured more than he was. It didn't help that he seemed to be better at everything than I was. In truth, some days I envy his freedom." Lion-O said.
"I bet you two have gotten into fights a lot." Jemima said.
"Several times. Tygra was jealous of me the moment I was born. That didn't mean he didn't consider me his brother. We were and still are pretty close but we've had our fair share of fights several times. Even I will admit that mom and dad weren't fair in putting me first in line. All it did was show that Tygra wasn't truly their son. It felt like it just stressed that fact. The only justifications are that it's already happened and decided, Tygra would rather leave the job to me, and the sword of omens chose me." Lion-O said.
"Well, I guess if you two are okay now, then it's not much of an issue." Jemima said.
"There are days though. Tygra tends to have his good days and bad days with his position. I tease him and say he at least has Cheetara." Lion-O chuckled.
"You liked her?" Jemima asked.
"Yeah. She kind of led me on though so that wasn't really fair. But, I'm okay with it. It took some time but they're happy and I'd rather they were happy than anything else. Then there was Pumyra..." Lion-O said, his mood suddenly switching.
"Pumyra?" Jemima asked.
"I was actively pursuing her. But then it turned out she was working with Mumm Ra and betrayed us." He said, obviously depressed.
"Oh." Jemima said, sympathetic to her new suitor.
"I don't know how I'll be able to face her in our next fight. I may even have to kill her." Lion-O said, stopping suddenly.
Jemima was sad for this male before her. She didn't know if there was much she could do to console her new companion. However, she was also wondering that even if he is currently pursuing her, would his feelings for Pumyra get in the way should they ever become something more?
"Well what are you doing chasing me if you still clearly have feelings for her?" Jemima asked, balancing on a railing with ease.
Lion-O was a little shy, having still being awkward with females. He blushed and just stared at her. She rolled her eyes.
"Just say whatever it is. You can't go wrong with the truth." Jemima said, giggling at his shyness.
"Well, you're beautiful. How could I not at least try to know you a bit more? And anyway, I don't really think my feelings will truly go away for Pumyra. Even my feelings for Cheetara are still there but it gets easier in time, I guess." Lion-O said.
Jemima looked at him a little skeptically but then she had to remind herself that aside from a little crush on Tugger, she had never been in love before. So she knew in her heart that she had no real right to judge. The innocent female may never know of the plight of having feelings for someone lost and then falling for another. In her culture, your mated and together forever if you and your first love are in love.
"But Cheetara is still on my side. She's still at least my friend and she's happy with Tygra. I can be at peace knowing that. Pumyra though, she's a traitor. She already knows the story of why I had to leave Thundera. But, it seems that she is still out to get revenge on us for leaving despite knowing that we are doing what we can to help my kingdom. I can't forgive her for this betrayal... but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Lion-O said.
"So why is it that she still sided with Mumm Ra when she clearly knows the story?" Jemima asked.
"Maybe it is because Pumyra actually died back at Thundera. The one that we're talking about is a manifestation of her anger and hatred for me leaving. I don't even know if any part of her is the real Pumyra. She's... a spirit of sort or a zombie. I do not even know if she truly even felt anything for me whatsoever." Lion-O said.
Jemima sat on the rail and thought for a moment.
"How many times could she have killed you guys? Why didn't she kill you sooner?" Jemima asked.
"...I don't know. But she was with us so that Mumm Ra could track us to find the stones for him. She played with my feelings so to try and weaken me more. She would have killed me when we fought at Dog City if it wasn't for the fact that Mumm Ra needed us." Lion-O said.
"Oh... I do not know what to tell you then. A spirit clouded with anger can sometimes never know the truth until it is vanquished. She may not have entire control over what she does. I'm afraid though that it seems that death maybe the only way to free her. Should you come to a point that you have to kill her, think of it as setting her free from Mumm Ra's enslavement." Jemima said.
Lion-O and Jemima walked on in silence, Lion-O lost in thought while Jemima took time to actually look at the young male. A young ruler, most Thunderan women would swoon over this male easily. But Jellicles need to be careful in choosing a mate since it is expected to be a life long relationship. She could feel something within her connect with this male. She decided to tug on the connection a little with her powers to feel it. Having to be the granddaughter of Deuteronomy, she has some small spiritual powers. Her father, Munkustrap, even suspects she will be the leader eventually. Using her small power, she tugs on the connection and suddenly, it did something like that of a shock. In just seconds, she suddenly saw his journey, as if she was an entity hovering above them that whole time. With a gasp, she passed out.
Jemima awoke in her bed, hearing voices in the main area of her dwelling. Then the images flashed through her head of all of what Mumm Ra has done and all of the conflicts. It made her body run cold with anxiety and she felt more scared than ever. She got up out of her bed and looked to see the Thundercats talking with Old Deuteronomy.
"What happened was a rare phenomena. I myself only had done that at least thrice in my old life." Old Deuteronomy said.
"What exactly happened?" Lion-O asked.
"Occasionally, a jellicle with high power can access the memories and experience of another if they feel a mysterious connection. Sometimes if the explore it with a certain power, it can suddenly pull open the experience of another like an over flowing drawer. However, if she truly experienced what you have all been through, I cannot imagine what it had done to young Jemima. You see, she is still or was still-" old Deuteronomy began to say.
"I saw everything." Jemima said.
Everyone looked at her.
"From that time your kingdom got attacked and up until this point, it was like I was hovering above you in your journey. I don't... I don't know why or how that happened." Jemima said.
"As one of my granddaughters, I am not surprised to see that you display some small powers." Old Deuteronomy said.
Something about Jemima changed, the Thundercats noticed. It was like she had suddenly seen the harsh realities of the world outside. It was like she had lost that kittenish innocence. She now knew the truth and experienced it in a form. In just mere seconds, she had suddenly changed.
"I don't know if things will be the same." She said.
"No. You would have had to find out or experience it at some point, Jemima. I'm sorry it just happened so sudden, my child. But you need to try and calm down or else the anxiety of it all might overwhelm you to madness." Deuteronomy said.
She was frozen in place. She was scared now. What was to become of this world? What about her tribe? They just can't stay and pretend nothing outside the tribe is happening. Lion-O put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked at him. Her eyes were wide in terror.
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
She ran out the door and climbed up the side of the walls at a fast speed all the way to the top of the pit. No one had ever seen her do that before and Jemima herself didn't even know how that happened but she was too anxious to care.
"It seems that she's even changed physically." Old Deuteronomy said.
"What does it mean?" Munkustrap asked.
"It means that we won't be safe for very long." The old cat said.
Lion-O went after Jemima. He didn't know what he did but he felt guilty about it.
That's it for this chapter.