Disclaimer: I do not own Thundercats. I do however own Snow Lepress and Lepress.
A/N: Long time no see! To those who read this positively thank you. I hope you continue to read and enjoy Coming of Age. So, without further ado, here is the second chapter of my first ever Thundercats fanfiction. Enjoy!
'…press…Snow…Snow Lepress!' called a tall, muscular female leopard as she watched her cub's emerald eyes follow a male cub with a fiery red mane playing outside the window. 'Are you even trying to pay attention to your lesson?'
'Hmm? Oh, sorry Mother,' Snow Lepress murmured, turning her attention back to Lepress who was trying to teach her how to properly hold a pair of tonfas. 'I did not mean to… It's just that…'
Lepress sighed and waved a paw at her cub. 'Go.'
Her daughter's eyes brightened. 'Really?'
'We'll continue this lesson later.' Her mother told her. 'Go, play, have fun.'
Snow grinned, repeatedly thanking her mother before she ran out of their makeshift training room. The male cub looked up at the sound of her footsteps and smiled.
'Hey, little lepress,' He greeted, holding a round, red ball. 'Wanna play?'
Lepress watched the two cubs toss the ball back and forth from the window knowing that this peace, their innocence, would not last forever. That's why for now it was good to let cubs be cubs because, before you know it, they'll be all grown up.
~ Coming of Age ~
Snow Lepress groaned as the bright, golden rays of the rising sun filled her plain, small bedroom. She tossed and turned in her bed until she finally gave up and threw off her blanket. She sat up, rubbing her tired eyes, and yawned before jumping off her bed. She grabbed her black and green outfit off her nightstand, got dressed, and sheathed her tonfas in a leather strap on her right thigh before walking out the door, nearly hitting Snarf and Lion-O in the process.
"Whoops, sorry lion cub," She apologized, covering her mouth as she yawned again.
"Still tired, little lepress?" Lion-O asked, cocking a red eyebrow.
"A little," She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been having a lot of… strange dreams lately."
"Strange how?"
"I've been having a lot of dreams about my mother and about the day Thundera…fell," She told him as she looked at the floor, fully aware of how close they were standing.
Lion-O looked down at Snarf, nodding at Snow as if asking him what he should do. Snarf shrugged. Lion-O sighed, crossing his arms in thought.
"You want to take a walk?" he asked at last. "See how the Lair's coming around?"
Snow nodded, raising her head. "Sounds good. Let's go see how our little friends the Berbils are doing."
Lion-O led the way as they took a tour of the almost finished Cats' Lair. "The Lair's just about done, huh."
"Yep," She replied. "Makes it all seem so official."
Lion-O did not reply, his thoughts turning inwards.
Snow glanced over at him, frowning at the overwhelmed look on his face. Lion-O put on a brave face most of the time, but inside he was just as nervous and overwhelmed as the rest of the Thundercats. Snow grasped his right paw with her left one, squeezing it comfortingly as her mother had when she was a cub.
Lion-O looked down at their paws then at Snow.
"Thank you, little lepress," he said quietly, smiling slightly as he squeezed back.
"Anytime, lion cub."
The two Thundercats continued walking down the hall and out the front entrance of the lair, taking the stairway down to where two frantic Thunderkittens were talking to Tygra, Panthro, and Cheetara.
"I wonder what's going on," murmured Snow.
"Let's go and find out," said Lion-O as they headed over to the other Thundercats.
"Calm down, Wily Kit and Wily Kat," Panthro said. "Now, start from the beginning."
"Morning everyone," greeted Snow. "What's going on?"
"The mutants are making the Brute Men build them their Castle Plun-Darr," said Wily Kat.
"Brute Men?" repeated Lion-O.
"From what the kittens are telling us, Brute Men are a gentle, simple-minded tribe who has been enslaved by the mutants to build what they call Castle Plun-Darr," Tygra said.
"That's horrible!" said Snow angrily. "We have to do something!"
"I've been meaning to give the Thundertank a real workout," said Panthro, jumping into the driver's seat of the Thundertank.
"Let's go Thundercats!" said Lion-O, pumping a clenched paw into the air.
"You two stay here with Snarf and guard the lair," said Tygra to Wily Kat and Kit who nodded dejectedly.
Lion-O jumped into the passenger's seat while Tygra, Cheetara, and Snow Lepress jumped into the back of the tank. After driving for a few minutes the Thundertank encountered a barricade and took it down with ease using its teeth and claws. The rest was taken down by a laser operated by Tygra.
"I'd say the Thundertank is passing her field test with flying colors," said Panthro as Cheetara and Snow Lepress stood up with Tygra in the open back of the tank as they reached Castle Plun-Darr.
"That must be Castle Plun-Darr," said Tygra as the Thundertank came to a stop.
"Yes, but there seems to be no one around," Snow said, glancing around. "I don't see any mutants or Brute Men."
"Let's take a look inside," said Lion-O.
"Cheetara, Tygra, and I will go in through the side," said Panthro as they got out and headed for the castle. "Lion-O and Snow Lepress, you two go through the front."
They all nodded and split into their two groups. Snow followed Lion-O up the steps of Castle Plun-Darr and through the front entrance, entering a small room with a door to their right where they could hear what sounded like voices.
"Someone's there! Beyond that door!" said Lion-O as he raced to the door. "It's locked."
"Here, let me," said Snow, grabbing one of her tonfas from its leather strap and hit the lock until it broke. She opened the door that lead to a cavern like room filled with cells that held the Brute Men.
The two Thundercats split up and let the Brute Men out who, instead of running back to their homes, swarmed them which wouldn't have been a problem since they weren't attacking that is until Snow started to feel strange, angry. The Brute Men turned aggressive, knocking Snow and Lion-O to the floor.
"What…was that?" asked Snow as she slowly got back on her feet, her head buzzing. "I felt strange, angry."
"So did I," said Lion-O as he got back on his feet the sword lit up, emitting a warning sound. Lion-O grasped the sword, raising it so that his eyes met the eye of Thundera. He asked the eye to give him sight, 'sight beyond sight'. "Panthro's in trouble."
"Then we have to help him," said Snow.
"Yes, but will the eye of Thundera pierce through stone?" the Lord of the Thundercats wondered, glancing at the sword then the ceiling then back to the sword. "Guess we'll soon see."
Lion-O raised the sword, calling the other Thundercats as the eye of Thundera pierced through the ceiling making the crest on Snow's outfit glow. The two cats then raced out of the castle to where Panthro was being surrounded by the Brute Men.
"Lion-O! Snow Lepress!" called Tygra as he and Cheetara caught up. "What's going on?"
"Panthro's being attacked by the Brute Men," Snow Lepress told them.
"But I thought the Brute Men were supposed to be gentle," said Cheetara.
"They were hit with this gas that flips your nature. It turned them aggressive," said Snow.
"Warp gas," muttered Tygra. "It was banned years ago but when have the mutants ever played fair."
"But if they're being manipulated by the gas then we can't attack, just like Panthro isn't," Cheetara pointed out.
"I know but we can't just sit back and do nothing," said Lion-O.
"Maybe we won't have to. Look," Tygra pointed to where the Brute Men were backing off, walking away from Panthro. "Looks like the warp gas wore off."
Tygra, Cheetara, and Snow Lepress hurried over to Panthro as the Brute Men were hit with another belt of warp gas and headed straight for Lion-O.
"Lion-O, watch out!" called Snow.
"Not again," groaned Lion-O as he used the sword to create a force field, pushing the warp gas and the Brute Men back at the mutants who fled into Castle Plun-Darr. The Brute Men then turned back to Lion-O who stood his ground but, thankfully, the warp gas wore off.
"And then the Brute Men left," Lion-O told Snarf and the kittens back at the lair. "Without so much as a thanks."
"Is that why you did it, Lion-O," asked Tygra. "For thanks?"
"No," said Lion-O, looking taken aback. "I did it because… because it was the right thing to do."
~ Coming of Age ~
"Hey guys," greeted Snow as she jogged down the front steps of the newly finished Cats' Lair to the Thundertank where Lion-O, Wily Kat, Wily Kit, and Snarf were waiting. "We all set to head out?"
"We're still waiting for Cheetara," Wily Kit told her.
"Cheetara late?" said Tygra as he and Panthro walked up to them.
"That's like the sun forgetting to set," said Panthro
"What do you want to do?" asked Snow, looking at Lion-O.
"We'll give her… five more minutes," decided Lion-O.
~ A Good While Later ~
"I don't like this. Cheetara's never been gone this long before," said Snow as she paced back and forth in the council room. "What if she's hurt badly? Or the mutants got her?"
Lion-O nodded, crossing his arms. "I know. I'm worried about her too. Maybe we should go out and look for her."
Suddenly Snarf bounced into the room, looking excited and nervous at the same time. "Cheetara's alright! She's back with this cat named Pumm-Ra."
"There's another cat here on Third Earth besides us?" asked Lion-O. Snarf nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go meet him."
The trio joined the other Thundercats as Cheetara told them how she was captured by the mutants and then saved by Pumm-Ra, a puma from Thundera.
The question is what to do with him, this Pumm-Ra, thought Snow Lepress. Should we let him stay and join us? Honestly, I'm not so sure. I don't know if I should believe him or not. Something about this puma feels…off.
In the end, the Thundercats decided to hold a secret council headed by Tygra. Their consensus was to give the puma a trial period, allowing him to prove whether or not he was worthy of the code of Thundera and its sacred trust. With that settled, the Thundercats headed to bed; unaware of the ancient evil that was disrupting their lair.
~ Next Morning ~
"Alright! Three in a row!" said Lion-O as he threw a ring on Snarf's tail.
Snow smiled as she watched them from the steps of the lair. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and laid her chin on top of her knees. It was nice to relax and enjoy a little peace and quiet but watching the Lair was boring.
"Bored, little lepress?" asked Lion-O, looking up at her.
"A little," Snow admitted.
"Me too," He said. "How about we look through the Cat's eyes and see what's going on out there?"
"Sure," She said, standing up and stretching. "Let's go take a look. Anything's better than sitting here and doing nothing."
They headed to the control room and Lion-O fired up the eyes yet… "That's strange."
"They're not working?" asked Snow. Lion-O nodded. "Maybe the Thundertank?"
They raced back outside to the tank but it was not working either.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Snow said. "First the Cat's Eyes and now the Thundertank isn't working? That can't be a coincidence."
"Maybe the sword can show us what's going on," said Lion-O.
They headed back up the stairs, into the Lair, and down the hall to the weapons' room but…
"The Sword of Omens," said Lion-O. "It's gone!"
"But how?" asked Snow.
"It must have been that Pumm-Ra!" said Snarf, jumping up and down. "I knew he was no good!"
"Then they should have listened to you instead of letting me stay in your home," said Pumm-Ra as he stood in the doorway. He wore the Claw Shield holding the…
"The Sword of Omens!" exclaimed Snow Lepress, her paws instantly going to her tonfas. "Snarf was right. He did take it."
"The sword will not answer to you," warned Lion-O.
Pumm-Ra laughed, raising the sword above his head and used the words only the Lord of the Thundercats could use. As a result, the sword electrocuted him and dropped to the floor. There was a scramble for the sword until Lion-O snatched it up and called the other Thundercats.
"Give up, Pumm-Ra," advised Lion-O as he and the other Thundercats surrounded the puma. "You're outnumbered."
"Why should I? You're the intruders not I! I who have lived here on Third Earth for over a thousand years," The puma said as he slowly turned from a puma into a giant, muscular mummy creature. "I am Mumm-Ra the ever-living and we will meet again!"
With that, Mumm-Ra disappeared.
Peace and quiet once more, thought snow as life in the Lair returned to normal. Though the question is for how long? Especially with that mummy creature lurking around. What is his deal anyway? Calling us intruders.
"I still can't believe I trusted that Pumm-Ra so easily," Lion-O was saying as he back and forth in front of the stairs where Snow was sitting, lost in her own thoughts.
I mean it's not our fault that our home blew up. We have nowhere else to go! Who is he to decide who can stay and who can go? This is our home too! Whether he likes it or not!
"Earth to Snow!" called Lion-O, waving a paw in front of her jade eyes. "Anyone home?"
"Huh?" Snow blinked, shaking her head as reality came back into focus. Lion-O was squatting in front of her, his paw still raised. "Oh, sorry lion cub. Zoned out for a second there. Were you saying something?"
"How can I be the Lord of the Thundercats when I'm deceived so easily?"
"Hey, you didn't know," She put her paw against his. "You're still learning. With time, you'll be the greatest Lord of the Thundercats there has ever been."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
Lion-O smiled making Snow's heartbeat quicken though she did not know why. She felt as if an invisible force was pulling her towards Lion-O, closer and closer until…
"There you two are!" They looked up to see Snarf running down the steps. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"What's up Snarf?" Lion-O asked.
"Dinner!" Snarf said coming to a stop, folding his front paws as his tail swished back and forth behind him. "You're late!"
"Alright, Snarf," laughed Lion-O. "We get it. We're coming."
"Same old Snarf," said Snow.
"Yep," Lion-O nodded, standing up. "We should go before he yells at us again. Ready?"
"Ready," She said. Ready for anything.
A/N: And there you go! Hope you enjoyed! Next to be updated Her Own Destiny. Til then read, review, and show the love!