Thundercats Ho! 2011
Episode 3; "To El-Dara (part 2 of 2)"
part 1
Outside the forever bag…
After a day trekking through the ashen remains of the briar the gray tabby cub came across a simple agricultural bolkin village nestled in the feather meadows. The morning sun shined above their small wooden cottages illuminating the land in an inviting warm glow.
He may have well entered the bolkin village with a festering plague by the sheep-folk's terrified reaction to his presence. The poor lost Thunderian visited each shop owner and merchant in the market place to beg for food or shelter in exchange for labor. Never had so many doors been slammed in his face. They flipped open signs over to closed when he approached them. Clerks hid under their desks when he meekly asked for assistance. Even the lambs gathered their toys and fled into their homes when he waved hello.
Unbeknownst to the tabby another stranger to the village strolled the streets, this one a middle aged raccoon vagrant with a sharp mind and sticky fingers named Tookit. Tookit posed a greater threat to the bolkin purveyors' pockets, but they were too unsettled by the cat among them to even notice. Tookit followed the lad, pleased by how easy he made pick pocketing, but upon a close glance at him, Tookit noticed his stolen forever bag securely tied to the cub's belt.
"How did he get a hold of it?" Tookit wondered inwardly, munching away on an apple he swiped from a fruit vendor's cart. "It could be an ordinary bag. Have to make sure…" Nonchalantly, Tookit trailed the strange kitten, waiting for the right opportunity to introduce himself.
The tabby sulked through an open flea market, discouraged by the distance everyone kept from him. Tookit lurked among the apprehensive crowd. He observed the kitten with devious interest.
Under the shade of a tarp a humble peasant woman weaving wool garments rocked back and forth in her wooden chair. She seemed like a sweet old lady, so the cub tried to appeal to her.
"Is there anything I can help you with, ma'am?" He asked, tail drooping low behind him. "I'm looking for work and-"
She took one look at him and upon realizing he was a cat tossed her yarn and needles at his face. She bleated, jumping on her chair as if he were a feral mouse or a cockroach. "Get out of here! Go! SCAT CAT!" She threw anything she could grab on her sales table at him. "GET!"
The tabby ran off, a pair of knee socks still clung to his person.
"A cat!" She warned the whole neighborhood. "Somebody help! Chase him out!"
Within minutes a small herd of bolkin males armed with various farming tools and their own horns came after him. The cub lost them by turning the corner of an alleyway and ducking behind a bakery. He kept his back against a garbage can, tucking his knees close to his chest. He held his breath and listened close in case they turned around, but minutes passed and they did not return. He sighed, relaxing a little. "Thanks ma'am…" He whispered sarcastically before putting on the socks he accidentally ran off with. He wiggled his toes a little. His claws ripped through the wool. At least his feet were warm now.
He folded his arms over his knees and buried his face in. "I wish I were still in the City of Blades. Damn red dog…" He lamented. "Cats weren't popular, but at least no angry mobs formed 'cause I was there. What is everyone's problem?"
"It's not cats they're afraid of; it's who is hunting cats."
The cub jumped, startled. He tried to run, but stumbled over the garbage can.
"Shhhh!" Tookit scolded him, pulling him to his feet. "Dear boy, calm down. I have no ill will towards the feline species. They call me Tookit."
"Tabbothy." The cub brushed garbage off his already grubby clothes. "Tabb for short." His wide green eyes darted about anxiously. "W-who exactly is hunting cats?"
Tookit placed his hand on Tabbothy's back and led him along a fairly secluded rout around the market. "Now now, let's not play dumb. Surely you're aware how many enemies the cats have made with other species, especially the lizards and rats." He tugged on the pull chord of the forever bag gently, attempting to swipe it from Tabbothy right under his cold, wet nose.
A feeling of dread overwhelmed Tabbothy when he heard the word rats pass the raccoon's lips. He could feel the gashes from the rats' whips as if they were freshly open. He pulled away before Tookit could fully untie the bag from his belt.
"Shit!" He spat inwardly, pulling his hand away innocently. "Even in these remote areas news of Mumm-Ra's resurgence has spread." Tookit continued. "His growing army leveled Thundera. The lizards have orders to capture all cats and they will destroy anything that gets in their way. Now rats, they never need an excuse to terrorize neighboring lands. These people are afraid if you linger it will attract predator species."
"Makes sense I guess. But what am I supposed to do for food? I can't go from village to village forever."
Tookit could hear Tabbothy's stomach growl. His hunger reinforced the desperation growing in his eyes. He put on a sympathetic face. "The world is a cruel place, my boy…" Exhaling a sad sigh he took a seat on an empty crate. "I've spent the better half of my life a beggar. I failed to provide for myself and my children. It's a shameful life. You seem like a good kitten though; you deserve easier." He reached into his pocket and held out a fist full of spare change. "Finding someone willing to take you in around here will be impossible, but this should be enough for a quick meal and a wagon ride to the next closest village. I wouldn't expect much better hospitality from the wolos or satyrs though. Stay out of Dog city too. The mutts there would eat you alive."
Tabbothy swelled with gratitude. He reached for the spare change, ready to cry from joy, but something in the back of his head told him to stop. He pulled his hand back. "Tookit, sir, that is generous of you and I appreciate the help, but I would feel awful if I just took your last cent without being able to give you anything."
Tookit nodded, maintaining a friendly face. "Too proud for a handout I see. Very noble of you. Perhaps we could trade then?"
Tabbothy pulled his pockets inside out. "I got nothing."
"You don't have anything." He corrected the cub's poor grammar. "What about that?" He pointed to the bag.
Tabbothy looked down. He forgot he had even found that scrap of cloth. "There's nothing in it. It's not even lined."
"Ah, but it's something. I'm a utilitarian sort of fellow. Surely I'll find use for it." He tried to grab it, but Tabbothy backed away just out of Tookit's reach.
"A trade should be even. Thanks again, but I have to make it on my own. Good luck." He turned, continuing down the road towards the farmlands in the hills. "Bye!" He waved.
"Good luck to you too, young Tabb." He begrudgingly stuffed the change back in his pocket. "But this isn't goodbye until I get a good look at that bag." He vowed.
An hour or so of climbing and descending the rolling hills Tabbothy was beginning to regret not accepting the free ride and meal from Tookit. Then again if lizards and rats might storm through looking for cats lingering would be a death sentence. He looked over his shoulder. The bolkin village stood in the distance; its peaceful denizens going about their busy day as the peasants and artisans of Thundera once did. It's as if he never showed up.
The inviting aroma of freshly cooked meals and baked desserts drifted to the hills. He yearned for his family, his home and old life he only recently appreciated. He looked to his ankle which still dragging a shackle with a broken chain. It was a constant reminder of who he lost. He had no one to live for but himself now. It wasn't much of a life.
The yearning left the cub feeling empty. He looked away, focusing only on the path ahead. Tabbothy soon came across a thick wheat field. He brushed his fingers along the tall grass. It tickled. "At least in there I will be hard to see."
He shut his eyes and took a few steps into the wheat field, leaving an indent line in the grass as wide as him behind. Not five yards later a voice seemed to cry out of the ground "RANKIN BASS!"
Tabbothy ran screaming as a tall male cat literally jumped out of the bag.
Kat looked around, realizing he was no longer in the briar. "STOP!" He begged the stranger who he could not see clearly through the thick wheat field. He raced after him, following the indent the frightened stranger left, desperately calling for him.
"Oomph!" Tabbothy ran face first into something solid. Both he and Kat fell backwards.
"Don't run!" Kat begged, rubbing his bruised chest.
Tabbothy's fur stood on end, but he calmed slightly after realizing he was speaking to a fellow cat. "How-where…where did you come from?"
"The bag." Kat pointed to the forever bag.
Tobbothy's ears drooped. He immediately handed Kat the bag. "Here! I-I didn't mean to take it! I just found it on the ground! Please don't hurt me; I'm sorry!"
"Whoa, it's all right. I'm not mad or anything. Actually I need your help. I'm Wiley Kat. My sister Kit is in deep trouble. I need to reach the Thundercats. Where are we?"
"I don't know exactly…" Tabbothy admitted. "There's a bolkin village a few miles back." He motioned behind him with his thumb. He cocked his head at Kat a moment. "The Thundercats are dead aren't they? That's what they told me at Mount Plun-Darr."
"They liberated Mount Plun-Darr not too far back." Kat informed him.
"Figures I wouldn't be there to see it." Tabbothy sulked inwardly. He watched Kat pull out a small metal device and hold it to his mouth.
"Lion-O! Tygra! Panthro?!" The device hissed in his ear. "Cheetara?… DAMN IT! Are they underground or something? Guys! Pick up! Pleeeeease pick up."
"Are you sure they're alive?" Tabbothy was beginning to question this cat's sanity.
"They're out there, okay?! Trust me!" Frustrated, Kat almost threw the communicator to the ground, but instead stuffed it in his pocket for later. He flopped into a sitting position and exhaled a deep sigh. "I'll try again later."
"Maybe I can still help?" Tabbothey offered.
Kat shook his head no. "Thanks, but the situation is over both our heads now. I need the sword of Omens for this."
Tabbothy's striped tail swayed curiously behind him as he too sat in the grass. "How did you fit inside the bag?"
A nervous chuckle escaped Kat's throat. "You won't believe me. We, I mean Kit and I..." Kat regaled Tabbothy with stories of his journey from their fallen home city, how the Thundercats took them under their wing, how he and Kit discovered the magic forever bag, and their misadventure with Tookit.
"Tookit?" Tabbothy interrupted for the first time since Kat began his story. "I met a Tookit in the Bolkin village."
Kat's face paled under his whiskers. "No no no! He's supposed to be rotting in a canine prison right now!"
"He didn't seem like a bad guy. A little weird maybe, but-"
Kat stood scanning his surroundings. "I thought so too, but he is bad, very bad. He tricked Kit and I into robbing people in some organized child crime circuit…and I think he may have touched Jenyo in a bad way. She never said anything, but he always looked at her and Kit weird..." Kat shifted anxiously. "Did he follow you?"
Tabbothy shrugged.
"Whatever you do, don't let him anywhere near the forever bag at least until we save Kit." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "HEAR THAT YOU CREPPY LITTLE PRICK?! YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE BAG BACK!"
Tabbothy jumped, startled by Kat's shouting and the way they echoed through the farmlands.
"Sorry." Kat looked around one last time. "Come on. Let's get through the field. The farther we are ahead of him the better."
Tabothy followed close behind. "So where's Kit? Is she okay?"
"No, she's not okay at all… It was my fault…" Kat continued his tale up until the point they discovered the sorceress Jaguara who led them to El-Dara where he lost Kit.
Tabbothy hung on Kat's every word. No matter how tall the adult's story became he accepted the details as fact. Kat seemed honest and the idea the Thundercats still roamed Third Earth avenging Thundera and the scattered cats planted seeds of hope in the cub. He felt terrible for his new friend. "I lost my baby brother at Mount Plun-Darr. I know how you feel."
Only two hours of daylight remained according to the position of the sun. Kat kicked himself for telling his life story without allowing Tabbothy to tell his. "How did you escape Mount Plun-Darr before the Thundercats got there?"
Tabbothy looked to his ankle. Memories he'd care to forget came flooding back. "It was a freak accident. My dad was a stone cutter in Thundera. The lizards stormed his workshop and dragged him off. I don't know what happened to him, but we got sold to the rats and…"
Months ago; in a mineshaft in Mount Plun-Darr…
Tabbothy stood in the back of a large crowd of recently purchased slaves. Chained to his leg was a four year old version of himself; his baby brother Tibbs. Tibbs like the rest of the slaves cowered before the rats standing guard armed with whips. He clung to his big brother closely, holding back tears. The largest rat dressed in royal blue proceeded to explain their purpose in the mine. He declared himself Ratar-O, descendant of Ratilla and warlord to the rodent empire. Ratar-O spoke clearly and professionally to his slaves as if they were employees. He then asked for volunteers.
Tabbothy stroked his brother's fluffy striped mane. He tried his best to stand tall and look brave, but inside his stomach ached with fear. They were going to die in that mine in front of these nasty rats. Maybe not that day, but someday soon. Tabbothy knew it, but how could he tell Tibbs?
"I have to pee…" Tibbs whispered as quietly as he could. Still his tiny voice reached Ratar-O's ears.
"Who said that?"
The crowd look back at Tabbothy and Tibbs.
He pushed through the crowd. Tabbothy's tail tucked under as the ground shook with every step closer the massive old rat took. The kittens stood frozen, staring in horror at Ratar-O who glared down at them with disapproving eyes. Ratar-O looked over at an old white mouse wearing an eye patch; his secretary Tabbothy guessed. "Kittens? Really? How are they supposed to use a pick axe?"
The white mouse shrugged.
Ratar-O sighed. "Damn lizards. Well you get what you pay for." He reached down and gently patted Tabbothy on the back. "Take your brother over there and let him piss off the ledge. Then you two can be the first to start looking."
Tabbothy looked to the far end of the tunnel where daylight shined through. Ratar-O gave him a rough nudge of encouragement. The kittens hurried over after that. Tibbs stopped a few steps shy of the ledge. Heights scared him.
"Go on." Tabbothey urged. "I'll look away."
Tibbs nodded. He took a deep breath before getting into position. Halfway through relieving himself a chunk of ground underneath his foot chipped away and he toppled over the ledge. Before Tabbothy realized what happened, Tibb's weight threw him off balance and he too slipped over along with him.
They screamed on the way down, struggling to grip onto something, but to no avail.
One of the rat guards ran over. He saw nothing but a few loose stones dropping to the base below where a pile of fallen rocks rested. "They fell off the side, lord Ratar-O." He announced.
Ratar-O shook his head. "What a waste. The rest of them better not be so clumsy…"
A few hours later; nightfall…
Tabbothy's eyes fluttered open. Everything was pitch black. "Am I dead?" He wondered inwardly. Almost every inch of his body ached. Pain was a sign of life. He struggled to push himself upright. His right ankle felt broken. He was bleeding in a few spots, but he was alive and able to move. A pile of stones fell off either side of his back. He choked up some dirt.
"Tibbs…?" He whispered, struggling to see in the dark. The stars provided too little light to see the ground clearly. He felt around. "Tibbs? TIBBS?!" He felt his shackle. It had broken on the fall down.
His palm brushed over something limp and soft. It was a toddler's arm. Horrified, Tabbothy started to dig through debris. To his dismay he uncovered Tibb's mangled, lifeless body.
Present day…
Kat looked away as Tabbothy wiped away tears on his forearm. He felt like crying himself.
"That night I carried him as far from Mount-Plun-Darr as I could and buried him by a river. Then I followed the river for a week or so."
"No rats ever came looking for you?"
Tabbothy shook his head no. "They probably thought we were dead. It's not like there weren't a hundred other cats to keep digging. I still can't believe I walked away and made it this far. I couldn't climb or run anything because of my ankle, so I lived off bugs and berries. It was going on two weeks before I ran into another animal."
"Who?"
"A dog. She took me in. I'm…I'm not supposed to talk about her, but she's probably dead too now…"
A few weeks after Tabbothy escaped Mount Plun-Darr; a few miles outside the City of Swords.
Tabbothy stepped down the wrong way on his bad ankle. Yelping in pain he fell forward on his hands and knees. He pulled himself upright. Beyond a forest of dying autumn trees stood a towering wall of bones. He walked a few more steps then collapsed again.
Tears swelled in his eyes as he clawed at the ground in frustration. For weeks he searched for some kind of civilization and now he found it and he hadn't the strength to walk another hundred yards. He laid on the ground face first, waiting for starvation and dehydration to take him.
A short while later there came a scraping noise behind him. A tall white dog with a fluffy curled tail marched around him. She pulled a sled carrying at least a month's worth of food and supplies. She stopped beside Tabbothy, looked at him a moment, gave him a sniff . "A cat? Haven't seen a cat in years. Hu." She quickly dismissed him then continued to walk towards the city entrance.
Tabbothy thought her to be a mirage for a second, but the wind carried the scent of her food. He stood once again and staggered after her. "Wait!" He begged. "Lost…hungry…"
The sled dog turned around. Tabbothy collapsed to his knees a foot in front of her. She bore her canines at him. "Piss off, hairball. Do I look interested in charity?"
"Please? I'll pay you back. I'll…I'll help pull your sled."
She shook her head. "Not on that leg you won't." She kicked him in the chest sending him toppling back on his butt. "Don't slow me down, hairball. I don't have time for stray cats."
Desperate, Tabbothy jumped on the back of her sled and clung for dear life. The dog growled at him. She even tried to yank him off, but he wouldn't budge. He looked so pathetic. How could she live with herself if she didn't help him?
She bandaged his ankle and gave him a helping of dried meat she had saved. Tabbothy happily wolfed down the meat. "It may be a little spoiled by now." She warned.
"Don't care. So hungry." Tabbothy replied with a full mouth. He swallowed harshly. "Thank you."
An indifferent gruff escaped her throat. She pulled a bag off her sled, unpacked an expensive, revealing dress and started to change. "When you're done get lost again, hairball. I have people to see and money to make. Hopefully there is a large dog population in this town or at least a large population with canine fever."
"My name is Tabbs." He informed her.
"You're hairball as far as I'm concerned." She teased. "They call me Brindle."
"Do you live there?" He pointed to the bone wall.
"No, I'm hunting someone who may be there."
"In a dress?"
"You're a little young to understand. This is a dueling city, but my sword was stolen. Until I get it back I have to make money in this city other ways. Other ways pay far better anyhow."
"Can I come with you?"
"Don't you have parents to annoy?"
Tabbothy frowned. "Not anymore."
Somewhere in Brindle's jaded heart she found sympathy for the kitten's plight. "Fine tag along if you have to, but don't ask for anything, don't talk to anyone, don't wait up for me at night and if anyone asks I own you." She tapped on his chest, expression stern.
Tabbothy agreed. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Brindle quickly found a small abandoned blacksmith shop to rent. They unpacked and made it home. Brindle never allowed Tabbothy to leave. She even fashioned a crawlspace in the wall to hide in just in case. In case of what, she never really explained. He didn't mind. The shop reminded him of his father's in Thundera and after traveling so long with a busted ankle walking anywhere seemed like a chore.
Nearly a season passed. The pair became close and talked of their past, leaving out the worst times. Tabbothy shared memories of his apprentice life in Thundera while Brindle told of her disbanded Samoyed pack on Hook Mountain. Tabbothy grew to love Brindle as a mother figure. He cleaned for her and cooked whatever meat she bought from the local butcher. Brindle left home at all hours to work or to search for whoever she was hunting. She never explained what the man did exactly. She never really explained the nature of her work either though Tabbothy had his suspicions. Her work paid well, but she often came home battered, bloodied and reeking of strange men, cheap alcohol and shame.
One cold night Brindle came home infuriated. She threw down her purse, spilling money across the table and onto the floor. "He's not here! He doesn't even have my sword!" She barked, pacing the floor. "Some cat beat the son of a cock and gave all his swords to a damn drifter rabbit! They both left town months ago!" She kicked her sled. "This is bullshit! I thought I found him this time!"
Tabbothy shrunk before her outburst. "It'll be okay." He assured her even though he had no idea what she was talking about.
She sat silently for a minute. "Tabbs, pack up the sled. We leave in the morning. I'm going to track the Duelist down if it's the last thing I do."
"But-"
"Pack!"
Tabbothy did as ordered, asking no further questions nor giving any further argument. It was nearly sunrise. While Tabbothy took a short nap Brindle secured her sled for the journey. In the middle of changing into some traveling clothes she noticed a familiar and unwelcome scent outside the door. She shook Tabbothy awake. "Tabbs, hide!" She whispered.
He rubbed his eyes. "Why?"
Someone big pounded on the door. "I smell you in there! Open up!" A rather nasally canine voice beckoned through the thick wood.
"Just go!" She shoved him into the crawl space then sprinkled some pepper around the area to mask his scent.
Tabbothy heard a series of chopping noises and a heavy thud of the front door being kicked in.
"Brindle! Looking good. How is my bitch?" A male canine greeted her.
"I am NOT your bitch. What are you doing out?"
"What? You didn't think I could survived the pit without you? I'm the reason we survived 100 fights the first time. I know you tipped off the authorities, Brin, but that's all right. I forgive you for running off. You haven't been the first bitch to abandon me."
"Get out!"
Tabbothy peeked through a hole in the wall. He could just barely see Brindle pushing away a big red jackal trying to hug her close. He had a crazed look in his eye as if he were rabid. She threw a punch, but he grabbed her arm, twisted her around and held her still. Tabbothy's gut reaction was to leap out and start swinging at male, but fear got the better of him. He kept still, perfectly silent.
The male sniffed the air. "There's someone else here. You didn't find another stud while I was locked up did you?" He chuckled. "Wait, that's a kitten I smell! Are you keeping a kitten? Whatever happened to no pups?"
"LET GO OF ME!"
"Keep still, whore!"
The jackal tossed Brindle against the wall with full force. She fell to the floor, knocked out cold. The male canine knelt down to bind her arms and muzzle her then threw her over his shoulder and walked out. Tabbothy stayed hidden until he was sure he was far gone. When the coast was clear he raced out of the shop leaving everything behind in a panic.
Present day.
"He dragged her off. I think he was going to kill her or…" Tabbothy cursed himself in his head. "I didn't do anything to help her. She was my friend and I let that red dog take her."
"Red dog?" Kat pondered aloud. "I think I know who took your friend."
Tabbothy's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Pretty sure. Once I get Kit back I'll try to get the Thundercats to look for her. If she's with who I think she's with it shouldn't be hard." They emerged from the other end of the wheat field. Kat reached for the communicator to give it another try.
"Lion-O? Panthro? Somebody pick up…"