Episode 7: Seven Ways to Skin a Cat
Part II
Roughly four days ago… (In the middle of the events of Episode 6, parts 4-6)
The Desert of Sinking Sands…
Bewitching Hour… (3:00 am)
The temperature dropped below freezing as the dry winds picked up speed. The stars shined dimly that night. A thin haze in the atmosphere blocked out the starlight. Too dark to spot in such blackness, the Onyx Pyramid stood unnoticed in the drifting sand. A surge of energy pulsed through the four bordering obelisks while briefly illuminating the pyramid in a haunting red glow. Immediately thereafter the night turned black once again.
Inside the pyramid the casting pool glowed red, still tainted with fresh blood. Four snakes coiled proudly erect on their strong scaly tails; two males, a python and a side-winder and two females; a coral snake and a king, or rather queen cobra. They had noticeable lumps in their stomachs from a just recently consumed meal. They gathered in a small circle with the lizard idol of Apa leering behind them, eyes also aglow with red.
The snakes flashed Pumyra and Slithe rather sick, satisfied grins from across the casting pool. They slithered forth, each taking turns kissing the lizard general's cheeks in gratitude. Slithe's expression froze in a reptilian neutral. Body cold and stiff, he kept his blood soaked claws at his sides. Pumyra stared back at the cold bloods with disgust and disbelief, her own bloodied hands still raised and trembling.
Mumm-Ra watched the unholy ritual take place from his sarcophagus. Ma-Mutt guarded his crypt diligently, wings out and tail wagging. A few feet in front of him, a still battered and exhausted Lynxanna watched the casting pool on her knees as yet another part of her punishment. The demon's priest's eyes glowed with impatience. Pumyra could feel his gaze burning through the back of her skull. It snapped her out of the atrocity she had just helped commit. She turned to her master, bowing her head slightly. "It is done." She confirmed. "They are satisfied with the trade."
She watched Mumm-Ra emerge from the shadows, motioning with a gnarled, bony hand. "Come..." Lynxanna flashed the mummy a resentful sneer as he passed her. She stood and followed him down the stairs as ordered. Mumm-Ra looked to a rather pale and weary Slithe. "General, return to Castle Plun-Darr. Prepare the other generals. Lynxanna will take things over from here."
Slithe nodded respectfully before taking leave, never making eye contact. This behavior rather disturbed Pumyra, as she knew the lizard commander to have a rather high threshold for the evils that take place inside the pyramid. The she-cobra slithered forward, showing off her markings as she bowed to Mumm-Ra. "On behalf of Mother Conda, I, Lieutenant Tru-Naja would like to thank you for thisss opportunity."
Mumm-Ra eyed her and the other snakes a moment. "Conda promised me five of her best headhunters to start."
"We lost Dosss-Serpentosss sssshortly after we arrived in Thundera." The lower ranking python explained to him.
Lynxanna couldn't help but choke out a short laugh. "One down already? The snake queen sent her best indeed." The snakes flashed her dirty looks.
"As leader of this operation I expect you to pick up any slack." Mumm-Ra reminded her, frown never wavering. "You all know your targets. You know the consequences of failure…" He flashed Lynxanna threatening sideways glance. "There is a stealth-tank waiting for you. Go; bring me the Thundercats!"
Lynxanna genuflected before him. "Yes my lord." The snakes followed her lead with respective bows and a chorus of hissing. She marched off, her new serpent squadron slithering close behind her. Mumm-Ra turned for his crypt once again. "Wait, my love-?" Pumyra called out to him just before he reached his sarcophagus.
Mumm-Ra paused. He turned to face her and asked wearily, "What is it, my pet?"
"What… should I do now?"
"Wait for him to arrive. This time, DO NOT disappoint me." He warned before allowing his tomb to consume him.
Pumyra winced as his crypt sealed shut. The pyramid interior fell still and silent. The blood dissolved in the casting pool. The red glow faded. Mumm-Ra started slumber and the room went black. Pumyra, eyes aglow form what little traces of artificial or moon's light crept through, started to sneak off to a side exit. Ma-Mutt growled at her as she passed him. She turned to him abruptly and with her finger to her lips whispered a harsh "SHHH! I'll be right back…"
The hellhound cheerfully yelped a deep guttural yelp before giving her a quick kiss on the nose with a long, decaying forked tongue. He backed off, tail wagging. Pumyra tried not to gag as she wiped her face clean of demon dog drool. "Good boy." She commended Ma-Mutt before sneaking off.
Behind her, in the casting pool an image of Lion-O appeared. He rode on the back of a silver unicorn mare. Accompanying him and steering the unicorn was a young satyre woman. Lion-O spoke to her rather urgently…
_where Episode 7 part one left off…
_roughly one day ago from the present…
Behind Panthro in the passenger bench Lion-O sat with Snarf asleep in his lap and the Thunderkittens resting sound asleep against either side of him. Cool air rushed through his mane as the Thundertank increased speed over the rugged terrain. He watched the sun slowly creep above the horizon. Through some drifting clouds pinks, oranges purples and blues started to bleed into a previously black sky. While beholding such a peaceful sight it was hard to believe hundreds of miles away in the west swamplands the rats were storming Castle Plun-Darr…
WileyKat twitched. He awoke, stretching as he exhaled a deep yawn. After rubbing the lingering sleepiness out of his eyes he noticed the sunrise. "Pretty." He noted before looking back. "Hey, I think we passed the Burbil Village."
WileyKit started to stir. "Wha…?"
"We passed the Burbil village hours ago." Tygra confirmed from his seat next to Lion-O.
"Why?" WilyKat inquired.
"We decided it's best to stay away for a while now that the Thundertank is restocked on Thundrillium." Lion-O explained.
"Why?" WilyKit inquired further.
"It's too close to Ratilla's swamps; I don't want to give the rodent guard an excuse to storm through there if they spot us." He explained further.
WileyKit cocked her head, puzzled. "But I thought you made friends with the rats?"
"No, Lord Lion-O made friends with ONE rat and pissed off the other ninety-nine percent of the rodent species." Tygra corrected her.
Lion-O rolled his eyes. "I already pissed off the rodent species when I "cost them" the Sword of Plun-Darr."
"Aw, allow me to play my heart bleeds purple piss for them." Panthro mused sarcastically, playing an imaginary tiny violin between his pointer finger and thumb.
"Here here." Tygra agreed. "But without an army of cats we really couldn't afford to piss off a rodent army fourteen million strong."
Lion-O flashed Tygra a dirty look. "I befriended the next son of Ratilla. That must count for something." He looked down at Panthro and at Cheetara, riding shotgun. "Right…?"
Cheetara winced, unsure. "Not…really. No." Tyga answered for them. "Prince or not, Vyrmin is still just a fat-faced little rat-turd destined to be a tyrant like his wretch of a father." Tygra spat hatefully.
"He wasn't half bad for a rat. You only hate him because he broke your nose."
Cheetara turned to look up at Tygra. "Wait, little Vyrmin broke your nose?"
Tygra's cheeks blushed through his fur as the kittens snickered. "Tygra got his ass whupped by a rat pup." WileyKat exclaimed. They burst into laughter. Lion-O couldn't help but join in.
"That is NOT what happened!"
"I was there; that's exactly what happened." Lion-O insisted, still laughing and exchanging high fives with the kittens.
"You shouldn't laugh." Panthro scolded them. "Even though it's funny." He couldn't help but smirk.
Tygra was about to make a retort when a big boulder crashed to the ground in front of them. The impact shook the ground. Panthro swerved around just in time. Cheetara looked back and spotted the large, ugly figures on the rocky cliffs ahead on either side. "Giantors!" She alerted the others.
"What are they doing this far out?" Lion-O wondered aloud. A series of boulders was hurled at the tank. Panthro maneuvered around them. One or two managed to nick the rear of the tank, but caused no real damage.
The impact was enough to jerk the tank. Tygra braced himself as he was knocked forward. "Trying to collect a reward in exchange for our carcasses no doubt." The tiger could only guess.
Panthro opened the hatch. "Get inside." He instructed, increasing speed. "I'll lose them no problem."
The kittens immediately sprinted for the safe interior. The adults entered slower, but in a much more organized fashion. Panthro flashed them the thumbs up before closing the door behind them.
Inside, Lynx-O labored over a holo-screen projected by a strange tablet-like device. His ears twitched as he heard the others gather around him. He turned to face them. "What's the trouble?"
"Just some giantors." WileyKit informed him. "Panthro's on it." WileyKat added.
"Have you been tinkering with the brail board Ro-Bear Bill gave us all night?" Cheetara asked.
"Remind me to kiss that little creature when we return to the village. This thing is amazing. I managed to sync this device to the book of omens." Lynx-O announced proudly, fingers rapidly tapping away at the thin, almost translucent rectangular platform, hovering over his lap.
Lion-O leaned over Lynx-O's shoulder, studying the screen projected in front of them. It displayed a three dimensional layout of a vast forest he didn't recognize. "What's this?" He asked the retired spy.
"A map of the Jungle continent; I finished the entire layout of this continent, from east to west coast all the way to Caverns of Cold. I'm piecing together maps I have drawn and memorized of the Bird Nation, The Treetop Kingdom and the unclaimed trees from past missions. I used information from the book to fill some gaps. My access is limited. There is still no information on the majority of the Jungle Continent's floor, but we could safely make our way through the mid-trees if necessary."
"That's impressive, Lynx-O, but why draw out maps of other continents?" Lion-O asked.
"In case we have to flee this one, you know because we've managed to piss off two-thirds of the animal populace on this continent." Answered Tygra.
"Oh, and your sparkling personality has in no way contributed to this?" Lion-O teased. His expression sobered as an important realization came to him. "Wait… past missions? Father sent Prowl spy units across sea?" Lion-O's brow knitted with confusion. "He claimed no other cats traveled as far past Thundera's borders besides Panthro and Grune on their mission to find the book."
Tygra pinched the bridge of his nose. "What part of "spy guild" and "classified missions" do you not grasp?"
"Obviously the core concept." Lynx-O answered.
The lion looked to other younger Thundercats. "It doesn't bother any of you that your king-" He looked Tygra in the eyes. "And father LIED to you and the public?"
They shifted uncomfortably, but didn't verbally respond. Lion-O looked down at Lynx-O. "Father knew of the existence of technology all along, didn't he? You, Jaga, the other nobles…You ALL knew-"
"Of course." Lynx-O confirmed much too casually for the young lord's liking. "Technology has been a strongly contained Thundercat secret since the reign of king Leo. The major part of my job as Prowl commander was to keep tabs on what species acquired access to which tech… and to keep set tech out of the public's attention and hands. You can imagine why Caludis had the Prowl go to such lengths. Tech is too dangerous for civilians."
"No one deserves to be left in the dark. All those years… father lied to me! He let the whole kingdom, including myself, believe I was crazy?! Goddamn it!" Lion-O couldn't help but let out an angry roar.
"Lion-O, I know how-" Tygra tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but his brother jabbed him away with his elbow. "The cat's ignorance of tech helped lead to our downfall. I have every right to be outraged! What else did father fail to tell me?!"
"My lord, what I know that you do not could fill a book shelf." Lynx-O replied bluntly, but truthfully. "Do not think ill of King Claudis." He begged. "Sometimes doing what's right conflicts with doing what's necessary. We did what we had to do to keep the balance of power in check and to keep our beloved Thundera safe."
Lion-O refused to accept that. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I'm the king now. Do not withhold information from me." He ordered sternly. "I'll ask again; what ELSE did father and the rest of you nobles fail to tell us?"
Lynx-O brushed his fingertips gently over the brail board. The screen scrolled through several maps of several areas surrounding Thundera's boarders. The Thundertank's location was represented by a small flashing blue circle. "I will begin with what's most important-"
"I'll decide what information is most important." Lion-O interrupted. "Just talk."
Lynx-O shrugged off his tone and continued. "You said you're looking for cats to join us. This may be our best shot."
Lion-O pointed to the screen. "I know where that is. Just north of there is the City of Blades. Is there a cat colony settled in the area?"
"Not exactly. They're a mix pride of exiles from Thundera. Claudis banished them for acts of treason when he took the crown and sword. They're led by murdering lion named Clawmuth. He would never agree to assist the Thundercats even against an evil like Mumm-ra, but perhaps we can convince some of his marauders to abandon his pride and join our fight. If nothing else we can buy their loyalty with riches from the forever bag. My Prowl and I were never able to locate their den, but these are their hunting grounds."
The younger cats seemed very intrigued. "We can start tracking them today." Cheetara suggested.
Lion-O managed to smile, head swimming with possibilities. "Best news I've heard in weeks. Good work, Lynx-O."
"Coast is clear." Panthro announced over the speaker system.
"Pathro, find some cover and pull over." Lion-O urged. "We have a new game plan."
The present…
"We set up camp and ate a quick breakfast before we divided up Lynx-O's maps and spread out to search." Lion-O recalled the prior events. "Panthro stayed behind with the tank while the rest of us combed the surrounding woodlands and countryside. We agreed to not to stray too far from camp and to meet back before high noon. Snarf and I searched on foot. I wanted to be alone. For well over an hour I was too angry with my father to see straight, but I decided the damage was done and it was best to focus on the hope of running into more cats."
The Unicorn Keeper nodded. Brow knitting in thought. "Any luck finding this exiled pride your elder mentioned?"
"All I found were bunch of trails that haven't been properly maintained for years. No signs of cats or any other sentient animals for that matter." The lion answered, disappointed. "When I noticed the position of the sun I decided to give up and circle back."
"Usually in this territory the worst predators you have to watch out for are tabbot robbers and coyote packs." The Unicorn Keeper informed him. "I have personally yet to run into any cats, besides you of course. She glanced downward at his clawshield. "The sword of omens is said to give its wielder sight beyond sight. Can you use this to find your friends?"
"To be honest, for me the sight beyond sight technique is a crap shoot."
"Give it a try anyways. There's never any harm in trying." The satyr tugged on the reins. Her unicorn stopped.
"You're right." Lion-O hopped off and pulled out his legendary sword. The eye opened and it grew to full length as he held the hilt to eye level. "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight…"
The Unicorn Keeper leaned close, studying him. The sword sent him a vision; she could tell by the intensity in his brightened gaze. "That's it! Can you see them, cub?"
"Yes… There they are!" He exclaimed as their figures came clearer and clearer into focus. "They're being attacked!"
"By who? Who cub?" The she satyr tried to shake him. Snarf scratched at his legs, but he was too transfixed on images flashing through his mind.
There was Panthro facing off with an intimidating black cobra. The cobra simply kept still, hood fully expanded. She seemed to guide Panthro with her eyes as he swung his nun chucks in defense against not the cobra, but a foe Lion-O could not see. The image switched to Cheetara; she gasped for breath as a python coiled around her entire body and clamped his hands around her neck. Skeleton compressed to the point of near collapse, she exhale the last of her breath ans dropped her staff to the ground. The vision cut to the Thunderkittens; a sidewinder dragged them screaming, tied to their hovorboards across the sands. Once close enough to Vortex's inescapable inhale he hurled the both of them into the winds to be consumed. Next Tygra came into view. A coral snake dragged him into a river with black rapids and an incredibly fast current. She looped his own whip around his neck and drug him under the water. Last the sword showed him Lynx-O going toe to toe and claw to claw with a masked cat, not a snake. After a brief, but violent struggle he managed to lock his assailant in a choke hold and reach for her mask, but before he could reveal the cat's face the image was lost and the eye of Thundera closed in the hilt. "No! Show me where they are!" Lion-O begged.
The sword slept. Lion-O gave up with a heavy sigh before sheathing the blade. "They've been ambushed."
"Told you." The Unicorn Keeper chimed.
"A big help "I told you so" does me." Lion-O snapped at her.
"Relax, cub." She motioned gently to him. "Who ambushed your friends?"
"Snakes; four of them. The other Thundercats are alive from what I can tell, but the longer I take to-"
"Where did these snakes take them?"
"I don't know. The eye closed before it would show me." The Thundercat lamented.
"I see… Hop on." Lion-O scooped up Snarf and hopped on the back of the silver unicorn once again. The Unicorn Keeper sent her mare into a full gallop with a quick, hard flick of the reins. Lion-O hugged her waist to keep balance as the unicorn picked up speed. "Where are you taking us?"
"To speak with the creatures of the forest. Someone or something out there saw what happened. We just have to ask around…"
Author's note: Another shorter chapter mainly consisting of dialog. I tend to push the best lines on Panthro and Tygra XD. The beginning scene in the black pyramid may be a little confusing. It bears a greater importance towards the end of this episode and in episode eight. The next two chapters will have all the action, so saddle up, folks! ;D
Thanks as always for reading. I'm willing to answer any questions to the best of my abilities. Also, thank you, Xluckyneckostylex for inspiring me to write out a full voice cast list which I will try to post at the end of episode eight (which I'm very much looking forward to writing, but then again I look forward to writing every chapter XD). Rock on everybody; until next time….