A/N: I just wanted to say that I borrowed the idea of Lion-O being allergic to chocolate from Lionessa in her fanfic Song of the Twins (I just made his reaction far more severe...) And this chapter contains a mild lemon so...no regrets.

Key:

Flashback = Flashback (Obviously)

Dream = Dream

Time Passage =...

- (BORDER) - = perspective change

Vision = Vision

Anyway, chapter information:

Genres: Drama, suspense, and mystery.

Warnings: Scenes of violence, potentially strong adult themes, and explicit language.

Date started (Chapter): Wednesday 5th July 2017

Date finished (Chapter): Monday 10th July 2017

Song/s: Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne

Chapter 27: Keep Holding On

"So what exactly happened?"

Tygra looks at me as the other Thundercats gather around. "Well Lion-O, the transmission said that Hatchiman was headed out to battle an evil samurai who wanted to overthrow the emperor of the Planet, but was never seen again until he was found slain by one of his fellow warriors."

"But how is that possible?" Cheetara asks as she slips her hand into mine "Hatchiman was an extremely powerful warrior with skills and strength rivalling even Lion-O's."

"Yes, but it seems that there is a force out there which is even greater than his."

I sniff contemptuously. "It sounds a bit suspicious if you ask me," I say as I cross my arms over my chest "The only person who I can think of as being that powerful is Mumm-ra. I mean, think about it, guys. He killed Mandora and destroyed the Interplanetary Control Force, then he murdered Captain Bragg and destroyed the Circus Train, all in hopes of and successfully setting the Mutants free, so it seems perfectly logical that he would murder Hatchiman too."

"I'm not too sure," Tygra replies to my statement, "Although Mumm-ra is evil, there are not enough facts that add up to be able to point the blame at him. The crime scene bore no traces of him being there."

"Then maybe it could have been some ancestral spirit or supernatural entity? After all, Hatchiman was Japanese, and the Japanese have an extensive collection of mythology and beliefs." Pumyra adds, but Tygra simply shrugs.

"It is suspected to be an ancestral spirit which somehow gave him a heart attack. Anyway, you and Cheetara had better go and collect Katzeran from school early and get him a smart suit, Lion-O. We've been asked to leave tonight."

I nod then me and Cheetara head towards the Paw Hangar. As we get into the Thundertank, I say "I just can't believe that Hatchiman is gone. He was a great friend, and his sudden death is just so shocking."

"I know, but now he's at rest."

I sigh again, and we are quiet for the whole journey to Katzeran's school. We're taken into the Reception class to collect our son, and he hares into us, clutching a painting which he did of the three of us – a large red blob, and a large and a little yellow blob streaked with black atop of some stick people. Cheetara sits him on her shoulders as we walk back to the Thundertank, and he starts to laugh as he reaches up to touch the trees. "You be careful that you don't fall down!" I say, so he immediately grabs hold of Cheetara's mane to steady himself.

"Why did you come to get me? School doesn't finish yet." Katzeran says as he climbs into the back of the Thundertank, so I say "We need to go to Third Earth tonight, so we're going to buy you some smart clothes, and if you're good, we'll go and get some ice cream."

When we get into the city, Katz behaves like a little lamb as we go into the tailor's. We find him the perfect suit with a red tie, and he looks so cute and smart. When we get out of the shop, Katzeran takes hold of my hand and practically drags us into the ice cream parlour. He has mint, Cheetara has morello cherry cheesecake, and I just have strawberry flavour. The cub happily hops along the path, licking his ice cream as we head back to the 'Tank.

"Right, the second we get home, it's straight in the bath with you whilst I pack your bags, because we're getting rid of you!" I joke as I watch him; the cream-coloured marking around his mouth is now green from the melted ice cream, which drips down onto his green school jumper and covers his hands. If he is not bathed, his fur will be so matted and sticky. Immediately, his face crumples and he starts howling, making me feel so guilty.

"Oh Lion-O, you are such a tease!" Cheetara says as Katz wriggles into her arms for a cuddle, "He was only joking, Katz. Secretly, we're getting rid of him!"

The little Litah eventually stops crying and giggles, and obediently goes with Cheetara to have a bath when we get back to the Lair. I get some cases from on top of my wardrobe before gathering some of my clothes together. I struggle to fold them because one of my arms is in a sling, but I manage to pack my bag, albeit with some difficulty. I take the suit that I bought for Katzeran's christening out of the wardrobe and grab my green tie before packing them into my bag. The last time I wore this suit was a few months ago for Cheetara's birthday party, and it was quite snug.

"I'm surprised that you're taking that suit considering the fact that you struggled to fit into it the last time you wore it!"

I laugh slightly as Cheetara walks in with our freshly bathed son. The cheetah playfully pokes me in the stomach as she says "I think someone needs to go on a bit of a diet; you've been eating too much of Snarf's candyfruit pie!"

"Well, in my defence, I do have a bit of a sweet tooth, and that pie is to die for! Not to mention your apple and cinnamon sponge cake." I say as she starts packing hers and Katz's bags. Our son sits in the middle of our bed, his nose buried into the belly of his polar bear.

...

Within the next hour, we are in the New Thunderian atmosphere and on our way to Third Earth. Another hour into the flight, I look back at Katzeran as he sits on Cheetara's lap in the seat behind me, and I see that he is very white. He is only ever flown once before, but he was asleep for the whole flight.

"Dad, I don't like it!" he wails as he hugs his knees, "I'm so bored and there's nothing to do!"

I sigh before getting up. "Come on, you. Let's go and see what games we have, hey? You'll be ok to take over, won't you, Cheetara?" She takes over my place helping Panthro pilot the Feliner so that I can take the cub into the back of the aircraft. As we make our way to one of the compartments where everything is stored, I stop in sudden abject terror and fear as I see the same black cat that has haunted me for the past six years walk out of the room into the space in front of us before sitting down - Märä.

"What are you looking at?"

"The cat that's just walked out of the compartment and is sat there in front of us."

"But Dad, there isn't anything there!"

I look over the charred ruins of what once was my home village. Nothing aside remains but ash and blackened timber. I feel the rage building up within me, knowing of the horrific death of my Father at the hands of Kralyx, the fire demon. I had watched as the creature had incinerated my Father as my Mother carried me away to safety. The powerful magical barrier, which my Father had created, has prevented the ruins from being erased, as at least seven years has passed without much sign of further decay.

Suddenly, a rustling in the bushes catches my attention, and I draw my axe as I prepare to attack, but a young lioness cub runs out of the bushes. She's crying, and she looks hurt. I can tell that she's from a different clan because of the colour of her mane and her markings – she's an Asiatic. She runs up to me and hugs my legs, shaking violently.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong? Where are your parents?" I ask her, and she simply shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Oh...I see. But what about your clan? Surely they have to be around somewhere?"

"No. I ran away because the chieftain of the village accused me of being a witch and wishes to burn me at the stake. Mamma and Pa helped me escape, but were killed for doing so..."

I pick the sobbing child up, then I realise that she stinks of sulphur and smoke and feels hot to the touch. Suddenly, her eyes glow red and fire erupts from her body, burning my arms and chest.

"Pitiful youth. You are just like your Father, Satos, and you're going to die like he did!"

I growl as I unsheathe the sword from the scabbard on my hip. Over the past few years, I have been forging this sword and it is my master creation. Using my immense magical powers, parts of my soul itself reside within the mythical stone embedded in the hilt – the Eye of Thundera, a stone that has been the prized possession within my clan for the past thousand years. I named my creation the Sword of Omens, and it is my most powerful weapon. "You are mistaken in what you say, Kralyx," I snarl as I point the Sword at the demonic entity, "You will be defeated, and I will avenge my Father! HO!"

Immediately, a blue lightning bolt erupts from the Sword and forcefully hits Kralyx square in the face, seemingly defeating him because he disappears before me, but I have the feeling that this isn't the last I'm going to see of him...

"Lion-O, come on, wake up!"

My eyes fly open and I sit up, panting hard. Cheetara hugs me as she says "For goodness' sake, Lion-O! You seriously need to stop passing out like this! You're worrying us half to death!"

"I...I had a vision from the past. I was Satos and... and he was battling a demon creature called Kralyx. Satos was the one who forged the Sword of Omens, and his soul inhabits the Eye of Thundera!" I say, and upon uttering the last sentence, the Sword growls in response, making me jump.

"We were wondering when this would begin to happen..."

"When...When what would begin to happen?"

Cheetara sighs. "Lion-O, as you already know, you are one of the last remaining descendants of the original lion clan, which means that you have immense psychic powers, potentially rivalling those of my own. It seems to be that you have finally reached the age to begin inheriting and developing them, and seeing how you've only just began, it's obvious that those visions are too much for you to handle and end up being knocked unconscious for long periods of time."

I sigh before noticing that we aren't in the Feliner. "Where are we?"

"We're at Snowman's Castle. You've been unconscious for a few hours, muttering about Satos and Kralyx, as well as a Thunderian called Terren."

I groan and try to get up, and Cheetara ends up having to help me. "I was told to try and wake you up because dinner is ready and..."

However, before she can get another word out, a large white blur bounds into the room and jumps at me, knocking me down as I feel a hot tongue licking my cheek. "Alright Snowmeow, leave Lord Lion-O alone – you just knocked him over!"

The large cat purrs before obediently running back to Snowman, who helps me up off the floor. Then, I hear Katzeran squealing with laughter. I look around Snowman to find my son on Snowmeow's back, which scares me half to death due to the Snow Cat's large size and power compared to my considerably smaller five-year-old son.

"Katz, don't do that. You might fall off!" I say in my sternest tone, so the cub gets off the large cat quickly. I get to my feet before looking out of the open window to the courtyard below where a group of Snowmen are carting crates of food, and Panthro is tending to the Feliner. Snow if falling heavily as it is the middle of winter on Third Earth, and the air is chilly, and it seems to be mid-evening.

"We will be staying here for the night, and then we will be travelling to the Planet of the Red Sun in the morning. For dinner, we have beef stew and rice, with a traditional red velvet cake and pastries for dessert."

"That sounds lovely." Cheetara says as she loops her arm through mine, and we walk to the dining room together.

- (BORDER) -

I look at the steaming plates of food are placed in front of us, my mouth watering at the invitingly hot savoury smell of it. We help ourselves, piling our bowls high and eating every scrap. I notice that Lion-O is struggling because he is right handed and has to use his left hand, but it does seem comedic. Once he's finished, dessert is bought out, and I notice how Katzeran's eyes go wide at the sight of the massive cake covered with cream cheese frosting.

I have some of the cake, and so too does Katzeran, but Lion-O has some of the pastries, which are fresh out of the oven. However, when he sucks the filling out of his first one, he suddenly groans, claps his hand to his mouth and rushes from the room. Confused, we look at each other, wondering what could have caused our leader to run from his meal, until one of the Snowman's medical aides runs in and shouts "He's collapsed, he's throwing up and he can't breathe – I think he's having an allergic reaction!"

I spring from my chair, and so too do Snarf, Pumyra and Tygra, and we follow the aide to where Lion-O had collapsed in the corridor, violently heaving and vomiting.

"I need an epinephrine pen right now!" Pumyra shouts, and the medical aide rushes to grab the medicine.

I rush to the lion's side and immediately see that he's struggling to breathe, turning pale, and clawing at his mouth and throat as he gags and coughs, but panic sets in when I realise that he's drifting into unconsciousness.

"Pumyra, he's passing out!"

"Shit! His throat is closing up – he's going into anaphylactic shock! I need a laryngoscope and an endotracheal tube because I need to intubate him! If I don't, he could die!"

The required equipment is brought to us in under a minute, so I help Pumyra and Tygra lay Lion-O on his back. He weakly clutches my hand as the puma stabs the epinephrine pen into his thigh, before Tygra tips the lion's head back, and the curved metal blade of the laryngoscope is slid into his throat, followed by the tube. It takes a few minutes, but relief comes when Lion-O starts to breathe normally again.

"What was in those pastries?" Pumyra asks Snowman as he rushes towards us, "Whatever was in the filling caused Lion-O to go into anaphylaxis."

"The filling was purely just chocolate."

The others and I look at each other. "Lion-O's allergic to chocolate?"

"An allergy to chocolate isn't very common, but to have an anaphylactic is extremely rare."

"Sneyarf, Sneyarf! Well, it isn't surprising that he's allergic to chocolate seeing as how Lion-O never really ate candy as a cub because he and Leo weren't allowed."

I gently hug Lion-O as I sit by his side. He's trembling, his pulse is rapid, and I can feel a series of small lumps beneath his fur – he's come out in a rash. Once his respiratory system has returned to normal, Pumyra pulls the tube out of his throat. "I seriously thought I was going to die just then," he gasps as he rubs his throat, still coughing slightly.

"At least we know that you've got allergies. I'll get you some medicine when we return to New Thundera, and you'll have to start carrying an epipen around with you in case you accidentally eat some chocolate whilst you're out in the city or at a meal. Anyway, we'd better go and get some sleep before tomorrow – we'll be having to get up early in the morning, and you need to rest to re-gain your energy."

...

I lie back against the pillows, breathing deeply and panting, trying to steady my heart rate as Lion-O devilishly grins down at me as he straddles my waist. He's never actually done that to me like how I've done to him many times. He chuckles to himself before leaning down and gently nipping at the joint of my neck to my shoulder, then he presses his lips to mine in a passionate kiss, allowing me to taste myself as he pushes his tongue into my mouth. His musky scent is so strong, and I can tell that he's aroused.

"That was quite something!" I purr as he kisses my neck, sucking at my skin and giving me a lovebite. He chuckles again as he sits up before saying "Oh, you thought I was finished?"

I see the gleam in his eyes, and I wrap my legs around his as we embrace. "If I know you, Lord of the...of the Thunderca...aaats...then...then I know that you're not done..." I moan breathlessly, and Lion-O slips his arm into the small of my back as he kisses me before warmly smiling down at me. I start gasping for breath as he kisses me again, then he starts to growl loudly as I moan, and he eventually roars before lying down next to me, then we cuddle up to each other before falling asleep in each other's arms...

I open my eyes as I stretch and yawn before rolling onto my side. At some point during the night, Lion-O broke from our embrace and is now lying on his front with his arms under his pillow, his head turned to the side. He's purring heavily in his sleep, the deep rumbling sound seeming extremely loud in our current room. I chuckle as I watch the sleeping lion before gently wriggling into his arms, causing him to stir slightly. He lets out a lazy roar as he yawns, showing off his large and very sharp fangs.

"Good morning, my love." I purr as he stretches, making a very low grumbling sound not too far off a growl.

"Good morning, 'Tara." he rumbles as he sits up. He stretches again, making his shoulders and back crack. I grin cheekily as I run one of my claws down his spine, making him shudder and causing his fur to stand on end as I laugh at him.

However, the young lion looks me dead in the eyes and gets his revenge by placing his ice-cold feet on me, making me shriek. He chuckles evilly before saying "And now we're even!"

"That's not fair, though! You know how cold it is in here!" I gasp, so he pulls me towards him and I feel the heat radiating from his body as he pulls the thick layers of fur blankets around us, "Just you keep those feet away from me! They're lethal – they feel like blocks of ice!"

Lion-O yawns again as we cuddle back under the blankets, curled up together like a pair of dormice with his body heat keeping us warm. "We've still got a few hours until we have to get up." I say as I nuzzle his chest with my cheek, leaving my mark on his chest and, in response, he instinctively rubs against my chest, abdomen, and cheek, leaving his scent on me and reinforcing his mark. We go back to sleep for a few hours, only to be woken by Katzeran jumping up and down on top of us, demanding that we get up and have breakfast.

Tired from our playful romp last night, me and Lion-O get up and make our way down to the dining hall where the other Thundercats are waiting for us. Breakfast consists of hot croissants, pain au chocolates, and Danish pastries, with a plate set aside especially for Lion-O that does not contain any chocolate.

"This is going to take some getting used to..." the young lion whines as he watches us sipping our mugs of hot chocolate as he wearily sips a mug of black coffee, "I used to love hot chocolate when I was a kid, but knowing that drinking it could now kill me is pretty scary."

"You'll get used to it, kid," Sebastian says as he downs a glass of apple juice, "Because I'm a canine, chocolate can cause me to become extremely sick or have liver failure, as I found out as a pup."

Lion-O sighs before starting to eat his pastries, picking the currents out like a little kid, and when we have finished our breakfast, we return to our rooms to prepare for our daylong journey to the Planet of the Red Sun.

- (BORDER) -

"I can't believe how far our boys have come, Claudus."

I smile softly as I slip my arm around Leandra's waist and pull the lioness close to me. She rests her head on my shoulder as I say, "I know, my love. They are both accomplished warriors, and Lion-O is a strong and kind-hearted King. He has begun to learn about the history of our clan and our ancestor Satos."

Leandra chuckles before saying "He takes after his Father then!" as she kisses me on the cheek. I look down at her, gazing lovingly into her gingery-orange eyes and bright red mane. The last time I saw Lion-O, he looked so much like his Mother, and Leo looks like me with his darker fur, mane, and eyes.

"I wish that we could be there for them – for our sons and our grandchildren." my wife sighs sadly as we watch Lion-O and the other Thundercats flying the Feliner towards the Planet of the Red Sun, "I miss them so much, Claudus. I never got to know them as much as you did."

I smile down at my newborn twin cubs as they lay in their Moses basket, both purring slightly as they sleep. However, Lion-O begins to stir and starts to mewl before starting to cry. I reach in and gently pick up the tiny lion, resting him on my shoulder as he cries. I try rubbing his back, but it does not soothe him, and so I ask Millani to look after Leo for a minute whilst I go and prepare two bottles of milk for my sons. The young cheetah lost her mate Chet in battle last year, leaving her and her eleven-year-old daughter Cheetara behind, and she had recently been anointed a Thundercat.

When I get down to the kitchen, Lion-O is still pitifully wailing, and I know that he is hungry. "It's alright, Lion-O, it's coming." I say as I hold him in my arms, gently stroking the soft red fluff on his head. He opens his eyes slightly before yawning, then he continues to cry. I hear someone walk into the kitchen, and I turn around and see Cheetara standing by the door.

"Where's my Mummy?" she asks as she knuckles her eyes, so I reply with "She's in my room looking after Leo for me for a minute, dear."

"Oh," she says quietly, then she walks up to me and looks at Lion-O, "He's crying because his tummy hurts, and he's hungry."

I look at the cheetah cub with pure confusion. "How do you know that?"

She simply shrugs. "I don't know, but Mummy tells me that it's from family."

I sigh, before saying "I tell you what, Cheetara. Because it's getting late, I'll see if your Mother will let you hold, and even feed one of the cubs before she puts you to bed."

She nods, so we walk back to my room where Millani is holding Leo, who has woken up for his and his brother's first night-time feed. "Mummy, can I hold one of the cubs?" Cheetara asks Millani as she climbs up onto my bed.

Millani smiles before saying "Well, it's up to Claudus, sweetheart, because they're his cubs." So I sit the young cheetah in the middle of the bed and position her arms before carefully placing Lion-O into her arms. The newborn lion mewls, but quietens down as Cheetara places the teat of the bottle of milk into his mouth.

"You know, Claudus," Millani says quietly as we watch her daughter cradling my youngest son, "I have the sneaking suspicion that those two are going to grow up to be very close friends, if not inseparable."

I smile softly as I feed Leo, agreeing completely with her.

- (BORDER) -

"There hasss to be a way, Mumm-ra! The Thundercats are away for a few days, so why not strike now, yesss?"

"Because, Mutant, although they may be gone for a few days, they have the ThunderGuard."

"Becaussse they went away to a funeral, why not make it into a dual one and travel to where they've gone to ssslaughter Lion-O?"

"Slithe, you remember the Ancient legends of Thundera, don't you? Lion-O is from the original lion clan, who were a clan famed for their psychic and magical powers. That wretched Thundercat has recently learned about his ancestry and ancient traditions, and has begun to develop psychic powers on par with Cheetara's. This means that he is an enemy far more dangerous and deadly than the Lion-O we once knew as an immature brat."

"So how do you ssupposse to overthrow him and place him in chainsss?"

"You leave that to me, reptilian, because I have a plan."

To Be Continued...

Next time on Thundercats:

As the Thundercats have a tour of the Planet of the Red Sun and learn about its Japanese inhabitants, Mumm-ra puts together the pieces of his plan to take over New Thundera. However, when he stumbles upon the ruins of the ancient Village of the Lion Clan, he tries to decipher the history and learn the secrets of the old clan in hopes of destroying Lion-O, as well as erase all traces of the existence of the ancient lions. Will the Thundercats prevent that from happening?

Find out in the next chapter of Thundercats: Wake Up!