A/N: Finally! The first year of GCSE's is very nearly over! Time to relax and write more Thundercats stories! =D
I'm sorry that this chapter has taken quite a while...
My schedule was completely thrown off by all of my exams. Exams during the school hours and revision at home; no time for any writing!
Either way, I will make up for it. Cross my heart.
Key:
Flashback = Flashback (Obviously)
Dream = Dream
Time Passage =...
- (BORDER) - = perspective change
Anyway, chapter information:
Genres: Adventure and Drama
Warnings: Scenes of violence, adult themes and explicit language. Plus, extreme risk of dying of cuteness overload!
Date started (Chapter): Friday 19th June 2015
Date finished (Chapter): Sunday 5th July 2015
Song/s: Lullaby by Creed
Chapter 14: Lullaby
"Shit!" I snap as I run up to Cheetara, my heart pounding against my ribcage.
The cheetah groans as she wraps her arms around her stomach, tears streaming down her cheeks.
I rush to my wife then help her up. The second she's on her feet, she groans then says "I think my waters just broke!"
I look down and see the spreading wet patch beneath her. I pick her up in my arms, which makes her groan.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!" she groans as I open the door. She grabs hold of my mane and pulls as a contraction tears through her abdomen, making me yelp in pain.
I jog as fast as I can towards the infirmary and as I round the corner, I see that the light is on, so I know that Pumyra and Tygra are in there. I burst through the door, carrying Cheetara, who is panting, grunting and groaning.
"She's gone into labour! The cub's coming!" I shout as I carry her over to a bed. The pair immediately spring into action; Pumyra grabs warm towels and blankets from the fresh laundry and Tygra grabs a medical kit. As they run towards us, I lay Cheetara on the closest bed.
"Alright Cheetara. You'd better whip your pyjama bottoms off. No need to be modest." Pumyra says as she puts one of the towels beneath my wife.
Cheetara pulls off her pyjama bottoms and her underwear. Pumyra puts one of the blankets over Cheetara's abdomen and lower body.
"Ok. Lion-O. If you're going to stay in here, make sure that you keep Cheetara calm."
I take hold of Cheetara's hand as I say "You're going to be fine. I promise." She looks at me as she says "I know. But it hu..." but she cuts off halfway through her sentence and roars.
"I just need to check the position of the cub and how many centimetres dilated you are." Pumyra says as she pulls on a pair of rubber gloves. She gently presses down on Cheetara's abdomen in different places before saying "He's in the correct position for delivery; he's head down." Cheetara's two inch long claws come forth involuntarily, and she digs them into my hand as she groans. My hand's bleeding, but it was obviously going to happen.
"You're 9cm dilated now, Cheetara. How long have you been in labour?" Pumyra says as she grabs a fresh towel to soak up the blood.
"About ten, maybe twenty minutes now," she grunts, before groaning in agony. Tears stream down her cheeks from the pain.
"Pumyra! I want to push! It's overwhelming!" Cheetara cries, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.
"No. You don't. You're not ready yet!" Pumyra says sternly, and Cheetara digs her claws deep into my hand as she fights against the urge to push. She groans and roars in pain, but I can do nothing but whimper and whine as her claws cut into my flesh. It hurts. I look at my arm and see the shockingly bright red liquid dribbling down my arm and dripping off of my elbow. Everyone calls me a brave, fearless hero, but I can't stand the sight of blood. It's horrible.
"Cheetara, you're nearly 10 centimetres dilated." Pumyra says.
I look up, and see that there is blood on the bed. There's so much of it. Pumyra reaches for a pair of sterile scissors and a warm towel for when the cub has been born, and I can see that she's covered in blood up to her elbows. I can't take this anymore. The room seems to whirl around me, making me feel dizzy and nauseous. I fall out of the chair, on to the floor. My head hits the hard floor, then everything goes black; I've fainted...
...
I come to, and my head is pounding. I'm lying on my bed, and Snarf is sitting next to me, pressing an ice pack against my head.
"Sneyarf! Sneyarf! Thank Jaga you're awake, Lion-O!" the little red and yellow cat says as I try to sit up.
"What...What the hell happened?" I groan as I rub my head.
"Reow! Cheetara went into labour and you passed out. You hit your head pretty hard on the corner of the bedside cabinet, so you've got quite a nasty wound. Tygra sutured it the best he could, but Pumyra needs to sort it out properly."
"Shit! Have there been any updates?"
"No. You have been out for quite a while. It's nearly three in the afternoon."
I successfully sit up and haul myself off of the bed, and I start to feel faint headed again. I quickly sit back down again, and Snarf passes me some painkillers and a glass of water as he asks "Headache?"
"Yeah..."
"Mmmmm...Sounds like concussion. Reow! I'll...I'll tell Pumyra once everything's sorted."
I take the tablets from my friend and wash them down with the water. I feel so edgy and nervous, but I suppose that's because I'm going to be meeting my son for the first time in a few hours. Plus, it doesn't help the fact that I know that my mother died giving birth to me.
"Nervous?" Snarf asks as I walk towards the door.
"Yeah. I suppose that's just because I hate waiting."
"Well, you've got to be patient, Lion-O. Reow! Cub birth is a lengthy process; you're going to be waiting for quite some time yet."
I sigh, and then walk out of the door towards the dining room. Maybe after I have something to eat, I'll be able to settle down and get some important work done.
...
I pace impatiently outside of the closed door of the infirmary then pause at the sound of the door of the corridor opening. I see Panthro walking towards me.
"Any news?" he asks.
I sigh, then say "No, not yet. Anyway, what are you still doing up? It's really late."
"I couldn't sleep. Something evil's going on; I can feel it."
"I know that feeling all too well."
"You sound just as bad as Cheetara does sometimes."
"I hope that you never let that slip to her face; you know how sensitive she is."
I'm just about to reply, but the sound of a newborn cub crying sounds from behind the door. I look at Panthro and he looks at me. "Panthro, it's..." I say, and he says "I know! Congratulations, Lion-O!"
About fifteen minutes later, the door of the infirmary opens. I stand up as Pumyra walks towards me. She looks awfully tired, and her eyes are bloodshot.
"Lion-O, congratulations! It's a boy! He was delivered at 2:30a.m, weighing 5 pounds and 7 ounces. Cheetara is resting, but requests that she sees you." she says quietly but excitedly.
I follow her into the infirmary, where I see Cheetara lying in one of the beds, holding a snowy white fur blanket. She's softly humming a lullaby, and I can hear the pitiful mewing of a newborn. I slowly approach her then I see the tiny cub wrapped snugly in the blanket, fast asleep.
"Is that..." I say as I stand by my wife's side.
Cheetara softly smiles at me as she says "Yeah. It's our son."
He already has a tiny golden mane and I can clearly see the spots of a cheetah on his shoulders, mixed with the dark brown rosettes of a lion cub down his back and on the underside of his arms. Cheetara's mane is plastered to her face with sweat. Finally, I have an heir to the Thunderian throne; a son to who I can hand down the titles of the Lord of the Thundercats and the King of New Thundera, and to who I can give the Sword of Omens when my time comes.
"I can't believe it, Cheetara." I say as I rest my arm over her shoulders "We've got a son. And he's absolutely perfect."
"Yeah. He's perfect, alright. But he wouldn't stop squealing after he was born until he was fed."
The tiny Thunderian mews then falls silent as Cheetara places her finger in the palm of his hand.
"We just need to settle on a name." she says as she looks at me.
Cheetara moves aside slightly as I gently sit on her bed.
"Are you going to hold him then, Lion-O?" she says softly, her voice like honey. She looks so tired and in need of some sleep. She carefully places the cub into my arms. He mews then opens his eyes, sniffling slightly from being away from the warmth of his mother's chest. Oh, his eyes are so much like Cheetara's. The moment I've been waiting for, for months has finally arrived. I'm a father; I have a son of my own. Tears of joy slowly roll down my cheeks as I look at our newborn son. He's so cute and furry. He yawns then closes his eyes and falls asleep again. "I think I know what we could call him." I say as I gently place him back into her arms.
"What, then?" she asks quietly as the tiny cub snuggles back into her chest
"How about Katzeran? After all, Katze means cat in an ancient First Earth language called 'German', and that's what we are. We're cats."
Cheetara nods and says "Katzeran? Yes, I like the name. Katzeran it is."
I look out of the window, and see the swirling snow flying through the sky in a wild flurry. "Cheetara...look, it's snowing."
"So it is. That's got to be a sign."
I smile down at her, then look back out of the window as the snow falls on the peaceful, silent city; a city that has a prince. A planet that has an heir. The other cities and settlements around the planet have a new ruler. This day marks the start of a new era.
Once we get out of the infirmary, we go back to our room. We don't get much sleep that night because we're both too excited and Cheetara is still sore. We lie in bed with Katzeran. I can clearly see the brown rosettes on his back as I lie with him on my chest. We finally have a cub of our own. We have a family within a family. I hold him in my arms again as I sit up then I slowly wave my finger in front of his eyes. He mews, trying to catch my finger as his claws come forth slightly. I laugh then watch as he yawns and falls asleep. "We'd better put down for some sleep now." I say as I pass him to Cheetara. Trying her best to not wake him up, she places Katzeran into the Moses Basket by her side of the bed then tucks him in. Then, we fall asleep ourselves...
- (BORDER) -
"Mumm-ra! MUMM-RA! Get your sorry ass out of your sarcophagus this instant!"
I growl with rage as the lid of my sarcophagus slides open. I walk out as I say "Why have you disturbed my rest again, oh, ancient ones?"
"Look into the magical cauldron, and you will see why these current circumstances are of upmost importance!"
I walk up to the cauldron as Ma-mutt takes a running jump into my arms. As I stand over the vibrant purple liquid, an image starts to form itself in the water. I feel the rage welling up inside of me at the sight of Lion-O and Cheetara lying in their bed, holding a bundle of white blankets, in which their newborn son lies peacefully sleeping.
"Lion-O and Cheetara's son has been born, Mumm-ra! That means that you have more of a fight on your hands to rid us of those wretched Thundercats! That means that now their son is here, you have to deal with one of the most dangerous Thunderians! He is Lion-O's heir, and you have to kill him before he is old enough to become Lord of the Thundercats!"
I growl as I watch the pair playing with their new cub. This cannot be! There must be a way to stop this. That cub cannot go on and survive to become the Lord of the Thundercats! There has to be a way of ridding myself of this new pest! There just has to be!
"Mumm-ra!"
"Yes, oh ancient ones?"
"We have a way of ridding ourselves of the wretched cub!"
"Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me, so that I may rid us of that pest before he grows up!"
"Take this dagger…"
I look down as a jet black dagger materializes in the water. The blade is serrated and jagged, and the handle is polished to a mirror's shine.
"And go to the Ölümün Pençesi with the cub. Kill the wretched thing, and offer its body to us and we will reward you royally! Make it look as if the Wolfman Sebastian did it!"
"Of course, mighty ancient ones. It shall be done!" I say as I take the dagger from the cauldron, then as I turn to go back to my sarcophagus, I mutter beneath my breath "But getting into that place will not be easy; walking out with the newborn prince will be even harder! I must recover my strength!"
- (BORDER) -
I look down at my son as I spoon porridge into my mouth; he's fast asleep on my left arm, dressed in his white sleep suit. He purrs then mews before snuggling deeper into my chest. I smile softly as he yawns in his sleep then slightly opens his eyes, showing the tiniest amount of his brownish-orange eyes. Katzeran stretches, his freshly clipped claws coming forth slightly and pressing against the material of his clothes. He rolls over then grabs at my fur, his claws digging into my skin.
"Aww, he's so cute!" Wilykit whispers as she looks at him as he sleeps peacefully.
Suddenly, the door opens, startling him. He wakes up and squirms, bumping his head on my arm. He starts crying as I turn around. Cheetara walks up to the table and sits down. She looks really rough; her face is ashen in colour and her mane is tangled. I guess she's still in a lot of pain from giving birth a few days ago. As she sits by my side, Snarf passes me a bottle of warm milk for Katz.
Cheetara helps herself to some toast as she says "How can you still be awake after last night?"
I laugh slightly as I ease the teat of the bottle into Katzeran's mouth then say "I guess it's just the adrenaline. He's was asleep for an hour and a half, but you coming in woke him up." Katzeran starts to greedily guzzle down the milk as he hiccups. For a cub less than a day old, he takes a lot of milk in one sitting.
Once he finishes the bottle, he starts crying afresh. I rest him over my shoulder then rub his back. He burps slightly before coughing, then makes a vomiting sound. I feel something warm and wet trickle down my back and over my shoulder, and I know that Katz has just puked down my back.
Cheetara laughs as I hastily pass her our grizzly cub. "It's all in your mane and down your back!" she says as Katzeran nuzzles his face into her chest, leaving vomit on her dressing gown.
"I'd better go and get changed..." I grumble as we get up.
"I know. I need to have a shower then get dressed." Cheetara says as we walk out of the room. I push the door of our room open as we walk in, and Katzeran mews and yowls in annoyance as Cheetara puts him into his cot. I pull my shirt off then throw it in to the laundry basket as Cheetara passes me a clean one from the wardrobe.
When she walks into the bathroom, she says "Lion-O, can you change Katz for me?" I look at the tiny litah as he lets out a lusty cry, his hands curled tightly into fists. I carefully lift the cub out of his cot then lie him on his back before grabbing the change bag.
I unbutton his sleep suit before undoing his nappy. When I lift him up to get it out from underneath him, my chest gets warm and wet. I look down, and see that Katzeran is peeing on my chest.
I can hear Cheetara laughing from the doorway. "It looks like Katzeran is marking you as his territory." she says as she passes me a towel. I dry my chest off as I say "At least I didn't have the top on."
Once Katz is sorted, I lie him back in his cot. I can't get the scent of Litah urine out of my fur, but it's very faint. As I turn to walk to the bathroom, Katzeran starts crying afresh. I sigh before picking him up again. He won't pipe down. "He'll get used to being cuddled every time he starts crying for attention." Cheetara says as she walks in.
"I know, but I don't want to hear him start crying like he did last night. I've still got a horrific headache…" I mutter as I pass the tiny cub to Cheetara, who gently coos and rocks him in her arms, trying to soothe him. Howether, he doesn't stop crying; he starts squealing and crying even louder.
My wife sighs then sits down on the bed, trying to calm the youngster, but he's having none of it.
"Oh, Katzeran, what's wrong?" the cheetah whispers as she rubs his back.
He eventually starts to quieten down, but still sniffles and snuffles slightly as Cheetara cuddles him.
"I wonder what made him cry like that. I don't think he's hungry, and he's slept for a few hours." I say as she lies him back down and puts some of the blankets back on top of him
"Maybe he's uncomfortable. It is pretty chilly."
My wife lays the back of her hand across the cub's forehead. "He does feel pretty warm. Perhaps he's too hot."
She takes off one layer of the blankets that are on him, making him startle slightly.
That's when the alarms blare, making our son start crying afresh.
"Damn it! Cheetara, you stay here!" I shout as I run out of the door.
"Lion-O!"
I turn to look at Tygra as he runs alongside me.
"Tygra, what is it?" I ask as we run towards the control room.
"Mutants approaching Cats' Lair! Mumm-ra is with them!"
"Shit! We need to keep him away from Cheetara! Jaga knows what he'll do to them if he finds her!"
"Lion-O,"
I turn to look at the tiger again as he says my name. He passes me the Sword of Omens and Claw Shield as he says "I meant to give you them back earlier, but with you going back to your room, I didn't get a chance to."
I slip my hand into the Claw Shield and unsheathe the Sword. "Thanks, Tygra."
"Just don't kill anyone this time!"
I laugh at the tiger's comment then carry on, past the damage from the fire that Mumm-ra set on the Lair. A young cougar runs up to us and stops before us as she salutes to us.
"At ease. Have the ThunderGuard been notified?" I ask as I hear voices shouting from outside. The cougar relaxes then says "Yes, sir. That was the first thing I did. The troops have been rallied and are waiting for your command to move."
"Have them form a protective barrier at the gates. Don't let the Mutants get in!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" the cougar says as she salutes me again, then she hurries off...
...
"Lion-O! HELP!"
I hear Cheetara screaming from inside our room. The mutants must have found her!
"I thought that you put guards on your doors!" Sebastian says as we run side by side up the stairs.
"I...I did..." I pant as I turn around and point the Sword at a dog-like mutant, then I roar "HO!"
A blue bolt of electricity shoots from the Sword before hitting the creature full on in the face. It yelps in pain then turns and flees as I sheathe the Sword, blood dripping from a hefty wound on the side of its face.
"The cowards! They must have run!"
We run into the corridor, and I see that the guards that are supposed to be guarding the door are both lying in front of the entrance...only...their heads had been torn clean off, and their weapons had been rammed through their chests. Unable to stand the gruesome sight, I run into the bedroom.
"Give me the cub, Cheetara, and no-one gets hurt!"
Both me and Sebastian stop in our tracks. Mumm-ra is standing before Cheetara, who is protectively holding Katzeran against her chest.
"You're not getting our son, Mumm-ra!" I snarl as me and Sebastian step forward, the Wolfman drawing his double katanas as I place my hand on the handle of the Sword of Omens, my fingers closing around the cold metal.
The vile mummy cackles then says "And what can you do to stop me from taking your son from you, boy?"
He takes one more step towards Cheetara; I tear the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield as I roar. The Sword springs to life upon my touch, sounding its customary roar as I growl "Take one more step towards my wife and cub, and I swear to God, I will fucking kill you!"
"Oh really? You killed Rataro, and look where that got you!"
He laughs again before continuing to press Cheetara into the corner. I roar again and prepare to attack. "Lion-O! Don't!" Sebastian says, but I ignore the Wolfman; I launch myself over the bed at the ancient devil priest, who grabs me by my arms then throws me against the bookcase.
My breath is brutally knocked from my body as my chest hits the hard wooden bookcase. I groan in pain then start to get up, but the bloody thing wobbles precariously before falling over, right on top of me. I hear my back crack, then something heavy falls on top of my head; I'm forced to watch through half open eyes as Mumm-ra snatches Katz from my wife...then I black out...
A few days earlier...
"Lion-O,"
I look up as Lysander says my name. My wrists are hurting so much, but I can't rub them because I'm bound in handcuffs.
"You are guilty of murdering Rataro, who just so happened to be the general of the Plun-darrian army..."
"He fucking deserved it!" I snarl, cutting the lion off halfway through his sentence.
He coughs before continuing "And as you are explicitly aware, murder is an act that is strictly forbidden by the Code of Thundera. Your actions were utterly shameful to the code, and the Plun-darrian Council have demanded for you to be passed over to them so that you may be executed for your crimes, but we are not going to do so."
My heart is pounding in my chest so hard that I can hear my blood pumping in my ears. My throat and tongue feel as dry and rough as sandpaper.
"So what does that mean for me?" I ask nervously.
"You are going to be severely punished to the severity of your crimes. No Lord of the Thundercats has ever been put on trial for murder before; you are in fact the first."
"And that's supposed to make me feel even better?"
"Yes, because that means that no rules are currently in place. The rules will be put in place here forth, meaning that any future Lord of the Thundercats can be tried."
"Lion-O...Lion-O, can you hear me?"
I open my eyes. I'm still lying on the floor, and the bookcase is being lifted off of me by Sebastian.
"Cheetara, pull him out! I can't hold this thing for much longer!" the Wolfman says as he struggles to hold the bookcase up. My wife drags me out from underneath, and Sebastian lays the bookcase back down.
"Are you ok, kid?" he asks as I sit up. I gingerly rub my back as I say "I guess so...don't feel so good..."
"Well, it kinda sounded as if your spine snapped, but you wouldn't be able to move if that happened. You wouldn't be able to feel anything, either."
- (BORDER) -
I look down at the young litah cub as he snuggles deeper into the fur blankets that he's wrapped in. He started crying when I took him from Cheetara, and hasn't stopped once. As I climb the steps of the mountain, the little wretch grabs a fistful of my bandages and snuggles into my chest, purring contently. For a Thunderian less than a few days old, he already has a striking resemblance to his pathetic excuse of a father. Snow swirls in front of my face as I quickly make my way up to the top of the mountain. I know that Lion-O and Cheetara aren't very far behind me; I can hear the lion screaming at me in an ancient language, most likely Thunderian.
Thunder rumbles overhead and lightning streaks through the sky as the snow starts to turn to sleet.
"Kill the child, Mumm-ra! Kill the cub!"
The dagger digs into my hip as I run. "Don't worry, oh, ancient ones! It shall be done!" I say as Katzeran starts crying again.
I should feel proud of myself! I've got Lion-O and Cheetara's baby; their newborn son. Walking into that hell-hole of a fortress wasn't very easy, but walking out with the newborn Prince of New Thundera was practically impossible.
Once I reach the top of the mountain, I see the stone altar standing alone and dismal against the inky black sky. I walk up to it, and place the cub on his back on the icy cold stone and start to unwrap the blankets from around his tiny body. I then unsheathe the dagger from my hip, and am surprised to find that the edges of the blade are dripping with a foul green fluid; poison.
I raise it above my head and begin to chant in Ancient Egyptian as the pathetic little creature starts squawking, but the second I bring it down, I hear Lion-O scream "HO!"
I turn around and see the bright blue ball of electricity bolting towards me, which hits me in the back, but it doesn't harm me. Merely singed, I turn to look at the Thundercat and cackle "You're far too late, Lion-O!"
He growls viciously and steps towards me as Cheetara stops beside him. The fool never learns anything!
I raise a hand and point at Lion-O as I chant in Ancient Egyptian again; a bright red beam shoots from my fingertips, smashing into the lion's chest with such force that it sends him flying; he disappears over the edge of the mountain as Cheetara screams, obviously plummeting to his death, then I turn my attention back to the cub lying on the sacrificial altar, crying and screaming for his mother as I grin, raising the dagger again.
"Time to finish the job!"
Next time on Thundercats:
The Thundercats are forced to make changes to the guard system now that Katzeran, the Prince of New Thundera has been born, but when the lives of some of their ranks are put in danger, will they be able to rescue them before Mumm-ra destroys them? Now that Lion-O has got his rank and title back as Lord of the Thundercats, he has even more burdens put on him than ever before, but when he's plagued by terrible nightmares of times to come, the outcomes for the young lion are looking dark. Are they just coincidental, or are they a warning to him? Now that he has a son to care for, how will he cope with not only the burdens of being the Lord of the Thundercats and King of New Thundera...but also the stresses of being a new father?
Find out in the next chapter of Thundercats: Wake Up!