A/N: This chapter has taken me longer than I was bargaining for. First of all, I wasn't allowed the laptop charger, then I was suffering from severe writer's block. Either way, I managed to get this chapter done none-the-less. So, enjoy.

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.

Date started (Chapter): Thursday 9th July 2015

Date finished (Chapter): Tuesday 21st July 2015

Song/s: Light 'Em Up by Fall Out Boy

Chapter 16: Light 'Em Up

I open my eyes to a sickening pain in my right temple. I'm lying on my side at the bottom of a steep cliff. Surely if I fell from there, I'd be dead? There's blood gushing down my face, and I feel sick and disorientated. My memory is hazy. I try to get up, but my right arm is throbbing. Have I somehow broken a bone in my arm?

I push myself up onto my knees, but the nausea gets the better of me, and I collapse back onto my front. The sleet has turned into a torrential downpour; I'm soaked through down to my skin. How am I still alive?

It try to get up again, and I actually manage to this time. I'm lying is a shallow stream, and there's a sharp stone where my head was.

I push myself up to my feet and as I stand up, I hear Cheetara scream "NO!"

I grab the Sword of Omens from where it lies discarded on the rocks as lightning streaks through the sky overhead and an almighty clap of thunder cracks the air. Mumm-ra is going to pay for what he has done. I start to make my way towards the path, the rain having turned most of the snow into a cold, muddy slush.

Blood runs down my body from the various cuts and gashes that cover my body from the fall. I can hear steel clashing upon steel, but Cheetara doesn't have a sword. Unless I dropped my hunting knife, which kind of doubles as a sword because of its sheer length.

I run as fast as I can up the steep mountain path, my feet slipping on the thoroughly drenched grass. By the time I reach the mountain top, I see Mumm-ra and Cheetara wrestling on the ground. I can hear Katzeran crying, but I don't know who to go to first.

Eventually, my natural instinct kicks in and I run to my cub, who is pale and soaked through to the skin. I carefully pick him up then turn to look back at my wife and the ancient devil priest as they continue to fight relentlessly. I'm sick of this.

My grip tightens on the hilt of the Sword of Omens as I roar

"Thunder...Thunder...Thunder...Thundercats, HO!"

The cat symbol bolts from the Sword and shines bright in the dim sky.

"That puny symbol isn't going to help you, Lion-O!" I hear Mumm-ra snarl.

"Lion-O! Look out!"

I turn around to look at him, only to be hit with such force that I'm sent crashing to the floor. Cheetara grabs Katzeran just in the nick of time to stop him from hitting the floor.

Mumm-ra presses me down and laughs at my attempts to get him off of me.

"Aww, is that all that you've got? Pathetic!" the ancient devil priest jeers as I try to reach for the Claw Shield on the ground next to me, leaving myself open to attack; Mumm-ra clamps his hands down on my throat and starts to squeeze tightly. I choke, desperately struggling for air as he continues to cut off my windpipe.

He covers my mouth and nose with his right hand as he continues to choke me. I bite into his palm, sinking my long fangs into his flesh in order to try and get him off of me, but it isn't working.

My head is pounding and my chest is burning. I kick at Mumm-ra's chest and stomach as I grab hold of his arms and try to force him off of me. My claws involuntarily spring forth and I tear at his skin.

"Lion-O, hold on! I'll get you out!" I hear Cheetara say, but I can't respond to her.

She presses the Claw Shield into my hand, so I slip it on and lash out at Mumm-ra; the sharp iron claws pierce his flesh and shred at his bandages as the shield hits him in the face. He roars in pain as thick, chunky blood drips on to my face. The ancient devil priest lets me go and cups his bleeding face in his hands.

"I'll make you pay for that, cub!" he snarls as he unsheathes the Sword of Plun-darr.

"Trying to scare me, now? Now who's pathetic? You should have learned. I'm not a coward like you. I never run from a fight with my tail between my legs!" I growl as we clash. Sparks fly from the blades of the two swords as steel grinds against steel.

"You may have had countless victories in your life, Lion-O, but soon, your winning streak will be over! I'll come out victorious one day! You just wait and see! And all of New Thundera will bow at my feet, including you!" Mumm-ra growls as we try to push each other back. His right foot snakes out and locks around my left ankle, and he trips me up. I roll over and watch as the mummy puts a heavy foot on my chest before he raises the Sword of Plun-darr above his head.

"I am the ever-living, but you time is up!"

Before he can plunge the blade into my chest, I point the Sword of Omens at him and shout "HO!"

A bright blue beam of electricity shoots from the Sword and strikes Mumm-ra clean in the abdomen. He roars as he is sent flying, and the Sword of Plun-darr is sent spiralling from his hand as he hits the floor.

Panting, I get to my feet as I hear the familiar engines of the Thunderstrike getting louder. I then turn to face Cheetara as she walks towards me, our son held safely against her chest for warmth and comfort.

"Lion-O, are you alright? He didn't look like he was going to let you go any time soon." my wife says as we both turn to look at Mumm-ra, who has reverted back to his weakest form. The mummy throws a glance at me as he snarls "This isn't over, Lion-O!"

I growl before taking a step forwards, but he disappears into thin air.

As the Thunderstrike lands behind us, I look at Cheetara as she stands by my side. "How in Thundera did you survive the fall off of that cliff? It's a drop of over 50ft, straight onto sharp rocks. Forgive me for saying, but in all rights, you should be dead..." she says as Pumyra, Tygra and Sebastian come running up to us.

"We got here as quickly as we could," the Wolfman says as he stops before me "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. We're just a bit wet..." I say sarcastically as we walk back to the Thunderstrike "Not to mention that Mumm-ra nearly killed Katzeran."

Cheetara hands the tiny litah to Pumyra, who takes him in to the Thunderstrike to dry him off and get him into some warm, dry clothes.

"At least you got him back safely." Sebastian says, then as I walk past him to go into the vehicle, he says "Lion-O, you do know that with him being so young that Katz is very likely to get really sick, don't you?"

I sigh as I take my seat then say "Yeah, I know, Sebastian."

"Hey, are you ok? You seem really glum lately? What's pissing you off?"

I sigh deeply again before saying "Who do you think?"

Sebastian's ears lower against his head as he snarls "Mumm-ra."

"Yup..."

"I can understand where you're coming from there. I can remember when I was back on Plun-darr and he told me that I was to be exported to New Thundera. Howether, the People of Plun-darr demonized you, making you seem like a merciless, unforgiving tyrant of a king who was bloodthirsty and always had a desire to wage war against all other life forms to become the superior beings. To be honest with you, I was terrified in case I ran in to you; I didn't want to get slaughtered by the 'mean monster lion'." the Wolfman says, which makes us both crack up laughing.

"Ah, well, we'd better get back to Cats' Lair." I say as Lynx-O powers the vehicle up.

Within seconds, the craft is airborne. As we speed through the storm towards the Lair, I feel safe for once in the past few months. I've just felt so insecure from the never ending threat from Mumm-ra, the Mutants, and the Lunataks. The Lunataks have been laying low for the time being; we haven't heard anything from them for close to two years since we beat them in a major battle, which nearly cost us our lives.

- (BORDER) -

"Claudus,"

I turn around as I hear someone approaching. "Jaga, is that you?"

"Yes, old friend."

The footsteps stop by my side, and the old jaguar says "You'd be proud if you knew how your sons are doing."

"How can I know when I cannot see?"

I feel his arm lie across my shoulders as he says "I can assure you that both Lion-O and Leo are doing well, but the pair near enough hate each other."

I feel my heart start thumping in my chest.

"Leo's alive? They're both alive?" I ask as I turn around.

"Yes, and Lion-O is married to Cheetara, and they recently had a son."

"That's great news. I can remember the day that Leo and Lion-O were born like it was only yesterday," I say, then I sigh as I remember what that day meant "That day was both the best and worst day of my life..."

"Because of what happened to Leandra?"

"Yeah."

"Claudus, Leandra gave her life so that Lion-O could live. Aren't you happy that both of your sons survived childbirth and that they both lived to see adulthood?"

"Yes, but even though I chose Lion-O to be the King of Thundera and Lord of the Thundercats, I never paid enough attention to him. Leo always had most of my attention, and Lion-O was mostly ignored."

"Because of what happened to Leandra when he was born?"

"Yes, but I severely regret it now. It wasn't fair on him, but it's now too late to reverse that. I knew it wasn't his fault that Leandra died, but I wasn't in control of myself."

I can remember everything from that day clearly. I knew that twin pregnancies are very risky when it comes to the birthing process, and Leandra died because she lost too much blood. I can remember Cheetara bringing Lion-O to me shortly after he was born, limp and nearly lifeless because he was deprived of oxygen for a few minutes.

I come to a stop before the door to mine and Leandra's room. Heart pounding in my chest, I knock on the door, and a voice says "Come in."

I push the door open and when I walk in, I see Leandra lying in the bed with a little bundle of blankets in her arms. As I walk up to her, I see the tiny lion cub lying in the blankets. Cheetara is in here too, as Leandra had begged her to stay with her. Our lives had changed forever when we found out that we would be having identical twin boys. One is already here.

"Where's the other one? Surely he's ok, isn't he?" I ask as one of the midwives checks our firstborn son.

"He hasn't been born yet, my lord. He's in an unfavourable position for delivery, so unless he can drop into position, then a Caesarean Section will be required. It's been an hour since the first was born, and..." The pumiger doesn't get a chance to finish her sentence before my wife screams in agony. "The second cub's coming!" she screams as Cheetara quickly takes the first cub from her.

I immediately run to Leandra's side and take hold of her hand as she groans.

"This isn't good!" I hear one of the midwives say as she checks my wife.

"What? What isn't good?" I ask, but I don't receive an answer.

"Pager the head of surgery and tell him that they need to prep the OR for an emergency Caesarean Section!"

"Claudus..." Leandra says as she weakly looks at me with her bright emerald green eyes "Wha...What's going on?"

"I...I d...I don't know..."

I watch as my wife is moved to a stretcher, then she's hurried off to surgery...

"I can remember it all so clearly. I really do wish that I had been in there with her so that I could have been with her."

Jaga sympathetically pats my shoulder as he says "I know how you feel. My wife died shortly after giving birth to our second daughter. I understand the pain that you went through that day, my friend. But, she always lives on in you. Plus, she's here in the Astral Plane, and you know that."

"I know, but I cannot see her beautiful face because I am blind."

"But you can still hear her voice, and feel her touch."

"I know, but it isn't the same."

I sigh then turn away sadly. I lost my sight when the wretched Mutants raided Cats' Lair. Somehow, Slithe managed to find my sons and was just about to kill them when I found him. I was blinded by an extremely bright flash from one of the reptile's laser guns. Leo and Lion-O were both only four at this time, and I didn't see them grow up like I wanted.

"Claudus?"

I look up from my desk as Cheetara walks in to the room, carrying a tiny bundle of blankets in her arms. I walk up to her and see the tiny lion cub in the blankets, who is considerably smaller than the other cub.

"He's absolutely tiny." I say as the cheetah places him in my arms.

"And he barely weighs anything. He's only three pounds and six ounces; he'll be lucky to survive." Cheetara says as she stands up.

"I look up from the tiny cub in my arms then say "But how's Leandra? She's ok, isn't she?"

Cheetara sighs heavily. This can't be good.

"Claudus, Leandra lost a lot of blood. She's in a critical condition, but she's stable for the time being. The odds aren't looking good for her."

I feel the hot tears of pain and despair trickling down my cheeks. "Oh god...no...no, not Leandra..." I say as I look down, my eyes firmly shut.

I feel a friendly hand settle on my shoulder as Cheetara says "You can come and see her, but she isn't in the best condition for visitors, but it'll be better if you saw her; she hasn't seen this little one yet."

I carefully stand up and follow her out of the door, down the corridor, and to the infirmary. When we walk in, I see Leandra lying limply in one of the beds, with the first cub next to her.

"Leandra?"

My wife weakly opens her eyes and looks at me. "C…Cl…Claudus?" she says as I walk up to her "Wha…What happened? I…Is th…Is the cub ok?"

I sit down in the chair by her bedside and hold the tiny cub up so that she can see him.

"He…He's so…so small." she says as I gently place him in to her arms. The tiny lion starts squirming slightly, letting out a squeaky yet lusty cry.

Leandra chuckles weakly then says "He's a spirited little lad." She holds him close to her and as he takes a fistful of her long red mane, she says "You look just like your daddy, you do. Both you, and your older brother."

I gently lift the older cub from the cot and cradle him in my arms as I take my wife's hand. "What are we going to name them? We thought of so many names, and it's going to be a hard choice." I ask as the cub in my arms purrs then opens his eyes.

"Well," Leandra says as the lion in her arms starts snuffling slightly "I was thinking about 'Leöncha' for the oldest. It's Thunderian for 'Messenger of the Gods', and in Standard, it means Leo."

I nod in approval, then say "But what about the youngest?"

Leandra looks blank.

"L…Leandra?"

I feel her hand go cold; I can't detect a pulse.

"Leandra? LEANDRA!" I cry as I gently shake her arm. Her chest isn't rising nor falling; she isn't breathing.

I take the youngest cub from her arms, and as she lets go of my hand, I hear her faint voice whisper "L'ûencho…" Then, I'm ushered out of the infirmary. L'ûencho? It means 'The Seer' or 'The Prophet' in Thunderian, but in Standard, it means Lion-O...

The next morning, I found out that Leandra had been stabilized, but had died during the night. She'd lost too much blood because the placenta didn't detach fully. I can still remember the pain and agony of the news as I hurried to the infirmary, only to find Cheetara sitting on Leandra's bed, holding a letter that my wife had wrote before she died.

Tears come unbidden to my eyes at the memory, and I feel Jaga slip his arm around my shoulders. I wipe my eyes on the back of my hand, then I let Jaga guide me to where we are going.

- (BORDER) -

"LION-O!"

I nearly drop the glass pitcher full of candyfruit juice as I hear Cheetara scream. I quickly get everything put down on the side as I run towards Lion-O and Cheetara's room, and when I'm nearly there, I almost get run over by Lion-O as he races from the room.

"Sneyarf! Sneyarf! Lion-O, is everything ok? Reow, what's wrong with Cheetara?" I ask as I stand up on my tail, but the lion pushes me out of the way as he says "Get out of my way, Snarf! I don't have enough time to speak!"

I walk in to the room, where I see Cheetara looking over Katzeran, who seems to be caught in the middle of a coughing fit as he lies in his Moses Basket.

"Cheetara…reow, what's going on? What's wrong with Katzeran?" I ask as I stand next to Cheetara.

I look down at Katzeran as he mews feebly before coughing a few more times.

"He's sick. He refused to feed earlier, and he's done nothing but alternate between periods of crying and periods of sleep. He threw up all over Lion-O earlier, and has done nothing but sleep since."

"Y'know, his temperature is pretty high, Cheetara." I say as I place the back of my right paw against the litah cub's forehead; his skin and thin fur are hot and sweaty.

Cheetara gently lifts him out of the basket and rests him over her shoulder and rubs his back as he starts coughing again.

"I just don't know what to do, Snarf. I've tried everything to cool him down, but nothing's working. It just came on so suddenly. I woke up this morning because he'd started crying, but he refused to feed, which is unlike him, and when I noticed that he was feverish, I woke Lion-O up." She says, and she sounds so close to tears.

"Yeah. I heard you scream from downstairs in the kitchen," I say as Katz starts snuffling "Y'know, I can remember that time when Lion-O got really sick when he was Katzeran's age. Poor little mite. He was a really sickly baby. At night, he wouldn't settle. Katzeran is definitely a quieter cub than he was; Lion-O screamed the Lair down every night, and nothing that Claudus did could soothe him."

I sniff nervously and stand up on my tail.

Katzeran starts crying as Cheetara lies him back down in the Moses Basket before pressing a cold compress on to the cub's forehead.

"Reow, poor little guy. I hate seeing them so ill. What's worse is that he's suffering from what Lion-O had, but Lion-O was having seizures and would eat, but he'd bring it all back up onto whoever held him."

"I can remember that too well. We all thought that he wouldn't survive the winter."

Suddenly, the door opens and Lion-O himself walks in, followed by Pumyra.

"My ears were burning. Talking about me again?" he says as Pumyra carefully presses a stethoscope on to Katzeran's chest.

"Hmmm, he's wheezing, and it sounds as if he's struggling to breathe." Pumyra says as she looks back up at us, making my heart start pounding. All of the colour floods from Lion-O's face, and Cheetara lets out a strangled sob. This can't be happening!

- (BORDER) -

"Lion-O! Lion-O, help!"

"Hold on, Cheetara! I'm coming!"

I run through the thick forest, cutting a clear path with the Sword of Omens. I can hear the engines of the Skycutters above, and the echo of laser fire in the clearing before me. Sweat trickles down my back as I run. I've got to get to Cheetara before anything happens to her.

I come to the clearing, and the second I come into the opening, something, or someone, grabs me and tackles me to the ground as the Sword of Omens spirals out of my hand.

"We've got him, Slithe!" I hear Jackalman snigger as my wrists and ankles are bound together, then I'm dragged towards where the Skycutters are waiting, and I'm thrown to the ground.

"Where were you going to, Lion-O?" Slithe snaps as he forces me to look at him by grabbing a large handful of my mane and pulling my head back.

"What does it matter to you, Mutant?" I snarl, and Slithe takes Jackalman's dagger, presses my right hand against a tree stump, then drives the blade of the dagger through the back of my hand and into the stump of the tree as I scream in agony.

"Tell me!"

"NEVER!"

Slithe snarls at me with rage, then twists the dagger, tearing my flesh and rupturing arteries and veins as I scream and roar.

"Do…Do what you…what you want to me, but…I'll…never…tell…you anything!" I snarl, and whilst I watch in horror, Slithe forces a second dagger into the skin of my arm and drags it upwards, slowly peeling my skin and fur off as I scream and writhe in intense agony. Blood gushes down my arm like a river, but Slithe continues to drag the dagger up my arm, stripping my skin off as he goes. He eventually stops at my shoulder, then he lets me go.

"Come on, Slithe. Let's go and ambush Cats' Lair already!" Jackalman says impatiently, but the reptile says "Not yet. I've got unfinished business with lion-O that I need to deal with."

Monkian and Jackalman both hold my arms behind my back, and Vultureman hands Slithe a bayonet. Then, pain explodes through my body as I'm stabbed in the stomach several times. Blood gushes down my abdomen as they let me drop to the ground, then Slithe says "Let's get out of here before his little friends come looking for him!"

I try to reach for the Sword of Omens, but Jackalman picks it up, then spits on me as I lie dying from sixteen stab wounds…

The wind howls overhead and rain starts to pour down as I struggle through the forest. I feel so sick and faint, but I force myself on. My wounds are slowing be down, but I blindly stagger on until I can take no more; I collapse to the floor, and the rotted log that I fall upon shatters, sending me tumbling down into a dark, damp cave. I drag myself into the seemingly only dry corner, and I curl up in a ball as I feel my own heartbeat fading. My world is slowly disappearing, and I can't call the Thundercats to my aid because I no longer have the Sword of Omens. I feel tired, so I close my eyes, and slowly fade into an eternal slumber…

I wake up gasping in shock. I sit bolt upright and look around the darkened room. I then look at the alarm clock; 01:36a.m.

I feel strange, as if some supernatural force is pushing me out of bed. I get up then walk towards the Sword Chamber. I have no control of my legs; they're just seemingly moving by themselves.

As I enter the Sword Chamber, the Sword of Omens growls upon sensing me in the room. Something is telling me to pick it up, to use its ancient, mystical powers, so I do.

I lift the Sword up, then hold it in front of my eyes as I command "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!"

The crossbars on the hilt of the sword curl upwards, and the familiar haze fills my mind, but this time, it's black. This isn't right. It's never been like this. Howether, what the Sword of Omens shows me releases me slightly from my trance; I watch as Mumm-ra drugs both Tygra and Snarf, before sending them somewhere. But where?

"Sword of omens, show me more!"

I see the familiar cliff face shaped like a skull, as well as the familiar blood red sands; the Phosphorous Desert on Third Earth…

Next time on Thundercats:

With Tygra and Snarf trapped on Third Earth, a life or death mission is to be established to rescue them, but when Jaga appears to Lion-O and foretells of a Thundercat's death, Lion-O has the difficult choice to make about who comes on the trip to Third Earth, and who stays behind on New Thundera, a choice that ultimately nearly costs him his life, and those of his friends. Will the mission be a success?

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