Key:

Flashback = Flashback (Obviously)

Dream = Dream

Time Passage =...

- (BORDER) - = perspective change

Anyway, chapter information:

Genres: Adventure and Drama

Warnings: Scenes of violence, and explicit language.

Date started (Chapter): Thursday 14th July 2016

Date finished (Chapter): Wednesday 28th September 2016

Song/s: Numb by Linkin Park

Chapter 24: Numb

The twigs under my feet crackle as I walk on, the noise sounding like explosions in the unnaturally silent forest. I don't like the idea of having to bargain with my older brother to be able to investigate the crash site, but if I have to do it, then I'll do it. But the last time any of the Thundercats last stepped foot in the Ferrals' Village was nearly 6 years ago when Pumyra and Cheetara had to get some of the medicinal herbs for the medicine which prevented Katzeran from dying that winter. And even then, they had to physically beg Leo for the herbs because they were rare on New Thundera, but as it just so turned out, he also needed some of the medicine too because his two young sons were also ill...

Something behind us suddenly bolts off into the undergrowth. Me and Cheetara whirl around, but we can't see anything but darkness. My wife seizes my arm as she says "I've got a really bad feeling about this, Lion-O. It feels like we're being watched..."

The creature moves about in the shadows, making my fur stand on end. I feel the growl forming deep in my throat as me and Cheetara walk circle each other, our backs together. "Lion-O," Cheetara whispers as she stops "What's that?"

I turn around and shine my torch in the direction of where the cheetah is pointing, and I see a pair of chillingly bright blue eyes and a set of sharp fangs. I pull Cheetara behind me before taking the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield. The creature steps into the light, and I see that it is a pure white and light blue winged wolf. It looks me right in the eyes, and it feels like it is staring into my soul.

"Lion-O..."

I feel my grip on the Sword loosening slightly; I'm losing the will for conflict, and it feels like my grip on reality is slipping away from me through the cracks of time. The wolf continues to stare at me with its piercing bright blue eyes. How is it even possible for a creature to have such beautiful eyes? I...I...I'm losing myself in it. Is this even my reality...?

"Lion-O! Snap out of it!"

I jump as I hear more movement from within the undergrowth, making the wolf run off into the forest. I half turn around, then a voice snaps "Drop sword!" in rough, broken English.

I turn around fully and see six or so heavily armed Ferrals surrounding us, and the one who just told me to drop the Sword of Omens is pulling an arrow from the sheath on his back. "Look, I..." I begin, but the Ferral, a young sabre-toothed tiger in his mid to late teens, says "Sword! Drop sword! NOW!"

I sheathe the Sword in the Claw Shield then say "We need to speak with Leo, my brother."

The sabre-toothed tiger doesn't move, but growls "Leave!"

I growl then say "Look kid, we didn't..." as I step forwards, and the young Thunderian un-slings his bow, loads it then aims it at my throat as he snarls "Go! Leave! Outsider no allow in village! Leo's order!"

I take a step back, and my fur stands on end in response to his action. I feel my ears flattening against my head slightly as I growl and snarl, showing my fangs. "If you shoot me, you're dead!" I growl, but the boy snaps "No, you dead. Arrow poison. Kill in minute without cure!"

"What's going on here?"

I look up and watch as Leo and Bräiden approach us on horseback. My brother has his sword and bow sheathed on his back. He spots me and Cheetara then sighs. "I know why you're here, but why did you come here without the other Thundercats? You know how dangerous this forest is, especially at this time of night; it's filled with malicious spirits and deadly wild animals. If you don't know what you're doing when you're out here, then you'll most likely end up six feet under."

He turns around and says something in the Ferrals' language, and all of the Thunderians who seemed like they were going to attack us put their weapons away. "You'd better follow me; it's not safe here. We'll go back to the village, and then we can discuss whatever the reason is that brings you here." Leo says as he starts to lead us through the forest, and as we follow him on foot, I swear that I see a black cat in the undergrowth, with bright red eyes; Märä. It follows us down the path, seemingly moving like mist in the darkness of the shadows...

"Keep moving, Thundercat!"

I look up behind me and see Bräiden scowling at me. My eldest nephew looks pissed off with something, and only now do I see that he has one gingery-orange eye and one bright emerald-green eye. Complete heterochromia iridium? It's extremely rare in lions, but I remember parts of learning about it in Biology in school.

The young lion doesn't stop staring at me as we continue the walk, and before too long, we're at the village. We don't stop until we reach the most intricately decorated hut. There are multiple paintings on the walls of wolves and the Eye of Thundera, and there are various skins drying on poles.

Leo dismounts his horse then starts to walk into the hut as he says "Come on in."

I look at Cheetara before walking into Leo's hut – the rich scent of incense hits me instantly, and as we walk past the fire in the middle of the room, I see all sorts of unnatural items such as crystals, talismans, decks of cards and various daggers. And, on a stand in the corner of the room, is the skull of a dragon, along with intricately engraved metal and bone armour. A dream catcher hangs from the middle of the ceiling.

Leo sees me staring at the armour and takes the skull off the stand. "I slaughtered that dragon when I was 18. It's a tradition for the boys in the Ferrals to battle with and slaughter a mythical beast – it signifies the transition from childhood to manhood." He pulls the skull on then looks at me. I don't know whether it's just me or not, but it seems to have the effect of making me feel on edge.

He takes it off again then sits down on the ground on a mat. Me and Cheetara sit down too, and Bräiden joins us, sitting on a carved wooden stool and writing in a book. I can hear him muttering in an unknown language, probably an ancient form of the Ferrals' language, and I swear that I see a small blue flame leap between the young lion's hands. "Here, it's pretty cold outside, so you're best off having a drink." Leo says as he takes two bowls of the contents of a pot which sits on the side, but what I find odd is the fact that the second he touches the bowls, a thick steam rises off them.

He hands them to us and says "Hot chocolate; my own recipe. Now, I know that what I just did may shock you, but the Ferrals aren't normal Thunderians. We have immense magical powers."

I sigh slightly, but I take a sip from the drink; it's refreshing and sweet.

"So, what is it that you want to discuss? Why are you here?" Leo asks as he sips from his own bowl.

"We're here for the spacecraft that crashed into the forest earlier tonight. We know that these forests are your territory because you're the chieftain of the Ferrals, and so we came to ask your permission for us to..." I begin, but Leo cuts me off by growling and saying "And did you seriously think that I'd let you and your friends snoop around on my land?"

"Well, I am your brother!"

"My younger brother, so forget it! If you really want to be able to search the crash site and perform a full investigation, then we settle the rights the traditional Ferrals' way – unarmed hand-to-hand combat, just you and me."

I growl slightly. "Leo, we don't have the time for us to do such a..."

"Well that settles it then. We don't fight, and you have to leave without investigating the wreckage."

I roar furiously. "You bastard! There could be Thunderian refugees in that wreckage who are injured and in need of medical assistance! And in this cold without a source of warmth, they could get hypothermia and die! Are you seriously willing for yourself to be held responsible for that? You could be charged with manslaughter and arrested by the ThunderGuard then thrown into prison!"

Leo snarls, but storms out of the hut. Bräiden looks at me and, in a steely tone, he says "You should leave. Before you piss anyone else off." We get up and walk out of the hut, only to see Leo standing on the edge of the path, leaning on the handrail as he looks over the village.

"Ever since I lost Rewth eight years ago, I've been horrid to everyone. She was stolen from me by one of those damned Mutants – Slithe. He stabbed her in the chest with a poisoned dagger, just under her sternum. Jøhba was just a week old, and Bräiden was four. She died in my arms, and after she'd passed, I felt like I'd lost a massive part of myself. The love of my life was gone, and I was left with a newborn who would never know his mother, and a youngster who didn't understand anything about death and..."

"Hold on a second. If Bräiden was four when Rewth died, then how can he be sixteen? He should just be twelve."

"He came across the Cave of Time on Third Earth. He came out at eight years old after being scared off by the bones, which is lucky because if he'd have stayed in there too long, he'd have died. Besides, as I was saying, I've only just been able to cope and, as much as I hate to say it, I'm jealous of you. You got to stay with the Thundercats and become the Lord of the Thundercats. When we were younger, I never understood why Father chose you instead of me, but now I know that it was because I was selfish and disrespectful, but you were determined and wise. I was never going to be cut out for the job, but Father broke the tradition of handing the title to the eldest child. Many people questioned his decision, but he'd always have a way of explaining his motives. And as for investigating the wreckage, just go ahead – those poor souls need some aid."

He turns away and walks back into the hut, and I draw the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield.

"Thunder...Thunder...Thunder...Thundercats, HO!" I roar as I raise the Sword into the air. The signal bolts from the Sword and shines bright in the sky. The other Thundercats were waiting at the entrance of the forest for the symbol, and so I turn to Cheetara, who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of our friends.

About 10 minutes later, the Thundertank appears at the entrance to the village and slowly makes its way towards us. "Right, so," I hear Leo say as he walks back out of his hut along with Bräiden and Jøhba, both of whom are now wearing different clothing "We'd better be getting to the crash site."

We all get into the back of the 'Tank and sit in the control centre, and I see Katzeran sitting on one of the seats, wrapped in a thick blanket and clutching his polar bear. He refused to stay at the Lair, even though he's nodding off where he sits. Cheetara sits down next to him, and he nuzzles into her and is asleep within minutes, considering the fact that it's not even three in the morning – it's lucky that they've got an teacher training day off at school.

"So, these are the coordinates of the crash site which we transferred directly from the computers in the Control Room." Panthro says as he punches some numbers into the monitor; a densely wooded area shows up near a clearing with some strange formation...

"That's not too far from the Delta Ruins!" I hear Leo say, and I look at him to see that he's got Jøhba cuddling up to him, who is asleep like Katz.

"The Delta Ruins? What's that?" I ask, and so my older brother says "You'll find out one day."

I sigh slightly before replying with "Ok then...so, continue with what you were saying, Panthro."

Leo scowls at me for a second before muttering something in the Ferrals' language.

Panthro zooms in on the area as he says "This area of land is on fire, and we were able to see it from the Lair. We'll most likely have to put the flames out first, but it'll be a manual task due to the fact that I'm currently in the progress of repairing the Thunderstrike and the Feliner is currently away on Third Earth on a mission, so we'll have to use the water cannons which I installed on the 'Tank."

"Even then that could take a while." Leo says as he closely examines the map, "That area of land is expansive – it covers well over 5,000 square metres. It could take ages to extinguish the flames."

"Then we'll have to get on with it as soon as possible. We can't wait." I say as I stand up, then we head off to the site of the crash, speeding through the forest...

"Lion-O. Lion-O, wake up. We're at the crash site."

I wake with a start as Cheetara gently shakes my shoulder, not even realising that I'd nodded off. Disorientated, I yawn deeply then look up at her as she stands over me. "Look, I know that you're tired – we all are, and I can tell you now, we'll all be sleeping well past first light when we get back."

I sigh then get up, looking at Katzeran and Jøhba who are curled up asleep together on the seat, the pure-blooded lion cub holding the Litah cub close to him. Surprisingly, Katz is still clutching his polar bear. It's no secret how close they are.

Leaving the warmth of the Thundertank, I step out into the coldness of the night. My fur instantly stands on end, and I shiver. The flames from the crash site burn brightly, illuminating the area and everything within it with an eerie orange light. "Right, everyone get to work!" I shout over the roars of the flames "The sooner we put the fire out, the sooner we can search for survivors and rescue these Thunderians!"

Everyone pitches in to help, and after 30 minutes, the flames are extinguished, then we begin the search through the debris. Sebastian is practically the main helper due to the fact that he's got a better sense of smell than us Thunderians. "They were definitely Thunderians – the design of the ship is the same as the other escape pods." I hear Tygra shout, seconds before I hear a faint cry for help.

I hurry towards an area covered in debris and start to remove the largest pieces as the person calls for help, and eventually, I begin to see tufts of thick orange, black and white fur – a member of the tiger clan. Then, to my own shock and horror, I uncover a wounded young tigress cub.

"Pumyra! Tygra! Over here!" I shout, and as then run towards us, I check the cub over like how Tygra told me to – a visual examination to determine any surface wounds. The only wounds I can find are a few cuts and bruises, but I can't check for anything else because I'm not a trained medic.

She starts crying as Pumyra and Tygra start to check her over, but nothing is broken. The puma tells me to take her into the warmth of the Thundertank, so I do as I'm told.

"You're the Thundercats, aren't you?"

I look down at the tigress as I carry her back to the 'Tank. Smiling slightly, I say "Yes, we are the Thundercats."

"Are you Lord Lion-O?" she asks, her eyes wide.

I nod, confused about the fact that she knows that I'm not the cub that I should be – I should only be 15 years old. "Cool! Caspian and Lynxanna told me so much about you! Are you really the prophesised ruler of the whole universe?"

I stop on my spot. "What are you on about?"

"Lynxanna claims to be able to see into the future, and she foretold that the lion would bring about anarchy and chaos across the boundless stretch of space and rule it all with an iron fist and a heart of stone. I...I...I just assumed that she meant you because you're a lion and you're the Lord of the Thundercats..."

I look down at the cub in shock at what she'd just came out with. She can't be much older than Katzeran, if not the same age. "Look, what's your name?"

"Tigraie."

The realisation hits me. These Thunderians that we're rescuing are the Thunderians who went missing after the destruction of Old Thundera. "Lion-O? Lion-O, Lynxanna kept saying that she was desperate to see her Father again. Her Father is Lynx-O. Do you know him?"

At the tigress' words, tears come unbidden to my eyes at the memory that took me forever to get rid of. I go weak at the knees, but I manage to get to the Thundertank and put Tigraie down before I collapse in the control room, whacking my head hard on the corner of the table...

"Dad? DAD? Dad, are you ok?"

I awake to find Katz anxiously kneeling over me, holding a square of tissue against my head. His hands are slick with blood and are violently trembling, and I know that I'm bleeding. "Katzeran...Wha..." I begin, but he cuts me off by saying "You got into the Tank with Tigraie and you put her down and you fell over and hit your head on the corner of the table and you were bleeding and you weren't talking to me and I was so scared and I thought that you were dead and Jøhba went to find Mum and Pumyra."

The Litah starts crying, seconds before Cheetara, Pumyra and Leo come running in. They all look worried, and when they see me and my stricken cub, Cheetara picks Katz up and sits him on her lap as Pumyra checks me over. She shines a light into my eyes and runs a few more physical tests before saying "He's concussed. He obviously hit his head pretty hard because the wound is pretty deep. I'm going to have to suture it up."

She gets to work as I say "The...The Thunderian refugees onboard this escape pod are...are the missing Thunderians – Caspian, Lynxanna, Tigraie, D'mitry, and Casey. How...How are we going to tell them about Lynx-O?"

"We'll handle that because for now, you need your rest. You aren't eating and sleeping enough, your blood pressure is higher than usual, your iron levels are too low, and all of this combined with the stress, anxiety, PTSD and chronic nightmares are making you very sick. You need therapy and medication..."

"I'm not taking any drugs! I'll do the therapy, but I'm already on medication for my anxiety and PTSD. I don't want to feel like a druggie." I say, but Cheetara says "Lion-O, if those 'drugs' will help you and make you better, you need to take them. When can you have the medication ready for, Pumyra?"

"By midday."

I sigh in defeat, and with Cheetara and Pumyra's help, I shakily get to my feet and manage to walk to one of the seats where I slump down, feeling like I've just been hit round my head with a sledgehammer. Katzeran sits next to me and tries to squirm into my arms, his hands still covered with dried blood. He's shivering, and so once his hands have been washed, he cuddles into me, clutching his polar bear to his chest. I can feel the cub trembling from the cold, so I pull his blanket around us and gently run my hand up and down his back, like how I would when he was little, and he starts throatily purring. Before too long, he's fast asleep and I nearly am too. I eventually nod off, seeing as how Pumyra told me to get some rest.

...

"Lion-O, can you hear me?"

"He won't be able to hear you, Pumyra – he's dead to the world. Unless..."

The sudden sharp pain of someone's claws digging into my earlobe brings me to my senses, accompanied by an angry growl from deep in my throat. My hand clamps down around Leo's wrist as my claws cut into his skin. He yelps in surprise and lets me go before saying "Jeez, Lion-O! What the heck was that for? That hurt!"

I snarl slightly. "That's what you get for pinching me like that! Be thankful that I didn't freaking bite you! Besides, where the hell are we?" I force myself to sit up and see that I'm in a private room in the infirmary. Cheetara, Leo and Pumyra are in here with me, the puma recording stuff in her planner.

"We sorted out the Thunderians and the fire has long since been extinguished. There were no serious injuries in the Thunderians, which was miraculous given the circumstances, and Tigraie is going to be living with a tiger couple who can't have their own cubs and so they're more than overjoyed to have her. Tygra is busy finding the others some suitable accommodation. So, all of that aside, we can begin to focus on your therapy from now on."

"I...I...I...Uh...I d...I don't really want to go through with..."

"Well, unfortunately for you, Lion-O, you've got no choice in the matter. You've suffered enough, and everyone can clearly see that your actions are making you ill. You aren't the person that you used to be, and everyone can see that. You're introverted and you don't speak about your troubles to us – we had to force you to speak about your nightmares, and even then you wouldn't voluntarily say everything."

I sigh. They don't understand. I have conflicting emotions and mood swings, and I've had anger issues ever since I was a cub. For a while now, I've been in a fight against my personal demons, thinking of the unthinkable, and I haven't had the courage to speak about it. I can't speak about it without making them worry about me even more.

...

"Lion-O, can we talk for a minute?"

I look up as Cheetara walks into my office. "Sure. Have a seat." I say as I get up, walk round my desk and sit in front of the Cheetah. She sits down in one of the comfy armchairs, and I notice the look on her face. "So, what is it that you want to talk about?"

"Well, I've been thinking for a few weeks now. I've been feeling broody, and I...I'd like to have another cub. I mean, Katzeran needs some company and it would be nice to have another child. I know what it's like to be an only child. A few years before I was born, my parents had another daughter, but she was a stillborn. When they had me, I brought such joy into their lives which was stolen from them by that fateful day, but being an only child is horrendous – I was so lonely because my mother passed away from ovarian cancer a few days before my fifteenth birthday."

"I've had the High Thunderian Council pestering me about when we'd be having a second cub, as well as hinting about the fact that the King and Queen of Thundera traditionally have more than four cubs. And I feel the same way."

Cheetara stands up and suggestively saunters up to me and slips her arms around my shoulders, tangling her fingers into my mane. "So, are you feeling up to it, my Lord?" she says in a seductive, husky voice, her heated body pressed against mine lighting sparks and encouraging desires deep within my body and soul. We passionately kiss, but I stop the both of us, and she eagerly leads us to our room, locking the door behind us before we embrace...

"Lion-O, are you alright?"

I look up from the book on Ancient Thunderian History that I'm reading. Cheetara walks up to me, wearing her thick fluffy dressing gown. For a clear October evening, it's really cold – it's snowing outside, a blizzard that whipped up extremely heavy snowfall and overly strong winds. My wife sits down next to me and hands me a large mug of hot chocolate, which is topped with lashings of cream, marshmallows and grated chocolate.

"Yes, I'm alright. I've been thinking – we've been trying for a cub for nearly two years now. Nothing seems to be working, and you've...you've miscarried twice. Why don't we try..."

"I'm not trying IVF! I don't want to do that. We'll...We'll keep trying naturally."

I sigh. When Katzeran was nearly four, Cheetara fell ill with influenza. It affected her terribly, and for a long time, we feared that the illness had made her infertile. She was really sick, and even Katz got it. I'll never be able to forget the fear of walking home from taking Katzeran to school to have Cheetara collapse when we were halfway back to the Lair.

"You look upset..."

The cheetah doesn't get the chance to finish her sentence before my pent-up emotions get the better of me and I start to cry. She hugs me as she says "Lion-O, whatever it is on your mind, you have to tell me so that we can help you."

"I don't know what I'm doing with my life. I'm a wreck – my emotions are all over the place and I've had hell for ages. I'm sick to death of it all..." I wail childishly, my chest heaving as I gasp for breath between sobs.

She holds me close to her and says "You're far from a wreck, Lion-O. You are the most amazing man that I have ever known. You are the best husband that I could ever ask for, and I would never ask for anyone else because I love you so much and you mean so much to me." Then, she puts her hands on either side of my head and makes me look at her before saying "Promise me that you'll never do anything that you wrote in that book. Promise. Me."

I sigh, but I eventually say "I promise."

I look into her eyes, and I can clearly see the gleams of hurt and concern. "We'd better go to bed – it's getting really late." she says as she looks up at the clock, and so we get up and begin to make our way to our room. "You've got your first round of therapy tomorrow, haven't you?"

"Yeah. Hopefully it works – I'm sick of being the way that I am and have been for, what, five years now? Six years?"

She sighs, and as we go into our room then get ready for bed, she says "Lion-O, I can understand how you feel perfectly. I know how it feels to lose someone close to you, and I can understand the wallowing in self-pity, but you've been suffering for years, so hopefully this therapy helps you."

...

The Next Day

"So how do you feel now?"

I scowl slightly as the Liger looks down at his notes, preparing to jot down anything that I tell him. However, I breathe in deeply to compose myself before saying "In all honesty, I do feel better than I did back then. I mean, it is coming up on the sixth anniversary of Lynx-O's death, but that affects all of us."

"I can understand that perfectly, my King. However, Queen Cheetara and Lady Pumyra did mention about your mood swings and anger issues. I am led to believe that you are on medication to aid you with that, and your Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Prozac, or so I've seen in your medical documents."

"That is correct. And even though Prozac is an anti-depressant, it doesn't seem to have that much of an effect."

"You have only been taking it for two days – sometimes it can take up to a week for it to take effect, especially in cases as bad as yours. Anyway, I had better be off, unless you have anything else that you wish to discuss?"

I sigh before saying "I haven't really got anything else to say at the moment."

"So, I shall be back the same time tomorrow."

I nod before getting up and showing the Liger to the door. Once he has exited my office, I walk back behind my desk and sink back into my seat with a deep, guttural growling yawn. Yesterday just drained all of my energy – all I want to do is sleep. And I finally seem to be able to sleep better than I usually can, which is an ultimate bonus.

I sit down and begin to look through the files that Lysander gave me at the last council meeting. I don't really feel up to it, but I know that they are very important. However, I get up and walk out of my office. It's a beautiful day outside, and so I make my way out of the Lair and towards the lawn behind it. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and it smells lovely. I can see the other Thundercats engaged in a competitive game of rounders, with Katzeran beating even Pumyra to the ball. When the cub sees me, he comes bounding up to me yelling "Dad! Dad! Dad!" at the top of his voice.

I pick my son up and whirl him around, making him squeal in both joy and fear at the same time. "So, my little man, how was school today?" I ask the young Litah as I sit him on my shoulders. He giggles and says "Good. We're going on a trip to the seaside next week. Tigraie is in my class too. We sit next to each other because she knows me."

"That's good then. Now, have you had any homework today?"

"Yeah, but Snarf helped me with it."

"Good. So, who wants to go out for dinner tonight?" I ask, making Katzeran yell "I do! I do! I do! I want to go out!"

I laugh before saying "That's good then, because I've got a table booked down at that posh restaurant near the River Alliy'aria."

- (BORDER) -

Later That Night

I smile happily as I watch Lion-O playing with Katzeran on the grass and play equipment in the garden of the restaurant. My husband and our son playfully charge across the grass next to the river, participating in a rough game of tag and acting like they are both Katz's age.

"It's so nice to see Lion-O back to his usual confident self. He's got a lot better now. He comes to me with any problems that he has more readily. Those therapy sessions mixed with the medication that you gave him have been working a treat, and he's been so happy recently, especially when we rescued Katzeran after he was kidnapped – that made him hit a serious low. Speaking of which, whatever happened to Saborr? Did they catch him?"

"He was arrested by the Plun-darrians and is to be sent to New Thundera to be sentenced, but the Police Force that Mandora worked for want to have him sentenced to life imprisonment on the Penal Planet, along with his friends Clyde and Wayne without parole. I know it sounds harsh, but they deserve it."

I'm just about to reply to Pumyra, but I hear Lion-O shouting at Katzeran, seconds before I hear the cub scream then begin to cry. I get out of my seat and bolt down the steps onto the grass, to see Katzeran whimpering and snuffling as Lion-O inspects a vicious-looking sting on the cub's arm. "I told you not to hit it, didn't I? It stung you because you hit it and made it angry. Maybe next time, you'll listen to me?"

"What happened?" I ask as I approach them.

"A wasp landed on his arm and stung him because he smacked it."

I pick the sobbing Litah up and cuddle him, but he wriggles and demands that I put him down, so I do, and he hares off back to our table. I look at Lion-O, who flops down onto one of the swings and listlessly pushes himself back and forwards, staring off into the sunset. "It's beautiful, isn't it? The way that the sun lights the skies and makes them look like they're on fire. As much as I hate to think about it, it reminds me of the skies on Old Thundera a few days before we left." he says without taking his eyes off of the sky.

"It's eerily beautiful, if creepy." I reply, looking him right in the eyes as he gets up. I find myself drawn towards him, and just as our lips touch in a passionate kiss, I hear Katz shouting "Mum! Dad! C'mon! Dinner's ready!"

Me and the young lion break away from each other. "Well, we'd better go." he says, and so he takes my hand in his, and we walk back to our table for a brilliant end to an amazing night.

Next time on Thundercats:

Now that Lion-O has finally got his problems sorted, he is finally able to get on with the more important things with more concentration. But, when Mumm-ra decides to make the Thundercats pay for their endless victories and Leo's people are attacked, the Thundercats have to deal with the victims AND the now imprisoned Saborr the Wolfman, relationships will be tested and friendships questioned. Will everything run smoothly?

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