Key:

Flashback = Flashback (Obviously)

Dream = Dream

Time Passage =...

- (BORDER) - = perspective change

Vision = Vision

Song/s: Never Too Late by Three Days Grace

Chapter 33: Never Too Late (Part 2)

"NO!"

"When the Feliner crashed, Lion-O was speared through the chest with a metre long shard of metal, his right leg was smashed, and his abdominal cavity had been torn open."

"But...dad's gonna...dad's gonna be alright, isn't he?"

I look at Katzeran as he walks through the door. Lola is close behind him, and both of them look solemn. I hold my children close, not wanting them to feel what I feel – the overbearing fear that my beloved husband is going to die. I can feel his pain and confusion and it hurts me.

"We've had to put him into a medically induced coma to help him heal – both of his lungs had collapsed and he has a very high risk of developing a post-op infection due to the wound on his stomach."

"Oh God…"

I feel the blood rush from my face as fresh tears stream down my cheeks, the horrific sensation of dread washing over me as I pull Lola up onto my lap.

"You can see him if you'd like, but just be prepared because it isn't nice to see a loved one on life support."

I sigh sadly, wiping the tears from my face as my young daughter curls close to me, and Katzeran hovers close, his broken arm wrapped in a sling. The overall mood is very solemn; we've had loads of incidents and near-misses, but we've never been this dangerously close to losing our King. I can barely hold my cup of tea because my hands are shaking so badly that I risk spilling the scalding-hot beverage over myself and my cub. "I want to see him now, Pumyra, if that's ok?"

"Yes, if you want to follow me."

I get up and place Lola on the chair where I was seated, but she gets up and clings to my jacket.

"Mummy, I want to see Daddy too."

I sigh again, knowing fully that she's far too young to see him in such a state; it could traumatize her.

"Not right now, Lola. You're far too young."

"But I want to see my Daddy!" she wails, clinging to my leg, "I need to see him, Mummy!"

I pry her off of my leg and hold her. "I know you want to see him, Lola, but Daddy is very sick. He needs to rest and heal. Now you go with your brother and watch a movie with him, there's a good girl."

Katz takes her hand and leads her back towards our suite, and I follow Pumyra downstairs to the infirmary; the scenery reminds me of the multiple times in which I have visited for many different things and, when we reach the ICU, I have to stop.

"Pumyra, if Lion-O is in a coma, how will he be able to tell that I'm there with him?"

She looks at me as she puts on a surgical mask and sterilises her hands and shoes. "There's extensive research and gathered evidence that points towards people in a coma being aware of their loved ones visiting them; they can feel them and can hear them." the puma says as she hands me a surgical mask which I take in confusion, "It's just until the risk of him getting an infection becomes considerably lower."

"Ah, I see," I say as I pull the mask on and fit it over my mouth and nose before spraying the sanitizing solution onto my feet and the hand gel onto my hands as I rub it into my fur.

"Come on, it might help him to heal better and stabilize easier if he knows that you're near."

I nod, and she leads me into the room, and the first thing that greets my eyes is the sight of my husband lying in one of the beds, the entirety of his chest and abdomen plastered with bandages with his right arm in a cast, and both legs surrounded by what looks like framework with pins going into his skin. The soft beeping of the heart monitor and the rhythmic sounds of the respirator are the only confirmation I have that Lion-O is still alive.

My breath catches in my throat as I take it all in; it's a lot worse than what I was expecting it to be.

I grasp the lion's hand as I turn to look at Pumyra. "That crash sure did a number on him…"

"It sure did…" the puma says as she checks on the drips standing by the side of the bed before turning to Tygra, "Tygra, we'll have to change the antibiotics soon and the blood packet needs to be changed now."

She disconnects the old packet and connects a new one as I watch my lion's face; he's extremely pale and has stitched gashes on his cheeks and forehead. I gently run my fingers through his silky crimson mane which is now matted with blood, and for a second, I swear I hear his faint whisper.

"Pumyra, I think he just spoke to me…"

"He can't, Cheetara."

"But I heard him!"

"He has minimal brain activity, Cheetara…chances are that you just thought that you heard him…"

- (BORDER) -

"Lion-O, there's something which we need to talk about."

I turn to look at Cheetara as she stands behind me. "Yeah?" I ask, hugging my knees as I sit in the warm, golden sunshine.

"Your mental health has diminished severely and it's worrying."

"What are you talking about, I'm fine!" I retort, shocked that my wife would say such a thing to me, yet she stands there with a serious expression on her face.

"Lion-O, I'm not fucking kidding. Your anxiety is so severe that you never leave this room!"

"And for good reason too!" I snap, "Every time I try to leave this damn room, somebody tries to freaking kill me! First Mumm-ra, then the Mutants and now my own people! How the hell did word get out that I'm a Barbary lion?!"

"Lion-O, calm down! You haven't been taking your schizophrenia medication again…"

"I keep telling you, I don't need no damn medication! I'm not some damn psycho! I haven't imagined anything!"

I can hear the despair in my voice and, dare I say it, I do sound crazy.

"Lion-O…"

She joins me at my side, holding me still. "Lion-O, there's no such thing as Third Earth or New Thundera. This 'Mumm-ra' doesn't exist, nor do 'Katzeran', 'Lola', and…who else is it that you talk about?"

"Why don't you believe me…?"

She sighs. "Lion-O, it's time for you to take your pills…"

"NO! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!"

"Pumyra, I need some help here!"

I hear footsteps approaching as my arms are bound across my stomach and tied around my back. A straight jacket? Why?

"I KNOW WHAT I SEE!" I scream, thrashing around wildly as I try to escape, "MUMM-RA IS AFTER US! HE WANTS TO KILL US! WE MIGHT BE ON THIRD EARTH BUT HE WILL FIND US! AND HE'LL DESTROY US ALL!"

A pair of medical aides pin me down as I continue to scream, wanting everyone to realise that I'm not insane. I can see Mumm-ra's hideous, rotting visage leering down at me in sick victory at my suffering.

"Well, Lord of the Thundercats, what a lovely sight it is to see you in such a state!"

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, MUMM-RA!" I scream at the top of my lungs, thrashing and squirming, kicking out with my legs in all different directions as I try to undo the straps holding my arms.

"Lion-O, he isn't real!"

"You know that I am very real, Thundercat," Mumm-ra hisses at me as I'm hauled upright by the aides, "And I'll never stop taunting you until I break your mind completely. Nobody will ever believe you because they can't see me."

"GET AWAY FROM ME! PLEASE!" I cry hoarsely, hot salty tears streaming freely down my cheeks as my legs are strapped together.

"Lion-O, calm down, there's nobody here! It's just us," I hear Cheetara say as she places her hands on my shoulders, but all I can see is that hellish face looming behind her. Taunting me. Mocking me. I roar in fury and struggle against the straps, wriggling and trying to kick again.

"Let me go! Please!"

"We can't…we've tried to help you as best as we could but we can't help you anymore…"

"What?"

"We've had you committed to the Psychiatric Hospital. They can help you…"

I start screaming again.

"YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T! HE'LL GET ME IF YOU DO! YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM! YOU NEED TO…"

A gag is put into my mouth to prevent me from screaming any further and then I'm wheeled away down the corridors towards the main entrance, and when we pass one of the floor-length mirrors, I see my reflection; I look insane. My eyes are bloodshot and wild, and my fur and skin are both really pale and scruffy where huge patches have fallen out from fear and stress. I'm absolutely filthy, my clothes are soiled and only now do I realise that I stink to high hell.

The material in my mouth touches the back of my throat and the sensation nearly makes me throw up as my eyes water. And yet, Mumm-ra follows us out and into the car which will be taking me to my new prison.

"How the mighty have fallen. They all think you're insane! More like insane because you think that you can eventually defeat me," he gloats gleefully, his blood red eyes glowing menacingly as he stands above me. Suddenly, he lunges and his hand locks around my throat with such force that I choke uncontrollably, trying desperately to get air into my lungs as my world goes black. It feels like hot needles are stabbing into my body and I try to cry out for my friends, tears streaming down my cheeks as I beg for the Gods to just end this hell that I am suffering from. What did I do to deserve this…?

I wake suddenly and immediately become aware of the voices calling my name. The room is bright and the smell is…alien…Where am I?

I try to speak but can't, and that's when I realise that I still am gagged, and have been strapped down onto a bed, and I can't move my hands without feeling the harsh, cruel tightness of the straps looped tightly around my arms, wrists and legs. I strain against the black polyester with every ounce of strength that I can muster…and still I can't budge. Why am I so weak all of a sudden? My back hurts right from the base of my spine to the tail bone, and my arms feel like they're being stabbed. My mind is ridiculously foggy and I can't think straight, but I know that it hurts to breathe. What did they do to me?

"Of course, you already know why you're here so I'll save you the explanation…"

I look around until I see the source of the sound; a middle-aged Asiatic dressed in all-white.

"We are going to make you better, Lion-O. Through a course of medications and approved treatments, we will treat you of your schizophrenia, psychosis, and PTSD…" he stops when he sees me eyeing the jug of cold water on the table beside him, so he sighs compassionately, "You must be parched. Here, you can have a drink…"

He unclips the gag and almost immediately, I do what my instincts tell me to; I bite him.

The taste of blood on my tongue as my fangs sink into his flesh is metallic yet somehow…inviting…and I bite down harder as he screams, the other doctors trying in vain to release his arm but their attempts are futile; they're just not strong enough.

The feeling of a needle stabbing into my gut forces me to release him as I scream in pain, and I see him digging the needle in deeper as I scream louder. "Stop it! Please!" I cry, and the needle is dragged up my stomach, splitting skin and tearing muscle.

"Aztakvis, stop it!"

"I won't! He hurt me and I'll teach him to mess with an Asiatic!"

He's hauled off of me, and I see his eyes flash red. Mumm-ra…

"GET THAT DOCTOR AWAY FROM ME!" I scream, trying to kick at the demon as the other doctors hold me down.

"Dose him again! He's having another episode!"

I feel the drugs being pumped into my body again as I try to fight against it, but it's far too strong. Once I've calmed down, the doctors leave as I lay there, foaming at the mouth slightly. Why have they left me like this? With an open wound and clearly having an adverse reaction to the medication they've given me?

"You're going to die here…"

I stare Mumm-ra dead in the eyes as I growl fiercely.

"Get the hell out of my mind! I know what you're doing!"

He grabs my throat and tears me from the bed, holding me up above the ground.

"Welcome to your own personal hell, Thundercat…"

- (BORDER) -

Six Months Later…

"Lion-O, please, you have to wake up…"

I clutch my husband's hand as I sob against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. It's been six months and he still hasn't woken up, and it's worrying us all now.

"I need you, and the kids need you. You have to wake up…we all miss you so much…You've missed so much since the accident. Katzeran is in the grammar stream and Lola started big school last September…" My voice trails off as I snarl in frustration, "This is hopeless!"

Pumyra sighs as she looks at his vitals. "His vitals are better than what they were so that's a relief, but there is something which you need to stop avoiding…"

"No! He still has a chance! I won't let you do that if he still has a chance!"

She puts a hand on my shoulder before sitting at my side.

"Cheetara, it was Lion-O himself that put that as a rule. The time in which a person has the best chances of recovering has long passed…I think it's time to let him go onto his eternal rest. He requested that we donate his organs and…"

"Please, just stop. I need time to think about this…" I whisper weakly, and she nods.

"Take as long as you need…You know where I am if you need me."

She leaves the room and I see Katzeran dithering so I call him over.

"Mum," he says as he sits next to me, "I overheard what Pumyra was saying…Are you going to take Dad off of life support?"

I sigh when I see the look on his face; so grown up yet so fearful. I hold him close and run my fingers through his mane as I try to stifle my sobs at the thoughts put in my head by the question asked by my young teenage son. He's so mature but he's just a kitten.

"I don't know, son…"

"What would happen to us if Dad died?"

I sigh again. "I don't know about that either."

It doesn't seem like so long ago that we were in here for the time in which Lion-O was bitten by a toxic snake. The aftermath of that was terrifying but he got through it…

"Good afternoon, my Queen! Out for a stroll, I see."

I look at Raphael as he bows to me, making his helmet fall off. I smile at the young snow leopard as he scrabbles to pick up his helmet. He hastily stuffs it back on his head as I say "Yes. You haven't by any chance seen Lion-O out in the forest, have you? He went to find Katzeran over an hour ago, and hasn't come back yet. Anyway, you don't have to call me your Queen, and you don't have to call Lion-O your King. Call us by our names."

He hesitates and says "Ok...Cheetara...I haven't seen...Lion-O...or Katzeran. Sure enough, I saw him when he left, but he hasn't returned yet. He was riding his horse, and he told me to keep an eye out for Katzeran."

I smile as I feel the cub kicking and moving around in my abdomen. I put my hand on my stomach as Raphael asks "Do you and Lion-O know what gender the cub will be, yet?"

The cub kicks again as I say "Yes, we do. Lion-O and I are having a girl. We found out yesterday in the 20 week scan..." I'm interrupted by a tiger who runs up towards us and shouts "Raphael! Cheetara, my Queen! Lord Lion-O's horse has been spotted at the outlying settlements, with both the King and Prince Katzeran astride it! We've received reports that Lord Lion-O is heavily injured and rapidly losing blood, and is unconscious."

My heart feels as if it breaks as Raphael slams his fist down on the emergency alarm and shouts over the intercom "We need a medical team at the city gates ASAP! I repeat, we need a medical team at the city gates ASAP! Code red! I repeat, code red!" The alarm blares, and I see Lion-O's white horse bolting towards the gate...with Lion-O tied to the horse.

I run towards the gates as quickly as I can as Pumyra and Tygra come running from the battlements where they were tending to a young ThunderGuard member's wounds. "Mum! Help!" I hear Katzeran shout as three ThunderGuard soldiers try to calm Lion-O's horse as Pumyra and Tygra untie my seriously wounded husband from the animal's body.

Lion-O is covered in blood from eight extremely deep bite wounds on his shoulder, abdomen and throat. "Lion-O...Lion-O! NO!" I scream as he's quickly loaded into the Thundertank. I get in with Katzeran as I say "What bit your father, Katz?"

"It...It was a snake. Mumm-ra set it on him. It was an In...In...Inland Taipan. Mum, Mumm-ra said that Dad's gonna suffer a slow death! Please, tell me he's not going to die!"

I hold my trembling son in my arms as he cries. "Katz, he's not going to die. I promise!" I say as Pumyra wipes the blood from Lion-O's wounds, but more gushes from the bites. "The Inland Taipan is the most venomous snake in the world, Cheetara. Its venom can easily and quickly kill a man of Lion-O's build within 45 minutes. And, considering the exact placing of the bites, his chances of survival are rapidly declining unless we get the antivenom in his system! Tygra, get one of the adrenaline shots! I can't detect his pulse!" Pumyra says as she tries to stop the bleeding from the wounds on Lion-O's throat and abdomen.

"Have we even got any of the antivenom, Pumyra?" Tygra asks as he rummages in his bag for an adrenaline shot. He finds one and pops the cap off before stabbing the long needle into Lion-O's chest and pressing the plunger down. I can't help but flinch at the length of the needle, but I suppose it's got to be that long to get as close to his heart as possible. "Yes. We keep everything stocked up for emergencies, such as severe poisoning from the bite of a snake."

When we get to the lair, Lion-O is deathly pale and is barely breathing. He's covered with fresh blood. I jog up the steps and throw the door open as Tygra and Pumyra hurry past me, carrying the limp, heavily bleeding lion. "What the...Lion-O!" I hear Snarf cry as he sees us hurrying up the stairs.

Pumyra and Tygra place Lion-O in the bed closest to the door once we reach the infirmary and immediately start working. "Tygra, the antivenoms are in the back room in the glass cabinet! Get some that's labelled as CSL Taipan! They're in the ready-mixed drip containers, diluted with saline! We also need some of the solution of dilute adrenaline for the infusion pump incase we need to use it! Grab some morphine, too. Also, he needs blood!" Pumyra shouts as she struggles to keep Lion-O down on the bed. He'd woken up and started freaking out. He fights against Pumyra as he roars and screams in pain, blood bubbling from the wounds as he writhes and convulses upon the bed, his claws fully extended. "Cheetara, can you grab the restraints from that bed over there for me?" Pumyra asks as she presses the lion's arms down on the bed. He roars before opening his eyes. They're glazed, giving them a smoky appearance. He roars again as his back arches, caught in the grip of another seizure. Tygra hastily passes Pumyra the antivenoms, blood packet and morphine, which she attaches to the IV line in the back of the lion's arm before securing his wrists and ankles to the bed with the restraints.

"'Tara..." Lion-O groans weakly as the strong painkillers take effect on his body. He looks at me before his eyes close and he falls unconscious...

"Mum, I don't want anything like that to happen…"

"Nor do I, Katz, but some things are inevitable. He isn't going to be around forever, and neither am I."

He becomes very fidgety for a moment, and I can tell that his anxiety is beginning to play up so I hold him close and soothe him. "It'll be okay, I promise."

I don't know who I said that to. My son? Or was that to myself? I don't know anymore…

"Go on, you. Off to bed. I'll be back soon."

"Can't I stay with you?"

"No, Katzeran. It's getting late and you have school tomorrow…"

"No I don't, it's the spring holiday for the next fortnight."

"Don't argue with me, Katzeran K'al'iviryix! I'll take your phone from you again."

"But Mum! I need my phone to talk to Tigrae!"

"Katz, you know that you can go and see her anytime you want to."

"I know but I need to text her every night! It's our routine!"

"I know how late you're on your phone at night! Now, give me your phone and go to bed."

He growls but reluctantly hands me the phone and stomps off to bed in a strop. He's thirteen now and with it just being me looking after a mischievous cub and rebellious kitten, I've really struggled with it.

I look back at my mate's face; he looks so peaceful and unaware of the troubles we've had.

"I'm never going to give up on you, Lion-O…"

I place a hand on his cheek, stroking the soft fur with my thumb. "But you need to wake up…please…"

- (BORDER) -

"Wake up…"

I wake with a start when I'm roughly struck with what feels like a metal bar.

The first sight that meets my eyes is that of Mumm-ra staring me in the face. I growl threateningly, but still can't move because of the restraints. They're so tight and painful that it actually hurts to move.

"Lion-O, please wake up!"

"What do you want from me? What now?"

"You're going to die, Lion-O."

He moves even closer to me to the point that I can smell the scent of death which lingers on him – ironic, considering what he's saying to me.

"You'd better start to count your blessings. I am not gone. I am not done…"

"What do you mean?"

"You are going to die soon, Thundercat…"

"Never…"

"Everything you love shall die, and you too shall die with it. Your life is nought but a grain of sand in the hourglass of time, and the force of death draws you ever downwards; Descending in despair towards your inevitable end. I am inevitability. I am your death, staring you in the face, waiting to destroy you since before you were even conceived.

"All that is around you shall turn to dust, and you shall be the last to turn with it so that you may witness the depth of your own impotence. You aren't able to protect everything you hold dear.

"Power is everything, and without power, you can't protect anything, let alone yourself. I will make you remember your mortality. I shall teach you your own futility. I will watch you as you lay there defeated. Motionless. Unable to move. All whilst the weight of the world crushes your back, and after that? Well."

He cackles deeply then forces me to look him dead in the eyes which glow a deep, blood red as he snarls, "At the moment when you finally realize that your life was meaningless, I will destroy you."

My eyes fly open. I'm soaked with sweat, and I can barely keep my eyes open. My chest feels like it's on fire, seemingly rising and falling by itself as oxygen is forced into my lungs through something cruel shoved down my throat. All I can see are the white walls and a blinding white light, with the scent of antiseptic lingering in the air. I can't breathe. I groan weakly as the pain starts to get worse.

I see a flash of blue, seconds before a familiar voice says "Lion-O...My God, I don't believe it! You've pulled through, thank Jaga!"

The voice is irritatingly distorted and muffled, but I think it's Panthro.

"Chee...Cheetara..." I breathe weakly as I turn my head to the side "The...The pain..."

Someone takes hold of my hand and gently massages my palm.

"It's ok Lion-O, baby, I'm here." I hear my wife say, her voice as soft and smooth as honey. I blink to try to get my eyes to focus, but they're still blurry. I can only just see the outline of my mate in front of me as something cold creeps through my veins.

"I've just gave him another dose of morphine. Until the anaesthesia gets out of his system, he's going to be as high as a kite. When morphine is combined with anaesthetic, it can knock a man out easily. Tygra, can you pass me that blood packet?"

It's connected and she pushes more morphine, and it seems to be too much for my body to handle as I feel the nausea and fatigue gripping me, and my world goes black once again…

Next time on Thundercats:

Now that Lion-O has awoken, he faces a long recovery period but questions himself questioning everything about himself after Mumm-ra's threats whilst in his dream state, and when troubles arise and Thunderian refugees are slaughtered on Plun-darr, he will be faced with his biggest issue yet – will he have to wage war on another planet?

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