A/N before I continue. Some of you may be wondering how I'm able to upload these chapters so quickly at the moment. It just so happens that a lot of the stuff, almost all of it actually, is seven years old and was written before I started working on this story as a whole. The next chapter will be out soon and then I will be going on hiatus for a while afterwards. Anyway, please enjoy : )
Chapter 44: Savin Me
Song: Savin Me by Nickelback
The next few years? They passed by so quickly, during which there had been no sightings of Mumm-ra and the Mutants since they'd tortured me to try and get the Sword. The Kingdom has thrived in the time since then and Katzeran is now the Lord of the Thundercats and I couldn't be any prouder of my son – he's come so far and has outdone everyone's expectations and I know that he's more than ready to take the throne in a couple of years once I reach fifty. I'm not even disappointed to say that I'm actually quite excited to step down; not having to worry about the day-to-day hassle of being the reigning King, and just being able to spend quality time with my family. There are many plans which I have for my last few years as King, one of which is to find the surviving Thunderians who have not yet returned from where they ended up after Old Thundera exploded due to the Sword of Plun-Darr.
However, as I stand in my sleeping chamber looking in the mirror, my scarred body reflected back at me bears all the scars of my ordeal at Mumm-Ra's hands; the burns from the acid have made sure that my fur will never be growing back, and the long scar running down my body from where he'd cut me open is puckered and grotesque. The runes, however, are still clearly evident; as fresh looking as the day they were carved into my skin. It's been five years now and although I'm healed physically, it's clear just how badly it's affected me mentally – I have severe insomnia to the point that I don't sleep for days on end, accompanied by sleep paralysis and crippling nightmares whenever I do manage to sleep.
Cheetara stirs in the bed behind me and yawns, looking at me in the darkness.
"Come back to bed, Lion-O. Have the nightmares kept you awake again?"
"No but something doesn't quite feel right. We've heard nothing of Mumm-ra and the Mutants for five now. They couldn't have just disappeared."
"No, but it would be nice if they just did. It would be so much easier, but enough of that, come back here."
I walk back up to the bed, slip under the furs and Cheetara wraps her arms around me, purring as she burrows her face into my arm. I don't understand how she could still love me with how I look after that horrific torture session. I'm blind in one eye and I have a nasty skin condition thanks to my fur having been literally melted off my body. Even Lola will avoid looking at me when she can, which hurts like anything.
…
Many more weeks pass, and yet my feeling that something is amiss still does not fade. I have nearly recovered from my torture at the hands of Mumm-ra thanks to intense therapy and I am training daily to work my strength back up to what it was. Plus, the Sword of Omens is safe at the heart of the Lair with my son continuing his Royal Training. But as I walk through the Lair's gardens that afternoon, I can't shake my feeling that something is not right; I feel as if I am being watched, and I don't know if I'm just being paranoid or what. Regardless, I hate it but as I continue, I remember something Panthro had wanted to show me yesterday. I'd told him that I would visit the hangar today.
Panthro looks up from what he's doing as I walk in, and he looks relieved to see how much I've improved, having hidden myself from my friends thanks to the fear of humiliation if they saw what I'd become.
"Hey Lion-O, glad you managed to pop over."
"No problem, my schedule is mostly empty nowadays. So, what's new?"
"Well, when we rescued you, I managed to grab some of the Mutants' weapons after they retreated. I dismantled them and have managed to create our own with the help of scientists from Plun-Darr. We're going to be arming the Thunderguard with them because they really kick ass."
He shows me something that he calls a blaster then; I pick it up and examine its construction. - the gun feels heavy in my hand and strange. Alien almost. The panther explains its mechanics and shows me how to use it.
"So," I say as I turn the gun over in my hand "I just point it at something and pull this lever with my finger?"
"Yes," Panthro says as he puts his right arm over my shoulders "You simply pull the trigger and that's it."
He shows me to a practice area and sets up a target. I point the blaster and pull the trigger, a green light flash erupts from the muzzle of the gun with a resounding boom and the metal target blows to pieces, sending shrapnel everywhere.
"Whoa," I gasp, in awe at the punch that the small weapon packs "And this was mutant technology?"
Panthro smiles as he takes the gun and says "Not anymore. This makes us equal. But, don't wave it around when it's loaded; you could accidently shoot someone when the safety isn't on."
…
That night as I lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, I can't help but feel as if something big is approaching; something that is going to shake my people to the foundation. Everything that I have worked so hard to create and protect over the last nineteen years is in danger; I know it is, I just didn't know when. And that is what scares me the most. I close my eyes and roll to my side, cursing at the sudden pinching of the scar on my chest but I eventually manage to get myself comfortable after taking my sleeping medication. It does take a little while but the tiredness eventually hits me and, with my wife by my side, I finally drift off to sleep…
There's a sudden blinding flash as I close my eyes tightly; once it's over, I open them again, only to see Mumm-ra standing before me. I can't move, and immediately I start to struggle as much as I , but both Slithe and Jackalman are holding my arms tight behind my back, allowing the demon priest to hold a cup to my lips which contains a vile black fluid like treacle. It smells of rotting fish, eggs and sewerage. They force me to drink it down, so I choke and gag on the liquid and try to spit it out, but my mouth is held firmly shut. Once I've been forced to swallow every last bit of it, they force even more down my throat. The drink feels like acid and I can feel it working its way down into my stomach. And then the pain; my innards feel like they're being pulled from my body. When I look down to my abdomen, everything is fine, but then the pain spreads into my veins, and slowly works its way into my body.
I scream in agony and start to fit and convulse. My stomach cramps and I violently vomit all over the floor, but as soon as I stop, more of the drink is poured down my throat. Then, my heart, the pain as it slows to a stop. I groan then roar in agony as blood dribbles from the corners of my mouth and my nose. My struggling ceases and I can feel myself dying as I collapse to the floor. After what seems like hours, my eyes open and I observe my surroundings. "This isn't right," I think as I growl menacingly, saliva dripping from my fangs "I'm dead!"
Mumm-ra's ugly face peers at me then looks at the other Mutants as he says "See, it works! Don't get too close to him!" I look at them as they stand outside the cell. I roar then lunge at the bars. Jackalman yelps as I viciously hiss and swipe at him. Then the hunger starts. Flesh. That's all I want. Thunderian flesh. Raw; dripping with blood; still alive...
"NO!"
I wake up screaming, my heart pounding in my chest and hyperventilating so severely that I feel like my lungs are going to implode from the lack of oxygen. Cheetara wakes up like a shot after hearing me scream. I'm alive! It was just a dream.
"Lion-O. Lion-O, it's ok. Whatever it was, it was just a dream. Dreams can't hurt you." Cheetara says as she wraps her arms around me in attempt to soothe me, but it doesn't work. Not this time.
"Cheetara, I'm going insane. I'm sure about it. All I can think about is the nightmares. We've not heard anything from Mumm-ra for nearly two years, so why is he showing up in my dreams all of a sudden? I can barely get any sleep nowadays because I'm always woken up by these fucking nightmares! I'm going mad!" I snarl angrily.
…
The nightmares continue with increasing vengeance. I swear, I'm losing my mind. Nine days after the nightmares began, I stand on the balcony of my sleeping chamber, looking over the sprawling city of New Thundera. It had taken a year and a half to build the city with the help of the Snarfs and I can see the farms of the outlying settlements. I feel such pride at the achievement of my people, the resilience of the refugees of the Mutant war which destroyed my home planet of Thundera. We still have Thunderians returning home from their forced exile. I always thought we had finally found peace, a place to call ours. That was until Mumm-ra showed up all those years ago. Panthro has managed to kit our army out with the new tech and we are well defended. However, everything is still alarmingly quiet.
Two days later was when it started. The beginning of the war; We started to get reports of our people going missing in the settlements outside the city; one or two to start with, then whole families, whole communities. People said that they're being taken in the night while they slept. We investigated the disappearances but found nothing; no suspicious clues or anything, then they stopped. People are getting scared and are looking to me for answers that I just can't give them. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and everything starts to get back to normal, but something funny is going on and I still have the bad feeling.
That night as I try to sleep, I have a nightmare again...no. A vision is how best to describe it:
There was a flash of white light and then I find myself looking at a different place; a place I have seen before all too many times in reality or in my dreams; Mumm-ra's dungeon. Only, this time, it's full. Full of my people; the ones who went missing. They're packed into cells with no room to move. Men, women, and children, all looking scared and hungry. The Mutants are dragging single Thunderians out of the cells and forcing them to drink the fluid. What I see makes me feel sick. People are dying, painfully, and it isn't just adult Thunderians either. The bastards are doing it to the cubs too.
I watch helplessly as one after another, my people are murdered. I'd long since closed my eyes to spare me from what I was seeing, but it doesn't block out the sounds of people begging and crying. When the screaming and crying eventually stops, I open my eyes and see the lifeless bodies piled high on the floor. All of a sudden, one of them opens its eyes; they were white and lifeless. The creature gets to its feet and stumbles slowly towards me as one by one the others wake.
The first creature had reached me and with arms outstretched; it grabs my mane, pulls me toward it and bites me deep. Then another bite, and another, and another. The pain of their razor sharp, needle like fangs biting into my flesh is excruciating...
Something hits my face and it isn't soft; it stings my cheek, leaving a lingering pain as blood fills my mouth, making me gag slightly as I open my eyes and I can't believe what I see: Mumm-ra stands directly in front of me, a smug expression on his face.
"Welcome back Lion-O. Missed me?"
"What?" I manage to gasp out, looking at my surroundings in both shock and horror, "Where am I? How..."
"Shut up! You never escaped, you'd never be able to. Someone sent your friends running just as they could reach you."
"What the hell are you on about? I escaped! I've been home for nearly six years!"
"That's just what I wanted you to believe. I put a spell on you, Lion-O; you've been in suspended animation for two days. I've watched your dreams, I know all of your deepest, darkest secrets. You see, as you raced through my throne room, I captured you again. Your Thundercats failed to save you; we fought them off and sent them home mewing with their tails between their legs! What it was that knocked you unconscious was in fact a hammer thrown at you from behind. Anyway, enough idle chitchat because there is someone here who's dying to see you again."
I hear a low, guttural growl emanate from deep in the shadows.
"Lion-O, we meet again! My, it's been so long!"
My eyes go wide once I realise that I know that voice. But it's impossible…It just can't be…
"Grune," I growl as he walks from the shadows "I thought I killed you!"
"Then, you thought wrong!"
Although it was so long ago now, I can remember the day I killed Grune like it was yesterday...
When I finally see Grune, we're in a low ridge between two outcrops just outside of the forest. I keep low as I track him; I can see him just below me, and that's when my foot slips on a loose rock and sends it bounding down the slope. Grune looks up just as I pounce and he dodges out of my way; I hit the ground and roll before coming up into a crouch. Grune snarls at me and unsheathes his big double handed sword. I've brought a battle axe that Bengali made for me as well as the Sword of Omens. I stand up and grab my axe from my side. We circle each other, growling with our fur standing on end down our bare backs. I'd left my armour behind so that I'd be stealthier, but wish that I have it right now.
"Hello, Lion-O..." Grune growls as he looks right into my eyes "I can see that you kept with the promise of the fight."
"Grune..." I growl as we stand still "I was a fool to let myself do this..."
"You should not have tracked me, 'my lord'!" Grune snarls sourly, spitting the end of the sentence with venom on his tongue.
"Don't call me that!" I snarl back at him "You lost that privilege all those years ago when you turned against your people! This has to end, and it has to end NOW!" I can't let him live.
Grune just chuckles at me and says "So be it, 'my lord'!" Then, he lunges at me. I catch the swing of his blade on the Claw Shield and spin to the left, swinging my axe with all my might; Grune dodges and the axe harmlessly passes his chest. I keep spinning, but this time raise the axe high above my head and bring it crashing down into his sword as he deflects my blow. The valley rings with the sound of steel clashing against steel as we battle.
We disengage and circle once again, so I lunge at Grune once again, but he dodges again. I over-step, leaving my back open for his sword to slice across it; I raise the Sword of Omens and shout
"Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats..."
But I'm cut off as I scream in agony as I feel his blade glide across my back, splitting skin and muscle and grinding against bone as he swings his blade around, causing me to drop the Sword. I grit my teeth against the pain as I fall to my knees. The wound isn't bad or life threatening, but still hurts like hell, and I know that I'm going to need stitches. I hear Grune laugh as he says "You'll have to try better than that, my lord!"
He presses the blade of the Sword of Omens against my throat, not releasing the pressure, no matter how much I try to push him off. I try to breathe, but I can't.
Grune cackles as he sees me desperately struggling against him. "Well, well, well! I never could have ever thought that I would be so close to killing one of the sons of the man who used to be one of my best friends!" Grune roars, but I manage to get my feet onto his chest, sending him reeling backwards as I kick him.
I get up and turned to face him, blood gushing down my back. I crouch and bring my axe up defensively. He kicks dust into my face and lunges again, but I'm ready for him this time. I swing my axe up towards him, and catch him in the chest, slicing him from waist to shoulder. A jagged line of blood seeps from the wound as he screams in agony. I only just recover my stance when he lunges at me again; his anger evident in his enraged expression at being caught off guard. I deflect his blow with the shaft of my axe which splits in two, sending jagged shards of wood everywhere.
We back away from each other, knowing that we are equal. We circle each other again, panting and trying to regain energy, waiting for the first move. "What is it that you even want, Grune?" I snarl as I look the sabre-toothed tiger right in the eyes. The evil Thunderian chuckles before replying with "Well...For starters, I want you dead!" I see what he's planning. I growl menacingly before snapping "You would never dare try to do anything to me! You know that the Thunderian Council AND the Thundercats would have you arrested and executed if you by some way managed to kill me!"
Grune laughs before saying "And what could your so-called 'precious' Thundercats do? Your son is but a cub; he is less than a month old, and so there would be nobody to take over as King or Lord of the Thundercats!"
I growl menacingly, but it's more guttural this time. "If you think that you can defeat me, Grune, you can kiss my ass! I won't give in to defeat!" I snarl, blood gushing down my back as I feel my strength fading.
The sabre-toothed tiger cackles menacingly before saying "You're a sentimental fool, Lion-O! Just for you, my sword was laced with liquid Thundranium! Which means that, by now, it will have entered your bloodstream!"
He catches me off-guard and uppercuts me, knocking me back down onto the floor; I throw my axe away and shout "Sword of Omens, come to my hand! I, Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats command it!"
The Sword of Omens flies into my hand, and I stand up again, making Grune laugh.
"That's not going to help you, my lord! One thing Mumm-ra requested for me to tell you is that the collapse of the Tower of Omens was meant to kill you, not the lynx!" Grune snarls, clutching his bleeding chest.
"I told you not to call me your Lord!" I growl as we both move at the same time. Our swords clash and lock together, bringing us face to face. I seize my chance and head butt him square in the face. His nose explodes in a spray of blood as he stumbles backward. I use my sword hand and punch him as hard as I possibly can. It has the desired effect as it catches him square on the jaw, breaking his remaining sabre tooth. He howls in agony and he keeps stumbling backwards.
I raise the sword above my head for the killing blow, but as I bring it down, he steps back and the blade slices down the side of his face, cutting him from cheek to forehead diagonally. He howls in pain and steps forward as I swing across; the sword's blade cuts a deep gash in his throat. Blood spurts from the wound as he collapses, clutching the gash on his throat from which the split ends of his trachea protrude, making me feel slightly sick. I spit on him as he lies drowning in his own blood. "I was never your lord!" I say, and then I turn around and walk away, trying to distract myself from the pain that I am in.
I open my eyes and stare at Grune. He's heavily muscled in his chest and arms and his veins push hard against his skin. His mane is matted with blood and the scar across his face cuts through a milky white eye. His chest bears the heavy scar of our last meeting. His mace is strapped to his side next to a hammer, and his old sword is slung across his back. He walks up to me as he places a knuckle duster in his fist.
"I owe you this, my Lord!" he snarls, and punches me in the face.
I feel my nose break as pain erupts throughout my body. Blood runs down my face and into my mouth before dripping off my chin. I spit a mouthful of blood at Grune and grin.
"It's the only way you'll beat me, Grune," I say as I spit at him again "When I can't hit back."
Grune howls with laughter and un-slings the sword from his back.
"Recognise this?" he says as he turns it in his hands.
I look at the sword, my heart dropping when I see the intricately carved handle that separates the dual-bladed weapon into two individual swords – Katzeran's sword that I forged for his sixteenth birthday.
"No!" I gasp in horror.
"That's right Lion-O!" Grune says "It's your pathetic son's little toy. I took it off his dead body after I killed him in the rescue attempt!"
Then, he swings his hammer into my knee. I feel the knee cap and thigh bone in my right leg shatter as I scream in agony, tears of pain streaming down my cheeks.
"You'll not be going anywhere now, Lion-O!" he says as I gasp in pain.
He pushes my knee with the shaft of the hammer; I scream again and nearly black out.
"Whoops! Seems like I've done quite a bit of damage there! Don't know my own strength!" Grune laughs, and then he walks off "I'll be seeing you very soon, Lord of the Thunder-twats!"
Mumm-ra laughs before retreating back to his throne room, leaving me in pure agony. I can't believe this. Will this hell ever end?
-(BORDER)-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Katzeran, stop squirming! I keep losing grip of it!"
I try to keep my son still, but he's so much stronger than me. Blood trickles from the wound on his back as he screams and cries, squirming uncontrollably as Pumyra and a team of Ferral medics try to get the arrowhead out of his shoulder. He's wriggling and trying to move, while I'm desperately trying to keep him pinned down to the bed.
"MUM, IT HURTS!"
"I know it does, son, but you need to stay still or you're going to hurt yourself further…"
I watch as Pumyra injects him with a strong sedative and local anaesthetic, allowing them to finally cut the arrow free before suturing the wound.
"That will hold for now until we're able to get back to the Lair, but that could be a few days. Those damn Mutants have us completely outnumbered."
"Thank you Pumyra…"
A Ferral approaches then, handing her a small container.
"Put some of this on the wound. It's a very strong salve that is infused with the magic of our people. It will heal all non-fatal wounds in mere hours."
"Thank you…"
I look at the container sceptically as Pumyra smears it onto Katz's wound before bandaging it, and I then help the puma move my son into a comfortable position before walking out of the room and into the one where my friends are waiting.
"How is he?"
"In pain but other than that, he's okay. The arrow wasn't poisoned or anything so that's lucky. But what do we do now? Mumm-Ra knows that we failed and we know that Grune is alive."
"That's good but we should really get some sleep. It's really early in the morning and we can make another attempt tomorrow."
We sit in silence for what seems like eternity but it's not long before we all lay down and start to sleep. While everyone else is out cold, I lay awake, comfortable at last but unable to settle. I just wish Lion-O was here too. I miss holding him close and having him nearby. It takes ages but I eventually give into exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep.
My eyes open wide and I find myself staring directly at a clear blue sky. White puffy clouds are gently floating by me, and I realise how weird this is. I turn my head left and right, seeing nothing but a blue sky and white cloud but my long hair is whipping about my face as if there is a wind and I can also feel something on my back. Air, nothing but cool summer air. I turn to see where the coolness is coming from and see the ground rushing up to meet me. It's then I realise I'm falling.
My arms and legs start flailing around and I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out, and it feels like my heart stops as a shadow passes over me; I look up and see a large dark shape above me. It's absolutely huge, a long tail extending from its back with an enormous wingspan. It folds its wings behind it's back then and dives for me.
I hear it screech as it's talons grab my waist and lifts me into the air. A dragon, I think, remembering a story Lion-O had told the kids when they were cubs. I peer around the large body as a hand reaches down to grab me, and I realise that it looks very familiar. The hand grips my wrist and I'm pulled easily up on to the creature's back.
"I haven't got long Cheetara."
He leans into the light and my heart leaps with pure joy as Lion-O appears from the glare, resplendent in his full suit of armour.
"Lion-O, how?"
"Our bond, but that doesn't matter right now…"
Lion-O lands the dragon and helps me down off its back, looking me up and down and I smile as his gaze catches mine.
"Lion-O…"
"Cheetara, there is no time for questions just yet. I have an urgent message for you, and you need to listen carefully. You need to get back home as soon as you can because the Capital City will be under siege tomorrow by Mumm-Ra's forces. I am to be tortured to death in front of the city so that you open the gates, but you need to keep the gates locked no matter what is done to me, do not open the city."
"But Lion-O…" I start, tears streaming down my cheeks as it sinks in, "I can't do that, I can't just let you die!"
"Listen 'Tara, my life isn't worth the slaughter of thousands of innocent Thunderian citizens. A good ruler has to make sacrifices, and I've accepted my fate…"
He turns to face me and places his lips on mine…
My eyes dart open, I can see the roof of the tent and hear my breathing. I'm panting hard and sweat has soaked the furs. I've gotta get back home. I rip the furs from my body and suit up, rousing Katz once I'm ready.
"Wake up, Katzeran, we need to leave. I've got to get the others up, you pack the kit and get ready to leave."
The kitten looks at me in dazed confusion, knuckling his eyes as he yawns.
"But Mum…"
"Don't argue with me son, now is not the time. We have to leave, and we have to leave now. Your Father's life depends on it."
I rush out of the tent and rouse the other Thundercats and as I stand in front of the them, I tell them about my dream and the message. They look somewhat sceptical about it, which I can understand but I need them to believe me.
"But it's only a dream. How can you be sure?"
"I don't know if it was just a dream or something to do with my sixth sense. But what if this whole ordeal was just a ploy to get us away from the city?"
"Mumm-Ra must have planned it this way. I'll radio through just to make sure of the situation."
Panthro jumps up and jogs into the Thundertank but reappears a short time later, his face a mix of confusion and concern.
"This is really strange, but I can't get any response from the base at home."
"We'd better check this out."
We all head into the Tank and sit around the radio as Panthro places the headset on and pushes a button on the ear piece.
"Thunder one to base do you copy?"
White noise is the only response.
"Thunder one to base do you copy?"
"Base...to thu... One... Yo...Py. Pant...You reciv...Over."
"Thunder one receiving over."
"Panthro... Attack...Mummra..."
The radio fades into a crazed frenzy of white noise, at which point the panther is forced to disconnect the call. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as it sinks in that my fears are becoming reality in the harshest of ways. So much for it just being a dream. We look at each other worriedly, only stopping when Panthro gets to his feet.
"Cheetara is right. We have to leave, and we have to leave now…"
"Mum? What's going on? The Sword of Omens won't stop growling…"
I look up At Katz as he walks in, looking confused and dazed.
"I'll explain slightly later Katzeran. There's not enough time right now but we have to get going. New Thundera as we know it is in grave danger."
To Be Continued…