Hope in the Darkness

Because Lynx-O's senses were super keen, he knew how to read people not just by the sounds of their voices, but also by their aura. One could say his senses were similar to Lucario's. This meant that he could also sense the powers within Kisara and Freya. He detected pure power coming from the elder cousin and dark power coming from the younger cousin. And it was because of this that the old lynx wanted to talk to Freya.

He came to the throne room. "Begging your pardon, Queen Mystery, but might I borrow Freya for a moment?"

"Why, certainly, Lynx-O," the queen answered. "You may be excused, Freya."

"Thank you, Queen Mystery," she said, bowing. She left the throne room with Lynx-O. Sakuya was trailing beside them. Freya brought Lynx-O to her own room. "Is everything all right, Lynx-O?"

"Of course, Freya," the old lynx answered. "I just wanted to talk to you; get to know you better."

"Please, have a seat," she insisted, helping him sit on her bed. Sakuya jumped up and positioned herself on his lap. "No, Sakuya," she snapped.

But the old lynx didn't mind. "It's quite all right, Freya. I can tell Sakuya is one very loving companion." He gently stroked her fur and she gave a happy trill.

Freya chuckles and says, "Yes, she can be sweet at times. It actually takes time for Sakuya to open up to people, but when she decides she can trust someone, she gets to be really friendly. However, when she feels threatened, that's when she gets fierce. But that's because she's being protective."

"So I've noticed," Lynx-O says as he continues petting her. "I can tell Sakuya really loves you, Freya."

"We've been partners for years, Lynx-O, and she's always protected me," she said. "We're not all that different from each other." It was true. Ever since Freya was little, she also had trouble opening up to new people and didn't trust easily. But when she felt safe around the people she was with, she knew she found someone she could trust. But when she sensed something off about someone – like Luna, for instance, that was when she would assert herself. And like Sakuya, it was because she felt a need to protect those she cared about.

Lynx-O agreed. Sakuya's heart and Freya's were definitely connected. He decided to get to the topic at hand. "You know, Freya, I didn't know it at the time when we first met on Thundera, but when we met again on Third Earth, I sensed a strong power emanating from you."

Freya had already opened up about her secrets to the other ThunderCats. There was no harm in sharing with Lynx-O; especially if he could sense her power. "I have dark power inside of me, Lynx-O. It's a curse I've lived with ever since before I can remember. Maybe I was born with it, I don't know." She really didn't understand it. All she knew was that she had lived with this curse her whole life. "This dark power, I've been afraid of it since I found out about it. I had no idea how to control it. When it would get to the point where it would get too far out of hand, it would be released in the form of a great Black Dragon and attack everything with deadly fire, destroying everything in its path. At that point, I would black out and then I would wake up without having any memory of what happened."

As Lynx-O listened, he wondered if the reason Freya had trouble controlling her power was because she was always afraid of it. His suspicions were about to be confirmed as she would continue her story.

"Because Kisara was like me and had a powerful gift inside of her, I thought she was the only one I could trust," continued Freya. "Then all of our new friends came into my life: Joseph, Seto, Mana, Mahad, Mystery, and Atem. For the first time, I felt relaxed around all of them. I felt like I belonged somewhere with someone. Kisara felt the same way. And then we realized our destinies and became Children of Millennia." And she thought back to the time when she and her cousin and all of their friends were given their amulets.

"I was honored, yes," Freya admitted, "but I wondered, was it really possible for someone like me – a girl with dark power to be chosen to serve the Great Goddess? I mean, I knew that just because I had dark power, didn't mean I was one of the Dark Lord's children, but even so. Of course, I was also reminded that many of Millennia's followers have tried teaching people gifted with dark power to use their powers of darkness for good. And yet, I still felt uncertain and I didn't know why."

"Was it because you were still afraid of your power?" Lynx-O asked.

She shrugged and figured, "I guess so. And when all of my friends found out, I thought they would be afraid and hate me, but they didn't, which surprised me. Instead, they stayed with me. At that moment, I knew that I had finally found where I belonged. And my friends helped me to better control my dark power and use it to help others instead of hurt them." It felt good looking back on those memories.

Lynx-O remembered something as well. "I remember when we first met, you wore a gold chain around your neck with an orange jewel."

"You mean my amulet," she corrected him. "It stands for hope. The more I think back on what I've learned, the more I remind myself, the Great Goddess made no mistake choosing me."

"No, she didn't," said the lynx. "While it is true that many people fear dark power because their first instinct is to perceive it as something evil, it doesn't always mean that it is evil. You feared your power in the beginning, yet you put your faith in your friends when they promised to help you to learn to control your power and use it for good. And while you were afraid of your power, you still hoped you would have a chance of being accepted for who you were, the way you were. If you ask me, Freya, the Great Goddess knew of your gift and wanted you to find a way to embrace your power and use it for good. She wanted you to find hope in the darkness. I believe that is why she gave you the amulet of hope."

Freya looked down at her amulet, thinking about Lynx-O's words. She believed he was right. She also remembered Jaga telling her something similar to that before she and her friends were forced to leave Thundera. "Hope in the darkness," she repeated. It's common that many people lose hope and want to give up when they think the situation they're in is too much and they feel trapped. But she remembered what Cheetara once said: you're never really trapped until you stop trying. To Freya, this meant that no matter how difficult the situation, she and her friends would always find a way to make it through to the end.

Freya gasped as she felt Lynx-O's clawed hand over hers. "Freya, you and I are not so different from each other," he told her. "Since my blindness, my whole world has been dark. Yet I never thought myself to be helpless or to feel trapped. I may not see like you or the others do, but by relying on my other senses, I've learned to find my way. Like you, I've learned to find hope in the darkness and believe that there's always a way. Of course, I know that there are still times when I need help and support from my comrades and I know you know as much too. You and I can't rely on our own abilities no matter how much we trust our instincts. We will always need our friends to support us."

"Oh, Lynx-O," she said softly. She and this old lynx really were alike. Darkness had taken over both of their lives, yet neither of them allowed the darkness to control their lives or define who they were. Freya decided to embrace her gift and her destiny as a warrior of Millennia and Lynx-O was a ThunderCat.

Freya began to feel tears brimming in her eyes. Lynx-O sensed that she was about to cry. "What's wrong, Freya?"

She sniffles and says, "Nothing. It's just, I've never met anyone like you, Lynx-O. You understand things better than anyone else I've ever known. Of course, I value all of my friends' wisdoms and I know that they can be understanding in their own way. But talking to you, seeing how alike you and I are, I feel as though… as though…" she sniffles once more and finishes, "you're like the grandfather I never had."

The old lynx was touched to hear her say that. Back on Thundera, Lynx-O never had a family of his own. It warmed his heart to hear Freya think of him as a grandfather figure. He voiced his thoughts on the matter and said, "I'm touched that you would feel that way about me, Freya. Now I feel as though I'm meeting the granddaughter I never knew I had."

Freya gave a small laugh through her sobs. "Lynx-O, would it be all right if I called you my grandfather?"

He gave a warm smile. "I would like that very much." He opened his arms and welcomed Freya into a warm hug. Sakuya moved away Freya wrapped her arms around the old lynx and sobbed. He gently ran his hand up and down her back to soothe her. Sakuya then rubbed herself against Lynx-O's side and happily purred. Normally, she would place her front paws on his chest and reach up to Lynx-O's face and give him a kiss, but this would have to do for the moment.