The Cost of Mistakes Made
Part Five
New Thundera
Cat’s Lair
As soon as the council meeting ended, Lion-O rushed into the control room. The two monitors glanced at him as he strolled to the main controls. “Where did Panthro go?”
One of the monitors pressed a few buttons and replied, “I don’t know. He turned off the tracking device in the Thundertank.”
“Are you sure he’s in the tank?” Lion-O asked.
“Positive. We heard it come on just a while ago,” he answered.
“Do an aerial view of the surrounding area. See if you can locate it,” Lion-O commanded.
“Yes, sir.” The monitor hit a few more buttons and brought up the dark pictures of Thundera on the screen.
As the two of them tried to find the Thundertank on the monitor, Snarfer came rushing into the room. “Does anyone know where WilyKit is?”
“Why? Is she not in her room?” Lion-O inquired.
Snarfer shook his head. “No. I went to check on her. The bed was empty. She was not in sick bay either.”
Lion-O thought for a moment and then said, “Maybe she went with Panthro.”
“In her condition, snarfer! I doubt it,” the furry creature announced.
The Lord of the ThunderCats shook his head. “No, Snarfer. I think she faked being sick.” He turned back to the monitor. “Are you receiving any other tracking signals?”
“No, my Lord,” he replied.
“Wait a minute,” the other monitor called out. “I think I have something.”
Lion-O and Snarfer ran to her side as she pulled up a graph on the small screen. She pointed to it and explained, “These are the plots received by the lair on the tracking device from the Thundertank before it was turned off. They stop in sector 7, dash 2.”
“Where is that?” Lion-O asked the other monitor.
“Already on it,” he remarked. A few seconds later, the cheetah headquarter building popped up on the big screen.
“I should have known,” the Lord of the ThunderCats whispered. “I’m headed there in the second Thunderclaw. Contact me if something comes up. ”
He raced out of the control room as Snarfer scratched his head in confusion.
*****
“You’ve got to tell us what is going on,” Panthro remarked.
“I can’t, Panthro. I just can’t.”
WilyKit stated, “You knew that Lion-O would do that. How? What happened?”
Cheetara began shaking her head. “I can’t tell you. You must understand. I don’t want you to think bad of him.”
Panthro grunted and folded his arms. “Think bad of Lion-O? It’s already too late for that.”
She glanced up at him. “No, not Lion-O.” She paused for a moment, then quietly said, “Jaga.”
“Jaga?” WilyKit and Panthro said simultaneously.
Cheetara nodded her head. “Yes, Jaga.”
“You must tell us! How can we help if you keep us in the dark?” WilyKit pointed out.
The cheetah sat quietly for several minutes. She opened her eyes and glanced up at them. “Very well then. It all began that morning before we were attacked by the Mutants...”
Cheetara woke up as the sunlight filtered into the room. She sat up, not believing that she slept for so long. She rushed into her clothes, determined to get her morning run in before it was too late. It could be her last chance to run before the sickness began.
Moments later, Cheetara opened the door to her room and ran to her closet. Knowing it was cold outside, she threw on her red cloak and grabbed her staff from her nightstand. The cheetah placed the staff in her wrist holder and ran out of the room.
As she raced down the hallway, Cheetara noticed a light on in Lion-O’s private study. She stopped at the door, willing to pause long enough to give him a moment of her time. But a voice inside the room kept her from going in. Instead, the cheetah stood outside the doorway, hiding herself. She listened to Lion-O as he talked to someone unseen by her.
“But why is that Jaga?
I know that no other clan member has been Lord of the ThunderCats besides you, Jaga. But I don’t understand why other clans can’t hold the position. That isn’t fair.
What do you mean by that?! Cheetara is the only person I want at my side.
Who says a mixed breed wouldn’t be as powerful? It’s not in the Book of Omens.
I am not arguing with you, Jaga. I just want some answers.
Then maybe I should be Lord of the ThunderCats no longer!
I can’t do that, Jaga! You can’t ask me to do that. I could never get rid of her! She would never be a threat!
I never thought I would have to do something as hard as this.
I know, I know. No one every said being Lord of the ThunderCats was easy. I’ll think of something. I know that you know best Jaga. This is going to be the hardest thing I‘m ever going to have to do.”
Cheetara’s heart had grown heavier at every word spoken. Her sixth sense was telling her that something was wrong, telling her that she was in danger. Not wanting to believe it, she ran down the hall toward the front doors. On the way, she bumped into Tygra.
“Whoa! Where are you headed so fast?”
“I’m going on my morning run,” Cheetara answered firmly. She pushed her way past him before he could see her tears falling. He watched her leave the lair and shrugged his shoulders at her response.
With her tears clouding her vision, the cheetah ran as fast and as hard as she could. Her heart was pounding loudly, those words echoing in her head. She raced down the familiar path, her quick reflexes saving her from hitting the trees and bushes.
At the edge of the forest, the sound of a blast caused her to slow down. She saw Mutants just as several of them shot at her. She felt a surge of energy hit her leg. With a loud shout, she fell to the ground.
“We got her! The Thundrainium will weaken her shortly. Let’s go help the others attack Cat’s Lair!”
Cheetara looked down at her leg. There was not any physical harm to it, but the Thundrainium weakened the limb so that she could not hold herself up.
The other Mutants yelled out in agreement as one of them threw a net over Cheetara.
“Then I was taken on one of their ships and kept there until they put me in a prison cell on Plun-Darr,” Cheetara finished.
“You mean to tell me that Jaga said those things?” Panthro asked.
“Yes, and Lion-O would do anything that Jaga asked,” Cheetara replied.
WilyKit glanced at Cheetara and questioned her. “Why would he then spend all of his free time looking for you.”
Cheetara knew exactly why he was looking for her, but she could not tell them. “Guilt, I suppose,” she suggested.
Panthro did not buy the reasoning. He stared at the cheetah and stated, “Lion-O said that you would have returned to Cat’s Lair a few days ago. Why would he say that?”
She quickly tried to come up with an excuse that would stop the questioning. However, an intrusion allowed her to let the question go unanswered. She would have rather answered the question.
The front door slammed opened, and Lion-O entered the house. He halted in the doorway as Cheetara turned her head towards him. WilyKit and Panthro stood up as if their chairs were on fire.
“Oh, crap,” Cheetara muttered.
“Don’t you dare hurt her!” WilyKit yelled out, standing in front of Cheetara.
Panthro stood by WilyKit, completely blocking Lion-O’s view of the cheetah. “If I were you, I would leave now,” he said icily, pulling out his nun-chucks.
*****
New Thundera:
Mara’s Home
“I’m not leaving, Panthro!” Lion-O shouted.
Cheetara turned to the panther. “I thought you said you weren’t followed!”
“He wasn’t followed,” Lion-O answered. “The lair recorded the tank’s tracking device to the cheetah headquarters. From there, I searched for the tank and found it parked outside here.”
“And if you don’t leave now, I’ll kick you out myself!” Panthro snarled.
Lion-O shook his head and said, “I’d like to see you try!”
“No, stop it! There will not be any fighting in my home.” Cheetara stood up and nervously commented, “I think you should all go. I’m very tired.” The last thing she wanted was to talk to the Lord of the ThunderCats, even with Panthro and WilyKit with them.
Lion-O stared at Cheetara although she refused to look at him. He implored, “Cheetara, let me stay. I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you.”
“You heard her. She wants us all out. Let’s leave her alone,” WilyKit remarked.
“I have nothing to say to you. And my name is Mara.”
“Please, Cheetara. I have spent twenty years looking for you. The least you can do is give me twenty minutes.”
Panthro began to say, “Lion-O...”
Cheetara put her hand on Panthro’s arm. “It’s okay. If he wants to talk, I’ll let him.” I’m surprised that my sixth sense is not going off. But he’ll wish he hadn’t stayed to talk to me. “You go home and get some sleep. You too, WilyKit,” she glanced at the female ThunderCat.
“We’ll wait outside,” Panthro announced, glaring at Lion-O. WilyKit hugged Cheetara again and followed the panther to the Thundertank outside.
“Thank you, Cheetara,” Lion-O replied, walking toward her. “Where is our child?”
Cheetara smirked and threw her hands up in the air. “Of course! You would ask that first. Our son isn’t here,” she lied.
Lion-O sat quietly for a moment. “You had a boy? What does he look like? Do you have a picture?”
“No,” she responded tersely.
“I want to meet him, Cheetara. Why didn’t you come to Cat’s Lair a few days ago? You know that he’ll need six months training from us before his twentieth birthday before he can go through the anointment trials.”
That statement took her off guard. She asked, “What are you talking about? It isn’t six months before his twentieth birthday.”
It was Lion-O’s turn to look confused. He replied, “Yes, it is. According to his due date, it is.”
Cheetara rolled her eyes and said, “He was four weeks late!”
“Oh,” he answered in understanding.
“You would know that if you had wanted us to stay in your life.”
“But here you are in my life again.”
“I’m NOT in your life,” she retorted as she sat back down.
Lion-O sat down next to her and took her hand in his. She pulled her hand away just as quickly. “What did I do, Cheetara, to hurt you so bad? Please tell me and I’ll rectify it. But I can‘t fix it unless you tell me what I did.”
“You can’t fix it, Lion-O,” Cheetara replied.
“Then tell me what it is I did.”
“You act like I’m stupid. As if I didn‘t know that you purposely abandoned me in the Mutant prison.”
Lion-O began shaking his head. “I didn’t purposely abandon you! You’ve got to know how heartbroken I was when I found out that the Feliner left without you. But they had no choice. They were being fired upon. The Mutants wouldn’t release you to begin with because we only had 15 prisoners. They had 16, including you.”
“You expect me to believe that nonsense!” Cheetara spat.
“It’s true! I went back to go get you, but you were already gone. Those fools told me that you had committed suicide...showed me pictures. I didn’t believe them. I knew you wouldn’t take the chance of taking your life and our child’s life. I even agreed to a peace treaty with them so that they would open their planet to me. I’ve searched every square inch of that place looking for you or evidence that you had died!”
“Brilliant, Lion-O.” She remarked sarcastically. “You’re right about me not taking my life. I put the sheet more under my chin than around my neck. Those morons didn’t even notice.”
The Lord of the ThunderCats sighed heavily and ran his hands through his hair. “Why didn’t you come home?”
“I didn’t think I was welcomed.”
“Ah, because you thought I abandoned you.” Lion-O stood up and got down on his knees in front of her. “Don’t think that! I could never abandon you.” He laid his head down on her legs and pleaded, “You’ve got to know that.”
“Liar!” Cheetara yelled, standing up and walking away from him. When she was far enough, the cheetah turned back to him. “You wanted me dead! Me and your son! You’re afraid that he’ll dethrone you! That he’ll usurp your power!”
Lion-O stood up and stared at her in shock as she continued, “And he will too! I have waited for this moment for twenty years to prove it to you!”
“Of course he’ll take my place. He’s my son.”
With tears beginning to fall, Cheetara remarked, “You’re just saying that to ease the situation. I know that you don’t want a mixed breed taking your place. You don’t think he’ll be powerful or strong enough.”
“I don’t know where you got that idea,” Lion-O began. He walked to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She stepped away from him. “All I have done is wanted you two back in my life! Why do you think it is that I never got married or had any other children?”
“I don’t know...guilt maybe,” she answered. “Maybe I should ask Jaga,” she hissed at him.
“Jaga? What does he have to do with...” Then all of a sudden, full understanding came over Lion-O. He gasped and commented, “You overheard my conversation with him that morning.”
“I’ll think of something,” Cheetara mimicked the words that had haunted her since that dreadful morning.
“By the seas of Thundera,” Lion-O breathed. He put his hand to his mouth and remarked, “No wonder why you thought I had abandoned you.” He walked to her and wiped away her tears as she cried. “I’m so sorry, Cheetara. I have regretted those words ever since I said them. To tell you the truth, I haven’t spoken to Jaga since that morning except once to tell him that I didn’t want to see him again. I was so angry with him for saying those things to me...for expecting me to get rid of you. But when I heard that you had been captured, I knew right then that I couldn’t do without you. Jaga was wrong!”
She pulled back and hissed angrily, “Don’t touch me!”
At that moment, the door to a back bedroom slammed open. Kiros stormed in between his parents and pushed Lion-O away. “You stay away from her! I won’t let you hurt her anymore, do you hear me?”
Lion-O gazed at Cheetara as she said, “Kiros? What are you doing out here? You are supposed to stay hidden away!”
Kiros turned toward her. “I couldn’t hold back any longer!” He turned back to Lion-O and growled, “You can kill me, but I won’t let you hurt my mother!”
“I don’t want to hurt her or you,” Lion-O replied.
“You already have, Father,” he snarled back. “Get out!”
Cheetara opened the front door. “I think you should go.”
Lion-O treaded to her and brushed her face. “Will I see you again?”
“Yes,” she answered softly.
“Goodbye, Kiros, my son.” Lion-O nodded his head and walked out of the house. When the door closed, he went to the tank where Panthro and WilyKit were waiting. “We are having another council meeting at sunrise. Pass the word.”