Thundercats Fan Fiction ❯ Last Life ❯ Chapter Eight: Silent Promises ( Chapter 8 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Chapter Eight
She let out a groan, rolling onto her other side from under the covers. Catrina finally opened her eyes only to see that she was in a vaguely familiar room. The walls of the room were made out of stone and were painted a light shade of blue. It seemed like her room because of the bookshelves that were lined up against one wall and her old writing desk was tucked away in one corner of the room next to the window. The room as a whole seemed both familiar and strange.

Strands of her hair fell about her face as the girl sat up. Her first instinct was to start panicking and run out of this place but she did not. Instead, Catrina took a deep breath and kept a calm mind. The girl closed her eyes again, trying to think of the last thing she did before falling asleep.

I was asleep in my room when the space pirates— She stopped in midsentence as memories of the past several days entered her mind. Space pirates tried to attack her and Sammy. The Thundercats came to their rescue. Her foster parents died. Some of memories of her past life returned. Her having a panic attack on the trip to Third Earth. All of these thoughts led to one conclusion. She was on Third Earth.

This place does have the familiar homey feeling just like the palace on Thundera. The preteen looked around the room again before finally rising off the bed and she carefully walked over to the bedroom door. Much to her surprise, the door slid open with a loud whoosh, startling her. She nearly jumped at hearing the door opening. Catrina curiously poked her head out of the door and looked out into the hall. The hall way was eerily silent. It was so quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

Seeing no one around, she stepped into the hallway. She cautiously made her way down the corridor. The Thunderian was about to go around a corner when she saw a shadowy shape from around the edge of the wall. Feeling a bit anxious, Catrina flattened herself against the wall.

She watched as the shadow crept closer, beginning to come around the edge. She could feel her heart starting to race with fright. All the muscles in her body tightened themselves, paralyzing her.

The young girl held her breath, waiting for the shadow to come close. She slowly raised a hand, ready to strike just in case the silhouette was one of the mutants. Catrina was so wrapped up in her thoughts that the shadow was already upon her and a deep voice spoke, snapping her back to reality. “Lina?”

Catrina nearly jumped at hearing Lion-O’s voice calling out her name. She slowly turned around to face the Lord of the Thundercats, allowing a sheepish grin to pass onto her face. “Lion-O.” She said in surprise. Confusion was on her betrothed’s face but it quickly melted away, only to be replaced by relief.

“You’re finally up.” Lion-O said, his lips pulling back into a smile.

“Uh, yea…” Catrina gave him a sheepish smile.

“Are you feeling better?” Lion-O asked as they started walking down the hall.

An awkward silence began to take shape as Catrina nodded in reply. The silence slowly ceased as the two Thunderians left the hallway of bedrooms and stopped at the entrance to the dining room. She saw Lion-O lift a hand to reach for the door when she grabbed his hand to stop him. Lion-O turned his golden gaze to her, staring at the girl in mild shock.

“What’s wrong, Lina?” The young lord asked her.

“Um…” Catrina bit her lip. There was a slight moment of hesitation before she spoke. “Are we on Third Earth?” The girl asked, “And is this the Cats’ Lair?”

Lion-O nodded with a laugh. Smiling, he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to ease her nervousness. He knew Catrina was a bit anxious and felt out of place. “This is also your home, too, Lina. The others and I built this place with some help from our friends, the Robear Berbils.”

“Home…” Catrina clenched her hands at her sides, the word tingling her lips. It felt strange and alien. It would be a long time before she could even begin to call this place her home.

A single thought crossed her mind and she pulled her Thundercats emblem out of her pants pocket before placing it into Lion-O’s hand. “Lion-O, can you make me a promise?”

The eyebrows of the Lord of the Thundercats rose in bewilderment. “What’s the promise?” The young lord asked.

Catrina closed Lion-O’s hand. She looked into his eyes as she spoke, “Promise me that you’ll make me a Thundercat soon, but only if you and the others feel that I am ready.”

Lion-O’s eyes went wide with shock and he looked at the emblem in his hand. “But you’re already a Thundercat.”

“No, only if I have that and if I follow the Code of Thundera am I a Thundercat. I haven't really been acting like a true Thundercat. I have to prove myself once more because I haven’t been following the Code as of late.” With that said, Catrina opened the door and walked into the Dining Room.

Lion-O felt his heart sinking at hearing her say that but he shook his head. He knew it was for the best and he trusted Catrina’s judgment and decision. Taking in a deep breath, Lion-O walked into the dining area after her.