Thundercats Fan Fiction ❯ Last Life ❯ Chapter Fourteen: Reflection ( Chapter 14 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter Fourteen
Lion-O felt tense as he saw Castle Plun-Darr in the distance. His heart jumped with fear. Something inside of him told him that something bad was about to take place, and this feeling was always followed by a battle with Mumm-Ra. Was the Devil Priest on his way?

Shortly after finding Sammy, Lion-O and the remaining Thundercats held a quick meeting to formulate a rescue plan for rescuing Catrina from the Mutants’ clutches. Lion-O, Panthro, and Cheetara were taking the Thundertank while Pumyra and Lynx-O took the Thunderstrike. Snarf and Snarfer remained behind to take care of Kassim and Sammy while the rest of them went to rescue Catrina, and Tygra, Bengali, and the twins if they are in trouble as well.

Please do not let Mumm-Ra come. Please, Jaga. The young Lord of the Thundercats thought to himself. Lion-O quickly drew out the Sword of Omens as they arrived at the lair of their enemies. His pulse was still racing wildly in his entire body, flooding him with fear and adrenaline. It was almost as if he knew what to expect, which is half-true. He expected—no, he knew that Mumm-Ra will show up—as will the Lunatacs and all hell will break loose. That is how it always is on Third Earth. The Mutants try to mess with the Thundercats, the Lunatacs catch wind of the plan and jump in to bend the plans to their likings, and then Mumm-Ra shows up at the last minute to commandeer them all. Somehow, in the middle of all the chaos, the Thundercats manage to foil their plans, defeat the Lunatacs, the Mutants, and Mumm-Ra, and they save the day. This everlasting circle of battle between good and evil never ceases. Even Lion-O himself gets tired of it all. If only, there was some way of getting rid of the Thundercats’ enemies for the last time.

Lion-O jumped out of the Thundertank the second they came to a halt at the entrance to the Mutants’ Lair. The others were close behind him as he whipped out the Sword of Omens and aimed it at the entrance to the dragon shaped fortress. With a loud HO, Lion-O shot a beam of bright blue energy with the blade of his sword, making the door burst open with a loud crash.

Cheetara put on a full burst of speed, becoming nothing, but a yellow streak as she caught up to Lion-O. “Now what’s the plan, Lion-O?” The Cheetah asked, slowing down to her leader’s pace. The others were not far behind them.

“You and Pumyra search the dungeons for Tygra and Bengali while Lynx-O, Panthro, and I search for Catlina in the upper part of the castle.” Lion-O ordered. His words earned a nod from Cheetara and he watched her run off with Pumyra at the next hallway before looking back at the remaining two Thundercats. His gaze rested on Lynx-O. “Can your sharp ears hear anything, old friend?” He asked the blind lynx edgily, his gaze flying to the hallway that lay before them. Out of the corner of his eye, Lion-O could see Lynx-O’s ears twitching a bit as they; or rather, he drank in all the sounds of the Mutant’s Hideout.

It did not take long for Lynx-O to register all the sounds within his mind’s eye. He could see the entire layout of Castle Plun-Darr as if someone were holding up a map before him while he ran. Lynx-O’s beard twitched softly, moving a bit as his lips curled into a triumphant smile. “Miss Lina is in a storage room, as are Tygra, Bengali, the Thunderkittens, and the Mutants.” He answered.

“Then Cheetara and Pumyra will meet us outside after investigating the dungeons on the basement level.” Panthro said, withdrawing his nunchucks. The mechanic jumped up and did a mid air kick at a pair of Reptilian Guards, startling them and knocking them over as he landed. Lion-O shot another beam of energy, only this time it hit a few of the guards of Castle Plun-Darr, in the backs, stunning them or knocking them unconscious while Lynx-O returned the lasers shot by other Mutant Soldiers with his Laser Shield. The trio of Cat Warriors was soon swarmed by an excess wave of Plun-Darr Sentries.

Lion-O, Lynx-O, and Panthro continued to fight through the onslaught of enemies as they made their way to the aforementioned location of their friends and Mutants.

As soon as they arrived at the door of the Mutants’ Storeroom, Lion-O shot another beam of light at the door with a loud roar, blasting the metal door off its hinges that connected it to the stonewall. Dust and smoke flew through the air in the aftermath of the light explosion. Lion-O could see Jackalman jump in surprise at their presence and the explosion and Bengali was lying unconscious at Tygra’s feet as Tygra and the Thunderkittens stood before Jackalman, looking tense, and the other Mutants were tied up nearby, but what really caught him off guard was Catrina.

Jackalman had one arm around her neck in a tight headlock and a strange ray gun—filled with Thundrainium no doubt—was held threateningly against her chest, obviously threatening to cause her harm should Tygra or the Kittens try to engage him in a fight. Catrina was struggling to breathe while scratching at her captor’s forearm, trying to break free or at least get him to loosen his hold on her. She was starting to turn blue in the face from the lack of oxygen.

Anger swelled in Lion-O’s heart and a growl built up in the back of his throat. His eyes narrowed, becoming brittle like ice. The muscles in Lion-O’s body became tense with both anger and shock. He felt a sharp emotional pain in his heart at seeing his friend in so much pain. He could sense the pain rippling through her body.

“Jackalman! Let her go now!” The lion growled lowly. A growl formed in the back of his throat as he glowered at Jackalman, their gazes locking onto each other. Jackalman just glared back, but before they could do anything, Jackalman let out a painful howl at feeling Catrina stomping on his foot.

The girl had obviously mustered up all the strength she could find just to do it. The second Jackalman released her, dropping the Thundrainium ray gun in the process, Catrina quickly leapt away from the Mutant and she went for Lion-O’s arms, but she felt something pull her back by the hood of her short-sleeved shirt. “And where do you think you’re going, Cub?” The voice she heard was raspy, but full of malice and it chilled her insides. Catrina felt a slightly familiar cold hand gripping the back of her neck. Her heart began to beat fast in her chest as Lion-O, or Tygra, or someone cried out the name of her Captor.

“Mumm-Ra!” She slowly turned her head and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blue figure dressed in strange garments. A long red cape with blue lining on the inside trailed from the figure’s back and arms as it held her firmly with a slightly bandaged hand. A blue and red cloth was around its waist, making it resemble something out of ancient Egypt pictures and there was a red circle with two crisscrossing snakes on its chest. Red eyes poked out from under a golden crown, adorned with the same two crisscrossing snakes. His lips curled back into a sneer. She recognized Mumm-Ra by the demonic red gaze that stared at her, filling her with fear and dread.

Lion-O immediately got into a battle stance, his left hand slipping into the Cat Claw and the Sword of Omens gripped tightly in both of his hands. He aimed it at his mortal enemy. The Lord’s golden eyes filled with contempt as he glared darkly at Mumm-Ra. “Let her go, Mumm-Ra, or so help you, I’ll—“

“You’ll do what, Lion-O?” Mumm-Ra asked in a taunting tone. He held Catrina a bit tighter with a sneer. “As long as I have your precious Catlina, you and the other Thundercats are at my mercy.”

Mumm-Ra’s laughter made Catrina’s heart leap with fright, but she forced herself to remain calm. She started thinking of anyway of escaping the Mummy’s grip. What was it that Tygra has always told her to do whenever she was in trouble or in danger? Stay calm and assess the situation. Silently taking a deep breath, the Thunderian glanced around the place. I’m at Castle Plun-Darr, Mumm-Ra is threatening to coerce the Thundercats if they try rescuing me, I’m in deep sh— Her trail of thought was interrupted by another new thought, an idea that was sparked by what the others had told her of Mumm-Ra before. Mumm-Ra likes to play dirty. He hates failure. He has too much pride in himself. He hates being double-crossed. He loves worship. He lives for fear… FEAR!

Lion-O saw surprise flicker across Catrina’s face, but he did not show any sign that he saw it for something was telling him that she was thinking of a plan. I will just have to trust her… The Lord of the Thundercats thought to himself. He then glared at Mumm-Ra again, gripping the Sword of Omens more tightly. He wanted to get her out of Mumm-Ra’s grasp, but how?
Once she was in control of her own fear of Mumm-Ra, Catrina took in a deep breath and she spoke in a calm voice. “Is the almighty Mumm-Ra so pathetic that he has to resort to threatening to kill a defenseless little girl like me just to destroy the Thundercats?” The girl saw that Mumm-Ra was glaring at her and she felt his grip tighten around the back of her neck, but it still was not enough for her to feel any pain, but it was close.

“You dare mock Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living?” Mumm-Ra growled. Lion-O and the other Thundercats each took a step closer at this point, all of them wielding their weapons—except for Bengali, who was still unconscious with Pumyra watching over him now. Jackalman was sitting on the floor behind Mumm-Ra, paralyzed with fear.

Catrina just merely struggled to keep herself from crying out in pain. Mumm-Ra’s hand was starting to put pressure on her neck. “N-no. I was just thinking that with all that power you claim to have, you would have equal intelligence.” She yelped at Mumm-Ra adding more pressure on her neck, beginning to squeeze the pressure points.

“You little fur ball!” Mumm-Ra growled, “What are you getting at! Spit it out!”

Lion-O bared his teeth, starting to growl. “Mumm-Ra!” He was ready to inflict the same pain upon Mumm-Ra. His anger was getting the best of him. Seeing that Catrina was in pain, Lion-O quickly made a swipe at his arch nemesis with the Sword of Omens. The very tip of the blade startled Mumm-Ra, making the Ever Living Demon release Catrina. Catrina was left gasping and coughing for air as Lion-O caught her.

“Blasted Lord of the Thundercats!” Mumm-Ra shrieked with such rage that it nearly made all of the Thundercats jump in fright. The Thunderkittens jumped a bit anyway. His red eyes flashed, beginning to glow, as he lifted both of his hands to the sky. “You shall know the wrath of Mumm-Ra, the Ever Living!” He cried out.

Catrina just took in a deep breath and from the safety of Lion-O’s arms; she placed her hand onto the hilt of the Sword of Omens as the others prepared for any spell he sends at them. “L-Lion-O, his weakness.” The girl said with another gasp.

Lion-O nodded with a faint smile. “I know, Lina. Mumm-Ra fears his own reflection.” The Lord said. The Lion raised the Sword of Omens to the sky as Mumm-Ra began to chant. “Sword of Omens, give Mumm-Ra Sight Beyond Sight! Show him what he fears the most!” Lion-O ordered. The crossbars of the swords hilt raised themselves, curling up as the Eye of Thundera opened. The whole sword glowed a faint red as Lion-O held the Sword of Omens to Mumm-Ra. “Ho!”

Mumm-Ra’s eyes went wide with fear as he saw his deepest fear. He saw himself, his true form, glaring back at him in the vision that the Sword of Omens gave. Catrina had to cover her eyes as Mumm-Ra let out a blood-curdling scream. His red cape turned into his normal hooded cloak while his seemingly muscled form became scrawny and he became covered with bandages once more. “You…will pay for this…Catlina! You, too, Lion-O!” The Mummy then disappeared, flying off into the sky.

Jackalman shrieked in surprise at being on his own to deal with the Thundercats.

Lion-O slowly stood up with Catrina in one arm. After handing Catrina to Tygra, he turned to face the cowering Canine Mutant. “And now to deal with you, Jackalman!” Lion-O snarled, his eyes narrowing to slits.

Jackalman shrank back against the wall, whimpering as he watched the red haired Thunderian tower over him with the Sword of Omens in his grasp. Jackalman began to tremble in fright, his yellow eyes widening with fear. “N-no!”

Catrina watched from Tygra’s arms as Lion-O lifted the Sword of Omens high above his head. He was ready to strike Jackalman right in the heart. The girl went rigid with fear and she yelled out to Lion-O. “Lion-O! No! Don’t do it!” She managed to break free of Tygra’s hold and ran between her friend and Jackalman. She stood before Jackalman with her arms open as if to shield Jackalman from harm.

Lion-O barely kept the sword from coming in contact with Catrina’s head. He stared at her in surprise as she stood there with a determined look on her face. The Lord of the Thundercats stared at his childhood friend in astonishment. “Lina? Why do you protect that miserable Mutant after he’s tried to hurt you?” Anger was evident in his tone and in his eyes as he growled these words at her.

Catrina just stood her ground, glaring back at her leader and friend. “I know that Jackalman is a cowardly miserable Mutant and the enemy, but if I remember correctly, the Code of Thundera doesn’t allow the Thundercats to stoop to a Mutant’s level and take a life out of revenge or for any other reason. If you killed Jackalman, you would be no better than Mumm-Ra or the Lunataks, or even the Mutants. So, I will not allow you to go beyond the point of no return. If you stray from the path of Justice, Truth, Honor, and Loyalty, there would be no guarantee that you’ll come back to it.” She said quietly. The girl felt tears burning at her eyes, but she kept them at bay as she continued. “You would be telling me all of this if our positions were reversed, Lion-O. You or any of the other Thundercats have not strayed from the Code of Thundera yet, nor will I let you. So, let’s…let’s just go home now…Snarf, Sammy, Kassim, and Snarfer…they’re waiting for us and they’re probably beyond sick with worry, too.”

Lion-O closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, lowering the Sword of Omens from Jackalman and Catrina. Tygra and the other Thundercats watched in mild confusion, waiting to see what their Lord and Leader would do. Tygra glanced at Jackalman. The Canine Mutant was sitting there behind his student, staring at her, stunned. That blasted coward better count his blessings that Lina is even sparing his life after what he has tried to do to her. The Tiger thought bitterly. Tygra would have acted in the same manner if he were in Lion-O’s place. From beside him, Pumyra, who had arrived with Cheetara moments before Mumm-Ra fled, had helped the now conscious Bengali to his feet. Thunderkittens were both looking at each other in curiosity while the others were just listening and watching the exchange between their Lord and Future Lady.

Lion-O finally opened his eyes once he was calm and had let Catrina’s words sink into his subconscious. What she said was right. Justice. Truth. Honor. Loyalty. The Code of Thundera was the life of the Thundercats and all Thunderians. It was their law and way of life. To abandon the Code would mean becoming evil like Grune… When he opened his eyes, Lion-O sheathed the Sword of Omens and smiled at Catrina. “You’re right, Lina. I would not be any better than the Mutants would. I rather lost myself for a second there. I’m sorry.” He said quietly. Lion-O held out a hand to Catrina and gave her a nod. “Let’s all return home to the Cats’ Lair, together.”

Catrina’s blue eyes lit up and she smiled back at the red haired Thunderian. She was about to take Lion-O’s hand when Jackalman pulled her back by the hood of her shirt. The thirteen year old soon found herself in Jackalman’s headlock once more.

Lion-O growled, glaring at the male Mutant. “Jackalman!”

Jackalman just laughed hysterically, squeezing Catrina more, “This precious fur ball of yours means having you at my mercy, Lion-O! So, she is my bargaining chip. Give me the Sword of Omens for—“ His words were cut off as Catrina bit down on his arm and stomped on his toe again, forcing him to release her again. “You little brat!”

Catrina quickly dove into Lion-O’s arms before Jackalman could grab her again. Tygra quickly unfurled his Bolo Whip and struck at Jackalman, causing a small ring of fire to surround the red furred Mutant, trapping him. With all the Mutants detained for the time being, Lion-O led the others out of the Fortress with Catrina in his arms.

--

Catrina blushed at being carried by Lion-O. His bare hand was under the bend of her legs as his other hand, covered by the Cat Shield, and was placed at the middle of her back. Her blush deepened as she chanced a peek at Lion-O. The determined look on Lion-O’s face and the way he seemed to take command of the others had fit the image Catrina had always imagined him to be—of course, it never really helped that Jaga had put this much thought into her head when she and Lion-O were younger. Her father had always told her of what a fine figure of a Thundercat his student would become. Somehow, Jaga’s words had made Catrina into a romanticist, the kind that dreams of having a brave knight rescue damsels in distress, only to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. One that believed in fairy tales if you will.

Her childhood friend seemed to have grown in many ways during their time apart from each other. It almost pained her thinking of that time, making her heart ache a bit, but Catrina suppressed her blush.

Lion-O felt Catrina’s gaze on him and he looked down at her, giving her a faint smile of his own. “What’s wrong, Lina?” He asked, trying to suppressing his own nervousness. His golden eyes stared into her blue ones. Having Catrina stare at him was making feel like that awkward preteen again. He watched his friend look away, mumbling something incoherent.

Catrina suddenly spoke more loudly, still blushing a bit as everyone arrived outside of Castle Plun-Darr. “Um, Lion-O, I think you can put me down no—“ A loud explosion sounded from behind the group and Catrina couldn’t help, burying her face into Lion-O’s shoulder as Castle Plun-Darr blew up into smoke, becoming nothing, but a large ball of fire reaching towards the sky. She opened her eyes and her jaw dropped. “W-what the…why is the castle on fire?” The girl asked in confusion.

Panthro smirked from beside Lion-O, his red eyes gleaming with glee. “I just set up a few minor explosives to distract those blasted Mutants while we make our escape.” The Panther said with a hearty laugh, but his smile disappeared at seeing the frightened look on his future Lady’s face. “Don’t worry; the Mutants aren’t going to get hurt, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

However, Catrina shook her head furiously. Her eyes were not on the fiery blaze of their enemy’s lair. It was on the sky overhead. There was obviously something in the sky that had frightened her so much for nearly all the color seemed to have drained from Catrina’s face as her eyes looked skyward.

When the Thundercats all looked up, they all saw what had captured Catrina’s attention. Up in the sky were Chilla and Alluro on their hovercrafts, but with them were Sammy, Kassim, and the two Snarfs, Snarfer and Snarf.

Catrina’s heart leapt to the back of her throat and she saw Sammy sitting behind Chilla, struggling to get out of the ropes that the ice woman had used to tie her up. Kassim was muzzled and tied to the back seat of Alluro’s aircraft while Snarf and Snarfer were tangled up in a net that was being lugged around by Chilla.

Chilla smirked in self-satisfaction at seeing the frightened look on Catrina’s face and her eyes narrowed. “Come and get them, Catlina! If you dare! Come! Rescue your sister and little pets at Sky Tomb!” With that said, the female Lunatac flew off in the direction of Fire Rock Mountain, leaving Alluro to deal with the aftermath.

“Sammy!” Catrina scrambled out of Lion-O’s arms and started to give chase to the Lunatacs.

“Lina! No!” Tygra and Lion-O both ran after her, but they were stopped as Alluro waved his Psychic Club, summoning a bright blue light.

The troll like Lunatac smirked as the ball of blue light hovered over Catrina, forcing her to stop in her tracks. “Give it up, Catlina. You’re powerless against my psyche club.” He said with a laugh.

Catrina felt the muscles in her limbs stiffen as a strange force emanating from the blue light entered her soul, making her mind nearly go blank. It felt like someone was squeezing her head, forcing all conscious thought to leave her, allowing Alluro to control every fiber in her being. “Gah…W…what’s h-happening...to me?”

“Lina!” Lion-O called out. He was ready to go after his childhood friend when Tygra grabbed his arm. He looked back at the tiger in confusion. “Tygra? We have to do something before…”

“Just wait, Lion-O.” Tygra said softly. The tiger lifted his hand from his leader’s shoulder before staring at Catrina. He brought both of his hands to his forehead as he focused all his thoughts to his student. Lina, can you hear me? He asked silently to her.

Surprise graced Catrina’s face, but she found she could not exactly look at her mentor. All she could do was struggle to concentrate on answering him. Ty…gra… She thought weakly back at him.

Lion-O watched, his heart jumping in relief at seeing a small smile creeping onto his second-in-command’s face. That means he had established contact with Catrina. Lion-O watched as Catrina struggled with breaking free of Alluro’s mind control. His heart leapt in fright when he saw her eyes glow blue. Her face became tight with anger as her mind reached out to the lion behind Alluro, seeming to meld their minds together.

Catrina could feel Alluro’s hold on her mind breaking on her, making the Lunatac swear under his breath, his pale skin become flushed with anger. Kassim’s eyes started to glow blue as well and pretty soon the male wild cat broke free of the net and muzzle, and with Catrina controlling him, Kassim lunged at Alluro, knocking him off the flying contraption.