A New Beginning? -- Chapters 1, 2, and 3
Here is the first story in my second series. Trust Issues is the fourth in case you were wondering. ;) A New Beginning? Chapter 1 The sun rose over the crust of New Thundera and it’s rays wound their way around until they found Lion-O’s window. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Another beautiful day dawned and he knew that this would be a new beginning for everyone. The Caverns of Cold had been returned to their once lush gardens and the Baleful Swamp became the clear lake it used be. The Mountains of the Moon were now calm and the ruins of the old signal tower stood tall. Last but not least, the Iron Forest was now stripped of its metal and regular trees flourished. Lion-O got up and went into the bathroom. A quick shower and then off to the control room to get his weekly report from Third Earth. It was his hope to bring Tygra and Pumyra back to New Thundera soon, so that all the ThunderCats could enjoy their home. Fifteen minutes later, the Lord of the ThunderCats walked into the control room and found Panthro, Cheetara, Snarf, and Snarfer already at their stations. “Good morning Lion-O. Looks like another beautiful day.” The cheetah commented. “Yes, it does. Where are Ben-Gali, Lynx-O, and the ThunderKittens?” Lion-O wondered. “Ben-Gali and Lynx-O are down at the Homing Beacon. As for the ThunderKittens they’re off using their Space Boards. I figured a little relaxation would be good for them.” Panthro explained. “Good, now I guess I’d better make me weekly video call to Third Earth.” The lion said. “All right.” Panthro quickly poked the proper buttons and called over the system. “This is Panthro on New Thundera calling Cat’s Lair on Third Earth. Come in Third Earth.” The picture on the screen went black and white lines crossed it but nothing came up. “I say again, New Thundera to Cat’s Lair on Third Earth. Come in Cat’s Lair.” Despite the attempt, the puma’s face never appeared on the screen. “Call Tygra. Maybe the Lair’s system is down.” Lion-O instructed. Cheetara left her seat and stood next to the lion as Panthro nodded and tried to call the Tower of Omens. “This is Panthro on New Thundera calling the Tower of Omens on Third Earth. Come in Third Earth.” Again the screen in front of the group went black and white lines crossed it. Lion-O was starting to get nervous but he didn’t let it show as the panther tried for a second time. “I say again, New Thundera to the Tower of Omens on Third Earth. Come in Tower of Omens.” The ThunderCats watched as nothing happened. “Cheetara, get on the intercommunication link and call the ThunderKittens back to the Lair. Panthro try to bring up the Homing Beacon and alert Lynx-O and Ben-Gali of the situation.” Lion-O’s mind shifted into alert mode. At that moment, a growl came from the Sword of Omens. He pulled the Sword from the Claw Shield on his hip and raised it to his face. “Danger! Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight.” The Eye of Thundera glowed and the Sword’s hilt shifted to allow its master to see what he needed. A picture of Third Earth unfolded before him. The Tower of Omens appeared to be empty and quickly the Sword moved to Cat’s Lair and showed him why. Cat’s Lair was under attack from some creatures that Lion-O didn’t recognize. Pumyra and Tygra were trying their best to fend off the beasts from inside the Lair but it appeared to be a losing battle. A spaceship bombarded the Lair with its laser cannons and Tygra tried to fire back as Pumyra was trying to raise New Thundera. Lowering the Sword, Lion-O told the others what he saw. “We have to load the Feliner and get over there immediately. Tygra and Pumyra can’t hold out for very long. Snarf and Snarfer stay here and make sure the ThunderKittens help you.” He said. Snarf nodded. “Let’s go.” Panthro said. “Be careful Lion-O.” Snarf called as they left the control room. “Don’t worry Uncle. They’ll take care of the bad guys, no sweat.” Snarfer said. “I hope you’re right, snarf, snarf.” The older of the two said. ****************************** “MUMM-RA! MUMM-RA!” The Ancient Spirits of evil called their slave from his sarcophagus. “Yes, oh evil ancient ones. What is it that you require?” The mummy asked as he stepped out of the safety of his coffin. “You disobeyed us Mumm-Ra. You went into the Book of Omens and lost to Lion-O; for that you must pay. However, you have yet another golden opportunity to crush the ThunderCats. Look into the cauldron.” The Ancient Spirits of Evil directed his attention to the boiling water and the mummy watched the scene unfold. “While Lion-O, Panthro, and Cheetara are trying to save Third Earth, you will take New Thundera from out from under them.” They commanded. “Yes, ancient ones. Whatever you want.” Mumm-Ra bowed his head. “Should you fail this time, we will destroy you and bring a new champion forth to defeat the ThunderCats.” The Ancient Spirits warned him. With the ultimatum delivered, the giant statures zapped Mumm-Ra so he could become the ever-living source of evil he was meant to be and the mummy flew out of his onyx pyramid. Chapter 2 WilyKit and WilyKat manned the controls at Cat’s Lair and kept an eye on the Feliner. Suddenly warning bells went off, signaling trouble. “What’s going on?” Snarf asked. WilyKit quickly shifted the big monitor to the approaching threat. “It’s Mumm-Ra!” She shouted, suddenly unsure of what to do. “Battle stations!” WilyKat’s shouting quickly pulled her back to reality. Snarfer hopped into the chair at the smaller control. “The laser cannons will be ready in less than a minute.” He said. “I’m not sure we have that long.” WilyKit told them. Something in the back of her head told her that if they couldn’t defend their home, they would be done for. Outside the Lair, Mumm-Ra flew towards the ThunderCats’ stronghold as fast as he could. With only the ThunderKittens and the two Snarves holding it down they would be easy pickings. He could easily gain control of New Thundera, get back into the good graces with the Ancient Spirits, and defeat the ThunderCats once and for all. Raising his hands, he shot energy blasts at Cat’s Lair. “Return fire!” WilyKat ordered. Snarfer fired the laser cannons. Unfortunately, Mumm-Ra easily avoided the beam and fired directly at the cannons. From inside the Lair, Snarfer was thrown back off the controls as the wiring exploded. WilyKit quickly helped the younger snarf up off the floor. “We’ve lost the left cannon. Snarf use the right one.” WilyKat ordered. Snarf fired at the mummy but it was no use. Again the cannon was easily destroyed. “Now what?” WilyKat asked. “We can’t fight him by ourselves.” Her brother said. “We have to try.” She said. “Prepare to fight.” **************************** Pumyra fired the ballista as Tygra worked with the lasers in the Cat’s Eyes. Their shots hit the intended targets but the alien ships refused to fall. “What are those things made of?” The puma clenched her teeth and again tried to raise New Thundera over the radio. When she got nothing but static she knew that they were still on their own. Suddenly, Cat’s Lair shook and Pumyra was thrown to the ground. “Rowr!” She growled in pain. Carefully she stood up and moved back to the controls. Her left arm hung limply at her side and she forced herself to keep tears from surfacing. She pressed the button to fire the ballista again but this time nothing happened. Quickly she grabbed her radio and called out to Tygra. “The ballista is loaded but it failed to fire. You have to get out of there now!” There was no response from the orange tiger and she knew that she had to find him and the two had to get out. Pumyra ran for the stairs and headed up to the Cat’s Head. When she arrived she found Tygra still trying to fire the lasers. Quickly she grabbed him and pulled him away. “The ballista failed to fire we have to get out of here!” She shouted above the noise of the battle. “Let’s go!” Tygra shouted back and the two quickly started to head out of the Cat’s Head but before they got too far there was a massive explosion. *********************** The Eye of Thundera growled signaling danger to its master. With one deft move, Lion-O retrieved the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield on his hip and commanded it to show him what was happening. The picture before him looked grim. The ThunderKittens were trying to keep Mumm-Ra back but they weren’t succeeding. Suddenly the Eye shifted its focus onto Third Earth. What he saw made him cringe. “We have to hurry to Third Earth. Cat’s Lair has been destroyed and I can’t see Pumyra and Tygra.” Lion-O told the others. “Why can’t you see Pumyra?” Ben-Gali radioed nervously from the back compartment. “I don’t know but there is more bad news. Mumm-Ra is attacking Cat’s Lair back on New Thundera.” The Lord of the ThunderCats said. “We can’t turn back now.” Panthro shook his head. “It seems we are between a rock and a hard place.” Lynx-O radioed from his seat in the back of the Feliner. “I have an idea.” Cheetara started. Her comrades turned and waited for her to continue. “Can we radio the settlement and have the recruits help the ThunderKittens until we get back?” The cheetah asked. “They aren’t fully trained and I don’t like sending them in like that.” Lion-O said. “Cheetara has a point though. They could help keep Mumm-Ra back and maybe give the ThunderKittens enough time until we can get back to New Thundera.” Panthro told the lion. “Yes, I agree.” Lynx-O radioed over. “Then it’s settled. Radio the settlement tell them of the ThunderKittens predicament and hope to Jaga we can defeat the strange enemy and get back fast enough.” Lion-O said. Something in the back of his mind knew that it would physically impossible to move that fast unless Cheetara was running inside the Feliner’s engines but they had to try. Chapter 3 Pumyra awoke to find her legs pinned underneath a large piece of equipment. She struggled to move and realized that she couldn’t do it on her own. “Tygra!” She called out to him hoping he’d respond. “I’m over here. Are you ok?” The orange tiger called back from the other side of a large part of a wall that separated the two. “I’m pinned beneath some machinery and I can’t move!” Pumyra told him. “I’ll try to get over there and help you just hang on!” Tygra hoped he could get around the large piece of the wall. Luckily the fire from outside had stopped but that didn’t mean whatever was in those spaceships wasn’t starting their ground invasion. Looking around for a hole or gap to crawl through, the architect knew he had to be careful. At any time the weakened structure could collapse on top of them and then there would be no way out. Unfortunately being careful wasn’t going to be easy with the cuts that were all over his body and the pain in his right side. The orange tiger could feel blood beginning to soak the side of his uniform but pulling the offending piece out could cause uncontrollable bleeding and that was something he didn’t have time for. “Tygra!” The puma’s voice reached him again. “I’m coming!” He called back to her. “Get out of here! Forget me! If this thing collapses there is no way you can carry me out!” Tygra could hear her struggling to get the sentence out. “I’m not going to do that! ThunderCats never leave their own behind!” The tiger became even more determined to get to Pumyra. There was silence from the female puma and that made him nervous. ************************ “How much longer until we get to Third Earth?” Lion-O asked. “Unfortunately at least an hour.” Panthro told him. “That’s not fast enough.” The Lord of the ThunderCats replied. “I’ve already put the boosters in full gear as well as the regular engines.” The mechanic said. “I know, it’s not your fault, I just don’t like this.” Lion-O shook his head. “Me neither but if we try to go any faster the engines will give out and there will be no one to help Pumyra and Tygra.” Panthro said. The lion let out a sigh and nodded. Cheetara watched his expression in his reflection off the glass in front of her. Lion-O had matured since their arrival on Third Earth those few years ago. He had grown to become the leader, his father Claudus had wanted. Something inside her, sought to try to comfort him but the fact of the matter was there was work to be done and fellow ThunderCats to save. Later when the nightmare was over and everything was back to normal, maybe she could talk to him. Lion-O looked up and caught Cheetara’s eyes in the reflection. Quickly, she ducked back to work and focused on the monitors in front of her. A smile crossed his face for a moment and then he returned to thoughts of the trouble ahead. It was his fault that they had spread themselves so thin. Now everyone was in trouble and they could only hope that their plan would work. To Be Continued...