Loss of Innocence, Chapter 1
The Loss of Innocence Chapter 1 Wily Kit sat at the window in her room staring down into the courtyard of the new Cat’s Lair and sighed. She watched as her fellow Thundarians scurried about on their errands, heedless of her melancholy. Nothing seemed right since Snarf had passed away and she missed her brother now more then ever. As children they had always comforted each other when they had gotten scared or worried or sad, but now Kat was on Third Earth with his wife Nilam and she was here on New Thundera with the rest of the other Thundercats. She knew that the other Thundercats had sensed that something was wrong with her and had tried to help in their own way; Cheetara, Pumyra, and Kylynne had taken her shopping and to spa treatments while Tygra and Lion-o had tried to set her up on blind dates with eligible young men of noble families, thinking that it would distract her. But she had nothing in common with these boys. None of them had ever gone joy riding on a space board or fought off enemies constantly. She viewed these boys as dandies; full of their own self-worth and constantly talking about their great wealth and power. She just smiled at them and nodded, never saying a thing, often daydreaming of being out in the open, enjoying the wide expanses of freedom and beauty. She often thought of her childhood on Third Earth and missed those days of innocence. “Innocence?” some would say, “With all those days of fighting Mutants and that horrible being Mumm-Ra?” But it was true, she had been much more innocent in those lost days then she had ever been here in court on New Thundera. All the political upheavals and underhanded deeds that happened right under the Thundercats noses disgusted her and she often wished she had stayed behind on Third Earth. She glanced at her chronometer and groaned when she saw that she was once again late for another council meeting. She had come to dread these get together as they were filled with nothing but concerns of the kingdom and who had to do what and so on and so forth. She dragged her feet to the council chamber and sat down in her assigned seat, not even asking forgiveness for her lateness. Lion-o eyed her with dismay and concern, but said nothing. “Now that everyone is here, we can begin this meeting.” For the next hour, Wily Kit suffered through the proceedings, barely paying attention until Lion-o got to the rotations. Every Thundercat had to spend a year of duty on Third Earth, with the exceptions of Bengali and Wily Kat and their families. They had opted to stay permanently there. It was a promise that had been made to the people of Third Earth and the Thundercats were not only honor bound to up hold this pact, but joyful to do it as well. The only one not bound by this pact was Lion-o himself. He was the Lord of the Thundercats, the king of New Thundera and her people, and the head of the Universal Defense System. His duties on New Thundera did not allow him the luxury of taking a year off to do a rotation. “This year’s rotation will be Tygra and Cheetara, and Pumyra and Oro.” He announced. Kit’s heart sank; she had hoped that her name would come up, but she hid her disappointment from the others. “Maybe next year.” she thought. The gods of fortune must have been with her this day, however, for Pumyra spoke up and asked Lion-o to reconsider his decision. “Lion-o, it is an honor to reside on Third Earth and to protect its people, but I would ask that you give this duty to another. We didn’t want to say anything until Renee gave birth, but Oro and I are to become grandparents within the next few months and we don’t want to miss the special event.” All around the table were shouts of congratulations and well wishes for the next generations, but Lion-o was grimed faced. “I wish you had told me sooner Pumyra, I could have selected someone else. I’m afraid that the only way you can stay here is if someone would be willing to take your place.” Pumyra looked down in despair until she heard Wily Kit’s voice. “I’ll do it! I’ll volunteer!” Everyone at the table stopped to stare at her. “Are you sure about this Kit?” asked Pumyra. “Oh yes, I’m sure. It will be great to see the others and to help out at the Lair and Tower. Besides, I really need to get away for a while.” “I’m not sure about this Kit.” said Lion-o, “You are still pretty young.” Wily Kit sighed. “I’m not a cub anymore Lion-o, I do know how to take care of myself. And it’s not like I’m going to be alone there. What with Bengali, Linda, Tygra, Cheetara, Wily Kat and Nilam being around, I’m not ever going to be alone.” “I’m still not sure about this.” Lion-o said. “Look Lion-o, I’m 27 years old now. I know you still like to see me as that young kid who often got into trouble, but I’m a grown woman now who, believe it or not, has matured and knows better then to just jump right into things. And if you are worried about my safety, then let me put your mind at ease. For the last year I have been practicing with a new weapon called Sais, and from what Tygra and some of the other trainers have said, I’m not too bad with them.” “That’s an understatement,” stated Tygra, “She’s phenomenal with them!” Cheetara spoke up then. “Let her go Lion-o. I think a change of scenery will be good for her. I hope that I speak for my mate as well when I say that I swear to keep an eye on her on Third Earth.” Tygra nodded to let everyone know that he agreed with his mate. The lord of the Thundercats shook his head and smiled. “Well, it seems that I am out numbered. Very well Kit, you can go on the rotation.” Kit whooped with joy and ran around to give her lord a hug. Lion-o accepted her hug, but was a little saddened inside. He had always seen Wily Kit as the little sister he’d never had and like any big brother, he worried about her safety. There was at least one good thing about Kit going to Third Earth; there were no men there that he had to worry about taking advantage of her or breaking her heart. Kit was so excited to be back at what she considered home that she was seriously thinking of jumping out of the Feliner 2 before it landed. Good sense won out however and she remained seated until the ship had touched down and the hatched had opened. She jumped out and squealed with delight when she saw her brother, running to him and launching herself at him. Wily Kat laughed to see his sister and swung her easily in his arms. Finally he set her down and they stood back to look at each other. Except for Snarf’s funeral, they hadn’t seen each other in about 3 years. Wily Kat had grown into a tall, strapping young man full of strength and charm while Kit had become a beautiful young woman of grace and fire. “Well would you look at my little sister.” Kat said with a grin. “Little?! Wily Kat, you know that I’m your elder!” she said sternly. “Only by about 5 minutes!” Kat laughed. This was an ongoing joke between them and for a moment, Kit felt the years melt away and she saw her brother as he had been when they had first arrived on Third Earth, young and impressionable and easily swayed, but always there when you needed him. Fighting back tears, Kit hugged her brother again and whispered, “It is so good to see you again, brother mine. I’ve missed being around you.” Knowing how she felt, Kat squeezed her tightly and said, “I’ve missed you to Kit.” “Ok Kat, stop hogging your sister, she had other people to greet.” said Panthro as he smiled at the two. Kit reluctantly let go of her brother and turned to hug the older man. “Hey Panthro, how was your rotation here?” she asked him. “Just a walk in the park hun. Except for a few skimmerishes with the Mutants, nothing much to talk about.” Kit smiled at him. “You sound disappointed.” “Of course he’s disappointed!” said Bengali as he and his mate walked up to them. “Unless he’s kicking some ass, he can be a bit surly.” Panthro rolled his eyes at the white tiger, but he couldn’t disagree with him. Since Mumm-Ra’s destruction several years ago, life on Third Earth had been rather quiet and while the residents of this planet were grateful for that fact, Panthro himself was a man of action and all this peace was mind numbing. As much as he loved this place, he was glad to be finishing his rotation and heading back to New Thundera. He knew that there he could hone his martial abilities on the new recruits entering the army or Thundercat training and that brought a smile to his face. Kit turned to hug Bengali and felt a tiny amount of excitement as she felt his strong arms. She blushed and glanced guiltily at Linda his mate. She saw that the human had noticed her heated blush, but instead of being upset, was actually grinning at her, understanding her reaction. Kit was grateful for this and smiled back. As Linda hugged her, Kit thought back to when the human woman had first shown up over a decade ago. As a child, Kit had had a major crush on the young white tiger and had not been too happy when Linda had shown up and won his love. But over time, Kit had seen that the love that those two shared and had felt awed by it. She could only hope that one day she could find some one to love and be loved with that same intensity. Once everyone had greeted the new arrivals, they then said their good byes to Lynx-o and Panthro, who were heading back to New Thundera immediately. After the Feliner 2 had flown out of their sight, the remaining Thundercats began to walk back to the Lair. Wily Kat threw an arm around his two favorite women and walked with them. “I hope you like what Nilam has done to your room Kit, she is a wonder with paint and fabrics.” As the Lair loomed in front of her, Kit had a sudden panic attack. She wasn’t sure why, but the thought of staying in the Lair gripped her in fear. “Um, if you don’t mind, I was thinking of staying at the Tower with Linda and Bengali.” She said, not meeting her brother’s eyes or those of his mate. Kat looked at her suspiciously. “Are you sure? Nilam spent a lot of time on your room…” “I know,” she said, cutting him off, “and I appreciate it, I really do, but I just don’t think I will be too comfortable living at the Lair.” Kat glanced at his wife and saw her smile and nod at him. “Ok, if that’s what you want to do, but I would suggest you ask them about it first.” Kit nodded and excused herself, walking over to talk to Bengali and his mate. Kat stared after his sister and frowned, concern evident on his face. “I wonder why she doesn’t want to stay here with us?” he asked aloud. “It’s Snarf.” his mate answered and he looked down at her in confusion. “What does Snarf have to do with her decision to live at the Tower?” “From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, she was very close to him and loved him like a father almost. His death was a major blow to her and because he was a major fixture here at the Lair, the memories of this place might be too much for her at this time.” Kat looked at his sister and nodded. “I never knew she loved that little furball so much.” Nilam hugged her husband. “It’s not all that shocking, love. I know that you loved him as well. Don’t think that I didn’t see you crying at his grave side the day before we came home.” He smiled at her and bent to give her a brief kiss on the lips. “That’s one of the things that I love about you darling, you know me so well.” Nilam smiled at her mate and accepted his loving compliment then eyed her sister in law with sympathy. She knew that Kit was here for something more then just a change, as Cheetara had hinted at when she had called to inform them of the new rotations and Nilam truly hoped that Kit would find what she was looking for.
The Loss of Innocence Chapter 1 Wily Kit sat at the window in her room staring down into the courtyard of the new Cat’s Lair and sighed. She watched as her fellow Thundarians scurried about on their errands, heedless of her melancholy. Nothing seemed right since Snarf had passed away and she missed her brother now more then ever. As children they had always comforted each other when they had gotten scared or worried or sad, but now Kat was on Third Earth with his wife Nilam and she was here on New Thundera with the rest of the other Thundercats. She knew that the other Thundercats had sensed that something was wrong with her and had tried to help in their own way; Cheetara, Pumyra, and Kylynne had taken her shopping and to spa treatments while Tygra and Lion-o had tried to set her up on blind dates with eligible young men of noble families, thinking that it would distract her. But she had nothing in common with these boys. None of them had ever gone joy riding on a space board or fought off enemies constantly. She viewed these boys as dandies; full of their own self-worth and constantly talking about their great wealth and power. She just smiled at them and nodded, never saying a thing, often daydreaming of being out in the open, enjoying the wide expanses of freedom and beauty. She often thought of her childhood on Third Earth and missed those days of innocence. “Innocence?” some would say, “With all those days of fighting Mutants and that horrible being Mumm-Ra?” But it was true, she had been much more innocent in those lost days then she had ever been here in court on New Thundera. All the political upheavals and underhanded deeds that happened right under the Thundercats noses disgusted her and she often wished she had stayed behind on Third Earth. She glanced at her chronometer and groaned when she saw that she was once again late for another council meeting. She had come to dread these get together as they were filled with nothing but concerns of the kingdom and who had to do what and so on and so forth. She dragged her feet to the council chamber and sat down in her assigned seat, not even asking forgiveness for her lateness. Lion-o eyed her with dismay and concern, but said nothing. “Now that everyone is here, we can begin this meeting.” For the next hour, Wily Kit suffered through the proceedings, barely paying attention until Lion-o got to the rotations. Every Thundercat had to spend a year of duty on Third Earth, with the exceptions of Bengali and Wily Kat and their families. They had opted to stay permanently there. It was a promise that had been made to the people of Third Earth and the Thundercats were not only honor bound to up hold this pact, but joyful to do it as well. The only one not bound by this pact was Lion-o himself. He was the Lord of the Thundercats, the king of New Thundera and her people, and the head of the Universal Defense System. His duties on New Thundera did not allow him the luxury of taking a year off to do a rotation. “This year’s rotation will be Tygra and Cheetara, and Pumyra and Oro.” He announced. Kit’s heart sank; she had hoped that her name would come up, but she hid her disappointment from the others. “Maybe next year.” she thought. The gods of fortune must have been with her this day, however, for Pumyra spoke up and asked Lion-o to reconsider his decision. “Lion-o, it is an honor to reside on Third Earth and to protect its people, but I would ask that you give this duty to another. We didn’t want to say anything until Renee gave birth, but Oro and I are to become grandparents within the next few months and we don’t want to miss the special event.” All around the table were shouts of congratulations and well wishes for the next generations, but Lion-o was grimed faced. “I wish you had told me sooner Pumyra, I could have selected someone else. I’m afraid that the only way you can stay here is if someone would be willing to take your place.” Pumyra looked down in despair until she heard Wily Kit’s voice. “I’ll do it! I’ll volunteer!” Everyone at the table stopped to stare at her. “Are you sure about this Kit?” asked Pumyra. “Oh yes, I’m sure. It will be great to see the others and to help out at the Lair and Tower. Besides, I really need to get away for a while.” “I’m not sure about this Kit.” said Lion-o, “You are still pretty young.” Wily Kit sighed. “I’m not a cub anymore Lion-o, I do know how to take care of myself. And it’s not like I’m going to be alone there. What with Bengali, Linda, Tygra, Cheetara, Wily Kat and Nilam being around, I’m not ever going to be alone.” “I’m still not sure about this.” Lion-o said. “Look Lion-o, I’m 27 years old now. I know you still like to see me as that young kid who often got into trouble, but I’m a grown woman now who, believe it or not, has matured and knows better then to just jump right into things. And if you are worried about my safety, then let me put your mind at ease. For the last year I have been practicing with a new weapon called Sais, and from what Tygra and some of the other trainers have said, I’m not too bad with them.” “That’s an understatement,” stated Tygra, “She’s phenomenal with them!” Cheetara spoke up then. “Let her go Lion-o. I think a change of scenery will be good for her. I hope that I speak for my mate as well when I say that I swear to keep an eye on her on Third Earth.” Tygra nodded to let everyone know that he agreed with his mate. The lord of the Thundercats shook his head and smiled. “Well, it seems that I am out numbered. Very well Kit, you can go on the rotation.” Kit whooped with joy and ran around to give her lord a hug. Lion-o accepted her hug, but was a little saddened inside. He had always seen Wily Kit as the little sister he’d never had and like any big brother, he worried about her safety. There was at least one good thing about Kit going to Third Earth; there were no men there that he had to worry about taking advantage of her or breaking her heart. Kit was so excited to be back at what she considered home that she was seriously thinking of jumping out of the Feliner 2 before it landed. Good sense won out however and she remained seated until the ship had touched down and the hatched had opened. She jumped out and squealed with delight when she saw her brother, running to him and launching herself at him. Wily Kat laughed to see his sister and swung her easily in his arms. Finally he set her down and they stood back to look at each other. Except for Snarf’s funeral, they hadn’t seen each other in about 3 years. Wily Kat had grown into a tall, strapping young man full of strength and charm while Kit had become a beautiful young woman of grace and fire. “Well would you look at my little sister.” Kat said with a grin. “Little?! Wily Kat, you know that I’m your elder!” she said sternly. “Only by about 5 minutes!” Kat laughed. This was an ongoing joke between them and for a moment, Kit felt the years melt away and she saw her brother as he had been when they had first arrived on Third Earth, young and impressionable and easily swayed, but always there when you needed him. Fighting back tears, Kit hugged her brother again and whispered, “It is so good to see you again, brother mine. I’ve missed being around you.” Knowing how she felt, Kat squeezed her tightly and said, “I’ve missed you to Kit.” “Ok Kat, stop hogging your sister, she had other people to greet.” said Panthro as he smiled at the two. Kit reluctantly let go of her brother and turned to hug the older man. “Hey Panthro, how was your rotation here?” she asked him. “Just a walk in the park hun. Except for a few skimmerishes with the Mutants, nothing much to talk about.” Kit smiled at him. “You sound disappointed.” “Of course he’s disappointed!” said Bengali as he and his mate walked up to them. “Unless he’s kicking some ass, he can be a bit surly.” Panthro rolled his eyes at the white tiger, but he couldn’t disagree with him. Since Mumm-Ra’s destruction several years ago, life on Third Earth had been rather quiet and while the residents of this planet were grateful for that fact, Panthro himself was a man of action and all this peace was mind numbing. As much as he loved this place, he was glad to be finishing his rotation and heading back to New Thundera. He knew that there he could hone his martial abilities on the new recruits entering the army or Thundercat training and that brought a smile to his face. Kit turned to hug Bengali and felt a tiny amount of excitement as she felt his strong arms. She blushed and glanced guiltily at Linda his mate. She saw that the human had noticed her heated blush, but instead of being upset, was actually grinning at her, understanding her reaction. Kit was grateful for this and smiled back. As Linda hugged her, Kit thought back to when the human woman had first shown up over a decade ago. As a child, Kit had had a major crush on the young white tiger and had not been too happy when Linda had shown up and won his love. But over time, Kit had seen that the love that those two shared and had felt awed by it. She could only hope that one day she could find some one to love and be loved with that same intensity. Once everyone had greeted the new arrivals, they then said their good byes to Lynx-o and Panthro, who were heading back to New Thundera immediately. After the Feliner 2 had flown out of their sight, the remaining Thundercats began to walk back to the Lair. Wily Kat threw an arm around his two favorite women and walked with them. “I hope you like what Nilam has done to your room Kit, she is a wonder with paint and fabrics.” As the Lair loomed in front of her, Kit had a sudden panic attack. She wasn’t sure why, but the thought of staying in the Lair gripped her in fear. “Um, if you don’t mind, I was thinking of staying at the Tower with Linda and Bengali.” She said, not meeting her brother’s eyes or those of his mate. Kat looked at her suspiciously. “Are you sure? Nilam spent a lot of time on your room…” “I know,” she said, cutting him off, “and I appreciate it, I really do, but I just don’t think I will be too comfortable living at the Lair.” Kat glanced at his wife and saw her smile and nod at him. “Ok, if that’s what you want to do, but I would suggest you ask them about it first.” Kit nodded and excused herself, walking over to talk to Bengali and his mate. Kat stared after his sister and frowned, concern evident on his face. “I wonder why she doesn’t want to stay here with us?” he asked aloud. “It’s Snarf.” his mate answered and he looked down at her in confusion. “What does Snarf have to do with her decision to live at the Tower?” “From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, she was very close to him and loved him like a father almost. His death was a major blow to her and because he was a major fixture here at the Lair, the memories of this place might be too much for her at this time.” Kat looked at his sister and nodded. “I never knew she loved that little furball so much.” Nilam hugged her husband. “It’s not all that shocking, love. I know that you loved him as well. Don’t think that I didn’t see you crying at his grave side the day before we came home.” He smiled at her and bent to give her a brief kiss on the lips. “That’s one of the things that I love about you darling, you know me so well.” Nilam smiled at her mate and accepted his loving compliment then eyed her sister in law with sympathy. She knew that Kit was here for something more then just a change, as Cheetara had hinted at when she had called to inform them of the new rotations and Nilam truly hoped that Kit would find what she was looking for.