What Would Life Be Like? -- Chapters 7, 8, and 9
Chapter 7 Quickly, everyone jumped from the ThunderTank except for Panthro, who threw up the protective shielding and began to drill into the dirt. “You think that Tank of yours stands a chance against the awesome might of Mumm-Ra?” Their arch nemesis crowed. “The ThunderTank will handle the lava while we handle you.” Lion-O pulled the Sword of Omens from the Claw Shield and shouted, “HO!!!!” The blade extended to its full length and the Lord of the ThunderCats charged at him. Cheetara and the ThunderKittens pulled out their weapons and followed after their leader. Mumm-Ra reacted quickly and fended off Lion-O attack by sending out energy blasts from his hands. The lion ducked and used the Sword to fire back. Soon the ThunderKittens were throwing pellets at the mummy and Cheetara waved her bo-staff in his face. The last time they had met she’d been told to stop but right now nothing would stop her. The lava moved closer and closer to the battling enemies and neither side seemed to notice. They were too wrapped up in fighting each other. “I’m out of pellets.” WilyKit shouted. “Fall back!” Came Lion-O’s order as he fired another blast at Mumm-Ra. Kit turned to run toward the safety of some nearby trees when an energy blast caught her in the back. She screamed out and fell down on face. “Kit!” Her brother screamed and raced back to help his sister. This awful occurrence made Cheetara realize what was going on around her. She could see the magma moving toward them and she knew that Panthro and the ThunderTank would soon be resurfacing. Mumm-Ra had to be driven back and Lion-O pulled to the other side of the trench or he would be killed. “Lion-O we have to get back! Panthro will be surfacing soon!” The cheetah called out to him. The Lord of the ThunderCats seemingly ignored her and continued to battle with his arch foe. “Lion-O!” Cheetara shouted again and again the words fell on deaf ears. Suddenly she could feel the ground shake beneath her and she knew that the moment had arrived. There was only one option and it was to jump toward the Lord of the ThunderCats and try to get him away from the ever-closer molten rock. Cheetara ran off the shaking ground as it gave way under her feet. The ThunderTank surfaced and Panthro pulled it towards a clump of trees. There he saw WilyKat trying to help WilyKit. It was obvious that she had been injured and the panther grabbed the First-Aid kit. “Kit, don’t leave me.” Kat’s eyes brimmed with tears. His sister was his best friend and he couldn’t imagine life without her. “She’ll be all right, I promise.” Panthro tried to reassure the very upset ThunderKitten. He looked at Kit’s wounds and hoped that he had been right. Cheetara seemingly came out of nowhere and used her bo-staff to smack Mumm-Ra in the face. She then turned to Lion-O. “We have to jump the gap! The lava is practically on top of us!” He nodded and quickly Cheetara extended her bo-staff to compensate for the added weight of the lion. They backed up as far as they could with the magma nipping at their heels and ran forward. Cheetara made it across the gap but then she noticed that Lion-O wasn’t behind her. She whirled around to see Mumm-Ra floating in the air and holding the Lord of the ThunderCats by the throat over the large crack that the ThunderTank had formed. Lion-O struggled to loosen the mummy’s grip but it was no use as Mumm-Ra just squeezed tighter. The Lord of the ThunderCats could feel the oxygen being cut off and the next thing he saw was blackness. Cheetara watched in horror as Mumm-Ra let Lion-O go. Chapter 8 Everything seemed to slow down as the cheetah raced to the edge of the crack the ThunderTank had created. Without thinking, she leapt off the rim and reached for the unconscious lion. Her hands found Lion-O’s ankle and she grabbed hold. The heat was unbearable as they fell down and Cheetara’s last thoughts were of the life she could have had and what now awaited her in death. Panthro saw the cheetah go over the edge and immediately ran to try to save her. WilyKat watched as the panther dropped to his knees and reached over. Mumm-Ra’s horrible laughter could be heard above them and the young ThunderCat grew angry. He left his sister’s side and ran to help Panthro. When the ThunderKitten reached the panther he saw something he never thought he’d see. Cheetara and Lion-O had disappeared and Panthro sat there staring down into the boiling hot magma. A sudden look of determination crossed his face and he turned to Kat. “This isn’t over yet.” Standing, the panther pulled out his nun-chucks and charged at Mumm-Ra who still was laughing in mid-air. Panthro opened the end of the blue nun-chuck and beams of light shot out hitting the ever-living source of evil. Mumm-Ra howled out in pain and returned fire, as an energy blast shot forth from the hand that wasn’t focused on his wounds. Panthro easily dodged the shot and that’s when a pellet shot into the air. WilyKat still had some left apparently and he joined the panther in an effort to bring down the miserable mummy. The pellet hit Mumm-Ra in the chest and he began to fall toward the lava moving beneath him. Just when the two ThunderCats had thought they’d beaten him, the mummy disappeared. Everything inside Panthro wanted to race the ThunderTank to the onyx pyramid and finish what he had started but WilyKit needed medical attention and somehow he had to contact Third Earth and explain the situation. “Let’s go.” He told Kat and the two hopped back into the Tank and headed for Cat’s Lair. ************************************ Panthro picked up the Thunder-Granter from its holder in the treasure room. Snarf was tending to WilyKit with her brother’s help and Lynx-O was contacting Third Earth. The panther knew the only way to bring Lion-O and Cheetara back from beyond the grave was to use the object he held in his hands. He wasn’t sure how it worked or even if it would work. The Sword of Omens had disappeared with the Lord of the ThunderCats and it probably melted in the intense heat of the lava. Without the Sword, there could be no new Lord of the ThunderCats. “Jaga give me strength. What am I supposed to do?” He wondered aloud as he looked toward the ceiling. “Do not despair Panthro.” A familiar voice reached his ears. The panther brought his vision to the person who spoke. “Jaga?” “Yes, Panthro. You must fill in for Lion-O and become the new Lord of the ThunderCats.” His old friend told him. “I can’t do that. The Sword is lost and I just lost two of my best friends. I can’t step up and become the Lord, Lion-O was supposed to be.” The panther said. “The Sword of Omens can be retrieved as well as Lion-O and Cheetara. The Eye of Thundera along with the Sword have returned to their place inside the Book of Omens. You must enter the Book and tell the Guardian that you are the new Lord of the ThunderCats. Only then will you get the Sword back.” Jaga instructed. “But what about Lion-O and Cheetara?” Panthro asked. “The Book will further instruct you on how to bring them back. Go Panthro.” Before anything else could be said, the wise and mighty Jaga was gone. Chapter 9 Lion-O slowly opened his eyes and found himself floating through space on a little island. He reached for the Claw Shield and found it empty. That was odd because he knew he put the Sword away in its place before jumping across the crack. Then he remembered Mumm-Ra’s hand on his throat. Anger boiled inside him, as he knew that something awful had happened after he blacked out. He rolled over and pounded the ground with his fist. Not too far away something stirred and the lion turned to see what or who it was. His eyes went wide when he saw Cheetara. Quickly he went to her side and helped her sit up. “I guess I didn’t do a very good job, did I?” She asked. “What do you mean?” Lion-O looked confused. “Well I jumped into the crack to save you and somehow we both ended up here anyway.” The cheetah smiled slightly and then looked down at the ground. “You jumped in after me?” He couldn’t believe what he heard. “I couldn’t just let you die but it seems that I got myself killed in the process. There’s no way, you or I survived the lava bath we got.” Cheetara continued to look at the ground. “This place definitely isn’t the Thunderian utopia I was told about when I was younger.” Lion-O said as he pulled her up against him. It was a bold move but since she didn’t object, he smiled. “I’m guessing that we’re stuck in limbo somewhere, although I couldn’t tell you why.” She sighed and leaned a little more onto him. “I don’t have the Sword of Omens. It’s gone so I can’t get us out of here.” He told her. A silence fell between the two. Finally, Cheetara opened her mouth to say something and a bright light appeared and Jaga stepped onto the little floating island. Immediately, the two stood up and faced their friend. “I’m sorry to see you two under these circumstances. I have been asked to bring you before Lady Bast; she will decide what your fates are. Ladies first.” Jaga allowed Cheetara to walk in front of him. “Oh sure now let me go first.” The cheetah joked. Lion-O smiled and Jaga said, “Do not worry, you have nothing to fear.” As she went ahead, the mentor and friend pulled Lion-O aside. “I have sent Panthro into the Book of Omens. He will retrieve the Sword and then try to bring you back.” Before Lion-O could say anything he found himself being pulled away from Jaga and toward his final judgment. Back on New Thundera, Panthro was sucked into the Book of Omens and found himself falling through space before landing in front of the red pillars with dragonheads. “Who dares to enter the Book of Omens?” The Guardian boomed. “Panthro the new Lord of the ThunderCats. I have come to claim the Sword of Omens so that I may take my position.” The panther explained. “I have received the Sword, I know that Lord Lion-O is dead. You are the new chosen one and you must step forward.” The Guardian commanded. Panthro did as he was told and the Sword of Omens appeared on the steps that led to the great eye. “As the new Lord, you first have to answer one question before you will be able to take the title and responsibility. If you could bring your predecessor back, would you?” The Guardian posed the question and in a heartbeat Panthro answered, “I would bring him back.” “Good, then take the Thunder-Granter and use its one wish to bring Lord Lion-O back. But beware, word your wish carefully or you will not get what you desire.” With that Panthro picked up the Sword of Omens and was expelled from the Book. To Be Continued...