Limbo -

Time Does Not Exist

As soon as Cheetara entered the neutral spiritual plane, she felt Tatiana’s spirit leave her body. The cheetah landed in a crouched position. Before she had a chance to look up, Tatiana flew by her and grabbed the sword.

Cheetara stood up and extended her staff. She looked at Tatiana, who appeared now as her true transparent self. The woman shrieked, “You will pay for bringing me here from Third Earth! Do you hear me? If I can’t be there, then I’ll make sure you won’t get back either!”

Tatiana hissed and rushed at her with the sword. Cheetara blocked her attempt and pushed her away. The Cretian quickly regained her ground. She struck at the ThunderCat again.

The two women exchanged blows. Cheetara knew she could not afford to make any mistakes. It could mean death for her. As she continued fighting Tatiana, the cheetah wondered how she could defeat her. Cheetara did not think it was possible to kill a spirit. Was it just inevitable that she would be killed? Should she just give up?

Cheetara quickly dismissed the thought. She was not going to quit at any costs. She was a ThunderCat. ThunderCats never gave up. Silently, Cheetara asked Jaga for guidance.

At one point, the cheetah became frustrated and used her staff to push Tatiana down to the ground. The Cretian stayed down for a moment and looked at Cheetara. “You know, we don’t have to do this. I’ll make a bargain with you. If you will get me back to Third Earth, I will let you rule with me. I will even spare your boyfriend’s life. What do you say?”

“Never!” Cheetara spat out. “I will never let you return to Third Earth. All of the people who reside there are important to me. I won’t jeopardize their safety! Do you thing that I would really trust you anyway?”

Tatiana glared at her and stood up. She swung the sword into the air and replied, “Fine then. You just signed your death warrant!”

The women continued their fight. Cheetara began to wonder how long she could last. She was beginning to get weary.

Suddenly, Cheetara thought she heard Jaga’s voice. It was difficult for her to concentrate on blocking Tatiana’s strikes and listen to someone else talk, but somehow, Cheetara managed to do it.

“Find the rounded doorway, Cheetara,” Jaga advised. “Use your staff and shoot into the center of it. That should open the doorway to the Black Abyss. When it is opened, be sure that you do not go into the portal. Otherwise, you will never leave! If you can get Tatiana into the Black Abyss, she will never bother you or anyone else again!”

Thank you, Jaga! Now, where is that doorway he was talking about?”

The ThunderCat pushed Tatiana away from her again. She took the opportunity to run around the area and look for the doorway. Tatiana followed her saying, “You can run, but you can’t hide!”

Cheetara soon found what she was looking for. A massive, metal archway stood before her. There was strange writing along the sides of it. She heard Tatiana’s footsteps getting closer and knew she had to time everything just right.

The cheetah turned around and once again blocked Tatiana’s sword. The sword’s momentum was too much for Cheetara. She fell to the ground and quickly looked up at Tatiana. The Cretian grinned and swung her sword down at Cheetara. The ThunderCat rolled out of the way and grabbed her staff. She quickly spun around and shot into opening of the metal doorway.

A swirling sound filled the air around them. Then a dark mass began to appear on the other side of the metal arch. The loud sounds of screams and howling replaced the swirling sound. The black mass grew darker and bigger. It began to suck all the air into it like a vacuum.

Cheetara flew into the air toward the doorway. She screamed out and extended her staff to its fullest length. The ends of the golden staff caught the edges of the metal doorway. Cheetara clung to the staff with all of her strength as her body continued to fly off the ground.

At the same time, Tatiana shrieked out too. The evil spirit flew into the air and grabbed onto Cheetara’s shoulder as she went by. Her weight started to cause Cheetara to lose her grip. The cheetah began to panic. In desperation, she leaned her head over and bit Tatiana’s hand.

The Cretian screamed again and let go. However, she managed to grab onto one of Cheetara’s legs. The cheetah looked behind her and saw eerie, shadowy hands coming out of the mass.

Tatiana screamed, “If I’m going, you’re coming with me!”

Her voice barely sounded over the moans and wailing coming from the dark portal. Cheetara lifted her free leg and stared into Tatiana’s eyes. “Go . . . to . . . hell!”

She then used her free leg to kick Tatiana in the face as hard as she could. Tatiana yelled out one last time and lost her grip. Cheetara closed her eyes as Tatiana disappeared into the Black Abyss, screaming all the way.

The sounds from the black mass quickly began to fade until nothing could be heard. The black mass lost its form and soon faded away. As it did, it lost its suction power. Cheetara’s body hung back toward the ground. She looked behind her to make sure the portal had completely closed. Then she dropped to the floor and disengaged her staff. She let out a huge sigh of relief. The cheetah walked away from the arch and sat down to gather her strength. She rested her head into her hands and closed her eyes.

“You did well, Cheetara.”

The ThunderCat snapped her head up at the sound of Jaga’s voice. She saw him, Claudus, and a woman standing before her. Quickly standing up in respect, she said, “Jaga? Claudus? I can see you!”

Claudus turned to the woman and smiled as Jaga replied, “No doubt that you can. You have proven yourself worthy in this trial, so we can now appear to you.”

Exasperated, Cheetara asked, “Trial? This was all a trial?”

It was Claudus who answered her. “Yes, this was a trial, but it was not an intentional, thought-out plan like you’re thinking. Everyone has trials that they must face sometime in their life.”

“Yes,” Jaga continued. “You made the best out of the situation. By willing to come here and fight Tatiana, you have shown your loyalty. By coming here by yourself, you have shown your courage. When you defeated her you showed your great strength.”

The woman next to Claudus smiled at Cheetara. “You shall be a wonderful wife for my son and be a noble Lady.”

Cheetara gasped and whispered, “Katherine? Lion-O‘s mother?”

She nodded her head. “Yes, I am Katherine. When you become Lady of the ThunderCats, I will be with you to give you advice as you need it, just as I had advice from the Lady of the ThunderCats before me.”

“I am truly honored that you think so highly of me,” Cheetara remarked.

“It is no more than what you deserve. But really, it is the ThunderCats who should be thanking you. You will be the mother of a great heir to the Sword of Omens.”

A thought finally struck Cheetara. She looked at the others and asked, “You mean, I get to go home?”

“Yes,” Claudus answered. “You don’t belong here. You will return to Cat’s Lair and join my son. He needs someone like you by his side to help him uphold the Code of Thundera. But you should know, much time may have passed since you left Third Earth. But when you return, it will be at the right time and place.”

A golden portal suddenly appeared within the arched doorway where once the ugly black mass had been. A single tear fell from Cheetara’s eyes as she saw it.

“It is time for you to go,” Claudus announced. He raised his arm out to the others and said, “Justice.”

“Truth,” Katherine replied as she put her hand on top of her husband’s.

“Honor,” Jaga continued, putting his hand on theirs.

Cheetara smiled at them and put her hand down on top of Jaga‘s. “And Loyalty,” she finished.

“ThunderCats! Ho!” They all shouted out and raised their joined hands into the air. Cheetara looked back at them one last time to say goodbye. She then walked through the golden portal.

After a quick flash, Cheetara blinked her eyes several times. The sun was just beginning to rise, signaling the start of a new day. She looked down at herself and noticed that she was in her ThunderCat uniform. She put her staff into its holder and pulled a strand of hair in front of her face. Her hair was back to its golden color.

The ThunderCat then looked around her immediate surroundings. She was in the middle of a flower garden. She turned her head and stared at the horizon. The head of the Cat’s Lair could barely been seen by her. The sun’s rays bathed it in a glow of light.

Cheetara did a double take and then realized she was not on Third Earth. She was on New Thundera. The cheetah wondered how much time had passed since she left the planet. But before she could go to Cat’s Lair and find out, she knew there was something she had to do first.

She studied the flowers around her. Near her was a rosebush full of white blooms. Morning dew covered the flowers and each droplet caught a ray of sunlight. Cheetara tore off two single buds and headed in the opposite direction of Cat’s Lair.

Soon, she found herself at the familiar metal gate. A rounded sign above the entrance had the words “Parkland Cemetery” etched on it. Cheetara unlatched the gate and opened the entrance. It creaked opened as if it had not been opened in ages. She walked up the stone path and then took a side route. Though she had not been there in years, Cheetara remembered exactly where the headstones were.

She knelt down in front of her mother’s grave and laid one of the roses on it. “Hello, Mom. I’m sorry I haven’t visited in a long time. Ever since I joined the ThunderCats, I’ve been so busy. But you know the real reason why I haven’t returned. I just came to tell you that I understand what you were trying to tell me. You were right. Love is a special gift. I’m beginning to understand why you went with dad on that trip.”

Cheetara paused for a moment. She then said, “I miss you, but I know that I’ll see you again. I love you.”

She then stood up and walked over the next headstone. Cheetara traced the words with her finger.

“Hello, Dad. I’m not quite sure what I should say. I just know that everyone makes mistakes. I still don’t know why you did what you did, and I’ll probably never understand. But that doesn’t mean I can’t forgive you. I know that mom forgave you, and I should too. I forgive you, as a daughter should in this situation. You really hurt me, Dad. Your mistake kept me from trusting others. But that’s all changed now. I know that you did not intend to hurt me. So, I forgive you.”

Cheetara sniffed the rose then laid it on her father’s grave. “Take care of mom. I love you.”

She stood up and felt lighter than she had in years. The cheetah turned around and walked out of the cemetery without looking back. As she closed the gate, a voice called out behind her.

“Cheetara? I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you were not going to be back for another six months. You‘re three months early.”

She glanced over at the person calling her. It was Chase on his morning run. “Yeah, I had something to do.” So, more than two months have passed since I left Third Earth.

Chase replied, “Oh, of course. You’re here for the wedding.”

“Wedding? What wedding?”

The male cheetah cocked his head at her. “Pumyra and Ben-gali’s wedding. Where have you been?”

He then noticed her missing insignia and pointed to it. “You’re no longer a ThunderCat?” he asked hopeful.

Cheetara looked down and noticed her insignia was missing too. “Uh, yeah. I’ve just . . . been on vacation.”

Chase studied her face then replied, “Oh, sure. Are you going back to Cat’s Lair?”

She knew there was more to the question that what it seemed. He was really asking her if she was going back to the ThunderCats. It would be real easy for her not to go back and start a new life within the cheetah clan. She smiled at Chase and decided that had to be the easiest choice she would ever have to make. “Yes, I’m going back. I’d better hurry. I don’t want to miss the wedding.”

Chase looked at his watch then announced, “You still have a couple of hours.”

She replied, “Yeah, but I’ve got to get dressed. I’ve got to go.” She waved at him and ran towards the lair out of sight.

New Thundera: Cat’s Lair

Pumyra and Ben-gali’s Wedding

Cheetara ran up to the front entrance of Cat’s Lair. Two guards stood by the door. They saw her approach and blocked the entrance. “Do you have an invitation?”

She shrugged and replied, “No. But I live here. I’m in a hurry. I still have to change my clothes.”

One of the guards pointed at her. “You don’t live here! We’ve never seen you. Besides, you don’t wear the ThunderCat insignia. Now leave before we take you into custody.”

Cheetara was shocked at what was happening. “Just go get one of them. They’ll permit me to pass.”

“Look, lady,” the other guard protested. “We’re real busy here. Go bother someone else.”

The cheetah clenched her fists in frustration. She was not about to let two guards prevent her from seeing Lion-O after all that she had been through. “Please let me pass. I don’t want to hurt you.”

They looked at each other and busted out in a fit of laughter. “Okay, the fun is over. This is your last warning. Leave before we take you into custody.”

Cheetara nodded her head in resignation. She turned around and took a few steps. As she did, she pulled out her staff. The cheetah then spun around, extended her staff, and knocked them to the ground.

Before they even got up, Cheetara raced past them into the lair. She heard them get up and follow her. They pointed their stun guns at her and waited to get close enough, so they could fire. She ran down the corridors and looked behind her to see how close they were.

Because she was not looking where she was going, Cheetara ran into something. The force caused her to fall down. She groaned and opened her eyes. Lion-O was standing right in front of her.

“Cheetara?” he dared to ask.

“Lion-O!” she shouted happily. The sight of him in a tuxedo took her breath away.

He helped her to her feet and put a protective arm around her as the guards ran towards them. They saw Lion-O and got nervous. “We are sorry, Lord Lion-O. She surprised us. We will just take her into custody now.”

“No,” Lion-O ordered. “It’s okay. She lives here. Go back to your post.”

The two guards looked at each other then nodded their heads in understanding. They turned around and walked away.

“I’m sorry about that, Cheetara. With the wedding and all, things were getting hectic around here. The press was trying to get in here and take photographs and ask questions. I had to have those two men keep them out.”

Lion-O stared into her eyes and put his hands on her face. “I can’t believe I’m seeing you. How did you get here?”

She wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll tell you later. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at everything I have to tell you.”

Cheetara looked at him then at herself. “I should go change clothes. I can’t go to a wedding dressed like this.”

“I don’t care what you’re wearing,” he whispered. “Just so that you’re here with me.”

Lion-O kissed her softly at first. Then it grew deeper and more heavy.

Cheetara pulled away from him and grinned. “It feels good to be back.”

Finally, the cheetah was home. Cheetara was home in Lion-O’s arms and would stay there as long as she held onto him. Her heart had opened up as she learned to trust again. It was her trust that allowed her to hold onto Lion-O for the rest of her life. Cheetara had won the battle.