He
slid it gingerly out from beneath the covers, marvelling at the lack of
pain he was experiencing.Once the
arm was exposed, this marvel was explained, and replaced by a greater one.
His
arm was uninjured.The burn was
gone, covered with healthy skin.The
expected bald patch resulting from scarring was likewise absent, replaced
with thick fur.
He
flexed and stretched the arm, wondering if the entire episode had been
a dream.As he continued to awaken,
he became aware of an urgent need to find the restroom.This
need surfaced so abruptly and severely, it drove all other concerns from
his mind for the moment.
He
found the restroom adjoining to the main chamber, seperated by an automatic
door that slid into the wall as he approached.He
relieved himself, then went to the sink to wash up.He
splashed warm water onto his face, brushing it away with his hand, then
looked at his reflection in the mirror.
He
froze.
He
leaned slowly forward over the sink, a deep and primal fear making his
heart thud painfully in his chest.
His
eyes were green, like his father's.They
had always been green, all his life.
They were no longer green.They were a deep blood red, flecked with gold.As he gazed into them, he could see the golden flakes shift and move within the iris like living things.
A
sound of a door reached him from the main chamber. He
walked to the door, too stunned to care about caution or stealth.
In
the main room Tawn-Ya, wearing a simple white bathrobe, was setting items
in covered dishes onto a small table by the bed.She
too was cleaned up and obviously feeling better, for she went about her
task almost merrily, humming off-key to herself.
She
heard his tread on the carpet and turned to face him, her smile broad and
cheerful, her eyes the same as his.
"Oh,
you're awake," she said brightly.
Jaga
fainted.
"So
when do I meet this hostess of ours?" he asked.
"Soon,"
she said."A couple of hours.Try
the fish, it's delicious."
Jaga
took a bite, nodded.He was still
trying to absorb what had happened.
Tawn-Ya
had been contacted by an entity calling itself "Bast-Et", who had in some
manner preserved her life, even after the ape Vertok had injured her so
horribly.The same method had been
used to heal them both, another method to convey them to this place of
shelter.
Only
one hour had passed since Jaga had lain helpless witness to what he'd believed
to be Tawn-Ya's murder.
"Tell
me again why this creature helped us?" he asked.
"She,"
Tawn-Ya said, emphasizing the pronoun."She
knew us in ages past, long before man took to the stars.Her
resemblance led primitive man to think her a cat goddess, and they worshipped
her as such."
"She
spent so much time in the company of cats, she developed a real fondness
for us.You might say she looks
at us as her foster children."
Jaga
took another bite of fish.It was
called a "salmon steak", and it was distractingly tasty.
"What
about our eyes?" he asked as he chewed.
"A
part of her power.She invested
something into our bodies, something that preserves life and speeds healing.The
change to our eyes is an outward sign of it's presence."
Tawn-Ya
paused, then reached out and took the fork from Jaga's hand and set it
down on the tray.She took the hand
and pulled, prompting Jaga to face her.
He
looked into her eyes (quite lovely once you got used to them, even mezmerizing)
and swallowed noisily.Tawn-Ya slid
closer.She leaned forward, her
lips brushing his.Abruptly he turned
away and slid backwards across the bed, coming to lean against the headboard.His
expression was strange; he would not look at her.
"What's
wrong?" she asked.
Jaga
sat still and silent.He wanted
to speak, opened his mouth to speak, but could not find the words he wanted.She
watched him, absorbing his distress, sorting it with that curious wisdom
of her gender.After a moment she
crawled across the bed and knelt on the mattress at his feet.
"Do
you remember when we were in the hut at the ruins?" she asked him softly.Without
waiting for a reply, she continued."You
told me your getting hurt wasn't my fault, because you chose to get involved.You
knew the risks and chose to take them.And
you said if you could do it all again, you'd still have done it."
"We
both know Iowe you my life several times over, and I think that's why you're
holding yourself back.You're afraid
I feel obligated to thank you somehow," she said.
Jaga
said nothing.He just looked at
her.She crawled forward until she
was straddling his legs.She leaned
close to him, placed her hands on either side of his face, and spoke softly
to him.
"Tonight,
when you go, I am not..Bast-Et is
returning to the stars, and I am going with her.My
family is gone now, I have no reason to stay, and she has promised to show
me wonders like no mortal has seen in a thousand lifetimes."
"You
are the finest, bravest, most selfless person I've ever known.I
never knew what 'valiant' was until I met you.I
do not know if I will ever see this world or another of my kind again,
but before I go, I would lie with you, Jaga.Not
because of debt, but because I know in my heart I will never love anyone
else in the same way I love you."
She
rocked back on her knees, her eyes never leaving his.She
untied the belt of her robe, letting it fall open.She
took it from her shoulders and let fall away behind her, sitting naked
and exposed before him.
For
a long moment, Jaga did nothing except gaze at her.Then
he reached up, placed his hand gently on the back of her neck, and with
a quavering sigh, drew her to him.
He
was back in his uniform, which had been cleaned and repaired by the unseen
agents of this mysterious host of theirs.Tawn-Ya
was beside him, clothed in a simple tunic and trousers, the same shade
red as her eyes.
They
walked down the quiet, empty corridor from the room they'd shared these
last two heavenly hours.Jaga remembered
how Tawn-Ya had awakened him from his light doze with a whisper of "It's
time."He'd not needed to be told
time for what.
Jaga
noticed the architecture of the structure as they went.The
walls and ceiling were a uniform beige, very tranquil.The
floor was covered in a low -pile red shag carpet.There
were few doors, archways appearing to stand in greater favor with their
hostess.Those doors they did pass
through were automatic, gliding soundlessly open at their approach, closing
when they were safely passed.
The
place was comfortably warm, and there was a scent on the air that he could
not name, but appealed to him strictly on an instinctive level, giving
him an irrational urge to find the source and rub his face in it.
They
came at last to a double door marked with the insignia Jaga had come to
recognize as the seal of Bast-Et.The
doors swung open to admit them as they neared.
The
main hall had a high vaulted ceiling and walls from which hung rich tapestries
of fabrics he could not name.The
floor was a brightly colored mosaic of irregularly-shaped tiles, multicolored
as a tray of gemstones.To the front
of the chamber was a dias topped buy a large throne, seemingly hewn from
a single gigantic block of obsidian.It
was decked with large, soft-looking pillows and cushions, all a rich burgundy.Atop
these sat Bast-Et in elegant repose.
She
was nude, as appeared to be her custom.Her
body was covered with a dense coat of rich golden fur, paler over her breasts
and midriff.Her legs, folded on
the seat beside her, were long and slender.The
leonine head that graced her neck wore a look of perpetual serenity, of
unshakable confidence and complete inner peace.
The
glory of her extended far past the physical, however.From
her radiated an aura of power that was almost tangible, terrifying in it's
potency.Her eyes glowed like smoldering
coals as they turned towards the speechless Thundercat warrior.They
met his, held them, and into his mind poured a stream of sensation.Pride,
affection, pleasure, acceptance, one after the other, buffeting Jaga's
soul.
If
the beauty of her had taken his voice away, this communion with her brought
him to his knees.
The
wave swept past, and Jaga found he could think and breathe again.There
were tears on his face, and he could not remember how they'd gotten there.He
did not remember weeping.His heart
was filled with a passion for this creature such as he'd never experienced
before.To live for her would be
honor; to die for her, glory.
There
was so much he wanted to ask her, but did he dare?
Speak,
my warrior, he heard within his mind.My
children need have no fear of me.
"Are...,"
he said haltingly, his voice a hoarse croak."Are
you a god?"
He
sensed amusement in the reply.Once
your ancestors called me such.I
and my brethern encouraged this, since it made the work of civilising them
easier.But no, I am not a god.Men
called me Bast-Et, and by such I shall be known to you.
He
began to speak again and found he couldn't.He
knew what he wanted to say, but the words refused to form.An
emotion he could neither recognize nor name filled him and began to spill
in clear streams from his eyes.He
choked, and the choke became a sob.His
hands, then his whole body began to shake.And
still he could not speak.
Bast-Et
rose from her seat with a movement so smooth and fluid it seemed to defy
gravity.She stepped down from the
dias and approached the Thundercat warrior.He
watched her come, trembling, transfixed.
She
extended her hands to him, palms up.Tentatively,
Jaga reached up and took them.She
pulled him to his feet and to her body, cradling him in her arms.She
stood a full foot taller than he, and as she held him, the stress broke,
and Jaga began to weep in loud, agonized sobs.
She
held him, stroking his hair, letting the pain and fear flow out of him
to dampen the fur of her breast.Finally
the storm began to subside, but still they remained together as she caressed
and soothed the trembling warrior.
"We're
dying," Jaga said in a hoarse whisper.
I
know, came the reply.
"Help
us..."
We
will.Together.
Claudis
stood by the window of the town hall, looking out onto the street below.The
afternoon sun shown down on the ruined buildings and ruined bodies of Tigris
City and her defenders.
Barely
an adult, Claudis had become Lord of the Thundercats when his father was
assasinated a year earlier.Intelligent,
compassionate, inheritor of his father's strategic genius, Claudis had
retained his throne and held the remnants of his people together, averting
a civil war that would surely have been the end of them.
Today,
the young lion king wondered if it were all in vain.Marching
up the street were ranks of Monkian troopers, led by their commander, the
infamous gorilla Vertok.They had
taken the western outpost and used it as a staging area for the assault
on Tigris they had staged this morning.
The
battle was nearly over.The city
was crushed, the population was being processed for slavery, and the most
of the remaining defenders were assembled, along with their visiting Lord,
in the fortified town hall.They
would not last long.
Claudis
watched the enemy advance, feeling a numbness inside him, like a soldier
who knows he's been dealt a mortal wound.With
Tigris in their possession, the Clannad would be able to fan out, taking
other settlements and cities, establishing an ever-greater presence, until
they ferreted out and destroyed every last Thundercat.
He
wondered what his fate would be, slavery or death.He
checked the charge on his laser rifle and mentally calculated how many
shots he had before it was spent.He
needed to make certain he had one left for himself in the event he survived
the attack.
He
looked back outside, and raised his eyebrows in suprise.A
single figure had exited a nearby alley and was now walking unhurriedly
towards the Mutant lines.Although
the form was wrapped in a heavy cloak, Claudis could tell by the gait it
was a Thundercat.
Claudis
shrugged mentally.To each their
own suicide, he supposed.
"Hey,
take a look at this," a Monkian trooper said to the primate beside him
in the front line.He gestured towards
the lone figure moving towards them, swathed in a thick cloak.
"This
one must want to die," the other replied."He's
got nothing but a sword."
"You
can have the sword," said the first."I've
got one already.But that fancy glove
is mine."So saying, he shouldered
his plasma rifle and fired.
Jaga
charged forward with blinding speed, leaving the vacated cloak in the air
alone for an instant before plasma fire disintegrated it.
Before
the Monkians understood what was happening, he was on top of them.His
senses expanded, his metabolism skyrocketed.He
could see in all directions at once, could guide the sword with a thought,
could feel the sword guide him.A
perfect union of weapon and warrior, they struck in all directions, cuttingthrough
both armor and flesh with equal ease.
Panicked,
the pimates began to fire at the whirling engine of death in their midst.Some
of their shots went wide, striking others of their own kind.Those
that were on target were detected by the otherworldly blade, which prompted
Jaga to dodge or deflect as needed, sending the primates' volleys back
at them, no less lethal for the change of target.The
stink of charred hair and flesh filled the air.
The
troopers attempted to fall back as their formation disintegrated, but the
swordsman pressed in on them.As
he broke through their lines, the primates attempted to surround him and
close with maces and short swords, only to be struck down in even greater
numbers, their weapons sheared and broken.
As
his men retreated, Vertok shoved and pushed his way to a position where
he could see the enemy warrior who was wreaking such havoc.He
waited till the Thundercat was facing away from him, then fired his hand
blaster at the back of the warrior's head.
In
the space of time that the ape's finger closed on the trigger, and the
plasma burst departed the muzzle of the blaster, the warrior's gloved left
hand passed between weapon and target, deflecting the burst away and into
the body of a Monkian closing from the rear, blowing a hole through the
creature's gut.
Vertok
stared in amazement.How could
he know I was here? he thought.Then
the warrior turned and faced him.
"You!"
Vertok blurted out as Jaga slashed his way towards him.The
ape roared with insensate fury, raising his blaster and emptying it ineffectually
at the advancing warrior.
Vertok
froze as the Thundercat was suddenly in front of him.He
saw blood-red eyes that blazed brilliant gold.Then
his head flew from his shoulders, and he saw nothing again.
The
Monkian soldiers fell back and began to send volleys of plasma at the Thundercat.Jaga
danced away from the center of fire and passed his sword in a swift arc
in front of him, completing the movement by holding the weapon aloft.
The
mutants reoriented and continued to fire.The
bursts of destructive energy they launched at him struck an invisible field
of energy left in the wake of the sword's passing.The
bursts were rebounded back outward, striking the front ranks of the mutant
troops, cutting the primates down.
"Ho!"
Over the din of battle rang a loud cry, echoing from dozens of mouths.Charging
out of the town hall was a small force of Thunderans, weilding their laser
rifles, cutting into the mutant flank, throwing the remaining forces into
disarray.
Their
attention divided, the mutant fusilade on the swordsman faltered.Instantly,
he stormed into their ranks, leaving a trail of dead and dying monkians
in his wake.
Somwhere
a retreat was sounded, and the primates began to withdraw.As
they fell back, the swordsman fought his way to the side of a youthful
lion warrior.As the youth and his
fellows began to give pursuit, the swordsman signaled him to wait.
The
weapons were still; most were depleted of charge.The
Monkians backed warily away from the Thunderan line, their weapons snapping
up to orient on the swordsman who had snatched victory away from them as
he strode confidently to the middle of the lane and turned to face their
direction.
Jaga
slashed the sword at his feet, once, twice.When
he'd finished, it had shrunken to the size of a dagger.This
he raised in a sort of salute, gazing levelly at the mutants through the
circles formed by the ornate crossbar.Then
his eyes flared gold and he snapped the sword directly to his right, the
blade metamorphosing from dagger to short sword.
"Thunder..."
he intoned, and the word rolled across the city like the force it named.Throughout
Tigris, the fighting between mutant forces and isolated pockets of Thunderan
resistance halted as all eyes turned skyward.
The
warrior drew the blade across his body in a gaurding stance.The
weapon transformed again, from shortsword to broadsword.
"Thunder..."
and the word shattered windows for blocks around, driving mutant and Thunderan
alike to their knees, weapons forgotten, hands clapped over their ears.
The
warrior thrust the weapon two-handed into the air, catching the fading
light of the sun on its shining blade.The
weapon enlarged again, becoming a longsword.
"Thunder..."
and the earth shook.The pavement
of the streets cracked.Those beings
still on their feet stumbled and fell, their terrified cries lost in the
roar of sound.
The
warrior continued to hold the sword aloft, and now he echoed the ancient
battle cry of his people from time immemorial.
"Thundercats...Ho!"
he cried, and the cat's-eye jewel embedded in the sword's hilt opened into
the image of a roaring feline profile.The
jewel then erupted in a glory of crimson laser-like radiance that washed
across the darkening sky, transposing the image miles-wide across the heavens.
The
glow of that image was accompanied by a mighty roar, as though all the
great cats that had ever lived voiced together their praise of their decendants.
The
Thundercat population saw and heard all of this, did not recognize it,
but knew it was for them.From across
the city came a great answering cry of Ho!, torn from the throats
of every living Thundercat there.
The
mutants, to the last, threw down their weapons and fled in abject terror.
Jaga
held the sword high for several minutes, then lowered it, extinguishing
the signal.He returned it to dagger
form, removed the claw shield and sheathed the weapon inside it.He
pressed the glove to his thigh, where it remained, adhering to him by it's
own power.
The
lion youth removed his helmet and said "Nice work.That's
quite a sword."Jaga stared for a
moment before realization set in."My
Lord!" Jaga exclaimed, and dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
"M'lord,
this is an honor..." Jaga stammered as the other soldiers gathered in a
circle around their king and their hero..
"May
I see it?" Claudis asked.
"See
what?" Jaga asked, looking up in bewilderment.
"Your
sword?" Claudis said with a chuckle.
"Oh,
of course," Jaga said.He slid the
sword from it's sheath and passed it hilt-first to Claudis.
The
Thundercat Lord took the weapon and held it up, examining it.It
was a highly reflective metal alloy, silvered to nearly white.The
cat's eye gem was large and fluid, hypnotically beautiful.
Claudis
turned his attention to Jaga."Who
gave you this weapon?"
"Someone,"
Jaga hesitated for a moment, "Someone who has not forsaken us."
Claudis
canted his head at this cryptic statement, but did not press for more.He
looked around at the assembled soldiers, all of whom gazed at Jaga with
an awed expression on their faces.He
looked back at Jaga, met the warrior's eyes, held them.
It
would be written by historians centuries later that among the many gifts
Claudis had inherited from his father, the most useful and versatile was
an almost psychic ability to look at a person and divine the true depths
of their character and nature.Every
success of Claudis' reign could be traced eventually to that ability to
understand his fellowmen.
It
would also be written about a friendship that shaped the destiny of a people,
and eventually, a galaxy; of two only-sons, whose love for each other was
as strong as that any brothers had ever shared.So
strong that as the ruler lay dying, his world crumbling to fragments, he
would entrust the life of his only son to that same blood-brother, in a
desperate bid to reach a distant, half-mythical haven called Third Earth.
Claudis
extended the sword over Jaga's head, glancing at the name-tag sewn onto
the puma’s breast..As though it
read his intentions, the weapon grew to it's fullest extension, the cat's
eye gem opening, a low growl emanating from it.
Claudis
lowered the sword to rest on Jaga's shoulder."Jaga
of Puma Clan:.In recognition of
you courage and prowess, as well as the unique gifts granted you by your
mysterious patron,I Claudis, Lord
of the Thundercats, do this day bestow upon you a new office."
"Do
you swear your mind, your heart and your life to the defense of this Thundercat
people, and to the service of your lord?"
"I
do," said Jaga solemly.
"Then
from this day forward, you will be called Jaga, First Lord Defender of
Thundera.Where you go, I am with
you.You will speak with my voice,
act in my name."
"Now
rise, Lord Jaga, and let our hope rise with you."
We lost Jaga's girl friend. Oh well. Main page.