Disclaimer: "Thundercats, Ho!" does not belong to me. It belongs to the writer Leonard Starr (sorry if I misspelled it). Gargoyles and Aladdin characters, except Rose, are also not mine.
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“Jasmine! Hurry up! Everyone’s waiting!”
I sighed, “Alright Puck. I’m coming.”
Closing the door to my room, I walked down the hallway of Castle Wyvern to the Main Hall. I was ready to take another trip to Third Earth, home of the Thundercats. The whole clan was there to wish me luck. I was lucky that the trip was planned at night, because doing magic in front of my clan is embarrassing.
I opened the Main Hall doors to reveal the clan and Puck with Alex, waiting for me. Seeing them there made me realize how much I was going to miss them, even though it would only be for a few days. I began my good-byes to the clan.
“I’ll miss you guys,” I said as I clasped Hudson’s hand.
“It’s only for a few days, lass,” Hudson reminded me.
“Hudson’s right,” Goliath told me, lightly embracing me.
“Yeah, we’ll see them soon enough,” Brooklyn added.
“We?” I inquired.
“You said you might bring one of us next time. And I want to go with you.”
“Okay, you can come.”
Brooklyn and I finished our good-byes. Elisa promised to take good care of Rose while we were gone. At last, Puck helped Alex recite the spell he learned last month. As before, a portal opened up, its wind pulling Brooklyn and me into it. The opening closed…
And we crashed into bushes. Groaning on where we landed, I made a mental note to tell Puck that Alex needed to work on where the portal opened up at. Suddenly, a voice called out, “Who’s there?” I also heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. I recognized the voice immediately.
“Lion-O,” I said, happily, standing up out of the bushes.
“Jasmine,” Lion-O sheathed the sword. “What a surprise.”
“You seem to be in a rush,” I said noting a rushed look in his orange cat eyes.
“Some survivors of my home planet are being held captive. I’m going to free them.”
“We’ll help you.”
“We?”
“Sure. Me and…,” Suddenly, I noticed that Brooklyn had not gotten up.
“Brooklyn?” I looked to my right and saw a stone Brooklyn next to me. Lion-O walked over to the bushes and saw my mate.
“Isn’t there a way to wake him up before nightfall?”
“Yes, there is.” I dug out an amulet and placed it around the stone gargoyle’s neck. Instantly appeared on the surface.
“Better step back,” I warned the lord of the Thundercats, while stepping back myself. More appeared. Finally, the stone bits flew everywhere and Brooklyn yawned and stretched.
Blinking, Brooklyn looked up at the blue sky in confusion for a moment. He looked down at the amulet around his neck and then everything seemed to click in his head. Looking up, Brooklyn saw Lion-O standing near me. Smiling, he held out a hand.
“Hi, I’m Brooklyn. Jasmine told the clan about you and the other Thundercats.”
Lion-O looked at Brooklyn’s outstretched hand for a moment, then shook it.
“Come on. We have to get to Plunder Cove,” the lord said. Heading off through the woods, Lion-O began running. Brooklyn and I dropped down on all fours and followed.
“What’s going on?” Brooklyn asked me.
“I’ll explain on the way.” I told Brooklyn about the survivors that had landed on Third Earth, but that I didn’t know anything more than that.
It was nighttime by the time we arrived at Plunder Cove. Lion-O crouched behind a rock wall, looking at a ship floating in the water. I could make out three cat-like people on board. They looked just like Thundercats.
“They do look like Thunderians. Wily-Kit was right,” Lion-O said. Suddenly a gray bearded human appeared. The only thing strange about him was that his entire right arm from shoulder to fingers was metal. His fingers were curled to form a fist.
“And there’s Hammerhand,” continued the red head.
“Rowr, and the rest of his crew,” a new voice spoke up as three more strange looking humans appeared. Turning around, I saw a furry creature coming up behind us. I realized that this must have been the Snarf that the Thundercats told me about. I never met him because he was somewhere else when I arrived the first time.
“Better wait for the others, Lion-O,” Snarf continued.
“Snarf! What are you doing here?” Lion-O demanded.
“Rowr. I wasn’t about to let you face that bunch alone.”
“Thanks friend. Now, wait here while I find a way to bring our countrymen ashore.”
“Okay. But if you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming after you.”
The three of us watched our friend go underwater and swim out to the ship. While, Lion-O swam, I debated on whether I should glide into the air and watch the young lord’s back or not. Then, Snarf’s voice cut into my thoughts.
“Hey, aren’t you that creature the Thundercats met awhile back?”
Crouching down to his level, I said, “Yes, I am. Actually, I’m a gargoyle. My name’s Jasmine.”
“I’m Brooklyn,” added the red gargoyle.
“Snarf. I’m glad to finally meet a new friend. Friends, actually.”
Sounds of a battle distracted us from our conversation. On the ship, the group of pirates(at least that’s what they looked like) had discovered Lion-O on board when they came back up after going below deck earlier. After a few nervous minutes, I silently sighed with relief when I saw Lion-O dive back into the sea. My relief didn’t last long when the pirates started shooting fireballs into the water.
The water started to bubble. They were boiling Lion-O alive! Snarf attempted to go in after him, but it was too hot.
“Save him!” Snarf pleaded.
“We can’t. Gargoyles can’t stand hot water either.” Brooklyn said.
Suddenly, a shot was fired at the ship. Looking up, we saw Panthro on a flying vehicle.
“What kind of aircraft is that?” I asked. I didn’t recall seeing it before.
“It’s the Thunderclaw!” Snarf exclaimed.
Panthro was starting to go after the ship which was firing the rockets attached to it. Running along the beach, we tried to get his attention.
“Panthro! Come back, Panthro! It’s me, Snarf! Thundercats, Ho!” Snarf shouted.
That got his attention. Flying closer, he called, “What’s going on here, Snarf?”
It-It’s Lion-O He-he’s gone under. Out there!” Snarf pointed to the boiling ocean.
Panthro reacted quickly. Using the Thunderclaw, he created a whirlpool. I caught sight of red hair in the center. The craft lowered itself, scooped up Lion-O, brought him to the beach, released him gently, and then landed nearby.
“Lion-O! Speak to old Snarf!”
“I’m alright,” was the answer.
“So,” Panthro said as he came up to us. “Hammerhand and his crew have a lot to answer for.”
“They have our fellow Thunderians,” Lion-O told him.
“Somehow I see Mumm-ra’s foul decaying hand in this,” Panthro mused aloud.
“Mumm-ra?” I asked. Who was that? Was he a mutant?
Panthro, for the first time, saw me. A smile came to his face.
“Jasmine. It’s good to see you again. And who’s your friend?” He gestured to Brooklyn.
“This is Brooklyn, one of the members of my clan. But, who is Mumm-ra?”
Panthro told the two of us who Mumm-ra was. Apparently, Mumm-ra was a mummy who could change his shape. Or his bandages for a “better looking” body to leave his temple. He definitely didn’t sound like someone I would want to meet.
I noticed that night was starting to give away to dawn and I gave Brooklyn a secret sign that dawn was coming. I kept the amulet on while Brooklyn concentrated on remaining flesh and blood. Once sunrise was over, the four of us waited for Lion-O to fully recover from his ‘near death’. At last, he sat up.
“Feeling better Lion-O?” Panthro asked.
“Enough to get going.” He stood up, then turned to his sidekick.
“Snarf, please go back to Cat’s Lair and tell the others what happened while Panthro and I try to find our fellow Thunderians.”
“Rowr. On my way.”
“Hurry Snarf,” Panthro told him.
“Snarf. I’m going. I’m going. Rowr.”
Lion-O and Panthro climbed onto the Thunderclaw while Brooklyn and I clawed up to get enough height. Then we all took off.
We were in the air for about five or ten minutes when another crisis occurred. A ship that has some resemblance to a rat, beamed Snarf inside it.
“Panthro, the Ratstar. And Ritaro has captured Snarf,” Lion-O said.
“Full throttle.” Panthro banked the aircraft to the ship. Brooklyn and I looked at each other for a moment before angling our wings to follow Panthro.
Lion-O grabbed onto the underside of the ship and said, “I’ll work my way in. You get back to Cat’s Lair.”
“Right,” Panthro responded. The Thunderclaw took off leaving the Thundercat hanging. There was no doubt in my mind to protect him. I glided in a bit closer so if there was more danger than Lion-O could handle, I would be there to pitch in.
I watched Lion-O lift the sword to his eyes and begin to call the other Thundercats or at least find a way to get in. Suddenly the ship glowed green. The glow attracted the sword and it attached itself to the ship.
“The sword. I can’t seem to budge it,” I heard Lion-O say. Then, it occurred to me that the ship was acting as a magnet. And a strong one at that. Then, as suddenly as the magnet turned on, it went off. The sword came loose and was back in it’s owner’s hand.
But, the ship rocked dangerously, then it began to climb. The ship’s abrupt change in course caused Lion-O to lose his grip on the ship and the sword. The two began to fall.
Folding my wings in towards me, I dived. The distance between Lion-O and me grew smaller. Reaching out, I grabbed Lion-O’s hands with both of mine. Throwing my wings out, a nice wind caught them and held us aloft. Now, we could land and look for the sword.
“Jasmine! You better catch some good wind upward because a strong downdraft is headed straight for you!” Brooklyn called.
‘Oh no,’ I moaned silently. Downdrafts were the worst. Using my sensitive wings I flapped hoping that I could gain some altitude this way. It was working, but slowly.
Suddenly, a big gust of wind from the mountains knocked me off balance. It must have been the downdraft!. Lion-O fell from my grasp and the two of us descended into the deep snow banks below.
A warm cocoon surrounded me from my neck down to my feet and tail. It reminded me of being under warm covers on a cold winter day. ‘Wait a minute,’ I thought. ‘I’m not in my room at Castle Wyvern. I’m on Third Earth. In a snow bank. But, why do I feel so warm?’
Curious to get my answer, I opened my eyes and saw four concerned faces looking at me. Brooklyn was holding me, his wings wrapped around me. I recognized Lion-O, but not the other two. Hopefully, introductions were next on the agenda.
“Jasmine,” Brooklyn breathed a sigh of relief as he pressed one of his cheeks to mine. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”
“Snow doesn’t hurt Brooklyn,” I told him, kidding around with him.
“No, but your skin looked about two shades darker,” Lion-O put in.
“How did you get out of the snow?” I asked Lion-O. The answer was standing in plain sight, but I wanted names to go with the faces of Lion-O’s rescuers.
Lion-O caught on to what I was up to. “My friends, Snowman and Snowmeow rescued me.” He gestured to each one as he said their names.
Flashing a smile and a nod to them, I started to get up. Brooklyn unfurled his wings and the two of us stood up. Suddenly, something swooped out of the sky, passed low over us then soared back up.
“A skycutter. And the nosediver.” Lion-O pointed to the ground-hovering vehicle in the distance.
“Charge, Snowmeow,” Snowman commanded as he climbed onto the cat’s back. Snowmeow headed for the nosediver.
Knowing that Lion-O would need help in dealing with the skycutter, Brooklyn and I raced for a deep ravine, not too far away. Leaping off the edge, the wind caught our wings and we headed up into the air. Looking at the skycutter, I saw it’s pilot was Slithe. And he was after our Thundercat friend.
We watched as the young lord headed for the ravine. Using the Claw Shield on his left hand, he used one of the claws on it as a rope and he swung across the ravine. But he didn’t cross it. Instead, he flew back across, using the sword to cut some hanging icicles off. A few of them landed on the wings of the skycutter.
Landing on the starting point of the chase, Lion-O watched the skycutter fly off. My clan member and I landed near him.
“It worked. The skycutter is crippled. But not badly enough. Slithe will be back.” Reattaching the claw to his shield, he turned around…
And saw an enormous machine heading for us! “What is that thing?” Lion-O asked before the three of us took off running.
I heard Monkian say, “You’ll never make it Thundercat.” One of the arms, curled like a fist came toward us. We all leaped out of the way. Still, the machine pounded the ground as it tried to turn us into pancakes.
“No stop,” Snowman’s voice called. “If you don’t stop, you’ll cause an avalanche.”
The machine stopped in mid-pound. “Avalanche?” asked it’s driver. Seconds later, a trembling could be felt under our feet. Looking to the left, I saw a mass of snow and ice sliding down the mountain.
“It’s starting,” Lion-O stated.
The mutant’s machine drove over the right, away from us. Lion-O, Brooklyn, and I began running. At one point, I found enough height to glide. I launched myself upward and Brooklyn followed. I looked down in time to see Lion-O get swept away in a wave of snow and ice.
“NO!” I screamed. I was about to dive in, but Brooklyn stopped me.
“We need to wait for the avalanche to stop. You can’t find him if you’re buried too.” Brooklyn was right. I had to wait.
The wait wasn’t long. I made a quick landing and began to look around frantically. Movement caught my eye. Looking to the right, I saw Snowman and Snowmeow coming out of the snow.
“Lion-O?” Snowman called, looking over the snow covered mountain. No sign. “He’s gone, Snowmeow. Lord Lion-O is gone.”
Snowmeow, however, refused to give up. Just like I refused to quit. He sniffed the ground and began digging in a nearby snow bank.
“He is there? And alive?” Snowman inquired his friend. “You sense this Snowmeow?”
The four of us started digging in that snow bank. I digged as fast as I could. My claw making one big shovel together. Snowmeow’s paw swiped at the snow as if something solid was underneath. Taking a similar swipe, I felt ice under the snow. Another swipe of the snow cat’s paw revealed a flash of red.
“Red hair! You have found him!” exclaimed the cat’s companion.
More snow moving followed. Soon, we had uncovered Lion-O fully. Using his lance, snowman broke the ice that covered Lion-O’s head. A moan from Lion-O gave me relief that he was alive.
“Lion-O?” Snowman asked.
“Snowman,” a reply came. “My sword.” I then realized that his sword was not with him. He must have dropped during the avalanche.
“Your sword is gone, Lion-O. Buried under the avalanche. Who knows where?”
“Then all is lost. Thank you for trying.” I couldn’t believe it. He was giving up?
“No. We will get you out. Somehow,” Snowman insisted.
“Useless. I’m encased in ice. You couldn’t. Unless…”
Raising his voice, he called, “Sword of Omens, come to my hand. I, Lion-O, command you. Come to my hand.” Rippling the muscles in his right arm, he attempted to free his hand while calling for the sword. “Sword of Omens, come…to…my…hand!” On the last word, two things happened. One, Lion-O’s hand came free. Two, I heard the sound of a cat’s roar from somewhere under the snow.
Then, a beam of red light shot out of the snow. Shortly after, the sword appeared, flying in the sky. It made an arc, right into Lion-O’s hand. There was a blue crackle and the ice started to break away and fly out of the hole. Brooklyn and I used our wings to shield us from flying ice while Snowman used his shield to protect himself. Snowmeow kept his head low to the ground.
“Oh, that’s a pretty good sword, all right,” Snowman said.
Lion-O jumped out of the hole, raised the sword to his eyes, then above his head. The sword’s blade started to grow longer as he said, “Thunder, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS, HO!”
The picture of a cat’s head against a red background appeared in the circle part of the sword. Then the picture shot out of the sword and pierced the sky with a roar. After a minute, the signal faded.
“You are summoning your comrades, Lord Lion-O? But the mutants are scattered,” Snowman told him.
“Only for a moment Snowman. They’ll be back,” Lion-O replied. A laser punctuated his line. “And there they are.” Looking up, then to the left, Lion-O pointed out, “Skycutter. And there’s Jackalman in the nosediver.”
“Into battle, Snowmeow.” Snowman and his cat once again charged at Jackalman. Slithe pursued Lion-O, Brooklyn, and me.
We dodged fire after fire from the skycutter. One shot sent us face down in the snow.
“Can’t keep this up indefinitely. What I really need is a vehicle,” Lion-O realized. Looking at the skycutter, he added, “If I time this right…,” Lion-O got to his feet and began running. Brooklyn and I ran ahead of him. A plan was forming in my head, too. Would it work? Only if Lion-O’s did, which if I guessed correctly, Lion-O was going to fake his death in order to get Slithe to land to make sure.
“Brooklyn, follow my lead,” I told him. Looking at Lion-O, he said, “Now.” Just then, another shot hit the snow, and Lion-O pretended that he had been killed. The sword was beside him, blade in the snow. The moment the shot hit the snow, I leaped off the edge of the ravine. Brooklyn followed. Yes, Slithe would think he killed all of us. I sunk my taloned hands and feet into the rock wall to slow my fall. So did Brooklyn.
“Jasmine, why did we leap into the ravine?” Brooklyn didn’t understand.
“We did it so Slithe will think we killed the three of us,” I whispered to him. Above us, I heard Slithe say, “They’re finished all right.”
I heard a sound from Lion-O followed by a scuffle. “You’ve made a fool of me for the last time Lion-O,” Slithe hissed. That line was from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw an airborne skycutter with Slithe at the controls, and Lion-O clinging to the tail end.
“Yes, Hang on Lion-O. If you can,” Slithe taunted as the aircraft took off. Slithe went over a line of spikes twice. Then, I saw Lion-O swing up and knock Slithe off the skycutter and land on a ledge below us. I took that as an opportunity to let go. I released my hold of the rock and smoothly glided onto the currents coming up out of the ravine. Brooklyn followed my example.
“You haven’t won yet, Lion-O,” threatened the reptile.
“Finally, I can make some speed.” Lion-O relaxed now that he had a way to find his homeworld's survivors faster. The two of us glided beside our friend.
Turning his head in our direction, Lion-O said, “By the way, thanks for trying to help me with the Ratstar earlier, Jasmine.”
“We protect our friends,” I answered, speaking for Brooklyn and me.
Lion-O smiled a little. Just then, a volley of shots sailed past us from behind. Brooklyn and I glided to the front of the skycutter.
“What was that?” Brooklyn asked.
“The Hovercat with Tygra at the controls. He thinks I’m Slithe. And I can’t fire back,” Lion-O reported.
“He probably also thinks that Slithe is attacking us,” Brooklyn guessed.
Lion-O did some basic moves to lose Tygra and get him to realize that he’s firing at the lord. But Tygra followed him move for move.
“Tygra’s too good at this. I’m a goner if I don’t do something.” A gleam caught Lion-O’s eye. “The sword, on that ravine.” Flying upside down, he headed for the sword and grabbed it. Righting himself, he soared back into the sky. Brooklyn and I stayed in front of him during this while. Tygra followed behind.
Raising the sword, the red-head said, “Thunder, thunder, thunder, THUNDERCATS, HO!” The cat signal came out of the sword and right in Tygra’s face. With our pursuer temporarily confuse, we all turned around quickly and headed for him on one side. Lion-O kept the sword above him until Tygra could see him. Then, he pointed to the ground with the sword and landed beside Brooklyn and me. Tygra landed a little later.
“Lion-O. That was close,” Tygra remarked.
“Close doesn’t count, luckily for me.”
I saw the Thunderclaw landing with Cheetara at it’s controls. She climbed off and headed in our direction. “The skycutter? But where’s Slithe?” she asked when she saw the aircraft.
“The last time I saw him, he was trying to claw his way out of that ravine,” Lion-O answered.
“What next, Lion-O?” Tygra inquired.
“To located our fellow Thunderians and if I guess right, Mumm-ra knows where they are.”
“We’ll have to muster all our Thundercat strength.” That was Cheetara.
“Yes. That will be your job.”
“Our job?” Tygra looked at his lord questioningly. “Where will you be, Lion-O?”
“Confronting Mumm-ra face-to-face in his pyramid.”
“That’s impossible, Lion-O,” Cheetara protested.
“No, Cheetara. I found my way into the pyramid before. At the very least, I can find out what Mumm-ra plans for the Thunderians.”
Lion-O climbed onto the skycutter and turned it on. The engine rumbled, then Lion-O looked at his friends. “Hurry. Our countrymen’s’ lives are at stake.” Then, the skycutter took off.
“Lets not waste anymore time,” Cheetara said. Looking at Tygra, they both cried. “Ho!” Boarding their vehicles, they flew into the air. Brooklyn and I followed them.
From the height of the Thunderclaw and the Hovercat, the wisp of smoke in the air was obvious. The four of us lowered ourselves to the source. I saw the Thundertank and someone underneath it. The tank was also on fire.
“It’s Panthro. He pinned beneath it,” Cheetara reported. “If the fire reaches the fuel tank, he’s finished.”
“Fire fog, Cheetara!” Tygra ordered.
The Thunderclaw flew low over the tank, spraying it with a white cloud-like substance. The fire went out upon contact with the fog. The four of us headed for the tank. Snowman, apparently having driven Jackalman off, also came to help.
“We will get you our. Somehow,” Snowman told Panthro.
“It’s no use. Leave me. I’m just one Thundercat. There are three Thunderian prisoners who need you,” Panthro said.
“They need you too old friend,” Tygra contradicted.
“Mustn’t give up,” Snowman added.
“Cheetara, into the Thunderclaw,” Tygra said. The two of them got into their vehicles and flew them over to the tank.
The Thunderclaw clamped down on the underside of the tank and lifted. Snowman pushed against the tank, Brooklyn and I also lifted the tank from the ground, growling with the effort. Tygra use the Hovercat to push. The tank rose a few inches off the ground.
“You’re doing it,” Panthro said, starting to push on the tank. Suddenly, Panthro was pinned again.
“Cheetara, give it all she’s got,” Tygra told her. The Thunderclaw went to maximum lifting power. Snowman, Brooklyn, and I pushed ourselves to the limit. Finally, the Thundertank was right-side up and Panthro was free. Tygra and Cheetara landed and got out.
“Any injuries, Panthro?” Cheetara asked.
“Don’t seem to be.”
“Did you take a direct hit?” Tygra questioned.
“Probably not.” Jumping into the tank, Panthro added, “Looks like the shock wave from Ritaro’s barry cannon did the damage.” Turning the engine on, it shuddered for a second and some fumes came out, but not much else. “I owe you one, Ritaro!” Panthro shouted. He threw a switch and the engine came to life. Panthro chuckled. “That’s my baby. Let’s go.”
“No, Panthro. You need rest,” Cheetara protested.
“Cheetara’s right. She and I will go on ahead. You take a few minutes and-,” Tygra put in.
“Our Thunderian countrymen might not have but a few minutes,” Panthro interrupted.
“You heard the man,” Tygra told us. The Thunderclaw and Hovercat flew off. My mate and I glided into the air and started to leave. But not before the Thundertank left and hearing Snowman say, “Farewell, Thundercats.”
“Well, we’re pretty much on our own until Lion-O calls for the others, so how about a tour of the planet?” Brooklyn requested.
“Sounds good to me. I sure would like to see more of this world.”
We glided across an ocean, explored the forest we crash landed in(which reminded me of my mental note to Puck.), and even exploring the rocky terrain in some parts. I showed Brooklyn an aerial view of Cat’s Lair. Finally, we made our way back towards Hook Mountain, Snowman’s kingdom.
We glided over it and decided to see what was beyond it, since our tour started before the mountain. What we saw was almost more of the same. I was about to suggest we turn around when the Cat signal appeared in the sky. As I looked at it, a strange thing happened. A yellow glow came to my eyes. I nearly gasped at this. The glow left as suddenly as it appeared.
“Let’s go,” Brooklyn said, interrupting my thoughts. We glided in the direction of the signal. My mind wandered back to that mysterious glow. I reasoned that it must be connected with the signal. I decided to ask Lion-O about it after this adventure was over.
We arrived at a mountain with a cave opening in it. A bridge connected the mainland to the cave. Fumes from the fire rocks were emitted from time to time. On the mainland I saw Lion-O’s skycutter. On the bridge I saw Lion-O being led back to the mainland by what appeared to be a human samurai warrior. A slight excitement welled up inside me at seeing an actual human being on Third Earth. Did he know about gargoyles?
Brooklyn and I landed a few feet from the skycutter and continued our approach on foot. As we got closer, I could hear the conversation between them.
“I can make it now, Hachiman. Thank you,” Lion-O was saying.
“If this bad place means doom for Thundercats, why do you come here?” the human Lion-O called Hachiman asked.
“The mutants have prisoners in their stronghold. Mumm-ra’s orders. We must free them.”
“They are friends of the Thundercats, these prisoners?”
“Yes. Countrymen.”
“Ah. The fire rocks hold no terror for Hachiman. I will rescue these prisoners for you.” Hachiman started to head for the bridge. Lion-O stopped him.
“No. You can’t do it alone, Hachiman.”
“While a warrior still has his sword, he is never alone.”
“Besides,” Brooklyn spoke up. “He won’t be alone. We’ll go with him. The fire rocks don’t harm us.”
“No, I can’t let the three of you endanger your lives. I must do it,” Lion-O insisted. Then, Hachiman turned around and saw us. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Gargoyles? I did not think there were any on Third Earth.”
“Actually, we’re from another world,” Brooklyn admitted.
“So am I. I live with my people and gargoyles.”
“Not very many people live with us, but they do know about us and our clan.”
Hachiman discussed his life with the gargoyles he lived with to us. We told him about our struggle to be accepted by the people of Manhattan. We also learned that Hachiman lived by the code of Bushido. That fact furthered our conversation. Brooklyn mentioned that there was a clan of gargoyles that followed Bushido as well. It took the three of us a while to realize that the other Thundercats were arriving.
When Wily-Kit and Wily-Kat showed up, the last ones to arrive, Tygra said, “All present Lion-O.”
A flash of flame accompanied by an evil laugh drew everyone’s attention to the mouth of the mountain. An evil being who I assumed was Mumm-ra stood at the mountain’s entrance. He looked just as Panthro described and more. He was ugly, even worse than the Mamluks of Mozenrath.
“Mumm-ra! Defend yourself, evil one,” Hachiman challenged, unsheathing his sword.
“You have betrayed me,” Mumm-ra said in a voice that sent shivers down my spine. Mumm-ra aimed his fingers at Hachiman. Magic flashed forward and struck Hachiman who disappeared from view.
“Hachiman! What has Mumm-ra done to him?” Lion-O exclaimed.
“He is safe, Lion-O,” a new voice said. It was a voice I had never heard before. Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw a ghost behind Lion-O.
“Jaga,” Lion-O said, facing the ghost.
“He is back in his own time, in his own dimension.”
“I’m glad to hear that. But, we’ve failed. There’s nothing more we can do.”
“There is something, Lion-O. The Star of Thundera. It can render the Thundrainium harmless to you.”
“Then, I must have it. How can I get it, Jaga?”
“I will try Lion-O. I will try.” Jaga pulled one side of his cape over the front of him and disappeared.
“Who was that?” I couldn’t help asking.
“Who?” Brooklyn asked me while the Thundercats turned amazed looks at me.
“The ghost. Jaga,” I explained. Looking at Brooklyn, I said, “You didn’t see him?”
“See who?”
“Jaga.” Now I was getting frustrated. Turning to Lion-O, I demanded, “You saw him, right? You were talking to him.”
“Jasmine’s right Brooklyn. Jaga was here, but I thought our kind could only see him and talk with him. Besides Mumm-ra.”
“Maybe she saw him because she’s part fay,” Brooklyn suggested.
Covering my eyes with one hand, I pleaded, “Please don’t mention it.”
“It’s true.”
“Yes, but I like to forget it.”
“Then, you never would have gotten home without your magic.”
“Okay, Brooklyn. You’ve made your point. I just don’t want to be reminded why I have magic.”
“Alright. I’m sorry I upset you.”
“I’m sorry I snapped at you.” Brooklyn and I embraced, our wings went around one another.
“Ahem. Maybe I could tell you who Jaga is,” Lion-O interrupted after a moment of blissful love. The two of us let go and I faced Lion-O.
“Alright. I’m listening.”
I listened to Lion-O tell how Jaga was his mentor and he died on the voyage to Third Earth. Now Jaga appears when Lion-O needed his advice.
Suddenly, Jaga reappeared with one hand clenched in a fist, yet a gentle look was on his face.
“The star gave us its power?” Lion-O asked.
“Not gave, Lion-O. Power is never a gift, but a responsibility.”
“Yes, Jaga.” I watched as Jaga put something on Lion-O. When he stepped back, a pendent was around Lion-O’s neck.
“Wear this talisman and the Thundrainium will not harm you. Go, bring back our countrymen.” Then Jaga left.
“Good luck friend,” Panthro said to Lion-O. The Thundercat turned to face the bridge and began to cross it.
When Lion-O was halfway on the bridge, Slithe and Jackalman joined Mumm-ra, who was still there, at the entrance. Then, behind the mutants came three cat-like people. They were the countrymen that we had helped the Thundercats search for. Mumm-ra saw them, gave orders to the mutants, then disappeared. By then, Lion-O ran the rest of the way to help them. The three of them, however, handled the two mutants by themselves. All of us watched Lion-O join hands with the countrymen and begin to lead them across the bridge toward us.
One by one the countrymen reached safety with Lion-O still holding the hands of the ones still on the bridge.
“You made it,” Tygra said when the last one made it to safety.
Cheetara, who had helped the Thunderians come to safety, looked up and exclaimed, “Look out! Mumm-ra!”
Looking in the direction she was looking, we saw Mumm-ra heading in our direction. But he was dressed differently and flying. None of that mattered when he came right up to Lion-O and ripped the talisman off his neck.
“He’s got the talisman!” Lion-O exclaimed.
Mumm-ra flew back to the mountain entrance where the Thundercats couldn’t get him and held the talisman high. I got angry at this sight. Evil like Mumm-ra shouldn’t have such power in their possession. I knew this from experiences with Mozenrath.
“I’ll get it back,” I promised, starting for the bridge. Lion-O stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“You can’t. Mumm-ra has powerful magic. You can’t face him if yours don’t work.”
I sighed. “You’re right.” I had no choice but to watch with the others.
“The Star of Thundera. The greatest power in the universe is mine. Mine alone,” Mumm-ra boasted, opening the pendent a little.
Jaga instantly appeared in front of Mumm-ra. “No, Mumm-ra. You mustn’t open the talisman.”
Apparently, Mumm-ra heard him and saw him because he replied, “You tell me what I must and must not do? Mumm-ra who now rules the universe?” He opened the talisman all the way. An intense white light came from the opening. Jaga left. The rest of us shielded our eyes. I quickly noticed that the mutants had left some time ago. When the flash was over, the mountain was gone as well as Mumm-ra. A bright star hung in the sky above the now extinct mountain. Jaga reappeared behind Lion-O who sensed his presence, and turned around.
“I don’t see Mumm-ra, Jaga. Has the Star of Thundera destroyed him?”
“Perhaps. As all who seek such power are ultimately destroyed. It belongs to the universe alone.” Lion-O turned around to watch the star fade away. Jaga was about to leave when he saw me looking at him. He smiled and nodded to me before disappearing. I was confused. Was he recognizing a friend or something more? Maybe I was losing it. He could have just been saying hello.
“It’s over, then?” Cheetara asked.
“Not quite,” Panthro replied. “There’s still Ritaro to deal with for what he did to the Thundertank.”
All of us looked at the tank just as Snarf appeared from one side of it.
“No, need for that Panthro. Ritaro’s ship has…has been disabled,” Snarf reported.
“Congratulations, Snarf. You’re a true Thundercat after all.”
“Snarf!”
“Come, friends. Let’s get back to the lair. We’ve got some celebrating to do.”
All the Thundercats and the Thunderians then said, “Thundercats, Ho!”
Everyone started for Cat’s Lair. Brooklyn and I followed Tygra and Cheetara since we couldn’t go home until tomorrow morning. One whole day and night to spend before we could leave. Getting to know the three Thunderians and talking to Lion-O sounded like good ideas to me.
We arrived at Cat’s Lair. Tygra and Cheetara parked their vehicles and joined the other Thundercats who were behind the Thunderians who had Lion-O in front of them. Brooklyn and I joined the Thundercats on one side.
“Lynx-O, Pumyra, Bengali. Make yourselves at home,” Lion-O gestured at the lair.
“Cat’s Lair,” Pumyra said.
“Just as it was on Thundera,” Bengali added.
“We haven’t thanked you,” Pumyra noted.
“Especially you,” Bengali said to Lion-O. “And you haven’t even told us your name.”
“You are standing before Lion-O, lord of the Thundercats,” Lynx-O said, causing the other two to bow. I was amazed that Lynx-O knew this and was blind. Could he tell by the voice like Robbins, a friend of Hudson’s and mine?
“How did you know Lynx-O?” Lion-O asked.
“I hear your father’s voice in yours. I could not mistake it.” Yep, I was right.
“You knew my father?”
“Everyone knew him.”
“You must tell me about him. I was just a child when we…we lost Thundera.”
“I will tell you gladly when we visit here.”
“Visit? But you’ll be living here, all of you.”
“In Cat’s Lair?!” Pumyra exclaimed, shocked.
“On Thundera, the lair was only for Thundercats,” Bengali added, equally shocked.
“Well, you’ve handled yourselves like Thundercats and once I’ve anointed you, you’ll be true Thundercats.” Looking at the other Thundercats, Lion-O asked, “What’s say all of you?”
Tygra answered with, “Thundercats one and all.” The others replied with “Go!” which I guess meant yes.
A few minutes later, the nine of them were seated at the council table with Brooklyn and me watching the proceedings from the sidelines. Lynx-O, Bengali, and Pumyra wore new clothes with a circle somewhere on the top part.
“Welcome to Third Earth,” Lion-O began. Helping Lynx-O up, he continued. “Thundercat Lynx-O, Thundercat Pumyra, Thundercat Bengali.” One by one they stood up, Lion-O would point the sword at the circle and a Thundercat insignia would appear in the circle. When Bengali received his insignia, Tygra placed both hands on his shoulders and said, “Brother.”
Raising the sword high, Lion-O said, “Thunder, thunder, thunder-,”
“THUNDERCATS, HO!” the rest of them joined in on the last two words. The anointment was over. Everyone began to scatter. Brooklyn asked Lion-O for a tour. Lion-O told him sure and that he was giving the new Thundercats one, anyway. I decided to rest in the guest room Brooklyn and I got to have until we leave.
I sat down on the bed and ran over the events in my mind. I was glad to have been a part of this adventure. The mystery of the yellow glow and able to communicate with Jaga also weighed heavily on my mind. While I was puzzling over this I heard a voice say, “So, you are the gargoyle that befriended the Thundercats.”
Looking ahead, I saw Jaga standing before me. I nodded, “Yes, I am.”
“Lion-O’s told me of your first visit. They all wondered when you would come back.”
“I wondered the same thing back home.”
“Perhaps you would like to discuss some things with me.” Jaga came closer and sat down next to me. I wondered if Jaga knew something was troubling me and that no one but him could tell me why this something happened. It was also weird, it was almost like Father’s ghost was visiting me and wanted me to tell him what happened to me in Manhattan.
I quickly decided what to discuss and it came to me. Turning to Jaga, I explained about how my eyes glowed yellow. I wasn’t angry and even then my eyes glow white not yellow.
I waited for Jaga to reply. He seemed to be in deep thought. Finally, he said, “You have magic, am I right?”
The question surprised me, but I said, “Yes.”
“Then, it’s possible that your magic was drawn to the power of the Eye of Thundera. It would explain why your eyes flashed yellow and why you can talk with me. I suggest that you talk to Lion-O about what I told you.”
“Alright. Thank you for talking with me, Jaga.” Jaga nodded and disappeared. As I stepped out, I nearly collided with Brooklyn.
“Whoa! Where’s the fire, Jasmine?” the red gargoyle asked with a joking tone in his voice. I smiled a little at his joke.
“I need to talk to Lion-O. Do you know where he is?”
“I think he’s in his bedroom. I trust you know where it’s at?”
“Sure. I’ll see you later.” I walked down the hall, keeping track of where I was. My mind wondered back to my conversation with Jaga. Was it possible that Brooklyn was right? My magic allowed me to experience things that my clan could never experience? This certainly would increase my value to the clan, not just a gargoyle with knowledge of human reasoning, but perhaps the paranormal, the unusual. When I arrived at the door, I knocked. “Lion-O, it’s Jasmine.”
“Come in,” Lion-O’s voice invited from inside. Pressing a button on the side, the door slid open and I stepped in. I spotted Lion-O sitting on the bed.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
“Sure. Have a seat.” Lion-O patted the spot next to him. I walked over and sat down.
“Now, what do you want to talk about?”
“Well, Jaga paid me a visit.”
“He did? What did he say?”
I told Lion-O the entire conversation and Jaga’s suggestion of talking to him about it. When I finished, I waited for Lion-O’s reaction.
“It seems possible,” he said, slowly, obviously still thinking about it. He snapped out of deep thought then and looked at me. “Can you come to the Council room in, say, ten minutes? And bring Brooklyn.”
“Sure.” I walked out of the room and back to Brooklyn’s and my room. I went in and told him about Lion-O wanting us in the Council room in about seven minutes from then.
Seven minutes later, we were on our way to the Council room. I wondered why Lion-O wanted Brooklyn and me with him in the Council room. We walked into the room to see, not just Lion-O, but all the Thundercats there. An empty seat was between Panthro and Lion-O.
“What’s going on?” Brooklyn asked.
“You’ll find out,” Panthro told him. Looking at me, he said, “Sit down Jasmine.” He indicated the empty seat. Brooklyn and I looked at each other for a moment. I shrugged, then took the seat. Brooklyn stood close by.
“We’re gathered here to recognize a special per-uh gargoyle,” Lion-O began. I was confused. What was going on here?
I saw Panthro bring out a strap of leather and drape over my front like a sash. A circle was embedded in the leather in the middle of my chest. Then, it hit me. They couldn’t be serious. I wasn’t from Thundera. Could they really do this?
Lion-O stood up from his seat and I followed suite. Pointing his sword at the circle, he declared, “Welcome Honorary Thundercat Jasmine. I hope you will wear your insignia when you come to visit. Red flashed from the sword and into the circle. A Thundercat insignia appeared in the circle. It was official.
“I will. That’s a promise,” I said.
“Now, we should let Jasmine and Brooklyn get some sleep before their trip back,” Lion-O said. Everyone else stood up and began to leave. Of course I was congratulated by the other Thundercats before the two of us could head back to the guest room.
Brooklyn admired my insignia. “That’s quite an honor. We’ll definitely have something to tell the clan.”
I smiled. “We sure will.” We entered the room, climbed into the bed and fell asleep. It had been quite an adventure.
I woke up with a start. What time was it? I looked out a window and saw a pre-dawn sky. Climbing out of bed, I walked closer to the window. The shift in weight woke Brooklyn up, too. Yawning he said, “It’s almost dawn already?”
“Almost,” I replied. Brooklyn got and watched the sun start to rise. I concentrated on being human while Brooklyn concentrated on not turning to stone. Once I knew that I was fully human, I opened my eyes and saw Brooklyn looking at me with a loving gaze.
“I forgot how beautiful you are when you are human,” he whispered.
Smiling at him, I said, “I’ll never forget how handsome you were as a human.” Brooklyn blushed slightly. “Come on, let’s get ready to say good-bye,” I told him.
We didn’t have to wait long for everyone to wake up. Everyone was already up and waiting for us in the Control room. We began our good-byes. I promised to bring someone else next time. Lion-O surprised me by saying that they might come and visit me. At last, I recited the spell and Brooklyn and I were sucked up into the portal…
And right into the Main Hall of Castle Wyvern. The portal opened up at ground level and we just walked right out. Everyone who was there a few days ago were there, too.
“Jasmine, Brooklyn. Enjoy your visit?” Puck’s voice asked. Turning around I admitted. “Yes. But I think Alex needs to learn on where to open a portal at.”
“I’ll see he works on it. It seems like you don’t need to, though.”
I nodded and turned to see the clan who were looking at me, amazed. I laughed lightly at their expressions.
“I know, I know. You forgot how beautiful I looked when I’m human,” I said.
“It’s not that, lass,” Hudson said. “It’s that symbol you’ve got on that sash.”
I looked at the insignia for a moment, then replied, “It’s a long story about why I’m wearing this and Brooklyn and I would be glad to tell it.” The clan and I left the Main Hall to get more comfortable for the story they were about to hear.
