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Post by pharaohsangel on Mar 13, 2016 20:08:31 GMT
(I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR THUNDERCATS. I ONLY OWN JAGUAR-A.)
Part I Protectors of the Prince A young boy, of five years of age, ran though the palace, he didn't want to go to lesson today. The old priest, Solomon, was on his tail. He hated it when the prince tried to ditch his lessons; and he was getting too old for this. The prince quickly jumped into a large clay pot and prayed that Solomon wouldn't find him. He heard the scuffling of footsteps and ragged breathing, then he heard Solomon call out, "Atem? You wait 'till your father hears of this! You'll be grounded for a week!" With that; the old priest left in huff. The prince, Atem, waited until it was safe to come out; then took off running down the hall. He was about to head to the garden when he saw a door with a strange symbol in the shape of a cats eye. The little boy pushed open the door and gasped; the room was made of solid white jade, torches were lighting up the room, and at the end was a large pedestal. He walked numbly down the room; taking in everything. There were hieroglyphics on the walls telling a story about one of his anestors meeting a cat-like king of this place called "Thundera", and how helped defeat the evil warriors, that were sent to destroy Egypt, by controlling all the wild cats in Egypt. It also told about what happened to the kings two children, the prince and princess. To protect them from harm; the cat-lord had the pharaoh put them into a deep sleep and encase them in crystal. And used a spell to protect them until a person with a pure heart would awaken them. Atem tore his gaze from the hieroglyphics and saw what was sitting on the pedestal, white stone statues; of winged cats. A lion, a jaguar. Also, they were eight statues of cat-people under the torches; five men and one boy, which were two tigers (one orange and the other white,) a panther, a lynx, and a fisher cat. The other three were two women (a cheetah and puma,) and one girl (a female fisher cat.) The stone cats looked as if they were about to come alive any second. Atem walked closer until he was standing in front of the winged lion, reached up and touched the lions mane. The detail of the statues was incredible; they looked so real. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the prince's shoulder making him yelp in surprise. He whirled around to see Solomon's stern face. Atem breathed in relief, and tried to calm his pounding heart. "Oh, Solomon; it's just you." He said. The old priest shook his head, "Atem, what are you doing in here? Only the pharaoh in allowed in this hallow palace." The prince bowed his head, "I'm sorry, Solomon. But I just wanted to see what was in here and-" "Well now you do." Solomon said, cutting the prince off. "Now let's go, your father will be furious if he finds out you were here without me." He began to drag the prince away when Atem said, "But wait! The hieroglyphics told about the prince and princess; but who are they?" He pointed at the other statues, which seem to smile at the boy's excitement and curiosity. The wise priest sighed, knowing that Atem wouldn't do anything until his question was answered. Solomon looked at the cat-human statues lovingly, "Those are the warriors of Thundera; the Thunder Cats. Cheetara; the swift. Panthero; the deadly. Tygra; the master of camouflage. Bengali; Tygra's brother and a skilled blacksmith. Pumyra; the healer. Wily Kit and Wily Kat; the twins of mischief. And last, Lynx-O; the wise and blind. They were the ones who helped us fight against our enemies forces. Their king was named Claudis; he may have been blind, but he fought with the courage of a true warrior. We never had such strong allies; besides the Shadow Realm. But with our forces combined, we could achieve anything. But unfortunately, both the prince and princess suffered terrible wounds. So, the priests were called to place the two royal children into a deep sleep, encase them in crystal and then place them in a safe place where no one would find them. They did the same with the Thunder Cats; they hid them all together." He sighed. "But we descendants of the priests and pharaoh, feel their presence in the air, earth, the water...if you listen they will help you." "Very touching, old man." The two turned to see ten guards appear from the shadows; each holding a sword or spear. "Well, well." The leader taunted, "Look who we have here, Prince Atem. Do you know what we do to princes who step out of bounds?" Solomon put Atem behind him, "Don't you touch him!" One of the guards laughed, "Sorry, old lizard. But are master wants a few words with the prince. So, are you going to make this easy...or hard?" Atem closed his eyes and prayed, "Solomon told me that if I listened you would help me; please! Tell me what to do?!"
He waited and a soft female voice said, "Summon your creature, little prince."
Atem, trusting the voice, closed his eyes and focused all of his energy, "Shadow Realm, please bring me my own creature." A blast of light burst from the prince's body, and standing before him was a man in purple armor, lavender hair, and blue eyes. In his hands he held a large green staff. He bowed to the prince and said, /" My name is Dark Magician;I am at your service, my prince."/ Atem nodded and pointed to the guards, "Take them out!" The Dark Magician nodded, and sent a blast of energy at two guards; knocking them out. The others called forth their creatures and soon the Dark Magician was out numbered. "So old man," The leader said. "Are you going to hand over the prince? Or this going to get ugly?" Solomon opened his mouth to respond, but low growl stopped him. The guards turned to look behind them and there, in the shadows; were cat-eyes. The leader of the traitorous guards, sneered and as he approached Atem saw that the statues were of the and the winged lion and jaguar...were gone! "What can a couple of little cats do?" A guard asked, laughing. But he stopped once the 'little cats' were in the light. They weren't normal cats; but winged wild cats! Atem gasped as the lion and the jaguar snarled at the guards; who ordered their creatures to attack. But before they could touch them, the lion blew fire from it's mouth! The guards saw this were shocked when their shadow creatures were destroyed. The jaguar stepped up as new wave of creatures stepped forward. She flew up into the air and flapped her wings so fast that a whirlwind kicked up; sending them into a wall. The creatures disappeared, and the traitorous guards backed away as the winged lion and jaguar roared; making them run in terror. The Dark Magician smiled and went back to the Shadow Realm. Atem and Solomon turned to the two creatures, who were glowing with heavenly light. Solomon bowed low and whispered, "Thank you, prince and princess of Thundera." Atem walked over and touched the lions red mane; in return for the gentle stroking, the lion licked the five year-olds face. Atem laughed as the lions warm tongue bathed his skin. The jaguar was the next to kiss his cheek, and let Atem stroke her wings. Then, both bowed to the old priest and prince then flew back to the pedestal; where they became statues once again. Atem stared at them and stood in front of them. He was so absorbed in them that didn't notice his father behind Solomon. "What happened here, old friend?" The pharaoh asked. As Solomon told the pharaoh, Atem felt sleepy; having used much of his energy by summoning the Dark Magician, so he laid down at lion and jaguars feet and his eyes closed. The pharaoh smiled at the sight and quietly picked up his son in his arms. Then looked up at the statues, "Thank you for protecting my son, I only wish that I could see you in flesh and bone than cold stone." With that he bowed and as the three humans left the winged cats and the Thunder Cat statues seemed to smile at them. ~*~ Five years later...
The sun had began to set. Atem, now ten at the time, tossed and turned in bed. He couldn't sleep; he was too worried, for his father had fallen ill. The healers had forbade him to see his father, since he'd catch it too. Since he wasn't feeling tired, the young prince climbed out of bed and went to the special chamber. He hoped maybe the ThunderCats would listen to his sadness; since no one understood him. Once there, he sat at the winged lion's feet and hugged the carved lion. "Oh; brave brother lion, sweet sister jaguar. I wish you could speak to me; no one understands me. I'm so worried about father, he's so ill and the healers say he might not live." At those words, tears fell down his face. "Please let him live, I love him!! Please let him stay with me!!" Soon he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him and through his tears, Atem saw a man in place of the stone statue. His skin was fair and his arms were well muscled. At the his fingertips were cat-like claws and his flaming red hair stood up; defying gravity like a sideways flame. He wore a blue spandex and blue boots to match. On his right thigh was a claw shield with a sword in it. And what startled Atem was that the man had the very same eyes as the lion that saved him five-years ago! Atem would have said something, but the man put a finger to his lips making a 'Shh' sign. Then winked and carried Atem back to his room. Atem snuggled under his blanket as the man gave him a smile then turned to leave. "Wait," Atem whispered to him. The man turned to him, "Are you the prince of Thundera?" The prince asked, hopefully. To his joy the man nodded and slowly disappeared. ~*~ Night had fallen over the land, the moon shown like a pearl. Nights in Egypt was usually peaceful; but not tonight. A high priest by the name of Akhenaden paced in his room. His fury was completely untamed, his brother's son was now at the age of ten; and would be soon learning how to use Shadow Magic. He had to find a way to abolish that little brat; and quickly. He soon came across a the history of Egypt's faithful allies; the Thunder Cats. And he decided to do the one thing that had been forbidden to do. He would awake one of Claudis's children. Quickly, he gathered all the things for the summoning and chanted; "All the powers in my Millennium Eye, send me the princess of Thundera to do my bidding!" White smoke swirled around creating a large sphere, and once it cleared a young girl of sixteen stood before Akhenaden. Her hair was the color of the earth after the rain, and it touched her thighs in waves. The color of her skin was fair, her cheeks were pink and her lips were red as hearts blood. She wore a red dress with robe-like sleeves, leaving her right shoulder bare, and skirt that touched her knees. A gold belt was around her waist, and the insignia of Thundera was on her chest. On her right arm she wore a gold armband and a gold bracelet on her left wrist. Boots made of brown leather that touched her knees were on her feet. And on her head was solid gold circlet, showing proof that she was the princess. Before Akhenaden could speak, the princess's eyes snapped open; revealing their ocean blue color. "Who awakens me from my slumber? Who dares awaken me with dark magic?!" "I do." The evil priest answered. The princess glared at him, "The law says that anyone who uses evil magic, must be punished." Akhenaden laughed, "You could never punish me!" "Is that so?" She asked, and then threw a ball of pale-blue light at the priest. It sent him tumbling into a wall, the priest got up as the princess's body began to glow with heavenly light. "Haven't had enough?" She asked. "Very well, so be it." She bared her teeth, and slowly spread her fingers. A large beam of yellow light burst from her hands and sent Akhenaden into a statue of the Sun God Ra. "Pitiful," She said as the priest called a creature from a stone slab. "You rely on others to do your dirty work for you; just like last time." "What are you talking about?!" He demanded, as the princess blasted away the creature with clam gesture of her hand. "Don't you remember the poor souls you killed at Kul Elna?" She asked. Akhenaden flinched at the name, and his body began to tremble. "How...how do you know about that?" He asked. She rolled her eyes, "I've may been asleep for Jaga-knows how long; but I can see anything in this world through my mind as I rest. I saw what YOU'VE done to those poor people." Akhenaden saw her eyes glow white, "For your punishment of killing innocent people and summoning me with evil magic; you'll face the fury of the beast that courses through my veins." As she spoke her body began to change into a jaguar with a ruby collar. It reared back it's head and roared so loud that it shook the whole palace; wakening everyone up... When the others found Akhenaden, his back, arms, and neck were covered in deep bleeding scratches. He kept trembling as if he was under someone's terrible gaze, the guards tried to find the cat; all they found was paw-print in the garden. Later that morning... Atem played with Manna and Joey in the garden, and told them about the strange thing that happened to his uncle. "...And my uncle said that it was a jaguar with wings. Do you suppose it was the princess, Joey?" "No. There's no such things as winged cats; it defies all the laws of gravity. And I think your uncle drank too much wine and stumbled in the rose thorns." He gave Manna the red leather ball they were playing with, "So how was your first day of magic lessons?" Atem sighed, it had been fun but for some reason something didn't feel right. "It was ok, I guess." Joey looked at Manna who looked confused, "Why the 'I guess', Atem?" She asked. He shrugged, "I don't know, I just have this strange feeling that somethings not right." At that moment, a jaguar with white wings appeared out of the bushes. The friends were afraid, until Atem remembered her. "Princess!" He cried happily, hugging her. Joey and Manna were still shaking as Atem beckoned them to come closer, "It's ok; she's a friend." Both kids walked up and petted her soft golden black-spotted fur coat, which almost felt like silk. "Why are you here, princess?" Atem asked. "Making sure you're alright." Came the answer. All three of the children's jaws dropped, "You can talk?!" Manna asked. "Yes. When I choose to." She replied. "Now that I know you'll alright, I'll be going back to rest in the temple." Atem threw his arms around her, "No! Please stay a while longer?" She thought a minute, then nodded. "All right. How about I stay for ten minutes, then I need to leave." Atem hugged her, "Thanks, princess. By the way, what's your name?" "It's Jaguar-a, my little prince." She answered. Jaguar-a looked at the sky and smiled, "Do you know how to ride my prince?" "Yeah, why?" "Hop on my back." She said. "All three of you." Less persuaded, the three friends got on her back; Atem in front, Manna in the middle, and Joey in the back. "Hold on tightly, children." Jaguar-a said, as they took off into the sky. The breeze greeted them as Jaguar-a flew them though clouds, over the pyramids and the Nile. Atem laughed as Jaguar-a did a loop-de-loop in the air. Soon they pasted over the palace and soon landed back in the garden. They got off her back and the prince put his arms around her neck. "Do you really have to go, Jaguar-a?" "Yes, my prince. I must; but don't worry, my brother, friends and I will always be watching you. And one day, maybe, you'll find a place where we can be awakened." He nodded as he let go and she disappeared.
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Post by pharaohsangel on Mar 14, 2016 21:50:00 GMT
(I'm going to say this right now; I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH! OR THUNDERCATS, NOR DO I OWN ANY SONGS I USE IN THIS FIC.)
Part II
Fortune favors the Brave and Defying Gravity Eight years later...Atem grew into a strong young man of 18, and wasn't enjoying his lessons at the moment. Solomon rambled on and on about wars, history, other pharaohs and so forth. But in Atem's mind; all he heard was blah, blah, blah. He sighed and watched children playing outside his window. "I wish I was playing with them," He thought. "Instead of sitting here doing nothing."His thought was making him think about the games he played with Manna and Joey in the garden. Without thinking he fell asleep on his desk, dreaming of his childhood; playing tag, hide and seek, skipping stones, rolling in the grass... "Oh, if only I could do all those things once more and got of this prison cell." He thought. "ATEM! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT; YOUNG MAN!!"Atem jolted awake, and gulped when he came face to face with Solomon's angry scowl. "How many times do I have to tell you? NO SLEEPING IN THIS CLASSROOM!"
Atem cringed he hated getting lectured. As Solomon gave him a tongue lashing, Atem pretended to listen; when he was really thinking about the sail trip he, Joey, and Joey's old friend Tristan were going to go on. The hourglass, which was Solomon's clock; told Atem and the old priest that the lesson was over. "Alright, Atem." Solomon huffed, "You're off the hook from scrubbing the courtyard this time. But not the next time…now get going." Atem jumped out of his chair and flew out the room, "Finally!" He shouted when he was far enough away, "Thank the Three Egyptian Gods, I'm out!" Atem ran to his room and grabbed his bag; which was full of clothes and food, because they wouldn't be back for a couple weeks. As he headed for the Nile, Shada, a new priest; came up to Atem, "Your highness! Your father is dying and wishes to speak with you." Those words hit Atem like a blow, his father…dying? Running as fast as his legs would carry him, Atem went to his father's chamber. A healer stopped him before he entered, and escorted him to dying king. "Your highness?" She asked, softly. "Atem's here." The king weekly opened his eyes, "Come kneel, my son." He whispered. Atem kneeled before his father and the healer left them alone. "My son," The king whispered. "My time is almost up. And you must do something before you ascend the throne." "You wished to see us, pharaoh?" Atem turned and saw the priests walk in. "Yes," His father said, weakly. "I need you all to hear this. Atem? Do you remember the ThunderCats?" "Yes." He answered. "They saved me when I was little." "You must go across the Nile and awaken them. For you have been chosen by the stars." Atem was dumbstruck, as were the priests. "But…father, how will I find them?" "Take this map," The pharaoh said as he drew out a scroll of parchment. "Don't lose it. And take the Millennium Puzzle from my neck." He placed it around his son's neck and continued, "Joey and Tristan will accompany you, Atem. You must follow the stars in the Northern Sky; the map will…tell you… what you need…to…do." Atem grasped his father's hand, "No! Stay with me father, please!!" "Atem… I know…you'll…succeed…and be a…great…king…" With that his eyes closed, and his body turned cold. Atem shook all over, "Father? FATHER, NO!!" Shada placed a hand on Atem's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Atem. Now come, you have a quest to fulfill; as your father would want you too." Atem wiped away his tears and went to meet his friends, even though his heart was ready to break into a thousand pieces. ~
Joey and Tristan were just undoing the sails when Atem arrived with his head bowed. "Hey, Atem!" Tristan said, cheerfully. "We were wondering where you were." Joey noticed that Atem had been crying; for his face was stained with tears. "Why ya cryin' Atem? Are ya sick or somethin'?" The prince shook his head, and muttered, "It's nothing; let's go." They untied the boat, and began the journey down the Nile. As they sailed; Atem just stood at the haul and stared at the blue waters ahead. Joey came over and stood beside the prince. "Sure is pretty, an' it?" He asked. "Hmm." Atem replied. Joey shook his head, "Come on 'Tem, I've known you all my life. You can't fool me, now what's wrong?" "My father…he's dead." Joey's eyes widened, then his expression softened, "Aww man, I'm sorry pal. I wish there was somethin' I could do." "It's alright, Joey." Atem whispered. At that moment, Tristan walked up, he took a breath and stretched out his arms, "So, ya know were we're going?" He asked. Atem took the map out of his bag, "My father gave me this map, so we'll have to follow it. He said I must find the ThunderCats and waken them." Joey looked at the map and his eyes nearly popped of his head. "Holy Cow! I don't believe it!" He looked at Atem as if he might faint, "Atem, do you know where this leads?! This leads us to the Cat's Eye Jungle!" "I thought that was just a legend." Atem said in disbelief. Tristan shook his head, "No. People say that only because many have never returned. Only the bravest ones go there." Joey smiled, "Fortune's smiling on us toady, boys! Three of us are the bravest ones in all of Egypt!" Tristan laughed, "Except you're the coward, Joey." "Watch it!" Atem burst out laughing; forgetting his sadness. "Joey's right through Tristan, we are the bravest!" "We have swept to glory, Egypt's allies shall Expand. From Nile's Southern Delta to the dry, dry western Sands. We will find the ThunderCats And return with more lessons we'll have Learned."
Joey and Tristan begin to playfully attack each other with a mop and a broom as if they were swords. "Oh, oh. Fortune favors the brave.
Oh, oh.
Fortune favors the brave."
Atem rolled up the map then turned to the water and stared at the sun. His mind thinking many thoughts... "It's all worked out, my road
Is clear. The lines of the earth
Extend. Way beyond my wildest
Dreams toward some great
Triumphant end. We'll seize the Day, we'll turn the tide. I'll touch The stars, like my father. And we'll Explore uncharted lands."Atem put the map away and Tristan tackled him, Joey handed him a broom before Tristan and Atem spared. "Oh, oh. Fortune favors the brave. The more we find the more We see, the more we'll have to Learn. Then the more tales we'll to tell when we return!"
Atem won the little bout and fingered the puzzle, it seemed to glow in the light. "Nothing is an accident We are free to explore it All. We are what we want To be, it's in ourselves to rise And fall. When someone that is Dear to me, is farther than my Home. I'll do all I can to set them Free!"
Joey and Tristan dumped a bucket of water on him, and they laughed as Atem chased them around the ship. "Oh, oh. Fortune favors the young. Oh, oh. Fortune favors the brave!!"
Tristan and Joey suddenly tripped and Atem fell on them, all three laughing like hyenas. "You two are the best friends, I've ever had." Atem said, catching his breath. Joey rubbed his stomach, "What's for lunch? It's been four hours since breakfast, and boy, I'm starving." "Good grief, Joey. You're always starving." Tristan said. Atem laughed as they continued to bicker, "I hope that this trip won't be too long on water."~ Night soon fell, and Atem took first watch as they continued down the Nile. Stars seemed to wink at him by the thousands. He gazed at them, "Father? If you're up there, I hope you'll always watch over me." He thought. "He will." Atem turned to the voice and gasped, there behind him stood Jaguar-a. If he thought she had been beautiful in the sunlight; she was even more beautiful in the moonlight. Her wings glowed pure white, and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle. He ran to her and threw his arms around her neck. "Oh, Jaguar-a! It's so good to see you!" Then his grip loosened, "You know don't you? About my..." "Yes, we do." She replied, licking his cheek. Atem looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean by 'we'?" "She means me." Said a voice. Out from the shadows, a lion with red mane, golden fur, and pure white wings stepped forward. Atem gasped in surprise, as Jaguar-a introduced him. "Atem? You remember my brother, Lion-O; don't you?" He nodded numbly, "Yes; I do." Lion-O laughed. "Don't be so shocked, Jaguar-a and I have been watching you." Atem blushed then Jaguar-a said, "Would you like to fly with us a while?" "I can't." He said. "I must watch and steer the ship." "Don't worry about it." Jaguar-a whispered. She let out a sharp whistle, and thousands of fish appeared on all sides of the ship. "My friends will keep the ship steady and safe from harm." She leaned down and said, "Come, my prince. Come fly with us." Without a second thought, Atem climbed on her back and they took off into the night sky. Atem smiled as the wind creased his face. "It's strange, I feel like I'm a whole different person; now that I'm to be king I mean." Lion-O nodded. "I understand, when our father died I felt the same way." Atem sighed, "I wish I could fly like you can. When I'm up here, I forget everything; sadness, anger, almost everything." "Maybe one day you will." Jaguar-a said. "But only if you study and practice hard." Atem looked at the stars around him, and he felt a strange feeling in his chest; like his heart would burst from happiness. "Something has changed Within me. Something is Not the same. I'm though Playing by the rules, of some One else's game. Too late For second guessing. Too late To go back to sleep. It's time to Trust my instincts, close my eyes And leap. It's time try Defying Gravity. I think I'll try Defying Gravity. And no one Will pull me down.
I'm though accepting limits, 'cuz some One says they're so. Some things Cannot change; but till I try, I'll Never know. Too long I've been Afraid of ascending the throne, Like the father I've lost. If that's Love, it comes much to high a Cost. I'd sooner buy Defying Gravity. Tell me good-bye, I'll soon be Defying Gravity. And no one will Pull me down!"
When they got back to the ship, the fish left and Jaguar-a gently placed Atem down. And then flew off with her brother; singing down to Atem, "Since you need to find us,Look to the stars in the Northern Sky! As the birds told us lately, 'Everyone deserves a chance to fly'! And if you're flying solo at least you're Flying free. To those who would ground You, take a message back from us! Tell Them how we're Defying Gravity! We're Flying high, Defying Gravity! One day you'll match us in renown!"
Atem took the helm, as Joey came out to take over. "Hey Atem? Did you hear somethin'?" "No, why?" "Just askin', anyway I'll take over." Atem thanked him, and went below deck to his room; and collapsed on the bed. Next door, he heard Tristan snoring up a storm. Looking at the stars, he saw constellation of stars shaped like the Eye of Thundera. "'Look to the stars in the Northern Sky.'" They said.Now he knew what that meant! Racing up to the deck, he told Joey what to do. "Just follow the constellation of Thundera, Joey. Tell Tristan the same thing." "Alright, 'Tem. Whatever you say." Atem went back to his room and sang to the stars, hoping Jaguar-a and Lion-O would hear him; "And nobody with any cause, no Shadow Realm That is or was is ever going to bring you; down!"
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Post by pharaohsangel on Mar 16, 2016 2:23:57 GMT
(I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH! OR THUNDERCATS. NOR DO I OWN ANY OF THE SONGS I USE IN THIS FIC. I ONLY OWN JAGUAR-A)
Part III The Jungle and Its People. Atem awoke the next morning from Tristan's shouting. "WAKE UP! GUYS WE'RE HERE!! ALL HANDS ON DECK, WE'RE HERE! WAKE UP!!" Atem got out of bed and ran on deck with Joey behind him. The sun felt pleasant on the prince's face, as they ran to the front of the ship where Tristan was waiting. "Look," He said, pointing. "Over there." Atem looked to where Tristan was pointing; there in the sun was a mass thick jungle. Thinking quickly, Atem took out the map and stared at its picture of the jungle. "That's it," He said softly. " 'The Cats Eye Jungle', just like my father always told me." Joey looked over the prince's shoulder, "What's that writing for?" Atem looked the words and read, " '312 steps west though the jungle, until you come to the 'Tears of Loyalty'. Father never said anything about 'Tears of Loyalty'; I wonder what that is?" Joey shrugged and threw Atem his bag, "Well, one way to find out. Let's get going." Atem smiled and helped them tie the boat down and walked to the border of the forest. Tristan turned to Atem, "You lead the way, man. You're the one with the map, we'll follow you." Atem nodded and they began to count their steps, through the thick jungle. While they counted, the boys took in their surroundings; trees as tall as the pyramids shaded them with their green leaf canopies. Vines thick as their fists or as thin as rope hung from branches or laid on the misty ground. Tropical flowers bloomed everywhere, and colorful birds flew overhead. Plants grew around broken trees and stumps. Never had they seen such wonder in all of Egypt. Atem kept track of the paces as Joey kept track of how many bug bites he had. "Ouch!" The blonde said, slapping his neck. "That makes 20 bites from these stupid bugs, are we there yet?" "No." Tristan said in frustration. "Now shut up, before I gag you." Joey kept quiet, and they continued to walk in silence. Soon they came to a statue of a man with a long spear. To the boys amazement, the statue was crying. "This is it," Atem said, looking at the map. " 'The Tears of Loyalty'." Tristan whistled, "Wow." "Whadda ya say we camp here for the night?" Joey asked. The others agreed and began to set up camp. While Joey and Tristan made a fire, Atem went to look for dinner. He soon found a stream with colorful fish; and stomach rumbled with hunger. Grabbing his knife, he prepared to strike one. Suddenly, a leather bag was thrown over his head. As he struggled, strong hands held on to his arms and forced him to walk. "What's going on?" He yelled. "Let go of me!" But no one replied, only silence. After who knows many hours, Atem felt the bag be pulled off his head. He blinked to accustom his eyes to the sunlight, and saw a kingdom towering above him…in the trees! His captors pushed him to a ladder and made him climb. Atem didn't know how high they were and he'd rather not find out. Once he was up on the platform, others dragged him to a room and shut the door behind him. "Let me out of here!" He yelled as he pounded on the door. "Let me out, I order you!" "Your orders won't help you here." Said a voice. Atem turned and saw a woman in the middle of the room; seated on a throne of craved wood. Her hair was a red-brown and her eyes were green. She wore a two-piece dress of brown leather, and a crown of golden leaves on her head. "I'm Willa, Queen of the Tree Villagers. Why have you trespassed into our forest?" Atem bowed, "Forgive me, your majesty. My friends and I are on a quest to find the ThunderCats." "Many have come before you and failed, what makes you think you'll be able to succeed?" She asked. Atem kept his head down, "My father the pharaoh said I was the chosen one. Please, may my friends and I continue our quest?" Willa walked over to him and lifted his chin so she could see into his eyes. "A pharaoh's son, you are. And I see in your eyes that you are the one." She bid him to rise and called two men to her side, "Take Prince Atem and his friends to the guest chamber." They bowed and motioned Atem to follow them. Atem took time to look around; men, women, children were everywhere. The men were sharpening tools, making weapons or just talking. The women were making pottery, tanning leathers, sewing clothes, cooking meat or washing clothes. Children were playing games, or helping their mothers. Atem smiled to himself, it was almost like the village back home. Except that it was high in the trees, with rope ladders, wooden bridges, and that everyone wore leather and not cloth. The men stopped at a hut and gestured for Atem to enter. The prince walked in and saw that everything was craved from wood. Except for the bed's mattress, which was stuffed with feathers. Atem ran his fingers over the craftsmanship of the chair in the corner of the room; birds flying with powerful wings over the tops of trees. "Atem!" The prince was suddenly gripped in a tight bear-hug, by none other than Joey. "You're ok. We thought they killed ya'." "No Joey, they didn't and if you don't let go; you're going to kill me!" Atem said, trying to breathe. Joey released him, "Can you believe we're in the tree tops? Talk about living in secret." "I know." Tristan said, coming in. Atem saw that he was now wearing leather pants, vest and shoes. "This is amazing, they sure know how to live." "Why'd you change clothes?" Atem asked. "The Queen's Maidens gave me a bath and new clothes." He replied. "They asked that I come get you and take you to the hot-springs." Joey grabbed Tristan's arm, "Take me to them, pal! Can't keep those lovely ladies waiting now, can we?" Atem rolled his eyes as his friends ran ahead of him, he wondered if the queen could help him with the map. Somehow it didn't make sense. "Stuck are you?" Atem jumped and saw two women behind him. One had blond hair that touched her shoulders, which had cheetah spots. She wore a light brown leotard with dark yellow tights and brown leather boots that almost touched her knees. The Cheetah spots were on her shoulders and two silver bracelets were on her right wrist. And some kind of bracelet with a gold stick attached. Orange makings were on her face and her eyes were brown...just like Lion-O's! The second had brown hair with a white stripe down the middle and two fox-like tails hung in front of her pointed ears. Pale orange markings were under her brown cat-eyes. She wore a one piece dark-brown dress with a belt that had pouches of throwing pellets. Her boots came up to her knees, a gold choker and arm band were on her throat and left arm. Both had sharp cat-teeth, and claws. "Are you ThunderCats?" He asked. "Yes. I'm Cheetara; the Swift." Said the Cheetah. "And I'm Pumyra; the Healer." The second said. "We're here to help you." "I'm glad of that," Atem replied. "This map is so old I can't make out the words. Can you figure them out?" Cheetara took the map, and Pumyra looked over her shoulder; after a while, Pumyra handed it back to Atem. "You get to the Mountains of Justice and Truth. Ask the queen for guide to get you though the jungle, for the road you take now is dangerous and many have been lost on that journey. Be careful." Atem nodded and they slowly disappeared, "When you're in trouble, just call for us." Cheetara said. When they were gone, Atem ran to catch up with Tristan and Joey. They soon arrived at the hot springs, which were large pools of hot water in three rooms inside a giant tree. A couple maidens took Atem into one room and Joey in another. Atem was undressed and walked into the water. The prince saw that some of the maidens were 14 to 60; and some were whispering to each other. They took away his torn-up clothes, and began to wash him. One with pale yellow hair, poured soap on a cloth and washed his back. "I've never seen anyone with tri-color hair before." She said, giggling. "My, you're handsome." Said another with curly black hair. "What's your name?" "Atem." He said, with a tone of un-cheerfulness. The older women heard it, and pushed the younger maidens out. "What's the matter, boy? Why so sad?" Asked one. Atem sighed, "My father died before I began this quest; he wants me to be a great king. But what if I don't have what it takes to lead my people? "It's knowing what they want
Of me, that scares me. It's
Knowing having to follow
The path my father walked.
It's knowing that each one
Will compare me to my father,
And the ones whom I now succeed.
But how can whatever I do for them
Be enough?
Be enough?!"
The women all nodded knowingly, then one came up to him. "Atem! Atem!
All they'll ask of you,
Is a lifetime of service, wisdom, courage.
To ask more be selfish, but nothing less will
Do.
Atem! Atem!"
A maiden walked in with new clothes and they all began to dress him. She then began to comb out his hair. "Your robe will be golden,
Your robe will prefect. Instead
Of a ragged concoctions of thread!
But may you be moved by it's desperate
Beauty to give them new life, if they'd
rather be dead. Then live in the squalor
and shame.
To the dance!
To the dance!"
They finish, and Atem turns to the mirror and gasps at his reflection; he's dressed like a prince. His cape was red and a white toga was wrapped his waist making it touch his knees. Gold was on his legs; wrists, arms and a gold crown adorned his head. "This amazing…but I don't deserve this." "Don't be silly, you're a prince dear." Said the old woman. "Now lets get you to the queen, she wants you and your friends to get dinner with her tonight." Atem remembered what Cheetara and Pumyra had said, but what if the queen refused? Atem shook his head to clear it, "No I can't think like this; she has to say yes." He thought. They escorted him out and bumped into Joey, who wore a blue shirt, white pants, and shoes. "Hey Atem," He said. "Wow. You look great; what do you think will be at the feast? I'm starving!" The young woman with curly black hair giggled, "Than right this way, cutie." Atem shook his head in dismay as he followed them to the banqueting hall; which was even higher up in the trees on a platform. The queen sat at a long table, surrounded by her people. Willa looked up from her drink and smiled, "Ah, the prince has accepted our invitation. Welcome, Atem." The people cheered and Atem sat down as the servants brought out the food; there was roasted wild pig, birds, along with fruit. A servant filled his goblet with honeyed wine, and nearly dizzied Atem's senses. Musicians began to play as the dancers started to perform. Atem took another sip of wine and felt his head pound with terrible pain. A hand slowly tilted his face up. "Here dear, try this." Said a familiar voice. Atem blinked to clear his vision, as a cup of peach nectar was placed to his lips. His sight slowly cleared, to reveal who was standing in front of him…Pumyra! He opened his mouth to say something, but she shushed him. "Only you can see me, Atem." She gave him the rest of the nectar to drink and nodded to Willa. Atem took the hint and cleared his throat, "Um your highness? My friends and I…" "Need a guide to get you to the Mountains of Justice and Truth? I know, as I said before; ' you're not the first ones to try'. I'll give you guide, but I warn you; the road to the Thundercats resting place will not be easy. There will be hardships, and in order to find them you must listen to your heart and your spirit." Pumyra nodded, "Yes, it will be hard. But you can do it." Atem gulped, he wasn't so sure. Yet he had to do it; for his father. Once dinner was over; Atem had Pumyra lead him to the hot springs, because his head was still dizzy from the wine. She helped him undress, and put him to the water. "Oh, head hurts. I'll never touch that wine again." He complained. Pumyra laughed as Cheetara came in with his now-mended clothes. "I think Joey and Tristan will agree, when they wake up tomorrow." The cheetah woman said, laughing. Atem smiled as Pumyra rubbed his temples in a circular motion; easing away the pain. Once Atem was feeling better, both cat-women took him back to his room and helped him to bed. "Sleep now, Atem." Pumyra said. "Rest is what you need." Cheetara nodded, and whispered, "We'll see you again, but remember; only call and we'll be able to help you." With that they disappeared, and Atem fell asleep. ~
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Post by pharaohsangel on Mar 19, 2016 20:49:24 GMT
(I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH!, THUNDERCATS, OR ANY OF THE SONGS I USE IN THIS FIC. THE ONLY THING I OWN IS JAGUAR-A.)
Part IV Strange visions of the past and the Journey up the Mountains of Justice and Truth. Atem awoke from the sun shining on his eyelids. When he opened them, a couple handmaidens were giving him breakfast. "Good marrow, my prince. Hurry and eat for your journey soon begins." Atem quickly ate all he could stomach, and put his own clothes back on. When he was ready, the handmaiden took him to one of the many rope ladders. "They're all waiting for you down there; be careful." Atem nodded in respect and began to climb down, leaving the Treetop Kingdom and all its secrets high above him. Once he felt his feet touch the ground, Atem breathed in relief for not falling off the ladder. He saw Queen Willa behind him, and a young woman with long yellow hair, dark green eyes and wore clothes a paladin wore; except that it was made to blend in with her surroundings. On waist she wore a shifted sword. Queen Willa smiled at him as he bowed in front of her. "Good marrow, Atem. I hope you slept well?" "Yes, thank you." He replied. The gestured to the other woman, "This is Sun-Star, the 'Amazon Paladin'. She'll be your guide across the mountain." Sun-Star bowed before the prince and said, "I'll take you as far as I can, but be warned; the road you face will be hard and will test your heart. It won't be easy, but you must do it if you tend to get to the ThunderCats resting place. Are you and your friends ready?" He nodded and his friends came down the ladder. "Morning, Atem! Sleep well?" "Yes. And you?" Joey rubbed his head, "Not me, my head's still dizzy from that wine." Willa laughed and bid them good-bye, as Sun-Star began to lead them through the thick jungle. Since Sun-Star didn't ask for the map; Atem assumed she knew where she was going. Meanwhile, back in Egypt…
Akhenaden growled as he watched Atem and his friends walked through the jungle in his crystal ball. "That little whelp of my brother is getting stronger than I thought. If he succeeds in bringing the Thundercats back to Egypt; it could be the end of me." He walked to shelf filled with dried powders, and deadly plants. "I won't let Atem have the throne." He hissed. "It shall be mine. Now then; a little something to distract Atem. Something that will make doubt he can do it. Let's see here," Akhenaden flipped through an ancient book of evil spells and found one that could satisfy him. "Yes, a Nightmare Spell. Prefect, just the thing to crush Atem's confidence into dust." With that, he threw things into a cauldron then muttered something. After two seconds, a Dark Bat the size of a Great Dane flew out of the cauldron and hung from the ceiling. The priest chuckled darkly and whispered, "Find Atem, and crush his confidence with so much doubt that it will tear his heart." The Dark bat shrieked and flew of in a cloak of invisibility. In the Cats Eye Jungle…. Atem and his friends stopped to take a rest; Sun-Star was taking the first watch as Atem, Tristan and Joey rested. The prince closed his eyes as he took a slight nap, unaware that a very large bat was watching. Once Atem was asleep, the bat silently swooped down and changed into mist; covering the sleeping prince. He stretched his arms and smiled in his sleep unaware that this dream was deadly… He was back in the palace gardens, the sun shone on his face. A giggle caught his attention; he sat up and saw a little girl about eight motioned for him to follow her. He got to his feet and followed her deeper into the garden.
"C'mon, this way." She said as she went into a cave. Atem didn't hesitate, and ran to catch up. Through winding tunnels he followed; past sparkling pools and glittering patches of white quartz. He came up short when the girl stopped; only she wasn't a little girl anymore…but a woman with long purple hair and pale white skin. She wore a long green robe embroidered with sliver snakes. Her eyes were yellow slits.
Behind her was a mirror with golden serpents for the frame. Beside it was lit incense.
"Welcome my prince," She said, with a honeyed voice. "Come here and I will get those leaves out of your hair."
Atem walked over and the woman began to pick out the leaves, "Such a shame that your hair is like this; tangled and split ended." The woman cooed. "My dear prince, you're the next pharaoh. Why are you on this journey?"
"To free the Thundercats." Came his answer. "My father told me-"
"That you're the 'chosen one?' " She cut in. A laugh escaped her throat, "Atem, what has your father done for you? Tell me, did hug when you were scared? Tell you good morning each day? Did he do anything with you once?"
Atem thought for a minute, as he did, his eyes became dull. "No. He was always busy; he never had time for me."
"Exactly." She said. "You're not the 'chosen one', you'll never complete this journey."
"Never…complete…this…journey." He repeated, slowly.
The woman smiled, as her incense began to cloud Atem's mind, bending him to her will…
Sun-Star felt that something was wrong and jumped from her post and ran to Atem's side. He was shaking and his body was wet with perspiration. He tossed and turned, grinding his teeth from the pain of some invisible assassin. Sun-Star shook him by his shoulders, "Atem! Atem you've to wake up! Atem!! Can you hear me?!" The woman led him to the mirror, "Look into the mirror, Atem. See who you are."
Atem looked and saw himself…dressed in black robes of a pharaoh. Silver and gold bracelets and jewelry, in the shape of snakes, made his skin glow. And on his head was an onyx crown in the shape of a serpent.
"This is who you're meant to be; a king! Ruling over your fathers people, and I can get you there."
"How?" He asked.
"Make me your Queen…and I'll help you rule."
"But, the Thundercats…my people…"
"What? They don't care about you."
Atem shook his head to clear it, but just couldn't get his head straight. "My father said…"
"Your father never cared for you."
"Never…cared…for…me."
Sun-Star stopped shaking Atem and placed her hands on his forehead. Channeling her power, she began to try and cleanse the prince of the dark spell. But the spell was too strong for her, "Thundercats," She prayed. "If you're listening…please help me heal him." A sudden presence came over her and a winged female cheetah appeared, Sun-Star watched as the cheetah entered Atem's mind… The woman held out her hand to Atem. "Take my hand, and I'll give you the power you need."
"The…power… I …need." He repeated, reaching out to take her hand. A sudden roar stopped him and both turned to see the winged cheetah. "You will not harm him;serpent!" She growled.
The woman hissed and drew back from the bright light that the cheetah was giving off. Atem stared at the wild cat, "Cheetara?"
She nodded. "Atem, do you remember the time when you were scared of the darkness? Who was it that showed there was nothing to be afraid of?"
"My…father." He answered. His eyes were slowly getting their color back.
"And what did your father say whenever you went to sleep?"
"That he…loved me."
Cheetara came over to him, "Everything father did for you was an act of love, and he still loves you even in death."
Hugging Cheetara, Atem's eyes became normal once again. He let go and turned to the evil woman, "You tried to make me turn against myself. I'll never allow you in my mind again."
Cheetara glowed more brightly, "The prince- no, the pharaoh has spoken. Now get out!"
In flash of light, Atem felt his sprit jolt back towards his body….Sun-Star was still struggling to remove the dark spell, when Cheetara flew out of Atem's mind. She turned to Sun-Star and said, "He's fine now." As she spoke Atem groaned and sat up, "What happened?" A shriek broke the silence, and everyone saw the Dark Bat trying to fly away. With one leap; Cheetah brought it down and turned it into nothing but dust. "The danger is over for now." She said. "But the true tests are yet to come. Atem, you must prove you can be trusted; you must climb the Mountain of Justice & Truth before the sunset…alone and barefoot." "What?!" All three boys said in disbelief. "This is a test for Atem alone. Once you get to the top my pharaoh, you must bring back some water from the Well of Justice and then go into the cave of Truth." She placed a flask on his lap. "Use it to carry the water." Atem felt his heart nearly stop, climb up the mountain barefoot before sunset…alone? "But what happens if I-" "Go, my pharaoh." Cheetara said, fading away. Joey and Tristan took Atem to the mountain and he removed his shoes. "Good luck, man." Joey said as Atem began to climb. "I'm going to need it." He thought. Two hours later… Atem stopped to catch his breath. Cuts and scrapes were all over his body, and his clothes were torn. Also his left foot was bleeding. He looked down and shivered, it was a LONG way down. "This is nuts." He muttered. "There's no way I can do this in one day. I've got to rest, I just can't do it." A laugh made him turn to see Pumyra as a winged puma. "What's so funny?" He asked. "Giving up now? You're almost there, don't give up." Atem growled, "I just did." "Hmph! Is that anyway to treat your protectors?!" An angry voice asked. He looked to his right and saw a winged black panther. "Who's-?" "This is Panthero, The deadly." Pumyra said. Panthero hissed, "If you give up, then perhaps you're not cut out to be pharaoh." Atem felt his blood boil, "How dare you!?" The panther laughed, "I do. And besides you can't give up; what would your father say if he was here?" The prince looked at Panthero in shock, then gazed at Pumyra, "He wouldn't want you to give up." "I…I guess your right. But I still don't know if-." "Oh, for Jaga's sake." Panthero groaned. "I think it's time for the magic." Atem cocked an eyebrow, "What?" "Just stay still and keep your mouth shut." Pumyra began to glow and the air shimmered, Atem watched as the mountain disappeared and Egypt took it's place… "Where…where are we?" "In the past." Came her answer. "People can neither see nor hear us." She had Atem follow her into the palace. "This is when your great grandfather ruled, before the war started." "You mean the war where you helped Egypt?" "Of course." Servants were running back and forth with dishes of food and delicacies, chatting like parrots. "They're here!"-"Did you see?! They're almost exactly like cats!"- "Their princess is so beautiful, I'd do anything for her!" Once they were in the dining hall, Atem and Pumyra watched as his great grandfather arose to speak and the hall of people went silent. "I would like to welcome you to this banquet. And welcome our new ally, The king of THUNDERA; Claudius!" A cheer went through the crowd as the Thundercat king rose from the table and bowed. Atem felt his eyes go wide, the king looked almost like Lion-O! Except that his red haired mane hung limp down to his shoulders; also his eyes were blind. "We are happy to be here, me and my children both." Claudius waved a hand at Lion-O and a beautiful young woman. "Who's that next to Lion-O?" Atem asked, never taking his eyes off her. Pumyra smiled, "That's Jaguar-a…our princess." Atem felt his jaw drop, "By Ra…she's beautiful." "Yes. But don't think anything silly. Lion-O and Jaguar-a are bound by a law not to marry until they're 5,007,622; that's 45 in human years." Atem's jaw dropped even further, making Pumyra laugh and said, "Atem, close your mouth; you're not a catfish." She giggled, closing his mouth with her tail. The scene changed to the Gardens. Jaguar-a stood by the pond and was sadly looking at the water. Lion-O was beside her. "This war is going to end badly." She said. "I can feel it." "Little sister, please. You can't trust your feelings too much." Lion-O whispered. "Father said that this war will determine Egypt's survival. And we're both needed, besides…you're the best sorceress we've got." "I'm the only Sorceress we've got." Jaguar-a said, flatly. Lion-O nodded, "Exactly. So don't give up; and besides I need you to watch my back…I'd do the same for you." Jaguar-a thought a minute, then smiled the most beautiful smile Atem had ever seen. "You're right, Lion-O. Thanks." He winked, "Anytime." Atem watched as the image vanished and he was back on the ledge on the mountain. Pumyra smiled and turned to the prince before asking, "What do you think about your quest now?" He looked at the sky, "I guess I have to finish what I started…I mean; if Jaguar-a relied on Lion-O's trust, then that means that you rely on me." He looked at her, "Is that right?" Pumyra nodded, "That's all there is. Now, shouldn't you get to the top of the mountain?" "Oh, right! It's almost sundown!" Atem began to climb again; only faster this time. With each step, his confidence grew and soon…he reached the top. But he had no time to stop and rest, gathering all the strength he could use; Atem painfully walked over to the 'Well Of Justice' and filled the flask before running into the cave. Just in time. Atem collapsed to the cold ground of the cave, its cold touch seemed comforting in his exhaustion. "I…I made it." He panted then gasped as a vision of the past flooded into his mind from the Millennium Puzzle. He was on a battlefield. Soldiers fighting left and right. Many were hurt, and others were dead. Atem saw his great-great-grandfather at sword point before something raced past him and blocked the sword with a Bo-staff before it was thrust into his chest. Atem gaped when he saw who it was…Cheetara! And behind her where the others; Pumyra, Panthero, Tygra, Bengali, Lynx-O, Wiley Kit, Wiley Kat, Lion-O and Jaguar-a. Claudius rode a chestnut mare, and began to join the battle. Bengali fought with his hammer, Pumyra with her Bo-Lo sling, Lynx-O with his Light Shield, Wiley Kit and Kat with their bag of tricks, Panthero with his Num-chucks, Tygra with his whip and Lion-O with his sword. Jaguar-a drew out a long Redwood Bow and choose an arrow from her quiver. She took aim and fired and the solider who was coming towards her. The arrow burst apart into vines and roped themselves around the man; trapping him in place. She chose another arrow and fired it at a solider who was going to bash Bengali's head in. The arrow became a plume of fire, which burned the solider's hands. "Thanks!" Bengali shouted at Jaguar-a who hit two solider's over the head with her bow. "Sure thing, Bengali!" She yelled back. Hours pasted and the Thundercats received terrible wounds, almost deadly. Lion-O and Jaguar-a were soon 'back to back', as the solider's began to encircle them. "This is it, Jaguar-a." Lion-O told his sister. "I'm with you, Lion-O." She whispered. Jaguar-a began to chant an ancient spell; creating a huge dust tornado that sucked up the army and disappeared. As the others cheered, and Lion-O swung his sister around in victory. The war was finally over... Atem cupped his hands around his mouth, "Great job, ThunderCats!" He yelled, forgetting that they couldn't hear him. The vision ended and Atem slowly opened his eyes to see Pumyra and Cheetara above him. "Well done, Atem." Cheetara said, helping him up. "You pasted the first test; the 'Test of Confidence'. Only those who believe in themselves despite all odds could climb all the way up. Those who don't have that kind of confidence...end up climbing this mountain forever." Atem smiled, but before cringing in pain from his wounds. Pumyra had him sit down and let her tend to him. She spread liquid herbs over his cuts and scrapes; which instantly healed. "Is that better?" The healer asked. "Yes, Pumyra. Much better." He replied. The healer smiled, "I believe your friends have waited long enough." She snapped her fingers and Atem's friends and Sun-Star appeared, though a little dazed. "Rest yourself, dear pharaoh." Cheetara said, "The journey is not over yet. Tomorrow you must go through this cave and to the 'Maze Of Onyx', this next test will see if your mind and heart is pure...and not soiled by greed or vanity or the like." Pumyra nodded, "Only those who are pure in the heart and mind are able to get to the resting place where we're held." With that, they vanished.
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Post by pharaohsangel on Mar 19, 2016 20:54:44 GMT
(I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR THUNDERCATS. I ONLY OWN JAGUAR-A.)
Part V Test Of The Heart In The Maze Of Onyx Once Atem explained everything to his friends, they settled down to eat some dried meat and fruit. Atem listened to Sun-Star's tales of the Thundercats resting place. "They rest in the ruined city of cats, but the city is surrounded by brambles with thorns as thick as a swords blade. Its halls are full of traps and spells." She said. "And a terrible dragon also guards them personally." Joey nearly choked on his water, "A DRAGON? Please tell me you're kidding." "I'm not." Sun-Star said, plainly. "A fire-breathing dragon guards the Thundercats." She turned to Atem who was in deep thought. "It won't be easy." "I have to believe I can do it." Came Atem reply, as he looked at the fire. He then turned to Sun-Star. "But I'm confused about something. My teacher, Solomon, told me that the reason the Thundercats were placed in the temple was because they had suffered terrible wounds from the war. But in one of the visions, I saw they hardly suffered at all. Why?" "I can't answer that. You must answer it yourself." Sun-Star whispered. "Now all us should sleep, especially you Atem." No one argued there. Tristan took first watch and the others slept on leather blankets. Atem closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber. Meanwhile... Akhenaden was throwing everything around the room in a rage. "Curse those felines! They have stopped me again!" He threw an ink bottle at a stone pillar. "I especially curse that princess; the scars she gave me have never healed." He stormed over to his spell book. "And now Atem is even closer to the Thundercats than ever. I won't allow that little abominable cur of my brother succeed." He flipped though the pages. "If he does succeed; it won't bode well for me. I'll be sent to the Shadow Realm, and I won't let that happen! I want Seto on the throne; and I'll kill anyone who gets in my way!" He soon found a spell that seemed promising. Grabbing handfuls of toxic herbs, plants, dried entrails of animals and other gross things; Akhenaden threw them into the caldron before chanting a spell. The wind began to howl and roar; then swirled into a black figure with horns of a bull and the legs of a horse. "Find Atem, and make sure he never finds the Thundercats!" In a blink, the creature was gone. When morning rose... Atem stretched out his arms and saw Sun-Star coming back with fish for breakfast. "Good to see you awake, Atem." "Thank you, Sun-Star." He replied. "Are you ready for the next challenge?" He nodded, but inside he was shaking. This challenge seemed to be making his nerves tie themselves into knots. A labyrinth made of onyx that would test his heart? What dangers waited for him there? "Morning!" Tristan yawned. He started to get up; before Joey sleepily laid a punch to his leg. "Owww! What the-?" "Get off my sister..." He said; in his sleep. "You want some...zzzz?" Tristan growled, "Joey, get up." No response. "Joey?" Nothing. "JOEY GET UP!" Joey bolted straight up. "Whoa-! What's happening? Are we being attacked?" "No, you numbskull. It's time for breakfast." Those words got Joey up faster than roadrunner after a worm; and grabbed the nearest plate. Atem shook his head and finished his meal, before facing the inside of the cave. "It's time. And I'm ready." He said. Tristan placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll wait for you, man." The prince nodded a thanks, before entering the cave. The walls of onyx were cold and smooth, and, like mirrors, showed his reflection. "How will my heart be tested?" Atem thought, as his mind began to reel with questions. "You'll see, Atem." He turned and looked behind him, nothing. "Who's there?" "You'll find out, if... you get to middle of the maze. That is IF you can!" If. If. Was that all the voice knew how to say? Atem grinded his teeth and took off in a random direction. The maze seemed to go on forever. Then... "OWW!" Atem screamed. He clutched his forehead, which had hit a sharp corner. "This is crazy! I'll never be able to get out of here!" He saw something out of the corner of his eye, a figure in a cloak. "Doubt is one of the enemies you will face in life." The figure said. "Who-?" The prince began to say, but then he recognized the voice. "You! Why are you torturing me?" "Your mind is like your heart. You must open, and lead, with both." "That's ridiculous. I was never taught that." The figure melted into the shadows. "Then it's high time you learned...the hard way." Wind suddenly came out of nowhere, and before Atem's eyes... the maze melted into his father's room! His father was on the bed, still alive...barely. Then Atem saw himself run to the bed and heard a replay of the last conversation they had... "Atem? Do you remember the ThunderCats?"
"Yes. The Lord and his sister saved my life." He answered.
"You must go across the Nile and awaken them. For you have been chosen by the stars."
Atem was dumbstruck, as were the priests. "But…father, how will I find them?"
"Take this map," The pharaoh said as he drew out a scroll of parchment. "Don't lose it. And take the Millennium Puzzle from my neck." He placed it around his son's neck and continued, "Joey and Tristan will accompany you, Atem. You must follow the stars in the Northern Sky; the map will…tell you… what you need…to…do."
Atem grasped his father's hand, "No! Stay with me father, please!"
"Atem… I know…you'll…succeed…and be a…great…king…"
With that his eyes closed, and his body turned cold.
Atem shook all over, "Father? FATHER, NO!" Atem clutched his head; he didn't want to remember this. He wanted to forget the image of his father's frail body and cold touch. Atem tried to block his ears as the scene was played over and over. "Why... WHY ARE YOU TORTURING ME?" He screamed. "Because your heart grieves. It's true you can grieve when time calls for it. However you cannot grieve forever. Cherish the happy times you had with your father; and leave the pain behind." The figures voice said. "For you cannot lead with a sorrowful heart." Atem felt the tears flow down his face once more; the tears he thought were gone. He tried to remember all the wonderful times he had with his father; the things that made every day the happiest times of his life. The figure appeared beside him, "Raise your head, Atem. Face the sorrow in your heart…without fear." The prince looked at the figure before looking at the image behind him. Then he took a breath; and stood up. As he did, his father's room vanished and became the onyx maze again. Atem turned to look at the figure but he was gone again. With a sigh, he continued on his way through the maze. For what seemed like hours, Atem wandered the halls, coming to more than one dead end. "This is infuriating!" He hissed, hitting the wall with his fist. ::Sob, sob:: Atem stood still, was that crying? He listened and heard it again. It was crying! And it sounded like a child. With new found speed he followed the sound to find a little girl with platinum hair sobbing into her hands. "Are you alright?" He asked. The little girl looked up at him with pale blue eyes, "I'm lost…hic…I fell down a hole…and can't find mommy. ::Sob:: I want my mommy!" Atem kneeled down next to her, "It's ok, don't cry. I'm lost too, as a matter of fact." She sniffled and wiped away her tears in surprise. "You…you are?" "Yeah. How about you stay with me? We'll find a way out together." "O…ok." Atem picked up the little girl in his arms and smiled as she buried her face in his neck. "I'm Atem. What's your name, little one?" "Teresa." He chuckled, "That's a pretty name." The two began to walk through the maze again, and for some reason; the maze seemed a bit brighter. Atem and Teresa were about to decide which way they should try when… "What was that?" Teresa asked, making Atem break his train of thought. "'What was' what?" "Listen." For a moment, Atem was silent. He couldn't hear anything for a minute, and then he heard it. The sound of hooves on cold stone. The prince's eyes widened as a huge creature rounded the bend. It had a bull face and standing on its hind legs, while the arms and chest were human…a minotaur! "By Ra." Atem breathed, fearfully. The beast lowered its head, and began to paw the ground. Getting ready to charge. Atem looked behind him and decided to do the only thing he could do… Run! Holding Teresa to his chest, Atem took off in a random direction again; however this time he didn't care where he ended up. He wanted Teresa to be safe! "Atem, I'm scared!" she said, whimpering. "I know, Teresa. I know." The prince said, panting. He skidded to a stop when they came to a large wall. The beast was right behind them; they were trapped! Atem saw a small hole in the wall and placed Teresa in it. "Stay here, ok? You'll be safe." He looked around for a weapon and saw a chunk of the maze that had fallen off. It was heavy when he tested its weight, yet short like a club. He took a fighting stance as the monster rounded the bend, bellowed a challenge. "Come and get me." Atem hissed. The minitor charged again, Atem jumped out off the way before dodging again and slamming his onyx club onto the monsters back. It roared with rage, before quickly turning around and trying to pierce Atem's flesh with its horns. Atem swung to hit its skull; but missed. And the horns gorged his arm deeply. Atem screamed in pain, and hit the monster on the side of the neck making it withdraw its horns from his arm. Then it saw Teresa! Atem gasped in horror as it charged towards her. He ran quicker than the beast and put himself in front of the little girl, despite the pain he was feeling. "Atem! You'll die!" Teresa yelled. "It doesn't matter." He told her through clenched teeth. "I'll protect you with my life, Teresa." He stood there, ready to die. The Minotaur coming closer until- BAM! A giant scaly, clawed foot crushed the beast into nothing. Atem looked up to where the leg was connected and gasped. A Silver Dragon!(1) It stood at least ten feet tall. Huge wings were spread out in a way that made Atem remember of how a birds would be after flying or getting ready to take off. A long spine frill started at the top off of its head to the middle of its back. Two long slender horns came from its head and pointed to the back. All the scales were like polished silver and yet stronger than anything. But the eyes… Those eyes are what held Atem's attention. They were the palest blue he had ever seen; and seemed to hold all the wonders of the world...and seemed to stare deep into his soul. "MOMMY!" Atem tore his eyes away from the dragon and felt them widen as Teresa ran up to the dragon. "'Mommy'? Then…this is your-?" He didn't finish that sentence as Teresa changed shape; from a human girl… to young silver dragon! The mother dragon lovingly licked Teresa's face, before looking to Atem. "Thank you for protecting her." She said in a loud, yet kind, voice. "Your…your welcome." The prince said, feeling nervous. "I congratulate you; you've past the trial. Had you refused to help my daughter, it would show that you had evil in your heart. After all, a king must care for his subjects. And I see that your heart is filled with light." Atem nodded his head in respect, "Thank you." "But you're not done yet." She continued. "You must answer four riddles in order to past through the doors." "What doors?" The mother dragon laughed and nodded her head to the large onyx wall, "Those doors." She raised a claw and removed a cobweb from the door handle. "They have gotten dirty in last hundred years." Teresa giggled, and asked, "Mommy? Atem hurt his arm, can you help him?" "Yes, my hatchling; I can. Come here, my prince." With his legs feeling like lead, Atem walked over to her and painfully showed her his arm. He watched as she breathed silver colored mist onto the wound and gasped as instantly healed it's self. "And now, I, Athena; shall give you last part of this trial. Are you ready?" He nodded. "Yes." "First riddle: 'What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?' What am I?" Atem crossed his arms and ran the riddle through his head a couple of times before finding the answer. "A river. A river never walks, it often sounds like someone whispering, there are riverbeds sometimes, some people call a waterfall a river's mouth." Athena nodded, "Very good. Next riddle: 'All about, but cannot be seen, can be captured, cannot be held, No throat, but can be heard.' What am I?" Atem bit his lip, and then replied, "The wind. It's around us, yet can't see it. However we feel and hear it." The dragon nodded again, "Third riddle: 'Soft and fragile is my skin, I get my growth in mud, I'm dangerous as much as pretty, for if not careful, I draw blood.' What am I?" The prince smiled, this one was easy. "A thorn. It's fragile, grows in the ground, and if you prick your finger on it; it draws blood." Athena smiled, he was very good. "Last riddle my prince: 'If you break me I do not stop working, if you touch me I may be snared, if you lose me nothing will matter.' What am I?" Atem frowned, this one was harder. "What could it be?" He thought. He was starting run out of answers until he remembered something. "It's my heart; isn't it Athena? If it breaks, it keeps beating. Your soul mate captures it with their love, and when you die-" " 'It doesn't matter.' You are correct, Atem. You've past the challenge, and are allowed to go through the doors." As if on cue, the doors creaked open and revealed a room lit by giant white crystals. Atem entered the room with amazement. In the middle of the room was a giant green crystal and inside were the Thundercats. They were sleeping peacefully in their crystal cocoon. When Atem stopped a breath away from them, his millennium puzzle glowed a brilliant golden light which filled the room. He shielded his eyes with his arm and waited till it was gone. He lowered his arm and nearly fell to the ground in shock; the crystal cocoon was gone and in its place were the Thundercats; stretching and yawning as they had just taken a nap. Cheetara walked up to Atem and hugged him, "We knew you could do it, Atem." "It's good to see you again, Cheetara." He told her. In a blink of an eye, Atem found himself back with his friends, who were in shock. He would have to explain things.
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Post by pharaohsangel on Mar 19, 2016 21:35:43 GMT
(I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR THUNDERCATS. I ONLY OWN JAGUAR-A.) Part VI Trial of loyalty in The Aztec Pyramid. After things had been explained, the group left the maze with Athena and her daughter following them. Once they were safely out the prince saw that had come to the other side of the mountain. But before they could take a step; the ground began to shake. "Wha-what's going on?" Tristan yelled as he fought to keep his balance. "Is it an earthquake?" Joey asked, fearfully. "No." All eyes turned to the eldest Thundercat, Lynx-O, who was calmly leaning on Athena's left front leg to keep steady. "The seal is now disappearing." "What 'seal'?" Atem asked. Lynx-O turned his blind eyes to Atem's voice. "We placed a seal that would keep the maze we created with magic to never disappear. The maze, that Athena here helped create, would only stand until we awoke and left the inside of the mountain. Now that we have…there's no longer need for it to stand." As Lynx-O spoke, the tunnel they came out of vanished; leaving only a solid rock wall. Pumyra helped lynx-O sit down on a rock, as Bengali bowed to Athena. "thank you for guarding us, while we slept." "It was nothing, Bengali." She replied. "You and the Thundercats helped my clan many times; so it was my honor. And now I must return to my home." She looked to Atem, who for some reason couldn't stop fidgeting. "I thank you again for saving Teresa, Prince Atem." He gulped, "Your…your welcome, Athena." "May I speak to you alone, Atem? I must tell you about the third challenge." Atem looked to the Thundercats for permission, and Panthero nudged him forward. "Go on. You'll need to know what you'll be dealing with." "But don't you know?" The panther chuckled, "The map is only one of the pieces; it tells you where you're going…not who you're going to." Atem was still confused, but before he could answer; Athena separated them with her wing before guiding the future pharaoh over to a quieter side of the mountain. "I must tell you, Atem, that this challenge will test your loyalty. You must keep your mind focused on who you must help. And stay focused. If you so much as waver or lose sight of it…then you fail." He kneaded his forehead, "No 'pressure' huh? Great." "A ruler must always be truthful and loyal to his people, if he is not then the people will turn against him." The silver dragon said, gently. "True, it is not always easy; but giving up will only make it worse." The prince looked up at the dragon; she was so wise…and so calming to be around. He wouldn't mind to just sit on the mountain and listen to her wisdom for the rest of his life…but he had made a promise to his father. And he would keep it. "I must be on my way now, young prince." Athena said, softly. She lead him back to the others and called her daughter over, who had been playing a game of tag with Wiley Kit and Wiley Kat. The silver dragon bowed to them and spread her wings before saying, "I wish you all long and happy lives." The she and her daughter took to the sky, quickly disappearing from view. Later on, the group continued the journey down the mountain to the other side. Through to Atem; he was surprised that the Thundercats weren't hungry or stiff from being in the crystal for so long. He began talking to Panthero, who had asked him how much combat training he had in the past. This lead on to a long discussion of the different tecquies, and uses. Surprisingly, he found himself intrigued on the many uses of swords, daggers and spears a person was able to do with proper training. Panthero said he'd teach Atem after they set up camp, "I want to see what they've been teaching you these days." "I'm very good at sword fighting." Atem said, or rather bragged. "Is that so?" The Thundercat asked, crossing his large muscled arms. "Yes." "Well then, we'll stop here for the night." "But we're nowhere near the place of Third Trial-" "If you'd look ahead, you'd see we've arrived." Tygra stated, coming up beside him. He pointed straight ahead and Atem felt his eyes go wide. There, in front of them, was a pyramid! But different than the ones he knew…the entrance had only one torch to light his way. The pyramid itself was almost as big as his home! "Well, what are you waiting for?" Pathero asked. "Get going." "But I-" "Go on, kid." Atem took a shaky breath to calm his nerves, before entering and taking the torch. Meanwhile, back in Egypt…
Akhenaden was pulling at his hair in frustration and rage; every spell he cast had been stopped by those cursed felines! He let out a scream of furry before sending a bolt of dark magic into a potted plant. Causing it to wilt and die. His anger clenched for the moment, the priest went through scroll after scroll until he had an idea. Grabbing deadly herbs and oils, he threw them into his calduron and began to chant. The room darkened and winds swirled around him like a tornado. When it died down, a faint hissing was heard. He turned to see a figure dressed in a long cloak with the hood over its face. Akhenaden smiled and said, "Find my nephew; use your powers of persuasion to make him fail the Third Trial!" Back with Atem…
The prince was having trouble finding his way around. It was like the maze all over a again; except this one had stairs. And what was worse…his torch was going out. That and the fact that there was no sound what so ever. His nerves were starting to fail him, no matter how hard he tried to regain them. He then heard something… "Music? But how?" He wondered. It was indeed music; low, soft and hypnotic. Atem felt himself drawn to it, as if being pulled by an invisible force. As he followed, the music got stronger; muscles relaxed and his eyes grew heavy. He finally came to the source of the music…a woman. She wore a long gown that covered her legs completely. Hair was cut short and touched her chin, dark eyes beckoned him closer. The prince couldn't stop himself he kept coming closer and closer…till finally he snapped out of it. And dodged the spear that had been aimed at his heart; but wasn't quick enough to escape the blow that knocked him off his feet. He turned to see what had done it and his jaw dropped. Instead of legs, the woman had a snake tail. The said tail whipped towards him again, and made a deep gash in his leg. Knowing he had to escape this creature; Atem drove the last fire of his torch into the snake-woman's eyes. She let out roar of pain and withered in agony, giving Atem enough time to escape as best he could with his injured leg. He rested once he was far enough away and collapsed behind a statue of a thundarin solider. He tore off some of his tunic to use as a makeshift bandage and wrapped it around his wound. Nausea washing over him, Atem closed his eyes and felt the puzzle give him another vision of the past… The whole palace was filled with joy, laughter and music. The pharaoh was smiling on his throne as he watched the merriment around him. Atem saw the ThunderCats dancing with some of the guests in group dance. Tygra was with Cheetara, Pumyra was with Bengali, and Wiley Kit was with her brother Wiley Kat.
Atem had to stop himself from drooling when he saw Jaguar-a, Cheetara and Pumyra wearing crowns made from lotus blossoms. The flowers seemed to enhance their beauty; because he never saw anyone as beautiful.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that someone else thought so too. As the music ended, a tall oily man stepped up to Jaguar-a who had been talking to a little girl.
"Pardon me, your highness?" He asked.
Jaguar-a looked up and raised an eyebrow, "May I help you?"
Atem noticed that her eyes didn't have the slit-pupils that the ThunderCats had; hers were actually like his, only ocean blue.
"Allow me to introduce myself; Prince Ramses of the Northern Continent." The man said, in a voice as oily as his appearance.
Jaguar-a curtsied, and raised her eyes to his. "Nice to meet you, Prince Ramses."
Ramses took Jaguar-a's hand, without her permission, and kissed it. Atem noticed that Jaguar-a was trying to hold back a cringe; and he didn't blame her.
"If you would excuse me, I must find my father." She said, ripping her hand from his grasp. As she turned to go, Ramses grabbed her arm and pulled her outside to the garden; despite Jaguar-a ordering him to release her.
Without thinking of his hurt leg, Atem ran after them. He had a bad feeling about the man…a very bad feeling. After a few minutes of running through the gardens, Ramses stopped and turned to the struggling princess.
"At last, milady…we're alone."
Jaguar-a struggled to free her arm from his grip. "You cur! Release me at once!"
He sneered, "But you don't understand, my dear. I've decided to make you mine; you'll be my future queen." The princess finally broke free and growled, "You're out of your mind! I can't marry you; I'm forbidden to! And I swore to serve the code of my father."
Ramses laughed, "Come, come; I'm offering you a life of riches! An even better life than the one you have. My merchants trade with Spain, I even have a palace there." He grabbed her wrist and smirked. "Just picture this…my darling… In our castle in Spain, you'll be living code-free
Every capital gain you'll share with me.
From the village below, every cent we will drain,
And your fortune will grow in our castle in Spain! Jaguar-a tried to run but Ramses stopped her and began to dance with her since they could still hear the music from the party. Every servant and maid I will re-valuate
And for you I'll increase their pay rate.
You'll eat nothing but cake, you'll drink naught but champagne
You'll be in on the take in our castle in Spain!
The princess was getting irritated, but it soon turned to rage when she felt his hand land on her thigh, and the snake oil prince grinning like an idiot.
Surely, you must agree that it makes your head whirl To be marrying me, you lucky girl
You have caught me today in a generous way
Come now, what do you say to our castle in Spain? Jaguar-a thought a minute and without warning pushed him into a nearby pond in which the water went up to the waist. "If this wasn't clear enough," She growled. "Then read my lips…FORGET GET IT! There'll be snow in Egypt when I marry a spazz like you!" And with that, she turned and ran back to the party passing Atem on the way; who was trying so hard not to laugh. This princess was different than of the others he'd met. "Lion-O's lucky to have a sister with a fiery spark." He muttered, while following her.
He nearly bumped into a pillar when she stopped to catch her breath, and watched as she sat on a bench to rest outside the noisy room. She gave a start when a hand touched her shoulder and turned to see Lion-O beside her.
"I've been looking for you. You're missing a great…what in the name of Jaga happened to your wrist?" He asked, with worry.
"Nothing I just-"
"Don't start that, Jag. I repeat, 'What happened to your wrist'?"
The princess took a breath and explained all that happened; Ramses, his offer, plus his grip…
"That guy wouldn't let me go, Lion-O. And I wouldn't betray you of the others; I just hope that- hey why are you laughing?"
Lion-O had been covering his laughter with his hand over his mouth, and finally calmed down. "I just wish I could've seen the look on his face when you pushed him into that pond. Father would be proud of you for being loyal to the code." Jaguar-a fiddled with a strand of her hair, "Speaking of father; will you be there with me when I tell him and the pharaoh about this? I'm still a little shaken up."
Lion-O smiled and helped his sister to her feet, "Of course, let's go now." He offered her his arm, which she gratefully took, and they went back inside…
Atem was then pulled back to the real world by hearing a loud hiss. He held his breath as the snake woman past him; eyes badly burned. Her forked tongue darting in and out both rage and hunger. She stopped and hissed, "I know you're here, prince. Come out, come out wherever you are?" Atem covered his ears, that voice was so hypnotic and it kept trying to work its way into his mind…slowly trying to make him lose all control. "You know you can't succeed, no matter where you are I'll find you. I'll find you and I'll EAT you!" The prince was about to try to run when something grabbed his wounded leg and pulled him from behind the statue. 'It' being the Snake Woman's tail. "There you are!" It suspended him upside down, as she trailed a sharp fingernail down his cheek; Leaving a trail of blood. "Mmmm. You look so tasty…I wonder if should swallow you whole…or maybe COOK you? So many choices." She hissed. Without warning, she flung Atem into a wall. He let out a yelp of pain, before covering his mouth. If the snake woman could smell and hear him…then maybe if he kept quiet… "No." He thought. "Even if I crawl she'll hear me." As he thought about to do, a glint of metal caught his eye. Carefully moving silently, Atem went over and saw what it was; a sword! He picked it up as he heard the Snake Woman come after him; she lunged blindly at him. The prince dodged and she hit a pillar, making her shriek in rage. "I'LL COOK YOU IN BUTTER AND FEED YOU TO MY YOUNG!" Atem's wound was throbbing painfully, and to top it off, made it hard to move fast. He gulped and saw the Snake Woman lunge again….only this time he didn't dodge. She was moving so fast, fangs dripping with venom and saliva…claws out and ready to rip out his throat… Instead, he held the sword in both hands...and drove it into her stomach. Blood seeped from her wound and onto his hands as she slid off the blade and onto the floor. Atem slid down the wall, his heart pounding so hard he thought it'd come straight out of his chest. He finally got up and shakily continued his way up a set of stairs. And found himself staring at two doors. "Welcome Atem." The prince gave a start, before turning to see Lion-O in his Winged Lion form. He was sitting between the doors. "Lion-O, it's good to see you." Atem said, while limping over. The Lord of the Thundercats smiled, "Same to you. Are you ready, for the trail?" "I thought the pyramid was trail?" Lion-O shook his head, "The pyramid was only part of it; the true part of the trail is now. So…are you ready?" Atem nodded. "very well. Through this door is where I lay," He said, while gesturing to the open door on his right. "And through the other…" The prince looked to the door on the left and gasped; for there stood his parents! Both his mother and his father. His mother smiled, "Hello, Atem. You've grown up so well." "I told you he did." His father replied. Lion-O stood up, "Atem? If you go through that door; you'll be with your parents again. You'll be able to touch them…hold them…however you'll never return to the land of the living. The choice is yours, Atem. Choose wisely." Atem looked at the door to where Lion-O lay waiting…then at his parents faces. How he longed to hug them and never lose them again but…is it worth betraying the ThunderCats? Breaking the promise he made to his father? He knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, he looked to his parents. "Mother? Father? More than anything I want to be with the two of you again…but I can't." Tears began to flow down his face. "I just have to finish what I started." He turned to walk through the door on the right, when his mother called out to him. "Atem, wait!" He turned and saw her smile. "We're very proud of you, sweet heart. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." The prince returned her smile, and walked into the next room. There, in the middle of the room, was a giant blue crystal. And sleeping inside was Lion-O; his hands held the hilt of the Sword Of Omens and the Claw Shield was on his left arm. (1) Another burst of light came from the puzzle, and the crystal vanished. Lion-O opened his eyes and sheathed the sword into the claw shield; before attaching it to his left thigh. "Well done, Atem. You've passed." Atem would've said something but his wounded leg caused him to stumble…and Lion-O caught him. "Let's get out of here." The lion said, helping him out of the chamber through an extra door; that them right to the entrance of the pyramid. Panthero was the first to see them, and greeted them with giving Lion-O a bear hug and ruffling Atem's hair. "Glad you got out in one piece…both of you." Pumyra led Atem to a log where she tended to his leg, as the Thundercats greeted their lord. Joey, Tristan, and Sun-Star were sleeping so Atem didn't have the heart to wake them, because soon he too…fell asleep.
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