STORY BY Devin L. Michaels for THE COMIC BOOK BREAK OUT EXPERIMENT
It was accepted practice by now. When the group settled down for the night, Lion-O slept between Tygra and Wily Kit and Kat, with Cheetara beyond the twins. At Lion-O's head slept Panthro. The group always protected their young king.
Tygra snorted as he sat awake in the late hours of night. He'd never met people such as this—a team ready to lay down their lives for his brother and him. Sure, the Clerics had, but it wasn't the same. That was duty. This was different.
They were a family, if Tygra dared.
He didn't dare.
Family wasn't something easy for Tygra to accept. He never spoke about his first father, never would, not to Lion-O. His brother could never know. He silently thanked the Great Roar that Claudus had avoided the subject except when necessary. If they never spoke about it, then it wasn't real. He hadn't been a prisoner of war. Claudus had never used him to stop the stop the Great Rebellion. Tygra hadn't unknowingly betrayed his first father for his second. Claudus and even Grune and Panthro hadn't kept the truth hidden for so many years to stop the potential hysteria.
That was why his father sent his best men out to find The Book of Omens. Claudus knew Mumm-Ra was coming. He knew it was only a matter of time before the lizards held the power they needed to destroy the ThunderCats, so the Cats had to get a hold of the book first.
Tygra shook his head. There was no point in drowning in the past. There was nothing they could now. Mumm-Ra attacked. His second father was killed, and he was running from his past with a teenage king.
And he knew his past would catch up with him. Altaica would make sure of that.
If the lizards or Mumm-Ra found his first father, Altaica would join the usurpers. It was only a matter of time before Altaica found him and would take the only thing Tygra had left.
He wasn't sure when his claws dug into Lion-O's hair, petting his brother in his sleep. It was something he hadn't done in years, something he refused to do after a training session with Grune.
"Good, Tygra. Teach the boy that while you pet his head, you can just as easily snap his neck."
Tygra had been eight.
Damn, he should have seen Grune's ambitions back then.
His brother had been six.
Tygra sighed and beseeched the stars for help. When the time came and Grune or Altaica attacked, he knew what he would do, what he'd trained his whole life to do. Grune never understood that. Tygra didn't push himself to be better, stronger, faster for his own survival nor did he beat his brother in battle to humiliate him. He pushed his brother because when the time came, Lion-O would need to be strong, fierce, and ready to survive where Tygra wouldn't.
Because no matter how good Tygra ever got, he wouldn't survive.
It was the truth. Tygra would accept the knife, gladly accept it for his king—no, his brother—and when it was over, Lion-O would be alone.
Sure, he'd have Cheetara and Panthro and even Kat and Kit, but it wouldn't be the same. His brother's greatest flaw was the bond he forged with his family. Despite their sibling rivalry, despite Tygra trying so hard to prove he, too, could be a prince of Thundra, Lion-O and he were brothers.
"You're not going soft on me, are you, Tygra?" Lion-O's tired voice mumbled through the night.
Tygra extracted his claws. "You're imagining things."
Lion-O shifted, so his chin rested on his hands. He looked up. "I have sight beyond sight, y'know."
"With the sword, which you're not using, which y'know, I probably could, being a prince and all."
"Over my dead body."
Tygra's blood ran cold, and he averted his eyes. "Go to sleep, Lion-O."
"I WAS asleep. You woke me up."
"Be happy that's all I did. After the recklessness you showed today…"
He couldn't meet his brother's eyes, but he could feel Lion-O's penetrating glare. "I'm your king."
"And I'm your older brother. I outrank you."
Lion-O yawned and laid back on his hands. "I let you, but if you're still a tail in the morning, I'll have Panthro kick yours."
Tygra laughed. "Because you can't do it yourself?"
Now, he met Lion-O's suddenly vicious glare. Then, his brother flipped over back down. "Tygra?"
"Yes?"
"When this is all over, you can be my first servant."
Tygra snorted and found Lion-O's hair again. "When this is all over, Lion-O, I'll be at your side." Those were perhaps the truest words he'd ever spoken, and out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw his father, keeping silent vigil over the newly-crowned lord of the ThunderCats and his older brother.
Tygra smiled. Like their father, even in death—"I'll always be at your side."
THE END
GO AND CHECK DEVIN STUFF!!!
It was accepted practice by now. When the group settled down for the night, Lion-O slept between Tygra and Wily Kit and Kat, with Cheetara beyond the twins. At Lion-O's head slept Panthro. The group always protected their young king.
Tygra snorted as he sat awake in the late hours of night. He'd never met people such as this—a team ready to lay down their lives for his brother and him. Sure, the Clerics had, but it wasn't the same. That was duty. This was different.
They were a family, if Tygra dared.
He didn't dare.
Family wasn't something easy for Tygra to accept. He never spoke about his first father, never would, not to Lion-O. His brother could never know. He silently thanked the Great Roar that Claudus had avoided the subject except when necessary. If they never spoke about it, then it wasn't real. He hadn't been a prisoner of war. Claudus had never used him to stop the stop the Great Rebellion. Tygra hadn't unknowingly betrayed his first father for his second. Claudus and even Grune and Panthro hadn't kept the truth hidden for so many years to stop the potential hysteria.
That was why his father sent his best men out to find The Book of Omens. Claudus knew Mumm-Ra was coming. He knew it was only a matter of time before the lizards held the power they needed to destroy the ThunderCats, so the Cats had to get a hold of the book first.
Tygra shook his head. There was no point in drowning in the past. There was nothing they could now. Mumm-Ra attacked. His second father was killed, and he was running from his past with a teenage king.
And he knew his past would catch up with him. Altaica would make sure of that.
If the lizards or Mumm-Ra found his first father, Altaica would join the usurpers. It was only a matter of time before Altaica found him and would take the only thing Tygra had left.
He wasn't sure when his claws dug into Lion-O's hair, petting his brother in his sleep. It was something he hadn't done in years, something he refused to do after a training session with Grune.
"Good, Tygra. Teach the boy that while you pet his head, you can just as easily snap his neck."
Tygra had been eight.
Damn, he should have seen Grune's ambitions back then.
His brother had been six.
Tygra sighed and beseeched the stars for help. When the time came and Grune or Altaica attacked, he knew what he would do, what he'd trained his whole life to do. Grune never understood that. Tygra didn't push himself to be better, stronger, faster for his own survival nor did he beat his brother in battle to humiliate him. He pushed his brother because when the time came, Lion-O would need to be strong, fierce, and ready to survive where Tygra wouldn't.
Because no matter how good Tygra ever got, he wouldn't survive.
It was the truth. Tygra would accept the knife, gladly accept it for his king—no, his brother—and when it was over, Lion-O would be alone.
Sure, he'd have Cheetara and Panthro and even Kat and Kit, but it wouldn't be the same. His brother's greatest flaw was the bond he forged with his family. Despite their sibling rivalry, despite Tygra trying so hard to prove he, too, could be a prince of Thundra, Lion-O and he were brothers.
"You're not going soft on me, are you, Tygra?" Lion-O's tired voice mumbled through the night.
Tygra extracted his claws. "You're imagining things."
Lion-O shifted, so his chin rested on his hands. He looked up. "I have sight beyond sight, y'know."
"With the sword, which you're not using, which y'know, I probably could, being a prince and all."
"Over my dead body."
Tygra's blood ran cold, and he averted his eyes. "Go to sleep, Lion-O."
"I WAS asleep. You woke me up."
"Be happy that's all I did. After the recklessness you showed today…"
He couldn't meet his brother's eyes, but he could feel Lion-O's penetrating glare. "I'm your king."
"And I'm your older brother. I outrank you."
Lion-O yawned and laid back on his hands. "I let you, but if you're still a tail in the morning, I'll have Panthro kick yours."
Tygra laughed. "Because you can't do it yourself?"
Now, he met Lion-O's suddenly vicious glare. Then, his brother flipped over back down. "Tygra?"
"Yes?"
"When this is all over, you can be my first servant."
Tygra snorted and found Lion-O's hair again. "When this is all over, Lion-O, I'll be at your side." Those were perhaps the truest words he'd ever spoken, and out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw his father, keeping silent vigil over the newly-crowned lord of the ThunderCats and his older brother.
Tygra smiled. Like their father, even in death—"I'll always be at your side."
THE END
GO AND CHECK DEVIN STUFF!!!