SITS Ch 8: Reign of Blows, Part 2
It was nearly four o'clock in the morning and none of the cats had gone to bed. Cheetara sat in the lounge, looking across the room at Felina. The lioness sat exhausted, her face resting in her hands. Cheetara remembered how Felina had put up a brave front while assisting Tygra in the gruesome surgery. But the cheetah's suspicions that Felina had never witnessed such graphic injuries were confirmed when she heard the lioness retching in the wash room post surgery. As tired as they all were, nobody could sleep. Though Panthro was stablized, there were still some perilous hours that lie ahead. "Even if he does survive," Cheetara thought wearily, "he'll never be the same. Jaga only knows how Panthro will handle it when he awakens to find he's missing a leg." Her thoughts were interrupted by the Thunderkittens' loud entrance. Felina didn't look up when the kids entered, and Cheetara wondered if the poor girl had fallen asleep in such an awkward pose. "Shouldn't you kids be in bed?" Cheetara asked. "Well, we've been checking up on the little jackal since we haven't been allowed to see Panthro yet," explained WilyKit. "The pup still hasn't woke up." WilyKat seemed impatient. "How's Panthro doing? You guys haven't even told us how bad it is." "Ask the doctor," advised Cheetara, motioning to Tygra sitting next to her. " I guess you two have to know sooner or later," Tygra began. "As you know, Panthro took a hit from the Tank's laser cannon. The blast took off his right leg, just below the knee." The kittens gasped in unison. "Poor Panthro!" cried WilyKit. "You couldn't save the limb?" WilyKat wondered. "Well, there was nothing to, uh, save, Kat. When the stump heals, we can fit him for a prosthetic. There should be no reason why he can't walk again," Tygra assured them. "As long as infection doesn't set in, Panthro should survive." WilyKit was on the verge of tears. "I just don't understand. Why do the Mutants and ThunderCats have to fight all the time? Surely there must be some way to live together in peace." Tygra sighed. "Dear kitten, I wish I knew. The rivalry between our peoples goes back centuries. But you must remember, not all Mutants are bad. Some have been great allies with the ThunderCats. It's the power hungry ones like Slithe that we must guard against." Cheetara stood and wandered to the window, where Lion-O was standing. He acknowledged her with a brief nod before plunging back into whatever deep thoughts he had been pondering. Cheetara gazed out onto the now peaceful countryside. Though none of their allies were overcome, the Mutant forces managed to cause considerable damage to many communities. And the Key of Thundera, which was the inspiration for all that destruction, was still unaccounted for. "All that fighting, all that violence...for what?" Cheetara wondered to herself, resting a hand on her belly. "And now that I will be bringing a cub into this vicious world, I'm beginning to wonder if there will ever be a generation of ThunderCats born that won't have to experience the pain and loss of war." Though grateful that after all their attempts, she and Tygra would finally be parents, she was oddly conflicted about it. Cheetara knew she must tell the others soon of her condition. And yet she wondered if her friends' joy would also be tainted by the same undercurrent of sadness that she felt. "Oh my unborn child," Cheetara lamented inwardly, "I shudder to think of the tragedies you will surely witness; the deep sorrow you will feel. Great Jaga, I may not even live to see you grow to adulthood, just as my parents never witnessed my transition to womanhood." A single, silent tear trekked down Cheetara's face. ********* Reign of blows cascading down around your shoulders Far too many men dressed up as soldiers... Reign of blows precedes the storm of revolution People have no place in their solution... Reign of blows has washed away the corpse of Abel Cain is now the king in every Babel I just don't care who you are When death draws up in his car And talks in terrorist tones Remember violence is only a vote For the black queen to take back the throne --Reign of Blows, XTC
It was nearly four o'clock in the morning and none of the cats had gone to bed. Cheetara sat in the lounge, looking across the room at Felina. The lioness sat exhausted, her face resting in her hands. Cheetara remembered how Felina had put up a brave front while assisting Tygra in the gruesome surgery. But the cheetah's suspicions that Felina had never witnessed such graphic injuries were confirmed when she heard the lioness retching in the wash room post surgery. As tired as they all were, nobody could sleep. Though Panthro was stablized, there were still some perilous hours that lie ahead. "Even if he does survive," Cheetara thought wearily, "he'll never be the same. Jaga only knows how Panthro will handle it when he awakens to find he's missing a leg." Her thoughts were interrupted by the Thunderkittens' loud entrance. Felina didn't look up when the kids entered, and Cheetara wondered if the poor girl had fallen asleep in such an awkward pose. "Shouldn't you kids be in bed?" Cheetara asked. "Well, we've been checking up on the little jackal since we haven't been allowed to see Panthro yet," explained WilyKit. "The pup still hasn't woke up." WilyKat seemed impatient. "How's Panthro doing? You guys haven't even told us how bad it is." "Ask the doctor," advised Cheetara, motioning to Tygra sitting next to her. " I guess you two have to know sooner or later," Tygra began. "As you know, Panthro took a hit from the Tank's laser cannon. The blast took off his right leg, just below the knee." The kittens gasped in unison. "Poor Panthro!" cried WilyKit. "You couldn't save the limb?" WilyKat wondered. "Well, there was nothing to, uh, save, Kat. When the stump heals, we can fit him for a prosthetic. There should be no reason why he can't walk again," Tygra assured them. "As long as infection doesn't set in, Panthro should survive." WilyKit was on the verge of tears. "I just don't understand. Why do the Mutants and ThunderCats have to fight all the time? Surely there must be some way to live together in peace." Tygra sighed. "Dear kitten, I wish I knew. The rivalry between our peoples goes back centuries. But you must remember, not all Mutants are bad. Some have been great allies with the ThunderCats. It's the power hungry ones like Slithe that we must guard against." Cheetara stood and wandered to the window, where Lion-O was standing. He acknowledged her with a brief nod before plunging back into whatever deep thoughts he had been pondering. Cheetara gazed out onto the now peaceful countryside. Though none of their allies were overcome, the Mutant forces managed to cause considerable damage to many communities. And the Key of Thundera, which was the inspiration for all that destruction, was still unaccounted for. "All that fighting, all that violence...for what?" Cheetara wondered to herself, resting a hand on her belly. "And now that I will be bringing a cub into this vicious world, I'm beginning to wonder if there will ever be a generation of ThunderCats born that won't have to experience the pain and loss of war." Though grateful that after all their attempts, she and Tygra would finally be parents, she was oddly conflicted about it. Cheetara knew she must tell the others soon of her condition. And yet she wondered if her friends' joy would also be tainted by the same undercurrent of sadness that she felt. "Oh my unborn child," Cheetara lamented inwardly, "I shudder to think of the tragedies you will surely witness; the deep sorrow you will feel. Great Jaga, I may not even live to see you grow to adulthood, just as my parents never witnessed my transition to womanhood." A single, silent tear trekked down Cheetara's face. ********* Reign of blows cascading down around your shoulders Far too many men dressed up as soldiers... Reign of blows precedes the storm of revolution People have no place in their solution... Reign of blows has washed away the corpse of Abel Cain is now the king in every Babel I just don't care who you are When death draws up in his car And talks in terrorist tones Remember violence is only a vote For the black queen to take back the throne --Reign of Blows, XTC