#1 AUG 29, 2007 · 18 yr ago
Title: Doorway of the Gods, Chapter 3
Author: Lindacat aka Azmom
Status: Not complete
Summary: Linda is making herself at home in the Tower, learning to be a part of the group and learning more about them, but Bengali is forced to make a difficult decision about their relationship.
Rating: Level 4
Genre(s): Drama, Romance, AU
Warnings: Adult Situations, Mild Cursing.
Disclaimer: This is just a story that came out of my head due to my love of Thundercats. All rights to Thundercats belong to WB and associates.
Doorway of the Gods
Chapter 4
A few weeks had passed since Linda had come to Third Earth and she found herself settling in quite nicely.It cannot be said that she immediately took to her new surroundings for there were mornings when she woke up and expected to see her old 21st century bedroom, but instead she found herself in the room assigned her by the Tower Cats. At first she barely touched or did anything, not wanting to upset her hosts, but eventually they encouraged her to make the room, even the Tower itself, her home. Realizing that she might be there for quite a while, she took them at their word and slowly redid her room; stripping off the bland white sheets, covers and curtains and replaced them with soft pastel blue sheets, colorful handmade blankets, and sturdy sage green window treatments. On the walls she hung up bright paintings from local artists and shelves for odd little knick-knacks that she picked up occasionally from the Berbil village.
The Thundercats were kindness themselves, always willing to help her learn about her new environment, gently teasing and correcting her when she made blunders or mistakes, and tolerant of her “strange” ways. They truly had no idea of what to make of her odd behavior of bowing her head and speaking to no one that was there, but they only shook their heads and let her continue and when she had made mention of how much she missed having a "Bible", Bengali had gotten her one from the Underearth People. Linda never learned the exorbitant price he'd had to pay for it, but the smile on her face and the kiss she gave him on the cheek more then made up for it.
She and Pumyra were becoming fast friends and she had been meeting some of the neighbors; like Queen Willa and her sister Nayda, who offered to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow. Or like the Wollos with their gentle and peaceful ways. But her favorite meeting had been with the Berbils. These kind creatures reminded her of big, metallic teddy bears. Ro Bear Bert had kept her laughing for an hour with his impressions of some of the more famous Third Earthers.
After her first few days in the Tower, Linda had become bored with just sitting around doing nothing, so she had gone to Snarfer and had offered to help him with the cleaning and the meals. At first, Snarfer had balked but after he noticed that things were easier with Linda helping him to clean while he took care of Renee (who was always a handful), he had nothing more to say. She also agreed to baby-sit so Snarfer and Pumyra could go to the villages to buy supplies.
But even with these jobs, Linda still felt that there wasn’t enough to do, so Oro thought it might be a good idea for her to learn how to work the systems in case that one day all of the Thundercats were needed. It would be a relief for Lynx-o, Oro, Pumyra, and Bengali to leave the Tower to help their friends, knowing that someone capable was watching the monitors. Pumyra was especially grateful, because now she could go on more missions with her husband and not have to stay home and worry all the time.
Day by day, Linda found herself falling in love with Third Earth. It was peaceful here, none of the noise, crime, or dirtiness she remembered from the cities she had known. Two weeks into her stay, she had begun to take walks outside to enjoy the pure, unmoleted beauty of Third Earth's nature in the company of one of the Thundercats. At first Linda had balked at the idea of an escort, but after Bengali started volunteering most of the time, she stopped her complaining. On these nature walks she learned much about the handsome tiger, though she herself said little about her own past. She just wasn't ready to share that yet.
For his own part Bengali respected her silence, but after having told her practically his life story to her and learning almost nothing about the human woman, his curiosity got the best of him. On one of their walks through the Unicorn Forest, he came out and asked her, "What happened to your mate?"
Linda looked at him out of the corner of her eye, just a bit uncomfortable with the question. "What makes you think anything happened to him?"
"Just something you said to me the first time we met." he said putting his hands behind his back. "You said ' My husband and I never had any children'. It sounded like something happened to him, like he was no longer in your life."
The human stopped, not sure if she should say anything about her husband. "What are you protecting Linda?" she chided herself, "His memory or your feelings?"
Taking a deep breath she said, "I'm a widow."
Bengali nodded, his suspicions confirmed. Strangely he did feel sorrow for the young woman but at the same time he was pleased to hear she was free. "I'm sorry to hear that. Was it recently?"
Linda shook her head. "He died 2 years ago while defending the people of a foreign country from their tyrannic leader."
"That was very noble of him."
Linda smiled sadly. "Greg didn't think so."
When she saw the tiger's confused look she explained. "See, he didn't go over because he thought it was the right thing to do, he went because he made an oath to protect the weak and innocent. Our govenment decided they needed help so he went where he was sent."
"It's still very noble of him." Bengali said. "You and he might not have thought so, but it takes courage to fight against evil, even knowing that it might cost your life."
Tired of this line of conversation, she straightened up and looked ahead of her. "Yeah, well, that doesn't do him much good now, does it?" Then she continued her walk, fighting the tears forming in her eyes.
Unsure of what else to say, Bengali followed behind her and kept quiet for the rest of the time.
Several days later, Lynx-o was teaching her the proper way to relay information to the Thundercats when Pumyra walked in.
“Ah, Linda. Just the person I was looking for. I just received a message from Lady Kylynne. She would like to know if we would join her at the Berbil village tonight. The Arrietta bird will be coming to help the Berbil fruits grow and believe me, it’s an event that you don’t want to miss.”
“Damn! Is that tonight?!” said Bengali as he entered the Control Room. “I missed that last year! Looks like I’ll be missing it again this year too, I’m on watch this evening.”
Lynx-o could hear how crestfallen the young tiger sounded and suggested, “Why don’t you join the ladies tonight, Bengali? I can take your watch. The Arrietta bird doesn’t make an appearance everyday. You may take my shift in the morning.”
“Would you?!” exclaimed Bengali, sounding like an excited child. “You’re the greatest, Lynx-o!” then he whispered softly “I owe you one, my friend.”
“Then I suggest that we all get ready.” said Pumyra. “Let’s meet in the garage in one hour.”
Linda hugged the lynx. “Thank you for the lesson today. See you later.”
“Your quite welcome Ms. Hurst.” said Lynx-o with a smile. He knew how much she disliked being called that and was rewarded with a sigh.
“One of these days…” she said walking out the door. When she left, Bengali walked over to the older man. “You’re sure about taking my watch tonight?”
Lynx-o laughed, “Yes, I’m sure. Now go before I change my mind.”
“Okay, okay.” grinned the tiger, “Thanks again Lynx-o.” and sprinted out the door.
The older man chuckled to him self. “Ah, to be young and in love again.”
Within the hour, everyone who was going to the Berbil village had assembled in the Tower garage. Oro sat at the controls of the Feliner with his wife and daughter beside him while Bengali was in the top compartment helping Linda get in. Last week he had installed a rope ladder so that she could get in and out of the Feliner on her own. Linda thought it was one of the sweetest things anyone had done for her.
“You’re going to love seeing the Arrietta bird, and its song is amazing.” said Bengali as he pulled her into the compartment.
“What is an Arrietta bird anyways?” she asked.
“It’s a magical bird whose song makes plants grow big and full.” answered Bengali, “The bird only shows once a year at the beginning of the Berbil Fruit harvest so it's a big deal to them.”
“It still freaks me out to know that meat and bread can grow on trees. Too bad they don’t have a money fruit tree.” she laughed.
Bengali laughed too. “A money fruit tree? What good would that be? You can’t eat money.”
“No,” Linda said, “But if a money fruit tree had existed when I was a kid, I’d have had a good answer for my mom every time she had asked me if I thought money grew on trees.” Both of them laughed as the Feliner took off.
“You know,” said Bengali tentively, “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about your family. Your mother must have been a wonderful woman to have raised a girl like you.” After their talk of her husband in the Forest, he was more cautious about asking about her past.
Linda blushed, but continued, “Yeah, my mom was great. She had to be tough at times, but she was always fair. For a long time, she had to raise me by herself.”
“By herself? Why, what happened to your father?”
“He took off when I was 3 years old. I never heard from him, in fact I don't even remember him all that well.”
The way she said it puzzled the tiger. It was if she was talking about the change in weather rather then the man that helped give her life. If his father had left him and his mom, he’d have been devastated. But she didn’t seem bothered by it at all.
“It must have been awful without a father.” he said.
“Oh, I had a dad." she assured him. "When I was about 10 my mom met Rich."
She began to laugh as she looked out the window, admiring the scenery. "Poor guy, he had to put up with a lot of the crap I pulled on him." Then she grew a little somber. "You know, I was just awful to him, telling him he wasn't my dad and that I didn't have to listen to him. Because of me he and mom fought alot and people wouldn’t have blamed him if he had just walked away. But he really loved my mom, so he stayed. I never fully appreciated him until I was an adult.”
“Sounds like you had a good childhood.”
She turned and smiled at him. “Yeah, I was lucky. But what about you, what was your childhood like?”
Bengali laughed. “There were always other children around to play with and my mom made sure that whenever we came storming into the house that there was something for us to eat. She was a great cook and a very talented jeweler. People came from miles around to buy her exquisite jewelry. My father was a blacksmith, taught me everything I know about smithing. He had such great patience; he never yelled at me if I destroyed a piece we had been working hard on. He’d tell me ‘Don’t worry son, that was just practice.’ But I don’t know how my parents survived my childhood. I was always getting into trouble. My mom swore that I’d be the death of her some day.” His smile faltered.
Linda had a feeling she knew what had happened. “They didn’t make it off Thundera, did they?”
Bengali shook his head. “No, they never even left the city we lived in. There were only so many transports and they had seating on one of the ships, but they gave them up to a young couple who were expecting their first child. I miss them at times.”
“I’m sure they’re together up there watching out for you” said Linda.
He looked at her sincere face. “You’re talking about your heaven, aren’t you?” She nodded and laid her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
He squeezed back and said, “Well, if such a place exists, I’m pretty sure they are.” He looked briefly up at the sky and swore he could feel his parents near him.
At the Berbil village, there was an air of expectancy and excitement. Everyone was gathering around a bird stand that was in front of the Berbil crops. There among the villagers were the Thundercat Lord and Lady. Lion-o and KyLynne stepped away from the crowd to greet the other visitors.
“I’m so glad you could come.” Lady Kylynne said, addressing the newest group.
“We wouldn’t have missed such a special event, my Lady.” replied Oro.
Lady Kylynne turned to Linda and noticed how close Bengali stood to her and made a small frown before covering it up with a smile. “I am especially glad that you could come, my dear.” she said to Linda.
“Thank you, my Lady. Everyone has been telling me that this is supposed to a sight to see. I can’t wait!”
“You will not be disappointed, I assure you” said Kylynne. Lion-o stepped next to her and whispered, “Love, if we don’t want to miss the arrival of the Arrietta bird, we should move to the viewing area.”
“Of course dear. Bengali, could you walk with me?”
Bengali nodded his head. “What can I do for you my Lady?”
“I just wanted to ask you if you could come by the Lair tomorrow. I need to talk to you about something important.”
“Of course. May I ask what it is about?” he asked.
“I will explain everything tomorrow. Bring Oro with you please.”
“Yes my Lady.”
Kylynne kissed him on the cheek, and then made her way to her husband while Bengali stepped next to Linda’s side. It wasn't that Kylynne disliked Linda, quite the opposite. The human woman was a kind, caring, immensely humourous, and honest individual. What bothered her was the fact that one day Linda would go home and Bengali would once again be hurt. That was the last thing she wanted for her friend. She pushed those thoughts away for a while, knowing that it would be taken care of tomorrow and enjoyed the show.
Everyone moved to where the bird stand was, but they all made sure that they stayed a fair distance from it. No one wanted to spook the mystical bird. For a while, nothing happened, then someone called out and pointed to the distant horizon. At first, Linda saw nothing, but then she spotted a speck like a bright star headed towards them. The closer it came, the more excited the little Berbils got, until there was a low metallic hum all around.
From what Linda could see, the bird was silvery in color with a long golden tail. As it flew through the air, it left a trail of sparkles behind it, like the tail of a comet. All around it was a bright aura which reminded Linda of an angel’s halo. The bird flew so gracefully that she felt she was watching some kind of beautiful avian dance. Once the Arrietta bird had settled on the stand, it raised its tail and spread it out, like a pea**** would do, then it began to sing.
It was like listening to the best opera singer in the world, but even better. Linda detected something that sounded like tinkling glass or wind chimes in the melody. It was by far the most beautiful thing Linda had ever heard.
“Wow!” she gasped.
Bengali grinned beside her. “I told you that you would love this, didn’t I?”
“You weren’t kidding” she whispered to him, “Oh my Lord!”
“Yes?” asked Lord Lion-o, who was close enough to hear her.
Linda looked at him confused, “Hm?”
“You called me, didn’t you?” he asked, confused himself.
“Oh no, I’m sorry” she whispered to him. “It’s just an exclamation people in my religion use.”
“Shh!” someone from up front cautioned. Both Linda and Lion-o ended their conversation, but Lion-o made a mental note to ask her more about this exclamation later.
Linda thought nothing could top the Arrietta bird, but then she stared in amazement when she saw the Berbil fruits begin to plump and grow, almost to the point where the Candy fruit would burst. Before she knew it, the song had ended and the bird took flight, her job done for the year. Many of the Berbils waved to the Arrietta bird, thanking her for a great harvest. Even little Renee was waving good-bye.
“So what did you think about the Arrietta bird, Linda?” asked Lion-o.
“Oh, it was amazing!” she replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it!”
“It is something. So tell me, what did you mean when you said that your phrase ‘oh my lord’ was something from your religion? What does it mean?”
“Oh well, in my people’s religion, we believe that God is the Lord of all creation.” Linda thought back to some of the exclamations that she had heard Oro and Bengali use. “I guess it would be like you saying ‘By Thundera’ or ‘By Jaga.’”
Lion-o nodded his head, “I see. Yes, I can understand that. But I’m not too sure about this god of yours, what does he…” He was interrupted by Oro’s shout of warning.
“Mutants! Everyone get down!”
From out of now where, a bolt of energy hit one of the Berbil houses, engulfing it in flames. Bengali grabbed Linda’s arm and pulled her over to a group of boulders, telling her to stay down and not to move, then rushed off to help the other Thundercats. Linda looked around, trying to understand what was going on but had to duck as more energy bolts rained down from the sky, apparently from several flying vehicles.
From near the bird stand, Linda heard Renee crying “Mama, mamaaaa!!!!”
The little girl was out in the open and all of the Thundercats were busy defending the village, unable to notice her peril. Linda stood up and ran to the girl, nearly getting blasted of her feet.
“Renee! Hold on sweetie!” She picked her up and was running back to the boulders when something hit her from behind, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell. She twisted in mid fall, landing on her back, Renee held tightly in her arms. As she gasped to breath, a shadow fell across her.
“Nice to see you again, girlie.”
Linda’s heart froze when she heard that voice. She knew even before she saw him who it was. Above her was the ape thing from the forest. On his left arm was a shield with a likeness of an ape on the front, in his right hand was a spiked mace glowing red. From the pain radiating from her leg, she guessed that this was what had hit her.
Slowly, so as not to arouse suspicion, she released her hold on the little girl at the same time drawing up her leg as if trying to protect the child. In the child's ear she whispered, “As soon as I say ‘Go’, I want you to run as fast as you can to one of the houses and hide, ok?”
Renee nodded slightly. Sensing that something was going on, the ape man lunged at the pair. Linda pulled her leg back and kicked him in the face as hard as she could.
“Go Renee! Run!” Renee began running on all fours as fast as she could and reached one of the Berbil huts in no time at all. Linda jumped up to run herself, but was yanked back by her hair.
“You’re going to pay for that, you *****!” Monkian growled, foul spittle running down her ear.
Linda laughed, “Like I should be worried you bald-assed, baboon faced limp noodle!”
Monkian didn’t know exactly what she had said, but he understood her contempt and didn't take that insult very well. He spun Linda around to face him then back-handed her so hard she lost consciousness. “Looks like I showed you, hoo, hoo.”
An enraged roar sounded before the attack. One minute Monkian was reaching down to grab the human woman, the next thing he was being slammed up against a tree. Bengali didn’t even know what he was doing; it was like being outside of his body, watching himself hitting the Mutant repeatedly.
“I have to stop,” he thought, “I have to stop before I kill him.” He willed himself to stop, then reached down and grabbed the Mutant by the neck, hauling him up above Bengali’s face.
“You had better be damn glad that the Code of Thundera forbids me from killing you, because right now, nothing would give me more pleasure!” Then he threw the ape as far as he could. Monkian rolled a few times, then got up and ran into the darkness.
Bengali didn’t even give the Mutant a second thought as he ran to Linda, still crumpled on the ground, and gently cradled her head. A large bruise was already forming on her cheek, but the rise and fall of her chest let him know that she would be ok. “Hey Sleeping Beauty,” he said quietly, “time to wake up.”
Slowly Linda came to. “Is Renee alright?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. Where was she?”
“She ran to one of the huts. I told her to hide. I hope she’s ok.”
Lion-o ran over. “What happened?” he asked.
“Monkian happened!” Bengali growled, “The ******* hit her!” The anger that Lion-o heard in the tiger's voice was chilling, even Linda shivered at it and hurried to put his mind at ease.
“Bengali, calm down. Nothing is broken, I swear.” she said, then turned to Lion-o. “Is there anyway you could find out how Renee is doing? She ran to one of the huts during the fighting.”
Lion-o looked toward the village and saw a much shaken Renee being comforted by Kylynne. “She’s ok. My wife is taking care of her.”
Linda closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s good. I was worried about her." she then looked up at the two concerned men, feeling a little embarrassed. "Can you guys help me up? I feel foolish just laying here like some kind of accident victim.”
Without a word Bengali picked her up, his face set in stone, and began to carry her to the vehicles. “Bengali, please let me down. I’m ok, really.” But Bengali ignored her,
“We should take her to the Lair, it’s closer.” said Lion-o to which the young Thundarian just nodded.
Pumyra ran over and got a good look at Linda’s face. “By Thundera! What happened to her?! Is she ok?”
“I’m ok Pumyra. Believe me, it looks worse than it is.” she assured her. "Could some one please tell the neanderthal here that I can walk fine and that I don't need to be carried?!" But with the way Bengali looked, no one was willing to aid her.
“Hold on.” said Bengali sternly as he jumped into the back of the Thundertank, one of the Thundercats land vehicles. Kylynne and Lion-o jumped in as well after making sure that all of the Berbils were alright and the fires out. Pumyra promised to come over as soon as she got Renee home safely and soon after all of the Thundercats left the village, their night of fun long over.
Once the Thundertank arrived at the Cats Lair, Bengali carried Linda to one of the spare rooms and would have readied her for bed himself, but was shooed out by Kylynne and Cheetara. “Is he always like that?” Linda asked the women to which both of the Thundercat ladies giggled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him act like that before.” said Lady Kylynne. “You gave him quite a scare.”
“I gave him a scare! That damn monkey thing scared the crap out of me! I thought for sure that I was a goner.”
“From what Lion-o told us, it sounds like Bengali made sure that Monkian would stay as far away from you as possible for a while.” Cheetara informed the injured woman.
“What do you mean?” Linda asked.
“It was chilling,” answered Kylynne. “Bengali saw Monkian strike you and he went insane, beating the Mutant within an inch of his life! Lion-o was afraid Begali might kill Monkian, but he stopped on his own. Like Cheetara said, I’ve never seen him like that, never!”
“You must mean something special to him.” Cheetara said to Linda.
That was what Kylynne feared. “Cheetara, perhaps we should get some ice for her cheek. Could you ask Snarf to bring some?”
Cheetara nodded and left the room. Once she was gone, Lady Kylynne turned to the human and asked her a question. “What are your feelings for Bengali?”
Linda looked at her, startled for a second, then thought for a minute. “Well, I care about him very much. He’s kind and gentle. And well,” she began to blush, “I feel safe when he’s around me.” She also felt other things when he was near her, but she wasn’t ready to give out that information just yet.
“I see.” said the Thundarian, “Do you love him?”
The question took her a back. Did she love Bengali? She did care for him, and felt alone when he wasn’t around. She looked forward to seeing him each morning and the small caresses and kisses on the cheek he gave her made her want more; much, much, more. But love?
“I don’t know, Lady Kylynne. I can’t give you an answer to that question because I’m not sure what the answer is myself.”
Kylynne nodded, seeming content with her reply. “Well, I’ll let you rest now. Snarf will be in soon with the ice if you need it and I’m sure Bengali would like to say goodnight.”
“Thank you, my Lady”
Kylynne smiled and bowed her head in her direction then opened the door, revealing a very concerned tiger pacing outside. “You may go in now, but just for a few minutes. And I need to see you later.”
“Yes my Lady.” Bengali said, then rushed to Linda’s bedside. “Hey beautiful, you look like something the cat dragged in.” he teased.
Oh ha, ha! You’re so funny.” she replied dryly. “So what’s this I hear about you beating the crap out of one of those mutants that attacked? You had everyone scared.”
“He’ll live.” was all he said.
Linda sensed that this was not something he wanted to discuss and wisely spoke of something else. “So tell me more about the Arrietta bird.”
Bengali was grateful for the change in subject. He told her about the time that Lion-o had first met the mystical bird and the Ice Queen and how he had been trapped by the queen. He also told her of how Snarf and Panthro had saved him. Toward the end of the story, he could see Linda yawning and realized it was time to go.
“You need to get some sleep now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Before you go, can I ask you for a favor?” she asked.
“Sure, what do you want?”
“Can you teach me how to defend myself? I don’t ever want to be defenseless again.”
“I think that would be ok. We’ll start next week.” He bent forward and kissed her on the forehead, then decided to give in to one of his temptations and kissed her briefly on the lips. He pulled back to see Linda’s eyes closed and a dreamy smile on her face. “Good night, Linda.”
“Nite." she said softly. She was asleep before he exited the room, dreaming of the white tiger man.
Bengali knocked on Lady Kylynne’s door and waited for entrance. The door slid open and he walked in to find Lord Lion-o, Lady Kylynne, and Oro waiting for him. “What’s going on here?” he asked suspiciously.
“We need to talk to you about your relationship with Linda.” answered the lioness. Oro nodded, but Lion-o looked uncomfortable.
“What about it?”
“Ben,” began Oro, “We know that in the past month you and Ms. Hurst have gotten close, and under the circumstances, we believe that this might not be a good idea.”
“Bengali, we have known each other since we were cubs.” said Kylynne. “ I think it would be a good idea for you to take a step back for a while.”
The tiger shook his head, not really understanding them. “You’re talking in riddles here. As someone once said ‘Give it to me in layman’s terms.’”
“What they are trying to say,” Lion-o explained angrily, “Is that they are afraid that you are falling in love with Ms. Hurst and they don’t like it.” He glared at his wife and Oro. "It's none of our business what goes on between them!"
“Why is this a problem? It’s true that I have feelings for Linda, but I don’t see where that is anyone's concern but mine and Linda's.” He was really confused now. Why should his relationship be a point of discussion?
“Bengali,” started Kylynne, “Sooner or later, Tygra and Panthro will find a way to send her home. How will you feel when she leaves?"
Bengali knew where this was going and wasn’t liking it. “I’ll deal with that part when I get there. It is possible that there IS no way to send her home.”
Kylynne sighed. She hated bringing up the next subject, but she felt there was no other way to make Bengali see reason. “Do you remember how you felt when you found out about Lynxa?”
“No! Don’t you even try to compare Linda to that *****!” Bengali growled. “She’s nothing like that!”
“I know, and that is what would make her leaving so hard on you. I know that you are falling in love with her, and I suspect that she feels the same.”
“I don't see what is the big deal here!” said her husband. “So what if they fall in love? Even if a time device could be built, she may not want to go back.”
“And therein lies the problem, my Lord.” said Oro. “If they fall in love, Linda might feel obligated to stay and years down the road she might regret that decision. She needs to make that decision on her own.”
“We’re not asking you to give up, we just want you to put some distance between yourselves for a few months. If your love is strong, then nothing we say can stop it. But if it’s not meant to be, as least you won’t be hurt again.”
"Shouldn't I be the one to decide if I want to tempt getting hurt again?" the tiger growled, his anger now rising. "Linda is probably the best thing to have ever happened to me, I have never felt for other women what I feel for her. "No, I won't let you push us away from each other!"
"Then you leave me no choice." said Kylynne as she stood up. "Bengali, you are hereby ordered to keep a professional distance from Linda Hurst. If after three months your feelings for her are still strong, then the ban will be lifted!"
Bengali's mouth dropped. "You..you're ordering me?!"
"It's for your own good."
Bengali looked around at the assembled Thundercats then stormed out of the room. Lion-o shook his head feeling sorry for his friend. He knew that what his wife was doing she believed was in the tiger’s best interest, but that didn’t alleviate the anger he felt for her and Oro. He waited for Oro to leave before heading towards the door himself, deciding that a night away from his wife would help ease his irratation.
“My Lord, where are you going?” Lady Kylynne asked.
“I’m going to sleep in one of the guest rooms. Good night dear.”
Kylynne was hurt, but even as Lion-o left she felt that she was right in what she had said to Bengali. Her friend would thank her eventually.
In his room that night, Bengali tossed and turned, going over the conversation in his mind. By dawn, he had come to a decision. When the Tower residents gathered at the Feliner in the morning, Bengali went to speak to Linda. “I believe it would be best if you rode up front from now on. Yesterday’s attack made me realize that if something like that happened again, you would be vulnerable in the top compartment.”
He turned from her and walked away, leaving a very confused Linda wondering what was wrong. Oro stepped next to him, hoping to offer him comfort. “Your doing the right thing for her.”
He was cut off when Bengali swung up his hand between them. “Don’t say anything to me right now.”
He jumped up into the top compartment and remained silent for the rest of the day. In the ****pit of the Feliner, Linda was wondering if she had said or did something to cause Bengali to be angry. He had sounded so cold when he had told her to sit up front.
“It must be something in the air.” she thought because she noticed that neither Pumyra nor Lion-o were talking to their mates. “What ever it is, I hope it passes soon.”
Author: Lindacat aka Azmom
Status: Not complete
Summary: Linda is making herself at home in the Tower, learning to be a part of the group and learning more about them, but Bengali is forced to make a difficult decision about their relationship.
Rating: Level 4
Genre(s): Drama, Romance, AU
Warnings: Adult Situations, Mild Cursing.
Disclaimer: This is just a story that came out of my head due to my love of Thundercats. All rights to Thundercats belong to WB and associates.
Doorway of the Gods
Chapter 4
A few weeks had passed since Linda had come to Third Earth and she found herself settling in quite nicely.It cannot be said that she immediately took to her new surroundings for there were mornings when she woke up and expected to see her old 21st century bedroom, but instead she found herself in the room assigned her by the Tower Cats. At first she barely touched or did anything, not wanting to upset her hosts, but eventually they encouraged her to make the room, even the Tower itself, her home. Realizing that she might be there for quite a while, she took them at their word and slowly redid her room; stripping off the bland white sheets, covers and curtains and replaced them with soft pastel blue sheets, colorful handmade blankets, and sturdy sage green window treatments. On the walls she hung up bright paintings from local artists and shelves for odd little knick-knacks that she picked up occasionally from the Berbil village.
The Thundercats were kindness themselves, always willing to help her learn about her new environment, gently teasing and correcting her when she made blunders or mistakes, and tolerant of her “strange” ways. They truly had no idea of what to make of her odd behavior of bowing her head and speaking to no one that was there, but they only shook their heads and let her continue and when she had made mention of how much she missed having a "Bible", Bengali had gotten her one from the Underearth People. Linda never learned the exorbitant price he'd had to pay for it, but the smile on her face and the kiss she gave him on the cheek more then made up for it.
She and Pumyra were becoming fast friends and she had been meeting some of the neighbors; like Queen Willa and her sister Nayda, who offered to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow. Or like the Wollos with their gentle and peaceful ways. But her favorite meeting had been with the Berbils. These kind creatures reminded her of big, metallic teddy bears. Ro Bear Bert had kept her laughing for an hour with his impressions of some of the more famous Third Earthers.
After her first few days in the Tower, Linda had become bored with just sitting around doing nothing, so she had gone to Snarfer and had offered to help him with the cleaning and the meals. At first, Snarfer had balked but after he noticed that things were easier with Linda helping him to clean while he took care of Renee (who was always a handful), he had nothing more to say. She also agreed to baby-sit so Snarfer and Pumyra could go to the villages to buy supplies.
But even with these jobs, Linda still felt that there wasn’t enough to do, so Oro thought it might be a good idea for her to learn how to work the systems in case that one day all of the Thundercats were needed. It would be a relief for Lynx-o, Oro, Pumyra, and Bengali to leave the Tower to help their friends, knowing that someone capable was watching the monitors. Pumyra was especially grateful, because now she could go on more missions with her husband and not have to stay home and worry all the time.
Day by day, Linda found herself falling in love with Third Earth. It was peaceful here, none of the noise, crime, or dirtiness she remembered from the cities she had known. Two weeks into her stay, she had begun to take walks outside to enjoy the pure, unmoleted beauty of Third Earth's nature in the company of one of the Thundercats. At first Linda had balked at the idea of an escort, but after Bengali started volunteering most of the time, she stopped her complaining. On these nature walks she learned much about the handsome tiger, though she herself said little about her own past. She just wasn't ready to share that yet.
For his own part Bengali respected her silence, but after having told her practically his life story to her and learning almost nothing about the human woman, his curiosity got the best of him. On one of their walks through the Unicorn Forest, he came out and asked her, "What happened to your mate?"
Linda looked at him out of the corner of her eye, just a bit uncomfortable with the question. "What makes you think anything happened to him?"
"Just something you said to me the first time we met." he said putting his hands behind his back. "You said ' My husband and I never had any children'. It sounded like something happened to him, like he was no longer in your life."
The human stopped, not sure if she should say anything about her husband. "What are you protecting Linda?" she chided herself, "His memory or your feelings?"
Taking a deep breath she said, "I'm a widow."
Bengali nodded, his suspicions confirmed. Strangely he did feel sorrow for the young woman but at the same time he was pleased to hear she was free. "I'm sorry to hear that. Was it recently?"
Linda shook her head. "He died 2 years ago while defending the people of a foreign country from their tyrannic leader."
"That was very noble of him."
Linda smiled sadly. "Greg didn't think so."
When she saw the tiger's confused look she explained. "See, he didn't go over because he thought it was the right thing to do, he went because he made an oath to protect the weak and innocent. Our govenment decided they needed help so he went where he was sent."
"It's still very noble of him." Bengali said. "You and he might not have thought so, but it takes courage to fight against evil, even knowing that it might cost your life."
Tired of this line of conversation, she straightened up and looked ahead of her. "Yeah, well, that doesn't do him much good now, does it?" Then she continued her walk, fighting the tears forming in her eyes.
Unsure of what else to say, Bengali followed behind her and kept quiet for the rest of the time.
Several days later, Lynx-o was teaching her the proper way to relay information to the Thundercats when Pumyra walked in.
“Ah, Linda. Just the person I was looking for. I just received a message from Lady Kylynne. She would like to know if we would join her at the Berbil village tonight. The Arrietta bird will be coming to help the Berbil fruits grow and believe me, it’s an event that you don’t want to miss.”
“Damn! Is that tonight?!” said Bengali as he entered the Control Room. “I missed that last year! Looks like I’ll be missing it again this year too, I’m on watch this evening.”
Lynx-o could hear how crestfallen the young tiger sounded and suggested, “Why don’t you join the ladies tonight, Bengali? I can take your watch. The Arrietta bird doesn’t make an appearance everyday. You may take my shift in the morning.”
“Would you?!” exclaimed Bengali, sounding like an excited child. “You’re the greatest, Lynx-o!” then he whispered softly “I owe you one, my friend.”
“Then I suggest that we all get ready.” said Pumyra. “Let’s meet in the garage in one hour.”
Linda hugged the lynx. “Thank you for the lesson today. See you later.”
“Your quite welcome Ms. Hurst.” said Lynx-o with a smile. He knew how much she disliked being called that and was rewarded with a sigh.
“One of these days…” she said walking out the door. When she left, Bengali walked over to the older man. “You’re sure about taking my watch tonight?”
Lynx-o laughed, “Yes, I’m sure. Now go before I change my mind.”
“Okay, okay.” grinned the tiger, “Thanks again Lynx-o.” and sprinted out the door.
The older man chuckled to him self. “Ah, to be young and in love again.”
Within the hour, everyone who was going to the Berbil village had assembled in the Tower garage. Oro sat at the controls of the Feliner with his wife and daughter beside him while Bengali was in the top compartment helping Linda get in. Last week he had installed a rope ladder so that she could get in and out of the Feliner on her own. Linda thought it was one of the sweetest things anyone had done for her.
“You’re going to love seeing the Arrietta bird, and its song is amazing.” said Bengali as he pulled her into the compartment.
“What is an Arrietta bird anyways?” she asked.
“It’s a magical bird whose song makes plants grow big and full.” answered Bengali, “The bird only shows once a year at the beginning of the Berbil Fruit harvest so it's a big deal to them.”
“It still freaks me out to know that meat and bread can grow on trees. Too bad they don’t have a money fruit tree.” she laughed.
Bengali laughed too. “A money fruit tree? What good would that be? You can’t eat money.”
“No,” Linda said, “But if a money fruit tree had existed when I was a kid, I’d have had a good answer for my mom every time she had asked me if I thought money grew on trees.” Both of them laughed as the Feliner took off.
“You know,” said Bengali tentively, “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about your family. Your mother must have been a wonderful woman to have raised a girl like you.” After their talk of her husband in the Forest, he was more cautious about asking about her past.
Linda blushed, but continued, “Yeah, my mom was great. She had to be tough at times, but she was always fair. For a long time, she had to raise me by herself.”
“By herself? Why, what happened to your father?”
“He took off when I was 3 years old. I never heard from him, in fact I don't even remember him all that well.”
The way she said it puzzled the tiger. It was if she was talking about the change in weather rather then the man that helped give her life. If his father had left him and his mom, he’d have been devastated. But she didn’t seem bothered by it at all.
“It must have been awful without a father.” he said.
“Oh, I had a dad." she assured him. "When I was about 10 my mom met Rich."
She began to laugh as she looked out the window, admiring the scenery. "Poor guy, he had to put up with a lot of the crap I pulled on him." Then she grew a little somber. "You know, I was just awful to him, telling him he wasn't my dad and that I didn't have to listen to him. Because of me he and mom fought alot and people wouldn’t have blamed him if he had just walked away. But he really loved my mom, so he stayed. I never fully appreciated him until I was an adult.”
“Sounds like you had a good childhood.”
She turned and smiled at him. “Yeah, I was lucky. But what about you, what was your childhood like?”
Bengali laughed. “There were always other children around to play with and my mom made sure that whenever we came storming into the house that there was something for us to eat. She was a great cook and a very talented jeweler. People came from miles around to buy her exquisite jewelry. My father was a blacksmith, taught me everything I know about smithing. He had such great patience; he never yelled at me if I destroyed a piece we had been working hard on. He’d tell me ‘Don’t worry son, that was just practice.’ But I don’t know how my parents survived my childhood. I was always getting into trouble. My mom swore that I’d be the death of her some day.” His smile faltered.
Linda had a feeling she knew what had happened. “They didn’t make it off Thundera, did they?”
Bengali shook his head. “No, they never even left the city we lived in. There were only so many transports and they had seating on one of the ships, but they gave them up to a young couple who were expecting their first child. I miss them at times.”
“I’m sure they’re together up there watching out for you” said Linda.
He looked at her sincere face. “You’re talking about your heaven, aren’t you?” She nodded and laid her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
He squeezed back and said, “Well, if such a place exists, I’m pretty sure they are.” He looked briefly up at the sky and swore he could feel his parents near him.
At the Berbil village, there was an air of expectancy and excitement. Everyone was gathering around a bird stand that was in front of the Berbil crops. There among the villagers were the Thundercat Lord and Lady. Lion-o and KyLynne stepped away from the crowd to greet the other visitors.
“I’m so glad you could come.” Lady Kylynne said, addressing the newest group.
“We wouldn’t have missed such a special event, my Lady.” replied Oro.
Lady Kylynne turned to Linda and noticed how close Bengali stood to her and made a small frown before covering it up with a smile. “I am especially glad that you could come, my dear.” she said to Linda.
“Thank you, my Lady. Everyone has been telling me that this is supposed to a sight to see. I can’t wait!”
“You will not be disappointed, I assure you” said Kylynne. Lion-o stepped next to her and whispered, “Love, if we don’t want to miss the arrival of the Arrietta bird, we should move to the viewing area.”
“Of course dear. Bengali, could you walk with me?”
Bengali nodded his head. “What can I do for you my Lady?”
“I just wanted to ask you if you could come by the Lair tomorrow. I need to talk to you about something important.”
“Of course. May I ask what it is about?” he asked.
“I will explain everything tomorrow. Bring Oro with you please.”
“Yes my Lady.”
Kylynne kissed him on the cheek, and then made her way to her husband while Bengali stepped next to Linda’s side. It wasn't that Kylynne disliked Linda, quite the opposite. The human woman was a kind, caring, immensely humourous, and honest individual. What bothered her was the fact that one day Linda would go home and Bengali would once again be hurt. That was the last thing she wanted for her friend. She pushed those thoughts away for a while, knowing that it would be taken care of tomorrow and enjoyed the show.
Everyone moved to where the bird stand was, but they all made sure that they stayed a fair distance from it. No one wanted to spook the mystical bird. For a while, nothing happened, then someone called out and pointed to the distant horizon. At first, Linda saw nothing, but then she spotted a speck like a bright star headed towards them. The closer it came, the more excited the little Berbils got, until there was a low metallic hum all around.
From what Linda could see, the bird was silvery in color with a long golden tail. As it flew through the air, it left a trail of sparkles behind it, like the tail of a comet. All around it was a bright aura which reminded Linda of an angel’s halo. The bird flew so gracefully that she felt she was watching some kind of beautiful avian dance. Once the Arrietta bird had settled on the stand, it raised its tail and spread it out, like a pea**** would do, then it began to sing.
It was like listening to the best opera singer in the world, but even better. Linda detected something that sounded like tinkling glass or wind chimes in the melody. It was by far the most beautiful thing Linda had ever heard.
“Wow!” she gasped.
Bengali grinned beside her. “I told you that you would love this, didn’t I?”
“You weren’t kidding” she whispered to him, “Oh my Lord!”
“Yes?” asked Lord Lion-o, who was close enough to hear her.
Linda looked at him confused, “Hm?”
“You called me, didn’t you?” he asked, confused himself.
“Oh no, I’m sorry” she whispered to him. “It’s just an exclamation people in my religion use.”
“Shh!” someone from up front cautioned. Both Linda and Lion-o ended their conversation, but Lion-o made a mental note to ask her more about this exclamation later.
Linda thought nothing could top the Arrietta bird, but then she stared in amazement when she saw the Berbil fruits begin to plump and grow, almost to the point where the Candy fruit would burst. Before she knew it, the song had ended and the bird took flight, her job done for the year. Many of the Berbils waved to the Arrietta bird, thanking her for a great harvest. Even little Renee was waving good-bye.
“So what did you think about the Arrietta bird, Linda?” asked Lion-o.
“Oh, it was amazing!” she replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it!”
“It is something. So tell me, what did you mean when you said that your phrase ‘oh my lord’ was something from your religion? What does it mean?”
“Oh well, in my people’s religion, we believe that God is the Lord of all creation.” Linda thought back to some of the exclamations that she had heard Oro and Bengali use. “I guess it would be like you saying ‘By Thundera’ or ‘By Jaga.’”
Lion-o nodded his head, “I see. Yes, I can understand that. But I’m not too sure about this god of yours, what does he…” He was interrupted by Oro’s shout of warning.
“Mutants! Everyone get down!”
From out of now where, a bolt of energy hit one of the Berbil houses, engulfing it in flames. Bengali grabbed Linda’s arm and pulled her over to a group of boulders, telling her to stay down and not to move, then rushed off to help the other Thundercats. Linda looked around, trying to understand what was going on but had to duck as more energy bolts rained down from the sky, apparently from several flying vehicles.
From near the bird stand, Linda heard Renee crying “Mama, mamaaaa!!!!”
The little girl was out in the open and all of the Thundercats were busy defending the village, unable to notice her peril. Linda stood up and ran to the girl, nearly getting blasted of her feet.
“Renee! Hold on sweetie!” She picked her up and was running back to the boulders when something hit her from behind, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell. She twisted in mid fall, landing on her back, Renee held tightly in her arms. As she gasped to breath, a shadow fell across her.
“Nice to see you again, girlie.”
Linda’s heart froze when she heard that voice. She knew even before she saw him who it was. Above her was the ape thing from the forest. On his left arm was a shield with a likeness of an ape on the front, in his right hand was a spiked mace glowing red. From the pain radiating from her leg, she guessed that this was what had hit her.
Slowly, so as not to arouse suspicion, she released her hold on the little girl at the same time drawing up her leg as if trying to protect the child. In the child's ear she whispered, “As soon as I say ‘Go’, I want you to run as fast as you can to one of the houses and hide, ok?”
Renee nodded slightly. Sensing that something was going on, the ape man lunged at the pair. Linda pulled her leg back and kicked him in the face as hard as she could.
“Go Renee! Run!” Renee began running on all fours as fast as she could and reached one of the Berbil huts in no time at all. Linda jumped up to run herself, but was yanked back by her hair.
“You’re going to pay for that, you *****!” Monkian growled, foul spittle running down her ear.
Linda laughed, “Like I should be worried you bald-assed, baboon faced limp noodle!”
Monkian didn’t know exactly what she had said, but he understood her contempt and didn't take that insult very well. He spun Linda around to face him then back-handed her so hard she lost consciousness. “Looks like I showed you, hoo, hoo.”
An enraged roar sounded before the attack. One minute Monkian was reaching down to grab the human woman, the next thing he was being slammed up against a tree. Bengali didn’t even know what he was doing; it was like being outside of his body, watching himself hitting the Mutant repeatedly.
“I have to stop,” he thought, “I have to stop before I kill him.” He willed himself to stop, then reached down and grabbed the Mutant by the neck, hauling him up above Bengali’s face.
“You had better be damn glad that the Code of Thundera forbids me from killing you, because right now, nothing would give me more pleasure!” Then he threw the ape as far as he could. Monkian rolled a few times, then got up and ran into the darkness.
Bengali didn’t even give the Mutant a second thought as he ran to Linda, still crumpled on the ground, and gently cradled her head. A large bruise was already forming on her cheek, but the rise and fall of her chest let him know that she would be ok. “Hey Sleeping Beauty,” he said quietly, “time to wake up.”
Slowly Linda came to. “Is Renee alright?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. Where was she?”
“She ran to one of the huts. I told her to hide. I hope she’s ok.”
Lion-o ran over. “What happened?” he asked.
“Monkian happened!” Bengali growled, “The ******* hit her!” The anger that Lion-o heard in the tiger's voice was chilling, even Linda shivered at it and hurried to put his mind at ease.
“Bengali, calm down. Nothing is broken, I swear.” she said, then turned to Lion-o. “Is there anyway you could find out how Renee is doing? She ran to one of the huts during the fighting.”
Lion-o looked toward the village and saw a much shaken Renee being comforted by Kylynne. “She’s ok. My wife is taking care of her.”
Linda closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s good. I was worried about her." she then looked up at the two concerned men, feeling a little embarrassed. "Can you guys help me up? I feel foolish just laying here like some kind of accident victim.”
Without a word Bengali picked her up, his face set in stone, and began to carry her to the vehicles. “Bengali, please let me down. I’m ok, really.” But Bengali ignored her,
“We should take her to the Lair, it’s closer.” said Lion-o to which the young Thundarian just nodded.
Pumyra ran over and got a good look at Linda’s face. “By Thundera! What happened to her?! Is she ok?”
“I’m ok Pumyra. Believe me, it looks worse than it is.” she assured her. "Could some one please tell the neanderthal here that I can walk fine and that I don't need to be carried?!" But with the way Bengali looked, no one was willing to aid her.
“Hold on.” said Bengali sternly as he jumped into the back of the Thundertank, one of the Thundercats land vehicles. Kylynne and Lion-o jumped in as well after making sure that all of the Berbils were alright and the fires out. Pumyra promised to come over as soon as she got Renee home safely and soon after all of the Thundercats left the village, their night of fun long over.
Once the Thundertank arrived at the Cats Lair, Bengali carried Linda to one of the spare rooms and would have readied her for bed himself, but was shooed out by Kylynne and Cheetara. “Is he always like that?” Linda asked the women to which both of the Thundercat ladies giggled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him act like that before.” said Lady Kylynne. “You gave him quite a scare.”
“I gave him a scare! That damn monkey thing scared the crap out of me! I thought for sure that I was a goner.”
“From what Lion-o told us, it sounds like Bengali made sure that Monkian would stay as far away from you as possible for a while.” Cheetara informed the injured woman.
“What do you mean?” Linda asked.
“It was chilling,” answered Kylynne. “Bengali saw Monkian strike you and he went insane, beating the Mutant within an inch of his life! Lion-o was afraid Begali might kill Monkian, but he stopped on his own. Like Cheetara said, I’ve never seen him like that, never!”
“You must mean something special to him.” Cheetara said to Linda.
That was what Kylynne feared. “Cheetara, perhaps we should get some ice for her cheek. Could you ask Snarf to bring some?”
Cheetara nodded and left the room. Once she was gone, Lady Kylynne turned to the human and asked her a question. “What are your feelings for Bengali?”
Linda looked at her, startled for a second, then thought for a minute. “Well, I care about him very much. He’s kind and gentle. And well,” she began to blush, “I feel safe when he’s around me.” She also felt other things when he was near her, but she wasn’t ready to give out that information just yet.
“I see.” said the Thundarian, “Do you love him?”
The question took her a back. Did she love Bengali? She did care for him, and felt alone when he wasn’t around. She looked forward to seeing him each morning and the small caresses and kisses on the cheek he gave her made her want more; much, much, more. But love?
“I don’t know, Lady Kylynne. I can’t give you an answer to that question because I’m not sure what the answer is myself.”
Kylynne nodded, seeming content with her reply. “Well, I’ll let you rest now. Snarf will be in soon with the ice if you need it and I’m sure Bengali would like to say goodnight.”
“Thank you, my Lady”
Kylynne smiled and bowed her head in her direction then opened the door, revealing a very concerned tiger pacing outside. “You may go in now, but just for a few minutes. And I need to see you later.”
“Yes my Lady.” Bengali said, then rushed to Linda’s bedside. “Hey beautiful, you look like something the cat dragged in.” he teased.
Oh ha, ha! You’re so funny.” she replied dryly. “So what’s this I hear about you beating the crap out of one of those mutants that attacked? You had everyone scared.”
“He’ll live.” was all he said.
Linda sensed that this was not something he wanted to discuss and wisely spoke of something else. “So tell me more about the Arrietta bird.”
Bengali was grateful for the change in subject. He told her about the time that Lion-o had first met the mystical bird and the Ice Queen and how he had been trapped by the queen. He also told her of how Snarf and Panthro had saved him. Toward the end of the story, he could see Linda yawning and realized it was time to go.
“You need to get some sleep now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Before you go, can I ask you for a favor?” she asked.
“Sure, what do you want?”
“Can you teach me how to defend myself? I don’t ever want to be defenseless again.”
“I think that would be ok. We’ll start next week.” He bent forward and kissed her on the forehead, then decided to give in to one of his temptations and kissed her briefly on the lips. He pulled back to see Linda’s eyes closed and a dreamy smile on her face. “Good night, Linda.”
“Nite." she said softly. She was asleep before he exited the room, dreaming of the white tiger man.
Bengali knocked on Lady Kylynne’s door and waited for entrance. The door slid open and he walked in to find Lord Lion-o, Lady Kylynne, and Oro waiting for him. “What’s going on here?” he asked suspiciously.
“We need to talk to you about your relationship with Linda.” answered the lioness. Oro nodded, but Lion-o looked uncomfortable.
“What about it?”
“Ben,” began Oro, “We know that in the past month you and Ms. Hurst have gotten close, and under the circumstances, we believe that this might not be a good idea.”
“Bengali, we have known each other since we were cubs.” said Kylynne. “ I think it would be a good idea for you to take a step back for a while.”
The tiger shook his head, not really understanding them. “You’re talking in riddles here. As someone once said ‘Give it to me in layman’s terms.’”
“What they are trying to say,” Lion-o explained angrily, “Is that they are afraid that you are falling in love with Ms. Hurst and they don’t like it.” He glared at his wife and Oro. "It's none of our business what goes on between them!"
“Why is this a problem? It’s true that I have feelings for Linda, but I don’t see where that is anyone's concern but mine and Linda's.” He was really confused now. Why should his relationship be a point of discussion?
“Bengali,” started Kylynne, “Sooner or later, Tygra and Panthro will find a way to send her home. How will you feel when she leaves?"
Bengali knew where this was going and wasn’t liking it. “I’ll deal with that part when I get there. It is possible that there IS no way to send her home.”
Kylynne sighed. She hated bringing up the next subject, but she felt there was no other way to make Bengali see reason. “Do you remember how you felt when you found out about Lynxa?”
“No! Don’t you even try to compare Linda to that *****!” Bengali growled. “She’s nothing like that!”
“I know, and that is what would make her leaving so hard on you. I know that you are falling in love with her, and I suspect that she feels the same.”
“I don't see what is the big deal here!” said her husband. “So what if they fall in love? Even if a time device could be built, she may not want to go back.”
“And therein lies the problem, my Lord.” said Oro. “If they fall in love, Linda might feel obligated to stay and years down the road she might regret that decision. She needs to make that decision on her own.”
“We’re not asking you to give up, we just want you to put some distance between yourselves for a few months. If your love is strong, then nothing we say can stop it. But if it’s not meant to be, as least you won’t be hurt again.”
"Shouldn't I be the one to decide if I want to tempt getting hurt again?" the tiger growled, his anger now rising. "Linda is probably the best thing to have ever happened to me, I have never felt for other women what I feel for her. "No, I won't let you push us away from each other!"
"Then you leave me no choice." said Kylynne as she stood up. "Bengali, you are hereby ordered to keep a professional distance from Linda Hurst. If after three months your feelings for her are still strong, then the ban will be lifted!"
Bengali's mouth dropped. "You..you're ordering me?!"
"It's for your own good."
Bengali looked around at the assembled Thundercats then stormed out of the room. Lion-o shook his head feeling sorry for his friend. He knew that what his wife was doing she believed was in the tiger’s best interest, but that didn’t alleviate the anger he felt for her and Oro. He waited for Oro to leave before heading towards the door himself, deciding that a night away from his wife would help ease his irratation.
“My Lord, where are you going?” Lady Kylynne asked.
“I’m going to sleep in one of the guest rooms. Good night dear.”
Kylynne was hurt, but even as Lion-o left she felt that she was right in what she had said to Bengali. Her friend would thank her eventually.
In his room that night, Bengali tossed and turned, going over the conversation in his mind. By dawn, he had come to a decision. When the Tower residents gathered at the Feliner in the morning, Bengali went to speak to Linda. “I believe it would be best if you rode up front from now on. Yesterday’s attack made me realize that if something like that happened again, you would be vulnerable in the top compartment.”
He turned from her and walked away, leaving a very confused Linda wondering what was wrong. Oro stepped next to him, hoping to offer him comfort. “Your doing the right thing for her.”
He was cut off when Bengali swung up his hand between them. “Don’t say anything to me right now.”
He jumped up into the top compartment and remained silent for the rest of the day. In the ****pit of the Feliner, Linda was wondering if she had said or did something to cause Bengali to be angry. He had sounded so cold when he had told her to sit up front.
“It must be something in the air.” she thought because she noticed that neither Pumyra nor Lion-o were talking to their mates. “What ever it is, I hope it passes soon.”
♥ 1 LIKE