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Visions of the Heart

Chapter 4

"And you told no one?" Tygra asked with a roar, leaning forward toward her with anger flashing in his eyes. "My father could still be alive; Thundera could still be the greatest city on Third Earth."

"Tygra," Lion-O snapped, "let her finish!"

The tiger clenched his jaw shut tightly, and waited for Cheetara to continue.

"I told Jaga," she said softly, her eyes filled with pain, "but we didn't have enough time to warn anyone. The attack began as we were on our way to warn King Claudus. It was too late." Frustration soaked into her voice and her hands clenched into fists in her lap.

Lion-O reached out and placed a hand over hers. "You did your best, Cheetara," he consoled her.

"If she had done her best then Father would still be alive and Thundera wouldn't be in ruins!" Tygra spat as he surged to his feet and left the campfire, stalking off into the lingering drizzle.

Cheetara's breath caught in her throat at the tiger's words. She pushed to her feet as if to follow him. Lion-O caught her gently by the wrist without rising.

"None of this is your fault, Cheetara,"Lion-O soothed. "Sit down; he'll be back once he cools off."

The kittens and Snarf watched with wide eyes as the scene before them played out.

"Maybe he's right," Cheetara breathed as she folded her legs beneath her once again, her crimson gaze begging him for his honest opinion. "If I had moved faster, interpreted the vision earlier, maybe there was something-"

Lion-O cut her off. "No, Cheetara, from what you told me there was nothing you could have done. Once Tygra calms down enough and hears the whole story he won't blame you for anything." The lion squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb in soothing circles over her smooth fur.

She pulled her hand away and moved to her bedroll. "I'm tired," she murmured. "I'll see you in the morning." Turning her back to the others, she snuggled under the blanket and clamped her eyes shut, wishing she could forget about the events surrounding the fall of Thundera. It was like a surreal nightmare from which she couldn't wake up. The cheetah could feel Lion-O's gaze boring into her back, but she forced herself to try to relax. She hoped Lion-O was right. Maybe once Tygra calmed down, everything would be okay.

The kittens scampered off to bed soon after Cheetara had retired for the evening. Snarf followed them and curled up with Kit. Lion-O gazed into the flames and waited for his brother to return. He knew that Tygra's words would eat at the cheetah cleric in the days to come; the damage had been done.

It was nearly an hour later before Tygra returned. He sat down silently across the fire from his brother, staring aimlessly into the flames.

Lion-O cleared his throat. "You know it wasn't her fault, Tygra. There was nothing else she could have done."

"How do you know that, Lion-O?" Tygra sighed. "There's something going on between you two; you'd support her no matter what."

Lion-O growled low in his throat. "Cheetara is my friend, Tygra; we spend time together." Lion-O felt his cheeks warm at his brother's insinuation; he preferred to keep his and Cheetara's "closeness" private. "As soon as she told Jaga about her vision they headed back to Thundera to tell Father. Her visions aren't something she can control. She can't predict them, and sometimes they're just bits and pieces of something, very hard to understand."

Tygra tossed a stray twig into the fire and stood. "I'm heading to bed." Without another word, he crawled into his bedroll and pulled the covers over his head.

The lion king sighed and followed suit. He found it difficult to fall asleep, his mind replaying over and over the injured expression on Cheetara's face when Tygra had spewed his venomous words.

Everyone was tired and grumpy the next morning except for the kittens. They bounced out of their bedrolls with their usual energy, chattering happily away. Cheetara was quiet, too quiet. She kept to herself and didn't meet anyone's eyes as she worked quietly with Lion-O to prepare breakfast.

Lion-O's gaze followed her every move. Her emotional pain was palpable. She was blaming herself for what happened in Thundera, for Claudus' death, and for Jaga's. The lion king was tempted to pound his brother for what he had said to the cheetah cleric.

They ate in silence. Even the kittens seemed to sense the mood around the campfire and kept their mouths closed. After breakfast, Cheetara gathered the dishes and headed for the water. Lion-O moved to follow her.

The cheetah shook her head. "No, Lion-O. I can handle it by myself this morning. I need to be alone and have some time to think." At his crestfallen look she sighed. "I'm okay; I promise."

His blue eyes were anxious, but he nodded.

"Lion-O," Kit called, "come help us pack up the food."

The royal lion winced as some of their precious food supplies hit the dirt, and he hurried to assist with the packing.

Cheetara knelt at the water's edge and dipped the first bowl into the river. Her stomach rolled painfully; she'd had to force herself to eat knowing that Lion-O would be upset if she didn't. Footsteps crunched through the underbrush behind her and she turned to see Tygra approaching with a smirk firmly in place on his face. Her stomach burned with nerves. She didn't feel like dealing with him right now.

"Tygra, about last night," Cheetara began. "Please let me explain." She placed the bowl on the soft grass and stood, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Lion-O already attempted to explain things to me. He said that you tried to warn Father, but there wasn't time." Tygra leveled his cool gaze on the cleric.

"Yes, Jaga and I were on our way back to tell him what I'd seen when the attack started," Cheetara informed him.

Tygra snorted. "So you have these visions? I think they're worthless if you ask me. What good are they if you don't have them in time to help anyone?"

Cheetara looked stricken at his words. "No, Tygra, I-"

"Really think about it, Cheetara," the Tygra pointed out. "What good are your visions? Can they help anyone?"

"Jaga always said-," she began.

"Jaga's gone," the tiger broke in. "Thundera has fallen. "What good are those visions to us now?"

Cheetara wore a crestfallen look on her face. "Sometimes my visions come earlier than the event, but they're hard to control."

"Then maybe you should work harder to control them," Tygra snapped. "If you'd had a better handle on them my father might still be alive." With a grunt of anger, he turned on his heel and strode back to the camp.

Cheetara tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and felt tears well in her eyes. Was Tygra right? Were her visions worthless? Lion-O didn't seem to think so. He was ready to support her and help her nurture her skill, what Jaga thought of as her gift. At this point, Cheetara wasn't quite sure what to think. With a sigh she returned to the dishes, eager to finish the chore and head back to camp so they could continue their quest.

Tygra was dowsing the fire when Cheetara returned. He met her gaze and she turned away, storing their dishes in her pack.

Lion-O followed her across the camp quietly. He had noticed the absence of his brother after he'd helped the kittens with the food. That only meant one thing. Tygra had followed Cheetara to the river. "Is everything okay?" he asked softly.

"Yes, it's fine," she replied a bit stiffly as she fought to keep her emotions under control.

Tygra walked up then and Cheetara pressed her lips tightly together. Lion-O glanced at his brother and opened his mouth to speak, but the tiger cut him off.

"We need to get moving. It looks like another storm is blowing in." Tygra nodded toward the threatening clouds that were building in the sky.

Lion-O frowned. The cloud bank had built up quickly. The cats all wrapped themselves in their cloaks, hoisted their packs, and hit the trail. Travel soon became quite miserable as a chilly drizzle began to fall.

Snarf curled in the lion king's arms and the kittens shivered in their cloaks as they followed the older cats down the road. Tygra took the lead, crashing through any underbrush that grew over the road, if you could call it a road. At times it seemed more like a trail.

Lunch was a quiet affair. They huddled beneath an outcropping of rock and Lion-O handed out dried meat and some cheese. It didn't really satisfy their hungry bellies, but it would have to do for now. There was no place to start a fire in the saturated wilderness.

At long last, late in the afternoon the rain ceased although the air was still chilly. Cheetara couldn't wait to huddle into her bedroll and close her eyes. She was really feeling her lack of sleep from the night before.

A rickety cabin came into view set far off from the road. Lion-O looked at the others. "Maybe we should see if anyone lives there. Maybe they'd put us up for the night."

"What have we got to lose?" Tygra asked. "We're hungry and soaked. Let's go."

As they approached the sagging structure it was obvious that it was vacant and had been for quite a long time. "Guess there's no hope of a warm meal," Lion-O sighed as he carefully climbed the warped steps and peered in through the doorway. An old lantern sat on a dusty table. It didn't long for him to light it. Lifting it over his head, Lion-O surveyed the cabin around them. It was dirty, but dry and the roof seemed sound.

"Maybe we can start a fire in the fireplace," Cheetara said hopefully. "Looks like there's a wood pile in the corner."

Tygra made quick work of starting a fire and they all huddled around, shivering inside of their damp cloaks.

"We're starved," Kat complained as he rubbed his stomach.

Lion-O stood reluctantly. "I'll go see if I can catch some fish or do some hunting."

Cheetara stood. "We can make do with the supplies we have. Don't go back out in the rain."

He shook his head. "We need to hold on to our supplies if we can. I won't be long."

The cheetah sighed. "I'm going with you."

"Cheetara, I-," he began.

"Don't argue. It won't do any good." She propped her hands on her hips as if daring him to say anything.

"All right," he sighed. "Let's go."

Cheetara followed him out into the darkness. It was hard to see much of anything; the moon was covered by clouds. She lifted her nose to try to catch the scent of any prey, but the rain had washed all of the smells away.

Lion-O's warm hand incased hers and her heart jumped in her chest. "What did my brother say to you?" he asked softly.

She shook her head. "It's nothing, Lion-O."

"Something has been bothering you all day. I know Tygra cornered you this morning. What did he say?" Lion-O reached for her other hand and tugged her around so that she was facing him in the darkness.

Cheetara swallowed hard. "Lion-O, it doesn't matter."

"It does if he hurt you," the lion replied softly, "and I can tell that he did."

"Tygra thinks," she began hesitantly.

"Yes?" Lion-O prodded.

"Tygra thinks that my visions are useless. They come too late to do any good." Cheetara felt her cheeks burn with shame. What if Lion-O changed his mind and suddenly agreed with his brother?

"Cheetara, that's not true," the lion king protested. "Jaga saw the merit in your visions, and so do I. You are learning to control them, but it's difficult. It will take time, and even when you are able to have more control you may not be able to do anything about their timing. My brother just doesn't believe in anything he can't understand. He needs tangible proof."

The cheetah felt her shoulders relax. Lion-O still supported her and believed in her. "Thank you, Lion-O, for believing in me."

He squeezed her hands. "I will always believe in you," he said softly, leaning forward shyly to press his lips to hers.

Cheetara returned his kiss tentatively, but pulled back when the scent of nearby prey tickled her nostrils. "Do you smell that?" she whispered.

Lion-O lifted his head and caught the scent before nodding at her. Before he could react, Cheetara crept out of his arms and quietly stalked her prey. The lion king followed behind her, his eyes memorizing the graceful movements of her lithe body. A small furry animal moving in the clearing caught his eye. Before he could even blink, the cheetah moved in a blur, deftly catching the creature before it could take a step. Her nimble hands quickly took care of what needed to be done and she returned to his side with dinner in her hands.

"You're amazing," Lion-O breathed in awe.

Cheetara blushed at his praise. "We need to eat," she said simply.

"We would have gone hungry if I was doing the hunting alone," Lion-O commented, his hand moving to the small of the cheetah's back as they turned toward the cabin.

Cheetara glanced up at him in the dim light and found herself caught in the intensity of his gaze. Unable to stop herself, she pressed one more quick kiss to his lips. That was to hold them both over, she told herself. Who knew when they would have time alone again?

They roasted the small animal in the fireplace once they returned to the others and enjoyed a hot dinner. It felt good to go to bed with full bellies for once.

Cheetara curled in her bedroll next to Kit and tugged the blanket up to her chin. Her body ached all over, but she was so exhausted that she didn't care. She fell asleep listening to the comforting crackle of the fire.

Her sleep was invaded by a dream or perhaps another vision.

A deafening roar filled the air. Sunlight glinted off of a giant metal beast. Its claws churned up the dirt and red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. It slid to a stop and dust filled the air making it difficult to breath. She was choking. There was the sound of metal on metal and a cat appeared standing on top of the metal monster. Before Cheetara could react, the huge cat leapt towards the ground straight at Lion-O.

"Lion-O!" Cheetara jolted awake and sat up in her bedroll. The room was cloaked in darkness; the fire had burned down.

The other cats were sitting up and staring at her with questions in their eyes as moonlight streamed through the window. The clouds had cleared; the storms had moved on.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Lion-O called out.

"I had another vision," Cheetara panted.

To be continued…

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