Thundercats Fanfiction Project (Ch 2, Episode 3)

In this episode, the palace burns. Sorcery clashes with steel, the WilyKittens are ensnared, and Jagara flees by unseen voices. Jaga fights with weary strength as heirs and relics are scattered into peril…

Battles in the Palace

Book 1 – Exile and Vigil – Chapter 2, Episode 3

The corridors roared with fire and steel. Smoke curled through shattered arches, and the cries of battle echoed against marble walls. Jaga pressed forward, his age heavy upon him, when three Reptilian Mutants barred his path. His ears angled forward in battle focus as their scaled armor gleamed in the firelight, their eyes hungry for conquest.

Drawing his longsword—not the Omens blade in the Claw, but the weapon he had wielded before claiming the Sword of Omens, and again after laying it aside—he fought with weary strength, his ears flattening with each impact as rubber bullets struck his light armor. Some glanced hard enough to bruise, others bit through to sting his skin. A stun grenade clattered beside him; with a swift arc of his blade he knocked it away before it detonated. The blast erupted in sound and smoke, disorienting the Mutants instead of him.

Jaga pressed the advantage. Against Reptilian scales, slashes did little—so he struck low, sweeping their legs from beneath them. As they fell, he drove his blade into the gaps between their scales. Blood sprayed across his greaves and lower armor. His breath grew ragged, his arms trembling, yet with a final thrust he felled the last of them. The Mutants collapsed, and Jaga staggered, panting, his ears drooping in a rare display of vulnerability, his body shaking from exhaustion and grief.

Elsewhere, Jagara and the WilyKittens faced a larger band. The palace shook from explosions outside as sorcery and steel collided within. Jagara’s hands blazed with power—waves of force knocked weapons from Mutant hands, and with telekinesis she hurled foes aside. Her voice rang like thunder, sowing fear and chaos. The kittens fought beside her, their ears pinned back in fear and determination as they hurled capsules of smoke, light, and sound, buying precious moments to escape. For a heartbeat, victory seemed near.

But nets from a second band of Mutants ensnared the WilyKittens. The cords tangled their limbs, dragging them down. WilyKat clutched the Book of Omens, the sacred text caught with him in the net, its cover flashing as steel cords tightened. WilyKit clawed at the mesh, her hands trembling but deliberate, her pupils blown wide in panic as she searched for a seam or weakness. Mutant laughter echoed through the smoke.

“Could this be the Eye of Thundera?” one jeered, tugging at the net.

“Even if it isn’t,” another snarled, “it looks important. The Supreme Leader will want it.”

The kittens cried out, their voices choked with fear—sharp, panicked, their ears flattened and trembling, but not childish. The Book glowed faintly, its seal unbroken, even as the net tightened around them.

Jagara herself was caught in a second net. Her eyes blazed as she fought the cords, her ears flattening in fury as her heart pounded. “The whispers will guide me,” she breathed, fear and resolve mingling.

With sudden teleportation she vanished, her ears flicking in disorientation as she slipped through wreckage and flame. Her passage was swift and disjointed, carrying her away from the Mutants and the kittens. She did not control her destination—she followed feelings and whispers that guided her to unseen places. From youth she had learned to trust them, though she did not know their source. Familiar with their call, she did not hesitate.

Jagara reappeared in a distant corridor, flames licking the walls, relics scattered across the floor. The palace burned behind her, its halls collapsing in smoke and ruin. She heard more Mutants approaching and vanished again, following the whispers farther into the unknown.

Jaga pressed deeper into the palace, searching for Leona and Lion‑O. His longsword felt heavier with every step, his breath thin, his ears lowered in mourning, his heart aching from the king’s death. Still he pushed on, driven by duty and grief.

The kittens struggled in the nets, their voices breaking.

“I can’t believe she left us!” WilyKit cried, her ears quivering with fear of betrayal.

“She didn’t leave us,” WilyKat gasped, clutching the Book tighter. His ears trembled, but he forced the words out. “She didn’t choose it… she didn’t choose it.”

But the Mutants only tightened the cords.

***

“So the palace burned, and Jaga fought with weary strength. The sorceress fled along unseen paths. The kittens and the Book were ensnared, their cries bound in smoke. In fire and ruin, heirs were scattered, and the relics fell toward peril.”

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Disclaimer

This work is a piece of fan fiction inspired by the ThunderCats franchise. All characters, settings, and original concepts from ThunderCats are the property of their respective rights holders. I do not own the rights to ThunderCats, nor do I claim any affiliation with its owners. This story is a transformative retelling created for creative expression and audience engagement, not as a commercial product.

AI Collaboration Statement

In creating this work, I made use of Microsoft Copilot, a tool that helped inscribe my vision into narrative form. I remain the visionary and architect of this saga, shaping its mythic framework, themes, and direction. Copilot served as the writer, giving voice to my design. I then revised and refined its drafts, making further changes to ensure the saga reflects my vision in full. This stands as a creative collaboration in honor of the original ThunderCats universe.