Chapter 14 of Signal in the Sky Bizarre Love Triangle By Purrsia Kat Felina tugged the heavy wool wrap tighter around her body as she made her way through the darkened forest. She was grateful Alderan had given her the garment to guard against the icy strength of the north wind. What a contrast from the weather they’d enjoyed earlier in the day. It seemed to Felina as if it was back to wintertime reality. And with her distracting visit with Alderan concluded, Felina knew she’d also have to fully deal with Bela’s death. She bent and closed her eyes tightly against the wind as she came out of the woods. In the clearing, nothing prevented the cutting wind -- as well as the snow that began to fall -- from whipping at her. At least she could see the lights of the Lair now. A short time later, she entered the warmth and security of the Lair. Felina couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier to pass through the Lair’s lofty steel doors. And not simply because she was now out of the elements. Felina was truly starting to feel like the Lair was someplace she could call home. Felina padded quietly down the hall that led to the bedchambers, aware of the late-night hour and hoping not to disturb anyone’s rest. “Felina?” She nearly jumped out of her fur at the sound of Snarf’s meek voice. The lioness turned and regarded Snarf with a weary smile. She opened her mouth to speak a greeting, but Snarf stopped her with a wave of his hand. “I -- I just want to say....rrrrwl....” Snarf’s ears drooped heavily as he seemingly struggled for the right words. Felina squinted to better study his face. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear that Snarf had been crying. Snarf released a weary sigh. “I’m sorry about Bela and all that stuff I said about her,” Snarf said in a rush. “It’s okay, Snarf. I--” “No it’s not,” Snarf insisted. “Truth is, her way of setting up the kitchen made more sense. And she was right not to fawn over you like you’re still a little kid...and....sneeeyarf....I’m not just saying that because she’s -- you know --” Snarf averted his eyes as his voice trailed off. Felina nodded solemnly, not knowing what to say. An awkward moment passed before Felina spoke. “How is everyone else fairing from the day’s travails?” “Well,” Snarf replied, perking up a bit, “Lion-O is back --” “Back?” “He left right after you did, sneeyarf snarf. Didn’t really say where he’d been; just went straight to bed,” Snarf explained. “Sorry, but I didn’t feel much like playing the inquisitor tonight.” A faint smile tugged at the corners of Felina’s lips. “I understand. How is Panthro? Did he ever let Tygra check him over?” Snarf chuckled softly. “Need you even ask? Of course not. Even now, he’s down in the hangar nursing ‘his baby’ back to health. He mentioned something about building some new vehicles so that next time Lion-O goes charging off on a mission, the Thunder Tank won’t have to take a beating. Oh, and Tygra is still roaming around here somewhere, trying to figure out just how the Mutants breeched the Lair’s security systems.” Felina nodded and stifled a yawn. “And Cheetara? She’s faring well?” “Yeah. No more labor scares, but she’s still taking it easy,” Snarf replied. “But you should get yourself to bed. We’ve all had quite a day, and you’re no exception.” She smiled, thinking how Snarf would never be able to squelch that part of him that just had to look out for the better good of those he cared for. “Same goes for you then, Snarf. Goodnight.” Felina lay wide awake in the darkness for at least an hour, sleep never overtaking her exhausted mind. Alone in her bedchamber, memories of Bela haunted her, refusing to let her mind wind down into peaceful slumber. Felina blinked back tears as she gazed to the foot of her bed where Bela usually lay, curled up in a fuzzy ball. Sitting up and abruptly tossing blankets aside, she set her feet down on the cold floor and walked across the room to her window. She wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to do the job her thin nightgown failed to do, though the chilled air was not completely responsible for her shivering. She stared out at the swirling snowflakes that sparkled in the courtyard’s security lights for a long moment. In her restlessness, she wandered out into the now silent, empty corridor. With only the low- power lights on in the hall, the muted yellow glow mixed with the silence was like a manifestation of what was in Felina’s own heart. After glancing down both ends of the hall several times, Felina turned and began to wander the Lair aimlessly. Lion-O awoke with a start, blinking several times at the dark figure looming over him. Lion- O backpedaled across the expanse of his bed, ready to spring into a defensive stance until a soft voice emerged from the darkness. “It’s me.” He squinted at the figure. “Felina?” Lion-O relaxed as she sat upon the edge of the bed and leaned in toward him, her features finally coming into focus in the dim light. “I couldn’t sleep...” she said apologetically. He reached out and rubbed her shoulder. “Want to talk?” “Nothing really to say,” she replied, looking down at her clasped hands. Lion-O’s hand dropped from her shoulder, and he leaned back on his hands, looking awkwardly ahead. “Oh.” It’s not like it was a secret to anyone how they both felt about their arranged marriage. And most likely, his role in Bela’s death had pushed Felina beyond any hope to even try to make the best of their situation. Not that he could blame her. In fact, he imagined making a relationship flourish was hard enough when the two parties involved chose one another. Not to mention the fact that -- His thoughts were cut short when Felina clasped him by the chin and turned his head to face her. Before he could open his mouth to question her actions, she kissed him. Lightly at first and then with much more intensity as she leaned into his body. Any form of questioning that came to his mind vanished, the sheer power of her kisses lulling his mind into a numbingly lustful bliss. Lion-O was pleasantly surprised to have Felina take the initiative concerning physical relations. She’d been at best awkwardly accommodating to his advances in the past, what few he’d dare to make, anyway. He offered no resistance as she shed her gown and gently pushed his already- nude body down on the bed. Wordlessly, they merged together amid a tangle of hot flesh and wet kisses. Long after Lion-O fell asleep, Felina remained awake beside him. The closeness she’d desired through making love was only superficially served. A physical joining was certainly no substitute for an emotional connection. Once again, she was left to ponder her thoughts quietly in the early morning hours. It was then that she took notice of the metallic box, sitting upon the desk across the room. Slipping carefully from the bed, Felina quietly crossed the room and sat in the chair before the desk. She noticed the ThunderCat insignia impressed atop the metal lid and traced her fingers lightly across it. Curiosity overtaking her, she clicked on the desk lamp and opened the box. She immediately became wrapped up in the contents of the box, starting with the same letter from Claudis Lion-O read earlier in the evening and working her way through. Not only were there letters and official documents penned by Claudis’ own hand, but also a binder containing musings of her father, Jaga. Also, there were a few letters tucked within the pages of the binder, which were letters to Jaga from her mother, Leonda. Felina was drawn to these papers, all her wonderings about where the box came from vanishing as she eagerly soaked up the tale the prose told of the parents she hardly knew. It was almost as if the pages reached out from the faded pages and gripped their alphabetical fingers around her mind, transporting Felina back to a time when her parents fell headlong into both love and scandal. Jaga sat at the desk in his bedchamber, his face resting in his palms. He sighed heavily, unsure of how to proceed. At first, he dismissed the rumors as part of the natural reluctance of people to accept the viability of a May-December romance. But now, the real truth hurt more than the talk. Jaga stole himself to look down at the document before him; it was a damning little piece of evidence. He felt his face warm and he cursed himself a fool. A fool, not because he’d been blind all along to the signs pointing to the truth he chose to ignore. No, a fool because even as he sat before the undisputable evidence the Thunderian marriage certificate provided, his mind still spat forth a thousand excuses why the Leonda named on the document was not his beloved. The woman described on the document matched in every way to the one he’d been involved with for nearly a year -- the same name, age -- everything.