Roots of the Wild: Rita and Faro in Thundarr Forest
Life in the Thundarr Forest was far from the glittering chaos of Thundarr City. Here, the air was dense with the scent of moss and Thundarwood trees, and silence was only ever broken by the call of distant beasts or the rustle of wind through leaves. Rita and Faro had chosen this life together, away from judgment, noise, and the shadows of their pasts.
Rita, once the commanding figure behind Rita Enterprise, now spent her mornings gathering herbs, her growing belly reminding her with each gentle kick that a new chapter had truly begun. She had shed her power suits for practical forest garments and moved with surprising grace for someone so used to high heels and city lights.
Faro, ever the rugged soul, split his time between the Cave of Falcon and Shecon’s cave, working on strengthening the shelters and tending to the small vegetable patch they’d started near the river by the cave. His horse, Lightning, roamed freely, always returning by whistle or instinct.
Their days were filled with new routines—sharing quiet meals by firelight, practicing self-defense with wooden weapons, and sometimes simply lying together on a bed of leaves, listening to the hum of the forest. The occasional visit from a Pigmen elder or a friendly forest dweller kept them grounded in the community.
Though their relationship was unorthodox by city standards, the forest didn’t judge. It simply accepted. And in that silence, Rita and Faro found peace.
But they hadn’t forgotten the dangers still looming. Rita kept her smart goggle close, occasionally tapping into the Thundarr Database to watch for news about Clown Inc. or any suspicious activity. Faro trained harder, knowing that someone like Murder Dog might still be lurking.
Despite everything, they remained strong—bound not only by love but by the shared choice to turn away from a world that never made space for their truth.
And in the heart of the forest, where ancient trees whispered old magic and quiet dreams, Rita and Faro prepared to raise a child in freedom.
Blade of Blood: The Kestrel Strikes
It was dusk in Thundarr Forest, and the sky above the treetops burned orange and crimson. Rita was resting inside Shecon’s cave, humming softly to the baby growing within her. Faro, standing near the riverbank, was sharpening his blade when he felt it—an eerie silence that crept in like a shadow. Even the birds stopped singing.
From the canopy above, a dark figure dropped like a hawk.
Kestrel.
The black eye bandana. The glint of his samurai sword. Cal Faros had come—not as Rita’s son, not as the billionaire of Thundarr City, but as the feared vigilante of justice. And his target was clear.
“Faro,” Cal said coldly. “You’ve gone too far.”
Faro didn’t flinch. “You’re here as Kestrel, not as her son. I get it. But this isn’t justice. This is vengeance.”
Cal’s eyes burned. “You think sleeping with my mother and getting her pregnant is something I can forgive? You should’ve stayed in the shadows where you belong.”
Without another word, Kestrel lunged, samurai sword slicing through air with lethal precision. Faro drew his own blade just in time, steel clashing against steel in a flash of sparks.
The duel raged between mossy trees, their blades ringing with raw emotion—betrayal, fury, and pain. Faro parried, blocked, rolled, and countered. He was younger, faster. But Kestrel was skilled and driven by fire.
A sudden blow knocked Faro down. Blood ran from his lip. Kestrel raised his sword for the final strike—but then Rita’s voice echoed from the cave.
“STOP!”
Cal hesitated. He turned to see her—standing tall, hand over her belly, fierce as Shecon ever was.
“If you strike him down, you kill your own sibling’s father,” she said. “This baby is part of your blood too, Cal.”
Cal’s hands trembled. He lowered the sword slowly, his mask hiding a storm of emotions. “You chose him over me,” he whispered.
“I chose love over lies,” Rita replied.
Without another word, Kestrel vanished into the woods, shadows swallowing him whole.
Faro got up slowly, wiping blood from his mouth. He walked over to Rita, placing his hand gently on her belly.
“I won’t run,” he said. “Not from Cal. Not from anyone.”
And deep in the trees, the forest held its breath—knowing the war of blood was far from over.
Rita’s Resolve.
After the duel, the forest was quiet again, but not at peace. Rita stood at the mouth of Shecon’s cave, her hands trembling as she stared into the trees where her son had disappeared. The same son she had once nursed, protected, and watched grow into a man… now wielding a blade against the man she loved.
Faro leaned against a mossy boulder, breathing heavily, blood on his tunic, but alive. Rita walked over to him and knelt down, inspecting the wound near his ribs. Her fingers were gentle, but her expression was hard.
“He tried to kill you,” she said.
Faro nodded. “He’ll try again.”
Rita sat beside him, staring out into the thick canopy. Her voice was low, filled with weariness and fire. “I never wanted it to come to this. I thought maybe Cal would understand. Maybe he’d just… let us live.”
She looked at Faro, her eyes brimming but not breaking. “But I was wrong. We can’t expect forgiveness from someone still clinging to pride and shame.”
Faro took her hand, squeezing it. “I can leave if it makes things easier for you.”
Rita shook her head fiercely. “No. If you leave, he wins. If I back down now, I betray everything I’ve fought for since I became Shecon. I’ve faced monsters, dark mages, and corrupted kings. I won’t crumble because of guilt.”
She stood up, her eyes fierce again. “I’m not ashamed to love you. You saved me from a life of pretending. You gave me back my soul, Faro.”
Then, placing her hand over her belly, she whispered, “And I won’t let this child grow up afraid. If Cal wants war, let him come. I’ll fight with you. As Shecon. As Rita. As the mother of your child.”
Faro smiled faintly, despite the pain. “That’s why I love you.”
She kissed his forehead, then pulled him to his feet. “Come. You need to rest.”
As they walked back into the cave, hand in hand, a quiet thunder rolled through the forest—the storm of family, betrayal, and forbidden love, far from over.
