Disclaimer: I do not own ThunderCats, because if I did Lion-O would have a love interest. Lol :)

Chapter 1

Riled from her sleep by low rumbling, a beautiful young cat stood up from her bed of leaves. It was midday, but the thick leaves blocked out the sun.

"I'm beginning to get hungry," she thought holding her growling stomach. "I need to start moving again."

She gathered her things: a cloak, a dagger, and a staff. Each item had a story behind it and was very important to her. She would never part with them, even in death.

Tying the dark blue cloak around her neck, she stuck the dagger into her belt and began walking with staff in hand.

With no location in mind, she made her way through the dense forest. Stepping over branches and hidden from the sun by the leaves, she walked in silence. Who was there to talk to when you traveled alone?

She kept her senses open, always on guard. With all things dark green or brown, bright colors would be seen easily. The girl was on the lookout for both food and enemies.

She made her way to a close stream and bent down, cupping her hands to put them in the water. She splashed it in her face to remove any dirt.

Her tawny ears perked up and twitched at the sound of voices nearby. Someone had set up camp near this stream and she needed to know if they were a threat to her. She didn't trust anyone.

She stood up and stalked towards the voices, her feet making no noise where she stepped. Judging from where they were one of her traps was in their campground. As if proving her theory right, she heard the familiar snap and someone's shout of surprise.

She quickly made her way through her underbrush and towards the trap. She wanted to see who had been caught. She almost wanted to laugh when she stepped into the clearing. A giant bald panther with a brown vest and black pants was hanging upside down by his foot from a tree.

It was quite the sight to see. She walked over to him and looked with a curious face at his predicament. His back was turned to her so he still didn't know she was there.

"Hey!" he called out, unaware of the cat behind him.

She turned to the tree and quickly climbed it with ease. She walked to the branch supporting the panther and smirked as it bent under his weight. Carefully, she walked out onto the branch and bent down to look at him. His friends had started to gather around him. There were five altogether: a lion, a tiger, a cheetah, and two wildcats.

They were all laughing at the panther caught in her trap.

"So this is what you meant when you said you were going to work on the Thundertank," the young lion said inciting laughter from everyone.

"Just get me down!" the panther shouted.

Before anyone else could do anything, she took out her dagger and cut him free with one swipe. He fell onto the ground with a thud. When the cat saw his face, her eyes widened at the familiar face.

"Maybe we should tie him back up so the person who set this thing won't go hungry," the tiger suggested inciting laughter from everyone, but the panther. He just glared at the tiger.

"He seems a little too tough for my liking," the girl called down from the branch he sat on. Everyone looked up and she waved. She saw faces she never thought she would see again. The girl jumped and landed gracefully on the ground. Compared to all the other cats, she was quite short. She was only taller than the boy wildcat by 5-6 inches.

Pushing her hood back, she smiled at the cats who seemed a little surprised at her entrance. Only one cat responded and he did the most unlikely thing. The tiger picked the girl up and hugged her, spinning her around. She giggled as he set her back down and hugged him back.

"Tygra," she said with a big smile on her cheeks.

Tygra would remember that tawny fur, black spots, and stripes anywhere. Her hair was long, but it was tied in a braid on her shoulder. It was uncharacteristically dark, but had tawny streaks in it. Her eyes were a bright amethyst purple.

Tygra remembered teasing her about those eyes and tugging on that braid.

"Ocelera, I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed.

She shook her head and smiled at him before hugging him again. When they pulled away they had a strong emotion in their eyes, love.

The cheetah, finally letting her jealousy get the better of her, cleared her throat loudly. It reminded the ocelot and tiger that they weren't alone.

Tygra introduced Ocelera to everyone who waved and smiled at them, too shy to say anything.

She quickly walked up to Lion-O and eyed him. If she was tall enough, they'd be close enough to kiss. She stood on her toes and looked him straight in the eyes.

Lion-O just looked surprised at the strange girl. He didn't want to say anything and hurt the little girl's feelings. She looked like she was only a year older than the twins.

The next words out of her mouth surprised everyone, but Panthro and Tygra as both already knew the ocelot.

"The last time I saw you, you were barely to my chest and now I have to stand on my toes to be as tall as your chest," she told the lion.

"Huh?" was all a confused Lion-O could utter.

"She's three years older than you Lion-O," Tygra told him chuckling.

The look on Lion-O's face was hilarious.

He looked at the older girl in front of him with confusion. She was so petite that he could probably pick her up with one hand. She had the beauty and grace of a woman though her stature was that of a girl's. Her purple eyes shone with wisdom he had yet to learn.

Ocelera's stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry; I haven't had much to eat, all I've caught is a small fish and a giant panther," she said pointedly at Panthro.

"Join us for dinner then," Tygra suggested.

Everyone was surprised by the usually proud tiger's sudden bout of generosity.

The girl's shy nature took over and she immediately put her hands up in defense.

"I would hate to be a bother, I can just forage," she began to ramble.

Ocelera hated to be a bother to anyone. Plus the thought of actual conversation almost scared her into heat. The look Cheetara was giving her didn't give her much courage either. They were all pretty big cats and Cheetara could probably take her out in a grudge match.

"I insist," Tygra said using the words she couldn't say no to.

"If you insist then," she said with a smile.

The next thing she knew, Wilykat and Wilykit had grabbed her arms and were pulling her to the Thundertank with Snarf at their heels.

The way Tygra was watching her you'd expect him to sigh. The other large three cats looked so confused. Actually two of them were looking at him with confusion one just chuckled and clapped him hard on the back.

"Shouldn't you three be looking for dinner?" Panthro reminded them.

Cheetara just gave Tygra a real mean look before speeding off into the thick woods.

"What's with her?" Tygra asked.

Lion-O just rolled his eyes and pulled his brother with him.

"Come on Lover Boy."

Tygra's hide was so tanned that night.