Disclaimer: As cute as Wilykat and Wilykit are, it would be fascinating to be the person who owned the concepts of them. Unfortunately, they are as cute as they are not mine. How very cute that is.

I have several ideas for the next chapters, but I don't want to write them all out until I get to observe Panthro. More than the rather awesome maneuver from 'Song of the Petalars,' anyway. As cool as it was, it doesn't shed enough light on his character to start writing him. And I want to see a bit more of Tygra and Lion-O before getting into a chapter on their dynamics. So, Kit is our star for the day in a not-entirely-lighthearted piece. Kat will get more focus later.

Also, Tygra in this one has points where he's sarcastic, verging on a bit mean. He won't be that way all the time, but we can't pretend that he wasn't that way in the 'Petalars' episode. I like him a great deal, and no doubt his mood will improve as time goes on. We've all got our flaws, right? He's going through a rough time, and he'll get plenty of good attention as the episodes go by.

Warning: The girls poke fun at the boys and the boys poke fun at the girls. None of it should be taken seriously. I don't think this little note is necessary, but you never know.

Dedicated to Emrick. We will miss thee.

"Post-Ramlak, Pre-Petalars. It's tough growing up an orphaned kitten with only your brother to depend on. For the first time in a long time, Kit gets some downtime with a fellow female – and even older boys. Although it's fascinating that, when all's said and done, they don't always act too different from the kids. They laugh, they pick on each other, and they even almost cry. And they miss their parents, too."

Big Cats

"Maybe pigtails? No, it'll yank my scalp. Leave it as is? Then I'll look just like Kat. Ponytail again? Ugh, I wanna try something new."

Kit yanked her hair this way and that, as if some hairdo from the heavens would come down and make her magically gorgeous. Well, not really, but wouldn't it be nice. It was too short to anything really fancy with; long hair made it easy for muggers to grab, and she'd never had the means to have it grow without it getting ratty. So every time it got too long, she'd always had Kat cut it off. That had been terrible four years ago when he'd accidentally cut it unevenly and she'd run around with three inch jagged streaks flopping around her face.

He'd done a lot better as time went on. Now she actually trusted him with scissors.

"What is it with girls and their hair?" Kat was in a bad mood, probably because Tygra and Lion-O had nicely but firmly told him to sit at least five feet away from the river they were trying to catch fish in. It was a clean, cool thing, green with the reflected shade of the trees, and silvery fat fish swam by frequently. But even the easiest prey couldn't be caught if a certain someone kept bouncing up and down and yelping excitedly when one went by.

Kit sat her chin on her arms, lying on her belly. "What is it with boys and their brains? I, for your information, am a young lady. So if I want to mess with my hair, I can."

"'Young lady' my tail! You're the only person who's ever been able to tie with me in a burping contest!"

Her face flashed red, humiliation toasting. "SHUT UP! I can be a young lady too if I want!"

Tygra seemed to laugh without a sound, and darted one paw into the water, claws bared. With a flicking motion, he pulled a fish from the water and slammed it onto dry ground. "One down. We can get by splitting three if we eat a little of our supplies with it. Fish sandwiches, anybody?"

Lion-O gazed at the water, still as a statue before snatching another fish. "Two down."

Under the heady smell of the trees and their bark, it was peaceful, and easy to feel sleepy.

But while she was tired, when they'd bent at the stream to drink, she'd been greeted by a reflection with hair like a nest that had exploded. And even though she knew the adults didn't care – even they were looking a little scruffy – it was still a humiliating experience. Kit had hit that age when it occurred to her that yes, actually, boys could be cute. And even though Lion-O and Tygra were, like, a whole decade too old for her, you could never tell when you might run into a boy on an adventure you might end up really liking and getting married to when you were both a lot older. And what kind of impression would it make to have hair like a straw-filled burrow?

But she wasn't silly; she did not have a little-girl's crush on the older boys. Well…okay, maybe just the slightest, itsy-bitsiest crush. Just a microscopic little one that she knew was because they were both cool and heroic and stuff. You know, the obligatory crush every little girl gets. A younger guy would have been a lot better.

Finally she just let go of her hair and flopped her face in the dirt. "Ugh."

Kit was smart for her age. She knew what evil was, what crushes were, and what love was. Crushes were hoping the guy you liked said your hair looked nice when you did it up. Love…well, love was probably the way Tygra and Lion-O looked at Cheetara when they hoped she wouldn't notice. Or maybe that was just a stronger crush. Maybe that wasn't true love just yet.

Lifting her head, she looked over at Cheetara. How she managed to keep her long, gorgeous hair reasonable in these conditions was just amazing. Then again, she often combed through it with a swift stroke of her claws, or plaited it into a thick braid like a gold rope as she was doing now. As little girls often did, she got stuck somewhere between jealousy and awed admirations for the older cat; she was beautiful, not to mention tough.

Seated beside the creek, far enough down that she couldn't disturb the men while they hunted, Cheetara was grooming through her hair with water. She probably could have caught fish too – maybe faster, considering speed was her specialty. But then, maybe not. Maybe she didn't like messing in water like they seemed to.

"How do you do that?" Cheetara glanced up, slim fingers finishing the edge of her braid.

"Do what?"

"Keep your hair all shiny and nice. I wish my hair was that pretty." The elder smiled, the orange markings around her eyes seeming ever warmer in the friendly expression.

"It's not easy. Lots of work and care and grooming habits. Give me a couple more weeks of this kind of treatment and I guarantee you it won't look this nice." But it gleamed pale gold in the light and she let it drape back. "What are you trying to do with your hair exactly?"

Kit shrugged. "I just want to do something different. But I'm not good at messing with it, and it's too short to make a long, pretty braid. Besides, I guess the guys are going to finish fishing in a minute anyway."

Cheetara opened her mouth to answer but a yelp from Wilykat and a somewhat waterlogged growl from Lion-O made her look over. Apparently Wilykat had gotten too close from excitement and - through some method of silliness – knocked Lion-O into the water. Tygra stared at the spot, not moving one inch as Wilykat crawled meekly onto the bank. "Um…Lion-O?"

He got up out of the water after about five seconds, red mane plastered against his head. His shoulders were stiff, but an irritated glint of victory winked from his eyes. For somehow, someway, he'd caught a fish in his mouth. "Fas free."

"Huh?" Lion-O spat the fish into his paws.

"I said 'that's three.'"

"I don't know that I want to eat it after you've slobbered on it…"

"Shut up! We'll wash it! And I didn't 'slobber' on it!"

Cheetara and Kit watched the debate for a minute. "You know, I never really thought about grown-ups fighting like kids. Do they do that a lot?" In reply Cheetara turned to the satchel she'd taken off and began sorting through it.

"More than you'd expect. And I think we'll be here a little longer than we first thought." Apparently finding what she was looking for, she pulled out her paw. A couple of hair ties rested in her palm. "Never go anywhere without something to keep your hair back. Come here, I think I've got a cute hairstyle in mind. It'll help it stay neat on the road."

Kit scooted closer and settled in front of her. "Should we help them fix the fish?"

"Don't worry. I offered to help the boys fish and cook, but they said that I took the longer watch last night so they would handle it." She lowered her head and whispered, "That, and guys tend to like to be the hunters. It's a masculinity thing. They want to look after girls. They were tired, and I basically put my foot down and made them let me keep watch. They didn't like it, though."

Thinking of how Kat always wanted to do the dangerous parts when they were thieving - such as snitching from the pockets of large, threatening figures – Kit could see that. "But aren't you technically better trained than they are? Or stronger?"

Cheetara put a finger to her lips. "Better trained, maybe. But most of my strength comes from my speed, so I'm not really 'stronger.' Both of them could beat me in hand to hand combat without my staff." She started brushing her claws through Kit's hair, picking delicately at the tangles. "How about I braid part of your hair, pull the braids back and tie them? That way your hair will behave."

"Sure." It felt nice to have somebody comb her hair that knew how to get out the snarls without pulling at her scalp. She always got impatient and just tugged them loose which was always a painful choice. But Cheetara had a practiced, smooth way of combing it.

Kat was observing intently as Tygra showed him how to clean the fish and cook it. They'd lived in the city all their lives, so surviving out in the wild was something neither of them knew much about. Scrounging in the city at least meant that snitching from the market and people's bags only required quick fingers, as opposed to knowing what out here was poisonous and what wasn't. Or how to actually make the fish possible to cook.

Lion-O was attempting to do the same to the other but Snarf kept trying to snag a bite. "Wait until it's cooked, Snarf." Complying, he curled his tail around his feet and watched his master's paws like a chubby, fluffy hawk.

"It doesn't feel like we're on a journey right now. It's more like we're just camping," Kit said. She felt her hair being tugged and folded into braids. "Like this is normal."

Cheetara didn't say anything, and Kit felt the braids being bound back. Lion-O paused in cleaning the fish to shake himself off, fur sopping. Snarf darted away, toward Tygra, avoiding the water. "Lion-O, shake off over there," Tygra reprimanded, swiping at his wet arm.

"Snarf will take the fish if I do."

Tygra looked ready to snap at him, but once he caught sight of his brother, he simply clamped his mouth shut and tried to keep his face straight. Lion-O narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Your fur. Uh, why don't you check your reflection?" Kit bit her lip, feeling a grin burn against her cheeks; his hair was standing on end and looked something like a tuft of cotton. He did as he was bid and looked into the stream.

"Very funny," he muttered, trying to comb his fur back down. "Great, now I'll look like Snarf after a bath all day-SNARF!"

The red beast trilled his success around the fish in his mouth and darted past Kat's ankles when he tried to catch him. Lion-O lunged for the tiny creature, only to miss and hit the grass. Snarf wagged his head and sauntered away with his prize. Pushing himself onto his paws and knees, Lion-O said, "Oh fine. You've got your dinner; I'll just try to catch another so I don't go hungry." He sounded depressed, but Kit saw Snarf's sauntering stop and his ears lift intently. Tygra – who hadn't moved a bit to try to catch the creature – rolled his eyes and mouthed something like 'guilt trip' to the sky. "Poor me. Poor wet, tired me. Oh well. I guess I'll just try to find some leaves to eat…even though they'd make me sick."

It was amazing how guilty Snarf could look. Lion-O didn't look at him, only setting his chin forlornly on his paw. Kit felt a little bit warm inside when she saw Snarf turn around, carry the fish back to Lion-O, and set it down. "Snaaarrf…" he mewled, shamefully.

Lion-O grinned and grabbed the pet, sweeping him right off the ground. "Aw, I knew you loved me." Snarf yelped, and crossed his tiny forelegs; he'd been had! Kit giggled, but from behind her she heard something like a bell, a golden tone. Cheetara had come right out and laughed. Lion-O glanced at her and Kit could see the distinctly pleased way he patted Snarf's back. "It's okay, you can have that one. I'm not that tired. I just wanted to mess with you." Swishing his tail, Snarf leaned into the stroking before picking up the fish in his mouth again and beginning to worry it with his sharp teeth.

"It's nice to see him getting back to normal. He was so angry when we left Thundera." Cheetara's voice was soft, and Kit perked up her ears. "I guess you hadn't seen how he was before the attack. He really isn't a mean person. I don't want you to think he is, even though he wasn't exactly charming when we first met you guys."

Kit let her claw trail along one braid. "Oh, I know." She said it so matter-of-factly that Cheetara's fingers paused. "Well…I mean, he was in a bad mood, yeah. But he was just grieving. Still is, probably. So is Tygra, but they do it different. Tygra's kind of drawn into himself. Lion-O gets mad and depressed."

She sat quietly for a minute, watching Lion-O fish. He was too intent on his goal to listen to them chat. "He would have felt really bad if we hadn't ended up tagging along," she noted.

"You're right. He didn't mean what he said about babysitting. But how did you know he wasn't…well, a jerk, frankly?" Cheetara smoothed the back of her hair. It was a tender, almost maternal touch. Kit – in a weird, sort of wistful way – tried to memorize it.

"If he really didn't care about helpless people or things, he wouldn't have brought Snarf along." The statement made Cheetara stop. "He would have left Snarf behind to fend for himself. But he didn't. He was just upset when we met him."

She shifted around on her bottom and Cheetara inspected her. "I'm beginning to understand why people call you 'Wilykit.' Not many kids would've noticed that." Kit smiled, and Cheetara swiftly braided the longer locks that framed her face. "That's really cute on you. I mean, you and your brother are usually cute, but this look is a good one for you."

Kit beamed. "Really?" She leaned over and caught sight of her reflection in the clear river water. "Hey, it does look pretty good." Winking at her own reflection, Kit thought she looked quite fetching.

"Actually, one more thing would complete it." Cheetara got to her feet and scanned the ground, jogging across the grass to the foot of the nearest tree. Stooping, Kit saw something pink in her hand as she returned. "No girl's hairdo is complete without flowers, right?" Winding the stems into the braids, the older cat crossed her arms in satisfaction. "And there you are."

Kit hopped up and twirled once, the braids bouncing against her face. "I feel all girly. Thanks, Cheetara." It had been a long time since she'd had her hair so neat and trim. "Kat, look at my hair! It's pretty now!"

"That's nice Kit." He never looked away from the fish that sat on the ground, waiting to be cleaned. But he wasn't staring because he was hungry; he stared because every now and then, its gills throbbed. "It keeps moving!" She stood in silence, wondering if any of them would take notice.

"Um…my hair's done!" Kit called more loudly. Cheetara cleared her throat, significantly. No reaction. Kit felt the braids and shrugged. "Well, I like it anyway. Want me to get the bread out?" she asked.

"That'd be great, Kit. I'll help the boys finish up."

As she headed toward the satchel, Cheetara moved until she was behind Tygra, and gave his hair a yank.

"Hey-what?" She then turned and tugged at Lion-O's ear.

"Ow. Cheetara, why-?"

Expression for the most part serene, Cheetara's brows were angled dangerously. "Kit's hair is all fixed up." They both stared at her, nonplussed. "She thinks it looks nice, and I think it would be a gentleman's thing to do to compliment her."

Realization filled their eyes. "Oh. Okay. Sorry," Lion-O added, looking a little nervous under her gaze. Tygra shook his head.

"You know Wilykat? I wonder what it is about girls and their hair," he whispered. Kat snickered. Cheetara heard, and flicked the back of Tygra's head.

"What is it with boys and their brains?" she asked pointedly.

"Well, excuse me for trying to be a provider!" he said irritably.

"Yes, it takes a lot of effort to look up and reply when a girl yells, 'My hair's done!'"

Rather than continue growling, Tygra just returned his attention to finishing the fish. When Kit returned from the small stretch down the bank, he didn't immediately look up. There was something frustrated about Cheetara, but it was concealed quietly behind her eyelids. Kit was glad for it.

After all, losing a parent was hard. Even you were a grown up, it was probably super hard. Tygra didn't seem to be the kind to let his feelings rule him, unlike Lion-O. But he held himself in, thinking and thinking. Maybe that was why Cheetara was chewing on her lips and looking like she was keeping herself from picking up her bo staff and smacking him in the head.

But when she opened her eyes again, they looked more sad than irritated.

"Kit, your hair looks nice that way." She nearly jumped with surprise at being directly addressed so suddenly by Lion-O, but instantly grinned and felt her face go just a bit pink under her fur. Tygra grunted his assent.

"Really? Or are you just saying that?" she asked, sitting and staring straight at Lion-O, as if daring him to fib.

"It really does look nice. Sorry we didn't say anything earlier," he added. "We were kind of distracted."

Kit looked at her brother, entranced by the gulping fish. "At least you bothered looking. Not that I care what Kat thinks anyway," she said more loudly, wondering if he'd notice.

"What?" He lifted his head. "What'd I do?" Then he paused, as if he'd realized something. "Kit your hair looks different! It's all girly!" It took a minute as he apparently grappled with the concept of praising something feminine. "It's nice on ya."

If her head could have felt any lighter she would have flown. "Well thank you, kind sir."

"You're still the only person that can tie with me in a-!"

She charged him and jumped on his back. "Shut up! Ugh, brothers!" He laughed and did the one thing she couldn't cope with to form an escape; he ran his index claw along the bottom of her foot, tickling. "Ack! No fair!" she squealed. Kat slipped out from under her and began running, with her hot on his heels.

Lion-O watched as they dove and rolled and tickle-fought. "Do you remember when we used to do that? You know, play fight?" he asked. Tygra lifted a brow.

"I wasn't aware we ever stopped. I mean, it was just three weeks ago that I knocked you into a fountain and took off running."

"Oh yeah. That was kind of funny, now that I think about it."

Kit listened intently, even as she tried to pin Kat's paws so he couldn't tickle her again. "I think I told Snarf to do something to get back at you."

"Probably. He urinated next to my bed." Snarf looked innocent, fluffy face round and sweet.

Kat suddenly stopped squirming. "You okay?" she asked, sitting on his back and pressing her paws to his wrists to keep them at his sides. His stomach gurgled.

"So hungry…can't fight. Need food…"

Kit scoffed. Her brother's dramatic tone made her get up, and she shook her head. "Honestly, you can't go without food for more than a few hours?"

"We haven't eaten since this morning! I'm huuungry…!"

Kit was about to reply, but blushed instead; her own stomach growled before she could open her mouth. It didn't shut up for five seconds. "Um…I guess I am too."

An unfamiliar laugh made them both look up. It was pleasant, deeper than Lion-O's. They'd never heard Tygra laugh before, Kit realized. It was kind of nice. Cheetara and Lion-O looked a little relieved to hear it.

'Was he orphaned like we were?' she wondered. 'If he was, he's lost parents twice.'

It took a little time, but eventually they had three cooked fish, combined with some fruit that Cheetara had deemed nontoxic and some of the bread the fishmen had kindly granted them. After the fiasco in the Sand Sea, none of them were willing to let their supplies get so low. It had been pretty ridiculous to fall for the Ramlak's bait, when they really thought about it now. Food, sitting out in the sand, set up in just such a way? But three days without adequate food or water in the sun and heat could make anyone act a little on the slow side.

Lesson learned; keep proper supplies at all times. It prevented dumb mistakes.

The fruit tasted good, fresher than what they were used to. And Tygra knew how to cook fish, and well. One nice thing about adventuring with these guys was that Kit and Kat usually didn't go hungry anymore. Used to be, one or two nights a week held pretty empty stomachs when picking pockets didn't work out, and their "cute faces" – the ones where they held their paws up to their faces and mewled – were met with nada.

It was nice to pretend that they really weren't looking for some Book of Thingies – omens, was it? It wasn't omelettes, that'd be silly – so they could go kill a rotting mummy guy with blue skin. It was nice to pretend for just a minute even that Thundera was still the most beautiful, powerful kingdom in existence, and that nearly all other cats hadn't been annihilated. That instead of tragedy, in some bizarre way, they'd just happened to meet two princes, a cleric, and a…whatever Snarf was…and they'd all become best friends, and were just camping.

The thought faded pretty quickly. The fact that she and Kat had just barely escaped ending up like all those people moving to shelters sometimes made her fur stand on end, and she had to think of something else, quick, before she started breathing too fast and sweating. Sure they were tough to survive on the streets as long as they had, but everybody had a breaking point.

'But if that hadn't happened, would we have met these guys?' Lying on her blanket, Kit stretched and rolled onto her full, warm stomach and felt sleep tugging at her eyes. Dusk had fallen, and this near the river, insects and tiny creatures were beginning to chirp and hum. It was a sweet sound, and the grass smelled nice, and for a minute under the deep green of the trees and the indigo sky shot with orange and violet, she was kind of glad that they couldn't go back to Thundera. She felt bad for it, but…at the same time…

"I smell something." Cheetara had been sitting quietly by the fire, lashes low as she prepared to unfold her own blanket. But at Tygra's words she opened her eyes fully and stood up.

"…I think I smell it too. Smoke? And…I don't know, metals?" Lion-O said. Kit rubbed her eyes as Cheetara darted to the same tree she'd picked the blossoms in her hair from and climbed it with deadly precision. Crouching high above them on a thick branch, her braid was blown about by the wind. Kind of dramatic, really.

"I think we're being tracked. I smell lizards, a day's travel away. And there are lots of them." Kit was awake again in no time, sitting up. There had to be a lot of them if they were that far away and Cheetara could say with no uncertainty that they were coming. Kat was on his feet, running to Tygra's side.

"Are we going to fight them?" he asked, somewhere between terror and excitement. Kit felt her stomach twist, and Tygra looked at his brother.

"You went up against the Ramlak, and I tried to stop you. But you ended up killing it, and saving the entire crew of Tunar. I won't stand in your way this time," he said. Kit frowned; it was more than that. Something like revenge glittered in his eyes, like a claw retracted.

Lion-O looked uncertain, brows furrowed. "I put everyone in danger last time. You were right to tell me I was acting nuts. It's a miracle that we didn't all get killed. Why are you so eager to fight this time?"

There was a definitely predatory way in Tygra's steps as he trailed toward the tree, as if a nearer proximity to the lizards would convince Lion-O. "I didn't want to fight last time because the Ramlak hadn't done anything to me personally. And I didn't know if even the Sword could take on such a huge beast. If it can take on the Ramlak, it can take on a lizard army. And these are the creatures that took our father. That destroyed Thundera. And we're Thundercats; the crew couldn't defend themselves, but we can. We can fight."

Like the two had switched, now it was Tygra wanting to fight. And though his reasons made sense, Kit couldn't help but feel like maybe he had another reason. Maybe…seeing Lion-O fight so well and kill a creature so huge made him feel like he needed to prove himself. Cheetara had privately told her that they basically had the ultimate sibling rivalry going on.

Everyone in the kingdom had been present for the games the night before the attack. Even the Wilykittens. Sure, they'd been trying to keep their eyes on the betters chancing money on whom they thought would win. But while they'd been picking up dropped coins and scurrying away, everyone had heard Prince Tygra's barbed goad.

"When it come to everything but the crown, you'll always be second!" She hadn't thought about it much at the time. But now, looking between the two and seeing flaming brown eyes meet reflective blue, it really hit her.

"…Not yet. If they start catching up to us, we'll consider fighting then. As it is, we should just move forward." Lion-O's voice was low, and he sounded almost as ashamed as he did determined. From above, Cheetara watched and listened. Kat didn't say anything but looked up at Tygra to see his response.

A vein throbbed in his neck, and for a second Kit was really scared that he might hit Lion-O. "…Run away? From the creatures that killed our father?" he asked. The growl in his voice was so subtle it was nearly a purr, but the pain in Lion-O's eyes made her throat hurt. "You'll fight the Ramlak, but when it comes to the creatures that put a knife in our father's back-"

"Mumm-Ra was the one who killed Father. The lizards had everything to do with it, but if we fight them right here and now, we'll die. And then how will we get revenge on the one who really killed him?" Brooding, dark, Lion-O turned to the fire. "We need to bury the fire and hide all traces of our presence here."

Tygra stepped close, and Kit noticed that, up close, Tygra was bigger than Lion-O. "We'll talk about this again if they catch up to us…King Lion-O."

Cheetara was on the ground in an instant. "Come on. We need to get moving. I'll get the supplies." Kit couldn't quite see Lion-O's expression, and she was pretty glad for it. She caught Kat's eye and he too looked uneasy; whatever their issue was, it went deep. Really, really freaking deep.

It was a short matter to put the fish bones into the river and bury the campfire. No doubt the lizards would find it, but if they had to look then it would cost them time. Cheetara looked at Kat and Kit as they blearily looked from one cat to the other and said, "The kittens are really tired, and we'll move faster if we carry them and Snarf. I'll get-"

"Snarf." Lion-O's voice was cutting, and Cheetara shut her mouth. "He's the lightest. I'd feel better if you carried him." Instead of protesting – and she looked as if she'd like to – Cheetara nodded and picked up the tiny creature. The Thundercat lord crouched, and said, "Wilykat, I'll carry you on my back. We'll take a break in three hours."

Looking uneasily at Tygra – who still looked coldly angry – Kat clambered onto Lion-O's back and held onto his neck. "Is that too tight?"

"No, it's fine. Tygra, carry Kit. Please."

The last word made the elder shut his eyes and breathe out his nose. He knelt down and looked at her. Feeling nervous – she could feel the anger at Lion-O radiating off him – she hopped up and gingerly wrapped her arms around his neck. He got up and she blinked; he was tall, and the ground had fallen away pretty far.

"You hanging on tight enough?"

"Yeah." With that, he started moving, following Cheetara as she darted into the shallows of the river.

"Run on the stones on the bank and keep to the water. It'll hide our scent better and we won't leave footprints. We'll start moving through the tree branches tomorrow, and maybe it'll throw them off." She gleamed golden when the moonlight shone through the braches and glittered on the water.

The big cats ran with grace, and the gentle rocking motion was actually soothing, even though Kit couldn't help but look back anxiously, as if the lizards were already right behind them. The breeze caused by their motion made the flowers in her hair tremble, as if they too were scared. For about ten minutes they ran in silence, save for the clatter of flowing water. Glints of firefly light and nocturnal animals slipping through the trees made her jump. Tygra felt the movement and glanced back at her, stepping expertly through the rock. "Something wrong?"

"I just keep seeing little animals in the woods. Their eyes just creep me out." In an effort to keep herself from acting so paranoid, she hid her face, not quite letting it touch the back of his neck. It would have been okay to hide her face in Wilykat's shoulder, but Tygra wasn't Kat. Though they had become a sort of mish-mashed family over the past few weeks, so maybe it wasn't such a weird idea.

But he was in a bad mood, and she couldn't help but feel awkward. Finally, though, her tiredness won out and she let her head rest against his back. "Don't worry. We can handle anything out there. We'll look after you."

She felt like she should say something in response. Something profound and important. But nothing came to mind except one thing, and it would be hard to argue that it was deep in any way.

"Thanks for the fish, Tygra. I haven't had fish that good in a long time. Where'd you learn to make it that way?"

He didn't answer for a second, and she wondered if he'd heard. But he then said, "Father taught me. We used to fight the lizards back from the city walls whenever small recon groups got too close, and sometimes we stayed with the company outside the borders. Lion-O was only twelve, so it was just me and Father then."

Again, she could only think of one thing to say. "Well, he knew how to make really good fish. He taught you good."

His shoulders stiffened a little, and she bit her lip. But he looked at her over one shoulder and his face didn't look taut with some internal fury. He didn't smile, but his eyes looked quieter, and…maybe a little too bright. Not crying, but they shouldn't have been reflecting the moonlight the way they were. She hid her face against the back of his neck again, afraid to see, embarrassed. Only a kid would say something so silly, right? Making him think of his dad when he was still so upset, stupid, stupid.

"…Thanks, Kit." And the way he said it – like he'd needed to hear something like that, like it made him feel better – made her wonder if maybe she'd said something kind of profound without meaning it.