Disclaimer: Thundercats and all related character don't belong to me.

Note:

This story takes place in an Alternate Universe set immediately after the end of 'The Return' miniseries published by Wildstorm comics.

Embracing dark desires.

By

Dr Facer

Chapter 9

The twins stood side by side, very still and very close to Mumm-Ra, exactly as he ordered them to do. They felt somewhat uneasy as to why they had returned to the Onyx Pyramid, and were still outside the dark construction. But, puzzled as they were, they weren't anxious enough to ask about their master's actions, at least not yet.

The evil wizard, still in his mighty warrior form, had not moved since they arrived to the Pyramid; he hadn't even opened the doors. He simply stood there, deep in thought, considering recent and future events that were of great interest to him. The most important of them was, of course, the upcoming betrayal of the Ancient Spirits of Evil, and rightfully so; now that his plan to leave the capital city defenseless had succeeded, the wizard could afford not to think about the Thundercats for at least one night and instead focus on how to outsmart the Ancient Spirits of Evil.

The wizard had listened to what they wanted to do to him and, loathe as he might be to admit it, Mumm-Ra had to concede that what the spirits plotted was brilliant: they intended to destroy his body and seal his spirit in the Void, just as he'd done to one of them.

The wizard had worried for hours, trying to find a way to prevent that, and while he had a couple of viable, but not very useful options, it had been WilyKit's mention of she and her brother not having an eternity which really gave him the idea for the best solution to his problem; a solution which would not only give him great benefits, but one that would also enhance the twins' natural skills to higher levels.

The dark mage was certain the twins would agree to do this. After all, they had no reason to refuse him. Besides, Mumm-Ra was not going to take any risks while dealing with the Ancient Spirits of Evil. Yes, he would have to use the twins; it was the only way to ensure his permanence in this realm of existence. WilyKit and WilyKat would become his anchor to this world. They would be the key to assure he would never be sealed in the Void unless something catastrophic happened, and the chances of such an event happening were so infinitesimally low that he would essentially be completely safe from any attack those backstabbing omnipotent bastards threw at him.

"My lord, is there a problem?" WilyKit, finally tired of waiting, asked. She was not really concerned, because it was normal for her master to be contemplative, but Mumm-Ra had been standing silently for moments on end now. "I thought you wanted to tell us something?"

The Wizard stared at the female twin and a wicked smile crept over his face. "Yes, you are right, my dear. There's something I must ask to you both. Tell me, children, do you want to be immortal?" The mage asked and raised both hands in an inviting gesture. "Would you like to have eternity to achieve your goals?"

"Yes, yes I would!" WilyKit answered quickly, her voice filled with eagerness and untamed anticipation. "I want to live forever!"

WilyKat on the other hand, remained silent and thoughtful, clearly not sharing his sister's enthusiasm. He knew well immortality would be incredibly useful to him and he certainly wanted it… but he suspected he would have to pay dearly for such a great prize, and he was not sure it would be worth the price.

The wizard, worried about the male twin's silence, glanced at his apprentice as discreetly as he could and noticed his veiled cautiousness about the offer immediately. Mumm-Ra was sure the boy was wondering about what he would have to give in exchange for immortality and, the mage had to admit, the boy's wariness impressed him. It showed him to be far more intelligent, cautious and less arrogant than he himself had been when he first dealt with the Ancient Spirits of Evil. The boy's fears though, were completely unnecessary.

"What is it, son?" The mummy asked. "It seems you're not interested in my offer."

"How could you not want this, brother?" WilyKit asked with an incredulous expression on her face. She just couldn't believe her brother would refuse an offer like this.

"I am interested, and I do want it," WilyKat answered to both his teacher and sister. "But I…"

"…Fear the price you must pay for it?" Mumm-Ra finished. "Don't worry my boy; your fears are completely uncalled for, listen…"

Kit frowned as she realized her brother was right in being cautious; she had been so excited with the idea of being immortal that she had failed to realize that she would have to pay for it. Feeling very ashamed with herself for not realizing something so important before, WilyKit moved to her brother's side to better listen to the explanation Mumm-Ra was going to provide.

"… As little as only a decade ago, I would have to kill you and mummify you in order to ask the Ancient Spirits of Evil to grant immortality to your mummified corpses," the wizard explained. "But not anymore, children; now I have the knowledge and the power to grant you eternal life without resorting to such... unpleasant means."

"Is that true?" Kit asked, the eagerness promptly returning to her face.

"Yes it is," Mumm-Ra said, this time in a serious tone. "But you must know that what I am about to do could be almost as unpleasant as mummification."

Hearing this, both twins looked at each other and then at their master, and for one moment Mumm-Ra wondered if his children were going to refuse.

"It doesn't matter to me," WilyKit assured him. "I don't fear pain."

"I agree with my sister. If we're not killed or mummified, it doesn't matter how much it hurts," WilyKat added. Now that he knew he wouldn't end up as a reanimated corpse, the young wizard in training was as interested in having eternal life as his sister.

"This won't hurt you as much as other methods I could use, my children. But you will have to pay with blood and let me bound your souls to mine," the mummy explained, not hiding the malicious grin and expectant glitter in his crimson eyes. "If you agree with the terms, come closer so I can grant your wish."

Their choice already made, WilyKat and WilyKit did not hesitate and with great anticipation burning in their eyes, approached their master. When the twins were near enough, the mummy nodded them to stop as he reached in his belt for his weapon of choice, the mystic Sword of Plundarr, which he woke immediately, releasing a razor sharp energy blade that illuminated the dark sands around them.

The twins, however, didn't feel threatened by this and didn't even move when the dark wizard took a quick step back and with inhuman speed traced a horizontal line with the blade of his sword, effectively slicing the throats of both twins with that single, mightily fast move. WilyKit and WilyKat didn't react for an instant, too shocked to understand what had happened, and it was only by instinct that they both quickly brought their hands up to their bleeding throats, failing to stop the massive hemorrhage.

"Don't be afraid my children, I didn't do this to kill you," the mummy assured his terrified pupils as he put his demonic sword away. "I know you are afraid, but I had to open a path for them to enter you. This was necessary, but don't worry, it will all end soon. I promise."

The wizard raised his hands and looked at the twins, their blood had pooled under them and their white clothes were now stained dark red, their bodies were trembling and their skin was paling; still, it was not until the evil mage saw the eyes of the twins started to lose the spark of life that he finally spoke with an imposing tone.

"You who dwell in the never ending darkness and thread at will amidst the flow of the sands of time… Twin Snakes of Eternity… listen to my call and come forth; I, Mumm-Ra the ever living, command you!"

When the dark mage finished his call a deafening, reptilian hiss was heard around the pyramid. Suddenly, the shadows around the wizard gathered and gained substance until they rose as two tall pillars of darkness behind the grinning Mumm-Ra, taking the shape of two black, gigantic, eyeless snakes that hissed and twisted impatiently, blowing waves of sand away, waiting for the orders of the one who had summoned them to this realm.

"Eternal ones, I present you with two who are worthy of receiving your blessing!" Mumm-Ra said to the looming shadows behind him. "Twin Snakes of Eternity grant these two children their wish! I command it!"

The shadow snakes rose higher at those words, twisting their dark, ethereal bodies until they formed the emblem Mumm-Ra wore on his chest and then they hissed with such force that they created a violent gust of wind. At first it appeared the malevolent entities would not obey the command they were given but abruptly they dove forward with incredible speed, and each snake entered one of the agonized twins through the gaping wound on their necks, filling their bodies with darkness.

The dark power of the Snakes of Eternity shook the twins' bodies like puppets as it permeated them from head to toe. The entities were changing them, turning their bodies into vessels of dark energy forever linked to the eternal shadows from beyond the flow of time; vessels which would never age or need mortal sustenance again.

Mumm-Ra watched the eyes of the twins turn blacker than the blackest night as the Snakes of Eternity granted the twins the immortality they craved, and couldn't keep from laughing in triumph. The twins' transformation was almost complete now; he could feel how they had changed, their souls and bodies tainted by the glorious power of the dark, a power which would sustain them eternally as it did him, but for the wizard, the most important thing was not the twins gaining immortality; what mattered was what he would gain from them once the transformation ended.

Mumm-Ra watched as the shadow snakes finally abandoned the bodies of his children, rising through the wounds on their necks and shooting to the sky, where they vanished. Finally the wizard's attention shifted back to his pupils; both twins were on their backs, sleeping and breathing steadily. The dark mage knelt between them and examined their necks. As he expected, the wounds had been fully healed by the power of the Snakes of Eternity; he couldn't even find a scar where he'd slit the twin's throats.

"Excellent, much better than what I expected" the undead mage congratulated himself. "Now, time to finish this and guarantee my eternal survival."

With this, the wizard placed the palms of his hands a few inches above the twins' torsos and focused; before long, a small sphere of green light came out of WilyKat's and WilyKit's chests, which the wizard greedily caught between his fingers. Wasting no time, Mumm-Ra pressed the orbs of light to his torso, and grinned as he absorbed them into his body.

The ancient mage couldn't stop his body from trembling slightly with barely contained excitement as the fragments of the twin's souls he'd just absorbed merged with his own and, once that was done, his laughter shot brashly, wildly into the desert around him. He had finally won! He had finally achieved the true eternal bond to the material plane the Ancient Spirits of Evil always denied him. Now that his soul was linked to the souls of the twins, it wouldn't matter if his body was destroyed in battle; as long as one of his children remained, his body would regenerate allowing him to return to the mortal plane, and the best part was that this was also true for the twins, if one of them or both died, as long as Mumm-Ra or the other twin was still on the land of the living, he or the other twin would also return.

With a satisfied, grin; the wizard looked at his sleeping children, the expression in both their faces was now calm and serene, which indicated their bodies had finally adjusted to the strenuous changes and massive amounts of dark energy that had been coursing through them. Still enjoying his victory, Mumm-Ra carried the twins inside the Pyramid.

Shortly after leaving the twins in their chambers, Mumm-Ra stood before of his cauldron. The Ancient Spirits of Evil were completely silent; the wizard had expected them to ask why he had summoned the Twin snakes of Eternity or his reasons for granting the twins immortality. Still, the self-imposed silence of the Spirits of Evil didn't matter at the moment. In fact, the ancient mage was much more interested in what was happening in the Capital City. As he had expected, his Demon Beasts had faced very little opposition during the attack, and had successfully destroyed the city's power plant; but the best part was that not even three Thundercats had managed to deter them. Sure, Lion-O had managed to kill a few of his creatures, but that had been expected, and Mumm-Ra could easily replace the fallen demons.

Then he saw how his Demon Beasts surrounded Lion-O and Tygra, ready to fall over them to rip them into red ribbons of torn flesh. The mummy frowned at that, he couldn't let that happen, at least not yet. Mumm-Ra still wanted to torture Lion-O further, to show him how this 'renaissance' he had expected to herald was nothing more than one of his stupid delusions of grandeur. No, the wizard wouldn't let Lion-O be physically hurt yet; he was still not emotionally broken enough yet.

And that was why Mumm-Ra waved his hand over the images in the cauldron's waters, causing the Demon Beasts surrounding Lion-O and the other Thundercat to vanish into thin air. The beasts of course, where not sent back to the underworld; the wizard simply moved the creatures to the massive arch where the portal was, which the creatures would guard until he needed them again.

Meanwhile, in the Capital City…

Lon-O, the young king of Thundera, stood motionless in front of the ruined Power Plant. The thick smoke coming out carried the unmistakable stench of burned flesh mixed with that of several toxic chemicals. Behind him he could hear the cries of the terrorized Thunderians that were just now daring to come out of their hiding places. And they all wanted one simple thing: Protection, his protection.

But how could he protect them now? He didn't know how this had happened or why had Mumm-Ra launched this attack. What had been that undead bastard's intentions? Lion-O could not imagine it or understand it. All he knew was that the Capital City of his kingdom had been attacked by a horde of horrible, bloodthirsty monsters. The creatures, had not only killed as many Thunderians as they could, they had destroyed the Power Plant, leaving the city completely powerless.

"But why, what was Mumm-Ra expecting to achieve by doing this?" He asked with a voice almost broken by hopelessness, not expecting any answer to his question.

"Probably to spread fear, with no energy the city will be very vulnerable. And I am certain the appearance of those creatures terrified the people more than any army of mutants from Plundarr could have. If spreading fear was Mumm-Ra's goal I would say that he succeeded."

Lion-O turned to regard Tygra, who still stood by his side. The young king had been so focused on his own despair and thoughts that he had forgotten the architect was with him.

"And what is he expecting to gain with fear?" a furious Lion-O demanded.

"If our people are scared they won't fight back," Tygra answered in a serious tone. The tiger, however, was not facing Lion-O, but a nearby building. "We have to stop fear from spreading and I'm sure you understand that you are the only one who can give courage to our people."

The young king took in a deep breath and mussed his hair with his right hand. As if he didn't have enough on his shoulders already, now everything had grown so complicated that he was no longer sure of what to do or how to do it. The only thing which kept Lion-O from giving up all hope was his enormous sense of responsibility and his seemingly unlimited courage.

"We should begin by leading a group of volunteers to search for survivors inside the Power Plant," Tygra dutifully offered, still looking at the same building, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Is there something wrong with that building?" Lion-O asked, finally noticing where Tygra's attention seemed to be.

"I left Cheetara there and she hasn't come out… I worry her wounds are worse than I first thought."

"Then go to her," the king commanded, nodding to his friend.

"What about the search for survivors?" Tygra asked. "You might need me and…"

"I can handle it myself," Lion-O promised. "Go and help her, I don't want to risk Cheetara's wounds worsening because she didn't get help. Jaga knows we can't afford to lose any more Thundercats."

"Thank you, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know you will," the young monarch whispered as he saw his friend rush inside the nearby edifice. Once Tygra was inside, Lion-O turned to his right. Several Thunderians were already there, looking expectantly at him, obviously waiting for him to tell them what to do. After taking a moment to emotionally prepare for the task ahead, the lord of the Thundercats gathered a group of volunteers and made his way towards the gates of the Power Plant.

Lion-O discovered the people were very glad and eager to help and work, but only as long as he was there to guide them. This increasing dependence his people had on him troubled him greatly. What would they do if he suddenly died? In their present state, without him, every Thunderian would simply give up, allowing Mumm-Ra to rule over them again without a fight.

Somewhere else…

The wheels of a recently armored and armed truck crushed several bushes as its driver, the Thundercat known as Panthro, recklessly drove as fast as he could through the shortest route available to the Capital City: a no longer used road covered by thick vegetation.

The reason why Panthro, who had been in enough battles during his life to remain level-headed even in the direst of situations, was rushing to the Capital City was a very simple and a very powerful one: Fear. Moments ago, while working inside Cat's Lair, he had listened to a faint sound he immediately identified as an explosion, and when he looked out a window he saw the thick pillar of smoke rising from the city. That, coupled with the lack of a call for help from Lion-O, was enough to spark a flame of fear in him, a fear which threatened to become full terror as he realized Lion-O, and even worse, Cheetara could be seriously hurt.

And there was another fear, one that Panthro kept hidden in the deepest part of his mind; a fear that had been born that morning when he had heard her talking to Tygra in a way which had made his heart break with jealousy. This jealousy, however, was quickly mitigated when he heard how Tygra had put their friendship first, refusing to betray him in any way. The fear that his best friend would not resist temptation for long, however, had yet to leave Panthro's heart; and that, coupled with the agony he felt at the realization that his Cheetara was in love with his best friend, was slowly killing the proud Panther from the inside out.

Still, his troubled emotions wouldn't stop Panthro from helping his king during this emergency. He would have the time to sort the situation between himself, Cheetara and Tygra once the current emergency was dealt with.

And once Panthro arrived to the Capital and saw the damage caused to the city, he had no trouble at all pushing all his fears back, focusing only on helping as much as he could.

A few hours later…

Tygra, sitting on a bench while finishing treating the arm of a wounded Thunderian, spared a glance at the many rows of beds they had placed in the city's main warehouse, the largest building in the Capital, which had been hastily turned into a shelter not only for the wounded but also for most of the inhabitants of the city, who had preferred to gather here instead of remaining inside their houses. This was troublesome, for if the creatures attacked again, everyone here would be easy targets. He and Lion-O had tried to set up other shelters but it had been futile; every Thunderian in the city was just too terrorized to be away from the king.

And as if this was not bad enough, Lion-O had found several burned corpses inside the devastated Power Plant, but not a single survivor. The dead from the plant, along with those in the city amounted to over a hundred casualties, and even if Tygra was optimistic, at least fifty of the wounded they had on the shelter would die as well before the next two days were out. Tygra sighed sadly as he finished bandaging the wounded man's arm and, after giving him some instructions about his wound, he went to see if he was needed somewhere else.

"It seems that in the end, Mumm-Ra succeeded in spreading fear among us…" Tygra muttered, concern never leaving his face as he moved between the rows of beds, trying to see if anyone needed immediate attention.

On the other side of the warehouse, Cheetara looked up from the woman she was tending to and stared at Tygra with loving eyes; he had been the one who had carried her out of the building she fainted on and the one who had bandaged the superficial wounds she suffered while fighting the Demon Beasts. The Cheetah remembered his relieved smile when the doctors assured them that the only reason she had passed out was exhaustion. She also remembered how his smile had faded when Panthro arrived, and how Tygra had been avoiding her since then, and she him.

The current emergency, of course, provided a very convenient excuse for both of them to do just that; Panthro was outside the warehouse, working with Lion-O on devising a way to restore power to at least this building before night fell. Finishing treating the wounds of the woman, Cheetara straightened and glanced at Tygra again and pressed her hand to her chest, wondering if it was right for her to feel this way just by looking at him. The cheetah closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. This was not the time for her to feel and act like a love-struck cub; there were far more important things to do, and besides…

"Excuse me, my Lady. Could you please assist us with something?"

Cheetara snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the old nurse at her left, who was looking at her with respect-filled eyes, something which, coupled with the honorific she had used, made Cheetara feel very uncomfortable.

"Yes, of course. How can I help you?"

"We ran out of medical packs, and we can't spare anyone to go to the clinic for more," the nurse explained. "I'm sorry to bother you with this, but…"

"You're not bothering me at all," Cheetara assured. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Thank you, my Lady."

"Just one thing," the female Thundercat said. "Don't call me that, I am not better than you."

"Perhaps, but you are still a noblewoman, a member of the Thundercats and part of the King's court," the old nurse pointed out with a gentle smile, "For the young it might be easy to ignore the proper way to address a noble, but not for someone my age."

Cheetaraa decided not to challenge the older Thunderian's reasoning and simply nodded her understanding. "I'll return shortly, do you need anything else from the clinic?"

"No, just the medical packs."

Cheetara looked around for Tygra on her way out, hoping to ask him to accompany her, but he was busy now, assisting a doctor with a patient in the western corner of the warehouse. The woman sighed and decided it was for the best; after all, if it weren't for the old nurse, she would still be thinking about him, something that she could not afford to do at the moment.

Once outside she looked around to see that many volunteers were busy fortifying the area adjacent to the massive warehouse she'd just exited. She was not surprised to see that two or three engineers that she had talked to during the first stages of restoration in the city were directing the job, nor was she surprised to see that all of them reported to Lion-O from time to time. Cheetara stared at the young king with growing concern; he had not stopped working alongside the people since after the attack, and she feared he would collapse from exhaustion if he didn't rest soon. She was about to ask Lion-O to accompany her to the clinic, just to stop him from working so hard, when her mate approached her.

"Do the doctors need anything?" Panthro asked, reaching for Cheetara's hand as he did so.

"They need more medical packs," she answered, retrieving her hand from his faster than she knew she should have. "I have to go and get some more from the clinic and…"

"Say no more, I'll take you there in the Thunder-Truck," Panthro offered, failing to hide a tone of sadness in his voice. Normally, he would have tried to hold her hand again, but Cheetara's reaction had convinced him not to make the attempt.

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, a silent Cheetara, sat on the front passenger seat of her mate's new favorite toy. She had tried to get Lion-O to join them, but he had politely refused, stating that he had much to do before night fell. Lion-O's refusal, however, had left her in a very uncomfortable situation; she didn't know what to do or say, now that she was alone with Panthro.

"I'm glad that you didn't get seriously injured," Panthro said when he couldn't stand the silence anymore. "I know I said that before, but…"

"It's okay, I'm glad you worry about me," she said with a whisper. "I was lucky that Tygra showed up when he did."

"Yes… Tygra," Panthro answered, his voice turning into a sad murmur. "About him…"

"You've given the truck a name," Cheetara interrupted; she had noticed Panthro's distress and hoped a change of topic would help him forget whatever it was that made him sad, even though she was quite aware that she was the cause. "I didn't think you would."

"Yeah, well it deserves it… I know she's still not as good as my previous baby was, but I'm sure I will eventually make this Thunder-Truck as great as the Thunder-Tank used to be."

"Good for you," Cheetara answered. She tried to think of something else to say to him, but she couldn't come up with anything to carry on the conversation and ended up sitting in silence staring at the almost empty streets.

Panthro, on his part, couldn't find a way to ask Cheetara about the conversation she had with Tygra that morning. As a result of this, they didn't speak to each other again until they delivered the medical packs back to the warehouse.

"Cheetara…" Panthro called after handing the last medical pack to a very thankful doctor.

"Yes?"

The panther took in a deep breath, "Can we talk later, perhaps tonight? There is something important I want to talk to you about."

"If nothing else happens and I'm not busy helping treat the wounded, we will talk," she promised him. "Now I have to go back to see if they need me."

Several hours later…

Lion-O, exhausted but still willing to continue working along his people, had finally yielded to Cheetara's constant requests and had agreed to rest; and for that purpose, he had decided to pass by the medical area and visit the wounded on his way to the temporary chambers Tygra had prepared for him on the back of the Warehouse.

It was there that he saw her, talking to one of the doctors. He then remembered what he had promised her. Not one to break his promises, Lion-O walked slowly to the young woman sitting in a bed located close to a window.

"I am pleased see you are better," the king said.

Aliona looked up and offered the king a smile. "The wound wasn't as deep as the doctors expected," she explained as she pointed to her bandaged left shoulder. "They said I should be fully healed in two or three weeks, maybe less."

"The fact that she's young helps," the doctor added. "And luckily for her, she only got a rather scandalous wound instead of a dangerous one." Stating this, the doctor bowed slightly to the king and made his way to help another Thunderian in a nearby bed.

"Well, that is good news," the king said and smiled back at the young woman. He was about to excuse himself when he noticed the boomerang Aliona always carried; the weapon was partially hidden under the bed and he remembered then he had wanted to ask her about it. "Aliona, about that weapon you use, might I ask where you got it?"

The young woman looked at the king with doubtful eyes. She seemed to be considering what to say; finally, she spoke, "My grandfather gave it to me, I already told that to the other Thundercats, but there is more to my weapon than that."

Lion-O sat on the other end of her bed, "I would like to hear about it, if you want to tell me."

"My grandfather told me to never refuse a request from the king," the auburn haired female said in a very serious tone. "And, well… you do have the right to know."

"I'm listening."

"That is the Thunderang," Aliona said, pointing at her weapon. "King Claudis gave it to my grandfather a long time ago."

"Thunderang? Sounds like the name a Thundercat weapon would have."

"It is a Thundercat weapon, my lord. It ended up in my Family's possession only by chance."

"Can you tell me how?"

The young woman nodded. "My grandfather often told me the story when I was a little cub. According to him, he got the Thunderang after saving King Claudis. I can tell you that the previous king, your father, was a teenager when that happened."

The mention of his father immediately caught Lion-O's attention. He leaned forward and motioned her to continue.

"A group of mutants ambushed young King Claudis during one of his travels through the mountains. My grandfather was a part of his escort and he fought against the mutants to help protect your Father, my lord."

"I see. So I guess the other soldiers got different Thundercat weapons as a reward as well?"

Aliona looked down and shook her head.

"No… my grandfather was the only soldier left after the attack. He somehow was able to assist King Claudis hold the Mutants back until Jaga and his Thundercats arrived. After that, my grandfather was promoted to the royal guard on the palace and Prince Claudis gave him the Thunderang as a reward for his courage. That's all there is to tell; I'm sorry if I'm not very good at telling a story, but I wasn't born when it happened, so…"

"Don't apologize, it truly is interesting," Lion-O assured her. "I like to hear about my father."

Aliona smiled at the compliment and looked at Lion-O again, she found out it had been easier for her to talk to him this time, and she wondered if the fact that the king looked less regal, with his dirty hands and his sweat-stained shirt, had something to do with it.

"Who taught you how to throw it?" Lion-O asked, feeling that some small talk before going for his nap wouldn't hurt; he wasn't sleepy anyway.

"My grandfather did," Aliona answered. "He spent most of our time in Green-Door teaching me how to hunt and telling me about his days on the military."

"Green-Door?"

"It's a forest planet five sectors away from here," she explained. "That's where we took refuge after Thundera exploded."

"I've never heard of it. Care to tell me about it?"

"It would be my pleasure."

For the next few minutes, Lion-O listened as Aliona described a green planet full of life, which while not technologically advanced, was a peaceful and beautiful place to live. He listened as she described how it was there her father decided to become a farmer and how he had helped develop better crops to help the people of Green-Door. Finally, she finished her tale mentioning the message asking all survivor Thunderians to return to the newly reformed Thundera.

"You didn't mention your sister in your tale."

"She was born here seven years ago," Aliona said.

Lion-O lowered his eyes as he realized that his friend's younger sister had only known slavery and misery during her short life. The king could not help but feel a stab of guilt in his heart. Because he had entered the Book of Omens, the few hundreds of children born during Mumm-Ra's reign didn't get the chance to experience a bright childhood.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault your sister spent her childhood as a slave," he muttered.

Before realizing what she was doing, the young puma reached for the king's arm and placed a reassuring hand over it.

"Don't be, because we're farmers we weren't abused as much as the construction workers or those unlucky enough to be sent to the mines."

Lion-O looked at her hand and she quickly removed it as she whispered an apology. The lord of the Thundercats was, in truth, not angry or upset, but rather pleasantly surprised in the way her touch had felt: Warm and alive. It was something he didn't feel often, since not many Thunderians dared to actually physically touch him. Lion-O was about to assure her everything was alright when he noticed Aliona was looking at someone behind him.

"Greetings, my lord, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

Lion-O turned and saw Cougara, Aliona's mother, standing by the bed. The older woman carried a bag in one hand, while she held a little girl firmly with the other.

"I promised I would visit her after the attack was over," the king said as he stood up to make way for Aliona's mother, "I was actually about to leave, so…"

"We understand, my lord and… thank you for talking with me," Aliona said.

"It was nothing. I'll see you again soon. Take care."

Saying no more, the young king walked away from the three females, but he couldn't help listening to some of their conversation…

"What took you so long?" Aliona asked her mother. "You said you were only going for clean clothes to the farm!"

"Since we still have a working power generator, I called other farmers that we know to warn them about those creatures and to tell them about the attack. I told them all to be prepared to fight, too," Cougara explained. "I also had to bring some extra clothes for your sister."

"You spoil Angora too much."

"I'm not spoiled!" The little girl complained at her older sister's comment.

Lion-O stopped listening then; an idea was forming in his mind and not wanting to waste time putting it into practice, the young man rushed out of the warehouse to talk to Panthro.

"Panthro… Cat's Lair!" The young king called as he rushed towards the Thundercat mechanic.

"Didn't Cheetara send you to rest?" the panther asked once the Thundercat Lord was in front of him. "I'm sure what you want to say is important, but I am also sure it can wait until you rest."

"No, it can't wait!" Lion-O insisted. "Tell me Pantro, does the Lair still have an operational Power Generator, yes or no?"

"It was still working when I came here, but it's not strong enough to replace the generator we had on the city, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, all I need is enough power for the radio to work well," the young lord clarified. "So we can send warnings about this to the farms and the towns."

Panthro nodded, it was actually a very good idea, and he was angry at himself for not thinking about it sooner. "We will do that. I'll call O-Celot, he remained at the lair and he should be able to send those messages."

Lion-O looked at the Thunder-Truck, "You mean the truck has a radio? I never noticed."

"I installed it yesterday. It's only short range, though." Panthro explained, "But it can reach the Lair just fine."

"Good, tell O-Celot to send those messages, Panthro," Lion-O said, struggling to keep a yawn at bay and failing.

"Sure, I'll do it, as long as you promise to sleep for an hour or two."

The young king nodded." I'll try."

Meanwhile, in Cat's Lair…

O-celot was soundly asleep in a chair next to Pummyra's bed; he'd been watching her for over eighteen hours, waiting by her side and hoping for her to awake but sleep finally overcame him shortly after Panthro left for the city to investigate something which had happened there. His sleep was so deep that he almost fell of the chair when the loud beeping of his communicator startled him awake.

"What the…?" The forge-master shook his head as he answered the call. "O-Celot here, who is it?"

"It was about time you answered. I've been calling to the Lair for almost ten minutes now!"

"Panthro?" O-Celot said, surprise filling him as he noticed the upset tone in the Thunercat's voice. "I'm sorry, I'm still in Pummyra's room; I didn't want to leave her alone and…"

"I understand that. But the situation here in the city is quite critical and we can't leave. Listen, we need your help, Lion-O asked me to tell you what he wants you to do."

"I have orders from the king?" O-Celot stared out of the window, finally noticing the sun had almost set and he could not see the city lights on the distance. "What happened over there?"

O-Celot heard the Thundercat sigh and for a moment thought he would not explain the situation, but Panthro did. By the time Panthro finished telling him about the Demon Beasts that attacked the city, O-Celot's forehead was covered with sweat and he could feel a hint of fear in his chest.

"…And that's what happened. Listen, O-Celot, Lion-O needs your help. You are to contact all the towns and farms in our database. Tell the farmers to hide and the town leaders to take their people to shelters. Can you do that?"

"Of course, I'll get to it right away," O-Celot promised. "Do you need me on the city?"

"Probably not for tonight, but you'll have to be here tomorrow. Don't worry, we'll send someone to watch over Pummyra for you."

"I'd appreciate that." the tall Thunderian confessed. "I'll go send the messages now, O-Celot out."

After that, O-Celot walked to Pummyra's side and gently caressed her hand.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Saying no more, the forge-master left the medical room but, had he stayed for a second longer, he would have seen a small hint of movement from Pummyra's left hand…

The first thing she felt was a soft, warm touch on her hand. It was nice, because it told her that she wasn't alone. She still wasn't awake enough to open her eyes, but the touch had felt good, and she did want to see who was by her side. Willing her eyes to open, she struggled to adjust her vision until she saw she was in a dimly lit room.

The young woman realized she was resting on a soft bed, and that her right arm was expertly encased in what she recognized as an expensive cast made of sanare-fiber. Pummyra gasped as she remembered why her arm was broken, her mind filling with images of Mumm-Ra laughing at her while he snapped her arm with horrible ease.

Forcing herself to a sitting position, Pummyra ran her left hand over her face, trying to banish the painful memories of her defeat. All this managed to do was to remind her how Mumm-Ra had trapped her inside a magical sphere and sent her to sleep forever in the deeps of an ice cave.

"Someone rescued me…" she whispered, feeling strange at hearing the sound of her own voice. "But after how long? How many years did I spend in that cave?"

Pummyra got up on shaky legs and walked slowly towards the door. She almost fell after three steps, but by the time she reached the door she felt confident enough to walk without falling… as long as she kept her good hand against the wall.

"This place looks familiar, but it also seems to be deserted…" she mused to herself as she reached a set of steps that went up. "I might as well try to go up, maybe I'll find someone there."

It took her several minutes to reach the top of the stairs, which annoyed her greatly; had she been healthy, she could have done this in a few seconds. Breathing deeply to calm herself, Pummyra looked around and found that she had come to a well illuminated, if short, corridor that led to a closed steel door.

"It seems there's somebody there," she muttered, glad that she was not alone. She also felt pretty positive that she was amongst friends, since they had cared enough to treat her broken arm.

"Hello? Can you hear me? I already woke up!" she called as loudly as she could while she walked towards the door but she received no answer. Intrigued, Pummyra reached out and pressed the button she expected would open the door. Luckily for the Thunderian female, the door did open for her.

And then she saw him there. Sitting in front of a control panel, apparently recording some sort of message which, given the portion of it she heard, was not good news at all. The content of the message was of no importance to her for the moment; all that really mattered to her was the man recording it.

"O-Celot…" she said softly once he'd finished sending the recorded message.

The Thunderian in question froze when she heard that voice. A voice he'd longed to hear again for years. Slowly, as if fearing he was imagining it all, he turned to look behind him.

"…Pummyra," he whispered, "Pummyra, you are awake!"

The young female smiled for her friend and was not surprised when he rose to meet her; she was not surprised by the overjoyed expression in his face either. She was surprised, though, by him placing both of his hands on her shoulders and the way his eyes bored into her own.

"I'd given up hope…" he admitted. "I thought I would never see you or hear your voice again. Thank Claudis for Lion-O's return!"

"Lion-O's back?" Pummyra asked immediately upon hearing the name of the king. Placing her good hand on O-Celot's chest so he would release her, she asked, "How long has it been since he returned? Tell me everything that has happened!"

O-Celot, realizing by the way she pressed her hand on his chest that he was probably making Pummyra uncomfortable, dropped his hands and considered her request. He doubted she was still in a good enough condition to deal with the recent events, but she was a Thundercat and she was also the strongest woman he knew.

"Fine, I will tell you all I know. But I think it would be best if you took a seat first."

O-Celot waited until Pummyra sat in a stool and then the tall Thunderian told her everything he knew. He told her about his search for her, how he had heard of Lion-O's return, his travel to the capital city and WilyKit's killing spree, how he and Tygra had found her and finally, about the monsters which had attacked the capital that same day.

"I'm not surprised about WilyKit. After so many years under Mumm-Ra's influence something like that was bound to happen," Pummyra said in a low voice not free from regret and sadness. After a moment of silence, the woman looked at his companion again and by the expression on her face, she seemed to have remembered something important.

"O-Celot, please tell me more about the attack… you mentioned some monsters, didn't you?"

"I haven't seen the things, but from what I heard they're large, red horned beasts with tentacles for hands, and they vanished after destroying the city's power generator," O-Celot explained. "That's all Panthro told me."

"Large, red horned creatures… with tentacles for hands…" Pummyra repeated, her face paling slightly as memories of said monsters filled her mind.

"Great Jaga! O-Celot, I know what those things are and how they got here. I have to tell Lion-O, please take me to him!"

"You're in no condition to leave the lair," the large Thunderian argued. "If you want to tell him I can call him from here. There's no need to exert yourself when…"

"I have to see him in person!" Pummyra interrupted. "And if you don't want to take me to the city, then I'll go by myself!"

"You were barely able to stand only a couple of minutes ago and now you want to walk to the capital?" O-Celot challenged. "I understand you have your duty as a Thundercat, but you can't go! What good will you do the king if you worsen your condition?"

Pummyra stared silently at her friend for a long moment, taking in the concern in his voice and the worried look in his eyes. It was then that she understood how devoted he was to her and for a moment she almost agreed to stay in the Lair. But just as he had said, she had a duty as a Thundercat, and she had to fulfill it.

"There's more to this than what you think, O-Celot. There's too much to explain for me to just say it on the radio," she said. "Please? I promise I will rest once that's done, I will even let you carry me back here if that's what you want, but right now I have to go and talk to Lion-O."

"Alright, I'll take you there." O-Celot agreed, finally realizing he wouldn't convince her to stay.

Moving swiftly and before she could protest, O-Celot picked Pummyra up, taking special care not to hurt her broken arm as he carried her to the Lair's hangar.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she protested weakly.

"Carry you to my Skycutter," O-Celot explained. "If you really want to talk to the king, you should save your strength. We don't want you to faint in front of him, do we?"

"No, I guess we don't," she admitted, finding that she didn't mind being carried like this, at least not by him.

Some time later…

Tygra was sitting at the steps of the warehouse. The large building had been fortified in record time, and it was now as defensible as possible. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, that wasn't saying much. He was aware that the people did feel safer with Lion-O around, but he was also aware of the heavy cloud of uncertainty and fear which seemed to hang over every single Thunderian the tiger had come across. And that fear had only increased as night came closer.

"Darkness will come soon." Tygra muttered as he watched the sun setting in the horizon, slowly taking with it the light and allowing the shadows to fill the now almost deserted streets of the city.

It was then that the tiger heard the sound of an engine approaching. He looked up and saw the lights of a flying vehicle coming closer. The tiger strained his eyes and was able to make out the form of a Skycutter. He couldn't see who was piloting it, though.

"You think it's one of our own?" a voice asked from behind him.

"I don't know. It's still too far away to tell," Tygra answered, not turning to face Panthro, who had just asked the question. After the events with Cheetara that morning, the tiger had avoided his friend as much as possible, and he hoped Panthro wouldn't notice the nervousness in his voice.

"It might be a mutant spy," the panther warned.

The two Thundercats stood very still, watching carefully as the Skycutter came closer. Behind them, the lights of candles shone through the cracks of the now boarded windows, and both Tygra and Panthro knew many Thunderians were peering from said cracks between the boards, but were too frightened to leave the safety of the warehouse.

"Our people are afraid," Panthro said frowning, his eyes never leaving the approaching flying vehicle. "We didn't need this right now."

A couple of minutes passed by and, unexpectedly for the two Thundercats, the Skycutter landed. That, however, didn't surprise them as much as the Thunderian piloting it and his passenger.

"Careful now," O-Celot warned as he helped Pummyra stand on her feet. The woman had firmly stated that he was not to carry her in front of the Thundercat nobles, but she had agreed to him helping her stand.

"I'm fine, just a little tired, that's all." she answered.

"Pummyra?" Both Panthro and Tygra called as they rushed to the Skycutter. "Why are you here? You should be resting!"

"I wake up after years trapped in a magic-induced coma… and you two want me to go and rest?" The puma asked once the other Thundercatas were in front of her. "Heh…I guess it's nice to see you too."

"We are glad you're awake," Tygra said quickly. "But we also worry for your condition."

"I know," Pummyra answered and managed a smile. "But I heard about what happened here… and I think I have… important information that Lion-O must hear."

"If that's the case," Panthro said. "We'll take you to him; he should be awake by now."

"But after that, you'll rest," Tygra stated rather than asked.

"Yes, I promise…" The puma replied and, leaning on O-Celot for support, she followed the two Thundercats into the warehouse.

A few minutes later, Pummyra sat in the bed of Lion-O's private chambers. Standing around her were the young King, Tygra, Panthro and Cheetara and behind them was O-Celot, who didn't wish to interrupt the nobles while they discussed the matters at hand.

"What is so important that you had to come to tell us in person?" Cheetara asked. "You realize this can't be good for your recovery."

"I'm here because I know what attacked this city," the puma claimed, not failing to notice Cheetara's bandaged arm and the bruise marks on the back of her neck and shoulders. "I know where the Demon Beasts came from and who… called them."

"We know Mumm-Ra called them," Panthro, who was standing behind Lion-O, offered. "The mutant who led them here told us that already."

"But I know how he did it and from where," Pummyra replied. "I learned about those monsters many years ago."

"Can you tell us?" Lion-O asked.

"It happened a few months before I was…" the puma paused and took in a deep breath to steel herself. "…Defeated and captured by Mumm-Ra. There was a rumor back then… about Mumm-Ra building something in the desert. I had to find out what it was…

"it was a dangerous mission, so I decided to go with only two members of my rebel group as backup… we found what Mumm-Ra was doing, he was… supervising the construction of this huge thing… it was only half completed but it was easy to see it would be a massive arch once it was finished; hundreds of Thunderians were being forced to work there, on the main construction or paving the area around it with slates of black stone.

"Slithe and Vultureman were there, along with many mutants who whipped our Thunderian brothers even if there was no reason to…" Pummyra said with a low growl, despite her weakened state, remembering how her race had been mistreated for years did not make her happy.

"What does that have to do with the Demon Beasts that attacked the city?" Panthro asked, even as an idea was already forming in his mind.

"I didn't know until Mumm-Ra did something after Slithe apparently angered him," the puma said. "Mumm-Ra shot two blasts of white light at the sand and something happened; it is difficult to explain what… all I know is that some type of… hole? Something like that opened in the air just above where Mumm-Ra's magic hit the sand, and two horrible creatures crawled out of it.

"However, the portal Mumm-Ra opened closed almost instantly, and the two creatures vanished with it. After that, the damned mummy pointed at the incomplete arch and started to laugh, but then he looked in our direction and we were forced to flee the area. Still, I was sure then that the structure would allow Mumm-Ra call an army of those beasts for longer periods of time," Pummyra finished explaining. "And after listening to what happened here, and since the beasts I saw years ago match the description of the monsters that attacked the city, I believe my theory is correct."

For long minutes no Thundercat could speak, each considering the implications of this new information they had just received. In the end, it was Lion-O who spoke first, only one question in his mind begging to be answered.

"Where is this arch you mentioned?"

"To the east of Mumm-Ra's pyramid, it's not easy to spot unless you know what you're looking for, since there's large rocks nearby which hide the structure," Pummyra explained.

"I think I could find the place quickly," Panthro announced.

"If Mumm-Ra is indeed using that arch to summon those things, we will have to destroy it as soon as possible," Lion-O said.

"In that case…" Panthro started. "I'll go take care of it at once."

"It's not wise to do so at night," Tygra argued. "We should wait at least until sunrise to enter the desert."

"He's right, Panthro," Cheetara said. "Splitting our forces now would only leave the city vulnerable in case of an attack, and we are already very vulnerable as it is."

"And waiting until tomorrow gives me time to prepare a suitable explosive to demolish that thing," Tygra added.

"What do you think, Lion-O?" The panther asked, he already knew the young King would agree with the other Thundercats, but Panthro preferred Lion-O to have the final word, if only to agree with him and hide the pang of jealousy he had felt when Cheetara supported Tygra instead of him.

"I say we wait. We can't afford to leave the city half protected right now," the king announced. "Besides, if there's the need to create an explosive, I would rather you and Tygra work on it, Panthro. I'm sure the two of you together can make something faster."

"And about that matter…" Cheetara said, eyeing the injured puma. "I think it's time for us to let her rest."

"Indeed," Said Lion-O. "You can sleep here tonight, Pummyra. We'll send a doctor to look at your arm in a while."

"But this is your room…" Pummyra started. "I couldn't possibly…"

"I want you to stay here," the king assured. "It's the least we can do to thank your for the information you gave us; thanks to you we might be able to prevent more attacks on the city, I am truly in your debt."

After such praise from the king, Pummyra couldn't find it in her to refuse his offer and simply nodded at him. A few minutes later, the other Thundercats excused themselves and followed Lion-O out of the bedroom, leaving her only in the company of O-Celot, who had insisted in staying with her in case she needed help moving. A doctor came in shortly afterward, and other than exhaustion and her broken arm, he didn't find anything wrong with Pummyra, which relieved her and her large friend (though he did not show it) to no end.

"O-Celot, I…" Pummyra began once the two of them were alone. "Want to thank you for bringing me here, it means a lot to me."

"It was nothing," he replied. "But I would feel better if you did as you promised the nobles and rested. You might not want to admit it, general, but you do need rest."

"I'm not a general anymore; the rebels no longer exist…" Pummyra said as she yawned and laid her head on Lion-O's pillow, finding it to be very comfortable; it didn't take long after that for the exhausted woman to fall into a deep sleep.

O-Celot waited for almost two hours before he felt confident enough to walk to Pummyra's side. The tall man stood there, looking at her with a soft expression on his eyes. Slowly and very carefully, to avoid waking her up or disturb her sleep, he reached for her face and caressed it with the back of his palm, gently sliding it from her temple to the base of her neck.

"The rebels may be gone and you might not be a general anymore, Pummyra… but my loyalty is yours until the day I die," O-Celot swore as he retrieved his hand. He had not being able to get this brave woman out of his mind ever since he saw her enter the control room a few hours earlier. He hadn't realized just how much he had truly missed her until he heard her speak again, and now that she was back, he couldn't stop the overwhelming desire to protect her from harm. And protect her he would.

Glancing one last time at the woman who filled his thoughts, the tall Thunderian made his way out of the room. The forge master had decided to protect this woman he cared for more than anything else in this world, and in order to do that properly, he would have to do some other things first.

A few minutes later…

Lion-O sat alone in the stairs at the entrance of the warehouse, he held the Sword of Omens loosely in his hand, and stared at it with doubtful eyes. The young king wondered for the first time if any other bearer of the sword before him had had to endure a trial as difficult as the one he'd been forced to endure by Mumm-Ra's madness, and if they had, he wondered how they felt about it; did they feel as small, regretful and lost as he did?

"No, they probably didn't!" He muttered, angrily stabbing his sword in the soft dirt. This outburst didn't last, though; ashamed at his sudden burst of anger, the young king sheathed the Sword of Omens back inside the ClawShield and took in a deep breath; these feelings of rage would not help him or his people and he could not allow himself to feel them. As useful as they had been in battle, they would just hinder him out of it. The anger, however, did not go away completely, and that frustrated him a great deal.

Pushing down his frustration, Lion-O stood up and immediately looked behind him. There was someone there, and he hadn't been focused enough to notice him before due to his poor emotional state. The person Lion-O saw standing in the door of the warehouse a few steps away was O-Celot. The forge master stood very still, and seemed quite uncomfortable at being discovered.

"Do you need something, is Pummyra alright?" Lion-O asked.

"Pummyra is fine, she still sleeps," the forge master answered. "But I do need to leave."

"Leave? And where are you going?"

"I have to go to Cat's Lair, to get my armor and tools," O-Celot explained. "I won't be of much help here without them."

"Yes, I guess you're right," Lion-O agreed. "Besides, if it still works, someone should turn on the energy shield Panthro installed, just to be on the safe side."

"I'll take care of it," the forge master promised as he started walking towards his Skycutter.

"O-Celot…" Lion-O called. "I didn't thank you for sending those messages before."

"You didn't need to."

"I do. Thank you, it was of great help for us."

"You're welcome, my lord," O-Celot said stopping to look at the eyes of the lord of the Thundercats. He didn't like what he saw, Lion-O's eyes where lightless and full of anger. The older man had seen eyes like those before in members of Pummyra's rebellion. Thunderians with similar eyes always made mistakes in battle, and rarely came out alive from encounters with Mutant patrols. He knew it from personal experience.

"I thought you were leaving?" Lion-O asked when he noticed O-Celot was not moving from where he stood.

"I will, in a minute," the tall thunderian answered. "I was just thinking about the reason I have to come back; after all, it would be too easy for me to just go and hide until this is over."

"I didn't think you were the type of man who would be afraid," Lion-O said as he frowned at O-Celot's comment, he already considered the forge master a reliable ally and hadn't expected him to have any doubts during this crisis.

"I'm not ashamed to admit my fears," the forge master said. "What I meant was that there is a very important reason for me to help you all… and that reason is sleeping inside the warehouse."

"I assume you speak of Pummyra?"

The tall thunderian smiled and nodded. "Before you came back, my goal of finding her was the only thing which kept me going and even before, during Mumm-Ra's rule, it was her who helped me find a purpose again."

"If you didn't have a purpose, then why did you join her rebellion?"

"Because I wanted revenge on the miserable wizard who ruined my life," O-Celot said, his voice suddenly going low and very serious. "I was full of anger and all I wanted was to release it, and being a part of the rebellion gave me the chance to do just that. Back then… I didn't care about anything else but lashing out at those mutant bastards… I believed that dying in battle would be the best way to end my life, and I tried to die. I truly did. But then…"

O-Celot stopped and looked at the young king standing by his side. The tall thunderian nodded, pleased, when he noticed how interested Lion-O seemed to be in his words.

"…I got hurt during a mission. We had planned to stop the Mutants from getting their hands on a very powerful weapon, but our plan went wrong… it was my first assignment and all I could think about was how many mutants I would get to kill. I was so angry… I didn't follow orders and I attacked before we were supposed to.

"As you can imagine all I managed to do was to get hurt badly. I got lucky though, Bengali was able to take me back to base. It is a miracle that I survived, especially with a wound like this," the tall Thunderian said as he pulled down the neck of his gray robe and showed the king an ugly scar in the middle of his chest. "Pummyra treated my wounds and helped my body to heal… but she did more than just healing my body. She talked to me, she listened to what I had to say and helped me let go of my rage. She helped me understand that fighting was not just about releasing my rage… she helped me understand fighting was meaningless unless you fought to protect what was important to you."

"And what was so important to you back then?" Lion-O asked.

"Pummyra. I decided to fight for her years ago, to protect her and help her see her dream of a world free of Mumm-Ra a reality. That desire has not changed; it has grown so much that I would die a hundred times before letting someone hurt her," O-Celot said with a voice full of confidence; this stated, the forge master looked again at the young king and was happy to see the anger no longer in his eyes. "Well, my lord, now you know my reason to fight; how about you, do you know what you want to protect?"

"Yes… I know what I want to protect." Lion-O answered after a moment of hesitation. "Yes, I am sure of what it is I want to protect."

"That's good, then, I'll go to the Lair now. I'll be back as soon as possible. Thank you for listening to my ramblings, my king. I appreciate it." O-Celot said and finally made his way to his Skycutter.

Lion-O sat again, eyes closed, once he was alone; his mind was deep in thought as he searched for his true reason to fight. He hadn't wanted to admit it in front of O-Celot, but the truth was he didn't really know why he was fighting anymore. It had been so easy before. Back in Third Earth, he fought for the Code of Thundera and to help the inhabitants of the planet when they were in danger. But here, in New Thundera… what was he really fighting for? Keeping his people safe was his obligation and leading the Thundercats was also his responsibility, and while he welcomed both and was willing to accomplish them to the best of his abilities, he really couldn't honestly say those were his real motives to fight.

"Snarf, why did you have to die?" He muttered then. "With you here, I'm sure I could find what it is I really want to protect…"

Lion-O's eyes snapped open then. By remembering Snarf, he also remembered the oath he had made by his tomb. He had sworn to make Snarf's dreams and hopes a reality. And Snarf had hoped for a world where people could live in peace. The young king stood and took a deep breath. He'd found it. The one thing he would die to protect. The future Snarf had dreamed of, the future he also dreamed of.

"And I will make sure it comes to pass." Lion-O swore with a smile, all the anger and frustration in his heart vanishing as he finally realized what it was he wanted to protect, what his mission in life truly was. "I will never stop fighting to protect the future we both hoped for, my friend. I swear it."

To be continued…

Notes: As usual, extra thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.