Embracing dark desires

by Dr Facer

Set after Wildstorm's miniseries The Return. Mumm-Ra was defeated and now all seems to be well for the Thundercats, except for WilyKit and WilyKat who seem to be very disappointed with the current turn of events...

11. Chapter 11

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

Embracing dark desires.

By

Dr Facer

Chapter 11

-0-

The Seventh Dimension was a vast, empty space created by the magic of the Eternal Sphinx, it existed between several realities making escaping it a near impossible task, which had driven all but one of the few unfortunate enough to be trapped there to quickly fall into insanity. The one captive who had not yet succumbed to madness was a powerful, ancient wizard from a planet named Third Earth, a sworn enemy of the forces of evil and a one time ally to the Thundercats.

This man is none other than Wizz-Ra, who has spent his last few years inside this void observing the trials and tribulations of Lion-O and his people, paying special interest to a certain Thundercat with golden, black spotted hair. The sorcerer had been very attracted to Cheetara the last time he was allowed out of his mystical prison, but he had been realistic enough to understand there would be no way she could be with him. Wizz-Ra had instead chosen to observe her and her friends, though later developments taking place in the Thundercat's new planet had him extremely concerned.

The abrupt increase of darkness on New Thundera was unlike anything he had witnessed before. The influence of evil on that world had expanded like a shroud of blackness that covered everything but a small flicker of light. If he could feel it even here in the Seventh Dimension, it meant only that Mumm-Ra and his foul masters had grown beyond even the Ancient Spirits of Light he had served in the past.

"I wonder if Mumm-Rana senses this too and is planning to do something," Wizz-Ra wondered.

"Her influence is limited to guarding Third Earth," four voices replied to his thoughts. "You know goodness cannot be enforced, only protected."

The wizard stood up immediately as he recognised the presence of four powerful entities surrounding him. Then, as if to answer this, a quartet of warm, white lights took benevolent, calm-inducing shapes around him; the Ancient Spirits of Goodness had come to visit him.

"Ancient ones!" Wizz-Ra all but screamed. He had not heard from the Spirits of Goodness since before he had been trapped here. "Have you finally come to help your faithful servant?"

"Indeed, old friend; we are here to grant you your freedom," the spirits replied with a warm voice.

"The moment we have preserved you for is approaching," the first spirit said.

"Your chance to complete your destiny is almost at hand," a second affirmed.

"Which is the reason why we have granted you protection against the maddening forces of chaos that plague this cursed dimension," the third spirit said.

"Will you take our offer, Wizz-Ra?" the fourth and final entity asked.

"Yes!" the wizard answered. "And I will fulfil the destiny you have planned for me, my Lords. I swear!"

-0-

When he entered the hidden chamber behind his master's Throne Room WilyKat had fully expected to find a decaying corpse rotting inside an equally ruined coffin and was incredibly surprised to find her perfectly preserved inside a crystal sarcophagus that rested on a stone pedestal. The young wizard walked slowly until he stood besides the coffin, and spent a few seconds admiring the young woman inside it, welcoming the warmth just looking at her brought him.

It had been two years since the last time he'd seen her, and it amazed him how she still looked exactly the same; her full lips remained as inviting as he remembered them, and the white triangular mark adorning her chin was as eye-catching as he recalled; her hair was still as shiny as the last time he'd seen the nocturnal wind caressing it, and her nakedness showed him that not only had her body healed from whatever wounds it had suffered, but that it was still as fit and as lustful as he recalled.

Kat ran his fingers through her black, soft hair, smiling as he reached one of the many orange spots adorning her dark mane. "My Calico; I will bring you back, and this time no one will take you away from me."

Taking a deep breath, the young apprentice lifted his palms and started chanting the reanimation spell needed to give life back to the Flesh Puppets; he had studied it before, and he was confident his magic was strong enough now to resurrect the dead girl in front of him.

Mystical energies started filling the small room and gathered between Kat's hands, forming a glowing orb of orange light which he slowly, and without breaking his chant, lowered until it had been fully absorbed by the inanimate corpse. A final flash of light signaled the successful casting of the spell and WilyKat took a step back, waiting for his woman to return to the land of the living again.

But nothing happened. Even though the spell had been properly performed, and the magic that should have given her the energy to rise from the death had been absorbed by her body, Calico was still not breathing, and no trace of movement could be detected.

Believing the power he had infused the body with had not been enough, Kat performed the ritual again, and again the result was the same. Calico would not move.

"Am I doing something wrong?" WilyKat wondered worriedly; he knew he couldn't cast the reanimation spell again; doing so could burn her to cinders, a risk he was not willing to take.

Frustrated, the young wizard sat in front of the coffin, leaning on the wall, as he thought about a solution to the problem. Was he supposed to admit he couldn't bring her back? He refused to believe so. After gaining immortality and a massive power boost from the Snakes of Eternity his magic had increased immensely; surely a simple reanimation spell could not be beyond his grasp!

Forcing himself to calm down, the anxious young man took in a deep breath and relaxed as best as he could, trying to find a way to make his spell work. As he meditated, his thoughts drifted back, and expecting to find a clue to fix this problem he recalled his story with Calico until she was killed by those cursed space pirates…

WilyKat stood in silence on the inner balcony that overlooked the Great Temple's dimly lit inner gardens. Behind him a banquet was taking place, one that Mumm-Ra was offering to the representatives from planet Hazyel he had just finished having a meeting with not even fifteen minutes before.

Kat had been present during the reunion, as Mumm-Ra had made it clear he had to be there so he could start learning the proper ways of diplomacy. The young man had been disinterested at first, agreeing to be there simply to keep his sister safe from punishment, but as the meeting went on, WilyKat started to pay more and more attention to what was being said, as he found the way his master weaved a clever web of deceit around those fat, purple skinned politicians something very interesting, inspiring and he had to admit educational.

Kat had been impressed by how Mumm-Ra, who had chosen the guise of a middle aged man for this particular meeting, used careful subtlety and cunning in order to manipulate the visiting dignitaries until they signed a trading agreement that would be far more beneficial to him than to them; and so now, after seeing the dark wizard during a negotiation, WilyKat had to accept he wanted to learn more so he could be as effective a negotiator as the mummy had been. The young man nodded to himself, he would have to ask his master to allow him to accompany him to more of these meetings in the future, as mastering this skill could certainly be useful.

His choice made, WilyKat turned and considered going back to the dinning hall, but quickly changed his mind. He didn't have a seat, and Mumm-Ra would probably be upset if he entered the room uninvited. The problem was that unlike his master, who didn't have to eat, but could, WilyKat did require nourishment, and he was currently starving.

It was then that he noticed two maids walking out of the dinning hall, one of them pushed a cart with empty plates, while the other carried an elegant silver platter, which Kat recognized as the one Mumm-Ra had waiting for him on his seat. The food was untouched, which meant his master had gotten away not eating in front of the guests. It also meant that he could have something to eat without leaving his post.

"Can you please wait for a second?" WilyKat called. The girls stopped and waited until he was close enough. "I noticed that plate still has food. Lord Mumm-Ra didn't eat, did he?"

"No, the corpse didn't even touch the food, unsurprisingly," one of the maids, a pretty jaguar clan girl replied quickly, she tried her best to sound polite, but couldn't completely hide the harshness in her voice. "Why?"

WilyKat felt the need to remind the girl of the proper way to call Mumm-Ra, but he decided she wasn't hurting anyone and let it go. "I'm kind of hungry, and I thought you wouldn't mind letting me have his food. It's best than throwing it away, don't you think?"

"If you want it, take it," the jaguar girl said with a smile as she offered the plate. "Eat it all."

"Wait, don't eat it!" the other maid interjected, keeping her voice low. This one was a member of the Wildcat clan, roughly the same age as WilyKat. "It's poisoned!"

"I see…" WilyKat, who had been about to grab the plate, said as he returned it. "Why did you want me to eat this? I haven't done anything to you."

The jaguar maid smirked. "It would have been a fitting end for a turncoat like you."

"Please excuse my friend's rudeness, lord WilyKat," the Wildcat maid pleaded, standing in front of her friend. "Mumm-Ra was her target, not you… please forgive her for trying to do something like this, she…"

"I'll let it pass this time, but I think it's best if you leave now," Kat interrupted her while staring at the maid with a serious expression on his face.

Gratitude evident in the face of the Wildcat maid, she bowed and grabbed her companion as she quickly dragged her away from there.

"Who cares that he's a noble of your clan? You should have let him eat the food!" the jaguar maid declared viciously as they departed, not caring that WilyKat could still hear them.

When the two maids turned around the corner, WilyKat finally leaned on a column and lowered his head in disappointment. This was not the first time he had heard women like them talk about him in such manner. Every girl he had tried to approach had rejected him and some of them had even told him to his face how much they hated him and that he was a traitor, so he was already used to this.

Being accustomed to this type of rejection, however, did not mean he liked it, or that he enjoyed being alone.

"I just wish I could meet someone who understands…" WilyKat sighed, hating the way his loneliness made him feel. He knew it wasn't his fault those women were ignorant stupid, so he could not blame them for acting like they did. All he could hope now was that perhaps, some day he would meet a girl smart enough to understand his situation. He could wait until then.

Focusing on his watch duty, Kat managed to forget about the event with the maids, and instead pondered the possibility of telling Mumm-Ra who had poisoned his food. He discarded the idea, of course, as he would win nothing by doing so. It was then that a hint of movement on the dark gardens caught his eye, and he stood really still, paying close attention to it.

The Jackals Mumm-Ra had brought to act as guardians were not patrolling the inner garden, so it could not be any of them, as they were all busy watching the main entrance or the roofs. The rebels couldn't be behind it, either; Bengali had been gone for months and he knew from his sister that Pummyra was trapped in an eternal sleep inside a mountain somewhere north, so there was no rebel leader out there capable of organizing anything so complex as an attack on the Temple.

So what, or rather who, was down there?

The large bushes full of black lotus flowers on the corner of the garden moved again, and this time a flash of something glittered under the moonlight. There was someone hiding in the garden, Kat was sure of it. And for the looks of it, whoever it was planned to strike from there as soon as their target climbed down the stairs. WilyKat decided not to chance it, so he walked to a nearby pillar and pulled a lever hidden behind a crimson banner of the Twin Snakes of Eternity. It was a silent alarm Vultureman had installed, and would alert the Jackals about trouble in the inner garden.

WilyKat spared a glance behind him, and found that Mumm-Ra was already standing by the door, motioning for him to approach.

"I felt some pests have entered my gardens, boy," the wizard whispered on WilyKat's ear. "Good job on activating the alarm; it gave me time to place a spell so the scandal below doesn't get to our guests' ears, but do make sure the jackals capture whoever is down there. Don't let them kill anyone; I really want to interrogate the people who were stupid enough to try this. And don't forget, if you don't do this well… your sister will have to pay for it. Is it clear?"

WilyKat nodded. "Yes, my Lord. It is clear."

"Good. Now go there and do what I asked you," saying no more, the wizard turned back and returned to the table, where he pretended to be extremely interested in the conversation there.

His sister's wellbeing at the front of his mind, Kat rushed to the edge of the balcony and jumped down to the garden, joining Jackalman and seven of his men who had already arrived. To WilyKat's surprise, the arrival of the canines had caused seven cloaked Thunderians to jump out of the bushes; their weapons held high and ready to fight. Without any warning, the rebels did just that, jumping at the Jackals in a mad attempt at escaping. WilyKat carefully stepped aside; he still had some regrets for what he had done to Bengali, and did not want to get involved in the fight unless it was unavoidable.

The rebels' attack was quickly crushed though, and WilyKat forced himself not to look away as Jackalman and his men swiftly restrained the Thunderians; breaking legs, arms and ribs as they incapacitated all the rebels with as much brutality as possible.

All the rebels except for one; one who had managed to dance around the jackal soldiers and had even managed to wound two of them with a pair of kidney daggers she wielded with great skill. WilyKat noticed that this mysterious person was actually a woman, and observed with great interest the way she moved. When the Jackalmen finally managed to circle her, the woman in black clothes sheathed her knives and quickly jumped back, doing then something that Kat found quite impressive: she threw aside her cloak mid-jump and by the time she landed a few steps away, she was holding a triple crossbow at the ready.

"She's using the weapons of the Hunters guild," Kat murmured. "And she's skilled with them."

The female took quick aim and let three arrows fly; unlike what WilyKat had expected, she had aimed them at him and not at the Jackal soldiers. Kat, with reflexes and speed born both from his years training as a Thundercat and under the watchful eye of his evil master reacted immediately and quickly rolled to the side, easily dodging the arrows.

The woman, obviously not expecting Kat would be able to dodge her attack at such a close distance, was distracted long enough to be tackled down by Jackalman himself, who knocked her out with a savage punch to the jaw before she could try to do anything else.

"I'm going to kill her!" Jackalman swore as he reached for his axe.

"No! She and the others will be taken to the Pyramid. Mumm-Ra said he wanted to question them," WilyKat interrupted and stared firmly at Jackalman, who grudgingly tossed the unconscious girl to one of his men. Kat waited a moment more, to make was sure Jackalman wouldn't murder the woman the moment he turned his head; after that, he headed back to the Dinning Hall, easily ignoring the curses the rebels threw at him.

Mumm-Ra was already waiting for him in the upper corridor, and started asking questions about the captured rebels as soon as he got to his side. The wizard showed great interest on the 'Hunter guild' the moment WilyKat mentioned it, and immediately demanded more information about it, to which Kat responded by mentioning the abilities of that guild's members as spies and silent assassins, abilities the Kings of Old Thundera had sometimes relied on. His curiosity sated, Mumm-Ra gave a nod to Kat and congratulated him for a job well done; after that, the mummy returned to where the Hazyel diplomats waited.

Hours later…

WilyKat had found it impossible to stop thinking about the mysterious hunter girl, mostly because he could not comprehend why she had attacked him, so once he and Mumm-Ra had returned to the Pyramid, he made his way to the interrogation rooms where they had questioned her. She was no longer there, but he got the report on what the mutants had managed to find out about her and was eagerly reading it: She had initially only revealed her name, age and clan, but after experiencing the horror of Slithe's Warp gas she ended up confessing where the last remnants of Pummyra's failed rebel group where hiding and, while the mutants were overjoyed to have the location, Kat had been more interested in her personal information.

"So, her name is Calico," He murmured; he already knew by her looks that she was from the Stray clan and that she had been trained by members of the hunter guild thanks to the weapons she used, but was surprised to learn she was almost three years older than him, as at first glance he had believed her to be actually younger.

"You seem to be very interested in that woman," WilyKit accused as she sat next to her twin and spied at what he was reading. "Why is a member of that nomad clan so interesting?"

"The Stray clan is an offshoot of our own," Kat answered. "It might be interesting to talk to her."

"Well, don't get too attached to that rebel," his sister advised. "We won't see her again once the master decides what to do with her… if she's incredibly lucky she might end up working at the farms, but…"

"She probably won't," WilyKat interrupted. "Don't worry Kit; I'm curious, not a fool."

"I didn't say you were, my dear brother," she said softly, kissing her twin on the cheek. "I wish I could stay with you, Kat. But you know I have an assignment for today and I better do it well."

"I wish you could stay, too. But we can't risk Mumm-Ra getting angry at us, sister," WilyKat agreed with a sigh. "Good luck with the Narciss Queen, I understand she's very… special."

"Yes, she is. At least she does like me; it makes entertaining her easier," Kit admitted. "I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

Kat nodded and waited for his sister to leave; unlike other times when she had been sent on a mission, WilyKat was not truly worried about her then; his twin had proved quite capable at pretending to be the queen of the planet, and he knew the Narciss sovereigns were very fond of her, which guaranteed she would have it easy. Feeling calm as he knew WilyKit wouldn't be in danger, Kat's thoughts drifted back to the attractive hunter once again and he finally decided a visit to satisfy his curiosity would be necessary.

The Black Pyramid cells were small cubicles carved on black stone and were located quite close to Mumm-Ra's underground arena. These cells, in Kat's opinion, were the darkest, coldest and positively most claustrophobic holes he had ever seen; he'd spent days locked in one of them years ago when he talked back to Mumm-Ra so he knew how terrible being a prisoner here was. Kat shrugged off the memory and continued walking; he found the cell where she was kept at quickly and he was not surprised of the state he found her in.

She was curled into a ball and had pressed herself against the far wall of the cell; she was trembling and in obvious pain. He stood motionless for a moment, wondering what he should say.

"Hello… how are you feeling?" he finally asked.

"Go die in a swamp, traitor!" she shot back, her voice pained, but filled with burning anger.

"I am not a traitor," Kat replied, struggling to remain calm. Her calling him traitor had almost sparked a bout of anger, but he had managed to keep his temper under control. "I just thought that maybe you would like someone to talk to; I know solitary confinement down here can be quite… disturbing."

She didn't reply and instead turned her back to him. Kat stood there for a long while, asking questions she never answered. Eventually, the young man gave up and went back to his chambers.

But he did return the following day.

"I believe you would like to clean up," Kat said, leaving a bucket full of clean water and a sponge near enough to the bars of her cell. "I've also brought you some medicine, and I do suggest you take it unless you want to risk an infection."

"You brought me medicine? I bet it's just poison," She hissed, still sitting facing the wall, not letting him see her face. "And I'm not letting a disgusting pervert like you see me bathe. It's already bad enough your mutant friends took my clothes when they tortured me."

"Heh… I guess a brave member of the hunter guild like you can deal with being covered in sweat, dry blood and dirt," Kat mocked. He couldn't help but smirk a little, she was still being hostile, but she was at least talking to him.

Her response to his remark was a string of insults that would have made a drunk mutant proud and Kat simply laughed at it. He then tried to start a conversation, but was again unsuccessful, so he let her be. He returned later that night and found her sleeping. Unsurprisingly, she had cleaned up and had taken the bundle of medicine he had left for her. WilyKat smiled, perhaps he could get pass her stubborn nature after all.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him suddenly one day. "Not bringing me medicine and food and water, no… I want to know why, why are you helping Mumm-Ra? You are a Thundercat; you should be fighting for us!"

"The Thundercats are no more, Calico," Kat responded. She had started to talk to him sparingly after the fifth day, and while she had not talked about herself, she had criticized the mutants with him, and had even smirked when he had compared Slithe to a fat frog. This question, though, was a difficult one to answer in a way that wouldn't get her mad at him, something he wanted to avoid at all costs. "We… they did fight, as hard as they could. But it was not enough. And you must admit things are better now."

"Better! Are you insane?" she screamed in a fit of rage. "Mumm-Ra has turned us into disposable slaves he uses as he sees fit, Mutant warriors treat us like trash everyday, hundreds of our people are dying of Thundranium poisoning on the mines, we get executed if we dare to even look a Mutant in the eye, our life is HELL!"

"No, it isn't!" Kat argued. "If you behave your life will be good enough! Look at the farmers, they are even allowed a salary! And what about the merchants who trade in the Capital? As long as they pay their share to Lord Mumm-Ra, no one will bother them! The mines are bad, granted, but only those who deserve it are sent there!"

"You can't understand how much our people are suffering, can you?" she asked, piercing him with a cold stare. "It doesn't surprise me."

"It is you who don't understand," he retorted. "Mumm-Ra has given us order! Because of him we have a thriving civilization, ready to achieve its full potential!"

"You must be a fool if you swallow Mumm-Ra's lies like that."

"Realizing what is best for our world does not make me a fool, Calico."

"No, it just makes you blind, WilyKat. Have you forgotten the Code of Thundera?"

"That Code doesn't work anymore, and it never did," Kat answered. "What good is the Code if the other Thundercats broke it when Mumm-Ra defeated them?"

"They wouldn't do that, and you know it!" the hunter shot back. "It isn't their fault you are so weak minded that you believe anything that blue corpse says!"

WilyKat stared at her, anger swelling inside him, he was used to be confronted like this, but he found her accusations incredibly irritating. Not feeling like listening to Calico's inane preaching anymore, Kat stood up and walked out of the cell ward.

Despite their disagreement, Kat had continued visiting her, and making sure to keep their exchanges away from topics he found uncomfortable to talk about, he was finally able to find a balance that allowed him to carry long conversations with her. This continuous contact, however, slowly turned WilyKat's interest on Calico, which had been at first just that of having someone other than his sister to talk to, towards something deeper and stronger. As the days went by, Kat started to admire the girl's fiery personality and sharp mind, and he also noticed her finely tuned figure and the pretty features of her face more and more, even her voice started to sound nicer and inviting. His attraction for her grew to the point where he started to wonder if, eventually, she would actually accept him as more than a friend on her own free will.

"Old Thundera blowing up was the end for the Hunters Guild, you know? The earthquakes destroyed all the hunting grounds we worked on," Calico remembered one day, after WilyKat asked her what her life had been like on their old planet. "The Guild was made from Thunderians of all clans, but we Stray were the predominant one. We had devoted to the hunt for generations! It was only natural that we led it."

"Did all of you escape Old Thundera?"

"Most of us did, we ended up in a planet called Roustious; not a bad place, really; it had plenty of forests full of big quadruped animals we could hunt. I actually finished my early training there, like I said, not a bad place for a young hunter girl to live, I actually regret answering the signal that called us here…"

"Were you given membership to the Guild?" Kat asked, ignoring her last statement and moving the conversation away from something that could end up in them having another argument.

"Huh? No, no I wasn't. The Hunters Guild was already operating without royal consent before Old Thundera exploded. King Claudis never gave us his sanction and nobody in Roustious could grant us one… it is hilarious now but we actually tried to get a sanction here from Lion-O, but your three older friends told us he wasn't available and that there was no need for our guild anymore, they even suggested we became rangers and protected the forests, rangers! Can you believe it? Our guild had never been so insulted, I can tell you that!"

"I remember it, I wasn't there at the time but I heard about it from Tygra," Kat recalled. "And then nothing; the last I heard about the hunters was that you tried to protect the Capital the night Mumm-Ra's mutant army conquered it."

"It was a matter of pride. By doing what the Thundercat nobles couldn't, we showed them that they should have recognized us," Calico explained with little enthusiasm. "We didn't make a difference in the end, but we did kill many Mutants that night."

"How many did you kill, if any?" WilyKat asked while making a mental note of mentioning Calico's apparent disdain for Panthro and the other nobles to Mumm-Ra, something he, of course, did later that day; he had been reporting most of what he talked about with Calico to the dark wizard, in exchange of permission to continue seeing her and hoping that it could convince the dark wizard to let her live. That she still felt insulted for what had happened between her Guild and the nobles did surprise him, though; he didn't think Calico would be the type of woman to hold a grudge for so long, perhaps her pride and not her stubbornness was her weakness. He would have to remember mention that to his master, too.

"I only killed five, but I wounded at least ten," she said, her voice tinted with shame. "But my aim was off during the battle because I couldn't find a good place to shoot from!"

"My sister and I knocked out about thirty each, if I remember correctly," WilyKat boasted.

"Knocked out? You bested thirty soldiers in combat and you didn't finish them?" Calico frowned. "Why didn't you kill them, were you too young to carry that burden?"

"Thundercats never kill unless there is no other choice," Kat clarified. "I was a Thundercat back then."

"Ah, yes, I had forgotten about that rule of yours. A most stupid one to follow in times of war or in the middle of a battle," she said and waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway… you should leave. I'm sure you have better things to do than rubbing on my face how many Mutant soldiers you defeated… besides, you have no real reason to talk to me, so go away."

"Actually I… no, I don't really have better things to do. And I talk to you because I was impressed by what you did when you attacked us. You are a very skilled warrior."

Calico snorted in annoyance. "Warriors are foolish and too proud of their physical strength. I'm a hunter; I stalk and move unseen by my prey before I kill it. Learn the difference. And yes, I am skilled with the weapons of my Guild. Want to try me? I could easily ambush you and gut you with my knives like I would a jungle Brearr from Roustious, or I could fill your hide with arrows before you knew what was happening."

"Don't overestimate yourself, Calico; you couldn't hit me when you attacked me, and you wouldn't be a match for me if I ever fought you for real," Kat stated defiantly. "And besides, it would be a shame to ruin the face of someone as beautiful as you."

"Beautiful? You consider me attractive?" the hunter girl found that too difficult to believe. "I-is that what this is all about?"

"Yes, Calico, I think you're very attractive, and I like you. I was wondering if you would like to…"

"Shut up!" Calico interjected, her voice filled with disgust. "I'm not one of your master's whores and I never will be! I would rather die than being with a traitor like you!"

"But we've been talking everyday for almost a month! I thought that…!"

"The only reason I even talk to you is because it's better than rotting here alone!" Calico snapped "I see that it was a mistake!"

"If you're with me Mumm-Ra may consider sparing your life," WilyKat offered, not really believing she was rejecting him. He had done everything right, hadn't he? He had listened to her, kept her company and even gave her medicine and other attentions! Why was she refusing him? Why wouldn't she give him a chance to show her how good he could be for her?

"Then let that rotting bag of bones kill me!" she spat with a tone of absolute rage. "Listen to me WilyKat… I will never, ever touch you! I will never touch you as long as I live!"

"I… I should have expected that from a slave like you," WilyKat answered with a whisper. Nothing else left to be said between them, the young man left, trying to understand why her rejection was hurting him so much.

The next day, WilyKat did not find Calico in her cell. Fearing the worst, the young man ran back to the Throne Room, where he found Mumm-Ra sitting on his throne and lazily petting Ma-Mutt.

"What do you want, boy? I did not summon you," the wizard inquired with a tone of irritation.

WilyKat froze and swallowed; then, struggling against his fear, managed to ask. "That captured rebel I've been talking to is not in her cell, w-where is she?"

"Whatever I do with my possessions is not of your concern," the mummy answered, amused.

"But…"

"You will see her again, and I'm sure you will be surprised," Mumm-Ra then leaned forward and smiled wickedly. "I have great expectations for a woman with her talents, and I'm sure after I'm finished with her she will not disappoint me. Now go, kitten, and don't bother me."

WilyKat obeyed and walked out of the Throne Room but almost immediately returned, hiding behind the doors. He did it right in time to see Mumm-Ra entering one of the side corridors and after hesitating for a moment, he stealthily followed. The young man had been too scared to defy his master's orders for years, but this time he chose to ignore the wizard's commands. Besides, the wizard had only asked him not to bother him; he didn't say a thing about not following him.

Slithering, WilyKat arrived to the embalming room where the immortal one created the Flesh Puppets. He did not enter it, however, and instead pressed himself against the wall and peeked inside the chamber to find Calico tied to the large stone bed Flesh Puppets were mummified on. A closer look revealed to the male twin that the woman was not dead, and that she had been gagged in a way she could not emit even the slightest sound.

For an instant, Kat considered entering the room and demanding Mumm-Ra stopped whatever he was planning to do, he was already about to jump in, but a sudden burst of fear kept him still and quiet, he couldn't risk Mumm-Ra's fury, not with his sister's life on the balance. And so, the young man watched in horror how the wizard raised his hands to the air and started chanting a spell he was not familiar with.

"That's… that's not the spell to create a Flesh Puppet!" WilyKat whispered, fear for Calico spreading inside him like a plague. "What is Mumm-Ra going to do…?"

Just then, a dark figure materialized from the shadows in front of Mumm-Ra. The figure was that of a beautiful, but pale woman with hair as black as night and eyes that glistered with a sinister yellow glow. The female folded the large moth wings adorning her back and touched ground gracefully. She leaned on her large staff and dropped to one knee.

"Oh, Greatest Servant of the Ancient Spirits of Evil, Immortal source of grief and darkness, Wise priest of destruction, The Obsidian Witch Itzpapalotl has answered your call," the winged woman greeted. "What can this lowly servant of the Ancient Spirits of Evil do for you? It's been centuries since we last met."

"Rise, my friend," Mumm-Ra invited and once the witch was back on her feet, the wizard signaled to the panicked hunter tied to the ceremonial stone slate. "I'm in need of your talents. I require you to turn this woman into one of your children."

The witch grinned with anticipation and circled Calico a couple of times, studying her attentively as she did so. "I feel she has a deep resentment and rage lurking inside her… and she enjoys hunting, stalking and killing, too! I'm afraid she doesn't have the traits to be one of my own, but I can turn her into a Jigarkhwar, would that suffice? I can also make her fully obedient to any command you give her if you want me to."

Mumm-Ra considered this for a moment, and then laughed, obviously pleased by the offer. "Yes, it would be more than enough, do it, but regarding that obedience spell, I want you to…"

Kat couldn't hear the rest of what Mumm-Ra said or see what happened next, for the dark witch spread her wings wide, hiding both the evil wizard and Calico from view. Defeated and furious because he could not do anything to stop whatever his master and that winged woman were doing, the former Thundercat crawled back to the Throne Room, trying his best to ignore the piercing screams of agony that started filling the corridor as he did so.

Later, at dusk…

WilyKat knew quite well why Mumm-Ra had just summoned him to the Cauldron room and was not surprised when he found his master waiting for him, standing at his usual spot before the boiling waters with a satisfied expression on his horrid face. What Kat did not expect was to find Calico, wearing her old black cape and gray clothes, standing slightly behind him. He observed her attentively, searching for signs of damage but he found nothing.

"Your friend here has had a change of heart since you last saw her," the sorcerer said, placing a bony hand on Calico's shoulder. "She will now be glad to cooperate with me without hesitation, won't you, my doll?"

WilyKat didn't miss the special emphasis on the word 'doll' or the way Calico's eyes glassed over slightly when she heard it.

"Yes, lord Mumm-Ra," the huntress answered, her voice slightly dull and mechanical. "I will do my best to serve you."

"W-what did you do to her?" WilyKat asked, he already knew about the change, but wanted to know exactly what that witch had done to Calico.

"I offered her a chance to join me, of course. She refused at first but after meeting an old friend of mine she finally agreed to join us. A wise choice, I might add."

"Did your friend kill her?" WilyKat inquired with a whisper; Calico was apparently unhurt, but he knew what he had seen and was worried for her.

The ancient mummy laughed, amused by his young servant's obvious concern. "She didn't kill her. This girl is now one of the undead. Her mind and memories, even her full skills as a hunter remain the same. She is basically the same person, the only difference is that she has pledged her allegiance to me."

"Does that mean…?" Kat started.

"What I told you before, she will be helping me with something I need done," Mumm-Ra grinned. "And she will do a great job, I'm sure of it. Now, my boy, I imagine your curiosity is satisfied, right? Leave us then, I have to give further instructions to my new doll and I don't want to be interrupted."

WilyKat stood still for a moment, more questions crying to be asked behind his firmly shut lips. Finally understanding that he would not get more information even if he asked, the young man turned and returned to his chambers.

During the following month, WilyKat listened about how Calico easily located, infiltrated and helped assassinate the remnants of Pummyra's rebellion. All of this had pleased Mumm-Ra greatly, for the rebels, sans maybe five, had all been eliminated in such a way that an absolute fear had taken hold of the hearts of the slaves, ensuring that none of them would try to form a rebellion again. The fact that Pummyra and Bengali were no longer there helped as well, as no other leader had emerged to take their place.

The one thing WilyKat noticed that he didn't understand completely was Calico's new tendency to leave the pyramid mostly at nights, as well as her avoiding sunlight as much as she could. That the mutants had started rumors about Calico's strength, speed and the ruthless savagery she exhibited in battle had not disturbed him, as he considered them stupid exaggerations; the rumors stating how she enjoyed ripping out and eating the liver of the rebels she defeated were, on the other hand, something he did find completely unnerving and more impossible than the others.

Several days later, not too long after the last of the rebels were gone…

WilyKat entered Mumm-Ra's throne room with cautious steps, he had returned from the Capital not too long ago, and while he had been successful on his assignment, he still feared he had made a mistake that he would be forced to pay for now. He found the wizard sitting in his throne, leaning back while examining a silver and gold necklace. Calico was there too, sitting on the steps leading to an upper chamber of the Pyramid and looking completely bored. The wizard motioned for him to approach, and Kat obeyed immediately.

"You did a good job with the representatives from Trilesh; I didn't think you would be able to convince those stupid bovines to agree with our terms for the trading arrangements I desired; well done, child, you have actually surprised me!" the wizard appraised. "I see taking you with me during the meetings I've had with every greedy diplomat I've dealt with has finally bore fruit."

"Thank you my lord, I'm pleased to be of service to you," Kat said as he bowed, receiving praise from Mumm-Ra was not something strange from him, as the mummy had given it before, but this time it was different and more enjoyable for the male twin, as he had never received it for something that required him to mediate with dignitaries from other worlds. WilyKat felt very pleased with himself about this, and it helped him to completely forget the remnants of anger he felt anytime he remembered what his master had done to Calico months ago.

"I believe you deserve a reward for your efforts, my young servant, and I think I do have the right one just here."

"What do you mean…?"

"Come closer, girl," the dark lord ordered, calling Calico with a gesture of his hand. The girl quickly did as she was told, and stood motionless a few steps away from WilyKat.

"What do you need, my lord?" she asked then, waiting for further commands.

"While you will continue to work for me loyally for as long as I desire, you will now belong to my young servant here," he instructed. "You will be at his side and you will obey his every command, no matter what it might be; is it clear, my doll?"

Calico visibly tensed at the new orders she had been given, but once again her eyes glassed over and she nodded her agreement in the end. By the expression on her face, however, it was clear she was not happy. "I'll try to do my best to work with you… Master WilyKat." She then leaned forward and whispered on his ear. "But only because Lord Mumm-Ra demands it."

WilyKat took a step to the side and ignored her words, focusing instead on the grinning mummy in front of him. "You're giving her to me… why? I don't…"

"Be glad that I'm even letting you have her! I could have simply destroyed her when her job was done instead of saving her for you," the dark wizard interrupted, the power present in his voice reminding WilyKat it was always best not to question him.

"I-I'm sorry, sire; I regret my poor behavior," WilyKat apologized. "I was simply overwhelmed by your generosity."

"Fine choice of words, boy. I accept your apology." The mummy smiled sinisterly then. "If she gives you trouble, remind her she's your doll now and she will behave."

"Lord Mumm-Ra why are you telling him that, I…!" Calico argued, her voice alarmed and scared.

"Shut up, doll. Don't forget your place unless you want to spend a full day in the sun!" the dark wizard threatened. "You were given an order and you will follow it. Now, leave."

The threat made Calico lower her head and take a step back, shaking slightly in fear, something WilyKat easily noted. Understanding it would be best to leave before upsetting their master further; Kat bowed and grabbed Calico's hand, dragging her out of the Throne room and into the dark corridors of the Pyramid.

"Let me go, we're far enough from the Throne room already!" she demanded as she stopped and retrieved her hand in as rude a way as possible. "Just because Lord Mumm-Ra says I must work with you doesn't give you the right to touch me!"

"I'm sorry…" He apologized. He continued staring at her, though; Kat had not seen her this close since she had been inside her cell, and was surprised to find that he still enjoyed observing her this much.

"What are you staring at; do I have something on my face?" Calico hissed, obviously not pleased by the way he kept looking at her.

"No, there's nothing wrong with you, quite the contrary, in fact…" he offered, taking a step towards her, hoping she would allow him to at least do that.

"Don't get any closer unless you want me to hurt you," she warned; her voice a low murmur filled with venom. "I still hate you and no matter what the master said, that won't change. And you better not dare to talk to me unless it's for something important, it's the only way I might tolerate this punishment!"

WilyKat frowned; she was rejecting him even now that Mumm-Ra had made it clear she had to obey him? Had she not heard the wizard's words?

"You are supposed to obey me," he reminded her. "And I want you to stay here and talk to me."

"I'm afraid that won't do," she mocked. "That's not the proper way to make me obey you."

"Am I supposed to say please and thank you?" Kat answered harshly, he was starting to feel fed up with the huntress' attitude towards him.

"Do you expect me to tell you?" the undead woman laughed. "I'm stuck with you, WilyKat, but you will have to find out how to make me obey. In the meantime, I'll just do as I please until the master needs me. I might even talk to you one of these days, if I feel generous!"

"Wait! Don't go…"

Ignoring him, Calico walked away, disappearing into the shadowy corridors while still laughing at the young, confused man she left behind.

Several days later...

WilyKat sat alone in the Pyramid's library. He had been trying to remove Calico from his mind by studying some of the old magic scrolls there, but he had ended up doing research on undead creatures; he, unfortunately, could not find anything about the Jigarkhwar. Other than the name of what Calico was now, he really didn't know anything else, and he desperately wanted more information. He had not found the courage to ask her about it the few times she had talked to him and even after he figured out the key word to make her obey, he still hadn't found it in him to force her do something of that magnitude.

The reason why he had not asked her or forced her was quite simple: WilyKat's feelings for her had only gotten stronger since the moment he saw her again. But now that he could, he doubted when he considered acting upon those feelings. Was it alright for him to make her love him? Calico obviously valued whatever free will Mumm-Ra had left her with far more than anything else; so even if he had the power to completely dominate her with a single word, the idea of controlling her and taking that away from her felt wrong.

But the temptation was always there, and her constant rejections made it very difficult for him to resist it.

As a result of these conflicting thoughts, WilyKat had started spending longer periods of time around Mumm-Ra or at the library, reading the ancient scrolls the evil wizard had authorized him to, teaching himself on the archaic languages he needed to read other, older documents he was interested in. He had, much to his shame, already tested Calico's obedience by ordering her to clean his room and after that having her spend a full night guarding WilyKit's door; Kat had even momentarily entertained the idea of forcing her to kiss him, but in the end he did not go for it. He simply couldn't take advantage of her, especially since her obedience was nothing but the result of the obedience spell that was placed on her when she was turned into an undead.

"You have been avoiding me, WilyKat. That is supposed to be my job not yours."

Kat looked back as he placed a scroll he had been reading on its place and found Calico standing right in front of him. The woman was looking at him with her usual condescending smirk, something WilyKat didn't like at all. If Calico had attempted to start the conversation with a joke to lighten the mood, she had failed completely.

"Didn't you want to talk to me? If you don't talk to me, I will ask the master to take me back," she warned with a mocking tone that irritated the young man to no end. "Perhaps that is what you want, no? I'm not surprised; a pathetic little child like you would never know what to do with a woman like me."

"Why are you asking me those things? You always ignore me! And why should I answer you?" WilyKat demanded. He was already slightly upset, and both her insults and she considering him a child had really struck him the wrong way. "You call me pathetic? Look at you! You are nothing but a mindless creature with no will of your own; you're just like a Flesh Puppet, you shouldn't even be questioning me at all!"

"I'm not a puppet!" Calico yelled back, her eyes flaring yellow as she bared her fangs, which WilyKat noticed were slightly longer than before, in a surprising fit of anger. "And don't you ever again compare me with one of the Puppets, I'm not like them!"

"How Should I know not to do that? You never talk to me," Kat stated as he stood straighter, deciding that she was not going to intimidate him.

"Do you want to talk? Fine, let's talk! Do you really think I'm a mindless corpse, you sad excuse of a Thunderian?" she asked while pointing at him. "Do you even know what I have become, or the kind of power I was granted?"

"I do know," Kat replied, his face turned to the left so he wouldn't have to look at the eerie yellow glow in her eyes. "The master called a witch and she turned you into something she called a… Jigarkhwar?"

"Mistress Itzpapalotl is more than just a witch, she's the Queen of the Night. And yes, she did bless me with her gift." strangely enough, the huntress had relaxed completely as she explained that, for apparently alluding to the witch had calmed her down. "She made me better, WilyKat. Thanks to her I will always live."

"Are you immortal like the master?" WilyKat asked, giving in to his own curiosity.

"No, of course not. But as long as I feed, I won't die, nor age."

WilyKat ignored the fact that Mumm-Ra had refused to have him and his sister turned into creatures like Calico and instead focused in the one thing that he had heard whispers about. "Feed? What do you need to eat?"

"The liver of someone young," Calico answered, her voice serious and cold. "I must get it from a living creature and eat one at least once every month or…"

"Or what?"

"Or I will fall into a deep sleep and I won't wake up until someone feeds me blood."

"You're a vampyr," the former Thundercat stated, recalling old legends from Third earth he had listened from the Warrior Maidens. "That explains why you don't like going out during the day. Can sunlight kill you?"

"I don't know what a vampyr is; as far as I know, I am now one of the undead," she corrected, sounding slightly offended at being confused with something she did not know anything about. "And while sunlight hurts a lot, it can't kill me, it only makes me weak."

"Do you like it?" Kat wondered, looking attentively at her.

"I've… gotten used to it," she told him flatly. "I hated what I became at first, but it doesn't bother me much, now."

"…Mumm-Ra mentioned you refused his offer," Kat remembered. "Tell me about it."

"I was stupid when I did that," she replied. "I could've stayed normal had I accepted. But I did not, and I paid with pain for my mistake. When my… change was complete, Mumm-Ra started talking, explaining his reasons for doing what he did and also what he plans to do. As I listened to him all I could feel was hate and anger, but when he finished talking he said that cursed key word and I couldn't refuse him! Obeying Mumm-Ra is an absolute for me and I hate it!"

"Then why don't you do something about it? It isn't as easy as you first though, is it?" WilyKat asked her, trying to make her see that their situations were similar after all and that she shouldn't blame him for never escaping Mumm-Ra before.

"I have no choice but to serve him. I'm a monster! I've even started enjoying killing the Thunderians out there in the city, WilyKat! To me they're starting to look more and more like cattle I can feed on… and Mumm-Ra would kill me if I try to escape!" she cried, despair returning to her voice. "And even if I escaped nobody would accept me!"

"You're wrong, because I accept you, Calico," WilyKat assured her, reaching for her to try and offer her comfort. "I don't care what you are now, I still want you."

"Why are you telling me those things?" the huntress asked, flinching back to avoid him.

"…Because I still have feelings for you! And those feelings have only gotten stronger," WilyKat admitted after a short pause. "I-I love you, Calico. Don't you think that maybe you could be with me now?"

"Being with you? Never! Even if we stand on the same side now, I'd still rather drink sewage than touching you," the huntress firmly stated as her voice grew cold like the winter wind. "I will never love you, WilyKat. For me you are nothing but a weak coward and I despise you! You useless…"

"Shut up, you ingrate!" WilyKat interrupted her, being rejected again by this woman, the only one he had truly developed honest feelings for, even when she was supposed to obey his every command was exasperating and angering him more than anything he could recently remember. Why couldn't Calico accept him? He could simply not understand!

"I tell you how I feel and this is how you respond?" WilyKat growled; his frustration and scornfulness rising under her hateful stare. "How can you be so ungrateful? I'm the only one who cared about you when you were in that cell, and I'm the only one left who will accept you as you are now! You are nothing Calico! All you are is a doll! My doll! The least you could do is love me! You must love me more than anyone else! I deserve at least that much!"

WilyKat waited for her to answer, but she remained as silent as a tomb.

"How I wish I hadn't met you!" a furious Kat spat as he walked past the young hunter, tired of waiting for her answer and too angry to realize he had used the key word, he didn't notice the way Calico's features had slowly started to soften.

Later that night, WilyKat woke up to the feeling of someone softly caressing his face and neck. He opened his eyes to find that somebody had lit the candles of his chambers. His eyes adjusted to the dim light, revealing to him a gorgeous figure kneeling at his side.

"Calico what are you doing here?" a surprised WilyKat asked, trying to get up but being stopped immediately as she climbed on top of him and leaned on his chest.

"I'm doing what you ordered me, master WilyKat," she whispered on his ear. "I'm loving you, and I swear I'll love you more than anything or anyone."

"But you don't… not like this! I didn't mean it…!" but WilyKat couldn't finish his sentence, Calico's lips on his own silenced him with a savage, hungry kiss. Any further protests the young man could have made died quickly in the warm embrace of the huntress.

Despite being deeply troubled by what he had done to Calico, actually forcing her to love him during his fit of rage, WilyKat found that he could not order her to stop. Having Calico doting on him had turned into a source of company and completeness that he had being lacking for years, and he grudgingly admitted that he was grateful to Mumm-Ra for this. But sometimes, when she rested in his arms and whispered words of love and devotion to him, the guilt got too strong and he ended up leaving her side, spending hours or even a full day inside the library or in combat training at the inner arena of the Pyramid, trying to get rid of the immense remorse haunting him.

His relationship with Calico was not to last for long, however, as she was violently murdered less than two weeks after their first night together. The huntress had been sent to investigate the actions of Captain Cracker's robotic pirates, who had been causing trouble at the Mutant's Space Ports, and was rewarded with an incendiary cracker grenade by her efforts, which had apparently burned her to cinders.

In the end, Mumm-Ra had been forced to deal personally with the mechanical pirates, frying them all with a barrage of lighting. WilyKat, despite his best efforts, could not find and recover Calico's body, resigning himself to losing her. Deeply affected by the loss, WilyKat decided that from that point on his only priority would be doing all in his power to make sure that his sister, the only person he still cared about, survived and remained safe.

Forcing the memories away, WilyKat once again analyzed the situation. He had tried to bring Calico back as a Flesh Puppet but she had not been one when she died; she had been something else and as such it was logical that the procedure wouldn't work. In his haste to grant her life again he had forgotten about that. Standing up and pacing around the woman, Kat recalled what she had said about what would happen to her if she didn't feed. Perhaps some fresh blood was really needed to reanimate a Jigarkhwar.

"If that is what she needs…" WilyKat murmured and summoned his scythe, which he held firmly on his right hand. "Then that is what I will provide."

Following what he had heard about Vampyrs on Third Earth, Kat used the tip of his weapon to pierce the skin of the woman, opening a wound directly above her heart. He then used the edge of the scythe to cut his hand open. As he had seen in the cauldron while observing Kit's fight with Lion-O, his now dark blood immediately started to mend the incision but before he had healed completely, he pressed his hand over the wound in Calico's chest. As he imagined, he suddenly felt some of his blood being drained, and he kept his hand pressed on her chest until the sensation stopped. He then retrieved his hand, and observed as tendrils of blackness mended the slit on his palm instantly. He then noticed the wound on Calico's chest was already gone.

An ear piercing shriek signaled her awakening and WilyKat, who was distracted by her screaming, was caught off guard and brutally shoved to the side as Calico ran for the door. The young wizard quickly regained his balance and followed after her. He found her standing in the middle of the Throne Room; her confusion as evident as was her fear.

"Why am I back in the master's Pyramid? Where is that bastard Cracker?" she demanded, turning to face the man behind her with anger filled eyes, but the rage in her vanished as she realized who he was. The woman's posture relaxed, her fears vanished immediately and she smiled warmly at him. Longing and relief filled her chest and a burning need to be close to this man invaded her. "Master WilyKat… it's really you…"

Not waiting for him to answer her, Calico pulled him into a tight embrace and buried her face in his chest, breathing his smell and feeling his skin against hers made her feel complete and protected. She had forgotten a long time ago about the reason why she had fallen in love with this man who was now holding her close to him, and it wasn't important, because all she cared about now was the immense love she felt for him, and how good loving him made her feel.

"I'm so happy to see you again, my beloved," She whispered, caressing the skin of his chest with her fingertips. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Kat answered, enjoying the feeling of having her close to him again. "I'm glad I could bring you back to my side."

"Thank you for not forgetting about me," Calico slid her hands up to his shoulders and pulled him closer just so she could lightly kiss him on the lips. "I love you, WilyKat; I love you so much… I'm so happy to be with you again…"

"We'll never separate again, Calico. I promise you that," filled with gratitude towards his master for both saving Calico's body and giving him the power to revive her, the young man closed his eyes and enjoyed this brief moment of happiness, swearing on his life that he would burn the whole planet if someone ever took her away from him again.

"You managed to wake her," Mumm-Ra said from the door. "Congratulations my son, I see you even gave her some of your power so she doesn't have to feed immediately. That is good, because we have plenty of work to do."

"As you wish master," Kat agreed, slowly letting go of Calico. "What would you have me do?"

"Certain pest is coming back from the Seventh Dimension, and that will force us to move faster than what I had anticipated," the mummy explained. "But it's still nothing to worry about; it simply means the Thundercats will fall sooner. Now come, we must go to where the arch stood and summon a new army of Demon Beasts."

"As you wish, my lord," Kat agreed, he then looked at Calico. "Go and get dressed, my dear. Meet us at the location of the Black Arch; do you remember where it was?"

"I do. I'll see you and the master there," she agreed and, after bowing to show her respect to the master, the huntress disappeared into a corridor.

"Her things are still in the old room she had, in case you're wondering," Mumm-Ra commented once his pupil caught up to him.

"I know, I made sure they were," the apprentice replied. "How do you know Wizz-Ra is coming back?"

"I have my means, child," the dark wizard smiled sinisterly. "I have my means."

In New Thundera's ravaged Capital …

Despite the fire in the Warehouses, now extinguished thanks to the efforts of several of his people, and the dire situation many of the wounded faced, Lion-O was actually starting to feel how the heavy weight of defeat abandoned him as hope renewed in his heart.

Which was a complete turnaround as to how he had felt hours ago when he returned to the shelter carrying a wounded Cheetara, fearing she would die of blood loss. He had felt crushed then; the destruction of their medicine, his wounded friends and WilyKit's absolute betrayal had drove him to the absolute edge, making him doubt he was worthy of leading his people.

But even then, as Lion-O felt darkness would win no matter how hard he fought it, light had managed to shine trough for the young king and his people. And that light had been Pummyra; by the time Lion-O had arrived to the shelter, the Thundercat doctor had already called the nearby towns as well as Harbor City, asking for both volunteers and medical supplies to be sent to the Capital and she somehow had managed to get a positive answer; and not just positive, but quick as well.

When Lion-O entered the refuge, he found nurses waiting for the wounded, who they took into separate rooms for evaluation. Pummyra had then examined Lion-O and made him promise he would rest in his chambers until he recovered enough from the back pain he had told her about. The young king didn't sleep, but he did rest for a long while, and just as he felt well enough to go out and help, he heard it: the sound of several engines approaching. He at first feared it was a Mutant attack, but his fear turned to surprise when he looked out of his window and noticed the four trucks that were driven by Thunderians; his astonishment only grew when he saw the vehicles were carrying several medical packs among other supplies.

He had rushed out and helped the volunteers carry it all inside the shelter, and couldn't help but smile along the other doctors when they thanked the new arrivals for the medicine. Pummyra had approached him again then; Lion-O noticed how happy she was, and when he asked her why, she explained the procedures of Cheetara, O-Celot and the other girl had been a success. Cheetara's leg had been saved, O-Celot's sternum and ribs fixed properly and the girl's hand and shoulder mended. The lion had felt hope renewing inside him for the first time at that moment, and after following Pummyra, who gave him an anti-inflammatory shot to help his back-pain, which luckily was only muscular and not caused by a fracture or other serious injury, Lion-O had been just too glad to make himself as useful as possible.

All of that had happened several hours ago, and taking into account the fact that most of the men who had evacuated the Capital were coming back, that more supplies had continued arriving, that the doctors had managed to stabilize the condition of nearly every wounded Thunderian and that more volunteers kept showing up, it was difficult not to see why Lion-O felt his hope returning. With some luck, he would be able to ask Panthro to fix a communicator with enough power to reach into space, as he wanted to contact some people that he knew would not refuse to help him.

"Excuse me, my king…"

Lion-O looked to his left to find a young mechanic staring at him.

"Yes, what do you need?" the king asked.

"We're almost done with the repairs at the power plant. The generator we managed to put together is only temporary, of course, but we estimate it will work fine for at least five days. We are directing the energy to this area of the city so that the shelter and the buildings around it have power. If all goes well, we could start rebuilding the plant in about two days."

"That's great news!" Lion-O exclaimed. "Pummyra and the doctors will love to hear that!"

"There's still some work to do, but the power should be back on in an hour or maybe less." The mechanic assured. "If you excuse me my Lord, I must return to the Power Plant."

"Please, go ahead. I'll deliver the good news," the king promised. He waited for the mechanic to leave on his old motorbike and then he made his way back inside the shelter. One last look around him, at the Thunderians working here and there, adapting other houses into small warehouses to store the incoming supplies, convinced him that they would be alright while he talked with Pummyra and took care of other things inside the shelter.

Pummyra was tired. Helping solve the crisis Lion-O had inadvertently dropped on her hands had taken a considerable toll on her. She, however, was not going to stop working; she couldn't afford such luxury given the number of medical procedures she had to supervise. Luckily for her, now that she had medicaments and other materials that she and the other doctors required, she could just give instructions instead of having to go from patient to patient in a mad rush. That had helped her a bit, but she still had to make sure it all ran smoothly, so she placed her fatigue aside and kept going, making a mental note to take a break in a couple of hours more.

The puma sat in her desk and started reading the last report a nurse had handed over to her a couple of minutes before. She smiled as she noticed how thanks to the use of those four trucks and their three Sky Cutters, many more medical packs had already arrived, and this in turn had allowed her medics to do the work they needed faster. In the end, only twelve Thunderians had died that afternoon; much better than the eighty deaths she had been expecting. She still felt for the ones who didn't make it, of course, but she also realized there was nothing she could do for them anymore except to pray and hope they found peace and happiness in the next life.

"Doctor, it's time," a voice called, forcing the young doctor to look up from the report, finding an old nurse waiting expectantly. "You asked me to remind you to visit that man after three hours, it's time."

"Yes… thank you," Pummyra said, placing the documents on the desk while she nodded to the nurse. "Please make a list of the patients that will need to be moved; with some luck we will be able to take them to the clinic at Harbor City before tonight."

"It will be ready as soon as possible," the nurse promised and went on her way.

Pummyra watched her go and nodding to herself, made her way to one of the makeshift recovery rooms where he rested. She found him still asleep, and was glad that she had received the strong anesthetics on time to administering them to him as soon as his operation was completed. She stood by the door for almost a full minute, simply watching him and trying to avoid feeling an intense guilt about everything. If she had not asked him to bring her those medical packs he would not be in that bed, having gotten badly hurt when he didn't deserve it.

Pummyra took in a deep breath to steel herself and walked to his side. She hesitated for a second before reaching for his face, running the fingers of her good hand gently over his forehead. She stopped when her fingertips reached the scar that crossed her face. She had heard from Lion-O about how O-Celot got it. That was also her fault. She had dragged him into an ambush that had ended so badly she didn't dare to remember it.

"I'm sorry, O-Celot… it seems all I've ever done is cause you pain."

She remembered then the moment he had been carried into the shelter, with his chest collapsed and blood coming out of his nose and mouth any time he tried to breathe. That image made her eyes sting and she realized she would start crying soon. Pummyra blinked a couple of times and used her good hand to rub her eyes and keep the tears away. She couldn't cry; she had to be strong for him and all the other wounded under her care. Still, the healer had to admit seeing him so badly hurt had almost broken her with guilt, and that it had taken all her willpower just to keep going until she had given the proper instructions so she could devote his full attention to him.

Her hand found its way back to him, and it started tracing the shape of his face from the forehead to his neck. Pummyra realized then that she liked it. She liked touching him, she also realized that even in his current state, she enjoyed looking at him. This development troubled her and she had no idea of what to do, because even if she could admit that she felt more concern for him than what she should for a mere friend, and that the idea of him dying filled her with dread, her duties as a Thundercat would demand every second of her life for the foreseeable future but, as she continued caressing his face, she couldn't help but wondering if it would be so wrong for her to act on the feelings she was starting to have for this man.

A knock on the door brought her back into attention and as she turned she found Lion-O standing there. She straightened out to greet him, hoping not to hear of any new emergencies.

"I'm sorry for not being out there with the other doctors… I needed to sit down for a moment and…"

"No need to apologize; you've done so much that you deserve all the rest you need," Lion-O assured her. "How's he doing?"

"He seems to be doing fine. We did all we could, It all depends on O-Celot now," she informed him while sparing a worried glance towards the Forge Master. "What is it, Lion-O? Is your back bothering you again?"

"No, my back is fine; it's something different, something good!" the king said excitedly. "I was just informed the power should be back in an hour or less! I wanted to let you know in case you wanted to bring in some equipment to use on the wounded."

"Those are great news! We could definitively use some of the scanners and beat-tracers from the old hospital. Thanks for telling me!" the healer stood up and headed for the door, a determined look on her face. "I'll have to check the last report on the patients again so I can decide what I need here, though. You can come if you want, Lion-O."

"Thank you, but I'd rather go see how Panthro and Tygra are doing" Lion-O told her. Pummyra nodded and left the room, leaving the king alone. The lion stood there for a minute or two already contemplating if asking O-Celot to craft more armor would be necessary. Deciding to think of that later, he made his way to the door, but a weak whisper stopped him. Turning, he encountered O-Celot was awake now, and was looking at him with weak, yet determined, eyes.

"Are you in pain?" the king inquired, worry evident in his voice. "I'll get a doctor, don't worry!"

"Wait," a weak and strained voice called. "My lord, I… have something… to tell you."

"You can tell me later; you shouldn't be straining yourself right now," the king insisted.

"It's about WilyKit…" he managed to get out, clearly making an effort to speak. "She's too strong now…wasn't like that… before. She's not Thunderian anymore… she's a monster…"

Lion-O, who had already experienced WilyKit's new power, didn't dare to tell that to the convalescent man in front of him, as it was obvious how important it was to him being able to pass on this information. "Thank you for telling me this, O-Celot. I'll be careful if I have to fight her. Now please try to rest, you have earned it."

The Forge Master nodded and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep again. Lion-O left the room then, and quickly made his way to the separate room the other Thundercats were resting in.

He was about to reach said room when something caught his eye: a girl carrying several, neatly folded blankets and a pair of towels. The child's skin had a light brownish tone and her hair was of a dark red, almost brown shade, just like any other member of the Puma clan, of course. What made him notice the girl was, of course, the fact he knew her. This was Angora, Aliona's younger sister.

All seeing the girl did to Lion-O was to make him remember her older sister, whimpering as she trembled in pain with her right hand crushed and the wound in her shoulder bleeding profusely. Lion-O recalled how he had gone to her side as soon as he had stopped Cheetara's hemorrhage, and the way he had promised her everything would be alright as he watched how some other volunteers carried her into the truck. The king decided that at least asking how she was doing would be necessary.

"How is your sister?" Lion-O asked as he approached the little girl.

"Oh… it's you! Hi, King Lion-O," Angora greeted him, stopping on her tracks and making a quick bow to show her respect and then continued with a smile. "My sister is fine; Doctor Pummyra said she will be ok! She told the other doctors what to do to help my sister and when she visited earlier she gave her some tea that kept her pain away! Pummyra is so great!"

The king smiled openly at the admiration this child had for the Thundercat medic. "Yes, Pummyra is great. It seems you like her, don't you?"

"Of course I like her! She's the best! I want to be a doctor like her, you know?" Angora stood taller with pride. "I'm already starting, look! I'm helping the nurses right now! I'm taking these clean blankets to the people who need one, it's an important job and Pummyra in person asked me to do it!"

"And I thank you for helping," Lion-O told her. "Well, I won't stop you anymore; say hi to your sister from me."

"Can you help me with my sister?" she called suddenly, stopping the king before he left.

Lion-O stopped and turned, frowning in surprise, to look at the girl. "Help you, sure, but how?"

"Hmm… I… well, I'm supposed to bring her something, yes!" at that moment, the child realized she had probably screwed up, as the expression on the king's face was unsettling her. "But she's probably sleeping and I have to finish my work, and…"

"Calm down, I'll help you, don't worry about it," the lion assured her with a small smile. "What do you need to give her? I can take it to her."

"Ah… just a clean blanket… she's on room seven," Angora instructed him. "Wait… are you sure? It'd save me some time if you give it to her… but I don't want to bother you, so… please?"

"Sure, no problem," he reached for the blue blanket the girl was handing to him and smiled again, Lion-O found the way the girl tried to provide him an excuse to visit her sister was quite funny and charming, and had to hold back a well humored chuckle.

What Lion-O didn't see when he went to room seven, was the hopeful smile adorning the girl's face as she continued with her errand. Angora knew her sister didn't need another blanket, but she also knew how sad Aliona felt and, proving that sometimes child-like innocence is the right approach, she had decided that making sure the king visited her would be the best way to help her older sister improve her mood.

Lion-O found her sitting on a stool, looking out the open window. The bandages on her shoulder evident under the oversized robe she had on and her right hand was encased in a splint, holding it in place.

"Hello, may I come in?" the young king asked from the door.

She nodded without looking at him. On any other occasion, she would have felt shy, humble and glad to have the Lord of the Thundercats visit her, but right then, Aliona simply felt too tired, too hurt and defeated to feel something else than complete desolation.

"Your sister asked me to give you this," He explained as he extended the blanket on her bed and tried not to stare too much. The king had noticed that the air of optimism he had started to associate with the young woman was completely gone, and that worried Lion-O a bit. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." She answered as she lowered her face, hiding her reddened eyes from him. "I've never felt so bad before, I just can't believe this happened to the city…"

"Aliona, everything will be alright," Lion-O offered while dragging a second stool to sit in front of her. "You'll be alright."

"I know I'll heal…" she replied, still not looking at him. "It's just that I… I couldn't do a damn thing to defend myself! I knew trying to stop her was impossible for me, but… hell, I can't believe I was so damned stupid!"

Aliona trembled as she recalled how that ferocious woman mocked her as she told her how she would murder her; just the memory of WilyKit's voice was enough to fill her with fear. "S-she almost killed me! She wanted to kill me! And she would have laughed while doing it. She's evil, a twisted, evil demon!"

"She's not here now," Lion-O reminded her, making sure to keep his voice calm and comforting even if in the back of his mind he kept blaming himself for not arriving earlier to the warehouses. "She can't hurt you here."

"But she's still free, isn't she?" Aliona asked, her watery eyes finally rising to meet those of the king.

Ashamed, Lion-O gave her a nod. "She managed to escape before I could arrest her."

"Then she can still hurt me," she stated in a low voice, her frightened gaze wandering again to the streets out the window. "She's out there… and she's waiting… I know she's waiting for the perfect time to come back and finish what she started. Sooner or later she will kill me…

Aliona made a pause and swallowed the lump she had started feeling in her trhoat.

"…I'm scared," she finally admitted and lowered her face again. "I fear not just for me… but for my mother and my sister. I'm afraid that my mistakes have put them in danger, and Angora is just a little girl! What if she gets killed because I was so stupid? I…"

The farmer girl could not continue, the image of her dead mother and sister filled her mind and she lowered her face the moment she felt a pair of tears born of despair started running down her face. She tried wiping them away, but her right hand protested with a sharp pain when she tried moving it, and her left shoulder did the same when she tried her other arm. The feeling of being this helpless did nothing but to cause new tears to start flowing.

"I-I'm sorry… I can't even use my hands," she apologized, suddenly feeling too uncomfortable to be seen in this condition. She was nothing but a scared, useless farm girl, and there was nothing she could do to fix things. Embarrassed, the only thing she wanted then was to be left alone, so she wouldn't humiliate the king anymore with her weakness. "Please, leave me alone, milord… I…"

"No. I can't leave you alone if you're like this, Aliona," Lion-O interrupted her, his voice firm and reassuring now. "I know you're afraid, we are all afraid. But you can't let your fears control you. You won't be able to help your family if you do. Don't fear WilyKit, she won't hurt you again. I won't let her harm you or your family. Trust me."

"…I trust you" she whispered, she realized the king was still too close to her, and for a second she thought about leaning back to increase the distance, but she couldn't do it, she feared doing that would insult him and besides, she actually didn't mind this, it felt nice to know the Lord of the Thundercats was willing to protect her if she was in danger. "I trust you with my life, my king… it's just that I…"

"Please don't cry anymore, we'll make it alright again, I promise," Lion-O swore as he slowly reached for her face and softly dried her tears with his thumb. It was strangely disheartening for him to see her like this. He didn't know this girl that well, but after the few times they had spoken and the way she had moved forward after the death of her father, he had come to believe that she was far more determined, perseverant and with a stronger will than this. What had WilyKit done to her to break her mind this badly?

She felt her heart stop and her breath freeze when his warm hand cupped her face and her thumb slid over her tears. Alarmed that someone would enter and saw this, she looked at him intending to ask her to leave but then she saw his eyes and for an instant, when their eyes locked, she saw in him sadness and fear, a reflection of how she felt, but she also saw an incredible strength and valor. Lost in his gaze, so full of spirit and hope, Aliona started feeling a sense of safety and security invade her, and she found that she trusted him completely, that she believed in him with all her being and she also understood that she would be fine as long as she kept believing in him with all her heart.

"I promise you, on my honor as the Lord of the Thundercats, that nobody will hurt you or anyone you hold dear. I will protect you all and I will put an end to this nightmare," the King promised. He still held Aliona's face on his hand and made sure she looked at him while he spoke. "I won't fail you."

The farmer girl felt her face flush at his proximity, she noticed the way his eyes started shining with resolution and power as he spoke, and idly wondered where he got his strength from. She liked this, and she knew she had to separate herself from him, but she found him hypnotizing, and he made her feel safe and warm and gave her hope all at the same time. "I know you won't fail, my King. I know you will keep your promises, no matter what happens…"

She closed her eyes and leaned on his hand, enjoying how strong and warm and gentle it felt against her skin. Despite herself, Aliona felt a rush of warmness invade her, and the thought of being held in the arms of the king entered her thoughts, staying firmly in the front of her mind until she forced it out, remembering that he was the king and she had no right to have those thoughts about him.

Lion-O noticed then that he was awfully close to her, and he also realized that he had kept touching her face longer than what he knew would be polite. She didn't seem to mind, but he couldn't be sure, so he slowly took his hand back, and was slightly confused by the way she seemed to regret the contact between them was over. "Thank you Aliona, like I told you before, I will do my best to live up to your expectations."

"You already have, my Lord," Aliona sighed, the feeling of his hand on her skin lingered still, and she found it comforting and reassuring. She looked at him again, and this time she found smiling was something easy to do. "Thank you, I feel a lot better now."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," he smiled back at her. "I'm sure your mother and sister will be happy, too."

A moment of silence fell between them, and Lion-O felt it was time for him to go. Staying here too long would keep her from resting, and he didn't want to inconvenience her much.

"Please, give my thanks to Pummyra if you see her," Aliona requested, trying to find a way to break the silence. "It's because of her that I won't lose my arm and hand."

"I will," Lion-O agreed. "I understand her doctors did a great job; you will be throwing your boomerang in no time, I'm sure of it."

Aliona blinked twice as if recalling something, she then stared worriedly at the king. "My grandfather's Thunderang! I lost it during the fight!"

The Lord of the Thundercats raised a hand to calm the farmer girl down. "Don't worry about it, it's in my room. I'll give it back to you once you're back to full health. I promise I'll keep it safe."

She relaxed once she heard this, and appeared to consider something as she did. "I think it's best if you keep it. I'm not good enough to use it properly and it will be more useful in the hands of a Thundercat."

"The Thunderang belongs to your family, Aliona," Lion-O assured as he, too, appeared to consider something. "Listen, when this is all over… why don't you let Panthro or Cheetara give you some training?"

As the king expected, the life and determination returned to the girl's eyes once she heard his offer.

"Me? Training under a Thundercat master?" Aliona asked nervously, not daring to believe the king's words. "I-I don't think I deserve it!"

"If you're going to go around getting into fights, you need to at least be able to defend yourself properly, don't you think?" Lion-O teased lightheartedly as he stood up and walked for the door. He found he wouldn't mind staying a little longer, but he still had many things to do. "And you do deserve it, Aliona. You wounded one of those monsters and survived against a very strong enemy, I think you have some raw talent, it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"My King, please don't make jokes about this, I might end up believing you," She coyly whispered.

"It's not a joke. I'll see that you get training," the king promised. "I'm afraid that I must leave you now, but I'll try to visit again if I can."

"T-that won't be necessary, seriously, you don't have to…!" she started, feeling suddenly nervous about seeing him again, because she knew if it happened she would be hoping for him to do more than just caress her face with his warm and gentle hand again.

"I know I don't have to visit you," Lion-O interrupted her. "But I want to; it's nice talking to you. But for now please make sure you do what the doctors tell you and get better soon, alright?"

Saying no more, Lion-O smiled at her and left the room, unaware he had just left a very flustered young woman behind him.

A few minutes later…

Lion-O had to walk to the other end of the shelter in order to reach the private room where Tygra, Panthro and Cheetara rested. Pummyra had explained him that of the three of them the cheetah had been in the worst condition; while Panthro and Tygra had suffered a severe shock and some cuts and bruises, they would be alright after resting for a few hours, but Cheetara, on the other hand, had lost a lot of blood, had a deep cut on her right thigh and had almost suffered a concussion from a strong hit to the head she had taken at some point.

The lion also knew Pummyra had used most of the Sanare fiber she had left on Cheetara's leg, sparing only a small piece of it to apply to O-Celot's chest. According to the doctor, the fiber's healing properties would ensure Cheetara's thigh would recover in less than two days. Pummyra, however, had expressed concern that she didn't have anyone who could donate blood for Cheetara, and was hoping a compatible donor would arrive soon; otherwise, the cheetah would be extremely weak for several days, as her body would strain itself while replacing the lost blood.

He arrived to his friends' private chambers not too long after, and even when he knocked on the door, he only entered until he heard Tygra's voice giving him permission to enter.

Tygra was sitting by the window, holding some documents he had obviously been reading. Other than a few bruises and some cuts, the tiger actually didn't look that bad. Panthro was sitting on a table on the other end of the room, and had apparently been studying some blueprints, the panther had stitches on his forehead, and a few cuts on his shoulders and arms, but he also didn't look too bad.

Cheetara, however, was a completely different story. The cheetah still slept, her breathing was irregular, and by the expression on her face, Lion-O wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she also had a fever.

"How are you two feeling?" he asked.

"I've been better, but I'm fine enough," Tygra answered, placing the documents on the chair's seat as he got up to greet Lion-O.

"Same here," Panthro agreed, also standing up. "We were expecting you, Lion-O."

"We better talk outside," the tiger suggested when he noticed Cheetara shifted a little and winced as a result. "There's no need to bother her sleep."

Lion-O simply followed his two friends to the hall. Once there, he waited for them to speak, wondering what it was they wanted to tell him.

"Pummyra sent us a damage report," Tygra started. "We've read it a couple of times already and…"

"…We believe our highest priority should be restoring the power to the city," Panthro finished.

"I got notice that the temporary generator will be ready in less than an hour," Lion-O informed.

"Good, that's good," Panthro nodded, thoughtful. "There are some old factories southeast from here, we can use their energy converters and their generators to build a new one for the city; if we have enough hands to spare, I would like to send some men there to get the necessary parts as soon as possible; I even made a list of what I need brought here."

"Also, I've been thinking about cutting off the parts of the city that burned earlier today," Tygra added. "I believe with some of the vehicles here, we could use the remains of the warehouses to build an effective barricade to make it difficult for the enemy to enter the city from there."

Lion-O's mood, which had been rather light seconds before thanks to all the good Pummyra had managed to do in such a short time, turned immediately serious as he listened to his friends' recommendations. Their ideas were sound and viable, thanks to the extra hands that had arrived during the day; he however, still had his own idea to place on the table.

"I'm sure we can do what you suggest," he said. "But there's something else I need done first."

"What would that be?" the engineer asked while unfolding the list of parts he had on his pocket, as he wanted Lion-O to see it.

"I need a communicator able to reach into outer space, Panthro; we will need help to deal with the current situation and I want to contact some of our old allies," the King explained. "Can you do this for me? We can send others to pick up the things you need for the new generator while you work on it."

"I can do that," the panther assured. "Give me two hours and it'll be ready, we can use the one that is on the Communications Center; if the power is back on by then, you should be able to contact people in the next galaxy if you want to, I promise you that. I will need help, though; Tygra, you are familiar with our communication systems, would you give me a hand?"

Tygra felt the muscles of his neck turn to stone at the idea of working alone with the panther. Not because he didn't want to, but because he had felt Panthro would want to do that soon so they could talk about Cheetara, he had already hinted at it during the whole incident at the arch and the architect simply didn't feel ready to have such conversation.

"Well?" Panthro insisted. "We'll finish faster if we do it together."

Taking in a deep breath, Tygra finally answered. "Sure, I'll help you."

"That's good, you two focus on that, I'll go back to help with the supplies that are arriving and I'll also assign some people to bring here everything from that list you mentioned, Panthro. Try to talk with Pummyra, too; I want her to give you a medical check up before you leave."

This said, Lion-O reached for the list Panthro held and before the engineer could complain, the king turned, heading back to the streets, obviously intending to help with whatever he could.

"Well, at least the parts I want will be here soon. Anyway, we should be going, too," Panthro noted. "We will need to get some tools from the engineers at the Power Plant."

"Among other things we may need," Tygra agreed. "I hope there's a vehicle available for us."

"I would like to talk to you about something important," Panthro said in a serious tone as he started walking. "But not here, this is something we need to discuss in private; I hope you don't mind, Tygra."

"No, I don't mind… actually, I do believe we need to talk about something, Panthro," the tiger replied as he followed his friend.

Some time later at the Communications Center…

Panthro and Tygra had finished setting up the main communicator so it had the capacity to transmit on an interplanetary range just as Lion-O had requested, and were now just sitting on opposite ends of the room, waiting for the call telling them that the power was back on. They had talked little while working; only saying what was absolutely necessary. Now, as they waited, the mood between the two Thundercats was not as jovial as it normally was, though; quite the contrary, it was silent and tense and both felt as if a deep schism had separated them and none wanted to go across it.

Tygra had expected Panthro would start asking him about Cheetara, but as the minutes passed and the panther continued sitting in silent contemplation, the architect found his thoughts drifting towards the wounded Cheetah resting in the shelter. There were still many things the tiger didn't know about the attack; it bothered him, as he didn't have enough information to form an opinion on it. He had listened from Pummyra during their medical check up that WilyKit had been responsible for the fire at the warehouses, and that she had also caused Cheetara's wounds, but she couldn't tell them how Kit had managed to do that and still escape Lion-O.

The tiger brought his hand up and massaged his forehead. He could only imagine the regret, guilt and emotional pain Cheetara must have felt when she faced WilyKit, and it killed him not having been there to help her. He knew the cheetah's pain well enough, for he felt a little of it. He, however, dared not to assume his pain was even a fraction of what Cheetara was surely feeling. She had faced WilyKit in battle and had been brutally defeated by the girl whom she loved deeply and considered a daughter; he had not. Not yet, at least, but he knew that sooner or later he, too, would have to confront Kit, and he was not looking forward to it.

Still, Cheetara remained his main concern, and he couldn't help but wonder how she was and if she was already awake.

"You're thinking about her too, aren't you?"

Startled by those unexpected words, Tygra looked up, just to find Panthro standing tall in front of him. He had been so distracted he had not heard nor noticed when the Thundercat engineer moved. "What do you mean Panthro? Thinking about who?"

"You know quite well who I meant," the panther said, opening the largest window in the room to let the sun in. "Will I have to spell her name to you?"

Unsure of what to say, Tygra decided to remain silent and give his friend the opportunity to elaborate on what he obviously wanted to say. For several minutes, Panthro simply stood by the window, his hands had clenched into fists as he rested them on the windowsill and his shoulders had tensed as if he were about to attack a group of Mutants. Then, just as the tiger was about to ask him what was wrong, Panthro spoke again.

"I heard you both talking in the twins' room," he revealed as he turned to regard the tiger, his voice tinted with forcefully repressed despair. "I heard everything."

"You… heard us? By Jaga…! I-I'm sorry, Panthro," Tygra whispered, shame and guilt forcing him to look away from his friend's scrutinizing stare. "I shouldn't have done that… but nothing happened between us, I swear!"

Panthro nodded at him, his expression sober and serious. "I know…I saw you. The door was slightly open and I saw you both."

"I can't apologize enough for what you saw," the tiger said as he stood up, trying to reach for his friend but being unable as Panthro took a step back. "I-I got carried away, but I would never betray you… you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know, and I have to thank you for what you did," the panther replied as he walked to the window and looked out at the street, giving Tygra his back. "You didn't give in. You had the chance but you didn't take it. You placed our friendship first; I must admit I'm grateful for that."

"I appreciate you think that way," the architect said in a low, ashamed voice. "But I'm still sorry for what I almost did."

"Can I ask you a question, Tygra?" Panthro suddenly queried.

"Yes, of course."

"Do you love her?"

"Excuse me?"

Panthro turned and walked up to Tygra, he then leaned forward so he was at eye level with him and stared at his eyes with such a serious expression that the tiger found himself paralyzed. "I asked if you love her, Tygra; answer my question and please tell me the truth."

Tygra found his mouth dry and his hands sweaty, he was aware of his feelings for Cheetara, but had decided to place them to the side to avoid feeling hurt when the logical culmination of her relationship with Panthro took place. Being forced to suddenly admit having those feelings was not easy for him.

"Well?" the panther insisted with an almost growl, getting even closer to the architect.

"I… yes. I love Cheetara," Tygra finally admitted, lowering his eyes as he found he could not keep looking at his friend. "I've loved her for a very long time, Panthro. I think I've had feelings for her since before Old Thundera was destroyed. I just… I always put those feelings aside and I convinced myself that I only cared for her as a friend but now… now I can't deny it anymore. I truly love her."

"I see… that means I stand no chance, then," The panther stated as he stood straight and took in a deep breath while he retreated again to stand close to the window; once there, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, focusing in forcing his jealousy and despair down, keeping them from clouding his judgment. He was a rational adult, after all, and would not react to this like a hormonal teenager.

"No chance? What are you talking about?" the tiger asked, not really understanding his friend's words.

"I've seen the way she looks at you. I noticed it first when we started rebuilding Cat's Lair, I strongly suspected it when I overheard your… conversation, and I finally confirmed it after those Demon Beasts attacked the city. The way her face shines when she sees you, it leaves no room for doubt. She may still care for me, but what she feels for you… she loves you," Panthro explained, his voice strained and full of pain.

"I never intended to steal her from you," Tygra offered, once again trying to approach his friend, but stopping as he noticed the scowl the panther aimed at him.

"I believe you, Tygra." Panthro sighed. "But I love her too, and this is so difficult…"

"Panthro, I…"

"Don't talk. Just listen to me," the panther interrupted as he walked to the door, clearly intending on leaving the office. "I can't stop her from following her heart. I'm going to let her free. The way things are now… you know something big is coming, and it won't be good. But Cheetara deserves a moment of happiness before it happens, and I think that you… you are the only one who can make her happy right now, Tygra."

"Panthro, are you serious?" Tygra asked, but one look at the panther's determined expression convinced him that his friend was being completely honest. Panthro was leaving Cheetara to him. "You are serious."

"Yes I am," the panther opened the door and stood there, apparently struggling to say something before leaving. Finally, the heartbroken engineer whispered. "Don't waste this opportunity the way I wasted mine, Tygra."

For an instant, Tygra didn't know what to say or how to answer; in the end, he settled for what he imagined would be the safest and best answer: "You… are a great friend, thank you Panthro."

"Don't say that," the engineer answered. "I'm not doing this because we're friends, Tygra. I'm just doing this because I love Cheetara enough to want the best for her, even if that means losing her to you."

Saying no more, Panthro slowly closed the door and left the building. The forlorn panther wanted to believe he had done the right thing, even if he had ended up heartbroken and feeling as if he walked with a gaping hole in his chest.

Pushing down his regrets and pain, the engineer forced himself to focus on the new power generator and on finishing the design of the anti-magic field he had been working on since his days as a slave on Mumm-Ra's mines. Panthro recalled his father had told him once that the best way to forget a woman was working, and he intended to test the effectiveness of that paternal advice as much as he could.

Back at the shelter…

Lion-O grabbed a box full of medicine from the bed of a truck and carried it back to the entrance of the Shelter, handing it over to an expecting doctor; he smiled to the medic as he wiped the sweat of his brow. Feeling thirsty, the king made a signal to the other Thunderians indicating he would go into the Shelter for a moment. Once inside, Lion-O went straight to the kitchen, where rations were being carefully prepared so the scarce food they had left would be enough to feed everyone until the rations and other aliments that were on their way arrived. The women in charge of cooking were kind and offered him food, but he refused it politely, instead accepting a large jar full of Torangine juice, which according to Snarf would both quench his thirst and provide him with energy. Lion-O had to smile once he finished his drink and felt refreshed and re-energized, just as Snarf had told him.

"Even if you're gone, you still find the way to teach me things, old friend," Lion-O thought, fondly remembering the old Snarf who had being his most loyal companion.

The young king accepted another jar of juice and took advantage of this short rest to sit in a chair just outside the kitchen; while he continued mourning Snarf, it didn't take long for the chatter and gossip between the cooks that came out of the kitchen to catch his attention. He didn't listen to anything he didn't already know: Everybody looked up to Pummyra and were glad to have her in charge of tending the wounded, just as she had done when she led the rebels and helped rescue people from the mines and protected the farmers. The next few rumors the king found far more interesting, as he heard how many of the new arrivals from Harbor City had turned his fight with the Demon Beasts into a glorious battle where he had arrived in time to slaughter nearly a hundred of the creatures using the power of the Eye of Thundera.

Lion-O found that rumor was something he wouldn't mind if it were true.

It was then that he listened to other things he was not too sure on how to take. One rumor he didn't particularly like stated that he had decided to marry Pummyra as soon as Mumm-Ra was defeated and the city rebuilt. Another one, which he also didn't like much, mentioned that he had left his wife and children inside the Book of Omens to keep them safe during this crisis; while the next one assured he was in a relationship with some commoner girl who had been wounded during one of the last attacks.

Why were those women so interested in him having a queen or an heir? It simply made no sense to him. Lion-O puzzled this for a moment, until he recalled something Snarf had told him once. He had explained how, for most of the people, the continuation of the royal line was etremely important; when he had asked why, the old Snarf had just told him that if the presence of a queen gave people hope for the future, the arrival of an heir would cement it, and that it was mostly after difficult times when a king was more pressured to find a wife and produce a prince, to ensure their people that he was thinking on their future.

"It makes no sense to me, old firend," Lion-O muttered, convinced that rebuilding was more important than finding a wife. "Besides, where can I find a queen? There aren't any noble women left other than Cheetara, and I wouldn't ask her."

Lion-O knew there was someone else, of course, another noble woman, if she could be called that, still lived. WilyKit.

The young man could not stop himself from remembering her and their last battle, which in turn reminded him of how he had fallen for her lies. Lion-O had already reprimanded himself for his naivety and for not taking that chance to ask WilyKit about Snarf's murderer. He imagined that in her newfound evilness, Kit would revel in causing him pain by revealing the identity of the killer. Unfortunately, he had been so busy fighting her that he had completely forgotten about it.

"I should have asked her," the lion whispered regretfully. "I should have made sure she would answer all of my questions!"

"I'm supposed to be y-your wife, your queen! I've always been!"

WilyKit's words suddenly echoed in Lion-O's mind, bringing him also memories of her during the short time she had spent with them before going back to Mumm-Ra's side. He remembered her wearing the Blue leotard Cheetara had bought for her, and the way she laughed and joked with them that night they organized a party just for her. He remembered her sitting, sad and alone, on that rock in the middle of the forest. He recalled the way the wind would play with her hair, the wonderful spark in her eyes when she was in a good mood, the vibrant melody of her voice. It was then that Lion-O finally realized just how beautiful and attractive WilyKit had become as a young adult.

Deep inside, the lion had to admit that, if things had been different, he would have been very attracted to her. For the young king, understanding this just now, when she was so out of his reach and so firmly in the grasp of his worst enemy was exasperating, and it filled his mind with questions and thoughts of the life they could have had as King and Queen, thoughts of a future that would never come to pass. The only counsel he found was the chance that Kit had lied about that engagement between them, and he had the firm intention to find out the truth from the ones who probably knew about it.

With that idea on his mind, Lion-O decided to chance it and headed to the private room where Cheetara slept, hoping that she was awake and well enough to talk; other wise, he would have to ask Tygra and Panthro, something that would most likely have to wait since they were both busy doing what he had asked them.

Not too long after, he entered the recovery room the other Thundercats had been placed in. to his surprise, Lion-O found that Cheetara was already awake, sitting between the beds of Tygra and Panthro, reading the same documents Tygra had been busy with earlier.

"What is it, Lion-O?" The cheetah asked as she reached for a cane she had obviously been given so she could walk. "Do you need something?"

Lion-O tensed at the sight and it took him a lot of effort to control his guilt. Had he arrived sooner, she wouldn't need to rely on that cane to walk and, even if it was not permanent, it still hurt him to see her like that.

"Don't stand up. I-I'm sorry," he said. "I should have been there. You shouldn't have had to fight her alone."

"I don't blame you," Cheetara smiled softly and pointed at her bandaged leg. "It doesn't hurt that much and this Sanare bandage will help me heal in a couple of days. As for fighting her alone, I had to Lion-O. I had to do it alone so I could see."

"See what?"

"If I could still save her," She admitted, her gaze lowered and she forced back her tears. "WilyKit was… is like a daughter for me Lion-O. I love her, even now, I still love her. It hurts me more than anything to know she has fallen so deeply into the darkness. I hoped I could reach her; I thought that I could be a mother to her and bring her back. But she… she has become so completely evil that… it's like she died and something else crawled into her body."

"I would agree with you but…" Lion-O sat in a chair in the corner of the room and proceeded to retell his fight with WilyKit to the older Thundercat. By the time he had finished with his recollection of the battle, Cheetara was looking at him with a grave stare.

"That thing she said," Lion-O started. "About us being engaged… is it true?"

"Yes, it is," Cheetara answered, lowering her voice a little. "Tygra and I… when it was decided that we would escape Old Thundera, we convinced Jaga to take her and WilyKat with us as the representatives of the Wildcat Clan; keep in mind this was two years before the cataclysm… And, as Jaga got to know the twins, he decided that Kit had good qualities that would make her a fine queen. He brought this to your father's attention and he agreed. They also noticed WilyKat's wit and intelligence, and decided he would be a fine best friend and later advisor to you."

"That is why they were with us, then?"

She nodded. "We thought you would need friends your age that would grow up with you, to forge with them a strong bond that would not be severed."

"Why didn't you tell me before about all this?" Lion-O asked, still assimilating Cheetara's words.

"Your capsule malfunctioned. You grew up and would require different assistance," she explained. "We couldn't treat you like a child anymore, and you were too old for the arranged marriage to be held. We discussed it while you went out exploring by yourself and…"

"What did you decide?"

"We decided to put the arrangement on hold, at least until WilyKit was old enough," Cheetara answered. "We also agreed to keep that a secret from you. Kit was relieved that she would not have to marry you because you got too 'big and rough' and Kat… well, he was sure he could still assist you even if you were older."

The cheetah sighed as she obviously reminisced of happier times and then continued. "By the time we had established ourselves here and you entered the Book of Omens WilyKit told me that she wouldn't mind being your wife, if the arranged marriage was still valid. She was, of course, a few years older than when we crash landed on Third Earth, and had entered the age when she would start noticing boys."

"And she noticed me."

"It seems so, yes."

For several seconds, Lion-O remained silent, his breathing was even but his eyes showed the turmoil inside. "Mumm-Ra really wanted to destroy me, didn't he?"

Cheetara waited and observed her king attentively, in case he asked for advice.

"I think I finally understand why he offered to keep the twins with him to spare them from the mines, Cheetara… he somehow must have known about the roles they would play in my life and my kingdom, and wanted to make sure they would never achieve their destinies."

"Lion-O you are going too far, there is no…"

"Am I, Cheetara?" the lion interrupted. "You know quite well Mumm-Ra is always spying on us! Think about it, he made WilyKit act as his queen, remember? And by the way he used WilyKat, I'm sure he planned to have him as a right hand man. He took the twins and twisted their lives into a distorted image of what they should have been!"

The cheetah stared at her frustrated king and she, too, started to put things together. She had been so concerned about WilyKit's wellbeing during the time she had been captive at Castle Plundarr and then feeling guilty and trying to recover her after she turned evil that she had somehow overlooked what Lion-O had said. She had to agree that Lion-O was probably right and she felt a surge of hate aimed at Mumm-Ra invade her. She should have realized that before and should have acted accordingly to prevent it.

"And now there is nothing we can do about it," Lion-O concluded. "All we can now do is to stop Mumm-Ra and to make sure he can't come back this time."

"And what will we do about WilyKit?" Cheetara asked.

Lion-O closed his eyes and steeled himself. "She has crossed a line she shouldn't have. Not only has she killed other Thunderians, she placed the lives of many more in danger by setting the warehouses on fire. We will capture her and we will give her a fair trial, but I won't accept exile as her sentence, permanent imprisonment seems far more reasonable at this point."

Cheetara swallowed and bit her lips, listening to Lion-O decree what he thought would be the adequate punishment for WilyKit, even if he were right, still hurt her.

"I'm sorry Cheetara," the lion offered. "But it's better than what she deserves."

"I… know," she replied. "I know."

"Believe me, Cheetara, I wish it didn't have to be this way, I really do."

Cheetara couldn't answer, for a knock on the door interrupted the conversation. the knock was followed by Pummyra's voice, who asked for permission to enter the room, as she had something important to tell Lion-O.

"Tygra called," Pummyra announced as soon as she opened the door. The puma looked anxious. "He said the communicator was ready, Lion-O."

"Faster than what I expected," he muttered. Lion-O then turned to regard the cheetah again. "I'm sorry for leaving like this, Cheetara; but I'm going to try to call some of our old allies. I hate to admit it but I doubt we can survive another attack like the last one unless we have help."

"It's a reasonable and wise choice, Lion-O," she agreed. "Go, then. I'll wait for you and the others here."

"We'll be back soon," the king promised as he left.

"I didn't know he wanted to do that." Pummyra said while her brow rose in surprise. "I sure hope he's luckier than I was when he calls, though."

"What do you mean?" the cheetah asked.

"Nothing, just that Vultureman had a satellite on orbit that blocked all unauthorized frequencies, I could never hack the thing," The medic explained and shrugged. "Then again, we rebels didn't have access to that much technology to begin with, just the most basic stuff we managed to salvage here and there."

"But that's already taken care of," Cheetara smiled. "It was one of the first things Panthro did. He hacked into the satellite from here and deactivated it."

"Well, I know I came back just recently, but you guys could have told me that," Pummyra replied with feigned indignation, earning with it a chuckle from her cheetah friend, just as the puma had intended. "Anyway, how's that leg feeling Cheetara?"

Not too long after…

Lion-O expected to find both Panthro and Tygra waiting for him at the Communications Center, and was surprised to find only Tygra there. he had meant to ask about it, but the expression on the tiger's face convinced him not to. Instead, the young king simply sat in front of the new communicator and quickly entered the frequency numbers of a certain female ICF officer he had met several years ago. a few minutes went by and Lion-O was starting to lose hope when suddently, his call was accepted.

"ICF Special Forces captain Mandora here," a voice announced. "Who is this?"(1)

"Mandora! This is Lion-O," the young king greeted, glad to listen to his old friend's voice. Behind him, Tygra felt relief wash over him, as he had started to fear the communicator was not working properly.

"Lion-O?" the voice sounded confused. "From New Thundera? That's impossible! The ICF got reports that you died during a civil war that ended when a new king rose to power. What was the name of that man?… Oh, yes, Amon-Ra!"

"Mandora, that was Mumm-Ra, he tricked you all!" Lion-O argued.

"Tricked us? Do explain," Mandora requested.

The young king did just that, and spent the next twenty minutes recounting the events of the last few years to the ICF officer. By the time he had finished, Lion-O was starting to doubt Mandora would help him.

"And that's what happened; we are trying to rebuild, but we are quite vulnerable right now; I'm afraid we're going to need help protecting the Capital for the next few days and I was hoping you and the ICF could provide us with assistance."

"No, I'm sorry Lion-O," Mandora replied after a moment of silence. "I wish I could help you but I can't."

"What?" the lion was shocked, Mandora had always willingly helped them before. "Why not?"

"I'm no longer a patrolling officer; I'm a Captain with my own Starship to command; I can't just leave to help you," the ICF officer explained. "I must supervise trading routes between the planets of two Solar Systems, Lion-O; besides, the ICF does not intervene on local affairs."

"What do you mean?"

"The Interplanetary Control Force polices the trading routes between the Solar Systems of the Galaxy, Lion-O. We also chase criminals who have commited crimes in more than one planet or in an interplanetary scale. We don't have the authority to get involved in political conflicts unless they threaten to star a war between worlds." Mandora clarified, her voice level and proffesional. "I'm sorry old friend, but my hands are tied. You will have to do this without me. I wish you luck."

Not waiting for Lion-O to reply, the ICF officer cut the communication off.

"She and Control won't help us," the lion announced. "I can't believe this! She won't help because of some bureaucratic crap!"

"Mandora has new responsibilities, Lion-O," Tygra reminded him. "And she's likely under heavy supervision. I assume that even if she wanted to, her superiors wouldn't let her come to Thundera."

"It's still unfair."

"I know, but there's not much we can do about it," the tiger said. "Who else were you going to call? I'm sure someone else will come to help us."

"Hachiman, and others from Third Earth," Lion-O answered. "I'm sure at least he will come."

Saying no more, Lion-O hurried to input the frequency of the old Cat's Lair, which he had been told was still standing, and again had to wait for several minutes until someone answered. To the lion's surprise, a Berbil picked up his call. The robotic bear was overjoyed to hear Lion-O's voice, and wasted no time explaining him how the Berbils had made sure Cat's Lair and the Tower of Omens remained in good shape. By the time Lion-O had finished his tale about the crisis New Thundera was facing, the Berbil's mood had turned completely.

"Because of that, Ro-Bear-Bill, we are in need of help." (2)

"Understandable, Lion-O," the mechanical bear said. "What can we do to help you?"

"I need to contact Hachiman, Snowman and the Warrior Maidens, is it possible?"

"I already did that, Lion-O. I made it so they all listened to you as soon as I knew you were calling!" Ro-Bear-Bill revealed.

"It's good to know you're alright, Lion-O," Hachiman greeted. "Even if the circumstances are grim."

"I agree; even so, I'm glad to hear from you," Snowman added. (3)

"I must say that it happily surprises me," Nayda concluded. "So, you need our help, don't you Lion-O?" (4)

"Yes, I do," the lion answered. "Any help you can give will be appreciated. We can't do this alone, my friends. If Mumm-Ra attacks now, there's a chance that he might win."

"Say no more, Lion-O, I'm already there," Nayda stated, her voice low and filled with contained fury. "We warrior maidens still have a score to settle with Mumm-Ra's forces."

"I'll go as well," Hachiman rejoined. "I still owe you for helping me save my father's life. It will be an honor to fight by your side again." (5)

"I, unfortunately, can't go. There is a war in the Snow Kingdom right now, and I can't leave my people unprotected," Snowman explained. "I will, however, send you the finest armor in our kingdom, Lion-O. I know it's not much, but I hope it'll be useful for you."

"Don't be sorry Snowman, I understand and any help is appreciated," Lion-O assured him. "As for the rest of you, do you have transportation? We unfortunately don't have a ship capable of space travel right now."

"Doctor Dometone has a very fast Spaceship," Ro-Bear-Bill offered. "I'm sure he will let us use it once he knows we're going to help you, Lion-O. I estimate it would take us less than thirty hours to get to New Thundera."(6)

"In that case we will be waiting, thank you my friends, you don't know how much this means to me and all of my people!" Lion-O honestly thanked, his heart beating faster with the excitement the true renewal of hope brought him. With Hachiman and the Warrior Maidens on Thundera, he and the other Thundercats would have a chance to resist any possible further attacks while continue fortifying the Capital.

Later, that night…

Tygra sat in silence in his chambers; he and Panthro had moved out of the recovery room, which was now exclusively occupied by Cheetara. While the panther had chosen a room as far from the cheetah as possible, Tygra had instead requested the one next to hers, so he could assist her as soon as possible in case it was necessary.

He had hoped to talk to her, to tell her about the allies that would come to help them, but she had been asleep for most of the day, as the blood loss had weakened her greatly and she had used most of her strength earlier and as a result, the tiger had simply decided to wait until the next day.

Tygra stood up and walked out of his room. As he expected, he immediately saw a doctor walking along a pair of nurses through the hall, obviously giving them instructions. He had to admire the dedication of the few doctors they had available, as they had worked in short shifts for almost two days without protesting or giving up. For a moment he thought he would see Pummyra walking around but recalled that they had convinced her to rest the full night, same with Lion-O. It hadn't been easy, as both the king and the healer had strongly argued against it, but between him and Panthro they had managed to talk them into it.

And Panthro had been in a slightly better mood when he returned to the shelter, working hard on the Power Plant had helped him burn off what was bothering him, but he still wouldn't talk to Tygra more than what was absolutely necessary. The tiger spared a glance in the direction of Panthro's room and wondered if he slept or not. Normally, he wouldn't mind visiting him for a game of cards or to drink something together, but he understood that night it would be impossible.

Having nothing better to do, the archtect made his way to the kitchen, intending on finding something hot to drink; had he stayed closer to Cheetara's room, though, he would have noticed the pulsing blue light coming out from under the door.

Inside Cheetara's room there was a mirror, large enough to see half your body reflected on its surface, and right now, said mirror was glowling rightly with a blue light.

"Cheetara… Cheetara… I need your help… to get out…"

The cheetah stirred in her sleep, the voice that whispered into her ears was gentle, but also incredibly demanding, repeating the same plea for help over and over again until she could not take it anymore and she opened her eyes. Cheetara could not deny her surprise when she found her room completely iluminated by the bluish light coming out of her mirror.

This strange occurence was not something she hadn't experienced before, and Cheetara quickly realized who was calling her. Wizz-Ra, the wizard they had helped so many years ago. She had to admit she never thought they would meet him again, considering it would take him thousands of years to escape his imprisonment again. The fact he was calling for her intrigued her greatly, so she reached for her cane and slowly walked to the mirror.

"Help me…" the voice insisted. "I must return to your dimension… it is very important."

"Wizz-Ra, is it really you?" Cheetara asked, and doubting that the voice she heard truly belonged to their old ally, she stopped her hand from touching the mirror.

"Yes, Cheetara, it is me…" the voice said, the glow coming from the mirror diminished, showing an image of the ancient wizard instead. "The Ancient Spirits of Goodness have granted me an opportunity to escape mi prison, but only you can help me."

"I'm not dreaming then?"

"No, you aren't, please hold my hand Cheetara… only you can pull me out of the Seventh Dimension… hurry, I don't have much time to get out," the sorcerer pleaded, holding out his hand.

Knowing well how much a powerful ally like Wizz-Ra could help them, the cheetah decided to chance it and reached into the mirror, finding her hand was able to go through the glass with ease. She felt how first her fingers made contact with his, and how immediately he closed his hand around hers. For a moment, she feared he would drag her in, but found that she could pull him out with ease.

So she pulled as hard as she could, until a final flash of light emerged from the mirror and then Cheetara found him there, standing tall in front of her and still holding her hand gently inside his. Wizz-Ra, the sorcerer, had finally escaped the Seventh Dimension.

"It's nice to see you again, Cheetara," The white wizard greeted with a smile. "I need to talk to Lion-O, it's a matter of life and death."

And in a distant world, the following events have been taking place...

When she stepped out of the portal his master created, she found herself on a small plateau at the side of a frozen mountain. The sun was barely rising, but she could see stairs ahead and behind her, and to her right she could see nothing but icebergs floating on an endless sea. The woman stared at the portal and remembered she didn't have too long to finish her work here; deciding then that it was time to begin, WilyKat started going up the stairs, as it was the best and most logical option she had. She also knew she had to start moving; standing still would only make her far more vulnerable to the piercing, merciless cold that was already biting at her arms and legs.

After a long time, the young woman reached the end of the stairway, finding in front of her a massive opening adorned with many ice covered statues representing strange creatures. Upon closer inspection, she discovered the statues were of attractive women, and while most of them had fish tails instead of legs, others had legs and what appeared to be scale-covered wings. All of them, though, carried weapons as if preparing for war.

WilyKit focused then on the long corridor that snaked into the mountain, knowing that she was on the right path she prepared to enter the cave, not worrying about the darkness ahead of her. But just as she was about to do that, a cold hand stopped her. Turning quickly, ready to fight the stranger who had touched her, Kit found something that made her drop her guard. In front of her floated a translucent apparition who stared at her with great curiosity.

The ghost, a female one, wore full pirate gear down to the thigh high boots and only lacked a ridiculous feathered hat to complete the attire; instead she wore a tiara adorned with a crescent moon. This was an interesting development, and Kit wondered if this was the guardian of the sword she had come looking for.

"Who are you?" Mumm-Ra's concubine asked.

"Call me Soulmate," the spirit answered with a heavy accented voice as she hovered around WilyKit. "I am the guardian of the Dragon Fang, which I assume you are interested in. Am I wrong?"

"No, you aren't. That sword is precisely why I'm in this world," Kit stated. "And I expect you to tell me where to find it."

The ghost pirate smirked and held back a laugh. "Why would I help you? It's not as if you couldn't do it on your own. The sword's not so difficult to find, even, all you have to do is explore the Mermaids Cathedral, it will take you right to where the Dragon Fang rests, missy."

"If that's the case and it's so easy…" Kit started, her arms crossed while staring at the spirit with suspicious eyes. "Why don't you show me the way? Being a ghost hasn't affected your memory yet, has it?"

Soulmate couldn't hold back a laugh at Kit's last comment. "What a sassy little girl! It's been a long time since I've met someone like you!"

"Glad that you feel entertained. Will you take me to the sword, then?"

The ghost touched down and smiled mischievously. She would have preferred to send the girl into the frozen maze that was the Mermaid Temple so she could watch her freeze to death but on a second thought, she could use the newly arrived lass for something far more useful than a couple of days of amusement.

"Fine, lassie, I'll take you to the inner sanctum where the sword is. Follow me,"

Saying no more, the phantom walked into the cavern, using her eerie glow as a way to light the way for her companion, who was following her quite close and obviously still on her guard. Soulmate smirked again; other than the labyrinth-like corridors, there were no traps in the temple and she was not going to attack this girl, so she found it cute how distrustful she was.

A few minutes later, the ghost had led WilyKit to a large open space bathed by the morning sun. There was an altar on the other end of the room and behind it; a deep chasm could be seen. The sound of water hitting stone could be heard coming from the precipice, hinting that it led to a deep underwater cavern. there were also a few ice statues there, most of them of women but she could see a few men here and there which was strange since she had not seen any other representation of a male on the wall carvings they had seen while on the hallways.

"Those are not statues, if that is what you are wondering," Soulmate whispered on her ear, the spirit had taken to float around her again and appeared to greatly enjoy WilyKit's apparent doubt. "The Dragon Fang is very picky, little girl, and won't accept just anyone as its master. It has to be a very special person. Will you still take it? You could end up an ice statue like them."

It was now Kit's turn to smirk. "If you could do it, then I surely can. I came here for the sword, and it will be mine one way or the other."

"Pretty sure of ourselves, aren't we?" Soulmate laughed. "Fine, go and open that cabinet on top of the altar, the sword is inside."

WilyKit did as she was told, too busy with the anticipation she felt about finally having her own magic sword to care about the pirate ghost's constant mockery. She reached the white stone altar and found that the long, made of gold cabinet doors' were frozen shut, but thanks to her new strength she had no trouble opening them, revealing the sword that she so coveted to her.

The sword itself was quite admirable. Made of a white metal, its grip and pommel where of simple design but the cross-guard had been modeled so it resembled a dragon with closed wings, which formed a shield providing protection to the hand. The blade was thick on the base, and appeared to be extremely sharp. The length of the sword was deceivingly short, and WilyKit suspected it would extend to full length once the sword was awake.

Confidently, Kit reached for the weapon and held it at eye level to better look at it. For an instant nothing happened but suddenly, the sword started glowing with a silver light, and it also got extremely cold, to the point that her hand, and then her full arm, was encased in ice.

"What is the sword doing?" a slightly alarmed WilyKit demanded, looking back as she heard the ghost's mocking laughter.

"I did say the sword was very picky, didn't I?" Soulmate reminded Kit. "Only a warrior who can have a heart of ice in the battlefield can claim this sword. The sword has looked inside you and deemed you unworthy. Enjoy being an ice statue, lassie."

"No!" Kit shouted, her despair quickly replaced by a burning anger. "I won't let this happen! I must return to Thundera so I can send Lion-O to hell!"

The furious young woman tried to force her will into the sword, but it was useless, the Dragon Fang didn't relent, and the ice it created started biting on WilyKit's flesh. The frostbite was immediately countered by her dark blood, though, keeping the arm encased in ice but otherwise undamaged. That the sword refused to obey her not only made Kit furious, it also sparked an immense wave of hate inside her, it was cold and powerful and ignited her eyes red.

"I am your owner now!" WilyKit hissed at the sword, raising her arm and cracking the ice covering it as she did so. "You are mine! Mine!"

It was then, as it became aware of the cold hatred emanating from the woman holding it, that the sword finally surrendered to her will; a coldhearted female warrior it could tolerate and work with, but it was only to a woman with such darkness inside her and capable of such strong hate that the sword would willingly submit its full power to.

And so it did. The sword transformed with a flash of silver, the blade extended to full length and the dragon in the hilt spread its wings wide, forming a complete cross-guard. (7)

WilyKit felt it, a surge of power coming from the sword that was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She had felt the powerful holy lighting from the Sword of Omens, and had witnessed the evil might of the hell fire the Sword of Plundarr generated, but the energy coming from the Dragon Fang was different, it was… just as malevolent as her master's sword, but it was also extremely cold. She suddenly knew she could freeze anyone in a tomb of ice if she ever wanted to, and this made her feel much more powerful than before. It thrilled and excited her, and she showed this by laughing in triumph at the power she had just obtained.

"I-I can't believe it!" Soulmate, shocked and in absolute awe, gasped. "I could never make the sword change! Why aren't you frozen, why aren't you taking my place as the sword's guardian? You should be dead!"

"Stupid phantom," Kit snorted while returning the Dragon Fang to its dormant state with a quick flick of her wrist. "I am immortal; my body can't be hurt or killed! Did you really think the sword would not fully submit to me?"

"The sword should not have accepted you; you don't have a heart of ice!" the pirate wailed, knowing well that unless someone took her place as spirit guardian she would be doomed to roam Water-O's oceans for eternity.

"Perhaps I don't," Kit conceded as she walked towards the exit of the room. "But my hate for my enemies was apparently more than enough for the sword."

"That might be so, lassie, but the sword is not yours yet!" Soulmate warned. "The Dragon Fang chose you, but the Witch Queen who created it didn't like to share. You will now face the true guardian of the sword! It doesn't matter how immortal you think you are, the guardian will kill you and you shall take my place!"

Just as the scornful ghost finished her warning, the door leading back to the Cathedral closed and a deafening growl rose from the chasm.

To be continued...

Notes:

1- Mandora is an old ally of the Thundercats who first appeared on the chapter "Mandora the evil chaser. She is a first class officer of the ICF and has a high rank. It is only logical to assume she would be promoted during the time Lion-O spent inside the Book of Omens

2- Ro-Bear-Bill is the leader of the Berbils, a race of sentient robot bears from Third Earth. They are very good with machines and appeared in many episodes.

3- Snowman is the guardian and champion of the Snow Kingdom from Hook Mountain; he also appeared on a few episodes.

4- Nayda is the princess of the Warrior women, a group of amazon like females who live in Third Earth's forests. She and her sister Willa appeared in several episodes.

5- Hachiman is a powerful samurai and the owner of a sentient sword called the Thundercutter, which is strong enough to match the Sword of Omens and the Sword of Plundarr. The reference Hachiman makes in this chapter is from the second episode of the "Reclaiming Thundera" miniseries, where he had to travel to Thundera in order to get medicine for his father. He appeared in several episodes of the old cartoon.

6- Dr Dometone, mentioned in the chapter, is arguably Third Earth's greatest scientist. He appeared in a few episodes of the old show.

7- The cross-guard is a bar of metal at right angles to the blade, placed between the blade and the hilt. The cross-guard stops the wielder from punching shields while swinging the weapon, thereby protecting the user's hand.

Water-O is the main location from another Rankin-Bass show called the Tigersharks. Soulmate was one of the main villains from that show; she was a cunning pirate and an expert swordfighter.