Spellbound
(Revised Edition, December 2008)
by Cheezey
Chapter Two
Darkness had fallen across Third Earth, and the forest was as black as could be when the various search parties arrived. Both groups, the Thundercats and the Mutants and Lunatacs, soon split up so each individual was mostly on his or her own searching the area for any sign of the secret place where the tribe that could have the cure was rumored to live.
Tygra made his way along a worn forest trail as he searched for clues. Earlier he had thought he had seen the glow of a fire in the distance, but now that he was around the spot that he had seen it, it was nowhere to be found. The curious disappearance of it had him so wrapped up in his concentration that he was caught completely by surprise when he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Immediately he whirled around and took a defensive stance.
"I mean you no harm," a gentle female voice said, and he saw that it belonged to what appeared to be a human woman holding a flaming torch. He would have guessed her as human, at any rate, for she had the same features and build as a warrior maiden, albeit less athletic and paler, as though she spent far less time outdoors than the women of the trees. She was rather pretty, he noticed, with her pale skin, long flowing black hair, and robe woven with shiny gold, silver, and red threads in an intricate pattern. The torchlight reflected in her eyes, revealing them to be a deep blue, a curious effect given the darkness of their surroundings. It was almost as if they had a glow of their own.
"Who are you?" asked Tygra.
"My name is Celeste," she answered in a silken voice that flowed as smoothly as the ruffle of her robe in the forest breeze. "I'm a leader from the village that you're searching for."
The tiger's amber eyes widened in astonishment. "How did you know—"
Celeste smiled warmly, disarming his suspicion. "I know all about you, Tygra, and your Thundercat friends. My people, while we keep a low profile on this world, are well aware of what takes place in our forest and the surrounding lands. You're seeking out my village to save a friend of yours, one who breathed the deadly fumes of the fulxiclan, right?"
"The what?" Her accented pronunciation of the foreign word led his thoughts to stumble away from questioning how she knew as much as she did about his situation.
"The green vapor; the accursed breath of the underworld," she explained. "Our sorcerers sealed the paths to it long ago, in the hopes that no more would foolishly trespass in places they did not belong and perish for their foolishness. Our people have the means to treat it with our elixir, although we've had little need for it in recent times." She frowned. "The Forbidden Territories are not idly named; those who dwell there and disturb them are inviting trouble. We don't trust such foolish people nor do we like to waste our time doing so." Her demeanor then relaxed again, and her smile at Tygra resumed. "However, we also know that accidents happen, and take pity upon those unfortunate enough to suffer them. If I understand correctly, your friend Cheetara has fallen victim to the fulxiclan, and is in need of the elixir?"
"Yes!" Tygra said, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling for the first time in hours. "You don't know how happy I am to find you, Celeste. We're so worried that we'll lose her…"
"You won't," Celeste assured him, and laid a hand on his striped arm. "Lucky for you that our scouts have eyes and ears everywhere." She smiled mysteriously and beckoned for him to follow her. "Come with me. I'll show you to my village."
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help," he said earnestly, his heart skipping with near giddiness as he met her eyes. They watched him back intently, and he found himself momentarily lost in the welcoming serenity of her stare.
"This way," she urged, her voice light and delicate as she spoke.
Tygra followed her, entranced. "All right."
Not far away, Chilla balanced on a high tree branch in an attempt to locate the secret settlement from a higher view than the forest floor. It was a natural assumption that the place would give off some sort of light at night, and from a high point she would be able to see it more easily. She scanned the area with little luck, until suddenly she was struck with the odd sense that she was being watched. Immediately she turned, and the sharp movement caused her footing to slip. She was unable to recover in time, and she let out a raspy shriek as she tumbled from the branch to the hard ground below. She instinctively braced herself for the impact, but it never came, and instead she felt something—or rather, someone—catch her.
"You should be more careful," a pleasant and charming male voice informed her.
Even more surprised, Chilla looked up at her benefactor and found herself in the arms of a tall and strong human-looking man. She had the sense, however, that his looks were deceiving and the man was no run-of-the-mill weak slave-fodder human. His silky hair was as dark as night itself, far better groomed and kempt than any she had seen on a primitive such as a warrior maiden, and it contrasted sharply with his pale skin, especially in the darkness. She noticed that he was dressed in a tunic that hung loosely about his shoulders and flowed from his waist like a toga, and that he watched her with piercing eyes as blue as the crescent insignia on her chest. "Are you all right?" he went on to ask, seemingly unaffected by her silence or the way she stared at him.
"Um, yes," Chilla responded gruffly. She was suddenly very aware of her awkward position, irritated that she had not only shown weakness, but was also in a situation where gratitude was expected of her, and to a non-Lunatac at that. "Thanks."
The man's face lit up with a smug smile as he set her on the ground. "I'm always willing to help a beautiful woman in need."
The independent Chilla regarded him coolly, but not aggressively. "Nice line."
"Ah, I'm being quite sincere, Chilla," the man said with a note of seriousness, although his demeanor remained disarming and friendly even as she visibly started at the realization that he knew her name. "I know you're not used to that given the rather… uncultured… company you keep, but I recognize true beauty when I see it."
Chilla's gaze hardened. "How do you know who I am?"
"I know a lot of things. You may not know me, but I know quite a lot of who and what dwell on Third Earth. I know you and your friends choose to live in DarkSide, known to even the most foolhardy of Third Earth's peoples as a place better left not even visited, much less inhabited, and that in and of itself is most," he grinned, "fascinating." He paused as she stared back at him. Her expression was a mixture of curiosity and distrust, manifesting in a silent challenge for him to prove himself further to her. Seemingly amused by that, he chose to indulge it. "I also know that you, Chilla, are a Lunatac, originally from the Plundarrian Moons. You have abilities to manipulate the winter elements in ways that make the Snowman of Hook Mountain look ill-adjusted to his climate." He stepped closer, emboldened by her lack of aggressive reaction. "I also know you're looking for me."
"For you," she repeated, her tone still somewhat dubious.
"For someone from my village to cure your companions from the state the fulxiclan left them in."
Chilla blinked. "The fulxi—the vapor at the ruin?"
The man nodded. "The very same. That's why I found you. I came to help you. And a good thing I did, if I do say so." His smile broadened, and he extended his hand to her. "After all, it'd be difficult to hike through the forest with a bad leg or ankle from that fall, don't you think?"
"I suppose." Although hesitantly, she took his hand. She had expected that she would have to get the cure the Thundercats were after by force or intimidation if she found those that had it. The free offer of help was an unexpected and pleasant surprise, and while she normally would not deign to interact so closely with a human-like creature, she made an exception that time.
"My name is Damien. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chilla."
To her surprise, Chilla did not find his conversation off-putting either. Instead she found herself rather taken in by his charming demeanor. She did not dwell on why, but with each passing moment she found her attention drawn to her mysterious benefactor more and more. It was not simply his handsome face, a strange notion to her considering that she did not tend to find non-Lunatacs attractive, nor was it his flirtatious charm. Usually she saw right through such behavior and considered men like that to be full of it and only after one thing. Generally she made sure they knew it, too, for she had certainly told Alluro off more than once in the many years she had known him. How strange it was, then, that Damien did not have that effect on her. "Nice to meet you too," she answered.
"Come with me." He led her down a path that bore sharply to the east, echoing and encouraging the smile that had begun to form on her frosty face with an encouraging one of his own.
"Where are we going?"
"To my village," he told her with a sly and inviting look. "There you'll find not only what you need, but anything you need or desire." He squeezed her hand in a way that bordered on suggestive, and rather than recoil from it, Chilla was instead enticed as they began to walk.
Not far away, and unbeknownst to both Chilla and Damien, Jackalman peered out from behind a patch of brush with a perplexed look. He was not sure what all he had just seen, but nothing about it sat well with him. "I'd better see what they're up to," he murmured to himself. The stranger Damien seemed off somehow, too friendly, too helpful, and just too conveniently nice to be true. And Chilla, since when did the ice woman react so friendly to anyone, even the other Lunatacs? While he supposed she might have been just acting in a way to ensure that she got what she wanted, his instincts warned him that it was something more than that. And while he did not particularly care about Chilla being taken, the one doing the taking did concern him, especially if he did indeed have the elixir that they needed. Jackalman was not about to let Chilla's sudden lapse of judgment jeopardize their shot at getting that, and after only a fleeting moment of consideration, he decided to follow her and Damien in secret.
Tygra's eyes grew wide with wonder as Celeste led him into her village. Although the place seemed primitive by his standards, it also looked to be prosperous and lavish for what it was. The few inhabitants he saw had a similar dress and style to Celeste, and while not all had the distinctly human appearance that she did, they all seemed as though they belonged regardless. It did not seem like anyone there wanted for anything, and poverty was not anything that those who lived there had to worry about. Celeste remained silent as she led Tygra down a long cobblestone path that served as the main road, up to a grand stone structure with high archways and columns that he guessed was housing for the nobility of the people that lived there.
"I can't believe none of us have ever seen this place before! It's magnificent!" the impressed Tygra exclaimed.
"There are those who'd take great pleasure in destroying our home and taking it from us, so we use our magic to protect it. Only those who we deem worthy can find it," Celeste explained as she led him through the largest archway inside the building. Tygra saw that it was no less lovely inside, with rich tapestries on the walls and golden braziers lighting their way, casting an inviting glow that reflected off of the flowering plants, mirrors, and multicolored glass windows artfully arranged in every room and corridor.
"In that case, I'm very honored," Tygra said.
Celeste played her fingers lightly on his forearm. "I could tell from the moment we met that there was no question that you were indeed worthy, Thundercat Tygra. Strength, kindness, and virtue radiate from your entire being." They went through another hallway that led through a second set of doors and onto an outdoor patio. Heavy stone furniture made luxurious by velvet and satin pillows embroidered in intricate detail was arranged as though it was just waiting for guests to arrive. A banquet table was already set, filled with fine food and drink just waiting to be indulged in. "Please, Tygra, sit down and make yourself comfortable. It's been a long and tiring day for you. Take a moment to rest."
"Thank you, but I can't rest now," Tygra insisted. "I need to get that elixir to Cheetara as soon as possible. I can't let her down."
Smiling back at him in a way that seemed she was both concerned but also humoring the alarmist whims of child, Celeste laid a hand on the tiger's shoulder. "Cheetara will be fine in the time it takes to get what you need. Why not relax and regain your strength while I get it for you? Too little rest isn't good for you, my striped warrior. I can sense your weariness. It'll do your cheetah friend no good if you're too exhausted to get the elixir back to her." Her tone was gentle and soothing as she spoke, and Tygra looked from her to the plush and inviting seats with a mixture of temptation and guilt. "Go on," she urged. "Please, accept my hospitality and let us comfort you for a little while, before you take the elixir and are on your way through the wilds of Third Earth to your Lair once again."
It seemed as though the tension and anxiety he felt fled his body at her touch, and despite his misgivings he began to relax. He sat down in one of the chairs, and the soft cushions were as delightful as if he had sat upon a cloud in the heavens themselves. I suppose there's no harm in relaxing while she gets the elixir, he mused, as his eyes wandered over the feast laid out on the banquet table to the lovely woman offering him such delights.
Celeste could sense his willingness to linger, and she smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye that betrayed the slightest hint of intentions less than honorable. Tygra was oblivious to it, however. "You should eat to keep your strength up," she went on to say, and without waiting for an answer from Tygra she gestured to a servant-girl standing by the table. "Mirlana! Bring our guest some food and wine!" The servant immediately set about her task, assembling a tray of treats in no time, and brought it over to him. She poured Tygra some wine and offered him a plate of what seemed to be first-class gourmet fare, carefully sliced meats and cheeses, finger-food pastries, and nibbles of exotic and scrumptious-looking fruit.
A growl from his stomach tempted Tygra further, reminding him that he had not eaten since Cheetara fell ill, but he felt a pang of guilt for indulging when she lay sick waiting for him. "That's very kind of you to offer, but…"
"Nonsense!" Celeste's voice took on a firm and authoritative lilt. "You need nourishment, don't you? You Thundercats seem to be very strong, but I'm sure it's not infinite. You're exhausted. If you plan on making the journey back to your friend tonight, you'll need to keep your strength up."
Tygra smiled wanly, accepting defeat, and picked up a goblet. "I see you come from the same school of thought as Snarf. All right. You do have a point." He sipped at the wine, a rich and sweet drink unlike any he had ever had before. Almost immediately a warm sensation flooded his body and lulled him into a deeper state of relaxation that coaxed him into drinking more of it. It was not long before he finished all he had been given, and asked for more. While he waited for the servant to pour it, he sampled the food, finding it to be every bit as delicious as it looked.
Celeste left briefly, leaving him on his own to enjoy the food and drink while he waited for her, and the more he consumed, the more comfortable and relaxed he became. Time seemed to come to a standstill, and when Celeste returned and sat beside him, he did not even manage to get the words out to inquire about the elixir before she began to rub his shoulders. Her touch was every bit as pleasant as everything else she offered, and when she drew closer, massaging him in an almost intimate way, he did not pull back or question it, but merely sank deeper into his seat and relaxed contentedly. "So this is the good life…" he murmured, at that point tempted by the wanted creature comfort of sleep, just for a few moments.
A coy and very pleased grin spread across Celeste's pretty red lips as he drifted off. "So good you might never want to leave," she whispered, and leaned down and kissed his cheek. That time there was no mistaking the mischievous intent in her expression, but Tygra's closed eyes never saw it.
Luring her back to the village much in the same way Celeste had done with Tygra, Damien brought Chilla out onto the same garden patio that Celeste and Tygra were already relaxing on. Chilla had been just as impressed by the secret sanctuary and its noble quarters as Tygra had been, although unlike Tygra she had kept mostly silent about it. Also in a way similar to how Celeste had offered the food and drink of her home to Tygra, Damien offered the ice woman their hospitality. Chilla was far less conflicted about the notion than the tiger had been, however, and she was not about to turn down an offer of free food and cushy seats when all she had to look forward to at home was the industrial "comforts" of Skytomb. In her mind, Alluro owed her for the inconvenience of trekking out to the unicorn forest to begin with, and it was not like while he was comatose he would even notice if she took a few minutes of pleasure to herself. He certainly would have done the same if their roles had been reversed.
Damien was the first to notice that they were not alone as they came out onto the garden-lined patio. "Sister!" he called out to Celeste, who smiled back at them.
"Damien, you've returned. And with another visitor, I see."
The raven-haired man's smile broadened. "Yes. This lovely lady is Chilla. She's come for the elixir to heal her sick friend."
"Oh! Just like Tygra here," she remarked. "He came for the same thing. How interesting that these… adversarial… factions all came to us with the same need, hmm?"
"Yes," Damien said, and cast a curious glance at the snoozing Tygra. He raised an eyebrow, but Celeste spoke up before he could comment further on it.
"The poor thing was so exhausted that he fell asleep. I didn't have the heart to deny him rest."
Chilla missed the knowing smile that passed between Celeste and Damien when she said that, and instead frowned when she saw a Thundercat had already beaten her there. "Tygra and I might be after the same thing, but we're not on the same side," she pointed out as she glowered at the tiger.
Celeste regarded Damien's companion with a look of warning. She was not overtly unfriendly, but not acquiescent either. "Our home is peaceful and we've no quarrel with or interest in your outside differences. We'll share the elixir with you both, but don't bring your out-world troubles here." She beckoned to the servant girl again. "Mirlana, come here and see to it that Damien's guest is made comfortable."
"Yes, Lady Celeste." The servant hastily led Chilla to an unoccupied seat and served her the same assortment of wine and food Celeste had given Tygra earlier.
Satisfied with how the servant carried out her tasks, Celeste returned her attention to her brother. "Damien, I'll return in a while. I'm having the elixir prepared for Tygra and I'll have a vial of it made for your friend as well to take with her."
A careful observer might have noticed a conspiratorial look pass between the pair, but neither the unconscious Tygra nor the distracted Chilla saw it. "I'll join you in a bit," Damien told his sister with a nod, and once she left, he sat down beside Chilla. "Is it to your liking?" he asked, referring to the treats she held in her gloved fingers.
"It's wonderful," an uncharacteristically enthusiastic Chilla answered. "I haven't had food this good since I left..." She paused and amended her words as it occurred to her that alluding to why she had left her home Moons might make her benefactor less charitable toward her, "well since I've been away from the Moons with the others. A long time." She drank the wine and felt the same sensations that Tygra had when he had tasted the drink. A relaxing sensation came over her, faster than that induced by any other wine she had ever consumed, and she settled more deeply into the comfortable cushions of her chair.
Damien leaned closer to her, his eyes intent on hers as their gazes met. "Your friends seem to bring you down and hold you back. Why do you let them?"
Normally Chilla would have iced the man for asking such an invasive, personal, and presumptuous question, but the relaxing effects of the wine were already showing in her mood. "They don't do anything I wouldn't do," she told him dismissively. "Sure, Luna's a little overbearing at times… all right, a lot overbearing, but we all do all right."
"Indeed," Damien said, switching gears as he picked up on her defensive tone. "No need to justify anything to me," he went on to say, his tone markedly more sympathetic and understanding. "I didn't mean to seem judgmental; it's just that you appear so unhappy. I can count the times you've smiled since we met on one hand." He took her hand and held it in his, stroking her fingertips gently as he looked into her hard Lunatac eyes once more. "Such a shame. Your smile is beautiful."
Nearby in the bushes and undetected by those on the courtyard, Jackalman listened to the exchange. He had successfully followed Chilla and her new friend all the way to the village, and at that moment he was covering his mouth to keep from laughing out loud and giving himself away to those he eavesdropped on. This Damien guy is using every cheesy pick up trick in the book, and she's falling for it, he thought with a snicker. The Chilla being wooed was so different than the Chilla he knew, and he would have expected that she was more experienced than that to fall for such obvious flattery. Then again, he supposed that a woman with her abrasive personality probably did not get too far in the romance scene anyhow, regardless of how attractive a man might find her.
Oblivious that she was being watched, Chilla found herself briefly lost in Damien's exotic blue human eyes. The moment proved fleeting, though, and she snapped out of it a moment after she realized she was staring at him like some pathetic teenager with a crush. "I shouldn't waste time here," she muttered suddenly, and set her goblet down and stood. "I need to get the elixir back to Skytomb." The excuse was valid; saving Alluro was the purpose of her mission. Even if he was an arrogant jerk, she did not want to see him die because she spent too much time lazing around after a suave stranger offered her a meal better than Luna's cooking.
Damien also rose, seemingly unfazed by Chilla's resistance to his charms. "Very well then. I'll find Celeste and get it for you right away. I'll see you in a little while, my dear." He leaned over kissed her hand gently, and then turned and walked out without another word.
Surprised at his compliance, Chilla remained there, standing almost trancelike as he vanished through the marble archway. Rarely were the men she knew so… reasonable. Even after he was long gone, her stare remained fixed upon the exit through which he had gone. "He's so charming..." she whispered to no one in particular, completely unaware of the rapt and love-struck smile on her face.
Chilla also had not noticed that Tygra had drifted back into consciousness. He sat up with a start when he noticed that he was not alone, and not with Celeste, but Chilla. He tensed, ready for an ugly confrontation with the Lunatac. "Chilla? What on Third Earth are you doing here?"
The ice woman instantly snapped back into reality, and glared at the tiger, ready to ice him if he uttered one more word that displeased her. "The same thing you are: getting that elixir. We know you Thundercats decided to get it on your own without telling us, even after Luna was foolish enough to help you. Goes to show how good your so-called honor is," she hissed contemptuously.
Tygra bristled at her accusation and stood to face her. "We never intended to keep it from you. We just wanted to make sure we got it first," he argued. "We know full well that if we told you Lunatacs or Mutants and you got it first, that Cheetara would never get it."
"Of course not. We're not weakly sentimental like you," Chilla growled back.
"And you're so proud of that," Tygra said coldly. He looked away for a moment before he asked another question. "Did Celeste bring you here too?" He had trouble imagining that the lovely stranger that had offered him help would be fooled into thinking that Chilla's motives were as altruistic as his own, and in the same vein, it made him wonder for a moment whether there was more to her than he might have thought.
"No," Chilla said flatly. "Her brother Damien did."
The answer came as a surprising relief to Tygra, who realized he was glad that he did not have to question Celeste, and he felt a shade of guilt for doing so. How could he doubt someone such as her? "They're fine people," he said admiringly. "Celeste is wonderful."
"Not as wonderful as Damien," Chilla countered, and smiled. "He's the most amazing man I've ever met." The words sounded alien even to her as she spoke them, but even still she did not amend or condemn them, even inwardly.
Still listening in from his hiding spot nearby, Jackalman could not say the same. He had nearly puked at Chilla's remark. What's the matter with her? Chilla doesn't act like this, even when she wants something!
Unaware of the Mutant's presence, Tygra shook his head in bemusement as he regarded Chilla. "This is strange," he admitted. "Here we are, after the same thing, both alone, and not fighting… at least not with weapons anyway."
"Yes, it is strange," the Lunatac hissed. A cruel gleam lit in her eyes for a moment as she looked back at him. "But for some reason, I just don't feel like fighting you right now, like it's not worth it. Celeste said she didn't want us to and… well I'm in too good a mood to let you ruin it anyway." She turned her gaze toward one of the brazier's fires, watching the flames and shadows dance against the stone wall. "Something about this place just doesn't seem to want it."
"It wants us to be peaceful," Tygra said with a hint of a smile. "I feel it too."
"I suppose," grumbled Chilla. There was little emotion in her voice, but the absence of malice in it as she spoke to the tiger was telling enough.
"Well in that case, how about a truce between us, at least temporarily?" Tygra offered. "For the reason that we've come for the same reason and are on the same side this time."
Chilla nodded. "This time," she emphasized, "and yes, temporarily."
Those words from the Lunatac led Jackalman's jaw to go slack. Was that really Chilla, the same Chilla he had known for years, agreeing to a truce with a Thundercat? If it was not such a preposterous notion and he did not already know better, he would have suspected that someone had switched the icewalker with a body double when he had not been looking. Even more so now than before, Jackalman was glad he had followed her to the village. Clearly some outside force was at work, and if he wanted to ensure that Monkian got that elixir, he would have to keep tabs on it.
Damien and Celeste then returned from inside, each holding a delicate glass vial filled with a shimmering red liquid. Celeste went to Tygra's side and Damien joined Chilla's. "We've brought you the elixir you need," Celeste said, and handed the vessel she held to the tiger. He took it from her and eyed it with fascination, shaking it gently and watching the bubbles sparkle in the moon and fire light.
"Thank you," he said, and suddenly he felt a pang of sadness as he realized his visit had come to an end. It seemed too soon, even though he knew Cheetara was at home and needed him back with the elixir as soon as possible. He faced Celeste with a regretful but grateful look. "I'd better get this back to the Lair right away. Cheetara needs it. I owe you a great deal of gratitude, Celeste. If there's anything I can do..."
Celeste smiled at him, a flirtatious and seductive smile that made Tygra want to do anything she asked. "Perhaps one thing."
Tygra halted where he stood and watched her expectantly, hopefully even. "Anything."
"Come back and see me again soon," she said, and put a welcoming hand on his arm in a gesture of parting. The fleeting pleasure of her touch made him want her closer to him and made him nearly purr with desire.
"I will," he promised. "As soon as I can after I get this to Cheetara."
"I look forward to it. Come, I'll walk you back to the forest." She smiled graciously and took his arm, pleased with how eager he seemed. Her magic was working beautifully on him, and he was blissfully unaware of it. Her smile did not let on, however, not even to the spying jackal in the bushes.
"I'd love that," Tygra replied with a shy smile as they made their way to the village border. It had been so many years since he had felt so charmed by a woman, and perhaps because it had been so long it made it that much harder for him to think about it clearly. It was not just her beauty, but so many other things about her, such as her kindness and grace, that drew him to her. It was like he lost all sense of reason when she looked at him, and he could not get her out of his mind, even with his duty to help Cheetara also weighing on it.
Once Celeste and Tygra were on their way, Damien handed Chilla her vial of the elixir. "I suppose this means you'll be on your way now too," he said with an undisguised hint of disappointment.
Chilla was also less subtle about the conflicting desire to want to stay rather than go back and deal with the other Lunatacs and Mutants so soon. "Believe me, I'd rather not, but Alluro does need this. And I suppose that Mutant too," she said in a way that made it clear Monkian was at best an afterthought.
The look on Damien's face indicated that he was not thrilled with her answer, but his façade remained intact well enough for her benefit. "Alluro is lucky that you care so much for him."
"Hah. Care is a strong word. I don't hate him, and I don't want him dead." She sneered. "Though if it had been Luna, you might've been able to convince me to stay for a few more drinks before leaving."
"Still," Damien pressed, "it seems to me he doesn't deserve you. I've seen enough of your group to know how arrogant and selfish the hypnotist is."
"To put it mildly," Chilla agreed. She found herself wondering if Alluro would have gone back as readily on her account, which was exactly what Damien had hoped she would ponder. "But with so many Thundercats around and as useless as the Mutants are, we need all the Lunatacs we have," the icewalker said after a moment, clutching the vial of elixir more tightly in her gloved hand.
"They need you, at the very least," Damien mused, and eyed her with another pointed look to make her think. "But do you need them, really? Or do they just use you?"
The remarks had their desired effect, and Chilla snapped back at him angrily. "No one uses me!"
"No, of course not." Damien's words were conciliatory and apologetic, calculatedly so to someone with a sharp enough eye to catch it. "You're too perceptive for that, aren't you Chilla?" He smiled at her. "Forgive me. It was just a friendly warning." He placed his hands over hers, sandwiching them between his warm flesh and the smooth glass vial. The touch was soothing and pleasant, and Chilla found herself drawn into his gaze again. "Let me at least offer you this. If you ever do decide you've had enough of them and want to get away… you know where I live. I'd be more than willing to help you forget about them and the trouble they bring." He leaned closer, almost as if he was going to kiss her, but he did not. "Take care of yourself, icy one," he finished, and then delivered the light kiss on her lips that he had hinted at moments before.
The warmth of his lips on hers was as delightful as it was fleeting, and Damien withdrew and vanished into the shadows of his estate before she had a chance to say anything. She remained where she stood for a long moment, unable to get him out of her mind, before she turned and began the lonely walk back to the Ice Runner without him.
Once the initial shock of all that he had witnessed wore off, and after the patio was seemingly deserted and it was safe to do so, Jackalman collapsed in a fit of laughter. The Mutant could hardly believe how Damien had so successfully managed to sweet-talk the icy Chilla. It was something he would have thought impossible if he had not seen it with his own eyes, and he could hardly wait to share it with the other Mutants, who undoubtedly would find it as humorous as he did.
Unfortunately Jackalman was so caught up in his mirth that he neglected to realize that he was still trespassing on Damien and Celeste's realm and that he was not as alone as he had thought. A low voice from behind seethed with fury. "You find something amusing, Mutant?"
Jackalman spun around and saw an absolutely livid Damien standing above him. The man's handsome face was twisted into an inhuman scowl and his eyes glowed with an evil light that made the Mutant's blood run cold. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that spying is rude, subcreature?" he hissed venomously.
"I wasn't spying," the now unnerved Mutant hedged. "I was looking for Chilla. We're friends."
"Friends indeed," Damien replied with narrowed eyes. "You can't fool me as easily as you fool the other creatures on this planet. I know all about you Mutants and who you are. Repulsive and primitive creatures," he said with contempt. "And you were most certainly not invited to our village."
Ignoring the insults in light of the very real threat his instincts warned him that Damien posed, he backed away slightly. He might have looked human, but it was very clear to the jackal that there was something supernatural about him, and Mumm-Ra had taught the Mutants the lesson that mages, immortals, and other such creatures were not lightly trifled with. "Don't worry about it then, because I was leaving anyway," he said, and took another step backwards.
Unfortunately Jackalman backed right into Celeste, who when he turned to look at her, had every bit the unnatural and wicked appearance that her brother did. Her pretty face was twisted into a cold and vindictive sneer, and her teeth glinted with sharp points that resembled more the fangs of a ferocious beast than the human-like façade she maintained for Tygra. "Oh no you're not," she corrected him snidely. "You see, Mutant, nobody trespasses on our grounds without paying the price for it."
"Look, I was just passing through," Jackalman argued, a whine creeping into his voice betraying the fear he felt. "I'll go right now, and forget I ever saw this place. Do whatever you want with Chilla. It's no fur off my back."
"I intend to," Damien said, and bared his own glistening fangs at the Mutant. He reached for Jackalman, his form growing three times as large as he did so, and Jackalman realized in horror that he was indeed dealing with a demon or similar supernatural creature. He did the only thing he could, and broke into an adrenaline-fueled run, but Damien shot a blast of energy from his hand that struck Jackalman squarely in the back and knocked him to the ground. Celeste was at the fallen Mutant's side in a flash, and pulled him into a chokehold that should have been impossible had she truly been a human as she once appeared.
"What are you?" the struggling Jackalman gasped. "Demons of Mumm-Ra's?"
"We're not associated with the demon priest, other than that we serve the same masters," Celeste hissed. "And that's enough out of you. Ponder the rest of your questions rotting in the dungeon, which is where you'll spend the rest of your miserable life until we decide to end it for you. Grab his feet, Damien."
"I'd be delighted to, sister," he laughed, and lifted the other half of the jackal off the ground. The two then carried their new captive into the palace, which to Jackalman was hardly as welcoming as Tygra and Chilla saw it. On their way down the twisted stone stairs that led to the dungeon, they passed Mirlana, the servant girl from the patio, who gave the Mutant prisoner a sympathetic look.
Damien caught it and fixed his burning gaze upon her. "Don't waste your pity on this creature, Mirlana. He's not worth it." Before she could react, Damien and Celeste retreated down the stairs and hauled Jackalman into the dank prison. Damien used magic to open one of the cells, and the two roughly threw the stunned jackal onto the floor. Celeste then closed the barred door, and the ominous sound of a lock clicking into place echoed throughout the chamber. Damien and Celeste laughed cruelly when Jackalman then met his cellmate, a moldering skeleton of a long-dead prisoner, and climbed the stairs together to leave him in his misery.
Once they were back in the open summery night air of their estate, their features reformed into the pleasing forms that they held earlier, and Damien turned to his sister. "We shouldn't have let them leave. Now they may bring others back to look for that Mutant."
Celeste laughed his concern off. "Don't be paranoid. Tygra is well under my spell, and from what I observed, the Lunatac Chilla is under yours. When they return, it won't be to find that loathsome creature, trust me." She eyed the distant trees and her smile broadened in anticipation. "When they come back, it'll only be for us."
Damien put his arm around his sister's waist and mirrored her conniving smile. "And we'll finish what we started. We'll seduce them and take their energy little by little until they are nothing but more slaves for us, mere shells of the warriors they once were, while their power feeds and furthers our own strength."
Celeste rested her head on Damien's shoulder. "It's been too long since we've fed on such strong mortal toys. Fresh energy, especially this alien energy, will be delicious."
"And when we're done, what pretty ornaments they'll make to go with the rest of our villagers… living for all eternity here but unable to leave… being our playthings for all time."
It was nearing midnight when Tygra walked into Cat's Lair holding the vial of the life-saving elixir. "I got it! We can save Cheetara!" he shouted victoriously as he ran into the main foyer.
"Tygra! Oh thank Jaga!" Snarf exclaimed, greeting him with several of the other Thundercats. "We were all worried about you out there in the woods!"
"Yes, the rest of us returned hours ago, and we didn't find anything," Lion-O said. "Where have you been? We weren't able to get in touch with you."
"That's strange. I was in the hidden village with Celeste. She's the one who gave me the elixir," he explained. "Maybe their magic blocks communications. Their people seem to be well versed in it. Oh, you wouldn't believe how amazing she is and her village is," he breathed, a faraway look in his eyes as he mentioned her.
Panthro smiled. "You can tell us all about it later, but let's get this to Cheetara now."
"Of course," Tygra said, slipping back to reality. "How has she been?"
"The same," Lion-O answered with a somber shake of his head. "There's been no change in her condition, for better or worse. Pumyra and the kittens are in with her now."
"The kittens?" Tygra said, and glanced at a timepiece. "It's kind of late."
"Snarf snarf, they couldn't sleep. Too worried, like the rest of us," Snarf lamented as they made their way down to the medical bay.
The snarf's statement inspired a pang of guilt in Tygra for lingering as long as he did in Celeste's village now that he was back among his friends and the gravity of Cheetara's situation in his face once again. He hoped that the elixir would work fast enough to make up for it, and as long as Cheetara was healed again, that was the important thing, he told himself.
Pumyra and the kittens brightened when the ensemble of Thundercats joined them at Cheetara's bedside. "You're back! And what's that?" the puma asked, glancing at the vial in the tiger's hands.
"The elixir," Tygra said, and Lion-O followed him up with an elated nod.
"The one from the scrolls. He found the people that make it."
"Oh, thank Jaga!" WilyKit exclaimed.
Tygra went to Cheetara's beside and uncorked the elixir. A sweet scent reminiscent of citrus blossoms wafted up from the bottle. "Hold her up," he said to Pumyra, "and I'll administer it."
"Wow, that's the cure?" WilyKat asked, eyeing the bottle curiously. "It looks good enough for all of us to drink."
Snarf was up on his tail in a flash. "Snarf, I wouldn't recommend that! We don't even know what's in it or what it'd do to someone healthy."
"I can't imagine anything Celeste makes being harmful," Tygra said, his tone oddly snappish as though Snarf had accused her of something even though the comment had been innocuous.
Meanwhile Pumyra leaned the unconscious Cheetara up with help from Panthro at her side. WilyKit joined her brother in looking at the elixir, amazed at how it continually bubbled. "Did they say how fast it'd work?" she asked.
"No," Tygra replied brusquely. "Hopefully it's fast." He looked to Pumyra. "Is she ready?"
The puma nodded. "Go slowly, and make sure she swallows it and doesn't choke."
"Right." Tygra lifted the delicate vial and slowly poured a dose of the mystic elixir into the cheetah's open mouth. The fluid sparkled and shimmered as it flowed from the bottle, and a warm glow formed around Cheetara's mouth for a moment as Pumyra massaged her throat, mimicking the actions of swallowing to ease it along and ensure that she did not aspirate it. Tygra replaced the silver cork on the bottle with the remaining elixir, and Pumyra gently laid Cheetara back down while the rest of them stood back and waited. The following moments felt like an eternity to the Thundercats but to their collective relief, the elixir did indeed work fast and Cheetara's amber eyes opened. Clearly disoriented, the cheetah let out an incoherent murmur and then sat up to get her bearings.
"What happened? Where am I?"
Pumyra put an arm around her shoulders. "You're in the medical bay of Cat's Lair. You inhaled some poisonous gas back in DarkSide that put you in a coma. We've been trying to bring you out of it, but didn't have any luck until Tygra got us an elixir from a healer in the unicorn forest that had a cure for it," she explained. "How are you feeling?"
Cheetara blinked and listened to all that Pumyra said, as the memory of the battle in DarkSide refreshed itself in her mind. "I'm a little tired, but basically all right," she answered. "What about the Thundrillium? Did we get it? What about the others? I—I think a couple of the Mutants and Lunatacs might've gotten caught in it too. Did they?"
"The fight was a stalemate," Lion-O told her. "As for the Thundrillium, after you and the others fell, that wasn't important anymore. You were." He smiled and took her hand.
"Darn right," agreed Panthro. "No Thundrillium would ever take precedence over you."
"We were so worried we'd lose you!" WilyKat added, and gave her an impulsive hug.
Touched by the concern of the other Thundercats, Cheetara smiled. "Well, I'm a tough cheetah and you wouldn't get rid of me that easily anyway," she teased. "And I guess I ought to assume we won't get off that easy with the Lunatacs and Mutants that breathed the poison too, right?"
"No, we did promise to give it to them if we got a cure, in exchange for agreeing to help us earlier," Lion-O said, wearing an expression that indicated he looked forward to it about as much as the Thunderkittens looked forward to cleaning their rooms when Snarf insisted.
"They helped?" an incredulous Cheetara asked.
"About as little as possible," WilyKit explained.
WilyKat nodded along with her. "We asked them for blood samples from Alluro and Monkian to analyze to see if we could figure out what it was. They let us have them, but not without letting us have it, if you know what I mean."
"You won't have to give it to them," Tygra then volunteered. "I wasn't the only one that found the village. Chilla was there too. I guess they didn't trust us and spied on us to follow us there," he explained. "But they gave the elixir to her too, so they won't need ours."
Panthro chortled. "Well thank Jaga for small favors. Who'd have thought that them spying on us would work out to our benefit?"
Snarf let out a bristling mewl. "I'd say as long as it keeps us from having to trek back over to DarkSide and trust them to play fair at Skytomb, don't look a gift Lunatac in the mouth."
Easing her legs off the side of the stretcher upon which she had bee placed, Cheetara turned toward Tygra. "It sounds like we all owe your healer a debt of gratitude. Who was it?"
"Her name is Celeste," Tygra replied, smiling brightly as he spoke her name.
"What's she like?" asked Lion-O.
"Beautiful," the tiger said breathlessly, realizing only after he spoke it how spellbound he sounded as he did so. An embarrassed smile crept across his features as he finished answering, and he felt a flush touch his cheeks beneath his red and black fur. "Actually, she's a noble and a leader in her village. It's a lovely place, it's… er, well I didn't get its name, but they keep it hidden by magic away from strangers. They're psychic and know a lot about the people of Third Earth. She knew what happened and why I was there, so she found me while I was looking for her," he explained, and then smiled a bit wider, albeit somewhat shyly. "She actually said that my nobility attracted her to me, and went out of her way to help. She's so kind and generous and beautiful—"
"So you've said twice already," a grinning Panthro remarked. The other Thundercats also noticed, and exchanged amused looks as well.
Tygra's blush burned more fiercely at the panther's remark, and he looked away, clearing his throat.
The tiger's telltale reaction only served to egg Panthro on further. "Hmm, it sounds to me like you have a thing for this Celeste, Tygra."
Growing increasingly uncomfortable, Tygra shifted where he stood. It was not so much that he was ashamed of his feelings for Celeste as he was that he did not really understand them himself, and that he felt awkward and on the spot with his friend's good natured teasing. He was shy by nature and sensitive about such private matters. "No, that's not it at all," he insisted, as much to convince himself as them. "I—I just think she's nice, that's all."
"Suuuure it is," WilyKat teased back.
"Tygra's in love! Tygra's in love!" an equally amused WilyKit chanted in a sing-songy voice. Neither kitten truly realized that they were offending Tygra, and on some level he knew that, but still he was unable to control his reaction.
"I am not!" he growled back defensively, but unfortunately his face indicated otherwise.
Lion-O then joined in on the fun, much to Tygra's dismay. "Isn't that sweet?" he teased, grinning as widely as Panthro and echoing the twins' mirth.
Caught up in the jovial mood, the newly recovered Cheetara also giggled. "It is. He's very cute when he's in love."
The cheetah joining in was the last straw, and Tygra scowled. The kittens he could excuse as being childish and not knowing better, and he could even say the same for young-minded Lion-O, but Cheetara's quip had an extra sting to it that instantly changed his defensive embarrassment to a flash of anger. "Look, I went there to help you," he snapped irritably. "I don't appreciate being singled out for your amusement as thanks for it!"
Immediately the lighthearted mood in the room died and an awkward silence settled over it instead, each of the Thundercats feeling remorseful under the uncomfortable weight of Tygra's angry glare. "Aw, Tygra, we were just kidding. Sorry," WilyKat offered quietly.
Cheetara nodded along with WilyKat, instantly regretting her remark when she saw the effect it had on Tygra. The tiger was one of her closest friends and hurting his feelings was certainly something she never wanted to do. "I'm sorry Tygra. I didn't mean to offend you."
"Too late for that," Tygra retorted curtly, and left the room without another word. His heavy footfalls as he climbed the stairs echoed through a second uncomfortable silence that followed in his wake.
Lion-O blinked and looked at the door through which he had left in mild shock. "What did we say that was so bad?"
Sighing, Cheetara said, "Sometimes he gets touchy about his emotions. You know how shy he can be." She followed Lion-O's gaze to the stairwell. "We shouldn't have kept at it after he got quiet. Obviously he does have feelings for this Celeste woman, and he probably needs to sort them out."
Panthro nodded, also feeling a bit guilty for his part in teasing the tiger. "Yes, we ought to give him some time alone to cool off for now. He'll be back to himself before long." The rest of the Thundercats nodded and murmured in agreement, and the subject was dropped for the remainder of their conversation.
Miles away in the corner of Third Earth known as DarkSide, Chilla returned to Skytomb with her own vial of the elixir. RedEye had already returned earlier, having had no luck in finding anything, and none of the Mutants or Lunatacs had heard from either her or Jackalman. When she radioed them to let them know she was on her way back, they gathered in the landing bay and went with her to the medical chamber where Alluro and Monkian were laid up. On their way in, she filled them in briefly about her encounter with Damien and his exotic little village. Not surprisingly, she was pressed for many details about the place, as none of them had known about it or seen anything like it before, and she was still talking about it while Vultureman administered the elixir to Monkian and Alluro. The conversation died down as they waited to see if the antidote acted quickly, and they were as surprised as the Thundercats had been that it worked so fast. Indeed, it did seem like a magic potion to cure their perplexing sickness, for the comatose Lunatac and Mutant registered a strengthening in their vital signals almost immediately, and were fully conscious within minutes of receiving it.
Monkian was the first to sit up, and he clumsily brushed his large hand against his temple as he did so. "Hoo hoo... my head hurts."
"What's going on?" the disoriented Alluro murmured, stirring from his prone position and leaning up on his elbows once he realized that he was surrounded by Mutant and fellow Lunatac alike.
RedEye discarded the empty glass vial in a nearby sink and regarded him with an impersonal look. "You were poisoned by some kind of fog that you inhaled back at the ruins when we ambushed the Thundercats for their Thundrillium."
"Which we didn't get," TugMug said, wheeling over to RedEye's side.
"We only now got our hands on the antidote and gave it to you."
"I see," Alluro said, and blinked his eyes a few times to regain focus.
"Is that what happened to me too?" asked Monkian.
"Yes," answered Slythe, while added another bit of information to his earlier explanation.
"Chilla got it."
Both Monkian and Alluro shifted their gaze from the darkling to the icewalker. "I see," Alluro repeated, and looked to her to elaborate.
Chilla shrugged. "It wasn't that big a deal. The worst part of it was the time I spent eavesdropping on the Thundercats, bored to tears listening to them bemoan their poor little cheetah's fate."
"They promised to help us and share what cure they found, you see, in exchange for us allowing them to examine you for their own research," Luna explained, looking as though the experience put her out thoroughly. Alluro and Monkian, meanwhile both grimaced at the notion that the Thundercats had been around them while they were too ill to protest, and at the fact that Luna seemed more disgusted at her comparatively minor part in it than they were as the subjects.
"Of course, the cats were full of shit when they said they'd tell us what they learned," TugMug said, and shot Luna another "I told you so" look that she refused to dignify with more than a glower of her own. The graviton had already gloated ad nauseum about it in her opinion, and she was tired of listening to it.
"Which is precisely why I had Chilla spying on them in the first place," Luna pointed out curtly.
"Like I said, that was the worst part," Chilla finished, and then both her tone and expression shifted to one more pleasant. "We followed them to a place in the unicorn forest that they discovered had healers that treated your condition. We wanted to beat them there, and when we got there, I met someone rather fascinating," the goofy smile that had so amused Jackalman earlier returned briefly, a fact that did not go unnoticed by others in the room.
Luna eyed her curiously. "That was the Damien fellow you mentioned?"
Chilla nodded, and when she didn't say anything further, Alluro took up the role of questioning. "And who is Damien?" As one used to reading even the subtlest cues of emotion as a means to manipulate, the shift in Chilla's mood when the subject of him came up was rather telling, and he was very curious to know who it was that could have such a visible effect on his cold-hearted colleague.
"I slipped on a tree branch and he caught me when I fell," she said. Her features lit up with a hint of—was it fondness, Alluro wondered?—as she continued. "He explained to me that he was from the tribe we were looking for and that he knew why I was there. I think they're psychic as well as magic users, since he knew a lot about all of us. Anyway, he offered to help without me hardly saying anything, and took me to his village where he gave me the elixir."
TugMug raised an eyebrow and, as he so often did, voiced the innuendo that the others were only thinking. "And what did you have to do to get it from him?"
She glowered at the graviton. "Nothing. He just gave it to me."
Vultureman let out a dubious squawk. "And why would he do that?" the avian scoffed. "You're not exactly, caw, a warm and friendly personality."
An exasperated frost came out on her breath as she glared at the vulture. "Damien seemed to think so, Beaky."
Much like it had been with Jackalman, Chilla's defensive reaction was too much for Monkian to hold back his amusement at. "He probably got a good feel when he caught her, and was angling for a more thorough one, hoo hoo," the simian laughed. His remark in turn sparked a round of snide laughter from both of the other Mutants and TugMug as well, a casual snicker from RedEye, and smirks on Luna and Amok.
Chilla on the other hand was nowhere near as amused, and she shot a fire beam at the exam table Monkian still sat upon, making him skitter back in reaction. "Not everyone lives with their minds in the gutter," she hissed contemptuously. "Why is it so hard for you to comprehend that someone might have just liked me?"
At that, RedEye chortled again. "Because we know you."
That time she whirled around and spat a blast of ice in the darkling's general direction, and stalked toward the door, unwilling to listen to any more of it.
The ice Lunatac's display of temper and her consequent exit reminded Slythe of a more serious matter, one that he had not yet gotten the chance to question—the whereabouts of the member of the search party that had yet to return. He narrowed his yellow eyes and stepped toward her. "Wait just a moment, yesss?" he said, and when Chilla turned around to face him with a glower, he asked, "Where is Jackalman? If you got the elixir, he should've returned by now. Didn't you let him know?"
"Do you think I care what he does?" Chilla hissed back in annoyance. "I'm not his keeper, and he's a big boy. I'm sure even a Mutant as stupid as him can operate a communicator."
"But he went out with you to ssssearch, didn't he?"
"We split up. I haven't seen him since." Chilla looked at RedEye. "Didn't he say anything to you?"
RedEye shook his head. "I heard nothing from him or you after we split up until you came back."
His suspicion rising, Slythe's tail flicked from side to side. "You'd better not have pulled any dirty tricks against us Mutants, Lunatac!"
The accusation pushed what tenuous hold Chilla had on her temper closer to the edge, and her eyes blazed with unspent anger. "I said I didn't see him."
"Then why isn't he back?" demanded Slythe.
Equally unimpressed with Slythe's accusations, Luna frowned at the Mutant leader. "Perhaps once he was no longer downwind of you three, he headed in the other direction for good," she quipped.
Ignoring Luna's barb, Vultureman followed Slythe's lead and narrowed his eyes at Chilla. Although he did not care all that much about Jackalman personally, his Mutant pride was not about to let one of the Lunatacs cross them in such a way and get away with it. "Caw, you were out a long time, Chilla."
Chilla turned from where she stood at the door and walked dangerously over to Slythe and Vultureman. "What exactly are you accusing me of, Mutants?" she demanded, her breath heavy with intent to ice them both.
Slythe refused to back down. "You were gone a while, yesss? What were you doing that took so long? Do you expect us to believe you were having tea with your mysterious friend Damien?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but for your information, reptilian, Damien gave me some wine at his estate while they prepared the elixir," she informed him icily. "So I relaxed a while before coming back. So what?" Although she did not care what the Mutants thought, she did not want to deal with their ridiculous paranoia in the mood she was in, either, and she had a feeling that Luna would squeal too much if she put them on ice permanently, tempting as it was.
Unfortunately her admission of having wine instead of tea was enough to tempt Alluro into making a remark, although not for the Mutants' benefit but for his own curiosity. "Wine, hmm?" he said with a smirk. "Rather smooth, this Damien."
While having the accusations of treachery dropped was welcome, the new subject that the psi turned the conversation to was no more welcome, as she did not care to explain herself to any of the other Lunatacs any more than she did the Mutants. "Nobody asked you," she snapped angrily. "I don't need to justify myself to any of you. Now why don't you stupid, primitive Mutants get out of Skytomb and go stink up your own fortress? You're no longer needed or wanted here."
"Yes, I think that's a wise idea," Luna agreed, and pointed her riding crop at Slythe. She knew Chilla well enough to know the warning signs of her about to lose her temper, and while she would not mourn their loss, she did not particularly care to clean up after a bloody brawl either. "Monkian's fit enough to make a fool of himself, and that's healed in my book. You three may all get out before we forcibly evict you, and your welcome is worn out permanently."
Slythe bristled at Luna's insulting tone, but chose not to start something that he and the other two Mutants were ill-equipped to finish while outnumbered two to one. "All right Luna, we'll leave, but if we find out you Lunatacs did something to Jackalman, you're going to be very sorry," he warned, and then stormed out with an equally indignant Vultureman and Monkian behind him.
"Well at least those annoying houseguests are gone," Luna muttered, and then frowned at Alluro. "You owe me for forcing us to put up with that."
"I didn't invite them, and I'd say you owe me for allowing the Thundercats to molest me in my sleep," the psi retorted haughtily, and then preened as he got to his feet. "Besides, my sparkling presence is repayment enough for anything you endured, I think."
"Hmph, hardly," Luna retorted, while Amok sighed beneath her.
TugMug, meanwhile, was still too amused by the notion of Chilla and her new "boyfriend" to let that subject go, and he wheeled over to her with an amused leer on his face. "So Chilla, just what were you and Damien doing all that time while you were 'relaxing'?"
"While you were alone at his palace drinking wine," RedEye added, joining in on the fun with the graviton. He was not crude—or foolhardy—enough to instigate Chilla so overtly, but he did enjoy watching the sparks fly when someone else did it.
Not surprisingly, Chilla failed to see any humor in it, and she let out an angry growl at the pair of them. She was about to tell them exactly what she thought of their lewd innuendos when a remark from Alluro, eyeing her intently for a reaction, caught her off guard.
"Yes Chilla, for someone who didn't do anything she's ashamed of, you're awfully defensive about your little dinner date."
The remark struck a raw nerve, and she whirled around with icy daggers in her eyes for the psi. "And for someone who was just in a coma, you're awfully energetic! I should've just left you to rot it in rather than waste my precious time looking for a way to save your worthless hide. You were a lot more tolerable when you couldn't open your mouth!"
Alluro took her reaction with surprisingly calm arrogance, although her words bit him a touch more than he would have ever admitted. "So sorry that I'm not as good company as your dear Damien," he responded, mocking her earlier impressed tone as he pronounced the name.
That time it was she that felt an unwanted sting in his words, and that angered her more than the snide remarks of the other two. "You got that right," she hissed coldly, before turning and leaving in a frosty huff.
Back in the quiet halls of Cat's Lair, the hour was very late when Cheetara made her way down the hallway toward Tygra's quarters. She felt terribly about their misunderstanding earlier, and hoped to talk to him and smooth things over. She had not seen him since he had left the medical bay, and she had not wanted to pressure him, but it bothered her that he still had yet to even come out to speak to any of them. It was rare for Tygra to get that angry, and it worried her. She approached his door and gave it a gentle knock.
"Tygra? Can we talk?"
When no reply came from inside, and she heard no sound of movement either toward or away from the door, her unsettling feeling grew stronger. She knocked again, that time more loudly. "Tygra, I'm very sorry about before," she offered in the hopes that he was at least listening on the other side even if he was choosing not to acknowledge it. "We really didn't realize you were so upset… and I know that's no excuse, but it's the truth. None of us would ever set out to belittle or hurt your feelings."
Cheetara paused and waited to see if he would answer, but again he did not. "Tygra," she started again, her voice taking on a pleading note that time, "can't we please talk? I understand if you're still angry, but at least say something."
An increasingly uncomfortable silence remained her only answer, and she frowned. "Are you in there, Tygra? Can I come in?" When she still got no response, she turned the knob and slowly opened the door. To her surprise, she discovered that she had been arguing and offering entreaties to an empty bedroom. She frowned, knowing that he was not anywhere else in the Lair, and if Lynx-O was not deliberately keeping mum at Tygra's request, he was not at the Tower of Omens either. She started considering where she might go to look for him when she noticed a note sitting on his bed. Fighting a worrisome feeling, she picked it up and read it.
"I had to leave and see her again. Now that I know Cheetara is fine I see no reason not to go back. I don't know when I'll return, but if I'm needed I will see the cat signal. –Tygra. P.S.—This has nothing to do with what happened earlier. You're all forgiven."
Now Cheetara was genuinely perplexed, and more than a little concerned. "Uh oh. This isn't like him at all, to just run off like this." Although it had been clear that Tygra was smitten with the Celeste woman, it was unsettling that he would up and leave to see her without telling any of them aside from the note. Then again, maybe he just didn't want to talk to us about it because of what we said earlier. While she believed that he was sincere in what he said in the note about forgiving them and that his leaving was not because of that, she was not naïve enough to think that it had not played a part in why he did not go directly to them. But why was he so eager to see her again, and so soon? Cheetara wondered. She reread the note, hoping to catch some cue or hidden meaning in what it said, but she saw none, other than a vague unpleasant feeling that she was not sure was her sixth sense giving her a warning or merely concern for her friend.
"I'd better show this to Lion-O," she decided, and folded up the note and ran down the hall.