5

Wilykat dreamt. This was not all that unusual, as he dreamt almost every night, only he hardly ever remembered these dreams when he awoke. He wished he could. In most of his dreams, he was the hero, fighting the forces of evil. Not only was he able to fight, but people looked up to him, respected him. Him being a ThunderCat meant something to him. He was not bigger or stronger than he really was, but somehow was always able to defeat his enemies.

This was a dream he would have liked to forget.

In this dream, nothing bad happened to him...if he wanted to be technical. Nothing attacked him, nothing chased him, or tried to kill him. Nothing jumped from the shadows to sink sharp, unnatural claws into his throat. This all happened...but not to him.

He still fought, the main character of this dream as usual, but in his young hands was a dark blade instead of his bag of tricks. In this dream, this nightmare, he was still with the ThunderCats, but they did not back him up They did not respect him or encourage him. They feared him. Wilykat fought, fought his allies, feeling a deep hatred for them even as another part of his mind shrieked at him to stop, to realize what he was doing. That was the worst part; he did know what he was doing. He knew and did it anyway, helpless to stop it even if he had wanted to. And that also was bad, because he didn't want to stop it. He felt a deep hatred that he was afraid of, that disgusted him, that made him want to curl up and cry. He felt a hatred for the ThunderCats, including his sister. As she stepped up to confront him, he turned with a savage snarl. He struck her down.

He was feared. He was the one attacking and killing innocents. He was the one leaping from shadows to slash and main. He was the one pursuing. He was always the most powerful in his dreams, and this one was no different. As his former allies tried to stop him, not wanting to hurt the young ThunderCat, but having no choice, he defeated them one by one, until he heard a moan and a whimper of pain. He turned to see his sister trying to struggle to her feet, bleeding from his viscous attack. No, not to attack, but to try and reach him. That made him mad. She tried to speak, but Wilykat didn't need to hear it, he could see it in his sister's eyes. She was asking Why? Why did you betray us? How can you hate us, hate me? She was surpressing another outcry of pain as she rose to approach him. That angered him. That angered him to no end. Who the hell was SHE to act all noble and brave? Who was she to look like a martyr? Who the hell was she to be so strong and make him feel weak?

Even as his mind shrieked in sorrow and desperation, he brought his blade up and slashed.

Wilykit was awakened from her own dreams of battle, and sometimes of the early childhood she scarcely remembered by a terrorized scream, one that would make one think someone was being tortured. She sat bolt upright, and was on her feet in two seconds, already reaching for her belt with her capsules and lariat.

As her sleep-fogged mind cleared, the young ThunderCat realized where she was, and she registered the fact that they were not under attack. But her ears still were assaulted by the hysterical screaming that she finally realized was her brother "Wilykat!!" she said, and ran to his bed. "Wilykat, Wilykat, what's wrong?" He was sitting in bed, his fists clenched, eyes shut tight, the sheets damp with sweat. He was screaming as if he was looked into the depths of Evil itself. "Wilykat!!" She started shaking him.

Wilykat opened his eyes, and slowly he saw where he was, and who was shaking him.. Wilykit looked at him, an expression of amazement on her face, and looking somewhat unnerved. Wilykat burst into tears. "Oh, Kit, it was horrible! I w-was killing, and I was...I hurt people, people were afraid of me, and you-you were--"

As the adrenaline that had pumped through her body at the prospect of danger diminished, Wilykit sighed, and shook her head to wake up her mind. By this point, she could not understand anything he said and put her arms around him. "Hey...it's okay Wilykat, it was just a dream. See? No one's dead or anything." He didn't stop crying, and she bit her lip. "If it makes you feel better, I don't fear you, twerp." It was a weak attempt to make him feel better the only way she knew how, but Wilykat only cried, and babbled to her in indecipherable sobs the dream he remembered every detail of.

Just then, both twins jumped in startlement as the door to their room flew open, and Panthro and Lion-O stood in the doorway. The others were behind them, and all but Snarf were in their sleep-clothes. "What in blue blazes happened?" Panthro demanded. He held his nunchucks, having woken much the same way Wilykit had.

"Are you two all right?" Lion-O added, stepping forward, all senses alert.

"Yeah, we're okay, Lion-O," Wilykit said. "Wilykat just--"

Wilykat interrupted her, rubbing at his eyes and looking at the floor. "I just had a bad dream, I didn't mean to wake you up." At the skeptical looks from the others, he did look up. "Really, I'm okay."

One by one they filtered out the door. Tygra poked his head in, smiled, and said, "It happens to the best of us, Wilykat." Then he walked out.

Wilykat did smile a little, appreciating the comment from the older THunderian. It was as one equal speaks to another, not condescending as Panthro would have sounded, however unintentionally, or babying as Cheetara usually seemed.

When they were gone, Wilykit looked to her twin. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Wilykat nodded, hitching ion his chest a title bit and wiping his eyes once again "Yeah I'm okay..." He glanced at the window, which shone bright sunlight through. "It's already morning anyway."

"Yeah," Wilykit said, standing and retrieving her tunic and belt. "Let's go eat breakfast."

Wilykat nodded and took his own belt, cinching it around his waist, checking in his pouch and capsules and following his sister out the door.

At breakfast, although the others got into their normal babble of chat, Wilykat ate his meal in silence, gaining worried looks from Wilykit the whole time. But neither said anything until they were outside, completing their rounds. "You look kind of...bad," Wilykit finished lamely, unable to think of another word. He didn't look sick, or sad, or mad. Just...haunted, a word her literal mind wouldn't think of.

Wilykat sighed. "I'm okay, don't you believe me?"

"I-I do, you just kind of look like Mumm-Ra did when you showed him your reflection." She paused then couldn't help a grin. "Boy you sure showed him!"

Wilykat also smiled a little, remembering how good he'd felt with himself after saving his sister for once, not the other way around. "Thanks," he said simply, but it was all that was needed.

Throughout the day, Wilykat seemed pretty much as usual, and he and Wilykit had a pleasant day, patrolling part of it and playing the rest. Come night, Wilykat was a little reluctant, fearing the horrifying dream would return, but as he lay his head down and went to sleep, he had a feeling it would not be back. And he had been right.

Hmmm. So the cub has sensed it, in a subconscious way, but nonetheless. He is deeper than most give him credit for, this will be quite a challenge. It was not a voice, or a thought...it just...was.

Had Wilykat, maybe even Wilykit not been so sound asleep, they may have sensed something, but as it was they did not.

The existence that simply was held no further ideas, but only waited. It could afford to.

Part Four

Part SIx

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