2

"Kohlee, please eat something," the girl's mother pleaded. It was five days after the accident, and the Wollo girl was sitting at the dinner table with her parents. She said nothing.

"Come on now," her father said. "It's your favorite dinner."

"Not hungry." The words were whispered.

"You have to be hungry!" her mother exclaimed. "You've not eaten a bit in two days."

"Do you need help?" Kohlee's father took his daughter's hand and the spoon and tried to place it in her hand.

The reaction surprised him. Kohlee jerked her head back violently, stumbling as she shoved her chair back from the table. "Leave me alone!" she cried. Stumbling to the door, feeling her way, she ran outside.

Her mother ran out to try and stop her, but her mat caught her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No. Let her go."

"But…she'll hurt herself…"
The man shook his head. "No. I think I know now…I think I understand a little bit."

"What do you mean?"

The man sighed. "She's feeling helpless. Look what she's gone through! The last thing she needs now is us babying her, and treating her like she can't do anything on her own. I just made that mistake." When his wife began to protest again, he gently placed a finger on her lips. "Listen. The area is safe enough. If she gets a few bumps or bruises, it won't kill her, she's a tough girl. She needs some time, I think."

Reluctantly, the girl's mother nodded and she let her husband lead her inside.

In the woods nearby, the young Wollo stumbled among the trees. She could of course, not see. It was a darkness more complete that any blindfold could ever inflict on her, nor even than the darkest night.

Sounds she had once enjoyed now took on ominous tones. Birds chirping sounded mocking, like they were laughing at her. Noises that she wouldn't even blink at before now startled her because she could not see where they were. She couldn't do anything she used to do without help! And even then there were things she would never be able to do again. She'd never draw again, she'd never read her books.

Scraped and bruised from her unseeing run, Kohlee bumped off of an unyielding tree and collapsed against it, sobbing.

After a moment she realized she couldn't even cry right. No tears.

Kohlee curled up miserably on the leaves and grass, which felt soft and cool after her run. One small thing she could still enjoy.

The young Wollo had no idea how long she was out in the forest alone. She obviously could not tell by the sun. The only thing she knew when she stood up was that she had no idea where she was. And she had no idea which way was home.

Kohlee felt a surge of panic. What if she couldn't find her way home again? What if something attacked her? The woods were so big.
She turned around, suddenly paranoid. What was that noise? Was something already eyeing her as an easy target? Now afraid, Kohlee took off running, her hands waving in front of her as she ran.

"Wait! Child, wait!" called a masculine voice.

It wasn't an animal, it was a person! Kohlee was not sure which one was worse. She heard him say something, as if talking to someone else, and felt like crying again., There were two of them.

Kohlee did not know how long she ran, but she did hear her pursuer behind her nearly the whole way…

Finally she couldn't run anymore, and collapsed. Her hands hurt from hitting the trees in front of her, and her left wrist burned like she'd sprained it. She curled up next to a tree, her hands over her ears, and hoped he'd get it over with, whatever he was going to do.

After a few minutes, she heard voices, and didn't move. When a pair of strong hands grasped her wrists, she screamed. "Leave me alone!: But…all he was doing was holding her, and talking she finally realized. When she stopped fighting and listened, she heard him.

"That's right, it's okay, darling, it's only us."

"Papa!" Kohlee nearly fainted with relief. Knowing he realized who he was, her father let go of her wrists and took her into his arms. "It's all right, it's just me. Easy." He smoothed back her ruffled hair.
"S-someone ch-chased me…d-didn't know the way home…" Kohlee's words tumbled out.

"That was only Hartam, Kohlee, I asked him and his wife to keep an eye on you."

There was silence for a long time, and then: "B-but why didn't he say so?"

Hartam spoke up, his voice kind. "I tried to, little one, but you got spooked. So I sent my wife after your mom and dad."

Despite his kind tone, Kohlee felt abysmally foolish. He had been the voice he had heard. Blushing furiously, she hid her face in her father's shirt.

"Come on, Kohlee," her mother said finally. "Let's head home. It is very late."

Kohlee did not argue.

A few days went by and Kohlee ate a little bit, which made her parents somewhat happy. The girl stayed in her room most of the time, sitting or lying on the bed. The adults were getting worried. They'd had the healer come and talk to her, but she would not speak with him. And they had no healers of the mind.

Kohlee's parents began to discuss going to the ThunderCats to ask if they could help, but were not sure if they were willing to try; what if they said no? They were very busy. But still, their child needed help.

Their decision was made for them one day when they woke to find Kohlee gone. At first, they were pleased, as she'd not left her room for two days; maybe she had gone outside. But Kohlee's mother felt a deep sense of alarm, a feeling that something was wrong. She told her mate, and he felt the same way.

The coupe searched. They searched the whole apartment and discovered something more unnerving than just their child's disappearance: the ornamental dagger that usually hung over the fireplace was also gone. The rack that had held it was lying on the floor, exactly as if someone who could not see had felt along the wall until they found when they were looking for.

:Lords," her father whispered. "We must find her, quickly."

"You don't think she'd-"

"Would you risk it?"

No more words were uttered as the two Wollos hurried out of the house. Neighbors were told and gathered, and a small search party set out to find her.

"Over here!" Nearly an hour later, Hartan's anguished voice send chills through Kohlee's parents. "Oh, gods, quick, I think she's dead!"

"No," her father whispered, breaking into a run. "No! She cannot be!" When he reached the spot where his friend stood, his hand on his side where a stitch had begun to throb, his eyes widened and he fell to his knees beside the girl. She lay facedown in the grass, blood trickling from gashes on the backs her hands where the main artery ran in the Wollo people. The red-smeared dagger lay by her side. "Oh gods, oh gods, please, no..." her father whispered as he gathered Kohlee's body in his arms.

After a moment of despair, his eyes widened once more, and he nearly dropped the girl. Her body was warm, he realized...and she was breathing, if barely. He felt frantically for a pulse and nearly collapsed with relief himself when he found one. "She's alive!' he exclaimed to those watching, their heads bowed in grief. Every one of them snapped their heads up at the words. "We've got to get her to the healer!"

Kohlee thought that she might be in the afterlife. She must be, else why would she be hearing voices? She was dead, wasn't she? Had she not cut her hands?

Both frightened and excited, she opened her eyes, wondering what she would see, but something was wrong. Only one felt like it had opened, and she saw nothing,

"She's awake!" Her father...it was her father's voice she'd herd, and he now rushed to her side and took her hand. She was in the healer's place.

Kohlee's heart felt like it had been doused in ice water. She was trapped once more in her sightless world; she'd been found before she'd passed on. She let out a sorrowful cry.

"Shhh, it's all right, I promise," her father said, closing his own eyes. "We'll get you help, I promise you this..."

He did not understand; how could he? Kohlee did not answer.

The healer, who had stitched the wounds shut and bandaged the girl's hands, pronounced her well enough to go home. As expected, she was fussed over on the way, all the while being silent, sitting motionless in the cart.
The morning after, the Cats' lair received a visitor; the twins ran down to meet the Wollo woman, who was actually about their height, maybe even a bit shorter.

"Hi!" Wilykit said as she opened the door.

"Come on in," Wilykat added, opening the door wider. He had met the Wollo before.

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile to the twins. "I would ask to speak with the healer, Pumyra. She helped my daughter, who was hurt in the attack by the Mutants of Plundaar."

"Oh...well she's not actually here," Wilykat said. "She lives at the Tower of Omens."
"We could take you there if you want," Wilykit offered. She liked to help people of course, but any chance top pilot one of the vehicles was always worth taking.

"Would you?" she said, now smiling a more genuine smile. "I would be most grateful, Miss Wilykit."

"Miss?" Wilykat snorted, ducking the punch that Wilykit sent his way. "You missed, miss..." He grinned at her as she turned around to go inside. The Wollo looked amused. Wilykat grinned; he wanted Wilykit to know he wouldn't let her forget it any time soon.

"I'll go tell Lion-O where we're going,' Wilykit said. "Then we can leave. I'll meet you in the hangar."

Not long afterwards, Wilykit met her brother and their guest down in the hangar. "Lion-O said I could take the 'Claw, with Skira with me." She looked smug. "But you've got to take your spaceboard."

Wilykat stuck his tongue out at her as he hopped onto his board, and watched Wilykit lead the Wollo onto the ThunderClaw with her. When the paw of the hangar rose, the twins took off. "I get to fly it back then!" he called.

Skira had an iron grip on the Thunderkitten as they flew; tight enough that Wilykit had to ask her to let go a little because she was impeding the cub's flying.

"A-are you sure you know how to fly this vehicle, Miss Wilykit?" she asked fearfully.

As her brother smirked at her from his board, Wilykit sighed. "You can call me Wilykit. And yes...I have flown it tons of times."

Still, Skira's grip did not waver until they landed.

"Hello, Thunderkittens," Pumyra said as the twins ran into the control room, the Wollo close behind. "And hello, Skira. How is Kohlee doing?" She nodded to Lynx-O as he walked into the room. "Please, sit down." Pumyra gestured to a chair near the window.

"Thank you," Skira said, as she sat in the contoured set. It was made for someone far bigger of course, but it still was very comfortable. The cool vinyl felt good after the heat of the day. "I'm afraid she's not doing very well at all. She is healing well physically, but..."

Pumyra nodded, encouraging her to go on, while Lynx-O leaned against a console and listened.

It was difficult to tell the ThunderCats about how depressed her daughter had been, how she refused to eat most of the time, how jumpy she was. The worst part was her suicide attempt. When she finished, Skira looked up at her hosts. "I...don't know if you can help me, or know of someone that can. But..." she sighed deeply. "It hurts me greatly to see her like this.

Pumyra nodded. "I understand how you feel,' she said sympathetically, glancing at Lynx-O. She remembered well the grief and fear he had at first gone through after the shock of Thundera's destruction had faded. "I am a physical healer. I know little about the mind, and how to mend it." She frowned in thought. "I think that Tygra might have studied a little of it though, and I know the Bolkins have among them a healer that specialized in malaise of the mind."

"Pumyra," Lynx-O said quietly. "Perhaps I can help. After all, I know what she is going through."

"Oh - oh!" Pumyra said, feeling foolish. She had just been thinking about Lynx-O's accident, why had she not thought of having him talk to the girl? "That's a good idea! Do you want to go on over today?"

Lynx-O shook his head. "No." He gained a puzzled look from both Pumyra and the Wollo. "I don't want the young lady to feel that I was brought to her because she did something wrong." The lynx unerringly made his way to a large storage drawer and felt around inside of it. . When he found what he was seeking, he handed it to Skira; it was a spare communicator.

Frowning in puzzlement, the Wollo took it and asked what it was for.

"I would like you to contact me in a couple of days' time, when your daughter has had a bit of time to physically heal. I will not tell her you asked me to come, it may make her feel defensive.

Skira's eyes flashed with understanding. "Oh! All right, yes, I can do that." He looked at the device. "How do I use it?"

Lynx-O showed her how it worked, and walked her to the front doors. "Keep a close watch on her," Lynx-O said. "But try not to crowd her." He was thinking of how he had felt, landing on Third Earth. He had known Bengali's and Pumyra's intentions were well-meant, but he had not wanted them around; he had not wanted their pity and coddling. It was that fierce desire to be independent that had driven him to develop his other senses so keenly. Perhaps that would also help the young Wollo.

Skira nodded and turned to face the old lynx. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Then she paused. "I watched you move around your control room...and make you way down here. Without feeling, or hesitating...how do you do it?"

Lynx-O smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I am hoping that it is something I can teach your daughter."