Part I:

Curse of the Golden Tiger

Mizo of the leopard clan leaned against a building in an alleyway in the capitol city of New Thundera. Mizo was a thug. It wasn't a glamorous life, but it paid the bills. He counted the night's takings. Almost three hundred dollars; not bad. He probably could have taken out one more person, but that last one he had taken his time with. That girl had been sweet, sweet, sweet! He'd always had a thing for jaguars. Too bad he'd had to smack her head against the ground as hard as he did. It wasn't his fault; she wouldn't stop screaming. Oh well, one less paternity suit he had to worry about. A movement in the darkness caught his eye. Mizo eased out from under the patch of moonlight into the shadows. A hot young tigress was strolling casually down the alley. Ouch! She was even sweeter than the jaguar girl had been. Mizo flicked out his knife and got ready to pounce. This must be his lucky night.

The next morning, Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats, Tygra and Lynx-O sat down at the Council Table with a delegation from the city council. The delegation consisted of a lioness, a male puma, an older male lion and an aging tiger. The tiger rose. He was aging, the rich chestnut of his body color faded to a dusty due, with gray ticking the ends of his black stripes. In his prime, he was probably a massive man, but age had started to shrink him.
"My Lords, I am Bhima of the Tripura colony. I have been elected to serve as spokesperson." The ThunderCats nodded, then Lion-O spoke.
"I understand you're having some problems with the crime rate," he began. "Let me assure you that as soon as we can get around to training some new ThunderCats, we will bring these unfortunate incidents to a halt. Right now we simply don't have the manpower." Bhima sighed.
"My Lord, normally I would understand. We are all struggling to rebuild and some people will take advantage of that." The puma handed him a manila folder. "We were having some luck letting the criminals take each other out, but I think we should draw the line when they start eating each other." Lion-O blinked.
"I beg your pardon?" The city council leader slid the folder across the table.
"We found the latest one this morning. A small-time thug named Mizo who recently made the leap from mugger to murderer. I hope you've got a strong stomach, my Lord," he cautioned. Lion-O opened the folder and managed to stifle a gasp. The body pictured was barely recognizable as Thunderan. The flesh had been stripped clean from neck to groin. The man had been disemboweled, his innards strewn across the filthy alley where he was killed. Half of his face appeared to have been chewed off, the jaw cracked open unnaturally wide in a silent scream. The limbs had likewise been chewed on. The right arm was missing completely. Lion-O swallowed with effort and passed the picture to Tygra.
"As I said, my Lord," Bhima continued. "Notice the corpse has been chewed on. We want you to find the person responsible and bring him to justice!" A noise of disgust escaped Tygra's lips.
"Surely you don't think another Thunderan could have done this?" The architect asked. "This looks like the attack of some kind of animal."
"The victims have all been fairly violent criminals," The older male lion interjected. "Most of them were armed when they were attacked. Animals go after the sick and the weak, not the strong."
"Besides, someone would have noticed a giant man-eating beast. Some of the murders were committed in very crowded areas," The lioness added.
"How many victims have there been?" Lynx-O asked.
"Five, so far," Bhima answered. "People are very frightened, my Lords. A few incidents have nearly escalated in rioting. Some tiger-lion hybrids have left the city for fear of being lynched.
"Why should ligers feel threatened?" Lion-O asked.
"Ligers grow to be giants, my Lord," The puma answered. "The people are saying only someone as large and as powerful as a liger could do such horrible things." The lioness sighed.
"This did grow out of fears of . . . . monsters," she said quietly.
"Ti-Jeane!" The male lion snapped.
"It's true, Baghra!" Ti-Jeane snapped back. "This didn't start until people starting hunting were-cats!"
"What?!" Lion-O bellowed. "Were-cats?!" The rest of the Council gave Ti-Jeane dirty looks. She glared back at them and continued on her own.
"A few months ago, people started hearing strange things at night; roars, howls, things like that. People found their livestock killed and eaten. Some tracks were found."
"What kind of tracks?" Tygra asked.
"In old times, they were called 'pug marks'. They're four-toed tracks with prominent claw marks. Some people actually saw the distant figures of big cats. People started to panic. In addition to the near riots, people have been rounded up and given on-the-spot 'were-cat tests'."
"Were-cat tests?" Lynx-O echoed.
"Yes; so far it's been touching silver. Needless to say, no one has been caught by this method. Although," Ti-Jeane looked distressed. "In one instance, a crowd of people were rounded up in a private courtyard and made to touch silver. After everyone had passed, they found a lock on a back door had been torn off; as if someone had escaped. No one took a head count, so nobody knows if someone or something actually escaped. I don't know what to think, but I don't think we can ignore the possibility that there might be something out there." The rest of the Council glared at her.
"Are you quite finished?" Baghra asked. Ti-Jeane glared at him coldly. Lion-O sighed.
"Whatever this thing is, we need to deal with it!"
"My Lords, we demand action!" Bhima cried.

Bengali yawned as he rode shotgun in the Thundertank with Panthro.
"I can't believe we're stuck outside at three in the morning looking for a monster," the white tiger announced. Panthro gave him a sideways look.
"So we should just let him eat people?"
"Well, maybe until he thins out the criminal element a little more," Bengali thought about the crime scene photos they had received. "Whatever is doing this can't be Thunderan. It's got to be some kind of animal or something."
"I think someone would have noticed a giant man-eating beast wandering the streets," Panthro said dryly. Bengali yawned again. "Stop that!" Panthro ordered, yawning himself. Just then the tank's communicator blipped for attention. Bengali picked it up.
"ThunderCat Radio; you're on the air."
"Bengali, grow up," Pumyra's voice suggested. "Everything's clear on the south side. I'm heading in."
"We read you, Pumyra. We're going to check in with everyone then we're calling it a night ourselves," Panthro announced.
"I'll see you guys at the Lair." There was a crackle of static and the connection was cut.
"Check in with Cheetara and Tygra," Panthro instructed as Bengali fiddled with the communicator.
"I know, I know. Cheetara, are you still alive?" The answering snort came almost immediately.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bengali. Everything's fine up here. I'm heading in."
"I hear that," Bengali answered, then reached forward to fiddle with the buttons once more.

The communicator at Tygra's hip beeped. It was the only sound in the still night air. The city's west side was more of a suburb than actual urban area. The ThunderCat architect held the device to his ear.
"Yes?"
"Tygra, found any slavering beasts yet?" Bengali inquired. Tygra chuckled to himself.
"It's quiet as churches down here, Bengali. No were-beasts around." There was a moment of silence on the other end.
"No what?"
"Come one, Bengali, didn't anyone ever tell you any were-tiger stories when you were a kid?"
"Were-tigers?"
"You know, regular Thunderans by day, horrible man-eating creatures by night? Their transformations linked to the moons? Allergic to silver? Any of this ringing a bell?"
"Yeah, there are were-tigers and were-jaguars and were-panthers. I've never heard of any other kind," Panthro interjected.
"Anyway, the point of this call is that we're heading in," Bengali announced.
"Sounds good to me," Tygra said. "I'll see you guys at home." He shut the communicator off and slipped it back in its place. Hitting the sack sounded great about now.
"EEEeeeK! Help!" Tygra whirled at the cry, running towards it without thinking. A young Thunderan woman stumbled out of the front door of her house. "There's something in my backyard!" She screamed. Tygra pounded through the house and into the walled backyard. Nothing. In one graceful leap, he stood on top of the high walls and perused the shadows. Still nothing.
"Do you see anything?" The young lady called. Tygra jumped down and approached her. She was standing in the doorway, the light coming from behind her. It wasn't until he was very close that he got a good look at her. Whoa. She was gorgeous. She was a tigress, but her color . . . he'd never seen such a color. Her main color was a light honey blonde and her stripes were strawberry red. The blonde lightened to white on her face and hands. Her eyes were a dark, smoky blue. She was clutching a thin purple robe around her, but a decent amount of cleavage was spilling out the front. Tygra idly wondered if she was wearing anything under it.
"Did you see anything?" She repeated.
"What? Oh, no, I didn't see anything." She pulled the robe tighter around herself and chewed her lower lip. A tiny wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. That worried little wrinkle upset Tygra. He had a powerful urge to make that wrinkle go away.
"I could check the house if you like," he offered eagerly. The relieved smile she gave him would have been the downfall of saints. Male ones, anyway.
"Thank you, Lord . . .?"
"Tygra! Please, call me Tygra."
"My name is Siberia." The smile turned coy. The robe loosened ever so slightly, giving him another peek at her ample cleavage. Whoa! This hot, hot little golden tigress was coming on to him!
"Well, I'll. . .I'll just . . .I'll check the house now," Tygra stammered, sliding around her.

Inside, the house was hardly even furnished. Given the multitude of boxes lying around the house, she was just moving in. There was nary a hiding place in the whole house. Nevertheless, he had promised to make sure she was safe. He started on the first floor and made his way up to the second, Siberia trailing behind him. He finished up in the bedroom. Siberia stayed in the doorway, effectively blocking it. Her bed consisted of a couple of mattresses stacked on top of each other. More boxes brimming with clothes lined the walls. Despite the total lack of furniture, everything was very neat. The bed was neatly made and the bedding smelled strongly of strawberries. Mmm, strawberries; just like Siberia's strawberry-red stripes. Before he could start drooling, Tygra turned back to the young tigress.
"Ah, there's no one here," he announced. "You must have heard a raccoon or something." Siberia looked embarrassed.
"I feel very foolish calling for help when it was nothing," she admitted.
"Oh, don't feel like that; it was my pleasure," Tygra said quickly.
"Really?" Siberia's smoky eyes darkened into a 'come hither' look. "Maybe it could be pleasurable for both of us," she purred. She moved out of the doorway and ran her hands over his broad chest. Okay, enough was enough. This was all very flattering, but he wasn't about to fall into bed with some woman he had just met, not even a golden tigress with delectable stripes. He was going to politely decline and walk out of the door. Right now. Yes. That's what he was going to do. Right this minute. Siberia snaked her arms around his neck and gave him a deep, wet kiss. Okay, any minute now. He was going to leave. He meant it. Really. But her kiss was so very sweet. She seemed like a skilled seductress, but her kiss was uncertain, passionate, and a tad desperate. It felt like she had been alone for a very long time. Tygra knew about being alone. He managed to pull away from her kiss. That worried, uncertain look was back, along with that wrinkle between her eyebrows. Damn that little wrinkle!
"No, don't," he whispered. "It's okay."
"I don't want to be alone," she blurted.
"Me neither," Tygra admitted. Siberia gave him a relieved smile, then pushed away from him. She untied the belt from her robe and let the silky garment slip to the floor. Tygra had been right to wonder if she was naked underneath. She stood there in all her golden glory as if waiting for his approval. After a moment of staring at her in awe, he began to remove his uniform. They both stood there as naked as the day they were born then he took her in his arms and led her to the bed.

Later that night (or that morning, depending on how you looked at it) Tygra stretched across the strawberry-scented sheets.
"Oh, that was amazing," he groaned. Siberia curled against him, pillowing her head on his chest.
"It sure was," she agreed. "Did you take lessons or something?" Tygra grinned and chuckled at the compliment.
"I read a lot of books," he admitted. Siberia laughed out loud. She had such a beautiful voice; like silver bells. Tygra slipped one arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. After such a long time alone, the skin-to-skin contact was intoxicating. The two tigers curled around each other in a tangle of limbs and stripes. Siberia cuddled even closer.
"Mmmm, you don't suppose . . .?" she began in a sultry voice. Tygra groaned.
"Three times is about my limit, love," he said with a twinge of regret. "Even that's pretty unbelievable." He looked down at the woman in his arms. "Of course, everything about this night has been unbelievable."
"You can say that again," Siberia purred. Tygra gently stroked her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. Siberia gave a deep sigh.
"I wish this could last," she said wistfully. Tygra brushed her hair away from her face, tracing the path of his fingers with his lips.
"Maybe it can," he said softly. "I know the circumstances were a little odd, but maybe this is the fabled you-know-what at first sight." The golden tiger's expression grew solemn.
"Don't say that," she mumbled. "You'll jinx everything." She traced the dark stripes on his shoulder with one fingertip, ignoring his puzzled look. Tygra simply drew her close and held her. Given the fact that he had been awake for nearly 24 hours, it should have been no surprise when he dozed off. He had not idea how much time had passed before he was awakened by someone laying a cloth across his nose and mouth. Tygra jerked, scenting the chemicals that had been poured onto the cloth. His eyes popped open. Siberia was leaning over him, holding an ether-soaked cloth over his mouth and nose. She had an incredibly sorrowful look on her face. Tygra grabbed her arm, but it was like an iron bar. He couldn't budge it an inch.
"It's all right; I'm not going to hurt you. I promise," she said softly. Maybe he was a trusting idiot. Maybe he was a sucker for a pretty face and an hourglass figure. Maybe the sudden release of all that sexual frustration had addled his brain, but he believed her. Tygra lay back and inhaled deeply. Siberia's face crumpled as she realized he trusted her. Tears swam in her smoky blue eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. That was the last thing he knew for a long time.

"What do you mean Tygra didn't come back last night?" Panthro roared. Cheetara, Bengali, Pumyra and Snarf were gathered in the control room. Lion-O, the Thunderkittens, and Snarfer had spent the night at the Tower, coaxing in a damaged spacecraft.
"Don't yell at me!" Snarf yelled back. "I tried waking you up; you practically threw me out the door! Besides, the Eye of Thundera didn't warn Lion-O of any danger. Cheetara's sixth sense didn't go off. Whatever happened to him, he's probably not in any danger." Panthro scowled ferociously. As much as he hated to admit it, Snarf had a point.
"Well—we have to find him! Bengali, you come with me; we'll take the Thundertank and patrol the west side! Cheetara, Pumyra, you two stay here in case he comes back!" The two males raced for the garage.
"Wait a minute!" Cheetara cried, following them. Pumyra exchanged looks with Snarf. The two of them shrugged and followed the others down to the garage. Panthro was gathering his nunchaku as Bengali opened the cockpit of the Thundertank.
"I should come with you," Cheetara protested. "My sixth sense would come in handy!"
"Uh, guys?" Bengali called.
"When we find him, we might need to carry him. Bengali would be a bigger help then," Panthro said dismissively.
"Guys?"
"You have to find him first. You don't have the first clue where to look. Besides, the Thundertank can carry more than two people."
"Guys!"
"Hmm, you're right. We'll have a much better chance of finding him with your help," Panthro conceded.
"I just found him!" Bengali cried. The others turned towards him. He pointed into the 'tank's front seat. The others gathered around. Tygra was sprawled across the front seats, naked from the waist up. The lower half of his uniform had been pulled up barely enough to cover the essentials. His shirt had been thrown in his lap. It looked like someone had tried to dress him while he was unconscious and had given up after marginal success.
"Is he drunk?" Panthro asked. Pumyra leaned in and sniffed the tiger's breath.
"He doesn't smell like booze," she announced. She took another sniff. "He smells like . . .. strawberries?" They all frowned at that.
"Let's get him out of there," Panthro muttered. Pumyra and Cheetara grabbed Tygra's shoulders and pushed him into a sitting position. Panthro and Bengali leaned in from the other side to grab his arms. Cheetara looked down at Tygra's back.
"Oh!" Her eyes grew wide.
"What?" Bengali asked. Cheetara turned red, but didn't answer. Pumyra looked down at Tygra's back and laughed.
"What is it?" The white tiger repeated. When he got no answer, he and Panthro hauled Tygra out of the Thundertank and looked for themselves. Tygra's back was covered with light scratches.
"Looks like someone had a fun night!" Pumyra announced. Panthro turned a bit red himself, but gave Tygra a shake.
"Come on, Tygra! Wake up! You've got some questions to answer!" The panther cried. Tygra never twitched. Panthro and Bengali propped him up on a piece of equipment. Pumyra lifted one of his eyelids. His pupils were so dilated only a thin ring of orange showed.
"He's been doped to the gills," Pumyra announced.
"You don't think he fell off the wagon, do you?" Snarf asked. Pumyra rolled her eyes.
"Not unless he could drug himself into unconsciousness, then carry himself in here and throw himself in the Thundertank," she announced. "Someone else did this to him." The puma healer took his left hand and felt for his pulse. In doing so, she turned his arm so that his hand was facing palm up. His pulse was slow, but steady. Something caught Pumyra's eye. On the inside of Tygra's elbow was a tiny red mark. Pumyra frowned.
"What is that?" Bengali asked.
"It's a needle mark," Pumyra announced gravely. She sighed. "Given that fact that I don't know what was given to him or how much, I'd say the best thing would be for him to sleep it off. Let's get him to the infirmary."

"Hey sweetie, what's your rush?" A greasy puma called to the red tigress passing him in the street. At least he thought she was red. The combination of street lamplight and the light of the rising sun was giving her color a strange, washed-out appearance. She was mostly covered in a black leather coat that reached her ankles. A pair of black leather boots darted out from under the coat as she strode purposefully down the street. A large brown leather bag rode on her shoulder.
"Fuck off!" she roared at him. The expression on her face could have dissolved into tears or burst into a screaming rage.
"Geez, what a bitch," he spat. The woman stopped for a second, then turned and kicked a transport parked on the curb as hard as she possibly could. As hard as that could have been, it really shouldn't have tipped the transport over. The vehicle teetered on its side for a moment then slowly rolled over, crushing the glass of its cockpit. The woman waited for a moment then kicked it again, sending the thousand pound machine skittering across the pavement like a bottle cap. The transport jumped the curb and slammed into a building across the street. The puma made a hasty and quiet retreat. Siberia put her hands on her knees and hung her head. She was so close to reaching her goals; she had every item she needed. The next lunar eclipse was in one four days; all she had to do was have patience and lay low and her goal would soon be realized. Why is it that all she could think about was the man she had spent the night with? The memory of those tender orange eyes, gentle hands and incredibly talented mouth haunted her, but the aching warmth in her heart was what tormented her the most. It couldn't be . . . could it? She couldn't have . . . could she? Could people really fall in l—form such a bond so fast? She'd never done anything so stupid in her life! Not that she normally would have minded the possibility of a mate, a little house and two and three quarters offspring, but the timing couldn't have been worse! As the old saying went: When hearts were united, a man and a woman falling in love was only natural. Siberia snarled to herself and kicked the lamppost next to her, bending it in two. She would have to get soppy now. That was Nature for you; always dealing off the bottom of the pack. No wonder they called her a mother . . . . .

Panthro rubbed his forehead.
"Okay, let me get this straight: You were on your way home last night when you were sidetracked by a golden tigress who seduced you, engaged you in a wild night of animal passion, then drugged you and dropped you off in the Thundertank for no apparent reason. Does that sum it up?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Tygra mumbled, obviously embarrassed.
"Why can't stuff like that ever happen to me?" Bengali groused. Pumyra snickered. She glanced at the medical charts she held.
"I can't find anything foreign in your system. Whatever Hotpants did, she didn't inject anything into you," The puma announced with a lecherous grin. Tygra turned redder. "BUT, if she didn't put anything in, then she took something out. Any idea why she would want your blood?" For the first time since he had awakened, the hangdog expression disappeared from Tygra's face, replaced by one of shock.
"My blood? I—I don't know." Panthro sighed and stood up, a determined look on his face.
"I think we should pay this golden tigress of yours a little visit," he announced.

The sign over the shop read "Herbal Medicines", but everyone in the area knew you could acquire things much more potent than ginseng tea there. With the right tone of voice and a little cash slid casually across the counter, you could get everything from a mild curse to a love potion. The shop was set in a section of the city that regular people only passed through when they absolutely had to. Every city has one of these areas; it's where criminals, riffraff and other assorted vagabonds gravitate to. Most of the shops have gaudy neon signs and/or a barker out front harassing passers-by with extremely exaggerated descriptions of the men and women performing inside. Individuals hawking little bags of chemical heaven throng two to a corner. People walk the streets staring straight ahead like they were wearing blinders. Eye contact was tantamount to a death threat. Areas like this always have nickname; against all reason, this area of Capitol City was called The Guardians.

It was through this area that Siberia strode furiously. The locals didn't bother her. Anyone who could walk through The Guardians radiating such rage was not someone to mess with. The golden tigress kicked open the door to Herbal Medicines and walked straight past a startled customer into the back room. The shopkeeper, an old, crippled tiger by the name of Lungri, eyed Siberia, and then nodded reassuringly to his customer.
"Take no notice of her, sir. It's woman's troubles," he said, winking casually.
"Ah." The man took his purchase and left. Lungri hobbled to the door with the use of a cane and locked it. Scowling to himself, he made his way into the back room.
"'It's woman's troubles'?" she sneered when he entered. "Do you try to be offensive?"
"Did you get the last two items?" Lungri asked, ignoring her question.
"Yes," Siberia growled, digging into her shoulder bag. She withdrew two vials, one nearly full of bright red blood, the second about half full of a white, semi-fluid substance. She handed them over. Lungri took the two vials and hobbled over to a locked cabinet. Taking out an iron ring heavy with keys, he unlocked the cabinet. The contents could have stocked a horror movie. A pair of orange eyes floated in a small jar. A heart the right size and shape to be Thunderan floated in a larger jar. A severed hand bearing the spots of the leopard clan was wrapped in a plastic bag. A pair of fangs were suspended in a jar of honey. A severed tongue wrapped in plastic finished the cabinet. Lungri placed the vial of blood in a small stand then turned back to Siberia.
"And what did you have to do to get this?" he leered, flourishing the other vial. To her utter embarrassment, she felt her cheeks turning red.
"Fuck you!" she spat.
"Looks like somebody beat me to it," Lungri announced gleefully. "The blood and seed have to be from a noble warrior, you know. Did this guy count?"
"Yes," Siberia whispered, the memory stabbing her heart. "He was a ThunderCat."
"A ThunderCat? I'm surprised a ThunderCat would touch you with a ten-foot pole," the cripple announced.
"Fuck You! I can be sweet and lovely when someone isn't pissing me off from minute to minute!"
"Right," Lungri sneered. "Wait, you said 'He WAS a ThunderCat'? You were supposed to let this one live."
"I DID."
"Good. No one really cares when scumbags die, but a dead ThunderCat is more scrutiny than I'd like." The old man placed the vial of 'seed' next to the vial of blood and closed and locked the cabinet. "Now we just have to wait for the lunar eclipse. Come here next Tuesday at nine in the morning, were-tiger. And be prepared to walk out a normal tigress."

"Are you sure this is the best way to go about this?" Bengali asked as he walked with Tygra and Pumyra through the city's central market.
"The Fire Brigade said someone burned down the house I was in this morning. We won't find anything there. A golden tigress should stick in people's memories, though," Tygra reasoned. "We'll just ask around."
"If you say so, stud," Pumyra said. Tygra turned red. The female puma hadn't stopped dropping sexual innuendo into the conversation since he had awoken. Who knew Pumyra was such a pervert?

Siberia kept walking after she left Herbal Medicines. She hadn't slept in days. She tried not to sleep these days; her own inner demons coughed up more horrendous nightmares than sleep deprivation ever could. She sighed. For a were-tiger, she thought she was pretty peaceful. Until a few weeks ago, she had only ever killed animals while she was in her beast form. But the hunts started. She hunted down Lungri and threatened to eat him unless he gave her an antidote to her lycanthrope. He had a spell, but the cost was too great. Five people needed to die to kill the beast inside of her. She had balked, refused to spill Thunderan blood. Then she had been caught in that impromptu were-cat hunt. If it weren't for her supernatural strength, she wouldn't have been able to tear off that lock and escape. Siberia had gotten scared then. If she did have to kill, she was going to pick the people who most deserved to die. She began to hunt rapists and murderers. Technically, she was doing society a favor by getting rid of these scumbags. She would have thought her subconscious would have let that go, but she was still haunted by their dying screams. She prowled the streets for days at a time, only resting when she fell from complete exhaustion. There was no winning in this situation. Hell, she didn't even want to be a normal Thunderan. The kiss of moonlight on her skin and the ripple of bone and muscle into her beast form were absolutely delicious. She wanted to stay alive, though. This was the situation that had her stumbling towards the marketplace after being awake for 30 hours straight. Maybe if she'd been more awake she wouldn't have walked right into the ThunderCats.

"I'm looking for a golden tigress. She's about so tall; she has blonde hair and red stripes and blue eyes," Tygra gave the description to a passing housewife. The woman stared at him for a second, then looked over his shoulder.
"You mean her?" She asked, pointing. Tygra whirled. Siberia was just stepping off of the curb. She was swathed from chin to toe in black leather, a long black leather coat swirling around her feet. By chance, she happened to look up and meet his eyes. Siberia froze. Tygra froze. What was he supposed to say? What about last night? What about her tears of shame? She was staring at him like a trapped animal stares at the hunter. She was obviously terrified. Her eyes held not the sweet uncertainness of the night before, but stomach-clenching fear. The uncertainty had melted his heart. This fear was tearing it out.
"Tygra, I don't know if this is working." Bengali called as he approached from the next street over. He was only a few feet away from his teammate when he noticed Tygra staring at something. The white tiger followed his gaze. A beautiful blonde tigress tore her eyes from Tygra's to give Bengali a deer in the headlights look.
"HEY!" He bellowed. Siberia whirled and bolted, Bengali close on her heels.
"Wait!" Tygra cried. He wanted to tell Bengali to calm down. He just needed to talk to Siberia; he was sure there was a good reason for what she did.
"PUMYRA!!!! WE GOT HER!!!!" Bengali roared, alerting most of the city. Pumyra came flying out of the crowd to join the chase. She quickly passed Bengali and started gaining on Siberia.
"Freeze!" Pumyra ordered. Siberia increased her speed. "Freeze means stop!" Pumyra offered helpfully. The golden tigress darted into an alley.
'Gotcha!' Pumyra thought to herself. 'That alley is a dead end!' The puma jumped into the alley. It was empty.
"What the hell?" She cried out loud. Bengali stumbled up behind her, wheezing like the bellows in his forge.
"That girl runs like a cheetah!" He declared. Pumyra ignored him. Where the hell was the golden tigress?! A movement from above caught her eye. The trailing edge of a black leather coat was disappearing over the edge of the roof. Okay, she had obviously taken the fire escape to the roof, now how did she climb six stories in as many seconds? Pumyra whipped off her belt and wrapped around the end of one of the fire escape platforms. She flicked an acid ball out and hurled it at the supports on the other end of the platform. The acid caused the platform to collapse, catapulting the ThunderCat onto the roof.
"Great; now how do we get up?" Bengali muttered as Tygra reached his side.

Pumyra stumbled as she hit the roof, falling to her hands and knees. Siberia was at the other end of the roof, legs pumping as she charged towards the next building.
"Stop!" Pumyra roared. Siberia ignored her and launched herself into space. A few seconds later, her boots thudded solidly onto the roof of the next building over. The tigress didn't waste time hanging around; she was already half way across the next roof. Pumyra steeled herself. It was an impressive jump, but it wasn't impossible. She launched herself forward. For a second, she was weightless, heart pounding in her throat then her feet hit the edge of the parapet. Make that the balls of her feet; her heels were still on thin air. Pumyra's arms spun like windmills before she managed to topple forward. Behind her, she heard the crack of Tygra's whip as the architect wrapped it around a flagpole and pulled himself up, Bengali hanging onto his neck.
"Pumyra! Where's--?"Tygra began. Pumyra pointed towards the retreating tigress.
"That way! Come on!" The three charged after their quarry. The next jump was all right; Pumyra knew exactly how much to put into it now, but . . . the tigress wasn't even letting the twelve foot jumps slow her down. She barely broke stride as she leapt from building to building. Pumyra felt she really should have been putting more effort into it. As if Siberia could read her mind, she suddenly poured on the speed. The ThunderCats caught a glimpse of the next jump. Siberia was preparing to jump one of the city's major thoroughfares. The span was forty feet if it was an inch.
"No way she can make that!" Bengali cried. The tigress launched herself into thin air. The ThunderCats screeched to a halt at the edge of the roof, mouths hanging open in astonishment. For a minute, it looked like the golden tigress was going to make it. Then gravity started to take its toll and she began to drop. Siberia tucked herself into a small ball as she smashed through a fourth story window.
"No way!" Bengali breathed.
"Quick, we've got to get over there!" Tygra cried. There was construction on the next building over. A crane swung slowly around over the street. Tygra uncoiled his whip and wrapped it around the crane, the startled operator bringing it to a halt. Pumyra threw her arms around his neck while Bengali grabbed the whip's handle just above Tygra's hand. The three swung across the street. Pumyra let go first, sprinted to the other end of the roof and looked over the edge. "There she goes!" The tigress staggered out a door and started to run again. Pumyra took a quick look around. There was a cable running parallel to the building, to bring up materials for the construction next door. Pumyra whipped off her belt and threw it over the cable, sliding down the length after the tigress. When she was twelve feet above her target, she let go, slamming into the tigress's back. That should have put the little sneak down for the count. Instead, Siberia sprang back to her feet, twisted and backhanded Pumyra across the face. It was a slap; it wasn't even a real punch. It still lifted Pumyra off of her feet and sent her flying.
"Pumyra!" Bengali cried in dismay. He hooked the Hammer of Thundera over the cable and slid down. "Bitch! Leave her alone!" he cried, charging at Siberia. Tygra wrapped his whip around the cable and slid down after them, although he didn't know if he could bring himself to attack Siberia. With a roar, Bengali grabbed at her. Siberia caught his fists and held him away from her.
"Bitch!" he repeated. "If you hurt Pumyra, I'll make you pay!" Without a word, the golden tigress kneed him in the gut. The white tiger choked and coughed, going to his knees. Siberia turned to run, but Bengali threw his arms around her legs, tripping her up.
"Let go!" she cried, kicking at him. Bengali managed to pull the Hammer of Thundera free, but it was kicked from his hand. It skittered across the pavement, shedding smoke-balls as it went.
"Siberia! Wait!" Tygra yelled. "Please! I just want to talk to you!" Siberia hesitated, her mouth opened to speak. Suddenly, a white hand slammed into her face from below, jamming a smoke ball into her mouth. Bengali gave her an uppercut to the jaw, forcing her to bite down on the ball. Dark smoke shot out of her mouth and nose as she fought not to inhale. Siberia dropped to the ground, choking and clawing at her mouth and nose. She was suffocating! She couldn't breathe! Blackness whirled up to engulf her vision and the golden tiger fell still.

Siberia prowled the forests of night. The moon above her was full and bright, adding an extra zing to her step. Coming out of the shadows, Siberia caught sight of her reflection in a forest pool. A great cat stared back at her. The creature was nearly ten feet from nose to tail tip, graceful and silent in the night. The gold of her coat shimmered in the moonlight, highlighted by the dark red stripes. Her eyes flashed, smoky blue and wise. If anyone had been bold enough to weigh her in this form, she would have tipped the scales at five hundred pounds. Siberia loved her beast form. She was beauty in its deepest form. The sound of a struggle reached her, causing her rounded ears to prick upright. Siberia flowed into a run towards the sound. She struggled through mud and muck before coming abruptly out of the jungle into a filthy alley in the Guardians. A male leopard dropped the body of the young jaguar girl he had just strangled. The girl's dead eyes stared straight at Siberia. With a roar, Siberia's lips pulled back from her three and a half inch fangs as she charged. She slammed into the Thunderan and tore into his body, slashing and biting. The man howled in pain and fought her, but he might as well have tried to fight a force of nature. Within a few minutes, he was dead. Siberia dropped the carcass and roared in satisfaction. Leisurely, she settled down and began to eat her kill. A small bone lodged in her teeth. Siberia carefully picked it out with her finger. Finger? Looking down at herself, she saw that she was back in her Thunderan form. When had that happened? A bit puzzled, she continued tearing hunks of flesh from her victim and stuffing them greedily into her mouth. She had never fed in her Thunderan form before, but it didn't seem to bother her now. It was like her mind was still stuck in beast form. A bright light suddenly appeared at the end of the alleyway. Siberia cowered and hissed at the light. The light coalesced into the form of a man wearing a brilliant white hooded robe. Siberia growled and crouched protectively over her kill. The man came closer and she could see the ThunderCat emblem on his chest. He pushed his hood back. It was Tygra. He smiled at her and knelt before her, blood staining his white robe. Siberia started to tell him he was getting dirty, but he gave her a fierce kiss. It was a possessive kiss. She pulled back wide eyed. Blood and mud were smeared across his face, making him look like a primal, savage beast. Making him look like her. Tygra gave her a slow, sexy smile then growled low in his throat. Siberia's eyes grew wide as he tore off his robe, throwing the pristine fabric down in the muck and filth. He pounced on her, taking her there in the alleyway. Their bestial cries filled the night air. Siberia felt such happiness; she had finally found a kindred spirit. Then her eyes fell on the torn, soiled ThunderCat Emblem. Seeing the symbol of her people's nobility in such a state was disturbing. She felt . . . cold . . .alone . . . . it was a very bad omen.

Siberia awoke still disturbed. Where the hell was she now? She was lying in a soft bed with crisp white sheets. That was a good sign. The golden tigress sat up slowly. Her coat and boots were gone, but she was still fully clothed. The room she was in was dark, but Siberia willed her night vision to improve. After a moment, her pupils dilated. Oh bloody hell. She wasn't in a room she was in a cell. Cursing soundly, Siberia leapt out of the bed and ran to the bars of her prison. She gave them an experimental rattle and the lights flipped on.
"I see you're finally awake." Siberia blinked back tears. The puma that had tackled her on the street was standing in the doorway. The girl looked less than pleased to see Siberia up and around. The livid bruise that ran from her cheek to her chin probably had something to do with it.
"Where am I?" Siberia asked.
"You're in the Lair, sleeping beauty. Now that you're finally up, you've got some questions to answer," Pumyra said sternly. She left the doorway and stepped back into the hallway. Sleeping beauty? Gods, how long had she been out? Siberia strode to the small, barred window and stared out. She couldn't see the moon, but there was something in the air . . . a sudden pain assaulted Siberia's backside. Grimacing, she reached down the back of her black leather pants and pulled out a long cylindrical object, golden with red stripes. By the gods, if her tail was this long, it meant the full moon was very close. Siberia always had a tail, but it only got longer than a few inches or so in the week before a full moon. Adjusting the waistband of her pants, she was about to test the strength of the bars, when more of the lunar changes asserted themselves. Her teeth swelled and lengthened, pushing her lips out, making them look fuller. Her tongue and vocal chords thickened, making her voice low and sultry and making it harder to speak. By the sudden clarity that came to her vision, she knew her eyes had changed as well. By the gods, it must be the night before the full moon for all this to happen to her. The lunar phase called to her to change into her beast form, but she couldn't do it here. She was still trapped; her beast form was strong, but it was stupid, too. She needed to think.

"Yeah, she's awake. Maybe we'll get some answers now," Pumyra's voice came through the door. No, not the door; she was still out in the hallway. Siberia ran her hands through her hair and confirmed what she already suspected. Her ears had slid up to the top of her head, changing from elegant points to round and furry. Pumyra came through the door, followed by Tygra, Bengali, Panthro, and Lion-O. Siberia recognized the Lord of the ThunderCats from television. She recognized the others as well, but had a hard time remembering their names. Her mind was trying to slip into beast form; she always had a hard time remembering names and words when she was fighting the Change. Tygra her beast side recognized as 'mate'. The five ThunderCats drew chairs up before the cell. They were obviously anticipating a long interrogation. Lion-O crossed his arms sternly.
"All right; who are you and why did you attack my teammates?" He demanded. Siberia stared at him from under a thin curtain of blonde hair, her breathing starting to labor. Standing with her back against the back wall, she slowly slid down until she was on her knees.
"Defense," she managed to blurt. Her body was screaming at her to change; she had never felt it so strongly. Was the impending lunar eclipse affecting her self-control?
"What?" Lion-O asked. Tygra leaned toward his Lord.
"I think she means self-defense. Pumyra attacked her first, then Bengali," the architect murmured.
"Oh. Well then, who are you?" Lion-O continued, still trying to keep up the tough-guy act.
"I am me," Siberia growled. "Who else would I be?" Her voice purred across the ears of the men. It brought to mind wild silk, hot night wind and sweaty summer sex. The four male ThunderCats shifted as her voice tantalized their imaginations. Lion-O swallowed with effort.
"Do-do you have a name?" He asked. Siberia rolled down from her knees and crawled towards the bars. It was almost a prowl; she placed her hands slowly and carefully, and the enticing wriggle of her leather-clad ass brought sweat to the foreheads of her interrogators. She stopped about a foot from the bars and pointed with on languid hand to Tygra.
"He knows me," she breathed. The tone of her voice suggested that he knew her in every sense of the word. Tygra swallowed. By the gods, she was irresistible. As a man, the four ThunderCats casually crossed their legs. Pumyra made a disgusted noise and buried her face in her hands.
"What day?" Siberia asked.
"What day is it? It's Monday," Panthro answered. Siberia made a distressed sound.
"Time?! What – what is the time?!" She managed to growl.
"It's about 11:30 at night," Bengali stated. Siberia yowled in distress and sat back on her haunches, laying her face on the ground. Tygra hesitated. Something was definitely wrong. Siberia was quite upset about something, but the delicious wiggle of her rear end, accented by her lovely lashing tail was making it hard for him to think straight. Tail? She hadn't had a tail before. The essential wrongness of this fact cut through the testosterone fog clouding his mind. Siberia's tail made slow arcs a few inches above the floor. What in the hell? There was something wrong with her ears, too; they were high set on her head and round like an animals'. The small claws on the ends of her delicate fingers weren't so small anymore. Her fingers weren't all that delicate, either. Sexual arousal forgotten, Tygra leaned forward in his chair.
"Siberia!" He bellowed. The woman in question jumped at the exclamation, staring at him with wide eyes. Tygra felt his jaw drop. Siberia's eyes were blue from outside edge to tear duct and lid to lid. Her pupils were harsh black slits twice the size of a normal Thunderans'. Her full, lush lips barely contained a mouthful of curved sharp teeth.
"By Jaga!"
"What in the name of . . !"
"Eeeeewww!" Siberia started at the cries, staring at her captors in confusion. After a moment, she seemed to realize she was the source of disgust. A pitiful look crossed her features and she let out a wail of despair. Tygra forgot his disgust. Whatever form she took, this was still the woman who had stolen his heart. Siberia suddenly crouched and slammed herself again the cell door. The metal buckled around her body like it was made of straw. The heavy door slowly toppled over onto Lion-O, who was struggling to draw the Sword and leap up from his chair. This effectively pinned his sword arm across his chest. Panthro leapt back gracefully, landing in a defensive stance. Bengali tried to leap up from his chair, got tangled up in his own legs and managed to fall on Pumyra. Siberia bounded out of her cell and stood for a moment on the mangled door, surveying the scene. Lion-O's wild thrashing didn't seem to even register. Panthro bellowed and launched himself at the were-tiger, leg outstretched in his most powerful kick. Siberia whirled and caught him in the stomach with a spin kick. Panthro flew across the room like a rag doll, slamming into the wall with enough force to crack the plaster.
"Siberia, wait!" Tygra cried. The golden tigress paused, crouched to run. "Siberia, please. This has gotten out of hand; I just want to talk to you. Please, can I talk to you?" he asked softly, slowly advancing on her. Siberia took a few steps back, eyeing him cautiously with her feral eyes. Lion-O took hold of the metal bars that still held him down. He could move it off of himself now, but he didn't want to risk spooking the golden tigress.
"Siberia, I just want to know why you drugged me, that's all." Tygra was very close to her now. "If you wanted anything from me, you only had to ask. Do you understand?" Tygra held out an inviting hand. Siberia leaned forward and sniffed it warily. "Do you remember me, Siberia?" The golden tigress's eyes closed and she gently rubbed her cheek against Tygra's palm, a soft purring sound escaping from her throat. "That's right; I would never hurt you," he murmured gently. A soft smile came to Siberia's half-feral face. She opened her eyes and for moment it looked like she was about to speak, but she looked over Tygra's shoulder, hissed like a cornered cat, and bolted out the door. A moment after her hasty departure a smoke ball exploded on the doorframe.
"Damn! Missed her!" Pumyra cried, empty sling still swinging in her hand.
"You IDIOT!" Tygra screamed, ducking into the smoke to follow Siberia. The tigress was bolting down the hallway. She whipped up a set of side stairs, knocking aside Snarf in the process. Snarf sprawled across the stairs, spilling the pile of clean towels he carried. Tygra barely managed to hurdle the ex-nursemaid as he dashed after the tigress. At the top of the stairs, Tygra stopped. Siberia was standing in the front atrium of the Lair. Light from the moon formed a pool of silvery light around her. Technically, the moon wouldn't be full until tomorrow night, but it was too close to matter. Siberia closed her eyes and tilted her head back. For a second, her image seemed to shutter, then she fell forward, landing heavily on all fours. Her body was racked with sudden wrenching spasms. The spasms seemed to rearrange her anatomy, wrenching her limbs into disturbing new shapes. It wasn't until her knees reversed to hinge backwards did Tygra realize he wasn't imagining things. A sharp cry caught his attention. Cheetara and the kittens stood in the opposite doorway, watching the transformation unfold in horror. Tygra looked back to Siberia. Her body was swelling, her clothes ripping off of her. Her head reformed. A gigantic beast tiger shook itself free from the black leather scraps that still clung to it.
"By the gods!" Lion-O had come up behind Tygra during the transformation. The tiger in the atrium looked up at them, gold and white fur shimmering in the moonlight. Even as a killer beast, she was still beautiful. Bengali, Pumyra, and Panthro made it up the stairs behind them, Panthro rubbing his stomach painfully. They gasped at the sight of Siberia's beast form. Siberia seemed to realize she was severely outnumbered. The great cat let out a roar that rattled the windows, then launched herself at the glass doors of the atrium. The broken glass sparkled around her like a rain of diamonds then she disappeared into the shadows.

At around one in the morning, Lungri was awakened by a jarring noise at his back door. Grabbing his cane and an electric torch, he went to investigate. A monster was in his back room. Glowing blue eyes reflected the light from his torch. Lungri took a deep breath in to scream the place down when he took note of the beast's coloring. A golden tiger with blue eyes? Lungri leaned in cautiously.
"Siberia?" The creature bobbed its head slowly. Was that a nod?
"I'm going to turn the lights on now," The cripple warned her before flipping the switch. The tiger flinched at the sudden brightness then lay down in the middle of the floor, her head resting on her massive paws. Lungri carefully inched his way around her to the back door. He had never actually seen Siberia in her beast form. He had seen her with the partial changes, and her supernatural strength attested to the fact that she wasn't normal, but he had never expected something like this. This thick lock and bolt on his back door had been torn away with one swipe of her massive paw. Lungri pushed the door shut and jammed a chair under the doorknob. Siberia didn't twitch. Lungri approached her hesitantly. Common sense told him to leave her alone and just go back to bed, but his curiosity got the better of him. The old tiger reached down and stroked the thick fur of his unexpected houseguest gently. Her fur was much softer than he would have imagined.
"Wow," he whispered. Siberia looked up at him. There was incredible sorrow in those smoky blue eyes. "Don't worry; in a few more hours you'll be a normal tigress." Siberia made a small, mournful noise and laid her head back on the floor.

"We'll scour the city. Circulate pictures from the security cameras in both forms. Someone had to have seen her. If we split into teams we can find her before daybreak," Lion-O briefed the other ThunderCats. They nodded sharply.
"ThunderCats, Ho!" They cried in unison, dashing off to their various tasks. The young Lord did a mental check and found himself short one red tiger. Where in the hell was Tygra? The architect was sitting on the steps of the Lair a few feet away, his chin resting on his hands. Lion-O approached him cautiously.
"Tygra? Are you all right?"
"No," Tygra muttered. The young lion settled down on the step next to his friend.
"There's probably nothing I can do about it, is there?" He asked.
"No."
"Well, maybe I could just listen. Maybe that would help," he offered. Tygra gave his Lord a sidelong glance. Lion-O gave him an innocent, hopeful smile. The tiger sighed heavily.
"I think I must be losing my mind," he began quietly. "The first night I met Siberia, I really felt something." A thousand smarmy jibes sprang to Lion-O's mind, but he kept them to himself. "She seemed so lonely, so heartsick. She didn't want to be alone. I-I didn't want to be alone either. I can't explain what I felt, Lion-O, but it felt so right." Tygra paused here for another deep sigh. "I don't know why Siberia is doing these things, but I know there has to be a good reason. I feel like we met for a reason. I feel like I'm meant to take care of her. Lion-O, please, when we find her, promise you'll listen to her before you mete out a punishment." Tygra asked, meeting his friend's eyes for the first time. Lion-O gave him a sad smile.
"I promise, Tygra."

"It's time," Lungri stated gravely. Siberia sat on the floor where she had spent the night, as naked as the day she was born. She had shifted back to her Thunderan form when the sun rose, but the wild bestial side of her still roared in her chest, fighting to get out. Soon that part of her would be gone forever.
"It's – it's time to prepare," Lungri repeated, inching closer to her. Siberia nodded silently. Lungri gently pulled her hair away from her face, securing it in a loose coil at the nape of her neck. The old man picked up a small dish full of powdered henna and carefully poured the vial full of Tygra's blood into it, chanting under his breath. When the mixture had been reduced to a runny paste, Lungri picked up a small brush and began to paint mystic symbols on Siberia's body. He began at her back and worked his way up across her shoulders and down her arms. As he was painting her shoulder, he paused for a look at her face. Siberia's face was an emotionless mask, but tears streamed down her cheeks, trickling down her throat and dripping onto her bare breasts.
"Don't worry; it will be over soon," Lungri said quietly.
"We've got her, Lion-O!" Panthro cried. "She was spotted entering a shop in a really nasty part of The Guardians last night. Apparently, she frequents the shop in her Thunderan form; she probably feels safe there." Lion-O nodded, and turned to the re-assembled ThunderCats.
"Right; we'll surround the building and quietly enter it. If we can, we're going to let Tygra try to talk her out without incident, so no cheap shots, all right?" Pumyra looked suitably abashed. "Okay then, I'm sure we can get through this without anyone getting hurt. Thunder Cats- - -"
"HO!"

Siberia sat cross-legged inside a chalk circle, watching with detachment as Lungri chalked out a transformation mandala around her.
"With the heart of a lion, I bind this beast," he chanted, placing the heart in it's own chalk circle inside the mandala.
"With the eyes of a tiger, I see the form I wish," he continued, taking the two eyes from their jar and placing them in another circle.
"With the paw of a leopard, I grasp the magic to change this woman." There was a tiny creak from the rafters above. If Siberia were in her right mind, she would have instantly zeroed in on the shadowy forms of the two ThunderCats hidden in the shadows.

"By the gods," Bengali whispered. "This is disgusting!" Pumyra didn't comment, but the look on her face agreed with his assessment.

"With the fangs of a panther, I subdue this magic," Lungri continued, oblivious to his uninvited guests. A shimmer of light at the back of the room caught his eye. The old cripple paused, staring at the spot. He thought he had seen something. Oh well, it must have been nothing.
"With the tongue of a jaguar, I speak this magic," he finished, placing the tongue in the last circle. Wrapped in invisibility at the corner of the room, Tygra let out a low breath. He thought the old man had seen him for a second. Now they just had to wait for Panthro and Lion-O to make their appearance. Cheetara, Lynx-O and the twins were stationed outside the shop, in case either Siberia or the old man made a break for it. Lungri withdrew a vial of a white, semi-fluid substance and picked up a bowl filled with a bloody paste. Tygra blinked. That blood was probably his. In the vial . . . it looked like . . . was that . . . ?

"Ew," Pumyra breathed. "That's not what I think it is, is it?" Lungri stopped just outside of Siberia's circle. Dabbing his finger in the paste, he made a blood-red dot right between the golden tigress's eyebrows.

"I offer the blood of a noble warrior for this change," he intoned. There was a loud pounding at the front door. The ThunderCats prepared for their parts. Here was the diversion; as soon as the old man left they would sweep in and put a stop to this. Lungri never blinked. Uh-oh; the plan wasn't working.
"I offer the seed of a noble warrior for this change," Lungri continued. Taking the vial of seed, the old man tipped it down Siberia's throat.

"See, she doesn't mind it," Bengali whispered reproachfully to Pumyra. Pumyra's popped open wide. Her face turned a particularly interesting shade of crimson. With growl, she belted Bengali across the face as hard as she could. The white tiger lost his perch in the rafters and crashed to the floor. Lungri twisted towards the sound, spotted the intruders, and quickly moved to finish the spell.
"By the blood and the seed, by the life force they carry, change this woman!" Lungri splattered the last of the bloody paste across Siberia and hobbled out of the mandala. The chalk lines began to glow a brilliant white. The old man suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground by his collar. A moment later, a very angry red tiger materialized an inch away from his nose.
"Stop the spell!" Tygra ordered.
"I can't!" Lungri squawked. "It's begun! Look, she's starting to change!" All four of them turned towards the mandala. The blood spattered across Siberia's body began to spread, darkening to a rich chestnut color. Where the substance touched her stripes, the red darkened to black. A ring of orange appeared around the rim of her irises, creeping it's way inward. Siberia was changing into a red tigress. There was a crash as the front door was kicked down.
"By the gods!" Panthro cried, coming into the room, followed by Lion-O. "What's happening?!"
"She's changing into a red tiger," Pumyra breathed.
"How do we stop it?" Panthro demanded.
"The spell has been cast!" Lungri cried. "You can't stop it!"
"We'll see about that," the panther growled, striding forward. The ThunderCat engineer stopped by the chalked circle holding the heart and pulled back one leg.
"No!!!" Lungri screamed, seeing his intent. "Don't change the pattern!" There was real terror in the old tiger's voice.
"Panthro, wait!" Lion-O and Tygra cried in the same voice. They were too late. Panthro kicked the heart across the mandala, sending it smack into the hand, which hit the wall, flew up and back into the circle, landing on the fangs. The fangs went flying, landing in what had been merely decorative chalk circles, but turned into mystical circles just big enough for a tooth each. The mandala's lines and runes were smeared and broken, streaked with blood. The light the mandala gave off died for a minute then came roaring back at full force. Siberia, who had been sitting motionless inside her circle, suddenly thrashed wildly and let out a scream of agony. The blood paste staining her skin lifted off of it's own accord, forming a cloud of red haze around her. There wasn't a trace of red or black in her coloring now; she was a golden tiger again. The red cloud suddenly poured into Siberia's mouth and nose. The tigress's body began to convulse, wracked by seizure after seizure. Her eyes had rolled completely back in her head, only the whites showing. Foam dripped from the corner of her mouth. Then she lay still. The watchers leaned in cautiously.
"Is she dead?" Lion-O whispered. Lungri shrugged. Then Siberia exploded.

The next few minutes were difficult to describe; mostly they involved a sea of steadily expanding gold, teeth erupting from a gaping maw like spring daisies, and rafters cracking across shoulders suddenly too high to be contained by the ceiling. When the dust had settled, Lion-O found himself looking up into a face that would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life. While this face was along the same basic lines of the beast tiger he had seen before, now the face alone was five feet across. A pair of canines the same size and shape as scimitars jutted out of the corners of the mouth. The face would have been disconcerting at a distance of three feet; because of the sudden cramped quarters, Lion-O found himself about six inches away from the monster. Eyes the size of dinner plates narrowed, trying to focus down on him. Lion-O's shoulder blades made a spirited attempt to dig their way through the wall. The great wide nose sniffed deeply, ruffling his hair. The monster seemed to digest his scent for a moment then the black lips peeled back in a snarl, revealing a double row of teeth that a Great White shark would envy. The tiger shifted, trying to back away from him. Splintered rafters stabbed at the creature's back, causing her to roar in pain. The jaw cracked open nearly to the ears, giving the impression that the top half of the creature's head had come loose. Lion-O stared into a gaping maw that could swallow him whole, small gibbering noises escaping from his throat. The beast that had been Siberia reared back again, trying to find some room. Lion-O took the opportunity to scuttle out from under the beast's face on his elbows and heels. Farther away, he could now see the whole creature. Twenty feet of angry tiger was now crushed into a room that had been cramped with seven people in it. Siberia swatted at the wall in front of her with a paw the size of a door. Her forelimbs had an elongated thumb on each paw that was probably opposable, about five feet back along the lithe body was another set of forelimbs, these paws without the thumb, then about eight feet farther back were the hind legs, followed by a long tail that was easily two feet around. Jammed around and under her body were his teammates, all looking like they were making peace with whatever gods they happened to believe in. Siberia roared again, shattering the windows in the building. She thrashed around, scenting the fresh air. With great difficultly, Siberia managed to turn around, the planet's greatest warriors scrambling to stay out from under her feet. With one butt of her enormous head, the golden beast knocked down the far wall and crawled free of the constraining building.

Once outside, she shook herself free of the last clinging bits of wood and stood upright. That is, her body and first set of forelimbs rose off of the ground, like some sort of hellish feline centaur. Just out of reach of the fallen wood, the Thunderkittens stood, Kit with her arm cocked back to throw a pellet. The ten-year-old siblings stood frozen as the monster reared fifteen feet above them. Siberia didn't even seem to take notice of them, focusing instead on taking in her surroundings. The pellet suddenly exploded in Kit's hand, sending a stream of pink smoke trailing out behind her. The great beast looked down at them and came heavily back down to all sixes. The twins stayed frozen. Siberia came within a foot of them, sniffing. Some of the pink smoke trickled into her nose. The creature shook its huge head and sneezed, blowing the twins back about three feet. The two sat down hard, still looking stunned. Siberia carefully walked over them and continued into the streets.
"Kit! Kat! Are you two Okay?" Lion-O asked running up to them. Kat met his eyes.
"Uh," the boy announced. "Uhh. Uuuuuh." The male twin gestured down the street in the direction Siberia had taken.
"Uh, yeah, we know where she went," Lion-O announced. Kat nodded coolly. Aside from the fact that he was having a hard time forming words, he seemed Okay. Lion-O turned his attention to WilyKit. The female twin was shaking, staring straight ahead.
"Kat, can you get Kit back to the Lair? She looks like she might be a bit stunned," the young Lord asked. Wily Kat nodded and helped his sister to her feet. Down the street, the city echoed with screams as the hell-tiger made its way westward. The rest of the ThunderCats made their way out of the ravaged building and gathered around their Lord. There was a gold streak and Cheetara screeched to a halt among them.
"What in the hell is that thing?!" She cried.
"It's a long story," Pumyra began. Tygra interrupted her.
"The city will be full of people at this time of the morning. We have to contain her before someone hurts her!" he cried. His teammates stared at him in silence.
"Before someone hurts her?" Bengali echoed in disbelief. An indignant look crossed Tygra's face.
"If she were nothing but a dumb, slavering beast, she could have had us all for tasty treats inside. She also walked right by the kittens without hurting them. I think I can still talk to her," he protested. The assembled ThunderCats turned their gaze to their Lord. Lion-O cursed a few times under his breath.
"All right; one try! If it doesn't work the first time we switch to force, Okay?"

Siberia paced down the street, looking hesitant. People streamed away from her, screaming. Uneasily, the hell-tiger crept along the side of a building, still heading west. A golden streak zipped in front of her, coming to a stop in the form of Cheetara.
"Hey ugly, over here!" she taunted. Siberia stopped, looking for a way around the ThunderCat. She finally executed a graceful leap over Cheetara's head and came down into a construction site. Whirling around, the great beast managed to sink one hind leg into a drainage hole. Yowling like all the demons in hell, the creature struggled to pull itself loose. There was a blue shimmer in the air in front of her, and Tygra materialized.
"Siberia! Please listen to me!" He cried. "I don't know if you can understand me, but we just want to help you!" The hell tiger stopped its yowling and stared at the little tiger in front of it. It still struggled to free itself, but Tygra had captured its attention for the moment. "Siberia, please! We want to find a way to change you back. Please, do you understand?" Siberia blinked at him, then turned her attention back to her trapped leg. Tygra came closer; nearly close enough to touch her. "Siberia, please, we want you back the way you were." The beast glanced at him. "It's true, we want you back to normal. Well, mostly me. Okay, all me. Screw the others, I want you the way you were." The great head swung back around, puzzlement in its eyes. "Yes," he answered. "I don't care if you turn into an animal when there's a full moon. I just want you to be happy. And I want you to be with me." There was a moment of pregnant silence. "I think I love you, Siberia." The hell-tiger's great mouth opened. A tiny, kitten-like sound escaped. Tygra smiled. She understood. She felt the same way he did. The ThunderCat architect reached out and laid his hand on the monster's broad nose.
"Everything is going to be Okay," he whispered. A moment later, sixteen tons of building material smashed into Siberia.

Tygra picked himself up off of the ground, coughing and waving away dust. From high up on the building under construction, he heard a faint cheer. As the dust began to settle, a faint moan reached his ears. Siberia was trapped under the rubble.
"Siberia!" Tygra wailed, tearing at the steel beams and broken bricks. The hell-tiger's body seemed to deflate. It started to shrink before his very eyes. In the space of two minutes, Siberia's Thunderan form now lay among the rubble. Tygra pulled her from the wreckage, carrying her away from the point of impact and laying her down out of harm's way. His concern was a little belated. Siberia's beautiful body was crushed and mangled almost beyond recognition.
"T-tygra . . . ?" she whispered. Tygra took her hand in his own.
"I'm right here."
"Did . . . did you mean that?"
"Yes. I meant every word." Siberia managed to force a smile.
"Oh. I think I love you, too. It makes me wish I wasn't dying," she said quietly. Tears sprang to Tygra's eyes.
"You're not going to die, Siberia. I-I'm going to take care of you," he said sternly.
"You know that's not true. I'm glad someone will miss me when I'm gone."
"Siberia, no . . . "Despite his best efforts, tears were streaming down his cheeks. Siberia gave a strangled cough, blood spraying from her mouth.
"Tygra, I'm kind of scared. Will you hold my hand?" Tygra looked down at her pale delicate fingers, already interlaced with his.
"Of course I will," he said bravely. "Don't worry; I'm not going to leave you." Siberia smiled, blood welling up behind her teeth and running out of her mouth. A single tear ran out of the corner of her eye. The golden tigress laid her head back and died.
"No . . ." Tygra whispered. "Don't go, please?" His plea sounded foolish even in his own ears. The light seemed to be dying from the world. Tygra looked up. In the sky above him, the moon began to block out the sun.

Lion-O watched as Bengali led a small group of tigers into the Lair. It was pouring down rain; it had been ever since they had brought Siberia's body back to the Lair. The public was calling for the corpse to be publicly burned, but Tygra had insisted that she would have a proper tiger clan funeral. Bengali had gone to find a priest. The white tiger strode into the room, shaking water from his rain slicker. Three tigers walked a step behind him; two male red tigers and a female white tiger. They were all on the older side; maybe a few years younger than Lynx-O.
"How's Tygra doing, Lion-O?" Bengali asked.
"About the same," he answered. Bengali made a face.
"That bad, huh? Maybe Arjun can help. Lion-O, this is Arjun. He's going to be doing the ceremony." Bengali gestured to one of the male tigers. Arjun bowed low.
"It is an honor to help a member of the nobility on to the next life," he said.
"This is Vega, he's going to be setting up the funeral pyre," Bengali continued. The other man bowed equally low. "And this is Durga. She'll be preparing the body." Durga gave a nod and a slight bow. "I'd better let these guys get to work," Bengali said apologetically, leading them away.
"Tygra, you really need to get some rest," Cheetara told her friend. Tygra and Cheetara were sitting in the medical bay, Siberia's body on gurney between them. She had been wrapped in a white sheet, but Tygra had pulled back the top so that her face was uncovered.
"I'll rest when Bengali brings the priests," Tygra answered. "It's a tiger belief that the dead shouldn't be left alone." Cheetara frowned and hazarded a look at the corpse. The tigress looked like she was sleeping. Cheetara kept expecting her to move.
"Can we at least cover her face? It's creepy looking at her like that."
"No! You can't cover the face of a body before the soul leaves!" Cheetara stared at him. She hadn't realized Tygra was so adamant about tradition.
"Before the soul leaves? How long does that take?"
"Three days," Tygra answered. "She'll lie in state for three days before - - before her funeral pyre is lit." He choked mid sentence. It must have been incredibly difficult to realize the woman he loved was dead. The doors swung open, revealing Bengali followed by three other tigers.
"Here she is," he said, gesturing at the body. "Come on, Tygra, you need a break and some food." Durga approached the body opening a large black case. Tygra got up to leave.
"Oh!" The group turned back towards the exclamation. "I'm sorry," Durga apologized. "It's just that . . . she's quite beautiful."
"She's incredibly beautiful," Tygra said sadly, following the others as they filed out of the room. Alone now, Durga sighed. The beauty of the deceased wasn't what had startled her. Rumors were flying around the city that the monster who had rampaged through the city the day before was actually a beautiful woman who was under the protection of the ThunderCats. Durga hadn't expected the rumors to be true. Unfortunately this meant the crushing death part would be true too. Durga hated preparing victims of crushing deaths; it was so hard to make them look natural. Judging by the amount of blood on the sheet, it had been a pretty thorough job, too. Durga braced herself and whipped off the sheet. Oh. It wasn't bad at all. In fact, Durga couldn't see what could have caused so much blood to get on the sheet; there were only a few superficial cuts on the body. As for the crushing; the woman had a broken leg and most of the bones in one hand were broken, but that was it. The body was virtually untouched. Durga shrugged and began to prepare the corpse for its funeral.

Three days later, the ThunderCats gathered for Siberia's funeral. The woman in question was placed on a wooden pallet inside a small simple wooden coffin, her body cushioned by thousands of fragrant vanil petals. Tygra and Bengali carried her up to the top of the pyre and placed her reverently at its summit. Ajun mounted the pyre and began the ceremony.
"Friends, we are gathered here to wish our dear friend Siberia of the tiger clan a fine journey to her next life." The tiger priest paused. It sounded like someone had let out a muffled gasp near him. But there was no one else on the pyre. How very odd. "We did not know Siberia for very long, but she made her mark on all of us." Pumyra rubbed her bruised cheek. Panthro touched his still tender ribs. Ajun opened his mouth to continue, but stopped again. Now it sounded like someone was laboring to breathe very near him. But there was no one around. The only one besides him on the pyre was . . . . Ajun felt his gaze drawn to the coffin. It couldn't be. His imagination was running away with him.
"Siberia left no family behind," Ajun continued with effort. "But she will be sorely missed." He picked up a large jar of bachi oil and held it aloft. Bachi oil had a very pleasant scent, but it was extremely flammable. It would get the fire started. Ajun leaned over the coffin to pour on the oil when he heard a light thump. The priest jumped backwards. There was no mistake; he had heard a thump from inside the coffin. It sounded as if someone had put their hand out in the dark and bumped into a wall.
"Ajun? Is everything all right?" Vega called. Ajun looked at his friend, his face pale.
"Ah . . "There was a loud bang and the lid flew off of the coffin. Siberia sat up, shedding vanil petals. Ajun yelped and toppled backwards off of the pyre.
"Siberia!" Tygra cried, loping up the pyre. Siberia looked around her, eyes wide.
"I'm - - I'm in a coffin," she announced weakly.
"Well, yeah; you're dead," Bengali announced.
"I'm dead?" Siberia echoed. Tygra swept her up in a shower of petals.
"No! No, no you're not dead!" He cried kissing her passionately.
"Wait a minute, yes she is!" Durga cried. "I attended the body myself and she was as dead as a doornail!" Siberia stared at her in bewilderment, clutching her shroud around her. "I mean, she looked pretty good for a crushing victim, but she was definitely dead!"
"'Looked pretty good'?" Panthro echoed. "What are you talking about; she barely looked Thunderan when we brought her in here." The two began to argue the finer points of Siberia's former disfigurement. Ignoring them, Tygra pulled Siberia into his arms and kissed her deep and long.
"Tygra, what's going on?" She asked when they were finally finished. "I died? Why did I come back?" Tygra hugged her close as he thought. Of course, it was very hard to think with this curvaceous were-tiger snuggled into his arms, but - -
"Maybe because you're a were-tiger?" he guessed. "Every story I ever heard says that you have to kill a were-tiger with silver. I don't care why, I'm just glad you're back." The two tigers clutched each other tight. As he pulled Siberia in for another kiss, Tygra knew without a doubt that he would never let her go again. Come hell or high water, he was never letting her out of his heart. They would be together forever.