Welcome back, everyone. Now that I am free from college finals, assignments and homework, I can finally get back to writing more often. Enjoy and review.

Emergence

Emerging from the shadow of the dead tree, Gard looked up to the sky. His good eye could see rain clouds on the horizon and fighting in the rain was something Gard had experience. Battles in the rain were not something glorious that storytellers would speak of. Mud and blood mixed quickly and at the end of it there would be more blood in the earth than there would be rain.

"You have a plan, Gard?" Lion-O raised an eyebrow. When it came to the Wilderness, Gard was the best person the ThunderCats knew to, well, survive.

The Wilderness that Gard had been exiled to so long ago was not the same so many people thought of. This was the Vast, Unknown Wilderness. An alien world all its own where things undreamt of roamed and was quick to reclaim was once its.

"Donalbain will find me." Gard said. "It is best that I keep him away from you all."

"What?" Cheetara could not believe what she has hearing. "Are you serious? Donalbain can't be killed, you'll need all of us to defeat him."

Gard looked at all of the ThunderCats, Snarf and the kittens included. "All of you?"

"Okay, maybe a poor choice of words." Cheetara admitted. "But we need to remember he is also younger than you are and isn't blind in one eye."

"The most I've got is glaucoma, you are completely blind in your right eye, Gard." Panthro commented.

"I've lasted long enough without anyone's assistance." Gard said. "Besides, it is against the laws of combat."

"Laws of combat?" Tygra's tone was one most incredulous. Gard could not have been serious. "This isn't a duel, do you think Donalbain will adhere to the laws of combat?"

"We shall see." Gard walked past the ThunderCats only to stop after walking ten feet. "Come along if you wish, but one of you should stay here to keep an eye on the children. Preventing a certain puma's interference would be good."

"Excellent, I'll come!"

"No, Lion-O, not… Or perhaps you would be ideal." Gard mused, rubbing his chin with his right hand.

"What?" Tygra asked, just as incredulous as before. "Are you crazy? Pumyra wants Lion-O dead!"

"That's the point." The Old Savage answered, not even turning to face the Tiger. "It would leave her distracted, she would be unable to interfere."

"In that case, I'm coming too." Tygra said. Walking over to Gard, he removed his pistol from its holster and offered it to Gard. "If Donalbain does adhere to the rules of combat, he may want to do things ranged."

Gard stared at the pistol. It was an idea but there was no way of knowing what Donalbain would do. Strictly melee strictly ranged, a combination, hand-to-hand, gradually breaking down from a combination to strictly hand-to-hand, it could go anyway.

"Best wait until we find out how he wants to do it." Gard tightened his grip on his axe, held it up to the sky and then lowered it.

"What was that?" Caracalla asked. "Why did you do that?"

"Something not done anymore: a salute to the sun."

The salute was done and Gard was ready for the coming duel to begin. Gard had emerged from the camp of his allies and now he would fight his adversary, even if it meant his blood watering the soil.