Waking the next morning seemed more as a chore than a normal activity. The sun shone brightly through the window as it rose, gleaming off the snow like sparkling diamonds, except the day was not going to be nice and shiny for Alana. It was her eighteenth birthday and it was anything but a good day for her. It was going to be the first birthday where she wasn't going to be able to celebrate with any family member. She slowly pulled herself out of bed to get ready for breakfast.
When she reached the dining room, something seemed to be different. She couldn't place her finger on it but she was constantly getting a strange feeling. The ThunderCats were waiting for her before eating. During breakfast, she ate quietly beside Lion-O, but as he began speaking, Alana remembered what Panthro told her about Jaga being Lion-O's Grandfather. For the most part, Alana ignored what he was saying and just remember what her last birthday was like.
When breakfast was done, Alana was quick to disappear. This was not a day she wanted to be around others. Unknown to her, the ThunderCats were planning something special for her, which would require her appearance. The moment she was gone, the ThunderCats began their planning.
"So why did you guys want me to wait until after Alana left for me to figure what we're going to do today?" Lion-O asked.
"I found out last night, today is Alana's birthday," Tygra explained. "She is eighteen and was supposed to marry today. But instead she's spending her birthday in solitude."
"We figure," Panthro added. "We will give her a surprise party at lunch and we're going to have some help."
Panthro pointed behind him. Behind the panther stood two ghostly figures. One was Jaga and the other was someone Lion-O never saw before.
"ThunderCats," Jaga began. "May I introduce you to someone who Alana is not permitted to see right now. Her eldest brother, Josh."
Lion-O stood and slightly bowed. "It's an honor."
"No," Josh protested. He walked over to the young Lord. "The honor is mine. You are the one who leads your group and gracefully took my sister in, even when she was a complete stranger. You are also the one who marked our grave with a beautiful inscription."
"We, the ThunderCats, are very honorable people and we have a code, called the 'Code of Thundera; Truth. Justice. Honor. Loyalty'. We give help to people who need it."
"And my sister needs it. As you all know today is her birthday and it's not a very good day for her. Her last birthday is one she'll never forget. We were able to get permission from Tony to take her out while he had other matters to attend to. We never saw him for several days. I'm here to help you plan a birthday that will be nice but a different one than she ever had. I don't want her birthday to have any remembrance to her previous ones."
"He is here," Jaga interrupted. "To give you advice so she'll have something she never had before and will not think you had help."
"Jaga," Lion-O said. "If you don't mind me asking, but why are you two here?"
"On his own, Josh only can stay in limbo for a few minutes. With my help, I'm able to stabilize that, allowing him to remain longer. Now let's get to work. We have much to plan and not much time to do it in."
"Snarf…Does anyone know where Alana is now?" Snarf asked.
"She's in her room," Josh answered. "Knowing the type of woman she is. She'll remain there until lunch. When she is like this, she doesn't like to be around people and she surely doesn't like to be seen so she keeps herself completely out of trouble."
"Where should we begin?" Wilykit asked, eager to get started.
"I have noticed she likes those flowers those robot bears gave her the day we were placed to rest," Josh replied. "Perhaps, placing a nice flower arrangement on the table would be nice. Getting some of the people who have helped you would be great too."
"Wilykit and Kat," Lion-O turned to the kids. "Why don't you two go to the Berbil village and see if some of them would like to come. Also stop by the Tree Top Kingdom. Perhaps Nayda and Willa would like to join in on the festivities."
"Sure," Wilykit said. "While we're at it, we'll see if we can get some supplies from the Berbils."
"Snarf…That's not a bad idea," Snarf agreed. "I could use some more candy fruit."
The Thunderkittens quickly ran out of the room.
Josh turned to the ThunderCat mentor. "Is there any way I can get you to convince Alana to put on one of the dresses she came across yesterday?"
"That would make her think of you."
"Yes but it will also show the ThunderCats how beautiful she looks when she's dazzled up. From that she'll know I'm with her even on her birthday. We may not be here physically but we are here in spirit and memory."
Jaga nodded in understanding. "It will be a difficult task, but I will try."
Josh looked at Cheetara. "With your speed, you could take some silk material found in one the crates and string them around the room."
Cheetara nodded. "I can do that."
"My Lord," Josh turned Lion-O. "I have been told many things about your abilities and some that are not known to you yet. I would like you to use your sword and with it, you can place yourself and Alana in a trance where she could see your past. I would like her to see your struggles of trying to lead but making mistakes along the way and learning from them.
"Showing her you can be just as vulnerable as she is, will help ease her pain a little more. I would greatly be happy if she became a ThunderCat, though she's human."
"Jaga, is that possible?" Lion-O blinked.
"Yes, Lion-O. It is possible. I have never told you because there was never a need." Jaga turned to the other ghost. "But I should warn you, doing that will cause Alana to loose consciousness for a couple hours for she is human."
"I understand that, but she will have friends around to protect her."
"That she will," Tygra agreed. "Is there anything you would like us to do?"
"Show her some of your traditions when it comes to birthdays."
"She would be happy to see you," Lion-O added.
"No," Josh jumped. "It's too soon for her to see me. She hasn't had time to adjust to me being gone. I was her strength."
Lion-O nodded his agreement. "I understand. This has been a very difficult time for her."
Josh nodded. "What sort of traditions do you have for a birthday?"
"Mostly the same as a human one," Tygra answered. "Though there are a couple differences. Normally instead of blowing out candles, we just have a cake."
"She'll like that. She was has never been into candles ever since her mother died."
"That's a shame," Cheetara said. "Losing her mother at a young age."
"We too lost our mothers at a young age."
"If you don't mind me asking," Lion-O asked. "How many years are there between you and Alana?"
"I've been waiting for that question," Josh smiled. "There's 15 years between she and I, which is why she talks about me most. I've been there for her since day one. When father learned he was going to have another daughter, he did not do anything to help Alana's mother. I was the one who got Leanne to the hospital in time for Alana to be born. I almost had to deliver my own sister."
"Where was the rest of the family?" Tygra asked.
"The twin brothers, Tom and Terry were only thirteen and were busy getting ready for a tournament. Steve, only a year younger and Rachel, a year younger than Steve, were with the twins. David was only ten and he was with me trying to keep Leanne calm. The others were just too young.
"Theresa was mad father ignored her eighth birthday. Carl, being only nine was trying to comfort Theresa. Courtney was only four so she didn't realize what was going on except she was going to have another younger sister. And then there was Vanessa who was only two."
"Large family," Panthro commented.
"It is, but as the years progressed, all the brothers began to band together to take care of the sisters as they were emotionally hurt by father."
"As much as it's nice to talk about the past," Jaga said. "We need to get ready for this party or it won't be a surprise."
Alana sat on the bed, reading a book from one of the crates still in the Feliner hanger when a sudden blue light appeared in front of her. She looked up to see Jaga before her, sitting on the bed, looking at the gowns resting on the bed. She was quite surprise to see him sitting down.
"Happy Birthday, Alana," he greeted.
"There's nothing to be happy about," she answered. "I have no one to celebrate it with."
"That's not true. You have the ThunderCats."
"I suppose, but today is so wrong. I was supposed to marry someone I don't even like and my brothers are gone."
"True, but you have a sister somewhere on the planet. That should be something to look forward to."
"I guess, it will be nice to see Vanessa again. I haven't seen her in two years."
"I have been given a request," Jaga changed the subject. "Your brothers would like you to wear one of these dresses to lunch."
Alana jumped. "What? Why?"
"Though you can not see them, they can see you and would like you to wear one of these. I myself am curious as to what they look like. We never had anything like this on Thundera."
"You want me to wear one of the dresses to lunch. Lunch will be soon."
"Please," Jaga encouraged.
He looked at the dresses and saw one, which reminded him of Thundera. "Wear the red one."
Alana looked at the red one, giving it a smile. It happened to be the one dress Josh had never seen her in but her other brothers had. She couldn't remember why he didn't see it. "Only because you have asked and you said my brothers have asked, I will."
Jaga nodded. Reaching behind him, he brought out a simple beaded necklace.
"It's beautiful. Where did you get it?"
"Just because I may no longer be of this world, I do have adventures of mine own. I found this and would like you to have it. Being on the Astral plain, one can travel back through time. I traveled to Thundera before it's destruction. This is a necklace I had given to my wife for a wedding present and now it's yours."
Alana gasped. "I can't take something that has meant a lot to you."
Jaga grasped her hand and placed the necklace in her hand. Before she could protest, he backed away and disappeared.
"Figures," she said. She looked at her hand. "I take it, he wants me to wear this too."
Grabbing the red dress, she removed her clothing, dressing in the gown of choice, knowing Snarf didn't like when people were late. She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was simple but lovely nonetheless. She felt the material, remembering what velvet felt like. The sleeves hung down the arms but slightly puffed out at the wrist. The neckline was modest but had a white lacey sequence around the chest. It hung loosely to her ankles.
When she was going through the crate, she found a few pairs of shoes. Picking out a black slipper like shoe, she slid her feet into them before putting the necklace on. She was given the impression Jaga wanted her to wear it anyway. Taking a deep breath, she left her room, making her way down to the dinning room.
When she opened the door, she found the room to be darkened. For a quick moment she felt panicked that something happened and no one informed her that they were leaving. But as she entered a light was suddenly turned on. She turned around at the sound of surprise. She gasped as she saw the ThunderCats, Queen Willa, her sister Nadya and a few Berbils around the dining table.
Tygra's heart was slightly racing as he stared at her. As if he was on autopilot, he walked over to her. "You look wonderful."
Alana lightly blushed. "Thank you. Jaga asked me to wear it. I guess he knew about this…what is going on?"
Tygra smiled. "Well I knew you were not looking forward to today, so I convinced everyone to give you a party. Jaga heard about it and wanted to help."
"He said Josh had wanted me to wear a dress. Josh must have known about this too since Jaga knew."
"Come," Tygra grasped her hand. "We're not going to stand here in the doorway while lunch is about to be served and dessert." As Tygra escorted her to the table, she noticed there were silk sashes draped over the walls and in the center of the dining table were two bouquets of those silver-blue lily flowers sitting on either side of a cake.
As soon as everyone sat down, Snarf served lunch. While eating, Alana heard Lion-O saying to everyone to keep on their guard. She didn't know what he meant but hoped she would soon. She didn't like the way he made his request. It sounded like he was not going to be around or he at least wouldn't be able to help. As she listened to the conversations throughout lunch, she didn't pay attention to the time and before she knew it, Panthro getting ready to cut the cake.
"Wait!" she blurted.
Everyone looked at her with wonder.
"It's tradition for the one who is having the birthday to make the first cut. Then afterwards someone else cuts the cake and then hands the first piece to the birthday girl."
Panthro smiled. Just before Josh had to leave he told everyone normally Alana would cut her own cake. He wasn't sure how she would act but just in case Josh asked Panthro to cut the cake unless Alana wanted to.
"Fair enough." Panthro offered the knife out towards her.
Taking the knife she made her cut and then handed it back to the panther. She went to turn and walk away but stopped and turned back and waited for him to make the first full slice, giving her. She picked up a plate and handed it to Panthro. He took the plate before making a slice and then giving it to Alana. She walked back over to her seat.
Taking a seat, Alana glanced over to the Thunderkittens, noticing they were quietly talking amongst themselves. During their conversation, she overheard her name pop up a few times, however, she didn't have the heart to alarm them she partially could hear them.
"Alana," Wilykit called out, finally.
Alana looked at the young girl. "What is it?"
"Wilykat and I have something we want to give you and we've been wondering when to give it to you. But if it's all right, we'd like to give it to you now. So if you don't mind, could you close your eyes?"
Alana's eyes widened for a moment before closing. They were giving her a birthday gift. Something she was not expecting. She could feel all eyes were on her as the kids got up and stood on either side of her. She heard her plate was pushed out of the way and something was placed in front of her.
"Ok, you can open them," Wilykat announced.
Taking a deep breath, she did as asked. A gasp was released from her lips as she looked down to find a plaque sitting in front of her. It wasn't big but size didn't matter, it was the thought that counted. In the middle was a ThunderCat signet sign with "For bravery" written on the bottom. She turned it over and saw their names on the back with 'Though you have lost, you are free and brave'.
She looked at the kids, tears brimming her eyes. Without warning, she pulled Wilykat into a hug and then Wilykit. "Thank you. It's beautiful."
"I hope the words are ok," Wilykat replied a little sheepishly. He wasn't expecting the embrace.
"They are great. Just reading it, I can see what it means. I am brave for getting away from Tony even if it did cost some lives."
"But bravery also has many other reasons."
Alana stood and turned to see Jaga. Willa, Nayda and the Berbils looked at each other and shrugged. Though the ThunderCats and Alana could see the ghost, the others couldn't.
"It took a lot of courage to venture into a ship when it was nothing but a tomb. There's a lot of bravery involved in allowing strangers to take you in and care for you while your injuries healed. Most importantly you are brave to start a new life. Beginning a new life is a frightening experience. If you would allow it, Lion-O could take you on a journey into his past to see his past adventures of starting a new life."
"He can do that? But how?"
"He sends himself and you into a trance by using the Sword of Omens. If you agree, I will instruct how to proceed. However I should warn you once you come out, you will lose consciousness for a few hours."
She looked at Lion-O then back to Jaga. "I will. If I'm to understand the ThunderCats better, I should learn more about them."
Jaga nodded. "Lion-O, sit on the floor."
Lion-O stood, taking the sword out of the claw shield and sat on the floor, away from the table.
"Alana, go and sit in front of Lion-O and lean back against him."
Tygra felt a slight pang of jealously as he watched Alana move over to Lion-O, leaning up against him. Josh's words suddenly filled his mind. 'I know of your growing feelings for my sister'. Ever since Josh spoke to him, he kept looking back and realized he was constantly unconsciously flirting with the human woman. He had no idea when the flirting began to turn into feelings. His thoughts were broken when Jaga spoke.
"Put the Sword of Omens out in front of the both of you. Alana, place your hand on the bottom of the hilt. Now summon the sight beyond sight, the sword will do the rest. The Eye of Thundera will know what you are seeking and will give you what you seek. You both will feel like you're back in the past, you'll be able to communicate each other but the past events will not see you as you won't really be there."
"You ready?" Lion-O asked.
Alana nodded as she stared at the sword.
"Sword of Omens," Lion-O commanded. "Give me sight beyond sight."
For a moment, the eye opened before a blue glow surrounded it. Both Lion-O and Alana gasped as the eye seemed to glow into their eyes and they felt like they were being pulled into the sword.
Everyone in the room watched as the Eye of the Thundera created a dome around the two. They watched for several minutes as the two went into a trance.
"You all might as well go about your duties. I will keep watch over them."
Alana felt quite disoriented as she began to feel her bearings. Beside her she noticed Lion-O was staring at something. She looked towards where Lion-O was and gasped.
"What's going on?"
"We are on our spaceship, leaving Thundera."
"You are all naked."
"No. We didn't need protected clothing, as we weren't full ThunderCats, yet. We had to wait until the current ones handed down their power to us. Yes, we were all ThunderCats but our parents were still the main ThunderCats."
"I don't see you around."
"Remember, I was only a child when this happened. Jaga has just asked Cheetara to get me. I, of course, at the time was sleeping."
Seconds later, Alana saw child Lion-O and Cheetara walk on to the flight deck. She heard Jaga asked the kid to come closer. To her horror, she watched as the planet before her started to grow violently red before exploding. She looked at Lion-O, who had his head turned away from the explosion. A single tear tracked its way down his cheek.
"It must have been hard for you to see that." A tear slid down her own cheek.
"It was and still is." He looked at her. "Even to this day, I have dreams of this moment. Yes Thundera exploded some time ago, but for me, it feels like it was only four years ago."
Just then the Eye of Thundera blinded them and were suddenly standing on top of rumble of rocks looking down as Snarf came across one of suspension capsules.
"What the…"
"This was when we crashed on Third Earth and I was no longer a child. The Mutants followed us from Thundera and tried to attack us while we weren't ready. When I took the sword in my hand, I felt the need to call the ThunderCats."
Watching the scene unfold, they watched as younger Lion-O came out of the capsule and was confused. Several minutes rolled by before the Mutants showed up and Lion-O used the sword for the first time to call the other ThunderCats. The moment the ThunderCats were called, once again the two were pushed away from the scene to another scene that was few days later after the battle.
"Now what?" she asked.
"This was when we met the Robear Berbils. At first I thought they were being hostile but after awhile I realized they were only trying to stay alive from a brute force, which I stupidly interfered but it also ended up being the beginnings of a good friendship."
She watched as the ThunderCats talked about building Cats' Lair but were interrupted by the Berbils offering them their help, which the ThunderCats agreed and soon both races were sitting down to a feast provided by the Berbils. Alana and Lion-O stood side by side as the memory happened. "From here, I've had many events. Some were good while others were a learning experience."
When the Thunderian Eye caught the two again, it sent them to many different times. Alana saw when her father had taken the ThunderCats hostage and it took great thinking with Lion-O to free his friends. She was shown Lion-O had tried to do things on his own and was caught by the Mutants or Mumm-Ra and then had to call for help. But as the memories went through, she noticed he began to have responsibility. She even saw how Grune the Destroyer tried to kill Jaga after he was summoned from the Astral Plain. But what caught her eye the most was when Lion-O had to start his Anointment Trials.
She watched as he protested against having to do the trails, but he did them anyway so he could be named officially the Lord of the ThunderCats. She was able to see a few minutes of each trial and then the ceremony of him being crowned as Lord.
As the celebration went on, Alana turned to Lion-O. "I never knew."
"Besting my friends at their level was one of the hardest things I had to do. But then when I went up against Mumm-Ra as my final trial, that turned out to be the hardest."
"Mumm-Ra looks scary."
"He can be. But he has a weakness. He does not like his own reflection."
"So that is why you used your claw shield against him many times. He was able to see his own reflection."
Lion-O nodded.
Alana moved away as she saw Tygra congratulating Lion-O on a job well done. She could see he was still exhausted from using his mental powers. She turned away from the group as she felt a pull. The Eye of Thundera was about to grab them again.
She looked at Lion-O and then hugged him. "Thank you for allowing me to see your painful yet eventful past."
Lion-O wrapped his arms around her. "No thanks are necessary. Just so you know, this wasn't to help build your trust in us. I wanted to this for my own reasons."
"I know you showed me this so I won't keep feeling sorry for myself. We have much in common, though circumstances have been quite different. We both lost loved ones and were ripped away from our home planet at a young age."
She moved away from the young Lord, feeling the eye directly behind her. She turned as the eye began to envelop them. She was expecting to see another past event but found herself sitting on the floor, in front of Lion-O. She realized she was back in the present, on her birthday.
Not far off, she saw Jaga smiling but the smile didn't last long as she felt another pull and this time it was the pull of darkness trying to enfold around her.
"Lion-O," she whispered.
She felt Lion-O's arms shift around her. "It's ok. I'm right here."
Whatever words he might have said were left hanging as the darkness completely claimed her.
Knowing she was now unconscious, Lion-O carefully slid his arms under her, picking her up. He looked at Jaga to ask the spirit a question when Tygra rushed into the room.
"Is she all right?" he asked.
"She'll be fine in a couple of hours," Jaga answered.
Lion-O immediately noticed how Tygra was concerned over the woman. It then hit him as his eyes widened slightly; realizing Tygra seemed to like the girl.
"Lion-O," the tiger replied. "Jaga went and asked us to make a makeshift bed for Alana to rest on over there in the corner. He said that we should keep an eye on her."
"I agree," Lion-O said. "She has seen a lot and she'll no doubt have some questions for everyone when she wakes."
Lion-O moved away from his tiger friend and gently set her down in the corner where a bunch of pillows laid. He grabbed a nearby blanket and covered their new friend with it.
"How was the trip?" Panthro asked as he and Cheetara walked into the room.
"Painful as ever," Lion-O answered. "The Eye of Thundera took us where she needed to be most. It wasn't by my choice. Though some of the places I wanted her to see."
"What did she see?" Cheetara asked.
"Thundera exploding. Me all grown and seeing my mistakes but learning from them. But most importantly saw the trails. She watched as I had to best all of you at your strengths."
"Sounds like the Eye of Thundera was giving her hope," Jaga answered. "Perhaps with this new experience, she will be able to help more and trust."
Lion-O turned. "Jaga, it isn't about trust. It's about her trying to start over without anyone she knew to help her. She has a difficult past, which she is having a hard time getting over."
"You're right."
Lion-O looked up to see Josh standing beside him.
The spirit of Josh knelt down to his sister and placed a cool hand on her forehead. "She has been through so much. This is why I wanted you to take her on your painful journey. The two of you have a troubled past and both have lost and gained. In a funny way, it's like you two are like siblings."
"That's right," Cheetara agreed. "You two do have a lot in common."
Lion-O looked at the sleeping girl and then at Josh. "Well I do seem protective of her."
Josh smiled. "It pleases me to know she has a brother again."
"A brother?"
"Lord Lion-O, you have treated her like a sister. Your feelings for her will never go beyond a love of a family member. I was with you the whole time through your vision and I must say admitting where you were wrong and having the hard task of going against your friends are tough choices. I must go now."
Josh walked away from the group and vanished, as did Jaga. With the two spirits gone, Tygra smiled knowing he didn't have a competition. He looked over at Cheetara and noticed her eyes seemed to show off some emotion towards the ThunderCat leader that he never saw before.
'Does Cheetara have feelings for Lion-O?' he wondered. 'It almost seems like she does. I wonder how long she's had these feelings?'
"Any new developments?" Lion-O asked, getting back to business.
"It's been pretty quiet for the past three hours," Panthro said. "Willa, Nayda and the Thunderkittens went to the Wollo village. I'm not really sure why but they said they'd be back before nightfall."
"Keep me informed. I'm going to stay here and watch over Alana until she wakes up."
"I'll stay with you," Tygra offered.
Panthro nodded. "Cheetara and I will take turns in watching over the land. You never know when the Mutants may attack."
"Good thinking," Lion-O agreed.
Lion-O and Tygra were quietly talking when a noise suddenly caught the tiger's attention. He turned to see Alana slightly moving. Looking to his leader, he indicated she was waking before standing from the dining table made his way over to her. Lion-O followed suit.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the concerned look in two set's of cat eyes. At first the look slightly startled her but she soon realized, by their hair, who the eyes belonged to. Giving them a tired smile, she'd remembered when she first met Tygra and how his eyes were different. She had never seen eyes like the ThunderCats.
"How do you feel?" Tygra asked, breaking her thoughts.
"Tired, but fine," she answered quietly.
"You remember your vision?" Lion-O asked.
"That was an experience I'll never forget. I got to see the ThunderCats at their vulnerable points and when my father had taken you all hostage and was trying to capture Lion-O."
"Lion-O said you saw parts of the Anointment trials," Tygra replied, giving her hand so she could stand.
She pushed the blanket off of her and noticed she was lying on several pillows. To her surprise the pillows were salvaged from her ship. Remembering she still had on her gown, she grabbed Tygra's proffered hand and he gracefully pulled her to her feet.
"I'll let the others know you have woken. I'm sure everyone is hungry." Lion-O turned and left the room.
Tygra helped her over to the table. The table still had her cake, which was covered as well as a pitcher of water with a couple glasses.
"I never knew you had mental powers," she started, taking a seat.
"It's not something I use often as it leaves me exhausted for days."
"I noticed you were tired when Lion-O was crowned as the true Lord of the ThunderCats. You guys have been given a great gift."
"Would you like some water?" he asked, offering a glass of water.
"Yeah, my throat is very dry." She gently took the drink. "I now understand you all better."
"You know we have always been open if you ever want to ask us questions." Throughout the entire time at lunch when he couldn't stop staring at her, never noticed her necklace and now with the two alone, he finally was able to see it. "Where did you get that necklace?"
Alana fingered the necklace. "Jaga gave this to me. He said though he is no longer with you, he does have his own adventures. He's been able to travel into the past and came across Thundera before it's destruction. The necklace was a wedding present to his wife. It must have been lost to her."
"It was. When she disappeared, the necklace did as well. Jaga never knew what happened to it." Tygra turned as someone entered the room to see the Warrior Maidens walk in with the Thunderkittens.
"We heard you were awake," Nayda replied to Alana. "I have known the ThunderCats for a few years and never knew Lion-O could travel into his past."
"No one did," Tygra answered. "That is until now."
"I suppose it came from that ghost who appears once in awhile though we can not see him?" asked Willa
"Actually it did," Tygra answered.
"Alana," Nayda started. "We were at the Wollo village while you were in your trance and we have something to give to you but we'll wait until everyone is back in here."
"You didn't need to do that," Alana answered. "Just being here is a good enough gift to me."
"Nonetheless," Willa interrupted. "It's something we felt we should give you."
"I can't see why. You have given me enough. You gave me something to wear outside and helped with burying my friends."
Willa smiled. "You'll see." She turned in time to see the other ThunderCats enter the room with Snarf.
Snarf ran over to Alana and jumped on the table. "Snarf…Are you sure, you're ok?"
"For the last time, I'm fine," she said with a slight smile. "But I could use some food. I have been out for a few hours and it's now getting dark."
Snarf stood up and saluted. "And what would the birthday girl like to eat."
"Surprise me," she smiled.
Snarf's eyes lit up. He turned to the Thunderkittens. "Could you bring in that cart that is just outside the door?"
The kids turned and ran out, giggling.
Alana raised an eyebrow. What was going on to make the kids start giggling? Moments later the kids walked back through with a cart of food. The food was covered with a piece of cloth but she could tell it was hot. She turned back to the little Snarf.
"How can that food be hot? You had no idea when I would wake."
"That's a Snarf secret, Snarf." He jumped down on the floor. "Oh and I thought I should tell you Robear Bill and Belle had to leave. But there is something for you." He ran out of the room but quickly came back in.
Alana stood as she looked at the person who came in from behind Snarf as he came back in. "Mandora!"
"Happy Birthday, kid," Mandora announced.
Alana ran to Mandora, giving her a quick hug. "How?"
"Well for starters, I had heard of a crash on Third Earth, so I came to investigate. When I arrived, a few hours ago, I learned you were here. I had to tell the ThunderCats I knew you and your father. And you look wonderful."
"Mandora, it has been hard," she quietly replied.
"I'm sure it would be but you are surrounded by good friends. Now we should eat before Snarf's food gets cold and he takes a fit."
Alana, surprised by Mandora's visit, totally forgot she wondered about the hot meal. She took her seat back where she was hours earlier as everyone else took their seats and Snarf served. Everyone was interested in how Alana's trance went. She explained how the Eye of Thundera transported her and Lion-O all over and what she was able to see in the memories. Over in one darkened corner Josh and his six brothers stood, unable to be seen by anyone in the room. They were very happy to see their youngest sister was finally a bit happy.
"She'll find happiness again."
"That she will Carl, that she will," Josh answered.
"Why is it you can travel through the plain and we can't?"
"Steve, you know as well I as I do I have been the one most connected to her."
"What is thing about feelings I've been hearing?" Carl asked.
Josh turned to the youngest brother. "The tiger has feelings for our sister. Strong feelings. But at the moment it's not being reciprocated. Alana still has her fear of men. But I'm sure that fear will vanish, once she learns to trust the ThunderCats completely."
Carl looked at the tiger and then to his sister. "From what I've been able to see of the man, he seems nice."
"Nice?" one of the twins said. "I hope she'll fall for him. He'll be good to her. I watched as he lied to his leader, protecting her the day she ran to the ship."
"And that is something I'm not impressed with," Josh said. "She shouldn't have gone out alone without telling someone where she was going."
"There was no harm done," Steve said. "The tiger followed her."
"Why don't we leave them for now and allow our sister to have fun for once," the other twin said. "She now doesn't have to look over her shoulder."
"She may not have to fear Tony, but she will need to keep on the look out for the ThunderCats' enemies. From what I've seen in the vision, the ThunderCats' enemies will want to use her to get at the ThunderCats. But I do agree for leaving her for now." Josh gave one last look before vanishing with his brothers.
Alana slightly turned as she felt a presence leave the room. Lion-O noticed her attention was somewhere else. He leaned forward and whisper. "Is something the matter?"
Alana turned to him. "I just felt as if something left the room," she whispered back.
"Didn't Jaga say your brothers are always with you?"
"Yeah, he did. My brothers must have been here and decided to leave."
"Alana," Willa said getting Lion-O and Alana's attention. "I would like to now give you your gift from my sister and I."
Nayda stood and pulled up a knapsack attached to her hip. "We found this a few years ago and entrusted it to the Wollos. We would like you to have to it."
Nayda pulled out a wrapped item. She then handed it to Panthro, who was beside her and he handed it down until it reached Lion-O who then gave it to Alana.
Feeling it was heavy, she rested it on the table and unwrapped it carefully. Her eyes sparkled with amazement at the object. It was a globe with water inside. The base was designed as a forest.
"Perhaps you could tell us what it is," Willa said.
"It's an ancient Third Earthian ornament. It was called a Sparkle globe. How it's still in one piece is beyond me. My mother had one of these when she was young but after meeting my father, it went missing."
Alana held it up and showed everyone why it was called a sparkle globe. Inside the globe were two women and they looked they were protecting something.
"You know," Wilykat said. "The figures looks like two Warrior Maidens ready to battle something or protect something."
"When we found it," Willa said. "There was a note, stating it was made for the Warrior Maidens to remember the past when everyone left Third Earth. The leader, at the time, must have decided to bury it to protect its value. We found it buried beneath one of the trees near the base of our kingdom."
"You must have found it shortly after we landed here," Panthro said.
"We did," Nayda nodded.
"What makes the sparkles float around like that when you tip it upside down?" Wilykit asked.
"It's full of water. There's so much water there is not a bubble."
"Well it's starting to get late," Willa said. "And there's things to be done early tomorrow."
Willa stood and walked over to Alana. She slightly wrapped her arms around the woman. "Happy Birthday." When Willa moved away, Nayda came up and hugged Alana. The two women said their farewells and left.
"Would you ThunderCats mind if I stayed here tonight before heading back out?" Mandora asked.
"Not at all," Lion-O answered. "I'm sure you remember your way around."
"I think I'm going to go to my room," Alana said. She stood. "Snarf the food was delicious and I want to thank you all for everything. Wilykit and Kat, your gift is precious. Mandora seeing you again, is like a dream and…" she looked at Lion-O. "And seeing your past has showed me I'm not the only one who has hard times."
"And if it's all right with you," Lion-O smiled, remembering Josh's words. "I would be honored if I could consider you a sister."
Tears brimmed Alana's eyes. She lost her family but gained a new one. "I would love that." She quickly began to make her way out of the room when Mandora slightly touched her arm.
"If you don't mind, I would like to accompany you to your room." Alana nodded and the two women left.
Alana came out of her adjoining bathroom to see Mandora looking out the window. She had excused herself to change for bed. To Alana, she felt somewhat comfortable now she had her own clothes and not borrowed ones from Cheetara. The two had been relaxing in her room for a couple hours, catching up on old news and talking about the good times.
"You have quite the view," Mandora said as she heard Alana come in the room.
"I know. What did you want to talk about? Because I know you did not come in just to look at the view."
"Did he hurt you?" Mandora asked as she turned, serious.
"Tony? No. At least not anything you don't already know."
"Good, but at the same time not good. Though you have survived, I can't bring him to justice."
"Why not?" Alana asked, annoyed.
"There is no solid proof. It's his word against yours. And you know yourself that will not hold up in a court of law."
"So you're saying there has to be more than one witness to his dirty work?"
Mandora walked over to the woman. "Look, I swear to you now I will move heaven on Earth to get that bastard. I know he killed his parents and he has hurt you. I just need to get solid evidence. I haven't heard much, but I did hear there was a ship that crashed on Third Earth and it was one of Tony's but he did not say what happened and why."
Alana snapped. "I'll tell you what that jerk did. He hired one of his henchwomen to sabotage the ship. But soon afterwards Tony, in one of his other ships, attacked us. The attacks happened for about a month before we were hit bad enough we lost control. Now mind you we had a power drain, which was how Tony was able to cripple us in the first place."
"Did you ever find the saboteur?"
"No. I think she escaped before we lost control. I think when she escaped, she prevented us from being able to get to the escape pods."
"Thank you," she replied.
"For what?"
"Getting your side of the story, which is the truth, before I interrogate Tony."
"Oh, I have learned my sister Vanessa is living somewhere here on the planet, but where, I don't know."
"If that is true, Vanessa would have been smart by going into hiding. But if I know her, she'll hide in plain sight. Have you told the ThunderCats about your past?"
"No. I would like to but I'm scared of what they would say."
"Don't be. Lion-O has just declared you his sister and I think you have someone who likes you."
"Who? Tygra? He just sees me as a friend."
Mandora slightly chuckled. 'From what I saw, he couldn't keep his eyes off you. Especially you wearing that gown, which I haven't seen on you in long time.' "How did you get the dress?" she asked, changing the subject.
"My brothers snuck it on board along with other clothes. They also went behind my back and secretly kept some of Mom's things when father threw everything out. They also got them onboard as well."
"They have always caused some sort mischief but it was always clean and always a purpose. Listen why don't we talk more in the morning before I leave. I would like to see the crash sight."
"Sure."
Alana embraced the policewoman before allowing her to leave the room. Knowing it was getting late, she dimmed down the lights before climbing into bed. While trying to go to sleep, she went over the day's events. She suddenly felt a cool breeze on her shoulder. A big smiled appeared on her face.
"I have a family again," she whispered. "I love you, Josh."
A cool breeze brushed past her cheek. Her eyes flew opened and swore that she saw her brother standing right beside the bed. She shook her head, thinking it was just her mind playing tricks. She closed her eyes and allowed the world of dreams to take over.