15

Leanne had her head sticking out of the top of the tank as they traveled through the wilderness. Her black hair whipped around her head from the wind around her. She felt someone tugging on her pant leg, and she looked down at Lion-O who was smiling at her as she stood on her tiptoes on a small box of their cargo.

"Yeah?" She asked him.

"Are you going to come back in, or what?" He asked, Leanne smirked and came back down into the tank, shutting the opening behind her.

"I just wanted some fresh air." Leanne said as she walked over to an empty seat, Lion-O sat down next to her.

"Well, hopefully, we'll all get some fresh air, soon." Cheetara said, Leanne nodded in agreement.

A low, gurgling sound caught everyone's attention and they looked over at the WilyKittens. WilyKit smiled sheepishly and put her hand over her stomach.

"We're hungry." WilyKit said, looking at the others.

"Yeah, when are we gonna eat?" WilyKat asked.

"Soon enough, just be patient." Tygra assured them. They both groaned unhappily, both of them falling on their backs. Leanne laughed at their behavior. Lion-O smiled at the sound of her laughter, and put his hand over hers. Leanne paused, and looked down at their hands. She looked up at Lion-O, who smiled at her, and she blushed, smiling shyly back. She wasn't used to being this close to Lion-O. They had only shared one kiss, and while it had to be one of the best kisses of her life, she wasn't used to the idea of being all lovey-dovey with Lion-O, so it made her a little nervous when he got so close. She could feel her face heating up with a blush, and she could feel the warmth of his fur-covered hand (Or was the right term paw?) radiating onto her skin. Her heart pounded quickly in her chest, and she silently prayed Lion-O wouldn't notice how sweaty her hands were suddenly becoming.

Maybe a little nervous wasn't the right word. She was a lot nervous.

She wasn't the only one not used to the idea, either. Lion-O, while he had dealt with his fair share of lady cats in Thundera, none of them had an effect on him quite like Leanne did. When he was close to her, his fur would bristle in excitement, his heart would pound, and his right ear would twitch uncontrollably every couple of minutes (He made sure he sat on her right side so she wouldn't see it). He wasn't sure if this was just signs of him getting sick, or it was just his body's reaction to something. Now, he knew that his body reacted to Leanne, and he always hoped she wouldn't notice his nervousness when he held her hand. Although it seemed like he was taking the initiative with confidence, he was actually very apprehensive to Leanne's reaction. He felt relief flood through him when she gently squeezed his palm with her hand.

Tygra, getting tired of sitting around, and hearing the kittens groan about hunger, walked up to the special screen that allowed them to communicate with Panthro in the front of the tank and pressed a button to activate it. Panthro's face soon showed up on the previously dark screen.

"Hey, can we make a stop soon?" Tygra asked, "We all want to stretch our legs a little."

Panthro nodded, "Yeah, just hang on a second." The screen went black, and a few minutes later, the Thunder Tank rolled to a stop. WilyKat and WilyKit were the first ones out of the tank, running out into the nearby grass. The others followed them, happily stretching their limbs out in the sunlight. Snarf, who had just woken up from a nap, wasn't watching his footing and tumbled down the small ramp that was put down when the tank opened up, and somersaulted on the ground. He sat up, green eyes owlishly wide as he looked around him, as if to say 'What was I just doing?' Leanne giggled at his cute behavior, reaching down and petting his head. He mewed happily when she did, rubbing his furry cheek against her hand with a purr, telling her to keep going. Leanne obliged with a smile, picking Snarf up in her arms and cradling the little creature.

Cheetara came out of the tank, carrying the bag that carried their rations. WilyKat and Kit immediately ran for it, holding out their hands for food. Cheetara handed them each a piece of fruit and a piece of meat. Everyone else got their own ration as well, and when everyone had something to eat, Cheetara looked at their bag, and noticed there were only a few rations left.

"We need to get more food, soon." She said to the others, showing them the few rations that were left.

"Do you think there's a village nearby?" Lion-O asked.

"Lee, get up and see if you can see any villages." Panthro ordered the girl, who looked at him, cheeks stuffed full of fruit. She quickly chewed up the remaining bits and swallowed it before speaking.

"Yeah, sure." She put Snarf down on the ground, and created two small whirlwinds beneath the arches of her feet, shooting up into the air. When she was high enough to see beyond the trees of the forest they were in, she looked around, raising up her hand to shade her eyes from the sunlight so she could see better. She hovered for a moment, not really seeing anything, until a small glint of something in the distance caught her. The view was hidden by a strangely tall pine tree, and she flew up a little higher to see a large city in the distance near the bottom of a plateau. The glint was coming off a sign at the front of the city, which she couldn't read from that distance. She floated back down to the others, pointing in the direction of the city, "There's a place a few miles that way. It's pretty big."

"Then we'll go and see if they have a market." Lion-O said.

"You guys go ahead." Panthro said, "I'm going to stay here and check to see how close we are to this forest." After hours of waiting, the elephants eventually remembered the directions to get to the forest of Magi Oar, but by the time they remembered, it was too dark and too late for them to go anywhere, so they stayed another night.

"You guys wanna come?" Leanne asked the WilyKittens.

"No thanks." WilyKat said, he lied back on the grass, linking his fingers behind his head, "I kinda just want to stay here."

"Me too." WilyKit said, mimicking her brother. Leanne shrugged.

"Okay, anyone else want to come with me?" She saw Lion-O, Cheetara, and Tygra raise their hands. "Then let's go."

Leanne craned her head back to see what the sign said.

"Janmasthala… What an odd name for a town." She mused aloud.

"It doesn't matter how odd the town's name is," Tygra said, "So long as they have a market. You have the money, don't you?" Leanne scoffed.

"Of course I do." She held up the bag of money to prove it, "What, you think I'm gonna lose it?" Tygra didn't reply as they walked past the sign into the city. They were met with unusual sights when they walked through. Animals everywhere were all fiddling with some kind of technology, or some kind of substance Leanne had never seen before. She also noticed that almost all of the animals wore something akin to a lab coat as they went about their day.

"Would you look at all this tech?" Lion-O said in awe as they went through the city, "It's amazing!"

"This place reminds me of a scientist convention or something." Leanne said as they kept walking.

"Hey, kid! Come back here for a second!"

Leanne turned around just in time to face a small group of scientists that suddenly surrounded her.

"What an unusual anatomical structure!" One said, "I've never seen anything like it!"

"And just look at her limbs!" Another said, holding onto Leanne's arm and examining it, picking at the hairs on her arm, "She has barely any fur at all! How does she survive in cold weather?"

"Um, it's called a coat." Leanne said dryly, taking her arm back from the scientist. She leaned back when someone tugged on her hair.

"And look at this! It has such a strange texture!" A scientist said, running a strand of her hair in between his fingers and rubbing them together. Leanne blushed shamefully because her hair was greasy and pulled away.

"That's just because I haven't washed it!" She snapped at him, she was instantly pulled another way when a scientist grabbed onto her leg and started examining her feet.

"What unusual callouses." The man said, inspecting her heel with his thumb. When he inspected the arch of her foot, Leanne flinched, a small smile on her face.

"No! Don't do that!" She said, pulling her foot back and putting it back in the shoe, "I'm really ticklish there!" She scowled at the scientists as they crowded around her.

"This is such an amazing case of species!" A scientist said, looking over her.

"It really is unusual, everyone, take a look!" Another said as they all gathered around her, pulling her limbs and different parts of her every which way. In the crowd, no one noticed a young fox boy with a green bandana on his head in the crowd. When he saw Leanne, he grinned to himself and moved a little closer.

"Hey, hang on!" Leanne said as they continued to examine her like a specimen for an experiment, "Quit it! Haven't you guys ever heard of personal space?" Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara watched, dumbfounded, from the sidelines. What were they supposed to do in a situation like this? They were scientists, they would naturally be curious about Leanne. They weren't really doing anything to hurt her, either, so… "Wait! Don't pull that!" Leanne shrieked when her shirt went flying up into the air so they could better look at her torso. Lion-O growled angrily and charged through the crowd, getting in front of Leanne and shielding her from the scientists as she tried to cover herself with her arms, looking around for her shirt.

"That's enough!" Lion-O snarled at the scientists. They all took a step back, intimidated by Lion-O. Cheetara picked Leanne's shirt off the ground and handed it to her, which she hastily put back on.

"I could kill you idiots!" Leanne shouted at them once she had her clothes back on, "Bunch of perverts!" She stayed behind Lion-O as she spoke, not wanting to get 'attacked' by the scientists again.

"Let's just find the market place." Tygra said, Lion-O put his arm around Leanne's shoulders protectively as they walked away from the scientists. Leanne reached into her pocket to see how much money they had to spend on food, and froze when she didn't feel it. Lion-O sensed her suddenly tensing up as she searched her other pockets.

"Oh no…" She muttered, her face pale and eyes wide as she kept looking for it, "It's gone…"

"What is?" Lion-O asked, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.

"The money." Leanne said, looking up at him, "It's gone!"

"You lost it?!" Tygra exclaimed, looking at her with wide eyes, "I knew we shouldn't have left you in charge of it!"

"Shut up! If you were in my place, you would have lost it, too!" Leanne growled at him.

"Ah," One of the scientists spoke up behind them, "Sounds like you had a run-in with Kitsune." Cheetara looked over at him.

"Kitsune?" She repeated.

"He's a pickpocket around here that likes to target tourists." Another scientist explained. Leanne went over to them.

"Do you know where we can find him? He took all the money we had!" She asked them. The pair of scientists hummed thoughtfully, putting their hands to their chins.

"Let me think…" One scientist muttered to himself, "Where was he again?"

"I know what might jog my memory." The other said, they both turned back to Leanne with the faces of eager children on Christmas morning, "If I could have another look at that anatomical structure!"

Infuriated and annoyed, Leanne glared at them, engulfing her fists in fire, holding one up to them, growling, "Do you want this to be you?!" The two scientists instantly jumped back, pointing to the plateau in the distance.

"He lives in the mountains with a prosthetics engineer named Stirling!" They both said simultaneously.

"Why does he live so far from the city?" Cheetara asked the two.

"Well, the prosthetics he makes use metal bases." The first scientist explained, "He makes all the metal he uses for them in his own shop, so he lives in the mountains to make sure he has the best ores to make them with. They're uncomfortable, and I heard that the rehabilitation is excruciating, but once all that is through, they're actually the best prosthetics made around these parts."

"That, and he's incredibly anti-social." The other scientist spoke up. The first one nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's hurry up and find this place so we can get our money back." Leanne said.

Leanne grimaced as she wiped her forehead of sweat again. It was unbelievably hot on those mountains and very uncomfortable for all of them.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" She asked Tygra, "Because those nerds could have tricked us."

Tygra scowled at her, "What are you complaining about? This is all your fault for dragging us to that stupid town in the first place." Leanne's eyebrow twitched angrily.

"My fault?" She repeated angrily, "You're the one who was stupid enough to put the money in charge of the human in a town full of over-eager scientists!" Tygra growled and turned around to face her.

"Why you little—" Lion-O cut him off by stepping in between him and Leanne.

"Guys?" Cheetara caught their attention and she pointed to something in the distance, "Could that be him?" She pointed to a bridge in the distance, where they could see a young fox boy crossing a bridge in the distance, a green bandana wrapped around his head in a headband, his ears sticking up from his messy brown hair with a small ponytail in the back. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt and a pair of baggy, green cargo pants with a big, bushy fox tail sticking out in the back. He glanced back at them, and Leanne's eyes widened when she caught sight of a small, tan bag in his hands, knowing it was their money.

"Ah-HA!" She shouted when she saw him, "I got you now!" She jumped down from the plateau, using her powers to make the earth come up beneath her to use as a constantly moving staircase to get down to Kitsune. When he saw the earth shooting up, he dashed to the other side of the bridge, clutching the bag of money tightly in his hands. Leanne quickly caught up to him. To make sure he stopped, she slammed her hand against the ground and brought up a huge wall of earth in his way so he would stop. He looked up at the wall in awe, and then looked back at Leanne, seeing her crouching with her hand on the ground, glaring up at him, "I'd like my money back now."

He smiled widely at her, "That's so amazing!" He said in awe, "How'd you do that?"

Leanne stood up, "I'm a witch." She raised up her hands, "Want more?!" The ground rumbled beneath them for a moment, and Kitsune was in awe as a huge wave of water shot up from underground, where he knew a small patch of water resided in an old well not too far from there. Leanne shot out her hands, and the water shot out from where it had been hovering in the air, Kitsune easily avoided the powerful blasts of water as they splashed against the earthen wall, darkening it with a muddy color as the water mixed in with the dirt. As he moved around, he looked at the floating water with an amazed smile.

"That's so cool!" He exclaimed, leaping up into the air and landing a good thirty feet away from Leanne. Her eyebrow twitched irritably as she glared at the little fox boy.

"Quit moving around!" She snarled at him.

"What's the matter?" Kitsune taunted with a smirk, "Can't keep up?"

"Why you—!" Kitsune laughed loudly and dashed off, planning to head to a small house near a cliff side, but skidded to a stop when he saw Lion-O and Cheetara in his way.

"About time you showed up." Lion-O said with a grin, pulling out his sword and lengthening it. The stone in the sword's hilt shone brightly, blinding Kitsune, making him take a couple steps back. He gasped when he suddenly felt his arm being grabbed and pulled behind his back as another arm wrapped around his neck, but he couldn't see his captor. A second later, Tygra appeared, showing that he was the one restraining him.

"Gotcha!" He said with a grin. Leanne ran over to the group with a smile.

"Nice work, guys!" Leanne complimented. She slowed her run and walked over to where Kitsune was held, "Now, why don't you be a good boy and give me back my—" She stopped when a blade suddenly tore through the leg of Kitsune's pants and he swung it at Tygra, who jumped back the second he saw it. Everyone looked at him as he held it up with a confident smirk.

"Come on, you can't be too surprised." Kitsune said, "You've heard of Stirling's prosthetics, haven't you?" He lifted up his other leg, "Oh, and…" A small latch opened up, and a small ball went shooting out of his leg to where Tygra and Leanne were, barely missing them and exploding behind them. Leanne shrieked and covered her head to protect herself, and Tygra yelled in surprise, covering his own head as well, "My other leg has a 1.5 inch cannon, what d'you think of that?" He put his leg back down, the latch returning over the cannon's hole and he dashed off, easily going around Lion-O and Cheetara.

"Come back here!" Lion-O growled at the fox boy as he kept running.

"Why don't we see if you can catch me first?" Kitsune taunted. Cheetara easily sped up to him, grabbing his wrist tightly and preventing him from going any farther. Kitsune stumbled slightly in his balance when she grabbed him, and looked up a little fearfully at her.

"Well, that wasn't too hard, now was it?" Cheetara said with a grin as she looked down at him. Leanne and the others ran over to her as she kept a firm grip on the boy.

"Way to go, Cheetara!" Leanne cheered. She stopped when she came up next to the boy. She was about to speak to him, when the door to the house nearby opened, and two cats, a female cat with pure white fur and blonde hair with an engorged stomach, and an orange cat with darker, brown stripes covering most of his fur. Lion-O and the others looked at the couple with wide eyes.

"Oh, Kitsune, welcome back." The female cat greeted with a sweet smile, her hand resting comfortably on her large stomach. She looked around at the other cats with wide eyes, "Um… are these friends of yours?"

"Not… particularly." Kitsune replied as he tried to release his wrist from Cheetara's grip, which was starting to cut off the blood circulation in his hand.

"Ah, I see." The male cat, who had introduced himself as Banvor, said, pouring a drink into a small group of cups that he handed to the others, "I had heard about Thundera's fall, but I never once thought that the ThunderCats we had heard about were the only cats left on Third Earth. Besides my family." His wife, Belata, smiled warmly at her husband as he handed her one of the drinks.

"So, it's just you and your wife out here?" Cheetara asked as he handed her a cup.

"Well, no. My father's here, too." Banvor said, "It was actually his father's decision that we look for a new home, and he found this place. The fairy tales of technology had never really left grandpa's head, so he was more than happy to stay here with a bunch of scientists. Eventually, he started making prosthetics for some of the fallen soldiers of the war, and he taught it to my father, and my father taught me."

"Then, how did you and your wife meet?" Leanne asked as he handed Kitsune a cup, but turned it away.

"Well, I was just making a small run to Thundera, and Belata and I just happened to meet in the market place." Banvor smiled at his wife, who smiled back.

"It was love at first sight." Belata said to the others, "The minute I saw him, I knew he was the one. We stayed together all throughout his stay in Thundera, and when it came time for him to leave, well, I just couldn't bear the thought to be separated from him, so I came along." She smiled lovingly at her husband, "We've been together ever since."

"Aww, that's so cute." Leanne cooed with a smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this sweet story," Tygra said, "But do you think we could get our money back? We need to get rations so we can continue the rest of our mission."

"Oh, of course." Banvor turned to Kitsune, looking at him the way a father might look at a guilty child. "Kitsune, give them back their money."

"Like hell!" Kitsune said loudly, "They lost it, now it's mine!" Leanne glared at the fox, standing up from her seat.

"You little brat!" She snapped at him, "We need that money, so give it back!"

"I need it more than you do!" Kitsune snapped back, standing up from his seat as well. Leanne looked ready to pounce on him, and Lion-O instantly got up and restrained her.

"I'll burn you alive, you little thief!" She growled, still trying to get out of Lion-O's arms.

"What's all that noise?" A deep voice shouted, catching everyone's attention. They looked into a now open doorway and saw a large panther cat. He didn't look much like Panthro, with much less scars on his body, and he had greying hair on the top of his head, but he was just as big, and just as muscled, and he even gave off the same intimidating aura that Panthro did. He looked over Lion-O and the others with an indifferent glance. "Who are you people?"

"Um, father," Banvor began, "This is Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra, and Leanne." When Lion-O noticed Leanne had finally calmed down, he released her, knowing she wouldn't go after Kitsune. "Lion-O is the current Lord of the ThunderCats." Lion-O looked at the man, mirroring his stance, standing tall and proud before him.

The man scoffed, "This kid? Looks nothing like his father." At the mention of his father, Lion-O's eyes flashed in anger, but he didn't do anything. "I'm Stirling. Now, why are you here?"

"We followed him." Cheetara said, gesturing to Kitsune. Stirling looked over at him and sighed.

"So you're back again, brat." He said, "What do you want this time?" Kitsune pulled out the bag of money he had taken from Leanne.

"Here. It's to pay you back." He held out the bag to him.

"That's our money, you little punk!" Leanne snapped at Kitsune. Stirling stared at the bag, but made no move to take it.

"I'm getting tired of telling you this, brat." He said to Kitsune, "Get lost. I don't want someone else's money."

"But it's mine!" Kitsune insisted, holding it out to him again.

"It's theirs." Stirling corrected, pointing to the others, "Give it back."

"But…" Kitsune lowered his hand, looking up at him sadly.

"I said no." Stirling turned and walked away, shutting the door behind him. Kitsune scowled and pocketed the bag.

"Old fart…" He muttered under his breath. A second later, the door opened and a piece of metal came flying out and hit the back of Kitsune's head. He hissed in pain, his hand going over the newly forming bump on his skull. He turned back to the door, "What the hell?!"

"I ain't old!" Stirling snarled from the other room. The door shut again, and Kitsune glared at it, walking away, still holding onto the money he stole.

"I'm going to strangle him!" Leanne said in frustration as she watched him leave. Lion-O put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from actually carrying out her threat.

"Look, I'll go talk to him." Lion-O said, "You just calm down." Leanne said nothing to reject his idea and he followed after the young fox. A sudden boom caught everyone's attention, and they looked to see it was pouring rain outside Stirling's home.

"Looks like we're going to be here a while." Tygra sighed as he looked at the rain.

"Fan-freaking-tastic." Leanne said sarcastically.

Leanne and Tygra walked through the hallways, trying to find something to do. Cheetara thought it would be interesting to learn how Stirling's prosthetics were made, but when the old panther refused to tell her, she asked Banvor about it. Now, she was currently learning how an animal's anatomy was tied into the use of metal work. With Lion-O not around, Leanne needed something to do, and she was bored out of her mind because, to her, Tygra wasn't all that fun.

As they passed by a dining room, Leanne paused, looking in the doorway to see Belata rubbing her stomach with a content smile. Tygra noticed Leanne had stopped, and looked into the dining room to see the same sight. Leanne walked over to Belata with a smile.

"Excuse me, but are you having a baby right now, Miss Belata?" She asked. She smiled up at Leanne.

"Yes, I am." She said, Leanne smiled.

"Congratulations." Tygra said, coming up beside Leanne.

"Would it be alright if I touched your belly?" Leanne asked, Belata nodded in consent. Leanne crouched down and put her hand to the stomach with a smile, carefully rubbing it. Tygra looked down at the enlarged stomach as well, amazed by how much Leanne seemed to enjoy this. Belata noticed his gaze and smiled, holding out her hand to him. He looked at it confusedly for a moment, but put his hand in her palm, and she placed his hand on her stomach. Tygra could suddenly see why Leanne was so interested. He could feel Belata's heartbeat through her stomach, and he felt something that must have been a part of the baby's body.

"It's like there's a… miracle… in your stomach." Tygra said, unsure of any other way to put it. He jumped when he felt it kick, pulling his hand back for a second, but quickly putting it back.

"Is it kicking?" Leanne asked, having felt the vibrations of the baby's foot against Belata's stomach. Tygra nodded.

"He's a tough little tyke, huh?" Tygra said with a smile. Leanne grinned at him.

"And just think, once upon a time, we were like this, too." Leanne said, "Just little babies growing inside our mother's bellies." Tygra nodded. They both looked up at Belata when her face suddenly contorted to one of pain.

"Are you okay?" Tygra asked concernedly, after a moment, the pain-filled look on her face faded and she smiled at the two.

"Yes, I'm fine…" Her voice trailed a little, making her sound tired. Leanne and Tygra gave a small breath of relief at her words.

Lion-O sat on a crate next to Kitsune in an empty work room of Stirling's. Kitsune kept rubbing his legs where they connected with his metal prosthetics, a slightly pained look on his face. His pants were rolled up, so Lion-O could see them very clearly. His legs were made entirely of metal, there was no plastic or silicon in any part of it. It was all metal. It really amazed him that such technology existed in the world to create legs like that.

"I hate when it rains like this." Kitsune said, "My stumps always get so achy…"

"If you don't mind my asking," Lion-O began, "How'd you lose your legs?" Kitsune sighed, leaning back in thought for a moment, crossing his arms.

He looked up at the ceiling as he spoke, rocking back and forth on his seat, "When I was a kid, I somehow managed to get caught in a house fire. It killed my parents to do it, but they made sure I got out of the house before it burned down. I lost both of my legs in the process, but I lived." He smiled sheepishly, "I had nowhere to go, and I couldn't even walk anymore. It felt like my whole world had just collapsed around me." He looked over at Lion-O, "I was completely miserable. I stayed like that for a good eight months before I met Stirling." He closed his eyes, reminiscing.

Kitsune sat on the side of the road near the market place, his wheel chair having fallen over a few feet behind him. He sat in an empty alleyway, glaring at all the people who walked by.

A younger looking Stirling walked by the alley, and stopped, looking down at Kitsune, who glared up at him. He scowled back in return, saying, "You look like the most miserable, pathetic child in the entire world." His scowl deepened and he went over to him, "Nothing pisses me off more than mopers like you!" Kitsune yelled out in surprise when Stirling reached down and grabbed him, tucking the boy under his arm like he would if he were carrying a bag. Kitsune squirmed, trying to get out of his arms, but the panther's arms wouldn't let him.

"Let me go, you mean old man!" He cried, "Put me down!" Tears came to his eyes from his fear.

"Who are you callin' old?!" Stirling snapped at the young boy as he kept walking. People took notice of them, but said nothing about it.

Kitsune looked over at Lion-O, "He told me I had eyes like a dead man's, and I gotta tell you, at that time, death is something I would have welcomed." He looked down at the ground, a sad smile on his face, "I was actually contemplating killing myself before I met him." He slapped the knee of his metal leg, "But! I did meet Stirling, and without anyone ever asking what I thought about it, I was given this pair of legs." He gazed down at his metal legs, as did Lion-O, "The surgery and rehabilitation were incredibly painful. The hardest thing I've ever done, for sure." He smiled, "But when I was able to stand up on my own two legs for the first time, the world suddenly seemed so much brighter… And it was all thanks to Stirling." He looked over at Lion-O, "I owe him everything. I'm going to pay him back someday, no matter what it takes. Of course, he never accepts any money I offer him, so that makes it a bit difficult…"

"So… that's why you're a thief?" Lion-O asked him, Kitsune nodded. Lion-O frowned, "If you're really so grateful to him, you should clean up your act and stop picking pockets!" Kitsune looked at Lion-O with wide eyes when he suddenly snapped at him, flinching back for a second, "Stirling gave you those legs out of a selfless act of good will! So, if you really want to pay him back, use that act as an example!" Lion-O stood up, "Instead of stealing coin purses from helpless tourists, stand strong and tall on those two legs he made for you! Stand up and get to work!" Kitsune looked at Lion-O, his eyes still wide at his sudden outburst. Lion-O smiled at him and spoke in a calmer, gentler voice, "I think he would respect you more for that than for stealing." Kitsune looked down at his legs, lifting one up and looking at it, moving his foot back and forth before slamming his foot down and standing up, a determined look on his face.

"You know what? You're right!" Kitsune said, "Starting now, I'm going to work honestly to pay Stirling back!" He reached into his pants pocket, digging around for something and pulling out a familiar bag, "So, I should probably give this back, huh?" Lion-O smiled and took it from him.

"Yeah." He pocketed his money and smiled at the young boy, proud of himself for getting through to him.

They both looked up when they heard pounding footsteps on the wooden floor of the hallway and watched as Leanne skidded to a stop in front of the door, panting harshly as she leaned against the doorframe, catching her breath.

"The… The…" She couldn't speak rightly as she kept panting.

"What is it, Leanne?" Lion-O asked, wondering what had gotten her so worked up.

"The… The baby!" Leanne exclaimed, making his eyes go wide, "Miss Belata is having the baby!"

"What, now?" Lion-O asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, now!" Leanne said, she grabbed his wrist, "Come on!" She dashed down the hallway, Lion-O in tow, and Kitsune not far behind them.

Stirling quickly donned a special cloak to keep himself warm and dry in the rain, "In this storm, there's no way we can get her to the hospital in town. I'm going to have to go and get the doctor myself." He looked up at the people who were wondering what to do, "Make sure nothing bad happens, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Lion-O said with a nod. Stirling nodded back and went outside, getting a riding animal and galloping off to the town.

Banvor held his wife's hand as she lay sitting up on the bed, her face contorted to one of pain as she grasped his. "Dad will be right back with the doctor, so just hang on until then, okay?"

"Banvor, there's no 'hanging on' when it comes to situations like this." She said, "The baby will come when it's ready to!" She gasped, feeling a sharp contraction and hunched over slightly in pain.

"What is it, Belata?" Banvor asked worriedly. Belata muttered her answer under her breath, and he didn't understand it, "Um… What was that?"

"I said it's COMING!!" Belata yelled loudly in pain. Banvor jumped back at her voice, as did everyone else in the room.

"What are we gonna do?" Leanne asked worriedly, "The doctor's not here yet!"

"I don't know!" Kitsune said, grabbing at the roots of his hair.

Everyone was in a panic, unsure of what to do as Belata was going into labor. The only one out of them who seemed calm was Cheetara.

"We're just going to have to deliver the baby!" She said over the sound of everyone's panicking voices. They all looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Listen to me, I'm a cleric, and on more than one occasion, female clerics have been used as midwives in births."

"S-So you've seen a baby being born before?" Banvor asked her.

"Only once, but once is more than enough." Cheetara said, "We need to act fast. Lion-O, you and Leanne go and get some boiling water."

"Okay!" Leanne said.

"Got it." Lion-O said, they both went to the kitchen to get what she asked.

"Kitsune, I need you to get me some towels, do you know where they are?" Cheetara asked.

"Yeah, I'll go get them!" Kitsune ran through the hall to where the towels were kept.

Cheetara looked back at Banvor, "Banvor, do you have any rubbing alcohol we can use for disinfectant?"

"I think we have some under the sink in the kitchen." Banvor said, Cheetara nodded and looked over at Tygra.

"I need you to get some ice chips to put by Belata's bedside." She told him, "I'll go and get the disinfectant." Tygra nodded and went to go get what she asked. Once everything was brought to her, Cheetara started counting off all of it on her fingers, making sure they had everything.

"Boiling water… disinfectant… towels…" She took a deep breath in and out, "I think that's everything."

"So… what now?" Kitsune asked, worried for Belata.

"Now, it's all up to Belata and the baby." Cheetara said, she looked over at Leanne, "I'm going to need some help. Come with me." Leanne was surprised at her request but did as she asked, following her into Belata's room to help with the birth, making sure to close the door behind her.

The boys all stood outside, hearing Belata's moans of pain from her labor. Lion-O clenched his fist angrily, glaring at his feet. Tygra saw this and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's just…" Lion-O sighed, "Now, when it counts the most… We can't do anything to help."

"We did all we can do here, Lion-O." Tygra said, "From this point on, we need to rely on Cheetara's intelligence and experience to get any farther." The three of them jumped back when they heard Belata scream in pain.

"I can't do this! It hurts!" She screamed, "I'm going to die! I can't take it anymore!!" Lion-O looked at the closed door worriedly, hoping that Belata would be all right when the baby was born.

A few hours later…

Lion-O jumped in his seat when he saw Stirling, along with a short koala man behind him came into the house.

"Has anything happened?" Stirling asked the three of them. They were both out of breath, and still soaked from the rain.

"Belata went into labor." Kitsune said, "That girl cat said she was a midwife or something, so she's been helping out."

"You mean she's having the baby now?" The doctor asked in surprise. Lion-O was about to answer him, when the door to the room Belata was in flew open, and Leanne staggered out, eyes wide and body trembling. Lion-O instantly got up and went over to her.

"Leanne, what's wrong?" He asked urgently.

"All… that blood…" Leanne panted, collapsing to her knees, "I can't do it anymore…" At the mention of blood, everyone immediately assumed the worst. Lion-O went into the room, wanting to see what had happened, and his eyes went wide at the sight.

Held in Banvor's arms was a little, crying kitten that had white fur with little patches of orange here and there along his skin. He had some blood on his body, but the bed Belata lied on was bloody, as was the apron Cheetara was wearing. Banvor looked lovingly into his wife's eyes, and she looked back, mirroring his expression. Cheetara gently took the baby from Banvor and began to clean him in the bowl of water they had brought in, which had cooled considerably from a boiling point, but was warm enough not to harm the baby's delicate body. When she was done, she wrapped the baby in a clean towel and handed him back to his mother, who cradled him gently in her arms.

"It's a boy." Cheetara announced to the others.

Immediately, Stirling and the doctor came in. The doctor looked over the baby and the mother while Stirling went to see his grandchild. He smiled at the sight of his grandson, and asked if he could hold him. Belata nodded and carefully gave her son to him. He smiled down at him, and everyone looked at him in surprise when he started making little faces at the baby, seeming to forget the people that surrounded him.

"Hello there, I'm your granddad!" He greeted the baby happily, "Aren't you a cutie?"

"Well, that's sure out of character." Kitsune said when he saw it. Stirling heard him and glared at him. Kitsune jumped and looked away, pretending that he had said nothing. The doctor looked over at the others, apparently done looking over Belata and her baby.

"Mother and child both seem perfectly healthy." He said to Stirling, "It seems the delivery was handled expertly." He looked over at Cheetara, "You did a terrific job, Miss."

"I was only doing my part to help." Cheetara said humbly.

"We are truly in your debt." Stirling said, "What you did was amazing. Thank you."

"There's really no need to thank me." Cheetara said, becoming a bit flustered.

"As my thanks, you four can stay the night here." Stirling said, "This rain probably won't let up until tomorrow. Feel free to stay here. The same goes for the brat, as well." Kitsune's ears perked up when he heard Stirling refer to him and he smiled gratefully.

Lion-O, seeing that there was no need for him to be there, went out of the room to check on Leanne, and saw her leaning against a chair, taking deep breaths in and out.

"Are you all right, Leanne?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle her. She turned to him, smiled apprehensively, and nodded.

"Yeah, I will be." She said, she took in another deep breath, "I just need to not have a panic attack right now." Lion-O reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned into him, and he put his around her body as she leaned against him. She smiled to herself as she breathed in his scent, fanning her hands out against his chest. Lion-O could feel how she automatically relaxed in his arms, and was glad that he was able to provide her with such comfort after seeing blood.

"Are you better now?" Lion-O asked, Leanne nodded silently.

In the doorway to the room, Tygra leaned against the doorframe, watching the couple as they seemed completely oblivious to him. He turned back to Belata's room, a frown on his face, knowing they were still in that state behind him.

Leanne sat outside the house, looking up at the starry sky above her. Not long after the baby had been born, the rain had stopped, and she had gone outside to be in the fresh air. She wasn't used to being in a house all day after spending weeks outdoors. It was a beautiful night, and Leanne could see Third Earth's three moons very clearly up in the sky.

"Leanne?" She looked up and saw Lion-O looking at her from the doorway, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She assured, Lion-O came over and sat beside her.

"You didn't have another nightmare, did you?" Lion-O asked concernedly.

"No, I didn't." Leanne said with a smile, "I just thought it was a beautiful night, so I came outside." Lion-O looked up at the sky for the first time, and smiled as he looked up at the stars.

"It is pretty nice." He agreed, he made himself comfortable beside Leanne, and both just sat, enjoying the quiet sounds of the night.

"Today was amazing, wasn't it?" Leanne asked him softly, keeping her eyes on the sky.

"Completely amazing." Lion-O agreed.

"It just… It blows my mind," Leanne began, turning to face him, "That we helped in the birth of someone's life. We got to see a child being held by his mother for the first time. We got to hear his first cry. That's just…" Lion-O grinned at her reaction, "It's amazing."

"It always is." Lion-O said, "And just think, when we were born, I bet there was someone who felt the same way we do now." Leanne nodded in agreement, looking back at the sky.

"It makes the world seem a little bit… brighter." Leanne said, "Doesn't it?" Lion-O nodded. He reached over and covered her hand with his. She reached up and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Leanne, have you ever thought about having children?" Lion-O asked, Leanne looked at him with wide eyes, "Not now, of course, but… you know, eventually." Leanne looked at the ground, thinking.

"Yeah, I think I'd like to have kids someday." Leanne said, "You know, when I'm married and stuff."

"What about having… my children?" Lion-O asked apprehensively. Leanne's eyes widened again and she looked at him, her jaw gaping at him slightly. Her grip loosened on his hand and pulled away. Lion-O looked at her worriedly, thinking that he had upset her, and was about to apologize and tell her to forget it when she spoke.

"Lion-O…" She said quietly, "I don't know if I'm going to be around for that long." She looked at him sadly, "I mean, I need to go home at some point, and time in my world moves differently than Third Earth time, remember? If I left, and I tried to come back, years could have passed for you, when it could have only been a little while for me." Lion-O's expression fell at the mention, "N-Not that I want to leave right away!" Leanne spoke quickly, "I mean, once all this is over, I'll want to go home, b-but we can still spend some together!"

"But not that much time." Lion-O said sadly, he linked his fingers together in his lap. Leanne looked at him sadly.

"Lion-O, you're asking for me to be with you for… years." She said, "And I have no idea how much time has passed back home. What do you think my mother's reaction would be if her daughter suddenly came home as an old woman? I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I'm just trying to be realistic."

"No, I know that." Lion-O said, "I guess I just hoped that… maybe… if circumstances were different—"

"If circumstances were different, Lion-O, I'd totally stay!" Leanne said quickly, Lion-O looked at her, "I would! I mean," She scooted a little closer to him, "Lion-O, I really like you, and I really like spending time with you, and if I could stay longer than… however long I'm supposed to stay, then I would…" She reached over and covered his hand, "But I can't." She looked up at him, "So, we just need to make the most of our time now. Okay?" Lion-O smiled and took her hand in his.

"Okay." He reached up and cradled her jaw in his hand, his thumb brushing against her cheek. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss. Leanne put her hands on his shoulders, kissing him back. While the kiss was slow, it was sweet, and when he pulled away, Lion-O chuckled at Leanne's blushing face.

"Oh, hush." Leanne said, lightly smacking his shoulder. She stood up, "I'm going back to sleep."

"I guess I will, too." Lion-O said, Leanne offered him her hand and he took it, moving to stand as she pulled him up. He kept his hold on her hand as they walked in, going into the place they had been given for the night.

The next morning, after receiving some extra money and supplies for their trouble, Lion-O and the others said goodbye to Kitsune, Stirling, Belata, Banvor, and the little baby, they headed back to town to stock up on their rations before heading back to camp. They met up with Panthro and the WilyKittens, who happily devoured their morning rations as Panthro came up to them.

"What took you guys so long?" He demanded, taking the bag of rations to put inside the tank.

"It's a bit of a long story." Leanne said with a smile, she kept her hand with Lion-O's as she spoke. Tygra walked between them to purposely break their hand-holding as he walked towards the tank.

"We can tell you on the way." He said to Panthro. Leanne looked at him confusedly, while Lion-O glared at his back as he walked inside as Panthro went to start up the Thunder Tank.

Ta-da! Another filler chapter!

And in the next chapter, we find out some interesting things about Leanne's family.

I wonder what it could be?

Here's a hint: It involves a new OC.