A/N: FINALLY I finished this bedamned chapter! I don't know quite why this took me as long as it did, but I'm ashamed to say that the season 1 finale of Thundercats killed my muse (because that ending was complete bs.) And I struggled with moving the plot. And it's not as easy as you'd think, trying to write a 3rd-person limited narrative when the protagonist is a six-and-a-half-year-old boy. And Grune wasn't cooperating. Perhaps all that added up explains why I didn't get this chapter up sooner, and I feel that excuses some of the shortness of this chapter. Once again, credit to the owners of each OC appearing in this fanfic is given in my artist's comments on this chapter on deviantArt. (If you don't know my deviantArt username to find my gallery, I'm on there as Yoruhoshi.) NOTE: This fanfiction is a companion to my other Thundercats fanfic, "Mortal Bonds." If you want to understand some of the events that will come to take place in this story, I highly recommend you read both. R&R please!

Chapter 3: The Snakes and The Slave

When he finally came to, Axis found himself in strange surroundings that jostled and bumped constantly, almost like the time he and Servali had taken a ride on the back of a wagon. He tried unsuccessfully to get to his feet a couple times, and each time he wound up falling back on his behind, letting out small grunts. Finally he just decided to stay put and look around, taking in the dark, tiny place made of metal. Where in the world was he? Why was he in a moving, bumpy metal something? He sniffled, the tears threatening to come back, and he took in a big breath of stale air that smelled slimy and nasty.

"So, the kitten's awake." A voice hissed.

Axis looked around wildly and found himself staring at one of the ugliest lizards he'd seen yet. He was short with dark green skin and a pale stomach that protruded into the biggest, fattest belly Axis knew of. His ears were big and frilly, like some of the really pretty dresses Muaraine had shown Axis before, and his face was shaped like a funny-looking beak. The cub might have burst out laughing at the ugly lizard, were it not for his menacing yellow eyes and mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

"Seems kind of small for a saber-tooth." The lizard said mockingly, turning to face someone nearby.

"And you've seen how many saber-tooth kittens in your life, Slithe?" That someone challenged, and Axis sighed with relief as he saw his uncle turn and glare down at the lizard.

"I'm just trying to bring up a point of concern," Slithe hissed in an oily tone, "After all, there are rumors saying that our master will eventually prefer to have the child become one of the commanders of his army. Perhaps even head general."

Axis shuddered and looked down at the metal floor. The last thing he wanted to remember was talking to Mumm-Ra about his future. His eyes slipped to the back of his right hand, and a ghost of his earlier pain flashed through his memory. There was a ugly pink slash where the gunshot had burned through his fur, and the fur around the healing scar was lighter in color, almost in a star-shape where the healing spell had done its work.

"And whether or not there are any truth to those rumors, you shouldn't have anything to worry about, now should you?" Grune challenged, caramel eyes narrowing dangerously. "After all, he's a child."
"Children grow up," Slithe retorted, his own eyes slipping to Axis. His gaze found the scar before Axis could cover it up, and he practically sneered with glee. "Although some are more fortunate than others. He'll be lucky if that hand works decently during training."

That caught the kitten's attention. He jerked his head up, looking wildly from Slithe to his uncle. What kind of training were they talking about? He desperately wanted to ask, but the dread building in his chest told him he already had a good idea of what they meant.

"Then we'll just have to train him how to use both hands in armed combat." Grune shot back, crossing his arms and smiling triumphantly as the color drained from Slithe's face.

"A left-handed commander?" The lizard said. "That's bad luck."

"No," Grune replied, "Lizards are just superstitious."

Axis glanced down and looked at his other hand, flexing his fingers experimentally. Bad luck? How was being able to use your left hand to do things bad luck? And besides, didn't most people use both their hands if they were lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling something? After all, there were two of them.

"Is that an insult, Grune?"

"Perhaps. Why don't you find out?"
A huge hand came down on Axis's shoulder, and he looked up to see his uncle smiling coldly at the fat lizard, who glanced between both of them, looking nervous. The two older men continued to stare each other down, until at last another lizard, somewhere further ahead of them in this strange, dark metal place, spoke up.

"Commander!"

"Yes?" Grune and Slithe answered at the same time, only to glare at each other again.

"We've arrived."

Suddenly the big, moving metal something came to a jolting halt, a low creaking and groaning sounding throughout it, and Axis let out a soft whimper, hugging his arms to his side. He wanted to get out of this strange place, but he did not feel like he would be leaving it to go to a better one.

"Come now, Axis. I'm going to take you into one of the most incredible places you've ever seen."

And before he quite knew what was occurring, his uncle pulled him to his feet and walked him outside. Axis gave a glance back once his feet were on solid ground, and stared in open-mouthed astonishment to see they had left a giant, moving metal beast. It looked kind of like a really strange lizard with a flat head and funny feet.

"We were in that thing?" He mouthed the question as he looked up at Grune, his eyes going huge. The older saber-tooth glanced back, then looked at him and started laughing jovially.

"Hard to believe, isn't it? Eh? Did you enjoy it? Perhaps when you're older, you'll get to drive one!"

Axis wasn't completely sure he would want to, especially since it had been a really bumpy ride when he woke up, but it sounded a little fun. Kind of. He turned away, to see where they were headed. It looked like a really, really big place shaped kind of like a triangle, the same color as the sandy ground that shifted under his feet. Axis gulped. The palace of Thundera had been big, but this place looked even bigger, like the very top point was touching the sky. But the longer he looked, the more it gave him a bad feeling. The fur on the back of his neck started to stand up straight, and a part of his mind kept saying over and over again that he had to run away.

But what choice did he have now? He glanced sadly at the scar on his right hand. He didn't know where he was, how far away home was, and if he tried to run away, he knew his uncle would be upset. Mumm-Ra would be upset too, and Axis did not want to see that monster get mad at him. He was scary enough when he was just normal.

They walked past many more of the big, moving machines that had stopped, the lizards surrounding them turning and standing stiffly to give salutes. Both his uncle and Slithe acknowledged these gestures, although the fat lizard wound up glowering at the saber-tooth for doing so. Axis watched as Slithe did his best to trot on ahead of them, his tail swishing indignantly. The cub tried his best not to giggle; from behind, it was a rather comical view of the long, sinuous tail trying to move elegantly when it sprouted from a back that was as wide as two other lizards put together. He was led up to a certain point of the strange place, and then Slithe touched the sand-colored stones, which lit up with a faint red glow. There was a low, shuddering rumble, and the side of the strange place opened, revealing a door, leading to a dark metal corridor beyond. And despite his growing feeling that this was the last place on Third Earth he wanted to go into, the cub had to admit he was feeling a little…well, excited. That hidden magic door was really cool, and maybe there were more secret things like that inside.

"See?" His uncle said, giving him an approving smile. "It's not so bad, is it?"

But the further in they went, the more Axis's brief enthusiasm began to dwindle and his fear began to rise once more. Yes, it was that bad, no matter what his uncle said. All the metal, everything so sleek and flawless, was unnerving, and the entire place looked all too easy to get lost in. All the halls they took looked the same, and Mumm-Ra could pop out of anywhere. At least, Axis thought he would do that.

Unfortunately, after many long minutes of marching down identical hallways, someone did pop out of nowhere.

It came like a sudden rush of wind; one second there had been no one in the halls, the next there were six or seven of the strangest figures Axis had ever seen surrounding them. From the waist up, they looked a lot like the lizards, but they didn't appear to have visible noses, and thin hoods like giant ears rose off the back of their head, flaring out to their full extent when they looked at Grune. And from the waist down, they were simply huge tails, tails without legs, that curled and wrapped back upon themselves in thick, rolling coils. All of them wore jewelry, especially the one that seemed to be the leader, and it was hard to tell which were male and which were female.

"General Grune." The leader spoke in a hissing voice, his tone dangerous.

"Nagendra." Grune replied levelly.

"That'sss high priessst to you, cat!" Nagendra hissed, leaning forward on his coils, hood flaring higher. "You forget your place! After all, it was YOUR people that led the rebellion againssst Our Dark Massster years ago."

"And you forget that I was the one to free Mumm-Ra from his sarcophagus," the saber-tooth shot back, "Do you really want to test me, snake?"

Axis swallowed over a growing knot in his throat; his uncle was brave, but there were seven of these terrifying figures, and he was willing to bet if Nagendra was the leader, the others would help him. He gave a soft whimper and tugged at his uncle's massive hand, hoping Grune would get the idea and not start fighting. Unfortunately, the motion drew the attention of the snakes to him, whereas they had overlooked the presence of such a tiny creature beforehand. The snakes stared at him in astonishment, as though not quite believing what they were seeing, and Axis froze, feeling like he couldn't move a single arm or leg. Their gazes weren't as terrifying as Mumm-Ra, but he had the sick twist in his stomach telling him he could not look away.

"A kitten?" Nagendra said, tilting his hooded head, his voice unsure.

"What a charming little creature," remarked another snake, slithering forward, hiding her face largely behind the stretch of a fan, "Perhapsss too charming for you, General."

Axis squeezed his uncle's hand harder, trying to tell him he wanted to get out of there; the snake-lady was pretty in her own way, but she also looked at him like he was some kind of food and she was hungry. To his relief, Grune tightened his hold on his hand and addressed the snake-lady angrily.

"Watch yourself, Slythia." He growled. "My nephew is my business; you need to worry about your own."

"Your nephew, you sssay?" Slythia remarked, snapping her fan shut. She continued with her thought, addressing Grune, but Axis missed most of the words. He was too fixated with her fan. She moved the hand holding it a lot, and she would play with it, snapping it open, sometimes only halfway open, before snapping it shut again. Her wrist twisted quite a bit too, and only the motion out of the corner of his eye prompted Axis to look at the other snakes. To his surprise, the other snakes were also watching Slythia's fan move, even Nagendra, though he generally tried to keep his focus on the conversation going on. Axis crinkled his nose, thinking it odd. What was so special about Slythia's fan? Was it magic or something?

"This conversation is finished!" Grune snarled abruptly, giving Axis's arm a tug that made him yelp in surprise, "I'll see you at Jaga's interrogation."

He shoved their way past the snakes, dragging Axis along in a sort of hopping stumble. The cub did his best to keep his balance, but his concentration was flimsy, as the hair on the back of his neck started to rise again. He glanced behind them, to see the snakes watching their progress with those eyes that were up to no good. And Slythia…Slythia's eyes were on him, peering above the top of her fan.

Suddenly, Axis was afraid again, more afraid than he would ever tell his uncle. And the feeling of those snake-eyes watching him didn't leave, not even when Grune took him to a new room and declared it his.

"This is all yours, my nephew. A room among the best quarters to yourself. Most of those foot soldiers don't even have it this good!"

It was dark, almost impossible to see in, and Axis did his best to tread carefully, unable to see where any of the standard-issue furniture was. He didn't want it 'this good,' not if it meant he had to stay by himself in a big dark room with nothing and no one. He shivered, rubbing his arms, and looked up at his uncle, who was smiling in an expectant sort of way.

" 'S dark." He mumbled, his voice coming out scratchy and halting. The sound of it startled him a little; he had forgotten he hadn't said a word since Mumm-Ra had made him promise to work for him. Grune blinked, as though just realizing what his nephew was saying, and looked around the room helplessly.

"So it is," he said. "But really, Axis, it's not that bad."

Axis didn't say anything, but turned and felt around carefully, trying to find something to sit on. After a couple minutes of fumbling, he heard his uncle clear his throat in a sort of self-conscious way, and glanced up again.

"I'll see if I can't find one of the sla—indentured servants to come and fix the light problem." He declared, striding over and lifting the kitten off the floor as though he weighed nothing more than feather pillow. Axis gulped, shivering nervously as he was set down on a cold, semi-soft bed. "Wait right here, Axis. Someone will be around shortly."

"W-wait! Don't leave me!" Axis barely managed to whisper, but his uncle was already gone and disappearing down the hall outside the room. At the least, he did leave the door open, but it helped the kitten's nervousness only slightly. The room was still dark, cold, and the air didn't smell quite right. He looked down at his feet, playing with his hands absentmindedly, trying not to think about being alone in a dark room with his uncle gone. He tried even harder not to think about the last two days he could remember and what had transpired. The last thing he wanted was for his uncle to come back and find him crying. Grune had not yet complained about him crying, but he had a feeling that this was a place where crying like a big baby would make people—especially the wrong people—very angry with him.

Oh, but he wanted to cry so badly! What else could he do? He didn't have a choice except to do whatever his uncle and Mumm-Ra told him, and he certainly didn't want to think of what might happen if he disobeyed.

"Mama…" he squeaked into the darkness, "I just want to go home…"

He sniffled, and began an internal battle, struggling to fight back the tears as time passed. Several minutes later, he was losing the fight, losing horribly, when someone entered the room. Before he could try to get a good look, the room filled with bright, blinding light and he shut his eyes against it, giving a tiny whimper of pain.

"Now don't—" A voice he didn't know started to say, but whatever the thought was they had, they never finished, the end of the words being choked off. Axis rubbed his eyes vigorously, the first of the tears starting to leak out, and with a lot of blinking, he managed to twist around and look at the newcomer. He was a lizard, taller than any other lizard Axis had seen yet, with dark green scales, a yellow underbelly, and a strange red crest that rose off the top of his head. He wore only a double loincloth and two metal bands that encased his forearms from the wrist to the elbow, and he stared at Axis with bright yellow eyes that widened in shock.

"By the gods of the ancient world!" The lizard exhaled. "You're a child!"

Axis couldn't hold the tears in any longer. He averted his face, and began to cry, a soft, hiccupping sob bursting out of his chest.

"Oh, fangs! Please don't cry!"

He couldn't stop; the hiccup-sobs kept coming, the tears streamed down his face like waterfalls, and the best he could manage was to shakily reach up and try to vainly wipe the tears away. The lizard padded over to him, and after a moment's hesitation, two long, metal-wrapped and scaly arms gently enclosed Axis.

"Shh, shh…" the lizard whispered. "It's alright…It'll be alright."

"N-n-n-no it w-w-woooonnn't…" he sobbed. "I-I miss Mama…I wanna g-go h-huh-hoooommme…"

"Shhhh," the lizard said gently, giving him a gentle hug and rocking him back and forth, the same way Muaraine had always done when he was tired, "What is your name, nephew of Grune?"

"A-Ah-Ax-Axis." He answered with a tiny gulp.

"Axis," the lizard addressed him gently, and when he looked up, he brushed back Axis's blonde hair soothingly, brow-ridges tilting in concern, "I am Cazarak. And I promise you, everything is going to be okay. I promise."

A/N: Hey, me again. Just wanted to point out a few things, starting with the fact that Grune is a terrible uncle. And Slythia somehow has circumvented all written intentions for her character and has learned how to speak in code via her fan. And finally, the introduction of Cazarak. Just because. (To those of you reading this who have not read this fanfic's companion story, "Mortal Bonds," please dedicate both Slythia and Cazarak to memory, as they are important to Axis's story and development.)