Disclaimer: I still don't own ThunderCats!

ThunderCats: Sword of Kings

Chapter IV: New Home

It was easy for WilyKat and WilyKit to steal the two apples; they waited for the right moment when both the merchant and customers were not looking. It was at that time when the kittens discreetly grabbed the apples while they passed the stand, and no one seemed to have seen a thing. They walked calmly down the street until they ducked behind the first alley they could get to.

"See," Kat said as they sat behind some barrels, "I told you we wouldn't get caught!"

"Yeah," Kit said as they began eating, "but we stopped stealing for food after we met Lion-O."

It's been three days since Grune and the Clerics attacked the Ring, and even though Lion-O promised them he would find him, they had not seen him since he told them to run. This worried the young kittens. Was he captured by the Clerics? Or worse, was he dead? That last thought sent a wave of dread through the both of them.

WilyKit couldn't help but be worried. "Lion-O's gonna come look for us, right? I mean, he is okay…isn't he?"

"Of course he is!" WilyKat said cheerfully. "Lion-O's the best fighter not just in Thundera, but all of Third Earth! He's not gonna let a bunch of wimpy Clerics stop him!"

"Hey, I resent that!"

The kittens turned to see a cheetah girl wearing a brown mid-drift top with matching pants. The sight of her confused the Wileys. Who was she? Why was she here?

"You two are WilyKat and WilyKit right?" the cheetah asked.

"Yeah," they both said in unison.

"Good," the cheetah girl nodded. "My name is Cheetara, I am a Cleric in ser—" The rest of her statement was cut short as an apple core struck her in the face, a yelp escaping her throat.

"Run, Kit!" WilyKat said, dragging his sister with him.

They heard the Cleric call out for them to wait, but they knew better then to look back. Some legends say that Clerics could control minds just by looking at someone. The Wileys froze in their tracks as they saw a gold blur past them and the Cleric appeared before their path.

"Will you please let me explain?" the Cleric asked in a desperate plea.

"Why should we?" WilyKit asked in anger.

"Yeah," Kat exclaimed, "especially after what you did to Lion-O."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," the Cleric said annoyed. "Lion-O sent me here to find you. I've been searching for you two for three days!"

"No way!" Kat screamed. "You're lying!"

"Yeah!" Kit said. "Lion-O would have come to find us himself!"

The Cleric sighed. "Listen, His Highness is preoccupied with lessons at the Royal Palace to—"

"What are you talking about?" Kit asked confused. "You said Lion-O sent you, not 'His Highness'."

The Wileys saw her eyebrow twitch. "That's what I said, I was sent to find you by Prince Lion-O." The kittens' eyes seemed almost ready to bulge out. "Listen, Lion-O told me that if I saw you, I was supposed to ask you something."

The twins exchanged looks. "Ask us what?" they both asked.

The Cleric seemed deep in thought for a moment. "He wanted me to ask 'how the search for El-Dara was going?'"

The kittens exchanged another glance. Lion-O was the only one they ever told about their search for El-Dara. This Cleric had to be telling the truth. "So where are we going?" Kat asked.

Sitting in the library of the Royal Palace, Lion-O yawned as the private tutor Jaga had assigned to him droned on about the ancient times of pre-Thundera history. "Even though the knowledge of how the Eye of Thundera came to be was lost," the tutor said in a monotone voice, "we do know that it was essential to the completion of the Sword of Omens. It was not long before Leo used the sword to overthrow Mumm-Ra during the Great Mutiny."

The tutor turned from his chalkboard to regard Lion-O. "Do you have any questions before we move on, Your Highness?"

"I do have one question," the lion said. "You said that knowledge on the Eye of Thundera was lost. How can that be? I mean, knowledge like that can't just disappear overnight. Someone has to know where it came from?"

"You raise an interesting point, Your Highness," the tutor commended. "Leo or many of his associates may have come across knowledge of the Eye of Thundera, but that information may have been misplaced or perhaps even lost. Perhaps the Clerics have the information you refer to, but they are a very secretive order and may not tell us."

The tutor returned to the board. "Now, let us move on to the establishment of Thundera. After Mumm-Ra's fall, Leo led many of the—"

"LION-O!"

The lion in question froze as he heard the familiar cheerful cries of the Wileys. He turned to see them approach with Cheetara following close behind. As they came close, Lion-O rose from his seat and scooped them up in a hug with a huge child-like smile on his face.

"What is the meaning of this?" the tutor said perplexed. He turned to Cheetara. "Lord Jaga shall hear of this intrusion, Cleric! Explain this!"

"These children are honored guests of Prince Lion-O," Cheetara said, meeting eye-to-eye with the Cleric. "Perhaps you can bring an end to this lesson early so that His Highness can converse with his guests."

The tutor reluctantly left, giving a humph as he did. But that did little to trouble the mood of Lion-O and the kittens. "We're so glad you're alright, Lion-O!" Kit said as they broke the hug.

"He's better than alright!" Kat exclaimed. "He's a prince! How come you didn't tell us that, Lion-O?"

"Trust me," he said, trying to remain jovial, "I was just as surprised as you were."

Kit looked at him worriedly. "You don't believe what the Clerics said about Panthro do you?"

"Yeah," Kat said, "they said Panthro was a traitor. That's not true right?"

Lion-O looked to Cheetara for some kind of guidance, but even she didn't know what to say. The kittens were as loyal to Panthro as they were to the fighting champion turned prince. Besides, Lion-O didn't even know if he should believe what was being said about his mentor and father-figure.

"Let's not worry about that now," Lion-O said. "Why don't we get some lunch?"

That perked up the Wileys and it wasn't long before they had set up a picnic lunch in the royal garden. WilyKat and WilyKit insisted that Cheetara join them, and Lion-O couldn't help but agree with their request. It's not that he wasn't grateful for her help finding his friends, but he couldn't forget how she was involved taking him away from his old life. He couldn't help but feel some kind of resentment.

But that didn't stop him from seeing how beautiful she was.

"You okay, Lion-O?" WilyKat asked, snapping the prince out of his thoughts. He looked around to see them enjoying their lunch.

"Yeah," he said. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something." He then returned to eating his lunch alongside the three.

"This is great," WilyKit said. "I wish we could do this every day!"

"Who says we can't?" Lion-O asked.

The twins shared a glance. "Well," Kat said, "you're a prince, Lion-O, the future king. Why would you still want to be friends with us?"

Lion-O couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Prince or not, I'm still the same Lion-O. That's why I want the two of you to live here with me."

Cheetara stifled a gasp while the Wileys couldn't keep their mouths from gaping. "What?" they both asked.

"I want the two of you to stay here with me in the palace," Lion-O said boldly. "There's no way I'm sending the two of you back out into the slums alone. Consider this place your new home!"

All the kittens could do was launch themselves in a group hug with the lion and squeal their thanks. Cheetara, however, only stared at them with disbelief. She knew there was something different about Lion-O. The young Cleric knew that growing-up in the slums somehow made her prince generous regardless of status. But she never would have seen this coming.

"WilyKit, WilyKat," Cheetara said, "do you mind if I speak with Lion-O privately for a moment."

"Sure," Kat said, before lightly tagging his sister. "Tag! You're it, Kit!" He ran off as his sister chased after him, beginning their game.

As the twins went off laughing away, Cheetara turned sharply to the Lion-O. "What were you thinking?"

"What do you mean?" Lion-O asked.

"You can't just do that!" the young Cleric exclaimed. "You're a prince, Lion-O, and princes don't invite children from the street to live at the palace. It's just not right."

Lion-O narrowed his eyes. "So, it's right that they go back to the streets and steal just so that they can get a bite to eat."

Cheetara could see that he was upset. "I'm not saying that it's right, but it just isn't royal etiquette."

"You know what?" Lion-O said, annoyed by the beautiful cheetah. "I don't give a damn about 'royal etiquette'."

Cheetara wanted to say something, anything to get the prince to change his mind. But something told her that his heart was set on letting the Wileys stay here. She couldn't help but feel proud of Lion-O.

She couldn't help but feel a lot of things.

A sudden thunderous melody played outside the palace walls. "What was that?" Lion-O asked.

"That sound means the Royal Escort has arrived," Cheetara said. "King Claudus and Prince Tygra have returned!"