A/N: Sorry this took so long to upload, but I hope you enjoy the read nonetheless! Anyone wishing to know more about this, you can find this chapter on my dA gallery (the link to find me on there is on my profile on here.) More info is on my dA page anyway. Btw, keep in mind everything you learn about the library of Conscientia and its master librarian! It's crucial, because it plays a key part in a critical plot twist that will occur much later on! R&R if you feel like it!

Chapter 5: Conscientia

Past the gates set in the towering wall, there spread a vast courtyard, leading up frost-coated steps into a small fortress castle. Everywhere there were the people of Conscientia, more of the snow leopards than the eye could count, all of them staring in open surprise.

"Talk about your warm welcomes." Panthro grunted.

Their solemn escort didn't waver, but continued to lead them across the courtyard, and the other ice-cats parted to make them a path. But halfway across, they were assailed again, this time by creatures considerably smaller than the bandits.

"Miss Kuncia! Miss Kuncia!"

Snow leopard cubs, roughly seven or eight in number, rushed toward them, their faces lit up with smiles of relief, and clustered around the cat who'd spoken before.

"Miss Kuncia, did you see them? Did you see the wolves?"

"Did you fight them?"

"You drove them all off, huh?"

The entire procession froze where they stood, small smiles breaking out on the faces of the other adults, and she they called Kuncia beamed.

"We alone cannot take credit for that." she replied, gesturing toward the Thundercats. The children followed her gaze and gasped, their large eyes going wide as they began to whisper excitedly.

"New cats!"

"Other cats!"

"Her fur is so…so…golden!"

"His hair! It looks like his whole head's on fire!"

"Look! Kittens! Kittens like us!"

"Look at that one, he's got stripes! Have any of you guys seen stripes before?"

"Her spots look like runemarks!"

Then they all paused, tilting their necks back just a tad, and hushed, staring up at Panthro.

"Wh-what?" he asked, stunned. One of the cubs made a tiny squeak and Kuncia smiled at her favorably.

"Yes, Rosetta?"

The little snow leopard girl shuffled forward nervously, and tried to hide behind her hands as she addressed the huge warrior.

"Um…we were all just wondering…Are…Are you a giant?" she squeaked.

There was a brief second of pause, then all of the adults, even the stony-faced ice-cat men, burst into laughter. Rosetta's face fell a little bit.

"Did…did I say something wrong?" she asked Kuncia, though it was Panthro who answered.

"Hardly! But what makes you ask that?"

"Well…we're studying myths, and…" Rosetta trailed off, her gaze dropping to her feet.

"The myths say the giants are huge!" one of the boy cubs chimed in.

"But we've never seen a giant!" said another cub toward the back.

"And you're the biggest person we've ever seen!" Rosetta finished, having regained her confidence.

Panthro chuckled. "No, I'm no giant," he replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, "But I've met some before…and they're three times bigger than I am!"

The eyes of the cubs went huge with unbridled awe as they stared at Panthro, and it took one of their captors clearing his throat rather loudly to get them to scatter.

"This way to the guest chambers." he said coolly, leading them up the stone steps. They followed calmly, sobered once more, but several glances over their shoulders brought small smiles to all their faces; Kuncia's students trotted along several yards behind, not about to be swayed.

"I know you said few of you venture out of this place," Lion-O addressed Kuncia, "But have they really never seen other cats before?"

"Our kittens have never seen anything beyond the wolves that attack us, the goats that trade with us, and our home, both clan and hearth." another of the snow leopard women in the escort party replied. "What they know of other cats, they have learned from their studies."

"Our people revere knowledge above all else, and that thirst for learning is taught at a young age." Kuncia explained, glancing at each of the Thundercats in turn. "My students are encouraged to absorb as much knowledge as they are able."

The inside of the castle was largely unremarkable, the high stone walls disappearing into the shadows that swallowed the ceiling, and except for the torches burning in brackets mounted on the walls, the people of Conscientia made no effort to decorate. The hall before them continued only a short distance before ending in a set of ornately carved double doors. Lion-O and Tygra both strained to get a better look, guessing the room beyond to be some manner of throne room or antechamber, but their guards let them down a hall to the right. The group passed more snow leopards as they walked, the ice cats usually strolling in twos or threes, always conversing, always stopping to take in the sight of alien cats roaming their halls.

"I see no marks or signs of rank or station," Cheetara said slowly, drawing a quizzical look from the snow leopard in the very front.

"We know of societies that use such systems," he declared, "But we rarely consider such things. Conscientia is a republic of scholars, if indeed we are anything. The only true ranks we acknowledge are those of the Elders, who guide us, and even they wear no mark of rank beyond the lines that time has etched into their features."

"Elders?" Nyrris echoed, ears pricking up a bit.

"Yes," he answered, "They will join together to form the Council of Elders when needed." He glanced over his shoulder, his cold, disdainful gaze sweeping through them. "As they shall no doubt do once they learn of your presence. Ah, here we are."

He stopped before a door and opened it, gesturing for them to enter. The room beyond also had a high ceiling, two stiff-looking beds positioned before a fireplace, a small table that stood waist-high, and several chairs scattered about. The twins raced inside and immediately dove upon one of the beds. The older cats followed a bit more reluctantly, none of them still very thrilled at the apparent "hospitality."

"Wait here until we return to bring you before the Council." the lead cat said coolly before marching away. Kuncia spared a second to throw a grimace at his back before returning her blue-eyed gaze to them all.

"Don't mind Niveus," she said gently, "He comes off as having all the warmth of a glacier, but he means well, truly."

"How long are we to be kept here?" Lion-O asked.

"Until the Council is ready to speak with you." she answered.

"And when will that be?" Cheetara jumped in.

"I cannot say for sure, but my best guess would be in a few hours," Kuncia replied, favoring the young cleric with a smile, "I shall have the midday meal brought to you."

And then she left, shutting the door behind her with a gentle click. The cats began to take chairs and Nyrris fell into one with the ghost of a shiver.

"I've never seen cats with eyes that have no whites before," she murmured, staring at the oaken panels of the door.

"Neither have I." said Lion-O.

"I," Panthro spoke up in a ringing voice, "Happen to think she has lovely eyes."

All the others turned to face him, eyebrows shooting up to their hairlines, and he quickly added, "They. They have lovely eyes. I said 'they,' now quit lookin' at me like that."

"If we could get back to the point at hand," Tygra sighed, "Just in the event you've all forgotten, we're their prisoners."

"You're right." Lion-O said soberly, turning to face them.

"They sure do treat their prisoners nice." Wilykat remarked, waving his hand to indicate the room.

"So what's the plan, Lion-O?" Nyrris asked, tossing him an encouraging smile.

"Something tells me they won't keep us as prisoners," he said slowly, "Not after we speak with this Council and tell them who we are and what we're looking for."

"Are you sure they'll just give up any knowledge they have on the spirit stones?" Cheetara asked.

The look Lion-O gave her was chilly enough it would have done Niveus and the other snow leopards proud. "That's why I'm planning on asking nicely."

"Hey, Lion-O!" Nyrris exclaimed suddenly, her eyes going wide, "You said we have to unite all the animals to defeat Mumm-Ra, right? Are you going to ask the snow leopards to join us?"

"I've been thinking about it," he replied seriously, "It wouldn't hurt to try."

"True," Panthro said, "But I wouldn't expect a lot from them, so don't get your hopes up."

"What do you mean?" Wilykit asked.

"Have you taken a good look at these people?" Panthro responded, his eyes sweeping over them all as his mechanical arms clicked and whirred softly. "These people are intellectuals; they only fight to defend themselves. With the exception of some unruly neighbors, they've been living up here secluded, in isolation. Do you really think they're going to see our side of things if we ask them to leave the relative safety and security of their secret little home here?"

The words hung on the air for a long time, dragging down the atmosphere with their weight, until at last Lion-O met Panthro's eyes.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try." he said firmly, receiving a grim smile of approval.

Any further discussion that may have followed was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and before any of them could respond, it swung inward to admit eight little snow leopards, carrying trays of food and practically beaming with pride.

"FOOD!" the twins shouted. Snarf, who had been hiding in the folds of Wilykat's knapsack, poked his head out with a trill, nose wriggling at the smell of lunch, and the ice kittens stared at him in surprise.

"Whoa!" one of them exclaimed.

"This was totally worth the sneaking!" said another of them.

"I told you so!" one of the girls huffed.

"What sneaking?" Tygra asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling knowingly.

"Are you cubs up to something you shouldn't be?" Lion-O teased, putting on his best serious face, obviously trying not to chuckle. At once, all of Kuncia's students laid their ears back, wearing expressions of guilt and extreme embarrassment.

"Well," said the tallest boy, "We were supposed to remain in the village square. But we came inside and fetched midday meal from the kitchens to sneak it to you."

"Really?" Wilykat asked, snatching up a pastry and taking a huge bite out of it. "Whyzzat?"

The girl they knew as Rosetta beamed at him as she set down a teatray. "We want to get to know you all better! We hardly get to see anyone new!"

Kat choked on the pastry and started coughing as his sister rushed to his aid, thumping his back vigorously, and when he finally recovered, he blushed furiously and avoided Rosetta's gaze.

"I think perhaps now would be a good time for introductions." Cheetara smiled at the others.

"Lion-O. Lord of the Thundercats."

"Call me Tygra, kids."

"I am Cheetara."

"Nyrris Ocelotti, at your service!"

"My name's Wilykit, and this is my big brother, Kat! Oh, and this is Snarf!"

The snow leopard cubs watched eagerly, smiling and bobbing their heads, then turned and looked expectantly at the largest figure, seated on the edge of one of the beds, his arms crossed.

"Panthro." he said simply, and thus opened a small floodgate of introductions from the snow leopard cubs. Over the course of the next hour, the Thundercats alternately answered a nonstop stream of questions and became better acquainted with each of the cubs.

Rosetta's name was already known to them, and it became clear she was something of a class prodigy in a class of prodigies. She was nonetheless friendly and bright, willing to answer as many questions as she asked. Accendo, the tallest of the cubs, was also friendly, and took quickly to both Tygra and Panthro. Judging by his build and demeanor, he would grow into a gentle giant, and his admiration of Panthro in particular came as no surprise. Lente was a rotund and cheerful cub, and they all quickly learned he was something of a hugger. Nyrris took a liking to him, as he reminded her strongly of her uncle, and Lente proceeded to spend most of the time telling the ocelot woman every joke he knew. Ocius was a tad more slender than the others, and as hyperactive as if he'd been raised eating candyfruit every day with breakfast. Full of restless energy, he barely sat still, and directed most of his questions at Lion-O. Perhaps the most bold, (and slightly pompous) of the cubs was Regina. She made it very clear very quickly that she did not like to think she was being ignored, but she was nice enough after she opened up, and as she interacted, she watched Cheetara intently, as though she were the pinnacle of instruction on how to be an adult. Fortuno was the only cub who stuck out like a sore thumb: a sort of crutch strapped to each of his forearms marked him apart from his classmates, and it was for that reason alone that he hadn't come in bearing a plate of food. He was a delightful boy however, eager to explain his disability and how he was working on trying to overcome it. Still, he spent the hour seated in one of the chairs, to take the pressure off his arms. Mellita, out of them all, was the most shy and perhaps a bit timid. After several minutes of talking, she still had difficulty meeting anyone's eyes, and she only asked her questions in the tiniest, most tentative whispers. Sometimes, she didn't even ask at first, but would dart furtive glances at Rosetta or Regina, as though seeking approval for what she was about to say. But after some time and a lot of coaxing, she began to warm up. The last of the cubs was Exigo, an incredibly quiet boy who had arrived wearing a pair of spectacles on his nose with a book tucked under one arm. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it startled the Thundercats, who kept forgetting he was there. Still, he was as big a sweetheart as Mellita, with an easy-going smile.

And then abruptly, the hour had ended, and the door opened once more to admit the stern-faced Niveus. His eyes swept over the snow leopard cubs in the room and his eyebrows shot up to meet his hairline, but he merely turned to address Lion-O.

"The Council is ready to speak with you."

Lion-O and Cheetara stepped forward, and Tygra and Nyrris rose from their chairs, but Niveus's hand shot up in a gesture meant to halt, and they all stopped, hesitating. His eyes blinked once in a look that meant business, then he slowly turned his head back to regard Lion-O.

"Just you." he said in a tone that brooked no arguments. Lion-O hesitated, flustered, and shot a glance of apology over his shoulder at the others as he followed Niveus out of the room. The door shut behind them with a click, and the older cats immediately swung around to face one another.

"Okay, what in the name of the Abyss was that about?" Nyrris demanded.

"I'm not used to having to speak in my defense before anyone, but I should think this Council would want to speak to us all. It would better confirm our story." Cheetara said.

"They might still do that," Panthro interjected, "Could be wanting to cross-examine us. It's not always a wise idea to have a group of potential conspirators in one room together if you're going to question them."

"But we're not conspirators!" Tygra objected.

"Yeah?" Panthro's words were edged with the sound of a challenge, "Why don't you try looking at it from their perspective?"

At this, they all fell quiet, and the silence spread between them for a good long minute. Finally, they looked back at their little visitors, who were deep in conversation with the Wily twins.

"What are you all talking about?" Nyrris asked kindly, grabbing their attention. But a glint in Kat and Kit's eyes told the adults a bit too much.

"We were just about to talk to our new friends about El-Dara!" Kit exclaimed.

"Oh, geez." Tygra groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Not this again!" Panthro sighed, throwing his hands up in clanking exasperation.

"El-Dara?" all the ice kittens chorused.

"We've heard about that in our studies!" Lente blurted.

"The city of treasure!" Regina murmured with a far-off look in her eyes.

"But no one's ever found it." Accendo pointed out.

"Exactly!" Wilykat said, planting his fists on his hips and puffing out his chest importantly. "That's why Kit and I are going to be the first!"

"Oh!" Mellita whispered, smiling shyly at the twins, "It sounds like a wonderful adventure!"

"We'll help you!" Rosetta said brightly, bringing a blush to Kat's cheeks. "Right, everyone?" The other cubs all began to nod their consent, then slowly turned to face Exigo, who pushed his spectacles a little further up on the bridge of his nose.

"There are probably books on El-Dara in the library," he said carefully, "And I'm sure Master Consilius won't mind helping us find them."

The twins cracked identical grins and all the kittens started cheering.

"It sounds like a waste of time and a pain in the tail, if you ask me." Tygra muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Cheetara.

"Now now, let them be cubs." she scolded him, though she couldn't quite supress her giggle. For a while, they all simply sat and watched as Kat and Kit cleared a table and outlined their plans to show the snow leopard cubs, which actually turned out to be rather detailed. At different points, one of the ice kittens would interrupt, on the basis of either pointing out a minor flaw or asking a question, which would set them all to work on solving things at once. Still, the topic of the twins' wish to find El-Dara kept them all busy, at least until Lion-O returned.

He pushed open the door slowly, and all fell silent at the grim expression on his face.

"How did it go?" Tygra asked tentatively. Lion-O slowly raised his blue eyes, his jaw working carefully before he answered.

"That depends." He said in a flat voice. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

The adults all looked at one another, then nodded, and Tygra answered, "Bad."

Lion-O sighed, his shoulders sagged, and he lowered himself into a chair, suddenly looking much older than his eighteen years. "The snow leopards aren't going to join us. They see no intelligence in marching against Mumm-Ra's armies…not when they feel the greater need to protect the safety and security of their home here."

Kuncia's class fell silent and dropped their gazes to the floor, looking somewhat guilty on behalf of their elders and relatives.

"I did warn you they would probably take that stance." Panthro said sympathetically.

"I know," the prince said quietly, staring at the Sword of Omens in its sheath on the gauntlet, "I guess I still hoped that maybe one of them would see the bigger picture. But I can't blame them either. They have families, homes to protect here, and I can't be selfish in light of that."

His gaze dropped to his feet as he bent at the waist and hung his head, his hands clasping, elbows on his knees in regret.

"I can only hope that fate is kind enough to prevent the lizard army from finding this place."

A long pause followed, and finally Nyrris spoke up, working an encouraging smile onto her face as she addressed him.

"And what's the good news?"

Lion-O raised his head, and a faint smile began to form on his features.

"We have access to their library. The master librarian says he's going to help us find what we need about the warstones."

Master Librarian Consilius was a kind, quiet old snow leopard who greeted them warmly on their entering the library, leaning on an odd, crooked staff from which hung a tiny lantern. The semi-circular library had a domed roof with huge glass panels to let in light during the day, but several lanterns were mounted on the walls and dangled from chains affixed to hooks from the frame of the dome, and Consilius explained that he and his assistants lit these at sunset, so anyone wishing to continue reading would be able to do so with plenty of light. And, being the Master Librarian, Consilius alone snuffed them at the twelfth hour, when the library doors closed.

"Doesn't it tire you, working so late at your age?" Cheetara asked him gently, but the old snow leopard's face creased with a kind smile.

"Hardly. I take my days of rest, and I nap from time to time to keep up with what energy I need to do what I must. I am not so weak and helpless as you may think, my dear." he answered before turning to Lion-O. "Now, you said you were looking for information on mystic objects you call…warstones?"

"And the city of El-Dara!" Wilykat jumped in before the prince could answer. Consilius blinked in surprise, then turned to face the train of cubs that had entered the library, noticing them for the first time.

"Oh my." he said, adjusting the spectacles on his nose. "Oh, dear. I hadn't realized our young scholars were helping you with your search as well."

"They aren't." Lion-O said in a voice tense with irritation as he shot the Wily twins a glare.

"El-Dara is a project of mine and my brother's, sir." Kit answered sweetly, "And our new friends here were going to help us find out as much as they could."

"Well, then I should assist you as well." Consilius said with a knowing half-smile, shaking his head slightly. "After all, cubs will be cubs."

"What? What about the warstones?" Tygra asked.

"I'll be but a few minutes." Consilius replied, and as he motioned gently with his staff, two younger snow leopards seemed to appear from behind a bookcase. "Alba and Nigerus here can get you started and point you in the right direction."

And with that, Consilius allowed the twins and Kuncia's excited class to pull him along, chattered excitedly about the lost city of treasure. The two assistant librarians, one a young woman whose coloring was lighter than most snow leopards, the other a young man whose coloring was considerably darker, looked at the Thundercats and offered apologetic smiles.

"Please," said the one called Alba, starting to walk alongside them, "Forgive Consilius. We can assist you in any way you need."

"I heard what they're after," Nigerus said abruptly, "Follow me."

"Is there any particular reason that El-Dara takes precedence over finding information on a key part of defeating Mumm-Ra?" Panthro grumbled.

"Master Consilius has always been that way, even since we were cubs." Nigerus replied.

"He always insists on helping the children first, to find whatever they are looking for." Alba said, then began, in a voice that said she'd heard it often enough to quote by heart, " 'A young mind thirsting for knowledge—'"

" 'Must always be indulged first, for they are like starving creatures that must be cared for.'" Nigerus joined in. "Consilius will never turn down a child asking for help finding something in his library. And especially not Miss Kuncia's class; they're in here all the time. I think they keep the old fellow young at heart. But don't worry; he'll be back soon."

Sometime after the fourth bell, Kuncia arrived in the library, not totally surprised to find her students deep in the throws of researching El-Dara with the Thunderkittens. She stopped by their table briefly and tapped on the wood gently, startling them all.

"You really must be returning home by now, my students. Class is dismissed. Your parents will start to worry." she said with a smile, even less surprised to be met with a chorus of disappointed groaning. She merely smiled wider; she knew that her students, like it or not, would return home when told. She left their table, seeking out where their strange visitors would be doing their own reading. At a quick glance, she couldn't find them, but one of the assistant librarians, Alba, appeared from behind a bookcase, and Kuncia flagged her down.

"Could you take me to our…guests? I'm interested to see how their progress is going." she asked, and the younger snow leopard was too happy to oblige. She lead the teacher to a far corner of the library, where one of the larger round tables occupied space in front of two caddy-cornered bookcases that stretched up to the bottom of the glass ceiling. Seated at the table were young Lion-O and Cheetara, who were alternately pouring over huge tomes sat out before them and then copying down on sheaves of paper anything they found that seemed of significance. Tygra had risen from doing the same, returning a book to its case and pulling out another one. Nyrris was seated precariously on the top of one of the sliding ladders that rolled along the bookcases, intently reading a smaller volume. And the towering Panthro was assisting old Consilius in trying to light one of the higher lamps, in order to give a little more illumination to their corner.

"How goes your studies?" Kuncia asked, and they all looked up in surprise.

"Slowly." Lion-O replied.

"Too slowly." Tygra corrected with a grumble. He glanced over at Kuncia for a second, then tossed her a smile that, quite possibly, could have charmed several women his own age. "Did you come to keep us company?"

Faster than most of them could follow, the butt end of a staff smacked the tiger in the back of his head none-too-gently, and Cheetara buried her face behind a book that didn't quite cover her full glare. Kuncia merely smiled indulgently at him.

"Oh, sweetheart," she said coolly, "I'm sorry, but you're a bit too young for me."

Lion-O and Nyrris were abruptly overcome with a very odd sneezing fit that sounded suspiciously like snickering, and Panthro's eyes briefly met Kuncia's as he offered her an approving grin.

"I have, however, dismissed my students, and am willing to offer any help that I can in order to assist you on your search for this information."

"Thank you," Lion-O said with a genuine smile, "You have no idea how much we appreciate your offer."

"Tell me, what exactly is it you're looking for?"

He lifted the gauntlet in response, catching everyone's attention, and indicated the rose-colored stone that marked the center above the claws.

"There are four warstones total. We already have this one, and the Eye of Thundera has been in the Sword of Omens for as long as any of us can remember. But there are two more we must find; a green stone, and a blue one as well. I'm not worried about mystic properties in general, but I'm hoping that if we read on the different locations around Third Earth, we'll be able to pinpoint a clue leading us to the next stone." he replied. "Your Master Librarian was kind enough to lend us what we needed to jot down notes."

Kuncia turned and smiled at the old snow leopard, who smiled just as warmly back. "Master Consilius has always been the helpful sort, even when I was a cub."

"This whole thing sounds like a massive scavenger hunt, if you ask me." Panthro remarked, coming over to glance at the notes the younger cats had written. "We've been trying to copy down anything that jumps out at us, anything that mentions unusual gems or stones found somewhere. Here, take a look at some of these. Is any of this making some kind of sense?"

But before she could even get a good look at the notes, a shrill, high-pitched ringing sound rent the air, nearly shattering everyone's eardrums. Instinctively, the Thundercats covered their ears, but Kuncia and Consilius looked at each other in horrified alarm. From behind a row of bookcases, the Wily twins came running to meet them, their tails puffing out in fright, Snarf close on their heels, whimpering and laying his ears back flat.

"What's happening?" Lion-O asked, shakily getting to his feet and yelling to be heard over the terrible sound. "What's going on?"

"Our village!" Consilius shouted. "That's the alarm!"

"The village is under attack!" Kuncia cried.

At once, all of the cats rose into a ready stance, their faces set with determination as they reached for their weapons.

"We're helping." Lion-O declared, the full mantle of his leadership shining through in that moment.

"Finally!" Panthro said with a budding grin, "Some action! I was starting to get bored!"