Episode 2; To El-Dara (part 1 of 2)

Part 1:

The Wiley kittens slowed their boards to a steady glide as they passed over the charred remains of the Briar that Slithe and his lizard army left behind in pursuit of the Thundercats. A blanket of ash coated the ground as far as their eyes could see. The Petlars' found their way home thanks to the Thundercats. The Thundercats survived the battle thanks to Panthro. The Briar itself burned to the ground. It was one casualty and in a way it was a million casualties.

Little plant life grew back yet. The ground stank a foul odor no doubt from the thorough use of chemicals to ignite the flames. Only faint insect buzzing and the occasional far off whine of a scavenger could be heard in the background. More numerous were the black, gnarled debris of the wood reaching out of the barren earth like skeleton hands. A mournful wind scattered ashes in the air like winter snow. It showered the kittens, giving their fur and clothes a dusty gray tone.

Wiley Kit shivered as a branch snagged on her hover board then disintegrated into clumps of soot. "Are we in the right place?"

"We're here. It's creepy, hu? Kind of looks like Thundera did after they attacked- all empty and broken." Wiley Kat observed, frowning. "It's sad… I never liked the city part of Thundera much; it wasn't home. Hardly anyone there treated us nice, so I wasn't that upset to see it in ruin."

"Me neither; I don't feel bad about stealing these clothes and I know I should just a little." Wiley Kit admitted, looking ashamed. "I don't think I can stomach seeing poppa's land looking like this. I hope the lizards didn't set it on fire too."

Wiley Kat shifted uncomfortably. A question weighed on his (and most likely Kit's) mind. "How far do you think the lizard invasion spread? Do you think they heard the warning sirens in the farmlands? We didn't think anyone made it out before, but we were wrong. Maybe mom is still hiding away in the house with Pitter and Pat."

Kit exhaled a soft, sad sigh. "I don't know. I hope so." To avoid the painful subject, she looked away and kept quiet.

Wiley flashed his sister a hateful glare. She knew for certain Lion-O was alive when they thought he drowned. Where was her hopeful optimism for their mother and siblings? Where was her blissful insipid brigh- eyed smile while she assured him they were okay now?

The anger quickly passed. Kat knew neither of them could be sure if the rest of their family survived yet. He couldn't ask her to lie to him. Maybe it was his turn to be the optimist. He put on an assuring smile. "Dad built that fake floor in case of lizard raids. Mom knew what to do. We'll look harder when we get to Thundera."

Wiley Kit's lips formed a weak smile as she nodded in agreement then sped ahead a few feet.

He made a mental note not to bring up the subject again until they reached home. They were better off not talking like before…

Wiley Kit looked up to the sinking sun, tail twitching in thought. "We won't make it through before dark. Maybe we should set up camp."

"Good idea. Hey Snarf, wake up. We're-" Wiley Kat gently kicked his foot, expecting a snoozing Snarf to uncurl himself from around his ankle, but his foot felt no weight upon it. He looked down… "Crap! We left Snarf in the bag!"

"What?!" Kit looked down at the Forever Bag swinging from her belt. "Thanks. He probably ate all our food." She huffed, hopping down from her hover board.

"Lion-O asked YOU to watch him!" Wiley Kat kicked his board into his hands on the jump down.

"No he asked BOTH of us to watch him!"

A cheeky grin formed on Wiley Kat's face. "But you said yes first cause you LIKE him!"

Wiley Kit kicked a clump of ash at him. "NO I DON'T!"

"Oh prince Lion-O, I can be your princess!" Wiley Kat turned his back to her then hugged himself, making kissing noises."

Wiley Kit's cheeks began to blush. "So mature! It's still your fault Snarf's been left in the bag for five hours!" She swatted him over the back of the head with the bag. "Now let him out!"

Wiley Kat controlled his laughter. "Okay, okay. Rank- Hey…" His tail perked up. "Instead of camping out here, why not spend the night in the Forever Bag? Everything we need, besides our rations, is in there."

Wiley Kit cocked her head, unable to determine if her brother was delirious from traveling so far or stupid. "What if something happens to the bag?"

Wiley Kat walked over to a mess of dead branches then kicked it over and tossed the bag underneath. "No living thing is around for miles. It's barely visible under here and even if someone sees it, why would they bother an old empty sack in the dirt? Come on, sis, I'm tired and ash keeps getting in my eye." He begged, rubbing his face clean.

Wiley Kit nodded in agreement. "Okay. One night won't hurt I guess."

"Yes!" Wiley Kat tucked his board under his arm then lifted the dead branches up for Kit to climb under.

Kit huddled next to her brother with her board. They took a quick look around to assure themselves they were alone then whispered into the Forever Bag "Ranken Bass!"

The bag sucked them in quickly and painlessly dropped them into the large treasure chamber within.

The kittens laughed as they emerged from the separate piles of past collected or otherwise items. The interior appeared no less stuffed even after their allies raided the interior (with the exception of the Berbils who being self-sufficient hasn't much need for money and the Elephant monks who insisted that no payment was necessary). "Sorry we left you in here alone for so long, Snarf!" Wiley Kit called out to him.

"Please don't tell Lion-O!" Wiley Kat joked. He made a sour face as he stepped down and felt his toes squish against something cold and mushy. "Yuck! Candy Fruit cores! You called it, sis. He ate our food. Don't step over here."

"Don't step over here!" Wiley Kit warned.

"Why?"

"Guess!…Yuck!" Wiley Kit held her nose as she stepped over Snarf's "mess" then continued to look around. "I don't see Snarf." She announced, worried.

"SNARF! SNARF! He must be in here somewhere. He can't say the words to get out." Kat reasoned. "It's a big place, he probably wondered off. Help me find a lantern or something so we can look were its dark." He started to dig in one of the random piles.

"Okay." Kit rummaged through another pile. A gold bobble rolled past her foot, causing her to look down and notice what appeared to be a tunnel burrowed through the bottom of her pile wide enough for a snarf to crawl through…

She immediately dropped to her knees and reached in the space, able to fit her head and one arm through. "Kat!"

Wiley Kat hovered over her curiously. "What did you find?"

Wiley Kit wiggled her way out. "Ow!" She rubbed her shoulder after a box of silverware spilled open over her back. She held up an old leather rucksack. "He chewed on it." She pointed out the missing buckle.

Wiley Kat took the bag from her and yanked it inside out, pulling out strands of red and gold fur. The kittens exchanged looks of confusion and dread.

"Snarf's lost in a forever bag inside a forever bag…" Kit lamented, slumping on her knees. "How did he get inside this one?"

Wiley Kat shook his head. "There CAN'T be a forever bag inside the forever bag, that's dumb!"

"I don't see him anywhere else!"

Wiley Kat turned the new bag right side in then handed it back to Wiley Kit. "We haven't looked everywhere else yet." He walked off to continue his search once again. "Snarf! Snarf! Here boy!"

Wiley Kit fiddled with the lip of the bag, thinking. She pulled it, held it up to her face and gave her best Snarf impression. "Shnyaarf! Shnyaaarf!" She lowered the bag, disappointed. "That didn't work."

"You sound stupid!" Wiley Kat teased.

"You're stupid!" Wiley Kat continued to sit and think, fiddling with the strap Snarf had gnawed. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. She took the chord and began to chew the ends how she imagined Snarf had earlier.

Wiley Kat pointed and laughed. Wiley Kit ignored him, spitting out the strap after nothing happened. She tried one last thing; removing the other silver buckle. Sure enough the bag opened wide and swallowed her in.

Kat gasped, stumbling backwards in horror. The shock wore off soon enough. "Hu." He shrugged. "There's a forever bag inside the forever bag. Wait for me, sis!" Kat picked the bag up, dusted it off then searched for his way in. One buckle remained, a large ornamental piece engraved in silver that fastened the main pocket. He removed it, stuck it in his pocket and clenched his eyes shut.

He felt as if he was floating gently like a feather, but in actuality Wiley Kat fell a far distance. He landed in what appeared to be a lush orchard. Fruit and wild flowers, most of which Wiley Kat couldn't even begin to identify grew all around him. He studied his surroundings further discovering the orchard stretched on for miles into a valley below him. "KIT!" He called out to her.

"TAG!" She sprung up from the ocean of wild flowers, tapping his shoulder. Giggling, she raced down the hill as fast as she could. "SLOW TAIL!"

"OH YEAH?" Kat rolled down the hill after her, sending petals flying everywhere. He laughed as he flopped to a stop. Kit helped him to his feet.

"No sign of Snarf." She informed him. "But isn't it beautiful here?"

"Yeah." He agreed, catching his breath. "So…how do we get back to the first forever bag?"

Wiley Kit's eyes grew wide a moment. "I don't know… DON'T panic!" She begged, motioning for him to stay calm. "We have all night to get out. Help me find Snarf first."

"Shnyaaaarf - nice to see you remembered me."

The kittens jumped, startled by the voice from nowhere.

"Purrrr! Up here!"

They looked up at a candy fruit tree. Snarf rested on one of the higher branches with a half-eaten fruit under his front paws. He smiled at them, giggling at their slack-jawed expressions of awe.

"Snarf talked." Wiley Kat squeaked, pointing at the creature.

"I heard him." Wiley Kit confirmed. "How can you talk now?!" Wiley Kit asked him.

Snarf frowned, swaying his tail off the side of the branch coyly. "I could always talk. Shnyarf Shnyarf! No one ever listens."

"No, you never talked before!" Wiley Kat insisted.

Wiley Kit covered his mouth, pushing him back. "But since we can understand each other now, will you come down and help us find a way out of here?"

"Shnyarf…I know how to leave, but I want to stay here a little while. Come back later and I'll get us back to the first bag."

"What?" The kittens cried in unison. "This isn't funny, Snarf! We need to get out and meet up with Lion-O!" Wiley Kat reminded him.

"We're sorry we left you in the bag alone. We'll take better care of you." Kit promised.

Snarf shook his head. "Puuurrrrr I can take care of myself, thank you. It's you two and Lion-O who worry me. Lion-O never listens to me either. Shnyarf Shnyarf! He's a big cat now, so he thinks. Purr…He can get along fine without me for a few more hours." He stretched a moment before climbing higher. "I'm too old to keep cubs out of trouble! No one appreciates anything I try to do, so I'm taking a personal day! Purrr!" He leapt out of sight. "Have fun! Don't wander too far!"

"Wait!" Wiley Kat clawed up the Trunk of the Tree after him. Wiley Kit scrambled up behind him. By the time they reached the top, Snarf had slipped away.

Kat snarled, throwing a candy fruit against the trunk of the tree. "This is NOT happening!"

Wiley Kit tugged on his sleeve. "Look!" She pointed to the meadow below. Dozens of snarfs of various shades and sizes frolicked with each other. "I've never seen so many in one spot before. They're supposed to be endangered."

"Wonder who put them all here?" Wiley Kat asked, scanning the snarfs for their Snarf. "Aw man, every other one looks like Snarf! How are we supposed to find him?"

"What are those snarfs doing?" Wiley Kit pointed to a small group of them in the brush awkwardly piling up in twos.

"Uh…dancing?"

"Oh."

Wiley Kat slumped against the tree trunk. "Snarf isn't going to leave until he's ready. Maybe we should just look around and kill a few hours."

Wiley Kit reached into her pocket and pulled out the buckle she had removed earlier. "Maybe we can find our own way out. Lead the way." She moved over, allowing her brother to climb down before she too made the descent towards the ground.

Meanwhile, outside the forever bags…

A lone kitten wandered through the barren wasteland that had been Briar Wood a short time ago. The wind drowned out the soft crunching of his footsteps and the jingling of one shackle still fastened around his right ankle. He stumbled about, hungry, dehydrated and frightened, constantly glancing around. He kept his thin striped tail tucked in fear of something.

He quickened his pace, despite the cramps in his scrawny limbs, determined to reach somewhere safe, ANYWHERE.

He heard a snap, most likely a branch breaking under his own foot, but he looked over his shoulder anyways then tripped, landing in half burned pile of gnarled wood.

He yowled in pain as he rolled in the thorny debris. Most of it crumbled into soot, staining his already tattered clothes and smoky-colored fur. The boy sat up, coughing on ash and rubbing his eyes. He sighed in frustration, finding it incredibly difficult to muster the will and energy to move again.

"Can't stay here…red dog…" He told himself aloud. "keep moving…freedom..." He took a deep breath, pulling himself to his feet. The scratches on his shins, elbows and hands burned, irritated by the dirt. His shirt and apron clung to his back by a few thread now. He held the garments close around him for warmth and continued onward at a slightly less skittish pace.

He took about five steps then looked back at the spot he fell in. His wide green eyes caught a glimpse of a plain brown bag half buried in the ash. "Hu. What's that?" The cub went back to look inside it. It contained nothing, not that he expected money or candy or anything, but it's nice to hope. "Oh well. Maybe you'll come in handy anyways."

He tied the bag to his belt loop and continued onward.