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

Part 3

After sharing a long fit of hysteria the Thunderkittens or rather the adult Kat and Kit scrambled to piece together their clothes to cover their new, completely developed bodies.

"This isn't happening…" Kit repeatedly whispered to herself, leaning over her reflection in the pond. After closing her eyes, counting to ten and seeing the same altered reflection so many times she gave up the hope it was all a dream then inspected her new face closely. She was not impressed with the end result of this instant puberty. Though trim she was petite in stature with impish features, average proportions and a mane just as thick, coarse and wild as the mess she tied back as a kitten. "What more did you expect?" She asked herself inwardly.

She shrugged then pulled a small knife from her belt and took it to her mane. The ponytail that had grown long and tangled while she slept/ grew fell to her feet. Her mane, now shorter than Lion-O's, fell in loose, playful tufts. Kit dropped to her knees to inspect her reflection once again. She gave her quick pixie cut a nod of approval. The water reflected back to her a weak, but sweet smile. Okay, maybe she couldn't exactly stack up against Cheetara, but I was comforting to see her mother's face again among all this madness.

"THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!" Kat laughed, throwing a few punches and kicks around; apparently much happier with his adult body than his sister. "Look, I have whiskers!" Kat shook his head to show off his "masculine" facial hair and long, flowing mane neither of which he showed interest in trimming. "-And I'm buff too!" He exclaimed, flexing his lanky, lean physique to the pond. "The guys will never leave me out of a fight now that I have muscles like Lion-O!"

"You WISH you had muscles like Lion-O." Kit rolled her eyes at him. "Why did I listen to you and not Aburn? Why? Why? Why?"

"It serves you two right, shnyarf shnyarf." Snarf scolded them. "You ate the night astrid flowers didn't you?"

"Those?" Kit pointed to the bunches of black day astrid flowers.

Snarf nodded. "They're enchanted you know. Almost everything here is."

"We know now." Kit grumbled.

"Narf!" Snarf flashed her the stink eye before continuing. "For every petal eaten of a night astrid flower a month of life is lost."

Kit's ears drooped with her spirit. "Oh no…"

"Wait! This can be a good thing!" Kat assured her, patting her on the back. "Now that we're big, we can help out like big cats. I just wish we had found the forever bag when poppa was still alive."

"Shnaaaarf, don't wish away your childhood, Wiley Kat." Snarf warned. "You only get one."

Kit frowned. "I thought we did just fine as kittens."

"Yeah, but…but…" Kat trailed off. She had a point.

"Snarf's right. This is unnatural. How do we explain this to the Thundercats?" She exhaled a frustrated growl. "I am SO stupid!"

"No you're not. You're just curious. Puuuur-" Snarf corrected her. "It's the folly of your species unfortunately. Thank goodness us shnarfs know to look before we leap." He waddled off. The cats followed.

"Are we really stuck like this?" Kat asked.

"I'm sure there's a way to disenchant you; shnarf shnarf. There's always a up to a down and an out for an in- It's how the universe works."

"Do you know how we can get back to normal?" Kit asked, fingers clasped together hopefully.

"He's still supposed to tell us how to get back to the forever bag." Kat gave Snarf a stern look..

Snarf turned his nose up at Kat, insulted. "Puuurrr… I'm a shnarf of my word. Count your blessings you can knock two candy fruits from one branch this time. A wise and powerful sorceress named Jaguara guards over the wonders hidden away here. Only she can let you out." Snarf smoothed the fur on top of his head down with his right paw. "At least that's what the other snarfs tell me."

"If she can do that then she can disenchant us too." Kat presumed aloud. "So where is she?"

Snarf smiffed along the ground until one spot in particular caught his interest. He burrowed a minute or two. "Narf narf narf… Not sure…ah!" He unearthed the buckle he had gnawed off the second forever bag hours ago and dropped it at Kat's feet. "She likes silver though. You have to offer some to her."

Kat picked up snarfs buckle and pulled his own buckle from his pocket. "I bet she's that weird kitten that was following us."

Kit pulled out her buckle as well. "Hope she didn't go far. Jaguara!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted across the valley.

"Jaguara!" Kat cried out for the sorceress as well, waving their offering of silver in the air.

They searched far and wide, calling out until their breaths grew short.

"JAGUARA!" Kat's now much deeper voice echoed over the rolling hills.

"WE NEED YOUR HELP!" Kit added.

Snarf could see the hope in their eyes dwindling. His tail drooped. Just when he was about to suggest a different approach a tiny, familiar voice answered back.

"You grew up! Well, sort of."

Kit and Kat spun around. Above them, sitting atop the hill with her gold jewelry box in her lap was the cute jaguar kitten adorned in gold. She waved to them, placing a solid gold pacifier in her mouth.

"Hi again! Sorry I scared you before." Kat apologized, scrambling up the hill. Kit followed. They sat on either side of her.

She giggled. "You ate the cursed astrid flowers."

"We did. A bunch of them." Kit admitted, hanging her head low with embarrassment.

"We really need your help." Kat added. "Snarf told us you can use magic to get us out and make us kittens again."

Jaguara suckled on her pacifier, ignoring Kat."

"You are the sorceress Jaguara, aren't you?" Kit asked.

"I'm she." Jaguara confirmed after placing her pacifier in her jewelry box. "You two are smart. Or at least your snarf is-" She scratched behind his ear.

Snarf smiled, tail wagging. "Puuuurrrrr! Thank you."

"He's right; I can help you, but I fail to see any reason why I should."

Kit and Kat exchanged bewildered glances. "Why not?" Kat asked, feeling a bit insulted.

"You're lying to me." She frowned up at him. Her twitching tail puffed out in defense. "How foolish can two kittens be to run around a strange world shouting for all to hear? I'm not stupid or deaf. There's something you want more than your kitten hood back; something you left your home and family behind for." She clutched the side of the jewelry box so tightly her claws turned white and began to bleed. "You cannot go to El-Dara."

"You DO know where El-Dara is!" Kit exclaimed, ignoring the foreboding wall of flames in Jaguara's stare.

"Don't bother looking further. No living sentient creature can ever step foot in El-Dara again. They must go through me first." Jaguara warned.

"How could you rip El-Dara off the face of Third Earth? It was the jewel of the world!" Kat cried, startled by the pitch of his new voice.

Jaguara shook her head sadly, sniffing back a tear. "It was…and maybe it could still be today if the magic that made it so wasn't easily corrupted. Greed destroyed my home once. Let it rest in peace, please?"

Kit couldn't stand to see the poor kitten so upset. "Kat!" She whispered harshly. "She's crying, we need to back off."

"It's just an act, sis. She's probably not really a kitten-YOW! HEY!"

Kit dragged him off to the side for a private word by his left ear. She waved to Jaguara, flashing her the friendliest smile she could. "He has a big mouth. Please don't go away."

Kat pushed himself free. He flashed his fangs at her, growling with resentment.

"What if El-Dara really is cursed like everything else in here?" Kit tried to reason. "We shouldn't push our luck. It hasn't been very good so far."

"We're not greedy, Kit." Kat pulled out the illustration from their father's storybook then handed it to her. "I can't face mom and tell her I made us run away for nothing."

"Even if we take nothing back from El-Dara, what's left in the forever bag is enough to buy our family ten new farms." Kit argued.

"But it wouldn't honor poppa's death. Think of how happy mom would be if we told her El-Dara is real, not just a fantasy poppa told us to help us forget how shitty life was. Please, Kit, back me up on this one last thing…" He flashed her his best begging kitten look, which looked a bit awkward now that he was grown.

Kit smiled, nodding once gently. "Okay."

Jaguara laid flat on the grass with Snarf curled up next to her. Through one open gold eye she noticed the Wiley twins standing over them. "You will persist the fabled city to the bitter end, am I right?" She sighed as she sat upright. "They all do."

"We don't mean to trespass…." Kit began, shifting uncomfortably.

"But we-"

Jaguara interrupted him with a dismissive hand gesture. "Spare me your sob story. I empathize with your grief. Forever it seems I've grieved here alone. Perhaps mourning together would sooth our pain."

Kat perked up. "You'll really take us?"

"Far be it from me to shatter the dreams of two kittens."

Kat offered her his hand and gently pulled her to her feet. "We won't stay long."

"And we promise to do whatever you say." Kit added.

"If you can last an hour in El-Dara without desecrating anything I will personally disenchant you and release you from the forever bags." Jaguara reached into her jewelry box then pulled out a small silk coin purse. She pulled the gold chord loose, but was hesitant to hold it up to the cats. "But I must warn you, far greater beings have gone mad there."

Kat looked back at Kit who gave him a reassuring nod. He smirked down at Jaguara. "You grossly underestimate us." He dropped the three silver buckles in to the silk purse.

She made a somber frown. "Let's hope so."

Snarf jumped back, startled as Jaguara, Kit and Kat were sucked into the purse. It hovered over his head a moment then gently floated into the jewelry box. The door slammed shut and the tiny latch locked it tight.

Snarf sniffed the box, and then nudged it with his paw a moment. His ears drooped disappointed. "Puuurrrr…They forgot Shnarf…"

Meanwhile… In the very lowest level of the deepest caves on Third Earth…

Plunk…Plunk…Plunk…

Tygra's eye twitched. The steady, incessant rhythm of water dropping from stalactites was beginning to wear on his already frazzled nerves. At first the lack of Spidera's offspring comforted the arachnophobic tiger, but Panthro informed him their absence is the sign that Spidera's nest was close. Something else bothered Tygra, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Perhaps he was dreading the sight of the spider queen that much.

Dew settled on the endless blanket of silver webs. At this point the webs were so thick and sticky it was near impossible to step. The cave widened enough for them to spread out again. A gust of cool air breezed past. They were grateful for the increase in oxygen, especially Cheetara. She did her best to stay calm, but she dreaded cramped spaces and taking shallow breaths didn't help matters.

"Follow the stream." Panthro instructed as quietly as he could. He hopped in the ankle deep water first. Compared to feeling sticky spider thread between your toes, wet feet seemed welcoming. The others followed close behind. Moments later the cave floor ended at very a steep drop.

Panthro raised his hand, signaling for the others to stop. He crept as low as he could without sticking to anything and peered over the ledge. "There she is…"

Lion-O and Cheetara immediately squatted beside him for a look. Tygra needed a moment to muster the nerve. After forcing down a wave of fear-induced nausea he peered over the ledge. There in the canyon below Spidera sat in the center of her web. It functioned as a death net for anything that might fall off the sides. A small beam of moonlight snuck through a crack in the earth above. It shined directly on Spiedera's black, furry abdomen, which looked as if it had room to fit the Thundercats, kittens, Snarf and them some. Her thick, long legs were busy at work spinning more and more silver webs.

Tygra's heart pounded against his chest. He had to close his eyes or risk blacking out.

Lion-O paled a bit himself. "She's enormous, but she looks slow."

"Looks can be deceiving." Cheetara reminded him.

"Spidera's anything but slow." Panthro confirmed. "Her left side is her blind spot. Cheetara, we need you to run across and activate the bombs when you're under her. Pick up as much speed as possible when you hit the center of her web. If you get stuck there, you're dead."

"Are you sure you can make it?" Tygra asked.

"I'll make it." Cheetara smiled. "I may lose all the fur and skin on the bottom of my feet, but I'll make it."

He knew she meant for him to laugh, but he couldn't see the humor that moment. He took her hand. "If anything happens I will come for you."

"I know." She kissed him on the cheek for luck before giving herself a decent length runway and getting into a runner's stance. "Ready when you are."

He pointed across the canyon to a single large cave directly across from them. "Wait there while we sneak around her. From that cave it's a five day hike to the surface." He raised his arm. "Thundercats, ho!" He lowered it, signaling for Cheetara to go.

She sped past them, picking up enough speed to provide a thin layer of air between Spidera's web and her feet. To the men Cheetara was under and over on the opposite ledge in the blink of an eye. They could hear the bombs hiss as they unleashed large clouds of smoke into the thin cave air. At first Spidera scuttled about, alarmed, but the smoke quickly took effect and she began to sway about drunkenly.

Not a minute later the spider queen curled her legs under and rested her mass in the comfort and support of her nest. Cheetara struggled to see through the smoke and shadows. From what she could tell Panthro's idea was working.

"She's asleep, let's move." Lion-O ordered.

"I'll go this way, you two go that way." Panthro instructed.

The younger males nodded in agreement and the three parted ways. The ledge tapered until they were forced to claw their way around the sleeping Spidera up the steep vertical stone walls.

Cheetara crossed her fingers "Come on, guys…" She repeated over and over in her head.

Tygra gasped, startled as his foot slipped. A few shards of stone crumbled away under his weight. He froze.

Lion-O motioned for him to keep moving.

Cheetara sighed with relief when she spotted the others clinging to the cave walls. They hadn't much farther to safety when she heard a very distressful CLUNK. She looked down; the smoke bombs had been tossed away from Spidera and back to her!

She tried to call out, but she choked on the smoke. She heard the faint sound of foot steps behind her. Instinctively she threw a punch, but missed her target in the fog. Someone then grabbed her shoulder from behind and gave it a quick, precise squeeze at just the right pressure point. Most of her body went numb and she dropped to the ground instantly. "There's someone else here!" She cried, struggling to fight off the paralysis.

Before Tygra or Lion-O could react their mystery assailant threw a series of metal projectiles at the cave walls above their heads. They lost hold of the cave wall then tumbled to the nest below, landing helplessly on their backs.

The commotion stirred Spidera from her slumber. Awake ,but still groggy, she slowly, clumsily charged at the trapped cats in her web.

The brother's screamed in terror as giant tarantula fangs inched closer and closer to them.

Lion-O managed to rip one arm free and waved his sword at her. "BACK! BACK! BAD SPIDER!" Spidera backed off for a moment, but spun around and began to cover Lion-O from foot to head in her webbing.

Tygra screamed louder, struggling to pull free, but to no avail. Lion-O managed to cut away some at the fresh stream of web, but eventually he was cocooned up to his head. Spidera then began to cover Tygra. Tygra opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out was traumatized silence.

Panthro pulled Cheetara to her feet. She stretched a little to help regain feeling in her limbs. "Someone knows we're here." She warned him.

"We'll take care of them later. Distract Spidera, I'll try to jump her from behind!"

To Tygra's relief, Cheetara appeared in front of him, fiercely fighting off Spidera with her staff. "Bad girl!" She hissed at her.

A weak smirk formed on Tygra's otherwise mortified face. "I was supposed to help you."

"Don't complain!" Lion-O begged.

"I'm not." Tygra assured him.

Cheetara held her ground, but Spidera was getting annoyed. She hungered and two perfectly good meals were sitting in her nest going to waste. She spat up a stream of thick green liquid at Cheetara, forcing her to jump back to avoid an acid bath.

Cheetara turned her nose up as Spidera's digestive juices ate away a hole in her web. The fumes burned her nose and eyes.

Spidera backed away, preparing to make the final charge. Panthro braced himself for the pounce. He wasn't sure how, but he had to take down Spidera before she made meals of all four of them. Just before he could muster the nerve to take the leap he felt a mean pair of claws tear into his back.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

That voice! He knew that voice! Panthro spun around. The darkness obscured his features, but Panthro could still make out the silhouette. "LYNX-O!"

"Panthro…?"