Welcome back, everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter~ I had a lot of ideas for it!

Cat's Lair was a grandiose monument to the power of the Thundercat empire, with its roaring blue head greeting the afternoon sun with ferocity. Its image inspired awe in the people, when they would look up and gaze upon its likeness.

Leopara had seen it everyday for ten summers, yet somehow only been cradled within its walls a handful of times. Even so, she understood its basic layout.

After finding and speaking to King Claudus with Jaga, she politely excused herself to look for the prince she was actually supposed to be introducing herself to.

The marble walls of the palace carried the sounds of her footfalls in long, distant echoes as Leopara made her way down the hall, trailing her hand over the stone. Her claws scraped lightly at the stone until she pulled her hand away, pausing as the sight through the window caught her eye.

She made her way over, pap pap pap, as she stepped across the stones, and rested her hands on the window sill to look out. The afternoon sun shone brightly on the kingdom, and from here, in the heights of Cat's Lair, she could see the entire expanse of Thundera stretching out before her in the basin of cliffs surrounding them on three sides. "Whoa…" she murmured softly, seeing the glistening, staggered lakes and pools, white stone homes and paths winding through, to the first of two walls protecting them from invasion; beyond that, she could see the golden fields of wheat, and the farthest wall standing tall and proud.

Leopara sighed softly again as she leaned against the sill, getting lost in a view she hadn't realised was so close to her. It was breathtaking.

"It's a pretty view, isn't it?"

She startled, head whipping to look at the speaker. Leopara blinked. Huh, would you look at that? Just who I was looking for. "Prince Lion-O!"

"Sorry," he rubbed the back of his head, tossing his red mane sheepishly. "I didn't mean to startle you. You were at… well, you were here earlier, weren't you?"

With a nod, she said, "Yes. I didn't get to properly introduce myself earlier." She raised a paw to her chest to gesture, "I'm Jaga's apprentice sorceress, Leopara. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh. I forgot he had an apprentice. We met briefly when we were cubs, didn't we…?" he asked, scratching his mane more.

"Yeah… it was just before your father sent the generals to find the book."

"Right!" Lion-O's face lit up, resting his paws on the sill as well. "Tygra and I were training with Grune and Panthro when my father and Jaga approached. Tygra kept asking you a lot of questions until you got mad and doused him in water."

Embarrassed, she rubbed at her cheek. "Not on purpose…" she turned as well to look back out. "But yes, it is a pretty view."

Lion-O chuckled in amusement. He opened his mouth to say something more, mouth twisted in a lopsided grin, but before he could give voice to his words, a low, deep horn interrupted them. They paused, their eyes meeting and blinking as surprise and confusion turned to worry.

Today was just stubbornly determined to prove her feeling correct against all odds, wasn't it? There was so much change in the air, she could sneeze from it like the pollen of a firwood tree. Egch. She hated firwoods.

Another sound of the war horn resonated across the fields and vast distance of the kingdom.

It was extraordinary that it could be heard across such an expanse.

"What is going on…?" Lion-O wondered aloud. He stepped away from the window, readying to make his way down the hall, but he paused and looked at her. "Come on, let's go find my father."

Leopara nodded.

With a nod of his own, he turned and ran down the hall. Leopara hurried to keep up as he turned the corner, sliding towards the wall and catching herself on her hands before jumping after him. She bumped into his back as he slowed down, reaching back to steady her briefly before making his way onto a balcony, where the King was standing with a telescope, Tygra to his left and Jaga to his right.

"It can't be!" Claudus exclaimed, laughing and lowering his telescope. "It can't be! At long last!"

Confused, Leopara squinted at the horizon. She saw… a dark blob slowly moving towards the walls. A small glint of light reflecting off of something. "What is that?"

"Old friends." Claudus answered, turning. "Come! We'll go greet them."

Lion-O stepped forward. "Greet who?"

"Grune and Panthro!" Claudus clapped his son on his shoulder in his hurry to leave the balcony.

Leopara exchanged a glance with Jaga as the princes ran after their father, their footfalls, pap pap pap pap pap!, fading away in the distance.

Excitement thrummed throughout the kingdom in the wake of General Grune's return.

A grand celebration was arranged hastily by the King to celebrate the return of his friend, and funeral, naught but a time of mourning and respect without the body of Panthro, arranged in the morning.

The servants worked fast all afternoon to complete the preparations by evening.

In the center of the plaza, rested Grune's hideous war trophy, twisted black stone with sickly yellow gems protruding. It reeked of malice and disgust. Leopara held nothing but unease and disdain for it, even as beautiful as the strings of light hung from it, spanning outwards to poles erected in a circle, alight with small candle lanterns.

Half of the plaza was filled with wooden tables adorned by a grand feast of a buffet, the other half 'empty' space for reveling cats to dance the night away.

Leopara lurked on the steps to the clerics hall beside Jaga as Claudus addressed his attending subjects.

King Claudus and his sons, one on either side of him, stood atop the stairs leading to Cat's Lair. His booming voice carried over the plaza with ease, heard by all who listened.

"It was many seasons ago when I sent out Generals Grune and Panthro to find the fabled Book of Omens. While it remains lost, Grune has returned to us with tales of adventure, great treasure, and new lands to conquer. Today," Grune stepped forward for his dramatic introduction, "-we show him our appreciation!" As cheers and applause erupted within the gathered cats, Grune raised his right fist and placed it over his heart.

"I don't like this, Jaga… there's something… wrong about Grune."

Jaga looked at her calmly. "It is alright, child… I sense it as well. He has always been...ambitious." He stroked his beard as he thought. "It is troubling that our friend Panthro has not returned with him." Jaga shook his head, almost as though he had not meant to muse aloud. "Ah, but tonight is a celebration." He set his hand on her shoulder. "You have even dressed up nicely~" She wasn't dressed especially nicer than usual, but for the occasion she wore golden bracelets on her right wrist and a golden anklet on her left. Her usually unseen hair tie was replaced by a golden band that held her bun in place against the weight of the braid that dangled from it. "Go, enjoy yourself, Leopara. It is such a rare occasion that you get to mingle in these parties."

Leopara sighed softly, shoulders slumping. She nodded. "I'll try, Jaga."

"Good." He gave her a kind smile.

Pushing her worries down, she took a deep breath and let it go gently, before stepping down the stairs. Already, dancing and feasting had begun. She looked around, uncertain how she fit into this moment: she wasn't excited about Grune's return- she had never liked him and doubted she ever would- she didn't know how to dance, and the worries she had pushed down settled in the pit of her stomach, filling her with a heavy, twisting, dreadful feeling.

What was she even supposed to do?

"Hey, it's you again!"

Leopara startled, swallowing around a dry throat. Lion-O grinned at her. "You're not following me, are you?" he asked. She thought he sounded teasing. Wordless, she shook her head and he chuckled. "I, uh, didn't know you or Jaga would be attending?"

"Is that so strange?"

He shook his head. "No, no. Of course not." The prince looked around, seeming almost as lost as she. "Do you… want to dance?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head again.

"Oh, um…" Embarrassment overwhelmed Leopara. She shifted from foot to foot as she admitted, "I… I don't know how to dance…"

"Oh… sorry."

"You- you don't need to apologise." she reassured him.

An awkward quiet fell over them as they stood there, both embarrassed and unsure what to say or do, lingering about the fringes of the crowd. "So, do-" an eruption of childish laughter interrupted Lion-O. Their heads swiveled to watch as two scraggly toms, probably only a few years younger than Lion-O and herself.

They ran towards the stockades, rotten fruit in hand.

"I'm sorry." Lion-O apologised abruptly. He started to hurry away, but paused to look over his shoulder. "I'll be right back! Promise!"

"Um, okay?" she called back.

He disappeared through the crowd.

Leopara blinked a couple times, puzzled. Am I supposed to wait? She shook her head and followed after Lion-O, slipping through the mingling cats while straining to see over their heads, looking for that dash of red amongst a sea of brown and black and sandy blonde.

"Cut it out!" Lion-O shouted.

The two scraggly toms scampered off, laughing. Lion-O looked annoyed, and Leopara could see why: a rotten tomato, slipping down the face of one of the two lizards trapped in the stocks, on display.

One of the lizards Grune had enslaved to drag that hideous stone to Thundera as a war prize.

She followed Lion-O as he approached. Before he could speak, the lizard to their right, frill-less and murky in color, pleaded, "Please, your majesty, show mercy!"

He can recognise Thunderan royalty on sight alone?

"Why should I?" Lion-O demanded. Hm…. I suppose they have very distinctive hair… she thought, recalling following his red mane. "If the roles were reversed, you would have lopped my head off by now." He gestured, slashing his arm through the air.

"We were only scavenging for food when we were captured as slaves!"

"Forget it!" the other lizard, green and with frills around his jawline, hisses. "Looking for mercy from cats is like squeezing water from a rock."

"Hold your tongue, fool! They'll kill us!"

Lion-O looked down, a solemn expression on his face. Leopara reached a hand up, setting it on his arm. "No, I want to hear this. What do you mean?"

In a raspy voice, the lizard explains, "We only attack to survive. You control the best lands and resources, leaving the rest of the animals to fight over scraps. If we steal your crops, it is only to feed our children."

A feeling of guilt settled over Leopara like a blanket. Ashamed, she looked down, then glanced at Lion-O.

"Lion-O, you-" she began.

"-aren't taking this criminal seriously, are you?" Tygra interrupted abruptly, clasping Lion-O on the shoulder. Leopara startled.

The lizard hissed. "Criminal? The lizards' only crime is being weaker than the cats! And it's the same for all animals!"

With his hand still on his brother's shoulder, Tygra dismissed the lizard's presence. "Come on, it's almost time for the games." And with that, he walked away, completely unaffected by the lizard's words. Lion-O looked back at the lizards, glancing at Leopara, and then turned without a word to follow his brother.

Leopara lingered, blinking after him.

Slowly, she looked back to the lizards. They hung their heads, humiliated and undoubtedly exhausted, but forced to stand where anyone could gawk at them. This isn't right.

...but can I even do anything about it?

"Will you tell me more?" she asked at long last. Lion-O had wanted to know, and she was to be his advisor… perhaps it would behoove her to educate herself on this topic? "About your lives and people? Thunderans only know you as barbarians from the swamps… why do you live in the swamps, anyways? Is it because…" she looks around and the white marble walls, the candlelit lanterns, tables of food. Cats dancing merrily in their finest. Is it because of us?

The lizard hissed again as he began to speak, and she wondered, when did he last have a drink of water?

"We live near the swamps, because the Cats do not want them… and we need the waters to raise our children."

"How do you mean?"

He took a raspy breath. "Our children hatch from eggs… every year, we go on a great hunt while our women go into the swamps to retrieve our children." A hiss. "But even our swamps, you've destroyed."

"The aqueducts…" she murmurs. "I had no idea they harmed your nursery grounds. I never even thought of how your children were born…"

He hissed, but didn't say anything.

"I… thank you. I should go now."

She curtsied to them before turning. As her eyes laid upon the nearby table, she paused. Gentle hisses behind her.

Leopara looked around. The plaza was growing desolate as everyone made their way to the coliseum for the war games. Gears in her mind turned, clicking satisfyingly into place.

She strode forward and grabbed two haunches of meat and a large cup, and walked back, no doubt in her mind. "You haven't eaten in while, have you?"

The two looked back up at her, eyes growing wide with surprise. "Here." She held the leg out to him. His arms were longer and thinner than a cat's would have been, and so, he was able to grasp it, and with his long neck, shifted to take a bite. Leopara smiled and gave the other lizard the other leg. He eyed it skeptically.

"Why?" he rasped.

"Why what?" She held up the cup, filled with water. "Drink."

He looked down at it, up at her, arm outstretched, and down at the goblet. Finally, he leaned in to drink.

She smiled a little.

"You are late," Jaga said as she approached, somewhat amused. Tardiness was not a habit of hers.

"I had something important to do." Leopara said simply, looking up at the winding branches of the… well, "branches" and "tree" were generous terms for the mess and tangle of bark-covered limbs weaving towards the sky, illuminated by the soft blue glow of the waters below and the setting sun above. "Is that… Prince Lion-O and Tygra?"

He nodded sagely. "Yes."

A heaviness settled on her heart. Don't let him rile you up, Lion-O…

There was nothing to do but wait and watch.

The match began at the sound of a fanfare trumpet. A double trill, pause, double trill. The brothers took off racing up the elegant curve of the 'vine' they were perched upon. Tygra slowed, letting Lion-O pull ahead, only to leap from behind him. Lion-O kicked out at him, but Tygra caught his foot and landed a powerful punch, sending Lion-O hurtling back down. Applause erupted. The standards hung around the walls of the coliseum waved gently in the wind.

Leopara watched as Lion-O quickly climbed and leapt, gaining on Tygra. They exchanged a flurry of blows, racing upwards, ever upwards towards the golden bell. Whoever rung that, they would win...

Lion-O got a good, swift strike in, but it wasn't good enough. Tygra whirled around with a kick, sending Lion-O tumbling back down while Tygra ran onto the branch the bell was tied to, standing atop its crest. He said something to Lion-O, a boast, a taunt- his words lost to the wind. In anger, Lion-O flung himself towards Tygra.

Leopara's heart plummeted, just as Lion-O did, cast down into the water by a swift strike from his brother. The crowd gasped in shock, while she watched sadly.

Never had a splash of water been so heartbreaking.

As Lion-O resurfaced, Tygra leapt onto the bell, holding onto its long grip as he swung. The bell chimed mockingly, and the crowd went wild with cheers and applause.

It was painful to watch Lion-O climb out of the water, crestfallen and humiliated.

She hurried to follow, but Jaga rested his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Aghast, she looked back at him. "Jaga-!"

He shook his head sagely. "There will be time later, child."

"But…" she looked back at Lion-O. His head was hung as he retreated quickly down the hall. He looked so sullen. What would she accomplish, chasing after him now? Leopara's shoulders sagged.

Leopara did not wait very long to seek out Lion-O. She paced anxiously and impatiently for what felt like hours, but was merely minutes, inside the Clergy library- quiet and dim at this time of night, with only the moons to shed light amongst the shelves and books and tables- before she made her way back out to the plaza.

Once more, after the exciting match between the brothers, Thunderans reveled freely under the spanning strings of light, dancing and eating and being mirthful in general.

She had pushed her way through the crowd to climb the stairs to the Cat's Lair.

Lion-O was on a balcony when she found him, overlooking the plaza with his companion Snarf. She paused in the hall, unnoticed. He held something in his hands, although she couldn't see what exactly, as his back was to her.

"It's official. They think I'm a failure. And they always will unless I can prove I'm not following a childish dream."

"Snya." Snarf agreed sadly.

"But how can I do that when even Grune said there was no tech out there?" Lion-O lamented. He sighed in frustration as her mind whirled.

What was she going to say? What had she even intended to say?

"I was told once that some see only what they wish to see." she spoke up, startling Lion-O. He whipped around to look at her, hiding whatever it was that he was holding behind his back. "And that sometimes, they do not see things that are because they don't recognise them. Who knows how many true wonders General Grune may have missed?"

"What do you mean?"

Leopara frowned a little as she walked to the balcony and rested her elbows on its edge. "Your brother looks at the lizards and sees nothing more than criminals. Your father looked to the swamps and saw a source of pure and clean water, if only we would cultivate them into aqueducts- but to others, to lizards, the swamps are where they lay their eggs, where their children hatch… where they come from. And Grune…" She looks at the stone in the center of the plaza. What does he see? "A spoil of war, adventures, lands for us to conquer… he sees power."

The more she spoke, the more Lion-O's brow furrowed.

"But that's not what you see, is it?" she asked him.

"No, I…" he sighed and dropped his guard, resting his arms on the stone railing as well. In his left hand, he held a golden disk of some sort. What is that? "How did you know about the swamps…?"

"I spoke with the lizards. You said you wanted to hear what they had to say, so… after you left I stayed and spoke with them a little longer."

Lion-O blinked at her with surprise. "Really? You did that?"

"Yeah." Leopara straightened, resting her hands against the edge instead. "You are going to be my king someday, and it'll be my duty to help you. But… I think there's something special about you. You see things differently than them."

The distant, quieted sounds of laughter and merriment were the only thing she hears for a moment. She waited for a response.

More quiet.

She turned to look at him.

His expression was one of shock and almost disbelief. As they made eye contact, he shook his head, breaking his daze. Um… alright? Was that… bad?

"Wow… you really mean that." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Leopara nodded regardless and looked back out over the balcony. "You know… Jaga told me once the greatest of our kings will possess the ability of sight beyond sight." She steps back from the balcony and pivots towards him, turning in a fluid motion towards the balcony. "Who knows… maybe that's you?"

"You mean… visions?" he asked, looking troubled.

She paused. She knew exactly what he was referring to, that presence… "It's not just visions…" she begins. "Jaga says it is the ability to lead with clarity. To… see things as they really are and act upon that."

Lion-O looked down at the disk contemplatively.

"What is that, anyway?" she asked, eager to change the topic.

"Oh, um… it's nothing."

"... you are a terrible liar. It's tech, isn't it?"

Lion-O grimaced, caught red-handed. "It is…"

With a smile, she asked, "Can I see it?" She held out her paw and, a bit hesitant, he gave it to her. She smoothed her paw over the edge. "Hm… it's very cool and smooth, except for these… they're purposeful though, aren't they? They remind me of fullers."

Lion-O's eyes lit up. "Yeah, they are. But I can't figure out what this is supposed to do."

"Hm… well, what if we opened it up? Maybe we could find some clue."

He mulled it over. "You think so?"

"Of course. It might look completely foreign, but we might see elements of our own technology that we could use to infer its purpose?" Leopara suggested, handing it back to him. "Not that I even really know too much about that."

Lion-O nodded, fiddling with it. "Yeah… Leopara?"

"Hm?"

"I… saw something." he admits. She furrowed her brows and looked behind her, a bit disconcerted. "No, not like that. In the Eye."

She paused, stiffening.

Leopara felt the heaviest, the- the… evilest, most malicious presence she had ever- She felt sick, immediately. Like eyes were upon them and…she staggered a little, swaying. The room went out of focus, spinning around her. She reached out, trying to grab Jaga to steady herself, but she grabbed nothing but empty air.

"... I know." she said quietly, hugging her arm. "That evil… presence."

"You… knew?"

Leopara nodded. "I… yes." she shifted. "I can sense… things. It was… overwhelming." Just thinking about it made her head spin. "That's why Jaga and I left so quickly. He doesn't want us to worry about… it. Sometimes the things we see or feel can be frightening, but we don't have to be scared of it." She looked out over the balcony. "You know… the celebration is still going. We should enjoy ourselves… you did promise to come back"

Lion-O looked out, rubbing the back of his head. With a nod, agreed, "Yeah." He looked down at the disk and held it up a little to gesture. "We can look at this tomorrow."

"Yeah." Leopara nodded in agreement.

It was a short while before they circled back around to the lizards in the stockades, after milling around food tables and making up outrageous stories about random cats.

When they did return, it was both with Tygra and because they saw a crowd gathering. Leopara could feel malcontent roiling from them, but even Claudus's anger earlier was more overwhelming. For all their shouting and jeering, waving torches and pitchforks, their malice was surprisingly weak-willed.

"We can't let this happen."

Lion-O ran forward, chased down by his brother. Tygra caught him on the shoulder and demanded, "Why? They're our greatest enemy, Lion-O."

"Maybe they don't have to be." Lion-O shrugged off his hand and continued, pushing through the crowd to come to stand before the lizards, and Leopara hurried to follow in his wake, slipping through the crowd to stand behind him. She could hear the lizards hiss and breathe shakily from fear. Throwing his arms open wide, he addressed the crowd, "These lizards have done us no harm. They don't deserve this!"

A bushy, brown-furred tom with a torch stepped forward. "You're right, Prince Lion-O." The tom swept his gaze over the others. "These barbarians deserve death!"

In a battle for the heart of the crowd, Lion-O had already lost. But he didn't back down, even as shocked as he was to see his people cheer and raise their pitchforks, riled to violence. Even the lizards watched in apprehension, but Leopara began to reach into that wellspring inside of her, drawing her magics to the surface.

"I'm not gonna let anyone lay a paw on them!"

The ruffian swung at Lion-O sloppily, "Move, lizard lover!" but even so, Lion-O was off balance as he moved. "Or you will end up in those stocks yourself!" The crowd cheered.

Leopara reached out with her hand, touching his forehead with her claw.

Claudus's emotions were so powerful because he had a strong mind and will. But these cats… they were far beneath. The only reason she could even feel them was because they were so concentrated.

They were weak-willed and feeble minded.

The ruffian fell to the ground unconscious and the crowd gasped in shock. Tygra stepped beside her, looking down at the unconscious cat, then up at the crowd.

"You better be sure you want to do this, because we've got his back." he warned them.

They murmured in uncertainty before another shouted, "Get them!"

Ah… I hoped they wouldn't do that. she thought, quickly thinking through her options as she dodged backwards to avoid a torch. They were limited, as she didn't have any focus to channel more useful magics through.

A blur of yellow slammed into the tom. Cheetara turned to look at her with a little smirk and tossed Leopara's scepter to her. "Never leave home without it!"

"Thanks!" Leopara twirled it while Cheetara sped away, a streak of yellow chasing her.

"Try and catch me!" Cheetara taunted.

"Go to sleep." Leopara commanded, gesturing her scepter in a smooth, curving gesture in front of her. Pale blue, misty energies swirled around the five charging her. They slowed, and swayed. They yawned and murmured, before collapsing to the ground. She turned to glance at the others.

Cheetara was hurtling through the crowd with ease, doing what she was trained for. Tygra was skillfully using his whip and camouflage to control his battle.

Lion-O was in a free-for-all brawl.

"Lion-O!"

King Claudus's voice boomed over the din of the crowd. Everyone came to a stop, Lion-O with a tom's shirt twisted in his fist, arm reared back to punch him. He let go of the cat as the crowd parted like rivulets of water spilling over a stone face.

King Claudus strode forward, four soldiers and General Grune at his side.

"What is going on here? Protecting lizards?" Claudus demanded.

Lion-O didn't hesitate. He gestured to the lizards. "No, I'm protecting us from turning into the very cold blooded creatures we fear. These lizards did nothing and should be released!"

Claudus looked incredulous. "Release them? Don't be foolish. As Lord of the Thundercats, it is my duty to keep our people safe and it will one day be yours."

Leopara glanced to Lion-O. She felt proud of the determined expression on his face, so different from his uncertain and crestfallen posture earlier.

"You wanted me to start acting like a king. Well, this is it. And I don't think the only way to rule is with a sword. Maybe we'd have less trouble with the lizards if we weren't always repressing them!" he argued.

A long silence followed. It seemed like even the air held its breath as they waited. The lizards watched in fearful hope.

Finally, Claudus closed his eyes and nodded, silent acceptance and allowance.

The soldiers strode forward, past Leopara, past Lion-O, toward the stocks. Their pauldrons clinked faintly as they did so. They used their spears to pop open the tops of the stocks, and then gave the lizards a hearty shove. "Get out of here!"

"My lord?" Grune prodded Claudus, who remained stoically quiet as his soldiers released the lizards.

In an automatic voice, he intoned, "Consider this an act of good will between the species." He strode forward to stop in front of Lion-O. Looking down onto his son, he added, "Perhaps now you might show some good will of your own and take your responsibilities as prince more seriously."

Lion-O nodded solemnly.

Leopara smiled a little, pleased at the sight.

Lion-O was going to prove everyone wrong, and he seemed set on it. On being his own King, and not his father.

Claudus turned wordlessly and walked away, followed by Grune and the soldiers. Wisely, the crowd dispersed behind them quickly, scattering in all directions. Many of them, she saw shamefully head to the gates of the plaza, trickling out despite the celebrations continuing.

None of them wanted the king to change his mind and decide to have them all arrested- or worse- for attacking his sons.

There was still something she didn't like about Grune… this aura like a heavy and dark cloud broiling and stewing around him. It made her fur stand on end the same as when she channeled lightning, the sparks and tendrils of electricity dancing in the air…

Yes, that was the feeling, but so much subtler. He just felt… wrong, somehow.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Was it just personal distaste?

Leopara shook her head softly and settled her scepter on her hips before turning to face the brothers. Cheetara had disappeared like the wind that carried her to them.

Lion-O seemed quite puzzled as he looked around with furrowed brows.

"If you're looking for Cheetara, she's gone now."

Lion-O whipped his head towards her. "You know her? That's twice in one day I've seen her. I swear she's following me." he shook his head.

"Into trouble, it seems. She's a cleric. Jaga's other student."

"She's a cleric?" he repeated, sounding rather disappointed. Why? He looked back over the stockades, his eyes sweeping over the area. It was dark and blue and gray now that there were no lights, even the lanterns did not illuminate very much. A miserable little puddle reflected a couple distant yellow-orange orbs.

Tygra slapped his hand on Lion-O's shoulder, squeezing, before he too walked away.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "From your brawl?"

Lion-O blinked at her, and then shifted, looking tough. "Yeah, just got a couple bruises. Nothing that won't heal."

Leopara stepped in, setting her hand on his arm and closing her eyes. Concentrating her awareness, she could feel the blossoms of pain under his fur. She sighed softly as she let her magics trickle over, soothing the pain and healing them. The blossoms faded away, leaving calmness in their absence.

"What did you…?" Lion-O asked, as she stepped back and opened her eyes. "Was that… healing magic?" he wondered.

"Yes."

"I thought it was extremely difficult."

"For some. Certain personalities and traits suit certain magics more than others. Someone like Tygra would never be able to heal but you would, for example."

Lion-O continued marveling for a moment. "You really think I could?"

"If you were a practitioner of magic, yes." Leopara nodded. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

"Maybe we could dance?"

"Haha. No."

Lion-O laughed.

Special thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, with a special thanks to the Frankannestein and The Night Whisperer (for both review and encouragement), and Heart of the Demons! Hopefully I'll finish up chapter 3 soon! I'm trying to update more frequently than I have in the past haha.