Welcome back~ I hope you enjoy today's chapter- it features characters speaking candidly with each other! Shocking!

Leopara let the wind whip and tug at her braid as the Thundertank barreled onwards. She could enjoy this little piece this time, as the brothers had politely abstained from initiating another race. Snowmeow groaned occasionally near where her feet dangled down.

"So the Spirit Stone's been in that blasted hut all along?" Panthro asked grumpily.

Perched to the right of Leopara and Cheetara, Lion-O answered, "Not exactly. It's in the Astral Plane." And just like that, with the reminder of what they faced, she sobered up.

"And where on Third Earth are the Astral Planes?"

"They're not," Leopara answered at the same time Cheetara explained, "It's not on Third Earth at all, Panthro." They met each other's eyes and Leopara nodded to let her finish. "The Astral Plane is a spirit realm. The hut is just a gateway in."

"Is it in the village or not?"

"Think of our world as one layer of reality, and the Astral Planes are another layer- and the hut allows you to pass from one level to another. Our way to them is in the village." Leopara looked across the tank at Lion-O. "We should be extremely careful. The Astral Planes are shaped by those within them for specific purposes- spirit prisons filled with your worst nightmares or a labyrinth that preys on your insecurities and regrets. It's extremely difficult even for master spellcasters and scholars to traverse."

At the mention of 'spirit prisons,' Panthro gulped with a shiver of discomfort. A troubled feeling settled over Tygra as he pondered her words.

Lion-O nodded solemnly.

"Anything else we should know about it?" Tygra asked.

Leopara shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know what level of the Astral Plane we're going to. Without that, there's no way to tell what awaits us. It could be one of the vithisvla, a giant creature which devours the endless planes, other wayfarers as they're called, or the trapped souls seeking escape. Or… it could be nothing at all- in the Astral Planes, your worst enemy is usually your own misconceptions and dark emotions."

"Trapped souls?" Panthro guffawed.

"Yes. I did mention some levels of the Astral Planes are spirit prisons, didn't I?"

Tygra craned his neck to look at her. "How do you even know all of this anyways?"

She shrugged again. "Ancient Thunderan scholars used to project their minds into the Astral Planes in a ritual known as Astral Projection." It was in the journal, actually. "They would travel the planes seeking new knowledge, often magical or philosophical in nature. But they also witnessed and encountered otherworldly beings and Ancient Spirits."

"Like the Ancient Spirits of Evil?" Lion-O asked.

Leopara paused, genuinely uncertain. "I don't know." she confessed. "They spoke of ancient spirits and an imprisoned ancient wizard, but that is all I know."

Tygra's troubled feelings spread to the others as they processed that thought.

She had never considered whether those spirits may have been the Ancient Spirits that embodied and strove towards Evil, and if the wizard they encountered could have been some part of Mumm-Ra- his consciousness, perhaps. But then… what fears and nightmares could possibly cage the Vessel of Evil?

"I think the scholars would have taken greater care to mention if it were the Ancient Spirits of Evil, or Mumm-Ra." Cheetara said, speaking aloud Leopara's own thoughts.

Worry seemed to melt off the three men. "I wonder who they could be?" Lion-O wondered. He eyed Leopara for a moment. "Do you think you could ever… you know?"

Leopara blinked. "I could do what?"

"You know…"

"I think what Lion-O means, could you possibly use Astral Projection?" Tygra interrupted with no patience for his brother's skirting around it.

Lion-O nodded. "Yeah, that."

"Oh. Um… that's really a tradition that hasn't been done for generations. Jaga never taught me." But, again, it was in her journal. "It's extremely dangerous. Your spirit can become lost, trapped, or eaten, and your body can die, leaving nowhere for your soul to go. While you're gone, it's an empty vessel that spirits or any other magical force can possess."

Lion-O jolted with alarm while Tygra looked grim.

Panthro laughed nervously. "Sounds like a great place." he joked weakly.

"There's a reason the tradition of Astral Projection was lost. Our ancestors hoped to prevent such tragic fates for us." Cheetara agreed.

They rode on in pensive silence for a minute or so before Lion-O broke the tension.

He drew the Sword of Omens from its sheath and held it up. To Cheetara, he said, "It took a while, but I finally got the hang of this thing."

Cheetara smiled. "I knew you would. There was a reason the Sword chose you." She reached out, resting a paw on Lion-O's wrist. Lion-O bloomed with warmth and affection.

Leopara burned hot with embarrassment, feeling again like an intruder. Her stomach twisted with a second, heavier feeling that made her throat feel tight. Despite being mere inches apart, she barely noticed when Cheetara turned and ducked back into the tank proper, past Snowmeow who grunted at her.

Except Lion-O had to make one specific comment to his brother before he followed.

"It's probably the same reason she's going to choose me."

Darkly, Tygra muttered, "And just like the Sword, one more thing you don't deserve."

Leopara sat there, speechless at the display. Panthro focused on the road with the briefest hint of discomfort, quickly shrugged off into annoyance.

Tygra seemed content to brood there.

She should have just ducked inside the Thundertank after Cheetara and pretended she didn't hear the brothers' exchange until she could properly process it.

But for some reason, she defied logic and climbed to her feet on the Thundertank. Her skirt whipped in the wind, fluttering behind her. She pushed through, sliding down into the cockpit just as Snowmeow's head popped up with alarm to see where her legs had gone. He called at her in the way felyne beasts did; a panicked noise from her sudden disappearance.

"Hey!" Panthro growled at her.

She scooted closer to Tygra and out of Panthro's way, which left her half way on the very surprised tiger's lap. She didn't give him a moment to speak.

"This is beneath you." she snapped. "Both of you."

Tygra balked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Just tell Cheetara how you feel about her, Tygra. Has it occurred to you how little you share with anyone else? I've seen you sometimes- watching her like she's the sun and you're too scared to stare for long. Just talk to her. If she's become so close with Lion-O, it's only because you haven't been up front about your emotions and let her know how much she means to you." she scolded him. "But with Lion-O, she feels happy- because he… he tells her his insecurities and problems and gives her the chance to help him."

Tygra continued balking at her, slowly relaxing into just a blink. "... is that your professional opinion as a sorceress?"

It was her turn to blink with confusion. "Professional?"

"Cheetara told us about your magical ability, how you can sense our emotions. Is that your advice, using your gift?" he repeated, surprisingly calm.

A jolt of surprise shot through Leopara.

Cheetara told them?

Wait… they hadn't known?

Leopara realised quickly she was just staring at him wide-eyed. She nodded firmly. "Yes, it is."

Tygra studied her skeptically. And then, he surprised her again. "Okay. I'll… I'll try."

In return, she studied him. "You… don't have a lot of experience talking about those things, do you?"

This must have been awkward for Panthro, having her slide down onto his arm and then scoot most of the way onto Tygra's lap to interrogate him about his feelings. If it was, he said nothing and betrayed nothing besides a single note of discomfort that lingered when Tygra had described her ability.

"No, I don't." Tygra paused, filled with hesitancy and uncertainty.

"Try us, kid." Panthro finally spoke up.

She swiveled her head to look at him while Tygra leaned forward. "You too?" Tygra asked with a huff that she supposed was meant to be a deflective chuckle.

"Uh-huh."

Tygra leaned back and thought pensively. "You know how I came to be Prince, don't you?" he asked.

"Your parents struggled for years to have a child. The whole kingdom thought you were a gift from the gods themselves when you arrived. King Claudus and Queen Leona took you, the only tiger seen in hundreds of years, as their own son." Leopara answered. "And then, Lion-O was born. Everyone was shocked and dismayed when he was made the heir."

"I wanted to be the best at everything I did, to prove to Father I was worthy of being his son, being his heir. I was their first son, but…" he looked away. "Lion-O was the first of the bloodline. Nothing I ever did could compare to that, I was never worthy of what he was given, despite what he took." That deep sense of hurt and anger Leopara had felt once upon a time welled up. The metallic scent of blood was almost whisked away by the wind; it was so faint and subtle.

She glanced down at his hand. His fist was clenched so hard his claws had pierced skin.

"Tygra?" she asked, reaching out for his hand.

All of the tension left his body as he surrendered his hand to her, instead filled by a sense of deep sorrow. She inspected his hand for a few moments, then closed her eyes and sighed. Her magic trickled through her fingers into his skin and flesh, mending the small puncture wounds.

She set his hand down.

"What did he… take?" she asked, the word feeling uncomfortable in his mouth.

It took Tygra so long to answer her that she almost thought he hadn't heard her. "He took our mother," he finally said.

Oh, that was right.

Queen Leona had died in childbirth from complications.

Tygra would have been just a child, struggling to handle suddenly being replaced as prince and their only and doted upon child, but then abruptly and unfairly losing his mother…

"I'm sorry." she said softly. "But it's unfair of you to blame Lion-O for that. He didn't ask for her to bear him, that was a choice she made."

"I know." he admitted.

"Sounds like you got dealt a bad hand, kid." Panthro said gruffly. His way of sympathising, she supposed. "But she's right, and that little brother of yours was chosen by the Sword. Now, you can focus on what you don't have, or you can take some control of your life and forge your own identity with what you do have and work towards new things in life."

Tygra contemplated this for a moment. "That's surprisingly insightful of you, Panthro."

The panther let out a hearty chuckle. "You don't get to where I've been, kid, without picking up a thing or two."

Leopara considered his words too. "-focus on what you don't have…" Like Grune? "-or forge your own identity with what you do have…" Like himself?

"I'm sorry about Claudus, Panthro." she said. "I know you probably didn't want to be chaperoning a bunch of kids."

"Ah… I would have loved to have a proper adventure with my friend." Panthro sighed. It stung Leopara all the more that it had been Panthro's form Mumm-Ra used to strike the king down with, and even more that she hadn't been able to heal him. "I would still have ended up chaperoning all of you, I bet- and I wouldn't have it any other way."

This surprised her and Tygra.

"Really?" she asked.

The panther shrugged. "What can I say? You've grown on me."

"Aww… you're a softy!" she exclaimed.

Panthro growled. "Is that a problem?"

Simple intimidation might have worked on WilyKit and WilyKat, but on Leopara and Tygra, it just made them burst out into much-needed laughter.

Panthro grumbled something to himself before shouting, "I take it back, you blasted brats!"

She knew better, though.

Long before the Thundertank rolled to a stop, Tygra scooted over so that Leopara could half-sit in the seat. The three of them amiably spoke for some time, interrupted only by Snowmeow's occasional soft roar at her.

It was because they were rather engrossed in kidding around that they did not notice the plumes of smoke on the horizon until they rolled onto a cliff overlooking the elephant village and its plateau.

Panthro stopped the Thundertank immediately.

"By Thundera!" he exclaimed.

Drawn up by the sound of Panthro exclaiming and the sudden stop, the others poked their heads out of the two openings behind the cockpit. A note of shock strung between the four.

"The elephant village!" Cheetara cried softly.

"What happened?" asked WilyKit, climbing atop Snowmeow's head just to peek out.

Lion-O wasted no time. He drew the Sword of Omens. "Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight." he commanded. He viewed through the Eye of Thundera for a few heart-pounding moments as they waited with anticipation. "We're too late! The lizards have found the hut."

Leopara reached up to console him, shifting awkwardly to stand and sit on top of the tank instead. "It's not too late. Did you see Mumm-Ra?" He shook his head. "Then they have no way to access the Astral Planes- the key to opening such gateways is knowledge and magic."

"Snya?" Snarf cocked his head, puzzled.

"We should get out of sight and to higher ground, Lion-O." said Tygra.

Panthro nodded in agreement. "Then we can do a bit of scouting of our own and come up with a plan."

They waited for Lion-O to agree or disagree.

"We are out in the open here," he agreed after a moment. "It won't do any good for the elephants if the lizards spot us. Take us somewhere more obscured, General."

"How did they even find it?" WilyKat asked as Panthro shifted gears and backed up the Thundertank.

"Yeah, we had to have the Book of Omens to find it!"

"And the Sword!"

A chill ran down Leopara's spine. How did Mumm-Ra's forces find it? Mumm-Ra couldn't have been using any scrivination on them, wouldn't she have sensed it like last time? … unless Mumm-Ra used someone else to do so? While anyone could theoretically do so, it would take years to teach someone without the gift of magic how to use a divining tool.

She dismissed this thought, finding it too unlikely for such a short time.

"Leopaaaraa." WilyKat whined.

"I don't know." she answered. "No one really knows what Mumm-Ra is capable of. He could be perfectly able to track the stones by himself with no need for the book, or he could have been watching us somehow, and letting us lead him to it."

Their mouths gaped open. "You mean he's spying on us?!" they exclaimed in unison.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I should have sensed his presence."

… if she was nearby when he was watching.

Somehow, the idea that Mumm-Ra had been spying on Lion-O and Cheetara after she left that night disturbed her even more than the idea of a proxy made her skeptical.

There was nothing saying a lizard couldn't possess the gift. It had just never occurred to her.

Unsatisfied with her answer, the twins slunk down against the Thundertank.

"It doesn't matter how he found it." Lion-O said with a determined voice. "All that matters is we get it before he does."

They perked up at his rousing speech.

"Yeah!" WilyKat agreed.

"And save our friends!" WilyKit added.

They fell quiet after that, six eyes fixed on the plateau across the rainforest from them while Panthro kept his attention ahead of them.

Eventually, he found a good place to stop the Thundertank. It had dense foliage that obscured the tank and was on even higher ground so they would have a good vantage view of the village. They all clambered out of the tank, Snowmeow included, and took the time to stretch and mentally prepare themselves.

The mood was pretty grim, and laced with worry. The biggest worrier was WilyKit.

While Panthro got settled with his scope, Leopara approached the kitten and set her paw on her tiny shoulder. "Hey." she said softly.

WilyKit looked up at her with tearful eyes.

"It's going to be okay." she reassured her. "Aburn and the others will all be okay, I promise."

The kitten raised her arm to wipe away the moisture from her eyes. "You're sure?"

"Mhm. Lion-O's leading us after all. He's never let us down in the end, has he?" she asked. It felt necessary to add, 'in the end,' since there were numerous occasions that Lion-O had, in fact, disappointed them in the moment. Letting WilyKit point that out or list them would undermine Leopara's whole point.

She smiled weakly. "No." she agreed..

"Besides, you'll be there too~"

At this, WilyKit brightened. "Thanks, Leopara."

Leopara mussed the kitten's hair and then turned to join the tactical duo, Panthro and Tygra. An unhappy cord was plucked within Panthro.

"Grune…"

Whiskers.

"We need to go about this delicately." Lion-O said, next to Tygra and WilyKat. "He's got hostages."

"What are you thinking, Lion-O?" Cheetara asked on the far end of the cat line-up.

"Let's wait until nightfall. Use stealth." It was the same plan Panthro had suggested when they first met and needed Thundrillium.

It seemed a good idea to Leopara and struck a cord of approval within Panthro himself.

"Are you kidding? We can't waste time waiting for the right window. We should move in now." He tilted his head meaningfully. "I say we take the tank. It's our best chance against their firepower." He spoke like a cat possessed, refusing to draw a full breath when instead he could be speaking.

"Why do you have to challenge every command I make, Tygra?" Lion-O asked angrily.

"Because I was the one who actually studied military strategies with Father while you goofed off." he retorted aggressively.

"The tank can't make it." Cheetara interrupted. Her voice softened with her next words, "Besides, I always considered stealth to be your greatest strength."

Tygra couldn't feel the warmth or affection that bloomed within Cheetara as she spoke. Leopara herself felt confused about what she felt, exactly, for the brothers- just that she was affectionate with both of them.

Leopara was probably also the only one who heard Tygra murmur to himself. "No wonder I've always been invisible to you."

And here she'd thought she and Panthro made progress with him earlier.

She scooted half a step closer and elbowed him in the side with a hard look. He looked up at her with a hint of irritation that ruined his pity party. "Tell her how you feel." Leopara hissed quietly. "After…" she gestured vaguely at the village.

He sighed and slumped in place as everyone moved on to ready themselves. "How can I, Leopara? She always sides with Lion-O."

"She's a cleric, Tygra. She took a vow to always protect the crown. If you didn't always fight with him, there would be no sides to take." she said.

He was silent in thought, so she walked past him to follow after the others.

Snowmeow intercepted her with his saddle in his mouth and a hopeful moan.

Leopara shook her head. "Not this time, Snowmeow." she reached out, cupping his face to pet him. "You're very big and not very good at hiding in grass. Stay here and protect the tank, okay?"

He went slack-jawed with dismay and grunted at her again.

"I know, I know. I'll make it up to you." she looked around. Cheetara was getting further away. "Why don't you hunt a little while we're gone?"

He still seemed displeased, but with a sad groan, he picked his saddle off the ground and carried it back to the tank with his tail drooping. Snarf snya-d at him as he drew close to the open cargo bay.

With Snowmeow no longer blocking her path, Leopara hurried after Cheetara. With a bit of speed to her walk, she caught up to her. Leopara reached out, taking her hand.

Cheetara paused, looking back at her.

Leopara gestured with her head off to the side.

They both glanced ahead at Lion-O and the Wilytwins. Then, Cheetara nodded. They lagged behind the three, but ahead of Tygra and Panthro, the latter of whom brought up the rear.

"Cheetara… what are your feelings for Lion-O and Tygra?" she asked bluntly.

"My feelings?" She thought sadly for a moment. "I think there's a lot they don't talk about with each other."

Leopara shook her head. "Cheetara, I mean feelings feelings. Haven't you noticed the way they're fighting with each other for your attention?"

At this, Cheetara stopped dead in her tracks with shock. "What?"

"Lion-O and Tygra. They both…" her throat closed up at the thought of saying the 'L' word. After a moment, she said, "-harbor feelings for you. I've sensed it from both of them. And in the tank earlier, they jabbed each other about who you'd choose."

Cheetara took this in and processed it quietly while Tygra passed them.

"Gotta keep movin'," Panthro gruffly told them.

"We'll catch up, Panthro." Cheetara said. He eyed them for a moment before deciding it wasn't worth the effort and moved on. "Leopara, I had no idea. I… I thought you and Lion-O were getting close."

Once again, she was surprised. "What?"

Cheetara looked down the trail towards the back of Lion-O's distant red hair. "I've seen the way you look at him. I thought… I'm sorry, Leopara. I'll make this right with both of them. After we get the stone." she added.

Leopara was still processing the implication of Cheetara's words, and so did not ask her what she meant to do about Tygra.

Instead, she quietly followed her down the path, both of them moving quickly to pass Panthro, then Tygra, and finally catch up to Lion-O. He glanced at them over his shoulder when he heard their approach. Troublesome thoughts weighed on Lion-O, but he didn't say anything about them yet.

Not until they reached the grassy field outside the plateau leading up towards its backside, with the moon shining overhead.

Cheetara hastily slowed down to lag behind Lion-O, as if she wanted to disengage and flee as quickly as she could now that she knew the lion harbored romantic feelings for her; Leopara sensed genuine guilt which only served to confuse her more.

Had Cheetara thought Lion-O had such feelings for… Leopara herself?

The thought was like a knife twisting.

Now was not a good time for her to finally acknowledge that she wished Lion-O had been.

"Ever since we were cubs, Tygra's fought me at every turn."

Leopara wasn't sure what she could say to comfort him. Hesitantly, she squeaked out, "Tigers are known for their pride." It came out more of a question than a statement, with an upwards lilt of uncertainty.

"It goes deeper than that. There's always been some kind of… darkness in him."

He met her eyes and, with a jolt, she realised he was asking her what it was.

"Try and see it from his perspective, Lion-O. He was considered a gift from the gods by your parents, raised to be the next king- and that was all taken away from him when you were conceived. Suddenly, you were that blessing and you were going to have everything, no matter how good or bad at any of it you actually were. Despite everyone's praise of his prowess, none of that has mattered because you're the one carrying the bloodline." Leopara explained, grateful to have just spoken about this with Tygra earlier that day. "You two don't have a typical relationship. It's… complicated for both of you."

A bell tolling kept Lion-O from replying, but he seemed thoughtful nonetheless.

"It's time. Let's move." he said, completely focused now.

As they crept quietly through the grass with insects buzzing around them, Tygra commented, "Still think we need the tank."

Thank you for reading! Special thanks to The Night Whisperer, Heart of the Demons, and Frankannestein!

I've always read Tygra as a character with very complicated even contradictory emotions. He's desperate for approval but afraid of rejection and letting anyone close. Claudus doesn't seem exactly the most emotionally supportive, so Tygra likely had little help coping with all the upheavals of his childhood and finding his own identity and self-worth, instead centering his identity around the core thing he identifies as having changed his life: Lion-O; being a better prince than him, more worthy than him, and blaming Lion-O for their mother's death. It's not been healthy for either of them.

On to chapter 22!