From the Past of Third Earth, Part One:

Mysterious Prisoner, Chapter Two

Lion-O headed down the hallway to the infirmary, humming slightly to himself, not entirely conscious of the fact that he was being a little too rough on the flowers he held in his hand. He knocked gently on the door, grinning at the shy, "Come in," that answered. Stepping inside, he spotted the sole focus of his attention seated by the window, looking nervously over her shoulder at him.

She was still mostly bed-ridden, barely able to move around without help, but after a week of decent meals and strength-building exercises with Pumyra, she was already beginning to look immensely better. The gray pajamas she wore helped hide her almost skeletal frame, making her look less like a corpse and more like an actual woman.

One that was becoming quite attractive to him.

"How are you feeling, Star?" he asked her, walking over to her and handing her the flowers without any preamble. Due to her inability to remember her own name, their unexpected charge had decided that everyone could call her Star so that she at least had something she could answer to.

"I'm feeling much better, Thundercat Lord," she replied quietly, taking the flowers and smiling at them. "Ooh, white carnations! Are these from the Berbil Village or the Warrior Maiden Kingdom?"

"Neither. They're from the greenhouses kept in the Great Oceanic Plug; Doctor Dometome told me they mean 'Good luck'."

Her expression brightened. "Can you thank him for me? I haven't seen carnations in ages, and was disappointed when Snarf told me he had no idea what they were." She appeared amused for a moment. "You crushed the stems, though. I'll have to recut them before I put them in a vase."

He cleared his throat self-consciously. "Sorry, I don't always remember how strong my grip can be." He glanced around the room as he leaned casually against the wall, trying to find a way to change the subject. "Where's Pumyra?"

"She stepped out for a few moments. She said I'm no longer in the 'danger zone', so she feels a bit more confident leaving me by myself." Star played with the petals of the carnations for a moment, looking a little sad. "Does it make sense that I want to meet people, but I'm terrified of meeting people at the same time?"

He considered the odd question for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well… if Pumyra's guess is accurate, you were trapped in that cell for years. It's quite possible that you were by yourself for so long that you're no longer comfortable around people."

"Maybe that's it. I don't remember having that problem at all before… before…." Her eyes became blank for a moment just before her face fell. "I almost remembered something, but I lost it. My brain feels sluggish. I hate it."

"Give it time," he told her reassuringly, reaching out to brush some of her hair behind her ear. He liked being able to see her face, even if it did make his gut wrench to see how pronounced her cheekbones were. "I couldn't remember everything when I woke up on Third Earth, either." He almost added that he was convinced some of those memories were probably gone forever, but decided that might frighten her and held the words back.

She turned her head slightly, her cheek brushing the palm of his hand and sending an unexpected thrill down his spine. "I hope you're right. It's kind of frightening not knowing who or what I am." She suddenly looked at him again. "Oh, maybe you can tell me: what's a sword of omens?"

He smirked, amused that she thought there was more than one. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard—who was it—Cheetah mention them when she was talking to… the orange one with the stripes, I honestly don't remember his name at the moment. I wanted to ask them, but…." She scrunched up slightly, clearly nervous. "I know I shouldn't be, but I'm kind of intimidated by them."

"They're only intimidating at first. Once you get to know them, you'll find they're kinder than they let on. As for the Sword of Omens," he winked at her as her face flushed with embarrassment, "I've got it right here." On a whim, he pulled it out of the Claw Shield and crouched so that he could hold it out for her to examine better.

She studied with a bemused expression, tentatively touching the Eye of Thundera in the hilt with her pointer. "I've never been big on swords," she admitted, "but this one's pretty. It… it gives off a nice feeling."

He watched her carefully, thinking, I wonder… Cheetara seems to be under the impression that Star might be dangerous. If she was, the Sword would know. "Would you like to hold it?"

She hesitated, not out of fear, but confusion. "I know I don't hold it by the sharp end, and that's a big handle… do I use both hands?"

He glanced at her skinny arms. "That might not be a bad idea—and it's called a 'hilt'."

She giggled a little. "Okay. Hilt." Putting the carnations down on the window sill, she grasped the hilt in both of her hands, and he removed his own—

—she squeaked in shock as the sword plummeted to the floor, nearly taking her with it.

He quickly grabbed her wrists before that could happen, stunned at how her atrophied muscles strained under his hands in her attempt to hang onto the weapon. "It is heavy," he told her sympathetically as he took the sword back, noticing she was on the verge of tears. He quickly tried to think of something to make her feel better. "Don't feel bad; I couldn't lift it for a long time, either."

"I still feel embarrassed. I could've scratched it."

Quickly sheathing the blade, he reached up and cupped her face in his hands, causing her to look at him. "I doubt dropping it would scratch it, especially after some of the things I've seen it do."

She smiled slightly, her relief evident to him. Suddenly glancing away shyly, she queried, "So… aside from proving I have about as much strength as a baby bird, what else did that prove to you?"

He grinned back. "You caught me."

"You had that look in your eye when you suggested I hold it."

"It wasn't anything bad, I promise. The Sword of Omens can't be used by anyone that's evil, or for any evil purposes."

She blinked. "That's useful. I can think of a lot of weapons that could use that sort of specialized requirement."

Someone cleared their throat loudly.

Startled, Lion-O's head snapped to the doorway. "Oh, Panthro! I—" He suddenly remembered what he'd promised to do before leaving that morning. "I promised to help you with the Feliner! I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to forget!"

The panther shrugged, appearing to be not at all bothered. "I got this idea into my head that you might've been distracted. Can't imagine why."

Reluctantly letting go of Star's face as he stood up, Lion-O gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Star—"

Her grin softened, somehow making his heart beat just a little bit faster. "You have work to do. I understand that, Thundercat Lord."

"You can call him 'Lion-O'," Panthro told her with a smirk. "The rest of us do."

She flushed. "Lion-O."

"I'll try to see you later today," the young lord told her as he left the room with the panther, shooting her one last look.

"Okay," she replied, adding with a resigned sigh, "I'll still be here."

"He acts as if Star's enchanted him," Tygra stated uncomfortably as he paced back and forth across the control room, his brother the sole listener to his rant. "He visits her every day, even if all he can manage is a few moments; he brings her gifts of flowers and trinkets; he speaks with her for hours at a time, especially about Thundera when he was a child—"

"Oh, what a shock," Bengali said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He'd hoped for a quiet late-night shift, but it appeared that wasn't happening. "It's almost as if he was the first one to find her and feels responsible for her, and almost as if she's too weak to leave the Lair and asked politely if he could bring her flowers because it's been so long since she's seen any, and almost as if RoBear Belle decided to take up jewelry-making for some bizarre reason and thought they'd be nice presents to cheer up said ill woman, and almost as if she's stuck in a medical room and no doubt bored out of her skull."

"This is serious, Bengali!" Tygra snapped. "We have reason to be concerned by this. It isn't appropriate for the Lord of the Thundercats to be courting an unapproved female—"

"Tygra, you're jumping to conclusions," Bengali interrupted, rubbing his hand over his eyes with frustrated patience as he leaned back in his chair. "Lion-O isn't courting Star, he's making sure the person he rescued is going to be okay."

The elder tiger turned to his younger brother, his expression accusatory. "I've seen that look before," he growled, his tone implying that Bengali should know better. "He's falling in love with her, it's only a matter of time before his mating instincts take over, and as the Lord of the Thundercats, he cannot afford to be swayed by—"

The white tiger quickly interrupted him again. "One, Lion-O's barely known Star for a week, nowhere near long enough for instincts to become an issue, which means you're jumping to conclusions and seeing what isn't there. Two, there are just nine Thunderians left alive to the best of our knowledge, and only three are female; we're doomed to extinction anyway, I think we can afford to relax the rules of courtship a little."

"He is the Lord of the Thundercats."

"He is also a young man, so it was only a matter of time before a woman caught his undivided attention. It's odd that she's a human, but not unheard of." He gave his brother a sharp look. "Nor is it socially unacceptable."

"It's his duty to carry on his father's line—"

"Bull. If that were required, Jaga would've been brow-beaten for not pro-creating, and you wouldn't exactly be left off-the-hook, either, since you're the next Lord of the Thundercats if anything happens to Lion-O. Now, allow me to reiterate: there are only three females left—two of whom are definitely taken, I should remind you. At this point, who cares?"

"Cheetara might be definitely taken, but Pumyra's… 'relationship' probably shouldn't be allowed, and Lion-O can still court her or Wily Kit—"

"There is absolutely no chemistry between Lion-O and Pumyra, unless you plan to suggest that one rape the other just to get the deed done. Personally, I think Lynx-O would have a few choice words to say about that considering that he and Pumyra are still having their little fling you don't approve of. I also highly advise you never mention to Wily Kit that she should mate with Lion-O; she's as equally uninterested."

"She'll change her mind as she gets older."

"There's no guarantee it's Lion-O she'll want to mate with."

"All the other males are too old for her!"

"Please tell that to Panthro and Lynx-O, I'm sure they'd love to hear your reasoning."

"Don't you dare—"

The door opened as Cheetara and Panthro entered the room. The latter was carrying a grime-covered toolbox, no doubt having just left the hanger, the former looking as if she'd just gotten up from a nap. "What in the world are you two arguing about?" Panthro asked as Cheetara ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. "We heard you all the way down the hall."

"Apparently Tygra thinks you're too old for Cheetara," Bengali said quickly with a smirk.

Tygra leveled a glare at his brother. "That is not what I said!"

Panthro just snorted, not taking any offence as he was used to the brothers' bickering. "I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole."

"What's the real problem, Tygra?" Cheetara asked, stifling a yawn.

"I was bringing my concerns about how Lion-O is treating our unexpected guest to Bengali, believing I might get some constructive thinking out of him, only for him to basically claim I'm overreacting."

"You are overreacting," Bengali snapped.

Panthro shrugged. "Lion-O's young, Star is pretty, he rescued her, why wouldn't he be concerned for her?"

"It's the 'pretty' part that concerns me," Cheetara admitted before Tygra could reply angrily to that. "Lion-O has a tendency to be swayed by a pretty face."

"What does your sixth sense tell you?" Tygra asked.

"It doesn't always kick in, Tygra, you know that. It hasn't bothered me for weeks now."

"I stand by Lynx-O's suggestion," Panthro stated. "We wait and see. Lion-O might be swayed by a pretty face, but the moment a nasty character trait comes out, he'll see beyond the surface and lose all interest. It's only been a week, it could easily blow over soon."

"He's never been swayed by a pretty face like this," Tygra snarled. "He's courting her! Why else would he be bringing her flowers and trinkets?"

Cheetara snickered. "Well, by that standard, Snarf has been courting her, too, as he's been bringing her sweets and books."

Panthro grimaced and shuddered. "Well, that just brought to mind a mental image I could've lived the rest of my life without seeing…."

"He's not courting her," Bengali insisted. "He might be acting a little inappropriately, but we're not exactly in a situation where he would've been taught those particular social skills."

"A little inappropriately?!" Tygra snapped. "Have you even seen those two together?!"

Panthro rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, Bengali has a point. Lion-O's never been taught how to act around a female he's attracted to, he might not realize what it looks like to the rest of us."

"Tygra," Cheetara said soothingly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "we understand your concern, and we have concerns of our own. Before you start jumping to conclusions, however—and I'm sorry, but I do agree with Bengali on that—maybe you should talk to Lion-O one-on-one. You're his friend and he looks up to you, he'll listen."

"Just don't go accusing him of anything," Bengali added. "If he gets it into his head to rebel, you'll just make matters worse."

Lion-O stared at Tygra in surprise. "I look like I'm what?" he asked curiously.

"You look like you're courting Star," Tygra explained patiently; he was civil, but there was an edge to his tone of voice that gave the young lord pause for thought. "The way you've been acting around her isn't appropriate behavior, Lion-O, and it needs to stop."

"Now, wait a minute," Lion-O objected. "she's been stuck in the Lair ever since she got here. The only time she's allowed outside is through the Lair's head so that she's shaded from the sun due to her pale skin. It had to have been hard enough trapped in that cell, and now she's unable to go outside without protection for at least two more weeks. The least I can do is describe to her what it's like beyond the Lair, and besides, she asked for the flowers."

"Let Snarf bring her the flowers, or Pumyra for that matter. If you spend too much time around Star, you risk your instincts kicking in and mating with her."

"Why, because I help her move around? She's still incredibly weak, Tygra, she can't move under her own power very well yet. That's not going to cause my instincts to 'kick in'."

Tygra frowned. "Lion-O, I'm going to explain a few things to you, and I expect you to listen very carefully…."

Pumyra helped Star out of the tub. "There," she said, wrapping a towel firmly around the woman's midriff. "How does that feel?"

"Wonderful," was the blissful response. "It feels good to have an actual bath again. I'm grateful to your Snarf for cleaning me with that sponge, but it's not as nice."

"Glad to hear that. You're regaining your strength, putting on weight, and before long you'll be able to safely go outside and enjoy the sunshine properly." She ran her fingers over Star's wrist, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Odd… even your scars seem to be fading, much faster than I would've thought…."

"Can I go out tonight, after the sun has set? I miss the moon and the stars."

Pumyra smiled at her as she led her back to the bed. "Ah, a night owl, are we? I'm sure we'll be able to arrange that. I don't have to worry about skin burns at night, at least, so I might even allow you to actually travel outside the Lair for a bit if it's nighttime you prefer."

"Thank you." The patient looked hopefully at her.

"Now sit here for a moment while I get you a robe from the closet. I need to give you a proper examination to make sure you're doing better."

"Is it wrong for me to want to make sure she's okay?" Lion-O asked defensively. "You didn't see that horrible prison cell she was in, and it isn't exactly comforting to hear Pumyra discuss funerals if something should go wrong."

"And I understand your concern," Tygra replied, clearly losing patience, "but there are certain expectations you have to meet, and—"

"There's nothing wrong with my bringing Star gifts to brighten her day or helping her walk to rebuild her strength."

"It looks indecent, Lion-O."

"Decency be damned! She deserves something to look forward to while she's stuck in here! I can't heal her, I can't give her back her memories, the least I can do is to cheer her up!"

A high-pitched scream pierced the uncomfortable silence, causing the two of them to jump in fright. How Lion-O knew it was their unusual guest, he never figured out. He didn't even realize he was flying through the Lair to her rescue until he burst into the infirmary.

Star was on the floor, cowering against the bed with a towel wrapped around her torso, Pumyra kneeling beside her with a puzzled look. Their guest stared at him with startled wide-eyes as he rushed to her side and demanded, "What happened? Are you alright?"

"When I opened the closet door, she looked into the mirror on the inside of it and then, well…." Pumyra shrugged, trying to sooth the young woman. "I've no idea why she reacted like that."

Star's expression of horror became one of shock. "That… that was a mirror?"

A few thoughts tumbled around in his head. The only thing he could use to even remotely understand what she might be going through was when he woke up on Third Earth a grown man after going into the time capsule a boy. "You were in that prison for a very long time, weren't you?" he asked her gently.

The shock faded into sorrow as she started crying.

He stood up, holding his hand out to her. Still clutching the towel just above her breasts, she placed her hand hesitantly in his and followed as he helped her to her feet and led her back to the mirror, placing a hand against her lower back to help steady her. She didn't stop crying, but she did slowly study her slim form in the silvered glass. "It's a shock the first time, isn't it?" he probed, hoping to help her adjust to the change.

She nodded, eventually reaching up to rub her tears away.

Lion-O sensed Tygra's presence at the doorway, and quickly turned to glare at his elder before the tiger could say anything. He removed his hand from the female's lower back—he didn't even recall placing it there—and took a deep breath before walking over towards the night table, leaving her to stand before the mirror examining herself.

The rags she'd been wearing had been cleaned and folded to the best of Snarf's abilities and then placed on the table, probably at the request of their patient. Lion-O picked up the strap that had been around her breasts, studying the piece for a moment. Just as he rubbed a thumb over the material, he felt his blood turn to ice. "Star…." As her eyes turned to him from her reflection, he held up the strap. "This is a belt, isn't it?" At her slow nod, he forced himself to continue. "You were just a little girl when you were trapped in there." She nodded again.

Pumyra cussed behind him.

It had been a shock to Lion-O when he'd first stared at his adult reflection, but one could argue that he'd not been too far from adulthood when he'd gone into the time capsule. Not only that, but he'd slept through most of his puberty; he hadn't slowly learned what his body was going through, he'd had it thrust upon him all at once. Afterward, he'd at least had Tygra and Panthro to turn to when something he didn't understand happened.

Star had not only been trapped as a small child, she'd grown up in darkness and alone. Only Jaga knew why she hadn't lost her mind; puberty alone—for a female, no less—must have been an absolute terror for her. She wouldn't have known what was going on or had anyone to explain it to her.

Ignoring Tygra's disapproval, Lion-O reached out and placed his hand comfortingly upon her shoulder. He'd almost cupped his palm against her cheek, but he was cautious enough to remember what he'd just been told. "Don't be afraid," he told her. "I'm not going to lie, it will be hard for you at first, but it is possible to recover and adapt."

She continued to stare at him, then slowly smiled. Even beneath her mess of dull hair, her blue eyes sparkled at him from the pale flesh of her face, and a slight pink blush of pleasure graced her cheeks. A momentary flash of lust erupted within him, seemingly out of nowhere; he'd only just realized she was completely naked under that skimpy towel. He throttled down the longing as quickly as it had arrived, and was genuinely pleased to see she hadn't noticed it as she said, "Thank you."

He helped her back to her bed—her energy was slight and drained quickly—and kept a close eye on her as Pumyra made sure she was comfortable. He wasn't sure why, but an overwhelming urge to protect her was starting to course through him. It's because I believe her to be one of Mumm-Ra's victims, he told himself, determined not to prove Tygra's assumption correct. Who wouldn't want to protect her from such an awful fate? She was a child, and he robbed her of years of her life.

He startled a little as Tygra's hand fell on his shoulder. "Let her be, Lion-O," the tiger said warningly. We will discuss this later did not need to be added; it practically permeated the air as the two of them left the room.

Pumyra stared at her patient curiously. "If you don't mind my asking, why did you scream when you saw the mirror?"

"The nightmares," was the whispered response. "I have nightmares of the man in bandages coming back and imprisoning me again, of seeing others he's imprisoned… and I know you mean well to keep me in here until I'm stronger, but sometimes the nightmares warp… and it's you Thundercats imprisoning me, imprisoning others. I… I guess the last nightmare never truly went away this morning. I thought I saw someone else being imprisoned here." She pouted childishly, holding her hand in front of her face as she stared at it sadly. "I'd thought my body looked wrong because all I had in that prison was raw fish and dirty water, that I was on the brink of dying. It… it never occurred to me I'd grown into an adult, especially not such an awful-looking one. I never did before."

'Never did before?' Pumyra reiterated in her mind. What an odd choice of words. It almost sounds like a child just out of babyhood saying that. She glanced at the belt and did some mental calculations considering the small size of it; it was quite stretchy, at least, which would explain why it didn't warp Star's body as she grew. However, even material stretched to its maximum length at some point couldn't shrink back to its original size, and it was more than possible that the belt had been smaller at one point. Then again, she has been imprisoned since she was very young…

…though why would Mumm-Ra imprison a child in such a manner? There's no way she could've possibly posed that much of a threat to him.

Determined to at least put her patient at ease, she smiled and said, "Well, anyone would be surprised at their appearance if they had been confined without a mirror for as long as you did. Once you've gotten over the shock and we've done something with your hair, I'm sure you'll see you're not as hideous as you think. At any rate, I'm more impressed that you managed to keep your sanity; most people in that kind of situation utterly lose their minds."

"I know. I read about that before. I had a… I think she was a friend… she showed me a book about that sort of thing. If one keeps the mind busy, one is less likely to go insane. So, every day, I thought of ways to escape." She smiled wanly and held out a wrist. "I wasn't very strong, even then, but I did what I could. I just grabbed a rock and beat at the same spot on a chain for as long as possible, planning the entire time what I'd do to get through the rock wall. I'd broken three of the chains before Lion-O found me." At the mention of the Lord of the Thundercat's name, the smile brightened and a light blush flooded her cheeks. "He's very kind."

Oh, dear. I think someone's succumbed to Rescued Maiden Syndrome. Sighing, Pumyra resisted the urge to try and change Star's mind; that would almost guarantee she'd start pursuing the young Lord, only fueling the misguided love-based-on-perception. Instead, the puma said, "What if I speak to him and see if he'll take you outside next week? He's got an evening meeting with RoBear Bill, you can go with him and get to meet our closest allies. You'll be stronger by then, you need the fresh air anyway, and it will reaffirm we have no intention of holding you here against your will." What this needs to cool off is time, and with any luck, the hero-worship will wear off when Lion-O starts making his typical childish mistakes. This is the best cure for RMS.

I'm sure of it.

Star studied the image in the hand mirror Snarf had handed her, holding it up so it reflected the large mirror behind her and she could see what her hair looked like against her back. Unable to resist, she shook her head to watch the long tresses wave back and forth. "Thank you for trimming my hair, Snarf," she told the friendly creature, handing him back the mirror. She turned around on the stool so she could look at her frontal reflection again, a little disappointed at the bland gray pajamas she was wearing. She much preferred skirts. "At least I don't look like Cousin It anymore."

He scratched his head. "Cousin what?"

"No, Cousin It." A mischievous idea popped into her head, and she flippantly added, "What's on second base."

"I have no idea what a second base is, let alone what's on it." At her peals of laughter, he gave her a chiding look. "Why do I get the feeling you're referencing something I know nothing about?"

"I'm sorry, it's just so silly, I couldn't help it!" She smothered her laughter as the door opened, feeling her face flush in pleasure as Lion-O walked in. "Hello again, Thundercat Lord!"

Her face get hotter at his broad grin. "You fixed your hair!"

"Well, Snarf did actually," she replied shyly, struggling not to shrink into herself. "I really didn't like the rats' nest I saw in the mirror this morning."

"I'm glad you didn't see it when we first brought you back here," he teased, holding his hand out to her. "My ears are already hurting imagining the scream you'd let out at that view."

She stuck her tongue out at him as she put her hand in his and leaned on his arm to stand up. She was still a little shaky on her legs, especially after her earlier fright. "At least I didn't stand there admiring my reflection before acting like a douchebag to my nursemaid."

"Ooh, you don't pull your punches." He looked at Snarf, who was sweeping the trimmings off the floor while whistling. "I can't imagine who told you that, either."

"She was feeling bad, I decided to make her feel better," the furry creature said in a dignified manner, daring his charge to admonish him.

"Well, I guess I don't mind." Lion-O returned his gaze to her and winked. "As long as it amused you, Star."

She couldn't think of a reply to that, so she just squeezed his fingers as she glanced up bashfully at him. She might've grown taller over the years, but she still felt tiny next to him; not only was she toothpick-thin compared to his muscular frame, her eyes barely reached up to his chin. I wonder if whoever is making my shoes can add some high heels to them, she pondered, grinning girlishly at the thought. She'd always liked how high heels looked.

Almost as if he understood her silence, his smile softened as he tugged gently at her hand. "Come on, let's go to the Cats' Head, we can watch the sun set from there, then watch the moon and stars come out. Pumyra told me you've been begging to see them."

Eager to spend more time with him, she followed willingly, their fingers still interlocked, with her having to take two steps for every one of his, even with his deliberately slowed pace. She was kind of glad they didn't run into anyone in the hallways; after being by herself for so long, she still wasn't used to being around people. She peeked up at Lion-O, momentarily distracted. Huh. Now that I think about it, it's kind of strange I feel so comfortable around him.

He glanced at her, his grin becoming infectious as she blushed. "I don't suppose you remember your real name yet."

"I remember some names," she admitted. "Laurel, Hardy, Abbott, Costello, Curly, Larry, Moe, Shemp, Curly Joe—but I'm also pretty certain none of them are mine. It's frustrating that I seem to remember everyone else's name but my own." As they reached the shallow stairway, she asked, "Can I climb it myself this time? It's nice that you don't mind carrying me in your arms, but—"

There was a brief flash of disappointment on his face, but it was quickly replaced with stern agreement. "I know, you need to do these things on your own." He considered the number of stairs for a moment. "Alright, you go first. That way if your strength gives out I'll be able to catch you."

She flitted up the steps, easily taking them two at a time. I guess there's an advantage to longer limbs, she thought, glancing down at herself as she reached the platform for the head. To her annoyance, her breasts got in the way, and she poked them irritably. Though not to these blasted things. How did I not notice these monsters all these years? They're the size of cantaloupes. A strong gust of wind blew through the mouth of the Lair, momentarily throwing her off-balance.

Before she even had a chance to shriek, Lion-O leapt up onto the ledge and embraced her from behind. "I got you," he reassured her.

"Thank you," she sighed. She pouted in mortification, reaching up to place her hands over his as she leaned back against his chest gratefully. "This is humiliating. I'm finally able to stand on my own two feet and I get knocked over by a zephyr."

"I'd hardly classify that gale as a zephyr," he gradually tightened his arms around her.

"I still feel like I'm hardly any stronger."

"You are getting stronger. It's just going to take time for you to get better, that's all."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." For some reason she didn't understand, she greatly enjoyed the feel of his arm just under her breasts. Determined to ignore the warmth that spread throughout her body from where he touched her, she glanced up at him and asked, "You and Tygra looked angry with each other this morning. Did something happen?"

Lion-O scowled, though she could easily tell it wasn't aimed at her. "He seems to think something's happening. He told me I'm acting like I'm courting you because I bring you trinkets and flowers."

"Courting, like for eventual marriage?" She frowned. "But the jewelry's from RoBear Belle, and I asked Pumyra and Snarf for flowers, too. Besides, if gifts are an indication of courting, shouldn't he be lecturing Snarf for bringing me books and sweeties?"

They looked at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Well, if Tygra tries confronting me on that again, I'll ask him when he plans to lecture Snarf," he finally managed to say as he controlled his mirth. "That might shut him up for a few days."

"Don't be mean to him!" she chided.

"I won't, I promise. I know he's just being a concerned friend, no matter how much it annoys me." He leaned forward slightly, just enough that she could feel his nose, mouth, and chin press gently against the side of her head through her hair. "What kind of books has Snarf been bringing you?"

"Books on locks." She shuddered slightly, trying hard to force away the mental image of that horrible prison cell. "I've rather developed a fascination for them."

"Makes it easier to unlock them if one knows how they work, hmm?"

"That was my thought process, yes."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're never entrapped like that again."

"Thank you." After a moment, she asked with a grin, "So does my hair smell nice?"

"It does, actually." She could tell he was smiling even if she couldn't see it. After a moment, he mused, "I wouldn't mind courting you eventually."

A wave of pleasure washed over her, warming her considerably despite the stiff wind. Even the weather seemed to mirror what she was feeling; while the sun was still above the horizon, a rainbow dashed across the sky in front of it. Before she could think of a way to reply to him, something started rumbling behind her. For a moment, she had absolutely no idea what it was or why she was certain she could feel vibrations coming from his chest. It wasn't until she recalled the small cats she'd liked as a child that she realized what it was. "Are you purring?"

The rumbling stopped for a brief instant before starting up again. "I am," he chuckled. "I haven't done this since I was a cub."

She couldn't resist teasing, "Will you groom me next?"

"Ah, no. Grooming someone else is definitely not considered polite."

"Oh, good. I'm not sure how I'd feel about being groomed." After a few minutes of enjoying his warmth, she quietly told him, "I don't think I'd mind you courting me, but not yet. Maybe it seems silly to you, but I'd like to be able to stand up against a strong breeze on my own first."

"No, courting you while you're still weak might make you dependent on me. I wouldn't want that, and it wouldn't be long before you resented me for it." He sighed, as if contemplating a sad thought, then added, "I probably ought to let you stand on your own now."

"Probably," she agreed a little regretfully. His purring stopped as she reluctantly pulled away from his warm embrace. "Just keep your hand on my waist in case another zephyr comes by and tries to blow me over the edge, though."

Mumm-Ra scratched his head in confusion as he stared into his pool, wondering why in the world the image pulled up was the night sky. "No," he stated firmly, "I asked for the female the Thundercats call 'Star'." Waving his hands over the water again, the image changed—this time it had honed in on a starfish with leopard print on it. Annoyed but not yet irritated enough to lose his temper, he stared at it for a moment before snapping, "Alright, fine, you don't like her! Give me Lion-O. The way he's been sniffing after this Star for the past two weeks, it's only a matter of time before he's right at her side again anyway." As the image settled on the Lord of the Thundercats, sitting by himself in the control room, Mumm-Ra crossed his arms in puzzlement. "I seem to recollect having this problem before, but that was ages ago, and I certainly don't recall my solution…."

Since nothing interesting was going on at the moment, he started pacing back and forth between the pool and his sarcophagus, muttering to himself. "It's been two weeks since they found Star—or whatever the hell her real name is—and all she's done is recuperate and try to regain her lost memory. Something about her bothers me, but I'm unable to figure out what."

A familiar noise caught his attention, distracting him mid-step. A small rubber ball ricocheted off the wall and bounced into the room, rolling across the floor until it stopped at the step just below his feet. Before long, the sound of scampering feet followed after it, and Ma-Mutt came flying into the room, happily chasing the ball. Mumm-Ra just stood there and watched as his mummified pet ran over to the ball, picked it up, and ran back out of the room again. "I probably should've brought Ma-Mutt out earlier for her," he said to himself. "She's more amicable with him around."

Turning around, he walked back to the pool, staring into the water for a moment. "I'm not going to wait," he stated after a moment. "I'm going to get Slythe and his lackeys in here tonight and order them to kidnap her."

Notes:

1. As mentioned in the description, this story is based more on the British comics, in which the Thundercats never leave Third Earth and they go ALL out on Tyrgra and Bengali being brothers (they made a HUGE deal of it for numerous issues).

2. Since "Star" lived through to the 80s/90s, I thought it would be fun to have her reference old TV shows that would've been running up until her imprisonment.

3. While I really do not like the 2000s comics (as far as I'm concerned, they're fancomics with a budget and poor recollection of the show or original comics), I do kind of get a kick out of the idea of Cheetara and Panthro being a couple.