Trouble with the ThunderKittens

Even though the ThunderCats were on vacation, they didn't mind helping out around the palace or out in the city. They figured it was the least they could do since they were also part of the royal household. They would join their friends in patrolling around the kingdom and helping the common folk whenever there was an opportunity. And while fighting mischievous criminals and dangerous monsters wasn't like fighting Mumm-Ra or the mutants or the Lunataks, the ThunderCats were still happy and willing to help anyone in need.

Even though things were peaceful in Egypt right now, the heroes still knew that Bakura and Max were somewhere out there, waiting to attack at the right moment while continuing to do evil deeds in serving the Dark Lord Cobalt. As much as the ThunderCats wanted to go out there and find Bakura and Max, they knew that they mustn't be reckless about it. Besides, the outskirts were forbidden and they did promise not to go out there.

The ThunderKittens had a different idea, despite being warned of the dangers. Instead of looking for Bakura and Max, they would look for Luna instead and ask her for more information regarding the two villains. In addition, seeing her would also confirm if she really was helping the enemy willingly or unwillingly.

Riding on Latias and Latios, Wilykat and Wilykit headed to the outskirts. Wilykit suddenly started having second thoughts. "I'm not sure this is a good idea, Wilykat."

"We've got to try to find Luna," he said. "If we talk to her, we can find out more about Bakura and Max and see if she's really on our side."

"I guess so," his sister figured. "Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"The queen said Luna lived in a village in the outskirts," he recalled. "Maybe we'll find her there."

"But the outskirts are really dangerous," Wilykit stated.

"We won't know how bad it is until we get there," said Wilykat, and they continue riding the dragons.

Wilykit was still feeling uneasy about the whole thing. It seemed like a good idea at first, but Max and Bakura were out here too and after hearing about how dangerous they were, well, she hoped she and her brother weren't biting off more than they could chew. True, the ThunderKittens could protect themselves, but they had never met Bakura or Max before and neither of them had any idea what they were capable of.

The dragons brought the ThunderKittens to the outskirts. Wilykit and Wilykat got down and gently petted them. "Are we in the right place?" the girl asked.

"I think so," her brother answered. "Hey, I can see something." And the two of them ran ahead, coming to what looked like a village in ruins.

"What do you think happened here?" Wilykit asked.

"I don't know," Wilykat answered. "Seto and the others said this village got caught in the wars that threatened the kingdom back when they were all still little. He said the village was attacked and everyone in it had been killed."

Wilykit shuddered at the site. It gave an ominous vibe.

"Come on," said Wilykat. "Let's check it out."

"I don't want to go in there," she said. "It looks plenty creepy."

Wilykat smirked, thinking his sister was being scared. "Then why don't you stay here while I take a look around," he suggested. "I'll call you if I find anything."

"Be careful, Wilykat," his sister warned, watching him walk off.

Wilykat slowly walked through the streets, unaware that he was being watched.

Bakura and Max were watching from the shadows. "That boy is one of those ThunderCats, isn't he?" Bakura asked.

"Yes," Max answered. "He doesn't look like he's any trouble, but we can't be too careful." She looked over at their own Magical Creatures. There were three dogs called Mightyena, Arcanine, and Houndoom. There was also a black fox called Zoroark and a ghoulish monster named Darkrai. Max nodded at them, gesturing to spread out and scare the boy.

As Wilykat continued walking, he felt as though someone was watching him. He heard that the ruins of Kul Elna were haunted by the evil spirits of the villagers who were killed. He didn't believe it to be true until now. Wilykat suddenly saw something black flash by. Something else ran off in another direction. Nervous, Wilykat stepped back when suddenly, he felt something land at his feet, scaring him. He began running back to his sister.

"He's getting way," Max shouted.

Wilykit saw her brother coming towards her.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here," Wilykat cried. Wilykit didn't argue as she began running with her brother.

Bakura saw both of the ThunderKittens and told Max, "We need to corner them."

"Leave it to me," she said. She whistled sharply and the dogs began attacking the ThunderKittens. Mightyena stopped in front of Wilykat, baring his teeth and snarling. Wilykit held her back against her brother's as Houndoom growled at her. Wilykat tossed a pellet at Mightyena and a cloud of smoke was released, causing the dog to breathe it in and become dazed. Wilykit tossed her own pellet at Houndoom's paws and a sticky substance was released. This was their chance to escape, but just when they were about to, they suddenly blacked out. A sleeping spell was casted on them.

Latias and Latios were watching while they were invisible and they saw that the ThunderKittens were in trouble. Latios told his sister to go back to the palace and get help. He also wanted her to contact him with their psychic powers so he'd be able to show everyone what was happening. Latias agreed and hurried home as quickly as she could. She also became visible again.

At the palace courtyard, the royals were entertaining the ThunderCats with music and dancing, singing songs and playing their instruments. Suddenly, the Sword of Omens gave off its warning signal. Lion-O told everyone to stop for a minute. He placed the hilt close to his eyes. "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight." He saw Wilykit and Wilykat unconscious and being carried off by two figures wearing dark hooded cloaks. "Wilykat and Wilykit have been captured," he alerted his friends. "They appear to be in a ruined village somewhere in the outskirts."

"What?" Freya asked.

"Dang blast it," Joseph grunted. "We told those kids not to go out there!"

"We've got to help them," said Mahad.

At the same time, Pumyra saw Latias coming in. "It's Latias, but where's Latios?"

"Those two are usually together and the ThunderKittens are always with them," said Kisara. "Something really bad must have happened for Latias to be coming home on her own."

"I don't like this," said Cheetara.

The red and white dragon stopped before the heroes. "Latias, what happened?" Freya asked. She gives a distressed howl in response. Suddenly, her eyes start glowing and everyone's surroundings change.

"Don't worry," Kisara was saying, "this is the power of Sight Sharing. We're seeing exactly what Latios is seeing."

"Latios must be showing us what's happened to Kit and Kat," Lion-O figured. It was just like he saw through the Sword of Omens, only this time, everyone was seeing it. As the ThunderKittens were brought to a large old house by their captives, the vision ended.

"Who were those guys?" Panthro asked.

"And what was that place?" Bengali asked. "It was in ruins."

"If I had to guess, I'd say that that's what's left of Luna's birthplace," Tygra was saying, "the evil village Kul Elna. Wilykat and Wilykit must have gone looking for Luna and gotten into trouble."

Freya's blood began to boil. "If that's true, I'm going to give those ThunderKittens a serious reprimanding."

"We'll have to find them first," said Lion-O. "Latias, can you take us to the village?" She nods and howls in response and the heroes hurry to get ready.

Meanwhile, Wilykit and Wilykat regained consciousness and saw that they were tied up. They also looked and figured that they were in some kind of ruined old house.

"So you woke up quicker than I thought you would," said a man's voice. Wilykat and Wilykit looked and saw the man in front of them. He had dark skin, white hair, purple eyes, and a scar under his right eye. They also saw his partner. Next to him was a woman wearing black clothes along with a black veil over her face, making only her cobalt blue eyes visible. The ThunderKittens wondered if these were the villains they had heard about: Bakura and Max.

Bakura approached the ThunderKittens, scaring them. "What are your names?" he asked calmly.

"Wilykat," the boy answered nervously.

"Wilykit," the girl answered with a scared voice.

As strange as he figured their names were, Bakura didn't think it was of any concern. "I'm not sure if you know who I am," he was saying.

"We might have an idea," Wilykat interrupted. "Bakura and Max."

"They say you're more than just notorious thieves and murderers," Wilykit was saying. "You're also in service to the Dark Lord Cobalt. In fact, you're his true heir, Bakura."

Neither of the two thieves were surprised that they would know. They weren't the least bit impressed either. "Well, we've heard about you too. You're the ThunderCats we've been hearing so much about."

Wilykat and Wilykit groaned, fearing what these villains were going to do to them.

"Perhaps we should cut to the chase," Max suggested. "You know us and we know you. We know of your alliance with the royal family and you know that they are our most hated enemies. I'm sure you understand why."

They did understand. Because Bakura was the heir of Cobalt and Mystery was the heiress of Millennia, they were natural born enemies. Once they would meet, they would be forced to fight on behalf of the Great Goddess and the Dark Lord and ultimately decide the fate of the world. What the ThunderKittens didn't know, however, was that Max and Bakura's reasons for their hatred against the royal family was deeper than they realized. Nonetheless, they tried to be bold. "Whatever you're planning, it will fail," said Wilykat.

"You'll live to regret it," Wilykit snapped.

"Oh?" Bakura asked. "And why is that?"

"Trust us when we say you'll be in big trouble," Wilykat warned. "When Lion-O gets here-,"

"Lion-O?" Bakura asked.

"Their leader, apparently," said Max. She looks at the ThunderKittens. "We're not afraid of you or your comrades. In fact, we're looking forward to meeting all of the ThunderCats."

"Don't trifle with us," Wilykat warned.

"You're in no position to be making any threats, boy," said Bakura. "You have no idea what Max and I are capable of."

Wilykit and Wilykat hated to admit it, but he was right. It would be best not to test these villains and find out. Wilykit got an idea. She motioned for her brother to reach for one of the pellets at her belt. Wilykat understood and grabbed a pellet with his teeth and put it in his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked.

In response, Wilykat smirks and blows smoke at the two villains, irritating their eyes and causing them to cough. This was their chance to escape. They saw a dagger close by and used it to cut their ropes. Once they were free, they left the house and started running through the streets, hoping to get out of the village.

After recovering their bearings, Bakura and Max noticed that Wilykit and Wilykat were gone. Max had a feeling that the other ThunderCats would be coming here soon and she got an idea. "I'll be back." She grabbed a hooded cloak and put it on and ran outside. Bakura didn't always understand Max' ideas, but he trusted her.

Wilykit and Wilykat made it out if the village, but they didn't stop running. At least, not until they bumped into a hooded figure in front of them, causing them to scream with fright.

The figure, a woman, grabbed Wilykit by her wrist and said, "Hold it right there."

Wilykat tried forcing her grip off of his sister. "Leave her alone," he shouted. "Leave my sister alone!"

"Take it easy," the woman said. "It's only me." She removed her hood, revealing herself to be Luna.

Wilykit was surprised. "Luna? Where'd you come from?"

"It doesn't matter," she said quietly. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

The ThunderKittens weren't sure if they should consider themselves lucky or in bigger trouble. They were told to be careful of Luna, but it did seem like she was here to help them.

True to her word, Luna brought them a few miles out of the village, and not a moment too soon, as they saw the heroes arriving. Latias was leading the way with Salamence and Flygon. Seto and Tygra were riding on Salamence while Lion-O and Freya were riding on Flygon with Joseph. Luna tried to flee from the scene, but Tygra got down and used his bolo whip and snagged her by her legs. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked her.

Wilykat stood in front of Luna and stretched his arms out. "No, wait, guys, it's not what it looks like."

Freya pulled him away and kicked up some sand towards Luna. "Wilykat, stay away from her!"

"No, you don't understand," Wilykit argued. "She saved us!"

Freya didn't want to believe it. "She's dangerous! You can't trust her!"

Lion-O held up his hand to stop her. "Take it easy, Freya. I'm sure there's an explanation."

Joseph looked back and forth between Luna and his friends. "I guess we should hear her out." He looked at the ThunderKittens. "We'll settle with you two when we get home."

Wilykat and Wilykit groaned, knowing they were in for a harsh punishment. They knew they would deserve it, though, given the trouble they caused.

Tygra released Luna and she began speaking. "It's true. I saw Wilykit and Wilykat being attacked and I hurried to rescue them."

"By who?" Lion-O asked.

"Bakura and Max," she answered.

The heroes gasped at that, but Seto narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you lying to us?" He wondered if Luna was just saying this to make herself look like a hero and trying to gain their favor.

"No," Luna insisted.

"I don't think she's lying," said Lion-O. "You guys mentioned that Bakura and Max live in these parts."

"Yes, we did," the brunette replied. "And that's why we warned all of you not to come here."

"Maybe we should let this go for the moment," Joseph said, wanting to avoid any potential arguments. He looks at Luna and tells her, "Thank you, Luna, for helping our friends."

"Yes, you have our gratitude," Lion-O paused, then said, "for the moment."

Luna was used to this. "I know you don't trust me and I understand why, but I do mean well," she insisted. "Still, all the same." She looked at the ThunderKittens. "And I know you two didn't mean to cause trouble, but for your sakes, it would be best if you didn't come back here or come looking for me again. I saved you this once, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to save you again."

The ThunderKittens understood. "Well, thanks for saving us," said Wilykit.

Seto grabbed them by their wrists. "Let's go." He pulled them away and gave them a firm shove towards the dragon twins. Wilykit mounted on Latias and Wilykat mounted on Latios. The rest of the heroes mounted on Salamence and Flygon and began making their return to the palace.

Bakura was watching from the shadows. As he watched the heroes leave, he thought to himself, So that's the Lord of the ThunderCats. Prepare yourself, Lion-O, for one day, we will meet face-to-face.

On the way back, Lion-O had a lingering feeling of uncertainty. If Luna did save Wilykit and Wilykat as she claimed, then maybe she could be trusted. However, he didn't want to forget Jaga's warning. He was still going to be careful. Nevertheless, he was very disappointed in the ThunderKittens. He knew they probably meant well, but they took it too far this time.

When they returned to the palace, the heroes were scolding the ThunderKittens. "You disobeyed us," said Seto. "We told you the outskirts are dangerous. You deliberately put yourselves in danger."

"We know and we're sorry," said Wilykat. "We thought, maybe if we talked to Luna, she could tell us more about Bakura and Max."

"You actually believed that?" Freya asked, outraged. "Luna cannot be trusted. She's with the enemy."

"But she saved us," Wilykit protested.

"It doesn't matter," Freya snapped. "You two could have been killed."

Kisara agreed with her cousin, and she stated, "We warned you already that Bakura is an opportunistic thief and murderer."

The queen decided to calm the situation. "All right, everyone. I think Wilykit and Wilykat have learned their lesson."

Lion-O agreed, but he also figured a punishment was still in order. "For your recklessness, you two will be confined to Cats' Lair for a week."

The ThunderKittens moaned, but they knew they deserved this. This meant that they wouldn't be allowed to visit their friends here at the palace and that they weren't allowed to come along and do ThunderCat missions back in Third Earth either.

Kisara decided that it was a fair punishment for that impulsivity. Freya gave them one last glance of disappointment and she walked off to pet Sakuya.

Lion-O apologized to the pharaoh and queen. "I'm awfully sorry about this, Pharaoh and Queen. But we will further discuss this when we return home to our world."

"I should hope so," Atem replied. While he was happy that Wilykat and Wilykit were rescued and brought back safely, they needed to be reminded of the seriousness of the danger they put themselves in no matter how good they thought their intentions were.

The ThunderCats bowed in respect and began walking out of the palace, making the return home to their world.

Kisara looked at Freya and saw that she still carried that disappointed expression. But it wasn't just disappointment she saw in her cousin. She could also sense anger and she knew what that anger was about. As such, she decided to talk to her little cousin. "Freya," she began, and her little cousin looked at her. "It's about Luna, isn't it? That's why you're upset."

"How'd you guess," the younger cousin asked sarcastically.

"Because I know you like that," Kisara answered. As vague of a response as it was, it was still the truth. They had been together ever since they were little and as such, they knew each other so well.

"I know she didn't really save Wilykit and Wilykat," Freya snorted. "She just wanted to look like a hero so we could trust her, but I wasn't fooled for an instant."

Kisara wasn't there, so she didn't see what happened. For that matter, she wasn't going to take any sides. But in her humble opinion, in a situation like this, she figured it would be best to give Luna the benefit of the doubt. But she wasn't going to mention that detail. She instead said, "Freya, I know you don't like Luna and I understand why," she was saying, "but you shouldn't let your anger towards her blind you to what's important."

Freya narrowed her eyes. It always upset her to hear her friends tell her that she was blinded by hatred. She thought that they were the blind ones for not seeing Luna's cunning and façade. But rather than say that out loud, she instead asked, "And what's important?"

The elder cousin smiled and pointed out, "We got Wilykit and Wilykat back safely, didn't we? Shouldn't we count our blessings that they're alive and we got them back before anything bad could happen to them?"

Freya softened up at her cousin's point. "You're right, Kisara."

"And remember," continued Kisara, "you're a follower of Millennia. That means we have to try to show heart and understanding even towards people we may not like or get along with. I know you've often questioned the concept about truly being one of her chosen children, but remember that you made the choice as much as she chose you. You chose to be one of her followers when you were told that she saw the good in you despite having dark power. And you've learned to use that dark power in you for good."

Freya kept silent as she listened. She had thought about all of those things very often over the years and needed to discuss it with her friends again and again. She also knew what Kisara was also trying to tell her. Kisara didn't want her little cousin to be taken over by her anger and consumed by the dark power within her as well. Freya didn't want that either. She didn't want to lose her way. She wanted to be a better person.

Finally, she spoke and said, "I know what you mean, Kisara, and I get it. But I don't think I can bring myself to open up to Luna. And when I told the ThunderCats about my intuition towards her about her being bad, Lynx-O said I should trust my instincts. So that's what I'm going to do."

Kisara sighed in response. She tried, but it was clear that her little cousin had made up her mind. "Very well," she replied. "I won't try to stop you. But please understand, Freya," and she places her hands over Freya's cheeks and they look at each other, "I love you and I want to support you even when I can't agree with you. And remember, you have me and the rest of our friends. You're not alone."

Freya places her hands over her cousin's and gently smiles. "I know, Kisara, and I'm glad for that. And I promise, I won't forget what's truly important; you, our friends, and our family."

Kisara nodded in response. She knew that Freya didn't want to lose sight of what was truly important. She knew her cousin didn't want to become a monster or be like the enemy and be taken over by darkness. Freya did vow that she wouldn't let the darkness within her control her or define who she was. Still, she was going to need the love and support of the people she cared about to keep that vow. But as Kisara promised her, Freya wasn't alone.

A/N: What are Luna's secrets? Are Freya's instincts right about her? I would also like to give a special thanks to Disneylover93 with help on this chapter.