"Look, Cheetara!"
The cheetah woman followed Pumyra's call to attention when the door in front of her lit up bright blue. It was a calming, warm presence.
Then, with a blast, it erupted outward in a wave and Cheetara and Pumyra were coated in it. Hard to define the sensation but it definitely was not evil. The closest thing Cheetara found herself imagining was a relaxing run on a cool day with nothing to do but enjoy herself. That was the feeling contained in that wave.
But the light went on as soon as it arrived.
"Pumyra, are you alright?"
The puma jogged over. "Yes. I feel good, actually. That must have been Mumm-Rana."
Cheetara nodded. "Maybe she was able to do something." Cheetara reached out and pulled on the door, focusing on a hanging golden rope.
No such luck. It didn't react to her grip in the slightest.
"Well, no help on this end." Cheetara said with a sigh. "But I know whatever that was, it was good."
"Cheetara!" Pumyra spoke with such intensity that Cheetara immediately grasped her arm. "Look out!"
It didn't take long for Cheetara's sixth sense to catch up with Pumyra's warning. With the pouring rain, once more, came that twisting black mist.
But as before, it moved with purpose. No longer wasting its time with the environment or other beings, it crept upon the Pyramid like a disease: focused and intent.
"No!" As before, Pumyra and Cheetara planted themselves in front, barring entry through the closed door. But as stout as they were, they lacked the numbers. With openings to exploit, the mist did just that—slipping around their ankles and through the open space between skin and stone.
Yet as it slipped out of their grasp and through the heavy door, the Pyramid, seemingly of its own accord, opening for them.
Not questioning their good fortune, Pumyra and Cheetara took off after the darkness at a dead sprint.
OOO
Mumm-Rana stopped in mid-sentence, standing upright.
WilyKat asked, "Mumm-rana, what is it?"
Without answering directly, she lifted her arms. "Ancient Spirits of Goodness. Cast your protection over these young Thundercats so they might have a chance to free their friends and free Third Earth from Mumm-ra's evil treachery!"
A faint blue light illuminated each statue's eye and a moment later, the Thunderkittens found themselves bathed in it. Warm, inviting. Their hearing went for a moment but there was a distinct feeling of magic and combat. By the time their vision cleared, Mumm-rana stood in front of them, in her warrior state, and they barely caught the final wisps of darkness vanishing through the roof.
"Wh-what was that?" WikyKit found her voice. "What happened?"
"That, my dear, was the final wave of Mumm-ra's spell. He sent three waves to make sure all his enemies were claimed. You two have escaped it thrice."
Exchanging glances, the twins said as one, "How did we do that?"
With a smile, Mumm-rana opened her hand, gesturing to two pendants, with the dove symbol Mumm-rana wore about her head. "The Ancient Spirits of Goodness have cast their protection upon you this time. While it can't protect you from all trials, it will preserve you from this spell."
The two young Thunderians fingered the pendants. Smooth and cool to the touch, they radiated with warmth, like sunlight caught through a window on a cloudy day.
"Thank you," WilyKit said with reverence and a slightly dipped head. "Seems we've luck on our side."
Mumm-Rana shook her head. "Not luck. Intuition." She waved her hand over the cauldron and now they saw the dark mist creeping through the Treetop Kingdom but avoiding the closed hut where they'd slept.
"Wave one was to attack more location than person. But if there was an opening, I'm the spell would follow. But you were wise enough to be sheltered."
Kit sent her brother a grateful gaze.
"Last night, the spell craved people, especially in places it had already been."
Kat nodded "Like Cats Lair."
"But," Kit protested. "We were wide open then. Just huddled into the cliff really."
"And loyalty protected you." Mumm-Rana clarified.
In the pool, the twins saw themselves, not even a day earlier but after a moment, though they were faint, like poor reflections in broken glass—
"The others were there?" WilyKit struggled to keep her voice level. "They all were there." Her attempts failed and her voice cracked.
"And here." Mumm-Rana said softly.
"Here?" WilyKat turned. "Where?"
Mumm-Rana held her hand still, the fingers glowing light blue. And like a shadow coming out of a fog, two figures appeared, one each directly behind the kittens.
Pale blue and transparent yet unmistakable.
"Pumyra! Cheetara!" WilyKit flung herself at the puma and her brother to the cheetah.
And, by Jaga, they could touch them. A feather-touch, one fragile and weak but they could touch them!
The twins broke.
OOO
Cheetara didn't know how long this would last. She was not fool enough to think that it was permanent. Mumm-rana had her limits too, after all.
But at the moment, with WilyKat clinging to her so desperately, she was grateful for whatever power allowed her to hug him back.
"Cheetara! You're okay! You're okay." He repeated himself, shaking his head as his shoulders trembled.
The cheetah knelt, pulling him into a tight embrace so his face was pushed against her shoulder. She caught Mumm-rana's weary gaze and mouthed 'thank you.'
"Shh, kitten." She spoke to the young boy. "It's alright. Everything is going to be alright. We're here with you. Even if you can't see us, we're here."
Pumyra rested her forehead on WilyKit's gently wiping her tears away. "You're doing wonderful, WilyKit. We've been with you every step of the way."
"We couldn't see you or the others." The female kitten sobbed.
"I know but we were there." She stroked the girl's hair. "We're always here."
"And once you leave my pyramid, I'm afraid lack of vision will return." Mumm-rana approached. "But, feel your pendants, my friends."
The two kittens obeyed, finding the stone oddly warm.
"While you will not be able to see your friends outside my Pyramid, when they are close, your stone pendants will burn with heat. Against a spell so strong, it is all I can do. I'm sorry." Her face was downtrodden. "If I could, I would help more but I am bound to stay close to my Pyramid."
"You've already done so much." WilyKit replied. "Thank you." She moved to hug Cheetara and her brother went to Pumyra.
WilyKat lingered as long as he dared, taking comfort in the close contact. To imagine it gone and gone forever, he could not fathom it. He would not. "Mumm-rana, how do we get to this continent?"
"Continent?" Cheetara asked.
"What continent?" Pumyra inquired.
Mumm-rana answered softly. "Start at the Village of the Nai People. Keep the sun on your back and follow the sea horizon until the waves foam dark."
Cheetara looked between the twins. "What is she saying?"
"We have a plan, Cheetara." WilyKat replied. "Let's…get back to where the others are and we'll tell you all."
If he and his sister dragged their feet leaving the temple and still clung to the empty space when the spell that gave them sight of their loved ones faded, well, one could hardly blame them.
But it ignited a fire in their hearts. Distance, tricks, monsters, it didn't matter. They would find a way to hold, touch, hug, kiss me their loved ones again or die trying.