Nightmares

By Black Eagle

            Lady Aquila of the Stellar Court gazed at the ceiling of her chambers, which were decorated with silver, black, and crimson. She lay on her circular bed, remembering her brief success and then ultimate failure against the Thundercats.

            They were not pleasant memories for her.

*Aquila held all the five Thunderan Talismans in the cupped palms of her hands, then threw them up in the air, shouting one word…”Combine!”

They were surrounded by a ball of gold-colored light, and then the light was gone. In the place of the five Talismans was one large stone, glowing with power, that dropped into her waiting hands.

She lifted it above her head. “I am the Mistress of Feuds! Darkness Swift, come to me; Feuds of Death, give me your Glory!”

All at once, the long-dead Thunderans, and the living ones, began fighting each, re-enacting feuds that had long been over, some for centuries, some for merely a few years.

Any fight that had ever happened between Thunderan clans sprung to life again, just as the day it had started.

But Aquila was not done. “Anger, Hatred, for ever after, you shall rule over Joy and Laughter!”

Any thought of not fighting that had been in anyone’s mind quickly disappeared, as anger and hatred grew quickly, seemingly strengthening the Mistress of Feuds.

 “I love a Death Feud,” she cried, “They’re the best kind! Everyone killing one another, never wanting to, but the hatred urging them on!”

The stone that was once the five Talismans pulsed brightly then, in a flash of light surrounding the entire area, it exploded, shattering into the five Talismans, each Talisman going back to it’s rightful owner.

With the explosion, the spells wore off, and all stopped fighting. “What…what happened,” was a common question, as everyone asked it the moment they were no longer under the spell.

Lady Aquila also was wondering that. “What happened! The Talismans, where did they go?!”

Jaga stepped forward. “It gives limitless power to the bearer, but the power only lasts a short while.”

“No matter, I can still defeat you!” Again, she held her arms up, forming the two destructive balls of purplish-black lightning.

Lion-o raised the Sword of Omens. “Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats, HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

As this new, red, light covered the sorceress her eyes widened in panic. “I will not be defeated! I am Aquila! I am the Black Eagle! I am IMMORTAL!”*

            True, she had escaped, but that did not matter, she had failed Lord Zodiac, and that was always cause for alarm. Failure was not taken lightly at the Stellar Court.

*Lady Aquila kneeled before Lord Zodiac in his “throne chamber”, a small room where he saw only a few people at a time. In the darkened room, he preferred to keep it shadowed, she could only make out his seated figure from mid-chest down. Still, she did have to see his face to know he was not pleased.

            “I am very disappointed with you, Lady Aquila, it is not like you to fail.”

            “My Lord, I can explain—“

            “Explanation is not necessary, my Lady. I was watching, and saw what happened.”

            Her heartbeat quickened, wondering what punishment he would dish out for her. “You were, my Lord?”

            “Indeed, I was. And I believe you handled the situation quite nicely.”

            “Thank you, my Lord.”

            Now his voice rang out like cold steel. “But failure is not accepted, Aquila. You might loose status. You may go.”

            Threats, and not empty ones either, for Zodiac had imprisoned for less, but apparently he did not deem it as a large failure. “Thank you, Lord Zodiac,” she said, getting up, and exiting.

As she reached the door Zodiac stopped her. “Oh, and Lady Aquila?”

“Yes, my Lord?”

“Watch your back. It is a treacherous world out there.”*

Cosmos, she was glad that she had gotten by without punishment. And though she had been ridiculed at the Court, mainly by Zodiac’s twelve attendants, especially Gemini, many of the Court’s occupants were friends, and many had failed Zodiac at least one.

“How can I get back at the Thundercats,” she wondered, “There must be some way!”

Just then, a small silver bell rang, announcing she had visitors. She got up and walked towards the large double doors that were the entrance to her chambers and waved her hand over them; making them transparent just long enough for her to see who it was.

To her delight it was her friends, Cassiopeia, Mistress of Nightmares, and Pegasus, Master of Dreams.

“Cassiopeia, Pegasus, come in! It’s always nice to see you two. And you just gave me the greatest idea….”

At Cats Lair, Cheetara was just getting back from her morning run. As she reached the gorge in front of it, the drawbridge extended to meet her. She walked on the bridge to the other side, and then the bridge withdrew.

Entering the Lair, she walked to the kitchen for a glass of water, which Snarf gave her happily.

“Snarf, snarf, here’s your water, Cheetara!”

“Thank you, Snarf,” she said, accepting the glass. She took a long sip, enjoying the feel of the cool water running down her throat. Handing it back to Snarf, she went to Tygra’s lab.

Seeing he was in the middle of an experiment, she stood just inside the door, waiting until he looked up from it.

“Hello, Cheetara, something bothering you?”

“No, not really. Just wondering if you’ve heard anything from Leona lately.”

“Leona, hmm? No, I haven’t. Why?”

“No reason. But I suppose it’s because that I can’t help but wonder why she chooses to remain so solitary!”

“Some people like to be alone, you know.”

She raised an eyebrow, insulted. “All right, I’ll leave.”

“No, no, you took that the wrong way! I was just stating a fact, I didn’t mean to hint that you should leave!”

She sighed, then laughed. “Have you seen how Wily Kit has been acting whenever Leona comes up in subject? It seems quite a bond has formed between the two of them.”

“Well, at least she hasn’t started wearing all black.”

“Yes, that’s true. I feel kind of sorry for Leona, you know.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, she told Wily Kit and myself that during the feud with the Pumas she was a…. Prisoner of war.”

“No wonder she hates Pumyra.”

Cheetara smiled, “Yes, I’d say that’s a very good reason.”

Tygra gestured to the experiment sitting on the table. “If you don’t mind, I really should be getting back to work.”

“Of course, I don’t mind at all.” Cheetara left, and Tygra got back to his experiment, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Leona.

“What is it about that woman,” he wondered, “that keeps preying on my mind like this?” He remembered when he, Lion-o, and Cheetara had found Leona’s house, and how she had knocked them all unconscious, and then how he had led Panthro and Pumyra back there the next day.

The results were disastrous, of course, but he could not help being mesmerized by what went on. He would have interfered, but something inside had told him to let things play out.

He remembered how Leona had fought, loosing arrows with all amounts of grace and agility. “Grace and agility?!” he thought, “Tygra, old boy, you’re loosing it!”

Banishing thoughts of the Black Leopard female, he returned to his experiment.

“So Aquila, honey, what you’re saying is you want us to search the Thundercats' minds for their worst fears and memories and bring them back in dreams?”

“Yes, Cassiopeia, that’s what I’m saying. However, not all of those who fought me on the Astral Plane were Thundercats. The Black Leopard female was not.”

“Also,” Pegasus broke in, “I have studied these Thunderans and found that there are three that did not travel to the Astral Plane. An old male Lynx, seemingly blind, and two kittens, apparently a mixed breed. What shall we do with them?”

“Three more Thundercats, hmm? I have no grudge against them. I suppose that, if possible, you can put them into a deep sleep. But that isn’t really necessary. After all, what damage can two kittens and an old blind guy do?”

Cassiopeia laughed. “Indeed, what damage at all?” She shook her head. “Aquila, when would you like us to do this for you?”

Lady Aquila grinned. “You mean you will,” she said, delighted. Then, realizing she sounded a bit too eager, she regained her composure. “That is, thank you, my friends. I am in your debt.”

“Think of it as a debt repaid,” Pegasus said, “You did, after all, ‘neglect’ to mention to Lord Zodiac our involvement in the Charazim fiasco.”

Aquila bit back a smile. Charazim was a planet near Monoceros. Cassiopeia and Pegasus had been performing certain experiments, testing their magic…. This hadn’t made the Charazim people very happy.

Zodiac had sent Lady Aquila to Charazim to see what was the matter. If there was fighting involved, Aquila could put a stop to it, however reluctantly. Once there, she found her two friends and things developed from there.

And, as Pegasus had said, Aquila “neglected” to mention their involvement in the fiasco to Lord Zodiac.

At that moment, stopping any further conversation, the bell summoning all to the Stellar Court rang. Standing up, Pegasus said, “Well, Aquila, we shall see you at the Stellar Court, I suppose.”

“Indeed, my friend, you will.” Also standing, Lady Aquila opened the door to her chambers and, followed by her friends, walked out.

As all the Lords and Ladies residing in Zodiac’s palace hurried to their places in the Stellar Court, they were greeted at the doors by the hard faces of Zodiac’s twelve attendants.

“Aires, Taurus, Gemini,” greeted Orion warily.

“Cancer, Leo, Virgo,” smiled Aquila nervously.

“Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius,” Draco growled—not angrily, a growl was Draco’s normal speaking voice.

“And let’s not forget Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces,” said Cassiopeia wryly.

Taurus glared at the many Lords and Ladies gathered outside the great hall that was the Stellar Court. “Why are you here, Orion? And you, Hydra, Vulpecula, and Columba? In fact, why are any of you here?”

“We were summoned, Taurus,” said Draco, “In case you have forgotten.”

“Yeah, by a large brass bell that looks a lot like the one Capricorn and Aires are holding,” Andromeda quipped.

“Andromeda, honey,” said Cassiopeia, “Shut up. You’re not helping.”

Andromeda pouted, and Taurus said, “Your insolence will not go unnoticed. You were not summoned intentionally.”

A Lady of the Court stepped forward, pushing her way through the crowd. She was six feet, as were many of the Court’s occupants, with blond hair coiled in a bun and light brown eyes. She wore a pleated Greek toga; sleeveless, fastened at the shoulders by circular gold clips and at the waist tied with a golden colored cord. The only item of jewelry was a gold medallion attached to a bracelet made of gold beads on her right wrist. In her arms she carried a small gold harp.

She was Lyra, Mistress of Harmony. “Taurus,” she said, “we all know that‘s not true. If we are summoned we are summoned, if we’re not, we’re not. It’s as simple as that. Stop making this hard on yourself and the other Advisors, and tell us what is going on.”

“Taurus, just tell them what happened! And if you don’t, we will!” This was said by Gemini, who, with two heads, was referring to itself when it said “we” would tell them.

“Grmmf…”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Gemini’s female head, glancing quickly at her brother —or more accurately, the male head of Gemini— for approval. “You see, Sagittarius bumped into Libra, who stumbled into Virgo, who got pushed into Aires, who rammed—no pun intended—into Capricorn, who fell over the bell, kicking it in the process, making it ring.”

“You forgot to mention that it was Gemini who knocked into Sagittarius in the first place,” said Pisces.

“Ahh…well…grmmf…..”

“So what you’re saying,” said Lady Aquila, who was getting extremely annoyed, “is that we weren’t even summoned, and that the only reason we’re here is because Capricorn tripped over the bell?!”

“Pretty much,” Gemini agreed, this time the male head.

This did not make anyone happy, the Advisors, or the Lords and Ladies of the Stellar Court. As the Lords and Ladies walked away, muttering to themselves, the Advisors glared at each other and walked away also, some to their chambers, others outside, and others to get something to eat at one of the Stellar Court’s many restaurants.

Now, the “Stellar Court” was the name for the actual Court and all surrounding areas. The restaurants were not inside the palace. And the palace was not the Stellar Court, just the building that housed the hall/ballroom which was the real Stellar Court.

Lady Aquila and Lady Lyra were two of those who went to get some food. Sitting down at a table on the far wall of the establishment, Lyra noticed at woman sitting at a table near the center of the room. At first glance it appeared to be Virgo, but another proved it to be someone entirely different.

“Aquila,” said Lyra to her friend, “Do you know that woman over there? I thought it was Virgo, but it’s not her coloring…besides, she despises black.”

Aquila glanced at the woman Lyra had pointed out, her eyes widening in recognition. “Sweet mother of Polaris…tell me it isn’t! Please, tell me it isn’t!”

Lyra glanced quizzically at her black-haired companion, and her eyes, which were normally smooth, now glinted mischievously. “Something wrong?”

Apparently, her companion did not notice. “You could say that….” At that moment, the woman who Lyra mistook for Virgo stood and walked to their table, only twenty feet’s distance.

“So, we meet again, Lady Aquila of the Stellar Court,” said the woman coolly, and Lyra couldn’t help but be amazed at the woman’s ability to pay no attention to her—though they most certainly were acquainted—as well as to change her appearance ever so slightly, but enough so that it disguised her true form.

“The pleasure’s all yours,” snapped Aquila, while Lyra just sat, taking in the conversation and making mental notes on it.

“Now, there’s no need to be upset. I’m only here to warn you, Aquila.”

“Warn me of what?”

“This new ‘project’ of yours. I don’t want to have to involve myself in this further. You will discontinue it, if you know what’s good for you.”

“I will not take orders from you, gsere,” Aquila hissed.

“Indeed, you do not have to, stadja,” replied the woman. “But it would benefit you greatly to do so.”

With that she disappeared, not an uncommon occurrence, but still a slight shock to see, especially since she, unlike many others, did not use special effects like lightning or smoke.

“Aquila…..what was that about?”

Grouchily, the Mistress of Feuds turned back to Lyra. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Said her blond haired companion, smiling, since, she did, after all, know what it was about. Playing dumb wasn’t all that hard to do. “That’s perfectly all right. So, have you heard what Hydrus said? About Hydra?”

“No, what’d he say?”

“Well, he said…” from there the topic of conversation turned to court gossip, and a few political things.

“Back flip. Back flip. Back flip off of tree limb to ground.” Leona repeated these words in her head unconsciously as she performed the actions.

The process of saying—or rather thinking—the word or words she was performing had been drilled into her when she was in the army. Now she did it without thinking.

“Grab arrow. Ready bow. Shoot!” She shot an arrow towards a target hung on the tree she had been doing her flips on. Though she did hit the bulls-eye, the arrow was a small bit to the right of the exact center. It was enough for her to be upset about.

She glared at it, cursing in Thunderan. “I could’ve done better than that,” she muttered, retrieving the arrow.

Returning that particular arrow to her quiver, she selected another one, this Leona aimed at a goose flying overhead.  With a squawk the bird toppled down, arrow piercing its chest.

“At least I can still provide my own food,” she thought, “the last thing I want to do is go running to the Thundercats for help. Thundera forbid that!”

Shouldering the goose and removing the arrow, she brought it inside to perform that oh-so-lovable job of plucking it, cleaning it, etc. Not her favorite part, but certainly worthwhile.

Wily Kit and Kat zoomed around on their space boards, outside of the Lair. Wily Kit had proposed a race, and Wily Kat had agreed.

After a few minutes of racing, the result was a tie. Jumping off their space boards momentarily to rest, they then sprang back on again, racing to the back to the Lair.

Then, without warning, Wily Kat’s space board went out of control. “WHOOOAH!” he shouted.

“Wily Kat!” Yelled his sister,  grabbing him off of his board, just in time, as he was about to crash into Cats Lair.

“Thanks, Kit,” he said wincing as his own board toppled to the ground. Getting off and deactivating Kit’s space board, Wily Kat noticed something on the ground.

“Hey, what’s this?” he asked, bending down to pick it up.

Wily Kit peered over her brother’s shoulder at the object in his hand. “It looks like some kind of locket,” the kitten said.

Wily Kat agreed. “Let’s see what’s inside!”

Kit grinned. “Let me open it! Please?”

The male Thunderkitten relinquished the locket to his sister, who proceeded to attempt to open it. After a few minutes of trying, she forced to accept defeat. “I think it’s stuck,” she said dejectedly.

“Let’s take it to Tygra! He could probably open it!”

“Good idea, Kat!” praised Wily Kit. “One of your few,” she added mentally.

And they did just that. A few minutes later, after putting their space boards in their proper places, they took the locket up to Tygra’s lab.

Knocking on the door, Kit called, “Tygra? Can we come in?”

“Yes, Wily Kit. Feel free.”

Pushing open the door, they walked in and Wily Kat handed the locket to Tygra. “We found this outside. We tried to get it open, but I think the clasp is stuck.”

“We thought you could get it open, Tygra!”

Taking it from the kitten, the Tiger examined the oval-shaped locket closely. It was silver with designs of flowering vines engraved on the surface. A small pearl was set in the center.

“Well, this is certainly a beautiful piece of craftsmanship,” he said.

“Tygra, we don’t care about the craftsmanship, can you open it?!”

He chuckled. “Yes, Kit.” He selected a small tool and pried the edge of it between the two sides of the locket, opening it slightly.

Handing it to the female Thunderkitten, Tygra asked, “Care to do the honors, Wily Kit?”

She grinned. “Yeah!” Opening it gently, with Wily Kat watching, her eyes grew wide as she saw the contents. “Wily Kat, look!”

Shrugging, her brother took a closer look at it. “Who’s that?”

Tygra took the locket from Wily Kit. Inside were pictures, one of a male, and one of a female. On the left side was the female—a younger version of Leona, Tygra realized with a start.

The male was a handsome Black Leopard, most likely Leona’s brother. Somehow, he just couldn’t imagine her in a serious relationship with someone. Or maybe he just didn’t want to….

“It must have come unclasped when she fell out the window,” Tygra guessed.

“What are you talking about?” Kat asked, “and who’s the lady in the picture?”

“That’s Leona, Wily Kat,” Tygra explained. “You haven’t met her. Wily Kit, would you please fill your brother in on the details?”

Nodding, Kit began to do so.

“Oh, and Wily Kit?”

“Yeah, Tygra?”

“I’m going to return the locket to Leona.”

Both Thunderkittens were going to disagree, but they knew the locket didn’t belong to them.  Besides, what did they want with an old piece of jewelry, anyway?

Leaving them in his lab—not the best idea, he later realized—he went to Cheetara, who was in the control room, and told her, then went to Panthro, and informed him. Panthro graciously let him borrow the Thundertank.

A few minutes later, Tygra was just outside the clearing in which Leona’s home was situated. Stopping the Thundertank, he leapt out, and headed into the circular clearing.

“What do you want, Thundercat,” came a familiar voice. A quick glance around showed Leona to be sitting on a limb a few trees to his left.

“The Thunderkittens found something that belongs to you. I’m merely returning it.”

The female jumped down from her perch, trying to keep the eager expression from her face. “What is it?!” she asked. Then, realizing she sounded too eager, she rephrased the question. “I mean…..what did they find?”

Tygra smiled, and produced the locket.

With an ecstatic grin, Leona took back her locket and hung it by its thin cord around her neck. That is, after she fumbled with the clasp for a few minutes.

“My thanks, Thundercat. I am….” She hesitated, then finished her sentence. “I am in your debt. I do not know how I can repay you.”

“Firstly, my name is ‘Tygra’, not ‘Thundercat’. Secondly, you could tell me who the male Thunderan in the locket is.”

Lowering her eyes, she turned away and walked a few steps, until she was next to a tree. When she next spoke, her tone of voice had changed from a reluctant tone to a pained tone.

“His name was Pardak. Pardak Lerotan. We served in the Black Leopard army together. He was also…. My fiancé.”

“Your fiancé?”

“Yes.”

Leona bit her lip and leaned against the tree, her back still turned to the Tiger. “He gave me the locket in place of a traditional engagement ring. It would get lost too easily. Besides,” she said, facing Tygra with a sad smile on here face, “I wore gloves. I still do,” she added, gesturing to her hands.

“May I ask one more question?”

“I suppose,” she said, her normal harsh tone creeping back into her voice.

“I noticed a gravestone over there,” he gestured. “What—whose is it?”

Anger sparked in her eyes at such a question, but she sighed and answered, the sad tone returning. “That was our—Pardak and my—daughter.”

Seeing the expression on Tygra’s face, a mixture of shock and confusion, she smiled.

“We adopted her, Tygra. Her father was killed in battle. Her mother committed suicide a few weeks after her birth.”

“Leona…. What was your daughter’s name?”

“Vision Parona Lerotan.” She glanced at Tygra, and a tear trickled down her cheek. Leona began to sob brokenly.

“The war was almost over,” she sobbed, “We expected peace within a few years, if not sooner!”

“She was only four…. Only four…. She had so much in her future!”

Tygra walked over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He expected her to throw it off and make some kind of snappy remark. Instead, she began to cry on his shoulder.

Although he was startled, he put his arms around her, and then, when she had cried for a bit and was calmed down, kissed her.

Now it was her turn to be startled. True, she melted into the kiss for a few seconds, but then realized what she was doing. The reaction was immediate.

Breaking away, she stepped back and slapped him, sending the Tiger reeling. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she glared at him furiously. “If you ever even think about kissing me again, I will have your skin as a floor mat!”

Tygra began backing quickly towards the Thundertank. “I think I should go now…”

“You’d better, before I decide to shoot you!”

While Tygra disliked running from a fight, he didn’t want to anger her any further. He also decided that when he told anyone who asked about it, he would leave this part out.

Grumbling to herself and glaring daggers at the retreating Tiger, Leona returned to her perch on the tree limb. “Damn Tiger,” she muttered. “Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? I appreciate having my locket returned, and his asking about Pardak was understandable, but why did he have to ask about Vision?!”

At the thought of her adopted daughter, the Black Leopard again slipped off of her perch and walked over to a small patch of Thunderan flowers she had growing in her garden. The flowers, called Aatias, had been the prizes of the Black Leopard community, along with their many carvings, and Leona had brought seeds of them to Third Earth.

Now she plucked two from their place in the flowerbed and laid them on the nearby grave. “Vision,” she said in a barely audible whisper, “My daughter.”

Leona stood and glanced at the grave. “I will always love you, my beautiful Vision.”

Just then, without warning, everything around her began to spin violently. “What in Thundera—ahh!”

She saw a circular wall of fire surrounding her, closing in. The lifeless bodies of Leo, her brother, and Pardak lay just outside the wall. Pumyra, Pumor, and her many other enemies stood also, laughing at her.

Then, Leona saw the still body of Vision lying at her feet, two serpents slithering around it, hissing, their tongues flickering in and out.

Leona screamed as the emerald green serpents wound their way about her legs, black eyes glinting red in the light of the flames, which were ever growing nearer.

And then—

Everything stopped. Her mind went blank, and she dropped to the ground, welcoming the embrace of unconsciousness.

Unbeknownst to Leona, a figure was watching her, the same which had spoken to Aquila earlier.

“So,” she thought, “Aquila has decided to go through with this plan of hers. And with the help of Cassiopeia and Draco, no doubt! Pegasus too, I suppose.”

The woman’s clothing, which had been black when she appeared to Aquila, now changed to dark green, their natural color. Whereas the black had enhanced her somber look, the green decreased it, though she still retained a serious aura about her.

She strode over to Leona, lifted her telekinetically, and transported the Thunderan, as well as herself, into the house, where she promptly dropped Leona on her bed.

“Poor kitty,” she spoke, “Poor, poor, kitty. I’ll have to bring her daughter the flowers.” The woman smirked, not at that, but at another thought. “Prospero would surely have me burned at a stake if he knew I referred to one of his countrymen as ‘kitty’.”

 She received a telepathic message from the Lord of the Elemental High Council. The Elemental High Council was the most powerful group in all the galaxies, some of the more primitive societies even as gods. However, many believed them to be just a legend.

This woman, a native of the Realm of the Ancients, was one of the powerful few selected to be a member.

And now, she must return to the Council.

“Ah, yes, time for a meeting. Well, kitty,” she chuckled, “Let’s hope you sleep peacefully. Because of Aquila’s plan, you may find yourself having a hard time getting any  rest at all.”

With that she disappeared, transporting herself to the dark, circular room in which the Elemental High Council met.

The woman reappeared in front of those already seated, she was late, though a few others had yet to arrive.

This fact was pointed out. “You are late.”

Bowing respectfully, she said, “Lord Kiire, I apologize, it will not happen again.”

Kiire, the Lord of the Council, merely acknowledged her reply with a slight nod. It was Tsarien, of the planet Daemosine, who made a final comment before the woman took her seat. “By the stars, you’re the Elemental of Time itself! So why can’t you be punctual?”

“You asked who to help you?!”

Pegasus spoke calmly. “Draco. We asked Draco to help us, Lady Aquila.”

“That’s what I thought—Whaaaaat??????!!!!!!!! Draco?! Why the hell did you ask him?!!”

“Because he’s the Master of Fear and can get into peoples’ heads while they’re awake, whereas we have to wait until they’re asleep.”

The Mistress of Feuds glared at Cassiopeia. Though the two normally got along, they had differences of opinion on a few things. Like Draco.

While Aquila couldn’t stand him, Cassiopeia just didn’t care enough to mind his company. The Mistresses of Feuds and Nightmares had had many arguments over that subject.

“Be that as it may,” said Aquila, holding back her temper, “You should have consulted me first.”

“But of course,” Pegasus said smoothly, while Cassiopeia shot him an incredulous glance. “It was a mere slip-up. I assure you, it will not happen again.”

“Mother of Polaris,” thought Cassiopeia disgustedly, “How can he stand kissing up to her like that?! It’s sickening!”

“Cassiopeia?” Lady Aquila glanced at her, semi-annoyed. “Cassiopeia, did you hear me?”

“Hmm? What?”

She sighed. “Were you even listening to what I said?”

“Well….not really, no. Why do you ask?”

Pegasus shot the Mistress of Nightmares a warning glance. They didn’t want another confrontation, especially now that Aquila was already in a bad mood. “Aquila, how about we break for a few hours, all right? I’ll fill Cassi in on what she missed over lunch.”

“Over lun—“

“Yes, Cassi,” said Pegasus through clenched teeth. “Don’t you remember? We’d been planning this outing for weeks.”’

“Oh…yes….that’s right. How absolutely mortal of me to forget something like that.”

“Well. Yes, that’s true. And the two of you have fun. But, Cassiopeia, we are not immortal.”

“We’re close enough. One of my stars goes nova, another one pops up in its place. Eventually, anyway. My medallion,” she said, casting a glance at the silver circle clasping her one-armed, sleeveless toga on her right shoulder, “Gets broken, and I’m trapped in the constellation. Still, you get the best views from up there. Plus,” Cassiopeia spoke triumphantly, “There are countless ways to see what’s going on, even when trapped in your constellation.”

Rolling her eyes, Aquila said, “Very well, Cass’. I’ll humor you on this one.”

“But Aquila, darling, you’re the one who always insists on the fact that, and I quote, ‘I am Aquila! I am the Black Eagle! I am immortal!’”

Both the Master of Dreams and the Mistress of Feuds recognized Aquila’s oft used war cry. “Ahh, well, Cassiopeia, there’s a perfectly logical explanation for that,” said the Mistress of Feuds, hustling Cassi and Pegasus out the doors of her quarters. “And I’ll tell it to you when you get back from your date. Good day!”

“Date????!!!” Chorused the two as the door was closed in their faces. “Dammit! Aquila!” Cassiopeia yelled. “You take that back!!! We aren’t dating!!!!”

“Cassi. Calm down. Now let’s go.”

“Wha—? You mean that you’re actually taking me out?”

“Well….” He nodded his assent.  “Yes.”

“You sure have a crazy way of asking a girl out. And after this shall we terrorize some Thundercats?”

“Cassiopeia, my friend,” spoke Pegasus, as they walked down the hallway, “You read my mind.”

The members of the Elemental High Council watched in disgust, particularly one; Lady Lyra, Mistress of Harmony, and Elemental of Light.

“This just makes me sick,” she muttered. “Almost makes me ashamed to be a member of the Stellar Court.”

“Now, now, Lyra,” chided Prospero, a male Thunderan Tiger, and Elemental of Minds. “You  know that’s most certainly not necessary. Most of the Stellar Court is nice enough….”

“Although the part about being sick is certainly correct,” snickered Tsarien, the Fire Elemental.

“Tsari’,” said Prospero, “That’s not necessary either.”

“Aw, what is it with you Thunderans?” she complained. “By the Eternal Fire, none of you have even a shred of humor in you!”

“You didn’t let me finish. Necessary it may not be, but, well—true it is!”

“Enough with this!” rang Lord Kiire’s voice. As the Elemental of Life and Death, he automatically was the most powerful of the Council, as well as the leader. With his voice came immediate silence.

“Lady Lyra,” he spoke, “You must hurry to the Stellar Court and stop those two.”

“Yes, M’lord. And if I am unable to stop them?”

“You will have at least stalled them, Lady Lyra. That is enough. For now.”

“Very well, Lord Kiire. I will follow your command.” Lyra disappeared in a burst of golden light, and reappeared a few feet in front of Cassiopeia and Pegasus, startling them greatly.

“Stars, Lyra! Why the galaxies—!”

Lady Lyra smiled disarmingly. “My greatest apologies, Pegasus, and to you, too, Cassiopeia,” she said to the fuming Mistress of Nightmares. “I had no idea that you would be so close to where I would arrive.”

“For the Mistress of Harmony,” Cassiopeia snapped, “That was very un-harmonic.”

“Again, I apologize, Lady Cassiopeia. Perhaps…well, no. Never mind.”

Exchanging glances with Pegasus, Cassi looked back at Lyra. “No, continue. What were you going to suggest?”

“Well, I thought that I could perhaps treat the two of you to lunch to make up for my abrupt appearance.”

“Hmm...” said Pegasus. “We except!” grinned the Master and Mistress of Dreams and Nightmares.

“Well, then let’s be off, shall we?”

“Lady Lyra,” came a voice, “Lady Lyra, may I have a word with you?”

All three gasped upon seeing who the speaker was, though Lyra had a feeling it was not who it seemed. “But of course, Advisor…Virgo.” She turned to her companions. “Excuse me a minute.”

Lyra and the woman who, by appearance, was Advisor Virgo, walked around the corner of the hallway in which they stood in. “Nice diversion, Lady Lyra,” said the false Virgo.

“Thank you, ‘Advisor’.”

The woman smiled shrewdly. “Lady Lyra,” she began, “As you have quickly figured out, I am not Virgo, Advisor to Lord Zodiac.”

“Get to the point. At this place, walls literally have ears.”

She frowned. Being interrupted was something she found annoying, even if it was correct. Staring coolly at Lyra, she shape-shifted back to her original form, that of a member of the Elemental High Council, the Elemental of Time. “Very well, then. I’m afraid, Lyra, that something will come up.”

“What do you mean by that, Ve—“

The woman held up a hand for silence. “Do not speak my name, all shall be revealed…in time.”

That said, she disappeared, much to Lyra’s displeasure. Returning to Cassiopeia and Pegasus, she was greeted by them, as well as by Taurus, Advisor to Lord Zodiac. “Advisor Taurus,” she greeted him, “Is something the matter?”

“You are wanted on the planet Naurition,” he grunted, as his speech was hampered by his Minotaur-like appearance.

Seething inwardly, the toga-clad member of the Stellar Court nodded. “I apologize, friends, for my departure. Perhaps some other time will we meet.” In a flash of golden light, Lyra transported herself across the worlds to the planet of Naurition. “Something has come up!” she realized with shock upon arriving there. “She was right!”

“Of course I was right,” came a smug telepathic message. “I’m the Elemental of Time. I know these things.”

“ ‘Madame Time’?” replied Lyra, “Shut. Up.”

As Cassiopeia and Pegasus were no longer being treated to lunch, they decided to scrap their plans and head down to Third Earth and wreak havoc among the Thunderans living there. Realizing it would only be mid-afternoon, however, they decided to stick with the previous arrangement—eat, then wreak havoc.

“What do you think Virgo wanted with Lyra?” Cassiopeia inquired.

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” said Pegasus. “Shame, isn’t it?”

The woman looked up from her meal. ‘What’s a shame?”

“That I don’t know. It would be nice to be omniscient, wouldn’t it?”

“I suppose,” considered his companion. “But really, it would be an incredible pain to have people coming up to you and asking questions—‘Madame Cassiopeia, what’s it like to be omniscient?’ ‘Madame Cassiopeia, why is the sky on Daemosine multi-colored?’ ‘Madame Cassiopeia, are the Kei Gods and Goddesses real or just a legend? What about the Council of Elementals?’”

Cassiopeia spat. “I like myself just the way I am! I am the Mistress of Nightmares. Care to argue?”

 Pegasus chuckled. “No, I don’t think I’d would. As for the Kei Gods and Goddesses, I wonder….”

“Pegasus! Don’t tell me you believe in that old story!”

“Well….”

The Mistress of Nightmares was shocked—but not speechless. “You believe in the Kei Gods? The Kei Gods as in the ones who supposedly control all known, and not known, universes? The Kei Gods as in the ones who write out what will happen to us? The Kei Gods as in the Gods and Goddesses who created the galaxies?!”

“Are there others which I am not aware of, Lady Cassiopeia?”

Reddish-brown eyes glared at him. “I don’t believe this,” she said. “You, Pegasus—of all people!—following some Gods which may not, and most likely don’t, even exist! Next you’ll be telling me the Council of Elementals is real!”

“It’s the Elemental High Council,” corrected the Master of Dreams with a smile.

“Pegasus, you continue to amaze me. You’re so serious—you’ve studied to improve your powers countless times, you’ve come up with numerous plans to make us truly immortal, and you’ve studied the very stars which keep us alive! So why,” she pleaded, “Do you believe in such superstitions?! Mother of Polaris,” Cassiopeia said in dismay, “What do you see in such legends?”

“I cannot explain what draws me to them,” he said in a quiet, gentle tone. “But if you do not believe in the Kei Gods, that is your choice. However,” Pegasus continued, “I know that the Elemental High Council is, farfetched as it may seem, more then a legend.”

“‘Farfetched’ isn’t the word that came to mind, Dream Master,” she muttered, using his nickname, as well as title. Cassiopeia lowered her eyes, she cared for him, she couldn’t understand how he could do this. “What does he see in them,” she thought despairingly, “And why won’t he tell me? Is he hiding something from me? Oh, Cosmos, why won’t he tell me?!”

Seeing her pain, he reached over the table and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Cassiopeia.” Pegasus spoke, “My dear, dear, Cassiopeia. Come, let us leave this place.”

Placing the required amount of money upon the table, the two walked from the building, interestingly named The Gods’ Strength. A very high-class place, it was owned by ‘outsiders’, people from other planets and star-systems, as were all buildings outside of private homes and the palace of the Stellar Court.

“Pegasus, I’m sorry,” said Cassiopeia, staring at the ground, she was normally very blunt, apologies were unlike her. “I’m making a fool of myself.”

“No, no, it’s all right. Really.”

“Really, Dream Master?” she said, a hint of mirth sneaking into her voice.

“Really, Cass.”

“Well, then…Mother of Polaris, I feel like an idiot.”

“Ah, Cassiopeia, that’s the you I’ve come to know!”

“Really, Lord Pegasus,” she said with a smirk, “Then, let’s get down to Third Earth—I’m dying to see the reactions of our fun.”

“Draco did want payment, though, my friend.”

Cassiopeia waved her hand indifferently, as if waving the thought of the Lord of Fear away. “Oh, him,” she said, “We will, don’t worry, he’ll get his payment…what was it, again?”

“Refuge from Lord Zodiac’s wrath if word gets out about this. In other words,” seeing that his companion was about to point out that no one could prevent their Lord’s anger, “He never helped us to begin with, he never even heard of this.”

“Oh, very well. I might’ve sworn he’d ask for gold, or jewels, of some sort. Dragons have always been fond of those things.”

“This isn’t the normal type of mission, you know. And he did ask for a few of any treasures we may find on Third Earth.”

“He did? Good, that sounds more like him; he isn’t usually the cautious type. But,” she said, “What treasures are there? True, the Eye of Thundera, embedded in that magic sword—“

“The Sword of Omens,” said Pegasus.

“Right. As I was saying, what treasures, besides the ones which are protected magically, are on that hunk of rock?”

Her companion glanced at some notes that appeared in his hand, probably transported from his quarters. “Well, the Cheetah women has a few bracelets, the two kittens have an assortment of small things, the Puma women has an armband, a necklace, other jewelry, and a few room decorations, the Black Leopard Thunderan has a locket and a few carved statues, but that’s all among the Thundercats. Oh, wait, the White Tiger has some odds and ends also.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Count on you to make a listing of valuables among our enemies. Come on,” she said, “Let’s get to work!” Casting a spell of invisibility, Cassiopeia transported them down to Third Earth, where they found their first victim in Leona.

At first the Mistress of Nightmares was startled upon reaching the surface, it was after midnight, though few hours had passed since they had sat down to eat at the Stellar Court. Seeing her confused expression, as they were visible to each other, Pegasus began to explain. “Time goes by more quickly in the Court,” he said, “As it exists among the stars, where the passing of Time is optional.”

“Optional?”

“Don’t ask, even I can’t explain how Time is controlled.”

Nodding, Cassiopeia fixed her attention on the Thunderan, who, despite the hour of night, was working in her small garden. “Well, my friend,” she spoke to Pegasus, grasping his hand in order to merge their powers, “Let us begin.”

Unaware of another’s presence, Leona rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand. “The moon is full tonight,” she thought, “So beautiful, like a pearl. Reminds me of that legend about the Thunderan on the moon.”

A wave of drowsiness washed over her, followed by a wave of nausea. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she struggled up from her kneeling position hurriedly. Though the ill feeling soon passed, many more waves of drowsiness came, quickly overpowering her.

Fighting to keep her eyes open, Leona stumbled through the door of her home, banging into various objects of furniture before collapsing on her bed, finally unable to remain conscious any longer. Throwing her cloak over herself for warmth, the Thunderan slept, undisturbed—but only for a few precious moments.

*She was outside her home on Third Earth in the dead of night, hardly a time she would choose. Glancing around, suddenly she realized that she was surrounded by a wall of fire, drawing closer by the second.

Her normally hard jade eyes widened in panic, the flames reflecting in them. All sane thought wiped from her brain, Leona ran away from the advancing wall. Backing up against a tree in the center of the circle of flames, the Thunderan could only watch helplessly as the fire advanced from all sides, closing in on her.

The flames ate away at the grass, at leaves on the ground, before reaching within a few inches of her feet. Then, it ate away at the tips of her boots, at her arms, at her back, at her legs; finally it came to her face.

She bit back screams, and through burning eyes watched as her arms blistered, as the flames burnt into them, eating away at her flesh, charring her bones. More screams were bitten back, as her hair flamed, and her face burned, and just as her life began to flow away…*

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The Black Leopard bolted out of bed, stumbling into the wall, where she sank to her knees, trembling. Cold beads of sweat rested on her forehead as Leona tried to banish the memory of her worst nightmare in years.

Sadly, many more would come.

Staring into a mirror hanging on the wall of her bedroom, Pumyra could hardly believe that the face looking back at her was real—but she knew it was. That pale, terrified face in the mirror was unfortunately no stranger; it was the Thundercat Pumyra.

She thought about the years she had spent treating injured during the war between the Pumas and Black Leopards. Grimacing, she remembered her dream, her nightmare, rather, which only served to remind her of things past…and deprive her of sleep.

*“Kibin!” called Pumyra, “I could use a bit of help! Not all of us can lift a grown Puma!”

“Hush!” said Kibin, walking up to her. It was night, the fighting had ceased half-an-hour before; the one thing agreed upon by the opposing sides was that the healers were given a time to collect the wounded and dead of their own kind. “Pumyra, though the battles are over for the night, we do not want to attract attention of the Black Leopards also here.”

Pumyra bit her lip, looking at the ground. She hated reprieves, and at the age of nineteen she believed she should know better. “I’m sorry, Kibin, it won’t happen again.”

“I know it won’t,” smiled the woman, twice Pumyra’s age. “Besides, a little caution never hurt anyone.” She stopped an enraged glare from the younger Puma with a raise of her hand. “I mean no insult to you, friend, you are indeed very cautious. Now,” she said, helping Pumyra with the deceased fighter, “I must tend to the others.”

Nodding, the Puma healer looked down sadly upon the corpse before her kneeling form. She examined the black-feathered arrow buried in the chest of the man she recognized as Mapu, it was made out of a hard, dark wood, and she knew that, as she had seen so many of them scattered throughout the battlefield, at the tip of the arrow was metal, hammered into a point around the wood.

“That’s strange,” realized the Puma, “There’s a band—no, two bands—of black paint around it, near the feathers. I haven’t seen that on any other arrows…. Perhaps it is the arrow of one of their tribe leaders…. But, no, that couldn’t be, they would be directing the Black Leopards from the safety of their council hall, much as ours do.”

Getting up, Pumyra looked around for Kibin, to ask her if she knew the significance of the bands. “Kibin?” she called softly, making sure not to raise her voice. “Kibin, I need to ask you something.”

“I’m over here, ‘Myra,” finally came the quiet reply.

Pumyra whirled around; the voice came from the shadows behind her. “Oh! I didn’t see you!” Then, calming down, “Is something wrong? You sound upset.”

“Yes, I am upset,” the woman said, stepping forward, a body held in her arms.

“Oh, no!” gasped Pumyra, “Oh, Kibin!”

“Yes, ‘Myra. Yes.” The body she held was her son, her only living relative. “Now, you had a question for me?”

“Y-yes, I did,” she stammered. “In Mapu, there was an arrow, I mean, a different type of arrow, it had—”

“—Two bands of black paint near the feathers.”

“Yes! How did you know?”

“We’ve been finding them in many of our wounded, more of them in those already dead. They are believed to belong to—” Her eyes widened in shock, and she collapsed still holding the body of her beloved son, an arrow imbedded deep in her throat.

Pumyra knelt down and examined the arrow closer…there were two black bands around the end. She looked up and found herself staring into the hard face of a female Black Leopard, holding a bow and arrows. With a shriek the Puma scrambled up, grabbing her sling and a few marbles from her pouch.

“The arrows belong to me,” said the Black Leopard in a calm tone.

“You…you…you murderer!!!!” snarled Pumyra. “How could you kill her?”

A thin smile crossed the woman’s lips. “She is a Puma, as are you. That is reason enough for me.” Her eyes flashed as she turned and walked off. “Be glad I have spared you. Stay off the battlefield, the taking of lives is not a pretty sight.”

“You would know,” she spat, “You take enough of them!”

“Just keep on saving lives, Puma, do your duty as healer…. And pray we do not meet again.”*

Pumyra sat on her bed, staring blankly at the wall; Kibin had been like a surrogate mother to her. On impulse she jumped up, switching on a light, and dug through her closet, she had saved the arrow that had hit her a year earlier, fired by Leona.

After a few minutes, just because her closet was well organized didn’t mean there wasn’t junk scattered around, she found it. Triumphantly she looked at the area near the feathers, and then dropped it with a cry.

“The Black Leopards eyes—the same as Leona’s! The arrows—the same!” Taking quick breaths she backed away from the fallen arrow. “It’s unreal! That Black Leopard, the one who killed Kibin, Mapu, and who knows how many others is…. Leona!”

After plaguing the dreams of the Thundercats in the Tower of Omens, with Lynx-o being the exception, they merely put him in a coma-like sleep, he would, of course, wake up, but the lack of dreams, or rather, the lack of rapid-eye-movement sleep, would eventually drive him insane. “They” being, of course, Cassiopeia and Pegasus, continuing on their mission of revenge. In reality, it was Aquila’s mission, but she was unable to carry it out, so they were doing it. Cassiopeia still couldn’t figure out why.

Leaving the Tower, the duo passed by the control room, where they heard something….

“AAAAEEEGH! What is that sound?! What is that thing?!” screeched Cassiopeia, Snarfer was singing.

“I don’t know,” Pegasus winced, “Shall I kill it?”

“Yes!!!!!!”

A blast of energy, and a “Snaaaaarfer!!!!” later and he was dead. “Much thanks, Pegasus,” the Mistress of Nightmares said, calming down.

“No trouble at all, Cass. I’m not entirely sure what that was, but anything which sounds like that…that….”

“Horror,” she supplied.

“Yes, anything which sounds like that horror ought to be exterminated.”

“Thank the Fates we haven’t run into others in our travels,” Cassiopeia commented as they transported themselves to Cats Lair. Much to her dismay, the two ended up in the Lair’s kitchen, where someone was fixing a midnight snack. “AAAAEEEGH!!!!!! It’s another one!!!!!!!!!!”

“By the Gods, this planet must be infested,” said Pegasus in disgust.

“Snaaaarf!” cried the red and yellow-furred creature as an energy bolt flew towards him out of seemingly nowhere. He dropped the plate of food he was carrying with a crash and started to scream out, “Lio—“ But then he was dead as well.

“Again, my thanks, those things are… You know, I don’t believe there’s a word descriptive enough for those fur-balls.”

“Hey! Who’s there?!” Panthro, as it was his watch shift, heard the scream.

“Dammit! I thought you said they’d all be asleep!”

“So put a sleep spell on him, what’s your point?”

“Dream Master, I never thought you’d overlook something. Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

Ignoring her comments, Pegasus took it upon himself to cast the sleep spell, Cassiopeia was to busy griping to do it. So as Panthro gazed about the room, nun-chucks in hand, he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to sleep.

“That’s right, little Panther, go back to your post, then sleep….”

“No,” he grunted, “Can’t sleep…have to stay awake…”

“To hell with these Thundercats,” snapped Cassiopeia abruptly, “If they won’t sleep, we’ll just have to settle with the next-best thing!” Swinging a baseball bat, which had suddenly appeared in her hands, the woman bashed Panthro on the head with it angrily, rendering the Panther unconscious.

“Great, now look what you’ve done! Let’s hope he’s still alive!”

“Of course he’s alive, I didn’t hit him that hard!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure…”

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. “You’re no fun.”

Glaring at her, he said, “I don’t have to be ‘fun’, I just have to get us through this without trouble, remember? I leave the fun to Andromeda.”

“Old fuddy-duddy.”

“Cassiopeia….”

“What?! It’s not my fault someone doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘fun’!”

Pegasus closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, counting to ten. “Cassiopeia,” he said slowly, “Let’s just get this guy back to his post and raid the dreams of the others; then we can go back to the Stellar Court.”

“Fine, fine, you move him, I’ll work on the two kittens.” Seeing him raise an eyebrow in an amused expression, she gave him an aggravated look. “You have five seconds before I get mad.”

“Yes, ma’am!” he said, levitating the—still breathing—Thundercat and moving him back to the control room.

“Finally, some quiet,” muttered Cassiopeia, transporting to the room that the Thunderkittens shared. Making sure that the twins were asleep, she cast the same spell she had cast on Lynx-o, it would keep them out of her hair. Dismissing the invisibility spell, then glancing into a mirror on the wall, she was horrified to see the condition of her face. “Oh, by the Fates!” she moaned, “What happened to me???” Snarf blood splattered her legs, and a quick look confirmed that her leather sandals were coated in it.

Letting out various curses in various languages, she proceeded to weave her magic to remove all traces of blood from her person. “Ooh, I’m going to kill Pegasus for this! He knew I looked like this, and he didn’t breathe a word to me about it! I wonder how he likes nightmares….”

“Cass! Are you done with that spell yet?”

“Yes, Dream Master,” she said coolly, meeting his gaze as Pegasus appeared in the room.

“Is something wrong, Cassiopeia?” he said, raising an eyebrow in question.

“Oh, no, nothing’s wrong, nothing at all.”

“You’re mad because I didn’t tell you about the blood, aren’t you?”

“Sure, you just have to be so smart. Hell, yes, I’m upset! First you make some perverted comment about my sexual tastes, and then this…!”

“Now, I never actually made the comment, you know.”

“You raised an eyebrow. With you it’s the same thing.”

Pegasus sighed. Very rarely could you win an argument with Cassiopeia. “Kei Gods, Cass, I’m sorry.”

Knowing she wouldn’t get further apology out of him, Cassiopeia nodded grudgingly. “Let’s continue with the other spells,” she said, “And then I am out of here.”

“Hallelujah,” Pegasus agreed, “This is much more tiring than I thought!”

“Hah! You overlooked something else! This just isn’t your day.”

“Cassi? Shut up. Please.”

A few days later, after recovering from the shock of finding the dead Snarfs, the Thundercats were having a very rough time sleeping. In a council meeting, Lion-o found himself drifting off during a speech he was making; having the other Thundercats staring bleary-eyed at him didn’t help much either.

“Tygra,” said Cheetara, interrupting Lion-o, “Everyone, I know we’ve all been having trouble sleeping, and I have no doubt that Leona has also. I know something’s going on, but I don’t know what.”

“It’s your sixth sense, Cheetara?” Tygra questioned in surprise.

“Yes….”

“That’s strange,” Wily Kit spoke up, “Kat and I haven’t had any trouble at all.”

“No night….No dreams?” said Cheetara, startled.

“None.”

“How strange,” mused Tygra, fighting back a yawn.

“I, too, have not had dreams of any kind,” said Lynx-o; the other Thundercats had been called in from the Tower of Omens. “Perhaps,” he was now addressing Pumyra, “There is some medical reason? My age and that of the Thunderkittens?”

Slowly shaking her head as if to clear her mind, Pumyra looked down at the table. “There may be, but dreams are not a medical condition. It’s true, and I don’t hesitate to say it, these nightmares are more than coincidence. No coincidence, either, the deaths of Snarf and Snarfer. I can’t explain it, or the lack of dreams which they,” she gestured to the kittens and Lynx-o, “have been experiencing.”

At this moment Wily Kit, who had been calm a few minutes before, started up from her chair with a cry. “What’s that doing there?” she shrieked, pointing at the part of the table directly in front of her. “Get it away from me!” Then, taking a confused breath and blinking a few times, “Where did it go?”

“Where did what go, Kit?” asked her brother as Wily Kit sat back down.

“Th…there was a snake on the table…. I’m not crazy, honest! I saw it, I swear!”

“We believe you, Wily Kit,” Cheetara said soothingly, casting worried glances toward Tygra and Pumyra.

“Excuse me, Cheetara,” spoke Panthro cautiously, “But did you say that this…’condition’ was effecting Leona as well?” The Cheetah nodded. “Well then,” he continued, “It may be in our best interests to invite her up here.”

“What?!” Pumyra exclaimed, “Why would we want to do that?”

“Pumyra, calm down.” Lion-o looked at her, then Panthro. “Cheetara, you take the Thundertank and get her. If she doesn’t wish to come, well, she doesn’t have to.”

Nodding again, the Cheetah dashed out of the room; Lion-o then adjourned the meeting.

“Rowr, you realize that the Tower of Omens is unguarded,” said Bengali.

“What do you mean? It’s being taken care of by Sna…. Oh, damn.”

Returning half and hour later with a reluctant Leona, taking so long only because of an argument between the two, Cheetara collapsed in a chair in the Lair’s library; Leona was not-so happily settling into the guest quarters, where she swore she would remain for almost as long as she was staying with the Thundercats. Grabbing a book of a nearby shelf, the Cheetah began to read it, when her sixth sense went off. “Who’s there?” she called, sensing another presence.

A feminine chuckle flowed through the air around her. “Oh, you’ll see me eventually, don’t worry, but for now I bear a warning. Tonight, you, grown Thundercats, that is, must do this….”

“Do what?”

“Stay awake!!!!!!! If you don’t sleep then, well…. I’ll put it this way. The confrontation comes tonight. When I leave, you and the others here must sleep. Save your energy.”

“But how will we—“ she yawned, than her eyes, as well as those of the others in Cats Lair, closed and all slept. And Cheetara dreamt a peaceful, or at least more peaceful then others, dream, she saw what happens to those who have passed from this world to the next…or, at least what happened to the two Snarfs.

*“Snarf, snarf, who are you?! Where am I?!” Snarf had reached the gates that separate the land of the living from the land of dead.

“You are at the Gates of Life and Death,” replied the. “Which you now must enter. As to your first question, I am Shogai.” The gates swung outward as the guard stepped aside, and Snarf entered timidly.

Inside he was greeted by Snarfer, who was accompanied by an eight-year-old girl, dressed in a sailor-like suit with an incredibly short skirt. What was horrifying about her was her hair, which was bright pink with two conical buns on her head from which large fluffy pigtails came. Her eyes made up three-quarters of her face and were a startling red. The collar, bow, and skirt, as well as her heeled boots, on her suit were all bright pink as well.

“Snarfer!” he cried, running towards his nephew as the large iron gates swung closed behind him noisily.

“Uncle Snarf! Boy, am I happy to see you, yes I am, snarfer, snarfer.”

“Now, I suppose it’s only a matter of time before Lion-o rescues us, snarf, snarf!”

The guard standing back-to-back with Shogai, though on the inside of the Gates, snickered. Both guards were seven feet tall, and garbed in hooded robes, they appeared similar to the Grim Reaper, however, the robes were gray and the guards carried tall spears. “You really think that this ‘Lion-o’ will save you?” Both guards’ voices were neither masculine nor feminine.

“Of course Lion-o will save us! He’s never let us down before! And who are you, anyway?”

“Ah, but you’ve never been dead before. My name, in answer to your question, is S’hi.”

“And besides,” spoke up the pink-haired girl next to Snarfer, “It’s said that They look down on your deaths with pleasure, it is common knowledge that Snarfs are evil.”

“W-who are ‘They’?”

“They are the Kei Gods, they have created these universes; they write everything out.”

“Snarfer, snarfer, why would they think we are evil?! Snarfs are incapable of evil!!”

“Hahahahaa!!!!! ‘Snarfs incapable of evil’….hahaha!” The girl found this hilarious. “Hehe….excuse me, but that’s just one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard. Oh! Looks like I’ve got to be going.” With a wicked smile the pink-clad girl disappeared…in a flash of pink light.

“Who was that, anyway? Snarf, snarf.”

“That,” said S’hi gravely, “Was Chibi-Moon, the Pink Demon. She is the Ultimate Evil.”

“The, snarfer, snarfer, Ultimate Evil?”

“One of two Ultimate Evils,” corrected Shogai.

“Snarf, who’s the other?”

“Ah, yes, that would be Hanson,” said S’hi. “Eventually, someone killed Chibi-Moon off, but sadly, Hanson is still out there.”

“Umm, excuse me,” came a voice, “But are these the Gates of Life and Death?”

Shogai let out a laugh. “Well, S’hi, someone finally took pity on the world. Hanson is now officially dead!”

“Great, Shogai, great, now I have to deal with them. Let ‘em through before they start singing.”*

Then Cheetara dreamt about Wily Kat and Kit, who, under the influence of the sleep cast upon them by the voice she had spoken to, had been transported through the Realm of the Dreams, into the city of Internet….the Realm of the Kei Gods.

*After falling asleep, the Thunderkittens found themselves in a strange place, it appeared to be an extremely large garden, though unlike other gardens they had seen, there was no pattern to the sections; it was as if someone had taken many gardens and thrown them all together.

“Wily Kat! Where are we? Is this a dream?”

“I…I don’t know, Kit, we’ve never dreamed the same things before.”

“Yeah, but as of now, any dream would be nice! Y’know, since we haven’t been having them, which Pumyra says isn’t that great….” Looking around, she saw a female Thunderan White Tiger standing about one hundred feet away. “Kat, look! A Thunderan! Maybe she knows where we are!”

As Wily Kit ran towards the White Tiger, dragging her brother along, she was suddenly stopped by running into what felt like a wall. “What in Thundera was that?!”

“That,” came an amused voice, “Was an energy barricade, set there in order to form a boundary between gardens.”

“Who said that?!” chorused the twins.

“Sigh. Look in the tree, kittens.”

They did just that. On a limb of a tree resembling a cross between a willow and a cherry tree, in bloom, rested an eagle, its color black.

“Did…you say that? B-but, you’re just a bird!”

The eagle ruffled her feathers angrily. “Watch it, Thunderkitten, I may have the appearance of a bird, but that can change quickly!”

“I’m sorry! It’s just, you know, I didn’t expect you to be talking. But since you can, do you think you can tell me where we are?”

Glaring at her, something Wily Kit found very impressive when done by a raptor, the eagle said, “Of course I can! You are in the Garden of the Gods—the Kei Gods, that is. Yes, I know, the areas are separate to outsiders, but to us they are one.” Gesturing with one wing behind her to several buildings in the distance, she continued. “That is the city of Internet, the connection point of the Kei Gods.”

“But how did we get here? If this is a place for Gods, I don’t see how we fit in!”

The raptor grinned, or attempted to. “Well, it’s a bit complicated to explain right now…let’s just say if I was ever going to make an actual appearance, this seemed like a pretty good time.”

“That still doesn’t explain why.”

Stretching her wings, the eagle yawned and said something to the effect of, “It doesn’t have to.” Shifting her position slightly, the raptor spoke again. “I assume you’ll have to be going, though. Really, I could keep you here for ages,” she mused. “I don’t think that would help the plot along much, though.”

“Hey, Kit?” Wily Kat whispered, “What’s she talking about?”

“I dunno, Kat, it must be a god thing.” And than she saw the dark-colored eagle make a slight movement with her wing—and the Thunderkittens were again in Cats Lair, though they never had left.

A tiger walked up to the still-resting bird and settled down at the foot of the tree. “Black Eagle, why did you bring them here?”

“Why not, Thundera Tiger?” chuckled Black Eagle. “No one else had taken the idea, I figured, ‘Why not?’”

“I know you, Black Eagle, maybe not all that well, but well enough. What’s the real reason?”

“Hmph. If you really must know, I’m not entirely sure of the reason myself.”

“You really are insane.”

“I know,” she said, with a hint of a smile playing at the corner of her beak. “But aren’t all of us deities just a little bit off? Besides, I like being insane. It makes the world fun.”*

“Cheetara! Wake up!” Lion-o shook the still-sleeping Cheetah gently, wondering why he had gotten stuck with wake-up duty.

Startled out of sleep, she woke up, a bit disoriented, but then realizing she was in the Cats Lair library, where she had fallen asleep. “L…Lion-o? What time is it? How long have I been asleep?”

“Calm down, Cheetara, we’ve all been asleep for a few hours. It’s nearing eight ‘o’clock.”

“Really? It seemed longer. Funny how that works.” Something ‘The Voice’ had said to her before she drifted off entered into her mind. “What could…she…have meant? ‘The confrontation comes tonight’….”

Lion-o glanced at her quizzically. “Is something wron