Lion-O was dimly aware of the monitors beeping in the background. They informed him what he already knew. Cheetara's heart rate was unsteady, her breathing ragged, and the blood still flowing from her leg. She had been encased in ice for far too long. That, coupled with several attacks in the last little while, had left her in this state. "You need to rest," a calm reassuring voice behind him said.

"I know. It's just that as lord of the Thundercats I should have stopped this from happening," Lion-O replied, turning to look into the face of his long time friend Tygra.

"You can't expect to look out for us all. We all know the dangers we face every time we leave Cat's Lair. We don't even have to leave here to be injured," Tygra said.

"You're right of course. There's nothing I could have done to prevent Monkian from slicing open her leg. But I could have stopped her from investigating the smoke from the warrior maiden village. I could have sent you and Panthro to check it out. I should have checked on her sooner," Lion-O said, pounding his fist against the wall.

"I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better. All I can do is give you my assurances that everything will work out fine in the end and promise to let you know if her condition changes," Tygra said. Lion-O mumbled his thanks and left the room slowly. Tygra sank down into the vacated chair and gripped Cheetara's hand, willing her to mend.

The mood elsewhere in the Lair was subdued. The Thunderkittens, Wily Kit and Wily Kat, seemed disheartened by the tragic events. Gone were their playful games and pranks. Their hover boards lay unused in the corner, forgotten in favor of a round of stories about Cheetara.

Down in the garage Panthro couldn't focus on his repairs to the Thundertank. He had been trying to figure out a way to make it go faster, so that the next time something like this happened they might get there sooner, but memories flooded back to him. The screwdriver that Cheetara had given him for his birthday, the wrench she had used when there had been a leaky faucet in the girl's washroom. He leaned against his tank and felt a tear slowly wend its way down his cheek.

"Is it ready yet Alluro?" Luna, princess of the Lunataks, asked. Alluro shuddered inwardly at the sound of her voice but managed to maintain a strict dignity. "Don't worry Luna. Everything will be fine momentarily. The tests on Cheetara's blood went perfectly," he replied. Luna seemed to study him for a moment. "I hope they did, for your sake. I would hate for Amok to have to show you what happens when you fail," she said, patting her massive mount. He snorted and pounded a fist through a table nearby. Luna laughed and guided him away. Alluro set down the vial of blood and began cleaning up the debris.

"How did you get here?" Chilla asked her half brother, Knave.

"It was quite simple really. I set the onboard computer to follow the trail left by your ship. When it got close enough to its destination, it woke me from my cryogenic chamber. Then I set down here. I had intended on bringing you back with me, but the ship only holds two. Luna would be forced to stay behind," Knave said.

"That doesn't sound so bad. I've never been fond of Luna," Chilla replied.

"True, but if that overgrown baby of hers found out that we were trying to escape he'd be on us in an instant. I've seen people try to freeze those things. They just break free," Knave said.

"Just give him enough candy and he'll leave us alone," Chilla snorted.

"Candy, eh? Maybe there is a way for us to get off this pile of rock," said Knave.

"Here you go Tygra. I thought you could use something to keep you awake a little longer. I don't want Lion-O to have to come down here to keep an eye on her, snarf, snarf," Snarf said. Tygra gratefully accepted the mug of coffee from the Snarf and looked over once more at Cheetara. "She hasn't improved," he commented, "I just wish I knew why they'd taken her and given her back so easily."

Lion-O tossed and turned in his bed. There was something up with the Lunataks. It seemed too easy. He had to find out what. Unfortunately there was only one way to do it. He slipped his glove claw onto his hand and placed the Sword of Omens between his teeth. Then he quickly scaled the wall from his bedroom down to the ground below. In minutes he was sprinting across the open terrain to where he knew Wily Kat kept a spare hover board.

"I believe, Luna, that the formula is now finished," Alluro said, as he approached Luna in the control room.

"Excellent. You try it first," she replied.

"Me? Why me?" Alluro asked, backing away. Amok growled, causing Alluro to stop.

"Because you invented it. I know better than to assume it works," Luna said. Alluro swallowed hard and hoped that his serum wouldn't prove to have adverse effects. He downed one dose of the stuff and stood before Luna. "Well? It doesn't seem to be doing anything!" she said.

"Cheetara's power was in her speed. Thus it makes sense that the formula would only be triggered by me doing something," Alluro said. He promptly began to run around the room at speeds he had never been able to think about attaining.

"It works!" Luna shouted, "Give me a dose of that."

"With all due respect Luna, we only have a limited amount. We should wait until . . . " Alluro began before Amok picked him up by his neck. "Of course it couldn't hurt to give you a dose of the potion. The others needn't get any until we're ready to use it against the Thundercats," Alluro amended.

Chilla and Knave sat at a small table in Chilla's private bedroom. Outside they could see a short figure running around, squealing with joy. "What's Luna up to now?" Chilla asked.

"I don't know. She's moving awfully quickly. I thought you said she could barely walk," Knave said.

"That's what I thought too. We'd better go find out more," Chilla said.

The two half siblings arrived outside Skytomb to find Alluro smiling proudly with Amok standing protectively nearby. "What have you done?" Chilla asked.

"I just gave her some of my super speed serum," Alluro replied. Luna, a trying to hide the smile on her face, ran up to the inventor. "You have performed adequately. When we strike at the Thundercats you shall get to make the first attack on whomever you like," Luna said.

"It has been an honor to serve you, Luna," Alluro said.

"Panthro! I can't find Lion-O anywhere and he isn't answering to any of my calls on his communicator, snarf, snarf!" Snarf said, bursting in on the infirmary. Panthro had arrived to give Tygra a chance to sleep. "That's odd. Where could he be? Did you try down in the training room?" Panthro asked.

"He wasn't there," Snarf said.

"How about his bedroom?"

"Nope."

"The kitchens? With the Thunderkittens in the hall?"

"He wasn't in either of those places."

"Maybe he went outside," Panthro suggested.

"But why? It's so dark out now," Snarf said.

"Oh no! He's probably gone to Skytomb!" Panthro exclaimed, reading Lion-O's mind.

"Why would he do that?" Snarf asked.

"To ease the guilt he feels for letting Cheetara get injured," said a sleepy Tygra from the doorway.

"Tygra! We have to go after him," Snarf said.

"You're right. I'll call Lynx-O at the Tower of Omens and get him to pick us up. Panthro, you, Wily Kit and Wily Kat stay here and keep an eye on things," Tygra said.

The Thunderstrike flew hard and fast toward Cat's Lair. When it landed it found Tygra and Snarf waiting outside. Pumyra and Lynx-O disembarked from the ship. Tygra explained the situation and the four were off toward the Forest of Mists.

Lion-O's stolen hover board took him quickly to the Forest of Mists. It was actually a narrow chasm filled with jutting rocks. It was named for the thick mists that prevented one from seeing their way through. The only person capable of flying perfectly through them was Lynx-O, on account of the fact that he was blind and so didn't rely on sight. It would be a long walk through for the Lord of the Thundercats. He would have to reach in front of himself carefully and hope for the best.

"With that super speed serum we could easily make it to my shuttle before the rest of the Lunataks could stop us," Knave said, "of course we'd have to take the rest of the serum with us to make sure they can't follow us."

Chilla smiled evilly. "I've obviously had a good influence on you. You're as diabolical as I am," she said.

"I thank you for the compliment. Now, we have to find out where Alluro is keeping the serum and how long its effects last," Knave said.

"Don't worry about a thing. As much as I hate to do it I know how to get such information out of him," Chilla said.

Panthro was no doctor but he could tell that Cheetara was fighting her wounds with a fire unlike any other. Her heart rate had increased somewhat over the last few minutes. Panthro slipped a few mashed herbs and roots into Cheetara's mouth, forcing her to swallow them. Willa, queen of the warrior maidens, had suggested that they might help. They seemed to have helped increase Cheetara's body temperature, which had been his foremost concern. Soon he found himself unable to stay awake and slowly drifted to sleep.

Cheetara glanced around her. It appeared like a large field. Before her a giant blob moved closer. Somehow she knew that she had to defeat it to gain a chance to return to the real world. She had been battling it all day, with little sign of progress. A few moments ago she had scored a minor victory by mashing an appendage of ooze to the ground. It struck again, firing a portion of itself at her. She had fallen for this trick once already, but was prepared this time. The blob that had been fired became a second creature, much smaller. Her bo staff swung around and chopped it in two. The blobs became little puddles and slithered back to the larger being. This was going to be harder than she'd thought.

Lion-O stumbled as he came across a small hole in the ground. As he walked, he became increasingly aware of voices around him. "Who's there?" he demanded at length.

"Who's there? Who's there?" the voices whispered around him.

"Show yourself. As Lord of the Thundercats I command it!" Lion-O said, realizing as he did that there was no way to see.

"Lord of the Thundercats?"

"We'd better do what he says."

"Maybe not. Let's leave him here to die. He'll never find his way out."

"Just what we need, another corpse."

The voices chattered around Lion-O and he reached forward, feeling a stalagmite in front of him. "I'm not afraid of you, but if you won't show yourself I have other means. Sword of Omens. Give me sight beyond sight," he said. The sword showed him the fog but it also showed him a small opening in the side of the wall. Through this wall he caught a glimpse of a shadowy creature. He was just about to speak to the creatures when a large heavy object was brought down on his head.

Cheetara fought hard against the ooze monster. Finally she felt a surge of energy welling within her. She focused this energy at the creature and smiled grimly as it exploded.

Panthro was startled out of his sleep to find Cheetara shaking his arm. "Where are the others?" she asked. Panthro quickly sketched out what had happened. "We have to go help them. I sense they're in serious danger," she urged.

"But we have no way of getting into the Forest of Mists," Panthro protested, "all right, we'll try," he added as he noticed Cheetara's determined look.

"There's no trace of him anywhere," Pumyra said.

"Where can he be? You don't suppose we guessed wrong at his destination?" Tygra said.

"I'll contact the Lair and find out if there's any news there," Lynx-O said helpfully, landing the Thunderstrike on the other end of the Forest of Mists.

Lion-O awoke to find his arms shackled to a large stone slab. There was a small fire burning off in the corner. The rest of the chamber seemed hewn out of rock. It was small and circular with no visible doors or windows. Then the shadows in the corner shifted revealing a pale almost transparent being. It glided over to the Thundercat and stared at him curiously, as though he were a new toy. "I am sorry for having to bring you here like this. You were beginning to learn too much about us," the shadowy entity said.

"Who are you?" Lion-O asked.

"My name is Shao and I am one of the Shadow Dwellers. We live in the Forest of Mists where it is safe. We know of you and your people. You fly through our world often. In fact some of your friends passed by a moment ago," the creature replied.

"But, what are you? How do you know about us?" Lion-O asked, confused.

"We are the Shadow Dwellers. We can merge with the shadows or become as solid as stone. We have followed you and your people. We have seen your battles. We know of your goodness. But we fear the harm you might do to us should we let you go," Shao said.

"I swear by Jaga's name and the Sword of Omens that we would never intentionally harm you or your people," Lion-O said.

"That's the key word, isn't it. Intentionally. How many have been harmed to get at you? Only yesterday a village of warrior maidens was attacked to provoke Cheetara into arriving. How can we guarantee this will not happen to us?" Shao asked.

"You're right. I can't guarantee you anything. But I can't promise you that you won't get hurt regardless. All it would take is for the Lunataks, the Mutants or Mumm-Ra to learn of your presence. Then you might find yourselves being used as bait," Lion-O said, "what I can promise you is that no matter what happens the Thundercats will endeavor to rescue you should this come about."

"I know of your honesty, and we will help you. There is a way through the Forest of Mists, but it will require a great sacrifice on your part. You must let one of us take control of your body for the duration of your trip through the Forest. Only we are able to see through the mist," Shao said. Lion-O gratefully accepted and was soon released into the forest.

"The longer we stay here the more likely it is that the Lunataks will attack," Tygra said.

"There has been no word of Lion-O at the lair," Lynx-O added.

"I don't like this. It's not like Lion-O to just run off like this. What if he's lying hurt in those mists? We'd never know, snarf, snarf," Snarf said.

"Luna. There are Thundercats on this side of the Forest of Mists," Red Eye said.

"Excellent. We'll never have a better chance to use our potions. Alluro, distribute your serum and let's get those Thundercats," Luna replied.

Lion-O relaxed his body, feeling a strange presence begin to enter it. His body seemed to move of its own accord. The world snapped into focus and he marveled at the splendor of the forest. Nearer the ground were beautiful pieces of artwork drawn in a dazzling array of colors. His guide took him straight through, taking less time than he'd expected. At the edge it left him giving him one final piece of information. "The next time you want to go through, all you need do is ask."

Pumyra was the first one to see Lion-O stumble out of the forest. She immediately alerted the others and moved toward him. "Lion-O, are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes I'm fine. Now let's get going to Skytomb," he replied.

"In your condition it would be foolhardy to even attempt such a thing," Tygra said sternly.

"Then I suppose we get to battle a bunch of fools!" Luna cried.

Shao watched as the Thundertank approached swiftly. He hoped the driver would not resist too much. He had heard reports on the Lunataks and knew that Lion-O could use all the help he could get. He glided easily over to the Thundertank and slid into Panthro's body. Luckily none of the other Thundercats noticed the change. "Don't worry," he said in Panthro's voice, "I think I've just found a way through."

Knave and Chilla paired against Tygra breathing their icy breath at the Thundercat. Tygra had expected an attack like this and unleashed several fireballs into the path of the ice. He quickly wrapped his bola whip around his body and became invisible. "We can freeze you even when you're invisible," Knave chuckled, estimating Tygra's trajectory. He breathed and Chilla fired nearby. Soon a large block of ice appeared on the ground. "Come Chilla, while the others are distracted," Knave whispered.

Red Eye fired a tiny missile at Lion-O. As he had expected the missile was blocked easily but he was unprepared for Lion-O's blast from the Sword of Omens. It knocked him head over heals until he rolled to a stop at Amok's feet.

"Come on Pumyra, we don't have to fight. We can just sit over here and relax. I am a friend, you can trust me," Alluro said, suave as ever. Pumyra tried to resist his charms but found his words overwhelming. She found herself walking over to a rock and sitting down. Alluro cackled and relieved her of her weapons.

"So Lynx-O. Do you really think you can beat me?" Tug Mug asked. Lynx-O just laughed. "I don't like to be over confident but I have beaten you before," he said.

"That was just luck. Let's see you do it again," Tug Mug said, firing his gravity manipulating gun. Lynx-O held up his arm and used his arm guard to deflect the blast back at the rotund Lunatak. "I did warn you," Lynx-O said apologetically.

Luna could scarcely believe the ineptitude of her troops. Alluro was the only one left standing, as she could not see Chilla or Knave anywhere. "Amok, crush those two Thundercats!" she cried. The big brute looked up once and growled low. He batted Lynx-O aside and stomped toward Lion-O. "Ho!" he shouted, a ray of energy bursting from the Sword of Omens. The blast seemed about to hit Amok in the chest, when he quickly moved out of the way. "What the?" Lion-O asked as Amok's big fists collided with his stomach.

The Thundertank emerged from the Forest of Mists onto the battleground. "You go help Lion-O and the others. I see something that needs dealing with," Cheetara said, as she spied the retreating Chilla and Knave.

Panthro motioned for Bengali to keep Amok occupied for a moment while he changed the cartridges in his nunchuks. The young Thundercat nodded and moved forward, his hammer leading the way. He leapt over a lightning fast punch and smashed the hammer on Amok's toe. "You fool. Now you've made Amok angry!" Luna shrieked.

"Oh be quiet," Panthro said, emptying two cartridges of sleeping gas. Although the gas made Bengali fall asleep, it also took down both Luna and Amok.

Wily Kit and Wily Kat tossed a handful of tiny pellets at Alluro and his psyche club. One of those stones smashed the orb that held Pumyra in thrall. The Lunatak realized the odds of victory had fled and surrendered at once.

Cheetara pursued the two half siblings across the terrain of Third Earth.  The two obviously had some destination in mind. Cheetara was not one who ordinarily held grudges but she knew that these two had caused her near death experience. Patience forced her to watch what they were up to, though, so she maintained a discreet distance.

The pair could see Knave's ship parked in the distance. It was a splendid little ship that would serve them well. "Soon we shall be rid of this planet and Luna once and for all," Chilla said. Knave smiled. "And we two shall become the most famous tandem ever!" he said.

When Cheetara saw the ship, she knew what was about to happen. As much as she might like to be rid of the two Lunataks, she couldn't let them go home and get reenforcements. With surprising ease, considering her condition, Cheetara caught up to the pair and cracked her staff across their heads as she ran by. She had to destroy the craft before they could use it.

Cheetara returned to Cat's Lair an hour or so after the other Thundercats with her two prisoners. With them all gathered Lion-O transported them to Exile Island, where they were to stay for all eternity.

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