This story is written as a narrative by various characters. You will know when I’ve switched from one to the other by the name being printed in block caps.

TYGRA

I was sitting behind my console when Lion-O came up behind me. It was late and I was fatigued from the contest we’d been forced into by a ‘higher power’. Granted, my battle had been a pie eating contest, but it had been a difficult and trying experience nonetheless. "Tygra, I have a very important task for you," Lion-O said to me. I turned my chair around to face him, curious.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I want you to go to Skytomb and see if there are any chinks in the Lunatak armor. You must go there alone and spy for one week. This is the important part. No one may know of your plan. If anyone found out, they’d want to go with you, or keep a watch closer to Skytomb. If the Lunataks suspect anything your plan would fail," Lion-O said. I nodded. The caution seemed prudent.

"What will you tell the others if they ask?" I asked.

"We’ll tell them that you’ve gone on a little excursion, discover what you can. It’s a half truth. It’s as close as we can get to lying as the Code permits," Lion-O said.

I began packing a few items into a small sack. Most notably was a book entitled "Nightcloak," some food, a small blanket, my bola whip, some spare clothes and a personal temperature control unit to help baffle Red Eye’s infrared goggles.

It’s funny. As I walked by the rooms of my companions to the waiting Thunderclaw, I felt a twinge of sadness. I wondered, not for the first time, if I would ever see them again. I could only hope so.

There was no farewell fanfare. Lion-O stood close by and handed me a long range communications device, "just in case." With a warm embrace I hopped onto my vehicle while Lion-O stored my pack. "Good luck," he said, waving one last time. I turned the key and cranked the throttle, leaving Lion-O and Cat’s Lair far behind.

KNAVE

I paced restlessly back and forth. Chilla was due here soon, what could be keeping her? Outside my door I heard the reason. "Come on Chilla, I’m a nice guy," Alluro was saying.

"Listen, you overgrown freak. I don’t love you, I tolerate you, nothing more," Chilla said tersely.

"Your mouth says no, but your eyes say yes," Alluro said.

"Rubbish. My mouth says ‘freeze!’" Chilla replied.

I couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto my face as I heard Alluro’s pained shouts. Eventually, to end his torment she withdrew the ice, reminding him never to ask again. "One of these days he’ll learn," Chilla said as she opened my door. My room is hardly furnished, I just moved in after all. It did manage to have a couch, a dresser, a table and a few chairs. Chilla took the couch. "There are, of course, ways to teach him one," I began.

"No, he’s not worth the effort. I can understand the attraction. Besides myself, the only woman he could ask is Luna, and anyone would rather sleep with me than Luna," Chilla said.

"Except maybe Amok," I retorted.

"Perhaps. But I can see Alluro’s point, regretfully. Red Eye, Tug Mug and Amok are not what I would call dream date material. You’re more handsome than Alluro, but you are, after all, flesh and blood," Chilla said. This piqued my interest more than I’d thought. We were only kin through our father. Marriages between siblings were not allowed, but half siblings? I shook the thoughts from my head.

"I wouldn’t mind making him less handsome," I said, rubbing my knuckles, "all you need do is say the word."

TYGRA

The trip through the Forest of Mists was unsettling to say the least. First I had to wait for one of the shadow people to take over my body. Then we began flying at high speeds past all the jutting rocks. It was a horrible feeling, not having any control at all. Luckily we came through the other side and I was then able to relinquish control. I landed my craft just inside the Forest and removed my belongings by feel. I left it there, hoping it would be safe. Then I turned invisible and slowly made my way to the imposing structure that was Skytomb.

KNAVE

I found Alluro working in his lab. He was tinkering with some device. As I entered, his head jerked up and he looked squarely at me. "What do you want, half breed?" he asked. My eyes narrowed. He knew that my half Cheetah heritage was a sore point. "It’s Chilla. You’ve been bothering her ever since she arrived here, and frankly I’m getting a little sick of it," I replied.

"Is that so? Maybe I’m sick of you," Alluro replied, I saw him rest his hand on the psyche club at his hip.

"I wouldn’t do that. You’d be frozen stiff before you pulled it out," I said to him.

"Is that a threat?" Alluro asked.

"No. Consider it to be a polite warning," I replied.

"Awfully protective of this half sister of yours. I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t more to this relationship than you’ve admitted to us. You aren’t lovers, are you?" Alluro asked.

There it was, the second time the issue had raised its ugly head. I had little choice though, he had insulted me. A stream of ice wended its way around his ankles and up to his waist, freezing his hand atop his psyche club.

"Just remember," I said, "Chilla wants you left alive, for now. I can dispose of you anytime I please." Then I left the room.

TYGRA

Walking into Skytomb seemed surprisingly easy. The main door was wide open, allowing me to pass through without betraying myself to Tug Mug, who lay sleeping by the doorway. I selected a corridor at random and followed it. I chose another and went up a flight of stairs until I heard shouting. Instinctively I rushed toward it, narrowly avoiding Knave as he walked by. Thankfully the screams drowned out the sound of my footfalls.

It was Alluro, trapped in ice. This was an interesting development. Having just seen Knave walking away I was able to put two and two together. Staying with Alluro would only result in my ears being damaged, so I quickly set off in pursuit of Knave, hoping to learn more about this incident.

I found Knave and trailed him to his personal quarters. Located in the ‘basement’ of the ship one could hear, when from the halls, the moans of the brute men slaves. Knave’s door closed behind him, but not fully. There was somebody waiting for him. Crouching low, I listened in.

"I see you’ve beaten me here," Knave remarked.

"How could I not? Alluro’s screams were getting to me," a female voice, Chilla’s, said.

"He had it coming," Knave replied.

"True, but next time, cover his mouth too. What did he do this time? Count the ways in which he adores me?" Chilla asked.

"No, he accused us of being lovers. Such a claim could not go unchallenged," Knave answered.

"You did the right thing. If you hadn’t already done so, I would be down there freezing him myself," Chilla said.

"If his cries are too much for you, you can spend the night in here while I sleep elsewhere," Knave said.

"No, I’d best unfreeze him before Luna accuses me of having done this to him," Chilla said.

I backed away from the door. These were interesting tidings. I decided then and there that I should go to Alluro’s room and find out more.

KNAVE

Even as Chilla left, I felt that tingling in the back of my mind. It told me that something wasn’t right. It was, I suppose, a blessing from my mother’s side of the family. I walked over to the door and watched as Chilla left. There was something there. I just couldn’t tell what. It’s not important, probably. I’d had that nagging feeling before and nothing had come of it. I suppose it’s warning me of evil or some such thing which, when surrounded by Lunataks, should mean it’s going off all the time. I’m just tired. I need to rest. I walked over to my bed and closed my eyes and settled down for a nice long nap.

TYGRA

I got to Alluro’s in no time at all and saw Luna riding Amok heading my way. Doubtless she had heard the screams and was coming to investigate. I pitied Chilla, in a way, because she would be an easy target when she came up in a minute. "Amok. Break that ice and end his cursed screaming," Luna said. Amok grunted and, from my vantage point at the back wall, I could see him shatter the ice, causing Alluro to fall to his knees. Chilla chose that moment to enter. "I assume you did this?" Luna asked.

"No, it was her wretched brother, Knave," Alluro replied.

"He was well within his rights," Chilla said, "Alluro here accused him of sleeping with me." Luna had Amok bring Alluro down to her eye level. "You are a stupid man," she said, smacking him on the head with her riding crop. "Tell Knave that next time he should prevent Alluro from screaming as well." Luna guided Amok out of the room.

It was kind of funny. If Lion-O wanted evidence of friction between the Lunataks, I could write a lengthy essay detailing all the instances I’d seen. Call it an impulse but I soon came up with an idea that might bring us home a Lunatak. But, it would have to wait for another time. It was getting late and I would need all the strength I could muster if I was going to pull it off. I slipped into what looked like an unused room and set up a miniature alarm system by the door. It would alert me to an intruder and give me plenty of time to turn invisible before I was noticed. Then I wrapped myself in my blanket and went to sleep.

ALLURO

I am not a man given to bouts of rage or anger, so it was somewhat unusual that I was beating on a brute man later that evening. We needed these brute men, but I figured that one more or less wouldn’t hurt. Not me anyway. The pitiful creature put up little resistance as I landed a kick to its mid-section. It became quite easy for me to picture this thing as being Knave. I grabbed the brute man’s arm and twisted it sharply, hearing a satisfying crack. With my other hand I shattered its jaw. I dragged it back to spend some quality time with its companions. Sooner or later it would heal. If it didn’t, it would die. Either way it was no big deal. The ‘combat’ did help the stress level. I returned to my lab and resumed my work on a large craft that might someday take me back to the moons of Plundaar. As it was, the ship could barely fly. It certainly wouldn’t break through the atmosphere.

TYGRA

I felt rested. My sleep had been undisturbed for ten hours. That would hopefully provide me with enough stamina to carry out my outrageous plan. Lion-O would disapprove. It would create too many questions from the others. Still, if we could get Alluro as our prisoner we might be able convert him to our cause, point out that the other Lunataks didn’t really like him. If all else failed, he could be used as bait to lure them into the open. My plan called for ultimate deception and fine acting on my part. The body was easily fooled. Some body parts took more convincing than others, though. The eyes were, by far, the easiest things to deceive. What I needed to do was fool Alluro’s ears as well, and quite possibly his skin. Most Tigers disliked trying such things though. Down that road lay the path of evil.

I found my way to Alluro’s room easily, slipping once more into my invisible state. This didn’t require my full attention anymore. I looked around and found what I needed in the adjoining lab. A small vessel that was capable of traveling at high speeds. The hypnotist was still asleep so I crawled through the open hatch and wove my illusions.

ALLURO

I was awakened by the sound of someone calling my name. It was Chilla. I wondered briefly what she was doing in my room, she hadn’t said a word to me at all since Knave attacked me, and I’d wondered what she had to say about it. Now was my chance.

"Chilla, I’d been hoping to see you. We have to talk," I said.

"We can talk later. I really liked the way you stood up to my half brother," Chilla said, leaning up against the door to my lab. Had I heard right?

"Then why are you here?" I asked.

"I think you know why I’m here. I’ve always liked a man who’s not afraid to stand up to anyone," Chilla said.

This had me really confused. Happy, but confused.

"This isn’t some kind of trick, is it?" I asked.

"No trick. Tell me, does that ship of yours work?" Chilla asked.

"It’s capable of flight, but won’t take anyone of this planet," I replied, more curious than ever.

"It won’t have to. I don’t trust Red Eye. He’s got surveillance cameras everywhere. But if there were somewhere more private . . . " Chilla began. My eyes grew wider and I found it difficult to breathe.

"The Alluro-Flyer will certainly take us somewhere much more private," I managed to stammer.

"Good, then what are we waiting for?" Chilla asked.

Like a dog tied to a leash, I followed her to the ship. She climbed in first and immediately went into the back. "You take us out of here while I change into something a little more comfortable," she said. Not needing to be asked twice I climbed into the cockpit and fired up the engines. Within moments we were clear of Skytomb and heading far away.

KNAVE

As I worked on Chilla’s Ice Runner in the early morning, I was startled by the whine of an engine being fired up. I glanced up and saw an unfamiliar ship. "Who’s in there, Red Eye?" I asked into my communicator. "It’s Alluro with one passenger," came the reply. This was very odd. Who could be with Alluro? It couldn’t be Luna or Amok. Red Eye was in the control room, and I’d seen Tug Mug a moment ago. It had to be Chilla. Damn! I hopped onto the Ice Runner and went off in pursuit.

ALLURO

"Where to my dear?" I asked, glancing back at the cabin.

"It doesn’t matter where we go. We aren’t here to see the sights," Chilla replied. I begged to differ. There were some sights that I was going to be seeing very soon.

"Good. I’ll just take us far away from Skytomb and we’ll see what happens," I shouted back.

My sensors let out a chirp, telling me that there was another craft on the radar scope. The sensors informed me what it was and who was flying it. I groaned softly. "Chilla darling. It looks like your journey to Alluro-Land may be delayed a little. Your half brother is coming to pay us a visit," I said.

"Knave? I’m sure you’ll stand up to him like you did last time the two of you met," Chilla said. I chose not to remind her of what had happened last time. Knowing that I had to put on a good show for my girl I turned on the hailing frequencies.

"Hello Knave. You’ll never guess what happened. There I was in my room when Chilla walks in suggesting that we do something that you have probably never done before. We just feel that we need a little more privacy before we can get intimate, so if you don’t mind," I began. Absently I flicked a switch to activate a device I’d installed for just such an occasion. It heated the exterior of the hull, meaning any attempt to cover the ship in ice would succeed for only a few seconds. You can’t imagine my surprise when a large chunk of the hull fell to the ground and shattered. Then Knave hopped in.

KNAVE

It’s a talent few ice Lunataks realize they possess. When extremely angry, an ice Lunatak can lower the temperature of their icy breath to the point where it acts like liquid nitrogen. Meaning even the hardest of metals will crumble to dust. Fueled by the thought that my sister might be defiled by such a man as Alluro I hit that point. Pushing the wall down and setting the Ice Runner on auto pilot was a simple task. Hopping in was slightly more challenging, but with the adrenalin flowing through me, it felt like anything was possible.

The trouble with those powerful blasts of cold air, as I was discovering, was that it took a lot out of you. That, coupled with the heat from the hull, was weakening me faster than I’d care to admit. I wouldn’t let him know that, of course. I had to make it seem like I could do the same to him.

TYGRA

I wasn’t quite sure what all the noise was, but it sounded like Knave had just arrived. I cursed myself for my follies. Alluro on his own I could have handled, but throwing Knave into the equation just made things much more complicated. I tried to stand, to find a better hiding spot, but my legs refused to cooperate. I guess confusing Alluro took more out of me than I suspected. There’s nothing left to do but to rest and hope that my strength returns.

ALLURO

Something didn’t seem quite right with Knave. He looked strained, and his eyes unfocused. But then I looked down and saw the shattered wall. I had better tread carefully. "Uh, hello Knave. What brings you here?" I asked.

"Where is she?" Knave replied.

"In the back room getting changed. You must understand that everything we were going to do was with her consent, I’d never dream of doing it any other way," I said. Knave’s head turned slightly to look at the door I’d indicated. Perfect, just the opening I’d been hoping for. My psyche club was out in an instant and the crystal hovered over Knave’s head.

"Come on Knave, nothing was going to happen. Chilla and I are just going to land near the Berbil village, torment the creatures, and come home. We weren’t going to do anything," I said.

"Weren’t going to, no. Something’s not right here. Chilla and Alluro!" Knave said, the rage within him fighting my hypnotic powers. I’d have to act quickly.

"You must get on your Ice Runner and return to Skytomb. Chilla and I are on a mission from Luna herself. Nothing more," I soothed, my free hand reaching for a weapon, any weapon.

"Luna sent you. No! Luna wouldn’t send you to defile my sister, to strip her of her innocence. I know men like you, I’ve been one myself, and I’m not going to let you get away with this!" Knave said, finally breaking free entirely of the spell. His enhanced speed allowed him to rush at me sooner than I’d expected. I cracked the club against Knave’s head but somehow it only glanced off his shoulder. Why didn’t I leave any weapons nearby?

KNAVE

The hypnotist’s body was pressed up against his control panel as I reared back and slammed my fist into his face. It felt good having Alluro’s blood oozing down my hand. This seemed to spark him though and he slapped at a panel, causing sleeping gas to filter into the cabin. I choked a mouthful of it before I managed to hold my breath. Alluro had been prepared and had been holding his until the gas ran out. By this time I saw that the Lunatak had managed to grab a weapon, it was a small blow torch. He turned it on and lunged at me, singeing my fingertips. I knew I’d have to resort to what was left of my ice powers. A quick breath of ice immobilized his feet. I could have laughed at him. My cheetah speed would allow me to strike at him and get out of range, if I was lucky.

I managed to bloody my knuckles a few more times before I heard Alluro’s startled gasp. Reflexively I looked up and saw, with horror, what he’d been reacting to. A rather large mountain stood in our flight path. The controls had been damaged in the fight, so there was no way of altering course. "Brace for impact Chilla!" I shouted, grabbing what I hoped was a secure pipe.

TYGRA

I don’t know how long I lay unconscious. It must have been long enough because I felt some of my strength returning. What didn’t help was the pain in my wrists and ankles. Then I realized that I was bound. This meant one thing. Alluro and Knave had come looking for Chilla and found me.

"Well, well. Now you can tell me, ‘Chilla’ why you decided to change into Tygra," Alluro said, grabbing my face.

"We don’t much like being deceived," Knave added, glaring at me with hatred in his eyes.

"It’s all a mistake," I managed to say before Alluro kicked me in the ribs.

"So was that. I was aiming for your head," he spat, a mixture of blood and spittle hitting my cheek.

"Lion-O sent me to spy on you. I thought if I could lure you away," I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

"I see. You’d have a prisoner to present to your mighty leader. Well, as it turns out, we are the ones with a present for our leader. Maybe Luna will forgive our wounds if we give you to her," Knave said.

"I don’t think we should present him to Luna. He toyed with my heart and your brain. We very nearly killed one another. I say we finish the job and treat him the way he would have us treat each other," Alluro said.

I’ve known fear all my life. Fear that we wouldn’t survive the disaster on Thundera. Fear that I would fail my test as a Tiger. And now fear that I wouldn’t last the night or, perhaps more to the point, that I would be tortured and die a few days later. The two Lunataks were certainly of a mind to do so.

"You know, it occurs to me that there is someone else who could use a Thundercat. Someone who might reward us greatly for such a gift. Someone nearby by the looks of things," Knave said, gazing off into the distance. The knot of fear in my stomach grew as I saw Mumm-Ra’s pyramid in the distance.

"Yes, he might heal our wounds and increase our powers for the battle against the Thundercats!" Alluro said. I was hauled to my feet, my bonds untied. A simple wave of Alluro’s club and a few well-chosen words, and we were walking to the pyramid.

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