Cat’s Lair, home to Third Earth’s defenders: The Thundercats. Of late, however, this team had been looking a little worse for wear. Three of its members lay with injuries and a fourth was recovering. Cheetara, for the second time in the past few weeks, lay immobilized with cuts and abrasions up and down her body. She had been traveling at a high velocity when she had been thrown to the ground. She had rolled for several meters before finally coming to a stop. Wily Kit and Wily Kat were both lucky to be alive. They had been thrown from their hover boards into two trees. Wily Kat had sustained a minor concussion and major swelling along his back. Wily Kit, on the other hand, had hit the tree along her legs. It had been feared that they might be broken but there was no such damage. They both hurt like hell and could only be moved with great effort and pain to the youngster.

Panthro had taken several shots to the chest and shoulders from a mutant named Peregrine. He was moving around and could perform all but the most complex of tasks. This meant that he couldn’t spend time with his beloved Thundertank.

For all their injuries the Thundercats were in good spirits. They had gained a new ally in Black Claw, Tygra’s mentor ripped from the past. The mutants were of licking their own wounds and likely wouldn’t be making any attacks any time soon. The Lunataks were busy trying to clean up their home while Mumm-Ra was accepting his defeat twice in a span of a few days.

Jackalman and Monkian were sparring in the main dining hall under the supervision of Peregrine. He had insisted that all mutants were to begin training if they were to ever defeat the Thundercats. "Hoo, hoo. I hit you!" Monkian said triumphantly.

"Do not begin to celebrate yet Ape. The battle is not over yet," Peregrine growled. Monkian swung his wooden training club down at Jackalman’s knees, causing the mutant to back away and block. The force of the blow sent Jackalman’s club flying from his hand.

"Hoo, hoo. Now it is over," Monkian said.

Peregrine walked slowly over to where Jackalman now stood, stunned, his knees shaking. "That was the worst display of swordsmanship that I have ever seen, and I have seen bad swordsmanship. If you want to remain a part of this unit, you had better start working harder. We could always find other uses for you, though. I hear that the target range could use a moving target or two?" Peregrine said, noting the blood draining from Jackalman’s face. "Now, I think I heard you say something about taking extra practice time?" he asked.

"I said I’d train double what I normally do," Jackalman said, "and I will make you proud, someday."

"I doubt it," Peregrine muttered as he turned away.

Tygra and Black Claw entered the Berbil village for the second time in as many days to help with the repairs. The two had worked long and hard the previous day and the job was nearly done. "I still can’t believe those Mutants managed to do all this damage," Black Claw said.

"I can scarcely believe it myself. I knew they were tough but this much devastation?" Tygra said, motioning at the handful of crushed huts and uprooted trees. The Berbils were already up and about, mostly repairing their comrades.

"You’ll probably want to know a little more about the other enemies we’ve got here on Third Earth. You’re bound to meet them before long," Tygra said.

"True. I’ve already heard something about a guy named Mumm-Ra, and I overheard Lion-O and Panthro talking about the Lunataks," Black Claw said.

"Mumm-Ra’s been here longer than any of us. We don’t really know that much about him except that he possesses great power," Tygra began.

"Today we strike the Berbils as a training mission," Peregrine said, "to see how far you’ve progressed in the few days since I came along. These Berbils should pose no threat. If you run into the Thundercats, it will just give you another obstacle. The last one to return with a Berbil head will be responsible for cleaning out the toilets." The four mutants, including Slythe, grumbled and complained but departed for the Berbil village.

"And although he’s not the brightest Lunatak, he certainly is one of the more dangerous. You just have to learn when the time is right to attack him," Tygra concluded.

"Hmm. These Lunataks seem quite deadly," Black Claw said.

"Oh, they certainly can be. Once you meet them a few times, you’ll recognize their patterns and be able to adapt to them. The rest of us have," Tygra said.

"Tygra, Black Claw. Come here please. We have found something of interest," a mechanical voice said.

"Sure thing Robear Rowan. What is it?" asked Tygra.

"It is a map to some place marked Nisha’s cave," Robear Rowan said, guiding them over to a small table that had a map laid on it.

"Where did you find it?" Black Claw asked.

"We found it under a tree we had pulled up to replace the wood on one of our houses," the Berbil replied. Tygra and Black Claw examined the map carefully.

"I think I know where that is. But there aren’t any caves there," Tygra said.

"We’ll have to check it out once we’re done here," Black Claw said.

"It’s quite alright. We are capable of doing it ourselves," Robear Bill said, as he approached.

"Then we leave you in peace," Tygra said.

"That may be, but we’ll be leaving them in pieces, caw!" Vultureman cackled.

The Mutants had only just arrived but were fascinated by this map. "We mussst get the map and defeat the Thundercatsss, yesss?" Slythe said.

"Hoo, hoo. That won’t be a problem," Monkian said. The four mutants spread out to attack the two Thundercats.

"The odds are against us," Tygra muttered.

"Then let’s even them. Now you see us. Now you don’t!" Black Claw said as both Tigers faded away. Tygra could sense his mentor making for Monkian so he lunged at Slythe. The reptilian mutant was stronger but he didn’t know where his opponent was, which gave Tygra enough of an advantage to get a few good kicks into Slythe’s chest and arms.

Black Claw knew that simian mutants were the most difficult to fight in a strict hand to hand combat. The key to defeating them was to use cunning. The Thundercat grabbed a solid oak branch off the ground and tossed it behind Monkian. With the mutant’s head turned to look for the source of the noise he was wide open for a well-placed drop kick to the back of the head, below the helmet. Monkian fell flat on his face, unconscious.

Vultureman had to get that map. It might be the only way to save face with Peregrine should they fail, which it appeared they would. He pushed the nearest Berbil aside and grabbed the map. Quickly he began retreating, making for his flying machine.

Tygra jumped high into the air and landed neatly on the other side of Slythe. He dropped his invisibility and used his whip to launch three fireballs at the mutant. It worked like a charm. Slythe took off like a rocket. Jackalman, needing no encouragement, joined in the retreat.

"Tygra, they got the map!" Robear Bill said, helping Robear Rowan to his feet.

"Oh no. Who knows what they might unleash in that cave?" Tygra said.

"We must stop them. Unfortunately there’s no time to call the other Thundercats for help," Black Claw said. The two Thundercats hopped onto their Thunderclaw, hoping that Tygra’s memory of the map would serve them well.

Vultureman laughed quietly as Slythe and Jackalman, carrying a prone Monkian, went in the opposite direction. He’d thought briefly about telling them about the map he now carried but decided to keep it a secret just in case it led to a weapon of great power. Once again he cursed himself for having brought Peregrine to this dimension. If only he hadn’t found his device crushed near the Berbil village where he’d activated it.

"Caw! The map leads here," Vultureman said, landing on a spot of dry land next to a small pond. Even as he did so he could feel a strange power radiating all around him. "Hmm, I can probably get at this cave from under water," Vultureman said. He slid into the pond and looked around. Indeed, there appeared to be an underground tunnel leading north.

The tunnel wound up only going a short distance, but was just long enough to lead upwards into a wide open chamber. Vultureman surfaced in this chamber and looked about. There was a window in the ceiling that let the light into the room. "What a gyp! There’s only a little girl here!" Vultureman said as he spied the cave’s one inhabitant. Sleeping on a stone bench was the child in question.

Close behind Vultureman, although he didn’t know it, were the two Thundercats. They had made good time and entered the water only a few minutes after he did.

"Oh well," thought Vultureman, "maybe the girl knows something of use." He bodily picked her up and slapped her hard. "Wake up," he ordered. Two pale green eyes fluttered open to stare at Vultureman. "Who are you? You’re not my parents!" she cried, struggling to break free.

"That’s right, but if you don’t start talking you’ll be wishing your parents were here to save you," Vultureman said.

"She won’t need her parents. Not while we’re here!" Tygra said, suddenly realizing that Black Claw was not with him.

"Drop your weapon, Thundercat, or the girl gets it," Vultureman said.

"Just like a mutant, hiding behind an innocent. Alright, I’ll let go of my weapon," Tygra said, his whip falling to the ground.

"Just like a Thundercat, needing to defend the innocents. Caw! Maybe I should just get rid of you both now!" Vultureman said.

Black Claw slid behind the mutant, invisible. He’d likely only get one chance to take him out so he’d have to make it count. He grabbed a nearby rock and brought it down onto Vultureman’s head, felling him instantly.

Tygra rushed forward to catch the little girl. "My name is Tygra, and this is Black Claw. We’re friends. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," she replied.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Black Claw asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"My name is Nisha. Before I can tell you why I am here I must tell you where ‘here’ is," the girl replied.

"This cave has been here for millennia, before even the first people walked the Earth, or so I’ve been told. This cave is home to powerful magics, magic that you cannot begin to understand. Any living matter that enters this cave will leave it in the same condition. Say, for example, you enter this place and scrape your knee upon a rock. As soon as you leave here the wound will disappear. If you enter here as an infant, live here for thirty years and then leave, you will exit as an infant, all memories still intact though. But this cave’s magic can be both a blessing and a curse. If you enter here with a newly broken leg, get it set and healed then, when you leave, it will revert back to its broken form," the girl said.

"But this doesn’t explain why you’re here. You’re but a child," Tygra said.

"So are you," Black Claw wryly said.

"But it does. My parents were fleeing from the evil Mumm-Ra and hid in here. They spent over three months in hiding here. During that time my mother became pregnant with me. As they had been having difficulties producing children, they decided not to terminate my life but to let me live on. Should I ever leave this cave I shall revert back to the form in which I entered. Nothingness," the girl said.

Tygra and Black Claw gasped. "That’s terrible. And yet you live here happily?" Tygra asked.

"Yes. My parents visit daily to provide me with food. Since I know I would not exist were it not for this cave, I live here content. The people of my village also come to me once a month, at least. I possess powers thanks to this cave. Given time to rest I can channel some of the energy from this cave into mending the wounds of those outside," Nisha said.

"I swear, by the code of Thundera, that I will endeavor to visit you as often as I can," Black Claw said.

"Perhaps we can even try and teach you about the outside world. I might be able to rig some sort of computer terminal for you down here. It would be solar powered and have limited uses, but it would be better than nothing," Tygra added.

"I would like that very much, Tygra," Nisha replied.

"Anything for one who needs it," Tygra said.

"We may have a problem getting out of here," Black Claw said.

"Oh? What?" Tygra asked.

"Remember that Nisha said you leave in the same condition you entered. I believe that Vultureman was very much conscious when we entered," Black Claw said.

"Damn. What about if we bind him, the rope won’t disappear, will it?" Tygra asked.

"No. The spell, from what I can tell, applies only to living matter," Nisha replied.

"Good. We can use my bola whip," Tygra said.

The Thundercats emerged on the surface with their struggling prisoner. They slung him over the back of the Thunderclaw and returned to Cat’s Lair. Triumphant and exhausted.

THE END

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