THE WEDDING GIFT

Chilla walked down the halls of Skytomb feeling very lightheaded. Alluro, her hypnotist companion, had just that morning asked for her hand in marriage. While she had, admittedly, had bad experiences with hypnotists she reasoned to herself that Kineto had never loved her and Psychro was only half hypnotist. Therefore, Alluro couldn’t turn out "like the rest." She rapped lightly on the door to Alluro’s room, hers as well in two weeks she reminded herself.

Alluro was flaked out in a chair, looking at the indentation of where Chilla had lain an hour ago. A smile spread across his face. "Come on in darling," he said as he recognized Chilla’s knock. It would be her anyway. She had gotten breakfast and he’d spoken to Luna. The door opened and his vision of beauty walked in. "Red Eye’s cooking today. Hope you like sausages, they were the only things that looked edible," Chilla said, placing a plate of over a dozen sausages on the bed table.

"They’ll be wonderful, I’m sure," he replied, looking forward to when it was his turn to cook. At least then the food would taste good. Chilla did a good job too, or he’d claim she did if she didn’t. Tug Mug tended to eat all the good stuff and cook things he didn’t want to eat. Luna and Amok never cooked and Knave had a tendency to burn food.

"I can hardly wait. We’ll have to arrange for food, and get new clothes, and find rings, and tell everyone," Chilla said, enthusiasm evident in her eyes. "Oh, wait. That last one might be a problem. I have no idea how Knave’ll take this. I’d better be the one to tell him. You can go talk to Red Eye and Tug Mug," she said.

"There’ll be time for that later. After we finish breakfast, I think we should spend some more ‘quality time’ together," Alluro said.

"Where are you? I know you’re in there somewhere," Knave said, a touch of anger in his voice. "When I find you, you’re going to be dinner tomorrow. And won’t everyone enjoy taking a bite out of your miserable hide!" There was a flicker of movement behind the Lunattacker. "Ah ha. Thought you could avoid me, did you? I’ve been tracking and wasting things like you since the day I was born. Freeze!" Knave said, spitting ice.

"What are you doing Knave?" Chilla asked, entering the hangar. Knave proudly displayed his handiwork. "One frozen rat. A big sucker too. It was quick, but not quick enough, especially for one with Cheetah heritage," Knave replied. He tossed it into a receptacle. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Knave, is this a good time. This may take a while?" Chilla asked.

"I’m not on duty until after dinner, when I have to clear the dishes and do some guard duty, why?" Knave said.

"Come with me, into the Lunattacker. We’ll head out into the wilderness. There’s something important for me to tell you, and I don’t want you around here when I tell you," Chilla replied.

"Sure thing. Anything you want," Knave said, hopping into the vehicle.

Chilla’s hands were steady on the controls as she navigated out of the hangar and made her way slowly across the terrain. She was nervous. Knave was known to be temperamental. He’d killed on occasion when the news was really bad. Chilla feared that Knave might try and finish off Alluro. Either way the fight went she would lose someone she cared about.

When they were some distance away, she stopped and turned around in her chair to face her half brother. She almost smiled. He sat in the same quizzical way she sometimes did when she was perplexed. "Are you going to tell me what this big secret is?" Knave asked, using the same tone she would have used.

"Knave, you’ve said that my life is my own, that I can do whatever I want, right?" Chilla asked.

"I have. I’ve said it often," Knave replied.

"And you’ve also said that no matter what it is I do, you’ll support me in it, right?" Chilla asked.

"Yes. Look if I’ve done anything to make you think I’m going back on my word I swear I’ll make it up to you in any way possible," Knave said, a trace of fear in his voice. Chilla smiled.

"No Knave, you haven’t. You’ve kept your promise about Alluro, right?" Chilla said.

"I haven’t harmed him. We exchanged one or two words, nothing more. This is going to take time," Knave said.

"I’m sure it will. It will also take time for you to accept what I’m about to tell you. Knave, Alluro has asked me to marry him," Chilla said.

"He did?" Knave asked, trying to mask his anger.

"Yes, he did, and I accepted," Chilla said.

"You’re kidding me, right?" Knave asked.

"No, I’m not. Are you going to be all right?" Chilla asked.

"Yes. I’m just going to need to think about this for a little while," Knave replied, stepping out of the Lunattacker. "Go home. I’ll walk back. It’ll give me the chance to clear my mind." Sadly Chilla turned on the Lunattacker and drove slowly away.

Alluro found Red Eye and Tug Mug sitting in the control room. "Sector 1-1-0 is all clear," Tug Mug said.

"Luna is down in section 1-1-1 dealing with an escape attempt by two brute men," Red Eye replied.

"Those brute men are always trying, aren’t they," Alluro said, leaning against the door frame.

"What are you so happy about, Alluro?" Tug Mug asked.

"Yeah, you look like you’ve just heard the Thundercats are all dead and Mumm-Ra’s going to return us to Plundarr," Red Eye said.

"As great as both those things would be, my dear friends, the news I bear surpasses those. Red Eye, Tug Mug, you are looking at the newest member of the Iespyk Clan," Alluro said, with an elegant bow, "Either that or you could say that the Katalaepsy Clan just gained a new member."

"You mean Chilla agreed to marry you?" Tug Mug asked.

"Yes Tug Mug, sadly my bachelor days are over," Alluro said, "not that you’d know what it’s like to live the married life."

"That’s not the case with me. I’ve got a wife back home, had I suppose," Red Eye said.

"True. I’ll have to consult with you concerning what married life is like," Alluro said, rolling his eyes. "And now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ve got a blushing bride to be to deal with. Let’s see we’ll need streamers, a cake, a new," Alluro said, his voice trailing off as he disappeared down the hall.

"That boy is in for trouble when Knave hears this," Tug Mug said.

"You’ve got that right," Red Eye agreed.

"How dare he," Knave said, freezing a scorpion where it stood. "He’s doubtless got her under some sort of hypnotic spell. I should kill him." Memories of another night come unbidden to his mind.

"Tell me something. Do you love him?" Knave asked, hoping to hear her say no.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. He’s grown on me," Chilla replies. He’d closed his eyes, just for a moment.

"If it will make you happy, I’ll treat him like I treat you: with the utmost respect, with honor and dignity. And I will try my hardest to be as a brother unto him," Knave’s voice says.

"I promised her. I kept my end of the bargain. I haven’t hurt him at all. I’ve even tolerated him. For a while there I thought we were becoming friends. Now it seems that all along he’s had the ultimate card up his sleeve. His royal trump to my pair of threes. I must accept the truth behind Chilla’s words. There’s no way Alluro’s hypnotic spell could be that effective. I’ve seen her in love, once with Kineto. There’s no way Alluro’s powers could fake the passion in her eyes, the determination. He’s won. We’ve fought and he claimed the prize. I guess my use to her is done, now that she has a new protector," Knave thought, placing one foot ahead of the other toward the distant Skytomb.

Chilla was monitoring the scanners. "Sector 0-0-8 shows Knave approaching. Red Eye, could you cover for me. I want to check on him," Chilla said, turning in her chair. The Lunatak from the darkness-enshrouded moon was used to doing the job on his own and shrugged. "Sure thing Chilla," he said.

"Knave, how are you feeling?" Chilla asked. He took a deep breath before mustering the courage to look her in the eyes.

"I’m fine," he replied.

"That’s all, nothing else?" Chilla asked.

"Nothing. It’s almost dinner. I have work to do," Knave said.

"You aren’t going to do anything to him, are you?" Chilla asked.

"That’s the second time today you’ve asked if I was keeping my word to you. I told you then, and I’ll tell you now. I will not hurt Alluro," Knave said.

"Thank you, for understanding," Chilla said, returning to the control room.

It was early morning, Chilla was sleeping in her own room tonight, and the ice Lunatak was disturbed by the sound of her door opening. She watched out of the corner of her eye as her half-brother snuck over to her dresser and picked up the keys to the Ice Runner. "Where are you going?" she asked, startling him.

"I can’t tell you," Knave said.

"Then you can’t take the Ice Runner," she replied.

"I can’t tell you where I’m going, but I can tell you what I’m doing. I’m getting you the best wedding present anyone’s ever had," Knave said.

"In that case, take your time," Chilla said. Knave let a small grin spread to his lips.

"Time is a precious commodity. One that many of us have little of. I trust that you and Alluro will have more than most," Knave said.

The Ice Runner ran swiftly across the plains toward the Forest of Mists. While he disliked travel through there, the autopilot systems knew their way. All he needed to do was hang on for dear life.

Elsewhere in Skytomb other Lunataks were thinking of wedding gifts. Tug Mug had decided to build a second vehicle for both Chilla and Alluro to pilot, with Knave taking full custody of the Ice Runner. Red Eye would take the Lunattacker down to the Berbil village and the Warrior Maiden village to collect some food to give the pair closer to the date. Luna, in all her resplendent generosity, was giving both Lunataks three days off for them to enjoy a honeymoon. If she was moved enough by the moment, she might arrange for two brute men to fight to the death for their pleasure.

Knave had come up with the perfect gift, one that he knew Chilla would love and that Alluro might. A Thundercat! At first he’d wondered which one to get for the lovebirds. His first thought had been Lion-O, lord of the Thundercats, but he’d determined that as strong as he was the young Thundercat would prove to be more than a handful for him. His next thought was Cheetara, a telepath in honor of Alluro, but Chilla would not appreciate the humor in such a move. Then he had come up with the perfect solution. Why not get a Thundercat who was accustomed to the cold for the mistress in command of the cold. Bengali. Getting the Snow Tiger to come out of the Tower of Omens could prove tricky, but it was a task that Knave felt he could handle efficiently.

"Snarfer says he’s going to be delayed a few more hours," Bengali remarked to Pumyra as she entered the room. "How about Lynx-O? How’s his progress going?" she asked.

"Well enough. He’s not experiencing any problems with the Thunderstrike, despite the steering being off a little yesterday," Bengali replied.

"I thought you’d fixed that," Pumyra said.

"I tried. I didn’t have time to take it for a test spin. He needed it then and there. Something about the Berbil village needing some supplies right away," Bengali said.

"If you say so. I hope nothing goes wrong. I can’t imagine having to explain to Lion-O that we’d lost a Thundercat," Pumyra said.

"Anyway, you cover up here, I’m going to go out and look around a little. The fresh air will do me good," Bengali said, strapping on his hammer.

"Be careful," Pumyra said, watching him leave.

Knave had been watching the Lair for over an hour when he saw Pumyra go in. He hoped that Bengali wouldn’t take too long before coming out. He stretched out his right leg, as it was getting a little stiff. Sure enough Bengali did come out, alone. Knave watched him breathe deeply before walking closer. He stopped midway between the forest and the Tower, where a rowan tree grew. He sat down against it and began reading a book. Knave cursed silently. Still, there were ways of drawing the Thundercat to him.

Bengali looked up sharply as his ears heard his name being called, once, plaintively. It was a male voice, but no more could be determined about the person. "Bengali. You must help me, I’m in trouble," the voice repeated. Bengali stood and approached the thicket. The voice seemed to be coming from somewhere within. "Where are you?" he asked, but the voice said not a word. Bengali was just about to turn back, thinking it had been an illusion when the voice screamed out in pain, once.

Knave snickered softly as Bengali began to run through the brush toward him. He got to within a few meters before the ice Lunatak/Cheetah hybrid froze him in place. A hook extended from the Ice Runner clamped around the head of the Thundercat and carried him along behind Knave.

Pumyra was concerned. From her vantage point in the Tower of Omens she had witnessed Bengali enter the woods but had not seen him emerge. She contacted Cat’s Lair and informed them that she was going to investigate. She hopped onto the Thunderclaw and was soon heading in the direction she’d seen Bengali go.

"The real question is, where do I store him until it’s time for the wedding?" Knave mused, flying swiftly toward the Forest of Mists. "I can’t keep him in my room. Chilla might come in." Knave ultimately decided that somewhere on Hook Mountain would be suitable. The ice would maintain the proper temperature and no one would venture up there who would find him. It would mean a course alteration though, one that would take him back toward the Tower.

Knave cursed silently as he saw, far in the distance, the Thunderclaw. He should have dealt with the Puma first. It didn’t really matter. He considered himself an equal fighter on land and in the air. The woman wouldn’t fire at him, at the risk of harming Bengali, so that meant he had the upper hand. Maybe he could even given Chilla and Alluro two Thundercats.

The sensors let out a tiny chirp. There was a craft almost dead ahead of her. Pumyra squinted her eyes, trying to determine who it was. It wasn’t a friendly craft for sure, as evidenced by the energy weapons that were firing. Pumyra twisted and turned the Thunderclaw to avoid being hit and brought her own weapons to bear. "You’ll never guess what happened," a voice crackled over the radio, "I was minding my own business when Bengali came along. Of course I just had to invite him for dinner at Skytomb." Pumyra’s mouth went dry. Bengali? Was he on that vehicle? Then she saw the block of ice floating along beneath. She cried out his name, once, sharply, before her ship was rocked by several blasts. She cursed herself for letting Knave distract her. She had to rescue him, and to do that she’d have to land.

Knave angled his small craft so that Bengali wouldn’t hit any trees on the descent. Pumyra stood beside her Thunderclaw in the middle of a small field. He dismounted quickly, grabbing his icepick from his boot leg. "Well Thundercat. I think it’s time that you and I danced the dance of combat. In all fairness I should warn you that I am a superior opponent. I’d advise you to surrender. If you don’t, I take no responsibility for any harm that comes to you," Knave said.

"I’m willing to take those chances," Pumyra replied, whipping off her belt. Using the garment as a sling she flung three marbles at Knave’s feet, forcing him to roll to the right to avoid them. Knave then produced a handful of dirt from the ground. He threw this at Pumyra and ran behind it, brandishing his icepick.

Pumyra batted aside the dirt clod but took the full force of the vicious icepick in the calf muscle. Letting out a harsh scream of pain she toppled to the ground. Knave placed the tip against her throat and instructed her to remain perfectly still. "I should point out that I did warn you of your impending defeat. Now you must suffer the indignity of being brought chained and unconscious to Skytomb," he said. Then he withdrew the weapon and cracked her solidly against the side of her head, knocking her out cold.

Since the Ice Runner could only handle one person in its capture claw, Pumyra was draped across the front of the vehicle while Knave manned the controls. He had frozen her wrists and ankles to the side of the craft just in case she woke up. It didn’t seem likely with the amount of damage he seemed to have caused. It didn’t really matter, he supposed, Chilla and Alluro weren’t likely to keep them alive very long anyway. All that was important was that she survived the wait.

Hook Mountain lay in the distance. He would have to find a safe location, one where no wild animals would be able to get at his prisoners. It would also have to be a location the Thundercats wouldn’t think of looking in. His sensors indicated a small cave buried under all the snow. It would be perfect as long as he remembered where it was. Knave’s fingers danced across the laser controls and soon the snow was vaporized with the surrounding snow being left undisturbed. He deposited Bengali inside before using his icepick to free Pumyra.

Pumyra felt herself being lifted into the air by two strong arms. Quickly guessing that she had reached her final destination, wherever that was, she cracked the light marble that she’d kept hidden in her hand. When Knave dropped her, she rolled a distance away and found a fire marble. "You don’t want me using this," she said.

"You seem to forget two things. One, I’ve beaten you before, I can do it again. Two, I’ve got Bengali trapped behind me. If you use what is likely a fire marble you’ll trap the both of us in this cave. I might survive. He won’t. Count on it," Knave said.

"You’re bluffing. Even you can’t survive without food," Pumyra said.

"I would have food. Your beloved boyfriend back there," Knave said, baring his teeth.

"You monster!" Pumyra spat, moving forward.

"If you get too much closer it’ll mean that you’ll be trapped in here too. Two tasty morsels for me," he said, his grin widening.

"You sick, demented monster. You’ll not defile a Thundercat thusly!" Pumyra shouted, charging forward. In her blind rage Pumyra forgot about the marble in her hand. When it connected with Knave’s face, it shattered, covering both Pumyra and Knave in fire. The flames licked at Bengali’s icy prison, thawing him out.

Bengali looked around and saw Pumyra writhing on the ground and a badly burned Knave. There was a rumbling and he quickly discerned that the snow cave he was in wouldn’t last for much longer. He carefully checked the pulse of the Lunatak and hoped the ice would help him mend. His first priority had to be dealing with Pumyra. He slung her on top of the Ice Runner and made for Cat’s Lair, even as the cave’s entrance was filled with snow.

Pumyra would be fine. There was plenty of scar tissue, but under the careful maintenance by Tygra and Cheetara the most serious of the damage was dealt with. "I suspect she’ll have something of a fear of fire," commented Tygra, as he sat with Cheetara.

"Any word as to whether Panthro found Knave?" she asked.

"None. It’s as though he simply vanished off the face of Third Earth. His body isn’t in the cave and the snow hadn’t been disturbed," Tygra replied.

"How odd," Cheetara said.

Several miles away Knave lay on a stone slab with Mumm-Ra hovering over him. "I can sense that my magic has been used on him," he murmured.

"And you did not cast a thing?" Vampi-Ra asked.

"No. There is only one with the access to my powers at the present time. Alluro. It would prove most amusing if Knave and Chilla were to find out," Mumm-Ra said.

"We’ll need to repair him, and equip him with some defenses. Otherwise, it should be quite fun," Vampi-Ra said.

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