The Return of Dracula
Part 1
Thousands of years have passed since the fall of Dracula and it is now in the years of 3rd Earth. It is also the anniversary of Dracula's defeat and the time for Dracula's castle to appear on Earth again. The full moon was the only light given to this dark, unusual night. Something was going to happen, but the even the wisest and most acute people of 3rd Earth didn't know, except that it would be evil. The water in the ocean began to shift currents and the full moon's light shined on the ocean, on the rocks, the cliffs and finally on a common spot it shined on 100 years ago and hundreds of years ago since. Castlevania mystically appeared under the moon light.
A sharp breeze passed in front of the castle, and out of the winds a dark figure in a cloak appeared before the castle with his black snake staff. He smiles an all too familiar smile as he looks at the castle. "It is time." He said wickedly to himself.
The strange figure enters the castle and steps on the outside behind the castle to Dracula's grave. He threw magical particles of dust and various mysterious dry substances on his grave. He waved his staff over the grave and said a few incantations. Immediately, the wind begin to howl violently, thunder and lightening struck the castle and grave. The ground began to rumble and cloak figure stepped back. The earth opened up and a mist of red and black colors escaped the ground. Slowly, the mist and particles came together, forming into a strong powerful shape. After the mist and particles made a solid figure, Dracula, Lord of the Vampires, stood once more.
"Shaft, you have revived me again. Where are we?" Dracula asked.
"Not where, but when." Shaft corrected. "We are thousands of years from the time you once knew. This is 3rd Earth, a weak and pitiful time infested with inferior humans, half human/half animal beings, mutated animals who are dumb as they are ugly, and others of the like. It is time for you to come to power, Dracula. Third Earth needs an evil master to restore balance." Shaft explained persuasively.
"And so it will starting tonight, but I must have something to eat, it's been years." Dracula said and flew away.
Dracula flew slowing in the sky. He was weak and it has been thousands of years since he had a meal. While flying, he saw his first victim of the night. A dark-haired Warrior Maiden was out alone in the woods, walking back to the Treetop Kingdom. Dracula landed a few feet behind her. The woman felt a cool breeze behind her and turned around, but nothing was there. Thinking it was her imagination, she shrug her shoulders and turned back around, only to see Dracula standing before her. She jumped back.
"You scared me." The maiden said.
"I apologized. I'm new and rather lost in this world. Who are you?" He asked.
"I am a Warrior Maiden."
"A Warrior Maiden? And what exactly does a Warrior Maiden do?" He asked smoothly.
"We defend and help all good beings of the forest and 3rd Earth."
"We?" Dracula was interested. "How many more Warrior Maidens are there?"
The woman suddenly felt nervous. "I should go. Excuse me." She started to leave.
Dracula grabs her hand gently and pulls her back to him. "But we were just getting to know each other. Are there any men in your tribe?"
"No." She answered. She wanted to let go, but a part of her didn't want to. A man never held her hand before or looked at her in a caring way that Dracula was.
"Then you must be lonely, never having a man to hold or touch you." He pushed her hair behind her shoulder, exposing her smooth, slim neck. She tried to break free, but Dracula continues to hold her tenderly. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." He tilted her chin up. "All I want to do is this." He leaned over and kisses her. His kisses were powerful and seductive. The Warrior Maiden was mesmerized at how he kissed her and how his hands slowly and gently caressed her body. His lips left hers and he laid gentle kisses on her neck. His eyes suddenly glowed a dark red. He opened his mouth and his white fangs began to stretched to become sharp enough to go through skin. He pierced his fangs in his victim's neck. She jumped at the arrival of Dracula's fang in her neck. She tried to break from him, but Dracula's hold on the maiden was strong as he continued to drink her blood. She struggled with the powerful vampire until her arms felt limp and she could fight no more. After he got his meal out of her, he released her and she fell to the ground. Dracula felt revived, yet he was still hungry for more blood and continued hunting until he was satisfied.
At the entrance to the Treetop Kingdom, two Warrior Maidens stood on guard.
"Shouldn't Lydia be back by now, Delia?" A maiden asked.
"She should be, Nala. Let's see what's keeping her." Delia suggested.
The women ventured out in the forest, but they weren't to far in the forest before they saw Lydia's body.
"Lydia." Nala said she checked for a pulse. "She's dead."
Delia noticed something else. "And look. There's two holes in her neck.
Where could that have possibly come from?"
"From me." Dracula said menacingly.
The maidens pulled out their weapons and did their best to fight him, but it was useless. He easily conquered them using his mystical powers and mesmerized them with his hypnotic eyes to drain the blood out of their bodies. "Conquering this planet will be too easy." He said darkly as he licked the still warm blood off his lips.
*****
Not too long after dawn, Nada and two other Warrior Maidens left the Treetop Kingdom to search for their missing comrades.
"Nada, come quick." A maiden called.
The maidens saw three Warrior Maidens lying dead. Nada checked their pulses to make sure. "Their dead and they have holes in their necks. We better bring them back to the Treetop Kingdom and alert Willa to the situation."
When they returned home, Nada explained to her sister about the warrior maidens she found in the forest.
"They had two holes in their necks?" Willa asked.
"Yes, I've never seen that before. It looked like their blood was taken out of their bodies because we didn't find any in the autopsy. I have no idea what caused that." Nada was baffled.
"I'm afraid I do. From what you describe, it sounds like vampires, but I always thought they were a myth." Willa said.
"Vampires?" Nada said confused.
"Yes, and we certainly cannot handle them alone. Come on, Nada, we're going to Cat's Lair." Willa said authoritatively.
*****
In the counsel room at Cat's Lair, Nada and Willa explained to Lion-O, Tygra, and Panthro about the three warrior maidens and the possibility of vampires.
"What exactly are vampires?" Tygra asked. "We never had them on Thundera."
"From what I was told, vampires are evil creatures of the night. They look like humans, but can manifest into all types of animals, specifically bats. They can hypnotize and seduce there victims in order to drink their blood, make them their slaves or turn ordinary people into vampires. They are very strong and fast, and what's worse, they are immortal." Willa explained.
"So there's no way to stop them?" Panthro asked.
Willa looked at the blue panther. "They fear the daylight because the sun can burn them. They can also die from hate garlic, crosses, and stakes driven through their hearts. There are others, but I cannot remember. I will look for more information on them when my sister and I return to the Treetop Kingdom."
Lion-O, who was quiet ever since Nada and Willa began speaking about vampires and their fallen comrades, spoke. "These vampires seems to be a dangerous threat to everyone on 3rd Earth. We'll help in every way we can."
"How exactly are we going to help, Lion-O?" Panthro asked.
"Some of us will stay guard at the Treetop Kingdom tonight. I do think it will be best if you have all our your Warrior Maidens in before sunset." Lion-O advised Willa and she nodded in agreement.
"In the meantime, Panthro and I will go back to the Treetop Kingdom with Willa and Nada see where the victims were found and if we could find any more information about these vampires." Tygra said.
"Good idea, and I'll let the other Thundercats know what's going on." Lion-O said.
*****
At the scene of the crime, Panthro looks around where the bodies were found while Tygra wondered deeper in the forest. He felt as if something was pulling him to go further. When he stepped out of the forest he saw a castle. He never seen a castle like that before, except in old books that uncovered history on First Earth. Tygra was going to explore and see what was in the castle, but Panthro called him.
"Tygra! Lion-O just called from the thundertank. WilyKit and WilyKat found dead bodies, possibly victims of the vampires. Let's go!"
"I guess I'll have a chance to explore the castle tonight." Tygra told himself and joined Panthro.
*****
By sunset, all the Warrior Maidens were in the Treetop Kingdom. Lion-O, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara, and Pumyra were standing guard. Hours have gone by, but no signs or threat of vampires. The other Thundercats were keeping eye on vampire attacks at Cat's Lair and the Tower of Omens, but no one reported anything.
"If these vampires do come, it'll be crazy for them to attack with so many people." Lion-O said breaking the silence.
"You never know, Lion-O. Evil will do anything to get what they want." Cheetara said.
"Speaking of evil, this afternoon, while I was in the forest, I saw a castle. It may have something to do with the vampires. The vampires may have left, so maybe we can investigate." Tygra said.
"I'll go." Cheetara volunteered.
"Okay. Panthro, Pumyra and I, will stay here. You two go an investigate and be careful." Lion-O said.
"HO!" The both cheered and left in the Thunderclaw.
Cheetara and Tygra weren't flying too long before they saw Castlevania. "Is that the castle?" Cheetara asked.
"Yes." Tygra said and looked at the ground for a clear landing. He saw one in front of the castle. "Land down there, in front of the castle, Cheetara."
Cheetara turned the Thunderclaw and made a pass around the castle before landing in front if it. She had a strange, indescribable feeling while flying around the castle, but ignored it. "I've never seen a castle like this before." Cheetara said when they landed. "It's so cold. Evil."
They walked to the door and made a futile attempt to open it.
"We should split up. I'll go left, Tygra, and you go right." Cheetara suggested and Tygra agreed.
Dracula sat in his throne room holding a glass of blood, gently swirling it as if it were wine. Shaft, the dark priest who revived him, was also in there. "How is your conquest to ruled the world going, Dracula?" Shaft asked.
"As you said, Shaft, it is a weak and pitiful planet. I've eaten very well these past two nights, and I'm already making a new generation of vampires who will answer to me." Dracula said and sense someone lurking around his castle. He place his glass on a tray next to his bottle of blood and walks to his window. He's sees Tygra looking for a way in. "It would seem I have guest."
"What are you going to do?" Shaft asked noticing Tygra outside.
"Have a late night snack." He said and vanished the room by turning into a mist.
Tygra was still exploring the outside of the dark castle. He saw a window and tried to break in.
"Looking for something." Dracula asked coming from the side of his castle.
Tygra pulled out his bolo whip, ready to fight.
"Your weapon is useless against me." Dracula said.
"We'll see about that." Tygra said and expanded his whip. He swung his whip and the fire balls from his whip surrounded Dracula.
Knowing that the fire can harm him, Dracula jumped in the sky, floating there. "You think that because you can create fire, you can defeat me. I'll show you how worthless you are, tiger man." He form a ball of electricity and shot at the tiger. Tygra jumped out of the way. He wrapped his whip around him and disappeared. Dracula blinked confused. "It seems my enemy has magical powers as well as I." He landed and used his nose to find Tygra. He smelled Tygra behind him. "I may not be able to see you, but I can smell you." He quickly turned around and grabbed Tygra by the shoulders before Tygra could attack. "I was going to drink your blood, but I think I'll make you my slave instead." His eyes glowed a dark red and his mouth opened enough for Tygra to see the sharp fangs that will soon go into his body. Tygra tried to break free from Dracula but his hold on him was unbreakable. He screamed in pain when Dracula penetrated into his tiger skin.
Cheetara was also getting no where in finding an entrance into Castlevania. "There must be some way in. I--Aah!" She clasped her head in pain as her sixth sense went off. She saw Tygra in trouble with Dracula and ran off to help her friend.
*****
At the Treetop Kingdom, the Sword of Omens growled. Lion-O quickly pulled the Sword of Omens out. "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight." Lion-O commanded. Through the sword's hilt, he saw Dracula biting into Tygra. "Tygra's in trouble. Let's go, Thundercats."
*****
Cheetara ran as fast as she could to where she saw Tygra and Dracula. When she saw Dracula, an evil feeling overcame her. Never before has she sense such evil, even with Mumm-Ra. Compare to Mumm-Ra, she felt Dracula was three times as evil. The first and most important thing she knew she had to do was free Tygra. She ran with super speed, jumped in the air and kick Dracula off Tygra, knocking him to the ground. Tygra, drained of some of his blood, lost all consciousness and fell to the ground.
"That's all you get, monster." Cheetara said pulling out her staff and twirling it.
Dracula got up angrily, eyes glowing darkly. "You'll pay for that--" He stopped when he saw Cheetara. She looked just like his wife who was murdered thousands of years, except for the black spots in the cheetah's hair and the brown tear lines on her face. "Lisa?"
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