He was sick of orange. Dirty orange. Dusty orange. Light shades, dark shades, but always orange. In his eyes, up his nose, between his toes. Yes sir, he was well and truly sick of this orange world.

Deciding that his troubles were best shared with the rest of his companions, Snarfer let out an audible complaint. Up ahead, Snarf looked back over his shoulder and frowned with impatience.

"Hurry up, Snarfer, we can't stop now," he chided.

"Why not? I'm tired. I'm thirsty. I'm hungry. Where are we going anyway?"

"We'll know when we get there," Snarf replied. "Come on!"

Vague answers were also pretty near the top of Snarfer's list of gripes. Enough was enough, he decided, and promptly dropped down where he stood.

"I'm not going any further until someone gives me a good reason why!" he declared to the world in general.

Snarf retraced his steps to his side and towered above him, hands on hips and a look of disapproval on his face. "Now, Snarfer, don't be difficult," he said. "You know why we have to keep together. We can't afford to get lost out here."

"How d'you know we aren't lost already?" Snarfer retorted.

"I can't answer that. But Cheetara knows and that's good enough for me."

"Well, my feet hurt. I need a rest. We've been going all day and I'm tired, snarfer, snarfer."

Snarf would have continued with his cajoling, but seeing Snarfer's greater determination to have his own way, he called out to Cheetara, who was already some way ahead.

"Snarfer's tired," Snarf explained, when she joined them. "He needs a rest. And if you don't mind me saying, Cheetara, so do you."

"I'm all right," she said, shrugging. The complete lack of conviction in the statement made the two snarfs exchange glances.

"Are you?" Snarf said. "You look pretty exhausted to me."

Cheetara absently rubbed her shoulders, betraying the ache of a long, arduous day. "Yes, all right, I am," she admitted. "I don't suppose ten minutes will make much difference anyway." She sank down beside them, crossed her legs beneath her and sighed deeply.

"Won't make much difference to what?" Snarfer ventured. "D'you mean to where we're going?"

"Probably," Cheetara replied.

"And where's that?"

"To be honest…" She paused and stared out into the distance. "I don't know, Snarfer. I'm just listening to what my sixth sense is telling me. That's something I haven't done in a long time."

"We have noticed," murmured Snarf.

"It's leading me somewhere," she went on, not heeding his remark. "I have a strong feeling that somewhere out there…" She trailed off into silence, shaking her head. "This is stupid. I could be leading us off the edge of a cliff for all I know."

"Weeow, that's not true," Snarf said, patting her on the shoulder. "We trust your sixth sense, Cheetara. It's got us out of a few scrapes in the past."

"Has it?" she murmured. "Or was it just luck? I don't know any more."

Snarf purred with concern. "Don't say that. Look at the number of times you had a feeling about Lion-O being in trouble and it turned out to be right. We trust you, Cheetara, and if you say this is the way to go, then we'll follow you. Right, Snarfer?"

He prodded him in the leg to assure his positive response. "Yes, sir, Uncle Snarf," he said, trying to muster up more enthusiasm than he felt. "If anyone else had said they were wandering about the desert based on a mere feeling, I wouldn't believe them for a minute, but I trust your feelings, Cheetara."

"Then it's misplaced, Snarfer," she replied despondently. "Who am I kidding? There's nothing here." She took a handful of sand and let it run through her fingers. "It's dead. All life has been drained out of it. Its original form is lost forever and now it is useless. Like…"

She did not need to finish the statement. It was obvious from the droop of her head and the tremble in her bottom lip that she was referring to herself. Deeply moved, Snarf took her hand in his paw and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Cheetara?"

"If you're going to ask me what happened, don't," she said sharply, pulling her hand from his grasp and getting to her feet. "Let's get moving. Why are we just sitting here? It's a ridiculous waste of time!"

"No more ridiculous than you in an evening dress in the middle of the desert," Snarfer remarked, earning himself a thump from his uncle.

His attempt at humour was not wasted, however, for a smile tweaked the corners of Cheetara's lips as she eyed the torn and stained garment that hung limply from her frame. "It seems like a lifetime ago when I bought this," she said. "I remember seeing it and thinking it was the prettiest thing in all the world. And I wanted to feel like that, just for once. And… and…" Rising tears choked the rest of her words and it took her great effort to contain her emotions. "I know you're tired," she said in a small voice. "But I need you to do this, for me, Snarfer. If I stop, I think, and I don't want to think, don't want to remember. Please."

Shocked by her words and even more ashamed with himself, Snarfer got to his feet. "I'd do anything for you," he said. "Lead on."

She nodded her thanks and started away across the expanse of sand. Snarfer fell in step beside Snarf, who was staring after Cheetara deep in thought.

"She's not all right, is she?" Snarfer said. "What d'you think happened?"

Snarf shook his head. "I don't know, Snarfer. I've seen a lot of bad things in my time, too many if you ask me, enough to know that something terrible happened to our friend. We can't make her tell us, but I'll stick by her until she's ready, even if I have to walk my feet to the bone to do it, snarf, snarf!"

"I've a feeling it might come to that," Snarfer mumbled under his breath. "But how are you carrying on, Unc? Before we left, you were really ill."

Snarf paused for a moment and pondered his condition. "You know, you're right. Funny thing is, I've never felt better." He stood a little straighter, arching his back to stretch out his spine. "Even that touch of rheumatism I had has gone."

"That's mighty strange. The healers back home said that you were--" He stopped abruptly, realising he had already said too much.

"Said that I was dying," Snarf finished for him. "Yes, I know."

"So…"

"Why do I feel so good now? Brr, I don't know. Maybe it's this place."

"Maybe it was that strange light that destroyed the Feliner," Snarfer murmured, the memory all too vivid in his mind. They had been cruising along, ready for trouble but comforted by the absence of anything registering on the ship's long range scanners. Then, literally from out of nowhere, a grey beam of light had struck the Feliner's starboard wing and had slowly started to consume it. In the last moments before it had descended on him too, there had been panic and flashing lights and warning sirens and WilyKit appearing suddenly and… then nothing, but that room and the smell and the howl of unseen creatures.

Shuddering, he forced himself to start walking again. Cheetara was right, he thought. Right now, he had no desire to remember either. Their journey, with purpose or not, at least meant he was doing something and the ache from his legs gave him a strangely welcome diversion.

He was rudely shaken from his musings by someone who grabbed at his arm and pulled him over. He fell to the sandy floor and ended up with his legs in the air, staring skyward. Snarf hovered over him, an impatient expression on his face.

"What happened?" he squeaked.

"You almost walked straight into a boulder," Snarf told him. "Pay more attention."

"A what?" Snarfer said incredulously, scarce able to believe his ears. "Out here, in the desert?"

Pushing himself up, he found himself staring up at a towering lump of rock. Had Snarf not pushed him out of the way, his nose would have been well and truly flattened against its unforgiving surface. Glancing about, he noticed that the landscape was slowly changing. He had wandered oblivious through pebbles and shale and past lonely megaliths, protruding from the dry earth like the bones of a long dead animal. In the distance, the peaks of mountains were starting to appear on the horizon, dimly-glimpsed through the haze of heat and dust.

"D'you think that's where we're headed, Uncle Snarf?" he said.

Snarf was about to reply, only to stop and hold up his hand for silence. Snarfer listened and waited for enlightenment, but none came.

"What is it?" he hissed.

"I thought I heard something," Snarf said. "Must have been my imagination. Come on, Snarfer, let's get going."

He held out a hand to help him up. Snarfer took it and started up in the anticipation of assistance to get him the rest of the way to his feet. It did not come. Instead, Snarf's hand went limp and Snarfer tumbled back to the floor.

"What the…?" he grumbled.

But Snarf did not answer. He was stood, as if turned to stone, mouth open, eyes wide, not with fear, but with something more like surprise. Snarfer craned his head round to follow his uncle's gaze and immediately felt himself register a similar response.

"Oh my hairy tail," he murmured. "Who are you?"

The apparition tossed her mass of red braided mane back from her face and smiled. "A friend," she said. The hand she extended to him was firm, if a little bony, and he was on his feet in no time. "Sorry if I scared you just then. I had to be sure you weren't being followed. I can't risk any Mutants trailing us back to my base."

"But… where did you come from?" Snarfer asked, if only to give his mouth something to do other than gawp.

"I've been tracking you since you hit this outcrop," she said. "The cheetah up ahead -- is she with you?"

Snarfer nodded numbly.

"And I'm taking a wild guess, but is her name Cheetara?"

His mouth again fell open. "How did you…?"

She smiled. "I have my sources," she said enigmatically. "Come on, I think it's time I introduced myself to your friend."

So saying, she set off, weaving nimbly between the rocks and boulders until she was only a few paces behind her. Sensing her presence, Cheetara turned and stopped dead in her tracks.

"I know you," she murmured, staring at the young lioness. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lexi," came the reply. "How…?"

"Alexiana," Cheetara said. "Yes, I remember you now. You were at school with Lion-O."

"'Alexiana'?" Snarf echoed. "Not that nasty little kitten who was always getting my poor boy into mischief?"

She smiled. "Yes, that's me. Or rather, was me. I've got a bit taller since then." She paused, struck by a memory. "That means you must be Snarf," she said, turning to him. "You were Lion-O's nursemaid, weren't you? Oh, I was always teasing him about that."

Snarf sniffed with indignation. "Weeow, then shame on you. I always said you were trouble. I told Lion-O you'd come to no good…" He stopped himself a moment too late. "I didn't mean that the way it came out."

Lexi gave him a rueful smile. "You're right though. This place is as 'no good' as it gets." She looked away and her gaze fixed upon the distant mountains. "My camp is over there. We should keep moving if we want to reach it by sundown. The desert is not a good place to be."

"You're telling us," mumbled Snarfer.

She set a brisker pace than Cheetara had and, before long, they had reached the foot of the crumbling cliffs.

"Up there," she said, indicating a recess some thirty feet above the ground. "Follow me."

She lead the way up a track so narrow that from the floor, Snarfer had not been able to distinguish it from the rest of the rock face. Stones slid from the walls at his touch and bounced away down to embed themselves in the sand below. A soft landing probably awaited him if he fell, but he did not feel tempted to put it to the test. Finally, after what seemed like a very long time, he reached the entrance of the cave. Not as deep as he had thought, he could make out a fair-sized interior, lit by the dying flames of a fire set at the rear.

"Blast it all!" Lexi said, hurrying over to it. "I thought I told him not to let it go out." She blew on the fire and the flames rose a little higher. The problem, however, lay not so much in lack of care, but in the material necessary to keep it going. Seeing that her efforts were futile, Lexi finally sat back on her haunches and shook her head. "Well, that's that then. It gets bitterly cold here at night and now we haven't even got a fire to keep us warm. Some welcome for you."

"I'm sure we can do something about it," said Snarf, going over to join her. "Like everything, it just needs a little attention, that's all."

He set to work, rearranging the few embers into a neater pile, on which the flames fell hungrily. Lexi watched him, a faint smile on her lips, and then suddenly her head snapped in the direction of the cave entrance.

"We've got visitors," she hissed. "If it's Mutants, we're in big trouble." She sat listening for a moment, then slowly relaxed. "No, we're all right. It's only…" She paused and grinned. "No, I'll let it be a surprise. Excuse me."

With that, she rose and left. From outside came the low murmur of voices and the crunch of footsteps upon the rough gravel of the path. A moment later, a figure appeared in the cave mouth, silhouetted against the darkening sky, with only the flickering light of the fire to illuminate his face. He stared at them, then dropped the bundle of rags he had been holding in his arms and rushed over to Cheetara. Taking her in his arms, he hugged her so tightly that Snarfer thought she would surely be crushed.

"Cheetara, thank the gods," Bengali said. "I thought I'd never see you again." He released his hold and took a step back to take in her condition. "Are you all right?"

"I'm alive, if that's what you mean," she said. "I wouldn't be without Snarf and Snarfer."

He shot a glance in their direction, as if for the first time aware of their presence. "What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We were on our way to see what had happened to you," Snarf explained, as Bengali took Cheetara by the arm and led her over to sit by the fire. "Then we ran into… something and here we are."

"The Erebii took their ship," Cheetara said, by way of explanation.

Bengali accepted it without comment and took to shredding the rags he had brought with him. Strip by strip, he added them to the fire until the flames were once again burning bright.

"Where are we?" Snarfer plucked up the courage to ask at last.

"Hell," came the uninspiring answer. "More than that, I cannot tell you. It's like every nightmare you've ever had and it's all here." Bengali sighed and sadly shook his head. "I'm glad to see you guys, but I'm not, if you understand. I wouldn't wish this place on anyone."

Silence descended. Snarfer found himself puzzling over the tiger's words and reflected that he was none the wiser. The little Bengali had said he had already worked out for himself. He turned to Snarf to say something, but he found his elder lost in deep consideration, the stiffness of his back suggesting that his thoughts were not pleasant. The awkwardness was starting to make him nervous and vainly he cast about for something intelligent to say.

"What happened to your uniform, Bengali?" he asked.

The tiger glanced down at his bare chest. "Burnt it. It was torn anyway, thanks to Slithe."

"Did he take your insignia too? Because when Lion-O was using the Sword to find you, he couldn't, and that's why. Am I right?"

"Um, yes, Snarfer, something like that," Bengali said, exchanging glances with Cheetara. "So, Lion-O was trying to find us, was he? Well, that's good news. At least we know now people are out looking for us. We won't be here long."

"Actually," Snarf said, almost reluctantly, "we were the search party."

"What, just you and Snarfer?"

"And Panthro. Oh, and WilyKit, who snuck aboard without us knowing."

"Yes, but Lion-O sent you, didn't he?"

Snarfer joined his uncle in a slow shake of the head. "He thinks we all went to Ursa, although by now news of what we did will have probably reached Thundera and--"

"Lion-O didn't organise a search party for us?" Bengali said incredulously. As the heat of anger flushed his face, he began to wheeze slightly and his hand went to the collar about his neck. "Blast this thing! I can't even get angry now and Jaga knows I should be. What you're telling me is outrageous! Cheetara, say something. We were abandoned!"

"That's not true," said Snarf. "Before Slithe told us you were both dead, a lot of people were out looking for you. Lion-O did all he could."

"Oh, really?" Bengali said sarcastically.

"He certainly did. He was talking about going to war with the Mutants over it. But the Elders wouldn't let him. And since you were both meant to be dead, people stopped searching."

Bengali got to his feet and wandered over to the cave mouth, where he stood staring out the dull glow of the orange moons. "I can't believe I'm hearing this," he said after a long moment of heavy silence had passed. "'Slithe told you'. And you believed him?"

"Panthro didn't," said Snarfer. "That's why we're here."

"I'm grateful, believe me," Bengali said quietly. "I just… thought… How was Pumyra?"

"Upset," said Snarf.

"With me? I notice she didn't come with you."

"We didn't tell her," said Snarfer. "We didn't think she could cope if we found you… well, you know."

"Splattered across deep space?" He returned to the fire and sat down with a heavy sigh. "Funny thing is, we would have been if not for Tygra's crazy brother. What did he want with you anyway?" he asked, turning to Cheetara.

She bit her lip. "I don't want to talk about it."

He stared at her for a long minute, concern showing in his eyes. Finally, he took her hand in his. "Cheetara, we've been through a lot together lately. I can't help feeling this is all my fault. If I hadn't made that detour, well, this might not have happened. But what's done is done. Right here and now, I'd like to think that the least I can do is to offer you my support. But if you hate me--"

"I don't hate you," she said. "I don't blame you either."

"Then let me help."

Tears welled up in her eyes and started to roll down her cheeks. "You can't. No one can. You can't take back what… what…" She broke down and instinctively Bengali wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. She clung to him, weeping onto his shoulder, her body racked by great, heaving sobs.

"What did he do to you?" he said gently.

"Nothing," she sobbed. "He told me the truth, that's all. And… and I can't bear it." She pulled away from him, roughly scrubbing away her tears. "Anyway, what does it matter now?"

"It matters to you," Bengali said. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," she said. "He said he would free you if I told him what he wanted to know. So I did and still he left you there and I couldn't help you. I'm so, so sorry, Ben."

He gave her a faint-hearted smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm… all right, kind of."

"Well, that's good to hear," said Snarfer. "I know this is rude and you two are talking, but I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

"Nothing," Bengali said.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Deadly. This is a dead world. There's nothing here to eat or drink."

"But you must have had something," Snarfer persisted. "No one can survive without water."

Bengali coloured slightly. "Well, in terms of water, we've had to… recycle."

"Meaning?"

Snarf thumped him in the arm. "You know full well what he means, Snarfer. Don't be impertinent."

"You mean you've been drinking wee?" he said, wrinkling his nose. "Urgh! That's disgusting!"

"No, it's desperate," said Bengali. "We wouldn't do it if we didn't have to. Every extra day it gives us is another chance for a rescue. But that's not going to happen now, is it?" From the small bundle of remaining rags, he drew a chain with a gold locket dangling from its broken clasp. "I think this belonged to Lexi's friend. Do I tell her she's dead or do I leave her a little hope?"

"The Code of Thundera says truth should be honoured at all times," said Snarfer.

"So it does," Bengali agreed. "Doesn't mean we're always right in doing so though. Some things," he said, casting a glance at Cheetara, who was staring into the fire, "are best left unsaid."

As he finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside. Lexi appeared, grinning broadly. "You'll never guess what," she said. "This is turning into quite a reunion."

She stepped aside and into view came Panthro and WilyKit. Both stopped abruptly as they took in the sight before them. Snarfer recovered first and, squeaking with delight, he rushed over to them.

"You're all right!" he chirruped.

"That's up for debate," said Panthro, rubbing his brow. "But at least I see our mission wasn't a total failure." He strode over to Bengali and shook him warmly by the hand. "My friend," he said. "Good to see you alive and well."

"Rumours of our death have been slightly exaggerated," he replied.

"Didn't believe a word of it anyway. And you were right. We did have a breach of security."

"I knew it! Who was it?"

"Saturnus," Cheetara said evenly. "He set us up too."

Panthro moved over to where she still sat and crouched down beside her. For a long time, he stared into her eyes, taking time to contain his all too evident emotions. Finally, taking her hands in his, he nodded and smiled.

"I knew you were alive. Felt it, in here," he said, patting his chest.

"You shouldn't have come," Cheetara said.

"For you and Bengali, I would have done anything." Panthro took a deep breath and bowed his head. "He knows, Cheetara."

"Lion-O? How did he take it?"

"Badly. Saturnus took great delight in telling him."

"He would."

"He's evil," said WilyKit, finally finding her voice. She had not moved from the cave mouth, where she stood nervously twisting her fingers. "I hate him."

"He'll get what's coming to him," said Panthro, holding out his hand to her. She came over to join him by the fire and sat down beside Cheetara. "What about this little devil then?" he said. "Crept onto the Feliner when I wasn't looking. I should be angry, but…"

"I had to," said WilyKit. "To make up for what I had done." She turned watery eyes in Cheetara's direction. "I'm sorry."

Cheetara shook her head. "You've nothing to apologise for, kitten."

WilyKit's bottom lip trembled, and then she suddenly clung to Cheetara and cried bitterly. "He made me tell him what had happened," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. I had to, for my brother's sake."

"I don't know what you're talking about, WilyKit," Cheetara said, looking to Panthro for an explanation. "Told who what?"

"About what happened between you and Tygra on Third Earth," WilyKit said, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "I was outside the door."

"I see. I'm sorry you had to hear that. He didn't mean it, WilyKit. He's not well."

"You don't say," said Panthro. "Lion-O had to have him committed. Some nonsense about him killing Mardak."

"Who? Tygra did?" Bengali said. "You aren't serious?"

"Friend of yours?" asked Lexi.

"Yeah, he's got a few problems."

"Sounds like it."

"Saturnus made me tell him," WilyKit went on tearfully. "He said I had to or he'd make sure WilyKat never became a proper Thundercat. So I told him about you two and he explained to me what had really happened and I was so ashamed, because I should have done something." She chewed on her lip and squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the tears that threatened to fall. "At the time, I didn't realise. I know I should have helped you. I'm sorry, Cheetara."

Cheetara's look of puzzlement deepened. "For what? It was only an argument, WilyKit. At least I think it was. I didn't actually do much arguing. Tygra just went crazy on me. I know why now he said what he did, but at the time, it hurt."

WilyKit stared at her. "But Saturnus said… the reason you were upset, he said it was because…"

She leaned over and whispered the rest of the sentence in her ear. Cheetara's expression slowly changed from confusion to stunned disbelief.

"And Tygra admitted it too. He said--"

"No, don't tell me," Cheetara said. "I can't believe what I'm hearing as it is." So saying, she got shakily to her feet and started to make her way to the entrance of the cave.

"Are you all right?" Panthro said.

She nodded quickly. "I just… need some space, that's all. I'll, um, be all right. I just need to…" And with that, she turned and hurried out into the night.

"What was all that about?" Panthro wondered aloud.

"It's my fault," WilyKit said dejectedly.

"No, it's not," said Bengali with a sigh. "We've had quite a time of it lately."

"So," said Lexi, "can I expect any more of your friends to turn up?"

"That depends on what plans Tygra's lunatic brother has for Thundera."

Panthro almost choked. "Did you just say…?"

"Oh, you know about Tyree, do you?"

"Yes, but he's dead."

Bengali snorted. "Sorry to disappoint you, but the golden boy is alive and kicking Mutant butt. And ours too, it seems."

"Incredible," Panthro murmured.

"Well, if you don't mind," Lexi said, "this happy reunion has spurred me on to find my own friends. They have to be out there somewhere, I'm more certain of it than ever."

She was about to leave when Bengali called out to her. He went over to where she stood and held out the broken locket to her. "I found this," he said. "I wondered if you recognised it."

Lexi took it in her hand and closed her fingers tightly around it. "Yes," she said quietly. "This belongs, I mean, belonged to Lepia. She was my friend." She looked up to meet his gaze, letting him see the tears shining in her eyes. "All she ever talked about was becoming a Thundercat. That was why she was so eager to go to Thundera. Where did you find this?"

"Near an outcrop of rocks over to the west."

"The Mutants didn't kill her then," Lexi said, giving him a small smile. "Thank you… for this, I mean. At least now I know." She turned and left the cave, heading in the same direction Cheetara had gone.

"You did right," said Snarf, "in telling her the truth."

"I didn't," Bengali said. "I told her what she wanted to hear, not what really happened. I found that locket at the foot of a cliff."

"And what does that mean?" asked Snarfer.

Bengali took a deep breath and regarded the gathering around the fire gravely. "You want the truth, however painful?" He was met by nods all round. "Then prepare to be shocked."

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