Kisses Sweeter Than Wine

A grumble and a curse later, and another screwed-up sheet of paper was on its way to the dustbin. Tygra stared at the drawing board for a long moment, then picked up his ruler and pencil and started again. Some days the magic was there, on others it was like getting blood from a stone. It was definitely the latter today, he decided. This would be his tenth attempt to get it right, and he had no doubt that this too would be joining its fellows in the bin.

Thus occupied, he barely registered the soft knock at his door. "What is it?" he called out. "I'm busy." No reply to that, which was strange. Despite the injection of a certain amount of annoyance into his tone, it was rare for anyone to take much notice. About now, he would have expected some lengthy explanation as to why he was about to be disturbed and the usual flattery that he was the only one who could mend a particular system, or remove the cooking pot that had mysteriously ended up on Snarf's head, or investigate a noise from the air vents. At this moment in time, however, any diversion seemed preferable to what he was doing and so he got to his feet and went to the door.

Glancing up and down the corridor, he just caught sight of WilyKat's rapidly retreating back before he rounded the corner. Another wily trick, he thought with some irritation, and called to the cub. WilyKat retraced his steps and stood before him with a glum expression on his face.

"I thought we had this conversation," Tygra said. "About knocking on people's doors and running away?"

"Yes, but "

"And what did we agree?"

"That it was childish," WilyKat said. "But I didn't, honest."

"Then who was it?"

WilyKat's face creased into a frown. "Well, it was me, but I wasn't I mean, I didn't I mean, I wanted to talk to you about something." Colour rose to the cub's cheeks and he lowered his gaze to stare at the floor. "But if you're busy"

"Not so busy I haven't got time for you, WilyKat. Come in."

Tygra gestured for him to enter and, after a moment's hesitation, WilyKat darted quickly inside. He clambered up onto the spare chair and sat nervously fiddling with the hem of his tunic.

"Now, what do you want to talk about?" Tygra asked, as he retook his seat.

It took a long time for WilyKat to pluck up the courage to speak and, when he did, he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the floor, avoiding Tygra's questioning gaze. "I've um got er this friend," he began hesitantly.

Tygra smiled to himself. It was going to be one of those sort of talks. "And this friend has a problem?"

WilyKat glanced up in surprise. "Yes, how did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

"Well, yes, he's got a problem and doesn't know what to do about it. He sort of knows, but thought he should speak to someone who knows a lot more, if you see what I mean."

Tygra found himself wondering how long before WilyKat forgot himself and the 'he' became an 'I'. "Yes, I understand. Go on."

After good deal of lip-chewing, WilyKat finally spoke. "You know about girls, don't you, Tygra?"

A laugh almost escaped him, but he caught it just in time. "I have a little experience in that area."

"With girlfriends and the like?"

"Yes. I've had several girlfriends. I was engaged once too."

WilyKat's eyes widened in awe. "Wow, I didn't know you were married."

Tygra shook his head. "No, it didn't get that far." Sorely tempted to drop the subject, he saw the question forming on the cub's lips and decided to get it over with. "It didn't work out. We decided that it was better to call it off. Anyway, you were telling me about this friend?"

"Oh, yeah, you see, there's this girl and she's asked me to " WilyKat gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"It's all right," Tygra said. "I had guessed. Who is she?"

"She's called Aliss. She's a Unicorn Keeper. Well, she isn't. Not yet anyway. Her family is, though."

"I wasn't aware that the Unicorn Keepers had a family."

WilyKat nodded eagerly. "Yeah, there's a whole bunch of them living in the Forest of the Unicorns. There's lots of Unicorn Keepers, you see, because there's lots of unicorns."

"Yes, that makes sense. And what is Aliss like?"

"She's all right." As an attempt at disinterest, WilyKat's offhand manner was hardly convincing. In fact, if Tygra knew anything about it, he would have laid good odds on the cub being completely smitten. "She looks just like them too, with the face and the hair and all that."

As a description, it was as unhelpful as they came, but Tygra knew what he meant. "Do you like her?"

"Kinda. I guess. She's all right."

Head over heels, Tygra thought to himself, regarding the flame-cheeked cub kindly. "So what's the problem?" he asked.

"She's asked me to come to a festival or something in her village tonight. There's gonna be a big party."

"And? Do you want to go?"

"Dunno," WilyKat said, a little too quickly. "It's not like I don't want to go or anything, but you need me here. Upholding the Code of Thundera has to come first for Thundercats."

Tygra didn't quite see how it applied to the situation, but decided to play along. "True, but I don't think one night off would do too much harm."

"Wouldn't it?" WilyKat said, a spark of hope gleaming in his eye. "You could cope without me? Even though Lion-O and Panthro aren't back yet?"

Their fellow Thundercat and Lord were out on a scouting mission in search of an elusive and very precious vein of Thundrillium that the Warrior Maidens had told them was on the far side of the forest. So far they had been gone four days without any luck. Still, hope sprang eternal and they had promised to keep at it, even if it meant guard duty was testing the endurance levels of the remaining Thundercats at the Lair.

"It's not as though you're leaving us forever, is it?" Tygra said. "Besides, in your official capacity as our ambassador, it's your duty to go to that party. Only if you want to, of course"

"Oh, I do. And you really mean that I'll be representing us there? Wouldn't you be better suited?"

Tygra shook his head. "I haven't been asked. The honour falls to you, WilyKat."

"That's kinda important, isn't it?" the cub said proudly. The smile fell from his face and worry took its place. "But what about Aliss? What do I say to her? What do girls talk about at parties?"

"In my experience, anything and everything." He smiled at the cub. "Just be yourself, WilyKat. That's the best advice I can give you."

"Yeah, but" That something else was playing on his mind was evident from the distracted way he twisted his fingers. "She's kissed me, you know," he mumbled.

"Has she? Lucky you."

"On the cheek. Right there," he said, indicating the spot.

"And I'll bet you haven't washed your face since," Tygra said.

WilyKat grimaced. "Course I did. Urgh, yuck! But what if she wants to do it again? And what if she wants me to kiss her? What do I do?"

Tygra sat back in his chair, unable to suppress a chuckle of amusement. "WilyKat, all I'll say is this assess the situation and act accordingly. Don't do anything inappropriate, that's all."

"What, like put sneezing powder in with the crisps?"

"Most definitely not!"

"Well, thanks, Tygra," said WilyKat, hopping down from his chair. "I think I will go tonight. It's important that the Unicorn Keepers know that we're good allies. I'll be a brilliant ambassador!"

"Yes, I'm sure you will."

The cub sniffed and his eyes wandered to the drawing board. "What were you doing?"

Tygra sighed and swivelled his chair round to look at the unfinished drawing. "It's something Panthro and I have been discussing," he explained, as WilyKat drifted over to join him. "He thinks he can salvage enough from the old ship to build us a new one. All I have to do is come up with a design."

WilyKat pulled up the other chair and scrambled onto it to get a better view of the plans. "It's missing something," he said thoughtfully, taking up the pencil. Tygra watched him, noting his intent expression as he concentrated on the job in hand. Under his care, the ship was slowly transformed. Form and function, those were the first design principles Tygra had been taught. Yet here was a child being guided by nothing more than his imagination. By the time he had finished, what had emerged was a sleek, fierce-looking catlike ship. Its jaws were parted, with fire spurting out from between its fangs, and, crouching low on massive paws, it looked ready to pounce on its prey.

Satisfied, WilyKat put down his pencil. "What d'you think, Tygra?"

"I think I'm amazed," he replied sincerely. "Where did this come from, WilyKat?"

The cub shrugged. "I just thought of it. It seemed right, as we're Thundercats, to have a catship." He suddenly grinned. "I know what it is. It's a Feliner! That's what we should have, a ship just like that."

"And we will," Tygra said. "WilyKat, it's brilliant. I would never have dreamt up something like this."

"You mean that?"

"I certainly do."

With that, WilyKat went on his way, beaming from ear to ear, leaving Tygra staring after him long after he had left the room. Further endeavour became impossible as a familiar sense of melancholy settled over his soul, and accordingly he abandoned his study to seek out company.

Wandering into the kitchen, he found Cheetara seated at the table. Clearly engrossed by the book she was reading, she did not look up in answer to his question, but instead pointed vaguely in the direction of the coffee pot. He poured himself a mug and took a seat opposite to her.

"Cheetara?"

"Hmm?" she said, still not looking up.

"Do you ever think well, that this place is too quiet?"

She glanced at him over the top of her book, quickly lowering her eyes when she saw he was looking at her. "Sometimes," she said, a touch warily. "Why?"

"I don't know," he said, gazing down at the idly swirling liquid in his mug. "Sometimes I think this place should be alive with noise and people."

"Why don't you invite the Mutants over?" she said. "I'm sure they'd liven the place up."

He smiled. "Actually, I meant children." Supporting his chin with one hand, he stared at her until she was forced to look at him. "Cheetara, do you ever "

"No," she said firmly, returning to her reading.

"But would you ever "

"No."

"What never?"

"You know my terms. You'll have to marry me first. Cheetahs only sleep with their life mates."

"Damn," he murmured. A sly smile crossed his lips. "Okay, then. Cheetara, will you marry me?"

With an exasperated sigh, she put down her book and gave him an unimpressed look. "Right, that's enough. You've got my attention. What's this all about?"

"You haven't answered the question."

"Nor do I intend to, Tygra, for two reasons. One," she said, counting it off on her fingers, "because you know as well as I do that our chances of having a baby are very, very, very slim "

"Not necessarily," he protested. "The odds are only a billion to one."

"And two," she continued, "you're only asking me because being coped up in the Lair for the past four days has made you depressed and you've become broody." She took a sip of her coffee and eyed him curiously. "I thought we'd got over this on your last birthday. What brought it on this time?"

Tygra sank back into his chair with a weary sigh. "WilyKat. He's growing up so fast. They both are. It won't be long before neither of them need us any more."

Cheetara gave a small laugh. "You sound just like Snarf. He's always saying that about Lion-O."

"I know I'm not their parent. But I've watched them grow since they were babes in arms. I feel"

"Responsible?"

He shot her a brief smile. She understood, because they all felt the same. When the twins' parents had been killed on a rescue mission out in the wilds of Thundera, it seemed only natural that the pair should remain at Cat's Lair. There was the orphanage, but it had never crossed anyone's mind to send them there. Instead, they had simply got on with the task of helping to raise the children of lost friends without complaint, not even when nappies needed changing or tears had to be soothed in the dead of night. It touched them all, from lowly recruit to Lord and leader. Tygra could still remember when one night he had found them both cradled in Jaga's arms, and all three sleeping contentedly in the armchair by the window. As for himself, he had lost count of the number of times he had sat with them through illness or told them stories when the demons of the night had denied their sleep. Somehow, having the twins around strengthened that feeling of family the Thundercats shared. No place for children, some had said of the Lair, yet as time passed, no one could imagine it without them.

"He's got a girlfriend, you know," he said after a moment. "We had one of those 'male to male' talks earlier. He came to ask me for advice." Something Cheetara murmured into her coffee just caught his attention. "I heard that."

"I said, 'then Jaga help him'," she said, putting down her mug. "So, is there anything I should know?"

He smiled knowingly at her. "Oh, Cheetara, where do I start?"

She rolled her eyes. "About WilyKat and this girl, I mean. Who is she?"

"Her name's Aliss. She's one of the Unicorn Keepers' children."

"I don't know why," she mused, "but I always had the impression that there was just the two of them out in that forest. Children never crossed my mind." She saw the look that came into his eye and shot him a warning glance. "Don't even say it, Tygra."

"Me? Never?" he said with a grin. One of the joys of their relationship was that she took his teasing so well. In that way, he was glad that she hadn't given him an answer to his marriage proposal. He had certainly meant it, but at times like these he wondered if crossing that boundary would spoil what they had. "Anyway," he went on, pushing his deeper feelings aside, "she's asked him out on a date. There's going to be a party at their village and she's invited him along. I said he could go."

Cheetara considered for a moment. "Do you think that was wise?"

Tygra shrugged. "I didn't see any harm in it. It's good for the twins to have friends outside the Lair."

"I agree, but we don't know this girl."

"WilyKat seems to think she's all right."

"That's not what I meant. We've been here long enough to know that people aren't always who they say they are."

"I trust his judgement," Tygra said.

"So do I, but he's only nine."

"A nine-year-old who fights Mutants and Ever-Living Servants of Evil on a regular basis," he reminded her. "I tend to trust him more than the average youngster."

Despite his reassurances, however, Cheetara was still uneasy about the situation by the time the siren calling the next unfortunate to guard duty sounded. As he was down for the next shift, Tygra got wearily to his feet and was almost to the door when she called to him.

"About that question," she said, a sparkle of mischief in her eye. "I'm still thinking about it, you know."

"And when can I expect an answer?"

"When I've made up my mind."

"Flirt," he said, teasing her right back. "See you later?"

"Of course. There's a few things I have to do, but I should be back in time for tea."

"I hope so. You're next up for guard duty."

"Oh, joy," he heard her murmur as he went on his way.

***************

"Aliss?"

It had to be the fifth time he had called to her, but still only the faint breezes rustling in the thick cover overhead answered him. WilyKat sank down onto a tree stump and waited. This was the place. She had said she would be here. Then again, she was always late and always with good excuses about being caught up in really big adventures. They would swap notes and she would appear vaguely impressed when he told her how he often defeated Mumm-ra single-handedly. All the same, this waiting was boring, especially as he had a funny feeling in his stomach. It felt a bit like excitement, but why should he be excited about seeing her? She was only a girl, after all, albeit a sort of pretty one.

"Watcha doing, WilyKat?" came a voice from above.

He glanced up to see Aliss looking down at him from a tree branch. "Hey, how long have you been there?" he asked. "I've been waiting for you."

"Not long," she said with a shrug. "An eagle just dropped me off. Ten minutes ago, I was on the other side of Third Earth."

"You were not!"

"Were too!"

"Prove it then!"

His face dropped when she plucked a golden feather from behind her ear and let it drift down to him. She always went that little bit further to make her stories convincing. He didn't believe her, of course, but he was never one hundred per cent sure.

She climbed down the tree and wandered over to him. "Are you coming to the party?" she asked.

"Do you still want me to?"

"Course I do. Wouldn't have asked you otherwise." She took to kicking a tuft of grass with her foot. "Did your parents give you permission?"

"They're not my parents," he countered. "And I don't need their permission. I do whatever I want. I'm going to your party and, if they don't like it, tough!" A feeling of shame swept over him even as he said it, but he didn't want Aliss to think he was soft. After all, how many great warriors had to ask permission to go to a silly party?

"You mean, you didn't even tell them?" she asked, her eyes wide with something like admiration.

WilyKat puffed up his chest and tried to adopt a nonchalant air. "The Lord of the Thundercats doesn't have to tell the others what he's doing."

"Wow," she said. "Are they gonna be able to manage without you?"

"They'll have to. I can't be around to help them all the time."

"Did your sister mind?"

"Didn't tell her."

A gleam came into Aliss' eyes. "Really? Isn't that a bit rotten?"

WilyKat shrugged. "She would've wanted to come along. Besides, there's only room for one Thundercat ambassador."

Aliss beamed. "Okay, shall we go?"

"Isn't it a bit early?" WilyKat said, glancing up at the still bright sky.

"Yeah, but it's a long walk. Anyway, if we get there early enough, we might be able to sneak some food off the tables before the others get to it!"

With that, she danced away into the forest with all the charm of a baby unicorn. He hurried to catch up to her and even then found himself struggling to keep up with the blistering pace she set. Deeper into the forest she led him, onwards into its heart, where only the tallest trees survived by reaching up to the heavens with dense canopies that denied what little light there was to the plants below. In the ever-dimming light, the forest took on a more sinister air. Strange noises came to his ears. More than once, he glanced nervously over his shoulder and peered into mocking shadows, expecting to see some weird creature about to spring at him. Still Aliss pushed on, seemingly untroubled by her scary surroundings. And, despite his growing uneasiness, WilyKat followed, unwilling to admit to his misgivings for fear of losing face. Finally, however, an eerie cry made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Hey, Aliss," he called to her. "How much further?"

She retraced her steps to where he stood and skipped round him as she spoke. "Why?"

"This place isn't nice."

"Not afraid, are you? I didn't think the Lord of the Thundercats got scared."

"He doesn't," WilyKat said quickly. "It's just that well, I don't see any unicorns around here."

"They're in their pens for the night," she said, still keeping up her dizzying dance. "What's the matter?"

"I'm not sure, Aliss. It's kind of a long way and I have to "

Before he could finish, she suddenly stopped in front of him and, quite to his surprise, gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. Any lingering doubts he had were banished.

"Why d'you do that?" he asked, feeling somewhat dazed.

"Cos I wanted to," she said, grinning back at him. "Aw, WilyKat, come on. Don't be a scaredy-cub!"

"I'm not!"

"Are too!" she called over her shoulder as she sprinted away.

"Hey, wait for me!"

He dashed after her, but was unable to catch up. She flitted between twisted trees and lumpy undergrowth and from time to time he glimpsed her back view in the gloom up ahead. Part out of fear of losing her, part out of fear of being alone in this place, he continued on, all caution thrown to the wind. Onwards, until she stopped a little way up ahead and looked back, gesturing for him to hurry up. Breathlessly, he raced to join her and ran straight into the waiting arms of a tree monster. As it hoisted him up into the air, its branches folded around his body, pinning him to its bark in a vice-like hold. Unable even to move his hands or feet, he was trapped. Aliss wandered over and stared up at him.

"Aliss, help me," he called down to her.

"Sorry, WilyKat," she said.

"Don't be sorry, just help me!"

She shrugged and sank down to sit in a cross-legged position on the floor. "Can't do that. We need to eat. I'm sorry, but it has to be this way."

"W-what?" he stammered. "You aren't going to eat me are you?"

"There's not much food here in the forest," she explained. "The big trees rob us of light, so we have to get food where we can."

"We?" he asked. "You're one of these these things?"

"Not things," she said huffily. "We are the Arborealis." So saying, she leapt to her feet and thrust her arms up above her head. Upwards and upwards, they seemed to go on forever, shedding the soft skin to reveal a crusty bark, while her fingers became so many branches. Her feet plunged into the earth to secure her position and her head merged into the slim trunk of her body. Now, instead of her sweet face, a stumpy twig doubled as her nose and knotholes became her eyes and mouth. "I'm sorry it had to be you, WilyKat," she said. "But we have to do this if we are to survive. The animals of the forest have learnt to be wary of us, so we have had to look elsewhere for our food."

"But, Aliss, you're you're a tree. How can you be a girl at the same time?"

"A little sprite felt sorry for us. We were starving to death. He gave me the magic to take on whatever form I wanted. I hung around for weeks waiting for someone suitable to pass by. Then I saw you. I had to make sure you trusted me enough to come with me without your friends knowing. Come on, WilyKat, admit it it was a good disguise."

"Huh, not really. I saw right through you."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Then why d'you come with me?"

It was a bluff, of course, but WilyKat wasn't about to admit that to a creature who had promised to eat him. He couldn't fight his way out; the imprisoning branches held him too firmly. That left relying on his wits after all, he wasn't called 'Wily' for nothing.

"Because because we knew about you all along," he said, trying to sound a lot more confident than he felt. "As the Lord of the Thundercats, it was my duty to find out why people were vanishing in the forest. The others know where I am. They'll be here any moment."

The gathered trees started to shake their leafless branches in agitation, but Aliss remained calm. "No, they won't, cos you said that you didn't tell them."

"Hah, I lied."

A broad grin spread over her woody features. "No, you didn't. Thundercats never lie, you told me. If you did, you would be breaking the Code of Thundera. And no one told you about people going missing, because you are the first two-leg we've taken and a good one too. You'll last us a long time."

Panic rose in WilyKat's mind. She meant it. The Arborealis were actually going to eat him. Trickery hadn't worked. That left only one thing. Desperately, he struggled against his bonds, but to no avail. If anything, the tree further tightened its grip.

"You won't get away," said Aliss. "We need food too badly. I'm sorry, WilyKat."

"How could you do this? I thought we were friends."

Her bark twisted into a frown of sorrow. "You were fun. You made me laugh. There aren't any saplings of my age in the forest and I do get lonely. I've enjoyed our time together and I will miss you. But please understand, I had to trick you. You wouldn't have come with me otherwise. I did think you were going to turn back today"

"So you kissed me and I kept following," WilyKat muttered. "I don't suppose if I said please, you'd let me go? I don't wanna be eaten. Thundercats aren't very tasty."

"It won't hurt," she said. "We won't eat you till you're dead." A trickle of sap started from one of her knothole eyes. "Well, goodbye, WilyKat."

At that, the binding branches started to extend around him, pushing him hard into the suddenly yielding bark of the tree. The realisation that he was slowly being engulfed made him yell and cry out. Not that there was anyone to hear, but he had to do something. No one knew where he was and the only person who might, if the Sword of Omens had warned him, was too far away to help him now.

"Don't worry, WilyKat," came Aliss' voice through his panic. "It'll soon be over."

"It had better not be, for your sake!"

The reassuringly familiar voice and the sharp crack of a whip told him that rescue was at hand. "Tygra!" he called out. "Help!"

"Release our friend, tree-people!" demanded another voice. Cheetara dashed into view, quickly assessed his situation and gave him a worried smile. "Hang in there, WilyKat. We'll get you out."

"They want to eat me," he told her in a small, quavering voice.

"Well, not today they're not," she growled. "I've told you once. Let him go or else."

A low murmur whispered through the forest and suddenly the atmosphere turned decidedly sour. Branches snaked in the direction of the two Thundercats, snagging them round the wrists and ankles and pulling them towards the waiting trees. WilyKat saw Cheetara glance at Tygra, to which he nodded. Then both aimed their weapons at the ensnaring branches and fired. The trees were forced to relinquish their prizes as the smell of wood smoke tainted the dank forest air. The two Thundercats jumped to their feet and, back to back, eyed their opponents warily.

"Now we understand each other," said Tygra. "Let our friend go, or the forest will burn around you!"

The threat of fire was enough. The mighty tree quickly released him from the tangle of its branches. WilyKat fell heavily to the ground and rolled over to his friends. Cheetara picked him up by the scruff of his neck and stood him on his feet.

"Right, we're leaving," she said.

"But what about them?" WilyKat asked.

"Who cares? They were going to eat you and us!"

"Only because they were hungry. They haven't been able to get any food, so they tried to trap me and succeeded. But I don't want them to starve. Can't we help them?"

Tygra frowned at him, although his thoughtful expression said that he was considering the matter. "Do they have to eat flesh? We aren't handing any living creatures over to them."

WilyKat glanced over at Aliss. She shook her branches in answer. "I think that means no. What did you have in mind, Tygra?"

"Well, in that case, I'm sure we can spare a case or two of candy fruit. The surplus of each season usually goes to waste, but if it will feed the trees, then so much the better. However," he added, "there must be no more of this trickery. I will be telling the Unicorn Keepers as guardians of this forest to keep an eye on the situation. If we find that you are once again trying to trap people, be sure that you will be dealt with severely. Do you understand?"

Again, the low murmur, only this time Aliss changed back into her guise and stood before them to answer him directly. "We understand and accept your terms. We never meant any harm."

"Really?" Cheetara said. "You could've fooled me. All I'll say is that it's lucky one of us bothered to check her story out with the Unicorn Keepers or WilyKat would have been the main course tonight. Isn't that right, Tygra?"

He gave her a good-natured scowl. "All right, smarty-pants. We bow to your higher intellect."

"We were hungry and desperate," Aliss continued. "We didn't know what to do. It seemed like a good idea at the time." She turned to face WilyKat and held out her hand to him. "Can we still be friends?"

He shook his head and took a few steps back from her. "I don't think so, Aliss. I'm glad that you're going to be all right, but I don't want to see you ever again." With that, he walked away, not pausing to look back, and only once he was out of sight did he let his tears begin to fall.

***************

He had searched the whole Lair from bottom to top, and there was only one place left where the cub could be. Tygra started up the stairs towards the entrance to the Cat's Head and quietly opened the door. As expected, WilyKat was there, silhouetted against the glowing sky as the sun rose on a new day. The empty bag of berry drops that lay discarded beside him was a good sign; at least he wasn't off his food. Tygra sighed and wandered over to him.

"Hi, WilyKat," he said gently. "How's it going?"

"Fine," came the mumbled reply.

"Sure?" asked Tygra, sitting down beside him. "Have you been up here all night?" No answer, so he tried a different tack. "We've heard from Lion-O and Panthro. They wanted to know if you were okay."

WilyKat shot him a worried glance. "What did you tell them?"

"Only that you'd had some trouble with carnivorous trees. Lion-O was very sympathetic. He said that he remembers his run in with the Mandroga plants all too well and wishes you better."

"But he didn't walk willingly into a trap, did he? They took him by surprise. He wouldn't have been so easily fooled." WilyKat took to shuffling the collection of sweet papers by his feet, anything to avoid having to meet Tygra's gaze. "Did you tell them about Aliss?" he said at last.

"No."

"Why?"

"I told them the bare essentials about the Arborealis being capable of taking on human form. I said that it was just sheer bad luck that you wandered into their clutches."

"Thanks," WilyKat said. "I'd rather no one knows, not even my sister. That's why I came up here. She was asking questions, and I didn't know what to say. Please don't tell anyone. I feel sort of silly."

"Promise," Tygra said, making a mental note to remind Cheetara never to mention what he had told her. "And, WilyKat, you've no reason to feel silly. It could have happened to any one of us."

A silvery tear slid down the cub's cheek and quickly he brushed it away. "She tricked me. I thought she liked me and all the time she was sizing me up for dinner." He looked up with glassy eyes. "I feel all sort of strange inside and I don't know why. I mean, she was going to eat me, so why do I feel this way?" He broke down in pained sobs and Tygra put a comforting arm around his shoulders. WilyKat clung to him, his tears flowing freely to soak his uniform a dark blue.

"I know it hurts," Tygra said kindly. "Love makes fools of us all at times."

"But not you," WilyKat said, sitting up and scrubbing at his wet cheeks. "You're too sensible. You wouldn't be fooled, would you, Tygra?"

The need for reassurance shone in the cub's eyes, to know that in this age-old game he was not the first and certainly not the last to come out hurt and confused. Tygra sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was to rake up the past. But Cheetara had warned him that WilyKat would need some serious consolation and, having weighed up the odds, he had come to the conclusion that baring a little of his soul to a heart-broken cub was better than seeing his tears.

"I'm not immune, WilyKat. Like you, I was once deeply hurt. It took me a while to get over it."

"What happened?"

"You remember I told you that I was once engaged?" he began. "Well, when I was nineteen "

"Wow, ancient history!" WilyKat piped up.

"Do you mind?" The cub grinned back at him, clearly unrepentant, but agog for the rest of the story. "I fell in love with this marvellous female. Tyella was her name. She was wonderful. I would have died for her." He smiled to himself, enjoying the warmth of those memories. "I wanted to marry her, and, when I proposed, she accepted. I was over the moon." He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the hardest part of the sorry tale. "A week before the wedding, I found out that I was more in love with her than she was with me. Something happened and I broke off the engagement. I couldn't go through with it after that. For a long time, I blamed myself, for being blind to what was really going on. Now, at least, I have reconciled myself to apportioning the blame a little more evenly."

"So, she deceived you," WilyKat said, after a moment's silent rumination had passed. "Like Aliss did with me. Right?"

"Well, not in the sense that she wanted to eat me. I think she only wanted me for my title and the honours that went with it. Some days I think I had a lucky escape; others I'm just not so sure."

WilyKat stared up at him, understanding showing in his eyes. "It's all right, Tygra, I know how you feel," he said. He sniffed heavily and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. "I'm never gonna let a girl kiss me again, that's for certain."

Tygra smiled to himself. He had heard it too many times in the past to believe that WilyKat truly meant it. The cub was already on the mend and, from the cheeky grin on his face, Tygra guessed it wouldn't be too long before he was back to his old self. As for himself, he was, as always, a work in progress. Accepting the past meant leaving it behind and, despite all that had happened in the intervening period, some memories would always be with him. One day, he hoped, another love would help him banish them. Until then, he had to muddle through as best he could.

"Tell you what," he said. "I've still got those plans to finish. Panthro wants to see the rough drafts when he gets home. How about you give me a hand with drawing up the 'Feliner'?"

WilyKat beamed at him. "You mean it? You're really gonna call it that?"

"Certainly. I thought it was a brilliant idea. So shall we mend our broken hearts with some hard work?"

He was up on his feet and bounding away before Tygra had even finished speaking. With a weary smile, he pushed himself up and followed. Walking towards his study, he conceded that perhaps Cheetara had had a point when she had said that he was just like Snarf. Not being needed was the hardest part of watching one's charges grow and develop. When that day came, he resolved not to lament the fact like Snarf was prone to do or at least he hoped he could. It would come, as it had to, but that day was still some way off. He had plenty to time to prepare for it.

The End

THUNDERCATS, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Ted Wolf. All rights reserved. Stories, characters and incidents mentioned in this work are entirely fictional. Characters, names, etc. are used without permission and the above story has no official endorsement. This is a work of fan fiction, for entertainment purposes only and certainly not for profit. No infringement of rights is intended nor any harm meant by its creation and existence. If this work brings a little happiness into this dreary old world, then so much the better. May you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thundercats Forever!

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