Chapter 1

"Kit, that was good." Tygra committed the female child as she climbed to her feet shaking. He’d still managed to whip her pretty good. But like he said, she was improving. So was her brother who was in the far field practicing with Pantro. She had an added advantage because she was a girl. Females tended to have a more sure sense of balance.

"Yeah," Kit responded sarcastically. "That’s why my arms’ll have bruises the size of Moon Tenia by tomorrow."

Tygra laughed. Moon Tenia was the biggest moon of Thundera. It was not in existence anymore but was commonly used to get a point across.

"I doubt that, Wilykit." Tygra said as he helped her brush some dirt from her face. "You’re gonna get a few bruises from training but I doubt they’ll be eighteen- thousand miles across. If they were, then I’d be worried."

Kit put a hand to her mouth and giggled. The tiger took her staff from her and ruffled her fine red mane. He was the only Thundercat besides her twin she let do that. Her brother did occasionally but other than her brother who always came first, he was one of the few, she truly felt she could confide in.

"Tygra, Wilykit." A voice called. The young girl and tiger turned to see the panther crossing the yard with Wilykat. "Look it’s almost nightfall. Tygra why don’t you and I check the stasis of the tank real quick before dinner while the twins take a bath."

Kat and Kit looked disgusted but didn’t argue as they headed inside. The adults headed toward the hangar and the kittens to the bath chambers.

"Hey Kit?" Wilykat asked his twin sister as she sat down in her nightgown combing through her mane roughly. She put the brush down and walked over to sit by her brother. He smiled at her and slapped her face playfully.

"What is it, Kat?"

"Did you talk to anyone about that little episode we heard Mumm-ra talking about?"

"Not yet."

"Well you need to."

"Why can’t you?"

"It was your idea to invade the pyramid."

"Alright, I’m just nervous."

"Oh, Kit. They won’t kill you."

"I know but the things Pantro can do is enough sometimes that death seems like an easy way out."

"Okay so don’t tell Pantro. Tell Tygra. He’s close to you."

Wilykit looked at her brother. "Will you come with me to talk to him later tonight?"

"I have a ‘lesson’ on the defenses with Pantro tonight remember?"

"Oh…yeah."

"Relax sis. Tygra’ll listen. And as soon as you’re done I’ll probably have frustrated Pantro enough that he’ll let me go early."

Wilykit and Wilykat started giggling. The game soon became a tickling match. Kit finally put an end to it when Snarf called up, "Time to eat!"

Starving after a day of intense training, the kittens rushed downstairs as fast as their short legs could allow. They were the first to arrive.

"Well, snarf, snarf," the furry animal mused as the two sat down. "Hungry are we?"

Kit smiled and her twin said, "After a day of training we deserve to be. Those two aren’t exactly light on the difficulty."

Snarf nodded his understanding and put glasses of water and juice in front of the two. They sat impatiently for the others to arrive. Cheetara showed up next and took her place by Wilykit. Tygra arrived and seated by the male kitten. Finally, Lion-o and Pantro arrived.

"Sorry we’re late. Pantro found some alarming activity on the monitor and we’re still trying to figure it out."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Where Lion-o?"

Cheetara and Tygra asked at the same time as they handed the kittens bowls of thick bubbling brew. The two immediately began gorging starved after such a workout. Then they heard.

"We don’t know but it’s at Mumm-ra’s pyramid."

The two twins halted themselves. Their young eyes spread wide. So wide in fact that the white could be seen completely around. Mumm-ra had said that he had found a way to destroy them with their own weapons.

"Kit, Kat? Are you two okay?"

The twins snapped out of their trance. Lion-o was looking at them with concern. They didn’t say anything but nodded.

"Okay, let’s not worry about it now Thundercats." Lion-o decided. "We’ll worry when it becomes a problem."

Tygra sat down on his bed and looked at the clock. It was a little after midnight. He should be getting to sleep. He couldn’t though. The thought of Mumm-ra working on something always made him feel uneasy and tense. So the sound of someone at his door almost stopped his heart.

"Who’s there?" he called setting down the figures he’d been working on and getting up. He approached the door cautiously.

"It’s me," a small feminine voice responded. "Wilykit."

Feeling relieved but also concerned the tiger unlocked the privacy latch and called out as the door opened, "Wilykit? What are you doing up this late?" he was unaware he was blocking the entrance with his body and so in the light from his lamp his silhouette rose like a giant over the small kitten, making her high-strung and a little afraid.

"Uh," the girl stammered. "Can I come in? You-You’re scaring me!"

Ashamed, the tiger moved aside and led the young virgin into his bedchamber with surprising gentleness.

"What is it, Kit?"

"I-I know it’s late but can I talk to you?"

Tygra pulled her so she sat on the edge of his bed and took a seat beside her.

"Sure kideo. What’s on your mind?"

The tiger was fighting a panic now. Wilykit was playing with her hair, slowly winding it around one finger. Tygra knew her well enough to know when she was troubled.

"Well, when you guys mentioned Mumm-ra tonight there was something Kat and I should have told you. We were too chicken to."

Tygra smiled at her and stroked her delicate face gently. He slapped her cheek playfully as her brother had done and asked, "Well, okay. What did you do?"

"We uh, sorta snuck into the pyramid?"

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Tygra had risen to his feet and now loaned high over her. The female looked at him with huge frightened eyes and trembled. Her lower lip was quivering. Tygra calmed himself with deep breaths and sat back down. Slowly he took Kit’s small hand in his.

"Okay Wilykit. Then what?" she was still shaking and her young eyes were still expanded. "Kit, it’s okay. I wasn’t expecting that is all. Don’t cry. Just tell me the rest."

"Well, he’d thought…. I mean, we heard him saying something about a plan against us and it was like a, I don’t know, a uh, -"

"Feeling?" Tygra offered. Kit snapped her fingers.

"Yeah! That’s it. We just had a really bad feeling about the plan so I said we should check it out. Kat said he’d come otherwise I’d get killed or something. I was glad for the company. I was sca- wasn’t about to look like an idiot and fool all by myself."

Tygra chuckled, knowing that she’d been scared witless but didn’t say anything that might hurt the child’s delicate feelings. He sat back and waited for her to continue.

"So we snuck in and hid in the main chamber. He called Slithe there. Then he told all of the Mutants his plan."

The child stopped suddenly. She looked directly into Tygra’s eyes with huge pupils and the centers of them glittered a bright color with fear.

Tygra saw her fear and worry so he gave the small cub a quick hug. She let him hold her as long as she needed to gather her breath. She really didn’t want to say this next part. But she had to.

"He said he had been going through the books of sorcery he had. He found a spell not even Lion-o could defeat. Because-because it would turn the Sword of Omens against us."

Tygra stared at her. "Are you kidding me, Wilykit?"

"I wish I was. But I’m not. And Tygra?"

"Yes?"

"The way he said it,…I’m just scared Tygra. I’m really scared."

Is Your Love Strong Enough © 1999, C. A. Angley (Thundercub) No one can copy this in whole or in part without permission of Thundercub. However, it may be posted on WebPages or downloaded for personal use as long as this notice and proper credit is given. Thundercub reserves the only right to reprint, write, or distribute this piece of work as she desires. This is a work of fan-fiction and Thundercats are property of Trademarks Production. © 1985