Path Into The Darkness

Luna turned the page in the journal to see what might have happened next, but unfortunately, that was where all the writing stopped.  "Worthless junk.  Doesn't even have a conclusive ending." she said with disgust, and tossed it aside.  Her gaze wandered over to the window.  It was darkening again outside, and a quick glance at the clock told her that several hours had passed while she was reading Grune's journal.  Resentment boiled within her once more.  That Frostor had nerve, locking her up alone in the officers' quarters like this, and then trying to redeem himself by giving her a book to read while he did what she should have been doing as well... trying to find and rescue Selene and Psiarik from that mass of rubble that was once their home.  And even worse, his cheesy method of distracting her had actually worked.

It also didn't sit well with her that so much time had passed with no word.  Frostor had promised to come and let her know as soon as anything had been found... and, as much as he annoyed her, she did have to admit that he was reliable.  If he said he was going to do something, nine times out of ten he would.  So what did that mean then?  Were they lost?  Would they ever be found?  And if they were, could they still be alive?  A terrible feeling of nervousness gnawed at her stomach.  She was used to worry and apprehension, she had lived with it long enough all those years they had been on the run, and a good few years before that on the Third Moon before they were brought to "justice" and fled in self-imposed exile... but that time should now have been over!  For the last five years, she had lived a relatively stress-free and easy life, and for the first time had someone other than Amok who actually gave a damn if she lived or died and she had come to appreciate it.  At least she had until that damned Thundercat and her ghosts showed up and ruined it all.

Luna let out a frustrated yell and punched the side of the couch she was seated on.  It had no effect other than making a small, temporary dent in the fabric and stinging her tiny fingers.  This was utterly intolerable, how long did Frostor intend on keeping her locked up, or as he'd put it, "detained in everyone's best interests"?  She didn't know, but she couldn't take being stuck helpless with no new information for much longer.

Her eyes fell on the journal again.  While Grune the Mighty, or as he was later known, the Destroyer, had never been a favorite of hers, she did have to admit that he was a fascinating man and right now, a welcome distraction.  That last entry had been so confusing, so emotional.  She had wondered what exactly it had been that had persauded him to change his mind, leave the Thundercats, and seek out Kalin again.  It had always seemed doubtful to her that the scandalous pictues that Kalin had messengered to Grune's girlfriend were enough to get him to turn his back on those he'd once sworn to defend until the day he died.  Those cats were so honorable, she was certain his sweetheart would forgive his little indiscretion, especially when he told her on his honor that nothing had happened.  Little did he know, Luna thought, thinking back on the entry that had discussed the revelation that Claudus had bedded his girlfriend while he was away, because she had thought Grune had cheated on her.  No wonder he got sick of them and left, Luna thought.  Of course, she would have gotten sick of them much earlier just for spouting those nauseating moral codes, but that was just her.

The short lunatac let out a cynical laugh, and allowed her thoughts to drift back to the night so many years ago when Grune had made his return to the old club on the Third Moon.

As the ship descended into the darkened atmosphere of the large moon below, Grune stared out the small, dirty window. Finding a direct transport to the enemy territory of the Third Moon of Plundarr hadn't been easy, but he'd done so anyway.  He wasn't entirely sure why he'd come here, but he simply didn't know where else to go.  He closed his eyes and clenched his fists.  Gone, it was all gone.  His love was lost, his friends had betrayed him, and he was no longer a Thundercat.  His ties were severed, his life as he knew it was over.  And it had all been his decision.

The image of Jaga's shocked face when he tore of his insignia flashed once again into his head.  Can't dwell on that now, can't think about what might have been.  A fleeting feeling of regret and wistfulness played in his mind, but was quickly erased when the more vivid, disgusting visualization of Claudus and Scarlette together took form.  He could feel the rage burning deep inside him.  Oh, how he hated them both!

An engine banged loudly, and he heard the sound of the ship's landing gear descending.  He was here, whether he liked it or not.  The Third Moon of Plundarr.  Kalin's homeland.

He gathered his things and hurried off the ship.  All he could think about was finding a way to see her again, to go to someone who would welcome him, someone who would understand.  Now that the restraint of his relationship with Scarlette was now broken, there was nothing to hold him back from his attraction to her... and since his association with the Thundercats was terminated as well, there was no conflict of interest to worry about either.  He now had the freedom to indulge in the things he had been tempted to before, and had every intention of doing so.

As Grune made his way down the busy halls of the capital city's spaceport, he gathered more than a few strange and decidedly unfriendly looks from the resident lunatacs.  A loud growl and a threatening gesture was more than enough to keep them away.  Like the urban-dwelling Thunderians, most of the Lunatacs in the city were more citizens than anything else... poorly trained fighters at best, with an inbred nasty streak that made them perhaps a bit dangerous, but not a real threat to a specially trained, deadly, huge sabertoothed ex-Thundercat.  Only an equally well-trained warrior or a magician, perhaps, would be able to get the better of him.

He walked around until he found the stop outside an exit in the port where taxis and vehicles were available for rented transportation.  As he might have expected, none of the native drivers seemed particularly enthusiastic about picking him up.  Of course, when he pulled out a huge wad of cash from his pocket and waved it at one of the "too busy to take on another passenger" drivers, their tune changed quite a bit... before he knew it, he had his choice of transportation.  He settled on a taxi belonging to a chubby, out of shape red-eyed lunatac, one who had originated from the dark moon of Plundarr.  Grune had sized him up and knew that he wouldn't last five seconds if he tried anything treacherous on him, and more importantly, he hadn't seemed intimidated when he gave the address he wanted to be taken to.  All of the others did.  That amused Grune, especially when he remembered that the palace guard who had taken him there last time had the same reaction.  Seems Kalin and the rest of that Luna's crew hang out on the bad side of town, he mused, then chuckled a bit.  To him, any place involving a bunch of these treacherous cutthroat lunatacs was a bad part of town.

Before long, he was climbing out of the taxi, handing the driver more of that cash than he would have liked to part with, and standing in front of that seedy club whose occupants had so disgusted him last time.  "Never thought I'd wind up here again." he muttered, and gave his head a small shake of disbelief.  Grune walked over and opened the door only to find that this time it wasn't being guarded.  Wondering what had brought about the apparent lack of security, he strolled inside.

Almost immediately, everything in the room seemed to stop and all eyes were on him.  Then whispering started, matching up with the shocked stares.

"Is that a Thundercat?  Here?"

"What the hell is one of them doing here?"

"Isn't that the one that showed up a while ago?"

"What does he want?"

Grune simply ignored them and moved forward, towards the bar in the back of the main room.

It was then that he heard a loud comment from a lunatac whose voice he vaguely recognized.  "Oh look at what we have here!" the suave, charming voice exclaimed with false enthusiasm.  "It seems someone forgot to put the cat out for the night."  That was followed by a round of drunken laughter from several others.

Grune spun around and scowled at the loudmouth.  He was right, he did recognize him.  He was one of the ones Kalin worked with, the tall psychic race lunatac who that surprisingly nice woman Lurella had been dating, though he couldn't figure out why she would.  He was probably hypnotizing her, he thought nastily, why else would anyone be attracted to a jerk like him?  Then again, he was a perfect example of how all those sneaky psychic race lunatacs worked... they didn't have any special physical advantages to use to go after their victims honestly, so they played around with their heads instead... one constantly had to keep his guard up when around one of them.  One never knew when they might be trying to a fast one... and this guy was one of the most arrogant, slippery ones he'd ever come across.  Grune greeted him with a slight snarl of annoyance. "Where's Kalin?" he demanded.

Another one of them, a red-eyed lunatac who he also recognized, downed a shot of some repulsive-looking and strong smelling alchohol, and let out a drunken snort.  "We don't keep tabs on her or her bestial boyfriends."  A second round of nasty laughter followed.

The sabertooth slammed his fists down on the center of their table, making it shake violently and even knocking over one of their drinks.  "I'm not going to play games.  I'll ask again, where is she?"

The four lunatacs at the table jumped up and faced him off, taking hold of their weapons.  They were not going to tolerate this insolence from anyone, much less a cat. "I suggest you not overstep your bounds here, feline." the psychic race one warned.

"That's right," continued another at the table, a short, round, fat one with springs for legs.  He reached behind himself and pulled out a large metal cannon-looking device and pointed it directly at Grune. "Just because one of our associates has the bad taste to like you, doesn't mean we won't kill you-- especially if you barge in here asking for it."

What could have turned into a nasty brawl was diffused when Kalin appeared, seemingly from nowhere.  "TugMug, Alluro, back off." she ordered, then tapped Grune on the shoulder.  "My my, what's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?" she asked him in a seductive, yet sarcastic tone.

Grune whirled around and faced her, his aggravation with the others forgotten as he stared into her beautiful, deadly face.  Her eyes were twinkling with amusement, and her lips displayed a slight smile.  She was dressed in what Grune guessed were her more functional clothes, a tight black bodysuit accented by a belt with a large crescent moon at the center.  A few small weapons which he couldn't immediately identify were on her belt, and her long flowing hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, away from her face.

Kalin stepped closer, eyeing him curiously.  "I must say, Grune, I hardly expected to see you back here so soon, especially after your abrupt departure last time.  Come to apologize?"

He bristled.  Him, apologize to her?  Already she was grating on him, he noted.  This was a bad sign.  Especially considering that, on some level, he found it to be... he dared not even think it... amusing?  Almost cute?  "Hello Kalin." he said coolly.

The hunter-lunatac nodded in acknowledgement, then looked to him questioningly.  "Why are you here?" she repeated.

"You were right."

Her eyebrows shot up and a smug grin spread across her face.  "I'm always right, Grune.  But what exactly was I right about?  I'm afraid you'll have to refresh my memory." she said coyly, eyeing him carefully for a response.

"I'm in no mood for your head games, so don't start." Grune replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.  "I had a falling out with the other Thundercats at the lair.  They turned out to be nothing but liars and hypocrites, preaching their high and mighty code while following their own sleazy agendas when they thought no one was looking.  They even had the nerve to add insult to injury by flaunting my errors in judgement in my face when I refused to forgive their own disgusting little secrets."

"We could have told you that much about those pompous cats.  They think they're better than everyone.  Why do you think we hate them so much?" RedEye interjected.

"Especially when it's common knowledge that we are truly the superior beings." Alluro added.

Grune snarled at them, but didn't reply.  Instead he continued to tell Kalin what he had come to say. "You tried to show me that I didn't belong with them, that I had potential to be so much more than that code would allow.  I didn't listen to you, but now I see that was my real error.  You were right, they were holding me back.  If they can twist and bend the rules to suit their own needs and get away with it, I should be able to do it too."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Kalin said, sipping at a drink.  She motioned to the bartender to pour another, and after he did she handed it to Grune.

He accepted, and took a big swig of the high-proof liquor.  It burned his throat and nearly made him choke.  He hadn't consumed one ounce of alcohol since he had joined the Thundercats, believing that anything less than complete sobriety interfered with his judgement and clarity.  Yet he'd gotten burned anyway.  So why not just drink, then, he reasoned, and downed the rest of the glass.  "Another." he called out to the bartender.  Kalin nodded her approval to the somewhat surprised lunatac, and he poured Grune another drink.  As he reached to take it, he could already feel the warm, tingling sensations from the first drink spreading through his body.

"I thought you didn't drink." Kalin commented, one eyebrow raised slightly.

"I didn't used to drink." Grune corrected her.  "But now there are a lot of things I didn't used to do that I do now."

"Such as?"

Now it was Grune's turn to display a smug grin.  "If you'd like to go somewhere that we can be alone, you'll find out."  He swallowed the contents of his second glass in one gulp, put a suggestive arm around Kalin's shoulders.

The huntress noticed the amused stares of her cohorts, as well as a prodding look from Luna, over in the corner.  She was well aware of Luna's desire to have her seduce the sabertooth so that he might be susceptible to their manipulations.  While some might have found such a task amoral, Kalin did not.  Besides, she was genuinely attracted to him...  Kalin licked her lips and shifted into a more seductive pose.  "Hmmm... well now... are you sure you can handle me?  Lunatacs, especially us hunters, are not as gentle as you pussycats." she said teasingly.

Grune growled and grabbed her tightly.  "Who ever said I'm gentle?  Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, so to speak, Lunatac?  Or is it you that can't handle me?"

"I can handle anything." Kalin replied arrogantly.  In one fast, smooth motion, she disentangled herself from his hold and took hold of his wrist in a viselike grip.  Giving his arm a rough tug and studiously ignoring the leers and curious expressions of the others, she led him out of the main room and through a door in the back.  The door led into poorly-lit hallway with a winding set of stairs at one end.  She brought him to the foot of the stairwell and pressed him against the wall.  "Last chance to back out, kitty-cat." she murmured, brushing her lips against his.

"Not a chance." Grune locked his powerful hands on her waist and brought her in for a rough and savage kiss, while allowing his hands to slide from her hips down across her buttocks in a lecherous display of desire.

Kalin giggled devilishly and met his eyes, unintimidated.  "Excellent.  Follow me."  She turned, allowing him to grab another handful of her flesh as she did, then reclaimed one of his hands and led him up the stairs and through one of the several doors in the hallway atop them.  Grune noticed as he entered that her room was small, containing only a bed, closet, and a few small pieces of other furniature.  Apparently she wasn't much for possessions... but then again, she was from a primitive jungle society to begin with, so he supposed that was to be expected.  Once inside, Kalin shut and quickly locked the door behind them, facing Grune and leaning against it in a pose that enhanced the voluptuous curves of her body.  "Your move, tiger." she urged.

A low growl of lust escaped the frustrated ex-Thundercat as he looked her over in her body-hugging uniform.  One fading voice of reason was pleading with him to stop, to turn back, to do whatever it took to end this insanity, but he paid it no attention.  The distracting sight of the ample exposed cleavage peeking through the top of her low-cut outfit effectively silenced it.  Full of uncontrollable desire, he grasped her roughly and kissed her once again, this time with more vigor and demand.  She returned it with equal passion, and allowed the aroused sabertooth to sweep her from the doorway and onto the bed.  He pinned her beneath him and ran his fingers more freely over her body, paying special attention to the enticing breasts that had caught his attention so fully only moments ago.

Kalin tingled with pleasure as he touched her, not only enjoying the sensation of his touch but the fact that she was now clearly victorious in her battle of wills to make him hers.  She nipped and nuzzled the soft fur of his neck.  "Not that I don't like this," she whispered seductively, "but wouldn't you rather I get out of these first?"  She gestured to her clothing and gave it a little tug, exposing a slight hint more of her chest.

Grune growled an emphatic yes.

With surprising strength, she rolled over from beneath him and instead pushed him down upon the covers, reversing their positions so that she was now straddling his body.  Teasingly slow she leaned over and pulled off each of her boots in turn, then set about wriggling out of her body-hugging clothes, exposing her flesh a little at a time and leaving Grune nearly panting with anticipation beneath her.  She could feel his eyes burning into her, and took full note of the rising lump in his pants.  Laying one hand upon his chest to hold him down and bringing the other to stroke his maleness lightly through the clothing he still wore, she met his eyes with an intense gaze.  "Your turn."

Not bothering to reply, he reached up and took hold of her, spending a few extra moments to explore her naked form more fully, then eased her off of him so he could divest himself of his own garments.  She stretched out upon the bed and locked her eyes upon him as he unceremoniously stripped out of what remained of his old Thundercat uniform.  He was a muscular and manly specimen, and handsome in his own wild way... it was little wonder that the more feral hunter-lunatac found him so appealing.

He crawled over the covers and met her, and before he knew what was happening she had risen and had entwined her body around his, touching and stroking everywhere.  Without hesitation he forcefully grasped her and pushed her down against the sheets.  He kissed her hungrily, unable to stop even if he had wanted to at this point, and plunged into her, committing the act that once and for all ended the cat and mouse game they had been playing for what seemed to him like so long.

Once they had begun, the pair thrashed about on the sheets for hours, growling and groaning and moving with such passion that a casual observer might almost have mistaken their lust for a form of combat.  Howls of pain were freely mixed with howls of pleasure, while bites and scratches were exchanged as freely as the kisses and caresses.  After an incredibly exhausting and thoroughly satisfying tryst, the two of them wordlessly held one another in their arms and relished the indescribable feeling of closeness and fulfilled desire.

As they laid together in the darkness of the bedroom afterward, Grune's thoughts swirled and churned and tried to make sense of all that had happened in the past day or so.  One part of him felt as though a great burden had been lifted, that something within that he had buried deeply for too long was finally set free and he could be as he was meant to.  Something about the vicious, deadly, but oh-so-seductive woman in his arms brought that out in him, made him feel as though he was alive in a way that no one ever had before.  When he had been with the Thundercats, he had been proud of his reputation for valor and honor, it had been something he treasured, something he'd struggled to obtain through discipline and strict control, something he'd spent his entire life working for... working for... meaning, something that had not come naturally to him.  Something that was contrary to his natural impulses.  Something that was, in a sense, simply not him.

The realization came as a shock.  I'm not meant to be one of them.  So what am I meant to be?  He glanced down at the deadly assassin curled up next to him.  Be like her.  Live free, take what you want, and get all that you deserve, a soft, dark voice inside him urged.  He recalled Kalin saying that first night they met that she believed the Code of Thundera restrained him and held him back.  At the time he'd balked, believing such a thing could never be possible... yet, just a few weeks later, here he was... and he knew what she said was true.  He pulled her closer to his body and nuzzled her for a moment, savoring the sensation of having her so close.  Take what I want... he thought dreamily, and drifted off into a light sleep.

The hunter-lunatac in his arms had no such conflicting thoughts.  There was only one thought on Kalin's mind, and it danced through her head victoriously and filled her with almost as much delight and satisfaction as their lovemaking had.  That thought was:  I won, and you're mine.

The next few months passed in a blur for Grune.  Once he and Kalin had consummated their relationship, they became inseparable.  Within days of their union, Kalin was bringing her new lover along to certain "meetings" that her work entailed: collecting money due to Luna and the club from various lowlifes who had borrowed from her, silencing individuals who threatened to leak information that could potentially be used against her by the existing royalty, and simply eliminating others who got in their way.  Grune was horrified by much of it initially, but quickly, frighteningly so, he recovered from that... and began to join in.

At first Grune refused to let himself go too far.  While he was jaded and embittered, he really didn't believe that he was evil, or what he was doing was evil.  After all, he'd learned the hard way that the universe was a tough, cold place, where only those who were strong or fast enough could make it.  Many years ago he had believed that becoming a Thundercat was the ultimate way he could do his part to make the universe a better place.  Now, however, he realized he had been wrong.  In his attempt to make things better for others, he'd neglected himself... and since no one was looking out for him in return, he got shafted.  By the Thundercats, by Lord Claudus, even by his "dear" ex-love Scarlette.  There was no one he could count on, no one to take care of him, but himself.  And, by the gods, he was going to do just that.

As the weeks wore on, Grune found himself seduced more and more by the lure of power over others.  He had known the feeling of being respected and admired by others in his days as a Thundercat, but the ultimate control he got when he used fear and intimidation to keep those he considered beneath him in line was beyond anything he'd experienced before.  He felt an intoxicating rush each time he would rough someone up or threaten him, a dark part of him enjoying watching the pathetic individual beneath him babble in terror to just take or do what he wanted, if only he would spare his miserable life.  And he would... Grune never thought of himself as a killer.

Before long, that changed too.

The first death came with surprising ease.  He was with Kalin and one other Lunatac, the short gravity-race one named TugMug.  They had gone on Luna's request to demand payment from a lowlife group who worked on the edges of the city.  What they didn't know was that they were walking into an ambush.  Somehow the leader of the group knew they were coming, and they were waiting.  Grune, Kalin, and TugMug were attacked, but their assailants didn't stand a chance.  Kalin had two of their throats slit and was standing above a third growling before the fifth weapon was discharged.  TugMug fared equally well, easily slaying those who attacked him.  Two others jumped Grune, but he threw them off without much effort.  A third managed to wrap his arms around his neck in a poor attempt to get him into a choke hold.  It would prove to be a fatal move.  In a rage, Grune took hold of the Lunatac's legs and tore him off of his back.  There were few, except for highly trained Panther Thunderians and Brute Beast Lunatacs such as Luna's oversized bodyguard, who could match the strength of Grune the Mighty.  His assailant was no exception, and he flailed helplessly in Grune's grasp for a few moments, before Grune slammed him into the floor.

Once Grune had him pinned beneath him, he began to beat him, harder than he'd ever hit anyone before.  He had a metal knuckle-mace on, but he didn't care.  It was like a dam inside him had burst, and all of his rage released at once.  His fist and weapon struck the Lunatac over and over again.  The man squealed and struggled beneath him, but he was no match for Grune in his uncontrollable fury.  The ex-Thundercat was so caught up in the pure thrill of releasing his pent up emotion, he didn't even really see what he was doing.  A detached part of him could hear the bones of the ill-fated Lunatac beneath him snapping, and could feel the hot splashes of his blood that were now spattering against his fur.  It didn't stop him.  Grune was also vaguely aware of his victim's pitiful, whimpering cries and pleas for mercy.  That didn't stop him either.  He delivered a few more blows, and the screaming and the struggling stopped, leaving only a deathly stillness and silence hanging in the air.

The sabertooth's victim had been the last to die, for those Kalin and TugMug had slain were already dead, and the few others in the ambush who were able to get away had long since fled.  When the fight ceased, and Grune came to his senses, he looked down and saw a bloody, battered mess beneath him.  To say that the Lunatac was dead would have been an understatement.  Every limb in his body was laying at a twisted, unnatural angle.  One of his horns had been physically torn from his head, while his skull was cracked wide open, exposing the gray matter of his brain and an impossible amount of blood.

When it was all over, TugMug was the first to speak, and even then, all he could do was shake his head and mumble an astonished "Damn...."

Kalin stood over Grune and his victim and raised her eyebrows with interest.  While she had known he had the capacity to be deadly, she had never witnessed it being taken this far before.

The adrenaline rush of his fury faded and Grune stared in wide-eyed shock at what he had done. "I killed him."

"To say the least." Kalin remarked.  When she took note of her lover's haunted expression, she bent down and helped him to his feet. "I know what you're thinking," she said calmly.  "You're feeling that Thundercat guilt of yours again.  You think you have done something wrong.  Well you haven't.  He deserved to die.  He attacked you, he would have killed you without a second thought.  Besides, he was a loser.  Trust me, it's no great loss.  You're doing the universe a favor by removing him from it."

"Killing is wrong."

Kalin slid her hand slowly along the length of Grune's arm.  "Only if you're a Thundercat and live by some outdated code of behavior that only leads others to take advantage of you.  You aren't one of them anymore.  You're better than them.  You don't have to live by their standards and be miserable."  She pulled him closer, meeting his eyes with an intense gaze.  "Forget them.  Now tell me, honestly... how did that feel when you delivered him his fatal blow?"

Grune did not realize he was still trembling. "I..."

"You liked it, didn't you?"

"No!" he protested.

"You're lying, and we both know it." Kalin countered.  "I could see it in your eyes and your manner.  Don't bother to argue... we hunters may not be psychics or empaths, but our senses are keen enough to pick up on the emotional staes of others.  I watched you, Grune, I know what you were feeling with each move you made.  Each time you delivered a blow you felt an exciting rush of pure power, an intoxicating urge that led you to go faster and harder... until the climactic, final release of death claimed him, and you were the undisputed victor."

Grune growled. "That's sick."

"That's the truth." Kalin replied.  "I know exactly what it's like.  How many times do you think I've killed?"

"I don't want to know."

Kalin only smiled, and led him back toward their vehicle.  TugMug had already run ahead to start it up, so Grune and Kalin were alone for the moment.  She put an arm around his waist and leaned against him as they walked.  "Grune, you seem weary.  Maybe this has been too much for you at once.  What would you say to a little getaway, just the two of us?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Kalin said, stopping for a moment and looking deeply into his amber eyes, "I want you to go away with me for the next couple of weeks.  I do this every so often, and Luna already knows that I planned to go this time.  I'm sure it would be no trouble if you were to come along."

"Where would we go?"

"Somewhere that I think would do us both good.  The place I came from.  Serilune.  The Hunters' village, deep in the jungles."

"You want to take me to your home?"

"It's not my home, it's where I came from.  There's a difference.  My home is here in the capitol city.  I return only to participate in the... events.  There is one scheduled to take place soon, one that I already was intending on participating in.  I want you to join me, Grune.  I think it will help you put everything in perspective."

Grune's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of event?"

"The hunt."

The calm, deadly tone in her reply sent chills down his spine. "A hunt for what?" he asked nervously, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.

A slight, twisted smile spread across Kalin's lips.  "The most deadly and challenging prey of all."  She paused, waiting for a reply.  When the same shocked look remained on his face for a few moments, she spoke up again.  "There's nothing like it.  Exploring your predatory roots.  Feeling the thrill of chasing down prey, hunting it, then killing it with your bare hands and knowing that you are unstobbable, powerful, almost invincible... Trust me, Grune.  I would not have invited you if I hadn't seen what I saw today, and know that you have it in you to not only excel at it, but revel in it."  She squeezed his shoulder and nuzzled against him.  "Will you go with me?"

Grune pulled her closer and stroked her silky evergreen-colored hair.  There was a time, not too long ago, when he would have said "no" without a second thought, when he would have walked away from this awful, evil place and never looked back.  Even now, when a fast-fading voice of conscience was pleading with him to stop, he still chose not to listen.  The only thing he did listen to, the only thing he wanted to listen to, was his lover.  She hadn't steered him wrong yet.  "Yes."

"Excellent." she whispered, and drew herself up to his lips for a lingering, seductive kiss.

They were interrupted moments later when TugMug drove their vehicle over to them, almost running them over.  "If you two slow-asses don't get in right now, I'm going to leave you here." the fat Lunatac growled with annoyance.

Grune and Kalin broke apart, and climbed into the back.  TugMug sped off toward Luna's club.  In the backseat, Grune and Kalin sat close together in relative silence, until Grune broke it.  "Kalin... about this trip... when do we leave?" he asked her.

Kalin grinned and curled up against him.  "Tomorrow."