Path Into The Darkness

The journal slipped from WilyKit's hand and she fell into a deep sleep.  She wanted to stay up and read more, but sheer exhaustion prevented that and the second she closed her eyes, she slipped into unconciousness.  It wasn't long before she began to dream once more.  This dream was somewhat different.

She was walking in the halls of Old Cat's Lair, the Cat's Lair that had been destroyed when Thundera exploded.  She was running down the hall, running towards something, but she didn't know what.  She opened a door and saw a playroom.  It was the playroom that she, WilyKat, and Lion-O had shared as children.  Snarf Clarece was in there, scooping up toys and neatening the room.  When WilyKit entered, Clarece looked up and gave her a look of annoyance.  "WilyKit, child, you still haven't picked up your toys like I asked you to!"

"I'm sorry Snarf Clarece." she responded automatically, then paused and looked at the old snarf with a puzzled expression on her face. "But wait, I'm grown up now? Don't you see?"

Snarf Clarece frowned. "You still have to clean up your messes, missy!  Now no more backtalk, understand?"

WilyKit lowered her head, feeling ashamed.  She hated being scolded. "Yes, Snarf Clarece."

The snarf nanny waddled out of the room, and WilyKit sat on the floor sifting through her childhood toys.  She collected an armful but tripped on several more on the floor.  The toys went sprawling everywhere and the mess was larger than before. "No!" she sobbed.  A terrible fear of disappointing Clarece and getting in trouble overwhelmed her.  She then opened a closet and quickly shoved all the toys inside, and slammed the door.  She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and stepped back.  The room was clean.  She made her way towards the door to leave, but as she passed by the closet, it opened, and the toys fell out on top of her.  Burying her.  Suffocating her.  She struggled but could not move, and felt herself desperately trying to hold on, but the pile of stuff was taking her over.  WilyKit closed her eyes and screamed.

At the last minute a hand grabbed her firmly.  "I will save you." a man's voice said, and she was yanked forward, away from the pile of terrible toys.  Suddenly she was falling, through a void into nothingness.  She was running down a dark and twisted corridor.  She felt panicked and lost.  "Where am I?  Help me!  Please somebody help me!" she shouted.  She looked around in desperation and saw a door at the end of the hallway.  She ran to it as fast as she could and tried to open it.  It wouldn't budge.  She tugged harder.  "Let me in!" she screamed, and cast a wary glance into the darkness behind her.  She banged on the door a few more times, but it was all to no avail.  Still she knew that she must get to whatever was behind that door or something terrible would happen.  The hallway behind her grew darker and it felt like a terrible force was closing in on her.  She stepped backwards, hoping to charge the door and break it down.  As she was about to run, a figure appeared in front of the door.

"No." she said simply. "I cannot let you enter." The figure paced in front of the door like a guardian. "You don't want to go in there, not really." she said to her in a calming, almost hypnotic voice.

WilyKit tried to make out the figure. She had the same features, height and build as... herself!  But that wasn't her, the voice was strange. But if she wasn't her, who was she?  "Who are you?! Let me in!" WilyKit cried.  "I must get in there, please!  It will get me if I don't!" she begged.

"Behind that door lies madness." the WilyKit double told her in a silky smooth voice. "I will not let you enter. I will stop you at any cost."

"I will fight you then!" WilyKit raged, and reached for a pellet.

"You do not stand a chance against me, WilyKit!" the double told her calmly. "Do not be a fool and try to fight me.  I know what's good for you.  I *am* you after all.  Trust me, WilyKit..." the double said. As the double spoke, her eyes glowed a bright aquamarine color for a moment.

"No! You're false! Stop! Please!" she begged.

The double shook her head. "No.  Whatever you find that chases you out there.... what is behind this door is ten times more terrible. Give up this foolish quest, WilyKit.  Get on with your life.  Move on. You know I am right." the false WilyKit tried to convince her. Her eyes flashed that aqua-blue light at her again.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" she screamed, and threw a pellet at her.  It exploded against the guardian, and she vanished.  WilyKit tugged at the door, but it would not budge.

"You can fight me all you want WilyKit, but you well never open that door as long as I exist!" the double's voice echoed.

Behind her she could see the darkness in the hallway closing in on her.  "NOOOOO!" she screamed.  Frustrated and terrified, she fell against the door sobbing.

WilyKit was shaken into conciousness and looked up to see Selene's face above her, filled with concern. She blinked, and other faces were above her as well.  Snarfer.  Psiarik.  Vultureman.  Alluro.  Chilla.  Luna.  Jackalman.  Ambassador Darkail.  "What, what's going on?" she mumbled.  Her head was spinning and she felt feverish.

"You were sleepwalking." Selene told her gently.  "Somehow you left your room, and we all heard screams... and found you crouched by the wall pounding on it and crying."

Snarfer took WilyKit's hand.  "Snarfer, snarfer, WilyKit, you were screaming and crying.  What happened, rowr?"

"Are you all right?" Selene asked her.

"All right? The Thundercat's psychotic!" Vultureman exclaimed.  "Did you hear the way she was ranting and yelling in her sleep?"

"I had a... a nightmare..." WilyKit started, and sat up.  As she sat up, she was overwhelmed by a feeling of nausea.  "Oh dear Thundera..." she clamped her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom near her quarters.

"She's sick?" Psiarik wondered aloud.

"Yes, in the head apparently." Luna muttered.

"You shut up, snarfer snarfer!" Snarfer snapped at Luna.

Luna cast Snarfer a hateful glance, but stopped when Selene shot Luna a disapproving look and then ran after WilyKit.  The others exchanged looks and gathered in the hallway, and offered theories as to what was going on.  Selene knocked on the door.  "WilyKit?" she called.  She heard a muffled cry and went in.  She found WilyKit crouched over the sink puking the maroon fluid again.  WilyKit looked up when she finished, and Selene offered her a towel.  "There, do you feel better?" she asked gently.  WilyKit nodded. "You should have said something, we would have offered you a tea to ease your symptoms." Selene said with a reassuring smile.

"Symptoms? You mean you know what this is?" WilyKit asked with surprise. "I've had this for several weeks now... I was getting worried.  It's nothing to worry about?"

Selene was now confused.  "You mean you genuinely do not know?"

"Know what?  Is this condition common?  Is it serious?"

"That depends on how you define 'serious'.  Is it deadly, no.  But serious, most certainly.  It's a very common side effect of the early stages of pregnancy."

"Not on Thundera." WilyKit retorted, then snapped to attention. "Wait, what?  Did you just say you think I'm pregnant?" she repeated with disbelief.

Selene nodded. "As I said, it is a very common hormonal side effect.  It happens to most of the women of my people.  It is a combination of blood and other hormones.  It is harmless, provided you are eating well.  Otherwise it could make you weak, but, it's more annoying and unpleasant than anything else. Would you like me to have a tea remedy made for you?" Selene offered.

WilyKit was still in denial.  "You're forgetting one fact though... I am Thunderian.  I am not a lunatac, so this should not happen to me, therefore that can't be it."

"It could if the child's father was one of us.  I have heard of it happening before, in the rare cases that a Lunatac pairs with a Thunderian." Selene replied matter of factly.

"Well that's impossible." WilyKit snapped.

Selene raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

WilyKit sighed. "I... I think so. Oh, who am I kidding?" she whimpered. "I don't even have any memory for three months of my life!" She began sobbing. This could not be happening. It was bad enough that she was having the awful dreams, the sickness, and that she couldn't remember or understand anything of her disappearance, but now Selene was telling her this "sickness" meant that she was having the child of a man-- a lunatac no less-- that she had no memory of whatsoever? The scandal of her having a child outside of marriage as a Thundercat noble was bad enough, but the fact that it was a child of a man from a race that was only on friendly terms with Thunderians for a few years after centuries of animosity, that was going to be nearly impossible for most people to accept.  The other Thundercats would, perhaps, understand and accept it, but some of the old-society Thunderians in the city would view it as a terrible scandal. Holy Thundera, this cannot be happening! she cried inside. Her life was falling apart piece by piece. She could no longer hold back the flood of feelings inside her, the fear, dread, guilt, and shame.  She crumpled up and collapsed against the sink crying.

Selene placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "WilyKit?  No memory?  So it is possible then?" she asked gently.

"Any of this is possible!  For all I know it could be that guy from my dreams, whoever the hell he is!" WilyKit cried.

Selene put an arm around her. "I will walk you back to your room.  Why don't you tell me all about it? Perhaps it will make you feel better."

WilyKit looked up and offered a half-hearted smile. "Are you sure you're related to Luna?  You're awfully nice..."

Selene smiled back. "Aunt Luna is no longer as bad as she pretends to be.  These last years since the battle on Thundera have brought out her long-buried good side."

"A kinder, gentler Luna... Jaga help us all." WilyKit laughed in spite of herself.

Selene helped WilyKit to her feet. "Would you like to tell me about your dream now?" she asked her.

WilyKit nodded and told her the whole story, as Selene walked her back to her room.

On a dark, dismal planet, across time and space, WilyKit's intense mental anguish was sensed by someone looking for such an opportunity.  The weakened and decayed mummy had been looking for a way to return to have revenge on his enemies. "Heh heh heh, the Thundercat is losing her mind." Mumm-Ra chuckled to himself.

Nearby, Torlei heard him speaking and approached him.  She eyed him suspiciously. "What has you so happy?"

Mumm-Ra offered his wife a devious smile. "How would you feel about using a Thundercat's pain to get our powers back and return to Thundera?"

Torlei grinned. "Tell me more." She hoped Mumm-Ra wasn't full of it, as he tended to be in the past. She had tired of working with the witch as a helpful "lesser evil spirit" and wanted her powers back. Right now she was little more than a ghost. She didn't even have the energy to keep her body materialized for very long, and spent most of her time in a ghostly form conserving energy. Mumm-Ra could stay in solid form since he was older and had different powers, but for her to do so was much more difficult.

"How would you like to use what powers we have regained these five years to travel back to Thundera and use the Thundercat in torment to destroy them all?  The one they call WilyKit is on the edge of a mental breakdown.  Her spirit is weakened.  You and I could easily wear down her will with a few ghostly moves, and since you are a mere spirit for the most part now, you can possess her body.  With a strong body to inhabit, you could have physical revenge on those that have wronged you.  I of course, will take advantage of the distractions you cause through WilyKit, and use it to destroy the Thundercats, and reclaim my pyramid on New Thundera."

Torlei nodded. "I like the plan, Mumm-Ra. There is only one problem. What makes you think the Ancient Spirits of Evil will give us the power necessary to go along with this plan?"

"The witch will work with us and convince them.  She owes us for the numerous times we have aided her magic."

"Too bad her magic always fails."

"It is not the magic, but those she works with, and against that lead to her defeat." Mumm-Ra explained.  It was a rationalization at best, but he had been working with the Ancient Spirits of Evil long enough to know they would back his plan.  He knew it was good, and he knew they would know it, too.

Torlei shrugged. "It matters little. We have done our part, that is true.  Let us confer with the witch and the ancients on this plan.  I would like to begin as soon as possible.  I have had enough of our forced exile."

Mumm-Ra nodded, and he and Torlei left to confer with the witch.

A servant entered WilyKit's chamber just long enough to hand her a steaming cup of the herbal tea remedy, just as WilyKit finished telling Selene all that had happened to her.  Although they barely knew one another, WilyKit was surprised to find that she could open up to Selene and felt very comfortable doing so, despite the usual animosity that existed between their people, and especially given the fact that she was a relative of Luna's.  WilyKit sipped at the tea.  "Thank you.  I think I would like to try going back to sleep.  Hopefully all this talking has chased away that dream."

Selene smiled and nodded.  "I hope so too.  The tea should help you rest.  Try not to think about it, and relax." She stood up, and WilyKit settled back into the bed.  Selene said goodnight, switched off the light, and stepped out in the hallway. She barely got into the next hallway when the others surrounded her and began questioning her.

"So is she nuts or what?" Chilla asked impatiently.

"Shut up, Chilla." Darkail snarled in a low voice, and then turned to Selene. "Is she all right, Selene?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Selene nodded. "I think she will be fine. She was suffering nightmares. She'll be fine now."

Snarfer noticed Alluro shoot Darkail a brief, but definate look of disapproval. "Rowr, are you sure? She looked like she was going to puke, snarfer snarfer."

"Thanks for that visualization, fuzzball, cawww!" Vultureman spat disgustedly.

"The Mendra Root Tea I had sent up for her should clear that up in no time." Selene replied, and yawned.

Psiarik raised an eyebrow. "Mendra Root? Isn't that the tea used for...?"

Chilla grimaced as she remembered drinking it. "Yes, and it's not the best tasting stuff around either."

At this, Luna burst out laughing. "Selene, you mean that the fool Thundercat is pregnant as well as insane?" She then shook her head.  "Just what we need, more Thundercats. Honestly why do they let them breed?"

Selene rolled her eyes. "Must you make light of her situation? It came as a shock to her, you know. She had no idea what it was until I told her. Apparently it doesn't happen to Thunderian women, unless they mate with one of us."

Snarfer wasn't looking this time, but Alluro shot Darkail another very pointed look.  Darkail avoided his glance and remained silent.

Luna muttered something under her breath about a cat in heat, which made Jackalman, Vultureman, and Chilla snicker, but was not audible enough to be picked up exactly by Selene, which was probably a good thing.

Snarfer was shocked. "No, this can't be true!"

"Well according to biology, it can, and did." Psiarik stated with a shrug. "And now that the emergency is over, can we please get back to sleep?  I doubt she wants us discussing her personal life anyway."

Selene nodded. "He's right.  I'm going back to bed.  I suggest you all do the same."

Selene and Psiarik returned to their bedroom.  Snarfer trotted back to his.  Jackalman and Vultureman returned to their rooms as well.  Chilla started back for her room, assuming Alluro was behind her, and didn't notice that he paused.  Darkail passed him, and he grabbed his arm firmly to stop him.  By now the others had returned to their rooms or were out of earshot.  "What?" Darkail asked, his tone displaying obvious annoyance.

"You know damn well what." Alluro replied.  There was an irritated edge to his voice as well.  "This is quite the mess you've created here, Dark.  I suggest you do something about it, and now.  You saw what happened earlier.  I warned you this might happen if I did... as you asked."

Darkail frowned. "I still stand by my decision. It was what she wanted, and I cannot betray that.  I have to see it through, I promised her!  You know that, you agreed to that, when you helped me."

"I owed you a favor, Darkail.  But I told you before and I am telling you again, that this was not a good idea!  I told you about the side effects of a psychic mind block, how they can backfire and send the one being blocked into madness.  She is tormented, Darkail.  Personally I could care less whether or not she suffers, she means nothing to me.  You, on the other hand, claim to love her.  If you love her as much as you say, you will have that block removed now. We can do it while she sleeps, right now, if you wish."

"NO!" Darkail protested angrily. "She agreed to the procedure.  She begged me to make her forget it all.  It was tearing her apart, she could not handle the guilt of what happened, what we did, back in the jungles.  She wanted me to help her... I had to do it.  And to go back on it now, it would be wrong."

"And it is not wrong to watch her fall to pieces like this?  Especially with a child--" Alluro looked around, and lowered his voice further "your child-- involved in this?"

Darkail laughed bitterly. "And since when did you have the right to lecture anyone on morality? You ran off on your own son before he was even born!"

Alluro bristled at Darkail's remark, but chose to let it slide.  "It's not a lecture, Darkail.  As I said before, I don't give a damn what happens to the Thundercat.  She is, however, obviously of concern to you, especially since she is carrying your child.  I thought you might want to reconsider this memory block you had me place in her mind, now that you see it is only serving to torment her instead of protect her."

"It IS protecting her!" Darkail insisted in a loud whisper. "And if you remove it behind my back, you'll have hell to pay, do you understand me?" he threatened, his eyes flashing with rage.

Alluro narrowed his eyes.  "Don't threaten me." He then shook his head.  "You hunter lunatacs are so ridiculous and stubborn.  No wonder so many of you can't make it out in mainstream society, away from your jungles.  You stick to these outdated, inflexible codes of behavior that cause you nothing but trouble."

"You don't even know what the hell you're talking about." Darkail retorted. "Besides, Kalin did rather well in mainstream society, and she had a Thundercat lover of her own, if I remember the history correctly."

"True enough." Alluro conceded. "But you've forgotten one important detail: Kalin died for her Thundercat.  I do hope you're not foolish enough to share her fate and die for yours."  Alluro then turned and walked back to his room without saying another word.

Darkail stood in the now silent and still darkness for a moment, and returned to his room as well.

Mumm-Ra, Torlei, and the Old Witch gathered near her altar.  The witch let out a chant to the Ancient Spirits of Evil and summoned them.  When it was clear she had their attention, Mumm-Ra took over.  "Ancient Ones, hear your servant Mumm-Ra." He grimaced as he said the word "servant", but he was used to having to suck up to them.  He hated it, but was far from above doing it if necessary.

"We hear you, Mumm-Ra." the ghostly voices responded.

"Mighty lords of evil, my partner Mumm-Ra and I have a plan to destroy our old enemies, with your help." Torlei called out.  "For five years, we have done as you asked, we have served the witch in her evil magic.  Now, across time and space, I have sensed the pain and torment of the soul of one our loathed enemies, the Thundercats.  We have an idea of how to use her pain to our advantage."

"What is your plan?" the Ancient Spirits of Evil demanded.

"It is simple.  All we ask is that you teleport us back to the Third Moon of Plundarr, where the suffering Thundercat sleeps.  Once there, we will plague her with terrors consistent with demonic infestation, until her spirit wears down to the point where I, who lack a physical body in my weakened state, can possess hers.  In her body, my powers will be strong, and I can have my revenge on those that defeated us." Torlei informed them.

"Yes." Mumm-Ra continued. "And while she uses WilyKit's body, I will use the power you will restore to me to convince the fools that they are plagued by demons to distract them and destroy them from within.  Once we destroy the ones on the Third Moon, we will go with Torlei in WilyKit's body to Thundera, and from there destroy Lion-O."

"They have served me well.  They are worthy of your favors." the witch added.

"Very well." the Ancient Spirits of Evil agreed. "We will restore some of your powers and transport you to the Third Moon of Plundarr now."  Evil lightning filled the room and surrounded Mumm-Ra and Torlei.  The two evil beings were plunged into darkness, and when they opened their eyes, they were no longer with the witch, but in a bedroom.  A few feet away laid the sleeping form of WilyKit.

Mumm-Ra chuckled to himself. "This will be too easy."

Torlei leaned over her. "Sleeping peacefully... how sweet. I can't let this continue, now can I?" she turned and glanced at Mumm-Ra. "Make yourself invisible. It's time to play 'ghost'."

"My pleasure, my dear." Mumm-Ra agreed with a wicked grin, and vanished. Torlei let her spirit form dematerialize. Once she was invisible, she blasted WilyKit awake with a telekinetic shock.

WilyKit yelped in pain as the shock forced her into conciousness. "What the hell?" she cried.  She looked around, but saw nothing.  She cast a suspicious glance at the blanket.  "Hmmm, probably just static or something.  But damn, that hurt." Something else was bothering her, though, she quickly realized.  Something wasn't quite right.  The room had an oppressive feel about it.  WilyKit looked around, then shook her head. "You're being ridiculous." she grumbled to herself, and laid back down.

Mumm-Ra purposefully let out a low, sinister laugh from the corner. It was quiet enough so only WilyKit could hear it, but loud enough to not be mistaken for anything else.

WilyKit's eyes flew open in terror.  She looked around again, but still saw nothing.  "Great Jaga, am I really losing my mind?" she wondered.  She then remembered Grune's journal.  That had to be it.  All of that reading about Grune she'd done earlier had somehow triggered a memory of the time Grune haunted Cat's Lair.  The stress of her memory loss, her discovery of being pregnant, the horrible dreams, and reading the journal, somehow her mind was trying to release it all by playing tricks on her.  She frowned and stared into the darkened room. "There's nothing there." she announced calmly.  "I am not afraid, and there is no ghost of Grune here."

"Heh heh heh... perhaps not Grune..." Mumm-Ra whispered in an evil, but unidentifiable voice.

To strengthen the argument, Mumm-Ra used his magic to appear as a grotesque corpse in the corner.

WilyKit froze and stared at the apparition in shock. "What... who...?" she mumbled.  The form was too decayed to identify even what species it was, although it was a height common to Thunderians and similar races.

"I am here to make you pay." the corpse spoke, and reached for WilyKit.  Suddenly a terrible stench filled the room.

Instinctively WilyKit pulled back.  Torlei could tell she was terrified and hovered behind her in spirit form.  "Let me in, let me help you..." she whispered. "I can make it all go away, if you'll just let me in."

"What the...." WilyKit mumbled, confused and terrified.  She leapt up and ran to the door. "NO!!" she screamed, and bolted from the room.

Mumm-Ra retook his usual form.  "Heh heh, this is actually fun.  A bit childish, but definately amusing."

Torlei frowned. "We must pursue her, lest she convince herself that it is nothing more than one of her dreams.  We were close.  She almost let me take her over. Once we wear her down and she allows my spirit to enter her body, I can take control of it and use it to terrorize them all.  Come, we mustn't let her get away!" Torlei insisted, and fled, still invisible, after WilyKit.  Mumm-Ra followed.

WilyKit was in the bathroom, splashing water on her face to snap herself out of it.  "It was a dream!  It was my imagination!" she insisted aloud. "I am NOT crazy!"  She took a few deep breaths, and started to feel a bit better.

She was almost ready to return to her room when she felt an ice cold hand on her shoulder.  She whirled around, but nothing was there. The touch was evil, repulsive, and terrifying.  Even as she moved, it was still there, on her, making her skin crawl.  "STOP IT!" As she shouted, the walls began to shake and the lights flicked on and off of their own volition.

Mumm-Ra, still invisible and disguising his voice again, removed his hand from her. "You cannot run, cannot hide." He then touched her again, sliding his hand down her arm.  She cried out and tried to yank it away.  Then she felt a hard slap across her face that sent her sprawling on the floor.  "You will not resist!  You will join me!"

She tried stand and back away, but was frozen with fear. "I can help you, WilyKit." Torlei whispered. "Let me inside you, and I can make him leave you alone. I can make you safe."

"I... I... make him stop... just leave me alone..." she muttered. This couldn't be happening. This made no sense, it couldn't be real.  It had to be a dream.  "No... go away, all of you..."

Mumm-Ra decided she needed more convincing, and roughly grasped her leg.  He then gave it a hard and painful tug, sliding her across the floor.

WilyKit was beyond terrified as the invisible evil force pulled her across the room. "Stop, please!" she cried. She tried to struggle out of the grasp, but it was no use.  "I want to help you." Torlei insisted.  She made sure to put plenty of heartfelt sincerity in her voice to get the Thundercat to believe she was a good spirit, willing to help her.  "Let me inside your body, for a moment, and I can drive the evil away."

WilyKit gulped and opened her mouth.  She was about to agree when the door burst open.  Darkail rushed over to the hysterical WilyKit and scooped her up in his arms.  Instantly the evil touch, voices, and sinister presence seemed to vanish.  Mumm-Ra and Torlei, still invisible but able to see one another, frowned.  They had been close, so very close, until he came in.  "We must stop now." Mumm-Ra told Torlei telepathically.  "If he senses our presence, then she will not be as desperate.  We will wait until she is alone again."  Torlei nodded in agreement.  They waited silently.

Darkail lifted WilyKit to her feet and held her close to comfort her.  She had begun sobbing. "It was horrible!  There were these ghosts, and he pulled me across the room and touched me, and there was this horrible dead body in my room and--"

"Shhh." Darkail whispered, and pulled the sobbing and incoherent WilyKit into his arms to ease her pain. "It's over." He held her tenderly, trying to calm her down, and stroked her hair gently.  He had not been able to sleep after all that had happened earlier, and although he knew holding her like this was the last thing he should be doing, it was all he wanted to do.  He'd heard her cries and knew something was the matter.  Still, he sensed no ghosts or evil presences.  He saw how upset she was and wondered if Alluro had been right, wondered if she really was going crazy because of him and what they had done together.  Was this his fault?  Just because he had wanted to make her forget it all?  The repressed memories were apparently haunting her.  She was seeing dead bodies.  She was seeing things that her mind was forcing her to see, and Alluro had warned him that might happen.  Nonetheless, he still couldn't tell her.  He had promised.  After a few minutes he saw she had relaxed considerably in his arms.

WilyKit came to her senses and realized she was now safe.  Ambassador Darkail had chased them away somehow, and now he was... holding her?  Was that appropriate?  She understood he meant to comfort her, but was there more to it than that?  She looked up at him with a confused expression on her face.  "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to fall apart like this." Suddenly she felt awkward, like he was holding her too close, like he wanted to be holding her more than he should or something.  Although it was not an unpleasant feeling, something about it felt strange, like there was something she should know but didn't.  She broke free of his grasp and regained her composure.  "Thank you." she told him.  "I think I was having some sort of nightmare.  I suppose everyone here must think I am crazy." she explained.

Darkail was inwardly a bit hurt as she pulled away, but he remembered that she was not supposed to know him or who he was.  He looked at her with a neutral expression on his face and began to explain what had happened. "I heard crying, it sounded like someone was hurt.  I found you on the floor, you looked like you were struggling. Are you all right now?"

"I think so. Thanks." she said with a polite smile.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked. "I'm afraid I can't sleep tonight, so I can keep you company for a while if you'd like." Darkail helped her to her feet.

"Just to go back to my room." WilyKit said. He put a guiding arm around her shoulders and walked her back to her room. She didn't mind it at all, in fact she was comforted by his presence. Soon WilyKit was back in her bed under the covers, feeling safe and secure. The incidents of a little while ago seemed like a fading bad dream, and all of her terror had vanished. Darkail was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand still. WilyKit looked up at him, and felt a sudden rush of emotion that she didn't understand. "I know this sounds crazy, but... do I know you? There's something about you that's just so familiar."

He reached over and touched her face gently. "Tell me, WilyKit... do you trust me?" he asked her softly. She nodded yes. She did trust him, even though she had no idea why. When she affirmed his question, he leaned in and kissed her deeply and tenderly. The kiss took her by surprise, but she kissed him back eagerly and gave into the tension between them. The more she kissed him, the more right it felt somehow. Moments later she pulled him onto the bed with her into a heated embrace and before long the two of them made love. As the act progressed she felt an overwhelming and delighting sense of deja vu, and she then finally made the connection that he was the man from her dreams. He was her child's father, he was the one she wanted to be with. This discovery thrilled her, now that she had found him, she had found the key to solving the mystery of where she had been during her missing weeks. She made up her mind to ask him... after they finished making love. The two of them went at each other with great passion and gusto for an exhausting while, then laid down together in her bed, snuggling close together. Between her lack of sleep and physical exertion, however, she drifted off to sleep in his arms before she got to ask him anything.

Darkail twirled a lock of her hair around his finger and looked at her sleeping face. It felt so nice to have her here with him again... and then he sighed. How could he do this? Now she was certain to remember him, make the connection that he was the father of her unborn child, and probably demand answers. All because he had to indulge his foolish emotions and be with her one last time. He held her close and kissed her forehead, and indulged in the sensation of her body next to his for as long as he could bear before quietly getting up again. He put his clothes back on and leaned over her sleeping form and kissed her gently one last time. "Goodbye my love... I'm sorry, but I am doing this for you." he whispered, and tiptoed out of the room. He proceeded to hastily pack a few things into a bag, write down a vague letter to Selene and Psiarik, leave it on the table in the banquet hall where it would be found at breakfast in the morning, and take one of the ships to his home in the jungles.

WilyKit woke up, stretched, and reached for her sleeping lover. When all she hit was the mattress, she looked up with surprise. "Gone? But where did he go? Why?" she wondered aloud. There was no sign of him in the room, his clothes were all gone as well. Fighting back a wave of emotion, she quickly dressed. She had to find him and talk to him, now that she knew who he was and what they shared. In her haste, she tripped over Grune's journal on the floor. Pausing a moment, she picked it up and looked down at the page it was open to. She scanned it a moment and read what it said. It was a page where he had apparently vented angry feelings, it talked about Kalin and how angry he was at her for her sick manipulations when he had gone to visit her at the club. Grune hadn't been able to understand why she got off on playing head games with him, and even more so why he let her get to him at all. WilyKit related to that, she realized, as she shut the journal and set it down on the table. "Kalin's not the only hunter-lunatac who likes to jerk Thundercats around." she muttered as her irritation at Darkail began to increase. If he was who she now knew he was, why hadn't he said or done anything before last night, or when they met? What kind of sick game was he playing with her? She put on her shoes, and stormed out of the room, intent on finding him and asking him that.

The relatively calm breakfast in the dining hall was interrupted when WilyKit walked in and wordlessly took a seat at the table. Her expression showed irritability and tiredness. Seated around the table were Snarfer, Selene, Psiarik, Alluro, Jackalman, and Vultureman. From the moment she entered, all eyes were on her, including Snarfer's, who was already eating, sitting next to Selene and munching on a muffin. Nobody knew what to say to her after what had happened the night before. Snarfer was the first to speak. "Snarfer snarfer, hi WilyKit... how are you?"

She frowned. "To be honest, I have been better." she replied. "I need to speak with Ambassador Darkail, and now. Where is he?" she asked them impatiently.

"I'm sorry, WilyKit, but you can't." Psiarik replied. "He's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?!" WilyKit asked, her voice getting shrill with emotion. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't go, not now, not when she finally remembered something, and had a chance for him to fill in the rest. Why the hell was he doing this to her?! It wasn't right! How could he just be gone after last night, she wondered angrily.

Psiarik reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded up note. "I just got done showing this to the others... he left town for an extended leave of absence. I found it on the table in here earlier." he passed the note over to her.

WilyKit opened the note. "To all members of the high royal council: Due to personal reasons, I am unable to continue my duties as ambassador at this time. I request an extended leave of absence during which time I can work out the circumstances forcing my leave and return when I am better suited for the responsibility. My deepest regrets, Darkail" she read silently, then frowned. "What the hell does he know about responsibility?" she muttered angrily.

Selene could see she was upset. "Are you all right? Is there something we can help you with?" she offered.

"No." WilyKit said, using all her resources to stay calm and fight back the tears that were threatening to come out. "I just found out that he could have helped me remember what happened to me while I was gone. But that doesn't matter, I guess, because he's gone too."

Alluro shifted nervously in his seat. He realized that she was remembering. This wasn't good. He looked at the Thundercat and saw how concerned Selene was for her. If she and Psiarik were to find out that his mind block had caused this, he had a bad feeling they would be less than pleased with it. What had that idiot hunter-lunatac done last night to make WilyKit remember him again anyway? Alluro picked at his food and stabbed it with his fork. It was a damned good thing Darkail had run off, before he screwed things up even more. Why did he have to drag him into this, he wondered with annoyance.

"Hmmm." Selene said thoughtfully. "Well if we can do anything, let us know."

WilyKit sighed. "Thanks, but I really don't know what. Do you mind if I just go somewhere quiet for a while? I think I need to be alone."

Psiarik nodded. "Sure. Maybe you should try the study. Frostor's always using that for a quiet place to do work or reading. If he's not there, kick back and relax in there."

"Thanks." she replied, and walked out of the room. She made her way down the hallways and eventually found the study behind a tall wooden door. The room had a high ceiling, and was full of various books on shelves from floor to ceiling. There was a huge bay window that let in a lot of light, and a heavy wooden table in the center of the room with several very comfortable chairs around it, for reading and getting work done, she guessed. The room wasn't empty, however. Sitting at the table, leaning over a large volume and engaged in some form of discussion, were Luna and Frostor. Amok was nowhere to be seen, which struck WilyKit as odd, as she had never recalled seeing Luna without her bodyguard. When she walked in, the two of them looked up.

"Hello." Frostor greeted her. Luna simply looked up and made a slight face.

"I didn't realize anyone was in here. Sorry, I'll just go somewhere else--" she began, but Frostor cut her off.

"No, stay, I insist."

"What?" Luna grumbled.

Frostor gave WilyKit a smile. "You're an ambassador of peace, you're welcome anywhere. Have a seat." Luna just stayed silent. Selene had earlier warned her that if she had nothing nice to say to either of the ambassadors, she'd better just keep her mouth shut. She figured she would humor Selene, at least while Frostor was around, since he'd probably rat her out anyway. He had the same bothersome nice streak that Selene seemed to have. Frostor noticed WilyKit's troubled expression when she sat down. "What's the matter?"

"You two don't have any idea where Darkail went, do you? I needed to talk to him about something."

"Not a clue. Dark is unpredictable. He keeps to himself most of the time, and doesn't really share much about why he does anything that he does. He's not a bad guy though, just a little wierd." Frostor explained.

Luna let out a snort of amusement. "All those hunter-lunatacs are wierd, if you ask me."

Luna's comment made WilyKit curious. "Why do you say that? Was Kalin like that?" she asked her.

The short lunatac was stunned at the mention of her long gone colleague's name. "Kalin? You know about Kalin?"

"I read about her. You see, when we were excavating old Cat's Lair not too long ago, I found something interesting in the ruins. I found the journal of Grune the Mighty, or as he was known after all of his crimes, Grune the Destroyer. I have been reading it, and I found entries that mention not only you and the other lunatacs, but a hunter-lunatac named Kalin who worked for you."

Frostor thought for a moment. "I remember, back when I wrote my thesis on you, Luna, learning a bit about her. No known family or connections, she just appeared one day, everyone assumed she was from the tribe in the jungle. She later had an affair with Grune the Destroyer and ended up being shot fatally evading arrest after the king put out a warrant for the arrest and capture of Luna's gang for treason. She was the only one who didn't escape. I never was able to find out too much about her though."

"Nobody did." Luna replied. "Kalin didn't share much personal information either. She was an excellent assassin, calm, cunning, and deadly.  She also knew how to keep her mouth shut if need be. I respected her as a good fighter and a good member of my team, at least until she took up with that Thundercat, or ex-Thundercat, whatever he was.  Her thing for him was her undoing."

"Really?" WilyKit said. She had become interested in this. "What was she like? Was she like Darkail?"

Frostor also looked at Luna, waiting to hear the answer.

It struck Luna as odd to be discussing this with a Thundercat, but she rattled on anyway. "Somewhat. Well, like I said, she had things in common with Darkail... like him, she was very secretive and never spoke about the past or where she came from, or what life in the jungles was like, almost it was like some secret to not be shared among those who weren't born and raised among them. She was very intelligent and conniving, a trait which the ambassador also seems to have, and could be very charming if she wanted to, again, like Darkail."

"Yeah, they both also get off on playing head games with Thundercats." WilyKit muttered.

"What?" Frostor asked.

"It turns out that I know him. I met him once before and remembered it last night, after all that happened."

"Is he your child's father?" Luna guessed aloud.

"You know about that?!" WilyKit exclaimed, horrified. She then realized she hadn't told Selene not to say anything to the others. She had probably just told them in an effort to explain to the others why she had been flipping out. WilyKit sighed.  That explained the strange looks she got at breakfast.  She supposed it didn't make a difference whether or not they knew anyway, they were bound to find out eventually. "Yes, he is. I am almost sure of it. I assume Selene also told you about my memory loss?"  The two lunatacs nodded, and WilyKit continued. "I had some more... nightmares... last night, and he found me upset, and comforted me."

"I'll bet he did." Luna remarked snidely.

WilyKit ignored her and continued. "Anyway, I wanted to ask him some questions, and maybe get some real answers on what happened to me during the time I can't remember, but now he's gone." She paused, then sat back in the chair. "Never mind, I'm sure the two of you don't care about my problems."

Frostor gave her a reassuring smile. "Well nothing interesting happens around here lately anyway, so your situation is high drama for those of us with boring lives."

As Frostor was speaking, Mumm-Ra and Torlei had chosen to seek out WilyKit again, and target her for another "ghostly" attack. They were invisible and inaudible to the three individuals in the room, but could see and hear one another, and were fully aware of all that was going on. Mumm-Ra grinned evilly and looked at his bride's face. "Shall we give these fools a bit of a scare to liven up their 'boring lives'?"

Torlei met his gaze and laughed. "Delighted to, darling." She focused her powers and levitated a large book off of a top bookshelf, and dropped it with a resounding thud in the center of the table.

"What the hell was that?!" Frostor exclaimed. "How in the name of the moons did that happen?"

"Gravity?" Luna suggested.

"Gravity knocked a book securely on a shelf off onto the table several feet away when there were no breezes or air currents in the room?" he asked incredulously.

Luna rolled her eyes and fought back a nervous feeling forming in her stomach. "What else could it be?"

The terrible cold hand from the night before returned, and made its presence known on the back of her neck. "Oh no... not again." WilyKit whispered, barely audible. She tightened all of her muscles and trembled slightly at the revolting alien touch.

Frostor noticed WilyKit's terrified expression. "WilyKit? What's happening?"

While Mumm-Ra was using his icy invisible hands to scare WilyKit senseless, Torlei was standing next to Luna. "I can't tell you how long I have wanted to do this." she said to Mumm-Ra, and used all her strength to smack Luna right in the face. Luna shrieked and was knocked clear across the room. "That smug bitch has had that one coming for years." Torlei said, laughing maniacally.

Frostor ran to where Luna landed and helped her up. "Luna! What happened?"

"STOP TOUCHING ME!!" WilyKit screamed suddenly, and jumped out of her chair. Mumm-Ra had moved his icy hands up and down her arms, then on her back and now one was squeezing her leg.

Luna looked around. "This is insane! What's going on? I-- someone hit me and knocked me out of my chair... but there was no one there! And what is that Thundercat screaming about?"

WilyKit was flailing and getting upset, like she was trying to brush something off of her. "Stop it, leave me alone!" she sobbed.

"NEVER!!!" a sinister voice boomed through the room. To emphasize its point, books began to fly off the shelves aimed at the three of them.  Frostor shouted for them all to duck, which they barely did in time to avoid getting hit.

"What do you want from me?" WilyKit demanded of her tormenter.

"Vengeance. You will pay for what you did, you will all pay!" Mumm-Ra's disguised voice boomed.

Torlei took the opportunity to slap the shocked Luna again. "Knock it off!" Luna screeched angrily. "Amok, anyone, help!"

The shouts and screams brought almost everyone around running into the room to see what the commotion was.  Among the first to arrive were the 2 children, who were in a playroom down the hall.  Erissa's eyes widened in fear as she took in the scene of WilyKit shrieking and flailing, while Luna yelled from being slapped around by the unseen force.  The toddler Silvian clung to the older child and whimpered, terrified by all the commotion. Selene and Psiarik reached the room next. "Stop it!" Selene shouted, and ran over to where Luna had landed after her last blow from the invisible Torlei. "Aunt Luna, are you all right?"

Psiarik leaned over and picked up little Silvian to calm him, while Erissa hid behind him. He scanned the room and immediately felt the evil presences in the area, and shivered. The supernatural activity had stopped, but he could still sense the sinister force lurking and watching them.  Instinctively he held his young son tighter and kept a watchful eye on the bookshelf.

"Cawww, would someone please explain what is going on in here? It sounded like someone was being tortured!" Vultureman exclaimed, while he and Chilla helped Frostor up from the floor in the corner where he had crouched when the books had started hurling themselves at him.

"This is my fault." WilyKit said softly. "They're after me. This happened to me last night too."

Snarfer jumped up on the table and put a comforting hand on her arm. "How could this be your fault? Brrrr, I don't understand."

WilyKit sat down and buried her face in her hands. "Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night again after I had gone back to sleep after the last incident. I heard horrible, evil voices and saw this disgusting corpse appear at the foot of my bed. I thought it was a nightmare so I ran to the bathroom to clear my head, and then something started touching me, and then pulling and shoving me around the room. Then there was this other voice, she told me if I let her in she'd drive the evil away and make it stop. But then Darkail came in, he'd heard me yelling, and it was all over. I figured it was just a bad dream, but now..." she trailed off, openly sobbing now.

The others didn't quite know what to make of her statement.  Jackalman made an expression indicating that he thought WilyKit was bonkers, while Selene offered her a sympathetic expression.

"Some voice asked you to let it take over your body?" Alluro asked her. "That sounds like an attempt at possession to me."

Vultureman couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you saying you think this place is haunted?" he asked incredulously.

"Well it certainly wasn't the wind that threw me across the room." Luna snarled.

"Not the room or the Tower itself. I think it would be more accurate to say that she is haunted." Psiarik said, pointing to WilyKit. "I sense a definate evil force in here, and a powerful one, too."

Frostor looked at WilyKit carefully for a moment, then the others. "It said it wanted vengeance. What does that mean for us?"

Vengeance, it wants vengeance... Alluro thought, then shivered. Darkail had told him about what he was trying to make WilyKit forget, and it didn't surprise him at all that she was now being haunted. From what he had learned, there was at least one spirit that would definately have legitimate reason to hate her. Something had to be done, and soon. An idea occurred to him. "If this is some form of haunting, then there's only one thing we can do."

"Throw her out so she takes the ghosts with her?" Luna grumbled.

"Perform an exorcism." Psiarik finished, while Alluro nodded in agreement.

Jackalman couldn't hold back any longer. "An exorcism? Nyah, this is ridiculous! Didn't we have enough of this supernatural magic mumbo jumbo all those years we spent being jerked around by Mumm-Ra? Why don't you just send the basket case Thundercat home and let them put her in the loony bin where she belongs?"

"I'm not crazy." WilyKit stated shakily, but at this point she didn't even believe it any longer. Too many things were starting to indicate otherwise.

Frostor thought about everything for a moment. "Even if she is crazy, it doesn't explain what happened here earlier. There's only one problem with this exorcism idea... who can perform that kind of ceremony, other than a few obscure shamans on the small moon? As far as I know, that's something that only the psychic lunatacs can do successfully, and not only are they not on this moon, but I highly doubt they'd be willing to do that for a Thundercat."

Psiarik shrugged. "Don't ask me, I've never been there, I was born here. What about you, dad, were you ever on our home moon?"

"My sister and I were born there, and I lived there until I was about sixteen or so. I never met any of the high order mentalists though, and I never saw an exorcism take place. I have heard of them, but don't know anything about how they are performed. Frostor is right though, we'd have a better chance having Luna grow four feet taller than having one of them come and perform a ceremony like that on a Thundercat, given all the past animosity between our peoples." Alluro told them.

"What about on Thundera?" Selene asked WilyKit. "Maybe we should call your family and fellow Thundercats... they might know what to do."

Family... like who, your parents? The parents whose names you don't even know? a bitter voice rang out inside her. She shoved that thought aside and thought about her brother. She would love to see him right now, have him give her a big hug and tell her it was all going to be all right. She needed that now. "Yes, call them." she agreed quietly.

Selene nodded and left for the communications and control room, while the others just sat there awkwardly. Snarfer continued to hold WilyKit's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, we'll figure it all out and stop it, snarfer snarfer. Yep, sure will!" WilyKit offered him a smile back, but she wasn't so sure that was possible any longer.

"We make convincing ghosts." Mumm-Ra said with amusement. "They even want to exorcise us now."

"Well in all fairness, darling, I am a ghost, so I should be able to get that right." Torlei replied.

"That would be a first." he muttered.

She scowled, but chose to let the remark slide. "What now?"

Mumm-Ra looked over the group, then back at her. "We wait... and while they are so busy warding off the boogeyman, we will strike while their guard is down, and you can finally possess that Thundercat's body once and for all."

"Then we'll go on a rampage and destroy them all." she finished, and laughed.  Mumm-Ra laughed too, and the two of them vanished from the room altogether.