The forest fell silent as the shadows of the night incased it within their grasp. In a thicket, one like a hundred others that grew within the forest, theshadow woke. She rose, stretching muscles stiff from the days sleeping. She could feel the hunger pains gnawing away at her gut; quietly…cautiously, she made her way from the thicket and into the surrounding darkness of the vast woodlands. She lifted her head allowing her sinuses to taste the air. Then with a grin that would freeze any who saw it she moved silently…stalking her prey.

"What in Thundera could have done this?" The lion asked as he shuddered at the scene before him. "I didn’t think we had a predator capable of this."

"We don’t." The panther said as he stood from examining the remains of the unicorn. "Whatever did this is not natural to this area. We’ve seen nothing capable of this sort of…of mutilation." He turned and made his way back to the tank. "We better contact the lair and warn the others. Cheetara is supposed to take the kittens to the eastern quad to look for thunderilum today." He reached over and flipped the communication unit on. "Come in Lair. Tygra can you hear me?"

"Picking you up loud and clear Panthro." The tiger’s smiling face appeared on the screen. "What’s up?"

"Have Cheetara and the kittens left yet?"

"Yes, a little over two cycles ago." He paused, giving that panther’s expression a thorough look over. "Why?"

"It’s nothing to worry about Tygra," he lied, not wanting to alarm the tiger. "Just wanted to make sure they got off ok. Lion-O and I are going to swing round to the Warrior Maidens before we head back."

"No problem Panthro. See you this evening then. Lair out."

The lion gave the panther a confused look. "Care to tell me why we are going to the Maidens village?"

"Let them know about this new predator and we can scan the area on the way." He said as he started the engine and pointed the sturdy tank in the direction the village laid. "I have a bad feeling about this."

The cheetah shook her head, smiled to herself, and again wondered how in Thundera she got talked into taking the kittens with her. While she did not mind the company, their constant state of hyperactivity was beginning to wear on her. Though mostly recovered from her injuries received during Tygra’s addiction, she still tired quickly and her chest was still slightly sore from her three cracked ribs. She replaced the water thermos into her pack and resettled it onto her shoulders before trudging after the kittens. "Alright you two." She smiled at the twins when she caught up to them. "Let’s find a place to camp for the night. Kit, you’re in charge of dinner; Kat, grab some firewood. I’ll call the Lair and let them know where we are." She waited until both were going about their tasks before turning her attention to the communicator. "Survey team to Lair."

"Lair here." Tygra’s familiar voice piped over the speakers.

The cheetah allowed herself a small smile, "Tygra, just wanted to let you know that we’re settling in for the night and should arrive back at the Lair tomorrow late evening."

"No problem, Cheetara. How are the kids doing?"

"They’re doing fine." She chuckled, "Although I could use some of there energy."

She could hear his answering laugh flow over through the speakers. "Well don’t let them work you too hard. See you tomorrow."

"Till tomorrow." She switched off the communicator and turned her attentions back to the campsite. She had chosen a small clearing near the edge of the forest area that allowed for cover if they would need it. She glanced up at the starlit sky and the constellations that were quickly becoming familiar to them all. She could hear the kittens teasing each other as they went about their tasks, and with another smile to herself, she went over to get the cook fire started.

The shadow stirred. Something was pulling at the edge of her mind, something dangerous to her. She slowly allowed her mind to drift, following the pull and, with a growl of total revulsion, tore her mind from the others. She rose, exiting the thicket. She was here and she had to die.

The tiger stretched out his stiff muscles before going back to scanning the terrain. He was growing tired of being stuck on watch, but he was still recovering from his illness and his system needed the time to regain the strength he’d lost. While he still bore the signs of his addiction, with the dark circles under his eyes and the gaunt look of his body, he was feeling stronger every day and hoped to be back to his old self soon. He turned as he heard the door slide open and the aroma of a hot meal tickled his senses. "Snarf, you have the best timing."

"Burrrr, I just thought you might like your meal served here instead of eating alone in the dinning hall." The loyal quadruped answered. "Any word from the others? Snarf…snarf."

The tiger nodded as he quickly tried to clear his mouth of food. "Yes," he said a moment later. "Panthro and Lion-O should be on their way back by now. Cheetara and the kittens called in and reported that they were setting up camp and will return tomorrow evening late."

"I hope those kids behave, snarf…snarf." He mumbled as he wheeled the cart out of the control room, leaving the tiger alone again.

Cheetara and the kittens settled down in front of the fire. "Cheetara, can you tell us a story?" Kit asked hopefully.

"A ghost story!" Kat asked, almost bouncing on the log he'd pulled over to sit on. "Something really scary!"

"I don't know," Cheetara demurred. "I mean, it's pretty dark out here and isolated. I wouldn't want you to have nightmares or anything."

"We won't!" the kittens chorused. "We're not scared of anything," Kat boasted.

Cheetara raised an eyebrow at *that* whopper, but she didn't embarrass him by calling him on it.

"Pleeeeeease, Cheetara," Kit asked, eyes huge and pleading. "We'll be good the whole rest of the time we're out here, we promise."

"We'll pick up the camp tomorrow without having to be told," Kat said.

"We'll get up without complaining," Kit agreed.

"We'll..."

Kat broke off as Cheetara laughed and held up a hand. "All right, all right. Don't make any promises you can't keep. Now settle into your blankets and I'll tell you a story my foster father once told me on a camping trip when I was a young cub."

The kittens obeyed, snuggling into their sleeping bags, eyes wide with anticipation. "Long ago on Thundera, they told tales of the creators, the great cats who made us as we are. The creators are great and caring beings, but even they have their dark side. In the case of the creators, that dark side finds expression in the shadow-cat called Sekhmet. Huge, she is, and black as the darkest cave. She prowls the night in the form of a great lioness, hunting those who have attracted her wrath."

"Wow! Really Cheetara?" Kit asked her eyes growing even wider.

Kat elbowed his sister. "Shhh… Don't interrupt."

She nodded. "Those who disrespect the creators, who fail to honor their ancestors, they are her legitimate prey. But she is easily angered, and sometimes she will attack those who have merely been thoughtless instead of those who are evil. She is a dangerous, dangerous creature. It is said that the creators made her by sending the darkness within them into a great ruby. Thunderians had forgotten to honor the creators, and we grew so arrogant as to believe the creators nothing more than the superstitions of savages. So they sent Sekhmet out to chastise our ancestors, to remind us of their power. But she was too powerful for even the creators to control, and her temper was horrible. She began to slaughter all who crossed her path, for there are very few who have never even once doubted the creators at least once, and even fewer then."

"Wha...What happened to her?" Kat asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Well, they say that one of the creators, the lynx Kahul, grew worried that she would kill all the Thunderians, and so he hatched a clever plan. He..." Cheetara broke off as a rustle came from the bushes at the edge of the camp.

Kit jumped out of her sleeping bag. "What was that?"

Cheetara darted toward her staff, and a shadow flashed out and smacked her aside. She rolled, and then made another, this time successful, try.

From out of the shadows came a great black cat-form, and in its chest gleamed a blood-red ruby. "So the Mother of the chosen has come." The shadow growled.

"Kat, Kit, get behind me." She urged as she slowly backed away trying to get into a better fighting position.

"Oh, don't worry, little cheetah. I'm not interested in them. It's you who has managed to annoy me. And your disrespect has only sealed your fate!" she snarled.

"I have done nothing to disrespect you. I don't even know who you are."

"LIAR!" the shadow roared. "You told these kittens about me this very night! I heard you with my own ears! I am Sekhmet, and I am your bane."

Cheetara froze at the words of the strange creature before her. "Sekhmet is only a tale...a story." She stammered in shock.

The black lioness smiled a smile full of sharp white teeth. "Do I look like a *story*, little cheetah?" she purred dangerously. Her tail lashed.

The cheetah quickly glanced behind her at the kittens. "Kat, when I give the word, grab your sister and run as fast as you can back to the Lair." She whispered.

The lioness crouched and leapt at Cheetara with a roar. "NOW!" Cheetara yelled, and smacked the lioness aside with her staff. Kat quickly did as he was told, grabbing hold of his sister’s hand and pulling her into the shadows of the forest.

The kittens tore through the forest. Every low-hanging branch seemed like a grasping hand reaching out to catch at their hair and hands, every twig like a claw seeking to scratch their eyes out. The viney ground cover seemed to be a mass of ropes waiting to tangle their legs and bind them down until the terrible monster they fled could come and claim them. They ran hand-in-hand, not daring to let go lest they lose each other in the shifting shadows of the forest night, pushing themselves as far and as fast as they could, stopping only when their burning lungs and shaking legs refused to support them another moment. They collapsed under a tree, gasping for breath and curled together, ears pricked and straining for any sounds of pursuit. The forest was ominously silent. All the little sounds of normal nocturnal living were as stilled as the hiding creatures and the kittens could not know if it was their passage that had frightened the animals or a predator far more deadly.

"What do we do now?" Kit asked as she tried to catch her breath.

Kat shrugged his shoulders as he glanced around, not recognizing the surrounding area. "Do you know where we are Kit?"

She glanced around quickly. "No, nothing looks familiar." She failed to hide the slight shake in her voice.

"Have ya caught your breath?" Kat asked as his sister nodded. "I think maybe we better keep moving in case that thing is after us."

Kit nodded in agreement again and rose to her feet. "Maybe if we keep following the path we’ll find someone who will help."

"What have we got to lose?"

Hand in hand, the kittens slowly followed the small game path, both taking comfort in the presence of the other. They continued on the shadow-encased road until they came to a small watering hole. Glancing around to make sure that there was nodanger, the twins approached and with a grateful sigh both knelt and drank deeply from the clear waters.

"Do you think Cheetara is ok?" Kit asked as she soaked her sore feet in the cooling water. "I wish she was here."

"So do I." Kat said as he sat next to his sister. Both kittens heard a rustling at the same time, and both of them dropped their hands to their weapons, slings flinging small round balls toward the sound.

There was a startled exclamation and a lithe form dove out of the way. "Watch it!" a familiar voice said.

"NAYDA!" Both kittens exclaimed in relief, and darted toward the warrior maiden, who caught them in her arms.

"What has happened?" she asked. It wasn't like the kittens to attack without knowing who they were aiming at.

The kittens babbled, their voices overrunning each other so that Nayda could catch only bits and pieces. "We're sorry" "So sorry" "we were camping and Cheetara was telling us a story..." "And then the cat attacked..." "She said she was Sekhmet!"

"Calm down. I can't keep up with what you are trying to tell me." She waited as the kittens each took a deep breath. "Now tell me again what happened."

"Something attacked us at our campsite. Cheetara told us to go get help." Kit explained in a calmer voice

"But we got lost. We have to get to the Lair and tell the others." Kat added.

"Alright. The village isn’t far from here. We can send a messenger to the Lair to tell the others while you two get a hot meal and some rest. You look exhausted." Nayda took the kittens hands in hers and led them back into the shadows.

The tiger turned as he heard the door slide open. "Welcome home," he smiled in greeting to Lion-O and Panthro as they entered the control room. "How did the search go?"

"There’s a good vein of thundrilum in the northern quad that should supply us for awhile once we can get it uncovered and processed." Panthro said as he lowered himself into one of the chairs. "Have you heard from Cheetara?"

"She called in a little over four cycles ago when they set up camp. She said they should make it back by late tomorrow." The tiger answered even as a strange feeling began to tickle within the back of his mind.

"Did she give you her location?" The panther asked.

"Yes," Tygra answered slowly, his concern growing with the panther’s questions. "She’s near the eastern edge of the Unicorn forest."

"That’s not far from where…" Lion-O stopped suddenly when Panthro flashed him a look.

The tiger’s gaze caught the look on both his friends’ faces, "Far from what? What aren’t you telling me?"

"Nothing. I’m sure she and the kittens are fine." Panthro relaxed back into the chair. "Wouldn’t hurt to call and make sure they settled in for the night if you want, Tygra."

The tiger nodded and turned his attention back to the control board. "Lair to Cheetara." Only silence answered. "Lair to Cheetara." No answer.

"Maybe there’s some interference coming from somewhere." Lion-O suggested as he manned one of the scanners. "There is a storm front moving in from the north. "

The tiger shook his head. "At this distance it wouldn’t matter. The transmitter is strong enough to break through most anything." He paused as he interrupted the scanners readings. "Besides, that system isn’t strong enough to cause that much of a problem."

"Well with that weather front moving in why don’t we take the Thundetank and go pick Cheetara and the kids up. Doesn’t look like it will dissipate till late tomorrow evening."

"Good idea, Panthro. I’ll go tell Snarf and meet you in the tank." Lion-O called over his shoulder as he left the two elders standing in the room.

"Alright, what aren’t you telling me?" The tiger asked

The panther flashed his friend an innocent look, "It’s nothing, Tygra. Just a funny feeling that something’s not right."

"And where have I heard that before." The tiger mumbled to himself as the tingling at the back of his mind began again.

"What is wrong little cheetah? Growing tired?" Sekhmet growled, "You are not as strong as I thought you would be."

Cheetara cautiously glanced over to where her staff had fallen after the lioness’s last attack. "What do you want with me?" She asked as she slowly moved towards her weapon, clutching the wound at her side where her attackers claws had caught her.

The lioness seemed to laugh at the cheetah’s question. "You don’t know who you are do you?" She purred lightly to herself as she once again came between Cheetara and her weapon. "They have told you nothing. Cinnya Oir is a bigger fool then I remember."

"I don’t understand. Why am I so important?"

Sekhmet regarded the cheetah, "You think me so bold as to give you the answers? You are as much a fool as the Creators." Her tail lashed as she crouched onto the ground. "You will find your answers soon enough little cheetah. Give me regards to the creators." With reflexes faster then the cheetah could even avoid, the lioness launched herself.

"What’s that up ahead?" Panthro asked himself as the figure appeared to be waving them down. "Looks like one of the warrior Maidens."

"It’s Kyla." Tygra confirmed when they drew close enough. "What is she doing out at this time of night?"

"Lord Lion-O," the young maiden bowed quickly when Panthro had brought the tank to a stop. "I bring you a message from Queen Willa."

"Has something happened at the village?" The lord asked.

"No, it is about your friends. The young ones are safe at the village. But Cheetara was attacked and ordered the kittens to seek help. Nayda is leading several others to the camp site now to help your friend."

"How long ago did you find out about this?" Tygra asked as he pulled up a map of the surrounding area.

The girl thought for a moment, "It was not long after sunset, perhaps an hour ago by now."

The tiger cursed, "The rout you have to take will take us another hour Panthro. I’m going ahead on foot."

"Tygra, wait." Lion-O called out after his friend. "We can find another way."

"No time. Get there as fast as you can." With that the tiger disappeared into the shadows.

Tygra raced through the woods, instinct telling him that he had to run, faster than he ever had before. He had to get to Cheetara before it was too late. He paid no head to the shadows that encased the surrounding forest as he madly dashed towards his goal. Leaping over a fallen tree, he heard voices-one a gloating growl, the other a familiar but pained soprano. Cheetara. And she sounded like she was hurt.

"Tygra..." a voice whispered from the shadows.

"What is it, Nayda?"

The young warroir maiden stepped from the shadows, "Where are the others? You can not take on this creature alone."

"They're on their way. I've got to buy enough time for them toget here." Tygra's voice was low and grim. "I must help Cheetara!" He roughly shoved the maiden out of his way and with a flash of his whip disappeared. Silently, he followed the sounds of combat to the devastated remains of the camp. Cheetara was still there, and he wanted to cry out as he saw how bloodied and exhausted she was.

She lay there, her side aching. She could feel the blood flow from the wound with every beat of her heart. She glanced around the clearing, her eyes trying to catch site of her attacker within the shadows. She paused when she heard the snapping of a twig nearby. The moment of distraction was all her attacker needed. Her only warning was the swift black shadow descending upon her already weakened body.

Just as the black lioness was about to impact, a familiar flaming bolo-whip lashed out and slammed into the shadow-cat's side. "Leave her alone!" Tygra bellowed, whip poised for another strike.

The lioness seemed to grin at the tiger as she regained her feet. "You dare to attack Sekhmet?"

"Sekh...?" For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, then his eyes narrowed. "I'd take on the devil himself to protect Cheetara."

The shadow-cat crouched down, her tail lashing. "So the mother of the chosen has found her protector. No matter, you will both join the Creators."

Tygra met her bared teeth with a snarl of his own. "You can try."

"As you wish." She growled and launched herself at the tiger.

The tiger managed to dive out of the way, whip whistling through the air in a futile attempt to strike the lioness. The lithe black form twisted midair, flaming bolos arcing through the empty place where she'd been just an instant before, and another attack was launched the instant her paws touched the ground. This time, she managed to connect, leaving deep gouges on his arm as she slashed at him before disappearing into the shadows.

"How bad?" Cheetara asked as she glanced around the shadows trying to spot the lioness.

"I'll be okay," he lied, arm hanging limp.

"Where are the others? We can't keep up this hide and seek game forever."

"On their way."

"It's up to us then." She slowly tried to raise herself to her feet, one hand clutching at her side trying to stop the flow of blood. "See anything?"

"Not yet. But she's out there.

"TYGRA!" The cheetah's warning came to late and she watched in horror as he was knocked to the ground.

There was no strike-and-run tactic this time. The lioness bore her Thundercat prey down, jaws snapping shut on the arm that Tygra managed to get between her teeth and his throat. Cheetara quickly grabbed her fallen staff and with her remaining strength sent it flying into the lioness's side. Sekhmet turned and snarled at her, relinquishing her grip on Tygra's arm to bare bloodyfangs at the cheetah.

"HO!" From out of nowhere, the blazing light of the Sword of Omens blasted into the lioness' side, knocking her off Tygra.

"Lion-O aim for the ruby!" The cheetah shouted at her lord as he appeared in the clearing. "It's the only way to stop her."

Sekhmet snarled at her, then crouched to dart off into the concealing shadows again. "Next time, cheetah, you will die."

"There will be no next time," Lion-O swore, and pointed the Sword at the ruby. It struck as she leapt for the shadows, and she squalled in pain as the darkness swallowed her.

"It's over." Cheetara whispered as she fainted to the ground in exhaustion.

"We must tell her who she is." Urnic demanded of his mate, "Sekhmet almost destroyed her. We cannot afford to lose her. If she dies so does the future of our children."

"I am well aware of what will happen if Cheetara dies, but it is too soon to reveal all to her. She is not ready for the burden she must carry." Cinnya Oir turned to the tiger, "But do not fear; it begins soon. I just hope that she survives."

The shadow slept. She slowly regained her strength and soon…very soon…they would know just how powerful she was.