The next morning Ardua rose at five o' clock, as did Tyger, and after a hastened breakfast, and goodbyes, the couple blasted off for Third Earth before they missed their window of departure.  As the Feliner faded into the atmosphere, Cheetara patted Panthro on the shoulder and left with Tygra to start the day. Panthro sighed, stretched, did a handstand, then sat down at his worktable and thought of what he was going to have to do with his day.
      Lion-O sat at the desk in his study.  He was reading over his papers looking through tax records, and calculating the budget for the maintenance of Cat's Lair.  Panthro had visited him that morning briefly,  and asked if he would perform the marriage of Ardua and Tyger, Tyger had requested Panthro's permission to marry Ardua the night before they were to leave for Third Earth, and he agreed.  Panthro voiced his opinion that he was pretty sure that Ardua would say yes, he hoped anyway.
      Lion-O's thoughts soon turned to his own bedraggled love life.  Lion-O first had a little crush on Wilykit when he was a child. Lion-O remembered the first time she kissed his cheek, he acted like she had given him the plague.  It was assumed that some day they would get married, the Lion and Wildcat clans had always been affiliated, such a bond strengthening marriage would have been welcome to both clans that had once feuded in a deadly manner, the trip to Third Earth ended that.
      The next woman to capture his heart was Cheetara, he broke her's when he met Corbia.  Lion-O still felt badly about the manner in which he and Cheetara separated.  Cheetara's legs had been permanently damaged by Tug-Mug, she was already depressed, but he felt it would be dishonorable for him to be with Cheetara while thinking of someone else, there was no gentle way for him to have told her, and her response was surprising, at least to him.
      Lion-O remembered the first time he ever laid eyes on Corby, as she bounded down the steps of her ship. "Hi, my name is Corbia, but everybody calls me Corby. Well no one has called me Corby in awhile because I was alone all of the time, everybody else is asleep, and Damach died a few years ago. I haven't spoken to anyone in nine years, except myself! What is your name? Hey! I know that symbol, you are a Thundercat aren't you? Am I supposed to bow? Come on let's go wake everybody up!" Lion-O shook his head, and remembered wondering how Corby could take his hand and drag him up the steps, and still prattle on without taking a breath. Lion-O was even more surprised when Corby's parents awoke to find that their once two year old daughter was twenty five.
      Corbia and her parents were the same age. Lion-O laughed when he remembered how Corby tried to comfort her parents, who were still reeling from the shock. "Well, at least you don't have to suffer through my teenage years!"   Everyone soon found out that the spaceship that the refugees came in had no form of automatic pilot, it had been destroyed. The old man that piloted the ship took the youngest person on the ship out of suspension, that turned out to be Corbia, he raised her, then taught her to pilot the ship to New Thundera. Corbia was educated with tapes in the meantime by the old man up until the time when Corbia was sixteen, he died, leaving her alone and responsible for a shipload of people, and the maintenance of the large vessel up until the time she reached new Thundera, she was an adult by the time their ship landed on the fabled soil.  Corbia moved into the refugee colony with her parents and soon got a job in Cat's Lair performing janitorial services and care of the Lair in general, while Snarf was incapacitated. Lion-O soon fell in love with the vivacious young woman. Lion-O told Cheetara his feelings for Corbia, though they were obvious, and Cheetara told Lion-O that she wished for him to follow his heart and be happy.
       Lion-O remembered how he got on his knees in a theatrical manner and begged Corbia's parents to allow him to see her.  Her parents of course agreed, the Lord of the Thundercats was quite a catch.
      The other Thundercats, except for Cheetara, didn't like Corbia at first. They found her annoying, and suspected ulterior motives for her involvement with Lion-O.  Cheetara was the first to embrace Corbia and make her feel welcome and helped pave the way for her with the other Thundercats, and soon everyone liked her as much as Lion-O and Cheetara.
       Lion-O and Corby spent as much time as they possibly could together, soon after he married Bengali and Pumyra, Lion-O proposed to her.  After Lion-O married Cheetara and Tygra, he and Corby surprised everyone in attendance by pulling a priestess up to the podium he used moments earlier, promised their love to another, and took their vows.
      Lion-O and Corby shared almost three happy years with each other when she announced that soon she would give birth to an heir. Lion-O swept Corby off of her feet and twirled her around, then ran through Cat's Lair yelling at the top of his lungs, then outside with his fellow countrymen telling everyone who would listen, and some who would not.
      When the day that Corby went into labor came, there was great  happiness in Cat's Lair, Lion-O wanted to be at Corby's side but he could not, he had an uprising in the Northwest territories to deal with, Lion-O told everyone to keep him posted, and he would return as soon as possible.  Lion-O walked into the bedroom, kissed Corby on the forehead and told her that he would be back as soon as he could.
       During Lion-O's absence, jubilation turned to worry, as there were complications during Corby's labor. Pumyra was serving as Corbia's midwife, and instructed whomever to send for Lion-O, for she knew that Corbia was in serious trouble, and there was nothing else that she could do for her, without extreme intervention. As time wore on, Pumyra feared the loss of the cubs, so eventually she performed a cesarean section, which saved the cub's lives, but had further endangered Corby.
       Lion-O, when he learned about Corby's troubles, rushed back to the Lair, but by the time Lion-O got there he knew he was too late. Panthro and Tygra were outside waiting for him, their heads down low, but he ran inside anyway.  Corby had died.
      Lion-O remembered how quiet it was in the Lair.  Snarf tried to keep him from going into the bedroom, but he pushed past him and shut the door. Lion-O pulled the sheet away from Corby's head and looked at his pale love. Lion-O sat down and stroked Corby's hair and told her that he was there. He sat and looked at the woman he loved, devoid of feeling.  Lion-O pulled the sheet back over her head, and walked outside then asked where the babies were.  Lion-O was taken to the nursery and shown his children.
      The little girl, he named Jaga, she was so small, when he took her into his arms, she weighed seemingly nothing. Lion-O smiled, Jaga looked just like him, with a bright red shock of hair on her head, and the whitest markings on her face and belly. Lion-O then picked up the boy, Claud-Us, he looked like his mother, sandy blonde hair and the deepest green eyes, a rarity amongst Thunderians.   Lion-O knew when he saw him that he was going to be a handful, because he had the same twinkle of spirit that his mother had.  That day was the saddest, and greatest moment of his life.  Lion-O put the babies down, took a last look and at the other's urgings went to bed.  The next morning when he arose, he found Snarf crying at the foot of his bed.  Lion-O remembered the gentle way that Snarf told him fate had not yet finished being cruel, that Jaga had not lived through the night.
    The others wanted to take care of the funeral details for Lion-O, but he would not allow it. Lion-O could not bring himself to have Jaga and Corby cremated, he had them wrapped in shrouds that bore Thundercat symbols and interred them in ground overlooking Cat's Lair.  During the service, Lion-O betrayed no emotion, he stood and tried to detach himself from the event.  When it was all over, Lion-O wanted to do nothing but sleep.
      Lion-O remembered when he went into his bedroom, Cheetara was waiting for him.  When Lion-O looked at her his lip quivered, and he burst into tears when she put her arms around him, and he poured all of his grief out on her shoulder. Lion-O wept for what seemed hours, as Cheetara held and rocked him, as if he were a child. As he finished Cheetara did as well, for she had joined him in his grief, she kissed his head tenderly and said, "Lion-O there was nothing you could have done for either of them, nature took it's course. You must not blame yourself." Lion-O remembered taking her hand and saying, "I'll never know, will I?"
      Lion-O looked down at his papers, the ink had been bled by his tears. Lion-O wiped his eyes, folded the papers into his desk, and went for a walk.  Lion-O hadn't meant to, but he always wound up at Corby's grave site. Lion-O talked to her for awhile, then walked back to Cat's Lair, as he was about to walk into his bedroom Lynxana met him in the hall.
      "Lynxana. Lord Lion-O. Are you comfortable here? Yes, thank you." Lion-O was going to turn into his room when he stopped. "Lynxana? Yes, Lord Lion-O? Did you ever have a husband? No. I had a male companion I was courting," Lynxana looked down. "he died during my uprising." Lion-O walked over to Lynxana and put his hands on her shoulders. "That was a long time ago, Lynxana. You weren't right," Lynxana looked into Lion-O's eyes. "but it wasn't right for you to have been passed over for your tribal leadership, either.  It's time to let go." Lynxana smiled. "Thank you, Lord Lion-O."
       Lion-O looked to the side. "Do you like to fish? Fish? Yes, i'm going fishing this afternoon. Would you like to go? Well, I, okay. Great."  Lion-O turned to leave, but turned to face Lynxana again. "Lynxana? Yes? Don't quit calling me cub, I like it." Lion-O smiling, left a bewildered Lynxana in the hallway.
      Cheetara, Tygra, Jaguara, Bengali, Pumyra, and Panthro were sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee, when Kera wearing a towel wrapped around her head, floated as she entered the kitchen.  Kera's head bumped into the doorframe, she looked down angrily, raised her foot and kicked the air beneath her. "Dammit, Kera that hurts! Shut up!"
      Kera held her arms out and touched her middle fingers and thumbs together, closed her eyes and said, "I am the great fortune teller Kera," Kera opened her eye to peek at the six sitting at the table. "who would like their fate told?" Cheetara looked at Tygra then her daughter and said with a grin, while putting her hand to her head, using a wistful voice, "I predict that I will tell your father not to let you and Tygro play with his bolo whip anymore!" Kera looked at her mother in disappointment. "C'mon, Tygro, let's go throw thunderstone at the black pyramid. Okay." Answered Tygro as he turned visible. Panthro chimed in, " Oh, no you don't! That rotten jerk has been asleep for years, you guys better not wake him up!"  Tygra raised an eyebrow to his children. "If you do wake him, you two can deal with him by yourselves."
       Kera, still sitting on her brother's shoulders, looked at Jaguara. "Can you make me the patron saint of Thunderian disco?" Tygro put Kera down, and Jaguara looked at her with a smile. "No, but I can make you a toad." When Jaguara raised her hand Kera and Tygro both scrambled out of the room. Jaguara sighed. "Never fails." All of the Thundercats enjoyed a good laugh.
      Cheetara took a sip of her drink. "I wonder how those two turned out that way." Panthro and Tygra both put down their drinks and stared at Cheetara. "What?" Panthro laughed. "How could they not?" Cheetara leaned forward in her seat with mild distain. "I was not like that when we were cubs OR young adults!" Tygra snickered. "No, you were worse!" Cheetara lightly tapped Tygra on the head with a spoon, then turned her attention to Panthro, who said,  "You seem to forget the time we.." Cheetara interrupted. "OH, NO! I swear, you two will never let me live that down as long as I live!" Cheetara crossed her arms. "And you two also seem to forget that you came along for the ride, AND enjoyed AND got more out of it than I did!" Tygra and Panthro said almost at the same time, "But it was your idea!" Jaguara, Bengali, and Pumyra looked at the three perplexed. Cheetara then explained hers, Tygra's and Panthro's Solstice parade adventure. "Jaguara, Tygra hadn't been living in Cat's Lair long and...

      "C'mon Tygra nobody will find out! NO, we can't sneak out!" Tygra paused thoughtfully. "It's a school night! Haven't you always wanted to know what the big deal about the parade is? Panthro is already outside below, waiting." Cheetara took Tygra's hand, he looked into her beautiful orange-red eyes and needed no other encouragement. "Oh, okay but we have to be back in an hour, you promise? I promise. Gosh, Tygra you worry too much! You only live once!" Tygra looked down. They were four stories high. "If we fall, Cheetara, we won't live too much longer!" Cheetara helped Tygra onto the tree limb, Tygra looked down. He had wanted to talk with Cheetara since he had started living at Cat's Lair, but he was too nervous to.
      Tygra didn't have many friends, even after two months of being in the Lair, Cheetara was the first of the younger people there to give him any attention other than teasing.  Tygra had been shy, and withdrawn, he still hadn't come to terms with his mother and father's deaths.  Tygra felt completely alone, by Lord Claud-Us' orders he had been taken to Cat's Lair, because his own clan didn't want to be inconvenienced with him.
      The two heard a cracking voice screech from below. "Hey, will you two stop fartin' around and get down here! The guards are fixin' ta change!" Tygra looked at Cheetara. "Leave it to Panthro to be eloquent." Cheetara giggled then said, "That's why people tease you, Tygra, using big words all of the time. What's wrong with that?" Groaned Tygra as he shinnied down the tree after Cheetara. "Nothing, but the others think that you think you are better than them. But I don't. I know you don't," Cheetara then thoughtfully added, "and you always know the answers to the questions and make the rest of us look stupid." Tygra answered. "If the others would do their damn homework they'd know the answers too!" Cheetara giggled "Oh, Tygra there's hope for you yet, you said damn. I'm sorry. Don't be," Cheetara looked up and Tygra looked down. "girls like bad boys!" Cheetara giggled and stuck out her tongue. "Then you must be in love with Panthro! Of course she is," Said Panthro as he helped his friends down. "everybody loves Panthro!  Not, Couga." Panthro scowled at Cheetara.
      Cheetara, Panthro, and Tygra sneaked out of the back gate of Cat's Lair. "Come on, hurry up, we're missing it!" Said Panthro as the three ran towards the noise of the parade. As they neared it they were all surprised with the sights that greeted them. Cheetara looked at the parade floats and noticed something very out of the ordinary. Cheetara crossed her arms and matter of factly said, "Well, now I know why kids aren't allowed to see the Solstice parade." Tygra looked and rubbed his eyes and looked again. "They th-t- THEY'RE NAKED!" Panthro looked, with a smile on his face. "Well, ALL RIGHT!" Parade floats carrying nude members of each cat clan were pulled past the swelling crowds of people, as bread, and fruit was thrown to the onlookers to celebrate the passing of the solstice. Panthro looked rather happily, Cheetara's eyes were wide open, and Tygra, well poor Tygra didn't quite know how to respond. The adolescent's revelry was interrupted by a shout. "Hey, Hey, you kids!" The three kids looked to their side. "Crap! Lair guards! It's Jaga, RUN!" Cried Cheetara as she ran holding Tygra's hand in one, and Panthro's in the other.  Cheetara dragged the two boys behind her as she pushed through the crowd of people, Panthro shouted and pointed to an alleyway. All three ducked in, and waited for the coast to be clear.
      All three kids, after being sure that Jaga was gone, ran until they reached Cat's Lair, with Tygra and Panthro barely able to keep up with Cheetara. The three panting, out of breath, looked around the corner. Tygra looked at his friends. "Did we loose him?" Panthro looked down the alley. "I think so." Panthro stretched and grinned. "I'm going to bed you guys," Said Panthro. "see you tomorrow." Panthro punched Tygra's arm. "You're okay, Tygra. This was fun. We'll have to go out again sometime!" Tygra looked at Panthro. "Are you crazy?" Cheetara looked at Tygra "Yes." Panthro stuck out his tongue and sneaked around the corner to the wall where the window to his room was. Cheetara listened to the clock in the courtyard chime two o' clock. "See, Tygra," Cheetara grabbed his hand. "I got you back in almost an hour. Yeah." Tygra looked away from Cheetara, not wanting her to see him blush.
       Cheetara motioned Tygra with her head, and they began to climb up the tree to Tygra's room. Along the way, Cheetara slipped and scrambled in a panic as she began to fall, Tygra purely by luck was able to grab her arm and dig his claws in the tree bark deeper before her full weight fell. After a few terrified moments had past, Tygra helped Cheetara regain her hand and foot holds and the two finished their climb.  Cheetara and Tygra sat on the safer tree branch as they caught their breath. "Oh, Tygra, thank you for bailing me. Oh, well, what was I going to do, let you fall?" Tygra got up and climbed into his window to the safety of his room. "Thanks for inviting me along, Cheetara. You're welcome, Tygra." The two looked at one another for a moment in the ambient moonlight. "I like you, you're fun. You need to stop being so shy." Cheetara kissed Tygra on the nose and climbed back down the tree. Tygra looked down and Cheetara waved. "See you tomorrow, Tygra." Tygra waved, then got back into bed and felt guilty for sneaking out, he also thought a lot about Cheetara.

      Jaguara was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath.  Panthro and Tygra were also almost in the same shape. Bengali and Pumyra held their sides and couldn't stop laughing either. Cheetara sat glaring at Tygra and Panthro. "And the very next DAY, Tygra feels guilty and tells Claud-Us that we snuck out." Tygra playfully pushed Cheetara. "Oh, 'Tara you will never let me live THAT down!" Kera and Tygro sat in the hallway looking at each other holding their hands on their mouths, stifling snickers. Cheetara smiled at Panthro. "Let's talk about rush week at Thundera Technical." Said Cheetara with a wicked tone. Panthro swallowed hard and said, "Let's not!"
 

           Things were not quite as jovial for some couples.
 

      "Jaroc, I swear if you are rude to Ardua when she is here, you will spend a great many cold and lonely nights in our room." Jaroc looked at Nica with a sneer. "I already have!" Jaroc paused and thought for a moment.  "Nica, I'm sorry I acted the way I did when I was on Thundera." Nica looked hard at Jaroc. "I am not the person who you should be apologizing to! Will you feel better if I do? Not if it isn't genuine." Nica finished putting sheets on the spare bed Tyger was assigned to then moved on to the room that Ardua was to occupy, Jaroc followed. "Jaroc, why don't you just go? I don't need your help, and you are on my nerves. I'm sick of arguing with you." Jaroc sighed and walked down the hall. He knew that he shouldn't have been rude to Ardua, that she was part Thunderian, but he couldn't help it he hated Mutants with a vengeance.
    "Mother?  NOOOOOOOOOO! Go, son GO! I don't want you to stay, Father, please, you'll die! Death is nothing boy, GO! NO, FATHER! JAROC!" Jaroc's father slapped his face, hurling him to the floor. "Mind me boy, GO!" Jaroc ran to the ship as his mother lay dying in a pool of blood, and his father shouted orders. Mutants were gathering people on a slave run. Frego, his father fired shots at the Vulturemen, and Reptilians until he too fell.
      Jaroc tried to run to his father's side, but was dragged away by a saber-toothed warrior, who bore a Thundercat symbol.  Once on the ship fleeing to safety, the warrior held Jaroc's hand and put the other gloved hand on his shoulder. "Jaroc, he was a proud and great warrior, he soars with the stars now."  The saber-tooth stayed with him and his nephew until he was ordered to help repel mutant fire. "Grune, get up here! Yes, Lord Jaga!" Grune patted the boy's head and ran to the front of the ship.
       Little Jaroc held the Thundercat symbol in his hand torn from his father's tunic, and the Ocelot clan symbol, the starburst.  As his grip tightened, the sharp metal rays cut and stabbed deeply into his  hand. He didn't even feel it. "Hey, you're bleeding." Jaroc turned to his side. A little girl pulled his hand into hers . "Aren't you the prince?" Jaroc nodded. "I'm Nica." The little girl wrapped a piece of cloth around his hand and held it. "I'm just a regular ocelot, not a noble like you."
      Jaroc stepped into the bedroom he and Nica had been uncomfortably sharing for the past two months.  Jaroc looked at his scarred hand, then knelt at the altar he constructed and meditated.

      "Ardua, give me something to drink, would you? Coming right up." Ardua walked to the back of the Feliner and opened the small refrigerator next to the storage bins. Ardua had found a few cans of beer in them and placed them inside to cool. "Do you want water or what? Water's fine." Tyger shouted from the front. Ardua looked at the floor of the ship, she had almost died there.
      Ardua felt her face, as Pumyra promised her, fur almost had the blemish covered. Ardua put some chilled water in a cup and closed the door. Ardua walked back to the cockpit slowly, she had lied to Pumyra before she left, her knee was hurting, but not too badly, not enough to interfere with the mission.  Ardua still could not believe that Panthro had insisted that she go with Tyger.
      "Thanks, 'Dua. You're welcome." Tyger took his attention away from the controls for a split second and looked at Ardua.  Tyger noticed that she had been in a quiet mood, never a good thing, the calm before the storm, he reasoned. Tyger had even tried teasing her to illicit a response but she didn't say anything to even that.
      Tyger stroked Ardua's hair. "I think your hair looks nice short." More silence. "You're awfully quiet over there. Whatcha thinkin' about?" Ardua sat in silence for a few minutes then answered Tyger. "Nothing."
      Tyger continued piloting the ship, checking radar, scanners, and waited for the other boot to drop.

      "Hello, Ardua. Hello, Zia. I heard that you and Tyger were courting. Yes. Congratulations, Monkey Girl.  I like what you've done to your face, you look better!" Zia's friends laughed as she passed. "Don't worry, 'Dua" Teased Zia, "I broke him in REAL good for you." Ardua walked on as Zia and her friends continued their taunts and followed her a short way.

       Ardua knew that Tyger was a man, she didn't expect him to wait for her, or want him to. She had no claim to him before she returned home on her required vacation. Ardua thought, "No man is going to wait for someone who seemingly has no interest in him, but why that bitch?

       Two days later, after a quick stop at Interplanetary Control to see officer Tyldic and Mandora and thank them for their help in finding her, and the return of their tracking unit. Ardua introduced Tyger to her friends and accepted benign teasing about being the Princess of Plundarr.
      Shortly after Ardua and Tyger landed on Third Earth.

      Lion-O was interrupted in his bedroom by the sounds of alarms in Cat's Lair, he ran as Quickly as he could to the control room in order to ascertain what the trouble was, if any.  Snarfer met him in the hall. "Lion-O, snarfer, snarfer, you need to come see this, snarfer. What, er, who is it, Snarfer? I don't know, but they look important."
      Lion-O and Snarfer entered the control room and turned the telescreens back on.  "I am Lion-O Lord of the Thundercats, state your business here." A robed man stood and spoke. "Lord Lion-O, We come with nothing but peaceful intentions."
      Panthro ran through the corridors of the Lair, the alarm systems had gone off and he wondered what had happened to potentially turn their lives upside down again. As Lion-O finished his conversation Panthro entered the control room and was frightened at what he saw.  "Very well, you may land at these co-ordinates. Thank you Lord Lion-O."  Lion-O turned and looked at his friend. "Lion-O, what is going on?" Lion-O put his hand on Panthro's shoulder. "We are going to have some guests soon, Panthro."  As Lion-O explained, Panthro stood back not quite believing what had transpired.  Panthro turned and quietly padded out of the control room, Lion-O wanted to say something to him, but didn't know what it would be.
      Claud-Us ran out of the Lair and greeted Ardua and Tyger, Couga, Kelec, and Nica followed soon after.  "'Tyg! 'Dua!" Claud-Us grabbed them both into a hug and picked them up off of the ground. "Claud-Us we gotta breathe." Said Tyger with a strained sound. "Oh, sorry man, don't know my own strength." Cena and Zac flew in on space boards and jumped off, soon after the Thunderbolt roared over the lair,  Wilykat and Terra filed out. Zac immediately spied Panthro's nun-chucks in Ardua's belt, he had allowed Ardua to borrow them for the trip since she had no special weapon of her own. "Wow, Ardua, can I hold them?" Ardua thought for a moment, then winked at Couga and Kelec. "I tell you what, if you help me off load the Feliner, i'll give you a lesson with the Mighty Panthro's nun-chucks. How does that sound?" Zac looked at his mother and father, they smiled and nodded. "It's a deal!" Ardua then had to chase after Zac before he tossed everything that wasn't nailed down out of the ship.  Cena, Nica and Jaroc's daughter, rolled her eyes and walked to where the two were. "So, Tyger, you ready to go treasure hunting tomorrow? Sure am, Claud-Us."
      Tyger looked at Couga. "May I take Ardua out for a walk tonight? Shouldn't you rest for the search tomorrow? It won't be a long one." Couga smiled. "Fine, have her back by nine o' clock. Alright." Couga and Kelec walked back inside while Claud-Us and Tyger talked. "I hope you are hungry, we've been cooking all day." Tyger's stomach rumbled. "I'll take that as a yes." Claud-Us and Tyger put their arms on each other's shoulders entered the Lair, and went into Claud-Us' study and talked.
      Tyger reached into his pouch and produced a ring. "Wow, 'Tyg! That's a beauty, when you gonna ask? While were here, tonight sometime, if I can get the courage up. Oh, man! Can I come to the wedding?" Tyger laughed. "No, you'll jinx it!" Claud-Us grabbed Tyger's head into a lock and rubbed the top of his head.  The door to the study opened and both froze in their tracks. Couga put her hands on her hips and grinned. "I hate to interrupt male bonding, but supper is ready.  Couga handed Tyger a radio. "What's this for? Just in case you get into trouble, knowing you and Ardua, you'll need it!"  Tyger clipped the radio onto his belt and headed towards the dining area.
       Jaroc entered the Feliner. "Zac, Cena, i'd like to speak to Ardua, alone." Zac and Cena looked at Ardua and left. When Jaroc was sure that he and Ardua were alone, he sat down and quietly said, "Ardua? Yes, Jaroc?" Jaroc looked at the ceiling of the Feliner. "I'm sorry." Ardua slapped Jaroc on the shoulder. "It's okay, I understand, i'm not a member of the planet Plundarr fan club either." Jaroc smiled slightly, nodded and exited the Feliner.
       Ardua stood and thought. The Ocelots were a proud warrior race, they had few equals, and now there were so few of them. What a shame. There was no need to hold any grudge against him, he and she were the same in many respects.  Ardua thought of how hard it must have been for Jaroc to say those two words, she certainly hated to admit it when she was wrong, Ardua mused to herself.
      Jaroc stuck his head back inside the Feliner. "Supper."

      As everyone dined, the conversation turned to Ardua and Tyger's relationship, and their inevitable marriage.  "So." Said Kelec. "When are you two going to tie hands?" Tyger looked at Ardua, Claud-Us, giggled. Tyger tried not to, but he gave Claud-Us a very disapproving look.  Ardua looked away as Tyger fibbed and said, "Well, we ah, haven't really talked about it." Wilykat smiled. "I thought it was going to take forever for me to convince Terra to marry me."
       Ardua looked at Wilykat, grateful for the focus to be off of them. "How did you two meet?  "Well," said Wilykat cautiously.  Terra rolled her eyes, at the mention of her origin, again. She wasn't exactly proud of it. "You see, Ardua I was at a festival in Kondas, and I saw a girl  running away from guards, as well as at least a dozen other people. I didn't know what was going on, so I followed, the people looked like they were ready to kill her. I jumped in the middle of Terra and the group and demanded to know what was going on.  Terra had been rather, skilled that evening and swiped a few wallets. One of them was mine." Wilykat looked at Terra with a wide grin. Terra chimed in. "I had no parents, no one to look after me, I joined a gang of thieves, and they became my family.  My job was being a pick pocket." Terra handed Ardua's belt pouch back to her as well as some things that were in her pocket. Ardua looked at Terra surprised and said, "A sneaking good one too!"  Wilykat continued. "Anyway I bailed Terra out of jail, and she was remanded to the Thundercat's custody until her trial. All the while this was going on, street people were being killed in Jaga City, Terra knowing the city underworld as well as she did helped us catch the killer. During Terra's sentencing, Lion-O suggested to the judge that Terra's punishment be serving the Thundercats on missions and the like.  Terra and I well, we started spending a lot of time together, fell in love and got married.  Lion-O eventually anointed Terra for her service."
      Wilykat chuckled, then clutched his chest. "Terra stole my wallet, then my heart!" Terra playfully pinched Wilykat. "And what a long lasting punishment I have, because now i'm stuck with him!"  Terra kissed Wilykat's cheek. Everyone at the table laughed at Wilykat's expression.  Wilykat crossed his arms and acted like he was hurt, then joined the laughter.
      "Mother, father, may I leave the table, and ride?" Jaroc and Nica nodded. Cena left the table and soon Zac followed.  Ardua smiled. "Those two an item?" Nica grinned. "They don't like each other very much now, they are both starting the awkward stage. Yes," Added Kelec, he sighed. "Zac's saber-teeth will be erupting soon, he'll be hard to live with. It hurts like Hell!"
      Ardua's attention turned to Kelec and Couga. "How did you two meet?" Kelec buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. Couga checked to make sure that Cena and Zac were nowhere around. "During a panty raid at Thundera Technical." The supper table shook with snickers.  Couga related the entire story with thoughtful editing, to the listeners with great glee, and to the chagrin of Kelec. "You see Panthro and Kelec, along with Tygra, belonged in the same college fraternity. Thankfully Tygra had enough sense not to participate in such nonsense, but that certainly didn't stop Panthro OR Kelec.
      "Panthro, Panthro! Where are you? Beside you man. Oh, Jaga, how are we going to get out of here? The house matron will find us for sure!" Panthro interrupted Kelec. "Brrrr, don't remind me! I don't EVER want to see another naked woman like that again in my whole life! I can't believe they made a model that ugly!" The two young males heard a scolding female voice. "What in the Hell are you two doing? Get in here, NOW!" Couga pulled the two men into her room and shut the door. Couga glared at Kelec and he shrugged his shoulders. Panthro cracked the door to Couga's room and checked for the house matron. Panthro then turned, "Thanks, Couga for getting our butts out of the fire."  Couga grabbed Panthro's shirt and threw him against the wall. "How dare you, Panthro?" Panthro looked at Couga shrugging his shoulders. "It's rush week! It was a dare!" Couga sighed. "Who's your friend? Oh, um, hi, my name is Kelec, sorry to inconvenience you like this, miss." Couga remembered looking into Kelec's big brown eyes. She knew then he was the man she wanted to claim as her own.  Couga scowled at the pair and said, "And here I thought college was a place people were supposed to go for education and enlightenment." Couga remembered Panthro's response, "What kind of books have you been reading?"
      Ardua looked at Couga. "I can't believe Dad was a frat boy." The entire table was in an uproar.

      After finishing talking, Ardua gave Zac his promised lesson with the nun-chucks, with Tyger watching on, Tyger as an added bonus, showed Zac how to use his hammer. Afterwards, Tyger and Ardua went for a walk.

      "You know, Ardua you are good with kids." Tyger took her hand and held it tight. "I tolerate them." Ardua answered, Tyger smiled sideways, she loved children, she treated Wilykit's like they were her own.
      Tyger sat down on the grass, and Ardua joined him.  Tyger nervously pulled grass up by the handfuls by his side. "Tyger, leave some for the wildlife. Oh." Tyger brushed his hands off. Tyger took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he decided that it was not the time for his proposal just yet.  Ardua pushed Tyger and the two began to wrestle. They rolled twice, Tyger pinned her and she and he looked at each other for a long moment, Tyger bent down to give Ardua a kiss, but she saw where things were going, and interrupted him.   "Tyger, you can let me up now." Tyger shook his head. "Huh-Uh! You're  MY prisoner now." Ardua wriggled away from him and sat up, and began picking grass from Tyger's hair and clothing.  "OUCH! What are you doing  that for? Because Couga will wonder what we have been up to."  Tyger scooted behind Ardua held her tightly and purred into her ear. Ardua was envious, she had tried several times to purr, but she couldn't. Ardua loved it when Tyger purred, it wasn't like a female's it was...manly purring, if such a thing existed. Ardua knew that she shouldn't let him hold her in such a way, but she enjoyed being close to him, as time worn on it had also become more difficult to be good, and not cross the barriers of their bond promises. Ardua broke his hold, only to be imprisoned in his arms again, she acted disinterested in him physically, but in truth, he set her blood on fire.
      Tyger drew Ardua closer and gave her a small kiss on the neck. "Tyger!" Ardua warned. Tyger's hands then began to move upwards, he knew it would be painful, but he just had to test her and see if his limits had broadened any. Ardua punched Tyger in the ribs with her elbow. "Not an inch." Tyger thought as Ardua got up and walked towards Cat's Lair.
      Tyger caught up with her and grabbed her hand with one, and rubbed his ribs with the other. Tyger looked longingly into Ardua's eyes, she was upset with him for trying to grope her...again, but her anger faded when she looked at his boyish face. "Is it possible to love someone too much, sage?" Ardua pondered for a moment. "No, I think the problem some people have is that they confuse some emotions they might have with love. Like what? Like jealousy, LUST," Tyger looked upwards. "or possessive feelings, stuff like that. Damn, 'Dua, that's deep." Ardua smiled and squeezed Tyger's hand a little tighter and said, "It also borders on bullshit, let's hurry, it's almost nine o'clock."

      "Great Jaga, Father, what is that?" Tygra looked up and saw every building in his immediate line of sight eclipsed with a shadow.  "I don't know, Tygro, but it can't be good, come on, son, let's go to Cat's Lair, we will be needed."  With that Tygra and Tygro leapt into a hover car and left their worksite.
      Cheetara sat in the courtyard, eating candyfruit, it was ripe, sweet, and she just had to indulge her sweet tooth. She turned around and began to read initials, and names carved into the tree. She rubbed her hand over the rough bark, and traced the letters.  Cheetara smiled, Tiger loves 'Tara, Snarfer+Imelda, Kera loves Terron, Jella and Tygro, in a heart. Cheetara giggled, by the way the last four were acting, she and Tygra would be beset with an army of grandchildren soon, neither one of them could wait to spoil them.
      Cheetara looked all over the tree trunk, but she saw no markings from the prime inhabitants of the bench and tree. Cheetara felt like some mild mischief, and so began to roughly scratch into the tree with her claw.  As Cheetara drew with her claws, her thoughts turned to the Totem of Dera, she knew it was selfish, but she prayed the Third Earth team found it, in the hopes that her legs could be healed. Cheetara was never one for self pity, but she wanted so badly to hear the wind whistle in her ears once again, and feel her heart pound as if it was going to leap from her chest.
      Cheetara raised her head and sniffed the warm air, then remembered her mother, Kerah.
      "Mother, wait, I can't keep up. " The tall, ravishing she cat stopped and waited for her child. "Cheetara, I know you can't keep up, but you must try, you must push to strengthen your muscles, you'll never get the high speeds if you don't, come kitten, we'll get some water and try again. Okay." Cheetara's mother gently took her hand and sat down with her under a shade tree. As they drank Cheetara's mother looked at her and without looking up. "And I thought they called you Tygra, the invisible." Young Tygra leapt from the tree, and sat down with the couple. "How did you know? I sensed you, Tygra."
      Tygra sat and talked for a few moments, then left the sitting pair.  When Tygra was gone, Cheetara looked at her mother. "I don't understand him, mother. Why does he do stuff like that?" Cheetara's mother brushed her chin and said, "Because he likes you, I think he's a very nice boy, and he's very responsible.  He'd make a good mate for a lucky girl,  someday." Cheetara remembered rolling her eyes, her mother was notorious for her matchmaking, and she had decided to neglect her other "clients" in order to implement her talents to find "the one" for her.....much to Cheetara's chagrin.
      When she got older, Cheetara thought it was shameless the way her mother would have Tygra sit next to her during dinner, or have them "accidentally" meet each other when she was on her runs.  Cheetara's father was also a partner in crime to her mother, he liked Tygra as well, and was the only male interested in her that he didn't scare away. Cheetara remembered the conversation of the day she finally asked her mother to stop.  It was decidedly one sided.
      "Mother, I can find a man on my own, I don't need any help.  What is wrong with Tygra? He's so quiet, and he's too shy." Cheetara remembered the sigh that her mother exhaled.  That kind of sigh heralded a lecture she usually didn't want to hear, but out of deference was required to listen to.
      "Cheetara, Tygra is a good man. He is intelligent, kind, not to mention wealthy and good looking.  What else could you wish for?"  Cheetara sighed.  "Spontaneity?" Cheetara's mother smiled and brushed her hair. "You think he's boring, and I can understand why, I was your age once. I know you are smitten with Turmanx, adventurers are exciting, but my child, someday you will understand that having a man who has common sense, and doesn't enjoy gallivanting all over the planet and universe," Kerah chose her word carefully.  "carousing is a redeeming quality. Give Tygra a chance, all you need do is look into his eyes and you will see boundless love, he just doesn't know how to articulate it to you, but he tries to show you all the time through deeds." Kerah looked at her headstrong daughter and continued with a poorly hidden disgusted tone.  "If you marry that Turmanx he will be nothing but heartache to you, and will be as faithful as a male prostitute!  MOTHER!" Cheetara said with surprise, at her usually proper mother using cleaned up vernacular.  Kerah crossed her arms and looked her cub straight in the eye, matter of factly. "Well, it's true! You know it too, deep down!"
      Cheetara laughed, and still to that day hated to admit when her mother was right.  Cheetara knew that her mother was in the upper world looking down, laughing and yelling in a joyous voice, holding her father's hand, "We told you so!"
       Cheetara wiped the hint of tears away from her eyes, she missed her mother so much, her father too.  Cheetara wished that they could have met Kera and Tygro, and when they got over the initial shock, both would have loved them greatly.  Cheetara's mind then turned to Tygra, she never would have made it through that horrible ordeal with her legs without him, he saved her life. Twice.  Cheetara's parents took care of Tygra as his surrogate parents, but never adopted him. Cheetara was grateful for their foresight, she never could have had him, even though they were not related by blood.
      Cheetara's revelry was broken by a shadow on a cloudless day, when she looked up, the fur on the back of her neck stood on end, she stood and made her way to the control room as quickly as possible.  When Cheetara arrived she looked at Lion-O, and asked, "What's going on?" Lion-O explained. Cheetara looked at Lion-O worriedly. "Where's Panthro, Lion-O?"
      The next morning Claud-Us, Wilykat, Jaroc, Tyger, Ardua, and Couga boarded the Feliner, headed for the Baleful Swamp. Before they left, Nica grabbed Jaroc and purred as she nuzzled his neck. "See you later, beautiful." Jaroc growled as Nica clawed his back gently and whispered in his ear, "Not if I see you first, my prince." Jaroc had a silly grin on his face as he left.
      Claud-Us as he piloted, looked at Jaroc and laughed. "Are we to assume that you and Nica have made up now?" Jaroc just smiled and rubbed the sore scratches on his neck. Ardua and Couga sat in the upper level of the Feliner and mouthed "men" to each other.
      After an hour of flight Claud-Us pointed out the window. "There's the River of Poison, and Baleful Falls, next stop, Baleful Swamp, vacation wonderland!"  Claud-Us looked up and laughed. "Hey, 'Dua maybe you and Tyger would like to honeymoon here when you finally tie hands." Ardua looked down. "Perhaps you'd like to test the water for us, and see if it's okay." Claud-Us blew a raspberry.
      The Feliner put down in a slightly less vegetated part of the swamp. "Lion-O says that the Totem should be here in this area." Wilykat and Tyger unloaded the recovery unit from the back of the Feliner and Ardua checked the remote controls to make sure that they still worked. In the meantime Couga fired weighted metal poles attached to floating lines, to construct a makeshift grid, so that they would not be as prone to search the same areas again.  Jaroc attached a safety line to the machine in case it got snagged and could not free itself, or if it shut down.  Claud-Us, Tyger, Ardua, then eventually Jaroc and Wilykat all had to strain to get the machine into the water.  Tyger flipped the  switch on the remote on and sent the recovery unit into the first set of squares.  "I bet we find it today." Tyger said with confidence.
      The second day ground on, it was almost nine o'clock when they decided to stop.
      The third day had come and Ardua was not pleased at all with the recovery device, the highly acidic waters of the swamp, was slowly beginning to eat away at the unit. Wilykat and Ardua knew it would be a matter of time before the machine failed completely. The power lines had corroded, and was delivering poor quality electricity to the whole unit, so Ardua and Wilykat set about fixing it, while the others ate.
      Tyger walked over to Ardua and shared his sandwich with her as she worked. "Ardua? Yeah. I've been meaning to ask you, how did you get loose from those guards at Caldos Palace." The others continued their work while she explained.
      When she was finished the other's work had stopped and all eyes were on her. Ardua wondered if she should have told them.  "It's not like I enjoyed it! It just had to be done."  Tyger went back to work, trying desperately not to think about a naked Ardua, but at the same time, secretly wishing that he had been one of those hapless guards for a few seconds.
    Day four and the team had extended it's search near the falls, out of the grid out areas, Wilykat had recalled the machine, and found that the toxic waters had begun to eat away even more at the metal housing of the recovery equipment, the only reason why the cameras, and Thunder scope hadn't been destroyed was because Panthro, and Tygra had encased them in glass completely, even using molten glass to seal the hole to accommodate the electrical wires. The machine was more quickly beginning to fail, Wilykat, Tyger and Ardua knew that they were not going to be able to keep the damage in check much longer. The unspoken opinion amongst most of the team was that the Totem would never be found, and that they should leave before one of them had an accident.
      Claud-Us' word on the mission was final, as per Lion-O's orders, and he decided that if the Totem wasn't found in two days they would give up.  Claud-Us' rationale was there was no reason why they should loose the Thunder scope as well, it was one of the few keys of entry into the Book of Thundera.  They could always make a record of where they had been and try again.
      Day five and the remote control system was beginning to fail on the recovery equipment with frightening regularity. Wilykat and the others had to pull the unit back in seven times that day alone to make repairs, and it was early yet.
      As Wilykat listened to the radio signals sent back by the recovery unit, the system once again was beginning to loose power, Wilykat, losing his patience, was about to throw his headphones down on the ground when he saw a faint blue glow radiating from the thick silt via the Thunder scope camera. "Crap in a hat!" Wilykat whispered under his breath. "EVERYONE, WE'VE FOUND IT!" Wilykat, Claud-Us, Tyger, Ardua and the rest jumped around and slapped each other on the backs.  Wilykat who had mere moments before been ready to give up was energized by the find. He maneuvered the pincers into the silt and everyone watched the view screen as the murky water surrendered the Totem of Dera, then the power died, and the machine sank. "OH, DAMN!" Said Wilykat.  Jaroc quickly ran over to the Feliner, and turned on the winch. "Careful, do it slow, Jaroc." Said Claud-Us as he crossed his fingers. Wilykat prayed to the Gods audibly as the wench slowly pulled the recovery unit to the surface. "ALRIGHT!"
       Everyone jumped around, hugged and gave each other high fives. The Totem of Dera prisoner of the Baleful Swamp for almost thirty years  was finally free. Claud-Us irrigated the Totem with clean water, soon the silt washed away and Claud-Us held the Totem in the light of the mid day sun.  The clear blue crystal glinted in the sun and glowed.  Jaroc got out beer and they all celebrated. "What should we do with the recovery unit?" Asked Wilykat. Ardua and Tyger washed the poisonous water off of it and detached the Thundrillium core. "Hell," Said Ardua, "leave it, it's useless!" Ardua broke the glass that encased the Thunder scope and then the case that protected the cameras, she tossed the cameras into the swamp when she saw how corroded they were. "It's a wonder those things worked, period!"  After an hour of impromptu partying everyone mounted the Feliner and departed for Cat's Lair.
        After a few hours of rest Ardua and Tyger decided to go back to Thundera the same day. Couga looked at Tyger warily. "Are you not sure that you will not stay the night and start fully refreshed? No, Couga," Said Ardua, "Third Earth is nice, but we need to get back home." Tyger added, "We're homesick." Claud-Us smiled at Tyger and Ardua. "Let us know when the wedding is so we can have a day off! Will do, Claud-Us." Ardua looked at Tyger in surprise. The couple got into the Feliner.  "Thanks for everything, all of you!"  Tyger and Ardua said as they waved and hovered in their ship.
      All of the Third Earth Thundercats waved goodbye, as the Feliner's thrust pushed warm air over them.
      Couga walked into the Lair and hailed Cat's Lair New Thundera.  "Hello, Lord Lion-O. Hello Couga. I have good news!" Couga smiled widely at Lion-O. "The Totem of Dera has been found, And Tyger and Ardua are on their way home." Lion-O smiled slightly. "Couga, Claud-Us, everyone, thank you for finding the Totem."  Couga looked in the background of the screen, and her mouth dropped open. "It's alright, Couga. They are our guests. They are here to see Ardua."  Couga sat down. "Shall I tell them? No, Couga, there is no need to upset them traveling home, they could have an accident. They'll see soon enough. Thank you again everyone in helping find the Totem, Lion-O out."
      Couga turned and looked at the others speechless.