Hey, fellow Thundercat fans! Does anybody remember me posting a question on Cheezey's Message Board as to what those marks on Cheetara's face are? Nobody remembers? Oh, well. Anyway, someone, who's name I wish I could remember, recommended that I should visit a Cheetah web site. I did and read that the dark marks are called tear lines, so I assume that the marks on Cheetara's face are tear lines.

Moving on. This is basically a Dracula vs. Thundercat story that is set sometime after the "Telepathy Beam" but before the Thundercats moved to New Thundera. The idea came to me when I was playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on my brother's Playstation. After constantly getting my butt kick and reading the story of the game over and over again, I decided to write a story about them involving the Thundercats. (Doesn't makes sense, does it?) To understand the story, you should know the characters of the game that will be in my story. I don't own them. Playstation and Konami do, so don't sue me.

Characters:

Count Dracula: Lord of the Vampires and the embodiment of everything that is pure darkness and evil. He is father to Alucard and is the master of Castlevania, his dark castle of horror, darkness and black magic that appeared every 100 years after his defeat by Richter Belmont, a legendary vampire-hunter.

Alucard: The only child of Dracula. He is half vampire and half human who inherited his father's bloodlust and his mother's gentle compassion. Alucard possess inhuman strength, dark mystical powers, and is an master at shape shifting.

Lisa: Alucard's mother and Dracula's wife. She is the only woman Dracula ever loved, but he never brought her over to be a vampire. She was a kindhearted woman who was killed on accusations of being a witch because she created medicine to help the sick. The only thing I'm adding is that Lisa looks exactly like Cheetara without the Cheetah spots and tear lines.

Death: Evil spirit allied with Dracula who welcomes Dracula's victims to his dark world.

Shaft (No, not the private detective!): A dark priest who revives Dracula from his grave with a little something extra I added. Heh. Heh. Heh.

I think I blabbed enough. On to the story!

It is late 14th century 1st Earth time in Transylvania. It is late afternoon and a woman is running scared. She looks just like Cheetara, except that her blonde hair doesn't have spots and she doesn't have the cheetah's tear lines. She learned earlier in the day that the people of Transylvania found out about her, Dracula, and their son, is also a vampire. They also believes that she is a witch having a relationship with who they considered a monster of pure evil and creating medicine that the doctors of the town couldn't figure out how it was made that aid the sick. The mob broke into her cottage, where she stayed during the day, and she no choice but to run. Behind her, the mob shouts "Kill her! Burn her alive! and Witch!" She runs out of town and tries to reach the forest which is only a few feet in front of her. There, she could hide well from the crowd and reach Castlevania. She knew she would be safe and protected there. As she reaches the forest, a large mob came out of nowhere in front of her. In front of her, was a mob. Behind her, was a mob. She was surrounded, but still hoped that she could get through. She ran to the right, but with both mobs chasing her, they eventually caught up with her.

"No! Stop! Please! I am not a witch!" The woman shouted as she was being pulled by the crowd.

"Witch! Witch! Witch!" The mob chanted.

The woman tried to fight them off, but it was hopeless. One of the townspeople knocked her to the ground and she was dragged the rest of the way back into town. Back in town, the crowd tied her weak, broken body to a tall, wooden stake. Blood, cuts and bruises were on her face and body. She opened her black and blue eyes and saw that she was tied to a stake and below her were wooden sticks and hay. She saw a man set a torch on fire and feared the worse.

"We have before us, people of Transylvania, a witch, and not just any witch: Dracula's wife. The only rightful thing to do is to burn her alive!" The leader shouted and the crowded shouted in agreement.

"I am not a witch. I create medicine to help the sick. Please, you must believe me." The woman tried to plea with the crowd, but it was hopeless.

"But you gave birth to Dracula's son. So he and his son can continue their reign of terror on us!" A person from the mob shouted.

"No! It's not like that. If you give me a chance to explain--"

"Silence, witch!" The leader spoke.

"Burn her! Burn her!" The angry group began to chant.

"No! Please don't!" the woman begged.

The leader of the mob set fire to the sticks and hay. The woman cried and tried to plea with the crowd who cheered as she coughed from the smoke and screamed at painful feeling of her body burning in the fire. The mob stayed until her body was reduced to dust, which was only a few minutes before sunset.

The sun sets, ending a long day in Transylvania. The people were rushing inside their homes for they knew what the sun setting meant; Dracula was to rise from his sleep at any moment. The first thing he would do when he comes to Transylvania is get his breakfast, sucking the blood of poor victims, left out at night. Past the dark forest of Transylvania, lies a dark, mysterious castle. It's easily recognized as a traditional looking 14th century castle of pure evil. It stands high over the edge of the cliffs and rocky oceans below. In the highest part of the castle, was a dark room. The room is decorated in red and black colors. It's mainly empty except for a large black coffin in the middle of the room. Candles are lit to bring some light to the morbid room.

The sun slowly sets into the night and dark light covered the coffin. The coffin top is pushed opened and Dracula awakens. He is a tall, built powerful man with long, silky, silvery hair, and demonic, hypnotic, red eyes. His face has hard, rugged features with sharp, wolf-like ears, and a mustache and goatee, giving him a distinguished look. He rose from his coffin, looking for the woman who was always there to greet him when he woke up.

Dracula walked in several rooms of his vast castle looking for his wife. "Lisa." He spoke in a deep voice.

Death appeared before Dracula out of a dark mist he had created. He stood before his lord and master in his usual attire; a black cloak covering his body of bones and his traditional scythe. "Lisa is no longer with the living but with me." He spoke in a dark, rasp voice that would send chills or frightened anyone not known to him.

"What do you mean? Where is my wife?" Dracula demanded to know.

"She's dead." Death answered.

"Dead? How did she die?" Dracula asked.

"The people of Transylvania discovered about you two and Alucard. They assumed she was a witch because of her relation to you and the medicine she created to help the sick people of that despicable town. They captured her and burned her at the stake. She died not too long before sunset." Death explained.

"I order you to bring her back."

"You know I can't do that, my lord. Once they come to my world, their is no return to the world of the living."

"Yes, you are right about that. Those abhorrent humans! How dare they killed the only woman I have loved." Dracula said angrily.

"It's all your fault, father." Alucard, Dracula's son, said coming behind him. His features resembles his father's: tall and well-built. His eyes were deep mocha which went well with his long, blonde hair. Unlike his father's rugged looks, his face was smooth with features that gave him a young handsome look. He and his father never saw eye-to-eye. His father was evil. He had his father's bloodlust, but he kept it in control since he inherited his mother's kindness. He didn't want to kill like his father and sometimes it took all his will power not to suck the blood of humans.

"And a good evening to you, son." Dracula said smoothly.

"If you weren't such a bloodsucking menace to the people of Transylvania, mother would be alive right now." Alucard pointed out.

"The people of that wretched city should have honored and respected your mother. She helped most of those vile humans when they became ill, and this is how they repay her? They will all pay for this and you should join me, son, for your mother. She would've wanted that."

"That's a lie, father, and you know it. Mother never had a evil bone in her body. She was the only reason I stayed and did my best to tolerate you, but now that she's gone, I have no need to be here." He looked at his father and walked away.

"Do as you like. As for I, I will see the city pay for what they've done to my wife." Dracula said vengefully.

Dracula continue his reign of terror more violently on the people of Transylvania. Various families of vampire-hunters tried to take on the Lord of the Vanpires, but each suffered defeat and death. Dracula thought of himself as undefeatable until a new vampire-hunting family came to Transylvania. Richter Belmont, who came from a long line of vampire-hunters and aided by Alucard, was able to defeat Dracula. Being the only vampire, he destroyed his father's castle and used his powers to enter an eternal slumber.

Thousands of years have passed since the fall of Dracula and it is now in the years of 3rd Earth. It is also the anniversary of Dracula's defeat and the time for Dracula's castle to appear on Earth again. The full moon was the only light given to this dark, unusual night. Something was going to happen, but the even the wisest and most acute people of 3rd Earth didn't know, except that it would be evil. The water in the ocean began to shift currents and the full moon's light shined on the ocean, on the rocks, the cliffs and finally on a common spot it shined on 100 years ago and hundreds of years ago since. Castlevania mystically appeared under the moon light.

A sharp breeze passed in front of the castle, and out of the winds a dark figure in a cloak appeared before the castle with his black snake staff. He smiles an all too familiar smile as he looks at the castle. "It is time." He said wickedly to himself.

The strange figure enters the castle and steps on the outside behind the castle to Dracula's grave. He threw magical particles of dust and various mysterious dry substances on his grave. He waved his staff over the grave and said a few incantations. Immediately, the wind begin to howl violently, thunder and lightening struck the castle and grave. The ground began to rumble and cloak figure stepped back. The earth opened up and a mist of red and black colors escaped the ground. Slowly, the mist and particles came together, forming into a strong powerful shape. After the mist and particles made a solid figure, Dracula, Lord of the Vampires, stood once more.

"Shaft, you have revived me again. Where are we?" Dracula asked.

"Not where, but when." Shaft corrected. "We are thousands of years from the time you once knew. This is 3rd Earth, a weak and pitiful time infested with inferior humans, half human/half animal beings, mutated animals who are dumb as they are ugly, and others of the like. It is time for you to come to power, Dracula. Third Earth needs an evil master to restore balance." Shaft explained persuasively.

"And so it will starting tonight, but I must have something to eat, it's been years." Dracula said and flew away.

Dracula flew slowing in the sky. He was weak and it has been thousands of years since he had a meal. While flying, he saw his first victim of the night. A dark-haired Warrior Maiden was out alone in the woods, walking back to the Treetop Kingdom. Dracula landed a few feet behind her. The woman felt a cool breeze behind her and turned around, but nothing was there. Thinking it was her imagination, she shrug her shoulders and turned back around, only to see Dracula standing before her. She jumped back.

"You scared me." The maiden said.

"I apologized. I'm new and rather lost in this world. Who are you?" He asked.

"I am a Warrior Maiden."

"A Warrior Maiden? And what exactly does a Warrior Maiden do?" He asked smoothly.

"We defend and help all good beings of the forest and 3rd Earth."

"We?" Dracula was interested. "How many more Warrior Maidens are there?"

The woman suddenly felt nervous. "I should go. Excuse me." She started to leave.

Dracula grabs her hand gently and pulls her back to him. "But we were just getting to know each other. Are there any men in your tribe?"

"No." She answered. She wanted to let go, but a part of her didn't want to. A man never held her hand before or looked at her in a caring way that Dracula was.

"Then you must be lonely, never having a man to hold or touch you." He pushed her hair behind her shoulder, exposing her smooth, slim neck. She tried to break free, but Dracula continues to hold her tenderly. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." He tilted her chin up. "All I want to do is this." He leaned over and kisses her. His kisses were powerful and seductive. The Warrior Maiden was mesmerized at how he kissed her and how his hands slowly and gently caressed her body. His lips left hers and he laid gentle kisses on her neck. His eyes suddenly glowed a dark red. He opened his mouth and his white fangs began to stretched to become sharp enough to go through skin. He pierced his fangs in his victim's neck. She jumped at the arrival of Dracula's fang in her neck. She tried to break from him, but Dracula's hold on the maiden was strong as he continued to drink her blood. She struggled with the powerful vampire until her arms felt limp and she could fight no more. After he got his meal out of her, he released her and she fell to the ground. Dracula felt revived, yet he was still hungry for more blood and continued hunting until he was satisfied.

At the entrance to the Treetop Kingdom, two Warrior Maidens stood on guard.

"Shouldn't Lydia be back by now, Delia?" A maiden asked.

"She should be, Nala. Let's see what's keeping her." Delia suggested.

The women ventured out in the forest, but they weren't to far in the forest before they saw Lydia's body.

"Lydia." Nala said she checked for a pulse. "She's dead."

Delia noticed something else. "And look. There's two holes in her neck. Where could that have possibly come from?"

"From me." Dracula said menacingly.

The maidens pulled out their weapons and did their best to fight him, but it was useless. He easily conquered them using his mystical powers and mesmerized them with his hypnotic eyes to drain the blood out of their bodies. "Conquering this planet will be too easy." He said darkly as he licked the still warm blood off his lips.

Not too long after dawn, Nada and two other Warrior Maidens left the Treetop Kingdom to search for their missing comrades.

"Nada, come quick." A maiden called.

The maidens saw three Warrior Maidens lying dead. Nada checked their pulses to make sure. "Their dead and they have holes in their necks. We better bring them back to the Treetop Kingdom and alert Willa to the situation."

When they returned home, Nada explained to her sister about the warrior maidens she found in the forest.

"They had two holes in their necks?" Willa asked.

"Yes, I've never seen that before. It looked like their blood was taken out of their bodies because we didn't find any in the autopsy. I have no idea what caused that." Nada was baffled.

"I'm afraid I do. From what you describe, it sounds like vampires, but I always thought they were a myth." Willa said.

"Vampires?" Nada said confused.

"Yes, and we certainly cannot handle them alone. Come on, Nada, we're going to Cat's Lair." Willa said authoritatively.

In the counsel room at Cat's Lair, Nada and Willa explained to Lion-O, Tygra, and Panthro about the three warrior maidens and the possibility of vampires.

"What exactly are vampires?" Tygra asked. "We never had them on Thundera."

"From what I was told, vampires are evil creatures of the night. They look like humans, but can manifest into all types of animals, specifically bats. They can hypnotize and seduce there victims in order to drink their blood, make them their slaves or turn ordinary people into vampires. They are very strong and fast, and what's worse, they are immortal." Willa explained.

"So there's no way to stop them?" Panthro asked.

Willa looked at the blue panther. "They fear the daylight because the sun can burn them. They can also die from hate garlic, crosses, and stakes driven through their hearts. There are others, but I cannot remember. I will look for more information on them when my sister and I return to the Treetop Kingdom."

Lion-O, who was quiet ever since Nada and Willa began speaking about vampires and their fallen comrades, spoke. "These vampires seems to be a dangerous threat to everyone on 3rd Earth. We'll help in every way we can."

"How exactly are we going to help, Lion-O?" Panthro asked.

"Some of us will stay guard at the Treetop Kingdom tonight. I do think it will be best if you have all our your Warrior Maidens in before sunset." Lion-O advised Willa and she nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime, Panthro and I will go back to the Treetop Kingdom with Willa and Nada see where the victims were found and if we could find any more information about these vampires." Tygra said.

"Good idea, and I'll let the other Thundercats know what's going on." Lion-O said.

At the scene of the crime, Panthro looks around where the bodies were found while Tygra wondered deeper in the forest. He felt as if something was pulling him to go further. When he stepped out of the forest he saw a castle. He never seen a castle like that before, except in old books that uncovered history on First Earth. Tygra was going to explore and see what was in the castle, but Panthro called him.

"Tygra! Lion-O just called from the thundertank. WilyKit and WilyKat found dead bodies, possibly victims of the vampires. Let's go!"

"I guess I'll have a chance to explore the castle tonight." Tygra told himself and joined Panthro.

By sunset, all the Warrior Maidens were in the Treetop Kingdom. Lion-O, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara, and Pumyra were standing guard. Hours have gone by, but no signs or threat of vampires. The other Thundercats were keeping eye on vampire attacks at Cat's Lair and the Tower of Omens, but no one reported anything.

"If these vampires do come, it'll be crazy for them to attack with so many people." Lion-O said breaking the silence.

"You never know, Lion-O. Evil will do anything to get what they want." Cheetara said.

"Speaking of evil, this afternoon, while I was in the forest, I saw a castle. It may have something to do with the vampires. The vampires may have left, so maybe we can investigate." Tygra said.

"I'll go." Cheetara volunteered.

"Okay. Panthro, Pumyra and I, will stay here. You two go an investigate and be careful." Lion-O said.

"HO!" The both cheered and left in the Thunderclaw.

Cheetara and Tygra weren't flying too long before they saw Castlevania. "Is that the castle?" Cheetara asked.

"Yes." Tygra said and looked at the ground for a clear landing. He saw one in front of the castle. "Land down there, in front of the castle, Cheetara."

Cheetara turned the Thunderclaw and made a pass around the castle before landing in front if it. She had a strange, indescribable feeling while flying around the castle, but ignored it. "I've never seen a castle like this before." Cheetara said when they landed. "It's so cold. Evil."

They walked to the door and made a futile attempt to open it.

"We should split up. I'll go left, Tygra, and you go right." Cheetara suggested and Tygra agreed.

Dracula sat in his throne room holding a glass of blood, gently swirling it as if it were wine. Shaft, the dark priest who revived him, was also in there. "How is your conquest to ruled the world going, Dracula?" Shaft asked.

"As you said, Shaft, it is a weak and pitiful planet. I've eaten very well these past two nights, and I'm already making a new generation of vampires who will answer to me." Dracula said and sense someone lurking around his castle. He place his glass on a tray next to his bottle of blood and walks to his window. He's sees Tygra looking for a way in. "It would seem I have guest."

"What are you going to do?" Shaft asked noticing Tygra outside.

"Have a late night snack." He said and vanished the room by turning into a mist.

Tygra was still exploring the outside of the dark castle. He saw a window and tried to break in.

"Looking for something." Dracula asked coming from the side of his castle.

Tygra pulled out his bolo whip, ready to fight.

"Your weapon is useless against me." Dracula said.

"We'll see about that." Tygra said and expanded his whip. He swung his whip and the fire balls from his whip surrounded Dracula.

Knowing that the fire can harm him, Dracula jumped in the sky, floating there. "You think that because you can create fire, you can defeat me. I'll show you how worthless you are, tiger man." He form a ball of electricity and shot at the tiger. Tygra jumped out of the way. He wrapped his whip around him and disappeared. Dracula blinked confused. "It seems my enemy has magical powers as well as I." He landed and used his nose to find Tygra. He smelled Tygra behind him. "I may not be able to see you, but I can smell you." He quickly turned around and grabbed Tygra by the shoulders before Tygra could attack. "I was going to drink your blood, but I think I'll make you my slave instead." His eyes glowed a dark red and his mouth opened enough for Tygra to see the sharp fangs that will soon go into his body. Tygra tried to break free from Dracula but his hold on him was unbreakable. He screamed in pain when Dracula penetrated into his tiger skin.

Cheetara was also getting no where in finding an entrance into Castlevania. "There must be some way in. I--Aah!" She clasped her head in pain as her sixth sense went off. She saw Tygra in trouble with Dracula and ran off to help her friend.

At the Treetop Kingdom, the Sword of Omens growled. Lion-O quickly pulled the Sword of Omens out. "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight." Lion-O commanded. Through the sword's hilt, he saw Dracula biting into Tygra. "Tygra's in trouble. Let's go, Thundercats."

Cheetara ran as fast as she could to where she saw Tygra and Dracula. When she saw Dracula, an evil feeling overcame her. Never before has she sense such evil, even with Mumm-Ra. Compare to Mumm-Ra, she felt Dracula was three times as evil. The first and most important thing she knew she had to do was free Tygra. She ran with super speed, jumped in the air and kick Dracula off Tygra, knocking him to the ground. Tygra, drained of some of his blood, lost all consciousness and fell to the ground.

"That's all you get, monster." Cheetara said pulling out her staff and twirling it.

Dracula got up angrily, eyes glowing darkly. "You'll pay for that--" He stopped when he saw Cheetara. She looked just like his wife who was murdered thousands of years, except for the black spots in the cheetah's hair and the brown tear lines on her face. "Lisa?"