The Gift
By: Thundercatroar
If you like this story, give me a holler at Thundercatroar@hotmail.com
Author's note:  This story is dedicated to Juanita Messick, you were a pistol and a firecracker. The world is a poorer place without you. I also dedicate this story to all Bengali and Pumyra fans everywhere!  They just didn't get enough time on screen, did they? ENJOY! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

     Bengali sat in his room in the Tower checking and double checking a map he had borrowed from Tygra as he transposed it onto a piece of tracing paper.  When Bengali finished, he rolled the paper up and placed it in a box along with a lantern and a large spool of string.  As Bengali wrapped the box, he regretted not being able to go to Cat's Lair that evening and join in the celebration of Pumyra's birthday, but someone had to stay at the Tower.  Snarfer and Lynx-O had been pulling the biggest share of guard duty lately, Bengali felt guilty because of this, so he volunteered to stay on duty, while the others enjoyed themselves, fair was fair.
      Later in the evening when the others were boarding the Thunderstrike for the party, Bengali handed a wrapped box to Lynx-O and asked him to make sure that Pumyra opened it at Cat's Lair.  "Why the urgency, Bengali? Surely Pumyra will want to open this when you are present so that she may thank you."  Bengali felt his face warm, and he turned his face sideways, knowing full well that Lynx-O could not see him. "Pumyra will need to be near the Lair in order to see her gift." Lynx-O, more than a little curious, said nothing as he loaded himself, and the box into the Thunderstrike.  Lynx-O held up his hand and said, "We will be back by twelve at the latest. If you need us, all you need do is call the Lair." Bengali responded, "Will do, Lynx-O."  Snarfer walked up to Bengali. "Are you sure that you won't go with us? Yes, Snarfer, someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on the monitors." Snarfer jumped into the left pod of the ship. " Well, snarfer, snarfer, I sure do appreciate you volunteering, yes sir!" Bengali smiled. "Have a good time, Snarfer."  Bengali then turned and saw Pumyra, she was wearing the same outfit she regularly wore, but Bengali decided to compliment her anyway. "You look lovely Pumyra. Thank you, Bengali. You smell good too." The comment made Pumyra giggle, for she knew she had been too liberal with the atomizer of cologne he had given her that morning.   " I hope you have a wonderful time tonight." Pumyra looked at Bengali a party wouldn't be the same without him.  Bengali tried his very best to be gracious and not act regretful, he wanted to go to the party badly, if nothing else to be with her.  "Are you sure that you won't go? Positive. I hope you like your present. You already gave me a present. Well," Bengali looked up at the sky and prayed she didn't see his blush. "I, there's a little something else. I hope you like it. I'm sure I will, we'll bring you some cake back alright? Sounds good to me!" Pumyra turned to leave, but Bengali caught her hand and she turned again. "Happy Birthday, Pumyra."  Bengali's first impulse was to kiss her cheek, but decided not, Snarfer would never let him live it down, and everyone would surely be singing "Bengali and Pumyra sitting in a tree...."  Bengali smiled and waved to the party goers, sighed and went inside the Tower of Omens to watch for enemy movements, and to be bored senseless in general.
      Bengali walked into the control room and sat down. He wondered at his life, how it had changed, and how in the world he could be so afraid to tell Pumyra how he felt.  Bengali all of a sudden felt foolish and embarrassed at the same time, even when he was alone on the island with her he was too afraid of rejection to tell her how he felt, and before that, on Old Thundera. "Rowrr! What an idiot I am!" Bengali said as he clutched his hair.  Bengali kicked a chair with his foot and immediately regretted the action, he waited a moment for the pain to register, then jumped around, swore, and held his bare toes.
      Pumyra and the other Thundercats sat at the dinner table and talked, ate, and gave Pumyra her presents. WilyKit and WilyKat gave her a bunch of wild flowers, and a basket of candy fruit, complete with a fake snake bird at the bottom. Pumyra feigned surprise to humor the kittens.  Panthro gave Pumyra a flower and a small set of screwdrivers, she was at a loss as to why he would give them to her, but she thanked him just the same. Tygra gave Pumyra a drawing of the Tower of Omens with her, Bengali, Snarfer and Lynx-O in front, and in the distance two small figures on space boards flying. Tygra pointed to the picture. "The rest of the Thundercats are in the picture too, but you'll have to really look to find them. Thank you, Tygra, it's beautiful." Cheetara gave Pumyra a small bracelet made of the gold she kept from the Thundrillium meteorite that hit Hook Mountain.  Cheetara thought that she had used all the gold to help bring the Enflamer back to life, but in the very back of her closet a year or so after that, found a  good sized nugget hiding in the corner, and had no good use for it until recently.  Snarf, Snarfer, Lynx-O, and Lion-O pooled their resources and bought Pumyra a basket of soaps she had admired in the Wollo marketplace. As a finale, Lynx-O then presented the box that Bengali had sent along with them to the lair.  Tygra smiled.  Pumyra looked on the top of the box, tucked under the ribbon Pumyra found a small piece of paper folded, she opened it and read silently. "Dear Pumyra, I hope you like this last gift. Follow the map and you will see something you have never seen before.  This gift is just for you, so go alone.  Bengali."  Pumyra looked up, her imagination was beginning to kick into overdrive. The kittens could stand the suspense no longer. "What's it say, Pumyra?" asked WilyKat. "Nothing." Pumyra blurted out without thinking. WilyKit giggled. "It's a love letter!" Cheetara shushed Wilykit then looked at her friend with an upraised eyebrow and partial smile. Pumyra opened the box, fearful of what she might just find, to be surprised with a lantern, a spool of string, and a map. Pumyra smiled, showed the others briefly what was in the box, then scooted it under the table, shortly after Snarf brought in cake,and the party continued.
      As all good things must, the party died down and soon The Tower of Omens crew was readying for departure.  Pumyra decided that Bengali intended for her to see whatever it was that evening, so she let Lynx-O and Snarfer go on home leaving a pod, and she would fly home after her scavenger hunt.  Pumyra had to give Bengali credit, this was creative, and she couldn't wait to see what it was.  Cheetara lingered outside after the others had gone inside. "Well? Well what?" Cheetara sighed. "What did the note say?" Pumyra expounded, and a wide grin broke on Cheetara's face. "You know 'Tara you are a criminal! I know." Cheetara said with a wicked tone. "Shall I call Lynx-O and tell him you won't be coming back tonight? Cheetara!" Pumyra felt the crimson wash over her face, she was grateful that it was almost dark, so Cheetara couldn't see it. "It may not even be anything like.....that! But he likes you. As a friend." Pumyra finished. Cheetara shook her head no and grinned again. "Have a very, very happy birthday, Pumyra!"  Pumyra crossed her arms and smiled sideways at Cheetara as she walked on the lair bridge as it retracted.  Pumyra lit her lantern, she was surprised at how little light it delivered, unrolled the map and set out to find her gift.
      Thirty minutes had past, and Pumyra was past the Warrior Maiden village, according to her map she was nearing her destination. Pumyra heard a rustle in the trees, since it was dark, she took off her belt sling and loaded one of her pellets, just in case it was someone unfriendly.  Pumyra laughed and felt relieved when it was just a squirrel.  Pumyra continued on for another hour when she reached a cave, she checked, and double checked to make sure that she was in the right place, and she was. Pumyra held the lantern just inside the cave and she saw a folded piece of paper, she opened it, another note from Bengali.  "Dear Pumyra, you are extremely close to your gift. I have left a trail of white pebbles for you to follow.  Before you venture any farther though, tie the spool of string to the sapling outside, I would hate for you to get lost. There will be one more note before your reach your present, please read it and follow it exactly before you go any farther. Bengali."  Pumyra walked outside, and got the spool of string out of her pouch, and tied it to the tree, she tugged it hard, to make sure that it wouldn't come loose, then walked into the cave.  Pumyra by this time was in great anticipation, her mind was wandering all over imagining what it could be, some of those things made her blush, but they would be welcome just the same.   Pumyra never understood why Bengali never showed any romantic interest in her, she did agree with Cheetara somewhat, she felt Bengali did like her more than just a friend, she liked him that way too.  Pumyra thought for a moment. "Why won't he just say something?"  Pumyra thought again. "Why shouldn't I say something?"  Pumyra found another white pebble, unwound some more of her string, and kept moving.
      Back at the Tower of Omens, Bengali interrogated Snarfer as he ate cake.  "Snarfer did Pumyra open her gift? Yes, sir, snarfer, snarfer. Well," Said Bengali urgently, "What did she say? Well, nothing really snarfer, her face got reeeaalll red, yes sir, snarfer, snarfer, and just before we left she got the stuff out of the box outside and was talking to Cheetara." Bengali left the room, and began to think of the things that Pumyra could have thought the gift was, he had to get to Pumyra and explain. In a hurry.  Bengali went into the hangar, detached the other pod to the Thunderstrike and flew in the direction of the cave. "Rowwrr, Pumyra and Cheetara probably think i'm a pervert!"  Bengali punched the afterburners and hoped he could catch Pumyra outside the cave before she went in.
      Pumyra saw a large opening in the cave wall in front of her, and as promised she saw the note on the floor with a slight covering of dirt. Pumyra picked it up and read. "Dear Pumyra, well this is it! When you go inside, turn to the right, there is a floor halogen light be careful not to look at it when you switch it on, it'll blind you.  On the light there is a box, but don't open it until after you do this next thing.  When you turn on the light, close your eyes, and turn around, then open them. Happy Birthday, Pumyra!"  Pumyra walked into the opening, and turned to the right. Pumyra put the lantern onto the large floor light, and looked for the controls, she looked away as she turned the light on, as Bengali wrote the light was blinding, it flooded the entire area with an eerie brightness.  Pumyra rose, closed her eyes and turned around, the suspense was exhilarating.  Pumyra opened her eyes and she was breathless.
      Bengali landed at the cave and saw the string tied to the sapling outside. "ROWWRR! OH CRAP!" Bengali ran into the cave and began to make his way to the chamber he figured Pumyra was making her way to.
      Pumyra's mouth was wide open. Bengali was correct, she had never seen anything like the sight before her eyes in her life.  Pumyra looked around and took everything in, she was standing inside a gigantic geode.  The halogen light made the facets of the large quartz crystals glow with a powerful brightness, as she moved, her body made the light intermittent, so the crystals seemed to sparkle, and twinkle like stars. Pumyra walked closer to the cave wall, some of the crystals were solid white, some varying shades of purple, amber, and pink. Pumyra looked at some of the crystals more closely, Tygra had shown her some crystals like the ones she was looking at, the largest had black threads running through them, inclusions Tygra called them,  the mineral inside the crystal was called Rutile. The amber crystals were called Citrine, purple Amethyst, pink Rose Quartz.  Pumyra sat down in a spot she swept free of fallen crystals, she accidentally got a little cut, but it wasn't bad. Pumyra didn't care, she was smitten with beauty, and how lucky she was to have such a wonderful experience, thanks to Bengali.
      Bengali arrived inside the cave out of breath, Pumyra sitting, she turned, and Bengali saw tears running down her cheeks.  "Pumyra? Are you okay?" He paused.  "Don't you like it?" Pumyra surprised Bengali with a bound upwards and a tight embrace. "Oh, Bengali this is the best birthday present I have ever gotten in my entire life! Thank you!" Bengali was relieved that Pumyra was happy and pleased, and knew he had no ulterior motives.  Bengali walked over to the floor light, got the box, then carried it to Pumyra who had sat back down.  Bengali handed the box to Pumyra, and smiled. "Open it."  Pumyra complied and she found another note inside the box. "Dear Pumyra, I told you so.  Tygra and I found this place when we were out making improved maps of this area.  I thought you might like a little souvenir of this night. Your Friend, Bengali"  Pumyra looked inside and picked up a delicate silver chain. Bengali looked at Pumyra and said with a grin, "I made it all by myself."  At the end of the chain a slender, clear quartz crystal dangled, flashing brightly in the light. "Bengali, it's beautiful! Thank you." Bengali shifted nervously and found his courage. "It's not near as beautiful.....a- as you." Bengali kissed Pumyra's cheek. Pumyra slid closer to Bengali until their hips touched. Pumyra brushed her hand under Bengali's chin and drew his lips to hers, and they kissed as the bright light began to die down.