Thunder crashed loudly, lightning flashed brightly. The storm raged violently that night. Everyone, everywhere on Third Earth slept comfortably, curiously unaffected by the torrents -- everyone except three Thundercats.

Cheetara tossed and turned, her senses bothered her and the loud, booming storm outside only added to her insomnia. A violent pang of thunder made her bolt off her bed in a cold sweat -- "No!" she shouted without restraint, "no!" She rubbed her eyes -- it was not the storm that bothered her, she realized. In her mind she saw something, something familiar but vague and indistinct.

Knowing she was not about to get any rest, she got up and went down to the kitchen, hoping a glass of warm milk would help calm her. She poured and drunk a few sips. She turned her face to the side and saw Panthro and Tygra enter. The two men rubbed their eyes although the lights in the pantry were low and dim.

"Panthro? Tygra? What are you guys doing up?"

"I should be asking you that," Panthro said, closing in on the refrigerator. "I was on my way here when I saw Tygra heading to the kitchen." He opened the shiny, metal door -- the bright, inner light turned on and the others looked away, their eyes unadjusted from the darkness. He took out a heavy, covered plate of leftovers.

"Strange. I couldn't sleep either," Cheetara sipped her warm milk.

Panthro and Tygra sat at the small table, nibbling what remained of that past day's dinner.

The three remained quiet while they satisfied their hunger.

Tygra -- whose eyes were throbbing red for he had rubbed them too hard in his bedroom -- looked up at his friends and, placing the current scene together with memory, he said: "You know, the last time we were in the kitchen together, quiet like this, was back when Pumalo died."

"Great," she slammed the empty glass on the counter, "just great, Tygra! Bring that up -- and on the anniversary of his death no less," Cheetara scolded, visibly upset with the tiger.

"I, I didn't mean to upset you, Cheetara," he stood, reaching out toward her. "I was only trying to make conversation."

"Hmmm, I guess you should be upset, Cheetara. After all, you are the one who caused Pumalo's death," Panthro spoke while he ate noisily. The other two turned their faces to him -- he looked up at them, stunned by their shock.

"My fault? You and Tygra were the ones who came up with the test," she pointed at the men.

Tygra shook his head: "It wasn't my idea. It was Panthro's."

The panther chuckled in amusement. "Yeah and you didn't say 'Well, let's see him prove he's a true Thundercat'? Right, Tygra?"

The three continued to argue -- then Snarf entered the kitchen -- then they became quiet, they were very quiet.

"Snarf, snarf. What are you doing up? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important, Snarf, we were suffering a bad case of insomnia." Spun around and put the empty glass in the sink -- it had cracked slightly along the base. "I think the milk helped me," she said, her back to the others. She turned her face to them -- "Good night," she forced a cheerful smile and quickly left the room.

"Wow, well, hmmm, this midnight snack's making me sleepy." Panthro stood abruptly. "Night, Snarf. Tygra," he glared at the tiger and vanished into the shadows of Cat's Lair.

Tygra had not spoken a word since Snarf had entered. He sat silent over the table while the small creature took the plate of leftovers away. He stood and, again mutely, he went back to his room.

"Now why do I have the feeling I'm being lied to?" Under the soft lights he examined Cheetara's broken glass, streaked with milk. "Snarf, snarf."

Cheetara stood before the door of her bedroom about to go in when a pair of familiar hands grabbed her from behind. Lion-O had just completed his shift of the night watch and was going to bed, too, when he saw her in the hall. He pulled her close to him and kissed the nape of her neck. She turned around in his arms and he kissed her again gingerly on the lips but soon he realized her cold distance.

He let go of his hold and looked into her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was lost in thought."

"About what?" He hugged her lightly, his hot body beginning to thaw hers.

"Lion-O, do you remember a Thundercat named Pumalo?"

He stepped aback, puzzled. "Why? Why are you asking about him?"

"No reason," she turned her eyes down, "I was just wondering if you remembered him."

"Strange that you should ask -- I do remember him." He smiled, recalling the faint, misty details of the past. "He was a new Thundercat but Panthro said he was a wimp and Jaga told me he died in an accident."

While Lion-O spoke Cheetara's sixth sense hit her. The vision was blurry, cloudy yet she could still make out a grave on New Thundera. A grave she knew well -- a simple grave, unmarked, unadorned, forgotten. The ground opened, a dark shadow crawled up, out of the loose soil. Drained of her energy, she swooned.

Lion-O caught her. "Cheetara? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, just fine. A little tired maybe."

He helped her up and back on her feet she gave him a small, passionless kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you in the morning," she said, disappearing into the shadows of her bedroom. The door clicked shut behind her. Lion-O reached out softly but felt the coldness of the walls, the door, the biting sting of the knob. Confused, he continued on to his bed -- while Cheetara slept fitfully.

The next morning opened with a bright, sunny day -- so completely unlike that previous, horrible night. Panthro spent it tinkering with the Thunder Claw. Cheetara, worrying and thinking about the vision of the grave she had seen before, approaching him as he worked outside.

"Panthro?" she said, looking down. He looked up at her, wrench in hand. "I think I saw Pumalo," she confessed.

Panthro let the heavy tool fall onto the grass with a low thud. "What?" he said, stepping aside from the great vehicle's engine, not believing what she had said.

"I had a vision last night. I saw someone getting out of a grave on New Thundera -- I know it was him, I just know it."

"That's impossible, Cheetara. Pumalo's dead. He's been dead for seven years -- and even if it had been him, how did he survive the destruction and reformation of Thundera?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, I don't know." So highly attuned to her senses, she was not as logical as the others.

"Look, you should forget what you saw, what ever you saw. You probably thought you saw him because we were talking about him. It was a long time ago," he shook his crocked, mangled finger, "it was a long time ago and no one cares or remembers!"

"You, Tygra and I remember. I don't know about you, but I DO care," she did not realize how strong her tone had become. "It wasn't supposed to happen the way it did. He wasn't supposed to die." She put her hand before her lips that only then began to quiver, her eyes on the verge of tears. "I was thinking about our conversation last night -- I realized it wasn't one person's fault, it was all three of us. We are all to blame for his death. If he hadn't pulled that stupid test on him Pumalo would be alive now."

Yet Panthro's contempt remained unchanged. He spit on the ground, his eyes glaring.

"Enough! You'll destroy us all! It should be forgotten."

She sighed, giving in reluctantly. "Maybe you are right, Panthro -- it was a long, time, ago and it should be, forgotten."

She turned to leave but then her senses acted up again. She leaned up against the vehicle -- Panthro, silently, held her from the side. She saw New Thundera again, she saw a large hole where Pumalo's grave had been.

Panthro's hands were on Cheetara's shoulders, gently shaking her awake. She was about to utter a word, though weakly, when Tygra ran into the scene.

"Cheetara! Panthro! A ship just crashed a few miles from here near the forest. Lion-O's warming up the Thunder Tank."

"What sort of ship?" Panthro asked.

"We're not sure. It flew in so fast we couldn't get a good look at it."

A half hour later the Thunder Tank pulled up near the fallen ship -- the adults jumped out and looked around.

"The ship looks Thunderian," Lion-O observed. "Let's see if there're any survivors on board." Excitedly, he led the others toward the vehicle. Curiously, the main hatch was already open. No one noticed.

Inside the equipment was intact and in good, working order. Dials fluttered, lighted buttons flashed softly, a soft, hum echoed through the passages while a gentle breeze of freshened air vented. The vehicle was huge and the Thundercats split up -- Panthro and Tygra checked out the control rooms while Lion-O and Cheetara inspected the private quarters.

In one of the private rooms Lion-O found stacks of Thunderian books, clothes and a box of pictures. He thumbed through the faded images while Cheetara walked about aimlessly. He gasped and looked over toward her.

"Here's a picture of me when I was a child -- and here's one of you, Cheetara."

Her eyes widened, her face contorted with undeniable worry. She took the pictures from him and stared at them. She recognized them immediately, she knew where the pictures had come from. Pumalo himself had taken them a month before his death.

"Cheetara?"

She jolted back, startled a little. "Huh?"

"Are you all right? You're fixated on those pictures. Are you getting anything from them?"

"No, Lion-O, I'm trying to figure out where they came from."

"It's obvious they were taken on Thundera, but when and by who?" he asked aloud to no one in particular.

"We should split up, too. I'll keep looking for clues here and you can search the other rooms."

Lion-O nodded and approved. He left, leaving the box of pictures behind on the neatly-made bed.

Cheetara swung open the closet door. A dull, yellow light turned on from within. On a shelf a diary sat alone -- a singular object, it was the first and only thing that had caught her attention. She had almost expected to find it. She hid it under the pictures in her hand.

Panthro and Tygra poked around the control room -- they knew who's ship it was yet had many questions running in their minds.

"No, no, there's no doubt about it," Tygra said.

"It IS Pumalo's ship -- how could he have survived that explosion?"

Tygra shook his head. "We can't let Lion-O know about this -- we can't let him know what we did -- we --"

Cheetara entered with a worried expression. "You know, don't you?"

Tygra nodded.

"What are we going to do? What are we going to tell Lion-O?" she asked rhetorically.

"We're not."

"But, Panthro --"

"But nothing, Cheetara. We're the only ones who know what happened and it's going to stay that way." Panthro was serious and about to say more when he turned around and saw Lion-O at the door.

"What's going on in here?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing, nothing," Cheetara said, holding her arms and hands behind her. "We were --"

"Just thinking aloud," Tygra finished her sentence.

Lion-O looked at Panthro, suspicious that he was hiding something, holding something back but in the passing of a moment he ignored it. "Since we're all thinking, I figure we should tow the ship back to Cat's Lair and examine it there."

"There's no reason for that," Panthro said, standing, his body tense, his muscles tightening.

"Why not?" Lion-O responded taken aback but not cowering away from the panther's intimidating display.

"No one's here -- for all we know the people on board jumped ship and it landed on autopilot."

"Hmmm, I don't know about that, Panthro," Lion-O said, rubbing his chin. "The vessel is in perfect working order -- I don't see why it's occupants would evacuate. And considering how fast it approached Third Earth and the location it touched down -- it just doesn't seem likely to me that a computer's responsible for it. No, no," he said determined, "someone was here, someone who knows us -- the pictures Cheetara and I found attest to that."

Panthro's jaw almost hit the floor but he recomposed himself, he was not about to say or do anything to arouse Lion-O suspicion. Yet the Lord of the Thundercats noticed Tygra and Cheetara were quiet, too. Too quiet.

"You three aren't hiding something from me? Because if you are hiding something I demand to know right here, right now."

"Lion-O, you know we wouldn't hide anything from you," Cheetara told him.

"I guess you're right," he said, looking down, "I still want to tow the ship back to Cat's Lair. It's Thunderian and I don't want the Mutants or Lunataks picking it for spare parts." He took Cheetara's hand -- her free hand. "I need to talk to you, privately."

The two walked out of the ship and a good distance away, Cheetara turned to him.

"What is it?"

"It's Panthro," Lion-O said quickly. The two stopped before the Thunder Tank. "I think he IS hiding something -- he knows about that ship and who its pilot is but he's not saying."

"Are, are you sure? I mean, what gives you that idea?"

"You saw him inside the ship. You saw him trying to get us to forget about it. I don't want you to talk about this until I have more proof than just this feeling -- look at that, Cheetara." Lion-O pointed down to the soil -- to a set of footprints leading out off the fallen ship. "Someone was aboard the vessel and is now in the forests somewhere."

Panthro and Tygra appeared from the ship.

"I just found these footprints, they're coming from the ship. Come on, Tygra, let's go see where they lead. Cheetara, you and Panthro stay here." Lion-O ordered, the others nodded in compliance.

Cheetara waited until Lion-O and Tygra disappeared in the forests before she spoke again. She pulled out the diary she had hidden. "Look at what I found -- it's Pumalo's diary."

"Pumalo had a diary? What a wimp."

"He was not a wimp -- you always called him that because he wasn't as strong as you," Cheetara stammered annoyed.

"I still don't understand what you saw in him."

"He was kind and attractive -- and he knew how to treat a lady."

"He was young, naive and scrawny -- and I still can't believe he was made a Thundercat."

"He got to be a Thundercat because he knew sorcery -- he was telepathic and cunning. He was supposed to train Lion-O and the twins."

She opened the book and began to read from it:

"'Well, Journal, so ends another day of being a Thundercat. Lion-O is once again more agile and stronger. I predict he will become a great Lord of the Thundercats. The twins are coming along well in their studies and cunning techniques. My beloved Cheetara grows more beautiful by the day. I feel so happy being with someone who accepts me and loves for who I am. I wish Panthro and Tygra would let up on me. So what if I'm not the strongest or smartest Thundercat. I come out well in battles, but they don't consider me to be a Thundercat because I'm kind of skinny and Panthro feels I'm wimpy and I scare easily. I'm also young and I'm a new Thundercat, but why can't they accept me for who I am. Someday I'll prove my worth to them, they'll see. They'll see.'"

"Why did you two have to be so hard on him?" she asked angrily. "I can't believe that he's gone because of us -- it's as if it happened yesterday."

Seven years ago

"Oh, Pumalo, you shouldn't have," Cheetara said, after receiving a dozen roses from him -- she sat before the main control panel in Cat's Lair on Thundera, smelling the sweet scented flowers.

Pumalo was standing in front of her. He was a tall and slim Thundercat, especially for a puma. He had light brown eyes that went well with his short, sandy brown hair. He had young, handsome features that the blonde cheetah found irritably attractive. She stood up and gave him a hug and kiss.

Panthro and Tygra entered. Cheetara and Pumalo were too into themselves to notice them.

Tygra folded his arms. "Look at them. It's sickening seeing them like that."

Panthro nodded in agreement. "What does Cheetara see in that loser anyway? She'd be much better off with me."

"Or me," Tygra added with a smile, Panthro blew him off with a quick jerk of the hand.

Pumalo noticed Tygra and Panthro standing under the door. He did not like the looks he was getting from them. "I think I should go," he said at last, lowly, "I have to give the twins their next lesson. I will see you later." He gave her a kiss and walked toward the door where Panthro and Tygra were waiting. "Tygra, Panthro," he said.

The two Thundercats were still, unmoving -- they stared at him.

"Could you please move? I'd like to get by," Pumalo requested.

"Make us," Panthro said.

Cheetara saw what was going on and she did not like it one bit. She hated it when they taunted him. "Panthro. Tygra. What are you doing?"

Panthro and Tygra stepped aside.

"Thank you," he said and left but not before hearing some words from Panthro and Tygra.

"Bye, wimp," Panthro said.

"Dork," Tygra added.

Cheetara growled lowly and return to her work, fuming angrily at her fellow Thundercats. "As old as you two are, I still can't believe that you're acting like cubs," she muttered.

"Aw, come on, Cheetara, it's harmless fun," Panthro said.

"I fail to see the harmless part," she said, monitoring Thundera.

"How about you let us see if Pumalo is as brave and as tough as he claims to be?" Tygra asked.

"And how will I be able to do that?" Cheetara turning her chair around to them.

"Let us test him," Panthro said.

"No!" Cheetara said sternly and returned to her work.

"It's not going to hurt him. Tygra and I are going to put him in an abandoned building with all types of defenses in there so we'll see how well he fights."

"We'll also see how strong and agile he is," Tygra added.

Cheetara thought carefully for a minute. "Maybe this is what Pumalo needs to prove to you that he's not a wimp. All right I'll convince him, but you must promise me that these tests will be safe."

"Don't worry, Cheetara, it will. In fact, I'll build it myself. As you know, nothing I fix would dare break down," Panthro assured her.

A week later, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara and Pumalo stood in front of an abandoned building miles away from Cat's Lair, in a wasted and desolate part of Thundera.

"Are you guys sure about this?" Pumalo asked nervously.

"Of course we are," Tygra said, laying a hand on the puma's shoulder.

"You're not going to chicken out on us, are you, wimp?" Panthro asked. He saw Pumalo growl at him and continued. "You said you're brave and can prove it anytime you want, so prove it," Panthro challenged him.

"I can and I will, but this doesn't seem right," he said, reluctant to go in.

Cheetara turned to Pumalo. "I know you can do it, I have complete faith in you. You just got to prove it to these jerks that you're as brave as I know you are."

She kissed him.

His confidence boosted, he turned to the men and said: All right. I'll do it."

Pumalo stepped into the building. He was only in there for a few minutes before the abandoned warehouse exploded.

Cheetara's eyes widened in horror. "PUMALO!" She tried to run in after him but Panthro grabbed her and held her back.

"NO! You can't go in there!"

"Pumalo's in there. We have to save him," she cried.

"No one could have survived that. Going in there would be suicide," Tygra said, very surprised by the explosion.

Cheetara tried to go in anyway, but Tygra and Panthro tackled her once again -- all three groveled before the flames, watching the fire eat away at the building.

"No investigation was done since Thundera was on the verge of being destroyed and we had to escape," Cheetara said -- fear and worry overcame her. "Oh, no, Panthro. What if Pumalo's alive and planning to seek revenge on us for his death?"

"DROP IT CHEETARA!" Panthro roared angrily at the cheetah.

Cheetara, startled by his reaction, jumped back.

He tried to reach out to her but she remained distant. "I -- I'm sorry for yelling, I didn't mean it. But you should drop this. Pumalo is dead. This is all probably some prank Mumm-Ra is pulling on us."

"And how would Mumm-Ra know about this?"

"The mummy has a way of finding things out. He found out about the Treasure of Thundera, so he could have easily found out about this."

Cheetara looked behind her and saw Lion-O and Tygra returning. "Did you find anything?" she asked.

"No." Lion-O answered at her side. "The footprints we found only went half a mile. We looked everywhere to find another trail but there wasn't."

He saw the distress in her face. "Are you all right? Are you getting any visions?"

Cheetara shook her head. "No. I'm just tired and confused."

Behind, in the underbrush, a figure watched the Thundercats -- glossy eyes transfixed on Cheetara. He studied her features, realizing how he truly missed her. He noticed the figure standing next to her -- he could not believe it but indeed it was Lion-O. The wild, red mane gave him away -- he had certainly changed from that twelve-year-old boy he remembered. He smiled weakly, painfully -- the lion stood tall and strong with powerful legs, muscular chest and arms -- and youthful good looks.

He noticed how closely he hovered around Cheetara -- were they together? Impossible.

The figure saw two other people and scowled at them. Panthro and Tygra -- they had not changed, they looked exactly as they had the last time he had seen them. He was determined to make them pay for what they had done to him.

He stepped out of the bushes after the Thundercats towed his ship, the Thundertank driving off to the ever-looming site of Cat's Lair.

"We have to tell him," Cheetara said, coming into the room. Panthro and Tygra had their backs to her.

"What part of 'no' don't you understand, Cheetara?" one of the two men grumbled, she could not tell which had answered her. They remained before the window, looking down onto the ship that had been secured at Cat's Lair.

"He should know. Lion-O's already suspicious -- especially of you, Panthro."

The panther twitched his head to the side but for a moment, glaring at her from the corner of his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

The growl echoed through the chamber and it seemed to her that Panthro had said more, much more in whisper.

"Lion-O told me he's having doubts about you and how you want us to forget about the ship," she said in defiance. "Even I'm beginning to wonder about you, too." A heavy, silent pause followed -- Cheetara stepped in closer, Tygra strafed to the side. "Lion-O is not going to punish us harshly for a stupid test that went wrong years ago.

"I have to agree with Cheetara," Tygra stammered. He looked back at her. "Lion-O will not punish us for a mistake we made seven years ago." He sighed and with his eyes pointed to the ground he said at last: "We must own up to the fact that we killed an innocent man -- a fellow Thundercat."

Panthro grunted.

"I can't believe I was involved in such a thing." Tygra's guilt began to take shape.

"But we were, Tygra and now that Pumalo is alive --"

"HE'S NOT ALIVE!" Panthro shouted -- from far below Lion-O, startled, looked up at the window but saw darkness only.

"Now that he is alive," she continued, undaunted, "he's going to seek vengeance on us."

Tygra, who had already left Panthro's side, rocked slowly upon the chair, the very chair that was his place in the Thundercat council. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't mean for it to happen."

Cheetara knelt before the tiger, running her hands gently across his mane trying to calm him. "No, we didn't mean for it to happen to him."

He stopped moving and looked at her, his icy stare shattered her train of thought. "What if Jaga know? What if that's why he doesn't speak to us?" Again he rocked, his arms folded tightly over his lap, across his stomach.

"The explosion -- how could that have happened?" She stood and arched her head back to the window, to Panthro. "Didn't you two check it out, didn't you two make sure it was safe?"

"Panthro, Panthro did," Tygra muttered, fighting to get the words out while he sobbed softly.

"I thought both of you check it out."

"I told Tygra I could handle it on my own," Panthro spoke calmly, too calmly. "Jaga had Tygra looking at earthquake readings -- we were having many earthquakes then. Many earthquakes."

"Yes," she nodded, remembering. "Something went dreadfully wrong, maybe you miscalculated one of the setups --"

"Are you trying to say I killed Pumalo?"

"Panthro, Panthro, Panthro," Tygra said, knocking his forehead on the tabletop.

Cheetara turned for a moment to look at the sorry sight. "No, Panthro, I --"

"I didn't kill him!"

She turned around to face him -- the panther was only feet from her.

"I wasn't saying that, I --"

"What are you trying to say?" he scowled.

"I just wanted to know what happened --"

"Forget about it, Cheetara," the hotheaded panther swung his arms in the air in rage. "Leave it alone! Let it go! Pumalo's dead -- there's no way he could have possibly survived!" He banged his fists, his face horribly contorted, his wet, sharp teeth showed through curled lips. He stormed out of the room before he either said or did something he would regret.

Cheetara looked down at Tygra.

"I just wanted to know what happened."

The tiger did not understand her curiosity -- he shook his head. "No, no, no, no! He didn't die! We didn't kill him -- we tried -- no! I didn't kill him. I -- I didn't -- I," he babbled, forgetting she was in the room listening.

"Get a grip, Tygra," she fretted with his mane again, "you -- we didn't kill him. It was an accident."

"I was apart of it -- it was my fault. We did it, we did it. We started it. We--"

Cheetara's fingers stiffened, she stopped, curious. "Started what, Tygra?"

Tygra did not answer. He brought his knees to his chest, holding them tightly. "Denial, denial, denial."

"What do you mean?"

"He's going to come after us. I know he is, I know he is, I know he is --" he stared up at her through the somber melancholy of the ever darkening room. "He's going to get Panthro and me."

The sun was setting, dropping slowly below the tree line of unbroken, unspoiled forests -- long, uneven shadows were cast along the gray faces of distant mountains.

"He's going to get me, too, Tygra -- I'm as responsible as you are."

"No, he won't," Tygra said, abruptly returning to reality. "He loved you. He hated Panthro and me -- because we were --"

"Were what? What, Tygra? Jealous? You're not making any sense."

"He's going to get us! He's going to get us! He's going to get US!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He stood up quickly, knocking the chair across the floor. "I have to get out of here!"

He pushed past her toward the door and the hallway, the passages dimly light by the dying, blue-gray light of the ebbing sun.

She ran after him. "Tygra! Wait!"

"Cheetara."

She stopped and looked around the shapeless void, the shadows -- but there was no one in the hall, there was no one but yet --

"Pumalo," she spoke in answer.

"How could you betray me? Cheetara," he communicated telepathically.

"I didn't, Pumalo, I didn't, I swear. I didn't know the building was going to explode." She shook her head while the image replayed itself in her mind. "I only you wanted to prove yourself to the others," her voice broke through the chaos. "You must believe me."

Gradually, her senses returned from their heightened state. The world around her was silent -- she had heard no answer. She asked: "Where are you?"

"Here -- close to you."

"Where? I want to see you."

"No! No, you mustn't see me."

"What happened in that warehouse, seven years ago?"

"A trap, Cheetara, it was a trap. But my murder will be avenged."

"Pumalo!" she whispered aloud.

"Good-bye, Cheetara."

"Pumalo, wait -- wait," she called out but his familiar voice was gone. "Murder?" she wondered to himself. "Could Panthro and Tygra have caused the building to blow up? I must find out for sure."

Cheetara faced Tygra' room and was about to know when the internal lights turned on and Lion-O appeared.

"Cheetara," he said. "I need you to help me sort out the ship. The Thunder Kittens are waiting for us."

"Oh," she said. "The kittens."

"Yes. I can't find Panthro and Tygra," his voice trailed. "Cheetara?"

"Oh, Lion-O, could we do this later?"

"I suppose we could but I'd like to investigate this now while it's still fresh -- that way we could learn more about the pilot, his whereabouts. Why our pictures were in the ship --"

She knew that if she made up an excuse Lion-O would only continue to ask questions -- questions that would lead to Pumalo and his death seven years ago.

"I guess you're right -- let's just go."

The two left without a further word.

In his room, Tygra was pacing to and fro, trying to exorcise that horrible event from seven years ago from off his burdened conscience. In his frantic, deranged state of mind, he reasoned that the best thing he could do was to get away from Cat's Lair. To get away at least for a while.

"Yes, that's what I'll do -- I'll take on a mission far, far from the lair for a week or two. I'll go to New Thundera -- and search for the treasure, travel around, yeah, that's right, yeah. Lion-O'll believe that -- he'll believe anything. So much like Pumalo --"

"Tyyyygraaaa!" a thin voice entered his mind. "TYGRA!"

The tiger looked around but his room was empty. "Who's there? Who said that?"

"But don't you know who I am? After all, you helped kill me."

Tygra shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no! I didn't. I didn't think you would die."

"You wanted me out of the way -- you wanted Cheetara all for yourself. You call yourself intelligent -- superior! Oh, master illusionist! We'll see how you like a taste of your own medicine."

The chamber darkened suddenly -- Tygra flipped a switch but the lights did not respond.

The stillness of the air broke from a familiar voice.

"Did the fruit bite you, Tygra?"

He gasped -- it was voice he had hoped he would never hear again.

"Silky! No! You were Mumm-Ra."

"Do you have any more fruit, Silky?"

"I was tricked by Mumm-Ra. I was tricked by him just like Cheetara was tricked by him, by Pumm-Ra." Tygra shouted, his hands covering his face, his eyes. "She was reminded of you by him, we were all reminded of you."

"You don't understand. I cannot live without the Keystone, Lion-O."

"Please, Alluro. You must give it back. I NEED it."

Tygra heard himself beg. Around the room his own voice echoed his careless mistakes of the past.

"I was tricked! I was tricked!"

"You claim you are the most intelligent Thundercat -- but how easily you are tricked time and time again. Your mind is weak and the others see how worthless you are to them -- they know!"

Lion-O's face formed itself from the murky shadows. It spoke: "Tygra's the weakest Thundercat -- he just doesn't fit in."

Cheetara followed: "He's always getting addicted to thinks: Silky's fruit, Keystones --"

Panthro, sternly: "Tygra has severe psychological problems -- I think he's repressing his true sexuality."

WilyKit: "He's in lab all the time 'cause he knows no one cares for him."

WilyKat: "He needs serious help -- he's quitter and a wimp and I don't like the way he keeps looking at me."

The voices continued to talk, getting louder and more chaotic, adding insults upon insults -- the bitter harshness that came from his own mind.

"Lying, you're lying, lying! They would never say that to me, they are my friends."

"Oh? Oh, really? I'd say they're right -- they're right about you. You were shy as a child. Why? No one played with you, no one liked you. Even back then, even when you were small, they could see it, they knew what you were."

"I had friends --"

"Friends? No girlfriends. Cheetara's the closest you've ever gotten to a woman, but did she become yours? No. She chose someone else. You will always be alone, Tygra. Always. Always. Always."

Cheetara: "You're worthless, Tygra."

Liono: "You don't deserve to be a Thundercat anymore."

Panthro: "You almost cost us our lives with that Silky fruit incident and you almost killed Lion-O after you got addicted to the Keystone."

The voices continued -- he shook his head, trying to get them out but it was no use. He was up against a force, a mind more powerful than him, a mind brooding and planning for seven years, a mind grown cruel and twisted in its thirst for revenge.

"Stop, please stop," he begged on his knees on the floor.

"Stop? Stop! But I'm just getting warmed up!" Pumalo said from the darkened corner -- he appeared then, basked in the moonlight.

Tygra jolted back -- the eerie light gave him a glimpse of what the puma looked like -- the trembling tiger screamed, his eyes widened in horror.

After two hours of searching through the ship, Cheetara was able to get away from Lion-O and see Tygra. She assumed he would be in his room. She knocked on the door softly.

"Tygra?" Cheetara asked softly. She knocked again. "Tygra, are you in there?" No answer. "I have to talk to you."

When again there was no answer she turned the knob and opened the door. Inside she heard him crying -- she followed the voice and found him cowering in a corner. He was in a fetal position, sobbing and babbling incoherently.

"Tygra?"

"I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it. I --"

"Did Pumalo do this?" she asked, hovering over his crouched, shivering body.

"He's going to make us pay -- he's going after Panthro next. He's going after the murderer. He's going to --" he screamed, his body quivered violently. "I didn't mean it -- no, no, no, no, no! I'm a Thundercat, I'm a tiger. I'm not weak."

The babbling continued incoherently.

Cheetara backed toward the door.

"Lion-O! Lion-O!" she yelled while she ran through the hall.

An hour after dinner Pumyra had just finished examining Tygra. She stepped out of the sickbay, wrapping her stethoscope around her wrist. Lion-O, Cheetara and Panthro waited outside for her diagnosis.

"I'm not a professional healer, but from what I do know, Tygra can never recover. His mind is completely lost -- a great burst of energy scorched his neurons, completely short-circuiting his brain."

"Is there nothing, Pumyra? Is there nothing we can do?" Panthro asked -- Cheetara sensed a certain relief in the panther tone but the others were either unaware of it or ignored it.

"The brain cannot repair itself."

"What could have done this? A weapon?" Lion-O asked.

"Whoever or whatever did this," she began, "must have intended to frighten Tygra to death. The fear receptors in his brain actually caramelized and the level of adrenaline in his system is almost lethal. His adrenal glands have malfunctioned and are now continuously producing adrenaline. I'm afraid the only way to fix that is through surgery but that'll have to wait until morning."

"Can we see him?" he asked.

"He won't recognize you -- he's mad. I've had to put him in a straight jacket."

"But who could have done this?" Lion-O asked aloud, his eyes pointing up to the bright, tiled ceiling. Cheetara and Panthro were quiet again. "I wonder if it has anything to do with that spaceship -- perhaps it was wasn't a good idea to bring it so close to Cat's Lair."

Cheetara remained silent -- she knew it was Pumalo, she knew she had to tell Lion-O everything.

"Whatever it was, we must be on our guard," Panthro barked, turned and left.

She knew he was the only problem, the only obstacle in her way.

"By Jaga, he's hiding something! I know he is, Cheetara."

Pumyra put her instruments back in her bag after she had sterilized them -- and disappeared back into the sickbay without notice.

"Let me talk to him, Lion-O," she said, following the panther.

Cheetara entered Panthro's room without knocking.

"We have to talk about this and I won't take no for an answer," she said sternly.

He smiled, his back to her: "Yes, yes, you're right, Cheetara."

From the reflection of the glass of the window that he faced she could see his horrible face, his intense glare.

"I am?" the shock affected her for a moment. "Pumalo is coming after us -- and after what Tygra was saying, he's coming for you next."

"He won't get to me," he said determined.

"How do you know that? He got to Tygra -- he was in the lair and not even Lion-O's sword alerted his presence. We're not safe, Panthro, we're not safe anywhere. We have to tell Lion-O --"

"NO! We're not telling Lion-O! He doesn't need to know."

"You're wrong -- I'm going to tell him."

She began to walk out of the room.

Panthro lunged at her and grabbed her forcefully. He pulled her toward him, his eyes red and glaring.

"We're not going to tell him -- do you hear me?"

He growled and squeezed her arms tighter -- his sharp claws began to poke into her flesh.

"Let go, Panthro! You're hurting me!"

"You're not going to tell him --"

"Fine, I won't," she said, softly.

Panthro released his grip and she left the room -- Lion-O waited for her outside in the hall.

"Did you talk to him?" he asked. "What's the matter? You look --"

Cheetara pressed his lips shut gently. She stepped closer to him and whispered. "I need to talk to you alone."

He nodded and led her to his room seeing the fear in her watery eyes.

Cheetara and Lion-O sat together on the bed. She explained to him everything about Pumalo and her. She explained Panthro and Tygra's connection. His death and the visions she had had, even the telepathic conversation between them earlier.

"Pumalo's revenge? Why didn't you tell me this before, Cheetara?"

"I wanted to but Panthro didn't want that -- not after what happened to Tygra tonight. He still doesn't want you to know --"

She had not told him everything that had gone on between the panther and her.

"I still don't understand why. Why doesn't he want me to know?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I told him you wouldn't punish us for that stupid test."

Lion-O paused a moment, rubbing his chin. He put an arm around Cheetara and drew her close to his breast. "I won't. It was an accident, that's all," he whispered into her ear, running his fingers through her spotted mane. "That's all and I'll do everything to protect you, Cheetara." He kissed the top of her head.

"And Panthro?"

Again Lion-O paused.

"He is a fellow Thundercat. I will have to protect him, too."

He squeezed her a little tighter.

"Stay with me tonight -- your room might not be safe."

Cheetara nodded.

He stood and angled her head up to his face. "I have to go on night watch. I don't think Pumalo will attack tonight -- at least I hope he won't. I'll be back when my shift is done."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, kissing the exposed parts of his stomach.

He left, making sure she was safely wrapped in the blankets of his bed, looking back at her quickly one last time.

In her dreams she could see Tygra shaking on the floor, saying the things he had told her earlier that she still could not understand. She dreamt about Pumalo and what he had said to her in her mind. The images recurred over and over again until she awoke in a cold sweat. A side glance to the clock -- only a half hour had passed. She sat up on the bed, her head in her hands, sweating and breathing heavily.

Again Tygra and Pumalo's voices broke through the silent stillness, their words were from memory but grossly distorted by time and horror.

"I was a part of it -- it was my fault -- fault -- fault -- we did it, we started it. We did it, we started it. We did it, we started it.

"No! He won't. No. He loved you. You loved him. He hated Panthro and I because we were --"

"A trap, Cheetara! It was a trap but my murder will be avenged."

"Pumalo said he was murdered. Is he talking about Panthro? Is that why he didn't want me to tell Lion-O what happened?"

She got off of Lion-O's bed and walked a few feet forward -- she spun around quickly, activating her psychic powers. In her deep trance she saw back into the past, seven years ago. She saw Panthro planting bombs in the warehouse where Pumalo was going to test his skills in.

Time passed quickly -- Pumalo entered. The doors locked behind him. He jumped, startled, but continued. With his acute hearing he sensed a mechanical ticking. He searched for the source, finding it in a remote corner -- it was what he had thought it would be, it was what he most feared -- to his horror it was bomb and it had less than forty-five seconds.

The puma bolted to the doors and tried to open them -- he pried them just a little bit and was almost through.

The blast of the explosion snapped her back to reality.

Weakened, she tried to crawl to the bed but instead collapsed on the floor. She remained unconscious for almost an hour and when she awoke the only thing in her mind was Panthro. She scribbled a note to Lion-O and headed for Panthro's room.

"What?" Panthro asked, angry when he saw Cheetara.

"It's about Pumalo. He was murdered and I know it. I need to talk to you about it, but not here."

Panthro's attention perked up -- he nodded and left the room with her.

The two were quiet while they traveled through the forest, through a thin, bumpy trail until they got to the clearing where the ship had landed. Panthro turned off the Thunder Tank. Cheetara was the first out of the vehicle.

"So, Pumalo was murdered, you say," Panthro said, his tone revealed more, much more than he had wanted to unfold. "So who did it?"

"But don't you know, Panthro?" she said, stepping back into the foliage, regretting having gone to such a remote location. "You did it."

He laughed hard but without mirth. "What? Is that the best you can do? I didn't kill him."

"Yes, yes. You did it, you did it Panthro. I couldn't figure it out at first -- but, you wanted us to forget about Pumalo. Even Lion-O, who worships the very ground you walk on, even he's suspicious -- he knows that you're hiding something. I talked to Pumalo --"

The panther's eyes widened. "You talked to him? You're crazy. He's dead. Dead! Dead men tell no tales."

"He contacted my mind and we talked and he told me he would avenge his murder."

A pause came over the two -- a strong breeze flapped the trees around them, night owls hooted and scavengers roamed about the underbrush.

"The pieces came together and I put myself in a trance. I know what you did on Thundera. I saw you planting bombs in the building, hiding them in a corner like a coward. Pumalo entered and the doors shut behind him -- dead bolted by you so he wouldn't escape. Yes, yes, you killed him. You killed him -- but what I don't understand is why? Why? Why did you do it?"

Panthro sat on the hood of the vehicle, his arms folded over his chest.

"So, you figured it out, didn't you? I killed him." He stood, arching his body toward her. "He was a wimp, Cheetara, he was a disgrace that didn't deserve to be a Thundercat -- any more than he deserved you. You should have been with me -- no, not even Tygra, he was too busy struggling with himself in the closet -- yet either of us would have been better than Pumalo."

"But I'm with Lion-O now, why don't you torment him?"

"Like I said, it's been seven years -- things change. And besides, he's the Lord of the Thundercats."

"Tygra? How much did he know?"

Panthro stood, letting his arms drop and dangle by his sides.

"He didn't know what I was planning -- but he suspected. He was smart enough not to ask questions or get nosy. But you weren't, you weren't," he shook his finger at her. "No, you had to find out, you needed to know what happened. Now, what now?"

Cheetara did not like the look Panthro gave her but she was not determined to show fear.

"I'm going to tell Lion-O -- you may have murdered Pumalo but he'll protect you, that's how much he's loyal to you. Loyalty, you know what that is, don't you? Truth. Honor." She gripped her staff. "But your crime will not go unpunished --"

Panthro scoffed: "but you, you haven't learned anything -- nothing -- Cheetara. I told you Lion-O doesn't need to know --"

"Oh?"

"You're not, even if that means," he stopped and for a moment let his eyes speak volumes, "even if I have to kill you, too."

Cheetara held her ground: "You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?"

"You couldn't get away with it --"

"I'd just say that your, boyfriend Pumalo attacked us, hahahaha, hahahaha, hahahahahaha! We came out here to investigate and he, surprised us. Oh, oh, how sad, how do you suppose he'll take your death? Of course, it doesn't have to happen, you know, you don't have to talk --"

"You don't scare me, Panthro -- I'll fight you to my last, dying breath if I have too."

"We'll see about that," he said, charging at her.

"Lion-O will know about this and what you've done." She sprinted into the forest, knowing she could not beat Panthro alone. She needed time to think of a plan.

Lion-O knocked on Panthro's door. In his hand was the note Cheetara had left him, telling him she went to see Panthro. After waiting for a minute for Panthro to answer Lion-O bolted in to find no one in the room. Though it hurt him at the deepest level, lately he had been having doubts about Panthro. He was worried and wondered if perhaps he should not be left alone with Cheetara.

The Sword of Omens growled -- the young lord pulled free the mighty blade.

"Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight," he commanded. Through the sword's hilt he saw Cheetara running in the woods. He was not able to see the person chasing her -- the figure remained dark and obscure. "That must be Pumalo, but where is Panthro? Has Pumalo gotten to him?" He stopped asking questions ran to the hangar, leaving in the Thunderclaw.

Cheetara kept running from Panthro, deeper and deeper into the forests. Her plans were scattered, fragmented. She stopped and hid behind a large tree. She caught her breath, hearing Panthro catching up.

"You can run, but you can't hide -- I'll catch you, I'll catch you."

She began to scale the bark and lurched her body over a thick limb that hung parallel to the ground. Perched, she waited for the right time to fall and pounce on the panther. She saw him, she spread her arms out fell on his head.

Panthro was knocked off his senses for a moment -- she attacked him with her claws. He rolled over and got on top of her, pinning her down with his massive forearms. He groaned while he pressed his pelvis down onto hers. He straddled her and she kicked him. She dashed out from under him and darted back into the forest.

Panthro, back on his feet, lost her while she ran from him at super speed. He pulled out his nunchucks and shot a laser out of the red end at her. The first few blasts missed Cheetara but the third one caught her in the ankle. She fell down immediately -- holding her injured foot in her hands.

She knew she could not run fast anymore without doing more damage to it but she had no choice. She had to get away from Panthro. Hurting, searing with excruciating pain, Cheetara arose and sped along the beaten trail too deep in the forest to know where she was going -- with any luck, she told herself, she would find a treetop village to seek refuge in.

He was gaining on her -- his shouts and threats grew louder and louder.

Startled, she came upon the Thunder Tank, he had hid behind it and tackled her to the ground in complete surprise.

Panthro turned her face up. "Are you going to tell Lion-O now?"

"Yes. Once I get away from you."

"I'm afraid that won't happen."

She noticed then that he was naked -- his clothes lay across the hood of the vehicle, his insignia glowing yellow, sparkling in the dim, eerie light of the moon.

"I'm sorry to have to do this but you've left me no choice."

He choked her.

Cheetara tried to break free from his death grip but he was too strong and she was too exhausted from her run. He had her pinned to the ground -- he was smothering her with his body. She felt the heat of his perverted lust sinking deeper and deeper into her body. Her hands were on his arms, tearing and scratching at his flesh but he did not relent. She prayed for someone, anyone to come to her aid. She prayed that Sword of Omens would warn Lion-O and that he would interfere.

Her arms were getting limp, her eyes were failing her -- the world was turning black.

"AHHH!" Panthro shouted in pain -- his grip on Cheetara weakened, he was lifted up from atop of her by an unseen force and thrown on the ground next to her.

She got up quickly, her uniform torn and disheveled, she shivered in the cold air.

Panthro was motionless, a sharp weapon stuck out of his back, blood had covered his whole body -- even Cheetara had been sprayed.

A figure walked past the Thunder Tank.

"Wait," Cheetara called out. She limped forward to the figure, stopping by the back of the vehicle. "Pumalo? Is that you?"

The figure's back was to her but even in the dark she could recognize the clothing, the uniform, as ragged and as destroyed as her own. He stopped and stood still, silent -- she caught him from behind and slowly turned him to face her.

"Pumalo," she said, tears streaming from the corner of her eyes.

"Pumalo?"

"It is me, Cheetara," he spoke to her mind. His face remained in the blackness of the shadows of night.

"You saved my life," she said, reaching her hand out. Her fingers barely touched his flesh.

He reached out with mangled hands and pressed her warm hand against his face.

"I knew you had nothing to do with my murder."

"How did you survive? How did you get here?"

"Before the blast I put a spell on myself. I had a feeling I was being drawn in to a trap and if anything would happen to me, the spell would revive my spirit when the time was right and proper for vengeance."

"Vengeance? But Tygra wasn't a part of your death."

"He contributed to it, he knew Panthro was planning something for me and he let me go in there -- to my doom. He killed me by doing nothing."

She paused for a moment stepping closer but he drew back.

"Can I see you? Please -- can I see you?"

"No! You mustn't see me. I am not the Pumalo you remember!"

It seemed that the voice then came from his lips -- he began to stumble away.

"Don't leave," she grabbed his burnt shoulder, "let me see you at least one last time."

The softness in her voice weakened him -- he stopped and again he turned around. She gasped in horror but she did not flee. He was not the same, not what she remembered. The puma's head was burned raw, the scars and deformed flesh had formed horrid and telltale pattern on skin still red and raw seven years after the explosion that had almost killed him. Gone was this mane of soft, sandy hair, gone was gleam in his eyes, their brightness replaced by a flickering hate, sparkling yellow like Panthro's fading, dying insignia -- the protruded from his skull, connected by thin membranes of throbbing flesh. His nose was charred hole in the middle of his face, his lips curled, his teeth blackened. Most of the flesh of his left cheek had been torn off by the blast -- she could see into his mouth, she could see his flickering wet tongue, the bone of his jaw, saliva tricked out from the wound.

"Oh, Pumalo!" She touched his chin. "They did this to you," she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, Cheetara."

"Come be a Thundercat again?" she said, lost in naiveté.

He shook his head. "I have killed -- I have become my enemy, Cheetara, I cannot be a Thundercat again." He looked down into her eyes and spoke to her: "Do you think, in time, that you can come to love this disfigured monster?"

Cheetara knew she could not do that -- it had taken her a long time to move on after his death. She had loved Pumalo truly and completely and only after years of mourning was she able to love again -- to love Lion-O. Her face was contorted in sadness. "I can't, Pumalo, I have someone else now --"

At that very moment Lion-O landed the Thunder Claw only few feet from Panthro's body. He got out and found the corpse -- he knew Pumalo was responsible and, looking out, forward, he saw two figures by the Thunder Tank, one that recognized immediately, one that hunched over and deformed. He pulled out the sword yet again and hurried to the two -- hoping to save Cheetara in time.

"I understand," Pumalo said, his words echoed his deep hurt. He moved closer to Cheetara and lifted a finger to her face -- "but I'll always --"

Lion-O caught the hint of blood on Cheetara's uniform and, thinking it was hers, he charged. "HO!"

"Lion-O!" she shouted.

A blast of blue lightning burst from the tip of the lion's weapon and arced toward the two before the hood of the Thunder Tank. Pumalo pushed Cheetara out of the way -- she fell to the ground while he took the full force of the blast, screaming in pain.

Cheetara looked up: "No! Lion-O, NO!"

It was too late -- Lion-O had rammed the sword into Pumalo's chest.

The weakened puma stumbled backward. He tried to get back on his feet but his energy had been drained. Lion-O pulled the sword out and Pumalo winced onto his side, his blood spilling out onto the ground. He took one last look at Cheetara and closed his eyes forever.

Lion-O ran to Cheetara and helped her up. "Are you all right? Where did he hit you?"

"He didn't, Lion-O. It's Panthro's blood on me, Panthro was going to kill me and Pumalo saved my life."

The young lord was confused. "Saved your life? What do you mean?"

"It was Panthro who killed Pumalo on Thundera. I found it out using my psychic powers -- that's why he didn't want me to talk to you, that's the secret he'd been hiding all along. When I confronted him he tried to rape and kill me."

He reached out and hugged her tightly.

"Pumalo came over and saved me --"

"I didn't know," he said, sobbing, "I didn't --"

Cheetara pressed her fingers on his lips: "I know, Lion-O. I know."