From his dreamless sleep, Tygra’s mind was roughly prodded awake. The collar around his neck stimulated his nervous system, and the tiger gradually drifted from his coma-like haze back into reality. He began to feel old injuries, and then he felt the new injuries on top of them. Long whip slashes, deep knife wounds, bruises from heavy beatings, and an overall weakness from lack of food and decent rest filled Tygra’s mind. A savage kick in the side from a nearby guard reminded Tygra just how tender his ribs were and he groaned pitifully. He’d given up trying to suppress cries of anguish. A week had passed since their first training experience at Greeb’s hands, and during that time, Tygra had come to appreciate the meaning and the extent of pain. Sometimes he and Pumyra had been left alone and kept awake, but they had no chance to rest during these short break periods. Somehow, the collars prevented them from seeking sleep on their own. The only time they could take refuge in unconsciousness was when the collars were connected to the main computer through the wall outlets. That activated a mechanism in the collar and they were manually shoved into a dreamless sleep. It was also during this time that new "forbidden" words were programmed into the restraining collars. The words "Tygra," "Pumyra," "Third Earth," "Thundera," and "Thundercat" were now all taboo. If the collars worn by the two Thundercats picked up those words, they were punished with sharp pain. The names "Tygra" and "Pumyra" were especially painful for their respective owners.

"Get up, slaves."

At least that isn’t Greeb talking, Tygra thought to himself. He’d seen enough of that surly human to last a lifetime. Opening his eyes, he looked down at himself and stared. His Thundercat uniform was missing and had been replaced by a shapeless brown tunic, brown trousers, and black boots.

There was a soft gasp beside the tiger. "My uniform…"

Tygra looked at Pumyra who was now clad in the same brown garb. "Mine, too," he whispered.

"To beat us and whip us is one thing," the puma muttered. "But do they have to remind us that we’re completely at their mercy when we’re sleeping, and they can do anything they want?"

"Why not?" Tygra asked wearily. "It makes as much sense as anything else they’ve done." He grunted as he attempted to push himself into a sitting position, but it was useless and the tiger eventually quit trying. His arms shook at the thought of physical exertion and the wounds on his back screamed with every movement. He sighed heavily and turned to Pumyra. "Can you get up?"

"Haven’t tried yet," she murmured. Her eyes were closed again and her mouth was drawn into a firm line. "We’re not moving anymore."

Tygra managed to get himself up on an elbow. "What?"

"We’re not moving. We’re not even in space. While we were sleeping, this ship must have landed."

Tygra closed his eyes and searched for signs of movement, but he’d never had much sensation of motion to begin with. Pumyra was more sensitive to that type of thing, and he trusted her judgement. "So what now?"

Pumyra opened her eyes and looked around the blinding whiteness of the room. Since being brought in and collared, the two Thundercats hadn’t left the room with the bloody floor. It gave Tygra shivers to think that some of that blood was now their own. He wondered how many other prisoners had been "trained" in this room and how many more would see it after he was gone. "What are the guards doing?" Pumyra asked.

Tygra finally drew his observations into a focus and glanced around. The guards that should have been getting the felines up and moving were standing at ease in the doorway. "I don’t know," he said. "Probably devising a new punishment for us."

"As if they need more," the puma whispered bitterly. "What do they want from us?"

It was a question both Thundercats had asked over and over. They were actually getting a good idea of what the Kentroans wanted, but they still didn’t understand why.

A sound of heavy footsteps drew the attention of the two prisoners and they turned their eyes on the door. They knew those footsteps and dreaded their approach, but they were powerless to act. Tygra tried again to get up, but he collapsed back to the deck. It was no use. He had no strength left. Pumyra didn’t even attempt to rise, knowing it would be in vain.

Greeb entered the room and surveyed his captives with a disdainful sneer. "I expect you to rise when we wake you," he growled. "I should punish you for this, but General Jordash has requested you be given a break from training."

"Thank Jaga," Pumyra breathed. She closed her eyes in relief, but Greeb wasn’t done yet.

"That does not mean you are allowed to lounge about like the lazy dogs you are," he continued. "We have landed on Kentro, and we are on the general’s slave estate. You will be expected to learn the general rules, your various duties, and the layout of the compound. Two slaves will be here shortly to teach you. If you’re capable of learning that is. Tomorrow, we will see how much you’re really worth." And with that, Greeb stalked out of the room. The guards in the doorway snapped to attention as he passed them, but relaxed quickly when he was out of sight again.

"That answers where we are," Tygra groaned. "So do we just wait?"

"I guess so. The guards don’t look like they expect us to move on our own."

"And I couldn’t anyway." Tygra gingerly felt his sides, searching for cracked ribs. "That would explain why Greeb was so harsh during the last beating."

Pumyra shuddered. Her back was still a raw mass of torn flesh after the last time and she could feel the fabric of her tunic beginning to stick to the open wound. She didn’t want to even think about the consequences of moving.

New footsteps, hesitant and almost timid, were now heard in the hall. The guards stopped their soft talking and could be heard leaving the room. The two slaves Greeb had mentioned had probably arrived, but Tygra didn’t care. He was trying to lose himself in self-induced illusions. Two days before, he’d managed to do it but there had been disastrous results. Somehow, Greeb knew what was going on and Tygra had been severely punished. But with Greeb gone…

Sudden gasps and exclamations broke into Tygra’s trance and he frowned in irritation. Now what? When he heard Pumyra utter a short oath, he opened his eyes and looked toward the doorway.

And froze.

The tiger brought himself back up on his elbow with a grimace of pain and stared at the slave in the doorway who stared back with a stunned look on his face. "Alluro!?"

The name sent pain cascading into the tiger’s ribcage, the Lunatac in the doorway collapsed with a howl, Pumyra groaned and clutched her chest, and a familiar green form behind Alluro steadied himself on the wall while hissing in agony. When the pain finally subsided, Alluro glared at the tiger with eyes that spoke volumes. "I believe that was a little uncalled for, TYGRA."

Tygra’s head hit the floor with a sharp crack that frightened Pumyra, but he was unaware of it as fire wracked its way through his body. No matter how often it happened, and it had happened more than a few times, he could never get used to it.

"That’s enough, yesss!" Stepping over Alluro who was still recovering on the floor, a bulky reptilian, clad in the same nondescript brown material that clothed Alluro, Pumyra, and Tygra, glared at both the Lunatac and the tiger. "This is getting us nowhere. And don’t even think of saying my name," he added to Pumyra who was staring at Slithe in shock.

By this time, Tygra had managed to get a handle on his pain and now turned his eyes toward Slithe. "What are you doing here?" he managed to gasp.

"We could ask you the same thing, but there will be time for that later," Slithe answered curtly. "I’ll take him," he said to Alluro who was climbing reluctantly to his feet. "You take her, yesss. She’s lighter and you were whipped this morning."

Alluro responded with a glum nod and moved to Pumyra. "Come on," he said roughly. Ignoring her short gasps of pain, the Lunatac pulled her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist as she started to fall back down. "I guess you put up some resistance. You look like I did when I got here."

In the meantime, Slithe had done the same for Tygra. It surprised the tiger, for while Slithe was in no ways gentle, he wasn’t unnecessarily rough or brutal. "What are you doing?" Tygra hissed, trying vainly to ignore the screaming pain in his back.

"Getting you off this ship, for one thing," Slithe replied. "Would you try and support some of your own weight? I might have passed inspection this morning, but that doesn’t mean I’m in the best condition."

Pumyra stared as Slithe practically dragged Tygra out of the bloody whitewashed room. "How long has he been like that?" she asked the Lunatac who was watching Slithe with a strange expression.

"Since I got here," Alluro answered quietly. "I don’t know how long ago that was. Time has little meaning when there is nothing left to live for. Today, yesterday, tomorrow…it’s all the same." The hypnotist shook himself and started to move forward. "Come on, cat. Let’s get out of here."

In her weakened condition, Pumyra was forced to completely rely on the Lunatac. Had he chosen to throw her down or turn on her, there would have been nothing she could do. But he seemed to have no such inclinations and from the way he was moving, Pumyra guessed him to be as weary as she was. But his was a weariness brought on by long-term strain, not a week’s worth of starvation and brutality. "How long have you been like this?" she asked, unsure of herself but willing to press her luck.

Alluro shot her a warning glance. "I might not be attacking you, but don’t think I pity you. I have too much to worry about, and quite frankly, I don’t have the time or the energy to take up petty disputes."

The two rounded a corner and descended a plank. Dusty air from the outside world rose up to greet them and Pumyra found herself coughing weakly as she tried to clear her lungs. Alluro’s grip on her waist tightened as she felt herself slipping downward. "You’ll get used to it in a few days," he muttered, though he, too, gave a short cough.

Pumyra didn’t respond and tried to maintain her tenuous control over her lungs. She heard coughing ahead and guessed that Tygra and Slithe were close by. Alluro stopped moving and she sagged against him, berating herself for appearing so vulnerable but too tired to do anything about it.

"Look at that," Tygra whispered.

Pumyra opened her eyes and saw they’d reached the end of the gangplank. Before her, stretching for miles in all directions, was a gaping crater. Within the crater, buildings and tents clustered together sporadically throughout the sandy dirt. Tiny figures could be seen moving about and there was a general murmur of pain and sorrow rising from the pit. "What is it?" Pumyra asked hoarsely.

"SPT. Slave Pit Two. General Jordash’s personal civilization of slaves." Slithe sighed and shook his weary head. "We work on everything here from food to weapons to medical supplies to galactic cruise ships. We’re the backbone of Kentro’s economy. Over 27,000 slaves and slave drivers make their home here."

Alluro let out a breath of disgust. "If you think it looks bad from here, wait until you get down there."

"We’d better get moving unless we want punishment. Your ship was late in arriving, and we’ve already lost an hour. Day laborers are put to sleep in five hours, and that’s not much time to show you what you need to know, yesss."

"I guess you don’t need to show us," Tygra murmured. "We could always wing it tomorrow."

"As much as I’d like that, I can’t," Slithe responded. "Any mistakes you make tomorrow will earn punishment for all four of us."

"It’s awful." Pumyra’s attention was still riveted on the deep crater before them.

Alluro gave a short, mirthless laugh. "Yes, it is. And for the remainder of your shortened life, you can call it home." He shook his head and his hardened eyes lost their focus as he stared out over the dusty crater. "Welcome, cat. Welcome to hell."

Mantyro winced as he listened to Snarfer slide down the slope behind him. Loose rocks clattered off the canyon walls and splashed into the river far below. "Keep it down," the tiger hissed as the snarf scrambled to a stop next to him.

"It’s too steep," Snarfer snapped defensively. "You slid down that slope, too."

"Yes, but I didn’t take most of the slope with me," Mantyro retorted. He focused his attention on the tiger encampment in the base of the canyon. "Well, the white tigers were off by a few ravines, but two miles out of the way isn’t bad," he mused.

"Are you sure that’s them?" Snarfer asked as he hopped around in search of a better view.

"Positive. It’s a red tiger encampment, because those guards below us are illusions. And it’s Sybar’s camp because I can see Sybar outside one of the tents." Mantyro continued to study the terrain below them. So far, he and Snarfer hadn’t been noticed by the real guards around the camp. But that didn’t mean their coming had gone unnoticed by all. Ever since leaving the white tiger’s refugee camp, Mantyro had felt as though someone was following them. He didn’t know who and so far he’d been unable to catch the person, but sometimes during his night watches, he’d seen gleaming eyes in the distance. But since their stalker had yet to move against them, Mantyro hadn’t mentioned it to Snarfer. "Okay, I think if we go up the canyon about half a mile, we’ll find a way into the bottom. It seems to slope upwards and this whole thing might level off if we go far enough."

"Or it could turn into another canyon," Snarfer complained. Hiking around in the high mountains of northern Thundera was not his idea of fun.

"Do you have a better idea?" Mantyro didn’t wait for the grumbled answer as he rose and stole away from the side of the cliff. "Come on, Snarfer. We’ve got to get close enough to the camp and find a hiding place so that tonight, we’ll be able to sneak in and out without worrying about scaling canyon walls."

"I know why, I just think that—"

Mantyro’s hand suddenly shot over Snarfer’s mouth. "Shhh!" the tiger hissed. He’d gone into a defensive crouch and was intently listening. "Wait here," he cautioned. Moving quickly, the red tiger silently raced up the slope and dove over the other side.

"Mantyro?!" Snarfer didn’t raise his voice too loud for fear of the tiger camp behind him, but he did scramble up behind Mantyro. "What’s going on?"

Mantyro’s head suddenly appeared over the slope with a grim expression on his face. "We’ve had a stalker, but I haven’t been able to catch him until now. Take a look for yourself."

Snarfer managed to get to the top of the small hill and gasped. "Uncle Snarf?"

Snarf brushed Thundera’s reddish dust off himself indignantly. "Keep your voice down, nephew. There are rebels over there, snarf."

"Rebels? Maybe you’d like to explain why you’ve been following us and why you’re not back at Cat’s Lair where you’re supposed to be." Mantyro spoke quietly, but his voice held a dangerous edge.

"I thought I could be more useful here," Snarf replied, taking the same tone. "And you have to admit that I followed you this far without being noticed."

"You were noticed, but I was too worried about our prey to worry about you," Mantyro told him. "Had I bothered to take the time, you would have been a dead stalker. I used to hunt with my father and I know how to set some simple but deadly traps."

"But you might need my help," Snarf pressed, though he’d paled slightly. "You’ll never get into that camp with just Snarfer, snarf, snarf."

"Snarfer isn’t going into the camp," Mantyro said.

"What?" Snarfer perked up and stared at the tiger.

"You’re waiting outside the camp in case I get in trouble and need someone to go for help," the red tiger answered.

"Listen. I’m here, I’m not going back, and I can do more for you two than I can for the others in the Lair, snarf. Back there, I’m just in the way and no one even knows I exist. So I came with you because maybe here, I can be helpful."

Mantyro slapped a disgusted hand over his face. "You’re going through a mid-life crisis and thought you could solve it by tagging along on a convert mission?"

"But he’s right," Snarfer spoke up unexpectedly. "About being here now, anyway. It’s too dangerous to send him back, snarfer, so we might as well use him. I can go into camp with you while Uncle Snarf waits outside."

Mantyro groaned inwardly. Sneaking into a camp full of red tigers was going to be dangerous, and he could see through most of their illusions. Snarfer couldn’t and that could cause problems.

Snarfer seemed to read Mantyro’s thoughts and bristled indignantly. "Like Lion-O said, I’m small, I’m quick, and you can’t be in two places at once. If you sneak into a tent, you’ll want a guard outside."

The red tiger finally nodded. "Okay, but we’re doing this my way. I’ve already found about ten illusions down there, and there have to be more within the camp itself."

"Aren’t illusions draining for tigers?" Snarf asked as he and Snarfer took after a rapidly departing Mantyro.

"Not for all of us. I find it quite easy to call up illusions, actually. And I can maintain them for an extended period of time. You’re used to Tygra, who can become invisible without a second thought but has to achieve the correct mindset for a prolonged illusion." Mantyro stopped to help the two snarfs over a couple of large boulders. "The tigers down there," he continued, "are practiced illusionists. For some of them, that’s all they’ve learned their entire lives. And there will be some down there who are as capable at invisibility as Tygra is. So once we’re down there, don’t trust anything and stay close." Without looking behind to see if they were following, Mantyro set off to find a way into the bottom of the canyon. Snarfer raced after him and Snarf lagged behind, thinking that maybe this whole idea hadn’t been as brilliant as he thought it’d been.

"It’s crazy!" Panthro exploded. "We can’t afford to patrol both our region of space and the Moons of Plun-Darr with half our fleet off defending some remote mutant colony. Diplomatically it’s a mistake and strategically it’s suicide."

"Your opinion is noted, Panthro," Lion-O said wearily, not even bothering to raise his head as he stared at his folded arms and leaned back in his chair. "Any other comments?"

"The Lunatacs are committed to this," Snoedaro spoke quietly. Panthro shot him a venomous glare, but the snow leopard continued. "If we want to keep allies, we have to go to the mutants’ aid."

"They came to ours," Lynx-O added.

"We didn’t ask them to get involved in this," Wiley Kit hissed, clearly siding with Panthro. "We can handle this empire on our own. Why should we guard one of their puny outposts after all the attacks they’ve made on our only colony?"

"Because this outpost defends the only safe passage through the Fire Region," Cheetara explained patiently, though she was growing tired of the discussion. "So far, Kentro has been forced to detour around the Fire Region because the ionized gases within won’t allow ships to go through. But if they can go through the Fire Region using the central passage, they can come at us faster and stronger. It’s in our best interest to keep that region."

"How many are they asking for again?" Bengali inquired. It was only his second day up and walking since his injuries, and Servalla was keeping a close eye on him.

"They’re asking for as many Thundercat pilots as we can spare as well as the bulk of our civilian forces," Panthro growled.

"It does leave us with little more than a skeleton crew," Lepora conceded. "And the Lunatacs are committing so many ships to this venture that they will be virtually unprotected. They want us to help cover their territory while they’re away."

Wiley Kit was about to say something, but the conference room doors slid open and Wiley Kat appeared in the doorway. Lion-O looked up anxiously, but Kat’s expression quickly dashed his hopes.

"I’m sorry, Lion-O," Kat murmured. "There’s no sign of Snarf anywhere. No one’s seen him, no one’s heard from him, and he doesn’t pick up on any scans of Thundera City."

Lion-O didn’t realize he was growling until he felt a gentle hand on his arm, and Leonari leaned forward to speak. "Have you started scanning Thundera itself?"

Wiley Kat grimaced and shook his head. "To do that, I’d need full use of the scanners, including the defensive ones. It’s not a good idea."

"Snarf’s missing?" Bengali looked around in amazement.

"I’ll fill you in later," Snoedaro hissed.

"What about the Control probe?" Cheetara asked, trying to change the conversation. "What have you gotten from that?"

"I’m still reprogramming some of the data banks to interpret Control frequencies," Kat answered. "Tygra had recorded all their codes in case something ever happened to Third Earth and we needed to contact Control directly, but it’s still taking time. Were Tygra here, he could have done it in a day or so, but it’s taking me over a week. I just don’t know Control’s systems that well." Kat sighed, once again reminded of how much they really needed Tygra with them. And Pumyra, too. "Give me a few more hours, and I can probably start extracting data," he finally said. "I can tell you that only the transmitter was damaged and the memory banks are fine. We should be able to get the full message/"

"Wait a minute!" Bengali’s outburst caused the bandages around his chest to slip, but he pushed on anyway. "Somebody bring me up to speed. Why can’t we used Sight Beyond Sight to find Snarf, can we get part of what’s on the Control probe, is there any news on Pumyra or Tygra, and what else did I miss while Servalla kept me locked up in sickbay?"

"Calm yourself or you’ll be back down there," the serval warned as she eyed the panting tiger.

"It’s an all or nothing deal with the probe," Lion-O told Bengali in his tired voice that seemed to have become chronic. "There isn’t any more news regarding Pumyra or Tygra. It seems that nothing can find them. And as for Snarf, Sight Beyond Sight doesn’t work because I don’t think Snarf wants to be found. When I used it, it tried to find him and then veered off. He’s around here, but he doesn’t want us to know where."

"Why would he do that?"

"We don’t know why," Leonari answered, sensing Lion-O was reluctant to talk about it. "That’s part of the problem."

There was an uneasy silence and finally Cougrois cleared his throat. "I don’t want to rush things, but shouldn’t we decide what to do about the mutants’ request? If we decide to aid them, we’re going to need to organize the troops by this evening and leave by tonight. That’s not a lot of time. I know it sounds cruel, but Snarf, the probe, and Pumyra and Tygra can wait a few more minutes. The war can’t."

A low growl rumbled in Lion-O’s throat, but it eventually died away and the lion sighed wearily. "You’re right, Cougrois. Okay, Thundercats. What are we going to do?"

"Ignore it," Panthro declared flatly.

"And break the alliance?" Lynx-O asked. "You’re not thinking, Panthro. We should honor their request. They’ve given us quite a bit of information on Kentro fleet formations as well as battle strategies."

"Of their own free will. We didn’t offer anything in return. We shouldn’t be obliged to give anything."

"As Thundercats, we should honor all our obligations whether real or implied," Cheetara said quietly. "That’s part of the Code of Thundera."

"The Code of Thundera wasn’t made for situations like this," Kit protested. "Let’s not tie ourselves to other governments if we don’t have to."

"We may have to, Kit."

Everyone looked in surprise at Wiley Kat. Though he and Kit now served the Thundercats in very different ways, there was still a close bond of affection between the two siblings. It was very rare for them to disagree. Kit looked like she was about to fall over and shot Wiley Kat an accusing glare. But Kat just continued. "I’ve been analyzing the data the mutant wolves have given us. Based on the number of attack points this empire seems to have, they’re huge. We’ve seen their numbers; even you can vouch for that, Kit. And based on their size, they probably have the resources to back those armies. We’re up against something twenty times stronger than we are."

"What do you recommend, Kat?" Lion-O asked.

Kat stuttered for a moment in surprise. "You’re asking me?"

"You’re the one who put your big foot forward," Kit mumbled, still upset that her brother was not backing her on this issue. Wiley Kat ignored her.

"I would give the mutants all they asked for and more. They just need to hold off an oncoming siege for a week or so, right? We can spare a week’s worth of forces. Kentro can’t make it too far behind lines yet without us knowing about it, so if they do attack, we’ll have plenty of time to regroup and prepare. We won’t be caught short-handed. And right now, we can’t afford to be breaking alliances when faced with something so big."

"I agree," Snoedaro seconded. Lynx-O nodded thoughtfully.

"You’ve all gone insane," Panthro growled.

"Maybe, but war has a habit of doing that. What forces are where, Cougrois?" Lion-O asked.

"The sixth and seventh civilian fleets are beyond Plun-Darr’s fifth moon. They can leave at a moment’s notice and I took the liberty of putting them on alert," the cougar reported. "The second fleet is grounded for shore leave, but they can easily handle a rotating shift schedule if we want to leave them here for defense. I would also recommend leaving the twelfth fleet here, because some of their ships are still in for repairs after our last little encounter with Kentro. But everyone else can go. The sixth and seventh fleets can be sent as advanced troops and the rest can follow by tonight."

"You and Bengali start working on the details," Lion-O instructed. "What Thundercats want to go?" All the gathered Thundercats raised their hands. The lion raised his eyebrows. "I thought this was insane, Panthro."

"It is," the panther snarled. "But someone had better go along to keep all the idiots out of trouble."

Lion-O allowed himself a brief smile. "Of course. Bengali, I don’t think you should go."

"And I agree," Servalla broke in.

Bengali’s countenance fell. "You can’t possibly be thinking of leaving me here!"

"You’ll coordinate the remaining defense forces," Lion-O continued relentlessly. "That will give you time to heal and things to do. Kat, you’ll stay here and continue working on that probe." Kat nodded reluctantly. "The rest of us will—"

"You should stay as well," Lynx-O interrupted.

Lion-O blinked. "Why?"

"You must deal with the clan leaders," the lynx explained. "I agree with the plan, but as Panthro pointed out, this will be a difficult strategy to sell in the diplomatic circles. In order for it to be given the proper credence, you must explain to the leaders what and why."

"He’s right, Lion-O," Cheetara agreed before the young lord could argue. "You’ve earned Tahee’s loyalty, but just barely. And if you leave, the tigers may see it as an opportunity to strike. Plus, you never know what Mantyro and Snarfer will turn up. They may report back and you may have to act to still the rebellions among the tiger clans."

"And we’re certain that Snarf is still here," Leonari added quietly. "You owe it to him to continue searching, even if he doesn’t want to be found."

Lion-O rubbed his head, wondering if feelings of weariness would ever leave. "I don’t like it. I feel like a coward."

"You’ve never asked us to do something that you yourself wouldn’t do," Panthro assured him. "Now is no different. And it’s a stupid idea anyway. At least you’re showing some common sense in staying home."

"Thank you, Panthro. Your words of wisdom are always comforting," Lion-O muttered.

"Is this meeting over?" Cougrois asked. "Because if it is, we need to start organizing the ships that are leaving and set up defenses in their absence. Plus we need to fit in Thundercat commanders, determine the layout of Scabbards and Daggers, divide up the rogue Feliner squadrons, grab a few supply ships in case this battle goes long, get some of the repaired ships out and tested before we can—"

"Report back on the pertinent items when it’s ready," Lion-O interrupted before Cougrois could go on. "I trust you, Snoedaro, and Bengali can handle the arrangements?"

"We always have," Bengali answered proudly.

"Don’t strain yourself," Servalla warned. "Or you’ll be sleeping off a sedative for the next few days."

Cheetara was briefly reminded of Pumyra and her exasperation with wounded Thundercats who refused to believe they were wounded. A knot rose up in her throat and she ducked her head quickly lest anyone see the moisture in her eyes. Where could Tygra and Pumyra possibly be? She’d called upon her sixth sense several times, but it held no answers. All she’d gotten was an empty space filled with mournful whispers. Even Sight Beyond Sight had failed to locate the two Thundercats. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she was suddenly aware of Bengali’s hand on her own. She looked up into the startling blue eyes of the white tiger and saw the same thoughts. "We’ll find them," he whispered fiercely. "We’ll find them both."

"We should have heard something by now," Cheetara murmured. "The Sword should have found them." The cheetah shook her head, ashamed at her own thoughts but unable to stop them. "What makes you think they’re still with us?" she asked quietly.

Bengali didn’t verbally answer, but he squeezed the cheetah’s hand and smiled. After a quick wink of confidence, his head turned back to the table where he tried to pick up the thread of conversation. There were discussions of battle tactics, the placement of Lunatac and mutant forces, how much they could trust the information from the wolves, and the possibilities of a new ship that Panthro and Wiley Kat were almost finished developing. But Cheetara had lost interest. She pressed her palms against her face and tried to sense Tygra’s mental image. But she got nothing. If Tygra was still alive, he was faint and very far away.

And then Cheetara froze as her sixth sense pulled her into a vision. She bolted to her feet in horror, staring into space with vacant eyes. Conversation stopped and the other Thundercats watched her anxiously, but Cheetara’s mind was no longer with them. In the far distance, the cheetah could see six symbols. There were two Thundercat insignias, two Lunatac moon symbols, and two Plun-Darr seals. They were small, almost insignificant, but they were directly connected to a greater destiny. And as they began to fade, the world around them began to fade until all was nothing. And then Cheetara collapsed into a greater blackness.

As night crept over the high mountains of northern Thundera, a chill wind began to whip its way through the ravines and gullies. Huddled in the sheltering crevice of the canyon wall, Snarf watched anxiously as two forms crept farther and farther away from him, stopping periodically to scan for guards. He marked the time according to the rising first moon of Plun-Darr and estimated what its position would be within two hours. If he had heard nothing by then, he was to go for help. Gripping his short-range communicator tightly, Snarf wrapped his tail around his shivering feet and once again wondered if he had made a wise decision.

Near the red tiger encampment, Snarfer cowered close to Mantyro as the tiger knelt and closed his eyes in concentration. He glanced at the images of guards behind them, wondering how Mantyro could be certain they were only illusions. But the tiger had been adamant and he was in charge of this mission. Snarfer could only go along with him. He glanced up at Mantyro and noted the taut muscles in his neck and jaw. An immense amount of concentration was taking place. Snarfer ruffled up his fur as he felt the bitter wind drop even more in temperature. How could the tigers take weather like this? He shivered miserably and wished he’d stayed back with Uncle Snarf rather than insisting on tailing Mantyro.

After what felt like an eternity, Mantyro opened his eyes. "Three guards," he hissed. His voice was so low that Snarfer found it difficult to hear him and crept closer. "Three guards," the tiger repeated. "You can’t see them, but they’re there. They’re watching that cleared stretch of terrain between here and the first tent."

"So what now?"

Mantyro bit his lip and thought. Eventually, he pulled out his large scimitar that was strapped to his back. "We create a diversion," he whispered. Twisting the hilt, two marbles rolled out of a hidden compartment and into his hand. Giving one to Snarfer, he quickly explained his plan. "On the count of three, we’ll both throw them. They’ll emit a bright flare but no noise and should temporarily blind the guards. If we’re lucky, they may even become flustered enough to reveal their shadows. You throw yours to the left side, I’ll throw mind to the right, and we’ll both go up the middle. If you can see the middle guard, take him out. If not, run straight through and I’ll see what I can do about him. Meet me on the dark side of that first tent. Got it?"

Snarfer nodded, clutching the smooth marble in his hand and taking courage from its presence. "Count of three?"

Mantyro nodded. "One—two—three!"

Snarfer chucked his marble as far as he could and sprinted after the running Mantyro. Two bright flashes, one on either side of them, lit the night and there were cries of surprise. Watching the ground closely, Snarfer caught a glimpse of a shadow before it disappeared. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Spinning into the air, the snarf felt his heavy tail connect with a muscular chest. There was a gasp for air and a red tiger slowly turned visible as he staggered backwards, clutching his midsection. Snarfer hit the ground rolling and turned to knock the guard off his feet, but it wasn’t necessary. Mantyro had swept out his broad scimitar and the flat of the blade came crashing down on the tiger’s head. He collapsed on the ground and Mantyro leaped away, making for the shadows. Snarfer was quick to follow.

"So far so good, yep," Snarfer panted.

"Except that we’ve attracted some attention," Mantyro murmured. "But I didn’t see another way around it. Come on. And whatever you do, stay close!"

Snarfer nodded obediently, glancing behind him and trying vainly to see the invisible guards. Mantyro started to slip further into the camp and Snarfer gave up trying to find what couldn’t be found. "Will those guards alert the other tigers?" he hissed.

"I don’t know," Mantyro answered honestly. "They haven’t caught us yet, and failure might be met with punishment or dishonor. But if we get further into camp and are caught, they will be in serious trouble for failing in their duties as perimeter guards. I’m guessing they’ll alert their immediate commander and take it from there. But let’s play it like a worst case scenario. It’s safer that way."

"Right, snarfer," the little snarf agreed quietly. Sticking close behind Mantyro, he followed the red tiger behind a row of smaller tents and closer to a large bonfire that burned in the center of the encampment. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything that will tell us long-term plans." Mantyro cautiously poked his head around a tent wall and withdrew it quickly. "We’re also looking for my sister, Chinga. We need to get her out of here." The tiger fumbled with the hilt on his scimitar and pulled out some dark pellets. "Smoke screen," he explained briefly. He shook his head as he studied their next move. "We’re trying to get to Sybar’s tent. There have to be plans or something in there. I wish I had more powers as far as invisibility goes, but…" Mantyro trailed off and stuck his head around the tent corner again. With a quick flip, his dark pellets went flying up and over the tent. "Go!" he hissed.

Snarfer bolted after the tiger as he raced into the smoke. The snarf couldn’t see where he was going, but he could hear Mantyro’s long strides ahead of him. To the side, there were coughs and cries of alarm. Luckily for Snarfer, he was low enough to the ground that the smoke was not thick enough to cause breathing problems. But when Mantyro finally stopped behind a crate of supplies, Snarfer could see the tiger wasn’t so fortunate. "Wait here," he suggested. "I’ll go on a little further. Do you think there are any more illusions?"

Mantyro clutched at his chest and heaved for air. "I don’t think so," he answered. "But I’m not sure. It would be safer if we stuck together. From here, actually, I should be able to wander into the open if I avoid contact with other tigers and appear casual enough. In the dim light, they might not notice the Thundercat uniform."

"Then again, they might," Snarfer pointed out. He glanced deeper into the camp, searching for the tent that Mantyro had indicated was their destination. "If I stick to the shadows, I should be okay. Right?"

"That’s just it, Snarfer," Mantyro groaned. "You don’t know whether or not there are shadows. Shadows can be just as much of an illusion as imaginary guards. You could be hiding in the open next to a campfire but think you’re deep in darkness behind a rock. No, I’m coming with you. I’m okay now."

"Let’s go, then," Snarfer said. He was becoming anxious to get out of this camp full of tricks and illusions. The constant wariness for the unseen and the intangible was something Snarfer was not enjoying.

Mantyro nodded and began to move closer to their destination. There were fewer tigers here, and Mantyro’s quick darting in and out of tents kept Snarfer constantly on the move. It seemed as though Mantyro wished to leave, too. After a few more minutes of hasty ducking and weaving, the tiger seemed to find what he was looking for.

"This is it!" he hissed excitedly. "This has to be Sybar’s tent!"

"So now what?" Snarfer asked, looking hesitantly behind him. He was getting the uncomfortable feeling that they were being watched, but Mantyro hadn’t said anything. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"Wait here," Mantyro instructed. "I don’t think anyone is inside right now. I’ll poke around and see if I can find anything. You stand guard."

Snarfer nodded and dutifully took up his position as sentry while Mantyro slipped under the bottom of the tent. It was a large black tent and set back from the fire, providing excellent cover in the dark night. The bitter wind whistled through the tents, causing them to sway and rustle. Snarfer shivered and wrapped his tail tighter around his body.

After a few minutes, Snarfer was beginning to imagine shadows flitting from tent to tent. He told himself the shaking in his knees was due to the rapidly cooling night, but he couldn’t lie forever. "Hurry, Mantyro," he whispered between clenched teeth. "Hurry." He could hear something rustling around in Sybar’s tent, but he feared to go in and urge Mantyro to greater speeds. It would be just his luck if Sybar chose that moment to return.

Snarfer shrieked as a large hand seized him from behind. "Just me," Mantyro whispered, clutching the snarf’s mouth shut. "Just me. Sorry about that."

There was something in Mantyro’s voice that worried Snarfer, but he didn’t have time to question the tiger, as the sound of voices suddenly filled the air. "What’s that?"

Mantyro froze and closed his eyes tightly, concentrating. "Part of that is an illusion. They’re hoping to flush us out. They know we’re here, but they don’t know where we are. That crowd isn’t as big as it sounds. But there are guards on their way." Mantyro’s eyes opened and he looked around. "Contact Snarf. Tell him the red tigers plan to move on New Thundera City in four days. They’re attacking the white tigers in two days."

"They’re what?"

"DO IT!" Mantyro roared quietly.

Snarfer would have thought it impossible for anyone to roar quietly had he not seen Mantyro just do it. It would have been an interesting trick to learn if the situation permitted. But the situation didn’t, and Snarfer snatched a communicator from his utility belt. "Uncle Osbert? I mean, Uncle Snarf?"

"Where are you two, snarf, snarf? You’ve been in there for almost an hour!"

Mantyro snatched the communicator from Snarf’s hands. "Snarf, listen carefully. In two days, the red tigers are attacking the white tigers. They’re attacking New Thundera City in four days. For the past week, they’ve been mustering all the forces they can gather and now they’re ready. Their primary target is Cat’s Lair. Can you find your way back to the white tiger encampment?"

Snarf was silent for a minute as he digested this information. "Are you sure they’re attacking? That’s outright treason, snarf! Would the tigers stoop to that?"

"ANSWER ME!"

"Well, snarf, I should be able to find my way back."

"Then warn the white tigers and have Serbino contact Cat’s Lair. Don’t wait for us, we’ll catch up. You get going. Mantyro out."

To Snarfer’s ears, it sounded as though Snarf tried to say something else, but Mantyro cut the communications channel. "Now what?" Snarfer asked.

"We try and get back," the red tiger answered. "Come on. Follow me."

Lion-O stumbled off a Thunderclaw and slowly made his way out of the hanger. His eyes were heavy and his body kept demanding him to halt and rest a while. But he’d promised Kat that he’d relieve him on watch an hour ago. In a few more hours, it would be morning. They both needed sleep, and now that Bengali was unavailable…

The Lord of the Thundercats growled quietly. Servalla had warned him this might happen before she left with the others, but he hadn’t take her warning to heart. Bengali had overextended himself in running the defense operations and had attempted to help repair some of the damaged ships. But his healing tissues weren’t up to the strain, and the tiger had collapsed halfway through. Lion-O hadn’t even known he was down in the hanger fixing a Feliner. He thought the tiger had gone to bed. And so he was deprived of a restful night’s sleep when the growling of the Sword warned him that Bengali was in need of medical attention. Kat had agreed to stay on watch while Lion-O took the tiger to New Thundera City’s main hospital. Secretly, Lion-O hoped that Kat would fall asleep by the time he got back. It would make Lion-O feel better if he knew that at least someone on his team was doing something healthy.

But the lion was disappointed. He found Kat not only still awake but working on the communications probe. Kat didn’t even look up as Lion-O entered the room. "Wiley Kat?"

The Thundercat jumped slightly and then blushed. "Sorry. I’m probably not paying as much attention to things as I should be."

"You’re tired," Lion-O observed. "Go to bed."

"In a minute. First, there’s something you should hear."

Lion-O sighed and swayed as his vision suddenly blurred. "Are you sure this can’t wait for maybe a few more hours? You really need your sleep."

"I’m not the only one," Kat replied, staring at the bleary-eyed lion.

"Touché," Lion-O murmured with a smile. "Okay, kid, what have you got?"

The Thundercat turned to the control room computers and started uploading data onto the main screen. "I finished decoding the communications probe," Kat announced proudly, but there was something in his voice that unnerved Lion-O. "I’m going to finishing transferring Tygra’s backup Control files while you listen to it."

Lion-O sank into a comfortable chair and resisted the urge to close his eyes. But the urge soon vanished as Kat began playing the recorded message and the sound of chaos suddenly filled the control room. Lion-O clearly heard Officer Parkay’s voice giving orders and Mandora’s voice over top of that. And as the transmission ended, he could hear the sounds of explosions in the background. Kat stopped the recording and looked over at Lion-O. Lion-O blinked. "Wow."

The younger Thundercat nodded. "That’s what I said," he whispered.

"Mandora mentioned a file number. Do we have that file?"

Kat nodded again. "I’ve had to change the files because our system doesn’t handle them as they are. Tygra had them stored as backup files and never bothered to configure them for our computers. That’s what I’m trying to do now."

"Do you have anything yet?"

Kat bit his lip. "Maybe we’d better wait for the other Thundercats. I have a little, but even a little is a lot to go over. It will require some detailed analysis."

"What’s your impression of it?" Lion-O asked.

"Lion-O, we’re up against a lot," Kat answered without hesitation. "I don’t think anyone in the history of Thundera has faced anything like this before."

"Great." The lion let his head thump forward onto a blank control panel. "Just what I needed to hear. Why is it that whatever we do, we end up making history or some kind of unprecedented break through?"

"Luck?"

"No, I think we’re cursed."

Kat smiled. "I didn’t say it was good luck."

Lion-O cast about for a clever reply to that, but was interrupted by a communications signal. He reached over and quickly traced the call. "The northern mountains?"

"Mantyro and Snarfer," Kat deduced.

The lion nodded and activated the com-link. "This is Cat’s Lair, Lion-O responding."

"Lion-O? Thank the Ancients! We finally broke through the interference. This is Serbino."

Lion-O and Wiley Kat exchanged glances. "Greetings Serbino. What can I do for you?"

"I have someone here who desperately needs to talk to you. And when he’s finished, I have some things I would like to discuss."

"Go ahead and put him on," Lion-O instructed, not sure what to expect.

He was in for a surprise. After a moment of hesitation, a voice on the other end spoke. "Lion-O?"

"SNARF!? Snarf, where have you been and where are you now?" Lion-O looked wildly around for Wiley Kat, but the clever feline was already trying to get an exact fix on the signal’s origin.

"Look, snarf, we can go over that later. Right now, there’s something much bigger going on. MUCH bigger, snarf, snarf."

"Get to the point," Lion-O ordered. "I’m very tired and I don’t have time for guessing games."

"Um, right, Lion-O. Well, it’s like this. We found where the red tigers are staying. At least, that’s where they were staying, but they’re not staying there anymore. And Mantyro and Snarfer haven’t come out, but they radioed to me and I did just what Mantyro told me to do. And I met some of the white tigers on the way back to their base and they got me their fast, only they don’t have a base anymore because they’ve moved so the red tigers can’t find them but the red tigers have some kind of jamming mechanism up in the mountains and we think it traces signals, so we’re actually sending this through an underground cable that hooks up with a transmission tower on a peak back in the—"

"Snarf? You’re babbling and I haven’t understood a word you’ve said." Lion-O ran his hands through his tousled mane and tried to restart the conversation. "Where are Mantyro and Snarfer?"

"That’s just it! I don’t know!"

"When did you see them last?"

"I was outside the red tiger camp like I just told you and then they told me to—"

"Let me try," Kat whispered. "You’ve been without sleep for too long." He activated a communication station on the other side of the control room and started to speak. "So Mantyro and Snarfer went into the red tiger camp and you stayed outside?"

Lion-O could picture Snarf nodding vigorously. "That’s right, snarf. They went inside and I waited outside. And after a long time, Mantyro radioed out and told me to get back to the white tiger camp and warn them."

"Warn them of what?" Kat asked.

"The red tigers going to attack the white tiger camp tomorrow and Cat’s Lair three days from now!"

"They’re WHAT?!" Lion-O sat upright and stared at the blinking panels in front of him as though they would confirm or deny this recent turn of events.

"Unfortunately, that fits with some of the information we’ve been collecting." Serbino was back on the other end now and his soft, raspy voice was calming when contrasted with Snarf’s near panic. "And I can assure you that the red tigers have enough resources and political support at their disposal to pull off a coup."

"They wouldn’t dare," Kat hissed.

"No, I think they would," Lion-O disagreed quietly. "I really think they would." He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I wish Tygra was here. He could talk some sense into them. At least they’d listen."

"Well, snarf, he’s not here, and we have some major problems. Mantyro told me to get back to the white tiger base and from there, I was supposed to contact you guys. We didn’t have any long-range communication equipment with us. Some of the white tigers met me halfway there and that’s when the red tigers moved."

"We think they were tailing Snarf," Serbino interjected. "The entire red tiger camp was on the move and they are currently hunting us. We couldn’t round everyone up in time and there are some common red tigers and some white tigers still trapped in the mountains."

"So all the tigers are running around chasing each other over the mountains," Lion-O summarized. "What else do I need to know?"

"I haven’t heard from Mantyro or Snarfer since I left the encampment," Snarf whimpered. "I can’t figure out why they haven’t contacted me. Our communication equipment should reach this far, but I haven’t heard anything."

"So the red tigers have two potential hostages," Lion-O grumbled. "Perfect. This is already turning into a wonderful day."

"Lion-O? What are we going to do if the red tigers attack Cat’s Lair?"

The Lord of the Thundercats looked over at Wiley Kat and seemed to wake up a little. "You’re right. We’re the only two left at base."

"You’re WHAT?!"

Lion-O turned back to the communication screen and tried to succinctly answer Snarf’s outburst. "Wiley Kat and I are the only two Thundercats at Cat’s Lair. Bengali is hospitalized and the rest of the Thundercats are off on a defense mission with the mutants and Lunatacs."

"What about the civilian honor guard?" Serbino asked.

"There’s nothing honorable about them," Wiley Kat snorted. "They’re a bunch of Thunderians who want military privileges without the effort. I doubt that any of them have had battle training."

"Lion-O, if Sybar gains control of Thundera, he will hunt down and destroy all who oppose him. That includes other tigers, the entire lion clan, and most of the caracals, clouded leopards, and bobcats."

"I know, Serbino. I know that. What I don’t know is how to prevent it. I can’t call the other Thundercats back. They’re part of an allied defensive formation, and we’ve already committed to it." Lion-O shook his head. "I don’t see a way to keep Sybar out of the Lair."

There was a pause on the other end of the line and then Serbino spoke. "I have a proposal, but it will mean coming out in direct opposition to Sybar and possibly pushing the panthers over to his side."

"I believe Sybar’s coup has already accomplished that," Lion-O sighed. "Go ahead."

"If you will shelter the main body of white tigers, we will fight the red tigers for you."

"Kinship wars," Kat breathed.

"Do you understand the full implications of what you’re suggesting?" Lion-O demanded. "In the history of Thundera, clans have never fought within themselves. They’ve always been united."

"The red tigers were going to attack us. I see no reason why we can’t attack them," Serbino replied.

"This isn’t going to be pretty, snarf, snarf."

"War never is," Serbino told him.

"This is ridiculous," Wiley Kat growled. "Can’t they hold off on this idiotic coup until we’ve settled the score with the Kentro Empire?"

"That’s why they’re moving now," Lion-O explained wearily. "We can’t fight two wars at once, and we’ll probably focus more on Kentro than we will on them."

"Shelter us," Serbino requested. "And we will fight that second war for you."

A log of all the events from the past week and a half rolled through Lion-O’s head. The destruction of Third Earth and Pride, the disappearance of two Thundercats, the alliance with the mutants and Lunatacs, the rebellion of the tigers…why should a civil war within the tiger clans surprise him? "You’ve got a deal," the lion finally answered. "Provided you can get your white tigers here in one piece, Cat’s Lair is your fortress."

"You have our thanks," Serbino told him. "Snarf will accompany us and we will be there by noon. Serbino out."

"Lion-O out."

After a moment of uneasy silence, Kat cleared his throat. "Should I tell the other Thundercats?"

Lion-O thought that one over. "Might as well," he decided. "It will only worry them, but if something goes wrong, they should know why my head will be mounted on a stake outside Cat’s Lair when they get back." Lion-O shook his head in dismay. "Stupid," he muttered. "Just stupid. The fate of our civilization hangs in the balance and one hotheaded tiger makes a power play. I hope this situation will make sense to the other Thundercats, because I’m lost."

Kat grimaced and looked away. "We’re all lost, Lion-O," he whispered under his breath as he began accessing deep space communications. "If Control and their files are right, we have no chance. Thundera is lost."