Jaga awoke to find himself lying half-in, half-out of a broad subterranean lake.He lay still for several minutes, straining his hearing for threatening sounds.After several minutes, he raised his head slowly and looked around.

He was in a large cavern, dimly lit by glowing blue crystal formations growing out of the walls and ceiling.The water he lay in was cool but not uncomfortable.The pebbles on the shore were worn smooth and round, pleasant to touch.It would be so good to simply lie back down, rest a little while longer...

He pushed the thought out of his mind.Tawn-Ya was nowhere nearby.He had to find her.He also needed a weapon of some sort.The rumble in his stomach reminded him he'd not eaten in over sixteen hours, that he knew of..

He pushed himself up with his hands and cried out in pain, falling back to the stones of the beach.A quick examination revealed a plasma burn the length of his right arm.The dense, short fur that covered his body was burnt off the outside of the arm, along with a generous portion of skin.

There was no bleeding; plasma burns were self-cauterizing.The pain was sufficient to make him swoon, and infection would be inevitable without treatment.Even so, he knew he'd been fortunate.A burn was the result of a near miss; a direct hit would have blown his arm off.

He got up more carefully and moved off, away from the water.The blue luminescence of the crystal was dim but sufficient, and better than the glow-globe he'd lost.

He had gone only a few meters when he came upon a road.It was broken up and worn, but without a doubt intelligently made.The thick layer of undisturbed dust led him to believe it unused for decades, maybe centuries.He stooped to examine the cut stones, marvelling at the workmanship which had stood such a monumental test of time.

He continued down this dim path for several minutes before he came upon a set of low buildings.There were no signs of habitation; even so, he left the trail and approached the low stone structures with care.

As he crept closer, he could hear sounds from one of the nearer huts.He looked around and found a rock that fit nicely into his left palm.Thus armed, he slid to the open door of the hut and looked carefully inside.

Tawn-Ya was there, next to a wall-mounted shelf.The shelf was half-full of sealed stoneware jars.The rest of the jars lay opened and empty on the floor by her feet.She was busily chewing on her latest discovery.

"Save some for me?" he asked.Tawn-Ya hissed and sprang straight up.Her head struck the stone ceiling with an audible thud.She landed hard on her behind, the wind knocked out of her.

Jaga chuckled.Tawn-Ya whipped the jar she'd been holding at his head with a snarl.He leaned his head out of the way and caught the jar with his left hand.

"You should be careful what you eat here," he said consolingly."Sure, it might taste alright, but it might have been someone's dish detergent, too."

"It's pickled mushrooms," she said sulkily, standing up."My mother makes it the same way.My father raises them in the cellar.He...Gods, your arm!"

"No, really, it's..." he took a hasty step backwards but it was no use.She grabbed the seared flesh with both hands, turning his arm this way and that as she inspected it.

"Does it hurt much?" she asked.

A whimper through clenched teeth was all he could muster.

"Oh!" Tawn-Ya yelped as she realized what she was doing.She let go, but Jaga was not ready and his arm fell limp, striking his side.He moaned and sat down hard as his knees gave way, jarring it yet again.

His head swam, making him struggle not to vomit.Through the pain-induced haze filling his mind, he percieved Tawn-Ya breaking the seals and sniffing the contents of the remaining pots."Maybe one of these is a poltice of some kind," she said.

Jaga's head cleared and he leaned back against the wall of the shed.He watched Tawn-Ya open the last jar, sniff, then put it back.She came back and knelt before him.

"There was nothing we could use in the rest of them," she said.

"Except food," Jaga growled."Now it will spoil and we won't be able to take it with us."

Awareness dawned in her eyes.Her face crumpled and she covered it with her hands.Her shoulders began to shake from stifled crying.

I am a complete ass, Jaga thought.Here she was, lost in a cavern, her entire family dead or worse, no formal training for survival.The only person she can rely on has one useless arm and no weapons.And I'm yelling at her.

"Tawn," he said softly."Tawn, come sit down beside me for a minute."

She waited a moment to regain some of her composure then slid over the floor, sitting a little to his left, facing the opposite wall.She rubbed her eyes harshly, plainly embarrassed by the outburst."What?" she asked in a thick voice.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he said."That was wrong of me..."

Tawn-Ya cut him off by shaking her head."You have every right to hate me," she said.As he began to protest, she continued."You're in this whole mess because of me.You got hurt trying to protect me, the apes are after you because of me."

"So what do I do?" she asked rhetorically."I hurt your arm worse, then I spoil all our food, and I blamed you for Meena..."

Her voice began to choke up.Jaga ignored his arm and shifted towards her.He stretched out his left arm and put it across her shoulders, drawing her close as the tears began to flow again.He stroked her hair and whispered soothingly until it had passed.

As she calmed down, she began to draw away from him, but he refused to let her go."It's my turn now," he said.

"Look at me," he said gently.When she'd lifted her eyes to meet his, he said "I saved you because I chose to. I could have left you to Vertok and gone on my way, but I didn't.Anything that falls my way because of that is my reponsibility, not yours."

"You've done as much as I have to keep us alive," he continued."You piloted the nosediver through the canyon.You saved me when Vertok had me at his mercy.You discovered the cave, then the passage at the end of it."

He spoke very softly now, sincerely."Knowing what I know now, after everything we've gone through tonight, if I had the chance to do it over again, I would still have come."

Tawn-Ya looked deep into his eyes, judging what she saw there."I believe you," she said."I only wish I could have done more to help you."

"Well," Jaga said with a grin."You could feed me some mushrooms.Only one hand, and all..."

Fifteen minutes later they moved off deeper into the abandoned village.They did not speak but each knew where the other's mind lay: Vertok.Had the gorilla ceased his pursuit when they fell through the cave wall and into the underground lake?Or had he pressed on, seeking vengeance on the warrior who thwarted him and the female who'd injured him?

Food had helped their condition, but it was not enough; they needed rest as well.Jaga caught himself sleepwalking at one point, while Tawn-Ya was having trouble matching even his sonambulant pace.

Ahead in the gloom, Jaga saw another structure, larger than the primitive stone huts that composed the bulk of the village.As they drew nearer, he guessed it to be a temple or some other gathering place for the long-dead villagers.

They stopped by the doors, remarkable alone in their presence, but also by their sturdiness.One was ajar.Together, they walked inside.

The temple was large, nearly thiry feet tall.The floor was covered by ranks of heavy wooden pews to within a few meters of a large raised altar.The altar was fashioned of the same hard stone as the rest of the temple, with brass rings affixed to the corners of it.Engraved on the front, towards the faithful who would have asembled here, was a bas-relief emblem, a circle around a stylized cat's-head, the mouth open as if roaring down upon the guilty.

What lay beyond the altar was a wonder of design and execution.Seated upon an ornate throne was a female with the body of a Thundercat, yet a head which was wholly feline, resembling a lioness.She was completely nude, yet such was the beauty of her that she banished sexual thought from the mind, replacing it with a pure awe at her magnificence.

Tawn-Ya heard a scraping sound behind her, startling her from her reverie.She turned to find Jaga dragging a pew towards the door.Catching the idea, she moved quickly to help him.

In minutes they had all six wooden pews piled against the door.They surveyed the rest of the temple, discovering a priest's alcove next to the feline statue, concealed by a false wall.There were, however, no other exits.

Jaga outlined a plan of action."If Vertok's men find us, I want you to take cover in the hidden room.I'll ambush them and see if I can stop them here."

"Whatever else you do, do not come out of that alcove," Jaga said emphatically."I'd rather die than see you fall into those Mutants' hands."

"You'll need this then," she said, and handed him his throwing knife.

Jaga's face lit up."You wonderful woman!" he exclaimed.He slid the knife into it's ankle sheath, then walked to the wall of the temple and leaned his back against it heavily. He slid slowly down to a sitting position, wincing as the movement made his arm flare up.

Tawn-Ya sat down on the other end of the room, facing him.She contemplated the temple, dimly lit by the glowing blue crystals set in it's ceiling.It was a tranquil place, a feeling of peace to it under the watchful eye of the cat goddess.What kind of people worshipped here? she wondered.Were they anything like us?

"Do you believe in Man?" she asked.

Jaga was quiet a moment before he spoke.He's always so thoughtful, she oserved.

"I was raised in the church, like everyone," he said.

"That's not what I asked," she said."I want to know if you beleive what the church teaches us about Man."

Jaga shrugged, then winced as his shoulder twanged his nerves again."Do I believe Man existed? Yes, of course.Most of our technology is from relics humans left behind."

"But do you mean, did Man create the Mutants, then make us to battle them after they rebelled?Or is Man gone looking for Paradise among the stars, and coming back someday to take us there?"Jaga shrugged again, this time only in his left shoulder."Perhaps."

"What do you think happens to us when we die?" she asked.

"The church teaches we go to be with Man on his great adventure through the stars," Jaga said.

Now it was Tawn-Ya's turn to be silent a moment."You don't like to talk about this, do you?"

Jaga closed his eyes, shaking his head, a grim smile playing across his lips."When I joined the corps, I had a brother who went in with me.He died within a month.Both my parents were taken in Mutant raids."

"For a while, I fought for vengeance.Then I fought to preserve our people.Now...I don't know why I fight."

"What do you mean, 'preserve our people'?" she asked.

Jaga opened his eyes and looked directly at her.There was a sorrow there that could have extinguished a lesser spirit.

"We're losing."

Tawn-Ya's mouth fell open."How...how can we be losing?" she stammered."We're the chosen people!We can't be losing!"

Jaga shook his head sadly."The ones who chose us have not chosen to send reinforcements," he said."Every year, another of our worlds falls to the Mutants, more of our people are enslaved in the thunderium mines on Plun-Darr and more of our young people die fighting."

"The Clannad, as the Mutants call themselves, include a dozen different species.In our most optomistic estimates, they outnumber us by three to one," Jaga said."It could be as high as ten to one."

His voice was getting quieter, his head fell forward againt his chest.With what seemed a great effort he said, "If it keeps up the way it has, all our people will be wiped out in another two or three generations."

"Jaga?" Tawn-Ya asked when he fell silent.When he did not reply, she moved quickly to his side."Jaga, are you alright?" she said, feeling his face with her hands.

"I'm alright, just tired," he mumbled, but she could see it wasn't true.The burnt arm had visibly swollen, and she was certain he had a fever.

She stretched him out along the wall and tried to make him comfortable.He protested weakly, but whether from exhaustion or infection, she could not say.After a few moments he began to shiver violently.She stretched out behind him, put her arms around his shoulders and held him, trying to keep him warm.

In moments, they were both asleep.

His father had taken him hunting in the forest north of their holdings in the upper peninsula.It was early morning and he did not want to wake up.He could smell the fire from his sleeping bag, hear his father saying, "Get up, son, it's time."

He rolled over, trying to ignore the old man.Still , he could smell the fire, hear it's crackle as it ate at the wood...

Jaga sat bolt upright, shocking Tawn-Ya awake beside him.His head was stuffed with cobwebs, but even so, the memory of danger returned full-force.

The large doors of the temple were being burnt.He could here the repeated hissing of multiple plasma rifles outside.As he listened, he saw the interior surface of the nearer door begin to degrade.

"Go!" he hissed at Tawn-Ya.She sprang up and turned, then stopped and turned back."What about you?" she whispered.

Jaga got to his feet, the world tilting wildly and threatening to spin out completely as he did.From the door came a loud crash as the spiked ball of a mace burst through into sight.

Jaga looked again into her eyes.With as much certitude as he could manage he said, "I won't let them get you."He shoved Tawn-Ya towards the alcove and moved weakly to his position.

He climbed to the high top of the statue, struggling against pain and weakness.Twice conciousness nearly failed him as he climbed, but ultimately he reached a place atop the shoulders of the goddess, crouched out of view behind her head.

As he went, he could hear the primates smash through the doors and begin to throw aside the pews that blocked their way.From concealment, he could here the grunts and hoots of the two monkians, as well as the carefully modulated voice of Vertok the Gorilla.

"Search every corner," the ape said."Find anything worth finding.But remember, I want them alive."

Jaga peered around the head of the statue and saw Vertok standing in the middle of the room as the monkian troopers began to check the perimiter.He drew his knife and waited.When one monkian passed below him, the other at the opposite corner of the room, Jaga dropped from the statue, knife raised to stab.

She could here the noise from outside, the crashing of wood against stone, the voices of the gorilla commander and his troops.

She was afraid, but not for herself.Her fear was for Jaga, wounded and sick, armed only with a knife, facing three healthy and well-armed primates.He was willing to give his life for hers, while she cowered in this hole like a frightened Thunderkitten.For herself she felt only disgust.

Tears offrustration matted the short, dense fur that covered her face.Was she going to lose everything she loved?Her family, her home, her sister, even her people, and now the bravest male she'd ever known, were all lost to her.There was no guarantee the apes would not find her anyway; if she and Jaga could find this alcove, surely the primates could.

The dim blue light of the alcove echoed the darkness in her heart.She could feel hope dying inside her like an animal starving inside a cage.She sank down to her knees, hands over her face, to muffle her sobs of despair.

Something seeped into her awareness, a sense that something had changed.She moved her hands from her tear-stained face and looked up, her eyes going wide with wonder.

She was again in the main chamber of the temple, but it was no longer the decrepit ruin she and Jaga had discovered.The blue crystals in the ceiling now glowed a soft bluish white, illuminating the walls painted a comfortable beige.The wooden pews were fresh and brightly polished.The floor beneath her was covered in a broad red carpet, the roaring-cat logo drawn large in black.

As she looked at it, it struck her that the image of the cat was not of wrath, roaring down fury upon sinners.It was an image of power, of guardianship.This diety was a protector, a defender.

She looked towards the front of the temple, saw the altar decked with cloth, flowers, bottles of fragrances and wines, all the pure offerings of a peaceful people.

Beyond she saw the goddess statue, painted in a life-like mein.The image was more beautiful than she remembered, tawny gold and cream, a lush feminine form of exquisite loveliness.The feline head looked regal, it's closed eyes and tranquil features radiating a peacefulness the Thundercat female had never known, but longed for all her life.

The statue opened it's eyes, brilliantly luminescent crimson eyes that focused on the petrified girl.

Tawn-Ya stared back into those eyes, and from them she received a sense satisfaction, even pleasure.

My children, came the words forming in her mind.How you have grown...

He'd dropped ten feet when he knew he'd miscalculated.The primate was past Jaga's target point; when the Thundercat landed, the monkian spun and seized Jaga's left hand, taking the knife out of play.

The trooper bore Jaga backwards, into the view of the others.He tried to twist free, but the second monkian was already upon him.Swinging his mace high and wide, the primate buried the weapon in Jaga's midsection.

Jaga's knees gave out.He fell, the knife clattering from nerveless fingers.He tried to draw breath, couldn't.The primates stood over him, smiling as he choked air back into his lungs.

"Where is the girl?" Vertok demanded.When Jaga did not answer, the mace wielder delivered a vicious kick to his injured arm.Barely conscious, Jaga attempted to crawl away, but the other trooper siezed him by the back of his uniform and hauled him to his feet.

"Girl!" Vertok bellowed."Come out where I can see you, or your hero dies!"He listened to the room for a moment, he nodded to his men.The one holding Jaga locked the Thundercat into a full-nelson, while the mace weilder drew back and delivered a powerful blow to Jaga's defenseless midsection.

Jaga emitted a barking gasp of pain, eliciting laughter from the monkians.The mace weilder delivered a shot to his knee, breaking it.Jaga thrashed, but did not cry out.

Vertok waved to the monkians to be still, then yelled to the room, "Come out girl, and I swear he will die quickly.My men can drag this out for hours if I choose."

Jaga emitted an unintellible croak.Vertok heard the noise and came near, putting his face near Jaga's."What was that?"

Jaga raised his head and looked into the face of the primate commander.He could see the plastiflesh packing the clawmarks Tawn-Ya had left on the ape.

"She's dead," he said raspily."She drowned in the lake.I heard her go down."A trickle of blood ran down his chin as he spoke.

Vertok gazed levelly into Jaga's eyes.When he spoke, it was in a whisper, "It doesn't matter."

"I'm going to kill you very slowly in any case.If you are telling me the truth, it won't change that.But if you are lying, perhaps I can flush her out in the process."

The ape extended a finger, touched the stream of blood on Jaga's chin, then rubbed thumb and finger together.The sadistic, sexual expression he'd worn when Jaga had first been at his mercy was in his eyes again.

The ape was quiet a moment, thoughtful.He looked over Jaga's head and bellowed, "Girl!Surrender yourself and I will spare his life.On my honor as a soldier, neither I nor my men will kill him."

Jaga grinned humorlessly.It was a pointless guarantee; he was dying slowly already.The maceman had broken something inside his belly, something that was emptying warmly into the rest of his abdomen.

He heard the scrape of stone, and his grin disappeared.Walking around the statue came Tawn-Ya, her face blank, her eyes serene.

Jaga moaned.Vertok faced the young female and his grin broadened."My dear darling," he said."I was beginning to fear we'd not be able to conclude our date."

Tawn-Ya's expression did not change.When she wa close enough, her arm flashed out, a dagger reached for Vertok's throat.

Had she been a half-second faster, or the ape a half-second slower, she might have cut his throat.Instead Vertok, with the trained reflexes of a soldier, leaned out of reach of the stroke.When the blade had passed, he whipped his own knife from it's sheath and stepped near, blocking Jaga's view.

But nothing could keep him from hearing the girl's agonized scream as the ape's blade tore open her belly.Vertok stepped away, letting Tawn-Ya fall forward to the ground, blood spilling across the stone temple floor.

The ape swore and stood looking at the dead girl.The knife was gone; had he imagined it?Finally, Vertok turned away and stormed towards the door.

The monkians looked at each other, then their commander."What about this one?" the mace weilder asked.

"Leave him," Vertok said over his shoulder."He's dead already."

The monkians looked at Jaga, lying bloody and broken on the ground, struggling to breathe.They considered finishing him, then decided against it.They feared their commander's wrath more than any merciful impulse towards the enemy.

Jaga heard them leave and opened his eyes.He tried to crawl to Tawn-Ya, to tell her he was sorry, even if she could not hear.When he tried though, the world drifted away, replaced by inky darkness.

Consciousness returned.How long had it been?He was cold, colder than he'd ever been.The pain was unreal.

But he knew it would not be much longer before his suffering stopped, for delerium had already arrived.As he lay unable to move, he saw the dead girl push herself up to her knees, shake her head, and look his way.

She smiled.

Continued...