The doors swished open, and Tygra entered the control room. He took a seat next to the panther. “Tired, huh?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “Watching the monitors for that many hours always make my eyes hurt.”

“As soon as one of the ThunderCat monitors get here, we can go to the council meeting.”

“And hope we can get Lion-O to agree to a resolution to end these outbursts,” Panthro stated.

Tygra nodded his head. “For certain. That is going to be the most difficult thing for us to do. You know he won’t agree to anything. Not when he goes looking for Cheetara at a moment’s whim.”

“I have a feeling that will all be changing next month,” the panther remarked with a slight grin.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“I can’t say anything. I promised I wouldn’t.”

Tygra smiled and said, “You have to tell me what it is. Did Lion-O decide on a heir?”

Panthro shook his head. “No, that’s not it. But I’m not telling you anymore. Otherwise, I’ll be in trouble.”

“I never knew you to be so secretive,” Tygra commented.

“I stumbled on something remarkable a few months ago. But I promised I wouldn’t say anything.”

At that moment, a ThunderCat worker came into the room. He and Panthro exchanged a brief set of instructions as the monitor took the chair in front of the main screen. After the briefing, the two noble ThunderCats left.

They entered the council room and took their usual chairs around the round table. Ben-gali, Pumyra, WilyKit, WilyKat, and his wife were already there. The children were in a playroom where Snarfer was taking care of them. The adults spoke on the hottest topic at that particular moment: the small uprisings on New Thundera.

While they talked, Lion-O entered the room. Everyone quieted as he sat down. As he spoke, Lion-O looked around the table. “It pains me to have to say this, but it is time.”

The others looked at each other searching for a clue as to what their leader was talking about. Lion-O continued, “It’s been a long twenty years, but I have finally come to the conclusion that Cheetara is gone for good.”

Tygra watched Panthro’s expression as the panther’s jaw dropped. It was not the reaction he was expecting.

WilyKit gasped and asked, “Why now, Lion-O? Did you find any evidence of that?”

Lion-O shook his head. “No, WilyKit. There is nothing new to report, but I know that she would have returned by now. She would have had to.” The lion thought about the date he had circled on his calendar. A date that had gotten closer each year until the day itself passed. He had held hope until the very last second, waiting for her arrival. However, she had not come home.

Cocking his head in confusion, Panthro inquired, “Why do you say that? Why would she have to return?”

“It’s nothing, Panthro,” Lion-O answered, trying to close the topic.

The panther leaned in his chair and rubbed his chin as he thought quietly to himself. The meeting continued, but Panthro paid no attention. Instead his mind was swimming with questions. What was going on? What did Lion-O know that no one else knew? Why did Cheetara have to return? Did it have something to do with her promise to come home next month? Did that mean that Lion-O had miscalculated her return?

A statement by Lion-O woke Panthro from his thoughts. He quickly turned his attention to the lion and interrupted the meeting. “What do you mean by saying that Lion-O? You are only going to give the lions a chance at the anointment trials?”

“Yes, Panthro.”

“But why just the lions? Aren’t the other clans good enough to have the opportunity, like the...cheetahs for instance?” The panther immediately regretted the remark. But he was upset and was not about to let Lion-O off the hook now.

“Yeah, Panthro has a point,” WilyKit agreed. “Opening it up to just the lions won’t end the uprisings. If anything, it will make things worse.”

“The lions have always held this position,” Lion-O argued. “I can’t change things now.”

Panthro remarked, “No, that’s not true. Jaga was Lord, but he did not come from the lion clan, did he Lion-O?”

“But he was Lord along with Claudus,” Tygra pointed out.

“Tygra’s right,” WilyKat added. “Jaga was only Lord with the knowledge that Claudus’s son would be heir. None of Jaga’s children, had he had any, could have been Lord.”

“See?” Lion-O replied. “I’ll just have to tell the Thunderians that is my ruling. They have to accept it. Now, on to other matters.”

Panthro stood up and put his hands on the table, so he could stare at Lion-O face to face. “I can’t believe you are saying that!” He paused for a moment then whispered, “She was right.”

“What are you talking about? Who was right?” Ben-gali asked.

Panthro glanced at the Siberian, anger burning in his eyes. Instead of answering the question, he turned back to Lion-O. “You bastard!”

Lion-O became shocked which soon turned to anger. He stood up and shouted, “What do you mean by calling me that?”

“What do I mean? Ha! As if you didn’t know,” Panthro replied. “Should I remind you in front of everyone, so they can know what you did?”

“How would I know when I don’t know what you are talking about?” he replied back indignantly.

Panthro took a deep breath and felt all eyes on him, waiting for an explanation. How could he tell them what he knew? It could cause the destruction of the ThunderCats, a fate worse than the problem. Instead of giving an explanation, Panthro said, “You should have abandoned me.” In disgust, he slammed his chair under the table and stormed out of the room.

“Should I go talk to him?” Tygra questioned.

Lion-O shook his head. “No. I’ll talk to him later when he’s cooled off. We have a council meeting to finish.”

“What was he talking about?” Pumyra asked. “We have a right to know, Lion-O.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” Lion-O answered, sitting down again.

“And to think that he said things were going to be changing next month,” Tygra retorted, folding his arms. “That’s the last time I take him seriously if he won’t tell me what he’s talking about.”

“Enough!” Lion-O announced. “I’ll give the announcement tomorrow about my decision on the future Lord of the ThunderCats. We’ll need to prepare for the trials. I want this over with as quickly as possible. It’s bad enough that we’ll have to train them ourselves for six months.”

WilyKit went over the conversation again to herself. Something did not set right with her. There was something going on, and Panthro knew about it. So without a word, she started to stand up to leave.

“Where are you going?” WilyKat asked.

“Oh, um, I’m feeling sick. I’m going to lie down,” she lied.

Lion-O nodded his head in approval. WilyKit left the room and hurried to find Panthro.

*****

Panthro stopped the Thundertank, the cheetah headquarter building shining in the tank’s lights. He jumped out of the vehicle and raced to the front door. As he pounded on the door, the panther shouted, “Let me in!”

A light came on in one of the windows on the second story. A minute later, the front door was opened by two cheetah guards. “What is your business at this later hour?” one of them asked.

“I need to talk to Cheetara,” Panthro answered.

The two guards looked at each other and shrugged. The other remarked, “We know no Cheetara.”

Panthro sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Go get Candra for me.”

“Sir, unless this is important we cannot...”

“GO GET HER NOW!” Panthro yelled out in his commanding voice.

The two guards gulped and ran back into the building. They went into Candra’s private chamber where she was waiting for them. They explained the situation to her.

“It’s okay. Go let the ThunderCat in,” she ordered in a soothing tone. “I’ll meet him in the war room.”

The two cheetah guards nodded their heads and left the room. Candra put on appropriate attire and brushed her hair. When she was pleased with her appearance, the cheetah leader left her room and walked to the war room. At her entrance, the two guards saluted and left her alone with the ThunderCat.

“Oh, Panthro. It is you again. What is it that brings you here this time?” Candra took her seat at the head of the table, waiting for his reply.

“I need to talk to Cheetara. It’s very important.”

Candra knitted her eyebrows and lied, “Cheetara? I don’t know a Cheetara. Are you sure that is her name?”

“What do you mean you don’t know a Cheetara?” Panthro asked, getting angry. “I was here just a few months ago and talked to her.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know whom you’re talking about,” Candra responded.

A voice from outside the hall said, “How about Mara? Can we talk to her?”

The two of them watched WilyKit enter the room. Panthro eyed her and questioned, “How did you know where I was?”

WilyKit smiled and replied, “Lucky guess?” When Panthro did not buy her answer, she explained, “I followed the tracking device on the Thundertank. Don’t worry, I turned it off before I came in.”

The panther groaned when he remembered that he had left on the tracking device. All the ThunderCat vehicles were equipped with such a device and were usually kept on in case of trouble. “Thanks, Kit.” He turned his attention back to Candra. “It’s really important that I talk to her. Especially now that Lion-O might know where I am.”

Candra shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sorry. But I promised Mara asylum. I can’t tell you where she is residing.”

Kit sat down and pleaded, “Please. Just call Cheetara...I mean...Mara and ask her if we can meet with her. Please?”

The cheetah leader frowned but remarked, “Fine. I’ll do that. If you will excuse me for one moment.”

*****

Cheetara awoke and sat up in her bed. From the partially opened curtain at her window, she could tell that it was early in the morning. The sun had yet to rise. She then looked to the other side of the bed and noticed it was empty. She frowned and got up. Quickly, she found her clothes on the floor, putting them back on.

“Lion-O?” She called out, opening the bedroom door. Yawning, Cheetara rubbed her eye and walked down the dark hallway. On the way to the control room, she noticed that the light was on in his private study. She smiled and walked into the room. Expecting to see Lion-O, she gasped in surprise when Jaga’s image floated before her. He pointed at her and stated, “You have begun to mar the rich inheritance of Thundera. You must be stopped!”

Cheetara began shaking her head and backing out of the room. “No, no, Jaga. Not me. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Liar!” Jaga roared. “You will not bring forth a heir fit enough to hold the Sword of Omens! I shall destroy you!” The ghost of the jaguar growled angrily and pulled out his sword.

With a small cry, Cheetara pulled out her staff just barely blocking the blow of the sword at her head. “Jaga! No!”

The cheetah continued blocking the strikes of Jaga’s blows until he tripped her. She fell back on the ground and quickly looked up to see her former leader right above her. His eyes burned with anger as he brought up the sword above him. Then, Jaga began to fade out as a new image appeared. Within seconds, Cheetara saw Lion-O above her, holding the Sword of Omens above him. He shouted out and started lowering the sword toward her. She cried out as she watched the sword coming at her.

“NO!!!”

With a shout, Mara sat up in her bed. She was drenched in her own sweat produced from the nightmare. Her breathing was erratic and her body was tangled in the bed covers.

The ringing of the communicator startled her. She jumped out of the bed and fumbled for the light switch on her lamp. Clicking it on, Mara squinted her eyes against the bright light and flipped on the communicator. “Mara here.”

“Mara, this is Candra. I’m sorry for calling so late, but ThunderCats Panthro and WilyKit are here. They are asking to speak with you.”

With her heart pounding, Mara asked, “Should I talk to them? What do you think?”

“I think you should. Panthro seems especially urgent to talk to you. Shall I tell them that you’ll meet them here.”

Mara closed her eyes and rubbed them as she replied, “No. Send them here. If it is urgent, that will save time.”

Candra paused for a moment then said, “Are you sure you want to risk that?”

“I have no qualms with Panthro or WilyKit. Yes, send them here.”

“Okay, I will. Candra out.”

Mara turned off the communicator and quickly got dressed. She briefly thought about waking up Kiros so that he could hide out somewhere else. But Mara decided to let him sleep. He would probably sleep through the conversation anyway. Even if the talking woke him, he had the better sense to stay in his room.

A few minutes later, Mara opened the door to let Panthro and WilyKit in. She hugged Panthro first, then embraced WilyKit as the young ThunderCat began crying. “Cheetara? I thought you were dead!”

“WilyKit? I almost didn’t recognize you.” Cheetara pulled back and wiped away the young ThunderCat’s tears. “In some ways, I did die. Please, come in and sit down.” She looked outside briefly before she closed the door. “Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

“No, we were not followed,” Panthro replied.

WilyKit nodded in agreement.

“What is so important that you needed to talk to me at this late hour?” she asked, sitting down next to WilyKit.

“I came to apologize to you, Cheetara. You were right about Lion-O,” Panthro replied.

Cheetara glanced at WilyKit before saying, “Does she know what you are talking about?”

“He explained it to me briefly,” she responded.

Panthro continued, “I don’t believe it myself, but you were right about Lion-O’s prejudice against you. He showed it tonight at the council meeting.”

“What happened?”

WilyKit said, “He’s going to make an announcement tomorrow morning.”

“Lion-O is opening up his position...but only to the lion clan,” Panthro finished.

Cheetara closed her eyes and shook her head. “I knew that this day would come. I was hoping it would be later.”