Author's Note: Hey guys, again I'm really, really, REALLY sorry for the incredibly long wait for an update I've been busy with the usual work, holiday stuff and the usual writer's block. For anyone who wants to know what the OC characters look like I've drawn some of them and submitted them to my Deviantart gallery: . I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter and I just want to thank you all for all the really sweet and supportive comments you've all given me about this story, you guys are awesome!:D

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"Mumm-Ra is real"

The seconds after Chief Varick said those three dreadful words seemed to stretch out for an eternity before the reality of the statement sunk in making everyone's blood run cold.

Malo was the first to finally speak up, "t-that!…That's not p-possible" he choked. With the shocked silence broken, the other elders started to panic.

"YOU'RE SERIOUS!? HE'S REAL!"

"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

"OH GREAT SPIRITS! WHAT'RE WE GONNA DO!?"

"I say we fortify the village and be ready to defend our home!"

"Are you mad?! There's no way we'd be able to fight off that demon!"

"What if we migrated the tribe somewhere else!?"

"That's the same as surrendering and running away with our tails between our legs! I'd sooner die than abandon my homeland!"

"And what of the rest of the tribe? You think anyone, especially mothers with pups, would prefer to starve and/or be killed by a monster!?"

"EVERYONE! Calm down! We're going to figure this out!" boomed Varick's voice but did very little to ease the growing panic in the room.

"Father, if what you saw was real then we must be ready to protect our land!" exclaimed Malo determination burning in his eyes.

"We need to think this through very carefully Malo, we must assess all options before taking action. But first things first, I want you to go get Lion-O's sword and gauntlet and bring them here, and Leila I want you to escort him back to his companions, they're probably very concerned" said to each of his children.

"Wha!? But father he-" Malo began to protest but a firm stare and slight growl from his father told him it best not to argue.

"Chief Varick, if there's anything I can do to help you and your tribe in this difficult time then you can count on the Thundercat's support" said Lion-O with complete sincerity.

This resulted in the chief giving him a warm smile and placing his paw upon Lion-O's shoulder and replying "thank you very much Lion-O, I deeply appreciate that and I will keep it in mind. But in the meantime you'd best meet back up with your friends and let them know what's going on. Oh, and if you wouldn't mind just letting Mayor Gophertan know how sorry I am for the trouble we've caused".

"I'll tell him sir, and I'm sure he'll be understanding when I explain your predicament"

"I'll see him safely back father, you can count on me!" chirped Leila pridefully.

Malo then returned with The Sword of Omens and its gauntlet in his claws. He roughly shoved them into Lion-O's hands before giving him a cold glare and once Varick was out of earshot he quietly growled,

"If it were up to me I'd send you back in pieces! Now get out!"

"Malo! Will you stop it!?" Leila growled back but he paid her no mind and went to join his father and elders.

"*sigh* Come on Lion-O let's get going"

They then left the cave and began walking back down the steps towards the village.

"Sheesh! Is your brother always such a grouch?" asked Lion-O

"I'm really sorry about him, he wasn't always this bad-tempered but ever since things started going South around here, he's become more and more short-tempered every day. But to be honest I think the real reason for his frustration is because he's not yet Chief" Leila explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see it is not just the current Chief who decides his or her successor, it is also the stone that decides. Just as my father told you the stone has a mind of its own and will not obey just anyone who holds the staff; at a certain point when the acting Chief becomes too old to lead they will choose a successor to take their place and wield the staff, but if the stone rejects them they will either have to choose someone else or keep leading until a later time. Sometimes the stone will act on its own and show the wielder a vision of whomever it sees as a better fit for Chief in the future; my father was going to retire being Chief years ago and hand it off to his son but the stone went into dormancy before he could. So needless to say my brother has been pretty moody since then" explained Leila.

"I see, though if I'm being honest, I can't really see him being great leader material, uh no offense" replied Lion-O.

"None taken and I agree, just make sure no one else hears you say that. Despite my brother's attitude he's still got a pretty tight following in the pack and they wouldn't take kindly to any badmouthing of Malo"

They continued their way through the village, Lion-O still getting some distrustful stares from passing wolfs as they went by. The silence was then broken by the high pitched sounds of wolf children running towards them.

"LEILA! LEILA! BIG SIS LEILAAA!" shouted one pup lunging right at the leopardess who caught him in her arms spinning much to his enjoyment. The rest of the pups were running in excited circles around her laughing and begging for attention. The sight was both endearing and intriguing to Lion-O, the pups were about the same height as Wilykit and Wilykat but they sounded much younger and they looked incredibly strong for such small youngsters; and the way Leila could pick them up and even throw them up in the air like they weighed nothing really made Lion-O wonder just how powerful she really was.

Just then another wolf came by and he was enormous! He had gigantic muscles covered in black and brown fur with a few scars dotted about and he looked to be about a foot or two taller than Panthro. But despite his fierce appearance he had an incredibly warm contagious smile that could make anyone feel at ease and want to smile back.

"Hey Leila! Sorry 'bout my little siblings jumping you again, I just couldn't keep them entertained long enough" he said with a hearty laugh.

He then turned to Lion-O and held out a huge paw to shake, "hey man my name's Kano, big brother to these little troublemakers and best friend to our lovely Leila here!"

"Nice to meet you Kano, I'm Lion-O Lord of the Thundercats and I'm guessing you're the friend of Leila's who hit me last night?" replied Lion-O taking the outstretched paw that then engulfed his entire hand and wrist in its grip.

Kano then let out an embarrassed laugh putting his other paw behind his head nervously "Yyyeeeaaahh, I'm really sorry about that dude. Sometimes I don't know my own strength and I get carried away, you aren't still hurting are ya?"

"Physically still sore, but otherwise I'm fine, no hard feelings"

Just then one of the excited pups came up to Lion-O eyes full of curiousity and just stared for a moment, then turned to Leila and then back to Lion-O.

"Hey, aren't you that cat person big brother brought home last night?"

"Hehe yup that's me" replied Lion-O who couldn't help chuckling at the youngsters phrasing.

"How come you and big sis Leila lookalike?"

This question did not go unnoticed by Leila who stilled at that moment and Kano began to look nervously between her and his little sibling. Noticing this sudden tension in their demeanour Lion-O tried to play it off casually.

"Uh, well I don't think we're that much alike, I mean-", but before he could get another word in another one of the pups chimed in.

"But Leila looks way more like you than she does to everyone else in the pack so what-"

"Alright that's enough! Don't be so rude!" Kano growled suddenly trying to put an end to the conversation before it got any more awkward, "big sis can't play with you all right now, she was in the middle of something just now, right Leila?"

Snapping out of her discomfort Leila replied with a weak smile "huh? Oh, yeah, I was just taking Lion-O back to his friends".

"Oh! Oh! I wanna come too!"

"Can we come with you to see his friends!? Can we!?"

"Yeah Big Sis can we!? Pleeeaaasse!?" begged all the pups bouncing with excitement.

But Kano stepped in and told them firmly that if they came along they wouldn't get two feet without getting bored and start hassling them to play again. He sent them off back home to help their mother with chores much to their grumbling dismay but they didn't argue too much before waving goodbye and heading home. Kano then offered to tag along with them in case of trouble which Leila gladly accepted mainly for the comfort of having a familiar face after such an uncomfortable moment. Lion-O wasn't entirely sure what it was that made Leila's mood change so suddenly but he had a suspicion that it had something to do with what that wolf pup had said to him.

Once they past the village gates and into the forest Lion-O could immediately tell there was something very wrong with those woods. It was the middle of Summer but rather than having lush bright green leaves the vegetation looked a sickly greyish colour, and instead of standing up firm with the vigour of life it was flopped over and sagging. It was as if the forest itself was weeping in despair as it was dying. The air was saturated with a strange chemical smell upon it, an unfamiliar scent that Lion-O couldn't quite place but knew that it just didn't belong in this world that should have been rich with the fragrance of flowers, earth and wildlife. However that was another oddity to this forest, there seemed to be no sign of any animal activity anywhere, even if he couldn't see them he should have at least hear something stirring. But there was nothing. Absolute nothing, no bird songs, no rustling of tiny creatures in the undergrowth, even the wind fell silent upon this miserable place.

'Geez, no wonder the wolves are so desperate! There really is nothing to find here. I've got to find a way to help them, stone or no stone I won't leave them to suffer' Lion-O thought with sympathy and resolve.

The three of them continued trekking through the miserable forest in relative silence, until Leila stopped suddenly, held up her hand to halt them.

Lion-O started to ask what was wrong but didn't manage to get a word in before Leila speeded off into the undergrowth brandishing a knife in her hand.

"I guess she must have spotted some prey nearby" said Kano before turning to Lion-O with a serious expression.

"Listen, since we got a moment alone I need to talk to you Lion-O"

"Sure, I actually wanted to ask you something too"

"I'm guessing it has to do with what happened earlier with what one of my little siblings said, am I right?"

Lion-o just nodded in response and Kano just sighed before continuing.

"I thought as much, we're both on the same page then. First off we're all fully aware that Leila's not a wolf but a cat, we're not stupid, and I'm pretty sure Leila knows herself that she's not like everyone else. I don't know if she's blissfully ignorant or in deep denial about it, but whenever anyone points out her differences she becomes very moody and sometimes even very defensive. The Chief has made very clear to everyone not to make a big deal about it and to treat her the same as any other wolf, but as you've seen sometimes the little ones don't always remember that" Kano explained.

"Okay I think I get it, but why keep up the charade? Don't you think it's a little unfair to her to let her keep living a lie? I mean how did she even become part of-?" Lion-O started to ask but stopped when Kano began to give a warning growl.

"Now look here Lion-O, you seem like a good guy, trust me I can usually tell instantly if someone's cool or not. But the point I'm trying to make here, and the one thing I want to ask of you, that I'm going ask you nicely just this once so you'd better not forget it is this. Please don't do anything to upset her about her identity! I know how it must seem, like we're all just messing with her; but I assure you, almost everyone sees her as a staple part of this pack and none of them want her to feel like she doesn't belong with us. It would break her heart" Kano implored with pure sincerity in his eyes, Lion-O couldn't bring himself to argue when it was apparent how sensitive this topic was so he nodded and replied.

"Okay I won't say anything to her, wolf or otherwise she's part of your pack"

Kano smiled gratefully "Thanks Lion-O I appreciate it, and who knows, maybe if she spent some time with you and your other cat friends she may come to accept the truth on her own. She does seem to have taken quite a 'liking' to you" he gave Lion-O a suggestive wink while nudging him with his elbow before Leila reappeared carrying an incredibly skinny looking dead animal over her shoulder.

"Phew! For a malnourished little guy, he sure gave me one heck of a chase!" panted Leila triumphantly.

The three of them continued onward and by the time the scents and sounds of civilisation were upon the wind the sun was descending casting deep purple shadows and soft orange light through the forest canopy.

"Well I think this is as far as me and Kano should go, don't want to get spotted by angry townsfolk. Just keep heading that way and you'll be back to town in no time" said Leila pointing in the intended direction.

"Alright thanks again Leila, Kano. Um, when will I hear from you- I mean hear from your father again?" asked Lion-O with a slight blush.

"It's hard to say, I'm sure my Father trusts you, but he'll need the full consent of the pack and the elders before he can negotiate some kind of plan with you. But when he does, I'll be the first one to let you know" replied Leila also blushing.

As Leila and Kano turned back towards their village, Kano turned his head back and gave Lion-O a knowing look and nod before running back. Now on his own the young lion made his way back to the town and hoped his friends wouldn't be too worried.

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"WAIT! Please Sir Tygra! You're in no condition to go venturing off into those woods! The wolves will kill you for sure!" pleaded an incredibly concerned Mayor Gopherton trying desperately to hold back said tiger.

"I can't just sit around anymore! I'm not waiting another minute to find out he's okay or not!" growled Tygra frustrated unfazed by the old mayors protests.

"The mayor's right Tygra! Remember last night, they completely outnumbered and overpowered us and we weren't even injured then!" protested Cheetara.

"They only got us because they had the element of surprise! If I use my invisibility I'll have an edge against them"

"I'm afraid that won't be enough. Even if they can't see you, the wolves have an incredible sense of smell and hearing, they'll no know you're there before you have a chance of fighting back" argued Gopherton.

"Well what else are we to do!? It's been a whole day and still there's no word from him!" argued Tygra becoming increasingly frustrated by his inability for action. Just then they saw a large crowd forming further up the street towards the forest entrance and more townsfolk rushing towards them.

Panthro then called to a passerby "Hey! What's going on up there!?"

"Someone said it's your Lion friend! He's alive!" he replied excitedly.

At this all the Thundercats and the Mayor rushed forward to see for themselves and sure enough walking through the crowd of curious onlookers was Lion-O alive, well and desperately trying to reassure the concerned townsfolk of his condition. Wilykit and Kat were the first to weave through the crowd to get to him.

"Lion-O! You're okay!" exclaimed Wilykit giving her king a tight hug round his waist.

"Wow Lion-O! How did you get away from the wolves without a scratch!?" asked Wilykat excitedly.

"That's exactly what we wanna know too!" said Panthro after making it through the excited throng.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE BACK IT UP ALREADY!" Mayor Gopherton suddenly bellowed instantly silencing the chattering crowd and turning everyone's attention to him.

"I know you're all very excited and curious about our guest's well-being especially after what he's been through, but right now I think it best to give him some space to recover and talk with his companions" said the Mayor attempting to calm them down.

"But what of those vicious wolves!?"

"Yeah can you at least tell us what those beasts are planning!?"

"Are those savages going to attack again soon?!"

To hear the townspeople calling the wolves such cruel names and assuming the worst of them especially after just witnessing for himself the struggle and misery they're in, Lion-O couldn't help but feel resentful of their ignorance. Before he had a chance to argue a response back to them the Mayor once again told the people to go home for now and that all their questions will be answered tomorrow, he then escorted Lion-O and the others back to his home. Once there Lion-O explained to Gopherton all he had learned of the wolves' situation and why they took him in the first place.

"So it's just as I suspected, with the herds of prey missing and the plant life failing, it's no wonder they turned their attention towards our town. And now with the possible threat of Mumm-Ra they're going to be even more desperate" said the Mayor gravely with no shortage of sympathy in his voice.

"Hold on so let me get this straight, the wolf leader saw a vision of you and now they think you're supposed to be the key to fixing this problem of theirs?" asked Tygra sceptically.

"Well yes and no, their leader Varick believes that, but most of the others are pretty distrustful and think the opposite like seeing me was a bad omen" replied Lion-O.

"So what should we do? How are we gonna help them?" asked Wilykit.

"Woah! Hold on a sec! Look I'm all for heroics and all that but is this really our problem to solve? You did make it clear that if we don't get that stone of theirs then Mumm-Ra will come and take it for himself right!?" protested Panthro.

"I'm with Panthro on this one Lion-O, it doesn't sound like you really tried hard enough to convince them of this impending danger!" added Tygra.

"Look it's not that simple, they were already angry enough at having a stranger in their territory, some were even talking about killing me because I had seen and heard too much! And besides we can't just take it from them, it's something sacred to their tribe, I mean just think about it, if some stranger we just met came up to me and said he needed to take the sword of Omens for some vague purpose, you think I would just hand it over without question?" reasoned Lion-O.

"Well uh…I guess you've got a point there" conceded Tygra.

"Okay so what do we do now? Are we seriously just going to sit around and wait for them to come around!? I don't know about the rest of you but I don't feel all that jazzed about doing nothing while Mumm-Ra could be right on our tails!" growled Panthro frustrated.

"Calm down Panthro, we don't know for sure if Mumm-Ra even knows about this stone yet, and if so this could give us a real advantage the next time we have to face him. And look, I don't like having to wait around either but at this point there's really nothing else we can do; but hey if any of you want to go marching into the woods and start making demands be my guest but I seriously doubt you'd get very far convincing them before they dig their fangs into you" said Lion-O dryly, no one else could think to argue after that, and so begrudgingly everyone agreed to wait it out and hope to hear back from the wolves soon.

That night while everyone else in the guest house was fast asleep, Lion-O was still awake mind-reeling pondering over the day's events and about what may come next, 'how long will it be until the chief and the elders come to a decision? If they decide not to trust us with the stone, what then? I don't want to have to resort to stealing it!? We've got enough enemies as it is! And…Leila, what's her story? Does she really believe she's one of them? She is really is something else! Ugghh! Come on Lion-O don't get distracted with that again! Focus on the stone and our mission, how are we going to earn their trust enough to convince them to give us the stone?'

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Meanwhile back at the wolf village Leila, also unable to sleep was lying on top of one of the village houses looking up at the stars lost in her own thoughts.

'*sigh* Father and the elders still haven't come to a decision! I want to believe that the stone showing us Lion-O was a good sign, but how do I convince everyone else that we can trust him and his companions? I mean I know tradition dictates that we keep to our own and to not allow outsiders into our territory but if we don't put aside our old ways we may not last for much longer! I don't want to revert back to stealing from the town, we could end up going to war with them and no one has the strength for that. Oh great spirits above what'll we do?!'

Sighing frustrated she sat up and was about to make her way off the roof when a very faint but instantly recognisable scent drifted passed freezing her on the spot. Leila lifted her well-trained nose to the air taking in as much of the scent as physically possible while desperately hoping that her nose wasn't deceiving her 'if that scent is what I think it is, then there may be hope for us yet, still I've got to make sure for certain'. She then jumped down and started sprinting towards the source of the smell and to what she prayed would be the one thing to get the Thundercats in the pack's good graces.

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End Note: Phew! Finally after almost an entire year this story's finally been updated. I can't guarantee that the next chapter will come sooner, but one way or another this story will be completed (eventually). Anyways hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and let me know what you think, but most of all have an awesome day!:D