Disclaimer: No. I have no rights to it, nor do I make money off it. I'd have fancier software on my computer if I did. And no school loans.

"I walked across an empty land.
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.
I felt the earth beneath my feet;
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in.
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin."

Somewhere Only We Know, Keane

Cheetara finished washing up, drying her fur with slow movements down her legs. She then pulled on the pajamas she'd brought and slipped out of the room, turning the light off, appreciating the coolness of the dark.

She was tired. It was a pleasant, peculiar tired that spread all the way to her fingers and toes, and her skin was still warm. It was a chore to get up to clean off, but not doing so would have felt very awkward in the morning. The bed was soft, inviting, and she climbed in and dragged the blanket over herself, liking the feeling of the blanket against her clean fur.

Thinking a little more, she laid her head on Lion-O's bare chest, listening to his heartbeat and the sound of his slowed breathing. It took a few minutes for him to wake up, and she spent them listening and watching, and thinking as always. He opened his eyes and looked at her. His pupils were wide and she ran her claws through his mane, teasing the ends and rolling the thick locks around her fingers. It was tousled and wild.

"Hey."

Lion-O didn't respond immediately, blue irises focused on her sleepy lashes. His eyelids drooped as well. "Hi," he said faintly. He smelled nice, musky, and Cheetara curled up against him again. He rubbed one paw over her back, between her shoulder blades, and said, "Are you okay?"

"Mm-hm." Conversation seemed difficult at that moment; they were tired, but Cheetara felt him relax at her assurance. "It was really nice, I think."

"Are you sure?" Cheetara frowned at him and he meekly said, "Sorry. I don't want you to fib to make me feel better is all."

"Oh, I'm a little sore right now, sure. But that happens no matter what. Good grief Lion-O, you want me really in pain, make me remember my first day of gym in high school. They worked us so hard that day we were about to vomit. That was pain(1). This is nothing."

Caught off guard by this, Lion-O laughed once. It was soft like cold mist. "I guess that's a good thing?"

"Definitely." It was different she realized. She was no longer a virgin. And neither was he.

She had wondered if perhaps she would feel a little strange, perhaps as if she'd lost something. But she didn't feel like it had been lost. Not when it was here, with him and married. That felt good. There was no fear of embarrassment with each other; they were to remain together, learn each other. It was safe. It felt secret, sacred, like a hiding place only they knew.

Lion-O suddenly shifted. "Could I get something really quick?"

Shrugging, Cheetara moved so he could sit up. He gave her a sheepish look and slid out of bed, but not before she grinned wickedly and snagged his wrist. "Lion-O, you're not going to be body shy around me now are you?"

"Not really…I just wanted to get my boxers. You got your clothes on." He sat back down on the bed. Mischievously, Cheetara sat up fully and slid over, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Cheetara…" he mumbled uncomfortably.

"What?" She draped herself over his shoulder, dotting kisses along his jaw. He didn't seem to mind that, leaning back into her arms. "I've already seen it. And the birthmark."

Lion-O groaned. "Not that thing…"

"It's just a spot of blond fur on your behind. I don't see why it's a problem." They laid down beside each other, blankets tugged up warmly, and Cheetara's finger slid along his chest, following his clavicle and then the shape of his pectoral.

"When a lion earns the nickname 'Blondie-Butt,' it's a problem." They looked at each other for a silent moment, mouths twitching. Then they started cracking up at the same time. Laughter broke through the room and Cheetara pulled at his shoulder until she'd coaxed him into lying his head on her chest. He put a paw on his forehead sleepily, thinking, and then asked, "So…what do you want to do first tomorrow?"

"Mm…I don't know. What time does that scuba-diving thing start?"

"The flyer said ten in the morning. We could look around the festival a little more and get some breakfast if we get up early enough."

Cheetara nodded. There was silence for a minute or two as she considered her words. "Lion-O?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He combed his fingers through her fur, thumb rubbing against her spots. "I love you too." He turned his head and kiss her collar bone. Cheetara was surprised when he continued down from her collar and his breath warmed the cloth of her pajamas. Lion-O seemed to realize what he was doing and cleared his throat. "Um. Anyway."

Cheetara smiled and it was funny the way his eyes widened when she asked, "How about another go? Since we're both awake now."

"…Right now? Are you sure?" he asked. In reply she took ahold of him and rolled over so she was settled astride his hips. And that was the only answer that was needed.

"Tygra, are you sure it's still too early to call and check on them? What if the plane crashed or something?" Kit asked.

Kat rolled his eyes. "Kit, if a plane crashed it'd be all over the news. I can't believe they got to go to the Festival of the Ocean. I mean, I know it's their honeymoon and everything, but I wish we coulda gone too." He sighed. "Maybe some other time."

"They'll bring back presents for you guys I'm sure. Besides, when you get married you want some…private time," Tygra said at last, choosing his words carefully. He'd agreed to babysit, not educate them on the facts of life.

"Why?" Kit asked. "Are they gonna be kissing a lot?"

Recalling that Cheetara had wanted to talk to the kittens when they got back, Tygra rolled the thought around delicately before saying, "…Yes. They're going to be lovey-dovey and don't want to subject you to that."

She shrugged. "I guess it's okay then. But I don't mind when they kiss."

"That's 'cuz you're girly," Kat muttered. "Girls usually like romance more." Both of them were at the kitchen table, still eating. He'd made spaghetti – a safe bet with children – and they were nearly finished.

A sigh from the other end of the table made him look over. "Snarf, c'mon. It's only a week."

"Snar-arf." Snarf was plopped into a booster seat, chasing a meatball around his bowl unhappily. His whiskers and ears wilted, tiny mouth set in a frown.

"This is one of the first times Snarf's been away from Lion-O in the past two years," Kit observed.

"He didn't mind so much a couple years ago when he stayed back with me. You know…at Christmas." Tygra thought back on that time with regret. He had wanted to pull back into Pantherle and sulk instead of appreciating what family was left. But time had eased the ache and he liked having the kittens over. He'd had them visit for a day before and spent time with them, but not for several days.

"Yeah, but this is the first time Lion-O went with Cheetara on a trip alone. I think he's just jealous," Kit said frankly. Snarf looked affronted and guilty at the same time.

"You can e-mail him. Or call him if you want." Snarfy meowed at him and Tygra took another bite. "I still can't understand you."

"I think that was an, 'Okay I'll do that,'" Kat explained. "Hey, did we tell you? One of our teachers is from Sava-Na, and she knows about Snarfs! She says they're originally from there and people import them as pets."

Tygra cocked his head, watching as Snarf used a fork to eat. "Really? That's strange…Jaga and Cheetara had never heard of them."

"Well, trading them like that is illegal. Since they understand speech and can reply – to some people anyway – they're protected under different laws. Unfortunately, they can't really defend themselves, so people exploit them and steal them." Kat's face darkened and Kit crossed her arms.

"Snarf, do you remember where you came from? I remember that Cheetara and Jaga took you in when you were brought in for stealing food as a stray. But what about before that?"

Snarf chewed and tilted his ears thoughtfully. "Snar-snarf-snarf."

Tygra looked at the kittens. Kit seemed troubled. "He says the first thing he remembers was being in a box with his mom and brother and sisters. Then they were separated. He ran away as soon as he could."

Blinking, Tygra suddenly felt pity for the little creature. Noticing that everyone was looking at him, Snarf put down his utensils – the plate was empty – and meowed at them. "Snarf says that he knew we were safe to be with and that he's happy he has the family he has now," Kat said, and Tygra felt a little better when Snarf got to his feet and traipsed over the table and hopped into Kit's lap, purring.

"Does Lion-O know about this? Sounds like something we could try to impede."

Much to the chagrin of many of Thunder Enterprises' competitors, not only did they outdo them in production in profits, they also outdid them in charitable causes. Which made sense, considering they had more to give. They gave millions every year to no less than fifty charities, and to add one more to the list would certainly be simple.

What could he say? The idea of an unhappy Snarf perturbed everyone. And the thought that they were being stolen from Sava-Na was a bad one. He was less perturbed about pet cruelty, but Snarfs had a higher cognitive ability. They were tiny people in a way, and they had to be treated with respect depending on how the Snarf like to be treated.

And in Snarf's case, yes, that did mean being carried around like a pet, rubbed on, and sleeping at the foot of the bed. He enjoyed these things.

The kittens helped Tygra clean up the dishes and wrap the leftovers. He felt a little awkward; Lion-O's apartment at least had some games and things the kittens could enjoy, and movies they liked. He had very few of those things in his somber, sophisticated kind of living quarters.

The kittens were of many interests it would seem. Kat was sucked in by some television show on the foundation of Thundera and Kit found his photo albums and started looking through all the pictures, asking him questions about the past. "We're being encouraged to ask people about their childhoods to compare to our own. Plus whoever gets the most stories and signatures saying they've had people tell them about it gets a candy bar."

Tygra leaned back on sofa while she climbed contentedly into his lap. "You can go to any store and get a candy bar for less than a dollar, Kit."

"Yeah. But the taste of victory makes it better. Besides, I like stories." Tygra could not recall any such thing when he started the sixth grade. Even so, it was fun to go through the pictures and remember things about Dad and the past.

"This one is when I got braces. It was a few days before my birthday. Talk about a sucky present." He looked at the next one and snorted. "Lion-O fell into my birthday cakes, look at the mess. I didn't care, I just wanted the ice cream because my mouth hurt. He bawled for an hour though. He thought he'd ruined my birthday."

"Aw. That's so sad." Tygra shook his head.

"I couldn't eat cake anyway. Not for a few more days. He tried to bake one himself to make up for it." Kit gave him a funny look.

"Cheetara won't let us use the oven alone yet. She's been showing us how to put dishes in and stuff."

"Yeah…well he wasn't supposed to. Dad chewed him out for messing with the stove." He grew quiet, brooding. Sensing this, Kit nudged him.

"He was just worried about him. Same thing with Cheetara. I played on my skates without a helmet and hit my head once and she got real upset. It was just 'cause she was scared I was hurt."

Tygra smiled. "I can't picture her yelling."

"She doesn't yell at us. But her face gets all puckered and she talks really clear and fast. Then she has to go do something to cool off." Kit smiled. "Like when Lion-O let us watch a scary movie one night."

The corners of his mouth moved up and Tygra laughed. "Oh, this I have to hear. The perfect couple fights?"

"Aw, sure. Not like throwing stuff or anything like in the movies, but they bicker some. Not much though. See, we were bugging him all evening about watching a ghost movie that was PG-13 and were bragging and saying how it wouldn't scare us. It took a while but he finally said we could as long as we turned it off if we started getting scared. But even though we were both really scared of the movie, we wouldn't turn it off because we didn't want to be chicken. Well, Kat peed the bed because he wouldn't go to the bathroom because the ghosts were in there in the movie-"

"Kit, you promised!" Kat called indignantly.

"-And Cheetara found out we'd seen the movie even though we were only ten. Boy, she was mad. I guess it was our fault really; we told him we'd be okay. That's when Lion-O said there was a stringent no-scary-movies-above-PG rule."

Tygra liked having the kittens around. They were a bizarre mixture of innocent and clever, and they were growing up every day. But they still didn't feel that they were too old to cuddle up on the couch and fall asleep on the adults, which was kind of sweet in a way. He shifted Kit to the other side with a blanket and a pillow when she started drooling on him as she slept, and Kat fell asleep sprawled on the floor. He was moved to the couch as well and Tygra went into his bedroom at eleven, feeling tired.

Altogether it had been a good day. Wedding went well, the Reys were angry and couldn't do anything about it, Lion-O and Cheetara were off doing whatever – his mind recoiled at the thought of "little brother" and "sex" being in the same sentence for some reason – and he was meeting with Pumyra tomorrow to let the kittens and Bengali spend the day together.

He thought back with some embarrassment the sensation of the bouquet landing in his paws and falling back in surprise. He'd expected a painful impact with the floor, not the not-so-painful impact of himself against Pumyra. She hadn't seemed to mind much, but it was still a little awkward to land headfirst in her lap.

Even if it had been a rather comfortable lap. Not to mention she smelled like perfume.

"Snarf." He sat on the side of the bed, looking at Snarf with arched eyebrows. Snarf was kneading the foot of the bed, settling in.

"Who said you could sleep there?" Tygra asked.

Snarf turned to him, tilted one ear back and made his eyes look round and shiny. The result was cute and a little woebegone. "Sn-Snarf…?"

"Oh, quit, I was kidding. Just give me some space, okay? I don't usually share my bed." Snarf yawned and made himself a suitable indentation in the blankets before curling up and purring.

"Hope they're having fun."

"Snarf-Snarf."

"…Yeah. Whatever you said."

Lion-O and Cheetara decided to forgo the continental breakfast that morning and instead headed out for the food stands of the festival. Though Cheetara lamented the amount of fried food – which she really liked but limited herself on due to dieting reasons – Lion-O told her they would be running all over the place, so they both indulged. There were lots of people and even foreigners, so it was fascinating to watch them. Brightly colored birds with long tail feathers favored the fried pastries, cats went after the fish with sauce, and dogs were enthralled with the barbecue.

Lion-O and Cheetara tried a little bit of most of it. It was funny to watch the interactions and Lion-O enjoyed seeing the different species interact so lightly.

"If one thing can make people get along, it's business," he joked. But in a way it was true. He and Cheetara both cringed slightly when a cutesy couple started feeding each other candies in front of everyone. This was accompanied with much nose-crinkling and several pet names.

"I don't think we do that. Do we?" Lion-O asked.

In response Cheetara took one of the pastries that was left on his plate – she was out and he didn't stop her – and ate it. "I'm pretty sure I force fed you a cracker once. But it wasn't so…saccharine?"

"Eh. They're young." He tool one of her fish strips in response, dipping it in the sauce. It was pleasantly crunchy and tasted salty.

"I give it a month."

It took an hour to reach the scuba diving area and another hour to set up and be prepped for the venture. The wait was worth it; they didn't go terribly deep into the ocean, but led by several Nai they were shown the coral reefs and parts of the villages along the coastal shelf. The Nai themselves were incredibly beautiful with pale purple scales that were smooth and soft, and darker violet tendrils flowed from their heads like jellyfish tentacles. There was translucent webbing between their fingers and toes and long fins attached to their legs and arms. They had soft smiles and dark, exotic eyes and wore very little save for pieces of gold jewelry. The clothing thing wasn't a big deal; their gills allowed them to breathe underwater and their anatomy was different from mammals'. The women had no breasts and from what Lion-O understood, Nai had internal reproductive organs similar to most fish.

So they could swim in the nude with impunity. They seemed amused at how much the surface dwellers wore though they never said anything.

They never dove far enough to warrant any reconditioning to pressure, so Lion-O and Cheetara rose to the surface several hours later, exhausted and surprised by the size of the shallow village.

"It's easier to attract visitors when you're only a few feet below the water level. Besides, we like coming up on land," the Nai told them.

After seeing the glittering village and the seashells and coral that built it, the two roamed the beaches, the games, the various shows. Cheetara picked out several books on the history of the area for Kat and CD samples of the traditional music for Kit. Everyone back home would get souvenirs.

The days dripped by like honey, sweet and slow. But after a week passed, the Nai began to return to the ocean and some of the elaborate decorations began to come down. Snarf called and informed them that they were missed, and they were treated to nearly half an hour of the kittens telling them all about what they'd done with Tygra, Pumyra, Bengali and Panthro.

"You guys better be taking lots of pictures! We've been having fun at school and helping Bengali work on a new model of Thundrillium generator. It's supposed to be tiny and portable. He was trying different designs."

"We helped get him tools," Kit said honestly. "Because we still don't know most of what he's talking about…"

It was on the last night of their honeymoon that Lion-O and Cheetara walked on the beach again, sand cool from the dark and air chilly from the foam of the ocean.

"It's been wonderful. But y'know, I'll be glad to be getting home." Cheetara held his paw and pressed her toes into the damp sand and looked back at the footprint. "I will miss the beach."

Lion-O felt pleasantly cool and comfortable, full of general goodwill. "We can come back next summer if you want. We'll make a family trip of it, and the kittens can go swimming. Maybe we can get Panthro some swimming lessons out here too."

"What? He can't swim?" Cheetara grinned at him and he shook his head.

"It's a deep, dark secret. Don't tell anyone. Thankfully he's tall, so he's almost never over his head. I still want him to learn how."

Cheetara draped her shawl a little more tightly around her shoulders. It was pastel colored and warm enough to keep her from shivering. They were hand woven by quetzal women, and the patterns made him think fondly of his mother; she would have loved something like that. He extended an arm and took her paw warmly, watching the cold waves roll. "It's going to be different with you and the kittens living in the apartment. Not to mention we'll have to be careful about them, ah…hearing."

She gave him a sly look. Lion-O scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean, you know. Here we didn't have to worry. But with the kittens and Snarf around, we'll have to be more careful about privacy."

"Yes. That's true. It'll be nice raising them in a two-parent household." She took hold of his paws and swung them gently. He bent his elbows to bring her close, out of the reach of a far-reaching wave.

"Yeah. And we've always got other 'parents' to turn to." He smiled and tried not to let it falter. Even so, Cheetara gave him a long look.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Well…"

They continued walking, fingers linked. "I didn't want to mention it until the honeymoon was almost over, but…did you expect the Reys to put up a bigger fuss than they did?"

"Yeah. I was surprised they didn't say anything during the ceremony. They griped during the reception, but that was bearable." Cheetara could see the hotel's lights coming on in the dark evening. It made her think of getting out of her shorts and tank top in favor of a hot bath, and the two of them relaxing until tomorrow when they boarded their flight. Almost everything was packed and the plane left at ten; they'd be home by early afternoon.

"Sinhal pestered me after the ceremony for an annulment, but I just told him to get over it. He just gave up pretty easily and didn't give me all the usual garbage. I don't trust it. I hope I'm wrong, but…"

"Hey," she interrupted. "We've dealt with them so far. We'll deal with them again if we have to." Cheetara shrugged her shoulders. "We've got everyone else to help us even if they do try to cause trouble."

Lion-O squeezed her paw. "I know. It's just that things have been so great. I hate to think it might be brought to an end by anybody, especially my family. Things can't stay perfect for long, but it's really nice while it lasts."

The walk back to their room was quiet and the street lights were soft over the street. Cheetara took a bath, savoring the whirlpool bath for the last time, and Lion-O took a shower after her. Lion-O had felt awkward at first about sleeping in the same bed as Cheetara – he'd never shared one with anyone before save Snarf – but by now he liked the feeling of her head on the pillow next to his or resting on his arm. Even if his arm did start tingling unbearably when it fell asleep.

"So. Did you want to take advantage of our last evening of complete privacy?" she asked, lying down on the bed beside him. Her blond mane draped over his shoulder.

Lion-O slowly wound her mane around his fingers. It was soft and clean. The nightgown she wore was short and it took him a second to say, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm about to fall asleep. I think we should wait until tomorrow." He smiled sheepishly and his face turned red. "Besides we've been pretty busy the past few days. I'm beat. Well…there goes my sense of manliness."

She scoffed. "Oh, like those romance novels are based in reality." Cheetara pulled the blanket up over them. "Just thought I'd offer. But I'm tired too, I suppose." Her lips curved coyly and she planted a kiss on his mouth. "'Night, Lion-O."

"Goodnight Cheetara." He watched her as he fell asleep, listening to her breathing slow peacefully and thinking hazily about the Reys and Thunder Enterprises; life would have to start again, and he wanted to be ready for it. He'd learned his lesson years ago about not taking up for himself, and he didn't intend to make the mistake again. Not when his family and new wife were depending on him.

"Just wait. I won't let anyone ruin our family. I promise." His index finger trailed down her jawline and he drifted off at last, Cheetara's head cradled against his neck.

"Whiskers, whiskers, whiskers."

He hadn't run in a long time, and it was especially hard carrying the canister and with a bruised foot. Nobody was following him; everyone was either running past him or – in the case of police and firefighters – running toward the place he'd been.

Tor hated explosives. He hated anything like them. He'd never wanted to build one, and even thought it had been barely big enough to stop the lizards, he felt dirty. Slithe had jumped back and been blinded by the flash, and he'd grabbed the case and bolted past them.

What would Slithe paint it as? Just some accidental energy output like last time? Tor wanted to throw up, but that would involve stopping.

Where could he run? What place in the world could possibly be far enough from Mumm-Ra?

Tor's stomach ached and at last he had to pause. An old television was playing in a window and the people around here were mostly dogs, wandering the sidewalk and heading home in the dark. They didn't look up at a dirty, exhausted cat. Most of the shops were rundown, some of the older sections of Tretierra.

Tor leaned on the wall, canister still tucked beneath his sweater. If anyone saw it glowing they'd know something was up. Well, that or they'd think it was a Christmas decoration of some sort. The bright green light might have been pretty if the glass walls weren't charged with its energy, making his fur stand on end.

It was better than carrying it in his bare paws. With a piece this size, that would prove fatal in twenty minutes.

I have to destroy it. But Mumm-Ra's already got the research…so what will that do? Tor wiped the corners of his mouth, feeling spittle there. Where do I go? God, I need a miracle here…a sign or something.

No divine light shone down from the heavens and Tor put his palm over his eyes. He fought the urge to cry, thinking of being found and carted back and killed. Dying itself wouldn't be so terrible, he didn't think. But dying knowing what horrors Mumm-Ra Ammit would have control of, and having that guilt all on himself…that would be awful.

That television was very loud. It made it hard to think. Even through the glass it was blaring, although considering chunks of the pane were missing, that wasn't a surprise.

"Thunder Enterprises has announced that their newest generators will be portable, making energy transport between continents much easier. For many countries suffering a lack of industrial development, this might prove to be just the boost needed to improve their chances of becoming economically independent. Some experts are predicting a massive altercation in the stock market in the next ten years due to Thunder Enterprises' astonishing influence in the realm of energy and global marketing."

Tor lifted his head and stared at the television. Thunder Enterprises…he'd barely heard anything about it in the past six months but dirt. Black Pyramid had been shunted deep into the shadows because of it. He remembered Lion-O, and to know that a friend had been so successful and had thrown a wrench in Mumm-Ra's bid for power made him feel suddenly fond of the company.

That was it. He nearly dropped the container. Thunder Enterprises was the answer. Lion-O of all people would believe him about Mumm-Ra and his lunacy. And he would have the power to do something about it. Tor felt lightheaded from the hope and started moving again.

He had no idea of how to get in contact with Lion-O. He had no phone and couldn't remember Lion-O's cell number anyway. But if he could just scrape a little money together, he might be able to make his way down to Pantherle.

Briefly considering the police, Tor realized that technically he could be arrested; this was stolen property. And anyway, Mumm-Ra wouldn't let him have the chance to talk.

This is bigger than me and Tretierra and Pantherle. Heck, it's bigger than Thundera. I just hope Lion-O's the same as ever. I've gotta do something…warn someone with the power to stop this.

Within three hours, police were searching for someone fitting Tor's description for stealing top-secret chemicals from a lab. But they were too late; Tor had gotten enough money together – dogs were more generous to cats on the street than cats would be to dogs –to get on a bus and was gone from Tretierra, heading south as fast and far as a creaky bus could carry him.

Lion-O and Cheetara were attacked by the kittens and Snarf as soon as they walked through Pumyra's door.

Snarf attached himself to Lion-O's head and the kittens slammed into their middles and hugged tightly. "You're back! Did you have fun? Ooh, presents!" Lion-O and Cheetara put down the bags they'd been carrying and gathered them up, listening to the excited chatter.

"It was really nice. We'll have to take everyone there next year sometime. And of course we got everyone presents." Cheetara had taken out the first ones – a seashell necklace and the CD for Kit – and given them to her, while Lion-O dug out Kat's books and a little box of stones and how to classify them. The kittens thanked them with much meowing and tail swishing, and Pumyra made it to the door looking a little bedraggled.

"They're…louder than Bengali," she said at last. "They behaved but…they're very energetic."

She was given one of the shawls, a feminine, silky thing for formal occasions, and a set of bath salts. Bengali received a glass box with a landscape of the sea painted inside. If he turned it upside down, blue goo fell down inside like little marbles in a perfect rhythm. They also gave him a little good luck wooden carving, but he was so entranced by the blobs of blue that it took a minute to get his attention back.

"How has everything been at the company?" Lion-O asked.

"Same old, same old. Deals and calls and the occasional Rey complaining. But they've been fairly quiet this week, so it's been good." Pumyra tried on the shawl, noticing that birds were embroidered in golden thread over the red silk. "This is very nice. Thank you."

"Cheetara picked it out. She thought it would match your necklace." Lion-O wanted to ask if Pumyra thought the Reys' behavior strange but decided that it would be better to thank her for looking after the kittens and let her get some rest. She uncomfortably accepted the kittens' hugs around her waist and shooed them gently back to Cheetara.

Panthro was with Tygra at the office that day, Lion-O learned, and headed in. Saturday was not a day Thunder Enterprises was very busy, but it wasn't unheard of for the two of them to work on something in their spare time. Tygra was writing an e-mail when Lion-O found him and gave him his gifts; one was a painting of the coast at night while the festival was lit up. "I thought it would go well in your office with Dad's landscapes." The other was a box of saltwater taffy.

"Lion-O, I haven't eaten taffy since before I got braces. What makes you think I'll still like it?" Tygra tried a piece, and, after chewing it for a while, took one more piece out.

Lion-O grinned. "What was that?"

"Shut up. And thanks, I guess."

Panthro was not amused to be told about the incredible amount of deep water on the coast, but he did like the sea-salt jerky they got him, along with a novel detailing the history of Eastern Thundera and its development. Sitting at his desk, he placed it atop his mess of papers and thumbed through some of the diagrams. "Thanks kid. Everything go okay?"

Lion-O blinked. "Like what?"

"You know what I mean. With the missus." He prodded the lion's side with an elbow. Lion-O blushed and coughed.

"That's not really…uh…well, yeah, I think so."

Panthro smirked and rolled his eyes. "Good. I think your dad would've liked her if given the chance to meet her."

Lion-O leaned on the desk with a paw. Cheetara was with the kittens at the vet clinic, checking up with the assistants to see how things had gone. "I hope so. He wasn't happy to know I was dating a cheetah."

"Ah, he woulda come around." Panthro's easy confidence was heartening, and the panther started looking for something. "Oh, I was supposed to give you something. Some Rey gal wanted to apply here and Tygra and I figured you ought to be the one to decide about it."

Lion-O's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

"Some lioness. She said wanted to move to Thundera to get out of Sava-Na. Didn't say why." Panthro found the page and handed it to him. "Not much experience, and she's only twenty. But she seemed pretty adamant that she'd work hard."

Lion-O took the paper and saw that it was a résumé. Scanning it, he took in her name. "'Arye?' I've heard the name, but I don't think I've talked to her…"

"She said she's available anytime and lives pretty close. How you deal with it is your business."

Lion-O considered the page. "Maybe she really wants to get out of Sava-Na. A lot of countries there are really great, but some of them don't respect women much. And being a young female Rey, she's probably being pressured into marriage." His skin crawled at the thought of having no say in who he could marry. "I think I will meet with her. I'm sure she can learn to be an assistant at the very least. Something to help her get a foothold in Thundera. Cheetara will understand."

Panthro shrugged. "Sounds fine to me. Good luck; we're going to be busy this week."

Lion-O turned to leave the room and said, "Everyone's favorite words."

Entering the building a little disheveled, Lion-O greeted the lobby workers and headed to the elevator, loosening his tie. "Mr. Rey? What were you doing?" a young man called.

"Helping my wife move the last of her belongings into my apartment. Sorry I'm late; are the messages backed up?"

"No, they're fine for now. Ms. Verus and Concolo have been dealing with them. Oh, and Ms. Rey arrived as you requested." He bit his lip.

"Thanks. Has she been waiting long?"

"Not at all. She just headed up a minute ago."

On the elevator ride up Lion-O smoothed his mane and re-tucked his shirt and did his tie. He still didn't always wear a suit jacket; it wasn't comfortable. Cheetara was going to open the vet clinic late today, so they'd taken the opportunity to move the last of the belongings to his apartment.

Their apartment rather. It felt curious and pleasant in his stomach to realize that. While Cheetara knew that financially it was quite unnecessary for her to work, she loved tending to animals and helping them. He loved that about her; she had a will and longed to help others. Tygra and the kittens had mentioned the treatment of Snarfs and she had been just as outraged as he to hear it. Pausing, he pulled out a notepad from his pocket and jotted down, "Look into Snarf Sanctuary and Education materials. Research Sava-Na laws for protection of Snarfs."

The bell dinged and Lion-O put the pad away. As soon as he stepped out he was greeted by several people.

"Welcome back, Mr. Rey."

"Thanks."

"How was the festival sir?"

"Good, thanks. How's the wife doing with the new baby?" he added, pointing at the person in particular. The man seemed pleased that he'd remembered.

"Very well. She's sleeping through the night."

Lion-O did his best to remember important things about his employees. Just because he was the boss didn't mean their lives didn't matter to him; many of them had stuck around for the shaky beginnings of Thunder Enterprises and had faith in him, and he appreciated that belief deeply.

"Lion-O." Tygra gestured to him from down the hall and Lion-O excused himself, stopping in front of his brother. "About that Rey woman…"

"Yes. Arye. What about her?"

Tygra lowered his voice. "I'd be careful. I don't trust the Reys. You know they gave up too easily." He nodded toward Lion-O's office. "She's in there now."

The fact that Tygra had worried about the same thing as he alarmed him a little; Tygra was not easily worried by the Reys. He was more inclined to rile them up and poke fun at them. "Have you talked to her?" he asked.

"Not much. But the fact that she's here right after you married Cheetara…I don't know. It's fishy." Tygra narrowed his eyes at Lion-O's office door. "Pumyra doesn't know what to make of her yet. She's a good judge of character usually."

"I'm hoping Arye is really wanting to get away from the family…kind of like Dad tried to. But I'll keep my eyes open." Tygra seemed to approve of this, stance growing less rigid.

"All right. Hey…it's nice to have you back."

"Nice to be back." Lion-O nudged his brother's arm. "Somebody missed us…"

Tygra rolled his eyes. "Just get to work." Lion-O turned around and entered his office, closing the door and appreciating the sudden quiet. Pumyra was typing in her adjoining office, and Lion-O looked around his office only to see a woman standing by the wall, looking at some of the paintings.

He scanned her carefully before saying, "Ms. Rey?"

She jumped and turned around. Lion-O noticed she was about his height, perhaps a little shorter, and she had curly red mane. She looked delicate with a slim nose and round eyes. She was a pretty little thing and he wondered if she were his blood cousin or related by someone's marriage. It was hard to keep track of them all. She curtseyed.

"Thank you for seeing me, sir." Her voice was very soft and somber.

At this Lion-O shook his head. "You don't have to call me that. Since you're technically family you don't have to call me Mr. Rey, either. Lion-O is fine. You wanted to apply for a position here?"

"Yes…Lion-O." She didn't have much of an accent, and her clothes were very Thunderan. She wore a blue blouse and a ruffled white skirt, very girlish. She looked very young, and he wasn't quite sure he believed she was twenty. It felt a little like Kit was asking for a job. "I'm not sure what positions are available, but I'm willing to work wherever you'll have me."

Lion offered her a seat, and she sat down gracefully. "It's not really my business, but if you don't mind telling me…why here? Why come to Thundera? Are there problems at home?"

Her face turned pink. "You're in no way obligated to answer," he added. "I probably shouldn't even ask. But I'll be honest, I don't get on well with the rest of the Reys. We have very different views. If you were leaving because of disagreements, I could understand is all. You don't have to be afraid."

She blinked. "Well…yes. I…I wanted to see more of the world…get out and do something. I came here for your wedding and just didn't get on the flight back. Some of the Reys are angry at me, but…"

Her claws were well filed and slim. "I just thought it would be nice…not to worry about all the things the Reys do. I don't like all of the rules and I realized you didn't either. I thought perhaps you'd help me by letting me work and maybe start a life here instead. I…I just don't want to be another girl married off and having cubs."

She seemed timid, very soft-spoken. Lion-O felt sympathy rush through his chest and he said firmly, "I understand. They think they can boss anyone into anything. I think it's very admirable that you want to get out and do things differently. I guess you thought this was the best place to come, considering I'd know about them?"

Arye nodded. "Will you help me? I can't help but think that maybe it would help some of the others realize how silly the Reys have become."

"Well, I'll do what I can. A job's what you want…let's see." He looked through her short list of work skills and said, "I can have you start out as a runner. If someone needs a quick errand done or something small cleaned up, you can deal with it. As we figure out more of your skills you'll be promoted. And we'll work on getting you computer savvy; everyone around here is. You know something about computers, right?"

"Yes. Not very much, but I can operate one."

"Okay, that's a start." Lion-O opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a packet. "If you can just read through these and sign your name, we can start training you. Have you found a place to stay?"

"Mm-hm." She seemed much happier now, eyes bright. They were a paler blue than his.

"All right. So, there's your wage per hour we pay. You'll move into salaried jobs when you get a little higher up. Do you need any help with rent? Some places require prepayment."

"Oh no. I've the money for that right now. This is very generous. You won't regret it!" She beamed at him and got up. "I'll report to the first floor then?"

"Yep, that's where you'll be trained. If you have any questions, almost anyone will be willing to help you, including me." He smiled warmly at her and she curtseyed again, leaving the room with the quiet click of the door.

The click of Pumyra's typing had stopped, he realized. Lion-O turned his head to see Pumyra shaking her head at him. "What?"

"Men are unreal. You see a sad face and hear a girl's sob story and you fall to pieces."

He blinked rapidly. "Excuse me?"

"I guarantee you that half of what she told you was a pile of garbage." She sighed. "I should think you'd be used to the Reys' manipulating. Cheetara won't like this."

Lion-O stood up, staring at her. "Why? She's my cousin or something twice-removed. And what if she was telling the truth and really wants a way out of Sava-Na and that culture? She's just going to run errands right now…what's the harm?"

Pumyra shook her head. "I don't trust her. Why would the Reys leave without her on a flight?"

"I don't know. But sometimes people need a chance. Besides, the lobby secretary has been complaining about needing some help." Lion-O opened one of the file folders on his desk and started perusing the reports inside. "We'll keep an eye on her. I see no reason why Cheetara would have a problem with this."

Pumyra said nothing more and Lion-O let the subject drop, not noticing when she sighed and sent an e-mail to Tygra's office.

Cheetara very slowly probed the wound, taking out the stitches. The Chib-Chib breathed deeply, quite asleep. The little scissors snipped, snipped at the thread until she pulled it out and dabbed antibiotic against the tiny remaining scratch.

She sighed and put a bandage down. "The worst is over. Change the bandage every day for a week and apply this spray, and he should be just fine."

The owner exhaled, relief spreading over her face. "Thank you Ms. Clera. That's wonderful to hear." She was a chubby, striped cat with a fluffy tail and a pale face. She came in whenever there was an issue with her Chib-Chibs – they were prizewinning, well-bred, good tempered animals – and Cheetara like to see her. Her stubby fingers scratched gently behind the creature's horns. She saw her every few months, as the woman lived out on a farm outside of Pantherle.

"Not at all. I love to give good news. Although it's actually Mrs. Rey now."

The feline's tail straightened and her eyes fixed on Cheetara's left paw as she took off her gloves. She uttered a gentle, "Well, I'll be," when she saw the ring. "Finally popped the question, did he?"

"Yes. We got married last week." Cheetara smiled patted the Chib-Chib's side. It stirred and slowly got up; the anesthesia was wearing off and it made a shaky, confused noise. Cheetara turned to the nearest cabinet and pulled out a dried berry granola nugget – good for any birds medium size and up – and put it on the floor. She and the owner helped the Chib-Chib down and it pecked at the treat, long, thin legs holding its body up carefully. "I can prescribe a few patches for him that you can put on the scratch to keep him from preening it until it's healed if you like."

"I've got some thanks. Land sakes, you're a missus…congratulations. It is that lion you've been seeing?" the woman asked. Cheetara nodded. "Well that's grand. You let me know if he gives you any trouble. You're a good girl."

"I don't think that'll be a problem. But thanks, I think." Cheetara escorted her and the animal out, stroking its back. It made a contented noise and she murmured, "That's right. You'll be fine. Such a good boy."

The woman left after wishing her well again, and after Cheetara made sure she'd gotten the creature into the trailer attached to the cat's truck, she went inside and straightened the room up. The floor was swept, the surfaces were sterilized along with the tools, and she slipped out of her coat. "Are you going to be okay, Ginger?" she called. The orang cat looked at her from the lobby desk and smiled.

"Of course Ms. Cl-I mean, Mrs. Rey. You go on home." She sighed. "That's going to take some getting used to."

"Tell me about it. I have to be careful when I'm introducing myself. But you've only got two checkups scheduled before closing, and you can always call me if there's an emergency. I'll be right over." Ginger saw her to the door; she was a thin, short cat with thick fur, and opened the door for her. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tell the kittens I said hello."

Cheetara stood outside the building for a minute. It was so hard to realize that she didn't live there anymore. It was her business and would always echo of home, but now she lived with Lion-O. So did the kittens. She'd always been comfortable at the apartment, but now…her things were there. Clothes, books, some furniture. She felt a little like she was intruding but shook off the sensation.

Nobody ever mentioned how awkward it was getting used to living together. On the drive over she had to wonder; what should she do? Should she work on dinner? There was some chicken in the fridge. Or should she try to get her things organized? Maybe the kittens needed help arranging their rooms?

Lion-O had gotten a copy of his key made for her soon after she'd moved to Pantherle. Now it was her house key. The kittens had been given copies of their own by now, and she could hear them inside. Instead of unlocking the apartment door, Cheetara knocked on it, wondering what they would do.

They grew quiet and it took a moment before she heard, "Hi Cheetara. You look funny through the eyehole." Kat opened the door for her and Kit took her paw.

"We were trying to figure out what to unpack first. Lion-O's gonna be home at five or so." Kit had a cardboard box sitting on the sitting room floor and she continued, "Should I put up my clothes first or my books? Because I need my shelf in my room if I'm going to put up my books, but we can't move it. It's too heavy."

"Let me try. I think we can shift it in there." Cheetara rolled up her sleeves and with some work the white shelf – decorated with the musical staff and a treble clef – was placed where it belonged. So were the kittens' nightstands and several other belongings.

At four thirty Cheetara decided it was time to make something to eat and help the kittens with homework. Kit and Kat sat at the table as she familiarized herself with the pantry, watching her.

"Y'know, I didn't think it would feel weird living here because we were here all the time anyway. But it still does feel a little bit weird," Kat admitted. Cheetara felt something brush against her calves and looked down to see Snarf greeting her. She picked him up and scratched behind his ears and he meowed in approval.

"I know what you mean. I think it'll just take some getting used to. It's weird being 'Mrs. Rey' all of a sudden," Cheetara admitted. Kit nodded, tapping her pencil as she carelessly flipped through the pages of her book. Pausing in her examination, Cheetara noticed that Kit looked suddenly a little restless. "Something wrong, Kit?"

"Oh no. I'm okay. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing." Cheetara took out a box of breading mix. Grilled chicken sounded good.

"Which means you don't want to tell me." Kit's cheeks went pink and Kat crossed his arms.

"I hate it when people do that. If I say I'm not thinking about anything, I'm probably not. I've spaced out before," he protested. "It's kinda like being asleep while you're awake."

"All right, all right." Cheetara decided not to press the matter right now. Often the kittens would open up on their own after some thinking. Kit did not seem very upset, so it could likely wait. She still paused to kiss both kittens on the head. "You do know you can always talk to me, Lion-O, or any of the other adults about anything, right?"

"Yeah. We know." Kat seemed honest, but Kit only nodded, chewing on her eraser.

Cheetara ended up switching on the television when the kittens told her they had to write mini-reports on a news happening. "It seems like they try to make kids aware of bad things earlier and earlier," she murmured. But they turned on a business channel much to her approval.

"Hey, business happenings are still news," Kit said.

Snarf remained with her in the kitchen, fetching ingredients when she wasn't sure where they were. She had cooked in the apartment before, but Lion-O was usually there to direct her to the items. In spite of herself, she started arranging items according to kind instead of pell-mell like Lion-O had them. Pepper and salt went in this little cabinet with paprika and thyme because it was a spice, boxed foods went on this shelf, oh, there were cloves, back to the spice cabinet…

A paw touched her back and a kiss found her cheek. "Hey."

Cheetara jumped, nearly dropping the box she was holding. Snarf meowed in greeting and Lion-O said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you!"

"Oh…it's okay. I was kind of absorbed." Lion-O looked tired and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his mouth. "I was rearranging some things so they'd be easier to find. I didn't mean to get carried away." She gestured sheepishly to the pantry and the spice cabinet.

Lion-O looked thoughtful then. "Let's see, coming home to you in exchange for things being moved around? I can live with that." He smiled and continued, "How was the clinic? I saw the Chib-Chib trailer. How were the stitches?"

"Perfectly mended. And everything else was as routine. Although I kept forgetting to introduce myself as Cheetara Rey," Cheetara said, looking at her left paw. He kissed the back of her fingers and she caught the smell of his cologne, faded after a day.

Seeing what she was cooking, Lion-O rolled up his sleeves. "Need any help?"

She had him start cutting the raw meat as she opened the box for breading mix. "Kat, Kit! Lion-O's back! Don't you want to say hi?"

There was no reply. Frowning, Snarf trotted into the sitting room. "Sna-Snarf?"

There was silence for a few seconds, save for the splitting of fowl and the plop of raw meat on aluminum foil. Then Snarf came charging back into the room, yammering and pulling on Lion-O and Cheetara's pant legs.

"Snarf, what is it? What's wrong? Are the kittens okay?" Lion-O put down the chicken and hurriedly rinsed his paws before heading in, palms dripping. Cheetara beat him in there, suddenly aware and feeling breathless. "Guys, what's wrong?"

The kittens were sitting in front of the television with wide eyes, and Kit just pointed at it. In the silence, the business channel's announcement was plain.

"…So, more than a thousand jobs will be entering Pantherle with the new business. When asked why Mumm-Ra Ammit decided to transfer his main business base to the same city as competition Thunder Enterprises, he simply said, 'I enjoy closer relationships with the people I'm challenging, and Pantherle is ripe for the kind of change I can bring.' While the shift will cost millions in construction, he seems confident that he and his right-hand cat Grune Verrater will provide some healthy competition for Thunder Enterprises and all the surrounding companies. Better put in your applications now because demand will be high, and with the building coming in on Starr Street, we'll be having some traffic issues for the next six months. Something to remember for the commute."

Cheetara stared. The cat moved on to discussing back-to-school sales and Kat abruptly switched the television off and looked at them. "He's coming here. Before he was talking about…about weird research and stuff. Stuff that will 'Change the way people will think about Thundrillium.'"

Lion-O slowly returned to the kitchen to wash his paws more thoroughly and when he came back he had a dishcloth to dry them with. "Cheetara…I have some work to do. I hope you don't mind-"

"No. No, it's fine." She paused as he held her for a second, disbelief making her fur stand up.

Mumm-Ra, coming here? After they'd heard virtually nothing out of him for two years?

Lion-O looked at the kittens too and said, "It's going to be okay." Then he went to his – well, their – bedroom where the computer was, taking out his phone. He dialed a number and after a minute said, "Tygra, we've got a problem."

Tor had occasionally seen people wandering on the side of the highway, but as a youngster his mother told him not to pick them up because they might be dangerous. So when the bus finally let off twenty miles outside of Tretierra and he had to walk all day without anyone even slowing up for him, he didn't get too angry.

It would take about six hours of driving to get to Pantherle, but walking…it would probably take a week. Combining that with his hunger and exhaustion, Tor couldn't help but plod along aimlessly. He had no food, no water, and no pity from the drivers passing by. He looked back every so often, wondering if Slithe had sent someone after him. Even if he had, would they go this way?

Hoping that Lion-O would somehow be able to help was a longshot. But it was the only shot he could think of. His thoughts grew hazy, energy directed at making his feet move. If he stopped he'd sleep, and if he slept he might be caught.

The grass alongside the highway was cooler during the day for walking on, but when evening fell he dared to walk on the edge of the asphalt. He had a childish fear of the expanse of fields on either side of the lonely road. Tor knew his mane was long and grubby, and no doubt his clothes were a mess as well. A van of a mother and three kittens sped by and he saw the little ones turn in their seats to watch him, one pointing.

He sighed. How had it come to this?

The heavy sound of a pickup truck rolled past him – it was old, reddish, but obviously cared for. His tired brain observed wryly that even sitting in the bed of the truck would be better than this.

The truck began to slow and finally stopped, brake lights looming red in front of him. He paused in disbelief as the driver put it in park and rolled down the passenger window. "Hey, kid. C'mere."

Warily, Tor forced himself into a job and stopped beside the door. Inside the truck sat an older cat, graying around his mouth and mane. He had clean overalls on and a plaid blue shirt, and he wore old glasses. The clever green eyes examined him in silence for a moment. "What's a boy like you doing on the highway at night?"

"…I don't have any other way of getting where I'm going," he admitted. "I'm going to Pantherle."

"Moving there?"

Tor resisted the urge to lean on the truck. "Possibly."

"Not to sound callous, but I have jobs all over the place, and taking time out of my route to go somewhere in Pantherle is like taking food out of my mouth…not to mention the divorced daughter and grandbabies I've got living with me. I take you don't have any funds if you're not in a cab or something," the old cat observed. He scanned Tor's clothes and he clenched his fist in the front hoodie pocket. The canister was inside. "

"No. But if you're heading that way maybe I could offer you something for a lift? Please. I have to get to Pantherle." Tor searched his pockets feebly, slowly closing his fingers around something beside the canister and wishing he hadn't. He looked a little more for anything – anything – other than the two items. He found nothing.

The driver watched as he reluctantly pulled out a small ring, a plain golden band with one little diamond in it. "This…this is the only thing I have. I…I'd be willing to trade it for a ride to Pantherle."

The old cat squinted at it and then him. "Is it real?"

"Yes. It's not much, but it should fetch a couple hundred." Tor felt his jaw trembling and the old, whiskered cat took it, examining the stone.

"Why didn't you sell it before?"

"I'd hoped it wouldn't come to that. And I had to leave in a hurry."

The old, tired fingers looked it over carefully, tenderly. "Looks like an engagement ring."

"It…it was."

A softness came over the gray, wrinkled face. "Something happen to your lady?"

"…Yes." Tor will himself not to cry. Remembering it would reduce him to a mess. "I…I really would pay you back…I want to keep it. But it's vital I get to Pantherle." He blinked, which was a mistake. Heat flowed out of his eyes and into his fur.

The old cat considered this and said, gently, "I can't take you there without some collateral. Times are tight and I've been swindled. But I'll tell you what; I'll hang on to it and get you to Pantherle. I've some business there myself. If you can pay me a hundred dollars sometime over the next six months, I'll give it back to you. I'm not in dire straits just now, so I don't have to sell it if you'd rather buy it back from me."

Tor wiped his eyes. "Thank you. I'll…I'll pay you back, really. It's all I have left of her."

"Eh…I know what you mean." He lifted a gold chain from under his plaid shirt and Tor saw a wedding band dangling from the necklace. "Some gals you don't get over, and you miss 'em like crazy when they're gone. You're awful young to have to feel that, boy." He gestured for Tor to climb into the truck and he obeyed, legs aching with relief as he sat down. "You hungry? I know a place we can pick up some chicken fingers any hour on the way."

Tor's stomach answered for him. "I already owe you for this," he began weakly.

"Won't do you any good getting where you're going if you starve on the way." The cat adjusted his cap and then reached into his overall pocket, taking out what looked like a bent business card. "So you can contact me later."

Tor glanced down at it. It read 'Lawrence Peters, Downhome Trucker, Sole Proprietorship. You Got Something to Move, I'm the Guy Who Pulls Through.' "It's not a fancy job, but it's a living. Help people move for cheaper than most trucking companies. 'Course, it's just my old pickup and me." He patted the dash.

"Thanks, Mr. Peters." Tor extended his paw. "I'm…Tor-uh-vald. Torvald."

He stumbled over the addition, breaking out in a cold sweat. He'd been so comforted by this gentle stranger that he'd nearly given away his true identity. Lawrence cocked a brow at him as if he knew he was lying, but he simply nodded and started up the truck. The exhaust sputtered and the engine growled, and they started moving.

"It'll take a few days to get there. Got any favorite radio stations?"

"Whatever you like. I don't have a favorite, really."

"Just as well. Thing's busted." He banged on the radio set. It crackled and Tor blinked.

"Why ask then?"

"You can tell a lot about a person by what they like to listen to." Lawrence sped up and they were off in a gust of warm, musty air.

"So he took a sample with him?" Mumm-Ra did not sound too angry. Slithe nodded, still nursing his eyes. The flash had been unbearable, and he finally just sat in darkness, waiting for his eyes to recover.

"Unfortunately. And our men have no idea where he's headed."

"I've an idea. And frankly, since he finished what we required, it doesn't matter." He heard Mumm-Ra dabbing something liquid on something dry and knew he was tending his injuries. He changed his bandages about once a month.

Slithe's fingers twisted. "But what if he communicates with someone? Tells them about what happened…?"

"He won't. Not when he's stolen from us. We've placed him in the public eye as a thief. In two weeks' time we'll announce our 'discoveries' about Thundrillium and how dangerous it can be."

If a cat-hating creature gets their paws on it anyway, Slithe observed wryly. "Those that have researched it won't believe you."

"No, but the public will. And that's all that matters. And while hatred is focused on Thunder Enterprises, we'll have as much leeway to study as we wish…"

Mumm-Ra sighed. "Did he finish the last one or didn't he?"

"No. And he was the only one left to do so."

"We have three then. It's enough. Can we reproduce the design?"

"Likely so. But what if someone believes him about the design?" Slithe asked. "You assume that because you're powerful no one will question you."

"On the contrary; I expect questions. And I have some diversionary answers prepared." Mumm-Ra put something down. "Go on and sleep. I'll have an optometrist up later to see to you and the others. Oh, and the guards that were in charge of watching him?"

"Yes?"

"Have them fired. If they have the tendency to talk, use whatever methods you deem necessary. I'm too tired to deal with it now."

"Of course, sir." Slithe felt his way out of the office and was escorted to the elevator by another lizard.

Mumm-Ra picked up a small stone and rubbed a thumb over it. It began to glow in response. "I'm ready, Mr. Rey. I hope you are as well." He then wrapped the bandages back around his flesh and put the stone down beside the other two.

It was time to shake Thundera to the ground.

1 – True story. First two days of gym class in high school…sophomore year I think…they worked us so hard the first day that kids were throwing up and even the athletic kids had red faces. I think someone complained and we spent the rest of the year walk-jogging leisurely around the track. It was painful.