Disclaimer: Thundercats and all related character don’t belong to me.

Note:

This story takes place in an Alternate Universe set immediately after the end of ‘The Return’ miniseries published by Wildstorm comics.

Embracing dark desires.

By

Dr Facer

Chapter 1

&

Everything was right and the future promised to be brilliant. Why shouldn’t it be? After all, they had won. The Thundercats won. Mumm-Ra was defeated. His rule now destroyed forever, destined to be only a sad memory in the history of New Thundera. The thousands of refugees working on the mines and the fields and the industrial complexes would be set free soon and the proud Thunderians would re-emerge from the ashes under the rule of Lion-O. The future promised to be brilliant and full of happiness indeed.

Then why did she feel like it all was a monumental joke? Like if everything was a farce she would regret taking part in very soon? Was it because she could not believe they would be able to do it, even if she hoped with all her heart they could? Or because she would soon have to face the people she had seen oppressed for years without doing anything to help them?

The young female could not stop herself from trembling a little. Yes, that was the reason. She would soon be judged by her fellow Thunderians and, she had to admit it at least to herself, the thought terrified her. Hiding her face behind her crossed arms, she sighed again and pressed her body against the vehicle’s walls. The transport Panthro repaired would soon arrive to the ruins of the destroyed Cat’s Lair.

“Hey, are you alright?”

She felt a soft, warm hand over her nude shoulder and she suddenly remembered she was still wearing her concubine outfit. The soft, warm hand of Lion-O gave her a friendly squeeze obviously trying to transmit her some comfort. It instead made her feel sick. She recoiled from his touch. His hand on her shoulder just felt wrong. She realized that she didn’t want to be touched by him. Never again.

“What is it?” The lord of the Thundercats asked, retrieving his hand. Concern now present in his voice, “Are you hurt? Did Mumm-Ra do something to you before we…?”

WilyKit trembled when she heard that name. No, of course Mumm-Ra didn’t do anything! He had only just killed her brother! She felt like yelling at him for being so stupid! How could he not know? But no, she couldn’t do that, he was the Lord and she had made her choice to help him and the other Thundercats. She had to obey and respect him now. Something she was not really looking forward to do.

“I’m sorry for your loss, your brother was…” Lion-O left his sentence incomplete and retreated, unsure of what else to say. After a moment of silence under WilyKit’s cold stare, he just went back to sit in the front with Snarf, Pantrho and Cheetara.

WilyKit bit her lower lip in frustration, what was her brother to Lion-O, a traitor or a victim? What? She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know; besides, she still remembered the way the other Thundercats didn’t even try very hard to save him, and even then she still chose their side. They should be grateful for that but it seemed they were taking her for granted, could they be more stupid? Suddenly, WilyKit realized that under his green hood, Tygra was looking at her. She was grateful he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Somewhere else, a young man stood in what used to be the control room inside the giant head of the Cat’s lair. Now it was nothing but a ruined remnant of a previous age, but he knew that would change soon, since he was sure Lion-O wouldn’t stand still until it was rebuilt. Mumm-Ra brought him here occasionally; the wizard would enjoy himself telling him and his sister how the code had failed. How the code was nothing but lies. He remembered very clearly the first time the ancient mummy did that…

“Here we are Kittens!” Mumm-Ra said as he entered the ruined Cat’s lair. WilyKat and WilyKit stood behind him. The kittens where still little more than children at this point, but they already wore the white and golden attire which marked them as Mumm-Ra’s personal servants, “It’s been three months since you last were here, how does it feel to be back for a short visit?”

“It feels…” Kat started, but Mumm-ra’s gaze on him promptly shut him up.

The mummy laughed, “Go on my boy, talk! I won’t hurt you! I’ve never hurt you since you entered my care, have I?”

WilyKat lowered his face. It hurt him to admit it, but it was true. These past few months, contrary to all he expected, Mumm-Ra had never hit him or his sister. Other than the task of helping the living corpse bathe and bandage afterwards and also clean his chambers, they had not been abused at all.

“Well?” The ever-living asked, “Are you going to stand silently there all day? Talk to your master, boy!”

Kat swallowed, “I… hate to see what they did to it.”

“Who?” The mummy asked.

“The mutants.” Kat replied, “We were alone here when they attacked. The others where out fighting with you and…” The boy shut his mouth, thinking he had said too much, he feared for his safety now, had he angered the mummy?

“You were not strong enough to protect it.” Mumm-Ra said, “And you were alone. You were alone, with no leader guiding you. It’s your leader’s fault, not yours.”

“Lion-O was inside the book of omens. He still is.” WilyKit said then, if with a low trembling voice, she now feared the mummy too much to dare screaming at him, “He didn’t know what happened then, and he doesn’t know what’s happening now…he…”

The mummy laughed hard, “But the fact is that he abandoned you all! He should have stayed here! He was selfish enough to forget his duty to you!”

“He…he didn’t do that...” It was now Kat’s turn to murmur his disagreement, “That would be breaking the code and he would never do that, Lion-O…”

“Oh yes, your precious little code. I almost forget about it.” Once again, the mummy laughed, “Can you recite it to me, girl?”

Kit stood taller and did as she was told, “Truth, honor, loyalty and justice.”

“I see you still remember it.” Mumm-Ra said, “Which is a shame, because by entering that book, Lion-O broke every word on that code! Is it worth believing something that all the adult Thundercats and even your own, so called lord, can break so easily?”

“They didn’t…” Kit started

“Oh, they did!” The blue skinned ever-living interrupted, “Let me tell you about truth first! Was he really going into the book of omens to prepare for his role as the king of New Thundera? What if he only wanted to be away from you all for an undetermined period of time? Wouldn’t that be lying to all of you? What about the other Thundercats? Didn’t they swear to protect you? And what did they do once they were defeated? Fight to the death for your freedom and safety? No! They chose to be thrown to the mines and gave you to me! The one who is their greatest enemy! But, have I treated you like an enemy? Of course not! Under my protection, you two have been safe. I told you two that as soon as you entered my service and I believe I’ve kept my word. Not like the other Thundercats who were more interested in saving their lives than preserving yours!”

The kittens didn’t answer to that. After being abandoned in the hands of Mumm-Ra, they had feared the worst, but they had received a relatively easy life instead. Both had to admit that Mumm-Ra didn’t lie to them on that matter.

“What about honor?” The mummy continued, “Where’s Lion-O’s honor when he chose to abandon you for his own selfish gain? Where was the honor of the other Thundercats when they chose to leave you behind?”

Once again, the kittens remained silent. Their infant minds had no answer to that other than of course, the adults had pushed honor to the side in order to stay alive.

“And loyalty?” The mummy laughed, “Was Lion-O loyal to you? How loyal he was entering the book and leaving you defenceless? How loyal were your friends, leaving you with me?”

“They were not… very loyal.” WilyKat ventured.

“Exactly! You’re a smart boy!” Mumm-Ra praised and petted the kitten’s head.

“There’s still justice.” Kit murmured, “We can still have that.”

“Ah, justice!” Mumm-Ra exclaimed, “But tell me, girl, what is justice? Do you even know the meaning of the word?”

“It’s fighting evil and making things right for everyone…” She whispered.

“If that’s what you think, then answer this, what is evil?” The mummy asked, “Me?”

The children didn’t move and waited, certain that talking or moving would be dangerous; besides, they both were convinced that Mumm-Ra was evil.

“No, kittens. For me, the Thundercats are evil.” The ever-linving said, his voice acquiring an alluring tone, “When we first met I was only protecting my planet from unwanted visitors. When I came here before you, I thought I could finally have peace again, but no, you followed me! Hunting me down when all I wanted was to have my eternal peace again! As you can see, you did evil things to me first.”

“No, we…” Kit tried, but soon stopped, she knew Mumm-Ra spoke the truth: it had been an accident, but they arrived to Third Earth uninvited and it was the same in New Thundera, even if it had been their home planet, Mumm-Ra got here first.

“We’re sorry?” Kat ventured, “We didn’t think of it that way.”

“Does that mean we…are evil…?” Kit asked, it sounded insane, but after listening to Mumm-Ra’s lulling voice, she started to wonder if that had been the case. At her left, her brother was starting to wonder the very same thing.

“Not any more.” The mummy said, “Now you’re with me; and as long as you two serve me, you will be on the right side.”

“But…” WilyKat trembled a little.

“What is it boy?”

“Those spirits you always call…”

“The ancient spirits of evil? They thought they’re using me!” Mum-Ra replied, “But not anymore! Now they serve ME and I’ll use their power to make great things for this planet and if you don’t betray me, for you as well! So, what is going to be kittens? Will you swear to serve me and experience what my vision of greatness is, or will you rather suffer in the mines for the crimes you committed when you were with the Thundercats?”

The frightened kittens didn’t think it much. They stood before Mumm-ra and bowed their heads. Serving the monster would be better than working in the dark mines, and they could wait. They could wait and revolt against him.

“We chose to stay at the devil’s side instead on in his path.” WilyKat thought, “And we never started our revolt, never could. All we could do was to obey him.” Suddenly, the sound of an engine brought him back to the real world. It was coming closer. Looking from a window, he saw the old cargo truck that stopped on the other side of the cliff. Spying in silence, he saw how his former friends jumped out of it; maybe he should go meet them and… just then, surprise hit him when he saw his sister safe and sound. He staggered back after seeing her. Mumm-Ra liberated her? The young Thunderian realized that could be the truth, the mummy could have killed her while his old friends fought the mutants. But if he didn’t, then he must have let her go. That meant the mummy kept his word; he teleported him outside the pyramid and then released his sister. Once again, Mumm-Ra told him the truth, like he had always done since he came into his service. Suddenly the desire of meeting with the Thundercats left him, replaced with a mix of anger and fear. He needed to get away and he did. Wilykat left Cat’s lair without being noticed by the newly arrived.

“It’s not as bad as I thought.” Tygra said walking a few steps ahead after he jumped out of the vehicle. Being honest, Tygra was just trying to be and sound optimistic about it. The truth was that Cat’s lair was a mess. “I can definitively improve it; it would be even better than anything we had in Third Earth or here before all that happened.”

“We have yet to see how bad it’s inside.” WilyKit said.

“I’m sure we can repair any damage done, we have Panthro with us!” Tygra replied.

“Of course, I’ll get everything working again in no time!” The panther assured.

“I trust you will, my friends.” Lion-O added, “We have much to do, but if we work together I have no doubt that we will succeed on this task that lies before us and…”

Wilykit stopped listening to whatever her leader started to say at that point. As far as she was concerned now, there was one thing Mumm-Ra got right about Lion-O: his speeches were incredibly obnoxious and boring. Pretending she was actually paying attention, Kit focused instead on the ruins in front of her. Cat’s lair was little more than garbage and in her opinion only a symbol of defeat; she would prefer to go build something new and better in a different place, but it wasn’t her who gave the orders.

“Are you with me?” Lion-O asked at last.

WilyKit yelled an enthusiastic ‘yeah!’ knowing it was what was expected from her, but feeling no enthusiasm at all inside.

Minutes later, Lion-O ordered them to find a way to cross the precipice and gain entrance to the Lair. She was the last one to move.

“What’s wrong with you?” Tygra asked her, “You are acting strange.”

The young female gasped, startled. She had been sitting behind a rock, hiding from the rest of the team. Tygra’s intromission was enough to anger her a little; couldn’t she have a little privacy? Mumm-Ra had at least had the tact to grant her a little of room for herself whenever she asked for it.

“Well?” Tygra insisted, “Won’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

“You shouldn’t ask me that question.” She replied, “Because I will not answer you.”

“WilyKit…”

“Tygra, drop it.” She cut him off, “I already told you I won’t answer to you.”

“Fine young girl, I will. But remember you’re part of a team again.”

“Just be glad I chose your side.” She said harshly.

“What was that?”

“I said what I said!” She replied, “Look at me Tygra, I’m a woman now, I’m not the girl you remember anymore! I changed! Do you understand that? There’s a lot of me I don’t what you or the others to know, at least not until I’m ready to tell you! So please leave me alone, now is not a good time to talk to me.”

Tygra had the sense to not reply to her. Sighing, the worried Thundercat left the young female alone.

Once she was alone again, Kit stared at the ruins of Cat’s Lair. She then remembered what she’d done there. It had been years ago, but the memory was still fresh. She knew Mumm-Ra was the one who forced her and her brother to do it, but what pained her was that part of her had agreed to do such an action. Closing her eyes, she tried to stop the memory, but it was useless…

“Do you like to visit this place, children?” Mumm-Ra asked, he’s had the kittens for two years now, and now they are looking more like the teenagers they are. WilyKat’s muscles have hardened and grow, thanks to the physical training he’s received under Mumm-Ra for his job as his personal bodyguard. WilyKit’s forms are starting to develop, and her muscles are firm and smooth, also a result of Mumm-Ra forcing her to do the same exercises as her brother.

“We prefer the pyramid, my lord.” Responded WilyKit as she stared at the floor.

“Is that true, boy?” The mummy asked, looking at the male twin.

“Yes, sire.” Kat said, “We don’t like it here anymore.”

“And why is that?”

“Because of what it represents.” Added WilyKat.

“And what is that it represents?” Mumm-Ra pressed.

WilyKit stared at the mummy’s back with hate filled eyes, but looked in other direction when the ever-living turned to face her. “It represents failure.” She said, hoping her voice was free of anger.

“Whose failure?”

“The Thundercats.” This time both twins answered at the same time.

“Good, my kittens; you’re learning fast.” As he said that, Mumm-Ra walked to a window and looked outside, at the nocturnal view of New Thundera. It was very different now. Many of the forests had been turned into large cultivated areas and further away, he could see the cities he’d personally devised. Egyptian in style, all of them decorated with images of both himself and the ancient spirits of evil. The cities glittered with the light of industry; trade, even if forced, with other planets was going well and the stupid mutants had actually been useful keeping his feline slaves in line; everything was according to plan and he was now incredibly powerful, “Come kittens. Come here and look at my planet, what do you see?”

“The city lights and the industrial complexes.” Kat said.

“The fields where the slaves’ food is grown.” Kit added.

“That’s not all.” Mumm-Ra said, “It is greatness! The greatness I told you about. You’re looking at a thriving civilization ready to reach its full potential under my rule. Do you think Lion-O could do this? Of course not, he was just an inexperienced boy with delusions of grandeur. He didn’t have the intelligence, the experience, the will to make this happen, but I do!” The mummy softly caressed the hair of both twins as he stated this, “And you got the chance to experience it on the right side, kittens. My side, aren’t you glad? At my side you have nothing to worry about. Doesn’t it make you feel glad you’re not Thundercats anymore?”

None of the twins responded to this, they just closed their eyes and tried to think about something else.

“Maybe it’s too soon for you to admit you’re glad I took you in. But you will in time kittens, I know you will.” The twins tensed as they listened to that, but the mummy paid no attention to them and continued, “However, I think you’re ready to do this.” Saying that, the ever living shot a blast of red energy that started a magic fire on the ground in front of him and the twins, after this, he reached inside his robe and produced two Thundercat insignias, which he handed to the kittens.

“W-Why are you giving this to us, sire?” WilyKat managed to ask after devoting a second to look at the insignia.

“Throw them to the fire.” The mummy ordered, “It is a symbol of failure. You don’t want it anymore if you’re going to be with me.”

“I-I…” WilyKit held back her tears, “Forgive me lord Mumm-Ra, I…”

“Sire, we…” WilyKat tried to say.

“You can’t, can you?” The mummy asked, “I thought as much. It is an image of your past life, a life worth forgetting and leaving behind, children. Remember the anger you felt when the other Thundercats left you with me? Remember how scared you were when the mutants invaded this very place and ruined it? Weren’t you furious against Lion-O, who abandoned you in search of his own gain? Well, weren’t you?” Mumm-Ra smiled as he saw how the twins gritted their teeth and trembled slightly, he could feel their anger, and he felt it was not directed at him at the moment, which was a great step in the right direction, “Toss those symbols of failure into the fire and be free of it at last. At my side you don’t need them, I’ve cared for you and nurtured you, I’ve given you education, and I’m giving you things the Thundercats never could. Do it, toss that symbol into the fire and be free of the failures of the past. You know you want to do it, children, I can feel you do.”

It was WilyKit who moved first. She hated herself for it, but she had to admit that Mumm-Ra was right; the other Thundercats abandoned her and her twin! They left them to save their own lives! Where was the honor if all they thought about was them? The female twin looked at the insignia, it represented all she believed in, and all she believed in had failed her. She wanted to keep it, to keep on believing, but she couldn’t anymore. Closing her eyes, Kit tossed the insignia into the flames, which promptly consumed it.

“Good girl!” Mumm-Ra praised and caressed the young girl’s shoulders, “Good!”

WilyKat couldn’t believe what his sister just did. True, he was also considering throwing the insignia into the fire, after all, it only reminded him of how he and Kit were abandoned, deserted, sacrificed by their friends when they were threatened with death, and those memories filled him with anger aimed at the other Thundercats, but he never expected his sister to be the first to throw the symbol into the flames.

“What about you, boy?” The ancient wizard asked, “Don’t you want to be free?”

“Yes, I want to be free.” WilyKat took a deep breath and looked one last time at the symbol, only moments ago it had sparked good memories, but now it made him feel only a deep pain in his chest, growling, he threw the insignia and watched as the flames consumed it.

“Congratulations boy!” Mumm-Ra said and patted the male twin’s head, “You two did the right thing, I’m proud of you!”

“And now the tables have turned.” WilyKit muttered, hiding that memory again in the deepest parts of her mind, “Mumm-Ra’s gone and I’m back with the Thundercats. I might as well try to enjoy it.” She then rose and walked to meet the others, apparently Cheetara had been the one who found a way to reach Cat’s lair. As she approached her allies, she couldn’t stop feeling a deep wave of regret filling her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t identify why she was feeling such an emotion, she should be happy, she knew she should; but she just couldn’t find even an ounce of happiness inside her.

Hours later.

Cat’s lair was in worst condition inside that she remembered. The walls were decaying and the control room was an absolute disaster. It was obvious that during the years, the Mutants thought it was fun to come and trash the ruins even more. Maybe that explained the stench invading every room of the Lair. The worst part was that she had to stand the foul smell as she had been left behind ‘guarding’ it along with Tygra. Why should they guard these useless ruins, she couldn’t understand.

“We should have all gone free the slaves in the mines.” WilyKit complained, standing near a window, “There’s no need for us to be here, there’s no immediate threat!”

Tygra, who was busy tinkering with a control panel, just shrugged, “Lion-O thought it was best if someone stayed here. Besides, he, Snarf, Panthro and Cheetara can help the Thunderians in the mines just fine.”

“I suppose they can.”

“I know you’re the one who said we had a planet to liberate and I imagine you want to be out there helping, but our job here is also important.” Tygra said.

“Our job?” Kit asked, “And what is our job, stay here smelling this horrid funk?”

“It’s not worse than the smell at the Mutant’s fortress, and I bet it’s not as bad as the stench in Mumm-Ra’s pyramid… but we’ll get rid of it as soon as the place is clean.”

WilyKit snorted, she could admit the stink was not worse than that of the Mutant’s castle, but Mumm-Ra’s pyramid didn’t smell bad at all. She knew that very well.

“So, when are you going to start?” Tygra asked, “There’s a mop and you can get water from the stream behind the Lair.”

“You want me to clean?” Kit’s eyes stared at the tiger in shock.

“I don’t see anyone else around.” He said, “Go on, we don’t have all day.”

WilyKit suppressed a growl and picked up the mop, she left the room and went searching for water, all the way muttering how this was something the inferior snarfs or other people should do, not her.

Tygra was worried. What happened to the twins during their time with Mumm-Ra? WilyKat betrayed them and WilyKit… WilyKit just seemed to be too angry for her own good. The Thundercat shook his head and sighed; he would have to keep an eye on her.

“How dared he!” WilyKit growled. She had already made her way to the stream Tygra mentioned, and was about to start filling a bucket with water, “Cleaning, me? Surely Snarf should be the one doing this! He’s a Snarf after all; it’s all his kind is good for!” Kit kept cursing her current situation when a snap on the other side of the river was heard; she immediately looked in that direction and saw something that left her breathless: a flash of a white cape that vanished between the trees. She knew that cape. It was her brother’s, “WilyKat?” She called, but got no answer, “Brother! Are you alive? Please, answer me!”

When no answer came, WilyKit jumped over the stream and started a desperate dash into the forest.

Later that day…

“What kept you?” Tygra asked, “Did something happen? You’ve been out for almost five hours! Are you alright?”

Wilykit considered her answer; she’d spent all that time searching the forest looking for her brother with no success. She couldn’t tell Tygra that, “Nothing happened. I’m fine.”

“It’s good to hear.” The tiger shrugged, “I went looking for you and found only the empty buckets. Don’t worry. I already cleaned the rooms we’ll sleep in tonight and I also cleaned the control room. But tomorrow, you will help with the repairs and the cleaning, so hiding somewhere to avoid duty will not be forgiven.”

WilyKit immediately felt offended, and anger swelled quickly inside her. Who was Tygra to accuse her like that of skipping her job? She had been looking for her brother and that was much more important than cleaning these stupid, stinking ruins he and the rest of the Tundercats insisted in repairing!

“Do you understand?” Tygra asked with a serious voice.

WilyKit took in a deep breath and managed to calm herself a little, just enough to appear normal, “Understood. I will help tomorrow with whatever you and the others think I must do. I must not skip duty because it will not be forgiven.”

“Good.”

“Can I go?” She asked, still hiding the anger in her voice “I want to sleep.”

“Yes, you can go.” Tygra said, “Lion-O and the others were here, by the way. They already told the news to the people and everything is going well. They brought food and went back to the city to bring supplies.”

“I see…” She answered, not very interested, “I hope they have luck with that.”

“I’m sure they will. Cheetara left something for you on your room, I hope you like it.”

“Oh. I’ll go see what it is.” Saying no more, she left.

“A ‘thank you’ would have been nice.” Tygra muttered.

WilyKit made a detour to the kitchen on the way to her old room. She was hungry and could really use something to eat. She already imagined the food, roasted meat and salad, wine, iced fruit; only the best for the lord of the Thundercats. Then, as she opened the kitchen’s door, deception hit her. In front of her were not the delicious meals she had envisioned only seconds ago. All that was in front of her was a box of almost rotten fruit, some water bottles and a sack of dry meat?

“This has to be a joke!” WilyKit cursed as she started searching the kitchen. Surely, the real food was hidden somewhere. A few minutes later, the young female gave up. It seemed that Lion-O and the others didn’t think about getting food that was actually edible. Back in Mumm-Ra’s pyramid she had enjoyed only the best food available on the planet. Here in Cat’s lair they expected her to eat the same garbage the slaves ate! She couldn’t understand! Lion-O was the king! He should be getting only the best of everything! But instead he was happy eating this slob?

“Damn it!” She cursed as she grabbed a water bottle and a piece of dry meat, “If I weren’t so hungry I… I’d throw this all away and demand some real food!” Huffing in frustration, the young female left the kitchen, now she really needed some sleep.

WilyKit wasn’t surprised to find a manual door installed in her room; the Lair still had no power, after all. Once inside, she saw nothing special. In fact, she saw nothing. The room was empty except for a few blankets in a corner and a small box beside them. She opened the box and stared at what was inside with disbelief. It was a red and blue leotard; very similar in design to the one Cheetara wore. She slowly picked it up and held it in front of her eyes. Was this a joke? She helps the recently returned lord of the Thundercats to free his people and all he gets for her is an insipid leotard?

“Damn ingrate!” She muttered angrily while looking appreciatively at her concubine outfit and jewellery, which she was still wearing, “What I wear now is worth thousands of these stupid leotards! What an insult to someone as important as myself! I’m …”

The young girl stopped. What was she? Mumm-Ra’s concubine? Not really, she was his concubine yes, but also his helper. She had been those things, and it was the only reason she’d been important. But, being important that way gave her nice things in return. Something she probably wouldn’t get now, if the leotard she held in her hands was an indication. Her attention then shifted to the blankets on the floor. They expected her to sleep on that? The young woman growled a little. She deserved more! Mumm-Ra once told her that, and she believed it with every atom of her body. She did deserve more!

“It will come in time.” She said, trying to comfort herself, “And if it doesn’t, I will find a way to get more. Because I deserve it, I know I do!”

Placing the leotard back inside its box, WilyKit spent a few minutes spreading the blankets over the floor. Once she assumed she would be at least comfortable enough, she crawled over them and just lay there until she fell asleep. Her last thoughts, however, were not about getting more things or better food; they were instead focused on her brother. She desperately wanted him to be alive, he was the only one who could understand her and… she missed him so much.

Out in the forest, WilyKat stared at the fire he’d cooked his dinner in. His sister was alive and free. He was glad, but he didn’t really like the fact that she was with Lion-O and the rest of the Thundercats. He wasn’t happy at all about it. The fact that Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra and Panthro didn’t do anything for him when Mumm-Ra blasted him with that teleporting ray was not something he appreciated. The Thundercats thought he was dead now; and they didn’t even try to help him when he was ‘killed’ and if they did, they surely didn’t try hard enough. Perhaps it was better if they thought he was dead. He reached for his drink, juice he got from some red fruit and drank from it. It was not as good as the wine he usually got to accompany his meals back at Mum-Ra’s pyramid, but it would be enough for the moment. He missed his comfortable room too, but he knew a night in the forest wouldn’t kill him. Putting out the fire, WilyKat yawned and prepared to sleep. His last thoughts were for her sister. He hoped she would be able to have a good life with the Thundercats, as traitorous as he thought they were.

Somewhere else, inside a black pyramid...

Mumm-Ra, the ever living embodiment of evil energies that would consume and destroy any other life form, smiled as he looked into the bubbling waters of his cauldron. His contingency plan was working, and it was working better than he had expected. In the red waters, he could see WilyKat preparing to sleep.

“Those rocks you will be sleeping on don’t look comfortable, right son?” The wizard asked, knowing that in the deepest part of his mind, WilyKat would hear the words as one of his thoughts, “But don’t worry, I know soon you will make the best choice, you did it once and you will again. Now, sleep my boy, for we will meet soon enough.”

Mumm-Ra waved his hand over the cauldron and the waters burbled even more for a moment, when they calmed the image in the cauldron was that of WilyKit. She was also preparing to sleep, and the wizard looked at her lovingly for a moment.

“They’re expecting you to sleep on the cold floor?” He said to the image, knowing that like her brother, WilyKit would hear him as a thought forming in her head, “The Thundercats will always be ingrates, can’t you see it? You helped them, rebelled against me, your dear old master, and that’s all they give you, some rags to sleep on and wear? You deserve more, my dear kitten, you really do. You know I would treat you like a queen, don’t you? Yes, you know it. But don’t worry, soon we will meet once more and you will get all the things you want again.”

The mummy laughed and returned to his sarcophagus. He knew the twins would come back to him; it was just a matter of time.

&

The story continues in chapter 2.