Doorway of the Gods, Chapter 5
Doorway of the Gods Chapter 5 Eventually, Lion-o and Pumyra did begin speaking to their mates again, but Bengali’s coldness toward Linda increased. Whenever she spoke to him, he would give her curt answers or nods. If she entered a room he was in, he stayed back or left the room entirely. Bengali made it a point to never touch her unless he could help it and he kept a reasonable distance between them at all times. The tension between the two was so thick that everyone in the Tower could feel it. Linda was baffled by the tiger's attitude towards her and knew that the situation was causing the others discomfort, so she tried to keep up a jovial out look for their benefit, but at night she cried into her pillow, wondering what in the world had caused this radical change in the tiger man. It seemed as if he couldn’t stand her anymore. Bengali knew he was hurting Linda, but he felt he had no choice. Oro was right; when the time came, she had to make a decision and he didn’t want to influence her. But the strain he was under was taking its toll on him. He began to spend more time in the gym, releasing his anger on the equipment so as not to lash out at people. At night he found sleep impossible, he couldn’t close his eyes without seeing her face smiling at him. A few weeks after the Berbil attack, Pumyra went to Bengali and reminded him of his promise to teach Linda how to defend herself. Linda had told Pumyra the morning after the attack, before Bengali had changed and she thought that it would be a good opportunity for the two to work things out. Oro had tried to talk her out of the suggestion, but Pumyra didn’t agree with her husband or Lady Kylynne. Love was something that should never be interfered with and she truly believed that the lessons would help Bengali and Linda realize that. Her reasoning was that they would either come to the conclusion that they were meant to be together or end up killing each other. Either way, they would have an outlet for their frustration and things might become more peaceful at the Tower. At first, Bengali wanted to renege on his agreement with the human woman, but Pumyra shamed him by saying that he was a Thundercat; and a Thundercat never went back on a promise. So on a warm morning in early summer, Bengali took Linda to a small clearing not too far from the Tower and began her lessons. He first taught her about weapons and their uses and how to properly fall. Linda remembered Greg telling her that they did the same thing in his basic training for the Army and paid attention to all the lessons. Later, Bengali started having her doing strength building exercises, morning runs, and hikes to build up her muscles. Next came defensive postures and how to throw someone using her body. When ever Bengali had to physically correct her, he did it quickly, never allowing himself to touch her for too long. Each time he touched her, the woman hoped that he would soften towards her, but hopes were always dashed as the Thundarian man would always move away from her quickly All of the lessons were taught in a curt, professional manner three or four times a week. Bengali insisted on this strict schedule and explained everything down to the last detail, hoping that she would pick up on things quickly. She did learn fast, but like any student, she made mistakes and though it made his heart ache to see her on the verge of tears sometimes from pain and frustration, he never let up on his stolid education. “Don’t drop your guard! The enemy will be looking for that one split second when you make a mistake and take advantage of it.” “Faster, a slow person is a dead person!” “Use your legs, not your back. You will hurt yourself and give the enemy an easy win.” “Stick to the shadows, never give them an easy target!” This went on for weeks. Linda would come home exhausted, wanting nothing more than to sleep, but she also had her other duties and did them diligently. The others would have been willing to let her out of some of her chores, but never once did she ask for a break as it would show that Bengali's coldness was getting to her and she didn't want anyone, especially Bengali, to know about that. She still tried to keep up a happy demeanor, but after a while she gave up, deciding that it was too much work. Her days now consisted of cleaning, workouts, training, babysitting, and other Tower duties with barely a word passing her lips nor a smile gracing her face. At night she would thank God for another day, then drop straight into a dreamless sleep. Bengali would also come home exhausted, but unlike Linda, his sleep was filled with dreams of passionate embraces and unfulfilled desires and he would toss and turn all night long, getting barely any sleep then waking up grouchy and unapproachable. He couldn’t keep this up. Being around her was killing him. So many times he had wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to just feel her in his arms. But he fought down these feelings and continued the lessons. Something had to give. Pumyra observed this tragic soap opera drama and shook her head in disgust before looking at her mate and frowning at him before walking away angrily. Even Oro wondered if perhaps he and Kylynne had been right in their decision to forbid the budding love between the human and Thundarian to prosper, but what was done was done and he could and would not do anything about it. He just hoped that things would turn out alright for the both of them. Time passed as it always does, as it will always do. Summer melted into fall, the leaves changing colors and one by one dropped off as winter neared and the animals’ coats grew thick in preparation for the cold season. At the Cats Lair, Panthro and Tygra continued working on the time device, but so far there had been no results, not even a glimmer of a breakthrough. This didn’t discourage them though, they just looked at things differently, tried things that they normally wouldn’t do, and continued working the problem, hoping for an answer. One day in mid-fall, Lord Lion-o and Lady Kylynne decided to invite everyone to the Lair for an important announcement. There was to be a festival but the reason for the celebration was kept secret. On the day of the festival, all the good people of Third Earth showed up, ready for a good party. There were tables groaning under the weight of all the delicious food, fountains of wine and beer, jugs of fruit juice and sweetened beverages for the children, and clear crystal spring water for those who preferred it. There were jugglers and acrobats, flame eaters and sword swallowers, and animal trainers with ponies, elephants, and camels that the kids could ride. All in all, it was a wonderful party, but Linda was unable to enjoy herself. The lessons she had been taking made her so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. She had offered to stay at the Tower and watch the monitors, but Lady Kylynne had asked for her specifically. Standing among the crowds of merry makers Linda stifled a yawn and thought, “I hope they make this announcement soon, then maybe I can find a quiet spot and close my eyes for a while.” Bengali saw Linda from across the way and noticed how tired she looked. “Perhaps I’ve been a bit too hard on her.” he thought and decided to let her sleep in the next day. “Hi.” said a voice behind him. He turned around and found one of the Warrior Maidens with two glasses of wine. “You look thirsty.” she said, holding out one of the glasses. “Thank you.” he said, accepting one of the glasses. “You’re the one they call Bengali, right?” asked the Maiden. Bengali nodded. “I’m Ayan. I’ve been noticing you for a while now. So I thought that I would come over and introduce myself.” The Maiden was a buxom beauty with soft, alluring curves, glorious blond hair that shone under the gentle glow of the torch light, and eyes as blue as the sky, which at this very minute were looking him up and down in a hungry, sensual way. A knowing smirk let him know that she liked what she saw and Bengali drank his glass of wine in one nervous gulp. “My, you are thirsty, aren’t you.” laughed Ayan. “Here, why don’t you hold this and I’ll go get us a bottle.” She quickly moved over to the wine table and came back with two bottles of Berbil wine. She popped the cork deftly and refilled his glass. “So what do you think this announcement is about?’ she asked, moving closer to him. “I’m not sure.” Bengali replied. “It must be something big though. This must have cost a fortune.” “You know,” started Ayan, “I’ve never been inside the Cats Lair. Maybe after the announcement, you could show me around.” She draped one of her hands over his arm and moved them lightly up and down, looking at him with lowered eyes. “Um, sure.” he said and downed the contents of his glass. Before he knew it, Ayan had filled it again. This little display had not gone unnoticed as Linda stared at the duo, and she turned away quickly and headed off to a different part of festival, not wanting to witness the heart wrenching scene further. As evening fell, Lion-o finally made his way to the top of the stairs of Cats Lair, Lady Kylynne by his side. Bengali, slightly unsteady on his feet, watched as his Lord began his speech. “My friends, I want to thank all of your for being here this evening to help us celebrate a most joyous occasion. Now, I know that you are probably wondering what is going on here, and I promise that I will explain everything, but first, on behalf of all the Thundercats, my wife, and myself, I want to thank the residents of Third Earth for welcoming us when we first came here and for being a part of our lives.” A round of applause greeted this speech. “And now,” Lion-o continued, “I wanted to announce that just recently I found out that the line of the Lion Clan will continue on.” Many a gasp was heard, speculating on what that could mean. “At this very moment, my wife, the Lady Kylynne, is carrying the future Lord of the Thundercats!” Lion-o smiled broadly as thunderous applause, congratulations, and wishes of good luck were aimed at the royal couple. He then bent down and kissed his wife passionately, causing the sound of the crowd to reverberate of the hills. Lion-o moved back from Kylynne and addressed the well wishers once more. “Please continue to help us celebrate tonight. And thank you once more for coming.” The Thundercats, including Linda, stepped forward to congratulate the happy couple. Lion-o was slapped heartily on the back several times while Kylynne was hugged and kissed by her friends and neighbors. It took a while, but finally Linda got her chance to congratulate her friend. “Congrats, Kylynne! I’m so happy for you!” Kylynne smiled and hugged her. “Thank you, I’m happy too.” She stepped back and looked at the human woman, noticing the tired circles under her eyes. “What on Third Earth happened to you?!” Linda smiled wanly. “It’s nothing, I’m just tired from all the work and training that I’ve been doing.” Kylynne thought that perhaps there was more to it, but said nothing about it. “There are several rooms available at the moment. Why don’t you go into the Lair and lay down for a while? A nap might do you good.” Linda smiled her thanks and went into the Lair. She went up to the level where the guest rooms where and had just turned the corner when she spotted Bengali and the Warrior Maiden that had been with him earlier in an impassioned embrace in front of one of the rooms. Bengali’s hands were roaming all over the woman’s body and the Maiden couldn’t seem to get enough of him. The tiger growled low in his throat as he devoured the woman's lips greedily. The maiden hit the panel opening the door and both of them entered the room, never noticing Linda in the hallway staring in disbelief. Linda stood there for almost a minute before coming to grips with what she had witnessed, then turned around and slowly walked out of the Lair. She walked through the throng of people, keeping a smile pasted on her face, nodding to friends and acquaintances who waved her over, but she did not stop until she had reached the near by forest where she then broke into a run. The distraught woman ran for as long as her legs would let her, not knowing nor caring where she was going. Several times she fell, but she ignored the pain from the scrapes to her knees and hands as she picked herself up and continued into the forest. Finally she fell near Mystic Lake and though she longed to keep going, her exhausted body refused to obey her. Sitting up, Linda wrapped her arms around her middle, rocking back and forth as she replayed the scene over and over in her head, the tiger's arms around that other woman, the Maiden clawing at Bengali's clothes, the sounds of their moans and giggles. At first only a low moaning escaped her lips, the as she remembered the past few months and Bengali's indifference to her, his aloofness and stony demeanor, sobs wracked her body and she allowed herself to scream out her anguish. “Why?!” she demanded, searching the darkened skies for an answer. “Why did you bring me here, show me that I can love again, only to torment me by snatching it away again? !” Then it hit her; she loved Bengali. She didn't know how it had happened or when, but she knew it was true and that realization only tore at her heart more. Curling up into a ball, she whispered,“Oh God, what am I going to do?” and cried her heart out until she just fell asleep where she had dropped. In the guest room, Bengali and the Maiden were exploring each others bodies through their clothes when Bengali pulled back, feeling that this was wrong. “I can’t do this,” he said breathlessly, pushing the woman slightly away from him. “Of course you can,” Ayan said, thinking that the wine was affecting his performance. “It’s easy, people do it all the time. How do you think Lady Kylynne got pregnant.” Despite his hesitation, he had to laugh briefly at her comment. “No, it’s not that,” he replied, “I can’t do this because I keep thinking of someone else, someone I love.” Ayan was confused and stepped back from the Thundarian. “If you love someone else, then why did you come with me?” Bengali sank against the wall, relieved to have some space between him and this beautiful woman. He glanced away as he explained, “Because I’ve been told to stay away from her, for my own good.” “Is it the woman they call Linda?” Bengali’s head snapped her way. “How do you know about her?!” he asked angrily. “Please,” she scoffed, “Everyone knows about her.” Ayan saw the danger in the tiger's eyes and put up a hand to silence him. “Before you go defending her let me say that she’s a good woman as far as I can tell. Most everywhere I go I hear about her and how nice she is, how kind, and all of that stuff. But that makes me ask 'Why can’t you be with her?'” Bengali looked down, his eyes closed in pain and he swallowed once before answering , “Everyone thinks that I’ll be hurt when she goes back to her own time.” “Ah, I see.”Ayan said as she nodded her head, seeing something that the tiger had not. “It seems to me that you are already hurting.” Quickly and efficiently she readjusted her clothes and headed towards the door. As the door opened and she began to walk out, she paused and looked at the tiger. “Perhaps it’s time that you stop listening to everyone else and start listening to yourself. Good luck.” Then she left. Bengali stood there for a moment, her words penetrating his foggy brain and he smiled as her words made sense. Suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness, he crawled into bed and slept like he hadn’t done in a long time. The next morning Bengali was shaken roughly awake. Slowly he opened his eyes, the light stabbing into them like daggers. Above him was Linda, her own eyes bloodshot, her face hard and unforgiving, generally looking worn out. “Time to get up, it’s first light.” was all she said. Bengali groaned, his head pounding, his hands immediately covering his poor eyes. “I have decided to fore go the lesson today.” “Bit too much for you, was she?” Linda asked in a hoarse, strangled voice. “She left a little early I see.” Bengali, peered at her through his fingers, figuring that she must have seen him with Ayan last night. “It's not what you think Linda, she never stayed.” “Huh,” she said, “ I never would have taken you for a ‘Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma’am’ kind of guy. Regardless, as you have never allowed me any slack, I see no reason why I should give you any. See you downstairs in 20 minutes.” Before he had a chance to say anything, she left the room. He groaned again, realizing that he was going to have to get up, if only to explain things to her. After a quick shower and a few of Snarf’s “Morning After” herbal pills, Bengali felt better. He went downstairs looking for Linda but couldn’t find her anywhere. He went outside and spotted Lion-o and Panthro directing the clean up crew. “Have either of you seen Linda?” he asked them. “Yeah,” said Panthro, “she borrowed one of the space boards and asked me to tell you to meet her at the training grounds. Said she was tired of waiting.” Bengali thanked the panther and went to get one of the other boards when Lion-o called out to him. “Bengali, this thing going on between you two needs to end.” He gave the tiger a knowing look. “It is, starting today. When you see Kylynne and Oro, please tell them that I’m sorry. I should have never listened to them. I’m listening to my heart now.” Lion-o folded his arms in front of him and grinned as Bengali took off. “It’s about damn time too.” Linda was warming up when Bengali arrived. She didn’t look at him, just kept practicing with her chosen weapon of the day; the Battle Staff. “You’re late.” she said. “Linda, we need to talk.” “You don’t talk.” she said, still swinging and twirling the staff. “You nod, you grunt, you bark orders. I don’t consider that talking. Besides, I’m not in the mood for any chit chat this morning..” “Please listen to me. I want to explain about last night.” He had to duck because she took a swing at his head. “I said I don’t want to TALK!!!” She bellowed, her eyes glaring at him, rage radiating from her very being. Bengali saw that she wouldn’t listen to reason until she had let off some steam. “Fine, if that’s the way you want it.” He picked up another staff and made a few practice swings himself. “However the rules are going to be different.’ he crouched into a defensive position while she assumed an attack one. “You don’t want to talk, that’s fine, but you are going to listen.” He parried one of her thrust. “First of all, I’m sorry for the last few months.” They circled each other, familiarizing themselves with the terrain. “Kylynne and Oro thought that I should leave you alone. In fact, they ordered me to.” SMACK! Wood clashed with wood. Bengali blocked her attack easily and pushed her back, putting some distance between them as he continued, “They were afraid that when the time came for you to leave that you might not go because of your feelings for me.” He jumped out of the way of her staff’s long range then swung up high, knowing she would be ready for it. The human woman deflected it easily, still glaring at him. “It was never my intention to hurt you.” he raised his staff above his head to block her high sticking movement. “I thought I was doing what was best for you, for us.” Linda paused. “ ‘What was best for me?’ Don’t you think I damn well know what’s best for me?!” She swung hard at his legs. Bengali easily jumped over this attack, but he missed the staff’s return. It caught him in the thigh, hard! She just wasn’t trying to let off steam, she was out for blood! He staggered slightly but readied himself for the next volley, clashing his weapon against hers. “You have no idea how much I hated myself for putting you through that.” A swing from her staff grazed his ear. “I would do anything to undo it all!” He blocked another thrust. “I love you!” “BULLSHIT!” she screamed as she swung with all her might toward his unprotected left side. Wood connected solidly with flesh, and Bengali grunted from the pain as he fell to his side. She paced in front of him, tears streaming down her face. “You treat me like crap for the last 5 months, never saying a thing, making me think that I did something wrong!” Bengali rose to his knees, clutching his left side, using his staff for support and just let her rant.. “For weeks I went over every little thing I did, every thing I could have done or said to make you act so cold. Nothing came to mind. I didn’t have a clue!” Her pain ate at his heart. Slowly he stood up and prepared for another attack. But Linda wasn’t quite ready to resume their bout just yet. “Then, to add insult to injury, I see you take some fuckin’ whore to your room last night!” Linda was twisting her staff in her hands. “And now you have the fuckin’ gall to say you love me?!” The attack came so sudden, he almost missed it. He raised his staff just in time to prevent hers from cleaving his head down the middle. They stood there, locked together, faces just inches away from each other. “You don’t love me,” she cried, tears streaming down her face, “You don’t even care about me!” Bengali pushed her off, swung his staff in an intricate way as to flip hers out of her hands, sending it flying through the air, and threw his staff off to the side. Linda just stood there as he walked to her and slid his hands up to her face, pulling her in for his kiss. All of their frustration, the anger and hate, all their loneliness was wrapped up in that one kiss. Bengali pulled back and looked straight into her eyes, wiping tears from her cheek with his thumb. “I do care about you, and I do love you. I have always loved you and I always will.” Linda could see that he was telling the truth and wrapped her arms around him, wanting to only hold him. Bengali tightened his grip, returning her embrace. Soon however, holding wasn’t enough for either of them. They began to rip each others clothes off, feeling that if they didn’t seize this moment now, they would never have another. Their joining was brutal and savage, born of long denied desires. They scratched and clawed at each other as they fought to get closer to each other, to meld two souls into one. Bengali was surprised by this woman's acceptance of his savage love making, and even more surprised as she gave as good as she got. As they reached their climaxes together the forest echoed a tiger’s roar of triumph. Many hours later Linda and Bengali, finally sated, held each other and talked about the future, the autumn breeze cooling off their heated bodies. “What will you do if I decide to go back?” she asked him. “I don’t know.” he said, caressing her arm lightly with the tips of his clawed nails. “I’d survive, I know that. Beyond that, I’m not sure.” Linda was quiet a moment before asking, “What if I decided not to go?” Bengali tilted her chin up to better look at her. “If you choose not to go, it must be because you want to stay, not because of me. Promise me that.” Linda nodded her head. In the distance, Bengali heard the Thundertank coming close. “Sounds like they sent a search party out for us.” he stated “That or a body recovery unit.” Linda joked. “After the way we have been acting lately, they might think we ended up killing each other.” Bengali laughed at that. It wasn’t a far-fetched idea. They were both covered in scratches, bite marks, and bruises. “Well, we better get dressed.” he said, stretching langoriously and muffling a slight groan of pain. “I don’t think it would be a good idea for them to see us this way. They might think we tried to kill each other.” Linda laughed. “We nearly did Tiger Man.” “’ Tiger Man?’ Hmm, I like that one.” he grinned, kissing her nose. They dressed quickly and as the Thundertank came into view, Bengali pulled Linda close. “No matter what happens, we’ll do it together, ok?” She looked loving into his eyes and nodded her head. “Together.” From the Thundertank, Lion-o could see the couple was fine, a little rough around the edges, but in good health. As the Tank came to a stop, Lion-o stood up and asked, “Is everything ok here?” “Everything is fine.” Bengali answered, not meaning the way they looked. Lion-o understood immediately and smiled. “That’s good to hear.” Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro, and Pumyra jumped out of the Tank. Cheetara took in their dishabille and exclaimed, “By Jaga! What on Third Earth happened to you two?” Linda and Bengali looked at each other, then Linda answered. “Our lesson kind of got out of hand.” Then the new couple laughed at the bewildered looks on the Thundercats faces.
Doorway of the Gods Chapter 5 Eventually, Lion-o and Pumyra did begin speaking to their mates again, but Bengali’s coldness toward Linda increased. Whenever she spoke to him, he would give her curt answers or nods. If she entered a room he was in, he stayed back or left the room entirely. Bengali made it a point to never touch her unless he could help it and he kept a reasonable distance between them at all times. The tension between the two was so thick that everyone in the Tower could feel it. Linda was baffled by the tiger's attitude towards her and knew that the situation was causing the others discomfort, so she tried to keep up a jovial out look for their benefit, but at night she cried into her pillow, wondering what in the world had caused this radical change in the tiger man. It seemed as if he couldn’t stand her anymore. Bengali knew he was hurting Linda, but he felt he had no choice. Oro was right; when the time came, she had to make a decision and he didn’t want to influence her. But the strain he was under was taking its toll on him. He began to spend more time in the gym, releasing his anger on the equipment so as not to lash out at people. At night he found sleep impossible, he couldn’t close his eyes without seeing her face smiling at him. A few weeks after the Berbil attack, Pumyra went to Bengali and reminded him of his promise to teach Linda how to defend herself. Linda had told Pumyra the morning after the attack, before Bengali had changed and she thought that it would be a good opportunity for the two to work things out. Oro had tried to talk her out of the suggestion, but Pumyra didn’t agree with her husband or Lady Kylynne. Love was something that should never be interfered with and she truly believed that the lessons would help Bengali and Linda realize that. Her reasoning was that they would either come to the conclusion that they were meant to be together or end up killing each other. Either way, they would have an outlet for their frustration and things might become more peaceful at the Tower. At first, Bengali wanted to renege on his agreement with the human woman, but Pumyra shamed him by saying that he was a Thundercat; and a Thundercat never went back on a promise. So on a warm morning in early summer, Bengali took Linda to a small clearing not too far from the Tower and began her lessons. He first taught her about weapons and their uses and how to properly fall. Linda remembered Greg telling her that they did the same thing in his basic training for the Army and paid attention to all the lessons. Later, Bengali started having her doing strength building exercises, morning runs, and hikes to build up her muscles. Next came defensive postures and how to throw someone using her body. When ever Bengali had to physically correct her, he did it quickly, never allowing himself to touch her for too long. Each time he touched her, the woman hoped that he would soften towards her, but hopes were always dashed as the Thundarian man would always move away from her quickly All of the lessons were taught in a curt, professional manner three or four times a week. Bengali insisted on this strict schedule and explained everything down to the last detail, hoping that she would pick up on things quickly. She did learn fast, but like any student, she made mistakes and though it made his heart ache to see her on the verge of tears sometimes from pain and frustration, he never let up on his stolid education. “Don’t drop your guard! The enemy will be looking for that one split second when you make a mistake and take advantage of it.” “Faster, a slow person is a dead person!” “Use your legs, not your back. You will hurt yourself and give the enemy an easy win.” “Stick to the shadows, never give them an easy target!” This went on for weeks. Linda would come home exhausted, wanting nothing more than to sleep, but she also had her other duties and did them diligently. The others would have been willing to let her out of some of her chores, but never once did she ask for a break as it would show that Bengali's coldness was getting to her and she didn't want anyone, especially Bengali, to know about that. She still tried to keep up a happy demeanor, but after a while she gave up, deciding that it was too much work. Her days now consisted of cleaning, workouts, training, babysitting, and other Tower duties with barely a word passing her lips nor a smile gracing her face. At night she would thank God for another day, then drop straight into a dreamless sleep. Bengali would also come home exhausted, but unlike Linda, his sleep was filled with dreams of passionate embraces and unfulfilled desires and he would toss and turn all night long, getting barely any sleep then waking up grouchy and unapproachable. He couldn’t keep this up. Being around her was killing him. So many times he had wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to just feel her in his arms. But he fought down these feelings and continued the lessons. Something had to give. Pumyra observed this tragic soap opera drama and shook her head in disgust before looking at her mate and frowning at him before walking away angrily. Even Oro wondered if perhaps he and Kylynne had been right in their decision to forbid the budding love between the human and Thundarian to prosper, but what was done was done and he could and would not do anything about it. He just hoped that things would turn out alright for the both of them. Time passed as it always does, as it will always do. Summer melted into fall, the leaves changing colors and one by one dropped off as winter neared and the animals’ coats grew thick in preparation for the cold season. At the Cats Lair, Panthro and Tygra continued working on the time device, but so far there had been no results, not even a glimmer of a breakthrough. This didn’t discourage them though, they just looked at things differently, tried things that they normally wouldn’t do, and continued working the problem, hoping for an answer. One day in mid-fall, Lord Lion-o and Lady Kylynne decided to invite everyone to the Lair for an important announcement. There was to be a festival but the reason for the celebration was kept secret. On the day of the festival, all the good people of Third Earth showed up, ready for a good party. There were tables groaning under the weight of all the delicious food, fountains of wine and beer, jugs of fruit juice and sweetened beverages for the children, and clear crystal spring water for those who preferred it. There were jugglers and acrobats, flame eaters and sword swallowers, and animal trainers with ponies, elephants, and camels that the kids could ride. All in all, it was a wonderful party, but Linda was unable to enjoy herself. The lessons she had been taking made her so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. She had offered to stay at the Tower and watch the monitors, but Lady Kylynne had asked for her specifically. Standing among the crowds of merry makers Linda stifled a yawn and thought, “I hope they make this announcement soon, then maybe I can find a quiet spot and close my eyes for a while.” Bengali saw Linda from across the way and noticed how tired she looked. “Perhaps I’ve been a bit too hard on her.” he thought and decided to let her sleep in the next day. “Hi.” said a voice behind him. He turned around and found one of the Warrior Maidens with two glasses of wine. “You look thirsty.” she said, holding out one of the glasses. “Thank you.” he said, accepting one of the glasses. “You’re the one they call Bengali, right?” asked the Maiden. Bengali nodded. “I’m Ayan. I’ve been noticing you for a while now. So I thought that I would come over and introduce myself.” The Maiden was a buxom beauty with soft, alluring curves, glorious blond hair that shone under the gentle glow of the torch light, and eyes as blue as the sky, which at this very minute were looking him up and down in a hungry, sensual way. A knowing smirk let him know that she liked what she saw and Bengali drank his glass of wine in one nervous gulp. “My, you are thirsty, aren’t you.” laughed Ayan. “Here, why don’t you hold this and I’ll go get us a bottle.” She quickly moved over to the wine table and came back with two bottles of Berbil wine. She popped the cork deftly and refilled his glass. “So what do you think this announcement is about?’ she asked, moving closer to him. “I’m not sure.” Bengali replied. “It must be something big though. This must have cost a fortune.” “You know,” started Ayan, “I’ve never been inside the Cats Lair. Maybe after the announcement, you could show me around.” She draped one of her hands over his arm and moved them lightly up and down, looking at him with lowered eyes. “Um, sure.” he said and downed the contents of his glass. Before he knew it, Ayan had filled it again. This little display had not gone unnoticed as Linda stared at the duo, and she turned away quickly and headed off to a different part of festival, not wanting to witness the heart wrenching scene further. As evening fell, Lion-o finally made his way to the top of the stairs of Cats Lair, Lady Kylynne by his side. Bengali, slightly unsteady on his feet, watched as his Lord began his speech. “My friends, I want to thank all of your for being here this evening to help us celebrate a most joyous occasion. Now, I know that you are probably wondering what is going on here, and I promise that I will explain everything, but first, on behalf of all the Thundercats, my wife, and myself, I want to thank the residents of Third Earth for welcoming us when we first came here and for being a part of our lives.” A round of applause greeted this speech. “And now,” Lion-o continued, “I wanted to announce that just recently I found out that the line of the Lion Clan will continue on.” Many a gasp was heard, speculating on what that could mean. “At this very moment, my wife, the Lady Kylynne, is carrying the future Lord of the Thundercats!” Lion-o smiled broadly as thunderous applause, congratulations, and wishes of good luck were aimed at the royal couple. He then bent down and kissed his wife passionately, causing the sound of the crowd to reverberate of the hills. Lion-o moved back from Kylynne and addressed the well wishers once more. “Please continue to help us celebrate tonight. And thank you once more for coming.” The Thundercats, including Linda, stepped forward to congratulate the happy couple. Lion-o was slapped heartily on the back several times while Kylynne was hugged and kissed by her friends and neighbors. It took a while, but finally Linda got her chance to congratulate her friend. “Congrats, Kylynne! I’m so happy for you!” Kylynne smiled and hugged her. “Thank you, I’m happy too.” She stepped back and looked at the human woman, noticing the tired circles under her eyes. “What on Third Earth happened to you?!” Linda smiled wanly. “It’s nothing, I’m just tired from all the work and training that I’ve been doing.” Kylynne thought that perhaps there was more to it, but said nothing about it. “There are several rooms available at the moment. Why don’t you go into the Lair and lay down for a while? A nap might do you good.” Linda smiled her thanks and went into the Lair. She went up to the level where the guest rooms where and had just turned the corner when she spotted Bengali and the Warrior Maiden that had been with him earlier in an impassioned embrace in front of one of the rooms. Bengali’s hands were roaming all over the woman’s body and the Maiden couldn’t seem to get enough of him. The tiger growled low in his throat as he devoured the woman's lips greedily. The maiden hit the panel opening the door and both of them entered the room, never noticing Linda in the hallway staring in disbelief. Linda stood there for almost a minute before coming to grips with what she had witnessed, then turned around and slowly walked out of the Lair. She walked through the throng of people, keeping a smile pasted on her face, nodding to friends and acquaintances who waved her over, but she did not stop until she had reached the near by forest where she then broke into a run. The distraught woman ran for as long as her legs would let her, not knowing nor caring where she was going. Several times she fell, but she ignored the pain from the scrapes to her knees and hands as she picked herself up and continued into the forest. Finally she fell near Mystic Lake and though she longed to keep going, her exhausted body refused to obey her. Sitting up, Linda wrapped her arms around her middle, rocking back and forth as she replayed the scene over and over in her head, the tiger's arms around that other woman, the Maiden clawing at Bengali's clothes, the sounds of their moans and giggles. At first only a low moaning escaped her lips, the as she remembered the past few months and Bengali's indifference to her, his aloofness and stony demeanor, sobs wracked her body and she allowed herself to scream out her anguish. “Why?!” she demanded, searching the darkened skies for an answer. “Why did you bring me here, show me that I can love again, only to torment me by snatching it away again? !” Then it hit her; she loved Bengali. She didn't know how it had happened or when, but she knew it was true and that realization only tore at her heart more. Curling up into a ball, she whispered,“Oh God, what am I going to do?” and cried her heart out until she just fell asleep where she had dropped. In the guest room, Bengali and the Maiden were exploring each others bodies through their clothes when Bengali pulled back, feeling that this was wrong. “I can’t do this,” he said breathlessly, pushing the woman slightly away from him. “Of course you can,” Ayan said, thinking that the wine was affecting his performance. “It’s easy, people do it all the time. How do you think Lady Kylynne got pregnant.” Despite his hesitation, he had to laugh briefly at her comment. “No, it’s not that,” he replied, “I can’t do this because I keep thinking of someone else, someone I love.” Ayan was confused and stepped back from the Thundarian. “If you love someone else, then why did you come with me?” Bengali sank against the wall, relieved to have some space between him and this beautiful woman. He glanced away as he explained, “Because I’ve been told to stay away from her, for my own good.” “Is it the woman they call Linda?” Bengali’s head snapped her way. “How do you know about her?!” he asked angrily. “Please,” she scoffed, “Everyone knows about her.” Ayan saw the danger in the tiger's eyes and put up a hand to silence him. “Before you go defending her let me say that she’s a good woman as far as I can tell. Most everywhere I go I hear about her and how nice she is, how kind, and all of that stuff. But that makes me ask 'Why can’t you be with her?'” Bengali looked down, his eyes closed in pain and he swallowed once before answering , “Everyone thinks that I’ll be hurt when she goes back to her own time.” “Ah, I see.”Ayan said as she nodded her head, seeing something that the tiger had not. “It seems to me that you are already hurting.” Quickly and efficiently she readjusted her clothes and headed towards the door. As the door opened and she began to walk out, she paused and looked at the tiger. “Perhaps it’s time that you stop listening to everyone else and start listening to yourself. Good luck.” Then she left. Bengali stood there for a moment, her words penetrating his foggy brain and he smiled as her words made sense. Suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness, he crawled into bed and slept like he hadn’t done in a long time. The next morning Bengali was shaken roughly awake. Slowly he opened his eyes, the light stabbing into them like daggers. Above him was Linda, her own eyes bloodshot, her face hard and unforgiving, generally looking worn out. “Time to get up, it’s first light.” was all she said. Bengali groaned, his head pounding, his hands immediately covering his poor eyes. “I have decided to fore go the lesson today.” “Bit too much for you, was she?” Linda asked in a hoarse, strangled voice. “She left a little early I see.” Bengali, peered at her through his fingers, figuring that she must have seen him with Ayan last night. “It's not what you think Linda, she never stayed.” “Huh,” she said, “ I never would have taken you for a ‘Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma’am’ kind of guy. Regardless, as you have never allowed me any slack, I see no reason why I should give you any. See you downstairs in 20 minutes.” Before he had a chance to say anything, she left the room. He groaned again, realizing that he was going to have to get up, if only to explain things to her. After a quick shower and a few of Snarf’s “Morning After” herbal pills, Bengali felt better. He went downstairs looking for Linda but couldn’t find her anywhere. He went outside and spotted Lion-o and Panthro directing the clean up crew. “Have either of you seen Linda?” he asked them. “Yeah,” said Panthro, “she borrowed one of the space boards and asked me to tell you to meet her at the training grounds. Said she was tired of waiting.” Bengali thanked the panther and went to get one of the other boards when Lion-o called out to him. “Bengali, this thing going on between you two needs to end.” He gave the tiger a knowing look. “It is, starting today. When you see Kylynne and Oro, please tell them that I’m sorry. I should have never listened to them. I’m listening to my heart now.” Lion-o folded his arms in front of him and grinned as Bengali took off. “It’s about damn time too.” Linda was warming up when Bengali arrived. She didn’t look at him, just kept practicing with her chosen weapon of the day; the Battle Staff. “You’re late.” she said. “Linda, we need to talk.” “You don’t talk.” she said, still swinging and twirling the staff. “You nod, you grunt, you bark orders. I don’t consider that talking. Besides, I’m not in the mood for any chit chat this morning..” “Please listen to me. I want to explain about last night.” He had to duck because she took a swing at his head. “I said I don’t want to TALK!!!” She bellowed, her eyes glaring at him, rage radiating from her very being. Bengali saw that she wouldn’t listen to reason until she had let off some steam. “Fine, if that’s the way you want it.” He picked up another staff and made a few practice swings himself. “However the rules are going to be different.’ he crouched into a defensive position while she assumed an attack one. “You don’t want to talk, that’s fine, but you are going to listen.” He parried one of her thrust. “First of all, I’m sorry for the last few months.” They circled each other, familiarizing themselves with the terrain. “Kylynne and Oro thought that I should leave you alone. In fact, they ordered me to.” SMACK! Wood clashed with wood. Bengali blocked her attack easily and pushed her back, putting some distance between them as he continued, “They were afraid that when the time came for you to leave that you might not go because of your feelings for me.” He jumped out of the way of her staff’s long range then swung up high, knowing she would be ready for it. The human woman deflected it easily, still glaring at him. “It was never my intention to hurt you.” he raised his staff above his head to block her high sticking movement. “I thought I was doing what was best for you, for us.” Linda paused. “ ‘What was best for me?’ Don’t you think I damn well know what’s best for me?!” She swung hard at his legs. Bengali easily jumped over this attack, but he missed the staff’s return. It caught him in the thigh, hard! She just wasn’t trying to let off steam, she was out for blood! He staggered slightly but readied himself for the next volley, clashing his weapon against hers. “You have no idea how much I hated myself for putting you through that.” A swing from her staff grazed his ear. “I would do anything to undo it all!” He blocked another thrust. “I love you!” “BULLSHIT!” she screamed as she swung with all her might toward his unprotected left side. Wood connected solidly with flesh, and Bengali grunted from the pain as he fell to his side. She paced in front of him, tears streaming down her face. “You treat me like crap for the last 5 months, never saying a thing, making me think that I did something wrong!” Bengali rose to his knees, clutching his left side, using his staff for support and just let her rant.. “For weeks I went over every little thing I did, every thing I could have done or said to make you act so cold. Nothing came to mind. I didn’t have a clue!” Her pain ate at his heart. Slowly he stood up and prepared for another attack. But Linda wasn’t quite ready to resume their bout just yet. “Then, to add insult to injury, I see you take some fuckin’ whore to your room last night!” Linda was twisting her staff in her hands. “And now you have the fuckin’ gall to say you love me?!” The attack came so sudden, he almost missed it. He raised his staff just in time to prevent hers from cleaving his head down the middle. They stood there, locked together, faces just inches away from each other. “You don’t love me,” she cried, tears streaming down her face, “You don’t even care about me!” Bengali pushed her off, swung his staff in an intricate way as to flip hers out of her hands, sending it flying through the air, and threw his staff off to the side. Linda just stood there as he walked to her and slid his hands up to her face, pulling her in for his kiss. All of their frustration, the anger and hate, all their loneliness was wrapped up in that one kiss. Bengali pulled back and looked straight into her eyes, wiping tears from her cheek with his thumb. “I do care about you, and I do love you. I have always loved you and I always will.” Linda could see that he was telling the truth and wrapped her arms around him, wanting to only hold him. Bengali tightened his grip, returning her embrace. Soon however, holding wasn’t enough for either of them. They began to rip each others clothes off, feeling that if they didn’t seize this moment now, they would never have another. Their joining was brutal and savage, born of long denied desires. They scratched and clawed at each other as they fought to get closer to each other, to meld two souls into one. Bengali was surprised by this woman's acceptance of his savage love making, and even more surprised as she gave as good as she got. As they reached their climaxes together the forest echoed a tiger’s roar of triumph. Many hours later Linda and Bengali, finally sated, held each other and talked about the future, the autumn breeze cooling off their heated bodies. “What will you do if I decide to go back?” she asked him. “I don’t know.” he said, caressing her arm lightly with the tips of his clawed nails. “I’d survive, I know that. Beyond that, I’m not sure.” Linda was quiet a moment before asking, “What if I decided not to go?” Bengali tilted her chin up to better look at her. “If you choose not to go, it must be because you want to stay, not because of me. Promise me that.” Linda nodded her head. In the distance, Bengali heard the Thundertank coming close. “Sounds like they sent a search party out for us.” he stated “That or a body recovery unit.” Linda joked. “After the way we have been acting lately, they might think we ended up killing each other.” Bengali laughed at that. It wasn’t a far-fetched idea. They were both covered in scratches, bite marks, and bruises. “Well, we better get dressed.” he said, stretching langoriously and muffling a slight groan of pain. “I don’t think it would be a good idea for them to see us this way. They might think we tried to kill each other.” Linda laughed. “We nearly did Tiger Man.” “’ Tiger Man?’ Hmm, I like that one.” he grinned, kissing her nose. They dressed quickly and as the Thundertank came into view, Bengali pulled Linda close. “No matter what happens, we’ll do it together, ok?” She looked loving into his eyes and nodded her head. “Together.” From the Thundertank, Lion-o could see the couple was fine, a little rough around the edges, but in good health. As the Tank came to a stop, Lion-o stood up and asked, “Is everything ok here?” “Everything is fine.” Bengali answered, not meaning the way they looked. Lion-o understood immediately and smiled. “That’s good to hear.” Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro, and Pumyra jumped out of the Tank. Cheetara took in their dishabille and exclaimed, “By Jaga! What on Third Earth happened to you two?” Linda and Bengali looked at each other, then Linda answered. “Our lesson kind of got out of hand.” Then the new couple laughed at the bewildered looks on the Thundercats faces.