October 6, 2002 - 

Written by Zhie

            Lion-o strummed his fingers on the computer console.  Not a single thing of interest happening.  And it wasn’t just this evening; it was like this every night.  Ever since he’d come back to Third Earth, taking a few months off from the rebuilding project on New Thundera to take a turn keeping watch in Cat’s Lair.  “Stupid, old, boring Cat’s Lair.” He mumbled to himself, and then laughed.  It was the last thing Pumyra had said to him before walking, no, skipping, now that he thought of it, back to the transport that would take her and Tygra back to New Thundera.  Thinking back, Tygra hadn’t said much to him, but that could have been because in the last six rotations, he’d placed Tygra on three.

            It was actually due to an extreme oversight that he found himself stuck on Third Earth at that moment.  His plan had been to take some time off from the rebuilding project.  He’d mentioned this to Panthro, thinking the panther to suggest a nice vacation spot from all of the topographical surveys he’d been working on.  Instead, the engineer had happily mentioned he’d be sure to place the Lord of the ThunderCats into the first available opening back to Third Earth for a four-month leave of absence.  Lion-o nearly put a fist through the wall that day.

            “Should have come up with some excuse.  Have to start stockpiling excuses.  Or learning not to let others plan my schedule.”  He smiled to himself, then yawned, and checked the time.  It was barely past four in the morning.  Only another hour or so, and he’d be off the hook for watch.  Cheetara was stationed at the Tower of Omens, and would take over the minute she stepped outside for her morning run.  Lion-o would head to bed for a nap, and join her for a late breakfast here at the lair when she arrived.  She’d stay and talk for a while before heading back.  It was meant for her benefit, being that so few traveled as far as the tower, but Lion-o thought he enjoyed it far more, even though he could easily walk down to the Berbil village or the Wollo settlements if he felt like interacting with anyone.  In the early afternoon, Cheetara would travel back to the tower, and after dinner, guard duty would pass over to Lion-o. 

He wasn’t required to stay up during his duty, but some nights, it seemed as if he could sense something would happen, so he’d stay up in case.  “Looks like I missed my beauty sleep for nothing.” He joked to himself, half-watching the surface scan.  He suddenly sat straight up in his chair and reran the scan.  “What in the name of Jaga--?”  Lion-o was about to flip on the communication system to the tower, when it lit up and a voice suddenly came on over the system.

“Tower of Omens calling Cat’s Lair, come in, Cat’s Lair.” Cheetara’s voice broke the near silence in the Lair, but declined to wait for an answer.  “Lion-o, what’s going on up in sector G-4?”

“I’m not sure, Cheetara.”  Lion-o replied.  “But something’s definitely wrong up there.  That area was grassland, and I’m reading all kinds of potholes and caves now, with some minor activity.  Can’t give you much more than that, we never installed a monitoring system out that far, so I don’t have visual, just what we’re picking up on long range sensors.”

“Damn.  I’d like to think it’s nothing serious, but my senses are telling me something else.  Anything from the sword?”  asked Cheetara.

Lion-o stood, withdrawing the sword and holding it infront of his face, peering through the curves of the hilt.  “Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!”  Lion-o waited, but he saw nothing but a white haze.  “Nothing.” He finally admitted, resheathing the sword.

“Well, it’s nearly time that I’d leave as it is.” Cheetara reasoned.  “If you don’t mind having breakfast by yourself, I’ll check out the area, and report back later for lunch.  If I need help, I’ll call you for backup.”

“Are you sure you want to go alone?” began the lord, but he cut himself off.  “No, I know you can handle whatever’s out there.  I’ll be here if you find something odd going on out there.”

“Sounds like a plan.  You’d better get some sleep, Lion-o, or you won’t be of much help if I end up a damsel in distress.” Joked the cheetah.  “Tower of Omens, over and out.”

Lion-o shook his head, smiling.  “No snarf, and I still have to deal with someone nagging me to do things.” He laughed as he dragged himself up to his room.

Cheetara tried to keep her pace at a jog, but she felt herself continue to speed up the closer she came to sector G4.  It had been a small oversight when the monitors had originally been installed that left a small string of sectors, G1 through G6, under limited surveillance.  It had never seemed necessary at the time, as the land was flat, barren, and not suitable for growing anything, according to the Berbils.  But it was days like these that she wished monitors had been installed years earlier.

Normally, the run would have been pleasant, and the small amount of excitement welcomed, but rain was beating down hard on the cheetah’s skin now, and the overcast sky did little to raise her spirits.  Nearer to the bases, the weather was rather nice, but she found the muddy paths difficult to maneuver through, and the puddles she occasionally splashed in rather miserable. 

It was sometime later that a rather damp cheetah finally reached the outer edges of the sector.  She thought about checking in to Lion-o before proceeding, but found her communicator, located in her staff, had become so damp from the rain that she couldn’t hold a signal long enough to even send a prerecorded series of coded beeps to the lair.  ‘He knows things are okay, the sword would tell him if I were in danger.’ Cheetara reminded herself, slowing to a trot as she checked the area.

As the sensors had shown, there were a number of landforms scattered about that had not been present before.  Small dunes, steep hills, and other caves and craters dotted the land, almost at regular intervals.  Upon further inspection, Cheetara was able to ascertain that the cause was some sort of tool, or, a weapon, perhaps. 

The ThunderCat bent down to inspect an area with one of the craters.  The shape was very precise, and the hole made, though muddy, was firmly packed, almost like a huge footprint made by a huge creature.  She looked up, staring across the crater to a mound of rock and dirt next to it.  It wasn’t from the crater, it was from the deeper dunes, she realized.  The dunes looked to have been dug, the craters, well packed.  The steep hills were not hills, but piles of dirt and rock.  But the cave – she could only see one cave.  She began to approach it, then stopped.  She’d never seen a cave entrance with stalagmites and stalactites so close to the opening.  It made the mouth of the cave look like a mouth, complete with sharp, nasty teeth.  She shivered at the thought.

“My, but it looks like the curious cat might have caught a cold.” Came an amused voice from behind her.  She didn’t need to turn around to know to draw out her staff.  Before the sentence was finished, her weapon was out, and Cheetara was facing a smirking Lunatak.

“I don’t want to know why you’re not in a cell where you should be, I don’t want to know how you arrived here, and I don’t want to know why you have that stupid grin on your face.” Snarled Cheetara.  “What I want to know is what part you have in this redecorating project,” she said, motioning to the piles and holes around, “before I dump you into a particularly muddy one.”

“Now, that’s why I always had more respect for you than the others.” Alluro said, with a nod.  “None of this ‘Surrender, Scum’ or ‘We’re good, you’re evil, good always wins’ crap.  You come up with almost clever insults.  Much more entertaining than the rest of your furry friends.”

Cheetara narrowed her eyes.  “What have you been up to out here?”

Alluro sighed.  “No ‘Hi, Al, how’s it going?’ or ‘Long time, no battle’.  You’ve really got to work on those public speaking skills.”  Cheetara continued to glare, so Alluro finally shrugged.  “When I landed, the craft kicked up a few rocks of interest.  Turns out this place is a hit and miss diamond mine, so to speak.  But don’t think you’re getting a cut of the profits.” Alluro warned.

“Where’s your craft?”  asked Cheetara suspiciously. 

Alluro made a motion to where Cheetara was standing.  “You’re in front of it.  A miniature version of home sweet Sky Tomb.”

“And the rest of the Lunataks?”

“As you can see, it’s rather small.  Not a lot of extra room to fit screeching leaders and their evil henchmen and henchwoman.  Besides, it’s an every man for himself sort of world.”  Alluro gazed at Cheetara for a moment, then added. “You’re not buying that, are you, ThunderCat?”

“Not for a moment.”

Alluro shrugged “Suit yourself.  Now if you don’t mind, it’s cold, and I’d like to go inside.”

Cheetara would have rolled her eyes, but it would have taken her sight off of Alluro.  “You’re not going inside, you’re being apprehended and returned to the authorities.”

“No, I’m going inside.” Alluro said with a laugh, reaching for something at his side, and cursing when he found it wasn’t there.  “Oh, fuck.”

“Lose something?” queried the cheetah.

Alluro crossed his arms.  “Look, kitten, I’m not armed, and I’m far from dangerous at the moment.”

“At the moment.”  Reaffirmed Cheetara, staff still raised.

Alluro nodded.  “So, if you’re going to insist on taking me back in, at least give me a sporting chance.”

“To what?  Run away?”  Cheetara snorted.

            “No, I’m not a cowardly mutant.”  Alluro spat back.  “I mean, put your weapon away, and we’ll fight the way nature intended.  No weapons, no special powers – hand-to-hand combat.  Unless, of course, you think you’d break a claw.”

            Against her better judgement, Cheetara lowered her staff ever so slightly.  “So, if I win, of course, I suppose I get to take you to the authorities.  And if by some horrid twist of fate, you win?”

            Alluro shrugged.  “Since I’m willing to surrender to you if you win, I think you should surrender to me if I win.”

            “I somehow doubt you’re all that willing.”  Cheetara pondered the idea for a moment.  She’d never seen Alluro lift a finger in battle, actually, and her best guess was that he was a worse than average fighter, if that.  With her training, she saw little chance of losing.  “Fair enough, Lunatak.  But any time you want to call it quits, just say the word and I’ll stop kicking your-“

            “Don’t be too cocky, kitten.”  Alluro warned.  “You’re not as good as you think you are.”

            Cheetara raised an eyebrow, obviously amused.  Placing the staff back in its holder, she assumed a defensive attack position.  Alluro did the same.

            The battle was short.  Much shorter than anticipated, in fact.  After a few kicks, a number of punches, and an assortment of various other moves, one well-placed roundhouse kick caught the cheetah as she was preparing to attack.  Slipping on the wet ground, she slid forward, causing the rest of her body to fall back and into a muddy pit two feet deep.  Alluro wasted no time in scrambling to where she lay, flipping her over, and pinning her arms behind her back.  He let one knee fall sharply onto the back of hers, causing a yelp to erupt from the thunderian.  With one hand, he held both wrists down, almost burying them into the mud.  The other he grasped around her throat, just below her chin.  The rain beat down as she struggled to free herself, succeeding only in pushing herself further into the mud.

            “Yield!” shouted Alluro as the thunder began to erupt in the sky, streaks of lightning preceding the rumble.

            “ThunderCats never surrender!” Cheetara growled, attempting to twist her arms from his grasp.

            Alluro used his free foot to keep her wrists planted into the mud.  “You said you would.  You gave your word!”

            “Never!”  Cheetara gritted her teeth as she felt the pressure on her hands.  “I never gave you my word.”

            “Tricky one, you are.  You only said it was fair, didn’t you?”  Alluro shifted uncomfortably, feeling the cold and dampness now that they had stopped moving about as much.  “I can make you wish you had surrendered when you had the chance, my dear.”  He told her.  Letting go of her neck, he reached down and grabbed hold of her hands with his.  Crossing her arms behind her back, he pulled each in the opposite direction, continuing to keep her legs pinned down.  “Now, kitten,” he said, pulling as tight as he dared, as he didn’t want to injure her more than he had, “you have two choices.  You can surrender now, while you still have free will to, or you can surrender after I’ve dragged you to where my psyche club is, and then you won’t stand a chance.  So, kitten, are you ready to submit yet?”  For emphasis, he dug his knee as far down as he could.

            They were both panting, exhausted from the events that had occurred.  It took some time for Cheetara to gather up the strength, and set aside the pride, to emit “Yes.”

            “Yes, what?” he insisted, pulling at her arms.

            Cheetara winced, hoping Lion-o was being warned by the sword about the situation.  “Yes…Alluro?”

            Alluro gave another yank.  “Yes, Master.” He coaxed.

            “Yes…Master.” She whispered, breathing heavily in the rain.

            Alluro removed his knee and stood, dragging Cheetara to her feet as well.  He maneuvered Cheetara’s hands so that he had them both in one hand, using the other to steady himself in the mud.  After beginning to leave the hole, he stopped, and began to curse in a language foreign to the ThunderCat.  She feared asking him what was wrong at the moment, and was thankful that he explained on his own.

            “Look at us.  We’re covered head to toe in mud.  I can’t very well take you into the craft in this condition, and we’re not going to stay out here where we’ll freeze.”  Alluro took a look around, thought for a minute or two, then began to head out of the hole again.  “We’ll just need to strip, I guess.”

            “You guess?” blurted out Cheetara, forgetting her place.  Alluro jerked her back.

            “Excuse me, did you say something?” 

Cheetara shook her head, but this wasn’t what Alluro was looking for.  Another painful twist on her arms told her to change her answer, and quick.  “No, nothing.”  She mumbled, and added, “Master.”

Alluro led her the rest of the way, back to the small makeshift craft.  It was too dark to get a really good look at it, but it did seem a much smaller version of Sky Tomb.

“Now, since we’re back, and if need be, I could track you with this if you ran,” said Alluro, banging the side of the craft with his fist, “strip.”  He let go of her arms, and with two motions, had his own clothes off and in a small pile at his feet, which he kicked over to the entrance of the craft.  Cheetara hesitated for a moment, then, deciding it wasn’t much of a deal since it would have been the way she walked around on Thundera, pulled her leotard down, and off, followed by her bots, and everything following that.  She was more than aware of the fact that she was being stared at, and turned to look away from Alluro once she’d piled her garments at her feet.

“Excellent.”  Alluro reached over and slid her staff from her.  Cheetara silently cursed her not remembering it sooner.  “Now we wait.”

Cheetara was about to ask for what, but noticed that the rain, though harsh and cold, was beating against their skin, causing the mud and muck to rinse off.  It took a few minutes of chilly discomfort, but soon, Alluro was motioning for her to follow him into the craft.  Not knowing what else to do, and not considering staying out in the storm, which was worsening, Cheetara hurried past and into the craft, Alluro following close behind.

Once inside, she felt a hand on her shoulder, guiding her through the various small rooms and walkways, until finally reaching a door.  “Go ahead, open it.”  Insisted Alluro.  Cheetara paused before placing her paw onto the handle to pull it open.

It was dim, and took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but once they did, she was able to make out a makeshift sleeping area.  The floor, if one could call it that, came up to the waist, so the only way to enter the room was to climb up into it.  Scattered about were a number of ragged blankets and a few dingy looking pillows.  The floor, which was also the bed, she guessed, wasn’t the most inviting place on the craft that she’d seen so far.

She suddenly felt something slap her back end, causing her to impulsively take a step forward and turn around.  Alluro had hit her rear with her own staff.  “Well, come on, you’re letting the cold air in.”

Cheetara lifted herself up into the room slowly, thinking about shoving her leg back and catching Alluro off guard, but the lunatak helped speed up her journey with a few more encouraging whacks with the staff.  After Cheetara was in the room, she felt Alluro climb up next to her, and close the door behind.  When it closed, it locked the light out with it.  She then heard a series of beeps.

“Now, we’ll just have to wait out the storm.” Alluro explained.  “I’ve made sure that we’ll be safe in here, as the door is now locked and will open only with the proper combination.”  Alluro crawled over a few feet to where a small light panel was located.  With some light coming from the panel, Cheetara could now see the ‘ceiling’, which was only about four feet from the ‘floor’ that they were sitting on, making standing impossible.  Looking around, the cheetah was able to notice that there was also a lip on one side of the room, acting as a shelf.  She was too far away, but it seemed as if she could make out Alluro’s psyche club sitting on it. 

Cheetara glanced at Alluro, whose back was still turned from her.  He was holding her staff in one hand, inspecting the light panel with the other, tapping it as if that would make it glow brighter, and cursing at it, in case that might help.  It seemed to the ThunderCat that she was left forgotten for the moment, and she took the opportunity to make a grab for the psyche club. 

“Bad kitty!” Alluro shouted, grabbing her by the ankles and pulling her toward him.  Cheetara still made one last attempt, stretching her fingers out in front of her as far as she could, struggling to grasp the edge of the club.  Alluro moved his hands up, first to her calves, then knees, then her thighs, pinning her under him as he went, until his body covered over hers.  She continued to reach until the fingers on the hand she was stretching became numb.  One of Alluro’s hands slowly slid its way up to hers, then clasped around it and withdrew it as his other hand made its way to the club.

“If you were that impatient to see it, you could have told me earlier.”  Alluro pulled the club off the shelf, waving it around above her head.  “And you had me convinced that you were going to be a good little ThunderCat.  Tisk, tisk, tisk.”

Instead of answering him, Cheetara tried unsuccessfully to free herself from beneath his weight.  When she found that she couldn’t, she twisted her head so that she could attack in the only way she had left.  Her teeth dug into the soft flesh of Alluro’s upper arm, breaking the skin and sinking into the muscle.

Enraged, Alluro pulled himself away, using one arm to backhand the cheetah, the other keeping the psyche club well guarded.  “You’ll regret having done that, ThunderCat.” Alluro frowned, eyes darkening.  He lifted the club as high as he could under the circumstances, and with a flick of his wrist, the blue sphere lit and flew to Cheetara.

Blood dripping from the corners of her mouth, Cheetara made an attempt to dodge the glowing orb, but a voice seemed to sooth her into stopping.  It was telling her that it was pointless to run – and, that was true, considering that the room was small and not easily maneuvered.  The moment she slowed, gradually coming to a full stop, she knew she’d lost.  She was under his power, and without any other choice.  It was useless for her to fight back now – she didn’t stand a chance.

Alluro breathed a sigh of relief as he watch the ThunderCat sink down against the wall, the bright orb casting a blue aura about her.  “Things could have been so much different, ThunderCat.”  Alluro said sadly, shaking his head.  “If only you’d have been a good little kitten, just think of what we could have been doing in here right now.”  Cheetara didn’t answer, and so, Alluro continued.  “But since you’ve been bad, and have shown me that you can’t be trusted, I’m going to have to do something terrible to you.”

Cheetara still said nothing, but as if on que, lowered her head shamefully, staring at the ground.  Alluro came closer, voice becoming more forceful.  “Because of what a naughty creature you’ve been, I’m going to have to take you to the darkest, deepest corner of this craft and chain you to the wall, where the rats and insects might take pity on you and not gnaw on you until after you’ve died of cold…hunger…and…abuse.”  Alluro grasped for words to use to threaten her, but as he watched her sink closer to the floor, his mind began to wander. 

He’d always intended to chain her up somewhere in the craft, whether here or in some dank corner, he hadn’t much cared.  He assumed it would be little time before she was missed by someone, and there was little he would be able to do on his own to stop them.  The humiliation factor – just having this egotistic cheetah held captive for a few hours – would have been enough for him.  But now as he looked at her, watching her quiver as he played games with her mind, his own mind came up with something entirely better.

“But I am generous, ThunderCat, and I will consider giving you one last try.  We both already know that I’m no match for you physically or psychically, so either way, if you attempt to escape again, we know you won’t win.  And since I wouldn’t want you to freeze in the basement, I would consider letting you stay here in this room with me.  I’ll even stop using the psyche club, but you have to promise me a few things first.”  Alluro crooned.  Truth be told, he was going to have to stop using the club soon – in fact, the cat was much more powerful than he had judged, and it was draining him to keep her under his control, so he acted fast.  “First, you must promise that you will continue to call me master.  You will continue to call me master, won’t you?”

“I will continue to call you master.” She answered, eyes fixated in a hazy gaze at Alluro.

“Good.  Second, you must not harm me again.  You won’t harm me again, will you?  I have your word, as a ThunderCat?”

Cheetara nodded slowly.  “I will not harm you, Master.  You have my word as a  ThunderCat.”

“Excellent, kitten, excellent.  Third, and this is most important, I expect that you will obey my every command I give to you.  You will obey me, kitten.”

Again, Cheetara replied, voice still distant and neutral.  “I will obey your every command, Master.”

Alluro, thankful that he was able to release his mind control, and hoping that he’d constructed a good enough plan, held his hand into the air.  The orb flew into his palm, the light from it fading as it came closer to him.  When it finally came to him, he set it back atop it’s perch on the club, and set the club aside.  Drawing a breath through his teeth, Alluro looked at Cheetara, who was still watching him from across the room.  “Come over to me, kitten.”

Not sure what to expect, Alluro was pleasantly surprised when Cheetara gave a short “Yes, Master”, and began to make her way to where Alluro was.

“Crawl.” He added as she approached him.

“Yes, Master.” Answered Cheetara, dropping further to the ground, and pulling herself slowly along to him, until she reached his feet.

Alluro waited to see if she would react further, but time passed, and the cheetah did nothing save breathe.  “You’ve been naughty, kitten, and you’re going to have to be punished for that.”

“Yes, Master.” Whispered the ThunderCat, averting his eyes.

Alluro made his way around her until he was positioned near her upper arm.  “I think that it’s only fair, since you bit me, that I get to bite you.”

“Yes, Master.” Came the answer, softer than before.

Leaning down over her, Alluro lifted up her arm and closed his mouth around the skin near the shoulder.  He pressed nearer, biting down hard as he could, but it barely broke the skin, let alone shed any blood.  He was dismayed as he sat back up, until he realized that he hadn’t pressed nearer to her, she had been attempting to get closer to him.  Alluro switched sides, and without warning, grasped her other arm and did the same, closer to the shoulder this time.

Not only did the cheetah not object, but she once again seemed to be drawn willingly to him, and moreover, softly moaned just as he moved away from her.  “That doesn’t sound like it was much of a punishment.”  Alluro said carefully.

Cheetara paused, licking at the blood that had dried on her lips.  “No, Master.”

Alluro raised an eyebrow.  “Are you saying you’re enjoying your punishment.”

Looking up at him, Cheetara trembled a bit when her eyes met his.  She looked away without saying a word.

“I expect you to answer me, kitten.” Alluro demanded, moving around so that he was directly in front of her.  The lunatak took hold of her chin and pulled her up into a kneeling position so that she was being forced to face him.  “Are you enjoying this?”

Trying to answer, Cheetara’s mouth opened, her lips moving slightly, but no answer came.  Instead, casting her eyes downward, she nodded.

A smirk came across Alluro’s face.  Not an evil smirk, not one of greed, but a proud and egotistical grin that nearly lit the room.  He tilted the she-cat’s head until she had no choice but to look at him.  “You’ve been wanting this.” He began, eyes scanning her face for signs, his mind scanning hers.  It was so easy, now that he relaxed himself, to pick up on her thoughts and feelings.  His powers of the mind might have been in a different discipline than hers, but some skills were shared by all psionics, and even the least experienced of mind manipulators had some telepathic or empathic abilities.  He found that she had no barriers up, no guards to keep others from invading her mind.  She probably never had a proper teacher for the powers she held, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to be the one to teach her.  And not just the tricks of the mind, but everything.  “You’ve been wanting this,” he repeated, “though you didn’t seem to have a preference with whom.  You’re tired of your mates treating you like a fragile kitten, you need someone who can match your speed, match your body,” Alluro watched her nod to each of these things, and then added, “match your mind.”

Cheetara stopped nodding and stared blankly.  “I don’t know how that’s relevant at all.” She finally concluded with a little shrug.

“Oh, it’s a lot more relevant than you’d ever imagine.” Alluro said quietly, letting his hand slip away from her chin.  “Have you ever made love to another psionic?” he questioned.

Flinching, Cheetara didn’t quite know how to answer.  “I, that is, I don’t know.  I don’t think I have.  I didn’t ask them all if they were or not.”

Lifting his hand again to stroke her cheek, Alluro closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts on her.  “If you don’t know, that means you never did.  You’d have known if you had.”

“How?”

“You’d have known.” Was all Alluro would offer back, still lost in some reverie as he slid his hand down from her face to her shoulder, and then behind her, where he began to massage her neck.  Cheetara fidgeted for a moment, but the lunatak hushed her.  “Relax, kitten, relax both your body and your mind.”  Eyes still closed, he kneaded the back of her neck, and then her shoulders, first with one hand and then two.  When at last the ThunderCat’s breathing had slowed, her body and mind seemingly less tense, Alluro opened his eyes to look at her.

“If you are willing, we are about to share a most unique and exciting, and at the same time terrifying experience.”  He explained.  “I would not at all be offended if you did not wish to continue.”  When she did not answer, Alluro kept going.  “Taking into consideration that you have never before had such an experience, we will start with something simple: a kiss.”

Cheetara caught herself before rolling her eyes at him.  “I’ve done my fair share of kissing before, I don’t think it’s that much of a thing to worry about.”

Alluro shook his head.  “You can’t understand it until you’ve been subjected to it.  Then, and only then, will you understand.  The experience is. .  . it can be.  . .mind blowing.”  Briefly, he waited to see if she would object again.  When she did not, he allowed one hand to settle behind her neck, the other to lie loosely across her shoulder. 

Closing his eyes, he moved slightly forward, letting his lips brush gently against hers for a moment, and then, as if drawn by some magnetic force, he pressed his mouth against hers.

In one split second, Cheetara felt such a rush as she’d never felt before.  It wasn’t just brought on by chemical reactions in her body or by emotions she might have felt.  It was something more, something that was enveloping her.  A power well beyond physical, it caressed both body and mind, feeling her from inside out, picking up on her feelings, strengthening and intensifying them until she’d thought she’d nearly reached the threshold of what she could stand.  Such force, such passion, as she’d never felt before from a mere touch, bolted through her, and before she could grab hold of it and make it tangible, it was gone.

Her eyes flashed open, and she first noticed how heavily she had perspired.  Her entire body was drenched, and she felt slightly dizzy.  Alluro was attempting to keep her steady, holding her shoulders gently.  She noticed he was soaked as well, moisture glistening on his entire body.  Then, she realized something strange – neither was panting.  Their breathing was perfectly normal, as if not even the kiss had occurred. 

“You felt it.” Alluro said confidently, not needing to ask the question.  Cheetara nodded vigorously.  “We can stop now.  It will greatly intensify if we continue.”  Cheetara answered him by leaning in for a second kiss.

After the third, Alluro had to resist the urge to continue, pushing the cheetah gently from him.  He stumbled back until he reached the wall, and sat down.  Cheetara sunk down where she was, and into the soaked sheets where they had both been.  Her eyes watched him intently, curious as to his sudden decision to move away.  Slowly, she approached him, doing the best to wipe away the moisture from her face.  It slid down the loose strands of hair in front of her face and trickled down the side of her neck.  Alluro reached out once she was within range, pulling her into his arms.

They sat in that manner for some time, Alluro rubbing her arms, shoulders, and back, while Cheetara softly purred to him.  Finally, Alluro slowly turned her to face him, looking deeply into her dark eyes.  “Don’t take this the wrong way, kitten, but I don’t want to make you start something you have no intention on finishing.”

Cheetara tried to conceal a small smile.  “But, only you can make me do anything…I’m under your control.  Master.”

“Bull shit.” Murmured Alluro, letting his eyes wander around her curves, his hands following.  “You’ve had ample time to find a way out of this situation if you’d have wanted to.  And of course, I could make you do whatever I want, if I really wanted to.  But the sex goddesses of plundaar damn me, I’m beginning to respect you for your mind.” He admitted, brushing his lips tenderly across her forehead. 

Once again, Cheetara had a wash of that same feeling come over her.  Not quite as strong, and this time, with less passion, and more of something else.  Protectiveness, perhaps, or compassion, even.  As Alluro sat back up, the cheetah leaned into him and rested her head onto his shoulder, lips to his ear.  “You, Master, may make a million demands of me this night, and I will willingly follow every one of them.  I make only one demand of you.” She said softly.

“And that is?” questioned the lunatak.

Cheetara drew back from him, setting herself into a kneeling position before him, hands at her sides, keeping her steady.  Instead of speaking, she closed her eyes and opened her mind, letting her thoughts drift to him freely.

Alluro reached out, but remained perfectly still.  A rush of thoughts and feelings began to swarm him, let loose to run rampant in the minds of those around to pick them up.  He would have to teach her how to control herself, he thought, but as he did, one particular phrase seemed to be sent directly and clearly to him.  In the midst of the jumble, one thought came through like a beacon in the night.  Inside his head, and echoing around him, he heard it resonate like the best part of a favorite melody. ‘Love me’ was all it took, and he had practically pounced upon his prey.

Practically, because, in reality, he’d still not moved.  Instead, he projected a mental shield around them, filling it with soothing and sensual thoughts that began to find their way to Cheetara.  He watched her sigh in delight when she began to pick up on them, his eyes still closed.  ‘Lie down’ he added, continuing to wrap her mind in the most pleasing sensations he could conjure.  He himself began to crawl to her, and upon reaching her, began to run his tongue along her skin, licking up all of the moisture on her body.  It wasn’t what he’d planned to do first, but it was one of the fantasies that he felt her projecting, and he relished with delight the feelings she cast forth to him.

He had worried at first about how open she was being with her thoughts, but now, was enjoying the fact that she was.  Each and every want and need that she projected was seen to, and her body responded to his actions with sheer delight – as did part of Alluro, as well.  It was somewhat surprising Alluro that he was able to keep up with how fast her mind was going.  It surprised him even more that she was able to think such dirty thoughts so quickly for such a lawful-good cat.

‘Insatiable, aren’t you, kitten?’ Alluro grinned as he finally let his hand slip between her legs, tracing around the area where her fur was slicked down.  ‘You’ve been waiting a long time for this, a long, long, time, haven’t you?’ he thought to her, not sure of whether she could catch his message between her own thoughts are her soft moans and…and…whatever that other noise was that she was making that sounding like humming, but not humming…

‘Purring.’ She thought back to him, taking a moment to open her eyes and look up at him.  She stopped purring and smiled, and he smiled back down at her.  It was the first time she’d ever seen him use the expression without it making him look sinister.  Lifting herself up, she met him halfway for another passionate kiss.

‘I need you now.’ They broke their kiss, each of them suddenly wide-eyed and mystified. 

“Did I…or did you..?”  Cheetara finally asked, breaking their silence.  Her voice was coarse, her throat dryer than she’d known it to be.

“We both did.”  Replied Alluro, moving himself so that he was over her.  ‘And here, I thought I was the only horny bastard.’ He thought, forgetting that she heard it a moment later.  Cheetara answered him by grasping his shoulders and pulling him down against her, kissing him madly, and continuing to work her hands down his body, groping anything that got in her way.  Once she reached his hips, she rolled to her side, pulling him under her. 

‘Aggressive…’ mused Alluro.  ‘You know male lunar plundaarians like that, do you?’

‘Male thundarians don’t.’

Alluro nuzzled his head beneath her neck, breathing in her scent deeply.  ‘Let’s forget about them this evening, kitten.  The last thing I want going through * my * mind during intercourse are thoughts of an empty-headed leopard or a stuck-up tiger.  No offense, but I’m more interested in you right now than in them.’

‘Bite me.’

Alluro brought his arms up to push her away.  “It’s not nice to play this sort of game, kitten.  I don’t appreciate it.  At all.”

Cheetara didn’t allow herself to be shoved off.  Instead she forced herself closer to him.  Brushing his hair back with her hand, she took grip of the soft flesh between his shoulder and neck in her teeth and nipped him gently, holding on for only long enough for the pain in his shoulder to be overtaken by an odd sort of pleasure, and then let go.

A moment later, Alluro had seized part of the side of her neck, biting down slowly.  He released her, then began again, this time on her shoulder.  Continuing to sink his teeth into her speckled skin, Cheetara let one free hand to feel down Alluro’s stomach until she found what she was looking for.  She stroked him for a minute or two, until she could no longer stand her own curiosity.  If a kiss did to her what it had, what other limits had she yet to explore?

As she thought, she allowed her self to be overpowered again.  Now on the bottom, she looked up at him longingly.  Her eyes slid shut as he slid in her. 

The rush she felt was simply amazing, for lack of words to accurately describe the event.  As she began to absorb the feelings and emotions, the physical aspect intensified.  She started to feel that her sixth sense truly was another of her senses, complimenting the other five beautifully.  Every touch was more than just surface level – each penetration to her body further, deep beyond her body and into her soul.  With each breath, she not only inhaled his arousing aroma – she became enveloped in his scent.  And no matter what she thought, and no matter what he thought, they felt each other, completely, in every possible sense of the word.

Cheetara was suddenly aware of the building tension that had been slowly yet continuously increasing between them.  Alluro had become progressively more aggressive, both speed and power growing.  For her part, Cheetara had done her best to keep their love making an uninterrupted one, her paws clasped around his abdomen, her legs intertwined with his. 

They’d said little, or rather, thought little, the entire time, but now Cheetara became very aware of a voice in her head.  ‘You are so fucking beautiful.’

Cheetara remained silent.  Alluro began to project again.  ‘I know you can’t say the same about me, I’m not butt-ugly, but I’m no where near beautiful.  But I’m not talking about your body.  You do have a beautiful body, but you have an even more beautiful mind.’

Instead of answering with a thought or a sound, she attempted to project to him her feelings.  Alluro, overcome by the blast of psychic energy, threw back his head and thrust himself hard into Cheetara.  Panting with sudden orgasmic thrill, the cheetah’s claws dug into the lunatak’s arms.  Alluro nipped at her neck and behind her ears, hands pulling her waist to him, until at last both had found release.  He collapsed atop her, then crawled off to one side, almost immediately gathering her up against him and cradling her in his arms.

Cheetara was nearly about to protest, but the dull ache she felt throughout her body began to rage into a pain she’d never imagined.  If not for Alluro’s strength wrapping around her, she doubted she’d have been able to keep from going mad.  As the feelings subsided, she realized it wasn’t just his physical strength that had helped her, but his psychic strength as well.

“I should have told you, kitten.  I worried you wouldn’t…that you’d have decided not to…” crooned his voice in her ear as he caressed her body with his touch.

Ignoring his worries, she curled up against him, and fell asleep.