Written by Zhie

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It was late- so late, it was near to being early. But it was one of those moments- one of those rare moments- which they had all to themselves. The room had been locked off- not that they were worried that the kittens would walk in. Both Kit and Kat had long since gone to bed. It was Snarf who was the concern. He was on watch, but one never knew when or where he would pop up.

For now, though, everyone else was forgotten as the panther slid his hands down the cheetah's sleek body. "So, silky, what's your pleasure?" he asked, nipping lightly at the nape of her neck, careful not to bite hard- yet.

Purring with delight, she gave little resistance, her own hands swimming across his shoulders, around his back and down. "You said you had a few things you wanted to try. That's why we're in here- so we won't be disturbed." She said, motioning around the med room.

"You don't forget a thing, do you?" he asked as he led her to an examining table.

She giggled as she followed. "So, you want to play doctor, is that it?"

"Oh, no." he grinned. "I have much more imagination than that." Fingers curled around her waist, he easily placed her upon the table in a seated position.

Cheetara surveyed the immediate area, noticing the table had a few minor manipulations. Looped through either side of the backboard was a strip of smooth, grey satin. Beside the exam table, a shelf contained a bowl of ripe strawberries, next to which lay a third satin strip. "What's this one for?" the cheetah asked, picking it up from the shelf.

Panthro slipped it from her grasp and walked around behind her. Leaning over her, he brushed the stray strands behind her ears, then blindfolded her with the cloth. "Can you see anything?"

"No." she replied.

"It's not tied too tight, is it?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Hmm. . ." stepping back around the table, Panthro stood in front of her again. "Probably too late to ask, but you're not afraid of the dark, are you?"

Cheetara laughed as she shook her head once again. "Are you planning on playing twenty questions all night, and if so, can I take this off?" she asked him, lifting both hands up towards her face.

"No on both counts." He replied quickly, capturing both of her wrists in his hand. "Because if you do, I couldn't surprise you with anything fun like this." Panthro's free hand snuggled it's way in between her legs, stroking at a furious pace. Reflexively, the cheetah's head thrust backward as her back arched sharply. A gasp, a low moan, and then it faded as Panthro withdrew, grinning. "How badly do you want it?" he was barely an inch from her face, but only the soft, warming breeze of air produced from his breath gave Cheetara any clue of this. She was still at his mercy- her wrists still held tight in his grasp.

"Very, very badly." Was the answer, which came in the midst of a light panting.

His instructions were simple. "Lie down." He commanded as he released her. "And leave the blindfold on. Only I get to take it off."

Doing as she was told, she stretched herself along the table.

"Maybe we should take this off." He said. Cheetara waited for him to remove the blindfold, but soon felt Panthro's hands removing her uniform. "I think you'll be more comfortable this way." He explained, as if he had been able to see her slightly surprised expression from behind her masked eyes. "Much better." He replied for her as he tossed the rest of her clothing onto the bottom of the shelves.

"Do you remember a few weeks back when we were captured by the mutants?" Panthro asked as he reached for one of her hands, bringing it back to the front corner of the bed where one of the satin strips was tied.

"Of course. You and I were 'honored guests' in their dungeon. It was terrible being shackled down in that cold, damp basement." She shuddered as she recalled the incident.

He wrapped the loose end around her wrist, then tied it. "Bad as it was during, when I thought about it after we got out of there, thinking about you being helplessly restrained got me excited." He smiled, moving to her other wrist. "Especially after our late night swim a few months back."

The cheetah struggled now, trying to free the tied down wrist. Success came only in the form of the strip tightening further around her wrist. "I don't know if I like this idea." She admitted as the satin was bound around her other wrist.

Panthro quickly tied the second restraint off. "Tell me if your decision stands five minutes from now."

Moments later, she felt her right foot being lifted and positioned in the stirrup at the end of the table, then fastened in place with a strip of fabric which had remained unseen and unknown of until now. Her heart rate quickened as the last of her limbs was secured at the end of the table. Panthro stepped back for a few seconds, trying to decide where to begin, but also knowing that the longer she waited, trembling in anticipation, the better it would be- for them both. He grinned, watching her take quick breaths, as his own breathing increased, envious also of the position she was in. Just as he was about to relieve some of her tension, he realized he had forgotten something. Of course, it might work to his advantage.

The tips of his fingers ran up her leg, from the ankle, crossing the knee, next the thigh, until he had almost reached that glorious patch of thick fur. . .and. . .he stopped, lifted them away. Her pelvic muscles reacted, trying to follow his ascent, but the attempt was fruitless.

"No, not yet. You're too eager to get to the end of it." Padding towards the door, he turned to look once again at her helplessly stretched out naked form, then left.

Tygra stared at the ceiling again, then the clock, then the ceiling. Occasionally, out the window would do, but then it was back to clock, ceiling, repeat, all the while forcing sheep to jump over a fence to be counted. He'd tried unicorns, then snarfs, but the snarfs refused to jump the fence, which made him further convinced he needed sleep, which caused him to go back to the sheep.

Blankets were thrown off in disgust as the 93 rd lamb skipped across a white picket fence. Number 94 came along as he was dressing. And sheep 95 was shooed away as Tygra walked out of his room and to the kitchen.

"Eating will help." He said aloud to himself, looking through the cupboards for a light snack. "Just can't have any sweets." He reasoned.

"Hello? Is someone in here, snarf, snarf?"

"It's me, Snarf." Tygra whispered back. He knew it was late- he'd been watching the minutes pass for the last three hours. The snarf poked his head into the dimly lit kitchen.

"Just you? I thought you were talking to someone, Kit or Kat maybe." Snarf began following around behind Tygra, who kept investigating the contents of each cabinet.

"No, just myself." Tygra sighed, picking up a jar of peanut butter, shaking his head and putting it back.

"Looking for a snack?" Snarf said, keeping right on Tygra's heels. "I've got just the thing." Snarf made his way to the table. "What about some fresh fruit?" he said, pointing to the array in a large bowl a the center. "Peaches, strawberries, candyfruit, berbil fruit, apples and bananas."

"I don't know, snarf. I'm not all that much of a health nut." He admitted.

"You don't have to be. It'll fill you up, but it won't keep you up." Snarf said, mostly in reference to a chocolate bar that Tygra was now holding. "Besides, even tough guys snack on fruit. Panthro had a huge bowl of strawberries the last time I saw him."

This caused a small chuckle, followed by a yawn. "Well, if Panthro had some, I suppose once won't ruin my reputation for being a 'tough guy'." Tygra plucked the longest, thickest banana from the bunch. "I think I'll take it with me. Good night, Snarf. And thanks."

"That's what ol' Snarf's here for, schnarf, schnarf." He said, heading back to the control room.

The tiger chose to take the long way back around to his room. The extra walking would aid in ridding himself of this evening's episode of insomnia. The lights in Kit's and Kat's room were off from what he could see under the door - a good sign that at least they were sleeping well. Cheetara's room was also dim as he passed by, the door open a crack. Lion's and Panthro's quarters were located on the opposite end, so he was not aware of anything that might be going on in either of their rooms. He reached his door, but down the hallway, a glistening of light from beneath a doorway caught his attention. Walking to it, he noted it's source to be the med bay. He opened the door, deciding to turn the light off to save power.

Panthro continued to dig through the clutter in the bottom of his closet. He should have looked for it earlier, but for many reasons, none of which came to him right at that moment, he hadn't.

He'd been gone for ten minutes already. Panthro sighed as he tossed aside miscellaneous objects. Another ten wouldn't kill her.

Cheetara head the sounds of the door reopening and closing again. "About time you got back." She said, still panting slightly. "Remember to lock the door now." She added.

Tygra did as he was instructed, all the while staring at her form, laid out beautifully along the table. After mouthing a silent 'Thank you, lord.', he tiptoed up to the table, carefully studying each and every inch of the tawny skinned woman. Catching his eye was a bowlful of ripe, red strawberries on a shelf near the table. 'So, she thinks I'm Panthro. . .' he thought, grinning mischievously, 'It would be a shame to disappoint her. . .'

"Did you find whatever you went back for?" she inquired, her soft, full lips opening and closing, her thick, beautiful voice flowing from within. Unsure of how to answer without giving away the facade, he leaned over her, sealing his mouth over hers. As his tongue outstretched to explore one passage within the bespeckled cat, his hand found another to investigate.

Her moans were unheard, felt only as vibrations transferred into Tygra's throat. Keeping his lips pressed to hers, he moved the object held within his opposite palm to where his other hand was dug into the fur between her legs, swirling the soft, silken flesh within. He thought to unpeel the object, but was too involved to take the time just at the moment. As he withdrew his paw, he eased the banana back in, twisting back and forth as he slid it in and out, slow at first, increasing the speed little by little. All the time, his mouth stayed closed over hers, concluding that any noise she might make would alert Panthro, where ever he might be.

Before allowing her release, he removed the curved yellow fruit from the pulsing grip of her pleasured muscles and adjusted his clothing to allow himself entrance as he carefully climbed onto the table and straddled her body. Taking his clothes off completely would have disturbed their lip lock. Hands grasped around her hips, and an impassioned thrust melded their bodies as one.

Having already been close to climax, Cheetara eagerly pulled Tygra further into her, still nave as to his identity. In short time, the pair peaked together, and Tygra now sat at the edge of the table stroking her mane. He was careful not to leave any evidence of his being there, having removed and replaced the paper slipcover which had been on the table. Tygra was quite proud of having been able to do this without much disturbing the bindings attached to Cheetara.

After lapping up any further remains of their little interlude, Tygra suppressed a yawn. He then kissed her one final time on the lips before picking up the banana, still covered in a sweet-smelling liquid, and leaving the room.

After a few moments of thought, Cheetara lifted her head up as far as she could, still blinded. "You're not going to leave me in here like this, are you?"

Panthro was about to give up his quest just as he spied what he was looking for sitting right on his bed. "It's always in the last place you look." He said, shaking his head. Closing the door behind him, he headed out into the hallway, back towards the med bay, when Snarf approached from around the corner.

'Damn!' thought Panthro, but what came out was, "Hey, Snarf, what's up?" Behind his back, he held the object he had retrieved from his quarters.

"Things are going quite well. I just got off duty. Wilykit's taking this watch." Snarf eyed up the panther suspiciously. "So, schnarf, schnarf, what's behind your back and where are you going with it, if you don't mind old Snarf asking."

Panthro's arm fell back into place, revealing what he held. "I was going to go to the lab and see if I could get an idea of it's composition and such."

"This late?" questioned Snarf. "I don't have to fight Tygra for the use of the lab if I do this while he's asleep." Panthro reasoned.

"True. . .just try not to make too much noise. There are some people who are trying to sleep around here." Snarf warned as he continued down the hall.

"The labs are sound proof." Reminded Panthro.

"I meant if you decided to go into the med room for any reason. That room isn't sound proof." Snarf told him before entering his own quarters - unusual, as he normally slept at the foot of Lion-o's bed. "By the way, say hello to Cheetara for me."

Panthro raised an eyebrow to this comment, wondering if he had slipped at some point. Not wanting to be caught by anyone else, he tiptoed back to the med bay. Once inside, the door was locked, the cheetah breathed a sign of relief. "I was beginning to think you were never coming back."

"What, you think I wasn't going to keep my speckled princess in suspense all night long?" he teased, walking to her.

"You mean. . .you want to do it again?" she asked, slightly amused, yet extremely hopeful.

"Don't even tell me you're spent already?" he leaned close to her face, taking in a deep breath of her scent. "I wasn't even trying all that hard the last time I was here."

"Oh, no?" her voice quivered as she felt something sweep against the inner part of her thigh. "What. . .What's that?"

"You like that?" he allowed his hand to guide the feather down to the very bottom of her trembling foot.

"If I were to tell you no I'd have to renounce my seat on the council." The toes of her left foot curved toward the heel, as if grasping for the wisps of downy delight which protruded from the quill. "What else is in your bag of tricks?"

Panthro frowned. "Bored with this already? My, you are finicky. I may just have to discipline you to respect your elders." His eyes fell upon the bowl of ripe fruit which had been all but forgotten. "Bondage first, discipline later." His hand picked from the bowl a firm, ripe strawberry. Grasping the leafy greens which were spread upon the top, he lowered it nearer to her, and instead of teasing her with it, inserted it promptly, keeping careful hold of the top leaves. It was the texture of the fruit's surface and not depth that caused the involuntary grinding.

Panthro, still standing above her, enjoyed watching Cheetara's mid-air ride, coupled with the crackling of the paper cover sheet which crumbled and crinkled below her as she moved. Bending his head over as he slid the fruit out from within, he waited until his mouth was brushed slightly against her ear. "There's something I want you to do for me." He whispered.

Between uncontrolled gasps, she planned to ask what he desired, but he'd drawn up the strawberry poised above her lips so that when they parted, droplets of her own sweet juices slid along her tongue and down her throat.

"Clean this off for me." Insisted the panther as he bit along her neck. When she hesitated, he continued to nip her, reminding her that, "Only good little kitties get dessert after every thing has been cleaned up."

Tilting her head back slightly against the hard exam table, Cheetara enveloped the strawberry with her mouth, suckling it until it was purified. Once again she felt the fruit pressing into her, and after it was thoroughly coated a second time, Panthro plucked it from her, feeding the cheetah the sweet nectar which slid off. She became more eager this time, as she'd grown accustomed to the taste.

"Strawberries and cream has always been one of my favorite desserts." Confided the panther. "You seem to like it as well."

The third journey found Cheetara's muscles tugging harder on the berry, so that the grasp which Panthro had on the leaves was insufficient anchor. The green suddenly snapped off, and the panther found his hands to be of no use to dislodge the fruit. His spotted captive was held in silent panic.

Panthro merely walked to the end of the table and leaned over, his muzzle now resting against a moist and matted patch of fur. "Don't fret. I'm a cat, remember? I'll fish it out."

Tygra's curiosity had bought him an hour's rest, but before long, he was again awake, commotion in the med room saw to that. He only hoped the noise was not loud enough to travel down to the kittens' quarters.

Flipping back onto his right side, an object under the sheets caused him to squirm uncomfortably. Reaching beneath them, he retrieved the banana, somewhat bruised, and still with traces of drying fluid. The tiger turned it in his palm, observing it in the half-dawn light which flickered lazily through the window. The fruit's peel, with it's tawny flesh marred by numerous softer brown patches reminded him of his secret excursion as he hungrily lapped the remaining moisture. 'What a naughty kitty I am,' he thought as he rubbed the banana against himself, between his thighs. It was little time before the fruit was once again slippery along the outside of the skin. Appeased once more, Tygra dozed off, content until morning.

Snarf was bustling about the kitchen, Cheetara sitting as the table having a cappuccino after her morning run, when Tygra entered.

"Good morning, Snarf. Cheetara." The tiger received a half-wave of acknowledgment from the cheetah, who kept her head buried in her newspaper, a publication supplied by the berbil village on events from the neighboring villages.

"Hi, Tygra, schnarf, schnarf. Did you sleep well?" Snarf asked.

"The rest of my night was pleasant." Answered the tiger, stifling a yawn.

"See? I knew the banana would do the trick." And with that, Snarf exited towards Lion-o's room, carrying a tray of food.

Cheetara's attention was now well within Tygra's grasp. "Banana?"

"Yes. Snarf offered me one last night, said it would help me get to sleep. And you know old Snarf, he's always right." Tygra say across from her, cradling his coffee mug with one hand, picking apart a danish with the other.

Cheetara's plans to ask exactly how bananas helped one to deal with insomnia were interrupted as Panthro made his entrance. "What are you kids up to?" joked the panther as he fished through the fridge for his usual yogurt.

"Just discussing the benefits of fruit as a late night snack." Tygra said, swirling a spoonful of sugar into his drink.

"Ah. And I suppose Cheetara already related to you how I'm particular to strawberries before bedtime." Asked the panther carefully.

"No, actually, she didn't relay that. I'll have to try that sometime." Mused Tygra.

"Didn't you have a banana last night, too?" asked the cheetah with a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"Nope." Laughed Panthro. "I hate bananas. What would make you think I had one of those? No matter, I've got work to do. See you guys at lunch." Panthro headed out of the room with his yogurt and a spoon, leaving a spotted cat to stare at her striped companion.

"He hates bananas." She finally managed.

"Yes, I know." Tygra battled with the forty-two muscles in his jaw to keep the emotionless expression from transferring to a smile.

She frowned. "I knew that, too. I mean, he told me that years ago." She admitted as she chewed her lip.

"I'm not too fond of them myself." he tried to hold it in, but the secret was too good to keep to himself. The whole thing was better than if he'd have ambushed all the mutants and Mumm-ra at the same time. "In fact, I never ate the one Snarf gave me last night."

Her face stayed the same, her emotions kept in check, her eyes refusing to betray her. But the pale undertones beneath the speckles on her skin delivered the message.

Satisfied, Tygra rose from the table, mug of coffee in hand, finishing the last of his breakfast. Walking to her side of the table, he surprised her once again by sealing his lips over hers. A few moments later he broke from the kiss, leaning over to whisper in her ear, "Wasn't that sweater revenge than having to walk back to the lair naked?" he asked with a hint of the smile she couldn't see.

"Well, you *are* supposed to be to be the most intelligent of the three of us, who am I to argue with your authority?" she whispered back. "But unless you want to run the risk of being tossed into the moat again or worse, I'd keep this between you, me, and the fruit bowl."

As if confirming this promise, the tiger gave her a wink and a nod. An unsolicited purr ruffled the back of his throat quietly as he left the room.