2--Return of the Luna-tacks, Mutants, & Mumm-ra

January 1.

The Former Location of Mumm‑ra’s Pyramid, third‑Earth.

t had been some time since Mumm‑ra and the ten Plundarrians had been exiled from third‑Earth. Mysterious things were now beginning to occur where Mumm‑ra’s Pyramid used to be located. Mysterious and terrible indeed, for the Pyramid grew back up out of the very ground into which it had sunk. Inside, the evil cauldron, the man-beast statues, and Mumm‑ra’s sarcophagus returned. The Waters of Evil brewed in the cauldron, and Mumm‑ra and Ma‑mutt emerged from the evil waters. Unfortunately, the Ancient Spirits of Evil were allowing Mumm‑ra to return to life.

The evil, bandaged mummy in a dark red cloak with red eyes, Mumm‑ra groaned for a moment after emerging from the cauldron, then regained consciousness. His decayed skin had grown gray over the centuries. Still disoriented, he asked, “What is going on?”

Communicating through the four man-beast statues—one a vulturian, one a monkian, one a jackalian, one a reptilian—the Ancient Spirits of Evil said, “Mumm‑ra. Do you hear us, Mumm‑ra? We have decided not to punish you further for not defeating those wretched Thunder Cats half a year ago. We shall never exile you from third‑Earth again, because we have realized that only you can gain a strong foothold there. Also, you are the only one who knows how to operate the Mumm‑raft, which will allow you to save the Mutants and Luna‑tacks from Exile Isle and take them to repair Sky Tomb.”

Of course, Mumm‑ra thought that it was high time they realized it. However, he decided that it would be better to display humility. He said, “Thank you, O evil ones.” He knelt. “I shall be your loyal slave, and—”

“Do not trouble yourself, Mumm‑ra,” said the Spirits. “Your status has been heightened among the armies of Satan. You may return to your sarcophagus and re-energize yourself.”

“I shall do so, Ancient Spirits of Evil.” Mumm‑ra and Ma‑mutt, his ever-living bulldog whose skin was the same color as his, entered the sarcophagus.

* * *

January 3.

Exile Isle.

On the barren Exile Isle, Captain Bragg, an interstellar bounty hunter, had just dropped off the evil Luna-tacks and Mutants. “You shall regret this, Bragg,” screamed Luna, the diminutively sized but extremely loud-mouthed female leader of the evil Luna‑tacks. She had long hair and a short temper. She was only about a meter tall, but she made up for it with the size and the annoyance factor of her soprano voice. “I shall get you for this outrage.”

Readying the Circus Train for lift-off, Bragg replied, “I think not, Luna. You will never be able to escape from Exile Isle. You didn’t learn what I tried to teach you, so I had to bring you here. Good-bye, Plundarrians. Have a nice long stay here at Exile Isle. Heh, heh! Adieu.” The Circus Train lifted off and sped towards outer space.

“I will get you, Captain Bragg, you and that blasted Lion‑O,” Luna shouted in futility as the Circus Train left the atmosphere. She turned to the other Luna‑tacks. “It was your fault, you dumb-headed, ignorant, brainless fools. Tug‑mug, if you hadn’t disobeyed me, you could have blasted Lion‑O with your Gravity Carbine. Instead, you tried to blast me.” All the Luna‑tacks had pointed ears and a pair of small cylindrical horns on top of their heads. They also all had a crescent moon on their foreheads, a genetic alteration introduced into the Luna‑tack race eons ago. Additionally, their skin was generally pale-colored, though on the grayer side.

Tug‑mug was floating in the air. “Sorry, Luna,” said Tug‑mug. “I was just so angry about you ordering us around that I lost my temper and tried to get back at you.” He was short, though not nearly as short as Luna, and quite large around the middle, as was common among his race. His horns were much longer than the others’. He had no feet but instead a unit below his waist with three round objects that allowed him to jump as high as he wanted to or to roll around. This was a genetic alteration introduced on his moon of Plundarr because of the intense gravitational pull.

“Well, since Amok destroyed the Gravity Carbine, you’ll remain floating around for all eternity,” Luna lamented. “Mumm‑ra cannot save us and repair our weapons, since the Ancient Spirits of Evil have exiled him from third‑Earth.”

“Wait a minute, Luna,” exclaimed the mesmerizing Aluro. “I forcibly obtained a newspaper before we left Bragg’s compound for this place, rather than paying the exorbitant price of ten cents.” He got out the paper. “It is called the Evil Times, published by mortal servants of the Spirits of Evil. The front-page article talks about the resurrection of Mumm‑ra, the Ever-Living. I read it on the way here.” Aluro was fairly tall, with particularly long ears and long hair. His entire race had skill in using mesmerizing equipment. However, his powers had vanished when Lion‑O cut off the end of his powerful club, though his incredible technical skills did not.

“Hmm. This sounds interesting,” said Luna, intrigued. “Read it aloud to us, Aluro.”

“My pleasure, Luna.” He cleared his throat. “ ‘Mumm‑ra, the Ever-Living, was returned two days ago to third‑Earth, where his Pyramid had been reconstructed. He has promised the Ancient Spirits of Evil that he will save the Luna‑tacks and Mutants in the Mumm‑raft. Then he plans to help the Luna‑tacks to rebuild their weapons and repair Sky Tomb.’ The rest explains why the Spirits of Evil considered resurrecting Mumm‑ra.”

“I’ll read that later. I just wanted to know if he was going to rescue us.”

“I’ll get Lion‑O for de-icing me,” said Chilla. “I’ll literally give him the cold shoulder.” Chilla was paler than the others were, as she came from the icy Moon of Plundarr. She could ordinarily give anyone the cold shoulder or burn them out, but Lion‑O had taken that power from her and melted her long cape, too.

“I’ll kill him for blasting my infrared interpreter,” Red‑eye said. “He destroyed my infrared sight ability.” Red‑eye was not quite as tall as Aluro, but as tall as Chilla and taller than Tug‑mug. He, too, was large in the middle. His eyes were red, and the ruined infrared interpreter, which was also a missile launcher, was built into the armor in the middle of his chest.

“I shall mesmerize that Thunder Cat to make him walk off the top of Sky Tomb—in the air,” said Aluro. “He so ruined my powers.”

“I’ll pound that Thunder Cat for getting you all,” said Tug‑mug.

“We’ll destroy him as thanks for taking away our pride,” Luna said. “We’ll get our revenge. What do you say, Amok?”

“Hmmm. Hmmm. Amok trash Thunder Cat,” muttered Amok. He was brainless but strong. He was larger and more muscular than the others. Luna rode on his back, since her light weight did not bother him. They coexisted rather well. She was the brains, and he was the brawn. In fact, it was because of Amok that Luna was the leader, since Amok cared for her and would not permit any harm to come to her.

Luna said, “Good. Now, let’s get that blasted Lion‑O.”

“Caw! First, Mumm‑ra has to get us off this stinking island,” said Vultureman. He was a Mutant, a person originating from the surface of Plundarr. All Mutants stood like humans, and all were mammals. However, all Mutants had mutations that made them differ. Vultureman had a long beak like a vulture. He was technically minded, as was Aluro, but he utterly lacked common sense.

“Yes‑s‑s,” said S‑s‑slithe. He was green and hunched over. Though he was a mammal, he was more reptile-like in appearance, and he had a line of dark pointy spines down his back and tail. He was the only one of the four commanding Mutants to have a tail, as well as the only one who could formulate a true military strategy. He also had the tendency to hiss on s-sounds. “I’ll strangle that squirt, Wilykat, for aiding Captain Bragg. Yes‑s‑s?”

“I just want to get that con-man for tricking us,” said Monkian. He resembled a monkey with light gray fur. He wore a helmet on his head, and he stooped often.

“Yeah,” said Jackalman. “I’ll break that con-man’s bones when I find him.” Jackalman was the tallest Mutant, with brown fur and a face like a jackal’s. He and Monkian were sufficiently loyal to S‑s‑slithe, but Vultureman was not.

Captain Cracker, a beat-up old robot as Chilla had once called him, came over a hill. He had been a dangerous pirate once, before the Thunder Cats finally ended his career of space piracy. The robot with an electrified moustache said, “Eeee! It’s those myüteenous Lünee-tacks again, Polly. And it seems they’ve come with even shadier characters.”

“Braack!” said the metal parrot, Polly. “Scurvy lubbers. Boil ’em in oil. Boil ’em in oil. Braack! Clap ’em in irons. Clap ’em in irons.”

“Well, well,” said Luna. “If it isn’t that rusty old robot pirate, Captain Cracker, and his tin parakeet, Polly.”

Cracker said, “Yes, madam. It be me, Captain Cracker. Come. I rebuilts me old pirate shack. If it warn’t for them scurvy Thünder Cats, I wouldn’t be here on this dump.”

“It seems we’re in the same rotting space-raft, Cracker,” S‑s‑slithe said. “Show us the way.”

* * *

Tower of Omens, third‑Earth.

Lynx‑O and the Thunder Kittens were the Thunder Cats assigned to operate and guard the Tower of Omens this week. Lion‑O and Panthro had come out because of an urgent call from Lynx‑O. Lynx‑O was presently the oldest living Thunder Cat. All the Thunder Cats were humanoids, not to mention far more attractive than the Plundarrians. Lynx‑O had been blinded during an accident when he and two other Thunderians, Pumyra and Bengali, escaped from the exploding Thundera. His furry beard was spotted like a lynx’s. He wore his Thunder Cats insignia on his clothing in the middle of his chest. He had a red band across his bald head, and he had long, sensitive ears. His outfit was black and red.

The Thunder Kittens, Wilykit and Wilykat, were orphaned twins who had been raised by Tygra, as well as the other Thunder Cats. They both had red-orange hair and were of the same height. By now, they had grown to near the height of Lord Lion‑O, who was the tallest Thunder Cat. They were healthily lean and did not appear very muscular, but they were still quite strong. They would likely become the strongest Thunder Cats very soon. Wilykit, the female, wore blue-pink clothing that came down about the upper half of her upper legs. It had only one shoulder-strap, which went up to the left shoulder, and a pink short sleeve beyond it. The right side was just below her right shoulder. She wore a bracelet on her right arm. The part of her shirt above her belt was blue. The left side of her shorts was blue, while the right side was pink. In contrast, her left boot was pink, while her right boot was blue. Her insignia was in the middle of her chest.

Her brother, Wilykat, wore clothes with two shades of brown and one of white: light brown on the left half and part of the right side, dark brown on the remaining part of the right side. His short left sleeve was light brown, while his short right sleeve was dark brown. The color distribution was the same on his shorts. He wore a brown belt with his Thunder Cats insignia in the middle, and he wore brown boots. He also wore bracelets on either wrist. The left bracelet had a hidden chronometer. Otherwise, the two resembled each other remarkably. They did wear their hair differently, and Wilykat’s hair had seven regions of color: white, orange, black, orange, black, and white, while Wilykit’s had only three: orange, black, and orange. Also, Wilykat’s complexion was just a little darker than his sister’s. However, their resemblance made it quite clear that they were twins.

“What’s going on, Lynx‑O?” asked Lion‑O, entering the room with Panthro. Lion‑O, the Lord of the Thunder Cats, had bright red hair and a muscular body. He was the tallest Thunder Cat. He had skin color much like Wilykat’s, and he wore a blue tank-top-like shirt with straps going over his shoulders. His clothing extended not far down his legs. He wore blue boots and a blue belt, to which his insignia was attached in the middle. He also wore a brown-orange claw shield on his left thigh. The shield served as a sheath for the Sword of Omens.

“I’m not sure, Lion‑O,” said Lynx‑O. “It appears as though there is some activity going on where Mumm‑ra’s Pyramid was, but that seems quite odd since the Ancient Spirits of Evil banished Mumm‑ra from third‑Earth half a year ago.”

“You don’t have to be Cheetara to have a bad feeling about this,” said Wilykit, “especially if the Ancient Spirits of Evil have actually sent that dirty mummy back to haunt us.”

“You have a good point, Wilykit,” said Lion‑O.

Wilykat nervously asked, “Did you have to mention that, Wilykit?”

Lion‑O said, “Panthro?”

“Yes, Lion‑O?” replied Panthro. He was purple-skinned all over, except for pale areas on his face and chest. He wore dark blue suspenders and shorts, with his insignia attached to the middle of his belt, so his muscular torso was quite visible. His suspenders had spikes that could shoot out. He also had nunchucks, which he could employ for various purposes besides knocking his enemies senseless. He wore dark blue shoes, as well.

“Let’s go to the area where Mumm‑ra’s Pyramid was and see what’s going on out there,” said the Lord of the Thunder Cats.

“Sure thing, Lion‑O. The ThunderTank is parked outside.”

“Then, let’s go. Lynx‑O, keep an eye on Exile Isle. Thunder Kittens, keep an eye on the area where Sky Tomb crashed. I have a terrible feeling about this.”

“I shall, Lion‑O,” said Lynx‑O.

Wilykat and Wilykit both said, “Yes sir, Lion‑O.”

* * *

Mumm‑ra’s Pyramid.

Later, Lion‑O and Panthro arrived at the Pyramid in the ThunderTank. Lightning blistered through the dark sky to strike the tips of the obelisks that were at the Pyramid’s corners. “Interesting,” said Panthro. “That blasted Pyramid seems to be back. Well, if Mumm‑ra has also returned, I’ll remove all of his bandages.”

In the tomb chamber, Mumm‑ra was watching these activities via his cauldron, bubbling with ominous lavender water. “So,” Mumm‑ra exclaimed. “Panthro thinks he can take off all of my bandages, does he? Well! We shall have to disappoint him. Ma‑mutt, prepare the Mumm‑raft. I shall transform.” Ma‑mutt obediently left through a black portal. Lightning flashed into the Pyramid. The eyes of the Ancient Spirits of Evil represented by the man-beast statues in the Tomb became lit. Mumm‑ra began his transformation. “Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form to Mumm‑ra, the Ever-Living.” By the last word, Mumm‑ra was completely transformed into a large muscular being with the same color as his untransformed form, but his skin was firm. He retained the red eyes and had a hard, angular face. On his chest was an emblem of a double-headed snake on a red circle. He wore a helmet with the double-headed snake’s heads coming up at the top and streaming material draping down the back. This was his youthful form, and he required energy to return to it. Mumm‑ra calmly walked through the portal, which disappeared when he got through.

Moments after that, the two Thunder Cats entered the Tomb. “Mumm‑ra’s not here,” exclaimed Panthro.

Lion‑O said, “I could swear that I heard him laughing in here.” He noticed the sarcophagus. “Look. The sarcophagus is open.”

Jaga appeared suddenly in his ethereal form. The old, regal-looking Thunder Cat had a long beard and moustache, and he wore a helmet with a spike coming up the middle of the top. He had a cape behind him and suspenders coming down to his shorts. His insignia was on a strap that went across his chest. He was visible only to Lion‑O. “Listen well, Lion‑O,” he said.

“I’m listening, Jaga,” said Lion‑O.

“The Ancient Spirits of Evil have restored Mumm‑ra and Ma‑mutt to life. They have no intention of taking that life away from them again.”

“I see. Where did Mumm‑ra go?”

“He and Ma‑mutt have just departed in the Mumm‑raft to Exile Isle to free the Mutants and the Luna‑tacks. After that, he will aid the Luna‑tacks in repairing their weapons and vehicles, and make Sky Tomb sky-worthy again.”

“We cannot let this stand.”

“Correct. You and the other Thunder Cats must once again defend justice and fight the wicked Mutants, Luna‑tacks, and Mumm‑ra whenever they do evil. Farewell, Lion‑O.”

“Good-bye, Jaga.” Jaga disappeared into the light.

Panthro said, “Hey, Lion‑O. I found a piece of Mumm‑ra’s cape.”

“Well, Mumm‑ra is back, according to Jaga. Our enemy has gone to Exile Isle in the Mumm‑raft to free those blasted Plundarrians.”

“Oh, rats. What shall we do?”

“As always, we’ll do the best we can in defeating them if they decide to stir up trouble again.”

“Suits me. For now, let’s get back to the Tower of Omens. This place is looking more evil by the minute.”

“Indeed. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

* * *

Exile Isle.

On Exile Isle, the Mumm‑raft shimmered into appearance. Mumm‑ra and Ma‑mutt emerged to survey the bleak land around them. “Hmm,” said Mumm‑ra. “This seems a place more dismal than my tomb. It’s time to redecorate my living quarters, Ma‑mutt, to make them drearier. I wonder where those Mutants and Luna‑tacks are. Let’s hike around the planet to find them, Ma‑mutt.”

Riding on Amok’s back, Luna was coming over the rise behind the ancient mummy. “Mumm‑ra,” she shouted.

Mumm‑ra turned around. “Luna and Amok. Are the others right behind you?”

“Yes, they’re—” She turned her head around. “You lazy bums. Pick up the pace!”

“Sorry, Luna,” said Red‑eye, right behind Luna. “I am carrying Tug‑mug, after all.”

“You unfortunate Luna‑tacks seem in bad shape,” observed Mumm‑ra, concealing his delighted. He wished that he could leave them in their currently miserable state.

Aluro snapped, “We are, Mumm‑ra. And it’s all Lion‑O’s fault.”

“Well, well. I guess we ought to repair Sky Tomb and fix that Thunder Cat’s wagon as well. Hee, hee, hee!”

All the Luna‑tacks said, “You’ve got it.”

S‑s‑slithe said, “Vultureman and I want to get even with that puny twerp, Wilykat. Yes‑s‑s?”

“Caw. Yeah,” said Vultureman. “For siding with that con-man bounty hunter, Captain Bragg.”

Monkian said, “I just want to get even with Captain Bragg, and Jackalman also does.”

“Yeah,” said Jackalman. “Blast that danged ol’ con-man.” He laughed like a hyena.

“Oh, d’ya hafta’ leave so sün?” said Cracker. “We were really getting to know each other.”

“Sorry, but we have Thunder Cats to destroy, and there is unfortunately not enough room in the Mumm‑raft for you, too,” said Mumm‑ra.

“Well, come to visit sometime. It gets pretty lonesome up heres. We’ll dü lunch—say, ‘cracker sandwiches’?” The old robot laughed.

Sarcastically, Aluro replied, “Don’t worry. We shall try to keep that in mind, Cracker. Well, Luna‑tacks, let’s go and fix Sky Tomb.”

“You’ve got it, Aluro,” said Luna. “Let’s go.” All the Luna‑tacks and Mutants, then Mumm‑ra and Ma‑mutt, got into the Mumm‑raft. There was hardly enough room for all of them.

Mumm‑ra said, “Take us to Castle Plundarr on third‑Earth, Ma‑mutt.” Ma‑mutt pressed a button with his paw. The Mumm‑raft was transported almost instantaneously to Castle Plundarr.

* * *

The vulture-shaped Castle Plundarr was a most unseemly place. It exuded pure evil. Seen from the outside, the control room was in a monstrous head with red eyes, and huge stone wings protected the interior from intruders. The place was tall and imposing.

Vultureman said, “You did it, Mumm‑ra. Caw! We’re back at Castle Plundarr. How can we thank you?”

“You don’t have to thank me, Mutants,” said Mumm‑ra. “But you might get ready to attack the Thunder Cats.”

“Yes‑s‑s, Mumm‑ra,” said S‑s‑slithe. “We shall. Come on, Mutants. Let’s prepare to attack those Thunder Cats‑s‑s. Yes?” After the Mutants entered their home, Ma‑mutt pressed the button again and transported the Mumm‑raft to Dark Side, where the fallen Sky Tomb was.

* * *

Tower of Omens.

“Look, Lynx‑O,” said Wilykit. “There’s a blip of activity at Exile Isle.”

Lynx‑O checked by feeling his Braille Board. “Yes. The Mumm‑raft has just arrived there.” Lion‑O and Panthro arrived in the room. “Lion‑O, the Mumm‑raft has just arrived at Exile Isle.”

Lion‑O said, “I understand. We can no longer doubt it: that blasted mummy is back.”

“Nothing’s happened around Sky Tomb yet,” said Wilykat.

Wilykit said, “A temporary situation, I’m sure. If Mumm‑ra’s gone to get the Mutants and Luna‑tacks, they won’t waste any time in repairing their weapons and getting Sky Tomb operational again.”

Lion‑O nodded in agreement, then he smiled. “Yes. Wilykat, call Tygra and ask him to come out here. I have an idea for a little welcome-back party for the Luna‑tacks.”

Smiling, Wilykat said, “My pleasure, Lion‑O.”

* * *

Sky Tomb.

Mumm‑ra and the Luna‑tacks arrived at the wreckage of Sky Tomb. The lower half of the monstrous tower was a mass of rubble on the ground. “Curse those four Thunder Cats who overloaded the generator and made Sky Tomb crash right here,” Luna seethed.

“This looks very simple,” said Mumm‑ra. “Stand back, Luna‑tacks.” Mumm‑ra held both his hands out in front of his body, aiming the palms at Sky Tomb. He fired blasts of powerful beams out of his hands and repaired Sky Tomb completely. In fact, the engines were quite modified from their original power. The mobile castle now stood on four legs upon the ground. The control center was in a bulged area with a nasty-looking face engraved on the front, and the castle narrowed like a cone towards the top. At the top was a large crescent moon like the one on the Luna‑tacks’ foreheads. Mumm‑ra turned to the Luna‑tacks.

“Oh! I don’t believe it,” Luna squealed with glee. “Sky Tomb is back on its legs, quite literally. Now, Mumm‑ra, please fix our weapons.”

“You’ve got it, Luna. Now, Tug‑mug, I shall repair your Gravity Carbine.” Mumm‑ra snapped his fingers twice, and a new Gravity Carbine appeared in his hands. It was a cylindrical weapon with a handle down one side and a hole in the other for the gravity-altering rays to come out. “I shall get you out of that state.”

“No,” said Luna. “Amok is responsible for that. He shall restore Tug‑mug’s gravity.” Mumm‑ra handed the Carbine to Amok. Luna’s steed then set the Carbine on ‘restore gravity’ and fired a beam at Tug‑mug. Tug‑mug fell to the ground and acquired his new Gravity Carbine from Amok.

“I appreciate it, Mumm‑ra,” Tug‑mug said.

“Now for you, Red‑eye,” said Mumm‑ra. “Your missile-launcher and infrared-light-sensor is destroyed. We shall soon change that.” Mumm‑ra pointed his right index finger at Red‑eye and fired an electromagnetic ray at him. Red‑eye was totally repaired.

Red‑eye said, “Thank you, Mumm‑ra. I feel like my old, evil self again.”

“You’re welcome. Now, Chilla, I shall re-ice you.” Mumm‑ra fired an absolute-zero ray at Chilla. She got her ice-cape back and was frozen again.

“Thanks, Mumm‑ra,” said Chilla. “I feel nice and icy again.”

“How chilling. And now for you, Aluro. Where is your Psych Club?”

Aluro handed the handle to Mumm‑ra. “Here’s what’s left of it. That Thunder Cat cut the globe and the handle connector, an action which destroyed my powers.”

“Well, this shouldn’t be too difficult.” Mumm‑ra fired a ray at the handle. The club reformed, and all of Aluro’s powers were restored.

“My-my powers! They are all restored. Thank you, Mumm‑ra.”

“No necessity exists for thanks, my dear Luna‑tacks. Now, let’s ready the Sky Tomb. It’s time to destroy those Thunder Kitties. Ha, ha, ha!”

“Well, you heard him, you lazy nit-wits,” said Luna. “Let’s fire up the Sky Tomb and go surprise those Thunder-bozos.” Just then, Lion‑O, Panthro, Tygra, and Wilykat emerged from Sky Tomb’s main entrance. Tygra had orange fur with black stripes all over his body, and he wore a bluish suit from shoulder to foot. He wore his insignia on his chest.

“That’s what you think,” said Wilykat. “You won’t surprise us very easily.”

Mumm‑ra exclaimed, “Thunder Cats. What in the name of all evil are you doing here?”

“When we found out that you were going to free the Luna‑tacks, we knew you were going to come here,” said Tygra. “So, we decided to wait for you.”

Panthro said, “Consider this as a small welcome-home party, Luna‑tacks.” Wilykat took a sleep-capsule from his capsule-belt.

“First thing, though: how about a little nap?” asked Wilykat. He tossed the capsule at the Luna‑tacks, all six of whom fell asleep. “Considering the circumstances, I don’t think I’ll be blamed if I don’t sing the old Terran nursery rhyme, ‘Rock-a-bye Baby.’ ”

Lion‑O laughed for a moment. Then, he pointed the tip of the Sword of Omens at the Luna‑tacks. “Ho!” The Sword fired a ray at the Luna‑tacks that threw them into Sky Tomb.

“There,” said Tygra. “Now for you, Mumm‑ra. It’s about time that we make you reflect on your situation.” Mumm‑ra understood all too well. Seeing his own reflection scared him and sapped his power.

“Oh, no you don’t,” said Mumm‑ra. “Ma‑mutt, prepare the Mumm‑raft.” Mumm‑ra ran into the Mumm‑raft. “Mumm‑ra the Ever-Living is back, Thunder Cats. Ha, ha, ha! Back to the Pyramid, Ma‑mutt.” Ma‑mutt pressed the same button. The Mumm‑raft was transported to the Pyramid.

“Well, Mumm‑ra made a break for it,” observed Lion‑O, “so I guess that it’s time to head back to Cat’s Lair.”

“Good idea, Lion‑O,” said Panthro. The four Thunder Cats jumped into the ThunderTank, which was hidden behind Sky Tomb, and headed for Cat’s Lair.

* * *

Cat’s Lair.

“So, Mumm‑ra got away?” said Cheetara. She had yellow spotted fur and a reddish outfit from head to foot, and she wore her insignia on her chest. She was tall and slender with long hair.

“Yes,” said Tygra. “He didn’t even say good-bye.”

“Uh-huh,” said Wilykat. “So, I guess we can expect to see him around.”

Wilykit sighed. “Sure sounds like it, bro. I was hoping that he’d be staying out of everyone’s hair.”

Snarf said, “Snarf, snarf. I hope he doesn’t come around here today. That mummy sends shivers down my spine.” Snarf and his nephew, Snarfer, were not of the same species as the other Thunder Cats. They were more shaped like regular felines, except that they naturally grew more rotund at the belly and had conical tails. They had non-retractable claws, and their undersides were not furred at all. Snarf was older and larger than his nephew. Neither wore a Thunder Cat insignia, but they were still considered Thunder Cats. They had red and yellow fur—a large yellow streak down the back, while most of the rest was red—the norm for their race, except their facial fur was white.

Snarfer exclaimed, “I hate that Mumm‑ra. He’s like a legend because legends never go away. No, sir. Snarfer, snarfer.”

“Well, if he attacks, will we be ready for him?” asked Pumyra. She was shaped similarly to Cheetara, though she was younger and a little smaller. She had an outfit similar in shape to Wilykit’s, and she wore her insignia in the same place. However, Pumyra’s suit was almost entirely a dark shade of red. She had brown and white hair, but none of her hair covered her ears.

“Yes,” Bengali answered. “He won’t get by our alarms.” He was slightly smaller than Tygra, his brother, and he had white fur instead of orange. He had a light-colored outfit that went down to his feet, and he wore his insignia on his chest, though his insignia was over the right breast rather than in the middle.

Wilykit said, “Even so, I certainly hope he stays at his Pyramid, where he belongs.”

* * *

Mumm‑ra’s Pyramid.

Over at the Pyramid, Mumm‑ra, currently in his mummified state, was watching with his cauldron. “Well, I shall not come around today, you wretched Thunder Cats,” said Mumm‑ra. “However, my time will come, and when it does, I shall finally destroy you.”