Adventurous Anthros
Season 1 epilogue
Story by TheAnnonymousKat on Furaffinity
All characters belong to their respective owners, this fanfiction is a nonprofit project for fun, please support the official release of the respective series shown.

It had been a few days since the Anthros had taken care of Von Bloot and saved Zero, and it was back to hero business as usual for the Anthros. Though work was rather slow, especially with word going around that they took down one of the members of the syndicate, which gave Kat plenty of time to think. Kat had developed feelings for Panthro for a while, and his feelings have only seemed more justified as time has went on and he's spent more time with the thundercat. Kat decided that he needed to tell Panthro how he felt soon, though he wasn't sure how to go about telling the pantherman. As Kat was walking around the base one quiet afternoon, he noticed Adam sitting at the dining table and decided that the beast would be the best person to help him with his problem,
"Hey Adam,"said Kat with a wave as he approached the beast,
"Oh, hello Kat, how are you doing?" Adam asked,
"Oh I'm fine, though I could use some advice," Kat explained,
"What sort of advice do you need?" Adam asked,
"Romantic advice, I figured you'd be able to give me some since you're married and all," Kat explained,
"I can certainly try, what in particular do you need advice for" Adam asked,
"Well, there's someone I really like, and we've known each other for quite a while now, and I was wondering how I should go about confessing to this person about how I feel," Kat explained,
"Ah I see… well y'know, something I did with Belle, that I think won some points with her, was I gave her the library to my castle," Adam explained,
"Ah I see, so I need to give something while I confess to sell it?" Kat asked,
"Well not always, it just helps considering the person in question would likely think of you in a more positive light if you give them something they'd enjoy, and thus be more accepting towards your confession," Adam explained
"Ok got it, thanks Adam," Kat replied as he walked away,
"Good luck" said Adam with an encouraging smile.

Kat wasn't entirely sure what Panthro would enjoy, so the hybrid decided to pay him a visit while he was working on his beloved tank, though Panthro wasn't in the happiest moods at the time, as evident by the frustrated grunts that were audible to Kat before while he was still walking from the base to the tank workshop. When Kat saw Panthro, he was standing on top of the thunder tank with his brows furrowed, his fur was drenched in sweat and spots around his fur were dirtied with oil and grime especially around his hands. Kat saw Panthro attempt to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his forearm, though given that his arms were also sweaty, all the panther managed to do was make his forehead wetter and dirtier, which caused Panthro to growl in frustration. Kat noticed one of Panthro's large shop towels on a nearby table and decided to pick it up and join Panthro atop his tank by jumping on it. Kat offered the towel to Panthro with a smile,
"Hey Panthro," said Kat,
"Not right now Kat, I'm busy," said Panthro in frustration as he ignored Kat offering him a towel and kept his attention to the tank they were standing on,
"I can see that, what's wrong with the thunder tank?" Kat asked,
"Nothing, I can handle it, just go away,* said Panthro in annoyance,
"Hey… there's no need to be like that," said Kat as his feline ears drooped. After a moment of silence Panthro sighed and finally looked up at Kat,
"You're right, I'm sorry, I'm just really frustrated right now…" said Panthro apologetically before he finally took the shop towel Kat offered to him and began thoroughly wiping the sweat and grime off his body. Kat then looked at the tank with an inquiring expression,
"So what's wrong with your tank?" Kat asked,
"Well none of the parts are broken thankfully, she just needs some fuel," Panthro explained,
"Oh, well that sounds like an easy fix" said Kat with a smile,
"It would be, if my tank didn't run on Thundrillium" Panthro explained, Kat tilted his head in confusion,
"Thunder-whatium?" Kat inquired
"Thundrillium Kat, it's a gemstone found on Third Earth, it's rare, but effective, all I need is a few shards, and my tank will be good on fuel for weeks, and I was really looking forward to driving it around tomorrow, though I guess I'll need to use that time to look for Thundrillium.. ah well though, I'll be alright," said Panthro before Kat saw him hop off his tank and walk back to the base, presumably to go shower. Kat sat on the tank with a smile as an idea popped into his head,
"I know what you're thinking right now," said Elster within Kat's mind,
"Are you going through my thoughts?" Kat asked,
"Nah, I've just known you long enough that I can put two and two together… you want to go find some Thundrillium for Panthro, don't you?" Elster asked,
"Well yeah, I think he'd really appreciate it, and with Act 1 unlocked, I'll be able to find some shards of it in no time, don't try and stop me," said Kat with a smile,
"I'm your ancestor, not your shoulder angel, I say go for it, just be sure to bring a backpack," Elster suggested,
"Huh? What for?" Kat asked,
"So you have something to put the shards in, duh," Elster replied,
"Oh, right right," said Kat before he ran back to the base.

It wasn't long before Kat stood in front of the base with a backpack strapped around his shoulders and a confident smile on his face,
"Let's give this another shot," said Kat before a powerful dark energy erupted around him, and the blue highlights in his hair disappeared,
"Kat, Act 1: Speed Demon!" Said Kat before he took off at a lightning fast speed through the desert. Small strands of blue lightning flickered around Kat as he ran, the hybrid was moving so quickly that he kicked up sand as he travelled. Kat's memory serves him well since he found the gate that lead to Third Earth within minutes and ran into it. Immediately after Kat exited the gate, he changed directions and ran away from the Berbil village,
"This is awesome, it took hours for Panthro to drive me to that gate in the tank!" Said Kat excitedly as he kept running,
"Crazy to think that now you can run faster than the tank, huh?" Elster asked,
"Sure is," Kat replied,
"Though Kat? How are you going to find the Thundrillium? You don't even know what it looks like," Elster commented,
"I already thought of that," Kat replied as sparks of green electricity came from his eyes,
"Ah I see, putting your mirror vision to use, smart," Elster commented encouragingly,
"Alright mirror, show me the nearest deposit of Thundrillium!" Said Kat as he continued running. Kat quickly saw glimpses of Third Earth before he could see a vision of a caved in mine that was several miles away,
"I see a mine, and it's miles away," Kat explained,
"Well what's miles when you're moving as fast as you are?" Said Elster,
"That's what I was thinking!," said Kat with a smile,
"Kinda figured," said Elster happily,
"Yolo!" Said Kat and Elster simultaneously as Kat made his way to where the vision depicted, though Elster's voice wasn't physical.

After a few minutes of running, Kat could already see the location of the mine in the distance,
"There it is! The caved-in mine," said Kat excitedly,
"Caved in? How do you plan on getting the shards?" Elster asked,
"I was thinking of a new move to try with Act 1, and I reckon now would be a good time to put it into action," Kat explained with a smile,
"You're so crazy, I love it! Let's see this special move!" Said Elster excitedly. Kat then lunged into the air at an angle that sent him towards the location of the mine, though mid-flight Kat used his mysterious speed stealing ability to completely stop himself in the middle of the sky, before he quickly repositioned himself so his foot was towards the mine, then returned his speed to himself, causing him to continue rocketing towards the mine. Kat then began spinning at an insane speed as sparks of blue lightning came off of him,
"Special move! Demon drill!" Said Kat before he finally came into contact with the rocky surface of the mine and started digging through it with ease. Kat kept digging down until he reached an area where there was a Thundrillium deposit. Kat then stopped himself with a skid, and held his head until he could recompose himself,
"Hahaha, I bet you feel dizzy after that!," said Elster in an amused tone,
"Mmmhmmm…. Didja see my attack?" Kat asked as he tried to keep himself balanced,
"See it? Dude I felt it! That was awesome, and I can't wait to see you try that attack in battle!" Said Elster excitedly,
"Thanks…" said Kat as he was finally starting to feel less dizzy,
"No problem, though we should probably be quick about grabbing the Thundrillium, who knows how long your makeshift tunnel will stay up?" Elster asked rhetorically. Kat's senses returned to him and he quickly got his backpack open and started stuffing Thundrillium into it,
"That's right!" Kat replied as he worked,
"Fill it until you have trouble zipping it up!" Elster instructed enthusiastically. Kat did as his ancestor told him and stuffed the purple gemstones into his backpack until it was a struggle to zip up, when Kat was done the backpack was huge and bulging when he put it on his back,
"There we go buddy!" Said Elster,
"You think Panthro will appreciate this?" Kat asked,
"I'm sure he will, now let's head back to the base," Elster instructed before Kat quickly jumped back out of the mine as a large bolt of blue lightning trailed behind him before dissipating and the mine once again caved-in behind the hybrid.

Kat eagerly ran back in the direction of the gate for a few minutes, though he soon found himself rapidly slowing down,
"Huh? What's wrong? You can go faster than this," said Elster,
"I-I dunno, my legs aren't moving as fast as they should…" said Kat with a concerned tone. It wasn't long before the energy around Kat died down as his running speed slowed down tremendously before the hybrid stopped running altogether and did his best to catch his breath as he alternated between panting and coughing. Elster had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was going on, and sure enough the blue highlight returned to Kat's hair, confirming Elster's suspicion,
"Oh no, I forgot that you still aren't used to Act 1 yet, the power is too much for your body right now, and the gate is still miles away…" Elster commented with a worried tone,
"Geez, any more bad news you want to tell me?" Kat asked as he sat down on the ground and set his backpack beside him,
"Sorry, are you alright pal? Can you walk?" Elster asked,
"I'm ok, just tired, I just need a minute to catch my breath," Kat explained as he continued to pant. After a minute passed of Kat panting, the hybrid managed to get himself on his legs, though they felt slightly wobbly when he put his backpack on,
"I bet your legs feel like noodles huh?" Elster asked,
"Yeah…" Kat replied,
"Well the gate is a few miles away, though if you can find somewhere nice and quiet when it gets dark, I can teach you how to restore your energy," Elster explained,
"Got it," Kat replied,
"For now just focus on walking, don't try to go too fast, you need to make whatever energy you have left in your system last, in fact you should probably ditch the backpack," Elster explained,
"No way! The whole reason we came here was to get Thundrillium!" Kat argued,
"Well it won't do you much good if you die before you can hand it to Panthro," Elster explained,
"I'm not leaving the backpack behind Elster, and that's final," said Kat with his arms crossed. Kat could hear a sigh within his head,
"I can see my stubbornness made it to the end of the line, fine whatever, just move, and don't complain to me about the pack feeling heavy, I couldn't help you carry it if I wanted to, so you're out of luck," Elster explained as Kat continued on his journey back to the gate.

Time seemed to fly as Kat walked, the hybrid covered miles on foot, and afternoon swiftly turned into night, the cool night air felt pleasant against Kat's sweat drenched body. Kat looked into the distance and smiled since he could see the large pillar of light from where he was, if vaguely,
"Just another mile or two…" said Kat to himself hopefully,
"Did you forget that the Third Earth gate is hours away from the base, and that's by tank?" Elster asked. After a moment of silence Kat sighed,
"You're a pooper," said Kat in annoyance as he kept walking,
"No it's ok, I know a technique that will restore your strength, just sit down at that tree," Elster instructed,
"Which one? I can't see you point," Kat replied,
"Any of them, just sit down and take off your backpack," Elster instructed. Kat did as his ancestor instructed and sat down at a nearby tree, being sure to take off his backpack and setting it close to him, the hybrid was relieved to finally be able to rest his exhausted legs. As Kat made himself comfortable, he awaited Elster's instructions,
"So what am I supposed to do?" Kat asked,
"Kat, you may be a user of dark energy, but I bet you didn't know about one of the most basic techniques in the art," Elster commented,
"Which is…?" Kat asked expectantly,
"Dark focus," Elster replied,
"What's that?" Kat asked,
"Just as Photomancers can draw energy from the sunlight, Umbramancers such as yourself can draw energy from the darkness, when you're surrounded by darkness, you can passively gain your strength back at a slow rate, I'm surprised you've never realized this before considering how you've gone days without sleep on occasion," Elster explained,
"That was the reason?" Kat asked,
"Yep, infact, with the help of Dark Focus, I reckon you could go a full week without sleep, as long as you don't do anything super strenuous like fight or use your abilities," Elster explained,
"I see," Kat replied,
"Though sometimes passive recovery is too slow, though thankfully there exists a method to make Dark Focus work faster, first, close your eyes, and visualize yourself in an endless dark void," Elster instructed,
"Ok," Kat replied before he did as his ancestor told him. In Kat's mind the hybrid drifted around aimlessly within an endless void of darkness,
"Ok, now, visualize the darkness flowing into your body, charging you, fueling you, giving you power," Elster instructed, Kat did as his ancestor told him, and now visualized the darkness around him flow into him, it felt soothing for the hybrid, and he could feel his strength begin to return to him. Kat's body lightly glowed as he used Dark Focus to recharge himself, very slowly he could feel the energy return to him. After a few minutes of silence that Kat used to return strength back to his body, Elster suddenly spoke up,
"Kat… Kat! Open your eyes, someone is approaching us," said Elster in a worried tone,
"Huh?" Said Kat as he opened his eyes and peered into the darkness. Kat's feline eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness as he noticed a large figure approach him, and the hybrid heard a familiar voice that he hadn't heard in quite a while, though hearing it in his current situation caused his heart to stop for a split second before beating rapidly,
"Well well well, what do we have here? If it isn't Panthro's new buddy" said the figure with an amused tone,
"Grune…" Said Kat as he attempted to stifle the fear in his tone. As the figure approached, Kat could see that it was indeed the old sabertooth who approached him,
"You remember me, I'm so flattered," said Grune disingenuously as he approached Kat with his mace in hand. Kat got to his feet as he put his backpack back on, Kat felt good enough to keep making his way to the gate, but he wasn't in any condition to be fighting, especially an opponent like Grune,
"What's with that look in your eyes? You scared of me little kitten?" Grune asked with delight in his tone,
"I thought you were in custody," Kat commented, ignoring Grune's question,
"I escaped and eventually made my way back to my stomping grounds, not sure why you're so uneasy, I just want to talk," said Grune in an unsettling tone,
"Well I don't want to talk to you," said Kat as he was about to take off,
"Say, what's in that backpack?" Grune asked,
"Nothing that's any of your business!" Said Kat angrily as he hid the backpack from Grune as best as he could, though Kat's reaction enticed Grune's curiosity to grow,
"Oh? It must be really cool, come on, let me see and maybe I'll leave you alone," Grune offered with a delighted tone. Kat suddenly started to run away from Grune, causing a large smile to spread across the sabertooth's face as he started to chase after Kat with his mace in hand,
"Where do you think you're going?!" Grune asked excitedly.

Kat ran as fast as he could though it wasn't nearly as fast as his top speed in his base form,
"Elster, what do I do?!" Kat asked mentally with a panicked tone,
"Just try and lose him for now, we can't go anywhere as long as he's on your tail," Elster instructed. After a minute or so of running, Kat heard Elster speak up again,
“Kat! Duck!” Elster instructed, and without skipping a beat Kat ducked down as instructed, though Kat soon found himself falling down as a bolt of lightning flew over his head. Kat tumbled down a small hill before he made his way to the bottom of a small ravine that ran through the forest. As Kat struggled to get up Elster tried talking to him,
“Kat! Are you ok? You didn’t twist your ankle or anything did you?” Elster asked,
“Nah, I can walk, though I hit some rocks as I tumbled down so.. It hurts like hell.. Wait! Where’s my backpack?!” Kat asked with panic in his voice as he looked around frantically,
“Calm down, it came off you when you tumbled and landed behind you,” Elster explained. Kat quickly looked behind him, and sighed in relief as he stood up and put the backpack back on,
“So El, I take it that your vision isn’t restricted to what I see, like you can see around me?” Kat asked,
“Yeah, though my soul is in your body, it isn’t controlling it, so I can sense anything in your proximity,” Elster explained,
“Ah that’s cool, so I always got someone watching my back,” Kat commented as he dusted himself off,
“Well yeah, though let’s save the chitchat for later, we literally aren't out of the woods yet,” Elster explained. Kat then looked up from where he fell, though he didn’t see or hear Grune, so Kat took this as an opportunity to try and get a weapon to defend himself, though when he tried to summon a vortex, he couldn’t do it,
“It’s no good Kat, you don’t have the energy to use that ability,” Elster commented,
“Well then what do you suggest?” Kat asked in annoyance,
“What about the abilities that those girls gave you? Those don’t use up much energy” Elster suggested,
“Oh sure, there’s Mirror Vision, which I can’t use right now since I can only use it once a day and I used it earlier, then there’s Magatama Sense, which would be great if I was having a casual chat with Grune and he had a juicy secret hidden away, and Sacrisagus, which would be great if someone used it on me, since I’m not trying to get hit!” Kat replied in annoyance,
“Sorry it was just a suggestion, for now just try and get out of that ravine,” Elster suggested,
“Ok, tell me if you see Grune anywhere, I’m going to try and blend in with the darkness and hope he doesn’t notice me as I’m getting out of here,” Kat explained.

A tense couple of minutes then passed as Kat walked to the other side of the ravine and made his way up, the walls that bordered the ravine weren’t terribly high or steep so Kat could walk up the other side as long as he was careful with his balance and footing, though Kat’s weakened legs and heavy pack weren’t helping matters. Kat did his best to keep his breathing under control as he was getting very close to the top. Kat’s heart pounded in his chest as he made his way up the side of the ravine, the calm of the situation filled the hybrid with unease,
“I don’t understand, I would’ve thought Grune would’ve made a reappearance by now…” Kat thought to himself,
“Kat! Look out!” Elster warned mentally, Kat quickly jumped up the side of the ravine a bit higher as well as a bit to his right, nearly falling in the process, but grabbing onto a tree root belonging to a tree growing near the top just in time. A bolt of lightning struck the area Kat was just a moment ago, causing Kat’s heart ot skip a beat,
“Darn, almost had you,” Kat heard Grune say across the ravine in an amused tone, it was then that Kat realized that the sabertooth was toying with him, he could’ve shot at Kat at any point while he was down there, though he wanted to get him while he was climbing up the other side since a hit at that point would lead to a number of injuries. Kat quickly climbed the rest of the way up the side of the ravine and kept running through the woods.

Kat didn’t think of anything except running, making sure his backpack was still with him, and making sure he didn’t run into anything. Minutes passed as Kat ran for his life, eventually the hybrid cut through a forest clearing, though nothing could prepare Kat for what would happen next,
“Kat! Ahead of you!” Elster warned, Kat’s eyes then widened as he skidded to a stop and fell on his butt, though quickly crab walked backwards as Grune swung his mace downward and hit the area that Kat was at just at a split second ago. Kat continued crab walking until his back hit a tree, Kat then reluctantly relaxed against the tree as he rapidly tried catching his breath. Grune chuckled as he came out from the tree he was hiding behind and joined Kat in the clearing, slowly approaching the hybrid,
“So this is the hybrid that took down one of the members of the syndicate, and yet here you are running away from big bad Grune,” said Grune with a smile,
“Of course I run into Grune when I’m exhausted and drained of all times,” Kat thought to himself,
“I’m curious though, where’s Panthro? I’ve seen you two from time to time, you two seem inseparable,” Grune commented,
“Like I’d tell you!” Kat spat back angrily as he attempted to seem intimidating, though he couldn’t bring himself to stand up as he sat against the tree and Grune kept closing the distance between them. Grune chuckled deviously and pointed his mace at Kat,
“Why the hostility? Like I told you earlier, I just want to talk… well that and see what you have in your bag that’s so precious that you refuse to let it go,” Grune explained,
“Well I don’t want to talk, and I’d sooner die before I let you have this bag!” said Kat angrily. Grune then stopped a foot away from Kat and pressed the end of the mace right up against Kat’s forehead,
“You don’t want to talk? That’s fine, just shut up and listen then… You have a thing for Panthro, right? There’s no use in hiding it, your feelings for him are as plain as day,” Grune commented,
“Well what if I did? Guess whose business that isn’t!? Here’s a clue- Yours!” Kat replied angrily,
“I gotta admit, you’re brave kid, I have a dangerous weapon right up to your face, and yet you’re still talking smack, it would be so easy to just fire some electricity at you point blank and kill you instantly, or better yet beat you to death, since my weapon is a mace, and that’s kind of what it’s made for.. Though that wouldn’t be fun,” Grune explained. Grune then lowered his mace only to hit Kat with a sweeping kick to Kat’s cheek that sent him to the ground, then without skipping a beat Grune took Kat’s backpack off his back and stepped on Kat’s throat, not putting his full weight on Kat yet, though still keeping him from getting up. Grune then tossed his mace aside for a bit and opened Kat’s bag with a bit of a struggle, the bag was so full that a few shards of Thundrillium fell out of it when it was opened, though a considerable amount was still in the bag,
“Thundrillium! Why this is a wonderful material… though what would someone like you need it for? Typically we use this as a power source for machines made in Third Earth…” said Grune in a boastful and condescending tone before he let out an intentional gasp,
“Wait~... Panthro’s precious tank runs on this stuff doesn’t it? You couldn’t have been planning to give this to Panthro could you?” Grune asked rhetorically as he casually ground his foot into Kat’s neck, causing the hybrid to groan in pain,
“That’s such a sweet thing to do you must really like him… though it’s a shame that such a nice thought will go to waste, I think after I kill you I’ll take these shards for myself, though I will leave you with something…” said Grune as he knelt down closer to Kat, putting more weight on Kat in the process, before Grune closed up the backpack and set it down on the ground,
“You may think you know Panthro, but there’s one big thing he never told you, he and I used to-” said Grune before Kat heard an impact and felt Grune fall off him and to the forest floor next to him, though before Kat could even rub his throat, he suddenly felt someone pick him up. Kat then opened his eyes as he saw that Panthro was the one who picked him off the ground and was currently holding him bridal style. Kat was incredibly relieved to see Panthro, though he did blush from the thundercat holding him the way he was, and Kat could also see anger in Panthro’s eyes. Panthro then turned around and walked towards a tree at the other side of the clearing before gently resting Kat against it,
“P-Panthro I-” Kat tried saying though Panthro cut him off by gently putting a hand on Kat’s head,
“Save it for later,” said Panthro, his expression softening a bit and his tone being comforting, implying to Kat that the earlier fury in his expression wasn’t directed towards him. Panthro then stood up and walked over to Grune, who managed to get himself off the ground,
“Panthro! We were just talking about you!” said Grune in a delighted tone,
“I don’t want to hear anything from you, unless it’s the sound of you whimpering before I put an end to your life!” said Panthro furiously as he bared his fangs,
“Oh? Did I strike a nerve? That hybrid must be precious to you,” said Grune smugly before Panthro lunged at him,
“I said shut up!!” said Panthro furiously before he punched Grune in the cheek. Kat was then forced to watch as the two large catmen exchanged blows,
“Kat! Now’s your chance, use Dark Focus, and maybe you can gather enough energy to help Panthro!” Elster suggested,
“Are you crazy? There’s no way I can concentrate in a situation like this!” said Kat mentally,
“Well then what will you do to help? Surely you aren’t just going to sit idly by while the person you love the most is fighting for you!” said Elster encouragingly. As Kat watched the two battle, he tried to summon the strength to do something, such as getting back on his feet or summoning a weapon, though he found he just couldn’t bring himself to do anything, his body was at its limit, he was exhausted, bruised and battered, much to Kat’s dismay, he could do nothing but watch. After a few minutes Panthro landed several heavy hits on Grune, forcing him to the ground, and seemingly knocking him out, after taking a moment to catch his breath, Panthro began walking back to Kat, though the hybrid noticed Grune pick up his weapon and aim it at Panthro,
“You forgot an important rule of combat, never take your eyes off your opponent!” said Grune happily as he shot a bolt of lightning at Panthro’s back. Kat saw the bolt heading towards Panthro and reached his hand towards the Thundercat as some rainbow energy flowed around his palm,
“PANTHRO!!” Kat yelled in concern. Though just as the bolt of lightning hit Panthro’s back, Kat felt a surge of power flow around him before he felt a devastating impact against his back that caused Kat’s chest to thrust forward as Kat spat up blood and cried out in pain before he fell to the ground and lost consciousness, the hybrid could’ve sworn he heard Panthro calling his name.

“Kat! Kat! C’mon kid, wake up, please wake up!” said Elster in concern. Kat then slowly awakened to find that he was in Elster’s arms while they stood atop his station of awakening,
“Oh thank god, I was afraid I lost you for a second,” said Elster with a sigh. Kat managed to sit up and held his head as he tried to recompose himself,
“El.. what happened?” Kat asked,
“You used Sacrisagus to take the hit for Panthro, though miraculously in that moment of excitement right when the bolt was about to hit you, some adrenaline shot through you and caused you to access Act 1 for a split second, which is thankfully immune to electrocution, though you still felt the impact of the bolt and that knocked you out” Elster explained,
“Wh-What about Panthro? Is he ok?” Kat asked in concern,
“He’s fine, though a lot of stuff happened with him after you passed out, wake up and ask him for the rest of the details yourself,” Elster instructed. Kat then took a deep breath before the world around him faded to white.

Kat’s eyes slowly opened, and he found that his head rested against Panthro’s thigh as the large pantherman gently pet Kat on his head as he sat down against a tree. Panthro’s petting didn’t stop when he noticed Kat awakened, though it did slow down. Kat looked up towards Panthro’s face to see Panthro had a neutral expression, which was odd to Kat considering he was expecting him to be furious. After the two stared at each other in silence for a bit with Panthro continuing his petting, Panthro closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh,
“What am I going to do with you?... You’re too reckless,” Panthro commented. Kat’s feline ears drooped with shame as he avoided Panthro’s gaze and looked down at the ground,
“I-I’m sorry…” said Kat regretfully,
“What were you even doing all the way out here?” Panthro asked, after taking a moment to remember the reason he came to Third Earth, Kat tried looking around without taking his head off Panthro,
“Where’s my backpack?” Kat asked,
“Panthro’s got it,” Elster explained, Panthro then stopped petting Kat and took his hands elsewhere,
“I got it right here, what did you fill this thing with? It’s practically bulging open,” Panthro asked as he picked up Kat’s backpack and examined it,
“I’ll tell you in a sec.. Though first, where’s Grune?” Kat asked,
“I beat the snot out of him and the Hikari City police suddenly showed up and took him back into custody, I guess they were hot on his trail,” Panthro explained,
“You didn’t call them?” Kat asked. Panthro then let out a deep sigh,
“My communicator broke during my fight with Grune…” Panthro explained,
“Oh.. I see,” Kat commented,
“Though we can worry about that in a bit, for now… what’s in the backpack?” Panthro asked. Kat was silent for a bit before he instructed-
“Open it and see…”. Panthro then shot Kat a puzzled look before turning his attention back to the backpack and opening it as Kat instructed, Panthro’s eyes were wide when he saw the pink shards within the bag,
“Thundrillium…” Panthro commented in amazement,
“You said you needed more, so I thought I could just go to Third Earth real quick and come right back with Act 1’s speed… though I ran out of energy on the way back…” Kat explained. It fell silent between Kat and Panthro as Kat heard Panthro zip the backpack back up,
“You’re not going to hit me are you?” Kat asked fearfully, Panthro then put a hand on Kat’s head and went back to petting him,
“No, you’ve been hit enough tonight, you even took a hit for me.. Somehow… Was that the ability you got from Zero?” Panthro asked,
“Yeah,” Kat replied,
“Thought so, anyway as things stand now, I had Winston teleport me here, though since my communicator is busted I have no way to tell him to teleport me back, so we’re going to go to the Berbil village, I’m sure Bill will let us sleep there tonight, and I’m willing to bet that he has some tools that can help me fix my communicator,” Panthro explained as he carefully took Kat’s head off his thigh as he stood up, resting Kat’s head back on the ground, the hybrid followed Panthro’s lead and sat up. Kat heard Elster’s voice within his head,
“What are you doing? Tell him how you feel! That was the whole reason you got the shards for him!” said Elster, though Kat mentally shushed his ancestor, causing the mind-bound man to sigh in frustration,
“Can you walk?” Panthro asked. Kat looked down at his legs and tried to stand on them, though they were incredibly wobbly and unstable,
“If you can’t walk just say so!... Here,” said Panthro as he knelt down in front of Kat,
“Huh?” said Kat in confusion,
“Get on, and be quick about it, I don’t want to be in these blasted woods all night,” Panthro explained. Kat decided not to argue and did as Panthro told him, climbing onto his back, and carefully wrapping his arms around Panthro’s neck while the thundercat held each of Kat’s legs under his armpits as he stood up and started walking, while also being sure to keep Kat’s backpack held in one of his hands,
“You’re giving me a piggyback ride?” Kat asked,
“Well I’m not just going to leave you here,” Panthro replied. Kat then blushed and nuzzled his cheek against Panthro’s,
“Awwww, thanks big guy, you’re so sweet sometimes,” said Kat happily,
“Don’t make me drop you…” said Panthro with a grumpy tone.

Panthro then walked with Kat for a while before speaking up again,
“Kat… I know why you got the Thundrillium for me,” Panthro explained,
“Well yeah, I thought it’d be a nice gesture,” Kat explained,
“That’s not why you did it though,” Panthro commented,
“What do you mean?” Kat asked. After a moment of silence Panthro sighed and said something that caused Kat’s heart to skip a beat,
“I know you have feelings for me…” Panthro explained. Kat became red in the face, and he looked away from Panthro,
“I-I don’t know what you mean…” Kat replied timidly,
“Don’t try to hide it, it’s as clear as day, you’ve had a crush on me for a while now…” Panthro commented. After an awkward silence Kat buried his face into Panthro’s neck out of embarrassment,
“W-Well maybe a little bit…” said Kat in with a flustered tone that was muffled. After a bit Panthro sighed and lowered his head as he walked,
“Kat.. I’m sorry to tell you this, but I don’t think things would work out between us,” Panthro explained, which caused Kat’s heart to once again skip a beat as he tried to hide his sadness when he got his face out from Panthro’s neck,
“But why? Is it because I’m a guy?” Kat asked,
“Nah, that’s not the issue, I actually prefer guys,” Panthro explained,
“Oh really?.... Then, is it because we’re different species?” Kat asked,
“Nah, that’s not an issue either, I mean we’re both basically catmen, so it’s not too far out of my comfort zone,” Panthro explained,
“Is it because I have a bad personality?” Kat asked,
“Nah, your personality seems ok to me,” Panthro replied,
“Then.. what’s wrong with me?” Kat asked with sadness in his tone,
“Ah come on Kat, don’t tell me you don’t see it,” said Panthro with his brows furrowed,
“See what?” Kat asked as he tilted his head,
“The age difference! I’m 37 and you’re like… what? 18? Maybe 19? Like sure that’s legal but that’s still too devious for my comfort…” Panthro explained. After a moment of silence Panthro could hear Kat snickering,
“What’s so funny?” Panthro asked,
“Panthro… I’m 26,” Kat explained with a smile. Panthro suddenly stopped walking and with wide eyes, skillfully took Kat off his back and moved him to the front, holding him in his arms in the bridal position as he looked at him in disbelief,
“What?!... that’s… that’s not… there’s no way you’re 26! You’re lying to me!” said Panthro in disbelief. Kat pondered for a bit before speaking,
“It’s midnight right?” Kat asked,
“Yeah,” Panthro replied,
“Oh, then you’re right, I’m not 26” said Kat admittedly,
“But… what does it being midnight have to do with-?” said Panthro though Kat cut him off,
“I’m actually 27, today is my birthday,” said Kat with a smile. Panthro was so shocked that he nearly dropped Kat, though he managed to pull himself together and steady himself,
“How?! You look so young! And you don’t act like a 27 year old, didn’t you ever learn in school about the proper way to act when you’re that age?” Panthro asked. Kat then looked away in shame,
“I didn’t go to school for very long, I’ve never had a formal education…” Kat admitted with a sense of shame, causing Panthro to feel guilt for his comment,
“Oh… I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to-” Panthro attempted to say, though he was cut off when Kat reached a hand up and gently pat him on the cheek,
“Pan, it’s ok, I know you didn’t mean anything by it, let’s just keep walking,” said Kat, causing Panthro to continue on the path. After another moment of silence Kat spoke up again,
"So uh… is 37 and 27 still too big of an age gap?" Kat asked, after pondering for a bit Panthro spoke up,
"10 years is a pretty decent gap… but I don't think things would be impossible between us now," Panthro explained,
"That didn't sound like a "yes"..." Elster commented,
"Wasn't a no either," Kat replied mentally,
"So why didn't you tell me that your birthday was so close?" Panthro asked,
"I dunno, I guess I don't really see it as a time for celebrating, especially since I'm as old as I am, I mainly remember what day it is because keeping track of my age helps me remember the timeline of my life" Kat explained,
"I see… do you think you could tell me about this timeline?" Panthro asked,
"Well I do like the way you're carrying me right now, so I guess I can" Kat explained. Panthro was surprised at Kat's willingness to talk about his past, especially considering the thundercat remembered when he first met Kat, the hybrid was incredibly distant,
"Really?" Panthro asked,
"Well I obviously have to leave out details like my name, but considering that I trust you, I think it'd be ok," Kat explained,
"I see," said Panthro.

As Panthro continued walking with Kat in his arms, the hybrid began to go into his backstory,
"Let me start from the very beginning, and I'll do my best to skip over unimportant details. The first three years of my life were probably my happiest, I don't remember them terribly well, though the vague memories I do have of them I remember that me and my family were always happy, my mom, my dad, my older sister, all of us. Though nothing good ever lasts, when I turned 4 my dad died of a heart condition, I was too young to feel too attached to him, though my mom and sis were devastated, he was a good man from what I've heard, and from there, things only got worse. My mom remarried, though the guy she remarried was terrible, he would often get drunk and hit me and my sister, and it was around this time that I was getting bullied at school… I think the only reason my mom married that terrible man was because he had the money to help raise me and my sister. Things just kept moving forward for a few years until I turned 6.. that was when my sister ran away from home, and to this day she's never been found," Kat explained, doing the best to hide the sadness in his tone,
"Kat…" said Panthro with a sympathetic tone,
"Hold on, I have more to say," Kat explained as he wiped his eyes with the back of his arm before he continued his story,
"A full year passed, the police called off the search, and I thought things couldn't get worse, but I was wrong. One night my step dad took me to an underground gambling area, and he used me as a bargaining chip, with the circumstances being that I'd be handed to an illegal operation filled with hybrid slave labor if he lost…" Kat explained,
"And?" Panthro asked after Kat's pause,
"He lost," Kat replied with his ears drooped,
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Kat," Panthro replied,
"It's ok, I wasn't even apart of the operation for a day, I was… "saved" I guess, by a group called "The Animauls", who shut down the whole operation by force" Kat explained,
"The Animauls? I never heard of a group like that," Panthro commented,
"You wouldn't have, they're a group of hybrid extremists who leave behind no trace, so much so that our previous lives were erased and we were given aliases to go by, they took me in after saving me, kind of without my say in the matter. Most of the members were kids like me, but they were still skilled fighters and magic users thanks to the training they underwent, the same kind of training I would have to go through. For my training in particular, extremely heavy weights were put on my ankles, and I was forced to walk around with them on, the first few days were the hardest." Kat explained,
"That sounds horrible," Panthro commented,
"It was, though I managed to push through it and unlock the power of Umbramancy within me, not long after that I went through a strange ritual to unlock my vortex powers, and I recently learned that those powers in particular might have belonged to my ancestor," Kat explained,
"Oh yeah? How did you learn that?" Panthro asked,
"That's a story for another time," Kat explained,
"Aw come on Kat, tell him" Elster suggested with a smug tone,
"Anyway, as 13 years passed, me and the other Animauls underwent training so we would gain the power to help realize Lyon's goal, Lyon was our leader, and his main goal was to shape the norm to where hybrids were the top species, and he told me that my power in particular was instrumental to making his dream a reality. My training in particular helped teach me everything I needed to know about being a thief. Though I decided I had enough of being someone else's pawn and did something I thought was impossible, I deserted the Animauls, and I've been hiding from them for seven years now, most of that time I spent wandering around various worlds. I was so scared that Lyon or the other Animauls would find me that I didn't bother settling down anywhere, I couldn't get a job and make money because they would eventually track me down and force me back to the group. So I did what Lyon taught me to do, I stole things to get by. That's most of what I did during those 7 long years, stole things, and wandered around, and well… you know the rest," Kat commented with a faint smile. After Kat concluded his story Panthro was silent for a moment to absorb the details,
"Wow Kat, it sounds like you've had a hard life…" Panthro commented with a worried tone,
"Yeah… but it's ok now, I have you and the rest of the Anthros," said Kat,
"Though about the Animauls, aren't you afraid that they'll find you since you're starting to make a name for yourself as a hero? You're not going to ditch us are you?" Panthro asked,
"Nah, I think they've given up on me, and even if they haven't, I'll fight against them with everything I've got if they try and take me back," Kat explained,
"These Animaul guys, they sound like criminals," Panthro commented,
"Well most of us did illegal things, theft, vandalism, assault.." Kat explained,
"Most of you?" Panthro asked,
"There were definitely some good eggs in the group too," Kat explained. Panthro sighed as he continued walking through the dark forest,
"I see" Panthro replied,
"But Panthro? You have to promise me that you won't get involved with the Animauls, the group is my business, and taking them down is my responsibility," Kat explained,
"I can't make that promise, if they threaten you or give you trouble, of course I'm going to get involved," said Panthro,
"But they're my problem," Kat replied,
"We're partners Kat, they're our problem, you aren't alone anymore, so you don't need to face your problems by yourself anymore," said Panthro,
"Well… ok fine, if you're that adamant about it, I guess I can't stop you," said Kat. Panthro then adjusted his hands to give Kat a pat on the head,
"Though Panthro? I told you about my past, so I think it's only fair that you tell me about yours," Kat suggested, causing Panthro to sigh,
"You're curious about what Grune was about to tell you, right?" Panthro asked,
"Yeah.. though if it's too personal I can drop it," Kat offered,
"Nah it's ok, you trusted me, so I can trust you… I haven't been entirely honest with you Kat, I told you that we were allies, but we tried being more than that at one point… we…" said Panthro as he struggled to say the words,
"You what?" Kat asked,
"We were dating at one point…" Panthro admitted,
"What?!" Said Kat in surprise,
"Yeah.. we thought we were made for each other so we gave dating a try, though that was a mistake, it wasn't like on the battlefield, I felt no joy or happiness from being with him, and he was incredibly pushy about doing intimate things with him, it made me uncomfortable…" Panthro explained with sadness in his tone,
"Oh.. I'm sorry to hear that, I hope me wanting to get into a relationship with you doesn't dig up uncomfortable feelings," Kat commented with drooped ears,
"No it's ok, like I said before Kat, I trust you.. in fact, I trust you so much that I think I want to give this another chance.." Panthro commented with a faint smile,
"Give what another chance?" Kat asked,
"Haven't you been listening? I want to date you Kat," said Panthro with a blush,
"R-really?" Kat asked hopefully,
"Yeah.. though, before you get ahead of yourself, let me say that there's a difference between dating and being boyfriends," Panthro explained,
"Well what's the difference?" Kat asked,
"Dating doesn't mean we're in a relationship, it just means we agree to spend time with each other to see if it'd be a good idea for us to be in a relationship, so no casually kissing each other or holding hands," Panthro explained. Kat was slightly disappointed from Panthro's explanation,
"Ah I see, though it's still a start, I'm just happy that you want to give me a chance at all," Kat replied,
"Don't make me regret this chance Kat," Panthro instructed,
"I won't, I'll be sure to make you happy to the best of my ability" said Kat with a smile. Kat noticed that Panthro snickered a bit,
"Huh? What's funny?" Kat asked,
"Sorry, it's just, you're too cute sometimes," Panthro commented.

After much walking, Panthro carried Kat to the Berbil village, and Robear Bill was more than happy to provide a vacant house for Panthro and Kat to sleep in for the night. Panthro carried Kat to his bed and gently laid him down on it, pulling the cover up to his chest,
"How's that?" Panthro asked,
"Great, it's good to finally be able to rest after all that travelling,
"I'm glad to hear," Panthro replied. Panthro then knelt down beside Kat's bed and adjusted Kat so he was sitting up, this way they were both at eye level with each other. Panthro looked into Kat's mysterious red eyes as he spoke,
"Before you go to sleep, I wanted to give you something, since it is your birthday after all" said Panthro,
"What is it?" Kat asked. Panthro then reached into his pocket and pulled out a spiked collar with a small bell on it before he carefully fixed it around Kat's neck,
"There we go, now I'll have an easier time finding you," Panthro commented,
"Oh, thanks Panthro, I love it," said Kat happily as he blushed,
"You're welcome, though I should tell you upfront that there's a tracker on that collar," Panthro explained,
"There is?" Kat asked,
"Yes, that's how I'll find you if we get separated… you didn't think that the little bell was going to be the thing that helped with keeping tabs on you, did you?" Panthro asked,
"Uh.. no…" Kat lied as he looked away from Panthro,
"So if you're going to go exploring, at the very least don't forget your collar, so that was I can always find you. It's just that the events that happened tonight terrify me, I found you because I was lucky, if I wasn't fast enough…" said Panthro before he put his large clawed hand on Kat's head and ran his big fingers through Kat's hair, causing Kat to blush,
"I'll wear it, after all I trusted you enough to tell you about my past, I can trust you with my location," Kat explained, causing Panthro to smile,
"Thanks Kat," Panthro replied. Panthro then stared at Kat silently as he stroked the hybrid's dark hair,
"Kat?" Said Panthro with an inquiring tone,
"Yeah?" Kat replied,
"May I kiss you?" Panthro asked as his face became red with blushing,
"Huh? But… I thought you said no casually kissing," Kat commented as he also started blushing,
"Well yeah, that's why I'm asking you first," Panthro explained,
"....ok," said Kat with a nod before he closed his eyes. Kat's heart beat with anticipation as Panthro held Kat's chin with one hand and slowly brought his face closer to Kat's until the distance between the two disappeared, and Panthro lovingly pressed his lips against Kat's. The kiss lingered for only a second before Panthro broke it, and looked at Kat, who opened his eyes, both of them were blushing messes, though Panthro managed to put on a confident smile,
"Thanks for the Thundrillium, kitten," said Panthro with a happy tone,
"No problem," Kat replied. Panthro then put his large hand on Kat's cheek before bringing his face closer to Kat's once again, though this time pressing his forehead against Kat's as a gesture of affection,
"Now get some sleep, you must be exhausted after today," said Panthro with a smile. Panthro stood up and was about to make his way to his own bed, though he heard the sound of Kat softly snoring and turned to see Kat was already laid down fast asleep, his face nuzzled against his pillow. Panthro took a moment to admire the adorable appearance of Kat's sleeping form, before he sat down on the side of Kat's bed and gently ran his fingers through Kat's hair,
"You really were exhausted… hope you have nice dreams Kat," said Panthro softly to the sleeping hybrid.

Meanwhile in an unknown location, a female wolf hybrid wearing a cloak approached a large lion hybrid who was hidden in the shadows and sitting atop a throne. The wolf hybrid stopped before the lion hybrid and stood straight while putting her arms behind her back,
"Wolfe… you felt it too didn't you?" The lion hybrid asked, his voice was calm though unsettling,
"Yes Lord Lyon, Kat has finally began tapping into his hidden power," the wolf hybrid explained. The lion hybrid stroked his chin as he pondered,
"After 20 long years, the thief of darkness is finally on the right track to unlocking his god-like powers…" said Lyon with a pleased tone. After adjusting his sitting position on the throne, Lyon spoke to Wolfe again,
"Wolfe… pay Kat a visit, you know what needs to be done," said Lyon,
"Of course Lyon," said Wolfe with a nod.

End of Season 1