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Catra laid awake as the sun's beams slowly started to brighten the room. Her ears twitched as she listened for the breathing of the two figures surrounding her. She felt Melog’s tail slowly moving in their sleep, glancing down at the end of the bed to reassure herself that the alien cat was asleep. She shifted her eyes to look at the blonde haired warrior laying across her chest. Adora has been fighting in her sleep and ended up laying on her chest, which Catra didn’t mind. She slowly lifted her hand to run her fingers through Adora’s hair, being careful not to wake her. She felt Adora relax as she let her eyes wander up to the ceiling, she knew Adora would be up soon. The soldier in her always wakes up early even though they normally didn’t have any plans, but today the princesses were holding a breakfast meeting. Catra never went to the meetings, she wasn’t a princess. She would sometimes wander around the halls with Melog as she waited for the meeting to finish, they normally ended after a couple hours. They would go to the gym so Catra could take her frustrations out on punching bags, as she couldn’t do much around the large castle without the guards giving her suspicious looks. She never went into the village alone, the villagers were still scared of her. Catra closed her eyes as she tried the breathing exercises Perfuma had been showing her, but they never seem to work. Her fingers continued to run through Adora’s hair, having Adora near always helps to keep her calmer. It had only been two months since the end of Prime’s rein. She had found it difficult to adjust to being in a place she had previously tried to take over many times in the past. However, with the help of Adora and the others, she was able to relax more than she ever could before. The corner of her lips lifted to a small smile as she thought about the princess next to her. It had been a rough road back then to finally get to where they were today.
Her eyes snapped open when she felt Adora shifting. She looked down at the blonde to see her blue eyes slowly opening. Catra buried her nose in Adora's hair affectionately, feeling the arms around her tighten.
“How long have you been up?” Adora's sleepy voice whispered, her eyes closing again as she absorbed the warmth of the feline under her.
“Awhile.” Catra admitted, her free hand gently rubbing Adora’s arm. “It’s hard to sleep when you keep fighting me at night. Who’s ass were you kicking this time?” Catra smiled more when she heard Adora’s lazy chuckle.
“I honestly don’t remember fighting anyone. I do remember us eating those pastries we had last week, they were so good! The fruit filled ones.” Adora lifted the upper half of her body to look down at Catra. Adora’s gaze softened as she stared at the magicat. She took a moment to soak in the view she had. Catra’s hair was growing faster than she thought it would, the mane was just past her shoulders now. She also noticed the ex-force captain wasn’t as scrawny as she was when she rescued Catra from Prime’s ship. She never realized how skinny the feline was when they were on opposite sides of the war, but now that it was over they would often try many different foods together. Adora’s eyes met Catra’s, and her heart melted when she saw nothing but affection reflecting back at her. “Good morning, beautiful.” She said softly, leaning down to kiss her soft lips.
Catra gladly returned the kiss. Her hand on the back of Adora’s head bringing her closer against her to deepen the kiss, her favorite thing was kissing Adora good morning. When Adora pulled away, Catra smirked. Her eyes sparked with mischief as her fingers moved from the back of Adora’s head slowly down to her jaw, sliding down to her chin. “Good morning, gorgeous.” She purred out.
Adora felt her face heat up instantly by the purr coming from her girlfriend. She lowered her head next to Catra’s and buried her blushing face into her shoulder in an attempt to hide. “Ugh, Catra!” Catra burst into laughter.
“Every time!” Catra held her close, laughing loudly. “You're so easy to tease Adora!” She leaned her head against the blonde’s, nudging her affectionately. She heard Adora grumble into her shoulder. “Roll over dummy, you’re squishing me.” She lazily tried to move Adora off her. She giggled as she felt Adora move onto her more. “Adora!” Catra huffed loudly before Adora rolled back onto her side of the bed, with Adora's face still flushed from Catra’s earlier greeting. Catra couldn’t help but grin and roll over so she was laying on top of Adora. She laughed as she saw Adora’s red cheeks.
“Catra.” Adora pouted. “It’s not funny.” She instinctively wrapped her arms around her.
“No, it’s hilarious. It must be so embarrassing for you, to be so easily affected by me.” She teased, feeling the arms around her tighten.
Adora smiled at her. “I don't know about embarrassing, but I can't help how affected I am by you.” She grinned when she saw Catra’s cheeks heat up, not expecting Adora to be so nonchalant about her teasing. “Now look who’s embarrassed!” Adora laughed.
Catra rolled her eyes. “Oh, just shut up and kiss me dummy.” She placed a hand on Adora’s cheek and kissed her passionately. She felt Adora kiss her back just as fiercely, her hand slowly moving to the back of her head to bring her closer. Catra felt a purr rumble in her chest as she pressed herself against Adora, before her ears twitched. She pulled away with a growl. “Sparkles.” She growled in annoyance as Glimmer teleported into the room, the bed shifting as Melog jumped off to greet the queen.
“I could hear you two laughing from my room.” Glimmer stated, unfazed by Catra’s attempt at intimidation. “Adora, you will be late like last time if you don’t get ready soon. Catra, stop glaring at me.” Glimmer said before disappearing as fast as she appeared.
Catra continued to glare at the glitter still falling to the ground before feeling Adora moving underneath her. Her eyes shot over to Adora’s face to see an apologetic expression. “She’s right babe, if I don’t get ready now I’m going to be late.”
“You’re not going to be late.” She huffed. “You still have time, the others won’t be arriving at the castle for like an hour.” Catra’s arms tightened around her. “Just a little longer?” Her tail wrapped around her leg in hopes of convincing Adora to stay a bit longer.
Adora opened her mouth to protest but let out a small sigh as she relaxed back onto the bed. She saw Catra’s eyes sparkled in excitement when she got her way a bit longer. Catra headbutted against Adora's chest and nuzzled into her chin, as she felt Adora's fingers start to run through her hair.
Adora smiled as she felt Catra relax into her, her ear twitching when her hand was close to it. She leaned forward and kissed her head. Adora closed her eyes and let herself relax for another few minutes. She moved her hand from Catra’s head down to her waist. “Alright Catra, I have to get ready.” She shifted and heard Catra groan slightly.
She looked up and frowned. “A little longer.” She pressed her forehead against Adora’s.
“I already stayed a little longer.” Adora smiled at her. “Once the meeting is finished we will continue, like we always do.” She kissed her quickly before rolling her over. She laughed when she heard Catra yelp at the sudden movement. She stood up and walked to her dresser before Catra could bring her back down. She picked out a few clothes and started to change. She saw in the corner of her eye Melog walking to her spot on the bed, laying next to Catra. She felt her cheeks flushed when she realized how intensely Catra was watching her. She turned away and finished changing when she heard Catra get off the bed and head to her own dresser. “You can stay here if you want to try and sleep more.” Adora looked over at her, seeing her get dressed.
Catra shrugged as she put her shirt on. “You know I won’t sleep. I’ll just do whatever.” She looked over at her. “You need to tell Sparkles to stop having these early meetings though.” She yawned, smirking slightly when she saw Adora staring at her. Adora mumbled under her breath before walking back to the bed to pet Melog as she waited for Catra to finish getting ready. Melog rested their head on Adora’s lap and purred loudly. Adora looked up when she saw Catra standing in front of her. “Alright Princess, let’s go or you’re not going to be the first in the room.”
Adora stood up with a grin. “Let’s go! I’m starving.” She took Catra’s hand and led her out of the room, Melog trailing beside Catra.
Catra rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips. “You’re always hungry.” Adora laughed as they walked down the hall towards the war room. She opened the door to see Glimmer and Bow sitting at the table. “Wow, you are late. You’re not even the first one here.” Catra teased pointedly. “Such a stickler for the rules.”
Adora’s elbow met her ribs, hearing her snicker. “Shut up.” She sighed good naturedly as she sat down next to Bow. “Hey you two.” She greeted them, feeling Catra sit next to her.
“Hey Adora, Catra. Did you two hear that Netossa and Spinerella have news to share?” Bow said, turning to them.
“No, what’s the news?” Adora asked.
“We don’t know, they missed the last few meetings. I hope they’re okay.” Glimmer added.
Adora continued their conversation as Catra rested her head in her arms on the table. Adora subconsciously reached over and gently rubbed her back. Catra relaxed more as she listened to the others talk. Her ear twitched as she heard the footsteps coming towards the door. As Catra lifted her head and looked towards the door, it caused the others to pause their conversation and face the door. Scorpia and Perfuma walked in the door. “Hey.” Catra greeted.
“Hey Wildcat!” Scorpia greeted happily, waving her claws excitedly at them. “Hey guys. It’s a beautiful morning today, right?” She grinned as she sat down next to Catra.
“Not a cloud in the sky.” Perfuma added, sitting at the table next to Scorpia. “It was a perfect morning for meditating.”
“I guess it is.” Catra looked out the window past them, seeing the blue sky. “Would be a better morning if someone stopped appearing in the room without knocking.” Her gaze landed on Glimmer.
“You were going to make Adora late if I didn’t stop in.” Glimmer stuck her tongue out at the feline, who growled back at her.
“One day, I swear Sparkles.” Catra warned, pointing her claw at the Queen, who looked away unfazed by the threat.
The door opened again to reveal Frosta walking in. “Hey Frosta!” Scorpia waved, watching the younger princess make a bee-line to her.
“Scorpia! I have something to show you, check this out!” Frosta grinned excitedly as her hands suddenly turned to pincers and an ice stinger appeared behind her. “Now we match!” Frosta grinned.
Scorpia’s eyes widened in surprise, her pincers covering her mouth. “That’s amazing! You look so cool!” Scorpia grinned, her pincers gently tapping the ice princesses tail.
Frosta beamed with pride. “It moves too.” She said as her ice tail moved slightly.
“Can you do other appendages as well? Like Catra’s ears and tail?“ Scorpia asked.
Frosta lowered her pincers and looked over at Catra. “Umm, I’m not sure? I’ve never made anything like that.” She said curiously.
Catra looked over at her, seeing the ice princess staring at her. Her ears lowered slightly, knowing the ice princess still wasn’t that fond of her. “You don’t need to. The pincers and stinger look pretty cool.”
“They do look cool.” Frosta said, before the door opened again to reveal Emily and Entrapta skidding to a stop in the entrance.
“Hey Entrapta, Emily.” Scorpia grinned, walking over to Entrapta.
“Hello all.” Entraptra greeted as Emily walked over to Scorpia. Entrapta looked around before her eyes landed on Frosta’s tail. “Ooh! What’s that?” She rushed over and started to examine and gently poke Frostas ice tail. “It appears that you have created an ice structure very similar to Scorpia’s species specific traits! Can it do anything in particular or is it just for appearance's sake?” She asked.
“It moves.” Frosta showed her, her grin back on her face.
“Can you move it quick enough to sting people too? Or is it more decorative in nature?” Entrapta asked, examining it more thoroughly with her hands.
“It’s more for decoration.” She explained. “I thought it looked cool. I didn’t think of using it.” She looked back at her tail.
“We should experiment with it later! See what it can do!” Entrapta said excitedly.
“Sure!” Frosta agreed, her tail and pincers disappearing as she sat down at the table. “When are we eating? I passed on some food earlier for this breakfast.” Frosta said impatiently.
“We’re still waiting for the others to show up.” Glimmer replied. “They shouldn’t be long.” She started before Mermista walked in. “Speak of which, you’re right on time.” Glimmer smiled.
“Seahawk caught a cold, and is acting like such a baby about if.” Mermista grumbled . “He keeps demanding soup and attention. It’s his fault I’m late.” She sat down in her chair, arms crossed. “Can we start the meeting now?”
“We’re still waiting for Netossa and Spinnerella.” Adora answered.
Catra's ear twitched, causing her to sniff the air and stood up. She placed a hand on Adora’s shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. “They’re just outside the door. I should go.” She said, leaning down towards Adora. Her fingers slowly lifted off her shoulder to her chin, bringing Adora’s face closer to her. She kissed her softly, feeling Adora’s face heat up from the public display of affection. She pulled back, a smirk on her lips. “See ya later.” She turned and started to walk towards the door, her tail ran over Adora’s cheek as she walked past. She heard the other’s farewell to her, lifting her hand to wave back to the others. She glanced back to see Melog rubbing against Adora’s leg before following after her. Catra closed the door behind them and looked up to see Melog walking over to Spinnerella to greet her. Melog sniffed the air and grew in size to smell that she had in her arms.
“Hello there Melog. Be gentle now, okay.” Spinnerella petted the space cat, causing a loud purr to echo through the hall. She let the feline sniff at the blanket in her arms, but Catra couldn’t see what it was from the distance. “Where are you two heading off to today?” She looked up at Catra, giving her a warm smile.
Catra shrugged, wanting to ask about what she was holding but held back her curiosity. “Probably raid the kitchen and wander the halls.” She admitted, there wasn’t much else for her to do in the castle.
“Isn’t there food in the meeting? Why aren’t you staying?” Netossa asked, walking up to stand next to her wife.
Catra was silent for a moment, her ears lowering slightly. “I’m not a princess or anything, I’m not supposed to be at the meeting…Besides, Adora tells me the important stuff and skips all the boring stuff. It’s not something I would enjoy attending.” She looked down at Melog. “We should head out. See ya later.” Catra turned around but stopped when she heard Spinnerella called to her.
“Catra, wait.” Spinnerella walked towards her. “We had some news to share. If you won’t be at the meeting, we can tell you now.” She smiled softly.
Catra stared at her, seeing Melog’s tail shift in excitement. “I’m assuming it’s good news then?” She turned back to face them, taking a few steps closer.
“It’s very good news.” Netossa responded, looking at her wife with a smile.
Spinnerella smiled back at her before walking up to Catra. “Meet Onyx.” She moved the blanket in her arms to reveal a small child sleeping face. “We’re adopting her.” She said excitedly. Onyx moved slightly to look at Catra, her pale green eyes glowing with curiosity as she wiggled in Spinnerella’s arms. As she moved Catra saw a shine of scales behind her as a wing wiggled out of the blanket. The back of her wing shined with black scales while the inside was speckled with black and white shimmering scales. Spinnerella noticed Catra staring intensely. “She was found with other children in the Fright Zone shortly after Horde Prime took over.” She explained.
Netossa placed a hand on Spinnerella’s shoulder, standing next to her. “We helped repair the village looking after the children. We met the other children, but when we met Onyx we just…” Netossa paused. “Just fell in love.”
Catra looked between them then back down at the baby’s girl, watching as the baby reached towards her. “She’s cute. Congratulations. She will have a good life with you two.” She said, taking a step back. “You two should probably get to the meeting. Bow was wondering what your news was, they will be excited.” She looked down at Melog who kept staring at the baby. “Come on Melog, we should go. See ya later.” Catra quickly turned and walked down the hall before the two princesses could say anything with Melog on her tail.
As Catra wandered around the halls, she found her way to the training hall. Her thoughts consumed the Horde and the baby, she never interacted with a child before. She raised her hand to look at her claws. She had already hurt so many people with her claws, she didn’t want to hurt anyone else. Catra was happy for their little family, she had always liked them. She always thought Spinnerella was a nice person who always had a weird warmth radiating from her. Netossa was a competitive spirit and they were people Catra secretly looked up to. Catra sighed as she walked in to find the room, her shoulders dropping in relief when she saw the room was empty. She walked over to the punching bag, giving it a hard punch, watching the bag sway from the hit in hopes of releasing her mind of her thoughts, but others filled their place. She glanced over to see Melog laying on a mat to try and nap. Her mind raced as she punched the bag again. She felt out of the loop with these meetings. Even though Adora told her everything afterwards, she felt alone while the meeting happened. She growled in frustration as she hit the bag again, she hated feeling like this. Her ears twitched when she heard Melog get up, looking over at the to see the space cat stretching.
Melog walked over to Catra, rubbing against her leg as they meowed. Catra laid her hand on their head. “I’m fine, Melog.” She muttered, looking around the training hall. “I don’t feel like training today. Let’s go outside.” She stated, making her way towards the door. As she exited the training hall she noticed a couple of guards staring at her. With her head raised she walked past without looking at them. She made her way through the castle and headed outside. She looked around and made her way around the castle. She saw Melog run ahead of her, excited to be out by the forest. Catra took a deep breath, smiling slightly to herself as she watched Melog chase a small creature into its hiding spot. Catra looked behind her at the village a short walk away from the castle. She only goes into the village with the others and from the glares of the villagers she knows she is not welcome there alone. Catra had wanted to find something for Adora, she found a couple things she thought Adora might like but she was always with her when she found them. Catra was nudged out of her thoughts when Melog rubbed against her. She looked down at them as they made their way towards the Village, looking back at Catra. Catra’s ears lowered when she realized what Melog was suggesting. “Melog, you know I can’t go there. The villagers don’t like me, they’re scared of me. I don’t want to start a fight.” She explained. She heard Melog’s meows of arguments but ignored them. “I said I can’t, I’ll get Glimmer to come with me another…wait, get back here!” She realized Melog was walking away from her towards the village. She chased after the feline, watching as some of the villagers watched as she neared the village.
“Watch out, She’s coming.” Catra heard one of the villagers whisper loudly to their friend, hearing the fear in their voices. She glanced their way as she followed Melog.
“Melog. Come on.” Catra said, trying to ignore the looks she was getting. She saw the group of children in front of her scatter to their parents as she got closer, the unease in her stomach worsening at every step. She saw Melog’s mane flickering between blue to orange as she tried to remain calm about the eyes watching her.
Melog stopped and finally turned back to Catra. They let out a meow and walked back to her. Catra’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I already said I didn’t want to come here.” She whispered. “Let’s go back.” Catra watched as Melog rubbed against her leg, circling her before walking over to a booth with a few trinkets displayed on it. Melog sniffed the items and looked back at Catra. “Yes. I know I wanted to get Adora something.” Catra walked over, seeing the clerk's eyes narrow as she got closer.
“Sorry. I’m closed. Take what you want.” The clerk said when Catra got close enough to hear. They stumbled off their chair and ran out of their shop, looking back to make sure they weren’t being followed.
Catra watched as they left. She looked down to see Melog’s mane a bright orange. “Can we go now?” She made her way towards the castle, glancing back to see Melog following her, their mane slowly going back to blue. “I know you were trying to help, but you don’t fully understand how badly I hurt people.” She saw Melog’s ears lowered slightly. Catra knelt down and pet their head. “I know you want to help me, but I don’t think they will ever get used to me here. I did a lot of bad things before I met you.” She felt Melog gently nuzzle her cheek. She smiled at the affection. “Thanks for trying buddy.” Catra went to stand up but fell back from a sudden impact, Her tail flicked in annoyance. “Melog!” She watched as Melog bolted down the road.
Catra quickly jumped to her feet and chased after Melog on all fours, smirking as she started to catch up to them. She started to pounce but landed on the ground as Melog shrank down to avoid the tackle. “Hey! That’s cheating Melog!“ She called as she looked around for the space cat. She spotted the feline appear a small distance away by the castle. She walked over to Melog and sat down next to them, feeling them lay down next to her. She leaned her back against the castle as she looked around, petting Melog’s head as they rested on their lap. Catra rested her head back and closed her eyes, slowly falling asleep.
~
A scream. Catra’s eyes snapped open when she heard a familiar group of yelling and the baby crying. She looked around before looking up at the window the loud voices came from. She jumped to her feet and started climbing up the wall towards the shouts. She dug her claws into the wall as she got to the window to see the surprised looks on all the princesses. Her eyes landed on a large woman with a long white ponytail, she seemed familiar. Her ears flattened to her head as her instincts took over and hissed loudly. Catra lunged towards the unknown attacker and pinned her down. “Who are you?!” She hissed angrily, hearing gasps from the princesses surrounding her.
“Get off me!” The women under her fought against her, throwing Catra off her and stood up ready to fight.
Catra slid across the floor on all fours, her claws screeching against the surface. She started to hiss but felt a hand brush against her tail. “Catra, relax.” Her ears perked up when she heard Adora’s voice.
“Catra, don’t attack Huntara!” Perfuma’s voice rang out, her ears flattening again. She heard Onyx crying and the others mumble to each other but didn’t pay attention.
Catra looked up, a snarl still on her face before realizing the stares from everyone in the room. She glanced behind her at Adora. “She’s a friend.” Adora’s confirmed. Catra slowly stood up, her eyes landing back on Huntara. “This is Huntara. She…”
“I know.” Catra interrupted, her eyes narrowing. “Huntara of the Crimson waste. Ex-Horde Force Captain.” She saw Huntara glare at her. “You used to be in the same squad as Octavia.”
Huntara stood up straight. “Catra.” She said in annoyance. “Rumor had it you were here, but I didn’t think they were true.”
Catra was about to speak but felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Adora next to her. “You probably heard us.” Adora saw her nod. “Sorry about that. Melog appeared and dropped something on my lap. We thought it was dead but it came back to life and scurried over us, then Melog chased it across the table. We were surprised.” Adora explained.
Catra raised an eyebrow. “Surprised? Those were not screams of surprise.” She teased. “You and Sparkles sounded like you were being attacked.”
“Hey, I did not scream!” Glimmer protected.
Catra opened her mouth to respond but stopped when she saw Melog running over to a shelf. “Melog, what did you bring in here?” Melog meowed a response back. “Present? Really?” Catra walked over and knelt down next to Melog to peer under the shelf.
Melog shrank down to a small size and darted under the shelf, chasing the creature out into the open. Melog pounced on the creature, growing back to their regular size and pranced over to Catra with the captured reptile. They dropped the winged creature in Catra’s hand, purring proudly.
Catra stared at the horned reptile in her hand. “Why does this lizard have rainbow wings and a horn?” She held it up confused. “Melog, put it back where you found it.” She held it to the alien cat who meowed in protest, looking at Adora. “Adora won’t want this, go put it outside or something.” She felt Melog take the reptile from her hand and make their way out of the room.
Adora watched as the feline walked out of the room, she opened her mouth to speak but Huntara spoke up first. “How are you all letting her stay here? After everything she did to you?” Adora glanced over at Catra, seeing her tail flick in annoyance.
“Catra’s our friend.” Scorpia stood up, causing Huntara to look at her.
“Really? She’s a friend? After everything I’ve heard she has done to her so called ‘friends’? I heard what she did to you.” Huntara saw Scorpia lower her claw before turning to Catra. “I know what you have done to everyone.” Catra growled but didn’t reply, her tail twitching angrily. “I don't know how any of them let you anywhere near this place.”
Adora took a step towards them, but stopped when she saw the look Catra gave her. She remembered that look. Catra would give Adora that look when she was being yelled at by Shadow Weaver and Adora tried to step in. Catra didn't want her to get involved. “That’s the past.” She growled.
“Not that far in the past.”Huntara snarled. “A year ago you were fighting She-ra over that ship in the Crimson Waste! You took over my home.”
Catra raised her eyebrow. “Fought over a ship?” She twitched her tail in amusement. “Sorry to break it to you, but that wasn’t me.”
Huntara glared at her. “What?”
“That was Double Trouble.” Catra said plainly. Her ear flicked as she heard Melog return, a slight growl coming from the alien feline.
Adora stared at Catra. “That’s how you got out of there! I always wondered how you escaped that cage.”
Catra shrugged, looking back at Huntara when she heard the Crimson Waste leader growled. “That doesn’t matter. You were the one practically leading the Horde on their raids. You never even let your soldiers have breaks, working them to death!” Catra's ears flattened to her head at the statement, her eyes narrowing. “I know what you did to those in the Horde when you were Force Captain, you’re teammates, Scorpia, Lonnie, Kyle, Rogelio.”
Catra’s eyes widened, glancing at Adora’s and Scorpia’s shocked reactions. “That’s how you got your information? Lonnie?”
When Huntara nodded, Adora spoke up. “They’re in the Crimson Waste? Are they okay?”
“They’re better now they aren’t under Catra’s brutal commands.” Huntara’s eyes never left Catra. “Lonnie told me how hard you worked them, fight after fight, not letting them rest. You worked them to death, and never even cared.” Huntara declared.
Everyone in the room was quiet as they listened to Huntara. “Wow, she was toxic to those around her. Shocker.” Mermista said sarcastically.
“We know Catra has done bad things, but it was under Hordak’s leadership.” Perfuma reminded her.
“Hordak doesn’t tell her how to act. He didn’t tell her to yell at Scorpia for every little thing she did, when she tried to be friends.” Huntara retaliated, causing Perfuma to look down. Catra stared at the ground, her fur bristling as she listened to the conversation. She saw Melog’s red mane next to her as she tried to keep calm. “She’s only here to try to work her way into power.”
She growled, glaring up at Huntara. “I am not here for power. I don’t have any power, or want any. You think I don’t know what I've done or did to others? I know what I’ve done and who I hurt in the process, but you know nothing. So Don't talk to me like you know me! You don’t know anything about me!” Catra hissed loudly. “Whatever Lonnie told you is probably true, she always hated me. What she doesn’t know is that I’m trying.” She spat, her claws digging into her palms from her tight fists. “I have been trying, but I know there hasn't been any change.” Catra turned her back to Huntara, glancing at Adora to see the saddened expression on her face. She lowered her hand to gently touch Melog’s head and disappeared from sight. “I shouldn’t even be here.” She whispered to herself as she walked towards the door.
Adora froze to the spot, having heard what Catra whispered. She felt Catra’s tail hit her fingertips as she left, snapping her back to reality. “Catra, wait!“ Adora said quickly, taking a few steps towards the door before hearing it slam shut. She stood with her back to Huntara as Onyx’s loud crying echoed in the room.
“Good riddance I say.” Huntara crossed her arms as she looked at the others. Adora felt her anger bubbling in her stomach, slowly turning to Huntara. She turned to see Huntara's shocked face looking at her. “Wow, Blondie, your eyes are glowing.” She pointed out.
Adora opened her mouth to speak but a loud bang on the table caused everyone to jump. Glimmer was standing up, her eyes digging into Huntara's. “You dare come here and insult my guest?!” Her voice boomed loudly in the room.
Huntara stared at her in shock. “What?”
“You heard me.” Glimmer glared, teleporting in front of Huntara. “You verbally attacked Catra, when she did nothing to deserve it! She may have had a bad past, but she doesn’t need to be attacked like that.” She saw Huntara open her mouth to protest but Glimmer held up her hand, causing the Crimson Waste leader to stay silent. “Catra saved my life. I am here because of her. Catra may have done bad things in the past that Lonnie has seen, but she doesn't know what Catra has been through. None of us do.” She lowered her hand as everyone remained silent. She looked back at Adora’s, raising an eyebrow. “You’re still here? I've got this, go after her.” She told Adora, before turning to everyone.
Adora quickly opened the door and ran down the hall, hearing Glimmer's voice fade as she got closer to her room. She wasn’t sure where Catra would go to hide in the castle. Catra didn’t know many places here yet, but she could have found a place when Adora is busy with meetings. Panic slowly started to take over her mind as she ran faster down the hall past a few guards. She remembered what Catra whispered. Adora couldn't understand why Catra would think something like what she had said. She didn't have much time to reflect on these thoughts as she had to find Catra quickly. She opened the door to the bedroom and looked around. “Catra?!” She called.
A soft mew came from across the room as Melog appeared next to the dresser. Melog ran over to her and gently bit her sleeve, pulling her towards the dresser. “I’m fine.” Catra’s voice came from the corner of the room.
Adora let out a sigh of relief, letting Melog lead her to Catra. Adora finally saw Catra huddled in a ball on the floor next to the dresser. Catra was hugging her knees to her chest with her claws gripping her pants, her tail wrapped around her feet protectively. Adora couldn’t believe how small Catra looked curled up in the corner in the shadows, like she did as a child trying to hide from the world. She walked over and learned against the wall next to Catra, slowly sliding down the wall to sit next to her. Adora watched as Melog gently rubbed their head against Catra's leg, slowly laying down on their feet.
Adora listened to the faint shaky breathing of Catra and the gentle purring of Melog at their feet. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Adora saw Catra's tail slowly move away from her feet and onto Adora’s lap. Adora didn't move as she waited another minute more before speaking. “You ready to talk now?” She asked.
“There's nothing to talk about.” Catra mumbled into her knees, her ears flat against her head. “Why was she there?”
Adora glanced at her. “None of us knew she was coming. She just kind of shows up a little while after you left.” She explained.
~~
Everyone was happy when Spinnerella and Netossa walked in with their daughter, they all gathered around the new family and congratulated them. “She’s so precious.” Perfuma praised as they sat down at the table.
“She is going to be a handful with those wings until she can control them.” Glimmer smiled at the new mothers.
“We’re actually excited about that.” Netossa said. “Spinny can control the wind to help guide her and my nets can help catch her.”
Before they could continue the door opened as a guard walked in and whispered to Glimmer. “Send her in.” Glimmer stood up and smiled. “Looks like we have a guest today.” She said as Huntara walked in.
“Hey all.” Huntara greeted, looking around at the princesses. “I have something I…Scorpia? What are you doing here?”
Scorpia rubbed the back of her neck as she let out a nervous laugh. “Hey Huntara. Last I saw you was…”
“At the Crimson Waste, when you helped kidnap Blondie.” Huntara finished as she crossed her arms. “Not quite the reunion I expected. So you changed sides?”
“A little while after that happened actually. A lot of stuff was happening in the horde, and I wanted to help Entrapta off Beast island but I knew I couldn't do that while in the horde so I left to find the Rebellion.” Scorpia stopped when she realized she was rambling. “I thought you were dead, you never came back.” Her voice softened. “At the Crimson Waste, I didn’t think it was you at first.”
“Now now Crab Cake, don’t get emotional on me.” Huntara smirked. “You have really grown up.”
Scorpia smiled. “Oh gosh, I haven’t heard that in so many years.” She stood up and walked towards Huntara.
“Get it over with, Shrimp.” She opened her arms as Scorpia gave her a hug, wrapping her arms around the princess. “I don’t think I can call you shrimp anymore.” Huntara laughed, petting her back before the two broke apart.
“I still can’t believe it. I’ve been meaning to go to the Crimson Waste to find you but I didn't have the time.” Scorpia said excitedly. “Gosh, I just can’t believe it!” Scorpia clapped her pincers.
Huntara swiftly got Scorpia into a headlock and ruffled her hair. “Still as slow as ever! What have they been teaching you? Or have the princesses made you soft?”
Scorpia laughed as she escaped from Huntara. “Okay, is someone going to explain what’s going on?” Mermista interrupted them.
“Oh right!” Scorpia grinned. “Huntara used to be one of the guards who trained me back in the Horde.”
“I was your babysitter.” Huntara teased. “I had to deal with you and your untrained stings.”
Scorpia chuckled. “I’ve known her practically all my life. She helped me through a lot when I was younger.” She lowered her pincers. “She was my only friend when I was a child, but then she was sent to battle and I was told that she died.”
Huntara placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s the past now.” She moved towards the table. “I came because the Crimson Waste is flooded with ex-horde. We are running out of resources to help feed everyone.”
“Take a seat.” Glimmer told her as they moved forward to get the meeting started.
~~
“A little after discussing what to do, Melog came in and dropped the lizard.” Adora finished. “She needs help, so we’re trying to find a solution.” Adora looked over at Catra’s to see her ears perked as she listened to the story “That was the first time I've heard about Lonnie and the others since Horde Prime invaded. I have been wondering what had happened to them.”
Catras' ear twitched at the mention of their old teammates. “Everything she said was right. I was terrible to them. You don't know how bad I was…” Catra stopped for a minute. “I’ve been trying so hard, but there hasn't been any change!” She growled in frustration.
Adora slowly moved her hand to Catra's arm, rubbing her arm gently. “You have changed Catra. You may not see it, but I do.” She saw Catra's ear twitch. “You would have scratched Huntara’s eyes out if she said any of that to you a year ago, like you did Octavia.” She heard a small chuckle from Catra. “I know you are trying hard to be friends with Perfuma, going to those meditation sessions even though you hate them.”
Catra glanced at her. “I hate sitting still for so long, but Scorpia likes her so I'm trying.” she muttered. “She still doesn’t like me.”
Adora gave her a reassuring smile. “I see you trying so hard every day, and I’m so proud of you.” She saw Catra finally raise her head. “Huntara shouldn’t have said those things, even if they were true. That was the old you. The new you is someone I hope everyone gets to see.”
Catra gave her a small smile, resting her head on Adora’s shoulder. “It’s just so hard, and frustrating. I can’t do anything! I can’t leave the castle without you or Sparkles, I scare everyone. Melog ran into the village today so when I went after them, I terrified everyone who saw me. One shopkeeper actually ran when I went to look at the stuff they were selling.” Her ears lowered as she remembered what happened earlier. Melog rolled towards them, looked back at them. Melog mewled as they got to their feet and rubbed their muzzle against Catra’s cheek. “Thanks Melog.” Catra whispered as she rubbed their head, causing them to purr.
Adora opened her mouth to speak but stopped when Catra’s ears pricked up, causing them both to look at the middle of the room as Glimmer appeared with a loud grunt. “Finally.” She looked at them. “I’ve been looking all over for you two, but I should have known you would be here..” She walked over, pointing to the other side of Catra. “Move over.” She walked over as Catra and Adora made room for Glimmer. “What was all that about?”
Catra growled at the question but Glimmer stared at her unfazed. “I guess she heard about my reputation.”
Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Yeah, what reputation? Pretty sure that should have changed drastically after we defeated Prime with your help.”
“I’m sure the villagers told you by now. My reputation is still the talk of the town.” Catra tried to tease but failed.
“I heard. I ran into one of them while trying to find you.” Glimmer looked away from Catra, staring out the window. “I really thought they would have warmed up to you by now. It’s been a few months now. I’ll have a talk with them.”
“Don’t.” Catra quickly stopped her. “If you or Adora talk to them, it will just get worse. I can fight my own battles.” She said defensively.
Glimmer looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “You are not fighting any battles Catra. You may have fought your own battles in the past, but you don’t have to anymore.” She said sternly, seeing Catra lower her ears. “You suck at fighting your own battles.” She teased.
Catra’s ears perked up at the insult. “What?” She hissed out in surprise.
“You heard me. You run from your battles, not fight them.” Glimmer stated. “You don’t have to run anymore, you aren’t alone.” Glimmer's voice softened, seeing Catra look away from her. “I know it's hard for you being here, having others think you don't deserve it. But you deserve it. After everything you did to help us defeat Prime, you deserve it.” Glimmer chuckled to herself as she rested her head on Catra's shoulder. “You should have seen how nervous they were after I lectured them. That's the benefit of having a Queen as a best friend.” She winked.
Catra turned her gaze back to the queen, surprised by her words. “Best friend?” She quietly questioned herself.
Glimmer looked at her. “Of course! After everything we have been through, you don't think you’re part of the best friends squad?” She teased.
Catra rubbed the back of her head. “Bow always says ‘Best Friend Squad’, I thought it was just a name you had.”
“Well, sorry to burst your bubble but you are best friends with us, so you’re stuck with us.” Glimmer grinned, hearing Catra groan with a small smile on her face.
“Why are your friends like this?” Catra turned to Adora, seeing her smiling at them. “What’s with that silly look on your face?”
Adora couldn't help but grin.”I'm just happy that you two get along.”
Glimmer raised her head off Catra’s shoulder as they looked at eachother. Glimmer smirked before placing a hand on Catra’s head and ruffled her hair. “Of course we get along!” Catra yelped in surprise and jumped to her feet. Glimmer laughed loudly as Catra playfully growled and swatted at her.
Catra stared down at Glimmer for a second before smirking and grabbed a pillow behind her and chucked it at the unsuspecting Queen. Catra and Adora laughed when they heard the pillow hit Glimmer in the face. Catra jumped when Glimmer teleported off the floor and appeared on the other side of the bed and threw a pillow at Catra. “You asked for it, Horde Scum!”
Catra easily dodged the pillow and picked it up. “Teleporting is cheating Sparkles! That’s not fair.” She said as she threw the pillow at Glimmer again, her ear twitching as she heard voices by the door.
“It is not cheating!” Glimmer caught the pillow with ease and chucked it back at Catra.
Catra smirked as she stood in front of the door as Glimmer threw the pillow. Catra quickly opened the door and watched as the pillow hit Bow in the face, hearing a yelp from the unexpecting hit. He fell back slightly but was caught by Scorpia behind him. “What?!” Bow looked around to see Adora and Glimmer cover their mouths, hearing Catra burst out laughing.
“Nice throw!” Catra laughed as she walked away from the door. “Bow's face was priceless!”
“I was aiming for Catra, I didn’t think she would open the door! Sorry Bow.” Glimmer tried to speak as she held back a laugh.
Adora’s snickered. “But that was funny.”
“What are you two doing here anyways?” Catra said after she finished laughing, sitting on the bed.
“We came to see how you were.” Scorpia answered her. “You seem to be better now though.”
Catra looked at her and shrugged. “I’m fine, it was nothing.” She looked up before hearing footsteps coming towards the room. “You should probably finish the meeting. The others are coming for you.”
As if on cue the others appeared in the doorway. “Is everything okay?” Spinnerella asked.
Catra watched as everyone gathered in the room. She felt Melog standing next to her. She reached down and petted their head. “Everything is fine. You can all go finish your meeting or whatever.” Catra felt Melog leave her side when Netossa walked in with Onyx, watching as the space cat sniffed at the baby.
“I think the meeting is over after that.” Glimmer said, sitting on the bed as Huntara walked in. Catra narrowed her eyes as when she saw the desert warrior walk in.
“It’s over? We never found a solution to the problem.” Huntara spoke up.
“You still haven’t figured that out yet?” Catra raised an eyebrow. “The answer seems pretty clear.” She was answered with silence, causing her to sigh. “Scorpia’s kingdom is still growing and can take in newcomers for those who want to leave the Crimson Waste. With Scorpia and Perfuma lands being the closest, they would be the best exports for resources. That is the easy part. The hard part is getting organized and making what little supplies you have left last long enough for everyone to find a middle ground.” She took a few steps closer to Huntara. “You came looking for help and all of the Princesses have to finish taking care of their own lands first, and honestly, I don’t think having a Princess go would be the right option if they were available. You need someone who can settle in with the crowd and knows how to handle themselves in the environment.” She stared up at the larger women, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You need me. I know how to make limited supplies last and how to ration food until there is a better supply available to you. Until things get sorted out, I’m your best bet.”
Huntara stared down at her, before laughing. “You? You really think you’re the best option? You may have been a Force Captain, but only by default. What makes you think you can do it?” Huntara asked, crossing her arms.
“I was the one planning everything in the Horde. I was the one planning everyone while Hordak’s main goal was the portal.” Catra stopped when she saw Entrapta’s hair coming from behind Huntara.
“Catra has a point! She was the reason the Horde made it as far as it did. She is not only a great strategist but was able to get first ones tech to power my technology. Catra would be the best bet for this assignment.” Entrapta popped up.
“Entrapta’s right. Catra also took on Tung Lashor and defeated him in minutes!” Scorpia joined. “She was leading half of the Crimson Waste for a while. Having Catra help would be beneficial for you and would help me keep track of those who want to move out of the Crimson Waste into my kingdom.”
“This is not what I expected when I came here.” She looked over at Glimmer. “Is there any other option?”
“There wasn’t anything brought up at the meeting that came close to a solution for the problem. Catra came up with a solution and volunteered herself to help you, even after everything you said to her.” Glimmer crossed her arms. “It’s up to you if you want the help.”
Huntara looked back at Catra before sighing. “I came for help, I can’t go back without it.” She held her hand towards Catra. “I would appreciate the help.”
Catra stared at her hand for a moment before shaking it. “You’ll have to tolerate me for a month, then I’ll leave. It shouldn’t take much longer than that.” She let her hand fall to her side, feeling Melog against her leg and petting the feline.
Huntara stared at her for another moment. “I’m sorry for what I said early, you don’t seem as bad as the stories let on.”
Catra froze at her words. “What did you say?”
Huntara raised an eyebrow. “I apologize. I judged you too quickly and after everything Queen Glimmer went on about you, it seems I should give you a chance.”
Catra glanced over at Glimmer. “Yeah, Sparkles is annoying.” She quickly moved aside when Glimmer teleported next to her, hitting her arm.
“Seriously? I was standing up for you!” Glimmer glared at her playfully. “It will be nice to have you away for a month.”
Catra glared back at her. “It will be nice to get away from you and your teleportation, stop popping up everywhere!” Catra raised her arm and pushed Glimmer with her arm, getting a laugh from the Queen. Catra felt something against her tail, turning around to see Adora staring at her. “Adora? You’re doing the face again.”
Adora smiled softly at her as she wrapped her arms around Catra, feeling Catra’s hands on her waist. “I’m so proud of you.” She whispered to her, burying her face in Catra’s hair. “I’m going to miss you.”
Catra smirked as her tail swayed. “What? You’ll miss me?” She teased, hearing Adora chuckle. “How embarrassing for you, admitting that you like me.”
Huntara stared at them. “They’re together? Seriously? No wonder Adora got mad and glowy eyed when I said those things.”
“Yeah…it’s hard to get them to stop when they start doing stuff like that.” Mermista rolled her eyes as she leaned on the wall by the door. Catra glanced in the direction of the water princess but her gaze drifted to see the young child crawling around on the floor towards Melog. Catra watched for a moment as Melog shrank in size to play with Onyx.
“You don’t even see half of it, Mermista. They are so cute together!” Bow praised.
Catra’s ear twitches as she turns her head to glare at Bow. “Stop calling me cute!”
“But you are! Your ears and tail flick when you are mad, so cute.” He edged on, causing Catra’s tail to swaying in annoyance.
“Bow.” Catra’s tried to give a warning growl but sighed when he started laughing. “Annoying. All of you are annoying.” She muttered as she crossed her arms and let a small smirk appear on her lips. Catra ears perked when she heard Netossa’s voice ring out. Catra looked over at her before she felt something grip her tail. She let out a yelp of surprise as she spun around to grab her tail from whatever had grabbed it. Catra opened her mouth to yell at the one who grabbed her tail but froze when she saw Onyx staring up at her with watery eyes. Catra froze, holding her tail close to herself as she watched the little one's mouth quiver as she started to cry.
Netossa quickly picked up the sobbing baby. “You’re okay, you’re okay.” Netossa said softly to Onyx as she rocked her.
Spinnerella was by Netossa’s side within seconds, placing a hand on Onyx’s back before looking at Catra. “Catra, are you okay?” Spinnerella stared at Catra, seeing her hands shaking slightly.
“I-I'm Sorry. I didn’t know she was there. I mean, I knew she was close but didn’t know she was going to grab my tail.” Catra said quickly as her ears flattened against her head, her eyes glued to the crying baby. “I didn’t know…I didn’t mean.” She took a step back when she saw Spinnerella take a step towards her. Catra felt Melog against her side, feeling their head nuzzle her affectionately.
“Catra, you didn’t do anything. Onyx isn’t hurt, she stumbled a bit but she isn’t hurt.” Spinnerella spoke softly, hearing Onyx’s cry starting to slowly fade to sobs. “Did she hurt you when she grabbed your tail?” Catra slowly shook her head. “I’m glad you are not hurt. How about we sit down?” She suggested.
Catra sat on the bed with Adora following her. When they sat down Melog jumped up next to Adora, laying across Adora’s lap to rest her head on Catra’s leg. Melog let out a mew as Catra gently patted their head, but heard a mew in response behind them. Catra's ears perked up at the sound of Onyx’s mew back to Melog. “What was that?” She asked.
Spinnerella smiled softly at her. “You’ve never been around children, have you?” She watched Catra shake her head in response. Spinnerella walked over to take the sobbing baby Netossa handed to her and sat down next to Catra. “Babies will try to mimic sounds and words as they learn to talk. Why don't you hold her? She seems to like you.”
Catra looked at Spinnerella then at the teary eyed baby. “I don’t think that would be the best idea.” She stared at Onyx as she watched her little arms stretch towards her.
“She wants you to hold her.” Spinnerella smiled, seeing Catra looking at Onyx. She slowly lifted Onyx off her shoulder and onto Catra’s. “Here, just place a hand under her and one on her back.” She instructed.
Catra froze when she felt the baby on her chest. She listened to Spinnerella’s instructions and slowly moved her hands to support Onyx. She felt the baby squirm slightly as she made sure the baby was secure in her arms. Catra slowly started to purr as she hoped Onyx would remain calm. She felt the baby nuzzle into her shoulder as her purring continued. She felt Onyx’s wings spreading out as she relaxed into her arms. Catra stared at the baby in her arms before glancing over at Adora, seeing her watching them. Her eyes went back to the baby as she felt Onyx’s wings wrap around her. “She stopped.” She whispered.
“I think your purring had something to do with that.” Netossa spoke up. “Did you know purring would help Onyx calm down?”
Catra shook her head. “Not really. It used to work with Adora, so I just kind of went with it.” She felt Adora’s hand gently on her back and let her tail lay over Adora’s arm. Catra felt Onyx lean back to look up at her. Onyx let out a small laugh as she kicked her feet. “What is she doing?”
“She wants to bounce, it’s one of her favorite things.” Spinnerella lifted Onyx off Catra’s shoulder and stood her on Catra’s lap. “Hold her sides and she will start to bounce a little. She also flaps her wings, so watch out for those. This helps strengthen her legs and wings.” She explained as she let Catra hold Onyx as directed.
Catra stared down at the bouncing child, hearing her let out a giggle and her ears perked up. When her ears perked up Onyx laughed loudly, reaching above her head. Catra’s ear twitched at the loud noise, causing more laughter from Onyx. Catra watched the happy baby in amusement, hearing a sudden small puff of air through the laughter caused her to tilt her head. “Did she just…?” Onyx flapped her wings excitedly as she bounced, lifting her feet up to Catra was holding her in the air. Melog started to rub their nose against Adora’s leg, letting out a mewl as they sat up to get away from the baby. “I think she has to use the bathroom.” Catra held the baby towards Spinnerella, her nose wrinkling as a foul smell started to get stronger.
Spinnerella chuckled as she took her baby into her arms. “Oh my, let me go change her.” She stood up and headed to the door.
Catra covered her nose as Melog buried their face into Adora’s lap. “It smells so bad.” Catra muttered through her hand. “I didn’t know anything could smell this bad.” She heard the others chuckle.
“Baby’s do that a lot. Eat, sleep, cry, and poop.” Netossa replied. “You get used to it after a few weeks, but I’ve read the smell gets worse when we start giving her solid foods.”
“That’s a smell I don’t want to get used to.” Catra gagged, leaning against Adora as if trying to get away from the smell. “How can it get worse?!”
Netossa laughed. “It isn’t a pleasant one, but it’s all worth it in the end.” She smiled at Catra. “Onyx has taken a liking to you though. She loved watching your ears move.”
Catra’s ears twitched at the mention of her ears. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she heard footsteps getting closer to the door. Catra looked at the door as Spinnerella walked into the room. She placed the squirming Onyx on the floor and let her crawl around. Melog jumped off the bed and slowly sniffed Onyx from a distance, slowly walking towards her. “She’s all good now.” Spinnerella smiled as she made her way through the room as Onyx crawled after her.
As time passed, everyone had their turn playing with Onyx. They ate dinner before everyone headed home, leaving Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Bow, and Melog wandering in the halls. “Well, that was a good day.” Bow piped up.
“Some unexpected things happened, but it ended well.” Adora confirmed, looking at Catra who shrugged in response.
“How does it feel to be leaving us for a while, Horde Scum?” Glimmer looked at her.
“It will be nice to get away from you for a bit.” Catra teased.
“It’s your first mission without us. How does it feel?” Bow asked.
Catra shrugged again. “It will be fine. It’s an easy solution.”
“You sure about that? From what Huntara said there are a lot of ex horde soldiers there now. A lot of them may not listen to you like they used to.” Glimmer reminded her.
Catra was quiet for a moment. “I will figure things out.” She looked over at Adora. “Race you back to our room.” Catra started running down the hall on all fours with Melog.
“Hey! That’s not fair, you got a head start!” Adora called after her as she started running after her girlfriend. “See you two later.” She called back to Bow and Glimmer as she started to catch up with Catra.
Catra looked behind her to see Adora on her tail, she smirked as she sped up. “Nice try Adora!” She stuck her tongue out at her as she turned the corner towards their door. She watched as Melog opened the door and ran through the door. Catra panted lightly as she turned to the door to see Adora’s running in. “I win.” She smirked.
Adora narrowed her eyes at her, a smirk on her face. “You cheated!” She quickly threw her arm around Catra's to hold her in a neck lock as she rubbed her other hand through her hair. She laughed as Catra tried to escape but couldn’t. “Admit it! You got a head start!”
Catra laughed as she tried to get out of Adora's hold. “I will admit nothing!” She pushed Adora away as she finally escaped, smirking. She watched Adora take her stance before she pushed Adora down to the floor and landed on top of her, their hands locked as they wrestled. Melog pounced on Adora’s legs causing their wrestle match to an end. “I won.” Catra praised herself.
“I think Melog won.” Adora laughed when Melog walked off her legs and nuzzled her cheek.
Catra smiled as she got up and sat on the bed, watching Melog rub against Adora affectionately. “Alright Melog, you should let Adora up.” Catra said, causing Melog to jump on the bed and lay down next to her. Catra stroked their mane as Adora got up and sat next to her.
“How are you feeling about going to the Crimson Waste? For real.” Adora asked, nudging her gently.
Catra was quiet for a moment, feeling Melog rest their head on her lap. “I don’t know how it will go to be honest. Last time I saw them I was leading them and I was terrible. I want to help them after what I’ve done. I remember what a lot of the soldiers have done in the horde, and how they can help the community. I have lots of ideas, but they have to let me help them. Lonnie is probably going to fight against my help.” She rolled her eyes.
Adora placed a hand on her lap. “You don’t know for sure how Lonnie will react. If she heard how you helped save the world she may give you a chance. Just remember Perfuma’s tips on how to keep yourself calm, and remember you can come home anytime you want.”
Catra raised an eyebrow, smirking. “What? You don’t want me to stay away too long? You gonna miss me?” She elbowed Adora’s side.
Adora chuckled. “I am going to miss you. I love having you here with me every day.” She grinned when she saw Catra's cheeks turn a slight pink. “I can always come if you want, for backup.”
“You are needed here for other stuff. It will go by faster if I am working without you distracting me. I'm sure Sparkles will keep you busy, but don’t overwork yourself. Got it?” She saw Adora nod in response. “Good. Besides, I feel like this is something I should do alone.” Catra stared at the far side of the room before feeling Melog press their nose against her cheek. “What? You don’t want to stay with Adora?” She chuckled at Melog’s teasing mewl. “What do you mean I’ll get lonely? I’d be fine by myself. I can take care of it alone.” She ruffled Melog mane. “We will come visit on weekends.”
Adora smiled at the space cat. “You look after her for me.” She laughed when Melog nuzzled Adora’s cheek. “Such a good kitty.” She praised as Melog purred loudly.
Catra rolled her eyes at the two of them. “Whatever. You’re the one who needs someone to look after them, you will work yourself to death without me here.”
Adora rolled her eyes. “You already said that, and I will not.”
“You will. I need to repeat it to get through your stupid hair poof and into your head.” She laid back onto the bed with her eyes closed. She felt the bed shift as Adora leaned over her, causing Catra to smirk with a flick of her tail towards Melog. “Can I help you, babe?”
Melog watched Catra tail flick and jumped off the bed. They knew what that meant, time to go wandering around the castle.
Catra laid awake. Adora was still asleep but Catra had woken up and couldn’t fall back asleep. She carefully slid out of bed without waking her partner, but stopped when Melog lifted their head to observe her movements. Catra lifted her finger to her lips to keep the feline quiet. “Shh, stay here with Adora.” She whispered before heading towards the door. Catra walked out the door and down the hall towards the kitchen. She looked outside and figured it was around 1am. Her ears twitched as she heard the fridge opening from down the hall, only one person is normally up at this time of night other than her. Catra turned the corner to see the kitchen light streaming into the hallway, peering in to see Glimmer rummaging through the fridge. “Sparkles.” Catra greeted, causing Glimmer to jump back.
“Catra!” She said surprise. “How many times have I told you to stop sneaking around the castle at night?!” She narrowed her eyes at the magicat before smiling. “I already got you a plate.”
“I wasn’t sneaking, you were too focused on the fridge.” Catra laughed as she walked over to her, leaning against the counter next to Glimmer. “So what’s tonight's midnight snack?”
“I was thinking of some melon, nice and refreshing on this warm night.” She poured them a glass of water as she handed Catra a small plate of cubed melon.
“Thanks.” Catra took the place and ate one of the pieces, feeling Glimmer lean on the counter next to her. “The normal?” She asked.
“The normal.” Glimmer admitted. Nightmares always woke Glimmer up. “You?”
Catra shrugged. “Woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. Figured you would be here.”
“Aww, come to keep me company? That’s so sweet of you.” Glimmer teased, lightly pushing Catra’s shoulder with her own.
Catra rolled her eyes. “No. I came for the food.” She ate another piece, glancing at Glimmer. “It’s nice at night. Quiet and not as bright. The Fright Zone was never quiet, always some kind of noise in the background.”
“It is called Bright Moon, not ‘Bright all the time’ Moon. Of course it’s going to be quiet and not as bright, silly!” Glimmer laughter.
“That was terrible.” Catra chuckled. They both ate another piece of Melon, sliding down the counter to sit on the floor. They sat in silence as they finished their melon. Catra felt Glimmer lean against her, stiffening the action but slowly relaxed.
“You know, you should come to the meetings from now on.” Glimmer suggested.
Catra looked at her. “What?” She said surprised.
“At first, I wasn't sure how involved you wanted to be in rebuilding and restructing stuff in Etheria. I didn’t want you or any of the others to get uncomfortable if you felt like you had to be involved if I asked you to out of guilt. When we started rebuilding you helped with whatever you could, but once it was over I was never sure if you wanted to be in our regular meetings. Adora initially mentioned that you preferred not to come, but I can tell that you are not only bored but that you feel left out as well. Adora can see it too.” She stated before continuing. "Try not to get too bad of an ego, but you are really smart and clever when it comes to organizing the logistics side of coordinating stuff. We could all honestly benefit from having you at the meetings. Today is only one example, but Adora tells me about all the ideas that you mention to her off hand and a lot of it has been helpful. When you come back, I am going to have a position made for you.”
Catra stared at her. “Are you serious about this?”
Glimmer nodded. “Of course I am! You should have been in there for a while now. I'm sorry we never invited you sooner.” Glimmer smiled at her. “You deserve to be part of the conversation as you are not only helpful but both needed and wanted."
Catra's tail thumped as she considered Glimmer's words. With a snort Catra asked, "Do the others know about this plan of yours and do you honestly think they will be okay with having me at the meetings Sparkles?"
“Not yet, but they have until you get back to get used to the idea. You are a beneficial part of our team, you deserve to be there.”
Catra nodded, before looking at her. “Are these still going to be called ‘Princess Meetings’? Can that be changed?”
Glimmer laughed. “They are just meetings. You’re the only one who calls them ‘Princess meetings’.” They continued to talk for a while before falling asleep on the floor.
Bow peered into the kitchen as he went looking for Glimmer. He looked done to see Catra and Glimmer asleep next to each other on the floor, Glimmer's head on Catra's shoulder with Catra leaning against her slightly. Bow grinned before quietly calling to Adora. “Aww! Adora! You have to see this.”
Adora quickly appeared by his side and looked in. She smiled at the sight. “Should have known they were in here.”
“They look so cute!” He said as Catra’s nose twitches in her sleep. “So cute!” He cooed.
Adora chuckled before walking into the kitchen. “Come on, let’s try and take them back to bed.” As she got closer she saw Catra open her eyes and slowly lost her head. “Hey Catra, were we too loud?” Adora knelt down next to her.
Catra groaned slightly, feeling Glimmer's head in her shoulder. “Not really, heard you coming. Bow, can you take her? She’s going to drool on me.”
Bow chuckled as he knelt down next to Glimmer. “She doesn’t drool…that much.” He slowly started to lift her into his arms, trying his best not to wake her. He stood up and heard a groan from the queen. “Sorry to wake you, go back to sleep.” Bow whispered to her.
Glimmer leaned her head against Bow's shoulder as she kept her eyes closed. “Remind me tomorrow to make a new position for Catra. She’s coming to the meetings from now on.” She said before snuggling into Bow's arms to try and fall asleep.
Bow raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Catra, seeing her shrug. “She bullied me into agreeing to go.”
Bow chuckled. “Uh huh, sure Catra.” He smiled down at her. “Congratulations on the promotion. We will see you two at breakfast before you go.” Bow said before heading out of the kitchen.
Catra leaned on Adora as she closed her eyes. “Did Melog wake you?” She asked.
“No, I woke up not long ago and figured I’d come find you. Met Bow in the hall as he did the same.” She placed a hand around her waist. “Ready to go to bed now?” Adora felt her nod and stood up, reaching down to help Catra up. “So you’re going to the meetings from now on, huh?”
“Sparkles started talking about how needed I was and how smart I am. How could I say no to that?” She smirked as they headed to their room.
Adora smiled, taking her hand as they walked. “I’m happy you’re joining us in the meetings, it will be fun.” She opened the door to their room and went to the bed. “We should try and sleep, you have a big day tomorrow.”
Catra nodded and yawned, crawling into bed next to her. She reached down at pet Melog who watched them come in. “Thanks Melog.” She said as Melog purred. Catra laid down in the bed as Adora wrapped her arms around her. “Night, Adora.” She purred.
“Night, Catra.” Adora kissed her cheek before going back to sleep.
The morning started like the one before, except Catra was the first one out of bed. “Are you sure you have everything?” Adora asked, sitting on the bed as she watched Catra checking over her things. “An extra tracker pad in case the other one breaks? Extra clothes? A first aid kit?”
“Geez, Adora. You’re worrying too much. I have everything I need packed, and I’m sure if someone throws a few punches at me they have extra medical supplies for them. I will be fine.” She zipped up her bag before sitting next to Adora.
Adora sighed. “I know you will be fine. I’m going to miss you.” She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
Catra smiled, her tail laying on her lap. “It’s only for a month, and you can steal Bow's tracker pad so we can talk after I give the report. How does that sound?” She assured her, seeing Adora smile. “Good. We should head downstairs now, they are probably waiting.” She stood up and grabbed her bag.
“Let me carry it!” Adora took hold of the handle and started walking towards the door.
Catra chuckled. “If you want, I won’t argue with that.” She followed Adora to the entrance of the castle where Bow, Glimmer, and Huntara waited.
“Hey guys!” Bow greeted.
“Hey.” Adora greeted back, placing Catra's bag on the ground. “Is everything ready?”
Huntara nodded, pointing to a skiff full of boxes behind them. “Queen Glimmer gave us some supplies to help us get started. If we leave now we should be there before night fall.”
“Good. It gives you time to settle in on your first night.” Glimmer looked at Catra. “You have a working trackpad right? Remember to update us on what is happening.”
Catra rolled her eyes. “Relax Sparkles. I know you’re going to miss me.” She smirked. “You three will be lost without me.” She nudged Glimmer teasingly.
Glimmer sighed. “Just remember to call, horde scum.”
“We will miss you, it’s going to be too quiet without you here.” Bow spoke up, smiling at her. “Good luck, Catra. You will do great!” He quickly wrapped his arms around her before she could back away from him.
Catra growled before feeling Glimmer join in the hug. “Okay, okay, okay. Enough of the hugging!” Catra struggled her way out of the group hug, backing into Adora as she heard them laugh.
Adora looked down at her, smiling as she placed a hand on Catra's waist. “You ready?” She asked.
Catra nodded. “Just about. Don’t work yourself too hard, and those tracker pads work both ways. You can call me if you need me.” She said as she picked up her bag and placed it on the skiff next to Melog.
Adora rubbed Melog’s head affectionately before turning to Catra. “Be careful.” She said softly.
Catra chuckled. “Always am.” She stood directly in front of Adora.
Adora leaned down and placed her forehead against Catra’s. “I love you Catra.” She said quietly, hearing Catra purr softly in response. She placed a hand on Catra's cheek and kissed her.
Catra kissed her back, her hand resting on the back of Adora's neck to bring her closer. After a moment she pulled back slightly. “I love you too, Adora.” She whispered before bringing Adora back for another kiss. She soon brought her finger up towards Adora's hair tie and used her claw to swiftly snap the band. She pulled back and jumped on the skiff before Adora could register what happened, laughing wildly. “I’m driving!” Before Huntara could say anything Catra started the skiff and started off down the road.
“Catra!” Adora called in surprise, before relaxing as she watched Catra leave.
“Hey! You are not driving.” Huntara quickly took control of the skiff, growling in frustration.
Catra laughed before turning around to watch the others getting smaller. She waved before calling out. “Bye Adora!”