Where Do We Go From Here?
Kitatanya
Chapter 25
A/N: Thank you so much for your support! You're awesome!
Read on, loves!
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The first thing Adora registered beyond the unadulterated relaxation of her body and Catra's above her, was the sound of low, thunderous purring. She knew it was Melog, even before Catra began to stir and she felt Melog's gentle kiss across her cheek. She let that touch stir her more fully, like she knew Catra had done, and blinked open her eyes to the sky brightening above them. Morning had come and Melog had returned for them as they'd promised. It was time to descend from this gorgeous peak and forge on with the war. Even if it was a sobering thought, it could not destroy the way she felt entirely. She had never felt more relaxed and certain in all her life.
"Morning." Catra mumbled, reaching out to brush her hand over Melog's head in greeting.
Adora echoed her and Melog smiled their version of a smile down at them. 'Good morning, my precious ones.' They murmured back.
Catra rose slowly above her, purring, eyes sparkling and she could see that same relaxation in her too, before a flash of pain went through her eyes. She groaned and shifted onto her knees and all Adora could do was watch as her body bowed in a tight, shaking line, arms arcing above and behind her head as she stretched. Seeing her like that, body still gloriously bare above her, sent a hunger pooling through her relaxation in an instant and it was all she could do to lock her own body in place and not act on it.
"We have got to start training again." Catra yawned as she broke her stretch.
But then all of that sleepy contentment in her eyes gave way to surprise as she looked back down and registered the effect her innocent action had had on her. Adora could not find it in her to push it away and as Catra shivered delicately with a little gasp, she saw her gaze darkening too with the same resurgent hunger building inside her. The both of them were frozen in that hunger, because underneath it they knew they could not give in again right now. Melog chuckled and Adora was immediately just as amused as they were and she saw laughter sparkling in Catra's eyes too, joining that hunger in a gorgeous display before she laughed. Even after everything they'd shared last night, they still wanted each other just as much, if not more than, before and it filled her with wonder and love for the woman above her.
Adora reached for her, pulling her down into a laughing kiss and Catra purred her pleasure against her lips. "This is impossible." She joked softly as she pulled away.
Adora could only smile because she felt the same way. "I know." She murmured, lifting a hand to brush it across her cheek.
But there inside her was that tug at her heart and she saw it in Catra above her too. It was time to go. They could not linger any longer.
But then Melog purred a little louder as they stood. 'There is a little more time. But yes, the urgency is there.' Their words were a gentle and apologetic warning as they walked away back towards the cliff.
Adora sensed what they meant at once. They did not have to rush too very much, but it was time to clean themselves and dress before they returned to the camp and their duties. With a look of love and shared regret, Catra shifted off of her and rose, before holding out a hand to her. Adora sat up and took it, letting Catra draw her to her feet and then, she understood Catra's need to stretch before. All of her waking aches and pains had returned and her muscles were now taught and her very bones seemed to ache. She had to stretch too, trying to work out that aching tenseness of her muscles before doing anything else.
"Yeah." She groaned at the peak of that long stretch. "You're right. We do need to start training."
And then it was her turn to be caught off guard as she saw Catra frozen, taking in her body with that wonderfully hungry gaze all over again. She shivered at the sudden rush of memories of the touches that had made her come entirely undone under that hungry gaze. Both of them were panting and Adora felt her need pulse to life as it echoed in Catra's eyes. She almost wanted to cry at the strength of it. How was it even worse now than it had been before after everything they'd done? But as soon as she thought the question, she knew that was the answer. Now she knew exactly what this need meant and what it meant to give into it and to let hers be met and to meet it in her mate before her.
"What are going to do?" Catra's ragged voice was as careful as she could manage.
"I don't know." It was all she could say.
They were both frozen again in place for a long moment and Adora saw the same spiral of regret and frustration in Catra's eyes in the face of this denied need and could see Catra's thoughts echoing hers. They could not give in again, not now. They had to be thankful for this time they'd gotten. They had to return to their duty and the war and their friends, but now at least they knew what it meant to get lost in each other as fully as they'd been able. There would be other moments, other stolen opportunities to be together, and Adora got the sense that the harder they had to fight for them, the all the more special they'd be. Just like these few hours had been and always would be in their memories.
The last thought finally let her smile at her mate again, full of love and wonder again. Catra smiled too and they were finally able to reach out to one another and share a much-needed embrace without fearing igniting that storm of hunger and need all over again. Instead, Adora could just be happy to be able to feel all of Catra against her completely at least this one more time for now. The kiss they shared was gentle and sweet and when she pulled away, she saw all of what she was feeling echoing right back in Catra glistening eyes and radiant smile.
"Come on." She spoke softly, pulling away. A certain and familiar mischievous glint sparkled through that heterochromatic gaze and Adora was smiling bigger before her mate reached down and took her hand. "Let's get cleaned up." The words sounded furtive and Adora was gently confused.
Still, she let her mate lead her towards the stream without resistance, content to wait for whatever surprise Catra had in store. Whatever she'd been expecting in the back of her mind was blasted away with utter shock when Catra kept walking into the water without hesitating in the least. The shock of the cold water made her shiver as she followed, but Catra still didn't hesitate until they were both standing waist-deep in that near frigid and gently flowing, sparkling water. Adora could only watch, still utterly stunned as Catra turned to her and winked, full of mischief, before dropping her hand. Then, she dropped down onto all fours in the stream, completely submerging herself, and digging the claws of her fingers and toes into the smooth stones at the bottom. Adora watched her shake herself, hair and fur of her body and tail undulating in slow motion in the water, before she rose in a burst and took a huge gasp of air.
"All clean!" She all but chirped the words, before darting back to the water's edge once more.
Once there, she dropped to all fours again and shook herself, sending sheets of frigid water flying in all directions. She didn't stop until her hair and fur were fluffed out and only slightly damp. She stood then, running her hands down her shoulders and arms, smoothing that damp fur in slow and deliberate motions as she turned back to partially face her. Her eyes were sparkling now with even more mischief and the eyebrow she then quirked her way was almost sinfully teasing. Still shocked and unable to fully comprehend what had just happened, all Adora could do was stare at her mate, awed by the sight of her fully bare form once more. Her eyes followed helplessly those hands firmly stroking and caressing every line, cupping over her breasts and smoothing down her ribs and over her toned stomach to her hips.
Hunger had begun curling through her once more through her lingering shock and building awe and she could not even find it in her to try to curb it as Catra kept going, bending over double so that those hands didn't stop until her fingers were gently circling her own ankles. Adora found herself suddenly presented with her supple rear and long, toned legs and her undulating tail that beckoned her eyes even as its motion was just gentle enough to never reveal the center of pleasure between her legs that she'd explored so deeply only a short time before.
Catra paused then and peeked back at her once more, the knowing and mischievous sparkle her eyes showed her that her mate knew exactly how much she was enjoying this unexpected and sensually provocative display. Then, she rose, putting on a deliberately disinterested air as she walked away. "You just going to stand there and watch me groom or are you going to get cleaned up?" She called the teasing words over her shoulder with a wink and flashing smirk.
It was only then that Adora realized she'd just been standing there in the cold water, gaping like a hungry fool at her teasing mate. She sputtered, face flushing with embarrassment, exasperation, and no small hint of frustration. But it all left in a rush as she barked a laugh, shaking her head in amused self-chastisement. She could not be angry with her mate or embarrassed by just how stunning she was to look at, even in the face of Catra's new and nigh diabolical level of teasing. Somehow, she got the feeling this was not going to be the last time she rose their previous, already almost painfully need inducing, teasing to this even greater level. And a part of her, a deep depraved part, could only look forward to that sensual torture and what it meant for their future together.
For now though, she was going to end up getting sick if she didn't hurry. For all that she'd joked with Bow a few days ago about She-Ra being able to heal her in seconds, it was best not to tempt fate any more than she already had recently. She decided to follow her mate's shocking example and just submerge herself fully. Controlling her air, she settled on the stones at the bottom and ran her fingers through her tangled hair, before tracing her hands over her body, removing any lingering signs of their time of passion.
She felt surprisingly refreshed as she rose once more, flipping back her hair to send water flying in a burst all around her to keep it from her eyes. She pulled it over her shoulder, ringing it out as best she could as she walked carefully back out onto the grass. Not having access to a towel or anything to dry herself with, all she could do was push as much of the water as she could down her body with her hands and it ran down her damp, chill-flushed skin in sheets. Even without the wind, the air here had already been a little crisp. Now, she was shivering with cold and all she wanted to do was get dressed.
Then, she saw Catra standing near their scattered clothes, frozen in an awkward position on one foot, half in and half out of her pants, and gaping her way with stunned awe and no small amount of hunger. A great sense of smug satisfaction filled her as she realized Catra had been watching her attempts to dry off. The fact that her mate was as frozen by her unintentional display in the same manner as she'd been by her intended one, pleased her on a nearly diabolical level. She stalked towards her, letting her hips roll in a provocative manner as she continued to stroke down her torso, sides, and swaying hips like she was trying to remove more water.
She saw Catra swallow, hard, eyes following her hands and swaying hips until she was standing only inches before her. She leaned close, almost brushing their noses together and staring into her hungry eyes from only inches away. Then she smirked, showing all of her smug, self-satisfaction as she turned away to reach from her clothes.
"You just going to stand there and watch me or are you going to finish getting dressed?" She teased over her shoulder, sending her mate a slow, deliberate wink.
Catra was frozen for a second longer, before her cheeks flushed and her ears flipped back, eyes narrowing with an exasperated hiss. Adora chuckled and reached for her clothes, dressing quickly against the chill of the air. Her underwear was… unsalvageable, but she had more in her pack. As she scanned the ground futilely for her hairband, she noticed Catra's still lying there too and laughed again as she picked them up, tucking them with her own into her pocket of her pants. Her mate probably would have just left them lying here and the thought of some random explorer coming across them was highly amusing. Catra snorted as she did so, but said nothing, instead taking her hand and leading her towards Melog with soft smile. Their playfully teasing mood shifted to regret at having to go, but again, Adora could only be thankful they'd had this time in the face of everything they had to do and that soft smile from her mate echoed that thought.
Melog was waiting for them at the edge of the cliff, purring as they looked out over the spectacular horizon before them. Adora walked with Catra toward them, taking in the view herself as they reached them. "Hey, Melog." She murmured softly as Catra reached out to stroke their head.
They were silent for a moment, before letting out a heavy sigh and she suddenly remembered that they had wanted to speak to them before they all returned to camp. She shared a glance with Catra, but Melog spoke before they could say anything. 'There is something very important I need to ask the both of you.' The words were firm, but apologetic. 'We do not have very much time, but please, sit and let us talk.' They turned then, facing them and the pained look in their eyes sent a trickle of trepidation down her spine.
Catra sat down at once and Adora followed almost immediately, but she could see the same tenseness in her mate and knew she was just as nervous too. She suddenly wanted to be closer to her and reached for the bond. She felt a pulse right as she touched and knew that Catra had had the exact thought. For a moment, as they tugged slowly to that place of intimate conversation, all they felt was love and wonder at their bond and their understanding for one another. With a pang of regret they let go, because they knew Melog was waiting for them. Melog was always patient, but their time was running out before they had to go back to face the reality of their lives.
As soon as she was alone inside her head, she looked to them and saw Melog's head was drooping in silent apology and she knew it was for having to encroach on their happy feelings. "Don't be sorry, Melog." She told them gently, reaching out as Catra did to smooth a hand over their cheek.
Showing her physical affection for Melog was still very new, but it felt right and she never hesitated to do so now. She could tell it had a great effect on them, just as Catra's touch always did, and the return of their thunderous purring at their combined ministrations made her love them even more. Melog was always there for she and Catra, no matter what they might face. As much as she knew her future was with Catra, she knew that Melog would always be by her side too now, keeping them safe in every way they could. Catra's similar feelings and her delight at the emptions she could feel echoing from her made her smile. Her mate loved that she loved Melog as much as she did now.
Then Melog took a deep breath and lifted their head, stopping their petting with another serious look. 'What I wish to ask of you will upset you and I am sorry.' They began again in that firm apologetic tone. Again, that trickle of trepidation rose in her and it tingled between their minds. 'There is something dark lying in the back of your minds.' Immediately, the both of them were tensing with echoed dread as they realized what Melog was about to ask, but they waited, silent and still, for them to continue. 'I know that this secret is something you wish to keep from our friends and I know that I have never pressed you to reveal anything between you before this moment. But I must ask you to trust me with the truth of this dark thought that fills you both with such dread. It has been plaguing you since the moment She-Ra rose in you both and you have hinted it at in only the once during the great shock that followed. I fear for you, my precious ones, in the face of the truth behind that terrible thought.' The fervency of the words was as near a sob as Melog could portray and the both of them suddenly felt wretched in the face of it.
With a mutual tug they were the one, because they wanted Melog to know without any doubts how very sorry they were for not considering their feelings even once in the face of what they knew. Of course Melog had been worried for them in the face of the awful dread that filled them at the thought of Catalyst. The felt like selfish fools for not thinking of it before. Beyond anyone but themselves, they knew they could trust Melog to keep any secret and that Melog deserved the truth as much as they had.
"We're sorry, Melog!" Tears were gathering in their eyes and they didn't even try to check them. "We're sorry we didn't think to tell you before. We've been trying to hide from it as much as we could ourselves, but you deserve to know the truth and we're sorry for being selfish idiots for not telling you! Can you ever forgive us?" They sobbed.
At once, Melog was pressing between them, trembling. They let go their hands and wrapped their arms around them, holding them tightly. 'There is no forgiveness to be had, my precious ones.' They reassured firmly. 'I knew you hid this thought with good reason. I never doubted that. But my fear for you made me selfish and I could not keep myself from asking any longer.' They pulled back then, brushing a kiss across each of their tearful cheeks. 'I am sorry, my precious ones, for causing you this distress.'
They shook their heads, denying their apology. "Don't be. We should have told you. And we will." Their tears were slowing as determination filled them, even if the guilt didn't fade in the least. They waited until Melog had settled back on their haunches before them again before speaking. "When She-Ra came to us that day, she pulled us into the everything and took us somewhere far across the universe. We'd felt the universe before, when we were in the everything, but this time…" They hesitated as the memory of it made them shudder. "The universe is dying, Melog. It's dying without magic. We don't know why it happened now, but something about the fact that magic has faded away, let an evil She-Ra faced in the past free from her imprisonment. Her name is Catalyst." They could not help the dread that filled them when they spoke that awful name aloud for the first time since they'd recovered from the shock of learning this awful truth.
They couldn't look into the face of Melog's growing horror and their echoed dread as they continued. It was too much, but they knew they had to finish telling them. They had to. So, they looked down and away and even as they were already one, they needed the touch of each other, so their fingers curled together in the space between their bodies as they leaned into one another. At that shared familiar touch, they were steady again once more and for a moment, their shining promise sang through them like white-hot blade cutting through that dread and their fear.
They still did not look at Melog, but when they spoke, their voices were strong once more. "She's evil, pure and complete evil. She was twisted with it, with eyes that burned like hatred. Her voice felt like insects biting our skin with her power. She was riding a cloud of pure darkness, like poison, and she challenged She-Ra, telling her that she would destroy everything, dissolve it, and build it again in her evil. She-Ra challenged her back, telling her that we would take her down, but…" Again, they could not help but to shudder at the awful memory, even if they were strong enough now not to let the dread of it take them over like it almost had before.
"She has a swarm of evil insects. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them. And they looked powerful. Even She-Ra herself was afraid when she saw them. She didn't show it, but we felt it. They went back into the cloud and she was gone and She-Ra brought us back to our bodies. She told us we had to save Etheria first, but then we had to leave and go face her, before she can destroy the entire universe. Even right now, there's no telling what she's doing. There's no telling how many worlds and lives are being lost to her evil. We have to finish this war and then we need to get to space. She-Ra said we'd know where to go before we left."
That tug was back in their hearts, feeling even more urgent than ever before in the renewed face of that truth. The call to go back down and to face Blood and stop this war was branding a painful line inside their minds. Nothing in them regretted their time of passion, but it was over now and they felt the urgent need to return. But when they looked back at Melog and saw the horror still lingering on their face, even through the steely, burning determination echoing from themselves, it rocked them and made them realize, that once again, they were being selfish in the face of Melog's emotions. They hadn't even had the time to truly process the awful truth that they'd just heard.
They'd barely stifled it when Melog shook themselves and looked to them again. 'No. Do not still this renewed urgency you feel. It is right and it is truth.' Their voice filled with determination until the last was almost a growl. Then they all but leaped to their feet and swelled back into their larger size. 'There will be time for me to process fully later. For now, let us return and see this done.'
They could hear urgency now in Melog's determined words and felt a rush of love for them that they understood so completely their emotions and the fact that Melog had pushed everything aside for them once again. How many times had Melog done that for them? How many times had they helped them since the moment they'd come into their lives? In a sudden burst of clarity, they realized that for all that Melog had been supporting the one of them so directly for all of this time, they'd been doing it for the both of them since seeing that bond between them. They had already loved the both of them in a way from that very first moment, but neither of them had seen it for what it was. They'd been blind to Melog's feelings, just like they'd been to their own. No matter that the love between them was different for their love for Melog and Melog's for them, it was still love and all love was wondrous and profound and one of their chests rumbled with a deep purr as it swelled in them.
Melog had felt that growing surge of emotion in them and had already turned back to face them as they went to rise to go to them. They were purring more thunderously than they'd ever purred before as they took their great head in their arms and held them. Like mirrored reflections, they nuzzled into their cheeks on opposite sides and Melog turned to nuzzle each of them in turn. The kiss they gave them as they did so covered almost half of each of their faces and it made them laugh even as it made them feel special like every gentle kiss before.
"We love you, Melog." They laughed, hugging them once more, arms winding around and over each other's over their shoulders and neck.
Melog lay their head over their joined shoulders, returning that embrace. 'And I, you, my precious ones.' Those simple words rang with everything they felt, echoing it and expanding it with all of their own emotion too. They lingered for a moment, still purring that thunderous purr, before pulling away with a chuff of laugher. 'Come!' They cried, lowering themselves so they could climb on. 'Let us go show the universe it did not want for its chosen champions.' They were all but glowing with love and great pride.
Seeing that pride in them almost brought happy tears to their eyes, but they blinked them away before they could swell. Now was not the time for tears. Now was a time for action.
With that last determined thought, they pulled away along the bond until Adora was alone with her thoughts once more. Still, even if they weren't the one anymore, she could still feel all of it echoing from her mate just as she knew Catra could feel it from her too. They shared a fierce smile, both blazing with the strength of it, before climbing onto Melog's back to begin the journey back down from that lofty peak. Melog rose in a nigh exuberant motion and spun for the cliff so quickly it gave her a little thrill and Catra was laughing with it a moment before she was laughing herself. She traced her hands from Catra's hips to wrap her arms around her waist, pulling her mate's body back against her as Melog stepped forward to the very edge of the precipice.
For a moment, they gazed out over the horizon, head held high with pride. Then Melog surprised them both by letting out a fierce roar that sounded like a challenge to the very universe itself. Adora recovered almost instantly from her surprise and felt a burst of almost giddy affection and pride in Melog's gesture. It spoke of their faith and pride in them both and their absolute surety in the fact that they could rise to meet any challenge. And it was their unspoken declaration that they would be facing those challenges right there with them.
All of that she felt was ringing back at her from her mate and Catra turned her head enough to shoot her another fierce and giddy smile. Adora was already echoing it and they shared a mutual thought. Before the echoes of Melog's roar had even faded from the air, the both of them looked out and screamed their own wordless challenge to the universe too. Wherever their enemies were, they could not hear that challenge, but the both of them hoped with all that they were that they could feel it all the same. Blood and his brothers, Catalyst and her Dark Swarm, any darkness foolish enough to try to stand in their way, they hoped that they could feel it and know that they were all but doomed. There was nothing they could not do now that they did it as one.
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And there we go! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all continue to enjoy and I hope to see you along as we charge on towards the future!
Until next time, loves! Stay safe and read on! Ja!