CHAPTER XXII: SOMEONE TO FIGHT FOR
"L-let me go! Let me go!"
It was a child's voice.
"Just go! Save yourself! Go!" The voice inside Catra's head screamed.
Catra didn't listen. She ran away from what could have possibly been her last chance to escape and quickly searched for the source of the voice. Her eyes darted everywhere as the screams got louder and louder. Where was this child?! And why was she even risking her life for someone she didn't even know?!
A part of Catra didn't really understand the meaning of her actions, but still, she kept moving. She ran and ran until she found herself in front of the broken gates of a training room. She slipped inside, careful not to be noticed… and Catra finally saw her.
At the center of the training chamber stood a girl… probably nine or ten years old… with caramel brown skin and curly, black hair that reached her shoulders. The feline's eyes however, did not widen because of the girl, but because of the two figures standing near to her.
Prime clones…
They were already in the Fright Zone…
Of course they were, how could she have outran those freaking spaceships?
"Let me go!" The child screamed in rage.
One of the clones was holding her arm, a blank expression on her face. The other one began to reach out in order to grab the other… but the child seemed to have no intention to let that happen. She placed her foot on the leg armor of the clone which was holding her, jumped upwards and kicked the other one in the head. The clone crashed to the ground, unmoving. The other clone's eyes widened a bit.
"Serves you right…" Catra snickered quietly.
The young girl turned towards the other Prime guard and tried to kick him in the stomach. Unfortunately, as she raised her leg, the clone caught it with his free hand and raised the child above his head before slamming her to the ground.
The kid cried in pain.
"That will teach you how to behave properly." The clone snarled.
That will teach you how to behave properly…
Catra remembered those words… she had heard them countless times when Shadow Weaver had tried to 'teach her some manners'. She remembered the old hag hissing those words as she threw her against walls, as she used her magic to make her unable to breathe… unable to see…
Catra saw red. She rushed towards the clone, jumped on his shoulders and propelled herself into the air, before coming down and hitting the Prime guard's head with her heel as hard as she could. The feline heard a cracking sound, and the clone reached his companion on the ground. Catra stared at the two unmoving bodies for a few moments before she kneeled next to the kid. She had her eyes closed.
"Please… just let her be okay…" Catra found herself thinking.
The feline gently raised her head and released a sigh of relief she hadn't noticed she was holding as the kid groaned and opened her eyes.
"C-Commander?" The kid croaked before grunting and sitting up.
She held her head for a second, shutting her eyes tight before opening them again. When she realized who was crouched beside her, her eyes widened, and she shot up.
"Commander Catra! I-" The kid quickly raised her arm, trying to salute Catra, but just a second after she doubled over in pain, clutching her side.
Catra put her hands on the kid's shoulders, shaking her head.
"Hey, there's no need for that, okay? What's your name?" The feline asked.
"Ivy… my name's Ivy…" The young girl said before quickly adding, "C-Commander!"
"Well, mine's Catra, so just call me that, okay?"
"Uhm… okay…" Ivy replied somewhat timidly.
"Did you hear my message on the communication screens?" Catra asked.
"N-no… I was in the barracks with the other cadets a-and suddenly a lot of people were running everywhere! I-I thought it was just an exercitation, so I just followed my regular t-training program… and when I got here… I started to see the fires a-and t-those monsters a-and I-" Ivy started to ramble, her breathing getting quicker.
"Hey, hey, kid… look at me." Catra cupped her cheek and raised the child's face.
The kid was shaking… and Catra was the only person who could be there for her in that moment. "What can I do… what can I do to make it better?!" The feline screamed internally. She wasn't good at this, the whole comforting people thing… she had terrorized them her all life. But making it better for a terrorized kid? Making her feel better? How could she even-
"Catra?"
"Go away…"
"Are you okay?"
"Go away!"
…
…
…
"Can I sit with you?"
…
"Whatever…"
"Catra… please, tell me what happened…"
"She hurt me okay?! Like she always does!"
"W-why?"
"Because a few kids were laughing at my ears! So I shut them up, and when they ran crying to Shadow Weaver, she… she hit me…"
"Catra…"
"J-just go, it'll pass."
"I'm proud of you."
"W-what?"
"You stood up to those bullies, it took courage… you're very brave… I'm proud of you Catra."
…
"… thanks…"
"Where does it hurt?"
"Here…"
"Let me take a look."
The whole memory flashed before Catra's eyes in an instant. The truth was that… she did have a person who had been there for her. A really dumb one, who did not understand how Catra truly needed her to be there for her… but she tried, and sometimes she did make things better.
"They're gone, okay? Those monsters are gone… you took one out as if it was nothing! That took guts. I've never seen a cadet fight like you. You're…" Catra hesitated for a moment, staring into Ivy's eyes, noticing the way she was looking at her, both curious and amazed.
"You really wanna give her what you never got? Why should she deserve it? Why her and not you? Why should you give it to her?!" The voice inside Catra's head spoke venomously.
…
"Because I'm not Shadow Weaver."
…
"You're strong Ivy… I'm… I'm proud of you." Catra spoke kindly, the warmth of her voice surprising not only Ivy, but the feline herself.
"T-thank you Comm… thank you Catra." Ivy replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Now, let's get out of here, okay? More of those monsters are coming… we need to run." Catra helped Ivy up.
"N-No! I can fight! We can fight them together!" Ivy raised her fists.
Catra smirked, she liked the fire in the kid… she reminded the feline a little bit of herself. When Catra was still a kid, many other cadets were scared to fight, even in a simulation. They were scared of getting hurt… but not Catra. She wanted to fight, she wanted to prove herself.
"As much as I'd like that, I only came here to save the Horde, not put it in danger. They're too many, and we can't beat them… but once we've escaped… I know someone who could help us." Catra explained.
"W-who?"
"I'll tell you later, right now we have to-"
BOOM!
Suddenly, the wall of the training room shattered. Catra threw herself to the ground, pushing Ivy down as well. Miraculously, none of the debris hit them. When the two stood up, Catra's breath hitched.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my little brother's most trusted commander…"
The somewhat elegant voice sent chills down the feline's spine.
Horde Prime…
She didn't think he would actually come to the Fright Zone. But there he was, standing right in front of Catra, a malicious grin plastered on his face. A dozen of clones quickly reached his side, surrounding the tyrant and raising their rifles towards the former Horde commander.
"Ivy, listen to me… you have to run, okay?" Catra muttered, her eyes never leaving Prime's ones.
"N-no! I can help you! I-"
"This isn't training kid, these guys are not going to stop if you fall to the ground, and I'm not planning on making you die here. Go."
"B-but I-" Ivy protested.
Freaking, stubborn kid!
"I'm not asking you, cadet! Reach the woods' edge and wait for me there! That's an order!" Catra didn't really want to play the 'commander' card, she found out that she couldn't care less now, but if it was the only way to save the kid… well…
Ivy took a small step back, frowning slightly. She looked at Catra one last time before turning on her heels and rushing towards the training room's exit. The feline put herself in the line of fire, but the clones didn't seem to care about the small girl. Their rifles remained pointed on Catra.
"You're going to make them shoot me?" Catra spoke mockingly, a condescending grin growing on her lips.
Horde Prime didn't seem to like the insinuation, his smile wavered for a second before he recomposed himself. The tyrant chuckled darkly.
"No, I was thinking of having my soldiers put up a little bit of a show for me. Most of the people I encountered on my way in immediately kneeled, the others… well…" Horde Prime's grin grew more sinister.
He was going to pay…
"This place hasn't offered anything but boredom to me… so no, I won't make my sentinels shoot you." Prime gaze shifted from Catra to his clones. "Drop your rifles, do this barehanded. I want to see nothing more than a bloody pulp smeared on the floor when you're done."
The clones immediately dropped their rifles and rushed towards Catra. Not one second to think, not one second to prepare herself, to study her surroundings. Twelve against one.
It was going to be fun.
Mmmmmmmm… we've finally come to the fight, in a couple of days I'll publish the next chapter, and Catra will have to face not one but twelve Hordarks… who knows how it will all end… well, it won't be the whole fanfiction's end, because after this bomb I've planned another one of five or maybe six chapters that will bring this story to its conclusion, but still! It will be awesome… or maybe heartbreaking… who knows...