Where Do We Go From Here?

Kitatanya

Chapter 40

A/N: Thank you for your support! You're awesome! More at the end.

NOTE: This is the second half of the last chapter so it's again in Catra's POV.

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Catra was still all but snickering as she and Adora and Melog left their building and began making their way through the fading afternoon light into the city. Frosta had managed to surprise her greatly and she could not help feeling a little gleeful about it. All of her childlike mannerisms while dealing with others were genuine and the reason for them was more than a little sad no matter how you sliced it, but the end result? Catra found she wanted to be even better friends with their youngest friend now and it filled her with delight and even more love for the ice princess.

In that little conversation, she'd solidified the knowledge that, even more than themselves, Frosta had never gotten a chance to really act like a child before. Like herself and her mate, -though Adora had had far more support than either of them with Glimmer and Bow in the beginning of her new life- Frosta had had to learn to hide who she really was in order to survive her circumstances, until that persona actually became a part of who she was. Catra had already known that this eclectic and wonderful grouping of princesses were Frosta's first real friends through Adora's memories, but she hadn't realized just how deep that feeling went in Frosta's heart until now.

For the first time in her life, she was with people she trusted enough to truly be the person she'd been hiding all of this time; just like Catra herself now outside of Adora and Melog. She was allowed to be this person that enjoyed physical affection and teasing jokes with confidence and happiness, while still being a force to be reckoned with, both in battle and in all of their lives. And every day, just like herself, the ice princess only got more and more sure about who she was and what she wanted.

Frosta was a powerful young woman, far more powerful than even she and Adora's joined minds had realized and realizing just how much she had in common with her, had made her feel more than a little special. Maybe it was strange to feel that way, but it felt too good to poke holes in right now. And all the while she was with her mate and with Melog, who were feeling at least some of this right along with her and it only made it that much better.

She gazed over at her mate, seeing that slightly dazed look of utter happiness in her eyes and that dazzling smile she was wearing had her heart skipping a beat in her chest. It was becoming harder and harder not to give in to the urge to tug on their soul-bond, so much so that even though they were still connected in that place of true conversation, she'd been avoiding talking through it for most of the day. Adora had too and though she knew it was partly because her mate was feeling the same way she was, she could only guess at the rest of what was happening deep in her mind.

She could still read her mate, see what she was thinking and feeling on the surface through her eyes and expressions and the way she moved and spoke, but Adora was a complicated woman in a lot of ways and her mind worked in strange ways to her even now. Not even one entire day had they truly been apart and already, there was an element of mystery between them. It was nothing short of thrilling to experience for Catra. And the irony of how wonderful it was in light of how very unsure she had truly been about not knowing for sure Adora's true thoughts before, only made it feel all the more acute. It made her realize again how they really had been taking their soul-bond for granted until now and she was glad, beyond glad, they'd decided to try something new; even as the new felt like the very beginning of their real lives together and that was a part of what made it so very special.

Now though, she was noticing something else shifting in Adora's eyes. Seeing that slight darkening of her cheeks as that dazzling smile shifted a little into a smirk, had tingles of fire exploding along her entire form in an instant. "If you don't stop looking at me like that, we are never going to make it to the campsite." The playfully threatening words were a low and husky whisper that had her breath catching in her throat.

How? How did one single expression, one sentence, do these things to her? How could she possibly want her mate as much as she did all the time? Like everything else, it was almost terrifying, but this was thrilling in the very best of ways. And knowing with every fiber of her that Adora felt the same only made it worse.

Gathering every ounce of will she had, she looked away and kept walking and repeated again what they both already knew to herself. They'd made a promise not to get lost. They'd made a promise to look beyond themselves. In the span of a single day, being apart had gone from being a necessity, to a promise and yet it hadn't changed their dynamic and she loved it.

She wanted to say something, but all she could find were the most important words. "I love you." She all but whispered them.

Adora's fingers squeezed hers. "I love you too." From the way she said it, Catra knew Adora was just as wondered as she was by what was happening between them.

Grinning, full of love for her mate and all but purring, she tried to force herself to actually look at the city around them. Barkos was as different a place as any she'd visited since she and Adora had woken from their darkness. It was quaint in a pleasing sort of way, though the cozy shop they'd borrowed for the clones was by far the building she liked the most. Most of the rest of the buildings were made of the same light grey stone as the cobbled streets, giving it a very uniform look, broken by the exposed wooden frames and slated roofs of a variety of earth toned colors. The people were an eclectic mix of different sorts and most seemed polite and as quaint as their city, bobbing respectful nods at the as they passed and offering greetings, which she did her beast to whether with a confident smile. The high wall sprawling around them, made Barkos feel strangely cut off from the forest she knew was right outside and it made it feel very safe, even if the battle from a few days prior belied that fact. She liked it, but it brought to mind a heavier thought.

She'd never truly visited many large cities before, other than the Valley of the Lost and Dryl and the city just outside Frosta's castle in Kingdom of Snows; she'd been far too distracted then to learn its name. She'd been to the Sea Gate, but never to the other side and a lot of places other than Erelandia, she only knew through Adora's memories having mostly stuck to the hastily erected bases built by the Horde soldiers under Hordak and her command. She knew that the majority of Brightmoon's population- and most of Etheria that she'd seen for that matter- lived villages and settlements like the one they'd rushed to defend before here, but of course, these larger places were the ones they knew to rush to defend because they could call for help. Thinking of all of those little settlements being met with the size of the forces they'd faced, even the comparably small one of the ambush on their way through the mountains, made a part of her sick.

She tore her mind from that train of thought with a vengeance. As soon as more charms and crystals were finished, she and Adora and Melog would be working to rectify that atrocity. And maybe that would be their chance to do something about the magical creatures Melog had warned them about while they were travelling, something they'd decided to wait until after their trip to Mystacor to bring up with Glimmer and the rest. They both knew that without more information, it would just be another burden and it had felt wrong to lay that upon them before they left.

Remembering that mission across Etheria strangely made her think about the fact that, for all that she'd lived and fought for the Horde and as much as she'd travelled, she'd really only seen a small portion of her home and hadn't really ever taken a chance to appreciate anything for what it was before they'd broken. Adora had seen much more of it, having had access to Glimmer's magic while they moved around and Swift Wind's ability of flight, but for all intents and purposes, she had only seen a portion of it too and most every trip, like hers, had been clouded by other thoughts and purposes. It was strangely jarring to think how little they really knew about Etheria, in light of everything they were doing and had to do here.

It made her wish things had been different and that she'd remembered to look around her before. But just like recently with Adora, she realized she'd spent a large portion of her life seeing things through a lens. The lens was clearer now, more true, but still. She loved her planet, her home, and her people now and that was still a new thing too. Lots of things were new to her still, but this life she was leading now was no comparison to before. A few weeks, a little over a month, had changed everything and it was yet another thing to be puzzled and wondered by in equal measure.

Adora suddenly stopped, thankfully jerking her from her thoughts, even as she was concerned by the sudden halt. She looked up to see her mate regarding her with worry and she was instantly filled with the need to take it away, but Adora spoke before she could act on the thought. "I like that face even less, cause it makes me want to go back to our room for a different reason." She muttered.

Catra dropped their linked hands and moved into her, drawing her mate into a firm embrace. "Sorry." She mumbled into her chest. "I was just thinking about stuff. I'm glad you stopped me." She admitted. Then, all of a sudden, she found her mulling amusing and every torn emotion was washed away on a tide of mirth and love. "I was pulling a you and worrying about things I can't control." She teased.

Adora laughed at the words and the sound was all she wanted to hear as her mate's arms wound around her, holding her tight. But the sigh her mate let out as she pressed a kiss to the top her head was more than a little heavy. "Later?"

Catra looked up to see an almost painfully tender expression on her mate's face. She wanted it gone. Ignoring the assumed gazes of the people around them, she surged up to brush a soft kiss across her lips. "Promise." She murmured fervently, smiling as Adora's cheeks tinged a lovely shade of pink and that tender expression dissolved into a rather silly grin. With a laugh, she pulled away before her mate could kiss her back and reclaimed Adora's hand. "Now, c'mon before we run out of time." She declared, tugging her mate gently along behind her. The sun was already beginning to set and they had to be in bed early tonight for their trip to Mystacor.

Adora laughed softly and let herself be drug along for a moment, before matching her stride and Catra knew she was grinning like a fool now herself as she watched her mate look down to Melog. "If we stop again, drag us." She was still laughing as she said it, but Catra could tell she actually meant it.

Melog chuffed an amused sound and surged ways ahead of them with a small bound. Catra pretended to frown after them. "You're a lot of help." She snapped playfully.

Melog merely lifted their chin higher and kept going and she couldn't fight a snicker at their sass. Adora giggled and tugged their linked fingers, drawing her the tiniest bit closer. Catra tried and failed to stifle a purr, before she noticed a group of young women was tittering on the path ahead of them, blushing and coyly glancing away like they hadn't been watching them. Butterflies erupted into her stomach, but she couldn't find it in herself to be truly embarrassed. Again came the thought that she did not care to show the world how attracted she was to her mate. Everything else she might hide, but not her feelings for Adora. That feeling let her walk past the tittering group with her chin held high and confident with another tiny thrill to her heart.

Adora made a pained sound under her throat as her fingers all but convulsed in her hand and Catra had to focus all of her attention on Melog in order to stifle the urge to look at her. She knew what look was on Adora's face and knew if she did, this trip would be over. Then she laughed. "This is impossible." She growled the playfully exasperated words under her breath, knowing her mate would hear them. "We have to stop."

"I know that." Adora replied in a near whisper. "But I can't help it."

The slightly whining tone filled Catra with a burst of mischievous humor. "I know you can't." She affected a long-suffering sigh and shook her head. "But can I help it if I'm just too perfect to resist?"

The strangled sound Adora let out had her laughing too hard to do anything as her mate dropped their linked fingers to shove her playfully away. "I'm going to walk with, Melog, you jerk." She huffed, picking up her stride.

Catra laughed after her, but she only let Adora take a few strides ahead of her before surging forward. "Not if I catch up with them first!" She challenged as she blasted past her mate.

"Hey!" The indignant cry had her laughing harder. She heard Adora scrambling after her and only barely resisted the urge to pick up her pace, not wanting to actually leave her mate behind.

Melog looked back with a playful glint in their eyes as they neared them and then took off with another bound. She and Adora shared a giddy glance that had them both giggling, before they raced after them, tearing through the quieting town. As they ran, all of that nervous energy building in her core seemed to seep away and she remembered so many instances like this from their past that it had heart ringing in her chest with love for Melog for goading them along on this playful run. Adora was laughing and the sound was as light and happy a sound as her own and she knew her mate was feeling it too and it only made her feel even better. They were drawing incredulous and amused gazes from a few mingling soldiers and townspeople as they ran past them, but she didn't care. Seeing the soldiers let her know they were nearing the campsite and it filled her with even more happy pleasure.

Their one true conversation with Rogelio, Lonnie, and Kyle felt like it had happened ages ago already, even if it happened only days ago. They still had yet to thank Rogelio for his selfless actions in saving Ramel and she wanted to. She wanted so badly to spend time with them in a way she never had before; just like with Frosta and Glimmer and Bow and the rest. She just wanted to be around people who made her happy. It was a simple and wondering thought, but it felt very, very big and almost frightening in a way she couldn't quite describe, just like ignoring the gazes of those strangers around her did too.

Her emotions were swinging wildly and it had been awhile since she'd felt this mix so acutely. She was confused by it for a moment, before realizing why. She still wasn't used to not having Adora's emotions in her head alongside her own. Lately, she'd always had Adora's reassurance to alleviate these little fears and she realized now that having it, had been like a buffer to stop her from truly dealing with it. And this was something she needed to truly deal with. She didn't quite know how she knew it, but the slightly scary thought felt as right as the good ones she'd been having. And following swiftly on its heels, came another.

How many more things were hiding within her that she needed to face properly? It was an interesting side effect to spending time apart from the closer places of their bond that she hadn't truly considered until now. They'd had the thought together that there were things inside them they hadn't truly discovered in themselves, but now she was seeing that in new definition and it was yet another thing to puzzle over when she had time.

For now, there were far better things to think about as they rounded a corner and saw the small park Glimmer had told them about. She could see the tents of their forces spread out in neat lines in the middle of a large grassy area, separated from the city by beds of plants and a small patch of what she knew was an artificially cultivated portion of forest, and by a bubbling, again artificial, stream. Melog was already bounding over the small stone bridge, but they paused before surging into the tents to wait for them and she saw them all but glowing with happiness. Music reached her ears as they drew close and she could hear laughter and happy voices raised in song and play somewhere near the supposed source.

"Looks like we'll be party crashing instead of talking." She laughed at Adora.

Her mate sent her a rather delighted smile, slowing as they reached the bridge. "I could use a party." The words were playful and a glint of mischief entered her eyes, though she was obviously trying not to show it.

Catra grinned hugely at her, deciding not to press her and just go with it. This teasing banter was a highly pleasing distraction from their hunger and all of the heavier thoughts she was trying to suppress. And she was more than certain that whatever her mate was planning would be fun for her too. With that thought, she reached out as Adora did, linking their fingers together once more as they joined Melog on the other side. They were watching them, eyes sparkling with love and happiness. She reached out as they stepped closer, running her fingers over the top of their head and Melog purred, lifting their head into the touch as they matched their stride. Her heart was full to bursting with happiness, love, and a tingle of anticipation, she could not even try to hide as they walked through the tents towards those happy sounds of laughter and music.

Then, as they drew closer, she recognized the loudest of those singing voices and stopped short in utter surprise. "Lonnie?" She half cried her name and Catra saw Adora looking at her in confusion in her peripherals. Catra shook her head and sent her an excited smile. "Come on. We've got to see this." She started walking again at a quicker pace.

Adora returned the smile but was still confused as she let herself be led and Catra felt yet another tingle of anticipation as she awaited her mate's reaction to this little surprise. Her mate did not disappoint in the slightest. The moment they rounded the last tent on that grassy lot and saw the party, there was Lonnie smiling and clapping and leading the others in song near the instrument players as she watched Rogelio and Kyle dancing among others around a roaring fire and Adora immediately stopped short, gaping in utter surprise.

Catra immediately burst out laughing, drawing a glare from her stunned mate. "I had no idea she could sing!" Adora half sputtered the words.

Catra grinned. "I didn't either." She supplied by way of apology for her laughter, before letting her eyes trail back to the surprising spectacle. "She's really good at it too."

Her mate hummed a low sound under her breath. "She is."

There was something in her tone that made Catra a tiny bit suspicious, but she didn't have time to react before she found herself being pulled towards the dancing soldiers around the fire. Feeling a little helpless, she looked back to Melog who hadn't followed, but they simply sat and watched after them, smiling their version of a happy smile. Her heart was leaping in her chest with too many emotions at once to name as her mate lead her right beside Rogelio and Kyle.

Both men paused just long enough to beam smiles at them, which Adora returned in a dazzling flash, before turning to her. "Dance with me?"

Catra felt a part of her melting as she remembered the last time Adora had spoken those words to her, right after they'd agreed to be mates. All of those surging and tingling emotions left in a rush of love for her mate and she laughed at the wonder of it. "Dummy." She teased. "Like you even have to ask."

With a wondering laugh of her own, Adora pulled them into motion. The jovial dance they fell into to match Rogelio and Kyle beside them and the other dancing soldiers was again as different as their dance had been that day to any other, but it felt no less wonderful and special all the same. She scarcely registered when the song ended, because another started almost immediately, but then, Lonnie was there, dancing with Rogelio and Kyle beside them and smiling and laughing as much as they were.

For almost the very first time, Catra felt truly and completely one with all of the people around them, not just with Adora and her friends. Not a single one of the faces around them was looking towards them with anything short of happiness and comradery- when they were looking towards them at all. As they spun and danced and laughed around the fire, all she could see and hear was laughter, music, song, and smiles and for a single, crazy moment, she hoped this wonderful night would never end.

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And there we go! Thank you for reading!

So, I meant to mention in my last author's note that the last chapter was a half chapter that I released before completion to let you guys know about the change in summary. In light of the other things I had to say, I just forgot. Chapters after this will resume normal length, but again, writing is kind've a challenge right now, so I have to be honest that I do not know how long they're going to take to complete. I promise to try not to let it go too long between chapters, but I am only human. These delays are sadly out of my control. I'm not done yet though, loves, so let's push on! I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you along as we press on towards the future!

Until next time, loves! Stay safe and read on! Ja!