Deep down, Catra knew that her old training crew was somewhere on Etheria. She'd seen them last at the Fright Zone, but hadn't had any communication with them since returning to the planet. Personally, she was hoping they'd settle down somewhere far away and she'd never have to see them again. She buried down their entire existence, wiping it from her short term memory. It was like a bad dream.
Seeing them again is like flinging the lock on her repressed memories wide open.
All of the shame and guilt she felt comes rushing back as she stares incredulously at Kyle. He somehow looks the same, still dressed in the Horde's standard red and white outfit. He flinches visibly at her landing in front of him, lurching backwards and landing on his butt in the grass. The twigs in his arms fly everywhere as he raises his arms to protect his face. He holds the stance for a moment, frozen in fear. The only movement is his hands shaking as he holds them up between them.
Catra grimaces and crosses her arms, her left eyebrow curling up at his reaction. "Wow, you're as lame as ever."
Kyle lowers his arms slowly, still looking at her warily. He stands up carefully, brushing off his pants as he rises. "Well, you can hardly blame me." He bends down to re gather the sticks as he continues, "we weren't exactly on the best of terms."
Catra frowns at the comment, leaning down to pick up a stick that landed near her feet. She passes it to Kyle and glances up at the tree where Melog is still lurking, eyes locked on Kyle's blonde hair. "You can come down now, he's harmless." Melog grumbles and complies, so Catra turns her attention back to Kyle. "Where's the rest of your crew anyway?"
Kyle motions with a short stick over his right shoulder, "They're a bit behind me, I went ahead to gather fire wood so we can make camp." He picks up his final stick with a satisfied grunt. "There we go."
Melog has reached Catra's side now. It seems to have accepted that Kyle isn't a threat and walks up to him curiously. Hello. It grunts. Fruit please.
"Awww, you're so cute." Kyle leans slightly to coo at Melog. "I wish I could pet you, maybe later once I put down these sticks."
Maybe later, huh? Catra's not sure how much longer she can handle this awkward situation. She can't even imagine how much worse it would be if…
Her thought is cut off as the bushes behind Kyle rattle, revealing Lonnie and Rogelio a few seconds later. Lonnie is carrying a large backpack and Rogelio has a baby strapped to his chest. Of course, she summoned them by desperately wishing they wouldn't show up, that's just her luck.
They don't notice her right away, Rogelio is focused on the baby and Lonnie has her eyes locked on the ground, it appears they were following Kyle footprints. "Kyle! You've gone way off course. I told you to go north…" Her eyes flick up, widening when she finally notices that they aren't alone.
Several things happen simultaneously in the next few seconds. Lonnie draws a short club from her backpack. Melog leaps back to stand in front of Catra, hissing and changing its fur from blue to red instantly, hackles raised. The baby in Rogelio's pouch takes a quick glance around and tilts back its head, letting out a loud wail which gets louder with each passing moment.
Kyle tries to wave his arms and once again drops all of his sticks, "Wait, wait! Everything is okay! She doesn't want to fight."
Rogelio hoists the baby up out of the pouch with a quiet grunt and starts to rock it slowly. The baby continues to cry but does seem to quiet down ever so slightly.
Despite Kyle's words, Lonnie still looks like she wants to fight. "Nu-uh Kyle. Not after what she put us through. I need this." She slides her backpack off her shoulders and drops it to the ground with a loud thud, adjusting into a fighting stance.
Well, if that's what Lonnie wants, who's Catra to refuse her? She loosens her knees and starts to move back and forth between her feet, "As if you'll stand a chance." She taunts, hands coming up to form loose fists in front of her face.
"Guys, please." Kyle sounds desperate now, his shoulders slumped.
Catra slides to her left so she'll have a clear path to reach Lonnie. She gives her a quick once over. Lonnie honestly looks exactly the same as when she left the Horde, though her stance is a bit tighter.
Lonnie takes a step towards her, seemingly giving her the same analysis. The air between them is thick with tension and Lonnie gives her club a practice swing with a dark look in her eye.
Rogelio growls at them, the baby finally quieted down to little sniffles and the occasional hiccup. He grunts, shuffling to free an arm so he can wave it rapidly towards Lonnie.
Lonnie lets out a defeated sigh and relaxes her posture, releasing the club so it falls into the grass near her backpack. "Fine… For the baby."
Oh, so they're not fighting after all, that's fine too. Catra stretches to release the tension that was starting to form in her muscles and leans down to pet Melog, its fur changing back to blue when she makes contact. "What're you guys doing out here anyway?" She asks.
"As if you actually care." Lonnie spits darkly back at her, leaning down to pick up her club and backpack. She slides the club into a pouch on the side where it must have been previously resting.
Catra's heart weighs heavy at the response, this group is not as forgiving as the Princesses, though it's more in line with what she deserves.
Rogelio has turned away at this point, probably to try and get the baby to stop hiccupping. Kyle is still standing in the center of the group, glancing back and forth as they stand their silently. He bites his lip. "H-hey, we were going to make camp soon anyway, why don't you spend the night with us?"
"Kyle!" Lonnie reacts harshly, walking over to grab him by the collar and tug him sharply towards her. "What do you think you're doing?"
Kyle yelps, "Hey! Look, she helped the Princesses, right?" He tries to step away from Lonnie, letting out a relieved sigh when she releases her grasp his shirt. "We should at least try."
Lonnie turns away with a huff, "Fine, but one wrong move and I'm taking action." She pulls a map out of her back pocket and unfolds it. "We're a little off course now, but we should only be an hour from Plumeria. This spot is fine for a camp I guess..." She folds the map up and tucks it back into her pocket.
"Great!" Kyle agrees a bit too fast and motions at the sticks on the ground around him. "I'll get the fire going!"
They never waited for an actual response from Catra, but she guesses it's settled for now. Lonnie once again removes her backpack, opening up the latch at the top and pulling out a rolled up tent. Rogelio sits down on the ground near Kyle, his attention still on the baby. The baby is happy again, gurgling and grabbing at Rogelio's finger as he moves it in a circle around its head.
They all seem to have a task; Catra feels out of place. She rubs the back of her neck with one hand, leaning back on the heels of her feet. "Uh… how about I get us some spare firewood?"
Kyle is already organizing his sticks in a neat pile and glances up from his work. "That sounds great!" He shoots her a thumbs up and a smile.
Okay, that's something to do at least. She spins around and walks into the trees, this will be a good opportunity for her to gather her thoughts. Melog follows closely, glancing over its shoulder as they move away. Is it really safe?
Catra nods, pausing to pick up a stick as soon as they're out of earshot. "Yeah, they're harmless. I grew up with them in the Horde."
Before Adora?
Catra blinks, hand pausing as it hovers over another stick. "I guess I haven't told you about my whole past, huh? I knew Adora back then too, at the same time as them." Catra picks up the stick and stands up, turning away from Melog as unwelcome feelings of pain bubble under the surface. She doesn't like remembering that Adora left her in the Horde, and though she can accept she was being an idiot, it still hurts. "Adora left, and I guess they left too since they're all the way out here."
She's not sure if Melog fully understands her explanation, but it can sense her jumbled emotions and drops the topic. It walks to a nearby tree and picks up a few medium sized sticks in its mouth.
Catra appreciates the silence as she continues to gather firewood. The last thing she expected on this trip was to run into Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio, though it was probably wishful thinking to believe she'd avoid them forever. She treated them unfairly in the Horde, barking out impossible orders and pushing them to their limits.
Of course, the first thing she did upon running into them today was be an ass to Kyle. Good going Catra. She bites her lip, eyes focused on the ground in front of her. She deserves their hatred, and they probably won't forgive her. She should still apologize, it's part of her trying to be a better person.
Even if they never see each other again after this, that's fine. Catra nods to herself, her mind made up. She has enough spare firewood at this point and calls for Melog. The two turn around and head back.
It only takes them about a minute to return to camp. The tent is now pitched and the fire is crackling nearby. Rogelio is holding a bottle about a foot over the fire, presumably warming up its contents for the baby. Kyle is holding the baby in the meantime, snuggling it against his chest and talking to it quietly. Lonnie is sitting next to the fire, fishing through her bag for something. Catra's not sure what she's looking for, but she walks up wordlessly and places the sticks next to the fire. She sits down opposite of their group, Melog joining her there a heartbeat later.
Catra glances up, the sun is setting now, it'll be over the horizon in less than an hour. While she would have liked to travel a bit longer, this is fine too she'll just get up a little earlier tomorrow. She reaches over to her ruck sack on Melog's back and pulls out a few pieces of fruit and some rations that Adora had packed her.
She glances back at the trio. "Do you guys need food?" She doesn't mean the question to come out rude but realizes it may have been when Lonnie shoots her a dark look.
"We have plenty, thank you." The last two words are basically spat at her before Lonnie goes back to rummaging. Rogelio moves the bottle away from the fire, touching the outside with his fingers. After a second, he nods and grunts to himself. He turns and hands Kyle the bottle who promptly slides it into the baby's mouth.
Lonnie finally finishes searching her bag, coming up with a few cans of food. She opens them with practiced ease and passes them to her comrades. "See?"
Catra wants to respond, but she's not sure what she could say that wouldn't irritate Lonnie further.
Fortunately for her, Kyle cuts in. "So Catra! Are you traveling? Where are you going?" He seems to be asking from a place of honesty, and Catra appreciates him for changing the topic.
She passes a piece of fruit to Melog as she replies. "Yeah, I'm doing a bit of a road trip, I guess. I'm on my way to the Kingdom of Snows right now."
Rogelio lets out an impressed grunt while Lonnie scoffs. Kyle is also impressed. "That's so cool! We just came from there actually. It was cold."
This reminds Catra of her earlier question, well she didn't forget exactly it just got pushed to the side earlier. "Why were you all the way up there? Also… don't take this the wrong way but where'd you get the baby?"
Said baby is still drinking happily, totally unaware that it's their newest topic of conversation. Lonnie answers this time. "We found the baby in a village wreckage after leaving the Horde. We've been traveling all over Etheria to try and find its parents." She glances over at the baby, expression softening.
That's actually really nice, Catra can tell they've been taking great care of it. "Soo, what's its name?"
They all shrug. Kyle chimes in, "We made a group decision to not name him. Surely this little guy already has one, and we don't want to confuse him." His expression shifts into a slight frown. "At this rate we may want to, we've already been to multiple Kingdoms and haven't had any luck."
Lonnie shakes her head. "We talked about this Kyle, you can name him if we can't find his parents. We still haven't covered the eastern part of Etheria so we can't give up yet."
Rogelio grunts and roars a couple times, waving his arms around to express his opinion. Catra has no clue what he's saying but Lonnie nods as if he's agreeing with her.
"I know…" Kyle grumbles, adjusting the bottle to help the baby finish it off. "I'm just weighing our odds, you know? At some point we should find a more permanent living situation."
"We'll keep playing it by ear." Lonnie replies before emptying the rest of her canned food into her mouth. She chews and swallows before turning back towards Catra. "You look like you've been through a lot, I dig the new look."
Catra subconsciously brings one hand up to her hair, running her fingers through it. "Thanks." The trio is all looking at her now, this is as good of a chance as any to say her piece. "Actually… I need to get something off my chest." She takes a deep breath, "I was trash to you at the Horde, I'm sorry about that." She glances down at Melog who is watching her patiently. "I don't expect your forgiveness, but I wanted to tell you."
Kyle is the first to respond and he does so without hesitating. "Of course I forgive you!" He looks like he wants to run over and hug her, but the baby is still resting in his arms. Rogelio roars and shoots her a thumbs up, which she guesses means they are going to be okay.
Lonnie stares at her as if studying her, arms crossing in front of her chest. "Just like that huh, you're a changed person?"
"I'm learning and trying. From the Princesses and from Adora." Catra replies honestly, showing her emotions far more clearly than she ever has with her ex Horde mates.
Lonnie's arms fall to her sides and she leans back against the grass, her gaze still fierce. "I'm not as easy going as these two. If you ever make me go into an evil snow storm again, I'll kill you." Lonnie narrows her eyes and Catra can't tell if she's serious or joking.
She decides to go with joking and laughs lightly, happy to be correct when Lonnie cracks a grin and laughs as well. "No more evil snow storms, I promise." She scratches Melog behind the ears as she continues. "I won't give you orders anyway, we aren't Horde soldiers anymore."
"We'll be okay then." Lonnie leans in and holds her hands up to the fire. "You mentioned Adora, I heard the two of you are a thing now? You saved Etheria with a magic kiss or something?"
Catra's face instantly heats up, is that really the rumor that's spreading around about her? She supposes it's about half true and better than rumors that she's an ex Horde soldier. Still, she glances down towards the grass, trying to will the blush to fade from her face. When she looks back up, Lonnie is smirking at her knowingly. She finally replies, "Something like that."
"Congrats Catra!" Kyle seems genuinely happy for her and smiles warmly. Rogelio grunts at her and nods firmly, which she once again hopes is a good thing.
Catra thanks them, and she really means it. Having their support even after everything, her chest warms as she's overwhelmed with happiness. It really is unexpected, she can add it to the list of things that have surprised her on this trip.
Kyle finally removes the bottle from the baby's mouth, its contents completely emptied. "Alrighty, I'm gonna burp him, then we should call it a night."
Catra glances at the sky, the sun has set now but only barely and the sky is still partially light. "You guys go to bed this early?" She realizes after a moment that she's once again being rude and scrambles to hastily follow up, "I mean, obviously you can do whatever you want."
Kyle stands up, adjusting the baby so its head is resting over his shoulder, "Just for now," he starts to pat the baby on the back gently, "we are trying to get him on a normal sleeping schedule, and according to books babies are supposed to sleep early."
Makes sense. Catra stands up as well, looking around to scope out a good tree to lie down in. It's kind of early, but if she sleeps now she can get the head start she was thinking about no problem.
There aren't any good ones nearby, she might have to walk for a bit to find one. She turns back to the group to wish them a good night, surprised when Rogelio and Kyle have already disappeared into the tent. Lonnie is standing at the entrance, watching her calmly.
Catra immediately feels defensive from catching her staring. "What is it?"
Lonnie raises one eyebrow at her and tilts her head, "You coming in, or what?"
Melog stays patiently by her side, but it looks up her curiously. That would be better than a tree.
Melog is right of course, but Catra is frozen from shock. Her heart swells from happiness as she mentally adds this to her ever growing list. She steps forward, walking around the fire pit to the tent. "Thanks." She nods at Lonnie and steps past her, pulling the tent flap open to step inside.