I'm really sorry that it's been 2 months. I've been busy but I'm back and I will try to be diligent and get this wrapped up. We have just 3 chapters left after this one!
Catra has a hard time falling asleep that night. She ends up reading the first few chapters of the book given to her by Mermista, the pages visible via a small slit of moonlight shining in through the front of the tent.
The book is admittedly better than she was expecting. The main character has an awfully familiar sass to her as she wanders into a rural town, quickly discovering that there was a murder the prior night. Catra reads until she reaches the scene of the crime and decides that's a good place to stop for now.
She tucks the book away and curls up under the blanket given to her by Kyle. Melog is curled up in a tight ball next to her, the two of them lying next to the tent's entrance. Catra pushes her face into Melog's side, the warmth of the fur reminding her just a little bit of laying with Adora.
She closes her eyes and drifts to sleep.
She's not sure how long she's been asleep before she's awoken by a wailing sound to her left. She presses her ears down flat against her head to try and muffle it, that baby sure has some lungs. Someone else is quickly on their feet to cradle the baby, making soft cooing sounds. Catra can make out the voice as Kyle's as he steps around her to carry the baby out of the tent.
It seems to still be the middle of the night, so Catra shuts her eyes and wills herself back to sleep.
She's woken up a handful more times by the baby, getting up herself when the sun pokes over the horizon. She pushes out of the tent with Melog at her feet and sees Rogelio sitting on the ground next to the burnt-out fire. He's rocking the baby in his arms, nodding once at Catra to acknowledge her.
"Good morning," she mutters and raises her arms to stretch with a loud yawn. "He's like that every night?"
Rogelio once again nods, his expression seeming to look a little pained.
"He'll get better in time." Catra comments, reaching into her ruck sack to pull out some breakfast for herself and Melog. They have a long journey ahead of them and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't still exhausted from the broken-up sleep. She offers Melog a full ration and opens one for herself. She nibbles on it slowly, pausing to rub some sleep from her eyes with the back of one hand. Melog eats happily next to her and stretches out on the ground once it's done, its claws digging into the ground as it lets out a satisfied grunt.
We should get going.
Catra nods and finishes her food. She turns to Rogelio, "Hey, uh… will you say goodbye to them for me? I'm not running away or anything, we just have a long way to go." She glances down at her hands, why did she have to phrase that so awkwardly?
Rogelio grunts at her, which seems like an affirmative. It does dawn on Catra that Rogelio is not the best to relay a message. She glances around, is there anything she can write with? Her eyes land on the charred remains of the fire. That should work. She walks over to the fire pit and smooths the dark ash lying at the bottom so it's a flat layer. She grabs a nearby stick and scribbles as many letters as she can fit.
"GTG
THX 4 SLEEP
GL W/ BABY"
Her attention turns back towards Rogelio, "Just point at this, okay?"
Rogelio nods and everything seems to be settled. Catra wishes him luck and takes a moment to make sure everything she needs is in her ruck sack. The only thing missing is her Mer-mysteries book, so Catra ducks into the tent silently to grab it.
Both Kyle and Lonnie are passed out and Catra is careful not to wake them. Once she's back outside she tucks the book away and slides onto Melog's back so they can continue their journey.
Melog kicks off with its back legs and starts to run towards the Kingdom of Snows. They have to pass through the entire Fright Zone in order to reach it, which will take at least five hours. Catra's not looking forward to it, but it was worth it to spend some time with the people she grew up with.
Catra zones out as they travel, not realizing they even left the Whispering Woods until the old Horde HQ appears on the horizon. She doesn't spare it a glance as they ride past, the building holds many memories. Some good and some bad, but she made it through.
After a few minutes the building is far behind her, and Catra decides not to dwell on it. She allows her mind to wander once again until the snow starts to appear in piles around her, yellow scenery shifting to white.
A cold chill is also starting to creep up her arms and she shivers involuntarily. Maybe she should have packed a coat or something.
If Melog is cold it doesn't show it, picking up the pace in excitement when it realizes they're getting close. The temperature continues to drop as they run, and by time they reach the entrance to the Kingdom of Snows Catra's teeth are chattering. She doesn't remember it being like this when she came for Princess Prom. The excitement of messing with Adora must have distracted her from the frigid wind, or maybe she's just misremembering. It doesn't really matter now.
They finish the ride in silence, the only noises being the crunching of snow beneath Melog's feet and Catra's teeth chattering against each other. She feels indescribable relief when the castle appears on the horizon. They'll have heat, or at least a jacket that she can borrow.
Two guards stand in front of the castle entrance, long spears in hand. These spears have large ice blades on the ends, and these come down to cross in front of the gate as Catra approaches. She grimaces as Melog skids to a stop in front of them, sliding the last few inches from the snow. It's the first time she hasn't been immediately welcomed somewhere, but honestly the hostility still feels a little more normal, even with all changes she's been going through. She slips off Melog's back and stands defensively, arms crossing in front of her, trying to stop her teeth from chattering as she speaks. "Princess Frosta should be expecting me."
The guards are wearing hats which cover the majority of their faces, but as they exchange a look Catra can tell they don't believe her. The guard on the right gives her a once over, stepping forward while keeping her weapon between them. A strong wind blows past, causing a shiver to wrack through Catra's whole body, her tail wrapping around her wrist to try and provide a little more warmth. Frustration from the cold and at the two stranger's incompetence claws at her chest. She inhales deeply, counts to 3, and exhales. "How about someone goes to check with the Princess?" She suggests it as calmly as she can, considering it feels like her feet are about to fall off her body.
"That's a good idea." The other guard chimes. "I'll go check." He lifts his weapon from the entrance and runs into the courtyard, leaving Catra with only one weapon pointed at her instead of two. It's a good start.
Not like there will be any fighting, because Catra has no intention of staying if she's not actually welcome. She shuffles towards Melog, hoping to share some of its warmth as they wait. She rubs her arms and ducks down, her eyes shifting to the remaining guard. "Aren't you cold?" she asks curiously.
The guard shakes her head no, "Our Kingdom supplies us with the best protective gear. It would take a lot more than this for me to feel a chill." She smiles proudly.
That's nice, Catra wonders how she can get her hands on some. She doesn't have much time to think about it though, as she spots the second guard returning from the castle. He shouts as he gets closer, "Let her in!"
Catra puts on her best lopsided grin, though she's sure it's ruined by her freezing body. "G-great, told you."
The guard offers no apology, simply stepping to one side and lifting her spear to clear the path "Enjoy your stay."
Catra leads Melog across the courtyard, heat washing over her when she steps inside the castle doors. She pauses there for a moment to warm up, brushing any loose snow off her arms and legs. After about 60 seconds she can move her fingers and toes again, so she presses on and enters the ballroom.
Well, it was a ballroom the last time she was here, now it's just the main lobby for the castle. It looks very much the same, just without all the decorations. Catra's eyes immediately land on the throne, but the seat is currently empty.
She glances around, eventually spotting the princess sitting at a large table to the left of the room. She has large books stacked in front of her, with one open in her lap. An older woman is sitting to her right, holding another copy of the same book.
Frosta is reading something out loud, it sounds like a math equation that Catra's never heard before. The older woman sees Catra and taps Frosta on the shoulder, pointing in her direction to get Frosta to turn around.
The young princess swivels in her seat, her face turning bright pink when she realizes who's there. Catra's not sure why she's embarrassed, she seems to be studying, there's nothing wrong with that. She shrugs to herself, sometimes kids get worked up about the weirdest things, she was no exception.
Catra crosses the open space to stand near the table, Melog silently following her. "Hi Frosta," she greets her with a small wave. "Sorry if I'm interrupting. I can come back later if…"
"No!" Frosta interrupts her. "I mean uh, no… You don't need to come back later." She turns towards who Catra assumes to be her teacher. "Is it okay if we finish for today? We can spend extra time tomorrow if need be."
The teacher agrees with a small smile, giving Catra a warm look. She shuts the book and excuses herself, gathering up the remaining books and placing them on a shelf nearby.
Frosta clears her throat, pink still dusting her cheeks. "Right, follow me then," she demands, hopping off the chair and immediately turning to walk deeper into the castle. She walks fast, each step placed firmly and with purpose.
Frosta leads her to a side room, which appears to be a storage area/closet. She fishes through a pile of clothing in the corner, coming up with a puffy looking jacket and a pair of gloves after a few seconds. She turns and holds them out to Catra who gratefully accepts. "You'll need these, I can't believe you made it to the castle dressed like that." She motions widely to Catra's exposed hands, legs, and feet.
"Honestly, I can't believe it either." Catra slides the jacket over her shoulders, fumbling with the zipper for a moment before getting it to catch and sliding it shut. She slips the gloves onto each hand in turn. "Thank you."
"Of course," Frosta responds, then pauses. Her gaze has shifted past Catra, down past her feet. She can only be looking at Melog, which Catra turns to confirm. Melog is sitting patiently in the doorway, ready to continue their adventure.
Catra senses someone nearing her from behind and steps to the side as Frosta suddenly passes her. Frosta is short enough that she doesn't have to kneel to be by Melog's head, and her hand is already extended towards it as she approaches. She suddenly pauses, turning her head towards Catra. "May I pet your cat please?" She's so polite, so different from the snobby child who scolded Adora at the princess prom. Catra can't help but be impressed.
"Melog's not a cat, but sure."
Frosta's lips curl up in a genuine grin and she leans in to pat Melog firmly on the head. "That's right, I think Adora told me about Melog. A space alien, that's so cool, even better than a cat! Yes, you are the coolest. It is you," she coos. Frosta raises her second hand to scratch Melog behind the ears, "So good."
She thanks Melog with another small smile and spins back to re-enter the room. "One moment please." She ducks past Catra again and returns to the clothing pile. This time it takes her a little longer, but she comes out triumphant with a long piece of cloth in her hands. She leans down, wrapping it loosely around Melog's neck. "To keep you warm."
Thank you. Melog licks her cheek. I love it.
Frosta giggles at the contact and finishes the final wrap of the scarf, tucking it into itself to keep it secure. "Okay, we're ready now."
Melog stands up and backs into the hallway, allowing Frosta to move past it and head back towards the castle entrance. The newly decked out travel crew follows her, Catra ready to face the cold with her new jacket.
She's not sure what they're going to be doing, but she doesn't get the chance to ask before Frosta's got them headed back into the snow and wind, though she leads them to the right side of the courtyard where they're sheltered by a tall wall. Other than that, the space is empty. Well, except for snow of course.
Catra glances around, "uhh…" she hesitates, she doesn't want to offend her host.
Frosta's eyes rest on her for a moment, eyes widening when she realizes Catra's confused. "Oh! I forgot the ice!" Her hands flair in front of her for a moment, then she draws them in and creates two blocks of ice. Each sit about 3 feet tall and a foot wide. "Sorry!"
Catra shakes her head and says that it's okay, the ice blocks sitting in front of them give her a pretty clear picture of what they're going to be doing. "Ice sculpting?"
"Yup!" Frosta puffs her chest proudly. "You're looking at the best of the best, and I'm gonna turn you into the second best of the best."
Catra smiles at the comment, deciding not to tell her that you can't have two bests of the best. "I'm counting on you then."
Frosta nods and taps her right hand against her chest twice, "Leave it to me, and if you don't like how they turn out, we can smash them." Even though it's probably a joke, Frosta sounds dead serious. She summons ice around her hands, her right hand in the form of a hammer and her left holding what looks like a pick. "So, the secret is really envisioning your final product."
Frosta steps up to the block of ice nearest to her and places the ice pick against the surface, hitting it softly but with precision and slowly moving in circles around the block. She inhales deeply, "Sometimes I forget to breath, so don't forget about that."
"Duly noted." Catra watches in amazement as Frosta continues to chip away at her piece, clearing out the top and then working on the middle. Catra can clearly make out the ears and head of Melog, perfectly proportioned to the real thing sitting by her side.
After a couple more circles, Frosta reaches the legs. "Now, when you get to bigger parts, you want to make big strong hits. She raises her right fist above her head to demonstrate and smashes it against her left. The ice falls away perfectly, leaving only the side of Melog's ice leg. "Just like that."
Catra nods as Frosta moves to repeat the motion on the other side. She steps back, grinning confidently, "Well, what do you think?"
The sculpture is a to scale replication of Melog, mane and tail included. "I've got to admit, I'm impressed." Catra replies, and it's the truth. She knew that Frosta liked to make sculptures, but to see her make one so precise in under five minutes, that's true skill. This is the exact type of thing Catra wanted to experience on her road trip. She's confident ice sculpting isn't for her but maybe she can find something just like it, something only she can do.
For now, it seems like she'll be giving this a try. Frosta creates two handheld versions of her tools out of ice, the hammer and the pick, and hands them to Catra. "Just make sure you envision the final result, that's the most important part."
Catra accepts the tools and steps up to her own ice block. She just stares at it for a moment, catching her own reflection against the smooth surface. She decides what she wants to make and places the pick carefully against the ice. Her right hand comes up and then brings the hammer down against the back of the pick, taking off a huge chunk of ice. Whoops, that's not quite what she wanted.
Catra already kind of knew that she wasn't going to be any good, but her competitive side still criticizes her for such a bad first attempt. She makes a few smaller chips, happy when she gets better results.
She picks away at the block for what feels like an eternity but was probably only ten minutes or so. Her hands are starting to freeze from holding the ice, even while wearing gloves, so she steps back to look over her work.
Frosta places her hands on her hips and looks as well, her head tilting to the right ever so slightly. "Is it a person?"
"It's Adora," Catra confirms, "doesn't look much like her though."
"It does kind of suck," Frosta speaks without thinking, quickly back tracking when she realizes what she's said. "I mean, not suck… but… you've got room for improvement." Frosta brings her hands together in front of her body and bounces on her toes. "If you wanted… I could help you, to make it look more like Adora."
Despite trying to play it cool, it's obvious Frosta really wants to help. This is a side of her that Catra's never gotten to see, and she can't help but smile at her eagerness. "That would be great."
Frosta's expression breaks out in a huge grin and she wastes no time getting to work. Within a few minutes the sculpture has been finished. Adora, albeit a smaller version of her, is standing proud with her sword in one hand resting at her side. She seems to be smiling, though Catra wonders if she's drawing too many conclusions about an ice sculpture.
Frosta pushes the ice block so it's touching the one of Melog. "All we're missing is one of you now." She comments, and though she probably made it innocently, the reminder that Catra has a caring family and life now fills her chest with more warmth than even the coat provided.
"Maybe next time." She comments, eyes still locked fondly on the sculptures.
Frosta shrugs, "Ok, your choice. I'm gonna make us some hot cocoa, you want some?" She glances at Melog, "Can Melog have some?"
"I'd love some, and I don't see why not for Melog." Catra agrees and turns to pull her communication pad out of her ruck sack, "I've got to make a call really quick, is it okay if I meet you two in there? If you ask real nice, I bet Melog will let you ride it."
Frosta's eyes light up in excitement and she practically leaps over to Melog. "Ooooh, is it okay?" She asks, once again her eagerness giving her away.
Melog grunts and stands up, turning so its back is available to Frosta.
She practically squeals as she climbs onto it's back, and Catra can hear her asking Melog about their 'team name' as the two disappear around the corner.
Still smiling, Catra turns on her communication pad and is met with her contacts. She taps on the top person on the list, waiting patiently as it starts to ring.
"Hullo?" Adora's face fills the screen, fortunately she seems to be resting at the palace.
"Hey Adora." Catra greets her warmly, "I thought I'd check in."
"Awwwwww, you missed me?" Adora teases her, but she's also grinning from ear to ear. She never could hide her emotions.
Catra rolls her eyes, "Of course I did, silly…" if it weren't freezing outside, she'd surely be blushing. She turns the camera towards the ice sculptures, "anyway, I wanted to show you these. With Frosta's incredible teaching, I made them."
Adora falls silent, so after a moment Catra turns the pad back around so she can see her. Adora is giving her a skeptical look, one eyebrow cutely raised. "Did you really make those?"
"Well Frosta helped, but yeah." The two share a light laugh. "How's everything back at Bright Moon?"
"Oh! It's great!" Adora shifts, it seems like she sat down on a chair or bed. "I found a magic spring in the south, Glimmer and I are going to head there tomorrow to see if it can enhance her magic. It was sooo cool, we can go too once your back! How is your trip by the way?" Adora leans in closer on her side, which just makes her face fill more of the screen.
Catra can only grin at how adorable she is. "It's good, everyone has been extremely friendly, more so than I would be if I were them." She falls silent, a lump growing in her throat at her own comment. "Oh, I ran into Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio. They adopted a baby."
"A baby?!" Adora exclaims, "No way!"
"I can't make this stuff up. The trip is going well though, I'm making the most of it, and I'll be home soon."
Adora nods, her expression suddenly serious. "Good, I'm glad. Mermista told me you're a life saver by the way, but I didn't get the chance to hear the whole story."
"I'll tell you in a few days." Catra promises. "Speaking of being home soon, my surprise is supposed to be in a couple days, can I find out what it is now?"
Adora shakes her head fervently, "Nope!" She shakes it again for good measure, "Once you get to Erlandia, just give me a call. I'll give you further directions."
Catra gives Adora her best sad cat look, but she won't budge. "Fine… I'll wait." Catra glances up at the sun, noting it's moved towards the horizon. "I should probably go, Frosta is waiting for me."
"Okay, I won't keep you. Have fun!" Adora blows her a kiss, then blushes deeply.
Catra raises one hand to mime catching the kiss, "Bye Adora." Her gut clenches at having to say goodbye, even though she knows it's not the last time they'll see each other. She clicks the communication pad to off and turns to head inside, the hot chocolate is probably ready by now.