Blasts of energy were heard alongside cries and shouts, the ground was exploding, there was a scent of burnt sand and oil in the air, and the dust has turned into a cloud of thick brown smoke. She remembered this scene perfectly. Her gaze was cast down, looking at the tall person laid down after being knocked by the tanks' shoots.
Soon, that person's body would shine in rainbow colors before returning to the familiar face she knew since childhood. Their eyes meet each other that time for a brief moment, but she couldn't take it. Going into the smoke, she disappeared from that person's sight as she ran into a dark, cold room alone, never stopping even when her feet started to feel pain.
After all, a bigger pain was causing her to flee.
Catra sat down, cold sweat dripping from her forehead. Her breathing was fast, heavy, panting as she struggles to calm down her accelerated heart. Her wide-open eyes scanned the surroundings. Metal walls devoid of colors, dim light illuminating the room, and the shadow of fog coming from the window. She took a while to realize she was on top of her bed, in her private quarters back in the Horde, and sighed relaxing her shoulders. With the adrenaline leaving her, a shock ran through Catra's body, bracing herself for the pain she felt.
Dang, this sucks… She acted too fast. Her injuries were reminding her she was not in her prime condition, making the girl groan in annoyance. But this was strangely comforting. Her lips turned into a smile. That shock was also a reminder that her nightmare was over and this was real.
It was a day after Catra returned from the Northern Reach. The docking was done at the begging of the night before the sun was completed set, leaving the docks almost empty while she, Scorpia, and Entrapta left the ship without the gazes of others cadets and officers from the Horde. There was so much to do and so little time, but Scorpia was very brazen about Catra seeing the infirmary before anything else. Maybe it was because she was exhausted - or her body was almost giving up on her - Catra agreed and went to get medical attention, after a little detour that is.
What she did not expect was how long she would be in the infirmary. The medics were astonished by how she could move with that many injuries on her body. Cracked ribs, broken bones, cuts, and frostbite all over her. She deeply regretted going there. They wanted her to be in observation for the following weeks with extensive medical attention, but Catra - forcefully - made them change their diagnosis. Officially, she only needed to rest in her room while her bandaged body slowly recovered. Of course, Catra was not following that either.
She was walking down the Horde's corridors in a stride. The guards she came across were surprised as they set their eyes on the Horde Captain, straightening their backs and saluting her when she passed by. Any normal day, this would bring a little joy for Catra, feeling the power of being respected - or feared. Today, however, her attention was not on them. Had it not be her instincts, the girl wouldn't even have realized there were people besides her on the corridors. All she cared about was her destination.
Fright Zone was a place of despair for any foe who dared to enter it. Ever since the Rebellion's loss ten years ago, Lord Hordak's cruelty and despicable nature were known to all the kingdoms of Etheria, especially regarding war prisoners. Rumors were spread among the cities and villages about their fate. Some said a witch would brainwash them to use as soldiers in future invasions, others talked about torture experiments using them as test subjects, and of course, there were gossips about them being sent to an island so vicious and ferocious that beasts from nightmares walked free.
Many more just like those were born through the years, but in the end, they were just rumors. Nobody would dare to confirm them out of free will or came back alive to tell the tale. Still, there was one thing they all agreed upon: the ones captured waited for the Lord of the Horde's judgment while being in a place where the Sun is a myth, and hope can't find them in the prison.
Such place was now ordinary for Catra. She didn't share an interest in the dark cells where the only light came from the green-force field that separated the prisoners from their freedom. She strolled on the narrow hallways near a pit so deep even her eyes couldn't see the bottom, but the girl was not scared.
Catra signalized to the guard in the control center to send a platform for her. That was the most convenient - and controlled - way to move between the different levels of the prison and carry multiple persons simultaneously. If she was going up, Catra would prefer jumping rather than taking the slow platform, however, she was going to the exact opposite.
As the Catra was going down, the number of occupied cells was becoming fewer and fewer. The green light that illuminated the floors was being replaced by shadows as she was descending into total darkness. The lower levels of the prison were outdated and their maintenance did not measure to their usefulness, regarded by many from the Horde as a dead place serving only to throw garbage into when the incinerators were fulls. Nobody would waste their time coming here - or at least, it was not worth it till now.
The platform hit the ground, the loud sound of it crashing with the pile of scraps and junk made Catra smile, then opening her eyes when she felt the only light in the darkness shine on her face. On the lowest floor of the prison, the green flicker of the force field made one known a cell was being used, and its prisoner was no one other than her.
Adora was asleep on the floor, respiring calmly. Catra saw Adora's chest going up and down and looked at her gently, finding it relaxing in a way only she comprehended. The prisoner's hands were locked by shackles that keep her arms up leaving her with a terrible sleeping posture. Seeing that, Catra wished she had placed an old cot bed there but the Horde's Captain was counting seconds.
Let's put this aside, for now, she thought dialing on the cell's panel and the force field disappeared.
Entering the cell, Catra was careful in her approach. Not because she feared the shackled Adora would attempt to escape - if she even could with how tightly Catra locked the princess's wrists - but because she did not want to wake her prisoner. Quietly, Catra sat down across Adora, crossing her legs and resting her shoulders on the knees as her hands supported her head.
Then, she waited.
The noises of machinery that echoed throughout the whole Fright Zone, that sound of pumps and clanks that were part of their daily lives was soon replaced by Adora's breathing. Catra's ears were so sensitive she could hear the air leaving Adora's mouth, softly. For her, it seemed that the world was gone and that was the only place that existed.
The blue and yellow eyes gazed upon the other girl, getting every detail. As the years passed, Catra was sure she must have fought Adora a thousand battles by now, but this was the first time since Bright Moon's battle that she managed to have a good look at her former friend without hostility.
Adora's body was as flawless as she remembered. Excluding the coat used for cold weather, her clothes were still the same she used back in the Horde: a neatly red jacket that made her shoulders seemed sharp worn over the same white, long-sleeve shirt that didn't restrict any movement together with grey pants. What was different from the girl she knew - besides the shriveled bed-hair she had that messed with her usual ponytail - was how much her childhood friend trained after being away from Fright Zone. Adora was strong, the only person Catra had a real possibility of losing to, and she was even stronger now seeing that her muscles were bigger than what Catra recalled. That was only a little change, something so small most people wouldn't even catch it, but the girl knew Adora better than everyone else. She could tell her childhood friend was still training seriously.
Of course, Adora wouldn't have any scratch on her clothes after that whole mess, Catra giggled at that thought. Comparing her own body to her prisoner, the girl could question herself who really won in the Northern Reach, but her mind wandered when she remembered the snow-covered lands. How she wanted to come back as soon as possible, finding Adora in her little Rebel group, Catra capturing her, the storage room where…
She could feel the blood burning on her cheeks. Her eyes were too focused on Adora's mouth without her knowing and Catra looked to the ground with a little embarrassment. Yet, she brought two fingers over her mouth and placed them on her lips. The softness was not the same as of that time, she could feel the fuzz of her fur and the hardness of her bone, but it reminded Catra that the feeling she felt at that time was different. And since it was different, it happened.
Her sight was once again cast on Adora's mouth, slightly open to allow air to pass through it. To think that mouth touched hers, even if it was only for a few seconds, made Catra narrow her eyes, smiling.
Then, Adora started to sluggish move. Catra knew this was a sign the girl would soon wake up and returned to her usual smug and nonchalant self. Her smile turned into a grin, paying attention to when Adora's eyes would begin to open to make sure her prisoner would see a familiar face when she awakens.
"Hey, sleepyhead," getting sight of a perfect pair of blue eyes, Catra said, "did you enjoyed the trip back home?"
"… Catra?" It took a while for Adora to fully awaken. "Why are there two of you?"
She sat upon the ground, confused, and looked around with tired eyes. They shifted between her cell, the shackles on her hand, the enemy in front of her, and sighed, "Man… please tell me are in that basecamp and this is an inspired Horde's prison-looking basement or something…"
Catra laughed, "No, you dummy. This is the real deal."
"Aaaargh!" Adora groaned, dropping her body to the side as she tried to lay down once again. She pouted as her eyes looked at Catra, "You are mean, you know that, right?"
"Totally," Catra responded with a proud expression. "Bet you know what this means, right?" Her grin was so obvious she didn't bother to hide it.
"Yeah, yeah…" Adora was downhearted once she realized her defeat, or at least that is what it seemed before she smiled at her kidnapper, "But I bet you didn't expect this!"
Suddenly, the princess pounced forward, arms stretch trying to grab a hold of Catra with every bit of strength she had. However, the shackles restricted her movement, making her arms swing in the open air some feet away from Catra's smirking face that watched her.
Adora tried for some time to reach forward, but it was no use. Her struggles with the binds only made her tired and panting after she sat down on the ground. "Give me… a second… this isn't… over…" Between her breaths, the princess affirmed to the enemy in front of her.
"Sure, take your time. I'm dying to see you looking like an idiot again," Catra was being honest. There was a warm feeling inside of her seeing Adora trying too hard and seeing her efforts being in vain.
"You are… really mean…" Adora tried again to reach Catra but was once again restricted by the shackles. Without any options left, she sighed in exhaustion and leaned back against the wall with a pout, "Maaaaan, I'm bored. How long I have been here?"
"Hey, I'm in charge here, prisoner," Catra said teasingly, "I ask the questions."
"C'mon, don't be such a Kyle," Adora said with a relaxed face. "Oh yeah, how are the old squad? I wanna see them so bad! Oh wait, I think they might be angry about that stuff with Bow and Glimmer, huh…"
Catra knew what Adora was referring to. That bold invasion from last year when she and the other dumb princess went in to rescue Arrow Boy and Sparkles, and somehow they succeed. Strangely, it was around that moment Catra's life turned around, right after she gave Adora the sword for her to-
"Ha, you bet they are super mad," Catra told, ending her thoughts, "But, there are other things you should worry about."
Like yourself. Catra didn't finish her sentence. The unsaid words, together with her smug glare, would be struck within Adora's mind as she realized the situation around her. Alone, away from her stupid friends, the home she shouldn't even have left in the begginin-
"Oh right, yeah, that is a thing, sorry, I forgot," Adora said in embarrassment, but Catra didn't miss the way her prisoner looked at her. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So… what nightmare you had this time?"
Adora's words were gentle and warm as she looked kindly at her childhood friend, but the person was left astonished. For the first time since she entered the cell, Catra's expression broke. She could feel her fur and tail standing up as a shock ran through her body, opening and closing her mouth trying to say something but no words were coming out.
"C'mon, spit it out!" Adora said to her former friend.
"W-What… are you saying?" Catra managed to speak again but still couldn't recompose herself from the surprise question Adora gave to her.
"Your ears are twitching for a while," when Adora pointed out, Catra brought her hands on her ears, hiding them with a flush on her face.
"T-That was nothing to do with this!" Catra told, angrily.
"Please, you don't remember you always did that when you used to sneak on my bed after every scold from Shadow Weaver?" Adora talked so naturally like this was a common fact for them. "Then you said there were nightmares, you didn't want to sleep alone, we started to sleep together and-"
"Enough!" Catra shouted. Even if they were memories she remembered fondly, she still felt shame when being told about them, especially if the one telling her that was doing so with a straight face. But soon, Catra's face would change when she heard something that caught her attention.
Laughs. Happy, truthful, joyful laughs coming from Adora as she held her stomach. "You are such a dork!" Adora said before continuing laughing.
If she heard that on any other day, Catra would not hold back her tongue and would tackle Adora to the ground till she was sorry for saying that. Now, Catra felt a strange sense of comfort causing her lips to rise slightly. She watched Adora as the princess continue to have fun.
This really is her, Catra thought. She could feel it now what Entrapta said. The same Adora she remembered was there with her now, in a small place where the two of them could meet whenever Catra wanted to.
And then, the laughs stopped as Adora collapsed to the ground.
Every though Catra had come to a hold. "Adora!" She shouted, jumping to the prisoner's side. It didn't make sense, Catra was sure she had seen Adora was fine. Now, it seemed the other girl was not even breathing.
Why this happened, she searched for an answer. Bruises, nothing that would make Adora faint like this. Cold, but Adora's temperature was normal. Disease, but she was not a doctor to confirm it. However, it was the most probable cause she could think at the moment. Catra got up and was about to run to the infirmary to fetch a medical staff, but before she could leave the cell, she heard a growl.
"Maaaan, I'm starving!" Adora said tapping her stomach. "I could really go for some meat and…"
The princess's passionate talk about food was not being heard by the other person in the room. Catra just stared at Adora in disbelief. Her throat was so dry she could feel dust. The pain from her injuries was aching, even if she was ignoring it at that moment. Soon, her stiffed body relaxed and she felt relief.
Catra waited for her heartbeat to normalize, suppressing a wave of anger she didn't know why she had it. "Ok," finally she opened her mouth to address the prisoner, "I will come back later with your meal." Right after, she made her way outside the cell, restoring the force field before she returned.
"Really?!" Adora sat up again, looking at Catra with excitement in her sparkling eyes. "Thanks, Catra, you are the best!"
"… Yeah," Catra responded, seeing the smile Adora gave to her before the green light separated them once more, "I know that."
Then, she turned around, walking towards the platform with small steps like she wanted to stay there longer. Yet, Catra was satisfied. She would deny if asked, of course, but her tail was flopping around gave away her feelings. After all, Adora was there once again.