Catra must have sat there for an hour or so watching over the sleeping cub. It still astound her that this little yellow fluff ball was her baby sister. She was both excited and afraid at the same time. She had already promised herself that she would watch out for the kid but a part of her was afriad of being a bad influence, she didn't want to drag Kaita down.
Before Catra could roominate too much on that thought the door to Kaita's room creaked open to reveal Scorpia and Cyra standing in the threshold.
"Wow Catra I never knew you'd had such a good singing voice." Scorpia praised causing Catra's face to go red.
"I'm glad you managed to talk to Kaita. Did you find out why she was being distant?" Cyra asked.
"Yes but I'd rather not say anything while she has my arm hostage." Catra answered.
Only now did the two see that Kaita was clinging onto Catra's arm as she napped. The sight cause Scorpia to almost squee at the cuteness only being stopped by the "make a sound and wake her, and I will end you!" Look Catra was giving her. It was so cute and Scorpia was so proud that Catra was able to open up to the girl.
"As cute as Kaita sleeping can be we really should wake her or she will be missing lunch." Said the queen before she shouted the magic words. "Is that a mouse!?"
"What where!?" The Magicat princesses yelled in tandem Kaita having detached herself from Catra's arm getting into a hunting stance as both searched the room for the prey.
"In the dining room actually." Cyra answered coyly. "We will be having split roasted salted mouse kabobs with a side of corn and peas."
"My favorite really!?" Kaita squeaked her eyes sparkling like Catra's would when 'needing to blow something up'. The queen gave a small nod and the next thing Catra knew Kaita was running down the hall in full all fours sprint.
"Wait wait wait wait.." Catra said trying to wrap her head around what she just heard and saw happen. "Mouse kabobs? Like Magicat really eat mice, and it's not considered wierd?"
"Oh not at all." Cyra answered. "Mice, birds, and fish are all Halfmoon delicacies. You will find them prepared in a multitude of ways each of which is delicious might add."
That was all Catra needed to hear. Her mouth was already watering thinking about the flavors and she made her way to dining hall for lunch.
The six sat down and began thier meal. Biting into the mouse kabob Catra had to surpress a squeal of delight. The taste, the texture, the juiciness, and the seasoning were perfection. With no hesitation she began to tear into the meat like a starving beast. When Catra managed to calm herself down from the flavor nervana she looked around the table just to see her mother and father looking at her in concern while Kaita had her mouth open gawking at her.
To Catra's reprieve her friends did not seem all to enamoured by her display. Scorpia was eating In much the same way she was (though a bit more tactful due to having to eat with claws Catra suspected). And Entrapta was far to busy cataloging the differences she could observe in the prepared food from her last visit prior to the isolation.
"I um.. I have no words for what I just saw.." Leondus managed to say pulling himself from a speechless stupor.
"Table manners will have to be on the list then.." Cyra said to herself still just looking at her eldest daughter in a mix of shock and horror at what she had just witnessed.
"A list of what exactly?" Catra asked her eyes narrowing. Though she felt safer here then she ever had (at least without Adora nearby she thought to herself) Catra did not like the idea of information being hidden from her at least if it involved her in some way.
"A list of aspects we will need to have worked on." Cyra answered. "You are a princess Catra, you will need to learn how to act like one."
Catra scoffed at this. "Yeah I might be a princess or whatever but I'm not gonna change who am. I'm Catra I'm snarky, crass, and a pain in the ass. And proud of it.*
Cyra gave her daughter a coy smirk. "So clearly you took after me then." The queen got up from her place at the table and walked over to her eldest child. "Oh I can tell just by the glint in your eyes you love to cause trouble."
What happened next caused Catra to yelp as she felt Cyra grab at the back of her neck and lift her up. She tried to lash out against the grip but found herself unable to move.
"What the heck did you do!" Catra shouted in a slight panic. "Urf...I I can't move!"
"Oh that is so cool!". Entrapta squealed breaking any tension rising from the display of power. "Like actual cats a Magicat scruff causes paralysis when gripped and lifted from."
"Now then Catra." Cyra smirked. "I believe it is time to get you cleaned up before we present you to the public."
*Present me?" Catra questioned. "And what's wrong with how I look?!"
"Well for starters, your mane is a mess you are covered in soot and sweat, and youblook like you have been in those clothes for a week minimum." Cyra answered. "So before we announce your return we need to make you looked presentable. Starting with a bath…"
Cyra did not know what she expected when proclaiming to give Catra a bath. Granteed some magicats took to water better than others, herself and Kaita for example found bathing in water quite pleasant. While Leondus took bathing as a required sacrafice and was always grouchy about it. Therefore Cyra kept her mind open for however Catra would respond.
What the queen had not prepared for was the colatoral damage of trying to put Catra in a tub.
Water had been splashed everywhere, vials filled with assortens of shampoos conditioners and soaps laid smashed and mixed on the floor, and the three guards Cyra had called in to assist her in the princess's first royal bath when the first signs of difficulty had shown themselves were all on the ground groaning in pain with scratch marks painting thier bodies. But the most surreal thing was the sight of the naked soaked magicat princess perched on the vanity hissing at the tub and her.
*All of this over a bath!?" The queen said to herself still coming to terms with the events of the last minute.
"Water is evil!" Catra hissed back at Cyra digging her claws into her perch. "And I don't need to use it anyway I can just bathe like I normally do with my tongue!"
"Fine…" Cyra stated starring directly at Catra. "You do not need to use the bathtub. Now get down from there!"
Feeling like she had just won a major battle Catra leaped off the vanity onto the floor only to immediately be pinned by her mother in the process. Catra lashed out and snarled but unlike the guards she was having no luck getting out of her mothers hold.
"What gives? Let me up!" The former force captain ordered only to recive a snort from her mother.
"Oh no you are getting a bath my child…" Cyra warned her. "But since you are being such a baby about the water il just do it myself." Suddenly the queen was bathed in a bright light her form getting heavier and bigger ontop of Catra.
When the light faded what remained in the queen's place was a large 9ft tall brown cat with orange stripes and glowing cyan eyes.
"What in the…. " Catra began stunned by the transformation. "How did you-"
"It is know as beast mode." Her mother inturupted shocking Catra that she was able to speak at all on this new form. "All Magicat with proper training can call upon this form. But enough about this, you still need your bath"
Before Catra could do anything Cyra ran he large beast tongue down her face causing Catra to squeak in surprise.
"No!I can bathe myself!" Catra shouted and struggles in vain as Cyra continued to lick and clean her like a little kitten.
"Tough.." Cyra replied can continued the bath.
It had taken a few minutes with Catra groaning and attempting to escape the emberassing catbath but soon all of her fur was mated down and Cyra got off of her daughter and returned to her magicat form.
"Now was that so bad?" Cyra smirked and received a glare from Catra as a response. "Right now then we simply need to get you something more apropriot to wear and we will be able to announce your return to the public.
Catra let out an exasperated sigh as her family and friends took turns trying to find her something out of a large closets worth of royal clothing. Truth be told she had never seen this amount of clothing In her life and none of it so fancy however the frillyness of most of the options made her want to gag.
"What about this?" Leondus asked pulling out a beautiful purple dress bathed in small diamonds.
"That so pretty! Scorpia smile as Catra let out another groan and eye roll.
"Ugh looks like something Sparkles yacked up." Catra grimiced at the sight of the bedazzled dress.
"This one then?" Asked Cyra holding up a bright pink dress that screamed princess in every way. Catra just walked over and slowly took the garment out of her mother's hands and placed it back in the pile not even giving the offensive piece the time of day.
"Come on Catra you need to pick SOMETHING!" Cyra said her patience having been exhausted. "We have been going through these clothes for almost an hour."
"I won't wear anything that looks too princessy!" Catra growled. "It's bad enough I need to wear a dress in the first place but every last thing you have shown me looks so darn gaudy! I am a princess I get it but all of these fancy dresses just don't feel like I'm being me."
"Oh Catra…" Cyra sighed and pet her eldest's mane who failed to surpress a purr from the contact. " There is nothing wrong with looking like a princess. But you are right, you should be comfortable with whatever you choose to wear." The queen absentmindedly sifts through the dresses looking for anything that would suit her child's style whilst still looking regal enough for a princess to wear. "I understand that this is a lot to take in all at once but you our my daughter, this is your kingdom. I do not want you forced to wear anything that you would hate. We just really needed to get you out of that Horde uniform and this will only be for special occasions."
"Fine.." Catra grumbled. "but it still needs to look good on me and all these ones just look wrong, I mean just look at that one it's pokadot who made a dress that was POKADOT!?"
"FOUND IT!" Kaita's voice rang out inturupting the two. "This will look great on you big sis." Kaita smiled and shows the garment in question to Catra.
As far as the dresses go it was simple. No frills no poofs or capes nor any accessories. It was sleek and form fitting like the dress Adora had worn to the prom. But what drew Catra to the dress even more were the colors. The dress was a light muted cyan trimmed with vibrant gold with a red sigil on the chest.
Catra worlessly took the dress and exited into another room to change. The dress was a snug fit but not in an unpleasant way, it felt as though she was in the warm embrace of a close friend but unlike with Scorpia she could still move and breath. Catra looked in the mirror and was surprised how well the colors blended together on her and complimented her mismatched eyes. She would dare say she looked pretty good.
When Catra slowly walked back into the room everyone's heads turned to her and stopped. Only for her to be bombarded with complements.
"Wildcat you look so good!"
"My little girl is beautiful"
"Yes yes yes I knew that would look great!"
"It appeared despite Catra's reluctance to where dresses they actually look quite good on her."
"See you make a beutifu princess sunshine."
Catra didn't know how to feel. She wanted to run away, get mad at being called a princess, smile, and blush all at once. Her mind and body decided the best course of action was to stand thier frozen in place and take in all the complements at once.
"Thank you…" Catra utered look at the floor sheepishly her cheeks tinted red and smiling.
"Now come along we only have a few minutes to get you ready for your speech." Cyra said as she gently grabbed Catra by the hand and began to briskly walk to a balcony of the castle.
"Speech? What speech?." Catra asked stunned this being the first time such a thing had been mentioned. Cyra blinked then for the first time since she had arrive Catra saw her mother's fur bristle.
"Oh founders I forgot to tell you about the speech…" Cyra groaned then took a few breaths. " It's fine, it's fine. Catra after we announce your presence you will be asked to say a few words to address the Halfmoon. Will you be able to do this?"
"So I just need to talk?" Catra asked. "Um yeah I can manage that.*
"Oh one more thing!' Cyra added as they aproched thier destination. "I will need your headpiece for a moment."
Catra reluctantly removed her crimson helmet and tentatively handed it over to the queen. She had found that headwear in a box of junk headed for the scrapyard in the Horde and had saved it from iminant destruction. She charished it as one of the few things in the Horde she had been able to make her own in spite of Shadow Weaver's distian for her happiness. Therefore when Catra heared a loud crack and saw on of the faceguard's sides bent the wrong way she was understandably concerned.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" Catra shouted just a little too loud seeing the heads of guards workes and her family poke thier heads out of doors and around corners.
"Do not use that language with me young lady!" Cyra grunted as she snapped the other side out of place. "By the 5 when was the last time you oiled this thing?"
"Oiled? Why would I oil my faceguard? And stop breakeing it!" Catra whined.
"I am not breaking it." Cyra replied shifting and bending parts of the headgear. "And this is not a faceguard sunshine."
Cyra handed the altered headwear back to Catra who started at it in shock. For as long as she could remember she had always worn that faceguard. So much so it has become synomonys with her. Anybody who saw that red piece of metal knew Catra was not too far away.
And here it was in its true form. All this time Catra had been wearing...a red fucking tiara.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me.." Catra groaned and rolled her eyes. "Are you telling me that I have been wearing a damn TIARA all this time?!"
"I'm just happy you were able to keep it all these years." Cyra smiled at Catra and fixed up the princess's hair before heading out onto the balcony to address the populace.
Catra watched from the doorway as her mother got poised to speak getting nervous by proxy.
"Citizens of Halfmoon, I queen Cyra Cheetara D'rilluth II have joyous news for you all. 12 years ago we were invaded by the monsterous war machine known as the Horde, and in that violent battle many Magicats lost thier lives and my eldest daughter was lost. In our grid we closed off our kingdom the the outside world but that ends today!" The crowd began to muemer in both shock and eagerness at this statement the kittens most of all. "For you see my people, after 12 long years my child has returned to us!"
Catra let out an audible squeak as all the eyes of Halfmoon gazed upon her as she stepped slowly onto the balcony her tail swishing rapidly as though to distract them all.
"H-hello my my name is Catra but I guess you would all know me as Cyra III." Catra spoke to her people. "Well I was apparently supposed to give a speech but my mom kinda you know, forgot to tell me untill about 10 minutes ago so yeah thanks mom." The crowd began to chuckle and snicker with Catra's mother just shaking her head stifling a laugh.
"Anyway." Catra continued after breaking the ice. " What actually happened to me on that faithful day 12 years ago was that the Horde managed to kidnap me. The monster who lead the assult took me as a consolation because she couldn't take Halfmoon. And worse she locked away memories so until very recently I wasn't even aware of Halfmoon's existence let alone being a princess of it."
Catra looked over the crowd and sighed but knew withholding the truth would not be a smart Idea if she was going to rule this place someday.
"I would rather not get into the details let's just say the Fright Zone is an awful place to be stuck growing up in, even more so for a Magicat. And while this next part will probably not endear me to you I would be remiss not to inform you all of what I became. In the Fright Zone I was trained to be a soldier of their war front and was given the rank of Force Captain. I have participated in sieges against the kingdoms of these lands and have made enemies of the princess...But regardless of all that I am here now and ready to learn how to a princess worthy of you all if you would have me.., thank you.."
Catra takes a bow as applause rings out through the courtyard. Words started to giant traction in the crowed and soon the entire precession was shouting at the top of thier lungs. "All Hail Princess Catra!" Repeatedly.
The force captain turned princess left with as much poise as she could muster before she collapsed into a ball of nerves and took deep breathes to calm herself.
"Why did you have to put me on the spot like that!" Catra shouted her face red in embarrassment at having pulled that speech out of her ass and subsequent cheers for it."
"I'm sorry dear." Cyra apologized " I seriously just forgot I was still just amazed that my little girl made ir back home. If it is of any comfort you did an amazing job."
"Tch no I didn't." Catra argued. "I was tripping over my words left and right!"
"Yes but you should have seen me give a spontaneous speech at your age. I was a far bigger wreak." The queen countered and laughed. "But now that you are finished with your introduction we can see what aspects of royal life you will need the most help with."
The rest of the day involved Catra going throughcountles boring and monotonous tasks such as being instructed how to curtsie, learning the family history and failing at fine dining.
"I can honestly say I have never seen so much mahem caused with a teaspoon." Cy'ra said looking over the torn apart room. " I don't know wether I am more terrorfied or impressed.."
"I may have gotten Abit frustrated…" Catra admitted "but I think I figured it out."
Leondus sighed and informed the maids of the newest mess. "The last lesson we will have for today will be music."
Catra stretched and followed her parants secretly having fun trying all of these different things but would never admit it.
"Oh sis you are gonna love music lessons there are so many fun instruments to play!" Kaita exclaimed riding on Catra's shoulders.
Music practice was something. Catra had tried over a dozen different instruments Frome flutes to drums to a damn tuba (she still wassnt sure what she was thinking with that last one) but none clicked. None until The Magicat looked into a coenor of the room and saw it. A magestic sleek the neck a striking magenta and the sides a soft baby blue.
"What. Is. That!?" Catra slowly questioned her eyes not leaving the instrument.
"That is an enchanted guitar…" Leondus answered. "Do you want to try it?"
Catra immediately picked the object up and strummed it experimentally. The music was both loud yet soft, gentle yet strong. She loved it. Catra began to play this "guitar" thing moving her fingers across the strings and using her ears to pick out what sounds felt right to play in sequence and before long had manged to strum a few chords by ear. Her eyes were closed and she allowed her ears to twitch and tail to sway with the music she was playing, through all of this Catra was oblivious to the smile that had stretched itself upon her face.
"Whoa.." was all Scorpia could say watching her friend play. "That sounds amazing Wildcat."
"She appears to be a natural." Entrapta added. "Not many musicians can learn by ear alone."
The D'rilluths stated silent simply listening to the performance. Kaita swaying to the notes like her sister.
As she brought her session to a close putting the guitar down Catra found herself tackled to the ground by a giggleing ball of fluff.
"Sis that was amazing it sounded so pretty!" Kaita praised and cuddled into the older magicat still excited she HAD a big sister to begin with.
Catra smiled down at the kitten and wrapped her up in a hug. She would normally feel wrong desplaying such a weakness but for some reason the little furball lowered all of her defenses against such things.
"Well it looks like we found what your instrument pretence is." Cyra said with a soft smile. "As for the rest of your training I will be sending for the princess of our sister kingdom to aid you."
"A kingdom can have a sister?" Catra looked at her mother quizzically.
"No not like that…" the queen blanched while her mate gave a harty chuckle reminding herself to choose words carefully. "It simply means it is a kingdom that holds a rich history with ours. Our sister kingdom is Brightmoon Angela was instrumental in helping the founders build our kingdom and establish trade routes before the isolation. Oh she will be so exstaticed to hear from me and I'm sure Glimmer will be thrilled to see you again." Cyra walked off to begin the letter.
Memories flashed in Catra's head about her past. She saw a kitten version on herself chasing a tiny but just as cotton candy colored Sparkles around.
"Imma get you Glim-Glim!" The younger Catra hollered and laughed chasing the Brightmoon princess.
"Nuhuh!" The young Glimmer yelled back running away from the chasing magikitten.
They ran incirclea for a few minutes before the child Catra pounced and pinned the child Glimmer.
"Ha told ya I'd get ya Glim-Glim! I'm the bestest pouncer ever!" The magikittens tail was swishing rapidly in glee at a rate Catra could only remember feeling when playing with Adora as children. The two kids hugged before Catra was brought back to the present.
Catra looked to Scorpia while still hugging her baby sis. The Scorpioni was just smiling her claws clasped together.
"Isn't that great Catra we get to meet your old friend!"
In this moment Catra was both envious and furious and Scorpia's forgetfulness.
"Scorpia.. Glimmer is Sparkles…" Catra said through gritted teeth the only thing calming her was running her fingers through Kaita's hair and purrs the petting produced.
And like that Scorpia's eyes got wide. "Ooooooh… huh small world.. do you think they are still mad about the Prom?"
Catra groaned and had only one thought.
'This is going to suuuuuuck….'
The reply was not as immediate as Catra had inticipated. It had actually taken a few weeks before they were informed of queen Angela's decision to send not just Sparkles but Arrow-boy and Adora aswell. In that time the "Super Princess Trio" as Scorpia had coined them had aclemted to life in Halfmoon. Scorpia was trying her luck as a lot of arts and crafts and the resident magikittens took like Imp to caffeine. Entrapta used her time in Halfmoon to study First One's tech and used it to gradually upgrade the weapons and everyday equipment in the kingdom, Catra felt lucky to have found her before the escape who knows how much damage her mind could have caused if she ended up Hordak's prisoner.
As for Catra herself. She spent most of her time either training or playing her guitar having written a few songs in the mean time. But all good thing must come to an end at some point and the day of the Brightmoon gang's arrive had come.
Hearing the echos down the hall of her Kaita urgeing her father to finish up the history lesson Catra got onto her throne and waited with a smirk.
When the Brightmoon envoys entered the throne room they all bowed and Glimmer started giving some kind of speech to join the allience or something Catra was not really paying attention her sights were locked on Adora who had unknowingly bowed to her and Catra was going to make sure the princess never forgot it.
Catra was snapped out of her museing by a confused about of her name. She looked into the eyes of her shocked former best friend and smirked speaking only two words.
"Heeeey Adoraaaa~.*
