A/N: Final Word Count: 9.4k Pre-A/N's. And another fun little chapter by yours truly presented for your enjoyment ^^.
I'm not gonna lie, this is going to take a somewhat goofier tone than the show by just a little. I know it might seem a bit out of place and character and everything, especially for Catra, but considering the series gets INCREDIBLY DEPRESSING after this episode, I think a single pass can be appreciated T_T! Beats making it all doom and gloom for every episode this season.
So with that said, and some silliness awaiting us, enjoy!
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"Eh... Is she gonna be okay?" The mysterious, towering, figure known as Huntara asked, noticing the magicat's dazzling eyes staring at her.
*whiff*
*whiff*
"Um... I'm gonna be honest, we've never seen her like this either." Glimmer admitted, waving a hand in front Catra's eyes. The girl gave no response as she continued to stare at the holy symbol of everything that was an idol to her.
Up till now, the Crimson Waste appeared to be a lot more waste and a lot less crimson than the name given to it. Everywhere they went, something was trying to kill them, eat them, or usually both. From giant three-headed snakes underneath sand dunes, plants that could potentially freeze any living being solid in a single touch, and the land itself covered in quicksand that could swallow them whole. it became clearer by the minute why this place was given the nickname "The Valley of Death". Save for the crimson part of it, it earned the title the Crimson Waste for a reason.
Then again, maybe the lack of crimson had to do with anything that was dead or rotting out here was already devoured by monsters or buried under the sands.
The most they've come to in terms of civilization within the middle of the wasteland, provided that's where they were, was a cantina decorated and filled out from the remains of a large creature's bones. It housed everything from your typical furnishes, drinks, spaciousness, and the whole nine yards. While it was more surprising to find anybody around here, filled to the teeth with all manner of potential outlaws, it was just as surprising how well Catra managed to fit in with these people.
And by that, it meant not at all.
No more than three sentences did Catra already start to pick a fight with the barkeeper, a minotaur-like woman who had the muscles to match the anger Catra managed to yank out of her. Starting with a threat after the comfortable cat called her "Bub", it began to escalate into a small scuffle, one that didn't end until the barkeeper called it quits for reasons Catra wasn't aware of.
Those reasons came in the form of a grand warrior named Huntara, a large imposing figure who broke up another potential fight Catra started when two individuals discovered they were outsiders. The stranger didn't give any warning to the pair as she clonked someone over the head with a bottle when they annoyed her, and she certainly didn't give any warning to the two who were aware of the rules around here unlike Catra.
Specifically, those rules came in the form of the strong making the rules, and not to bother her when she was eating. Speaking it to the cantina itself was all she needed for everyone to go back to their work before she checked on the trio, getting them some water from the barkeeper herself. That's when Catra realized something.
SHE WAS THE COOLEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!
The massive muscles she had and the warrior-like outfit she was wearing just screamed Terror to her! The way she imposed everybody with her brutality and instilled fear with everything she said! How she made her demands know in front of an entire room full of potential outlaws and bandits without a care in the world! And who could forget the obvious, most redeemable fact about her?
SHE WAS SO AWESOME!
"Yoohoo, Catra?" Bow called on, waving his own hand in front of her face. "You in there?"
With a sigh, the pink princess casually walked behind the magicat's back. "Hold on." She instructed, taking a firm grip of the magicat's tail.
*SNAP*
"YEOUCH!" The feline roared as she jumped, blushing angrily as she glared back at her tail-snapping friend from behind her. "Hey! Never touch a girl's tail! Got it!?" She snapped, rubbing her slightly dented tail soothingly from the pain.
"Well how else was I supposed to snap you out of it?" Glimmer retorted, seeing how Catra was nearly oblivious to the trance-like state she was in a minute ago. "You looked like you were about to drool the minute this woman showed up."
"I'm surprised kids like you would be dumb enough to barge in here to start a fight with the locals." The presence of her words alone were more than intimidating enough for the pink-haired princess as she and Bow remained behind the silently-fawning Catra.
"Eh heh, a-actually, up until two minutes ago, we didn't know there was anyone in the Crimson Waste." She apologized before patting the back, harshly, of the troublemaker who started the fighting. "And CATRA, here, isn't exactly the best with first impressions."
"Well you should choose your fights more strategically, kid." Huntara warned, eyeing around the room in case of would-be eavesdroppers. "Scoundrels, criminals, outlaws, all of them roam around these parts. You should be careful with who you pick your fights with in the Crimson Waste, got it? Because next time, I might not be around to save you." With those parting words, the great warrior returned to her table before Catra had the chance to get so much as a single reply.
And she didn't care.
"... She's amazing..." The fearless, always proud, always solitary soldier commented as a curtain of eyelids lowered over her vision. She felt like she just met a wall of awesomeness for the first time in her life, someone somebody like her could actually look up to.
"She's what?" Bow asked, lifting an eyebrow at the... compliment? That must've been a mistake, though, because that would mean Catra actually complimented someone she just met totally at random for the first time.
"We need her!" Catra was gone just as quickly as her announcement before the two could so much as blink.
"Wait, what-?" Glimmer's question fell on deaf ears to Catra as the girl was already several tables away by the time she spoke them.
At the same time, back at the hunter's table, the pink-skinned huntress accepted the bartender's fang-shaped beverage warmly as she gave her a small, somewhat apologetic look. "Sorry about that." She whispered quietly. "Hope I didn't hurt you."
"It's fine, I get it." The bartender replied, leaning a little closer to the huntress as she accepted her welcoming warm hand. "You got to keep up appearances, right?" The two grinned to each other as they leaned closer a little bit, enjoying the presence of each other's company like they usually did.
"Hey, Huntara, you got a sec? Need to talk. Great!" Catra asked enthusiastically as she popped out from behind the table. The bartender gave the girl a bit of a scowl as she leaned up again, giving a small sympathy-like apology look to the hunter before returning to her countertops.
The hunter could only raise a hand in her direction before rolling her eyes, turning her attention to the alleycat who interrupted her time with her very appearance. With a single finger, adding on to the insane list of reasons Catra thought she was cool, she casually lifted the magicat by the chin of the warrior princess, planting her in the opposite chair from where she sat. "What do you want, Catty?" She huffed, taking a swig of her steaming drink.
"Actually, it's Catra, but who cares." She sputtered, barely giving so much as a blink as her friends arrived on her right. "That's Bow. That's Glimmer." She quickly cut off the archer before he could get a word in edgewise. "They're of no consequence. Anyway, I was wondering-"
*BAM*
With a fire in her eyes, she cut the cat off as she slammed her mug-filled hand over the table, pointing off the three. "Tiger, Boy, Glitter, got it. Huntara. Now what do you want?"
She thinks I'm a Tiger! Catra squealed in her mind, barely containing herself.
As the three continued to stare at her, the hunter's eyes shifted to the countertop again as she gave a small smile to the bartender rubbing the mugs, the same one who shot a small smile back. The nice view she had of her was interrupted just as quickly as the previous one as Glimmer's head popped in front of her view, cutting her off.
"It's Glimmer." She corrected with a calming smile, leaning a little over to catch the woman's attention. "Actually, Princess Glimmer." Standing back to her friend's side, Bow's pupils shrank at the announcement she just had to make as he slid a little ways away from her. Worry and dread filled his already worried mind at the fact she just announced something so casually.
"Oh, a Princess." Huntara grinned, leaning a little bit over the table. The princess's own pupils shrank as well at this, seeing the massive fist she was squeezing over the table and the horrifying look in her eyes as she stared at her. "Me, too. I'm the Princess of Crimson Waste. Can you tell? Or am I not sparkly enough for you?"
"Pfffffffft!" Catra nearly gagged on her own bout of laughter, lowering her head a little to keep the goofy expression on her face from being revealed. "Y-Yeah, don't let anything she says bother you. I barely pay attention to it myself half the time." The cat commented, leaning against her chair as she planted her heels on the table, ignoring the small irritation coming from the princess. "And the name's Catra, again."
"Catra, huh?" The hunter leaned against her own chair as she threw an arm over the back. "I got to admit, it's pretty gutsy starting a fight like that out of nowhere. But I meant what I said earlier about no more warnings. Let me eat in peace, and we won't have any problems. And stop harassing the barkeep, she's the only one who makes a decent drink around here." At the mention, the same barkeeper threw her a small smile with a blush to the mighty hunter.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard all that." She nonchalantly passed off as she waved. "I was actually wondering if you could give us a hand with something. We're looking for something in the center of the Crimson Waste. I can't say much but it's really important." Huntara kept her narrow gaze as she shifted looks between the three, especially the two nervous friends to her side. "Any chance you could lead us to it?"
"Did you not hear what I JUST said about trusting people?" She reminded, sitting back in her chair again.
"Uhhh, yeah? You were also saving us while doing it." Catra shot back with a grin. "Figured that makes you the most trusting least trustful person in here."
"Catra, I don't even know where to begin with that logic..." Glimmer mumbled, rubbing the bridge between her eyes.
"Did I mention her mom's rich? She can make it worth your while-!"
"Hahaha... Would you excuse us for a moment?" Chuckling nervously, grabbing onto the shoulders of both his friends, the archer ducked under the table with both his friends in hand, leaving a somewhat confused Huntara behind as she shrugged. "Catra, what are you doing?!" His eyes peered deep into Catra's glazed eyes as the cat continued to act like a lunatic compared to her normal self.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to recruit her, duh!" Catra rolled her eyes in retaliation. "If anyone's going to get us to the center of the Waste, it's her!"
"But telling her my mom's rich?" Even for Catra's line of recklessness, it felt a little more reckless than usual to the princess. "Why don't you shout it to the whole cantina while you're at it?"
"Coming from the girl who also announced she was a princess before me?" As much as she hated to admit, even for Catra's recklessness, she still managed to make a fair case against the same princess as she turned her eyes away with a small flush. "Look, you're dealing with thieves and desert outlaws here. If you want to get them to help you, then you need to appeal to them on their level. That means riches and rewards."
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Besides, I've sized her up since the moment I saw her. She seems all right if you ask me."
"Catra, your definition of all right is a possible homicidal thug that beats people for interrupting her meals." Glimmer commented, looking over to the other side of the cantina where an unconscious orange lizard still lied. "And anyone else who gets in the way of her."
"Plus, all the scary people are scared of Huntara," Bow added, glancing around the room at the dangerous looking individuals who stepped out of Huntara's way, "which is not usually a good sign."
*thunk*
"Wh-Whoooa!" The three turned their attention above them as they heard the sudden rumble of something falling against the table, turning to their east as they saw another pair of legs standing out from under the table, next to Huntara. "Ah! S-Sorry, I didn't see you there! I didn't see-!
"Geeeeeeeehh!"
"Waaaaaah!"
*CRASH!*
In a remarkable display that could be made out as much as possible from under the confines of a table, the trio were greeted with a curious scene. While most of it went over their heads and out of view, from what little they could make out, they saw Huntara standing up at attention again to whoever bumped into her or the table.
Seeing the guy's feet being lifted off the ground, the trio didn't have to wonder very long about what became of him. The next thing they heard was a terrified cry of fear as the same individual was tossed across the room, seeing the ragdoll of a person crashing violently against a group of four's table and breaking it in the process.
Followed by a huff and the sound of someone clapping their hands clean of what they considered filth, the floor around them shook violently as she took her seat again.
In short, this all escalated because someone nearly tripped and bumped into the table. That alone was enough to set her off.
"...I don't see the problem." Catra shrugged, ignoring the brutal and unnecessary scene.
"But, Catra-"
"Look, Pinky, either way, we don't have a choice." She cut off. "We don't have a map of this place, remember? And even if we did, we still don't know the environment as well as these people. That includes the wildlife, plants, quicksand, and everything else trying to kill us out there. We need a guide."
"You kids are aware you picked the worst possible spot to hold a secret meeting, right?" Huntara commented, ducking her head under the table to see what was taking so long. Nearly shrieking in response, the three gathered themselves hastily, standing up again at the other side of the table while putting off an innocent appearance.
"Y-Yeah, so... about our request-"
"Save it." Much like Catra did with Glimmer, the huntress cut Catra off with a single hand, taking a moment to enjoy the last of her warm drink. "The minute i say no, you guys are going to run out there on your own and get yourselves killed anyway. Aren't you?"
"I mean, not ideally, but yeah." Glimmer half-heartedly confirmed, still just as anxious as every time she spoke to the woman. For a moment, it looked like the woman was just going to spend the rest of her life staring menacing at the trio for the rest of her life. Then, the unthinkable happened.
She grinned.
With the raise of her arm, she pulled over her long contractible spear, spinning it a bit within her fingertips before shrinking it down to size. Spear firmly in hand, she holstered it to the back of her waist, standing proud and strong before the three heroes and the silently admiring Catra as she came to a final decision.
"Well then, looks like you've got yourselves a guide." She declared, much to the feline's excitement as she raised a hand towards them.
"Awesome!" She yelped, shaking her hand tightly with her right, opposite of Huntara's as she looked back. "See? What did I tell you? We've got nothing to worry about."
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...
"I know Hordak told me to go away, but I have some ideas for the portal machine." Entrapta told Emily as she tried to walk past the droid. The robot's only response was to push its master back away as Entrapta struggled to push back. "Emily, will you cut that- Ack!" She let out a small yelp as her back collided into something, feeling the coils around a machine pressing into a painful spot along her backside.
Turning around, the wondrous scientist gazed upon something she had never seen before, which was saying a lot in her field of work. Floating within a vat of a strange substance, the scientist seeing past her and Emily's reflection among the glass, they saw a mysterious embryo-like figure sleeping in a chemical liquid of some sort. The strange thing was bat-like in shape, yet retained an impish-like feature like Hordak's personal pet that hung around him.
When she started the afternoon, her only intention was to come here to repair the broken down machine, hoping to get it up and starting again for another test. So what if the first 135 tests were failures? It didn't mean they couldn't get up and try again. And, in doing this, she knew Hordak's mood would brighten the moment it started working again, and that was almost as important as science itself!
The attentive scientist was drawn away from the mysterious vat as she gazed off to the side, hearing the sound of someone wheezing and huffing off to the side, seeing a familiar leader within the center of the room.
There, she watched as the dozen or so machines that usually grafted Hordak's armor onto him were removing the very pieces that gave their leader his intimidating presence. On the side of the table to him, his imp watched with worry as the master panted with tiredness, gritting his teeth as he held in the pain that was caused each and every time this process was done. He didn't want to see anyone during this time, and he didn't wish to be bothered.
Entrapta realized this for herself as she turned back to Emily from behind the corner. "Okay, Emily, you might have a point." She whispered. "Quietly, quietly." She instructed, moving slowly backwards while maintaining her view of Hordak, making sure the coast was clear. Everyone knew if you looked in one direction and walked the other, nothing bad could happen.
At least, that's what she thought of on the spur of the moment as she couldn't go five steps in the opposite direction before trouble began.
*snap*
The sound of the cable snapping from the very vat she discovered earlier was the start of a chain reaction that would ultimately lead to her discovery. With an awkward look over her face, the scientist's eyes followed around as the sound of utter mayhem began to circle around her.
From the wire she snapped, the tiny tug it caused loosened a control panel that fed the cable through, causing it to drop to the ground. There, the vibration was enough to rattle a screw loose on another panel to a nearby wall that housed a small pillar, slanting it over just enough to collapse on its side and over the wall standing next to it. Here, it was a never ending spiral of cause and effect as each smaller reaction resulted in a larger reaction going off soon after.
Eventually, somehow, she ended up unhinging an entire generator connected to the ceiling above her, causing the scientist to let out a small shriek as it crashed right behind her. Surprisingly or not, it was just enough to catch Lord Hordak's attention as he heard this, turning his head in the direction of the trouble and spotting a familiar assistant he didn't wish to see by the doorway.
"Um... hi?" She greeted, waving uneasily.
"Get out." He weakly barked, turning around. "Get out-!" Ugh..." The weak action appeared to be more than Hordak himself could handle as he felt the energy draining from his bones at the slightest movement. The last thing he saw as his consciousness left him was his worried imp lying next to him in worry, followed by an equally worried Entrapta rushing over to the fallen leader.
Then, everything went black.
...
...
Scrapping her shortened spear against the stone, Catra watched with endless excitement as Huntara preformed the basics of using a makeshift compass within the wilderness of the Waste. Using a floating chunk of rock as a flatbed, the hunter waited until her spear pointed in the right direction, looking on ahead of herself, past the sandy fields and several crevices. Satisfied with her examinations, the hunter huffed to herself as she collected her spear again, traveling ahead on foot.
"Can you guys believe how awesome she is?!" Catra mentioned for about the 8th time in a row so far to the weary Glimmer and Bow, never giving them a word in edgewise as she ran back over to Catra's side.
"What's going on with Catra?" Glimmer asked quietly, trying to keep the cat from eavesdropping on them. For the past two hours, the two had to listen to her whenever Catra bothered to give them any convenience, and every time it was always remarking about how cool or amazing Huntara was before running back to her side. "I've never seen her like this!"
"I don't know." The tech expert shrugged his shoulders, watching the way Catra continued to gaze at the tall figure, giving her her full attention the entire time. "It's like she's a completely different person. I swear if I didn't know Catra any better, I'd think she was actually giddy around her."
"Her? Giddy?" The princess wondered who he was possibly referring to as her eyes darted from Bow to Catra and back. "We are still talking about the same person, right? Egomaniac? Reckless aggressor? Attacks first and asks questions later?"
"Not quite specific enough..."
"... Has a tail and cat ears?"
"Bingo."
The very same egomaniac tried to think of something to say to keep the conversation going with Huntara. "Heh, so, for a place that's supposed to be full of dead or dying things, there sure are a lot more people roaming around than I expected." The cat commented, walking by Huntara's side. She didn't care whatsoever as Glimmer and Bow were dragging their feet behind the two. An exhausted face of tiredness and heat was swamped over Bow's face, while Glimmer's face held more to the side of annoyance.
"The Crimson Waste takes in all sorts." Huntara replied as the group entered between a small gorge. "They come running from the law, from their enemies, from different kingdoms."
"Yeah, I can imagine." It was almost impressive how long the girl had a grin over her face, at least five minutes, to Bow if it wasn't also so disturbing at the same time. "What better place for the lawless than a lawless land, right? I bet you don't even have to worry about the Horde around here." Huntara stopped.
For a moment, Catra wondered if she said something that unsettled the great and mighty huntress that was Huntara. "The war will destroy all those idiots caught up in it." She told Catra firmly, moving on right as she finished. "This is the safest place from either side."
"What? Big tough hunter like you, worried about the war? Tch, I can't imagine what you must be running from." Catra, no joke, snickered. All at once, the world seemed to move slowly for the magicat and her two friends who saw the hunter take another pause.
Without warning, before any of the three could react, Glimmer and Bow were met with the shocking scene of Huntara suddenly grabbing Catra by the neck, pinning her to the wall of the gorge. Next thing they knew, without any sense of hesitation or warning, the hunter twirled the trusty spear briefly in her hands, and the next, was impaling it into Catra as her eyes went blank.
"Catra!" Bow and Glimmer cried out in worry and shock. They couldn't believe what they just saw! They were right about her, she truly couldn't be trusted! And yet they wished she could've proven that to them in a means that didn't resort to killing their friend in the process!
...At least, from the point of view they had.
Continuing to stare blankly into space, being overwhelmed with the shock and awesomeness that was Huntara's skills, Catra blinked. Looking down again, she saw exactly what the supposedly crazed hunter was really targeting, right off the left side of Catra's body that gave the duo the misinformed scene.
Pulling the spear out from the rock and Catra's side, they were presented with Huntara's newest prey, a multicolored scorpion with the spear through it's body. The small foot-long sized creature flailed its legs for a bit before dying, Huntara keeping her hardened gaze on the magicat throughout the ordeal.
"Huntara doesn't run from anything!" She declared, flinging the insect from the tip of her spear to the ground, crushing the rest of it below her foot. "Got that? I want to be here." She waited for a response from the still gazing Catra who looked somewhere between lost and found at the same time. She hunter figured it must've been from the recent feat she just performed. "Chameleorpions." She said, looking down to the bug's remains. "Nasty little critters that blend in with near anything around here."
"I didn't even feel it..." Catra commented, looking down at the squished insect as it's dead legs still twitched a little. At the same time, her two friends were overcome with relief like no tomorrow, feeling like their world had been completely shattered for a moment when they thought Catra was the one she was stabbing.
"That's what makes them so dangerous. They could be on you for hours and you wouldn't even know it." She informed, sheathing her spear once again without a care. "The only indication they give off is a rock-clacking noise they make every half hour when they can't hold their breath anymore." Catra was convinced that this woman just gave her even more reason to fear the Crimson Waste.
On top of her ears barely picking on the thing, the gusts of sand scraping against the rocks of the gorge and a rock dropping sounding commonplace within this gorge, she now had to be wary of anything possibly crawling around on her without her awareness.
It also gave her more respect and admiration she had for Huntara than she thought was possible! Just picturing it, the dramatic and awesome hunter actually picking up on something that Catra herself was incapable of. She knew she was already awesome, but MAN was she awesome! And she saved Catra's life! Double-awesomeness didn't even come close to describing her as she continued on ahead.
And now, Catra smirked, knowing how she was going to return the favor.
"Good to know." She replied as she stretched out her claws as far as she could" Haaah!"
*swiff!*
Roaring, the feline jumped for the mighty hunter as she swiped her claws at her, giving the huntress just enough time to look back. Reacting quickly at the approaching attack, glaring daggers furball that were half the size of the one she pulled out, Huntara growled angrily as she raised the tip of the spear to the very edge of Catra's throat, grabbing her other claw in her left hand. Her face was barely two inches from her own as Catra smirked at her, mischievously.
"Do you have a death wish or something?" She grumbled, waiting for the smallest twitch to give Huntara the perfect excuse to attack her.
Instead, Catra continued on with her smirking ways as she shifted her eyes down to the ground and back to the hunter several times, gesturing for the mighty hunter to look for herself. Tightening the grip she had on her wrist, she briefly looked down to the floor beneath them, dropping her expression and anger as soon as she saw what the cat had really struck.
Not just one, but two Chameleorpions that were on her back, both sliced up into several pieces each thanks to the tiger's razor sharp claws.
"Wha... " She was at a loss for words as she finally released the cat's wrist from her hand. "How did-"
"I can't pick up anything more than ten feet in this Waste compared to normal, but when you mentioned the distinct sound they make when they breathe, I just listened closely for the tiniest heartbeat they must be giving off when they're holding their breath." Catra explained, brushing off her claws in showmanship from the gooey remains of the insects.
The hunter had to admit when she's been impressed by someone else's handiwork, taking out her spear as precaution in case she bumped into any more of these dangerous bugs. "Sharp wit, quick reflexes, and amazing claws." She smirked for the first time to the girl with a raised brow. "Not bad, Tiger."
"Ah, what can I say?" Catra nonchalantly replied, giving a smug grin as she looked at her own claws. "It's a gift."
"Hahaha, cocky, huh? I like that." With the first chuckle Catra managed to get out of her since the day began, the proud hunter gave a firm pat on the back in appreciation, sending off who knew how many fireworks in Catra's mind that her recent idol complimented her strength along with her attitude, two things that people usually never complimented simultaneously. Continuing to give her supporting grin, she raised the tip of her spear to the cat, not that Catra seemed to mind.
"Give it some time, you'll do well here. I could always use another tough girl like you at my side."
"Really?" Stars lit up in Catra's eyes at the hunter's possible offer. If she didn't know any better, she was almost sure she was offering her a job around here, or at least the closest thing to a job one could afford in the Crimson Waste. "I mean, we got a mission to do here and all, and I'd like to avoid any giant three-headed snake run-ins anytime soon, but-"
"Uh, Catra?" With stars still in her eyes as she stared ahead, she was almost oblivious to the sound of Glimmer speaking behind her as she shook her by the shoulder. "Can I speak with you for a minute?"
"Wh-AH!" She didn't bother waiting for a response as she pulled Catra aside, Huntara watching the two in confusion as the princess dragged her along behind the turnway of the gorge. Before she could follow after them in pursuit, she was cut off by a casual looking Bow who smiled back to her, holding something behind his back that he wanted to show her, if only to distract her long enough.
"Hey, Huntara, by any chance are you interested in... Card tricks?"
*SHNK*
The enthusiastic offer her had to make with the girl didn't seem to be shared with the same sentiment. Too terrified to even blink, the hunter replied silently as she thrusted her spear easily through the paper cards, just stopping inches away from the archer's forehead. Frozen as he was, it was easy for Huntara to slip the cards right out of his hand, looking at the pierced deck of cards with a smirk on her face.
"How's that for a card trick?"
"I-Interesting..." Bow gulped.
...
*swish*
"Ah-!" Catra yelped a little startled by the sudden and unexpected teleportation as they reappeared at the top of the gorge. Looking over the side, she could see the hunter and Bow chatting about something involving a deck of cards in her hands. Knowing the hunter would wait a few minutes for them, she decided to give the irritated princess her undivided attention for a bit.
"Can you imagine what it must be like to be her? How cool it would be to live her life?" Already, the magicat was on with the compliments and praise, barely registering Glimmer's expression until she waited ten seconds for a response. "...What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Glimmer grumbled, crossing her arms. "Catra, what has gotten into you?"
"Into me?" The cat asked, trying to recall any single one thing that was wrong with her. "Like what?"
"Like everything!" The princess was just as frustrated with the fact Catra was completely oblivious to her meaning as much as she was with the cat herself. "Catra, all day you've been ogling her and smiling at her, and it's getting kinda creepy."
"What? Pffft, you're imagining it." The cat passed off her concern with the roll of her eyes. "I just think she's cool, that's all."
"But, Catra, that's just it. You shouldn't think she's cool."
"Why not?"
"Because she could be a crook!" It's as if Catra had completely forgotten where they were or the kind of people they were dealing with. Given all the eyeballing she's been doing, there was a good chance that she did. "She's from the Crimson Waste, she could be as ruthless as the rest of those people."
"What, seriously?" Catra peered off to the side of the cliff in the direction that Huntara and Bow were in. What at first seemed like genuine contemplation ended up turning into a greater annoyance as Catra smiled again. "Because that would be really cool!"
"Catra, wake up!" Glimmer finally yelled, shaking her by the shoulders. "You're acting like she's your role model or something when she's the last person who should be." A small frown crossed the princess's face as she looked off to the side. "And I'm really getting a bad vibe from her, like something isn't right."
"A role model?" Catra questioned the thought for a moment as her eyes rose in thought. "What's wrong with that?"
"Everything's wrong with it. We don't know anything about her, she acts like she owns the place, she barely says a word to us, she's doing it for her own reward, and-"
"And she's like me?" She lowered her brow a little angrily as she crossed her own arms. "That's why you can't put up with her, right? Because that's how I was."
"What? No, you're nothing like her." Glimmer back-peddled a little as she saw she was losing her again. "Catra, even when you were like that in the beginning, you still weren't afraid to be true to yourself. You didn't care who or what saw you for what you really were. But with her? She just keeps going off with this casual look on her face that seems to be way too peaceful for someone in the Crimson Waste, and I think she's showing off intentionally. And I'm more bothered by the fact she just happened to find a poisonous insect on you when you weren't even aware of it. Don't you find that a little strange?"
"Well obviously, she just knows the Crimson Waste better than we do. Of course she'd find the insect on me."
"But that's just it, Catra, you should've known or felt it. When did any poisonous bug even get the chance to get on you in the first place? How could it have gotten on you at all?"
"... What exactly are you saying?"
"I'm saying I think she placed the bug on you to begin with just to show off and possibly recruit you. You've been by her side the entire time, she could've put it on you at any moment."
"Why would she do that?"
"Because she lies! She's deceitful, she's an outlaw, she's from the Crimson Waste. Don't you think you're being the least bit too trusting with her?"
Catra stared at the annoyed princess with misgivings. What was she so upset about that Catra wasn't seeing? Why was she so against someone as cool and respectful as Huntara of all people? Was it because she reminded her of Catra when she first joined? How she still was in some a way? Was it because she came from somewhere dangerous, somewhere feared? Again, like Catra?
Or was there something else in the mix? Did Glimmer have any reason to be angry about someone as cool and strong and clever as...
Slowly, a smirk appeared over Catra's face as a brow rose over her eyes. "Oooooh, I think I see what's going on here."
"Thank you!" Finally, she was starting to get through to Catra.
"You're just jealous!"
Or maybe not.
"What? Jealous? Of what?" There was a slight tremor to the girl's voice as she said this, clearly sparking something that she really wasn't admitting.
"Of everything!" Catra spat. "You're jealous because you know that no matter how hard you try, or what you do, you will never be as cool or as awesome as her."
There wasn't anything close to amusement or denial as Glimmer stared at Catra in disbelief. "Catra, she is the last person I would ever want to be like."
"Uh-huh, sure she is. I'm sure that's why you haven't said a single thing to me since the journey started."
"I haven't said a single thing to you BECAUSE you keep following around her! How am I supposed to know you won't say anything with the way you've been with her all day long? Or how about the fact you're actually thinking about joining her and leaving the Rebellion?!"
"It's not like I was actually gonna do it. And what's wrong with it if I did? Why can't I admire someone for once in my life, huh? What makes her so bad compared to anyone else we've met?"
"BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE HER ARE THE WORST-!" The anger boiling over Glimmer's head had finally reached its bursting point. Between trying to convince Catra that she shouldn't trust her to everything strange and suspicious going on around here, her anger had reached its peak. She was annoyed with how determined Catra was trying to prove that Huntara could be trusted, in disbelief with how open and trusting she could be with her, and a little disappointed that she'd actually go out of her way to defend someone like her when she didn't even know her to begin with!
And it wasn't until she saw Catra glare silently in response that she realized she may have pushed a step too far.
To Catra, Huntara was everything Catra was and everything she wishes she could be. Someone who didn't take people irritating her lying down, a self-proclaimed princess of her own land where power was the law of the land, and someone who had the respect and authority over everyone around her. To her, she was no different than how Catra was when she first met Glimmer and Bow.
And now, Glimmer was more than eager enough to express her resentment for such people that she thought were a nuisance, people that couldn't be trusted to begin with simply because of where they came from or where they were born. Huntara was no different than Catra was, no different in how she was possibly raised and brought up.
Like her.
"Catra... I-" By the time Glimmer raised a hand to her in apology, it was already too late. Forcefully brushing past her shoulder, the magical completely ignored as she made her way to the cliffside, silently climbing down it with several leaps. Glimmer frowned as she watched this, the sense of guilt filling her own mind at what she just said.
She didn't see Catra anywhere near like how she sees Huntara. Sure, there were plenty of similarities that were shared between them, but nothing that Glimmer felt irritated for or spiteful against. Looking back on it, on all the memories of the day that annoyed her of the two, maybe she was actually jealous? Maybe she really did have something against Huntara on a more personal level.
But what?
...
...
The evening sky gave way to a rather beautiful serene color in the wasteland as the group continued across the desert sands. Unsurprisingly, Catra had been at Huntara's side the entire time, acting as if she was doing so more to spite Glimmer personally than her other reasons. Relaying the information she got back to Bow, the archer was disappointed that she couldn't get Catra to come to her senses more, at least enough to stop trusting the hunter as much as they did.
It felt like the two were in complete silence, on the other side of the wasteland, despite being about twenty feet away from the duo, given all the silence towards them. They had to drag their feet for the last several hours, surprised both of them were able to continue on foot as well as they could, while dealing with their own unease rising as the day progressed.
"We should say something to her." Bow whispered to the princess to his right.
"Uh-uh, forget it." Glimmer dropped the suggestion with a whisper back, looking a little mad. "If she thinks Huntara's all high and mighty, then we'll let her deal with it when it blows up in her face. Besides, Catra won't forgive us if we do anything rash, so the most we can do is give her our support."
"Uh, hello? It'll probably blow up in our face, too, when that happens. I'd rather not be fed to some giant sand lizard swimming through the sand or something. And what'll we do if she actually attacks Catra?"
"Then we'll deal with it when the time comes. Now shh!" She hushed, bringing a finger to her mouth.
"You shh!" He shushed back irritably.
"Shhh!" She shushed louder, leaning closer to the equally irritated Bow.
"No, you shush!"
"Shhh!"
"SHHHH!"
"SHHHHHHHHH!"
Throughout the entire shush-off, the two warriors up ahead continued to ignore them, save for Catra who's hearing could pick up the stupid shushing, but didn't care. She was having enough fun hearing Huntara regale some of her past adventures as the two continued to chat back and forth.
"You call that a feat?" Huntara smirked. "One time, I had to fight a Bolvarian Sandstopper with nothing but my bare hands, with no other protection save for the bark of a withered tree around the area."
"Oh, yeah?" Catra grinned back, punching a fist into her other hand. "One time, I had to repel an army, and I mean an actual army, all by myself!" It was one of Catra's proudest of achievements in the Battle of Bright Moon. What she didn't mention was the part where the cavalry arrived minutes later to save the day, but she didn't need the minor details.
"Not bad, I guess." She shrugged off, feigning interest to the girl who was more than aware of it. As their walk continued, she couldn't help as she glanced in the direction of the two squabbling shushers some distance behind them, reminding her of the company. "Your friends are kind of-"
"Annoying?"
"I was gonna say loud, but yeah." She gave a small smile at the fact Catra didn't go easy on the details, a fine trait for a warrior in her viewpoint. "So, you thought anymore about my offer?"
"The offer?" Catra turned her head straight as she scratched the back of her head. "Well, it's a great offer and all that, but I wouldn't really know where to begin."
"What do you mean? You'd fit in great around here. You're strong, your quick, you're fearless. You're a lot like me."
Catra's heart skipped a beat for the first time as a small blush covered her cheeks. It was both exciting and a little embarrassing to be given what she considered to be high praise from someone like her. "Yeah, I know, it's just that... well... You know, with the whole thing with the war going on, and the Rebellion and the Horde. Plus the queen would probably chew my ear off back in Bright Moon if I suddenly up and left."
"Bright Moon?" Huntara questioned, her expression dropping for a change. "You're from Bright Moon?"
"Well, I am now, I guess. I defected from the Horde some time ago..." Catra's own face started to sour a little bit as she noticed Huntara's gloomy expression. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong? N-Nothing..." She muttered, walking on ahead of the girl. It left Catra a moment to herself to wonder if she said something wrong all of a sudden. Maybe she was uncomfortable around members of the Horde, defectors or not? She didn't get the chance to ask her as right as she was about to, she was stopped by a concerned Bow grabbing her shoulder, the archer looking into his device with worry.
"Listen, I know my tracker pad isn't working, but I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong way, a different way than we'd be going. I'm pretty sure Huntara is taking us somewhere else." He tried to explain to an agitated Catra.
"Are you two still on about that? We wouldn't even be going anywhere if it wasn't for Huntara. I say we keep going until we find what we're looking for." She proclaimed. "Or are you two still going to be jealous and tell me why we shouldn't?"
"Catra, forget about the jealousy thing for a second and just think!" Glimmer tried to reason doing her best to maintain herself over the look of anger. "Why won't she tell us where we're going after all this time? Better yet, why don't you try to get a sense with your sword instead of yourself to see if you feel anything?"
"My sword is working just fine, I don't need it to sense where we're going."
"Don't need to, or don't wantto?" Glimmer wondered with an accusing brow.
"Both." She hissed back.
"We're here." It was with Huntara's announcement that the group turned ahead, seeing the mighty hunter a short distance ahead of them. There, they saw her standing before a large pathway, a cave-like structure made out of the jagged rocks forming along the canyon. Giving her a brief smile, and look of disdain to the others, Catra carried on ahead as she joined she ran a little up the pathway, excited to see what they were searching for, and to prove those two wrong.
It was times like this the two wished they could abandon the mission, when Catra was dead set on something, instead of following along with her for the sake of keeping her spirits up. It was also their best and only means right now of proving their trust in her, even if they had none to offer Huntara.
Running along the great cave-like tunnel, the group eventually came to the epicenter on the other end, marveling at the interesting formation the clearing gave way to. Surrounded by cliff faces that sunk a couple feet below and away from each other in each row, looking like the rows one would expect to see within a coliseum of all places, the large gaping, shallow, hole in front of them that sank about thirty feet from their entrance looked exactly like Catra expected of the Waste's center.
In the middle of it all, there was a large stone structure jutting out of the ground, as if something had landed there years ago. Perhaps that would be the best way to describe the environment around her? As the remains of a large crater that sunk in centuries ago. Quite possibly the very thing they came to search for in the first place!
"Ha!" Catra snorted, poking Glimmer directly in the forehead. "Told you so!" The excited girl smirked as she started to descend the dozen rows of the great crater, her friends following behind with their own wonder as to whether or not this was genuine.
One of the best things Catra appreciated about this place so far was that her hearing was a little improved compared to the rest of the Crimson Waste. With the large area and the jagged rocks making the walls of this large crater, there was barely any sound of sand scraping against one another interfering with her senses.
Grinning, the magicat approached the center of the large stoney structure, taking out her sword as she examined the rock up close and personal. "Alright, so what do we do from..." The smile that was present on Catra's face slid into a bit of a frown and a confused look as she lowered the sword to her side.
"Uh... We're where?" Glimmer asked, approaching the boulder with Bow at her side.
Something wasn't right to the magicat. To her, it looked like the center of something, the mysterious formation of this crater-looking area felt like the center of something. But, for some reason, it didn't feel like the center of something. The warrior gave a puzzling look to the Hunter as she approached the three of them.
"I thought you said this was the center of the Crimson Waste?" She asked.
"It is. Can't you tell?" Huntara wondered, the look of genuine surprise on her face. Catra was sure she wasn't lying as she looked to the stone again. She has come across a whole manner of different digsites and First Ones ruins during her adventures, so it's not like it was completely impossible. "This is where the ship crashed."
"But it just looks like an ordinary boulder to me." Catra replied, feeling her fingers against the surface. "How could-" The cat's eyes widened in realization as it dawned on her, giving her an unsettling vibe as she faced her again. A vibe that was shared with her two friends as they watched her. "How did... you know we were looking for a ship when we didn't know what we were looking for?"
*clack*
Immediately, Catra's ears twitched as she took a defensive stance, gripping her sword tightly. "What was that?"
"What was what?" The Hunter asked back, looking around herself.
Catra's other senses were starting to go on high alert as she became worried. It was thanks to the very same area that gave her some of her heightened senses back that she heard the sound of a rock scraping against something, like the insects from earlier. Unlike the insects, this one had a very distinct clacking sound to it, one that couldn't be caused without one rock being scraped against the ground.
Or kicked to the side after someone knocked it by accident.
*siff*
"Ah!" Glimmer let out a yelp as something stung her on the back. Reaching behind her, the princess pulled out a strange dart of some sort, one with a blue feather at the end. "What the... Nghhh..." She didn't get so much as three words out before the world became heavy to the Princess of Bright Moon, her body falling to the ground as her consciousness faded.
"Glimmer!" Bow yelled worriedly, rushing over to his fallen friend. By the time he reached the halfway point, Catra's ears picked up the sound of another dart going off, this one nabbing Bow right in his exposed stomach. "Ughhhh..." And just like the previous friend, his consciousness finally left him too.
"Bow!" Catra cried out, staying on her toes as she looked all around. They were in the middle of an ambush, she realized that now. What she couldn't figure out for one reason or another was who's? It became even harder to tell as she saw Huntara pulling out her spear, backing up closer to the magicat as she kept her guard up, looking in the opposite direction.
"Where's it coming from?" She asked, keeping her eyes as open as Catra's.
"I-I don't know." The cat steadied her breathing as she gripped her sword. Whoever was attacking them had the high ground for sure. She needed to find a way to pick up their location without the use of her nose, seeing how nearly a dozen of the large cacti within the wasteland were housed on each of the rows, making them the perfect hiding spot from her eyes and nose. "It could be anywhere... It could be-"
*siff*
"Hah!" With a shout, the magicat swiftly deflected the oncoming dart with the flat side of her sword, knocking it away. With her hearing picking up the location, her expression hardened as she saw two familiar figures sticking their heads up from behind a large boulder- the two jerks who tried to tussle with Catra when she first arrived at the Waste's tavern. "I see them! They're-!"
"Right behind you."
*tip*
"Ahhhhhh!" Catra cried out, feeling a dart being forcefully slammed into the back of her neck. Pulling it out of herself, the girl felt her entire body wooz up in mere moments, her legs buckling from her own weight as her eyelids began to get heavy, dropping the sword in the process.
Staring at the dart bitterly, she gritted her teeth, trying to do anything to keep her consciousness from fading, as she saw a familiar foot stepping before her. "Y... You..." Catra couldn't believe it, any of it, as she watched the figure smirk. Casually, they picked up the dart, examining it thoroughly as the two goons from earlier revealed themselves on the higher rows completely.
And Huntara didn't show an ounce of care or remorse.
"Paralyzing darts." She stated, giving the sinister look that only an outlaw could provide to the fading girl. "But you probably already knew that, with your sharp wits and all."
"T-This... entire time..." Catra struggled to get out, trying to scrape against the ground as she pathetically reached for her sword.
"Sorry, Catra, but the strong make the rules." Huntara grinned further as Catra's eyes and ears became too heavy to bare. "And I always make the rules..." With the last of her consciousness finally fading, there was only one thought left in Catra's mind as her consciousness finally left her.
Glimmer was right...
...
...
...
A/N: And another exciting chapter come to an end ^^ Had a bit of a rough edge somewhere down the middle of this, but overall still had fun throughout the entire chapter ^^. I really don't have much more to say about it over the top, but as with changes to the story, however little, however brief, expect more of an exciting climax/fight by the end of the episode ^^
With that said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!