Cat-Ra Chapter 98: S3 Episode 2: Huntara Part 3, a she-ra and the princesses of power fanfic

A/N: Final Word Count: 12.6k Pre-A/N's. And we're cutting down to the wire folks with some good ol' fashion Cat-Ra-ness ^^! Had quite the fun with this one, not much to change, though there will be some notable differences here and there towards the end and the beginning.

Really don't have much to say this time around (like really don't) other than we're nearing down to the 100th chapter spectacular ^^! Can't wait to reach that milestone!

With that said, enjoy!

...

"..."

*sniff*

"Ngh..." Catra's face contorted as she took the first whiff of some bizarre substance. Her eyes opened to a blurred vision as everything appeared hazy to her, seeing a myriad of colors slowly coming into focus in front of her. The little she could make out was what appeared to be a figure squatting before her, and the sound of two people chuckling.

Eye's opening a little bit wider, she could make out a clear shape in front of her, one that appeared to be smirking still as Catra's consciousness became more and more clear. Eventually, she could finally make out the sight of someone familiar to her, and what felt like a pair of arms around both her shoulders.

"HUNTAR-nnngh..." Just as soon as she shouted did she just as quickly feel her body going numb again. There was a spur of laughter around her as the magicat attempted to swipe at the woman, only for her body to go numb again as she flailed to the ground disoriented. Where are we? She tried to make out her location as the view was different where she passed out.

Which was easier said than done when she was dealing with the memories of how they ended up in this mess to begin with.

She couldn't tell how much of it was completely on her and how much it was on the traitorous outlaw, something that should've been expected from her, named Huntara. She was a warrior of the Crimson Waste, a self-proclaimed princess who made all the rules around here where only the strongest survive and said what was done. She was strong, she was hardheaded, she was intimidating. Everything Catra used to be and everything she wished to be more of.

Within the Crimson Waste, she made a small settlement for herself and the outlaws and thieves that came to this land to escape the kingdoms, the laws, and the war raging around Etheria. She brought something close to order within these lands, and it was by her words that laws were made. And by her muscles, they were enforced.

She was also responsible for betraying the trio after they requested her help to begin with. After traveling through the desert for nearly half the day, Catra becoming more enamored by how cool she was, she finally brought them to what she claimed to be the center of the Crimson Waste. At first, it did appear to be what she claimed, coming along a large crater-like drop in the middle of the desert where something clearly crash landed. Within the first two minutes, she realized how wrong she was about the place and about Huntara.

Immediately upon entering, the gang was ambushed. Several trappers had lied in wait for them the entire time, paralyzing them with tranquilizer darts from their hiding places, getting the drop on all of them. Catra was the only one who managed to deflect one shooting straight at her with her sword, only for the same dart to be jammed into the back of her neck by the traitorous Huntara from behind.

The person she inspired to be in almost every way, the person who did a lot of what Catra always dreamed of. Becoming stronger, using her own muscles and intimidation to make things run her way, and getting a kingdom that she could call her own. She was the coolest person Catra had come to ever know since leaving the Horde.

And now she betrayed them.

"Hahaha!" The bellows of laughter that continued to fill the air around her brought her no end to the anger welling up, some of the voices she recognized from the tavern they met at.

"Whoa, easy there, tiger." She heard Huntara saying, the tall huntress picking the cat up from the back of her vest up to her feet. "You're gonna make yourself pass out again." Catra continued to growl a little as she sluggishly tried to get a few more swipes in. As funny as it was to watch, the people who watched wasted no time in grabbing her arms again, keeping her from moving around too much. The satyr from earlier grabbed Catra lightly by the chin as she lifted Catra's head, giving her a direct few of the traitor.

"Youuu..." She hissed a little, trying to force her body awake some more. Grinning, the huntress brought something to her nose again, forcing the disoriented cat to take another sniff of the substance that instantly sent a shock through her system. "Gah!" She squealed, slapping away the substance that made her body tingle unpleasantly. "Keep that out of my... huh?"

It was then that Catra realized that most of her motor function had returned to her, the cat's own resilience mixed with the dart's paralyzing agent beginning to wane.

"I said take it easy." She told her again, signaling for the two to finally release their hold on her. Nodding back, the two casually released their grip on her arms, giving another chuckle out as she fell to the ground again. This time, she managed to get back to her own feet, albeit at a much slower rate as the paralysis continued to wear off. "You should be happy you're not them."

"Not... them?" Catra muttered, trying to balance herself as her traitor gestured towards the large hole behind her. At it's ledge, her eyes widened in shock as she saw the body of, both, Glimmer and Bow being tossed in so casually by several of the other patrons of the tavern. "W-Wait, stop!" Catra shouted, trying to rush over to them. She was easily stopped by Huntara as she lowered the flat side of a familiar weapon to her, one that Catra recognized all too well. "My sword!"

*thud*

Ears twitching, she picked up on the sound of the two presumably hitting the bottom, hoping to herself they were still alive as she glared back at the prideful hunter. "What's going on here, Huntara?!" She demanded to know, glaring at her as she stood straight again.

"Nothing you need to worry about, tiger." She replied, flipping the strange scented substance that woke Catra up again. "You should consider yourself lucky I like you this much or I wouldn't have used this."

"Sheesh, tell me about it." She heard the satyr say behind her, crossing her arms. "She made me wait out the whole thing for like an hour."

"Otherwise, you'd be waking up down there with your friends."

"Waking up?" Turning to the hole again, the magicat swiftly ran past the hunter as Huntara grinned, seeing just how deep the hole was as she skid her knees against the ground. At the bottom, probably about thirty to forty feet in height, she saw the two people she cared about lying at the bottom, the soft sand cushioning their fall, thankfully. With a small hint of relief at the sight, she turned her rage filled gaze back to Huntara.

There, as imposing as ever, she saw at least a dozen or so of the patrons behind her, including the barkeep from earlier, smirking as she stood at Huntara's side. "You have two seconds to tell me what's going on here right now!"

"Like I said, nothing you need to worry about anymore, tiger." Huntara casually replied, holding out a hand. "Now that you're with us."

Catra blinked, confused beyond measure as she was taken back by this. "With us? What do you mean us?"

"What do you think, kitten?" The barkeeper teased. "With the Crimson Waste." She grinned back to Huntara as she leaned on her shoulder. "I told you she'd make a good addition."

"Will someone just tell me what's going on here?!" She yelled, growing frustrated with all the confusion and lack of answers being replaced with further questions.

"Pretty simple, Tiger." Huntara replied, tapping the edge of her sword on her own shoulder. "Every now and then we get a stupid outsider waltzing in here and thinking he knows how the place works. And occasionally, we get somebody different, people like us. We recruit a whole manner of different people. Outlaws, crooks, runaways. And then, people like you."

"LIke... me?" Catra wondered what they meant. Were they talking about her species as a whole or something entirely different.

"Defectors." She clarified, walking up to the girl who was barely three-fourths her side. "People who wanted to escape the Horde for one reason or another. People who wanted to survive. That's where you come in, Tiger." She called her the nickname as if it was her official title from this point onward.

"Are you kidding me? That's not why I left the Horde!"

"It doesn't matter why you left the Horde, cat." She grumbled a little. "You know the kind of people I'm talking about. The kind of people who wanted to make a life for themselves, a place where the strong called the shots. When I saw you starting that fight in the bar, I knew you were cut from the same cloth as us. You were strong. You were a fighter. Even she," she gestured to the barkeeper, "saw talent in you. Why do you think I was trying to recruit you?"

"Recruit me?" Catra tried to think back to everything, anything, that could've been a kind of invitation. A few things came to mind, but what she lacked was a motivation behind it, a trigger that would've drawn Catra closer to her ideals.

Until she remembered.

...

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."

...

"That... That really was you, wasn't it?" Catra finally realized. "You really did put that bug on me."

"Honestly, it was just to prove a point about the Waste." Huntara grinned, sword in one hand, her hip in the other. "About how the strong are the only ones who survive. What I didn't count on was you finding two of those bug things on me. I'm guessing they hopped on when I snuck around to find the first one. The moment you saved my life, I knew you were already strong enough, and more than earned a chance to join us." With a grin, she offered her hand again to the very same person she betrayed.

"So? How about it, Tiger? You ready to join the strong in the Crimson Waste?" Catra stared between her and the hand she as she got up to her feet.

Was she serious about this? Really serious about this? Up till now, she thought the offer and a chance to recruit her was just a polite gesture on her part, something to think about to pass the time as they traveled. She didn't think someone like her was actually dead set on inviting her to join a group of strong survivors, the Crimson Waste at that. Until now, it was like an actual dream come true.

She really did see a lot of similarities between them as well. They both were intimidating in their own way, they didn't take any annoying people or issues lying down, they solved their problems with their fists and brute strength, and so on. They were also survivors in their own ways, from whatever reason Huntara had to Catra defecting for her own personal goals.

Now, she had a chance to take her up on that offer, a chance to be somewhere she's always wanted to be before, even if her life turned out differently than she expected. She'd be a personal fool right now not to take the offer if she assumed what alternative was going to be.

And she gave a grin of her own as she squeezed her hand around the thing she picked up from the ground when she kneeled.

"Sounds like a good deal to me." She replied. "Here's my counteroffer." With a growl, Catra jumped straight at the hunter as she raised her right hand up to the hunter's face, clutching the large rock she picked up tightly. Having already expected this as a possibility, the hunter showed no signs of fear as she easily gripped Catra's entire hand with her left, squeezing the girl's fist against the rock she was holding tightly.

"You know what else I hate?" She asked, squeezing the hand even tighter as Catra winced in pain.

"Ahh!" She cried out, trying to pull her hand away from the crushing force pushing her knuckles against the was a long shot, clearly, but it was the only one she had at the moment. If she managed to knock her over, however slightly, she could've gotten a grip on her sword long enough to summon She-Ra's strength.

"Being told "I told you so". Because now, thanks to you, I'm going to be hearing it all day tomorrow." It was starting to annoy Catra at how many similarities the two actually had with one another. Without giving the magicat a chance to respond, with a mighty roar, the powerful hunter threw the cat into the hole behind her, slamming Catra against the wall of the large hole and against the bottom floor.

Catra fell flat on her face, wincing a little from the sore back as she coughed up a few puffs of sand she inhaled when her face hit the ground. Down here, she had a better look of her friends, feeling relieved to know they were definitely okay as she saw them breathing. Shaking the pain off, she glared back up at an angered and disappointed Huntara, as well as seven to eight of the patrons from before.

"You think you can keep me in here, stupid?" She yelled, the sight of her face angering Catra as she stared at the pink moon above her.

"Well, if you're so confident, why don't you come out of there and prove me wrong, Catty?" She taunted back, riling Catra's anger further.

"Gladly!" With a leap, already reaching upwards of eight feet in that jump alone, she was grumbling to herself at all the thoughts she had about Huntara as she began to climb. She couldn't wait to get her hands on her, to make her pay for everything she did to her and her frie-

"Wh-Whoooa!" Near twenty feet from the ground and the opening, Catra felt herself slipping from the hole's smooth surface. In no time, she was tossed from the wall of the hole again as she fell back down, only a little softer than when she fell the first time. She shook and rubbed her head again in confusion. "What the..." Shaking off the thoughts, she growled again as she jumped to the wall a second time, ignoring the sneering laughter coming above her.

She was so preoccupied on the reasons she fell that she didn't realize why it happened until her second and third attempt. Each time she made it about half way or a few feet over, and each time she felt her hands flailing against the smooth surface as she landed on her back.

"What's going on here?" It didn't make any sense to her. No matter how smooth the wall was, she should've had a decent enough grip with her very own claws. It actually hurt a little for some reason as they continued to scrape against the rocky interior. They were freshly sharped as they were everyday, and looking back at them, they should've proven to be-

Catra gasped. "No..." She muttered, checking her own two feet as well as she heard more snicking above her.

*tweeeeeet*

"Hey, Catra!" Huntara called down, pulling something from under the collar of her own vest. The sight of it made her pupils shrink in disbelief and horror as Huntara flaunted them back and forth. "Thanks for the souvenir~"

It was her claws. All of them. Hanging blissfully on a string necklace, handcrafted with a solid string along the base of each of them. They were all rough and jagged and consisting of different sizes, but none of that mattered to her. What truly mattered, the only thing that did matter, was that she took them. Her claws. One of her defining features. One of her underhanded tricks of weaponry.

Were gone.

"YOU DECLAWED ME?!" She shouted furiously, still in disbelief at the sight. To say she was completely clawless would be a small exaggeration on her part. Looking at them again, she could see they were chipped and filed down to the very nubs of her fingers, barely getting half an inch out of them in full from where they grew.

True to her name, Huntara was a hunter first and a leader second. And every great hunter gathered a trophy from their quarry.

"I always did say your claws were amazing." She teased. One by one the patrons around her disappeared from view, the magicat watching them in dismay as she attempted to climb the wall again, being met with the same results.

"You should've taken my offer when you had the chance Catra. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky and your claws will regrow in a month's time or two. Assuming you don't starve to death or die from exposure out here." With a final taunt, she waved the sword as a goodbye to the distressed cat as she finally disappeared from her view.

Even with this, Catra refused to quit. She took her sword, took her trust, and took the third-most important things in the world to her, one of her aces in a fight when times were tough, her claws. She couldn't allow the desert princess to have the last laugh behind all of this, to get away with betraying her far more painfully than anyone else in her past. And just like the first few attempts at her escape, they were always met with the same result.

Catra jumping, Catra climbing, Catra falling.

Catra had been betrayed again, this time by a person she randomly met that she thought she had a connection with, a similar livelihood like hers. Someone she thought she understood, someone she thought could've been trusting if she saved a bunch of kids. Maybe she was what Cattra could've been if she never ran into Bow and Glimmer? Maybe not? She didn't know anymore, and she didn't care. All that mattered was that someone she trusted had betrayed her again.

And like a useless animal that could no longer walk, she tossed her away, without pity, or remorse.

...

"...Akh!" Horde gasped as he suddenly awoke, panting out of breath and confusion at what had befallen him. A confusion that was heightened as he noticed the strange blue blanket wrapped around him from his shoulders down, his armor removed for further comfort.

The last thing he remembered was trying to fix the alloy to his suit, following another failure from his teleportation device that left with him having to save the scientist at the cost of damaging his armor. With the wires that strengthened his muscles and bone greatly weakened, he had no choice other than to halt all proceedings with the scientist, working tirelessly for the next several hours to repair something that was falling apart.

Not just with his suit, but with himself.

The suit was one of the only things keeping him together in these times as his lifespan began to falter. With every year that passed, every year he wasted trying to better the enhancements and prowess gifted to him by his intelligence, another portion of his life fell with it, leaving the fearless leader more vulnerable and crippled with the passage of time.

That's why it was imperative to fix his suit, to fix himself, to prove himself worthy as the leader of the Horde. All of it was going well until a certain scientist by the name of Entrapta barged in unannounced, angering the leader to the point of exhausting his remaining energy for the day. That's what lead him to this, possibly, to waking up in such a strange state.

What was going on?

"Ta-da!" With a cheerful squeal, he lifted his head to the sight of his assistant approaching him again, holding a tray with half a dozen mugs over it. "I made you soup. Soup always makes me feel better." She said, placing the tray on his lap.

Shaking the blanket off himself, Hordak looked at the vile liquids with disgust, even more as the scientist tried to feed him herself with strands of her hair. When he turned away once, another spoon was there to greet him. Trying it again, there was also another one. Eventually, he was surrounded by all sides, at least eight spoonfuls of soup greeting him in every direction of his face. All he could do was hiss in disgust as the hair pulled away, refusing to take his medicine via soup.

"Okay, I know one big soup is probably better," Entrapta went on as Hordak sat the tray to the floor next to the imp, "but they're just so cute." The sentiment of the soup seemed to be shared with his pet as it turned away in disgust, covering its nose from the rancid smell.

That left him with an always eager, always annoying, Entrapta leaning on the arm of his chair, staring at him with big curious eyes as she wanted to discover the source of his mysterious state. "I am not discussing this." He stated, trying to hold in his resentment given the kind gesture she performed through this.

Walking alone proved more than a challenge for the leader as he grunted, trying to get his weak legs off the metallic chair as he stepped forward. He couldn't manage even a single foot as he collapsed forward, being caught by a worried Entrapta with her soft hair. Aside from rescuing him, again, it also gave the scientist a good look at the several holes over his upper back.

"Your armor, it's holding you together." She realized, seeing the state of his decay. It almost reminded her of the state Adora's right arm was in before she left. While it lacked the blue tint to it, there were numerous large splotches of skin that were dark in color.

"It is none of your concern." He stated calmly, finally rising to his feet.

"You're from another planet." It was her concern and then some as she in front of him again, holding his arms in shock and wonder. "That thing in the vitrine looks like you. And you've got tech compensating for your body." Hordak was actually a little amazed as the scientist tightened her grip, walking him backwards as one major discovery came with another at each passing second.

"As a scientist, I am not going to stop until I figure out what's going on." Or until she backed him up into another of the large vitrines behind him. "Now, tell me everything." This is a reason why he loathed any sort of companionship, even with an assistant as gifted- annoying, he meant, as her.

He turned away with a small seethe of anger as he contemplated. There wouldn't be any sense in trying to lie to her now when she's discovered so much. He couldn't get rid of someone who proved themselves invaluable to his portal technology. And in the current state he was in, he was powerless to keep her from doing anything, and chances were, she was going to keep him there until he confessed.

He hated her right now, like most people he came across who just wanted something stupid like glory or honor. But, he could admit at the very least, she did earn a token of his gratitude for at least trying to help him in his state.

Grumbling under his breath, he finally glared at the girl with his burning red eyes. "You want to know what I am?" He finally asked. "I am a clone!" Shouting, he slammed the back of his fist into the vitrine behind him, Entrapta watching as the glass containers lit up one after the other. Each of them contained another fetus-like specimen within, more fully developed than the last, and each one connected with multiple wires and to its back, likely with holes in them, like Hordak had.

Her eyes shifted all over the place, taking in the surprising development in shock, staring back at a grinning Hordak for answers. "A clone of the Emperor of the Known Universe. Horde Prime." Just speaking that name gave the clone itself some shivers as he pictured him. The glorious, the greatest, and strongest ruler in all the cosmos. It was with his hand that he brought the universe under his rule, and under his hand that he gave Hordak life.

A life that could just as easily be taken away if he so pleased.

"Horde Prime cloned himself, building an army to conquer all he saw. Planets, worlds, galaxies fell before us." He could easily remember the way it felt, the way the worlds burned under their rule if they would not submit to them. It was exhilarating, thrilling. Toppling entire empires that took several millennia for worlds to create in a matter of weeks, sometimes days. "I was his top general. But there was a defect in my cloning, and defects are worthless to Prime."

He could still feel the grip on that day, the way Prime's cold, hardened, hands felt against his throat as he was dragged off to his meet his demise in whichever way Prime desired. "I was sent to die on the front lines. But during battle, a portal opened and sent me crashing to Etheria. Standing me here." It was like fate itself was watching out for the defected clone, offering him a second chance to prove his worth, as it dropped him in an entirely new world. One untouched, one without the Horde.

One unconquered.

"With nothing but a broken ship, I built and empire." And with that empire, he saw a vision. A vision where this untapped, untainted, world was invaded by the machines he built, the weapons he constructed, all for the sake of world conquest. At the tip of that empire, he could picture it. A perfect portal, a perfect opening, for Horde Prime's army to advance through.

"When my portal opens, I shall bring forth my brothers' armies to crush the Rebellion. And Horde Prime will see that he was wrong. I am not a defect. I am worth something!" At the end of it all, he saw his master's hand being raised again, commemorating his pride in the defected clone, and offering a spot right at his side once more.

*Wham!*

In anger, the leader slammed his fist against the vitrine, lamenting the hopelessness of his situation as he despaired. "But my portal machine does not work." He felt as useless as the clone sleeping in the vat before him, half his face reflecting off the shallow husk's delicate form. "I haven't conquered the planet. I could not even clone a new body for myself." In his grief, his loss, he realized the ultimate truth.

"Perhaps... Perhaps Prime was right. I am a failure."

"Ahhhh!" There was a small shout from the purple haired scientist that drew Hordak's attention, seeing several tools and metals being tossed over his head. Had she been ignoring his story the whole time or was he just talking to himself? "Oh, no, no, no. I'm listening. I heard you." She assured, sorting through the scraps while wearing her mask. "I've got an idea, but I need my tools. Be right back." Before he could get any sort of response, the scientist dove into the vent above her, going to who knew where and for what reason.

It didn't matter to Hordak, not anymore as he sighed. There was no helping him, no working with him. He was, and always will be, a defect.

A failure.

...

"Okay, ninth time's the charm." Glimmer said as she took a deep breath. "Everyone, hold on." One, two..."

*swish*

With a burst of pink magic, the trio of allies found themselves right over the hole, out of their eternal prison and into the open air. Now if they could've been at the edge of the open hole and not right above where they were thrown into, that would've been an improvement.

"Ahhh!"

*THUD!*

"Oww!"

"Bow, are you okay?" Glimmer asked worriedly.

"Luckily," he moaned, "everyone landing on my ribs distracts me from my other bruises." He was sore all over, and there were only so many times he could be dropped into a hole before his body shattered like Humpty Dumpty.

"I'll get it this time. Hold... on!"

*swish-swish*

In two brief pink flashes, the group found themselves outside the hole again, thankfully over the edge and on the solid rocky ground. Never have any of them missed the feel of a cold hard rock under their feet or to land so painfully on it without a care in the world. It also didn't take very long for Glimmer to stand up again as the day's events resulted in the same misadventures all of their journeys had.

"Uggghhhh, I'm sick of this!" She groaned. "Why can't we go on a single adventure where nothing bad happens and everything works out just fine?!"

"Uh, Glimmer?" Bow tried to grab her attention as he saw something.

"I mean really, is it so hard to just walk to somewhere new, take a mission for one day, where everything goes right?!" The princess was about ready to pull her own hair out at the question as the frustration made her head boil.

"Glimmer!"

"And you know what? This one actually could've gone well. Sure, we had some ups and downs, but for the most part it was going just fine. And it would've been fine if someone didn't trust Huntara like we said! But no, you didn't listen, we lost all our stuff, and I'm going to enjoy myself for once when I say "I told you"-!"

"GLIMMER!" Bow finally shouted, grabbing the girl's attention.

"What-!" Glimmer stopped as she saw him. More accurately, he saw past him towards the girl he was gesturing to with his eyes. "... Oh..." So much for enjoying herself. Or being angry, for that matter. How could she when she had to look at that?

Off to the side, next to several large boulders, she saw her. Catra, leaning against a boulder with her arms crossed with a look of anger and sadness perfectly intertwined on her face. She scowled as she stared at the ground in front of her, grinding against her own teeth to hold in the anger welling up inside her. She also looked like she was struggling to hold back the tears trying to form in the corner of her twitching eyes, the girl knowing full well who's fault it was that they were in this mess.

Not Huntara's. Not the mission's. Her's.

Catra's.

It was because of her that they trusted Huntara in the first place. No, scratch that- actually push that aside, seeing how her claws were useless now. They didn't trust Huntara at all from the beginning. They only trusted in Catra that she trusted in Huntara, and they were suffering for it too because of her. If there was any mistake in their part, it was putting their trust in Catra, and she knew she couldn't accept that.

Admittedly, she could say that this was all on her for a change without any excuse or person to blame other than herself. She was the one who told them she could be trusted, she's the one who encouraged them to follow her through to the end, all because of some stupid message sent from some woman a thousand years ago, and a chance to find some way to complete her bond with the sword that was never going to happen in the first place!

It was all on her, by her own two hands. Catra had never felt so angry with how stupid she was. Waiting for the other two to wake up, after nearly thirty tries of climbing out for herself, she had plenty of time to figure out who was at fault here. And the answer bothered her to no end.

Her two friends looked at each other with their own worry, their own regret, wondering how the magicat must've been feeling after all that's happened to them, and to her.

"... I mean... I'm so glad we finally got out of there." She tried to sound genuine with a semi-smile, doing nothing to lift the magicat's head from her regret.

"... You guys were right." She stated boldly, keeping her attention where it was and away from their eyes. "About everything." Somehow, it actually hurt a little more to them to hear her admit when she was completely wrong for a change. "The whole tavern was in on it since the moment we arrived. Huntara betrayed us, and it's all on me this time." She looked at the stubbed claws within her fingertips, barely seeing anything left of them from where they surfaced. "And I can't even scratch anything right now to take my anger out on something!"

With a growl, Catra smacked the side of her fist against the rock, trying to get any sense of anger out of her system that didn't result in her taking it out on those two.

It didn't feel the same to her.

"Catra?" Bow tried to question, only for the magicat to turn her head away a little. Looking back to the Princess of Bright Moon, the two sighed among themselves as they walked over to her side. Like her, they both leaned against the rock with their arms crossed over, trying to figure out what to do next. Or how to get Catra out of her funk. "...It's not all bad." He tried to encourage. "We know the lay of the land better than we did before."

"He's right." Glimmer nodded, trying to offer another smile. "We're more prepared for the Crimson Waste now-"

"Without my claws?" Catra barely contained the need to hiss. "Without my sword? Bow's arrows? Even your magic is reaching its limit after trying to get us out of there for the last ten times. There's nothing we can do against them to get our stuff back. We'd be lucky enough to get out of the Crimson Waste ourselves by this point!" It was so frustrating to her to see everything that was wrong with their predicament and coming back to who's fault it was over and over again!

"And I don't mean just with Huntara, you guys were right about everything." She continued. "We never should've gone to the Crimson Waste unprepared, and I didn't listen. I wanted to find Mara's message so bad, I wanted to find a way to finish my bond as She-Ra, and I..." The girl finally frowned as her ears lowered to her side. "... I thought I might find out more about Adora in the process. About why she was chosen to wield the sword. Maybe even help her a little."

There was too much grief for the cat for either of them to convince her it wasn't her fault. Every way she looked at it, from a reasonable standpoint, it was her fault from start to finish. Every little thing that went about this day, that started on a mission Catra wasn't prepared for, resulted in this dynamic failure of an ending for her, for all of them.

And they all had to pay the price now, because of her. There was only so much they could do, so much to say, that could possibly make Catra feel a little better. They just didn't know what, or how to come across it.

But Glimmer did. "... Catra?" She spoke up with a bit of regret. "If... If it means anything to you... you were right about one thing."

"Yeah, like what? How it's all my fault?" She snarled rolling her eyes. "I already beat you to it, Pinky, so go ahead and told her how you said so and get it over with."

"No, not that. What I mean is... well..." She shifted her eyes a little away as her voice softened. "I was sort of... jealous, of Huntara." Catra slowly processed this as she came to realize what she said, blinking as she faced her.

"You were?" She asked. "Cause I'll be honest, I was partly joking about that whole "coolness" thing and all."

"I don't mean that, I mean..." It felt a little awkward and embarrassing to admit a jealousy she had over someone else, regardless of the cause of it. "I was jealous because... you became friends with her, so quickly and so fast. That's what made me jealous."

"We both were." Bow admitted, with a small sympathetic smile. Catra was confused. The conversation took an entirely different direction and to an entirely different topic to her than she expected. She stepped away from the rock as she stared at the two.

"What are you two talking about?" She wanted some sense made out of her question.

"We mean how you became friends with her so fast, Catra." Bow tried to explain, scratching the back of her head. "We've been working so hard to get you to open up to us about anything, and it took months for you to finally accept us as friends."

"And what were we supposed to say when you became friends in front of us with someone else in under a day?" Glimmer added, standing straight again. "We've been through so much just to get you to say we were friends for the first time, and seeing you being friends with someone completely different so easily? It just... It just felt a little unfair, okay?" Catra blinked as she looked back between the two.

They were actually serious. They were admitting to their own jealousy to help cheer her up a little, and the jealousy was of something she hadn't thought of up till now. They were jealous that someone like Huntara, who they knew they could never be in some shape or form, was Catra's friend, possibly from the very moment she met her. To them, it felt like a small betrayal, worsened by the fact that Catra showed so much trust over her compared to the two she's known for months now.

To think she was right about something about Glimmer, the both of them for that matter. To think that they were actually jealous of what they saw, of whatever connection Catra had with Huntara, right up to this very moment. There was no words to describe how she felt right now as she stared at the two.

Just confusion.

"I repeat, what are you two talking about? I wasn't trying to be friends with her." She revealed, surprising Bow and Glimmer as they stood from the rock.

"Wait, you weren't?" Glimmer didn't know whether to be more relieved or regretful at her apparent jealousy. "But you were being all friendly with her and everything."

"We even saw you smiling more than usual." It gave Bow the chills just thinking about it.

"Well, yeah, I liked her and everything, and but it didn't mean I considered her a friend."

"Then why were you warming up to her so easily?" Glimmer wanted to know, if only to push this matter behind them. "You kept talking to her like she was your friend for years compared to us."

"Why do you think? It's because it was easier to relate to her. Yeah, it would've been easier to get to know her, but I didn't think of her as a friend. It was just..." She blushed a little as she tilted her head, turning her eyes away. "It was easier to fit in with someone like that since I left the Horde, all right? I felt a little more comfortable around her."

"You don't feel comfortable with us?" Bow asked, growing surprisingly curious from the conversation.

"Well I do now, obviously," she blushed again, trying to keep herself from looking into either of their eyes out of embarrassment, "and it's... getting a lot easier... to be with you guys. I just thought, with someone like that, I could... I don't know... talk about stuff a little more openly, to someone who sees things the way I do." She squeezed her clawless fists as she held in the anger still welling inside of her. "And that proved to be a mistake."

Glimmer and Bow watched the magicat go on about her regret throughout the ordeal. What drove her to seemingly-make friends with a complete stranger so easily, why she was so attached to her in the first place, and why she managed to talk to her at lengths compared to someone like the two. Above all else, they saw a part of the real issue behind Catra's reason for doing it. It wasn't because she thought Huntara was easier to approach or simply because she was like her.

She was lonely.

Within Bright Moon, Catra didn't feel any common ground with anybody around her, the closest princess who had something of an attitude like her's was Mermista, and she was still more mellow and bored than Catra was. Around here, the place Catra had to start accepting as a place to call home, she didn't have anyone else she could see like her.

Nobody related to her by any means. None of them were defectors, presumably, none of them started an entire journey that flipped their entire world upside down, and none of them were a magicat like Catra was. Adora was the closest thing she had to someone who understood her back in the Fright Zone, and now she was her mortal enemy. To meet someone else for the first time in months like her, like Catra, it felt like a breath of fresh air for a change, and a chance to get some stuff off her chest.

The two felt a little more guilty at this as they realized their jealousy was for nothing, and it was misplaced. The whole time, Catra was suffering from a sense of loneliness that they couldn't assist, that they couldn't fill the void of.

The most they could do, was offer her their comfort, a smile, and a reminder that she was still at their side.

With a gentle hand on her shoulder, Catra finally looked back to the two friends she could always count on, whether or not she knew it. "It wasn't a mistake, Catra. And we're not beat yet." Looking at them both, Glimmer nodding in agreement, did nothing to change the look on her face, but it did feel comfortable.

"Sure, this road trip has been kind of a disaster," he said looking up in thought, "with all the killer snakes plants, and everything."

"Heh, since when is something not trying to kill us?" Glimmer joked, getting a small grin out of the feline.

"But we know you're going through a lot." Bow continued. "Whether it's Mara, the Horde, or Adora. We've got your back, whatever you need to do." It was hard for Catra to look at the two again as she blushed some more, only able to offer up a small smile in payment. And that's the way her friends were fine with.

They didn't need Catra to change the way she was about everything, or change the way she acted to make it easier to approach people different from her. Catra could still be the moody person she was and they would still be fine with it. And, knowing the struggle she's been going through, were fine with anyone she wanted to be friends with, provided they weren't trying to kill them, to an extent.

"Besides, it's not like you stole our weapons and left us stranded." Glimmer reminded, smirking. "It was Huntara's fault, like everything else that happened today."

"Yeah, well," she tried to think as she gently brushed off Bow's hand for once, "it still doesn't help our situatiiishhhhh!" All at once, Catra's face contorted a bit as her whole body shriveled briefly, starling Bow as he pulled his hand away.

"I-I swear, I barely touched her!" He defended, confused and slightly frightened at Catra's spontaneous facial contortion. Giving her a few seconds, the magicat shook her head furiously as she rubbed her nose along her arm.

"Egh, what is with your hands? They reek!" She stated, still getting the tingles out of her system. "They smell like...!" Catra blinked to herself as something dawned on her. "Bow, did you pick up anything weird in that hole?"

"What? Like this?" Still confused, the archer pulled out a small purple thumb-sized tablet from his right pocket. Catra's eyes were drawn to it immediately as she recognized the strange item.

...

It was then that Catra realized that most of her motor function had returned to her, the cat's own resilience mixed with the dart's paralyzing agent beginning to wane.

...

"That's the weird salt thing she used to cure my paralysis." Catra exclaimed, taking it into her own hands.

"See? There's good news already!" Glimmer smiled, trying to keep the motivation going. "We have something to counter the paralysis with."

"Yeah but how are we supposed to find them?" Bow asked, looking around the various directions. "The sand would've covered up any of their footprints by now. And we don't have Catra's nose to guide us back to the tavern they were at."

"No, but..." Moaning, Catra forced herself to take another sniff of the strange salt, struggling to keep her face from twitching, which ended up looking like she was stuck with a face about to sneeze, before looking around. "This stuff gives off a very distinct smell to it compared to the rest of the Crimson Waste." The girl began to sniff around the air as she stepped away a little in the scent's direction. "So even with everything else covering my smell, I should be able to find the direct smell from... there!"

Pointing over the wasteland, Catra directed them to southwest of where they were standing, pointing over to a large craggy mountain over the desert as her friends approached. While it wasn't clear to say if they had any footprints leading to their location after all the time that's passed, the one key indication they had was the amount of light they saw in the darkening desert, shining from the other side. With the night this late and the wasteland still dangerous, it was clear they made camp for the night before planning to continue on in the morning.

"That's gotta be where they are."

"Okay, so we know where they are... so what's the plan?" Bow asked, looking at the two.

"I can probably teleport and grab your arrows and Catra's sword?" Glimmer suggested.

"It'd still prove risky if half the tavern is with Huntara. And it would still leave Catra weaponless if you got caught the second time you teleported." That was the conundrum that Catra managed to realize. Without her claws and her sword, trying to engage the entire encampment 3 against a near-dozen would've been useless. They would have to deal with a dozen armed men and woman, Huntara, and possibly more of those darts that lead to their capture in the first place.

But Catra didn't falter as she squeezed her fist. In addition to all the guilt and regret she was stuck thinking about while they were all trapped in the hole, she also had another line of thoughts occupying her mind.

Like, how she was going to get back at Huntara.

"How are we supposed to fight them all?"

"We don't." Catra stated, looking back to the two determined. "We play Huntara's own game against her to get my sword back." And, knowing the many similarities that the two shared, Catra knew the best way how.

...

*piff*

"Oooooh," Entrapta marveled at the blowtorch as it came to life, "this is gonna be so much fun." She sped around the room, continuing to make final adjustments to her tools and organization as she prepared for one of her greatest creations.

Entrapta's perkiness and social flaws, Hordak could deal with. He could put up with her quirky mannerisms and her lack of respect for anything that isn't scientific or technological. In fact, he could admit it was a rather humorous part of her. And she always proved her usefulness time and again as she continued to improve and advanced all of his technological creations, finding tweaks and flaws she improved upon and nearly doubled their efficiency.

Yet, no matter how many uses she had, he refused to submit to someone, anyone, like this as he sat in the chair, crossing his arms in a huff as Entrapta insisted on helping him.

"I don't need your help in this." He declared, his imp watching him curiously on his chair's right arm, and Emily standing to his left.

"Everybody needs help sometimes." Entrapta continued to insist, her hair stretched all over the place as she worked on finalizing her schematics. "And you shouldn't be upset that you're not perfect. Take Emily for instance." At the mention, Hordak gave his attention to the obviously imperfect droid who wobbled in place, falling to the ground as it struggled to get up.

"Her programming is all glitchy, her left leg sticks, and she's loud." As if it was agreeing with her, the droid gave off a small hum as it spun in place. "Emily's got quirks but that's why I like her." Standing up, the droid beeped happily as Entrapta used another large stand of hair to pat her on the head.

"Imperfection is what makes scientific experimentation possible." She continued, turning around. "Imperfection is beautiful." She was briefly distracted as something sparkled around her, the area behind her lighting up behind her. Turning her head back, there was a strange glow to her. From the sparks or from the way she stood, something about her glowed to Hordak as she smiled back. "At least to me." There was a silence in he leader's mind for the first time in his life as he stared at her, never snapping out of it until the scientist finally pulled him over again to the center of his lab, right in front of her.

"Stand here." She forcefully instructed, looking at him from behind. "And you're really way to obsessed with this whole failure thing. I mean, I'm a failure."

"You are not a-"

"Shh." The scientist gave a gentle slap to the mouth as she shushed him. "I don't fit in." She went on, donning her mask once again. "I became friends with Catra, but she abandoned me. Then I became friends with Adora, and... huh... that's funny."

"What is?" He quickly muttered before she could shush him again.

"I'm just realizing how much you two are practically identical."

"Wha-!"

"SHHH!" She shushed one more time, cutting him off from the second-long rage he felt inside of him. Pressing against one of the many buttons, the machine above him beeped as it came to life. All around him, arms started to descend from the ceiling as they began their work, grafting and modifying pieces of something perfect to an otherwise imperfect creation.

"You both display the same personalities to a T." Entrapta said, smiling to him as the machine constructed around him. "Adora might not be a clone, but she refuses to quit until she gets the results she wants. She has her own personal defect with her magic, she needed my help to make herself feel better, and she absolutely refuses to be seen as a failure. She'll go to any length to prove herself to the Horde, and to you." The leader listened in silence, keeping her words in mind as a suit was made around him.

"And thanks to her, I got over some of my own imperfections and sociology issues, not that I ever minded." Her smile continued to brighten as she watched the machine continue to work, squealing silently to herself as she stood with her hair. "I scrounged up more pieces of First Ones Tech, and I can't think of a better use for it than this."

The leader of the Horde growled to himself as the sparks flew off his body, the parts of his tech bringing more renewed life to his being with each passing second. Eventually, he found himself overwhelmed and swarmed with the various metallic claws that gave him a greater chance at life, that helped him through his own defect, and turning him into something greater.

Something Perfect.

After another minute had passed, the arms had pulled away, and Entrapta's curious face was the first thing to greet him as she smiled. "Ta-Da!" He held his hands before him, gazing, marveling, at the new and improved version of himself, seeing the changes and feeling the strength welling up inside of him thanks to his new suit.

"Your armor is more of an exoskeleton now." She explained as Hordak took in all that was changed. Compared to his previous work, this one felt functional, felt alive. It was like he and the armor were one and the same now, all empowered, all strengthened, thanks to the lone gem at the base of his suit's collar. And it made him grin. "The tech is compensating for your organic body." She drew in closer to the impressed leader as he flexed a little, along with the imp on Emily. "What does it feel like?"

"Powerful." He stated, unable to believe how incredible this new source of strength felt. No longer would he have to put up with that insufferable suit, no longer would he find fault with his functioning creations. And it was all thanks to hi-... to her, for the assistance. "I..." He turned away. "I... acknowledge the work you put into this." He never felt like what it was to show gratitude to someone, to anyone, in many years. "It is very... technologically sound."

*thunk*

He looked down to the small imp as it screeched to him, kicking at his foot knowing he had to do better than that. "Uh... No matter what you say, you are not a failure. Any who discount you are utter fools." He declared. He would silence anyone else that would say otherwise about his helpful... assistant.

"Thanks." He paused as he placed a gentle grip on his shoulder, smiling up to him as she sat suspended with her hair. "I like being friends with you, too." It was a... different, feeling, for him to feel this kind of gratitude towards something, but he could accept it. He could accept it with a smile. "You should really be thanking Adora for it, though." She confessed. "She was the one who collected all the technology."

"Ghhh..." He growled lowly to himself as he turned his head away. It was times like these that made Entrapta really curious, moving herself over to whichever direction he tried to avoid meeting her eyes.

"You know, I think you're giving Adora a hard time given all that's happened." She commented, remarking the times Adora seemed exhausted with her own imperfection and work. "Why not try giving her a little more praise or something?"

"What?" He lowered his brow to her. "I'm to acknowledge that traitor's failures and losses and be thankful for it?!"

Blink.

"I am the leader of the Horde! The only acknowledgements I give out are those who prove themselves to me, those who earn my respect, like..." He stared at the scientist for a bit, turning his head away for only a moment. "Like some people around here."

Blink.

"Besides, unlike you, her failures are far greater than any you claim to have. Even with her..." He paused with himself, picturing briefly how he must've been as Horde Prime as she must have been as Lord Hordak. "... imperfections, that's no excuse for her failures."

Blink.

It was starting to become unsettling to him as she continued to stare curiously to him, even after everything he just said. The scientist saw a gentler side to the leader of the Horde that he didn't wish to acknowledge himself, and was confident he had a caring side to him, too. Either that, or she still needed to work on her sociology discussions with Adora at some point.

His mouth twitched a little as he looked down to the very imp who instructed him to thank her more the first time, expecting to see an answer. Getting nothing more than a mere shrug, he grimaced, staring at the scientist who did so much for him, who aided him in his need. Wishing to be rid of this strangeness he was feeling, he let out a small cough, placing his hands behind his back in authority like he always did. "W-Well, I... Suppose, I could... re-evaluate her contributions to the Horde, upon her return. But if, and only if, she returns successfully!"

"Awwwww."

*tug*

"I knew you cared." Yup, she clearly misread the room. At least, she did to the imp and the master of the Horde right now, because the next thing he knew, however brief, she leaned over and gave him a little hug, proud to see his kinder side of all things. A side which she could see growing from Adora.

Normally, he would've smacked anyone down for doing such a thing, regardless of position and commitment and contribution they might have done for him. And still, he decided to let it slide, just this once as the scientist pulled away, continuing to smile at him for his decency. She deserved some form of reward for her valued effort and display, and, if nothing else, allowing her to breathe after a humiliating act such as that should suffice.

...

"Cheers!"

*clank*

"Yeaaah!" The encampment roared in excitement and applause as they tapped their mugs together, partaking in another successful mission within the Crimson Waste. They caught three outsiders, several weapons, and suffered zero loss. Everything that Huntara said would happen did happen, minus one new outsider joining the Crimson Waste, and everything worked out fine for the group in the end.

Huntara smiled as she watched the dozen outlaws and criminals cheering among themselves around several of the campfires, celebrating for their safety and their own return as they did every mission. To the left slabs of meat were being handed out, some of it brawled over for bigger slices, and across the center some of the goons were playing with Bow's many arrows.

Within the leader's hand, Huntara stared at the sword, wondering what curiosity was held within it. She felt something strange about the sword that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe she was just imagining it?

"More?" Looking up from where she sat, Huntara smiled up to the barkeeper as she offered her another mug, topping off the glass with the pitcher she brought along. Like she expected, not once did Catra manage to realize that they were being followed along since they left. Sure, they were about a mile in distance between the two parties, but with the Crimson Waste being what it was, nobody could gain the higher ground relying on only their senses.

They had to go above and beyond their normal instincts to last a day out here.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" The barkeeper asked, showing some concern for the kids as she sat at Huntara's side.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Huntara assured, patting her shoulder. "Nothing dangerous comes out at night that can fit in that hole. Chances are those kids will be up and about before morning."

"Awww," Huntara glared in to the right of the camp as she saw a smug-looking pink satyr looking at her, "look who's starting to care." She didn't show any signs of fear as Huntara started to walk over to her, drawing several pairs of eyes from the camp. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were starting to like them." She grinned as she swirled around the drink in her mug. "Are you feeling guilty?"

All at once, the festivities and mood began to drop at the sound of the sword dropping to the ground. Before the satyr knew it, she was being grabbed by the shoulder, and slammed harshly against the rock behind her. She glared daggers at the satyrs as she held her a good foot off the ground.

"I did what I had to to keep us all safe." She deemed, refusing to let anyone say otherwise.

Even to this, the satyr found a reason to chuckle. There was no bravery in her laugh as the rest of the encampment watched the small fight breaking out. Only stupidity, clearly. "You mean, keep yourself safe?" She accused, smirking. "You act so tough, but you're running scared from something, just like the rest of us."

*WHAM!*

Okay, she could admit, that might've been pushing it a bit too far. Her first indication? The large fist Huntara slammed into boulder behind her, leaving a decent-sized crack in it. "I don't run away from anything." She yelled, throwing the girl behind her, and nearly into the bonfire. It was more than enough to convince the satyr to stop as she shrieked, finding the idea of being tossed into a fire strangely unpleasant. "I am Huntara of the Crimson Waste!"

She looked at the staring eyes of the rest of her encampment as she collected the sword, seeing the respect and fear within their eyes still burning. "And I want all of you to remember that! The rules I make are what keep us safe. They're the reason we're so strong. I will not allow anyone who's not with us to set foot within this wasteland. Not Boy, not Glitter, and especially not Catty!"

*swish*

"Waah!" It was with a sudden cry of pain that everyone turned back to the leftmost side of the camp. There, they saw the aforementioned "Glitter" of the group toppled over one of the lunatics that had Bow's bow, swiping it away before teleporting again before anyone next to him could grab her.

"Actually, it's Catra." A surprisingly familiar voice spoke from behind, turning all eyes back to the boulder behind her. There, at the very top, she could see Catra squatting, looking casually at the piece of meat she swiped at some point, and picking it with her fingers.

*swish*

"Huh? Hey!" At the next sound of a teleportation, the large blue lizard that held Bow's quiver found himself being being mugged, getting a face full of pink energy knocking him away, and a nabbing the quiver filled with arrows.

"That's Glimmer." This time when she teleported it was easy to see where she ended up. Right above the center on the small craggy rock formation, the encampment saw the princess pop out of the air again, handing one of the many arrows to Bow who prepared a single arrow aiming at the camp. "And that's Bow." At this, Catra finally dropped to the ground, showing her own intimidating scowl as she glared at Huntara. "And I want my sword back!" She ordered.

Huntara looked at the three in amazement, surprised they not only got out of the hole, but also managed to sneak into the encampment at all and surprise them as much as this. It was pretty impressive, coming from an idiot who refused her invitation to start with. And this little act she just performed did more than enough to show her how stupid she could really be.

"Ahahahaha!" Huntara bellowed with laughter, one that was shared with the rest of the encampment as they all knew the situation as she did. Already, several of them were arming themselves with makeshift daggers and spears crafted out of stones and plants. "Is that really the best you could come up with? I knew you weren't really clever, but this is beyond idiocy! Do you really think I'm intimidated by one single arrow, a clawless cat, and a glittery princess threatening me?"

"If threatening was all I intended, then no." Catra shrugged, crossing her arms uncaringly as she smirked. "But I'm pretty sure you'd care enough if the arrow was pointed at someone in particular?" She hinted.

Huntara's confusion only lasted for a single second before her eyes widened. Looking back frantically, she saw the archer had his weapon directed across the camp, at the very barkeeper that was the only one weaponless, save for a mug in her hands. Any twitch or sudden movement would be enough to set the archer off to fire at her, possibly. She didn't really know the archer as well as she did Catra, and she wasn't willing to risk the barkeeper's life, or any of theirs truly, on a gamble.

Growling back to the magicat, Huntara wasted no time as she did the same as the satyr, except this time, she grabbed the girl by the throat, slamming her to the rock. "You got a lot of nerve, cat. Now tell your archer to drop his weapon, and I MAY let two of you leave." Catra knew it. She was like her. She kept to herself, she was strong and sturdy, and she did care for people without showing it. There was only one difference between the two right now.

Catra was willing to take a chance.

"Bow," she called out, "if any of them move, you be sure to fire. You hear me?"

"You got it." Bow replied, remembering the very few words Catra instructed him to say.

Glimmer looked between the archer and his target, keeping the intimidating look on her face while trying to whisper. "You're not really gonna shoot her, are you?"

"Considering you just handed me my boxing glove arrow, it wouldn't matter if I did." He muttered, regretting the fact he couldn't pull away or swap arrows without risking Catra's life.

It went on to further anger the huntress as she was more than tempted to squeeze harder, tempted to break a certain cat before she could do anymore harm. "You have some nerve, you know that?" She grumbled. "Do you really think I'll let you get away on your own if I give you the sword? We'll be the ones after you the moment you step away. Out in the Crimson Waste, you won't stand a chance against us."

"Awwwhn." Catra yawned, pretending to show little interest or concern. "Oh, I know that. You can probably swarm us and do all that stuff pretty easily. You probably won't even break a sweat."

"Then if you know that much then I suggest you get out before I finish my meal. NOW." She threatened, taking Catra's lack of concern or care as an insult.

"Oh, gladly. I'll do it just fine. Just as long as you're willing to do one thing for me."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" It was like rewatching the scene of a film as Catra predicted this, expected this, and knew the exact sort of thing that was going to happen next.

"Just admit that I'm stronger than you, and we'll leave."

Bingo.

That's what she wanted to see. All the curious looks on the rest of the encampments faces turning to them, dropping their battle-ready expressions and raising their curiosity.

"What?" Huntara asked as she finally released Catra, watching the girl pick herself from the ground as she continued to glare. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you think I mean, stupid?" She smirked back. "You said it yourself. The strongest one of the Waste is the one that makes the rules. So, just admit that I'm the strongest, and I'll order to have my sword returned, and then we'll leave."

"Oh, so that's your angle, huh?" Huntara grinned with a smug brow as she crossed her arms. "And what makes you think you're so much tougher than me?"

"Well for one thing, I wouldn't need to bring a dozen people with me to capture three complete strangers." She replied nonchalantly as she grinned, looking at what remained of her claws. Huntara's eyes shifted to her side as she heard some murmurs going on behind her, clearly some people contemplating her words. "Seems like only a WEAKLING would need a small army behind them."

"Tch, that's big talk from such a small brat." She spat. "And what makes you so sure I need any of them to take you down?"

"Well, if you're so full of yourself, prove it." Catra was grateful for once that she was dealing with someone like her. Someone with an image to keep up, a bravado she refused to let anyone break in front of her allies. Smirking to the taller warrior, she gestured back to herself with her thumb. "Me and you, one on one, to prove who's the strongest of the Crimson Waste. If I win, you have to agree to help me find what we're looking for, AND give me my sword back."

"Huh, funny." Not a look of concern or care filled Huntara's eyes, not that Catra needed it to know she had her attention. "And what if I win? You don't have anything else I want." Catra stared at her for a moment before giving her a simple shrug.

"I don't care what you take. Take Glimmer, she's a princess, remember?"

"Wh- Hey! Catra!" Glimmer yelled down to her. "Why am I being the bargaining chip? Why not Bow?"

"Well, I would pick Bow, but he's the only one with any sort of direction to the center of the Crimson Waste, so I don't have a choice!"

"Why are you two shouting about me like I'm an inconvenience?!" Bow shouted over the two of them, feeling insulted and depressed that they felt like they were forced to stick with Bow against their wills.

"And you really think I'll just say yes and accept your challenge?" Huntara questioned, grabbing the cat's attention back. "I could just snap my fingers, and throw you into something far worse than a mere hole in the ground."

"Yeah, but then again, I don't think you want the rest of your gang to know you were scared of fighting a child by yourself." The sight of Huntara's irritated look was amusing to Catra, knowing she had the hunter right where she wanted.

As much as Huntara hated the idea of wasting her time in something so pointless, she knew that the kid had a point. If she showed any signs of fear or restraint right now, she would obviously look weak. Her leadership and her strength would be challenged time and again until it was every man and woman for themselves out in the Waste. Everyone would be at each others throats again and total chaos would ensue.

Behind her, she could already tell people were having some misgivings about Huntara's possible softness towards these three total strangers just because they were children. Doing anything to enforce that would damage her reputation when strength and pride were all one had within the Crimson Waste. She wasn't willing to gamble as highly as Catra was, and fell for the bluff just as Catra hoped for.

Glaring again, Huntara stepped up to the magicat who was a little over half a head shorter to her, showing no signs of fear or backing down. "All right, Catty, I'll play your little game." She grinned as she turned back to the rest of her encampment. "You hear that fellas? It's Game Night again!"

"Hooray!" The cheers were aplenty as the encampment began to alternate between enjoying their meals and drinks while the others began to pack up to move out. Bow glanced over to Catra to see if she was sure about everything. With a small nod back from her, he finally lowered his weapon, teleporting with Glimmer over to Catra's side.

With the camp packing up for tonight's events, Huntara turned her glare back onto the magicat she pushed against the rock again, harshly. "And just go we're clear, Catty, when we win, I'm not going to take your princess or your useless bowman."

"Seriously, why are people hating on me all of a sudden!"

What little relief Catra started to feel was immediately dropped as she pressed a finger firmly into her neck, nearly causing her to gag. "Because I'm Huntara. I'm a hunter." She deemed, pulling out the necklace of claws still still around her neck. "And when I beat you again, I'm not going to settle for something small." Catra glared back a little as she saw the claws, pushing the finger away from her throat. "Because this time, I'm going to take your tail as a trophy..."

...

A/N: And we're nearing the end of our 2nd She-Ra episode of season 3, and by GOD i am not looking forward to the rest of the season after this episode X( Why? It's a little something called the feels and depression, and the remaining episodes of this one hits you like a sack of bricks, with each worse than the last X(!

Huuhuuhhhuhu... i get goosebumps just thinking about it, and not the good kind Q_Q... Huff... But, at least for now, we'll have one more fun-filled chapter tomorrow as we get a face off between Huntara and Catra, mono-a-mono, which I am looking quite forward to writing about ^^

So with that said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a like, fave, follow, and review if you enjoyed and hope to see you soon!