Everything had happened so fast. One moment she's in Shadow Weaver's office very reluctantly telling her about her… situation, the next she's been shipped out to a new location. She had been so confused. It all happened so fast. It was like everything she knew didn't matter. Everything she was didn't matter. The only thing that the Horde wanted from her now was her knew status as an alpha. Catra was right, though. I am an alpha, she thought. Remorse filled her heart. I… I didn't even get to say goodbye. Her eyes sting at the memory of Catra growling and fighting through Horde officers as Shadow Weaver escorted her to a transport bus. Shadow Weaver finally ceased Catra's movements with her ugly magic and all Adora could see were the tears escaping her best friends' eyes. She wiped the painful memory away with a quick rub of her arm – taking whatever liquid there with it.

Her bags were heavy especially because they didn't even allow her enough time to pack properly. Growing up in the Horde she had always known how to roll her clothes and make everything fit into one, maybe two duffel bags. But with the lack of time, she had to carry everything, two duffle bags on each arm and a sack strapped to her back.

She never knew she owned so much stuff, but the Horde sure does issue a lot of gear.

She stumbled forward, worried that she's about faceplant into the ground, but she caught herself on the post of the bunkbed next to her. A voice shot out.

"Woah there! Be careful. You need help with those?" The kind and exuberant voice was alarming to Adora, but she managed to hold off the boisterous person.

"N-nope! I got it" She stuck her tongue out in concentration, fumbling a little left and then a little right. The weight seemed to slump her lower and lower as her arms began to shake. She managed to get within range of an area that didn't seem to be occupied and dumped all her duffle bags onto the floor, just managing to miss her feet in the process. "Phew! I didn't know I had so much stuff."

"Oh, yeah! The Horde loads you up on gear, especially when you come to this unit." The person from earlier shoved herself into Adora's own conversation with herself. "Welcome! I'm Scorpia." She reached out a huge claw and Adora hesitantly took it. Before she knows what's happening, the other person pulled her in quickly for an unexpected hug. "Just so you know, I'm a hugger," she said to Adora with a soft smile.

Adora's face was tight with awkward tension and was completely lost on what to do. She coughed lightly and Scorpia finally released the younger girl. "Heh heh, uh, hi! I'm Adora. I guess we're new bunk mates." She's caught off guard when the other person came within inches of Adora's body.

"Hmmm… there's something about your hug I just don't like," Scorpia said. She thought contemplatively as she looked sternly at Adora's face. She's only a few inches away and Adora responded with wide eyes revealing her discomfort. "Yano, I just don't know what it is!"

"Uh," Adora awkwardly stepped backwards away from the larger woman and moved to unpack her bags. "So, you're an alpha too?" She attempted to change the subject.

"Oh yeah! We all are on this side of the Fright Zone. They have specialized training for us to hone in on our alpha senses, so we can use them in battle!" She raised a claw in pure determination. "You might want to get changed into your new gear; we have training in about 30 minutes." Scorpia said this as she shrugged on a tactical vest.

Adora acknowledged the piece of information and started rummaging through her bags to find the new gear.

"Wow, look at you. You're bigger than you seem."

Adora preened at the complement and tightened her biceps as she lifted her own vest. "Yeah, I like to stay pretty fit." She turned her attention to Scorpia. "You're pretty big too."

"Aw shucks, thanks. I have to eat twice as many ration bars just to keep up with it." She flexed her bicep and Adora's eyes sparkled behind her.

"Woah." She reached out to poke the muscle, but Scorpia removed her arm continuing to pile on gear. "They give you more ration bars?"

"Well, yeah! We're the alphas. The main fighting force of the Horde. They have to keep us strong and ready." Her smile was genuine as she described their role.

They both startled as they heard a buzz come through over the intercom, "Attention cadets! Everyone head down to the drill pad for assignment."

"Well, it's now or never I guess." Adora shrugged on the rest of her gear. She took a moment to realize how everything was moving so quickly. She hadn't even had time to let herself digest what's happened. She swallowed the pain and loss rising in her chest and decided to take it out on the training field.

Adora had always been the best cadet in her old unit, but as she strode down to the drill pad with Scorpia, she realized she had just been bumped-up to the big leagues. She looked around the cement pad gazing at all the other soldiers. There were all different kinds down here, but one thing they all mostly had in common was their size. They were all huge. Adora finally reached the bottom of the steps and truly realized how small she was in comparison. She made her way over to the large formation and stood between Scorpia and a much larger version of Rojelio. Some of the soldiers there were shoving each other. Adora couldn't place it, but she knew she was surrounded by alphas. Their scents were strong and pungent in her nose. It's like they all were competing. At least that's how it was for most of the soldiers around her. Some were calm and reserved, like Scorpia. That must be what it's like after some training. All the other cadets stood at attention and she decided to follow along and do the same.

A new voice boomed out over the drill pad. "Good evening, cadets!"

"Good evening, Force Admiral!" All the others quickly responded in return.

Adora was not expecting that. She hadn't been in the presence of a Force Admiral before, but she could tell he was also an alpha. His presence caused a shift in the alphas that were acting out two minutes ago.

He continued speaking to the soldiers, going on about the recent activities of the Rebellion and where they stood against them. Adora did her best to listen, but she felt so overwhelmed by all the new things happening to her. She tried to focus and pushed those feelings down again once more.

"Alright cadets! Break out into your training groups. All new cadets on me!" He waved his great big hand towards his chest.

Adora – lost in everything that's going on around her as the other soldiers dispersed – was bumped in the shoulder by Scorpia. "Hey, he's talking about you. Just get down there and he'll tell ya where to go." She gave Adora this reassuring smile that the blonde was desperately grateful for.

She gathered herself and made her way over to the Force Admiral. He's already talking to a few of the cadets there when she lined up in the back of the much smaller formation.

"Looks like we have a new alpha in the crowd. Come on up, newbie." He gestured to Adora.

The blonde's eyes widened – completely thrown off by the attention – and made her way to the front of the formation standing next to him.

"Everyone, meet our newest alpha. What's your name soldier?" He looked down at her.

"Adora, sir!"

"Welcome, Adora. This," he gestured to a tall woman just behind him "is Huntara. She'll be your Force Captain. Follow her lead and you won't go astray." He looked back towards the rest of the group as Adora ogled the woman behind him.

She's big. Adora's eyes twinkled with something of a bit of admiration. The woman looked down at her and chuckled at the attention. Adora completely missed the rest of the Force Admiral's speech and he walked away. The blonde was still standing awkwardly in front of the formation staring at Huntara.

The taller woman cleared her throat. "Back into formation, soldier." Her voice sounded irritated.

Adora realized she's been standing in the same spot for too long and awkwardly laughed as she retreated behind the formation. She sighed as soon as she got there releasing all of.., whatever that was.

"Alright, group," Huntara said. "Some of you are brand new and for others, you've only been here a few days. We start the day off with training your physical body and end the day finetuning your alpha senses and abilities." She paced slowly in front of the formation. "This morning we'll be climbing the rough face of this simulated mountainous terrain." She pointed off into the distance at a nearly 100-foot-tall rock wall just beyond the drill pad.

The group groaned, but Adora perked up at the physical challenge.

"Quit your whining, you bunch of babies! Some of the roughest terrain to reach a few of the most coveted Rebellion territory is beyond a wall just like this one. So, buck up and get moving!" She waved her arms to signal their movement towards the towering wall.

Adora was the first to take off running towards it while the rest of the alphas looked at her with confusion.

Huntara looked to her approvingly. "C'mon, you weak little rattlesnake turds! She's beating you!"

Each of the other soldiers realized how bad Adora made them look, and they took off after her. Each one sunk deeper into their alpha state. The competitive sides were instinctively coming out.

Adora reached the tower and bent over her knees, huffing for air. "Made it!" she said in between pants. She expected to hear a certain voice chuckling and complaining behind her, but all she heard was the huffing from the other alphas. The amount of disappointment was evident on her face.

"Well done!" A big hand came down smacking Adora's back. It nearly knocked the wind out of her. She steadied herself before she almost fell from the impact. "Alright cadets! Get over to the brig and get yourselves sized up with climbing gear."

Adora walked over to the other side, not minding how the others moaned and groaned behind her. She's climbed before in the simulator… but never this high. She strengthened her resolve and took the rope around her waist and thighs. She neared the tower, linked herself up and started her assent. At first the climb was a relief. She's able to focus on something other than… Catra, and she put all of her bodily effort into it. Once she got about halfway up her muscles started to scream at her. They started to seize up as she started to lose grip. She used an anchor and let her body lean back, giving her tired arms a break. She looked down and saw that there were a few alphas on her tail. The fact stirred something inside of her, then she heard it.

Beat them.

It startled Adora at first. She looked left and right – then realized how dumb that was – and looked down to see where it came from. She felt a stirring inside of her.

I said BEAT THEM.

The fire ignited in her core and she felt a newfound strength. She huffed as she grabbed ahold of the wall once more, releasing her anchor. She climbed again, this time with much less discomfort and fatigue.

She reached a height that the wind began to whirl around her much more than it did below. She gritted her teeth and pushed through, nearly slipping with her left foot. She found grip again and reached for the next hold. They seemed like they're getting further and further apart, though. She looked down and saw that some of her competition was way behind her, but a select few were only a few meters below.

She felt the stirring again. This time it's much stronger and the voice was much louder.

Grr, let me!

Suddenly a flash of light blinded Adora and she felt an intense desire in her core. It almost felt like she's losing herself. Her right-hand slips for a moment and her other one gripped tighter than she thought possible. She grunted and brought her hands back up to the top. Now, the footholds don't seem so far apart. She could reach them with ease and her stamina had kicked into high gear.

She reached the top and shouts "Yeesss!" with a loud chuckle and a yell in success.

She's suddenly less focused on her climbing and more aware of herself as she's reached the end of the competition. She looked down at her hands that seem much bigger… and her body that didn't seem to match the one she knew. Her eyes widened and she started to panic. She accidentally released her grip out of shock and started to fall.

The wind whipped around her and her scream cut through the immediate area alerting more people than she would like. Another flash and her body was back to normal.

Huntara jumped into action grabbing ahold of her line and gripping her strong arms around it. The rope slid around her forearm and burned like a vicious plant she's encountered from studying the Crimson Waste. She grit her teeth as she tried her hardest to stop the young alpha's deadly fall.

Adora opened her eyes as she looked up seeing the underside of the top bunk. She put her hand to her head feeling a shooting throb to her temple and tried to sit up slowly. "Catra, I had the weirdest dream." Her voice sounded groggy.

"You're awake!"

The voice was one that didn't match her best friend.

Scorpia leaned over Adora's bed with concerned eyes. "Hey, I'm glad you're awake. You gave us all quite the scare."

Adora opened her eyes more aware than she was a moment ago. "Scorpia?"

"Yeah, it's me." She smiled softly. "Who's Catra?" Her eyes shined like she'll make a new friend. "Now that sounds like the name of a person I want to know." She laughed lightly, hoping to lighten the mood.

Adora chuckled sadly, "yeah, she's pretty great." The blonde took a deep breath. "How did I get here?" She rubbed the side of her head hoping it helped some.

"Oh! Yeah, you scared the daylights out of everyone. Even Force Captain Huntara was a little shaken up." Scorpia's tail drooped and her face showed concern. "You fell Adora. Huntara tried her best to catch you – and she did stop your fall for the most part, but you still hit the ground pretty hard." She winced as she remembered looking over to see it all happen in real time.

"Woah. Not a great first day I guess, huh?" She smiled softly feeling a little downtrodden.

"Hey, hey! It's okay. You'll totally do better next time. I mean, it can only go up from here, right? I mean… well yano, maybe not the best choice of words. Um, it can only get better." Scopria blushed at her stumble with her words and reached out a claw to Adora. "What happened up there? Nobody tried messing with you, did they?" Her voice sounded a little more than just concerned. Adora didn't notice it much though.

Adora rubbed her head once more – hoping it might help clear up her thoughts. "No, I made it to the top before anybody else. But something happened on my way up. It was like," she looked down at her own hands that were smaller and back down to size. "It was like I was a different person. I heard this voice telling me to beat the other alphas to the top. I'm not sure where it came from though." She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Is that it? Ha ha! Well that's your inner alpha, silly. Oh," she leaned back in realization covering her mouth with the tips of her claws. "You haven't felt it any other time before? Like when you saw someone you liked, or got into a fight with someone?" Adora just looked at her with quirked brows and a questioning look. "Well, look. For alphas, we have this instinct inside of us. If we let it consume us, we often lose control and it'll take over. But that's what our training is for, so we can learn to control our urges and focus on the tasks at hand. Alphas tend to lose control the most around omegas. Their scent is intoxicating and can make even the strongest alpha lose control of themselves." Scorpia leaned back as she filled in Adora on being an alpha. "The Horde is trying to teach us to control these urges so that we don't get distracted by some Rebel fighter trying to trigger our inner alpha. Didn't you go to the Alpha Soldier orientation? They explained all of this there."

Adora groaned at the new information. Something still didn't seem right. She didn't mention anything about her whole body changing. She rubbed her face with her palm. "No, I haven't been to the orientation. How come nobody told me?" She sighed, working up the nerve to ask Scorpia another question. "Uhm, what about," she fidgeted "changes to my body?" She was wondering if that's why all the other alphas were so much bigger than her. Maybe her body needed to transform again… like it did on the climbing wall.

"Oh!" Scorpia started sporting a deep red blush. She wasn't sure she should be the one to have this conversation with Adora. "Well you see… when a person starts becoming attracted to another person, especially omegas, uhm. You're body changes, uhm yano especially for female alphas, uh." She chuckled awkwardly running a hand through her white hair. "Wow, this is harder than I thought… You get this shifting in between…" she's cut off after she had gesticulated down to the join of her legs.

"No, no, no! Not that kind of changes." Adora's now sporting a deep crimson blush on her pale cheeks. "Like changes to the size of my body. I think something happened while I was on top of the wall. It's like something inside of me took over and every step that I climbed was faster and easier." She looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Oh," this sounded more of confusion than relief. "Well, I don't know of any alphas that change like that. My size is more so due to growth and working out. No doubt my inner alpha had something to do with it as well." She scratched her head, "but I don't think it's an instant thing."

They both shared a silence between them. Scorpia reached to put an arm around Adora. "Hey, everything is gonna work out just fine. You'll see. I'll let Huntara know you're awake and feeling better. Then, we could head out and get some chow. You'll need your strength before the next level of training." She smiled a sweet grin at Adora and it brought comfort to both of them as they each relaxed a little bit more.

"Yeah, you're right. Food sounds amazing right about now, actually!" Her grin spread wider at the thought of food. It's always been her favorite.

"Great! I'll be right back. Let me go update leadership and I'll be right behind you." Scorpia takes off from their shared bunk room leaving Adora with her own thoughts.

She wasn't sure what to make of what happened on the wall, but it was new and apparently not a common occurrence. Adora sighed, releasing much of her tension along with it. She'll have to figure it all out later. It's time for food and she gets double the rations now!