A/N
Just remember guys the Horde brainwashed people into believing the rebellion is full of diabolical princesses. Keep it in mind as you read this chapter.
Adora makes her way back to her room from the shower. She notices that Scorpia was able to gather all her things and head out before she got back. Well, she won't be going too far. She'll still be my Force Captain, she thought. She lets out a sigh, realizing that the one stable thing she's had since arriving here just disappeared. It's like everyone else…
She mopes a minute longer only postponing drying and brushing her hair. She prefers it up when it's wet though and lightly piles the majority of it on top of her head with a hair tie to hold it in place.
The previous realization and the culmination of everything, and everyone, that she keeps losing starts to torment her; and the voice of Shadow Weaver just tells her she doesn't need them. But it only makes her feel more alone.
She clutches her hand to the fabric of her shirt over her chest. She grips it hard as she clenches and unclenches her jaw. Shadow Weaver has always made her feel like she shouldn't need anyone, because she's so great; but the pedestal she was always placed on was so lonely. The resentment the others felt towards her for always being in Shadow Weavers good graces would tear her apart. Shadow Weaver may be gone, but her grip feels like it's just as tight around my neck as ever…
Tears start to burn at the edges of her eyes, but she catches a scent coming from down the hall. The alpha from within her cuts off her thoughts and she wipes away the tears that never had a chance to fall.
Adora hears a knock at the doorframe from behind her. She turns and meets with a familiar face. "Oh, hey Demetria." She gives her small smile as if nothing had been racing through her mind only a few seconds ago.
"'Sup?" She holds her toothbrush in her mouth, nibbling on it every now and then, and her shower caddy in her other hand.
She must not have made it to the showers yet, Adora thinks."Nothing much, just finished showering." She looks down to her hands in her lap. "Did you hear? About Force Captain Huntara?" She finally looks up into amber eyes.
Those same eyes sharply cut to a corner of the floor before she responds. "Yeah," She looks intensely back to Adora. "Whelp, that's why you don't get too close to anybody here. It's easy to get caught up in battle." She notices Adora's furrowed brow at her response and backpedals, "it is unfortunate, though." Demetria crosses her arms over her chest. "She was a badass. We definitely could've learned a lot from her."
"You keep talking like she's dead or something" Adora interjects.
"Well, she might as well be now that she's with the Rebellion. They'll probably torture her for information and when she finally breaks, they'll send her to the Waste." She shrugs nonchalantly.
"Yikes, you really think so? I mean – I know they're heartless-bloodsuckers, but would they really do that? I figured maybe there'd be time to set up a rescue mission."
A sharp bark of laughter left Demetria's lips. "You really think Lord Hordak would waste his time for one soldier?"
"Well, Scor – Force Captain Scorpia said they would. They were briefing it now. Plus, she isn't the only one. They uh, took another soldier. One from my last unit actually." Adora looks back down to her hands, but she tries not to show this lightweight alpha how vulnerable she feels at the thought of one of her friends missing.
"Shit. Sorry to hear that." Demetria awkwardly looks around the room, unsure of what to settle her eyes on.
Adora's alpha can hear the pity in her voice and can't stand how it makes her feel. She stands facing the woman. "Yeah, well we'll figure something out. I'm sure of it. I'll even offer myself to help if I need to." Her gaze is fierce and determined.
Demetria sees the spark she saw in the training grounds once more. She smiles at the other alpha "I knew she was in there somewhere." Adora makes a flustered and confused expression as Demetria laughs at her ineptitude. "Later, tough-girl. I'm gonna hit the showers. We'll talk tomorrow at chow about how we want to tackle this training." Demetria waves her hand and exits the doorway making her way down the hall.
Adora closes her door and knits her brows together once more in confusion trying to figure out what's so funny.
Suddenly the door flings open and catches Adora completely off guard. Her alpha kicks in as she spins around and lunges at the body entering the room. Nobody involved has a moment to think before Adora's reflexes to defend herself kick in. "Ow," says the voice from the body that was just shoved into a metal wall. Scorpia's massive body is pinned from Adora's forearms and realization hits Adora like a freight train. "Scorpia? Shit! I'm sorry."
Adora pulls back and wraps her arms around her own body trying to feel more in control.
"Woah! Killer instincts, Adora. Nice one." Scorpia is hardly phased by the physical confrontation. Her exoskeleton probably providing all kinds of shock absorption and protection. She chuckles and puts her claw behind her head as she apologizes. "Geez, I guess I should probably knock next time, especially since we aren't roommates anymore. Gosh, I'm really sorry about that Adora. I wasn't thinking."
Adora almost took the opportunity to tell Scorpia it was her own fault and not the larger woman's, but she was cut off before she could even let a word out.
"Oh, hey! I got some intel on the other person that was captured from your unit." Scorpia uses her big claws to grab at Adora's shoulders and gently push her until the backs of her knees were at the bed. "Ok, you should probably sit down, because I have no idea if you know this person and I don't want you to like faint or anything. This way you'll already be sitting and it'll be easier, so you won't hurt yourself. An –"
"Scorpia," Adora sits now holding her hands around Scorpia's forearms. Adora attempts to use the position to keep them focused enough so Scorpia will tell her the damn name. She lets out a breath. "Ok, I'm sitting." Adora does her best to calm the both of them. "Tell me who it is."
"I think you mentioned their name before." Scorpia winces through her words and Adora tenses at her statement. She doesn't hardly talk about her previous unit, but she knows if there's one person she'd talk about it would be… "It's a soldier named Catra –"
All sound, including Scorpia's invading voice, begins to fade and become nothing. Adora looks to the ground like she's staring off into the distance. Her breathing starts to increase and her mind begins to run rampant with thoughts of a tortured Catra. She can see her and hear her screaming in pain as her mind concocts scenarios that have only been reiterated by the Horde.
Scorpia starts to notice Adora's off gaze and reaches down to look her in the eyes. She repeats her name hoping at some point Adora will come back to her. But she doesn't…
Adora can see Catra tied up and struggling to escape and something finally snaps like a branch being struck by lightning in the midst of a storm. A low rumble escapes from deep within her chest and the glazed over look becomes focused and primal.
Scorpia starts to realize that Adora is about to lose herself to her inner alpha and tries to snap her out of it, but she can't.
Adora's hormones and need to protect and rescue Catra take over. She grunts as she feels confined in Scopria's arms and rips herself away from her. Her heart races as her alpha instincts kick on and a glowing bright light invades the entire room.
The light is so blinding Scorpia can barely see, or understand, what's happening. She shields her face momentarily until it fades. What's left is the form of a much larger and much stronger looking Adora. "Woah! Adora?! Okay, buddy. I'm gonna need you to calm down."
Adora stands there in this new primal form panting in ragged breaths. Her instincts are screaming inside her head in full force and she eyes where the door is. I need to save Catra! She starts for the door, but the other woman in the room tries to intercept her.
"I cannot let you go out there like this, Adora." Scorpia stands face to face with a now much taller version of the young blonde. She's firm in her stance and goes to grip the younger woman's much larger arms.
Adora stares into her face, snarling, and goes to move the woman in front of her out of instinct – I need to leave this room and make my way to the skiffs – but Scorpia holds her ground. Adora starts to struggle and grunt in frustration.
Scorpia grips her tighter. She knows the pheromones coming off the alpha in front of her were shockingly strong. She's never been near an alpha with this much raw energy. The blonde exudes dominance and Scorpia wants to back down, but she knows her friend needs her right now. "Adora, we need to come up with a plan. Catra," Adora glares into her eyes at the mention of the missing woman's name. "That's who you're worried about, right?" Scorpia nods her head slowly as though she was trying to bring Adora back by coaxing a response. "We'll find Catra, but you need to calm down. You can't go out there looking like this, my friend. People are going to notice, and you are going to be at the end of all of Hordak's experiments. You won't be able to find your friend like that, huh?"
The words, although hushed to keep Adora from full on raging through Scorpia, seemed to be breaking through her enraged state. Adora's brow softened and she seemed to have been sensing the other woman's soothing pheromones. She steps back and tries to shake the fog from her brain. She isn't quite sure what's going on. The need to find and save Catra is still in the forefront of her mind, but she's beginning to find herself again. She puts her hand to head.
Scorpia reaches forward to grasp at Adora to make sure she doesn't fall. "That's it. Come back to me, buddy."
Adora's head starts to clear. She looks at Scorpia and starts to realize that her face is parallel to the other woman's. She meets her eyes and then immediately looks down to see what obstacle she must be standing on… Her eyes shoot wide and she lunges backwards. "Ahhhh! Wh-what?" She reaches down to her body and grips at her new clothes. She turns her head to the left and makes eye contact with herself in the mirror. "Ahhh!" She screams again and falls backwards. With everything happening she distracts herself so much that her inner alpha retreats. She falls beside the bed returning to her normal size, muscles and clothes.
Adora reaches her hands to her head as she wonders if she hit it at some point. Her voice comes out shrill, "Uh!... They didn't talk about that in alpha orientation!" She frustratingly looks over to Scorpia expecting her to know what's going on, but the woman looks on with wide eyes.
"No… no they didn't." Scorpia is short on words, probably one of the first times in her life, and huffs out a breath of relief after. Talking down a shapeshifting mega-alpha is stressful stuff.
"Wh-what do I do? Should I tell someone? Lord Hordak? Shadow Weaver? She might know what to do –"
"Are you crazy!? You want to bring this to Hordak? Shadow weaver is beyond scary and would totally pick you apart!"
"No!" Adora exclaims. "You don't know her like I do. She… she won't hurt me. But she… she might have some answers or something."
"I don't know. I don't like this idea one bit." Scorpia shakes her head but knows they can't keep this a secret forever. Adora is lucky she was the one that saw her and not some conniving little cadet looking to get ahead in life.
Adora's mind is running 100kph. She has no idea what's happening to her and her heart aches for Catra. Her eyes drift back and forth at what could happen. "You said Lord Hordak was planning to set up a mission to retrieve them, right? Maybe we could make sure we're on it so I can rescue Catra." Her eyes scream desperation and her heart continues to ache with need. She needs to save Catra. Her inner alpha isn't relenting and she isn't sure what will happen.
Scorpia looks down after she kneels to Adora's lowered body. She has to do this carefully. Saying the wrong thing could set her off again and create that overpowered alpha. The, now, larger woman sighs deciding what she has to say. "Look, Adora. The mission is too dangerous, especially if you don't have," she's at a loss for words "that, under control, then there's no way we could safely take you."
Adora's brow begins to furrow and tears form in her eyes at the helplessness she begins to feel.
"But, listen! Maybe, if you start learning to control your alpha urges more, then I might be able to get you on it." She looks down to Adora in sympathy, not pity. "We can't risk you losing control like that again, you understand? It could be really dangerous, for others and for you."
Adora does her best to keep her control over her emotions, but it soon becomes very difficult. She lets a few tears fall, then she quickly wipes them. She looks back to Scorpia. "Okay then. I'll do it. How much time do I have?" She maintains the steadiness of her voice as best as she could given everything that's happened.
Scorpia sighs. "A few days. They need to prepare a specialized team."
Adora gives her a curt nod and raises herself off the ground. "I'll do it." She releases her breath slowly and turns to face Scorpia. "Thank you, Scorpia."
The other woman lowers her eyes. "Oh, it was nothing. You were pretty intimidating, though."
"It can be hard to stand up to your friends, and I'm really grateful you did." She absentmindedly rubs her arm with her opposite hand.
"Hey, don't mention it." Her eyes go wide," but like seriously, don't mention it. To anybody. If they knew I knew, then we'd both be in big trouble."
Oh, Adora understood trouble. She's caused enough of it with Catra to learn that lesson early on. Her heart pangs at the thought.
"Alright," Scorpia starts, "well hey, if you need anything Adora, please don't hesitate to come to me."
Adora looks up to her with a grateful smile. "Thank you… Force Captain." Her smile widens slightly.
The older woman gives her a big grin and then an even bigger hug. "Of course." Scorpia leaves the room, which thankfully isn't too disheveled, then Adora locks the door and just cries until she sleeps.
She's always in her dreams and tonight is no different. Although, it is different.
Adora enters a small town that looks familiar, but she can't place it. She looks around and notices that there were Horde vehicles and tanks strewn throughout the town. There were a few small fires, but ultimately looks like a successful Horde mission. Adora looks around to see if anyone is still in the vicinity.
Her senses are thrown off by all the smog coming off of the vehicles. She continues to look and listen for anyone in the area to see if she should be cautious. After an unfruitful search, she puts her hands together cupped around her mouth and shouts "anybody here?"
It was a mistake. She shouldn't have said anything, because she's immediately tackled to the ground from behind. The weight hits the middle of her back and forces Adora's body to land roughly onto her stomach. Her arms attempt to catch herself and end up underneath her chest. She grunts and does her best to shift her position, but the body on top has her pinned. She struggles enough to get her arms out from under her body and the being on top of her grabs them quickly and digs sharp blades into her wrists. "Aghh!" She turns her head to the left to find the damned hands that sunk into her skin.
"Adora?" After the blonde turned her face, the other person realized who they had tackled.
Adora immediately recognizes the other's voice. "Catra?" Her voice cracks with the singular word. Tears start to sting her eyes as a flood of emotions hit her hard. She can hardly handle this situation. She leans her forehead back to the ground to hide the storm warring inside.
"Shit, Adora I didn't know it was you!" Catra notices the pain on the other's face and leaps off her body, but Adora just caves in on herself. "Hey," Catra sounds softer than she wanted to, but reaches to touch the blonde. She's afraid she's finally done it. She's made Adora hate her.
Adora can hardly feel the pain in her arms anymore, she can only feel the desperate pang of guilt and sadness for Catra being captured. She inhales through her nose a long and steadying breath, but when she tries to relax all she does is inhale the most incredible scent. She turns to face Catra who's reaching out to check on her. Adora's eyes are squinting in the light of the day, but she sees Catra's outline of her beautifully wild mane.
"Adora, why are you crying? Did I hurt you that badly?" Catra is kneeling, straddling over the blonde still laying on the ground. Catra grabs the girl's wrists and sees barely noticeable small, red, crescent shapes in her skin and doesn't understand. She's hurt Adora way worse than this before.
When Catra was examining her arms Adora was able to see her face better. She could see the worry and confusion on it and also how incredibly sexy she is. Adora's stomach fills with need as the sweet scent fills her nose once again. She knew Catra smelled good, but this is just the beginning of amazing. Adora reclaims her arms back for the moment as she continues staring into Catra's confused face; which is now aimed directly at her. She shoots her hands back out clasping her arms around Catra's waist and she pulls the smaller girl on top of her. She falls back to the ground and Catra's full weight is pressed against her body.
"Adora, wha –"
The blonde grasps at Catra firmly nestling her comfortably so their bodies pressed flush against each other. The sensation brings her a sense of control as Adora runs her left hand up and down the length of Catra's back while the other presses her lower back and hips down into Adora's sturdy frame.
Catra is caught off guard from the initial movement, but when she realizes they're doing this again, she softens herself and languidly molds her body to fit Adora's. Her thigh slides in between Adora's legs and she can feel the heat of her core radiating. She clears her throat, "Adora, we gotta stop meeting like this." Catra relaxes in her arms and begins trialing her fingertips over the other's muscular arms.
The sarcasm falls on deaf ears when all Adora can do it continually run her hands down the lithe body on top of her. This is a dream, Adora knows, and she wants to make it last, but… another part of her feels badly. She's groping the body of her best friend, who's been captured and is in danger, and all Adora can think about it is ripping her clothes off. She groans at her inability to stop, but the body on top of her is a much-needed reminder that she should. Adora stops her ministrations and opens her eyes. She looks into a concerned mix of blue and yellow.
"Adora, what is it?" Catra's eyes aren't as soft anymore. She can feel the hesitation and is worried she's definitely overstepped somehow.
Adora's eyes begin to water again and her lower lip begins to tremble.
Catra sits up extending her right arm to the ground by Adora's head and her left is reared back. She's so unsure of what to do, but her heart is ripping apart at the sight in front of her. She hates when Adora cries, but is she the reason? She hesitantly extends her left hand to the side of the blonde's face and feels relief when Adora leans into the touch. "Adora," she waits until Adora looks into her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Adora presses her own hand to cover over Catra's and she closes her eyes as she relishes in the sensation. "I…" she starts but can barely get past the knot in her throat. "You were captured."
Catra's face contorts and she warily retreats her hand from Adora's face.
"The Rebellion got you and Force Captain Huntara, and I'm just useless and I can't even leave to rescue you." Adora sits up as Catra backs up a fraction of a step. She reaches out and grabs at the other's wrist to maintain some connection, because the distance, however small, is torturing her.
"How do you – oh yeah, this is a dream." Catra rolls her eyes. "Yeah, Huntara, more like traitor. She handed herself over and let me get roped along with her!" Catra exaggerates her words with her hands and goes to stand up. "Fucking Force Captain my ass."
Adora knits her brow together in confusion as she leans back on her arms staring up at the other woman. "Scorpia never told me that. She said you both got captured."
"Okay," Catra rolls her eyes, she's surprised they haven't rolled out of her head by now. "I don't know who Scorpia is, or whatever, but that's exactly what happened. Trust me, I was there." She crosses her arms over her chest.
Adora stands to her feet warily, eyeing the other woman. "Uh, right. You were 'there' but this is a dream so you weren't."
Did Adora seriously just use air quotes? "No, you idiot, this is my dream and yes I was there. Y'ano," she waves her arms airily "like in the real world."
Adora is beyond confused. "What?" She looks as Catra like she has a second head growing from her shoulder. "This is my dream Catra, and in the real world you both were captured. Lord Hordak is devising a plan to come rescue you." The confusion, in possibly one of the weirdest dreams ever, is making Adora frustrated. Ugh, I should've just enjoyed the dream the way it was going earlier.
"Wait," Catra closes her eyes and tries to focus. "So you're in my dream, but you're also saying that I'm in your dream?" Her eyes widen at the impossibility of this right now and memories of a larger Adora with a sword floods into her mind. "Are we in the same freaking dream?!" Her face fills with blood as a blush overtakes nearly her entire face as she thinks about what they were doing moments ago.
"What?" Adora looks at her like she's joking and starts awkwardly laughing. But the prominent blush on Catra's face and her disbelieving eyes speak otherwise, and her laugh starts to die down. "What?!" Her hands shoot to her face as they grip the sides of her head. "Are you serious? So, you're asleep right now?! With the Rebellion soldiers who took you?" The last question sparks a revelation in Adora's mind and anger starts to burn inside her. Her need to protect Catra starts rising in her chest again as her inner alpha senses my mate is in danger.
Adora ignores the word mate that her alpha uses to describe Catra and decides after half a second that she'll have to take care of that one later.
Catra sees the look of fierce determination in Adora's eye and a wave of arousal hits the pit of her core. Ugh, focus idiot. "Yes, I'm with them, but I'm fine. I can take them, but Huntara is helping them keep me tied up. We're in the whispering woods."
Adora starts to pant in anger as the new information is divulged to her. "She's what?!"
Catra shuts her eyes trying not to let the alpha's scent sway her. "Shit, Adora. Stop… acting like that. I can't fucking focus." A blush creeps up onto Catra's face after that admission, but she really needs her to take a chill pill. Her arms extend out placing her hands on Adora's chest.
Adora looks down at her hands and takes a calming breath. Her voice is lower "sorry… I'm working on controlling it." She slides a hand over one of Catra's own hands and clenches her jaw. "I'm going to find you. I'm going to get a spot on the rescue mission, and I'll come get you."
Catra chuckles lightheartedly at Adora's determination. "Always have to be the hero, don't you?" There's some harshness to her words.
"Do not!" Adora's tone is defensive as she waves her hands animatedly and backs away from Catra's touch.
Catra moves half a step closer to close the space again – afraid she'll lose Adora if she moves another inch. The movement was done absentmindedly, and she tucks her chin down to hide her embarrassment. She presses her hands more firmly over Adora's chest, nowhere near her breasts. Catra couldn't even imagine going there now knowing this is actually Adora – well sort of.
Her eyes never look up into blue because it would make this moment too much. She furrows her brow in disbelief that any of this even happening. She runs her hands up Adora's collar and then out to her firm shoulders. She keeps her eyes on her right hand as it trails down over Adora's biceps.
The blonde bites her lip trying to contain whatever this feeling is inside her. She lifts her hands and rests them on Catra's waist. "Catra, I –"
"Don't ruin it." The shorter woman closes the gap completely and tucks her head onto Adora's shoulder. The blonde can feel puffs of air hitting her neck as Catra nuzzles closer into her.
Adora is ripped from her dream as the overhead alarm disturbs her sleep. "Fuck." Worry instantly hits her because she's lost connection with Catra too soon. They needed more time to talk. I need more information, she thinks. And she is not going to think about everything else they've been doing in their dreams… was that the first one we've shared? Adora's eyes go wide at that thought. "How is this happening?!" She plants her hands onto her face and slowly drags them down in exasperation. She's learned a lot in the last 12 hours.