Catra finds herself running through thick brush that gets tangled in her hair; yet she rushes forward through the ripping pain, because it's the one thing that makes sense. This basic fact of life that injury causes pain is easier to struggle with than this aching loss within her chest. A loss she'd never known to begin with, because she has never been afforded the opportunity.

She gets to a small clearing and shakes her head as she sinks down to her knees and sobs deeply.

Each moment has her careening through her emotions that she's kept at bay her whole life.

She's worthless, Shadow Weaver would tell her. Her own family didn't want her. And come to find out that it all might've been stolen from her. The Horde enacting their disgusting vile attacks onto innocent people. She's known for so long that the Horde was evil. There have been so many signs. She knows she mostly stayed because of Adora, or she would've left a long time ago. Then, even Adora was taken from her and used like a machine to fight a war that was never theirs to begin with.

She runs her hands down her face and her mask drops from the crown of her head. She hears the metal clang to the floor, and she loathly stares at it. This symbol of who she's been her whole life. Who Weaver wanted her to be. Someone the Horde can manipulate and turn into one of their mindless soldiers. She kicks the offending metal and launches it a few meters from herself. And she just sits and cries – the rest of her body is just exhausted.

Rustling comes from behind her, and a hand reaches out tentatively. As it makes contact, Catra's body flinches.

"Catra."

The voice startles her because she knows that voice. It's imprinted on her brain and the trauma it's brought runs deep. She sits bolt upright as the shadows slither away from her. Her eyes are panicked and shifting all around. Her heart thrums in her chest and she hears more movement coming from the same direction.

"Catra!" She hears someone calling for her and she panics. The voice is different, thankfully. She was so frightened by Weaver's puppets that she forgot where she was. How did they get here, she questions.

Her thoughts are interrupted again as she hears the crunching of Bow's boots. The feline looks around to find her escape, but he's too close, and her heavy breathing will surely give her away. She hisses in the direction of the sounds Bow's making on his way through the brush. He stops and for a beat she hopes he'll run away from her.

But then he speaks, "it's okay Catra. I just want to be here for you… You're hurting." His voice is calm.

"Shut up!" she screams at him. She tries her best, but it comes out wet like she's been breaking down for hours.

He pauses for just a moment, takes a breath, and tries again, "I don't have to come in, if you want? I can just be here… if that's better." He pauses for a response, but presses more, "I'm here for you Catra. I don't want to leave you."

"Why?" her voice sounds weak and broken, like a child's… it sickens her, and she squeezes her eyes shut. "Everyone leaves me…"

Bow bites his lip and thanks the stars he was able to hold in his gut reaction to fawn over her earnestness. "But I won't," is all he can blurt out in the moment. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." He peeks through the forestry and can see her kneeling on the ground with her hands digging into her scalp. "Please, let me make sure you're, okay?"

The words are so sincere, she almost believes them. She isn't sure she can make noise, so she nods her head lightly.

Bow notices her gesture, and he walks slowly to get closer. Due to the way she's sitting near the edge of brush he can only manage to sit behind her. He so badly wants to hug her, or offer a gentle touch, but, thankfully, his intuition tells him that physical affection doesn't necessarily mean love and kindness for everyone; he doesn't know what lies in her past and doesn't want to make things worse. So, he just sits there and respects her in this moment.

"Hey, buddy," his candor is gentle and welcoming as he keeps talking. "Why don't you take your hands out of your hair. It looks pretty painful." He winces as he says it, because he notices some of the torn-out portions of hair on her head and some small smears of blood trailing down her fingers. "Is it okay if I release some pheromones to relax you?"

"No," is her immediate response. There was a sound of unbridled fear escaping from that single word, so Bow just nods and sits there unable to help her. It's a maddening feeling for someone who likes to fix things to not be able to help in this moment. So, he decides to just sit there and wait. And maybe she'll come to him when she's ready.

After long minutes Catra finally releases her hands from her head and they drop to her lap. "Why, Bow?" Her voice comes out ragged.

He shakes his head and his heart fills with grief for her. "I don't know."

They sit like that for a while, until Catra turns herself to face the young man. The ache in her chest is softer now, but still present. "It's stupid, really. I never even met her…"

"It's not stupid." He says, his look is firm, but not judgmental.

A few more tears escape, and she quickly wipes them away. "Adora and I always talked about having parents, but… I only did it for her. I never thought mine were alive, or even if they were, they didn't care about me… I never would've guessed I was…" she chokes up, but clears her throat, "taken."

All Bow does is listen.

The pair spend the next few heartbeats just sitting there, until they hear the others coming through the brush close by; and Catra sits back and wipes at her eyes. "I probably look like shit, huh?"

He chuckles softly, "only a little bit."

They both smile at each other. Catra appreciates his honesty.

"Bow?" Glimmer calls out from just beyond the shrub line they're encased in.

The young man looks to Catra for confirmation that she's okay to welcome more people and she nods with a tight smile. "We're in here, Glimmer" he calls out.

The princess turns to face his direction and she catches a whiff of Bow's scent. She reaches through and wiggles her way in without too much damage. "Catra," her voice is laced with concern and care. "Are you alright?" Glimmer moves to sit next to Bow and hands him the long-forgotten note. Sea Hawk sits furthest away. At least he has enough awareness to not make the moment more uncomfortable.

Catra tries to clear her throat, "yeah. It's just a lot, yano?"

"Yeah, actually… I kind of do." Glimmer looks to Bow for encouragement, and he nods softly. "My dad died fighting the Horde when I was really young. Granted, I still have my mom, but… it hasn't been the same without him. I-I know it's not the same, but –"

"You still lost someone… I never even knew mine. So, don't feel too bad." She gives a dry smile as if sarcasm is still an appropriate coping mechanism.

Bow interrupts, "did you read the whole letter?" He has it held lightly in his hands as if to offer it back.

The feline coughs a bit to clear her throat more. "No," she sniffs and reaches for it. She tries to find where she's lost her place and begins paraphrasing it again. "She goes on to talk about the prophecy and how the chimera baby will bring Etheria's revival. She's starting to get worried the Horde is close and finishes the letter by wishing love to her 'beloved.' It's signed: 'C'yra.'" She drops it once again.

"Wait." Bow speaks first, "like queen C'yra. Queen of the Magicats?" His eyes are wide as he turns to Glimmer.

The princess chimes in, "she was rescued from a Horde base. That's what your dads said, Bow." She looks over to Catra to find her face blank, except for a quivering lip. Glimmer's eyes begin to gloss over as tears rise in her eyes.

Sea Hawk raises to his feet and launches himself over Glimmer's shoulder as he bursts into tears. "This is so awful! How could they do this to you?" He continues to cry as Glimmer tries to shove him off herself.

Catra scoffs at the buffoon's behavior, and she rolls her eyes. "We should probably keep going," Catra does her best to sound normal.

Glimmer finally throws the grown man off her back and stands in agreement. She clears her throat, "yes, let's get moving." She fumbles as Bow clears his throat and offers a reproachful look. "That is if you're still up to it, Catra? You went through a lot just now."

The moment couldn't have been more awkward as all eyes are on the feline. She stands and then runs her hands over her mane as some tactic to regain control. She then responds with, "yeah, whatever."

Bow tentatively pulls out his tracker pad as he keeps an eye on Catra. When the pad starts pinging, he sees there's magical signals beginning to surround them. "Uh, guys?" He turns it and points. There are four bodies merging in on them.

They all huddle together as they face their impending guests, shoving Sea Hawk out in front.

As soon as the little bodies make their way through, these troll-like beings emerge with sharp teeth.

Sea Hawk gasps, "Mermads! Run!" As soon as he tries to move one of the creatures starts singing. The two men stop dead in their tracks and turn to face the little creature. Then, all four begin to sing. The women look at each other confused, but realization dawns on them simultaneously that they need to get out of there. The men start following the creatures further into the forest when Catra climbs the highest tree. She launches her body towards the little vermin with a guttural growl morphing into a deadly hiss. Her hands and claws are drawn as she barrels down towards their little bodies.

The creatures let out an adorable cry as they flee into the distance. She takes off after them and yells over her shoulder, "get them to the sea gate! I'll be right behind you."

Glimmer nods at no one in particular, and she grabs the guys by their shirts. She looks over her shoulder through the foliage and spots the coast. Quicker than a blink she teleports them towards it. They all fall onto the sand and the men try to regain their awareness.

"What happened?" Sea Hawk says with his hand on his head.

"Catra saved you from those stupid 'mermads' you were going on about. They started to sing." She folds her arms over her chest after she helps Bow to his feet.

"That was so weird," the archer says, "it was like one second I was worried about what would happen and the next I'm in some dream/fantasy world." He turns to look at Glimmer and blushes. "But I don't remember anything. Uh, yup. Not a thing. Darn." He continues blushing until he spots Catra making her way over to them. "You made it!" He says, not to change the subject or anything.

The feline dips her hands into the water and flicks away the grime. "Yeah, I needed to get out some anger." She shows her canines as she smiles.

Bow gasps, "you didn't kill them, did you?"

His appalled face is just perfect, and she takes satisfaction in it. "Of course not, idiot. I just scared the shit out of them." They all make a face of disgust. "Not literally, you dumbasses."

The rest of them just laugh as she returns all the way over to the group.

Past their shoulders, Catra can see this infamous sea gate and points at it to refocus their attention.

"Perfect!" Glimmer cheers and takes off sprinting towards it. "Let's go!"

Catra rolls her eyes and gets to all fours as she runs to catch up to the princess. The other two do their best as well.

When they reach the gate, a lone soldier runs to the bottom. "Wait!" he says, "halt!" His breathing is labored as he approaches. "Who goes… there?" he says in between breaths.

"I am princess Glimmer of Brightmoon. I request a meeting with princess Mermista." Glimmer speaks with an air of royalty.

"Yes! And tell her Sea Hawk is here!" He turns to the group. "She will be delighted to see me."

"Ah, yes princess Glimmer." The guard says completely ignoring the captain. "Follow me." They begin to march towards the castle.

"That was too easy," Catra whispers to Glimmer, "I could've told him I was princess Glimmer, and he'd lead me right to her? Chumps."

Glimmer giggles, but she admonishes her lightly.

Everyone notices the lack of people around and Bow is the one to vocalize it. "So where is everyone?"

"Oh," the guard says, "well everyone has fled since the sea gate has been deteriorating." He gestures to the large structure. "They fear their own protection from the Horde." He scuttles up the stairs as the rest follow him.

He leads them to a grand door and escorts them inside, but Sea Hawk takes the lead, "Princess Mer –"

"Ugh!" Her groan is long and drawn out. "Not him again." She lazily points towards Sea Hawk and the rest of the group stairs at him. "Are you with him?" She points the question to the rest.

Glimmer scoffs, "no! He brought us here on his ship."

"Why yes!" Sea Hawk saunters forward and grabs the sea princess's hand in his. Her look of surprise and disgust says everything. "Why, princess Mermista and I have known each other for a long time."

The princess sneers, "one party at the underwater convention is hardly –"

"The night was as grand as my affection for you, my dear."

Mermista blushes lightly, then pulls her hand away to rise out of her throne. She walks towards Glimmer. "I'll do whatever you want, if you get rid of this dumb alpha." Her arms fold across her chest and Sea Hawk's face deflates.

"Of course!" Glimmer looks sharply to Bow to get him moving and then turns back to Mermista. "I am princess Glimmer, of Brightmoon." She extends her hand, "it's so nice to meet you."

Mermista looks at her hand until the uncomfortable silence eats at Glimmer, and she drops it.

Bow hushes some words to Sea Hawk, and the lone captain moves to leave.

This whole time Catra's just standing there and taking in the scene. The princess and the captain have a weird dynamic. This Sea Hawk is either just an innocent imbecile, or the world's most clingy predator. She rolls her eyes. People are annoying. She continues to glance around the room at the ornate structures until Mermista starts talking about the seat gate.

"Yeah, the Horde has been like hitting it from all sides. The damage is pretty extensive, and I don't know if we can get it back up n' running." She walks towards the large window, and they all gaze out to the large deteriorating gate.

That's when they see it.

A barrage of Horde ships sailing closer to the gate. "Shit," Mermista says.

Glimmer chimes in to take charge, "we need to head to the shoreline. We can't let them take Seleneas." The panic rises over the calm regal tone in her voice.

"Adora," Catra whispers it like a prayer, and they all run down to make their way to the front of the Sea Gate.

Bow looks left and right, "Glimmer we need Sea Hawk. The boat needs to be ready in case we have to bail."

Glimmer groans and fizzles away.

Catra starts to feel jittery, like her moment is closing in. What does she decide? Obviously, she needs to find Adora, but how will this play out? Can she even get the sword away from Glimmer?

Adora was in fact able to gather the needed forces for her plan within a matter of hours. Once she'd gathered intel that princess Glimmer had boarded a ship with a prisoner and was heading for Seleneas, the blonde knew they needed to act quickly. Adora decides to go by land as she leads the pack of alphas to Seleneas. She fully understands the necessary forces on the sea, but what if the princesses decide to flee inland? She's got high hopes that the princess made a bad call and decided to bring Catra.

Glimmer got away from her in Plumeria, but Adora won't make that mistake again.

Now, they're huffing it on land and hoping to corner in the princesses. If they do flee, and Catra is with them, then the princesses will try to escape with Catra in tow.

Adora storms through the foliage in her larger form. Her eyes are set and determined, and all she can think about is the possibility of finding her.

That's when it hits her…

The scent. She'd recognize it anywhere. It's alluring and thick, like the feline had been here not that long ago.

Adora's heart rate picks up and her adrenalin is pumping. She's found her! She's not a failure. She can save her.

As Adora starts to follow the scent, she traverses past some rubble that appears to be remnants of a dwelling. Catra had been through here and continued towards the tree line.

That's when she sees it.

There's fur caught in some of the branches of the brush. The branches are thick, and some are covered in thorns. She must've been trying to run through it. Adora reaches for the hair and can see that more than a few strands were pulled from the roots. She brings it to her nose and inhales lightly. "Be careful where you step. I have a scent." She looks to the other alphas who acknowledge, including Demetria. "Stay behind me." She swallows the lump in her throat, and anger begins to boil in her stomach as she follows the torn hair. There seems to be a clear direction that Catra was heading in. When Adora gets through the roughest parts of it, she enters a small clearing.

There are multiple scents here, and there's even one she recognizes from Plumeria. It takes her a moment, but then it clicks and Adora grinds her teeth. Her breathing picks up and her mind takes a leap… The pain she felt from the events earlier and the connection Weaver mentioned. It all builds a raging fire in her chest as she thinks about what princess Glimmer could've been doing to Catra. She's heard before how heinous princesses can be, but she never thought it would happen to someone she… she knew – to her family. Her alpha reminds her faintly of the term 'mate,' and it offers a cool breeze over the raging fire inside of her.

Demetria gains the blonde's attention as she picks up something from the ground. "What do you think it is?" She hands the red metal over to their leader.

Adora knows exactly what it is. Her hand trembles as she reaches out to grab the mask that has adorned Catra's head since it was first able to fit. The blonde takes it from Demetria's hands and turns it over in her own a few times. Her brow is tight with anger, and she says firmly, "let's go. She's in there. It's time to end this."

Catra dodges a few blasts from the canon aboard one of the ships manned by Ocatavia. She would berate the woman if she weren't so hell bent on finding someone.

Another blast hits the shore as Bow launches arrows and Mermista dives into the water.

The feline launches herself onto a larger statue to get a good look at all the ships. Yet, she doesn't see blonde hair anywhere.

Abruptly, one of the cannons connects with the Seagate and the sound reverberates through Catra's bones. The light fizzles and cracks. A second blast from the cannon is a direct hit and it goes out completely. Then, there's a raucous roar of cheering coming from the ships. Catra looks to all of them as she scans everyone's face, but no sight of the one she's looking for. "Dammit!" Her frustration and drained emotional-self releases what she can in the single word.

Before long she spots Glimmer and the others floundering towards the inner parts of the city. She makes eye contact with the princess and before long she's teleporting them both back to the group.

"Where were you?" Glimmer asks frustratedly, "we really could've used your help." The tension is clear in her voice.

"Yeah, well we would've still been losing even if I was with you. I was trying to look for Adora. We need her to get She-Ra, so I was working on that part." Catra's heart thrums and hopes that was convincing enough.

"…Oh," is all the princess murmurs as the group runs inside of the city. They can hear people making their way beyond the gate.

Mermista leads them to a back alley. "Okay, we just have to make it a little further, then we can escape through one of the underground tunnels." She slips momentarily but catches herself and uses the water to destroy the large wooden boxes behind them. It creates a blockade and provides cover for their back side. "Haha!" she says proudly.

Sea Hawk swoons, and then dramatically screeches as some of the debris nearly hits him.

They continue running through the brick streets when they reach an opening in the buildings around them. It seems to be where the market probably takes place and is in the central part of the city. The group prepares to continue running when they hear a voice scream for Catra.

The feline turns towards a gate at the far end of the marketplace and there she is. The instant urge to run and leap onto the blonde's body feels like an instinct. But instead, she remains transfixed as the large muscular alpha barrels towards her… along with eight other alphas. Catra's eyes go wide when she sees them, and she hears the others behind her preparing to fight. She turns to the group and tells them, "I've got Adora. Just leave her to me." She starts running off in the huge warrior's direction.

Adora sees Catra making her way towards her freely and the other alphas begin to run at the princesses. She nearly has her in her arms – stretching them out wide to grab her when Demetria launches herself between them.

Catra squeaks and dodges the alpha. When she stands again, she looks back at Adora with an irritated look. "What the hell?"

Adora feels just as shocked when she looks over to Demetria who rises again and goes after Catra. "Demetria! That's Catra, we're taking her back –"

But the alpha has already started a pursuit with the feline.

Adora's alpha enrages within. She thought she was clear on this. How could Demetria do this to her!? "Demetria!" She growls fiercely as she chases down the pair. Her heart is hammering in her ears as she watches the woman she's been trying to rescue be attacked by one of her own alphas. The inappropriate conduct and disregard for Adora and her orders makes her want to beat Demetria to a pulp. She'll learn not to fuck around with my mate, her inner alpha voices.

"Adora!" Catra yells out a wine as the other alpha continues to chase her. The sounds of Catra in peril kicks the blonde's body into high gear. She's about 50 meters behind them.

When the feline turns to confront Demetria, the alpha tackles her to the ground and rears back to throw blows. But Catra is far too fast for her. She swipes her claws through the other woman's arm, and she finds enough room to escape while the alpha cries out in pain.

Adora has nearly caught up until Bow's arrow launches a net around her. She growls with frustration and begins to stretch and bite at the ropes. Her alpha is furious. She doesn't understand what's happening, but she will tear Demetria to pieces if she lays a hand on Catra!

Meanwhile, Glimmer throws sparkly punches at one of the alphas which blinds him momentarily enough for Mermista to encase him in water and launch him through the roof of the building next door. The pair high five after the alpha doesn't make any further attempts to fight.

Sea Hawk is running across the marketplace as he fleas two enraged alphas when Mermista rolls her eyes and trips the pair with a water-whip.

Catra turns to see Adora laying on the ground. "Adora! Quit laying there and help me!"

Adora rolls her eyes playfully at the feline, "what does it look like I'm doing?" She grunts with effort.

While on her way to continue chasing the feline, Demetria gets caught up with Mermista and Bow.

That's when Catra uses the opportunity to run over to Adora. She unsheathes her claws and releases the woman from the net in one quick swipe. After they get the rope off, they both hurry to their feet. Adora's towering over Catra with her hand behind her neck, and the feline is suddenly in awe as she stares up into bright blue eyes. The flashes of a golden warrior blur in her memory. Catra's mouth goes dry, and she doesn't remember what she was going to say. Before they can even begin to reconcile the pull each of them feels towards one another and the lure of their pheromones, another alpha gets thrown near them into a pile of barrels; unfortunately, it completely disrupts the moment of reverie. Catra studders momentarily, but grabs Adora's shoulders, "hey. Meet me on one of the ships. I have to get that sword from the princess, and I'll meet you there." The scent she is breathing in is intoxicatingly Adora, but almost tenfold. It's nearly enough to distract Catra from her plans entirely; especially since her dry mouth is suddenly not so dry anymore as her hands squeeze the muscle beneath them.

Adora nods tightly and reaches to wrap her hands around Catra's waist. The action draws a surprised squeak out of the feline, but Adora continues to stare into blue and gold. She longs to say everything she's felt the last few agonizing days, but the sound of crashing bodies and battle cries force her eyes to close, and she lets go. "Get to the one on the far right. That's the one I stored my gear on."

Catra's hands are still gripping at Adora's muscled shoulders – her claws reflexively kneading into it. "Ugh, just go," she pushes Adora's body and the two split just in time before another alpha is tossed in their general direction.

Catra punches an alpha that lunges for her and after a few leaps she finally makes it back to Glimmer and Bow. The pair are huffing and puffing as she arrives. "Wow, you two are out of breath already?" She looks to her claws as Glimmer guffaws at her.

"You were running away! You didn't do anything." The pink princess blows a few hairs from her face. "And where did Adora go?"

Before Catra can retort Bow gains their attention. "Guys!" He points in the direction of a loud roaring crowd heading their way. "I'm almost out of arrows. We can't keep up!"

Catra clings onto her plan for dear life as she tries to come up with some excuse out of thin air. Her eyes twitch towards the sword. It's now or never. "Look, Glimmer, just give me the sword and I'll get it to Adora. I told her to meet me in a safer location. This way the Horde won't be able to interfere." She looks to Glimmer's eyes pleadingly.

Glimmer glances at her face and sees the earnestness in it. She does her best to shove the twisting knot of fear and distrust down as she reaches for the sword. Before she hands it completely over, she says, "I'm counting on you."

Catra swallows a thick gulp from her dry throat, "I know." She grits her teeth at what she's about to do, and then, Glimmer hands it over. Catra nods firmly, "The rest of you should head back towards Sea Hawks boat. Get it started and we'll meet you there."

Mermista groans, "what about the Seagate? We need to fix it and take back my city." Her fear and anger trembles past her lips as she speaks. "We also need to get the remaining civilians out."

"We'll work on getting the last of the remaining people out before we head to the ship." Glimmer turns to Catra, "when you give the sword to Adora, maybe she can use it to fix the gate and save us."

The feline's jaw clenches before she responds, "yeah, maybe." She cuts it short and takes off, separating from the group. She's heading back towards the shore as she dodges multiple Horde soldiers and their pillaging masses tearing through the city.

She unexpectedly runs into a brick wall, or at least it felt like a wall; but when she opens her eyes again, she's staring up at a large woman with white hair. Before she knows what's happening the woman grabs her and picks her up bridal style. "Kitty!" the large alpha lets out as she nuzzles into Catra's fur.

The feline pushes the woman's face away. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Oh! My goodness, I-you're completely right. Apologies. Man, you are just too cute!" She says all of this as she puts Catra back onto her feet.

Catra wants to scratch this woman's face off. "I don't have time for this!" The feline runs off past the woman, leaving her agape. Catra is much too fast for her. She also narrowly dodges the eye of Ocatavia when she squeezes out onto the rocks near the shore. She makes it to the gangway of the far-right ship and hightails it up onboard. She looks out to try and find Adora in the amassing crowd, but she can't really get a good look. So, she turns and leaps onto the rails and runs up to furthest point on top of the boat; it's nearly 20 meters high. When she gets there, she leans over the rail, scanning, until she finally sees Adora making her way through the crowd. Man, she's slow, and she laughs internally as a sense of relief washes over her. This feeling of finally getting what she wants. Being where she's supposed to be. Having Adora back in her life.

Then, a wicked laugh comes from behind her. She gasps and turns immediately, dropping the sword as it clatters to the ground near her feet. "You always were an annoyingly strong climber. I knew I should've declawed you as a kit…" Weaver begins to step closer to the young woman.

All Catra can do is stand there in fear. She doesn't know what this woman has done in the last few weeks, but she damn well knows she wasn't trying to find her. Catra hates how Weaver makes her feel small and insignificant. She's learned more about herself and her own power. It's about time she's tried owning some of it for herself. "Shut it, you witch."

Shadow Weaver gives a mocking surprise gesture but continues to taunt. "Well, you've gotten even more foul mouthed since you've been out of my presence. I did not think it possible."

"Stop it!" Catra's hand flings up to her head, brushing back the hair that has fallen forward, as she tries to maintain her composure. "Tell me about my mother!"

That was something Weaver was not expecting. She regains her composure as to not let the young woman know she's been caught off guard. "You came to the Horde, motherless."

"That's a lie! Tell me the truth. For once in your damn life." Catra is seething. She knows on any other day Weaver would use it against her and call her crazy, or unhinged, but dammit, she does feel a little unhinged after the weeks of revelations she's endured.

Weaver lets go of her facade and continues to approach the woman.

Down on the ground, Glimmer and the others make it to Sea Hawks Boat. He comes from the hull, "alright! We are up and running." The three of them look onward at the scene unravelling in front of them. Easily a hundred soldiers tearing through Seleneas and there's not a damn thing anyone can do.

Glimmer clenches her hands as she waits for Catra to show herself. She starts to pace and worry her lip when Bow lightly grabs her hand.

He slips his hand in hers and she looks to him with fear clear across her face. She knows it was a risk, but was it worth it? Bow's smile is soft, but not really reassuring, because he isn't so sure how this will work out either.

Mermista interrupts their moment with a drawn out "uh." Then she continues, "is that your cat?" She points up to one of the tallest ships' towers where Catra is up against a rail with some creep looming over her.

"What the hell?" Glimmer's caught between confusion and concern. She isn't sure what she's seeing, but from this vantage point, it doesn't look good. She growls, but before she teleports away Bow squeezes her hand.

"Be careful," he says worriedly.

She smiles softly at him. "I will." And then she's disappeared.

Adora is making her way through the ruffians when she looks up to the boat where she is supposed to meet Catra and scans for her face. She's been waiting so long for this moment. Of course, Adora isn't so sure what the sword has to do with anything, but Catra said it was important, so she knows it is, too.

The blonde doesn't see Catra until she's just at the shore looking straight up to the boat. She can finally see her standing on the lookout deck, but something isn't right. Catra is facing away from her, like her attention has been pulled elsewhere.

"Tell me who my mother is!" She's fuming at this point.

"Why would you come all the way here to ask about something so unimportant?" She tries to make a sneering gesture when Catra screams at her again.

"I know your bullshit games, Shadow Weaver. I've been to the hideout where C'yra stayed before she was captured." The name makes Weaver's face drop into a scowl.

"You know nothing –"

"Stop lying!"

Shadow Weaver is less than a foot away from her, but Catra isn't going to let her deter her line of questioning. She wants answers now, dammit!

Then, Weaver grabs her by the front of her suit and begins to push the younger woman back into the railing. "Your mother was a filthy… disgusting… animal." Catra's hackles raise as a hiss escapes her lips, but Weaver is not deterred. She not only continues pushing the feline, but also her rant, "we threw her in the dungeon and out came a yowling little runt. We would've put you out of your misery right in front of her, but" She pauses to watch the fear in Catra's eyes. "She escaped and left you behind to die. Why don't you just give up and let Adora end the war for the Horde, like she's always been meant to do?" Just as Shadow Weaver was pushing Catra over the railing with her black magic tendrils, Glimmer shows up and throws a punch right in Weaver's face. The old witch stumbles back a bit, and she quickly moves to leave.

But Glimmer is just a moment too late, and the tendrils of darkness had already shoved the feline those last few inches causing her to careen over the railing. With a yelp, she reaches out as her back bends awkwardly, and she barely catches her claws on the lower rail.

"Well, that was a little too easy." Glimmer says it as she watches Weaver's retreating figure, but she doesn't see that Catra went over the rail. That's when the princess hears claws scraping on metal just as Catra's hand slips.

Adora's eyes had been glued to Catra nearly the entire time as she traverses the ship. And while she continues to make her way towards her, this gut-wrenching feeling grows inside her. Adora leans over a rail and looks upward. That's when she catches princess Glimmer arriving and throwing a solid punch. She can even hear when it makes contact! Then, she sees Catra's body being pushed over the rail. "Catra!" The anguish in Adora's voice is audible. All she sees is Catra reaching out with one arm to grab onto anything she can reach, and her body is dangling from above. Tears escape Adora's eyes, and her whole body is aflame with adrenalin. She runs further up the stairs leading to the deck. Her alpha is pushing her to go faster before something terrible happens.

As she nearly reaches the last leg of the winding case of stairs, she sees a body fall out of the corner of her eye. She thrusts her body up against the rail and screams out, "no!" Her throat burns from the cry as she watches Catra's body fall. Time slows and she reaches her hand out like a lifeline, but Catra is already well out of reach. Milliseconds tick by as she watches the fear bloom on Catra's face. Eyes wide and full of terror.

When Adora's brain finally starts working again and time moves faster, she readies herself to leap from the stairs. But just before she launches herself over it to save Catra, a flurry of pink flashes around the feline and then, she's gone.

Adora stares down at the deck agape as she should've seen her mate's body flat on the ground, broken from the impact, but she sees nothing. Her heart is breaking and pounding inside her chest. Her tears still well in her eyes and as she blinks, they fall. Her pupils scan the immediate area, but then her brain finally pieces it together. Glimmer had saved Catra from falling to the deck.

Adora allows her body the privilege of breathing again as she inhales a sudden gasp of air reviving her heart; she nearly falls down the stairs from relief. Her hand grips the railing to maintain a hold, and she continues gasping for breath and wiping away the tears from her face. She leans forward and grips her arms around her head. The pressure is just enough to soothe herself momentarily. Catra survived.

The women hit the deck of Sea Hawk's boat with a thud. Glimmer pushes Catra off herself and starts yelling, "what the hell happened? Why were you up there?" Glimmer's eyes squint suspiciously towards the other woman. Catra's eyes were welling with tears and the shock in them alone tells the princess enough. "Oh… are you okay? Who was that woman?"

Catra swallows the lump in her throat for a second time that day. Hearing Adora's wailing cry makes her stomach clench with a sadness she's never felt before. All the events from today, and of recent, are all taking their toll. She sniffs and says, "that was Shadow Weaver." Her voice sounds broken.

Glimmer looks at Bow with concern and she looks back to Catra when she realizes something is missing, "where's the sword?"

Catra's eyes widen in horror and looks back over to the lookout point.

Glimmer then groans as she teleports away.

When Glimmer lands on the lookout deck she's face to face with Adora. The woman is huge in stature and the scowl she's giving Glimmer could kill armies. Glimmer's heart begins to beat faster when Adora steps closer. The princess can feel the grief and anger seeping out of the alpha's pores. She quickly rotates her head and finds the sword near the edge of the railing and teleports to grab it. When her hand grabs the hilt, she hears, "wait!" Glimmer's head shoots around and sees the woman reaching for her.

Adora's voice is wet and cracked, "is she… hurt?"

Glimmer clenches her jaw, then speaks "Catra's fine." She can see Adora clenching her jaw and fighting the urge to lunge at her, but after hearing those words the blonde's relief is visible. "Look, I know you don't know me, but we need you." She clenches the sword tighter to her chest as a sense of apprehension rises in her gut.

The sincerity in the princess's voice throws Adora off. She stares at her warily. Her anger at the princess's actions ebbs for just a moment.

Glimmer continues, "this sword is supposed to connect to someone Etheria calls She-RA." Glimmer's eyes are soft as she takes in a rattled, but relieved Adora. "We think you can help us."

"How can I –" Adora's question is interrupted as Shadow Weaver and Demetria, as well as a few other alphas join the lookout deck. The older woman blasts magic at the princess and just misses before Glimmer teleports away. All Adora can do is stare dumbfounded at the place she used to be in.

Demetria runs up to Adora, "hey! You alright, 'Dor?" She moves to place a hand on her shoulder when Adora releases a deep guttural growl.

Adora turns on Demetria and pushes her up against the same rail that Catra had nearly faced her death on just moments ago. She growls again as the woman facing her tries to fight back. "Why were you chasing her? We were supposed to work together!"

"Enough!" Shadow Weaver shouts and the two reluctantly separate. Demetria is panting as her fear subsides for the moment. "That is not what's important." Weaver and Demetria glance at each other and the older woman nods for her to leave. As the younger woman walks by, Weaver places her hand lightly on her shoulder. Weaver acknowledges Adora again, "what's important now, is your conquering victory over Seleneas." As soon as she says it, the alphas in the background shout and holler their praises. Demetria even begins to clap after she rubs her chest from the pain.

Adora looks confused as she looks to the other alphas and looks back down over the railing at the city where she had found Catra in. She was so close. Her body transforms back to its normal size as she takes in the momentous occasion. Today has certainly taken its' toll and she needs time to decipher what Princess Glimmer was talking about...

The group hears the commotion going on in the distance as their boat sails back towards Brightmoon. The solemn moment takes a toll on everyone aboard.

Glimmer sheaths the sword on her back and turns to the group. She takes in Mermista's defeated look and the rest of their faces as well. She sighs deeply as she drops to the deck of Sea Hawk's boat. "Well, we all made it out of there in one piece. I tried to talk to Adora before I left with the sword, but this sorceress was shooting magic at me." She eyes the group nervously as she tries to choose her words carefully. Then, she looks to Catra who's eyes are blown wide in… fear? Glimmer reaches out her hand and places it on the feline's arm, but she flinches away like it had burned her. Glimmer looks on even more concerned than before. "Catra, are you okay?"

Catra sneers as though she was about to give a nasty retort, but the words die in her throat as this lump rises and chokes her into painful sobs. She tries to keep it at bay with every ounce of her will, but the fire behind her tongue burns and she can't control it any longer. Everyone manages to stay back while her body betrays her.

The image of a petrified Adora reaching out for her flailing body races through Catra's mind and she dissects Shadow Weaver's words. She's never cared about me a day in her wretched life. All she does is manipulate whoever she can for more power. And she's got Adora right where she wants her. There's only one way out of this, she decides in just a matter of moments. The feline looks frazzled as she turns back to Glimmer and the rest of the group. Catra's made up her mind and knows she can't do it alone – she is resolute.

Catra looks Glimmer in the eye and says, "I wasn't planning on just finding Adora." She pauses as the bile rises in her throat. Glimmer's face begins to contort. "I was trying to get her the sword and leave back to the Horde." Tears usher down her face without permission.

Bow gasps and Glimmer can only look on with a vengeful stare. "I knew it," she says.

Catra withers at her harsh words. "I'm from the Horde. It's all I've ever known… Adora is all I've ever known."

Bow makes a sad hum at how cute it was, but Glimmer turns her glare onto him. He sheepishly looks in another direction.

The feline continues, "I just wanted her back. I wanted everything to go back to how it was before… before Shadow Weaver took Adora from me." Catra swallows the burning lump as best as she can once more. "But it won't ever be the same because Shadow Weaver won't let it happen. She's never wanted me. She'd rather just… use me, like every other thing she can get her hands on." The words hurt as the reality of them truly settle into her bones. She's never had a home in the Horde, or with Weaver. She only ever stayed for Adora.

Glimmer crosses her arms, "and what? You thought you could do the same to us?"

"I…" that stops her dead in her tracks. "You're right, I wanted to use you so that I could get back to the Horde. But that's not what I want anymore. And not just because I have nowhere to go…" Catra remains on her knees as she looks down at the deck. "But because… none of you deserve this…" Her voice gets quiet, "Adora, doesn't deserve this." Then, she finishes with more resolution in her voice, "And I want to help."

Bow touches Glimmer's arm softly and he releases a few of his pheromones that he knows will soothe the princess. She looks into his eyes with residual anger and concern. His are asking for her to try to listen to Catra.

Sea Hawk's eyes are briming with tears and he reaches an arm around Mermista. To which she replies with a disgusted scoff and a stiff arm to his ribcage. He tumbles down over the immediate railing and onto the lower deck causing a chuckle to rise from the group.

Glimmer turns back to Catra and looks at the defeated woman. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Catra raises her head again to meet her stare. "You don't. But I have nothing left, and I'm still your prisoner, so," she cuts herself off – not sure if anymore words could help anyways.

The princess mulls it over. There has been this dreaded feeling in the pit of her stomach that something like this would happen eventually. Glimmer doesn't like to be proven right about this one. She could've lost the sword to the Horde on top of losing Seleneas... But they didn't. And Catra could've kept lying to her, but she didn't… Maybe this was the wakeup call Catra needed. The feline had thought going back would be the end of it. She could live like she did before, but now she knows that she can't. Glimmer didn't hear everything Shadow Weaver said to Catra, but clearly it wasn't the warm welcome she expected. The princess huffs a sigh and relents. "Oh, shut up Horde scum." Glimmer smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. In fact, she rolls them for good measure. "But I swear, if you try any more shit, you are dead to me. Got it?"

Glimmer's anger looks suspiciously like a queen Catra has had the pleasure of meeting. The feline quirks a small and reluctant smile. She knows she doesn't deserve this forgiveness. Catra doesn't think she could ever forgive someone for breaking their trust like this, but that's what makes her different from Glimmer. "Thanks, Sparkles."

Glimmer reaches down and Catra meets her in the middle. The princess hoists up the feline before throwing on her shackles. Catra looks down befuddled as an all too delighted smile crosses Glimmer's face. "Still my prisoner, remember?"

"Damn, Sparkles." Is all Catra says before she sits back down on the deck. Her gut still twists at Adora's fearful cry, but she's alive and Catra knows the blonde idiot won't stop trying to look for her. Then, it hits her, like being doused with ice cold water. "Shit…"

Bow, Glimmer, and the rest turn at her outburst. "What?" Glimmer asks.

"That's what she's doing." Catra stares down at her cuffed hands.

"What who's doing?" Bow chimes in this time.

The feline looks back towards everyone. It all seems so clear – once you think like a manipulative sociopath. "She's using Adora and her alpha. I know Adora is trying to find me. She's determined."

"Wonder why…" Glimmer not so subtly says under her breath to Bow who snickers.

Catra glares at her but continues. "Shadow Weaver is using Adora's alpha to strategize against the rebellion. She's using her need to find and rescue me as a ruse."

"Damn," Mermista says.

"What should we do?" asks Sea Hawk.

"I don't know, but we need to figure out a way to get to her." Catra tries hard to focus on strategy.

Glimmer hums, "well, let's not dwell on it too harshly. We need to get back to Brightmoon and think of our next steps anyways. Since Seleneas has been taken, things have become a little more urgent. We need to recover from this loss and prepare ourselves for the next battle." Her voice has an air of confidence Catra hasn't quite seen yet. As the most powerful person (Catra would try to argue against that, but she lacks actual magic) they're all depending on her leadership. The group continues on in silence as they sail closer to home.

Hopefully, Catra could call it home… but that's wishful thinking at this point. She only has one home and the idiot is fighting for people who couldn't care if she lived or died.

Sea Hawk shouts, "this reminds me of a fantastical shanty about –"

"No!" the group responds in a resounding voice.

They'll figure this out. They have to…

A/N

Ugh, I wanted this chapter to be full of longing and angst and I just had such a hard time writing it. I hope it turned out okay. I'm kind of happy with it lol.

Also, I've been thinking of ideas for my next fic. Wanted some input from people in the comments.

Was thinking EITHER:

-Modern College Softball AU
-Modern Polyamorous fic with some LOK characters
-Mid-Century Modern angsty forbidden love fic.

I'm leaning more towards the first two. lol I'm not stopping or giving up on this fic, but the creative juices have been flowing and I want to dabble into something else. Thanks for sticking with me! And thank you for comments, likes and favorites, and support!