In the month since their defection, Lonnie was willing to admit that she had probably misjudged Catra. She was rarely around their little camp, preferring to roam the Whispering Woods, showing up at night with whatever she had managed to catch and the occasional word of harsh advice. She was still standoffish, doing her own thing, and rarely saying more than two sentences, but Lonnie started to think that maybe she wasn't as terrible as they thought she was when, on their second day, she had spent the entire day hidden in a tree before emerging with a weird little contraption made of sticks and and a rock tied together with string.

"Here," she grunted, handing it to Kyle. "Just pump it to spin the stick and make fire. Don't want to deal with your blisters attracting any more deer-monster-things." Before any of them could say anything, she had vanished back into the woods, but Scorpia spent the rest of the day with a massive smile on her face.

Lonnie had quickly taken charge (which was weird considering Scorpia outranked her before they left) and, with Entrapta's help, the five of them started carving a life for themselves out in that small clearing. They had skinned the Beast, splitting its remaining antler to make crude weapons for themselves, and were working on building more permanent shelters for themselves when the first refugees stumbled in. There were about six of them, all clearly villagers who had been displaced by the war, but that didn't make the ex-Horde soldiers any less on guard as one of them - an elderly goat-woman named Lena - told them that they were wandering through the woods when a Beast had attacked. They were saved by a strange, rude cat-woman (Lonnie smirked at that) and directed to their camp.

Scorpia was obviously the first to welcome them, saying that they were happy to acommodate them. When Catra had shown up that night, her spear and knives fashioned from the Beast antler she had taken hanging off her, she had shrugged when Lonnie asked why she had sent the refugees her way.

"Figured they might be useful," she grunted, tossing the wolf she had hunted to the ground. "Can't keep bringing you all your food."

Lonnie had originally taken her at her word. Catra was the kind of person to look at you and immediately wonder how you could be useful, but as more and more people started showing up, either passing through or looking for somewhere to stay, they almost all had tales of a wild woman in the woods rescuing them before pointing out their little camp.

By the time another month had passed, their camp could almost be considered a village of its own. Entrapta had managed to gather enough materials to create a generator from their stolen skiff, giving them rudimentary power, and was delighted to undertake the challenge that was central plumbing. Lonnie had somehow ended up as leader of their little town, meeting any new refugees from either side of the front line and handling the day-to-day problems that came with any large gathering of people. Kyle had become Entrapta's right hand man, working on their infrastructure, while Rogelio headed up construction. Scorpia flitted from group to group, welcome wherever she went, her cheerful demeanor helping mediate the friction of former Horde and Alliance citizens living together. Anyone she had trouble with come back the next day stammering terrified apologies and occasionally muttering about the Wild Woman visiting them in their dreams.

No one really had any idea where Catra spent most of her time. She still only really interacted with Lonnie, Scorpia, and Entrapta, showing up at night without a sound and delivering either supplies or advice. The only times the rest of them ever really saw her was if a Beast wandered to close to their village. Many of the villagers believed her to be some sort of spirit, or even a Beast herself, whenever they glimpsed her fighting with one of the titanic monsters that roamed the Whispering Woods, but those of them like Lonnie, who had experience in combat, could see the technique she demonstrated. She was certainly wild, but it was controlled ferocity. Explosions of speed and strength directed in the manner that ended the fight as quickly and efficiently as possible.

It was always a boon for the village whenever Catra managed to take one of them down, as their hide was fantastically warm, and their meat abundant.

Currently, however, none of them had seen Catra for a couple weeks. She had appeared as she normally did without warning, and told Lonnie that she was going to go scouting the mountain to the East. Stating in one of her more verbose moments that she felt like something was calling her there. Lena had explained to her the next day that Mount Candila was a wasteland, and had been for centuries, and Lonnie couldn't help but wonder what Catra was hoping to find. Scorpia was already getting frantic, and Entrapta hadn't been seen outside of her lab in a week. Lonnie was beginning to wonder if anything had happened when one of her scouts reported that there was a Rebel camp not far from their border. It got even worse when, the next day, she received a report that She-ra was with the Rebels, and they were looking for their village.

Lonnie had immediately called a meeting with elders from both sides of the war, and discussed their next steps. To her surpise, many of the ones from the Alliance side, while not as against them as the Horde, were still wary.

"Their primary focus is the war," Lena explained. "Taxes have never been higher in most kingdoms since She-ra returned and they started truly focusing their efforts, and help can be slow to arrive for many border villages."

"They'll want Entrapta," Scorpia said quietly. "She's probably just as smart as Hordak. If she starts making weapons for the Alliance, they'll be able to push the Horde back."

The debate went back and forth throughout the night. Nobody wanted to pledge allegiance to either side, but there was no concrete plan other than to wait and see. None of them stood a chance against a princess, let alone one with She-ra by their side, but it was agreed that it was probably safe to at least try the diplomatic approach.

This idea was dashed when another scout barged into the tent where they were all meeting.

"Horde squadron spotted!" He cried between desperate gulps of air. "South. Half a day away."

In a sudden whirlwind of activity, Lonnie found herself leading a ragtag group of deserters and refugees into the woods, while the children and elderly stayed in the village. They didn't have much of a plan, apart from making sure neither side got near their new home, and for the first twenty minutes or so of fighting it looked like that might actually happen. Staying under the cover of the woods, Lonnie and her fighters carefully took down anyone who got near, Rebel or Horde. Their weapons were primative, even by Alliance standards, but they knew the terrain and no one expected them to be there. For a brief moment, Lonnie thought it might work... and then She-ra appeared. Chaos spread across the battlefield as she fought against a large, winged Horde soldier that Lonnie prayed wasn't who she thought it was, and they suddenly found themselves swept up in the middle of the battle, desperately trying to stick together as both Horde and Alliance soldiers mistook them for the enemy.

"We can't stay here!" One of the men shouted. Scorpia was covered in blaster burns, and Lonnie had taken a stray arrow to the leg as she tried to think of a way out of this mess, wishing for maybe the first time in her life that Catra was there with them.

As if summoned by her prayers, a familar voice growled from behind Lonnie, causing her to spin around on her injured leg. Decked out in clothes made from the various Beasts she had fought, Catra stood beside her, eyes focused on the battlefield before her.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Lonnie panted.

Catra smirked and raised her hand. A ring of fire suddenly appeared around them, incinerating the Horde and Rebel soldiers alike. Lonnie gaped at the powers that were so similar to those of a princess, yet so much more destructive. That familiar wild gleam appeared in Catra's eyes and her claws suddenly ignited as she dove into the fray, carving a fiery swath through both forces until she reached the flat swath of land where She-ra was fighting. Making use of the element of surprise, sliced through her opponents wings, grounding him before she pounced once more.

"Leave, or burn," she snarled into her prey's helmet. Standing up she watched carefully as he levered himself to his feet, tucked his wings behind him and ordered a full retreat. She watched the Horde forces evacuate while her own people rejoined her.

"Lonnie?" She-ra gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Lonnie gritted out through the pain. "Now go away."

"We're not going anywhere, Horde Scum!" The sparkly one shouted. Catra sighed before noting the arrow still implanted in Lonnie's thigh. Faster than a thought she had her claws to the arrow boy's neck, his quiver full of similar weapons to the one in Lonnie's leg.

"Catra!" She-ra yelled, raising her sword. "I should have known you were behind this."

"I'm going to tell you what I told Vultak," Catra hissed, her fury rising. "Take your army and get out of here, or I will kill you."

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Lonnie added. "However I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to you, princess." Catra locked eyes with her and nodded, waiting until the sparkly one ordered her forces back before releasing arrow boy.

"Can you walk?" She asked as she returned to Lonnie's side. Lonnie nodded only for Catra to duck underneath her arm anyway, determinedly not looking at her. Her newly discovered inner-fire dimmed slightly at the way the Scorpia and the others limped back to the village, but she shoved it aside. She could get back to hating herself once they were safe.

The trip back to the village was filled with Scorpia telling Adora and her friends about what they had been up to. Catra led the way, barely hindered by the extra weight of Lonnie using her for support, determined not to look at her former friend lest the control she had been so carefully exerting these last few months snap and she accidentally burned down the Whispering Woods.

"So," Lonnie muttered. "Fire powers?"

"Found this big glowing rock, touched it and got knocked out. Woke up and somehow knew what I could do and what was happening," Catra explained as succintly as possible. There was no point in telling Lonnie about the visions the stone had given her. Of fire, and hatred, and greed washing over an entire kingdom. "How're things?"

"About to get a lot more complicated," Lonnie grunted, looking back towards the Rebels.

"Trap doesn't have to go with them if she don't want to," Catra replied. "Make sure she knows it's up to her."

"Could really use you when dealing with the twinkly one," Lonnie offered.

Catra smirked. "I'll just end up killing one of them. They'll lower their guards if they know I'm not the one running things."

Lonnie looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it. They made it to the clearing where their little village had started, and Catra stiffened as people rushed over to greet them. She swept her gaze over the handful of buildings they had before dragging Lonnie to the biggest one that was built into the remains of the skiff they had arrived on.

*(OoO)*

Adora had seen plenty of villages since she joined the Rebellion, but none of them were this small. Made out of no more than maybe a dozen single-storey huts arranged in a horseshoe with a larger thirteenth one in the middle, she was surprised to find wires running between them, providing what she guessed was electricity. A handful of children and elderlies rushed out of the center building to meet the group of warriors that had fought against both sides in the battle. Questions filled her mind: who were these people? What were they doing here? Which side were they on? There were people from the Horde here, was this Horde territory? If it was, why were they also fighting against the Horde? Most importantly though, what was Catra doing here?

Ever since she had released Bow, Catra had stuck to Lonnie's side, basically carrying her back while avoiding looking Adora in the eye. She thought that once they arrived at the village, she would have an opportunity to speak with her friend-turned-enemy, but Catra simply carried Lonnie inside the center building - which Adora was now realising was built into the side of a dismantled Horde skiff - waited for someone to come treat her injury and leapt out through a hole in the roof.

"Where is she going?" Glimmer demanded.

"You know, none of us are really sure," Scorpia replied. "Kyle thinks she's dug herself some sort of tunnel system underneath the village, but I think she's got her own tree house somewhere nearby."

"The Wild Woman comes and goes as she pleases," the elderly goat-woman said as she treated Lonnie's leg.

"The Wild Woman?" Bow asked.

"It's the villagers' name for her," Lonnie explained, and Adora could see why. Since the last time she had seen Catra, her appearance had changed drastically. She was now covered in various belts, with weapons made of what looked like bone hanging off her body. Her hair had grown even longer, resembling even more of a mane, and her general demeanor looked more predatory than ever.

"She's a Horde soldier!" Glimmer exclaimed.

"We have people from both the Horde and the Alliance here," Lonnie replied. "Besides, Catra isn't in charge here, I am."

"Really?" Adora asked, flinching at the cold stare Lonnie shot her way.

"Yes, really," Lonnie spat. "After you escaped, Catra hasn't been the same. She barely speaks to anyone, and she only shows up to deliver whatever she's hunted."

"Seems like she does more than that," Glimmer spat. "Considering the trail of burn victims she just left."

"I'll tell you what she told me," Lonnie replied. "She went exploring a couple weeks ago, found some sort of rock, touched it, and apparently just woke up with weird fire powers."

Adora, Bow, and Glimmer shared a wide-eyed look. "You don't think..." Bow began, but Glimmer scoffed.

"Catra? No way. But we should probably look into it. She was already a serious threat before this, now?"

"So, that's it? You're just gonna attack her?" Scorpia asked.

"She burned down an entire squadron of soldiers!" Glimmer shouted.

"Protecting our people," Lonnie countered. "In case you haven't noticed, it wasn't a Horde arrow stuck in my leg."

Bow had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, but Glimmer was having none of it. "You want us to apologize for injuring an enemy in battle?"

"You want her to," Lonnie reasoned. "The fact of the matter is that Catra won't apologize for doing what she thought necessary. Even if we could help you catch her, we wouldn't, and that's not just because She-ra is the only one who stood a chance at beating her before whatever weird power up she just got."

"Please," Glimmer scoffed. "Adora's never lost a fair fight to anyone."

"Actually, most recent data indicates that were Catra to combat She-ra in a physical altercation and all outside elements were removed, she would still have a 63.8 percent chance at emerging victorious." The three of them spun around and Adora gasped at the sight of Entrapta standing in the doorway, carefully looking Scorpia over for any injuries.

"Entrapta!" Adora shouted, darting over to embrace her. "We thought you died!"

"I did not," Entrapta replied. "Catra and Scorpia offered me a protected place at their side, and once Catra had recovered enough, I asked to join them in defecting from the Horde."

"You're with the Horde?!" Glimmer shouted.

"That doesn't matter," Bow interrupted. "You're back, you can come back to Brightmoon with us!"

"Why would I do that?" Entrapta asked. "Leaving would mean abandoning my friends. Plus I haven't felt more intellectually satisfied in a long time."

An argument quickly broke out, but Adora couldn't be bothered to follow it when she saw the tip of a furry tail flit by the open doorway. Rushing after it, she managed to spot Catra making her way towards the trees that circled the clearing where the little village sat.

"Catra!"

Catra stiffened, not turning around as Adora ran over to her. "What do you want, Adora?"

Now that she was finally close enough to look her over, Adora noticed the ripped ear and gasped. "You're ear!" She barely had time to finish before she was suddenly pinned to the tree, Catra's glowing, mismatched eyes filling her vision. In that singular moment, there was more unbridled fury in Catra's gaze than Adora had ever seen before. What took her breath away, however, was the near bottomless pit of sadness hidden behind the flames of Catra's rage.

Quick as it came, it was gone, replaced by the cold expression. Catra dropped her unceremoniously and turned back towards the forest. "Go back to the village, Adora. The woods are full of monsters." With a graceful leap, Catra was gone, vanishing amongst the treetops.

"She's right, you know." Adora turned and found the old woman - Lena - hobbling towards her. "The Whispering Woods are full of Beasts. It's not safe to wander them alone."

"Then why do you let her do it?" Adora asked, not even trying to hide the accusation in her tone.

Lena shook her head, her face grave. "Because it makes her feel safe."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Lena looked her in the eye and Adora had the strangest feeilng that she was being judged. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

A/N: While I could have expanded more on the development of the defectors' little village, I didn't want to get too bogged down in the setup. On top of that, Catra is remarkably private. Since whatever made her change how she acts, she tries to only really speak when she needs to, so I thought it would be fun to have her perspective of the story be somewhat similar. To her, she didn't go on some epic quest and discover her destiny, she just happened to find a weird glowing rock. How she got there doesn't really matter. Either way, beginnings are always the hardest to write, and now it's out of the way.

TTFN