Catra made sure to get her handful of hours of sleep before she inspected the hut where the food stores and treasury were, and memorized as many of the scents still lingering there as she could. Hunting down the actual thieves wouldn't be too difficult, but she doubted that would solve the actual problem. If it were just the ordinary bandits that seemed to make up, like, a third of the population within the Rebellion, then they wouldn't have bothered with being discrete. They'd have rolled through the town, taken what they wanted by force, and moved on when there was nothing left to take.
Whoever had robbed the Rebels were professionals. The assassin that she had killed had been outfitted with an earpiece, so she knew he wasn't working alone, and any group that had those kind of resources would be able to plan something as easy as a simple misdirection. What she needed to find out now was the why. A quick glance at the 'treasury' told her that the soldiers were taxing the village of Gren to the bone, but the stew Max had served them that night had been rich and filling - clearly made with quality ingredients.
These were just the most recent additions to Catra's list of things to investigate as she easily snuck by the snoozing guards standing watch outside the barracks at the center of the village. Adora and her buddies may have been content to go on this mission just so they could play hero, but Catra doubted that was why the Queen had decided to send She-ra along - not to mention Catra herself. It was possible that this was just so Catra could prove herself trustworthy, but no one maintained control over an entire kingdom without having more than one motive behind the things they did. From Crop Top's map, Catra knew that Gren was positioned pretty much exactly between Brightmoon and Seaworthy - a stepping stone to Salineas - so it was in the Rebellion's best interest to keep it under their control, but that still didn't necessitate sending She-ra...
She slipped her claws under the highest window and opened it, slipping inside without a sound. True to form, the captain had commandeered the largest room in what Max told her used to be Gren's town hall for himself. She wrinkled her nose at the way he hugged his sheets to his fat belly, and crept over to the desk sitting in the corner of the room. Thanking whatever higher power people like her might have worshipped for her nightvision, Catra spent the better part of the next three hours rummaging through Captain Corpulent's desk, reading ever report and letter that she could find, and building a better mental image of what was going on in the little village of Gren.
It was clear Sergeant Slim saw Gren as his proving ground to move up the ranks of the Rebel army. He had been assigned to the village a little over a year ago, and had received commendations not only for how well he defended it from 'Horde incursions' despite the fact that the Horde would have to take either Brightmoon or Seaworthy to actually have a chance of holding Gren in the first place, but also how 'productive' the town had become under his 'guidance and leadership'.
The worst part about being a Force Captain had been the paperwork. No one had bothered to tell Catra just how much of it went into running a squadron, and she had eventually needed to wrangle both Scorpia and Entrapta into helping her understand any of it. But, once she got the hang of it, Catra had developped a certain... appreciation for bureaucracy. Mind-numbing as it was, reading all those reports and documents had taught her how to read between the lines and know more about what was going on in the Fright Zone than any amount of sneaking around she had done in the past.
It was thanks to these skills that Catra could admit, if she just looked at the numbers, then it did actually look like Gren had been improving since Tons of Fun and his gang had moved in. Supplies and trade moving between Brightmoon, Seaworthy, and Salineas (now that it had joined Adora's stupid Alliance) had increased, and the subsequent tax income was just hefty enough for the higher ups to approve without getting too interested. It also explained why she had befriended Max so quickly when she slunk into The Dancing Dove and demanded a beer while groaning about 'stupid princesses'. With her snooping for the night finished, Catra replaced everything she had found, and snuck back out the window. It was still dark out when she crept back into the room she was sharing with Adora, smiling slightly as she watched the blonde sprawl out across the bed before grabbing edge of the thin mattress she was sleeping on, and flipping her out of bed with a startled yelp.
"Catra!" She hissed as she tried to untangle herself from the blankets on the ground. "What is your problem?!"
"Come on, Princess," Catra replied. "Time to train."
Adora grumbled, not bothering to change out of her shorts and loose top as she stomped behind Catra out the door and down the stairs. Catra led her outside, wrapping her tail around Adora's arm and dragged her to the woods just outside of Gren.
"You know the soldiers have a training area, right?" Adora called.
"Don't care," Catra replied. She stopped within sight of the village walls, but hidden from the watchtowers at the corners, and attacked. They fought nearly until dawn, Catra once again pinning Adora to the ground with a clawed hand at her neck. Adora's breath hitched, and Catra watched her face get even redder as she leaned her face down. "Better."
Adora shivered, and Catra watched as she struggled to speak. "W-why are you doing this? I thought... I thought you hated me."
Catra sighed, but didn't get up. "I have better things to do than hating you." Adora tried to look away, but Catra wouldn't let her, using the hand around her neck to force her to look into Catra's eyes and see what she was feeling. "You may have left me, you probably will leave me." She grit her teeth and her growl made them both vibrate as Adora looked up at her with an expression she couldn't quite place. Scorpia kinda looked the same when she was gushing about how awesome 'her Wildcat' was, but Adora's was different. "But I will not let anything take you from me."
*(OoO)*
Adora swallowed a groan, whether out of frustration with the citizens of Gren and their unwillingness to answer even the most basic question, or the lingering aches from the last week of morning training with Catra, she wasn't sure. It felt like every inch of her was covered in bruises, and Catra refused to allow her to change into She-ra in order to heal.
"How many times did you tell the others to work through the pain?" She had said, making Adora flush with embarrassment. She felt like a hypocrite, but she couldn't help it. She didn't think she had ever felt this sore after training, even when Light Hope was determined to put her through the ringer. Catra had stepped up the training after that second morning, pushing Adora harder and harder - seemingly making up for the moment of vulnerability she had shown.
Between that and the days spent searching high and low for any sort of clue to theft, Adora was too exhausted to even begin to parse through how what Catra had said made her feel. Bow had surmised that the theft must have been accomplished with the help of someone within the village, but, even after Bow and Glimmer had taken over searching the surroundings for hints as to where the bandits had gone and Captain Leon had joined Adora in questioning them, the villagers maintained they didn't know anything.
"You're blaming us?" Max's husband, Simon had shouted. He was only slightly taller than Max, with dark fur and antlers, and had jumped to his feet, sending the stool he was sitting on crashing to the ground. Adora and Captain Leon had been going house to house, speaking with the villagers, and were now sitting at the bar of The Dancing Dove. Max had retreated to the kitchen not long after the questions began, and Adora had been suspiscious, pressing Simon a little harder to see if he knew anything.
"Not at all!" Adora cried, waving her hands desperately. "We just wanted to -"
"You come to our village with promises of protection, take our food and money, and have the nerve to accuse us?!" He shouted.
"Sit down, Simon," Captain Leon demanded getting to his feet. He was easily several inches taller than Simon, and his thick, meaty arms tensed threateningly. "You don't want to test me."
"Screw you, Leon!" Simon yelled. "You think you can just bully us into doing whatever you want?!"
Leon growled and stepped forward while Adora scrambled to her feet between the two of them. "Guys, come on!" She pleaded. "Why don't we just calm down and talk about this?"
Neither man listened to her, and Adora was about to grab her sword when Catra's dropped down between the two of them.
"There a problem here, Simon?" She asked, keeping her sharp eyes on Leon the entire time.
"You!" Leon growled. "You're supposed to be on our side!"
Catra shrugged, unconcerned as she jerked a thumb in Adora's direction. "If she needs the help of a mere mortal like me, she knows where to find me. Until then, Simon and Max are feeding me and giving me a bed, that means you go through me before you get to them. Got it, Tubby?"
"Catra," Adora groaned, but Leon cut her off.
"I'd watch it, Scum," he growled, stepping closer and staring Catra down. "The Queen sent word about you. Your little friends back at Brightmoon wouldn't want word to get back to her about your attitude, would they?"
Adora was shocked. She didn't think a Rebel captain would think to threaten Catra's friends like that. Then again, Scorpia's entire position as a 'political hostage' was to keep Catra in line, but Adora already knew that she wouldn't betray them, Glimmer had explained that it was just more 'fancy-talk' because Scorpia was technically a princess. Catra, though, was wholly unimpressed.
"Maybe, but I also answer directly to the Queen, myself. Imagine what she'll think when I report back and tell her the Brightmoon treasurers might wanna take a closer look at that all-too-steady increase of funds and trade going through the village of Gren." Catra's smirk became downright predatory as Leon's face went pale. "Those sheets of yours, they're Plumerian silk, right?"
"I don't -"
"You're going to go back to your office," Catra ordered, stepping closer and somehow seeming more imposing than the man dwarfing her. "You're going to write a requisition for weapons and armor to step up security, you're going to send a single messenger to Brightmoon, and you're never going to interrupt Adora again. Got it?" The colour had returned to Leon's face, and he was now almost purple with rage as he turned around with a snarl and marched out the door.
"Why would you do that?" Adora demanded once she and Catra were alone. "Catra, you're on thin ice as it is. For once in your life, can you try not to infuriate everyone you talk to? Especially the people we're supposed to be helping!"
Catra looked like she wanted to snap back at her, but she schooled her expression and just walked back to the booth she had unofficially claimed since their first night there. "You're unbearably naive," she muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Catra didn't answer and instead nodded to Simon and Max as they came over to join them, grabbing a pair of chairs from a nearby table so they could sit together at the end of the table. "You done having your little tantrum?" She asked. Simon laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck while Max rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry about him," Max said, looking at his husband fondly before turning back to them. "Simon has hated Leon ever since he had to move his office out of the town hall to make room for the soldiers."
"Babe, I love you, but how am I supposed to lead the village from behind a table at the back of the kitchen?"
"I keep telling you to use my office," Max retorted, and Adora had the feeling that this was an argument that the two had often.
"Not happening. Who knows what kind of creatures are hiding in all that mess." Simon huffed and crossed his arms, muttering out of the corner of his mouth. "Plus I love you and am trying to respect your boundaries."
Max rolled his eyes and pecked his husband on the lips before turning back to them. "Either way, thank you for stepping in, Catra."
Catra shrugged. "You heard Lieutenant Lard, my... friends are stuck being subjected to Sparkles' mom and her holier-than-thou, I-have-wings-and-you-don't garbage so long as I do what Adora says." She sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "She's an idiot, but what are you gonna do?"
Adora glared and tried to kick Catra under the table, only for Catra's tail to wrap around her ankle and almost yank her under the table. Blushing, she sat back up and turned to Simon and Max. "So, you were the leader here before the Rebellion came?"
Max huffed and Simon scowled, and Adora wondered what she had done now. "I suppose the Princess of Power doesn't really need skills in diplomacy," Simon muttered. Catra chuckled and this time Adora managed to land the kick.
"Sweetie," Max said placatingly. "I understand you and your friends are trying to help, but here, in Gren, we're just trying to get by. We never asked for the Rebellion to come here with their walls and their soldiers and their taxes."
"Well, that's the point of doing the right thing, isn't it?" Adora asked. "You don't need to ask. The Rebellion wants to be here to protect you in case the Horde comes and they can't get here in time."
"Maybe," Simon conceded. "But this is the first time something like this has ever happened in Gren, even before the Rebellion came. Without that food and money, we're going to have a hard time getting through the coming winter."
"But that's why we're here!" Adora urged. "Queen Angella heard what was happening here, and sent us to get your supplies back."
"Except that no one here sent word for help," Max rebuffed her gently. "Sweetie, the reason your Queen has even heard of Gren is because it's the only village between Bright Moon and Seaworthy."
"I don't understand. What does that have to do with anything?" Adora felt sick. It reminded her of when she had desperately tried to justify to herself that Horde wasn't evil.
"Adora," Catra said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "Why do you think that captain has your friends searching the woods?"
"To find the thieves, obviously!"
"They're making sure supplies moving between Seaworthy and Bright Moon won't get attacked."
"And they won't if we find the bandits that stole the food in the first place!"
"Adora, even if we got the food back, it's been two weeks. Bandits have to eat too."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Adora demanded. "They didn't take everything, that means they'll be back. Someone helped them get in to the stores. We'll be ready for them this time."
"You really think She-ra can just abandon the war to stand guard in a single village?" Catra asked. "Even if you do, the longer it takes to catch them, the more of the food they took gets eaten. It's not worth the effort."
Adora growled angrily. "Why do you have to be like this, Catra? Is it so hard to just do something good, for once? You might think that everyone is a two-faced opportunist, but I'm don't! We're here because these people need help, that's it!" Unable to stay still any longer, Adora grabbed the Sword of Protection and quickly made her way outside, determined to find her friends, or some bandits to beat up, whichever came first.
A/N: So Adora is starting to get a hint that maybe the Rebellion isn't solely this force for good in the fight against evil. She's too stubborn for Catra to just flat out tell her what's really going on, so I'm trying to use this mission as a way to show that, while still generally the good guys, the Rebellion is just as much an occupying force as the Horde. Either way, the ground work has been laid to finish this little arc, and then we'll get back to the war... probably... maybe...
I saw some more guesses concerning the Five Words, and, I know this is kinda silly, but I'm really enjoying the opportunity to interact with you guys like this. It's not really a hint, but maybe it'll help if I tell you that, originally, the Five were going to be: "I am proud of you" until I decided to change them. Do with that what you will, but I love reading your theories and speculation. It gets me motivated to keep writing so you can see where things are going.
Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!
TTFN