Disclaimer: I don't own She Ra!

Title: Bird Song

Summary: Catra finds herself pulled between two forces when Scorpia is enlisted into a mission that will get her killed- her ambitions, and her refusal to break a promise.

...

But he sang louder and louder inside the house, and no I couldn't get him out.
So I trapped him under a cardboard box- stood on it to make him stop.
I picked up the bird and above the din, I said
"That's the last song you'll ever sing."

It hurts to leave Adora. Catra hates that wriggling wimp that some might label as her heart for just that reason. Adora ditched her. Adora replaced her. Adora...

Adora didn't ask her to stay this time.

(Not that Catra would, of course. The smell of the castle alone is enough to make her feel sick. But Adora has always asked before, and she has always refused, and losing that little routine feels like the final scraps of their friendship are falling out under their feet, leaving them suspended in a war that will ultimately destroy them both.)

(Scorpia has a word for these kinds of thoughts: poetry. Catra has her own: revenge.)

Catra shows absolutely none of those feelings as she strolls into Entrapta's lab-slash-cell, tail and chin high and proud. "Alright, I got it done."

"Oh, that's good," Entrapta says, using her hair to turn around fully. "Because I may or may not have done something that will get me murdered."

It's gotten to the point that this is not an uncommon thing for the Princess. Catra sighs and pinches her nose. "Entrapta, what did I say about sending cleaner robots up the toilets in the cadets quarters? They spook worse than babies."

"No! Well, yes, we had a talk about that- I logged it in my notes- but this is a different kind of getting myself into murder trouble." The remaining strands perched under her behind so she could sit and recount her story. "So, about an hour or so after you left, Hordak visited me and-"

"Lord Hordak?"

She paused, squinting at her. "Is there another Hordak?"

"Lord Hordak," Catra repeated. "Came out of his throne room. To talk to you."

"Technically, he was looking for you. He said he'd send out pages for you, but I have trackers in all the communications technology within a five mile radius, so I know he didn't. Then he asked if I knew where you went, and I told him you were on the monitors, and he said he knew I was hacking them, and he'd overheard us talking, and he wanted to know where you were."

The meager food in Catra's stomach began to curdle. It was frighteningly easy to forget that she mattered enough to the Lord of the Horde that he would send his little minion after her. "This isn't good."

Entrapta nodded dutifully. "I said the she you were referring to was another Force Captain, but he said that you didn't talk to any of them except Scorpia. Then he grabbed my hair and threatened to burn it..."

She trailed off.

"Entrapta?"

She twirled her thumbs. "I may... or may not have... told him to fuck off? And that you were my friend and that mattered more to me than my hair, and he kind of... laughed? And left? And I'm not well versed in evildoer lingo, but there's a good chance he's ordering some guards to kill me as we speak."

Catra grabbed her shoulders, claws digging in slightly. "Tell me you're paraphrasing. Tell me you didn't tell Lord Hordak, the man who's literally the only reason you get food and a place to sleep, to fuck off?"

Entrapta gave a minute shrug. "I was mad."

"...Hordakdamnit, Entrapta. I just did all this bull to get Scorpia out of dying, and now you?" Catra shook herself, squaring her shoulders. "I'll go run interference. Just... don't do anything, okay? Just sit and don't make any trouble."

The Princess had the sense to look ashamed, if nothing else. "You... don't have to do that. I mean, this is my fault."

"No kidding," she snapped, flashing some teeth with the words. "Once this is over, you better make me the biggest, coolest death ray you've ever gotten your hands on. Understand?"

Entrapta perked up. "Ooh, that'll be easy! Ray guns are an old favorite of mine."

"I know," Catra shot over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

"I was looking for you," Hordak says, deathly quiet, as Catra approaches and bows. "I must say, Second-in-Command Catra, you certainly employ some interesting company."

"My apologies, sir. Entrapta's got a big brain, but a big mouth goes with it."

"I suppose it can't be helped," he sighed. "Even the best soldier or scientist has some drawbacks. Still. You're very lucky she's not dead right now, Second-in-Command Catra."

"Yes, sir."

"This has also proven to be quite the learning experience," Hordak went on, and Catra reluctantly raised her head to look at him. Even after being in his close ranks for some time, it was hard to distance herself from that scared cadet being dragged in by her arm. She half-expected Shadow Weaver to appear and knock some sense into her- but she's no longer a threat, and it's entirely thanks to Catra, and she takes what little reassurance she can from that. "Your little Princess is very loyal to you."

"Her loyalty is to science, sir. As long as she has things to tinker with, she won't be a problem."

"Yes, true, but it's more than that. She desires company. She's chosen that company to be you." Hordak stood and treaded lightly over to her. "Understand this. I know what you've done. But I admire your ability to make certain that you will be needed, and I appreciate your strategies, and for that reason alone I will abide by you. For now. You will outlive your usefulness, as everyone does, and your punishment then will be ten times harsher than whatever your mind can come up with. Have I made myself clear?"

Catra, heart in her throat, saluted. "Yes, sir," she squeaked.

"Then get some rest, Second-in-Command Catra. Things are still going to move as planned, regardless of your long excursion." He turned away, a gesture Catra took as her leave.

She tried not to think too hard of how deeply her claws could puncture someone's back, and how vulnerable Hordak made himself, whether he realized it or not. That was a plan for future Catra. That was a worry for future Catra.

Present Catra has her shit together. That's what matters.

"The Princess Alliance is going to be waiting for you," is what Catra decides is a good greeting as she walks up to her old squadron and Scorpia, each quietly putting their armor and weapons on. "As long as you don't fight, they're going to take you all back to Bright Moon. You'll be a prisoner, but you'll be alive."

"Um," Scorpia says hesitantly, no doubt about to bring up her rocky relationship with Princesses in the past.

"You're not allowed to leave me," she hissed. Scorpia fell silent. "I'll- I'll get you out, okay? Those suckers are all wimps anyway- their idea of prison'll be ten times better than the average bunk. It'll be whatever."

"Whatever?" Lonnie interrupts, stepping closer, and what little of a good mood she had left vanished from Catra. "You're talking major treason, Catra!"

"It's an order, cadet," she snarled, going nose to nose with the girl. She hated Lonnie almost as much as she hated- hated her. At least Adora didn't shove her weight around like Lonnie did. If Lonnie had defected, Catra would've thrown a party. (Why couldn't it have been Lonnie?) "Your Second-in-Command is telling you to infiltrate the enemies base and gather information in the guise of a hostage situation."

"But-"

"You're lucky. If I had it my way, you'd be on some crummy wall."

"I'd rather be on some 'crummy wall' then end up like-"

"If you say her name I swear to Hordak I will rip your entrails out and wear them like a necklace!"

Kyle cleared his throat. "T-Thank you, Second-in-Command Catra. I really appreciate this second ch-"

Catra cut him off at the pass. "Shut up, you big coward. You would've probably ran away anyway." Scorpia gently touched her shoulder, looking on the verge of tears. She took in a deep breath. "Get moving. You'll be late for transport."

Lonnie shook her head and took off in a sprint. Kyle gave a little wave. Rogelio saluted her with his pointer and middle finger and disappeared after them. Something uncomfortably warm squeezed her insides. Catra refused to label it, lest that label be sorrow or regret. They had never been much to her. Having last-second feelings just because they grew up together was just a lame attempt at self-pity.

"I meant all of you," she said finally.

Scorpia didn't budge. "Thank you, Catra. I'll never forget this."

Her eyes flicked to her, then away. Just the flash of her red claws made Catra want to beg her to stay. "Yeah, yeah." Scorpia's claw awkwardly touched her cheek. "Scorpia, I'm not giving you a goodbye hu-"

Scorpia kissed her.

Catra was a very graceful person- at least, in theory. She could climb most anything and walk tightropes with ease. This was not one of those moments. Instead, she jerked and almost fell right on her ass. Scorpia grabbed and steadied her.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. Now Scorpia was the one who wouldn't meet her eye. "I shouldn't have done that so suddenly like that."

"Uh," Catra says in response, hardly even blinking.

The Princess stepped back, saluted, and turned to follow Catra's childhood in leaving her behind. "I would do the same for you, you know."

And Catra, ever-so-smart and cunning, came to a slow realization as she tried to sleep that night; Scorpia and Entrapta were hers, yes, but perhaps- just maybe- Catra was theirs as well.

Author's Note: And so it ends! Catra is the human equivalent of a flaming garbage barge mentally to me- through no fault of her own (thanks SW). She zigzags between being possessive and trying to shove them away, especially when she realizes the feelings are returned. It's rlly interesting portraying the dynamics between herself and the other characters! I also tried to add some cat things to her as well (scent-marking, for instance)

Til next time!

-Mandaree1