I OWN NOTHING
Considering the fact Spinnerella and Netossa get less lines than Swift Wind combined, you can guess why I excluded the horse's creation.
-0-
"Gah! We lost! Dammit, damn that blond bastard!"
Once back in the Fright Zone, Catra was near throwing a tantrum, stomping her feet, clawing walls, the whole nine-yards. Adora was grateful that she did it after informing Hordak, who had been displeased to hear the news given to him. That had been a fun conversation. The man had been as imposing as usual as he stood tall before all three girls. His narrowed eyes and ghostly voice put Adora, Scorpia and Catra on edge.
"You failed me. But at the very least, you have told me why that is. Why it is your responsibility to fix it. I am not pleased, Force Captain Adora, Scorpia. But you both now know what you must do. Capture or kill this Forest Gale without hesitation, and absolve yourselves of the mistakes you have both made. You lost a valuable facility, but it can be rebuilt. Go now and see to it that both tasks are accomplished."
He had been fairly reasonable, if very noticeably upset, and now here they were, listening to Catra rant about the situation until Shadow Weaver appeared, "Force Captain Adora, I wish to talk to you." The witch's soft tone made said blonde sigh to herself, but her eyes didn't hide her displeasure, "You two are dismissed until you are needed."
"Wait, what's the matter?" Catra asked defiantly.
Shadow Weaver didn't want to repeat herself, "Nothing to inconvenience yourself with, seeing as you're no captain."
"Grr..." Catra's tail fur stood on end, but Adora's helpful hand on her shoulder reassured her.
"I can take care of myself, I'll see you soon." She said with a soft smile that calmed down her feline friend, who didn't attempt to be subtle when she glared at Shadow Weaver on her way out.
Upon locking the door, the witch stared at her protégé kindly with a hand cupping a cheek, "Dear Adora, I see you've taken to the art of the sword." She motioned to Adora's steel broadsword, and then narrowed her eyes when seeing the bandages, "If you wish to match that accursed boy, your inexperience will be your downfall."
"What do you suggest, then?" she asked, hopeful for any lead.
"Once Hordak arrived to this land, its people were willing to offer him power and knowledge." The masked woman produced two small scrolls, "I have no use for martial arts, but your potential cannot be limited to regular training. If that accursed sword is any indication, you must master the ways of the blade to match and defeat the Forest Gale."
"These are..." Adora gasped when she opened the scrolls.
"Two arts lost to this world that I secured." Shadow Weaver told her with a soft chuckle, "I was planning on sharing them with you once you earned them, but now I see you need them. These are the sword styles that old tribes of this planet polished. From a nameless land it's the Roaring Sword. And from this land, gifted to Hordak by Scorpia's people, is the Lashing Sword."
"But Scorpia doesn't use a sword." Adora replied in confusion.
"These are techniques passed to those worthy by master to student for those who aren't princesses to protect them." Shadow Weaver explained, "At the very least, Scorpia proved herself a true ally to our forces. Despite her status as a princess, she is loyal and devoted. And you, who have been not only a dear child to me but one with boundless possibilities, deserve this more than any other."
"Thank you, Shadow Weaver." Adora held the scrolls to her chest, taking in the information with some shock.
Shock which Catra shared once she told her in their little meeting room, "Wait, she's a princess!?"
Scorpia had been eating a bowl of ice cream with gusto, "Yup, they teach that stuff at Force Captain orientation and to anyone who's told to follow me." she explained. "I thought everyone knew by now... Oh man, this chocolate's so good." She moaned as she used a pincer to get another spoonful, "Anyway... Yeah, I am still one, technically. My family just decided to serve Hordak, so we're all team players."
"Huh, sorry, it's just that...you don't look as magical..." Catra replied with an arched eyebrow.
"We don't really have a connection to our Runestone...and we were never popular with other princesses." Scorpia answered somewhat sadly, looking at her ice cream with a weak smile, "At least here we were welcomed to be part of the army. Although some of you weren't all that welcoming since no one here really likes princesses."
Adora narrowed her eyes, "If you were bullied, do tell me about it." Scorpia stirred something in her, she needed to protect the precious Amazonian with her life.
Scorpia chortled, "No need, Hordak took care of that. He said what'd happen if someone disobeyed his orders...quite graphically, might I add." She waved her spoon around, "Since I am part of the Horde, anyone who'd attack me for being a princess despite being an ally can be considered a traitor. He said I'm useful, too!"
"Slight double-standards there, but I see the point." Adora commented, knitting his eyebrows before muttering a soft, "...I think?"
"So..." Catra started, "When are we going to see you use new sword techniques and bagging that blond pest?" she smirked at the end.
Adora returned the expression, "As soon as our spies see him and that princess move."
"Oh, I can't wait!" Scorpia chirped enthusiastically and dropped her ice cream to hug the other two girls, pushing their faces into her enormous bust with an innocent smile. "He must be plotting his next strike and preparing for battle, and he better for we, the Friendship Trio, will take him down!"
"Let g-go!" Catra hissed while Adora checked out in slight awe Scorpia's killer 8-pack abs.
"Indeed, let's go!" Scorpia cheered as she carried them like sacks of potatoes, each girl under one arm, and ran off! "Just you wait and get ready, Forest Gale! We're coming for you!"
-0-
Naruto woke up in a wooden bed with woven fur blankets. Groggily, he stretched out and got out of the cushiony trap of sleep in his underwear. Slowly and dreadfully, he went to a mirror to brush his teeth sleepily with wild golden hair slightly obscuring his vision. A quick splash of water and shaking his head later, and his hair spiked itself naturally into the Namikaze mane. Rubbing his empty stomach, he went to get dressed.
"Perfuma at least gave me a nice bed while I stay here," he said, staring outside the window where he saw the princess wave at him, he was far too groggy to care too much about waving back. Grabbing his new wooden sword, an exact replica of his old one but made with quality wood and Perfuma's magic, he went off to start his morning exercises. But not before he got himself something to eat.
Stopping by where he noticed the supplies were being handed out, he licked his lips when he realized that they had a pot of Edgeless Stew kept in magical stasis, "Ah, it's you, sir." Naruto was greeted by a deer woman with blonde hair in a braid. She bowed her head as he approached her, handing him a bowl, "Would you like some? Feel free to help yourself to any desserts."
"Don't mind if I do." He replied and caught himself a bowl complete with bread crusts to dunk into it.
"Ah, then it's a good thing it's boiling and piping hot," she said as he licked his lips.
Before he left, just to be an ass, he snagged all the Snow Crow buns save for one, "You really need to work on cardio, Glimmer. This little reminder will prompt you to do so, heh."
Due to his frequent exercise, the Snow Crows were just delicious little extras for him. The sugar was what he really needed to wake himself up. Before he left, he realized that they were serving a very particular bit of bird up. The thing looked vaguely like a peasant, but it was being lathered in a very aromatic and potent yellow sauce. The stuff positively burnt the nostrils with the spiciness of the sauce.
"Ah, do you want a plate?" asked another deer woman with her brown hair done in a bun.
"Maybe, what do they call this stuff?" He was fixing himself a plate regardless, and this would be a nice little bit of protein anyway he sliced it.
The deer woman doing the coating flashed him a pretty smile, "We call this the Screaming Phoenix."
"That's a bit morbid." His dry remark didn't stop him from snagging a leg and taking a bite out of it. His eyes shrunk, his face turned red, and steam poured from his ears. With a running nose and a loud cough, he gasped as he looked at the offending bit of food, "I-I-I-GAH!" he couldn't talk with a burning mouth. Grabbing a whole bucket of water, ignoring the proffered ladle, he chugged the entire thing down.
"That's why it's called the Screaming Phoenix! Would you care to finish that?" she asked him with a giggle, continuing with her basting of the rest of the bird.
Growling, he dropped the leg onto his plate, refusing to call it quits was his personal motto. "And…what the hell…is that?" he pointed out a very interesting skewer. It had a wide chunk of meat ot the end, a white bit of bird meat below it, a slender slice of fish going down, a robust looking piece of pork, and two bulbous pieces of dough tied together with red string. It was all served on a hard wood arrow that had been tipped with what looked like dough feathers.
"We call that the One-Eyed Impalement." Another cook, a male deer man, told him, "It's got everything from bird to fish on it, all the essentials to keep you going on a journey." Then he helpfully handed him a fresh one. Naruto took a bite out of the bread-feathers, crunching them hungrily with a nod of gratitude.
When he got to a small training area, the blond calmly took off his white robe and let it hang around his red sash, then took off his orange t-shirt. He had finished off the Snow Crows at hand, licking his fingers clean to get the sugar off them. His sword left its sheath with a wooden clunk. Swinging it from side to side, he traced a square with his finger, before forming a cube with his hands.
"Whispering Sword: Snowing Night Forest!" He couldn't wait to go see Princess Frosta, as this technique was one that bridged the gap between the Whispering Sword and the Biting Sword. With his shirt off, the blade's swings traced a howling wind in the forest. Going in four lines around him, each one carved a deeper furrow than the last.
And he was seen by Perfuma, "Amazing, to be so skilled to do such a thing. That technique was meant for defensive purposes and he does so as if he's had far more experience than his age suggests."
He performed a counter that was set off when he stabbed the sword down, bursts of wind and dirt flew into the air. In his minds eye, he was training against a clear threat. In front of him stood Adora herself. Or at least a phantom of her. True swordsmen didn't train with mere shadows or dummies. They trained with opponents conjured from imagination and memory.
Adora rushed him down. If he was right, she'd have learned her own techniques. Swinging her blade with one arm bracing the other to simulate a second, she shouted as his blade intercepted hers, "Horde Sword: Languid Morning Breeze!"
He held his arm up, stopping her as he thought outload, "Horde Sword? Really? C'mon, why not Darkness Sword. Or Shadow Sword. Stupid, stupid. Horde Sword. Of all of the uncreative…" He focused again. He was still training. The deceptively slow swing of her arm heralded an immense gust of fiery air, the scorching temperature of which set the field around them ablaze! "Whispering Sword: Seven-fold Reeds!
Swinging his own blade at his knee, he jutted it forward. Waves of chakra lines shot up and connected to the blade. With his sheath, he knocked the blade around, letting its recoil and momentum 'bend' the sword in a way that it shouldn't without being made of a supple material. The whipping motions of its movements forced Adora to go on the defense. She quickly backed away, whirling her sword in front of her before stomping forward with one knee, simulating a spear being thrust forward as she held her blade arm with her other!
"Not bad Forest Gale, try this! Horde Sword: Venomous Shredding Glass!" Each stab of her blade brought with it a limitlessly fast air spear.
Dodging from side to side, he closed the distance! "Whispering Sword: Oak Breaking Elm!" he countered her sword swing and then her punch by blocking with the sheath, catching the wooden blade and stabbed it into her chest. The twist of its motion sent a wave of force that caused her to hit a tree painfully! Blood spurted from her mouth before she fainted.
"…no, no. She wouldn't be countered that easily." Naruto grabbed a bite of the Screaming Phoenix, gritting his teeth to ignore the heavy spiciness.
Adora got back up, circling him as he continued eating. Imagining her real reaction was tricky, he didn't know her personally or had fought her enough to gauge her skill. But if he was being generous, as an amateur with an ability to pick up the technical side of it to make up for her lack of experience, she would've at least gained more knowledge of fighting than this.
"Take me seriously, Forest Gale!" The phantom Adora challenged, before he stabbed his sword down.
Holding one foot against it with the sheath braced between his fore-arms, he shouted, "Whispering Sword: Dawn Mist Mirage!" Hiding one leg with the other, he kicked the sword behind him, catching it with his opposite hand while his sheath blocked the swing of her blade. What he wasn't prepared for was Adora's wicked grin as she caught his arm with her own!
"Nice try! Horde Sword: Ravenous Jaguar's Bite!" Her sword spun around until it faced his chest pommel fist. Eyes widening, he was unprepared for her to bash him against the chest! A wave of force sent him flying back and into his own tree. Getting up weakly, he coughed out spit as he saw the young woman flash him a smirk. Her hand beckoning him forward smugly.
And he was unaware of his audience, "Wow… he's ripped." Glimmer had heard the commotion of his training session, and very bitter about him stealing all the Snow Crows before she could have more than one.
She had flashed towards the noise to give him more than a piece of her mind. Only to stand still and gape at his body as he destroyed the training area. Seeming to fight with his eyes closed, sweat was pouring down his face as he announced technique after technique, only pausing every few moments as if to gauge something or another. From her perspective, he seemed to be fighting an invisible enemy, and it was then that she realized what he was doing.
"Mirage boxing, a technique only fit for a master!" Perfuma chirped at her side, a hand on her cheek as Glimmer swallowed in awe. "Ah, how lucky you are to have him as a bodyguard."
"I can see that." The plump princess let out a heavy sigh. "If only he could protect me from what is to come."
Perfuma tilted her head in confusion.
-0-
Back in Bright Moon, Naruto would see what Glimmer meant soon in the form of her mother. Angella heard the news, and awaited her daughter's arrival with no smile. Every guard kept their distance from her until the two arrived. Once again, Hordak and his forces had nothing on an angry mother seated on her throne.
Gulping, Glimmer tried to reason, "Before we start, let me ex-"
"Glimmer, what you did was reckless and-"
"It was necessary and-"
"What were you thinking!?" the monarch's angry shout was heard from outside. "You had one mission, to deliver the food and return safely! Do you think I gave you such a task just to risk your life when our people need our help, too!? What do you think would happen if we had lost you!?"
"Princess Perfuma needed our help!" Glimmer shot back, "If we hadn't stepped in, her defenses would have crumbled! The Horde had already injured her villagers and-"
"Glimmer, your safety is vital, too!" her mother snapped. "You're a Princess! Your duty is to your people, too! Recklessly risking your life, even if it's for a righteous reason, puts your subjects in danger! People need a leader, and that's a task that was trusted to our family from-"
Like mother, like daughter, "What good is it to have that responsibility if they suffer?! Should we twiddle our thumbs because we shouldn't risk our necks to help others survive!?" Glimmer's stubbornness was her mother's, and none were willing to give an inch. "Our duty is to this world, not just our kingdom! If Hordak keeps advancing and taking other villages, who would be left to help us!?"
"And what if you lose your life for fighting on your own!?" her mother stood up at last and walked to her. Until Naruto stood between them, "Naruto, what are you doing?"
"Yeah, I don't want to be part of this mess, but I have to tell you two to shut up," he groaned tiredly. "Whether you two like it or not, you're both wrong, and the other's right... Oh man, that made more sense in my head..." he ruffled his head while getting confused stares from the two pink rulers. "Listen, I get both your points, so why not work out from the fact you two have a good idea?"
"As in..." Queen Angella was interested and motioned for him to continue.
"Like, for example, I am still Pin-Princess Glimmer's bodyguard," he corrected himself to not anger either of his employers. "She's not fighting alone with me at her side, and I'm supposed to keep her from doing a lot of crazy crap. And, from what I recall, we succeeded in her plan because I was the one risking my life." Then he turned to the princess, "And your mom's right. What we did was risky, but I don't regret it."
"Naruto, you're supposed to protect her first and foremost," the woman stated, irritated at the fact he confessed to go along with her daughter's dangerous idea.
"I think your ideas help each other," he continued unafraid. "The more we help other kingdoms, the more people you'd have to protect your daughter. And the more we fight along her - me included - the better her chances of coming back are. So long as she's as smart as she was when plotting how to take down that facility."
"You...you did that?" Angella was surprised, to say the least.
Glimmer nodded, "And... I couldn't have done it alone." She looked at her mother with a deep sigh, "I'm sorry, but it's obvious we need the Princess Alliance now. Dad...left us a chance to fight. I don't want to waste it. Nor do I want to let others starve or get hurt because of Hordak. He took dad from us, and then tried to take Perfuma's fortress... If we don't fight, how much else will he rob from us?"
"I'm afraid... I can't deny that idea any longer," Angella looked at Naruto in the eye, making him tense up. "If you are a man of your word, can I count on you to keep her safe and bring her back regardless of any and all challenges? If so, I may agree to this alliance."
Glimmer gasped in delight while Naruto beamed, "Do you even have to ask? Or do you want me to make it official?" he chortled awkwardly as he kneeled, "Alright, if it'll put you at ease. I, Uzumaki Naruto, swear to protect Princess Glimmer and aid her in her battle against Hordak."
Angella smiled softly and bowed her head, "I shall dub thee my daughter's personal guard and knight. May the moon shine kindly on you, Naruto, the Forest Gale."
Once that was said and done, everyone was happier, "I can't believe you convinced her!"
Glimmer nearly bounced as the two walked down the hall.
"Neither did I..." He admitted. "I just said what first came to mind and made some be frank, you two were right and wrong. And I guess it's because you really cared, if too much."
"Huh, how so?" she asked curiously.
Furrowing his brow and crossing his arm, he tried to think up an easy explanation, "She loves you, you know? And you want this and all kingdoms to be safe. When you think about it, there's something good in both sides. And yet, there are dangers you two see from your own points of view. In the end, you were like an eye looking left and another looking right, you two needed to find a way to move forward like that."
Lifting an eyebrow, she took in his words, "That's... a really odd if fitting analogy."
"Ana-what now?" he echoed.
"Forget it..." she sighed with a smile. "Anyway, if we want to make this alliance work, we need to see Princess Mermista right away."
"Why? Is she a powerhouse or as deep in crap as Perfuma?" he returned to be as blunt as usual.
Shaking her head, Glimmer explained herself as simply and directly as possible, "No, her kingdom has the Sea Gate. It's our best bet to keep a stronger defense and avoid an assault from naval forces. In short, we've got to keep that gate secured and get her on our side. Otherwise, we don't have any ships or anything similar to defend ourselves from that kind of attack."
"Since you got your forces and main entrance at the forest, right?" he remembered that part. "I should check on Oakley."
"Don't worry, Spinnerella and Netossa are guarding it, my mother's favor for your hard work with me," she reassured him with a grin.
"Well, that's a relief." He then had a question at the back of his head, "Wait, if her place is at the sea... How do we get there?"
"Oh... right, we will need a boat," She hummed for a moment. "Pack your things, we shall go and secure one… Do you hear voices?"
"The boat can be arranged," Queen Angela said, looking to the side, as the two aforementioned women walked in, having been conversing about something.
"So, then I hear that this guy cut apart Fuma's problematic machine, right? Heard he didn't screw around! One big cut and then bam! He got that stuff on lock-down! Nice, ain't he? Doing that stuff for Fuma without being asked and all. If he keeps on impressing me, I might be willing to let him check out the Snatching Sword, he could use that stuff."
Netossa was an oddly attractive dark-skinned woman in her own right. Her hair was a fluffy blue with the left side shaved down. Over her impressive breasts she wore a metal piece of armor with gauntlets for her arms that had blue stars. There was ample side boob seen through her metal plate. On her shoulders was a full length and very puffy shawl. She wore metal greaves with blue stars and a pair of blue leggings that hugged her splendidly wide caboose. Her body rippled with lean muscle, an indication that she spent a lot of time fighting out in the wilds.
The woman with her nodded, "Ah, and there he is, my love. Greetings and salutations."
Spinnerella in contrast to her athletic and powerfully muscular beloved was a much softer, gentler woman. She had a plump form, massive breasts, a backside that dwarfed Glimmer's by far, and a curviness to her that suggested the classical artwork of plump women being the aesthetic of beauty. She wore an alternating outfit composed of a full-body suit, with violets, pinks, and purple highlights which suited her long purple hair that was kept in a ponytail. Her face seemed to carry a permanently pleasant smile the kind a mother or big sister would have for their beloved.
"Yo! Forest Gale! So, you're the dude with it, right?" She asked him with a cheeky wave, noticing him, he looked somewhat wary as he hadn't been expecting the two of hem to show up quite so soon.
"The dude with what?" he asked confusedly.
Netossa rubbed her nose, grinning widely, "The dude with the power." She snapped her fingers, humming to herself, "Slap my dude, make him cry! Oh, I miss that damn bard. Dying to illness like that just bites." She said with a shake of her blue head, the dark-skinned woman extending her hand cordially, "Yo, I'm Netossa, guess what my power is."
"Catching stuff, making nets, throwing them, and capturing bad guys?" he guessed.
She slapped her knee, shaking his hand with gusto, "Got it in one! Hey Spinnerella, baby girl, check this dude out! Not a bad guy by any means, is he?"
Her tall patient lover flashed him and her beloved a peaceful smile bowing her head, and looked at him in interest, "And he's also talented. The Whispering Sword relies on using elements of the forest along with limited manipulation of my land's style, the Whirling Sword. If you continue to ally yourself with the other princesses and gain their permission to study their styles, we will be more than happy to grant you permission to use our own. I am so very pleased to meet you, wind is such a wonderful element, isn't it?"
"I've got an affinity for the element, yeah," He acknowledged her politeness and responded with his own slight incline of his head as a show of respect.
Netossa had a wide grin, and Spinnerella a more sedate and even leisurely smile, the former speaking up next, "You know, dude, the stories and rumors about you don't give you enough credit. You look like a proper swordsman, save for your sword being wood. But eh, the Whispering Sword style always did have an interesting flair to it. Now, the Snatching Sword though, that's my style, is a little different." She held out her hand, forming a floating energy construct which with a motion of her other hand, formed itself into a wire-frame sword.
"Netossa..." Spinnerella whispered with a soft if worried smile.
"Angie, you don't mind, do you?" the blue princess asked Angella, whose face fell.
The queen's expression said it all, but she explained the matter at hand, "Yes, I do mind. You can spar with him later, Netossa. They need to meet with Mermista and don't have time to fight." Naruto grumbled, he would've loved the chance to fight Netossa himself. Spinnerella placed a gentle hand on her lovers' arm, the girl groaning loudly.
"Oh, come on, Angie! Let a girl spar! Bah… Alright, listen, I've got a ship you two can borrow. I'm used to the ocean and it'd save you needing to bug the sailors. Spinnerella here can even give you a fair wind to use to get there faster." Netossa explained to them, crossing her arms.
Spinnerella gave them a cheerful little wave at her mention, smiling grandly at Naruto and Glimmer, "That's right, I'd be happy to whip up a good trade wind for you to make use of." Spinnerella told them both.
Glimmer looking excited with Naruto's face splitting into a massive grin, "Thanks you two! We really appreciate this!" Glimmer bounced up and down, grabbing Naruto's hand and holding it tightly, he gave her a brief look but didn't argue about it much. He only pulled away when she let go.
-0-
"Alright, so...how do we even make this thing move?" Naruto wasn't a sailing savvy boy. At most, he knew how to row a boat and swim, but that was it.
"Leave it to me." Spinnerella said at his side.
They stared at their ship, which stood tall and proud in the waters. Blessed with a golden female figurehead resembling a woman wearing a moon shaped helmet, a glowing halo etched above her head. The ship itself bore a beautiful and vibrant pink finish. With four glowing sails that seemed to be made of shimmering silvery cloth, each one in turn bore four different symbols, the lunar pattern. Full, half, crescent, and empty. With pure white wood making its overall appearance, the ship looked as if it was something that sailed out of a dream. A fitting ship for a princess by any means, let alone two of them.
Netossa started, "The Crescent, I love this girl; she's been in my family for over six generations." petting the ship's first mast with a fond smile, she rubbed its smooth white wood with her hand, "It was a gift from Spinnerella's family, a wedding gift between one of my distant great-grandfathers and one of her distant great-grandmothers. Ever since then, our families have traditionally wedded each other as a custom. As I'm a princess, and she is too, we were naturally together since birth. Baby girl and I grew up and fell in love, and that's the sweet of it."
"She loves telling this story, by the by," Spinnerella whispered with a soft giggle to Naruto and Glimmer.
"Aw, c'mon honey! You know it's the truth!" Netossa had good ears, it seemed.
"Yes, darling, it is the truth. But you do indulge in telling it somewhat often."
Getting back on track, Glimmer shook her head as she remembered what she wanted to ask, "Wait, aren't you busy with watching the frontlines?" she asked in surprise.
"We are, yes, but our troops can handle things for now thanks to you two." Netossa smirked at them and hooked an arm around Spinnerella, "You gave us a little vacation. Thanks to you destroying that facility, we have Perfuma backing us up on forest defense. And that hit the Horde really hard, they got quieter all of a sudden to regroup."
"I...I'm sorry, when you said you lent us the ship, I didn't think you'd..." Glimmer grew flustered as she tried to explain herself.
"Don't worry." Spinnerella told her with a soft grin, "I understand why you'd make the mistake, but we are also your allies. It's only fair we aid you in a pressing matter like gathering princesses for an alliance. Not to mention you're giving us hope." Her smile turned somewhat melancholic as she shut her eyes halfway. "King Micah was a man who we respected, so to hear you claim to carry on his legacy is something we can't and won't let you do alone. Even if you have the aid of a capable new friend."
"Heh, perhaps you should leave it to me." Naruto boasted cheekily, hooking a thumb to his face, "After all, you're looking at this world's greatest swordsman."
"Eh, you talk the talk, just walk the walk when you can." Netossa told him with a wide, sassy smirk.
"Please, don't argue, I can tell he's not speaking to sound tough." Spinnerella beamed motherly at them.
"You...do?" Glimmer asked curiously.
"I can feel the wind surrounding him, it is the power of a hurricane, a heavenly storm capable of creating a maelstrom." She said with her smile and a serious tone. "He can back up his words, trust me on that. Not once have I ever seen someone with such affinity to my element, or felt it so...natural, so to speak."
"Well, perhaps it's my chakra..." he commented.
"Argh, enough talking, let's get going!" Netossa exclaimed, "I wanna fight you more now, so let's get this done over with quickly, Forest Gale!"
"You got it!" he smirked back.
Glimmer and Spinnerella let out mutual sighs, the two plump princesses mumbling and whispering respectively, "Like birds of a feather." Both paused and looked at the other, Glimmer arching an eyebrow while her fellow chubby ruler giggled amusedly.
-0-
"Force Captain Adora, Scorpia! We have a report for you two!" Polishing her blade, Adora looked up from a work-table as a scout walked in with a salute to her.
Catra was nearby, her hands forming a pillow behind her head while she tried to catch a nap. One heterochromatic eye opened wide, the blue one namely, staring at the scout with an interested gleam. Scorpia had the most surprising pastime to the two girls, she was practicing calligraphic writing, namely poetry.
"The mountain is a distant blue. An eagle's cry. Is heard in the sky." She smiled brightly putting down a new haiku onto her stack of growing paper sheets. "Well, that's haiku number one hundred and fifty-seven! You know, getting so good at this is really fun! You two should practice your hand writing too!" She set down her ink quill into its ink pot, cracking her neck with a bright smile.
"Force Captain Scorpia!" the scout repeated, the scorpion woman giving him a nod while fetching her favorite coffee mug with adorable cartoon scorpions on it.
"Yeah-huh? Report in, buddy!" she told him with closed eyes and a nod as she took a sip of her drink.
"We have a report for the Forest Gale's movements." She rose an eyebrow slowly, indicating she meant for him to continue as she continued drinking, "He is traveling with three other princesses on a ship to the sea-princesses domain!"
Putting her cup down, Scorpia rubbed her claw underneath her chin, "Well if they're going to Mermista's place, then that means… oh-uh. He's going with Netossa and Spinnerella! Not good."
Adora looked at her fellow force captain who got up, crossing he claws behind her back and pacing a little bit, her face set in a worried grimace, "What's wrong with those two? Are they really strong?" she asked the scorpion lady, who turned around to face her and Catra who was stretching and scratching her ear with one foot.
"Well, yes and, well, also big yes. We might need to bring in some help if we want to stop those two…" she looked around, spying a skinny pale blond teen talking with a taller, muscular dark-skinned girl with her hair done in braids pulled into a ponytail and a lizard man about something.
"So, then I found this weird arrow, and w-well, it was super creepy! I swear, I felt like if I touched it, it'd pierce my hand all the way down to the bone!" he swallowed, rubbing his hand anxiously.
The girl slapped him across the back, shaking her head in amusement, "C'mon Kyle! That was just a random if excessively designed gold arrow! We left it behind and it wasn't even enough to report on!"
"But guys! It was so damn creepy! I keep telling you that! I'm worried I may have gotten scratched…" The lizard man grabbed his arm, inspecting it intently before sniffing him. Shaking his head, he tapped the boy's hand to indicate that he wasn't scratched and that there was no scent of blood.
"You three." Scorpia shook them out of their thoughts with a massive grin. "Come with us to a seafaring adventure!" she placed her pincers on her hips, puffing up her bust naturally and subconsciously. It made a couple of the girls present blush in slight envy. Adora wasn't one of them, though.
"Lonnie, Rogelio, Kyle, I know you're rookies, but so far things are getting more chaotic as you have noticed." The blonde told them as they stood firmly. "Our forces have to make up for the losses of materials and also push back against the princesses' newest addition. Meaning you and others are most likely going to be forced into the frontlines."
"For real!?" Kyle exclaimed while Lonnie smirked, Rogelio merely crossed his arms.
"Wait, we're not bringing them, are we?" Catra asked with disbelief.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lonnie asked with a frown and her arms crossed under her breasts, "Last I recall, I kept my own against you two."
"It must have been a dream, then." Catra snickered tauntingly, getting the other girl mad.
Adora interrupted any notion of a fight easily, "Enough, we need help and they trained with us, know our moves, and are available." she countered all arguments with ease. "We are better off with a small advance group than a big army to give us away. That way we can corner and tire out the Forest Gale before reinforcements finish the job, not to mention, gain easy access to Princess Mermista's place."
"Huh, that makes sense..." Catra gave her that, then frowned, "Seriously, since when are you the strategist?"
"Comes with the job." Adora retorted with a smirk before turning to the others. "So, are you in?"
"Do you have to ask?" Lonnie smirked, "Going after the Forest Gale sounds like fun. And it should help put Kyle into shape." She patted the wimpy boy's back as he sighed deeply, not looking forward to facing the legendary swordsman who could singlehandedly take down platoons of their elite. Rogelio gave a soft growl of agreement.
"If I must answer..." Catra started with a smirk, "Yeah, I'd ask. Why call you for this party when I can keep up with that pint-sized nuisance?"
"Because you couldn't get him?" Lonnie retorted with a smirk, which Catra glared at.
"Um...please don't fight, you two are on the same rank and have to follow Adora's orders." Kyle tried to dissuade them. "You'll make her look bad fighting among you."
Rogelio merely nodded with a soft hiss, which Scorpia tilted her head at, "Um, yeah, we all agree." The beefy warrior woman said, unsure of what the lizard man had said.
"Fine, fine, fine..." Catra seemed to concede with her arms up and a smile, then crossed them under her small breasts to give Lonnie a challenging smirk. "Let's see if you do any better."
Adora sighed, she knew it'd be a long day.
-0-
And that's my rap!
Believe it or not, The Lord Of Pages had a lot of fun writing this with me, perhaps even more than me at several parts. Also, yes, I am not using Sea Hawk since I feel that his character in the show is too goofy and a sad downgrade when compared to his original counterpart. One of the many downsides of the reboot. Many of you had suggestions for Bow that I may think about, but I promise nothing.
Reply to Guest who asked about Naruto's clone: the clone is made of an insane amount of chakra, thus why Naruto seems to burn energy like a nuclear reactor. They're sturdy but can't take too many heavy hits. A couple from Catra, yes. Scorpia? They're done. As a side note, please do NOT ask questions like that in guest reviews, I can't reply to them or discuss possibilities with any reader who has good insight.
Beta's Notes: Hiya folks! As usual, this chapter was helped copiously by my advice. As you can see, Netossa and Spinnerella have officially given their help to the group. Sorry Freddie Mercury but not cool, AKA Sea Hawk, but his entire story plot was somewhat just there. I liked him myself, but Adora herself flat out told him they needed his boat, not him. So, I cut him out and decided to let the two above get some time to shine. Me and my bro in all but blood really like the two of them, obviously, and we feel that they need to be given more stuff, and thus we decided to have them get some much-needed character development. Cutting this note short, we hope you like this chapter, and that it entertains you all! So, until next chapter, this is The Lord Of Pages, so long, farewell, until we meet again!
Swordslinger out!
