Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Catra slowly regained consciousness as she woke up, feeling the warmth of the morning invade the bedroom through the open window. She stretched, her muscles popping after too many hours unmoving. With her eyes still closed, she turned on her side, moving her hand to caress her lover’s waist, except…

She wasn’t there.

Catra opened her eyes and, as she thought, Adora was nowhere to be seen. Again. She doesn’t know why she expected the blonde idiot to be there today.

With a grunt, she got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up, a growl locked in her throat. How could Adora do this?!

She heard the door opening and Melog was quick to join her in the bathroom. The purple cat meowed grumpily, surely feeling the same thing Catra was, and sat by the door watching as Catra brushed her teeth.

“Can you believe it?!” Catra asked Melog, her mouth full of toothpaste “She left. AGAIN.” Catra spat on the sink as Melog growled.

‘I understand your anger, it is valid, but you mustn't let it ruin your day.’ the cat said, watching Catra thread her fingers through her hair to untie the knots after sleep.

“It’s ruined my week, Melog! She hasn’t spent a whole day with me since after the Heart.” Catra walked to their closet now, Melog trailing behind. She picked up her usual clothes and undressed quickly.

‘She has been busy with work.’ Melog defended, though Catra saw they were also bothered with the situation by the red color of their own mane ‘Etheria needs fixing, it needs She-Ra.’

“Yeah, but I need Adora!” Catra zipped her top and sat down on the bed, huffing “She started working to avoid me, I know it! She barely even kissed me after the war ended…” Melog sat beside her, nuzzling her arm “What if… It was just a heat of the moment thing?”

Catra worried that Adora didn’t think she was enough, that she would leave Catra once again. She knew it was a silly, toxic thought, but it existed anyway. Besides, it was true: Adora hadn’t kissed or touched Catra that much since the war ended a week ago and oh, how Catra longed to be touched and kissed by the woman she has loved for so long.

‘Do not say that!’ Melog meowled ‘Adora loves you, and you love her.’

“But why doesn’t she want me around?”

Melog stayed silent, pondering what to say ‘Maybe she is in trouble. Personal trouble.’

Catra sighed, getting up from the bed and heading to the door “Maybe I should talk to her. After breakfast though, I’m starving.”  

She and Melog had breakfast with Netossa and Spinerella in the castle’s kitchen. The couple had really taken a liking to Catra, and the catgirl was happy to have their company. Afterwards, she parted from Melog and wandered through the castle’s corridors, trying to find Adora and talk to her. She turned right and was greeted with a beautiful mural covered in white, purple, pink and blue. She pressed her hand to the wall softly, admiring the paintings. Suddenly, she halted to a stop, her heart tightening at the image in front of her.

Queen Angella stood proud, her wings taking up almost all the space in the wall. The former queen’s eyes were not focused towards her, but Catra couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being judged. A voice - weirdly similar to Shadow Weaver’s - crept into her mind.

You brought only chaos in the past, and they are only waiting for you to do it again so they can have their revenge.

Catra took off running, her tail fluffed up in fear, until she got to the library. There, she held onto one of the wooden tables and took deep breaths, just like Perfuma taught her two days ago.

She kept doing it, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down. When it did, she opened her eyes and saw that she was the only one in the library. Good. She picked up a book she had started reading after they came back to Bright Moon and climbed on top of the high bookshelves, almost above the window. She liked to stay there because no one but Melog would find her. 

Catra let herself lay down, feeling the knot of guilt ache in her chest. She could only hope that Angella would be back someday. Maybe then she would beg for her forgiveness, that might ease her ache.

A thought suddenly occurred: maybe that’s why Adora’s been avoiding me. She finally realized I’m a horrible person.

A rogue tear rolled down her cheek as she clutched the book to her chest, she breathed deep once again.

After she had relatively calmed down, she sat up and opened her book. It was a compilation of Etherian tales - yes, she knows it’s a children’s book but she never really read anything like this when she was a child, so she’ll do it now. It was beautiful, with a dark purple hardcover with all the phases of the moon displayed there, and the pages were surrounded by glittery drawings at the top and bottom. It had one tale from every kingdom on their planet, with illustrations that left Catra breathless. She thought about continuing where she stopped, at a Plumerian tale of two flowers that fell in love, but the pull to re-read the third tale was stronger. You see, it was a story of the Magicat kingdom, where a warrior princess fought against a huge beast and canalized its power to herself. However, the most interesting thing was that they were exactly like her, with a tail and ears and everything! Catra had never met anyone like her, so it obviously turned into her favorite tale.

The story began with Princess Helena, a young magicat with green and brown eyes, searching for the beast that had destroyed houses in her village. There was an image of Helena right at the first page: she had her dark red hair in a long braid that reached below her hips, her ears were pierced with golden rings and so was her nose, she wore white clothes that seemed rather simple for a princess, at least for Bright Moon standards, but she looked way fiercer than any princess Catra knew.

Except maybe for Adora.

The tale continued with Helena finding the beast’s cave at the Whispering Woods, in a place that no one but the beast would be able to enter. But Helena never gave up, so she got in and faced the danger. The beast turned out to be something they called a panther, which was a feline as the book described, with at least 2 feet in height and huge teeth and claws that could tear apart even the strongest armor on Etheria. When Catra first read this story, she got intrigued and searched the library to try to find if this panther thing was real. She found a book called ‘Ancient Etheria and its Wonders’, where it said that the panther had not been seen in centuries, so it was likely to be a made up creature. 

Made up or not, it still made Catra mesmerized as it bared its teeth to the princess in the illustration. Catra wished she could be as fierce as it was.

In the end, Helena fought the beast bare handed, and somehow managed to canalize the panther’s powers to herself, making her stronger than ever. The tale didn’t specify how the princess did so, as she did not have a runestone, apparently. But Catra didn’t really care. The story was her favorite because she could see parts of herself in Helena - at least physically.

You would never be strong like this, Catra. Don’t fool yourself.

She looked at the library’s clock and saw that it was almost lunchtime. She climbed back down to the library and retrieved the book to the shelf. 

When she got to the gardens, she noticed that everyone was already there. Even Adora had come. She was sitting at one of the tables with Bow and Glimmer, so she headed towards them.

As she approached, Bow greeted her “Catra! Hey!” he waved at her enthusiastically, making Glimmer look up from her plate and Adora turn around to face her. Catra’s heart flipped, pushing her anger towards the blonde aside “Where were you?”

“Library” Catra sat down and Adora immediately kissed her cheek, sliding a plate of food to Catra.

“Didn’t know you could read.” Queen Sparkles said, smirking mischievously.

“Ha ha, so funny.” Catra replied in a monotone voice. Right then, Frosta appeared and sat on the end of the table, talking about something with Bow and Glimmer. Catra took the opportunity to whisper in Adora’s ear “Why don’t you wait for me to wake up?”

“Huh?” Adora asked, her mouth full of something green. Lettuce, Catra thinks that’s it.

“You never wait for me to wake up.” Catra whispered again, watching as Adora’s back straightened “Why?”

“I have work.” Adora answered, not looking into Catra’s eyes. They remained silent for a bit, until Catra whispered again.

“We’re going to talk later.” she said, turning to face her own plate. She heard Adora gulp harshly.

“- Then they said that these fuckers tried to break into the castle to get our weapons.”

“Frosta! Language!” Bow reprimanded.

“Who tried to break into where?” Catra asked, picking up on their conversation.

“The Horde.” the youngest princess answered. Catra liked her, admired her maturity. She had to be extremely smart to rule a kingdom before she even hit puberty “What’s left of the Horde anyways. It’s a small group, apparently, but they’re still violent.”

“There are still Horde followers?” Catra asked, dropping her fork. She looked at her friends and saw that none of them were looking her in the eye, except for Frosta, who nodded “Why did no one say anything?”

“You didn’t know?” asked Frosta, quirking an eyebrow up “They’ve been active since after Horde Prime took Hordak.”

Catra looked at her friends again, but they remained silent “Why did I not know that? These people must be dangerous! We-”

“We didn’t want you to bother with this, Catra.” Bow answered.

“B-But maybe I can help.”

“Oh… I-It’s not that big of a deal though.” he said. At that, Catra and Frosta looked at him with an annoyed face “I’m sure the princesses can deal with it.”

“Not a big deal?! What-” 

Then, it came to her. They don’t trust you. Why would they?

Catra got up from her seat, too overwhelmed with everything. Calmly, she said “I’m going back to the library. I forgot something there.” she turned around and walked away. Adora cried ‘Catra, wait!’ but she kept walking, her tail lashing behind her and hitting her calves.

When she got inside the castle, she ran.

She only stopped running until she got to the library again, dragging herself to sit on the window with her knees beneath her chin. Not long after, she heard footsteps getting closer. “Go away Adora. I don’t want to talk right now.”

“Well, you’ll have to listen to me then.” Catra turned around to face Glimmer, who sat beside her.

“Not really a fan of talking to you too, Sparkles.”

“Yeah, whatever. Look,” Glimmer sighed, sitting with her back propped on a pillow “I was the one who said not to tell you. And before you jump to conclusions: no. It’s not because I don’t trust you. I do.” Catra’s body was still a bit tense, but her heartbeat relaxed at the queen’s words “I know you, Catra. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you would want to help, but I don’t think it’s going to be a good thing for you.”

“What do you mean?” Catra asked.

“Well, the Horde hurt you. And I don’t want it to affect your life after so many good things happened.”

“But, Glimmer…” Catra sat straighter now, gesticulation towards her friend “I can help. I know they aren’t good people, and that all… That, hurt me. But I can get over it. Work with it.”

“Catra, don’t…”

“I need to move on, Sparkles.” Catra said, her eyes expressing nothing but seriousness “And I’m not going to do it if I keep hiding.”

Glimmer looked like she was about to protest, but gave up. She sighed and threw her hands in the air “Well, I guess you’re right.” she got up and put her hand on Catra’s shoulder “I’ll try to keep track on them and, if there’s an opportunity, I’ll take you on a mission with me.”

Catra smiled, putting her hand above Glimmer’s “Thanks.” she said before the queen teleported.

Catra couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe the audacity of that idiot.

She did it again!

“URGH!” Catra threw her pillow across the room, hitting the closet. At the noise, Melog got up from their place in the big cushion where they were napping. They got up on the bed and looked at the door ‘Has she run away again?’

“Yes! She did!” Catra huffed. She was planning to talk to Adora yesterday night, but the blonde had gone to Salineas and hadn’t returned until Catra was asleep. The catgirl only noticed she was there because Adora left a kiss on her left ear before passing out. Now she had gone off without even a ‘good morning’ to Catra AGAIN!

‘She really is pushing my buttons, Catra.’ Melog said, putting their head on one of Catra’s knees.

“Same, Melog.” Catra would have to come up with a plan to talk to her. But how?

Right then, her tracker pad beeped with a message from Entrapta. It read: ‘Hello Catra!!! We noticed a big energy shift near the Crimson Waste, probably because of the release of the planet’s magic, so we went to explore it and won’t be back until later. The castle’s all yours!!!! Have a good day!!!!!’

Catra would laugh at Entrapta’s use of exclamation marks if she weren’t so frustrated. “Well, fuck me I guess.”

‘Do not worry, my friend.’ Melog meowled, kneading her leg ‘We can nap anywhere we want today!’

Catra laughed soundly. At least she would have Melog to enjoy the day with.

And enjoy it they did. Just like Melog said, they napped in numerous places around the castle and, for a good part of the afternoon, Catra picked her book and read it to Melog, starting by the tale she hadn’t read yet.

However, she was expecting for her friends to come back before nightfall, but it was almost midnight and there’s no sign of them. She tried to contact Entrapta, but it rang and rang and she didn’t pick up.

Catra couldn’t sleep, so she sat on the balcony with Melog as the two of them watched the stars. She couldn’t help but get anxious… What if Adora got into trouble? What if they’re all hurt? What if Adora…

‘Catra.’ Melog called her ‘It’s not time to think negatively. She will come back. They all will.’

Catra sighed, laying back on her chair “I hope you’re right.”

Out of a sudden, a skiff in maximum speed appeared right in front of the Woods, but it was too far for Catra to see anything. Its motor was making a loud noise, definitely loud enough to wake the others.

“The Horde!” Catra said, getting up and changing back into her clothes and sprinting towards the first floor with Melog in tow. She noticed that Netossa and Spinerella, who were staying in Bright Moon since the final battle, were also running.

“What the fuck was that?!” Netossa asked her.

“I don’t know!” the four of them turned left, hearing noise coming from the war room “I think it’s the Horde.”

“Urgh! Those motherfuckers!” Netossa huffed as they all stopped running “We don’t have a day of peace and quiet.”

“Calm down darling, look.” Spinerella pointed in the direction of the war room and they saw that a bunch of guards were there, talking with one another in loud whispers. “What happened?” Spinerella asked them.

One guard stood in front of them, she seemed to be shaking “I-It’s the queen. She’s back.”

“Is Glimmer hurt?” Netossa asked.

“No, not queen Glimmer.” Catra’s stomach dropped to the ground as a wave of fear washed over her “It’s Queen Angella! She’s back!”

Angella is... Back?

Chapter Text

That’s not possible.

“WHAT?!” Netossa and Spinerella asked at the same time. Suddenly, the door opened with a bam and Adora walked out, looking disheveled and full of dirt. Her clothes were also all ripped, her red jacket was almost a piece of fabric now.

She spotted Catra and jogged to the brunette “Catra!” 

“Adora, what’s going on?” Catra asked, gripping Adora’s forearm as the blonde gripped back.

“We rescued her! She’s here!” Adora said in a breathless voice before she pulled Catra into a tight embrace “Angella’s finally back! Entrapta thinks it has something to do with Etheria’s magic being released, but who cares?! We did it!”

Catra could feel Adora’s tears falling on her shoulder at the same time she felt her eyes welling up with tears. This is it. - Catra thought - This is where I’ll be sentenced. I’ll finally get the punishment I deserve.

Adora pulled away just to be able to look at Catra’s face, crouching down a bit to get closer due to their height difference “Catra,” Adora caressed her cheeks slowly “I know this might be hard, but I want her to meet you.”

Catra’s eyes widened “A-Are you sure?”

Adora nodded “Yes, I am. You are a big part of my life Catra, I love you.” Adora gave her a chaste kiss on the lips “I think she should know how important you are for me and for everybody else.”

Catra really thought about dismissing this opportunity. Maybe she could wait for another day, or she could just run away before Angella threw her in jail. But, as she saw the look in Adora’s eyes, the way they shined with tears and relief, she couldn’t say no. She told Glimmer she shouldn’t run, anyway.

“Okay.” Catra nodded and Adora pulled her in for another kiss. It had been exactly three days since Adora last kissed her on the lips (not that Catra was obsessively counting) but now was different. She kissed Catra with more purpose, moving her lips in a lovely way, not that quick peck she was used to.

The door opened again and Bow walked towards them “We’ll let her rest for a bit, alright?” he told the women, who were still shocked “After that, we’ll all get in the room with her.” Bow gave a deep breath before bursting into tears “I’m so happy.” his voice cracked with every syllable, sounding like a very sad, broken record.

Spinerella and Netossa embraced him, rubbing his back as the archer cried uncontrollably. Catra was going to console him too, but Adora tugged on her hand and led her to sit beside the war room’s door. They were side by side on the ground, with Adora’s head tucked into Catra’s neck and her tail curled around them both. Catra saw Melog lying down on Bow’s feet, probably still tired after the long wait.

Time passed slowly as they waited, the only sounds were loud whispers and footsteps. After a while, other princesses appeared, having gotten a message about Angella’s return. Catra suspected they hadn’t called on Micah though, as the sorcerer had gone to Mystacor to spend time with his sister. It could be too much, maybe Sparkles was planning to tell him in person.

Soon enough, the whole alliance was there, waiting for Glimmer’s signal. Scorpia and Perfuma waved to Catra with shy smiles. They knew how guilty Catra felt towards the Angella situation and, being the kind people that they were, were probably worried for her.

After so much time in silence, Adora spoke “Hey. What did you want to talk about yesterday?”

Catra sighed “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, uh… Us.”

Adora shifted to look at Catra’s face, her brows furrowed in confusion “What’s wrong with us?”

“Well, the thing is: sometimes, I wonder if there even is us.” Adora looked outright offended at Catra’s words, so the brunette continued “It’s just… Everytime I wake up, I hope to find you there, with me. But you’re always gone. And when I go to sleep, you barely even talk to me, or k-kiss me…” Catra shrunk, curling her tail around her own legs “I guess I want you to spend more time with me.” Catra was going to say ‘for as long as we can’ but decided against it.

“But, Catra, of course there is us !” Adora said, turning her torso to face Catra completely “I love you, and I want to be with you, but I have responsibilities.”

“Yeah, you know you’re not the only princess, right?” Adora rolled her eyes “Seriously, the things they ask you to do could be done by any other princess.”

“Catra, you don’t understand. I have to do this.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m She-Ra.”

“But you’re also Adora.” Catra was pleading now, looking at Adora’s eyes, begging for her to understand “And I need you here with me.”

“Catra, I can’t just stand around and do nothing!” they were whisper yelling now. Hopefully, the other’s chatting would muffle their fight “Besides, I do spend time with you.”

“You barely even touch me!” Catra felt tears spilling down to her chin, but she couldn’t hold them anymore “Honestly Adora, if you don’t want to be with me you can just say it! Stop making up excuses!”

Adora’s eyes widened, a scared look painting her features “Catra, I-I just want-” 

She was interrupted by Glimmer, who opened the door and slowly walked out “You guys can all get in, she’s very awake now.”

Catra quickly rose to her feet, going to get Melog. She wiped her tears as the princesses entered the room, gasping and crying softly at the sight of the former queen. Catra poked Melog lightly and they turned their head with a ‘mrrp’ sound. Instantly, they got the message and walked besides Catra to the war room.

Adora was looking at her with a sad face by the door, waiting for her. Catra got in without looking her in the eyes and hid herself on the corner. Then, she looked at the queen.

Angella was looking exactly like she did last time anyone saw her, except her wings were missing a couple feathers, but nothing crucial. She had bags under her eyes, but she seemed relaxed. Somehow, the round table had been removed and replaced with a big hospital bed, with a couple chairs and small tables filled with what Catra assumed were potions and medicine.

“Queen Angella,” Perfuma sobbed violently, Scorpia rubbing circles on her back to try to soothe her “We’re so happy that you’re here.”

“I’m happy too, Perfuma.” Angella answered, smiling at the flower princess. Then, she turned to Scorpia, but her smile stayed the same “And I assume you have either defected or the war has ended. Right, Princess Scorpia?”

Scorpia was nervous, but she managed to answer “T-The war is over, your majesty. But I defected a while ago.”

Angella hummed in response. Then, Glimmer stepped forward and put her hand on her mother’s shoulder “I haven’t told her much about the end of the war, it’s a… Long story, heh.”

So the queen didn’t know about Micah yet. Catra wondered how her reaction would be when she saw her husband in flesh.

“Oh, about that.” Angella said “Tell me, how did it end exactly? Did you have to kill Hordak? Or is he in Beast Island?”

Everyone exchanged nervous glances. Of course, Angella doesn’t know about Prime. Beside Catra, Melog meowled lowly, their mane was now a deep shade of blue related to fear.

“Uh, well!” Bow clapped his hands together, getting closer to Angella’s makeshift bed “To explain simply, the Horde spread a virus to kill the planet, but it was stopped by The Heart of Etheria, an ancient machine. Adora and Catra activated it, consequently leaving the Horde powerless.”

Adora and Catra looked at each other at the same time - Adora still sad and Catra still angry.

“Catra?” Angella asked, one eyebrow raised and her mouth slightly opened.

Catra took a deep breath, settling her hand in Melog’s head and stepped forward “Yes, it was me.” Angella whipped her head to look at Catra, her eyes widening and wandering “I am part of the Rebellion too, your majesty.”

Angella didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes was… Not what Catra had expected.

It was shock, obviously, but it was also sadness. Catra knew that look. She saw that everytime she looked in the mirror.

“Actually,” Glimmer spoke, looking between Catra and her mother “Catra saved me, mom. She’s my friend.”

Angella sighed, looking downwards for a good amount of time. Catra was very confused now. Why was she acting this way? Didn’t she hate Catra for what she did?

Catra was going to apologize right then, but was interrupted by the former queen “I… I need to get something off my chest.” Everyone was confused now, but Angella seemed really determined “Everyone, I need to speak to Catra.”

She froze, her tail going up in the air and her fur standing on end. Holy fuck, she was going to get murdered.

It’s what you deserve.

“M-Mom?” Glimmer asked “Why do you need to speak to Catra?”

“Glimmer, this is between me and Catra.” she looked everywhere across the room “Everyone else, please wait in the gardens.”

The princesses were too stunned to move. No one understood what was happening. If Angella wanted to punish Catra, she wouldn’t talk to her first, right?

“Please, move.” the queen demanded. Everyone except Catra and Melog got out of the room, throwing worried glances at the brunette. Soon, it was just the three of them in silence.

“Your majesty,” Catra said, giving another tentative step towards Angella “I’m sorry, I really regret what I’ve done.” Catra was crying now, all of her shame consuming her at once “I promise I never intended for that to happen to you. I made a horrible mistake and I’m sorry, I-”

“Catra,” Angella said, her voice calm and soft. She sat with her legs dangling on the edge of the bed, patting the space next to her “come sit, please.”

Catra, still stunned and crying, slowly sat there beside the person she had hurt, shivering from either fear or shame, she wasn’t sure.

“Catra, I accept your apology.” Angella said, staring into Catra’s eyes “I believe you were mistreated and misguided. Trust me, I know how horrible Shadow Weaver can be, especially to a child.” her mouth curled downwards and she reached to grasp Catra’s hands “And I am also sorry.”

Catra’s whole system shut down “What?”

Angella breathed deeply, then turned her gaze to her right, spotting Melog “Wait, who is that?” she pointed at the alien cat, who meowled and shrunk, afraid of her.

“T-That’s Melog.” Catra explained “They’re my best friend.”

Angella reached towards the purple cat “Come on, I won’t hurt you.” Melog looked at Catra, hesitant, but when she nodded at them to go forward, they pressed their nose to her gloved hand, earning a chuckle from the former queen.

“Uh, your majesty?” Catra asked, her heart still pounding furiously.

“Oh, pardon. They’re very distracting.” Angela turned to Catra again,holding her hand in a strong but gentle way “I have a secret. One that has been eating me alive for more than a decade. And I need to share it with you.”

Catra crooked her head to the side “Why me?”

“Because this secret is about you, Catra. About where you came from.”

Chapter Text

At Catra’s confused silence, Angella continued “You are aware that you were not born in the Horde, right?” Catra nodded “Well, I know where you came from.”

“But,” Catra’s mind raced “how can you know when even I don’t know. I mean, no one knows.”

“Well, it’s a long story. One that I am deeply ashamed of.” Catra noticed that Angella’s demeanor had changed completely - her whole body was smaller, vulnerable “Just so you know, I wanted to tell you about it when I saw you, but I was too shocked and I ended up not being able to tell before the portal incident. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Catra said in a small voice.

“Well, you, Catra, are a magicat. I believe you know that.” Catra nodded “Good. So, the magicats were one of the many Etherian species and they lived in-”

“Halfmoon.” Catra completed, having known all of this by heart.

“How do you know?”

“I read it in a book.” 

“Right, okay.” Angela was caressing Catra’s hand now “The magicats were reserved people, and they lived a bit far from the other kingdoms. However, they were many. Their kingdom used to be one of the biggest in the whole planet. I know that because I’ve been there.”

“What?” Catra asked “How?”

“Halfmoon was a functioning kingdom not so long ago. Not many people saw them because the Woods hid them as they requested. But my story begins on Glimmer’s first birthday.” the queen moved so her knees were on the mattress and Catra did the same “By then, the Horde was getting stronger with each day, and they were planning various attacks, but Bright Moon was safe. So, we planned a big party to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. It was all going smoothly, until I received a call from the Queen of Halfmoon, saying that she suspected that there were Horde soldiers near her kingdom. But, as I was used to false alerts of attacks, I disregarded it, told her not to worry, that they would be fine.” Angella looked down and a tear fell on the bed. Catra moved her hand to touch Angella’s arm lightly, and she looked back at Catra’s face, silent tears streaming down her cheeks “That day, the Horde took all of its army to the Whispering Woods and wiped out all of Halfmoon.”

Catra’s eyes widened.

“When I got there, there were only ruins and corpses. It was devastating.” Catra returned her touch, trying her best to comfort Angella while she held her own tears back “I never told anyone that the queen called me, I-I was too ashamed.” she held Catra’s other hand tightly “I’m so sorry Catra.”

Catra let her own tears flow for the hundredth time that day “I forgive you, your majesty. It’s okay.”

“No, Catra.” Angella sighed “It’s not. It was your home, and I did nothing about it!” her wings suddenly widened to their full size as she got angry with herself.

“Well, you shouldn’t stress much about it.” Catra said “They threw me away anyway.”

Angella’s brows furrowed, her wings returning slowly “What do you mean ‘threw you away’?”

“Ah, you know. The Horde found me in a box. My parents put me in the trash.”

Angella moved her arms to hold Catra’s forearms “Catra, who told you that lie?”

“Sh-...” she immediately caught on. It was a lie “Shadow Weaver.”

She lied to me. Of course she did.

“So I was… Robbed?” Catra asked, incredulous. It can’t be.

“I’m so sorry Catra. But yes.”

Catra broke down and Angella embraced her. Shadow Weaver found ways to ruin her life even after death.

She couldn’t stop crying. Her whole life she believed she was unwanted, trash. Now, she found out that she had been robbed, from her family. She had a family! That had been taken away from her!

“Catra, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.” Angella broke the silence, threading her fingers through Catra’s hair.

“I--It’s fine. At least I know now.” Catra said, her voice hoarse from her tears. After she had stopped crying so hard, she pulled away to look at Angella again “I need you to tell me one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Where are the ruins?”

Angella’s wings, now she noticed, were enveloping them both, and they wavered slightly as the former queen moved “In the outskirts of the Whispering Woods.” 

Catra nodded “Thank you, and again: I’m sorry.” she got up gently, not wanting to hurt her wings “I need to go. I… Need to see it for myself.”

“I understand, no one will stop you. But take care, the Woods can be dangerous.” Catra squeezed her hand in a last ‘thank you’ before Melog got twice bigger than they already were and Catra mounted them, bursting the doors open and heading to the Woods in the fastest pace they could manage.

They followed a path far from the gardens, she didn’t need questions right now. 

After they got out from the castle, Catra let her mind wander to all the times she imagined her family as a child. All the times she wondered why they hadn’t wanted her. Why they had left her.

When all she and Melog could see were trees, Catra closed her eyes, letting her mind and heart manifest one thing: Halfmoon.

She spent the whole time with her eyes shut, only listening to the soft pad of Melog’s footsteps and the rumble of thunder in the sky. She thought about Adora, she would get worried as soon as she notices Catra’s not there. But Catra had also spent a whole week waiting for her, so Adora could wait a little while. Catra needed to see that she had a home. 

‘We are here.’ Melog said, slowing their pace until they stopped in front of big trees, blocking the way. Slowly, Melog walked above the tree’s roots so they wouldn’t fall and what Catra saw took her breath away.

There, circled by these huge trees, was what was once a kingdom. There were rocks of different colors on the ground - maybe parts of houses. There were also numerous pieces of fabric such as clothes, tapestries, curtains, all burned and old. The rain fell softly over them, making it a bit difficult to see, so Catra got down from Melog and walked through the streets of this kingdom. It was smaller than Bright Moon, definitely, but it was still very large. It must’ve been beautiful during the day.

She walked until she reached the biggest house, it still had the first floor standing, but the second floor was ruined with marks left by the blasts of the Horde’s tanks.

And to think I was once their leader.

She approached the house, looking through the window. There, she saw a small glove - one that certainly belonged to a toddler. It was smaller than the palm of her hand, and it was the fingerless kind, it was ripped in some parts, like it had been yanked. She wondered who could’ve taken it off of the child’s hand with so much force? What did the child do to deserve this?

She fell on her knees, letting out a wail as her tears mingled with the raindrops.

They threw you away. Lies.

They never wanted you. Lies.

You have no family. Lies.

All of that had been a lie. She had been wanted. She had a family, a mother that truly loved her, and it was taken away from her.

She thought of Shadow Weaver, and she had never felt such wrath towards the old hag.

You took everything away from me.

She cried and screamed, tearing her claws to the ground in anger. Melog also meowled loudly, growling at some points, everything muffled by the sound of the pouring rain.

Catra doesn’t know how long she stayed there, but it was a long time. Her sobs died down, and she was left shivering from the cold and the devastation. Then, out of nowhere, she heard something breaking, a tree branch, a few feet away from the ruined kingdom. Melog heard it too and they ran towards her ‘Hide!’ they said ‘I think it’s the Horde!’

What a cruel joke it was. The same people that destroyed her chances to have a family were here even after everything. She ignored the urge to go find them and rip their throats and ran towards the other side of the kingdom. She and Melog, who had shrunk in size, hid behind a broken wall, listening for more footsteps. The people were close, but not close enough to enter the kingdom. She noticed by the sound that their heavy boots were hitting fallen branches, not rocks.

However, her attention was pulled away from them when she saw a tree. It was the same as the others that surrounded Halfmoon but even bigger. It’s trunk was thrice the size of Catra’s body, and its roots were almost the size of her head. She listened for more footsteps, but heard none. So, she walked silently to the tree.

‘What are you doing, Catra?’ Melog asked, but Catra only waved her hand, beckoning them forward. As she got close to the trunk, she noticed five small holes in its center, but they weren’t round, they were oval, almost slits. Intrigued, she touched it with her hand, feeling the roughness of the wood. When her palm was flat against it, she noticed her sheathed claws and had an idea. 

She positioned each claw in each hole, lifting the center of her palm so they could fit inside. As she did it, there was a small ‘clink’ sound and the tree started to move. 

‘What’s happening?’ Melog asked, but Catra was too entranced to answer.

She removed her hands and the tree trunk opened like a double door, revealing a… was that a step?

“I think it’s a staircase.” Catra said, stepping inside. Sure enough, she could already see the other steps leading downwards. She took another step, then another, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on.

Then, they heard a loud noise of metal hitting rock, and Melog hurried to her side as they both descended the stairs in a hurry, watching as the trunk closed itself again.

They had been walking for more or less five minutes now, and it seemed they would have to walk some more. Her legs were almost giving in, after running and kneeling and crying for so long, her body buzzed with exhaustion. Her eyes stung too, puffy from her tears.

The stairs led to a tunnel which was very dark. Thankfully, she could see in the dark.

“Where do you think we are going?” she asked Melog.

‘Maybe it’s a cavern?’ they replied ‘Whatever it is, I am very curious to find out. Must have something to do with your home.’

My home.

Immediately, she thought of Adora.

Melog sensed her distress ‘I am sure she will forgive you for leaving Catra. She understands.’

“Thanks Melog, I hope so.”

As they walked, Catra noticed that there were lights at the end of the tunnel (ha). She approached the wall, seeing small crystals in different colors glued to it. The more they walked, more crystals they saw until the tunnel ended and they were facing the entry to a cave.

An occupied cave.

With people like her.

Magicats.

Her eyes widened at the sight, her whole brain unwilling to work. A lady noticed her standing there and she immediately dropped the spear she had in hands - a guard - as she stared at Catra’s eyes.

Other guards, startled by the sound of the spear, turned to look at her and seemed just as shocked. Two of them walked towards her, talking to her but she couldn’t hear. It was too much.

Her knees gave in and she fell to the ground.

Chapter Text

She woke up with a start, feeling her whole body buzz with electricity as she remembered where she was.

She thought she was dreaming, but that was a memory that invaded her sleep. She remembered finding other magicats and passing out, shocked and exhausted. 

She lifted herself onto her elbows, watching the room she was in. It was an infirmary, that was a given, as everything had pastel colors and she was wearing what looked like a gown. Near her bed were two nightstands, a small couch and…

“Melog!” 

The purple cat lifted its head to look at her, then jumped to her lap on the bed. They were small now, nuzzling her face gently. ‘This place is amazing!’ they said ‘I was awake after you passed out and I saw the city, it’s beautiful!’

“What are you talking about, Melog? What city?” Catra asked. However, Melog had no time to answer as the door on their left opened, revealing an older magicat with clothes the same colors as the walls.

She was holding a pile of papers in one arm and a plate on the other and, when she looked up and saw Catra, her eyes widened.

“Oh, skies! You’re awake!” the woman closed the door with her foot and walked to one of the nightstands besides Catra to leave the papers there “Oh my, yesterday was quite the night, right? You must be so confused-”

“Who are you?!” Catra asked. Her fur was standing and her claws were sheathed, poking holes in the mattress. Melog put one of their paws on Catra’s chest to calm her down.

‘Don’t. She has helped a lot.’

Catra trusted Melog, so she allowed herself to relax, but only a little.

“My bad, I didn’t tell you my name, heh.” the magicat woman, now with her hands free, clasped them together in a way that reminded Catra of Perfuma “My name is Maureen and I am one of the healers of Halfmoon.”

“H-Halfmoon?” Catra asked. If this was Halfmoon, then it meant… “This is that Halfmoon? That was destroyed?”

“Yes, it is.” Maureen answered, grabbing a couple utensils “I’m going to check up on you while I explain, alright?” Catra nodded, so she started to check her temperature “Well, you see: the Horde attacked us on that day 19 years ago. We were aware that they were getting more and more dangerous, but we didn’t think that they were so strong. Luckily, we had the Great Tree to help us, so we fled to the cave before more people could get killed.”

Catra listened intently, trying not to freak out. As Maureen moved to check her heartbeat, Catra asked “D-Do you know about any babies that were taken away from here? By the Horde?”

Maureen gave her a sad look “There was only one baby taken, and I believe you already guessed that the baby was you.”

“Yeah, I thought so…” Catra sighed “So, is my family…? You know?”

Maureen straightened her back and removed the thing from Catra’s chest “This, I can’t tell you yet.”

“Why not?” at the same time Catra asked, Melog meowled.

“That is a strange creature you have with you.” Maureen said, watching Melog with interest and confusion “No one has ever seen such a feline.”

“Answer the question.” Catra said. Melog growled, so Catra corrected herself “Answer, please.”

“All of the questions you might have about your family will be answered by the queen.” Maureen said and Catra’s heart sped up. She doesn’t know if she could handle another talk with another queen “But before anything else, you need to eat!”

The plate the nurse had brought was settled on her lap. There were small baked goods in it, all smelling really sweet.

“I’ll take these papers to my office while you eat. You are in very good condition, so you won’t need to stay here for long. Now eat up!” Maureen spoke very fast, standing up and walking out the door like she was in a hurry. Catra started to eat and was fascinated by the taste of the food. This was even better than Bright Moon’s breakfast, and that’s saying something.

Speaking of Bright Moon, Catra wonders what Adora and her friends might be up to now that she disappeared…

“WHAT?!”

Adora’s shriek startled everyone, even the former queen who stood in front of them in the gardens.

Adora, with her eyes widened and her whole body clenched with tension, gave another step forward “Where is she?!”

Angella sighed. She had just told everyone that Catra and Melog were going to take a while to return. Return from where, Adora didn’t know, but she had an inkling that there was something bad coming.

“Catra had to solve something on her own.” Angella looked as if she was worried and scared “No one can intervene, it is a very personal matter.”

In the distance, thunderbolts roared, marking the dark sky with flashes of fire. However, no thunder could ever be as scary as the look of pure anger in Adora’s eyes at the moment.

“Catra is out there, on who knows where, BY HERSELF, when there are Horde soldiers on the loose?!” Adora had started to glow “What the fuck were you thinking?!”

“Adora calm down!” Perfuma said, putting one hand on the blonde’s shoulder “Catra is going to be just fine-”

“You don’t know that!” Adora said, startling Perfuma.

“Woah, hey, Adora.” Scorpia stepped closer as well “Wildcat can take care of herself. And whatever matter it is, it must be super important for her.”

Adora turned to Angella again “What is it? What did you two talk about?”

“I’m not sure if Catra would want me to be the one to tell.” Angella said. Now Glimmer and Bow were on each side of the former queen “Maybe it’s best if you wait for her to-”

“No, you don’t understand!” Adora interrupted, her glow growing stronger as the tears welled up in her eyes “Catra’s going to hurt herself! S-She runs away, and… And hides and hurts! She…” Adora closed her eyes, feeling herself growing taller, stronger. She-Ra stood in between the princesses now, her blue eyes shining with determination and worry “I’m going after her.”

She gestured to Swift Wind, who quickly came to her side so she could get on his back. “Wait, Adora-” Bow walked to her, but she paid him no attention.

“I can’t lose her again!” was the only thing Adora said before Swift Wind took off, hovering over the Whispering Woods.

This is all my fault. - Adora thought - She wanted to be with me and I wasn’t there for her.

Adora noticed that she was crying hard, sobs escaping her mouth as her chest ached.

I can’t believe I let it happen again. I’m such an idiot!

Maureen appeared again after almost an hour, bringing Catra’s - now clean - clothes and telling her that they were going to go meet the queen of Halfmoon.

As she walked with Melog and the nurse, Catra admired the many pictures in the walls of the hospital. Most of them were taken there and featured the healers and the patients. They were all very bright, showing kids with plastered arms, nurses in some sort of celebration and mothers with their newborns. 

“We’re almost there.” Maureen suddenly said. Catra noticed that her voice was quavering “ the queen and her guards will be waiting for you at the entrance.”

“Why are you so nervous?” Catra asked her.

Maureen avoided her eyes “Nervous? Me? HAH! Not nervous. Me, not nervous at all, heh.” 

The scene reminded Catra of her beloved and dumb Adora, shooting a pang to her chest. Then, they arrived in front of two big doors that led to the entrance. There stood two guards and a woman that Catra was sure to be the queen. The three of them were with their backs to Catra, and only turned around when Maureen cleared her throat.

When the queen turned around, Catra’s breath escaped her lungs and a shiver ran through her body.

It was as if Catra was looking in a mirror.

The queen seemed to have been surprised as well, gasping and locking her eyes on Catra’s. As the both of them stared at each other in disbelief and Catra took in the queen’s features: she had eyes the same color as honey, a small nose that was identical to Catra’s. Her mouth had small creases from smiling and her hair was the same color as Catra’s, only much longer and braided. The woman’s fur was also the same as Catra’s, with the stripes and everything. The only big difference was that the queen’s cheeks were fuller than Catra’s, even though their bone structure was also strikingly similar.

“My queen,” Maureen brought Catra out of her sturpur, putting a hand on her arm “this is Catra.”

The queen stepped closer and, to Catra’s surprise, she didn’t have the urge to run away. The older woman stopped right in front of her, still staring at Catra like she wanted to embrace her, but now her eyes were wet with tears “Catra…” her voice was deep, but gentle “It’s so good to have you back.”

Catra didn’t know what to say “I-I, it’s uh, good to be back.” she said “Though I’m still very confused.”

The queen gave a small chuckle, and Catra saw her smile. Her own smile in this strange woman’s face!

Catra was no idiot, she knew that this couldn’t be any coincidence. But she was too shocked to do anything other than gape and internally freak out. Suddenly, the urge to run away returned. This was starting to be too much again…

Apparently sensing Catra’s distress, the queen put a hand on her shoulder “Let’s not stand here. We’ll take you hom- to my house and there you’ll be comfortable.” Catra only nodded.

The guards walked in front of them, leading the way to the queen’s palace. She waved goodbye to Maureen and looked at the queen again, who was walking beside her “I promise I’ll answer all of your questions once we get there.” the woman told her.

From the amount of confusion Catra was in, she doubted the queen could answer all of them.

Chapter Text

She, Melog, the queen and the two guards entered what she thinks is a carriage, led by two horses. The guards stayed on the outside as the two women and the alien cat were seated in some sort of big box with cushions…? Catra had no idea what this thing was.

She couldn’t see much of the cave, but judging by the silence, it must be early morning. The queen didn’t say anything for the whole ride, only stared at Catra as if she was the most amazing thing to ever happen.

Catra tried her best not to think of the words ‘mother’ and ‘family’, keeping her mind blank while she waited to get to the castle.

Turns out, there was no castle. When the queen said ‘house’ she meant it. It was a big house, like the one she saw in the ruins, but this one was not destroyed. It was beautiful. It had two floors and its walls were shining obsidian, decorated with carvings of symbols Catra had never seen and the phases of the moon. In front of the big wooden door, was a half moon made of a white crystal. 

“We’re here!” the queen said, opening the door for them to step out. Catra was carrying Melog, as they had shrunk to a small size, nuzzling and purring in her chest.

The guards opened the door and they stepped inside. Catra’s mouth fell open at the beauty of this house. In the walls, crystals illuminated the way, varying in color. The walls were more of a dark brown inside the building, giving it a comfortable sensation. 

The corridor they were in was a bit small, with two doors on the sides leading to what Catra believed to be a living room and an office. The queen gestured for her to enter this office, which had a wall-high bookshelf, a desk as big as a table, an enormous portrait above a purple couch and cushions on the ground. Immediately, Melog jumped to lay on the cushions, closing their eyes to rest.

“That is a strange, beautiful creature you have with you.” the queen said, smiling at Melog “It seems to have a strong bond with you.” she sat on the couch and motioned Catra to sit beside her. They were face to face now, and Catra’s heart was pounding.

“So,” the queen started again “you must be very confused right now, so I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Cyra, and I am the Queen of Halfmoon. I assume you know what Halfmoon is and that we are Magicats, right?”

“I know.” Catra said “I’m only surprised because I thought I was the only magicat on Etheria.”

Cyra averted her eyes down “It’s a shame you never got to grow up between your own kind.” Cyra sighed “I am so, so sorry Catra. I-”

“It’s okay, your majesty.” Catra said, risking to touch Cyra’s back “I understand.”

Cyra breathed deep, then set her eyes on Catra again. The brunette couldn’t not notice how similar Cyra’s eyes were to Helena’s - fierce and challenging “You must have questions about who you are.” 

Catra nodded “Though I think I might have an idea.” her heartbeat was loud in her ears. This woman could be- no, most certainly was her mother. She was similar to Catra in the same way Glimmer was to Angella, even more so!

She couldn’t fathom that she had a living, real parent. It was like she was stuck in one of her childhood dreams where her parents came to the Fright Zone to take her home with them. And, to be honest, she really liked this.

Cyra chuckled, looking at Catra with fondness “Well, then I guess I can tell you everything.” she and Catra inhaled deeply when Cyra brought her hand to lay above Catra’s “I am your mother, Catra.”

Catra’s chest burned with so many emotions, good things. It was much better when she heard Cyra saying it.

“You were the only child the Horde took from us.” Cyra continued, her voice heavy with emotion “And I am so sorry that I couldn’t protect you. I-I tried my best, but they pried you away from him. I-I…” Catra held her hand tightly, comforting the queen “Your father was protecting you, but they hurt him and took you away.” 

“W-Wait. I have a father? Is he here?”

“He’s not here now, but yes, you do.” Cyra pointed to the portrait above them and Catra saw Cyra, a man that had the same eyes as her and herself, a very small little girl with her hair brushed neatly into a braid, smiling like she was having fun being with them.

Her family.

Catra broke down, lowering her head as tears rolled unstoppably. Cyra slowly circled her arms around her and Catra threw herself on the woman’s shoulders. Cyra held her tightly, rocking them back and forth as she cried too.

“I-I always thought” Catra said, head buried in Cyra’s shoulder “that you had abandoned me. They told me they found me in the trash. A-And I believed them.”

“Shh.” Cyra petted her hair now “It’s okay, Catra.”

When their tears subsided, Catra pulled away slightly to speak more clearly “I spent so long thinking that you didn’t want me, but n-now… I-It was a lie.”

“Catra,” Cyra cupped her cheek with her hand, caressing it softly “you are everything to us. We always loved you. The day they took you away from us was the end of the world to me, and I swear that I will kill whoever told you that horrible lie.”

Catra chuckled, letting herself be caressed by the woman - her mother. “You don’t need to worry, I think they won’t bother anyone anymore.”

It was likely that no one in Halfmoon knew about Horde Prime or that the actual end of the world had been close. She doubted that Cyra even knew who Shadow Weaver was. That would be a very interesting conversation.

Cyra pulled her into another hug and Catra hugged back, relaxing completely. Melog joined them now, curling themself around them. The room was filled with the sound of purring coming from the three of them. Catra thought that her friends would be proud of her for letting herself be cared for.

 “Oh, one more thing.” Cyra said “Your name isn’t Catra. You know that, right?”

Catra straightened her posture, looking at her with her brows furrowed.

“They must have renamed you at the Horde, because your real name is Elizabeth.”

“What?!”

“What did you guys talk about?” Glimmer asked her mother as the two of them were seated in Angella’s bed.

The princesses had returned to their homes after Adora went to search for Catra. Glimmer, still intrigued by what could have caused Catra to storm off into the Woods and why did Adora seem so desperate - that she would try to unpack later -, offered her mother to take her to her room and prepare for the next day. In the morning, Glimmer would contact her aunt to tell her the news and tell her mother that her dad was still alive. But now, after this emotional roller-coaster, her mom should sleep.

“I don’t want to invade Catra’s privacy. She would want to be the one to tell you.” her mom responded.

“Yeah, but was it something bad?” Glimmer asked.

Angella let out a sigh “Perhaps. It’s about the past, something that happened a long time ago. I think it exhausted her emotionally, but I believe she can go through this.”

Glimer hummed “Catra is really strong.” her mother looked at her as she talked about her friend “There was a time where she and I were… In a bad situation, together. I was almost freaking out, and she was the only thing that kept me sane in there.” Angella had her brows furrowed, not understanding what ‘the bad situation’ was about “And she went through too much, you know. If I had been in her place, I would’ve crumbled completely.”

Angella hummed, then took Glimmer’s hand “I told Catra a secret. Something that only I knew.”

“W-What do you mean? Why?”

“Because it is about Catra.” Glimmer’s eyes widened “It’s something complicated and I needed to apologize to her.”

“Mom, I’m really confused.” Glimmer said “Why would you keep a secret about Catra?”

Angella was looking very sad, almost… Ashamed? Glimmer isn’t sure if she has ever seen her that way. “You’ll know soon.” 

Chapter Text

Cyra stayed in her office with Catra for a whole hour after their talk. During this time, Catra explained a bit about the war. Turns out the magicats were aware of Horde Prime, as a couple of them had gone outside the cave to bring supplies (something that was fairly common according to Cyra) and had seen the clones and the ships. Catra then told her that she had been on his ship and had met the monster in person.

“WHAT?!” Cyra shrieked “How did you end up there?” the woman grabbed Catra’s arms, her eyes wide in fear “Did he hurt you?”

Catra shivered, the scar in her neck burned at the memory. Great. - thought Catra - Now I’ll have to explain to her that I was a Horde officer, Hordak’s second in command. She’s going to hate me.

“I…” 

Catra was interrupted by a knock at the door. As it opened, a magicat with orange fur peeked their head to talk to Cyra “Your majesty, the king wishes to know when you will be able to visit him.” 

“We’ll see him right now. Thank you Zyn.” Cyra stood up as Zyn left, leaving the door open “Catra, if you’re ready, would you like to meet your father?”

Catra’s heart skipped a beat. She has two parents. This is all so much more than she could have ever imagined!

“Yes, I am.” Cyra smiled at her and gestured for her to follow. Melog had slept again, so Catra let them stay comfortable on the couch. They walked through the small corridor and got to a sort of room that had a set of stairs in the center and other two doors at the back.

“Oh, just so you know: that door” Cyra pointed to the left “leads to your father’s office and that one” she pointed to the right “is the dining room, but we don’t use that. We eat in the kitchen.” they went upstairs and Catra’s chin almost went to the ground. There, in the center of the second floor, was a wooden statue of who Catra was sure to be Princess Helena, wielding a spear that pointed towards the ceiling. As Catra admired it, Cyra continued to explain the house to her “In here there are only the bedrooms and the library, which is that way.” she pointed at a doubled door to the end of the room. “The other two doors lead to our bedrooms. Now come on!” 

Cyra led her to the doors of the library, which opened with a small creaking noise. The room wasn’t that big, much smaller than Bright Moon’s library, but was still almost as big as Adora’s room there. The shelves covered the entirety of the walls, and there were two big tables for them to sit as well as a couple more instruments on the opposite wall. Through the window, light poured the entire room and, by the colors of it, Catra thinks it comes from the crystals.

Sitting quietly at one of the tables was a man with fur just a bit lighter than Catra’s and Cyra’s, his hair went up to his chin and was styled with small braids and beads. He didn’t turn his head to look at them, but his pierced ears flicked as they opened the door.

“Nikolaj, I want you to meet-”

“Elizabeth!” the man - Nikolaj - got up from his chair and turned to face them. As Catra looked at his face, she swallowed a gasp. It had a big burn mark that started on his right temple and ended on his left cheek, forming a diagonal shape. His eyes were identical to Catra’s, but seemed to be unfocused. Then, she realized he was blind.

The king reached towards her and she took his hands “I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Catra said, feeling herself get overwhelmed with emotion once again.

“Sir? Oh no, I can’t have that. Come here!” he pulled her into a hug almost as strong as Scorpia’s, and Catra almost burst into tears. When she hugged him, it was like she could feel him trying to pour all of his love into it.

After all, he fought for her until he couldn’t stand. He lost his sight trying to protect her. Knowing that made Catra realize that these people wanted her, but seeing his scar made it all the more realistic. 

“Okay, Nik. You’re gonna crush her like this.” Cyra chuckled and Nik reluctantly released her, but still clutching her hands.

“Elizabeth, I can’t believe you really came back for us! After all this time!” he sat back on a chair and the two women did the same “I can’t wait for you to tell us about your life!”

You really don’t wanna know…

“About that,” Cyra said “they renamed her at the Horde. It’s Catra now.”

“What?!” Nikolaj’s brows - or at least what was left of them - furrowed “ Catra? I mean, it’s pretty. But Elizabeth is way superior.”

Catra laughed. This man was clearly someone who would be best friends with Bow. Which also meant that Catra was probably going to love being around him.

“It’s kind of weird seeing you call me Elizabeth.” she said “But I guess I can get used to it.”

“We’ll call you what you want us to call you.” Nik said, crooking his head to the left, where Catra was seated.

“What were you working with there?” Cyra asked him.

“It was just a report about Horde activity in the ruins. Apparently that haven’t found anything yet-”

“Wait.” Catra interrupted “The Horde knows about the cave?”

“No, not yet at least.” said Nikolaj “Arthur said that they found our old house, but don’t suspect the of The Great Tree.”

“Okay, so… The Horde is at your doorstep?”

“Yes.” Nik and Cyra answered.

“For how long?”

“It started about a month ago.”

“Speaking of the Horde.” Cyra said, crossing her arms “Catra was mentioning something that happened to her during the war.” her tail wrapped itself on Catra’s forearm “Can you tell us?” the scar on Catra’s neck burned again. She was going to have to tell them. 

They are going to hate you, Catra. They will abandon you, like I said they did.

Then, she felt the tip of her mother’s tail caressing her palm, reassuring her. She took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts.

Here it goes.

By the end of her story, a couple tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she couldn’t bring herself to lift her head and look at Cyra and Nikolaj. She had told them everything. She told them about Shadow Weaver and her abuse, about how the other cadets bullied her in the Horde, about Adora and the Rebellion, her years as second-in-command, the portal, and most importantly, about Horde Prime and her time chipped. Obviously, she didn’t tell them about her relationship with Adora and how they were able to save the universe. That she might tell them later.

“So… Yeah.” Catra sighed “This is me.”

They were both silent, making Catra even more nervous. Certainly they are going to punish you for being such a scum, a failu-

“Catra…” Cyra whispered, her voice quivering “Look at me.”

Catra did. Cyra and Nikolaj were both crying, their expressions were of utter sadness, matching Catra’s. In a sudden movement, Cyra got up from her chair and pulled Catra into a hug, positioning them to kneel at the library’s ground. She pulled on Nik’s arm so he could join the hug as well.

“Catra, my love I am so sorry.” the king said as Cyra sobbed in Catra’s shoulder.

“No! I’m the one who has to be sorry.” she said.

“Oh, Catra.” Cyra held her head between her hands, forcing her to stare at her honey eyes “These monsters tortured you. Of course you would make mistakes, don’t be so mean to yourself.”

Catra’s eyes widened “Didn’t you hear a word I said?” she asked them “I worked for the people who destroyed your kingdom, who took me away from you, for years! I’m a monster just like them!”

“No!” her parents said in unison “Catra, you are not your mistakes.” Cyra told her, brushing her tears with her thumb “You were in a bad place then. But look at you now!” they smiled, caressing Catra’s back and cheeks “You are an amazing, strong, resilient woman. You even fought alongside the Rebellion, skies!” 

Catra sniffled “Still, I feel so guilty…”

“Kitty, we are extremely proud of you.” said Nik “You are so much more than we could’ve imagined. You should try to see yourself the way we do. Well, I guess the way that your mother does.”

Catra and Cyra laughed at his joke. She buried herself deeper in the hug, letting her tears fall and her purr mingle with theirs. They continued like this for a good while, until Zyn opened the library’s door. They saw the three of them huddled close on the ground and widened their eyes “Oh, uh… Lunch is ready.”

Cyra chuckled “Thank you, Zyn. We’ll be down in a minute.”

Suddenly, Melog got there too, running towards Catra and licking her cheek. They also nuzzled Cyra, who petted their head, and Nikolaj, who widened his eyes.

“What the fuck am I touching?!”

After lunch, Cyra and Zyn offered Catra a tour around Halfmoon. Now that they were walking instead of using the carriage, Catra could see everything more clearly and she could confidently say that she had never seen a place more beautiful than this.

Halfmoon was entirely lit by those weir crystals that were everywhere in the cave, and they bathed the houses in a kind of colorful lighting that made everything look dreamy. These houses were mostly made of rocks and wood (Zyn explained that magicats are very talented in creating things, so they use elements from Nature to build their kingdom). The people all looked fairly different with a variety of shapes, heights and fur color, which blended perfectly with the colorful lighting. And they were all wearing clothes that were tight and loose at the same time. Catra felt ashamed of her fashion sense when she saw these people.

When they walked through the streets, all citizens looked directly at her with either wide eyes or smiles, waving to them in greeting.

“Why are they all looking at me?” Catra asked Cyra.

“When we found out the Horde had taken you, everyone was devastated.” Cyra explained “When we lose one of ours, we lose a part of ourselves. We all missed you.”

Catra felt emotional by what Cyra was saying. Hundreds of people missed me?

Right then, an older lady yelled on the other side of the street “Cyra! Cyra come here, child!” 

Cyra smiled and urged the others to cross, walking towards the lady. She had completely white hair that was cut above the shoulders, and her fur also had a great amount of grey strands. She wore some sort of dress that had moons draped all over and she was even shorter than Catra.

“Is that your baby, Cyra?” she asked, locking her green eyes in Catra’s face.

“Yes, Isolde. This is Catra.” Cyra held Catra’s hand to bring her closer “Catra, this is Isolde. She is our kingdom’s best tailor.”

“ Was, Cyra. I got tired of working centuries ago!” Isolde took Catra’s hand in hers, a fragile grip that showed she didn’t have as much strength anymore “You are a beautiful woman, young one. I see you have great strength in you.”

“How can you know that?” Catra asked.

“I see it in your eyes.” Isolde told her. She stepped just a bit closer so only Catra would hear what she would say “Come talk to me when you want, child. Don’t keep things to yourself.” then, she pulled away and stared at Cyra “I thought you had named her Elizabeth. What the hell is a Catra supposed to be?!” 

Chapter Text

Cyra and Zyn brought them home after a couple more hours of exploring, saying that Catra needed to rest. She couldn’t agree more - who would know that passing out for a couple hours and then having life-changing conversations with your biological parents while in the place you were born in but has no memory of could be so tiring.

It was almost night now, as she could tell by the clocks, so she and Melog were already in her room to prepare to go to sleep.

Cyra and Nikolaj showed her to her room, which was the one door opposite to the library. It had dark brown walls like the rest of the house and it had a couple pictures of her hanging in one of them. They were mostly pictures of her time as an infant, but Catra found them beautiful nonetheless. In its center was a big bed, bigger than Glimmer’s in Bright Moon, and it even had a purple curtain to shield herself - from what, Catra wasn’t sure. But it was still very cool.

The closet was obviously empty, and so was the desk. Cyra promised to bring her new clothes as soon as she took her measurements to the tailors. She had also said that they had changed everything last minute, since they had made a bedroom for a child in case Catra returned not long after she was taken. It didn’t happen though, but Nikolaj didn’t let anyone change anything because he liked to touch what used to be hers to remember her.

Melog pulled her out of her reverie ‘Do you see how much these people love you?’ they asked, laid down at the edge of the enormous bed.

“Yeah.” Catra sighed, putting on a pair of Cyra’s pajamas before getting on the bed “I’m not used to parental uh, affection. So it’s all a little bit too much for me.”

‘But you do understand that they love you deeply, right?’

“I do.” Catra felt her chest burn with euphoria “I just… I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe there are people that love me that much.”

‘Adora and your friends love you a lot.’

“Yes, but it’s not the same type of love.” at Melog’s confused expression, Catra tried to explain herself “Love that comes from family is different. It’s like… Stronger, I guess? I’m not sure. But you saw how Angella and Micah are towards Glimmer, it’s different.”

‘Ah, yes.’ Melog started kneading the bed, his mane turning a light shade of pink ‘I observed that their type of affections seems to be… Unconditional. Yes, that is the word.’

Unconditional love. It was nice to think about.

Oh, please. Catra, you were never meant to have such things. You are nothing but scum. Don’t forget that.

She turned on her side, trying to ignore the voice in her head. Today was a good day, no need to ruin it by thinking about her.

When Catra dreamed that night, she saw herself as a child, playing in a kingdom that was built inside a cave. With her was a beautiful blonde little girl, chasing after her and calling her ‘love’.

Adora paced around her room, avoiding the mess that she had created on the floor. She has been walking around nonstop, her mind racing to find out any clue as to where Catra could’ve gone.

13 hours ago, Catra left Bright Moon. Angella still refused to talk about their conversation, which only made Adora more suspicious.

Feeling her feet start to get numb from exhaustion, she threw herself on the bed. It was cold and empty, too big for Adora to sleep by herself. She tossed and turned, but her mind wouldn’t calm down at any cost. The only thing she could think about was Catra. Catra, Catra, Catra, Catra…

Adora didn’t share this with anyone, but she believed that the brunette had vanished also because of their fight. She was used to Catra wanting to be left alone for a while when she was irritated, but disappearing is different.

Catra had made it clear that she thought Adora didn’t want her, even though she was the most perfect dream Adora could ever have. She is everything to Adora. 

Deep down, she knew that leaving Catra in Bright Moon to work on other kingdoms wasn’t that good of an idea. And Catra had been right, the other princesses could do these jobs just fine. But Adora needed to fix this. She needs to be useful.

You are the She-Ra. It is your destiny.

Light Hope’s voice hasn’t left her, even though the hologram wasn’t here anymore for quite a long time. Light Hope was, in fact, right. It is She-Ra’s destiny to help Etheria and its people, to be useful for them.

But now, with Catra nowhere to be found, Adora regretted making that choice. When Catra comes back, she will follow her, not She-Ra.

Closing her eyes and willing herself not to cry again, Adora forced herself to sleep. Tomorrow she will continue to search.

The Sun had started to rise, bringing warm colors to the sky. Most of Bright Moon’s residents were starting to wake up to work. Except for Adora, who has been up for an hour and a half already.

“Adora!” Glimmer greeted, surprised to see her friend in the gardens “You woke up earlier than usual.” she shared a concerned look with her boyfriend, who eyed the blonde suspiciously.

“Yeah.” Bow said, sitting besides Adora on the bench “You did sleep, right?”

“Of course I did, Bow.” Adora said. She had a notebook and a map in her lap “I just had too much energy to keep sleeping.”

“Hm.” he hummed, not believing her for one second.

“And did you have breakfast?” Glimmer asked.

“Of course. I always do.” Adora answered, crossing a word in one of the notebook’s pages “How is Angella?”

“Good, having breakfast.” Bow answered, trying to read what Adora had in hands “Micah’s coming today.”

“Really? That’s great.” Adora didn’t even look up from her lap. Glimmer didn’t notice Adora’s behaviour, too lost in her own happiness.

“It is! I can’t believe they are going to be together again!” the queen had sparkles in her eyes. “Dad is going to be so happy! Oh, I should probably arrange a couple of things before he arrives. See you later guys.” and she disappeared in a cloud of glitter, leaving Bow and Adora by themselves.

“So, Adora.” Bow started. He caught a glimpse of a list in Adora’s notebook, it had names like ‘The Woods, Bright Moon, Plumeria, Fright Zone,’ etc. “Are you excited to see Micah and Angella?”

“Uh-hm.”

“Do you think he is going to cry? I think he will.”

“Uh-hm.”

Bow furrowed his eyebrows “Adora, how old are you?”

“Uh-hm.”

“Okay that’s it.” Bow gently put his hands around Adora’s and closed the notebook, finally pulling Adora’s attention towards himself “What’s going on with you?”

“What’s going on with me?” Adora asked, her face visibly more irritated than before “I don’t know if you noticed, but Catra is nowhere to be seen!”

“I know, Adora. And I’m worried too.” Bow said, putting his hands on his best friend’s shoulders “But I know that sometimes Catra needs some time for herself, so I’m sure she’ll be back before we kno-”

“No! You don’t understand!” Adora stood up, clutching the map and book to her chest “It’s my fault Catra left.”

“Adora, it isn’t. You heard Angella, she said-”

“No, I know she said something. But it’s my fault, because I… I’ve been avoiding her.” Adora had a sad look in her eyes as she gazed into the Woods.

“Talk to me, Adora.” Bow said, standing up “I’m your friend, I’m here to listen.”

The blonde sighed, fixing her eyes to the ground “I’ve been… Working a lot, these past few days.” Bow nodded. Everyone had noticed that Adora had been out-working herself but, as usual, she didn’t listen to their advice to stay put in Bright Moon “I’ve been working because I need to feel… Uh…” 

“Let me guess.” Bow said “You want to feel useful.”

Adora looked at him, surprised. “How did you know?”

The archer sighed, crossing his arms “Adora, we had this talk a thousand times. And you still fall into this loop. But the thing is,” he gripped her shoulders, forcing her to meet his gaze “You are never unuseful, Adora. I mean, you saved the freaking Universe! You shouldn’t have to work anymore!”

Adora sighed, feeling her eyes well up with tears “But I still feel like I need to do something Bow. For you guys, for Catra. But now she’s-” she cut herself off like if she continued, she would cry.

“Hey. She’s okay, Adora. Catra’s the toughest person I know. You guys will be okay.”

Adora gave a final sigh, staring at the sunlight that hit the top of the Wood’s trees. “I hope you’re right.”

After Bow left to find Glimmer, Adora went back to checking her notes. She made a list of places to look for Catra - she had a bad feeling that whatever happened had been something grave, so her Catra wouldn’t be back so soon, she’d have to look for her. In her list, The Woods and Bright Moon had been crossed, since she spent hours looking in between trees with Swift Wind and had checked every corner in Bright Moon before going to sleep and after waking up. She thought about going to the other princesse’s kingdoms, but the only one Catra would consider going would be Plumeria because of Perfuma and Scorpia. She would have to check the Crimson Waste and the Fright Zone next, though she doubted Bow and Glimmer would let her go on these missions by herself. 

I should have stayed with her after everything we’ve been through in the Heart. - Adora thought - Now I’ll have to find her and make sure we never leave each other’s sides again.

Chapter Text

Catra’s consciousness returned after a long night of sleep, but that didn’t mean she was ready to get up either. Though, she felt a bit weird, different. She was partially aware that there was little light in the room, and that the bed was not as cold as usual. Maybe Adora had just left?

She turned around and stretched her hand to grab one of the smaller cushions they left on the bed, but she didn’t find any. Then, she smelled the pillow her head was laid on, and it didn’t have the usual lavender scent that was signature from Bright Moon. Then, it hit her.

She opened her eyes and saw the dark walls and the huge bed and her baby pictures hanging there. Halfmoon.

She was glad it hadn’t all been a dream. She was terrified because it hadn’t been a dream.

A wave of anxiety washed over her when she remembered the previous day’s events and wondered if today was about to be just as crazy. Melog, sensing her nervousness, came closer and laid down with her so they were back-to-back. 

How she wishes it was Adora lying there beside her.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. “Yes?” Catra asked before it opened to reveal Zyn.

“Good morning, Your Highness.” they greeted and Catra raised one eyebrow, unused to the weird formality “King Nikolaj is waiting for you to join him at breakfast.”

“Oh, okay.” Catra pulled the covers aside and got up, moving towards the bathroom to brush her teeth “I’ll just get dressed first.”

“There’s no need, Your Highness.” Zyn said “This is your house, you can wear whatever you want.”

Catar smiled. In Bright Moon, people wore their nice clothes all the time, according to Adora. “Alright. Oh, Zyn.” she called before they went out the door “You can call me Catra, okay. No need for those formalities shit.”

Zyn gave her a small smile “Of course, Your Highn- I mean, Catra.” they closed the door and she headed to the bathroom, Melog trailing behind.

“Do you know who would love this place?” Catra asked them as she cleared her teeth “Entrapta.”

‘Ah, indeed.’ they said ‘I believe she would go insane over a hidden civilization.’

Catra laughed “Yeah, she 100% would. Come on.” they headed towards the kitchen, passing by Helena’s statue (Catra still had to ask about that) and walking down the stairs. She entered the door that Cyra showed her yesterday, finding Nik at a table for six drinking something that she believed was coffee. In front of him was a woman Catra hadn’t met yet. She was ginger and had fur in a very light color, but her eyes were a very dark shade. She also had a big belly bump that made her seat a bit further away from the table than was normally comfortable.

“Catra, my love!” Nikolaj greeted, turning his face in her direction “Good morning!”

“Morning.” she greeted, seating between him and the pregnant woman.

“Oh, my! You look exactly like Cyra!” the woman gasped, showing Catra a big smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Catra. I’m Sali.”

Catra smiled back a bit shyly as the woman slid a plate of biscuits towards her. Catra gave a tentative bite, but quickly gave in and put the entire thing in her mouth. “These are so good!” she commented.

“You have to thank Sali for that, darling.” Nik said “She cooks everything here.”

“Really?” Catra asked, mouth full of the baked goods.

“Yes, I’m the cook. And thank you,” Sali said, getting up to put her empty plate on the sink “I’m glad you liked it.”

Catra noticed how carefree the magicats seemed to be, so she had decided that she would try to be chattier with them, the way she was with her friends. It was hard, but she was willing to get to know these people and their ways better.

“What’s their name?” Catra asked Sali “The baby, I mean.”

“Oh, it’s babies.” Sali said, emphasising the ‘es’.

Catra furrowed her brows “Really? But it looks small for more than one.”

“Ah, Catra must not know much about magicat biology.” Nik said “Sweetie, magicat  babies are way smaller than other species’, and it’s common for us to have up to six babies for each pregnancy.”

Catra’s mouth opened in surprise. “What?” she looked at Sali “You carry six babies willingly? ”

Sali and Nik shared a laugh. “It’s not as bad as you think it is, and I’m actually carrying four. I’m in my last month right now, so it won’t get any bigger than this.”

Truly, it didn’t seem like much weight to carry if the babies were so small, but still... Who would want to have four children at the same time?!

“Catra has a lot to learn about our culture.” Nik said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Again, she surprised herself when she didn’t flinch in the slightest. “Me and your mother will be happy to show you.”

“About that, where is Cyra?” she asked, taking a sip of the juice Sali left on a jar at the table.

“She is in a meeting, but she will be back soon enough to take you to the tailor in the afternoon.” said Zyn, who just entered the kitchen. They greeted Nik and Catra again and then moved to give Sali a chaste kiss on the lips. When they sat at the table, they turned to Nik. “Your Majesty, apparently Catra doesn’t like that ‘formalities shit’.”

Nik chuckled. “What do you mean?”

“They kept calling me ‘Your Highness’. Like I was some kind of royal.” Catra answered, biting the last biscuit in her plate. “‘S funny.”

“But, Catra.” Nik said, crooking his head to the side “You know you are the daughter of the Queen and King of Halfmoon, right? That makes you a princess.”

Catra’s biscuit fell from her hand. No, that can’t be.

Me??? Catra????? A PRINCESS?!!?!?

Sparkles is going to bully me until I die.

Now, Catra and Cyra find themselves standing in front of the tailor shop. The people of Halfmoon are a bit more used to having Catra around, so they are not staring that much anymore. In fact, they seem very happy to have her around.

“Ah! This must be our princess!” a tall magicat suddenly burst through the shop’s door, opening his arms wide in greeting. “Elizabeth, you haven’t changed a thing. C’mere!”

Before she could react, Catra was pulled into a crushing hug, almost as crushing as Scorpia’s. Almost. Her head was buried in his dark fur as the man continued to talk “I can’t believe we finally found you, Lizzie.” Lizzie? What the fuck?  

“Okay, Angus, that’s enough.” Cyra intervenes, thankfully “You’re suffocating her. And it’s Catra now, not Lizzie.”

“What?!” Angus let go of her and huffed angrily. “Those motherfuckers changed her name? How dare they?!”

“I know, I know. But we’re not here to talk about the Horde. My daughter needs some new clothes.” Cyra put a hand on her back to guide her inside the shop as she talked.

Everytime Cyra or Nik said the word ‘daughter’, Catra’s insides turned into goo. She noticed that it had more effect when it was Cyra, because, after all, Catra had always lacked a good mother. She wasn’t completely sure if Cyra was really a good mom, but judging by the way she looked at Catra, she truly did love her.

Inside the shop there were two other magicats. One of them was Isolde, the old lady who she’d met the other day and was now sewing something. The other was a young woman, probably around Catra’s age, with light brown fur and hair in the darkest shade of black, folding a few pieces of clothing. When Cyra and Catra stood in the middle of the room, they both looked up to greet them.

“Ah! Elizabeth and Cyra!” Isolde said in her very loud voice. “Good to see you again!”

“Don’t mind the ‘Elizabeth’ thing.” Cyra murmured so only Catra heard “She’s old.” at that, Catra chuckled lightly.

“Hey.” the woman stepped forward. “So I finally get to meet the Princess of Halfmoon.”

Catra held back a wince at the word ‘princess’. “Yup. I’m Catra.”

“Aimee.” they shook hands as Angus came back inside.

“And I’m here to buy clothes.” Cyra said, moving Catra to stand on a round platform on the left of the shop. It was pretty small, but mostly because it was so full of stuff. On the end of the room was a desk with a bunch of papers and notebooks in it, but the rest was full with shelves and clothes racks.

“Right!” Angus said, moving towards her and pulling some sort of measuring tape from the pocket in his apron “Stand still please.” 

She obeyed, watching as he measured every part of her body. Meanwhile, Cyra and Aimee stood by her side.

“Is it going to be casual or royal fitness, Cyra?” Aimee asked.

“Just casual is good.” Cyra looked at Catra “Sweetie, what color would you like?”

“Uh…” Catra was bad at this. In the Horde, she always had a limited amount of choices of clothing, and the only thing different in Bright Moon was that she was wearing Adora’s pajamas. “Maybe dark colors…?”

“That an answer or a question?” asked Aimee.

“You decide, I guess.”

“Tight or loose?” Angus asked as he measured her legs.

“Hmm… Maybe a bit of both?”

“Oooh, I like that. Take notes Aimee.” 

“Uhum.” Aimee didn’t move. “So, will you need a crown too?”

Cyra clapped slightly “Oh! Do you want one, Catra?”

Catra furrowed her brows “Why would I wear a crown?”

“Because you are a princess.” Aimee’s tone suggested she was saying something obvious. “But we can make it very simple, if you don’t like the title.” yes please “Also, with your hair like that, you would probably look bad.”

Catra scoffed, which earned a laugh from the other three. “Alright, I got the measurements.” Angus said, helping Catra down “As I see our little Lizzie doesn’t have a lot of fashion sense, we’ll have to surprise you.”

“Wow, you guys love complimenting me.” Catra said in a bored tone. Cyra squeezed her arm lightly as she chuckled, sparking a sense of familiarity between them, even though they met less than three days ago.

“It’s Catra, Angus!” Isolde folded the piece she was working on and left it at the desk. “So, Elizabeth, how are you liking Halfmoon?”

Catra ignored the use of her names, smiling at the old woman. “Honestly, I’m loving it.”

“Well, she’ll love it even more after I show the rest of it to her.” Cyra told them.

“The clothes won’t take long to be made, so maybe we’ll pass by tomorrow evening. That okay for you, Cyra?” 

“It’s perfect, Angus. You guys should have dinner with us!” her mother said, already heading out the door.

“Peachy!” Aimee said at the same time Angus yelled a: “See you!”

Catra and Cyra continued their walk through the streets. Cyra was walking and talking a bit fast, showing her the school, the bakery, the bar, the park where they celebrated (Cyra promised Catra to throw a party in honor of her return, which made Catra feel like she didn’t really deserve all of this). However, she showed herself most excited by their last stop.

“Here we are.” Cyra announced “The Crystal Chamber.”

They were in front of the biggest wall on the cavern, which had a small entrance in its middle, almost like an adjacent room. This ‘chamber’ was completely covered in all types of crystals from top to bottom, left to right. It sparked beautifully but its appearance was not what captured Catra’s attention.

“Can you feel it?” Cyra asked her. Then, she grabbed Catra’s right hand in hers gently and lifted it, so their palms were turned towards the chamber. Catra’s whole hand tingled with the overwhelming energy coming from the crystals, making her fur stand on end.

“What is this?” Catra asked, still amazed and terrified.

“These crystals are our source of energy. Inner and outer energy.” Cyra sat them down a bit further away from the crystals. “They provide us with light, help our plants grow and give us some of their power.”

“Wait.” Catra’s eyes widened. “Magicats have power too?”

“Of course. But every magicat needs to connect with the crystals first.”

“But, what can you do?”

“Well, the crystals grant us strength and resistance, so it’s very difficult to win a fight against a magicat.” Cyra had a proud smirk on her face and Catra couldn’t help but copy it. “Apart from that, we can sense magic in a way almost as accurate as the sorcerers, given that we have a deep connection with it.” she pointed to the crystals beside them “Oh, and we can also shift.”

“Shift?”

“Yes. Change forms.”

Catra’s brows furrowed “Like a shapeshifter.”

“Not quite.” Cyra said “Do you know what a panther is?”

“Yes, I’ve read about them. They’re extinct.”

“Not really.” said Cyra “I’m gonna tell you a story because, if I show you, you might get overwhelmed.”

Catra scoffed but didn’t argue. Her mother continued:

“Long ago, Princess Helena found out that a panther had gotten into Halfmoon to hide from people of the other kingdoms of Etheria-”

“Didn’t it attack a house?” Catra interrupted. Cyra looked at her with a confused expression. “The panther. I read in a book that the panther had destroyed a house and Helena killed it.”

“Killed it?!” Cyra scoffed “Of course Bright Moon would tell a story like that! Urgh!” her mother groaned loudly “Look, every single story you heard about our people is wrong. No kingdom ever cared about getting to know us really, so they spread a lot of bullshit.”

Catra thought about how no one ever mentioned Halfmoon or the magicats, ever. They didn’t know anything, probably because their parents never cared to teach them about it.

“Okay, so back to the story.” Cyra said “Helena went after the panther to see where it was hiding. The other kingdoms had seen it wandering close and had tried to attack it. She found it inside the Great Tree.” 

“Here?” Catra pointed to the ground.

“Yes, sweetie. Here. ” Cyra chuckled “Helena tried to comfort the panther, but it was very malnourished and hurt. It didn’t have much time to live. That’s when the crystals around the cavern called to her, and she answered. 

“Helena accepted the planet’s gift and absorbed a small part of its magic through the crystals. Then, she concentrated on the panther and asked permission to help it. The panther accepted, and its soul converged with hers, making her the first magicat to ever shift.”

“Their souls merged?” Catra asked “How the fuck did that happen?”

“Don’t ask me. It’s magic.” Cyra shrugged “I’m just telling you a story. Anyway, she came back to Halfmoon and slowly taught everyone else how to connect with the crystals and shift. Unfortunately, the panthers went extinct due to hunting, so most of the registers about panthers are actually just magicats during a shift.”

Catra hummed. This version was so much better than the one in the book. She thought Helena had been brave to kill the beast, but now she sees that she was actually braver to try and help the panther.

If all magicats had these sorts of powers, then it meant that Catra could also have them.

“Did you bring me here to teach me how to do it?” Catra asked her mother.

“No, I wanted you to know about it first. Besides, it’ll be your choice to do it or not.”

“Why?” Catra asked, moving to sit beside Cyra.

“Look, I know your life isn’t here.” Cyra sighed “And, as much as it pains me, I’ll understand if you want to leave to Bright Moon again. So I’ll only teach you what you want me to teach.”

Catra looked at her mother with a puzzled face. She knew she had to come back at some point, she missed Adora like crazy. But she also didn’t want to leave Halfmoon. This place could be her home too, couldn’t it?

“But, if I go back to Bight Moon,” Catra asked tentatively “Can’t I return here when I want to?”

Cyra crooked her head to the side. “Honey, Halfmoon and its people are hidden from the rest of Etheria for a reason. When we needed them, they turned their back on us - of course, it was different with you, but that was an exception. I can’t risk the safety of my people like this, especially when the Horde is right on our doorstep.”

Catra knew that this will be something they’ll have to discuss later, so for now she changed the subject. “I want you to teach me to do this. I still don’t know when I’ll return to Bright Moon, but I don’t want to go back just yet.”

Cyra’s lower lip trembled and, before she could do anything, she tackled Catra into a bone-crushing hug, burying her face on her daughter’s shoulder.

“I’m so happy you’re here, Catra.” Catra tightened their embrace “I love you so much.”

Catra couldn’t hold back her own tears of joy, so she stayed there crying in her mother’s shoulder.

Chapter Text

Catra’s disappearance happened almost a week ago, and with each day the Alliance got more and more worried not only with Catra’s whereabouts, but Adora’s stability. The warrior wasn’t sleeping - that much was obvious -, she wandered around with dark circles under her eyes and a sad posture, as if she was dragging herself around the castle. She wasn’t eating well too, compared to how much she ate before. She skipped meals and ate in her room, surrounded by maps, books and tissues.

The biggest difference was, however, that Adora didn’t even put her hair in her signature ponytail anymore. It cascaded on her shoulders, its end hitting her ribs and her bangs covering her eyes. 

Adora had been sad before, but not like this. She had been in love with Catra her whole life and when they went their separate ways during the war, a part of Adora broke. She noticed that she had gotten more serious, stiffer, not the goofy way she acted when she and Catra played around in the barracks. She was sad to be apart from Catra for so long, to fight Catra for so long. Then, obviously, everything changed once Catra was rescued and joined the Rebellion. Her close friends noticed her love-struck face whenever she stared at Catra, smiling like an idiot. She made horrible puns and tripped over anything just to hear the catgirl laugh. 

So now that she knew what it was like to have Catra beside her, what it was like to have Catra love her back, losing her was unbearable. Knowing that she could be right here, laying beside her in bed with their legs tangled together, her absence felt like a blast through her chest, if not worse. 

Adora blamed herself for letting this happen. For letting Carta slip through her fingers again. She had wanted to prove not only to the others, but to her Catra that she was worth her time, worth her love, but instead she only drove her away. 

She noticed that she had been staring at the mirror for far too long when there was a knock at her door. She mumbled a ‘get in’ before Mermista came in and threw herself on a chair.

“‘Sup.” the princess groaned “We have a meeting in ten minutes.”

“About?” Adora asked, brushing her hair lazily.

“The Horde. Again. Urgh!”

“Was there movement on their part?” Adora asked. Maybe they took Catra…

“Yup. Those gremlins are damaging the woods and we can’t let them invade any village.” upon seeing Adora’s ‘lost in thought’ face, she added. “And no, there’s no sign they kidnapped Catra. They were seen alone.”

“You can’t know that.” the blonde huffed, placing her hairbrush back on the table and turning to face her friend. “They must hate her now. It’s obvious that they would want to get her, especially to get a rise out of me, then they-”

“Okay, I’m gonna have to ask you to shut up.” Mermista said nonchalantly “Adora, I may not like Catra all that much, but I know that she’s not weak or dumb. She’d end those bitches in a second.”

Adora sighed. “I want to believe that. But I can’t think of any other reason for Catra to disappear other than her being in danger.” she threw Mermista a concerned look. “Do you think that maybe Angella, uh… Told her to go away?”

“At first I thought so, but she seems just as worried as the rest of us by now.” Mermista got up from her chair and opened the door. “Come on, we have a meeting now. Or should I say ‘an hour of Glimmer trying to make a plan that doesn’t involve murder’.”

Turns out she was right, the queen of Bright Moon was furious with the remaining soldiers of the Horde, and in at least four of her suggestions involved murder. Thankfully, Bow was there to give peaceful opinions.

Adora’s mind, however, was far away from the conversation. Her thoughts were a mess of Catra - as usual -  and worry. She has had difficulty to transform these last few days, even summoning her sword is hard. Two days ago, she transformed only to de-transform five seconds later, and that was the last time she had been She-Ra. If their plan involves a big fight, she’ll have to do her best as Adora.

Hours after the meeting the group - Netossa, Bow, Perfuma, Sea Hawk and Adora - was hidden behind a couple of trees at the entrance of Erelandia. They had decided to take the Horde by surprise, so the less attention they pulled, the better. Adora questioned why bring Sea Hawk if they wanted to be stealthy, as the man was the loudest person she knew, but Glimmer stated that because he doesn’t have powers and is a pirate, the soldiers won’t suspect much of him at first.

Netossa gestured to the right, pulling the group’s attention to a small tank and a skiff coming in the village’s direction. In the vehicles were at least 10 people carrying big blasters and other weapons. They were well armed for a small squad, definitely able to cause some damage.

The Rebellion group silently separated to circle the Horde soldiers, drawing their weapons and aiming at them before they got too close to the gates of Erelandia.

From the corner of her eye, Adora saw Bow aiming an arrow that he had made this week. It was a silent arrow that, when placed right across another one of the same kind, created an electric barrier and stunned whoever tried to cross it. It was one of Bow’s best projects, but it had yet to be tested.

The archer shot the first arrow that landed on the ground unnoticed by the soldiers, then the second. Both were a couple feet away but still perfectly aligned. The soldiers crept closer and closer, halting to a stop right in the middle of their circle. Four soldiers stepped out of the vehicles and walked, blasts in hand. Adora stood on edge, waiting for the bandits to cross the arrows.

It took the four of them only six more steps to be electrocuted, and the warriors rose to attack.

Adora immediately jumped on the skiff, landing her staff right in a soldier’s stomach, then on the other’s arm. They tried to fight back, but she was stronger and knocked one out quickly. Perfuma attacked the tank, vines covering it from top to bottom and snatching the driver away, throwing them on the ground with incredible force. Sea Hawk battled against a big lizard soldier with a blast while Netossa and Bow fought against the others that were still standing.

The soldier with the busted arm suddenly charged their blaster against Adora, so she jumped off the skiff right before it hit her. The fall made her muscles ache but she ignored the pain and continued to fight. The soldier also jumped off and now was face to face with the blonde. She dove her staff in their stomach, but they doged, charging the blaster again. She ducked right on time, hitting their feet and making them stumble. Taking advantage of their faltered step, Adora gave a powerful kick to their right arm, throwing the blaster on the other side of the fight. With a last hit of her staff, she knocked them to the ground. On her right, Bow threw an arrow with a net towards the lizard soldier who was attacking Sea Hawk, making them the last one to fall. Now that she stopped, she noticed how strong the smell of smoke coming from the blasters was.

Netossa tied them all together and threw them on the skiff “Come on guys. We have some packages to deliver to the Rebellion.” she said, urging them to join her.

Knowing very well how to drive one of these, Adora immediately went to the controls, driving towards Bright Moon at maximum speed. Her friends chatted behind her, but she kept quiet. Maybe they could interrogate them and find out where Catra is.

They got to Bright Moon in record time, announcing that the mission had been a success and asking to put the bandits on their cell. Glimmer, Mermista and Spinerella were there to greet them, first aid kits on hand.

Adora hadn’t even checked to see if anyone got badly hurt, too absorbed in her own mind to pry her eyes away from the siff’s path. She saw that Sea Hawk had a wound on his ankle, clearly a blast. It was ugly, but wasn’t deep - even if he told Mermista it was a terrible warrior’s wound that he would have to bear for the rest of his life. Apart from that, the others had only a couple of scratches on their arms.

“Uh, Adora?” Mermista called. She and Spinerella looked at her like they were holding back a wince. “You might want to look in the mirror.”

Adora frowned at that. Do I have dirt on me?

Perfuma tapped her shoulder, offering her a small mirror. When she looked at her reflection, she didn’t notice anything different apart from a little bit of dust on her cheeks but, as she looked downwards, she saw that at least half of her hair was missing. 

“Oh.” she said, returning the mirror to Perfuma. “I didn’t notice.”

“Yeah.” Glimmer said. Bow gave her a gentle smile and out a hand on her shoulder.

“Why don’t you go take a bath and rest?” he offered.

“Won’t we interrogate them? The Horde?” she asked.

“Later. Go rest first.” Perfuma said, also smiling gently.

She didn’t like the look of pity her friends have been throwing her way, but she didn’t protest. She really was tired. Not having She-Ra can be bad in moments like this. 

She walked to her room in the slowest pace she had ever seen, the smell of burnt hair invading her nose unpleasantly. She wondered if Catra would make fun of her half destroyed hair.

When she got to her room, she was tempted to just throw herself on bed and sulk for a while, but she didn’t want to stay dirty for too long. Perfuma was right, she should rest. Even if she can’t sleep, a bath will certainly help.

She undressed and got in the tub quickly, enjoying the feel of the warm water on her skin. Her hair, now dripping wet, no longer smelled badly, but it was hard to wash with half of it missing. She stayed in the water way longer than she usually did, watching the crystals on the ceiling shine against the first risen moon.

When Catra had moved to her room, she couldn’t stop thinking about sharing a bath with her. The mere thought made her blush furiously, as her Catra would certainly suggest many activities to do in the tub. She knew Catra didn’t like water, but maybe she would feel more comfortable if they were together. She regretted not acting on her wish sooner, because now the water was getting cold, and there was no Catra to warm her here.

She remembers what Mara said to her before she went to the Heart, how Adora also deserves happiness, how she also wants. Maybe Mara would be disappointed in her for falling back into her old habit of working to feel useful, for rejecting her time with the love of her life.

Adora swore on Mara’s name that she would do everything she could to find Catra and live the life the two of them deserve.

Feeling her fingertips starting to wrinkle, she got out of the tub, drying herself quickly and putting on her pajamas. She had started to wear the tank top and shorts that she gave to Catra the last week, as the brunette didn’t have any sleepwear. They smelled like her, so it was comforting to Adora.

She stood in front of the mirror, eying the damage in her hair. The left side was untouched, but there was a palm missing on her right, right above her breast. Its ends were a mess, turning sideways because of the harsh burn. She picked a pair of scissors she had on a drawer and breathed in deeply. She separated a small lock of hair on the right and chopped off on the middle, repeating the action with another lock. When she let go, she saw that they were falling two fingers below her jaw and continued to trim it in the same length. With a little bit of adjusting here and there, soon her hair was shorter than it ever was. Her bangs now parted in the middle, not so much shorter than the rest of her hair.

She felt lighter, like there was a weight falling off her shoulders. She thinks that Catra would like it.

She cleaned up the locks on the floor and flopped onto the bed, hugging a pillow in a weak attempt to imitate warmth. She would have to rest a bit if she wanted to interrogate the bandits tomorrow.

They must have a clue on where Catra is. They have to.

Chapter Text

Melog still slept soundly on the bed as Catra finished getting dressed - now in her new clothes. When she looked in the mirror, she couldn’t suppress a grin. The clothes were perfect for her in every way possible. Cyra had said that Angus was as good as his mother was, but she hadn’t known that he would be this good.

Her bodice was replaced by a crimson cropped tank top, leaving her abdomen exposed, and a pair of black leggings that stopped briefly before her ankles with a crimson silk piece covering in between her legs in her front and back down to her knees. It was all covered in golden details, mostly with the symbol of a half moon. It was perfect to fight and to look like - Catra hated saying this - a princess.

And, to finish, she picked up the headpiece Aimee had made for her. It was not similar to the one she had before or to her mother’s, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It was thinner and golden like the details on her clothes, and its only big feature was a half moon made of a crystal called ‘ruby’ turned upwards, almost like the letter ‘u’.

Adora would love seeing her wearing this.

She heard footsteps outside, coming quickly before her doors were burst wide open.

“Catra, there has been an emergency. We need you in Cyra’s office now.” Zyn motioned for her to hurry.

“What emergency?” Catra asked, already on her feet.

“You’ll see.” was all they responded before escorting Catra to her mother’s office. There she found her, Nikolaj and two other magicats that she was almost sure were guards.

“Catra, dear.” Cyra greeted, she had a frown on her face. “Come sit.”

She sat beside her mother on the desk while her father and the two guards remained standing. There was a map in front of them, The Whispering Woods, Catra noticed, and there were several Xs marked in red all over it.

“Your majesty,” one of the guards spoke. “The Horde was spotted once again yesterday. Right outside the Great Tree.”

Catra’s eyes widened at the same time her mother sighed. “We can’t keep up like this. Was it a big group?”

“No, your majesty.” the other guard said. “Eight Horde soldiers at most.”

“Still, it’s more than last time.” 

“Last time?” Catra asked. “So… The Horde has been trying to attack?”

“We don’t know yet, sweetie.” her father said. “They found the ruins a while ago and we suspect they are aware of our existence here.”

“But how can you know that they know?” she asked.

“Every month, a small group of magicats goes to other villages to bring food and tools for Halfmoon.” Cyra explained. “But maybe, even though they were in disguise, the soldiers might have spotted a tail or an ear, whatever. And it would still be suspicious because-”

“Because I’m the only magicat in Etheria.” Catra completed.

Her mother nodded, then got up from her chair. “We hoped that you could help us by explaining how their tactics work and maybe we can estimate how much time we have before they force their way through the Tree.”

Catra also rose from her seat, analyzing the map. The Horde was much messier than before, as most of its leaders were either killed, arrested or changed sides. The ones that remained for the cause were soldiers with no practice on strategy, apparently. They seemed to not have a pattern, and just raided every single town they could like it was shown on the map. They wanted to cause chaos and possibly avenge their cause.

Though, things were different when talking about Halfmoon. If the Horde found out about something that not a single other kingdom knew about, they would have an advantage over them. Of course, they didn’t know that there were people here, but if they ever were to take the crystals from the cavern and weaponize themselves, things could get pretty ugly.

“Alright, so…” Catra started, eyes still glued to the map. “They are messy and eager, so they probably haven’t caused that much destruction yet and I assume their stock of weapons is also not that big. I think that, because no one ever taught them about the existence of Halfmoon, they are mostly after more weapons and supplies. They won’t fight unless they know there is a big group of people in here, so we can’t let them know that.

“I say it’ll take them at least a month until they figure out that the Tree is a gate. Horde soldiers are mostly trained to just fight, strategy isn’t their biggest strength. But in case I’m wrong, I suggest that we take all precautions possible and never take our eyes off the gate. If anyone that isn’t a magicat gets here, you should arrest them and interrogate to see if they have any plans of invasion and or massacre.”

When she turned her head upwards, the guards were silent, as if expecting her to say something else. Her parents, on the other hand, were with silly little smiles on their faces.

“That is all.” Cyra said. The soldiers bowed slightly and walked out of the office. Now that they were alone, Cyra threw herself on her chair and sighed at the same time Nikolaj went to Catra’s direction and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Catra, you are truly an excellent leader.” he said. “Really, we are very proud of you.”

Catra smiled softly and wrapped her arm around his back to return the affection.

“I’m so happy you got my wits, sweetie!” Nik added, making Cyra scoff.

“ Your wits?” 

Catra laughed softly, enjoying this foreign and sweet moment with her family.

The guards of Halfmoon followed Catra’s suggestions, doubling the efforts to protect the kingdom and not taking their eyes off the Great Tree. It hadn’t been a hard task for Catra to take part in that meeting, she had actually missed having to plan strategies and organizing things around. However, after the Horde soldiers problem was solved for the day, another task took over Halfmoon, one that made Catra want to throw herself out the window.

Planning a party.

The party was for her, like her mother said it would be, so there were people asking questions about her favorite color, her favorite food, what songs does she like, what is she gonna wear, ‘can Melog dance?’, Etc, etc.

It was chaos.

Thankfully, Nik pried her away from the planning and took her to the library to read with him. Sali was also there, with a kettle full of tea and a book in her hands.

“Catra! It’s so good to see you again!” Sali greeted her with a gentle hug. “Are you excited for your party?”

“A little bit.” she said as the three of them sat on one of the tables. “I think it’s different from the parties I’ve been to before, though.”

“The Horde has parties?” Nik asked with a confused expression.

“No, we didn’t even have birthdays.” Catra answered. “I’ve only been at Princess Prom, the celebration of the end of the war and one party in the Crimson Waste.”

“Wait, what did you say about birthdays?” Sali asked her, teacup frozen in hand. “You didn’t have birthdays?!”

“No. Why? Is it important?”

“Of course it is!” Sali put her teacup back on the table, turning her attention solely to Catra. “You never celebrated your birthday?”

Catra shook her head no. “Birthdays are important celebrations for us. Though the biggest celebration happens the day you are born.” Nik explained. “Everytime a child is born here in Halfmoon, there is a celebration. It’s simple, but most of us attend. Oh, and your birthday is October 28th.”

Catra’s eyebrows shot up. She imagined herself celebrating her birthday with her friends and family in Halfmoon, the image bringing a warm feeling to her chest. 

“So, you’ll have a celebration too?” Catra asked Sali.

“Oh, yes. Definitely.” the red-haired woman handed Catra one teacup. “And I think it’s going to happen very soon.”

Catra looked at Sali’s baby bump, picturing the four small babies that were soon to be born. She thought about how great their lives were about to be, in a place full of people that loved them. She was going to do her best to make sure no one would take that away from them.

“But enough talking about babies.” Sali said. “How was your meeting earlier?”

“Oh, Catra solved it for us! She is so smart!” Nik said excitedly, smiling from ear to ear.

Catra was happy for the compliment, but she couldn’t not correct him. “Actually, it’s only a temporary solution. Those soldiers won’t stop so soon.”

“Yes, we know they won’t stop. But until then, we will be safe far away.” the king then returned to touching the pages of the book, reading and leaving Catra confused.

Far away? What does that even mean?

She decided to drop it for now, concentrating in the simple conversation with the two magicats.

“I think I will visit Bright Moon soon.” Catra said. “I could go there and come back quickly.”

“That’s a great idea.” Nik said. “Your friends must be worried.”

Catra nodded. Her friends must be looking for her by now, though they were used to her running off. Catra was sure Adora would be mad and worried, but again, she is used to it. It’s not like she’s going to get freaked out if Catra stays away for a little while, it might actually be good for her to spend some time by herself in Bright Moon...

Sali suddenly came closer, gesturing for Catra to do the same. “Do you have someone there, Catra?” at Catra’s furrowed brows, the woman explained. “Like, a lover.”

Catra blushed, answering Sali’s question with a light nod. “Well, I don’t know if your parents would be okay, but I think you should bring them here. To spend time.”

“You think so?” Catra whispered back.

“Of course! Your family is our family.”

“You know I’m blind, not deaf. Right?” Nikolaj said, a playful grin on his face.

“Excuse you, we’re having girl talk.” Sali said, making an ugly face at him.

“I know you’re making an ugly face Sali, that’s not funny.”

Sali rolled her eyes at the king while Catra laughed loudly at the two.

It was a rainy day in Bright Moon, the loud sound of the water hitting the windows was almost deafening. The darkness of the sky brings weight onto the castle, but mostly onto Adora. 

She woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night. In her dream, everyone of her friends was celebrating something, like a Princess Prom, but different. They were all wearing white, and were dancing to a slow and beautiful song. Adora danced with Catra, both of them gazing into each other’s eyes like they were the most precious thing in the Universe. But then, Horde Prime showed up, and in his booming and cold voice he said ‘What a waste, Adora. If you had not failed, you could have had this. But as always, you were not enough.’

As he finished saying this, the scenario around her changed. They were now in a dark field, a starless sky above them. Adora sat on her knees, holding a bleeding Catra in her arms. Her white clothes were ruined by a deep gash on her chest, blood seeping out of her body quickly. She held Catra tightly and cried into the night.

‘No!’ her tears fell on Catra’s now pale cheeks ‘Don’t leave me, Catra. I need you!’

Catra’s eyes focused on her, sadness carved in them. ‘Don’t let me go, Adora.’ she pleaded.

‘I won’t. I won’t, Catra. I love you.’

Then, Catra’s body relaxed, her hands meeting the ground as her strength left her. She gave one final look at Adora before death came to her.

Adora weeped, screamed, but nothing changed. Her nightmare continued like this and she couldn’t wake up. When she finally did, she sat up on the bed with a scream, tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked to her side, but Catra wasn’t there. Catra was missing. Another wave of fear and sadness washed over her and she cried until it was time to get up.

No one noticed her state, nor did they hear her screams - the rain was too loud for that. They did notice her hair though. Now she couldn’t wear her signature ponytail, as Netossa pointed out. It had cheered some of them up, but worried others.

“I’m glad you changed it, ‘Dora.” Netossa told her as they ate breakfast “I was kinda tired of the poof, not gonna lie.”

“Darling!” Spinerella reprimanded her wife.

“What? It’s true.”

“I think you look great with either Adora.” Spinerella smiled at her gently.

“Thanks.” Adora answered as she bit her sandwich.

Later, Perfuma pulled her aside. “Adora, don’t get me wrong I loved your hair. But don’t you think the change was a little bit... Drastic?”

“Half my hair was burned off.” 

“I know, but maybe Glimmer could’ve fixed it with a spell. Why chop it off?”

Adora looked out the window, watching the raindrops sliding down the glasses. Catra hates this type of weather. “I needed to change.”

With that, Adora left her friend to find the cell of the castle. There, Micah, Bow, Angella and Glimmer were waiting for her. They were going to interrogate the prisoners to try to find the Horde’s plans and if they had taken Catra as their prisoner.

Adora didn’t tell this to anyone, but she kind of hoped they were the ones who had taken her, because if they haven’t, and she has been missing for more than a week now, something bad could have happened.

Images from her nightmare flashed through her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut. She is okay. You are going to get her back. She is coming back. - Adora did her best to reassure herself, but at this point the ache in her chest was not going to leave her.

“Good morning Adora.” Micah greeted her. “Did you sleep w-”

“Are the prisoners ready?” she interrupted. Her voice had an annoyed yet tired tone to it, surprising the other four people.

“Yes.” Angella answered. “They are. Micah will only put a truth spell on them before we start.”

“Good.” was all Adora answered before she pushed the doors open. Inside, three of the soldiers were tied together inside a magic barrier while the rest of them stayed inside another barrier, still unconscious.

The three criminals tilted their heads up to look at the group, wicked smiles plastered on their faces. But when they saw Adora marching angrily towards them, their smiles vanished. Angella and Bow stayed a couple steps behind as Glimmer and Micah positioned themselves right in front of the barrier. Adora stood with her arms crossed in between the sorcerers, staring intensely at the soldiers, pure, hot anger burning inside her chest.

Micah quickly readied the spell, casting it over them. “Alright. We want you to tell us what the Horde’s plans are.” the former king told the soldiers.

They grimaced, as if holding back, but one of them was quick to budge. “We don’t have solid plans.” he choked on his own words, trying not to speak. The girl on his side spoke instead.

“We don’t have enough weapons ready for a battle against Bright Moon.”

“And what about the other kingdoms?” Glimmer asked.

“Potentially.” the first soldier said. “But still, we need to r-raid the ruins first.”

The members of the Rebellion shared confused glances. Adora noticed how Angella’s wings seemed to freeze at the mention of ‘ruins’. “What ruins are you talking about?” Micah asked.

“The ones in the Whispering Woods.” the third soldier answered. At that, Angella visibly tensed.

“How did you find these ruins?” Angella stepped closer, her hands balled into fists.

“We just stumbled there.” the girl said. “There’s nothing interesting. Yet.” 

Angella seemed to relax a bit, but the tension was still there.

“What about your prisoners?” Adora decided to ask, too anxious to wait more. “Where do you keep them?”

“We have no prisoners. We don’t plan on taking ordinary people.” 

Adora, not satisfied with the girl’s answer, pressed. “Don’t lie. Where are you keeping them?”

“We don’t keep prisoners.” she insisted.

“No! You took her, we know it!” Adora felt all eyes on her, but she didn’t care. “Where are you keeping Catra?”

“Catra?! Hah!” the third soldier scoffed. “If that traitor bitch isn’t here, then I hope she’s dead. It’s what she deserves.”

Adora’s anger took over herself and she threw an impressive punch on the barrier. Obviously, it didn’t break, but the three criminals flinched. Bow jumped forward, forcefully pulling Adora away and stepping out of the room. When the door closed Adora pushed him hard, throwing her body on the wall. Tears escaped her eyes without notice, and so did a sob. Bow was quick to envelop an arm around her shoulders as she slid down the wall to the ground.

Catra was dead. The image of Catra dying in her arms was imprinted on her mind. She was dead. Her cold eyes fixed on Adora’s. She was gone. Adora’s cries as she rocked her lover’s lifeless body echoed in her head.

It’s all my fault.

Chapter Text

Catra ran through the corridors of the Crystal Castle, her breath caught on her throat and tears of fear threatening to spill. She didn’t stop running until she reached an almost blinding light.

As she crossed it, she saw herself in front of the Heart of Etheria and Adora, fallen under its overwhelming magic.

‘Adora!’ Catra cried, running to the blonde and kneeling to hold her. Adora’s ponytail was all messy and her face was paler than usual. Quickly, green stripes appeared in her face, like veins ready to burst. Adora’s eyes were unfocused, but turned towards Catra’s direction. ‘I’m here Adora. I just got here, please don’t leave me.’ Catra cradled Adora’s face with care as she stroked her cheek lovingly. ‘Stay with me.’

‘Catra…?’ Adora’s voice was weak, but it was music to Catra’s ears. Suddenly, blue eyes rolled back, her head lulling to the side.

‘No! I got you, I’m not letting go!’ Catra brought Adora closer, hiding her face in the blonde’s neck. The Heart boomed above them, its beat was like a clock ticking. Catra shifted, bringing one hand to Adora’s lower back and pressing their foreheads together. ‘You promised me, please.’ Catra pleaded, closing her eyes. ‘I love you.’

Her confession went whispered into the chamber, unnoticed by Adora, who was now starting to slip away. Confused, Catra pulled back to watch her best friend’s face drain of color completely. No, that’s not how it’s supposed to go.

Then, the Heart started to burst, its corrupted magic sending blasts everywhere, hurting the two women. Catra, now desperate, clutched Adora’s body closer to try to feel her warmth one last time.

As the world faded, a dark figure appeared at the entrance of the chamber. Shadow Weaver. The sorceress approached slowly, her shadows waving around like she was underwater.

‘Oh, Catra.’ she said, her voice faking sweetness. ‘You were such a fool to believe you deserved better. You should have known that it wouldn’t make a difference.’

The heart exploded, enveloping Adora and Catra into its destruction. Catra’s last thought was the heartbreaking realization that she hadn’t been enough. Her love would never be enough.

She sat up on the bed with a scream, sweat dripping from her forehead and tears rolling down her cheeks. Melog meowled from the end of the bed, coming closer to nuzzle Catra. She held her head in her hands, the horrible feeling of her nightmare still sent shivers through her body.

She peeked between her fingers, but obviously Adora was not there on the bed with her. No matter how much she wanted her to be, her absence was still real.

Suddenly her doors bursted open. “Catra! What happened?!” Cyra rushed to the bed, panting. Catra briefly looked at her before hiding her head between her hands again. “Nothing. Go to bed.”

She heard Cyra sigh, then the bed dipped beside her. “Was it a nightmare?” Catra only nodded. “Ah, I’m sorry dear.” her mother remained quiet for a bit, listening to Catra’s soft sobs. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Catra thought about it. Perfuma would be proud if Catra said yes to this, but she couldn’t. It was still too recent for her to process anything. She shook her head no.

“Then, can I stay here and talk? Just to pass the time.”

Catra raised her head, looking at her mother. She was wearing a blue nightgown, and her hair was loose, identical to Catra’s when she was in the Horde. She had a kind smile on her lips, inviting Catra to accept her generosity.

“Okay.” Catra agreed, scooting back to lay on her pillows. She expected Cyra to stay where she was, but her mother climbed under the covers with her, embracing her in a soft hold. Catra’s head was resting in her mother’s chest, listening to her heartbeat as the older woman caressed Catra’s back to ease her sobs. 

“You know, it was a challenge to take those pictures of you.” Cyra said, staring at the frames hung in the wall.

Catra looked at them too. “Why?”

“You never stood still. You were always laughing and rolling around.” she pointed to the two on the far left, where she couldn’t more than a year old. “We could only take those because you were sleeping.”

Catra chuckled softly, noticing for the first time that indeed, she was moving in most pictures. Her eyes moved to the family portrait in the center of the wall -  it was a beautiful picture of the three of them, Nik’s face without the scar, Cyra’s smile radiant as ever and Catra was laughing in her mother’s arms. It was taken outside, the little family sat on the grass with sweets in a basket. They looked so happy, Catra wishes she remembered that day.

“I wanted to ask…” Catra said, her voice still heavy with tears. “Sali is having four children, and they said that magicats have a lot of babies at once. But why do you only have me?”

Cyra tightened her hold on her daughter, moving her hand to caress her hair lightly. “It took me a long time to get pregnant, more than it’s normal for a magicat. Everytime I tried, it would continue up to two or three months, then… I’d lose them.”

Upon hearing Cyra’s voice break with sadness, Catra started to purr - soothing her mother’s ache as well as hers. Her mother responded with a purr of her own. “After a couple years of trying, I got pregnant again and it was following the same path as always. But, for some miracle, one baby stayed strong and I could carry on with the pregnancy. I had lots of cramps and stayed many days in bed, but you were born healthy and perfect.”

Catra nuzzled closer to her mother. Feeling the knot in her chest start to unravel.

“You were always incredibly strong Catra.” Cyra said. “I have no doubt that whatever trouble you are facing now will pass.”

Catra sighed and closed her eyes. “It’s Adora.”

Cyra’s movements startled but quickly came back to the soft caress. “Adora… She is your partner, right? The one that was your best friend?”

“Yeah.” Catra answered. “She’s She-Ra.”

“Alright. What happened with her?”

“It’s just…” Catra gave a deep breath. “I thought that after the war ended, we would be closer, at least like we were when we were younger. But she completely ignores me to go work on those stupid villages. It’s like she doesn’t even care! I don’t know what I did to annoy her, maybe I’m being a burden to her when she has to work, but I want to fix th-”

“Hey, hey.” Cyra interrupted “What did you just say? A burden?” Catra lifted herself on her elbow, watching her mother’s face turn into a scowl. “Catra you are not a burden and I doubt Adora thinks that way.”

Catra lowered her head, her mind still swimming around her Adora issue. She missed her so bad, and wants to see her. But she couldn’t shake the fear away. What if she had done something to annoy her? Isn’t she going to be more annoyed because of Catra’s ‘trip’ to the Woods? What if Shadow Weaver was-

“Catra, did Shadow Weaver say you were a burden?” as if reading her daughter’s mind, Cyra asked. Catra lifted her face, her eyes wide as she stared at the older woman. “Huh. I’ll take that as a yes.”

Cyra wrapped one arm around Catra’s shoulder, bringing them closer again. “Look, Catra… I understand if you never want to tell me what this old hag used to say to you, and I’m not sure I want to hear it, but whatever it was she was wrong. She told you lies, Catra. By what you told us, she wanted to keep Adora to herself, right?” Catra nodded weakly, feeling her eyes well up with tears again. “She told you lies so you would stay away from your friend.” Cyra held Catra’s chin gently so they were eye to eye. “Sweetheart, I know it’s hard, but you need to believe in people that love you rather than believe in those who only harmed you.”

Catra let the tears roll down her cheeks and let her mother wipe them. She searched for the feeling of restraint caused by Shadow Weaver’s cruel words, but instead found the gentle warmth that her mother radiated. This is the feeling of being loved, truly, by her mother - Catra realized.

“Besides,” Cyra continued. “If she messed with your head, she messed with Adora’s too. Maybe she is distant because it’s hard for her to deal with everything. Have you thought about that?”

Catra shook her head no. She had been blaming herself for Adora’s behaviour all this time, after all. Maybe Adora was facing her own demons. Still, distancing themselves was not a good decision, but it was hard for both of them in different ways.

Catra settled her head on her mother’s shoulder, feeling herself relax. At the foot of the bed Melog slept soundly, a calm purr reverberating through the cat’s body. She closed her eyes as she felt her mother shift, getting comfortable by the pillows. “I needed this. Thanks mom.”

Cyra inhaled deeply before dropping a kiss on Catra’s head. “Anything for you, my love. Good night.”

The celebration was ready much sooner than Catra thought it would be - it took only two days to prepare everything with the help of everybody. Apparently, all magicats wanted to celebrate her arrival, and had put much thought into tonight’s party.

Cyra was the most excited, she never once stopped mentioning it. Catra and Nik had to listen to her talk about the preparations through breakfast, in her office, in the library, throughout lunch. Now her mother was in her room, claiming that she would help her get ready for everything when in reality she was just chatting nonstop.

“Oh! You would look so good in this one dear!” Cyra showed her a long sleeveless pink dress with ruffles. Catra made a disgusted face and Cyra rolled her eyes. “Urgh, alright. Here, what about this one?” now she had a red shirt that matched a skirt in a darker tone. It was pretty but still wasn’t the right one. Catra shook her head and Cyra sighed. “What’s your favorite color?”

Catra’s thoughts travelled to a pair of unforgettable eyes. “Blue.”

Cyra looked through the pile of clothes on the bed and lifted a light blue dress, showing it to Catra. It had long sleeves but let the shoulders uncovered, its skirt was long but loose and it would also leave the sides of her waist exposed. It was beautiful.

“Yeah, this one will do.” she said, smiling as her mother sighed in relief.

“Finally! Now go put it on, we can’t be late to your own party!” she ushered her daughter to the bathroom and closed the door. Catra undressed and watched herself in the mirror.

The woman staring at her was beautiful. Happy. Two words she had never associated with herself before. She also saw her parents in her reflection as well, and it was a wonderful sensation. She wishes Adora could see her now too. 

Her mother’s old dress fit her perfectly, hugging all her curves but still feeling comfortable. Halfmoon needs to teach Bright Moon some fashion lessons. Catra brushed her hair, which was growing faster and faster by the day, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Melog and her father were by her bedroom’s door, chatting with Cyra. Melog rushed to her side and hugged Catra as best as they could. ‘I am so excited! The party looks amazing and the people are all waiting for you!’ the alien cat sounded like a kitten, its tail lashing wildly behind them. Catra ruffled their fur, sharing the excitement.

Nik approached her slowly, his hands clasped together as if he was nervous. “Catra dear, m-may I...?” he asked, lifting his hands a bit above his chest.

Catra then realized that her father had never touched her face, something that she had seen him do to her mother. She walked closer to meet him halfway and brought his hands to her cheeks. His fingertips travelled the expanse of her cheekbones, then her chin, her lips, her nose… He took his time, moving his hands slowly and gently.

After a little while, he settled his hands on her cheeks again, sighing heavily. “You’re so beautiful, Catra.” he said. “Though it’s a shame that you didn’t inherit much of my good looks.”

Catra cackled and pulled her father into a hug. In the corner, Cyra gasped dramatically. “Are you saying that my looks aren’t as good as yours?!”

Nik chuckled. “You assume what you want to assume, my love.”

Not long after, the royal family of Halfmoon was exiting their house to go to the kingdom’s main park. There, all residents of Halfmoon were gathered in between the pillars surrounding the space, laughs and smiles decorating their faces. On the far right a group of magicats settled their instruments, while on the far left another group arranged a table full of food and drinks. Catra, Melog and her parents walked through the crowd until they got in the very center of the circle, silencing the crowd and making all eyes turn to them.  In front, Catra spotted Angus, Aimee and Isolde, who waved cheerfully. Beside Aimee was a magicat with white fur, showing two thumbs up, like an excited child. Catra politely waved back.

“Citizens of Halfmoon,” Cyra started, her voice reverberating through the park. “I am delighted to say that, after nineteen years apart, our daughter has come back to us!” the crowd cheered, some fist-bumping the air and others clapping. “Her presence has brought us only joy, and we hope that upon her return, Halfmoon might continue to thrive.” Nikolaj circled his arms around Catra, who hugged him back.

“We are all aware that the Horde does not give up. They are once again around us, trying to take what is ours like they did before. But, as your queen, I assure you: nothing will stop us from protecting Halfmoon from whoever tries to bring us down!” the crowd roared louder, cheering Cyra on. “They took my daughter from me,” Cyra shot her a fond gaze, which Catra returned with the same intensity. “But she has returned. What is precious to us, is never truly lost.” the queen smiled softly, her eyes burned with pride and strength. “Halfmoon is ours, and we shall never give it away!”

Everyone cheered as the queen returned to her family’s side. Then, she whispered in Catra’s ear “Do you want to say a few words?” Catra pondered, eyeing the crowd who stared right back at her. She nodded, stepping out of her parents arms.

She felt all the attention on her but swallowed the fear and inhaled deeply. When she spoke, her voice had a confident, fierce tone. “I might have not grown up between you, but these last few days were certainly one of the greatest moments of my life. Halfmoon is unlike any other place, and so are its people.

“The Horde teaches about obedience, power, hierarchy and control. As a child I have been subjected by their horrible teachings and even took part in their plans, something I resent deeply. But here in Halfmoon my parents aren’t treated much like superiors, but as people that live in a group. Everyone respects each other and fights for the good of the kingdom. This is the first time I have ever seen a group work and thrive together.” the people of Halfmoon cheered her, their smiles growing by the second.

“I am proud to be here, and I hope you accept me as a part of you. Because now I take upon myself to help protect this kingdom and lead the Horde away from us for once and for all!”

Screams erupted from all magicats, clearly inspired by Catra’s speech. She felt proud of herself at that moment, listening and sharing their excitement. Suddenly, Cyra pulled her by the arm and her parents embraced her tightly with Melog curled around their legs. “We are so proud of you, dear.” Nik said as Cyra sobbed in his shoulder. “You are the best princess ever.”

“Urgh, don’t call me that.” she groaned, laughing with her parents.

Soon after their speeches, the crowd dispersed and the musicians began to play. Their songs were strikingly different than the ones she heard at Princess Prom - they were lively, as if the notes were urging you to dance. The guitars played fast as the drums beat rhythmically, locking Catra’s attention on it.

Someone tapped her shoulder lightly and, as she turned, she was face to face with Aimee and the other white-furred magicat. “Hi Catra. Impressive speech.” Aimee greeted with a large smile on her face. “Sounded almost like a princess.”

“Oh please, fuck off.” Catra rolled her eyes and Aimee laughed. Then, the dark-haired woman pointed to her right.

“This is my friend Lee, he-”

“Hi! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you! I can’t believe it! I’m soooo happy you came back!” the boy interrupted Aimee, shoving her to the side and offering his hand for Catra to shake.

“Uh… Cool, thanks.” Catra shook his hand, narrowing her eyes to Aimee.

“Lee, stop being a little shit!” she shoved him by the shoulders.

“What? I’m introducing myself!” Lee defended, his green eyes darting between his friend and the princess.

“Is everyone here this chaotic?” Catra asked.

“Hmpf, like you aren’t one of us.” Aimee scoffed. “Come on, I want to dance.” she yanked Lee to the right before looking at Catra. “Do you wanna dance with us?”

Catra looked for her parents, finding them in a heated talk with Angus and other older magicats. “I-I don’t know how to dance…”

“Oh, it’s cool.” Lee said, returning to her side. “We can teach you!”

“... Okay.” Catra waved to Melog, who then ran towards Nikolaj, licking his hand and nuzzling it.

“Oh my! I’m teaching the princess how to dance!” Lee shrieked as they brought Catra to the dance floor.

“Oh shut up!”

In the end, Catra did learn their dances, pretty fast actually. It wasn’t difficult, much like fighting as she noticed. They moved in practiced stances from side to side, twirling around one another with a clap of the hands here and a flip there. Except, now she wasn’t the only one with incredible agility - everyone matched her movements perfectly, which made the dances even more enjoyable for her.

Lee and Aimee talked to her through the whole thing. Though Aimee and Catra were mostly making fun of the younger boy for fangirling too hard while he defended himself with ‘but you’re awesome!’ and ‘can’t I be inspired by our strong, female leaders?’. It was fun. The type of fun Catra wasn’t used to, but was glad to experience.

By the end of the night, Catra found herself in an intricate dance number, where magicats exchanged partners as the song increased its tempo. She started dancing with Lee, then with a magicat woman who she recognized from the bakery, then Sali and finally her mother. Cyra met her hand with a big smile on her face, her cheeks still pink from dancing with her husband. Catra had been surprised to see him dancing so well through most songs at the party, but as Lee explained: ‘you don’t need to see anything, just feel the music.’

Cyra twirled her as the drums beat at a faster pace. “So,” the queen said in a breathy voice “Are you enjoying the party?”

“Yes!” Catra exclaimed before clapping her hands and intertwining her fingers with her mother’s. “Mom, I’ve been thinking… I think I’m going back to Bright Moon in a couple of days, just to tell everyone I’m okay, then come here again so we can discuss more about what we’re gonna do with the Horde. Okay?”

Cyra’s face changed from excitement to concern, her brows furrowing as she linked her arm with Catra’s as they spun. “Can’t it wait a bit, sweetie? The plan’s almost ready.”

It was Catra’s turn to frown, shifting so they were now back to back. “What do you mean? What plan?”

She heard Cyra sigh. “We didn’t want to overwhelm you with trouble before your party, but we had a meeting this morning and we decided that we can’t risk it.” They turned around, clapping their hands at the same time the drums beat incessantly.

“But what are you going to do that can’t wait a couple of days?”

“We’re relocating. We’re evacuating everyone and we’ll hide somewhere in the mountains.”

The song finished at the same time Catra’s heart stopped.

Chapter Text

“You can’t be serious!”

“Of course I am!”

“So what? You’re just gonna run away?! And leave all this behind?!”

Catra and her family had returned home shortly after their dance and now the queen and her daughter were in a heated argument as they walked to the queen’s office.

“The people’s safety is more important than anything, Catra.” Cyra yelled back.

“But it’s just for a small time. Can’t you see?” Catra marched into the office, her voice raising as they argued. “The Horde is getting faster, they’re gonna find us wherever we go.” her mother huffed, falling into her chair with her head on her hands. “What about the cave? Huh? All of this amazing connection with the crystals is going to be thrown away?!”

“Of course not! We-”

“The Horde is going to take it!” Catra interrupted. “Everything is going to get lost.” she paused, watching her mother’s frown deepen even more. “We need to fight back so that they won’t-”

“Fight back?!” Cyra shot up quickly from her chair. “Fight Back? Catra, absolutely not!”

“Why not?! Do you really think that hiding is your best option? That’s ridiculous!”

“If it’s going to keep everyone safe, then yes! It is the best option!”

“But they’ll find us again! They’ll always-”

“I can’t fail again, Elizabeth!” her mother’s yell reverberated through the household, lifting the fur on Catra’s body. The queen sighed, her eyes turning red with tears. “I couldn’t protect them once, not even my own daughter… This won’t happen again.” she stared at Catra with a determined gaze. “Nothing that you say will change my plans.”

With that, she walked out of the room and quickly rose up to her bedroom, closing the door loudly as she entered. Catra slumped her shoulders in defeat, who knew arguing with her mother would be so exhausting.

She heard tentative footsteps outside the office and turned to see Nik and Melog, standing awkwardly in the corridor at the front of their house. “Hey.” Catra said as she approached them. “Sorry for all the noise… I didn’t mean to start a fight.”

“It’s okay, my dear.” Nik lifted his hand and Catra took it, letting him rub circles on her palm. “I’m half worried about this and half proud to hear you speak your mind like that. You’re very brave.”

She looked up at her father and saw a soft smile on his face, felt honesty in his words. She pulled him into a tight hug, Melog curling themself around them and purring. “I just wanted her to understand. W-We can’t just go and leave everything…”

Nik sighed. “Your mother has carried great guilt over the past years, sunshine. She blames herself for all of the deaths, thinks she owes their families.” He moved his hand to thread his fingers through Catra’s short hair in a comforting caress. “And I understand her, I blamed myself for losing you for a long, long time.”

“But it wasn’t your fault.” Catra once again stared at the huge scar on the king’s face. “They hurt you.”

“Now I know that, but for a while I just couldn’t shake the guilt. If only I had been stronger, if only I had held on a little longer… But now I know that it isn’t something I could have done to prevent it. The Horde was much stronger than us then.”

Catra felt her own eyes well up with tears, hugging the man a bit tighter. - What he was saying hits her way too close to home. - “Maybe now they aren’t as strong though. Maybe we can fight back.”

“Maybe…” Nikolaj held his daughter’s face in his hands and moved his head so she could stare at him in the eyes. “I believe that anything can be possible. You should too.”

“But what about mom?” Catra asked.

“Give her time. She needs to see things to believe in them.” his mouth quirked upwards, a playful grin painting his features. “Good thing I don’t have the same problem.”

Catra laughed at her father’s silly joke, feeling herself relax since she came back from the party.

All I have to do, - Catra thought - is convince her that we can do this. If I have a good plan, she will have to at least consider it. Then I’ll be finally able to go to Bright Moon safely.

A smile came up to her face as an idea popped up on her mind.

Adora has descended into a black hole since the interrogation of the Horde soldiers. Her eyes were losing its shine, as if turning into a deep sea blue - hollow, lost, dark. All her thoughts circled around Catra, guilt and anger towards the soldiers who had definitely something to do with her disappearance.

She had been sure her lover was dead when Bow pulled her out of the cell two days ago, but part of her still hoped. Maybe Catra was lost. Maybe she was injured. Maybe she just got tired and left…

All options made her heart hurt, but were still better than thinking about her passing away.

Adora brushed her hair, putting on her usual clothes and headed to the gardens. It was mid-afternoon, but Adora hadn’t bothered to join anyone at breakfast or lunch. Her day would have continued that way if Micah hadn’t called a meeting with everyone at the castle’s gardens.

When she arrived, everyone was already there, standing in a circle as Micah and Angella stood in the center. The sorcerer had one hand in his wife’s shoulder while Angella held her hands clasped in her chest, her eyes a mix of nervousness and fear.

“Adora.” Micah greeted “Good, we can start now.”

“What is it about anyway?” Mermista asked. “And why are all princesses here?”

“Yeah!” Frosta chimed in. “Is it some type of mission?!”

“Sort of.” the former king shot a worried glance to his wife. “But before anything else, Angella needs to tell you something.”

Everyone stayed quiet as the angelic woman sucked in a breath. She opened her eyes and stared at all members of the Rebellion. “I need to tell you a story.” she said, her eyes lingered on Adora a second longer. “The same story I told Catra before she ran away.”

The other princesses widened their eyes and gulped their gasps. Adora’s heart beat fast, desperate for any clue on her Catra’s whereabouts.

“Nineteen years ago, on Glimmer’s first birthday, the kingdom of Halfmoon was attacked. I assume most of you don’t even know what Halfmoon is.” the princesses shook their heads, so Angella continued. “Halfmoon was a kingdom that lived secluded from the others in the Whispering Woods for as long as we can remember. Their culture is not well known, so there is almost no information on them. However, that day, the Horde was able to find them.”

Angella paused, looking guilty as the others waited for her to complete the story. “They destroyed everyone and everything in that kingdom. There is nothing but ruins on their territory.”

“Wait.” Glimmer interrupted. “So, the ruins the soldiers talked about… It’s this kingdom?”

“Yes.” Angella confirmed. “On that day, their queen had contacted Bright Moon, saying that she was suspicious that there were people preparing to attack their home.” Angella sighed heavily. “I told her not to worry, that nothing bad would happen and returned to my daughter’s party. A while later I found out that- Well… That they were gone.”

A rogue tear rolled down the former queen’s cheek. Bow, Perfuma and Scorpia were also sniffing, and everyone seemed shaken by the sad story.

“Why didn’t you tell us about it mom?” Glimmer asked.

“Because I am ashamed.” Angella admitted. “I am ashamed and I couldn’t speak of it until now. I am so, so sorry.”

“And what does this have to do with Catra?” Adora asked, stepping closer in the circle.

“Ah, well… Halfmoon was the kingdom of the magicats. Magicats are people with cat-like features, and-”

“Wait, wait, hold on!” Scorpia waved her pincers. “Wildcat was from there?”

Angella’s shoulders slumped forward even more than before. “The Horde took only one magicat.” she looked at Adora, who had her eyes widened in fear. “I later learned that it could only be Catra. So I told her about it and she wanted to see the ruins for herself.”

Adora’s breaths were shallow, her chest tightened in pain. Immediately she turned to Swift Wind who was laying in the grass near Scorpia. The steed looked at her and sighed. “I already searched for it, Angella told me in the morning. I didn’t find anything.”

Adora’s heart shattered. “No, we have to look again. We-”

“Adora.” Angella called. “I looked for Halfmoon five times after the attack. I was only successful the first time, when I found the gruesome ruins. After that, the Woods refused to lead me to it.”

“Oh! It’s possible that the ruins rely only on magicats to find it!” Entrapta spoke/yelled “Fascinating!”

“So, what?” Adora looked around her friends “We wait for Catra to come back? W-What if she can’t? What if she’s hurt? What if she’s…” Adora can’t finish her sentence.

Her knees were weak, but she didn’t let herself fall over, nor did she let herself cry. “We can’t waste more time.” she shot a glare at Angella - Why did she talk about it just now, when they could’ve found Catra days ago?! - “We need to do something.”

“I agree.” said Perfuma, standing besides the blonde. “Catra might be in a spiral after finding out about her family. Perhaps we can find her, if we all search the right places.”

“Yes!” surprisingly, Sea Hawk stepped forward. “It’s quite dangerous now that the Horde is loose through the Woods. We shall all look for our lost member and bring her home!”

“Yeah!” Scorpia lifted her pincer. “Let’s find our Wildcat!”

Before the other princesses could join in, there was a loud noise coming from the opposite direction. It was like something was charging - a weapon.

“Horde soldiers!” a guard yelled from one of the high towers of the castle and, in a swift motion, everyone held onto each other as Glimmer teleported them to the inside before a gigantic blast hit the spot they were standing on moments before.

Chapter Text

Catra’s steps were skillful, almost no noise could be heard from her as she and Melog walked in between the guards. They successfully went by unnoticed quickly climbing up the stairs leading to the Great Tree.

“Alright Melog,” the purple cat made them visible again, walking right by Catra’s side as they both swallowed their nerves. “We need to be quick and silent. It’s very likely that the soldiers are staying nearby, so we won’t be going too far.”

‘Will we return before breakfast?’ they asked her ‘I enjoy having it with Nikolaj and Sali.’

Catra chuckled “Me too, buddy. And yeah, I think so. But if we don’t I think dad will cover for us.”

Melog’s face shifted to something resembling a smirk. Catra eyes him. “What?”

‘You called him ‘dad’. Not Nikolaj or Nik. Dad.’

Catra blushed “Well, yeah. It’s what he is.”

‘Yes. I’m just happy you have gotten close to them.’ they bumped Catra’s hip playfully. ‘I can feel your love for them as well as your certainty that you are loved back.’

Catra smiled, bumping them back. “It’s nice, feeling that.”

As they approached the entrance of the Tree, Catra turned to them. “Okay, let’s go over the plan again: you’ll cover us, we will sneak into their camp, look out for weapons and/or plans of attack and come back as quick as possible.”

‘Before breakfast.’ Melog completed.

“Before breakfast.”

The Tree opened, revealing the still dark sky of the early morning. Now invisible, Catra climbed on Melog’s back and the two swiftly made their way around the ruins. Taking a turn to the left, Catra noticed that some trees had less branches than the others, some wounded by kives and blasts. She signaled for Melog to follow the path of the wounded trees and, sure enough, they found themselves in a clearing full of tents and tanks.

There were more or less fifteen soldiers in there, most of them sleeping and the rest eating their ration bars. They all had a rough appearance, certainly because of their time in the Woods. Besides one of the tents was a metal table full of papers and small weapons, with only one soldier sleeping at the foot of it.

Quietly, they made their way over to it. Catra climbed off of Melog and looked closely at the papers. Most of them were drawn maps of the Whispering Woods with some of the villages with a big green X marked above their names. On one point of the map, there was a big circle with the word ruins in its center. With her heart beating a bit faster than before, Catra moved to look at a notebook standing beside the map.

The notebook had scribbles all around the page, making it quite difficult to decipher. However, there were words that Catra was quick to identify:

    Ruins - tree (???) (possible weapons)

                      Bright Moon - attack on tuesday  wait for report

                                Plumeria - get supplies

   Ruins with possible residents (take supplies and kill)

Catra’s eyes widened. Firstly because of the information that they knew that there was something going on with the Great Tree and that they were to rob and kill the residents of Halfmoon. Secondly, because she’s pretty sure today is wednesday. Which means that Bright Moon was attacked yesterday.

Adora. - Catra’s heart raced as she tought about her safety.

But they can handle themselves, right? It’s impossible for the Horde to harm any of the princesses. They don’t have weapons strong enough.

“Hey.” one soldier spoke up, startling her. They walked to the foot of the table, shaking the guy sleeping under it. “Help me check the Big One.” the two of them stood up and walked over to the other side of the clearing. Curious, Catra and Melog went after them.

They walked further, getting close to a river where a bigger tent stood. However, as she looked closer, it wasn’t a tent but a hidden weapon. As the two Horde soldiers pulled the material aside, Catra swallowed a gasp.

Standing right in front of her was one of the huge blasters of Horde Prime’s ships. Clearly it had been detached from the thing, making the machine look like a bigger tank. Its length was at least twice as big as the normal Horde tanks, and its width was the same size as the Great Tree.

The soldiers checked behind it, moving some of the controls to see if it was still as good as it was before. As they checked, they kept talking.

“Do you think that the guys will return with the other one?” one of them asked. “We might need the two of them for the big battle.”

Catra’s stomach sank. There were two of these monstrous things.

“I think so. I doubt they did much damage.” the other responded. “The plan was to scare the princesses, not kill them yet.”

So they’re probably okay. - Catra thought.

It was, in fact, very dumb of these soldiers to try to fight the princesses now. Even though they had these big tank-things. She-Ra could stop them by herself.

But until she does, lots of people can get hurt. That was a fact, especially random villagers.

If they decided to use these against Halfmoon though, her people would be in imminent danger.

She was about to turn around when one of the soldiers said: “Look, I want you to get ready for tonight. You and the seven others are gonna find out what’s going on on those ruins and we want you to bring things we can use. Understand?”

“Fine, but what if we find something big? You never know.”

“Then, we make a bigger plan with bigger things.” he tapped on the metal machine. “Now c’mon, let’s cover this up.”

Catra and Melog took off running, quicker than they did before.

‘They’re going to act tonight.’ Melog said, sounding as scared as Catra felt.

“I can’t let that happen.” Catra said, already forming a plan in her head.

They got to the front of the Tree in record time but, before they could enter, Catra asked her friend: “Melog, I need you to do something for me.”

Micah applied the spell once again, securing the barrier as best as he could before walking back to where the members of the Alliance were seated. Everyone has puzzled expressions in their faces, eating their food with frowns on their faces. 

After yesterday’s attack, the princesses remained on Bright Moon as Micah, Glimmer and Castapella took turns on putting up an invisible barrier around the kingdom. Of course, it wasn’t that useful given that the Horde knew where the castle was and it’s not like they can teleport it somewhere else. But it gave everyone a sense of security anyways.

It was a big surprise to see that the soldiers had much more weapon power than they thought. Clearly they had stolen something from Prime's ships, because the damage that only two blasts made was way bigger than the normal Horde tanks. Unfortunately, they moved back to the Woods before anyone could get them, as the princesses were busy trying to keep one of the watchtowers from falling, destroyed by one of the thing’s blasts.

Adora was now more frustrated than ever. One, because Catra wasn’t there. Two, because she couldn’t turn into She-Ra to help. Three because if these fuckers were walking around the Woods with this type of weapons, Catra was in more danger than she had expected.

Or worse…

Downing the rest of her soup in one gulp, Adora threw the plate aside and sat with her back resting on one of the garden’s benches. She pulled her dagger and began to sharpen it. In the background, she could hear Scorpia and Frosta having an excited conversation as Perfuma hummed while she meditated. Sea Hawk was drinking something from a bottle, but was interrupted as Mermista took it away from him, reprimanding him about getting drunk before nine. 

The sky had started to darken, orange taking over blue. Orange reminded Adora of Catra, so she kept staring until her eyes started to burn from the upcoming tears.

She was pulled away from her thoughts by a weird sound. Almost like a wailing. “Hey!” she called. “Are you guys hearing that?”

“Hearing what?” Spinerella asked.

The distant sound happened again. “That!”

The others stopped what they were doing, trying to hear what the blonde was hearing. “Adora,” Glimmer said. “There’s nothing-”

“SHH!” Adora harshly shut her friend, walking away from the group. There, in between the trees, she saw movement.

A couple seconds later, the bushes moved and revealed the purple cat Melog, who wailed louder the closer they got to the castle.

“MELOG!” Adora yelled running towards the creature. They seemed to recognize her voice, jumping in the air and continuing their loud meowling.

The others were quick to follow, Castapella opening the barrier slightly just so the cat could go through.

As they entered, Melog ran towards Adora and tackled her, throwing them on the ground and licking her face. They meowled in what sounded like relief, accepting Adora’s tight hug.

“Melog,” she pulled away, holding the cat’s face in her hands. “Where’s Catra?”

They meowled loudly, jumping out of the hug and pointing with their head towards the Woods.

“She’s in the Woods?” Bow asked. In response, Melog mewoled again.

It was hard communicating with them, but Adora wasn’t going to give up. “Take me to her.” Melog lowered themself, ready for Adora to climb them before Micah stepped forward.

“Adora, now isn’t a good time.”

“What?! I’m not going to stay here, I need to find Catra.”

“Adora, you’re not going alone.” Perfuma stepped in. “Melog, if you’re going to take Adora to where Catra is, you’ll have to take us too.”

Melog stood straighter, shaking their head as if saying no. “No?” Scorpia asked them. “Why not?”

Melog meowled, but no one understood. They then nudged Angella’s calf, trying to pass the message but failing. They looked back and forth between the princesses, but there was no way they could explain everything without words. They needed to show it.

“Melog, let’s try to talk.” Entrapta sat in front of the cat. “Alright, I’m going to ask you questions, tap with your right paw for yes and your left paw for no.”

“Entrapta, what the hell are you-” Glimmer was interrupted by Entrpta’s shriek.

“I’m making an experiment! Understood, Melog?” Melog’s right front paw tapped the grass in front of them, so Entrapta proceeded. “Great! Okay, first question…”

The princesses watched intently as the geek princess tried to gather information. “Were you with Catra when she got out of Bright Moon?” right paw. “Did you encounter danger?” right paw again. That made Adora’s heart clench in her chest. “Is Catra dead?” Melog was quick to tap with his left paw, making everyone sigh in relief. “Is she injured?” Melog signaled ‘no’ again.

“She isn’t? Then what was the danger you guys encountered?” Frosta asked, but Melog only meowled at her, returning their attention to Entrapta.

“Were you in the ruins?” yes. “Did you get out of there?” no. “Did you fight Horde soldiers?” no. “But you saw them?” yes.

Adora furrowed her brows. Melog was telling a confusing story - how could have Ctara stayed in the ruins, seen Horde soldiers but not fight them? And how could she have stayed there when there was certainly no food or water?

“Hm, interesting.” Entrapta continued. “Melog, is Catra still there, right now?” Melog signaled yes. “Can we all go there?” they tapped their left paw.

“Is she safe?” Adora asked. Melog tapped right.

“But we won’t be?” Entrapta asked and Melog answered ‘no’. “Is it about the Horde?” yes.“I don’t understand your story Melog. Are you sure you don’t know how to write?” Melog signaled ‘no’ then started to look around the princesses again.

They approached Adora, nuzzling her hip while purring. The message was clear: ‘she misses you’.

“Melog, we understand you can’t take us there now.” Bow addressed the purple cat. “But can you take us there tomorrow?”

Melog pondered the question for a bit, then bumped their head on Adora’s hip, then Scorpia’s, then Perfuma’s, Entrapta’s, Bow’s and Glimmer’s. After that, they tapped their right paw.  

“Great! Can we go in the morning?” Entrapta excitedly jumped as Melog signaled ‘yes’.

Adora petted their head before turning towards her friends. “We’ll pack our stuff tonight. Then we’ll wait until sunrise to follow Melog.”

Chapter Text

After she and Melog parted their ways, Catra ran through the steps on all fours to get to Halfmoon as quick as possible. It wasn’t long before she saw the light of the crystals at the end of the tunnel, so she slowed her pace and, as stealthily as she could manage to be, snuck past the guards.

She walked through the still quiet streets as she made her way to her house. On her way, she glanced to the chamber of crystals - she would have to go there later, though she had no idea how she would convince her mother to go with her like she wanted to.

She opened the doors of her house and darted to the kitchen. “Sali! Did you see where-” she stopped mid-sentence when she saw the house’s cook and her dad sitting at the breakfast table with pieces of cake in front of them.

“Catra?” Nik asked at the same time Sali made an effort to get up from her chair and go towards Catra.

“Dear, are you alright?” she asked her, caressing her belly.

“I-I am.” Catra reassured her, putting her hands on her back and bump, guiding her back to the table. “You shouldn’t worry, I just need to tell mom and dad something really important.”

“Now?” her father asked. “Can’t we eat the cake first? Also, where’s Melog? I like having breakfast with them.”

“Now dad, it’s super important.” Catra gently held Nikolaj’s hand in hers and guided him out the kitchen, waving bye for Sali as they went. “And Melog did me a favor. In Bright Moon.”

“Bright Moon? Did something happen?”

Catra eyed the upper level of the house, but apparently they were alone. She walked them swiftly to the library, closing the door and seating on a table with her father in front of her.

As if reading her thoughts, Nikolaj said: “Don’t worry, your mother is still very tired from yesterday. She’s sleeping.”

“Okay uh, good. I think I’ll need your help to tell her about everything.” she sighed heavily. Her father squeezed their still joined hands, giving her space to talk. “Okay, so… Me and Melog snuck past the guards a little while ago to look for Horde activity around Halfmoon. I know, I know. It wasn’t my safest idea but I had to check. Anyways, we found them.”

Catra proceeded to tell her father about everything they saw: the plans to attack Bright Moon, the fact that they knew about the Great Tree and, most importantly, the big weapon. Her father kept a serious face throughout her story, but when she stopped he let go of a heavy breath.

“I can’t believe it.” he ran his fingers through his hair. “If they bring that thing here, we’re toasted. Literally!”

“Yeah, I know!” Catra clutched his hands tight. “That’s why I need you and mom to understand that we can’t just let everything behind. If we do, there will be nothing left of our history.”

“I agree.”

“I know it’s hard to unders- Wait, you do?” Catra’s eyes widened at her father.

“Well, yes! Of course!” he threw his arms in the air. “I’m not a fan of running away. Besides, you’re right, sweetie. We have to fight for what is ours.”

Catra was surprised to see him agree with her so easily. Then, she remembered that this was the man that had held onto her for dear life to save her and had almost died doing so. Of course he was willing to fight once again.

“Thank you, dad.” Catra moved around the table to hug him. “This means so much to me.”

“You don’t have to thank me, sunshine. I love you, and I’ll always support you.”

Catra let the tears roll down her cheeks, not feeling embarrassed about it. 

“But, we have to discuss.” he said after a while. “What’s the big plan?”

Catra found herself in the crystal chamber, seated right in its center on her knees. Around her were Sali, Aimee, Lee and Isolde. They had all agreed to take Catra there and help her while her father stayed at home with her mother, who she hasn’t seen yet.

Catra had told Aimee and Lee about her plan for tonight, and both magicats agreed immediately. Sali and Isolde, though they weren’t aware of anything that was about to happen, were there to help her through it.

As part of her strategy, Catra wanted to finally connect with the crystals, to integrate herself more in Halmoon’s traditions. She didn’t want to shift yet, as it would probably be too much all at once (and she wanted her mom to be the one to teach her, but she wasn’t going to tell anyone that), but she still wanted to accept the gift of strength and resistance, as her mother had put previously.

“Close your eyes, dear.” Isolde instructed her and she obeyed. “Now, push all your thoughts away. Let go of them for now and concentrate on the energy around you.”

It was very hard, she noticed. Especially at a time like this. But as she made the effort to do so, she felt an insistent pull of magic around her. It was almost like the crystals were covering her in a blanket of warmth, of safety.

“Very well, dear.” Isolde continued. “Now, lift your palms upwards and hold your chin up. Let your body feel the electricity of the strength gifted to you.”

Catra did as she was told, being hit with the feeling of sparks lighting throughout her body, making her fur stand on end. She also had the vague sensation that her limbs were getting warmer, like she was standing under the Sun.

“Now, clasp your hands together to your chest and allow your body to accept the power of resistance.” Isolde’s voice seemed more distant the longer Catra let herself feel. She once again obeyed the lady’s instructions and felt her muscles clench slightly before sensing a buzz all around her. She didn’t feel stronger, but she did feel like she was protected by a shield.

“Now, just bask in the feeling, dear. Let yourself see what your heart wants you to see.”

It took her a while, but she relaxed enough to have strange visions, similar to dreams.

First, she saw Adora. Her Adora was standing in the balcony of her bedroom, hair loose and flying with the soft breeze. She was laughing at something Catra told her, her eyes shining with that warmth, that feeling that was too overwhelming for words. She held her hand out and took Catra’s, bringing it to her mouth and kissing her knuckles. 

Then, the vision shifted and she was standing in what seemed to be the ruins of Halfmoon. Except, they weren’t ruins - the kingdom stood proudly in the Whispering Woods, full of color, light and life. It was a beautiful sight.

There, she saw her parents speaking to some of their friends as they all sat on the grass, sharing a meal and smiling happily. As she turned her head, she saw lots of magicat kids running around freely, playing with each other and ignoring the heat of the summer. Her attention was pulled by someone tugging on her hand, and as she turned around to look her breath escaped her lungs.

Adora was standing there, holding her hand and pulling her into a tight hug. She felt Adora leaving kisses on her head as she placed it on the blonde’s broad shoulder. Behind them, she saw the Alliance members in between other magicats, sharing stories and drinks and laughing like they knew each other well.

Adora pulled back to stare into Catra’s eyes. None of them said anything, but they didn’t need to. She knew what they were both feeling.

Then, her consciousness returned and she opened her eyes, feeling as if she had just fallen from the highest building on Etheria.

“Are you okay? Catra?” Sali was quick to appear at her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. Catra stood up beside the woman, making her way out the chamber.

“I am…” she inhaled and exhaled, noticing the small changes in herself. She wasn’t a completely different person, but she did feel like she was in total control of her body. Like she could handle anything anyone threw at her.

If only she could have done this before Horde Prime.

“How do you feel?” Lee asked as they all huddled close.

“A bit different. Better.” 

“Are you prepared?” Aimee asked. By the look she was giving Catra, she guessed Aimee was referring to her plan.

“I do. Surprisingly, I really do.”

She smiled at the two magicats. Her… friends? She didn’t know if she could call them her friends, as they hadn’t known each other for so long. Maybe one day.

“Alright, you guys are acting all weird and you,” Sali pointed a finger at her. “Have been acting weird all morning. What’s going on?”

The three of them shared glances, not knowing if they should tell her about everything. However, Isolde came to the rescue.

“Ah! Leave the kids alone, Sali! You are starting to sound like that spouse of yours.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sali asked with her hands on her hips.

“Nosy.” Isolde said, mocking Sali and making the others laugh. Before they could head back to the house, Isolde pulled Catra to the side, signaling for the others to not wait for them.

“Dear, I am old.” she said, holding Catra’s forearm as they walked slowly. “I have seen many, many things in my life. Many people. And I might not know you very well, but I can see in your eyes that you have had a hard life.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Catra chuckled.

“But you know what I also see?” Isolde looked at her with seriousness. “I see great strength. I see the same strength that our ancestors saw on Helena.”

They stopped walking and she took Catra’s hands in hers. Catra’s fur was starting to stand, overwhelmed by the intensity of Isolde’s stare and words. “I believe you are our chance to change, Catra. With you here with us, we can stand up against anything.”

Goosebumps went over her body. “How can you be so sure?”

Isolde chuckled. “Again, I am old. When you have lived as much as I did, you notice things in people that no one else does.” she resumed walking, leaving behind a wide-eyed Catra. Without turning to look, the lady said: “It’s time you noticed these things on yourself, too.”

After a moment or two, Catra caught up with the group. They left Isolde at the shop and went back to her house afterwards. Sali didn’t ask why Aimee and Lee were coming with, probably because she was already starting to catch up on what their plans were.

“So…” Sali caressed her belly - she seems to be doing this a lot today… “Since you aren’t going to tell me what you three are going to be doing tonight, can’t you tell me what I am going to do?”

“You are going to stay at home,” Aimee put her hands on the woman’s shoulders. “Resting and taking care of yourself while we play around.”

Sali only shook her head and hummed, shooting a ‘I know what you’re up to’ look at them. 

They finally got to the house and headed straight to the kitchen, hoping to actually eat before starting phase one of their plan. However, their attempt failed when Catra bumped into her mother as she entered the room.

“Catra…” Cyra gave a deep breath, staring at her daughter with a determined look. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah. We really do.” Catra said, taking her mother’s hand in hers. “I have something to discuss with you that you’re not gonna like.”

Chapter Text

The surprises of battle

The moons shone bright in the Etherian sky, illuminating the ruins of Halfmoon. In the distance, the noise of tanks could be heard as they drove through the Woods, getting closer and closer. In the branches of the trees around the fallen kingdom, dozens magicats were waiting in silence.

“Okay, so,” Lee pointed to a map behind him pinned to a black board found in the library. In front of him were the royal family, his friends, the guards of Halfmoon and a few older magicats. “The plan for tonight is: wait for the Horde soldiers to get to the ruins and ambush them when they get closer to the Great Tree. We will have to be as quick and silent as possible.”

“How will we be silent if we’re going to attack?” asked one guard.

“We’re not going to use force against them.” Lee continued. “We will use agility to our advantage.”

The tank entered the kingdom, slowly making its way towards its center. Right away Catra spotted three soldiers getting off of it, all armed with staffs and knives instead of blasters. She turned to the left and signaled to the other magicats to get closer to the ground.

“They’ll most likely be relying on their fighting skills and weapons.” Catra got up and stood beside Lee. “And it’s safe for me to say that their fighting style is far from agile. The Horde teaches how to throw a good punch, not how to dodge it properly. If we use it against them, it won’t take much time to capture them.”

The ruffle of the trees went unnoticed by the soldiers who were now all out of the tank. One of them spoke to the others. “Let’s get this over with. You four go to the tree while the rest of us scavenge the place.” they followed her orders and separated, unknowingly going right where Catra wanted them to.

One of the three soldiers that wandered through the ruins went further than the others, standing between two fallen houses that certainly blocked the other’s view of him. Without wasting too much time, two guards jumped on him and were quick to bound him with ropes, impeding him from moving or speaking before heading back to the trees. All of this happened without a single noise heard by the rest of the Horde soldiers.

“I appreciate the effort you all are making,” Cyra spoke. “But I still believe that we shouldn’t risk your safety.”

Catra sighed, walking over to stand in front of the queen. “Mom, I know you’re scared. We all are terrified. But we can’t just run away from every problem. And I say this as someone who has run away from everything for almost my whole life.” she picked her mother’s hands, squeezing them to show comfort. “We have to face them if we want them to go away. In order to move on, we can’t keep hiding.”

Cyra stayed silent for a little while. In fact, everyone stayed still as they waited for the queen’s answer. After much thinking, Cyra finally stared into Catra’s eyes with certainty. “Alright. You will ambush those soldiers tonight. If the plan is a success, I will consider not running away.”

The other four soldiers who went to the tree were, as Catra noticed, not their brightest. Two of them were just standing there with their arms crossed while a girl inspected the tree’s trunk and a smaller boy looked around with wide eyes. He reminded Catra of Kyle.

She and other four magicats got closer to them, positioning to pounce at the right moment. On the opposite side of the kingdom, the other soldiers who had separated were unknowingly walking right where Catra’s friends were waiting. Suddenly, the girl who had touched the Tree spoke up: “I think there’s something inside this thing.”

Before she could continue, Catra and the rest of the magicats jumped to the forest’s floor and ambushed the soldiers.

“We can’t let any of them escape.” Lee said as they picked things to bring outside. “If they do, they’ll tell their companions and we’ll be fucked - to put it plainly.”

Catra threw a punch at the girl’s face, making her stumble backwards right into the arms of a guard who bounded her with strong ropes. She turned to face the two soldiers with their arms crossed who were now fighting with very big knives, trying to cut the magicats in front of them. Catra kicked one of them on his back, leaving him breathless for enough time to kick his arm, throwing the knife several feet away from the fight.

Fortunately it landed near Aimee, who was currently trying to dodge a hit from a much bigger soldier. She picked the knife from the ground and stabbed his thigh without hesitation. When he winced in pain one of the guards hit his head with a branch and he fell unconscious. The other soldier who had walked that way was already chained on the ground, Lee’s scarf preventing him from speaking.

Back to where Catra stood, the remaining soldier was fighting with all he had, skillfully dodging from the magicat’s attacks. Catra, claws sheathed and eager to end this fight, was about to slice him in the face when he turned his knife in the direction of her chest.

Panic washed over her in the few seconds before the hit, but it never came. 

“Don’t get hurt sweetie.” her father advised her as they all prepared to leave. “Please take care.”

“Also, I don’t think there will be nurses ready at this time of the night.” Zyn said as they put on a funny-looking helmet. “It’s not like we noticed them we would be walking into battle.”

“Don’t worry!” Lee chimed in, a big smile on his face. “We’re tough enough. There won’t be any emergencies tonight!”

Out of nowhere, someone screamed. They all turned to see Sali holding herself on Cyra’s arms, face contorted in pain.

Angus threw himself in front of Catra, the knife stabbing deep into his forearm. The soldier was caught by surprise and didn’t see when Catra circled them and ran her claws on both sides of his torso.

“Are you okay?” Catra asked Angus. The man had taken the knife off of his forearm and was now clutching it tightly, blood pouring out of the wound.

“I will be.” his eyes then fixed onto something on the other side of the kingdom. “Look there!”

Without their notice, the scared soldier boy had escaped from the fight and was running towards the woods, already too far for the magicats to run after. One guard was quick to throw a relatively small knife in his direction, hitting him right in the right knee. The boy fell down, but before anyone could reach him, he got up as best as he could and hid between the trees.

Well fuck.

Cyra had immediately taken Sali to the hospital of Halfmoon. The ginger woman had apparently had small contractions earlier, but hadn’t told anybody. 

“Sali, battle or no battle you should’ve told us. You and the babies are just as important as everything else.” Cyra said as they reached the hospital.

“You can scold me after, Cyra. I’m kinda busy at the moment.” Sali groaned. 

Thankfully, Maureen and two other nurses were already at the hospital. Tonight was supposed to be peaceful, so there weren’t many workers available. They took them to a room upstairs where a doctor prepared themself for Sali’s labor.

Now, almost an hour after everyone left, Cyra tried her best not to wince as Sali’s hand tightened around hers. Two babies were already delivered and were carefully put down on a big crib at the corner of the room.

Over the noise of Sali’s screams and groans, Cyra heard footsteps on the hallway. She signaled Maureen and left to check who was outside the door.

“Catra!” her daughter was the first she saw and immediately pulled her into a hug. “Are you alright?”

“I am, but Angus needs help.” the princess said. 

Angus stood on her left, a dirty cloth pressed onto his arm to stop the bleeding. “Did many of you get hurt?”

“No, just dad.” Aimee answered before entering the room to call one of the nurses.

Right then, Zyn came running towards them, their eyes wide in fear. “Is she okay? Are the babies here yet?”

“She is fine, and only two have been delivered.” Cyra put a soothing hand on his shoulder as they panted in panic. “Zyn, you must stay calm right now. Your wife and children need you.”

“Can we get in?” Catra asked the nurse that came to Angus aid.

The woman sighed. “I suppose you can. But only a few of you.”

Zyn held both Cyra’s and Catra’s hands and pushed the door open. Sali was delivering the third baby then, exhaustion visible in her expression. Zyn ran to her side and caressed her face, undoubtedly saying encouraging words to their dear wife.

Catra’s fur stood, startling Cyra. “Are you alright sweetie?”

Catra gulped. “I didn’t know labor could be this ugly.”

Before Cyra could respond, a loud meowling sound echoed in the room, pulling the princess’ attention. She walked over to the big crib, analyzing the two kittens that rested in it. A nurse stopped by to lay the third kit with its siblings, but turned to Catra first, offering her to hold it.

Hesitantly, Catra accepted. The kitten, a little girl with the cutest red hair, laid comfortable in the princess’ arms. Her little nose sniffed the air around her, the small nostrils fluttering as she smelled the woman who held her. Catra’s eyes were wide in wonder as she gently rocked side to side, watching the baby let out the biggest yawn.

Cyra jumped as Sali let out a scream. “It’s almost over, sweetie. You can do it!” Maureen cheered. The doctor kept concentrated as the last child came to this world. The queen only watched the joy of the family as the baby’s cries were heard for the first time.

Chapter Text

The morning sky was turning light pink when Adora got up from the garden’s bench. She had been awake for almost the whole night, incapable of stopping her mind for swirling with thoughts of what’s to come.

How can I apologize to Catra? How can I make her understand that I love her more than anything? How can I make sure this is never going to happen again? - were some of the things that kept her up.

Throughout everything though, Melog comforted her. They purred, nuzzled her and embraced her several times, hoping to soothe her rising nerves. Having them around reminded her of Catra, that she was safe like Melog had said, so she wasn’t a total wreck.

Adora walked towards the end of the barrier, waiting for her friends. She spotted Scorpia and Perfuma making their way with their arms linked and a small backpack hanging on Scorpia’s shoulder. On the other side, Entrapta chatted with her recording device, quickly walking to where Adora and Melog were standing. Though she seemed to be struggling since she was carrying a backpack that was almost as big as her.

“Good morning Adora! Good morning Melog!” Melog then meowled at the geek princess, head-butting her leg. “Are you ready to search? Because I am! I got with me several tracking devices, cameras, micropho-”

“Hey, everybody!” Scorpia greeted, now standing in front of them. “Gosh, Trapta you can’t carry this bag!” the big woman took Entrapta’s bag from her and settled it on her other shoulder.

“Thanks! Anyway, I’m just making sure to tell you that I am ready!” Entrapta turned to Adora again. “You don’t need to worry!”

“She’s right, Adora.” Perfuma placed her hand on Adora’s forearm. “Melog said that Catra is safe. Now we just need to get to her.”

The blonde warrior sighed. “I know. I’m just… Nervous. I don’t even know what I’m gonna do when I see her. I’ve missed her so much.”

Melog jumped, putting their paws on Adora’s shoulders and licked her face. Adora smiled and hugged the cat tightly.

A cloud of sparkle suddenly appeared and Glimmer and Bow were now there too. “Great! Everyone’s here!” the queen swiftly walked closer to the barrier, performing a spell to open it slightly. “Let’s not waste time, we need to find Catra soon.”

Adora looked up to one of the castle’s watchtowers where Swift Wind was staying. Yesterday she had asked him to look out for everyone while they searched for Catra and he had instantly agreed. She waved him goodbye before turning away.

Melog was the first to get out, staring at the Woods intently. The princesses  (and Bow) followed them, all hearts beating nervously at the sight of the Whispering Woods. The Horde is still out there, so they’ll have to be extra careful.

The barrier closed once again and now they all stood in a circle, waiting. “So, uh…How will we do this?” Scorpia rubbed at her neck.

“I can use a tracking device,” Entrapta proposed. “Maybe there is a trail of some sort. Oh! Maybe I can-”

Melog meowled very loudly, interrupting Entrapta’s rambling. Then, they lowered their head and closed their eyes. Lost in thought, the cat remained silent for a while. Then, their eyes shot open and they lifted their head meowling at the trees in front of them.

“Do you know where to go?” Bow asked them. 

Melog jumped in excitement and lowered themself in front of Adora, who mounted them. They went to Entrapta and did the same, waiting until she got up on their back. “Take us to her, Melog.” Adora said before looking at Glimmer. “Can you teleport everyone to where we’re going?”

“I can,” the queen nodded. “But it won’t be a pleasant ride.”

“Anything for our Wildcat. Let’s go!” Scorpia draped one arm around Perfuma and another around Glimmer.

At that, Melog took off at high speed. The wind howling at their ears and the tree branches dangerously close to their faces. But Entrapta was having the time of her life, laughing wildly at every turn the alien cat took.

In the background, Glimmer’s magic could be heard as she followed Melog’s trail. Adora’s ears might be defying her, but she swore she heard a couple of nauseated coughs.

It was a long path, Adora noticed. The more they ran, the thicker the Woods got. “Look!” Entrapta pointed once, showing Adora a damaged tree. Clearly it had been hit by one of the Horde’s blasts.

Before Adora could think more about what she had just seen, Melog slowed their pace. Right in front of them were enormous trees whose roots were intertwined. The two princesses got to the ground at the same time the others appeared there magically.

“Urgh!” Scorpia out her hands on her knees, panting. “That was… Ugh.” she held back a wince. On her side, Perfuma also seemed dizzy, but remained on her feet.

“Is this where she is, Melog?” Glimmer asked, touching the tree’s trunk.

Melog walked in between the trees, looking back to see if the others were doing the same. Adora followed suit and when she got to the other side, her stomach did a flip.

Fallen houses circled them, most of their walls turned into pieces of rock or dust. Here and there were clothes, curtains and children’s toys. Adora didn’t look much, but she thinks she saw bones too. 

“What is this place?” Bow asked, awed at the ruins.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Entrapta picked rocks from the ground with her hair. “This must be Catra’s village!”

Adora’s chest tightened. Could this really be Catra’s old home? If it was, she must have been distraught when she saw it.

Melog made their way to the other end of the place, where an even bigger tree stood beautifully. They all followed the cat, still eyeing the damage around them.

Now in front of the tree, Melog watched their surroundings. Once they were sure there was no one else besides them, they stood on two paws and flexed one in their front, clawing the tree’s trunk.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, the tree started to open slowly, revealing what looked like the top of a stairway. They meowled and went down the steps. Adora, too eager to waste time on being shocked, followed them in quick steps.

“This is insane!” Scorpia gasped, looking at the darkness around them.

“Insanely amazing!” Entrapta yelled, almost running in excitement. “All this time, there was a secret entrance right in the Woods! Imagine the amount of data I’m going to collect!” she laughed maniacally again.

Adora followed Melog as fast as she could, her thoughts swimming around Catra.

I’m coming to get you.

The tunnel started to get brighter, illuminated by crystals in its walls. “Do you guys think these are magic?” Perfuma asked.

Melog turned their head to her and meowled before nodding. “Like a runestone?” Bow asked them, to which they responded with a negative shake of their head.

Adora followed the light, ignoring the feel of numbness on her legs and running towards the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, as they could already see the opening to a cave, a voice boomed through the walls.

“Who’s there?”

Melog meowled and ran, passing through the entrance. Adora took off after them, but stopped at the sight before her.

Magicats.

In a cave.

Underground.

What the fuck?

She heard her friends gasp behind her, but she didn’t move. All around them were crystals, and houses, and magicats. Just like Catra!

“Magicats.” Scorpia whispered in awe. “But that’s impossible... Wildcat is the only one on Etheria.”

“Apparently not. Fascinating!” Entrapta whisper/yelled.

The guards were pointing their weapons at them when a female voice came from behind their backs. “Lower your spears. These are allies.”

The guards obeyed, stepping back and allowing the rebels to come forward. When Adora shifted her gaze to look at the woman her blood ran cold and she froze in place.

She was staring at Catra, but it wasn’t Catra.

She was sure that her whole system had shut down.

“Thank you for bringing them, Melog.” not-Catra patted them on the head. Adora couldn’t stop staring at her - at her flowing clothes, her headpiece, her long hair held back in a low ponytail. Her features were identical to Catra except for her eyes. But how?

“Welcome to Halfmoon.” not-Catra said, beckoning them forward. “I assume you want to speak to Catra.”

“Do you know her?” Adora asked. The woman looked over her shoulder with a smile.

“I know her very well.” she walked and they followed, eyes so wide they almost burst out of their skulls. “Let’s go already, she’s been in a tizzy since Melog went to get you.”

Chapter Text

The princesses walked through the streets of Halfmoon with their chins hitting the ground. This was a whole kingdom underground. Thriving. All magicats stared back at them with surprise and what Adora thinks is a bit of anger.

“Lady!” Entrapta’s voice pulled their attention forward. The geek princess was walking besides not-Catra with a voice recorder on her hair. “Please tell: who are you?”

“I am Cyra, queen of Halfmoon.” the woman said, a small smile on her lips.

“You have a lovely kingdom, Queen Cyra.” Perfuma said, her eyes shining in wonder as she eyes the crystals all around them.

Cyra was about to answer but Adora interrupted her. “Is Catra too far away?”

The queen looked at her with a narrowed gaze, then understandment washed her features. “You must be Adora.”

Adora scowled. “Yes. Is Catra far?”

Cyra chuckled lightly before turning and pointing at a big house a couple feet away from them. “She’s over there.”

Catra, who had been in Sali’s room helping her with the babies for hours, jogged to her room as fast as she could. Her parents had kept what the attack hadn’t destroyed, so there has to be at least one toy she could give the kids. They were having trouble sleeping, so distracting them with toys could be useful - at least it’s what Catra assumes.

She heard the faint noise of people entering her house, but paid it no mind. After yesterday, her house was definitely the most frequented building in Halfmoon. She continued the search through her drawers.

She did find two small plushies, throwing them on the bed to search for more. Behind her, frantic footsteps could be heard in the direction of the staircase, making her wonder if there was going to be a meeting right now and why they didn’t call her to it?

Over the sound of her shuffling, she heard a very faint gasp of her name in a voice she knew way too well.

With her heart trapped in her throat, Catra turned around. Standing there in front of her door was Adora - her Adora. Wearing her usual clothes, but missing half of her hair.

“A-Adora.” Catra gasped back, getting up and staring back at those gorgeous blue eyes. “Adora, what are you-”

The blonde ran towards her and embraced her in the best hug of her life.

The first thing she noticed when Catra turned around were how different her features looked.

She didn’t change in obvious appearance, but her face was relaxed. She didn’t have dark circles under her eyes - the ones that she thought were permanent -, and her mouth was curved upwards, as if she had been smiling all day.

Adora also noticed the tsunami of emotions flowing through her body. Relief, seeing Catra alive. Happiness, seeing Catra so relaxed. Yearning, Catra was too far away. Love, as she and Catra fit like puzzle pieces in their embrace.

She clutched her tight to her chest, tears escaping her eyes while Catra clutched her just as tightly. She nuzzled her face in the crook of her Catra’s neck, enjoying the feel of Catra’s fur standing on end as she inhaled deeply.

Then, came the anger.

Adora reluctantly let go of the embrace, staring at Catra’s face as she gripped her shoulders. “Catra,” her voice broke and she felt her lower lip quiver. “Why did you disappear like that?” Catra didn’t answer, only growing and tightening her grip on Adora’s waist. “Why did you leave me like that?”

“Adora, I didn’t know I would spend so much time away.” the brunette said, cupping Adora’s cheek with one hand. “Honestly I don’t even know exactly how many days it’s been.”

“Too many, Catra. Too many. ” Adora stepped back, pacing in front of the door.

Catra looked taken aback by Adora’s harshness, clutching the hand that held the blonde’s cheek to her chest. “Adora, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but after everything I’ve found here I couldn’t just leave like that.”

“Oh, but you can leave Bright Moon in a second?!” both of them had tears rolling down their cheeks. Adora’s of anger, Catra’s of shame. “I understand that this is your old kingdom, but I honestly thought that Bright Moon - that I was your home. And you left me like that!”

Catra’s small and sorry posture changed abruptly to one of defense. She was getting angry. “You know, I thought that I was your home too. Until you left me behind everyday to do something else that is clearly much more important than me!” Catra shot up, standing in front of the blonde with her fists clenched.

“Nothing is more important than you Catra!”

“Then why do you act like everything is?!” Catra gesticulated wildly at Adora. Weirdly, this conversation resembled the one they had after Adora got the failsafe. “Adora, you put everything before us. You go to work in the morning and come back only at night. You spend all your time with the other princesses, the only time I spend with you is when we’re sleeping.” Catra struggled to speak in between sobs. “You don’t even kiss me, Adora. How am I so important…?”

Catra sat back on the bed as more sobs shook her body. Adora, wide-eyes and stiff as a rock, went to her side. She put her arms around Catra’s shoulders and rested her head on Catra’s neck. “I’m sorry Catra. I-I didn’t think you’d feel this way.”

“Well, I do. And it sucks, Adora.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just…” she breathed deeply. It’s time to open her heart. “I wanted to feel useful. I-I wanted you to know that I’m doing my best for you and for Etheria. I needed to make sure that I’m doing enough.”

Catra straightened her posture and turned a bit to the side. “Adora, what do you mean ‘doing enough’? You saved the world! No, the Universe! ”

“B-But still.” Adora lifted herself from Catra’s neck, turning to face her. “I can’t just sit around while Etheria is in chaos.”

Catra sighed. “Adora, you deserve to rest more than anyone on this planet. You are more than enough, and you don’t need to prove that to no one. Not even me or our friends.”

Adora let out a loud sob. Catra cupped her cheek again, but this time Adora held her hand there. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying sorry. It’s okay.”

“Catra,” Adora opened her eyes and mustered her most serious look. “I promise you to never do that again. From now on, I will dedicate my life to us.”

Catra smiled softly. “That’s it princess.” Then, she brought both Adora’s hands to her lap. “Look… I’m sorry for not sending any messages to you guys. I’ve been so caught up on Halfmoon that I didn’t even keep track of time. I was planning on going back to see you this week, but the Horde got in the way.”

Adora brought their linked hands to her mouth, kissing Catra’s knuckles. “I can only imagine. And sorry for freaking out too. I’ve been very emotional these past few days. I t-thought you were dead.”

Catra pulled Adora into another hug, tighter than the first. Adora grabbed her tiny waist and brought her to her lap, Catra’s legs locking behind her. They stayed like this for a while, just basking each other’s presence.

“Oh, and I love the hair.” Catra said after a while, making Adora laugh.

“It kind of got burnt.”

“Damn, princess. Sounds like you had fun while I was out.”

Adora pulled back, now nose-to-nose with her Catra, and stared into mismatched eyes. “Nothing’s fun without you.”

They don’t know who made the move, but their lips collided in the best kiss ever (okay, maybe not better than the one at the Heart, as Adora liked to call ‘the perfect kiss’, but it came close). They pushed and pulled, soft and eager at the same time. Catra’s fingers threading through her hair as Adora’s hands gripped her hips tightly.

Catra gasped in surprise as Adora flicked her tongue over her bottom lip, but opened her mouth for the blonde. The kiss deepened, earning sighs from the two lovers, lost in each other. Adora tried her best, but it was physically impossible to bring Catra closer.

They pulled away to breathe, but Adora wouldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. She moved her lips to Catra’s jaw, slowly making her way to her neck. Tiny whimpers escaped the magicat’s mouth as lovebites were left on her skin.

“Adora…” Catra whimpered louder as Adora bit with a little more force. “You really missed me...”

Adora, face still pressed on Catra’s body and shifting lower towards her chest, said in a breathy voice: “I swear you’ll never feel unwanted again, Catra.” she sucked on the burnette’s collarbone, making her tremble in her lap. “I want you so much. I love you.”

Catra’s hands tightened around blonde locks, bringing the warrior’s face even closer to her chest. “I love you too.”

For Adora’s dismay, a loud knock echoed in the room, making Catra jump away from her lap to stand stiffly beside the bed.

“Sweetie, we need to have a meeting with your friends immediately.” the queen’s voice came from outside the door. “We need you there.”

“I’m coming mom!” Cyra’s footsteps faded in the distance and Catra’s shoulders slumped. “Oh my, that was scary.”

Adora giggled, moving to stand beside her girlfriend and pull her into a side hug. “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll get to catch up more later.” Catra smiled and kissed Adora tenderly. Before she could open the door however, Adora realized something.

“Wait, did you just say ‘mom’?!”

Chapter Text

The couple went to the library hand in hand, the redness on their faces caused by the embarrassment was still present. When Catra opened the doors she was met with the faces of her closest friends and her family in the same room. However, before she could process more, Melog threw themselves at her, licking her face in a clear message of ‘I missed you’.  

“Catra!” Scorpia’s strong arms enveloped Catra and Melog into a hug. Catra did her best to return the affection without taking her arm off of Melog. “Wildcat, oh gosh I-I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, Scorp.” Scorpia pulled away with tears in her eyes and wobbly lips, earning a chuckle out of Catra. 

Perfuma wordlessly approached the brunette and embraced her as well, lightly petting her head. Catra enjoyed Perfuma’s presence - or, as the flower princess would say: ‘her vibe’ -, so she actually felt comfortable enough to be affectionate with her. Behind Perfuma were Bow and Glimmer, forming a line to hug Catra too.

“Look kids, I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion but you’ll have to save the hugs for later.” Cyra, though she had a serious expression on her face, had sparkles in her eyes at the prospect of her daughter being so loved by her friends.

“Right, we have important things to discuss.” Nik said, getting up from his chair. “So, I assume you are all aware of Horde activity around the Whispering Woods?”

“Yes we are, sir.” Glimmer answered as she sat down between Bow and Lee. “They attacked Brightmoon a couple days ago.”

“Right. Well, Catra and Melog found their base earlier this week and we were able to ambush six soldiers. Unfortunately, one soldier escaped.” 

“Oh, no.” Perfuma put one hand in her lips. “If they know about your kingdom, they’re going to attack soon.”

“Exactly.” Cyra stood beside her husband. “So we wanted to form a temporary alliance with you.”

When all of her family came back home after the kids were born, Aimee told Nik and Cyra about the soldier’s escape. Right away Catra made the suggestion to wait for Melog to return with Adora to ask for the Rebellion’s help, as they had experience when it came to battling Horde soldiers.

However, Cyra still held a grudge from the last time Halfmoon asked them for help. She told Catra they would all welcome Adora, because she was Catra’s family, but she was very reluctant to let ‘Brightmoon people’ in her kingdom. Nikolaj stepped in and managed to convince her to form a ‘temporary alliance’ that would only last until the Horde was taken down. The queen agreed as long as they would keep their distance from their home after that.

Catra understood her mother’s resentment - after all, many loved ones were lost in Halfmoon’s attack. But she couldn’t help but hope that she would take a liking to Catra’s friends and let them visit and be a part of everything.

“A temporary alliance…?” Bow tentatively asked.

“Yes.” Catra noticed that her mother put on her intimidating façade, making sure they all knew where she stood in this story. “Halfmoon might have more chances if the Rebellion is willing to help, but it was because of your selfishness that we fell all those years ago.”

“Cyra…” Nik put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.

“Your majesty,” Glimmer rose from her chair, staring at Cyra intently. “My mother made a terrible mistake by not listening to you when you needed, but I refuse to be that kind of queen. We will form any type of alliance you want, and we’ll respect your boundaries as well.” the queen of Brightmoon looked at Catra with a tender smile. “Catra is my best friend, I owe her my life. As long as I’m queen, I vow to protect her home too.”

Catra felt herself smile too, grateful for Glimmer and for everything the both of them had been through. Adora squeezed her hand, she was also smiling. Catra then turned to look at her parents - Nik had a pleased expression on his face while Cyra seemed to be pondering what Glimmer had just said. 

“Uh, I know my opinion won’t change anything,” Lee raised his hand as he spoke. “But I think we can trust the pink lady.”

“Lee? Shut up.” Aimee pinched his forearm.

“Alright.” Cyra sighed. “Halfmoon will accept your help and we will welcome you for as long as you need. Though I believe it won’t take long for the Horde to prepare and attack for us.”

“Oh, right!” Entrapta, who had been impressively quiet this whole time, approached everyone with one tracker pad in hand. “I tuned my pad to the signal the Horde’s tech in the Whispering Woods is sending off and it read that they are charging very strong weapons in their base.”

“Then, what are we waiting for?” Aimee gestured to the people in the room. “Let’s get ready to kick some ass!”

“Calm down, Aimee. No one’s kicking ass before lunch.” Nik gestured for everyone to get up while Cyra asked Zyn to put on the table for everyone. “Sweetie,” Nik put a hand on Catra’s shoulder. “Could you please guide your friends to the kitchen, me and your mom are going to stay here and talk with the guards a little more.”

“Sure thing, dad.” 

“DAD?!” Scorpia and Bow shrieked, startling everyone else on the table. “YOU HAVE PARENTS?! WILDCAT THAT’S AMAZING!” Scorpia, eyes full of tears once again, brought her pincers to her chin.

“Oh, so the queen lady looks like you because she is your mom?” Entrapta asked.

“Yeah, Nik and Cyra are my parents.” Catra smiled softly, feeling her dad squeeze her shoulder.

“And we are so glad to have our daughter’s friends with us here, aren’t we honey?”

Cyra hummed with disinterest. “Huh,” Glimmer crossed her arms and shot Catra a smirk. “Attitude really is genetic.” 

There was a sound of someone clearing their throat and, when Catra turned, Adora was red from her ears to her neck and was slightly trembling. “S-Sirs- I mean, your majesties.” she bowed a little bit and Catra wanted to throw herself out the window. “It’s an honor to be here and to meet you. I w-was wondering if you’d give me your blessing to-”

“No need for that, sweetie.” Nik interrupted, gently holding one of Adora’s hands. Cyra had a small smile on her lips. “You are already family.”

Adora’s body relaxed as she let out a breath she had been holding. Catra held her right arm with both hands and felt her girlfriend stop trembling. “You didn’t need to do that, you know?” Catra whispered in her ear.

“What?! Of course I do. I need them to know I’m a good match for you.” Adora whispered back.

Catra rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Shut up, dummy.” 

“Wait wait wait…” Glimmer put her arms out, her eyes wide in surprise. “If Cyra is Catra’s mom, than that means…”

“Oh, fuck here it comes.”

“CATRA IS A PRINCESS?!” Glimmer let out the biggest laugh of her life, swiftly followed by everyone else from Brightmoon. Even Melog laughed soundly.

“Catra! A princess! ” Glimmer cleared the tears from her eyes. “What an irony, Horde Scum!”

Catra’s tail lashed wildly behind her and she was sure her face was as red as a tomato. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just get to the kitchen.” she grabbed Adora’s hand with a huff and dragged her downstairs, their friends quickly following.

Though Catra pretended not to, she heard every single joke the princesses were making about Catra’s new status.

They are never letting this go…

Chapter Text

“Melog and I saw the thing in person and it’s safe to say that it will take a lot to deactivate it.” 

All magicats and the members of the princess alliance were gathered at Halfmoon’s park to hear the plan for the battle that was sure to come. Catra was at the center of the circle with Melog and Lee, who had proved to be a very good strategist.

“We will probably need to be bolder than last time.” Lee said. “We can’t use agility as our only advantage, we must fight back.”

“Anyone who knows how to fight with any type of weapon is going to be at the front lines. And those who don’t know will stay in Halfmoon to help the healers with the injured.”

“But princess,” a guard among the crowd stepped forward. “Even if we manage to take the soldiers down, the weapons are going to kill us. As you said before: they’re extremely powerful.”

“Yes, and that’s why Lee and I have made a special plan just to deactivate them. Lee?”

The white magicat pulled out the black board and started to draw in it. “Right, uh… The weapons don’t need to be close to the target to fire, so they will most likely put them here, outside the barrier of trees.” Lee drew two Xs outside a very ugly circle. “What we will need is a group of people to quietly skip through the trees and go straight to the machines. Once there, some of those people will have to fight the soldiers managing it while others turn it off. Meanwhile, the guards of Halfmoon and the Princess Alliance will be in the center fighting the soldiers inside the ruins.” seeming proud of his drawings and explanation, Lee turned around with a big smile on his face. He turned to look at Catra with big eyes, looking for her approval.

“That doesn’t sound too hard.” one guard said. Nik chuckled beside him.

“Yes, it doesn’t. If you don’t acknowledge that all the soldiers will be carrying at least two weapons each, one of them being powerful blasters, while we have swords, arrows and spears. Not hard at all.”

“W-We won’t have much to worry though,” Lee continued. “As we already know they are not good fighters. Last time was not that hard, indeed.”

“But they were taken by surprise.” Catra crossed her arms and threw her most serious gaze at the people around them. “This time, they are expecting us to do our best. So they will give us their best.”

“I have a question.” one woman carrying a child lifted her hand. She had her eyes glued on the princesses, a hint of anger tainting them. “I don’t understand how the princesses will be able to help us. They have already proven to not be of any help at all.”

A wave of voices came from the crowd, all agreeing with the woman. Glimmer dipped her head down, definitely feeling some guilt over the magicats’ anger. The members of the Princess Alliance were all searching for something to say, but the crowd was far too loud.

Catra was about to defend them when her mother went to the center of the circle. “What happened nineteen years ago was a tragedy. I, more than anyone, am aware of that.” Cyra and Catra stood side by side, an identical look of power in their faces made the crowd go quiet in a second. “But, if we don’t want all that to happen again, we will need all the help we can get. Other princesses will come to our aid and, once the battle is over, we can discuss where Halfmoon stands between the other kingdoms of Etheria.”

“But, your majesty,” another man asked. “How can we trust the princesses after-”

“When Halfmoon fell, these princesses were children.” Catra interrupted him. “The mistakes their parents made should not be attributed to them. They will help, whether some of you like it or not.”

“Were we clear?” Cyra asked. The whole kingdom answered with a ‘Yes, your majesties’. Catra risked a glance to the side and saw Adora staring at her with a proud, dopey look in her eyes.

“Very well,” Lee clasped his hands together, pulling Catra’s attention away from her girlfriend. “Everyone who will stay in Halfmoon - those being our elders, children, healers and a group of helpers - can go to their homes as of now. The rest of the groups will be organized separately.”

The audience dispersed. Parents with children walked back to their homes with the elders to wait until it was time to hide. Catra watched as the children clung to their mothers and eyed the guards of Halfmoon with worry, no doubt aware that something bad was about to come.

Sali was there too, now recovered from her postpartum exhaustion, with one of her kittens in her arms. It was the little girl - the couple had had three boys and only one girl -, and she had one of Catra’s old plushies carefully held between her small hand and her mother’s chest. Her dark eyes watched everything around her with wonder until she landed them on Catra.

She flailed her chubby arms around and Catra was quick to make her way towards the two of them. She unsheathed her claws and pressed her hand to the baby’s cheek, smiling when the small hand grabbed a single finger and held onto it. “Lyna, don’t hold onto Catra. She has a lot of work to do.” Sali smiled at her daughter and the princess.

The girl made a noise as if responding to her mother, but made no move to let go of Catra’s finger. “Lyna…” Catra whispered. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Catra!” she turned to see her mother calling her. “Come here, we need you to help organize. You can ogle the babies later.”

Catra left a small kiss in Lyna’s ginger head and walked to where her family was standing. All of the princesses looked worried, but Lee did his best to keep everyone focused and motivated. Him and Catra had come up with the basis of their plans, basically what they had been explaining to the crowd earlier, but now they had to make sure everything was perfect for the attack that was soon to come.

Catra felt a hand in the small of her back and looked at Adora with a small smile. Adora’s eyes had a clear message in them: ‘we can do this’.

According to Entrapta’s data there was still time to rest until the Horde came to the attack, so they all decided to head back to their rooms to have as much sleep as they could get. Glimmer suggested that they could face the Horde now that the machines weren’t charged yet, but Cyra was quick to turn it down. The Alliance and the magicats were all too tired to barge into attack right now, and they would be at a big disadvantage if they were far from Halfmoon and its healers. The king and queen made it very clear that they were not going to risk their people’s safety.

Catra then dragged Adora and their friends to her house and helped them turn the library into a comfortable place to sleep. “So… Princess Catra, huh?” Glimmer nudged the brunette with her elbow.

“No need to make a big deal about it, Sparkles.” Catra grumbled.

“Oh, but of course we have to make it a big deal! Say, what do you think of hosting a ball for us next year?”

“Oh! Wildcat needs to have her own chair in the war room now!” Scorpia clapped her pincers together.

“And you are more than welcome to take part in my all-princesses drum circle, Catra!” Perfuma held Catra’s hand in her own.

“Urgh, stop it! I’m not this type of princess!” Catra crossed her arms with a huff. Adora put her hands on Catra’s shoulders but couldn’t contain her own smile.

“Oh but you are, Princess Kitty. ” Glimmer winked at Catra, earning a growl from the magicat.

Thankfully, Adora pulled Catra to her bedroom before she exploded from either rage or embarrassment and they were now safely tucked in Catra’s huge bed.

Adora caressed her girlfriend’s back as they cuddled, her nose lightly bumping into Catra’s while she talked. “I had no idea you had come to like children.”

“What are you talking about?” Catra asked.

“I saw you with that baby earlier.” Catra’s freckled cheek quickly turned red. “You were being very affectionate. It was the cut-”

“Don’t say cute near me or I’ll claw you.” Catra tried to intimidate Adora, who just laughed and hugged her tighter.

“Alright, your highness.” 

“Urgh.” Catra hid her face in the crook of Adora’s neck. “Stop calling me that.”

“What? Princess?” Catra grumbled again and Adora shifted to look at her better. “I think it’s amazing that you are a princess Catra. Wow, Princess Catra Applesauce Meowmeow of Halfmoon.”

Catra let out a loud laugh at her old name. “I can’t believe we named each other. What were we thinking?!”

“Well, we wanted to have names, didn’t we?” Adora looked at her girlfriend, who was trying hard to suppress a smile. “What?”

“I have something to tell you.” Catra propped herself up on her elbow, now smiling big at the blonde under her. “Mom told me my real name, and we also have a surname too.”

“What?!” Adora sat up, her blue eyes wide. “What is it?”

“My real name is Elizabeth Drilluth. But I still like to be called Catra.”

“Elizabeth… Wow.” Adora lifted her hand to caress the brunette’s cheek. “Even your name is beautiful.”

Catra whined and tackled Adora in a hug, hiding her face again. “Don’t be sappy, dummy!”

Adora laughed, adjusting the covers around them. “Elizabeth Drilluth… Adora Drilluth. Oh, I like that!”

“Adora Drilluth? We’re getting married and you didn’t tell me?”

Adora stared at her Catra’s mismatched eyes, absentmindedly brushing the stray strands of hair away from her face. “I want to marry you, Catra. It’s you and me…”

“Until the end of the world.” Catra leaned up to kiss Adora. “I know.”

“And we’ll have our own house. With our own kittens.” 

Catra laughed again. “Kittens? Gee, Adora. Slow down.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I love my girlfriend too much and I want to plan our lives together.” Adora laughed too. “I’m not letting any other thing get between us again. I want to be with you… Elizabeth.”

“Go to sleep, dork.”

Adora still had her worries about the upcoming battle, and so did Catra. But at this moment they were in each other’s arms, and nothing bad could happen as long as they were together.