Fire and Flame (a Catradora fanfic)

Chapter 13

Catra pulled off her headdress carefully. The rest of the Magicats couldn't stop staring whenever she wore it. According to the elders, the metallic headwear had belonged to their departed queen, Kitrina. Hordak had her slaughter as soon as he came across the clan. It seemed Catra was the closest living relative to Kitrina, and it was rumored she could use the headpiece's magic.

Whatever magic used to be in that rusty thing was long gone by now. Catra lifted her face, hoping a glimmer of light would sneak through an unsuspecting crack. Without sunlight, every hour felt like an eternity. There was no way to tell when Adora would be back, or anyone really. at least if Glimmer showed up, Catra knew Adora was awake too.

Adora crept slowly out of the castle again. Without a distraction, Adora was uncertain if Glimmer had noticed. She lifted the panel, her sword turned into a wristband under her shirt sleeve. '

"Catra? Are you alright?" Adora was sure to whisper.

Catra dashed to put her headdress on and nodded. "Took you long enough."

Adora stifled a confused laugh. "It's two in the morning! Now come on, I have to break those chains."

Carefully, Adora took down her hair poof, using the clip as a lock pick. Catra played with the hair that fell, shining like spun gold. Adora giggled as she clipped her hair back into place. " I think that's all of them."

Catra stood quickly but was pulled back by a rope around her ankle. She yelped and pulled at it, but the knot was unmoving.

"It would be easier if you just used your claws." Adora smiled.

"Do I look like some kind of animal?" Catra scoffed playfully, before swinging at the rope. Once she was free, the two girls pushed at the slightly open panel. Catra snuck through to help Adora. She tried to shake away the memory of the cliffside in the Crystal Castle. Adora jumped onto the solid ground and stomped on the panel, crushing the flower bed.

The two girls took each other by the hand as they ran farther and farther from the Brightmoon palace. They finally stopped in a strawberry field, vines up to their ankles. Adora took a look around. She was almost startled, she couldn't see Glimmer's runestone anymore. "Catra, how far from the castle are we?"

Catra shrugged. "Past the Whispering Woods and just around the Fright Zone."

"You can go around the Fright Zone?"

"Of course you can, dumb blonde."

"Hey!" Adora laughed and tossed Catra into a bush of newly- ripen strawberries. Catra was covered in the sticky fruit and jumped up. She seemed nervous.

"What's wrong? Did the thorns prick you?" Adora walked closer.

Catra held a half-squashed strawberry in her hand. "What are they?"

"They're strawberries! Glimmer used to eat these all the time."

Catra noticed Adora tense at the mention of Glimmer and plucked a fresh strawberry. She ate it quickly but pulled out the bitter leaves. "They're not bad."

Adora smiled. "We should really find a lake or something to clean up, No one in the castle will be looking for us."

"They will start looking for you though, what's the plan?"

"We're still going to fight Horde Prime together, nothing they say will change that." Adora took Castra's hand, covered in the strawberry mush.