Redemption: Purrsia

Chapter 14

Kywa sits across from Neara and Catra, who has her head resting in Neara's lap looking up at the stars. Neara puts her hand on Catra's head,"You've been through so much and yet you've still made it home to us".

Catra closes her eyes,"I used to dream about opening that portal almost every night after...it's just...I am sorry for what i did".

Neara shakes her head and gently strokes Catra's hair,"All we ever do in life is make decisions that feel right at the time Catra, feeling regret for what happened is normal, the one thing you have to remember though is in order to grow you can only move forward, so you can't let that regret trap you in the past".

Catra sits up quickly and faces Neara,"so do you forgi-",

Neara cups Catra's face in her hands, "Stop...you don't need forgiveness from me Catra, no matter how many years we've spent apart, my love for you always was and always will be unconditional."

Catra looks down,"why are you all so understanding? , I don't get it"

Kywa slides over to sit beside Catra and playfully puts an arm around her neck and rubs her knuckles in her hair, "Because that's what a family is supposed to be"

Catra giggles and slides her head out Kywa's grip and gives her a shove, "get off me!"

They both look over to see Neara laughing, "it makes me happy to see you two getting along like this", Neara sighs and stands up,"unfortunately my girls there is one more thing we need to discuss before you leave"

Kywa raises an eyebrow,"You're not coming home with us?"

Neara shakes her head,"not yet, I'm much more helpful to you both in here then out there right now"

"Why?"

Neara smiles,"Well stand up and I will show you", she puts her hand out and a small purple cloud appears, a silver mask with cat features, small rounded ears and green crystal eyes slowly descends. Catra and Kywa look at each other and then back at the mask.

Neara levitates it in front of her as the girls stand up "This is the true mask of D'riluth" Neara lets the mask slowly rotate in her hands, the ornate details catching the light as it turns, "tradition dictates that now you've completed the trial, the mask is given to you with the idea being that you are to share its power".

She gives a sly smile, as the mask stops rotating Neara clicks her finger and snaps the mask evenly in half,"personally I'm not a fan of traditions and if you're going to help She-ra defeat the first ones, you're going to need something more substantial than a piece of old metal on your face".

Neara suspends the halves in either hand out in front of her and creates a rune to surround each of them. The middle of the rune emits a soft silvery glow. Both Kywa and Catra look at the runes in front of them hesitantly. Kywa is the first to stick her hand into the light, Kywa's hand touches something she looks at Neara who nods in encouragement.

As Kywa starts to pull out the hilt a thin line of crimson and white smoke wraps it's way up Kywa's arm and then spreads across her chest and eventually covering her whole body as she keeps pulling out the halberd. Once the tip of her weapon leaves the portal the smoke disappears and Kywa now stands in a crimson flowing buttoned up bodice, her hair much longer and tied back in a simple braid, she looks down at herself and in her hand she is holding a silver halberd.

"Whoa", Kywa swings and twirls the halberd a few times and laughs.

Catra reaches into the portal and as she starts pulling out the hilt, a line or crimson and black smoke wraps around her arm, covering her the same way as it did Kywa, once the smoke disappears Catra stands in a black sleeveless leather jacket and pants, a flowing tattered crimson scarf wrapped around her waist. Her long hair hangs loosely behind her back. She looks down at her hand and is holding a long silver staff with a circular top. She inspects the top closely, then a small crimson light flows from her chest floating across and into the centre of the circle causing the multiple rings to fan out and orbit one another.