Forever Fallen (Catra x OC She-Ra Fanfic)

2. The Horde

"What in the furry!?" Harley yelled and the cat-girl was repelled by her sudden screech, her strong, dark brows knitting together and the corner of her lip quirking upwards in confusion.

"I won't ask again," the said 'furry' hissed, baring her catlike fangs at Harley who swallowed thickly, as if she had sand coating the back of her throat, "who are you?"

Harley's voice was caught up and tangled inside of her and she froze like a deer in the headlights, staring up at this uncomfortably gorgeous furry, and that was all she could do; stare; stare at the beautiful curve to her eyes; stare at her flowing mane of hair; stare at her silky soft brown skin.

As Harley fought the urge to say something embarrassing like 'gay' she actually tried to form a coherent sentence but the dark woman from before stepped forwards and spoke up.

"Catra, she's a--"

"Did I ask you, Lonnie?!" The woman hissed, whipping her head to the side to snarl at her friend (comrade, subordinate?) and Harley continued to blindly stare at her.

She was wearing a one-sleeved, leather jacket over her shoulders and a skin-tight, red jumpsuit with a boob window that peeked into her chest and Harley felt... Well, gay, but she finally realised just how creepy she was and turned away, tucking her head into her right shoulder as a burning blush rose to her cheeks like two scorching suns.

'Catra... What a fitting name for... A cat woman' Harley thought, staring at the violet, swaying trees to her right, whispering a lullaby to her as her heavy eyes nearly drooped shut, but a vicious jerk from Catra yanked her back to earth-- or wherever the hell Harley was.

"She's a... Princess, you said?" Catra hummed inquisitively, butting her head forwards to inspect Harley closer, her two-toned eyes roaming Harley attentively, "Doesn't look like one. Where's all the glitter and gold?"

"A what?" Harley finally spoke up, her leaden eyes nearly falling once more.

"Oh, so now you can speak?!" Catra snapped, tossing Harley aside like a sack of bricks as she rose to her feet and paced a few steps, her eyes narrowing to slits, "What happened to her head?"

Harley groaned and reached a hand to her throbbing forehead, huffing indignantly into the soft soil beneath her jaw. She moved to get to her knees but she was struck back down and the girl let out a pained gasp.

"Dunno, we found her like that. She was calling out for help so we figured she must've run into one of the other squads you sent out. Kinda naïve if you ask me," Lonnie answered, crossing her arms and puffing out her chest with pride at her 'catch'.

Catra looked around the empty patch of woods and sniffed the air, "Where's the other one?"

Lonnie glanced around too before shrugging, "he gets lost"

Harley was hefted upwards by the collar of her shirt and dragged across the dirt, her knees and shoes scraping against rough pebbles and twigs. A pair of claws sunk into the tender flesh at the back of her neck and the girl hissed in pain, recoiling away from Catra but she wasn't unsettled by her squirming.

"What are you two just standing around for?" Catra called out and Lonnie and the... Lizard-guy (still real) shared a look before shrugging their shoulders.

"You wanted us to look for that 'precious piece of First Ones' tech' that Hordak wanted--" Lonnie responded but Catra scoffed.

"'Precious tech'? We've got something better right here-- if she really is a princess like you say, that is," She smirked, hoisting Harley to her feet and curling her fingers into her hair.

"Princess?" Harley gasped, her eyes widening to moons as she looked to the cat-girl, "I'm not a princess--"

"We'll see about that. Can you walk?" Catra asked her, eyes half-lidded as if she was monumentally bored. Harley nodded, "Then walk! I don't want to carry you around all the time!"

Catra shoved Harley in a direction and she stumbled forwards, sparing a glance over her shoulder, but Catra didn't walk away like she'd hoped. She just stood there with her arms akimbo, glaring at Harley.

"Yah!" Came a voice from the bushes and the blonde boy from earlier emerged, brandishing a baton above his head like he was a mighty warrior wielding a sword but in his charge for Harley, his foot got stuck in a tree root and he dropped like a rock into the mud beneath him.

"Come on, Kyle!" Lonnie growled, throwing her hands up and narrowing her eyes at the boy in the dirt but Catra only shrugged off the encounter.

"Move it, Princess, I haven't got all day," she snapped and Harley leapt into action-- or leapt as swiftly and nimbly as she could-- following the directions Catra provided.

Harley wasn't sure why she went along with her orders so blindly. So far, all these people had done was chase her and throw her around, but Harley was exhausted and sore and even if she was a prisoner with these people, at least she wasn't going to be left alone in some strange forest, bleeding out from a head wound-- A head wound!

The girl smiled and let out a relieved breath, she was probably delirious and all of these weird creatures were just her fantasies! All she needed was a patch up on her head and a nap, and she'd be good as gold! That was what she thought, at least, in her crazed state.

Catra led Harley to a small outpost, dotted with green tents that were stylised with a crimson bat symbol and dozens of soldiers in weighty headgear and hulking suits of armour that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie patrolled the area, saluting and whispering at Catra and Harley's entrance.

Harley was directed down a convoluted path in and around the campsite before Catra finally stopped at a tent and hauled Harley inside. It was dark inside, lit only by a fluorescent lantern in the corner and Catra brought Harley to the far side of the tent, her claws sinking deep into the skin around Harley's wrist and the girl yelped at the pain.

Catra forced Harley to the ground and she leant over, plucking up a pair of handcuffs bolted into the floor and latching them around Harley's wrists and the girl smirked.

Perhaps it was the delirium, perhaps it was the sheer force of Harley's will to not be afraid, but the girl leaned forwards, her face only a yard from Catra's, and pursed her lips with a self-satisfied smirk, "didn't know you were into that, Catra,"

Harley giggled but Catra glared at her and in one swift motion, the cat-girl was upon her, one clawed hand coiled tight around Harley's jaw like a python constricting around its prey and Catra closed the distance between them, her forehead slamming roughly against Harley's.

"Don't forget, Princess, you're a prisoner in a Horde encampment under my command, not some crystal palace in Bright Moon. Get on my nerve again and it's your ass on the line. Got it?" She hissed savagely, her breath mingling with Harley's and the girl nodded hastily, her survival instinct getting the better of her, "Good."

The flap of the tent swung open and one of the starship pilot-looking soldiers came running in, holding a tablet in his hands, "Force Captain Catra, there's an incoming transmission from Double Trouble about the infiltration of Bright Moon!"

"Ugh, finally! It has to take them days to get their job done, doesn't it? Why do they have to be so dramatic!?" Catra growled, rising to her feet and following the soldier from the tent, but not before sparing one last look to Harley, "Don't try anything, Princess. I'll be back soon, and with muscle,"

And with that, Catra swept out of the room just like the tornado she was when she first slammed into Harley and the girl let out a relieved sigh, rolling backwards on her haunches and slumping into the wall behind her.

Her head still hurt like hell, but now she could finally get a few winks of sleep. Napping with a gushing head wound was probably not the best course of action, but she couldn't exactly treat it and her eyes were already falling anyway. But with any luck, someone in this 'Horde' would help her. Catra didn't exactly give Harley the impression that she would just let a captured 'princess' die, even if Harley wasn't actually a princess.

And besides! How bad would it be if Harley let her eyes close only for a minute? It's not like she was going to sleep like the dead! It would be fine!