Fragments (Entrapdak)

[Identity]

I belong here. This is a good place. I... I like it here.

Kadroh stared at the ceiling of the tent, still unable to relax. I must follow brother Hordak's instructions and sleep.

Hordak... That name gave him the most peculiar feeling, as if he had forgotten something deeply important. Everything about this place was odd, so unlike the teachings of Prime, and yet through all that strangeness Kadroh felt happy here.

Is it wrong that I feel this way? When I close my eyes, I can still remember the Light, but it is fading.

He had been given a name. Kadroh. Sometimes he repeated the name silently to himself, finding joy in the sound of it. Then panic would set in, and he would berate himself for daring to presume he could ever deserve a name. Prime would surely be furious. Yet everyone assured him it was natural to have a name. They all did. Scorpia, Entrapta, Hordak, Frosta, all of them so different from one another.

Is this heresy? Or are they so high in Prime's favor that he has given them names? Such favored ones must have a deep connection to the Divine Light, and yet... I am told the Hivemind cannot reach here. Is there an even higher level of connection than that?

His head ached with the uncertainty of it. Kadroh fidgeted with the hem of his blanket, his eyes closed tightly in concentration. Did I imagine the Light? Was it ever truly there at all?

Kadroh sat up abruptly. He cast a guilty glance to where Hordak and Entrapta were lying together, both of them asleep. Kadroh would not dare wake them. He needed to find help elsewhere.

I will go outside and look at the stars, he decided .

Leaving the tent as quietly as he could, Kadroh felt a weight lift off him as he gazed up at the night sky. He did not know why the sight of the stars was immensely comforting, but he would not question it, not now.

"Who's there?"

Kadroh's ears flicked toward the noise. He turned his head to see a shape rising up from the darkness. It was the bird-horse, Swift Wind.

"It is I," said Kadroh softly, biting off the impulse to say his name.

Swift Wind fluffed his wings. "Oh, whew, Kadroh! You startled me there. What are you doing awake?"

"I cannot sleep."

"Nervous about tomorrow? Me too. I've decided someone needs to guard the camp until dawn. Want to join me?"

Kadroh nodded. "Yes."

He came over to where Swift Wind was settling back down into the grass. The bird-horse motioned with a wing for Kadroh to sit down beside him, and Kadroh took the invitation, leaning against Swift Wind's broad shoulder. His coat was warm and incredibly soft.

"That's, uh, closer than I was expecting, but hey, it's a cold night. We could both use the warmth."

Kadroh nodded, comfortable in his place. He turned his eyes back to the stars. The steady rumble of Swift Wind's heartbeat was quite loud in his ears, but it made him feel less alone.

"Adora's out there somewhere," Swift Wind said suddenly. "I think about her all the time, and I miss her. See, Adora and I have this special bond. We can feel each other over long distances. Whenever she was in trouble, she could call me to her side just like that!" He stretched his neck toward the stars. "We've never been so far apart before. I can't feel her at all... still, I can't help but come out here every night and talk to her. Maybe, somehow, she can still hear me."

Kadroh closed his eyes against a wave of loneliness. "I too have been separated from my master," he said.

Swift Wind tossed his head, jostling Kadroh. "Oh, Adora's not my master! We're friends. You know, sharing a mutual bond of respect and kinship!"

Kadroh blinked up at him, not understanding. Swift Wind frowned. It was a strange expression on such a long face. "You don't get what I'm saying, do you?"

Shaking his head, Kadroh looked down, confused and ashamed. He thought back to what Hordak said to him earlier. 'Entrapta and I are your family, should you choose to stay with us.' If I choose... is that what it is to have a mutual bond?

No! I am not deserving of choice. I am not --

Swift Wind touched his soft nose to Kadroh's forehead, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey now, don't be sad! You might not know what a friend is, but you have them right here. I'll be your friend too."

Overcome by a sudden strong emotion, Kadroh wrapped his arms around Swift Wind's neck in a strong hug. "There we go," Swift Wind encouraged. "Just like that." His wing extended over Kadroh, sheltering him in as close to a hug as the bird-horse could give in return.

"I think you'll like Adora when you meet her," he said as Kadroh eased his grip. "She's a great friend. A little too serious sometimes, but she knows how to have fun too. Adora's really..."

As Swift Wind went on about his friend, Kadroh could not help but smile. Perhaps he was wrong to want this. Perhaps a terrible punishment awaited him, but right now that fear was pushed far away in his thoughts. Comforted by the sound of Swift Wind's voice and the warmth of his presence, Kadroh closed his eyes, and at long last drifted off to sleep.