Escaping Corruption (Seasons 1-3)

S2 - Sundown shadows

PUCA stood across from Horde Prime, their armies thronging around the duo, keeping distance to avoid being incinerated by their conjoined fury.

'Bring forth the shadows and cast away the glares. Join me in brotherhood as we watch the nestlings world burn as she succumbs. Afterall, if she is really alike the sun, then she shall burn all she lays her eyes upon.' Horde Prime declared, the ghost of a horrific smile crossing his face.

Puca chuckled quietly, and stepped forward.

The crowd of clones and shadow soldiers parted to reveal the view from the mountain summit.

The sky was painted navy, and the 12 Moons of Etheria were moments away from combining and creating the blood moon.

When morning came, all would return to normal.

But when morning arrived, there would be no planet to bathe in light.

Puca turned back to his allies, a psychotic grin present.

'Do not rest until you have wiped out each and every one of those measly weasels. I would like to paint my palace walls with their blood. And bring forth the one known as Catra. Alive, if possible.'

And so the armies moved on, to obey their leader.

-------------------------

Catra made a mad dive for the undergrowth as the first bomb went off.

She heard the scattered screams of Puca's soldiers, and then the scent of smoke and grease wafted over her.

The ringing in her ears hurt her, but she ignored it.

She lept to her feet, over the slippery mud of the undergrowth and through the rain soaked grass.

It tickled and made her calves itch.

She made it to the bridge just in time, as she heard the second bomb detonate.

Her sense were overwhelmed by the massive booming echoes, the harsh smoking air, the awful smell of burning flesh.

She slipped.

She coughed and sputtered, palms sliding against the glistening wood of the bridge.

Every sense in her body screamed her to find somewhere with clean air, a cup of fresh water, and a comfortable place to nap.

But she knew she could never.

If she did, she would be allowing her world to crumble to nothing. No one to remember it.

She couldn't let that happen.

She looked over the shining, grime covered bridge, and used all her might to pull herself to her feet with the railing.

It supported her weight as she got over the bridge.

Her relief when her sandal clad feet hit the dirt was eloquently shown on her momentarily content expression.

But it was gone a second later, as a shower of screams came from the other side of the dam before her.

She ignored her aching muscles as she dug out her daggers from her rucksack, and approached the dam.

The gushing river water was murky, and smelled putrid, so she wouldn't even risk getting through there.

She threw her arms up, and stuck the twin daggers into the silts, in the crevices of the dams ancient time.

She pulled herself up with minor difficulty, she didn't weigh it down, much to her delight.

So she did it again, and again, until she reached the dams crest.

The water levels had lowered years ago, as the river had thinned with time. So now the water only went to about a third of the way it used to.

Catra sighs happily as she lay on the thick wall of stone.

But the next moment, the screaming returned, and she lept into a large cluster of whin bushes.

Once she finally escaped the sea of yellow, she bolted in the direction of the noise.

She slipped behind a massive boulder, and looked into the vast valley before her.

Puca stood right in the center, electricity crackled around him.

Two young soldiers grovelled at his feet.

Catra recognised one of them from a few hours prior, when she had saved Adora and Naeva from being overpowered.

It was the blonde shadow warrior.

This time, her hair was down, caught over her ears. Her face was brushed and bloodied from a bad beating.

It wasn't much better for the one next to her.

'Vasta, I truly believe that you would not put me to shame, especially with your mother so ill.' Puca sneered, grabbing the girls face.

Catra's eyes darkened.

So thats how...he's using their personal things...exploiting them...to make people work under him...

But before she could act, Puca pulled away, and disappeared into a cloud of black.

Catra ran to the soldiers, who were as equally shocked as each other seeing her.

'Both of you, go north to the Kingdom Of Snows, show them these rings. You'll be safe there.'

Vasta cautiously allowed her to drop the twin coloured bands into her hand. She then handed one of the two to her comrade and looked at Catra one last time.

'Thank you....Little bird.'

Catra pretended she understood why people kept calling her that.

She watched them disappear into the fog.

Her heart aches to run back to Adora in the base.

But she knows it would be abandoning everything fot selfish wants, so she pushes through the feeling, and looks out over the rest of the valley.

She could see something in the distance.

It took a moment to register that she was in the retreat mark for Puca and Primes army, so she quickly snapped her fingers, hoping that nereid - Dione - had told the truth.

There was a little swirl of pink, like a mini torpedo, but it faded quickly quickly reveal a gorgeous woman dressed in a rose pink chiton.

The woman took in the oncoming army, then looked Catra up and down.

Then lifted her in her arms, and the next thing she knows, they're zooming through the air toward the sky.

The woman gently leaves her floating dangerously beofre fhe highest of the twelve Moons.

'Err...What's your name?' Catra blurts out in her panic.

'Calypso. I am the grace of youth and chastity. Shall I fetch your fellow peers?'

'Please do. Its time for the grand plan.'

Calypso complied.