Always Forever (Catradora)

Chapter Three

Adora

Fire. Even with all of her training... Adora hadn't been prepared for all of the fire. The screams that filled the air, echoing within her ears in a suffocating type of way. The fleeing of people, running for their lives... fearing the bringers of such a hell. It didn't matter where or why they were there... these people now knew nothing but fear. Smoke dipped and weaved its way throughout the town, consuming the breathable air within its toxic grip. The people who were still living from the endless barrage of attacks from the tanks cowered in fear, their eyes wide and tear-filled.

Rubble crumbled throughout Thaymore, along with ferocious flames that licked at the sides of the buildings. Adora could feel the color draining from her face as she watched what happened. Even though they were enemies... she gritted her teeth as the firing of the tanks eventually faded into nothingness. As they did so, Adora allowed herself to leave the tank. The air was humid and stunk of fire... A particular scent danced throughout the wind, twisting and twirling to graze against Adora's nostrils. The moment she caught a whiff of it, she had to stop herself from retching right then and there.

Shades of orange and yellow danced in Adora's vision, latching themselves to any surface possible as their relentless consumption of Thaymore continued. Endless echoes of empty, broken screams filled the air as Adora could feel herself losing what little hope she had left of this mission. Was this right? Thaymore was supposed to be a military base... not... not this...

Adora leaned against the back of the tank, her vision spinning uncontrollably as her hand clenched against the cold metal. Her thoughts seemed to swirl and twist, melting into one incoherent storm of emotions. It was almost as hot as the flames that surrounded. It was at that moment that she was finally able to name the scent her nostrils were refusing to take in normally.

It was burning flesh.

Catra

Before Catra knew what was happening, the girl had already disappeared from sight. The only thing that remained in her wake was a trail of what seemed to be sparkles. In an instant, a noise sounded to her right and Catra felt a force tackle her to the ground. "Gah!" she spat in surprise as her back rammed into a sharp rock beneath her.

"A horde soldier! Where's the rest of your squad, huh?!" Glimmer demanded, her hand clenching the fabric of Catra's shirt, bringing her up to meet the other's gaze. Bow gave a shriek of surprise from the distance and pranced over to the two of them, trying to be as menacing as possible. Catra's eyes flickered between the two a bit nervously as she felt the fur once again bristle. She gritted her teeth, annoyed with the fact that she'd been spotted by them... A princess no less.

Catra flicked her tail and pushed Glimmer away from her face, hissing a little bit. "As if I'd tell you," she replied, a tartness rising in her voice as Glimmer's eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way, you're wasting my time." Catra's nails dug themselves absently into the palms of her hand, causing a sharp, yet satisfying pain.

Glimmer laughed, sarcastic and short as she shoved Catra back into the ground, pulling out a random pair of handcuffs and promptly latching them around Catra's wrists. Catra tched, struggling against the handcuffs in vain. "Oh yeah, let you go, a horde soldier... because that would look amazing when I return with nothing," Glimmer hissed as Bow glanced absently at her and grinned hesitantly.

"This means you'll have two bargaining chips, huh? Let's keep going, then," Bow chirped as Catra glared at him silently. She was already trying to devise a means of escape as Glimmer let out a happy shriek, jumping up in the air as she went on and on about being on good terms after returning the prisoner and whatever technology she seemed to be after. Glimmer forced Catra to walk forwards as the three of them began to trek throughout the forest. Honestly? At this point, Catra was beginning to become a little bit nervous with the whole ordeal. What if she really couldn't find a way out? Wait! Her eyes widened a little bit as an incoherent purr escaped her throat. Perfect, that should work... I just have to wait for the right moment.