From Both Sides of the Forest

Chapter I:

A Warning

"Adora, a Jewish brat with the luck of the Irish. That's what you seem to be. Whenever you turn your head, it's obvious that your nose is a strange one. I don't like it. I hate it. Both you and your big nose should scram. You think you're the best, but you aren't. I am and will always be number one.

Sincerely, Catra."

"Gotcha."

"Did you write down everything, Scorpia?"

"Erm, something like that," she murmured. "Yeah!"

Catra raised a brow in doubt before hurriedly walking towards the other, murmuring in moody gibberish as she did so. "Lemme look at that."

Scorpia shook her head and giggled, keeping the letter far from the cat's reach. "No need to worry about that, Commander! You can count on me. Besides, it would take too much of your time. You made me take notes for somethin'."

At this, the feline huffed before nodding.
"Fine. But you better make sure that she gets to hear every single word. She has tiny ears, so make it happen."

With a small smile, Scorpia began to make her way towards the mailbox. Suddenly, Entrapta came sprinting to the office. Her agility made her perform precise movements on her keyboard, all with the help of her short and stubby fingers. Catra saw this and was immediately fueled with anxiety, her ears twitching slightly.

"I don't get how you understand that thing."

Entrapta glanced back at her commander and smiled broadly.

"They're patterns. It's very simple, actually. The trick of it is in the-"

"I didn't ask for a tech lesson." The feline drew herself closer to the desk, her eyes wandering around each button, big and small. Her gaze was then planted on the glass window, taking in the peaceful view.

The princess brushed off the brash interruption, intrigued by her boss's observations. Her hair helped in placing herself next to Catra.

"This is a very fascinating place, indeed. I've noticed all sorts of strange and interesting things since the first day I got here."

Catra chuckled. "Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"The bed section. It's always two bunk beds per block. Why not use the top bunk for the first block? The one on the bottom has drawings on its walls. They look like hieroglyphics."

Catra froze for a moment, her gaze becoming tense. Her brows furrowed as she controlled her claws from unsheathing, knowing well just how intelligent the woman next to her proved to be. If it were not for her being Entrapta, she very well would have slashed the nearest wall down.

She took a few more seconds to muster up an answer, keeping her head still. She sighed. "The bottom bunk is more comfortable. The top one has its springs

broken."

Entrapta nodded, content with the reply. "Now you sleep by yourself."

Sighing, the feline started to look at her own reflection. "Yes," her eyes were half-lidded, "Now I sleep by myself."

As Entrapta opened her mouth to speak once more, Catra interrupted her yet again. She ran a palm across her own face. "Now, go. Keep playing with your buttons or whatever. I got things to take care of."

"Tears."

"Huh?" Catra turned her head to look at the princess, her stern gaze crashing against Entrapta's curious orbs.

"You're crying."

The commander shook her head, frowning deeply. "Look, you're still a princess. If I like you, it's 'cause you've proven yourself useful. Don't screw it up," she said in between closed teeth.

Still captivated by her own curiosity, Entrapta raised a brow. "What a bizarre woman you are. You possess a mask you never wear and you're obsessed with the enemy."

"And you let your pigtails drag you across the floor. Don't make me do the same."

Just as things were becoming tense, Scorpia bursted through the door in a joyous manner.

"Commander!" She chirped, making an entrance. "I delivered the letter. Permission to take a break."

"Permission granted. Take Entrapta with you." Catra ordered, her eyes drowned in newfound anger.

The scorpion woman gleefully took Entrapta alongside with her. "Don't keep working with an empty stomach, boss!" She shouted before exiting the room.

Catra pretended to ignore the duo, looking back against the glass once again. Within her solitude, she found peace. She placed her forehead against the wall, observing the Horde.

"Adora." She murmured. "This should have been your kingdom, not your war zone. You've made a grave mistake. I hope you're regretting it."

From the other side of the Whispering Woods, there she was. Adora, observing the barely illuminated landscape before her through a purple-tinted crystal.

"Catra," the blonde whispered, for she was yearning. And above all, missing her dearly beloved. The only thing she missed from that wretched place.

Rushed and anxious steps filled the halls of Bright Moon. Lavender and shimmering curls bounced with each step. The door to Adora's room opened with a big and thunderous noise, making her step away from the crystal with a jump.

"There's a letter here for you and I don't like it one bit."

Adora furrowed her brows and extended her hand, waiting for Glimmer to hand it over. When she did, Adora looked at the envelope. The handwriting was unrecognizable. The address simply read: Bright Moon Castle, for She-Ra. It didn't carry a stamp, only a punch out of strange symbols that legalized its delivery. The blonde opened the correspondence and unwrapped the bends, commencing to read out loud.

"Dear Adora, you look like a jewel. When I see you, it's obvious how strange your beauty is. I like it. I love it. Both you and your nose are a big deal. You are number one, I like being number two. Sincerely, Catra. xoxo"

It took a couple of seconds for Adora to close her mouth and stop reading with her eyes wide-open. She was left speechless, eyes filling with accumulated tears that wouldn't fall just yet.

Glimmer broke the silence. "Why does it talk about your nose?"

After biting her lip and blinking away the tears, she tried drying them before they fell from the chin to the letter. She then looked at the purple-haired princess.

"I don't know. It says here 'Jewish gal with the luck of… ', I can't make out that last bit, it's crossed out. I don't understand this letter."

Her friend sat on the border of the plain and hard bed. She became thoughtful. "It's just that… that's not something Catra would write."

Adora responded rushedly, "But it is. Just not something you would expect from present day; it's something the Catra I knew would say."

Glimmer doubted the possibility that in any universe the feline wouldn't be such a cold-hearted witch. She didn't comment, but swallowing those words felt sour on her tongue.

"You're going to go visit her, aren't you?"

Adora nodded.

"And you're not gonna let anybody go with you?"

"No."

"And my mom is going to take care of spreading the news that you're crazy."

The blonde turned around, groaning. The gesture reminded her of the cat she left home.

"Look, Glimmer. With all the respect I have for your mother, I only hope she can return it. I need to talk to Catra, even if it costs me my reputation."

The princess looked at her with all the hatred she felt for the infamous commander. This provoked another groan out of Adora, this time with more frustration.

"Adora," murmured the princess. "Take care."

The blonde flashed her a smile and without thinking, grabbed her sword. She walked out of the room and sauntered around the hallways of the palace with a face full of determination and wearing her heart on her sleeve. As soon as she stepped on the grass, she thought about the violet colors, which would be the image she would miss as soon as she entered the forest, practicing the things she would say to her sweet torment once she saw her.

The transition between kingdom and forest was a drastic one, loneliness and an avalanche of hypnotizing winds hugging Adora. It was just past sunset, the trip was expected to be long and tedious, but with her nervousness, it was incredible how small the forest felt. Each step felt like a leap of faith. She would start meditating whether to come back home or not from time to time.

What valid excuse do I have? How do I tell this woman that I don't want to come back? I will keep breaking her heart until all that remains are sharp, broken pieces.

Her mind filled up with questions and comments that with each minute that passed made her want to run back to the arms of Bright Moon. She didn't remember the warmth of being close to the Horde. She didn't remember that the forest became deeper and fuller with torments within each centimeter less from arriving to that place.

The closer she got, the more shaky her hands became. It wasn't fear, Adora had always been brave and She-Ra would protect her. It was complete and utter nervousness. It was the heavy reminders that began to bounce off of each branch. It was the old echoes of heavy memories that should have been locked out many years ago.

"Adora," the wind whispered. The woman fell on her knees, sobbing. She cried because she knew the words she would hear next. "I love you."

It was the rough and deep voice that lulled her to sleep when she was young and tormented her as an adult. The whispered voice of what she craved and missed the most since she left. That excruciating voice that belonged to whom she thought would always be there for her.

Adora opened her mouth to answer but the echo changed, imitating her voice, and replied: "I love you too, Catra."

The echoes became worse and augmented in intensity. Within memories and tears, Adora crossed the frontier, arriving to the docks of reality. When she stepped on the last dying leaf of the forest, she became aware that in there Catra still moaned out her name. But back in the Horde, it was far from the same. The blonde swore she felt a shiver that went up her feet, caressed her back, and reached her neck.

Inside the fogged castle, there stood a shivering feline. She knew not of the reason why she felt her skin crawl from her feet to her neck. Soon enough, it would become crystal-clear.