5 The Day Everything Changed
Tigra was getting ready for the day. She brushed her long, black hair that went halfway down her back, pulled up her long gray pants that stopped halfway down her shins. She clasps her brown belt where her shirt met her pants, keeping them around her waist, which grew a little larger over the years.
That's all she really needs to do for the beginning of her day. She prefers to wear thin shoes that only prevent the cold metal from touching her fur and keeping the bottom of her feet clean.
A crackle came from the PA system in the room.
"Squadron Alpha, report to the training room immediately for evaluation."
Tigra walked her way there before getting a ping from her communicator when she was roughly halfway there. She looked down at it and saw that Adora had messaged her.
'How are you and Catra the fastest people on the squad yet you both seem to be late more often than not?'
'I'm on the way, geez. Catra's likely on her way as well. I'll be there in three.'
With that, she put it back in her pocket before picking up the pace slightly to get there when she said she would.
She entered the room before grabbing the simulation goggles they were to wear so they could simulate battles easier.
She heard a quiet thump near her.
"Go for Adora while I go for the small ones?" Tigra asked.
"You get Adora." Catra told, putting her own on.
Tigra nodded before moving across the room and seeing Adora start to fall into a pit. She jumped and kicked the large bot away before grabbing onto Adora's wrist.
"You hanging in there?"
"Really? You guys got here late enough for us to do the hard parts?" She asked.
Tigra pulled her up hard, where her feet came out of the hole and back onto stable ground.
"I'll have you know that Catra went to help the pinned down squadron." Tigra snarked/defended while pointing in the general direction. "Besides, I have to make sure that you guys aren't getting lazy with me on the team."
Adora rolled her eyes at that but gave a smirk in return.
Adora had placed 1st in the Academy when they graduated, Tigra in 2nd, and Catra in 5th. Academics and work aren't what Catra's best known for but she is far from stupid or lazy. She just puts effort into things that she prefers instead of putting effort into everything she doesn't.
"Training exercise complete." The PA spoke.
"Come on, I know that you want to get this gear off as much as Catra and I do." Tigra gestured towards the locker room that they were to leave their gear after finishing up.
"Yeah."
******
They were putting the devices up while Catra was laughing in her squeaky laugh.
"Come on, guys." Adora groaned out. "We're senior cadets now. I can't believe that you both are still pulling these immature- is that a mouse?!"
Both Catra and Tigra's fur stuck up as their pupils narrowed.
"Where!?" Both of them exclaimed.
Adora's laugh was the only thing they heard, causing their fur to go back to normal and frown slightly at her. Not that she did that, but more along the lines that there wasn't a mouse.
"Are either of you ever going to not fall for that?" She asked.
"I don't know, are you ever going to let it go? It was one time."
"Still can't believe you tripped me so you could get it." Tigra muttered.
"You know that nothing's too low for me."
"Adora."
That voice killed the mood faster than Tigra could ever run.
Shadow Weaver floated into the room. Her looks haven't changed, despite over a decade passing since Tigra knew her.
"You have done well. You've completed your training course in record time."
"Uh, well, that wasn't just me. You know, Tigra and Catra did as well."
"Ah yes. How those as unmotivated as you completed the course in that time, I'll never know."
"Always serving up those pep talks, huh, Shadow Weaver?" Catra spoke.
"Silence." She said, causing Tigra's fur to raise and step in front of Catra slightly, drawing Weaver's attention to her. "Do not be flippant with me, cadet."
"Sorry, Shadow Weaver."
After seeing her threat work, she turned to Adora.
"Adora, walk with me." Weaver told before starting to float away.
Adora looked at them: Catra shrugged while Tigra looked to the side.
"Adora."
Seeing that nothing could be done, Adora followed after.
Only once they left, did Catra shove Tigra lightly.
"I don't need you to defend me against Weaver."
"I will always protect my family from threats." Tigra said, gaining a frown. "I'm not saying you need it, just that I'll always help."
"Maybe…maybe I don't want help from Weaver's second favorite."
The room went quiet for a few seconds before Tigra spoke, her eyes narrowing.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Please." Catra rolled her eyes. "Shadow Weaver keeps taking you aside privately while you seem to continue growing faster every few weeks. You seem to continue growing more proficient in magic."
"Are you suggesting that Shadow Weaver is why I'm growing stronger?" Tigra snarled. "That she's helping me? If you believe that, then you are working with false information."
"Then what is the right information, huh?"
"...I'll see you later." Tigra spun around and left the room, leaving behind a frustrated Catra.
******
Tigra sat on the edge of their spot. It was a place they found when they were 11 when they went exploring. It was at the top of an abandoned building about 25 minutes from the barracks. There were several places to sit down with railings that could hold two people max before snapping.
It's a place they would go to get away from the Fright Zone's atmosphere, people, or just any problem. Here, they could be 100% themselves without someone noticing their weaknesses. Only Catra and Adora have ever seen her tears when she has cried from feeling overwhelmed for one reason or another. They were the only ones that she could trust to not use anything she has said while emotional against her.
Afterall, most only looked out for themselves and their 'family' in the Fright Zone. And anyone can be kicked out of a family if it benefited them enough to do so.
She stayed up there for roughly half an hour before someone swung themselves up here. Judging by the quiet sound and how quick it was, she guessed Catra and simply waved behind her, still in her head.
The conversation from earlier came back to her head. While she could solve the communication issue between them, the answer Catra was looking for would only produce other issues that aren't as easy to fix and could lead to issues with Shadow Weaver backing out…of their deal. It happened a while ago but it was the main reason why she didn't want either of them finding out about her electric moments.
Neither of them spoke, just listening to the sound of distant machinery before another sound of someone climbing with some grunts could start to be heard.
'And that would be Adora.' Tigra thought.
Once Adora parkoured her way to the top, only then were the first words spoken in the half hour that Tigra had been up there.
"Look, I'm sorry." Adora started. "I didn't think you wanted to be a Force Captain."
"I don't." Catra denied. "Here, take your stupid badge."
Tigra turned around now and saw Adora catch something.
"Come on, Catra. This is what I have been working for my entire life. I was hoping you could be, I don't know, happy for me. Maybe both of you?"
"Whatever." Catra grumbled. "It's not like I really care. I just wanna get out of this dump at some point before I die of boredom." Catra looked out into the distance where the Fright Zone ended. "I wonder what's even outside the Fright Zone anyway."
"With you there." Tigra spoke up. "Congrats on the promotion, first off. But I do wonder what it actually is like out there."
She knew the crock-shite that the Horde had public information against the Kingdoms was just that: propaganda. However, for every three falsities, there often lies a single truth. If she plans on living and not just surviving in the future, she'll need to know as much as she can about how the kingdoms actually are. Most of that information just so happens to be restricted to Force Captains and Commanders, the rank between Cadet and Captain, and above.
"Well…" Adora spoke, continuing once the two of them looked at her. "Why don't we go find out?"
She held out a vehicle key.
*******
"I take it back. You're officially awesome. I can't believe you actually stole a skiff." Catra rambled.
"Borrowed." Adora stressed. "Please don't make me regret this."
They - Catra and Tigra - had to sneak down into the hanger while Adora could simply acquire a skiff, a small manned vehicle, thanks to her new rank. Adora had gotten the skiff running before the two cats had snuck their way onto the skiff and they shot out of the hanger. It only took a few minutes before they had made some distance away from the Fright Zone.
Once they had made some distance, Catra spoke up.
"I've always wanted to drive one of these things. Here, gimme."
Catra reached across and started driving, pushing down on the lever that controls the gas for the skiff. The sudden increase in speed caused Tigra to suddenly shoot her claws on her right hand out and into the metal flooring.
"Whoa there. Save us enough fuel to get back!"
"That is a problem for future us."
They started fighting over the driving stick, causing the skiff to start swinging side to side, making Tigra slide around slightly.
"Woah, woah, wah!" Tigra exclaimed as her claws came undone from the metal, causing her to really start to slide.
They kept bickering, seemingly not noticing her sliding around, until Tigra spotted a forest coming into view that would soon be in front of their path.
"Forest!" Tigra exclaimed, stabbing both hands into the metal this time to stop completely stop herself from sliding.
The skiff came to a hard stop with a slight spin until the nose of the skiff ended up pointing parallel with the forest.
"What is that?" Catra asked, looking at the forest.
"I think this might be the Whispering Woods." Tigra supplied.
"They say there are strange, old monsters in there, an- and the trees move when you're not looking. Every Horde squadron they've sent in here has never come back out."
A pause occurred with the three of them looking at it from the entrance.
"Let's go in." Catra straight up smiled.
"Wait, what?" Adora asked before yelling as Catra started gunning the skiff into the woods.
"I am sooo losing one of my nine lives!" Tigra exclaims.
They weave and bob through the many trees until Adora starts shouting something.
"-ra! Tree! Tree!"
Adora grabs the skiff control and flies them almost straight up.
When they were halfway up the large puprle trees, a vine hit Adora in the head and pulled her off of the skiff.
"Adora!" Tigra and Catra yell out as the skiff continues going forward.
Tigra growls in annoyance and worry before speaking.
"Set it down!"
Catra set her mouth with a slight downturn before getting the skiff to go back to the ground and towards Adora.
"Hope she's not too hurt."
It took a minute before they reached the area where Adora fell.
There, Catra spotted Adora on her back and ran over to her.
Tigra got the skiff close to them but stopped a small distance away from them.
"-dora? Adora!"
"Hrg? Catra? What happened?" She groaned out.
"You fell out of the skiff after you drove it into a tree."
"No, you drove it into a tree."
"For Lord sake!" Tigra threw her hands in the air, approaching. "The important thing is that you fell out of the skiff. Now then, let's get back on the skiff and get back before someone really does notice we're missing."
"Wait. Where is it? Where'd it go?" Adora started to look around the area.
"What?" Catra asked, confused.
"There…there was a sword. It was right here. I tried to touch it, but it got really bright."
"Are you brain damaged?" Tigra cocked Adora's head to the side before looking Adora in the eyes, looking for a concussion or something similar.
"Don't be brain damaged. Shadow Weaver's gonna kill me." Catra muttered.
Adora pulled her head out from Tigra's grasp.
"I'm not brain damaged. It was here, I saw it."
"Well, there's nothing here now." Catra confirmed. "So, come on, let's go."
A few minutes later, the three of them were zooming out of the Woods and back towards the Fright Zone.
Neither of the Magicats noticed Adora looking back though.
******
It was during the 'sleeping' phase of the day when Tigra woke up. Really, it was the light elbow to her side that woke her up.
She kept her eyes closed as she could tell that Adora has likely been tossing and turning, something she does every so often. It was one reason why Catra liked sleeping at Adora's feet instead of beside her like Tigra does.
She feels Adora sit up quickly, likely waking from whatever was causing her distress.
She stayed quiet as she felt Adora get up and her steps became quieter and quieter. Yet, she continued 'sleeping' when Catra also got up.
While she couldn't hear it well enough to understand, she could hear the sounds of a conversation before someone returned and nudged her.
"Unlike Adora, I know you're awake." Catra muttered.
"Well duh." Tigra whispered before opening her eyes. "What's the deal? Nightmare?"
"No, she's going insane!" She whispered-yelled. "She wants to go back out to the Woods and find that sword she swears she saw. She also wants me to stay because she doesn't want me getting in trouble on her behalf."
Seeing her grumble, Tigra hesitated before speaking.
"If you hurry, you can sneak aboard. I'll stay behind and distract anyone?"
Catra stayed quiet for a moment before shaking her head.
"No. I don't want to keep stretching my neck out for her if she keeps doing these things. She'll only start to become more reckless."
Tigra sighed. "Catra, you know we'll get in trouble if Adora's not back regardless, right? Doesn't matter if we're here or out there with her."
"I might. You-"
"Stop." Tigra cut her off. "Just…stop."
With that being the last thing she'd say, Tigra closed her eyes and turned back to face away from the center of the bed.
"If you're joining me in sleep, remember. I'm a kicker."
As sleep started setting in, she felt the bed sink in near her before feeling two furred limbs wrapping around her. She let out a soft rumble before sleep claimed her.
*******
...Adora didn't return by the time Shadow Weaver called Catra and Tigra down.
"I will ask one last time. Where is Adora?" Her voice held her normal tone yet with a hint of anger.
"For the last time, we don't know. We were sleeping and suddenly, she's not in her bunk." Tigra lied. "No note or explanation in sight."
"We don't keep her on a leash." Catra scoffed.
"I know you two are lying. You three are closer than I would prefer, yet she seems to care for you strays." Tigra held in her growl. "She would never depart without informing you two."
"Then I guess she let all three of us down, huh?"
Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes before looking to the side.
"Have it your way. I already know where she is. I've been tracking her."
"Your shadow spies." Tigra realized, catching Weaver's slight ire if her, once again, narrowed eyes said anything.
"Then…why did you ask us?" Catra asked.
Weaver grabs Tigra's arm, making Tigra slightly nervous.
"Because you two are going to bring her back."
"I don't think so." Catra rolled her eyes, yet Tigra's fur began to stand.
Not long after, did electricity course through Tigra for a second to get Weaver's point across. Before, that would have had her on her knees or convulsing, yet it just felt like static.
"Your insolence will not protect her and will only harm this one. You two will do as I ask."
"Or what?" Tigra asked, long since used to the electricity so something that should have caused pain only felt like a zap.
Shadow Weaver looked her in the eyes.
"Or you both will suffer the consequences in her place."
Tigra didn't hold back her growl that time, only to be met with a slightly stronger shock.
"Do not forget who is the one who holds your leash, stray ."
With that, Weaver floated away with Tigra keeping her snarl.
HP: 1700/1750
'Without my resistance, those two shocks would have done-'
[Electricity resistance gained 263 EXP]
'Well, that much.'
"Tigra…" Catra spoke, causing her to look at her.
"What?"
"You…you weren't phased by that amount of electricity going through you."
Tigra stayed silent, realizing that Catra had finally seen this happen for the first time. She had been careful to keep any sign of being hurt away from her and Adora, only for it to potentially have gone down the drain due to Weaver's suddenness at displaying her emotions.
"Why weren't you phased?"
Tigra could not give a good answer as Catra seemed to think that she was Weaver's second favorite up to now. Coming back unscathed after every meeting likely didn't help her case.
So, she simply started to walk away.
Catra reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Tigra! Please…why didn't that surge of lightning from Shadow Weaver affect you?"
Tigra pulled her hand free and left with one sentence.
"It does no good explaining it for either of us."
Catra watched as Tigra quickly made distance, a heavy feeling settling in her stomach.
[Quest Added!]
Thaymor
You and Catra have been assigned as part of the soldiers being sent to capture Thaymor from the Rebellion. Shadow Weaver has also commanded that you retrieve Adora, should she be there.
Objective: Capture Thaymor
Bonus Objective: Return with Adora
Reward: 4000 EXP
Failure: Shadow Weaver's Anger
*******
Tigra watched from inside the village of Thaymor. She had decided to sneak into the village, which was ridiculously easy, with her 142% chance of not being detected since this was an ordinary village without vigilant guards.
She looked across the various food stand and past the play - whatever that was - but her eyes stopped on someone they were forced to learn about.
From their pink, sparkly hair to her purple outfit and boots. Her white forearm gloves and blue cape with sparkles.
This was Princess Glimmer of the Kingdom of Brightmoon, heiress to Queen Angella, the main enemy of the Horde.
'Her powers include bright, physical balls of light and teleportation, if I'm remembering correctly.'
Suddenly, explosions started occurring on the other side of the town. Tigra frowned as they started the attack without a notice. What if she was in the attack zone?
She pressed her communicator.
"This is Tigra, thanks for the heads up." She spoke sarcastically.
"Seeing as you're still speaking, you're still alive." The current Force Captain she had been placed under snarked back.
"If you had waited, I could have informed you that there is a princess here."
"A princess!? Are you sure?"
"Well, unless I'm staring at the Princess of Brightmoon's twin, then I'd say yeah, I'm sure I'm looking at the glittery Princess Glimmer."
"What is her current location?"
"Heading towards Squadron...Hoot." She tracked. "Alongside some kind of archer with trick arrows." She watched as two soldiers were held in place by some kind of adhesive.
She kept directing more soldiers to the area until she and the archer vanished.
"The Princess and archer have teleported. I no longer have a visual. I repeat, I no longer have a visual on the Princess or archer."
"Acknowledged Tigra. Return to your squad, we're about to wrap up here."
"Understood, Tigra out."
With that, she started jumping across the tops of the buildings for a few minutes before seeing a tank stopped on the outskirts of the village with Catra and several other soldiers surrounding the archer.
She about dropped down before being blinded by light. She covered her eyes before seeing…
'Woah .'
An eight foot tall woman with long golden hair floating about. She wore white clothing with white short shorts underneath a short-skirt with red lining the inside. On her chest was a golden, eight pointed armor piece with a teal jewel in the middle. She had a golden tiara with wings pointed above her head and golden gauntlets that went down to her elbows. With a red cape that went down to the middle of her muscular calves. Her right hand held a blue bladed sword with a golden guard and pommel.
Yet her eyes were a magical blue that looked strikingly familiar.
HP: 97875/97875
…
'...That's a lot of HP.' She thought.
The woman pierced the ground with her sword before the ground gave way underneath a large number of soldiers and bots. She pulled the blade out just as a tank shot at her, yet she deflected the shot. She jumped to the tank and sliced the barrel, destroying the tank due to energy feedback. More soldiers charged forward, yet they were all smacked back by the blade before she straight up picked one of their bots up by the leg and threw it away.
Tigra grimaced before pulling her magic and activating Haste. Right after, she activated You are Speed, which multiplied her DEX by 3 times.
She crouched down before dashing.
She appeared in front of the woman before slamming a kick into her head.
[2330 damage done!]
The woman staggered back before Tigra slashed at her, yet the woman seemed to anticipate it and barely brought her sword to block it and Tigra learned something important.
That sword is strong as fuck.
She jumped back before dashing once more and this time, she landed a good swipe at her waist.
[2798 slashing damage done!]
However, the woman managed to get a hit in, sending her across the ground, causing her to lose the focus needed to keep Haste going, making her lose the extra speed.
[1480 Damage taken!]
She struggled to her feet before something cut through the chaos.
"Retreat!"
Tigra snarled but knew that it would be best to follow that order and quickly returned to Catra, holding her chest.
Only when they started to leave did Tigra see the woman glow…
Revealing the giant woman to have been Adora.
She also watched as the archer jumped and hugged her from behind.
******
After making distance, Catra seemed to have noticed something wrong.
"Are you okay?"
The reason why was that Tigra seemed to be walking with a limp in her steps.
Tigra looked at her HP.
HP: 250/1750
"I…I don't think so."
The reason? Her health hasn't moved a single digit upwards, despite 10 minutes having passed.
HPR: 0 [Suppressed: 107 minutes remaining]
"Whatever makes Adora that giant woman…it affects my recovery rate. I should be good as new, yet I still hurt the same amount from when we left the battle." Tigra explained.
"Well, then maybe you should leave that woman to me. After all, I don't have a disadvantage when fighting them."
Tigra opened her mouth before wincing and clutching her chest as the pain worsened.
HP: 246/1750 [-4 HP/m: Bleeding]
"Let me rephrase that," Tigra started. "I am not okay."
Catra's eyes widened before shooting forward and catching a falling Tigra.
"MEDIC!"
H2H gained 5218 EXP
H2H leveled up! LV 69→70
STR and CON have increased by 1
Physical resistance gained 2271 EXP
Magic Resistance discovered!
[Magic Resistance LV 1 [450/500] - Through being affected negatively by non-elemental magic, your body is slowly growing more resistant. All effects - debuffs or damage - against you by non-elemental magic is reduced by 1%]
[Quest [Thaymor] Failed!]
…
Tigra closed her eyes before darkness took her.
