Have we met before?

Snowstorm pt.3

"Cannonball!" Adora woke with a start, Fang yowling and Swiftie yelping, as Glimmer leapt atop the pile of sleeping forms. "Wake up sleepyheads!" Glimmer yelled from her spot on top of her foster sister's stomach, Adora shooting up making a very puffed up Fang fall off her chest and into Glimmer's lap. Swiftwind leapt off the bed to escape the chaos, the bewildered and tiredly confused Adora and Fang looking at the very loud pink haired girl in confusion. Glimmer seemed to become aware of the fluffed up cat on her lap, looking down at him with wide pale eyes. "When did you get a cat?" Adora groaned, slumping back in her bed and throwing a pillow at Glimmer's head.
"He's Catra's, his name is Fang, I think he got lost and he ended up at the window this morning." Adora explained, muffled by the pillow, while Glimmer scratched behind Fang's ears. The cat was no longer puffed up in surprise but instead his fur lay flat and was purring happily. Swiftwind slipped out of the room, presumably to let himself out into the backyard, or to get away from the chaos of two teenage girls.
"Wait so if he's Catra's does that mean-?" Glimmer's sentence faded off, Adora flipped the pillow off her face to sit up once more causing her foster sister to tumble off her and onto the bed instead.
"I'll just take him over to her house once the snow lets up, hopefully Miranda answers and it won't be a big deal." Adora shrugged, doing her best to not give away the nerves she felt as she wiped at the sleep in her eyes. Turning to the window she noticed that the storm was still raging, it seemed even stronger than it had only hours before. Glimmer looked at Adora with a painfully worried expression in her pale eyes, had Adora not been working so hard to stuff down her own feelings she probably would have felt guilty. Adora shot her a soft grin, ruffling her pink hair encouragingly. "Don't worry so much." Adora grumbled before lifting her arms over her head to stretch out her muscles.
"I worry all the time about you dork." Glimmer mumbled back, the two giggled to each other. Glimmer was still happily scratching at Fang's cheeks and Adora smiled down at the small cat, he looked much better than he did this morning.
"I should probably tell Angella he's here, it won't be long just until the snow lets up." Adora mused to herself, squirming out of bed and past Glimmer to jump out of bed, grabbing a hair tie off her nightstand and throwing her hair up in a loose ponytail.
"I'm sure mom won't mind anyways, she loves cats." Glimmer added, scooping up Fang like a baby as she followed after the taller blonde. Adora glanced back at the pair, giggling to herself at the look on Fang's face from all the attention he was receiving.
It was true, Angella hadn't minded that the cat would be staying for, hopefully, only a few hours. She had been busily working though and Adora had kept their talk brief before exiting the office once more, though Angella had motioned for Glimmer to bring Fang over so she could give him a couple ear scratches as well. Adora giggled to herself as the mother and daughter pair cooed to the cat, they really needed their own. Making her way to the kitchen she dug through the fridge for something that would be suitable for Fang to eat, he probably hadn't eaten since the night before and it worried the blonde. Finding some sausages that no one would miss Adora plopped them into a bowl, sliding one to Swiftwind as he appeared under her feet, and placing them onto the counter for Fang whenever he and Glimmer reappeared.
Some time passed before they exited Angella's office but once they did, the pink hair girl reluctantly placed him on the counter where the small cat happily gobbled up the sausages. The girls chuckled as he did, who knew something so small could be so ravenous.
"Did you call Catra to tell her that Fang is here?" Adora stiffened at the question and Glimmer quickly pushed on. "I mean I know you guys haven't, talked much, but for Fang I figured-"
"I tried." Adora cut her friend off flatly, icey blue eyes training themselves on the still eating Fang. It was easier than looking at Glimmer as tears pricked into her eyes once more. "She blocked my number." A beat of silence passed between them, Swiftwind whined beside Adora and gently nudged his head against her hip. It was a small but comforting gesture.
"What a bitch!" Adora almost snorted when Glimmer finally spoke again.
"Glimmer!" She tried to chastise the pink haired girl, but snorts of laughter escaped her making her sound much less serious.
"What? She gets to treat you like shit then block you? No! That's bitchy!" Glimmer slammed her fist on the table, Fang had finished his sausage at this point and seemed to yowl in agreement. Adora let out another snort of laughter.
"Okay maybe but, I know how much she loves him, I have to get him back to her." Glimmer nodded in understanding, but she still had a sour look on her face. Adora didn't blame her, had this been turned around Adora probably would've murdered whoever hurt her foster sister.
"Or we could keep him." Glimmer said evilly, running a hand down Fang's spine to twist her hand through his fluffy tail. Adora rolled her eyes, though she did have to look into getting Angella and Glimmer their own cat she knew she couldn't keep Fang. "Well, since Catra blocked you, do you want Scorpia's number? I'm sure she wouldn't mind delivering a message. So Catra doesn't worry too much." Adora's brow rose, her gaze flying up to meet Glimmer's. Why hadn't she thought of that?
"Glimmer, you're a genius." Adora gasped, Glimmer laughed, flourishing a hand under her own chin.
"Oh I know." Glimmer winked, snatching her phone from her back pocket to slide the device across the counter to Adora.
XxX
It was so cold, Catra very much envied Fang and his fur coat right now, her arms bundled around herself shivering. Her voice went hoarse hours ago, her fingertips were surely turning blue, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around. Not that it would've done much good, she had no idea where she was, the storm had only gotten worse and Catra had lost track of where she was long ago. But it didn't matter, Catra had found no clues of Fang's whereabouts, and she refused to go back without her beloved cat.
"Fang!" Catra cried out once more, tears would be rushing down her face had the earlier ones not froze to her cheeks. Her voice cracked, it could barely be considered a yell, but all she could do was pray and hope he was able to hear her. Catra was pretty sure she could hear her phone ringing, but her arms were frozen in place and she refused to check who was calling. The sun was surely setting now, though she could not see past the thick layer of clouds and ice who really knew what time of day it was. Miranda was probably calling her, worried sick, but Catra still refused to look. It was her fault Fang was out here, she couldn't give up until he was safe in her arms. Catra pinched her eyes shut with a growl, pulling in on herself as an overly strong gust of wind flew over her, the faint smell of Adora filled her lungs once more sending a shock of longing up Catra's already sore body. This was all her fault. Her anger had gotten the best of her, if she had just let Adora in, let Adora forgive her, Fang would be home and safe. She would be home. Home possibly with Adora. More frozen tears escaped her squeezed shut eyes.
"FANG!" Catra shrieked, trudging on. This was all her fault, she had to make this right. Forcing her bicolored eyes once more, cold wind assaulting her vision.
XxX
Adora groaned, drumming her fingers against the counter and leg bouncing beneath her, eyes trained on her dark screened phone. She had managed to get a hold of Scorpia, the usually cheerful girl seemed down when they had talked, but she seemed shocked back to earth when Adora had explained that she had found Fang and needed to call Catra. Scorpia had been more than happy to help, hanging up to get the message to Catra with a quick promise that she would call Adora back once she had. That was hours ago. Glimmer was nearby lounging on the couch, scrolling through her own phone while the TV played in the background, Swiftwind at her feet and Fang perched on top of Swiftwind.
"Stop staring, she'll call you when she has something to call about." Glimmer reminded her dryly, Adora sighed. She knew Glimmer was right, but her stomach was twisted in so many knots, something didn't feel right.
"I just don't understand why it would take so long to call Catra and tell her we have her cat." Adora whined, nervously chewing at her lip.
"Who knows, maybe the storm knocked out Catra's service or something." The idea made Adora's stomach only tighten more, if they couldn't tell Catra where Fang was before the storm ended that meant the already unstable girl would only have more piled onto her. Curling in on herself, taking in a few deep breaths, she knew Glimmer was right and there was nothing to worry about. The storm was just raging and she would have to wait until it calmed for any news. Snatching her phone from the counter she dragged herself from the table and to the couch, taking a seat beside Swiftwind who happily laid his head over her lap.
"You're right, I just have to wait." Adora gave in with a grumble, Glimmer shot her a victorious smile.
"The day you accept I'm always right, the easier your life would be." Glimmer taunted in a sing-song voice, Adora rolled her eyes, but a smile still tugged at her lips. A soft ring reached Adora's ears, making the blonde about jump a foot in the air as she snatched her phone from her pocket. An unknown number was calling, Adora's eyebrows scrunched, but nonetheless she answered.
"Hello?" She asked tentatively as she pressed the device to her ear.
"Hello? Is this Adora?" A vaguely familiar voice answered, whoever it was sounded like a woman, and a very panicked woman at that.
"Yes, who's this?" Glimmer had paused the TV at this point, shooting Adora a curious look her way.
"Hi honey it's Miranda, Catra's mom." Adora relaxed, thankful to hear from her but nervousness twisted in her gut. 'Why wasn't Catra the one calling?'
"Oh Miranda! Uh- Sorry I didn't realize it was you, did Scorpia call you?" The voice of a man could be heard in the background, followed by a sharp shush from Miranda.
"Yes she did, thank you for finding Fang but I'm calling about Catra, have you heard from her?" Adora's eyes went wide, resisting the urge to panic.
"Uh no I had to call Scorpia because Catra blocked me." Adora admitted quietly, trying to keep her voice even. "Is everything okay? Are you not with her?" Adora could hear a muffled conversation on the other side of the line before Miranda returned to answer her.
"No honey listen, if you hear from Catra please call me. She isn't answering anyone on her cell phone and no one is answering the house phone." Adora felt like her world was spinning, she could hear Glimmer say something beside her but she sounded so far away at this point. "I'm stuck at the airport with Catra's father, we won't be able to get back over to the house until a few more hours, I don't want you to worry but if you hear anything please let me know, ok?" Adora heard herself agree to call Miranda and then exchange a quick goodbye before lowering the phone once more, she felt the device fall from her hand.
"Adora? Adora?!" Glimmer's voice was closer to Adora's ear now, her breathing coming in shaky quick pants, she was panicking.
"Catra is missing." Glimmer's expression turned to one of panic, Adora's shaky gaze raised to meet Glimmer's pale eyes. "Do you think she went outside to look for Fang?" The question came out small, as if saying it outloud would make Adora's worst fear come true. Silence passed over them, the pair shakily turning to face the snow covered window, there was no way anyone could see past their own nose out there. "I have to find her."
Before a word of protest could escape Glimmer Adora was racing down the hallway, throwing open her bedroom door to frantically look for a jacket. Snatching the first one she saw, throwing it on, she ran back down the hall past Glimmer who she was sure was speaking to her but she couldn't be heard over the roaring of blood in Adora's ears. Throwing open the front door, assaulted by the icey wind she rushed out and slammed the door shut behind her. Adora could barely see anything, the storm was swirling, blinding her vision, but she pushed past and ran out into the road to desperately begin her search.
XxX
Adora couldn't believe how much snow was on the ground, trudging forward her voice growing more and more hoarse after each call of Catra's name. Her feet seemed to just keep sinking, taking the biggest steps she could manage in an attempt to keep herself on the surface. Straining her eyes to see Adora knew it was no use, there was no seeing in this storm, but she pushed forward and kept calling for Catra. If her Catra was out here she was going to find her.
"Catra!" Adora kept yelling, trudging on as the sky began to darken. "Catra I know you're out here!" Adora felt tears prick the back of her eyes, though she knew if any spilt they would freeze she couldn't help it. The thought of Catra out here all alone, it sent a shiver down her spine worse than the blizzard ever could. "I'm not leaving without you! So where are you?!" No answer came and Adora grit her teeth, pushing on past the wind to keep looking for the lithe girl. "Catra! I love you! I love you ok?! So come out and let me take you home! Please!" Adora begged, her throat hurt from all her cries but she couldn't hold it in any longer, she had to find Catra she had to tell her how she felt. She had to bring her Catra home. "CATRA!" Adora screamed, but only the wind answered her.
So Adora kept going, putting one foot in front of the other, refusing to stop or slow down. Not until she found Catra, she would not rest until she had her in her arms once more. With a shaky gasp Adora's eyes caught sight of something in the snow, squinting against the wind she realized the powdered snow had specks of blood patterning it. Both dread and hope shot through Adora as she tore forward, spraying a small cloud of snow behind her.
"Catra!"
XxX
Catra felt like all the air in her lungs was nothing but ice, stabbing at her from the inside, her limbs felt so heavy. Her voice had left her long ago, and all she could do was hope Fang caught sight of her and called to her now. Catra looked around, looking for any sign of where she was but nothing could be seen, it was all mounds of snow, all the houses looked the same, all she could hear was the snow roaring around her. Her phone had stopped ringing a while ago, it was presumably dead, and Catra felt regret tug at her, she should've picked up. She should've told someone where she was. Suddenly Catra felt something sharp against her ankle, with a pained grunt and grit of teeth the teen stumbled, unable to find her footing she dropped to her side. With a pained moan Catra try to pull herself up, glancing down to see scarlet blood painting the snow.
With a grunt and a shiver Catra pushed herself up, carefully balancing herself to put most of her weight on her uninjured foot as she began to hobble forward again. Catra knew she had to find somewhere to sit, to hide from the snow, to warm up. Pulling Adora's jacket closer to her body she tried to suck in the scent of her friend once more, but it was gone. The snow had washed away any trace of Adora. With a small pained whimper Catra hobbled for a few more steps before her legs gave out once more and she fell into a pile of snow once more.
Catra curled in on herself, her whole body shivering and teeth chattering, Catra was sure her limbs were quite blue now but she couldn't force herself to look. Sucking in as much air as she could, icy lungs painfully filling as clouds of hot breath clouded her vision. Catra felt her eyes lull shut, she knew she should stay awake but the thought of sleep pulled at her, begging her to give in.
"Catra.." Adora's voice filled her ears and Catra felt a calm rush over her, Adora was coming to save her.
"Adora.." Catra whimpered, tears flushing from her bicolored eyes, she knew there was no way Adora was there. Adora was never going to come save her. But the thought was so comforting, the thoughts of Adora's arms tightening around her once more, her soft lips pressing against hers finally. The teen's eyes started to shut, the thought of sleep so invitingly pulling at her.
"Catra..!" Adora's voice sounded so close now, Catra's eyes finally fluttering shut. Sleep pulling her down into it's warm embrace, Catra was going to be in Adora's arms finally. Sleep took over Catra, the last thing she heard Adora's voice resting right against her ear. "Catra.." She sounded so close, so real.
XxX
Adora couldn't believe it, she had found her. She had found her Catra, passed out and curled up in the snow but she had found her alive and breathing. Without even fully processing the sight Adora scooped up the lithe girl as if she was nothing, holding her bridal style close against her chest. Catra's head fell limply against Adora's neck, and while her wild mane of hair warmed her face slightly her skin felt colder than the ice around them. Whirling around, clutching Catra as if she were a lifeline, she began the long trudge home.

A/N: Bet y'all didn't expect an update this soon ;) But we are near the end my friends! We will be finishing at about 25 chapters and possibly an epilogue chapter, but I just wanted to say thank you for the support and love that you all have given this story it means the world to me <3 Hopefully the main chapters will be finished by the end of 2020 but.. y'all know me well enough to know that might be a little late but I will do my best! I'll see you all soon and happy holidays!