Azure's POV

I trudged through the snow, my four paws keeping my weight distributed more evenly. My black-grey fur whipped in the snowy wind, snowflakes falling in my lashes. Petra was also in her wolf form, her black and tan fur covered with snow.

"Come to think of it, Mermista never invites me to hang out with her other friends." I grumbled in an irritated fashion, sealing my ears a little closer to my head.  Sea hawk had been going on like this for what seemed like an eternity since we left the Dragon's Daughter Five at the docks a few miles back.

"I mean, heh, am I not cool enough for them? I am so cool. I'm Sea Hawk." He said dramatically, before he waddled on in silence.

"He's going to be a lot cooler buried six feet under the snow." Petra remarked.

I snorted, momentarily blinded by the fog from my nose. I shook my head to rid myself of the fog but instead was greeted by a much grimmer sight. A gouge in my snow and eye sheets. I stopped where I was, smelling the strange insect like sent. Adora was next to me in a second but I did not meet her eyes. Adora followed my gaze and found the gouge. She kept walking, and I followed slowly.

Sea Hawk bumped into Adora who sat in a crouch, examining the gouge. Glimmer turned to face us, talking a little louder over the wind.  "What's wrong? Did you see something?" She asked.

Adora glanced up at me, and I shook my head with a sneeze.  "No. I think there's something else out here." Adora said looking from Glimmer to me.  I nodded my head. There was something out here, something that had made these gouges.

"You know, they say all sorts of strange things happen in the Northern Reach. Voices on the wind. Monsters in the now. Machines break down, sailors disappear without a trace. We could be next!" Sea Hawked cried dramatically, before clasping his hands sweetly.  "I am cool, right? I am... Right?" I huffed in his face, tousling his burgundy hair.

"My tracker pad's been on the fritz ever since that rouge communications hub messed with it." Bow was saying, Petra leaned over his shoulder.  "I'm having trouble pinpointing the Horde's location." Bow added, patting the side with his hand, trying to knock some sense into the electronic. Glimmer looked up at Petra.

"Can you smell anything?" Petra only shook her ruff and padded her paws on the snow.

"Whatever sent they left has been obscured by this weird bug-metal-something smell." Petra grunted.

"Worry not. We'll follow our instincts!" Sea Hawk hollered and threw his arm to point.  "This way!"

There was a small bleep and Bow perked up.  "Or there's this new signal. It's big. It looks like a First ones Tech signature." Bow said, and Adora started walking in the direction with small red blip had pointed.

"That's where the Horde will be." She stated surely.  Sea Hawk turned and pointed in the direction we were going, correcting himself confidently.

I sheltered Glimmer and Sea Hawk from the wind, my eyes searching the horizon. There was something on the wind, something faint but freshly blown through the wind. I stopped where I stood, and Glimmer walked out from under my shadow almost blown back with the wind and scuttled back into me, shivering.

"What's wrong?" Petra asked, stopping as well. I looked at her briefly, almost losing the sent.

"I smell cat." I stated. Petra started sniffing.

"What's going on?" Bow asked and Glimmer shrugged.

"I think they're picking something up." As soon as she said that I moved again, quicker this time, moving into a speed trot.

I narrowed my eyes as I saw light, emanating from a spot just over a snowbank. I struggled to the top, and my eyes zeroed in on the gaping hole just near a dome like shelter with small room branching out into smaller domes.

"The outpost!" Glimmer pointed, but that is not what held our attention, it was the people on the bridge.

I felt the fur on my back stand up, felt my hackles rise as I prowled closer. Adora saw the people too, and Petra had pointed them out to the others.  We circled around to the end of the walkway over the drilling pit. I heard a familiar voice on the wind.

"We weren't sent here to chase rumors. Hordak wants tech. If your bots can't dig it out, then maybe I'll send you down there t-"

Adora's voice rose above the wind as she stepped forward.  "Catra." The fog passed over us and I snarled, raising my hackles.  "It's been a while."

Catra smirked, stepping past Scorpia who was guarding someone.  "Hey Adora." Catra purred with a horrible smirk.

"You're pretty far from the frost line. I guess Shadow Weaver's keeping you away from the action since you lost the battle of Bright Moon." Adora taunted.  I stared at the one behind Scorpia, feeling the fresh sting of betrayal. I was looking int the eyes of Entrapta.

"Shadow Weaver? Wow. I always forget how clueless you are." Catra sneered.  I felt annoyance bubble in my chest, but I held Entrapta's gaze.  Her eyes flitted away a moment, almost looking guilty.

"We're here to take back this land. Time for you to go back to the Fright Zone." Adora said raising her sword.

Catra grinned, looking criminally insane.  "You want us to go? Try and make us." Catra taunted. Adora let her own anger take over.

"My pleasure." She snarled, charging. She brought her sword down, but Catra leapt away, Adora hot in pursuit.

I planted my paw farther apart, opening my mouth to its fullest extent and roared, saliva dripping from my teeth. Petra Snarled at my side. Bow drew his bow and loaded an arrow. Glimmer's hands pulsed with light, and Sea Hawk drew a sword, which glowed golden in the dark.

"Adventure!" He hollered.

Scorpia muttered something under her breath, but the wind pushed it from my ears. Without warning she leapt towards us, knocking Sea Hawk down.

Glimmer fired a blast as I leapt forward. Scorpia knocked me to the side, and I flew over her, sliding across the walkway. I jerked up finding Entrapta, wide eyed. She was slowly backing away. She was afraid. I got up and she tensed. This was my one chance to explain, but she was so afraid that I was going to attack. I relaxed my body and turned my head away from her.

I heard her footsteps faded quickly away. Bow following her. I turned on Scorpia with a rage as Sea Hawk dangled over the Edge. I could see Petra running around the Drill to Adora who had Catra pinned down, sword at her throat, but we all knew she would not do it. I slammed my body into Scorpia, sending her skidding across the ground. I bent down, clamping my jaws around Sea Hawk's coat collar, and pulled him up.

I hurdled over Scorpia, Sea Hawk climbing onto my back, clinging painfully to my fur. I landed on the far side of the bridge, seeing Adora swinging at everyone she could. Scorpia ran to make sure of Carta's safety. I followed, realizing she cared not for my pursuit.

My paws thundered on the cold metal, vision zeroing in on Adora, eyes red, tendrils of red throbbing in her arms. She elbowed Glimmer who went flying and did not move.

"Glimmer!" Bow shouted, firing an arrow at Adora.

It split and tied her down. Petra was guarding Bow from Catra's interference, and I skidded to a halt next to her as Sea Hawk clambered down to help Bow support Glimmer. I snapped my jaws.

"What is happening?" Sea Hawk asked worriedly. Adora ripped from the net, and I charged her.

"Azure!" Bow called after me.

I leapt upward with my mouth open. Adora threw her sword up, but I slashed it aside with my paw, sending it into the ice, but she would not let go. I knocked Adora back and whirled on her. She was trying to rip the sword out of the ground.

She cried out in anger as I circled her, before there was red, crackling around the sword. Adora screamed in anger and ripped the sword from the ice, ending a whirl wind of ice towards Glimmer, Bow, Sea Hawk and Petra. Petra knocked them aside, but the ground gave way under them. My eyes widened in terror and I flew forward, but I was too late, as Bow, Glimmer, Sea Hawk and Petra fell into a ravine of ice and snow.

"No!" I howled, diving forward, paws extending towards the disappearing face of Bow.

"Don't let her fall in!" Catra hollered, but it was too late.

I snapped my jaws around Bow's hood, but I slipped on the ice, and fell. I twisted wildly, as snow pounded into my body with such force that all the air was sucked from my lungs...