Chapter 2

Adora headed off with a heavy heart, feeling guilty both for not returning home with her friends, but also for having pushed them to hunt for her friend for so long when they clearly had no interest in retrieving Catra. Tracking her was much easier at first. Not only had Catra been sloppy at first as she ran off, but she was also still actively bleeding. It broke Adora's heart that she had to use Catra's blood to find her. The last thing in the world that Adora wanted was for Catra to be hurt! The poor woman thought she was abandoned by the only person who ever really cared about her! And now she was alone and wounded in the woods.

The only thing that kept Adora's head up while she was so caught up in her downtrodden worry for Catra was that she had escaped by the trees. Catra had a telltale sign she left on all of that trees she kept from. The marking of her claws were clear from each spot she jumped from. Adora would never miss the signature, nor mistake it. Certainly not after their years of training together. Adora thought back to the times she and Catra would run through the forest, training to get faster and stronger. It may have come naturally to Adora, but there was something absolutely beautiful by how Catra lept from branch to branch. God, it was artful and stole Adora's breath each and every time she took a moment to stop and watch.

However, while Catra's telltale tree makings ceased. In their place there was a small pool of blood and a single broken arrow of Bo's. Adora hated looking at it. It made her stomach turn to see the arrow Catra had to break and pull through all on her own. She didn't want to even think of how painful it must have been from her friend even with there training, but that didn't stop her mind from running wild with images of Catra crying as she forced herself to rip the arrow through sloppily. And it did look sloppy. Nothing about how the arrow was removed seemed like Catra's work. It took Adora more than a moment to come to this conclusion, but she quickly became certain of it. This was sloppy, Catra certainly took this out, but it was done with incredibly shaky hands. The knowledge only made Adora worry more as she wondered what in the world would make Catra so shaky. Adora wearily picked up the arrow sniffing it. Hours and hours had passed but even that wouldn't explain why the arrow smelled off. Infection was certainly something to fear but there was no reason it would set in so fast. Even if that was what this was! It wouldn't smell quite like this. Adora was thoroughly perplexed trying to figure what has happened but no matter what she came up with nothing.

It only distressed Adora further to consider what in the world Catra must be going through for that familiar a scent has changed in such a way. Adora whimpered stressed and worried as she stood from the ground where there was a small pool of blood almost entirely absorbed by the ground below. Catra had been much more careful about covering her tracks after she finally removed the arrow. Adora was unsure what caused it but there was a distinctly different scent in the air, and her best guess was that it would lead her to Catra. Adora's best hopes had paid off after another hour or two of searching when she caught back onto sloppy tracks! Not only sloppy tracks, but Catra's sloppy tracks. Even in the dim shaded moonlight, Adora could tell it was Catra. A very angry Catra who had been kicking along twigs, but Catra nonetheless. Adora could still smell Catra, but it was now completely clear that infection had begun, and it was progressing much faster than normal. Adora whimpered terrified for Catra, worried she was getting worse and that she would be sicker than she could help with by the time Adora found her. "Catra!? Catraaaa! Catra! I just wanna talk!"

Catra shook as she attempted to return to sleep, the cold too much for her even with heated bruises and cuts covering her body as painful reminders of her failure and weakness. She growled angry with herself beyond all belief that her body was failing her yet again! No matter how hard she tried she wasn't strong enough! Noting she did made her as quick, powerful, or skilled as Adora and it was beyond infuriating to feel so weak! So incompetent! "Grrr!" Catra punched the ground only to feel her bruised bones scream in pain, further reminding her of the weakness she had been stewing in. "Oouch!" Catra whimpered, pulling her hand back, pain thudding with her pulse all the way through her bones.

"Shhh!"

"I!" Catra turned around in her bunk back at the compound to see Adora in her regulation pajamas.

"If you aren't quiet Shadow Weaver will come and give us ten lashes each for not sleeping in our own beds!" Adora teased with a soft smile.

"You are gonna get us in trouble!" Catra warned wide-eyed in surprise.

"Oh like you don't like me sneaking down a bed." Adora pulled Catra closer on the bed.

"Oww!" Catra did her best to silence her yelp of excruciating pain.

"I! Oh crap! Is that where!"

"Where she did her best job to give me kidney damage and internal bleeding?" Catra hissed.

"Y… Yeah?" Adora winced.

"Yes." Catra whimpered, fighting through her whole body screaming as she shifted onto her other side so she could look to Adora. "But…"

"You like me pulling you close?" Adora half boasted.

"It's cold." Catra whimpered without admitting that she didn't just like it.

"And yet you never ask me to bring my blanket with me when I come down here?" Adora teased without completely understanding the weight of her words, nor their subtextual meanings given the context.

"I!" Neither of the meanings nor their context slipped past Catra as she allowed herself to curl up against Adora, lowering her head and hiding her face into Adora's chest.

"Shhh, it's ok." Adora giggled. "I'm warm."

"Yes, you are." Catra agreed, nuzzling Adora gently.

"Good kitten." Adora enjoyed herself far too much as she praised her friend.

Cat's head snapped up as she hissed at Adora. "Call me that again and I'll gut you!"

"Ohh scary kitty!"

"You!" Catra extended her claws and pressed them against Adora's stomach as if she could ever do anything to hurt her.

Adora smiled and giggled clearly overly pleased.

"You are an asshole!" Catra growled, retracting her claws as the cold won over and she returned to cuddling up to Adora.

"Shh, it's ok." Adora ran her hands down Catra's back, dragging her nails down the woman's soft fur.

Catra relaxed into Adora's arms allowing herself to release the tension which had only been aggravating her bruised and battered body.

"Good- ah!" Adora yelped as Catra bit her shoulder suddenly. "Oouch! What the hell was that for!" Adora growled angry at the surprise of pain.

"I…" Catra pulled back shamefully. "I didn't mean to."

"What happened?"

"I was gonna purr… and… " Catra hid her face guiltily.

"And you would rather bite your friend than purr?" Adora scratched a little more at Catra's back.

Catra's legs shifted back and forth on the bed, her body delighted by the gentle soothing touch. "For the love of greyskull that is really nice." Catra fought it as hard as she could but the pleased purr built up and broke through her throat.

"Such a good kitten." Adora enjoyed herself more than she should as she continued.

"I could bite you again." Catra groaned, pressing her face against Adora.

"Yeah, but you won't." Adora hummed cheerily, petting more and more at Catra.

"Don't tempt me!" Catra warned, slipping into the comfort that was the warm woman holding her.

Catra tossed and turned in her small patch of dirt littered with tree bark and painful tears. Her temperature had risen to the point she thought it would soon start burning off brain cells as her head seared in pain. Her hand went to feel her wound only to feel it bleeding and leaking a greenish yellow puss. "Fuck!" Her stomach turned on her quickly as she vomited everything she had eaten that day.

"Catra!? Catraaaa! Catra! I just wanna talk!" Adora could be heard off in the distance.

Catra went to move, immediately regretting it as her whole body fought her, her entire abdomen lighting up in flames of pain she thought might kill her! Or worse make her pass out available. And leave her to be found weak and vulnerable by Adora of all people! The idea was revolting and gave Catra just enough strength to make it to her feet.

"Come on! Catra! You are hurt!" Adora was getting closer! How the hell did she catch Catra's trail!

Catra hissed silently, collapsing back into the tree, but saving herself before she hit the ground.

"Catra come on! Please! I'm worried!" Adora called out again.

"Worried!" Catra reactively spat out in disgust.

"Catra!" Adora had heard the guttural reaction.

"Damnit!" Catra huffed frustrated with herself. She hadn't meant to be loud enough to alert Adora to her location. Cares attempted to move, to get out before Adora had any chance of finding her but at her first attempt her vision grew blurry and she fell down to her knees with a loud painful cry.

"Catra!" Adora yelled finally finding her wounded friend.

"B… bitch… back off." Catra fought to get back onto her feet, but only collapsed back onto the ground.

End of Chapter 2