Chapter 3: In the Woods Somewhere

The Spring days were lengthening and the bite of winter was losing its iron-clad grip on Bright Moon. Evening rain showers were the norm as was the rising humidity. The Whispering Woods, while always teeming with life, was blossoming into richer colors and fuller growth. The rivers ran deeper and animals were on the move. At least, they should've been. For the past few days, she'd seen and heard all sorts of creatures pass through the trees. Tonight, however, the woods were silent. A few snorts and sneezes from the barn were the only noises in the darkness.

Something was wrong. No doubt. She'd never heard the forest so silent in her entire life and never for so long. It was also no coincidence that Bulruk made an appearance earlier. The more she thought about the encounter, the more sure she became that he was trying to tell her something. That combined with the silence meant something, she just had to listen. In the next few days she'd seek him out again and see what he had to say. He was as connected as Adora to the woods and Etheria, if not more so. If anyone were to know what bothered the woods, he would be the one.

She took a long drag from her cigarette, savoring the slightly sweet taste. Her racing thoughts were already slowing down, from the cigarette or her expectations of it she didn't know. She'd developed the habit about twenty years ago when they were on a particularly long and stressful trip to restore magic to the planet of Innara. She'd been heavily involved with Innara's military leaders and they passed around cigarettes like candy. Inevitably she ended up smoking with them one afternoon and pretty much never stopped the whole trip.

Catra hated them. She hated how they smelled in general and hated how they made Adora smell. She wouldn't kiss Adora after she'd had one because the taste made her sick. For that reason more than the obvious health risks, Adora had pretty much given them up entirely. She had a secret stash of them for nights like these but even that became rarer after the kids were born.

The back door opened just then and she followed the barely audible sound of feet padding against the porch until they stopped beside her. Without even having to turn her head, she knew it was Catra. "You haven't had a cigarette in a long time," Catra observed.

"True. It's been years."

She steeled herself, expecting a lecture or some form of disapproval from Catra but instead she said, "I noticed you were gone so I came to see if you were okay and if you wanted some company or maybe wanted to be alone."

"I could use the company," Adora said before puffing at her cigarette. She turned to look at Catra but she stared straight ahead into the woods. Her arms sat folded across the top of the porch's railing and her worn-out robe that she refused to replace was pulled tightly against her. "Do you remember when we learned how to swim?"

"Stars, now that was an ordeal. But I don't think we were in the same class, were we?" Catra said.

"No, for some reason we got separated and you were in the afternoon class while I went in the morning."

"That's right. I remember that now," Catra said, "And then that night all I could do was complain about how much I hated water."

She could picture Catra's fur sticking up at odd angles and her angry comments as she tried to lick her fur back to its normal style. She'd been in the middle of Adora's bunk, rolling around unintentionally as she tried to reach her back. Adora laughed at the memory before she remembered her own reaction. She'd watched Catra groom herself from the safety of her blanket, wrapped tightly around her, and listened without saying much.

She refocused back to the moment and turned slightly to face out towards the Whispering Woods again. Unnatural silence greeted her rising unease. She would find no comfort in the woods tonight.

"I was with the swim instructor, Jamie something? He was being really nice about it but I really wasn't getting the whole swimming thing down. I was just sort of flailing around. Shadow Weaver saw this, of course, and came up to the edge of the pool and told him to take me to the deep end. I think she said something like, 'She's never gonna learn that way. Put her in the deep end and let her figure it out.'"

Adora took a deep drag from her cigarette and watched the smoke blow away as she exhaled into the muggy night. "So he did. And instead of swimming, I just sank. I opened my mouth instinctively and swallowed a bunch of water before clawing back to the surface. I expected...While I don't really know what I expected but Shadow Weaver just said to let me figure it out. And down I sank. Over and over again. Every time I kept swallowing and breathing in more water. I'd pop up to the surface and take a breath and down I'd go again. Finally, I realized that Jamie or Shadow Weaver or whoever were not going to come and help me. So finally I pushed off from Jamie and desperately flailed around towards the edge of the pool. I reached the edge and dragged myself out, coughing and sputtering."

She could feel Catra's eyes boring into the side of her head but she stayed still, eyes locked onto the forest. She wouldn't be able to get this story out if she looked at Catra.

"Shadow Weaver came over and was saying how great I did. And that I finally learned how to swim and how I was such a natural. All bullshit. And I wanted nothing to do with her or swimming. I remember that she tried to hug me or lay a hand on my shoulder or something like that and I just crawled away from her. I yelled, 'Get away from me. You almost let me drown.' She came after me with this terrifying look in her eyes. I tried getting away but she was faster and backhanded me. Hard."

"Then, like a second later, she hugged me and said that she was just looking out for me and that all great Force Captains are strong swimmers. And that I needed to toughen up if I wanted to lead the Horde one day. And if she didn't have my best interests at heart then why would she let me sink or swim. Even I knew that was messed up at the time."

Catra said nothing but she closed the gap between them and wrapped one arm around Adora's waist while her tail curled around her right leg. She started rubbing her face along Adora's jaw, her fur slightly tickling. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the press of Catra's face against hers. A purr rumbled deep in Catra's chest and its soothing quality helped to ease the weight crushing her chest.

"You never told me," Catra finally said.

"Ya. At the time I was worried you'd retaliate in some way and get hurt. Then I honestly just kind of forgot it happened. And that was one of the only times she hit me so," Adora said before shrugging.

Catra took Adora's face between her hands and pulled her down enough so that their foreheads pressed against each other. She ran her thumbs over Adora's cheeks, tucked some loose hair behind her ears, and then returned her hands so they were on either side of Adora's face. "I haven't said this enough but fuck that bitch."

"You say that all the time."

"And it still isn't enough," Catra said, "Seriously, fuck Shadow Weaver. And fuck her for making you think we have to have some suffering competition. It sucked for me in different ways and it sucked for you in different ways."

"Ya…"

"Listen to me, Adora, please. Maybe she did hit me more than she hit you but that doesn't make what you experienced any less shitty. And I never got the emotional whiplash like you did. The abusing you one minute because you dared defy her and then the next trying to make it up to you and being all sweet and nice was a mindfuck. You were a child and it was wrong. And that's my point. It was bad for both of us, no need to compare our suffering."

Adora sighed and felt some of the tension coiling in her shoulders melt away. "You're right. As always. I guess my whole point in telling this story is that today I realized you can teach someone to swim without throwing them in the deep end and letting them almost drown. Crazy, right? And maybe the worst part of this whole thing is that I'm out here thinking about her instead of in bed with you. I already thought about her today. I already pushed her out of my head and focused on Reyna. And yet here I am thinking about her and that swimming lesson. It's like I can't let the memory go. It's been thirty years and she's still appearing in my everyday. It's so-"

"-fucked up?" Catra supplied. "And unfair?"

"Exactly."

"Ya, it is. But it happened and now we have to live with it. And you know what, in my humble opinion, I think you do a pretty good job of that. I may be biased but I happen to think you're the greatest wife that has ever lived. You're a wonderful mom. You never let our shitty upbringing interfere and influence our kids. And I love the home we've created for Reyna and Finn. They will never, ever wonder if we love them or not. I personally find that very healing and I hope you do too."

"I do," Adora said, "Find that healing, I mean. I know we've talked about this before but being able to have a do-over of some sorts with the kids has been nothing short of amazing."

"I agree," Catra said. She moved her hands from Adora's face down to her waist, her grip firm but far from uncomfortable. Catra narrowed her eyes and blinked slowly up at her before burying her face against Adora's chest. Adora wrapped her arms around her back and pulled her even closer. Sometimes they could be pressed against each other with zero space between them and it still felt too distant. "So see?" She mumbled against her chest. "We haven't let her win. Not that you can't be pissed or upset or whatever. But don't forget how much progress you've made."

Adora put her chin on top of Catra's head causing both ears to flick against the side of face. Using both hands she massaged Catra's ears just the way she liked it. Only she, Reyna, and Finny were allowed to touch her ears and Adora approached this duty with a strong sense of responsibility. "You're always taking care of me. Doesn't that get old? Always having to come in and reassure me?"

"Ya, my vows said, 'Till annoyance do us part,' so we're on thin fucking ice." She was pretty sure it was a joke but she needed to see Catra's face to make sure. But as soon as she tried to take a step back, Catra held her tighter which kept her from backing away. "Kidding, of course. I don't mind at all. And you take care of me, you know? We take care of each other. It's a reciprocal system."

"We do take care of each other," Adora repeated, "At least, I try."

"And you succeed." With that, they settled back into each other-Catra curled against her chest and Adora wrapped protectively around her. They stood like that for a while, not particularly caring as the time ticked by.

Eventually, her hunger got the best of her and it was time to go back inside. But not before a little more teasing. They had this odd game they started not long after they were married where one would give the other a compliment and then the other would return with a slightly weirder compliment. This would go on and on until someone finally cracked.

She stepped back from Catra and placed her hands on her shoulders. "I adore you."

Catra's eyes twinkled in recognition as she said, "I cherish you."

"I worship the ground you walk on."

"I have a tasteful shrine dedicated to you."

"I smell your hair when you're asleep," Adora said while taking an exaggerated sniff of the night air. "It happens to be very fruity."

Catra laughed before saying, "I think you win this one."

Adora puffed out her chest and flexed her arms, which earned her an eye-roll. "Come on. Let's go back inside, I'm starving." With that, she took Catra's hand in hers and led her inside to their kitchen.

She rooted around the fridge and grew increasingly unimpressed with its offerings. Why was everything an ingredient or sauce? Did they ever actually eat food or did they just stockpile various BBQ sauces?

"How about eggs?" Catra said from somewhere behind her.

"That actually does sound amazing. It's like you can read my mind."

"I suppose knowing someone for fifty years does have its benefits."

"Does it?" Adora said while stepping away from the fridge with the egg carton.

Catra straightened up from where she was slouched against the island's counter. She crossed her arms and said, "Those are fighting words, you know."

Two could play this game. Adora put the eggs down and silently stalked towards her. She backed Catra into the corner closest to the sink until their fronts were lightly pressed against each other. "Then fight me, Catra." Seeing as there was a six or seven-inch height difference between them, Adora towered over her and had to crane her neck down to make eye contact. Catra swallowed hard and her eyes darted between Adora's eyes and lips. Adora leaned in closer until their faces were mere inches away and then reached over Catra's shoulder to get a spatula. As soon as she had it, she stepped away from Catra and went over to the stovetop.

"Tease."

Adora batted her eyes and said, "Who? Me?"

"Just eat your damn eggs."

Never one to disobey a direct order, Adora set the stove's temperature to medium-high and cracked two eggs into a frying pan. She stepped back until her back was against the kitchen's center island and she stood beside Catra.

"Okay, so getting back to Shadow Weaver," Catra said, "Have you ever looked at Reyna or Finn and been like how the fuck could someone ever treat someone so small, trusting, and innocent the way Shadow Weaver treated us? She almost let six-year-old you drown. Can you imagine pulling that shit on a six-year-old?"

"I can't. Just the other day when I was talking to Reyna, I kinda had a realization like, 'Oh, this is what six-year-olds are like.' How she could look at us and think we could handle what she did is beyond cruel. Not that older kids deserve or could better handle her abuse but you know what I mean."

"I do. There's something about imagining really small children going through all that that just makes me feel ill. There has to be something fucked in your brain to act like that."

"I think we can definitively say there was something wrong with her," Adora said. And yet here they were, still talking about her thirty years after she died. What was wrong with them?

"Fuck that bitch." Catra moved to stand in front of her and took her hands. She rubbed her thumbs over Adora's knuckles and asked, "Have you thought anymore about having another kid?" Of all the things she expected Catra to say next, this was not even remotely a contender.

Catra must have sensed Adora's repulsion because her face fell. "Hey, it's not that I don't want another kid. I just hated that transition. Shadow Weaver to child number three in the same sentence is so cursed."

Catra laughed and said, "It's two A.M. I'm not my usual linguistic self."

"I one hundred percent believe you since you just used the phrase 'linguistic self.' And to answer your question, I have thought about it a bit more. And I gotta say-the idea is growing on me. Things are kinda slow at work and I can't imagine it'll pick up anytime soon so it probably wouldn't be a big deal to take time off. What about you? Have you thought about it more?"

"I have and I think I could take time off as well. Things are always hectic in the diplomatic corp so we can't wait for a 'good time' because there's not going to be one. If we want another kid, people are just gonna have to accommodate us. We'd also have nine months to shift our responsibilities around so we wouldn't be leaving everyone high and dry. And you know what, after everything we've done for Etheria, I think we can be a little selfi-"

"-Catra, my eggs," Adora interrupted. Over Catra's shoulder she watched the egg pan shoot up flames.

"What? Do you wanna carry our third? I'm fine with that, by the way, if that's what-"

"-No, Catra, my eggs!" She swept Catra aside and leapt over to the stove. She grabbed the handle to the pan and haphazardly dragged it to an unused burner. That seemed to do the trick as the flames extinguished as soon as the heat source was taken away. She stepped back and took a few deep breaths. Very few things in her life had prepared her for this particular scenario. She almost burned their house down for a midnight snack.

Adora felt Catra come stand next to her and they wordlessly gazed at the almost catastrophe. Smoke curled under the stovetop's light and the eggs had the audacity to still be sizzling. They turned to look at each other and as soon as they made eye contact, they burst out laughing. Tear crying, shoulder shaking, belly aching laughter. They bumped against each other, arms wrapping around shoulders and loosely gripping clothing.

"Shhh," Catra said between fits of laughter, "We'll wake the kids up."

She was right so Adora tried to rein things and was mostly successful at transitioning into silent giggles. This resulted in her shaking even more as she tried to contain herself which caused Catra to double over as she tried to do the same.

It took a while but they eventually simmered down, only letting out the occasional chuckle. "I cannot believe I almost burned the whole house down for eggs. For eggs, Catra."

"At least it would have been worth it."

Adora got a plate out and dumped what was left of the eggs on it. It wasn't going to be good. It wasn't even going to be okay but she wasn't a quitter. One way or the other, these eggs were going to be eaten. She moved over to the kitchen's island and leaned against the counter, trying to decide how to approach eating. The best course of action was probably to shove them down as quickly as possible.

"I have no idea how you're gonna eat those," Catra said, settling in across from her, "They're not even food anymore, just lumps of rock."

"I find that the burnt parts add a crunch that can't be beaten," Adora said while taking a healthy bite out of an egg.

"Burnt food gives you cancer."

Adora froze mid-chew. Was that true? She looked at Catra's face and knew she wasn't lying. "Now you tell me?"

"Sorry, the thought just came to me," Catra said.

Adora looked down at the rest of her eggs. She couldn't throw them away. Not when she'd risked so much to cook them. "Well, I had a good run." She stuffed another piece in her mouth.

"Between the eggs and the cigarettes, it's almost like you want to die first."

"Better me than you." And she wasn't joking. She couldn't imagine a life without Catra by her side.

Catra scowled and said, "Let's talk about something else."

"Okay, like what?"

"Like what's on your agenda for tomorrow."

"Not much. I'm still looking over reports from last month's war games. Starting next week, I'm gonna be meeting with various officers to discuss their findings, performances, that sort of thing. And I'm pretty much done negotiating defense alliances and parameters for sharing tech. Oh, but I don't think I've told you about this yet. Have I talked about the Tiriks?"

"No, I don't think so," Catra said.

"Alright, so, they keep pushing for us to sell them lethal weaponry. And I keep telling them that we don't manufacture anything lethal and even if we did we wouldn't be selling it to them. But they keep insisting that we should either start making deadly weapons or that we're lying," Adora said, "And it doesn't make any sense to me. First, why do they need lethal weapons? In all our years, I haven't met any planet that needed the kinds of weapons they're requesting. I mean maybe the PDS would qualify but even that's a stretch."

"That's kind of...disconcerting? What do they need to be killing people for?"

"That's what I thought as well. I asked why they wanted them and they said for defensive purposes," Adora said, "And when I pressed them further, their reasoning seemed really flimsy. Between that and their pushiness, the whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth. Kinda like these eggs. It was the intellectual equivalent of these eggs."

"What did everyone else think?"

"Brick and Sunny also said they got a bad feeling from them. And they're both perceptive, in my opinion."

"I don't like the sound of that either," Catra said, "I'll do some digging and see if I can find out anything."

"Thanks, that would be super helpful. I'll forward you their War Secretary's info tomorrow."

"That'd be great, thanks."

They lapsed into comfortable silence until she noticed Catra staring at her with a slight smile. Not that Adora didn't enjoy the attention but she felt a little judged.

"Wha?" She asked through a mouthful of carcinogenic egg.

"I love watching you eat."

Adora swallowed. "That's weird."

"Maybe," Catra said with a laugh, "But you do this thing where you close your eyes and get this dumb look on your face and I can just tell how much you're enjoying eating. I don't know anyone else who takes their time and savors their food like you do."

"I get it, babe. You don't know anyone like me." Catra hated pet names so naturally Adora used one when she felt particularly annoying.

Expecting an eye roll, she instead received a warm smile that made her heart flutter. Incredible how she could still make Adora feel that way even after thirty years. Her tail skimmed up and down Adora's back before she said, "That's true."

While trying to give a sincere, loving look, the last piece of egg slid down her throat like a jagged pebble so she probably ended up looking more constipated than content. But Catra didn't seem to mind. Her head was still propped on one hand and her ears were still pointed towards Adora. After taking a hearty sip of water, Adora asked, "What's on your agenda?"

"Unlike some of us, I'm still having to do negotiations. I understand why Bow and Glimmer wanted to hold a summit for all the planets but Stars do I kinda hate them for it. My staff and I have been working our asses off day and night and they get to come sweeping in at the final meeting when all the hard work's already been done, sign some papers, and get all the credit."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I happen to know how hard you work. And I'm endlessly impressed, I might add. The efficiency and competency of the diplomatic corp is much revered and feared down in the War Department. Or so the Lord Commander tells me."

"Really, the Lord Commander?" Catra asked, "Is that the sexy one? About this tall? Blonde? You get the feeling the wheel is spinning but the hamster's dead?"

"That's her. I think she's married to that one asshole diplomat."

Catra laughed, the sound light and soothing. Whatever remained of her earlier mood was gone, no match for her best friend's company. Which was something she should probably express to Catra. "You know what? I'm feeling a lot better. I thought I was just gonna sulk around all night and smoke a pack of cigarettes but this is so much better. So thank you for checking on me and thank you for staying."

"My pleasure. Speaking of which, wanna get started on kid number three?" Catra asked, closing the space between them and running her hands over Adora's chest and then her shoulders. Her tail wrapped around one Adora's legs, gripping lightly. She looked up at her with darkening eyes and a wicked grin.

Adora didn't bother responding, instead leaning down to capture Catra's mouth with her own. After a few seconds, Catra pulled back and put a hand against her chest to stop her from leaning back in. "Actually nevermind. You taste too much like a cigarette. And burnt eggs."

Adora knew she was gaping like a fish but she couldn't stop. She was speechless for several seconds before saying, "I am never smoking again. Ever."

"Let this be a lesson-smoking ruins lives."

"You can say that again."

...

There was a minor communication breakdown between the 8th Airborne Division and the 27th Cavalry Division that required some intervention on her part. The 8th Airborne had relayed incorrect coordinates to the 27th, resulting in a short delay before operations began. Luckily, the coordinates hadn't been too far off from the actual location and the Cavalry was able to get the mission back on track relatively easily. Despite this error not impacting the war games in any significant way, a mistake like it could prove to be very costly in the future.

Major General Felix had been working on this issue with his staff all month and just recently presented Adora with a report detailing what happened and how to fix it for future missions. She'd spent the better part of the morning digging into it and had to give credit where credit was due-the report was about as comprehensive as anyone could've hoped for. When she spoke with Felix tomorrow, she'd have to remember to mention how pleased she was with it.

A knock at the door got her attention and she turned off the data pad that she'd been using to read the report. "Come in," she called.

In walked Finn and Sarah, bright eyed and smiling. "Hey Mom, we were wondering if we could go see a movie or something?"

Before Adora could reply, Sarah asked, "What are you working on?" She looked eagerly around the room, eyes lingering on the various maps pinned to the western wall of Adora's office. She brought her attention back to Adora and immediately her expression changed from wonder to... fear? "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt or anything. I shouldn't be so nosy."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm happy to show you what I've been up to," Adora said while standing up from her chair. She walked around her desk to the maps Sarah had been looking at and gestured for them to come over. She placed a hand on Finn's shoulder and gave them a reassuring squeeze. The last thing she wanted either kid to think was that she was mad at their interest in her job. "Have you heard of war games before?"

"No," Sarah said.

"Well, basically the Etherian military acts out a fake conflict. We mobilize a whole lot of soldiers and tanks and planes and we have them practice as if they were fighting a real war. We have targets and objectives that need to be met by leaders at various levels to see if they're performing as they need to be. But it isn't real. No one gets hurt or injured."

"But why do you need a fake war?"

"It's not exactly a fake war as it only happens over a handful of days rather than months or years like an actual war would. And as for your other question, we need our military to be ready for anything at all times. And the only real way to see what a military would do in a war is to have a war. But we obviously don't want people to get hurt so we go for the next best thing-a simulation of combat," Adora explained, "Our soldiers have to take buildings and jump out of airplanes and a bunch of other stuff just like they would during an actual fight. It's basically practice for everyone so we're ready if a real fight ever happens."

Sarah nodded and said, "That makes sense. So this is what you've been working on?"

"Yes. We just had the war games last month and now I'm reviewing what happened and trying to see how we can improve."

"Did Mom help with the games?" Finn said.

"No, the military isn't really her thing. She advises Glimmer and Bow on basically everything but her true expertise is in galactic diplomacy," Adora said, "You should ask her about it sometime. She's absolutely brilliant at that sort of thing. And pretty much everything else actually." It wasn't necessarily true that Catra wasn't interested in the military side of things but rather that she'd been permanently banned from holding military credentials during her Rehabilitation and Restoration trial. But Finn didn't need to know that now. Or ever.

"And what are these maps for?" Sarah said.

"This is just a geographical layout of the various operations we conducted during the war games. All these little pins and markers represent different things. For example, these red dots are Battalions, which have around one thousand soldiers."

"That's a lotta red dots."

"No doubt. There's a lot of moving parts with these things. That's why it's been a whole month and I'm still working out the details. You should ask June, err, your Mom about it, Sarah. She helped with the logistics."

"Ya, maybe."

Finn looked up at Adora and said, "So can we please go see a movie?" Despite Adora's best efforts, Finn was never very interested in what either she or Catra did for the government.

She suppressed a sigh before saying, "For sure. Just give me an hour to finish things up and then I'll take you guys to the movies and lunch, if you're up for it."

"Yes!" Finn gave Sarah a high-five before hugging Adora. Maybe she should take them to the movies more often. Like everyday.

"What are you gonna do while you wait?" She asked as casually as possible. She tried not to tip either Finn or Reyna off about how much she constantly worried about them and their every move, but she was probably pretty obvious.

"I dunno, honestly," Finn said, "Probably just talk."

Catra's words of wisdom came to her, reminding her to give Finn more space and independence. "Whatever you end up doing, please stay out of the woods, okay?"

"Ya, ya. Will do," Finn said while flicking their hand dismissively.

"Finn, I'm not joking. Please stay out of the woods. I know we usually let you go but there's something...off with them right now. I need to do some more investigating but for now steer clear. Sound good?"

"Ya."

"Good," Adora said, "I'll see you two in an hour. Have fun." She watched them scamper outside her office before settling back down at her desk. This report wasn't gonna read itself.

About an hour later, Adora stood up from her desk and stretched up towards the ceiling. She'd gotten about halfway through the General's report and would finish the rest either tonight or early tomorrow morning. For now it was time to hang out with Finn and Sarah. Reyna was with Catra for the day as she finished some things up at Bright Moon Castle so it was just the three of them. Which was good. She hadn't been spending enough one-on-one time with Finn recently and that absolutely had to change.

"Finny!" She called while walking towards their room, which was just a short trip across the hall from her office. "I'm ready to go. I hope you've decided on a movie." She knocked on their closed door but there was no response. "Finny?" She knocked again before entering their room. Their fairy lights faintly twinkled in the late-morning light and their radio was on to some horrific station playing what sounded like showtunes, but there was nobody in here. She switched both the lights and the radio off before leaving. They must've been downstairs somewhere.

"Finny!" She walked down the stairs, fully expecting them to be in the living room or kitchen, but both places were empty. "Melog?" She listened to the soft crunch of their bed moving around in her and Catra's bedroom and kneeled down to greet them when they came padding into the kitchen. Melog yawned and licked her lazily across the cheek. "Melog, do you know where Finn and Sarah went?" They pointed their nose at the backdoor and meowed. Dang, it would've been nice to have Catra around right about now.

Fighting her increasing heart rate, Adora walked to the backdoor, opened it, and stepped out. Melog was right behind her and meowing loudly, probably trying to call for Finn as well. "Finn!" Adora yelled. But there was no reply.

She felt sick to her stomach. Where the hell were they? And were they okay? What if they got hurt in the woods? Or worse?

"Okay, think Adora," she muttered. She wouldn't be saving anyone if she panicked and lost all sense. She set off towards the barn, hoping with every fiber of her being that they were just in there talking or getting the horses ready.

When she swung the doors open, however, her hopes were quickly dashed. Only Marshmallow, Percival, and their collection of chickens, sheep, and goats were present. Percival still being here was a good sign. They didn't intend to go far if they hadn't saddled him up.

She connected to Swift Wind through their sacred bond and told him to get back here as fast as he could. He said he wasn't far and when Adora left the barn he was touching down only a few feet away. "Finn and Sarah are gone. They must've gone into the woods," she said while mounting up, "We have to find them. Dammit, I even told Finn to stay out of the woods."

"Do you have any idea where they might've gone?" Swift Wind said. As soon as Adora was aboard, he started trotting towards the forest. Melog followed alongside, their mane and tail sweeping back as they ran.

"They couldn't have gone far on foot. I'm thinking they probably went to the Hallow, maybe to try and find Madame Razz."

"Got it," Swift Wind said before speeding up. They wouldn't be able to fly; the Whispering Woods were so dense that they'd never see them from above.

As they jumped over twisted roots and zig-zagged around trees, an overwhelming urge to both cry and punch something crashed over her. How could she have let this happen under her watch? She was supposed to protect her children, no matter what. Finn and Sarah were under her care, and were her responsibility.

"I cannot believe that Finn ignored me," she snarled, the intensity surprising herself, "I specifically asked that they not go into the woods, Swifty. And yet here we are. They deliberately ignored me and disobeyed me. I'll ground them forever. I really will."

"Don't you think that's a little, teeny, weeny overreact-"

"Help!" came a cry from somewhere to their right. Swift Wind adjusted his course and ran as fast as he ever had.

Her heart thundered so loudly in her ears that she could barely think. Sword of Protection. She-Ra. Right. Those were the next steps. "Help us!" came another yell, this time much closer.

The Sword of Protection appeared in her right hand and she changed into her She-Ra form. At the same time, Swift Wind entered a large clearing and immediately Adora saw the problem-Finn and Sarah were backing away from a wild boar and were in danger of getting cornered between the boar and some tightly clustered trees. If they couldn't get away, then...She shook her head and screamed, "Hey! Over here!" Her sword changed into a spear and she lined up the shot before hefting it over her shoulder. She could always heal the boar later but right now she needed it to stop advancing against the kids.

The spear soared through the air and pierced the boar in its side, going in so deeply that she could only see the end of it sticking out. It screamed in pure agony and wheeled around to face her and Swift Wind. She glanced over and saw Melog running towards the kids, their mane fiery red. At least they could protect the kids from anything else as she dealt with the boar.

As they cantered closer, it became apparent that dealing with it wasn't going to be as simple as she thought. Directly above its right eye, part of its scalp peeled back from its skull revealing bloodied bone. Deep scratches ran through its entire face, flesh hanging down from the gashes like meaty ribbons. Its several foot long tusks were a deep red and clumpy tissue stretched between them like it had run through a herd of something. And maybe it had. Mixed in with the carnage was what looked like a hoof and part of a deer's lower leg. It breathed through its mouth and with every exhale, blood dribbled down its teeth and snout. How it was still standing was a mystery.

One look and she knew the kids couldn't stay and watch. More than likely this was going to get ugly and she had no intention of scarring them more than they probably already were. "Swift Wind," she said. Through their bond, she directed him to get Finn and Sarah on his back and fly to the house. Far away from the danger. He agreed and she jumped off. When Adora hit the ground, she brought her fingers to her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. If she didn't already have the boar's attention, she had it now.

It pawed the ground and squealed, its four beady eyes locked on hers. She recalled her sword and it reappeared in her hand. At the sudden loss of the sword in its side, it let out another pained screech as blood gushed from the wound and splattered onto the grass below. Luckily, it was on the opposite side from the kids, obscuring their view.

She watched Finn and Sarah clamber aboard Swift Wind before he launched in the air, disappearing out of sight in only a few moments. Thank the Spirits. The unsteadying buzz previously clouding her thinking receded and the world came back in sharper focus. A million thoughts shot into her mind but one was more demanding than the rest. Finn and Sarah would be at the house alone and scared. After seeing this, they needed someone. "Melog, go get Catra and I'll meet you both at the house." They meowed and took off through the underbrush.

She turned back to the boar. Was there something driving it to madness? Was it a parasite that she could maybe see and subdue? It had wiry, gray hair like all Whispering Woods boars. And also like all the other boars, it was only a few feet shorter than her She-Ra form. But the similarities ended there. While she'd qualify most Etherian boars as having a disheveled look, this one was exceptionally unkempt. The tall ridge of hair on its back was sticking up in different directions and the normally golden tusks were so spattered with gore that she couldn't see their natural color. All four eyes were completely black, devoid of the normal boar blue. And it didn't look like there was parasite that could've caused its behaviour.

"Why are you doing this?" She called, "What happened to you?"

She didn't expect a direct response or anything, but she could communicate with most animals on a rudimentary level through body language and magical acuity. The boar remained silent, however. Its eyes were both hateful and glazed over. It didn't take her magical connection with Etheria to know something was seriously wrong with it. Never had she seen a creature ripped to shreds and still going. Never had she seen this kind of animal-on-animal violence. There were plenty of predators in the forest but they hunted to feed themselves. By the looks of the flesh hanging down and between its tusks, this killing was not done for sustenance.

The boar raised its snout and shrieked so loudly that birds exploded from the trees surrounding the clearing. It was going to charge her at any minute so she shifted her sword back into a spear and aimed for a spot between its eyes. She tensed, ready for a fight. Instead, it took a few ambling steps before collapsing on the ground. One of its back legs came up like it was going to scratch an itch but it started striking at its own eye with a cloven hoof. The sharp edges and point of its hoof cut into its eye, popping it open like a water balloon. Milky white fluid spewed from the wound and ran down its face.

"Stop!"

But it just kept going. With every second, it dug deeper and deeper into its own face. She'd never seen anything like it. Despite her burning rage towards the creature, she didn't want it to suffer. She could try and heal it but this was more than a physical injury. Could she heal mental wounds? Spiritual ones? She'd never tried and this didn't seem like the time to experiment.

Adora re-aimed her spear and threw it with enough force that it went through its forehead and disappeared entirely as it plunged deep into its body. The boar slumped down, its leg falling loosely back to its side. Satisfied it was dead, she walked the last hundred feet between them and crouched down so she was eye level with what was left of its face. At least she put a stop to its destruction. But a more thorough investigation had to wait. Checking on Finn and Sarah was priority number one.

The trip back to the house was longer on-foot but not by much as she sprinted home. As soon as she hit the edge of the clearing that marked the division between the woods and their property, she shifted back into her everyday form. The kids would be rattled enough as it was without her bursting in through the door as an eight-foot tall warrior.

When she opened the front door, she was immediately greeted by Catra and Melog. Catra placed one hand against Adora's cheek and the other on her chest while Melog rubbed against her legs. "Are you okay?" Catra asked.

Adora pulled out of her embrace and said, "Where's Finn and Sarah?"

"I took Sarah home and Finn's over there." She pointed towards the couch where Finn slouched against the cushions and stared down at the ground.

Adora rounded the couches and kneeled in front of Finn. She grabbed them by the shoulders and started to inspect for any injuries but she didn't find any blood or torn clothing. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Finn was still looking at the ground and shook their head 'no.' She wrapped her arms around their back and pulled them in for a tight hug. Finn tensed against her for a moment before sagging into her arms. They sniffled against her shoulder and Adora stuffed down her own need to cry.

What if she'd been a few minutes later? What if she hadn't heard their yells? It felt like someone gut punched her and then hollowed out her insides. How close was she to losing them? Losing her whole world?

"What were you thinking?" She said while pulling back from their hug, her hands still on their shoulders.

Finn made teary eye contact and said, "I was thinking that we'd find that elk again and see if we could figure out what he was trying to tell you."

"What? Why would you ever think that's a good idea? Especially after I told you not to go in the woods," Adora said, unable to stop her voice rising with every word. What if they were killed? What if she'd found their mangled bodies? "You could've gotten yourself killed. You could've gotten Sarah killed! Do you know how irresponsible and selfish you were?"

Finn stood up and started sobbing harder than she'd ever seen them cry before. "I know, okay? I know!" They turned and bolted upstairs.

"Finn, wait!" Adora called after them but the sound of their door slamming made it clear they weren't coming back anytime soon.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and willed her heart to stop racing. It was tempting to follow and try to comfort Finn but she was too out of sorts to have a conversation right now. If anything, she'd only dig herself deeper into a hole by getting angry and yelling again.

She was vaguely aware of Catra's wide-eyed expression and raised eyebrows but marched past her without a word to their bedroom. There was nothing constructive she could say to anyone at this point. Adora closed the door a little more forcefully than she intended, causing it to rattle in its frame. Fuck. Why couldn't she do anything right? She couldn't keep an eye on two children. She couldn't figure out what Lord Bulruk wanted. She couldn't stop the boar from mutilating itself. She almost didn't reach Finn and Sarah in time.

She looked out one of the windows facing the woods and took a deep breath in. They couldn't stay here. Maybe if it was just her and Catra they could but not with the kids. And definitely not if those kids were running around the woods oblivious to any danger and recklessly ignoring her. Luckily, they maintained a room at Bright Moon Castle so they could go there for the night and longer if needed. And it would probably be needed.

Adora walked over to one of their dressers and started digging through the clothes. Everything that either she or Catra needed for an extended period of time she flung onto the bed. She went onto the next dresser and then onto their closet, and did the same. When she was in the middle of getting their suitcases down from the highest shelf, she heard the bedroom door open and close. Catra.

She sensed Catra stop at the entrance of the closet. Her presence felt like an accusation and Adora just couldn't face her. She'd messed up with Finn; she didn't need anyone to tell her that. "We can't stay here," Adora said while reaching for the next suitcase, "I've thrown some things on the bed that I know you need but double check to see if I've missed anything. And can you please tell the kids to get their stuff ready? We're not staying here longer than we have to."

"Adora, come here."

"I can't. I need to get packed up and-Oh. I can't believe I didn't think of this before but I have to tell Glimmer and Bow to shut down roads into the Whispering Woods and they need to issue an order warning people from entering and-"

"Adora, just stop for a second."

But the thing was, she really did need to get over to the castle and start shutting down access to the woods. Innocent people could be caught up in whatever was happening in the forest. She turned around, ready to explain this to her wife, and then promptly burst into tears. She expected a lot of things from her response, like maybe a quick explanation of where she was headed or why they couldn't stay, certainly not sobs that wracked her whole body. It came all at once, like a flood: the tears, the anxiety, the terror.

Catra, for the second time that day, looked genuinely surprised but her expression stayed for only a second. She opened her arms and walked over to Adora before securing her in a hug. Adora curled against her and wept into the space connecting her neck and shoulder. And it wasn't pretty. Snot, tears, and saliva poured out of her and onto Catra at an alarming rate but she just couldn't stop.

They'd nearly lost Finny. The boar was about three seconds away from running through them like it had some helpless deer.

Catra rubbed her back and whispered, "It's okay. You saved Finn and Sarah. They're fine. Reyna is fine. I'm fine. Everyone is fine." Despite these assurances, Adora continued on for far too long. Everytime she thought she could come out from Catra's shoulder, she cried harder. She just couldn't get away from the cold hand of fear as it gripped her heart and crushed down with its vicious fingers.

Finally, when it felt like every molecule of moisture had been wrung from her eyes, she caught her breath and brought her head back a few inches to look at Catra's face. "I'm sorry for-," Adora nodded at the wet patch on Catra's neck, shoulder, and shirt.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Catra brought up her shirt sleeve and started wiping away at her face. The fact she used her shirt instead of her fingers meant that Adora was as messy as she felt.

"I have never been so scared in my whole life. The boar was… And Finn was…" Even more tears welled up in her eyes. "What would we have done, Catra? If Finn had been...What would we have done?"

"I don't know. But we don't have to figure it out because nothing like that happened."

"It almost did though. And it almost happened under my watch," Adora said before adding, "I can't even imagine what I would have done. Destroyed the whole world? The galaxy? Jumped off a building? All of the above?"

"Adora, you're gonna drive yourself crazy with all these What Ifs. The important thing is that Finn and Sarah are safe. And it's because of you. You were there. You did save them. No point in worrying about all the things that didn't happen."

"And then I yelled at them," Adora said, "What the fuck is wrong with me? That was like something from Shadow Weaver's handbook."

"Woah, hey, that's not even remotely true. You and her are nothing alike. First of all, I know that you're gonna apologize and explain why you freaked out. When did she ever apologize? When did she ever take the time to explain why she did something?"

"I can't believe I yelled. I knew Finn was shaken. I knew that and I still made it worse."

"Adora," Catra said while placing her hands on Adora's shoulders and gripping tightly enough to keep her in place, "I don't think you're listening to me. You're spiraling right now and thinking of every possible worst case scenario. But what's the point in ruminating and worrying over things that never happened? The boar, while incredibly scary, didn't touch Finn or Sarah. You noticed they were missing in time and you stopped anything worse from happening. And everything that led up to that isn't your fault either. You told Finn to stay away from the Whispering Woods. So maybe you weren't watching their every move and they slipped away. What were you gonna do? Sit on Finn's bed and monitor everything? That's insane and weird. As soon as you noticed something was wrong, you acted. What more could you have done?"

"I could have, should have, noticed that they weren't really listening to me. They were way too dismissive when I told them not to go. And I should've been more explicit about why going was-"

"-You can't read people's minds. How could you have known they were planning on going? It's not your fault, okay? No one is blaming you, least of all Finny."

"Did they say something to you?" Adora said.

"Ya, I went and talked with them after your, uhhh, conversation. They said they were sorry and should've listened. And yes, they were angry and upset that you yelled but there was nothing about it being your fault that they went into the woods."

Adora stared at Catra's face for a moment and saw nothing but sincerity. A fresh wave of tears hit her and she slumped against Catra, reclaiming her spot against her neck and shoulder. She thought she'd cried all the tears she was capable of crying but apparently not. Her body heaved with every sob, causing her to rock against Catra. It was pathetic and embarrassing. If she could've stopped, she would've.

Over and over she replayed the boar walking towards Finn, throwing its tusks around as it tried to pin them between some trees. Those killer tusks coming closer and closer, its eyes growing hungry.

Catra's touch pulled her back to the moment and she focused on her wife. She gathered all of Adora's hair and moved it so it was bunched over one shoulder. One hand came up to lay against Adora's jaw and ear, and her thumb brushed soothingly up and down. The other rested on her neck. Catra started placing light kisses across her jaw and down her neck. She concentrated on the feeling but there were still flashes of the bloody tusks glinting with a dreadful promise.

"You're not anything like her," Catra whispered against her ear, "You're the kindest person I know. And that's saying a lot when we know people like Scorpia. If I know you, and I do, I know you'll make it up to Finn. You made a mistake, there's no doubt. But what matters most is how you make it right. Trust me on this. And I know Shadow Weaver wouldn't have cared this much. How many times do you think she bawled her eyes out because she yelled at one of us? Shitty people lack the introspection necessary to become less shitty. That's clearly not a problem for you if you're this upset."

She was right. Shadow Weaver didn't care and she wouldn't have spared a tear for anyone but herself. Adora wasn't like that, would never be like that.

She rested her forehead against Catra's and closed her eyes. The storm raging inside her was subsiding and her long list of To-Dos came into focus. She needed to get to the castle ASAP and stop other people from getting hurt in the woods. She needed to make sure her family was safe. And she needed to make sure that Catra knew how much she appreciated her.

"What would I do without you?" Adora said.

"All four of your brain cells would be strained beyond belief."

Adora laughed and felt a little lighter. "I can't even be mad because that's absolutely true."

The sound of their bedroom door opening caused Adora to freeze. She was a wreck. A scary, frightening trainwreck. Neither kid should have to see her like this. She stepped back from Catra and turned around. If either Reyna or Finn saw her crying like this, they'd never look at her the same way. She was supposed to be everyone's source of strength, not a blubbering mess that could barely hold herself up.

"Mom? Mommy?" Reyna said.

"We're in here, sweetheart," Catra said.

Adora furiously scrubbed at her face, willing it to look normal. Then an idea came to her-Would her healing powers return her face to normal? Nothing wrong with trying. She closed her eyes and let her magic flow upwards. The rawness of her skin, the itchiness of her eyes, and her pounding headache trickled away until she couldn't feel their effects anymore.

"What's going on?" Reyna asked, her voice much closer this time. "I tried to ask Finn what's happening but they told me to go away." Adora turned back around, ready to face her daughter. There was no way to tell if her face was back to normal but hopefully it was. For her sake and Reyna's.

Catra knelt down in front of Reyna and held both her tiny hands. "The woods aren't safe right now. So we're gonna go to the castle and stay there for a while. We need you to get everything you need for a few days, okay? And make sure to pack your horses."

"Are we gonna be taking Marshmallow too?"

Adora knelt beside Catra and put one arm around her waist and one hand on Reyna's shoulder. "Yes, we'll be taking him, Percival, and Swift Wind. So don't worry. It'll be like an adventure."

"What about Henrietta and Scramble and Scape Goat and Grover and Goatee and-"

"Don't worry, Reyns," Adora repeated, "I'll come and check on them in the mornings and evenings. And I'll recast my protection spell so they'll stay safe."

"Well, okay…"

"What's wrong?" Catra asked.

"I don't know," Reyna said, breaking eye contact with both of them. She looked down and shifted her weight from foot-to-foot. Her flattened ears faced sideways, looking like little airplane wings.

But Adora knew what was wrong. She'd never yelled, not even once, at either Finn or Reyna. Until today. If it was shocking for herself, it must've been even worse for Reyna.

"Hey, umm," Adora started. She pinched the bridge of her nose as yet another headache threatened to rip through her. "I'm sorry you had to hear me yell. It was wrong of me to do that. I got really upset and let my emotions get the best of me. Did I scare you?"

Reyna nodded but still didn't make eye contact. She sniffled a little and pulled one of her hands out of Catra's grip to wipe at her eyes. Great. She somehow made both kids cry in the span of an hour. Amazing parenting right there.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Come here," Adora said while holding out both arms. Reyna looked at her skeptically and her heart shattered all over again. But then she walked over and placed her arms around Adora's neck and snuggled close. "I shouldn't have yelled at Finn. If I could take it back, I would. I promise I won't do it again. And I'm really sorry I scared you. I hope you'll forgive me."

"I forgive you," Reyna said against Adora's neck.

"Thanks, Little Lion." She patted her back and looked over at Catra, who gave her a thumbs up. So far, so good. She hadn't said the wrong thing. Yet.

Catra scooted closer until she could wrap one arm around Adora and the other around Reyna. "Mommy and I love you with all our hearts. I hope you know that."

Reyna backed up in Adora's arms and looked between them both. "It's true," Adora said.

"Love you too," Reyna said. It was basically the cutest thing Adora had ever seen. Whatever strength that'd been leached out of her returned two-fold. Yes, she'd screwed up but that wasn't the end of the story. She could make things right.

"Why don't you get packed as much as possible and then I'll come up and help," Catra said.

"Okay, I will," Reyna said. She pulled out of their arms while she and Catra both stood up.

After watching her leave, Adora said, "And I need to get the castle. But I'll be back before you know it."