Chapter Text
A cold splash of water hits Adora’s face right as she enters the rapid. She reaches out with her paddle to keep her kayak centered on the line she had scouted, making minor adjustments as she navigates the rapid.
As always, adrenaline starts pumping through her body. She feels alive as she zips through the turbulent river. Whitewater kayaking is a dangerous sport, but it’s her kind of danger: the type where she can meticulously plan out ahead of time but still make in-the-moment decisions that will determine her success. Pulling back a bit, she works her way through the rock garden and then over the final drop.
Panting with exertion and high on endorphins, she looks back upriver at the stretch she just did. She’s been living on this river for three years but still feels a spike of joy when looking at the beautiful scenery. The best part of this run is right here at the end, where the swift water and drops make for exciting boating, and the river is framed perfectly by the pine trees and hills. Grinning, she gives herself a mental pat on the back before paddling towards the bank.
She leans over and plants her paddle into the eddy, pulling her kayak into the calmer water. Adora pulls off the skirt and steps out of the kayak into the cold river, hauling herself and her boat out of the water.
This is her favorite way to start the morning: just herself and her boat on the water, shredding the gnar. It’s been her ritual for the past months on days that she doesn’t have work too early. Something she can do just for herself, by herself. She’d never say it out loud, but she has seen more self-growth on this river than any other place.
It’s home in a way that nowhere else has been.
A quick glance at her watch shows that she needs to haul her ass back to the camp in order to prep for the whitewater rafting trip she’s guiding today. It’s only a half-day trip, but she needs to gather the equipment before the attendees arrive. She hikes her kayak onto her shoulder and trudges up the path to the small pullout where she had left her vehicle the night before. (She definitely owed Starla for always helping her set up the shuttle.)
After throwing the boat on top of her beat up old Subaru and strapping it down, she pulls out into the small road that winds through the forest of pine trees that always looks a bit magical, so very different from the smog-filled industrial scenery of her childhood.
That place is literally and metaphorically thousands of miles away.
—
Catra leans her cheek against the car window as the pine trees zip by. She’s lived on the outskirts of the Whispering Woods for several months but this is the first time she’s ventured in. She certainly wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her overly enthusiastic coworker and friend in the driver’s seat next to her.
Scorpia is chatting endlessly on the car ride as they wind through the woods toward the Etherian River. Catra shares appropriate comments, hums, and chuckles in return but is mostly focused on responding to emails from her phone. It is technically a work day, and they are technically working, but being out of office is stressing Catra out.
In the three years since Catra graduated (early, and with honors), she has worked day and night to get their startup running. She hadn’t had the luxury of a safety net should she mess up; this is her one chance to take any sort of risk, and if she messes up then she’ll be doomed to taking whatever shitty job working for whatever shitty company she can find.
After high school, she had gone to the public university nearest to the shithole she grew up in where she could get most of her expenses paid for with scholarships. Nothing fancy, but she made the most of it. While there, she kept her head down and studied hard. The first summer, she watched some classmates get fancy internships through well-connected parents while she continued to wait tables.
She hadn’t been dealt a lucky hand in life. But by the time she graduated, she had created her own luck through sheer force of will and endless work.
The fruits of this labor was apparently a three-day whitewater rafting trip disguised as “company bonding time”. Today, she and Scorpia were going to scope it out to see what it was like before they committed themselves and their whole, admittedly small, company to a weekend on the water. This whole thing had been a required vacation that Scorpia forced on her.
Apparently working nonstop isn’t healthy or something like that.
Catra is trying to work on the drive out to the rafting headquarters — why does this river have to be so fucking remote ? — when she loses cell service. Grumbling, she tosses her phone into her lap and looks back outside the windows. She can admit that it is beautiful out here.
The Fright Zone, her hometown, had been kind of an industrial wasteland and she hadn’t ever visited a climate that could support such greenery as she saw now until she moved to Bright Moon. Scorpia is beaming beside her, apparently enthralled with the concept of nature. (Catra is just as impressed. She just doesn’t feel the need to re-arrange her face to express that.)
“Oh! It’s just beautiful out here,” says Scorpia as she drives. “I’ve always wanted a place somewhere like this. Maybe not totally in the middle of nowhere? But, you know, a small town. Quiet. Everyone knows everybody.”
Catra huffs a bit under her breath. “Yeah, not so great to grow up in a place like that,” she mutters quietly.
“Okay, so maybe a small town that’s not the Fright Zone. Sorry, buddy. Didn’t mean to bring up old memories. Oh! I think we’re here,” Scorpia says, shifting the conversation. “This is just so cute. Look at all the boats!”
They pull into a small parking lot in front of a quaint little building with a sign out front that carved with the words ‘Whispering Woods River Adventures’ . There is a path to the left that leads to an area filled with gear: boats, paddles, life vests, and all sorts of other outdoors paraphernalia and another path to the right that disappears into the woods.
They head inside the little shop to check in. A tall woman with long blonde hair ( and is that a flower in her hair?) greets them cheerfully. Scorpia heads over to check in while Catra browses through the room. There are some basic souvenirs and supplies for sale, as well as informational pamphlets and a couple of office desks, probably for the administrative side of the business. After a few minutes, Scorpia returns to her, blushing, and whispers something about how pretty that woman was and how she hopes she’ll be their guide.
The aforementioned pretty woman appears behind them and gestures toward the clearing of gear. As they walk, she shares little tidbits about the place in her bright and cheerful voice. She takes them down a path and into a clearing filled with supplies where a few families are waiting as well.
She hears voices coming out of one of the sheds, and out steps the most muscular woman she has ever seen, tall and broad and with most of her head shaved aside from a long white ponytail. The person she is talking to also steps out of the shed, all tanned skin and golden hair and —
“Adora? ” What the FUCK.
—
“Catra?? ” Adora sputters. Of all the people she expected to see today, Catra is probably the last. She watches her old friend stop completely still, staring back at her, mouth open in shock. In a moment that lasts a lifetime, every thought in Adora’s brain nopes the fuck out as she stares back at Catra. Before she can fully grasp what the hell is going on , she registers a vaguely familiar woman next to Catra who claps her on her shoulder and asks excitedly if they know each other.
That snaps Catra out of it. She startles up at her companion and then chuckles a little nervously. “Um, we went to high school together? I mean yes, yeah. Adora is an old friend.”
That’s maybe not how Adora would have worded it, but she smiles hopefully at her old friend . She takes a tentative step forward, not sure if this is okay, and is relieved when Catra also steps forward to share in a short and awkward embrace. They step back and laugh nervously.
“I just… Hi. Hey. I wasn’t expecting you to be here,” Adora says.
“Figured. But yeah, same. I had no idea you were working out here.”
Adora is saved from having to respond to that by the friend nudging Catra with a questioning look that she can’t quite interpret. Catra shifts her gaze over to her and gives the tiniest of nods before plastering on a smile and introducing them. “Scorpia, this is Adora. We went to high school together. Adora, this is Scorpia. We went to college together.”
“Ooh, you should go to grad school so you can meet someone new and continue this. ‘And here’s my other friend, we went to grad school together, ’” Scorpia suggests. She’s met with only a what the fuck look, a Catra-signature that Adora has been on the receiving end of so many times. Just not in recent years.
As they’re shaking hands, Adora realizes this must be the same Scorpia who she had met on Facetime that one time when they were at their respective colleges. That was probably their freshman or sophomore year. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she remembers how Catra had oh-so-casually talked about her first date with Scorpia. She shifts uncomfortably on her feet, knowing that by now they would be way past first dates. Hell, if they’re still together this many years later, they could even be married. They’re all old enough for that now, even if it is far out of Adora’s current lifestyle.
Huntara walks up to their awkward trio and raises a hand in greeting toward Catra and Scorpia. “Good to meet you, I’m Huntara. I own this place, but Adora here will be taking care of you out on the water today. She’s a friendly one, but I didn’t expect to see you hugging your clients so quick.”
Adora blushes. “It’s not like that. We just know each other already. Same high school and whatnot.”
Huntara lets out a boisterous laugh and slaps Adora on the back. “Then you must have known her back when she was just a scrawny little thing! She’s come a long ways since her first run three years ago when she dumptrucked in the first five minutes.”
Adora flushes even darker, not wanting to be reminded of how she had let all of her passengers be thrown out of the raft into the river. And besides, she may have put on a lot of muscle since she started guiding but she never would have described herself as scrawny .
As Huntara steps away, Adora turns back to Catra. One side of her mouth is quirked up in a teasing half smile. It all feels deeply nostalgic.
—
Adora stands in front of the small group fully decked out in her river gear, including her helmet and PFD. Starla and Mermista are also going to be guides on this trip, but Adora is lead guide and will be running the safety talk ahead of time. She clears her throat and greets everyone, eyes consistently flicking over to Catra as she addresses the group. She’s done this a thousand times and has her speech memorized forwards and back, but is suddenly nervous.
“Welcome to Whispering Woods River Adventures! We are so excited to take you on this whitewater adventure today. I may be your guide, but this is a sport where everyone actively participates. I won’t be getting us down the river on my own!”
She normally doesn't have to try too hard for her ‘chipper customer service voice’, but today she finds her voice cracking at the end of that sentence. With one more glance at Catra smirking at her (she just knows she’s going to get made fun of for something), she takes a deep breath and continues.
“First off, safety. Everyone will be wearing a personal flotation device like this” — she gestures at the PFD that she’s wearing — “and you’ll need to keep it on at all times. Starla and I will go around and check to make sure everyone’s is properly fitted.”
Starla and Adora take a moment to get everyone into their PFDs before she gestures to the paddles behind them and instructs everyone to pick one up.
“The second thing you’ll always have out there is your paddle.” Adora explains the parts of the paddle, emphasizing that one hand should always be on the t-grip. Her lips quirk up in a cheeky grin as she asks the group, “Ever heard of summer teeth?” A beat, before: “Some are here, some are there. It’s what we want to avoid, so keep your hand here.”
She doesn't need to look at Catra to know that she’s rolling her eyes. She always has in response to Adora’s dumb jokes. (Adora could feign indignance but honestly the thought makes her feel kinda fluttery.)
Adora then goes on to demonstrate the different paddle strokes that the participants will be using and has everyone practice their forward and back paddles.
“Our goal is to move through the water like a Viking warship, not a drunken spider. So when I shout forward paddle , we’ll all paddle forward together.”
The rest of the safety talk consists of more logistics and what to do if you fall into the water. Even the best guides sometimes make mistakes.
The guides sort the guests into their boats. Adora will be taking Catra, Scorpia, and a family of three with an eager-looking young girl. Starla and Adora will each have a family in their boats.
From there, they all load into vans that will take them to the put-in a few miles upstream. Their typical half-day trip is about 8 miles of river with nonstop rapids, including a couple of sick Class IV rapids thrown in. The take-out is at the camp, so they’ll end the day back there. Adora feels the familiar itch to get on the water and bounces her leg in excitement as they near the put-in.
—
Whitewater rafting is exhilarating in a way that Catra never would have expected. She shrieks with laughter as they hit a drop and water sprays into their faces. With her feet jammed into the creases of the inflatable raft, she follows Adora’s commands or “paddle forward!” or “now give me two back paddles! ” as she navigates them through the rapids. Adora brings her insanely infectious energy that she’s always brought to everything, and the whole thing is fun .
Catra can’t help but notice the way that Adora’s physique has transformed from a typical, albeit fit, teenager to a truly Amazonian warrior goddess. Underneath her PFD, Adora is wearing a tank top and Catra could stare at her biceps all day as she steers and commands from the back of the raft. (When she leans back and strains against her paddle in the water? Fuuuck , Catra should not be having these thoughts about her once closest friend.)
At times, they will ‘eddy out’ as Adora says to wait for the other two boats. Adora throws out affirmations and playful insults alike at her coworkers as they guide their own rafts. The dynamic between the three of them feels intimately competitive.
For the next rapid, Mermista has to take a safer line for her younger participants. Adora throws her the hang loose hand gesture as they speed by. Adora is not holding back, leading them through the most adventurous lines that leave them soaking wet and whooping.
Starla is deeply enthusiastic about everything and a little much for Catra. Mermista, on the other hand, is the perfect level of bubbly. Which is to say, not bubbly at all .
After a couple of hours, they all stop and the guides lay out some snacks for everyone on the riverbank.
“I’ve found that you can always please everyone with fruit, oreos, and pringles,” Adora says as she comes up next to Catra.
Mermista groans and rolls her eyes. “Ugh, you say that literally every time. Find something new to talk about other than the snacks.”
Catra pops a cookie into her mouth and with a smirk adds, “Yeah, Adora. Find something new.”
Adora laughs and puts on a playfully offended look. She shoves her handful of chips into her mouth and uses her newly freed hand to release the rescue throw bag at her waist and chuck it at Mermista’s head. The blue-haired guide easily dodges and the bag ends up landing at Starla’s feet.
Starla giggles a little and brings it back to Adora. Adora already has her hands full of food again, which might be why the other woman reaches around and hooks it back around Adora’s waist. Her hand grabs Adora’s bicep as she says, “That’s not the best she’s got. You should see her in a real rescue situation, Adora can throw like no other.”
Catra’s good mood darkens as she watches Starla’s hands linger just a little too long. Why does she even feel this way? She got over that a long time ago. She takes a deep breath and turns to chat with the little girl from her raft, listening to her gush about how cool the last rapid was.
—
Once they’re back at WWRA, Adora gives her closing talk to the group and thanks them for joining today. The little girl from her boat runs up to her and gives her a hug, staring up at her with somewhat awe-struck eyes.
Adora laughs and gives her a high five, telling her she did a fantastic job. “You’ve got a real adrenaline-junkie on your hands,” she jokes to the parents. Adora never did anything like this growing up and thinks how cool it would have been to have these sorts of empowering experiences from a young age. She waves the family off as they depart.
Before she knows it, Adora is being swept up into another hug, this time from someone much taller than the little girl.
“We just had SO MUCH fun, Adora! Wow, Catra’s mentioned you a few times but she never told me what a freaking badass you are!” Scorpia’s hugs are relentless and her affirmations even more so. Adora’s breath catches in her throat when she hears that Catra has talked about her.
“I’m just so glad you could come,” she says laughing. “What are the odds that you would come out all this way and end up here?”
“Oh, you know. It’s not too far from Bright Moon, only took us about an hour to get here.”
Adora’s heart stutters. Catra is visiting Bright Moon?
“Now, I do need to talk to Huntara. Do you know where she went? Gosh, this whole place is just magical. I think I’m going to come back over and over again. Right, Wildcat? We could easily come out here on a Saturday when the weather is nice.” Scorpia’s open and cheerful face stands out even more than usual against Catra, who suddenly looks like she would rather be anywhere but here.
Adora doesn’t want to ask. She wants to pretend this has never happened. The woods are starting to feel stifling hot and her heart feels like it’s going to fall out of her chest.
She doesn't have to ask. Scorpia keeps talking.
“Anyway, as nice as this is, we really need to sort out some details with Huntara. Catra’s been itching to get back home to Bright Moon.”
And then her heart does fall out, and as Scorpia unknowingly stomps all over it, Catra finally looks up. Her face is clouded with guilt. Maybe there is an explanation for why Catra moved across the country to the same city as Adora and never told her , but Adora doesn’t wait around to hear it.
She mumbles out an excuse about having to clean gear, then turns on her heel and walks away.