Chapter Text
“Momma!”
The squeals startled Shadow Weaver, breaking her concentration on the Black Garnet, her eyes widening a tad fearfully. She whipped her head towards the voices, seeing Adora and Catra running into her chambers before her dress was gripped and tiny faces upturned to smile at her. She looked out into the hallway, seeing no one and checking with her shadows to make doubly sure no one had possibly heard the girls shouting for her.
She couldn’t afford to let anyone see her being soft with the little girls. If anyone saw her giving them any sort of positive attention, which was something her reputation was wildly unknown for, the word could get back to Hordak, and she could be ripped away from the girls, as the Horde frowned deeply upon affection to future cadets. Being cold to them in public, sometimes downright cruel and almost emotionally abusive, was necessary to keep them protected, despite how much she wished she didn’t have to do it.
How she wished she could be more outwardly loving with them, and not have to remind them when they were alone that ‘Momma’ didn’t mean anything she said that day that had been upsetting to them.
She shut her doors, almost slamming them in her haste, blocking out any Horde soldier passer by who might hear her and the children. Once she deemed it safe, she picked up both girls gently and held them close to her chest, her cold mask pressing against their faces in an almost nuzzle to try and feel their warmth through contact.
”Hello little ones. To what do I owe this visit when you should be with the other children?”
Adora’s face scrunched up in a frown, while Catra huffed, exasperated, before playing with one of Shadow Weavers floating obsidian tendril of hair absently. She stared at them, scrutinizing the twitchy nervousness of Adora and sighing, brushing the back of a finger over Adora’s forhead, trying to smooth out the wrinkles marring the young girls face.
”Well?”
Adora crossed her arms before pulling Shadow Weaver’s hand away from her face and into her own tiny hands, tracing lines on it and across knuckles shyly.
”We wanted to spend time with you, Momma.”
Shadow Weaver was not surprised by this. The girls had been having trouble being away from her for most of the day.
Previously, while they were still toddlers and before that, babies, they were assigned to stay by her so they could be monitored. Now, since they were six and seven respectively, they had to stay with the caretakers and the other orphaned children.
Before she could explain yet again that they needed to be more careful when they come to see her and that they can see each other more safely at night, Catra joined in, done with silently playing with Shadow Weavers hair.
”Yeah and all the other kids are boring! Kyle won’t stop bothering me and trying to play with my tail!”
The older woman smiled under her mask, knowing full well that Catra’s tail was highly sensitive and that she didn't like when anyone tried to touch it, let alone play with it. Seeing Catra start to act put out by remembering the whole ordeal with Kyle, shadows flitted around the girls head, rubbing soothingly over her ears, causing Shadow Weaver to smirk knowingly as she heard the little one purr.
“Well you must stand up for yourself then, Catra. Don’t allow him to think he can do what he likes.”
”But Momma! Whenever I punch him he tells the caretaker and then I get in trouble!”
Shadow Weaver chuckled, amused at Catra’s fight before flight attitude, before going to sit down with the girls still in her arms.
”Then perhaps a different approach should be taken?”
Catra huffed, pouting in her lap, as Adora held back giggles and squirmed slightly. Shadow Weaver smiled, holding the children tighter and sending out thanks to whoever had given her the gift of these two little girls.
Their moment was interrupted by the distant yells of the screechy caretaker. Shadow Weaver growled discontentedly, making sure the hold the girls hands as to not make them think it was aimed at them, but placed the girls on the ground and led them to the door, stopping to kneel in front of them and place a hand on each of their shoulders.
”Remember, whatever I say to you in front of others, whatever I do to make it seem real, I don’t mean it at all. I...”
She paused, staring into the girls wide trusting eyes, pushing aside her doubts and past misguided views as she always did when she had to say this.
Her own parents had never even attempted to say they cared, telling her she didn't need that from them, that they were they to help her with magic, not coddle her. She had struggled in the beginning to even offer physical comfort to Adora and Catra because of the way her own parents had approached raising her, rationalizing that the sooner they realized she wasn’t good at it, the better.
Yet, they had persisted, as children do, and when faced with tearful eyes and quivering lips, she had caved, hugging them tensely and whispering comforts. It had already taken her most of the girls childhood to properly act like a mother should, hugging them willingly and expressing her love for them constantly.
She was brought back to herself when Adora placed a hand on the side of her mask, while Catra gripped the hand on her shoulder, looking at her with flattened ears and worried eyes now.
Shadow Weaver held back the tears that threatened to spill at the absolute adoration she felt for these sweet girls, having a harder time holding back her feelings when she heard them speak the word she wished she could hear all the time.
”Momma?”
She sighed shakily, her head bowing before she stood and stroked both girls head to offer some comfort as the screeching voice got louder outside the door.
”I love you both. Please remember that.”
The girls smiled tremulously at her, knowing what was to come and it chipped at Shadow Weavers heart every time she saw them like this. How they looked so fearful yet still staying strong for her because they knew whatever she did wasn’t real. Quickly casting an illusion spell over the girls, she timed the door to burst open just as the caretaker was outside it, still yelling quite angrily for the girls.
She couldn’t stop the smirk as she saw the woman jump and pale as she saw Shadow Weaver, seemingly holding the girls in a tight, bruising grip on their upper arms. She glared menacingly and to the caretakers eyes, she seemed to toss the girls towards her, their little bodies landing with a thud at the woman’s feet.
Shadows formed behind Shadow Weaver as if she was enraged but in reality, the girls were gently pushed towards the woman gaping at their “bodies” on the floor by their mothers hands, the shadows being invisible to their eyes as they looked behind them to smile at Shadow Weaver as she spoke in an acidic tone.
“The next time I find these two... reckless brats in my chambers, it won’t just be them who receives a severe punishment.”
She came closer, wrapping her shadows angrily around the woman’s throat, not enough to strangle but enough to show the threat was there. Her face came closer, feeling sick delight at the pure terror she was putting in the caretaker.
”Am I clear?”
”Y-Yes, Shadow Weaver. My apologies.”
She pulled her shadows back, the caretaker still holding her breath as if they were still there, before Shadow Weaver turned back to her door, glancing at the girls as she removed the spell once the illusions were standing in the same place as the real Catra and Adora.
”Hm, take them back to the infirmary before I change my mind to let you off with a warning.”
The caretaker finally started to breathe again after the dismissal before quickly grabbing both girls, whispering harshly at them from a good distance away.
Shadow Weaver stared at their backs, wrapping her arms around herself as she saw Adora turn her head towards her, trying to smile before she was yanked forward. Once they were out of sight, she couldn’t stop the tear that escaped her before returning to work on the Black Garnet.
While she worked however, she couldn’t help but feel the stab of pain at the realization that she would have to do this to her girls more and more times once they started training as cadets in three years time. It left her with a singular thought that she was scared to think about.
”They can’t stay here.”
She pushed away from the red rune stone, looking up at the Garnet, the thing she had worked to hard to connect and learn through. Then she thought of Adora and Catra, thinking about what could happen if they stayed with the Horde.
Catra was already violent and aggressive; the more time she spent with the people here, the more likely the chance she would only have those qualities enhanced and gratified. The little girl had good qualities as well; like a strong sense of loyalty and a bright mind if she pushed herself, but she was unsure if those attributes would outweigh the seemingly drilled in need to being always on the attack. And Adora...
Shadow Weaver shivered in distaste, not wanting to think of Adora going from the sweet, smiling blonde angel she knew to a ruthless, unfeeling leader type that the Horde would relish in turning her into. She paced in her chambers, her frown deepening further and further the more she thought about what could become of the girls.
Finally, after what felt like hours of thinking, she sank down to sit heavily in a chair, resting her head in her hands before taking off her mask, wiping under her eyes gently to avoid scraping her heavily scarred skin. She rubbed her temples as she spoke to herself, her voice rough and worn out.
”I need to get them out of here.”