Archive of Our Own ^beta

Natasha rolls out of bed before the sun has even crested over the horizon, making both her partners groan softly. She smiles to herself as she watches Peggy reach out and grab your waist, tugging you closer and filling the gap that had formed in her absence. She quietly opens her wardrobe and picks her outfit for the day, a simple shirt and pants. After changing she makes her way to the kitchen, waking both her cat Liho and the throuples hound Scout as she walks down the hall. Both follow her enthusiastically

As Natasha lights the hearth Liho lets out a screechy meow, making her laugh, "Oh stop, you aren't starving"

But the cat replies with another pathetic meow causing her to chuckle. She sets her attention on her own breakfast aside for now and walks over to the one cupboard. She grabs two bowls and heads over to the drying rack. In the one bowl she places a small dried out fish and in the other a few scraps of dried rabbit and beef. She takes the bowls over to the pantry next where she grabs some cheese and carved a bit off of a wedge, making sure each bowl gets a helping. And lastly she grabs one of the chicken eggs and places it in the dogs dish

"Here you go, eat up" she tells them, placing the dishes down

Liho practically pounces on it, acting as if she wasn't given free rein to come and go as she pleased, meaning she had access for catching her own food whenever she saw fit. Scout shows more manners, wagging his tail happily and giving Nats hand a lick before starting to eat.

She heads back over to the hearth then and starts making enough porridge for the three of you with the milk you'd gathered last night. Once its finished she fills herself a bowl, covers the pot and grabs some cheese and a chunk of bread from the pantry. She sits down at the oak table and eats her meal in relative silence, only the crackle of the fire and the chirping birds outdoors providing background noise. The animals both finish their own meals then trot over to join her. Scout sits respectfully at her feet, his tail wagging with the hopes of getting even more scraps. Liho on the other hand hops up on the table and stares directly at Nats face as if trying to will her to hand over more. But she ignores them both and finishes up her meal

Once she cleans up the kitchen she starts to get her supplies ready. First she slides on her boots and laces them, then she grabs her knives. She attaches the sheath of the larger one to her belt and the sheath of the smaller one to the side of her boot. She grabs her satchel of supplies next and slings it over her shoulder and grabs her note from inside it. She sets the parchment on the table, letting her partners know shes gone hunting and then she heads for the door. She opens it and lets both animals run outside, but before she follows she grabs her bow, quiver and short sword. She's never needed the sword while hunting, but Natasha knows more than most that it's better to have and not need it than need and not have it

On her way to the stables she secures her quiver to her back and loops her bow back there for now as well. She makes her way down the aisle, passing Peggys horse and yours until she gets to her horse, Druzhok.

"Hey there handsome" she greets, petting his head, "Let me get your gear, then we'll go"

After getting him ready to be ridden she attaches her sword to his saddle and leads him out of his stall. She takes a moment to pet him and coos soft words of love and encouragement in her native tongue, but he starts to get impatient. She chuckles at his enthusiasm and leads him out of the stables, listening to his hooves click on the cobblestone as she goes

"Come on Scout!" she calls as she gets

The dog comes running from around the back of the house and stops just short of the horse. He looks up with excited eyes and a wagging tail. She chuckles at both her animals enthusiasm and starts to lead them both off the property and down her well worn trail through the woods. At this hour the forest is still rather still, not quiet though. The birds are all chirping and in the distance she can hear the distinct call of a male red deer.

Its peaceful, not that being home with her lovers wasn't, but this is a different kind of peace. At home she has the kind of peace that comes with the security of being loved, of having an easy life full of care and joy. Out here she gets the kind of peace that comes with being alone in nature, enjoying the sights and sounds that not many get to enjoy or even realize they're missing out on

She lets out a content sigh as she approaches her first snare traps, and Scouts excited demeanor lets her know that at least one of them has caught something. Sure enough the one has caught a squirrel and another has caught a rabbit. She gets them, quickly dresses them to remove them of their organs to avoid any spoilage Then she ties them together and slings them over her shoulder. She collects the snares and puts them in her satchel, not wanting to over-trap the area, then she hops back on her horse and carries on to check her other trap locations

Back at home, after about an hour, Peggy wakes up. She stretches and notices the empty spot in the bed as she blinks her bleary eyes. She knows the redhead has likely gone hunting, but still she decides to get up and check. The action of her leaving the bed has you waking up too and you give her a faux glare

"Sorry love" she chuckles, "But its morning anyway, we should get up and tend to our chores"

You know shes right so you do get out of bed, but you grumble regardless, "I don't like mornings"

She leans in and gives you a kiss, knowing well that it will help put a spring in your step. You melt into the kiss and when she pulls away you're smiling and have a sated look in your eyes

"Come on, breakfast time" she tells you, grabbing your hand and leading you to the kitchen

Sure enough, on the table is a worn parchment that has Nats note on it, Gone hunting. Be back for supper, Love you both

You smile, "Now we know why Scout didn't jump us the moment we entered the kitchen"

"Bloody hound, you'd think we neglected him. He eats as good as we do" she chuckles as she opens the shutters to allow more light in. As soon as she does so, Liho hops up on the windowsill and let out a meow, "You do as well"

You laugh at the interaction and as Peggy gives the cat some apparently much needed attention you decide to get breakfast ready. You notice that the hearth is smouldering still so you go check the pot and sure enough Natasha had made enough earlier for everyone.

"Nat made porridge" you tell Peggy, grabbing some bowls for the two of you

Peggy makes her way over to the pantry to grab some bread and cheese for you both, "I thought I smelled it."

You scoop the remaining porridge into each bowl and set them on the table just as Peggy sits down. You sit across from her and she hands you your bread and cheese.

"We're running low on eggs, we should pick a few up from our hens today"

You nod, "Hows our bread and cheese?"

"We've got plenty of cheese. Still have half a wheel of this and a small block of one of Nats favorites we picked up from the market awhile back" she tells you, pausing to take a bite, "We could use another loaf though"

"And we'll need to check the garden, see if anything is ready to be used"

The two of you finish up your meal in a comfortable silence and then head out to do your chores. Peggy decides that today she'll handle the household tasks. So she gathers the eggs, makes the new loaf of bread, tidies up the kitchen, and gathers some herbs and veggies from the garden. While you handle all the more outdoor tasks. You feed and water the chickens, feed and water the horses and let them out into the pasture, feed and water the cow, and gather fresh water from the well to bring inside.

By the time you both finish up and settle down for bit of rest, Natasha is checking the last of her traps. All in all she did well, managing to snare two squirrels and four rabbits in total. She likely could have gotten them collected sooner if her traps weren't so far spread out, and probably would have gotten more that way too, but then she'd risk affecting the population in that area. Besides, this was plenty. There was enough here for a fresh stew and enough to let dry out

She ties the animals together and slings them over the back of her horse just behind the saddle, and hops back on. It's a little after midday now, she could just head home and clean up her kills. But she brought her bow and arrows for a reason. The dried beef at home is a bit low, and small game like this wont last terribly long, so shes set on finding a deer to bring home. Shes not after a Red deer. That would be a bit too large for her to handle on her own, though she wouldn't admit that to anyone, so instead she sets her sights on either a Fallow or Roe deer

"Scout" she calls, gaining his attention, "Seek"

He knows exactly what she wants, he's been well trained, so he immediately starts sniffing the air until he finds the scent and takes off in that direction and she follows. He slows when they come to a clearing so she readies her bow and notches an arrow, and keeps her eyes and ears alert. But she doesn't see or hear anything and sure enough Scout starts to lead her onward again, but at a slower this time so she remains on alert

They circle around the clearing and find a small pond in the distance, when suddenly Scout goes still again. And it's easy to see why, around the pond is exactly what she seeks, a small group of Roe deer. Some are drinking from it while others are grazing on the grass that surrounds it. She sets her sights on one of the ones closest to her, takes a deep breath and raises her bow. She gets the deer in her sights, aims, and releases the arrow

As soon as the deer falls the rest run off in a panic and Scout trots over to the fallen deer. Natasha watches him, waiting for any indication he'll give if she needs to finish the deer off, but he gives none. Satisfied she won't need to use her knife she guides Druzhok closer and then hops off. She pulls the arrow out of it side, sets it aside, and rolls the deer on its back.

She grabs the smaller knife from her boot, cuts the deer open from genitals to sternum and then pulls all of its organs out. She sets them aside in a pile and sheathes her knife so she can reach into her satchel for more rope. She ties the front legs of the deer together and then the back ones together before pulling it over to her horse. She moves the small game out of the way then hoists the deer onto her horses back, just behind the saddle. She secures it there with some more rope then hangs the small game off to the side of her saddle

Shes so focused on these tasks that when a large stick nearby snaps she doesn't pay it any attention, simply thinking its a lone wolf that wouldn't bother her and was only drawn in by the smell of her kill. But Scout notices. He turns his head in the direction of the sound and stays still for a few seconds, trying to focus. As soon as Natasha gets onto Druzhok Scout starts to growl. Its a low sound, one that immediately tells her there's danger. She quickly turns her horse to the side and tries to see what Scout does, but before she can something large starts running at her, tearing through the undergrowth and small trees causing the dog to start barking wildly. And then whatever it is roars, startling the horse

"Shit" she mutters, gripping her reins tighter as she sees the large broad head of a bear breakthrough the trees, "Scout, home! Druzhok, begat'(run)!"

The dog listens and makes a beeline in the direction of home immediately, but the horse is too frightened. He panically trots in place for a few seconds too many before he finally lunges forward. But in that time frame the bear had quickly closed the distance, and he swipes one of his large paws. Druzhok lets out a pain filled whinny and Natasha lets out a small shout as the horse bolts forward. Shes distinctly aware of the throb in her thigh, and the feeling of warm blood soaking into her pants. But shes in no position to look at the injury, not with how fast they're moving

She can hear the bear giving chase, but she knows it can't keep that pace. They aren't built for it, but horses our. They'll easily outrun it. But Druzhok takes a turn too sharply, sending them both crashing through the underbrush. And before Natasha can do anything a branch wacks her across her abdomen and sends her tumbling off her horses back and onto the hard dirt. Her eyes widen in fear as she realizes that not only does her horse not stop, but the bear is still stomping towards her. And her sword is still on her saddle

"Oh fuck"

You're outside, just about to gather some more water from the well when you realize just how low the sun is on the horizon. Its unlike Natasha to still be out so late. True that he note says she'll be home for dinner, but that always meant that shed be home early enough to butcher her kill and cook it. She never expected a meal to be made for her, she wanted to provide a fresh one. And these woods always provided, she never struggled to find prey

"Peggy" you call out to your other girlfriend, who quickly turns her attention towards you, "Have you noticed the time?"

Her brows furrow, "I have. Strange that she isn't back yet"

"That's what I was thinking"

Peggy puts her hands on her hips, clearly mulling something over, "Maybe her traps gave her some trouble, finicky things. Or maybe the deer gave her trouble"

"I don't like it" you mutter

"I don't either" She sighs, "I'm going to get Liberty saddled up. You can sniff Tasha out. If its nothing and we overreacted we'll let her tease us"

You nod and watch as she heads into the house for her shield and sword, as she never leaves home without them. And you pace impatiently, your muscles twitching as you wait for her to finish saddling up her horse. But the quiet of the afternoon is interrupted by a sound rumbling in the distance. It takes you a moment to realize that the sound is hooves pounding against the dirt, and the animal they belong to was moving very fast. It's not on any trail either, if the crashing and crunching is any indicator. Then suddenly, Druzhok bursts through the treeline, his eyes wide and wild. He keeps running, as if not realizing hes home and he nearly tramples over Peggy as she comes out to see what's going on. He likely would have too, if she hadn't dove aside. He stops as he reaches the pasture fence and neighs loudly, his ears pinned back and nostrils flaring as paces

The two of you watch him, worry building in both of you at the fact that he showed up here so spooked, and more importantly, without Natasha. But that worry turns into pure dread as soon as you notice the bloody claw marks on his hindquarters

"Peggy"

"I see it" she answers, voice strained, "Go, find her. I'm right behind you"

You don't waste any time and head for the wood line in a full sprint, your clothes tearing away as you shift into your werewolf form. You sniff the air, quickly catching Druzhoks scent and following after it. After a few more paces you can hear the thundering hoofbeats of Liberty behind you, and knowing that Peggy has closed the distance you pick up the pace and fall down onto all fours to run

Natasha quickly rolls into a crouched position, and catches her bearings. Then she bolts to the tree next to her, hauling herself up the low branches. This tree is easy for her to climb but is by no means ideal. It is young and therefore small in comparison to the rest of the forest, and likely weaker too. But she doesn't have the luxury of finding the best tree when a very angry bear is on her trail. Just as she gets herself far enough up that she can take purchase on a large enough branch to hold her weight for an extended period, the bear rushes at the tree. It stands up on its hind legs, roars and slams its front paws against the trees

The tree shakes and she grabs onto the trunk just to ensure her footing, and as she looks down she gets a good look at it for the first time, and the sight has her stomach twisting even more. This was obviously an older and battle-worn bear, his face is marred with scars and he's even missing fur in spots on his neck and shoulders, indicating more old wounds. There is however no telling if these all occurred while fighting another bear or if she wasn't the first human to cross its path. And frankly she hopes she is the first, otherwise this doesn't bode well for her

The bear roars and again slams its paws into the tree trunk, causing the whole thing to shake slightly. The strength this animal possesses is more frightening than anything Natasha has experienced in many years, and that realization only adds to her increasing anxiety. Feeling the need to do something other than being a sitting duck she changes her position, and wraps her legs around the tree trunk instead, grabs her bow off her back, and notches an arrow. She takes a steadying breath, aims for its head and fires

But the arrow just glances off, not able to penetrate the bears thick skull. Blood trickles down from the small gash there and a fire ignites in the bears seemingly black eyes. If she though it was angry before, she was really in for it now. The roar it lets out is almost deafening and it swipes at her, missing the branch shes on by mere inches. Her breath hitches at the sound of it claws digging into the tree bark, and she can't escape the thought that shes really screwed. As if proving that thought the bear slams its weight against the tree, and to her horror the tree actually starts to give. Or rather, the ground beneath it does. The damn thing wasn't old enough or tall enough to have a solid root system yet, and without that solid foundation it was easy for a bear of this size and strength to topple it

Determined to reach her, the bear keeps shoving the tree and swiping his massive paw at her. The tree groans as the bear slowly pulls it from the earth and Natasha knows she has to think fast, or she'll be on the ground in front of it with no plan. Her eyes desperately scan the area, but all she sees are more trees. But even by some miracle she made it to one, she knew she'd never have the time to climb it. Then suddenly her tree gives way, much sooner than she anticipated and she ends up tumbling across the forest floor again, beside the tree. She does her best to roll out of its way but stills as she realizes she now nearly face to face with the bear her eyes widen as it opens it mouth, but before it can strike a small blur of tan fur flies past her

Scout howls loudly, more fierce than shes ever heard him as he barrels down on the bear, who swipes at him. But Scout is small and agile, and easily avoids the large paws and he lunges at the bear. The bear lets out a sound of discomfort as the dogs small teeth clamp down on its neck, right below its jaws, and Natasha uses this time to get to her feet. She hobbles slightly as she creates some distance, but she knows she wont make it far without her horse with her leg injured. So instead she readies her bow and notches another arrow

"Scout! Loose!"

The dog lets go immediately and bobs around the bear, giving Nat the chance to fire unobstructed. The arrow hits between its neck and shoulder, but likely doesn't go deep enough to be harmful. While its seemingly still distracted by Scout, she notches another arrow and fires. This time it hit it more firmly in the neck and it lets out a cry of pain. Its fiery gaze turns back to her then and it makes a move to charge her. She stumbles back, lacking her usual grace and is once again saved by her loyal hound.

Scout leaps and once again latches down on the bears neck, this time on the side by its ear. The bear rears up on its hind legs, taking the dog with him as he towers over Natasha. She swears under her breath and though it hasn't done her any good yet, she fires another arrow, hitting it in the chest. It slams back down on all fours with such force that the ground beneath her own feet shakes and Scout gets knocked loose from its neck. But the dog refuses to give up. He shakes off his surprise and growls deeply, but just as he lunges, the bear turns and Scout is met with a large paw to the ribcage

"No!" Nat shouts as Scout gets tossed aside with a loud yelp, "Get away from him!"

Not willing to let her stupidly brave and loyal companion become food for this bear she fires another arrow. Without a clear shot of anything vital it does nothing but agitate the bear further. And this time when it turns to look at her, she unsheathes her knife from her belt

"Come on then. Come get me"

It roars again, but then the treeline next to it erupting in a ruckus as something large charges the bear. It hits it hard, sending both of them sprawling across the undergrowth. Everything is a flash of movement, and she hears the growls of two distinct creatures, one she knows very well. Her shoulders slump as she realizes that you're here, that she isn't outmatched anymore

You let out a howl as you bite down on the bears neck, your large sharpened teeth penetrate further than Scouts, and the bear really feels it now. You and the bear trade blow after blow, claws and teeth tearing into each other in a vicious fight. But the bear doesn't have a chance, not just because of your accelerated healing but because you aren't some simple creature fighting for food or territory. You're fighting for one of the women you love, you wont lose.

Natasha knows you have the upper hand, she isn't worried about you in the slightest, which is something she can't say about her beloved hound. She sheathes her knife and as the two of you fight only feet away she limp runs over to him. His chest is heaving as he takes deep breaths, his tongue hangs out as he pants. But he's still looking at Nat with all the love in the world and wags his tail weakly as she approaches

She kneels beside him, and blinks back tears as she gently pets his neck, "Good boy. You saved me"

Then she can hear something else tearing through the underbrush and she looks over just in time to see Liberty and Peggy. The relief on her girlfriends face is palpable, though she still does look concerned over the nearby fight. She quickly gets off her horse and rushes over to Nat, and her eyes find the injury on her leg immediately

"You alright love?"

"I'll manage. Scouts worse off, we need to get him home" she answers without hesitation

The pleading look she gives Peggy has the brunette relenting on her injury for now, and she carefully moves to pick the dog up. Scout whines, not in protest but pain, and yet he doesn't lash out like most hurt dogs would. He knows they're helping. Peggy hold him close to her chest as she moves over to Liberty. She carefully lays him over the horses hindquarters then moves to help Nat on the saddle. Once Nats in place she carefully moves the dog into her arm, and gets on the saddle in front of them

"Hold him tightly with one arm, me with the other" she tells her and then she quickly directs Liberty towards home

You finally get a good grip on the now much weaker bears neck just as they disappear out of sight down the trail, and you squeeze tightly, cutting off his windpipe. With a few more ragged breaths and slight thrashing, the bears body slumps down to the ground and you release it with a huff. Satisfied that it will no longer be a theater to anyone you start to make your own way home

Thanks to your quick pace in this form you don't arrive long after your girlfriends have. They've got Scout situated on some hay near the stables with a bowl of water. He's slowly lapping it up and looks more perked up than last you saw him. He was probably just more shocked than anything, likely had the wind knocked out of him by such a strong animal. And it seems he was luck enough to have avoided any claws. Natasha wasn't as lucky if the scent in the air was any indication. So, satisfied that the dog is on the mend already you trot over to where your girlfriend's are on the porch

Peggy is assessing Nats wound and as you approach she excuses herself to get some supplies from inside. Nat lets out a sigh and her eyebrows knit together as she lets her head lean back against the house. Its clear the adrenaline is starting to wear off now and shes feeling the pain. You stand beside her and lean in to get a closer look, sniffing at her torn open pants. The feeling of your breath on her skin as her opening her eyes, and a small grateful smile adorns her lips

"Thank you y/n" she whispers, reaching up to run her fingers through the fur behind your one ear. You lean into her touch and her well trained eyes spot some gashes on your shoulder, the fur there matted with blood, "Youre hurt"

You glance at the wound and huff, trying to assure her that the pain is temporary and you'll be healed within the hour, all of which she already knows. But its clear by the look in her eyes that you won't be able to convince her so easily

Peggy returns then, and sets a bucket of water and satchel of supplies down. She sits back down next to Nat, opposite you and dips a cloth into the water before wringing it out a bit. She brings the cloth to Nats leg and starts to clean the wound, making the other woman let out a hiss

"I know love, I know" Peggy coos as she watches the lighter colored cloth turn red, "But we have to make sure it's clean. Cant risk infection"

Peggy sets the cloth aside and leans in to get a closer look at the now clean gashes. They aren't bleeding near as much now, which was a good sign, and they didn't look near as bad as anything you'd received

"Not too deep, missed anything important and I don't see any bone" Peggy says as she reaches into her bag. She pulls out a needle and thread made from animal tendons, "You'll still need a few stitches though, to be sure it heals fast"

Nat nods but her grip on your fur tightens, "Just make it fast"

Peggy nods and quickly stitches her up. She then reaches into her satchel again, "Y/n, can you tear he pant leg off so I can add the medicine and bandages?"

"I could just take them off" Nat offers, looking at the brunette in bewilderment

"In the front yard? No I think not" Peggy retorts with a scoff

"We live in the middle of nowhere, no one is here but us!" Nat tells her with a laugh

Peggy waves her hand dismissively, "The pants are already ruined and I'd rather not cause you more pain until you've had proper medicine. We'll help you change after that kicks in"

Nat sighs and looks at you expectantly, "Well, you heard her"

Without hesitation you reach over and mindful of her wound pull the fabric until it tears, leaving her with one full pant leg and one tattered mess on her upper thigh. And if this was any other circumstance you'd be drooling over that thigh, Peggy too. But now isn't the time for such thoughts

Peggy gathers a jar of paste from her satchel, its made from various plants, herbs and honey. All of which have properties to help keep inflammation down and keep infection at bay. She smears some on the stitched up wounds and washes her hands off with some water before grabbing the bandages. She carefully wraps them around Nats leg, making sure they are neither too tight or too loose

"There we are. Does it feel alright?"

"Feels like I've been slapped by a bear"

Peggy pinches the bridge of her nose, "The way I wrapped it, Natasha"

"Yeah, you did good." Nat says, smiling at the usage of her full name, "Thank you"

"Of course, love" she says before looking at you, "Are you going to shift back and join us in conversation? Or are you going to be the silent brood all night?"

You let out a huff and roll your eyes at her teasing words, but Nat just looks at her in faux betrayal, "Oh so she can shift and be entirely nude on our porch but I can't go without pants"

Your eyes convey a look to Peggy and she just sighs, "Oh for the love of….either one of you could strip naked and dance across the cow pasture for all I care. But I'm not redoing your stitches"

You and Nat both snort at her reply and you relent, shifting back into your human form. Both your girlfriends eyes are on you now, but not for the usual reasons. Despite your healing factor a few of the injuries inflicted by the bear remain, though they're more shallow now

"I'm fine, it looks worse than it is" you try to assure them

Nats brows furrow, "Don't lie. You heal fast, but that doesn't mean you don't feel pain"

You gently cup her face, "Id gladly feel any pain if it meant keeping you safe"

Her eyes tear up, but she tries to blink them back, "I don't know how I got so lucky to have the two of you as my own"

Peggy reaches out and cups Nats other cheek, "We feel the same way"

After a moment of everyone enjoying this soft moment you make your way inside to change. By the time you come back outside Peggy has helped Nat over by Scout and is currently tending to Druzhok, who is now calmer but still on edge. Not to mention the fact that he has a wound similar to Nats. Knowing that Peggy is better with spooked horses than you, you head over to Nat first

"How is he?"

"He seems good" she comments, patting his head as he now sits beside her, "I'm sure he'll be sore for awhile, less active. But he'll mend"

"Damn lucky dog" you comment, scratching him behind his ears

She nods and glances over to where Peggy and her horse are. Her eyes fall onto the nearby table that she always uses to butcher her kills. Peggy has already laid the days kills there, and the thought of letting all that meat spoil just doesn't sit right with her

"Help me over to my table"

"Oh I don't think so" you reply firmly, "You need rest"

"Come on detka(baby), it'll all go to waste"

"No it won't. I'll tend to it" you assure her, but she looks at you with something that's a mix between a glare and a pout, "Oh alright. You can tend to the small game, I'll handle the deer."

You help her over to the table and you both get to work, and it isn't long before Peggy joins you. She gives you both a slightly disappointed glare but you both know she means well. Besides she knows she wouldn't get anywhere with either of you so she holds her tongue

"Hows Druzhok?" Nat asks, pausing her butchering

"He's still a bit on edge, but he's calmed. He had an injury similar to yours, bear likely got both of you in one go. But I've cleaned and bandaged it up. He should be fine"

"He got lucky" she says before her gaze moves to Scout and then her own leg, "We all did"

Peggy nods then changes the subject, figuring it better to not dwell on brushes with death, "Come on now you, let Y/n finish up, we'll head inside, get you dressed, and you can help me start the stew"

To your surprise and Peggys Nat had actually agreed, and once you'd finished up with the meat you had brought enough inside for them to prepare. Then you went back outside to salt the meat and hang it in your drying shed. By the time you'd returned inside Nat is sat at the table, in a new outfit, chopping up vegetables while Peggy has started the hearth and is mixing up a broth. You take a seat across from Nat and start to cut the meat up a bit smaller more bite sized portions

It hadn't taken long to cook the stew and the three of you readily ate it, enjoying each others company and the normalcy of small talk. Scout and Liho joining you in the kitchen, each getting their own foods that mirrored their breakfasts. And as the sun sets outside, casting a warm glow in through the window, you thank every known deity out there, even if you don't believe in them, that Natasha made it home safe. She may not be unscathed, but she is alive.