Caged Bird [T'Challa]

Nine

Stress had been such a normal thing for Hunter to deal with while growing up, she had to hide the fact that she could turn into animals for Christ's sake. So it was no surprise that she was handling the stress of waiting out the ritual pretty well.

And by handling it pretty well, she could be found pacing around her room shifting through every animal that she could possibly think of. She would have went with him to the ritual, but she didn't want to intrude on something so sacred to his people. Now, she wished she had.

She had just shifted into a white dove and was flying around the room when the door opened. T'Challa stepped in, his eyes widening at the slight mess that was before him. The bed sheets were literally thrown on the floor, the pillows thrown onto the dresser and the mattress was hanging haphazardly off the bed.

His gaze zeroed in on the little white dove that was perched on the chair of the desk, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I can see that you were worried."

The dove let out an annoyed sound before Hunter was standing before him. "How can I not be worried when those battles can end in death?" She questioned as she fixed her tank top and long skirt.

He chuckled a bit as he walked over and brought her into his arms. "You have no faith in me."

A pout found its way onto her lips."I do, I just worry." She ran her hand down his chest and felt a thin bandage. "You were injured? Someone challenged you?"

He covered her mouth before she could panic anymore. "Yes, but everything is alright. The ceremony is over, I am king of Wakanda."

She nodded slowly, biting her lower lip slightly. "As long as you're okay."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Come. You can stay in my room tonight since yours is in such...disarray." He teased lightly, causing the blonde to blush.

"Hush." She muttered before she pulled herself from his arms and moved to the dresser to grab some pyjamas.

When she turned her back to him, something just under her shoulder blade caught his attention. It was a series of numbers that had been branded into her skin, but they were still pretty visible meaning it was done not so long ago. Instead of bringing it up to her, he used his kimoyo beads to take a quick photo of them to send to Shuri later. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was from the prison that had locked her away, but he was going to find out for sure.

"You sure you don't mind me staying in your room?" Hunter asked, glancing over her shoulder. She saw where his gaze was and brushed her hair over her shoulder to cover it, acting as though nothing was there.

The king blinked a few times and looked away from the scar. "If I was not sure, I would have never offered to you in the first place." He pointed out. He motioned towards the bathroom and smiled. "Go ahead and get ready, I will wait." He assured her, taking a seat in the desk's chair. She nodded and disappeared into the bathroom, a soft sigh escaping her lips when she turned the shower on her.

It still felt as though something bad was going to happen. It was pushing her on edge.

As soon as T'Challa heard the water going, he used his beads to send the picture to Shuri and call her. "I just sent a picture to your computer. I spotted some strange numbers on Hunter's back, I need you to see if you can find anything on them."

Shuri rolled her eyes. "T'Challa, really, if she wanted you to know she would tell you. Just ask her, I won't go snooping through her past. King or not, it's not right when she is just an innocent girl."

T'Challa quirked a brow at how protective his sister was being over the blonde. Then a thought passed through his mind. "You already know, don't you?"

Shuri hesitated a moment "Yes, but...T'Challa, that girl has been through things a normal person couldn't come back from..." Even through the holographic image, the king could see his sister's tears and hear her voice crack. "They tried so hard to break her, and treated her as if she were a zoo animal." The princess cleared her throat. "Don't worry about her past, leave it there and help me make her future the best it can be."

T'Challa sat in silence as he thought about his sister's words. Slowly he nodded his head. "She will be happy and free here in Wakanda." He assured his sister before turning the kimoyo beads off, glancing to the bathroom door.

He could do that. For her.