Thunder Wolf [B.Barnes]

Chapter 41

"I can't leave you." Bucky pulled Fern into his arms, holding back tears.

"You aren't; you're helping. I will stay with the Thunderbird and fight, ensuring that Hydra never comes after us again. As soon as the fight is over, I'll have Steve bring me straight to you." Fern whispered, hiding her face in Bucky's chest.

"What are you going to do?" Bucky hesitantly pulled away to look at Fern's devilish grin.

"You don't want to know." Fern sighs, "Go now, Bucky. Have Clint fly the jet up."

"Fern." Bucky hissed as the Thunderbird stood from her place, Fern climbing onto its back. "Don't do anything stupid!"

"How can I? You're taking all of the stupid with you!" Fern laughed as the Thunderbird took flight, leaving Bucky with Ryker and the baby in the nest.

Bucky yelled out of anger. He couldn't believe she was doing this; it was a death wish. "Clint, I need you at the Thunderbird nest with the jet, now." Bucky snapped over the coms watching the Thunderbird fly around.

"What's going on, Buck?" Steve asked after Clint replied with a quick 'on my way.'

"I'm off to Wakanda; as soon as this is over, bring Fern to me. I'll explain more later." Bucky sighed. He watched the jet land in the large nest, chuckling at Clint's shocked face as he stepped out. "What? Never seen a baby Thunderbird before?"

Bucky carefully held his hand out to the Thunderbird; the bird sniffed at his hand and pressed its beak into Bucky's hand before the super-soldier carefully lifted the animal into his arms and carried it onto the jet. "Do you need a pilot?" Clint asked.

"No, stay and help. Fern's got something crazy planned, and I think you'll be needed to get everyone out of here. Just don't let her get herself killed, okay?" Bucky trailed off.

"I can't make any promises; you know how she is. But, I, along with everyone else, will do our best. You take care of that baby, or Fern will have your ass if something happens," Clint warned Bucky.

"I know. Be careful."

∆Ω∆

Fern watched the area where the Thunderbird nest sat on the mountain; she saw the jet burst through the clouds and away from the forest. "Thank you," She whispered, knowing that he wasn't going to hear her. "Thor! What's going on?" She looked to the Asgardian flying next to her.

"I took out two of their planes! They won't be shooting at you as much. One of them has some type of invisibility," Thor shouted to her.

"Thunder, can you find it? After we take it out, we can finish this." Fern gripped the Thunderbird feathers tighter as the beast screeched in response. "We've got the Hydra plane! When I give you the signal, I need you to alert the others and tell them to get to the jet and take to the sky; they won't want to be down there!" Thor gave a nod before flying off to help the Avengers fight on the ground.

Fern gasped, feeling the Thunderbird begin to nosedive to the ground; she wasn't used to flying with her powers still, let alone on the back of the Thunderbird. Fern felt like she was holding on for dear life as the Thunderbird screeched once again, its talons grabbing onto something metal as they broke the cloud barrier. "I got it!" Fern growled, using her powers to catch the falling Hydra jet and cradle it in a nest of trees. Slowly she began to crush the plane, and the Thunderbird shot a lightning bolt at it, setting it aflame. "Let's finish it. Now!" Fern ordered; the Thunderbird screeched and flapped its wings, making a thunderclap.

∆Ω∆

"That's it! Everyone to the jet!" Thor shouted at the Avengers. The team followed Thor's order and raced to the jet and sky, leaving any Hydra soldiers confused by their retreat. Thor shot a lightning bolt into the sky as the plane took flight, letting Fern know it was safe. He took to the air himself, seeing her and the Thunderbird as he broke the cloud cover.

"Understand now?" Fern shouted to the God of Thunder.

"Yes!" He laughed.

The Thunderbird roared out as the rain began; Fern took a deep breath feeling that the animals had retreated to the lake as they were instructed to do. She began to hum a song that Bucky hummed to her when she couldn't sleep. It was an odd song to be humming at the height of a battle, but it calmed her, and that was what she wanted.

Fern raised her hands into the air, using the plants to find all of the Hydra soldiers and trap them in place. "Fire." The Thunderbird screeched as it flapped its wings, letting off another thunderclap before sending down lightning into the forest below. Despite the heavy rain, a fire broke out through the trees.

Fern wasn't sure what happened next, but she remembers falling.