Thunders Legacy [B. Barnes] [Thunder Wolf B.2]

Chapter 12

He crossed the room in two strides and knelt in front of her. "Hello." His voice was barely a whisper. "They call me Winter. I am to be your bodyguard and train you."

She watched as his eyes lightened in color, becoming more like a dark sapphire than black. His smile, it wasn't a smile of a mean man that wanted to hurt her; it reminded her of the smile her father would wear on his face when he looked at her mother. "What are you called?" How gentle his voice had become with the question surprised her.

"F–Fern." She squeaked out.

∆Ω∆

"What do you mean they're going to send you away? They can't send you away!" Fern cried, slamming her fist onto Winter's chest.

"I don't have a choice. I'm their tool, Fern." Winter grabbed hold of her tiny fists and pulled her into a hug. He wasn't supposed to care about her; she was part of the mission, Hydra didn't care if she lived or died, but he did. Winter cared for her more than he had cared for anything in years; he hadn't cared so much since– the memories were spotty.

"You have to fight to stay! They'll hurt me if you leave! They'll kill Thunder and me!" Fern sobbed into his chest. Winter was the only thing that comforted her these past few months. He kept her safe and was the only friendly company she had. He had taken beatings for her, which surely would have killed her.

"Fern." She took a deep breath, trying to control her sobbing. "Fern, you have to be strong. If you aren't, they will get rid of you, and Thunder will have no chance if they do. I need you to stay strong for me, strong like that man I told you about from my memories. Can you do that for me?" He held her face in his hands, nearly engulfing it.

"I'll try. Winter."

"Please don't call me that. They aren't watching."

"I'll try, Bucky."

"Good girl."

∆Ω∆

Fern hugged her knees to her chest, looking around the glass room she was placed in. She was told to wait there for a man named Fury. The logo on the far too white wall looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen it. Shouting pulled her from her thoughts. A man burst through the glass door, bending over to catch his breath before he looked up at her. "Fern!"

The shout of her name in a familiar voice broke the girl. "Clint!" She sobbed as he pulled her into his arms. "They're all gone, Clint! All of them!"

"Shh, it's okay, sweetie. It's all going to be okay. I've got you." Clint whispered, holding her as tight as he could, worried she would vanish if he let her go.

"Barton, what the hell did you think you were doing?" A man yelled, walking into the room. Fern flinched, burying her head into Clint's chest.

"Why the hell wasn't I informed about this! What the hell happened, Fury!" Clint stood, lifting Fern as he went, turning to the man behind him. Fern turned her head to glance at the man Clint was arguing with.

"Let's all sit down and talk about it. The most we've gotten is that you know who was there." Fury motioned to the chairs around the glass table.

"Clint! Winter! You have the help, Winter! He's a good person, Clint. Please, please help Winter." Fern sobbed, realizing that he was the person to ask for help. Clint could do anything in Fern's eyes, she didn't care to ask why he never came and saved her when Hydra was hurting her, but that was because she knew he had a special job helping others. He would have been there to protect her had he known; she was sure of it.

"Is she talking about," The two men shared a look. She was talking about one of the most wanted men in the world. A myth to most.

∆Ω∆

"Again. Come on, you can do it." Clint leaned against a tree, watching Fern reshape a tree.

She groaned in frustration as the tree finally splintered into pieces. "I'm going to throw the next one at your head if you don't shut up." Fern snapped at the man.

"Hey, you asked for me to oversee your training even though I have no experience in superpowers. I'm just trying to encourage you to do your best." Clint chuckled, patting her on the back. "I don't know why you're trying so hard."

"Because I want to be able to protect myself and the forest if Hydra ever comes back," Fern growled, looking around the primarily charred forest.

"You know, compared to how this place looked five years ago, you're doing a pretty damn good job. These trees should have taken thirty years to get that big. I think you're doing a great job, Fern." Clint gestured around them.

"I can help the forest. I can't protect it. What happens if the Thunderbird doesn't save it again? What if it can't. It's not like it will talk to me so we can devise a plan. I'm basically on my own here." Fern huffed, kicking at the dirt.

"You've always got me, kiddo."

∆Ω∆

"Answer me, dammit!" Fern screamed, slamming her fist into the ground. She didn't flinch at the clap of thunder, and she didn't run when the bolt of lightning crashed into a tree only a few yards away. Fern sobbed as the rain continued to pour onto the earth. "Answer me."

"Fern!" She didn't move at the voice calling her name. It wasn't the one she wanted to hear, the one she needed to hear.

She was tired. Tired of being lonely. Tired of being in this forest that consumed her life. She wanted an everyday life; she wanted to leave the forest and never return. But she made a mistake, and the damn oversized bird would never let her forget it.