Girl At War

Brother Wolf - 17

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The guard didn't notice the shadowy figure sliding across the wall until it was too late. He raised his gun, opening his mouth to yell. The figure sprang, silently like a ghost. It struck him in the chest, tackling him to the ground. Then with two quick movements, the guard went limp. The figure straightened up, turning to motion at a second person lingering back in the hall. The second person came in a light-footed run.

"I have got no idea how to get out of this maze!" Eloyse whispered to her brother as he came up. He shrugged. Looking around, he motioned to the left. They darted down that hallway. "How do you know?"

"I don't! It's just a guess!" he grinned at her shocked, worried look.

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"Come on, Shy. There's a door!" Eloyse pulled Shyden after her. He perked up upon seeing the light, and began running beside Eloyse. They burst into the sunlight with Hydra agents on their heels.

"Ruuuuun!" Shyden screeched, mostly for the joy of yelling than out of fear. Eloyse covered her ears and glared at her brother. He sheepishly waved back. They swerved through a clump of trees, losing their pursuers for a minute. Eloyse slammed on her brakes and wheeled around. Shyden slid to a piled-up halt, bumping into her. She put her hands on his shoulders. Her breath was coming in gasps, as was his.

"Shyden, you said you could turn into a wolf?" he nodded, eyes wide and frightened. "Then do it!" Eloyse commanded. He mutely shook his head. Eloyse gave him a frantic little shake. "You have to! It's the only way we'll escape. You go one direction, I'll go another. We'll meet up again. It shouldn't be too hard, this is snow. Just shake them off your trail."

Shyden stubbornly refused. Eloyse took a dramatic movement, pushing him backwards in the snow. "This is our last chance! Do it!" Shyden shook his head no. Eloyse threw up her hands and turned away, starting to walk. Shyden would follow. She'd gotten about twenty feet when she heard a rustle of snow and a cold nose poked her hand. She withheld a yelp and flinched, whirling around. Shyden was gone, and in his place was a beautiful wolf.

Eloyse smiled. "Good boy. I'll go this way, you keep an eye on me unless they chase you off. Then just run. We'll head lower on the mountain, where there's no snow! Blasted stuff is so cold!" she shivered dramatically. The Shyden-wolf whined and pawed her gently. "I'll be fine, Shy. Go!" he reluctantly turned and trotted off. Eloyse started in the direction she'd set for herself. Now just pray they wouldn't be found. Glancing over her shoulder, she grimly smiled to herself. Like they couldn't be found in fresh-fallen snow.

Eloyse was not dressed heavily, and that with her drained energy combined to make her in a very sorry state. She persevered on, however. Not from courage and strong willpower most escaped heroes. She was running mostly on adrenaline from their escape and sheer terror of getting caught again.

Hours later, she tentatively dared admit to herself that she might have shaken her pursuers. She hadn't seen anyone for what seemed forever. Including Shyden. She finally let herself take a rest, collapsing in the snow. It was cold, stinging her skin with pain like a thousand needles. She shivered, and sat up so it couldn't touch her bare neck.

She gave a long howl of a wolf, having practiced imitating it at home. There was no reply. She angrily kicked at a clump of snow, scattering it. Shyden had been chased off, and they were separated again.

**she's wearing clothes like this, minus the sword/scabbard**

She rested a few minutes, then the cold forced her up to keep moving. Her feet dragged as she continued on down the mountain. It had sure seemed shorter on Damian. Then again, they had been on a different part of the mountain. This part might have snow extending farther down it. She groaned to herself, biting her lip.

She was so tired. She didn't care anymore about dying. Shyden would be heartbroken, but he'd go back to their parents and be fine. She stumbled again, this time not catching herself. She fell to her knees. The whole world was cold and still. The overcast clouds were beginning to snow again. Eloyse glared at them, as if that would help. She let herself sink all the way down, feeling the cold as the snow hit her skin. She wasn't shivering; she'd gone past that. Her dress was soaked.

Her tired thoughts ran in circles. If she rested a few minutes, she'd be better to go on. As she started to close her eyes, a warning bell clanged in her mind. She sat back up, wearily trying to figure out what was wrong with going to sleep in the snow. She'd been told stories, but there was no snow anywhere where she'd lived. She had no experience. She flopped over, breathing a sigh of relief as her body relaxed. The snow wasn't cold anymore. It wrapped around her like a blanket, blissfully warm. She didn't even hear the person until they were upon her.

Someone kicked her in the ribs, and she startled awake, frightened as a fresh wave of pain shot through her. Was she back in the lab? No, it had been a hard surface there. She relaxed, taking stock of her surroundings. She had been dozing for a while, from the looks of the sun. A redhead woman was standing over her. She crouched down when Eloise's eyes opened.

"Come on, up." She gently said.

Eloyse shook her head, pulling away from the woman. "I like it here. It's warm..." She snuggled deeper, closing her eyes again.

"Don't do this to me." The redhead warned.

Eloyse cracked open one eye. "I'm not doing anything." She groaned.

"That's the point! .....Hey, Barton. Look who I found."

Eloyse kept her eyes tightly shut, not wanting any part of these people who disturbed the first real rest she'd gotten since she healed Kanzia.

"You're kidding!" someone came up, breathing heavily as if from running or climbing. Eloyse ignored him. "C'm on." the new voice spoke. "Boy, you sure know how to get yourself in a mess. If you ain't gettin' up, I'm carrying you."

Eloyse peeked up sleepily. Clint stood over her, looking down the mountain at something. He turned back to Natasha and Eloyse. "Up, kid."

Eloyse didn't reply. She was dozing off again, getting the rest her body so badly craved. "Ok, then. I'm carrying you." Before she could do anything, she felt strong arms grab her, lifting her up. In a flash she was back in the lab, being manhandled by the leader. Her eyes flew open as she panicked.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy! Whoa, slow down. It's ok." Clint nearly dropped her, barely keeping hold. Eloyse relaxed only slightly, her fists tightly clenched and muscles taut. The arms holding her relaxed. Clint looked down at her in concern, noting her blue lips and dark, frightened eyes.

"Nat, she's so cold. And she's shaking."

Natasha snorted. "I would be too, if you were carrying me." At Clint's injured look, she reformed. "She probably is cold, and that little resist might mean she'd scared too. Let's go."

By the time they reached the rest of the team, Eloyse was fully awake and realized who these 'strangers' were. She wiggled out of Clint's arms, causing him to drop her in the snow. Catlike, she landed on her feet, but they were still cold and she fell anyway. Clint picked her up again.

"She's cold. Let's warm her up."

The team came over immediately, interested. Eloyse felt all her shyness take hold again, and she leaned into Clint in an effort to keep away from them. Tony was the only one with a reasonable idea for warming her up. He went and got his suit, assembling it around her. She was quite resistant at first, scared of the machinery, but finally Clint coaxed her to let Tony do it. Once inside, Tony turned on the heater and went back to what he'd been doing before Eloyse showed up.

The rest of the team drifted away, until only Clint was left, studiously standing guard over Eloyse.