Far From Wakanda

Chapter 1: Attack in the night

The bedroom was almost fully dark. Only the panther-shaped night-light plugged into the wall was left to illuminate the lush purple comforter and gold and white bed that the young Prince of Wakanda was sleeping soundly in. Bast, his black cat, was curled up at his feet, green eyes keeping watch over her master while he slept.

It was a peaceful night; until like glass, the serenity shattered and a loud BOOM! woke T'Challa up from his slumber.

He jerked up, looking around the darkness with wild eyes. Sirens wailed in the distance, but nothing was louder than his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Shoving the blankets off, he swung his feet over the edge of his bed and ran to the window, eyes widening at the roaring fire and smoke billowing in one of the villages closest to the border. An attack?

His assumptions were correct when the door to the bedroom swung open and his father, King T'Chaka, came running into the room, carrying Shuri in his arms. The girl looked terrified.

"Baba, What is going on?" he asked, eyes holding panic.

"We do not have time to explain. We need to flee. Come now, my son."

Wide-eyed, T'Challa scooped Bast up against his chest and followed his father without question. Fear surged through his body, not knowing where they were fleeing to, or what was really going on. He hardly even had time to comprehend anything before Baba was shoving him up the ramp, following close behind.

Ramonda was waiting for them, being there to strap Shuri in while T'Chaka started the engine and shut off the GPS and anything else that could be used to track them, along with enabling the cloaking device. T'Challa strapped himself into his seat, and soon they were off, leaving the only country he had ever known.

"What is going on? Why do we have to leave?" Shuri asked, looking around to her mother, and then to her father, her dark eyes big and shining with fear.

T'Chaka sighed, never taking his hands off the controls. "I am afraid that our home is no longer safe for the time being, my children. Outsiders have somehow learned of our Vibranium, and I will not put you two in danger."

"But I could stay and fight," T'Challa insisted, watching as the palace got further and further away until they broke through the border and the technically-advanced country of Wakanda was lost in the façade of a thick layer of trees.

"Perhaps when you are older, my son," T'Chaka responded calmly.

"Right now you need to care more about your safety than your ability to fight," Ramonda said gently, running her fingers through his hair.

There was a long pause of silence, everyone looking out the window as they got farther and farther away from their homeland. Soon they were flying over the ocean, the water looking black as midnight. 

"Where are we going?" Shuri finally broke the silence, lifting her gaze to her father, who's back was turned so he could pilot.

"The United States." A moment's pause. "California. There are two of our most trusted War Dog families in the area that will be there to aid us."

"Oh." She rested her head against the wing of her seat, staring at nothing until her dark eyes grew heavy. It was clear that her mind was moving at a rapid pace like everyone else's at the moment, but soon her tiredness overtook her and her breathing was slowed and deepened.

The rest of the ride was relatively silent after Shuri drifted to sleep. T'Challa watched out of the window, absent-mindedly stroking Bast's sleek back. His stomach twisted with nerves, wondering who would ever want to attack Wakanda, and how they found out about their vibranium.