Winter's Soulmate | Winter Soldier ✔

Chapter Thirteen

~Winter's POV~

She was silent.

Hurrying beside me though she limped, obviously injured.

I skimmed through my own injuries, wondering if we shared the cut that scratched down her arm.

A shiver, and she stumbled.

I grabbed her, carefully wrapping my only arm around her side before aiding her to woods that were wrapped around the building we had been trapped in.

She was holding a gun.

I frowned, trying to read what the engraving said, but her hand was shaking too much.

We couldn't stop yet.

Her name.

I knew her name.

What was her name?

I knew it.

It was ten minutes of our feet snapping the twigs beneath us, and pushing low hanging branches away as we walked further away, when she spoke, at last.

"Winter?" It was a croak of a word, scarcely louder than a whisper. Winter... that sounded familiar. I was the Winter Soldier, but my soulmate shouldn't be calling me a soldier. I bristled at the thought she knew how violent I had been in that building. 

But she wasn't calling me a soldier was she? Just Winter.

I looked back down at her, seeing how scared and tired she was, and I could almost see how hungry she felt. She was shivering in the top she was wearing, and with a rage that ripped through me, I pulled her into my chest. The Hydra logo was embroidered on the dark fabric. 

"I will find us a room, and food, and warmth." My voice sounded gruff; I could feel it scratch my throat.

Her head bobbed up slightly, in the form of a nod. I tried to provide some sense of comfort, a squeeze on her shoulder, but I didn't know if that would help. She relaxed a little, through her shivers, but it was enough, for now.

A quick survey of our surroundings showed the woods stretching to a field behind them. I pointed in that direction, sensing there would be somewhere to shield and a food source for my soulmate to heal from.

It must have recently rained as the ground was flooded, causing the mud to bog and suck our around our shoes to pull us down. 

"Put the gun in your pocket." I pointed to the deep one sewn into the calf of the trousers she was wearing. She nodded, and I watched as she shakily slid it into the pocket, before zipping it up. 

Luckily, Hydra had the sense to dress us in thick soled shoes, so we could cross the worst of the field in one go. It wasn't until some animals noticed us crossing that I slowed, and manoeuvred her to walk along the hedge rather than be exposed to the creatures. They watched as we walked, but paid us little attention otherwise.

An escape, a way out... I saw a gap in the hedge that we would reach soon if we followed the muddy trail we were already walking along. 

Her arm brushed against mine, and I felt my hand flicker.

What was her name?

Neither one of us spoke until we reached the gap in the hedge. I held an arm back, and assessed the location on the other side.

A paved road, a sprinkling of houses with large gardens. 

Flowers, and coloured doors.

Almost deserted.

"Do you see anything? Winter?"

I shook my head, and carefully pushed the thorned branches back far enough for her to carefully squeeze past and stand on the path on the other side.