The Eternal Avenger: Book Two

Chapter Twenty-Five: Bonding

(Natasha's POV):

The cabin in the middle of nowhere outside of Saint Petersburg was nowhere near big enough for all of us. Thankfully, the Widows by and large were used to roughing it in much worse conditions, and were more than content to sleep outside. Alexei and Melina were, much to my chagrin, sharing a room, so Claray and I opted to sleeping outdoors as well. Wanda took the second bedroom. As night began to fall, we made a bonfire outside and passed around the Vodka. Most of the girls were still quiet around Claray, unsure of what really to make of her. Most of them had seen me before, but also immediately recognized that I wasn't the same now as I was then. I wasn't sure that all of them really understood the difference, but that was a conversation for a different day. Claray's initial training with them before Wanda had "rescued" her had created a senses of begrudging respect on both sides. Claray knew full well what these women had been tasked with doing before given the antidote. The danger in their demeanor alone was impossible to miss, especially for someone with Claray's particular gifts. We had given them the briefest overview of Claray's abilities, and I could sense their wariness at the idea of her being able to manipulate them by use of compulsion. Even though I completely understood their hesitation, I also knew the hybrid more than enough to know that she would never in a million years of using that as a weapon against them. We hadn't disclosed enough for them to realize that I could – at least potentially – do it too. That was a part of my skillset that remained, as of yet, untested.

Alexei and Wanda were finally hitting it off. Wanda was laughing about some story he was telling, no doubt about Steve, and he was gesturing wildly with his hands. Melina was focused on Yelena, correcting her posture and picking over her like she was still a small child. I smirked, remembering Yelena as a little girl. Yelena must have felt me looking at her, because I caught her eye and she smiled at me. Lerato – per usual – was curled up beside Yelena's feet, her tail beating a slow rhythm into the dirt. The girls largely watched the conversations swirling around them, only rarely chiming in or laughing in response to a joke or the punchline of one of Alexei's stories. Several bottles later, however, Melina was leading Alexei back to the house, Wanda following behind them. "Goodnight," she called back to us, waving slightly. We all returned the wave. I watched Yelena's eyes follow the witch inside and nudged Claray who smiled along with me. As we started getting settled in around the fire, one of the widows spoke up for the first time. I couldn't quite place her accent.

"We fight tomorrow?" She asked. Claray grinned up at her.

"You bet your ass." The girl smiled shyly in return. Slowly, they all began to approach the area we were sitting, clustering together and sitting down with Yelena, Claray and me. It seems as though they were getting over their initial hesitation, and their curiosity was getting the better of them.

"What are you?"

"What can the witch do?"

"Is Natalia like you?"

"Yelena, are you different, too?" Claray held up her hands as she fed another log into the fire. She glanced at me, and I nodded. Yelena and I leaned back simultaneously, getting comfortable. It was story time.

(Claray's POV):

After Natasha gave me permission to proceed – not that I needed permission, but these were her people, and I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable – I thought for a moment before picking a place to start. "First of all, I'm almost 1000 years old." The entire group, including Yelena, let out a collective gasp.

"That's not possible!"

"фигня (bullshit.)" Claray's eyes were dancing with humor, and I couldn't help but smile at her. She was in her element here, and it was truly beautiful to watch.

"I am, most simply put, a hybrid." The girls stared in rapt attention and Yelena and I exchanged grins. "I am a Vampire, which means that I survive on blood." A few of the girls frowned, surprised. Others seemed to accept this in stride. Perhaps they had experience with one like I did when I was in the red room. "But I'm also a wolf." Claray pointed towards Lerato. "Like your friend." As the women considered this information, I saw it hit their faces at different times. It was almost funny.

"You can do that?" One asked, pointing in Lerato's direction.

"Can you show us?" Another chimed in. I glanced back at Natasha, who only shrugged her shoulders.

"That decision is all on you, babe," Natasha called. A few of the widows chuckled.

"But it's awesome. It's really, really cool," Yelena chimed in. I laughed at her eagerness.

"Give me a second," I stood up slowly, smiling down at Natasha as she caught my hand briefly in hers as I walked past her. The last thing I heard before beginning the shift was Yelena's voice, light with excitement.

"You have no idea!" I laughed until the transition was complete.

(Natasha's POV):

The widows collectively gasped as the giant white wolf stepped out from the trees. To their credit, however, none of them flinched or moved a muscle. We were trained well, I guess. Claray approached slowly so as not to spook anyone unintentionally. They were familiar enough with Lerato, but two giant wolves in close proximity was another matter. She approached me first, nuzzling into my side as I dug my fingers into her fur. "Hey you," I whispered. She whined slightly and licked my nose before turning her attention back towards the crowd in front of us. Some of them had gotten to their feet by this point, but I couldn't tell if it was out of excitement to get closer, or potential fear and the instinct to run away. Maybe a bit of both. I stood as Claray moved past me, standing between me and Yelena. Lerato also climbed to her feet, standing to the right and slightly behind the white wolf. We stayed calm and still and let them come to us. Yelena and I fielded some questions as well as we could, but mainly just enjoyed the moment. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw Wanda walking back towards us.

"Can't sleep?" I smirked at her as she approached me. She rolled her eyes. I couldn't blame her – who knows what Alexei was capable of after all that Vodka. Melina didn't seem to mind, though.

"I'm staying out here with you guys," she murmured. Yelena and I exchanged looks and laughed.

"That's gross," I said through chuckles.

"Almost as bad as you and your puppy," Yelena snarked at me. I shrugged. She may have a point. It had been a while though, and I was due for a test run of my new...skills. We settled back down in a ring around the fire, watching the wolves play and laughing at their antics. Despite our method of arrival, this trip was turning out to be pretty good, I thought. Good for both of us.

A/N: While I have an outline for the plot of the rest of this story, I am always open to suggestions.  Is there anything you would like to see more of?  Any stories you would like explored?  Any rabbit holes that should be explored?  Also, rumor has it that a *spicy* add-on to this chapter will be posted soon week on avengerswriter4eva's one-shots book.  Check it out if you're interested.