The White Wolf

III

"Come quickly! T'Challa is home!" Shuri burst through the doorway of Ava's room.

Ava jumped at Shuri's sudden appearance and gasped. "You scared me! Don't do that!" She said before processing the information Shuri had come with. "Are you sure? Is he really back?" She untangled her legs from the blankets of her bed. She had been reading a book while leaning against the wall from her sitting position.

"Yes." Shuri smiled. "We just received notice that his jet has entered the projection barrier."

A grin spread on Ava's lips as she got up and pulled on her shoes as quick as she could manage. "Let's go greet him, then!" She said excitedly, flying out the door with Shuri right behind her.

Ava pumped her arms, wind whipping her hair across her face, making her cheeks sting painfully. Her feet flew over the earth, the palace landing pad coming into view as a large, black jet was beginning to land.

"You're slow!" Shuri teased, racing ahead of Ava with a chuckle. Ava scoffed and tried to keep up, her heart racing, thumping like drums in her ears, as she pushed herself further.

The jet doors began to open as she got close, sliding to a stop right behind Shuri. The teenager in front of her blocked her view, and as T'Challa stepped from the open doors of the jet dressed in his black panther suit, a gasp escaped Ava's lips.

"Stay." T'Challa warned, holding up a hand as two more men clambered out of the jet slowly. Dirt and blood coated nearly every inch of their skin, one dressed in royal blue with a helmet, a white letter 'A' on his helmet. Red and white, dirty stripes covered his abdomen. Captain America. There was a limp arm slung over his shoulder, his own arm around the large torso of a man in all black, blood dripping from his nose and head, long black hair matted with sweat and blood dangled in front of his face. His left arm, missing, all except a sparking, frayed metal shoulder. James Barnes. T'Challa didn't say a word as he escorted the two men into the palace.

Ava fell silent, her eyes wide. She had not seen anybody with skin like hers in person, from what she could remember. Only on television. And now, here two white men were, battered and bloody. One was an American hero, the other a murderer.

"Shuri, please follow." T'Challa requested.

"Let me come too." Ava spoke up, her eyes locked on the two new men in their presence. T'Challa cast her a glance, his lips pressing together. He gave a subtle nod after a moment of hesitation, and turned away from her, talking in a quiet voice to Steve Rogers as they entered the palace.

"What is he doing?" Shuri whispered, shaking her head. She glanced at Ava, who looked as lost as an antelope alone in a field, unknowingly being hunted by lions. "Come on, I'll need your help." Shuri nudged Ava's arm.

Slowly, Ava nodded, taking in a shaky breath as she began to follow Shuri inside, her feet feeling as heavy as lead.

Steve Rogers and James Barnes were lead into a medical wing of the palace, in a secluded room with restricted access. It was usually a room for the king and queen if they fell ill, and had all sorts of medical technology Shuri had created for any medical emergency imaginable. Ava stood silently near the door and watched as the Winter Soldier was layed down on a table of magnetic, black sand. Steve Rogers stood protectively beside him, looking around at everyone in the room.

Steve could sense everybody was tense. For all they knew, Bucky had murdered their king. "T'Challa." He said, looking to the prince. All eyes turned to the Black Panther.

T'Challa glanced at him, and turned to face Shuri, Ava, and the few doctors within the room. "James Barnes is innocent." He began. "A man named Zemo framed him for the murder of King T'Chaka. I let American CIA take him under their watch, in return for keeping my identity as the Black Panther in secret. Sergeant Barnes was an experiment of the Nazi ally, Hydra. He is not the Winter Soldier."