Under A Panther's Watch

Chapter 5

It had been a day since the discovery of the lion and panther DNA in Luna and she was in her room, wondering what to do. Usually, she'd want to be climbing the walls in the training room to practice agility, but she didn't feel like doing that. A knock at her open door made her look up and see Black Widow standing there. "Hey, Luna," she said with a smile. "You doing okay?"

The twelve-year-old sighed. "Physically, yeah. Mentally...still working that out," she admitted.

Natasha nodded before getting an idea. "Want to join me for a walk?" She offered. "Some fresh air could help."

Luna pondered that and nodded. "Okay," she said. "Whose going to come with us?"

"I will," came Vision's voice as he appeared in the doorway, making both girls jump in surprise.

"Vision," Natasha groaned at him.

"Apologies," he said.

Luna slipped on her shoes and pulled on a light jacket, pausing when she thought she heard something. She stood up quickly, her gaze unfocused. "Luna?" She heard Vision asked and she blinked, looking puzzled before shaking her head. "Are you alright?" The android hero asked gently.

She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said. "I thought I heard something, but it probably was just my imagination."

He nodded with a gentle smile before he, Natasha, and Luna headed out. Once they stepped out of the building, the android hero flew high into the sky while the young woman and twelve-year-old walked down the sidewalk.

Luna took a deep breath, the air actually smelling clean for once. "Did it rain last night?" She asked.

"It might have," Natasha said. "The air does smell clean for a change."

They were about to cross the street when Luna froze with a gasp, hearing a familiar roar. "Luna?" The heroine asked, pausing in front of her. "Are you okay? What is it?"

The girl looked at her. "It's Cleo. I'm sure of it," she said, looking at the older woman. "I can hear her. She's close."

Natasha was a bit skeptical, but Vision came closer. "The same roar you heard earlier?" He asked.

Luna looked at him. "You heard it too?" She asked.

"Just now I did," he said. "I picked up on your thoughts earlier that you thought you had heard a familiar roar."

The girl nodded, her eyes widening. "Hold on, I think I'm picking up her scent," she said before realizing what was going on. "I think the DNA gave me enhanced hearing and smelling capabilities."

Natasha decided that as strange as it sounded, it was best to take a look into this. "Okay," she said. "Luna, lead the way."

The girl at once did so with the two following her and it wasn't long before they arrived at the docks by the Hudson River. Luna gasped as she took in the scene in front of her. A black panther was in a cage and Kraven was beside it. "Ah, a fine beast," he said. "You'll bring it a good profit."

The panther growled and Luna glared at the hunter. She looked at Black Widow and Vision, who both nodded. "We really don't have time to call for more backup," Natasha said worriedly.

Vision looked thoughtful before nodding. "Natasha, how about you and I handle Kraven and give Luna time to free Cleo?" He said.

The heroine nodded. "Sounds good to me," she said. She looked at Luna. "Wait for Vision to give you a signal that it's clear."

The twelve-year-old girl nodded, ducking down behind a crate nearby while the two heroes moved in, surprising the hunter, who glared at them. "You won't keep me from making a profit off this cat's pelt!" He growled.