LEGACY ─ marvel

VIII. The Savage & The Shifter

Thirty four hours earlier...

Chapter Eight
Savage

For so long there has been a prison, a dark prison that I've had to call my reality, my home, my punishment. It's the same everyday: watch the world through the eyes of my captor, watch her live the life she wants, help people, inspire people, be in control. I haven't been in control in so long, I almost forgot what it felt like.

Almost.

Here I am now, without any explanation for why it's happening, or who is causing it to happen, controlling my movements, controlling the body I've been trapped in, in charge of my own mind. I move my arms, my legs, my fingers, my toes, all to test and see if I am able to move them to my will, and I am. I've never been able to do this before, not with her body, only with my own forms. And speaking of my own forms, I also test to see if I am in control in them, and after shifting into a hawk, a lion, and a rabbit, I come to the conclusion that I am.

I let out a soft laugh. My time has finally come.

I look over towards the bed, where Bucky Barnes sleeps soundly, his body facing me, pieces of his hair falling in front of his shut eyelids. He looks so peaceful, so calm. It's so strange: I've seen him everyday for the past few decades, and yet it feels like I'm seeing him for the first time since HYDRA. Both are true I guess; you aren't really seeing someone when you're only looking through one way glass, unable to speak, unable to move, trapped like a caged animal in a zoo.

I wonder if this is happening to my brother as well, I would assume so, his DNA is the same as mine. What about my children? I doubt it, they have Barnes's blood thrown into the mix, their DNA is basically a sock drawer. As unfortunate as it is that my children can't share in this experience, I would bet that my brother is, so I decide that it's time to find him. I love that I can do that now: make decisions, go places, do things, live.

I activate my suit and push the window open, slipping outside, shifting into a sparrow. I use my head to push the window closed and then I set off, trying to discover my brother's scent, finding it near the northeast side of the Wakanda, right next to the barrier. I find him just standing there, his back to me, his suit activated, his body language rigid and alert. He turns once I land, a smile forming on his lips, excitement in his tone:

"Sister?"

I nod, reaching forward and enveloping him in a hug, letting out a laugh, feeling the same excitement as him. "At last we meet properly, brother."

"Do you know why we are free?" He asks me.

I shake my head, pulling away from him. "No, but I want to find out. What brought you to this side of Wakanda?"

"I smell someone, someone new. I think this person might be responsible for our freedom."

I gesture towards the barrier. "Shall we go meet him?"

My brother nods, shifting into a hawk. I shift into one as well, and together we fly towards the barrier, easily slipping through. We fly past the border patrol, who are completely oblivious to our presence in this form, and towards a small patch of grass a half mile away, the source of this new scent. The scent belongs to a young man, just a bit older than Zy'aire and Olivia. Though it may be dark, we can see him perfectly fine in this form. He's tall, white, sharp features, long nose, wavy black hair that goes down to his shoulders, and is wearing a long black trench coat. When my brother and I touch the ground and shift back into human form, the man smiles, looking between the two of us.