Thunders Legacy [B. Barnes] [Thunder Wolf B.2]

Chapter 5

"I take back what I said about him being a natural." Fern groaned, watching the young Thunderbird fly through the Wakandan skies. "You would think that, seeing as he's a bird, he wouldn't have so many troubles. It's not like Buzz and Elder haven't been teaching him. Maybe he would have learned if he didn't spend so much time trying to eat them."

Bucky laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her back to be flush with his chest. "Well, he didn't have you before. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it soon. You make it sound as if creating storms out of nothing is easy. Mellan is only a little Thunderbird." He placed a kiss on her temple.

"I know, but after his first storm, my hopes were just so high," Fern sighed. "I wish I could communicate with him; I don't know how to have a one-sided conversation with animals." Not having her powers affected Fern far more than she ever expected it to. She didn't mind not being able to control plants any longer; it was the fact that she couldn't talk to animals that hurt the most.

"You'll figure it out, but you shouldn't stress this too much. I know you'll turn Mellan into the greatest Thunderbird that there has ever been." Bucky said, trying to encourage her. Fern nodded, knowing that Bucky was right; she would sadly get used to it.

Sighing, Fern looked back to the sky and let out a loud whistle calling the young Thunderbird back to the ground. The Thunderbird looped around, and ungracefully landed, facing Fern and Bucky on the ground. "You'll figure it out, Mellan, sooner or later," Fern smiled, petting the top of his head. The Thunderbird let out a small screech and flapped out its wings. Fern sighed, wishing that she knew what the Thunderbird was saying, hoping that whatever it was, was at least happy. "We'll try again tomorrow."

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Fern hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on them as she looked over the Wakandan landscape. She watched the stars shine almost brighter than they did at home. She wanted to go home so badly and forget that all of this had happened. Fern felt guilty that she missed the time she feared the Thunderbird, but at least she still had her powers. They might have been somewhat lonely times, but she never felt as lonely as she does now.

Fern feels so unbelievably grateful to Bucky for sticking by her side, helping her through all of it, and caring for the Thunderbird when he had no idea what he was doing. But she had a hard time feeling much of anything anymore; Fern felt numb most days. Her powers were gone, but that wasn't the only reason for feeling numb. She felt empty because there was no longer a connection to the Thunderbird, a part of her that was missing even if she didn't know it was there for a long time.

"You seem lost." Fern was startled at the voice that came from next to her. She turned to her right, where T'Challa stood looking out over the landscape. "I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled, taking a seat next to her on the ground.

"Oh, no, it's okay." Fern smiled back. "What brings the king to the top of a mountain?"

"I come here to think, just as you are. My father would bring me here to watch the stars; we would sit here for hours as he told me about the different stars and our ancestors." T'Challa explained, turning his gaze to the sky. "I know that this has all been very difficult for you. I felt the same when I lost my father, I was raised and prepared to be king my entire life, but when the time came, I felt like everything I did or said wasn't right. I was scared of a new journey without him.

"Just because you have lost your ability to communicate with the ones you love doesn't mean you lost it with everyone. So many people are standing behind you, trying to help you get back on your feet and ensure you're okay. You're scared to look at the creatures you've cared for because the fear of not being able to understand them without words covers the fact that you can still understand them, even if it's only by their motions. Your talent was not being able to talk to animals, but it was your love for them."

Fern hadn't realized that she started crying as T'Challa finished talking. "It's just so hard to feel like me when part of me is missing. It's not like a missing limb, but a part of my soul." She sobbed.

T'Challa weakly smiled, pulling her into a hug and letting her continue to cry. "One day, though, it will be hard. You'll feel okay again, maybe not whole, but better."