The Striped Beauty

1: Saved

{EDITED}

A small cry from an animal was heard throughout the darkness in the cold Hydra facility. Nothing returned the heartbreaking cry.

There was a small tiger cub who could faintly smell her mother near her. She remembered her brothers and sisters crying around her, snuggling together for warmth and food. Her mother slowly chuffing to them, saying everything was going to be okay. They couldn't see, being born with their eyes shut. So their mother had to let them know it was okay. The small cub remembered the clanking of metal and calls of the other animals around her. Then the sound of shouting, loud banging and hisses of the other animals as some other creatures came into the room. The bangs got louder and the calls of the animals became silenced. She heard her mother hiss before a bang sounded. Her mother dropping to the hard, cold metal floor. Never to call to them or comfort them again. Her brothers and sisters soon stopped calling to her after some time. The cub didn't understand what was going on. All she knew was that no one was there to help her. She was alone.

Outside of the cold, dark room, Hydra agents had left the base in a hurry. Taking everything that was of importance, and killing their experiments off. Leaving the five day old cubs to fend for themselves. Not caring what happened to them. They could get more.

~~~

The quinjet landed in the snowy mountains in Siberia. Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and Steve Rogers running out as the back hatch opened. Weapons ready for whatever they came against. Getting inside the base was simple enough with it being abandoned. They all went their own way, trying to find anything that would help them find any clues against Hydra. Clint went to one of the rooms, his arrow pulled back. Ready to fire. He stopped when he saw a row of cages that had big cats inside. Bullet holes in their heads. Lions, tigers, leopards. He called into his com, telling Natasha and Steve that he had found something and to come where he was. He walked further into the room, cringing as the smell of death that filled the air. It was horrible. Beautiful animals, used and killed. For no reason other than to make weapons for destruction. The cry of a small animal caught his attention. Hearing it a few more times, he followed the sound to find a dead mother tiger with four cubs that had unfortunately perished. The cry sounded again and he saw one of the cubs move. It had to be a miracle. 

The small cub could hear the footsteps and the door being opened. She cried out, hoping that whoever was there would help her and not hurt her. She didn't understand what happened around her, but she knew that she didn't want that to happen to her. She was cold and hungry. Her mother's milk had soon run out and even then the milk had made her sick. She heard the footsteps get closer and cried out again, only wanted to be helped. 

Clint cursed silently, gently picking up the small cub in his hands. Not caring about the body fluids he now had on his hands. The cub was shivering, skinny, all sorts of body fluids crusted on her black, orange, and white striped fur. It's eyes weren't open yet, but it nuzzle into Clint's hands. Taking in as much warmth as it could. It cried out, making Clint shush it gently. Gently pulling the cub up to his chest to keep it as warm as possible. Natasha and Steve cringed at the neglect of life in the room. The cry from the small cub in Clint's hands grabbing their attention.

"Is that?", Natasha didn't have to finished her question.

"The mother must had given birth before they left the base. Killed her and left the cubs to die. She's the only one that made it.", Clint held the cub closer to him while answering Natasha. He just wanted to get out of here and make sure the cub will be okay. It wasn't just him that wanted to leave this horrible room. Steve seemed to have the same idea because they all started for the quinjet, ready to go home. Natasha calling Bruce to let him know what they had found and to call anyone he knew to help with the situation. Clint held the cub closer to his chest, his hands covering as much of the cub as they could to shield it from the freezing temperature outside. Over everything that could possibly be wrong with the cub, she didn't need hypothermia along with everything.