Alpha and Omega

Chapter 23

Bucky reached out cautiously to pet the werewolf. He didn't want to startle Gwen, and he wasn't completely sure how much she was still in control when in wolf form. Getting bitten wasn't exactly on his priority list at the moment.

Bucky needn't have worried. Gwen gave him a puppy grin and butted her head against his hand, encouraging him to pet her super soft fur. Bucky grinned and sat on the floor. "You want to curl up in my lap?" He asked his werewolf. She immediately curled herself in his lap, waiting her tail. Bucky kissed her head and pet her, nuzzling her soft fur. He adored her wolf form and scratched her ears. Her tail wagged and Bucky smiled, recognizing it as the same as in her human form, though it was more proportioned in wolf form, just as her ears were more proportional.

Bucky petted her for awhile before he got her off his lap and stood to walk her to the outdoor training area so she could stretch her legs a little. "Come outside and play," he told her warmly. She lit up and scrambled to her feet, all excitement and wagging tail as she followed him.

The pair ran into a few of the others in the cafeteria on the way outside. Gwen whined and hid behind Bucky, afraid they wouldn't like her, or worse. She didn't need to be afraid. Nat automatically thought she was adorable and Steve instantly wanted to come over and pet her. Gwen stepped out from hiding behind Bucky and wasn't surprised when Loki was the first one to pet her. Bucky has said he liked wolves. "See? You're beautiful, even to them," Bucky reassured her. Her tail wagged and she let the team admire her for a minute before she nudged Bucky so they could continue on their way outside. Bucky chuckled. "Alright, alright, we're going," Bucky told her.

The wolf wanted to go play outside. She'd barely left the inside of the tower in weeks and there was a moon to go say hi too. So Bucky walked with her, and opened the door to the training yard so she could go play.

The second she was outside she sat and stared up at the moon for a moment before she howled a greeting to it. Her song was echoed by dogs and wolves all over and possibly even a few coyotes. She sniffed and explored the outdoor training area, bouncing back to Bucky every so often to check on him. Bucky sat on a bench, just watching her, glad she was happy.

He patted his thigh to call her and she bounded back over to him and sat in front of him, swishing her tail, her head tilted in question. Was he ok? Or bored? Bucky stood and scooped her up, cradling her like a baby. She squeaked in surprise. Just because she was small for a werewolf didn't mean she was small enough to be picked up. She also wasn't used to being picked up in this form and it was a strange feeling.

Bucky could handle her, though and walked with her in his arms over to the gazebo in the yard. He set her down and pressed a button inside the gazebo. It lit up with white and blue lights. She got her bearings again after being set down and looked around at the pretty lights, wagging her tail appreciatively.

Bucky gave her a warm smile. "I built this for us, I was going to show it to you tomorrow night. But I couldn't wait," he explained. She yipped happily and licked his cheek. "I still have more work to do, adding a couple of benches and pillows and such, but it'll be a space just for us." She gave him a puppy grin and wagged her tail before she went to explore their little gazebo. Bucky had built it all with his bare hands, his own sweat and hard work. Steve had been glad to see his friend out of depression while he worked on his project.

Gwen bounced around the little gazebo happily and returned to him to lick his cheeks, her tail wagging. Bucky sat on the steps, petting her. She snuggled in his arms with a contented sigh and Bucky was content with the mutual silence.

She sniffed the air, scenting something interesting and bounded off after whatever it was. Bucky watched, but wasn't concerned in the contained yard. She came back looking extraordinarily proud of herself, two rabbits in her mouth, dangling from their ears. She wagged her tail and offered them to him, trying to feed him, despite that he might not appreciate her offering. He chuckled, instead. He'd cooked a lot wildlife in the army and didn't turn down food, especially from a werewolf. He took both and would take them to the chef in the tower to fix into something later.