Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The arrow sliced through the air, flying between the trees until it hit the target. Clint whistled, looking on in amazement before patting Kate on the back.

"Nice shot, kid. You're getting good at this." Clint chuckled, readying his own bow before taking a shot. They had spent the entire afternoon there, deep in the woods, practicing. "Won’t be long before you start hunting dragons."

Kate smiled, her cheeks flushed from the effort, and quickly rushed to carefully lay her bow on the ground before securing her quiver.

"I'm out of arrows, I'll go get them!" the little girl explained, running toward the tree where she had fired.

She focused on gathering the missing arrows, those stuck deep in the bark of the chosen tree. Once she had them all, she tucked them back into the quiver tied at her waist, when she heard a small animal’s whimper.

Just a few feet away, a tiny bird was twisting on the ground. Every so often it tried to open its wings, but could only manage a small hop and a cry. Horrified, Kate screamed,

"Clint! Clint!"

Her father was by her side in moments, concerned, before Kate pointed to the baby bird. His expression softened as he crouched beside it. "Looks like you found a little bird."

"What happened to him?" Kate asked, twisting her calloused fingers.

"Seems it fell from its nest and broke a wing. It happens sometimes," Clint explained sadly, extending his index finger to gently stroke the bird’s tiny back before pulling a knife from his belt. "Nature’s like that. The least we can do is end its suffering. Why don’t you wait for me back where we were shooting—?"

"No!" Kate shouted, grabbing Clint’s arm. "Don’t do it!"

"Kate…"

The girl trembled, staring at the tiny creature before her eyes met Clint’s. Something inside her cracked, and the tears began to fall.

"He’s so little, like me, and he’s scared. Can’t we help him? Please, Clint. We have to help him!" Kate sobbed, clutching Clint’s arm even tighter until, finally, he let the knife fall to the ground.

Sighing, Clint gently stroked her head.

"Go find a stick."

Kate looked at him, surprised, then wiped her face and nodded. It only took her a minute to find a small branch and run back to her father, who had already pulled a thin piece of cord from his belt and held the little bird in his hand.

He passed it to Kate, who held it with extreme care, and watched in amazement as Clint gently tied the stick to the bird’s broken wing.

"He’s your responsibility now, Katie," Clint said softly, carefully, and focused. "You have to feed him and take care of him like he’s your own, until he can fly again and return to the wild."

Kate nodded, looking at the tiny creature.

"I will. I promise."

Clint smiled tenderly. "I know you will. Why don’t we head back? It’s getting late."

Chapter Text

This is Berk. It lies twelve days northwest of hopelessness and just a few degrees south of the dead sea. Firmly located on the meridian of misery.

My village, in one word, is tough. It’s been here for seven generations, but every building is new.

We have fishing, hunting, and beautiful views of the sunsets. The only problem is the pests.

See, in most places they have mice, or mosquitoes. We have...

Dragons.

Most people would leave. We don’t, we’re Vikings. We’re stubborn.

My name is Katherine, the adoptive daughter of Clint Barton, Hawkeye. Maybe you’ve heard his name or his nickname— he’s legendary. They say that when he was five years old, he shot an arrow straight through a dragon’s head.

Is it true? Well, if you see him shoot, maybe then you’d believe it.

"Kate, wake up and get to work!" Bucky snapped his fingers in front of her, breaking her tone.

"Oops." She muttered, standing up straight before starting to sharpen the axes. Grumbling, Bucky opened the window and a crowd of Vikings piled in, shouting their orders.

"Three axes and one sword, Kate, hurry up!"

The thing about being the daughter of a legend, at least in her case, is that everyone expects too much from you.

And she hadn’t lived up to those expectations.

Peter poked his head in, entering from the back of the shop. Kate glanced at him sideways, still sharpening weapons, still not being the kind of useful she wanted to be. "Did they leave you out?"

"Apparently my father thinks I’m too unpredictable." Kate complained, handing the boy a shield and then a freshly sharpened sword. At least he was a formidable warrior, even being so young, they let him help alongside the other kids her age. Boo. "And my inventions still don’t work, so I can’t even prove him wrong."

"Give it time," Peter advised gently, patting her shoulder. "It’s not about your skill, if it were, they’d already be letting you help. You never miss a shot, everyone knows that. Your inventions, on the other hand..."

"I’m not going to stop inventing things just because everyone else thinks they don’t work!" Kate gestured wildly, throwing her arms up.

Peter smiled sympathetically. "Just try it. Try using a regular bow and arrow, I’m sure you could hit a dragon."

Kate shrugged, slumping down. "It wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be... me, you know? Anyway, it’s too late. They won’t let me hunt dragons until I’m thirty." Kate sighed, running a hand down her face. "If only my dad would let me, I'm sure my whole life would be fixed. I’d even get a girlfriend!"

Peter laughed, looking at his friend with a sparkle in his eyes. "It’ll work out, Kate. You’ll see."

"Thanks, Pete. Now go save the day or whatever." With one last smile, Peter adjusted his helmet and ran off.

Kate tried not to envy him as much as she did.

After finishing sharpening all the new weapons, a hand landed on her shoulder. "Go home, Kate," Bucky advised. "There are a lot of Monstrous Nightmares out tonight, and I’m sure your mom would appreciate a hand with your baby brother."

Kate nodded, taking Bucky’s advice before taking off her apron. "Thanks, Boss. See you later!"

"I want you here at the same time as always tomorrow!" Bucky shouted as he saw her running out the back door.

Once freed from her work, Kate punched the air and quickly ran home to get her bow and arrows. Her father might punish her, but how long could he really stay mad if she brought back a dragon for him? Smiling, lost in her fantasy, Kate decided, not long.

The path home was pretty short. Kate didn’t take long to rush inside and run to her room, pulling her beloved bow out from under the bed. It was one of her proudest creations, since she had practically built it from scratch and modified it to look like nothing anyone had ever seen. Her favorite part was probably the scope, it helped her spot targets even from meters away.

Once she strapped her quiver to her waist and put on her helmet, Kate walked out of the house with a mission.

Bring back a dragon’s head.

What she didn’t expect was a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Don’t even think about it!" Cooper, her brother, appeared, pulling her back toward the house. Dragons flew overhead, setting fire to houses and crops. "Dad said you’re grounded, come on, Kate!" he tried to convince her, but it only seemed to strengthen her resolve.

Holding her modified bow and arrow, Kate smiled at her younger brother. "This time I’ll kill a dragon," she promised, brushing off Cooper’s hand before running away from him.

The thing is, Kate is fifteen, and it feels like her village hates her. If you ask her, it’s not exactly her fault. As the eldest daughter, she has a lot to prove. That means the path will be rough—but it’s just part of the job, sue her!

Smiling, Kate slipped between Vikings who were fighting and shouting. Too wild for her taste, she preferred doing things with style, preferably from the skies. Being on the same level as a dragon made it easier to hunt them, or at least in theory... So far, she hadn’t had much success, but Kate could feel it in her bones. Today was the day.

The day she would finally make her family proud.

Climbing to the top of a cliff not far from the houses, Kate got into position, gripping her bow tightly and nocking her trick arrow. Smiling, Kate began scanning the night sky for a dragon.

Today was the day.

Her inventions would finally work. She’d finally bring back a dragon head to her father and proudly say she was just as much a Barton as she was a Bishop. That she hadn’t been adopted for nothing, that she had the strength of a warrior and could avenge the death of her birth parents.

Today was the day.

Then she saw it, a golden blur soaring across the sky. Kate inhaled, aiming with precision. She wouldn’t miss, of that she had no doubt. Whether her arrow would work... was another matter. Still, Kate smiled and let the air escape her lungs as she relaxed her fingers.

The arrow flew, cutting through the air, and the net deployed in midair.

The dragon spread its wings, but it was too late, the net caught it. The dragon fell, and Kate couldn’t believe it.

"It worked!" Kate squealed, jumping in place before turning around, hoping at least someone had seen her victory. "It worked! I caught a dragon!" Kate shouted, both arms raised, before deflating when she saw no one there. "And... no one saw me. Of course."

That’s when she felt a warm, smelly breath on the back of her neck. Slowly turning around, she came face-to-face with a Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon stared at her, furious, before snorting through its nose. Finally snapping out of her shock, Kate turned and ran.

Dragons were always going to the kill.

Kate wasn’t about to push her luck more than she already had.

"Monstrous Nightmare!" Once she was back near the other Vikings, they finally noticed her and everyone rushed to hunt it down.

The problem is this type of dragon is known for setting itself on fire.

And remember how it was mentioned that every building in Berk was new? Well, in trying to flee from the dragon, Kate brought it right into the heart of the village.

The Monstrous Nightmare lit itself up, and then the wooden buildings.

Wincing, Kate finally managed to get far enough away to take position again with her bow and arrow. With fire spreading between the houses and the dragon fighting against the others’ attacks, Kate inhaled deeply.

Only for a hand to lower her bow.

"Hey—!"

Clint shot her a deadly look, aiming his own bow without even looking. Kate watched in awe as her father released his arrow and shot the Monstrous Nightmare straight through the head in one clean hit. After a moment of staggering, the dragon dropped dead and the fire on its body died with it.

"You are in serious trouble, young lady."

Stunned, Kate finally noticed that no dragons remained, only the one she had brought in, and it had burned down three entire houses. Surrounding her, the other Vikings stared with annoyance and anger. Kate felt herself shrinking in embarrassment.

"I caught a dragon," she tried weakly, but her father looked even more furious before turning around and walking off.

Kate tried to follow, but then heard the murmurs behind her.

"Kate couldn’t catch anything in a thousand years," Eli Bradley scoffed, arms crossed with his friends beside him.

"Don’t be like that," Cassie Lang complained, shoving Eli, but she didn’t seem completely against the comment.

"That girl only causes problems, seriously," came the disappointed sigh of John Walker, leaning against his girlfriend, Ava Starr, who looked bored.

The worst part might have been seeing Peter standing with the other kids, looking uncomfortable and sad.

And then, just to top it off, Yelena was there next to Bob, frowning, arms crossed. Beautiful, brave, covered in soot and sweat, and full of quiet rage.

Kate felt herself blushing before turning to face forward and running after her father.

This day was just great.

Chapter Text

"Clint, could you listen to me please?!" But her father kept walking, stomping over the rubble as the Vikings moved aside to let him pass. "I hit a dragon, everyone was busy, but I had a clean shot and it fell near Raven Point! We have to search before–"

"Kate!" Clint stopped suddenly, turning to his daughter with a flushed face. "Enough, just enough!" Kate shrank back at his annoyed tone. Suddenly, the height difference between them felt enormous, even though she was shaping up to be a tall girl with the passing years. Even then, Clint seemed to tower over her with the full height of a grown, trained man. "Every time you go out, you can’t help but cause a mess, can you?" he asked, acid in his voice. The Vikings around them grimaced and started backing away; Kate wished she could go with them. "You’re not a child anymore. Can’t you see there are more important things? Winter is coming and the dragons won’t stop their attacks. We need all the food and shelter we can get. I can’t be busy looking after you, not even your siblings give me this much trouble, and Nathaniel is a baby!"

"Well, technically, Nate just stays with Mom..."

"This isn’t a joke, Kate!" Clint growled, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Why can’t you, just once in your life, simply obey–?"

Kate made a face, mimicking choking something. "It’s just that I see a dragon and I have to kill it, I–"

"Kate, you're many things, but not a hunter." Clint sighed, running a hand over his face. "You’re a great inventor, a wonderful archer, but you can’t hunt dragons, you won’t even bring yourself to do it with animals."

Kate’s shoulders slumped. "Hunting an animal with a bow and arrow is way too bloody..."

"Just... go home, Kate. Make sure your mother and siblings are okay, I’ll see you later." Clint sighed, motioning to someone behind his daughter before turning around. "Go with her, Buck. Keep her out of trouble."

"Yes, sir." Bucky placed both hands on the girl’s shoulders and gave Clint a nod. "Come on, kid. It’s been a long night."

"I’m not lying." Kate muttered, letting Bucky guide her through the crowd. Blatantly ignoring the murmurs around her, Kate stared at the ground and walked. "I really got it. My arrow worked. He never listens..."

"Runs in the family." Bucky patted her shoulder, letting go of her as they climbed a hill once they’d gotten a bit away from the village center.

"And when he does, it’s like he’s so disappointed in me." Kate groaned, irritated. "Like he’s ashamed to have given me his name. I never asked to be adopted, you know?!"

"Now you're being unfair." Bucky looked at her with compassion. "Clint adores you, Kate. You’re the light of his eyes, along with your siblings. The problem isn’t you, it’s... what you carry inside that haunts him."

Kate blinked, staring in disbelief at the Viking when they finally reached the door of her house. They’d been lucky tonight, the dragons hadn’t burned it to the ground. "Wow, thanks for... clearing that up."

"The point is..." Bucky raised both hands, trying to rephrase. "That you don’t have to try so hard to be something you’re not."

Kate grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. "...I just wanted to be one of you."

Without giving Bucky time to respond, she quickly stepped inside the house. Sighing as she closed the door, Kate leaned her back against it and allowed herself to pout while fidgeting with her bow.

"Kate!" Cooper came down the stairs, with Lila right behind him, looking worried. "Are you okay? Did Dad find out?"

Kate grimaced, letting her little siblings hug her. "Sort of. I think I’m never leaving Bucky’s shop again. Dad’s going to ground me forever."

"You’re such an idiot," Lila murmured, her face buried in Kate’s clothes. Kate sighed, stroking her little sister’s hair. Truth was, she couldn’t deny it.

"Yeah... Where are Mom and Nate?"

"Mom just got back with him from helping." Kate replied, nodding. She separated from her siblings and walked toward the living room. She wasn’t surprised to see Laura cleaning her weapons while little Nate gurgled on her chest, strapped to her with cloth.

"So Nate already had his first dragon night." Kate murmured, setting aside her bow and quiver before approaching to take the baby from her mother’s arms. Nate seemed happy to see her, laughing and babbling in his baby talk.

Laura smiled, wiping her son’s stained cheek before giving the girl a soft look. Kate didn’t even want to ask what he was stained with. "He behaved quite well, if you can believe it."

Kate smiled bitterly, bouncing her little brother in her arms. "Oh, I believe it. Apparently everyone here has a natural talent for viking stuff, right, Natie?"

"So you got in trouble again." Laura guessed, smiling when Kate shrank into herself.

"I don’t want to talk about it." Kate whispered, burying her nose in Nate’s hair, who seemed to melt under her attention and warm embrace. He probably wouldn’t take long to fall asleep.

"I’m sure it wasn’t that bad."

"You didn’t see it, he was furious at me. He nearly slit my throat in front of the whole village." Kate groaned, making a face at the memory of her father’s expression.

"Give him time. Anyway, he can never stay mad for too long, not at you."

"I didn’t want to make him angry in the first place." Kate muttered, looking down, embarrassed, shy. "...I just want to make you guys proud."

Laura softened at that, quickly pulling her daughter into a hug. "We already do, darling. We’re proud of you, him most of all."

"It wouldn’t kill him to say it."

"Oh, believe me. Maybe he will. That Viking’s just too proud." Kate chuckled under her breath, handing her brother back to her mother. Then she sighed.

"I’m going to get some air."

"Just make sure you’re back for dinner." Kate nodded, letting her mother kiss her cheek, then slipped out the back door and started running toward the forest.

Maybe her father was disappointed now, but Kate had caught a dragon. She just had to show everyone, maybe then things would get better.

Kate let out a scream to the sky, slamming her notebook shut in frustration. She had calculated the drop and checked every possible spot where the dragon could have fallen, but still couldn’t find it.

"The gods must hate me!" Kate confirmed, stuffing her notebook into one of the compartments on her belt. "Some people lose a cup or a knife, not me. I lose an entire dragon!" Kate complained, hitting a random branch only for it to bounce back and smack her in the face. "Ugh!"

Kate rubbed her nose, glaring at the tree before realizing the trunk was knocked over. She quickly followed the trail of broken bushes and splintered trunks.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Among the rocks and brush, a large golden dragon lay motionless, completely still under the nets that covered it and kept it from spreading its wings.

Kate almost fell over at the sight.

"It worked!" Kate squealed, quickly pulling a knife from her belt. Cautiously, she stepped closer. The dragon remained unmoving, breathing shallowly. Its body was oozing blood from some wounds, probably from the fall, and Kate was fascinated. "I did this." she murmured in awe, then smiled and planted a foot on the dragon. "I caught this beast!"

Only for the dragon to shift with a growl and make Kate jump a full meter back.

That’s when she noticed.

The dragon was missing an eye.

A large scar etched across its eyelid, old. It had probably flown its whole life with only one eye— which was impressive. Dragons that weren’t healthy were easier to hunt, or so she’d heard. She’d never seen a dragon like this one, with golden scales.

"You’re lucky, huh? To have made it to adulthood." Kate grinned, raising her knife above her head with both hands. "But your luck ends here. I caught you, and now I’ll rip out your heart to take to my father."

The dragon dreamily looked at her with its one eye, snorting before letting its head drop again. Kate felt her hands tremble as she gripped and released the knife between her fingers. "I’m going to kill you. I’m going to hang your head in my room..." Kate growled, raising the knife even higher. "I’m a Viking. You hear me? I’m a Viking!" Kate shouted, but the dragon didn’t react again. The ropes holding it down wouldn’t let it.

Flashes of a small bird in her father’s hands came to her. Memories of a full nest, an animal forgotten on the ground, injured.

"I did this." Kate let her arms drop, staring at the dragon’s wounds, and in a moment of stupidity, she raised the knife again, but this time to start cutting the ropes that held it captive.

Suddenly, the golden dragon’s head lifted. Once enough ropes were cut and it could free itself, the dragon growled in such a way that the ground beneath Kate’s feet trembled.

Then the dragon lunged, and pinned her beneath it, growling in her face before releasing a roar that would haunt her for weeks. Kate, knocked to the ground, curled up, covering her head. But the bite never came. The dragon never attacked— instead, it turned and ran from her, a golden blur against the green forest.

"Oh, gods." Kate felt her vision darken before she fainted and fell flat on her back.

Chapter Text

Kate returns home at dawn, on tiptoe, with her father’s knife (the other one’s, Derek’s) heavy as tons of lead in one of the pockets of her belt. She brings neither pride nor glory to her home as she thought she would a few hours ago, only shame.

She finds her parents sitting at the table, having breakfast alone and speaking in low voices.

"We’re going to the nest, to end this war once and for all..." her father murmured, arms crossed over the table.

Laura, who had been listening to her husband attentively, suddenly lifts her head and her eyes meet Kate’s. Gently, she touches the Viking’s shoulder. "Clint."

The man blinks, turning his head. "Kate," he murmurs, smiling tentatively. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Clint, I uh... I wanted to talk too." Kate began fidgeting with her hands, twisting her fingers. "I’ve been thinking I don’t want to hunt dragons."

At the same time, Clint smiled and declared, "I think it’s time for you to train to hunt dragons. Wait, what?"

"Oh, here we go." Laura rolled her eyes, standing up from her chair to start pouring hot tea into a cup for Kate.

"You go first." Clint gestured to Kate, but she shook her head.

"No, no. You start."

"Alright, I’ll grant your wish, sweetheart." Clint clapped, looking at Kate with bright eyes. "I talked with Bucky and your mother, they made me see reason. I won’t be here forever to protect you and your siblings, but I can prepare you. Katie, you’re going to start dragon hunting training. You begin tomorrow morning."

"Oh, gods! I should’ve spoken first." Kate felt herself go pale before coughing and looking desperately at her parents. "Clint, dad, I thought about it and we already have lots of dragon hunters, but, Bakers? Plumbers? Vikings like that are the ones we really need. Maybe I could—"

But Clint continued as if nothing had happened and pulled out a bow before placing it in Kate’s hands. "I had this made for you, you’re going to need it."

"Clint, I don’t want to fight dragons." Kate tried weakly, desperate.

"Oh, but of course you do. You’ve wanted this since you were a small girl." Clint laughed, patting his daughter’s back. Behind him, Laura looked at her with curiosity and raised an eyebrow.

Trying to correct herself, Kate tried again. "I can’t kill dragons."

"Oh, but you’ll learn. That’s what it’s about."

"Are you even listening to me? Because I can’t, I’m very sure I can’t!" Kate shouted, dropping the bow onto the table. "Dad, I can’t kill dragons."

Finally, at that, her father got angry. "For gods’ sake, Kate. This is serious. When you carry that bow," he pointed at it, "you carry all of us with you. That means you act like us, speak like us, walk like us." Clint pointed a finger at her. "No more of... this."

"You just pointed at all of me." Kate grumbled.

"Do we have a deal?"

"This conversation feels very one-sided, you know? I don’t feel heard at all, actually—"

"Kate."

Sighing, Kate crossed her arms and nodded. "Deal."

With that, Clint sighed in relief and approached his daughter, hugging her. "I love you."

Melting into her father, Kate hugged him tightly. "And I love you. I’m sorry about last night."

Clint laughed, running a hand through her hair. "You wouldn’t be my daughter if you didn’t break something every now and then," he murmured. "Never apologize to me, I adore you."

"I know, I know."

Pulling away, Clint smiled at her and then kissed her forehead. "I have to get ready. I’m going on a trip, for a long time."

Kate nodded, looking at him firmly. "Good luck, father. And come back soon."

"I will." Clint simply smiled. "Good luck with your training."

The doors of the coliseum opened and Bucky made a lazy gesture with his prosthetic arm. "Welcome to dragon training."

Behind him, a group of teenagers entered with nervous but determined steps. Yelena, who had taken the lead, was the first to step inside. "There’s no turning back."

"I’m hoping to get some serious burns." Cassie laughed, nudging Peter, who looked uncomfortable.

Behind her, John nodded. "Or a scar, somewhere like the shoulder or back. Those are cool."

"Yeah, burns aren’t that epic. Scars have style." Ava agreed, crossing her arms with a smile.

"Yay, yeah! Scars and burns." Kate, the last one to arrive and be noticed, muttered softly before all eyes landed on her.

What followed was routine, as everyone groaned quietly at the sight of her and Kate rolled her eyes, counting mentally until someone threw the first insult her way.

"Who let useless Bishop in?!" Eli shouted furiously, looking at her with disdain.

Ding, ding, ding, ding! Bradley takes the first point in "despise and then insult Kate Bishop."

"Leave her alone, Eli!" But fortunately, if there was someone who hated that game, it was Peter, who immediately came to her rescue, pushing the other boy before approaching her. "Are you okay?"

Kate smiled as best she could, shrugging. "It’s not the worst thing I’ve been called."

Before anyone could say more, Bucky stepped forward to get the kids’ attention. "Alright, let’s begin. The recruit who does the best in the coming weeks will have the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the whole village."

"Kate already killed a dragon, does that disqualify her?" John joked, resting his axe on his shoulder.

Everyone chuckled, except for Yelena, who smacked her friend on the back of the head. "Don’t be an idiot, Walker."

Kate didn’t even allow herself to feel hopeful, as immediately afterward Yelena shot her an ugly, angry look. Sighing dreamily, she wondered what she had to do to get her attention— you know, in a... attractive way, not as the village’s black sheep.

Beside her, Peter looked at her in disbelief. "You’re still in love with her?" he asked in a low voice, unable to believe it but recognizing the heart-eyes on his best friend’s face. "Kate, you liked her when we were nine!"

"Shh!" Kate quickly shushed him, praying to all the gods that Yelena hadn’t heard and, Thor forbid, that Eli or his friends hadn’t either. Then, after confirming she was safe, she grimaced and confessed with flushed cheeks. "I think I never stopped liking her..."

"Gods, Kate."

Immediately, the girl frowned, pushing her friend as they approached Bucky for the first lesson. "I don’t want to hear that from you. You’ve liked Mj forever."

"Yeah, well, she’s my girlfriend so..."

"Low blow, Parker. Low blow."

"Behind these doors," Bucky pointed behind him. Iron cages, heavy and secure so no dragon could escape from a coliseum. Killing dragons was easy. Capturing them? Only the most skilled could, and they were Vikings, so they brought them here, to train the younger generations. "are some of the many species you’ll learn to fight. The Deadly Nadder," he began to list.

Kate heard Peter mutter softly.

"Speed eight, armor sixteen."

"The Hideous Zippleback."

"Plus eleven in camouflage. Speed two."

"The Monstrous Nightmare." Bucky continued.

"Firepower fifteen."

Kate punched him in the shoulder. "Oh my god, stop it, nerd!"

Peter, chuckling, blushed and scratched the back of his neck, looking at Kate sheepishly. "Sorry."

Kate just rolled her eyes and then threw an arm over her best friend’s shoulders, keeping him close as they kept listening. Unnoticed, a pair of green eyes stayed fixed on her.

"The Terrible Terrors, and the Gronckles." Without further ado, Bucky approached one of the gates and pulled the lever.

"Wait, you’re not going to teach us?!" Ava shouted, quickly grabbing a sword.

"I believe in learning by doing." Bucky shrugged, crossing his arms before leaning against a wall. Once the gate was open, a Gronckle shot out, flying straight toward them. "Today is about survival. If the dragon burns you..." The Gronckle flew over them, and immediately the teens scattered, running toward the weapons or shields scattered across the coliseum. "You lose. Alright, quick. What’s the first thing you need?"

"Uhm, a doctor?" Kate shouted, quickly preparing one of her trick arrows. Without wasting time, she aimed with her bow and fired.

Unfortunately, Kate still wasn’t great with moving targets and the Gronckle dodged, causing her arrow to open into a net and, instead of catching the dragon, trap Cassie.

"Ugh, Kate!" the girl complained, pulling off the net.

"Oops, sorry, Cassie!"

"A shield, we need a shield!" Yelena shouted, earning a nod from Bucky.

"Quick, everyone, a shield!" Bucky smiled, watching all the kids grab one. "The shield is a key piece, if you ever have to choose between it and a sword, always go for the shield. It could save your life or someone else’s, believe me."

"Ava!" Yelena shouted, seeing the Gronckle prepare a shot and aim at her friend.

John, who had been nearby and noticed too, didn’t hesitate to dive and push his girlfriend out of the way, taking the fireball on his shield.

"John, out!" Bucky shouted.

From the ground, John saw his shield catch fire and threw it away. Beside him, untouched and still in the game, Ava looked at him in disbelief. "Always the hero, huh?" she murmured, getting back up.

John, sitting, smiled and extended a hand, hoping she’d help him up. "What can I say? I like it."

"Oh no. Sorry, but I need to win this now." Ava winked at him, leaving him there before running off.

John watched her dreamily until Bucky grabbed his vest and shoved him outside, where he could keep watching his teammates from behind the bars.

"Here’s a tip: make noise, as much as you can, it tends to disorient dragons!" Bucky shouted. Immediately, everyone started banging their weapons against their shields. It seemed to work, as the Gronckle began flying erratically. "Every dragon has a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"

"Five?!" Eli shouted.

Peter smiled, raising his hand. "No, six!"

"Correct, six. One shot for each of you." Almost as if the Gronckle was listening, it spat fire at Peter and Cassie, disqualifying them.

"Cassie, Peter, out!"

Eli, who had gone back to banging his axe against his shield, ended up angering the dragon who then aimed straight at him and Eli wasn’t fast enough.

Ava and Yelena exchanged a look, and with a single nod, they agreed.

Ava ran, making noise to get the Gronckle’s attention while Yelena aimed with her axe. The moment she threw it, it was too late, because the Gronckle had already fired at Ava, disqualifying her.

"Terrible aim, Belova!" Ava shouted, laughing as she left. Yelena grimaced, as in the end the axe only hit the dragon’s leg, enraging it.

Kate appeared at her side, as sneaky as ever, and handed her another axe while still holding her shield and with her bow on her back. "So it’s just us left," Kate murmured weakly.

Yelena looked at her surprised before turning to see the dragon approaching. Without hesitation, she ran. "Nope, just you."

"Kate, pay attention!" Bucky shouted, but it was too late. The dragon spat, disintegrating Kate’s shield, leaving her no choice but to run until she was cornered against a wall.

The Gronckle boxed her in, opening its huge mouth full of teeth, and Kate watched in absolute horror as a fireball formed in its throat.

Then an axe sliced through the dragon’s head, bloodily dropping it unconscious. Kate blinked in horror, desperately wiping the hot blood dripping down her face.

"Sorry, Kate." Bucky apologized, pulling the axe from the dragon’s corpse. "I didn’t get there in time to pull it away from you."

Kate just nodded dumbly, staring into the dragon’s lifeless eyes staring back at her. "It’s okay."

"Everyone will get another chance, don’t worry. You did well for your first time, Ava and Yelena even came up with a plan. You just need to learn to play as a team," Bucky explained. The teenagers looked on in awe, taking every word seriously now that they had seen the White Wolf in action. "Just remember, a dragon will always... go to the kill. That’s why we must do the same."

Hours later, deep in the forest, Kate lifted the nets she had used to trap the dragon, and thought out loud, confused.

"Then why didn’t you?"

Chapter Text

Kate frowned, starting to follow the trail of broken trees and crushed bushes. Maybe she was tempting fate with this, but curiosity had always been strong in her and she had always been too weak.

"I just hope that when I die, Cooper burns my notebook." Kate shuddered, imagining the teasing she’d receive if anyone ever found the sketches of Yelena she sometimes drew absentmindedly during her shifts at Bucky’s shop.

She knew she was getting closer when she found golden scales and quickly picked up a few, quickening her pace. The trail ended in a valley with a lake. It was deep and beautiful, but the most striking thing was the golden dragon desperately trying to fly out of there.

Kate tilted her head, approaching the edge to observe, then took out her notebook and began sketching it. She had never seen a dragon like this, golden as sunlight and missing an eye, now also unable to fly despite having two large, healthy wings.

"Ah..." Kate realized, glancing at her drawing and then back at the dragon. Half of its tail was gone. "That’s why you’re not leaving."

Wounded, more than he already was, that dragon wasn’t meant to live longer than he already had. Even if no one ever found him in the depths of the forest.

Kate pressed her lips together, quickly erasing the tail in her drawing, then watched him try to catch a fish from the lake. Even if he managed to, he would starve once they were gone. That dragon was truly doomed.

Suddenly, the dragon spat fire at the ground and Kate jumped, dropping her pencil. The dragon seemed to notice the noise, turning his head until his single eye locked on Kate. The girl shivered in her skin, quickly standing up before turning and running. It was going to rain anyway, and she didn’t want to get caught in it.

In the end, the rain caught her.

Soaked, Kate went to the common dining hall, where she found all her classmates and Bucky having lunch. Trying to go unnoticed, Kate shook her head like a dog to get the water off and then went to get food.

"What do you think you messed up today, mmh?" She heard Bucky ask while pretending to choose what to put on his plate.

"I miscalculated my jump. It was clumsy." Yelena answered bluntly. "I ruined my spin when I hit."

"It was still a good try." Cassie consoled her.

"No, no. It’s okay to be hard on yourself, it makes us stronger." Bucky said wisely, then in a sharper tone, he asked, "Now, what do you think Kate did wrong today?"

Kate shrugged. Of course Bucky wouldn’t let her skip out today.

"That she didn’t even show up." John huffed, playing with his food out of boredom.

"That she didn’t get eaten." Eli mocked quietly, earning a smack on the back of the head from Bucky.

"Careful," the man warned him.

Kate just glanced at them sideways before sitting a few tables away, not far enough not to hear them, but far enough that no one would throw food at her face. Peter wasn’t there for some reason, and they wouldn’t hesitate to be crueler, at least Eli and John.

Softly, after a moment, Yelena responded. "Kate Bishop is never where she’s supposed to be."

"Thank you, Yelena." Bucky nodded. "Kate thinks she can reach the finish line without taking the long road. Well, she’s wrong." Before Kate could even complain, Bucky dropped a heavy book on the table. "I want you all to read this by tomorrow and know it by heart. The dragon manual. Everything we know about them is documented here. Looks like there won’t be any attacks tonight, so I expect you to study it."

Without another word, Bucky gave them a nod and left the dining hall.

"Wait, all this for tomorrow?" John complained, eyeing the book warily.

Ava rolled her eyes. "I already read it, I’ll give you a summary."

"Think we can join?" Eli asked, pointing to himself and Cassie, who was nodding repeatedly.

Ava shrugged. "Sure. It’s not complicated, they’re all dangerous and you have to go for the kill."

Suddenly everyone went quiet when a shadow fell on the table. Kate, still soaked and with water dripping from her hair, looked at them awkwardly before fixing her eyes on the book. "Do you know where Peter is?"

Cassie was kind enough to answer while Eli huffed and walked off, and John and Ava blatantly ignored her. "Morgan caught a cold, and he left early to see her." She explained. Morgan was Peter’s little adoptive sister, had been for five years, ever since Peter turned nine and lost his aunt in one of the most devastating dragon attacks they had ever suffered.

Morgan’s father, Tony, who had also been practically a father to Peter, had died in that attack too. Many had suffered losses in that event—Eli lost his grandfather, Yelena her older sister (who happened to also be Clint’s best friend), and John lost his best friend. The list goes on, the losses were too many and their village never fully recovered from that attack. It left behind too many orphans, since most of the kids at the time were around nine or ten years old.

Kate had lost her parents even younger, but it had hurt just the same, and she had a lot of sympathy for the other kids.

"Thanks, Cass."

Cassie nodded, giving her one last glance before following Eli. "Where are you going?"

"Teddy’s house. Wanna come?"

Kate stopped listening because John got up from the table followed by Ava. "We wanted to go to the forest with Bob, but since they wouldn’t let him, we’re going to egg Val’s house instead." He explained, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend while raising an eyebrow at Yelena.

"Want to join us?" Ava asked excitedly.

Robert "Bob" Reynolds was another of the orphans from the attack. The boy had been taken in by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and his life had been a bit of a nightmare since. Valentina had seen Bob’s potential as a dragon hunter and, with no training, decided he was good enough to help in attacks—even though he was only a year older than Kate. Bob was only sixteen and had a lot of issues.

And, besides, he was Yelena’s best friend.

"I’ll catch up later." Yelena murmured, playing with the rest of the food on her plate.

Both teens nodded and left, leaving only Yelena and Kate, who finally gave in and dropped into a chair before silently opening the book. When Yelena didn’t even look at her, she awkwardly coughed into her hand and gestured to the other girl.

"Do you, uhm... want to share it?"

"I already read it." Was the blonde’s blunt reply, because of course she had already read it.

"Cool... I’ll just read it myself then." Kate nodded, feeling her face flush as she began flipping through the pages one by one, searching for something even remotely like the golden dragon in the valley. As she expected, there was no such dragon, not a single record, and Kate wondered what that could mean.

Could it be the last of its kind? And how had no one seen a dragon like that in seven generations? Or how had it managed to survive to adulthood missing an eye—?

Seeing that Kate kept flipping through the pages without really reading, Yelena commented, "If it’s that hard for you to concentrate, maybe you could ask your boyfriend to explain it to you."

Kate’s head shot up, mouth open. "Excuse me?"

"Peter," the blonde clarified, as if each word wasn’t like a slap to Kate’s face. "I’m sure he’s read it like, a hundred times."

Letting out an undignified groan, Kate shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, Peter... He’s not... Peter and I, we never..." But Yelena simply raised an eyebrow and Kate felt like she might die of embarrassment. Had the girl she’d been in love with forever really just asked her if Peter Parker was her boyfriend? "We’re not dating."

"Are you sure? Everyone thinks you are."

"Who told you that?!" Kate shrieked, staring at the other girl in disbelief. "Because it’s not true, Peter is dating Michelle and I don’t..! I don’t..." Kate felt her voice crack and lower. Ashamed, she looked away and finally confessed. "I don’t like... boys."

"Oh." Yelena whispered, then winced. "Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed anything."

Kate groaned, dropping her head onto the old pages of the dragon manual. "It’s okay." She murmured, voice muffled. Then, timidly, she raised her head, resting her chin in the middle of the pages and looked at her with curiosity. Maybe it was too bold, but this was the most they’d talked in years and Kate wasn’t one to waste opportunities. No, Kate was the kind to dive headfirst into everything. "But since you asked me that horrible question... what about you?"

Though bitterly, Kate prayed to the gods she was wrong.

"Me?"

"You know..." Kate bit her lip, looking at her intently. "You and Bob..?"

"Oh, no." Yelena made a face. "No, no, Bob and I... He’s like a brother to me. He has been since, well, you know."

Natasha.

Yelena didn’t say it, but Kate understood. "Of course."

Yelena gave her a faint smile, looking at her with amusement. "... You just made me think of disgusting things, you know that, right?"

"Now you know how I felt when you asked me about Peter." Kate pretended to gag, sticking two fingers in her mouth. "Not very cool."

Yelena laughed, looking at her with a sparkle in her eyes that hadn’t been there before, in her, in anyone Kate had ever talked to, really. Suddenly she wondered what Yelena saw to look at her that way.

"You’re funny, Kate Bishop." Yelena admitted softly as she stood up. Then she gave her a quick glance and shrugged playfully. "I have to save Bob from Valentina now. See you tomorrow?"

Kate felt herself blushing to her ears. "Yeah. I mean, sure. See you."

Kate counted mentally as Yelena left. Once she was gone and Kate was sure she wouldn’t come back, she let out a squeal and started flailing her arms and writhing in her seat, completely red-faced. Completely ecstatic. "You got it, Bishop! Oh gods, Peter’s not going to believe me."