Avengers’ Isle: War Paint

Hello, friends! So maybe I should’ve said this before, but future posts will assume that you know who the Winter Soldier is. If you don’t know and you don’t want it spoiled… 😉 Thank you all so much for all of your lovely comments on last week’s post! You guys are amazing! (New? See past episodes.) 

Fury and Banner made their way cautiously through the forest. They were starting to run out of Fury’s stash of trail mix. Apparently he wasn’t too prepared. Banner was actually a little glad. A limitless supply of trail mix would’ve made him wonder how paranoid Fury was.

Not that he didn’t already think the director was paranoid.

Banner followed Fury as he pushed through overhanging vines. He hated to say it, but he was pretty sure they were getting lost. He cleared his throat. “Fury. If we’re looking for food, shouldn’t we at least be looking at the plants and stuff?”

Fury turned to him almost ominously, staring him down with his single eye. That guy could accomplish more with one eye than anyone could accomplish with two. “You already said you don’t recognize any of the plants. I trust your judgment, and I assume you’ll let me know if you see anything you recognize.”

Banner felt a little sheepish. “Then what are we doing out here still?” he asked.

Fury sighed. “Looking for the others.” Banner stared at him blankly. “I saw smoke last night in the distance.” He turned and continued moving.

Banner hurried to catch up. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the other Avengers. It could be natives, or…” He shrugged. “Anybody.”

Fury turned his eye back on him again without slowing his pace. “Natives, maybe. But most likely not, and probably not anyone else.”

They came across a semi-bright clearing edged with shadows. Fury slowed, his brow furrowed as he gazed around. Banner stuck close next to him. Something about this put him on guard. He didn’t want to hulk out, but he would if needed.

A twig cracked nearby. Both of them froze. There was a quiet whistle, and the next instant they were surrounded by ferocious looking men covered in various colors of paint. “Natives,” Banner grumbled. Fury stepped back behind him a little.

“War paint,” he observed, almost as if he was looking at wax statues of the natives in a museum. “Wonder if they’re cannibals.” He glanced over at Banner. “Feel free to let the other guy out at any time.”

There was a pause as the natives crept silently closer. “Banner,” Fury said, still sounding almost perfectly calm. “What are you waiting for?”

Banner felt fear creep up inside of him. “He – he’s not there. The Hulk… I can’t…”

There was a menacing laugh nearby. “Of course not.”

A like gets you the chance to run into an Avenger in an elevator, a comment lets you eat shawarma with all of them…