#[ edited a teeensy bit so its not tied to mcu specifically

[salvagedsouls]

( v. howling to be free | born werewolf!bucky )

the first time it happens he almost kills someone. he’s a kid and angry, then seconds later he’s a wolf with his teeth about to sink into their throat; if terror at himself hadn’t kicked in due to the screaming behind him, it would have been far worse. in less than a minute he’s gone from nearly becoming a murderer to bolting outside and through the streets, desperate to get out of the city. by pure luck it occurs at night, and the few that see assume him a stray dog. eventually, he’s lost somewhere wild. goes until he can’t smell or hear humans and their noise through the foliage and other animals around, because he doesn’t want to get caught. doesn’t wanted to be hunted. worse, he’s stuck. every creak of branches puts the young wolf further on edge, and the first terrified howl he makes is enough to scare himself even further. he doesn’t want this, he doesn’t want to be some kind of monster, especially not the kind that shouldn’t even exist. it can’t possibly exist, and yet he’s….here. digging claws into softened earth, looking for a place to hide, the furthest from home he’s ever been. alone. it takes almost a week for his ma to track him down. a whole week on his own, half-starved because he didn’t know if giving in to the want to hunt would make him worse or mean he couldn’t change back. and he’s more terrified upon seeing her than he had been through the entire rest of the ordeal, until he recognises her. bucky makes a pitiful whine in the back of his throat, shuffling anxiously around to try and express how much he wanted to not be like this so he could go home already. it takes her less than ten minutes to finally calm him down some, to start leading him back home. the only stop they initially make is at a safe place to shift back and put on fresh clothes, and she takes the rest of the journey home to explain to him the truth. wolves by nature she had said, not minding one bit that he held tightly to her hand the entire way back. a gift passed down through from her mother’s people, and one he had bloomed into late enough she had thought he didn’t have it until he’d run off, one that was meant to protect both them and the people they love. she also tells him it is meant to be kept a secret, because people fear what they do not know or understand. and she promised him that having this gift didn’t make them monsters, just as their faith didn’t.                               and he, as always, believes her.

            bucky is a natural wolf, also known as a born-wolf. he was the only of all four barnes children to shift at late childhood, so his having the ability is a genuine surprise for both his parents, though his mother knew of the possibility. the girls had an easier time adjusting, since they started young enough to not be more than generally confused about shifting back and forth, but bucky was almost ten before the first shift. he was also unaware of the "family secret" until after his first shift, so he felt very left out at first.

his mother worked diligently to make sure they all knew control of themselves and their power, and it wasn’t unusual for family outings to be somewhere relatively secret and safe so they could run around free for awhile, to be used to both their forms. bucky remains apprehensive for a long while, but once he realises he can tell when steve is beginning to get sick or someone needs something, he’s fully embraces the dual nature to take care of others as best he can.