Faith, Heart and Skill By Panda-kun
"How do we defeat such a savage?" "Faith, heart and skill, in the end there can be only one." Connor McLeod and Juan Ramirez regarding the Kurgan.
The hunter becomes the hunter.
Victor Creed, Sabretooth.
He is one of the greatest hunters ever to stalk prey on this Earth.
He is my prey.
I am John Smith. I am also known as the X-man Bengal Tiger.
I am hunting the hunter.
I am hunting the monster that killed my family.
I had a chance to get him over a year ago, at Scott and Jean's wedding. I had been startled by Creed being in mansion. Even more startled to learn that he was a guest. Out of respect for Scott and Jean he decided not attack Creed.
That was then, this is now.
None of my fellow X-men, not even Kitty, knows what I'm up to. I wasn't planing on hunting Creed. I had come back to Seattle on business. I caught his sent after coming out of BioTechnic's world headquarters. I shed the outer layer of John Smith to reveal the Tiger underneath.
Then I followed him.
Unconsciously my hand moves down to the hilt of Excalibur.
I have had the sword for over three years. In that time I have never used it to kill. Most of his teammates were proud of the fact. I am proud of the fact.
I wish there was some other way.
Years of training enable me to follow Creed unseen. Hanging around Logan, Kitty, Kurt, and Ronnie one picks up some things.
I wish I hadn't thought of my friends. Logan would understand why I was doing this, Kitty, Kurt and Ronnie wouldn't.
I close in on my prey, hunting like my namesake.
I make sure to be careful. According to Kappa, Seattle wasn't a good place to be seen in uniform.
Adrenaline began to pump through my system. I take a second to calm myself down. Fighting with emotion could get me killed against Creed.
Creed has to die. I am sure of that. After all the pain Creed had caused to me. Killing my family. Their deaths plunged me into alcoholism.
It was fair wasn't it? Eye for an eye, life for life, blood for blood.
I move into position. I draw my sword from the ancient scabbard.
Truth and justice are on my side, weren't they? In the back of my mind a pictured formed, Kitty shaking her head no.
Kitty, my girlfriend and better part of my soul, Ronnie and Kurt, the closest thing I have to older siblings could they forgive him for what I am about to do? Would my family forgive me? Would I be able to forgive myself?
I look down at Creed. So smug in his superiority. So sure no one can stop him. He deserves to die doesn't he?
A voice that suspiciously sounded like Kitty spoke in the back of my mind.
"Does the need for vengeance justify you becoming what you hate most, a killer."
With a final look at Creed I let go. Letting go of the hate of the man. Eventually Creed would pay for his crimes. But it won't be me that stoop to his level to do it. I sheath my sword and heads back to my house. Activating an image inducer so I can move freely among the rest of the people of Seattle I leave the shadow of death. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Creed looks up to where the Tiger had been.
He had known the whole time that he was being stalked.
He was in Seattle on business. He didn't have the time to hunt the runt. But if the runt attacked him, then well he could take the time to kill him.
He knew why the runt wanted him dead. Sinister had briefed him all about the job two years ago. Creed didn't care then or now that it was the family of an X-man.
"It's too bad you didn't attack kid. I would have loved to see your face when I told you why Sinister had me attack your folks. See you realize what really happened. Then I would gut you and you would die with that thought racing through your head," Creed said to himself.
The kid took the name of a tiger, but Creed was a bigger tougher tiger. A true killer. In the end there can only be one killer.