Disclaimer : I am making no money from this nor any of my other fics. Blaze and Raven belong to Lamby, Golan belongs to Star, Ilehana Xavier (Vixen) and Ori belong to me. All other original characters are combined creations of Star and myself and should not be used without permission.
A/N: And still the timeline goes on, eh Lamby? It should be noted that Vixen was most disgruntled when I condemned her to being a wolf for life not once but twice (the second time being in Lamby's X-Men : Evolution version of my fic "Guardians of Destiny"). This is my attempt to make things up to her!
Chapter One - Xavier Mansion
These last months, I have led a covert existence. No longer the mighty hunter, this wolf - old beyond a wolf's years - scrounges scraps from dustbins and wastelands to survive. I hide from the world, wandering the streets of this human city alone but with a confidence no other wolf could feel. This is, after all, my home. And from my hidden lairs, I watch over those they call the X-Men. I fight beside them, stalking my quarry and bringing down my prey, lending them my strength as needs must. I would give anything to be amongst them.
I watch him closest of all, the X-Man that goes by the name of Wolverine, but is also called Logan. Once, he was the strongest of us all, his mind clear of doubts and fear. He dealt with things as they came, the past was but a memory……… even when it was a forgotten one. His physical prowess outshone us all, his humour dry but witty, his loyalty clear and true. But now, in recent years, there is a weariness about him that he should not feel, sometimes he sits out in the gazebo and I could swear that tears glisten in those predatory eyes. Sometimes his gaze seems to fix on mine and he will raise his head, as if his nose catches just the slightest whiff of my scent, but I am always careful. I must not be detected.
But why? Why should a wolf - old beyond a wolf's years - care for the fate of these X-Men? Why should I sever myself from pack and kin to observe the ever-continuing war between human and mutant kind? Because, long ago, these mutants were my own kind, my friends, my brethren, my family. I was the first child to be taught by the great Charles Xavier. I was the first mutant to be taken under his wing. I was the Vixen, a telepathic mutant with the ability to morph into mammalian and avian predators, I was the Chosen One, selected by fate and the Ancient Ones to give up my human life so that the Guardians might be reborn. I was Ilehana Xavier, my father's daughter……… and now I am fated for all time to be a wolf.
Even now, as I watch the closest of my friends, he who was my brother in all but blood, as I watch the tears that fall from eyes still hidden by shades that are a comfort to Cyclops in these uncertain times, because he misses my friendship, because he feels lost without the strength of my father's love. As my heart cries out to comfort him, I must cower in my hideout. Unseen and unheard, a ghost wolf, I must go undetected so as not to break my bargain with the Ancients. And yet to see such pain cross his face, to see such hurt torment his very existence, the ache nearly tears my heart in two. But always I will watch them, always I will fight their fights, as long as this ageing body will allow………
But why, when I lost my human - mutant - life over five years ago, did I return only months ago to this city? The answer is simple - because I lost the one thing that kept me strong. I lost my mate and the father of my cubs. He too was a wolf, a telepathic wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. And it was losing him that made being away from home so hard to bear. When he and I were together, side by side, everything made sense and life was so much simpler. Through him, I lived. Even when we were apart, we were connected, never alone from the other. And he was never jealous of my feelings for the Wolverine. Never. It made no sense to his pragmatic wolf mind, that I should remain so attached to Logan, yet he accepted it, never questioning my loyalty to him or our cubs. Dear Ori - may the stars guide him safely to the Hunting Grounds - how much I miss him. He was my balance, my strength in those years since losing my father, my guide. Despite myself, despite everything, I loved him.
Small fires burn as a lone woman meditates on the lawn beyond the gazebo in the dim evening light. My wolf features soften as I watch her, Blaze, her red hair seems to burn with the fire she creates and controls. She is happy at last, I think. Married to the man she has loved for so many years, her child in her life once more, and the gentle curve to her belly suggests that she is pregnant again. The child will go far with such loyal and determined parents. As if reading my thoughts, her hand drops to rest over her belly button, she absently strokes the material of her strappy top. I hear her thoughts as she thinks of my father and I, wondering what we would make of it. He would be pleased for her, looking forward to another youngster running around the place, and I? I am happy for her and Gambit, and so very proud of how far she has come since we first met. She has grown beyond herself and her experiences, she no longer fears herself, and that is the greatest achievement of all.
A twig cracks beneath my paw, and Blaze's head snaps up. I freeze, fighting the urge to further betray my position. She looks about her for a few moments and, seeing nothing, closes her eyes again to sink back into her meditation. The slip is enough to tell me that the time has come to leave. I have lingered here too long, as is usual these long days. Regretfully, I slink away, going in search of a much needed meal. Luigi's bin will be full of scraps and I - I have no pride these days, no stomach for a glorified hunt. I am alone, with neither pack nor family, on the outside looking in on those who are, were, my kin. Though it breaks my heart to merely observe them, I will always do so, for I am their Chosen One, their pack sister, their friend, even if they will never know I am there.
