Ororo rose out of the lake water as the morning sun began to rise. The water was cold, but that never bothered her. Moving up the bank to where her towel was waiting, she sat on it and began the slow process of combing out her wet hair. Eyes fixed on the horizon, her thoughts wandered as she watched the sunrise flush the sky with color.

The move to the wilds last year had certainly gone far smoother than she had dared to hope. Of course, much of the credit for that had to be given to Logan and Rahne. And she had to admit that even Sabretooth had done more than his fair share, albeit grudgingly. While Logan had whole-heartedly accepted the 'new' Sabretooth, Ororo couldn't separate the way he had been in the past from his current actions. For one, she still had problems with believing the changes to be genuine. And even if the changes were real, the price that had been paid was far too high. The deaths of Jean and the Professor still weighed heavy on her spirit.

Shaking her head as if to shake free of the darker thoughts, Ororo turned her mind toward the past year again. By all reasonable indicators, their fledgling colony was doing quite well. Even better, there was every sign that they were moving past surviving to thriving. The first year had been a hard learning curve, but even the least 'wood-wise' among them had learned how to gather food as well as which plants could be used for medicinal purposes. Small gardens were now being cultivated with the most popular plants in hopes that they would be able to grow and preserve enough to help balance the almost all-protein diet of the winter months.

Even better, soon they should be able to start adding milk products back into their diets. Logan and Sabretooth had come across a tiny herd of dairy goats that had escaped their farms and gone feral. Through no small effort on their parts, they managed to capture most of them live. Constant effort from them all now had the goats mostly back to their old domestic habits and any day now, the first kids should be born to increase the small flock. Then they would be able to milk the nannies – maybe the more scientific ones among them would even be able to figure out a way for them to make cheese with some of it.

Laying back and rather enjoying the feel of the still-dewy grass against her bare flesh, her eyes were vaguely focused on a small cloud above her, but her attention wasn't on it. Her thoughts were still on the colony – and the fact that the goats were not the only ones carrying a new generation. It had likely started before, but during the summer months when food was plentiful enough that gathering didn't take all of their energies, pairings began to form – some for just a brief tryst, some moved to stronger ties. Logan and Rahne were the first to make a commitment – which had taken Ororo off guard. Having known Rahne as a young teen, she hadn't really noted that red-haired shape shifter was well past girlhood and definitely a woman. And a woman who had become a talented tracker and hunter in her own right. But one admittedly a bit hampered right now with her expanding waistline. Twins from all indications.

The only real rumbles in the group came from the not infrequent clashes between Sabretooth and Logan. Not that that was a big surprise. They were both alpha males to the extreme – highly opinionated. And in most of the clashes, there really wasn't a right or wrong – just a difference in how things should be done. In fact, it was beginning to look like the best solution was going to be to divide the group into two. Which, oddly enough, Sabretooth and Logan both seemed to feel made perfect sense. And once Logan had sat down with her and explained his views to her yesterday, Ororo had to admit it did hold some advantages.

For one, the two groups would be far enough apart that it would be difficult for an enemy to effectively attack both at once, but the if one did come under attack, the others would be near enough to come help – and in the process, trap the enemy between the two. There were others items, but they all basically boiled down to one fact – two cooperative groups would be better for all in the long run than one large group.

"So. How long are you plannin' on ignorin' me?

His voice, momentarily seeming to come from nowhere, startled her as she cursed herself internally for allowing her guard to drop so thoroughly. Even without seeing him, she knew it was Sabretooth. While many of his and Logan's speech patterns were similar, Logan's voice always had a canine undertone. Sabretooth, on the other hand, was all cat.

Raising herself up on her elbows, she was somewhat surprised again to note that he was just as damp – and unclothed – as she was. To cover, she took the tact of being irritated.

"I had been trying to have some quiet time to myself."

Sabretooth's tone was both unconcerned and unapologetic.

"Must've missed yer 'no trespassing' sign, godgirl. So – you gonna tell me what it is 'bout me that pisses you off?'

Part of her had to acknowledge the validity of the question – it wasn't as if they were in a huge city and only came across each other occasionally. Another part simply didn't want to be bothered.

"I have no intention of discussing that with you."

"Now or ever?"

"Ever."

"Fine."

But instead of leaving, he simply dropped down to the ground near her in a purely feline boneless grace. And continued to watch her.

After a few minutes, the silence got to her and she broke it with a question.

"Exactly what do you think you're doing?"

"You won't tell me what th' deal is, so I figure I'll study you at close range until I can figure it out fer myself."

Scowling, Ororo deliberately laid back down.

"And what have you figured out from your studies so far?"

"Just th' obvious, I suppose. You don't trust that I'm different than how I was when we first met. An' you blame me fer Grey an' Xavier dyin'."

He knew he had regained her full attention without seeing the crystal blue eyes focusing on him sharply. He knew it from the sudden 'tang' that added to her scent.

"While I was involved in their death, I don't really see how you can pin that one on me. Not like I asked either o' them t' be up in my brain. Certainly not like I asked th' Purifiers t' set off those bombs either. Whole bunch o' mind-witches that were nowhere near me died that day an' in th' days that followed."

Ororo didn't acknowledge that externally, but it was a truth. Especially with Jean. It had, after all, been because of her severe reaction to a death that Jean had become a student of the Professor in the first place.

Taking her continued silence as agreement, he continued.

"So – that leaves you not trustin' that I've really changed. Know why Logan trusts it? 'Cause he knew me before. What happened in-between? No idea, Don't even really care. Me an' you gotta lotta things in common, but one thing's different. You seem t' dwell a lot on the 'coulda-beens' and shoulda-beens' in life. Not me. I stick more t' what's here an' now, though admittedly I do keep half an eye toward what's comin'."

That got a rise out of her.

"We have nothing in common."

The heat is her voice was either not noted (unlikely) or ignored (very likely).

"Yer lyin' t' yerself or oblivious then."

"Really? Name one thing we have in common. Not counting mutancy."

"Can give you three without even thinkin' hard. One – we both hadda start takin' care o' ourselves young."

Her eyes were on him again, but she didn't deny it. She had indeed learned at a young age that life could be cruel. Her hard expression remained, but after meeting his eyes, she had no trouble in believing that he had learned that lesson in his youth as well.

"Two – we both have known hunger. Not that 'I hadda skip breakfast an' now I can't wait fer lunch' crap. Real hunger. Where yer guts ache so bad that you can't sleep. That gnawin' hunger that won't leave you alone."

Her silence spoke for her again. Those days were blessedly far behind her, but she still could vividly recall the days when finding a stale heel of bread was like finding a great treasure. She didn't need to study his eyes this time – his description alone told her he'd known those feelings as fact as well.

"Three – we both got the wild at our core. Part that will always be more at home right here. No walls. No fences."

Her silence lasted another long moment before she broke it.

"I concede. Correct on all counts. I suppose the thing that remains for me to ask is what difference that makes."

"What difference?"

The look he gave her was one she would only have expected from someone over a sudden change – say, her hair going purple. But his tone betrayed that what had surprised him was more internal. It suddenly dawned on her that he thought she was being naïve and was going to have to spell out something he felt should have been obvious.

"We'll be splittin' into two groups soon. I want you in my pride."

Ororo still wouldn't consider herself naïve, but she was being to wonder if she was being oblivious to something. His simple statement was not expected and she was finding herself contending with a wide mix of emotions. Curiosity, intrigue, suspicion – and some amusement as well. The latter was due to noting that Sabretooth had adopted Hank's method of referring to the two future groups – Logan's pack and Victor's pride. For reasons she had yet to fathom, Hank was among the very few that could get by with calling him by his first name without a growl – or at least a dirty look.

"Why me?"

Now she found herself on the receiving end of a narrowed gaze – he was apparently trying to figure out if her question was serious or if she was messing with him. It seemed a long time before his expression shifted to a frown.

"Yer th' one I want guardin' my cubs."

It took two beats for the full implications of that sentence to dawn on her. To guard cubs, there must be cubs – and one thing he and Logan had in common….. no, he couldn't be serious. But when she slowly studied him – his expression and his body language – she knew he was perfectly serious.