A.N. This is set after "Turn of the Rogue" and may or may not continue along with the entire storyline (I haven't decided yet). So this is my first X-Men Evolution story therefore reviews and constructive criticism is extremely appreciated.

Rated T unless further noted.

Summary: Professor X has found a very unique mutant, however if she doesn't let go of her dark past, the X-Men might be dealing with a savage and feral mutant with animalistic tendencies. Can she be saved before instinct takes over? Nightcrawler/OC R&R!

Chapter One ~ Recruitment pt. 1

Professor Xavier removed the helmet-like device and read the information of Cerebro's computer screen, his face etched with concern.

Mutant: #45232

Name: Leila Stone

Age: 17

Power: Mandatory Selective Shape shifting

Last Whereabouts: Windham, NY

Approach with caution, this mutant is documented to be dangerous with animalistic tendencies.

Even without meeting her face to face, he could sense the primal instinct that was beginning to take over her human mind. If he didn't intervene soon, animalistic instinct would take over and she'd become a danger to not only herself but anyone who happened to come across her. She'd become nothing more than a feral animal.

"Logan," he spoke into the cell phone, "I need you to do something for me."

Leila's breath came in gasps as she ran through the forest. Her bare feet barely made a noise on the dew soaked ground. Everything about the forest that morning was wrong. The animals were restless, the birds were quiet, and there was an eerie stillness that meant only one thing; Man was in the forest. She climbed a large oak tree that was nearby a rushing stream and waited. Hopefully the sound of the stream would cover up the sound of her labored breathing and the mist it gave off would cover up some of her scent.

"I don't think she's here Logan." An accented voice from below said.

"Nah, she's here. I can smell her." Leila watched as the man below began to sniff around trying to catch her scent.

A voice, this time female replied, "Well I don't think she can go anywhere. There's a large prairie on the other side of the river and town is back the way we came."

"She isn't going anywhere." The large man replied looking up at her, "We treed us a mutant."

Knowing that she was backed into a corner, Leila was ready to fight to the death. She could feel the raw power that was bubbling through her veins. Her heart rate began to increase dramatically as she dug her nails into the bark of the tree. Her teeth were already beginning to grow sharper and more pointed and she could feel her bones and muscles quiver with unspent energy - ready to morph into whatever animal she chose.

But then the youngest of the three suddenly appeared on a tree limb near her breaking her concentration. "Guten Tag,keine Angst zu haben. Ich möchte Ihnen helfen."

Leila's muscles relaxed slightly when her focus was shattered by the blue creature who teleported again until he was right in front of her. The sudden closeness made her loose her balance and she toppled off the tree branch. The sounds of snapping tree branches and the rustling of the wind filled her ears as her legs gracefully absorbed the impact with the ground.

"Furball the goal was to talk to her, NOT to scare her!" the large guy roared which reminded her of an angry bear.

"Sorry about that," a red-haired woman laughed, "Kurt is a little crazy but he means well. You must be Leila, I'm Jean Grey."

Jean held out her hand for Leila to shake but dropped it when all she got was a pointed and confused stare.

"I'm Kurt Wagner, and this is Logan." The blue creature said sheepishly. "So you're a mutant too, ya?"

"Mutant?" she croaked; it had been months since she last saw a human let alone talked to one. "I'm not human if that's what you mean."

"Mutants are humans with special gifts." Jean explained gently, "some of us can move things with our mind, others like Kurt can teleport, some can move extremely fast, and some can even read minds. Kurt and I go to a special school for mutants where we learn how to harness our powers and control them. That's why we're here. Professor Xavier would like to offer you a place with us. You'll be amongst like-minded people who are in similar situations. We all go to school together and we are part of a team known as the 'X-Men.'"

"I'm dangerous." Leila replied firmly as she looked at the three misfits standing in front of her. Sure one was blue and furry but overall they looked like normal human beings…well except the bear-like one. She sensed that there was something animalistic about him for sure.

"I know it may seem like that at first," Kurt replied, breaking her train of thought, "but at Xavier's school you can learn how to control your powers so you won't pose such a risk towards people. I mean look at me, before I met Xavier I was a lonely and mean-spirited person. Now I'm the cute little fuzzball you see here."

"Right…" Logan replied rolling his eyes at Nightcrawler, "Look kid, I can tell that you like living on your own but haven't you ever wanted to go to school, hang out with kids your age, and whatever teenagers do now-a-days."

"I know how to read and write," She replied stubbornly, "and I really have no interest in learning."

Leila kept her face neutral and apathetic through the lie she just told. She actually enjoyed learning but never had the chance – or the courage – to go to school. "Anyway, how do you know I can be trusted?" Leila asked.

"Well how do you know we can be trusted?" Kurt shot back.

"I know that if I was in a fight with you I'd come out ahead, so I'll take my chances."

"Really, would you like to test that hypothesis?" Logan growled dangerously as his metal claws began to slowly retract from his knuckles. But despite the tense situation he stifled back a grin; he liked the girl's spirit and determination.

"Not unless you're willing to die." Leila shot back; her eyes flashing dangerously in the sunlight.

"Ok, so what exactly is your special ability Leila?" Jean asked hoping to steer this conversation into less dangerous waters.

"I'm a shifter" she replied, this time her eyes flashing from her natural blue to a feral yellow. "Animals are my specialty, large predatory animals."

Leila thought she saw Kurt swallow nervously, but the other two remained unfazed so she decided to try a different approach, "Listen, why would you want someone like me on this X-Men team of yours. You obviously have more than enough…power to go around," she replied looking mostly at Logan before she continued, "and besides, I'm not a people person."

But haven't you ever wanted to experience the feeling of being normal – like you're just another teenager hanging out with her friends worrying about homework and boys? See, Professor Xavier believes that both mutants and humans can co-exist together in harmony. He can help you not only control your powers but he can teach you how to assimilate them into human society. No more hiding, no more running, and no more being afraid. You'll be able to be normal.

Leila jumped from the sudden intrusion in her mind and her body tensed up again. Except this time she could feel her control slowly slipping away as the feral part of her mind itched for dominance.

"No…leave now. Please…just get out of here." She choked out as her clothes began ripping as her body molded and changed.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome." Kurt said while grabbing both Logan and Jean and disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke. Seconds later a large cougar swatted at the empty air and took off into the forest.

Once back at the mansion, Logan and Xavier sat outside discussing their options.

"You should've seen her Professor, she's going feral alright. I could smell the fear radiating off of her even when she was thirty feet up in a tree. Of course, the elf popping up beside her like that wasn't too smart either."

"Well I don't think you being there set her off," Xavier replied thoughtfully, "I should've warned Jean about using her telepathic powers on such an unstable mutant."

"Unstable – you make her sound like a mental patient." Logan replied slightly defensively.

"Well not mentally unstable but perhaps emotionally, I did some research of my own and found a circus stationed over in Russia that was run by gypsies. It turns out that when Leila was young, she was sold to the circus and was treated almost like a slave. Unfortunately, during that time her mutant powers became active and she accidentally phased and killed one of the men working."

"Huh, no wonder she has problems trusting people." Logan replied thoughtfully, "She's been on the run from humans for most of her life."

"Yes and for good reason too, but the self-induced exile made it almost impossible for her to control her powers while around large groups of people. I fear Jean's attempt to get through to her startled her so -much that she resorted back to the only thing she knew – her animal instincts."

"Perhaps she'd be more likely to listen to one of us alone. Ya know, maybe we wouldn't be so much of a threat to her."

"That's a good idea Logan; I'll check Cerebro and tell you her location tomorrow." Xavier replied while driving off.

"No wait…I wasn't exactly volunteering." Logan called after him.

"Great…"

A.N. Oh you know what I actually realized, Lelia is a lot like Wolfsbane save for the fact that she can turn into more than a wolf. Ha, I just thought that was kind of funny so anyway…I don't know when I'll be able to get the next chapter up. It all depends upon how well you guys liked it and how swamped I'll be with finals coming up. So please review and tell me what you think. This is my first X-Men fan fic so any input at all would be greatly appreciated!

Translations:

Guten Tag,keine Angst zu haben. Ich möchte Ihnen helfen roughly translates to "Good Day (or hello), do not be afraid, I'm here to help you."