A Fairy Tale Prologue: A Time Forgotten
by Darlin
-xox-
Before there were tales of once upon a time, before even time existed, before all that is now, there was chaos. A land of ice and fire ruled by a creature who thought himself a god. He was the Adversary. And all hid, taking shelter under crags, in crevices and caves, anywhere to get out of the freezing or boiling temperature for it was the Adversary's desire to annihilate all life. In his quest to destroy all, when ice and snow failed to crush the remaining inhabitants of his world, he sent lava and fire destroying all but shelters of rock and stone.
Few survived this hard life but there was a woman the Adversary watched and had come to begrudgingly admire in her struggle to overcome – Ororo the Wind-Rider defied him at every chance, leading her small band of people to safety, always one step ahead of him. Ororo was strong willed and determined to protect those who trusted her. The Adversary appreciated her pugnacious determination. And in her he saw he could create a new world, a new people. But a mate was needed that would be worthy of Ororo.
Now the Adversary had his eye on a man who could create anything his mind imagined. He was called Forge the Maker, a Native American man who was equally strong willed and determined as he led his own small band of refugees as skillfully as Ororo, and therefore the Adversary saw him as a fit mate for her. And so the Adversary moved earth and sky and sea and wind to wend the two's paths so that they met on a rare sunny day in a new forest that smelled of long forgotten spring. But the Adversary made a mistake. He did not see that the Wind-Rider already had a worthy mate.
"W-who are you?" asked Forge the Maker when he and his band of fur covered refugees came upon a tall, brown skinned woman with long white hair and startling blue eyes and a short man that Forge immediately disregarded.
"I am Ororo and this is Logan," replied the woman who held a fur robe around her.
"Ororo the Wind-Rider!"
"Some call me that. And you are?"
"My name is Forge, Forge the Maker they call me," said Forge, standing tall and proud.
"A name I like. I hope we may forge a friendship," said Ororo with a smile that left Forge speechless as he gaped at her.
"We don't got time fer this," growled Logan who was short with black hair and dark eyes. And he stepped in front of Ororo as if he were her guard. "What's your business here?"
"Our business is the same as yours – survival!" returned Forge evenly.
"Then you best be movin' on," directed Logan.
"There is safety in numbers," suggested the Wind-Rider.
"You don't know nothin' about him, where he came from, where he's going, what he wants, how he's survived all this time or why he's here in our land!"
"I admit Logan is right, Forge. Please enlighten us."
Forge glared at Logan who glared back with a smirk on his rugged face.
"I would speak to you in private," said Forge with a hopeful look at Ororo.
"What you would wish to say to me in private you may say now or not at all."
Forge seemed to fight with himself for a moment before he finally nodded and spoke.
"Why are you two out here alone and dressed as you are? How is it that you have survived? Surely there are more than just the two of you!"
Ororo smiled as she looked at Logan for Forge and his band had nearly surprised them during a rare tryst under the sun and rare blue sky. Logan had just had time to secure a fur loin cloth around his waist and Ororo had hastily wrapped the fur they'd been laying on around her. She laughed for she remembered the gentle, sweet day, the touch of her lover, the kisses of love and devotion and the joy of spring, and hope.
"A question answered with more questions is . . ."
"Rude an' evasive like ya got somethin' ta hide. Talk or go," snapped Logan interrupting Ororo.
"We have nothing to hide!" snapped a blue skinned, red head woman and she stepped beside Forge.
"Raven speaks the truth. We were merely trying to stay ahead of a blizzard . . ."
Logan snorted disdainfully.
"There have been countless blizzards. Maker, had you no shelter where you came from?" asked Ororo.
"We lived in a series of caves but surrounding volcanoes we thought long inactive suddenly erupted and the caves were flooded with lava about a month ago."
"When the weather broke," noted Ororo.
He nodded. "We've been headed south ever since, trying to find suitable shelter."
"Well, ya ain't welcome ta ours," snarled Logan.
"And yet this weather will not hold; we all know that, Logan. We cannot abandon anyone to the freezing weather that will come."
"They've survived this long," grumbled Logan.
"We aren't asking for your help," returned Raven.
"We'll continue to survive with no aid from anyone," said Forge. "But, I-I regret that we couldn't get to know each other better, Wind-Rider."
Ororo cocked her head slightly as she observed the earnest man and then, straightening she extended her hand as if in peace. But Logan snatched her hand back and gripped it tight in his. Forge looked at their joined hands and he couldn't help frowning. Reluctantly he turned to wave his small band on but at that exact moment the weather turned. Clouds grew thick and dark, hiding the sun, and the air grew chill, a north wind blew harsh, icy hail. And the rare sunny day suddenly became a blizzard as hail turned to furious snow and the wind howled like hungry wolves.
"That is not wind but wolves and they are close, follow us," directed Ororo despite a growl from Logan.
The journey to Ororo's cave was costly for Forge's group as wolves attacked the weak in the snow storm that swirled about them. In the blizzard, none could see more than a few feet in front of them. And yet Logan whirled like a man possessed, attacking the wolves as ferociously as they attacked. Even so, when they made it to safety less than half a dozen of Forge's people remained. There was no grief, no words to speak over bodies that were torn asunder outside the secured caves, only mere acceptance, for this was their lot in their world.
The small cave they took refuge in was empty but a large fire was blazing in the center. Forge looked around suspiciously, certain that a scout must have seen them coming and had cleared the room of all that had been there. If so then they'd done an excellent job for not a footprint could be seen on the dirt floor. A good way to ambush his people, he thought.
"The tales say you lead a larger band than mine but it would seem it's just you and him." He nodded in Logan's direction.
Ororo started to speak but Logan gave her a look, shaking his head slightly and she nodded in return understanding his intention.
"Our people are further back but you have nothing to fear from us. Though we do out number you there is no reason to be at war. We offer you sustenance and aid and warmth for the night not danger and strife."
Ororo gave Logan an amused smile when she saw her words had satisfied him. He shifted one of the wolves he'd killed on his shoulder and started towards the back of the cave, glad that she hadn't revealed more than necessary.
"He doesn't trust anyone does he?" muttered Forge.
"And you do? It seemed to me that you felt, for a moment at least, that we were planning to attack and possibly rob you of . . . what?"
Forge chuckled. "Fair enough. In truth we have nothing of value, but we haven't survived this long by blindly trusting anyone."
Ororo made no reply merely eyed him disdainfully. His face turned grim.
"Forgive me for my distrust and thank you for your hospitality. I didn't mean to offend you."
But her silence told him that he had offended. She gave orders to two men who came to assist her then disappeared into the back darkness. Soon Forge's crew were seated by the fire and wrapped in extra furs soon feeling lethargic in the warm, smoky cavern with the welcome aroma of fresh wolf meat roasting. Ororo reappeared wearing a fur, strapless dress. She saw that the two men assisting the newcomers watched Forge curiously. Logan was at her side, cleansed of the blood and gore of the kill and he also watched but he had no curiosity, he only wanted this man gone. But Forge ignored them all, speaking quietly with his people.
"Ah, Cecelia, I am glad to see you although I think none are hurt," said Ororo when a woman with skin as brown as hers and carrying a basket of food joined her and Logan.
"I've food for the soul and herbs for any who may need aid," replied Cecelia with a smile.
"Maker, this is Cecelia the Healer and she will see to any wounds your people may have," said Ororo when she and Cecelia brought meat to Forge and his little band.
"We are all unharmed," said Forge who readily took the meat and began to eat.
"What will you do when the storm passes, where will you go?"
"We keep moving till we find somewhere safe. Tell me, Wind-Rider, that man, I've never seen a man kill a wolf with his bare hands before – what is he?"
"He is Logan the Wolverine, and he is of the Wolf clan. I trust no one more than he."
Forge looked at her, trying to read her. "Then why did you take us in when he told you not to?"
"Perhaps Logan is right but no one I meet will go hungry or without shelter when I have the means to help, that is simply my way."
"You are honorable but he . . . he's an animal! The Wolf clan are feral monsters! Why do you put up with him?"
"You do not know Logan as I do! No more honorable man lives! And I would be careful what you say, Forge for Logan can hear you as well as if he sat beside us," said Ororo sternly.
Logan had just sent the two men away and now he turned to look at Forge and across the cave the men's eyes locked. Logan grinned but his grin was full of malice.
"I've heard about you Wolf people, Wolverine and if they're all like you they're not the terrifying creatures of legend," said Forge, raising his voice and causing his own people to turn and look at Logan. They murmured amongst themselves suddenly understanding the kills but also understanding that unpredictable danger sat amongst them.
Logan started toward them, a look of determination on his grim face. But Ororo's words stopped him.
"Logan, no! Maker, you will never speak disrespectfully to Logan or any other in our home ever again! I will not tolerate your ill behavior a second time," said Ororo before walking over to Logan.
"I merely stated what I see as truth. Why isn't he with his feral pack?" inquired Forge who followed her.
"My place is here with Ororo," declared Logan and the meaning was clear to all.
"The two of you are together?" cried Forge in disbelief and chagrin.
"She's mine, my mate, my wife!" replied Logan.
"It can't be!" exclaimed Forge, his face flashing in anger.
"We are bonded for life. I am his as he is mine," confirmed Ororo, her eyes seeking Logan's, her lips curling in a smile full of adoration as she stepped into his embrace.
Logan held her gaze with a look of such intensity that Forge began to feel uncomfortable.
"It's time ta sleep, come on, darlin'," ordered Logan.
"You have furs and food with enough water and firewood to keep you comfortable through the night. Please, all of you, make yourself at home," said Ororo but her attention was no longer on the newcomers as her husband scooped her up into his arms. Forge watched the Wolverine carry Ororo back into an adjourning cave as if no one besides themselves existed.
"A member of the Wolf clan!" cried Fred, an obese member of Forge's group after Ororo and her followers were gone.
"She's with that creature! How could she trust him?" exclaimed another large man with a voice that seemed to shake the very walls of the cave. And he was appropriately named Avalanche.
"Shut up, Avalanche! We don't want them to hear us! He killed his own – those wolves! He can't be trusted! He'll kill us too! You saw how he looked at us!" declared a woman with blue skin and red hair whose name was Raven.
"Wolves are not his pack but men that are more like animals, cannibalistic and cruel beyond measure, who make wolves seem tame, yes, those are his clan. And yet Raven is right. He doesn't want us here. This will end badly if we stay. We must leave at once!" predicted an older woman with gray hair and who wore a bandage over her eyes.
"No," said Forge. "No, we stay. Ororo has given us leave to stay, has offered friendship even and she's the one in charge here. I don't believe the Wolverine will try anything as long as she has welcomed us. No, we stay and learn what we can of this Wolf clan. Perhaps we can use what we learn to our benefit."
"Sssh, they may hear you, they are sure to be spying on us!" warned Raven.
"He's waiting to kill us when we sleep – he filled us with his brethren so we are tired and sleepy!" wailed the obese one.
"Shut up, Fred you blob!" hissed Raven.
"We must leave now!" whispered the old woman who had the gift of foresight.
"Destiny is right, she's always right – Forge, you know this! We have to go!"
"No, Raven. He will not hurt any of you while I am alive."
"He allowed Pyro and the others to be killed by the wolves! He could have stayed their assault! You saw how easily he killed them! We've just consumed that wolf and Pyro or the others!"
"No, don't say that, I'm gonna be sick!" wailed Fred.
"You won't be sick despite that you ate enough for ten men!" Avalanche laughed, a deep rumbling laugh. "Besides, that wolf didn't have time ta digest Pyro even if he was a skinny little thing!" And he laughed again.
"Shut up you two! Listen to me, Forge! The Wolf clan talks to wolves, he could have sent them away but instead he allowed them to whittle down our number!" exclaimed Raven.
"They could have attacked Ororo, I was beside her! If they meant to attack us they would have taken our weapons."
"They out number us and can easily overpower us!" screeched Raven.
"Why would he allow any of that? To risk her being hurt?" retaliated Forge.
"And yet she doesn't have a scratch on her," commented Raven.
"The wind was unbelievable, so strong! The wolves couldn't seem to push through to her. As I said before, why would he chance her being hurt especially if he could control wolves?" retaliated Forge.
"No, I think there is a mystery here that we should look into. If we're to survive a possible battle with the Wolf clan it would behoove us to learn all we can of them and I can think of no better opportunity than this."
"What do bees an' hooves have to do with anything?" asked Fred.
"Fred, it's . . . never mind, it's just me talking fancy again – sorry, I forgot."
"Kill him before he kills us," whispered Avalanche, his voice so low and deep they could barely understand him.
"No, his woman is the key. Forge, kill her and he will be vulnerable. Wolves mate for life. Kill her and he will be weak with suffering," suggested Raven.
"Yeah, let's kill them all while they sleep," said Fred.
"Sssh, speak softer! Have you no fear?" whispered Destiny.
"No one will kill Ororo. I want her," said Forge.
"No, no! Are you mad? She's not meant for you, Forge! Take her and you'll have sealed all our fates! He will kill us all if he even thinks you want her! Can you not see this?" said Destiny.
"I saw the way he looked at you when you first saw her, he saw what I saw too, the way you looked her up and down like you'd found some new prize," said Raven, her anger roused.
"But the way she looked at him, I could feel that she was also intrigued," said Destiny.
"You are mine, Forge and we leave together just like we came!" shrieked Raven.
"I am no one's until I say I am," replied Forge.
"We have been together for so long now! How can you even say that?"
"Because I . . . when I saw Ororo something inside me . . . something I can't explain happened. I-I need her and I will have her!"
Raven glared at her lover.
"You will kill us all," whispered Destiny.
"Listen to her! We're all die here if you want that woman. She's a witch that has you under her spell; it is nothing more than that. No Wolf clan member would be so tame otherwise. What is there to learn here but how we are to die!" shouted Raven.
"Sssh, someone's here with us!" warned Forge.
"I am the Phoenix and Ororo has bade me to reassure you that you are safe. No one will harm any of you, you have our leader's word," a soft, kind voice spoke in the darkness and it seemed to be all around them as well in their minds.
"What – who?"
"A voice in my head!"
"But I heard it too!"
"Ghosts!"
"Who's there? Show yourself! We are not afraid of you. Only cowards hide!" declared Raven, turning all around to find the person who had intruded upon them.
"We will all die soon," murmured Destiny.
"Who are you? Where are you?" demanded Forge.
"I am called Phoenix. Please trust Ororo's word. No one will be hurt this night. You are safe, have no fear, sleep well and in peace."
Just as suddenly as it came, the presence was gone.
"I felt her in my head! That was creepier than thinkin' about eatin' little Pyro!" said Fred.
"Me too! How'd she do that?" asked Avalanche.
"She is a witch! They are all witches and wolves! Forge, you've killed us!" cried Raven.
"They are witches of a sort, perhaps as you and I are, Raven," confirmed Destiny. "But I do not think they are evil. I do not see that they mean us harm – yet."
"But you said we should go! Didn't she, Avalanche?" insisted Fred.
"I did and we must. Forge, the Wolverine will kill you if you try to take his mate and I do not have to be psychic to know this."
"I'll kill you myself if you try taking another woman," snarled Raven.
"Raven, there is no bond between us. I am free to choose the woman I am to bond with and I will bond with her or no one."
"You must realize this woman who was in our minds must be able to actually read our minds, yes, she knows all we say. She will tell Ororo and Logan. I see it. No, it is too late, he already knows, you have sealed your fate," said Destiny.
"I make my own fate," said Forge. "Get some sleep. I'll stand guard."
-xox-
Further back in the cave Ororo and Logan were curled up in a bundle of furs, his arms wound tight around her, her head resting against his chest.
"He wants you," growled Logan.
"He will never have me – only you," replied she.
"I will kill him if he tries anything."
"I believe he has a mate already, the blue skinned woman."
"The way he looked at you – I'm going ta have ta kill him."
"Let us simply send them on their way when the weather turns."
"The weather ain't never gonna turn, Roro, not for a long while."
"I cannot send them away in this blizzard."
"They can die here or out there, don't matter to me which."
"Logan, you will not kill anyone in our home."
"I'll take him outside the cave – kill him there."
Ororo sighed. Logan held her tighter.
"You're mine, no man'll ever take you from me!"
"Ororo, excuse me."
The couple sat up as a woman with red hair knelt beside them.
"Yes, Phoenix?"
"They are in a panic," said Phoenix. "I tried to reassure them that they were safe but I think my mind speak scared them. I'm afraid most of them want to leave now."
"They won't," said Logan.
"No, they won't, not as long as Forge is in charge," agreed Phoenix as she glanced at Logan.
"You know, don't ya, Red? He wants Ro, thinks he's gonna take her from me, don't he?"
Phoenix nodded. "He wants you, Ororo and means to have you."
Ororo laughed. "Wanting is nothing. I am Logan's and that is all there is to it."
"He is . . . determined. It is as if he must make you his or he will die."
"He'll die," said Logan.
"He will be on his way soon enough, my love."
"I'll sail his frozen carcass down the river when the weather breaks," grunted Logan.
"If there is nothing else, Ororo then I bid you goodnight." The Phoenix smiled when Ororo shook her head and she rose, giving them the privacy she knew Logan wanted.
"You're mine," growled Logan and he pulled Ororo on top of him ripping at the little clothing she had on then pushed her down onto their bundle of furs, forcing her lips open as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, gripping her fiercely, pressing into her as if he meant to meld them into one being.
"Oh, Logan!" moaned Ororo as he made love to her.
"That's right, darlin', you know you're mine an' I'll kill anyone who thinks he's gonna take my wife from me," said Logan.
-xox-
All through the night Forge tended to the fire while waiting for Ororo to come to him so sure he was that she must feel as he. Occasionally he yawned sleepily but even as exhausted as he was he fought off sleep knowing she must come. Morning came although in the darkness of the cave with only firelight few would have been able to tell Ororo hadn't shown. But the maker wasn't discouraged even when he finally settled down in a corner Raven had set up for them. Still hoping, desiring, he slept, his backside to Raven.
"Destiny, are you awake? Avalanche, Fred get up! We need to go," whispered Raven as soon as she heard her lover snoring.
"We leave without Forge then for he will not leave without the white haired woman. He has chosen his fate and it is one without us" said Destiny.
"Then it's agreed, we leave without him. Let him stay and die," sneered Raven. "He deserves his fate, that wolf animal man thing will rip him to shreds."
"His fate is sealed."
Avalanche came up to them. "I say we go now, without him. It's obvious he's lost his head over that woman."
"I agree 'slong as we eat first an' grab some food to take with us," said Fred as he joined them.
"Then we're all agreed, good. Pack everything, food, water, all the furs, but be quick and silent."
"But I need ta eat first!"
"Eat as you pack and pack everything you can carry, Fred and that's a lot!"
"No, Raven you must not do this," murmured Destiny.
"It's not like that animal king of theirs can't go out and kill another of his brethren for them to eat and skin. They can easily replace what we take while we are not so fortunate."
"No, Raven you know that is not what I mean!"
But Raven was already quietly approaching Forge. She pulled her knife from its sheath and with both hands firmly around the hilt sunk it deep into Forge's heart. He never woke just merely ceased to be.
"No man casts me aside for another woman," declared Raven as she pulled the knife free then wiped it clean on Forge's fur overcoat.
"We must go! We must go!" cried Destiny.
"Y-you killed him?" asked Avalanche.
"He is dead, and now we are all dead! Why Raven, why did you change our fate?"
"We are alive, Destiny! His stupid lust for that witch would've gotten us killed! Pack up your stuff and let's go!"
"But he wasn't supposed to die! I see this now! He was to live! But his path was different, apart from ours, now you have changed everything, everything, everything!"
"I don't care! We're still alive, we'll survive! Now come on, get your things so we can get out of here now!"
Suddenly they all felt the same presence they'd felt the night before and the same quiet, soft voice spoke within their minds.
"Take all that you desire if it is your wish to go, and go in peace."
"Where are they?"
"Why don' t they come?"
"Are they watching us? The mind witch, can she see, does she know?"
"No, no she does not see, they do not know. She does not intrude on us, she felt our panic only. We are safe. For now. But there is no future after this, no future for us at all."
"Come on, we're leaving now!" said Mystique as she grabbed Destiny and started for the entrance of the cave. The others, obedient to their new leader, kept only what they had in their arms and raced from the warm cave out into the chaos of wind and snow and ice.
"They're leaving," reported Phoenix. She was sitting with her leaders as they all enjoyed a breakfast of fresh wolf meat and flat bread.
"Good," said Logan.
"I cannot feel that the weather has broken," murmured Ororo and she started to get up.
"Sit back down, let 'em go if they wanna! Ya gave 'em hospitality, don't go beggin' 'em ta stay," snapped Logan.
"Logan, I cannot let them go without . . ."
"Sit down," reiterated her husband and taking hold of her arm, he yanked her back down beside him.
Phoenix got up and wandered to the entrance as Logan sat his meal aside and pulled Ororo to him.
"You ain't responsible for them, Ro, you're only responsible for me an' ours an' I need you – I want you now." He took his wife into his arms, got up and carried her back to their private recess and made love to her while Forge's dead body laid not five hundred feet away.
-xox-
Ororo slept after their lovemaking but Logan was restless and couldn't. He carefully removed her arms from around him so he didn't wake her then got up and dressed. He started for the front of the cave but he stopped and turned to look back at his wife. There was such peace on her face and contentment. None of the running and hiding and the fighting had taken that from her but when he held her and when he made her know she was his and his alone she always slept more peacefully, more contentedly and that alone gave him a taste of what peace and contentment were in this harsh land. He leaned down, touched her cheek and was surprised when her hand caught his.
"Do not harm Forge or any of his people if they are still here, my darling. Promise me."
Every muscle in his body tightened. If he gave his word he would honor it no matter what. What he promised her he would do even if it killed him. To promise not to kill Forge felt as if he were promising to kill himself instead.
"I love you, Logan and there can never be another man for me, you know this."
Yes, he knew but something about Forge was all wrong. Something about Forge would change them somehow. He couldn't find words to explain. He wasn't a talkative man, not articulate at all, but he trusted his gut instincts and he knew Forge needed to leave in order for him and Ororo to be happy.
He knelt beside the woman he loved, still clasping her hand, and he forced himself to acquiesce with a simple nod. She smiled, lifted her head and kissed him. He would have made love to her again but he knew she was still tired and so he left her to doze. If he couldn't kill the man he would send him away, alive if possible, wounded if he resisted, but go he would.
"He's dead and the others are gone," said Phoenix when she saw Logan enter.
He walked over and looked down at the body. One would have expected him to smile with relief but he was not relieved.
"She won't believe you did this, Logan. There's just one stab wound."
The Phoenix's words now brought relief.
"Something's not right, Logan. I feel . . . strange. There's something about this man, some power but not within him just about him, around him, something dark and yet he was pure of heart or was before this presence about him . . ."
"He wanted Ro, he got what he had comin' to him."
Phoenix said nothing as Logan picked up the body and carried it outside the cave. She heard the horrible thud of the body as it landed somewhere, not far, in the frozen wasteland to be found and consumed by wolves. She would have asked him to bury Forge but she knew it was pointless to make such a request of him. His mind was a fury of emotions. He wanted to kill, maim, hurt, ravish, take – he wanted his woman above all. Phoenix remained silent as he went back to Ororo.
"The weather has changed," remarked Ororo when he sat beside her as she washed up.
Logan said nothing. He helped her dry off then took her in his arms. With only firelight to see by she was still preoccupied with the change of weather, certain of what she spoke of as her husband's lips sought hers. But it was too late by then.
They heard a scream. It was Phoenix.
"That's Red, sounds like she's hurt bad," said Logan as he got up from their makeshift bed. He helped Ororo up and they quickly dressed but by then a roar sounded and with it came a blast of almost unbearable heat that filled the cave. And more screams. People fled past their leaders running deeper into the cave.
Someone cried a warning, "It's lava! Lava in the cave! Run!"
"Everyone get to high ground and head toward the rear!" commanded Ororo, her soft voice now booming like thunder.
Logan took her hand and together they climbed up the side of one wall, higher and higher and then unto a narrow ledge, all the while urging the others to follow suit. Some ran blindly on, their screams as the lava overtook them horrifying and yet nothing none of them hadn't heard before. Ororo gripped Logan's hand harder as the air grew thin and the heat below them from the fiery river below threatened to suffocate them. They shed furs as they went but Ororo ordered that they hold onto them not knowing what they would face once outside in the elements again.
They wound their way on the little path above the cave floor until they came to a rope hanging from the roof of the cave. Logan tugged on it with all his weight and when it held he made Ororo go up first. Those who had joined them waited as she shimmied up the rope as if she did this all the time. There was a burst of cold air that blew in as she pushed the trap door open. The rope, tied around a boulder, still held but it had frozen solid. The weather was worse than it had ever been with hail and lava falling both from the sky.
"Is it safe?" called a terrified woman who held her baby in her arms.
"We will be safe in the desert caves," replied Ororo as she came down.
"We're going to die just like Phoenix!" sobbed the woman.
"Then she is dead," murmured Ororo.
Logan wrapped Ororo in his arms, held her for a short moment then turning to their followers said, "Red can take care of herself."
"But I saw her, the lava – she was washed away, burning!" cried another terrified soul.
"The Phoenix will rise again, she always does," said Ororo firmly. "Now, as we have had some relief from the heat, take a moment to rest. It is almost a day's journey to the desert caves and we must make it in this heat although perhaps one of the exits will be free of this weather."
They were soon moving again, following her because she sounded so confident that there was safety to be found. It was nothing new. A long, arduous journey, unbearably hot instead of insufferably cold this time. They struggled on, their stoic leaders giving them faith. And the elements raged against them inside and outside, its fury begun from the moment the little god had seen Forge's lifeless body discarded like refuse on the snowy ground. And all his rage was in the storm. He had not foreseen Raven's jealousy, had not even considered it for she had not been Forge's mate for they had never bonded, Forge had never wanted her like that. And the longing that the Adversary had put into Forge's heart for Ororo had only been enhanced by the man's real desire for her. But the Adversary had not counted on Forge being so blatantly stupid. And in his fury of being thwarted the Adversary unleashed his fury upon the world, determined to kill them all now even his Ororo, his chosen one.
But he would soon find Ororo and Logan were unstoppable. They made it to the desert caves that were joined with their previous home. Occasionally they checked escape hatches along the way, Ororo somehow forcing the boulders with winds that let in relieving cold bursts of air. They found their shelter untouched by lava and stocked with food and water and warm furs. Those that had listened and followed Ororo and Logan survived. They were safe.
After a few days when they came out from an escape hatch in the desert cave the Adversary raged and threw snow and hail at them but they had long grown accustomed to this environment and they welcomed the change from the arid dessert air. And when Logan took his wife that night under the stars as if taunting the Adversary the god threw rain and lightning and thunder at them but Logan and Ororo both laughed as they thrilled in the beauty of the cold rain, the boisterous sky, breathtaking as it lit with strike after strike. But the Adversary did not have the heart to strike the brave Wind-Rider down. And for once he wished that he were human, that he was Logan, a man of flesh and blood to take her as his.
For long months afterward the weather was mild. The Adversary was exhausted, no true god he. He was spent with rage and envy. He could think of no other plan but to destroy this world. But he would have Ororo. And yet to have her with what man? He could not tolerate the Wolf clan, they were not worthy. Dumb, instinctual creatures not fit to mate. And he would not lower himself to be with Ororo now for he had watched Ororo's stomach grow fat for many months now and this troubled him. Her child would be part goddess part Wolf clan, an abomination with alliances to be reckoned with. The Adversary knew what he must do, he had no other choice.
One night the winds died completely, the snow ceased, and warmth trickled in. Logan and Ororo sat beside each other after making love beneath the stars, her head on his shoulder, their hands entwined.
"We still do not have a name for the child."
"When we see it we'll know what ta call it."
"If it is a girl I should like to call her Phoenix."
"No. I never liked the mind witch."
"But she was a sister to me."
"I never trusted her, always knowing what we thought."
"She knew we loved each other very much and never interfered with us or any of our decisions. What could make you not trust her? Oftentimes she confirmed that you were right and I was wrong as with Forge."
"I never liked the way she looked at me. She always left us exactly when I wanted you, like now." He growled and pushed her down onto the ground, his lips finding hers.
But a scream stopped him. He was up immediately looking around in every direction. And amazingly from his knuckles claws burst out, three on each hand, gleaming bone glistening with body fluid and blood. Forge's people hadn't seen the claws in the blizzard and chaos of that battle but like them he was other than human. He stood above his woman protectively as another scream tore the air. The cry was wretched.
"No! No! It's my clan! They know!" groaned Logan, his stomach sinking and his face draining of color. "Ororo, darlin', ya gotta get outta here now – fly! Get as far away from here as ya can! Fly, darlin'!"
"I will not leave you!" cried she, up and at his side now.
"Darlin', ya gotta listen ta me!" He grabbed her. "They want our baby. They will kill you to get it. Ya gotta run an' hide an' don't ever come back here!"
"No, Logan . . . !"
"Wherever ya go I'll find ya, darlin' ya know I will!"
"Logan, I cannot leave you – I will not leave you!"
"You will for the baby, Ro. I need ya ta do this for him or her. They can't kill me but they might as well if they hurt you an' our kid! Do ya understand, darlin'? I can't let anything happen ta either of ya, I love you too much!"
"I – I . . . oh, Logan please, come with me then!"
"I can't an' ya know it. They'll kill everyone here. I can save some of 'em, Ro. Maybe before I met you I'da left 'em but I cant' now. I ain't that man any more, not since I fell in love with you, darlin'."
"I cannot bear to leave you!"
"Please, darlin', if ya love me, ya gotta go, ya gotta be safe, ya gotta live for me, for our kid."
There was another scream and this time unearthly howls.
"Get outta here now, Ororo – now! Fly!"
"But, Logan . . ."
"Darlin', I can't let anything happen to you! You're all I have, you're everything ta me, darlin', you an' our baby! Protect our baby an' I'll find you, ya gotta trust me, darlin'!"
They looked at each other now in silence. She was unable to bear the thought of being separated from her beloved and neither could he but he knew what was coming and he would rather be without her, knowing she was alive and the baby safe, than live without her because she had died staying with him.
The howls intensified. Logan reached for her hand even as she reached for his. They kissed and then, as her eyes turned as white as her hair a howling wind matched and then over powered the howls of the wolves. And a storm came. He kissed her roughly then pushed her from him and loped off to keep his pack from finding his wife and unborn child.
"I love you, Logan!"
"I love ya too, Ro – always, no matter what." Looking back at his wife Logan saw her lift up into the air. It was a thing of beauty, her long white hair loose and flowing as she rose higher and higher. His eyes watered as he watched her, and his throat grew tight but he turned back to meet his family of old as he let his new family go and somewhere the Adversary laughed.
It had been so very simple. The Adversary wondered why he hadn't thought of this sooner. The Wolf clan were members until death. They had hunted long for Logan, had almost given him up for dead, but the wind had carried his scent to them and what's more, the scent of a child to be born to their clan. If only the Adversary had done this before he'd sent Forge to Ororo then his plan would have worked. Now he blasted the world with all he had, every element fighting to reign supreme. And he sent Ororo away on the winds, far away, to a land of silence and solitude. He laughed at her for she thought the power she had to fly upon the winds was hers but it was but a gift she had that could be wielded by him as he saw fit and so he sent her further and further away,biding his time until he could find a fit mate for her to start the world anew, the way he would have it, a better world with Ororo the Wind-Rider as its mother.
-xox-
Ororo flew on the winds for what seemed like an eternity, never touching land. Where she came to be she neither knew nor cared. Logan was lost – lost to her, lost to their child. Neither did she eat nor drink. Her body failed her, her spirit died. Her child she failed to recall in her agony and grief. Where it was, if it ever came to be she utterly forgot. She forgot all she had known in the constant quiet, and solitude of her bereavement. She mourned for long ages until she forgot what it was that she mourned. And the world was rebuilt around her, a new world growing from nothing, solely for her. And subtly, mysteriously, a lofty palace sprung up for her to rule in, encircling her, binding her, though there was no one there but her.
In time the Adversary, in a sopor after his great temper tantrum had spent all his strength, saw that the maker of the palace had no other power and made no move to aid his chosen one further and so he gave Ororo servants to tend to her, to help sooth the madness that threatened to overcome her. The castle, aloft in the clouds, served his purpose well. He meant to groom her, leaving enough anguish, enough grief to control her, his princess, alone, lost, waiting, but waiting for what she would never know for Logan was as lost as she.
To save Ororo, their child and their people he had gone back to his Wolf Clan and in time his grief over the loss of his mate and child overcame him and turned him as feral as he had been the very first day he'd met his beloved Ororo. The Adversary had won. He believed this with all his heart but he was wrong. The Adversary would soon discover that the fight was far from over for during the countless days that the Adversary waited for the proper mate to groom for his princess he grew grown lethargic and slept. But he waited too long and he found that the palace he had allowed to be built around the Wind-Rider was no longer under his control nor were the lands around her, and that she was no longer his princess drenched in misery forever waiting for something she knew not. The minions he had sent to serve her had become her family and she'd come to love them. And with love came hope. He could not see this for love and hope were alien to him. But he still sensed her emptiness. And it was this that misled him for he could not see that she was slowly healing.
And the goddess Roma laughed at the Adversary, having weaved her magic so subtly that he had never seen that it was she who had control, she who might even win the final battle and thus the war she'd long waged for peace. But though he was still weak he began to form a plan to overtake the world once more. But Roma had a plan too.
"Oh, Wind-Rider when will you awaken and see the truth?" she whispered as she observed from afar a young Asian girl who just might make the world right again. "The girl will do nicely, we will use her."
~To be continued in A Fairy Tale; a Dream Within a Dream~
A/N – The continuing story will be posted separately I think. It's actually finished and only needs editing. This is my fairy tale story that I wrote long ages ago for NaNoWriMo so it's over 50,000 words.