Disclaimer: No I don't own X-men or anything associated with X-men. I do, however, own this plot and all original characters.
Spoilers: This takes place during X-men 3. It has no set timeline within the movie and probably will not follow the movie that closely.
Half a Heart
Chapter One
The sunlight filtering through the leaves cast what would have been a happy light over the forest floor were it not for the dark purpose of those who camped upon that leaf strewn floor. The birds and other forest animals had long since fled the site of the encampment, frightened away by the number of humans that had taken over their land. The forest, thus, sat in eerie silence which was broken only by the spattering of conversations that broke out over the encampment, each in a whisper for fear of their leader hearing their secret grumblings and doubts.
With cat-like stealth, a young woman, her face hidden in the green shadows of the forest, stalked her way through the trees, her dark eyes searching. She saw through heightened color, seeing every little detail on the smallest leaf on the earthen floor below her. Her nose was turned towards the tree tops, searching out anything that did not belong. However, with a forest full of mutants, that was easier said than done. The scents of nature and mutant blood mingled to create a heady scent. Her eyes snapped to her left at the sound of a twig snapping. A body emerged from the shadows, shifty eyes meeting hers.
"Your watch is over." The man that approached her snapped. "Get back to camp."
She didn't stay any longer than necessary. As soon as the words left his mouth, she disappeared into the shadows.
How long had this been her life? How long had she been moving in and out of the shadows? Was it really only two weeks since she had come to join the Brotherhood, as the band of renegade mutants was known as? Time had become jumbled ever since she had entered the encampment. She barely knew when one day was over and another had begun.
Two weeks was how she had been there, and two weeks was all it took for her to forget her former identity and be known only as Felyne- the mutant girl who can melt into the darkness and take on the characteristics of any cat-like animal. Her former life was nothing but a blur, and all she knew was what the Brotherhood, or more importantly its leader- Magneto- told her. Felyne hadn't ever seen Magneto personally, but she knew what he said; his commands always made their way quickly through the encampment of loyal followers.
Felyne quickly returned to camp, eager for the break from keeping watch. It seemed as if her life had become nothing more than a trivial system of keeping watch and sitting around the camp eating whatever dreadful food the mutants could cook up. This was nothing like how she had pictured her life with the Brotherhood. So many tales had been told about Magneto's group of mutants; tales of power that would make your blood run cold. Yet Felyne had not seen even so much as a glimpse of power. All she saw, day in and day out, were ragged looking mutants who looked no better than common street thugs.
I'm no different, she thought as she looked down at her own scuffed boots, leather pants, and fashionably torn shirt. She had joined the Brotherhood camp in much better attire, but had quickly gotten rid of the clothing in order to fit in with the rougher looking group of mutants. The clothes that she had worn upon her first entering the camp were safely hidden away in her tent, awaiting the day when she would once again bring them out into the sunlight.
Pushing aside the flap of her tent, Felyne entered silently. She fell down onto her hard cot and curled up beneath the thin blanket before falling into a deep sleep.
"Mara, what are you doing here?"
The woman stood above her cot, a brilliant light behind her, blinding the young woman who squinted as she tried to make out the face of the woman before her.
"Come home, Mara. Come home." The mysterious woman said, holding out one pale white hand to the girl. The girl stared at the hand; the fingers were so slim, so fragile looking that it appeared that one small touch would break them.
"Come home, my daughter. Come back to me."
The woman began to fade away, the light behind her slowly engulfing her in its blinding affect. The girl tried to cry out, to question who this woman was, but her lips would not form the words, her tongue felt like lead in her mouth.
Felyne sat up, panting for breath. The dreams had been coming at more frequent intervals. It used to be that they occurred only once a day, now every time Felyne laid down to rest the dream would come, and with it, the mysterious woman.
Who was this Mara that she called out to?
Holding her head in her hands, Felyne slowly got out of bed and stumbled out into the camp.
"You look dead on your feet."
Felyne shook her head at the voice as she turned to see her one and only friend in the group of nearly two hundred.
"What do you want, Dart?" She asked the boy.
"Nothing," he replied with a shake of his head, "just thought I'd check on you after your watch."
Felyne started making her way towards one of the cook fires as her stomach began to growl. Dart followed her, his footsteps sounding unusually loud to her sensitive ears. She winced as he continued to follow her; even the sound of his breath was piercing to her poor ears. Her head ached with the effort it took to turn down the sounds around her even just a little bit.
She took a bowl from the stack by the cook fire and helped herself to the stew that sat in the black kettle. It slopped unappetizingly into the bowl and Felyne had to force herself not to throw-up at the stench that overpowered her senses. The dreams always left her feeling sick. Dart sat down beside her, his black eyes watching her eat, taking in the dark circles beneath her eyes, and carefully watching the slight tremor of her hand as it lifted the spoon to her mouth.
"Is there something you want, or are you just gonna sit there and stare at me?" She snapped, quickly losing her patience with the young man.
Since her first day at the camp, Dart had latched onto her. He was two years younger than her, but no one would ever think that he was only fifteen. Not with the jaded look to his eyes and the rough set of his jaw. He had a world-weary look to his face, a wizened look that spoke of seeing sights that no child should have to see. Dart had been with the Brotherhood for three months longer than Felyne, yet he had more recollection of the world outside the forest than Felyne could ever hope to remember. And yet, with all his worldliness, he chose to follow Felyne around like a puppy dog- though sometimes he acted the concerned mother hen and forced her to take it easy or to lie down and rest.
A commotion towards the east end of camp jostled Felyne from her meal. She looked up to see a young man, not much older than herself, walking through camp. His gaze surveyed the other mutants, a look of contempt within hazel eyes. Felyne smelled the hatred wafting off him, so thick that it nearly choked her. But hatred at what, she wondered.
She had never seen this boy before. Yet all the other mutants coward before him as if he were someone of power.
"Who is that?" She asked, turning to Dart.
"That's Magneto's second," Dart whispered back to her, his voice taking on a reverent tone, "his name is Pyro."
Felyne turned her eyes back on the young man and, just for an instant, his eyes connected with hers.
Well folks, what did you think? Please review and tell me if I should continue this story or not. How soon I update will depend on how many reviews I get, so if you want another chapter, and soon, review!