Disclaimer: I do not own/associate with X-Men nor any of the fictional characters. This is merely just a fanfiction.

A/N: I might be in hiatus until mid-December! I'll try to update (inspirations and scenes just non-stop filling my mind and I can't resist the temptation of writing), but upcoming major exam is around the corner! (And I've spent a few days writing this FIRST chapter instead of studying)

- Chapter One -

Wolf's Instinct

Summer wind was blowing unusually stalwartly. Delicate green leaves and cherry-pink flowers were dancing away from the tree branches, with those dainty little rupturing sound which were almost inaudible. They were leaving the trees for another place, a better place. It was a titanic building with evenly distributed reddish brown bricks (with a few prominent light beige coloured bricks) and dark grey rooftop (built with chimney holes). The whole structure of the university-alike building consumed almost approximately the area of 5 fields. In front of the building, was a huge roundabout and at the centre of the roundabout, was a magnificent fountain, which was still well-functioned. This place was surrounded by the concrete-like forest. If a person was to visit this building, the most effective way to travel was through the airway. Of course, cars, jeeps and sometimes motorcycles were used by those who lived in the building, but only those who could recognise (very accustomed with the entire location) the route were able to drive in and out of that area, or else, they might got caught in the middle of the forest, lost. There were a few incidents where the people who got lost in the woods were never found.

There weren't many people staying in the building, at least not this time of the year. Most students were sent back home to their families. It was in fact the summer break. The young mutants who were admitted as students of the school were asked to live in the building, as it was a more efficacious way, which students would not need to travel all the time (which was really bothersome, considering the route to the school was rather onerous). Besides, all expenses of the school was defrayed by the dean (he was also the founder and the headmaster) of the school.

In one of the balconies of the school, there was a man, staring across the sky so intensely, as though he could see through the atmosphere and gazed upon the enigmatic universe outside of the Earth. The sun was shining unswervingly upon his bald gleaming head. He was resting on an advanced electric wheelchair, which he could control at ease with just a move on the joystick attached to the wheelchair. He placed his fingers onto his forehead. His eyes squinted a few times. His fingers acting like antennae, moving so gently on his right forehead, clicking and typing, to receive a distorted dispatch delivered from a concealed location. He could hear faint voice calling his name.

"Professor Xavier? Professor, is that you?"

"Yes, I am Professor Xavier, Elena Hart. How can I help you?"

And the conversation through telepathy started between the two telepaths. Yes, Xavier did remember the girl who sent him this unforeseen message. He had communicated with her a few times, but was rejected when he suggested her to be admitted into his institute - Xavier Institute for Higher Education, an institute for teenage mutants, which in Xavier's knowledge, people with the X-gene, which bestowed them the unique specialities and abilities.

Within half an hour, Xavier had reunited the senior mutants into his chamber via telepathy. Storm aka Ororo Munroe, one of the mentors of the institute, was halted from reading a book titled "Mutants and Humans" which mainly discussed about whether humans and mutants could live in serenity together or to battle 'till either one of them extinct. Although she was gripped into reading the book, she placed her book onto the table tranquilly, using her coffee-milk coloured hand to sweep her white silver hair to the back of her ear, before leaving her room and headed towards the professor's chamber.

Meanwhile, a man, with curly short hair painted in dark brown, was punching over a sandbag in his bedroom. Each punch from his knuckles was potent and fervid; his eyes were burning with those indescribable blazing flare, akin to a bonfire where it was burning at its zenith. His turbulent look was covered with droplets of sweats whereas his white tight-fitting singlet was drenched, as though he just came out from swimming. Even though he had received the telepathic message delivered by Xavier, he paid no attention and cared the least for it. He continued to walk to the bathroom and took a long shower. After wiping his hair wantonly in a rather untamed way, where he stroke each strands of his hair with such rampant force, causing his dark curly hair to become more unkempt and tousled as compared to usual. Then, finally, he made his way to the chamber.

As he pushed the door opened, all voices were muted and the people in the room had their eyes fixed to the laggard.

"Straggler," the man wearing a pair of shades (anyone could barely see his eyes under the shades) spat grouchily. He was Cyclops aka Scott Summers. His position in the school was the geometry/leadership and tactics teacher. He used to be the model student of the institute who excelled in almost everything, and Xavier had always known that Scott would become a terrific leader. Scott had his back lying on the wall beside the door, his hands were crossed.

Both of these individuals' relationships were never improved.

"Shut up, four-eyes," he replied rancorously, with a grimace. Scott was about to counterattack before Jean Grey raised her voice.

"Logan!" she exclaimed and widening her emerald eyes. Though she only called out a name, her eyes were flaring at the two men, who were acting below their ages. Her crimson scarlet hair slithered gracefully as she turned her head towards the two men, before turning back her attention to Xavier and her hair gently collapsed onto her shoulders.

"Everyone's here now, let's start," Xavier announced.

"Are you going to assign us on a mission, professor?" Storm presumed.

"Yes, Storm," the professor nodded his head firmly before continuing. "I have just received a message from a young telepath saying that an organisation has been amassing mutants by abduction. It seems like this organisation is trying to-"

"Telepath, you mean, a mutant?" Logan voiced out, cutting the professor's line bluntly.

"Yes, Logan," Xavier continued with placidity. "As I was saying, the organisation may be trying to engage an attack by-"

"How do we know if this mutant is reliable? I mean, aren't you being rather gullible, professor?" Logan asked, delivering a sense of mockery.

"Logan!" Jean exclaimed once again while jerking at Logan's arm.

"Stop cutting off the professor's lines," Scott added, followed by a hefty sigh.

"Stop being so fucking annoying, Scott," Logan rolled his eyes and diverted his attention back to Xavier. He was anticipated with the pendant reply.

The professor raised his eyebrows, but the words for lecturing just wouldn't creep out from his lips.

"Let's just say, I trust her."

"Not convincing enough, prof. Do you even know her?" Logan continued to post questions.

"Professor, I know Logan may be a little over apprehensive," Logan let out a soft rumble. "But we are a little concern with this mutant that you're speaking about."

"I did communicate with some other abducted victims and see through their visions, feel their agonies, listen to their dreadfully desperate lament for help… Shall I continue elaborating their torments or do you prefer to continue with your protest?" There was a long pause before Xavier emphasising, "Logan?"

Logan swallowed the lump in his throat slowly. He avoided the eye contact with the professor who had a genius-level of intellectual.

The professor pierced a slight smile on his face. "Great, good luck, my X-Men. Here is the coordinate of the location and the number of victims."

The coordinate of the location was displayed on the computer screen in the chamber, with the illustration of the location, including some images of the surrounding, from plane view, and the topography of the location. It provided remarkably handy and constructive information to the X-Men members, who had been intensely ogling at the screen, reading and memorising. Then, they started planning the mission. The whole planning session was led by Scott, who had always been the leader among the members, with tremendous leadership skill and strategic skill. Although what he had suggested was often squabbled austerely by the man who never meets the eyes of Scott at the same level – Logan, the planning session had worked out a strategy, where Scott will lead a group to the west wing of the location while Logan will lead a group to the east wing (partly due to the tiff between the two leaders and this would be the safest way to avoid any unsought hindrance – more fighting).

All of them gathered at the hangar after having changed into their respective X-Men costumes, which were clingy black rubber suits, long sleeves, with huge X signs tailored in front of the chests, and black metallic belts with another yellow circled-X signs surrounding their waists. The costumes were similar, except for Storm, whose costume slightly differed from the others, where hers had a dark silver cape behind her back. The costumes were heat and cold resistant, and were highly durable.

As they jumped into the X-Jet aka the Blackbird, Storm and Scott sat on the aviator seats, whereas the others found their way to the passengers' seats. They fastened their seatbelts; Storm and Scott were busy pressing onto numerous buttons to turn on the X-Jet. Both of the latter wore their pilot headsets. The needles of the various types of metres showed readings, which Scott and Storm had nodded lightly after their examination, as indications that the jet was in a pleasing condition. They could feel the X-Jet being lifted up as Scott was pulling a joystick. The ceiling of the hangar opened automatically like a digital gate. As the X-Jet flew at the direction of the opened ceiling, Logan looked out of the window (he chose the window seat), just below of him now was the basketball court, which was located directly above the hangar. No one was in the basketball court (which was atypical because basketball court was the place students hang out the most) because alarm and announcement were released so that the basketball court was vacated. Some of the students, who remained in the school, were staring at the X-Jet as it sped with a whiz and disappeared from their sight. Their mouths slightly opened at awe.

There were 5 X-Men in the jet. There were Scott, Storm, Jean and Logan. The 5th member, who was yet to be introduced, was the blue furred ape-like mutant, Henry "Hank" McCoy, who was nicknamed as Beast. He was the science and mathematics instructor of the institute. Despite of his beastly inhuman appearance, Beast was brilliant and humane. He was the medical doctor and the person who had designed the X-Jet. Sometimes, he would spit out his witty sense of humour.

"You're still not positive towards the professor's approach towards the mission, aren't you, Logan?" Jean asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"You could have read my mind instead of asking me, you know," Logan uttered with his husky voice. He raised both of his eyebrows.

"You do know how much I value privacy," Jean stated bluntly, sounding a little upset. "But if that's the case, then-"

"I'm just… I just don't feel right. It's just a feeling, that's all," Logan quickly interrupted before it was too late. He never meant to enrage Jean; he thought he was just flirting.

"Wolf's instinct, I see," Beast commented with a smirk.

"Shut the shit up, fur ball!" Logan yelled back, with his three dangerously sharp and firm claws growing from his right knuckles.

"I wouldn't fight in this jet if I were you," Beast replied scornfully.

"Control your temper, Logan!" Jean cried as the sharp claws almost strike her face.

"Sorry," Logan immediately countermanded his actions (or what he planned to do) after learning his mistake and swiftly revoked his claws.

"We've reached," Storm announced as she continued to press on a few buttons and some of the green lights on the dashboard were blinking.

The X-Jet descended unhurriedly on an empty land surrounding by woods. The base of the X-Jet descended until it inclined onto the ground, acting like a platform. The X-Men marched out from the X-Jet. All of them scrutinised their surroundings. Logan was busy sniffing around to sense if there were any abnormities.

"We'll go as planned," Scott commanded. "Jean and Beast, you'll follow me; Storm, you'll follow Logan."

The X-Men nodded to Scott and the two teams parted their ways. Logan sniffed all the way to an ancient dungeon-alike building and was archaic. He wasn't sure if it was a dungeon or a prison, but it was certainly apt for confinement. The building was hidden in the forest, where trees grew taller than the building, shielding the building from being visible from the top view (as shown in the image illustrated by Xavier's computer). The building was made of old bricks, which supposedly looked tenuous and uninhabited, yet Logan could smell humans' scents, all kinds of smells; perspiring, horrified, perplexed, deceived… Logan was quite convinced that there were many people in this ancient building.

"You think this is the place?" Storm asked Logan while marginally admiring the ancient construction.

"Think? I don't think. I'm sure," Logan grumbled as he walked into the building without a second thought. Storm was about to halt his doing but she realised that she might ruin the plan; if she halted him, he might go ballistic and get frenzied, then things would not go as planned, and not just Logan was to be blamed, but she too, would be faulted. Hence, she thought rationally and worked things out lucidly, and most importantly, to prevent Logan from making all kinds of threatening slips.

Logan, on the other hand, wasn't thinking very astutely. Yes, he was shrewd and cunning when it comes to combats, but not when he was supposed to be invisible and inaudible to his enemies. He tended to boast around his existence by slamming doors exuberantly, walking with bulky steps, hollering like a fierce lion, etc. He was vociferous. This time, he did try a little effort in amalgamating himself with the silence and still air, but not for long. After passing the third security post, he accidentally gave a thud towards a glass which eventually shattered with a loud "Kriang!" At the instant, the alarm was signalled; about 10-20 men appeared in front of Storm and Logan.

"Shit," was the only word slipped through Logan's mouth,

The group of soldiers rushed towards Logan and Storm, holding all kinds of firearms securely in front of their chests. As they were about to pull the triggers, Logan had already hopped and landed behind of them, his claws which extended from his knuckles started to assail frantically by charging forward and slashing them with his claws. One by one, the men fell down.

Even though Storm couldn't use her powers, which was manipulating weather by altering the weather for attacks, her highly-skilled hand-to-hand combat came in nifty for now. She kicked away the submachine gun holding by one of the soldiers with her right foot, while on the other hand, she sent a few punches to the other man. Then she continued to send a few kicks to the first man.

Some of the soldiers started shooting franticly due to terror and panic, they even shot their own people. Logan quickly sprang himself towards Storm when he heard the bombarding.

Receiving a few gun shots, Logan moaned boisterously. "GO!"

Storm nodded and quickly left the scene, leaving Logan behind. Logan ceased moving for a moment, taking a short break so that the bullets shot into his body were slowly shoved out when the cells in his body regenerated. The guards paused their shooting as they assumed Logan was dead. They walked towards him, and sent him a few kick, then realised the bullets were pushed out from his body. Their jaws fell almost to the ground. Logan rolled his body and sent each of them a snobbish simper. Before they could think of a way to escape themselves, Logan's rapid attacks sent them to meet death. Logan patted his shoulders lightly and stroked his hair a few times before walking towards another chamber.

The other teams were doing better than Logan's. Scott managed to break into the prisons and freed the abducted mutants from the west wing. There were around 10 of them, aged between 13 and 18. The young mutants looked at the three X-Men mystifyingly. Their feet were reluctant to move.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you," Scott assured, but the victims still did not reply. Scott exchanged expressions with Jean. Jean read his mind and knew what Scott wanted her to do. She was thinking the same, too. So, she went into the pool of minds of all the victims, to learn that the kidnapper had convinced the victims he was going to help them in gaining knowledge about their own supernatural abilities. However, from what their minds told Jean, they had never seen the kidnapper before. They had only heard his voice, and his voice was quite a common voice in the United States of America.

"Somehow, I think the man who is behind of the abduction has brainwashed them. Do you think that I should use my mind to control them? But it isn't really…"

Scott sent her an agreeable nod after hearing her telepathy. Jean, who was still in qualm, still doubting her own judgement, Scott then grabbed at her hand which casted her courage and self-confidence. "The professor can help them."

After hearing what Scott said, she placed a smile on her face with a nod. She concentrated copiously and gained control of the victims' minds. Beast was the first to leave the scene to ensure no one was passing by. He gave signals to them when the route was clear. Suddenly, the alarm rang (caused by Logan's accident). The X-Men amplified their footsteps and accelerated their paces. Still, they could not avoid battles.

"Jean, leave with Beast and the kids. Leave these people to me," Jean nodded and quickly ran away with the others.

Scott released his ruby-quartz laser from his visor by pressing onto a button at the side of his visor. The laser was so strong that it cut the ceiling and the bricks fell onto the soldiers' heads. Scott then left the event and headed towards the X-Jet.

As he reunited with Jean and Beast, he looked around to find the absence of Storm and Logan.

"Do you think they were the cause of the alarm?" Scott asked agitatedly, as it did seem quite fitting for Logan's profile – a trouble-causing person.

Jean and Beast replied Scott with apprehensive looks. They were frowning; Jean was even biting her lips. The two did not want to assume for the worst, but they knew Logan too well to not to disagree with Scott's belief.

"If they weren't coming out for the next five minutes, I'm going to-"

"Going to what, Scott?" Logan asked while finally stepping out from the building. Storm and the other abducted mutants followed behind. "Going to leave us behind and run for your damn life?"

"Well, to your disappointment, I was thinking the opposite way," Scott fired back. "But it's a good idea and next time I'll consider of that."

"Can the two of you continue your fighting in the jet? They just turned on the self-destruct mode," Jean stated the lines with a calm tone, but her face was petrified.

The X-Men then stepped into the X-Jet. As Logan was about to step onto the platform to the X-Jet, he started sniffing, and sniffing, and sniffing… It was not the sweat smells from the soldiers or smell of fretfulness from the victims.

"What is it, Logan?" Storm asked while turning her head towards Logan.

"We missed one," Logan continued to sniff. "Where's the mutant Professor X mentioned about?"

"None of them from the east wing," Jean shook her head.

Storm looked at the young mutants she rescued. They were baffled.

"I don't think she's among them either," Storm told.

"But we only have 30 minutes," Jean told in a terrifying tone.

"Damn," Logan cursed. He then dashed into the building once more, this time, following the scent he sensed. He actually sensed the smell since he went into the building and thought she was rescued until he was outside of the building, the intensity of the scent reduced to almost zero. Straightaway, his mind snapped.

It wasn't because he wanted to rescue the mutant so badly that he went back into the building, in fact, he didn't want to save her. He had always had this bad feeling after Xavier mentioned about her. Yet, he wanted to know who this mutant was, that the professor had gained such vast trust on. It was the curiosity in him that drove him to get back into the building and follow the scent. He continued to sniff as he walked. The sniffing helped him to locate the mutant's position. His sense of smell was never wrong and was very outstandingly precise. The scent led him into a room, which was locked digitally. Logan released one of his claws and with a light scratch, the electronic lock was instantly smashed and the door opened automatically.

As Logan stepped into the room, he saw a man was sent flying and his body hit the wall, then he lost conscious. Logan raised an eyebrow, and a "Wow" slipped through his lips. He turned his face to the owner of such force. The owner was a she. She had a blunt fringe and the hair was wavy short black hair that was tangling just above her shoulder. She was wearing a white thick hairband with an oversize rose ornament. Her eyes were radiant grey in colour. The shapes of her eyes were relatively indescribable. They were so well-shaped, like those drawn in comic books (or bisque dolls' eyes, for a clearer illustration), very smoothly round and big, with long black eyelashes and a pair of fairly thick eyebrows, which slightly curved upwards and dropped a little at the end of the eyebrows. Her plain white t-shirt was stained with dirt, so was her face. She was sitting on the ground with her back lying on the wall. She stared at Logan, startled.

"I suppose, you're the kid who contacted Professor Xavier?" he presumed. She was relatively young (maybe around 18), but he had an intuition that she possessed quite well of her ability. When he thought well, he meant more than well.

She nodded, and added. "I'm not a kid."

"Whatever, kid. Just get your ass up from the ground," Logan told gruffly, and then he left the room. When he realised she wasn't following him, he turned his way back to the room.

"What is the problem now, kid? What? Do you want an apology for calling you 'kid'? Do you want a free piggyback?" Logan was exasperated.

She rolled her eyes at the infantile act of Logan. "First of all, I do have a problem, sir. Secondly, I don't need your apology (I might get killed while asking your apology). Thirdly, yes, I think I need… no, I must have a free piggyback, because I can't feel my legs due to the injection of some kind of anaesthetic that had numbed my legs. And do you know why they injected drugs to me, because I was trying to run away-"

Before she could finish her lines, Logan had carried her by her waist and her numbed legs, as though carrying a feather-weighted object. He didn't have to consume much energy. His robust body had proved that he was one hardy and strong man. As she was in his embrace, she could smell his manhood scent, or perhaps, it was his sweat. Whatever it was, she wasn't feeling rather comfortable with the scent. It was a little like… wolf's smell.