Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. All belongs to Marvel.
X-Men: Eye of the Tigress
Chapter 1 – Her
The black veil of night covers the city of New York with its ominous presence, fishing out with it not only the light of the moon and stars that adorn the sky, but also that of the streetlights, headlights, and those coming from the homes and businesses, the people inside not particularly keen on getting rest at this hour and the hours to come. Indeed, for at least half, if not more than half of the population of the city, if not the state, it seemed their work was never done. Twenty-four-seven, hour after hour, it seemed that their lives revolved around their jobs, for better, or for worse. And that rule in particular seemed no more true for anyone else than for two extraordinary groups of people, whose abilities and deeds were unlike any the world had ever seen, again, for better, or worse.
Unfortunately, the honest work of equally as honest citizens are not the only things that go on at this time of night. Like ravenous predators drawn to already suffering, or even dead, prey, the darkness over New York draws out the worst of its people, who give into their nightly demands to satisfy their sadistic desires. Those who pay close enough attention can hear the shots of gunmen, and the cries of terror. Fortunately, there is one who has paid attention, has heard the cries of the helpless and the spine-shivering shots. Though she may appear to be a bird of prey, she targets the villains of the night, weaving through the dark as easily as a stalking lion. A living shadow, in a world where little light is offered to obliterate them, the woman is known only to criminals and pedestrians alike, as her.
Tonight, as she made her way through the city she reluctantly called her home, she stopped as soon as she heard the distant sound of voices, the words too faint to hear, but the tone clearly menacing. Pressing her back against the brick wall of the building behind her, and keeping just out of the way of the revealing streetlight next to her, she peered ever so slightly around the corner, straining to hear the words. Ignoring the way her heart was pounding from an already tiring evening, she pressed back even harder, as if the effort alone would aid her.
Before long, she started hearing phrases like "load of cash" and "they'll never suspect." And just as she was forming a theory in her mind about the motivations of the people these voices belonged to, she believed she had one as soon as her narrowed eyes spotted what appeared to be a young man and woman smiling and laughing as they walked down the sidewalk together, unaware of the danger that was about to befall them.
But not if she could help it.
The couple continued to walk further down the path ahead of them, happy at the long and lovely evening they'd spent together. But any happiness and sense of safety they might have had immediately evaporated like mist in the early morning when they were suddenly surrounded by three other men once they emerged from their hiding place in an alleyway. They stood tall and intimidating over their latest victims, smiles of sadistic pleasure adorning their faces, and the presence of their sinister natures was so overwhelming it practically emanated from them.
"Well, well, well," the tallest one, obviously the leader, said, "Lookie what we have here."
The woman quickly got behind her boyfriend, who instantly went into defensive mode while the other two chuckled. "What's this all about?" he asked.
"Don't you know not to go walking into parts of town like this?" the leader said as he took one, then two steps toward the man, daring him to challenge him.
"Whoever you are, take our money, take whatever you want, we'll cooperate," the woman said fearfully.
"No we won't," the man retorted, ready to defend her. Looking at the leader with narrowed eyes, he said, "Just leave us alone."
The leader only chuckled in response before turning to the rest of his buddies and saying, "Let's do this job."
The eyes of the couple flew from one man to another, who were all closing in on them. But before any of them could even touch either of them, the sound of someone clearing their throat reached their ears before they all heard a low, feminine voice say in a no-nonsense tone, "They said leave 'em alone."
All eyes of each of the five people instantly turned to the source of the voice, and they all beheld a woman dressed only in black. She wore ankle-high boots, leggings, gloves, and a hooded jacket. But her most noticeable feature was the scarf she wore across the lower half of her face, preventing those who would come after her from figuring out who she was. People like the ones right in front of her.
"No way," one of the gang breathed, his mouth open and his eyes wide with alarm.
"You're not really, her, are you?" his partner asked in a skeptical voice.
The woman raised her hands to the air, drawing attention to herself, her brown eyes clearly teasing them as well as her tone of voice. "You need proof other than what's right in front of you?" she asked. Then, pointing her thumb in the direction behind her, she said in a much firmer yet somewhat polite tone, "Now, I suggest you all do as these decent people want and beat it before I beat you."
Now it was the leader's turn to voice his opinion, which was voiced in the chuckle he released before he said any words. Clearly not as intimidated by this woman as his cohorts were, he strode over to her, hoping to tower over her, and said in a condescending tone of voice that matched the look on his face, "Did you just threaten us?" He shook his head disapprovingly and added, "Oh that was a mistake."
"Oh I'm afraid that wasn't a threat, this is a threat," the woman retorted in a somewhat amused tone of voice, before her eyes narrowed at him and she changed it yet again, "If you don't leave these two alone, I'm gonna beat the living snot out of you."
She didn't take her eyes off of those in front of her, but she heard the sound of him quickly taking something out of his pocket. And judging by the next sound of flicking metal, she didn't need anyone else to tell her that the guy who dared to challenge her now carried a knife.
"Let's just see you try, baby," the leader said in a voice only the two of them could hear. And before another second could pass, he swung the knife at her, intent on making her pay. What he hadn't realized though, was that she was ready, as she often was when confronted with such bullies.
She jumped back in a back handspring, knocking the weapon out of his hand and into the air. As he reached his hand out in an attempt to grab it back, the woman clad in black took hold of his arm, turned around, and with a grunt of effort, flipped him over onto his back. As soon as he hit the concrete ground, he let out a surprised groan, signaling at the other two to attack.
One of them hurled himself on her from behind, wrapping his arms as hard as he could around her. But his face twisted in pain when the woman jabbed him in the ribs, once then twice, before she turned around and through a punch, nailing him right in the jaw. She then heard the third roar as he headed toward her. Knowing he'd try to grab her, she ducked down on all fours on the ground, making him tumble in a heap in front of her. He quickly got up and tried again, one of his hands in a fist, ready to strike. But she grabbed his wrist, spun around, and hit his face with her elbow. She then punched him in the stomach, and finally knocked him off his feet with a low kick.
She turned toward the first one, the leader, to see if he would try anything. And he did. He hurried to his feet and rushed toward her, his teeth gritted and his eyes full of fury. He tried to throw a punch at her, but she dodged it with her arm. He tried again, but she did the same thing. Knowing she had to take him down though, an idea flashed in her mind, and she quickly put it into action. She took hold of both his wrists, crossing one over the other, and then rammed her knee in his most vulnerable place.
"Ooff!" he howled in pain. But the woman wasn't done. As soon as he bent over, she grabbed him by his jacket, took a few steps back, and hurled him forward as hard as she could, sending him in a tumbling heap at the feet of his cohorts. Then, spotting something out of the corner of her eye, the woman saw the leader's knife on the ground. As fast as she could, she swiped it up into her hand. Then seeing that the leader was about to get up, she hurried over to him, and before he knew it, she was sitting on his chest, her knees on his arms so he wouldn't try anything, her left hand firmly holding his jacket, and her right hand holding the knife.
The leader only widened his eyes when she narrowed her eyes at him, and growled. As she'd hoped, it looked like he was seeing the error of his ways. It seemed his so-called "friends" already had, because one of them, upon seeing her so close to him again, said, "Hey man, let's just get outta here."
"Yeah," the other one agreed, "We don't wanna mess with her." The woman was glad they at least were seeing her viewpoint, but until their leader did, it wasn't likely they would leave. She kept her eyes on him, her hands gripping both his jacket and the handle of the knife hard.
"I'd do as these two say," she said in a low voice, "I was barely trying that time. And you wouldn't like it if I went all out."
They only stared at each other, waiting for the other to voice their decision, for what seemed like a long time, though they both knew it was only a few seconds. What they also both knew was that only one person could give in. But only one of them knew that that person wasn't going to be her. And before long, after nearly a minute passed, the man started leaning forward, making the woman grip both his jacket and the knife even harder.
"Fine," he said in a low voice much like hers, "you win this time. Just get off of me, now."
Happy to oblige, yet not letting her guard down, the woman took her knees of his arms, and stood up, keeping her hands on the jacket and knife while he stood as well. Only when she was sure he wasn't going to attack her again did she let go of his jacket and lower the weapon.
"Get out," she said through gritted teeth. Before she even finished speaking though, all three, including the leader, did as she said. She watched with unblinking, still narrowed, eyes, until they made it to the far corner of the street, and finally disappeared behind it. Only then did she toss the knife to the ground and turn to the couple she'd just saved. Both just looked at her with wide-eyed surprise.
"You guys alright?" she asked, her tone of voice now drastically changed from anger to one of concern.
The man let out a sigh of relief, and began panting as though he'd just run a marathon. "Yeah," he nodded, "We're good."
The woman had her arms on her boyfriend's shoulders, but she smiled a grateful smile at the woman in front of her. "Thank you very much."
"No problem," the woman in black nodded, "But if I were you two, I'd go strolling through safer parts of the city."
Both the people nodded. But then, before anyone could say anything else, all three heads turned to the far corner of a street further down from theirs. Not only did they hear the sirens of the police cruisers, even from where they were, but they also saw the rapidly blinking red, white, and blue lights, signaling their coming.
Only the eyes of the woman in the black hood widened in alarm. She knew very well what would happen if even one cop spotted her. While not exactly famous, she was known of not only by the civilians and criminals in these parts, but also law enforcement. And while not many attempted what she did, vigilantism was still against the law. So not only would her identity be revealed if she was caught, but she'd also face potential jail time. She had to get out of here. Fast.
But there was also the matter of the people in front of her. When they turned back toward her, she said in a firm voice, "You didn't see me."
As soon as the couple both nodded, the woman spun around, and took off, darting around the corner she'd come around earlier, and heading for the closest alleyway in sight. Having lived in this place for almost two years, and having had this persona for almost six months, she'd memorized the way the alleys bent and twisted, and used them to her advantage. Not only did they help her evade police, but they also provided her with excellent cover, along with her dark clothes and the night sky above. She wove in and out, keeping inside them as much as possible. Even when she stopped hearing the sirens in the distance, she didn't slow her pace. She continued to run for about fifteen to twenty minutes, until she caught sight of the fire escape behind her apartment building at the end of the street.
She ran for it, slightly slower this time, before she stopped in front of the opening between the building. She looked out slightly to make sure no one was there to see her. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she dove across, jumped, and grabbed hold of the ladder. Quickly, she climbed the ladder, and then the fire escape, with the precision and skill of an expert athlete, as if she was born to do it. At last, she came upon the window to her room on the third floor. She placed her hands on it, and pulled it open, relieved to find that it wasn't locked, just as she left it.
After climbing through it, she closed it again and locked it. And as soon as she knew for sure that she was alone and safe, she took her gloves, then her jacket off, revealing her blacker than night hair that fell to just above her shoulders. She then took off the contacts she wore, which disguised her eye color, revealing them to be blue rather than brown. And finally, she took off the scarf, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so, and wondering how in the world ninjas breathed in these things. As soon as it was off though, she looked in the mirror to her right, and knew for sure that she had transformed into her civilian identity, Savannah West.
She then turned to the jacket she tossed on her bed, and decided to toss it instead to the dirty clothes hamper. With that thought in mind, two more emerged. First, she realized that with the weather getting warmer, she might have to start thinking about getting more appropriate attire for her alter-ego. And second, after spending a somewhat tiring evening fighting crime, she decided it would be a good idea to hop into the shower.
Savannah slipped into the bathroom, and took off all her clothes. But before she went in, she went to the sink, and washed off all the make-up adorning her face, until she couldn't help but stare at the resulting reflection that met her eyes. With all of it finally off her face, she frowned as she saw what the make-up was meant to hide, something she was sure no one else had. They were markings, ones as far as she knew were unique to her, and ones that took the appearance of stripes, so much so that they almost made her look animalistic. Almost, like a tiger.
And they weren't just on her face. They covered almost the whole of her body, stretching across her chest, torso, arms, and legs. Although they were only a little bit darker than her tan skin, they were certainly conspicuous. Whenever she went out as a civilian, it wasn't unusual for more than a few people to turn their heads once they saw her, nor was it unusual for at least one person to ask her how she got them, the most common question being whether or not they were tattoos.
They weren't. Savannah had them all her life. She knew this because she had the pictures her father took when she was born. Pictures of a striped baby, and the surprised, even shocked, looks of the doctors and nurses. Maybe that was why she was named for the wide plains of Africa. Suddenly though, thoughts of her father and mother made a lump form in her throat, and the faintest of tears form in the back of her mind. In an attempt to escape them, she quickly stepped inside, closed the curtains, and turned on the hot water.
But even as the water warmed her, and she proceeded to wash her hair and her body, the thoughts of her parents would not leave her alone. Savannah couldn't believe it had been almost ten years since that day, the day her life changed forever. Before then, she lived a relatively okay life. Her mother was mostly Native American, with some Black ancestry. And her father was mostly White, with some Asian ancestry. Thus, she was a melting pot of races. And while most of the students, and even some of the teachers at her school were somewhat wary of her, not only because of her stripes, but also her abilities, it was the love of her parents, and her own love for animals, that kept her going.
But one June night, when she was ten years old, everything changed for the worst. Savannah and her parents were driving on a dirt road next to a particularly steep hill, and everything was going fine, until Savannah caught sight of a lone deer in front of them. "Dad, watch out!" she'd cried. She'd then leaped forward and took hold of the wheel, and before she knew it, they were all at the bottom of the hill, her mom and dad were unconscious, and the gas tank was threatening to catch fire.
All Savannah cared to remember for the remainder of that night, if she had to, were the tears that fell from her eyes, and the cries that erupted from her lips, as the paramedics held her back, while their partners tried hard to pull her parents from the car, and the firemen tried just as hard to douse the flames that had become alive and deadly. As for the rest, for now at least, she managed to have it purged from her memory. But she also knew for sure that the reason she'd grieved them so was because she loved them so much, and at the age of ten, she'd made a vow to never get attached to anyone ever again, lest she hurt even more than she did that night.
She didn't have a lot of challenge to it. For the next eight years, Savannah remained under the care of a couple who were in charge of an adopting agency. Certain no one would want her, they decided to take her in. But the husband was strict to the point of being cruel, while the wife only kissed up to his actions. Often Savannah had to do chores around the house while they worked, and if she didn't finish by the time they came home, or do it to the man's satisfaction, she would either be forced to sleep in the garage, or go without food for the evening, sometimes both. And if she dared argue with him, she could look forward to a few good licks from his belt. If there was one thing Savannah had to remember about that horrible man, it was what he always said to her. "Work first. Food later."
And of course, on top of all that, she had to go to school. Now with no one to hold her temper back, Savannah got into more than a few fights, and had been suspended more than once because of them. After a particularly bad confrontation in which she broke a boy's rib, her stepdad beat her and threatened to send her to juvenile hall, making Savannah promise she would stop. It was a wonder she made it through junior high school at all.
But at thirteen, she started learning how to let off her steam, and how to defend herself when necessary, through martial arts. Every chance she got she would watch and learn from the students at the local studio, and managed to keep it all a secret from everyone. It was also during this time that she realized just how different she was from everyone else. Not only did she have her stripes, but she found herself to be stronger, faster, and have more heightened senses than most of her peers. Even now, she could see well in the dark, hear through brick walls, and even had somewhat of a sixth sense, letting her know if something was wrong.
Her high school years were somewhat better, though her stepparents still remained a nightmare. At sixteen she managed to land a job doing housekeeping at the local animal hospital, still carrying her love of animals in her heart. Always, she found them to be less complicated than people, more predictable, and they didn't judge her based on what they saw. No matter how many hours she worked, and no matter how much stress she felt, she was earning her own money, and she was doing what she loved most. She even had ideas about attending college to become a veterinarian. But while her job paid her well, by the time she hit eighteen, she didn't have enough money to go.
She did though, have enough to start living on her own, and that was how she ended up here. It was a small apartment, and she had to pay rent, but it was decent enough, and best of all, she was finally away from those people she never wanted to see again as long as she lived. She continued to work for the hospital, and even started getting actual martial arts lessons. But at the same time she got her black belt six months before, she was also let go from her job. Why? Savannah didn't know, since her boss wouldn't say. Still, while she looked for another job, she also found time to be her. After seeing a homeless man get robbed from a distance, she believed she found a purpose for her martial arts lessons and unusual abilities. Somehow, despite her vow, and the fact that most people throughout her life seemed to fear her, something in her still couldn't see people like that homeless man be oppressed.
Just a week ago though, she finally found a job helping illegally kept exotic animals recuperate at a local rescue. Savannah wasn't intimidated by animals such as lions and tigers. Like any other animal, all she really had to know was how to treat them right, and how to get them to trust her. The pay was even better than her previous job, and if she raised enough, she could finally be ready to attend college and make something of herself. Show all those people who maligned her that she was better than they made her out to be.
All of this passed through Savannah's mind as she bathed, until she finally left the steaming shower and wrapped herself in a towel. After so many long years of facing trials, striving and struggling, it finally seemed as though her life was taking a turn for the better. Despite all of her previous, depressing thoughts, she managed a small, faint smile as she began to dry her hair, looking forward to the following day, when she would start work.
Suddenly though, she heard a strange noise above that which generated from her hairdryer. Immediately, she turned it off, held her towel firmly in place, and hurried to her window. Using one hand to open the blinds slightly, she looked out as discreetly as she could, and her eyes widened when she saw movement in the shrubs and bushes on the left. Her apartment building was located in front of a small forest, which served not only as a hiding place for stray animals, but also criminals. There was a cat who lived around here named Abbie, and Savannah often looked after her, but she was hardly big enough to create this sort of disturbance. Was she?
Savannah had no choice. She had to investigate, and she wasted no time preparing. After drying her hair as fast as she could, she quickly got back into her black clothes, including the scarf to hide her face. Even more quickly, she opened the window she passed through earlier, and climbed down the fire escape the same way she did before, landing on the ground in less than half a minute. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she rushed, as quietly as she could, to the bushes, and stopped as soon as she looked behind them.
Savannah was not a professional tracker by any means, but even she could tell that something, or someone, unusual had been here. All the way up the hill that led to the forest beyond were what seemed to be marks in the ground that could only be left by something sharp. Since this wasn't an exotic environment, an exotic animal was immediately ruled out. But Savannah couldn't think of any other kind of animal that could make these sort of marks, so that left only one other possibility. A human.
But what human had a weapon that could make three small, deep holes in the ground in a row? Three knives were likely, but how long did they have to be to create holes this deep? Savannah didn't know, but she had a feeling she would soon find out. Digging her gloved fingers into the ground, and ignoring the ominous fact that she was going into the unlit forest where she could be attacked from any direction, she began her ascent. As quietly as she could, she made her way up the hill until she finally reached the top, and her ears caught the exact same sound she'd heard before, but closer.
After taking a deep breath, and feeling some relief at knowing she hadn't imagined all this, Savannah began to creep through the trees ahead of her. Using the shadows of the trunks as cover, she moved between them like she did through the alleyways, as fast and as often as she could. Instead of the streetlights now, all the light she had to show her the path were that from the stars and moon above. And instead of the cars that often passed by, the only sounds she heard, other than her own footsteps against the dirt, were those of the hundreds of crickets going through their nightly symphony.
But as soon as she heard that now somewhat frightening sound again, she was back on the edge of her toes, and took shelter behind the closest tree. She was about to call out, "Hello?" but she quickly stopped herself before the word escaped her lips, and betrayed her location. In an environment like this, cover was everything. And with each second that passed with her not knowing what exactly was out there, Savannah slowly started feeling something she often didn't feel when she was out on missions like this. Fear. And that fact alone, seemed to shock her.
What shocked her even more though, was when she finally saw what appeared to see a shadow in the distance. She couldn't make out its exact shape, but she could see it was walking upright, therefore it was a human. And she absolutely did not believe in Bigfoot. Believing she at last found the source of the weird sound though, she also believed it was time to make her move. Holding her breath, she took a step out into the exposing moonlight, and then hurried across the next tree. But as she did, Savannah accidentally stepped into a small hole in the ground, causing her to lose her footing for a brief but fatal second. With even more speed, she ducked behind the tree trunk, biting her lip and hoping that she hadn't given herself away.
All of her hope immediately fled though when she heard a rough, deep, masculine voice call out, "I know you're out there." The voice alone sent a series of shivers up her already nervous spine, but knowing she couldn't flee at the slightest sign of trouble, reminding herself of all her previous victories, she quickly forced herself to remain firm, to not back down. If this person was a threat to someone, she would see to it that this threat was extinguished.
Slowly moving out from behind the tree, and thankful to find that there was a circular row of them without gaps to her right, Savannah moved into that direction. As she did, she saw the shadow move to his left, and then noted for the first time that there was a small open area in the center of this circle of trees. Already an idea began forming in her mind. If there was the slightest possibility that she could bait this guy out of his hiding place by coming out of her own, she was going to do it. And already she was starting to, until she saw that the guy on the other side was about to do the same. And it seemed that his hands, which she could now finally see, had turned into fists.
So, he was intending to fight her the moment she came out. Well, if it had to come to this, Savannah still wasn't going to cower. Throughout her career, she'd taken out criminals of all shapes and sizes, and this one would be no different. Never mind that she didn't have a weapon, her body covered that. And if he had a weapon, she'd right out snatch it from him. There was no turning back now, either she was going to face this fight, or she'd have it come to her.
After taking another deep breath, Savannah formed her own fists, and charged forward in an instant. And she wasn't the only one who did. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that the shadow, which she now saw to be somewhat of a very fit man, was running toward her. But she didn't stop. Instead, she raised her fist, and as soon as he was within range, she threw it. What she wasn't exactly prepared for though, was that he was ready to do the exact same to her. And at the exact same time, both fists found their target, hitting both Savannah and the man and sending them both to the ground.
Savannah had been punched before, but this was a pretty hard one. It almost made her see stars. But she also knew that she had managed to hit the guy. When she opened her eyes though, they immediately widened when she saw that he was right above her, ready to strike her again. Noticing that he had his left hand on her wrist, she pulled it out from his grasp and rolled out of the way right when he tried to hit her. Deciding to make use of her legs, she rammed both her feet at him. And as soon as she saw that she hit him, she quickly got back upright again.
But so did he. And Savannah knew she had to have the upper hand. She threw a series of punches, trying as hard and as fast as she could to hit him, now knowing that he was a legitimate threat. But unlike most of the criminals she came across, this guy was clearly experienced. He blocked each of her punches, and soon began throwing his own at her. But Savannah still wasn't about to back down. She too blocked every one of his punches, and then tried to throw her own again. Still, she knew she had to take him down by other means. Fortunately, she spotted what seemed to be a branch on the ground out of the corner of her eye, and as soon as the guy in front of her caught her fist and was about to hit her, she grabbed the branch and hit him on the side of the head with it.
He staggered back slightly, but quickly recovered, showing his fury through his angry eyes, his gritted teeth, and the growl directed at her. What happened next, even Savannah couldn't see coming. Right out of his knuckles on both hands grew a set of what looked like three claws, which glinted like metal in the moonlight. But that wasn't what Savannah found frightening. They looked awfully sharp, and as her adrenaline kicked in again, she knew she couldn't yet wonder how and why he had those, only that she had to dodge them.
And she did. As soon as he roared and tried to cut her down to size with both of them, she instantly dove forward out of the way. She then turned over on her back, and saw that the guy was about to try again. Deciding to use her legs again, Savannah first used her right leg to kick his left hand, then her left leg to kick his right hand, and used both legs to kick him back in the chest. The moment he was staggering back, she sprung herself back on her feet and tried to push him back further by pressing her weight against him. But he was clearly no lightweight. For the longest minute in her life, all she and this guy did was press their weight on each other, trying to make the other give in, but neither would budge.
In another attempt to try to get ahead of him, Savannah tried to kick him in the shin. But he stepped his foot back, and then swiftly kicked her hard in her shin. As she let out a groan of pain, the guy took out his claws again, and tried once more to run her through, but she quickly ducked and let his claws sink into the tree in front of him. And then, seeing that she was behind him, and knowing that every criminal had a weakness, Savannah went with the first idea that came to her head, and charged toward him, jumped on his back, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Immediately, he tried clawing at her to get her off him, but Savannah only ran backwards until the two of them fell back on the ground. The harder he tried to get her off him, the harder she held him, determined to keep her hold on him until he passed out. But then, probably out of as much determination as she had to stay one step ahead, the guy took his claws out again, turned to his right, and shoved them into the ground. Feeling, rather fearfully, that her arms would otherwise break, Savannah let go of him. And she gasped when the guy grabbed her by the jacket, put his knees on her arms, and had his claws raised in the air, ready to strike. She was now in the same position she put that leader criminal in earlier, and she braced herself for the worst.
But it never came. Instead, the guy took her face scarf, and pulled it down. And as soon as he saw her face, his own face changed expressions dramatically. No longer appearing to make her blood run, his eyes widened and his mouth came open with shock. And as they stayed where they were, it was only now, and somewhat against her better judgment, that Savannah got a good look at this guy. He wore all black, just like her, and he was very tan. He sported dark brown hair and sideburns, brown eyes that looked like they hadn't gotten much rest, and in terms of age, he had to be at least twice as old as her. He looked a lot like a backwoodsman who spent half his life among the wolves, making Savannah wonder all the more who he was and what he was doing here.
Then though, he let go of her jacket, lowered his most unusual weapons, quickly stood up, and walked back a few paces, the look of surprise still on his face. That, and the fact that all of their fighting had somehow come to this, finally gave Savannah the courage to get a few words out and voice her thoughts.
"What?" she asked in a frustrated tone.
Wolf-man panted a few more times before he finally replied, or rather murmured, "You're just a kid."
At that point, Savannah became even more frustrated. "Am not!" she retorted, "I'm twenty years old." Then, trying to take the focus off of her, she pointed to his weapons. "And where'd you get those, metal claw things?" she asked, "You could cut someone's head off with them."
"It's a long story," Wolf-man replied in his rough voice, "But what about you? Where'd you get those tattoos?"
Savannah was about to ask him what he meant, until she realized that when she left, she'd forgotten to cover up her markings. "These aren't tattoos," she replied, "And besides, what was that all about just now?"
Wolf-man shrugged his shoulders lightly before he said, "You attacked me."
As soon as he said so, Savannah then got even more frustrated to the point of being angry. "You attacked me first!" she exclaimed.
"We attacked each other at the same time," Wolf-man then claimed. Savannah opened her mouth to say otherwise, but as soon as she recalled the events of just a few moments ago, to her great disappointment, she had to agree with him.
"Whatever," she said, brushing the issue aside, "what I want to know is who you are, and what you're doing here. And I wanna know right now."
Wolf-man sighed a heavy sigh and hung his head for a brief moment, before he put his claws away and crossed his arms. "I'm on an investigation, so to speak," he explained.
"An investigation?" Savannah asked, not really wanting to buy it, "So, what are you the police?"
"Not exactly," Wolf-man shook his head.
"Then what does this have to do with me?" Savannah asked, "I didn't do anything!"
"I never said you did!" Wolf-man snapped back at her, making her raise her eyebrows at him. But seeing that he was probably getting angrier than was necessary, he sighed again, and then asked, "But why did you attack me?"
"I heard something behind my apartment building," Savannah explained as she got back up on her feet, "and I decided to go check it out."
"You got a pretty rough way of doin' that," Wolf-man said. That was when Savannah crossed her arms too, because she knew very well what he wanted her to say.
"Okay, fine," she sighed in aggravation, "I'm sorry alright?"
Wolf-man nodded at her, but then looked away from her, but not before Savannah saw a different expression on his face. Was that, regret?
"I'm sorry too," he apologized, "If I had known that you were…" He trailed off, so Savannah decided to answer for him.
"What, that I was a 'kid?'" she asked, using air-quotes for the last word, "I can take care of myself."
"I can see that," Wolf-man said. He then looked back up at her, and instead of seeing what she thought was that hint of regret, Savannah saw a hint of something unexpected. He didn't smile, but, from what she could see, she thought she saw the slightest bit of, admiration?
"You…you fight good," he then said. And then, even more unexpected than what she thought she saw, for some reason Savannah felt herself smile.
"Thanks," she nodded. She and Wolf-man continued to stare at each other, and it seemed neither was keeping track of the time that passed. All they knew was that something, other than the previous fight, was now passing between them. But then, almost abruptly, anything that was happening stopped when Wolf-man sniffed, and turned his head to sniff some more, like he was a police hound catching the scent of an adrenaline-fueled criminal.
"I've gotta leave," he said. He then turned away from her and began walking in the direction of the scent.
Now that he'd given voice to her thoughts, Savannah believed it a good idea for herself. "Me too," she said. She turned away from him, and began walking in the opposite direction. But she'd walked no more than five steps when she heard the guy behind her call after her, "What's your name?"
Once she heard him, she stopped. Normally, she would have went on, ignoring the person. But something about this guy's presence, and his voice, made her do the opposite. Somewhat reluctantly, knowing she was acting out of character, yet finding herself not caring, she turned back around and gave him her name. "Savannah."
As soon as she said so though, and since he made her tell him in a way, she thought it only fair that he do the same. "What about you?" she asked.
Again, like before, he turned slightly away from her. But from where she was, she couldn't read his face. "Wolverine," he then said. And before she could ask anymore questions, he turned back the way he was walking and went off like a loner through the woods beyond, leaving her to watch until he finally left her alone again.
Wolverine? Was that his real name or a nickname? It had to be the latter, because Savannah didn't know anyone who would name their kid after a wild, ravenous animal. But as the crickets continued chirping as though it was any other uneventful night, what Savannah found even more puzzling was not only what seemed to pass between them just short moments ago, but also a sense of recognition she started having. In a way that felt ominous, she got the feeling that she'd seen this guy somewhere before, that she'd heard his name before, yet she couldn't pin it down. And she hated recollections like that. At the very least, he'd been nice enough to let her go and apologize.
Suddenly though, she remembered that she'd made the decision to get back home, and she preferred to go back after having a pretty long night. As she turned around, and then began trying to trace the trail she took to get here, Savannah knew she didn't want anything else like what she'd just experienced to happen tonight, and she was even more sure that she didn't want anything in her mind that didn't belong there.
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