Adamantium Lovers

Chapter One: The Adamantium Savior

Yuriko was so unbelievably exhausted that she felt like she was ready to collapse from fatigue alone. She felt weak and cold and hungry and tired and yet, she still struggled on, more determined to find "The Wolverine" than ever. She would not give up easily.

I don't get it. She thought as she plodded slowly along the dirt path. I'm supposed to be indestructible and yet I'm about to die of cold, hunger and thirst, cold more than anything else.

Yuriko was unique, even for a mutant. She had an adamantium skeleton and ten adamantium claws that extended right from her fingers. She also had a healing factor, which enabled her to recover quickly from almost any injury. Ironically, it was that very same skeleton and claws that would be the death of her.

If her claws her exposed to extreme heat or cold, she'd feel it throughout her entire body. Those claws were attached to her skeleton and every part of her that was attached to her skeleton would feel the heat and the cold and she would die. The cold might stop her heart.

Just my luck. The very thing that makes me unique even from other mutants is going to kill me. Life stinks. She thought, fuming.

Then, she noticed something that shocked the hell out of her. It was snowing.

Dammit, this is so not my day! She thought, clenching her fists as tightly as she could, digging her nails into her palms. Then, Yuriko took several deep breaths in an attempt to relax herself.

Take deep breaths, Yuriko. She told herself silently. Take long deep breaths. Panicking, especially in this situation, will neither solve any problems nor. make this situation any better. In fact, it might make it worse. So, you have got to relax and stay as calm as possible. Then, start thinking of a way out of this mess.

Once Yuriko had somewhat managed to calm herself down a little, she began to think of what her options were. Then, she realized that she didn't have a whole lot of options. She was more likely to freeze to death if she waited around than to be rescued. So, her choice was clear: she had to keep walking. And she did. That was when things got worse.

First, it was the snow. It kept falling harder and harder and it got harder for her to see. Then, the wind started to blow, causing a major storm of ice and snow, blowing up in her face and she became colder and colder. It was getting harder for her to keep going, but she knew that she could not give up. That's what she kept telling herself, anyway. Then, over the howling of the winds around her, she heard a noise that chilled her to the bone and made her stop dead in her tracks, filling her with absolute, total, bone-chilling fear: the sound of a wolf's howl.

God in heaven. She thought, panicking. Please tell me that wasn't the sound I think it was!

Then, she heard it again, as if it were God's confirmation that it was indeed the sound she thought it was and it was confirming her worst fears. She felt like crying. For the first time in her shattered memory, she was feeling the chill of fear, horrible, petrifying fear.

To make things worse, Yuriko suddenly tripped and fell face down in the snow, nearly screaming with pain as she felt the cold shock her face and metal skull. She whimpered and tried to pull herself to her feet, but she couldn't do it. She was too weak to move now.

I have got to keep my claws in. she thought. If I extract them now, I'll die from the shock of getting too cold too fast.

It was when she lifted her head up to view her surroundings that she first caught a glimpse of a pair of bright yellow eyes and heard a low growl. It was a wolf.

Yuriko's eyes went wide and she began to shiver from cold and fear, afraid to move or even breathe. Then, to make the situation a whole lot worse than it already was, she heard more than one growl and she saw several more pairs of eyes. It wasn't just one wolf, it was a whole pack of wolves and they were closing in for the kill in which she was the prey and she had no way out and no hope of rescue. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping that the end would be quick.

That was when her savior arrived.

Out of absolutely nowhere, she heard a feral sounding growl, then a roar and she saw a man in jeans and a jacket leap out from somewhere and attack the wolves around her. That wasn't what caught her attention. What caught Yuriko's attention was that her rescuer had six metal claws, three on each hand, coming out of his knuckles. Could it be? She thought, dizzily, trying to stay conscious. She was fighting a losing battle.

There were roars and growls and blood splattered every which way and Yuriko couldn't tell who was winning. She never got the chance.

The last thing she saw was the man fighting off the alpha male.

And the last thing she said was "Are you the Wolverine?" Then, she felt herself slip into unconsciousness and gave in, allowing her world to go completely black.