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Ororo landed with a rather inelegant thump onto prickly leaves, scowling angrily at the offending fallen items of the tree above her. She was in the forest- and she honestly couldn't tell herself why she even cared about being there.
Maybe because the Goddess wanted her there?
Musing this to herself as she lightly stepped onto the leaf covered ground, she took a moment to admire the beauty of the place. A small stream wove it's way through the trees, green leaves falling gently onto the already carpeted ground in the breeze that blew through the branches lightly.
Wiping away a strand of pearl white hair from her eyes, Ororo narrowed her eyes as the wind brought along traces of that elusive and somewhat intoxicating smell. The smell of cold winter woods was increasingly growing stronger, though it was now somewhat tainted by the smell of wood.
She wasn't quite sure why.
Picking her way across slippery ground cautiously, she ducked under branches and startled birds as she made her way to the source of the scent.
I'm sure he went this way... Besides, cold winter wood scent in the middle of summer? Please, it's not possible...
Biting her lip to quieten her breathing and berating herself for not paying attention to where she was going as a thorny branch dug into her leg, leaving a scratch mark on the mocha skin. "Shit..."
Clapping a hand to her mouth at her unintentional outburst, she stilled as the wind suddenly stopped.
"You know, it's rude to stalk someone."
Raising her eyes, she tilted her head back to look at the teenaged boy sitting in the tree above her. "Uh.. I was..."
"Going for a walk?" Above her, James let out a sort of guttural laugh. "Not likely. I read the rules on the board this morning. "No students permitted in the woods unless with permission or teacher supervision." And you have neither."
"I was following you, yes," she blurted out before she could stop herself. "I mean, you looked like you were in pain in the kitchen and I was..."
"Worried?" The boy shrugged dismissively, and she couldn't help but admire the graceful way he moved as he landed agilely in front of her, cocking his head to the right, her mind travelling in some rather dirty directions...
"Maybe..." she said slowly, yanking her mind away from the "forbidden" thoughts. "Or maybe I wanted to get you back for making me freeze my ice cream solid last night."
He grinned, and she swallowed, his amber-
Wait a minute. Back up. Amber?
Her eyes hadn't failed her, his eyes were indeed amber, his pupils slightly dilated. Distantly, as Ororo suddenly felt closed in, like she was being studied, why that was.
"Well," he purred, sounding more than pleased to find her cornered, "I'm-" His words cut off in a strangled gasp, his eyes immediately flickered to hazel-green once again, one hand coming up to grip his jaw.
"James?" she asked cautiously.
His eyes focused on her, and he seemed to jump backwards a little when he noticed her, but he stayed silent.
"Are you okay?" she questioned, walking forward slowly. "You look... a little pale."
James didn't say a word, confusion etched on his face before he slowly nodded. "I-I'm fine," he murmured. "Why are you... where..."
"The Professor can help you," she reasoned, placing a hand lightly on his arm. "Let's go back to the school."
James suddenly let out a low groan that sounded more animal than human, more wolf than man, and keeled over, eyes sliding shut as he visibly paled even more. Ororo, betraying a strength few knew she possessed, caught him.
PROFESSOR!
XXX
When James came to again, he saw the same old white ceiling that he had when he'd woken up the first time. His jaw- and eye teeth- still ached fiercely, and his eyelids felt heavy. Through the haze of tiredness, he dimly made the connection between the thing-inserted-into-the-back-of-his-hand and sleepiness.
Where am I now? He thought, annoyed.
A chuckle sounded from above him, and he slowly turned his head to see the old, chair-bound man smiling at him. "James. How are you feeling?"
He frowned at the man, and another chuckle reached his ears. Why the hell are you laughing?
The chuckling stopped, but the man started to talk again, much to James's annoyance. "You're in the infirmary again young man. Your escapade in the woods tore some stitches- but it looks like you don't need them any more."
"I know," James said boldly, annoyance fuelling his words and the venom behind them. "I heal."
"Yes, it's a remarkable ability to have. Very remarkable indeed. I need to know when it started and if you know what it means you are."
James snorted. "I know what it means. Victor told me."
"Who is Victor?"
"My brother." Hazel-green eyes bored into shocked blue defiantly. "And when he finds out where I am he'll come to find me."
"Is there another name your brother prefers, James? A code-name perhaps?"
James stared at him, internally debating whether or not to tell the old chair-bound man. Victor wouldn't be happy if he did, but if he didn't how else was Victor to find him?
"Yes,' he stated after a minutes debate. 'He likes the name Sabretooth."
I need your opinion on something- should Logan meet the future version of his brother or shouldn't he? The readers choose this one!
