A Blast from the Past
This is my fourth fan fic using the Elder Brothers, but it's set in an alternate universe and I don't own any of the Marvel X-Men characters. No profit is being made on this fan fiction and I don't own anything anyway. In my movie verse, Victor and James never worked for Stryker. Scott, Jean, Deathstrike, John Wraith, and the Professor are all alive and well. This is the sequel to The Hunter and the Hunted
I would also like to give a special thanks to GypsyWitchBaby for letting me borrow her Lupa character. She is a bit different here, but it's the same Lupa you'll all know and love from The Feral and The Dreaming Animal.
The Marvel and OC role call for this story. All of the OC characters, Packs, and Clans are creations of my crazy little mind.
The Elders: Sabertooth (AKA: Victor) – Mated to Wolf Girl (AKA: Lupa), Wolverine (AKA: James) – Mated to Deathstrike (AKA: Yuriko) , Black Bear – Mated to White Bear (AKA: Pinky) , Dragon Fly (AKA: Helena) – Mated to TBD, T-Rex (AKA: Rex) – Mated to Portal (AKA – Odessa), Medusa (AKA: Snakes – a Split Beast) – Mated to Fang, Tigress (AKA: Aria), Witch Doctor (AKA: Haggar – a Split Beast) – Mated to TBD, Seer (AKA: Mahvep), Wild Thing (AKA: Hannock) – Mated to TBD, Hammer Head (AKA: Hanse) – Mated to TBD, Grizzly (AKA: Gary) – Mated to TBD, and Mad Dog (AKA: Banger) – Mated to Shimmer (AKA: Luna)
The Hunters in this story: Taz and Jaz (identical twins and jokesters), Ghost, Scanner, Fire Fox, and Gateway
The Lost Ones: Wind Runner, Crock, Blaster, Tantor, Grey Back all in Canada - A TBD person in Africa - Another TBD person in Europe. Two are dead: Gaza and Jack (AKA: Jack the Ripper)
Other Ferals at the School: Crawler (AKA: Charlotte) - Mated to Beast (AKA: Hank), Oracle (AKA: Narcissi – Charlotte's older Sister and the only tri-animal Split Beast around), Merlin – former Elder now deceased (Witch Doctor leads this Pack now) – Mated to Mirror – also deceased, Falcona – former Elder, Traitor, and deceased (Seer now leads this Pack) – Mated to Hawk, Tabitha or Tabby (11 year feral rescued from Stryker's facility now a member of Black Bear's Pack), Battering Ram: (AKA: Murdock – 14 year old male feral from Hammer Head's), Lion-o: (AKA: Cedric – 13 year old male feral from Hammer Head's Pack). Three more Feral children are at the school. They are all TBD at the moment.
For a complete list of my ever growing Feral community please check out my profile page. I will be updating it as new additions pop into the story.
I'm in the process of finding a beta reader. This is does not have a beta reader. There will be spelling, grammatical, and context errors. I'm writing these stories for pure pleasure and my own brand of therapy from the real world. I am Dyslexic and truly can't "see" some of the glaring errors that offend some readers. If you can't stand spelling mistakes, grammatical error, and words used in the wrong context – my stories might not be for you. If you are interested in being a beta reader, please let me know.
Summary: The Elder Brothers have disappeared. The Clans and the X-Men are looking for them, but two little boys seem to hold the key. Will they find them in time?
Chapter 10: A Tale of Two Sisters
Charlotte and Narcissi were Feral Born. Both of their Parents, Jon and Mary, were Ferals that had been lead to the Packs. They had met at a Gathering, Mated and had children in time. They were a happy family. Their Parents cared for them with no problem. Both Charlotte and Narcissi were Special Needs children in their Human forms. Both Jon and Mary could past for Human, so it was any trouble to get the Girls to and from the special Human school they attended. Their Mother was the hunter of the bunch; she liked fresh meat the most. Her mutation was Fox like and she was a good Hunter. Their Father was Rat like Feral. How the two of them produced two Spiders one would never know, but both of their Daughters had Spider mutations and could spin silk so far. Life was good for the family until the accident.
Mary was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Narcissi had been in the car with her Mother at the time. The event triggered her telepathy at 14 years old. Her Mother was in a coma and couldn't response to her Father's pleas in their Soul-Bond. She hadn't meant to listen in such private matters, but she couldn't keep anything out of her head. She was the Human local hospital and they called her Father. By the time he got to the hospital her Mother was dead. He took his eldest daughter home. Her head as killing her and during the night her main mutation manifested. She turned in a tarantula with eight red eyes and eight pinchers. Jon was distracted by his Mate's death, but did have the present of mind to relocate the family to a more isolated area, so Narcissi would have some privacy and a chance to go outside with the Sun on her face. The problem was it made his miss his Mate more to be in the woods that Mary had so loved.
Jon became more and more depressed and more neglectful of his special needs daughters. When Mary had died it had been the end of fall. The family food stores were full for the winter months; there was plenty of meat to eat. Narcissi started spending more and more of her time in her spider form just to get basic things done around the cabin. She was now doing all of the cooking, cleaning, and shopping (in her Human form). She did yard work at night in her spider form. Jon kept wishing for death, he prayed for it everyone morning and night. Narcissi had heard the request everyday for 365 days both morning and night. One day Charlotte was having a headache and her telepathy woke up completely. Now Charlotte too could hear her Father's constant requests for death. On the eve of Narcissi's 15th birthday, her scorpion's tail grew in.
That first winter there had been plenty to eat. The second winter Narcissi had kept the family feed, so hunting was added to her list of things to do. She no longer had time for school and had dropped out of the special Human school. She could hunt very well in her spider form, but no one had ever taught her how to hunt correctly. She didn't know that you don't kill all the breeding pairs of your prey. She killed all of each type of animal she hunted in the area. Her Father also was getting worse. Some days, he didn't even get dressed anymore and would forget to eat regularly. He just wished for death as lay in bed. The girls rarely saw him anymore.
Narcissi was now taking Charlotte to school. When her Mother had died a nice Feral woman at the bottom of the mountain near the forest offered to drive both of them to School each day. Jon's didn't drive anymore after the death of his Wife. Narcissi made sure that Charlotte attended each day of school. She would carry her down to mountain in her spider form. She stole clothes for Charlotte to wear to school and whatever else was required, when the money ran out of the bank account. When the power and everything got turned off at the house, since Jon didn't pay bills; Narcissi started to steal candles to read by for her Sister. When the house was sold from under them, Narcissi moved them into a cave they used to store their food. She continued to get her Sister to school every day, despite the fact it was now a 5 mile walk each way for Narcissi. She could go faster than most, since she used the tree tops most of the way verse walking on the ground.
When Narcissi was close to 16 years old, Jon's asked her to kill him. To release him for this world so that he could be with his beloved Mary. Narcissi thought she was doing what her Father wanted. After all, she had heard the request day in and out twice a day or more for years in her mind. Charlotte had also heard the request in her head, since her telepathy had woken up as well. Narcissi stabbed him with her scorpion tail and filled him with a poison that took his life peacefully in sleep. She kept his body in the cave tunnel that had been his 'room' in their lair. Her poison preserved the body and kept it fresh. She did this to everything she caught to eat as well.
The girls could both spin silk and used it to make their home nice for themselves. Since Charlotte had long given up on seeing her Father out of bed or taking an interest in her life, she didn't question his complete absents. It was now just her and Cissi.
By the third winter, they didn't have enough food. She didn't understand why the animals wouldn't come back. They were down to rabbits and rats. Narcissi couldn't find or catch anything else. Sometimes she got lucky and found a bird stuck in her webs. Her Cissi (Charlotte) was getting too thin for her taste and her mutation had manifested when she turned 9 years old. She could change into a spider as well. It was great. They both were spiders. Narcissi remembered her Father's body and decided she would feed on that this winter and give the fresh meat to her Cissi.
Now the woman that had driven Charlotte to school for over two years, did notice Jon's absent. She was concerned that she hadn't seen him. When she couldn't get either Narcissi or Charlotte to set up a meeting with their Father with her, she contacted the Pack Elder – Black Bear. It was during a Clans Council, so The Seeker and Black Bear decided to pay Jon's a visit. They found out his house had been sold and they tracked the family to the cave. Narcissi was out hunting when the Elders arrived, but Charlotte was sitting on the cave's silk web covered floor doing her homework by the waning sunlight. She was dirty and her house clothes were little more than rags. She kept her school clothes for school only. She turned into her spider form and greeted them as she had been taught.
Both Elders were shocked at the Girls living conditions. The Seeker found the remains of Jon in the tunnel. He smelled both the poison and knew Narcissi had eaten human flesh. They didn't have all the Why's but one thing was certain, Charlotte wasn't going to be allowed to remain in these living conditions. They were in the process of packing up Charlotte's belonging when Narcissi had returned from her hunting trip with just a few rats to show for a whole afternoon of hunting. She had hunted all the animals to extinction in the area.
Narcissi was upset that they were taking her Cissi. This was their home. They couldn't have her, yes hunting had been bad this year, but it would get better next year. Narcissi had attacked both of the Elders with her new Telekinetic powers. She didn't know how to use them well, but she tried to defend her home. The Seeker however was more than a match for her in both power and skill level. Both Elders could clearly see Narcissi was also split beast. The Seeker told her the Clans would be returning in 3 days and they would need to speak with her. Narcissi wanted only to know if her Cissi would be returned to her in 3 days and the Elders both told her "No".
An Elder by the name of Merlin had sat with Charlotte and had her look into a mirror. It was a magic mirror and when she looked into it all of the Clans could see the memories that were in her head. She showed them her life since her Mother's death. All of the Elders were shocked and disgusted that Jon would ask his Daughter to end his life. That he would wish for death while having two children to care for after his Mate's death. Most of all it made them angry he didn't ask for help for the Girls. Narcissi had killed her Father at his request. However she was split beast as well had fed on human flesh. If Black Bear had known – Narcissi would have been properly trained on how to hunt. A Feral that split beast was hardly common, but they had four in Packs. The Medusa who was raised in Black Bear's pack and now was the head of a new Pack in Europe. Witch Doctor who was currently in Merlin's Pack was also split beast. The last two were Rex's eldest son, Malcolm and The Seeker himself. All were doing very well and had survived the condition. Medusa and Witch Doctor had both been found by The Seeker. Both had spent time with the Elder Brothers before being placed in their respective Packs. While visiting Rex's home, The Seeker had seen that Malcolm was a split beast and told his parents. It explained a lot of his anger and rages, so the young man had spent the Summer with The Elder Brothers learning about how to deal with being a split beast. Eating human flesh was grounds for death the Packs. The penalty for Murder of a Pack member was also death. However, both of these Girls had been mentally abused and neglected for over 2 years.
The Clans Council at the time was made up of Merlin, T-Rex, Black Bear, Claymore, Medusa, Sabertooth, and The Seeker. After they had reviewed the Accounts from Merlin's mirror there was a lot of discussion on what would happen to both Girls. Charlotte was nine and about to be 10 years old in one month and Narcissi was 16 years old but about to be 17 in two months. Narcissi had committed both of her crimes as a Child. She was also a Child that had provided for her Sister as best she could. That being said, she was split beast and very dangerous if she was going to feed on Humans flesh. Originally Merlin, Black Bear, Claymore, and Sabertooth all wanted Narcissi executed. Before calling for a vote, The Seeker spoke to the group and reminded everyone of a few facts. "Elders – before we condemn Narcissi to death for crimes she didn't understand or even know she was committing. I ask that you think about this question, what is our responsibility to our Young? Jon choose a cowards way to die. He had his Daughter murder him; after he mentally abused both Girls for two years on top of neglecting them. If we had known of Jon's mental stability or more importantly his mental instability, we would have removed both Girls from his care immediately. We FAILED these Girls and Narcissi did what she had to do to care for her Sister and herself. For two years, no one questioned why one Sister was getting the other to school. No one questioned why the older Girl had dropped out of school. No one questioned why they suddenly moved from their home in the dead of night. No one questioned when Jon's stopped working, how they were feeding themselves. No one questioned when they didn't see him in person for 2 years. Now after Narcissi had depleted all of her food supply in woods and was literally eating bugs. Now we judge her as unredeemable. I say NO. We all have blame in this situation. We didn't take care of our Pack members. These Girls suffered but they survived without our help. It isn't right to reward Narcissi's care of her Sister with Death. She did what was requested of her by her Father. Neither Girl is aware of the Law nor did they know they are doing anything wrong."
Merlin spoke. "While all of that is very true, the fact remains Narcissi is split beast and she has fed on Humans flesh. She will have at least one more mutation. She is deadly already and she had a taste for human blood now. What is to stop her from Hunting and Feeding on Humans or other Pack Members?"
The Seeker replied. "We will. The added fact that Narcissi is split beast on top of everything else must be taken into account. Had we known she was one, she would have come to live with myself and Victor so she could learn to hunt correctly. Learn how to manage her rages and anger. It will not be easy but she can get the taste of Human Blood out of her mouth. I searched all of the bones and she only fed on Jon's flesh after she had granted him HIS request. She didn't kill him to feed nor did she kill him in a fit of anger or rage. Before that she was feeding on roaches and giving her Sister the rats. They literally had no food left when the woman called for us. Narcissi stole clothes for her Sister, stole books and school supplies only for her Sister. She had never stolen anything for herself. Her home had no Human clothes for herself. Surely her actions speak to her character and good heart."
T-Rex felt sympathy to Narcissi plight, he had a son that was split beast and knew firsthand what challenges that could be even with support and love of a family. "How will we ensure that Narcissi doesn't feed on Human flesh? How will we ensure she doesn't just track down her Sister? Her telepathy is the strongest we have in the Packs. We can't conceal Charlotte's location from Narcissi."
The Seeker replied. "She will have to promise not to track her Sister down and not to feed on Human flesh. If she breaks her promise and feeds on any other Human flesh, I'll take her Head personally. We'll restock her hunting grounds with animals for food. I'll teach her how to hunt and not kill of the breeding pairs. I'll also teach her about being a split beast. We should place her in a new location in that Pack that is a more remote, but away from her Sister until she learns how to control the Hunger. We should also secure the area around her lair, purchase the lands to make sure it doesn't get sold out from underneath her."
Victor spoke to Jimmy using the Elder Link. He knew the real reason, Jimmy didn't want to kill Narcissi, but that was private business between them. He had a point; Jimmy usually did have a point. He just hoped that Narcissi didn't let Jimmy down. "Fine – we'll try this yur way. Yur latest Stray is gonna cause a whole lot of problems mark my words. She's a tri-animal with a split beast. Ya ain't never come across that before and ya don't know what yur dealing with really. That being said, I'll give her a chance so ya can sleep at night Little Brother, but don't make the mistake of thinking that Narcissi is you. She might not be able to get the taste out of her mouth." Sabertooth said to the group, "I'm calling for a vote we've had enough discussion. What say ya? Death or Probation with a Promise for Narcissi? I say probation with a promise and annual visit to confirm she has kept her word."
Merlin and Claymore still voted for death. Black Bear, Medusa, T-Rex and The Seeker voted for probation with a Promise with the addition of an annual check to make sure she kept her promise. Narcissi would be allowed to live. All of the Clans would be going to Narcissi's lair to inform her of their decision with Charlotte. Charlotte would be allowed to say goodbye to her Sister. Charlotte was also going to spend some time with The Elder Brothers. James' wanted be sure that Charlotte wasn't going to be split beast herself, since both of their mutations were so similar.
Narcissi was livid with the decision of the Clans Council. How dare these people stick their noses in her Family business was her cry. She tried to attack the Elders and they soon found out that only James and Victor could stop her in a fight. That didn't make the other Elders feel better about the situation, but it did get Narcissi's attention. Only Charlotte was able to convinced Narcissi to accept the terms and conditions of the Probation and agree to the Promise with the annual check. Charlotte had begged her Sister and promised to write letters to Narcissi everyday so they could be delivered once a year by the Elders. The other Elders left with Charlotte.
James stayed with Narcissi. He repopulated her woodlands with creatures of every kind. He then taught her how to hunt while not killing off the breeding pairs. He showed her which animals needed to live with other animals in order to survive long term. He showed her the balance of Nature. He also showed her how to maintain a good sized garden with seeds he had brought along with several starter plants. Most of all he taught her the Law of the Ferals. He told her that she wasn't allowed hunt Humans and was never again to eat Human flesh. He also shared that he too was split beast like her but had more animals. He told her how to control the hunger using her mind. She didn't believe him since he wouldn't show her his split beast form. She knew with her telepathy that he had a split beast form, but he refused saying that was part of a promise he made long ago and he wouldn't break his Word to satisfy her curiosity on the subject. He extended an invitation to come to the Packs and be closer with Ferals that could help her. Narcissi refused her place in the Pack and pointed out that the Packs had never helped her or her Sister in the past. James said. "That was our fault in this situation Narcissi. We failed ya and yur Sister. If we had known what was taking place, both of ya would have been removed from yur Father's care. Ya should NEVER have been placed in a situation where ya had to put down yur own Father and provide solely for yur Sister and yurself. I'm truly sorry we didn't know earlier."
Narcissi's replied "Yet take My Cissi from me! Still you DO."
With a heavy heart, James said. "That is for her protection. Until ya can prove that the hunger is under control and ya want yur place in the Packs, Charlotte will be cared for by a Feral family. I promise personally to see to it and ya will get regular pictures and her letters to ya. We will take yur letters back to her if ya wish. Ya must let her go if ya love her. This is no place for a growing Child. I know ya want the best for yur little Sister and ya know my words are true in yur heart. I can see that ya will have one more gift. Don't use it to find yur Sister. It will only cause both of ya more pain. We can't allow her to stay here with ya, until ya have chained yur beasts with binds that will not break in yur mind. It's a harder path to walk since ya are a split beast, but ya ain't got a choice in how ya are born. It is easier to walk in a Pack, but that has to be yur choice as well."
She ended her tale by telling the group. "This was the first time I've seen my Sister in 52 years. I hope to see more of her. Charles - Cissi can be dangerous but she has kept her word for 5 decades. Will you allow her to visit myself and Hank at your school when the Elders are not present?"
Charles had listened to what everyone had said and he had come to a decision. It might not be the safest way to live, but he did believe in second chances. "Yes, Charlotte your Sister is welcome to visit you at the School as long as she keeps her word here as well." He added with a smile. "It's not like the Children haven't seen large talking spiders before, so one with a tail shouldn't be much trouble for them." The Elders laughed at the last part. Xavier was right; the Children wouldn't have a problem with Narcissi. It was the adults that had to get use to her presents.
Victor's head turned sharply from his constant gaze at the War Room doors. His movement was noticed by the others and they all looked in the direction he was turning. James was awake and now was crouching on the War Room table. Everyone had been listening to Charlotte's tale and older kids had stopped watching James sleep. The Boy was unnaturally quiet for a child his age. He had woken up and had moved from the chairs to the table silently without anyone noticing except Victor. His Flashing Amber eyes were looking around the room silently. His head still moved from side to side in a slightly jerky manner. He growled out. "Black Magic?" as he was looking at the ceiling lights in the War Room to Victor. His teeth and nails were still much sharper than normal. They also noticed he had claws on his feet as well underneath Victor's long coat peaking out as he crouched on the War Room table.
Everyone heard Victor in their head via Charlotte's link. "Don't approach him, let him come to ya, and don't make ANY sudden movements. We ain't outdoors, he ain't gonna like the smell in here, and he don't like confined spaces. Spooking him indoors ain't a good idea. He'll just blast his way outside. The folks he ain't seen before - prepare to be sniffed really up close and personal like. Don't touch him under any circumstances without his permission. He might also ask to see yur Mutant powers or see ya Feral form." Out loud Victor said. "Nope – they are called lights. They are new and fancy indoor torches. Jimmy – ya ready to go huntin now?"
To Be Continued?
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