Disclaimers on chapter 1 (quite a while ago seeing as I'm now in double digits)
Primal Fury
She was running through a dense forest, her feet kicking up snow as she hurried onwards down the unused hiking path the small bundle of white blankets clutched to her chest. She could hear the sounds of wolves gaining ground behind her yet she dare not look back in fear of them being right behind her waiting for her to do just that.
As she left the forest into a clearing where a rickety bridge swayed ominously over a wide gorge that ended in a wild river far down below several wolves appeared at the other end of the bridge forcing her to stop. She was now caught on both sides with nowhere to go.
Looking up she saw the wolves master slowly approach her from the sky, floating down with his red helmet gleaming in the morning sun whilst his purple cloak billowed out behind him making him more intimidating. As the man descended he reached out for the bundle in her arms the bundle which at that moment started crying as the infant inside became upset.
Stefan bolted upright eyes wide and panting for breath.
'What the hell?!' He thought as he brought a shaking hand up to his forehead as if trying to subdue a headache. 'Was I her again?'
After finally getting his breathing and heartbeat down to their preferred levels Stefan glance at the clock on his bedside which the luminous green numbers told him that it was a little after half five in the morning. Seeing that he was now up Stefan made his way to the kitchen and made himself a steaming mug of coffee to nourish whilst he tried to make sense of his weird dreams.
He had managed to deduce that the dreams he was having were memories from one Raven Darkholme the current principle of the high school he was attending yet asides yesterday they had never met face to face unless she could morph her features which meant she was possibly the blue skinned shape-shifting woman he fought when he first met Rogue the same woman he had tried Rogue's power on when they fought explaining why he was having those dreams but not why she was running from the man in the purple cloak.
'Every time I solve one mystery two more seem to take its place' Stefan groaned as he took another sip of the hot beverage. 'It's like unlocking a treasure chest to find a smaller one inside it'
"Thaht better not be decaf" The familiar southern drawl only Rogue could accomplish came from behind him making him inhale a large amount of hot coffee leaving him gasping whilst the girl chuckled at his antics.
"And if it's not decaf?" Stefan croaked as he nursed his sore throat.
"Then would you mahnd pouring me ah cup?" Rogue asked smiling sweetly as she raised a gloveless hand. "Unless yah prefer me knocking yah out fer thah count"
Normally Stefan would have gone against the girl's wishes however a with a burned throat and his mind on other matters entirely he decided to humour the girl and poured her some of the remaining coffee that was in the jug wishing that she had shown up five minutes later when the coffee would have been lukewarm.
"So" Rogue stated after a few minutes of silence of them just sipping coffee. "Whah are yah down here at this ungodly hour? In just a pair of slacks ah might add?"
Stefan blinked several times before looking down at himself. Because it was too early he did not think about wearing a vest or the like so was only wearing a pair of baggy pyjama trousers yet he did not feel the slightest bit self conscious.
"Why are you wearing a woolly jump suit?" Stefan countered. "And are you not at all amazed by my muscles?"
Rogue looked away pretending to be disgusted at Stefan as he flexed his arms. She had actually spent several minutes almost drooling over him from the shadows of the lobby before she managed to pull herself together and walk through the doorway.
"Ah've seen better six-packs of beer at the corner shop down thah street than thaht" She scoffed and she could have sworn she heard Stefan deflate as she burst his bubble.
[Cold hearted 'Pale-face'] Stefan mumbled in German. "Well as for your question about why I'm here, I usually wake up around this time"
"Seriously?" Rogue asked wide eyed.
"Well...normally around six-ish to be honest" Stefan admitted shrugging. "I'm down here earlier cuz of some stupid dream"
"Guess thaht makes two of us" Rogue said before she took a large gulp of coffee before continuing. "Fer thah last few days now ah've been havin this dream about bein carried through some kinda forest durin winter or something"
Whilst Stefan looked mildly surprised and confused on the outside on the inside his brain was going into overdrive.
'Could she be having the same dream I'm having from a different view point?' He thought to himself. 'If that's true then, assuming she hasn't absorbed anyone else by accident, it's possible that Raven is...But that can't be, could it?'
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought Stefan grinned at the Goth before him. "What say we talk about other things? We've never actually had a one to one talk since we first met and don't know much about you"
"Yah got ah point there" Rogue admitted every time she had talked to Stefan after arriving at the mansion it was always with someone else about; usually Kurt, Kitty or both. "But there ain't much of me to know"
Stefan smirked as he went to make another jug of coffee. "You let me be the judge of that"
*~#~*
Kurt yawned widely as he stepped out of his room and into the hallway before heading down towards the kitchen where his brother would be waiting for him. He was surprised when Kitty suddenly stumbled out of the wall not fully awake yet.
"Kurt?" She asked before yawning almost as widely as the elf himself. "What are you doing up at this hour?"
"Morning exercises" Kurt answered as he continued down the hall whilst Kitty walked by his side. "Brozzer und I figured zat since ve still vake up on German time ve should use it to keep ourselves in shape"
"But the time difference is about ten hours give or take" Kitty argued quickly doing the math in her head. "And why before breakfast? Why not after school?" 'So I can watch you'
"Because it vorks up an appetite" Kurt said cheerfully whilst patting his stomach.
"You mean it gives you an excuse to gorge out" Kitty said smiling herself. "You always put away at least twice as much as the rest of us. If it weren't for your metabolism I would've had to redub you 'Tubby Elf'"
"Von of ze many reasons chicks dig ze fuzzy dude" said Kurt as he grinned widely sending the two of them into a fit of giggles.
The two teens made their way to the kitchen whilst making small talk until Kurt noticed who was already in the kitchen and quickly grabbed Kitty and pulled her behind the doorframe to the kitchen.
"Kurt?" Kitty whispered somewhat uncomfortably.
"Sorry Kitty" Kurt apologised. "But Brozzer und Rogue are in zeir und I didn't vant to interrupt zem"
"I gathered that" Kitty replied. "It's actually about where your hand is"
"My...hand?" Kurt asked and looked over Kitty's shoulder before blushing a deep purple as he noticed that his right hand was cupping something it should not making him let go rather quickly. "Ah! Sorry!"
"It's...no big deal" Kitty said her face just as flushed. "Besides, this makes us even after what I did to you when we first met"
Kurt chuckled in good humour. "You sure know how to make a strong first impression"
"That's only if" Kitty whispered as she leaned in close. "The person I'm meeting is cute fuzzy or not"
"That reminds me, what did happen on your first meeting?" Stefan asked from right beside them making Kitty jump back and nearly fall over whilst Kurt teleported to the chandelier both their blushes back full force.
"Did we interrupt somethin'?" Rogue asked from over Stefan's shoulder looking like she was trying not to laugh.
"That's like none of your business!" Kitty threw back her valley speech returned.
"Vhat vere you und Rogue doing Brozzer?" Kurt asked as he teleported to his older siblings shoulders so that he was looking at Stefan upside-down.
"That's not your business" Stefan replied obviously used to talking to Kurt like this. "You feel like some outdoor exercise today?"
"Is it okay if we join in?" Kitty asked nervously whilst Rogue nodded her consent.
"Sure" Stefan shrugged as he headed back up to his room with Kurt still on his shoulders. "But I'd advise wearing something suitable for running in rather than schlafanzug"
"So whit was you love birds whispering about?" Rogue asked Kitty as the two of them went back to their room.
"I could ask the same about you and Stefan" Kitty countered.
"Well if yah must know, 'Snake-fer-Brains' wanted to know ah lil' bout me" Rogue whispered in case Stefan or Kurt might hear her.
"When's the last time you two talked together alone?" Kitty teased making sure to put some emphasis on alone.
"After you trahed tah take me down fer yapping with your man, or should ah say fuzzbahll?" Rogue countered before looking sorry about it. "Ah still ain't apologised bout haven't ah?"
"Forget about it" Kitty said quickly. "If that didn't happen then you wouldn't have met Stefan and I wouldn't have realised how much I...well-"
"Save it 'til yah can say it in one go" Rogue interrupted as they entered their room. "An ah think ah should tell yah, Stefan doesn't seem too comfortable about not havin tah spend so much tahme watchin over his brother"
"Then you'll just have to make sure he doesn't have time to ponder that" Kitty said smiling.
"Oh joy" Rogue said sarcastically but was smiling none the less before the two of them giggled quietly.
*~#~*
"Okay then!" Stefan said as he twirled the oblong ball on one finger as he spoke to the other three. The four of them were currently standing at the edge of the forest that was on the edge of the institute's boundaries. "Seeing as there's more of us than normal we'll play in teams of two and the winners is the team that has the ball longest until seven am"
Rogue and Kitty looked at one another before sprinting into the forest with Kitty going through Stefan to take the football as well as surprising him.
"Ve sure picked a vild pair of frauliens to fall in love vith didn't ve Brozzer" Kurt stated as he watched the girls disappear into the forest.
"Wouldn't have it any other way" Stefan smirked as he looked on.
"No argument zere" Kurt agreed before the two of them dashed off in hot pursuit neither of them noticing someone else watching them from the dense forest.
*~#~*
He grinned a feral grin as he watched his target vanish into the forest. He was only supposed to talk and convince one of those teens to switch sides through any means necessary but he had caught a whiff of his scent and it was not even half a day old. If he was lucky he could get his own business taken care of at the same time.
'Oh yeah' He thought to himself. 'This day just keeps getting better and better'
*~#~*
Kitty kept on running through the trees and bushes knowing that the Wagner brothers could catch up at any time. What she did not know was that they were pulling ahead of her via the trees above her. They were skilfully jumping from branch to branch using their gymnastic abilities and were starting to pull ahead of her.
When she came to a small clearing it took Kitty all she had to not to stop when Stefan suddenly landed in front of her. She managed to collect herself enough to phase through him but when she looked round to stick her tongue out at him she tripped over an upturned root sending her to the ground and the ball into Kurt's hands as he teleported in front of it.
"Looks like I've got ze ball Kitty" He gloated to the growling girl.
"Not for long" Kitty threw back as she charged towards him only to grab a cloud of sulphur and brimstone.
Kurt then started to pass the ball around Kitty by throwing it one way then teleporting in front of it and kicking, punching or tail throwing it another. He soon became careless as he teleported onto a tree branch that snapped under his weight making him land hard on his backside. He barely had enough time to throw the ball to his brother before Kitty pounced on him and started to tickle his weak spots.
"Think you can gloat at me can you?!" Kitty interrogated grinning widely as she tried to tickle his sides whilst Kurt tried to fend off her attacks.
"Where's a camera when you need it?" Stefan muttered to himself as he watched the pair. "Come to think of it where's Ro-"
He was cut off as the girl in question suddenly tackled him from the bushes to his left pinning him to the ground.
"Miss me 'Snake-fer-Brains'?" She asked as she pinned his arms to the ground above his head by his wrists whilst straddling his waist.
"If you're going to be this intimate when we meet then I guess so" Stefan countered as he tried to get his arms free; the girl had a stronger grip than he thought.
"Flattery ain't gonna get yah anywhere" Rogue said coyly as she leaned in so that they were almost nose to nose. "Well actually it will get yah somewhere; thah Med Lab whahlst yer recoverin from mah touch"
"You gonna let that runt walk all over you?" Said an unfamiliar voice as someone stomped into the clearing surprising the four teens. Quickly getting up and grouping together they saw a rather muscular yet primitive man at least six feet tall with long dark blonde hair and fangs that looked more lethal than Kurt's.
"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Stefan asked switching his cheerful carefree side for his serious side.
"Sabertooth" The man growled. "Mind telling me where he is in return?"
"Maybe" Stefan replied coolly. "If we knew who he is"
"Oh you kids know Wolverine well I'm sure" Sabertooth said as he stepped forwards.
The four teens were instantly on alert. They did not have to look at one another to know that they had to protect their mentor even if the man tried to kill them himself.
"Does he mean that guy...Mr Logan was it?" Kitty asked to both her friends and their enemy.
"Beats me" Rogue shrugged. "That guy's comin an goin more than thah sun risin an settin"
"You'd be lucky to find him in von place for more zan five minutes" Kurt continued.
"Guess we can't help you" Stefan finished shrugging nonchalantly.
Sabertooth just grinned making the four teens step back as though intimidated by it. "Then we'll just have to do it the hard way"
With that he leapt at them forcing Stefan and Rogue to leap to opposite sides, Kitty to phase into the ground whilst Kurt jumped up grabbing the nearest branch and quickly scaling the tree. Sabertooth followed the elf up; he was told that the blue monkey was his primary targets main weakness so he would chase him first. He liked nimble pray anyway.
Nightcrawler paused for a quick breather when he reached the top of the tree he was in before looking down only to groan when he saw the blonde behemoth climbing up towards him.
"I forgot zat cats climb up trees" He muttered as Sabertooth got closer to him. "Let's see if you can climb down as vell!"
He then jumped off the tree smiling as he fell through the air away from Sabertooth only stare in shock as the predator jumped off the tree after him. The moment before Nightcrawler struck the ground he teleported away leaving Sabertooth to snarl angrily at his escaped pray as he landed before sinking up to his knees in the ground. When he tried to push himself up his hands went into the ground as well before it suddenly went solid as Shadowcat rose up from the ground in front of him.
At that instant Rogue came at Sabertooth from his right with a spinning thrust kick whilst Snake-eyes came from the left with a heel drop. Snarling in rage Sabertooth put all his strength into his arms sending earth and rocks everywhere as he pulled them out knocking Snake-eyes and Rogue back in the process. He then stalked towards Shadowcat who was still in front of him having collapsed to her knees in exhaust after staying below the surface for so long before making him intangible. Suddenly Nightcrawler was in front of him wrapping Shadowcat in his arms before teleporting away again.
"Here kitty kitty kitty" Snake-eyes called out to Sabertooth in a childish voice. "Wanna play widdle kitty?"
Sabertooth snarled before running at Snake-eyes with his right fist raised not caring about the mission at that point.
"Good kitty" Snake-eyes remarked as he stood his ground. [Stupid kitty]
When he was about to come within arm's reach Sabertooth let his fist fly towards Snake-eyes like a missile. Snake-eyes just smirked as he put his right hand in the missiles path. Impact did not come however as Sabertooth's right fist stopped whilst his left homed in on Snake-eyes' unguarded face from the right.
"Oh Sh-!"
BOOM!
#~*~#
Can I leave you hanging or what?
Find out in the next chapter!
But for now R&R
& 'til next time
Watch this space & peace out!