Rebekah
I hide in the alley, eavesdropping. The couple Isaac's working for are talking in low voices that I can hear as clear as a bell.
"How much longer can we keep working him for?"
"Give him a week, then call in the FOH."
My lips slip back into a snarl. Right now, we're both on the run from our old teams, we're both on the streets in a strange country. We both only have one other person. Each other.
"That cat's still hanging around."
"Feed it. We could do with a ratter. It looks like it's a feral."
"Pretty markings. Look at his paws."
"OI! I'm a bleeding girl!"
"Silly. She's a girl. She's a tort."
"Huh?"
"You don't know a thing about cats, do you? Here puss."
I turn my nose up, doing the haughty 'I am queen of all' routine that Night-Singer taught me. As soon as I'm round the corner I scoot off, desperate to find Isaac. When I do, my breath catches.
He's crouching under a rain of fists, an entire crowd surrounding him. And he's not fighting back. It's not too hard to guess why they're attacking him, especially when they're shouting 'MUTIE! MUTIE!' at the tops of their voices. I hurry down and see his frightened eyes. And then I roar, my body changing automatically, so tawny gold fur ripples over powerful muscles. Panthera Leo. The lion. I'm not sure which subspecies. As Beast said, I've already displayed my ability to take different subspecies of leopard and he says that I'll soon be able to control my shifts, instead of taking the one that fits my mood and needs best. I see Isaac's eyes widen in amazement as he realises I was his companion and then I roar again.
They scatter back, shouting something about a zoo animal getting loose and I leap forward, roaring and snapping at their heels, giving one who is coated in Isaac's blood a hefty slap with a paw. They scream and then I shift, taking the bestial form.
"After a mutie? Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough."
Isaac
I froze in shock. The cat who'd been hanging out with me all this time was Bekah! A fist caught me on the chin and I hit the dirt. I curled up expecting to get kicked but all I saw was Rebekah standing over me, protecting me.
I've said it before but I'll say it again. I'm a trouble magnet. It follows me around like a loyal dog. I'd been doing my deliveries as normal. I'd gotten my next order and I made my way to the location. As I arrived I noticed there were an evil looking gang watching me. I realized I had sped to my appointment without stopping to think about who was watching me. I had quickly turned in the opposite direction, rounded the corner, and teleported. After I'd made my delivery, I had slipped through the wall with the intention of going past the gangs. Unfortunately, they were standing around waiting for me. They had seen me and had rushed me before I could get my thoughts together.
I stood up to fight beside Rebekah.
"Why are you here?"
"It wouldn't kill you to say thank-you you know," She replied smacking one of the guys with a heavy paw.
"Where are the X-Men?"
"You're full of questions today aren't you?"
"Why don't you answer them then?" I said hooking a guy in his ribs. There was a audible crack as three of his ribs shattered.
"Another question," Rebekah laughed. There was silence for a couple of seconds except from the constant thumping as me and Bekah pounded away at the anti-mutant gang. I dodged to the right and swept my leg underneath a couple of guys while Rebekah flipped backwards kicking two guys in the chins. Eventually, the boys yelped and leapt away. We let them go. We were both tired.
"We should really go after them. They'll probably attack other mutants," Rebekah said.
"I'm sick of this stupid mutant-human war," I said. "They can all stuff themselves as far as I'm concerned."
I sat down with my back against the wall and cried out. I reached behind me and yanked out a knife. I hadn't even noticed getting stabbed. I turned to look at Bekah. She was missing bits of fur and she'd been cut a couple of times. She had become a much better fighter than me in her time with Logan. Maybe Scott had been right. I relied on my powers way too much.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine. I heal quickly anyway."
"What happened with the X-Men?"
"I'm not with them at the moment," Rebekah replied.
"Will you go back to them?"
"I don't know. What about you? What happened with the Brotherhood?"
"I attacked Magneto and Sabretooth and then I ran as fast as I could."
We both picked up a low growl at the same time.
"What was that?" Rebekah asked. We both stood up as the gang approached again.
It was a shocking sight to behold. Attached to a leash were two beastlike creatures. They looked like mini werewolves.
I reached out with my mind and identified them straight away. They had the same type of aura as Bekah. They were feral mutants.
"How dare you?" I shouted. "How dare you chain up human beings as if they were nothing more than animals!"
"They are animals. And tools to use to wipe out the rest of you lot," one of the gang members said. A second later, they let them go. Bekah's cat nature shrank in the face of a dog for an instant but suddenly her body changed and morphed, once again, into a gigantic, ferocious lion. I turned my face towards my opponent. I was knocked backwards as the feral rammed into my chest with a flying leap. Such strength and speed was amazing. I looked at the gang to see if they were going to join in but they were keeping well out of the way. I stood up and phased as the feral went for my throat. I teleported above the mutant and brought my elbow down on the top of his head. My aim was to knock him out without having to kill him. I realized too late that feral mutants, like their animals were extremely hard to knock out. The feral twisted in mid air, grabbed me by the forearm and chomped down hard. I screamed as my bone was crushed into a thousand pieces. Unfortunately, I didn't have unbreakable bones like Logan. I tried to get away but the pain clouded my brain, making it impossible to think up any strategy. I roared in agony as the mutant gripped my throat with his jaws and applied pressure. I dug my fingers in the mutant's jaws and tried to prize them apart. I tried to call upon my strength but it had deserted me. I felt something shift deep within me and the next thing I knew, the feral mutant flopped down on top of me. It was dead. I stared in horror at the cold eyes as the life drained out of them. I looked over at Rebekah who had chased her quarry off. She came over to me and affirmed what I already knew.
"He's dead."
I shifted the body off of me and stared at it.
"What have I done?" I said to no one in particular. I remembered what that thug had said to me before I'd taken his powers. I enhance or destroy mutant powers. I didn't know how to control the enhancement or the destruction. And now I was a danger to any mutant around me.