CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Hunt Part 2#

AN: To "FleeingDawn" Hang in there, hon! Break a leg on your exams! (it's bad luck in dance to say 'good luck' before any kind of performance which is why I say break a leg.) Here's a chapter to help you hold on, in the meantime. A study-break, I suppose.

This chapter also took a lot of research. Tons of thanks to my public library, the internet, and Wikipedia! :D

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They moved together like a well-oiled machine; one honed in the fires of years. Even though the Wolverines memory was damaged, his body still remembered how to hunt, how to sync his steps with that of his brothers, how to keep his prey from scenting him; all lessons his older brother had taught him…..not that he could remember this CONSCIOUSLY. Still, somewhere, he remembered…..

Not even needing to look at each other, the pair moved forward. When one launched himself towards one of the deer, the other took on the other two. Logan caught one deer around the neck, almost like a human with a choke-hold, and quickly and humanely ran his adamantium blades up into the creatures brain, killing him instantly. Sabretooth, however, wanted to play...

…..he let the deer run back and forth a bit, letting out a low growl, taking in the scent of the creatures fear.

Logan growled. "Just kill'em already, Vic!"

Victor/Sabretooth snarled at him angrily, but the scent of his frail reminded him that he had pride-mates to feed. Quickly, he finished the two deer with two quick swipes and piled the two carcasses ontop of Logans. "That's not enough, Jimmy-boy." He growled, trying, for once, to control his blood-lust. "Not even near enough."

Logan shrugged. "So we hunt some more. But we gotta make it quick."

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BACK AT XAVIERS MANSION:

"Ah, you must be Steve Aswell. Welcome." Professor Xavier sat at the entrance of his school, smiling welcomingly while inside he was worried. This man was protected. His mind was walled like a lead-lined tank, leaking only enough information that Xavier knew he was who he said he was and that he meant no harm to the students or his school….. and that was all he got.

The man, Steve Aswell, gave a curt nod, his face stone serious. "Where is she?"

"Ah, I believe Logan and Victor took her out hunting."

Steves face didn't change its stony expression, but his disapproval radiated so strongly off of him that even a non-telepathic ordinary human could feel it. "He took her hunting with him?"

"I assure you, she is quite safe with my X-man Logan there. He can keep Victor in check. But I think you'll find that the Sabretooths intentions are quite honorable."

Again, Steve's face didn't change one iota, but you could just feel the scowl. "This IS Victor Creed we're talking about, Professor Xavier. Magnetos right-hand thug, member of the Brotherhood, the Hellfire Club and all sorts of other unsavory…..gangs."

The Professor strived for politeness. For calm. "Please, come inside."

Steve followed the telepath into his large, impressive school hands tucked neatly into his pockets. "I believe you have some members from S.W.O.R.D here."

The Professor looked at his visitor in surprise. "Why, yes, one of our teachers here did work in SWORD for a time."

'SWORD' stood for 'Sentinent World Observation and Response Department' an area where special agents dealt with counter-terrorism and alien threats to world security.

"Is Dr. McCoy a teacher here?" Steve asked.

The Professor didn't bother to hid his surprise. "Why, yes. I wasn't aware that Hank was a member of SWORD."

"You didn't just read his mind?" Steve asked, a slight tone of disdain in his voice.

"I try to give everyone privacy." The Professor answered, still polite but a little more coolly. "Would you like a drink? I can ask Storm to bring something to my office."

"No, I'd like to talk with Dr. McCoy, if you don't mind." Steve said coolly.

Sabretooth was a hunter…..a predator out of time. Steve was something else; another hunter, perhaps just as deadly and one that was deciding whether or not the feral mutant would be HIS prey.

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VICTOR & LOGAN

"Okay, Jimmy-boy, we'd better call in that plane." Victor grunted, licking animal blood off of one arm. Infront of them lay a pile of ten deer. "Have to get this meat back to the mansion and cured for the cubs before it goes bad."

"I still need to get some fish for Clarisse." Logan growled, his adamantium claws sliding back into his knuckles.

"Use your nose, runt, there's a river around here. Spear some." The feral cat-mutant absently shooed away some flies that were beginning to settle on their kill then paused. Hadn't the runt said there was a cub that ate bugs? But it wasn't like he was a damned fly-catcher. Still, he eyed the insects in speculation. "Hey, runt." He stopped his younger brother half way across the field towards where he smelled water.

Logan looked over his shoulder, growling. "What?!" but his growl wasn't truly annoyed this time…..more like…..annoyed-on-principle.

"How does the cripple feed the reptilian cub?"

Logan frowned for a moment, then shrugged. "Hell if I know."

"Do the bugs have ta be alive?" Sabretooth could remember his mutant 'brother' Toad who had simply snatched the bugs (and sometimes larger critters) out of the air with his long, frog-like tongue.

Logan just shrugged again and continued walking. "You're the big, bad, Sabretooth, you figure it out." He mumbled under his breath.

"I HEARD THAT RUNT!" Victor bellowed after him.

Without turning back, Logan smiled.

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CASSIE

They had been gone for quite some time.

Cassie rolled over on her pine needle bed and rested her head on her arm, staring at the grass and wondering if this was how ants saw the world… "Nah, the grass would be taller than from here." She answered herself, turning over to her other side.

How long had those two been gone?

She looked up at the sky, unsure why she even did so. She knew there was a way to tell time from the position of the sun, but that never really helped her out. Or maybe she was just too lazy to figure it out.

`Too lazy.` she decided when a patch of bright yellow flowers caught her eye. She pushed herself up on her forearms. "OOooo. Those are pretty." Standing carefully, she made her way over to the patch of flowers when she spotted another patch, only blue ones this time, just a little further ahead.

Now those were nice too. Bluebells.

Were those crocuses over there?...

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LOGAN

He found the river, first by the scent of water, then by sound, then—yes, there it was—a visual! The creek was right infront of him.

He smirked and lengthened his claws, eyeing the river. It was just perfect for fishing. The water flowed past not too fast and not too slow, the bottom patterned with rocks and algae, and feeding on the algae little minnows swam about…..but he would need more than minnows.

Logans sharp eyes followed the length of the river, looking for the deeper areas where the bigger fish would dwell. There weren't too many kids at the mansion with a fish mutation, so he wouldn't need too many, just enough to make sure Clarisse and one other kid would have full stomachs tonight.

He chose a deep area and knelt at the bank, then froze, claws raised, ready to flash down and spear some fish.

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XAVIERS SCHOOL FOR GIFTED MUTANTS

"Alright, class, I'll expect your reports on Osmosis tomorrow morning. Twelve pages, no double spacing." Henry McCoy, or 'Beast' addressed his room as they all stood in a shuffle of seats to go to their next classes.

A chorus of "See ya later, Professor" and "Bye Professor McCoy" joined his waves as he ushered his class good naturedly out of his room.

"Yes, have a good day, boys and girls. Make sure you turn in that late homework, Janet." The blue, fuzzy feral smiled when he saw the Professor sitting in the doorway in his wheelchair. "Why, Charles what a pleasant surpri-" his words choked off when he saw who was standing next to the Professor.

"Aswell!"