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I grabbed some bags out of the closet and hurriedly packed. The longer I waited here, the more risk I ran of being caught by the X-men, or even worse, by Sabertooth. I didn't know how long I had been out of it, so I had to lay low for a while. I packed all of my clothes, a first aid kit, and a lighter. I grabbed everything I thought would be useful, and headed out of the door. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I definitely wasn't staying here. I ran for most of the night, and by morning I was deep in the heart of some forest. I knew this wasn't a safe place to stop, because Sabertooth liked to hang around a place like this, but I was about to pass out from exhaustion. Being sick had weakened me. That wasn't good. I decided to rest for a while, and I just had to pray Sabertooth wouldn't show up, or I was dead meat. I heard my stomach growl, and realized that I hadn't eaten in I don't know when. I wasn't sure how I would get a meal, assuming I was miles away from town. I guess I'll have to catch something, I thought. I swung myself up onto a low branch, and pondered my situation. I sat there for a few minutes before I heard the crashing of branches off to my left. I climbed higher into the tree's foliage and sat as quietly as I could. There was no chance of escaping whatever it was, so I just sat there. I knew if that thing crashing through the bushes was Sabertooth, I was a goner. As the steps neared, I froze with anticipation. What was the thing coming closer and closer? I heard faintly the hum of human voices.
I tried to pull my body as small as I could when they bursted through the clearing. "That sure is a big fish ya got there, Joe." One of the men said. I sighed quietly when the guys came into view. Three men, burping and scratching, were walking through the clearing towards, I assume, their campsite. That is an awfully big fish…I thought, more than enough to feed all of them. I quickly made up my mind to follow these guys, and if they left the campsite, 'borrow' part of their fish. My conscience couldn't handle the thought that I might be stealing. I guess it was just my bad luck that it decided to appear now, when I needed it least. I jumped from branch to branch, and tried jumping from tree to tree. I was lucky I didn't fall out. I guess hunger sharpens your agility, or something. I followed them until we arrived at their campsite. I sat at the edge of it, waiting. They moved inside and out of the tent, wondering out into the bushes, shouting the whole time. I waited for what seemed forever, but was probably just an hour, when they finally left the campsite for a swim. I made sure they were out of hearing range, and quietly slipped down the tree. I jumped from branch to branch, making sure every now and then that the guys didn't come back. I leaped the last couple of feet to the ground, and listened. Not a sound, I thought. I walked as carefully as I could, trying not to make a sound, to their tent. Digging around in their tent was the dangerous part. If I got caught, lord knows what would happen. I couldn't hear any soft noise from outside, especially not footsteps. I looked around for the fish, when I noticed a small cooler in the corner, partially hidden under blankets. I pushed the blankets off, opened it, and dug around in the ice for the fish. It was at the bottom of cooler, and I dragged it out. I left the lid open, and trashed the campsite a little bit so that the guys would think an animal did it. I ran off to the edge of the trees and climbed up; wanting to get away before the unsuspecting men came back. I suffered from hunger for a few hours until the sun had set. The smoke from the fire would be less suspicious during the night, or so I hoped. I picked up a couple of twigs and began a fire with my lighter. An hour later, I was chowing down. I could get used to this…
I lived like that for a few weeks. Some days, campers would be scarce, so I'd have to go hungry for a while. I moved around a lot, knowing that settling in one position could get me killed. I was almost defenseless because I wasn't able to change back to my mutant form. I had tried several times, but it was hopeless. I was often scared by small noises at night. I never felt safe that entire time I was out there. You never knew when Sabertooth might choose this day to find me. I had created quite a reputation within the forest. The park rangers told everyone to be careful when leaving the campsite. 'Animals', meaning me, were becoming less afraid of humans. He couldn't tell what type of animal was creating all of the havoc yet, because it didn't follow the pattern of any animal he had seen. But there was no worry, the animal, whatever it was, has never attacked humans. I had to laugh at that. Me, a strange animal creating havoc at unsuspecting campsites. It sounded like a really corny campfire story. And just like any campfire story, the plot thickens. Just like my life…
It was almost lunchtime, and I had chosen a family of campers to 'borrow' from today. They had settled camp near a spot where lumberjacks were cutting down trees. I thought it an awfully bad place to camp, what with three kids and all. But it didn't matter too much. As long as they didn't go to far from camp, they were in no real danger. Their campsite was extremely busy. The father was setting up their tent; the mother was making the fire. Two of their oldest boys, who looked to be between eight and nine and were twins, were playing a game of cops and robbers. Their younger son, who looked about six, was watching. He really started getting into it as the one of the twins started to chase the other. He ran after them, and ran into the twin being chased. "Go away Skyler. You're just getting in the way!" He shouted. Skyler walked away, nearly in tears. I felt a bit sad for the little boy, but there was nothing I could do. He wondered off, looking back every once and a while, holding back tears. He picked up a stick and began to battle the twigs and such, and wondered further near the woods. I began to worry about him, because he was getting nearer and nearer to where trees were being cut down. I leaped nimbly from tree to tree, following him. His mother looked up just in time to see him walk through the trees. "Skyler, come back! You don't need to wonder off!" she called. But it was too late. He didn't hear her, and continued walking into the woods. She rolled her eyes and crossed the campsite to get him. As she passed the twins she said, "Travis, Jason, I told you to keep up with your little brother!" Jason, or Travis, I couldn't tell, turned around and gave her an unhappy look. "Come on mom. We keep up with him all the time. We wanna play now!" he said, and ran off to throw rocks at a squirrel. Brats, I thought. The mom sighed and continued to chase after Skyler.
I watched him as he explored the trees and plants. A bird would screech every once and a while; he would circle around, looking for it and then turn back to his adventure. I smiled, amused at his innocence. He's not afraid of the woods, I thought. He doesn't seem to know how much trouble he could get in. I heard the faint sounds of trees being cut down. I jumped ahead, trying to see how close he was getting to the site. He was only a couple of yards away! I thought fast, and whispered, "Skyler!" He turned around, looking for the body that belonged to the voice. "Skyler!" I whispered again. "Wh-who's there?" he stuttered, still looking for the person talking to him. His face was turned to the tree-tops, and I could see clearly how nervous he was "I'm your…conscience!" I whispered loudly. No need to creep the kid out anymore, I thought sarcastically. He smiled, seeming to accept that explanation. "Oh. Hello then!" he called. I smothered a giggle and whispered back, "Hi. You need to go back to the campsite now, ok?" He turned in a circle, still looking for me. "Why?" he asked. I smacked my forehead. Children can be so difficult sometimes! I thought. "Because I said so!" I said. "You sound a lot like my mom." He said, and continued to walk. I started to panic, and called out frantically, "Well, I'm not. But she is looking for you. She's worried; you need to get back to her." He sighed, and turned around. "Ok," he said, and started to walk back.
I had barely sighed in relief when I heard the distant cry of 'Timber' and saw the tree falling right towards Skyler. Without thinking, I jumped from my branch to the ground and grabbed Skyler, pushing him out of the way. He hit the ground and I covered him with my body. The tree landed only two feet away from us. We lay there, allowing the dust to settle. My knees hurt from the impact of me jumping so far to the ground, and my back was bruised from the giant limb that had landed right on top of me. I picked myself up, and asked quietly, "Are you okay Skyler?" He pushed his body up and said looking himself over, "Yeah. I'm fine, I think." He finally looked up, and I smiled. His eyes opened wide, and started to crawl away from me.
I looked at him, confused. "What?" I said. I knew my eyes were an odd color, but it wasn't enough of an odd color to frighten people away. I looked down and saw scales. Green scales. I smiled and felt my face. Bumpy and rough. I had turned back into my mutant form! But why now? Why did it suddenly appear when I did something crazy? Or when you did something good…my conscience said. I frowned and turned my attention back to the boy. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." I said soothingly. "W-what are you?" he asked. I turned to face the tree, and pulled my legs up to my chest, trying to figure out how to say this without freaking him out. "Skyler!?" I heard a woman scream frantically, interrupting my thoughts. Uh-oh, the mom. I had forgotten about her. I stood up quickly and turned to him. "You need to go to your mom. I'm sure she is worried sick." Skyler frowned and asked, "Where's your mommy?" I smiled sadly and bent down so I could look him in the eye. "I don't have a mommy, Skyler. Not anymore. She left me a long time ago." I said. I turned to leave when I felt him grab my hand. "Wait! I'm sure my mommy will want to meet you!" he said. "I'm not so sure of that." I replied. Human confrontation, especially with an adult could be dangerous. I looked down at him and said, "Your mommy might be afraid of me. She might think I'll try to hurt you." He just smiled and said, "Then I'll tell her you saved me. She'll believe me." I heard a male voice join in with his mom. Dads are always bad news. I gotta get outta here, fast! I turned to him and said, "I can't stay. I don't think it's a very good idea. Be good now, bye." I smiled and leaped onto the fallen tree. But it was too late. The mother and father burst into the clearing, the father carrying a camera. I ran as quickly as I could, and prayed that they hadn't caught me on tape.
What do ya think? Should I stop? Is it getting boring? R&R!