It was the middle of the night, and he had been running ever since he heard police sirens. After he was far enough away, however, he was driven by something else: The smell of food. Slowly creeping to a clearing, he almost turned back when he saw a cabin in the middle of the woods. Getting shot was not something he wanted to make a habit of.
As soon as he set foot into the clearing, he sensed a new danger. And it sensed him right back. A mutt that looked tough enough to be part wolf was chained to a tree stump not that far from the front door. The two stared at each other for a long while, not making a move. With a swift motion, the front door was open. "If that's another one o' those damn...Jesus, bubba! What're you doin' out there, eh?"
Muscles tensing up to run once again, there was something in the man's words that triggered another phantom memory. "L-long story...bub..." he managed to say, his eyes widening as the words came out of his mouth. He had convinced himself that he was not just an animal.
After being shot for no reason earlier that day, he was surprised at this man's hospitality, but didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. After putting on some clothes that were a little too big on him and enjoying some cold leftovers, he just leaned back in a chair to get some rest when he caught the sun already turning the sky lighter even before it rose over the mountain.
Thankful that the owner of the cabin didn't ask any questions other than why in God's name he was buck naked in the Canadian wilderness, he left just as the sun peeked over Mt. McKenna on the horizon. The guy had told him which way town was, and having made the decision that he did not belong living like a wild animal, it seemed the only place to go.
"Only place to park is gonna be on the far side of the mountain," Wolverine mused as the Blackbird rocketed toward their destination. Storm was in the seat next to him, and in the seats behind were Cyclops, Spyke, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat, all sound asleep. "What do you think killed that man, Logan?" Storm asked. "I wish I knew, 'Ro," he replied, "But I never thought I'd have to come back to this place." As if on cue, the dark silhouette of Mt McKenna appeared on the horizon with the sun just above it.
"Are we there yet...woah, cool," Spyke said groggily, admiring the picturesque view. Logan stuck a tricky landing, concealing the jet pretty well among the trees. "Everybody up," he barked, making all the sleeping X-Men jump, "Its some walk to town."
Evan wearing a Rangers jersey, Kurt with image inducer on, Kitty wearing Logan's jacket after finding she packed way too light for a trip up north, Ororo looking elegant without even trying as usual, and Logan with his hat pulled down tight to conceal his shoulder length blue hair, they set off.
After an exhausting hike, they finally arrived in the nearest small city and went straight for breakfast. Later, they settled on a mediocre-looking hotel to check in to. "So why'd you pick us to come with you?" Evan asked, casually trying to figure out why he had been deprived of a good Saturday's sleep and video games to track down a murderer.
"Not that its any o' your business, but I figure worst case scenario, Scott's a good leader, the Elf is the fastest guy we got, and you can shoot spikes outta your body. And your aunt..." Logan motioned over his shoulder as Ororo procured her credit card and paid for the room. Evan nodded. He opened his mouth to ask what about Kitty, but he knew better. He didn't figure Logan was the kind of guy to play favorites, but it was obvious that he liked Kitty better than the rest of the 'brats.'
Presently, the X-Men took to the streets to try and find out more about the Wolverine impersonator that they seemed to be looking for. Also out that day was the young girl that had seen her father die yesterday, and her mother. Unbeknownst to all, the man who had committed the murder the day before was also wandering around that very place.
"You seen Logan?" Scott asked as the team regrouped after splitting up for about a block. Everyone shrugged. Logan might have more experience than him, Cyclops thought, but when he was doing his lone wolf thing, who else was going to be the leader? About a dozen blocks down by now, Logan was following a strangely familiar scent.
Jill, the girl from the forest, held tight to her mommy's hand. She was just about in complete denial, as kids can always get away with, about what had happened to her father, and was currently hating how itchy the black clothes she was being forced to wear were. She was so lost in thought and trying to hold back tears that she didn't even notice someone grab her by the other hand and someone letting go of her other hand. She didn't pay any attention to her mother screaming her name as someone else led her into the crowd of people on the street.
Logan, meanwhile, was almost taken aback by the sudden increase in the stench he knew all too well.
The other, stronger grip on her hand let go, bringing Jill back to the real world. Looking around for mommy, all she saw was a quick glimpse of a really tall guy before he vanished into the mess of people going about their business.
Spinning around to meet the sudden motion behind him, Logan only caught a fast glance at Sabretooth's face before he slipped into an alley, but he knew it was him. About to go after his nemesis, Logan winced at the explosion of screaming right under his nose. Looking down at the blonde-haired little girl, he put two and two together just as her mother and two police officers came running up.
It was hard to say who the first one to notice that Logan was five foot three and had shoulder-length blue hair, and even harder to say who threw the first punch, but in no time at all a miniature lynching had broken out. Wolverine's hands came up fast, taking one man down without even popping his claws. He knew better than to do that with cops right behind him. It was very hard to resist the urge to cut someone's guts out, however, when he was cuffed behind his back and shoved into the back seat of a squad car.
At the small riot that erupted a few blocks back, the X-Men feared the worst. Dashing to where the crowd was breaking up, Kitty could have swore she saw a familiar face flash by. At second glance...
"....Mr. Logan!" She said, louder this time, as she lightly grabbed him by the shoulder. Without warning, he spun around and grabbed her by the shoulder. Hard. A whole new wave of memories hit him. Logan...that had to be his name. And he knew this girl from somewhere...
"Ow..." Kitty whimpered. He let go of her shoulder. "Ya surprised me," he was quick to give his version of an apology. "Yeah, I figured...so did you find anything about our mystery man?" Mystery man? He was totally clueless, but he knew he had to play along like he was this Logan guy. Heck, he could be Logan. All he knew was that he knew this girl that evidently knew him.
"Nope, didn't find a thing," he shrugged. As she grabbed him by the hand and led him back to the others, whoever they were, he caught a scent of someone that triggered a whole slew of memories. Not good ones, either. From a safe distance away, a well-hidden Sabretooth watched his prey carefully.
They searched without any results for the rest of the day, and around sunset the exhausted X-Men converged on a diner for some dinner. He had gotten to know their names, Scott, Evan, Ororo, Kurt and Kitty, and he found that when he heard the names he could place their faces and scents together like he'd known them all his life.
"I don't get it," Scott said, being bold enough to discuss their mission over dinner. "Someone, someone that looks exactly like you, by all accounts, kills a man for no reason yesterday. And more--"
"WHAT?" He snapped, catching his claws before they slid more than half an inch out of his fists. He'd played it cool all day, gathering information in bits and pieces, but this was the last straw. Someone that looked exactly like him...that means that he's not this Logan guy after all.
As soon as he set foot into the clearing, he sensed a new danger. And it sensed him right back. A mutt that looked tough enough to be part wolf was chained to a tree stump not that far from the front door. The two stared at each other for a long while, not making a move. With a swift motion, the front door was open. "If that's another one o' those damn...Jesus, bubba! What're you doin' out there, eh?"
Muscles tensing up to run once again, there was something in the man's words that triggered another phantom memory. "L-long story...bub..." he managed to say, his eyes widening as the words came out of his mouth. He had convinced himself that he was not just an animal.
After being shot for no reason earlier that day, he was surprised at this man's hospitality, but didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. After putting on some clothes that were a little too big on him and enjoying some cold leftovers, he just leaned back in a chair to get some rest when he caught the sun already turning the sky lighter even before it rose over the mountain.
Thankful that the owner of the cabin didn't ask any questions other than why in God's name he was buck naked in the Canadian wilderness, he left just as the sun peeked over Mt. McKenna on the horizon. The guy had told him which way town was, and having made the decision that he did not belong living like a wild animal, it seemed the only place to go.
"Only place to park is gonna be on the far side of the mountain," Wolverine mused as the Blackbird rocketed toward their destination. Storm was in the seat next to him, and in the seats behind were Cyclops, Spyke, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat, all sound asleep. "What do you think killed that man, Logan?" Storm asked. "I wish I knew, 'Ro," he replied, "But I never thought I'd have to come back to this place." As if on cue, the dark silhouette of Mt McKenna appeared on the horizon with the sun just above it.
"Are we there yet...woah, cool," Spyke said groggily, admiring the picturesque view. Logan stuck a tricky landing, concealing the jet pretty well among the trees. "Everybody up," he barked, making all the sleeping X-Men jump, "Its some walk to town."
Evan wearing a Rangers jersey, Kurt with image inducer on, Kitty wearing Logan's jacket after finding she packed way too light for a trip up north, Ororo looking elegant without even trying as usual, and Logan with his hat pulled down tight to conceal his shoulder length blue hair, they set off.
After an exhausting hike, they finally arrived in the nearest small city and went straight for breakfast. Later, they settled on a mediocre-looking hotel to check in to. "So why'd you pick us to come with you?" Evan asked, casually trying to figure out why he had been deprived of a good Saturday's sleep and video games to track down a murderer.
"Not that its any o' your business, but I figure worst case scenario, Scott's a good leader, the Elf is the fastest guy we got, and you can shoot spikes outta your body. And your aunt..." Logan motioned over his shoulder as Ororo procured her credit card and paid for the room. Evan nodded. He opened his mouth to ask what about Kitty, but he knew better. He didn't figure Logan was the kind of guy to play favorites, but it was obvious that he liked Kitty better than the rest of the 'brats.'
Presently, the X-Men took to the streets to try and find out more about the Wolverine impersonator that they seemed to be looking for. Also out that day was the young girl that had seen her father die yesterday, and her mother. Unbeknownst to all, the man who had committed the murder the day before was also wandering around that very place.
"You seen Logan?" Scott asked as the team regrouped after splitting up for about a block. Everyone shrugged. Logan might have more experience than him, Cyclops thought, but when he was doing his lone wolf thing, who else was going to be the leader? About a dozen blocks down by now, Logan was following a strangely familiar scent.
Jill, the girl from the forest, held tight to her mommy's hand. She was just about in complete denial, as kids can always get away with, about what had happened to her father, and was currently hating how itchy the black clothes she was being forced to wear were. She was so lost in thought and trying to hold back tears that she didn't even notice someone grab her by the other hand and someone letting go of her other hand. She didn't pay any attention to her mother screaming her name as someone else led her into the crowd of people on the street.
Logan, meanwhile, was almost taken aback by the sudden increase in the stench he knew all too well.
The other, stronger grip on her hand let go, bringing Jill back to the real world. Looking around for mommy, all she saw was a quick glimpse of a really tall guy before he vanished into the mess of people going about their business.
Spinning around to meet the sudden motion behind him, Logan only caught a fast glance at Sabretooth's face before he slipped into an alley, but he knew it was him. About to go after his nemesis, Logan winced at the explosion of screaming right under his nose. Looking down at the blonde-haired little girl, he put two and two together just as her mother and two police officers came running up.
It was hard to say who the first one to notice that Logan was five foot three and had shoulder-length blue hair, and even harder to say who threw the first punch, but in no time at all a miniature lynching had broken out. Wolverine's hands came up fast, taking one man down without even popping his claws. He knew better than to do that with cops right behind him. It was very hard to resist the urge to cut someone's guts out, however, when he was cuffed behind his back and shoved into the back seat of a squad car.
At the small riot that erupted a few blocks back, the X-Men feared the worst. Dashing to where the crowd was breaking up, Kitty could have swore she saw a familiar face flash by. At second glance...
"....Mr. Logan!" She said, louder this time, as she lightly grabbed him by the shoulder. Without warning, he spun around and grabbed her by the shoulder. Hard. A whole new wave of memories hit him. Logan...that had to be his name. And he knew this girl from somewhere...
"Ow..." Kitty whimpered. He let go of her shoulder. "Ya surprised me," he was quick to give his version of an apology. "Yeah, I figured...so did you find anything about our mystery man?" Mystery man? He was totally clueless, but he knew he had to play along like he was this Logan guy. Heck, he could be Logan. All he knew was that he knew this girl that evidently knew him.
"Nope, didn't find a thing," he shrugged. As she grabbed him by the hand and led him back to the others, whoever they were, he caught a scent of someone that triggered a whole slew of memories. Not good ones, either. From a safe distance away, a well-hidden Sabretooth watched his prey carefully.
They searched without any results for the rest of the day, and around sunset the exhausted X-Men converged on a diner for some dinner. He had gotten to know their names, Scott, Evan, Ororo, Kurt and Kitty, and he found that when he heard the names he could place their faces and scents together like he'd known them all his life.
"I don't get it," Scott said, being bold enough to discuss their mission over dinner. "Someone, someone that looks exactly like you, by all accounts, kills a man for no reason yesterday. And more--"
"WHAT?" He snapped, catching his claws before they slid more than half an inch out of his fists. He'd played it cool all day, gathering information in bits and pieces, but this was the last straw. Someone that looked exactly like him...that means that he's not this Logan guy after all.