A week later…
Logan dragged himself up to the front gate of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Exhausted, he collapsed beside it. It was late
and there was no one around to see him. He might as well sleep until morning.
He was awakened by the sound of the students moving around. Damn, he had overslept. Looking into the grounds, he saw the students
playing a soccer game. He knew some of their names, though most of them he had not even seen before. There was Kitty, Jubilee, Bobby, John…and
Marie. Watching her run after the ball, the gentle breeze tousling her hair, he knew she was genuinely happy here, and he was glad.
He decided to go in. It was easy to slip through the bars in this form. Logan headed straight up to the students, his small black eyes
staring quietly up at them.
"Mister Summers! There's a strange…brown creature out here," one of the students shouted. Logan groaned inwardly. The last thing he
wanted was Sunglasses Boy chasing him out. Scott came running out and stared at the little furball that was Logan.
"What is it?" Jubilee asked. Scott just blinked.
"Go ask your biology teacher"
Soon the whole school was staring at Logan. Jubilee was pulling Storm out of the building.
"Miss Munroe, what is that?" Storm glanced at Logan, slightly puzzled.
"That's gulo gulo ulscus, the North American wolverine. What surprises me is that it's far out of its range. Wolverines normally live
in Canada. This is too far south of its usual territory."
"Wolverine…" Rogue repeated it softly, then reached up for the dog tags around her neck. Those dog tags he had given her so long ago.
She caressed them gently.
Jubilee reached forward to touch him. Logan stared at her silently as she came closer.
"Jubilee, be careful. This little guy has teeth that can cut your hand in half," Storm said.
"Can we keep it?" one of the students asked.
"John, this is a wild animal. You should not take it from its natural habitat…." Storm explained gently.
Think Wolverine-there's got to be a way to show them who you are, Logan thought to himself. Think…think...Jean! She's a telepath right?
He ran up to Jean and pawed at her skirt. Definitely NOT effective. Scott came up and shooed Logan away. Logan was desperate. Scott was
starting to chase him out of the grounds.
Suddenly, Logan bolted and ran into the school. Scott stared in amazement, then ran after him.
"Come back here, you little-"
Logan ran as fast as he could, using his sense of smell to guide him. He was heading for his room-the room he had used when he was
staying in the school. He found it and ran in, thanking God that the door was open.
The room hadn't changed at all since he had left. Despite the fact that he had been gone many months, his scent, or his former scent,
was still strong.
Scott dashed into the room, followed by Storm, Jean, Rogue and some of the other students. Scott looked at him suspiciously. Just
then, Rogue dropped the dog tags she had been clutching tightly. Logan saw his chance and pounced onto them then and licked them gently.
"Ew, wolverine drool!" Jubilee's voice broke the heavy silence. Storm and Jean were staring at each other in shock. Scott was staring
at them wondering what was going on.
"You don't think…" Storm asked.
Jean shrugged, "There's only one way to find out…" She knelt down and called to Logan, "Logan if that is you, come here." Logan obeyed.
Jean closed her eyes and started scanning his mind, while Scott stared with his mouth wide open.
A moment later, the whole school burst into laughter.