Disclaimer: I hold no claims to any original characters in this fic. Rammah and other introduced characters, however, are mine XP so Nyeh on you.

X-Ra: Introduction: A Poisonous Welcome

A/N: Hmm...saw the XMen2 movie...Kurt *drool* XD~ The downer...XP;; I saw it in Arabic *nervous laughter* Oh to be in the States again...;v;m

This is chapter one. 

 

A rather dark and compelling mass of seaweed drifted up onto the shore of Boston, swaying slightly with the waves as they shooed in and out of the shorelines. A crab crept across it idly and stopped to take a break at the top of the mound. This crab enjoyed a brisk sea breeze in its face; it didn't raise its claws at the intruding wind. Slowly, ever so slowly he tracked…in fact, only a crab with no instinctual worries or cares could make such a sauntering descend down an ordinary pile of seaweed. His well-adapted pinchers and feet made the slippery plant easy to walk down.  

A piece of seaweed wrapped itself around a pincher. Somewhat alarmed, the crab decided, rather dumbly, that the wavering morning surf had somehow been the cause. Its feet were lifted from the ground, a ripping sensation and horrid pain, it cried out silently as legs and claws, still trying to pinch, were wrenched from its body, seaweed moved in ways it shouldn't have…eyes? Eyes?! Snarling teeth and a reptilian disposition stared him down hungrily, the world became dark, there was no sound. Part of the crab's face fell to the once welcoming sand in the animal's frenzy. It's beady orbs glazed over, forever seeing the tail of a beast and the pieces of its own ramparts littering the ground… 

 

 

The sun was rising. After a meal of rather crude shellfish, the woman strolled up a sand dune, looking for any sign of something familiar. Her gaze squinted and her tail flickered irritably. She saw nothing recognizable. Rocks with wheels and fire that didn't spread; Fireflies stationed on poles with steady tail lamp and transparent walls. Looking skyward she saw metal birds that occasionally flew over her homeland. Smiling gently, the tried to smell the air of the phoenix lilies that had surrounded her all her life, but only wrinkled her nose in disgust to that smell of what she didn't know was gasoline and city garbage.  

Taking in a small amount of air, she observed, to her far right a man frozen in mid-stride. He stared at her wide-eyed, afraid to move and breathed rather shallowly. Casually, the woman walked up to him and surveyed with inhuman eyes his features. Her inner eyelid blinked a few times and she walked away, scraping a nail along his cheek. He fell to his knees as his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and crashed to the sidewalk with a dull thump. She left him spasming on the cement. 

She walked faster and faster, this beast, feeling the uncomfortable feeling of sunlight on her back. Falling into a sprint she felt her body become weak and her eyes dull…almost sleepy. What looked like an abandoned building stood ominously in the north and she quickly made her way to it. The sun invaded her senses…she couldn't see…had to find sheltered… 

… 

SMACK…a low rumble in her throat indicated that she had run straight into the door of the building. She felt around for the levy with which to open it as her breath became short and labored. She pulled hard on it when she discovered its position and stumbled through the door and forward onto her hands. Her tail slammed the door shut and it echoed loudly, startling several pigeons in the rafters… 

 

 

Kurt Wagner's eyes shown yellow amongst the dark interior of the church. He plastered himself against a wall and closed his eyes. His tail flickered anxiously as the woman called out.  

"Ahnke ta? Kumo tareshidik tone toru?" she called quietly. Kurt walked out cautiously at the sound of her voice. It seemed too weak to be harmful… 

"Can you speak English?" he asked walking up to where she lay. He smiled smally and knelt beside her. She shook her head and a second set of eyelids blinked rapidly. He heard a screeching sound and looked at her hands…she was clawing the ground roughly. "Are you in pain?" 

Swallowing hard, the woman nodded. She had retained too much sunlight. She felt cold and drained, starting to noticed that her tail was illuminated by a window she retracted herself into a ball and wrapped her tail around herself. Kurt gulped uncomfortably and reached out a hand to help her, realizing she probably didn't want to be touched. 

"Don't touch me, or you will die," she whispered forcefully. Her accent was heavy, but indistinguishable. For the first time she rolled her pupils upwards and looked at him with agony. She could see his figure and yellow eyes; a three-fingered hand and a tail flickering worriedly.  

"Cannot I help you to a pew at least?" he inquired, still smiling unsurely. The woman groaned and rolled onto her knees. 

"A moment, please." She felt herself ripple and condense to a more human-like state. Standing, she felt immensly rubbery but found her way to a long bench and leaned her head back tiredly. Kurt left his hand outstretched and stood, looking at her. How had she done that?! So much like him one moment and the next…? He popped up in front of her and she just glared, not bothered by the idea at all. 

"Come with me. You need to rest," he encouraged, holding out his hand. She sighed and stood, in a rather foul mood. Kurt stopped smiling and looked at her, concerned. "Where…are you from?"  

"Far from here. I'm not sure where in comparison or what you might call it, but an island we prefer to name Ramkamemah…The Keep of Rammah," she breathed heavily, clutching to the benches as she walked next to him.  

"How do you know English then, if you don't even know where you are from?"  

"This is English?" 

That stopped Kurt in his questioning for a few minutes before he turned to her, smiling brightly and held out his hand. 

"I'm Kurt Wagner. What is your name?" She stared at his hand and shook her head. 

"I cannot touch you for several hours, Mr. Wagner. It would kill you," she said rather dully.  

"A name then!" he tried to laugh, shrugging his shoulders a tiny bit. She smiled and raised her right eyebrow. 

"Rammah. Rammah Kerisemiy Katlyna o ito Akhene," she said under her breath. Most didn't call her that…she hadn't been called by her real name in many years… 

"Tis a beautiful name!" he expressed. They laughed softly and conitnued to walk. Kurt glanced at her as they made their slow progress. She didn't even seem to have a tail anymore, though he noticed it was wrapped around her leg under her miniscule clothing.  

Rammah inspected every aspect of the building: its tinted transparent walls, the large stained benches, the altar…it all seemed so— 

"Here we are!" Kurt sighed, extending a hand to his bedding. Rammah quietly walked over to it and settled herself on it easily. She tried to lay back but sat back up hissing anoyedly…her scales her horribly singed on her back and tail. Shaking her head she stood back up. 

"I cannot rest if I cannot lay comfortably. Thank you for the offer, Sir Wagner, but I will have to rest my way until the sunlight fails," she explained, somehow seeming taller as she talked. Kurt nodded sadly and looked down at the ground, jumping back in alarm. She was levitating and raised her legs to seem like she was sleeping on an invisible bed.  

"How…?!" Kurt watched her roll over, just as in a bed and plopped down on the ground, completely befuddled. Her tail fell gracefully from her leg and coiled on the ground, as did her tangled and wet hair. While she slipped into slumber, her body changed. Kurt watched in interest as Rammah became reptilian once again. 

"Just an act," he whispered, referring to her near-human appearance of earlier. He slithered a bit closer and listened, intrigued. Her scales rippled into place and and a more metallic-black color singed her human flesh. As her mouth parted in sleep, he noticed two very small fangs where her canines should have been and her hands and feet seemed far different than before…She had three fingers and a thumb with rather intimidating claws shifting in and out of her fingers. Her feet were elevated and a hook protruded from her heel which Kurt assumed never touched the ground. She sighed in a nightmare and he reached out to her. He placed a hand on her forearm and was immediately scalded with what seemed to be very powerful acid. He cried out in pain and recoiled against the far wall, rocking back and forth holding his hand, shaking greatly. She hadn't been kidding…He could certainly die from touching her.
With that unintentional warning from her, he climbed up onto his own bed and watched her sleep, saying a few prayers while carressing his cross. After some time, the cross fell from his hand and he fell asleep, his other hand sizzling slightly as the poison seeped farther into his system. 

A/N: Hrmdie hrm 9_9;; That wasn't so bad...*falls asleep on laptop and snores* ZzZzZzZzzzzzz...............*drool* X0~