Doggy is going to be a muse! By popularity, no less! I'm so proud!

Doggy: woof!

Akai Kah'ghe- Doggy does love you!

Abigail Marie- You realize that Doggy has a following now? I'm going to have to type one shots for him.

Disclaimer: If X-men were mine, I wouldn't have to write fanfics, cause they'd be the real thing.

Saying of the fic Always acknowledge a fault frankly. This will throw those in authority off guard and allow you opportunity to commit more. (Mark Twain)

*^*^*^*^^*

Three o'clock in the morning and all was well.

At least, it would be if I wasn't running around on institute grounds in my pajamas. I wear an oversized t-shirt and shorts to bed.

This late night (early morning?) excursion did have a purpose. I don't usually run around in my pajamas. I have this bizarre idea that I must be fully dressed before people see for the first time that morning. Dress for success, or something like that.

But this was special. I was training. Albeit training without telling anyone, but what was I supposed to do? Some animals only come out at night. Especially the one I was looking for.

I learned of their existence by complete accident. It was the night following the day I filled Bobby's room with pigeons.

We both got in trouble and had to clean the kitchen. Then I had to get the pigeons out of his room. That was an interesting story for another time.

I reached the woods that I saw so many times from my window. I stepped carefully, because I was barefoot and most animals will bite first and ask questions later.

It took me ten minutes of blindly wandering in the woods before I found what I was looking for.

Caves. Not the big, stony rock face cave, but a hole in the ground. I had to pull away some of the moss before it was big enough to fit into.

Right after I jumped in, the realization that this was a stupid idea hit me. But I shrugged it off and went exploring.

The cave itself was narrow and stooped. I had to suck in a breath to get past some incredibly tight spaces. But after a while, I managed to reach a sort of chamber.

Bats. Everywhere. They were all looking at me with glittering eyes, chattering at me. It was dark, and I didn't know how many there were, but there was enough light for it to reflect off their eyes. By rough estimate, there were at least eighty.

I reached up and held out my hand to a rather large pair of eyes. It blinked at me, then hooked its wings onto my hand.

Even though I could tell it was large for the colony, it fit in the palm of my hand.

It was then I learned something incredible. Bats are very smart. It was almost as if I was having an actual conversation. Plus there was this odd echo effect in my mind.

(Who are you? Who? Why did you come? Come? What colony are you? Is it far? Far?)

I had been caught totally off guard by him. Maybe my powers were growing, and that was why I could understand him so easily. I knew it was a him by his thoughts.

I told him all about myself, Doggy, the institute, and that I wanted to talk with them.

(Talking is good. Colonies help each other. Other. Doggy is four leg beast. Four. He watches us when we fly. Fly.)

I told them I would have Doggy promise not to hurt them. This caused him to laugh. It was amazing! I never heard a bat laugh, or any other animal for that matter. Doggy showed he was teasing me by grinning and wagging his tail, but I never heard him laugh.

( We have no fear. Fear. He cannot fly. Cannot. He has no wings. No Wings.)

I laughed too. He had a point.

(The bright orb is out. Do you stay here and join your colony tomorrow? Tomorrow?)

"No thank-you. I live with the light." I whispered, holding him out where he could crawl onto the wall again.

(We understand. We. Come back again? Again? )

"Of course. Hey, I'll leave my window open so you can visit me too."

(Good. We visit you. You.)

I grinned and managed to squeeze my way back out of the cavern. It was difficult. I'm not exactly the thinnest person. I scraped my back through the cave and was about to hoist myself out when I felt something tug at my mind.

(Wait!)

I jerked my head around to see my new friend flit through an opening that I had to drag myself through with little effort.

I was so jealous.

(What does your colony call you? You?)

"Danny. What do they call you?"

I was assaulted by a bunch of clicks and whistles that made no sense. The bat was clinging to my t-shirt.

"I can't say that."

He looked up at me mournfully. Probably regretting the fact that I wasn't a bat.

I knew I was going to have to give him a name. My evil, bizarre sense of humor took over.

"How about I call you..Herman!" Herman? I have got to get out more.

(Herman? Herman, yes. Yes. Goodbye Danny. Goodbye.)

And with that, Herman swooped off to go back to his colony.

Again, I found myself cursing the fact that I don't have wings. I managed to hoist myself out of the hole (with exceptional effort) and had to sit down for a breather.

I pushed the moss that I had moved back over the hole. The sun (bright orb?) was already out. Judging by where it was, it was almost seven o'clock.

I hurried out of the woods, hoping I could get across the grounds without anyone seeing me.

"Where have you been, Doolittle?"

Busted.

I turned around and gave Mr. Logan my best face. Just have a nice, big smile.

"Nice try."

Double busted.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Doggy was steadily gnawing at the bone Rahne gave him.

"Wow! I mean, bats? I didn't realize we had any! How did you know?"

"Well, after the pigeon fiasco, I saw a couple of them catching flies by the roof."

Rahne and I were sitting on my bed. Rahne was laughing her head off about what happened that morning.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but seeing you look so guilty, it was hilarious!"

"Well, all I know is that I've never been so embarrassed. I got chewed out while I was still in my pajamas."

"It happens to us all once, I guess!"

Pretty soon I was laughing too. I suppose it's always good to laugh at yourself, especially when you're getting another person to laugh, too.

"Hey!"

I stared at her. "What?"

"Do you think you can talk to me in my wolf form?"

I thought for a minute. I never had given it any thought before.

"I might. I don't know. I mean, you're not really an animal."

"Let's try it anyway. I mean, what could it hurt?"

Rahne jumped off the bed and melted into her wolf form. Doggy growled at her and put a protective paw across over his chewtoy. I rolled my eyes at him.

Rahne sat down right in front of me. I cupped her muzzle in my hands and looked her directly in the eyes.

The transfer was always quicker if I looked them in the eyes. I don't know why. Maybe it was a no fear thing.

The transfer happened quickly, but even before I or she said anything, I knew something was wrong.

The inner language, as the professor called it, was too garbled to make sense of.

I tried to speak into her mind, carrying a picture of Doggy. I guess that was a bit much.

Because she bit me.

"Owww!"

I jumped backwards to get away from her. Doggy jumped to all fours, hackles raised and teeth bared.

Rahne snarled back at him. My room had two big canines growling at each other.

This was not a good thing.

Thankfully, Rahne managed to get control of herself and changed back into a human. She held up her hands to Doggy, and he sat back down.

"Why did you send me that?! It was awful! I never saw anything so hideous."

I winced as I put pressure on the steady flow of blood from my other hand.

"I sent you a picture of Doggy!"

"No you didn't! Your hand! It's bleeding!"

"It must have got garbled. I'm sorry for scaring you, Rahne."

"You're sorry?! I bit you!" She seized my good arm. "We're going to go see Beast right now!"

"Beast?" I hadn't heard about him.

"Yes! Mr. McCoy! He just got back from his trip last night, he can fix this."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

"I'm going to have to ask you two not to try that again."

Mr. McCoy is a big, furry guy. Blue fur. But he's very smart.

"I heard that there was a new mutant. I hoped we would meet under different circumstances."

"I'm not all that crazy about being here either, sir."

He grinned at me, showing fangs that would put Doggy to shame.

Rahne hovered by the entrance. Mr. McCoy nodded to her.

"It's all right. It wasn't serious. Just needed a bandage."

She walked in gave me a little half-smile. "Do you forgive me?"

"Nope. I hold grudges forever." I grinned so she could see I was joking.

She grinned too. "Thanks." *^*^*^*^*^^**^

Oops! I guess she shouldn't do that anymore.

Tune in next time:

School Daze!

Doggy went cruising Because he'll soon be musing, so You better not flame I certainly hope you are sane But it's not required, so by the way Herman will take the reviews today!