Screams. Screams could be heard throughout the hallways of the house. Rahne shot up from her sleep, and gasped at the sounds. Her mutation kicked in, morphing her fully into a wolf; her ears picking up the slight noises of tearing, as the screams died away. Sniffing, she could pick up the unfamiliar scent of intruders, mixed with the scent of blood. She hesitantly crept towards the door, and looked down, trying to see if any shadows had picked up movement. Suddenly, silhouettes stopped in front of her doorway. She backed up, morphing back into her human form, and opened her window. She turned, as her door was broken down, and she leapt outside, after she saw two men, clad in trench coats, with blood pouring down their mouths, hissing at her. She landed on the ground, and ran through the pouring rain, panting heavy breaths, desperately trying to escape.
The fate of her adoptive parents soared through her mind; the screams she heard; those of her parents; chilled her bones as she morphed again, into a wolf, running down the dirt highway, to the nearest phone; she was only able to turn to one person; Professor Xavier, for help.
*~*~*~*
"Look out!" Rogue screamed, pointing towards her best friend.
Elizabeth swung around, swinging her psychic katana sword, through the drone that came for her, ready to take her out. Rogue rolled out of the way of another drone, and hoisted herself, finally leaping towards the robot, kicking through it. She watched it fall to the ground, like a useless piece of metal. Elizabeth rushed to her, and they turned, looking around them, standing back to back. "Looks like we're a little overrun, don't ya think?" Rogue commented.
"Not for long!" Elizabeth smiled, as drones circled around them.
Elizabeth's katana dissolved, and she pointed her hands outward, using her telekinesis to blast through the two drones in front of her. More seemed to swarm them. Rogue pressed into the com link in her ear, "A little help please?!" She growled through the mouthpiece.
"Woohoo!" They heard the familiar shriek of Boom Boom, followed by the small kinetic balls, taking out the drones in front of them.
Elizabeth formed a shield around her and Rogue, to avoid any debris from hitting them. "'Bout time!" Rogue snapped.
"Sorry, got held up!" Tabitha smiled, placing her hands on her hips.
Tabitha turned, to look behind her for any more drones. Suddenly, the three girls flew forward, from a blast of kinetic energy. They rolled on the ground, breaking their fall. Rogue stood to her feet, but cried out, as Logan speared her to the ground. Sliding forward, he lied on to her grinning coyly; "Game over!" He smiled.
Elizabeth swung around, her blade forming in her hand once more. Remy took out his metal staff, the rod extending to its full length, "On guard, cherie!" He grinned, bowing to her.
Elizabeth tsked at his comment and cockiness, and she leapt towards him. She swung her sword down, slicing through the staff, as he attempted to swing it towards her. She then threw a kick to his face, causing him to fly back. He turned to his back, looking up at her, and threw a charged card he had pulled out of his coat pocket, at her feet. Elizabeth flew back, smashing into the danger room wall. He grinned, as he stood up to his feet, rushing towards her.
Tabitha threw a handful of kinetically charged balls towards Bobby, melting his ice slide as he attempted to attack her. He fell to the ground with a thud. She shrugged with a grin, as he glared up at her, snarling for her counter attack. He pointed his hand towards her, shooting a bolt of ice, "Whoa!" Tabitha squealed, as she rolled out of the way.
Elizabeth shook her head, and looked up, as Remy grabbed onto her, kneeling at her side. "Le tournement es fini, cherie! I win!" He grinned, holding onto her tightly.
Elizabeth snarled, as she attempted to push him away. "How 'bout I claim my prize, eh?" He smiled.
Remy placed his lips to Elizabeth's, forcing himself against her, as she tried with all she had to resist him. The mark over her left eye glowed, as she decided to use the telekinesis against him instead. Remy flew back, as the force threw him off of her, and he smashed into the wall. Elizabeth shot up to her feet, her face red with anger, "How dare you?" She hissed.
She ran towards him, flipping up into the air, and landed in front of him, crouched down. Remy gasped, as he saw the smaller psionic blade form around her left fist. "You broke the rules, luv!" She growled.
Rogue threw her arm back at Logan, throwing him off of her. She swung around to her back, and flipped to her feet. She crouched herself, getting ready to pounce. His claws retracted back into his hands, as he waved them towards himself, gesturing for her to come towards him, "Bring it on, darlin'." He grinned.
Suddenly, the exercise around them abruptly faded, "Hey, what gives?" Tabitha hissed, as she lied onto Bobby, ready to punch him.
"I'm sorry, you guys. But we need to have an emergency meeting in the planning room." Hank smiled from the control area.
Rogue and Logan looked at each other, "Pity!" Rogue smiled.
"We'll just have to finish this later." Logan told her.
*~*~*~*
The senior members of the X-Men sat in the planning room, in the chairs that surrounded the round table. Charles made his way into the room, with a gloomy look on his face, "Everything okay, Professor?" Jean asked curiously.
Hank shook his head, and turned, switching on the television, "News reports have come in, stating a family slaughtered in Scotland." Hank began.
"Slaughtered? Who?" Scott asked him.
The members sitting around the table listening attentively consisted of Logan, Rogue, Elizabeth, Jean, Scott, Kitty, Kurt, and Remy. Ororo stood near Hank, watching the news report. A name mentioned from the reporter caught everyone's ears, "Sinclair? As in Rahne's family?" Ororo gasped.
"Exactly. However, it was only her parents and her sister that were murdered. She called a mere fifteen minutes ago. I would like for Logan, Scott, Jean, and Elizabeth to fly to Scotland to retrieve her and bring her here. She barely escaped from the murderers. She informed me," Charles gulped, looking at the worried looks on his team members' faces, "She informed me that they had blood pouring from their mouths."
"Oh ew!" Kitty cringed in her seat.
"Cannibals?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
Charles shrugged, "I don't know."
"Kitty, I would like for you to accompany me into the research area. I do have suspicions that specific cults could be a part of this. However, this is the first finding of humans being slaughtered in a home like this," Hank paused, "With one living to tell about it."
Rogue's eyes searched in thought; "Wait." She stopped everyone as they stood to leave.
Everyone in the room turned their attention on her, "You say Rahne's a werewolf, right? What if there's others like her out there, but they're hunting humans for food?" Rogue asked.
"You mean like a specific werewolf species?" Elizabeth asked her.
Rogue stood, walking towards them, "Yeah, I mean, what if it existed? I mean, human cannibals don't have the strength to slaughter people the way the news said that they were killed! Tears in their jugular arteries?"
Hank and Kitty looked at each other, "We'll research on that, Rogue." Hank told her.
"In the meantime, we'll get Rahne and bring her here, Chuck." Logan told them.
Scott, Jean and Elizabeth followed him out of the planning room.
*~*~*~*
Rahne gasped, as she looked up from her huddled arms, as she heard a noise from the side of her. She was huddled against the phone booth she had used to call Xavier, outside of a pub, in the pouring rain. She stood to her feet, praying they would soon come for her. She thought of it as a better idea to hide in a crowd, where she wouldn't be harmed; after all, safety was better in numbers. She quickly turned, as she heard a light whisper behind her. She then hurriedly rushed into the loud and crowded pub.
*~*~*~*
Logan sighed, shaking his head, as he and Elizabeth piloted the Velocity in the pilot seats, while Jean and Scott sat in the two seats behind them. "What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked her friend.
"I knew that girl would be safer at the institute." Logan mumbled.
"Logan, there was no way round it. Her parents made their choice." Scott told him.
"Yeah? Look. Her parents are dead now. The poor girl's probably traumatized from the whole thing." Logan growled.
"Who would do such a thing? And then come after her?" Jean asked, leaning forward.
Elizabeth shrugged, "Maybe Rogue's right. I mean, a human can't just tear out someone's main artery that's on the side of your neck."
"I just hope Rahne's safe." Jean sighed, as she sat back in her seat.
"We have to coordinates, Logan?" Scott asked.
"Yeah. Prof sent them through just about five minutes ago, shades." Logan told him.
"Where in Scotland are we going?" Elizabeth asked.
Logan sat back, "Gullane."