*Chapter 2*
~Claws and Scars~
The gentle spring sun continued on its path through the sky, now halfway to its zenith. The fog had since been burned away, revealing the gentle rolling expanse of grassy fields. Every so often a lonely stand of trees would break the rippling expanse of grass and brush, creating points of interest on the open moor. The sky above was dotted with a few fluffy clouds hinting at a beautiful, rain-free day. The animals of the moor went about their business of day-to-day survival, oblivious to the mighty stone mansion in the midst of their environment.
The mansion itself was a massive structure made of pale gray stone in the gothic style. It had an enclosed courtyard in the center that served as a training area and private garden. There was also a stable situated near the sheltered side of the building with a large enclosed field for the horses. The interior of the giant residence had a large dinning hall, ballroom, and indoor training room. There was also a large kitchen, library, and an enormous number of bedrooms. But there were no servants' quarters, which was most unusual.
Instead of servants, the residents cleaned and repaired the mansion themselves. They cooked their own meals, tended the garden, and looked after the horses as a sort of payment to Lord Xavier for allowing them to stay in his home. And these people were no ordinary people. They were individuals who had been rejected by society because they were thought to be Cursed. They had strange, supernatural abilities that frightened and confused ordinary people. But Lord Xavier was no ordinary man; he was one of the Cursed himself, able to see into the minds of whomever he wished. He opened his home to others like him, giving them a home where they would be safe among people who weren't afraid, who understood them.
Most of those who he had found were young children, in danger of being rejected from their families on the belief that the devil was working through them. Sometimes he would get to them in time, before they were thrown out on the streets or hurt by those they loved and trusted. Other times he was too late, they were scarred by their experiences and only love and time could heal them. Some scars, Charles feared, might never heal no matter what he did. But he would never stop trying to save, shelter, and heal as many as he could; it was not in his nature to give up on something he started.
The Lord of the mansion rested in his spacious library reflecting on his unusual life. Being the first born son of a wealthy and powerful English lord meant he had always led a privileged life. His parents were truly great people, at an early age they instilled in him the idea that he had a duty to look after other people less fortunate than himself. He should treat even the lowliest peasant with respect no matter the situation. He had never forgotten that and it had served him well. All through his long life he had done what he could to help those in need. When he still had servants to run his home he had never been cruel or unjust to them. When he no longer needed them he made sure they found new positions in the households of friends who would not mistreat them. When he had been struck down by a band of thieves who masked themselves with a spell and left to die on the road an innkeeper he once helped came to his aid. Without the innkeeper's help he would not have survived or he could have been crippled more than he was now. As it was Xavier could barely make it from his room to the dining hall for breakfast in the morning without help. But Charles never let his compromised mobility slow him down, he continued on this new crusade without pause.
Charles ended his reminiscing and reached out his consciousness to observe the people that he shared his home with. The first he found was former Lord Henry McCoy who was somewhere in the library with him. The former noble was more of a scholar than anything else, always looking for some new book to read or theory to test. It was his curiosity that got him into trouble in the first place. Henry, or Hank as he preferred to be known, was experimenting with exotic chemicals when a powerful reaction had activated his latent Curse, transforming him. He became a strange sort of blue-furred ape-like beast with violent instincts, incredible strength, and heightened senses. He was branded a monster and driven from his home near the borders of Scotland and England. Hank ran for nearly a fortnight before he found himself outside Charles's door. While he may have the body of a beast he still had the mind of a man, Xavier saw this instantly and invited him to stay. The exiled lord agreed and ever since has been the master of the mansions library. Because of his appearance there was little chance he could ever leave here but he had yet to mind that fact, perfectly content with his new home.
Xavier continued on, his mind's reach spiraling outward till he reached the garden in the courtyard. Here he found Ororo, the former demi-goddess of the far southern lands of Africa. She was a very unusual woman; she had the dark skin of a Moor but the blue eyes of a European and snow white hair of someone many times her age. It was not her appearance that granted her near god-like status in her homeland; however, it was her ability to influence the weather. She could end a drought by causing it to rain and slow a flood by making the sun shine hot and bright. But she was tricked and captured by slave traders and brought to Europe to be a slave. She was kept quiet with drugs and spells so she would not resist, but one day she broke free. Ororo summoned a great storm and flooded her master's land before she could be stopped. She was nearly executed for that, but was spared at the last minute by Charles. He bought Ororo from her master and brought her to his home. She was unsure of his offer to stay with him until she had seen his garden, it was beautiful but in need of a gardener. So that became her job, she tended the garden and would look after the younger children that Xavier brought back, giving advice and guidance when needed.
Not far beyond Ororo was Logan, Xavier observed, watching one of the children practice on the training grounds. Logan was the first Cursed One he found, revealing that there were others out there like him. Charles had found him on a visit to the Germanic port city of Hamburg, wandering the streets with a lost air about him. Before Charles could stop it, a group of thugs attempted to rob the wanderer. Logan lashed out with his unnatural claws and killed or wounded all of them in a matter of seconds before calmly walking away. Xavier followed the strange man with his mind till he found where he was staying. Logan hadn't trusted the Lord at first, but when Xavier proved his abilities to the feral man he opened up. Logan asked Charles if he could help restore his lost memory, and though the Lord failed, he did learn that the strange metal claws and the metal lining the feral's body was the result of a spell. An unknown mage had taken metal from a fallen star and used a spell to bond it to Logan's bones. The only reason that Logan survived the spell was his healing abilities, but that wasn't enough to save his mind. The Lord had tried several times since then to restore the wild man's memory but always failed. In spite of this Logan remained with him and they had become good friends.
The Lord Xavier then focused his mind on the young person that Logan was watching so intently. The young woman turned out to be Katharine Pryde, practicing with her sword against an invisible opponent. She was one of his scarred children. Kitty had never been thrown out of her home like some had, but maybe it would have been better that way. Her parents were good people; they were part of a wealthy merchant family that made their money from new world tobacco and coffee. They loved their only child very much and only wanted the best for her. They had arranged a marriage for her with the son of a friend of her father's. She seemed set for life; she had a wealthy family and an engagement to another wealthy family. Kitty was beautiful, even as a child, she was smart and had a wonderful personality. But when her Curse appeared her perfect little life came crashing down.
Her parents were unable to deal with her phantom-like abilities and there was some problem that appeared with her engagement. Xavier didn't know any details, she refused to tell him and he would not pry. All he knew was that her Curse isolated her in her own home; no one would go near her. She had trouble with her new-found power at first, falling through floors and doors without meaning too, dropping things, and nightmares of falling. It wore her down and she slid so far into darkness that she nearly died. Xavier knew someone in her home must have saved her, but Kitty refused to reveal who, only that the person who made her life bearable was gone. She sought solace in her male friend Lance Alvers, the son of a knight, who was Cursed like her. She admitted to Charles that she had an affair of sorts with this boy, but now truly saw him for what he was: a cruel boy who only lusted after her and would do anything to get her, even act nice in front of her. She rejected him and, for a time, was alone and mildly melancholic. She pulled herself free, however, and tried to move on with her life.
When Xavier came to visit her family to discuss business he was confused at the treatment of the little girl he saw. Her family refused to speak of her only saying that she was their daughter and not to pay her any mind. Before he left Charles made time to speak with the child and learned something of her problems. When he told her of his home and the people he brought to live there she begged to come too. He had been surprised and asked why she would want to her home and family behind to come with him. She said that she couldn't stand it here anymore and was certain her parents would let her, they were ashamed of her and would be glad if she left. Xavier asked and sure enough they were more than happy to send her away. She didn't bring much with her when they left, only two trunks of dresses, a few books, and a sword. Kitty had only been fourteen then.
Now she was a mature seventeen year old woman. She seemed happier now, among friends who she considered her family. But she still carried her scars deep in her soul where no one would see them, no one but Xavier. The Lord would not pry, if she choose not to talk about it he would leave it be unless is caused a problem. She still had occasional trouble with Lance and the situation with her engagement was unknown, but aside from that she seemed to be back on track with her life. But Kitty was still haunted by something; Charles could sense it as he watched her practice. Logan knew it too, that's why he looked after her like he did. He admired her spirit, but worried for her soul. There were many things she hadn't told anyone about her life before the mansion, things not even her guardian Lord Xavier knew, and that worried him. But he would not pry, if she wouldn't tell him that was her choice, she was an adult and he wouldn't force her. He trusted her judgment in this matter; if she needed help she would get it.
Charles shook off the dark thoughts and concentrated instead on her performance. She had a terrible grace to her movements as she wielded the light long sword. She had come to the mansion already knowing something about sword fighting, but her education was incomplete. Logan had stepped forward and become her new teacher, but he was unfamiliar with the style she knew. So he started from scratch and taught her the styles he was knowledgeable in instead. She was a good student and learned quickly, now barely three years after she began she was almost as deadly with her sword as Logan was. Why she knew anything about swords at all was another mystery, somehow Charles doubted it was her parent's idea for her to learn it. As she went through the motions she reminded both observing men of a lithe cat, the sword was her claws. She was a scarred cat, with a shadowy past, and very sharp claws. She was the Shadowcat and no one would have her any other way.