Raven dug her teeth into his hand but he didn't release her. Pepper gnashed his teeth at the other guy as he wrapped a rope tightly around his muzzle and tied another around his neck. The human holding onto Raven began to wrap a rope around her wrists, but Raven burned them instantly. "She's the pyro," he said to the two men that entered. One of them took his shirt off and wrapped it tightly around her hands.
"Flame retardant," he said simply as he helped the other man twist the ropes painfully tight around her wrists, holding the cloth in place. Someone was already dragging Pepper down the stairs. Someone jerked Raven to her feet and shoving her forward, down the stairs.
It's alright, Pepper said to her. Raven nodded to him before they were drug into the room where the first two men were seated. The older one, who seemed to be in charge, stood and walked almost lazily to stand in front of them.
"Hello, youngun'," he said amiably, as if he was talking to his granddaughter instead of his captive. "Cut her loose but leave the cloth in place. Avery, shut that mutt up." Avery gave Pepper a kick, causing him to yelp and wrench his mouth open, loosening the rope enough to shake it off his muzzle and sink his teeth into his captor's foot. Avery hollered. Raven used the distraction to slam her fist into her captor's stomach. He gagged and released her as she wrenched her hands out of the flame retardant cloth. She felt a hand on her arm and she forced the heat through her skin, forcing him to let go.
She tried to run but she felt a searing pain in her side as a knife sliced across her ribs. She yelped and slammed a fist at him. He rewarded her by slicing the blade across her arm. Pepper lunged as he tossed Raven to the ground, locking his teeth into Raven's assailant's neck, inches from his life vein. "Get off you damn beast!" Pepper let go and dug his teeth into his knife hand, forcing him to drop it.
"Pepper…run! Get…help!" Raven gasped, and Pepper retreated to the nearby window.
"No you don't." Another human grabbed for the knife and chased after Pepper, raking it across his side, leg, and neck. Pepper hollered as he went limp.
"PEPPER!" Raven yelled. "Don't hurt my dog!
"Get the animal out of here," the older man commanded. Raven had tears in her eyes, but she was unable to think about anything as the pain hit her again, her side and her arm bleeding heavily. One of the men lifted Pepper and carried him out.
Raven blacked out.
Pepper was still. He was afraid to move as he was carried outside and sat down in the ally. "Sorry buddy," the human whispered. The human went back inside and shut the door with a clack. Pepper whimpered involuntarily as he tried to stand. He whole body hurt and he was bleeding to badly to lick his wounds. He finally forced himself to stand, leaning on the wall, crying out as he stepped down on his injured leg. He forced himself to walk, but not out of self preservation. He had made a promise to Raven long ago. Raven had been afraid, scared of her father when they had climbed into Rogue's window in the middle of the night, and Pepper had promised her that he would protect her. He had promised never to leave her. He had never left her before.
He damn well wasn't gonna start now.
So he pressed on, as dogs had done since to dawn of time, risking their lives for the human's they loved, as Raven had done for him when he was a lost and alone pup, drowning in the river. She had nearly drowned herself trying to save him. He remembered the promise he had made to Raven and realized that that was the first time he had said it out loud, but he had always protected her, never leaving her side when she was sick or in danger. When she was sad, he had licked her tears. When she was sick, he had stayed by her side. When she was scared, he had had protected her. When she was happy, he had laughed with her, and, in return, she had never abandoned him.
He walked slowly, gasping with every step, but he was moving none-the-less. He headed in the direction of home, realizing that, not only was Raven's life in danger, but so were the rest of the X-Men. Pepper looked up and realized with astonishment, that the mansion was in sight, but his body shook and he felt weak. He was feeling numb as he laid down again, whimpering as he closed is eyes, unable to go on.
Pepper drifted into blissful unconscious.
Rogue shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Gambit sat down beside her. "You alright, Chere?" She nodded slightly. Scott stepped into the room and sat on the couch across from them.
"Hey Thelma, where's Louise?"
"Are you looking for Raven?"
"No, I'm looking for Gena Davis. Yes I'm looking for Raven."
"I haven't seen her. She went for a walk about four hours ago and I haven't seen her since. It's getting dark."
"You don't think she's…run away…do you? Storm said she had a history of that."
"No, she left her guitar upstairs. If she was running away she wouldn't leave it. I think that something's wrong."
"Why?"
"This is going to sound weird but…when we were kids, I could always tell if something was wrong. I would get this gnawing feeling in my stomach whenever she was in danger. I feel like that now. I just know she's in trouble. I just know it." Rogue knew she was beginning to sound hysterical but she could've cared less. Gambit placed a hand on her knee and she leaned against him, drawing comfort from his warmth. Gambit found himself wishing he could wipe her cheeks and kiss her lips but he knew that he couldn't. She wouldn't allow him to take that risk. She loved him to much.
"Hey, you guys, have you seen Pepper anywhere?" Jean asked as she entered the room.
"He and Raven went for a walk forever ago. Why?" Rogue asked.
"I keep hearing a dog whining," she said as Logan came in behind her.
"Yeah. I heard it to. I thought the mutt might be trying to get inside but I didn't see him." Jean darted to the door and Rogue followed her as she stepped outside.
"Pepper, here boy," she called. "There it is again. It was a very plaintive whimper." Jean, Rogue, Logan, and Gambit stood out on the porch, looking for the source of the whimpering. Jean gasped as she darted down the porch steps towards the end of the driveway. Rogue glanced in the direction she was headed and saw, what looked like, a dead dog, collapsed at the end of the driveway. "Oh my God!" she gasped, running after Jean. The boys followed after them.
"He's bleeding pretty bad," Jean said, running her hand down his side. He yelped, suddenly conscious. When he saw who it was, he licked Jean's hand. She brushed her hand lightly over his muzzle before lifting him gently off the ground and carrying him inside, downstairs to the infirmary, lying him gently on one of the beds.
"What's wrong?" Jubilee asked as she and Kitty entered the room.
"Pepper's hurt," Rogue said, her voice shaking. She tried not to think about how he got hurt. He was a very docile dog, not one for fighting street dogs, and he never left Raven's side. If he was this torn up then Raven must be hurt pretty badly.
And she was the only one that could understand his language.
"Kitty, will you hand me the gauze. We've got to stop the bleeding." She took the gauze from Kitty and began to dab up the blood that had seeped out of the wound and matted into his fur. "Shhh boy. It's alright. It's alright. Good boy," she cooed gently, trying to calm the shivering dog. Rogue held his head in her hands and whispered comfortingly to him as he whimpered, trying to stand. "No, buddy. Lie down. You can't walk."
"He's probably trying to get to Raven."
"There's got to be a way we can find out where she is. Jean-"
"Way ahead of you. Pepper, we're going to find Raven, but we need you to help us. I want you to focus on Raven. Focus on where she is." Jean touched her fingers lightly to his temples, focusing her physic energy on the dog's mind. She had never tried to read a dog's thoughts before but this was life or death. Raven could be dying.
Or she could be already dead.
"Focus Pepper. Focus on Raven." She closed her eyes, and, as her vision disappeared, New vision took over. She was lower to the ground and her eyes were sharper, as were her ears and nose. She was being lifted by a strange human and she shivered in pain. She was seeing things from Pepper's mind. Jean watched as Pepper's eyes locked on Raven, who was crumpled on the floor, bleeding profusely. Jean gasped as Pepper's vision went black. "She hurt badly. She's pretty sliced up, just like Pepper. We have to get to her."
"Where is she?" Jubilee asked.
"Let's see. There were grey cement bricks and a grey linoleum floor. It was a big room with a skylight."
"The old factory has a skylight. And it's made outta grey cement bricks," Gambit said. "Maybe that's where she is.
"You guys round up the others and we'll leave."
"What about Pepper?" Kitty asked.
"I'll stay with him," Rogue said.
"I'll stay with you," Gambit told her. Jean nodded.
"Aren't you worried about Raven?"
"Yes, but she'd never forgive me if I let something happen to her dog. Just promise me that you'll find her."
"Don't worry, Rogue. We'll find her."