"I been a lot of things in a lot of places...a sickly kid named James Howlett..."
- Wolverine (Earth-616)
1847, Alberta, Canada
Coughing, sneezing and fever plagued the young seven year old's body as he shivered underneath the thick feather filled covers of his wooden frame bed. He had been sick since the morning. It happened every few days. His body would fight the fever and sickness off and then his immune system would very nearly shut down and he would get infected with sickness and it was always at it's worse during the night. James had grown used to it. He was used to the pampering that came with being sick by now. It was one of the only things that kept a smile on his face during his time of weakness.
"James! Are you alright, dear?" a voice called from outside of his room as the person knocked outside. James smiled. It was Rose. Rose was only three years his senior and the new servant that was sent in to take care of James by his mother and father.
"I'm not too good, Rose. Can you come in, please?" James called in a hoarse tone. The door opened and Rose entered. James' eyes widened and a smile rested gently on his face. Rose was beautiful with her fiery red hair that looked like it held the bright light of a Phoenix fire in its follicles and green eyes that were the color of pure emeralds. James was merely a child, but even he couldn't ignore her beauty.
"What do you need, Master James?" she asked sweetly.
"My head is hurting. Can you stay and rub it for a while?" James asked, locking his puppy dog gaze onto Rose's bright green eyes. Rose giggled softly.
"Ok, if that's what you want." Rose said as she sat down on the bed next to James and placed her soft, warm hand onto James' forehead and began to stroke it softly, running her hands through his black hair. James almost purred as Rose's hand traveled down his cheek. "You don't feel as warm as you were earlier, James." Rose noted. James nodded.
"It happens alot. I'm always getting sick out of nowhere." James said.
"Yes, your body does seem to have the strangest pattern in regards to your health." Rose said as she continued to stroke his head. James sighed.
"It's all better now that you're here." James said. Rose blushed slightly and then stood up.
"Are you hungry, Master James? Perhaps some soup?" she said. James nodded eagerly.
"Yes, please!" he said. James then coughed and sneezed. Rose dipped her head and headed out, closing the door behind her. James coughed softly and sniffled. A pecking sound at his window alerted him and he looked to his left and was shocked to see a blonde boy hanging onto the ledge. James rose from his bed and walked over to the window and opened it. The blonde boy leapt threw the window like a cat, landing on his feet perfectly. He then turned to James and smiled.
"You still sick, Jimmy?" he asked in a gruff tone. James coughed softly and then shrugged.
"Not as much." he replied. The blonde boy sniffed once and then sat on James' bed.
"Jimmy, ya lyin' ta me. You smell sicker than two naked whores lying in the snow." the boy laughed. James smiled. Douglass, or Dog as James called him, was James' best friend and son of the housekeeper, Thomas. The two had met when James had passed out from an allergy attack near a lake and fell in. Dog, who had been walking along at the time, leapt in and saved him from certain drowning and since then, he and James had been very close friends. James had always felt a deep connection with Dog, as if they were two of a kind, although James really couldn't find many similarities between them.
"I'm not lying." James said. He then wiped the sweat from his pale forehead. Dog shook his head.
"Ya don't have to lie fo' me, Jimmy. I can smell how sick ya are." Dog laughed. James folded his arms.
"Oh yeah? Well, if you're so good at smelling things, can you smell what's going on downstairs?" James asked. Dog smirked and shook his head.
"No, not really. It's too far downstairs." Dog replied. He then sniffed once. "Has Ms. Rose been in here?" he asked. James nodded.
"Yes, she was in here before you came in." James said with a sweet smile. Dog laughed.
"She's too ol' for ya, Jimmy." Dog replied. James shook his head.
"No! She's ten and I'm seven. That's...three years!"
"Three years means alot, kid." Dog answered. Dog then turned his ears towards the window and his eyes widened slightly in fear. "Damn...I've got to go, Jimmy. See ya tomorrow." he said as he leapt through the window and ran towards his house. James watched as Dog ran away. Was Dog right? Were three years a big difference? James heard the door begin to creak and he shut the window and dove into the bed. He rested his head against his pillow. Rose entered the room and James could smell the scent of chicken broth circling the room.
"Here's your supper, Master James." Rose said with a smile. James licked his lips and propped himself as he readied himself to eat.
Dog hit the ground face first, blood splattering across the room. Dog tried to will himself upwards slowly only to be assisted by a powerful hand gripping the back of his shirt. The hand threw him across the room, causing him to slam against the wall. Dog looked up in a daze and felt the hand grip his throat, squeezing tightly. The air slowly exhausted itself and Dog's eyes started to close.
"What the hell did I tell you, boy?" a voice growled. Dog could smell the whiskey on the man's breath and his eyes watered as tears rolled down his face.
"You said not to mess wit' the Howletts." Dog sniffled, blood and mucus traveling up his nose rapidly. Dog shook in his shirt, sweat pouring through his pores.
"Right. Now why the hell aren't you listenin' to me, boy!" the man yelled as he sent his burly and hairy fist into Dog's face, hitting right between the eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, Poppa...b-but...the boy...James...he ain't so bad..." Dog whispered softly. Dog felt himself be lifted higher into the air, the pressure of the man's hands beginning to crush his throat.
"He...ain't so bad, huh?" the man growled as he squeezed Dog's throat tighter. "Is he worth losing ya goddamn neck?" Dog whimpered softly and gripped his father's hand.
"I'm sorry, Poppa..." Dog groaned softly. His father growled and dropped him to the ground and stared down at him, a scowl heavily indented on his face.
"So, I'm sure you'll be a good lad, now, eh?" his father said as he sat down at his wooden table, grabbing another bottle of whiskey and chugging it down. Dog nodded quickly.
"Y-yes, Poppa. I-I'll be good."
"You'll do what I say?"
"Yes sir." Thomas Logan rose from his chair and loomed over Dog and stared down at him. Dog shivered slightly and Thomas growled.
"Don't you ever associate wit' them Howlett folks again, understand? If you do, I'll beat you until your spineless just like them bastards." Thomas growled. Dog stared up at his father with a blank expression. Abandon James? The boy whose life he saved when they were small? He had grown up with James. How could he bear to not be with the boy he had adopted as his little brother? "Do ya hear me, boy!" Thomas yelled as he clamped his hands onto Dog's shoulder's sending a shocking amount of pain through Dog's body.
"Y-yes, Poppa...I-I promise." Dog replied. Thomas patted his son on the head and smiled.
"Good lad." he said. Dog looked up and saw a bottle of whiskey in his face. "Drink up. It'll make the pain leave." Dog gulped and took the bottle and began to drink.
The Next Day...
The morning sun had barely begun to creep above the horizon as James' eyes slowly opened. James jumped backwards slightly at the sight that beheld him. It was Dog, sitting at his window. When he heard James' moving, Dog turned towards him and sighed.
"Hey, Jimmy." Dog said softly. James wiped his eyes and yawned.
"Hey, Dog. Why're you here so early?" James inquired. From the look of the sky, it was only around six in the morning.
"My pa ain't up yet. He was real drunk last night so I had to come tell you something before he woke up." Dog replied. James sat up in his bed and waited for what Dog had to say. What adventure did he have planned for today? What mischief would they get into? "My pa says I can't be around you anymore." Dog said. James' face fell like a stone and he stared at Dog.
"Why?"
"He doesn't like ya'll...he doesn't like ya family. H-he thinks that ya'll are spineless and treat the servants like dirt, but I know that ain't true!" Dog said as he slammed James' bed with his fist. James looked at Dog strangely. He had never seen Dog show anything besides a stoic personality. This sudden outbreak of emotion shocked him .
"So does that mean we won't be friends anymore?" James asked.
"Hell no! I don't give a damn what my pa says. I know ya'll better than he does. We'll still be friends, Jimmy." Dog said with a smile. James looked at Dog and smiled.
"Do you promise?" James asked. Dog nodded.
"I promise, kid." he replied. Dog then turned to the window and listened and then jumped towards it. He turned back towards James and smiled. "See ya, Jimmy." James watched as Dog leapt from the window and landed on his feet and ran towards his house.
The next few hours were one of serious thought for James. The young Howlett wandered around the estate aimlessly, unable to find anything of interest to do. When he made his way to the living room, he saw father sitting in a large and heavily padded chair in front of the fireplace. A pipe hung casually from his mouth as smoke puffed out once every few minutes almost in synchronization with the turning of the pages of the book he was reading. James crept forward, clearing his throat to notify his father of his presence. John Howlett turned towards the sounds of his son and smiled.
"James, my boy! What're you doing awake at such an hour?" John asked as he sat his son on his knee.
"I wanted to see what you were doing, father." James said as he looked at John's book. John smiled.
"This is the family history of everyone who's been in our family since the French occupation of the area. One day, James, your name will be in this book as well. You may even have a special place within it if you take up the mantle of the head of the Howlett family business." John said as he looked into his son's curious eyes.
"What's the family business, father?" James asked. John smiled.
"Come with me on some trips and you'll see." John answered. James nodded and John took his hand and placed his finger on an empty spot inside the book. "When the day comes, your name will be here, son." James looked up at his father proudly and walked with him down the hall, the open and blank page laying exposed...
1854, Alberta, Canada
James rushed across the open fields, enjoying the flow of the wind hitting his face and hair. The now fourteen year old Howlett had grown greatly physically. His immune system had grown stronger and his sickly phase had faded considerably since his time as a child. Made more clear by the fact that currently, he was outrunning Dog.
"So, ya think your fast, huh, Jimmy?" Dog said with a laugh. James turned and looked behind him and a smirk crept across his face.
"I'm only fast because I'm running to meet my father for our trip." By the time James had completed his statement, Dog was running with him, stride for stride.
"Well, I reckon I should be faster so I can save my skin." he said as he pushed ahead of James. James laughed and the two hopped over a log and stopped. James panted heavily and coughed as sweat dripped from his chin. Dog recovered in a matter of moments and looked down at James and shook his head. "I would've thought after all this time you would've stopped being so damn sick." Dog said. James looked at him and smiled.
"I've gotten much better, Dog. The weather doesn't bother me that much anymore." James said with a smile. Dog laughed.
"Get ya soft ass home, Jimmy. Ya papa's waitin' for you." Dog said. James nodded and walked across the field towards his house, leaving Dog standing in the middle of the meadow.
When James finally made it to the mansion, he was immediately showered and bathed by the maids who insisted that he be clean in order to go on the trip with his father. As James was being bathed, he thought on how his mother used to be bathe him so tenderly and lovingly. Those memories were very distant now. James hadn't seen his mother out in the open for nearly twelve years. It seemed that ever since his older brother disappeared, she had been so...distant and cold.
"C'mon, Master James! Get out! Out!" a maid said as she shooed him along. When James was pushed out of the bathroom, he fell into the arms (and bosom) of Rose, who clothed him quickly. James had noticed that Rose's beauty had increased tremendously over the last seven years. As James had grown older and stronger, his small crush on Rose began to develop into a deep affection that he could hardly explain to himself. The only problem with this was the fact that Rose had been showing more interest in Dog, who was the same age as her. There was some tension when all three were around each other as the younger James was incredibly interested in changing Rose's misconception on age.
"Hi, Rose." James said with a blush. Rose locked her eyes onto his and smiled.
"We don't have time for talking, I'm afraid. Your father is waiting for you." Rose replied, rushing James off towards his father. James stared back and waved to Rose and started outside towards his father. John Howlett greeted James with a warm smile and James climbed into the wagon with him.
"Where are we going, father?" James asked with a smile. John smiled.
"Oh, just down into the village to oversee some exports of fur. Shouldn't take too long. It's already the afternoon. We should be back by nightfall." John replied. James smiled.
"Ok, father."
Later that day...
Dog sat on top of a hill, overlooking the village down below where the commonfolk and servants lived. The moon lit up the sky and reflected beautifully of the lake in the distance. Dog would normally come up here to heal from the physical and emotional scars created by his father, but tonight he had an entirely different purpose. The scent of vanilla hit Dog's nose and he turned and smiled at what he saw. The scarlet-haired Rose walked down towards him, her plush pink lips parted in a wide smile. Before she even had a chance to sit down, Dog's lips were connected to hers. The two continued to kiss passionately for nearly a minute until finally Rose placed her small hands onto Dog's chest and laid her head onto his shoulder.
"This isn't right." she said softly. Dog looked down at her and a frown formed on his face.
"To hell wit' 'im. He ain't gonna stop me from marryin' you." Dog said.
"But if what your father said is concerning the entire Howlett Estate, wouldn't his threat to kill you also involve me?" Rose said with a worried look in her eyes. Dog scoffed.
"That old turd won't do a thing to me, darling." Dog said as he kissed Rose again. "I love you." The heat and tension from the words turned Rose's cheeks a bright red and she looked up at Dog.
"I love you too." she whispered softly. Dog leaned in to kiss Rose again but a distant sound alerted him. It was faint, but highly familiar. It was his father beginning to shuffle in the cabin.
"I gotta leave now, darling." Dog whispered. Rose nodded and after a quick peck, Dog was bounding down the hill towards his cabin. Dog approached the cabin quietly and cautiously opened the door. Inside, his father sat with four empty whiskey bottles around him and a half empty bottle hanging from his hand. Thomas Logan's eyes looked up and he growled.
"Where the hell have ya been, boy?"
"I was out." Dog replied swiftly. Thomas narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell do ya mean you were out? Ya better give me some damned good reasons why the hell you were outside at the damn Howlett Estate!" Thomas roared. A scowl sinked onto Dog's face and he balled his fist up tightly.
"I ain't gotta give you any damn reason why I went out! You ain't gonna control me no more!" Dog snapped. Thomas Logan's eyes widened and he rose from his seat in an angry rage. Before Dog could react, Thomas had crossed the room and sent his fist crashing into Dog's temple, sending the boy crashing into the ground.
"That last breath you took to disrespect me will be the last breaths you ever take, you little bastard!" Thomas yelled.
Meanwhile...
James and his father had just made it inside when John stopped the carriage and looked towards Thomas' cabin. James could hear the sounds of screaming and violence from inside the cabin and he immediately realized what was going on. Dog had been caught. John hopped off of the cabin and sent the carriage driver back down to the village and made his way to Thomas' cabin.
"Go home, son. I'll be there shortly." John said. James waited until his father had entered the cabin and then made his way to the front and watched from the outside. Thomas Logan's fists continued to crash down onto Dog, who was now curled up into a fetal position. John grabbed Thomas' hands and squeezed. "Thomas! For God's sake, don't beat this boy to such a degree that he's at death's door!" John said sternly. Suddenly, John lost his grip on Thomas' hand and Thomas sent his fist crashing into the bridge of John's nose.
"Get the hell out!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. John was knocked outside and fell to the ground, almost hitting James. John looked over at James and Thomas followed his eyes and saw the boy standing there. Thomas grinned sadistically and John groaned.
"James, get out of here, son!" he yelled.
"Son?" Thomas cackled loudly. He then picked John up from the ground and sent a shot into John's stomach. "That bitch pulled the sack over ya eyes, eh, 'Soft' John?" Thomas laughed as he hit John again.
"What the hell are you talking about, Logan!" John yelled. Thomas sent his knee into John's jaw and the man fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Thomas grabbed John by his hair and held his head up and looked at James who stared dumbfounded.
"Your poor beautiful wife just couldn't be satisfied by the likes of you. She came to me about fifteen years ago, cryin' because a man like you was too weak to handle a woman like her. Too weak to rid her of her sexual intentions." Thomas said as he slammed John's face into the dirt and lifted his head back up. "So I did your job for you. That boy over there ain't your damn son. He's my boy. As weak as he is, he still has that Logan face. Can't you tell?" Thomas said with a sadistic laugh, the whiskey on his breath nauseating John. Thomas began to swing another shot towards John but this time, James had seen enough.
"Leave my papa alone!" he yelled as he ran forward and shoved his shoulder into Thomas' chest. Thomas laughed and was about to grab James, but another set of hands grabbed him. James saw out the corner of his eye a bruised Dog who was attempting to tackle Thomas as well.
"Hell, my two sons workin' together to bring me down?" he said as he reached down into his pocket. James could only see the glint of the metal in the moonlit sky and Thomas shoved it forward. The knife pierced through James stomach and he cried out in pain as he slumped to the ground, holding his stomach. Blood gushed out of his stomach and Thomas looked down at the boy and smiled. "Since you're my son, you better be able to take what he can." Thomas said as he lifted Dog into the air and threw him onto the ground. Thomas began to make his way towards his cabin but a hand gripped his ankle. Thomas looked down and saw John, bloodied and battered, panting heavily as he stared up at Thomas.
"Logan..."
"Don't you dare say anything, you worthless turd!" Thomas said as he reached to his side and pulled out a Derringer pistol. James looked up from the ground and stared at his father who looked over towards him and smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks. Before he could even mouth "Goodbye", the shot was fired. The bullet buried through John's skull. Blood splattered against the fallen leaves and John's body immediately went limp.
James stared with widened eyes, his bottom lip quivering sporadically as he watched. His heart began to pound, adrenaline racing through his body. James opened his mouth and an inhuman howl rose from his throat, causing both Thomas and Dog to stare over at James, frightened. James felt something begin to shift inside his forearms and watched in terror as his skin rippled underneath. He felt something rigged and hard tear through the skin between his knuckles and his mouth widened as he saw three six inch bone claws emerge from his flesh, completely covered in blood. James stared at his hands and shook as if he was a pot at it's boiling point.
In a flash, James was running towards Thomas, howling the entire way. Thomas quickly attempted to reload his pistol only for James to shove both sets of claws into his abdomen. In his rage, James continued to shove his claws in and out rapidly, firing vicious and clawed uppercuts into Thomas' body. Thomas' entrails splattered over the ground, spraying blood and the remnants of liquor onto the ground and on James. James continued to howl in a feral fury as he unleashed his rage.
"James, stop!" a female voice cried. James whipped around, teeth and claws bared as he readied himself for another opponent. James felt arms wrap around him and he saw the thick red locks floating in front of his face. James panted heavily and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell to the ground. Rose held James in her arms, tears rushing down her face. Dog looked down James' stomach to check on his wound only for his face become blank. There was no wound. There was only the smallest indication of a scar on James' stomach. Dog stared down at him as a single thought raced through his mind.
He really is my brother...
