Ok, so I mentioned that there were 6 students, and I've introduced 5 (not counting Runt), but I can't think of anything for the sixth one.
It has to be animal themed, and including Vulture, I already have two that can fly so...R&R !

DISCLAIMER: I don't own U.S.M

Luke's pov

We walked and climbed through the crowded jungle for almost half an hour.

"Your going the wrong way," We froze. The tree nearest to us rustled. A small boy jumped out of the branches.

"Runt?" We all gasped. He looked so much stronger, more sure.

"What did you do?" Danny whispered intently.

"I...I...I don't have to explain myself to the people who left me behind!" He finished. Danny narrowed his eyes. His posture was rigid, leaning slightly towards Runt. I was worried we'd have to hold him back when his shoulders relaxed and he straightened.

"Fine, but there is a miniscule difference between powerful dreams, and powerful memories," He said, still staring at Runt. I knew him so well, that even through the bandana, I could sense that he was disturbed for some reason.

"Anyway..." Pete tried to break the tension, "You wouldn't remember where Adrian lives around here, would you?" He asked. Runt nodded and we all followed him through the underbrush until we emerged into a clearing. The trees were arranged in a massive circle around the perimeter. On six of the trees, decent sized tree-houses rested on the highest braches. On a seventh, was a huge tree-fort. The wooden rope bridges that connected each home ran up the side of the seventh tree, merging into one big bridge and ending outside the front of the house. The home itself was made out of the same wood and sat at the very top of the jungle tree, with what appeared to be two stories.

"Huh, its not the sewers, but props for originality," Pete whistled. We rolled our eyes. As we headed towards a staircase that led to the bridges, I noticed Runt wasn't following.

"What's wrong?" Ava asked him, immediately alert.

"I can't face him. I'm sorry, you guys can go," He started turning away.

"Tobias!" Danny called after him. He stopped and looked at Danny.

"Leaper told me," Danny explained. Runt's eyes widened.

"She, she..." He stuttered. Danny nodded.

"No mountain is too great an obstacle for friendship to overcome. She still cares dude. She believes in her best friend, don't let her down," Danny said, and Runt nodded.

"Lets go!" He said, and we did.

The bridges proved to be reliable, they didn't brake under me, nor squeak. When we got within ten feet of Vultures house though, It wasn't pretty.

"Spidey-sense!" Pete tensed, we did the same.

"Look out!" Runt and Danny yelled and simultaneously shoved/tackled Pete as three daggers whizzed past where he'd been. Runt and Danny looked at each other in puzzlement. Slap! Slap! Slap! It sounded like a fish out of water.

Out of the shadows, a kid about our age came out wielding more daggers. He had dark spiky hair and large, unblinking fish eyes. His face was slightly elongated and his huge mouth was full of small, pointed teeth. His costume was skin tight, and red with black tiger-like stripes. He had a protruding fin, coming out of his back.

"So, I'm guessing you're not here to wish us good luck are you?" Webbs asked seriously, Ava face-palmed.

"I am Barracuda," He hissed, getting into a fighting position. He looked at Runt, and growled. He charged and stabbed a dagger into me, or at least he tried. The blade broke in half. In the brief hesitation, Danny slammed his fist into him. Barracuda closed his mouth around Danny's hand, and started running the blade of another knife down his chest. Tiger slashed at him and he released Danny, who stepped back clutching his am.

Peter webbed his mouth and I threw him into the air. Sam blasted him back down onto Danny who kicked him into Ava. Ava electrocuted Barracuda with her claws and he fell back, unconscious.

"Wow! I'm impressed. Good teamwork guys!" Webbs nodded in approval. He looked over at Barracuda, or where Barracuda used to be. Pete suddenly jumped straight up and we just had time to see Barracuda slash at the air with his knives. Pete landed next to me. Barracuda hissed and crouched.

"Run?" I asked. Pete gulped.

"Run!" He answered, and we made for Vulture's tree house.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Barracuda sprinting towards one of the other houses. That's not good, I inwardly sighed.

"Bro...you good?" Danny was still holding his arm. He grimaced as he ran, but nodded. Before any more mutant kids showed up, we made it to the top of Vulture's tree. Danny sat in the lotus position and closed his eyes. We waited as he healed himself. His eyes fluttered and he jerked forward.

"I'm ready," His voice was slightly shaky. Peter shrugged and started toward Vulture's door.

"Ok, so we need to go around the side and bust our way through!" He said. We were all getting ready to punch/blast the walls when Ava decided to do things the easy way.

"We could just walk through the front door," She said.

"Um, obviously it's locked," Sam said, we nodded in agreement. She turned the wooden handle and the door swung open easily. She waltzed in with her head held high and hands on her hips. We followed behind her with slouched shoulders. Peter muttered something about "entrances being everything."

The inside was huge but mostly bare. There was a staircase to the left and a doorway on the right. I walked closer and saw that it led to small kitchen.

"What would Vulture even eat?" Pete wondered out-loud. Sam opened a smallish fridge and the smell of rotten meat washed over us.

"I should have seen that coming," Peter moaned. Even after Sam slammed the refrigerator door shut, the smell lingered. We turned to see Ava and Danny laughing at us from the stairs.

"Worse...gag...than...choke...Nova's feet!" Pete dramatically pretended to faint and Sam placed one foot one him and his hands on his hips victoriously as if he had just conquered him.

"Come on!" Ava sighed, but we heard the smile in her voice. The second floor was similar to the first. There was another doorway. We all heard the voices coming through and Peter motioned for us to be quiet. We tiptoed to the door, opened it a crack, and peeked through.

"You know, for a villain, you seem like a nice boy," A dark skinned woman was telling a pale, tall, dark haired boy.

"You remind me of our son," An Africa-American man added.

"Speaking of which, I have looked into it. Your son came to look for you at Scorpio's lab about a year ago. He fell into a vat of an acidic chemical and..." The boy trailed off. The lady gripped her husband's hand.

"The serum, he should be invulnerable, he couldn't have just-" The man was cut off by his wife's sob.

"He should've been and he was, but he drowned in the thick substance," The boy lowered his head. The couple stared at him in shock, then lowered their heads too. My friends looked at me, frozen. My mind shut down, and all I could do, was bow my head like the people inside. The silence was tense and deafening. I was being strangled by it. The only sounds were my heart pounding, and the heart-broken sobs of the woman, and her husband.

Once again, my story's coming to an end, but I guess Vulture's house-guests have it worse than I do...Anyway..

Wolf out...