Okay, I am so sorry for being late with this. My internet has gone done and been down. And the moment I have it back up, I get stuck with a hurricane. I will try to be quicker with these chapters. And I would like to thank all the people who take the time to read this. Makes me very happy. And I like to thank the two people who help me with this by correcting all of my horrid mistakes *cough*jademonkey*cough* and my friend who is now my fun plot bunny who will not be named right now. So with out bothering you with my rambling, here is chapter two of Superstitions.
Superstitions Chapter 2
A low grumble filled the quiet air of the forest. As the grumble came closer to the tree that hid little Roni, words started to become distinguishable. Not that Roni understood them.
"This ain't what I was plannin' on goin' this mornin', Hank."
Heavy boots crunching snow. Roni's ears perked up toward the sound.
"You know I ain't the one Chuck sends out on these kid findin' missions."
Roni stretched her hearing as far as she could, completely focused on this new sound. She resisted the urge to move her head to the side for a better look as her instincts told her, demanded her, to hold still. Her small frame had begun to shiver from cold and blood loss but Roni did not notice, so intent on this new voice that permeated the still air.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it, Hank. The kid's here somewhere. The sooner we find 'er, the sooner we leave."
As the last words floated down to Roni's waiting ears in her small hiding place, a figure stepped out from some brush.
It was a man, albeit a little short. He looked to be wearing a leather body suit; black, glossy, and thick looking. It seemed awkward to Roni but it was better than the ragged tee-shirt and shredded pants that was left on Roni's petite form. But there was one thing about this man that held the child's attention. That was this mysterious man's hair.
The thick black mess was wild and seemed to be untamable. Towards the back of his head, it crested up on both sides to taper off in to two peaks. To her, they looked like the ears of some animal.
As odd as it was, the feral in Roni was fascinated by this man's 'wild' hair, so engrossed with it that she really did not notice the soft breeze blow past her towards the man. So engrossed that she didn't notice the man turn and face her hiding spot. So engrossed that she let out the breath that she held, the cold immediately turning the warm moisture in to a white cloud in front of her face.
"This ain't what I was plannin' on doin' this morin', Hank."
Sure enough, Logan had not been planning on searching for a girl lost out in up-state New York. Logan had awakened to a rare good mood that morning. He had gotten a full night's sleep; no nightmares, no children having nightmare's, no one attacking the mansion. Sweet glorious nothing. He had briefly planned a run on the mansion's grounds, out by the forest in the back of the property, and maybe a quiet breakfast before the rest of the inhabitants began to wake. It just happened to be a Saturday, the only ones who would usually be up so early on such a day would be Ororo , up in her loft probably, and Henry McCoy down in the lab. Logan would bet money that Hank never left the labs unless for some bodily need or mission.
But no, the moment his hand was reaching the door knob to go outside, a lit
Le voice spoke in his head.
:Wolverine. Storm. Beast. I need the three of you to locate a child near the border. I believe the retrieval of this child is of the utmost importance for her safety. I would prefer it if you left immediately. I shall give you the coordinates once on the Blackbird.:
"Chuck, you have great timing,' was the mumbled reply.
And so that is what has landed three X-men in the cold wintry forests of northern New York. A lost child.
A static-y voice came through the little communications device on Logan's ear.
"Come now, Logan. A child in distress is one in need," came the all-too-intelligent voice of Henry McCoy.
"You know I ain't the one Chuck sends out on these kid findin' missions." Logan was definitely not the one that was sent on those kinds on missions.
"Oh dear, Henry. We have upset the Wolverine," came a jest in the form of an exotic female voice. The comment prompted a few giggles and chuckles to emanate from the ear piece.
"Ororo, my dear, you have a marvelous sense of humor," Henry said, a small laugh slowly ending on the other side of the device. "And on that cheery note, have you spotted anything from up above?"
"I am afraid not, Henry. I have seen nothing but snow and trees," was Ororo's solemn reply. Once the Blackbird had landed in a clearing, near the area the Professor had sensed the child; the three occupants had agreed to split up in their search. Storm would take to the skies while Wolverine and Beast would go off in opposite directions on foot.
"I feared as much. I have also had foul luck in my proverbial neck of the woods. And from Wolverine's disgruntled tone, he has had no luck as well."
Logan shook his head with a sigh. Hank was worried about this child but it amazed him that McCoy could still maintain a physician-seque tone.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it, Hank. The kid's here somewhere," he grunted into the small earpiece. "The sooner we find 'er, the sooner we leave," he said a little quieter as he stepped through some brush on to a small game trail. He looked around the small area, not really sure of which way he should go. A soft breeze whiffed passed his nose, enticing it with a new scent; an earthy scent of dirt, fur and wood tinged with the sharp iron and coppery smell of blood. Fresh blood.
Logan froze a moment, but only a moment, before he took another sniff at the air. The natural scent was strong, telling him that whatever this creature was it was close. The metallic smell of blood hung in the air. So this thing is close and wounded. Just great. A softer breeze blew by from behind Logan, still carrying the odd scent. He turned to face the source of the breeze and came to face a cluster of trees hiding a larger oak, branches bare in the chilly season. Dark shadows clung around the trees' roots. The shadows were dark but not dark enough to hide two small golden orbs and a small puff of white.
"Guys," Logan pressed into the communications device. "I think I got something' here. Have you two come across any animals? No birds. The four legged creatures." Logan stared hard at the figure, darker than the shadows around it, trying to distinguish some features while waiting for his answers.
"I have just come across two birds. I have seen no other animals," Storm said, sounding a bit confused.
"I have not crossed paths with any form of creature," Beast stated. "Wolverine, what did you find?"
"I just found the kid," was all he said as he plunged his hands in to the darkness in an attempt to catch his query.
The creature went to turn and make a mad dash from Logan's hands but turned just in time to give him access to the scruff of fur on its neck. Logan found the patch of fur…fur?.... and grabbed on tight, yanking the creature out of its hiding spot in the roots of the tree.
The thing was the size of a child but looked like a mad mix of the elf, Beast, and a giant black cat. It hissed loudly, amber eyes flashing dangerously, and tried to get itself around so it could claw at the person holding it up in the air.
"Yep, it's the kid, alright," he grunted in to the earpiece.
The child continued to struggle, wanting to be free of this man who had caught her. She tried to get her face around to bite Logan's hand but just could not reach. She flung her right arm left and right, trying to claw anything she could get a hold of. Her left arm hung limp and useless at her side, swaying with each turn of her small body.
Holding the struggling flaying child out in front of him, Logan turned on his heels and started back toward the Blackbird. With all her fighting, the limp arm bothered Logan more than a little. He gave her a glance over to check for any obvious injuries.
The girl's fur had grown shaggy and was badly matted in more places than one. Her hair, which was softer in look and glossier than the rest of her fur, was wildly grown out and tangled with a few small sticks and plenty of dried leaves. The only things she had for clothes were the shredded remains of what looked like a green tee-shirt and a pair of thick baggy pants. But his eyes were drawn to the matted, wet fur on the left arm. It shined in the sun, so it was still wet and the life liquid was flowing from what looked to be a gunshot wound in the child's shoulder.
This made Logan growl deep in his chest. Even if she looks like a huge cat, this girl is still a child! What person in their right mind would shoot a child? Logan reached up to put two fingers on the comm-link.
"Hank, I'm headin' back to the jet. It looks like our girl here has been out on her own for a while. She's cold, barely has any clothes, and s'got a bullet in her left shoulder. And to make everythin' better, she's a feral. 'Bout ready to bite my hand off. We're gonna need a blanket and some first aid when I get back. And maybe a tranquilizer if she don't pass out from blood loss," Logan said in to the little device while giving the girl another at look over just in case.
"Understood, Wolverine. We will meet you at the Blackbird shortly," came Hank''s response followed by static. The child began again in earnest to attack his hand.
"This is gonna be a long walk," he grumbled.
Logan moved a little quicker when he caught sight of the clearing up ahead. He now held the little girl curled up in his arms. About half way in to the walk back, the little girl gave up struggling and just hung there, limp and trembling. So Logan had gathered her up and quickened his pace.
Logan made the clearing in time to spot Hank stick his blue furry head out of the cabin door. Upon seeing his approach, Henry disappeared back in to the sleek black jet. Logan ran the last few feet to and up the jet's ramp. Once he was completely in the cabin of the X-jet, Beast locked the ramp and Storm started up the jet's engines. Logan headed towards to back of rather spacious cabin to the makeshift bed that Beast had probably prepared on the row of seats. He gently laid the girl down on her right side, the bullet hole facing toward him.
"Oh dear. That does not look well," said Beast in a soft voice as he approached the two, eyes drawn to the angry red hole in the child's shoulder. A moth to the flame, the Beast slipped into Dr. McCoy and proceeded to inspect the girl's injuries. "The bullet is still in there," he mumbled to himself and reached over to grab some gauze and medical tape.
Logan turned and moved for the pilot's chair, where Ororo sat in her attempt to get them back to the school quickly, pristine white hair the only thing visible from behind the pilot's seat. He grabbed one for a chair as the jet lurched a bit.
"Storm, how much longer until we're back at the school?" he asked once he was closer to her.
"About fifteen minutes, give or take," she stated. Storm moved to push a button, on the control panel as Logan lowered himself into the seat next to her's. Storm turned her brilliant blue eyes, liquid with concern, on him at that moment.
"How is she?" Her exotic voice was filled with worry. Her dark tan face was lined in her concern for the child. She held Logan's gaze, prompting him to answer her question.
"She's cut up bad. Got a nice little bullet in 'er shoulder. Hank wants to get it out as soon as we can get 'er to the med lab. The kid just looks bad, Storm," he said as he turned his head to look back at Henry and the child he had practically snatched out of a bush. Beast must have finished dressing the wounds because now she was all wrapped up in one of the extra blankets, unmoving.
"Who would do that to a kid, Storm? Even if she is a mutant, and a noticeable one at that, she is still a child." Logan turned his head to stare out of the front window of the plane. Yes, cruel things could be done to people; he knew that. But a child? He'd seen it many times before and every time it bothered him to his core. But he never really showed it to the others.
"It is far too common, I am afraid. Parents frequently abandon their children when they start to show signs of the mutant gene. I just pray that this poor child has suffered enough." She returned her gaze back to the skies before them as they neared their home.
Me too, darlin'. Me, too.
TBC…………………
Alright. So that's the end of this chapter. Hope you all liked it. And now I would like to tell all of you who made it all the way down here and are still read about two, that's right 2, new stories I am working on. One will definitely be going up soon, the other one I am not so sure about. The one definitely going up is a prequel to the life of the Drover from the movie Australia. I think its gonna be fun. The other one is another X-men fic where Logan has completely gone feral and the whole story is told from Jubilee's perspective. So review and if you feel the want to send me so input about the other 2 tales, there is gonna be a poll on my profile. Thank you reading and hopefully review.
LD out.