Logan sat on his back deck, drinking his beer and thinking of Marie. She had been everything to him: life, love, and the hope of a new life after Rose's death, until she was snatched away from him. Just when Logan had thought he could love again, safely, she had died. She had been gone ten years, but his heart still ached with every thought of her.
A sudden explosion shook the ground and brought Logan out of his thoughts. Through the dark woods he saw a flash of light, deep in the heart of the forest. The local wolf pack started howling almost immediately, going crazy. This made him curious: what was going on?
Logan stood up and sniffed, his beer set aside and forgotten. Something was off; the air was different somehow. Logan walked into the woods following the scent. There was a stranger on his land and it was feral. Logan walked, swiftly but calmly, as the scent grew stronger.
He walked till he came to a clearing at the center of the woods. There in the clearing lay a Cryo-tube, with the local wolf pack lying around it whimpering. The front of the tank was missing; as Logan walk closer he saw a beautiful woman lying unconscious within it.
The Pack Alpha came up beside him, whimpering and sniffing at the woman. Logan nodded at him and knelt down next to the tube. Wires lead from a control panel to the woman's body. Logan read the information "Test Subject 1 (Santana) Mutation: feral, shape shifter, high healing factor, Class 5 mutant". Logan carefully removed the wires and slowly picked her up. Holding her close to his chest he sensed how cold she was: she was still partially frozen.
Logan took her back to his cabin, and once inside carefully placed her on his bed. Seeing her nakedness he pulled a sheet over her bare form. Logan then went to the closet and pulled out some of Marie's old clothes and put them on the bed-stand. He sat in the chair close to the bed to wait for her to wake.
After three days Santana woke slowly. As she opened her eyes she recognized nothing. She felt lost. Where was she? She sat up so fast she fell off the bed.
The noise jolted Logan awake, and he jumped up to see if his guest was ok. He found her in a corner, shaking and afraid, clutching the sheet around her as her only protection. He walked towards her, but before he could say anything she jumped at him! Disheveled hair hit his eyes and over-long nails clawed at his face, but Logan knew the acrid scent coming from her was fear and not aggression. He pulled her off of him, trying to 'shhh' her, to let her know she was safe.
He tried to be gentle. He did not want to hurt her or cause her any more fear.
There was a flash of light, and the beautiful girl in his arms turned into a snake, a sinewy Black Mamba that snapped at him and slipped through his fingers. With another flash he found her standing at the back of the room. He held his hands out to the side to show he meant no harm, but the fear scent came off her even stronger.
"I will not hurt you," he finally said. "I only want to help. Please don't be afraid."
Finally she spoke. "I will not go back into the glass cage," she gasped.
Logan shook his head.
"You will never have to go back in it," he soothed.
A small whimper came from her lips; she didn't know if she could trust him.
Logan remembered the plate within the Cryo-tube. It had said she was feral: like him. Words would mean little to her, he had to show her she could trust him.
Feral people-like him-did not function on intellect alone, so many people thought them ignorant. Logan knew that was false. The feral had a different rhythm with the world around them, and with the way they interacted with others. To calm the feral within his cabin, he rumbled deep in his chest, more a purr than a growl, and slowly walked towards her. He stopped just inches away from her: claws retracted, hair down, eyes wide and calm. He just stood there, breathing slowly, avoiding her eyes and letting her catch his scent.
Her breathing slowed, and she traced a finger along his collarbone. She shivered and closed her eyes.
"You're safe here," he murmured.
"Won't go back," she whispered.
"No. Never." He said.
Logan finely got a good look at her, and found her beautiful. Santana was tall, easily 5'7", with long black hair, sun-kissed skin, and toned muscles. She had a small waist, and her lips were lush and red, but it was her eyes that stopped his heart and made it hard for him to breath. He had never seen eyes like hers before; they were as black as a moonless, starless night sky, with flakes of emerald green in them.
"Can you understand me?" He asked gently.
She nodded, and he made the rumbling/purring sound in his chest again. Santana tilted her head to the side, opening her neck to him so he could catch her scent better. He smiled a little; her fear had eased. Logan saw she was shivering, so he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.
Santana's nostrils flared briefly; she could smell leather, cigars, woods, and Logan. She looked up to say thank you but the room started to spin, and everything went black.
Logan caught her before she hit the floor. As he pulled her up into his arms a strange feeling started to stir in his chest, one he had not felt in ten years: longing. He looked down at the woman in his arms, pondering. Could he be feeling this for her, or was it just from being alone all this time? Had he been alone for so long that the presence of one beautiful woman would wake his manhood again? He shook himself: he couldn't afford to start thinking like that. Santana had been in his house for less than a week, and conscious less than a day. It wasn't right.
Logan lay Santana back down on the bed and went to make a phone call.
