Twisting, twisting, jumping falling floating. Hunting with the pack, warm summer nights, the scent of prey in the winter wind. Lofty cedar boughs drooping over springy forest ground. Sabertooth stared in vague amazement, eyes blind, at Piper's soothing performance.
What had he been doing before? What had been so important? He could not remember. No, he could. It just... Wasn't important right now. He felt so warm, so secure. Like a yearling pup napping in the shade of a leafy tree on a hot, sunny afternoon by the lake. He wanted at that moment, more than anything, to curl up and snuggle in with the pack for a rest after a long hunt. He smiled dreamily, but his euphoria fell slightly at the slowly descending shift in mood.
In his mind, the pleasing scents and feelings dimmed, faded, turned numb, and began to veer off into sadness. The forest, mowed down to make space for a shopping plaza. Dead frogs floating in sludge, Brine and bile in a seedy alley. When a powerful force tackled him to the gritty asphalt, he didn't even try to get back up, not even when a trio of adamant claws appeared at his neck. Tears ran down his face as he stared into the blue sky, until an iron fist sent him sprawling into the darkness.
Kurt watched from a distance, confused. He had been following Sabertooth openly, together with Logan, Jean, and Scott, until the huge man began to drift downtown. Then, the blue mutant separated from the group to trail along between the buildings. Downtown was always crowded on weekends, and he didn't have his holowatch on. Sure, nobody would be able to recognize him in his true form, but it was a nice day out, and he had really just wanted to catch up with Logan without starting a mass panic. It would be nice to be able to grab a nap later on. However, as he followed Logan and Sabertooth down main street, something strange happened. Right in front of a small store, in the middle of a large gathering of people, Sabertooth stopped running. Logan quickly knocked him to the ground, but the large man just lay on the ground. In fact, it almost looked as if he was crying. What on earth was wrong with him? Had he given up?
Somehow, he doubted that possibility. He had tried to break into the main floor of the mansion. No way was he just going to give up without a fight. There was all of a sudden a collective applause from the crowd, and Kurt's ears pricked up. For a moment, he wondered if the cheer was for Logan, but it was soon snuffed out at the sight of a single person bowing in the center of the crowd.
Probably a street performer, by the looks of him.
This was confirmed when a hail of quarters and nickels fell at his feet as the crowd dispersed. Scott had caught up with Logan, and was currently hiding with him in an alley across the road, waiting patiently for Jean.
Noting the enthusiasm of the departing audience, Kurt felt almost disappointed that he had missed the show. This sort of town never seemed to get performers. Still, there was something odd about the boy that he just couldn't place. To the eye, the boy was almost entirely plain, with short brown hair and loose pants that seemed completely natural to his character. He looked just like any other teenager from school. It was something about the way he... Felt. Probably just his imagination, but... Yes, he'd better check it out.
'Jean!'
He sent out the mental cry, and was answered by her questioning response.
I need to check something out. When you catch up with Herr Logan and Scott, tell them to go on ahead, alright?
He felt her affirmation, and swished his tail tiredly. The odd boy finished collecting the last few pennies, wrapped them up in a shirt, and put them in a raggedy bundle in his bag. He then turned around, and disappeared into the narrow space between two small buildings, walking sideways to maneuver through the tight space.
Kurt sighed wearily. It looked like he wasn't going to get the nap he'd been hoping for.
Piper curved past the last corner and sighed contentedly. She had earned a fairly good haul, she might be able to pick up some new clothes later on. Perhaps even some new ones, if she managed to find someone willing to bargain. Of course, the flip side would be that she'd have to wait a few days before performing again. Otherwise, people might get suspicious. She ad been kicked out of places before for being careless; she didn't want a repeat of the scenario.
Never again, she swore. Never again will I perform in the same town as a circus.
Carnies were too quick to pick up on other people's tricks, and they hadn't been to kind about losing their customers to a homeless scam.
Piper may be many things, but she wasn't stupid. She learned from her mistakes.
Finally coming across an untouched pile of garbage bins, Piper set down her bag and rooted through one until she came across a crunched-up roll of cardboard. Junk to some, a nice mat for her. She crossed her legs and leaned back, landing gracefully on the makeshift bed with a soft fump. Overhead, a long brick path up the wall led up to the cloudy-blue sky. She sailed with it in her mind, drifting away from the dirty asphalt and noisy traffic. It was nice to just lay there, pretending she was back in the country. The air in the city always made her feel sick. And there was always something loud going on.
Piper closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
It was one of those things she didn't particularly like or hate about cities. There was always something going on, and it was almost always…
*SssshBUMP.*
…Unexpected.
Okay, I really hated the ending here. What about you? Like? Hate? Let me know!