Cheshire ... Canuckle ... whoever 'guest' is ... thanks for the reviews as always. Feel the need to apologize. I know I've been slacking when it comes to consistent updates but gonna try and change all that.
Cheshire- wish I could answer all those questions here but ... well you need to have at least some reason to keep I can tell you that the general answer is a big, "YES!" but that's all. Just gonna have to stick around ; )
Canuckle - well who would have thunk that you'd appreciate a good snarly female feral? Here's to hoping Greer gets to act like this just a tad more often (the focused more than the snarly) and next time ... how bout she gets some company?
"I'm sorry ... can you give that to us one more time?" Hank sighed at Bobby's question and took off his glasses for a moment. It had been a long night.
The X-Men were in the main briefing room, early morning coffees in hand, with Dr. McCoy at the front of the group as he explained what had transpired last night as it related to the medical side of what happened to Greer. Scott had already briefed the team on what Greer could remember and while he remained on edge, the school had resumed normal activities. Most students never even knowing about the previous night's lockdown.
"Keeping it as simple as possible," Hank reapplied his half-moon spectacles, "She was hit with a dose of modified cardiac glycoside strophanthin or more commonly known as the Onaye poison."
Hank saw more blank faces and rubbed his temple. This was why he only taught AP students.
"Alright, basically the poison put her into a near constant cardiac arrest."
"How come she didn't just burn it out?" Logan's grumble came from below his tipped hat, his face in shadow. Jean had thought he'd drifted off.
"Yes ... why indeed. Like I mentioned, someone modified the poison with a healer in mind. As Greer tried to pump the poison out of her system, it forced her heart to work hared and in affect multiply the poison. In short, the poison fed on itself. Had the poison been administered to a non-healer ... well Greer was lucky to have survived." Hank didn't need to finish his thought.
"So what was this? An attack ... a failed kidnapping?" Kitty asked nervously.
"We don't know." Scott answered for Henry.
"Well let's find out." Ororo stood up and the rest of the team nodded in silent agreement. One of their own had been attacked and they would find out why.
"Run me through it again."
Greer looked away from the Mansion with a sigh before glancing up at Colton.
"Is that really necessary?" Greer said it with a tired tone as she crossed her arms around her stomach. She'd much rather be back in their room then back out here in the forest.
When she had finally started coming around in the early morning, her mind had trouble piecing together why she felt so awful. But slowly certain things had started coming back to her, along with the unmistakable smells and sounds of being in a lab. As the heart monitors started picking up her rising panic, Dr. McCoy was immediately in the room afraid his patient had regressed. But Apex could hear the soft mutters of 'no' mixed in with her weak growls and groans as her tail began to thrash. Ignoring Hank's calling for him to give him space to work, Apex wrapped his arms around the tigress as her head went from slowly shaking to resting against his neck as she took deep breaths, until finally she relaxed and slowly opened her eyes.
The two felines just stared at each other for a few seconds before Hank reclaimed his patient. After checking her vitals and drawing some blood, Hank retreated to his lab near the end of the infirmary. Apex furrowed his brow a bit as he watched Greer lean forward as if to ensure the doctor had left before struggling to get herself out of bed.
"Greer ..." Apex stepped forward to stop her but Greer was shaking her head.
"Get me out of here. Please ... Colton please get me out of here."
"I can't, Hank-"
"Colton, look at me. Is there anything wrong with me?" Apex hesitated to answer that question, sometimes regretting how his mind refused to stop seeing what it saw, but as he looked at Greer he couldn't detect any poisons in her system. The panther gave his head a small shake.
"Then please …" she looked up at him like that and letting out a breath he slipped his arms around Greer and lifted her out of the bed. He was tensed at first, unsure if Greer was still mad at him, but from the way she curled herself against him, how she grabbed his fur, her claws running through it, he relaxed and headed out of the lab before Hank could say otherwise.
It was still early enough for just a bit of light to filter into the Mansion and arriving to their room, Apex made a beeline for the bed. But then his eyes caught sight of the suitcase and he paused for a moment. He wondered whether bringing her back here would make her feel better, or if he should have brought her someplace else.
"Colton, what's wrong?" Greer's tired green eyes were looking up at him and the panther quickly decided that he could think about that later, right now, getting Greer to feel safe and rest was his first priority. Setting her down, he gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face before turning to leave to give Greer her privacy.
"Colton…" Apex stopped, half turned, "Where are you going?"
"I just thought you wanted to be alone." Greer shook her head as she scooted back, Apex watching carefully and slowly, he approached the bed and lay down. He found himself instinctively wrapping his arms around her waist as Greer nuzzled into him, her tail searching out and entwining itself with his own.
"So ... does this mean you're still mad at me?" Greer pursed her lips and glared up at Colton for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"I'm too tired to be mad right now ... snuggle now ... mad later." Apex couldn't help but smirk a little and gently nuzzled her cheek as the tigress snuggled into his shoulder.
"Why does this crap keep happening to me..." Greer sounded exhausted and Apex felt his ears lower. He didn't know who was responsible, but he was certain that he was the reason these things kept happening to Greer. He knew it ... and he hated it. "And you ... you scared the crap out of me." Apex gave a self-loathed growl but it cut out when Greer gave him a gentle kiss on the muzzle and just like that, she took a few more deep breaths and was out.
"Are you sure we can't just go back?" Greer kicked a rock with her foot. She'd woken up still pretty sore but smiling as she saw that Colton had brought her what looked like half the kitchen for breakfast ... well lunch actually. Looked like she'd been pretty out of it. But as soon as Colton had ensured Greer had eaten almost everything he'd brought her (something about 'healing fatigue') he'd grimly taken her back to the forest. He wanted to hear what had happened and Greer had slowly pieced together what she could remember.
Twice.
The first time she'd struggled to piece the flashes of memory together, jumping back and forth between what she could remember. The second time had been better, with new pieces fitting in. Now it seemed, Colton wanted it full and wouldn't let her go back to their very comfortable bed until he finished interrogating her.
"You know you have a real funny way of comforting someone." Greer's grumble went unnoticed it seemed.
"One more time." Greer tried giving what Jean teasingly referred to as 'kitten eyes' but for once that didn't get him to crack as the panther stood like a dark monolith waiting for her to replay what had happened.
"Fine," Greer slid some hair behind her ear as her tail thumped on the grass, "But I'm getting tired. I'm not gonna do this all day," Greer somehow mixed a growl in with her huff. Something she was getting better at, "Now ... like I said, I was headed out to the shack,"
"At a full run."
"Right, I was ... running and I got like - I dunno ... three miles in and -
"3.3 miles in."
"I'm sorry am I telling this story or what?" Greer crossed her arms as her tail twitched. Taking the silence as a sign of no further interruptions, the tigress continued.
"Like I was saying ..." Greer gave Colton a small scowl, "I was running and then something ... I dunno bit me."
"The poison d -" Apex actually stopped talking at the look on Greer's face and crossed his arms.
"So the dart hit me," Greer growled, "and I got about another mile before things start getting fuzzy. I can't remember seeing anything out of place but ... I can definitely remember the feeling." she rubbed her palm against her chest over her t-shirt. Spring had officially taken over but at the moment Greer felt rather cold. Her fur fluffed up a bit on reflex as she hugged herself. Apex saw the discomfort on the tigress' face and dropping his calculating demeanor, came over to wrap his arms around her.
Greer just leaned against her panther for a few minutes, her eyes closed as her mind relaxed, when she started talking again just above a whisper.
"I felt ... scared ... like - like I had to get away from something ... he said he was impressed ... I tried getting up and -"
Apex's eyes flashed open and he pulled back from Greer who looked a bit surprised at his sudden break.
"Who said?" That hard look was back on Colton's muzzle.
"Who said what?" Greer wrinkled her brow a little.
"You said someone was impressed. Who?"
"I - I did?" Colton's gaze answered that and Greer's ears slowly pinned back, "I mean ... wait - yea. I can almost ..." Greer felt like she was trying to recall a dream, just out of her grasp.
"Focus Greer. What can you remember ... anything. It doesn't matter how small."
Greer lowered her head as she closed her eyes, trying to focus ... what had she heard ...
"Russian." Greer looked up at Colton, her gaze as focused as his.
"He sounded Russian."
Greer slowed as the two felines reached the patio that stretched out across the rear of the Mansion as she saw the mass of students and teachers inside. It looked like classes had just been let out. Apex could feel the hesitation ... the anxiety as it radiated off of Greer. He was supposed to be the one that was distant ... not Greer.
Greer meanwhile had been a bit lost in thought as she watched everyone go about their lives, not having to worry about possible russian sounding killers trying to kill them ... or boyfriends that worked as black ops ... so she was surprised when she found herself wrapped in dark warmth and a nuzzle to her cheek. She certainly didn't fight it as the tail she hadn't known had been wrapped tensley around her leg slowly unfurled.
"What was that for?" Greer pulled back a bit.
"I just ... want you to feel safe." Apex felt some relief as he saw the small smile on Greer's face and she went on her toes to give him a kiss.
"C'mon ... let's get inside." Greer took a steadying breath and slid open the doors to the kitchen to a chorus of friendly and relieved yells. Giving Colton one more look that clearly wished he'd just taken her back upstairs, Greer was whisked off by her friends.
Greer did her best to get back into a normal schedule. It took a few days of heavy sleeping but eventually she was back to feeling like herself again. Jubilee had even taken her up on her offer and was helping with gymnastics, the talk being that next year the school would enter into competitions.
Greer had also made sure that Colton did the same, though the scolding he'd received from his 'professors' as a result of the classes he'd missed had easily been one of the funniest things she'd seen in a while.
"Well?" Colton and Greer had been dozing in one of the lesser used social rooms in a large patch of sunlight, the panther stretched out and Greer resting her head on his flank, when the panther had opened a wary eye to find Ororo and Betsy looking rather upset.
"Hey guys ... ummm ... what's up?" Greer pulled out her earbuds and gave the two a cautious look but they didn't change their expressions.
"We're not here about you Greer. We're here for this one." Greer's eyebrows went straight up as she looked over her shoulder to get a better look at Colton who was giving both women one of his patented stares. Stupid muzzle made him hard to read.
"And what did that one do?" The tigress tried keeping her tone serious as she looked between her two friends and the still panther.
"He's missed two of my classes," Jean gave a very close approximation of a growl.
"And three of mine." Someplace outside a small thunder roiled, which was surprising, seeing as how sunny it was. Apex meanwhile let out a slight rumble of his own.
"I've handed in all my assignments." Apex had been studious in making sure he wouldn't fall behind in his work and failed to see what all the fuss was about. This had been the first time in days he'd let Greer force him to take some time off and just when he'd started to appreciate it ... this.
"That is not the point," Ororo had her queen voice going, "you committed yourself to being a student here. And students need to be in class." Jean nodded her head sharply in agreement. Apex looked between the two a couple times before putting his arms back under himself, and with a small grumble from the tigress that had been using him as a pillow, slowly raised himself off of the floor until he was towering over the two teachers. Jean's scent changed but Ororo simply looked at him even harder.
"You want to be in our classes? Then you need to be in our classes. It's either that or fail." Greer saw Jean steal herself a bit and look up at Colton along with Ororo. Apex meanwhile seemed to be strongly considering his options. She knew that while he hadn't said as much, Colton really did enjoy the classes he'd been taking. Or at least he rarely shut up about some new thing he'd learned or what there was left to learn or ... well he liked the classes. But it was rare that someone ... well anyone really ... ever challenged Colton on anything.
Greer just stayed where she was watching the two-on-one staring contest. She kinda wished she had popcorn. But then she saw Colton relax his shoulders a bit.
"What would I need to do?" Greer wasn't sure who was more surprised, her or Jean. Ororo simply smiled a little but kept her regal, reserved demeanor.
"You can start by making up the in-class work that you missed."
"And you're going to be charge of a study group." Jean said it with a smile that she was fairly certain was meant more for her then it was for Colton.
It had tested her self-control to see Colton in the library with the other students as he made up his work, taking up an entire table near the back. But their evenings were spent a the shack, Colton working through the data they had collected over these last missions with an entire section of a wall dedicated to connecting it to the attack on Greer.
Greer kept staring at the wall as she worked on the wooden dummy Colton had found. The tigress found it soothing to pound away on the wooden spokes as she tried working out what she was looking at. But after a few hours of beating on the dummy, disassembling and reassembling different firearms and just lounging, she'd walk over and determinedly drag Colton away from whatever he was working on and back towards the Mansion. She was certain if she let him, he'd end up sleeping in the shack too.
"You're not doing anyone any good wearing yourself out." Greer said with her arms crossed as Colton attempted to explain that she could leave him here. "Besides ... you really going to let me walk back through the forest alone?" Greer didn't even have to raise an eyebrow before he was on his feet and the two were running back through the night.
A slightly extended, mutual shower later and Greer was gently running her claws through Colton's fur as she rested across his chest until she was satisfied he had finally fallen asleep. The tigress smiled a little and nuzzling into that fuzzy chest she loved so much, Greer took a deep breath and followed suit.
"Sergei Kravinoff." Apex's rumble filled the main room of the shack.
"We talkin' Kraven ... as in the Hunter?" Logan sounded skeptical as the panther simply nodded his head. Greer sat across from Logan as Apex stood by the wall that held the gathered intelligence. He could tell the older feral wasn't convinced. After all, there was no previous indication that Kraven had any interest in mutants and his previous clashes had focused on Spider-Man.
It had taken him a week, but he was confident.
"The poison that was used on on Greer was the Onaye poison. Used traditionally by North African tribes for hunting large game and predators." Greer growled a little, both at the memory and the comparison. "The smell that covered the area around Greer ... and the bear that attacked me,"
"Wait - you got attacked by a bear? When!" Greer was half-way out of her chair when Logan held a hand out to calm the alarmed tigress. She looked at Logan with disbelief for a few seconds before turning back to Colton and slowly sank back down onto the metal chair.
"The bear that attacked me had the same scent. After talking to Proudstar, he agrees it matches the description of a Navajo territorial marking. They used it to ward of wolves. That and the shot to hit Greer moving full speed through through the forest at night ... the method points to Kravinoff."
Logan considered things for a moment and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed as he assessed the young man.
"That ain't enough." Apex nodded his head in agreement.
"And there's this." Greer saw him point to a map of Asia and Russia, another of Africa, with a few lines drawn out of it to other pieces of intel.
"I don't get it ..." Greer tilted her head a little as she tried to catch what Colton was showing them and Logan seemed to be in the same boat.
"It's what's not there. Every four to six weeks, a report of some illegal poaching was reported over the last ten years. And now ... nothing."
"But how you know it was Kravinoff?" Logan questioned, barely glancing up as he shuffled through the intel again ... looking more closely this time and double checking everything in front of him.
"I don't. But the type of kills and the breaks occurring while he was imprisoned point to him. He has never gone this long without a kill. And he feeds on the notoriety as much as the hunt. He wants people to know he's the best." Logan's eyes flicked up to the panther for a moment before he cocked his head to the side, one corner of his mouth tightened.
"So then ... Kravinoff has broken his pattern? How do you know for sure? Maybe they just didn't find the poached animals ..." Greer looked over at Logan, seeing him turn his full attention from the map to Colton ... and then to looked tired - his shoulders drooped a bit, his hands on his hips as he shook his head lightly at her. She almost thought he looked sad for a moment as he let out a deep breath.
"No sweetheart. He's just thinks he found a better trophy." Greer just stared back at Logan for a second before what he said sunk in. The tigress leaned back into her chair, her eyes resting on her furred, clawed hands.
"Oh ..." Apex's ears slowly pinned back at seeing Greer's reaction to what he had found, but Logan kept things on task.
"So, what you gonna do bout this?"
"Guess we tell the X-Men. I mean like Scott or the Professor." Greer said softly, before looking up towards Colton, "Right?"
"No." Apex's rumble wasn't much a surprise to Logan. After all, there was a reason he'd chosen to share all this in the shack and not the briefing room at the Mansion.
Now Greer turned to stand facing her boyfriend.
"Because you want to do this yourself?" Greer had gotten a little distracted at what Logan had said. Someone was hunting her and Colton like ... well like animals. But she should have known better with that being the case. The X-Men would have taken this news and gone out to capture Kraven. Greer knew that 'capturing' isn't what Colton had in mind.
"You got this kid, or you want back up?" Logan asked as he leaned his hip against the large metal table. He'd heard stories about Kraven from Parker ... shouldn't take long for X-Force to scratch his pompous ass.
"We're not going after him." Colton sounded distant when he spoke but that didn't lessen the impact.
"What?!" Greer and Logan practically yelled at the same time. Though her's was one of disbelief and his more of a growl. Apex took a deep breath ... he'd thought about this carefully.
"I don't think it's coincidence that this happened. Now. Just when we're getting close."
"This Russian prick took a shot at our girl. You really just gonna let that slide?" Logan growled, his own protective edge coming out. Apex controlled the urge to growl right back, settling for his tail to thrash behind him.
"Kraven is a tool. A distraction. We stay focused ... we take out Weapon X and whoever is backing them."
"Ummm ... That might sounds ... tactical but - I'd really like to not get shot again. Or hunted at all ... actually." Greer tried to keep her voice level, seeing as how neither one of the guys seemed to be quite as shaken as she was at the news they were just going to let Kraven go. Apex's tone softened as he turned to the worried tigress.
"Kraven isn't after you." Greer actually barked out a laugh, but cut out as she saw Colton was serious.
"I'm sorry did - did you miss the part where I was shot, poisoned and almost died? Cause I'm pretty sure that was like ... a week ago." Greer had her fists at her sides, her face now matching Logan's.
"If Kraven wanted you dead ... you'd be dead. That's a fact. It's me he wants." Apex's growl had returned.
"That's - there's no way he can -" Greer looked to Logan for support but he tipped his head in agreement.
"He's right, Tigger. No two ways about ... you standing here is proof." Greer just dropped her hands in exacerbation and rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.
"So then what's the plan?" Logan was back to looking over the intel both spread over the table and the wall.
"We stay on them. With Oyama eliminated they'll need to refocus their efforts. They're off balance ... and so we'll take advantage." Apex and Logan silently agreed but Greer wasn't satisfied.
"And what about Kraven?" Apex let out a low rumble.
"If Kraven wants to hunt me ... fine. I'll kill him and move on." Greer just stared at Colton. He gave off no unease ... no hesitation ... no fear that someone was out there trying to kill him. It unnerved her a little and had her quiet as the three of them headed out and back towards the shack, the two felines a few yards behind Logan. It was about a mile in that Greer finally figured out what was really bothering her.
"You really think Kraven is going to come after you?" Apex kept his eyes fixed ahead, though he was taking in their surroundings constantly.
"I do." Greer took a breath to steady herself.
"Fine ... then I'm staying with you. You need me." Greer felt some of the frustrations from when Colton had been gone returning, "And I don't care if you have a problem with me being back on X-Force. I've been training and I can take it. I won't be left behind aga -"
"I agree."
"No, don't you dare - wait what?" Greer stopped cold mid-rant, her body still facing forwards while her head snapped to look up at Colton. Logan had to cover his mouth to stop the snicker and thought it best to just keep going. Let the kids figure their own drama out.
"Wait… you mean…I… REALLY?" Colton winced a little at the pitch Greer hit and the tigress tried to reclaim some dignity and quickly gathered herself, "I mean ... really?" Despite the calm tone, Greer's fur had yet to settle.
"Yes ... really. Clearly leaving you behind isn't an option anymore. So you're back on X-Force." Colton never thought he'd have the urge to groan and smile at the same time as the tigress's face broke into the most radiant of smiles, her tail instantly curling while her ears perking straight up ... right before her eyes slanted and she crossed her arms.
"OK ... As much as I'm positively delighted that you've finally accepted what I've been saying for weeks … What's the catch?" her tail gave a suspicious thump on the concrete floor.
"Catch?" Greer raised an eyebrow at Colton's answer.
"Don't be coy with me. I know you well enough, so just tell me." and the panther smirked. Greer always caught on fast.
"Well for starters, you'll be working at my side and ONLY my side." Greer shrugged. That had always been what she'd wanted anyway.
"I think I can live with that." Apex stepped toward the tigress so that the two felines were standing only a few feet apart, making Greer tilt her head slightly.
"Secondly, just because you're back on the team doesn't mean we lose momentum on your training or classes. I expect the same level of commitment from you as if you're still training to build yourself up." Greer nodded seriously.
"Done. Anything else?"
"Lastly, I want you to stop your diet. It doesn't benefit you. You're body has more demands than someone like Jean's . If you want to eat clean, I'll help you. Are we clear?" Colton watched carefully as she considered.
"How about ... we settle on two out of three?" Greer slipped her arms around Colton's waist, though he seemed to try and keep her focused.
"Greer -"
"Hey, you want me fitting into that ridiculous uniform? Then leave me and my diet alone. Besides ... I look fantastic. Right?" She grinned giving a quick kiss on the muzzle. Apex felt the low purr coming from the tigress and suddenly she found herself backed against a tree as he nuzzled the crook of her neck, catching her by surprise. She hadn't taken into account how worried Apex had been ... how relieved he was to have her back. Seemed he was done holding that in.
"Hold - hold on ..." Greer said breathlessly, her hands trying to push back to get a little separation and succeeding ... barely.
"What?" Greer shivered at the rumble she felt. She swore she felt the table shake.
"If ... if we're making deals, they're are some things I'd like to propose ..."
The next morning happened to be Saturday and Jean raised an eyebrow as the humming tigress moved about the kitchen, refilling her mug as her tail was practically swaying back and forth behind her. Jean noted Greer was a bit more dressed up ... well actually the fact she wasn't standing there in gym clothes was an improvement itself.
"What's gotten into you?" Jean asked calmly as she took a sip of her own morning coffee. Really she was glad to see her friend in such a good mood. Between the intense attitude and her ending up in the infirmary ... well it was good seeing her like this. Course that didn't mean she could get away without a good teasing.
"What are you talking about?" Greer asked cheerfully as she leaned against the large island.
"You mean aside from the prancing?"
"I am not prancing." Greer frowned a little and very consciously tucked her tail against the island. Jean just smiled a little.
"Well first of all, you're back to dressing like you've seen the inside of something besides lululemon. And more importantly, you don't look like you're going to take my head off. Which is even more unlike you recently. Mind explaining?" Greer felt a little bad about Jean being right but could only smirk.
"Remember my little complaint about Colton being a tad overprotective?"
"More like your serenade," Jean mumbled sarcastically and Greer narrowed her eyes before continuing.
"Well we worked something out."
"You did?"
"Yep," Greer's smirk turned into a smile as her ears perked up and looking over her shoulder she saw Colton coming down the hallway, dressed and ready to go on their 'date day.'
"I'll talk to you later Jean. Dinner later?" Jean could only smile back at her friend and nod her head as she watched Greer prance down the hallway and slip an arm around Colton as he did the same. Jean gave a content sigh and got up in search of her own boyfriend.
Seemed like things were getting back to normal.
