As usual shoutouts to Canuckle and Cheshire but a special shoutout to Greizz. Sorry I missed you last chapter and thanks for the great reviews. Hope others take your lead ... love me some feedback.

And yea Canuckle ... time to get the kitten to being a TIGRESS. And she's gonna have to fast.

Now back to the show ...


Just like Greer had promised K, she did have a plan when it came to taking a stand against 'them.' It just wasn't one that K had expected: Instead of pushing for more time with X-Force, Greer had turned her attention to Scott. It hadn't taken much convincing for him to agree to take the X-Men and go after the mutant slavery ring that they'd uncovered. He was also smart enough not to ask where they'd gotten their intel from. Between that and the trackers K had placed on most of the guests and all of the mutants, it didn't take long before the X-Men were traveling across the globe freeing mutants and ensuring their 'owners' were handed to the right authorities.

But that wasn't all Greer was doing. While her and the X-Men focused on the assholes that thought they actually owned the mutants, Greer scoured each site for intel on the people running the slave ring itself. Their finances ... Locations ... Transports ... Names ... That she sent directly to Colton.

So while the two felines didn't spend much time together over those weeks as fall inched towards winter, Greer had rarely ever felt so peaceful. Focused. She was making a difference. The people who wanted to control her ... use her ... they were running scared. And she freakin' loved it.

With every name on the list ticked, those nightmares went away and that weight on her chest dissipated. The tigress grinned as she took one more look down her list. Only two more to go. One she still hadn't managed to get a location on but this one ... this last one she had really been looking forward to and while she was normally more than happy to let Colton deal out unholy punishment, she had something extra special planned for this one.

Broderick shot up from his bed in alarm, cold sweat running down his forehead as he struggled to catch his breath. Nightmare, and a horrible one at that. He shook his head, nothing a glass of water won't fix. Throwing aside his sheets, he suddenly froze when a chill went down his neck and he turned to find the balcony door wide open.
"No…" and Broderick dropped the glass he had been holding, barely noticing it shattering on the ground. He living on the top floor penthouse, miles above the ground … security on every floor. At every door. How was this-

"Hey Broderick…" and the man turned to see two emerald eyes staring eerily at him from the shadows.

"Long time no see." and Broderick, seizing the opportunity reached for the gun he kept near his bed and pointed it to the source of the voice.

"COME OUT WHERE I CAN SEE YOU!" he warned. "COME OUT OR I'll SHOOT!" and the figure narrowed its eyes, before gracefully strutting out of the shadows.
Broderick's eyes widened.

"You… " and Greer smirked before running towards him, easily avoiding the bullets he fired at her and pinning him to the wall while her tail wrapped around his arm, disarming him.

"What's the matter? Don't recognize me?" and Broderick winced as Greer sunk her claws into the wall near his head and slowly tore into the fabric and concrete underneath.

"Kattunge?" he spluttered out, and the tigress nodded, her teeth bared.

"I don't understand, you were supposed to be dead. The plane ... Miss Christianten's ack-" Broderick coughed violently as suddenly Greer's hand closed around his throat.

"I'm nobody's pet. And my dear 'master' is dead. Who do you think crashed the plane? And econd of all…" and the tigress lowered her face so close to his he could see the flecks of gold in her eyes. "I wanted you to know I've been the one taking you down. So you can pay for what you've done to me and all the other mutants you've enslaved."

Broderick actually managed a laugh, ready to tell her in the years he had been doing this, nobody had ever even touched him, that she was going to pay for trying something as stupid as this, that any minute now his body guards would be breaking down the doors. At least he tried before he realized he couldn't speak. What? He grabbed his throat to try again, nothing and his eyes widened. There, right above his adam's apple…He felt it... A little vertical scar….

"No, no, NO!" but before he could process that properly, he suddenly felt himself thrown to the ground, on all fours. As if a weight was crushing him. And no matter what he did, he couldn't get back up…

Broderick gasped, trying desperately to get himself back into a standing position, but the more he tried, the more the weight pushed him down. And suddenly he felt himself being pulled on the leash… Oh God was that a crowd... Wait where was his he couldn't be seen like this! Wait! Where were was the tigress taking him… And then Broderick let out a bellow as someone painfully clawed at him, and then another and another… The crowd was closing in on him, all trying to get their hands on him while that leash tugged mercilessly, just short of chocking realizing his struggling was useless Broderick let out a silent scream. It'd be the first of many as he could only watch in terror as the crowd completely closed in over him….

"It's done." Jean said grimly, Scott's voice calling over their coms to hurry up as Betsy worked to keep close to a hundred people under her control, while Greer just folded her arms a little and she watched the unconscious man in front of her twist and shout like he was having a seizure.

"And he'll snap out of it-"

"In about an hour, more than enough time for us get him to the authorities and by then I can guarantee you ... he'd be ready to confess to everything." Jean glowered before curling her lip a little, "Asshole."

"What are you showing him exactly?" Greer asked maybe just a tiny bit worried. Broderick looked as if he was short for air as he twisted and writhed mercilessly.

"Only what you've shown me." and the read haired psychic placed a hand on Greer's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Greer." but the tigress just shrugged.

"It's fine. He got what was coming to him. Just wish I could say his little butler could got the same."

The next morning K looked up from her coffee at Logan's chuckle and he simply slipped a folded up section of his paper and put it down on the table for her to see. A few pages into the finance section, there was an article with a familiar face smirking back at her: Francis Broderick. Pulling the paper closer K read that it seemed the shipping magnate had been brought in by 'unnamed informants' to police where he'd confessed to a whole host of crimes . The article ended with the shares of his company plummeting with the lack of any clear successor but noted that Tony Stark had shorted the company's stock the previous week and made undisclosed millions.

"Oh, lookit, insider trading," K muttered, glad to finally tell David and Rachel that they could walk outside again. The pair had been on virtual lockdown since getting back three weeks ago, out of fear of another attempt at taking them. David in particular had been difficult to keep indoors. Once Dr. McCoy and Warren had assured him that his wings would heal, the kid had been difficult to keep grounded, never mind indoors.

"That just about cleans it up ... no?" K wondered out loud as she leaned into Logan.


"OK ... Keep breathing like we practiced ... Good ... Very good ... That's it ... Let your mind go to where it needs to be ... Where you need to be ..." Betsy spoke firmly but with a soothing tone as she sat cross legged about a dozen feet from Colton who stood with his eyes closed and tail slowly swaying behind him. Betsy kept her eyes fixed on the panther and her sword unsheathed at her feet. One could never be too careful after all.

"Protect."

"That's right ... Safe ... Protect ..." Betsy noticed Colton's fists clench as his tail stilled ... they were close, "You need to protect C - Apex ... Focus on that ..."

At this point Apex wasn't quite hearing Psylocke anymore. His mind actually hurt but these last few sessions had gotten him as close as he'd ever come to controlling his predator state. He wanted to control it. He needed it.

"Focus Apex! They need you ... You have to keep them safe ... Protect -" Betsy's roll backwards onto her feet with her sword in hand was practically instantaneous as Apex let out a roar, his eyes screwed shut as bits of blood began to drip on the floor as hints of adamantium showed from his fur.

"Protect them!" Betsy shouted as Apex almost seemed to struggle to open his eyes, white showing, when just as quickly the air seemed to be let out of the panther and he went to one knee as Betsy sighed and sheathed her sword, letting the panther recover.

"We should -"

"Call it a night." Betsy said as she came to stand next to Colton who glared up at her, prompting the ex-ninja to huff, "we're getting close. You're getting close. But I still want this to be a smoother process. You shouldn't need the pain as a trigger." Her eyes shifting momentarily to the points of blood on Colton's elbows and knees.

"And I told you," Apex got back to his feet, "their connected. Always were."

"But they don't have to be in the future. Now come on ... before Greer tries breaking in again." Betsy half-joked as the two headed for the exit and sure enough there was Greer pacing around the corner, ready to pull Colton upstairs to eat and wrestle him to bed if necassary. Betsy couldn't help but shake her head as she watched, wondering how the bright, if cautious, cheerleader and surly, killer panther ever got along.


"Vanyss… Hey um.. Vanyss…"

"Attendez… *yawn* un moment s'il vous plait..." and Megan could only shrug a little helplessly at Professor Grey who looked skeptically at the sleeping gargoyle. Unbelievable. Not wanting her class being disrupted further, Jean proceeded to gently bump Vanyss on the arm but since that had no effect... Escalated to shaking that arm. Still nothing, and the class had at this point erupted into snickers and snide comments. Jean sighed.. Yeah ok no… Placing a finger on her temple, she decided to give the gargoyle a much needed wake up call.

"MON DIEU!" and Jean backed away a little in alarm as those spines flared dangerously as Vanyss jumped awake, her ray bans slipping off slightly before she glared accusingly at Jean.

"I thought teachers like you weren't supposed to be poking around in people's heads?"

"That'd be true...but as demonstrated, there wasn't much mind to be poked around with...One more time Miss LeRoux and it'd be detention with Professor Logan." And the class let out a ceremonious "oooh…."

Vanyss just scoffed

"Je n'ai pas peur de ce petit troll"

"Je n'ai pas peur de ce petit troll" Vanyss had to remind herself as she found herself standing in front of the danger room. She couldn't help it… Miss monroe's class was just too boring… and she was just *yawn* too tired. Vanyss tried not to grimace as she heard someone yell from inside the room. Damn it, she wished Megan had stayed with her. At least until it was her turn but the pixie had mumbled something about extra homework and had darted off. Vanyss sighed before resuming her staring at the door. There were a few more thumps, sound of metal tearing… but still no Logan. The gargoyle frowned, not enjoying how that hammering in her chest was getting louder and louder.

"Oh mon dieu, juste dépêche-toi et laisse faire ce fait et-" and the gargoyle backed away a little in alarm before standing to a side as a couple of students fumbled out of the door looking bruised and shaken.

"Next!" and the gargoyle took a deep breath, remembering something Professor McCoy had talked about in mutant biology about feral behavior, before trying to stride in confidently. It didn't work. Professor Logan gave her look that made the spines on her back shoot straight up."Lose the shades kid," Logan growled before cracking his knuckles. "Walkin' into my class emulatin' Slim ain't really the best way to kick off our time together." Vanyss could only pray for the best.

The gargoyle groaned. She was lying flat on her back. She was beyond exhausted and she was in pain. Tremendous pain. Vanyss shut her eyes tight. Was sleeping here an option because making her way back to the room just seemed next to impossible at the moment.

"Get up." and Vanyss bit her lip before begrudgingly pushing herself up to a sitting position while Professor Logan just shook his head at her.

"This isn't a joke," he said gruffly as she tried to pull herself together. "For someone that's been here as long as you have, I expect you to have half of an idea on how not to die, but you sure as hell don't seem to have soaked in a single lesson." He gestured for her to hit the showers which Vanyss gladly complied, for once without a snarky comment.

Logan didn't think much about the Parisian gargoyle until later in the week when she actually passed out again ... in his class. Logan was familiar enough with teenagers but few were dumb enough to actually fall asleep in his class days after getting in trouble for the same thing. His eyebrow was officially raised when he caught the end of one of the flight sessions to see her struggle to pull off what he judged to be fairly routine manuevers. The fact the kid was upset about it afterwards as she stormed towards the showers told him it wasn't from a lack of effort.

It didn't take him that long to figure it out. A couple drinks and hour of quiet, followed by a quick conversation with Hank, left the him confident that he knew what her problem was.

"You. Wannabe Vampire. Sit." Logan growled as he came down the next morning to find Vanyss ready to slip away from the cups of coffee she'd been sharing with K. Vanyss's eyes followed Logan as he came around the table to sit next to his wife and she took a wary seat. She had yet to have an enjoyable conversation with Professor Logan and it really was beyond her why Greer and K would ever think so highly of him.

"Back in Paris, when were you skulkin' around and being a pain in the a** to anyone that came across you?" . Vanyss sat back a bit, surprised by the seeming randomness of the question, and simply answered without thinking.

"Montmartre mostly ... sometimes I'd glide over to -"

"Not where. When." K looked over her paper at Logan's question, semi-interested in where Logan was headed with this and quickly picking up what he was thinking. She'd heard enough complaining from Vanyss to have a theory that it seemed Logan had figured out too.

"When? I - I dunno night mostly."

"Mostly? You've been listening to these kids around here too much. I want more specific than 'mostly'." Vanyss shrugged.

"Fine only. Less people. And ..."

"And what?" Logan pressed.

"Je ne sais pas ... I felt more confortable." Logan leaned back, satisfied he's figured it out.

"Sunlight still botherin' ya." Vanyss nodded and subconsciously fingered the sunglasses she'd pushed onto her head. One of the few blessings of being in upstate New York this time of year was at least the sun wasn't out as much.

"Why the hell didn't you tell anyone that you were nocturnal?" Logan sounded almost disappointed. Vanyss just had trouble processing what he had said.

"Wait - what?"

"Probably didn't know she could tell anyone." K mused as she went back to her paper.

"Let Hank know before you tell Summers. It'll go easier for you that way." Logan's tone seemed like a dismissal and giving both ferals a still confused look, grabbed her bag and wandered off. But she didn't make it out of the kitchen before Pixie slipped in next to her.

"Glad to see you up this morning." The pink fairie teased, Vanyss appearing to ignore her as usual as she kept her head down, "so what did Professor Logan want? Don't tell me you got detention again." Pixie shuddered a bit at the thought. She didn't want to know what double detention with Professor Logan looked like.

"He said I'm nocturnal." Vanyss muttered, earning a quizzical look from Pixie.

"Noc - you mean like a bat or something?" Vanyss snarled at her roommate who took a quick step to the side as they kept walking.

"Sheesh! OK - OK ... poor choice of words. Sorry," Vanyss just huffed and kept walking but now Pixie was too curious, "sooooo ..."

"So what?" Vanyss hissed as they made it to class and Vanyss sat in her preferred seat in the last row.

"So what happens now? Do you like - get to go to school at night or something?"

"Just drop it. OK?" Pixie frowned as her roommate put down her head and seemed ready to revert to her old dour self.
Shooting the incoming Professor Drake a look over her shoulder, Pixie gave Vanyss a final look before heading for her own seat. The gargoyle looked at her friend and clenched her fist. She knew she should apologize but… Honestly… All she really wanted to do was just flip the table from under her. She had been trying so hard to do better in class and was getting punished for it, she had sucked it up but that didn't seem to be doing her any favours, in fact… Professor Logan just coming up to her, dumping a bunch of crazy in her lap and acting all disappointed about it, like it was her fault… It made the gargoyle seethe… I mean- mon dieu… The least he could do was excuse her for the day and let her catch up on sleep and properly absorb this instead of leaving her to figure this all out herself… Vanyss bared her teeth a little before just lowering her head on her books. If she was nocturnal ot whatever, she might as well use it to her advantage.

To pixie's credit, the fairy didn't bring the nocturnal situation and Vanyss had lightened up a little after her nap so things went back to normal… Well until the two were back in the library and Greer came over to their table.

"Hey you two. Any progress on that science paper?" Greer beamed but before Vanyss could respond Pixie cut in.

"Vanyss is nocturnal."

"Tais-toi!" Vanyss hissed but it was too late as Greer's ears shot straight up and she turned her full attention to Vanyss and the gargoyle gave her a challenging glare along the lines of *If you have something to say about this, I will end you* Which Greer of course, ignored.

"You're - ohmygod of course. I've been such a - how long have you known?"

"Since Professor Logan told her this morning." Pixie practically chirped as she bounced in her seat while Vanyss slumped down in her seat defeated. She really hated her two friends right now…. Pixie on the other hand was grinning from ear to ear. She'd been hoping the tigress would come over. Greer was always easy to talk to and she knew her and Vanyss were close.

"For the last time. Shut up." Vanyss growled at her innocent looking roommate and burying her head into her books but Greer stayed focus while mentally rolling her eyes ... of course Logan was the one to figure it out, and it was just like him to expect Vanyss to deal with it herself. Kids don't work like that. If Greer had any experience to go on, she was pretty sure Vanyss was ready to sweep it under the rug. Greer narrowed her eyes, not on her watch she wasn't. Letting her tail unfurl, she gently tipped Vanyss's book downwards so the gargoyle would look at her.

"You don't have to be embarrassed ."

"I AM NOT EMBARRASSED-"

"Uh huh, Vanyss this is important. It explains so much ... and now that we know we can do something about it."

"Like what?" Vanyss asked sarcastically but she was looking up at Greer now, which meant she was also curious.

"You think you're the first mutant to walk through here that started off nocturnal? And I bet this explains why you've been struggling with your grades and combat," Greer's tail thumped as she thought, "here ... you just keep doing what you're doing today. I'll go talk to Hank about what we can do and I'll see if Scott would be willing to let you take some of these exams at night ... at least for this semester."

"Wait - really?" and Vanyss glanced at Pixie and then at Greer. "You'd do that for me?"

"Course I would, and if I'm remembering it right, it took a couple weeks for Dr. McCoy to help get you onto a daytime schedule."


Logan had gotten word from Cap that SHIELD had picked up chatter on a Chinese based version of Weapon X. Not wanting to have to bother with Scott breathing down his neck, K and Logan had taken a morning run along with the intel and headed for the Shack. It wasn't like Colton was the only one that had access to it ... regardless of how he might have felt. It wasn't like he thought he'd ever keep either feral out.

But K and Logan both came to the same slow stop at the bottom of the stairs. The same scent hit them: blood ... shit ... sweat ... but strongest of all was the rancid smell of terror. The two ferals shared a look and crossed the main room towards the scent and stopped in front of one of the interrogation rooms. Logan tried the door but it was locked. He punched in his code ... but it was still locked.

"He ever lock you out before?" K muttered, her eyes shooting around to the cameras she knew were there and doing the quick math of just how fast Fuzz could get here.

"Nope." Logan rumbled as he popped a claw and with a single slash broke the lock and the door swung open. Both ferals shook their heads as the scent hit them full bore.

It was a man. He was held in a stress position, his arms taught behind his back and his legs just slightly behind him and off the ground putting all of the pressure on his shoulders. And his neck. Because wrapped tightly around his neck was a familiar collar, attached to slim carbon leash wrapped up into the cieling and connected to some sort of pulley system. They didn't have to wonder as to why as the moment the man saw them, he lurched and let out a gargled scream as a bit of slack left the leash ... tightening around his throat.

Logan stood at the door as K came into the room and slowly made her way around the man, noticing the numbed of slashes, all artificial. His arms had gone purple from the pressure, along with his head, covered in veins as if they were about to pop straight from his body. And the IV drip filled with what K surmised as enough basic nutrients to keep someone alive for a few days. Maybe a week. The bag was more than half-way empty.

All the while, the man tried to beg for help, so desperate that he didn't even recognize the woman slowly circling him.

"You've looked better, Clarence." K drawled as she came to a stop just inside the door, arms crossed over her chest. A look of confusion crossed Clarence's face until it finally dawned on him as K glanced back at Logan, "He was there ... at the auction. The one that put a collar on Greer." K said in a conversational tone as the moment of hope ran from Clarence's face and he resumed crying.

But Logan had seen enough and in a smooth motion covered the short distance and cleanly sliced Clarence's throat. It was over in less than 30 seconds. K didn't say a word beyond calmly watching the asshole bleed out.

It wasn't long before Apex showed up, his rumble preceding him before he even hit the stairs. He stopped at the bottom to shoot K and Logan a look ... both ferals calmly leaning over the main table with a few maps opened in front of them along side Cap's intel. Neither one looking up until Colton went inside the interrogation room and let loose a growl deep enough for the pen Logan had been writing with to tumble off the table. Naturally Logan nor K did anything beyond crossing their arms as Apex came out of the room ... his eyes fixed solely on Logan.

He'd assumed it would have been K that killed his target. But the claw mark was too wide.

"He wasn't your kill." Apex growled, his ears pinned back. K was pretty sure this was actually the most pissed she'd seen the panther since he'd tried tearing her head off in the barn. And that included the time she'd locked him out of the Danger Room.

"That wasn't killin'," Logan deadpanned, "You made your point. You were just playin' around." And with that Logan turned his attention back to the task at hand. Apex glared at the older feral for a few more moments before letting out a snarl and slamming the interrogation room door shut. K only looked up about an hour later when the door reopened and the once bloody room was now spotless and empty. Colton stalking past with a duffel bag he hadn't come in with.


"Are you going to take a shot?" Apex growled grumpily as he once again found himself waiting for the teenager to stop fidgeting with the stick. She had been at it for almost five minutes.

"à quoi ça sert", you're gonna win anyway," Vanyss grumbled before positioning herself to take the shot. She'd had her meeting with Professor Summers that afternoon and aside from working out a new schedule, Vanyss now actually had permission to stay up through the night. And while that had greatly improved the teens mood ... it didn't seem to have an affect on her pool game. Apex's eyelid twitched a little as she was still holding it wrong. Vanyss however caught on and correcting herself took her shot ... and managed to hit in one of Colton's balls instead.

"Uhhhgh cela est ennuyeux… " the gargoyle cursed before looking at an unimpressed Colton.

"I think I'm having one of those days where my arm is not doing what I want it to…. That's all" she shrugged casually trying to play it cool, but Apex just shook his head and took his shot… Getting two balls into the pockets.

"Or maybe because you just can't play." he rumbled getting the parisian teen to give him an accused scoff before a second later resume to fidgeting with the stick.

"OK yeah you're right, so can we do something fun instead?" she begged. She'd been in such a good mood earlier ... Greer had even told her that she'd reached out to some designer that wanted to design some clothes for her. Just like back home. "Like having a lightsaber fight with these things?" and Apex was confused as to why Vanyss now had the cue stick aimed to his muzzle and not the table.

"Lightsaber?" he asked and the gargoyle raised an eyebrow.

"Oui… You know… Light sabers? Star wars? I AM YOUR FATHER…" and Apex just narrowed his eyes before swatting the piece of wood out of his face.

"I don't watch movies."

"Oh Dieu merci. At least you know it's a movie." Vanyss snarked before daringly tugging on Apex's arm with little success.

"So c'mon let's go watch a movie."

"No."

"Why not? You told Greer you'd keep me company!" and Apex scratched the back of his slightly.

"I do enough movie watching with Greer. I don't like it." he growled while Vanyss rolled her eyes.

"Fine. We won't watch movies but it's my turn to pick what to do. I played your stupid Billiards so vous pouvez retourner la faveur." she announced before once again tugging on Apex's arm, giving up and gesturing him to follow her out of the room.

"It's pool. Billiards is British." Apex corrected while taking one more shot.

"Ils ont tous deux sucent! They both suck!" came Vanyss's annoyed yell and Apex smirked slightly before setting everything back to place and following the gargoyle out of the room.

"I won't be around tomorrow night." Apex rumbled as he followed the surprisingly animated gargoyle around the darkened school halls. He'd gotten another lead on, this one Wild Child, and he'd be gone about a day chasing it down. Vanyss immediately turned around and made a face.

"In that case you are definitely watching a movie with me. I hate watching those things alone ... now come onnnn." Vanyss waved and with a defeated rumble Apex followed.


"Is Vanyss in there?" Greer's head picked up and looked towards the door to the library to find Scott. He'd barely spoken over a whisper but that was easily loud enough when trying to get the attention of a feral. Scott and Greer had been slowly regaining the friendship they'd once had, part of the reason for Scott's quick agreement to take on Greer's crusade, but like she'd said at the time, 'let's just get this done first.'

Greer looked around the library and shook her head before coming over to Scott.

"I'm pretty sure she's supposed to be in English with Ororo. She miss class again?" Greer almost groaned.

"No I basically took her off her morning classes until her and Hank get her onto the right cycle. But she was supposed to check in with me before lunch to go over her grades and finals ... I already checked in with K and she said they haven't talked since last week. You think she's with Colton?"

"He's been gone since yesterday afternoon," Greer ticked Scott back down a bit for not noticing, "maybe she's out flying? Might be worth it to check the woods."

"Good idea. Logan and K both got classes going on, you got time to run the ground while I send Warren out?" Greer nodded but narrowed her eyes a bit.

"You don't think she ran off do you?"

"I doubt it. Just covering the bases. Lemme know when you find her." The two nodded a goodbye and after finishing up with some freshman stressing over their history exam Greer changed in her room and jumping out the window headed for the forest.

The tigress used Colton's scent as a guide as she started to slowly expand the circuit she ran around the property, occasionally crossing with Logan's paths. She was pretty sure between the two of them that they ran the entire property ... which she doubted was a coincidence. Rethinking her strategy, Greer scaled a nearby tree and started making her way through the tree line, thinking her best chance of catching a scent would be where the gargoyle had landed.

And about an hour in the tigress was rewarded when she finally caught Vanyss's scent of coffee, dew, and lavender. But her smile faded as her hand traced over a gash in the tree. Frowning, Greer traced the scent and noticed it wasn't consistent but jumped downwards from branch to branch ... to broken branch.

"She fell." Greer's eyes widened and the tigress dropped the final thirty feet to the ground and quickly started to track, noting claw marks on the ground and bark of nearby trees as the trail headed towards the Mansion.

"Vanyss!" Greer yelled as she started to run along the trail. The only reason Vanyss would be running on the ground would be if she were hurt. "Vanyss!"

Greer was about to pull out her communicator when she another scent intersected with Vanyss's and slowly raising her eyes, the tigress wasn't quite sure what she was seeing until it hit her.

"What's wrong Troy?" Dr. McCoy had paused in his lecture when a few of his students had started whispering and then standing around their classmate who if Hank wasn't mistaken was crying.

"He's an empath professor," Maggie, one of Troy's friend's explained as she stood next to her friend who'd gone from suddenly crying to breathing haggard, before falling out of his desk and throwing up.

"Back away!" Hank quickly rushed to Troy's side as he began to cry hysterically only to start yelling like a madman at the top of his lungs.

And that was when the roars finally reached the Mansion.

"Professor look!" Hank kept a hand on Troy's back as he craned his neck to see more students crowding around the window and what looked like Logan, Jean and Ororo bolting for the forest.

Of course it was Logan that got to Greer first. She was on her knees roaring, eyes wide open, as tears streamed down her face. Logan turned to see what she was staring at and felt his arms drop: the pelt was nailed to the tree ... it was gray, with black stripes ... and could have passed for animal ... if it wasn't for the humanoid face staring back at him.

K, Ororo and Jean made it in time for the scent to finally register with Logan as well.

"Who - who could do this?" Ororo husked out.

"Kraven." Logan growled as Greer continued to roar.