Of Ferity Chapter 8, a x-men: the movie fanfic

Greetings from The Lady Mage!

This is the last chappie I already have all written out, so it will be a day or so before the next update!

Shoutouts: Jinx Of the 2nd Law! I remember you! I'm glad you remember this story, and that you're eager to read more! It's the people like you that make me want to sit up til 3AM and write, write, write, write! My little Zoe is only three now- in fact, she turned three in March! She's a little doll, and sometimes I wonder if she IS feral just because she seems to act like it . . . she's always pretending she's a lion. LOL Oh, and don't worry! This Zosia is DEFINITELY going to get to meet Logan! . . . but it's going to be closer to chapter 25 than to chapter 8. I have all that written out . . . it's just connecting them that I have to do. Fun, fun! Anyway, I am SO glad- like you have no idea how your review brightened my morning- that you loved the story, and I hope you love the whole rest of it, too! TTYL, Jinx!

Legalities: I promise you, I don't own them. I only own my original character- I have the poor man's copyright to prove it, too. Don't worry, I'll put Victor back in the box when I'm done! Promise. . . no, really . . . yes, seriously. . . why would I- Oh, go read the chapter already!

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild, untamed. 2. Savagery; ferocity.

The Xavier Institute's dining room was twice as long as it was wide, with two dozen or so round tables spaced throughout the room. The buffet was to the right of the room, with a separate cooler full of cartons of milk, juice, and other things to drink. At the far end of the room was one long table and chairs, presumably for the teachers to sit at. It was Scott and Jean's turn to run to lunch line, so Ororo invited Zosia to sit at the corner of the long table next to her. Zosia silently watched all the mutant children sitting to eat, listening to them talk, joke, and laugh. Though most of them ignored her completely, a handful here and there were watching her just as closely as she watched them. All together, she estimated there to be at least 50, if not 60, children in the room.

Once the children were all given their ration of food, Jean and Scott brought a bowl of soup for Zoe, Ororo, and the professor along with their own trays.

"Merci." Zoe murmured, picking at the piece of toast given to her before Sari began to grunt for her own dinner. She shrugged aside her camisole beneath the sling, letting the cub nurse without anyone being the wiser.

Halfway through the meal, Xavier, after having listened in on the students' thoughts of the new girl sitting at the table, grabbed their attention with a tap of his spoon on Ororo's glass beside him. The room hushed, the children watching their Professor.

"Students," he began, "We have a guest with us." When the last of the whispers hushed, he gestured to the pretty feral sitting at his table. "This is Zosia Creed, and her daughter, Sari. They will be staying with us here, and I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you do your teachers, and your peers."

"Hello." a few voices said, here and there. Zosia picked out each face, meeting eyes and smiling gently. Now that they had a name to work with, the gentle rumble of voices became a little louder in the room. She could hear most of the conversations, but cared little for a lot of it. Mostly, she watched the room for Rogue. Once she spotted her, sitting at a table with a cute little Chinese girl, and two handsome boys- one a blonde, the other a brunette. They all had their food, and the girls were trying to act interested in whatever comic book the boys were trying to explain to them.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jean asked, breaking Zoe's eyes from the skunk-haired girl. "You haven't touched anything. You need to eat something if you're going to have any milk supply for Sari."

Without an answer, Zosia lifted her spoon to eat, taking a spoonful of soup into her mouth, swallowing quickly so as not to not taste it. She was unsuccessful, hiding her distaste. Warts would be looking for a dog or a potted plant nearby; she saw neither. Glancing to the windows on the far wall, she wondered if she could sneak out to hunt later.

"Is it that bad?" Professor Xavier smirked playfully, turning his head to look at her.

She barely blushed, setting her spoon down beside her bowl. "I'm sorry." she mumbled, looking down at the salty broth in her bowl. "I mean no offense . . . but this will not agree with my system . ."

Jean and Ororo lightly chuckled. "It's alright." said the telekine. "There's a whole fridge full of food in the kitchen. You're welcome to find something."

"Later, perhaps." said the feral, pushing the bowl away. She turned her attention down to the nursing baby in her sling. "Maman peut attendre. (Mama can wait.)"

"Professor?"

The five adults at the head table turned to look at the Chinese girl that had spoken. She had approached the teacher's table in near silence- quite a feat with the dozens of multi-coloured bangles on her arms and the large, dangling earrings in her ears. She brushed nonexistent crumbs from the front of her yellow jacket.

"Yes, Jubilation?" said the professor, smiling at her.

"You said-" she looked at Zosia with a smile. "-she had a daughter?" The professor nodded. "Well, like . . where?"

Zosia hid the scowl, watching the girl curiously. "She's here." she said cautiously. "A bit predisposed, but present none-the-less."

"Predisposed? Scott raised one eyebrow, glancing at the feral. Jean discreetly pinched his thigh.

"Huh?" Jubilation cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Zoe looked back down to her cub, holding her arms tighter around the sling she rested in. She shrugged the sling to the side off her shoulder just enough to reveal the one tiny clawed fist resting against her chest.

"Oh! You've got a baby!" The girl's voice was a light, delighted squeal. Several heads- mostly female- perked up around the room. "Oh, can I see? Please-please? I, like, love babies! They're so, like, cute!"

"Calm down, Jubes." Rogue said from their table with an amused smile.

"I am calm." said Jubilee. She made an exaggerated gesture to her now-exaggeratedly calm expression. "See? Calm. I just want to see it." The expression broke, and she beamed again, looking up to the feral mother. "Please?"

"I suppose I don't mind." Zoe said, watching her closely. "Though, you may want to give her a minute to finish her feeding."

"Tell me you don't mean that." Scott murmured from the other end of the table. She glanced down at him with a curious scowl. "You can't just expose yourself in front of the students!"

Zosia scowled at him. "I'm not exposed. I'm not naked; I'm nursing." When his ears turned red, she smirked. "What's the matter, my dear boy? You look a bit…flushed." His face- the visible part at least- was stoic, but his ears were inflamed.

"Scott, you can't see anything." Ororo commented to him, glancing at the girl's chest. "She's completely covered."

"Are you embarrassed, Scott?" Jean teased him gently, giving him a little prod in the ribs with her finger. He almost pouted, looking to her without speaking to her.

"Okay, so, like, coolies." Jubilee said, ignoring the blushing teacher. "Can I like, see the baby? Please? Pretty, pretty please?"

When the redheaded feral nodded, having not sensed anything dangerous about the girl, Jubilee hopped excitedly, and rounded the table on Zoe's side to see. Zosia pulled back the fabric of the sling enough that the girl could have a good look at the side of the cub's face against her breast. She ignored Scott's seeming glare, patiently letting the girl coo over the preoccupied cub, until she was finished, and excused herself back to her table.

"I think Sari is going to be a big distraction around here." commented Scott, watching the girls throughout the room. Most of their attention was on the baby still visible in Zoe's arms.

"Babies tend to be that." Zoe said quietly. She turned to look at Ororo. "Where is the kitchen, mon 'Ro?"

Ororo smiled at her, pointing to a door along the far wall near the buffet. "Just through that door. Would you like some help?"

"I am capable, thank you." The pretty feral stood from her seat, pushing her chair in with the arm that wasn't supporting Sari. "If you will excuse me."

The kitchen was predominately blue, trimmed out with cabinets that matched the wood paneling throughout the rest of the school. The feral stood beside the island, her free hand resting on the cool counter top while she glanced around the room. Her stomach growled at her, spurring her to finally settle on looking in the fridge first; she pulled open the double doors. Mostly vegetables, milk, juice. She pulled open the meat drawers and was relieved to see several packages of chicken breast which, from the smell at least, seemed fresh.

She pulled one package out, ripped open the plastic covering, and quickly downed two of the chicken breasts, cold. They didn't taste as fresh as they had smelled, and she held in a grimace as she bit into the third one. It wasn't ideal, but it would fill her until she could find something better.

"Would you like that . . cooked?"

Zosia spun around with a growl. Ororo stood in the doorway with her empty bowl in her hands. She held her hands up in submission before turning to put her dirty dish in the sink.

"Or at least warmed up?" finished Ororo. "That can't possibly taste good."

"Well, you're right about that, I suppose." Zosia mumbled, finishing the third breast.

"I'm assuming you know better and that won't make you sick?"

"If I ate that soup, I would have felt sick." She settled the rest of the package of chicken on the counter top, letting the refrigerator door shut behind her. "I don't mean to sound picky. Just can't eat certain things." She watched the windrider pulling a frying pan down from a tall cabinet.

"Salt?"

"A touch."

Ororo put the pan on the stove, and let it heat there while she salted three of the remaining portions of meat. Zosia watched her from her perch on a stool as the white haired woman cooked her food for her.

"I can't keep anything down." she mumbled miserably, resting her forehead on the cool metal of the table. "I've never felt sick like this before."

"Well, you've never been knocked up before. Have you tried to eat today?" Mystique asked, gently rubbing the girl's back.

"No."

The metamorph rolled her eyes, turning back to the little refrigerator. "Well, you're going to have to try. You need to eat something." She pulled a package of ham-steak from the meat drawer and tossed it on the counter, making quick work of tossing some in a pan on the stove.

"Kümmern Sie sich nicht, meine Schwester. (Don't bother, my Sister.)"

Mystique snorted. "Du wirst das essen, und ihr werdet es mögen, Katze. (You're going to eat it, and you're going to like it, Cat.)" she teased. "Jemand muss sich um Sie kümmern, während er auf die Jagd gegangen ist. Guess it's me. (Someone has to take care of you while he's out hunting.)"

"Danke, meine Shwester." said the feral, watching her blue-scaled sibling prepare food for her.

After a few minutes, while the chicken was warmed through but still quite rare, Ororo slid them onto a plate before placing them in front of the feral girl. "There," she said, pulling a fork from the silverware drawer. "That has to taste better than straight from the icebox."

"Danke, meine 'Ro." Zosia said softly, cutting a piece of meat with her fork. "You did not have to go to such trouble for me. I appreciate it. Greatly."

"It's no problem." Ororo returned, coming to sit beside her. She hooked one finger on the edge of the sling, looking down at the cub inside it, fast asleep.

Zoe pulled her camisole back into place, setting down her fork. Gently, she lifted the cub from the sling, and settled her against the windrider's chest. Ororo, pleased, cuddled her, while Zosia quickly finished her plate.

"She's so tiny." commented Ororo.

"She's only a week old." Zosia said, lightly scowling.

"Well, yes," the woman chuckled, "I know that. Perhaps I've just never held one so young."

The feral shrugged, opening her mouth to say something more just as Jean and Scott entered the room. With a scowl, she pulled Sari back into her arms and tucked her into the sling. Jean raised one eyebrow at them, opening one of the three big dishwashers and setting her bowl inside it. Scott ignored the feral, mimicking the telekine with the second dishwasher. Ororo took Zoe's plate and put it in the last one, leaving them open as all the children began to file in to put their dirty dishes away.

Uncomfortable with the stream of new mutants, Zosia quickly retreated out the kitchen door and back into the hallway. She was halfway up the first flight of stairs when she heard Rogue's voice call out to her.

"Zoe?"

She paused, turning to look over the railing. Rogue and Jubilee stood with another girl their age at the bottom of the stairs. Rogue seemed almost unsure, but Jubilee and the other girl were only curious as they watched her.

"Yes, Rogue?"

"Hey, um, later on we're going to watch a movie in the rec room. . Do you want . . to come with us?" said the southern girl shyly. "They let us rent movies on the weekend. We got the new 'Alice In Wonderland'."

"We're going to go get our magazine on first." said Jubilee. "And I got the coolest new yellow nail polish. It is a-dor-able! Want some?"

Zoe almost smiled, but settled on a light smirk instead. "Perhaps later, girls. I'm afraid my daughter needs tending to first. Thank you for the invitation."

"No problem!" said the last girl, a brunette. "See you later, then." She grabbed Jubilee's jacket sleeve and tugged. "Now come on- you said you'd do my hair if I did your toenails!" The three girls turned, hurrying off around the corner, talking about nail polish colours.

The feral turned back to the stairs, quickly making her way back up to her room to retrieve a fresh diaper for Sari. The baby was quickly changed and settled down in between the pillows for a little nap while her mother went back to her leather satchel. She prized a black velvet bag from what was left inside it, holding a glittery, midnight-blue touchscreen satellite phone. She clicked it on, then scowled at the pop-up on its screen.

'You have 13 missed calls. 0 Unknown. You have 27 new text messages.'

"Oh, yay." she rolled her eyes, pulling a plain lime green spaghetti strap tank from her bag. Her red camisole was dropped to the floor beside the bathroom door, and she quickly changed into the tank. She settled on the bed beside Sari, and scrolled through the text messages. Most of them were composed by Victor, asking what the hell had happened that morning, who had touched her, threatening whomever had touched her, and complaining about falling from his tree. She hid an amused smile. The last text message on the bottom was from a different number. She opened it with a scowl.

'Zee, it's Mystique. Are you alive?'

Eyes wide, she began to text back that yes, of course she was alive, and where are you? But she stopped herself. She didn't know the number, even if she knew the name, and it wouldn't do to compromise herself by sending a text to someone she didn't know. What if it were humans on the other side? With a disheartened pout, she deleted the text. She hoped it was her sister, and that she was safe and sound somewhere, but she just couldn't trust an unknown number.

She shook the thoughts from her head, scrolling through the rest of Victor's angry and startled messages. Almost amused, she quickly typed up a txt and sent it away into cyberspace.

*'Ne prétendez pas que vous ne l'aimez pas, mon amant.'* (Don't pretend you didn't like it, my lover.)

*Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride- Beat your hands on me- Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy-*

The truck swerved on the interstate when his phone rang loudly in his pocket. With a curse, he straightened out before the semi beside him could clip his shitty truck. He pulled the phone from his pocket, flipping it open and pulling it to his ear. "Hello? Zee? . . Zee?" He pulled it away, looking at the screen and the little white envelope with wings flashing on the screen.

He smirked, reading what she'd written to him. Using his knee to drive, he quickly sent a message back to her.

*Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin- Fill me with your poison- Take me, ta-ta-take me- Wanna be a victim- Ready for abduction- Boy, you're an alien- Your touch so foreign- It's supernatural- Extraterrestrial*

Zosia lifted her phone up to see the screen, sliding down to lay beside her daughter on the bed. She tapped the little winged envelope with one sharp claw-tip. As soon as the text loaded up, she heard footsteps in the hallway, and shoved the phone under her pillow out of sight. There was a soft knock on the door.

She could smell her before she heard her voice.

"Zosia?" Rogue's voice was soft, hesitant, unsure. She knocked softly again.

"Come in, Rogue." she called loud enough for the mutant to hear her.

The glass doorknob turned, clicked, and the door was gently pushed open enough for Rogue to slip in. She pushed the door to close, but left it unlatched. Finally, the young mutant looked up at her. "Hi."

Zoe sat up fluidly on the bed, watching the girl momentarily tense at her action. "Hello, Rogue." she returned. "Can I help you?"

"I, um . ." The girl glanced around the room briefly before meeting the feral's eyes again. "Ah jus' wanted ta talk. Maybe. If you want ta." she said quickly.

The feral smiled, gesturing for the girl to sit at the end of the bed. "Talk about what, chère?"

"I just wanted to know about . . . well, what you know about that night . . at Ellis Island." said the girl, coming and carefully sitting on the end of the bed.

"I don't know much about it, amoureux." Zosia pulled one knee up and rested her chin on it. "I knew a little about the machine- I talked to Warts several times when he was painting it. Mystique told me some when I asked, but she was always very vague about it. Victor told me its purpose, but I never knew what mein Lehrer wanted with you." She watched the girl nervously wringing her hands. "Victor just came to me a few weeks ago saying he had to go to Canada for a week to hunt down an old friend and a girl with poisonous skin."

"An old friend? Logan?"

"I don't know, my dear." She paused. "They brought you back home later, and Warts put you in the darkest, coldest room he could find." She paused again, glancing down at the sleeping cub beside her. "I was preoccupied, as I said, with this little one. She is why they didn't tell me much- to protect us."

"Magneto . . he was worried about you and Sari." Rogue said, watching the baby's chest rise and fall as she slept. "And Mystique, too. When he touched me, I could feel it." She put her gloved fingers to her temples. "It's strange the way he thinks."

"How much of him did you absorb? How do you do it?" Zoe asked, sitting up, curious. "Is your skin really poisoned?"

"I don't know." Rogue blushed, hiding her hands in her lap. "People just touch my skin and something happens. They just get hurt. I pull them into me somehow."

"How much of him do you have?"

"I don't know." repeated the teen. "A lot. A lot more than any of the other boys- well, except Logan."

"Can you see all his memories?"

"A lot of them, I think. I don't know. Why?"

"Ich bin einfach neugierig. (I'm just curious.)" Zoe answered nonchalantly.

"Nun, ich weiß es nicht. Er ließ von go- (Well, I don't know. He let go-)" Rogue clapped her hands over her mouth, wide-eyed. Zosia smirked amusedly at her. "Wie habe ich das tun? (How did I do that?)" Her eyes widened further. "Was ist los? Ich kann nicht Deutsch sprechen! (What's going on? I can't speak German!)"

"Klingt für mich wie du kannst. (Sounds to me like you can.)" Zoe said, her smirk widening to a smile.

"Aber . . . Where did that come from?"

"Erik was fluent." said the feral. "It seems you've pulled that much from him." She chuckled at the girl's surprise. "Parlez-vous français? (Do you speak French?)" Rogue just shook her head, buttoning her lip. "Mais vous pouvez me comprendre? (But you can understand me?)" The teen nodded once. "Interesting, mon fille. Very interesting. What a wonderful gift you have."

"He taught you German, didn't he." said Rogue.

"They kind of all did, really." Zosia shrugged. "Mystique and Eric mainly. Victor didn't want too much to do with me at first. Probably was feeling me out before he decided what he wanted." She snorted. "If I hadn't made the first move, he probably would have moved on before anything ever happened."

"What did-"

"Shit." Zosia winced, quickly pulling the phone from beneath the pillows. Two clicks of her claw, and it was silenced. She glanced up at the teen, her expression a little guilty. "Think you can keep a secret for me?"

"Uh . . I don't know. What secret?"

"Don't tell them I have a phone. I think that Scooter would probably have a conniption fit." she answered softly. "It is a fight I don't want, and I know that at least Red-eye would have something to say about it." She rolled her eyes.

"Are you talking to Magneto?" asked Rogue, wide-eyed.

"Erik is in prison, my dear, last I heard." said the feral.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot."

"Mystique is still MIA. Warts didn't make it. No body, but he would have gone back home, and he never came." She smiled sadly. "The only reason I believe Myst to be alive is because she's too damn stubborn to die. We just don't know where she is."

"Then you talk to Sabretooth." Rogue said, eyes wide.

"He's my mate." said Zoe with a little shrug. "He is Sari's father. I couldn't not talk to him."

"But what if he comes here?" asked the teen, her heartbeat speeding up. "To the school? All the kids-"

Zoe scowled with a short grunt. "He was here yesterday with me, and the world didn't end." she said. There was a slight edge to her voice that silenced the teenager. "Look through the memories you have of Eric's. He isn't a danger unprovoked, and certainly not around me, and for damn sure not towards mutant children here!"

Rogue settled down. "I'm sorry- I'm not trying to be offensive."

"I get it- he's a monster sometimes." shrugged the feral, "But he's my monster, and he won't do anything with me or the cub around." She checked the new text, then quickly responded before shoving the phone back underneath her pillow. She met Rogue's brown eyes with her own midnight blues. "I'm sorry for what they did to you- truly, I am." she said. "But you have nothing to fear from Victor and I- I won't let him hurt you. I promise."

The teen nodded once, but didn't comment. Instead, she let her eyes rove over the room, never having been on the third floor before. The rooms upstairs were bigger than those downstairs, and had bigger beds, too. Her eyes rested on the desk. "I had an IPOD like that before I ran away." said the teen, standing up and picking it up off the desk. "Mine was green though."

"What happened to it?"

"This guy I was hitching a ride from stole it." said the teen, her lip curled. "He told me it was payment for him driving me to the next town." She shrugged. "I didn't have much on it anyway."

"Why did you run away, chere?"

Rogue frowned sadly. "I . . I hurt two boys . . put them in the hospital." she said quietly. "After that . . people started to treat me differently. I couldn't take it, and I was afraid I would hurt someone else, so I just left."

"Humans can be despicable creatures, can't they." commented the feral. "Well, I suppose that can't be helped. You are lucky to have found a place like this to stay. From what I have heard of Professor Xavier, he is a good man."

"Yes, he is." said the teen, setting the IPOD down. "Well, I guess I better go before Kitty and Jubes come searching for me."

"Alright then, chere." said Zoe with a friendly smile. "I will talk to you more later, non?"

"Hurry up, Vic." she said, her voice husky, as she walked from the kitchen down to the basement steps. Everything was in slow motion, blurred, as she descended the steps to the finished basement. She walked to the single support column in the center of the barren room. It was dark cherry wood, and cool beneath her fingertips as she ran them along it.

He was saying something to her- something unintelligible, muffled. She couldn't distinguish his location, but it didn't bother her. He sounded nearby, so she knew she was safe.

She rounded the column, breathing in the heady, metallic scent of blood as it slowly dripped from his victim. The human was hanging upside down, stripped naked, hung by one leg to the column, a gash on his head and neck dripping blood onto the cream-coloured carpet.

*Drip. *Drip. *Drip.

She watched him take in a shuddering breath, struggling to breathe. His heartbeat was weak, but there. Every beat was more of a struggle than the last. Her eyes lifted from his battered head, up his neck, up his chest, to his stomach. She smiled.

Across his bloodied gut, her lion had carved her name with his claws.

'ZOE'

"Victor?" she called for him again, turning her head to look around the big, empty room. "Where could he be?" It felt like there was lag between her head moving and her vision. "Is this what it feels like to be drunk?" Her vision swam again, making her dizzy and nauseous.

The soon-to-be corpse rasped one last time, drawing her attention back to it. She crouched down in front of it, reaching out with one claw to puncture its windpipe. Her love was such a messy killer sometimes.

It's hand snapped up, grabbing, clenching on her wrist.

The feral awoke with a hard jolt, a growl bubbling up through her lips. "The fuck?"

"Oh, sorry!"

Zoe's head jerked to the doorway. Ororo was standing just inside the now-open doorway, hands clutched against her chest in surprise. She turned to leave.

"No, wait." Zoe said, catching her breath, sitting up. "Don't go."

The windrider turned back to the feral. "I didn't mean to wake you." she said.

"It's okay. Come in."

"Sorry I startled you."

She turned to look down at the cub next to her. The baby was awake, eyes open and black, laying still and quiet. Ashamed, she laid back down, cuddling the cub to her with a gentle purr. "Mon petite ange."

Ororo quietly approached the bed, settling down near Zoe's feet, watching the feral cub yawn against her mother. "You didn't sleep much last night, did you." she said to the mother. "Even after I came in here."

"Non, mon moka." said Zoe, meeting her eyes. "Lay with me?"

"Do you need another nap?" asked the windrider with a playful smile.

"Non, mon moka." she murmured, laying her head down on the soft pillow. "Just company." She watched as the white-haired woman slid up the bed, stretching out until she was laying one Sari's other side. "Better."

Ororo chuckled, turning her eyes down to the cub. After one quick glance back to Zoe, briefly meeting her eyes, she reached out and held one tiny clawed hand. The little fingers instinctively gripped the tip of her finger, holding on tightly. "What cute little hands you have, kitten." She ran her thumb across the tiny digits. "Was your Maman having another nightmare, Sari?" she asked lightly.

"Perhaps." answered the feral. "But not the same as this morning." She closed her eyes, relaxing into the pillow. "Victor was taking care of a mark, and I couldn't find him- only the body." She smiled without opening her eyes. "He'd carved my name into its skin."

"A mark?" Ororo's eyes widened, her tone of voice enough to gather Zoe's full attention.

"Oh, calm down." the feral rolled her eyes. "It was a dream- not a memory. I rarely ever went with him on business. He works better alone, and I was a bigger help to Mystique."

"Have you killed many people?"

"Have you?"

"That's not an answer."

"Neither was that." She smirked. "Does it really matter right now, chere? I've not hurt you yet." The windrider shrugged. Zoe sighed. "That I am aware of, seven. All men, and all guilty and very much deserving of death." She closed her eyes again, relaxing into the pillows. "Victor was the mercenary- I . . . watched a few, but hardly ever helped him."

"Help him how?"

She snorted. "Must we speak so morbidly?"

"You're the one doing the talking."

"You asked. Don't ask questions that you don't want answered." she chuckled lightly, shifting into a more comfortable position on her back. "Have you never killed anyone? You've been doing this x-man thing for a very long time."

"Just one." answered the windrider, petting the cub's hair. "And it was out of necessity."

"You think mine were not?"

". . I don't know."

"Well, at least you aren't quick to judge." deadpanned the feral. "I don't kill for pleasure."

"That's good."

She snorted. "I'm not that dangerous, chere. Only a little bit vicious." She pinched the air in front of her with a wink.

The windrider chuckled. "Well, so long as it is only a little bit." She sat up, propped on one arm, still exploring the tiny cub. "Anyway, I came up here to see if you wanted to come down for dinner. Then, after dinner, the older children have rented a couple of movies to watch if you like."

"What's on the menu?"

"Pizza from town. Jean and Scott are on their way back with it all." She glanced at the feral laying beside her. The little star-shaped scars were peeking from beneath the girl's lime green top. Curious, she reached out and lifted the bottom edge of the tank.

The feral's eyes snapped open, looking at the windrider in surprise. "Hmm?"

"Just looking at your side." said Ororo, surprised at her own boldness. "We didn't see them very well last night."

Shrugging, Zoe shifted to the side and pulled her tank up to under her bust. She hooked one thumb into the hem of her jeans and pushed them down to reveal the bottom star. Each one was nearly perfect, the little raised lines a shade lighter than her already light skintone. "Just stars."

"Pretty." said Ororo, running her fingers over one. The feral jumped, and she jerked her hand away. "Sorry!"

"Ticklish." said the redhead with a chuckle. She twisted, looking at the top star. "I'll need another one soon."

"How do you do it?"

"Eric made a metal star for me."

"Eric?" she said quietly, leaning against the doorjamb into his private study. "Mein Lehrer?"

Eric Lehnsher sat at his desk, a very worn book open in his hands, reading by the light of the little lamp beside him. He tucked a scrap piece of paper into the book to mark his page, then settled it on the desktop before turning his attention to his newest follower. He gave her a fatherly smile. "Yes, my dear?"

She returned his smile, standing straight before slinking into the room, coming around the desk to be at his side. She settled down on the floor, sitting cross legged where she could lean her head against his knee- a strange habit she had adopted in the few months she had been with them. Victor had mentioned it was a submissive gesture, allowing him to be the dominant.

"Mein Lehrer," she murmured again, turning her eyes up to meet his. "Ich bin gekommen, um um einen Gefallen bitten. (I've come to ask for a favor.)"

"Oh? Was zugunsten würde das sein? (What would that be?)" he returned, reaching down one hand and running it over her red hair. She tilted her head towards him, her eyes bright in the lamplight.

"Wirst du mich Schimmel ein Stern? (Would you mold me a star?)" she asked.

"Ein Stern?" He asked curiously. "Warum?"

Her eyes darkened enough that he could no longer make out her pupils in the deep blue. Her eyebrows drew closer. "Es wurde im Jahr. (It's been a year.)" she began, leaning her head back down where he could not see her eyes. She rubbed her cheek against his knee. "Ich möchte einen kleinen Stern. (I want a little star.)"

"Was zu tun? (To do what?)"

"Um Marke meiner Haut. Zu erinnern. (To brand my skin. To remember.)" she answered quietly. "Das erste, was ich mich erinnern kann ist ein Stern. Als ich aufwachte, war es dunkel und die Sterne wurden. Ich legte dort beobachtete sie, bis die Sonne aufging. Es bedeutet mir etwas, mein Lehrer. (The first thing I can remember is a star. When I woke up, it was dark, and the stars were out. I laid there watching them until the sun rose. It means something to me, my teacher.)"

"Wird es nicht nur heilen vorbei? (Won't it just heal over?)"

"Ich werde nicht zu lassen. (I won't let it.)"

Mentally, he shrugged, reaching out to the seven round ball bearings ticking back and forth across the front of his desk. One of them left formation, floating into his hand. With just a thought, the ball changed in his hand, taking on the outline of a perfect, five-pointed star. He made it perfectly smooth, then used the leftover metal to fashion a short handle coming from the back of it. Plucking it from the air, he held it out to his feral pupil. "Hier ist dein Stern, mein Lieber. (Here is your star, my dear.)"

"Danke, mein Lehrer!" she smiled up at him, turning it over in her hands. He returned her smile, patting her head before she stood up and slunk back to the doorway with a quiet 'Good Night'.

"Mystique went out into the woods with me that night. We lit a fire, and put the star in it to get hot. I think we left it for about a half hour." said the feral. "Then, I showed her where I wanted it, she got it out of the fire with a pair of tongs, then held it down on me until I couldn't stand it any more." The feral absently rubbed the bottom star. "Quite painful, really, but worth it. To me, at least." She half-groaned. "I bit through the stick- pulled splinters from my mouth for an hour afterwards. Not fun."

"I bet. How do you make it stay? When Logan was hurt, he always just healed. Automatically." Ororo questioned, crossing her legs on the bed.

"I don't know." Zoe shrugged. "I just . . do. It seems the more I bleed, the greater the injury, the easier it stays." She pointed to the second star. "This one, I bled buckets. It looked like someone had mauled my hip. It stayed a lot easier. I don't really have to think about them now. Only had to redo the first one three times before I got it down."

"Ouch."

"Pain only lasts a short while." shrugged the feral.

With the bedroom door open, even the weather witch could hear the giant oaken doors pushed open, and the sound of multiple children rushing to it. Jean and Scott were back, apparently, and with food for the children in tow.

"Hungry?" asked Ororo.

"Sure." said the feral, sitting up. She pulled the cub into her arms, returning her sling to her shoulder and settling the baby inside it. Sari hardly stirred, barely scrunching her eyes before relaxing into the warm sling.

Downstairs, Scott and Jean had taken the tall stacks of pizza boxes into the big common room, and Scott was carefully monitoring the students as they filed up in line for their portions. Xavier was sitting in his chair next to the make-shift pool-turned-buffet table, taking in the whole room and the children within it. Across the room, standing in front of the bigger television, was Jean, fiddling with a DVD case. The screen behind her was blue, waiting for someone to push play.

"Here you go." Ororo handed Zoe a paper plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza on it. "There's soda in the coolers beside the professor. I've got to help with the children."

The feral only nodded, looking down at the grease-slicked cheese on her plate with a curled lip. She spied a younger boy in line, waiting for his plate with the others, and held her's out to him. "Hungry, little snake?" she asked as an offering.

He looked at her with suspicious eyes for a few seconds before taking the plate and running back to his group of friends waiting for him on the floor in front of the tv. Settled, he turned back to her and stuck his tongue- black and forked- out at her, then smiled her way. She only winked before turning to slink out of the room.

'Much too many children in here.'

In the hallway, she ran the pads of her fingers over the wood paneling as she casually meandered along, listening to the room full of mutants behind her. Children were excited about seeing whatever movie it was that Jean was about to turn on for them; the telekine was taking too long to start the show; the pizza wasn't hot enough; the drinks weren't cold enough. The feral shook her head, rounding the staircase.

"Not going to eat?"

Zosia paused, turning to face the professor. He rolled down the hall after her, pausing in front of the redheaded feral with a friendly smile on his mouth.

"I'm not hungry." she lied.

"You don't care much for pizza." he said, amused.

"I don't care much for a lot of human food." she returned. "I'm sorry."

"It is quite all right. You won't be the first student we've had here that had special dietary needs."

She cocked her head to the side a touch. "Student? Me?"

"You should take advantage of the environment while you're here." he said encouragingly. "You don't remember your past; we may fill in a few gaps you did not know were missing."

"I will consider it."

"It also would help keep the rumor mill at bay." he said, tapping his temple with his index finger. "The students are already wondering how old your are, where you are from, wondering about the baby, and so on. I think we should, perhaps, come up with a back-story for you."

The feral put one hand on her hip, rolling her eyes. "I'm a seventeen year old runaway from New York City, and my daughter's father died in a car crash before he even knew I was pregnant. I was dropped off here by a nice, old mutant that knew about this place." she said with a pout, her voice convincing. She paused with a smirk. "Good enough?"

"For now."

"For now is all I'm concerned about. This isn't a forever thing."

He smiled again. "Of course." He sounded like he was trying to convince a child of the existence of Santa Claus.

She scowled. "He will come back for me." she half-hissed. "And even if he didn't, I would seek him out myself." The professor only nodded. "I'm not some easy lay for him that he allowed to birth a cub. I'm his mate." She rolled her eyes, clenching her fists and turning around to walk off. "But think what you want- I don't have to prove a damn thing to you about him." She felt her mind wander to where her mate would be. She froze, glaring at him over her shoulder. "Out, telepath."

The professor only nodded, pulling his psyche back. With a parting smile, he turned and rolled back to the room of children.

The feral snorted. "Mind-raping mother fuc-"

"There you are." Ororo said, holding a plate of pizza and a can of soda for herself. She took in the girl's agitated state with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." answered the feral, shaking her anger off with a roll of her shoulders. "Just fine."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"No, my dear." Zoe shook her head, offering the windrider a sweet smile. "But thank you anyway."

"You should eat something, Zee." Ororo scowled. "Would you like more chicken?"

Zoe shook her head. "I'm fine. Really." she said, running her hand down the windrider's arm with another smile. "I'll get something later. Aren't you going to watch the movie with the children?"

"Not tonight." answered Ororo. "I've little interest in Johnny Depp. I'm going to the library. Care to join me?"

"Sure, mon moka."

Around the staircase, and back towards the cafeteria, Ororo lead Zosia into the grand library. This library, unlike the smaller one near the rec room, was frequently used; Zoe could smell dozens of young mutants all over the room, the scents nearly drowning out the pleasant smell of aged leather and old ink. Behind the last long bookshelf, there was a dark brown leather couch and chair settled in front of a cherry-wood coffee table. In the corner was a metal cart with wheels, housing a 27inch television set and a small DVD player.

"We use this when we have educational videos for the children to watch in class." Ororo said, picking up the little silver remote off the top of the cart. She settled her plate of pizza down on the coffee table, then clicked the tv on. She looked back at Zoe. "Well, come sit down."

The feral nodded once, rounding the couch to settle in the corner. She curled her legs up beneath her, cuddling Sari through her sling. Ororo sat beside her, and scrolled through the channels until she found some random, made-for-tv movie .

They sat in silence, watching the program while Ororo ate. Zosia, bored, rested her chin on her palm, propped on the arm of the couch. Finally, she let out a sigh. "How in the world do you frails stand to watch this crap?" she asked quietly, turning her head to look at the windrider. "If I caught my husband cheating on me, I'd slit his throat!"

". . . Wouldn't it just heal back?"

"Well, yes. . . But I'd feel loads better." said Zoe with a shrug. Ororo snorted, holding in her chuckle, giving the feral an amused look. "Oh, hush. You know what I meant."

Ororo held the remote out to the redhead. "Change it if you like. I'm not terribly interested in this. I'm sure I've seen it before. It sounds familiar."

"Because all these stupid chick-flicks are the same! Husband and wife seem happy, move to subburbs, wife gets pregnant, sex drive plummets, husband hits on wife's b-f-f, starts cheating on her. Baby is born, then it all comes out and everyone cries- then the stupid bitch takes his ass back so they can be a family." Zoe rolled her eyes. "When, really, it should be husband and wife move to the subburbs, wife gets knocked up, sex drive the same or better, husband is a dick and cheats, wife takes kid, leaves, and gets child support."

"Well, they're not all that bad, but yeah, I'd say that was a fair statement." said Ororo with a laugh.

"I don't understand humans. Hell, until I was about a week from delivering, I couldn't get enough of Victor." She rolled her eyes. "Eric sent him up to Canada- he was gone for almost a week. Torture!"

Ororo chuckled. "I bet."

"It wasn't until after she was born that I lost interest, but I think it was more from worry than anything. All of a sudden, I had Sari, and Victor and Mystique were too busy to help me much. I floundered for a day or so." the feral glanced at Ororo. "I didn't- don't- remember babies or what they are like or what they need."

"At all?"

"Well, I'd seen them on tvs, and occasionally in town when we would go for supplies, but then they were only in passing. I rarely heard one cry or make any noise outside of the families. I'd played with a few children once at a playground in Ottawa." She smirked. "Before Victor and Warts came and scared them all off. Victor didn't even mean to- but Warts couldn't resist."

"Couldn't resists, huh?"

"He was an asshole, but he was still my brother." Zoe shrugged again.

"Your brother?"

"Adopted." the redhead smiled, amused.

"Is everyone so close in the Brotherhood?"

"Not everyone. There are several family groups- clans or villages- that are like that. The biggest group is in Germany. They're the ones we went to see the most. I think there are about a hundred of them all together, if you count the children." Her smile turned sentimental.

"Where in Germany?" asked Ororo.

Zosia met her eyes, then shook her head. "I won't tell." she simply said. "I won't compromise their anonymity."

Ororo tipped her head. "Fair enough. I can see where they wouldn't necessarily want people to know of their existence."

"Then a change of topic is in order." said the feral. "I am almost out of diapers. You said we could run to town for supplies?"

"It's a little late now, don't you think?"

"It's only eight-thirty." the feral lightly scowled. "I could go alone, if need be."

"No, we can take you. Do you have to go tonight, or can it wait until in the morning?"

"It can wait until morning. I have a few cloth diapers with me as well- I'll use those overnight." Sari stirred in her sling, her little face scrunching up as she geared up for a cry. "Speaking of diaper, I believe someone needs a new one." Lifting Sari from the sling she'd been cuddled in, the feral stood from the couch.

Ororo picked up her plate and empty soda can, and followed the redhead from the room, pausing only to turn the tv off. "Do you need anything besides diapers from town?"

"A few things here and there. Not much." returned Zoe, waiting for Ororo to throw her plate away in the trash bag set up by the rec room before leading her upstairs. "I'd love to get some soap- shampoo and the like."

Inside Zosia's room, Sari was quickly changed into a clean diaper. Clean and dry, she hushed her cries, and instead, lay quietly, her little eyes trying to focus on things near to her. Ororo sat beside her on the bed, taking the tiny feral's attention while Zoe disposed of the used diaper.

"Hello, little kitten." Ororo cooed down at the cub, holding her little clawed hand between her thumb and forefinger, then moved it to gently smooth the babe's hair back. "That feels better, doesn't it?" Sari watched her silently, her eyes locked on to Ororo's.

Zoe watched the two in silence, pausing in the bathroom door to observe her cub and the weather witch. The cub wasn't afraid, just quietly observing the woman paying her attention. Ororo was respectfully careful, as if she understood the overprotective urges coursing through the feral mother. She was close enough to play with the cub, but not so close that she was threatening.

The teeny baby finally opened her mouth with a soft sigh, squirming towards the hand petting her hair. The redheaded mother smiled. "She wants you to hold her." she said to the weather witch.

The darker-skinned woman looked up at her. "May I?"

"Yeah, go ahead." said Zoe, taking a seat in the rocking chair. She watched Ororo carefully scoop the baby up into her arms and cuddle Sari to her chest. The baby relaxed, content, and let her eyes close. "Is there anywhere around here to shop?"

"The Jefferson Mall is only a half hour away. Sometimes we take the older children out there on trips." answered Ororo. "But there are a handful of smaller stores around here that would probably have whatever you need. If you gave Scott a list, he could even go for you when he goes for the school's supplies."

"I may do that then."

"I'm sure he won't mind- he does it for the others now and then when an emergency comes along. I'd say lack of diapers could qualify as an emergency." chuckled the woman, continuing to pet the cub's hair back.

Zoe only nodded, bringing one leg up against her stomach, resting the heel of her foot on the edge of the chair's seat. She wrapped her arms around her leg, and leaned her temple against her knee with a yawn.

"Sleepy again?" Ororo sounded amused. "You've had a nap."

"Victor and I walked for two days straight to get here without leaving a trail." murmured the feral. "Which normally would not have even winded me, but with Sari . . . it's catching up with me, I fear."

"Well, don't let me keep you up." said the windrider. "I'll go back downstairs with the children. It's time to send the youngest off to bed anyways."

"You're not bothering me, weather witch." murmured Zoe, her eyes closed. "In fact, strangely enough, your presence is rather calming, I find."

"You only met me yesterday."

"I said strangely enough." Zoe opened her eyes long enough to check on her cub in Ororo's arms, then let them slide closed again. "I've learned not to question instinct. At least, not much. Either way, I'm not sending you off."

"No, but still." Ororo stood, the feral cub still in her arms. Zosia's eyes, pitch-black, watching her as she moved, startled her. "Must you do that?" Zoe only raised one eyebrow at her, relaxing back into the chair, but still keeping dark eyes on the weather witch. "I'm not trying to run off with Sari."

"I can't help it." Zoe shrugged, blinking the blackness away. "Thank you for the jolt, though. That will keep me up another hour or so." She popped her jaw, retracting the fangs back into her gums. "I hate going to bed so early in the evening."

The white-haired woman brought the cub over to its mother, gently holding her out for Zoe to take. "Here you go, Zee. I really must go help Jean and Scott with the children."

"Alright." said the feral with a detached shrug, taking her cub and rocking her in the chair as she watched Ororo quietly exit the room. "There goes my good night . . ."

Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!

Victor's ringtone for Zoe is 'Ride' by Rob Zombie, and Zoe's ringtone for Victor is 'E.T.' by Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West. If you haven't heard either of these songs, consider them your homework for the evening because they are both awesome!

The Lady Mage