Sorry for the wait, guys. Thanks to all those who reviewed, favorited, etc. (:
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I flew for hours, just trying to lose myself in flight. But things just never work out like that. My last words to the Professor haunted me; I'd let him down, I'd rejected him when he'd try to comfort me and apologize.
"You know nothing. Just leave be."
"You know nothing."
"You. Know. Nothing."
"YOU. KNOW. NOTHING."
I gave an agonized cry as the words echoed through my head, nearly slamming into a tree as I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going. Knowing that I needed to land before I seriously hurt myself, I threw my talons forward and grabbed the next tree branch that came at me, perching on it. I turned my bright blue gaze to the sky above me, watching as the clouds turned pink and orange as the sun began to set. I tried to just focus on the sunset, ignoring the burning cold in my chest that seemed to taunt me. I wanted it to go away, I really did, but I hadn't the faintest clue as to how to get rid of it. I doubted anyone back at the mansion would be able to help me. Plus, I didn't want to go back to the mansion for multiple reasons. One, I didn't want to be reminded of the Professor everywhere I went and I certainly didn't want to be looked at with pity. Two, I didn't know if it would be safe for me to return to the mansion. I had no idea if the rage would cause me to hurt anyone at the mansion, specifically those that had become pack to me. And three, even if I wanted to go back, I'd made a vow to kill Phoenix, and I'd be damned if I didn't keep it.
No. If I wanted to get help, I was going to have to go to the source of my problems.
"Well," I thought to myself as I flared out my wings and prepared to fly again. "They always say to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
I focused on that burning cold, letting it heat up within me as I slowly let it out. It was too late to change my course of action, and I gave a cry as the rage swept through me like a torrent. My vision flared red as I took off into the skies, anger giving me the fuel that I needed.
"I'm coming for you Phoenix," I growled in my thoughts as I flew, dark, evil thoughts clouding my head as I relished the feeling of destruction and hatred that I felt. I don't know why I was ever afraid of the terrifying rage that flooded through me. Instead, I embraced the dark side of myself with relish.
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My rage led me in a flight that took me almost an entire day. I flew through the night, barely stopping to rest. It wasn't until almost noon the next day that I found them.
Magneto had gathered himself an army, and the thought of the chaos that they would wreck on the city made me chuckle with glee. I was first noticed by a woman with long black hair and piercings. She pointed me out to Magneto, and he seemed to smile in acknowledgement; Phoenix must have told him about being a prisoner with me in the lake. I gave a piercing cry, causing several mutants to clasp their hands over their ears, and they ran out of the way as I swooped downwards, shifting immediately, gracefully exchanging feathers for pale skin. My hair gleamed like its own personal flame as I walked, the joyous rage warming my limbs despite the slight chill in the air.
As I walked closer to Magneto, a familiar presence entered my mind. Had I not had the rage within me, I would have cowered away. As it was, I embraced the Phoenix, something she clearly didn't expect as she backed off a little bit before returning, suspicious. I laughed, the sound high and shrill even to my own ears.
"You've returned, my sweet," Phoenix murmured within my head, and I laughed again.
Magneto met me halfway, taking my hands with a beaming smile. "My dear," he said. "This is a surprise. To what do I owe the honor?"
I sniffed in distain, raising an eyebrow. "I came for Phoenix," she said. "She called for me."
The mutants standing around us looked towards the figure clad in a fiery red dress, her dark red hair flowing behind her. She smiled at me as I smiled at her, pure desire for her destruction making me giddy. Dimly, I remember thinking that I'd completely lost my mind, that I had been exposed to the Phoenix too long, just like the Professor had predicted. But then there was that desire again, wiping away those doubts and thoughts.
"Well, we welcome you to our humble camp," Magneto said, giving the back of my hand a gentle kiss before he looked over at Phoenix. "Your little apprentice, Jean?"
I fought the urge to snort; Phoenix was in charge, not Jean. I'd hoped that someone would have been able to figure that out, but I guess that they were just primitive mutants. Phoenix chuckled darkly, having heard my thoughts. I just smiled at her, taking my hands from Magneto's and going to Phoenix's side.
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I remained with Phoenix and Magneto's group for the best of three days, not having a care in the world. The other mutants steered clear of both myself and Phoenix, and I took great joy out of scenting their fear towards us. I'd lost myself in the darkness that lurked within me, and I loved every second of it. I wasn't trying to hide, I wasn't trying to be the mutant everyone wanted me to be. I was the big bad wolf, and nothing was going to stand in my way.
As I stayed, I learned. Phoenix showed me how to make the most out of the rage within me, how to use it against other people. And I loved every minute of it. Oh, I never forgot about my vow to kill Phoenix for killing the Professor, but I wasn't about to let her know about it; even my thoughts were blocked from her so she wouldn't know what I was planning. It made everything so much fun!
What wasn't so fun when Magneto made his little speeches to the rest of the camp. They weren't fun. They were boring. Except for his last one.
His last speech was about some kind of cure for mutants. Normally something like that would have made me anxious, but what did I care now? A cure meant chaos amongst both humans and mutants. And who didn't love a little bit of chaos? The very thought gave me chills, and I shivered in delight from where I sat at Phoenix's feet, my white tail curled neatly around my paws. Magneto talked about the destruction that they would bring down onto the human race, how the mutants would be the cure to Homo sapiens. He was still talking when I felt Phoenix stir uneasily. I looked up at her, head cocked slightly to the side. She seemed to be watching someone in the crowd, and I followed her gaze until it found a mutant wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up, hiding his features. He seemed to feel our gazes on him, and our eyes locked. I gave a mental smile.
It was Logan.
As the other mutants cheered and screamed at Magneto's petty words, Phoenix walked towards the forest. Curious, I followed after her, staying in my wolf form. We walked in silence for a few moments before we could hear the underbrush crunching under someone's foot. I didn't bother growling a warning; whoever had followed us would quickly find that we weren't easy prey. Logan appeared a few seconds later, and he seemed to start in surprise when he saw me. "Sprite?" he asked, eyes searching mine. I knew what he saw; the precious icy blue was almost completely gone, replaced by a deep black. Only a single ring of blue remained, separating my pupils from the rest of the endless black. "What the hell happened to you?"
I chuckled, shifting into my human form. "Logan, what I nice surprise," I drawled, ignoring his question and giving a seductive smile. He looked at me in what almost seemed to be horror before he regained his compose. I only shrugged; his emotions had no affect on me.
"We've been looking for you," he said. "Both of you."
I shrugged again. "Well, it took you long enough," I said with a sigh, looking at my nails in boredom. This conversation didn't seem to be going anywhere. I looked towards Phoenix. "I'm going to go walk. Let me know if he has anything interesting to say."
I could hear Logan trying to call me back, but I gave a dismissive wave of my hand in his direction, not even bothering to turn to look at him. The darkness within me relished in his sorrow.
I walked for a good ten to fifteen minutes, letting my fingers trail across the green foliage. Desire to destroy the plants lurked within my chest, wanting to see them wither and blacken. It would be fun! I chuckled darkly to myself before it changed into a giggle of glee. So much fun! I spun in a circle, humming a nonsense tone to myself as I skipped through the grass.
It was the crashing sounds that gave him away. I paused in my senseless dancing, watching as Logan's body flew through the trees, slamming into branches and leaves alike. I giggled, clapping my hands together as he landed in the ground a few feet in front of me. "Nice landing," I said, the pure feeling of desire flooding my limbs much as my rage did. "Care do to it again?" I laughed, moving to walk past him.
His hand shot out as he grabbed my ankle. My playful mood was quick to change into anger and rage, red flickering in my vision. "Unhand me," I snarled, white streaking my fiery auburn hair as I kicked his hand away. "Or you will dearly regret it."
Logan gave a smile that almost seemed as dark as my own. "I've lost the Professor," he said slowly as he stood up, his claws coming from between his knuckles. "I've lost Jean. I'll be damned if I lose you too, Spirit."
Maybe it was the fact that he'd used my full name instead of calling me Sprite. Maybe it was the fact that he dared to unsheathe his claws, like he'd actually use them on me. Either way, I couldn't decide whether to laugh or just leave. That hesitation cost me.
Logan lunged for me before I could react and he claws me across the face. My rage reared up like a cobra as I felt warm blood coursing down my cheek before the wound healed. I screamed in fury, shifting completely into my wolf form as I went for Logan's throat. His fist connected with my side, and I felt ribs break under the impact. My body flew to the side and I scrambled to get to my feet, but Logan moved faster than I expected him to. I just managed to roll out of the way, his claws impaling the ground centimeters from my chest. I snarled as I realized what he was doing: he was trying to kill me. I howled a challenge, eyes burning almost completely black as I slammed into Logan, knocking him to the ground. His hands came up to my sides, and I yelped as the metal claws easily cut through my flesh. I backed off, blood leaking from my sides before they healed, leaving only a few drops of blood on the ground while the rest of it soaked into my white fur.
'You will regret this, Logan,' I snarled into his thoughts, running towards him again. I bit into his leg, tearing through muscle and tendon. He grunted in pain, using his other foot to kick me off. I backpedaled a few steps to give myself some room before I rushed forward again without hesitation, aiming for his throat. Logan threw his arm up at the last second, and I bit into his forearm instead, feeling bone grind and crunch beneath my jaws. Rage mixed with desire and delight at the sensation of crunching bone. I leapt back again, my muzzle coated in blood before I raced forward again from a different ankle, clamping my jaws onto Logan's calf. I continued with this routine, taking chunks out of Logan's flesh with relish, his blood sweet in my mouth. It didn't take long for Logan to fall to his knees on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds that were trying to heal, and I backed up for my final strike.
'Told you you'd regret this,' I said in triumph before I lunged for his throat. As I approached, I caught the gleam of Logan's own triumph in his eyes. Too late, I realized that Logan had fooled me, and his fist came up with claws unsheathed, the metal claws slamming easily into my chest, piercing through the bone and muscle that protected my heart. I coughed, fresh blood splattering my lips, but this time, it wasn't Logan's. It was mine.
I fell onto the ground as Logan looked at me with sorrow in his eyes. "I'm sorry Sprite," he said, picking me up. He kept his claws in my chest; he knew that taking them out would allow me to heal, and then we'd just start our battle all over again. I coughed again as my punctured heart tried to function, but it was kind of hard to do with three steel knives sticking through it. The rage that had fueled me for the past couple of days slowly drained out of me, the desire following it soon after. It left me exhausted and weak, and as my mind cleared, I was almost grateful as I passed out in Logan's arms.
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Thanks for reading! Hopefully I will be better with getting a few more chapters up. Please review, as they give me motivation. Hehe!
ML out
