Wanda turned and sprinted, dodging trees and branches in a desperate attempt to move faster. It felt like the trees stretched on forever - was Wanda even following the right path?

Suddenly, the flat, cracked concrete of the bridge she was now relieved to see appeared. Beyond it, a dusty clearing, and then at the top of the grassy ridge, the house! Wanda could just make out the silhouettes of her housemates, the tall figure of Steve, the curved bow Clint was holding-

"Pietro!" Wanda screamed as she sprinted, full speed, towards the bridge. Even without turning back, she could sense that the being was following her.

For a split second, she swung around, halfway across the bridge, and stared back. The person wasn't running like she had expected, instead leaping from tree branch to tree branch, the long, dark claws that decorated his fingers meaning that his grip didn't shift a milimetre.

Wanda stumbled backwards, nearly frozen with fear. The assailant was on foot now, stood staring wordlessly at her from the border where the forest met the bridge.

Pietro appeared by her side, no doubt having used his speed. Not even glancing up at the person chasing Wanda, he lifted her bridal-style, and then they both disappeared, much to the confusion of the black-clad assailant.

Pietro ran back up to the safety of the house, placing Wanda down inside on the kitchen side. She had a few cuts on her arm, but they looked to be the result of trees whipping into her.

"What on earth happened? That scream went right through me," Bruce came in, expecting a severe wound. His eyebrows jumped into his shaggy hair once he saw that Wanda was unharmed.

"I saw..." Wanda's accent became thicker with fear, and rung alarm bells in Pietro's head.

"Whatever it was, it must have been terrifying," Pietro commented, stirring the tea he had begun to prepare. Green tea always calmed Wanda down; on a few occasions before the FAYZ, Wanda had lost it, and Pietro was always terrified. Usually, he was the one who was quick to react, even quicker to flee: Wanda was always his rock, keeping him steady and supported. Whenever she was terrified to this extent (he could count the occasions on one hand) he quickly became disoriented and unstable.

"What exactly did you see, Wanda?" Bruce asked, concern freckling his features. If there was something dangerous in the woods, they needed to warn the others.

"There was a man... I think it was a man. He was tall, and strong. He wore black, and I couldn't see his face. His fingers... they were like claws, and he moved like a cat." Wanda shook as she spoke, an incentive for Pietro to hold her until she calmed.

"And what happened?" Bruce was well aware that large, catlike animals did not stalk the forests near their hometown.

"I was practising moving things, and I found some firewood. I sat and managed to crack it, but I had to close my eyes and move my hands to split it in two. I was playing around with moving the pieces when I threw one at the nearest tree, and it broke, so I ran over to see it and left the other half." Wanda's voice was shaky. Pietro remembered very, very few incidents like this.

"I turned around and... it was there, staring at me, hunched over and balanced on the other half of the wood." Wanda closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory. "It had claws, and they looked like black talons. It was completely black apart from some odd metal pieces around its neck. It had ears, Pietro. Ears like a cat."

Bruce sat back, awestruck. "It's certainly nothing I've ever seen. I'm going to go ask around, see if anyone has any idea what it - or he - could be. You stay here and try to calm down; the stress won't be good, especially so soon after mutating like you have."

Wanda nodded sheepishly and watched him leave.

Pietro turned to her.

"Did it chase you?" He asked, handing her the warm mug of tea. Wanda sipped; it tasted very faintly of green tea. She'd have to let it sit for a bit.

"Yes, but it wasn't running. It was leaping, like a big cat. And it made no noise." She shivered at the memory.

Pietro raised an eyebrow. Whatever it was, it sounded creepy.

"I think it's angry at us," Wanda spoke up after a few moments of silence. "We took its bow, or at least, I think we did."

Pietro shook his head. "If it could move like that, and had talons, it wouldn't be able to use or have need for weapons. The bow was probably made by hunting fanatics a while back; they always leave their crap lying around. It said this place used to be a hunting haven before some billionaire bought a bunch of the woods and made them into a reserve."

Wanda nodded, wanting to believe it. "I guess, thanks."

Pietro shrugged. "I'm going to go look at the trees by the edge of the bridge. If it was leaping like that, it would have put a lot of pressure on the branches. Maybe it left some claw marks."

"You seriously think it's a good idea to go out there?" Wanda wanted to shake her brother.

"I'll have Clint and Steve with me, and if it goes south, I can just grab them and run, remember? I don't think he'd try to attack something he can't catch. And besides, we're not here to hurt him; maybe he knows English. If he is a human. It sounded like a human when you described him."

Wanda forced him to keep eye contact. "Promise me you won't do anything too stupid."

Pietro smirked. "You know I won't, Wanda."

With that, he darted off outside to go recruit a confused-looking Clint, and then ran over to Steve, who still wasn't used to the sudden appearances his powers allowed him to make.

Wanda settled in a rickety chair by the window to watch. She had to be sure they were safe.

A/N: Two chapters in one day! :D I think I might be getting addicted to writing