Apologies for the bit of a delay but it's an extra long chapter (for me) so that's gotta count for something right? Also thanks as always to Cheshire for the review.

Kara looked up at the darkened window to her and Raven's room. She liked Raven. She liked her room. She liked her books and Raven's music… She really liked her bed.

A light had turned on in the students wing. Then another. Kitty and Rogue's room. If she listened close enough she could even hear the living room. Students awake ... and playing games ... Remy beating Professor Drake in pool. Someone mentioning 'the feral.'

Kara had already started sprinting on all fours towards the forest before she'd even let herself make the conscious decision. The forest was safe. No one whispered about her in the forest. No one was afraid of her in the forest. No one tried using her. Or evaluating her. No one pretended to care.

In the forest she could just ... be.

And to be fair, she had tried sticking around, to give it a chance like Raven said. Ignoring everyone. At first the forest had simply been a place to spend in between classes. A place where she could eat in peace and quiet.

Kara hadn't broken stride as she walked in to Professor Monroe's classroom. The fact the room went silent as she quietly headed for her seat in the back corner of the room not seeming to register with the feline. She had just slipped into her seat, opened her book, and looked straight ahead until Storm came in and started teaching.

"Did you hear what happened?"

"I heard she almost killed Scott."

"I heard it was Jean. First Mako ... now X-Men. Who's next?"

"Did you see what she did to that table?"

"I mean she can barely talk. Have you heard her try and read? I don't even know what she's doing here."

"Are you that surprised? Just look at her."

"Class!" Ororo's voice quickly quieted the whispers that had steadily filled the room, "less talking. More listening. Now let's pickup where we left off with - well let's review the chapters you were all assigned over the weekend."

Ororo's pause caught Raven by surprise, but catching where she looked, the teen turned in her seat and silently cursed. Kara's book was on the floor while her seat was empty. The window next to her desk now wide open.

Raven was the first but not the last to notice and soon the whispers about the dark feral whipped into a frenzy.

Kara had headed straight for the woods and didn't bother coming back until after the mansion had fallen asleep. It had been the first day she hadn't snarled at anyone in a while. It helped her feel calm.

In fact it was maybe the only place she had left.

She'd been back in the gym. She'd tried going when she thought no one else would be there and it was mostly successful. That late at night... only a few of the older students had been there.

She'd been practicing on the wing chun, slowly but smoothly moving from one position to another, it helped her a bit ... the rhythm. Doing something familiar.

Then there was this older boy who came right over to her. The gym was huge, practically empty, but he still asked her to move. She'd ignored him. He tried coming closer so she'd growled at him. He said something stupid to his friends.

"Not everyone is scared of you ya know. Now why don't you be good little girl and -" and the next thing she knew a weight was embedded in the wall right next to his head. He had ran out terrified.

Kara gave herself a little shake as she landed in the woods … The thing was, she barely remembered throwing it. She didn't remember being - being this angry. Lesson learned. That had been the last time she'd gone to the gym. The next morning she'd headed straight for the woods.

Kara folded her ears back as she picked up speed, maneuvering easily between the trees. She knew that Professor Storm and Dr. McCoy wanted her to come back. At least that's what they had said. They were even nice about it. Told her she could just hand in her work or listen to their classes from the open window in their classrooms. A part of Kara liked that they weren't pressuring her to do anything… but then she had to coldly remind herself that she couldn't trust them.

"You shouldn't be alone Kara," Professor McCoy had tried the other night when she'd slipped into her office to hand in her paper, "the other kids, your friends ... they miss you."

Kara growled at the memory. They didn't. She knew that.

It had been innocent enough, Kara had thought Kitty and Rogue would have wanted to "hang out." Even after the dining room she - well she had heard what the rest of the mansion was saying. But at least Kitty and Rogue hadn't joined in. That made the feline feel… Better? So everything was fine then. She had spotted them outside and waited till they were close enough and dropped down from the tree she'd been doing her math homework in.

It was small but she'd seen it. It wasn't the look of surprise on Rogue's face or the sudden intake of breath. It was Kitty ... she… she had flinched.

"Oh… h-hi Kara." and the feline cocked her head. Why had Kitty flinched?
"Why'd you-"
Then the scent reached her. There was that smell coming from Kitty and a little bit from Rogue too. It was fear. Kara gritted her teeth. She felt something move up her from her stomach to her throat. It wasn't a growl… and it didn't feel nice.

"Where have you been Kara? Scott's been bugging us nonstop looking for you." Rogue tried but at the mention of Scott the feral took a solid step back, though she seemed to linger a bit longer on Kitty.

"Around." Kara rumbled back, her always intense gaze seemingly unsure for the first time since Rogue had met her.

"Do you - are you gonna head back inside? We were gonna go watch a movie or something." Kitty tried but Kara just shook her head. Their words sounded right but everything about the pair seemed off. Past them Kara could see other students staring ... whispering. Evaluating. So everything was not fine then. Ok, she understood now.

"Kara!" Kitty had yelled after her but she'd already made it to the tree line.

Kara shook her head at the memory before using a strong oak to bound off of and change direction, going deeper into the forest towards the river.

No one missed her. No one to trust. Well maybe Raven ... but the last thing Raven needed was more attention. And it was OK ... She wasn't alone.

The panthress came out of her sprint and slowed as she reached the clearing she'd been racing towards. She didn't have to wait long as a red wolf slowly stepped into the moonlight. It was larger than Kara with red fur and green eyes. It's growl was low as it approached the still pantheress.

Kara kept her eyes fixed on the wolf's. Eventually it came right in front of her ... and gently bunted heads with her.

"Hey Rahne." Kara growled back, a small smile on her muzzle.

A Few Weeks Ago...

"It was probably just some deer." Rogue tossed out distractedly from behind her text book.

"Oh or maybe it was a racoon! I saw one by the garage the other night." Kitty offered excitedly.

"Not deer. Not racoon." Kara rumbled as she kept her gaze locked on the forest. The threesome were in the library working on homework. Well that's what Rogue was doing at least…. Or trying to… Kinda hard with all this talking.

Kara had been outside running the grounds as Warren flew above, the pair using the time before dinner to stretch in their own ways, when Kara had come up short. Her hackles standing on end. Ears flipping towards the woods even before her eyes shifted there.

"Wasn't prey watching." Kara shook her head at the memory. It had been something else … Something dangerous? Predatory? watching her from the woods.

"Maybe it was Rahne." Kitty's tone went from excited to quite as Rogue shot her a look. One that Kara silently observed.

"Rahne is gone Kitty. Let it go." Rogue muttered, a frown on her face while Kara looked from one to the other curiously.

"What's a Rahne?" Kara asked, but Kitty shot another look at Rogue who seemed to be no longer reading despite staring at her textbook. Her eyes didn't follow the lines.

"Someone ask about the Werewolf of Xavier's?" Kara turned to see a new girl, slightly older than the three of them.

"Shut it Tabby." Rogue faux-growled, earning a raised eyebrow from Kara. Kitty meanwhile had slid back into her chair at this new arrival. Her usual relaxed posture suddenly tensed.

Kara fixed her gaze on 'Tabby' ... she had short, wispy blonde hair with bangs and blue eyes. She wore makeup - too much makeup Kara thought - pink lip gloss, and bright blue nail polish with some kind of powder on her eyes that looked like it was peeling off. Kara flicked an ear at what she wore too- a pink scoop tee shirt, faded blue, bell bottom jeans with a leather belt, and black boots. She had multiple rings on both hands and piercings on her upper and lower ears.

She'd seen Tabitha around. She knew that Raven did not like her. She'd called her a 'bully.'

"Oh c'mon Rogue ... just tryin' to share a bit of school history." Tabitha drawled, clearly trying to make fun of Rogue's accent. "Also loving that skunk stripe of yours. Reminds me of home." and Rogue instinctively went to cover that patch of white, Kitty placing an arm over her friend.

"You know she can't help it Tabitha." while Kara bared her teeth. She had been meaning to ask what a bully was, but the feline could put two and two together though her growl seemed to catch Tabby's attention and the older girl suddenly seemed much more interested in taking in the panthress, who simply glared straight back.

Kara thought she smelled funny ... burnt almost.

"So… What's a Rahne you ask?" and Kara looked at Kitty and Rogue hoping one of them would answer for her but Tabby had already drawn her chair closer to the feline who again flicked her tail in annoyance.

"A Werewolf of Xavier's" Kara chuffed back, replying with Tabitha's own answer hoping that would satisfy the older girl and hopefully make her go away but the blonde just laughed.

"Damn right you are. See, I was there when the pick up mission to get her came back…" Tabitha stopped for a second a funny look on her face, as if waiting for some kind of a reaction from the panthress.

"Well?" Kara growled impatiently, she felt like Tabby was trying to play a game with her and this game didn't seem fun.

"Well she looked ,harmless enough. Y'know skinny little runt with a weird accent and a god awful haircut-"

"You don't have to be mean Tabitha!" Rogue shot back, her fists balled.

"Yeah! I mean Rahne grew up in a monastery or something and well you know how weird they get with those kinds of things!" Kitty piped up, seeming to suddenly find the courage to defend her absent friend. An endeavor that backfired spectacularly when Tabitha suddenly leaned over and dropped what look like three simmering pieces of coal on her unfinished homework.

"I'm sorry? Who's telling the story?" and the younger brunette quickly pushed back from the table, eyes on the glowing orbs, while Tabitha just smirked.

"That's what I thought… Anyway…" and she once again scooched closer to Kara who did growl in warning this time but the blonde simply ignored it.

"So it was thunder storming this one night yeah? And like everybody's super on edge, because there were like major bad vibes… and guess what? They were RIGHT." and Tabby grinned as if remembering something truly exciting.

"It was midnight when it happened. Like everyone, and i MEAN everyone woke up because we heard this scream coming from Rahne's room and when we got there… We found her roommate just lying on the floor, totally covered in blood with her guts hanging out and everything!" Tabby had ended her sentence by posing mockingly, her hands held up trying to imitate claws while Kitty and Rogue tried not to roll their eyes.

"Her guts were not hanging out-"

"And on top of the poor girl was this giant, blood-red, WEREWOLF. Like an actual bloodthirsty monster… and monster it was cause it lets out this howl and it jumps out the the window - glass everywhere - and it just disappears into the night. Never... to...be... seen... again…" Tabby ended dramatically, her hands still held up, eyes focused on Kara.

There was a pause, and then another chuff.

"OK." and Kara turned back to her book. That had been such a waste of her time. She could feel Tabby still staring at her, tapping her foot clearly hoping for something more.

"Ugh whatever I thought someone like you would appreciate a story like this. You know one beast to another." the blonde grumbled before sticking her tongue out at the three younger girls, her fingers forming an L on her forehead.

"Later Losers," she drawled out, knocking the chair over as she went.

"Um Tabby what about your-" and Kitty shrieked as the coals went off, like little mini explosions. She had been fast enough to phase the coals off her hands but they did quite a number on her homework… Homework that was now burnt and had to be redone. Kara snarled, baring her teeth at the departing Tabitha who just waved lazily from the doorway. She really didn't like this "bully".

There was a pause before Rogue sighed and scratched her head.

"Ahhh sorry about that Kitty. You can copy off my paper if you want." and Kara did her best to help the brunette put out the little bits of flame still lit at the edge of the table.

"It's not true!" and the other two girls watched a little in concern as the usually cheerful brunette shook with anger from her little outburst. Kitty rubbed her nose before continuing much more controlled this time.

"Rahne she - she was really nice. I mean yea she was shy and maybe a little awkward but - but she wasn't some monster that killed someone! She liked books and funny movies ... and she showed me her powers one time and it was- it was cool. She - she wouldn't hurt anyone! Not on purpose … She was like... so nice." Kitty finished before phasing herself out of the room as now most of the library seemed interested in their conversation.

Kara had ignored Tabby's story at Kitty and Rogue's urging. But on the second night of running the woods Kara had been certain something was tracking her. She could tell it was a predator, but whatever it was, it was smart. It was careful. Kara noting how it kept itself downwind of her scent and out of sight.

Kara wasn't really concerned. She'd faced truer predators than anything these woods had to offer.

This went on for another night until Kara had discovered the clearing. It was easily fifty yards of open space with a few fallen trees creating a defacto border.

Kara growled to herself, she didn't know why but a border keeping everyone out seemed very comforting right now. The feline lowered her head, angry that she had let herself get too comfortable at the mansion. For trusting Logan. She didn't need anyone. She was better off alone. She - she should just keep running and not go back.

Kara released another huff before jumping and clearing the barrier. There was enough light so that even without her enhanced senses she'd be able to see clearly and it was a few miles from the mansion. Not too far that going back - if she wanted to that is - would be a problem and not close enough that anyone could find her and from the scent it didn't seem like anyone else had remotely discovered it yet.

It was perfect.

The next night, Kara made her way straight back to the clearing. She padded around the perimeter a few times before making her way to the center. The pantheress took a seat, cracked her neck ... and carefully pulled out her book.

Professor Storm had been waiting for her the last time she'd slipped in to drop off her homework. Just because she didn't want to sit in class didn't mean she was skipping out ... Kara had been perched in trees just outside the classrooms all week and dropping off any assignments at night. It was the only real reason she hadn't left altogether.

Storm had shook her head a little at that, and Kara could sense her teacher's uneasiness about the whole situation. Ororo even told her she missed her but how proud she was of the progress she was making. That made Kara feel ... something better then empty.

But reading was hard alone. She was slow ... or least slower than everyone else. That was new to Kara and not something she liked. She was used to being the strong one or the fast one and now to be in a situation where she felt like she couldn't rely on herself. But with how everything was now she couldn't let anyone see that she was struggling, because Kara didn't need anyone. She only needed herself. She only had herself.

Though the panthress did give leeway to Professor Storm - even if Ororo wasn't aware of it - and had listened when the weather goddess had made a suggestion that accommodated her insistence of keeping her distance from the mansion.

Taking a deep breath, and glancing around once again to ensure she was alone, Kara started reading out loud. It was about forty minutes in when Kara's ears twitched, her posture tensing. She could sense something watching her and the panthress swallowed a growl of warning. She was curious.

The circling continued until finally a shadow appeared, an outline visible thanks to Kara's night vision, though all she could really tell was that it was big and stood on all fours. Too small to be a bear. A wolf maybe? There was a pause between the two predators, as if both had entered into an unspoken staring contest, both trying to suss the other out. There was a growl, not from Kara, and the shadow darted off.

"Coward." Kara muttered, though she kept her eye on the spot for a few more moments before shrugging and returning to her reading.

"So you get tired of playing house cat or something?" Kara hadn't even landed from the roof as Jason suddenly appeared in front of her. The panthress however barely gave him a look, decidedly uninterested in striking up any sort of interaction with the loud mouthed teen, and moved to go around him. But he just STAYED THERE, smirking at her like they knew each other or something.

Kara snarled in warning. She had to find other ways to get rid of him and slowly the feline turned to properly face the older mutant.

"Or something." Kara rumbled back ... it was the first time someone at Xavier's had actually caught her off guard. She hadn't noticed Jason before her jump ... not even his scent. Not that she'd admit it of course.

She'd seen Jason around, typically hanging out with Remy outside of Professor Xavier's office for being in some kind of trouble. Most of the Mansion considered him a 'slacker' ... which Kara found out from Kitty meant lazy. But Kara wasn't so sure. Looking at him now... the way he moved ... the way he carried himself ... there was a confidence there that she suspected others took for arrogance. But it wasn't that totally either. She recognized it as someone who knew himself entirely, someone certain he could always get away.

"Oh very mysterious," Jason smirked, "So is there an actual reason you're keeping your distance? You dating a squirrel out there or something?"

"Why do you care?" Kara shot back. This was already their longest conversation and the longest conversation she had with anyone that week, she had hoped to keep it that way but Jason clearly wasn't going to let that happen. He claimed to have reincarnated with all of his memories intact. Something he seemed to enjoy reminding people. It didn't appear that everyone took it that seriously ... but his scent was just so strange. Too old for someone barely older than her.

"Just curious. Our resident emo queen asked if I'd seen you around, and like nothing gets me more worried then when Raven starts *caring about people.* Its scary." Jason was looking at Kara clearly deciding something while Kara was ready to just head to the woods. Jason couldn't stop her so what did it matter if - "you feeling like punching somebody?"

"What?" Kara's ears popped up at that, the usually unreadable feline clearly surprised.

"That's what I thought." Jason's smirk got wider but fell when he took a step closer to Kara who visibly tensed and let out a low growl, but the teen only wagged his finger at her, almost going as far as trying to boop her nose. Touchy touchy" and Kara snarled. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? Why was he such a nuisance? Why couldn't he go bother Remy or Raven or Professor - and that's when she got it.

"Logan." Kara growled again, there it was... the smirk was now completely off of Jason's face.

"Excuse me?" Jason crossed his arms, a not so subtle sign of being annoyed. What she had said clearly caught him off guard for a moment.

"Don't need Logan. Don't need you." Kara bared her teeth as she turned to go but Jason wasn't done.

"Hold up. I never said -" and Jason caught the clawed foot a few inches from his face and then proceeded to effortlessly block the elbow that came spinning behind it and pushed it away. Kara growled again this time more in surprise as she took a few steps back from Jason's block. He could see how she was eyeing him a bit more closely but the smirk was back.

"You sure you don't wanna punch me?" Jason taunted, playing it off like nothing had happened ... like he totally didn't just manage to keep pace with a feral.

Kara genuinely thought about it. However she really didn't want to prolong this anymore ... she'd wasted enough time already. She settled for just another snarl in his direction and with one last resentful look, jumped clear over Jason's head and sprinted towards the safety of the forest, Jason just watching her go until he lost sight near the tree line.

"Shit." he grumbled, before heading back inside to find Remy.

The next night, it took almost an hour of reading out loud for Kara to finally catch sight of what exactly had been stalking her. It was just as she started to get into a rhythm and when words and things started to come a bit easier that she noticed she was again being watched.

The feline's ears swiveled towards the forest even as her eye's stayed on the page. As she kept reading, she tracked the soft footfalls. A snapped branch. A quiet over the area. Scenting the air she knew it was close.

When Kara's gaze finally lifted she found a wolf standing straight ahead, just outside the clearing, so it was still covered in shadow. Kara however never hesitated in her assessment. The scent ... the eyes ... the way it moved around the clearing. That … That was no wolf. At least no ordinary kind of wolf.

The two eyed each other for a few seconds before it released a soft growl and once again disappeared back into the safety of the trees. Kara kept her focus on the spot before rolling her eyes and putting the book away. It was almost dawn and she wanted to grab something to eat before the rest of the mansion woke up.

It took the rest of the week, but by now, Kara had set up a kind of routine with her stalker. She would head straight to the clearing once the sun began to set, take her book out, and start reading the pages out loud. It was always after about three pages that Kara would see the familiar shadow inching toward her, always wary. Kara however would never turn her attention from her reading … and slowly she sensed the wolf come closer.

Eventually the canine settled down just inside the light of the clearing and would come a few feet closer each time. That night, when the time came, Kara kept her eyes down, and after slipping her book back into her bag... calmly padded out of the clearing. She left a few steaks behind.

Maybe it was because of the food, but the next night, it only took a page for the wolf to step into view.

Kara tried her best to take in its appearance without looking up from her reading. The wolf's red coat was matted, twisted with briars and tangled fur, three claw marks near the right ear which had dried over and badly at that, but its eyes were wide and a clear shade of green, contrasting greatly with the white streak that covered its chest and stomach.

Eventually Kara gestured out at her book and raised an eyebrow in question. The wolf nodded and settled down, her head resting on her forelegs, far enough from the feline so that it could run away if needed but close enough for the tip of their tails to touch.

It was a few hours of more reading, Kara noting how whenever she made a mistake, the wolf would gently bump her tail against hes, as if encouraging her to try again. That was enough for the pantheress.

"Kitty said you loved reading ... Rahne."

The change happened so suddenly it seemed to shock the wolf more than Kara.

One moment there had been a large shaggy wolf, and the next, for the briefest of moments, there had been a red headed, panting, somewhat gangly looking teenage girl bracing herself on the ground, her nails digging into the earth as if afraid to fall over if she didn't. But almost as quickly the wolf was back.

The look on the Rahne's muzzle was clearly one of shock, as she shot up, hackles on edge and took a few steps back from the smirking feline, who instead of calling out rumbled low and kept herself seated.

The wolf growled back and Kara returned in kind. The two going back and forth like that for a while until Rahne finally settled back down. But Kara could tell this revelation had the wolf on edge and with a nod of her head, put down the book and sprinted on all fours into the forest. Rahne wasn't far behind and soon the pair were sprinting through the forest, a stream of growls and howls filling the darkened woods.

The next day, Kara didn't wait till dark and headed straight for the woods after listening to Professor Blake's math class. She didn't make it to the clearing before Rahne intercepted her, and the pair picked up where they'd left it last night. Rahne giving Kara a tour of the larger forest, showing her the best spots on the river, where a herd of deer had been coming to graze, an old abandoned cabin, and ending with an exhaustive, feral game of tag.

It was easily Kara's best day in a long time.

The next night, Kara sprinted into the woods with a smirk firmly in place. But as she came close to the clearing she slowed until she reached it and came to a complete stop, her backpack dropping to the ground. Rahne was in the middle of clearing ... but she wasn't alone.

"Hey kid." The rumble was low but Kara easily heard it.

Logan was back.