I could apologize for the delay or just let you get on with the story ... right? Cheshire, as always thanks for reviews and yea I'm a pretty big fan of Kara myself. Now let's get on with it.

"So you think Logan found her?" Kitty spoke quietly to Rogue as the assembled group ate their breakfast near the large windows that looked out over the grounds. Most of the group was busy trying to go over Dr. McCoy's biology test coming up in a few hours, but Kitty had been shooting looks over her shoulder out the window all morning.

"If Professor Logan said he'd take care of it I bet he already did. I mean come on ... you really think Kara can hide from Wolverine?" Rogue encouraged, earning a smile from Kitty.

"What about Kara?" Mako cut in, the group suddenly looking at Rogue and Kitty who shared a brief look between each other before just staring back.

"Did you hear something?" Bolin followed up, his eagerness obvious.

"N - no. I was just sayin' that Logan's been askin' around bout her." Rogue explained.

"You really think she ran off?" Warren asked, voicing a popular theory that had divided the group.

"I know she didn't. Raven said so," Kitty shot back before anyone else could, "not that you were any help." the little brunette finished, Warren scoffing but quickly looking away.

"No way." Jubilee's jaw seemed to stop working, sitting right across from Kitty she assumed she was talking to her.

"Yes way. I'm telling you she hasn't gone. She'll be back." Kitty pushed.

"I believe you." Jubilee replied with a smile as she stood up, the rest of her side of the table doing the same with a mix of faces as Kitty, Rogue, and Bolin looked at them confused before quickly turning around and Kitty breaking into a wide smile which quickly dropped into a matching look to everyone else: shock.

It was Kara. That's what first hit Kitty ... that and relief. It was the first time she'd seen her in what felt like forever. It was a little hard to make her out in the early November light but who else would it be with a tail coming out of the trees?

"It's her!" Bolin pointed as the whole group moved to stand at the window, some of the other kids noticing the commotion. But no one else spoke as Kara came into better view. It had looked like she'd been carrying something ... but as she cleared the tree line just what she was carrying - more like dragging - came into focus.

"Is - what is that?" Ilyana asked what they were all wondering but suddenly it became obvious.

Kara was heading back towards Xavier but it wasn't empty handed. She'd brought down the six-point buck a little under a mile from the mansion. The idea had only occurred to her a few hours after Logan had left when the scent had hit her.

Kara hunted. It was what she was good at. What came natural.

Kara huffed as she shifted the bucks legs over her shoulder and turned towards Logan who was just finishing his own meditations. The group watched from afar as Kara headed towards him but heard the bark of laughter as Logan caught sight of what the feline was bringing him. The two talked briefly, Logan nodding about something as Kara left him with the buck and she headed towards the mansion.

It took a few seconds but once the group - and it looked like most of the students at breakfast - realized exactly where the dark feral was headed they all quickly tried getting back to their seats and acting like nothing had happened as Kara hit the deck.

Kitty however couldn't quite look away and saw Kara pause for just a moment at the door, seeming to steady herself as she took a breath, and quietly slipped into kitchen.

Without saying anything, the feline washed her hands, went to the island and grabbed some food, and without looking directly at anyone took the empty seat near the end of their table and started eating.

The entire kitchen seemed to be just watching the feline eat, waiting for ... something else to happen. But after a couple seconds of Kara looked up from her plate, gave the assembled group a brief look, and shrugged.

"So what did Dr. McCoy say about the lifecycle of cells again?" Mako's tone was the same stressed focus as before and soon the entire table resumed their conversation and after a couple more beats the rest of the students in the kitchen followed suit. Though a few mentions of 'feral' and 'panther' could clearly be heard ... but that didn't seem to register with Kara.

"Good to have you back." Kitty whispered without really looking over at Kara, but she knew the feline would hear her, and a small flick of her tail was enough for Kitty to smile and dive back in to their conversation.

"Not going?"

Kurt let out a shout of surprise as his tail was the only thing that kept him from falling to the ground as it gripped the chandelier he'd been sulking on so tightly that it hurt.

"K-Kara? Vat do you want?" Kurt had his hand over his chest as his heart worked to get back to normal as he turned back to the watching feline. He'd been up here for almost an hour, glowering at the groups of mutants heading out of Xavier's for whatever they wanted on the chilly November weekend afternoon.

"Nothing." Kara rumbled back. She'd only started spending her time back in classes and the mansion a few days ago and had taken to spending her time in the rafters that filled the vaulted ceilings of Xavier's. She'd promised Logan that she would stick around ... give her friends a chance. But suddenly being back indoors after the spending so much time in the woods made everything very ... loud. And close. I mean she was close enough if she could see and hear everyone ... that counted right?

"Nichts." Kurt grumbled right back, earning a raised brow from Kara who laid down above the fuzzy teleporter, her tail dangling just above his head. He grinned begrudgingly back at her before crouching back down himself, though his tail floated high enough to dangle in Kara's vision. Kara chuffed in amusement.

The pair sat like that in silence though Kurt kept putting his tail closer to Kara until eventually she took a swipe at it. It didn't take long before Kurt let out a playful growl as he suddenly teleported to get back at her and soon the two found themselves chasing after the other across the rafters, no one down below even noticing the silent game.

Kara grinned, it was nice to finally have someone who could keep up with her. Kurt's porting occasionally even almost getting the better of her. Almost.

The feline paused however when she noticed the elf had stopped chasing her and had suddenly gone quiet again… just as they had made it back to the chandelier he had originally been swinging on. The feline huffed, her ears twitching as she observed how Kurt looked longingly at Jubilee and Kitty as the pair went racing down the hallway and outside.

"Why not go?" Kara nodded her head towards them. Her hearing picking up Kitty saying something about wanting to hitch a ride to watch a movie, or go downtown, or ... Kara shook her head. Feral hearing or not she just couldn't keep up with that girl when she talked that fast.

"Can't." Kurt mumbled, and Kara noted how his ears lowered a hair while he hugged his knees a little tighter, his tail coming to a stand still

"Why?" Kara's soft rumble pressed.

He seemed to appreciate that… and Kara noticed how Kurt seemed to tense over what he said next. Like he was afraid what he was going to say would affect her.

"The vorld doesn't like the fuzzy guy." Kurt chuckled, his usual smile in place but Kara noted that it was different ... could smile's be sad? She'd have to ask Raven.

There was some more silence while Kara waited for him to start talking again. Honestly Kara hadn't been aware that Kurt could be quite for this long.

Kurt meanwhile tried to decide what to do with this typical intense stare focused on him for once. It was so hard to read Kara… Was she annoyed? Was this too much? Did she even understand? Most of the group thought Kara was ... well not dumb or anything. She just ... didn't really seem to always get or care about what was going on in the group. If she was quiet it meant that he should keep talking… right ?

"Professor Xavier tried asking for an induca…"

"Indu-ca?" Kara's tone made it clear she needed a bit more of an explanation, earning another sigh from Kurt.

"Ja… it makes you look…" and the elf paused. "It makes you look normal. Like everyone else. But ... Professor Xavier couldn't get an exception. The govament outlawed induca's for mutants after there vas attacks. He told me it vas safer if I just… stayed here for now." Kurt explained, his feeling on the matter obvious as he watched as Rogue and Bolin rounded the corner excitedly. Very unhelpfully yelling something about wanting to tag along for the movie with some older kids.

"You're trapped." Kara didn't mean it as a question. But Kurt nodded his head anyway.

"Ja ... though zat not vat bugs me," Kurt replied, his tail now curled around his knees as he fumbled with his fingers for a bit. "I know it's selfish but if ve were al stuck together I'd be OK. I think. It's - It's being left out. It's not fair."

Kara kept her eyes on Kurt for a beat longer as he continued to watch the front door. Kara didn't feel bad like Kurt did. She liked her alone time. Her distance. The thought of putting on an 'induca' to look normal didn't sound very interesting but it occurred to her that being 'left out' did sound ... familiar.

"Come on." and Kara bumped Kurt's tail with her own before gracefully leaping to the adjacent rafter, claws digging into the wood as she stretched.

"Vere?" Kurt's tone a mix of caution and curiosity. This was the most alone time he'd ever had with the elusive and quite feral.

"Outside. Gym. Wherever is better than here." Kara said with a rumble and giving Kurt a nod she padded away on the beam. Kurt looked back to the groups leaving one more time and with a familiar smirk leaped up to the beam and quickly followed.

"Vat are your thoughts on pirates?" He called out as the pair headed outside.

Kara blinked.

"Pirates?"...

Kara let out a rumble that sounded more like a sigh as she shrugged her way into her bedroom.

Spending all that time alone and in the woods had been great. Maybe a little too great. All this time being back inside and around everyone was ok ... even at a distance. Like being around a fire and still feeling warm even if you weren't close. But it was still waring for the solitary feral.

Luckily Kara had Raven for a roommate.

The purple-haired empath nodded at Kara's appearance, glancing up only momentarily from her meditation a few inches above the ground before closing her eyes.

Kara shucked off her clothes so she was only in her underware and jumped across the room onto her bed. She didn't even have to look, instead just reaching out a hand as she caught the levitating headphones already connected to the record player.

The pantheress let out a more relaxed rumble as the music filled her head, the two roommates meeting eyes one more time with a mutual smirk, as they both enjoyed each others company in the silent room.

"You sure you don't wanna come Warren?" Illyana asked gently, the rest of the group already walking away with an array of smirks, shaking heads, or rolling eyes.

"Can't. I have to get ready." Warren huffed as he worked to close his once again repacked suitcase. It was his third time doing it since last night.

"You don't think that maybe -" Illyana started but Warren cut her off with a glare.

"I don't have time for this!" the preteen snapped, his angelic features contorted for a second before he quickly checked the mirror, hastily combing his tousled blonde locks back in place and straightening his coat, ensuring nothing looked out of the ordinary .

"The car will be here soon." Warren said determinedly, his tone cold before checking his cell phone. If anyone had to guess, it'd look like Warren was reading an incoming text, but Illyana knew her boyfriend better. His eyes weren't following the lines and there was that line between his eyebrows when he was stressed. Warren, seemingly noticing her skepticism, hurriedly chucked the phone next to his bed before getting back to his suitcase.

"See, his meeting was delayed, he'll be here in fifteen."

Illyana looked like she wanted to say something but just shook her head and followed the rest of the group downstairs.

Warren meanwhile didn't allow himself to watch her go, instead making quite a show of picking up his suitcase and wheeling it past the noisy common rooms as dignified as he could to the front porch of Xaivier's.

"He's coming." he muttered to himself shifting on his feet to fight off the cold as best as he could, all the while eagerly looking out into the night.

Kara had just come back from her evening hunt, November had rolled around which meant the lake had just started to freeze over and the panthress knew she only had a small time window left to hunt before the herds migrated. But just as she was scaling a tree to return to her room, something weird caught her attention. Warren ... Alone ... Muttering about something ...

"Who's coming?" and Warren actually left the ground by a few feet as he turned to find Kara suddenly leaping over the stone railing to land a few stairs above him.

"Oh, it's you…" the older boy sneered before talking in that weird puffy way Kara disliked. Kitty had called it "snobby".

"Well if you must know, it's my father, and I'm supposed to be joining him in Switzerland for Thanksgiving and maybe even winter break if he gets enough time." Warren's words practically spilled out, though Kara had heard some version of the same story over a dozen times the last few weeks. Even from the woods.

"Where is he?" Kara looked around, her ears swiveling but Warren scoffed at the feral's naivety.

"He's not here yet. I mean he'll probably send a car to take me to the airfield but it's the same thing." Warren added, his tone clearly expecting Kara to be impressed but instead having to settle for a shrug.

"OK." Kara said simply before laying down on the stone, clearly unbothered by the cold, and Warren, unsure of what else to do, resumed his pacing.

There was some silence...

"You don't have to stay you know. I'll be gone soon." Warren shot over his shoulder trying to play off that twenty minutes had totally not just gone by. But Kara didn't seem to hear him... the pantheress had pulled a notebook out of someplace and was doodling. Her attention clearly not on the boy next to her.

"Whatever." Warren muttered.

They waited around the porch a little longer but now the sky had darkened considerably.

"He is coming." Warren whispered to himself but easily loud enough for a feral.

"No." and Warren whipped around to glare at Kara, her eyes still on her pad. Colossus had bugged her for something 'new' for art class and she decided a set of stairs counted.

"Y - you don't know anything." Warren spat out, his fists balled as he approached her. The boy was agitated, cold and clearly looking for someone to yell at… That much Kara could tell.

"No one is coming. Not few miles." she answered calmly, her head cocked slightly as Warren noticed her ears swivel again towards what he thought was the highway.

"You-" and Kara turned to look him in the eye. Her stare unwavering.

"No one is coming."

There was a pause, followed by the dull thump of Warren kicking over his suitcase. The two of them just stewing in silence for awhile. Kara felt as though she should leave but ... well it wasn't like she had anything else to do.

"You can really know that?" Warren asked as he finally stopped pacing, impressed despite himself. But Kara just shrugged. Warren looked back towards the main gate and the road beyond until he gave his head a violent shake.

"He promised." Warren managed out, doing his best to stay angry. His dad's secretary had told him he'd be going. That this wouldn't happen again. I mean - she'd never actually 'promised' but - she'd told him it 'would work out.' What else could that have meant? "AGH!" and Warren threw his coat off in frustration before turning to face Kara.

"What are you even doing out here? What did - did the rest of the group want you tell them how stupid I was? How I was just lying all over again?!" Warren accused, his tone flaring up again.

"I like the view." Kara nodded towards the front of the Mansion, Warren looking around as if noticing it all for the first time. The idea that maybe Kara wasn't there for him occurring to him.

"Oh…"

Kara cocked her head, finally noticing what he was wearing and it caught her interest.

"Hurt?" Warren looked at her confused.

"Are you hurt?" she tried again before pointing at the leather harness across his chest. The ones that were keeping his wings strapped to his back and hidden from view.

"Oh this…" and Warren shrugged uncomfortably, "I'm fine. It's just itchy ... and tight. But its OK."

"Lying." and Warren flinched at Kara's tone, her eyes again fixed onto him.

There was a sigh.

"I… I just wanted to make a good impression for my dad that's all. He hates looking at them-" and Warren was cut off by the panthress nimbly leaping over him. Landing gracefully on the trail leading to the woods.

"Cold. Run now." Kara rumbled, Warren assuming that as suddenly as the feral had appeared she'd lost interest, "Wind's nice." she said simply before darting off.

Warren watched her go for a while, wondering what the hell she meant and for a second forgetting about why he was outside in the first place, but as she neared the trees he could swear she stopped to look back at him ... what was she waiting for?

"Oh." Casting one more glance at the main gates… the blonde shook his head, giving his overturned suitcase one last look, before ripping off his harness and leaping off the porch to join the panthress.