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Chapter Eleven:

In the Storm's Wake (Part Four)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gambit stepped up cautiously alongside Colossus who was now sitting on the floor holding onto Wolverine. Logan had been kicking and trying to wrest himself free from Peter's grasp with such a ferocity that Peter was afraid to hold him any tighter. So he'd sat himself down in order to put one leg across Logan's to keep him from hurting himself.

Remy crouched down next to him as Wolverine tenaciously refused to give up his fight. He reached out, trying to rest his hand on top of Wolverine's head, but he was thrashing around so violently that he couldn't make contact. He waved at Ororo to come over and as she stepped up next to him, Remy took her hand and guided her down to kneel beside him. She was nervous as she looked at Gambit with worry in her eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile, then the smile faded as he let his empathy reach into Ororo's mind. She felt a sudden sensation, almost like a tingling in her brain as Gambit drew her emotions to the surface. Once he had them, he redirected them toward Logan.

"Dis may not be as easy wit' him as it would be wit' someone else," he mentioned as he went about his work. "Logan's shields and psi-blocks may interfere, but I should be able ta get a "tap" on his brain to at least give ya' a chance." Ororo nodded that she understood and watched for any change in Logan's behavior. A few moments passed and there was no visible change. Ororo began to lose hope as her heart sank, then Remy turned to her, speaking quietly.

"I'm in," he told her. "But the opening in his shields is very small. It will take time, but you have a chance." Ororo took a deep breath and nodded again. "Reach out to him," Gambit instructed.

"How?" Ororo asked. She wasn't a telepath or an empathy, she had no idea had to do it. Remy smiled at her and she turned to him waiting for his answer.


"With your hand," he replied, trying not to laugh.

"Oh." Storm replied and smiled bashfully, then turned to look at the feral X-Men still fighting in Peter's arms.

"Nice and easy," Gambit advised. "Just go slow."

Ororo swallowed hard and slid forward a little so Logan could catch a glimpse of her as he threw his head from side to side. At first glance Logan flinched away from her, startled by her presence then he froze. Sitting rock still he glared at Ororo with huge piercing eyes.

She reached out very slowly and he bared his fangs at her. Ororo stopped and gave him a stern look, staring him right in the eye. A moment later his lip relaxed just a little, but did not come down. Reaching forward slowly, she placed her hand gently on his head. His eyes shifted upward at the feel of her touch and tried to shrink away from it. He couldn't go far though, as Peter had him in a vice-like grip. "It's all right," she told him softly. "We're taking you out of here."

Everyone looked at each other in question. What did she mean they were taking him out of here? When was that decided?

Logan didn't understand her words, nor did he like her touch and without warning he began to thrash around again, growling and snapping at the arms holding him down. He didn't target Ororo but she wisely withdrew her hand. She trusted Logan, but she also knew that Wolverine's jaws were strong enough to strip flesh from bone and she didn't need to be putting herself in harm's way foolishly. Ororo stood up and turned toward the others.

Jean gave her a quirky smile. "I thought you had him there for a minute."

"If only it were that easy," Storm replied, returning the smile then she turned to Kurt. "Can you teleport us outside, toward the forest? I'll show you where to take us."

"Ja, I can. But..."

"Ororo?" Hank jumped in. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking him out of here," she stated lightly with her decision.

"What? You can't," Scott replied.

"I most certainly can... and I will," she answered. "He needs to get out of here, out of this place. He needs to regain control."

"We're trying to control him," Jean reminded her.

"No!" Ororo replied with more force than she intended. "He needs to be in control of what happens to him. I'd say he's made his choice." Turning toward Hank she said, "He wants out."

"Ro, he's not thinking rationally. Hell, he's not thinking, period!" Jean argued.

"No, he isn't, is he?" Ororo replied. "He is acting out of pure instinct." She looked at each of her friends one by one. "You cannot chain him. You cannot lock him in a cage. Wild belongs to the wilderness. Let me take him there." Her gaze fell on Charles as she finished. Ororo waited for her mentor's decision, but it was Hank who spoke first.

"She's right," he admitted, having given her words serious thought.

"Yes, she is right." Scott concurred, giving Storm his support.

"What do you propose, Ororo?" Charles asked curiously.

"Let me take him someplace safe. Some place quiet and secluded....isolated." She turned to look at Wolverine. Undaunted, he continued to snarl and wriggle around in Colossus' arms trying to gain his freedom. "The forest," she specified again.

No one said a word. They didn't know what to say. They were all thinking pretty much the same thing - 'unleash a frenzied, bloodthirsty Wolverine on unsuspecting hikers? Don't think so.' The team looked to Charles for an answer.

"Charles?" Ororo prompted, waiting for a decision. After giving her proposal serious thought he finally nodded.

"I'll agree, under one condition. He is to stay confined to estate property. He may go anywhere he wishes, as long as he is contained within the perimeter of the estate," he explained clearly. "Agreed?" Ororo nodded gratefully and turned to watch Peter again wrestling with his charge.

"I know where he likes to go... to think and meditate. I'll take him there until he recovers."

"I will go with you," Kurt offered.

"Thank you, Kurt," Ororo replied. "But this is something for which he needs solitude, not an audience." Kurt frowned in disappointment although deep down he knew she was right. "Will you still take us?" she asked.

"Ja, I'll still take you," he answered. If that was how he could help, he wasn't going to turn away from the opportunity. "Wait a minute... I just remembered. When Logan is like this his senses are... like, ultra-sensitive. 'Porting makes him sick. It throws off his equilibrium and disorients him." Kurt reminded her and Ororo nodded.

"That'll give Peter enough time to release him and get away with you before he can recover," she reasoned.

"What?" Jean exclaimed. "You're not planning on staying out there with him... alone. Are you?"

"One on one is better," Ororo nodded.

"He's too dangerous!" Jean said with great concern.

"He won't hurt me." Ororo told her, confident of the fact.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do," Ororo told her. "He'll have no reason to harm me… and he'll be free. Well... at least out of here," she said waving her hands to indicate the walls and locked doors of the medical lab. "He'll be able to move about freely without fear or concern."

"But alone, 'Ro?" Jean asked.

"Jean, you are just going to have to trust me on this. I can explain it to you later, and I will be more than happy to, but we need to go now, for his sake."



***** Moments ago *****


Peter's heart jumped into his throat, as Wolverine nearly slipped his grasp. Ororo's calming presence had given him a brief moment to relax his hold and he wasn't prepared when Logan resumed his fight for freedom. For someone so short and stocky, Peter couldn't believe what a 'live wire' Wolverine could become, and it really did take a lot of effort to keep him from wriggling free.

Having seen the Logan snared in traps before, Peter knew that Wolverine wouldn't hesitate to chew off his own limbs to gain his freedom. In his native Russia he'd often seen wolves do exactly that. Which was the reason Colossus always opted for the complete 'body wrap' technique with Wolverine, rather than snaring him by wrists or ankles.

Logan had been known to actually dislocate his joints trying to free himself from traps. A few times he'd nearly pulled himself apart literally, as his friends tried to get to him. They've had to assist him, many times, out of various traps set specifically for him throughout the years.

Their enemies were known to devise traps of ingenious design with the specific purpose of removing Wolverine quickly from a fight. With Wolverine 'safely' out of the way, their foes could then direct their full attention and mayhem on the remaining X-Men without the feral little man-animal getting in the way. It was definitely a scary thought as far as Peter was concerned. Having to choose between captivity or dismemberment. For Logan there was no dilemma and there was no question. His only concern was 'freedom at all costs'.

When they materialized in a field two miles from the mansion Logan was no longer fighting. As Kurt had warned, he'd been disoriented by the trans-dimensional travel of Nightcrawler's teleportation. Ororo figured that he must’ve been feeling a bit dizzy by the way his head wobbled about when he tried to lift it up. And if the world was spinning out of control then he was probably feeling a bit nauseated, too. She also noticed that his claws had retracted.

“Release him, Peter,” Storm urged, “…quickly.”

Colossus gently placed Logan on the ground, guiding him into a seated position. Logan snarled weakly at him as he lay down at Peter’s feet. Squeezing his eyes shut, he crossed his arms over his face as if trying to shut out the spinning sensation. Concerned, Colossus watched him for a moment. He didn’t want to leave Logan out here like this, he wanted to stay here with them and help out. He knew Storm didn’t want that, but he still couldn’t help feel as though he was just dumping Wolverine out here, ‘in the middle of nowhere’, and abandoning him. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Storm giving him a sympathetic, yet understanding smile.

“Thank you both, you are good friends,” Ororo told them as she gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. Then she bid them away before Logan could regain his senses. After they'd gone, Ororo moved a few yards away and sat down near a large rock. She closed her eyes and tried to relax letting her other senses work at taking in the sounds and smells of the forest around her. She listened to the sweet sounds of the birds singing as they moved about the trees, and the aromatic smell of the towering pines put her instantly at ease. This was her playground, too the open skies inviting her to dance and spin among the wispy clouds, above the rolling hillsides and the swaying pines.

A wistful smile crossed her lips as her thoughts went back to the very first time Logan had ever seen her dance her aerial ballet. She was down by the pond, in the middle of the night, and that was the way she preferred it. She felt completely free to express herself when there were no distractions, and because she preferred to dance in the nude Charles had requested that she take the appropriate measures to limit her possible ‘exposure’ to ‘the general public’. Ororo knew ‘the general public’, to which Charles was referring was simply the other residents of the institute, and more specifically those of the masculine variety. Of course, that night she didn’t realize that Logan was out on one of his nocturnal strolls through the woods, which was something he did often when he was feeling restless and couldn’t sleep. She'd been lost in thought and fantasy peaceful in her world of dance and reveling in the freedom of her own nakedness.


The wind and gentle rain, which she'd beckoned to her, felt glorious against her skin. As she rose on the winds, spinning and twirling and diving toward the earth again, she caught a glimpse of something below her on the shore, something she hadn’t noticed earlier.

She'd lowered herself gracefully toward the ground to get a better look. Upon recognition, she caught her breath silently and momentarily halted her descent. But Ororo Munroe was never one to feel awkward or embarrassed because of her nudity, believing it to be the most natural thing for any human being to want to be.

But she did feel a bit awkward at being caught at it… by him. ‘Why was that?’ she wondered. Why did she feel so totally exposed that night? Was it because she knew his night vision was exquisite and for once she could not count on the darkness to cloak her features from his view? Or was it because his animal nature and appeal intimidated her? She still wasn’t sure why his presence had startled her so. Ororo thought maybe it was the way he looked at her - naked and exposed, in all her splendor. He didn’t move, and he didn’t look away when he realized she'd spotted him. She'd taken a brief moment to compose herself, drawing on the confidence that what she was doing was not perverse, and she intended to have words with him if he made any comments to her in that regard.

She'd gracefully touched down in front of him near the place she'd left her clothes, throwing a glance his way as if to warn him to keep his churlish comments to himself. In her own defense she thought - as she pulled her clothes about her - that a gentleman, realizing that he was intruding on her private time, would have quietly turned around and walked away. When she'd finished dressing, she turned to look at him, setting her jaw squarely and ready to rebuke whatever ill-mannered comments he was waiting to throw at her. Ororo was not prepared, not in the slightest, for what she saw as she turned to face him.

He sat there just looking at her. His mouth was turned downward, not in anger as was usual but more like… what was that look? Regret? His hard features had softened somewhat and there was sadness in his eyes that she hadn’t really been aware of until now. But it was the reverent sparkle they now held for her that would have knocked her over if she could have moved. His gaze met hers evenly. No, not evenly… humbly, and a moment later he lowered his eyes to the ground. He was breathing heavily, although it did not appear that he was sexually aroused by her nakedness.

It seemed more like he was feeling... that excitement one would feel after witnessing something magnificent and wondrous, something privy only to you simply because you happened to be in the right place at the right time. Ororo'd suddenly felt ashamed of herself for once again she'd misjudged him. As she watched him silently he stared at the ground for a few moments then, swallowing the lump in his throat he stood up. Ororo remembered how she'd felt, standing before him - this normally indignant and powerful creature, this man of great strength and even greater rage- and although she'd felt a bit of feminine pride, she was also quite humbled by his reaction to her. Logan’s own humility at the sight of her natural beauty, in all its glory, had left her speechless.

“You’re…” Logan began, his baritone voice hitched as he tried to speak and he cleared his throat. “That… was beautiful,” he'd told her and she smiled shyly at him.

“You liked my dancing?” she asked him quietly. Logan nodded and took a deep breath, as if still recovering from what he'd witnessed.

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he replied quietly.

“Thank you,” she replied. The sincerity in his voice and the fact that he'd been moved tremendously had made Ororo’s eyes glisten with tears and she'd just wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him tight.

She'd just realized that his pessimistic nature, and his apparent willingness to not see the good in all things, was probably because he'd never been shown the beauty and peace that exists in the world only the pain and the ugliness. Before she'd had the chance to react though he'd turned away and quietly disappeared back into the darkness of the trees and she was surprised with herself, that she actually felt saddened by his departure.

The manner in which he'd spoken to her, the way he'd looked at her, his posture, everything… she'd thought he would’ve knelt before her if only she had asked. He'd made her feel appreciated, beautiful, wanted… truly loved. She'd looked up at the stars, covering her smile with both hands and a silent tear of joy slid down her cheek.


~ * ~ * ~ * ~

She opened her eyes and looked over at Logan lying on the ground a few yards away. Ororo began to wonder if he was even conscious when she saw his hand reach out and move slowly across the grass.

He was lying on his back seemingly much more relaxed than he'd been before. She watched his chest rise with a long steady breath as he inhaled deeply, taking in the scents around him. Ororo smiled to herself, then she closed her eyes again, hoping he would allow her a few more moments of respite.

Logan opened his eyes and squinted at the sky. It was the most beautiful sight he could've hope for. He felt tired, but he was free. He stroked his hand across the grass then rolled over onto his stomach. His head began to spin wildly from the movement and he had to lay his cheek down on the thick carpet of sweet smelling grass waiting for it to subside.

He was still wearing the bloody jeans from the med lab and he quickly stripped them off with as little movement as possible leaving him with just his shorts. The soft grass was soothing against his aching body. His entire self - mind, body, and soul - felt stimulated by each blade of grass tickling his skin. He lay there focusing his senses on this caress from Mother Nature’s embrace and a few moments later he fell fast asleep, comforted by her touch.

Sitting in the soft grass with the warm sun caressing her skin, Ororo realized she'd dozed off. When she awoke Logan was gone. She casually looked around the clearing hoping he was nearby. Not seeing him she stood up. ‘Where did you go?’ she thought to him silently. Had he gone back toward the mansion? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. No. She knew, given the condition he was in he’d want to keep as far away from other people as possible.

Ororo turned and scanned the edge of the forest. ‘Where did you go?’ she asked again silently. She considered taking to the skies to locate him, but decided against it. If Logan caught sight of her floating above the trees he may feel he was being hunted. She also knew that if he were to ‘go to ground’, specifically to evade her she would never find him. ‘Besides’, she told herself, ‘it’s a beautiful day for a walk in the woods.’


~ * ~ * ~ * ~


She'd been walking for hours and there'd been no sign of Wolverine. Ororo was starting to feel very alone and her feet were beginning to ache. She began to wonder just how deep into the forest she would have to go before she would find him. ‘Might find him,’ she realized. Logan was perfectly adapted for life in the wilderness and he moved swiftly, and in complete silence. If he didn’t want to be found and if she happened to be upwind of his position, he could evade her forever.

She also knew that it was entirely possible that while she slept he could've already made his way to the perimeter fence, a ten-foot high iron barrier that surrounded the entire estate. If he had scaled the fence, he could be halfway to Canada for all she knew. This was not a good thing. She'd promised the professor that she would at least contain him within the boundaries of school property. She prayed she would not have to return to the mansion to organize a search party.

Sometime later, lost in her own thoughts, she stumbled upon a clearing overlooking a river about twenty feet below. Ororo stopped short of entering the clearing. This was the spot. Logan came here to meditate, to think and to just get away from civilization whenever the mood struck him. He used to come here a lot, but not so much anymore… and apparently, not now.

Ororo couldn’t bring herself to step out from the tree line. It didn’t feel right to her to be here without him. She felt like an intruder on his unspoken claim, but unspoken or not, this was Logan’s territory and everyone respected his need to have it. Exasperated, she sat down and leaned against a tree. ‘How do I find him now?’ she asked herself. ‘Where could he be?’

After all that had happened in the past few weeks she was emotionally exhausted. On top of that she was now hot, tired and thirsty as well. There were pine needles in her hair and forest debris clinging to her clothes. She brushed them away and combed her fingers through her hair. As she did so, she turned her head and caught a glimpse of something nearby. As Ororo did a quick double take, a startled noise escaped her and with a catch of her breath she froze. Behind her just over her right shoulder, Logan was crouched in the thick brush about ten feet away. He stared at her with angry eyes.

‘How long has he been there?’ she wondered. Had he been following her the whole time? She was positively certain that he had been. The entire time that she was searching for him, he'd been stalking her. Now he just stared at her, unblinking. She decided to try to speak to him.

“Logan?” she said quietly. His steady gaze never wavered as he pulled his lips back, showing her his fangs. Ororo looked at him, stunned. It was one thing to see his rage in battle, quite another to see him like this… wild, untamed, stripped of everything that made the man civilized. She'd seen it before, but she still couldn’t get used to it. He was an awesome sight. Then she heard the rumble.

She’d heard it a hundred times before. That low rumbling that came from deep within his chest. A warning. Stage one. It wasn’t quite a growl. It didn’t become a growl, until it rose up from his chest into his throat. That would be a threat, stage two.

Stage three, would be that growl erupting in an animalistic roar. And there were two distinct versions Ororo knew, if one paid close enough attention. He could roar a challenge, letting his opponent know that he was prepared to fight with no intention of backing down. And he could roar a bloodthirsty, primordial war cry “ and that would be the last thing his enemy would hear before their life would end painfully on the receiving end of Wolverine’s deadly metal implements. This was just a warning though. But what was he warning her about? What had she done? Confused, Ororo just stared at him but Logan didn’t move, he just stared back.

Then the rumbling sound again, only louder this time and she trembled involuntarily. Why was he warning her? She didn’t understand. She was just sitting here. She didn’t go into his territory. She was just sitting here looking at him. Staring at him, she suddenly realized. Ororo quickly averted her eyes and put her head down. ‘Stupid!’ she scolded herself. ‘Never! Never stare!’

She'd suddenly remembered a lesson spoken to her by her father when she was just

a little girl growing up on the plains of Africa. “Never stare into the eyes of a wild animal”, he'd told her, “it may perceive it as a challenge and attack.” Ororo realized she had come dangerously close to making a grave mistake. By averting her eyes and lowering her head, she quickly conceded any perceived challenge and proved herself submissive. He was the victor. He was strong and powerful and this was his territory.

There was no question in Storm’s mind that she'd taken the appropriate course of action. In this state, it was extremely difficult for Logan to distinguish friend from foe, and he obviously did not recognize her still. Ororo sat there for what seemed like an eternity with her head down, waiting. She figured the next move had to come from him. Finally, from the corner of her eye she saw him approaching.

Her desire to look up at him, to identify the tiniest bit of humanity in his eyes, was squelched by his close proximity. She closed her eyes so there would be no chance of making eye contact. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she knew he could hear it. He could smell her fear and sense her nervousness. She swallowed reflexively, hoping he would listen to what his senses told him… she was not a threat.

She could hear his heavy breathing now, and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face... then her neck and ear. He took in her scent, sucking the air into his nostrils in short little bursts and forcing it back out, again and again. With her eyes closed, Storm was acutely aware of his scent, too. His naturally musky scent mixed with his perspiration and it was a heady combination. On top of that, the scent of ferns and pines clung to him giving him a natural and primitive aroma that aided in concealing him in the wild.

A long moment later, she heard him move away and Ororo slowly opened her eyes, but kept them directed at the ground. Moving her eyes from side to side she finally spotted him in her peripheral vision. He was crouching about twenty feet away almost centered in the clearing.

She shot a glance at him then quickly dropped her gaze again. He was looking right at her. She held her breath and waited, but he didn’t move. Logic told her that if he didn’t want her here he would have surely chased her away, but he hadn’t. Ororo took a chance and looked again being sure to keep her head down. Wolverine looked back. He didn’t look angry like he did a moment ago. Although his features were forever creased into a scowl, his eyes did not have the same angry glare. He seemed to be looking at her with a sort of… curious acceptance. Curiosity was good. Acceptance was crucial.

Ororo watched him for a moment or two. She noted that, although he appeared to be relaxed in her presence she knew he was totally focused on her and alert to her every move. His behavior reminded her of a lion, that great king of the beasts who surveyed his kingdom with an almost arrogant confidence. She decided to move a little closer come what may. Keeping low to the ground, she inched her way toward him. As she moved, Logan slowly turned his eyes toward her. When he did, Ororo sat down.

When Logan looked away Ororo began moving toward him again, and when he looked at her again she stopped. A mild breeze drifted into the clearing and Logan’s attention was drawn away as he sniffed at the air. His senses pulled in every scent, separating and sorting them then dismissing them.


To Storm’s surprise, he let out a deep sigh… then he yawned. He seemed to be bored. Logan turned his head to look at her again then his gaze dropped. She watched as his eyes moved across the ground between them, then he sighed and yawned again. The worry crease on Storm’s forehead disappeared as she realized that Wolverine wasn’t bored… he was waiting for her.

As he scanned the open ground that stood between them, Ororo realized he was calculating the distance between them and trying to figure out how long it was going to take her to actually clear the distance as she advanced toward him an inch at a time. His yawns were an overt signal to her that he did not feel threatened by her, and it afforded her a rare glimpse of Logan, at peace with himself and theworld around him. She stood up slowly and he turned his head to look at her. She kept her chin down as she watched him and waited.

Logan stood up, using his powerful legs to raise his bulky frame smoothly, effortlessly. He looked her up and down then he turned to walk away. Ororo wasn’t sure if she was supposed to follow him, so she stayed put.

He took a few steps then turned around again. He stood there looking at her then he grunted. Ororo thought it could’ve been an invitation so she took a few steps toward him. When she stopped, he grunted again then raised his hand in an attempt to point to something. Ororo thought he must’ve wanted to show her something so she moved forward again and he turned to lead the way.

He disappeared down the slope and by the time she got to the top to look down, Logan was crouching at the edge of the stream. He turned to look up at her then he dipped his hand in the water and offered it to her. Ororo smiled at him then made her way down to the stream. She stood a few feet away from him and he gestured for her to sit so she crouched down and dipped her hands in the water. As she slowly washed the dirt from them Logan watched her then he drank the water from his hand and motioned for her to do as he had done.

Ororo scooped her hand into the cool river and drank the refreshing liquid. She was so thirsty, and she drank until she was satisfied. Then she offered him a smile and he grunted his own satisfaction at what she had done. She took the time to finish cleaning up, and at one point Logan reached over and pulled a twig from her hair. She smiled at him and he offered her the twig. She took it from his fingers gently and he gazed into her smiling eyes as if he recognized her, but couldn't think of how he knew her. Ororo stilled as she held the small twig in her fingers.

She found herself transfixed by the way Logan studied her. As she watched him quietly she could see his mind working fervently behind those striking blue eyes as he tried to figure her out. Then his gaze dropped and he blinked a few times and the moment was gone. He shot her a quick glance then he began to move along the riverbank, hunched over or on hands and feet, stopping every now and then to show her something.

Ororo followed a short distance behind him and spoke to him now and again. She knew at this point he couldn’t understand her language, but she hoped that sooner or later he would come to recognize the words she said. At first, he would try to quiet her by placing his fingers over her mouth while she was talking, but she would gently pull his hand away telling him that it was okay. Then he’d move on and she would follow.

They spent the afternoon this way. Logan showed her the plants that were safe to eat and showed her the best places to fish. Ororo watched him as he sat near the shore - as still as a statue with the claws of his right hand exposed. Then, with lightning speed he’d strike into the water, and as he followed through with a single sweeping motion, he’d toss the fish onto shore without even looking up.

Ororo relaxed nearby. She found him to be extremely entertaining to watch and she had to admit that she felt a little bit better knowing they would at least be able to have supper tonight. He was teaching her the art of survival in his wilderness, and he not only accepted her presence within his territory but he was offering to share it with her. The first crucial step had been accomplished - he trusted her. And the more comfortable she became interacting with him, the more relaxed he became in turn.

As the afternoon drew on Logan began to gather brush and moss to make her a place to bed down for the night. He was certainly capable enough to take care of himself, but he proved his inherent intelligence by recognizing that she was unaccustomed to this kind of living. He knew instinctively that she would need assistance to rest comfortably through the summer night’s chill.

After he finished making up her bedding he invited her to lie down. Ororo hesitated briefly as she wasn’t sure if he intended to join her in the makeshift ‘nest’. But she couldn’t decline his hospitality; that would be rude. So she made her way over to the primitive bed and Logan watched her closely - with that serious scowl etched on his face - as she carefully climbed in.

Once she was in he proceeded to tuck her in, pulling the brush and warm moss up around her. Ororo was amazed that it was actually quite warm inside this so-called nest. And she accepted his "gift" graciously, although her own powers would've served her well if she were to become uncomfortable during the night. When she was all tucked in to his satisfaction, Logan moved a short distance away and curled up near the large rock to go to sleep.

He seemed to be perfectly comfortable with lying out in the open, even wearing almost nothing, but she imagined that was the whole purpose for the thick soft hair that covered him from head to toe. He wasn’t hirsute like Hank - who was covered with a thick animal-like pelt - but it was enough for him. Mother Nature had incredible ways of looking out for her children, and she had endowed Logan with the abilities he needed to survive in the wilderness.

But, their Mother also seemed to have known that Logan would be born into a society that didn’t readily accept that type of behavior. So she also gifted him with a high level of intelligence, so he could make his way through a more civilized society, if that’s what was to be thrust upon him. Ororo couldn’t help but think as she watched him, how much their Mother must really favor Logan. He was her favorite son, and right from his first breath she'd made sure to do her best to give him the tools that he would need to survive any challenge, any situation.

Ororo fell asleep watching him, and a few times throughout the night she woke to find him perched atop the rock, as if on guard duty… or perhaps just unable to stay asleep. He just sat there quietly, staring across the river to the forest on the other side and she wondered if he knew that he wasn’t completely free.

In the morning he woke her up with an offer of breakfast. He'd gone fishing, and now he dropped four large trout on the ground beside her bed. Rainbow trout. Ororo thought how beautiful they were; beautiful, yes except for the gaping holes now penetrating their sides. Logan crouched beside her bed, looking at her, and Ororo smiled sleepily at him. Logan looked down at the trout that he'd flopped into the dirt beside the bed, as if making it clear that they were now hers to deal with then he moved away. ‘Okay', Ororo thought to herself with a smile as she swept her hand across her sleep filled eyes, 'Day two, begins'. She emerged from the timbered bedding, scooping up the fish and headed for the river.



TBC in A Feral Repose, pt 1








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