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Chapter 15

A Feral Repose (part 4)


As Ororo walked along the path, she saw Logan come out of the woods about fifty feet ahead of her. He crouched down on the path, sniffing at the air as he waited for her to catch up.

“Lo-o-gan?” She called to him almost like a song, her melodic voice pitched slightly higher than normal, sounding like a half-sung question but he didn’t turn around.

There was a hot summer breeze drifting through the pines. It offered only a trace of relief from the day’s humidity, but Logan’s attention was drawn to it. The variety of scents that it carried was like candy to his nose and he turned his face upward into the slow moving current to savor the aromas that washed over him.

Ororo smiled and waited patiently. There was no sense in trying to pull his attention away from it, but she hoped that once he was satisfied and the breeze died down he would give her the same undivided attention.

She didn’t have to wait too long though before the heavy air was still again. He lowered his head and took a deep cleansing breath through his nose, then forced it back out dispelling the scents he'd collected.

“Logan?” she repeated as she topped a small incline not far from where he waited. Her tone was one of expectation, the same one she'd often used in the classroom when trying to get the attention of a student whose focus was on something other than the lesson she was teaching. Logan glanced over at her, then turned away again.

“Logan!” Ororo repeated sharply, and the seriousness of her tone made him turn around. "Come here,” she said softly, and he blinked at her curiously. Ororo raised her hand and waved it toward herself in a gesture of invitation. “Come over here.”

She was mindful of the fact that he was not deliberately trying to be rude and reminded herself again to remain calm. Logan watched her gesturing closely, then stood up. Ororo took note that he was still relying heavily on her body language in order to understand what she wanted.

She stepped a few feet to her left and sat down on a small mound of earth just off the path. It was nearly noon, the heat was almost stifling and she was starting to get a little hungry. Ororo hoped she could get him a bit closer to home before Logan got hungry enough himself to start dragging her back toward their camp.

Their friends were waiting for them and she wanted to get home. But she'd already decided that, no matter what, she would not leave him out here alone. She'd already made that vow... he'd never be alone again.

“Come here,” Ororo invited lightly, encouraging him with a smile.

Logan walked over to her and, upon reaching the spot where she was sitting, squatted down beside her. He was sweating profusely from the heat and droplets of perspiration made the thick hair on his face glisten.

The edges of his long mane were stuck to his shoulders and the individual hairs were clinging to each other, forming large dampened strands. He had to blink often, squeezing his eyelids shut tight, trying to relieve the sting as sweat rolled into his eyes.

Ororo gathered the hem of her dress in one hand and proceeded to wipe his face dry. He let her do it without resistance, but he batted his eyes reflexively as the cloth moved about his face. Ororo couldn’t help but smile, as she watched his reaction and imagined the same behavior from a small child withstanding ‘mom’s’ relentless washcloth.

Once she'd made his situation a little more comfortable she took his chin in her hand, turning his face toward her. Her touch was gentle and he didn’t flinch away. Ororo waited for his eyes to come up to meet hers, then she smiled at him to keep him at ease.

“Time to remember,” she said softly and Logan furrowed his brow. She let go of his chin and dropped her hand to his shoulder.

Logan stiffened slightly at the feel of her hand on his skin, and almost glanced at it but was quickly distracted by the movement of Ororo's other hand as she pointed her finger at him.

“Logan,” Ororo stated simply. Logan looked closely at her finger with the long blue nail, which just happened to match the color of her dress. “Lo-gan,” she pronounced slowly. “That is your name. Logan.”

Logan sat very still, staring at the finger which was still pointing at him. Then he raised his eyes to look at her, giving no indication that he understood. Ororo then turned her hand toward herself and pressed her palm to her chest.

“Ororo. O-ror-o,” she said with slow deliberation, but Logan continued to stare at her hand. Ororo reached out, touching him lightly under the chin with the tips of her fingers and motioned for him to watch her mouth, not her hand.

“O-ror-o,” she repeated, demonstrating for him how to form the word with dramatic movements of her mouth. Logan watched attentively, with so much concentration in fact that he absently moved his mouth in imitation, but no sound came out.

"Good. That’s good, but… you have to make sounds, Logan. Use your voice,” she instructed him.

Logan looked at her for a moment but made no attempt to make any sound, then he turned as if to move away. She'd lost his attention already, and in frustration Ororo shot her hand out. Grabbing his chin, she squeezed down on Logan's jaw in an attempt to keep him in place.

“No!” she scolded and Logan cringed. The sharpness of her voice startled him, and the surprise of her sudden grasp caused Logan to reflexively snarl at her. At the sight of those one-inch fangs flashing at her, Ororo quickly pulled her hand away and held it up in front of her.

“Oh... no! Logan, I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly, hoping he would understand that she meant no harm.

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry,” she repeated softly, mostly to herself as she calmed herself down once again. Logan looked at her, bewildered. He didn’t know what to make of her actions, and although his own reaction to her grabbing him was instinctively defensive, he seemed to also know that it was uncalled for.

He tried to settle down beside her again, but Ororo could see that his adrenaline had already kicked up a notch, and it made him appear jumpy. His muscles twitched involuntarily and his eyes shot about the area on alert.

‘I’m sorry, Logan,” she repeated with sincere tenderness, and the expression he gave back to her told her that he was too.

Although Ororo had startled him, the rashness of her behavior gave Logan the impression that whatever she was trying to tell him was important to her. He was ready to listen now and he gave her his undivided attention.

Ororo rested her hand on Logan's shoulder again, aware that he may snap at her, but he didn’t. He did glance tentatively at it however, as if waiting for some kind of punishment.

She gave him a moment to realize that he wouldn’t be threatened for his reaction, and when nothing of the sort came about Logan looked up at her and waited. When Ororo spoke again, her voice was calm and her tone soft.

“Okay. Let us try again.” She took a deep breath, held it, reminding herself to be patient and to remain calm. When Ororo had her thoughts centered again, she let the breath out slowly.

Logan took a deep breath himself, held it for a moment, then he let it out. Ororo was vaguely aware of it... at first, then it slowly dawned on her. She looked over at him and gave him a questioning smile. ‘Did he just copy me?’ she wondered.

When Logan realized that she'd noticed, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly and his lips parted. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he gave her a sly grin.

‘You rascal,’ Ororo thought to him as she grinned back, then shook her head in wonder.

“You are a clever one,” she told him. “So let’s exercise that intelligence. Okay?” Logan grunted, as if he was acknowledging her question. “Okay,” Ororo agreed with a single nod. “Let us start with that then, shall we?” she offered, referring to the grunting sound he'd just made.

Ororo proceeded to try to imitate the half-grunt/half-growl sound but it came out sounding more like a deep hum. Logan’s head tilted to one side, as he contemplated the unusual sound the female was making.

Ororo tried again, then shrugged sheepishly at her lack of growling skill. Then Logan straightened abruptly and growled back.

“That’s the sound I’m looking for,” she told him happily, nodding in approval. She imitated the sound he'd made the best she could, and let the sound grow in her throat until it developed into the shorter version of her name that Logan always used.

“Rrrrr-ro,” she said. Logan cocked his head, and Ororo smiled at him. “Your turn,” she said gesturing toward him.

Logan thought about it for a minute, and Ororo watched him putting it all together in his head. And, finally realizing what it was she wanted him to do, Logan growled back.

“Rrrrr-ro,” he imitated. His voice sounded hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in a very long time, but Ororo’s eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, good. That was good, Logan,” she praised, hoping her encouragement would keep him interested and he could see that she was pleased with him and what he'd done.

“Rrrr-ro,” he repeated again, this time without any prompting.

“Yes. That’s me,” Ororo told him, putting her hand to her chest. “Ro.”

“Rr-ro.” The deep baritone voice rumbled like thunder.

“Yes.” She smiled at him with obvious satisfaction. Then Ororo reached out and tapped Wolverine on the chest and he looked down at her hand. "Logan.”

Knitting his brow slightly Logan looked up, giving her a sidelong glance like she had to be kidding. She tried to ignore his expression of doubt, knowing full well that his verbal abilities at this stage may be limited to only single syllable words.

“Watch my lips,” Ororo instructed. “Lo-gan.”

Logan watched her form the word slowly as she repeated it for him a couple of times. Then Ororo watched as the tip of his tongue appeared between his teeth. He was going to try it, so she demonstrated it for him again.

“Lo-gan.”

“Lo. Gun,” he echoed, his voice deep and gravelly.

'Now we're getting somewhere.' Ororo was nearly beside herself with excitement, but tried to remain calm. “Yes, that is good. That is your name... Logan.”

“Lo-gan.”

“Yes. My name is… Ororo,” she told him.

“Ror-o,” he growled out in a soft rumble and Ro grinned.

“Outstanding,” she whispered aloud in approval, smiling into those big blue eyes looking back at her.

“Ows-ting,” Logan tried, and Ororo smiled compassionately at him.

“That’s a pretty big word…” she told him, “but I give you an ‘A’ for effort.”

“Effff-ert,” Logan mimicked. He continued to echo Ororo's words as she gave him examples to follow.
She didn’t want to overtax him though, so she stuck mainly to simpler words. Ororo didn’t know yet if Logan understood the meanings behind the words, but he'd found his voice and he practiced using it.

After a short while, something caught Logan's attention in a thicket nearby, and he moved toward it on the prowl. Ororo smiled as she watched her student. He'd done very well so far and she allowed him to take a break.

“Well,” Ororo stated aloud to herself, “...every successful journey begins with one small step.”

“Sss-tep.”

Surprised, Ororo shot him a look. Logan was still repeating her words as he moved a short distance away, staring at the thicket. Not only did Wolverine not need to look at her anymore when he heard a new word, but he was still paying her attention even as his attention was drawn to something else.

Even at this "evolutionary" stage Ororo realized, Logan was capable of complex thoughts and problem solving... and was certainly capable of splitting his attention equally between two separate tasks.

“You are so… amazing,” she whispered.

“May-zing,” Logan echoed as he moved away.

Ororo’s heart jumped into her throat. She'd forgotten that although he was now about thirty feet away Logan could hear her clearly, even at a whisper. She let him wander around for fifteen minutes more, then she called him in and they continued their trek toward home.

As they walked along, Logan continued to slink around through the brush in predatory fashion, and Ororo tested him every now and again to see if he retained what he'd learned. Even when she couldn’t see him, she would just blurt out a word to see if he was close by.

“Mouse,” she chimed casually as her fingers drifted across the feathery fronds of a large fern as she strolled by.

“Mouse,” Logan repeated from a bush nearby.
Sometimes his voice would come from above, as he moved through the branches of the trees. Or it would come from behind her, as he'd stop to investigate something under a rock and would lag behind before catching up with her again.

After a while it became a sort of game, to keep her own mind occupied and just give her the chance to hear a voice other than her own. Logan repeated words like ‘tree’, ‘bird’, ‘rock’, and ‘dirt’.

At one point while playing their game, he slipped from a tree and fell about twelve feet to the ground. He landed on his feet, after fighting to keep balanced in mid-air. Landing with a loud explosion of snapping twigs and branches, he dropped into a thicket of thorns.

Ororo gasped in alarm when she realized he'd fallen. She hoped she hadn’t distracted him with her lesson, causing him to lose focus as he moved through the branches above her.

She watched Logan through the bushes. He scowled back up toward the tree as if accusing it of tossing him out, then he made his way out of the brush to the path where she was waiting for him. Ororo winced as the thorny branches snagged his skin and hair as he moved toward her, but Logan didn’t even react to it.

When he stepped out onto the path he was covered in deep scratches that healed themselves as she looked on. Then he looked up at her with an almost comical expression on his face, as if he was trying to figure out how to excuse his mistake but really couldn't think of how.

“Ouch.” Was all Ororo could think to say with a glint of humor in her eyes.

“Ouch,” Logan seemed to confirm.


****

As they continued their walk through the woods Ororo found it more and more difficult to keep Logan on the track toward home. He'd divert down paths that led away from the direction she intended to go, sometimes doubling back toward their camp.

She finally had to give in and let him lead her to wherever his curiosity or interests lay. At times Logan flat out declined to go in the direction she'd indicate as if he knew what her plans were. So Ororo followed him this way and that, finding it less stressful to just let him have his way.

An hour or so later she came upon him sitting beside the river. She had to admit the thought of a cool drink and a swim was inviting. So Ororo settled down beside him with a sigh and offered him a smile when he looked up at her.

She sat on the bank cooling herself with handfuls of water as she watched Logan go fishing again. He was crouching on a rock just above the surface, as still as a statue staring into the depth of the river: the claws of his right hand extended, his arm bent and positioned high ready to strike.

Ororo wondered how long he'd be able to sit like that before he started to cramp up. It would seem that most of the fish trolled the river upstream near their campsite. Which would be, obviously, why he chose it to begin with.

As she watched him staring into the water, his nostrils flared and he took a couple of breaths through his nose scenting something. Ororo looked at him curiously, knowing full well that he couldn't possibly smell the fish below the surface. But before she had a chance to think it through, Logan's eyes shot to his right and he leapt to the opposite bank in one bound.

Ororo stood up in surprise wondering where he was going as he disappeared into the brush on the other side. She could easily track his whereabouts by the movement of the bushes, and moments later he emerged victoriously carrying a large rabbit impaled on his silver talons.

Ororo smiled proudly, and the thought of having rabbit for dinner actually made her stomach growl although she wasn't much of a meat eater. But she was hungry and didn't know how to relay to her predatory friend that she was a vegetarian. She hoped she could eat at least a bite or two before retching it up, although he may take offense to that as easily as if she refused his offering to begin with.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Logan gestured for her to follow him as he held the rabbit aloft in one hand and made a grand sweeping motion with the other to get her attention. Then he looked upstream and gestured with his chin, telling her they were going back to camp.

A tad disappointed, Ororo followed Wolverine back to the campsite. Once there she started a fire and proceeded to clean the catch as Logan watched her curiously, listening to her disgruntled mumblings.

Logan watched intently as Ororo crinkled her nose in disgust as she pushed the rabbit's carcass onto a stick and set it over the flame. Then she walked to where he was crouching, wiping her hands together as if to rid them of the rabbit's stench and grumbling to herself.

Ororo sat down beside him, away from the heat of the flame to watch over their dinner. She wiped her hands hard on the material of her dress, then looked up to see him studying her every action with an almost painful intensity.

She watched him watch her for a moment. Then he looked up at her very seriously and Ororo sighed deeply, giving him a smile. Logan watched as her beautiful lips turned upward and her expression softened.

Her scent told him clearly she was in some sort of distress, and yet she was trying to show him that she was not. His head cocked to one side as he wondered why, then he glanced at the rabbit on the spit.

Taking one of her hands in his, Logan sniffed her palm with the meaty scent then held it up toward Ororo's face, trying to bring it closer to her nose. Ororo pulled away with an expression of mild distaste.

Logan looked about the area and back at the rabbit again. With a quick glance at Ororo he was up, moving and out of sight before she had a chance to ask where he was going.

Ten minutes later, Logan returned to their camp with two large trouts in his hand. As he came over to the fire, where Ororo was removing the cooked rabbit from the flame, he tossed them into her lap. The action startled Ororo who gasped, nearly dropping Logan's meal in the dirt.

Her mouth opened slightly in pleasant surprise as she looked down at the offering in her lap. Logan had not only caught her a meal she would eat, but had washed and cleaned them as well; a few minutes over the fire and she'd have a wonderfully satisfying meal.

She looked up at him and smiled. With that, Logan grunted as if irritated and took the stick with the rabbit from her hand. He marched over to the large rock and sat down in its shade of it to eat. He watched her cook her meal while he ate, and by the time Ororo was finished with her meal and the campsite was cleaned up it was nearly dark.

*****

Logan sat perched atop his rock looking out across the river below to the forest on the other side. Ororo opened her arms and let the firewood she'd collected drop to the ground and swept a strand of hair from her forehead with a tired sigh.

She turned toward the rock and watched Logan staring at the trees on the far side. Pursing her lips with a touch of sadness she walked over to him.

"Logan?" she said, and he turned his head to look at her. "You know you are not truly free... don't you?" she asked him knowing the answer already, but he just blinked at her not understanding her words.

They looked at each other for a moment then Logan turned back to his viewing. Ororo studied him closely, looking him over from the top of his dirty feet to the top of his tangled head.

"Why do you stay?" she asked softly aloud, not expecting nor getting an answer.

She turned away from him, deep in thought and walked down the embankment to the river. It was still warm as the day's heat rose from the cooling earth and it was time to remove the grime from the day's adventures.

Ororo pulled her dress over her head slowly feeling her muscles stretch in relief, then dropped it to the ground. Removing her satin underthings she dropped them on top of the dress, and stepped carefully into the water.

The water was still warm from the late summer sun and she felt herself instantly relax as the slow moving water embraced her. She ducked down to submerge her shoulders and heard a loud splash behind her. She turned to see Logan standing in the water, staring at her.

~ De'ja vu ~

He didn't move, he just stared. Serious and dark... watching her. Ororo smiled and waded toward the shore... toward him. And Logan watched her without moving - his head low, his eyes dark.

As she approached, his eyes wandered over her naked form. She was an attractive female - strong and elegant. He knew what he wanted... her.

Her hand reached out to him and his eyes followed the water's descent as it cascaded down her lithe body, leaving her brown skin glimmering in the dying light of day.

Her eyes were the color of sky, her hair white as virgin snow. She was the most extraordinary creature he'd ever seen... and he wanted her.

Her hand came to rest lightly upon his arm and when he didn't move or flinch away Ororo moved to take his hand in hers. She led him out into the deeper water until he was waist deep.

She was surprised that Logan had let her lead him into the river, considering his reaction the last time. But she also was well aware that those dark eyes were glued to her. At first it made her a little uncomfortable, but then she figured if it kept him there long enough to wash away the grunge, then so be it.

She started slowly at first, just splashing his arms lightly and rubbing off the dirt with her hands. Logan didn't move or react in any way, so she continued on to his shoulders and chest, then his back.

Logan stood completely still, only moving his head to watch her as she moved around him. When she came around again to stand in front of him, she couldn't help but smile in amusement. He now stood there perfectly clean from the neck down, but his shaggy head with the dirty face now looked like it belonged on a different body.

Ororo placed her hands on his shoulders and began to push gently downward, trying to get him to lower himself into the water. After a moment he blinked as he became aware of what she was trying to do and he looked down at the water then up at her again.

"Come on, Logan just..... low enough..... so I can..... wash..... your hair," she grunted as she applied more pressure.

Finally he relented and sank down into the water and waited. Ororo tried to push his head gently backward but he resisted. Then she tried to bend his head to one side then the other, but he didn't understand what she wanted him to do.

With a sigh, Ororo decided that if she could just get the dirt and sweat off his face then the long tangled mane could wait. So she cupped her hands into the water and poured the water slowly across his forehead letting it sheet down his face and through his beard.

Logan blinked dripping lashes at her as she poured another handful of water across his face. Ororo began to comb her fingers through his sideburns which caused him to shake his head. He ran one hand down his face, then up through his hair pulling it away from his forehead.

Suddenly, to Ororo's surprise Logan disappeared under the water momentarily. She watched him reappear and just as quickly go under again. When he came up the second time to face her, his long dark hair was lying shiny and smooth down his neck and shoulders. He stood up to face her finally debris free, even his facial hair sparkled with the droplets that clung there.

Ororo smiled at him, she knew he'd be more comfortable through the night now that he was cleaned and refreshed. Then her hands flew up and she shrank back with her eyes shut tight against the onslaught.

She let out a high-pitched scream and laughed like a school girl as Logan shook his head violently, dispelling the enormous weight of the water captured in his thick mane. Ororo found herself pelted by the large drops as they were propelled across the surface of the water.

When the spray finally stopped and the water around her settled she opened her eyes and peeked through her raised hands at him.... and burst out laughing. His once shiny, smoothed hair was now puffed up like a lion's mane and pointing in every conceivable direction.

Logan cocked his head in response to her giggles. Unable to stop herself Ororo decided to not even try to explain it to him, and instead took him by the shoulders, spun him around and guided him back toward shore.

*****

They sat by the fire opposite each other, Ororo was there hoping its radiating warmth would dry them enough so they wouldn't spend the night chilled to the bone. Logan was there because she was.

He crouched quietly, waiting... only his eyes moved as they scanned the area constantly and once in a while his head would snap left or right alert to movements or scents from the woods around them.

Ororo took advantage of the peaceful atmosphere to relax, then she contacted the professor to let him know she would try again in the morning to bring Logan in. But she honestly didn't feel the rush to get back at the moment. She loved being out here just as much as Logan did.

Charles informed her that a small consorteum had waited in the meadow for them most of the day, hoping to escort them home and make the transition easier for Wolverine, by re-introducing the team a few people at a time.

Ororo smiled at the thoughtfulness of their friends - their family. She thanked him for the information and said good night. And her thoughts drifted slowly away, reminded of the special nature of their chosen family. Not their mutations, but their compassion and concern, and their true and honest caring for and about each other.

A smile danced across her face lighting up every beautiful detail, she seemed to glow in the fire light and her eyes sparkled with so many fond memories. She watched the memories flicker in the dancing of the flames and it was some time later when she finally looked up.

Ororo was going to offer a symbolic apology to Logan for having drifted off and ignored him, but when her eyes finally were able to focus on him through the distorting waves of heat rising from the flames her smile faltered slightly.

Sitting across from her, staring at her with an intensity she could physically feel... was the Wolverine. Ororo stilled. Her smile slowly disappeared, replaced by serious contemplation.

His dark eyes - once blue, now black with dilation - glowed with the reflection of the flames between them. His long thick mane, now clean and shiny black, seemed a symbol of his prowess, virility... and his power.

Ororo was reminded, looking at him, that Logan's memories - the few he had - were not as peaceful and comforting as the ones she'd just reminisced about. She remembered why that was... and what brought them out here to begin with.

Logan stood up suddenly, startling her. Ororo watched him closely as he slowly moved around the fire toward her. As he got closer, staring at her intently, she stood up and took a step back.

Storm got the distinct impression that the Wolverine was looking to assert his position as the leader of this little pack. The look in his eyes was scaring her. So she moved around the fire to keep it between them.

When Logan realized what she was doing he stopped. He stared at her, his jaw clenched and after a moment he averted his eyes with a thought - he was being rejected. It appeared to him that she was afraid of him. But he didn't scent fear, not really. Wariness, yes... but why? Hadn't he proved himself worthy of her? What more did she need? What more did she want?

He looked at her closely as his feral mind contemplated these thoughts. Ororo stood still, not knowing what to make of the expression on his face. That ever present scowl was so hard to read: anger? - hurt? - frustration? - confusion?

Calmly he turned and walked into the woods and Ororo was left standing alone in the glow of the fire light. As she watched him disappear into the shadows of the night forest, she listened for any sounds that would indicate in which direction he was going. But as usual, he was as noiseless as a spirit in the night.

*****

She waited up for hours hoping he'd return. Hours passed within moments it seemed, and it wasn't until she saw the moon, which had been high over her right shoulder only a short time ago now hung low in the trees to her left that she realized exactly how much time had passed.

Ororo was sure he wouldn't be returning tonight, so she decided to end her lonely vigil by the dying fire. She climbed atop the bed of leaves, twigs and ferns which Logan had built for her their first night in the woods, but found it increasingly difficult to fall asleep.

She rolled onto her side, facing his rock, and watched the lazy flicker of the low flames reflecting their dance upon it's surface. She had no idea how long she'd lain there nearly hypnotized by the shimmering light, when a shadow appeared there, cast by the moonlight and the waning light of the fire.

Ororo was stilled, unaware that she was holding her breath. She stared at the dark figure before her and waited, she could tell by the stance that he was watching her.

What seemed like an eternity later, the shadow moved. Ororo waited breathlessly, hoping she wouldn't be forced to fend him off. Then she felt the bedding move, heard the crunching of the leaves and twigs as Logan crawled up beside her.

Without a word or a sound, he laid down beside her and curled up behind her. Logan snuggled up against her back and gently rested one heavy arm across her waist. She waited a moment to see what may come next, but he made no other moves.

Unable to stand the weight of his arm across her midsection, Ororo reached up and took his hand in hers and guided it to her hip. His fingers tightened around her hip bone and she felt him cuddle up against her. They had an understanding... and they fell asleep, at peace in the closeness of the presence of the other.



TBC in A Feral Repose (part 5)





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