In the slight darkness of the setting sun, the camper van trundled down the treacherous roads across Canada. After their slight heart to heart outside the bar, Logan and Rogue seemed to have warmed up to each other. If you could call it that. There was still silence in the cab, but unlike before, the silence wasn’t tense and uncomfortable. It was actually quite relaxing. Logan had since returned to wearing his shirt layers and leather jacket once he returned to the camper, but he hadn’t washed his hands, which were a little spattered by blood and quite grisly looking. Rogue was huddled up against the grimy window, her hood pulled over her head to help keep herself warm as she sat wrapped up in her coat.
Neither of them minded the silence.
However, the engine, that had been trudging along quite happily suddenly gave an improper spurt as the relatively smooth riding jarred. Rogue was jerked forward in her seat and she quickly looked across to Logan, who was staring down at the wheel as he tried to encourage it into moving with the gear stick. The engine growled painfully as it slowed, only whining as Logan pressed his foot on the pedal. The camper van wheeled to a morose halt at the roadside, its battered bonnet emitting a few streams of smoke.
“Aw, great,” snarled Logan as he wrenched open his door. He slammed it before stomping over to the front of the bonnet. Rogue watched his exit before she quickly got out herself and followed him, holding her coat close around her. The winds were still high and they swept blustery snow through their chilling trails. It was also quite late, with the horizon a luxurious blood red, soaking the sky.
“What’s wrong with it?” asked Rogue as she watched the furling smoke rise out of the old-looking bonnet.
Logan shrugged slowly before he moved forward to prop up the bonnet. As he lifted it, more smoke suddenly billowed out. Logan hissed and brought back his hands, which had burned on the smouldering bonnet. “Engine’s overheated,” he growled quietly, clasping his fingers. He shook his hands gently, cursing quietly.
Rogue hurried to his side, peering down at his hands. She outstretched a gloved palm and lifted one of his hands in hers. Logan had paused, looking surprised at her actions. There was nothing on his fingers. Rogue looked up slowly as she dropped his hand, smirking, “What’s wrong with ya, you haven’t even hurt yourself.” She amused herself for a moment with chuckles before she said teasingly, “Wimp.”
Logan frowned at her or a moment, remaining silent as he turned away from her and walked to the door of his camper home. He locked his car door on passing and entered the camper. Rogue, fearing she had offended him, quickly followed him, “Logan?”
“I can’t do anything about it,” he said in a surly voice, “It’s late so let’s just get some sleep and I’ll have another look in the morning.”
“But Logan – “
“Here,” he thrust the blanket and pillow at her before he slouched off towards the bed, undressing his top half and kicking off his boots before he got into his small bed and faced the wall with his back to her. Rogue frowned gently at his abruptness, but she settled the pillow down on the floor and lay down, saying not another word as she rolled over to face away from him. Her eyes closed gently as she listened to the sounds of outdoor wildlife and the quiet murmurings of a sleeping Logan until she fell asleep.
Logan woke up so sudden it was as if he had been smacked in the face. His eyes had flown open and he breathed a loud and heavy gasp as he stared up at the darkness around him. He could feel his face damp, a cold sweat trickling from his forehead. A direct product of his on going nightmares. Nightmares of a place he could only recall in dreams, of a past he couldn’t remember. He slowly sat up in the bed, shakily wiping his forehead. But it was then that he suddenly stiffened and looked up out of the window and realised it wasn’t his dreams that had woke him up. He could hear something outside.. again..
He quickly climbed out of bed, shirtless and wearing no footwear. He quietly passed where Rogue lay sleeping and he headed to the door before he climbed out and stepped barefoot into the cold snow. He cautiously sniffed at the air, sensing someone nearby. He crept quietly towards some trees that were the start of a woodland right at the roadside. It was pitch black, and whilst his sight was better than others, it wasn’t good enough. He relied heavily on tracking that scent.
His sensitive hearing caught a rustle in the bushes and with an angry growl spurring; Logan leapt into the blackness of the undergrowth and landed on something large and warm. Immediately, a second growl sounded, and before Logan even knew what it was he had landed upon he had been thrown clean off. He flew back and heavily landed against a tree, slumping down in the snow. Out of the shadows, a figure strode towards Logan, solid black eyes gleaming. Snarls emitted as he breathed, the snow crunching quietly beneath his large feet.
Logan quickly recovered and pushed himself to his feet, managing to get a glimpse of the figure before him from a sliver of moonlight through the trees. Large and hulking, the man was quite a bit taller than Logan. Long straggly hair of a dirty blond hung limp down his back and spilt in lanky waves on his shoulders. The man was wrapped in thick furs, making him appear all the more larger and more ferocious. His face was large and hairy, with gleaming eyes of solid black and large canine teeth that were bared as he snarled in an intimidating manner. Obviously a mutant. He raised his hands slowly, and five black feline claws could be seen glinting their sharp edges.
Although Logan did not know this, this mutant was called Sabretooth and he wasn’t here for the sake of it. But as Sabretooth raised his clawed hands towards Logan’s neck. Logan abruptly raised his fists, six adamantium claws splitting through his flesh and protruding sharply from his knuckles. Sabretooth faltered, staring in clear surprise at the deadly blades that had just appeared out of nowhere.
“You’ve been followin’ us,” growled Logan as he glared at Sabretooth, both men holding their claws ready, “Your scent, I smelt it this mornin’ out in the woods.” He growled and his clenched fists tightened, “Why?”
But Sabretooth wasn’t even going to dignify Logan with an answer. His hands just shot up, fiercely grabbing Logan by his neck and moving to drive his claws in. Logan’s reaction was instantaneous, and he flung his fists up to stab Sabretooth through his furs and into his chest. Sabretooth made a roar of pain, his grip on Logan’s weakening. Logan wrenched his bloodied claws out of Sabretooth, growling as he raised his leg to kick Sabretooth down into the snow, only with an additional slice that easily cut through Sabretooth many layers and into his flesh. But Sabretooth rolled round as Logan stalked closer and launched his horrendous claws at Logan’s chest, dragging trails of shining blood down in long gashes.
Logan exclaimed his sudden agony, but only as he fiercely slashed at Sabretooth again, kicking the man away. His foot made contact with Sabretooth’s face; the heavy structure of his body placing a lot of force behind this kick and Sabretooth tumbled away with a choked roar. Logan slowly walked towards Sabretooth’s slumped forth as he lay huddled in the snow clutching his face. Blood was gushing from between his fingers and staining the churned snow below him. Logan glared down at him, panting heavy breaths like some hulking creature; the blood that slashed across many areas of his bare chest were only stains as the wounds slowly closed up. Sabretooth slowly looked up, staring at the healing that was occurring before his eyes. Slowly, his gaze met Logan’s fierce one before he suddenly jumped up with a snarl and without further ado, leapt and disappeared into the thick blackness of the trees and was gone.
Logan glared into the darkness for a while longer, until he was satisfied the cat-like man was not returning, he stalked back towards the camper, his claws rising back into his knuckles to hide inside his forearms once more. At the door of the camper, Rogue was stood waiting, face pale and eyes wide as she stared at his bloodied form as it emerged from the trees. No doubt the snarling and roars of the fight had woken her up.
She gave a soft gasp as she threw herself from the doorway and into the snow, running towards him and crying out as she could see him clearer. The stains were vicious in horrific slashes and sickening trails. She looked so horrified it looked like she was going to burst into tears on the spot.
“Logan!” she gasped as she forcibly took hold of her arms, as if fearing he could collapse, “What the hell’s just happened? You’re hurt, look at you!”
“Kid, I’m fine,” said Logan dismissively as he tried to brush her away, “It ain’t my blood,” that was a lie, the majority of the stains were in fact Sabretooth’s handiwork. But he had healed, and he didn’t want to worry her or make her suspicious. The last thing he needed was her finding out he was a mutant. Yet at the same time, they were exactly her worries. She feared Logan would dump her at the roadside if he discovered she was a mutant, and a dangerous one at that.
He slowly walked past her and into the camper van, brewing over his latest encounter. There was no doubt that mutant had been following them. But why? Did he know Logan was a mutant? He hardly wanted a chat; he seemed to want to kill him. But Logan didn’t know any mutants.. well.. he thought he didn’t. What if he had been associated with mutants in his forgotten past? Whilst he didn’t remember, that mutant could. But little did he know that really, he was nothing but an interruption. A disturbance in the path to get the mutant girl that travelled with him.
He thought he was the hunted. He didn’t know that soon, he was going to have to turn into the guardian..
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