Logan was running. He was running at break-neck speed through the woods and it felt SO good to run like the wind after having been so sick. He breathed in as deeply as he could, enjoying the fresh, moist night air. He dodged trees and leapt over logs without hesitation... he didn't have time to hesitate, because he was chasing someone. Odd, that he was chasing someone, and he didn't know who or why... but it felt good, so he ran. He raised his nose into the air and sniffed. He was getting closer... to what, he was not sure, but the scent was stronger.... and that scent compelled him to follow. Up, in the dark woods ahead of him, he saw a flash of light grey... a shadow appearing and disappearing... then reappearing again through the trees and bushes ahead of him. He was closing the gap, running as hard as his legs could carry him. As his keen eyes searched the woods ahead, he caught a clear, fleeting glimpse of the object of his pursuit. It was a grey wolf; long, lean and beautiful, and running for her life.
Thoughts and questions flooded his mind. Why was he chasing a wolf, and how did he know it was a "she?" Why was she running, was she afraid of him, and how the Hell was he keeping up with her? He glanced down quickly and almost fell, losing his concentration for a moment from the shock. His legs were long and black as night, and his hands were paws. He was a wolf, and he was chasing a wolf because he wanted her. None of it made any sense to his mind, but her scent was getting stronger, and in this body, he was strongly attracted to it. He picked up the pace, aware that she was very close now. They were coming into a clearing, and she was fully visible now, only a few yards ahead of him. Realizing that it was only a matter of time, she chose this opportunity to turn and face him. She wheeled around, showing her beautiful white teeth, and lowering her head. She growled loudly, threatening him not to approach. He slowed and then stopped, sniffing the air and whining. He had no clue what he was doing, but he could feel that this body wanted her, and it was coming through to him clear as a bell.
Every time he took a timid step toward her, she lowered her head and growled.
He was confused... he could tell by her scent that it was time for her to mate, but she refused to let him near. Tingling sensations ran through his body as he sniffed the air and breathed in her scent deeply. He whined and laid down on the ground, creeping toward her on his belly. She let him come nearer, as long as he stayed low, growling again if he got too excited or moved too fast. When he had almost reached her, she took an offensive step forward, still showing her teeth and growling quietly. He rolled over, slightly, laying the back of his neck on the ground under her, whining softly. She moved over him and stood above him, sniffing the air, then walked over him and away, seemingly ignoring him completely. He cocked his head to one side, and stood, not sure what she wanted him to do next. Her scent was strong, and his body was hard and shaking with instinctual need. He walked over to her, slowly, every step taking him deeper and deeper into the animalistic cravings that were building in him. He reached her side, and she gave him no warning growls, so he moved closer, touching his body against hers. She was pretending not to notice him... and he took it as a sign that she was ready for him. He moved his head over her back and reached for the back of her neck. Without warning, she turned on him, snarling and lashing out at him, with lightning speed. He yelped in pain, as her sharp white teeth slashed at the side of his face...
" What the Hell....?"
Logan awoke abruptly, sitting up in bed, squinting his eyes and looking around the room. Everything came back to him slowly... he was in the room Jean had taken him to... he'd been sick, and Ari had his room. He blinked and frowned in confusion, still remembering clearly the dream that had awakened him so abruptly. - What in the Hell was THAT all about? - It had seemed so real, and as he became more aware of what was going on around him, he couldn't help but notice that his body had reacted to it, too. Shit! He was extremely turned on... and that thought made him uncomfortable. The thought of being "turned on" by a wolf kind of gave him the creeps. - Calm down, Logan... it was only a dream. - He scowled, wondering what time it was. He definitely wasn't going back to sleep for a while.
Logan got out of bed and took a shower. Cold, at first, and then hot, long and luxurious. He washed his hair and under his arms ... everywhere, taking the time to soap down every inch fabulous of his body. It felt so good to be clean again, after having been so sick. He stood in the shower 'til the water turned cold, and then got out, reluctantly. To his surprise, he realized that he was hungry. He chuckled... must've been all that runnin' in the woods. Jean had said that it was okay if he ate, if he was careful. He got dressed, grabbed a cigar and his lighter, and headed for the kitchen, quietly padding through the halls in his bare feet.
He made himself a sandwich and snarfed it down quicker than he should have, then went outside for a smoke. The cool night air was refreshing, if not a little chilly as his body and hair were still damp from his shower. He lit his cigar and inhaled deeply, moaning in pleasure... How many days had it been since he'd had a smoke? It felt like forever. No wonder he'd been so edgy today, he was going to have to apologize to the Professor tomorrow. He wondered if Ari had made it back safely, he closed his eyes and tried to feel her presence. As he exhaled a lung-full of comforting smoke, he realized that he could feel her, just like he had earlier today and yesterday.... it was so strange, having her presence there, with him whenever he wanted to feel it. He frowned, no, that wasn't exactly true, earlier in the day, he had been able to tell that she was out. It must have something to do with proximity, the farther she was away, the more difficult it was to feel her. Hmm... He took another long drag on his cigar, frowning. It bothered him so much that she hadn' t come to see him... Jean had told him that she had been the one who "saved" him. What the Hell had she meant by that? The Professor had mentioned the fact that they had been discussing her abilities. Logan had known that she was a fellow mutant when she first got into his head... he frowned again... there was the slightest hint of a thought that kept tickling, irritating the back of his mind. He knew that there was something strange going on with her, with them, but he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it was.
He leaned back against the cold, hard building and finished his cigar, eyes closed, going deep into his mind to see if he could feel her more strongly. He could, he smiled. She was awake, he didn't know how he knew that, but she was... he could feel her, thinking. - What the Hell IS she thinkin' about. - Logan could feel a little chill run through his body as her emotions became clear to him. Excitement rippled out of her, and desire, need... loneliness, sensuality. Shit! She's thinkin' about us! He knew, because he'd felt all of those same emotions from her before, on the floor of her cabin. His body tightened, sensing her need. It couldn't be anyone else, he reasoned, there's never BEEN anyone else. He knelt down, against the building, resting his elbows on his knees, brow furrowed deep in thought. It was harder to concentrate now that his heart was beating faster, louder. He focused, hard and reached out to feel her again. The feelings were the same... longing, desire, need. He opened his eyes. She wanted him; it didn't matter that she hadn't come to see him today, whatever her reasons were, she wanted him. He thought for a moment, trying to control the urge to ... do something stupid. He frowned, and clenched his jaw. Ari hadn't come to see him, and she must have a reason. He bent down and ground his cigar butt into the concrete... he aimed to find out what that reason was... now.
* * * * *
Ari had been sleeping soundly, dreaming, when she awoke abruptly and sat up in bed. She looked around, blinking... she had been running... running from Logan. She remembered the dream slowly, gasping, and raising her hand to her mouth when she remembered slashing out at his face with her teeth. Even if it was just a dream, it hurt her to think of doing that to him, although, of course, she knew why she had done it. The female always decides when she's ready to mate... she sighed... he hadn't known that, of course, but then none of it had really happened anyway, so what did it matter? She breathed in a sigh of relief, trying to calm her heart.
She focused in on Logan to check how he was feeling. To her surprise, he was awake, moving around in his room quietly, feeling frustrated, cagey. She frowned, what was he doing up at this hour? She probed around trying to get a sense of his physical condition. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, he was fine, almost back to normal. She marveled at his ability to heal so quickly when he had been so close to death. He was on the move now, she knew that he had left his room... after a few minutes, she got a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction... she smiled... he'd had a midnight snack. She giggled, it was strange and fun being able to keep an eye on him like this. He was walking again, but he was not going back to his room. She wondered what he was going to do next... a thought struck her, and her heart fell. After seeing some of the things she had seen in his mind, she wasn't sure that keeping this close a watch on him was a good idea... but she couldn't help herself. She focused hard, trying to ignore the anxiety that had taken hold of her. She could almost feel the cold night air as he walked outside... moments later, he breathed in a deep breath of relaxation, contentment, enjoyment... she snickered. He was smoking... she'd almost bet on it. She pictured him putting the cigar to his lips, and breathing in the deep, hot tobacco that his body had been craving. It wasn't a good thought, because the moment she thought of his mouth, she could think of nothing but kissing it. Chills ran up and down through her body. She reached over and picked up the pillow that he had held, breathing in his scent that still lingered there. Ari groaned and held it close. She remembered his mouth, his tongue... it had frightened her, at first. She'd never dreamed that people would kiss with their tongues... but now she could think of nothing else. As she thought of him, his kisses... his tongue, moving inside her mouth, caressing hers... she felt the new and familiar burning ache between her legs.... the warm, hot desire that filled her abdomen and rose to her breasts. She closed her eyes and imagined him touching her. They hadn't had the opportunity to get that far... she swallowed, probably a good thing... now that she knew... She bit her lip. She let the thought go... she wanted to remember, to feel him. She wanted him. She closed her eyes... her heart leapt. He was moving again, and he was very close. She gasped as she saw a shadow come into the path of the light that was seeping in at the bottom of her door. He was at her door! She swallowed and tried her hardest to slow her heart and control her breathing. Why would he come to her door at this time of night? Her mind was racing. He tapped lightly on the door, and she froze. " Ari," he whispered, loudly. Ari drew her knees up under her chin, trembling. She could not let him in, she couldn't ... no matter what! What the Hell? " Ari, I know you're awake. Open the door," he whispered, louder, he was starting to get angry. - - Shit! How does he know I'm awake, it's impossible, unless... unless... Oh, my God! - It had never once occured to Ari that if she could feel him, maybe HE could feel HER. - Damn! - He knocked louder. " Ari, Dammit, open the door! " he said, more loudly. - Shit! He's 'gonna wake everybody... - Ari jumped off the bed and ran to the door, putting her arms up onto it and leaning against it. " Shhh! " she whispered loudly.
Logan breathed a sigh of relief... at least he wasn't going to have to make a scene. " Open the door." he whispered, his mouth almost against the wood, his hand trying the knob. It was locked. She closed her eyes tight, forcing herself to be strong. " No, Logan... What the Hell are you doing? It's the middle of the night." - Dammit, Damn!,..... Dammit! -
He was silent for a moment. " I just wanna' to talk to ya'," he whispered. " Open the door."
She swallowed. " Logan, please go away... I don't want to talk." She leaned her body fully against the door, wishing it was him, wanting him.
" Ari, I know ya' want me... I can feel ya'... c'mon, ... just let me come in and see ya'... I miss you, " his deep, raspy voice sent new chills racing through her body.
Tears rolled down her cheeks... -Be strong, Ari. - " Logan?" she said softly, her voice cracking... " I don't want you... I want you to leave... please." Logan frowned. " What the... Ari, are you cryin'? "
" No, " she said loudly, turning and leaning her back into the door. " Please don't make me call Security."
Logan leaned his head against the door. He wasn't sure what to think, she had him so confused, he didn't know what the Hell was going on. It was obvious to him that she was not going to back down... he vaguely remembered the two of them lookin' eye to eye over the wolf pup. She was a stubborn, strong-willed woman when she wanted to be, and he cared about her far too much to embarrass her by making a scene. " Fine, " he said, finally... " but I want to talk to you tomorrow. I mean it, Ari... I need to know what the Hell is goin' on with you."
She didn't answer, but slid down to the floor, her back still against the door. She heard him whisper, " Dammit! " and walk toward his room. Then the tears began to flow, and they came and came and didn't stop coming for a long, long time.
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