Call of the Wild: The Rescue

[x-wolfcub.livejournal.com]

When the trackers catch up to Nick, the reunion is short lived as they spring into action to save the captured mutant. While the team stages a surprise attack, Nick is in for a much bigger shock.



Nicholas Gleason stood near the back of the group of Purifiers, breathing heavily as he looked for any chance to escape. He had worked most of the morning to get to the back row of the ranks, and was now contemplating his escape. The boy looked to check and make sure the coast was clear before easily stepping backwards, doing his best not to make a noise.

"Found you!" Catseye said happily, yanking him by the scruff of his neck. She was standing in front of a group of tired-looking, dirty mansionites- Kyle, Kurt, and Lex. "We looked forevvvvvvvver but we found you!"

The boy was still shocked, his mouth gaping open at the group in front of him. He was both happy to see them and a little embarrassed that his flight had caused them so much trouble. Scratching the back of his head, he wasn't able to make eye contact with any of them. "You guys came for me?"

"Yes, dumbass. What, you think we'd leave you or something?" Kyle did not whap Nick across the back of the head, even if he wanted to. A lot. "Gave us a hell of a time though, zig-zagging all over the place. Were you tryin' to be not found or something, because dude, east, north, east, north, make up your mind!"

"I was trying to head back home. After what happened with Julian..." The boy swallowed hard. "I was embarrassed and thought that I'd go back home, live life as a wolf, it'd be safer that way for everyone..."

"We do not blame you for what happened with Julian", Kurt said quietly, stepping towards the boy. "And we have come to take you home."

But in his state, Nick wasn't really in a place to accept any comfort, quickly he stood up, and was prepared to give his status report on the situation. "But a strange smell turned me. That's what you noticed Kyle, and I ended up here... with a group of mutant-haters who keep calling us the Spawn of Satan. It's really creepy stuff."

"It looks like we've got a couple dozen, or more, of them. They're not too organized, which we can use to our advantage if we have to fight them, but I'd be more inclined to get you out of here. As they say, we've been looking for you for a while and I don't want anything happening to you until I've had a chance to talk some sense into that thick skull of yours." Lex had adopted a rather fatherly tone by the end of his little speech. He'd grown fond of the wolf boy and he didn't want to risk the lives of students in a pitched battle if it could be helped.

"They seem to be lead by a guy named Risman. But that's not the worst part. They're holding a mutant. They say they're going to 'cleanse' him." They boy pointed in the direction of the mutant boy who once again had a bag over his head. "I don't really know what it is, but I don't want to find out. And by the sound of things, we don't really have that much more time."

Lex scratched his head, "That changes things."

"Yeah, we all know what cleanse means. What I wanna know is how do you know what they're up to?" Kyle crossed his arms and looked down at Nick. "We both know you were probably doing something kinda stupid, so just spill."

He then glanced over at Kurt and covered his face with one hand. "Shit, I totally sounded like Mr. Marko there, didn't I? Shoot me now.'

The boy's eyes drop as he scratched the back of his head. "They thought I was one of them for a while. I couldn't get away." The boy's eyes moved up and lock with Professor Sefton's once again. "I'm so sorry I didn't find a way to go get help sooner. And for... well everything..."

"It is all forgiven, if you need to hear that", Kurt told him. "I am just glad you are not hurt... and now, let us make sure we can say the same for that boy."

"Easier said than done, but I think we can manage it." Lex paused to make sure that everyone was paying close attention to him. "As I see it we need one hell of a distraction, that way Kurt can get the boy out without him being harmed. Thus, I will circle around to the right and start a massive electrical surge on the outskirts of camp. This should create a large enough commotion to pull their attention away from cleansing anyone." Once he'd told them the basic plan he made a mental note, and if any of them are eager to fight a mutant they can see just how scary we can be. "That sounds like a good plan", Kurt agreed. "Wildchild, Cheetara, perhaps you could do the same to either side? But please try not to hurt anyone."

"Nightcrawler, they're gonna kill that kid. I'm gonna hurt whatever I think needs hurting." Kyle growled. "Better me than Logan. At least I'm not gonna flip out and stab people."

"Aww but I want to stay with Nick, not look scary but not hurt people," Catseye grumbled, "wouldn't it be better if I stayed with Nick?" She knew she shouldn't be questioning her field leaders, but when Nick was involved she tended to speak first, think later.

The boy leaned forward and kissed the girl softly on the cheek. "I'll be fine Cats. Don't worry about me." He gave her his best attempt at a semi-confident file, but there was still a knot in the boys stomach.

"Okay I will look scary and not hurt anyone over there then," she replied, and bounded off.

Kurt's hand fell on Nick's shoulder before he could move anywhere. "Nick, you are not to try and take on any of these people, am I clear? Your job is to free the boy while we cause a distraction."

The boy nods his head. Even though he was tempted to go after the Purifiers, he was still hurt that he had already let Professor Sefton down, and wouldn't dare do so again. "I understand Professor." The boy moved his eyes forward, and fell down on all fours, ready to transform at Kurt's mark.

He didn't have to wait long - Kurt teleported straight in as soon as he was satisfied everything was in place, dragging Purifiers back away from the front, and not being especially gentle about it, though no one would end up with worse than bruises.

Lex, on the other hand, had every intent to cause massive damage. He'd located a portable generator--with its accompanying fuel supplies--and decided a big boom would do the trick. In a matter of seconds he'd connected the whole apparatus together. He moved to a relatively safe distance and then shot a burst of electricity into the machine, starting it up and setting off the volatile gasoline in a massive plume of fire.

It wasn't the noises that Kyle was delibrately making that were quit so alarming. It was the bared fangs and claws -and- the non-stop stream of growls that came out of his mouth, only some of which managed to sound like words in English. Non-printable words, most of which began with the letters "S" and "F". But as he'd told Kurt, he only made physical contact when he had to, and even most of that he kept to the 'just enough punching to get them to run away' kind.

It wasn't his fault at all that he'd heard at least two sets of ribs break.

"Rawr! I am a tiger! Be afraid of me!" Catseye shouted, stamping noisily from her position and shaking tree branches. She even added a proper roar.

With the rest of the team engaged with the Purifiers, Nick took the chance to make his move. Already in his wolf-form, the boy charged forward, his eyes locked on the young mutant tied down. He tried to keep his mind focused and not on his many friends engaged in battle around him. But all the focus in the world couldn't get him to keep pushing forward as he came up next to the young mutant. Suddenly the familiar scent that had brought him to the woods in the first place was overwhelming, and finally it hit his brain as to exactly what, or more precisely who, was giving off the scent.

"Nicky!" the blonde girl shouted, coming out of the trees behind Nick. She looked afraid, blonde hair tousled and soiled with bits of the forest, blue eyes wide, rosewater complexion faded to a frightened shade of white.

"Nat..." Even in his wolf form, the name came out nearly human. As the boy turned around he was stunned at the sight of his sister. It took only a few seconds before he shrank back down to his human form and rushed forward. "Natalie, is that really you?" The boy was in near hysterics and he grabbed on to her arms and looked her over. "Did they take you here too?"

"I've been so scared, Nicky!" Natalie seemed to stumble when he grabbed her, pulling him a few steps away from the bound mutant, towards a thick, snarled patch of underbrush.

Nick quickly began a through scan of the girl with his eyes, looking for any signs of an attack at all. "What did these bastards do to you? Did they hurt you?" He didn't notice the change in footing as he was solely focused on making sure his sister was ok. Quickly his mind flashed to the possibility that these people may have something to do with what happened with his family in Wisconsin, but he brushed it off and quickly resumed his inspection.

She'd manuvered him to the spot she wanted; a dead tree branch a foot thick and four feet long at her foot. While he was preoccupied with his thoughts, she crouched down and shot back up in the blink of an eye, hefting the branch towards his head. "I'm sorry Nicky, but you're sick! You're possessed by the devil!"

"What the?" Nick didn't have time to react before the branch smacked him right above the eye. Falling backwards he nailed the back of his head on the ground. He was able to shake the stars in his eyes long enough to look back up at his sister. "Natalie, what's wrong with you?" But the boy still couldn't find it in his heart to back away, or even really believe what was going on.

Tears were in her eyes as she pulled some cable ties Matt had given her from her back pocket and moved towards her brother. "Nothing's wrong with me, Nicky. Something's wrong with you. You've been possessed." A choking sob cut off further communication as she stepped forward, cable ties in one hand, branch in the other. "I want to help you, Nicky. You didn't cause the fire at the house- the devil that's inside you did."

"Natalie, listen to what you're saying, this doesn't make any sense!" Notching the urgency, the boy tried to scoot away, but quckly realized that he was stuck in place. "What in the?" It was at this moment that he looked down and found himself wrapped up in the brush underneath him. His eyes were wide as he looked up at his sister.

"Of course it makes sense, Nicky," she said quietly, though there was conviction in her voice- she really believed what she was saying. "God's will makes sense to those who truly believe. When you're cleansed, everything will be okay. Let me tie your hands now. I don't want to hit you again." But she would if she had to. Anything to keep him from becoming a demon again.

"You don't have to do this Nat. I know some people. Some of them are even here. They can help you." He swallowed deeply, not sure if he was getting through to her at all. "Let me help you..." Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. Not because he was afraid for himself, but fear he didn't even know his sister.

The girl let out a sob, but she set her jaw stubbornly. "I'm not the one who needs help, Nicky. You are. I'm going to help you." She swung the makeshift bat towards him again, hoping if he stopped talking it would be easier to do what she had to do.

Nick took the hit, turning his head to the side. He wasn't sure if it hurt more emotionally or physically. In the moment of lucidity after he shook off the strike, he thought about screaming for Lex, or maybe even transforming, but after looking up at his sister, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, the boy simply closed his eyes and braced himself for the next hit, while whispering a single word to no one in particular. "Sorry..."

With a roar a purple cougar crashed through the underbrush and pounced on Natalie, pinning her to the ground. The blonde girl screamed and Catseye growled low in her throat, big front paws holding her down by the shoulders. The catgirl shifted and stomach pains didn't even register in her mind as she turned her head towards Nick, sitting on Natalie's chest and keeping her arms on Natalie's shoulders. "Are you okay Nick?" She sniffed at the air and looked down at the girl. "This girl is your family? Your..." the only one still alive...his sister... "Natalie? Why were you hurting Nick?"

Looking terrified, tears streaming down her face as she thrashed in a feeble attempt to get free, Natalie sobbed incoherently, though Catseye made out the words, "another demon possession..." before a glare from Catseye had the blonde girl going silent again.
"Nick, why was your sister hitting you with a piece of a tree?"

Nick's head was spinning as he tried to register exactly what was going on. "Cats are you..." But in a moment of clarity, the boy was able to realize his mission. "The mutant. You have to save him before the sacrifice." He was struggling to say conscious as he looked up at the purple-haired girl. "Hurry..."

Catseye frowned at Nick. She used the cable ties Natalie had to tie her hands behind her back, using her clawed fingers to keep the girl from slipping away, so that Nick's sister couldn't hit him again. She then clawed at the underbrush around Nick, freeing him enough that he could get up and fight if Natalie came at him again, then dashed forward to the bound mutant, a young boy shaking with fear and struggling against his bonds. "Don't move," she growled at him, "or I might cut you by accident." She used her claws to cut him free and turned back to Nick.

The boy was on all fours, barely able to stand, but still made eye contact with Cats to make sure she was ok. "I'll be fine. He needs your help more than I do right now." The boy pointed back at the mutant behind him, still tied to his post.
Turning back towards the boy, Catseye rolled her eyes. She'd already freed him, what more did he need? She wanted to help Nick! But she fought that instinct to pick the severed ropes off of the boy, hefting him over one of her shoulders in a fireman's carry. "I got him. Hey! Where's your sister?!" Her head whipped around and she caught sight of a flash of white as Natalie crashed through the underbrush in an attempt to escape. "I should go get her!" she thought aloud.

Nick had tried to grab at his sister as she took off into the commotion around them. But it was obvious that there was no getting through to her at this point. "Let her go Cats." The boy pushed himself up to his knees, trying to gain his feet under him. "We need to protect the boy."

"I can protect everyone," Catseye assured him, meaning both Nick and the boy. She went over to Nick, still carrying the boy over her shoulder, and got her other arm around Nick's waist to steady him on his feet. "We need to get you to a doctor to get your head fixed because I think it is a little bit broken or you would be able to walk better yes?"

"Let's grab Professor Sefton and the others." The boy turned back over his shoulder, trying to gain one last view of his disappearing sister. "I think it's time I get back to the mansion..."