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That night was the worst night of Y/n’s life. Screaming, sirens, yelling.

Her mother called the MRD on her. Scrapped knees, running, out of breath.

Her father brought out the shotgun. Aching chest, feet slamming, wide eyes.

They’re on her heels. Tears, bloody feet, heart pounding.

She had kept her mutation a secret for so long. She knew she shouldn’t have gone to this stupid family game night. She’d moved out for a reason. Streetlights, sharp turns, hair flying.

Where to go? Where to go? Flashing lights, dodging trees, tripping on roots.

So here Y/n sat, on a rock in the middle of the woods. She was far far away from any kind of civilization. Maybe that was best.

She wiped her eyes with dirty hands. How long had it been since she lost the MRD? Two hours, maybe three? It’s hard to tell when you don’t have any means of telling time. She didn’t exactly wear a watch to bed.

The moons gentle light barely made it through the thick foliage. Y/n sniffed, too tried to cry anymore.

She sat here for a longtime thinking about everything. There was no way she could go back to her life now. The MRD would have alerts out and her parents already hated her. The thought of that made her sick to her stomach.

Y/n had her mutation since birth. She could shift into any animal she wanted. And she had never been caught. Until now.

‘How could I have been this stupid?’ Y/n thought. She brought her hand to her forehead and gazed into the darkness ‘What am I going to do now?’

The ache behind Y/n’s eyes grew with each hour she stayed staring into black space. Her feet were sore and throbbing, caked in mud and blood and anything else on the forest floor. Legs sore from running and heart crushed by the knowledge that she would likely never see her family again. Even if they hated her, she loved them. She would always love them.

Y/n groaned. That was much too much thought for one night. She was so not ready to deal with that yet. The girl decided to get some rest and actually think about things tomorrow.

She groan again as she stood, stretching her stiff muscles. Now the only question was, where was the safest place to sleep? Not on the ground that’s for sure. And what was she going to sleep as? Though it might be tiring to switch forms, it was defiantly worth it.

Y/n took a deep breath, stretched her arms out and focused all her mental energy on it. Suddenly she began to shrink into a Horned Owl. It was painful but quick. It normally didn’t hurt at all, but she was exhausted and hurt in her human form and she guessed it transferred over. Y/n figured that an Owl was a good choice to go with. Excellent night vision and hearing. Of course they don’t usually sleep at night, but exceptions could be made.

Y/n settle down in an abandoned squirrel’s nest she found after two minutes of soaring around. She hunkered down for the night

Three weeks past in a hot summer haze. And Y/n was still all alone in the woods. She decided that being one with nature might be a good way to keep her head down. She spent most of her days changing her form freely. She never stayed in one shape for more than an hour. It was exciting and exhilarating. Y/n always had to hide her mutation, but out here she was completely free. It was liberating.

Sometimes she was a deer munching on ivy and honeysuckle, or a fish splashing in a stream, a squirrel jumping from tree to tree, or a wolf baying at the moon. She kept herself occupied with a constant stream of new sensations. She kept her mind far from her old life, refusing to acknowledge it at all.

Animals process things differently than people. Emotions were more dull and mellow. Y/n still felt emotions of course, just not as strong. And she still had intelligent ideas that the animals she imitated could never have, it just took longer.

Y/n ambled through the lush green forest, her deer hooves barely making a noise in the underbrush. The hum of crickets and the feeling of golden sunlight on her back enraptured her. She was considering never going back to the human world. Why would she? Mutant hate was such a blatant part of their society and she was sick of it. Out here it was peaceful, well as peaceful as it could be when you’re a fugitive. Y/n hadn’t seen the MRD since that fateful night when she had been chased out of town. They didn’t seem to be anywhere close to finding her. Still, Y/n looked over her shoulder constantly. Maybe she would wait until fall, migrate with the geese and never come back.

Life as an animal wasn’t actually a peaceful way to live, the animal kingdom is a chaotic fight for survival, but it was simple and Y/n understood it. Plus she could work the system and that really sweetened the deal.

Y/n was so lost in her thoughts; she failed to notice the object right in front of her. The sharp, well hidden, wolf trap splayed out on the forest floor.

Y/n screamed as the sharp teeth sunk into her leg. She hit the ground with a hard thump. The pain was excruciating and vicious. Like a reflex the girl began to transform into different animals as fast as the human eye could follow. She struggled to get her leg out of the trap but nothing worked.

Tears forced themselves out of her eyes and she gasped for breath. A pool of blood was forming on the forest floor. Y/n couldn’t even look her leg, she felt like she was going to throw up. ‘This can’t be happening.’ She thought desperately. ‘I’m going to die here. Oh god I’m going to die here.’ Panic blossomed in her chest. Her throat felt like it was closing up, she felt like she was suffocating. The taste of dirt and grime stuck in her mouth as she lay her head down on the ground. The irony sent of blood filled her nose and she could feel it slowly draining out of her. A tear traced its way down her grimy cheek. Y/n began to sob, heart-wrenching sobs. And once she started she couldn’t stop.

Logan stood outside his cabin. Something wasn’t right. There was blood in the air. He sniffed. A lot of blood, all different kinds. Wolf, Deer, Bobcat, Fox…human? Something went down and Logan intended to know exactly what. This was his territory after all.

Logan set off into the woods. He weaved his way through trees expertly as he followed the sent. ‘There it is.’ He thought as he gazed into a small clearing.

A deer had its leg caught steel-mouth trap. The ground around it was drenched with blood. Logan surveyed the land around the deer. No other animals could be seen. And yet this was defiantly where all the scents originated. He tilted his head and studied the animal. The deer was breathing heavily and had its face down in the dirt. It looked like it was crying.

Logan continued to peer through the leaves. Suddenly, the deer began to shrink and transform into a girl. A girl in bright blue pajama shorts and a gray cami. In the back of Logan’s mind he couldn’t help notice how beautiful she was. Of course he didn’t think about that for long. There were more pressing things at hand. For instance, the fact that she was slowly bleeding out. Really not the time.

He stepped out towards her.

‘One more try,’ Y/n chanted to herself. ‘Just one more try,’

Her strength was waning after changing so rapidly into different forms. The blood loss was not helping. With all of her effort, she turned back into her human self. She lay gasping, trying to gather herself. Maybe she could pry the teeth open?

A branch snapped and Y/n whipped her head around. A man stood there. A huge, muscular, very scary man.

‘Oh god they found me,’ She started hyperventilating. ‘The MRD found me,’

Y/n struggled to get as far away from the man. Of course having your leg stuck really puts a damper on things.

“No,” Y/n sobbed “No, no, no. Please no. Please,”

Logan stopped walking. The girl in front of him was shaking, pleading. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable. He squatted down to the ground. “Hey there, I’m not gonna hurt ya. You’re ok,”

The girl just pulled away harder and then shrieked as the sharp jaws tore her leg even more. “No please. Please don’t,”

“Hey, hey ‘nough of that,” Logan spoke as if to a cornered animal. “I’m one of you. I’m a mutant too,” His claws slid out of his hand with a soft scraping sound. “And I’m going to get you out of here,”

The girl’s eyes went wide. ‘Maybe that was a bad idea,’ Logan scowled. ‘She’ll just be scared off,’

Relief filled her eyes. “Oh thank you, thank you,” She started crying even harder. That was the opposite of what Logan wanted.

“It’s gonna be alright, let’s just focus on getting you out of here,” He approached her and this time she didn’t move away.

Logan took the trap in his hands and looked at the girl. “Ok, I’m gonna pull this apart and when I do, I need you to lift your leg out. Can ya do that for me?”

She nodded shakily. She sat up and grabbed her injured leg with both hands, ready to lift.

With Logan’s claws and superhuman strength, pulling the trap apart was not the hard part. The tough part was hearing the girl whimpering in pain. ‘You going soft or something?’ He asked himself.

She clenched her teeth and gasped when he started. The metal teeth slid out of her leg, letting more blood flow free. She cried out as she lifted her leg up, barely clearing the trap.

Logan tossed the bloody trap aside and quickly stripped his flannel shirt off, leaving him only in a white tank top. He wrapped the shirt around her wounded leg, rapidly soaking it in blood.

Y/n lay back and let out a shaky sigh, gazing up at the sky. She tried not to pay attention to the shooting agony in her leg and the strange man bandaging her up. She was fading fast now that the panic and claustrophobia of being trapped was gone. She was becoming lightheaded very quickly. Y/n was still sobbing, she had never stopped. But these sobs were full of relief.

She felt the man scoop her up into his arms. Y/n’s head lolled slightly as the man started jogging away from that little clearing. He was warm and muscular and comfortable.

“Thank you,” She murmured. “Thank you,” Her vision was fading. Keeping her eyes open was a struggle.

“Stay with me, bub. We’re gonna get ya all fixed up,”

She rested her head against his shoulder, no longer fighting the urge to stay awake. Y/n went lip in the man’s arms, drifting into comfortable unconscious.

Y/n stirred in her sleep. Pain found its way into her thoughts, and it continued to grow as she woke.

Her eyes fluttered open. She was in someone’s house, on someone’s bed. Wood paneling surrounded her. Y/n sat up slowly trying not to move her leg. She looked down at it. There were real bandages on her leg and there wasn’t any visible bleeding.

Had the man in the woods done all of this for her?

Y/n decided she needed to find out. She swung her good leg off the side of the bed. She placed both hands on either side of the hurt leg and tried to move it.

That was a mistake. Y/n screeched in pain and immediately released her grip on it.

In that instant the door banged open. The man from the forest walked in, holding a tray with a bowl soup, pain reliever, and a bottle of scotch on it. He was very good looking, with strong arms, well-defined face, and side burns.

“Just what do ya think your doing?” He said gruffly. He placed the tray on a bureau by the door.

Y/n didn’t say anything, watching him with big bambi eyes.

“You’ll rip your stitches.” Sideburns sat down on the side of the bed next to Y/n. She moved her other leg back onto the bed.

“Here,” He handed her some painkillers and a glass of water.

“Thank you,” The girl gratefully took them.

“What’s your name?” The man asked.

“Y/n,” She said after she had drained the glass. “What’s yours?”

“Logan,”

“Thank you so much,” Y/n’s voice trembled slightly. “I’d be dead right now if it we’re weren’t for you. Thank you,”

Logan nodded solemnly, excepting her thanks. “Why were ya out there in the woods anyway?”

Her lip quiver. ‘I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry.’

“The MRD found me. It’s easier for me to live out there,” She shrugged.

“Easier?”

“I can turn into animals. Any animal I want really. It’s pretty easy going when you’re at the top of the food chain,”

“Until you get caught in a leg trap,”

Y/n smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. What’s you’re mutation? I mean, I know you showed me but…” She put a hand to her head. “Everything’s a little fuzzy right now,”

Logan nodded again and slid out his claws.

There was a pause. In the back of Logan’s mind, he was still worried that he would scare her away. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Y/n leaned in to get a closer look. “Wow,” She muttered. “That’s amazing,” She traced her finger along one of the blades, studying them. The girl looked up at him. “You’re amazing,”

Logan had lived for centuries and he couldn’t remember the last time someone had said that to him. He cleared his throat and stood up a little too fast, putting his claws away.

“You want some soup?” He walked over to the tray and brought it over.

“Yes please. Thank you,”

Silence fell for a moment. Y/n started sipping her soup and Logan stared awkwardly at the ground.

“How’d they find ya?” Logan finally asked. I mean, yeah, it was an insensitive question but at least it kept the conversation going. In Logan’s mind that was a good idea.

Y/n bit her lip. “My mom called them,” Tears formed behind her eyes. “She saw me transform and…she just… called them. How could she do that? I mean, she knows what they do to mutants… How could she do that?”

Logan silently cursed himself for making her cry again. He pulled her close and wrapped her in a hug as she sputtered. There wasn’t anything he could say to make it better. A betrayal like that takes time to heal.

The girl rested her head on his warm shoulder, thinking hard.

“Is it wrong that I still love her?” She asked softly. There was a pause. “I still love all of them. I’m always going to love them,” Those words pushed her over the edge and tears started to flow freely.

“It’s not wrong,” Logan said stroking her hair gently. Honestly, he was way out of this league in this area. He was never a people person. “He was scared. People do crazy shit when they’re scared,”

She sniffed. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done with out you,”

Logan nodded again. He decided to change the subject maybe that would stop the tears. Something about Y/n crying made him uncomfortable. She had every right to cry of course, but he wanted to stop it as soon as it began. Normally he wouldn’t really care. What had he gotten himself into?

“So you were just gonna live out there… forever?”

Y/n shrugged, not pulling away from him.

“I guess. I don’t know. I didn’t really think it through,”

“Do you want to live out there?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I can shift anytime soon. Hurts too much. I just… don’t know,”

“Ya know…” He said very carefully. “I know a school for mutants. It’s alright, I guess. You’ll be safe there,”

Y/n pulled away and looked at him with hope. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not my type of place, but you might like it. Like I said, you’d be safe,”

Put a hand over her mouth barely containing her happiness. Did she really have a chance at a stable life? “Do you think they would let me stay there?”

“I don’t see why not. We can go there as soon as your leg gets better. You shouldn’t get out of bed for a couple days, at least,”

Y/n threw her arms back around him. “Thank you! Thank you!” She exclaimed.

He smiled a small, barely perceivable, smile. “You can stay here until you can get out of bed,”

Y/n beamed and lay back on the bed, wiping the tears off her cheeks. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened in the past day.

Logan studied her. She had dirt covering her entire body and her hair was knotted mess. Her face was blotchy and her nose was red from cry. But she had a smile on her face that could light up the world. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Without knowing, he leaned back slightly, elbowing her wounded leg. Y/n yelped and shot up.

“Ow.Ow.Ow.” Y/n groaned.

“Sorry, sorry,” He apologized. “Here,” He got up and grabbed the bottle of scotch off the tray and poured her a glass. “This ‘ll help,”

“Alcohol?”

“Medicinal, of course,” Logan chuckled as he poured himself a glass also. Y/n laughed, the pain in her leg forgotten.

“It really does work,” He defended.

“Of course,” She giggled. She shot it all down in one take and then coughed. That was a bad idea. Logan did the same (without coughing).

Y/n pushed herself all the way up into a sitting position and gazed at Logan. The both looked at each other. Maybe it was the alcohol; maybe it was the pain meds. Maybe it was the combination of the two. But in that moment, Y/n decided that she like Logan. A lot.

Y/n leaned in and kiss him. His eyes went wide, but slowly he relaxed into it. The burning taste of scotch and salt-laden tears swirled around their mouths. Logan reached up and cupped her face gently. He brushed her cheek with his thumb. When they finally broke apart, Y/n smiled at him.

“You know, I think you’re right,”

Logan raised his eyebrows still with a small smile on his face.

“It really does work,” She leaned in for an other kiss.