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The Blackbird stood alone on the sand, its engines cooling in the heavy air. The four teams had already disappeared into the jungle, swallowed one by one by the living walls of green. The beach was empty now. The ocean behind them kept its distance. The jungle ahead watched.
Storm and Wolverine moved north along the coastal cliffs.
At first neither man spoke. The path narrowed between the ocean on their left and the thick jungle on their right. Massive roots pushed up through the dirt like the bones of something long buried. Strange plants hung from trees so old their branches had grown together overhead. The terrain forced them to climb over fallen trunks and thick vines, but neither complained. Twenty minutes passed. Then thirty. The only sounds were boots on dirt, waves against distant rocks, and the slow, constant creaking of branches that moved even when there was no wind.
Logan walked slightly ahead, hands in his pockets, stopping now and then to sniff the air or study the ground. Storm stayed on the ocean side of the trail, letting the wind brush against his face while he listened to the atmosphere the way he always did. The silence between them was not empty. It simply existed, comfortable in its own way.
The jungle moved around them.
At first it looked natural. Leaves swayed. Vines twisted slowly. Branches bent. But after a while Storm began to notice the pattern. The plants moved even when there was no wind. Certain leaves turned toward them as they passed. Vines withdrew from the path just before their boots touched them. Large flowers closed their petals. Roots disappeared beneath the soil. Nothing moved quickly enough to draw attention. Everything simply watched.
Storm glanced upward. The canopy was completely still. No birds. No insects. No distant animal calls. Nothing.
Logan stopped walking.
He sniffed the air. Once. Twice. His expression changed.
Storm noticed. "What is it?"
Logan looked toward the trees. "You notice it yet?"
Storm already knew. "There are no animals."
Logan nodded. "Not one."
He looked toward the jungle. "No birds." Toward the ground. "No bugs." Toward the trees. "No rodents."
Storm closed his eyes. The wind offered nothing. The atmosphere felt empty. "Nothing lives here."
Logan corrected him. "Something lives here."
They understood the difference.
Storm reached down and touched a nearby leaf. The leaf slowly folded inward, almost defensively, almost knowingly. He pulled his hand away.
Logan watched the movement. "That ain't normal."
"No."
They began walking again.
The awkwardness between them still existed, but it was the kind that came from two men who did not yet know each other. Both were observers. Both were protectors. Both carried things they did not discuss.
Eventually Logan glanced sideways. His eyes moved over Storm's white hair, the calm face, the strange elegance that remained even while walking through a nightmare.
Finally he spoke. "You always this pretty?"
Storm looked over. "You always this rude?"
Logan shrugged. "Usually worse."
For the first time, Storm actually smiled. Small. Almost invisible. Logan noticed but said nothing.
They kept walking.
Behind them, the vegetation slowly turned toward the path they had already left.
---
Sean Cassidy and Kurt Wagner moved through the southern forest with far more energy than caution.
Kurt teleported ahead. Sean followed. Kurt teleported again. Sean jumped.
"Will you stop doing that!"
Kurt grinned. "Absolutely not."
Laughter echoed through the jungle for the first time since the teams had landed. The forest here was thick and beautiful. Massive trees stretched toward the sky. Sunlight filtered through enormous leaves. Bright flowers grew along the forest floor. Water dripped from vines. Small streams cut through ancient roots. For a brief moment, Krakoa almost looked peaceful.
Sean whistled. "You know, if the island wasn't trying to eat us, this would make a lovely vacation."
Kurt smiled. "You say this while carrying a sonic weapon."
Sean shrugged. "A man can multitask."
They traded stories as they walked. Kurt asked about Ireland. Sean asked about Germany. Kurt talked about the circus. Sean explained what it felt like to fly. Every few minutes Kurt would teleport a short distance ahead, and every few minutes Sean would nearly jump out of his skin.
BAMF.
"Warn a man!"
Kurt laughed. "Where is the fun in warning?"
Sean began singing. Badly. Very badly. Kurt eventually joined him. Even worse. The two of them walked through the jungle singing old songs, laughing, joking, and making enough noise that Scott would have had a heart attack if he could hear them.
Sean pointed at Kurt. "What exactly can you do besides disappear and frighten people?"
Kurt smiled. "I climb walls."
Sean nodded seriously. "Impressive."
Kurt pointed back. "And you scream."
"Professionally."
"Very professionally."
Sean finally asked, "You scared?"
Kurt looked around. The smile faded slightly. "A little."
Sean nodded. "Me too."
For a moment the humor disappeared. The island had been quiet. Too quiet. They stopped walking. The forest around them suddenly felt larger. The sunlight seemed dimmer. The air heavier.
Kurt slowly looked upward. No birds. Sean noticed. No insects. No movement. No life.
Far away, something large moved beneath the ground.
The trees creaked. Roots slowly shifted.
Sean's smile finally faded. "Tell me you heard that."
Kurt's tail lowered. "I heard it."
---
Storm and Logan had moved deeper into the northern cliffs. The jungle around them felt different here. Darker. Older. The vegetation grew thicker. The plants moved more openly now. Leaves slowly turned toward them. Vines withdrew from the path. Roots disappeared beneath the soil. The trees themselves seemed to watch.
Storm felt something in the air. Not anger. Not hatred. Fear. The island was afraid.
Logan suddenly stopped. His nose lifted. He sniffed the air again. His expression changed.
Storm noticed. "What is it?"
Logan's voice became very serious. "Blood."
A pause. Another breath. "Human."
Storm turned toward the deeper jungle. The wind suddenly shifted. Somewhere ahead, someone was still alive.
---
Colossus and Solaris moved east through one of the oldest sections of the jungle. The trees here were taller. The roots thicker. The sunlight barely reached the ground. Massive leaves blocked the sky. Ancient vines hung like ropes from branches so high they disappeared into darkness. Every step felt swallowed.
For several minutes neither man spoke. Neither liked being paired together. Neither had wanted Scott's decision. And both knew exactly why.
Eventually Sun broke the silence. "You are very quiet."
Piotr continued walking. "You speak enough for both of us."
Sun smiled slightly. "Fair."
Several more minutes passed. Roots moved beneath the dirt. Flowers slowly closed. Branches bent. Neither noticed yet.
Sun spoke again. "Why him?"
Piotr glanced over. "What?"
"Storm."
Piotr understood immediately. "Why do you ask?"
Sun kept his gaze on the path ahead. "Because the moment Scott began assigning teams, you decided Storm belonged at your side."
Piotr glanced at him. "You were no different."
A quiet laugh escaped Sun. "No. I suppose I wasn't."
Several more steps. The silence changed. Less hostile. More honest.
Finally Piotr asked, "Why do you like him?"
Sun did not answer right away. The jungle creaked around them. Something moved in the trees. The air grew heavier.
Finally he said, "Because he walks into a room and does not apologize for existing."
Piotr listened.
Sun continued. "Most beautiful people know they are beautiful. Most powerful people know they are powerful. He knows neither."
Piotr nodded slowly. "Yes."
Sun glanced over. "Your turn."
Piotr looked toward the jungle. His voice became softer. "He reminds me of home."
Sun raised an eyebrow. "Kenya reminds you of Russia?"
Piotr actually laughed. Rare. Deep. Honest. "No." He thought for a moment. "Peace. The way he speaks. The way he listens. The way people feel safe around him."
Another silence. Then: "I like him."
Sun finally looked directly at him. "As a friend?"
Piotr answered. "No."
Sun smiled. Actually smiled. "Good."
Piotr asked, "And you?"
Sun answered without hesitation. "No."
That landed. Because now neither one was pretending.
The jungle suddenly felt quieter. The leaves stopped moving. The atmosphere changed. But for a moment, neither cared.
Sun said, "He is beautiful."
Piotr nodded. "Yes."
Sun said, "He is kind."
Piotr nodded again. "Yes."
Sun said, "He is dangerous."
Piotr answered quietly. "Yes."
Sun finally laughed. "This is unfortunate."
Piotr looked at him. "Very."
Sun said, "Because I intend to pursue him."
Piotr looked at him. "As do I."
The silence returned. Neither man became angry. Neither became jealous. Instead, Sun extended his hand.
Piotr looked at it.
Sun said, "Then let the best man win."
Piotr looked at the offered hand. The Russian smiled, very slightly. He shook it. "Agreed."
At that exact moment, a branch snapped.
Both men froze.
The jungle had become silent. Too silent. A flower closed. Roots pulled beneath the ground. Leaves slowly rotated toward them. The entire forest seemed to be watching.
Sun's expression changed. "We are being observed."
Piotr's body slowly turned to steel. "I know."
Sun's hands began glowing. Golden light filled the darkness beneath the trees. Something massive moved beneath the roots. The ground trembled. The trees groaned. The jungle exhaled.
Sun looked toward the darkness. "If Storm were here, he would know what this place is."
Piotr answered quietly. "Perhaps."
Sun asked, "You trust him?"
Piotr nodded. "Yes."
Sun said, "So do I."
The ground suddenly erupted.
---
Cyclops, Thunderbird, and Sunfire moved directly inland. No wandering. No sightseeing. No jokes. Scott walked in front. Thunderbird followed several feet behind him. Sunfire walked opposite them. The distance between the three men said everything.
For nearly twenty minutes, nobody spoke. The jungle here felt different. The trees were older. The roots thicker. The air warmer. Large ferns covered the ground while enormous trees rose into the mist above them. Strange vines hung from branches like ropes. Water dripped from unseen places. Every few minutes the earth seemed to shift slightly beneath their feet.
The silence became uncomfortable.
Thunderbird finally broke it. "Why'd he pair us?"
Sunfire didn't look at him. "I was asking myself the same thing."
John looked toward Scott. "No offense."
Scott didn't slow down. "Some taken."
John folded his arms. "You don't trust us."
Scott finally answered. "I don't know either of you."
Sunfire's voice remained calm. "That is not the same thing."
Scott finally stopped. He turned. His visor caught the filtered sunlight. "Both of you challenge authority."
John smirked. "Good authority survives."
Sunfire said, "Bad authority deserves challenge."
Scott looked between them. "Exactly."
John asked, "That's your reason?"
Scott answered. "No."
Sunfire raised an eyebrow.
Scott continued. "You two are the strongest people here."
That actually surprised both of them.
Scott said, "If something happens, I need people beside me who won't run."
Thunderbird looked ahead. Sunfire said nothing. Because Scott wasn't insulting them. He was trusting them.
They continued walking.
Scott's thoughts stayed on Jean. Every tree. Every step. Every broken branch. He remembered leaving. He remembered failing. He remembered her screaming through the psychic link. He remembered being the only one who escaped. He kept telling himself she was alive. He had to find her. He had to.
John kept watching Scott. He didn't understand him. Scott didn't look like a warrior. He looked exhausted. Yet every member of the team followed him. Even Wolverine. John was beginning to realize leadership wasn't always strength. Sometimes it was simply refusing to stop.
Sunfire still wondered why he had come. Japan was half a world away. These people were strangers. This wasn't his war. And yet he had stayed. Partly because Xavier had asked. Partly because innocent people were trapped. And partly because a white-haired weather god from Kenya had smiled at him. He did not say that part aloud.
Twenty minutes later, the jungle began changing. The trees became shorter. The ground rose. The vegetation thinned. Ahead, hidden beneath hanging vines and moss-covered stone, sat something impossible. A path. Stone steps. Ancient. Artificial.
John immediately noticed. "Someone built this."
Sunfire studied the stones. "Long ago."
Scott's heart began racing. Because he recognized it. The temple. The place from his memories. The place where his friends had disappeared.
His voice became quiet. "We're close."
The three men slowly approached. The stone path disappeared into a massive opening in the side of the mountain. A cave. Noโa doorway. Ancient stone walls. Strange carvings. Roots growing through cracks. Darkness beyond. The air flowing from inside felt cold. Wrong.
John immediately noticed. "You feel that?"
Sunfire nodded. "Something is inside."
Scott stared into the darkness. Because somewhere beyond that cave, Jean may still be alive.
---
Storm and Wolverine continued following the scent of blood deeper into the northern cliffs. The terrain had changed again. The ocean had disappeared behind thick walls of vegetation. Ancient trees blocked most of the sunlight, leaving only narrow shafts of gold reaching the forest floor. Strange vines hung overhead like ropes while enormous roots rose from the earth like the ribs of buried giants.
For several minutes neither man spoke. Both were listening. Both were hunting. Logan kept catching the scent. Blood. Human. Fear. Old sweat. Pain. Every few minutes he stopped, sniffed, changed direction. Storm followed quietly beside him.
The air felt heavier now. The wind grew weaker. The trees seemed closer. The plants no longer hid their movements. Leaves turned toward them. Flowers closed. Roots slowly withdrew beneath the dirt. The entire forest felt awake.
Storm said quietly, "Something follows us."
Logan didn't stop walking. "Been following us twenty minutes."
Storm turned. Nothing. Only trees. Only vines. Only silence. But he felt eyes. Thousands of them. Watching. Waiting.
The blood scent became stronger.
Logan stopped. He knelt. Touched the ground. Fresh. Very fresh.
Storm looked ahead. The path narrowed between two massive walls of roots. The wind suddenly died. Complete silence.
Then the ground exploded.
Vines erupted from behind them. Massive roots burst upward. The jungle attacked.
Thick green tendrils whipped toward Storm's legs while enormous roots slammed toward Logan from both sides. Storm reacted first. His hand rose. The air around him bent. The wind condensed. Rotated. Sharpened. A crescent of compressed air formed in his palm. A silver moon of moving wind. He swung his arm. The crescent tore through the air. The wind blade sliced through multiple vines at once. They fell apart. Pieces collapsed to the ground.
Logan immediately charged. His claws extended. SNIKT. He tore through the roots. Sliced. Stabbed. Cut. The roots recoiled. More vines descended from above. Storm raised both hands. Wind erupted. The trees bent. The vines were thrown backward. Logan leapt directly into the moving roots. Storm watched him stab another one. Then another. Then another.
Storm blinked. "You stab everything."
Logan cut apart another root. "Works most times."
A root grabbed Logan's ankle. Storm sent another crescent blade through the air. The wind cut the vine instantly. Logan landed. Looked at the severed root. Looked at Storm. "Nice trick."
Storm lowered his hand. "You call that a trick?"
Logan pointed at the destroyed vegetation. "Looked pretty."
Storm gave him a look. "You seem very concerned with that."
Logan said, "You seem very pretty."
Storm actually laughed. Small. Brief. But real.
Then the ground trembled.
Both men stopped.
Because the severed vines began moving again. The cut roots crawled back into the earth. The broken plants pulled themselves together. The island was healing.
Logan's expression changed. Storm felt it immediately. The realization settled over both men at the same time. Whatever had attacked them had no heartbeat. No scent. Not a separate body hiding in the trees. The roots were the forest. The vines were the forest. The earth beneath their feet was the forest. Krakoa was not sending something after them. Krakoa itself had reached out.
The entire island was attacking them.
The trees slowly turned toward them again. The wind refused to enter the forest.
Then a scream tore through the darkness ahead.
Logan's head snapped toward the sound. Storm went still beside him.
It was distant and ragged, strained almost beyond recognition โ but unmistakably human. Whoever had made that sound was suffering. And they were still alive.
Logan turned immediately. "That's our blood trail."
Storm looked into the darkness. The wind finally moved. And for the first time since arriving on Krakoa, the sky itself seemed afraid.
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