X-Men Evolution: Rogue Evolution

Lessons 7.1

Trees with mixed foliage of reds, yellows, and dark brown leaves swayed in the sharp, sudden gusts of crisp air. The breeze pulled a smattering of autumn leaves from their tree moorings and scattered them till the updraft lost its strength and allowed them to gently flutter back down to earth. The ground, packed with rough dirt and jagged rocks, showed signs of life still. Beneath a sheet of gold and red, a little black nose at the end of a long narrow snout of orange and white poked its way through. Slowly navigating the leaves atop, a fox pushed its way to the surface and drug its belly along the ground. Sniffing left to right, its ears rotated like little satellites till they suddenly stopped and pointed forward. The fox rose its head and saw just beyond another pile of leaves, a little gray rabbit washing his face. The hunter got low to the ground and dug its hind paws into the dirt when suddenly a bright scarlet beam split the air between the fox and her quarry, then smashed into the trunk of a tree only a few yards away.

The fox scattered, as did the rabbit, while leaves by the dozens shook out from the branches above and fell like slow rain toward the ground. Another blast drove into the core of the tree near the first and then another. Snapping bark and cracking wood filled the air, and the smell of burning scattered any animals left around. A neighboring tree, tall with a massive knot in its trunk, was next to be shot, and its bark splintered apart like shrapnel. An old dead limb fell from one of the higher branches and crashed onto the ground, where it was too shot and rendered to ashes.

Anna held her laser pistol just like she had been taught, one hand over the other with a bent elbow to absorb the recoil. Despite the bare flesh of her hands being covered with leather gloves against the cold, they began to shake all the same. She watched the ashy remnants of the fallen branch rolled away in clumps down a shallow embankment into a nearby creek. A moment later, the dark, crumbling wood began to turn the clear water black.

She walked closer to one of the trees and ran her bare hand over the scarred bark. Pulling her fingers together into a fist, she felt the tree break apart and crumble into her palm like it was made of glass. The gun fell from her hands, and she dropped to her knees before the great tree. Her hand, covered in ash, she brought it close to her face and felt hot tears fall down her cheeks before she had a chance to stop them.

"I'm sorry." She closed her fist, pressed it against her chest, lowered her head, and closed her eyes.

"Skunk hair! You get lost?"

Anna didn't turn to acknowledge Logan's presence. She didn't even open her eyes.

"Kid!"

She heard leaves crunching behind her till they stopped just short of her left shoulder. Then she heard a shallow whisper. "Throwin' some fireballs out here or something?"

"I came out here to be alone."

"When I see you blowing up trees in my backyard, it shows me I can't be leaving you alone, now can I?"

"I didn't mean to..."

"To what?"

"I didn't..." She felt her throat tighten, "I didn't want to hurt them. I was just angry, and I... I wasn't thinking."

There was a pause, and then she heard a hand slap against the tree before her. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think they hold it against you. These trees, they've been here a long time. They can take a hit. Just, you know, maybe don't go showing them a chainsaw. I don't think they'd be a big fan of that."

Anna opened her eyes and looked up at him. Logan was the picture of a rugged woodsman with a thick flannel jacket and heavy-duty olive green pants tucked into massive boots. "I'm sorry I messed up your trees." She looked down at her ashen hand. "I guess I'm just like my Mom in that way. All I do is destroy."