::X-Men:: In The Claws Of An Angel ::Wolverine::

Chapter Seven.

The woods was beautiful and serene.

Energetic wild life and bright, healthy vegetation overwhelmed my eyes everywhere I looked. It was like something you'd see in a science textbook, or a nature show. I smiled as a small rabbit scampered across my path, which was clear and molded into the ground from probably years of ATV and foot traffic.

As the cheerful sound of birds chirping from all around me filled my ears, I knew it was a good choice to leave the camper and take a walk. After last night, I really needed some time to clear my thoughts, and what better way to do that than with nature?

So, I took my time strolling down the path, pausing here and there to look at the colorful flowers growing wild from the ground. A thought that I should have left a note for Logan like he had done for me crossed my mind suddenly, and I frowned.

I brushed it off with a shrug of my shoulders. Oh, well. Too late now.

After walking for a few more minutes, I came to a break in the trees. In front of me was a dusty gravel path, stretching out for a few miles to my left, and extending about 12 feet to my right before rounding into a bend and contiuing to a place that I couldn't see.

Long, whispy, tan weeds grew from either side of the path, reaching about an inch past my knees. They were itchy, so I quickly bounced through them until my shoes hit the gravel.

My pale blue eyes squinted in the bright morning sunlight as I peered around. Just the extra few feet made a world of difference on the view I had.

I could see a little ways around the corner now, where the edge of a small lake began. Otherwise, everything around me was open field and trees. This must have been a pretty unknown area, because I didn't see any people around.

I made a face, thinking about turning around and heading back for the camper, but instead my feet drove me forward. I walked around the bend, and had to edge around an overgrown bush to see the entire lake.

It was an oblong shape, narrow and shallow at the end closest to me, growing wider and deeper the further it stretched away from me.

Along with the shape, the water closest to me was a peridot green color, blending into a dark, rich blue the wider and deeper it became.

Tall trees with drooping limbs covered in moss bordered the lake, providing plenty of shade and a strong, soulful southern feel to it.

Just a little up the sandy bank I could see an old dock, reaching out about 9 or 10 feet into the water, where it was still fairly shallow. On the dock stood two little boys with golden blonde hair and fishing poles in their hands.

I guess I spoke too soon about there not being any other people around. But as I noticed their bicycles laying in the tall weeds a few feet away from the dock, I figured they weren't camping near here. They had probably stumbled upon this place the same way I had.

The boys were obviously brothers. One was around 8, and the other looked a little older, maybe 11 or 12, but their features, like the blonde hair, were almost identical. Sandy freckles, green eyes, and a straight, narrow frame.

They hadn't noticed me, so I hung back a bit, a soft smile on my face. Their pure childhood innocence charmed me and took me back to the few good times I did have as a kid.

The older brother leaned down and pulled a wriggling worm out of a muddy yellow bucket that sat between the two of them. The younger brother watched, his eyes wide as the hook pierced the worm, still flailing about.

"That's how ya do it, Jace." The older brother said to the younger; Jace; In a thick southern drawl, reminding me we were in Alabama.

"Um..." Jace stammered, glancing down at the bucket of creepy crawlies uncertainly, "Could you do it for me, Tyler?"