Warning: The following story is fem-slash, and is not recommended for people with heart disease, liver problems, or homophobia (especially the latter).

This is expected of all stories, so here it goes: I don't own shit. There, ya happy? (I'm not)

Normal going-ons will be written normal.

Thoughts and emphasized words will be italicized.

Bold will be actions and sounds.

Bold italics will mean extra emphasis.

"Normal speech will be quoted."

*Quiet shit will be stared.*

(After thoughts or add-ons will be parenthesized.)

And thought-speech will be underlined, (this includes Xavier's mind communication)

So, that's it. Enjoy! Or suffer. It depends on whether ya like the story.

Chapter 1: The Meeting

It's hard to believe how a single action can change your entire life. Just ask the Animorphs. They made a choice about two years ago to take a short cut through an abandoned construction site to get home, now they fight against alien forces whose sole purpose is to enslave all humanity. Funny how things turn out, huh?

The X-Men, on the other hand, never chose the lives they live. They didn't choose their powers. And they didn't choose whether or not to move out of Bayville to go to California.

Our story begins with a normal start of a Saturday for the Animorphs. Marco Laxus was procrastinating to wake up. Tobias Hawking (no pun intended) was hunting for his morning meal. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (or Ax) was doing his morning run absorbing grass. Jake Berenson was feeding his dog Homer. Rachel Berenson was attempting to retrieve her stolen hairbrush from her sister Jordan, with her other sister, Sarah, laughing at them. Cassie Warborne was helping her parents feed and care for the injured animals in her barn (a.k.a. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center).

The morning for the X-Men and the New Recruits (as they have come to be called) was far from their normal morning. They had recently changed location from Bayville New York to somewhere in California.

Their morning started a little less normal (normal by their standards). They had to restrain from using their powers since they were in a hotel while the new mansion was being built. They were all sharing several rooms. Both Mr. McCoy and Kurt Wagner were wearing holographic image inducers to hide their fury forms. Other than the fact that they were all suppressing their powers, it was kind of a normal morning.

Kurt decided to go to the mall. Since he knew better than to go out alone in a new town, he asked some of the others to go with him. He asked Tabitha and Amara, Peter, Bobby, Jubilee, Scott and Jean (for transportation). He tried asking Rouge, but she refused. She said there were too many people for her taste. He was going to ask his girlfriend Kitty, but he couldn't find her.

"Hey, Professor?" Kurt asked after getting permission to go. "Do you know where Kitty is? I haven't seen her today and that worries me."

Professor Charles Xavier smiled at the German mutant.

"Yes," he replied. "I believe she went on a nature walk with Hank and a few other students to the forest a few miles out of town."

"Oh. Thanks Professor!" With that Kurt gathered the group and they set off.

***

Tabitha was overjoyed that they were finally going to go to the mall. She's been itching to go ever since she got here.

"WOO-HOO! We're finally goin' to the mall! I wonder how big it is?" she wondered out loud as they drove there.

"I sure hope it's as big as the one in Bayville," Tabitha's girlfriend Amara replied.

When they got there, they all stared in awe. The mall here was at least twice as big as the one in Bayville!

Holy SHIT! Tabitha thought. I'm gonna have some F-U-N here! She looked at Amara with a sly smile on her face. Amara looked at her and smiled back. They were both getting the same ideas.

When they got inside they all decided they were hungry. So after much distress and headache, they finally found their way to the food court. Kurt immediately made his way to the cinnamon bun place. He simply loves cinnamon buns. He can eat 25 in one sitting and still have room for more.

As he walked up to the counter he passed a kid with three trays of cinnamon buns. At first Kurt thought he was some kind of waiter until he sat down at a table with one girl and three other guys and started digging in with the others looking at him as though they've seen this before. Even Kurt was impressed at how many buns this guy was eating. He walked up to the counter to place his order.

"What'll it be, sir?" the guy behind the counter asked.

"Give me what you gave him," Kurt said, pointing at the other guy.

The counter guy sighed. "Great," he said. "Another cinnamon bun freak." He placed the order. "You know, this is his third time coming up here."

"Really?" Kurt asked. "Well then I intend on beating his record!"

"Good luck. This isn't even half his normal diet!"

"Just get me my damn food," Kurt said, suddenly depressed. This kid already beat his record! It seems Kurt has finally found his better... or did he?

***

Meanwhile, on the nature walk…

Kitty wasn't the only one to go. With her were Rahne, Ray, Jamie, Sam, and Roberto.

They all loved the beauty of nature. Well, except for Ray and Sam. They just wanted to get away from the crowded hotel. And Jamie just wanted to be near Kitty. But Kitty, Roberto, Rahne, and Mr. McCoy simply loved it.

Something caught Kitty's eye. Something black.

"Hey, Rahne!" she called her friend quietly. "Check this out!"

Rahne walked over to see what it was. A couple of Black Bear cubs!

"Look at how cute they are!" Kitty said, keeping her voice down.

"Yeah, very cute!" Rahne agreed, also keeping her voice down. Little did they know that their group was leaving them, and that something big was sneaking up on them!

Rahne smelled it before it made a noise (since she's practically a wolf).

"RRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!!!" the mother Black Bear roared standing on its hind legs!

It swung a paw at Kitty, who phased through it and ran. Rahne, however, was not so lucky. She was cornered! She did the only thing she could do; she turned into her red wolf form.

The mother bear cocked its head at the new creature, but stood its ground all the same. They circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move. The mother got impatient and roared again.

Rahne took this chance and pounced. She bit into the neck of the bear and held on as hard as she could. The bear roared again and smacked her off, tearing her flesh with its claws. Rahne heard something snap in her leg as she bounced off the ground and into a tree. In sudden searing pain of her broken leg, she knew she was finished.

She waited for the finishing blow that didn't come. She peeked through her eyelids and saw the bear walking off with her children. After they were gone she got up and tried to limp back, but she didn't know where to go. So she limped off in a random direction. She could smell herself bleeding. It was only a matter of time till she died.

She finally made it out of the woods. But she didn't know where she was. There was a large red barn and a house. In the barn she could smell a variety of sick animals. She limped over but fell just outside the door. She whimpered trying to get the people inside's attention. She heard the door open and someone gasp. She looked up and saw an African American girl standing there. Rahne couldn't help but think this girl was… cute.

The girl picked her up carefully and brought her inside. Rahne felt safe in her arms. A warm sensation spread from the girl's touch. Soon, Rahne felt herself drift off into a deep sleep.

***

Cassie was about to finish up and head to the mall to meet the others who already gathered there. But then she heard faint whimpering. She went to the barn door and gasped. On the ground was the reddest red wolf she had ever seen. She barely saw the blood in the red fur.

It looked up at her and she almost fell. It had the most startling green eyes she had ever seen! They were so intelligent! But their beauty was marred by pain. They pleaded her to help.

She quickly but gently picked up the poor creature and carried it to the operating table. It fell asleep in her arms. She ran inside and practically tore her parents away from National Discovery to help fix the wolf. Once her parents started, Cassie pulled out her cell' and called Jake.

Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring rin… "Hello?" she heard him answer.

"Hey, Jake," she said. "Listen, I won't be able to make it to the mall today."

"Why not?" he asked. The despair in his voice was obvious.

"A red wolf showed up badly hurt. Looks like it ran into a bear or something," she explained.

"Oh. Sorry you can't make it. This weird German kid challenged Ax to a bun eating contest, and is actually winning!"

"Can't believe I'm missing that! Anyway, I gotta go. Bye," she said.

"Yeah, uh, bye," he said. There was a hint of hesitation in his voice, like he didn't want the conversation to end. Cassie, on the other hand was not so hesitant, and hung up immediately.

She sighed. How much longer can I keep this up? she wondered to herself. If I don't tell him I'm gay soon, he may never accept it! Rachel's right, I do procrastinate too much. If I had told her it was her I liked from the start, I wouldn't have to keep up this charade of liking Jake.

She was quickly shaken out of her thoughts when her mother called her over to help set the wolf's broken leg.

***

Kurt won the contest when the guy named Ax (who, for some bizarre reason, liked to play with the sounds coming out of his mouth, as though he never had one before) vomited. To celebrate Kurt ate even more cinnamon buns… and then he threw up.

"Yeah. Alright, Professor, we're on our way," Scott said, finishing the conversation he had been having since the contest began. "'Kay guys, time to pack up. The Professor wants us back at the hotel."

"We just got here!" Jubilee groaned.

"He said something happened on that nature walk that a few students went on," Jean said.

That snapped Kurt out of his cinnamon daze. "What happened?! Is Kitty alright?! TELL ME!!" he practically screamed.

The people with Ax just stared, except for one guy who was talking to someone who called him on his cell'.

"Kitty's fine," Scott assured the German mutant. "But Rahne's missing. The Professor wants us to return to the hotel then we're gonna go look for her."

Jean counted them. "Hey," she noticed. "Where're Tabitha and Amara?"

Jubilee sighed. "I'll get them. *Probably in the bathroom making out,*" she muttered under her breath.

The blonde of the other group cocked her head at hearing this. She looked at her friends who either didn't hear it or didn't care.

Jubilee couldn't care less if they heard. To her, Tabitha and Amara should have just stayed at the hotel if they were gonna do this! They were always sneaking off!

She stormed into the nearest bathroom and, to her utter shock (can't ya just feel the sarcasm?), they were making out. Tabitha had Amara pressed up against the bathroom wall, their bodies so close they could almost be considered one. Tabitha's hands were exploring Amara's sensitive areas (her left hand up her shirt, her left down her pants). Even though they were on the other side of the bathroom (and it was a little spacious) Jubilee could feel the heat coming from Amara due to her power, and Tabitha was just feeding the flames.

"Ahem," Jubilee made her presence known. They pulled away from each other a little, a strand of saliva still connecting their mouths. They looked at her. Well, Amara looked, Tabitha glared. "The Professor called. He wants us back at the hotel," Jubilee explained.

Tabitha sighed. "Can't it fucking wait?" she asked. She turned back to continue her work with Amara, who looked like she was thinking the same.

Time to tell them. Jubilee thought. "Rahne's missing," she said.

That stopped both of the girls. They may want each other, but when one of their own was in danger, they do whatever they can to help, even if it means giving up on personal enjoyment. Tabitha pulled away from Amara, and the heat Amara was giving off subsided.

"Alright, let's go," Tabitha said reluctantly.

***

When Rahne woke up, she was in a cage. She didn't like cages. She was claustrophobic and the bars made it worse. She tried to move her front left leg, but was met with pain. It was broken, that much was obvious. When she looked at it, she noticed it was in a splint. The gash on her side was bandaged as well.

She looked around and sniffed. She was surrounded by a variety of animals: pigeons, eagles, hawks, wolves, rats, squirrels, horses, and others. One thing they all had in common was they were either sick or injured.

She heard growling to her right. When she looked she saw two gray wolves growling at her from the cage next to her. One was paralyzed from the waist down, and the other was missing a leg. She bared her teeth and snarled. They backed off, but kept their eyes on her.

"Well, you're quite the fighter, aren't you?"

Rahne looked out the front of her cage and saw the same girl who brought her inside. She was African American, with beautiful brown eyes and braided black hair. She smelled like animal poop, and had some bird poop on her shirt. She wore faded jeans that were splattered with mud (she could tell by the smell it was mud). Surprisingly, the look worked for her.

She knelt in front of Rahne's cage. "I'm Cassie, by the way. I saved you." Rahne just stared.

Rahne had always been attracted to girls, even before she moved to America. Her last relationship ended shortly before with this girl from Bayville. Apparently she was allergic to dogs, and Rahne was too close to a dog not to be bothered by this.

"It was touch-and-go for a while," the girl... Cassie... said, "but we patched you up as best we could," she said with a smile. It looked beautiful on her in Rahne's opinion.

Rahne pulled herself up to a sitting position in her wolf form. She looked around nervously at the cage and whimpered.

Cassie giggled. "You can take on bears, almost die, and still have room for wolves, but get scared when put in a cage? You are one weird wolf," she said. Personally Rahne would rather take the bear again just to get out of this cage.

But Rahne had always been claustrophobic, ever since she could remember, just like her teacher, Storm. Whenever she was captured in the battle simulations and placed in a cell, she would freak out. She began to get jittery, whimpering and looking for a way out.

Cassie sighed. "Okay, you want out?" she asked. Rahne looked at her, trying to speak with her eyes. Cassie seemed to understand, because then she opened the cage door. Rahne almost jumped out, if her leg hadn't slowed her down. She did her best to keep her weight off it. When she was out she took a better look around, the sun was shining through an opening in the rafters helping her view.

Suddenly her mind filled with questions. Where exactly was she? How long had she been out? She looked around again, looking for a clock. She couldn't find one. She saw her reflection in a large mirror propped up against the wall. She limped over to it, just to see it better.

She looked better than she thought she did. The bandages around her waist were done neatly, with a perfect knot keeping it together. It felt like it could survive anything! Her splint looked even better. The two parts of the same bone were perfectly placed together. The knot keeping it together felt like the one keeping her bandages together. She had to admire its craftsmanship.

Cassie walked up next to her. She had a confused look on her face. She had never seen a wolf do this before. And she noticed a look of admiration and gratitude in the strange wolf's brilliant green eyes.

Rahne rubbed up against her savior. Cassie looked down at her and could've sworn she saw the red wolf's face become even brighter. Cassie bent down at patted Rahne's head.

They both jumped when they heard the door open. There was a woman there who Rahne guessed must have been Cassie's mother. They had the same brown eyes and kind feel about each other.

"Cassie," she said, "Jake's here."

Cassie sighed. Rahne looked at her. She had a look on her face that said "Not again." Who was this Jake? Were the two of them friends? Rahne's already cramped head filled even more questions.

"Alright," she said, "send him in."

Her mom nodded and looked at Rahne. "You let her out?" she asked.

"She looked uncomfortable in the cage," Cassie explained. "She's fine, Mom. She's healing very fast!"

Her mother smiled and left.

Then a boy about the age of 15 walked in. He had dark but kind eyes and the look of a leader. He also looked like he had been through a lot of pain. His eyes brightened when he saw Cassie. Rahne guessed that this was Jake.

"Hey, Cassie," he said. "How's that wolf you told me about?"

Rahne straitened at hearing this. She had been sitting awhile. Did Cassie really tell him about me? she wondered to herself.

"She's right here," Cassie pointed at me. Jake raised his eyebrows.

"I knew you were good, Cassie," he said, "but wow! Already walking after a bear?"

You actually doubt her capabilities?Rahne mentally demanded. For some reason she was getting defensive of Cassie. Maybe it was her gratitude, or maybe it was her attraction to her. Whatever it was, she knew wouldn't be there in not for this girl, and she wouldn't have anyone downing Cassie's capabilities (even if they didn't mean to).

Cassie, however, didn't seem to notice this 'disrespect'. "I know!" she said. "But all we did was patch her up. There are stitches on the gash wounds in her side, so the bandages are temporary, but other than that and the leg, she's doing great! From the amount of blood she lost, I'm surprised she's still alive!"

Rahne perked her ears up. Questions started to once again flood her brain. Was it really her strength keeping her alive? She was always a fast healer, even before moving to the Institute from Britain. And training sessions with Mr. Logan really toughened her up. But Cassie deserved most of the credit.

Then Jake looked confused. "How do you know it's a 'she'?" he asked her.

"We found out while we were putting the bandages on her," Cassie answered, causing Rahne to turn red (shut up, you know what I mean).

Then Jake's expression got serious… very serious.

"The others are coming over tonight for the monthly meeting," he said. "Eric says he heard about something that might give us an advantage against the Yeerks."

Now Rahne's head was really spinning. Yeerks? she asked herself. What the fuck is a Yeerk? And who's Eric? Who the hell are these guys? Questions filled her head yet again (she's gonna have one bad headache in the morning!).

Jake quickly changed the subject, changing his face from serious leader, to embarrassed teen.

"So, um, Cassie," he said, "I was wondering, um… damn it!" He cursed, trying to get himself to say whatever it was he needed to say. "I was wondering… ifyouwantedtogooutwithme?" He said the last part so fast Cassie couldn't hear it. But Rahne, with her super wolf hearing, heard it and nearly keeled over.

...WHAT?!Rahne screamed in her head. He did not just ask her out!

Cassie, however, didn't understand what he had said and just stared blankly. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

Jake calmed himself, taking breaths so deep he have could have swallowed the ocean. "I asked," he said, "'if you wanted to go out with me?' Before the meeting. Maybe a movie?" His face got so red it almost matched Rahne's fur (and that's saying something!).

This time Cassie did hear it, and unfortunately it confirmed Rahne's worst fear: Cassie was taken. She didn't know what was worse: seeing her biggest crush ever asked out by someone else or hearing her say 'yes'...

... ... ...

Wait, she didn't say 'yes', but she didn't say 'no' either. Rahne perked up. Maybe she'll say no. Yeah! I mean, come on! What's so great about... she stopped dead in her thoughts when she saw the look in his eyes. It was hope mixed with despair. Not even she could say no to that face! It just wasn't possible! I'm doomed, was Rahne's only thought after that.

Rahne's heart ached when she saw Cassie's face. Cassie looked pained. She looked like she was debating what to say. The look in her eyes (much to Rahne's joy) said "no," but she looked like she didn't want to hurt him. Rahne needed a plan. All her training with the X-Men and New Mutants had taught her to think on her feet, and within seconds she had a plan.

A plan to keep Cassie from hurting him, and keeping her here.

***

Cassie couldn't believe what she was hearing! Here was the guy she pretended to like so she could be close to his cousin asking her out! Maybe she should have told him before. She had been dropping hints that she was gay all over the place, but the only ones who figured it out were Tobias, Ax, and Rachel. And she told Rachel! Cassie knew Marco was slow, but Jake? There was no way! Maybe he noticed but just ignored them. Were his feelings that strong?

She looked in his eyes and lost all hope. There was a look that could melt the hardest and coldest heart. At seeing that, she made up her mind. She would tell him now. No more beating around the bush! She had to tell him!

She opened her mouth to talk when she heard a yelp of pain to her immediate left. She looked and saw the wolf curled up, gritting its teeth so hard it looked like they might shatter. She instantly rushed to help it. Jake also rushed over, the embarrassment in his face replaced by worry.

"Is it okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," Cassie answered. "She was doing so well!" Together they picked her up and brought her to the table. "I'm gonna have to pass on that movie, Jake," Cassie said.

"That's fine," he said once they got the wolf situated. "How about next Saturday?"

Cassie hesitated. Should she tell him? Could he take it? Her thoughts were interrupted by the wolf's whimpers. She looked for a quick answer. "Rain check," she said finally.

"Okay," he said. "I should get going now. I'll leave you to your dog."

The wolf growled at him.

"Wolf!" he corrected himself. "Sorry. Smart wolf. Later Cassie!" With that he turned and left.

Cassie stared after him. He loves me so much, she thought, and I don't love him. How sad. She shook away the thoughts. If she started pitying him she'll never tell him. She turned her focus to the wolf. But to her utter shock, the wolf picked up her head and looked where Jake was a few seconds ago, as if confirming he was gone. Then she sat up with a proud look in her eyes, like she planned it. Maybe she's smarter than a normal wolf? Cassie thought.

"Did you plan that?" she asked the wolf. Instead of a vocal response the wolf just turned redder (don't... say... a word!). Cassie smiled and hugged the wolf. It felt weird, but she wanted to thank the wolf. She postponed 'Confession Day,' as Cassie called it. "Hey," she said as an idea came to her. "How about you stay in the house tonight? We're having meat-loaf, so you can have some of that. And you can stay in my room!"

The wolf looked like it was about to faint. There was so much joy in those intelligent eyes. As if to answer as best it could, it licked Cassie's cheek. Cassie giggled. "I guess it's settled then!" she said. With that she took the wolf off the table and walked with her to the house.

***

They had been searching all night! Kurt almost felt like killing Rahne himself when they found her if the bear didn't already get her.

They had split into teams. Kurt was with Kitty, Rouge, and Peter Rasputin (better known as Colossus, who had defected from Magneto's Acolytes to join them). The other teams were Ray, Bobby, Sam, and Jamie; Jubilee, Tabitha, Amara, and Christy Jane who can talk to machines (made her up, needed four); and Scott, Jean, Hank, and Ororo. Logan and the Professor stayed behind to make sure no one showed up to interfere with the search.

Xavier was getting worried. The sun was going down and they haven't found anything that might tell them where she was. He had tried using Cerebro, but with no success.

"I don't understand," he said. "We should have found her by now! At least her body."

"When a bear eats," Logan said, "it don't leave no leftovers."

"Storm," Xavier said into one of the X-Communicators, "have you found her yet?"

"I would have contacted you if I did, Professor," Ororo answered. "This is a big forest, Professor. She could be anywhere!"

"Okay. Keep searching." He switched the settings to contact Scott. "Cyclops, do you have anything?"

"Nothing yet, Professor. I'll let you know if we have anything."

The Professor sighed. "Do your best." He switched settings again. "Colossus. Anything?"

"Nothing yet, Professor," answered the Russian mutant. He smashed a tree aside. "We will make the contact when we have something."

"Thank you. Keep searching," the Professor said.

"Will do." With that they deactivated their communicators. Peter smashed another tree.

"Jeez, dude!" yelled the German elf after a small flash and a puff of smoke. "I was in that one! And why are you doing that anyway?"

"Searching," the metal Russian said simply.

"Well search a little quieter!"

"Yeah!" Kitty agreed. "We don't want to, like, scare her!"

"I don't see the whole reason for this," came a southern accent from behind them. Rouge was leaning against a tree, her pale skin visible in the growing darkness. "I think we should just say she's dead and leave it at that."

The others glared at her. "What's WRONG with you!?" Kitty demanded. "You know very well we, like, don't leave people behind!"

"Yeah!" Kurt chimed in. "We never give up on each other!"

"I would gladly risk my life in search of a fellow comrade!" Peter said.

With that the three of them turned and started making their way deeper in the forest, more quietly this time. Rouge sighed and went off after them. It wasn't long till they found something. It looked like the ground had been scooped up and made a hole big enough for a few people, with a large tarp covering it. They quieted down when they heard people talking in it. They each did their best to stay quiet. Kitty phased through anything she touched (save for the ground), Peter turned into his human form, Rouge just stayed behind, and Kurt stayed in the trees.

They soon found that someone was watching TV in the hole. Whoever was watching was watching some info-mercials. The TV salesperson was talking about an investment in some sort of workout machine. Kurt almost gasped when he saw who was watching.

"Who's watching it?" Kitty whispered.

"You wouldn't believe if I told you!" he answered in a hushed voice. He turned his attention back to the creature watching TV. It was weird to say the least. It had blue fur like him, but instead of normal legs he had a horse's body. He also had two stalk things coming out of the top of his head with an eye on the end of each. They looked like they could have spun around and see him. Luckily for him, they were all focused on the TV. He seemed fascinated by it.

Peter wanted to know who was watching it. His curiosity finally got the best of him. He took a step forward and stepped on a twig. Kurt saw one of the eyes swerve toward him. FUCK! he thought.

"Time to go, guys!" he said as he dropped down to their level. He grabbed Kitty and Peter's arms and wrapped his tail around Rouge. The centaur creature emerged from the 'scoop' just long enough for Kurt to get a better look at him. He had no mouth and a weird looking slit nose. He also appeared to have too many fingers. But the most startling feature was the tail: a large curved tail like a scorpion's and a wickedly curved blade at the end. It looked like it could do major damage. Kurt didn't give it a chance to see any more of them and in a puff of smoke they were gone.

They reappeared back at the vans. The Professor and Logan looked shocked to say the least.

"There's something in the woods!" Kurt told them.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"Some sort of centaur thing!" Kitty said.

"Never have I seen such a creature, Professor," Peter put in.

"Hm, we need to recall everyone," Xavier said to Logan.

He nodded. "Calling all X-Men and New Recruits," he said into a communicator, "the Professor wants you all to come back. Nightcrawler's team found something strange and potentially dangerous."

After receiving confirmation they all turned tail and hurried back.

"What is it, Professor?" Ororo asked when her team (which was the last) got back.

"Nightcrawler's team saw something," he explained. "Kurt, would you like to tell us what it was?"

"Sure," he answered. "I'm not one-hundred percent on what it was, but I'll do my best to explain." He turned to the crowd. "It looked like some sort of blue centaur-"

"Like you, Wild-Blue-Yonder boy?" Tabitha asked from the crowd, earning her a few glares. "What?"

"Actually, a lot like me," Kurt said. "But it had no mouth, two stalk things out of the top of its head with eyes on them, way too many fingers, and a strange scorpion tail thing. It looked dangerous, so next time we go out there, we need to be caref-"

"Wait one damn minute!" Rouge yelled from the crowd, causing heads to turn. "We're goin' back?! Why can't ya'll just accept she's dead?!"

"We will keep searching until we have confirmation that she's dead," Xavier said.

"What if that... that thing killed her?" she asked glaring intensely at them, waiting for someone to back her up.

"We don't know that for sure, Rouge," Ororo said.

"Besides," Kurt added, "how would you like it if you were alive and lost in the woods waiting for us to find you, and we just assumed you were dead and went on with our lives?"

That question shut her up, but didn't lessen her glare's intensity.

"Yes, thank you, Kurt," Xavier said. "But we cannot rule out the possibility of her death just yet. This creature is probably another rouge mutant. If so, we must talk to it, see what it is."

All the students groaned and started complaining about the time. By then the sun had almost completely submerged in the horizon. The full moon that night would provide little light, but they were getting tired.

"But not tonight," Xavier assured them. "You have all worked hard. Tomorrow at dawn we will begin again. For now, let's head back and get some rest. You start school on Tuesday because of a faculty meeting to inform the teachers about you new students."

They all got back in their respective rides and headed back, their heads filled with worry. Some agreed with Rouge that Rahne was dead, but most of them, like Storm, wanted confirmation of it.

Others, like Kurt's team (not including Rouge), believe that Rahne's alive somewhere, in pain, in need of help. They would stop at nothing to find and help her. Nothing would stop them, not even the Professor...

***

The steak they had that night was heavenly. Rahne absolutely loved it! But she knew she couldn't stay. The others were probably looking for her. She thought the Professor would've located her through Cerebro by now. Maybe she was unconscious when he tried. It only locates people when they are having conscious thought.

No matter. She couldn't stay. That much she knew. But first she had to know what this meeting was all about. Her leave could wait till then. This could be important. Something told her these Yeerks weren't cuddly little kittens.

After dinner she and Cassie went to the barn. They stayed and waited in the barn for these "others" to come. While they waited, Rahne watched Cassie feed and care for the animals. The way she handled them made Rahne like her even more, the way she was gentle but stern when caring for them, making sure they got what they needed. The animals seemed to be calm with her caring for them.

After a while the others came.

The first was a short guy. Like, seriously short with a bad haircut and sarcastic eyes. He wore blue jeans and a red T-shirt. He looked like he was ready to crack a joke on the first person he saw. This, according to Cassie, was Marco.

"Yo, wha's up tree-hugger?" he asked when he came in.

"Not much, crybaby," she replied.

He laughed. They had obviously been through this before, so the insults bounced harmlessly off the other. Then Marco spotted Rahne.

"Where'd you get the dog?" he asked.

Rahne growled at him. She didn't like being called a dog. It was demeaning! In her mind there was a big difference between wolves and dogs. Wolves were smarter and more civilized than those goofy, giddy, stupid dogs!

"She's a wolf," Cassie corrected him. "She popped in this morning with a broken leg and a gashed side. That's why I couldn't make it to the mall this morning. And she doesn't like being called a dog."

"Pu-lease!" he said. "She probably doesn't even know what we're saying! I'm gonna keep calling her a dog, so she can just bite me!"

Bad choice of words, idiot!Rahne thought. She decided to give him what he asked for, and bit him in the classic area: the ass! Not hard enough to cause major damage, but enough to get her point across.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!" he yelled. "Get this dog off me!" Rahne bit harder. "OOOOUUUUCH!!! Ok, ok! Wolf! Sorry, wolf!!" With that Rahne let go. She limped back over to Cassie, who was laughing her skull out.

"Told ya," she managed to say through gasping for breath.

"That's no normal wolf!" he said, grasping his ass in pain. "That's a fucking demon wolf!" Rahne glanced at him and snarled, making him wince. "Sorry!" Cassie started laughing again.

That's when the next person came: a tall blonde girl with icy blue eyes and perfect make-up and perfect curves. Had Rahne not already liked Cassie, she might've fallen for this girl. But Rahne still found her attractive, she just liked Cassie more. The girl was wearing a blue tank top and tight blue jeans. She looked like a fashion model. Cassie was too busy laughing to tell me who this girl was.

"Aww, what happened?" the girl asked seeing Marco. "Did da wittle cwybaby get hurt?" She mocked Marco like a pro! "You cry about everything, you know that Marco?"

"SHUT-UP, RACHEL!" he yelled, still holding his sore ass. "That damned wolf bit my ass!"

So that's her name! Rahne thought as she growled at him again, causing him to back up a bit more.

Cassie started to calm down. As she caught her breath, she bent down to pat Rahne's head. Rahne stopped her growling but kept her eyes on Marco. Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"You know," she said, "I think I like this wolf! She doesn't like Marco either!" She walked over to pat Rahne's head as well. I could get used to this! she thought. Just then, she heard something fluttering, like birds wings, then something that made her jump: a voice in her head.

Hey guys, it said, what's up?

At first she thought it was the Professor, but it 'sounded' like it was coming from the rafters of the barn. It also 'sounded' nothing like the Professor. The others obviously 'heard' it and acted like it was normal.

"Not much, Tobias," Rachel answered the 'voice'-Tobias. "This wolf bit Marco's ass, so we're rewarding her!"

"Hey!" came Marco's reply.

Um, o-kay, the mind-voice Rachel called "Tobias" said. Rahne looked up and saw a bird, a Red-Tailed Hawk to be exact. It was perched up in the rafters like it belonged there.

Cassie must've seen her staring, because she introduced them. "Wolfy, that's Tobias. Tobias, Wolfy." Rahne turned her attention to Cassie. Wolfy?Rahne thought. What am I, a household pet? The others were just as curious as Rahne, because they too stared. "What?" she asked. "Let's see you come up with a name!"

I didn't say anything! Tobias protested. Oh, by the way, Jake is on his way. He should be here soon. And Ax should be here shortly after. How does he know that? Rahne asked herself. And who's Ax? There's no way... oh yeah. His eyes! She remembered that hawks have eyesight ten times better than humans. Now that she was paying attention, she could hear his footsteps about twenty-feet away.

Then they all went back to their business. Marco took a seat on a hay-bale far away from Rahne; Rachel took a seat closer to Rahne and took out a history book, complaining about homework on a three day weekend; Tobias went back to watching the window (Rahne guessed he was basically their watchdog); and Cassie went back to the other animals. Rahne stood there looking from one to the other. She had seen a lot in her time at the Institute, but never had she seen talking birds before. This had to be the weirdest group (besides hers) that she ever saw.

Rahne heard the doors open again and heard Jake walk in. "Hey, guys," he said. They answered indifferently, not really paying attention. He smirked and as he walked over to see Cassie (much to Rahne's dismay), and he "accidentally" knocked Marco to the ground on his way(much to Rahne's joy). Everyone cracked up, except Marco of course. He winced as he fell on his already sore ass.

Jake stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Rahne. "I thought she was hurt," he said with confusion clear in his voice. "You fixed her?"

"Um, yeah," Cassie said nervously, being careful not to let anything slip. "One of the stitches got loose and I had to fix it. She's better now!"

"Yeah," Marco interjected. "Good enough to bite my ass!"

Jake laughed. "Cassie, your skill never ceases to amaze me!" They all started laughing again.

Then Rahne heard it, the clopping of hooves outside coming toward them.

Tobias saw "it" too, and said, Ax is coming. Man, he's in a hurry! No one's following him, but he's running like he's being chased by Visser Three!

They all stopped laughing and watched the door. Then, "it" burst through. It was blue, like Kurt, but it had no mouth. And its legs were replaced with the body of a horse. Its arms were kinda thin, and it had too many fingers (this is all you get in terms of descriptions!). Rahne couldn't believe what she was seeing. They all raised their eyebrows.

"Yo, Ax-man," Marco said, "what's the rush?"

I have been seen! it said with the same 'voice' as Tobias, with a slight difference, but Rahne couldn't place it. A blue creature and three humans saw me and then vanished in a puff of smoke!

Rahne perked her ears up. "Blue creature?" she thought. That sounds like Kurt! I knew it, they are looking for me!

"Did you see what they looked like?" Jake asked.

No, the creature… Ax… said. I thought I recognized the creature's voice, but I have never seen a creature like it before. It had a tail and very few fingers, although its tail did not look as deadly as mine. It looked more like it was for grabbing things like a monkey's tail. One human was a large male, and the other two were female, but I didn't see their faces long enough to recognize them. I believe one female had a strand of white in her hair, but I'm not sure.

Rahne was overjoyed. Even Rouge had gone to help search for her! They must really miss her. But knowing them, they probably forced her to come. But still, that Rouge actually came instead of draining them counts for something! Her thoughts were interrupted when Jake said what he said next:

"We have to find them! They're probably Yeerk spies!"

Rahne couldn't believe what she was hearing! She didn't know who these Yeerks were, but they must be pretty bad guys for this to be their reaction! Rahne had to find out who they were, so she could assure these people her friends weren't Yeerks...

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again. It startled her. She thought since they were already discussing a battle plan they were all there. She was also startled by the fact that she wasn't getting a new scent. She turned to see who it was and, expecting Mystique with her advanced powers, was startled even more. It was some sort of dog thing with a hologram shimmering around it. Her eyes could always see through holograms, even Kurt's and Mr. McCoy's.

It looked like a big metallic dog on its hind legs. It definitely was not alive. She could still see the hologram, but just as a shimmering image. It looked at her and the hologram smiled, which probably meant the robot was smiling internally. It looked up at the others, the smile fading into a serious face.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," it said. "A bunch of vans with X's on them were heading back down the road and were taking up all the lanes. It was crazy!"

Rahne perked. Then she got an idea. If they were close enough maybe...

Professor, she mentally called to the Professor. Can you hear me? It took a few moments, but she got an answer.

Yes Rahne, I can hear you, he replied.

Listen, can you track me? she asked.

Yes, why?

I want you to come here at midnight, I'll try to be out by then. And can you try to be discreet?

We'll try Rahne. Don't worry.

Rahne felt relieved. Her original plan was to leave and wander aimlessly till she found the hotel, but now they were coming. Now all she had to do was listen to these guys and then leave.

***

Eric finally arrived. Just in time, too. The Animorphs almost got caught up in battle plans to remember why they were there. Eric had said he had important information for them. He said it might tip the balance in the war with the Yeerks.

"Its okay, Eric," Jake said. "We were just discussing something. You have some info for us?"

"Yeah," Eric said. "A mansion is being built on the edge of town. It's huge! But the Yeerks scanned it but there was some sort of electromagnetic interference around it. What they do know is that the security is very advanced."

"Really?" Jake asked. "Whoever these guys are, they could help us. Are you sure you don't know who lives there?"

"Well, I was put in charge of watching it. I saw a few kids walking around in the construction area. Weird thing is, one pushed something on his wrist and changed!"

"Into what?" Rachel asked.

"Some sort of blue monkey. It had three fingers on its hands and a weird tail."

I just saw such a creature! Ax said. It was spying on me!

"Wait," Cassie said. "When you say 'change,' do you mean 'morph?'?"

"No," Eric said. "I mean like a hologram switching off."

"Hm," Jake said, pondering. "This can't be a coincidence. We have to see if we can establish contact. But first, we need to know who lives there. I guess we'll have to wait till it's finished."

"Are we done here?" Marco asked impatiently. "I got tons of homework! That's what you get for having a teacher as your step-mom! What a way to spend a three day weekend!"

"Wait a sec," Rachel said. "You never do homework!"

"So?" he asked. "I still have it."

"You're unbelievable!" she said.

"And you're a b-!" he began.

"O-kay!" Cassie interjected before Rachel could rip Marco's throat out. "If that's everything then I'll be seeing you. I'm off to bed. It's getting late. Come on Wolfy," she said as she, with the wolf beside her, walked off.

The others said their good-bys, Rachel and Marco trying not to kill each other (and failing).

***

When they got to Cassie's room, Rahne was bushed (I like this word). She was glad to slip in a few hours of sleep. But she set her internal clock to wake a little before midnight.

When she was asleep she dreamt of the day's events: fighting the bear. Being slammed against the tree. The pain. Then it all went away when Cassie found her. Her dark hair, her beautiful eyes, her slender body, her…

She awoke abruptly. Her clock told her it was time to go. She looked around. She couldn't walk out the front door. She decided to climb out the window. She would just have to be careful when landing. She transformed into her human form. In the process she destroyed the splint. She stepped toward the window and stopped. To get to the window she would have to pass Cassie's bed. But it didn't look like she was waking any time soon. It looked like she was having a nightmare.

She tossed and turned, muttering. Rahne stepped forward to her. She looked down at the dark beauty as she tossed. Rahne then succumbed to her emotions and kissed her forehead. It worked! Cassie settled a little, but continued muttering. Rahne smiled and kissed her cheek. Now Cassie was completely still, and muttered less. Rahne, after working up the courage, kissed her squarely on the lips. Now Cassie was completely still and quiet. After a few seconds, Cassie unconsciously kissed back.

Rahne was in total bliss. Unfortunately, she had to break the kiss. She looked down at the now peaceful Cassie and smiled. She looked out the window and saw the Professor's car pull up.

She walked over to the window and pulled it open. She climbed through and took one last look at her dark skinned savior, and jumped. All those sessions in the danger room had made her good at landing on her feet.

She started down to the waiting car, and stopped to take one final look at the home of her savior. Then she turned and got into the car with the Professor beside her and Logan driving.

"Hey, kid," he said. "Have fun?"

"Mr. Logan, if you don't mind, I've had a long day and would like to sleep in my overcrowded hotel room," Rahne replied.

"Don't worry, Rahne," Xavier said. "Tomorrow the mansion will be finished and it'll just be you and Jubilee." (Jubilee is Rahne's roommate).

"Thanks, Professor," she said. Logan started the car and left. Rahne's mind wandered to Cassie. She wondered if she'll be at her school, and if they'll have any classes together.

She put those thoughts away for the moment. She had enough to think about. It certainly had been a weird meeting of sorts… and it was just getting started!

Well, I'm proud of myself. If you don't like it, well screw you and get out. If you did like it, review and tell me.

Any reviews are welcome. Suggestions, compliments, insults, confessions of true love, and uncontrollable lust are all welcome.

Current pairs: Tabitha/Amara, Kitty/Kurt, Rahne/Cassie, others will come to me. Can you guess which is the main one to the story line? If you can't, you obviously didn't read it!