I sniffed the air again. Grass, dirt, wind, coyotes, deer shit, and just a hint of the runt. I growled. My body had demanded I come, but my mind was fighting my instincts for once. I had trusted them since before I could remember, but there was no rhyme or reason for Logan and I to both be here. I was across the fucking continent for Christ sake. Then it had hit me, an unnatural ache to come here to the middle of BFE Kentucky. I had never felt stirred in such a way, and fuck if I didn't answer it's sweet calling.

I had ditched the car miles back in a small town, but my body pushed forward. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, hell couldn't even remember the urge to kill. I just had to get here for some ungodly reason. Growling, I went to all fours diving through the trees and brush. It was some nature reserve, no humans around, but I'd be damned if runt got there before I did.

Not that I knew where 'there' was, but apparently it was important. I cut through barreling down a hill covering myself in brambles and weeds. Landing on all fours, I sniffed again. There was a unfamiliar scent now, a undercurrent of an unknown variable. I shivered, at first in anticipation, then it was altogether uncomfortable. I stepped quietly, closing in on the intruder. My eyes carefully picking apart the surroundings coming to land on Logan standing only feet from me.

He stood on two legs, brown eyes wide with shock watching me. He grimaced, running his hand through his thick unruly hair. "What did you do now?" he growled. Three admantitum claws extending from his other hand. I sniffed the air and grinned, he was as uncomfortable as I was.

"Ain't me." I shrugged, my fangs picking up the rays of sunshine peeking through the trees above. It would have been a nice place to camp if not for this unwelcome rush and the runt.

"Then-" whatever he was saying was interrupted as a blur barreled over his shoulder. I smelled his blood and realized this was the variable as it knocked me to the ground. I dug my claws into the small body and rolled in frustration trying to untangle it from my neck. I growled and slammed myself into the ground and it whipped around my back, but its sharp ass teeth found a place in my throat. For any other creature it would have been a killing blow, but my mutantion allowed me to regenerate and heal myself without a seconds thought. It was only a killing blow for this unknown assailant because as soon as I got my hands wrapped around it, it was dead.

"Creed!" Logan snapped, kneeling where he had stood. It did nothing to take my attention off getting this little shit off my back. "Victor!" I looked up then, it wasn't often he'd used my given name since we'd fallen out. The moment's hesitation made the teeth stop digging, just holding my jugular in a bite that I knew would chomp down at any moment. I also realized another thing in that moment, it was small. I had my claws dug into delicate bones, the body on my back barely covered my shoulders. "It's a kid man! A kid!" he screamed breaking my thoughts.

I growled, "Kid or not, its trying to kill me!" I sniffed the air and under the wild, under the dirt, under the blood of old kills, there was a hint of a female child. "Good God it's a girl!" I spat with disgust. A fucking girl had dropped the great Sabretooth and what was worse, in front of the damn runt!

He took a step forward and a low growl eminated from the mouth latched to my neck. I growled in warning and I felt tiny claws extend into my shoulders. "Get her off." I whispered, instantly still. He went to move again and she dug her claws in deeper. "Don't move." I realized she wasn't letting him near, whether she was thinking I was her kill or trying to threaten him I wasn't sure. I took a deep breath and pulled my claws from her, carefully laying my arms to the side. She lessened her claws, but her teeth didn't budge. I purred low, a soothing gesture for the animal side, hoping to appeal to it. She stiffened across my shoulders, but I continued, giving Logan a warning glance. She couldn't kill me, but it wasn't fucking comfortable.

"How'd she get here?" he whispered. My eyes darted to his, narrowing.

"How the hell would I know?" I said softly, continuing the low purr. She lessened her teeth just a bit. "Just knew I needed to get out here." I finally revealed. He nodded, his eyes were saucers, never moving from the kid on my back. "Take couple steps back, real slow runt." He eyes darted to mine, debating it. I arched an eyebrow and smiled, "Seems its my neck on the line." Even if my voice was deep and gravelly I was keeping it real low so as not to frighten her anymore. Little shit had gotten the drop on us. I laughed softly and she seemed to relax just a little more, her teeth backing off just that much more.

"I gotta get hold of Prof', let him know what we found." I grunted. "What?" he gave me a questioning look. "He might know how to get her off you."

I purred, "Once I get her off, I'm gonna cut her into tiny little pieces and I don't give a damn what you do." She relaxed just a fragment more, and I realized she couldn't understand a word we were saying. I laughed again, "Kitten, here, has been here awhile."

He knelt down again, "I can't tell she's feral?"

I sniffed, "She's covered in the smell of this place, but trust me this is a kitten."

He sighed, "She's covered in dirt, man. Her parents probably dropped her when they realized what she was." I growled involuntarily and the little heathen snapped her teeth back again. Quickly I was purring.

"Bastards." I muttered. I knew what it was like to be hated, to be feared, to be denied those who were supposed to love you the most. And deep down I knew I wanted nothing to do with this, I wanted to be deep in my woods in Canada, I wanted away from her and away from her now.

"We can't kill her, Creed." Logan growled. "We can't just leave her either." I shrugged, bouncing the little bundle that had planted herself on my shoulder. I raised up on all fours, still purring. She didn't flinch so I took a step testing her. I heard her little heart take off and her breath catch, but she never moved.

I grinned at the runt and took off. I heard the thicket crumbling beneath his feet as he followed me. She didn't move, but flattened herself to me. I ducked a few branches and found what I was looking for. Not giving her time to realize it, I ducked into the creek. Thankfully it was warm with the spring heat and deep enough to duck under. She released her grip, and I turned catching her before she could dart away. Coming up, I held her small body to me and her little claws in the same hand.

She couldn't be very old, she wasn't even as tall as my chest. I floated in the water, carefully splashing her, purring to her. She was covered in filth. Logan sat at the bank, watching.

"She's probably never seen a human before." he muttered, his eyes glued to the bundle in my arms. "You can't kill her, don't you think she's had it hard enough?" I felt blood trickle down my shoulder.

"She's a survivor Logan." I purred carefully, then ducked with her small body to wet her mass of hair. My claws carefully pried cakes of mud from her skin and I was hesitant to touch the hair, it was a tangled matte. "She's killed humans before, their scents are still on her."

"Her parents?" he questioned.

I shrugged, "Doesn't have any of her scent, but its hard to smell her too. She's too covered in woods." I felt a strange stirring in my bones. I had killed thousands in my life, men, women, children. I had raped hundreds, hell I'd even feasted on frails, but I had never bathed a frail. Kid or no, it was disturbing, but she was a survivor. No matter how tiny she looked, she was a born killer. I had most of the dirt off at this point. Her naked body was a pale white, no scratches, no mars. Her tiny hands fascinated me, they were indeed tiny, still chubby with youth. They were calloused over in places true, but the fascination was with the sharp tiny catlike claws that were extended in warning. They looked like you could see through them in the light, a red vein going partially up, thin, sharp, deadly. She wasn't covered in fur as I was, but I was sure this was a kitten.

Logan perched at the bank sat back against a log, "She's watching me, she's letting you bathe her, but watching me like you do." he observed.

I laughed, "What like prey?"

He grinned, "Nah, more like she thinks I'm gonna be the one to jump her." I gave him a curious glance, but I knew somewhere along the way I'd decided not to kill the little cat. I didn't know what to do with her, but killing was out. Her instincts must have told her, but to trust me over him? That was a new one.

I flipped her around to see her filthy face. She had closed her eyes, tilting her little head back for a clear view of her throat. I grunted my approval, and reached handfuls of water with my hand to wash the filth.

It was blood and dirt and once removed I saw tiny delicate imp like features. "How old you think she is?" I asked aloud.

"Four, mebbe five." Logan grunted. I traced a finger across her eye and she opened them. I felt my heart stop as I looked into the truest green I'd ever witnessed. They were cat eyes, the pupils in slits, but the green was beautiful. Other than blood and death, I'd never described anything as beautiful, but damn if they weren't. Her eyes were bright like the sun hitting the grass just right, but infused with green even the Amazons would have had competition matching. I purred and she watched me. I arched a brow, and she leaned forward to nuzzle her nose into my chest. A low purr came from the tiny chest and I knew this child needed me.

A/N: Sabretooth image is a beautiful piece of work provided by DKuang. All copyright belongs to Marvel and credit to DKuang. Check out DKuang dkuang .deviantart (Everyone knows how the website screws up addresses so go to deviantart and type his name in if nothing else). Not only does he have X-Men, but he has many Superhero characters. Tell him I sent you ;)