Breakdown Logan had been living with the Squaws for just under a year now. They were kind people though some of the men in the tribe hadn’t taken to him and often tried to show him up at things that, Logan found, came to him as second nature. The tribe’s elders had accepted him when he brought them a fine buck he had killed on his own and many of the women accepted him even quicker. There was a certain young woman he found quite attractive but she was betrothed to another. She had silky black hair that fell down her back and her eyes were the color of the bluest ocean. Her name was Silver Fox. Luckily enough, she had also been his translator. She knew a bit of both languages because the white women that resided close by had taken her away to try and domesticate her, but she had fled and returned to her people. The man who she was betrothed to was one of the better hunters and providers the tribe had to offer. He was reasonably handsome, better looking that Logan, and the elders approved of him avidly. Logan was no match for him, but still he couldn’t keep his eyes to himself when Silver Fox was around. Today, Logan had decided to help the women with their chores. The men often teased him about it but the women were quite grateful and gave him more food than the others, come dinnertime. He was busy tanning hides because winter was on its way and there were ten new pairs of pants and seven new pairs of moccasins to make. The deer hide was tough and giving Logan a hard time when someone rode into view with an injured man on his horse. The wounded man was White River, Silver Fox’s betrothed. He seemed to have been mauled by a bear of some sort. Broken Arrow, one of the tribe’s elders, came out of the teepee and told Silver Fox that her husband-to-be was dead. When the girl had returned from mourning on her own, she came to Logan. “This is for that injun you killed last week, but now I got’s a new task for you to do.” A gruff, fat old man threw a pouch of coins towards Creed out in the yard. Creed opened the bag, not sure if it was the right amount, but definite that it was gold. “Who?” Creed threw the money onto his porch and continued to chop wood. “An’ injun girl, her name is Silver Fox. She speaks English and is usually in town, she won’t be hard to spot cuz she’s the only one who comes into town.” The obese man mounted his chestnut horse with a horrible wheeze of exhaustion. “How much?” Creed stopped to wipe his brow. “A hundred.” The large man turned his horse around. “Gold?” “Silver, it’s a woman.” He began to leave. “What’s with you an’ injuns?” Creed hollered after him. “No o’ your concern!” “I want to marry you.” Silver Fox whispered into Logan’s ear as she passed him to put corn away. “Are we allowed?” Logan grinned and whispered back. “Why not?” She smiled back at him. “Silver Fox?” One of the men who hated Logan called to her in her mother tongue, assuming Logan couldn’t understand, but one learns a lot in a year. “There’s a man in town who I think had something to do with White River’s death. His name is Creed.” “Creed?” Logan stood up in surprise. The other man looked at him in disgust and left. “If Creed really is in town, I have to go see him.” Logan began to leave the tent. “Who is this Creed, Little Wolverine?” She held him back using his name given to him by the tribe. “A friend.” There was a knock on the door. Creed growled roughly and shook the sleep from his body. He swung open the door to find Logan hauling a large blanket of fur. He was decked out in feathers and deer hide, a regular Indian wannabe. “I thought you were dead.” Creed muttered, simply not amused at Logan’s appearance on his doorstep. “I thought you were dead too!” Logan shoved the blanket at the taller man. It was man of bear fur, he noticed. “What’s this?” Creed wrinkled his nose. “A gift, for when winter comes.” Logan looked around the cabin Creed had built with his own hands. It was bare of anything except a table, a chair, utensils to eat with, a kettle and the chalk board, cloth, and chalk. “Oh. Thanks, get out.” Creed dumped it in the corner where he had been sleeping. “Is this all you have?” Logan asked a bit worried. “It’s all I need.” Creed growled. Logan turned at his cold attitude and wondered what happened to the man he had known. “I’ve been living with the Squaw, they’re nice, but some of the men don’t like me.” “I been living here and killin’ people.” Creed replied without emotion. “So you did kill White River?” Logan gulped. “Sure. I got another one ta kill too, not that it’s yer business.” Creed began to shoo Logan out of his cabin. “Those are my friends!” Logan spun around in anger. “And this is me caring!” He yelled with ferocity that Logan had never heard before. “What happened to you?” He whispered. “I don’t care anymore.” Creed spelled it out for the boy. “Now get out!” He shoved him out the door and slammed it. “He’s changed.” Logan told her in the solitude of the empty teepee. “I’m sorry he isn’t the same Logan, but you don’t need him anymore, you have people here.” Logan had told Silver Fox about his trekking, and how he had nearly gone insane from the seclusion. “But, I saved him…and he doesn’t seem to have any gratitude. That blanket I gave him? He threw it on the floor and kicked me out.” Logan sighed. “It will be okay, he might just be going through a bad time right now.” “He said he had to kill another from our tribe.” His head popped up from where it was laying in his arms. “Who?” She asked in earnest. “I don’t know.” “Creed? You in there? I need ta talk ta you!” Logan pounded on the door urgently. No one was answering his calls. “Dammit Creed! Where are you?” “Whaddya want?” Creed sneered behind him. Logan spun around in surprise. “Who are you gonna kill?” “None o’ yer business.” Creed replied defensively. “Don’t give me that! It’s all my business.” Logan faced the Lion Man down. “Don’t matter, they’re already offed, now get offa my property ‘fore I rip yer head off like yer old man.” “Bastard! Tell me, what’s happened to you?” Logan tried as a last resort. “Everywhere I go…” Creed started. “I get chained up or accused o’ something, or treated like CRAP!” He began to foam at the mouth. “I’ve had ENOUGH! I don’t care anymore, I just don’t give a DAMN!” Logan only stood there and started at him, desperate to try and console his friend and make things better. Fortunately he knew better than to touch the man when he was angry. “Who’d you kill?” He asked instead. “Some bitch named Silver Fox.” Creed replied civilly and went to enter his house. Logan continued to stand there for a moment, letting the information to sink in. A tear rolled down is cheek when it did. “You killed my love.” Logan closed his eyes as he whispered this. He knew Creed would pick up the words with his hearing. “You were in love with a Squaw?” Creed turned and peered over his shoulder. “I WAS IN LOVE WITH HER!” Logan dove at Creed and because of the unexpectedness of the attack, bowled the bigger man over and into a tree. “I don’t wanna hurt you Logan.” Creed tried to pacify, but he *was* willing to murder the boy. “I’ll kill you! You son of a bitch!” Logan plunged his right shoulder into Creed’s side as he began to get up. Creed fell to the ground again. “Now ya’s gone an’ done it, boy! You’ve pisses me off!” Creed returned the fight and headbutted Logan down the hill from the cabin. “Don’t call me ‘boy’!” Logan retaliated by digging his teeth into flesh. Creed howled and threw the boy towards a near-by cliff. It wasn’t that tall but it was one helluva fall. That would teach the runt for pissing him off. The two friends exchanged blows to the head and midsection, but Creed was winning by far, not because of his claws and fangs and inhuman strength, but because he had much more experience with fighting. He had more experience with drawing blood, he had more experience with hate and anger and rage, he had more experience with the desire to KILL and to HURT and to bring PAIN. Logan fell over the edge of the cliff but got tangled in the loose tree roots. He was alive because he had a foot attached to his body, but Creed was looking to sever it now. Logan felt the sting of Creed’s claws, once more digging into his flesh, this time on purpose. The boy wriggled out of the grasp of the trees so he could keep his foot but when he felt the fear of falling head first to his death, he grabbed for anything that would help him, unfortunately, he found Creed. The Lion Man struggled to get Logan off his arm and lost his grip on the tree he held on to. Now both combatants were falling. The moment of impact left the two lifeless at the bottom of the cliff, neither moved. “Little Wolverine? Are you awake?” Silver Fox smiled at him. “You’re alive?” He gasped but it hurt like hell, he had landed on his head and it had screwed up his neck and vocal cords. He couldn’t move very well. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” She hugged him gently. They were alone in the teepee. “Creed was gonna kill you.” Logan gripped her close to him. “Where is Creed? Did you leave him there?” “Who? There wasn’t anyone else but you.” She said confused. Logan blinked. If Creed wasn’t there, it meant he was alive, and that he had the opportunity to kill Logan then and there but hadn’t…perhaps as a last ditch attempt to say thank you? Logan didn’t care, he wasn’t alone, he wasn’t unhappy, he was alive, that’s all that mattered to him. And wherever Creed had gone, Logan was sure he’d have left town by now, it was nowhere near his soon-to-be bride. END |