Last Battle (X-Men Fanfiction)

Opening Old Wounds

I strode down the hallway, keeping a close eye on my four pups. Poultice, Keen, and Echo had volunteered to accompany me. I didn't know what kind of help they'd be but right now I needed help from any kind.

Logan was with me too, I'm not really sure why. He probably had nothing else to do.

"Where are we going momma," asked Reed before I shuffled him forward.

"You'll see," I growled curtly, more curtly than I really meant. I just sighed and pushed them forward. "We're going to see the Professor."

Before they could ask any other questions I pushed myself into the Professor's classroom. My pups followed with Poultice, Keen, and Echo following. Logan did so although I was tempted at asking him to stay outside but I didn't.

"Starlight, what can I help you with," asked the Professor as he wheeled forward. He smiled at me before he looked at my pups, Keen, Poultice, and Echo, and then Logan. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

I sighed and looked at my pups. "They've all found out their mutant powers but I think they need to hear from you about restraint."

The Professor looked confused. "Restraint. I'm sorry but I'm not following."

"I don't understand," began Thyme with round eyes. "You told us that it was safe to use our powers here."

"It is," I growled through gritted teeth. "But it's not safe out there!" I motioned to the window with my claw and felt it extending in rage.

"But maybe if we showed them that we're not a threat," suggested Murk as her ears perked hopefully and Avery nodded in agreement.

"They won't listen," I spat as my fur began to bristle. "Humans never listen!"

"But how do you know that," pressed Echo as she joined in. She strode closer. "I mean I wasn't treated badly, just different like they wanted to make sure I was a few paces away from them."

"Echo you weren't around them enough. Wolves have died because of humans who hate them because they are mutants," I growled as my fur spiked along my back.

"Like who," asked Avery as he exchanged a glance with Thyme.

I looked over at Poultice, so much rage coursing through me that I no longer knew what I was saying. "Poultice's brother, Mirage!"

All eyes turned to Poultice and he shuffled his paws. He curled his lip a bit in anger and I suddenly realized what I had said. I took a step back and allowed my fur to lay back against my pelt.

"Poultice," pressed the Professor gently. "You may want to tell them."

Poultice looked up and Thyme took a step toward her friend. "What happened to your brother Poultice?"

Poultice lifted his head and tears glimmered in the corners of his eyes. I realized that he hadn't spoken of his brother's death since the day after it happened. This was just like picking at an old wound and then pouring alcohol on it.

"He was killed," Poultice murmured before he looked at me and strode toward me, his teeth bared. "But he wasn't killed by humans. He was killed by you!"

My pups gasped and their eyes rounded in shock. I looked back to Poultice and saw tears streaming down his face.

"You killed him. You delivered him the fatal blow that made the life ebb from his body," he spat as his body shook in rage.

"I didn't mean to-" I began but he cut me off and I really didn't have the strength or desire to try and get my authority back.

"He was my best friend. He was the only left I had of my family. My mother and father died and I only had him left. I loved him more than anything and you took him away from me."

"I told you I was sorry," I pointed out but I had just opened up a wound and it was festering. Nothing I said or did would cure this wound and I had added salt to the wound. This wasn't going to end well.

"Sorry won't bring him back!" He turned and stalked around a bit in circles. "No matter what you do you can't bring him back Starlight. I wish you could but you can't. You apologized then acted like everyday is alright. You went on and found a mate and pups. Where did that leave me?!"

I had never thought of it like that and my eyes flickered. "Poultice-"

"Every night I lay awake and I feel my brother beside me when I close my eyes. When I open them up he's gone. I'll never see him or hear him or feel him again. That breaks me since he was the only one who understood me. Now he's gone and it's all your fault and you act like humans are the enemy," he gasped as he struggled to breath.

"They are," Keen pointed out as he looked at his friend.

"Not my biggest enemy," Poultice murmured as he looked back to me with unforgivable eyes. "Right now I can't debate if my biggest enemy is someone in this room or me."

"Why would it be you," asked Avery as his tail tapped against the ground. "You didn't kill your brother."

Poultice shook his head. "I wasn't there to protect him like brothers should. Now he's dead and every day I have to live with the fact that when I wake up Mirage won't be right beside me. He never will. He'll never be able to take a mate or be a father or watch me experience those things and it burns me," he breathed although it seemed as though it burned his throat.

"Poultice I never meant to hurt you like this," I barked as I flicked my tail over my back.

"Then what did you mean to do," Poultice flashed as me as he lifted a paw and flicked a tear that threatened to drip onto the ground. "You killed him. What did you expect would come of it?"

I realized that my pups were looking at me in a new light. They shuffled away from me and more in Poultice's direction. Keen and Echo swamped forward and nudged them away from both of us. Logan kneeled beside the pups and stroked Avery between the ears. He seemed the most shaken up about that fact that his mother was a murder who killed Poultice's brother.

"I wasn't thinking when it happened," I confessed as I took a step toward Poultice but as soon as he noticed that I had taken a step forward he leaped backwards. "It all happened so quick."

"It will never be quick for me," Poultice told me as more tears dripped from his face to the ground. "When you first told me it felt like an eternity."

"Poultice why didn't you tell me this was how you were feeling," I asked but I felt I was clawing at strings. I would never be able to catch one. My questions were fishbrained but I just needed something to make it seem like I was the enemy in the room. However it didn't take a genius to know that I was.

"Tell you," repeated Poultice in such a hollow voice that it made my heart ache. "Tell you that every day I feel like my life is slipping through my paws or tell you how much you effected my life. I act like everything is alright but it's not!" He turned to look at the Professor with glazed over eyes. "I panic every time I hear anyone mention my brother. Bobby doesn't even know but at night I don't sleep. I lay awake and think what I could have done to save him. Maybe if I would have agreed to a game of Clue then he wouldn't have been captured by Stryker. He wouldn't have been wandering the hallways."

"Don't start that," growled Logan sternly as he grasped Avery's shoulders tightly.

"I know that almost everyone in this room has lost someone but I can't get over my brother like this," he sighed as he threw his wings upward. "I think everyday what would happen if he was here. Wolves make jokes about him. They say that he deserved dying and there's nothing I can say to change their minds."

"What do you want me to do to Poultice," I asked as my eyes narrowed to slits. "I'll do anything you want me to do! Just tell me!"

Poultice thrust his muzzle close to mine and his eyes hardened to show his strength. "I want you to bring my brother back."