Spread Your Wings And Fly (Makoto/Animal)

Laila Stone hung from a branch near the top of the tree. Her wings were wrapped tightly around her, trying to keep the cool in. It was a hot and humid day and the air smelled like rain, though Laila could not see if there were any clouds in the sky. Her ears could pick up a very faint low rumble coming from the east. She wrapped her wings around her even tighter. She debated looking around for shelter, but decided that she would do it later that evening. Daytime was her night.

Just as she had begun to fall asleep again, a few drops of water fell onto her wings. She sniffed the air again. The storm had come on very fast. Spreading her wings, she let go of the branch and glided down to the ground below, emitting soft sounds to make sure she didn't hit and branches. The rain began to sprinkle. She didn't know if that was all, but knew she had to find shelter soon. The summer storms were unpredictable.

As the rain picked up, Laila shielded herself with her wings, sending out vibrations to find some kind of shelter. After a few minutes of desperate looking, she came across a fallen log. It had fallen against another log, creating a small space sheltered from the elements. Laila quickly clambered into it. It was a tight fit with her wings, and not very comfortable, but it was dry. Thunder boomed across the sky, and Laila assumed that lightning flashed as well.

She tried to relax, and let her senses roam. She could hear the sounds of the humans running to gather their things and get out of the rain only about a mile from where she was. Further away the sounds of Bayville filled her ears. Cars, horns, splashing as people ran through puddles, doors opening and closing, people talking about the weather, sinks running, air conditioning running throughout the homes, kids laughing, someone singing, clicks as people typed on their computers, phone ringing; Laila began to become overwhelmed.

She clasped her hands around her ears to drown out the sound, and was jerked back to the forest. She was breathing hard. Her ears still rang with the echo of the noise. She shook her head to try and clear it. These "outings", as she called them, often left her breathless and shaking. She had been trying to experiment on how far she could go out without being overwhelmed. Three miles was her record so far. She had only gone about two miles that time.

Laila stuck her hand out of her little hole. No rain touched it, and she assumed that the rain had stopped. She unfolded herself out of the hole. It wasn't until she had finished trying to brush herself off that she realized someone was nearby.

Makoto enjoyed the rain. The cool water on his skin felt nice after being in the sun. He smiled softly to himself and began to sharpen the claws he copied from Shadow. Everything was going well until Makoto heard ripping. He had begun copying another power. He groaned as big black wings sprouted from his back and his feet grew an extra tow. He grew fangs and could suddenly hear extreemely well. He didn't go blind as Shadow's healing factor kept his eyes in good condition. He looked at the new mutationss curiously. "Am I a.....bat?" He asked curiously. He heard breathing from nearby and walked to where it was. He noticed the girl had wings like his so he assumed she must be the one he got the power from. "Are you ok?" He qsked the hiding girl.

Laila had heard a ripping sound, which was what had alerted her to the presence of another being. She had stiffened, ready to take flight when her vibrations had reported the oddest thing. Immediately upon hearing the sound, vibrations had automatically been sent out to discover what it came from. Those vibrations reported boy a little bit older than herself, with rapidly growing wings, exactly like hers. New vibrations were sent out to gather more information, but when they returned they reported that the boy now had ears and fangs, and something seemed different about his feet as well, though her vibes could not identify what it was through his shoes. It was as if her mutation had suddenly become his.

"Am I a.....bat?" she heard. Obviously the boy was just as bewildered as she. She was still there, shocked at this new discovery when the boy discovered her. "Are you ok?" She heard him ask.

It took her a few moments to answer him. What did he mean by "ok"? Obviously, it didn't mean normal, as she was far from it. She wasn't hurt, or didn't think she'd given any indication of being injured, so that wasn't it. It wasn't inquiring about her sanity either. Did he mean her reaction to what had just happened? How he had suddenly adapted her mutation?

"Um... I don't really know." she said honestly. She had no idea how she was supposed to answer his question. Then again, it could just be something to start a conversation. Perhaps she was over-thinking the whole thing; she had been without human contact for a while now, and had almost forgotten how to converse. She hesitantly stepped towards him.

"How did you do that?" she asked. "You aren't that way; you aren't like me. How are you like me now?" she asked, rephrasing her question to make him understand. Re-thinking about what she had said, she regretted it. She might have, in fact, just confused him more. Great going, Laila. You meet someone who doesn't call 9-1-1 the moment they see you and instantly screw everything up by dissecting what they say and then replying confusingly. Can you scream "I'm an outcast!" any louder?! She thought.

Blushing a bit, she lowered her head, her long hair falling over her shoulders to shield her face. "Sorry. I, uh, haven't spoken to, uh, anyone in, um... a while..." she said softly.

((OOC: Sorry for the long posts. It's a habit. Please don't feel like you have to match them.))

Makoto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well......I automatically copy the powers of any person who is nearby, wether I want to or not." he said a little embarrassed. "It's fine. I can understand. People don't like mutants like us. Your probably afraid to go near them." he say down next to her and looked at her eyes. "I'm Makoto by the way. Is it ok to ask your name?" He hit over a dead tree with his wings and cringed. "Oops......" Makoto facepalmed and looked away. "I'm not used to having wings.....claws maybe but not wings...."

Laila felt the vibrations coming from him as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well......I automatically copy the powers of any person who is nearby, wether I want to or not." he said, seeming embarrassed about this. Laila, on the other hand, thought it was the coolest thing. To have a new mutant power every time you came close to a mutant? You'd be able to try everything, and yet not have the burden of always living with it. It sounded like a miracle. She thought. Like something out of a dream.

"It's fine. I can understand. People don't like mutants like us. Your probably afraid to go near them." he said. Laila nodded her head. "People don't, don't like me. My...foster....parents thought I was amazing, and I think they might have adopted me but...my powers surfaced, and these grew it," she said, gesturing to her wings, "and then suddenly I was some kind of circus freak. They were going to send me to a lab..." she said, her voice trailing off.

She stiffened a little when he sat down next to her. It was the bat inside of her. She wasn't used to having someone this close to her. She made herself relax though, not wanting the guy to think that she didn't want any company. She could feel him looking at her, and tried to make her eyes focus on him. However, her eyes could never focus, and they stared unseeing, completely unfocused. She hoped it didn't creep him out. That's usually what it did to most people.

"I'm Makoto by the way. Is it ok to ask your name?" he said, and then promptly bumped into a tree with his wings. "Oops......" he said, face palming himself. Laila giggled softly, a small smile on her face. "I'm not used to having wings.....claws maybe but not wings...." he said, looking away.

"It's ok. You should have seen me; I had newly formed wings, and I was blind. At least you're not. But they will take some time to get used too..." she said. "I'm Laila." she added as a quick after thought.

Christopher had been jogging through the park when it began raining. He had smelled it coming, but was surprised at how quickly and suddenly it caught up with him. The rain didn't bother him too much, and he actually enjoyed the summer shower a bit. The only thing he didn't like about it was how it screwed with his sense of smell. It was so hard to track any scents in the rain. If he found himself in the rain while in his wolf form, he would also have to deal with the wet dog smell... which had a way of sticking with him even after transforming back to human. The only thing that ever fixed it was a nice soapy shower.

As it were, the rain wasn't much of an issue, as Christopher was in his human form, and was not trying to track any scents. Instead he was simply working out his human body, feeling it had been neglected recently in pursuit of training his other forms. He wore his x-men uniform, though few would know. When in training, he wore nothing but a simple black leotard, with the x-men symbol stitched onto the left side of his hip. When in public, or situations where he didn't need to quickly transform, he wore a pair of thin black pants, made of a somewhat stretchy and breathable material over them. It was the perfect workout outfit, and his x-men leotard looked like an under-armour muscle shirt. The pants were a lot like pajamas or lounge pants, and so it was also perfect for just relaxing around the institute. After all, wearing only his leotard when he was remaining in human form, left Animal feeling a little exposed.

when the rain stopped, and the moisture slowly left the air, Christopher picked up a strange new scent in the park. Another one soon joined it, and Christopher was forced to stop mid jog. It's not like it was a completely uncommon smell... it reminded him very much of his own scent. The scent was human, with something noticeably wild about it. Almost like a human and animal smell together. He had met other shapeshifters at the institute, and even two teens who bore permanent signs of animal heraldry... this was very similar to how they smelled. The only difference was that the wild scent that accompanied the human one was strange, and Animal had never encountered it before. Additionally, the human scent was very faint in the first scent, but much more powerful in the second. Needless to say Animal was hit with a bit of confusion and curiosity.

The scent was faint, but since the park was nearly deserted after the quick rain, he could likely follow it in his human form. It wasn't long before he came upon a strange site. Two teenagers, both clearly mutants, who seemed as if they were half bat or something. Christopher was a little surprised, but the shock and awe factor wasn't too great. He had seen a few mutants whose powers left them permanently twisted into a human-animal mix. These two seemed to have been hiding under a fallen log to escape the rain.

"What are you two doing out here? Are you brother and sister?" he asked kindly, offering his hand to help either of them stand and come out from under the log. "You guys probably shouldn't be here," he warned, "Not all humans are bad, but some of them are pretty scared of mutants... you guys kind of stick out a bit... and I don't think you wanna cause a panic, right?" He laughed sincerely, hoping that his own kind demeanor would keep these two from fearing him. he wasn't sure about the boy... he was the one who smelled more human, but the girl seemed a bit scared. Not fear like humans think of it... but a wild sort of fear that Animal himself had experienced when viewing the human world. He guessed that she wasn't used to being around people.

"My name's Christopher, but you can call me Chris. Do you need any help?" he asked the both of them, even though his eyes were focused on the girl.

((A little long, but I think this is my first thread with eithe rof you, so thought I should describe Animal's outfit lol))

Makoto looked at the newcomer and frowned. "Xman.......I recognize the scent." He folded his wings and looked at animal. "The humans know not to attack me. The last time they did well.....lets just say half the mall is gone." He said a little coldly. "They shot my friend so they deserved it." He turned back to Layla and smiled at her. "I was run out of town when my powers surface so I understand." He turned back to animal and crossed his arms over his chest. "Makoto....." he said replying to the man.

Laila heard the newcomer coming through the woods before her vibrations picked him up. She tensed, her wings poised and ready to take off. This man felt like a human, but his scent was a little off. Still, it could be something that he had eaten, or a cologne of some kind. As he came closer, she became more tense. Only Makoto being there stopped her from taking off. It would be rude to suddenly fly off; even she knew that.

The man's vibrations changed, his heart beat quickening, but it soon slowed down. It seemed the man was only startled, but not afraid or frightened. "What are you two doing out here? Are you brother and sister?" the man asked kindly, offering his hand. Laila was about to take it, as the man didn't seem harmful, when Makoto spoke. "Xman.......I recognize the scent." he said, not sounding too happy. In fact, Laila noticed as new vibrations reached her, he was frowning. Laila gasped quietly. An X-Men member? Here? And then, judging by the sound of Makoto's voice, he must be...Brotherhood? Laila was shocked. A member from each team? With her? What if they both asked her to join them? She really hoped that didn't happen.

"You guys probably shouldn't be here,"the man warned, "Not all humans are bad, but some of them are pretty scared of mutants... you guys kind of stick out a bit... and I don't think you wanna cause a panic, right?" He laughed, a friendly, kind laugh.

Makoto didn't seem to think it was funny. "The humans know not to attack me. The last time they did well.....lets just say half the mall is gone." Makoto said frostily. "They shot my friend so they deserved it." At this, Laila's suspicion that he was Brotherhood was confirmed. There was no doubting it. Makoto was Brotherhood, this man was X-Men, and she...what was she? Then Makoto's words really registered. His friend was shot? By the humans? She suddenly wished that she could see, truly see, so that she could really know what Makoto looked like. She couldn't see expressions, and she felt at a loss of things to say or do. How do you reply to that?

Makoto turned to her and smiled, "I was run out of town when my powers surface so I understand." he said in sympathy. Then he turned back to the man and folded his arms.


"My name's Christopher, but you can call me Chris. Do you need any help?" the man--Chris--said. She knew he had to be addressing both of them, but she felt like he was just asking her. Maybe it was because she could feel his eyes on her. "Makoto....." Makoto said. "Laila." She said quietly, uttering her first words spoken since Chris had come in. There had been a number of times during the conversation between the two that she had wanted to speak, but she had kept to herself, not wanting to draw attention. She figured the less attention she drew, the less likely she was to be asked to join a certain team.

She didn't know how to respond to his question. Did she need help? To be honest, she really did. She was living in the forest for goodness sakes! But then, if she accepted his offer of help, would she be offending Makoto because he and Chris were on different sides. Would he accuse her of somehow betraying her or only talking to him because she hadn't known he was Brotherhood. She didn't want to ruin their acquaintance. And yet, she didn't want to be rude to Chris either by refusing. Instead, she stayed silent, her body relaxing a bit. However, she did take Chris's hand, and pulled her self up. "And Makoto and I aren't related. In fact, we just met a few minutes ago. He took on my mutation upon meeting me." she said softly, her voice quiet and subdued.

It turned out that the two weren't related, and that the boy, Makoto, had only been mirroring Laila's mutation. Unfortunately, the boy seemed to already have a grudge against Christopher based on his position among the X-men. No doubt he sided with the Brotherhood. Chris didn't know the boy, and wasn't willing to judge him just yet. Being Brotherhood however, Animal knew he had to be careful, since temper tended to be a frequent problem with their members. When Makoto mentioned destroying half a mall, Animal's jaw tightened reflexively. It seemed the boy had been dealt a tough hand, and it was no surprise Magneto's twisted world view had appealed to him.

The three of them stood somewhat awkwardly now, and Animal scratched the back of his neck a little nervously. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend. But keep in mind a scared animal can be quite vicious if it thinks its in danger... and we're all just animals," he said plainly. He didn't want to dwell on the topic too long, as this was neither the time or place to get into a gang war.

"Mutant or not I wasn't wanted from birth, and I was tossed away. Bad shit happens, but it makes you stronger," he said with a shrug, hoping to at least diminish Makoto's hate. "And what about you Laila? What's your story?" he asked.

Makoto sighed and relaxed. "No doubt you think I'm evil. But I owe no allegiance to Magneto. I don't want a mutant world. I just want to be left alone." he smiled a little and looked at both. "Sorry about my reaction at first. I just had a bad experience with one of your other members. If wolverine hadn't shown up he probably would have killed both me and Akachi." he looked over christopher studying him. "Your powers are animal based no doubt. A little bit like Layla's" he said remembering the kind neko he had met. Makoto leaned back against a tree and looked between the two of them. "So enough about me. Why are you two around here? Chris you can blend in here but Laila....well your out here in the open, it's dangerous."

The air became a little tense, and also a bit awkward. No one seemed to talk for a few moments. Laila felt like glancing back and forth between the two guys, but held herself still. She waited for someone to speak.

"No doubt you think I'm evil. But I owe no allegiance to Magneto. I don't want a mutant world. I just want to be left alone." Makoto said, smiling a little. He looked at them both and continued. "Sorry about my reaction at first. I just had a bad experience with one of your other members. If wolverine hadn't shown uphe probably would have killed both me and Akachi." Laila could feel the tension in the air dissipate as Makoto relaxed.

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend. But keep in mind a scared animal can be quite vicious if it thinks its in danger... and we're all just animals," Chis said. Laila couldn't help but comment. "Some of us more than others." she said bitterly, her wings stretching out.

"Mutant or not I wasn't wanted from birth, and I was tossed away. Bad shit happens, but it makes you stronger," Chris said. "Your powers are animal based no doubt. A little bit like Layla's" Makoto said to Chris. At that Laila jerked her head up. She sent out vibes again, but felt no animal traits. What did Makoto mean?

"So enough about me. Why are you two around here? Chris you can blend in here but Laila....well your out here in the open, it's dangerous." Makoto said, around the same time that Chris spoke as well. "And what about you Laila? What's your story?" he asked.

Laila suddenly felt like deer in headlights. She hated being in the spotlight, but she knew it would be rude to ignore both guys. "I have no where else to go." She said, answering Makoto's question. "And I keep out of sight. I keep away from the humans. No one's spotted me yet." Laila said. Then she paused for a moment before answering Chris's question.

"Well, it's not very happy." she said at last. "But not one of the worst. My parents were killed in a fire when I was a year old. This was before my physical mutations started to grow in. I was tossed from one orphanage to the next because I kept trying to run away. I then became a foster child, going from one family to the next every couple months. When I was 13 one family was really nice. I thought they might adopt me, but when my two years with them were up, well, I went on. The next couple I came to really did want to adopt me. However, it was then that my physical mutations formed. My ears started to become pointed and thin, my fangs grew in, and then my wings. They were the last straw. The couple called every doctor they could, to try and see if there was some operation to "fix me"." She had to stop for a moment, her voice breaking on those last two words. The couple's betrayal still hurt deeply. She took a breath, then went on. "I heard them talking about me being sent to a laboratory, or to an experimental institute. That's when I ran away. I came here, to Bayville. Now I just live in the woods, or in an abandoned shack, when I can find one." Laila said.

She let her hair fall in front of her face, shielding it. She wiped at her eyes madly, trying to erase the tears that had started to fall. She'd been gone from that family for a couple months now, but every time she thought of them she felt a deep pain. She'd let herself believe that the couple would be able to look past her differences, and then she had paid the price. She forced herself to stop crying, and wrapped her wings around her. She lifted up her head, sending out vibrations to try and gauge the two guys reactions. She hoped that she hadn't scared them off with her crying.