She really wasn’t hungry anymore, but she forced herself to sit down and eat. She would keel over from hunger if she didn’t nourish her body. Darkness around her made her shiver, but she was sure Wolverine wouldn’t let anything to happen to her. Maybe it was naïve to trust so openly to it, but the wolf had had several occasions to abandon her, or kill her by itself, and it had done neither. Instead it had protected her, even when its own life was at stake.
After she had eaten she packed their camp and led horses and the mule to the path. It was time to move on. Wolverine, or Logan, which ever of those two would be at charge, would find her eventually. Right now there was absolutely no reason to linger any longer. Road was clear and safe again. Maybe they could even turn back and return to Claude’s place once Logan gained back control of his body from Wolverine.
Something flew from the thicket surrounding the path, and landed in front of her with a loud clatter, startling the mule and horses. With great effort she managed to calm them down before they ran away, and went to investigate the dark lump on the ground.
It was some sort of piece of armor. Thick metal plate, skillfully grafted. And right in the middle of it there was a lump of softer metal. Silver. The bullet she had shot Brother Jeremiah with. Plate was caked with blood and other unmentionable substances, and covered with deep gouges and scratches, as well as teeth marks. It was most likely all that was left of Brother Jeremiah, and Wolverine had brought it to her as a sign of victory. Alpha of the pack proving its superiority. She guided animals around it, nodding her reluctant approval to the dark figure that stood waiting in the bushes.
She was relieved that Wolverine understood to stay away from the horses and the mule. She wouldn’t be able to hold them if they got scared enough, and scent and sight of Wolverine would drive them out of their small minds, there was no doubt about it. They were already nervous as it was, wolf creeping along their trail.
She hadn’t gotten far when she came upon a problem. There was a small village ahead. She could see lights shining through the woods. She couldn’t very well just walk through it. Wolverine was following her trail, and she couldn’t lead it to all those unsuspecting people. It would be a sheer carnage. She had no doubts about wolf’s nature. She may be an exception it was ready and willing to make, but it would gladly slaughter rest of the world just because it could do it. She decided to stop for the rest of the night. They could pass the village together during the day, when Logan was closer to the surface than the wolf.
**You didn’t like it.** She sat up. Wolverine was standing next to her, large head bowed, almost fidgeting.
“It’s not… I’m sure he got what he deserved. Just don’t expect me to be happy about it and gloat with you,” she said. Wolverine tilted its head and crouched next to her.
**Why? He was going to kill you, too. We were smarter and stronger. Isn’t that a good reason to feel pride?**
“No.”
**No?** Wolverine looked very confused. She reached with her hand and scratched its ear.
“It’s different with humans. We get sad when one of us dies. We can be little happy, if it were a bad person that died, but mostly we’re sad,” she tried to explain. Wolverine snorted.
**That’s stupid. I’ll never understand… But he’s taken care of now. He can’t hurt us anymore…**
“Are you alright?” Marie asked, rubbing Wolverine’s ear for good measure, since the wolf seemed to enjoy it. It whined softly and lowered its head carefully to her lap and curled its massive frame around her.
**I will be…**
**You like him.**
“Logan? Yes. I like him a lot.”
**Soon you’ll have cubs.**
“It’s… We haven’t really talked about it.” It felt weird, to discuss with Wolverine like this.
**Small cubs running around… I’ll teach them to hunt.**
“Isn’t that the job for their father?” Marie asked. Wolverine reached its paw and cradled her cheek with it, eyes blazing in the moonlight.
**I’ll be as much their father as the man is. I’ll be as much your mate as the man is. If everything goes well, and he’ll have a long life, eventually we’ll merge completely.**
**You didn’t know?** Wolverine rumbled surprised. She had stood up and backed away from it.
“No. I didn’t. Was… Is this all some sort of scheme to take over Logan completely? Because if it is, I swear I will pump him full of cure before the next full moon, and before every full moon after that!” Marie hissed.
**It’s not like that. I won’t take over. He won’t take over. We… Bond. Become one. It happens very rarely. Only few survive long enough.**
“I wonder why…” Marie spat.
“And give me one good reason why I should let it happen?”
**It’s the way things should be. No half-animal, half-man, but one whole creature born from both worlds.**
She didn’t know what to think about Wolverine’s revelation. Did Logan know about it? About what was going to happen eventually? She had told Wolverine that she needed to be alone for a while. Wolf had understood her need and left, probably to finish its meal before sun rose and man would emerge once again.
Was it even possible to combine two so different beings? Logan came from light and sun, his only goal to eradicate creatures that threatened humanity. Wolverine was the darkness, a thing lurking in the shadows, keeping men and women like Logan constantly alert. Would the bonding destroy both of them? Or would it make them stronger, more stable?
She couldn’t help wondering would the bonding affect Logan’s appearance. They hadn’t known each other very long, and big part of her affection towards him came from his rugged, yet handsome and honest outer appearance. She had fallen in love with his hazel eyes and that wild tangle of dark hair. Would they be gone for good after bonding? Being replaced with yellow eyes of a beast and sharp, elongated canines?
In the end it would be Logan’s decision, but she felt like she had something to say over the matter, too. After all, she had promised to be his wife.
“How can he not know? He has spent almost his whole life hunting those things. It’s in his head, for crying out loud… He has to know! And yet he said nothing!” She suddenly realized. So when Logan staggered from the bushes, still little shaken and dazed from his transformation, she didn’t welcome him with open arms. She turned her back instead, telling him to get dressed, because they needed to talk.
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