Hot damn. This story was all kinds of awesomeness. Loved the idea (Wolverine feeling that touch = betrayal even though Logan forgave Kayla). Loved the Logan dialogue, so true to him, even when he's being an ass. Loved how Marie was strong enough to get to the bottom of it instead of just rushing out in a melodramatic teenage huff. Loved how playful they were at the end.

Here is what I *did* not love. You are such a tease, ending there! And the fact that when I went rushing off to read everything else you've ever written, there was nothing there. C'mon...more more more!

Author's Response: lol. I\'m a reader not a writer of fanfic normally - but this bunny wouldn\'t leave me. This is the first one I\'ve written since I was 14, many eons ago...

Let me try this again. For italics, you do < (letter i) > before what you want italicized, and < / (letter i) > afterwards, but with no spaces, and an i where I have (letter i), of course.

Author's Response: Thank you very much! I know it seems simple...but then again, I\'m always the person who takes the hard way out.\r\n\r\n-Pepper :)

Wow, when I first saw the word count I was a little disappointed that it was going to be a short chapter, but you were right about it packing a punch! Very intriguing...I suspected Wolverine was on the loose, but there's definitely a lot of questions left to be answered. Like the previous reviewers said, the little details -- the way his weight dents the ground, the touching of his forehead to hers, makes this so potent. It's nice to see that Wolverine, although ruthless in his own way, is still connected to Marie -- not just out to screw any sweet young thing. And that she recognizes that connection, and craves it. Can't wait for more!

Author's Response: Thanks, doctorg :)

LOL at malfactor.

I agree with annie about the forums. Although, damn, if that happens I'll never get anything else done!

sahara -- what is WRBeta?

Time to "pay back" all the reviews I owe you! I had forgotten this prologue, rereading it gives me shivers. I love how you set the tone of the story with the language here. So many great lines, but of course I love these:
This is the story of how I took my wolf for my own.
Me with my wolf shivering under my hands.
This is what happened when I finally decided to shed my skin.

Author's Response: you don\'t owe me payback, i\'d have read \"the rogue,\" anyway. although i did really enjoy getting so many lovely reviews all at once... the prologue took a long time to get right because the tone of this is- well, i went for weird but romantic, which i hope it is- so i\'m glad to hear that all my hard work paid off.

Favorite line from this one:
The weight of her skin dragging like a swell-tide against her strength.

Author's Response: tell you a secret? that\'s one of my favourite lines too... hope that doesn\'t make me sound too egotistical... cheers for the review

Favorite line: She was back in the wildwood again, she realised disjointedly, the trees spider-boned with winter, the snow falling over her hair like damp, wet kisses against her skin.

The plot thickens! I recognize all the characters, I think, but is Mistress Gold an OC?

Author's Response: i was surprised so many people thought mistress gold was an OC. i\'ve read your next review so clearly you\'ve guessed she\'s not. i just wanted Good!Jean and Bad!Jean in the same fic and splitting them into two people seemed to best way to do it. hope you\'re enjoying it even with both sides of jean there...

LOL, I didn't mean reviews I "owed" you in exchange for the ones you left me...I'm just reading on my phone a lot lately, and when I have the laptop I end up writing on my story instead, so I try to keep a mental list of all the chapters I've read and haven't reviewed so I can "pay back" when I get a chance. Like now. :-D So hard to pick a favorite line from this one, I narrowed it down to a few:
A couple of steps back the way she’d come bringing her to a trail of blood and wolf prints which slithered through the snow.
Tracing his claws- so sharp- his shaggy coat luxurious beneath her fingers. The warmth of his belly, his chest calling to her. The shape of him like a puzzle she had to solve in the dark.

Author's Response: hey, thanks for the review and glad you\'re enjoying this. i gotta say, the bit in the woods was lots of fun to write (snow, wolf, maiden, UST, what\'s not to love about that set-up?) am blushing from your review, thanks and so glad you enjoyed it. hobbits away, hey!

Aw, the heartache! Stupid Logan. Favorite line:
She took in a tight, shuddering little breath, trying hard not to let the tears show. Logan stilling at the sound of it, his form rigid though he kept his back to her.

Author's Response: god bless him, he\'s not the sharpest sometimes... but we loves him anyway...

So, Gainsborough because of The Blue Boy?

Logan, Logan, Logan. Stop getting in the way of the Roganliciousness!

Favorite line:
She would rather have him yell at her than another’s words drifting like feathers against her ear.

Author's Response: yup, gainsborough because of the blue boy (though i didn\'t make it up; it\'s listed as one of nightcrawler\'s aliases on the marvel website. apparently in the bizarre adventures sehv the oracle calls kurt this every time they meet. it just sounded right, you know? besides, kurt is supposed to be an adventurer in this and it sounds like an adventurer\'s name... i think... ahem, thanks for the review.

Oh, snap!: Cool blue eyes came to rest on the girl. “Katherine Shadowskin, as I live and breath,” Emmalaine murmured. “I heard you’d hanged yourself, because of all you lost.”

Emma is one stone-cold bitch, pun intended. ;-) Very interesting development. And thanks for answering my stupid questions, I figured out T'Challa by googling once I realized it wasn't a name unique to your story like a lot of the others are!

Author's Response: no problem with answering the Qs, happy to do it. emma is one stone-cold bitch, as you so eloquently put it, but i love to just let her work. and yes, kitty will be kicking some serious ass.

Things are heating up! I love this part:
Some days he seemed unwilling to let her out of his sight, as if afraid she would be spirited away. Some days he seemed afraid to even touch her, as if somehow his hands would harm her by some unaccountable means.

Author's Response: i just wish i could get to the hot part, but there\'s a little bit more to go before i can let them get it on. glad you\'re enjoying them though.

Eek! Let's just ignore the whole feathers thing -- tell me you're not going to waste this lovely bath that lets them touch, right? Right? :-D

This was so sweet:

So when he pulled away from her she followed after him; When he tried to take back the hand she’d clasped she took it again. The beast in him gave a warning growl, confused by her actions; She made her own growl in answer, laying her forehead against his and held on until he finally stopped trying to get away.

Author's Response: don\'t worry, stray and logan will eventually get some peace- but not yet. and i like to think that stray and logan are getting closer in tiny steps rather than leaps and bounds, so the rest of your review really made me smile. cheers!