They traveled a few more days, keeping due east, sleeping in the trees. Logan watched Guiana with worry, for her skin was taking on a slightly gray tinge, and she became quieter as they moved on. Even the forest seem quieter; they passed few animals now in their travels, and these seemed gaunt and sickly, as if they were ill with disease. One night, he saw her staring into the darkness, his own night-vision keen enough to make out her form. The forest around them had been utterly silent, as it usually was when she was angered or disturbed, but this time, the silence seemed to stem from fear, an expectant terror that reminded him of a small animal that was trying to make itself smaller, hoping that the predator that was sniffing it out wouldn't see it. Even Logan could feel the dread in his bones, he could almost smell the fear around him, and he waiting, the back of his hands itching, his claws getting ready to burst forth against a threat he couldn't see or smell, but feel.

Only after a while did he realize that she was performing that silent communion with the forest, empathy that needed no words. She was speaking to things that she didn't entirely trust, or understand. After a time, Guiana took in a deep shuddering breath, like someone who is bearing up under pain will do, and shook herself once. Slowly, the forest resumed its familiar noises, but the sense of dread was still there.

"What have you done, Guiana?" Logan asked softly.

"Something I will not be able to undo," she replied just as quietly. "But, if they have listened, even the Unseen Ones will come to help us. We will have to hope that they will not turn upon us. But we need all the help we can."

"What for?" Logan growled, his hands itching again. "I can take Sabretooth on, no problem."

She merely looked at him in the darkness, her eyes glinting dully in the night. "You'll see," she said simply. And that was all.

They kept up the pace the next day, but it wasn't long before she halted and held up a three-fingered hand to stop Logan from going further. He wouldn't have needed the caution actually - he could smell the reason they had stopped; the tang in the back of his throat of metal and cloth, the harsh acrid scent of ash and unwashed bodies, and a smell he knew all too well, which brought a feral snarl to his face, and his hands itched maddeningly. Sabretooth - the area reeked of Sabretooth.

"We need to see what is going on," Logan growled.

Guiana nodded, and her eyes took on a faraway look, her head tilting to the side. She turned to him, but it seemed as if she was looking through him, and took his head in both of her hands, bringing her face to his.

For a fleeting instant, he thought she was going to kiss him, and he wasn't sure how to react. Then, her forehead touched his and he was seeing -

(through the eyes of the lemur, everything was in shades of gray, and it leaped to the edge of the clearing, fear and curiosity blending together. The light was blinding; it wasn't used to seeing the sun, but there it was, blazing high in the sky. The clearing was scorched earth, no plant life had survived, and whatever plant or vine that did try to creep into the space was rewarded with a touch from the short Two-Legged that walked the perimeter. His touch was fire, and burned everything black and dead. There were strange crouching metal things about, and bulbs laced through the trees that didn't look good to eat. The lemur knew that they poured light out as bright as the sun above at night, but wasn't sure how it knew.

The space was big - too big for the lemur's brain to comprehend, and a great gaping hole had been torn into the earth, which gaunt Two-Legs scrambled in and out of, staggering under the weight of baskets full of earth, which they sifted for lumps of something that shone in the sun. The lemur didn't understand this, but the fear that lurked in the back of its mind suddenly became too much to bear, but that was probably because of the strange smell - It never saw the Two-Legged coming. It was faster than the jaguar or monkey eagle. Suddenly it was there, with huge teeth and frightening eyes, grinning, its paws curled into grasping claws. The lemur shrieked and tried to scramble away, but the thing that smelled like a cat, but wasn't, had it by the throat, and was swinging it toward the trunk of a tree. A flash of pain in its skull, then nothing - )

Logan gasped, his body rigid as he felt the monkey's death. It had paid for its glimpse of the camp with its life, and a seething rage began to surge through Logan's veins. It had known the face of the man who had killed the lemur. Oh, yeah, he sure did.

"It's a camp," he murmured. "They have generators. We'll have to wipe those out first. It will give the Indians a chance to get out of there, and us a chance to attack. If - "

He stopped talking, for Guiana was much grayer than she had been before, and her eyes were filmed over with tears, which she was blinking back. He realized, a bit guiltily, that she was still feeling the lemur's pain and death, which was probably hitting her a lot harder than it did him. Death for food was one thing, death just for the sake of killing was something entirely different. And that was Sabretooth's specialty.

He put an arm around Guiana's trembling shoulders, feeling a bit awkward, but it was the only thing he could think of doing. "We'll wait until nightfall, okay? Then it will be all over, Guiana, I promise you."

She nodded silently, and folded her arms around her body, leaning against the trunk of the tree they crouched in. Gently, she spoke to it in a language he didn't understand, and the boughs and vines, began to bend inward and weave their branches together, the vines interlacing like the warp of cloth, forming a small sleeping platform for them.

"Sleep, Logan," she said quietly, curling herself up into a ball. "Tonight, I will see them out of my home, or I will not see the morning."

"Don't talk like that," he replied sharply, but he realized she was already out. He watched her for a moment. Pain had been etching canyons into her face the closer they got to this place. It was obviously very hard for her to be here. This would have to be fast. He couldn't stand seeing her in pain. (you idiot, you fell in love AGAIN, didn't you, you stupid canucklehead?)

Either way, this had to be quick, and once it was done, he had another idea. An idea to keep her safe for a little while. Maybe not forever, but a little while at least.

Logan leaned up against the trunk of the tree, and ran a finger over the knuckles of his hand. This time, he was making sure Sabretooth didn't get up again.

She awoke in the middle of the night, not looking completely refreshed, but a bit better. She had a hard gleam in her eye, and she spoke gently to the vines about her, then broke off a piece of it and carried it in her hand. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he knew that she did, and that was all that mattered.

"The forest is with us," she said softly. "The forest - and other things."

Again, he didn't think of asking about that. His concern was Sabretooth. He smelled the air - rain was coming. That might keep the pyro under control for a little while, and once the generators were down, the Arakawa could get out of the way.

"Go for the generators - the circular metal things on the ground," Logan said. "There are lights in the perimeter. If you can get to those, take them out too. Sabretooth is mine, though. When it comes down, I want you out of the way, all right?"

She looked at him, and he saw concern flicker through her eyes. "I'm not leaving you, Logan."

"Don't argue with me," he growled. "There isn't any time for that. I know what I'm doin'."

She opened her mouth for a retort, and he stared at her. They locked gazes for a while (she's as stubborn as I am) but the screams were what finally got their attention on matters at hand.

Her eyes flashed, and the tree limbs about them trembled slightly, but Guiana got herself under control and crept forward on all fours. Silently, they moved toward the clearing.

Light blazed into Logan's eyes. After so many days in near darkness, it hurt. He blinked tears away, and looked out into the floodlit area. A worker was writhing on the ground, and a half circle of starved workers stood around watching, but unable and unwilling to help.

Sabretooth stood over the whimpering man on the ground, a sneer on his lips. Even this far away, his voice carried. "You puke! I keep telling you worthless scumbags that the gold ain't for you, and you keep trying to steal it." He kicked the man again, lifting him into the air like a football, the man screamed again - probably from broken ribs - and landed harshly on the ground. As angry as Sabretooth seemed, he also seemed to be enjoying it. Actually, Logan knew he was enjoying it, and his own rage was surging so high that red was starting to creep into his vision.

"One more example, one less worker," Sabretooth snarled, picking the gasping man off the ground by the throat. By the hoarse gasps he was making, Logan knew he was starting to choke. Sabretooth's teeth gleamed in the floodlights. "One more time, you losers. This is what happens when you piss me off."

Logan could hear a low growl coming from Guiana's throat, and she clutched the piece of vine tighter, her nostrils flared, eyes narrowing. Logan had an idea of what she was planning to do, and looked over at her, then nodded once, and prepared to spring.

Her arms snapped back, then forward, whipping the piece of vine into the midst of the circle, then she barked out what sounded a command. With stunning rapidity, the piece of plant took root at Sabretooth's feet, then began to grow with a vengeance, wrapping around his legs and thighs savagely. In shock, Sabretooth dropped his victim to the ground, and the circle of men backed up, calling out in surprise and fear.

Almost at the same moment, the trees began shaking, trembling from the canopy to the roots. Cables from the floodlights began snapping, sparks flying into the rooftops and thankfully landing, live and hissing, on the already scorched ground. Vines snaked out with incredible speed around the cables, ripping them apart, crackling and frying from the electricity, but where one vine disintegrated into ashes, others moved in and took over where those had left off.

One of the men turned, and Guiana stood tall on the limb of the tree, in full view, her head back and eyes flashing with the sputtering light of the floods. He pointed and cried out a name, and all turned and called. With one hand, she beckoned to them, and they began to run.

In a fury, Sabretooth ripped at the vines that were restraining him, tearing with his claws even as the tendrils sought to hold him down. From a tent off to the right, a short, lean man with scarred cheeks and red eyes came running out of a nearby tent into the chaos, then froze for a moment in shock.

"Don't just stand there, Blaze, you idiot," Sabretooth roared. "She's back! Fry her! Fry everything!"

The man named Blaze nodded, and turned to the trees, raised his arm -