Survival of the Fittest

To Survive!

Summary

  In the morning, a boy named Tommy Jarman enters his father's barn to look for his dog before he heads off to school. Inside the barn, he discovers Wolverine, semi-conscious, lying on the ground with a large piece of cloth wrapped around his mid-section. Logan tries to get up, but is in too much pain. He tries to ask Tommy for water, but the kid runs out in fear, and Logan blacks out.

  Moments later, Logan regains consciousness, and finds a plate of cookies and a glass of water next to him. Still in a lot of pain, he tries to recall what had happened to leave him in this painful condition, and remembers that Wendigo's claws had ripped him open.

  Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Wendigo is examining its damaged hand while trying to recall his past life, when he was still human and free from the Wendigo curse. He recalls a life of being a headmaster, who, while chopping wood, falls into an unknown cavern below, and the log he was chopping falls on him, the axe in his hand chopping off his hand's fingers. The rememberance of the pain reminds Wendigo of his enemy, Wolverine, and the pain he had inflicted.

  Back in the barn, three days later, Logan's wounds are slowly beginning to heal, though he's still in some pain. With some patience and time, Logan manages to obtain Tommy's trust. Tommy, who hasn't said a word about Logan to his family, had been taking care of Logan during the three days that he was unconscious. He asks Logan where he came from and how he got injured. Logan tells him a little bit about where he's from, and tells him that he had an encounter with a bear, which caused his injuries. They swap stories about their family, the boy telling Logan about his family, Logan telling the boy about his family, the X-Men, about the powers that his family have because they were mutants. Logan explains to the boy what a mutant is, and about how some people didn't like mutants, and these people couldn't see that both mutants and regular humans were the same, and in the end, everyone is "just a buncha animals ... doin' whatever it takes ... to survive".

  Back to the forest, where Wendigo is on the trail, looking for Logan, guided by Logan's scent. Once again, Wendigo has a flashback of what had happened in the cavern, how he was dying and starving, and needed sustanance in order to survive for just a few more days when he knew his brother was bound to show up and discover him there. His severed fingers laid nearby, covered by a piece of cloth.

  Back to the barn, where the boy brings in a kerosene heater to keep Logan warm during the cold nights. He asks Logan what he meant by doing anything to survive, such as killing, and Logan's reply was he used to in the past, but found a better way, and that the X-Men didn't believe in killing. Suddenly, it hits Logan that Wendigo would be coming back for him for revenge, and in the process, he might jeopardize Tommy's safety by being there. He leaves the boy a note later that evening and leaves, only to realize that his scent was all over the barn where he was and Wendigo was bound to go there first. He gets back just in time to save Tommy from Wendigo's fury. Psyching himself into believing that he's better than he gives himself credit for, even without the adamantium, since he's "a fighter who's cunning ... who thinks ... who sizes up his opponents an' figurse out th' best way t' defeat 'em!", he manages to take down Wendigo with what's at hand. He pours kerosene onto Wendigo's wounds in his face. In pain, Wendigo knocks over the kerosene heater, setting the barn on fire. Wendigo tries to attack Logan again, but Logan ignites the kerosene on Wendigo's face, setting Wendigo on fire, and Wendigo disappears into the night. Logan emerges from the barn with Tommy, alive but slightly unconscious, in his arms.