The Wolf's Marine

Leo

It's to no one's surprise that Storm is leading Mark through the forest to where she estimates the pack house to be.

With every step they get closer and closer to the danger that awaits them. Each step leaving a strong scent trail for the six rogues following them to track.

Every rustle of leaves has Mark whirling around, ready to shoot. Storm can't help but smile at the way Mark is ready for everything.

"Watch your head." She warns him after she bonks her head on a low branch she didn't see. Mark chuckles and ducks his head, "Did it knock some sense into you?"

"Sense? What's that?" Storm laughs back. This playful banter makes Mark remember the old days. The days when he and Storm were the bestest of friends.

Remembering the old days also makes him remember how he used to feel. And oh how he enjoyed those feelings.

"I used to love you a lot."

"What?"

"I used to love you with a love that wouldn't die. Looking at you now I can't believe I said goodbye."

"Quoting Johnny Cash is a charming way of a love confession Mark, but now is not the time for a love confession. Besides, I'm happily dating a guy."

"It would only take a minute to turn back the clock. I remember how good it was back then, it's not too late to start again. We could spend a night together and take up where we left off."

Anger bubbles in Storm's chest. How dare he! He knows she is dating someone and yet he still persists!

"Mark, I'm going to stop you right there," Storm turns around with anger practically boiling out of her ears, "I am happily dating Wilder. Had this been back in high school I would be over the moon but it's not then and it will never be then again. Nothing you do or say will make me leave Wilder. Do you understand?" Storm demands.

As the two have their stupid spat, the six rogues have gained on them and finally have them surrounded.

"Yes, yes. I know, you'll shove your boot so far up my ass my grandchildren will feel it." Mark raises his hands in mock surrender. "If you know that then why did you continue?!"

"I like pissing you off." He counters with a smirk, totally playing off the love confession he should've done years ago. "Yeah, well I-" Storm stops when she sees eyes in the trees.

"I'm sorry, are we interrupting?" The wolf Storm spotted asks. "Yes." She snaps back, swinging her gun up to shoot.

She doesn't have a chance to fire because a rogue in human form has just slit the wolf's throat with nothing but his bare hands.

The human rogue moves like lightning, going from rogue to rogue slitting their throats. Finally the human rogue is done and goes to move the skin back over his hands. (Think like a hood of skin or a flap.)

"They didn't like my food."

"Obviously."

"But you did and that's why I won't kill you. Besides Dewey, I couldn't kill you even if I wanted to."

"Leo, you're lucky I'm not over there kicking your ass." Storm's hands go to her mouth, Leo? That's impossible, he died years ago.

"Leo?"

"The one and only!"

"How? You died in the IED..." Realization dawns on her, "but they never found your body. Oh Leo, I'm so happy your alive!" Storm runs to the rogue slayer and gives him a bone crushing hug.

"I'm happy to see you too!" He pulls away from the hug to look at her. "I wasn't positive if it was you back in the rogue lair until you talked about killing your parents." Behind them Mark loudly gasps.

"That was a good use of a World War Two fact. Now is this the hired help that killed your dog?" Leo glares at Mark. "Yes." Mark foolishly answers.

In a flash Leo is behind Mark with his claws about to slit his throat. "Stop! Let him go Leo, I forgave him." Leo grumbles something about that being stupid and lets Mark go.

Mark's hand goes to his neck and rubs it. He's clearly thankfully there's not an extra air hole in it.

With his would be prey released, Leo goes to move the skin back over his hands.

"Why do you do that?" Storm asks, examining Leo more closely. This is not the same man she served with. This one looks totally different from the one she once knew. And there's the whole hand skin thing too.

"I'm a skinwalker. I skinned this rogue and have been wearing his skin since. I can peel his hand skin back so I can slit throats. Otherwise I can't peel anything else off or I lose the whole skin." Leo explains.

"That means the way you looked while serving was another man's skin?" Storm's mouth gapes in shock. Werewolves and fae are one thing, a skinwalker is a whole other story.

"Yes, my true form would not get me anywhere in the human world." Storm sucks in some air and runs a hand through her tangled hair. This is shocking news.

"None of that matters though. I'm still the Leo you knew even though I look different." He tries to calm down the shocked marine.

"I believe you."

Mark shoulders his shotgun and pulls the trigger. A lone rogue collapses with a few twitches.

"We need to get going Storm, the woods are crawling with these things."

"Alright, Leo are you with us?" Storm offers him her hand.

"Of course I am." He takes it with a great shake.

"Let's go then."

The trio moves through the forest as a well oiled machine, killing any rogue that has the misfortune of crossing their path. The more rogues they kill the more obvious it becomes that Lop can't do math. If 1/4 of their pack was 10, there should be 30 other rogues. There is definitely way more than that lurking out there.

Finally after many boring chapters, they've gotten to the pack house and its surrounding houses.

It's almost exactly as Lop planned. Houses are on fire and the rogues are slaughtering women and children in the street.

"Holy mother of God." Mark gasps at the sight of such a hell. Storm takes a deep breath and tries to keep the bile from rising up her throat. This is a disgusting sight and it's time to put an end to it.