Owner	Pose
Firestar	"Dammit Logan. Of all the times to be on a walkabout." Angelica mutters. Usually she stays low to the ground near the mansion, but she is scanning the whole grounds from elevation. From this distance it is clear she is upset and worried,"Of all the times Heather to go get lost the mountains. I mean, why wouldn't she do it when Alpha Flight is in Japan and out of reach?" She scans the grounds,"Logan knows those mountains, but I need a tracker. Jimmy where are you?" she whispers to herself.
Warpath	James knew that when he saw Angelica whip past him that something was up. But she was flying, so it would take him a bit to navigate through the obstacles to catch up. Yeah, he can run 100 miles per hour. But when things get in the way it makes him lag behind. Bonus, she's easy to track, and when she pauses to look around, that gives him the opportunity to move into a partial clearing and stare up at her. This is when he most regrets losing his ability to fly. Yes, he could leap up to her. But then what, leap-by-hello? Nope. He just waits with his arms crossed over his broad chest, watching her until she spots him.
Firestar	She pauses for a second, then looks down at the clearing. It is almost scary how fast she drops down. She stops just inches from him. Her words are hurried,"I need you. Can you fly one of the jets? Can we borrow one of the jets? Heather went into the Rockies and Alpha Flight is in Japan and none of them are answering and none of the kids know how to track. Logan knows those mountains intimately, but he is gone." Oh look, she took a breath.
Warpath	"Yes, and yes." James says with clear intent. There is the urgency in his voice as he turns on his heel and says, "Come on, let's go straight to the hangar. We can file the report in route." - as if there's paperwork and mission specifics that should be filed before launch. But there are situations where leaving immediately important.
Firestar	That answer, well how quick and in agreement with her needs surprises her. That went easier than expected. She falls in step with him as they head to the hanger. "Thank you." she says softly,"I will explain more when we're airborne and heading towards the Canadian Rockies." She is still fidgety, but she settles into the stride he sets even if it is a bit of a stretch for her. If he starts to get ahead of her she takes flight again, though just to stay close.
Warpath	It doesn't take them long to reach the x-hangar where they find several aircraft. Some full team worthy (Blackbird) others smaller and for smaller groups. He hops into the smaller version and starts the power up sequence. It's a side-by-side, 2 rows of four seats. He says, "I'm glad I can help... and I have a feeling that all of this is related to someone whose scent I tracked yesterday in the northern forest." then he states the name, "Scalphunter." - one of the Marauders. He gets the jet moving and airborne.
Firestar	She is quiet in thought until the plane takes off. Once they are airborne, she starts writing the log ,"Glad to have you." She takes a breath and exhales,"The kids say the Vindicator battle suit is missing so hopefully that means she has it in her." She considers what he says and admits,"I would feel better if it was Scalphunter honestly. The kids said that she found random, half eaten animal carcasses around the mountain perimeter. Strange footprints as well." She shudders a little bit and says,"There is a monster in those hills, something that allegedly can't die. Something that battled in a three way throw down with Logan and the Hulk. It walked away from the scrap more or less unscathed. They call it Wendigo. Some attribute it to the legend of the abominable snowman. Whatever, it is bigfoot on crack. If Vindicator ran afoul of that thing..."
Warpath	After hearing the accounts listed, James says, "Jean had us doing a preliminary search for what was defined as a Yeti. I picked up a feint scent when we were out. Unidentified scent. But never encountered anything of merit. Nothing that warranted the actual proof that there was a yeti or sasquatch. I would like to see it up close and personal." He sets the autopilot and pulls a keyboard to type in a mission report - submitting it to Cerebro.
Firestar	"This thing is a little different. I know two mutants that literally change into a sasquatch creature, but this thing is similar, but different. Mac Hudson saw it with Puck a few years ago." she begins. A sigh and she leans over to gently nudge his shoulder,"You're as bad as Spidey. Maybe I should introduce you to him. He would want blood, hair, saliva, and any other sort of evidence he could take from it."
Warpath	"I think Spidey has a point. You don't know how many times we've been led on wild duck chases by illusionists, mentalists, aliens, and even villains like Sinister who would want us to believe one thing - the whole while he's sent Madelyn Pryor to steal something in the mansion while dressed as Jean. And it's really hard to get a read on Jean lately too. She's been off since last year. And I can't even detail what went on. Mainly just a feeling that she's more emotional, less stable, as of late."
Firestar	"Probably right, but don't tell him I said that." she replies,"If Mac and Puck hadn't seen it, I wouldn't give it any thought. I trust them so here we go chasing across the sky to rescue someone who may be fine." A second or two passes before she says,"Something is messing with her mind. Not sure exactly what yet, but we shook it off the other night."
Warpath	"I trust in your fellow teammates. I think I've read that they're only jacked with by Nightmare and the Dream Queen. A Wendigo or Yeti... they're not nightmare material." He grins while setting back in the seat. "But I gotta agree with the Jean issues. I'm glad I'm not a telepath. So much up there that can go wrong."
Firestar	There is no denying how fidgety she is and she watches the skies trying to calm down,"I guess we will see what happens. We'll either find Heather fine and I will get static for being overly jumpy or we'll find something worth a scrap." "I don't know how she, Emma, or any other telepathy holds it together. Way too much going on all the time. I can't imagine suddenly getting a random blast of someone else's thought patterns."
Warpath	Reaching across the console, James will take her hand(s) and will gently grasp in an attempt to reassure and calm her fidgeting and nerves. He smiles, "Worrying about friends is acceptable. Heather will be fine and she'll be happy that you took action. As for Emma... She handles it because she compartmentalizes everything. It's a skill we should all have. Speaking of... I had my meeting with Emma." and he pauses there.
Firestar	Relief seems to wash over her when he takes her hand. She is still going to worry, but not as much,"I know she can handle herself, I just worry about that thing." His mention of meeting Emma gets her attention and she looks at him. Heather isn't forgotten, but Emma will always be an attention getter,"How did that go?"
Warpath	He retraces the history of the encounter first by saying, "The night before was when I caught Scalphunter's scent in the northern forest. I came back and was hungry, so started cooking. A former student named Alice Thompson showed up. She's not been a student for a few years. She was visiting and helping some of the students with a cosplay project. Alice's power is polymer manipulation. A lot like Madison Jeffries up in Alpha Flight. Anyway, she made mention that she was working at the Hellfire Club and had ties with Emma. The next morning, I got the notification about the meeting location - at the Hellfire Club. I made my way down into the city and met with her. I was under the impression that the meeting was going to be a reunion, catching up, getting to know one another again. I was wrong. I'd forgotten she isn't sentimental. Instead, she leapt into business mode and offered me a job as her personal assistant. I promptly turned her down. Not that I wanted to do something like that ever again; but even if I did, I'm far too busy with my duties at the school. It would have been a full time job and who knows what she'd have me doing."
Firestar	"We should probably look into that one being in the area." she comment, mostly speaking the obvious. She shakes her head and waits for the other shoe to fall with Emma. Once he is finished speaking she is quiet. Not that oh sort of quiet, more the sort of quiet that red heads are known and feared for. At least it doesn't get hot. "How many times are we going to let that woman walk on people?" she growls softly. Her facial expression reminiscent of the night the Hellfire Club burned to the ground,"She knows they are no good. I hope Ms. Grey tosses her for this one. That's.... ridiculous. I am glad you told her no. I knew you were wise enough to not fall under her spell again."
Warpath	Knowing best not to interject or be contrary or offer humor to lighten the mood, James simply says, "When it comes to Emma; I learned my lesson a long time ago. Best to keep her on friendly terms, yet, never trust a thing that she says. That said; I do not hate her, and I am thankful she taught me about controlling my powers and the extensive training we underwent. But she's the snake in the grass that, if stepped upon or crossed, will bite and inject a venom that will not only kill you, but destroy everything close to you."
Firestar	"Yeah. She was one reason I wasn't sure if you and I should be together. She might try to use us against each other. I decided I was sick of her influence in my life." Angelica mutters. "She showed me how to use mine as well. It's the only reason I didn't fry her the night I showed them what real Hellfire was. She had the sense not to challenge me. I despise what she stands for, but her training has saved my life."
Warpath	"Then we take the good and learn from the bad; that we not repeat our past.", replies James in a briefly succinct tone. Then he continues, "So many live in the same cyclical life. We shall break from that cycle." James looks away and then down to the radar monitors. He then changes his train of thought and states, "We're here."
Firestar	"Agreed." she mutters softly and then looks over the Canadian Rockies. She sighs softly and says,"Ok Heather. I don't know where you are, but we're coming for you."
Warpath	Touching down in a bare area that's somewhat flat, the VTOL craft is powered down and James triggers the cockpit to open. He asks, "I don't mean to be a dog about this, but you didn't happen to bring anything that smelled like Heather, did you?"
Firestar	Climbing out of her seat Angelica floats up higher,"The mansion is not far from here. Probably fifteen minutes each way. Allow another fifteen or so to make sure the kids are ok and not playing at anything stupid. I'd say give me an hour and we will have what you need."
Warpath	"Hang on a sec..." James gives indication of a pause in the actions she's implying, "The mansion? Kids? I'm a little out of the loop. Are these the same kids that Jean was missing?" His eyes peer her way expecting additional details. Curious to the whole situation and how it's expanded beyond the hunt from the previous weeks with Jean in the forest near the Xavier estate.
Firestar	"Alpha Flight has a mansion compound similar to Xavier's. They have a school and all. Those are the kids in question. Heather and Mac live there and operate similar to Xavier's operation." she explains,"All the grown ups are gone so I want to be sure the kids aren't about to burn the place down or assemble a haphazard rescue that causes more missing."
Warpath	He takes the hint and will remain behind. He doesn't like it. He'd much rather be Angelica's shadow. These woods are dangerous and he can smell all sorts of things that aren't exactly familiar to him. He gives a nod and will state, "That's a lot more than I was expecting. I'll wait here then. Change the oil in the jet or something useful."
Firestar	A quick wink and she takes out for the mansion to the east of the mountains. She will be gone the better part of an hour, true to word. When she returns, she looks worried and annoyed,"Alpha Flight took the New Warriors with them. I don't know what they are doing, but that can't be a good sign. Speaking of not a good sign, two of the kids decided to go into the mountains to look for Heather. Now we have three to hunt for." She hands him three gallon sized storage bags, each one has a shirt in it,"Recently worn for each."
Warpath	Having spent a bit of time getting equipped and ready for action, James will be found sitting on a log awaiting Angelica's return. He stands as she approaches and will take the baggies. He looks for nametags on the outside of the bags. "Who is which?" he'll ask while looking at the bags contents through the plastic (unopened). He doesn't want to get the scents mixed up. Then he adds, "So we're expecting to find three people in the mountains. And Heather is one of them - and two children?"
Firestar	"Heather's is the Maple Leaf's shirt. She slept in it the night before last." Angelica replies. "Admittedly, the two wayward students are new. The blue shirt is the boy, the black shirt the girl. Nobody bothered to mention names and I didn't think to ask. Too annoyed I admit. Sorry."
Warpath	James raises an eyebrow when she mentions the lack of names and the knowledge of what Heather slept in. He smiles and decides to ask as he opens the bag holding Heather's shirt. "That's pretty detailed information on what Heather was wearing when she was sleeping. Is there something I should know?"
Firestar	At first she looks confused, then realization sets in. Her face flushes red and she catches his chest with a back hand thump that couldn't hurt her and she says,"She's then den mother who walks the halls at night before bed. I checked the security footage." She smirks a little and eases some in despite the situation,"Perv."
Warpath	He laughs, feigns being hurt by the backhand and clutches his chest. Then he says with an elevated pitch of, "Hey! I mean, am I wrong on any level of that line of thinking?" and he then puts his face into the bad and inhales... which could totally look pervy - sniffing some other girl's shirt that she's worn.
Firestar	"She's a married woman Jimmy." she grumbles back with a roll of her eyes,"Vanessa was the first and only woman." Looking at him sniff she shakes her head, resists saying something sarcastic.
Warpath	James grins mischievously behind the plastic and then pulls it away from his face. He zips it shut as he begins breathing normally and taking in the scents around him. He then looks back to Angelica and asks, "Where was she last seen?"
Firestar	"She was last seen leaving the mansion. It's a bit of a trip walking here. I watched the main paths going over and back earlier. I didn't see anything, but I am not a tracker." she explains,"The kids slipped out at night because of course they did. Nobody knows where they went."
Warpath	James takes the other two bags and does the same 'scent gathering' as he did with the first. He's able to retain the scents in his memory and he says, "Then we'll start on a circular path around the manor. If they walked out, then I'll be able to pick up their scent. If they flew out.. that's a different story altogether." He pushes the remote on the jet to seal it up and he begins walking. Already on mission.
Firestar	"All right." she replies and tries to settle her nerves,"The kids aren't capable of flight to my limited knowledge, but if Heather put on the Vindicator suit all bets are off." Shaking her head, Angelica let's Jimmy take the lead and tries to not be too noisy. Much like turning down the radio when you can't find the address that you are looking for, hate to interrupt the scents in the area by making too much noise after all.
Warpath	James walks for several minutes. Not in any particular direction. Almost circular or weaving; simply letting the scents of the forest come to him. This is probably going to be a long process that will take many hours before he encounters a familiar scent, if he finds any at all.
Firestar	It takes a while, but eventually he catches a faint scent for Heather and stronger evidence of the two kids. Maybe they got lucky looking. He also picks up a scent of something unnatural. It smells of death, decay, and an almost human scent connected to it. They are all going the same direction.
Warpath	James will give pause when he picks up the scents. "I've picked up the trail. Heather, two children, and something tracking them. Or, chasing them..." He looks around for indications of either. Perhaps broken twig, footprint, clawed tree, broken something, clothing. Yet, he continues moving in the direction of the scent. Picking up speed to attempt to close any gap that exists.
Firestar	Fidgety is an understatement, but she stays nearby while he tracks. Her feet stay on the ground, but she wants to go and it is clear. "Something behind them plus whatever she was looking for to begin with? We still don't know about that." she mutters and taps his back lightly,"I'm going up, but not out. Just need to see what there is to see."
Warpath	James says, "Hang on." and he'll pull X-Men com badges from his back pocket. He'll put one on his left chest and offer the other to her. He had retrieved them from the x-jet while she was off at the manor. He'll note, "Let's keep in touch. I'm gonna speed up, anyway... hopefully we'll find something."
Firestar	Taking the com, she attaches it to her shirt as well,"Be careful." She brushes his cheek with a kiss and the shoots into the sky. Tapping the com she tells him,"Movement in the trees, maybe a mile up and a quarter left. I will go over and around to catch it in a pincer if there is trouble."
Warpath	That information pushes James to bust out in a run. He can run up to 100mph. But not in a dense forest. Instead, he's doing around 60-70mph and smashing through underbrush and clipping off trees. Causing a ruckess at first, but as he draws near, he'll shift more to a stealthy mode. 30mph and silent running. Sounds all very detailed, but he's super, and stuff. He comes to the location and will peer around for targets while drawing his vibranium knives from the small of his back.
Firestar	The duo arrive pretty close to the same time. There are two kids looking around, trying to find their way. The teen boy seems more adamant about searching and is a little panicky. The teen girl looks, but almost seems to be putting on a show of a search. "Angelica?" the startled teen shouts and turns towards her. They haven't met, but there are pictures around the manor so that's probably how he recognizes her. He almost misses Jimmy's arrival and then turns toward him, defensive at first, then shocked a Jimmy's size. He stumbles back just managing not to scream. Angelica catches him as he falls,"It's ok. He's with me." she whispers. The girl, if watching close enough, almost seems disappointed, giving Angelica a look that is usually reserved for an arch rival or enemy. Noticing Jimmy she moves him, both kids talking about being lost and chased by the bad smelling thing with the deer head. The smell is there, but not strong right now.
Warpath	Quickly sliding the knives back into the sheaths upon the small of his back trying to hide them and not appear threatening. He greets, "Hey. I'm James." casually, but quietly. He eyes both of the children and then looks around for Heather, or anything that may be threatening in any shape or form. He not only scans the ground level, but also the trees. He lets Angelica handle the kids while he slowly begins to walk the parameter.
Firestar	Trying to wrangle the boy is easy enough as he follows Angelica like a lost puppy. The girl trails after Jimmy, clearly put off by Angelica's mere presence. The boy gets aggravated at her behavior and calls her out for being jealous of Angelica being prettier. So that's a disaster. Finally she separates them both and more or less takes command of their situation. On leave or not, she is still ranking member of Alpha Flight presently. Once the boss is established, she carries the young woman up into the sky to show her how to get back. Once on the ground she tells them to move and don't stop. Jimmy finds humanoid footprints go away from the area. They appear human, but bigger than either teen. The tracks look as though the thing watched the kids a long time before heading back to the woods in the direction Heather should be.
Warpath	Returning after finding the trail, James will see that the kids are off on their on - heading back. And he says to Angelica while pointing toward the trail. "Footprints following in the direction that I think Heather went. Still fresh. Like it was watching the kids."
Firestar	Once they get moving, Angelica returns to see what Jimmy has found. She nods when he talks about the thing watching the kids she shudders. "The bipedal thing with the deer head that smells dead that smells like death." she mutters,"Any ideas?"
Warpath	James offers in a speculative tone, "There are quite a few things that come to mind. Even something as on the nose as the 'Deer Man'. Something that our grandmother would tell us that was coming for us if we were bad. Even the Wendigo is sometimes said to have deer antlers."
Firestar	"That's... unsettling." she muses softly. A shudder again and she takes to the sky once more. Touching the com she asks,"There are a lot of caves and crevices. This could take a while even though the track as well as you do. Should we camp out if it gets dark or make our way back to the manor?"
Warpath	He's carrying a 'day pack' which will give them enough food/water for 2 days. And they're not so remote that they couldn't just fly/run back if need be. He says as he looks up a the sky for the 'time'. He replies over the com after touching it, "Point me to a cave, I'll set camp. You bring the fire." He smiles at his stupid little joke.
Firestar	She rolls her eyes and soars up higher to get a wide view,"Hopefully we find her quickly. You're cracked and I don't know how I feel about sleeping in a cave with you." she comments softly, teasing. Looking the direction Jimmy is walking, she pauses and furrows her brow,"Half a mile, two o clock from your current position. There are a lot of flies and the words are barely moving, but they are moving. Pincer mod, come in from a wide left, I will drop in from above immediate right." She moves from search and rescue to active threat pretty quick. A distinct difference from Angelica of old.
Warpath	Going from casual thoughts of setting up camp to an instant urgency to attack, James pulls his vibranium knives again and begins moving in the direction and angle he was given. He announces. "Affirmative." while in route. He'll move with ferocity and speed. Curled forward, knives gripped tightly, blades downward. The vibrations of his body being absorbed by the vibranium. His sharp vision peering through the thick green forest as he moves at amazing speeds, he searches for a target even though he may not be in range. However, he's ready to leap, attack, and kill whatever is out there.
Firestar	Dropping out of the sky like a bomb, Angelica is prepared for a double dose of maser blast. She stops less than six inches from the ground, her expression surprised. She assess the sight before her and promptly turns to throw up. The body on the ground is human, but the is nothing humane about how they find it. The man was gutted and internal organs are missing as well as a hunk of his neck.
Warpath	James closes just as Angelica does and he quickly assesses the injuries. He looks around for a target, a cause for the injuries. His senses open up and he listens, smells, peers. His hand is placed to the ground to feel for footfalls within 100 or so yards. He remains silent.
Firestar	She never lands, just stays floating as nerves and gore make her redistribute lunch to the ground. When she manages to stop, she is quiet so he can work. She doesn't look that way again. The body is thoracic cavity is cleared of everything that leads to the bowels, all the waste organs still intact. Something is moving towards the mountains, bipedal mostly. One the ground he can see a set of hiking boot tracks, small feet and light weight, likely female. Another set of tracks stagger after them, looking human in origin, but mangled.
Warpath	James points, "That way." Indicating the direction of the movement and tracks. He breaks out in a run as he says, "Stay high. Snipe if you see a clear target." He grips his knives tightly, eager to kill whatever needs killing. The cat and mouse chase has been going on for too long, too many people have been involved and disturbed. Whatever is haunting, torturning, killing these people needs to be erradicated.
Firestar	Back in the air and looking like she's had enough, Angelica rises to get a good look. Touching the com she mutters,"Cave. West North West half a mile. The entry way is clear and looks like someone is in and out of there a lot. I'm going in closer, staying at least 20 feet up for now."
Warpath	He mutters over the com, "It's like it's leading us into a trap. Following one clue to the next. Stay sharp. Expect something from above.. maybe a winged creature. I'm going in." James will rush forward toward and then into the cave. Breaching quickly while staying close to the wall is the best way for him to seize an advantage.
Firestar	"Watch yourself." she mutters and settles into a tight patrol over the entrance area, head on a swivel. Inside the cave, Jimmy finds a rudimentary home of sorts. A strawberry blonde woman is sitting in a makeshift cage. Her clothing is too light for the climate. On the floor just out of reach is a red and white battle suit that seems to be patterned after the Canadian flag. Through the cave are dead bodies, partially consumed and various levels of deterioration. She is breathing, but probably asleep from exhaustion. Nothing else moves in the cave. Next to the cage, it appears like something slept or at least laid close to it.
Warpath	He was ready to rip, stab, cut, kill anything that got in his way the moment he entered the cave. The smells are strong and could be overwhemling to some. He winces as he moves silently, putting away one of the blades and using the other to cut open the bindings of the cage (or break them if he has to). Keeping it as silent as possible. Once open, he'll move into the cage and up to the woman, ducking and crouching, he'll put his hand over her mouth and whisper, "Heather.. wake up. I'm James Proudstar, we're here to get you out."
Firestar	Heather's eyes pop open instantly. She looks weak and tired, but full of fire. She must recognize his name as her eyes seem to recognize him. She nods and indicates the suit,"Help me get into that. It will stabilize me and I will be able to get out of here under my own power, hard to walk." Outside there is a distinct sound, the sound of nuclear maser blasts. Whatever is out there, she is not holding back. Heather nudges him,"Help me. Once I get started it will suit itself." Probably neither of them have heard the level of power she is using, unleashing Hell on something. It has to be a something as a someone is unlikely to get that kind of hammering. No restraint.
Warpath	He'll look over, move quickly, grab the super suit and bring it back to her. He'll look for the easiest way to present it to her that she can get into it. However, if she needs him to actually put her legs into it, he will. Ultimately, he knows that he needs to move fast - without injuring her more. He touches his com and says, "Firestar, I've found Heather. What's going on out there?"
Firestar	The sound of something howling tells you that she didn't kill it no matter how hard she tried,"Antlered thing. Looks human with a headress or something. It's the kind of skinny that models would kill for." Heather pulls the suit on and it powers up instantly. She floats off the ground a few inches the way Angelica does,"I knew I heard my angel." Heather states weakly,"No idea what that thing is. It tried to make me eat the dead people though."
Warpath	A moment is taken as James anxiously waits for some semblance that Heather is in control of her suit and can handle herself. Seeing that Heather has it under control with her suit, he breaks from her and says on the com, "On my way." He withdraws the knives again and moves as quickly as he can, exiting the cave and looking for the target that Angelica is attacking.
Firestar	It is easy to spot as she is hovering at a safe distance in the air. The thing looks exactly as she described. Whatever it is, the blasts to it's head is not stopping it. Heather rises into the air and stops at Angelica's side,"What is that thing?" Angelica shrugs,"No idea."
Warpath	James will attack with a ferocious roar. He's been needing to kill something for some time. And what ever this thing is needs killing. He lunges, blades in hand, lashing and cutting and stabbing and rending and tearing. His eyes reflect a fury that is often unseen and kept in check.
Firestar	Angelica lines up another shot, but Jimmy gets into the fracas again and she holds back,"Love that man, but he is hard to predict in a fight." Beside her, Heather looks at her for a brief moment, but doesn't comment other than to say,"Split and come in at each side." "Roger that." she replies and the pair swing wide around and come the creature on each side,"Coming hot, one on each side so don't push it back. We'll hit it and peel off from you."
Warpath	James hears the intent over the com and he will roll, shift, and position himself to be out of the way of the blast(s) that are inbound. He will also intend to push, twist, or brace the creature in a way that could put it in harm's way from those attacks. Even if it's for a few seconds.
Firestar	The duo blast the creature and Angelica calls,"Double back and hit it again." The two flyers roll around to make another pass. The creature howls, but doesn't stop struggling and doesn't seem hurt near as much as the punishment should cause. Nuclear radiation fire and laser beams rip into it, but it stands.
Warpath	James keeps shielded from the attacks while behind the creature. He uses his twin vibranium knives as anchors into the creature's flesh. And with those anchors, he will drag them away from one another to cut deeper, wider, an attempt to rend the creature in twine - or at least take significant chunks and organs out of it.
Firestar	The creature shrieks a sound to chill the blood and the two Alpha Flight flyers swoop around and just behind Jimmy on each side. Predictably, it falls into a heap. Less predictable is the fact it still struggles towards the trio. Blood in its eyes and death on its mind it tried to lunge and bite Jimmy's leg. Angelica and Heather are off the ground again and out of his way,"This is ridiculous." Angelica mutters after a rather primal swear escapes her.
Warpath	James will drive a knife into the creature's skull as it attempts to bite his leg. He intones, "Stay down!" . In a final attempt to end the creature's life and the threat it posed to everyone around. He's very disturbed internally with the cries and noises created by the creature's death throws. But those sensations spurn him on to put the creature out of its misery - and his own.
Firestar	It still struggles. It would be pathetic if not for being mildly terrifying.. Angelica mutters softly,"Whatever this is, it's unnatural." She and Heather look at each other and nod. She sighs softly and touches the com,"Jimmy grab your weapons, hamstring it, and get some distance." Something in her tone is hollow and haunted like she made a decision she didn't want to make.
Warpath	"This abomination goes against the ancestor's wishes." James mutters. Then he moves to hamstring the creature. Hamstring to him is actually chopping off its feet. If that's even possible. He'll do his best. He draws back and will chop like the Iron Chef.
Firestar	Feet come off, the creature screams, and still tries to get at Jimmy. "Not exactly what I meant, but better." she mutters softly. "Stubborn bastard." Angelica she growls,"Get clear Jimmy." She focuses and then moves her hands together. Once he is clear, she bisects the creature, starting at the small if it's back. Each beam cuts away from the center, cutting it more or less in half head to toe as it were. While it yowls from the pain, when her hand passes over his thoracic cavity and hitting the heart a different shriek breaks the air. High pitched, pained, full of fury, and then...nothing. Dead. Her concentration falters a second and then the finishes the job. It never moves again, the last shriek it's death call.
Warpath	Backing away, James eyes the creature as Angelica burns it in half. His eyes have never seen such a horror except in his folk tales. Now, whatever it is is likely dead. Though it took a lot more to kill it than anticipated. When the cutting/burning is done, he states, "It must have been the heart, not the head, that kills it. We'll know better to concentrate our attacks on that; if it comes to this again."
Firestar	"Until the rest of the team is back the house is on lockdown." Heather mutters looking at the thing in disgust,"I only saw the one, but I don't know if there are others lurking about." Angelica nods, still studying the creature from her vantage point,"Jimmy do you have any more holes in you than you should?" she asks, studying herself as she does. The women both go up a few hundred feet to make sure nothing obvious is about. Finding nothing they both land and the two old friends hug each other.
Warpath	James will inspect himself for damage. Anything that he may have taken would be healing already - unless otherwise magically prevented. He then watches the exchange between the girls and he considers what to do with the body. He imagines that burning it in a pit would be best. Though he'll likely expect someone is going to want to examine it.
Firestar	After they hug, Heather stops to really study the creature. She pushes a point on her armor and walks around it. She appears to be recording it. Angelica, for her part, seems done with looking at the thing. Eventually she moves to give Jimmy a once over for her own mind and then looks back at Heather. Finally, the Vindicator suit fires up again and Heather floats up from the ground,"When the team gets back I will send someone to dissect and dispose of this. I sent out a team frequency emergency beacon and the jet responded. The team is on the way back. You two are welcome to stay for a bit if you want."
Warpath	James will collect a foot to take back to the X-Mansion for study; rather, turn it over to Hank for that job. James responds while walking away from the creature. "That's up to Angel. I'm flexible either way. But should put this (the foot) on ice if we're going to linger. Otherwise. I plan on taking this to Hank."
Firestar	Angelica rises to meet her friend and shakes her head,"I have to get ready for the fall. Classes teaching and learning take up most of my day. We didn't warn anyone before we left, just flew out. We should get back." The two friends hug again and Heather looks to Angelica and Jimmy in turn,"Thank you for coming after me. Both of you." Her eyes meet Jimmy's for a long moment and she adds,"Take care of our Angel." A quick blow of a kiss to them and she is flying away, fast.
Warpath	With a nod, James will accept the charge of taking care of Angelica. Then his eyes watch Heather depart before turning back to Angelica to say, "This will be a lot for us to unpack and detail in a report. And I'm still unsure what we fought. Something mystical or mutant? Alien, space, dimensional; or an aberration of nature herself. I'm hoping that Hank will figure it out."
Firestar	"A lot of nightmare fuel and lab time." she agrees softly. Looking at it once more she shudders a little,"I am just guessing, but with everything we threw at it and only one specific thing seemed to kill it...it almost has to be mystical in origin." She sighs and nods towards the jet,"As nice as a vacation sounds, I think I am ready to be back hiding behind books."
Warpath	He nods and will get them in the jet, power it up, store the foot, and get things in the air, radio ahead regarding a sample incoming for Hank. Finally having time to speak freely got Angelica, James will say, "We really need a shower..." and smiles as the cabin contains their scents.
Firestar	She does her best to help, which mostly means stay out of the way. She studies the way the plane operates during take off and cruising,"Maybe I should learn how to fly these things. I can't carry many and fly." She gives him a look and replies,"Uh huh. Never heard that one before." A smirk as she adds,"I am sure I smell like a rose." She nudges his leg with her foot,"A dead rose, in a compost heap, in the desert...but a rose none the less."
Warpath	James smiles and flies the plane. He says, "Okay.. so 'stinky rose', here's how this thing works." -- and for during the rest of the flight, James will point out the various dials, readings, controls, concepts, and points of it all regarding the X-Jet. Notably that it will fly itself if you can put in a destination. Soon, they will see the secret landing bay and, like James mentioned, it will practically land itself in the cliffside hangar. The canopy will open allowing their egress and he'll hook it up to the various connections that are required to refuel, repower, and do all the diagnostics in the plane while it has down time.
Firestar	One thing about Angelica, when she studies anything she isn't easily distracted. She takes in everything that he does, commiting to memory as much as possible. When the plane is settled and going through the cycles she sighs softly and finger combs the tangled mass that is her hair. Floating up to his level, she kisses his cheek,"I am going to burn a layer of skin off in the shower. Thank you for coming with me. I owe you." Lowering back to the floor, she starts a weary trudge out of the hangar,"I will see if I can convince Vanessa to make us dinner. If not, I will get to it after the shower."
Warpath	James will receive the kiss and gently touch her hip with the proximity. He smells bad. He will step away when she floats back and he'll continue his stuff. He'll say, "Dinner sounds good. I'm really hungry. This'll take me a few minutes then I'll get cleaned up and we'll meet up." then he'll break away and continue his duties while she departs.