CHAPTER 176 — THE HUNGER IN THE TREES
The Canadian forest stretched wide and endless, the kind of place where sound got swallowed whole. Snow crunched under boots as Logan led the way, nose twitching with every shift of the wind. Nightcrawler padded lightly beside him, tail swaying, while the Alpha Flight trio followed close behind.
Vindicator kept his voice low but hard. "I'll say this once, Logan. You're still wanted by the Canadian government. Don't think stepping in to play hero erases that."
Logan snorted. "Relax, Jimmy. I didn't come to play. Came to finish."
Snowbird's pale eyes flicked at him. "You said you knew the beast."
Logan's gaze was fixed forward. "Yeah. Wendigo. Big, white, meaner'n hell. Seen him tear a moose in half just for the noise it made. But he ain't just an animal. He's a curse."
Shaman adjusted his pouch, the faint glow of charms spilling between his fingers. "The Wendigo curse binds a man to endless hunger. Georges Baptiste took it willingly, to save his friend. Noble, perhaps, but the result is always the same. Blood and slaughter."
Nightcrawler crossed himself, tail curling tight. "Mein Gott… so he doomed himself."
"Yeah," Logan muttered. "And it never stops. He only eats fresh meat. Leaves captives alive 'til he's ready to snack. That's why your hostages are still breathin'."
Snowbird stiffened. "You're certain of this?"
Logan sniffed again, eyes narrowing. "Yeah. Can smell 'em. Scared. Tired. Still alive."
Vindicator looked to Shaman. "You said there was a cure."
Shaman nodded gravely. "Yes. A changeling spell to return man from beast. But it only works if the Wendigo is unconscious. Awake, the hunger overwhelms all magic."
Logan's claws slid free with a snikt, gleaming in the dim light. "Then that's our plan. Put him down hard. Keep him breathin'."
Nightcrawler frowned. "That sounds… very difficult."
Logan gave him a wolfish grin. "Fun, huh?"
---
They reached a cave mouth, jagged like teeth in the hillside. The stench hit first—blood, fur, rot. Even Nightcrawler gagged, hand over his nose.
Logan breathed it deep. 'Same stink as before. Never forget.' His chest tightened. 'Jean… I couldn't save you. But I can beat this monster bloody.'
From inside, a roar shook the earth. Then thunderous steps.
Snowbird whispered, "He knows we're here."
Logan rolled his shoulders, crouching low. "Good. Saves me the trouble of knockin'."
The Wendigo burst from the cave, a towering white-furred nightmare, jaws slick with blood. His eyes glowed feral green, and in his claws he carried a shred of cloth that once belonged to the hostages.
"RAAAARGH!"
Logan met him head-on, claws flashing. The impact cracked like thunder, snow spraying.
"Come on then, ugly!" Logan snarled, slashing across the beast's chest. Blood sprayed, hot against the cold air. The Wendigo barely flinched. The gash knit itself back together in seconds.
'Healing like mine. Damn curse keeps him standing. Guess I'll just have to keep hittin' harder.'
Behind him, Vindicator barked, "Shaman, Snowbird! Get the civilians!"
Snowbird leapt skyward, wings of frost sprouting as she darted toward the cave. Shaman muttered incantations, protective wards shimmering around him as he followed.
Nightcrawler bamfed into the fray, a blur of smoke and fangs. "Logan, he's even larger than you described!"
"Yeah," Logan grunted, ducking a swipe that smashed a tree in two. "Memory didn't do him justice." He lashed out, claws carving across Wendigo's thigh. The beast howled, swinging backhand, sending Logan crashing into a pine. The trunk cracked, snow tumbling.
He spat blood, staggered upright. "That all you got?!"
Wendigo roared, charging. Logan braced, Equalizer senses firing, the world slowing into bullet-time. Every heartbeat, every tremor in the air, he felt it. The beast's swing came, and Logan slipped under it, claws raking deep into ribs.
Wendigo bellowed, but the wound was already knitting. Logan's grin was savage. "Thought so. You heal fast. So do I. Let's see who gets bored first."
---
Inside the cave, Snowbird's eyes caught the dim flicker of terrified eyes. A woman clutching her baby, both shaking. Snowbird dropped beside them, voice soothing despite her urgency. "You are safe. Come—quickly!"
The mother sobbed, clutching tighter. "He'll come back—"
Shaman appeared, raising his pouch, mystic light flooding the cave. "Not if we succeed. Hurry."
They ushered the captives out, snow crunching under their desperate steps.
Nightcrawler bamfed to their side, grabbing the woman's arm. "I have you! Hold tight!"
The family vanished with a puff of brimstone, reappearing at a safe ridge beyond the fight.
---
Back at the battle, Logan's claws dripped red, his breath misting. Wendigo loomed over him, wounds sealing, hunger unbroken.
Vindicator swooped low, blasting energy that staggered the beast. "Logan! We can't keep this up forever!"
Logan's teeth bared, eyes wild. "We don't need forever. Just long enough."
Snowbird landed behind him, body already shifting, twisting. Her form shrank, fur bristling. In seconds, a wolverine—gulogulo—snarled at the Wendigo's feet. Her eyes burned with bloodlust, instincts consuming her.
She lunged.
The forest erupted in blood and screams.