Chapter Text
Wolfsbane
Issue #1 July 2024
“Home”
Central Scotland Countryside
Mid-Morning
Rahne Sinclair stood in the driveway of a cottage home at the edge of an old country road. She watched as a dust cloud in the distance drew closer revealing a mid sized sedan. The car came to a stop and the side passenger door opened. A graceful and lithe red haired young woman emerged.
“Quel soulagement! After a seven hour flight, I’m glad the ride was only a few minutes,” said the woman, stretching her arms in the air.
Before Rahne could greet the woman, the back passenger door flew open. A large lavender blur shot out of the car and knocked Rahne to the ground.
“Redfur!”, exclaimed a large lavender feline, pinning Rahne to the ground with it’s giant paws. “Catseye feels heartfull to see you again!”
“Aye,” replied Rahne, hugging the cat tightly. “I’m happy ye accepted my invitation, Sharon.”
Sharon Smith, also known as Catseye, was a mutant with the power to transform into a large feline. It was just like Rahne’s mutant power to transform into a wolf. In their youth the two were enrolled in rival academies. In spite of that, they had become good friends.
Rahne stood and dusted herself off. “Thank ye for coming with her, Marie-Ange.”
The tall red haired woman was Marie-Ange Colbert, also known as Tarot. She was a friend and former classmate of Catseye. Her mutant power was focused through her tarot cards. She had precognition abilities and could manifest psionic constructs. Her constructs were often used offensively in battle, though the true scope of her abilities may still be unexplored.
Marie-Ange half hugged Rahne and kissed her cheek. “Je t’en prie”, replied Marie-Ange, “You are very welcome. You should have seen Sharon when she received your invitation. She was literally bouncing off the walls. I was happy to help her navigate this trip, but we found that she does not enjoy flying commercial.”
“Seats too small,” explained Catseye. “Long trip boring. Many smoothskins have badsmell. Small smoothskin make too much noise, hurt Catseye’s ears. Food taste bad. No meat!”
Rahne giggled as Catseye rattled off her many grievances with the transcontinental flight.
“Sitting near that screaming infant was annoying,” confirmed Marie-Ange. “But I’m proud of the restraint you showed.”
She scratched behind Catseye’s ears, who purred in response.
The driver had unloaded the luggage and driven away, leaving the three woman standing alone. Catseye shifted back to her human form. Her skin was pale and she had lavender hair. She was easily the tallest of the three women. She retained her tail in human form which was now slowly swaying back and forth as she gazed at the cottage.
“I wasn’t aware Lady Moira lived in central Scotland?” asked Marie-Ange, breaking the silence. “I thought you said you were from the Highlands.”
“Aye, Moira and I both come from Northern Scotland,” confirmed Rahne. “This was something of a vacation home I suppose. A place tae go on the rare occasions she’d pretend tae have some semblance of a normal life.”
The research facility on Muir Island had been destroyed. Moira’s home in the highlands had long since been taken by the government. Somehow this property slipped through the cracks. And now Rahne was in possession of it.
“I have fond memories of this place. Now it’s the only thing I have left from my mum…” Rahne trailed off as she gazed at the cabin.
Marie-Ange took Rahne by one hand and Catseye by the other.
“Well, we can’t stand out here all night,” she said, pulling both woman towards the house. “After traveling all day, I’m dying to see the accommodations.”
The front door opened up into a short foyer. On the left was a staircase leading up to a large loft area. Past the staircase was a large living room with two large couches, a coffee table, television, and a fireplace.
Straight ahead from the foyer was the kitchen with a dining room to the left, behind the living room. On the right was a hallway the lead to a master bedroom at the end. A bathroom was halfway down the hallway.
Under the stairs to the loft were another set of stairs leading down into a basement area.
“Its just how I remember it,” said Rahne. She grabbed Catseye by the arm. “Come on, ye’re going tae love this!”
Rahne led Catseye out a back door from the dining room and out onto a large deck. The backyard was large and open. There was a forest on the right and a small loch on the left. Over the horizon, the sunset was beginning to form.
“Mmmm, sure to be good hunting here!,” murmured Catseye. Her tail twitched violently as she already caught sight of a pair of fat hares on the edge of the forest.
“Magnifique!,” exclaimed Marie-Ange, who had joined them on the deck. “Breathtaking view.”
“This cottage was isolated enough to provide us with privacy, while still being minutes away from Edinburgh, Kinross, and even Glasgow,” explained Rahne. “I know something is going tae end up pulling me back tae the States sooner or later. But for now I want a life and a home of my own. On my terms. Nae dictated by Cyclops, or Magneto, or a counsel or anyone.”
Rahne hugged Catseye tight. She was grateful for Catseye and Marie-Ange coming to stay with her. With Moira gone, the cottage would have felt too lonely and empty. It meant the world to Rahne that Catseye was there for her.
Catseye noticed that Rahne had a tear running down her cheek and cocked her head in confusion. “Don’t cry, redfur. Big smile, heartfull, happyplace, yes?”
Rahne laughed. “Yes. Happyplace. Come on, I’ll show ye around and get ye both settled in.”
West Edinburgh
Cramond Islamic Community Center
Hanan Ahmed walked through a parking lot toward the Community Center. He had slept in and was running late. Hanan was not looking forward to the scolding he would receive from his Aunt. He’d barely make it in time for prayer, but should have a few minutes to spare. No harm this time.
Lost in thought, Hanan almost walked into the side of a van that had slowly drove into the parking lot.
“Apologies, apologies,” said Hanan. “Salam alaykum, friend.”
Glancing at the side of the van, Hanan noted that it had the logo for a florist. However when he took a good look at the driver, he certainly didn’t look like a florist. The man in the van wore a long black robe emblazoned with a large red cross that had flames at the base.
“I come bearing gifts. From our lord and the Church of Divine Law,” said the man. He then closed his eyes before speaking again. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
“I’m sorry, what d…” Hanan Ahmed’s eyes went wide as he saw what was in the van.
Not flowers, but two pallets full of explosives. Before he could react, the man shot him in the head. The van suddenly sped forward toward the building. It barreled into the entrance with extreme force, violently erupting into a ball of flame.
The force of the explosion collapsed the whole building and set off car alarms all long the street as it incinerated everyone inside.
MacTaggert Cottage, Scotland
Early Morning
Rahne Sinclair, Sharon Smith, and Marie-Ange Colbert sat around the dining room table. Marie-Ange had prepared breakfast for the group. Rahne was furiously scarfing down food while simultaneously stuffing items into an oversized backpack. Catseye seemed less interested in breakfast and more interested in what Rahne was doing.
“Redfur friend seems stressed. Play with Catseye? Run! Hunt! Redfur can show Catseye her favorite huntplace, yes?”
“Sorry, Catseye,” replied Rahne. “I have tae go tae work and it would be bad form if I missed my first day. I’m already running late. When I get home tonight we’ll go for a romp.”
“Catseye find nice sunnyspot. Good sleepytime. Will play with redfur later, yes?”
“Yes. I promise.”
Satisfied, Catseye shifted into her large feline form and wandered out onto the back deck to find the perfect sunny spot for napping.
Rahne finished loading up her backpack. Laptop, folders full of physical files, an old X-Factor uniform…
“What do you need that for?” Questioned Marie-Ange, motioning toward the uniform. “I thought the point was to live a normal life?”
“Nae, not “normal”. Just on my own terms,” explained Rahne, “Its only a matter of time before The Crazy Gang shows up, or there is a Kree invasion, or an attack from alternate reality doppelgangers. I’m just being prepared is all.”
“Nothing wrong with having realistic expectations, I suppose.” Marie-Ange shuffled her deck of tarot cards and flipped over the top one. It was the ace of pentacles.
“Is that… good?,” asked Rahne.
Marie-Ange paused before answering. “It can be.”
That didn’t fill Rahne with confidence. Marie-Ange was silent as she studied the card for a few moments.
“You’ll be fine,” she finally said. “Probably.”
“No time to dwell on it”, reasoned Rahne, internally. “I don’t want tae be late and Marie-Ange would warn me if she felt it was overly dire.”
Rahne scooped up her backpack and headed for the front door.
“I’ll see ye later. Don’t have tae much fun while I’m gone.”
“How much trouble do you think the two of us could possibly get into?” teased Marie-Ange as Rahne ran out the door.
Marie-Ange returned her attention to the card she drew from her tarot deck. The illustrations on the cards constantly changed with different pulls. Sometimes the art related to something specific that doesn’t become clear until later. This time the card depicted a man with brown hair wearing a suit of armor.
The ace of pentacles would normally signal prosperity or opportunity in a new venture. However it was drawn reversed, meaning lost opportunity instead. The initial thought would be something bad relating to Rahne’s new job. But Marie-Ange didn’t sense overly negative energy from the draw.
Marie-Ange sighed and shuffled the card back into the deck. The meaning of this one was not immediately clear. Whatever it turned out to be, she hoped it wouldn’t be too much of a burden to Rahne.
Reid Museum
Glasgow, Scotland
Mid-Afternoon
When Rahne settled on the idea of moving to Scotland, she decided she needed a job.
The Reid Museum was an easy choice. It was the largest museum in the United Kingdom. World renowned for the size and scope of it’s specimen and artifact collections, as well as the quality of it’s education and scientific programs.
Rahne was thankful that she had taken the academic side of Xavier’s Institute more seriously than Sam or Roberto ever did. And thanks to Moira, Rahne had excelled in science related courses. Her own interest in history led her to complete several advanced classes in that category as well.
Her stellar grades as well as her short tenure as an instructor, helped her land this job.
She had apparently also aced the interview process. Rahne hadn’t been so sure, but the President, CEO, and Education Director had all given her glowing reviews.
Rahne found herself on the staff as one of the museum educators, and would also be involved in some of the curation and archiving. Rahne could hardly believe she had an office, with her name on the door and everything!
She had taken a short break from reviewing and auditing the files for the 11th-16th century artifacts currently on display so she could stretch her legs. She went for a walk around the museum to continue to familiarize herself with the building.
She found herself in the small wing that housed the Asgardian exhibit.
The walls of the room were filled with paintings and murals featuring artists depictions of Asgard. Different displays showcased clothing and artifacts purported to be from or related to Asgard, along with different placards and posters filled with education information.
Rahne was drawn to the murals of the Asgardian forests. The renderings were impressively accurate.
She couldn’t help but think about her departed lover, the Asgardian wolf prince Hrimhari, as well as their son, Tier. They were both in Niffleheim, in Hel. She missed them both terribly. What could have been, in another time, in another life…
“Hey,” came a voice, breaking Rahne’s daydream. “Are yea doing ok? Yea look kinda out of sorts.”
Rahne turned to see one of her co-workers approaching. She was an Irish woman named Nora Flanagan, who was in charge of anything related to cryptozoology or the occult.
Nora was about Rahne’s age. She was average height and build, but there was something about her… Rahne couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but Nora had an aura about her that was anything but average. She had creamy skin and long fiery red hair.
Rahne considered Nora to be very pretty, enough to make Rahne feel self-conscious about her own average looks.
“It’s nothing. I’m ok,” lied Rahne, a familiar lie she often repeated. “This art just reminds me of some family members who are no longer with us.”
That much, at least, was true.
“Och, I’m sorry lass.”
Nora joined Rahne in surveying the artwork.
“Stunning, aren’t they?” asked Nora.
“Aye, breathtaking.”
“They were very good,” thought Rahne, “although they don’t come close to the beauty of the real thing.”
Rahne had seen and experienced everything depicted in the paintings. Not that she was able to reveal that fact.
“We have the worlds largest Asgardian exhibition. It’s quite a draw for us, brings in a lot of revenue,” continued Nora. “If yea like these, remind me to show yea a few of the key items we have off display.”
“I think I would like that,” confirmed Rahne.
Before they could continue their conversations, both their phones started alarming. They noticed that everyones phones were alerting at the same time.
Rahne pulled out her phone and noted a local “emergency alert” to shelter in place due to an “extraordinary incident”.
Rahne rubbed her temples with her fingers and sighed. These alerts were usually code for something in the vein of a supervillan or something extraterrestrial. Something the local police are going to have their hands full trying to contain.
“Of course there would be…” muttered Rahne, under her breath.
“Yea can lock down in yer office,” said Nora, “I’m going to lead the guests down to the cafeteria to ride this out until the local authorities have it sorted.”
“Good idea,” said Rahne, heading off toward her office. “I’ll catch up with ye later.”
Rahne entered her office and quickly scanned her phone for news updates. Footage showed the local police at a standoff with a man who appeared to be wearing a form of exoskeleton style armor.
The police were taking cover behind vehicles surrounding the WynnTec office building down the street. The man wearing the armor was retreating into the building with a hostage.
“Ok…” thought Wolfsbane, as she pulled her old X-Factor uniform out of her backpack and quickly changed clothes, “…its nothing near an Apocalypse or Beyonder level threat. I can certainly lend a hand with this!”
WynnTec Corporate Office
Glasgow, Scotland
Wolfsbane approached the cops barricaded behind vehicles at the WynnTec building. They almost opened fire on Wolfsbane, but after a few minutes of arguing she convinced them she was, in fact, a hero and there to help.
Rahne was glad she decided on the X-Factor uniform. She wore this outfit during the time in her life she had felt the most like an actual superhero. The blue and yellow color scheme with the large recognizable “X” logo made her easily identifiable as one of the “good guys”.
After giving Wolfsbane a synopsis of the situation, the police let her through. The building had already been evacuated of employees.
The only people in the building were James Wynn Jr., the current vice president of WynnTec and Bradley Moncrief, a disgruntled former employee.
Bradley was the one currently wearing the powered up exoskeleton.
Wolfsbane bound across the parking lot. She used her claws and enhanced agility to quickly scale the side of the building, slipping inside via a side window. She crouched in an empty office and focused with her hyper keen animal senses to suss out the location of her targets.
Wolfsbane followed her senses through a series of hallways and down a flight of stairs leading into a large lobby area. There she could see Bradley and James.
Bradley was wearing a silver mesh bodysuit, with black metallic boots, gauntlets, and large chest-plate. Wolfsbane thought it looked very similar to War Machine, but a homemade version. He wore a visor and headset instead of a helmet.
Bradley was holding his palm up, aimed at James, who was furiously tapping away at a laptop that was plugged into Bradley’s armor.
“Hurry up,” urged Bradley, impatiently. “And no funny stuff.”
Bradley tapped the side of his visor. “Our systems are linked, I can read everything you input.”
“Transferring this amount of funds requires a few more steps than just putting in a password,” pleaded James. “I just need a few minutes and you’ll have your money. And then you’re going to let me go, right?”
“I haven't decided yet,” admitted Bradley. “You terminated my employment without paying out the remainder of my contract. You stole the patents on most of my work. You ruined my life, while WynnTec made record profits.”
“Please, just let me go! You’re already taking all of my money! You wont even know what to do with it all.”
Bradley laughed. In his visor he could see James’ offshore bank accounts drain away into his own encrypted account. "Oh, James. The lord giveth and the lord taketh away.”
“Everyone gets that quote wrong,” sighed Wolfsbane, emerging from the shadows holding her arms up in a show of non aggression.
“Most people don’t even know the context or that its from the book of Job,” she thought to herself. “Probably the book I identify with the most.”
Bradley spun to face Wolfsbane, turning his attention away from James, who immediately scrambled away and dove behind a group of potted plants.
“Nobody has been seriously hurt yet, and nobody needs tae be. Its not too late to return the money ye stole and turn yuirself in,” suggested Wolfsbane. “I’ll pray for ye. We can pray together if ye’d like.”
Bradley hesitated, then shook his head. “Na. I’ll pass. You almost had me though.”
He turned and fired off a blast from his palm toward James, destroying the potted plants and sending James sprawling across the floor. Bradley then lifted off with his boot jets, aiming for a skylight.
Wolfsbane lopped across the lobby and knelt down next to James. His body was hot from the blast, but he was breathing and his pulse was steady. He was just knocked unconscious.
She turned towards Bradley and used her powerful leg muscles to spring into the air. Wolfsbane rammed into him, knocking him off course. They both crashed to the lobby floor.
As they stood up, Bradley raised his arm and fired off a concussive blast. Wolfsbane dodged the blast as it destroyed a row of computers behind her. She swiped at Bradley with her claws, but they deflected harmlessly off his chest plate.
She ducked a roundhouse punch and came up with another swipe of her claws. This time she tore off a handful of circuitry, electronic mesh, and wires from his left side.
Bradley stumbled backwards and grunted. Wolfsbane’s senses picked up a faint smell of blood along with the quickening of his heartbeat.
“This nae has tae continue any further. Please, surrender and turn yuirself in before this escalates.”
Bradley tried to fire off another blast but the weapon made whirring and clicking noises. Sparks crackled from the shredded mesh on the side of the bodysuit. He cursed under his breath and attempted to fly off again.
Wolfsbane bound up the wall and leaped onto Bradley’s back. She held on tight as he crashed through the skylight and flew over the streets. Wolfsbane held onto the armored chestpiece with one hand and began shredding the mesh bodysuit with her free paw.
“Stop! Stop it, you idiot!” Bradley was starting to panic. In his visor’s HUD, he could see all his mechanical systems going off-line one by one.
Wolfsbane shifted her body weight, attempting to steer him away from buildings and people as his boot jets cut out. They crashed on the street, skidding to a stop a few feet away from the police.
Wolfsbane pulled off his visor and crushed it in her paws.
“All his systems should be offline now,” she said. “Ye’ve got one in the building who is going tae need medical attention as well.”
One of the officers patted Wolfsbane on the shoulder. “We don’t have many heroes here in Scotland. Not like the yanks in the states or the blokes down in England. I feel a lot better knowing we’ve got a hero like you watching over us.”
Wolfsbane smiled and blushed under her fur. Lauded as a hero instead of shunned as an abomination? What a novel concept. It made her heart feel full and she said a silent prayer thanking god for giving her this little moment.
MacTaggert Cottage, Scotland
Rahne pulled into the cottage’s driveway in a vintage BMW. She parked next to Marie-Ange’s crimson colored Vespa scooter. The BMW once belonged to Rahne’s former guardian, Moira MacTaggert. Rahne had inherited it along with the cottage.
“This car is older than I am,” mused Rahne, as she walked to the cottage, “but somehow has less miles on it and is in better condition than I am at this point.”
Arriving at the front porch, Rahne reached for the door and then paused. Something wasn’t right…
Suddenly, something flew off the roof and knocked Rahne sprawling to the ground. As she was pinned down, she looked up and into the sparkling yellow eyes of Catseye’s large panther form.
“Welcome home, redfur friend!” sang Catseye gleefully.
Tarot walked out onto the porch drinking a cup of coffee. “We were starting to wonder if you were ever coming home.”
“Yeah, it was an interesting day,” informed Rahne, as Catseye pranced along side her toward the cottage.
“We saw you on the news!” said Tarot.
After seeing Wolfsbane handing over Bradley to the police on the television, Marie-Ange realized the he matched the picture from her morning tarot card.
“Sorry I couldn’t warn you better. I didn’t know exactly what the cards were referencing.”
“Its fine,” assured Rahne. “I’m in one piece. Mostly.”
“Funtime now?” asked Catseye, nipping at Rahne’s leg. “Forest hunting, yes? Racetime!”
Rahne nodded. “Aye,” she agreed, “I’ll show ye around the grounds. If ye can keep up!”
“Catseye always faster than redfur,” pointed out Catseye.
“Ye’ll have to prove it!” challenged Rahne, shifting into her wolfen form and racing toward the woods.
Church of the Divine Law complex
Rural Scotland
Edward Gibbs owned the land and infrastructure that was now the headquarters of the Church of the Divine Law.
One year ago Edward was at a low point in his life. He had lost political power, lost his family, lost his purpose. He prayed night after night for the lord to lift him up and return him to prosperity. Thats when he met the man who would become the founder and the leader of the church.
The man and his wife had approached Edward and the man presented himself as a new prophet. He said that the end of days were coming soon and had so much conviction, Edward believed him.
The man claimed to have been slain and reborn for a divine purpose. To cleanse the world of the impure, the defective, the soulless, and the deviant. To return the word of the lord as the law of the land and pave the way for salvation before the day of reckoning.
Edward was his first disciple. All he need do, was provide his expansive estate, infrastructure, and remaining wealth as the foundation for the church.
It seemed like a small price to pay for the promise of a better seat at the table when judgment day came.
Some scoffed at them as a “doomsday cult”, but their word was spreading. It was ringing true to many. Their numbers and support were increasing every day.
The complex itself was something of a cross between a large apartment complex and a castle. The main centerpiece of the complex was a huge obelisk spire that had been adorned with the symbol of the new church: A red cross with flames at the base.
Edward stood in the office of the leader of the church. The leader sat in a chair facing away from Edward, intently watching the news. Watching the report of the earlier mosque bombing performed by his followers.
“The first of many,” said Edward, excitedly. “As the lord commands through you.”
The man held his hand up to silence Edward as his attention was diverted by the next breaking news story. Footage was shown of Wolfsbane’s confrontation with the armored Bradley Moncrief.
“…a former weapon and military tech engineer, Bradley Moncrief’s standoff with law enforcement ended without major injuries or fatalities,” said the reporter on the screen.
“He was apprehended with the aid of a woman who sources are telling us is a former member of the United States Government mutant task force known as X-Factor. We will have more on this story along with local reaction coming up.”
The man in the chair pointed the remote at the screen and turned it off.
“This is an unexpected development,” mused the man. “Surely a test from the lord. If she has returned here, its not happenstance. Its only a matter of time before she encroaches on our divine mission.”
“Sir?” Edward didn’t know who this woman was, but it was clearly causing great agitation to the founder of the Church of the Divine Law.
“We wont engage her. When the time is right, the lord will deliver her unto me. At that time, I will be her divine judge.”
The man spun around in his chair. Edward could see the fire burning in Reverend Craig’s eyes. “I will return her to the fires of hell from whence she came, once and for all!”
MacTaggert Cottage, Scotland
Sunset
Rahne and Catseye spent the evening racing across the cottage’s expansive property. Through the meadow, in the forest, along the edge of the loch. They chased rabbits, chased raccoons, and chased each other. Rahne splashed Catseye with water from the loch. Catseye puffed up and sneezed in response before they broke into fits of laughter.
After frolicking for what seemed like hours, the wolf and the panther found a spot on the edge of the forest. They curled up together, watching the stars in the night sky.
On Muir Island, and Krakoa after that, Rahne felt like she was home and was happy. She was worried that after the destruction of the Island’s complex and later the fall of Krakoa, that she would never find those feelings again.
Now, as she laid in the grass with Catseye and gazed across the loch at the rising moon and the sparkling night sky… she did feel it.
It felt right. This was her home. Her new beginning. From now on, this was Sinclair Cottage.
Rahne’s heart was full. She was happy. Content. And she felt something she feared she could never feel after the fall of Krakoa: Hope.
Wolfsbane #2:
Wolfsbane just wants to make her new museum exhibit perfect. Tarot just wants to find a job. Catseye just wants peaceful sleepytime, yes? Unfortunately, the sky goes dark and vampires run unchecked all across Scotland. Confined in a museum, out on the open streets of Glasgow, and all alone at the cottage, will any of them be able to survive? Plus, a new player enters the field, but is she friend or foe? Everyone will be tested in this BLOOD HUNT Tie-in!
Howling At The Moon
“Wolfsbane: From the Ashes” picks up after the fall of Krakoa, during the X-lines “From the Ashes” relaunch. Wolfsbane has returned to Scotland is living her own life, while having Catseye and Tarot as roommates.
I’m going to try keeping accents to a minim. Writing too thick of a Scottish accent would take too much time and, I think, honestly be hard to read.
I want to give a shout out to “Edonohana” for writing the story “Funplace” and shout out to “Sheliak” for giving them the prompt to write it.
“Funplace” features Wolfbane and Catseye in their younger years. Edonohana did an amazing job with the story. They made writing Catseye seem easy.
When I started this, I was having a hard time getting going. I was just looking at a blank page, struggling to put something down. I re-read “Funplace” and it inspired me to get going and I managed to finish a whole “issue”! Thank you!
To me it’s a definitive Catseye and very influential to me. I aspire to be able to write Catseye even half as good as Edonohana did. (It’s not easy!) I recommend you check it out if you like Wolfsbane or Catseye or are interested in the characters! I highly recommend it and its right here in AO3!