The pair of mutants stayed at their campsite for another full day before they went searching for the trail. Wolf's head still hurt, and Remy needed some more time to heal.

"You sure you don't want to go back to town?" Wolf asked, not for the first time.

"I told ya, chere, ya need ta put your mission first," he said. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. B'sides, headin' back into town would take too long, non?"

"Yeah, it would, but it isn't worth you dying."

"I ain't gonna die, mon ami. Dis Cajun is tougher den ya give 'im credit for."

Wolf pursed her lips. "Fine."

They broke camp quickly. LeBeau covered the smoldering wood with dirt while Wolf took quick inventory of their remaining supplies. They had enough water to last them one more day, and their granola bar stash had dwindled down to only a couple bars for each of them.

"How we doin', petite?" Remy asked as he donned his trench coat.

"We're almost out of food. We only have four bars left."

LeBeau bit his lip. "That ain't good. Ya think we'll make it ta wherever we're goin' b'fore we run out?"

"I don't know. Maybe? We have to find the trail again, then who knows how long we'll have to hike. You going to make it? 'Cause I'm not carrying you."

He laughed. "I'll be fine. We'd better get a move on."

Wolf nodded, shouldered her backpack, then started walking. LeBeau stuck close behind her, leaning against his bo-staff as he walked. She glanced back, concern filling her.

"Look, chere, I'll be fine. I'd rather ya not worry about me. 'Specially since I was de one who signed up for dis."

Wolf sighed. Just three days ago, she'd hated this man. She was ready to sneak away and leave him stranded. She had been thinking about what a burden he'd been, slowing her down, making her mission so much harder.

But things had changed. This man, the very same one she had hated, had kept her safe when a mysterious assailant jumped from nowhere and attacked her. When she'd been knocked out, he'd defended her, nearly dying in the process. When he'd scared the attacker away, he took Wolf to safety and watched over her. She was starting to owe this man more than she could ever repay.

"Hey, is dat what I think it is?" LeBeau said, breaking her from her thoughts.

Wolf shook her head and looked to what Remy was pointed at. She smiled, pleasantly surprised.

They'd found the trail.

"Right," she said, still smiling. "Let's get going."

"Right behind ya, chere."

The two marched up the trail, silence taking hold. Wolf used the silence to get her thoughts in order. She tried to prepare herself for what she would find. But it was hard, when she didn't know what was waiting for her. Would this answer all her questions? Would she start to remember who she was? Would she find out what caused her to lose her memories?

"Hey, chere, check dis out," LeBeau said. He stepped off the trail, pointing at a tree ten feet in front of him.

"What is it?" Wolf asked, stepping closer to the tree.

"Look at de marks in de tree." He stood next to the tree and pressed his finger into a deep groove that had been carved in the bark. He moved his hand, revealing two more marks running parallel to the first one.

Wolf pressed her hand over the grooves, lining the spaces in between her knuckles up with the marks. On a hunch,—and a horrible feeling sinking into her gut—she extended her claws. The metal blades lined up perfectly with the grooves.

"Chere?" Remy asked.

Wolf gasped and jerked away from the tree as if it were on fire. Her head pounded as she backpedaled. Racing visions flashed before her eyes, blinding her to anything else. She fell backwards and squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her hands to her ears in an attempt to block the visions out.

People crowded around a table, staring down at a sixteen-year-old girl. She lay on a metal grate that was suspended over a vat of water. Leather restraints wrapped around her wrists and ankles. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and nose, so nobody knew how hard she was screaming. The restraints bit into her wrists as she tugged and fought. She thrashed around, struggling for freedom.

The people crowded around her ignored her struggling. One man nodded to someone out of sight, and the grate the girl lay on lowered into the water. The cool liquid wrapped around her bare arms and legs, chilling her instantly. But she only fought harder. She wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Then, something plunged into the water over her. They were needles that were so hot, they made the water hiss and pop as they touched it. The needles got closer and closer to her exposed body, and the poor girl kept fighting, screaming into the mask until her throat went numb.

"Hey, snap outta it, petite! Come on! Don't do dis! No! Kirsten!"

Wolf snapped her head up. Remy was kneeling in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. His ruby eyes were dark with concern.

"Petite, what was dat?" he asked, pressing his gloved palm into her cheek.

She jerked away from his touch. "I... I don't know, Remy," she panted. "I saw such horrible things. I don't..." She held her head in her hands. "What the.... What was that? What was that?!"

"I can't say, chere, but we'll figure dis out." To her surprise, Remy pulled her into his arms, pressing her head against his chest. He rubbed one hand up and down her back and gently shushed her. "Jus' hold on tight, petite. Everythin's gonna be okay."

Wolf buried her face into his trench coat. Her body shook with violent sobs, her throat tightened, and tears forced their way into her eyes. She closed her eyelids, trying to keep the tears in, but more kept coming. She couldn't control the flood.

For the first time in her memory...

Wolf was crying.

A/N: AHHH I GAVE MYSELF FEELS!!!
In an unrelated note, thank y'all for the 300 views! Y'all are all amazing! ❤️ You guys still liking this story? Excited to see how it ends? I hope so! I hope y'all are still enjoying it! Don't forget to vote and comment if you do! Peace, y'all!

~WG 💙