Summer was beginning to wind down at an alarming rate as Fall gradually edged its way closer and closer. The weather mercifully remained comfortably warm, raising hope that the chillier temperatures would hold off for a while longer. Aleksandr was one individual that fully planned on soaking up as much sunlight and warmth as he possibly could before Winter arrived and he was forced to move indoors for a majority of his time until Spring came again.

He hated Winter with a passion. The thought of the temperature drop, the biting wind, and the horrible snow that blanketed everything from time to time all sent shivers down his exceptionally long spine. Sure, the snow was very pretty to look at, but it occasionally got stuck to his scales and allowed freezing water to seep through the gaps between his them as it melted, his traction was sometimes cut down to a third of what it normally was, and being buried in the stuff approximately a human's knee high was an awful feeling.

To combat his creeping unease over the inevitable cold, he had decided to spend as much of his day sunbathing as he possibly could. The trick was finding somewhere to curl up in the busy city where he could slip away if any nosy humans decided to make a scene over seeing such an unusual creature. Traveling through the city was always a sort of adventure. Any mode of travel with an automated door was a possibility for him, such as the subway. There wasn't as much of a chance of his tail getting caught as there was with regular doors. He also almost always had at least half a train car to himself. People tended to be a little on edge around giant reptiles. However, most of the staff that worked on the railroad didn't appreciate his impact on their customers and the decreased number of them the employees were able to herd onto the train. Besides, the turnstiles were always a little trickier than was worth it.

He didn't fit in anything smaller than a van, and buses had far too little room to move around in with all those seats. In any case, curling up in a cold metal vehicle sort of defeated the whole purpose of going outside and seeking out a nice sunny spot. Traveling down the street was so much easier. Not only was there warmed pavement beneath him as he moved, but the people around him were always so gracious in clearing a path for him once he'd been noticed. He didn't particularly care if the path was made out of fear or revulsion. He'd long since rearranged his pattern of thought into taking such actions as a compliment. He was a rarity, and deserved stand out in a crowd.

And so, gliding through the city along sidewalks and over crosswalks, Aleksandr snaked his way along the confusing jumble of streets, paying little mind to the humans milling around him. He would, of course, flash a smile for some, particularly those that either exhibited a touch more fear than others, or a particularly eye-catching young woman. He should be appreciated for his outstanding looks, so why shouldn't they receive the same treatment? No matter if they appreciated the gesture or not. In the end he'd be making his way away from those creatures in the end, so there was little harm in playing around with a handful as he went.

By the time he'd made his way to Central Park, he'd noted several different police vehicles cropping up in his path of travel, some stopped while others simply slowed down before proceeding. Some people would alert the police at the drop of a hat. Though in the end, he was next to harmless and hadn't so much as advanced upon anyone in any manner as he went, leaving no cause for New York's Finest to interfere with his outing. By now they'd grown to be nothing more than background noise anyhow. Those than stand out get used to attention eventually, event he unwanted kind.

Following this or that path, he gradually made his way deeper into the Park, carefully observing the flow of people that passed by him, looking for a spot that carried a lesser amount of visitors. Eventually deeming one spot as good as any other that seemed to receive less foot traffic, he didn't hesitate at all in stopping in the dead center of the path. Most that stopped to enjoy the scenery or the sun would likely make themselves at home on one of the many benches spaced out on either side of the paths. Aleksandr rarely ever used any item of furniture nowadays. Besides, the pavement held so much more heat than the wood and metal of the benches, and the majority of his body would just hang off the things anyhow.

Paying little to no attention to anyone that kept walking by, rather than changing their course, he shifted his torso from an upright position to sprawling across the heated ground, his stomach flat against the asphalt as his arms crossed in front of him and acted as a head rest where he could place his chin. If the people became too much of a nuisance, he could always curl himself up or find somewhere a little more remote. But for the time being he was content in lazily stretching at his full length and soaking up as much sun as he possibly could.

Predator sighed as he turned the corner to the hallway that his room was attatched to, for at least the thirtieth time that hour. He had been pacing restlessly for the entire hour since he had been awake. It had taken two seconds to throw on a robe, scrub his teeth, and have his breakfast: Three pancakes the size of manhole covers, a four-egg omlette, and six cups of tea. Then, undecided on whether or not he wanted to go out in the middle of the day on that particular day, he felt that he had to let his energy out somehow. Pacing was the only way he could think of to let him not be completely still as he worked his brain.

The reason he was not sure whether or not he wanted to go out on that day was that there was a particular SWAT officer, who, just having gotten a promotion, made a speech about the threat that mutants pose, not only to the regular populace, but to police officers. She also made the announcement that Predator, who had been believed to be run out of town, was indeed back. This officer, Sara Hanes, had been the one who had shot Predator during his capture. As such, they had increased police patrols in unmarked cars, as well as begun monitering the rooftops, Predator's usual method of travel.

Finally, he decided. He couldn't let the fear of recapture rule his life, so he took the back door out and clambered a small alley wall until he was on the roof. Looking out over the nearby rooftops, he could see nobody, but that meant only that they were good at hiding. Still, his mind was made up. He made his way over the rooftops, making a beeline for Central Park.

Central Park was one of the few places that Predator felt that the humans had done right. Preserving a bit of nature in the middle of a concrete jungle was no mean feat. Also, there were so many little nooks and crannies where Predator and others can go to either just be alone or hid from pursuers. As such, he felt confident that even if he was followed he could lose them before heading back to the Sanctuary. Then he heard the gunshot, and felt the wind as the bullet whizzed by his ear. Not four feet away was a plainclothes police officer, shakily holding a pistol in his hand.

In a flash, Predator grabbed him by the arms, and then the officer learned what it was like to fly. Then he learned what it was like to be a pancake. Predator continued on his way, and after a few minutes he dropped down a few stories, grabbed onto a wall, then a light pole. He scampered across the pole and then leapt across the street and took a hold of a tree. He made his way among the trees, jumping across the paths and clearings, until a flash of scales caught his eye.

He doubled back, and dropped to the ground about ten feet away from what Predator now saw was a half-snake, half-man person. Obviously a mutant, the man was laying down on his stomach on the asphalt. The first thing that came to Predator's mind was a snake sunning himself. And with winter on it's way, he didn't blame him.

"Hello, friend."

Aleksandr shifted his position as the ground beneath him gradually cooled from the lack of direct sunlight, readjusting his lower half as he moved his torso over a few feet, giving a contented sigh as he settled back down on a warmer patch of the pathway. He'd likely turn and sun his stomach soon enough, provided that he didn't fall asleep beforehand. At least he wouldn't end up getting a sunburn if he dozed off in direct sunlight. That was one thing he certainly didn't miss about the more human form he held in the past.

Random, seemingly unrelated half-images were slowly beginning to flit through his mind as he fell a little deeper into his rest, a sudden rustling in the trees overhead dragged him halfway back to the world of the waking. Only minimal attention was paid to the world surrounding him as his head shifted to lift his chin from his arms and lay his right cheek down instead, leaving one ear free to listen while the side of his face warmed itself in the sun.

There was little to no concern in him over the noise he'd heard. He was in a park, after all. It could be anything from a small flock of birds taking off to a stray kitten that misstepped and made a good deal of commotion trying to catch itself on a lower branch. None of those or anything in between would be any sort of bother to him. Animals tended to either pay him little mind or give him a decently wide berth. He hadn't so much as had to wriggle aside for an uncharacteristically pushy human to pass by him, either. He had little reason to concern himself with some upset foliage.

However, the thud that reverberated through the ground and sounded in the air gained a little more of his attention. It was much too heavy to be a poorly balanced cat. Lazily one eye opened as his forked tongue slid out between his equivalent of lips, lazily searching out the source of the noise with several sense. A somewhat salty scent was picked up as his tongue gave one or two flicks before sliding back into his mouth. Whoever it was, they'd been doing some kind of work to start sweating like that. The slight undertone of wet dog was rather curious as well. Perhaps a pet owner?

Rolling his head upright again, he opened his other eye and lifted his skull away from his arms, quickly scanning the area before locating the intruder. Moving more quickly than he previously had upon spotting the rather tall stranger, Aleksandr curled himself up into loose coils, rather than remaining more prone along the ground. Casually reclining his upper half against one section of the coils that surrounded him, he crossed his arms and quizzically arched a brow at the unknown individual. "I think stranger would be a more appropriate term," he replied, wondering what exactly this young man wanted.

"I think stranger would be a more appropriate term." The snakeman moved swiftly to a coiled position, one that exposed less of himself and was probably a more battle-ready stance.

And Predator had not, indeed met nor even seen this mutant before, but he felt a kinship of sorts to all mutants, even the misguided ones on the opposite side of the battle. This didn't mean that he wouldn't mow them down like a rebellious lawn in a fight, but he offers respect and manners to other mutants, as well as helping them if they ever need it. "Maybe, but we are both of the same social niche, yes?" Predator smiled, and took a step or two forward. "Some of us are more obvious than others, though."

Predator displayed his claws, so that the man would get his meaning if his words weren't sufficient. "As we have not met, allow me to introduce myself. I am Predator, and you are?" Hopefully this mutant wasn't one of the types that reacted hostily to offers of acquaintanship from other Mutants.

Aleksandr watched the other young man curiously as he continued to speak and proceeded closer by a step or two. Slowly he raised himself up to match the height of the stranger, feeling a little more at ease when he was no longer below the other individual's height. His arms remained crossed and his body stayed curled loosely around him on the ground. He didn't expect the young man would be causing too much trouble, especially not with such a friendly greeting, but one never could tell with people. Humans in particular could be rather troublesome, especially those that went out of their way to approach the snake man. Ulterior motives usually hid behind a friendly greeting with humans, excepting those that were just genuinely curious or captivated by such unusual appearances.

The same social Niche, was it? For a moment he was left to wonder exactly what they young man meant. That was, until a set of claws was displayed. So, he was not a human, but was instead a mutant like Aleksandr. That could very well explain why he so openly approached and extended a greeting with no visible hesitation or shyness. There was always a strange feeling of kinship between mutants, even those who had never met before. He remembered the first time he'd been caught up in one of the mutant rallies back in Russia and the unusual swelling of pride and belonging that rose in being surrounded by so many other mutants.

"Forgive me for saying, but a set of claws is hardly a more obvious mutation. You could hide those easily, if you chose to. Some of us couldn't blend in with the crowd no matter how much we tried." That was not to say that he didn't find the mutation interesting, or that he considered the other individual any less of a mutant because of the displayed extent of his X-gene. It just seemed to be a bit of a stretch to compare two extremes when it came to visible mutations.

Predator. An unusual name, though it was exceedingly common for mutants to adopt a codename of sorts, which he assumed the biped had done for himself. It was certainly fitting enough, considering what he'd seen of his mutation. "I don't have any kind of alias to give you, just my birth name. It's Aleksandr," he replied, extending his own clawed hand as an offer for a handshake to complete the introduction. "And might I ask what you were doing flying through the trees so quickly? You don't see many bipeds leaving the ground and traveling like that."

"Forgive me for saying, but a set of claws is hardly a more obvious mutation. You could hide those easily, if you chose to. Some of us couldn't blend in with the crowd no matter how much we tried. I don't have any kind of alias to give you, just my birth name. It's Aleksandr. And might I ask what you were doing flying through the trees so quickly? You don't see many bipeds leaving the ground and traveling like that."

"Indeed, you do not. It is often both quicker and more pleasing to the eye in the trees, and also it keeps me up off of the human's paths. That is the main reason why I keep to the higher areas. Might I ask, Aleksandr, why you chose this particular area to sun yourself?" Predator was curious at to what conditions a snake man considered when choosing a tanning spot.

Aleksandr could honestly say he'd never before heard of someone taking to the trees to avoid the human foot traffic on the ground below. Something also a little peculiar was why Predator would be avoiding people. He knew enough of other mutants to understand that a number of them would rather remain undetected by the humans around them in order to avoid any problems that the interactions could cause. However, those were usually mutants with a visible show of their X-gene, such as himself.

Pockets, long sleeves, or certain gloves could easily conceal the other young man's mutation, so it made a little less sense for him to avoid others. Perhaps he was just an individual that preferred solitude? Certainly there were other methods of doing so instead of wriggling through the trees overhead. The Park was really the only place with a generous amount of foliage. What would the other young man do when her broke through into the rest of the city? Perhaps the snake-man just didn't understand because he tended to be more of a ground-dweller.

One blink, then two were given initially to Predator's question of his chosen sunbathing area. His hand dropped from its outstretched position as his body shifted again, seeking out more warm patches of pavement and giving different areas of his flesh a chance to bake. He's very nearly forgotten what he'd been doing before the unannounced visitor dropped in.

"Well first of all it's nice and sunny, and the pavement feels like it's been soaking up the heat for at least a few hours," he began, relaxing a slight bit more now that he could safely assume the other individual was only interesting in a little conversation. "Also, there aren't a lot of people that walk through here. At least, not as many as in other parts of the Park. Plus, I don't mind letting people pass by me. Humans are interesting creatures. It's entertaining to see how some of them react to someone like me."

"Well first of all it's nice and sunny, and the pavement feels like it's been soaking up the heat for at least a few hours. Also, there aren't a lot of people that walk through here. At least, not as many as in other parts of the Park. Plus, I don't mind letting people pass by me. Humans are interesting creatures. It's entertaining to see how some of them react to someone like me."

The scowl that normally lived on Predator's face in public found it's housekey once again at the mention of Humans. Well, it had been a good day for a little while. "Humans. What interest can they present, other than the scurrying of ants underneath the magnifying glass? They do not deserve our attention. Yes, the lucky ones can pass undetected among humans, should they choose. The even luckier ones never feel the poker, and avoid the attention of the humans at all." Predator spoke with obvious venom, and obvious experience. As he did, they eye was drawn along the curves of his muscled arms, noting the many scars, and then to the deep electrical burn around his neck.

The sudden look of disapproval that overcame Predator's features didn't quite make any sense to Aleksandr. Had he said something wrong? He hadn't done anything aside from answering the question that had been posed to him. Perhaps placing himself so willingly out in the open was not an appropriate thing to do in New York? He'd been certain that mutants were much more commonly seen in the States, especially after the Registration had dissolved. Had he misinterpreted any news he'd seen? His own expression shifted from pleasantly relaxed to more anxious, his coils curling a little tighter around him as his defenses started to rise.

"Humans?" he mimicked, relaxing only a fraction as the unhappiness didn't seem to be aimed directly at him. Apparently the two males did not share the same views on humanity. The views weren't entirely alien to the snake-man. There were plenty of anti-human individuals in Russia. The anti-mutant population always seemed to outweigh them, but no matter the size of both sides, it always ended messy.

"Ants, you say? They certainly don't look like ants to me. They look amazingly similar to us, in fact." A pause as he made a show of turning his gaze toward his own body before continuing, "Or, similar to most of us, anyhow." Once again he crossed his arms as he lost his defensive stance, even gaining another inch or two as he straightened his upper spine a little.

"Do not forget that you were born of humans. Were it not for them, you would not be here at all." It was a bold assumption, but he felt secure enough to make it. He tended to notice a pattern in those mutants that were opposed to living peacefully with the human race. Many of them had human parents that had adjusted poorly to the manifestations of their mutations. His own parents had tried their hardest to adjust, and he held no ill will toward them. He knew it had been extremely stressful on them, just as it had been on him. He still loved them dearly and forgave them for the distance that had grown between them and himself.

"Humans and mutants both are defensive creatures. If you give them reason to fear and mistrust you, they'll treat you poorly." He didn't want his words to be mistaken as an accusation of some sort, but it was hard to imagine Predator as being peaceful judging from his statements. Aleksandr had also received his fair share of bad treatment from humans he'd accidentally rubbed the wrong way. He just couldn't find it in his heart to blame them. Had he been meshed with a friendlier looking creature, he may have been treated differently, but he would not wish for that change in any case. Snakes were perhaps equally as misunderstood as mutants were. He just happened to be a little bit of both.

"Ants, you say? They certainly don't look like ants to me. They look amazingly similar to us, in fact. Or, similar to most of us, anyhow. Do not forget that you were born of humans. Were it not for them, you would not be here at all. Humans and mutants both are defensive creatures. If you give them reason to fear and mistrust you, they'll treat you poorly."

"Similar, yes. The same, no. We are similar to humans in the way a king snake is similar to a coral snake. One is rather dangerous, more evolved, while the other is but a cheap knockoff, an annoyance. Yes, I was born of humans. But that person was killed by humans, and born again. They made me into what I am, and for that I suppose I must thank them. It is also for that I must exact penance, and set about righting the world." Predator paused, and exerted a conscious effort to reduce the severity of his expression, and to speak in a calmer tone.

"There are many types of monsters in this world. I suppose I am one of them. I was tortured for weeks on end by human ones. I suspect you have seen them. It is like a disease, this thing called humanity. We are the cure." Predator didn't realize it, but he had slipped into something his teacher had called "Preacher Mode" back in high school. He sounded like a religious fanatic, a bit nonsensical to any but those in the loop.

This time around with was Aleksandr's turn to gain a sterner expression. Barely five sentences into his retort and Predator was already insulting certain species of snakes. While he wasn't exactly sure just which snakes made up which parts of his mutation, he was still insulted by the other male's comments. He'd spent a good deal of time researching different snakes in order to better understand the changes his anatomy had undergone and had gradually grown a stronger respect for the creatures. A few more inches were gained as he straightened a little more, his recent slip into the defensive quickly swapped out for more aggressive feelings.

"First and foremost, comrade, do not insult snakes. This ees very poor choice of vords on your part. If you hadn't noticed, I am more snake than man." It probably hadn't been the best choice to let the insult hit him on a personal level, but by this time it was a little too late. The damage had been done and his temper had effectively been stoked. He could feel a low hiss building in his throat and his coils began to shift as he regarded the other individual, already disliking the slip of his Russian accent. Soon enough the 's' sound in his speech would begin to drag itself out.

While he was insulted, he wasn't upset enough to miss the connection Predator was creating while using snakes. Mutants were superior to humans in the male's mindset. 'Dangerous, more evolved.' "More dangerous, maybe. More evolved, up for debate. You must remember, even small creatures can be a danger. 'The more hidden the venom, the more dangerous it is.'" His pride had been injured. He was now out to prove a point, rather than casually swapping views with a passing stranger. Despite what might have been intended, it had become personal.

The snake mutant felt little to no sympathy for the young man's sob story. There were innumerable amounts of mutants that had been mistreated by humans. Did he honestly think he was the special one of the bunch? "'An eye for an eye leaves whole world blind.' I'm sure that quote ees familiar to you. Just because humans treated you badly does not mean you should take eet out on entire race." He would need to reel in his speech soon or his accent would only get thicker. While he wasn't in any way ashamed of his speech patterns, it was easier to get along with those in the States when an accent was more subtle.

"There is no disease exsscept your harsh judgments." And that did it, his esses were beginning to drag around his nicely reshaped teeth. He hated it when his 's' sounds dragged out. "You try to get rid of humans and the balance of thingss will be all thrown out of whack. Such radical views. It's a shame you can't be more open-minded."