The fires before him cracked and roared giving off an unnecessary but comfortable feeling of security. It was cold the breath exhaled could be seen but it wasn’t cold at least not to the ice shifter sitting in the darkness with nothing but his face and upper torso being caressed by the shadows the flames were producing. Lifting the silver flask to his lips he let the amber drink warm his throat. Whiskey wasn’t really necessary for a camping get-a-way but it made his thoughts easier to deal with.

In the distance a howl could be heard followed by a few more, no doubt a pack of wolves hunting their meal. Sam paid no mind; they weren’t a threat to him. Not now anyway, he was too powerful in his element. The fire cracked one of the logs again and he let out another loud exhale focusing on the surrounding areas with his mutation activated he could feel everything around him. A rabbit in a nearby hole while immediately overhead of said hole lurked an owl small in stature but no doubt a formidable hunter to its prey. It hooted and flew off as Sam continued to focus on everything around him except the fire before him. He was trying to block it out with little success.

It burned like the sun before him it was a strong enough fire and generated a lot of heat, which made feeling the energy it produced all the more uncomforting. Sam shook his head ending the connection and opening his eye staring at the orange flames that danced around a fish he had caught earlier. It was a trout and being such it didn’t need to be cleaned and Sam didn’t feel the need to prep it any more than just cooking it which meant all he had to do to pass his time waiting for dinner was stew over his thoughts.

It had been a few months since his little mission with Gawain but it seemed like forever Amanda knew the kids had pictures of them and even with the threat he gave her, knew she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself or whoever the hell she was working for. In time something would happen and when that time came Sam would need to make a decision.

He had made promises to people, Neena, Luke, Ghost and several others that he would be there at the mansion. Making up for lost time and bettering the school and team he had come to call his family, lately however it was slowly slipping out of his fingers. All those that he had held so dear inspired him to be better than a grunt with a hammer moved on. Not in the normal sense they were still around and he had a conversation with Neena and Luke every now and then but it wasn’t the same. He didn’t like the change that the mansion and his friends had undergone.

He was lonely, sure he still had people to talk to and keep him distracted but ever since he came back from Romania he felt like a piece of himself was missing. Sam’s hand traveled up to his bad eye and he felt the cotton patch covering the old wound. ”How long has it been?” he thought to himself and pulled out a slim silver instrument and started fiddling with all the holes it had.

Blowing into one of the holes a low note rumbled from the vibrations produced as Sam started to travel up the device and play some of the higher ones. The food tickled his nostrils as he continued to play the first few notes to Piano Man by a Mr. Joel. After said notes were played he decided to drown out his thoughts by singing, ”Now son can you play me a melody, I’m not really sure how it goes. But it was short and sweet and I knew it complete…” Sam trailed off forgetting some of the words but continued to hum a few bars on his harmonica as the fish turned a golden brown signaling that it was done.

Putting the Harmonica next to the flask in his inside pocket on his jacket Sam reached forward and stopped short of the fire and grabbed the stick that the fish was on. After a second he took a bite and wondered how things at the mansion were at this very moment. Shaking his head and bringing himself back to the here and now Sam took another bite as the fish met the alcohol he had been consuming for some time in his stomach. Starting to feel full he looked up at the clearing of trees overhead and stared at the stars, nothing like this in the city.

A growl sounded from behind and Sam looked back down. Just out of reach from the light from the campfire he had created a pair of glowing lone eyes fixed on him and the sound of growling reverberated through his bones. Sam blinked and looked at the beast that stepped closer. Slightly surprised Sam was just noticing the beast in such close proximity he took another sip from the flask and decided it was the lack of focus he currently had remembering the past coupled with the alcohol causing his senses to be iffy.

Lowering the temperature around him the fire grew slightly dimmer and Sam noticed that the wolf was alone. It took another step and he noticed the front paw was vice in a trap hunters use to catch bears and other fearsome predators. However this one wasn’t staked into the ground. The wolf growled and Sam took another sip of his drink. They were alone, both on their own for now. The wolf was skinny and looked weak the bones around the ribs made it clear he had been trapped for some time no doubt part of the pack of wolves that were howling for them.

Sam looked down at his fish and tossed it in the wolf’s direction. The beast looked down at the cooked fish sniffed it once and started to devour it with the hunger that had built up ever since the canine was caught. Not moving an inch Sam looked at the paw and wished to help it but knew he wouldn’t be able to get close to the wolf. At least not now. The wolf was scared and weak no doubt ready to snap at him if he got too close. He would wait, he still had time before he was needed back.

This little vacation it was giving him the time to think, to plan and strategize on his own problems. He was happy Shin and Kealey were doing so well with the team there was a time when the on goings at the mansion and with the team couldn’t function unless he was there, now? It was the exact opposite he had time to worry about the problems that were on his horizon. One that the more he thought about got darker and darker.

An hour passed and after quick instant where he managed to cover the wolf in a pile snow and break the pin that latched the trap on the leg Sam now had the broken trap shoved in the fire where he planned on taking it with him so it could be destroyed properly no sense in leaving it here where it could be reused or stepped on.

Frowning at the now glowing red trap Sam ran over his ideas on how to handle his current situation, Slate was step one step two is finding Amanda. However Sam planned on waiting till his little camping excursion was over before he’d talk to Slate. He had to first figure out how to deal with Amanda and that won’t be an easy task.

Continued in: Comrades once again