A short man walked through the doors of Rick's Diner. Moving to a table in the back, he sat down, taking off a rugged cowboy hat. The man's name is Logan. Also known as the X-Man Wolverine. As the waitress approached him, he could tell she was a bit frightened by his appearance.

"What can I get for ya tonight?" she asked.

"As many burgers as I can get for 20 bucks," Logan replied. He hasn't eaten in a days, but didn't really care. His hate could fuel his body for twice as many days. But, a meal couldn't hurt. He stared at the table, wondering where he should head next.

The waitress returned with a plate of burgers. Once she placed it on the table, he wasted no time indulging himself. Halfway through his meal he smelled him. The scent of the man that he has been tracking for the last 2 weeks. Throwing a 20 dollar bill on the table, he ran out the door. Back into the deep, endless woods of northern Maine.

Logan ran through the woods, bone claws extended, dodging fallen trees and choping branches out of the way. When finally, he came upon what he was searching for, only it wasn't what he expected. There, before him, was a half-eaten rabbit, covered in the scent of Victor Creed, otherwise known as the murderous Sabretooth. In the past when they have fought, Wolverine's bones and claws were laced with adamintium and Creed had the bones. Fate had a way of screwing things up. The tides have changed. Now, it is Sabretooth who posseses the unbreakable bones and claws. Logan, frustarated by his mistake, made camp for the night.

The next morning, the journey continues. A few hours later, he came upon a little town called Crouseville, Maine. Walking into a small pub, he sat at the bar, asking the tender if he has seen anyone pass through here before him.

"About 3 days ago," the tender replied. "Headed towards Canada I think. He in some kinda trouble or something?"

"Nah bub," Logan replied. "Just an old... friend."

A few days later, Wolverine was still on the trail of Sabretooth, no closer than before. But something just wasn't right. He had detected Sabretooth's scent from all around, almost like Logan was the hunted, not the hunter. Finally almost a week later, somewhere in Canada, he came upon another little town.

Entering a small sports bar, he used the remainder of his cash to pay for some food. Near the front of the bar, two men were fighting over the remote for the TV.

"Jim, the UNC, Michigan State game is on!!"

"Haven't you been watching the news?!" Jim asked. "I want to see if that over grown cheatah is still roaming around!"

Logan's ear pop up at the sound of this. He stood, walking over to Jim and his friend.

"Hey, bub, what did you say was going on?"

"Oh you don't know?" Jim asked. "Some hairy guy who looks like a monster is going around trashing stuff."

"Where was he seen last?" Logan asked.

"Tunicha," Jim replied.

"How far from here is that?"

"Uh, about 30 miles north," Jim replied. "You aint' thinking of going up there, are ya, friend?"

However, before Jim could turn around, the door swung open from Logan's exit, and the roar of Jim's motorcycle could be heard driving off.

Don't worry, Jimbo, he thought. You'll get yer bike back, just borrowing it f'r a little trip.

A million different ways this could all go down. All of the different possibilities race through his mind's eye as he approached the small town of Tunicha. Wolverine pulled off the side of the road to change into the brown and gold uniform he sometimes wore. It was more stealthy than the blue and yellow one he usually wore.

Suddenly there was a quick flash of light that blinded Wolverine, sending him and Jim's bike against a nearby tree.

SHLUCK

Claws drawn, Logan leapt to his feet, slapping the blood from his face.

"Yer gonna hafta do better than that...."

"Fine by me!!"

Another quick flash of what appears to be lightning hits right above Wolverine. The branches above him fells down as he dodged them.

"Who the hell are ya?!" Logan shouted, trying to get a lock on the scent. Too much energy output to get a lock. It was definately familiar.

"Just think of me as the man who killed you, Creed."

"Bub, are ya stupid 'r somthin'?!" Logan asked. "I'm sure as hell NOT Creed!" Wolverine approached the figure, the scent definate now.

"Rictor..."

Julio Estaben Richtor, also known as the young mutant, Rictor, who possessed the ability to control seismic waves. A former member of the New Mutants and X-Force.

"That depends on who you are!"

"Ya dumb punk," Logan replied. "Ya don't even recogize an X-Man when he's right in front'a yer face?"

"Wolverine...?" Rictor asked. He cursed in Spanish for making a stupid mistake. "Sorry about the confusion. I saw Sabretooth on the news destroying that town, and since I was up here, I decided stop him. After all this tracking, I thought I finally found him. Looks like I was mistaken."

Wolverine looked at Jim's bike. It was now wrapped around a tree.

Looks like Jimbo won't be gettin' his bike back after all, he thought.

"Awright kid," Logan began. "I ain't gonna ask why yer up here, or why yer trackin' Creed. But I do wanna know how the hell you mistook me f'r 'im."

"I was half-asleep," Rictor replied. "Saw you coming, and that was all I could think of. Speaking of which, why aren't you at Salem Center?"

"Just needed ta get outta there," Logan replied. "After Magneto became ruler o' Genosha, Chuck's been on edge. An' everyone there's all up in arms 'bout Joseph's death. [See current issues of X-Men & Uncanny X-Men--Dino] So when Cerebro brought up somethin' 'bout Sabretooth in the area, I left. 'Sides, there are already 14 other X-Men. They can last a few days without me. But why the hell are you out here?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, X-Force...Domino, called me," Rictor began, referring to the former X-Force member. "About a month ago. I've finally decided to get back with them. They helped me out when I needed them, so I'm not going to turn my back on them. But when I saw Sabretooth was going around trashing stuff, I decided I'd bring him in. Might help patch things up a little better. Damn, this is a long walk."

"Wouldn't hafta be walkin' if ya didn't wreck th' flamin' bike..." Logan muttered under his breath.

"You think Sabretooth has a reason for bringing all this attention to himself?" Rictor asked. "I mean, why would he go all up to Canada?"

Wolverine didn't say anything. He had a feeling why Creed would return to Canada. It was where Department H and the Weapon X Project resided. Both him and Creed were "test subjects" of the Weapon X Project. But he didn't want to believe it. He wanted to forget the part of his life that was Department H.

"I was wondering the same thing myself," Logan replied, lying through his teeth. "Creed's never been shy, so it's no shocker that he's tearin' up shit. But why he's movin' up north is somethin' I can't figure out."

"This is the place he was last seen," Logan said, surveying the scene of the wreckage. "An' it looks like he left us his calling card."

Sabretooth had been here, no question. The streets are totally destroyed, windows shattered, cars dismantled. However, the question was still posed: why?

"Cops all around," Rictor muttered. "Probably be in our best interests to lay low until they leave."

"We need ta keep movin' north," Logan replied. "That's where his scent's leadin'. Plus, it's still fresh. So we're not that far behind."

Rictor and Wolverine took into the woods, stopping for camp later that night, changing shifts. Sabretooth was roaming around. And with the scent fresh, it was safe to assume he knew he was being tracked.

The next morning, Wolverine pulled Rictor to his feet while running.

"What the hell?" Rictor asked. "What's going on?!"

"No time ta talk, kid," Logan replied. "I smell 'im, which means he smells me too. Thing is, I'm pickin' up two scents."

Wolverine and Rictor came upon an old cabin. Wolverine signaled for Rictor to stop.

"Creed's in there with someone else," he whispered. "Here's th' gameplan. I go in the front, you go in the..."

He stopped.

"Hear that?" he asked. "A truck. Diesel. Whoever lives here is coming home in the middle of our party. So let's get this overwith. You head around the back while I go through the front."

Wolverine walked to the door of the cabin, kicking it in.

There, sitting at a table, was Sabretooth and the Constricter.

Sabretooth looked up at Wolverine, grinning.

"Well, well, well," he said. "I was wonderin' when ya'd show up. Been smellin' ya f'r days now. Back ta th' old threads ta boot. Ain't that sweet? Where's your friend? Been smellin' him too."

Wolverine looked down at Constricter and Sabretooth.

"Figured you'd have that wanna be assassin with ya.." he said.

Creed looked up at Logan.

"Oh really..." he said. "Why's that?"

Logan simply smirked.

"He's the only person that likes ya," he said. "After Mystique got rid of ya." Sabretooth jumped from his chair.

"Yer time's up, 'bub'," he said. His eyes shifted over to Constricter, his head not moving at all. "Find his little friend. This' between me an' the runt."

"Fine by me, bub!!" Wolverine shouted, bone claws piercing his skin.

Sabretooth pounced at Wolverine, knocking him through the doorway.

Around the back of the cabin, Constricter searched for Rictor, his coils drawn. Suddenly from behind, there is a zig zag of light that hits the ground infront of Constricter, sending him hurdling to the ground in a heap."

"You must be the Constricter," Rictor said, seismic energy circling his hands. "I recognize you from the papers. The name's Rictor."

Constricter didn't bother getting up, his right coil snaking towards Rictor, trying to catch him off guard.

Rictor leapt before the coil hits him, firing a seismic blast at it.

Constrictor threw his left coil to meet him, smacking Rictor in the face. The force brought the young mutant to his knees.

Earl Harger, the owner of the cabin was having a good day. On his way back to his house from the grocery store, he spotted a large, blonde man dressed in brown and orange fighting a shorter man wearing brown and gold. The shorter man had what appeared to be claws coming out of the backs of his hands. The large man has claws at the end of his fingers. They appeared to shine.

Darting into his house, he looked out the back window. A young man, Hispanic, with long hair and a red X on his shirt fighting another man in a snake-like suit, complete with metal coils. He quickly grabbed the phone.

"Hello, 911?! I believe there's some ah dem dar mutants in around my house tearing up everything!! I've seen 4 so far. One of dem is that one from the news, I believe. You'll be right here? OK, stay still? OK, come quickly!!"

Regardless of what the cop said, Earl invisions his cabin growing into a mansion. The only thing he would have to do is back that hairy mutant from the news.

Outside, Wolverine isn't fairing so well. Although he managed to cut open Sabretooths chest he has done little else. The wound was quickly healing. As of right now, Sabretooth's claws are in Logan's chest. And good ol' Earl Hargers yard is practically painted red.

Constricter leapt across the yard, his coils flailing at Rictor. The former X-Force member stood in the center, sending seismic blasts at his opponent. Directing the blasts to a nearby tree, the roots began to lift as the tree collapsed on Constricter.

Around the front of the house, Logan sees only red. Lying on his back. Bruised. Bloody. Near-death.

Sabretooth gripped Wolverine by the neck holding him in the air.

"Lets if yer healin' factor works when ya don't got a head," he said, poising his hand to slice through it.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Click.

The sound of a double barrel shotgun is heard and Sabretooth falls to the ground. Still alive, but out of it for a while. Earl Harger ran back in the house to reload his shotgun. Good ol' Earl thinks he can make some money if he takes down the mutant that's been causing carnage around.

The sound of sirens fill the air as Rictor runs over to Logan, lying on his back. There is barely any movement.

"Wolverine!!" he exclaimed. "You alive!?! We gotta get out of here! The Cops are coming. Maybe they'll take in Sabretooth and Constricter, both of them are out of it right now."

Not expecting a response, Rictor dragged Wolverine to Harger's pick-up truck, placing him in the back. Climbing into the driver's seat, he quickly hotwired the vehicle.

Later that night, Wolverine, almost fully recuperated from his little encounter, sat back in the truck.

"What happened?" he asked, groggily a few hours later. "Last thing I remeber is something Sabretooth said about de-heading me...."

"Really close," Rictor replied. "But the owner pumped about 10 rounds into him and he didn't move much. I wasn't sure if you were going to make it, so we split. But this truck is about to run outta gas so I guess we are going to have to ditch it."

A little while later, Wolverine now fully recoperated from his injuries and a pretty swelled up Rictor stood in front of the truck.

"Well Ric," he began, extending his hand. "It's been fun."

"Yeah," he replied, shaking Wolverine's hand. "I'm heading back to X-Force now."*

(* Check out current issues of X-Force for what happens with Rictor--Dino)

With that, the two men parted ways.

Funny how things like that happen.