Terror...  Fear...  Anger...  Uncertainty.  These emotions and more are what course through a being as they fight for their very life.  These are the feelings that they feel that their time may be up.  

These are the feelings that filled one young Los Angeles Leader.  What had happened up to this point...  They were at war.  They fought for their lives and their allies.  But why else?  Katherine Pryde was not certain.  Sure she had a vague idea.  From what she knew of this life, from what she had read, it was often the same...  People were afraid.  People were angry.  People were uncertain.  People would fight to secure their way of life, their very life for them and those they loved.  This was often why they went to war.  Was it this case this time?  Probably...  Only time would tell.  But one thing was for certain.  She and those she loved fought for those they loved and would until the bitter end.  And that was enough of a reason.

But tonight...  Tonight would represent a turning point.  Up until this point, Kitty had gone along through her life, seeking...  What was she seeking?  She honestly didn't know.  But at least part of it had been found in a ragtag bunch of crazies in Los Angeles...  Their time had been a crazy one.  Filled with joy, filled with excitement, filled with loss, and filled with rebuilding, and filled with hope.  They would become prosperous and grow together once more as long as any of them drew breath.  

Or so they had thought.

Disaster struck again and it was then that they all knew they were in for it now.  But still...  They would fight.  And that was how young Katherine found herself hitting the streets.  The war had waged long and hard.  Many many lives were lost.  The show of solidarity was...  Incredible.  Loyalty knew no bounds and even though they were on opposite sides, Katherine couldn't help but admire them.  And still they fought and would fight to the bitter end.  Wars like this were never good, they were never clean...  And yet even so Katherine would try and save all she could, try to figure out what to do three steps from now.  It was a talent that her mother had prided herself on but Katherine could never perfect.  

But she would sure try now.

Down a dark alley she moved with a purpose of a madwoman.  She had just finished her last meeting and she was feeling pretty good about things.  Perhaps they would make it through this after all.  She was starting to feel good.  They could win this war.  And after they would be sitting pretty good.  Things could turn out well...  

But she was foolish.  She missed the warning signs.  She missed the danger signals...  She missed the footsteps.  Rapid footsteps approached her in the dark alley as she headed toward home and before she could even think, her slight frame was pressed roughly against a concrete wall.  The concrete was cool to the touch even as it roughly grazed her cheek.  There were no words whispered in her ear, only the rough metal barrel pressed against her back.  This was the end.  And she knew it...  And yet as she focused on this fact, she felt a snarl rip itself through her even as the deafening bang reverberated through her very being.  This was not to be the end damnit!  Not after all they had done to make this succeed.  Not with all the potential that shone in their city.  Not with all the hope they had in the future.  A white hot fury coursed through Kat in that second just as the gun shot off.  Her tiny form crumpled as if the bullet had been true and yet just after, another bang reverberated through the night air, her assailant crumpling as well.  Yet Katherine didn't move a muscle.  She knew what had happened...  In that instant when her fury hit it's peak, her power took over.  Unable to remain tangible when her fury reached such a level, the bullet had flown straight through her and shattered against the wall before her.  And yet she didn't move hardly able to even fathom what was going on.  Kat's heart...  Unpierced by lead...  Hammered in her chest so loudly that she was afraid that the other being would hear it.  But gunshots a few streets down caught their attention and they were off before they could even see the lack of a blood pool under the young mutant.

She couldn't help but be thankful for that...  So for a few more moments Katherine laid absolutely still until she was certain she was alone.  Then she would rise...  Trembling from head to foot, she lifted her chin looking at the dim scene around her...  A dead man and yet she stood again.  She looked back and ran her fingertips over the space where the bullet had hit.  She wasn't sure what lucky stars, or power that be to thank...  But someone needed some serious thanking for the fact that she was running again...

And run she did.  On foot she ran from this place...  Running faster and faster, phasing heedlessly through walls, fences, she didn't care until the buildings became scarcer and the roads gave way to fields.  She knew this place.  She didn't know how long she ran in the evening air, only that she ran.  She couldn't be here right then.  She knew that the battles were nearly at a close but she had to run.  

As she ran until she could not run any longer, she collapsed to her knees in a field she well knew...  A field she had found before.  A field that she had been self training and failing.  A field she came to for solace and quiet...  As she looked up from her hands and knees, she realized that this was that field and uttered a soft humorless laugh.  Her eyes came upon the small practice dummy wearing the backpack and she slowly pushed herself to her feet.  What was it that her mother always said...  If you don't like something?  Then change it.  The words had seemed so simple back then...  But that was then.

She laughed softly to herself as she touched the practice dummy, raising her head, a steely glint in her eye.  Well she didn't like this...  So she would change it.