Mystic Shores
                                                By
                                                Reuben A. Macapinlac

Remy, Rogue, and all other Marvel Characters are TM of Marvel Comics.
Wil-Tree was made up by me.

Note 1: Words in (parentheses) are when a person is thinking to himself.

***

I would like to thank everyone who sent their comments, and especially to
those who archived my prologue.  This is my second try at Fan Fiction, so
any comments are welcome at supereub@lava.net

Feel free to E-Mail me.  I like to hear from others how they liked my
story, and if they didn't, well, I'll improve it.

***

Part One

********

Remy was aware of the hot sun beating down on him.  He lifted a hand to his
face, he felt the long stinging gash which he got from the knife.

Lying on his side, he opened his eyes.  A pearly white beach stretched out
under him, as far as he could see.  The sand led up to a brilliantly blue
ocean, with small rippling waves.  This certainly wasn't home!

Remy sat up and examined himself.  Their had been a blood stain on his
shirt, but the wound was gone.  Quite strange.  Where was this place?  How
long has he been here?

Remy turned to find a thick jungle, about fifteen feet behind him.  (I
ain't no botanist, but dis place don't look like New York.)

He slowly got up, having some trouble walking at first, his right leg was
sleeping.  He limped closer to the jungle, concerned about the trees.
Their bark was not brown.   A good number of them were blue, green, or
white.  There was also a peculiar yellow tree which appeared to have no
bark at all.  He stepped deeper into the jungle.  (What in de hell?  Am I
dead?)

"Heaven?" he asked aloud.

"Not even close."

Startled, Remy jumped back, not a good idea considering his right leg was
still asleep, he stumbled to the ground.  He quickly stretched his legs and
flexed them.  Then. slowly, he stood up again.

He saw nothing.  (I must be imaging t'ings, probably all in my head.) Remy
thought to himself.

"Who is dat?" he asked nervously, walking around the area.

"Me."

(Dat had definitely been a voice!) Remy looked around once more, and
decided that it had come from behind the yellow tree.  He walked towards it
and put his hand on it's bark.

What had appeared to be yellow bark felt more like leathery yellow skin.
"Get your hands off now!"

Remy stepped back.  The voice did not come from behind the tree, but from
the tree itself!  He tripped over his feet.  (A talking tree?)

"You're going to hurt yourself!" laughed the patronizing voice.

Remy didn't take the laughter as cruel.  It was better than knives and
guns!  "What are you mon ami?"

"I am a tree, you twit!"

(What de hell?) Remy tried again.  "Who are you?!"

"I am Wil-Tree, a direct descendant of the once powerful Guard-Trees."

(Is dis a joke?  Dis is almost as crazy as getting shot.)  "Where am I?"
Remy asked.  He was almost unable to get his thoughts together.

"You are in Aberlie, twenty miles from the border of the Tuntar Empire,"
replied Wil-Tree.

Remy thought this over and decided that he must have lost his mind.  "How
long have I been lying on shore?" he asked calmly.

"A very short time.  Two or three days, perhaps."

Remy blinked in surprise.  "Two days!  You consider that a short time homme?"

"I am a tree," the tree said.  "I have lived for approximately 382 days, 7
months, and 28 days.  It is possible for me to live for another 400 years.
Two or three days is a short period of time.  It is all a matter of
perspective, you got a problem with that?"

The tree sounded offended.  Some of it's branches began to tremble, with no
wind.  "I apologize if I offended you," Remy said quietly "I am not from
around here, do you know where New York is from here?"

"Eh?" the tree asked, seeming rather puzzled.

"New York.  In de U.S."

"Wha?  What the devil are you talking about?!"

Remy started to become even more worried.  Surely, this is his first
encounter with a talking tree, and he has never heard of New York.  Hell,
where was Aberlie located at anyway?  He could feel that he was in a deep
situation here.

"I don't know what you are looking for stranger," the tree continued,  "but
if you are here, it is for a reason.  However, if you wish to leave, then
you might talk to the Emperor."

(I'm getting directions from a damn tree, what is goin' on?!)  But crazy or
not, he thought it was imperative to talk to another human.   If this tree
helped him find a man, it was worth it.  "Would you be so kind as to tell
me how to find him mon ami?" Remy asked politely.

"If you step behind my trunk," the tree said,  "you will find a road which
leads to Tuntar.  That is where the Emperor rules, you can talk to him from
there."

"Thank you!" Remy exclaimed as he took a step forward.

The tree did not answer, but was too busy trying to yell at a bird which
had perched on one of his branches.

Remy set off down the road.  He admired the landscape, it reminded him back
to his days in Europe, before he met Storm.   (Dis is like traveling to the
Wizard of Oz, but dis is not Oz, or Kansas, or New York.  Dis is Aberlie,
whatever dat is.  What de hell am I doin' here?)

Then he became aware of the hunger growling in his belly.   If the tree was
correct, he had not eaten a single bite in two days!  His amazement and
wonder about this place, plus the talking tree, had preoccupied his
thoughts before.  He had to find food, and fast.

Remy looked at the trees next to the road.  He spotted what appeared to be
a fruit tree with a green trunk, and the fruit looked good, but strange.

He approached the tree gingerly.  He came up to the tree.  "Excuse me."
Remy called, feeling stupid, but not as stupid as he knew he would be to
pass up fruit that could be eaten while his body clock haunted him.
"Excuse me homme, is your fruit good?  Can I have one to eat?"

There was no reply.  Remy was relieved.  If the tree had talked, it would
probably be irritated by now.  (How do I know if dis stuff is edible or
not.   I should have eaten somethin' at the bar.)

He picked up a fruit about the size of an apple.  Its color, however, was
white.  Which made Remy weary of taking a bite.  Slowly, he moved the fruit
towards his mouth, he took a tiny bite, sucking on the juice, and
swallowed.  (Dis is good!  Much like strawberry!)

He took another bite.  Once he realized that it was not poisonous, he
greedily ate the fruit.  After he finished, he grabbed his coat and made a
knapsack out of it.  He quickly grabbed as much fruit as he could carry and
wrapped them inside.  (Dat should be enough for de trip.)

Before he took off, he sat in the shade, resting from the hot sun.  He
checked his inventory.   He had his wallet and a bike key.  The bike key
would be useless without his bike.  He checked in his wallet.  (Fifty Two
bucks, probably worthless around here too.)

Remy tucked both items into his pocket.  He got up and dusted himself off.
He grabbed his knapsack and continued his way to Tuntar.

That day, Remy had walked about 6 miles.  It was beginning to get dark, and
Remy didn't know if there were any things that roamed around this place at
night.  As much as it seemed like normal, the talking tree and some of the
landscape had proved otherwise.

Remy grabbed several sticks and twigs.  He quickly grabbed a stick and lit
it with his kinetic energy. Carefully, he lit the stack of twigs, making a
fire in no time.  He sat beside a tree, leaning back on it as he looked at
the stars.

(What did I do?  Where did I go?  I remember last night, gettin' shot by
that bastard!  Den I end up here, on a beach, completely different from New
York.  Talking trees, white fruits, green trees?  Tuntar?  Aberlie?  What
are dese t'ings?  Where are dese places?)

He dug in his pocket, grabbed his wallet.  He searched in the wallet, and
noticed a picture of Rogue.  He sighed.  "Oh chere," Remy mumbled "Why'd
you have to do it?"

Remy continued to think of where he was until his eyes began to get heavy.
He yawned as he lay on the grass.  He slowly drifted to sleep.

END OF PART ONE.

Reuben M. *Supereub*
supereub@lava.net

- SUPER'S Home Page: http://free.websight.com/Macapinlac2
- Supereub's X-Men Krazy Page: http://free.websight.com/Macapinlac3
- Supereub's X-Men Fan Fiction Archive: http://free.websight.com/Macapinlac4

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|  Hey, who took the cork off         |
|  my lunch?!!                        |
|              - W.C. Fields          |
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