Sabretooth: Open Season #3

Issue Date: 
January 2005
Story Title: 
Open Season - part 3: Kill Or Be Killed
Staff: 

Daniel Way (writer), Bart Sears (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Mike Atiyeh (colors), VC's Cory Petit (letters), Warren Simons (editor), Axel Alonso (executive editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Dan Buckley (publisher)

Brief Description: 

Officer Hamilton, thinking that Sasquatch is the monster that killed his friends, shoots him. He realizes his mistake when the surviving Sasquatch transforms back into his human form, that of Walter Langkowski. Walter convinces Hamilton to take him inside the cabin and tend his wounds. Meanwhile, Smith is the sole survivor of the search crew that came after Hamilton. Smith plans on returning to the base, not realizing that he is being followed by Sabretooth. When Smith arrives there, Sabretooth does as well and knocks him out. Sabretooth wants to go aboard, but realizes that his prey is at the base as well, killing the leftover employees plus the captain. Sabretooth decides to go after it anyway, but the monster is faster than Creed and jumps away back into the woods. Sabretooth hears a shot, and finds out that Smith shot himself. Sabretooth goes back into the woods in the hope to finish his job. After his wounds are tended, Sasquatch reveals after an argument with Hamilton that Sabretooth is hunting none other than the Wendigo!

Full Summary: 

Monstrous hands open the cabin in which Officer Hamilton has just found two crying kids. They cry to Hamilton not to let the monster get to them and hold tight to him. Hamilton tells the kids to let go of him. In a panicking move, he shots the monster! It falls down in the snow. Hamilton takes a good look at the orange beast, who starts to bleed. Hamilton is startled. Hamilton, not knowing Sasquatch, looks astonished when he transforms back into his human form.

In a small voice, Walter begs Hamilton to help him. Hamilton, still not realizing who Walter is, asks for identification. Walter introduces himself as Sasquatch and mentions the fact that he’s with Alpha Flight, plus that he’s a doctor. Mitchell says that he isn’t a doctor. He also wants to know where the rest of Alpha Flight is. Walter explains that he came alone. The wounds pain Walter, and he screams. “You came alone,” Hamilton sadistically says as he drags Walter into the cabin. “Great. Thanks for nothing,” and he slams the cabin’s door shut.

The snow storm worsens again. The corpses of the search crew are covered by a thick layer of snow. A hand digs itself up - Smith appears to be the sole survivor of the monster’s attack. Smith digs himself free, and panics a bit when he sees his friends dead. Holding himself together, Smith reports back to his base. Mitchell answers the call and asks what’s going on. Smith confirms that the entire search crew except him is dead. Mitchell, not believing that, wants a confirmation. Smith takes a look at the crew’s corpses, which are cut up in tiny pieces. He wants help.

Mitchell tells Smith to get a hold on himself and to immediately return back to the float. Mitchell informs Smith that they’ve got him on the GPS screen less than a click northwest of the base. Mitchell asks Smith if he can do that. Hesitating for a while, Smith pulls up some courage and confirms that he can and takes off. However, he doesn’t realize that he’s being watched by Sabretooth. Sabretooth laughs, and says that Smith has to run a lot faster than that if he wants to save his friends. Confidently, Sabretooth starts to follow Smith.

The coast guard arrives. Meanwhile at his base, Mitchell sits with his hands in his hair, not knowing what to do. The USCG Rigger Ice Queen tries to contact Mitchell, who answers his speaker. He asks what the USCG’s current position is. They explain that they are cutting him at seventeen knots and should be there by morning, rescue helicopters included. They want Mitchell to sit back and keep himself warm, since he is now officially saved. Mitchell promises to do that and logs off. He wants to drink something, but then suddenly hears screams outside! Mitchell’s crew call for him. Mitchell takes out his gun and opens his door, only to see a monster attacking. Mitchell opens fire on it, but that doesn’t harm it. The monster attacks Mitchell in return and kills him!

Outside the boat, Smith stands quietly with a machine gun in his hands. He hears the screams, and has a good look at the monster responsible for them. Smith wants to shoot it, but Sabretooth strikes from behind and knocks him down. Sabretooth tries to get a better look at his prey, which jumps away from the base. Suddenly, Creed hears a gun shot. He looks around, and finds out that Smith shot himself. Sabretooth goes into the woods again. He tries to catch his prey’s scent. Once he has done that, he continues to pursue it again, and wants to end it.

Meanwhile at the cabin, Hamilton has made a fire, despite Sasquatch’s warnings not to do that. The kids warn Hamilton he’d be better to do what Sasquatch says. Normally, Hamilton would agree, but he thinks that Walter was in shock when he said that, seeing the wounds he has. And this means that they have got to stay warm or else Sasquatch will die for sure. And, Hamilton asks the kids, they don’t want that to happen, do they? The kids cry again and say nothing. Hamilton agrees. Walter opens his eyes. Hamilton notices that and asks the doctor what he should do first.

Sasquatch explains that the most immediately concern is the artery in his leg. Hamilton will have to suture it together again. Hamilton promises to try that. That’s fine by Walter. After that, he continues, Walter will transmutate into his Sasquatch form again and his enhanced metabolism should take care of the rest. Walter warns Hamilton that he best get the children into the cellar again, since there will be a lot of blood to see. Hamilton starts the procedure and tells Sasquatch that the kids will stay with him. He promised. Besides, he adds, the kids have seen worse.

Hamilton asks Sasquatch why he came alone, and not with the rest of Alpha Flight. Walter says that’s because this is not an official mission. Hamilton succeeds in the short operation. Hamilton asks what an official mission means. Sasquatch says that this is of a… personal matter. Hamilton can’t believe that. Angry, he asks Sasquatch if his shipmates died and the kids whole family died because of a “personal matter.” Okay, he says. He leaves from Sasquatch’s side, and takes out his shotgun and points it at Sasquatch, wanting to make it a “personal matter” as well!

Walter transforms back into Sasquatch and takes the gun away. He knows that Hamilton is under a great deal of stress, which is understandable considering the situation he is in. As his desire for an explanation is. Sasquatch breaks the gun into two. Walter explains that he has been tracking Sabretooth for several weeks in an attempt to stop him. Hamilton wants to know why Sabretooth should be stopped. Sasquatch explains that’s because Creed wants to hunt.

Hamilton asks if Creed’s after men. No, Sasquatch explains, since the blood of men means nothing to a creature like Sabretooth. It is larger prey that he seeks. Hamilton realizes something: Sabretooth is hunting Walter! And he wasn’t tracking him, Walter was running away from Creed! Hamilton gets angry and tells Walter that he led that monster here.

An evil roar is heard from outside.

Sasquatch warns Hamilton to take the children into the cellar again right now! Hamilton, still thinking that Sasquatch is the culprit of all this, doesn’t want to do that. Sasquatch explains that this isn’t his fault. He corrects that Sabretooth isn’t hunting him. No, he says, Sabretooth is hunting… the WENDIGO!

Characters Involved: 

Sabretooth

Sasquatch

Wendigo

Captain Mitchell

Officer Hamilton

Smith (sole survivor of the search crew)

Coast guard rescuers (unnamed)

two unnamed kids

Story Notes: 

It is unknown which human host this Wendigo creature carries. The last Wendigo beast had merged together with an attacking Mauvais, and they were eventually pulled away by the Gods of the Great White North (Wolverine (2nd series) #173).

Issue Information: 

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