In the following issues, Claremont portrayed Storm as a serene, independent character. Although Storm was initially written having trouble adjusting to Western culture, e.g. calling the obligation to wear clothing in public "absurd", in "Uncanny X-Men" #139 (November 1980), Claremont established her as the leader of the X-Men after Cyclops takes a leave of absence, a position she holds in various incarnations. Claremont also established a maternal relationship between Storm and the 13-year-old X-Man Kitty Pryde. A short story by Claremont set during Storm's childhood in Kenya that ran in "Marvel Team-Up" #100 (December 1980), establishes that when she was 12 years old, Storm saved a young Black Panther from racist thugs. This story would later become the basis for later writers to establish a deeper relationship between both characters.