FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

AUTHOR'S NOTE : This is the second chapter in a series commissioned by Travis_Sebastian.

Running as fast as they could to the hanger of the Great Fox, Fox, Falco and Slippy slipped and fell several times from the affects of laser blasts hitting their mother ship. Though the Great Fox was being rocked about violently from the unknown enemy attack, the three pilots somehow managed to make it to their fighters. Fox hopped into the cockpit of his Arwing, quickly sealing the hatch and powering up the spacecraft.

"Everybody, get ready!" he ordered Falco and Slippy.

His wing mates radioed in their readiness to Fox, and with that the Arwings launched from their hanger racks in the Great Fox and out into space. Fox could feel his heart beating like a jackhammer as he was once again thrown into the thick of battle. Viewing his radar he saw that he was being tailed by an enemy fighter. Increasing his velocity, he did a somersault, allowing the bogey to get ahead of him, while he was now in the rear. The Starfox Team Leader let his vulpine instincts kick in. Almost without thinking about it, he established a lock on the bogey and fired a quick blast of his twin blue lasers.

BAM!

Only debris was left where the enemy had once been, but there was no time to celebrate such a speedy kill. Fox could feel his Arwing being violently slammed into by an enemy's laser. He couldn't keep taking damage like that and hope to live to see another day. Again, he performed a somersault, and the pilot followed his move, doing a somersault too. Hoping to still be behind the vulpine, the pilot was shocked to learn that his enemy had drastically dropped his speed when pointing his ship up at ninety degrees, only to move the nose of his Arwing down and fire several blasts of double blue lasers from his fighter, making debris out of a second aircraft that day. Fox didn't know how or why, but he always seemed to be able to outmaneuver his opponents without even thinking about it, always trusting his instincts.

Falco, the ace pilot of the team, was having much better luck in dispatching their attackers. Already the bird had taken out two of fighters and was looking for his third kill of that day. With the enemies numbers reduced from twelve to nine, Falco became overconfident and let his guard down. Taking several blasts from two enemy fighters, the bird realized his shields had been reduced to less than half. Taking evasive action, he too tried to shake the fighters as Fox was doing, hoping that he could buy time to get some of them bunched together for a rapid multiple kill.

Slippy was fairing the worst. Being the least skilled of the three pilots, he had a difficult time trying to out-maneuver his attackers. Laser blast after laser blast found its mark on his Arwing, and the toad was shaken around like a rag doll. The warning siren inside the cockpit of Slippy's Arwing blared. His aircraft was in danger of exploding from taking so much damage. Just as the previous two member of Starfox had done, the toad was forced to try and shake his attackers.

Just when things were looking grim for Team Starfox, Fox saw a new group of signals heading towards them. Damaged though his craft was, the instruments could still read the make and model of the approaching craft. The vulpine's green eyes lit up when his Arwing had finally got a positive read of them.

"Wolftens!" he shouted to Slippy and Falco.

Coming out of hyperspace, over two dozen individual Wolfens opened fire on the unknown attackers of Team Starfox. The three watched as the remaining nine aircraft were systematically destroyed by the Wolfen fighters, thus saving Fox, Falco and Slippy of an all but certain demise. Fox breathed a sigh of relief as the danger was now over. He was about to order Falco and Slippy back to the hanger of the Great Fox when he heard a gruff, familiar voice.

"Had to save your ass again, huh, pup?"

Fox laughed. "Now who could that be but Wolf O'Donnell?"

"Guilty as charged," said Wolf with a cackle. "You guys alright?"

"I'm doing better than my Arwing right now," said Fox. "We gotta get these things back in the docking bay for repair before they explode."

"Got it," said Wolf.

"Who were those guys that were attackin' us?" asked Falco, also relieved to still be drawing breath in his Arwing.

"Venomian pirates," said Wolf. "The Cornerian Army commissioned Star Wolf to hunt them down and either board their vessels to seize stolen assets, or destroy them. We've travelled half the damn Lylat System looking for them."

"Wolf," said Fox, preparing to re-enter the Great Fox. "Falco, Slippy and I need to get back into the docking bay, and then I need to speak to you."

"Understood," said Wolf. "Feel free to join me down at my headquarters on Fichina. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Understood," said Fox. "Over and out."

The group of Wolfens dispersed, heading back to their base. It was only then that Falco realized just why it was that Fox wanted to head to Fichina.

"Uh, Fox?" asked Falco as his Arwing was entering the Great Fox.

"Yeah?" asked the vulpine, having already docked his badly damaged veseel.

"I . . . uh . . . I see now why you wanted to head to Fichina," said the embarrassed bird. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Fox. "Let's just put it behind us."

Once all three Arwings had been docked, and Slippy and Rob had gone to make the necessary repairs, Fox and Falco made the journey down to the surface of the planet Fichina. Fox was surprised to learn that Star Wolf's headquarters was an old Cornerian Army base. Fox couldn't help but find the irony in meeting the leader of Star Wolf at this location, which had once been the site of a fierce dog fight between his team and Wolf's team. Much had changed since that day. Andross was defeated and dead, Wolf and his team had assisted in destroying the Aparoids that threatened the entire Lylat Star System and they had been an enormous help during the Anglar Blitz that followed. Wolf's status had changed from that of outlaw with a bounty on his head, to one of respectability. Fox and Wolf had since then set aside their old rivalry and made peace with each other, becoming friends. The Cornerian government had even gone so far as to pardon Wolf and his entire team. If that wasn't enough, Star Wolf was even granted an official charter by the Cornerian Army and given letters of marque and reprisal against their enemies.

Fox and Falco had been escorted into the base by an armed contigent of Wolf's men, who were ordered to treat the two as honored guests. Both the vulpine and avian marveled at how Wolf's fortune had changed for the better. This base, unlike the one he had in the Sargasso area, was clean, state-of-the-art and incredibly well organized. Fox told himself that he thought he'd never live to see the day that Wolf O'Donnell's name would be spoken honorably, but here he was, in the base of his old rival.

"Fox," said Wolf, seeing the Starfox leader and Falco being marched into his office. "How've you been?"

"Much better, thanks to Star Wolf," said Fox as he cordially shook Wolf's paw. As he looked at the face of his former enemy, Fox could see a noticeable change in the lupine. Before, Wolf always possessed a menacing, confrontational disposition about him; that had been replaced by a warm, friendly smile and handshake.

"How's the Great Fox?" asked Wolf, obviously concerned.

"Minimal damage," said Fox. "Those fighters didn't have the firepower to really hurt a ship that size, only disable it."

"Anything my crew can do to assist?" asked Wolf.

"I'm sure Slippy and ROB could use some help with the Arwings. They took a pretty bad beating during that skirmish."

"I'll send some of my people up there right away--with your permission of course, that is."

"Certainly," said Fox. "Falco, could you go up there with the repair crew, please?"

"Alright," said Falco nonchalantly, leaving the office with only Fox and Wolf in it.

"I hope you should know," began Wolf, handing Fox a tablet with numerous figures on it. "Because Starfox helped us in destroying those pirates, your team is going to be receiving part of the reward money we'll be getting."

"That's not necessary," said Fox, trying to find a way to talk about what was really on his mind.

"I insist," said Wolf. "You guys took a bad beating, your ship was attacked. I wouldn't feel right unless you got your fair share."

Fox sighed, giving a nervous chuckle. "Well . . . if you insist, Wolf."

"I do," said the lupine with a grin, giving the vulpine an elbow to the ribs. "Now, I have a feeling you didn't come down here just to reminisces about old times, did you?"

"No, I didn't," said Fox. "It's . . . it's kind of a sensitive topic,"

"Sensitive topic?" said Wolf. "Oh, then I'm going to take a wild guess and say that topic is Krystal, isn't it?"

Fox sighed deeply. "It is."

"I had a feeling you'd be showing up for her one of these days," said Wolf, sitting down at his desk.

"Did you?" asked Fox.

"Yep," said Wolf. "I could tell by the way she acted whenever your name was brought up that there was something going on between you two. I never pried into it--not my place and it's not professional."

"She here?" asked Fox.

Frowning, Wolf shook his head. "No, sorry, Fox. She left months ago."

Fox could feel his heart sink down to his feet. Here he was, hoping that he had finally found his lady love, only to be told that she was gone. Wolf saw the heartbroken look on Fox's face and tried to console him.

"I'm sorry, pup," he said, trying to kid around with him. "I know how much she meant to you, but like I said, I'm not here to interfere with my people's personal lives."

"It's okay, Wolf," said Fox, trying to put on a brave face. "I'm not upset with you . . . it's just that I wish I could have . . ."

"Fucked her when you had the chance?" asked a voice from outside of Wolf's office.

Fox turned around to see the figure of Panther Caroso standing in the doorway. In a flash, Fox's mood had gone from sorrow to that of barely controlled rage. While Fox's relationship with Wolf had never been one of hatred, that wasn't the case with the dark feline pilot of Star Wolf. At every single encounter with Star Fox, Panther never wasted an opportunity to flirt with Krystal, even though he had a sneaking suspicion that the vixen had feelings for Fox. Grasping his paws into fists, Fox snarled at the large cat.

"What do you want, Panther?" he asked angrily.

"On nothing much," said the feline in his usual suave, debonair tone. "I'd just like to get a better look at the vulpine who drove away such a lovely, sweet creature like Krystal." The dark cat grinned from ear to ear, closing his eyes. "Ah, Krystal . . . what a tasty little treat she was."

"Panther," barked Wolf. "Knock it off."

"Oh, I'm just having fun with the little Foxie," said Panther as he walked past Fox and over to Wolf. "What' wrong, McCloud? Did you lie awake at night, thinking about how badly you screwed up with Krystal? Did you wonder if you broke her heart after you wouldn't let her get close to you?" The dark feline grinned even more maniacally. "Did you think about how you might have driven her into my arms? Were you thinking about how I might have taken her to my bed, stripped her to the fur and made hot, steamy love to her. Could you hear her voice calling out my name over and over again, begging for more and more of my manhood until I filled her folds with my seed. Did you . . . OUCH!"

Fox, who had been mere seconds away form charging the feline and giving him a haymaker to the jaw, felt his anger vanish as he saw Wolf pinching Panther's shoulder. Physically and emotionally injured, Panther, rubbing his shoulder, turned to Wolf, giving him a sad kitten look.

"What was that for?" he pouted.

"It was for you not shutting up when I told you to," scolded Wolf. "Now, if you're going to stay in this office, you're going to behave yourself or you can leave."

Panther, still with the sad kitten expression, turned to Fox. "Don't worry, McCloud. Nothing ever happened between me and your blue-furred vixen."

"That true?" asked Fox, still on his guard, waiting for Panther to say one wrong word that would cause him to beat the feline's tail off.

"It wasn't for lack of trying either," confessed the cat. "Believe me, I had my sights on her from the day she came here. I'd put on my charm and machismo to try and win her heart, but it was no use. I could tell that she still had feelings for you, and only you, I might add."

"S-seriously?" said Fox, stuttering.

"Without a doubt," said Panther. "Besides, even if I had managed to win her over it wouldn't have lasted, because just like her my heart now belongs to my true lover." Fox watched as Panther leaned over and kissed Wolf on the cheek. The vulpine expected his friend to give the feline a hard punch to the face, but was stunned almost to the point of speechlessness when Wolf simply rolled his eyes, turned and gave Panther a dirty look.

"Damn it," said Wolf in a low growl. "I've told you not to do that in front of other people."

"Awww," said Panther in a pout. "What's wrong, Wolfie? Why can't you show everyone how much we're in love?"

Fox pointed his paw at the two. "Wait a minute . . . you mean to tell me that you . . . and him are . . ."

"Indeed we are," said Panther proudly.

"Hold on, hold on," said the vulpine, trying to figure out the situation. "Then what was all that talk about being with Krystal? You just trying to piss me off?"

"That was part of the reason," admitted Panther. "But in truth I've had tons of lovers in my lifetime . . . male and female. That's why I said Krystal would have just been a 'hit it and quit' mission. I would have never settled down with her."

Fox looked over at Wolf, trying not to laugh. In all the years he had known Wolf, he would have never guessed that the lupine felt that way. "Wolf, how long have you known you were gay?"

"For a long time," said the lupine in a snarling tone as he looked up at the ceiling. "I tried to hide it, but this smelly cat finally brought it out of me."

"Awww," Panther whined again. "I don't smell, Wolfie."

"Stop calling me that," said Wolf, giving the cat a shove. "And while you're at it, do you know where Krystal is? If so, you'd better tell Fox now, got it?"

Panther huffed. "Fine, fine. Even though I never won Krystal's heart, we did become very friendly. Before she left, she told me she was going back to Sauria--said that was the only place outside of Cerinia where she ever felt like she was at home."

"Sauria," said Fox to himself. "I should have known."

"And you should have known better than to scare away such a prize like Krystal, McCloud," said Panther, still trying to antagonize the vulpine. "I hope you know how badly you screwed up," he said with a smug grin.

Fox, walking out of Wolf's office, turned and looked at the dark cat. "Panther, let me tell you this. I know with all my heart that I screwed up when it came to Krystal. After I leave here today, I'm going to go to Sauria, bare my heart to her and let her know that I love her more than life itself and that I would rather die a thousand deaths than be without her sweet, tender love." Fox then turned back and left, heading towards his point of embarkation for the Great Fox.

Wolf and Panther watched as the vulpine walked out the office door. Panther, still with the sad kitten look on his face, looked Wolf in eyes. "Why can't you be poetic like that, huh?"

Wolf glared at his lover. "If you don't stop acting like a whiny little bitch, I'm going to cut your balls off and shove them up your ass, you stupid feline!"

Panther, his eyes glowing bright, threw his arms around his lupine lover. "Ah, that's the kind of eloquence I love to hear from my Wolfie."

The Star Fox team waited to depart from orbiting around Fichina until the mechanics of the Star Wolf had finished their repairs of the Arwings and did a full systems analysis of the Great Fox after it had taken numerous laser blasts from the Venomian pirates. Wolf himself had gone aboard to make sure his people had adequately performed their tasks, as he did not want his friend Fox to venture to Sauria in a damaged mother ship or go into combat with battered Arwings. He and Fox had gained too much respect, too much admiration for each other for him to allow that.

"I think that about does it," said the lupine as he was about to depart for the surface of Fichina. "Anything else I can do for you, Fox?"

The vulpine laughed nervously. "Could you tell me how to talk to Krystal about how I feel, cause I don't know what to do."

"Not exactly one who's very good at dealing with the ladies, Fox," joked Wolf. "But if you want my advice, I'll give it to you."

"I'm all ears," said Fox.

"Just be honest about how you feel," said Wolf. "If I know one thing, it's that closing yourself off, trying to hide from who you really are won't do you a lick of good. If she's the one for you, the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you need to tell her that. Remember that she's a telepath, and trying to lie to a telepath is just about the worst thing you could do."

"Yeah, you're right. Even though I've decided to keep no secrets from her, I'm still nervous about letting her know everything about me." asked Fox.

"You're only as sick as your secrets, Fox," said the lupine with a nod. "If she can read your mind, then you're not only revealing everything to her, you're letting her know that you trust her in the deepest, most meaningful way imaginable."

Fox considered Wolf's words carefully. The part about "you're only as sick as your secrets" was something that really resonated with him. Surely, it must have been both painful and liberating for someone like Wolf to come out as gay. Fox thought about how that must be difficult for any fur, especially one with a macho, masculine reputation like Wolf O'Donnell. If Wolf could admit to the galaxy that he was gay, it couldn't be that difficult for Fox to let down his guard for Krystal to know about the things he'd done in his life.

"I guess you're right, Wolf," said Fox, nodding. "I'm sure if I don't do this, I'll regret it the rest of my life."

"You're damned right you'll regret it," barked Wolf seriously. "Though it kills me to admit it to you, I would have regretted it if I hadn't approached Panther and told him how I really felt."

"But . . . did you know Panther was bisexual?" asked Fox, wondering if he should have made such an inquiry.

"Are you kidding?" laughed Wolf. "Everybody in Star Wolf knows that Panther will stick his dick in anything he can . . . male or female."

"I guess that includes you, huh?" said Fox, putting a paw over his mouth in a vain attempt to hide an obvious snicker.

"Watch it, pup," warned Wolf. "I'm the one doing the dick sticking in that relationship."

"Good to know," said Fox, who was hardly surprised to learn that Wolf would be the top in a homosexual relationship. "Anyway, we need to get going to Sauria. Thanks for the repairs, and more than anything, thanks for saving our lives."

Fox extended his paw to Wolf, who firmly shook it. "Anything for an old friend, McCloud. Now, go out there and get your vixen. Got it?"

"I'm going to do just that," said Fox. "Nothing's going to stop me either."

Fox might have been able to put on a brave face for Wolf, but he couldn't fool himself. No matter what anyone told him or what he told himself, he was still afraid to confront Krystal after she had left Star Fox in tears. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that image out of his head, and he couldn't make the grief he felt go away either. Though the trip from Fichina to Sauria was not a particularly long one, Fox asked Skippy, Falco and even ROB if they could run the Great Fox's operations without him until they reached their destination. He needed time to himself to prepare for the inevitable meeting with Krystal. The vulpine mercenary had fought countless battles, been in dogfights and skirmishes and had been near death on more than one occasion, but for some reason this was the scariest thing he'd ever faced in his life.

"Fox," a mechanical voice that could be non other than ROB's came through the intercom into his quarters.

"We are nearing our destination of Sauria," added ROB.

"Thanks," said Fox, feeling his heart rate abruptly spike.

"Fox," said ROB. "My sensors indicate that your hear rate has increased. Do you require medical attention?"

"No," said Fox, rolling his eyes. "Maybe just psychiatric help."

"I will send out a message to the nearest psychiatric center to assist you," said ROB.

"It was just a joke, ROB," said Fox, growing annoyed at the droid's presence outside his quarters. "You can go now. I'll be fine."

"Affirmative," said ROB, letting Fox be by himself once more.

"At lest I hope I'll be fine," said the orange vulpine to himself.

Falco and Slippy asked Fox if he wished for either of them to accompany him to the planet's surface. Fox told them he just wanted to go by himself. The avian and toad wondered if that was a wise decision, but knew that questioning Fox right now was probably not the wisest course of action. It was better they keep silent and let their leader do as he pleased.

"We already contacted King Tricky," said Slippy, preparing to transport their leader to the surface below.

"How's my old pal?" asked Fox, actually managing a smile at the mention of the dinosaur.

"He's gotten even bigger since the Aparoids invaded Sauria a few years ago," said Slippy.

"Wow," said Fox. "Hard to believe he used to be smaller than me. Funny how things change, I guess."

"Somethings never change," observed Faclo.

Turning his head, he gave the bird a bewildered look, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Falco just smiled, and somehow, Fox understood exactly what the bird meant. No matter what happened in his life, Fox would always, and unconditionally, love Krystal with all his heart.

Being back on Sauria did give Fox a measure of comfort. Though this was the site of one of his most challenging missions, the planet of Sauria offered a relaxing environment to its inhabitants and peaceful stay in a tropical paradise for vacationers who wished to enjoy a quiet respite. Fox looked at the mighty structure of Walled City, home to the king Earth Walker, his old friend, the former Prince, and now King, Tricky.

Walking into the great stone fortress, Fox opened his arms as he saw the charging form of the King of Sauria approaching him. Tricky slowed his speed down to a brisk walk, but was nonetheless excited to see the vulpine who was most responsible for not only helping to overthrow the evil General Scales and Andross, but also for putting the planet back together after it had been torn in several pieces.

"Fox," said the King Earth Walker, bumping giant head up against the mercenary. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, pal," said Fox, rubbing Tricky's head. "Or should I say, King Tricky?"

"Ha ha," laughed the Earth Walker. "The Hero of Sauria doesn't have to call me King, or His Majesty, just Tricky."

Tricky wasn't being hyperbolic in the least when he called Fox the "Hero of Sauria". Not only had Fox and his team saved the planet after it had been pulled apart, he and the other members of Star Fox had saved the planet's population from almost certain annihilation when the Aparoids invaded. So honored was the name of Fox McCloud on the planet of Sauria, that statues and paintings of the vulpine had been commissioned by Tricky and many other prominent members of Saurian society. Fox was quite flattered when he learned that many male dinosaurs born on the planet were given the name "McCloud" as their first name.

"I take it you know why I'm here, don't you?" Fox asked the King Earth Walker.

"I have a pretty good idea," said Tricky. "Something tells me that I'd lose money if I bet on anything but Krystal."

"Safe bet," said Fox, once again growing anxious about seeing Krystal. "She's still here, isn't she?"

"On Cape Claw," said Tricky. "She has a small house there; lives by herself."

"Do you see her much?" asked Fox.

"From time to time," responded Tricky. "I'm not telepathic like her, but something tells me that most of the time she just wants to be left alone, like something or someone really hurt her."

Fox looked at his feet in shame. "I'm afraid I'm the cause of the that, old pal. I couldn't let her know how I really felt about her, and so I drove her away."

"Couldn't . . . or wouldn't?" asked Tricky.

"Wouldn't," said Fox, being honest with himself. "But I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't see her again. I've gotta be honest; let her know how I really feel. I don't feel complete without her, Tricky."

"Do you want me to take you to her?" asked the Earth Walker.

"No," said Fox. "This is something I have to do by myself. This needs to be just Krystal and I, bringing up painful memories and trying to reconcile with each other."

"I understand," said Tricky. "I'll give you the coordinates so you can find her. I just hope everything works out for you two."

"Thanks, pal," said Fox, trying to look cheerful.

"And Fox?"

"Yes?"

"If you two do get married, I'd be personally insulted if you don't have your honeymoon here, okay?"

"Yeah," grinned Fox. "I got it."

Cape Claw was without a doubt the most lovely area on all of Sauria. Though the climate on most of the planet was very warm, Cape Claw's climate was downright tropical, with lush rain forests, rivers, waterfalls, the Krazoa Ruins and the ocean coastline. Such was the heat, that Fox had to pull off his flight jacket, tossing it on the ground rather than carrying the garment around with him. Like his first time on Sauria, he found himself rolling up his shirt sleeves, attempting to allow the fur on his arms to be better ventilated.

The vulpine tried to make himself as scarce as possible, but being a planetary savior, as the dinosaurs viewed him, meant that getting to Krystal's residence was not the quick journey he'd hoped it to be. Every dinosaur family that he came across begged him to enter their home so that he might rest and enjoy their hospitality. Fox was grateful that the residents of Sauria thought so highly of him, but after so many delays, he attempted a new strategy in dealing with the dinosaurs. Not wanting to offend them, he told them that he was on an important mission and time was of the essence. None of the Saurians questioned their heroes words and bid him a safe, victorious journey. Fox certainly hoped that victory could be achieved on this mission. He didn't want to imagine what failure would be like.

There, right on the coastline of Cape Claw, he saw her. Though far off in the distance, he had no trouble recognizing her figure. After all, she was the only blue-furred fox that he knew existed. The sight of his love caused him to stop dead in his tracks. She still looked the same, still beautiful beyond description and still the only fur that he truly loved. Looking her up and down from head to tail, he noticed that, just like the first time they had met, she was wearing her Cerinian garb: bra, loincloth, bracers, leggings, epaulets, and tail bands. Just when the vulpine thought that the meeting couldn't possibly be any more nerve-wrecking, she had to wear that skimpy, provocative outfit. Fox felt the front of his pants bulge, aroused at having seen her in such clothes. His teeth chattering, he turned around, hoping that she had not yet caught sight of him and put his bushy tail in front of himself, hoping to hide the erection he was certainly sporting by now.

"Fox? Is that you?" he heard a voice say from right behind him.

Completely losing his composure, the vulpine yelped, jumping in the air from being sneaked up on. He turned around seeing that his actions had startled Krystal. Covered in sweat, his voice dry from extreme nervousness, he tried to explain what was going on, but only managed weak, dry utterances.

"Here," said Krystal, giving Fox a canteen that she was carrying. "Drink this."

Fox followed her instructions. Unscrewing the container, he poured the entire contents down his throat, quenching his parched, dried gullet. He wiped the remaining water from his lips, handing the canteen back to Krystal.

"Thanks," he said. "I needed that."

Krystal was now the one to be looking up and down someone's figure. She could see that Fox was a nervous wreck. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"We need to talk," said the vulpine. "I want you to know how I feel."

"You made that abundantly clear when you kicked me off the team," said the vixen, turning her back to him, her voice dripping with bitterness.

"Krystal," said Fox. "Please, hear me out."

She turned around, tears streaming down her face. "You think you're the only fur in the galaxy to lose those that are close to you? I'm sorry you lost your mother and father at such a young age, but did you ever stop for one second to think about how I feel? I lost my entire planet, Fox. All of Cerinia . . . gone. My parents, my brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, all my friends . . . just gone forever, never to come back. I don't recall you ever once asking me if I needed comforted after losing everything I'd ever known in this universe." She again turned her back to him.

"Krystal, I . . ." Fox searched for an explanation, some rationalization for why he had acted so selfishly, but try as he might, he couldn't come up with one. "You're right."

"What?" She said, looking back at him.

"You're absolutely right, Krystal," he said calmly. "I was being selfish, thinking only about how I felt when it came to dealing with personal loss. I lost the two people that meant the most to me in my life; both of them taken by a force of malice. I tried to bury my true feelings for all these years. Oh yeah, I've tried to be the tough, responsible leader of Team Star Fox. Stiff upper lip, never let it get to me, but I was just fooling myself and everyone around me. You know what the truth is, Krystal? I was miserable after my father died, but you know when I found a ray of light in my life?"

"When?" asked the vixen.

"When I first met you," he said, his face clearly showing the pain he was feeling. "You were the first person in my life since my parents that ever made me feel truly alive. I didn't push you away because I didn't care, I pushed you away because it was less painful than the thought of you losing your life. You're that important to me, Krystal?"

"I sense that you're telling me the truth, Fox, but what's to keep you from hurting me again?" she said, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

Fox felt his eyes burn with his own tears, his heart aching at the thought that his love might not forgive him. "Please Krystal. I can't live without you. I love you so much it hurts."

With tears streaming down her eyes, Krystal turned away and walked over to a fallen log, sitting on it. "I don't know if I can do this again, Fox.....Please. Go away."

It was then that Fox knew it was now or never. There would be no one there to protect him, no plan of escape, no high tech weapon to protect. He would be completely exposed, totally naked, vulnerable. Yet with facing the posibility of losing his love, this was the easiest decision he'd ever make in his life. Fox quietly sat down on the log next to Krystal, and with a delicate touch, he took hold of the vixen's paws, placing them on the temples of his head. Never once breaking eye contact, his anguished eyes met her questioning expression.

"Please Krystal. I bear my heart and my mind to you," said Fox.

"Are you serious?" asked Krystal, completely blown away at such a request.

"Down to my deepest, most secret thought," said Fox, not the slightest bit of hesitation or nervousness showing in his voice. Krystal was capable of reading the thoughts of others, but had never done so without their express consent. She was content just to read their empathic feelings, but not their actual thoughts. This was uncharted ground for her, but she could not refuse such a request for one who'd ventured so far to see her. Her paws against the temples of Fox's head, she closed her eyes and leaned forward, urging Fox to be completely quiet once their foreheads had touched. Fox closed his eyes and followed her instructions to the letter, barely making a noise as he breathed. Minutes went by, but nothing happened until . . .

Fox felt as if he was being lifted off the ground, but he kept silent. Sounds of all the surroundings, the coastline, the ocean, the tropics of Cape Claw melted away. In the engulfing silence, he felt Krystal's presence probing his thoughts and offered no resistance. Krystal, the last vixen of Cerinia probed the mind of Fox McCloud. Surrendering himself completely to her, he found himself reliving memory after memory as Krystal delved deep into his mind, deep as she could possibly go. She saw all the thoughts that he had kept hidden from everyone for so long. All the hurt, the anger, the sorrow, all the secrets that he had kept to himself, they were all there for her to see clear as day. She could easily sense that Fox was offering no resistance, even as she made him relive his time with Fara Phoenix, as well as their amicable break-up. She could plainly see that he still had affection for her, but that it was now only platonic. Delving deeper, she saw his hopes and dreams. She saw that he was giving up Star Fox, that he no longer wanted to go on fighting. She felt the aching emptiness in Fox's heart, and was deeply moved at how strongly he loved her. She saw his most cherished dream of living a quiet life with her, raising their children, and spending the rest of his life with her.

Fox had now bared his very soul to her, and Krystal knew then and there that he'd never leave her and never push her away again. She gently pulled her head away, deminishing the telepathic contact, and opened her eyes which were still wet and looked into Fox's hopeful eyes.

Putting her arms around him. "I forgive you." The blue-furred vixen nuzzled underneath his chin, new tears filling her eyes. "And I love you too, Fox McCloud, and yes, I'll marry you."

In that moment, Fox broke down and started to sob, feeling incredibly relieved that he had not lost the vixen of his heart, that she had forgiven him. "Oh Krystal! I love you more than anything in the universe." Fox latched onto his love as if afraid she'd disappear, and continued crying for another five minutes as Krystal held him.

After their tears had dried out, they countinued holding each other. Krystal then quietly said, "We'll have the wedding ceremony and our honeymoon here on Sauria. We wouldn't want to upset King Tricky now, would we?"

It was a joke between them. She knew Fox only really cared about what she thought. They stood up, both wiping their eyes and smiled, their hearts buoyed by their renewed love for each other. Delighted at now being engaged, the vixen took her fiance's arm and pulled him towards her home. "Come on, Fox. I have to get you fitted for a Cerinian wedding garment."

"What's that?" asked Fox.

"Just a loincloth," said the vixen. "That's the only thing you'll be wearing in front of our guests."

For some strange reason, wearing a garment that barely covered his nakedness didn't seem like that big of a deal. All that mattered was that he had the love of his life with him.