Author Note: Hey there! Do you ever wonder more about the Star Wolf team? I did, so I wanted to make some one-shots on each team member in a letter format. Since I'm currently new to writing about the Star Fox series, I figured starting with the newest member to Star Wolf would be a good start. Enjoy!

...

Hello, friend.

Have I a special something to share with you. Secrets are always worthwhile to listen to, yes? With the lack of intel on the great Star Wolf team, I would imagine it's quite a treat indeed. True, starting with the newest recruit is hardly delightful, but I assure you, this will have you pouncing back for more.

Not that this will ever be known to anyone, but in order to explain the legends that so few whisper about, we must begin somewhere. (Perhaps because the last few that know are near death's door.)

Have you heard the name Panther Caroso? I'm certain you have, if you've come this far. Does anything concern you about one like me? (Aside from the possibility that I'll charm your beloved into my arms.) Wonder how I've remained so mysterious and elusive from Cornerian authorities for so long? Here's a little treat for you:

Panther Caroso does not exist.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Panther."

I'm sure you're wondering: "What?! How can this be? We've seen him with our own eyes! Of course he exists!" (He, being, naturally, me.)

Does it not seem odd, then, that decades have gone by? Certainly, it could be as simple as two decades, and I could have started when I was young.

But that makes it easy, and no so much a legend.

The truth is that my name and likeness applies to any melanistic felidae that so chooses to take up the identity. To put it simply, any dark furred cat with a shady past can become the one known as "Panther Caroso." Sometimes, a cat will shed his former identity, cutting all ties with former relations, in order to assume this mantle. Others, such as myself, are groomed for the role from what one may consider an unfortunate childhood. (I could go on about the sad story of being born poor and how I had to pick the streets for scraps, but that's a tale for another day.)

To downsize that story, the cat before me had built quite the career as "Panther," continuing a long line of criminal activity. He found me when he found himself growing old one day and decided that the legacy should live on. He trained me in theft, piloting, various forms of dancing or combat, and, of course, romancing. On his dying day, secret from the rest of the world, we shed no tears. He merely passed me his symbolic red rose and whispered, "All who see my rose meet death."

Thus were the death of the previous, and the birth of the latest, "Panther Caroso."

Now you too know the legend of Panther. We steal to survive, and we fly to be free. We dance like there's no tomorrow, and fight to get ourselves there. We love because, hey, why not? A Panther refers to himself as Panther to remember his origins and reference the long chain of heroes and villains that he has come from. (After all, some Panthers were good guys. The problem was that they were not well recognized.)

For the past years that have graced Corneria, they've come to know his calling card, his songs. The last cat built quite the legacy as a master thief, and before him was a champion mercenary. I've dabbled in both, but my greatest skills seem to take to the skies and the stars.

Wolf did not…actually, still does not, know this much when we first met. He needed a capable pilot that could fill in newly…vacated seats on his team. He had heard stories about the Panther, knew a bit of my recent history, as well as Caroso's past.

Why did I agree to it? Some say that it pays well, in spite of a less than lovely success ratio. Others believe that I've found a home among fellow misfits, as we were those sorts. Still, many would say that I'm smitten with a certain vixen.

But the truth, my dear friend, the truth is that I am looking to establish my own life, my face among the line of cats by the name, "Panther Caroso." I go where my talents are most suited. If I can bring others beyond their infamy, all the better.

And so, Panther Caroso lives on. If you are reading this, then you have come to earn my trust above all others…or, I am perhaps feeling nostalgic, sentimental, and feel like sharing something with you before you die.

Ah, my time grows short and I must depart. I bid you farewell, and perhaps, some day, we can talk again.

Though I cannot guarantee that you will meet the same Panther that you have left.

My sincerest regards,
Panther Caroso

...

Author Note: There's Panther! I was scavenging the web about Star Wolf team information and, for some reason, Panther interests me the most, since there's so little known about him. Apparently on the Assault website, he was a known criminal before joining Star Wolf. I got hung up on his evasion of the Cornerian forces for "decades" part, since I consider the members of Star Wolf to be very close in age, if not the exact age, of the Star Fox pilots.

As of Assault, I think they're all in their mid-or-late 20's, with Krystal being the youngest in early 20's. If that were the case, then Panther would have needed to start young, and while kids can be expert criminals in their own rights, I feel like there should have been more depth to Caroso's background. So I decided the terribly, not-at-all complicated route of him being a descendant of a bunch of cats that wear the same name. Because that's much easier to understand! /sarcasm

In all seriousness, I thought something like that would add a cool layer to the elusive and mysterious character that we were introduced to so suddenly in the series. Not many people like Panther, but compared to Oikonny and Pigma, I think he's more fun to have on the cast. He doesn't share the history or connections that the others have, but if given the chance, I think Panther would more than make up for it. (It also doesn't help that I view Star Wolf as "rivals" to Star Fox, not "villains" per-say.)

All right, that's all for now. Still to come are Leon and Wolf! If there's a lot of demand for it, I could do Oikonny and Pigma after, but I'm focusing on the current line-up first. (Besides, I want to try Leon next regardless.) Let me know what you think with a message or review. Comments and criticisms welcome! Thank you for reading!