Dream's Brink

Chapter 1: Drifting

"With any Sort of Certainty" - Toh Kay

The world around Fox was dark. The dull gray walls were swept with wind, rippling as if they were liquid. The shadowed corners of the room sparkled with miniscule stars of light, as if they were at the very edge of his consciousness. All in all, the whole scene seemed like a fragile illusion, or a pile of leaves that could be blown away with the slightest breeze. But in Fox's mind, he was trapped in an inescapable prison. To him it was very real.

Fox gasped; the room changed and swirled around him, melding into a bedroom all too familiar to him. Curtain covered windows appeared on the walls, a desk filled with trinkets, books, and dishes occupied one corner, and a large bed took center stage at the middle of a wall. Curious, Fox crept over to the bed and its occupant. A middle-aged, female fox lay sleeping beneath the covers, chest slowly rising and falling with each breath. Fox struggled to climb onto the bed, not because it was abnormally large, but because he was small. The sleeping vulpine moaned as Fox settled down, sitting on the edge and facing her. When he slipped his small paw into hers, the fox slowly awakened, turning her head to see him.

"Good morning, Fox. I haven't seen you all day."

Already, Fox could feel tears welling up in his eyes. "Mom?" he whimpered, "Are you going to be all right?"

Vixy McCloud attempted to comfort her son by giving him a warm smile. "It's hard to say this Fox, but... no. There's no way to stop what's happening to me. The doctor's are doing everything they can, sweety, and the one who did this to me has been dealt with."

Fox's head fell down, and his ears drooped as he swung his legs back and forth over the side of the bed. "I don't care about what happens to him; I only care about you. I want you to get better, mom."

Vixy sat up, reaching her arm out and lifting Fox's face with it. "I know, and daddy wants me to get better, too. But you have to let go. You have to learn how to say goodbye."

Letting out a sob, Fox buried his head in his mother's arms, wetting her nightgown with his tears. "I don't want you to go, mom!" he repeated over and over again, "I don't want you to go!"

Vixy quietly shushed Fox, rocking him back and forth. "Oh Fox, I had so many dreams for you. I just wanted to watch you grow up and become a fine young man just like your father, become a mercenary and bravely defend the Lylat..." she trailed off, reaching for an ornament that adorned her desk. It was a violet flower encased in a crystal shard. As she absentmindedly stroked it, she continued, "I wanted to see you bring home a girl for yourself, and one day, I would finally have grandchildren of my own." She set the ornament down, and stared out the window at the muffled blue light that slowly seeped in.

As Fox looked up at his mom's face, he noticed she had cried a tear of her own and was sniffling. He sat up and put his arms around her, as best as his small form allowed him to. "It's okay, mom. I promise I will grow up and be just like daddy. I promise!"

Turning her head back to face Fox, Vixy smiled once again. "No Fox, you don't have to be like daddy. You can be whoever you want to be. As long as you do that, you'll make me happy." There was an abrupt knock at the door, and she said, "Oh, that must be the doctor." She reached down and dried Fox's tears with her nightgown's sleeve. "I'm sorry, Fox, you have to go now. You have to say goodbye for now."

Fox felt himself being pulled backwards by an inexplicable power, forcing his and his mother's intertwined arms to slip away from each other. "But I don't know if I will ever see you again!"

Vixy's eyes sparkled with stars as she answered. "I'll be with you forever, Fox, in your dreams."

Fox reached out with his hand towards his mother and the perpetual bed that he could never have her without, struggling against the ensnaring force until he was finally pulled out of the room entirely, and into the light.

Fox gasped as he was suddenly brought to consciousness again. Looking around him, he remembered he was riding in the backseat of a car along a suburban road on the outskirts of Corneria City. The massive skyscrapers the city was known for adorned the distance, blocking the dull sunrise that was slowly making its entrance above the horizon. The sun cast warm rays of light across the white, feathery clouds that covered the sky, shining bright enough to make Fox flinch and close his eyes.

He caught a glimpse of his father looking back in the rear-view mirror. "You okay, buddy? You looked like you dozed off." It was hard to read his father's expression because of his ever-present sunglasses, but even at his young age, Fox was able to discern it was one of worry.

"Yeah, I just fell asleep for a little while, that's all." Fox sniffed and looked away from the rear-view mirror, choosing instead to watch the passing scenery as it flew by. Other cars, buildings, and pedestrians whizzed by in a constant stream with hypnotizing effects. The only thing that broke the repetition of scenery was a group of construction workers in gray hard-hats that were bustling around along the side of the road, working to repair some sort of underground damage, or bury telephone and LAN lines beneath the sidewalk as if they were burying a coffin. The scene quickly passed, and Fox soon found himself staring at the same boring terrain again. Unable to preoccupy himself in any other way, Fox began to think. Finally, he settled on doing what most other seven-year-old children did best:

Asking questions.

Glancing in the mirror again, he saw his father's same expressionless face stare ahead at the road. He determined that now was a good time to approach him.

"Daddy?" he began.

"What is it, son?" James asked warmly back.

"Can I ask you a question?"

His father smiled, and he knew he had fallen into his little trap. "But you've already asked me a question."

"Daaad! Why do you always do that?"

James merely grinned as he watched the road. "I'm sorry, Fox. Go ahead, ask your question."

Fox sat up straight in his car seat, tugging at his seat-belt. "Well... I've been wondering..."

"Come on, Fox, out with it."

"What is death?"

Surprised by the question, James nearly lost control of the steering wheel and crashed into the car beside them. As indignant horns blared, he finally gained control of the steering wheel and set the car back on track, resuming his same emotionless stance. Father and son sat in complete silence for several minutes straight, Fox waiting patiently for an answer.

Ending the silence, James coldly replied, "Death is the vengeance of God." Fox noticed his father's knuckles turn white as they gripped the steering wheel tighter. His true expression always hidden beneath his glasses.

"But what about mom?" Fox asked, knowing full well that bringing her up was a bad idea. "That wasn't vengeance."

James waited for a few seconds, a scowl forming on his face. "No. That was murder."

Again, the car ride sank back into a tense silence that dragged on for minutes on end until James sighed and spoke again. "I'm sorry, Fox. I got a little angry there. Just... ignore that. I have a lot on my mind. But I don't think I really answered your question. Can I help any more?"

"Well, what happens to a person when they die?"

"There are many different answers for that, Fox. But I think a person dies when their soul leaves their body."

"What happens to them after that?"

"Their body is buried here in the earth, and their soul flies on to some other place."

"Where is that?"

"Who knows. No one who's ever died has lived to tell the rest of the world. Some say it goes to heaven, maybe hell, or some place in between. Some say it disappears for awhile before being reborn into another body."

"But... which one is it?"

"Like I said, no one actually knows where the soul goes." Glancing outside, he added, "Just like we don't know where the sun goes when it's night. You can't see it at night, but every day it comes back again."

"Which one do you believe?"

"I hope for the best; heaven."

"And if I die," Fox concluded, "will I see mom in heaven?"

"That is the one thing I am sure of, Fox."

The sun was still climbing its way into the sky when they came to a stop at Corneria's military spaceport. Father and son left the car and took a short, brisk walk towards the runway and hangar area. James was surprised but grateful when he found his and Peppy's arwings already stationed and ready to go. He nodded to a few workmen who immediately set about priming his ship for take off. Fox stood close to his father's side, his tall figure blocking the sun and casting a dark shadow over him, one that made Fox feel small and cold. James turned his head back and forth, the sunlight glancing off his glasses as he looked attentively for someone. Finally, he spotted Peppy Hare, who was just stepping out onto the spaceport's runway.

After giving his teammate a quick wave, James knelt down beside Fox, taking both of his hands in his. "Now I want you to be strong while I'm gone, Fox."

"Daaad, do you really have to go?" Fox whined for the hundredth time that week.

"I'm sorry, buddy. We've been over this already. You know the answer."

"But it's my birthday next week!" Fox persisted.

"It's something I just have to do, kiddo. Andross has it coming to him. And when I come back, I'll have enough money to buy you the best birthday present you've ever seen. You just have to wait awhile."

"I don't care about a present! All I want is for you to be here."

James sighed as he broke eye contact with Fox and looked down at the ground. Finally, after summoning up enough courage, he looked back up again. "Fox, look. This is the last mission I'm going to be flying for a long time. After this, I can forget my job for awhile and spend my time with you. I'll be free for five years at least. How does that sound?"

After thinking it over for a minute, Fox reluctantly nodded. "As long as I can see you soon."

James smiled and patted his son on the back. "There's my boy!" After a quick glance at his and Peppy's arwings, he added, "Look, I have to go now, but I'll be sure to be back by the end of the week. Come on, a week isn't that long, is it? Besides, you'll have Slippy and Fara to keep you company."

"I'll miss you, dad," Fox said.

"I'll miss you too, son." With that, James stood up, grabbed his baggage, and walked over to his arwing while Fox moved to the side of the runway. He watched, helpless, as his father climbed inside the cockpit of his ship, and ignited the engines. With a loud whine, he began rolling down the runway, followed closely by Peppy. As his arwing picked up speed, Fox found himself instinctively chasing after it down the runway, struggling to keep pace. When his dad finally lifted off the ground, Fox slowed down, panting. He waved hopefully at his father, as he and his teammate's arwings slowly faded into the bright sky, becoming no more than two specks of black in a sea of blue and white.

A/N: Hello, and welcome to my new story, Dream's Brink. It's a little tale I cooked up while trying to combine certain images, inspiration from songs, and even dreams of my own. The result is this story. A lot of times, I feel like my writing process is like finding a bunch of inspiration from art, music, games, movies, and books, and then coming up with a Theory of Everything to combine them all into one story. I plan on working on this along side my other fic, and only time will tell which one I decide to work on more. So, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, maybe shed a tear or two, and will keep on reading when the rest comes out.

Also, I've recently gone back and suggested a song at the start of each chapter.