*Note: This story was a request, so some liberties were taken that I normally wouldn't take. Long story short, Fox's parents aren't dead or sucked into that Vegas dimension and Andross didn't explode and die when defeated. Also, Cerinia didn't explode or get that lethal movie cough or whatever. Also, to the requester, sorry about the wait. This is the third rewrite.

*Prologue*

It had been two years since James McCloud defeated Andross. Every year, this compelled Fox to come up with ways to try to live up to the McCloud name. This year, Fox decided to get his father an amazing birthday gift. Unsatisfied with what he could afford in the Lylat System, Fox decided to investigate nearby systems. Surely, they would have something amazing that Fox could legally obtain.

Near a planet named Cerinia, Fox's arwing picked up signals that seemed Lylatian in nature. Coming closer to investigate, Fox was ambushed by remnants of the Andronian military. He managed to destroy the ships, but his ship was heavily damaged in the process. With no other option, Fox decided to land on Cerinia.

AS he approached the ground, the ship's systems began to fail. The life support and controls lost all power. Eventually, the arwing crashed hard into the planet with only the G-diffuser keeping Fox's organs from liquifying from the impact. Injured, Fox quickly lost consciousness.

*Chapter One*

A young blue vixen was successfully fending off a raid by the Andronian troops when she saw Fox's arwing slam into the ground not too far away. Curious, Krystal decided to investigate.

Upon closer inspection, Krystal noticed that the ship's markings weren't Andronian and that it appeared to have suffered heavy damage. Perhaps the ship had fought the invaders.

Looking through the canopy, she saw that the occupant was injured. Using her staff, she pried open the canopy and pulled the occupant out. He was alive, but injured. Lifting him over her shoulders, she carried him back to her village temple.

"So, what do you think?" she asked the priestess as she carefully lifted Fox onto a stone table.

"He doesn't appear to be one of the invaders." the hawk said, "His injuries are survivable if we hurry."

Krystal watched as the priestess grabbed some jars from a shelf. She then stripped Fox before pouring the contents of the jars onto him. Krystal watched as the priestess tirelessly rubbed the liquids into Fox's fur.

"His skin will absorb the medicine." she explained as she put the jars back, "It was the only way to get it into him without the risk of choking."

The priestess gave Fox's body a quick examination before turning to Krystal.

"He is your responsibility." the priestess warned Krystal, "Live or dead, friend or foe, his fate is in your hands, Krystal. It would be your responsibility to watch over him just as it would be your responsibility to bury him should he die or even kill him should he prove foe."

Krystal nodded as the priestess left for her study. This wasn't the first time the priestess put someone under her care, though he was the first male. She didn't have to wait long for him to wake.

"What happened?" Fox said with a groan as he sat up on the table, "Why am I naked?"

"Your ship crashed." Krystal explained, "After I carried you here, we stripped you to better treat your injuries."

Krystal examined him closely as he got himself off the table. The worst of his injuries appear to have healed. It appeared she didn't need to bury another body yet.

Fox instinctively covered his manhood when he saw her examining him. Having unintentionally embarrassed him enough, Krystal handed Fox his clothes. She watched as he hurriedly got dressed.

"So, is there anywhere near here I can get my ship fixed?" Fox asked.

"We have some parts you can use, but it won't be enough." Krystal explained, "To get your ship in the air again, we'll need to raid the nearby Andronian base."

Raid? Andronian base? Ever since James had formed Star Fox, Fox had dreamed of following in his footsteps. Now that he had the opportunity, Fox wondered what the catch was.

"There is no catch." Krystal said, seemingly reading his mind, "They're armed, they're bad, and they have what you need. For most people, the "armed and bad" part would be a pretty big catch."

"When can we start?" Fox asked. Krystal didn't know what to think of Fox's enthusiasm. She was glad her people had a willing ally, but his enthusiasm seemed almost suicidal.

"We'll prepare soon." Krystal told him, "And I want to emphasize that this will be a small raid to buy us some time. We can't make real progress against them without a lot more preparation."

"That's cool, I guess." Fox told her, disappointed, "How long are these preparations going to take?"

"A few days at the most." Krystal explained. She could sense a growing impatience in the young male. She needed to get his mind off the coming battle, lest he do something rash on her watch.

"It could be weeks before you can return to the skies." Krystal said as she opened the temple doors, "Perhaps you'd like to see the village you'd be calling home for the time being."

Fox shrugged and followed her out the door. The village was fairly small, Fox estimating it to be the home of no more than a few hundred residents. A single stone road, leading from the temple to the tall stone wall surrounding the village, was the only pavement in the entire village.

"It's... nice." Fox told her. He felt he should say something, but didn't know what.

"Follow me."

Fox followed Krystal to a large stone structure near the temple. Inside, Fox saw an arsenal of staffs and captured Andronian firearms. At the far end of the room was a large, glowing crystal.

"Grab a staff." Krystal ordered, "You don't want to run out of ammunition and you can't always count on fallen foes having the right ammunition."

Fox grabbed a staff. He could feel a power coursing through the metal shaft.

"That will be your weapon for the upcoming battle."

"Odd that you're handing a complete stranger a weapon." Fox thought out loud.

"You're not a foe." Krystal said matter-of-factly, "Your only desire is to fight the Andronians and return home."

"You seem so sure."

"Your mind is an open book." Krystal told him bluntly, "Plus, it wouldn't be beneficial for you to betray us. We're your only hope of leaving. Betray us and you're stuck here."

Fox couldn't argue with that logic, though that remark about his mind left him a little confused. His mind was an open book? Was that a local saying?

"My name's Krystal, by the way."

"I'm Fox."

Fox looked away after the awkward introduction. At least they knew each other's name.

"So, do you want to get something to eat?" Krystal asked. Why was she feeling awkward suddenly? Was it because she waited until just now to exchange names? At least he felt awkward too. Or did that make things worse? Of all the mysteries in life, why did one of them have to be this new awkwardness?

"Yes."

Krystal appreciated his short answer.

"Follow me." she commanded as they left the structure. Down the stone road, they reached a market. After giving a merchant a few coins, she handed Fox a fruit. Biting into it, Fox was greeted by a slightly sour flavor. It wasn't bad, just unexpected.

While Fox finished his fruit, Krystal stood there awkwardly. What should they do now? She'd train him in using his weapon, but the training grounds were currently being used by the guards. She didn't have this issue when priestesses in training were put under her care.

"I know that look." Fox told her, "Thinking of what you should do now? My friend Falco had that look a lot."

"I don't have friends." Krystal told him, "I was always too busy. Tell me about Falco."

"There's not much to say. He's a blue pheasant with a cocky attitude. He's nice, but also a jerk. Can't stand not being the best. That's about it."

Krystal could empathize. She met quite a few people who couldn't settle for being second best at anything. It certainly made her lack of friends seem like less of a problem. Though it might be nice to have someone who cared about her.

"It's getting late." Krystal told Fox as dusk quickly approached, "We should head back to my place."

Fox followed Krystal as she led him to her small wooden house. She directed him to the small bed in the corner.

"So, do you have a bed for guests or..."

"Get in." Krystal commanded.

"But..."

"Customs dictate those under my care sleep in a bed, not on the ground." Krystal firmly insisted. There was something about this vixen that compelled Fox to avoid her bad side. Sensing her growing annoyance, Fox quickly complied.

"Are you sure you don't want to bend a rule or two?" Fox asked as Krystal crawled in bed next to him, "I've slept on worse floors."

"I like the warmth." Krystal explained. Fox sighed. The quicker he went to sleep, the sooner he'd wake up and put this awkward episode behind him. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long for his ship to get repaired.

While Fox quickly fell asleep, Krystal kept thinking about Fox. Why did he have to make this awkward? Her culture's rules on hospitality were fairly strict and she wasn't going to commit a faux pas just because of this todd. This soft, warm todd. Or was the proper term for a male fox a reynard? Why a completely different word? Why not a masculine prefix or suffix? Like "ma-" for "masculine? Mafox. And she a fefox. Or hefox and shefox?

Krystal shook the thoughts out of her head as she slowly fell asleep. Now as the time for sleep, not thinking. Tomorrow was a busy day and she didn't want to start it exhausted.