Long ago, but not too long, a man called Ramiro stumbled across a source of near-infinite power in the form of a small blue stone. In a fateful accident, his life was taken, but the stone would not allow his soul to rest. It was bound to a new body, forged of ancient magic and imbued with immense abilities unlike anything the world had ever seen.
His granddaughter, a woman named Krin, attempted to take her own life. Stricken with grief, he used the stone to bring her back as it had done for him. His son refused to accept that she had returned from the dead in such an ethereal state, and cast them both out. Together, they decided to create a planet for themselves.
They called the planet Sauria, bringing to life creatures to inhabit the vast expanse of luscious land. In time, the magics at the core of the planet proved too powerful and began to tear it apart. To save their world, they created four spell stones to absorb the excess energy.
Over the years, they grew lonely and strove to create more beings like themselves. Ramiro began to have visions of those who would join them. An owl named Dakite, a ferret named Maye, and a fennec named Takkah joined them, each rescued from the brink of death. They created a new planet, this one balanced, and left the essence of their spirits to watch over Sauria in the form of Krazoa.
They called themselves the Guardians.
This new planet, named Cerinia, was soon inhabited by a small colony of settlers from Lylat. The Guardians watched over the settlers and often aided them in their daily lives. One day, they were invaded by smuggler thieves. Several lives were taken. In order to protect their people, the Guardians created a force field that would stifle the source of Lylatian machines, and planted spores that would slowly kill anyone not of Cerinian blood.
Over time, two new Guardians were saved; Taliah, a lizard, was the first.
The final Guardian was Shinae, a wolf, from the midst of his suicide.
New Krazoa spirits were formed by them, creating seven in total. Seven staves were forged for seven great warriors in the village to defend them against the local wildlife.
Ramiro had a terrible vision that the village was destroyed and all of the people were killed. To prevent this, Taliah helped her fellow Guardians in creating a complex temple in the forest, built with a magic powerful enough to destroy and create a universe. The seven staves were used as the keys to unlocking this power, so that no one could abuse it. It was sealed with a barrier so powerful that even the Guardians themselves could not enter the temple. Only a savior of pure heart could enter.
For many years, there were no other incidents on the peaceful planet of Cerinia. But the Guardians still worried that someday, Ramiro's vision would come to pass.
CW: This Chapter Contains Violent, Explicit, or Graphic Content
Prelude To An End
Chapter 1
This was the last bit of disappointment she could handle. After years of her miserable life throwing obstacle after tragedy after obstacle, Angie was done with this godforsaken planet. The final slap in the face was that she lacked the funds needed to rent a ship off the dreadful rock. Although Corneria provided well for adults, seventeen-year-old feline orphans were not as well treated. Without being of legal age, her only option was to go into another foster home and wait.
I refuse. I can't do it. I'm fucking done.
She stood at the counter leaning over slightly and pressing her arms together to give her breasts a slight boost. "Please, isn't there some other way I can pay you?" she asked the man behind the desk.
"For your information, honey, I don't swing that way." The chipmunk crossed his arms and frowned at her. "Get out of my office."
"I would like nothing more, believe me, but as long as I'm trapped on this mound of sludge and assholes, you're stuck with me."
The man rolled his eyes. "What's your expectation here? I give you keys without payment, you get hunted by the police, brought right back here, and put into jail?"
"I was hoping more along the lines of, I escape to another planet, one where your age doesn't prevent you from basic rights like living quarters and healthcare, you never have to hear of me again, and at some point in the distant future when I have the funds, I send your stupid ship back."
He sighed. "I could lose my job."
"Just say I forced you."
He sighed again. "Alright. I'll tell you what. You're gonna walk out that door, and pretend to leave. I'm going to get up and go take a piss. You have between when I leave the room and when I get back to take the keys for spot 437 and get out of my sight. Understood?"
"Actually?"
"Get out of my fucking sight."
She backed up with her arms up in a surrender motion, and walked outside. One, two, three, four, five... he should at least be part way to the bathroom by now, right? She peeked through the glass doors, watching the overweight desk clerk disappear around the corner, and took her chance. Four three seven. Four three seven. Where is it? Was he lying? She scanned the numbers on the screen, scrolling rapidly. Each number went up by five. There IS no four three seven! Asshole!
With anger fueling her, she swiftly scanned a key for number 435 and bolted toward the back door as she heard the toilet flush. Too late!
She was in the ship, starting the engine before the clerk realized what she'd done. Number 435 was a nice looking ship, with enough fuel reserves to get her halfway across the galaxy. The chipmunk waddled through the door, throwing his fist in the air. "This is why you don't fuck with orphans, shithead."
The ship had an auto-pilot option, propelling her miles and miles through open space while she retreated to the sleeping quarters. There was a small kitchen-like area on the wall nearest the door, a closet, and a bed. In the closet there was a variety of outfits. She picked out a lovely silk nightgown and laid it out on the bed while she showered. The large, soft bed had silken sheets and a feathered comforter. It was the most peaceful sleep she had experienced in years.
She awoke to alarms blaring from the front of the ship. By the time she reached it, there was an entire planet in front of her. She gasped and grabbed the controls, but the gravity was already pulling her in. All at once, the dash died. "What?!" She cried. "No no no. No, you can't die! Oh god." She was plummeting through the clouds now, toward the ground below. She bolted towards the back of the ship, struggling against gravity as it started to spin. Grabbing a knife off the dresser, she leaped onto the mattress and dug it in, using it as a handle to hold on and gripping with all her might.
With a tremendous noise, the ship collided with the ground. Most of her initial fall was caught by the mattress, and then she was bounced off and to the ground. The ship, surprisingly, landed mostly upright.
Cautiously, she checked the windows. It was snowing outside. She had landed in a field, and all around were trees. It's probably freezing out there, but at least I'm on a planet with oxygen. The ship's closet thankfully had a few wardrobe choices appropriate for extreme weather. She put on a large fuzzy coat over the silk nightgown and donned a pair of boots that were too big for her feet.
Please, please let this world have people.
All around her were trees. I can't stay in a wrecked ship. I have to find help. She took a breath and started walking in a direction.
After a few hours, the cold was really starting to set in and the sky began to get dark. There were still no signs of civilization.
A low growl came from behind her and she froze. Please. Please don't let that be what I think it is. She turned slowly to face a horrifying silhouette, and screamed.
The creature jumped, slamming its feet into her chest. She was thrown several feet backward from the impact, landing on her back as the creature advanced. She screamed again, in agony this time as sharp teeth sunk into her calf. She threw her free foot up and kicked it in the eye. With a sickening crunch, the beast's jaw clamped down and shattered her leg.
She whimpered as nausea swept through her from the pain. "Leave me alone!" she cried weakly.
The monster thrashed its head from side to side, ripping her limb clean off at the knee. She stared at the space where her foot should have been, feeling dizzy and disoriented. How can this be happening?
A second creature showed up, snarling at the first. It then turned to Angie and dove towards her. She lifted her right leg to protect her stomach and its teeth latched onto her thigh. She screamed with all her might, swinging her fists at the scaly face. "Let go!" she sobbed. The more she hit it, the harder it bit down, until her femur finally snapped. She blacked out briefly from the pain.
She awoke moments later, hearing the sounds of flesh being eaten. Several feet away, the two creatures were chewing at her severed leg. She gasped, propping herself up on her arms and looking down. Amidst the pool of blood, her right leg was completely gone. Tears sprang to her eyes and her breathing quickened in panic.
There was a flash of light in front of her, and a man appeared. Her vision blurred and she fell back.
"Get out of here! Fuck off!" the man's voice yelled. A flash of red light preceded the screeches of the monsters that had taken her legs. "Fuck." He was close to her, now. "Can you move? Give me your arm. Come on..."
He lifted her arm around his shoulder and picked her up.
"Oh, that's a lot of blood. Hand on, alright? I'll get you to safety."
In an instant her surroundings changed. There was light again.
The man laid her carefully on a table.
"Shinae? What the hell!" a woman cried. "What is this?"
"We have to save her!" Shinae demanded. The girl laying bloodied and dying in the snow struck a chord in his heart. She reminded him of Taya, his childhood best friend that he had accidentally caused the death of. Her fur was grey, like Taya's. Her deep blue eyes filled with terror pierced into Shinae's heart. It had been almost a century since she died, but he had never stopped feeling guilty for his responsibility in her death.
Dakite rushed over, staring in horror at the mess of blood and missing limbs. "I don't think I can heal this much."
"The best we can do for her now is to let her die as painlessly as possible." Krin said.
"Please. We have to save her. I'm begging you. There has to be something we can do!" His eyes were brimming with tears. He couldn't bear to watch her die a second time.
Krin sighed. "There is something we can try, but... This is only a theoretical procedure, you understand. We've never actually attempted it. She could still die."
"We've got to at least try!" Shinae was desperate.
Krin sighed again. Dakite was trying to keep the girl comfortable.
He left the room and paced back and forth nervously. His deep sunset red fur was damp from the sweat induced from his uneasiness.
"Stop doing that. You're making me nervous." Maye said. Shinae looked over into the soft blue eyes that perfectly matched the hue of her fur.
"I am nervous."
"Sit down, Shinae."
He stopped pacing and stood still for a moment. "I know she was supposed to die, but I can't just sit back like I did with Taya. We have to save her. It's possible to reincarnate someone, right? We can at least do that for her."
"Ramiro will decide."
"I don't trust him."
"He's our leader..." Maye argued.
"Why? Because he found a space rock that glows and grants its users mystical powers?"
"Because he is the oldest, the strongest, and the wisest. His visions have always come true and he has never led us astray."
Shinae shook his head in disgust. In the hundred and three years he had been with the Guardians, he never fully trusted Ramiro. Perhaps it was his competitive side; his instinct to want to be the lead male. He was a wolf, after all. And in his past, he had been the leader. Until he met Taya, the girl who inspired him to break away from the street life and do better.
He shuddered at the sudden memories.
It was Maye who had demanded to Ramiro that the boy be saved. She had found him in the wreckage of his own ship, purposely flown into a steel wall to end his own life. They healed his wounds and brought him back from his near-death state. He had been going stir-crazy in the last few decades. There was hardly a thing to do besides watch the villagers on the planet below grow old and die. Everything was peaceful and the others were happy, so why wasn't he?
He brought his mind back to the present, where they were waiting to hear word from Dakite and Ramiro if the girl he had rescued would live or die.
He had found her next to lifeless on one of the deserted islands on the back-side of Cerinia. Her right leg was torn clean off, her left one chewed off at the knee. Her remaining thigh looked to have been used as a chew toy for a hungry TreeClinger. It was a miracle that the girl was still alive.
She was skin and bones, and it didn't look like she had a lot of blood to spare to begin with. It covered her entire body and clothes. She had gone into shock long before he brought her back to the palace. Her long, black tail was the only part of her that had been spared the carnage. Her markings were so similar to Taya's that for a moment, Shinae thought he was really looking at his old friend.
"You're pacing again."
"I'm sorry..." He sat down.
A second later he was up and pacing again. Maye sighed. "You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you were attached to that girl."
He stopped dead in the midst of his pacing and stared at her. Then he blushed and continued pacing. "She looks like Taya.." He said in a low voice.
Maye frowned. "Taya died. A hundred years ago."
"I know!" He snapped. "She just...reminds me of her, that's all."
"No matter how far you go, Shinae, Taya is gone. She's never coming back. That is one thing I can promise you. Holding onto regret and wishful feelings is only going to hurt you in the long run. Your friend wouldn't want this for you," she said.
Shinae looked down, facing away from her. His eyes glazed with tears that he refused to let fall. "I know." He said simply. He would have cut back at her, but the despairing emotions that had combined to make that impossible lump in his throat prevented his anger from taking the form of words.
Ramiro stepped out of the room. "Dakite is struggling. The girl will not last much longer."
"Please..." Shinae said desperately.
"The only way would be to reincarnate her into a newborn. She will lose her body and her memories. Only her soul will remain."
"Do it." Shinae demanded.
"We do not know if she even wishes to live. The choice should be hers. But she can hardly move, let alone speak."
Shinae resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the way Ramiro refused to say what he really wanted. It was the one thing that truly made him not trust the fox. "Fine, I'll talk to her."
"Are you sure?" Maye asked. "You haven't used your powers since..."
"I said I'll talk to her. It's what he wants, anyways," he gestured toward Ramiro, "...and he's not going to save her until he gets his way." Shinae walked back into the room where Dakite was leaning over the girl's bloodied body, using her healing magic.
The green feathered healer looked up at him. "I managed to stop the bleeding, but I don't know if I can keep her alive much longer." She stroked the girl's shoulder. "She's lost so much blood," she whispered.
"Ramiro wants you." Shinae lied. He stepped to the girl's side and touched her hand as Dakite left the room, giving him the privacy he wanted. He hadn't used his gift on another being for nearly a hundred years. He hadn't needed to. But now he was breaking his promise, one made after he used it for his own selfish purposes and caused Taya's death.
But was this not a selfish purpose?
No, he told himself, this is for the girl.
He closed his eyes and focused. He had used his gift on himself many a time, to escape and cool down in a place where no one could bother him. Not like he didn't have all of eternity to be alone, but sometimes, like when Maye was scolding him, he could just step out of reality for several hours at a time without her knowing.
The black behind the cover of his eyelids slowly became brighter, like the sun was shining on his face. He opened his eyes.
He was here again, the same place he had been all those years ago with the dying girl he'd loved more than life itself.
Only this time, it wasn't her. It was the young gray cat who, without her wounds, closely resembled her. She was no longer mutilated and bloodied. She was herself, or what she would have looked like before the accident. Dark gray fur covered her nude body. Black stripes decorated her back, arms, and legs. Her tail was black, as were her ears, nose, and mouth, with a large patch of white on her belly. Her ears had little white tips on them, the same way Taya's did. Her eyes were closed. She opened them. Soft blue eyes penetrated the stone walls of his heart.
Angela opened her eyes and looked head on into the fiery crimson irises of the wolf who had rescued her. The fur on his naked body was a deep, brilliant red. He was thin, but muscular. Tall. Strong jaw-line. She realized she was unclothed as well and gasped, trying to cover herself with her arms and tail.
"It's alright, I really don't care. I won't hurt you. I'm the one who found you."
"I remember," she said, blushing as she tried not to stare. "Where am I?"
"Technically, you're in a room in the Guardians' castle."
She gave him a confused look. "Guardians?"
"I am a Guardian, part of a small group that built this planet nearly a millennium ago. They built this and the sister planet, Sauria. Some Lylatians who have discovered Sauria refer to it as Dinosaur Planet, for its singular population of dinosaurs..." He sighed. "I'm rambling... My name is Shinae. I became a Guardian a little over a hundred years ago. Yes, I'm actually a hundred and twenty seven."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Looking good for your age," she said.
He grinned slightly. "My body is twenty four. It will be forever."
"Lucky you."
"I brought you here because... well, you remind me of a girl I once loved. Her name was Taya. She died a hundred years ago."
"My...great-grandmother's name was Taya..." Angela said timidly.
At this Shinae paused, staring at her. "Describe her to me."
"She looked a lot like me. I saw a picture of her. She had blue eyes, like mine. They said she died in some kind of combat accident."
"Who told you that?"
"These people... they worked in the DNA office. I just found out a month ago. I wanted to know who I really was. I'm an orphan."
"Accident..." He trailed off. The accident he had caused. It was the reason he swore to himself and to the other Guardians to never use his power again. Yet here he was... He blinked himself back to reality. "Yes... I remember that... She died in a shipwreck above the planet Venom." He looked down. "I was the reason she crashed..."
Angela shifted uncomfortably. "Why am I here?" She asked.
Shinae snapped to attention. "Yes.. of course. I'm sorry. I brought you here, using my power. You are unconscious in reality, bleeding to death. Even Dakite, our medic, can't seem to bring you back to health. She's been working for hours to heal your legs. The only way to save you would be to reincarnate you into someone else's body. A newborn baby, to be precise. But we didn't know whether or not you would want to live."
Angela looked down. Tears came to her eyes.
"Are...you okay?" Shinae asked. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If the answer is no... I'll understand."
"It's not that...I...I just don't know. I came here to die."
"The choice is yours and yours alone. Do you still wish to die?"
"No!" She cried. "I mean... yes. I mean..." She shook her head. "I don't know."
"Are you afraid?"
"I'm extremely afraid. I don't know what death will be like."
"You don't have to die."
"But... I don't know that I deserve to live."
He took her chin in his palm and lifted her face to hold her gaze. "Everyone deserves a second chance. It is your choice. If you want, you can start over as a child on Cerinia. No one would know it was you. You won't have any memories of your past."
She turned away. "I don't know..."
"Tell me..." He said. "What is one thing, above all else, above all wishes or dreams... if you could have one impossible thing, whether it be a person, place, thing, idea... what is something you want, or have wanted, above anything, that laws of nature tell you you can't have?"
She bit her lip to stop from crying. Two tears defied her and dampened her cheeks. "A family..." She whispered.
"Then that is what you'll have." He said. "You will be reborn to a new family, on Cerinia. One that will help you, care for you, and love you above all else. You won't have any memory of this, or your life up until now. You will be a new person."
She kept her back to him so that he wouldn't see her tears. "Thank you..." She whispered.
"No... thank you."
(Meanwhile, on the surface of a planet known as Cerinia...)
Michal paced impatiently outside the door, his orange and white tail swishing back and forth as he walked. He bit his lip, and sweat dampened his orange facial fur.
"Calm down!" Jak, a weasel, and Michal's best friend since childhood, stood lazily against the side of the house. "You're making me nervous!"
"I'm sorry... I can't help it! What if something goes wrong?"
"Jenai's the best medic we have. Keila will be fine."
Michal lifted his hand to his face and nibbled on his index fingernail. "What if she-..."
"Quiet!" Jak snapped. "Just relax. The baby will be born soon enough."
A yell of pain came from inside. Michal tensed.
"That's to be expected. You heard Jenai, she said not to come inside until she came out to get you."
"But what if-..."
"No more what ifs! You're giving me a headache!" Jak cried. He held out the bottle of whiskey he routinely carried about. "Take a swig. Calm yourself."
Michal took the small carrier and took two large gulps.
"I said a swig not the whole damn thing!" Jak said helplessly.
"Sorry..." Michal handed it back.
The door opened. Janai, a dainty silver ferret, stepped out. "It's a girl." She said in her tiny voice. Michal rushed inside and to the side of his young beautiful wife, Keila.
"Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" He asked in a rushed and breathless voice.
She smiled. "It's a girl," she said, holding out the tiny bundle in navy blue cloth. He carefully lifted the newborn into his arms. She opened her wide blue eyes and looked up at him curiously from her soft white furry face.
"She's beautiful..." Michal said softly, looking at the bundle of joy in his embrace. "What should we call her?" He asked.
Keila thought for a moment. "I think... Vivian."
"Vivian?" Michal questioned.
"Yes. We'll call her Vivian."
Author's Notes: Hello and Welcome to my story! If you haven't read my previous work, A New Beginning, you probably won't get as excited over many of the inside references and explanations, but this story is not dependent on that one, neither is A New Beginning solely supported on this one. This story goes over Krystal's past, starting from before she was born, and depicts the origins of all my OCs.
Star Fox itself gives very little insight to Krystal's home world, so I had a lot of space to work with. (pun not intended...) Much of the lore in this story is original content, but I did my best to align most of it with the cannon Star Fox universe.
If you have any questions or comments, please review or PM! I'm open to feedback and constructive criticism. I like to know how I'm doing as far as making things understandable and enjoyable for my audience, which is you.
I am currently working on a revision of the future chapters to help the story feel less rushed and include more information and plot. Enjoy :)