Many thanks to Tobias Umbra for allowing me to bring a character that I have worked quite a bit into his view of the Star Fox universe. I hope that I can enrich and bring to life his interpretation of Lylat as well as he does.
I hope also that you, the reader, enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed working on it.
Anyway.
Enjoy!
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Cerinia in the wet season is a dreary place, at least for some around the equator. Some others didn't mind the near constant rain as much, especially the elders, as they have grown used to it over their lifetimes. And the young Cerinian named Cobalt had always enjoyed this type of weather since it kept him cool in the normally hot daytime. The Cerinian in question was an aspiring young warrior who had earned his accolades in the fire of many duels and competitions. He was old enough to be an adult, but young enough to pass as an unblooded son who had never tasted combat. The latter was untrue of the average looking blue fox, with his short stature and bland muscle tone that always made the other warriors and females look down on him at times. But his stature held a hidden strength that all that had faced him testified to. And that was why his time had finally come, the time to earn his place as a Cerinian warrior. He was to travel to the stars, to places he had never even imagined before and make his name. Maybe one day he would return, but he was expected to make a life for himself elsewhere, so that he would not challenge the current leaders of the tribe.
The rain came pelting down on the young warrior as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth to let it fill with water; he was always keen on a free drink. He closed it again and swallowed the fresh, cool water, giving him a much needed refresher from his patient wait for the elder council of his tribe. By Cerinian terms he was past his time, 20 years old, but had not been given his chance to prove himself as a warrior due to his stature and seemingly weak nature. This never bothered his peers, they thought he was not a threat to challenge them, but it certainly bothered him. So he had fought hard for his honor and suffered through many learning experiences on his way to this moment, his right to be a blooded warrior of his tribe. The water that rained down from above pattered against his armor and provided a kind of music to his ears, the armor was passed down from one generation to another and it was a symbol of his new found status. The armor he wore consisted of a chestplate and small, from-conforming pauldrons that covered his shoulders. His legs were partly covered in metal pads and his ankles were enclosed in short anklets. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait much longer in the rain however, as he wished to be seen in his spotless armor.
His wait was soon over however as a group of older Cerinians emerged from the temple he was waiting outside of. The temple was a magnificent work of art that would have pleased any that had the luxury to gaze upon it for long. Its high, stone towers ascended to the skies, giving off the feeling of those that climbed them as getting closer to the heavens, getting closer to the Krazoa. There were five priests and priestess's in total in his tribe, three females and two males. They were a kind and wise bunch; in fact they had helped him greatly on his path to arrive at this moment.
The five of them descended down the cobble steps to the base of the temple where Cobalt stood tall and strong for all to see. Cobalt thought of maybe reading their minds, but this was seen as being rude in Cerinian culture and he thought better of it. One of the priests stepped forward with a covered bundle and handed it to the young fox; it was heavy and seemed to be a package of furs. Cobalt looked curiously to the priest but said nothing, only accepting the gift with a bow. Each priest in turn came forward with a gift to the young warrior, gifts that would help him on his journey. Gifts of food and water, along with clothing and supplies, one priestess anointed his head in ceremonial oil that was supposed to keep him safe.
Cobalt accepted all of these gifts with a reverent bow, until the real reason he had come arrived. The final priest stepped forward with a staff, but this was no normal staff. This was the staff of a warrior; at one end of this weapon was a large blade that came halfway down the hilt of the staff. At the other end was a large bulbous socket that held a red crystal. Cobalt knew of this weapon, he had forged it himself with the help of the priests. They had been blessing the weapon for the last three days, he was taught that his staff was an extension of his own body and it was to be treated as such. It was his prize possession now and he would have little chance of survival without it.
Cobalt got on his knees and held out his hands as the priest placed it firmly in his grip. He looked up at the priest and smiled before speaking in his native tongue.
"Thank you, father."
The priest helped him to his feet and embraced him with tears in his eyes.
"This is your moment son. Not mine. Take advantage of what you have earned here and make a name for yourself in the stars."
Cobalt released his father from his touch and proceeded to do the same with the other priests and priestess's, thanking them all for the help and gifts they had given him for his journey. But now was the time he had been waiting for, as the priests moved past him they came to a series of symbols and glyphs carved into the ground. It was a sacred area, with a center dial in the middle that was operated with the staff of a priest. As Cobalt's father stepped forward to the center of the dial, a crowd began to gather from the village nearby. Cerinians young and old came forward to say goodbye to the young warrior, even a few of his former competitors embraced him and wished him luck. It was a gratifying moment to him, a true symbol that he had earned his right to be a warrior.
Cobalt's father shushed the crowd as he raised his staff high in the air and began to chant in an ancient Cerinian dialect that was older than any of them could even remember. It was a song of both hope and sadness, for the warrior about to be sent to another world where he would probably never be seen again. The trip was a one way affair and Cobalt did not want to return anyway, he wanted a new life for himself, far away from the judgment of his peers and potential competitors. The older fox finished his song and slammed his staff into the center dial and with a giant clap that sounded like thunder, the dial began to move. With each movement it made, the symbols began to glow a bright blue until they came together to spell out a word in the Cerinian language: winter.
Now Cobalt understood why the elders had given him so many clothes, obviously the place he was going was quite cold. When the center dial reached its destination, a fire emerged from the staff and came to form a wide blue circle, just large enough to step through. The way was opened; his path to his new life lay before him.
Cobalt turned to his father one last time, as if to say something, maybe that he would miss him or that he loved him. But his father turned his back on his son with tears in his eyes, and motioned for him to step forward. Cobalt understood now why it was so difficult to do what he was about to do. He approached the glowing blue portal with a sense of dread, not knowing what awaited him on the other side. When he was about to step through, he turned back and took one last look at the place of his birth. It literally the last time he would ever see his home and friends again. After one long look of longing, he sighed and stepped through the portal, entering a world where his life would never be the same again.
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When Cobalt stepped through the portal, his sight went a pitch white and a feeling of inertia overcame him, his ears began to ring loudly, but not painfully. It was a strange experience for him as it was both uncomfortable and pleasant to travel this way. After only what seemed to be a couple of seconds, he suddenly found himself on solid ground. Or rather, he found himself colliding with solid ground. He quickly fell over into a soft, crunchy surface that was also extremely cold. Cobalt gasped when he felt the unusual feeling overcome him, everything around him was blindingly freezing as the very air around him seemed to cool his body. As his senses slowly returned to him, he wasted no time in cutting open the bundle of furs that the priests had given him. He didn't even bother to get a look at his surroundings as his only concern at the moment was staying warm. The freezing fox put on a layer of fur coat and pants, which he was quite unused to, and huddled in the snow to try and get his temperature up. It was then that he looked around at where he was, snow surrounded and engulfed him everywhere he looked. He was in a craggy ravine of some sort, with another one of the dials with the same glyphs surrounding it underneath him. The ravine funneled in the cold air that screamed its way through the ice covered rock and created a sort of wailing noise that he had never heard before in his life.
Cobalt got to his feet and pulled out his weapon from his pack to balance himself on it. After a quick look around at his surroundings, his survival instinct started to kick in. This ravine he was in was not a good shelter at all, if anything it made the inside of the canyon colder than it was on the outside. He quickly began to ascend up the slope that lead to the this new world's surface, each step was a struggle for him as the journey here had taken much of his normal strength and left him exhausted and lightheaded. It took him several minutes to ascend out of the shallow ravine and into a bright world of snow and ice.
Once he reached the top, he was greeted by a sight he did not expect. All around him were the ruins of shattered buildings and magnificent cathedrals that clearly once belonged to someone. He raised his staff in a defensive position, the ruins didn't look they had been inhabited for many years but he was not one to be careless. He descended down the slope and began to make his way towards the ruin, at the very least they might provide shelter from the bitter cold. He shivered greatly as he made his way forward, holding his pack of supplies close in an attempt to stay warm. The world around him was extremely bright, everything was coated in snow and ice and even the sky was a blank slate that covered the sun.
It took Cobalt over an hour to arrive at the ruins, they looked nothing like the temples back on Cerinia and he took a moment to examine them closely. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a clear crystal to look closer at an inscription written on the walls. Unfortunately it was written in a language that he had never seen before and had no hope of understanding.
I wonder if there are any survivors still around.
"Hello?"
Cobalt spoke into the cold air with a tone of voice that was more than a little uncertain. He was in a foreign land now, and apparently people used to live here. But what concerned him what caused these ruins to be here in the first place. Clearly, something had wiped these people out and Cobalt hoped dearly that whatever had was not hanging around anymore. He decided that discretion was the better part of valor in this instance, maybe bringing attention to himself was not the smartest decision right now.
He wandered through the ruins for the better part of an hour, until he came to what looked like what once was a hall of some sort. A large, half opened door stood before him and he stuck his staff into the ajar doorway to pry it open. With a loud screeching noise that he desperately hoped wouldn't attract anything hostile, he stepped inside to a large room littered with debris from the ceiling. It was considerably warmer in here than it was outside and he placed his pack on the ground with a sigh of relief.
"At least I have some place to stay." He muttered to himself.
Even though he had found acceptable shelter, he still needed to know if he was safe in his current building. As he looked around the room for any holes that might need patching up with the fallen debris, he noticed another doorway in the corner of the room. He approached cautiously and opened it with his spear at the ready. He found it led to a small staircase that opened up to a tower of some sort. He ascended the stairs to find that the tower gave him a wonderful view point over the ruin proper. Off in the distance was a set of cliffs and canyons that seemed quite foreboding, harsh winter storms hovered over the cliffs and Cobalt made a mental note to avoid that area if he at all could. He had heard of similar storms on Cerinia, but they were far to the north of where Cobalt had lived and he had never seen them, much less borne the brunt of their fury like the northern tribes had. As he looked around, he noticed a group of large furred animals huddled together in a herd to the south of where he was. They were moving towards the ruins much as he had, clearly wanting to use them as shelter from the harsh winter.
He couldn't believe his luck. Without waiting to look around any longer, he ran back down the stairs and seized up his spear with both hands, leaving out the front door in a hurry. He didn't want to lose his chance at an opportunity for a meal. He ran quickly through the ruins, past mangled and destroyed buildings that impeded his progress ever so slightly. However he found that although the buildings proved shelter from the cold and shielded his advance on the approaching animals, they also impeded his own view. He decided to use one of the buildings as a vantage point and quickly ascended another of the black towers like the one at his new shelter.
He quickly and quietly as he could reached the top and stared out over the approaching herd, quickly formulating a plan. As the beasts began to get closer, he realized that an ambush may be his safest bet to snag a source of meat as several of the tall, massive and shaggy creatures had large tusks that looked bigger than his own body. He took several moments to observe their approach and determine where to lay his ambush. If the herd entered the ruins as a group, then they might be isolated and make for an easier kill. So he bid his time, patiently waiting for the herd to enter the ruins.
He didn't have to wait long as they apparently had the same idea about the cold as he did, quickly entering the ruins and beginning to graze on some of the small grass that persisted in the cold. The blue fox gently made his way down the stairs, taking care with his steps as he neared the bottom. He quietly peeked his head out the door to get a look at his prey, sure enough one of the smaller animals had gotten isolated from the rest of the group and was grazing on a larger patch of grass that persisted in the sun. He waited until its head was down and darted out the door as quickly as he could under the circumstances. He hid behind a piece of debris and peeked his out over the top, discovering that he was still hidden. Now was his chance.
As he made his way forward, moving from cover to cover with the cold wind covering his footsteps, he lost focus of what was around him. He came underneath a fallen tower with his staff ready, he was almost in throwing distance. But as he slowly began to stand up, staff ready to throw at his unsuspecting prey, he began to hear a growling noise behind him. He should have realized that he wasn't the only predator who was using the herd a source of food, but in his haste had forgotten some of the rules of hunting. On a dangerous planet, always check for predators.
"Remember my name spirits, for I may die today." He whispered under his breath, the fear in his voice was almost palpable.
He slowly turned around so that he would not incite whatever predator was behind him to attack and realized he was only about a few steps away from a large, maybe six or seven feet tall, predatory cat with large saber-like teeth. The cat had clearly been stalking the herd animal in front of them and might have been caught by surprise that it was not the only predator in the area. With Cobalt clearly imposing on its territory, it was keen on making him a meal. He knew he didn't have much time before it made up its mind to attack, so Cobalt decided to go on the offensive. Quickly raising his staff with the blade end forward, he rushed the cat with a bloodcurdling scream erupting from his throat. Caught by surprise with this attack, the cat growled menacingly as it retreated into a corner of the tower. Cobalt realized he had made another mistake as cornering the creature would only increase its likelihood to attack and ceased his advance. But the damage was done.
With a deafening roar, the cat seemed to sense his indecision and jumped forward to strike. Cobalt quickly turned tail and ran as fast as he could , doing his best to hold onto his staff as he ran. He barely avoided the swinging of the creatures massive clawed paw and used the buildings to cover his escape. He darted into and out of crushed structures in an attempt to avoid his new opponent, barely escaping its attacks as he did so. After what seemed like hours of running, but in reality was only a minute or two, he arrived into an open space right in front of the shelter he had chosen. It was a mistake that would nearly cost him his life, as the saber toothed cat quickly jumped onto his back, tearing into his pack of thick furs. Those furs saved his life as he was able to shake off the pack and escape into his shelter.
"Sacred spirits protect me..."
Outside, the cat seemed to think that he had a piece of Cobalt's flesh as it tore into it greedily. Suddenly, the sides had been switched and now Cobalt was cornered. He was now faced with a choice, he could either stay in his protective shelter and hide from his would be predator, or he could seize the initiative and attack while it was distracted. If he stayed in his shelter, he had limited food and water, not mention sources of light. The creature could easily wait him out, he was encroaching on its territory and it wanted him dead.
It was an easy choice for the young and headstrong Cerinian. With a final prayer for his safety to the Krazoan spirits, he lowered his spear and charged at the cat, this time staying quiet until the last moment in an attempt to catch it off guard. But when he was within striking distance, he let out a rage filled scream, unable to contain himself any longer. The creature looked up just in time to catch the bladed end of his staff in the eye.
The cat let go of the furs and reared up with another deafening roar as it screamed out its defiance to the young fox. His enemy was now wounded, but not defeated. Remembering what had got him through the rigorous training on his home planet, which was blind bravery, he attacked again, this time stabbing into its chest with the deadly vibroblade that was his staff. This time he hit something vital, as the creature tried desperately to get in a swing on its Cerinian attacker, blood gushing out of its chest. This time, the beast connected, its claws raking across the young fox's back as he tried to duck under its attack.
Cobalt let out a pained scream and fell to the ground, his spear underneath him. The saber toothed cat rolled around on the ground next to him in pain, clearly dying. Cobalt thought for a moment that he might join it in death as he lay on the ground, writhing in unbearable pain, the cats claws having cut straight through his fur protection. After lying there for several minutes, he picked himself of the ground with a growl. Filled with rage at his mistake and at his attacker, he grabbed his staff from the ground and moved to silence the roaring of his enemy. With one last look, the creature growled a pathetic whimper of a growl before Cobalt ran his staff through his mouth and into its brain, killing it instantly.
With his enemy dispatched, Cobalt left his staff in his foe and sat down on the ground to recover from the intense battle of survival he had just participated in.
"Thank you, whatever god is up there, thank you for another day."
Cobalt stood up from the displaced ground and walked gingerly into the hall that was his shelter from the cold. He dragged his pack in with him, inspecting it for the damage the predator had done. Most of the furs were tattered and torn beyond ever being used for clothing again, but he reasoned he could skin the creature for its own fur if he wanted. In fact, the fur being torn helped him somewhat as he now had ready made bandages ready to go. After taking off his shirt and armor, he tore up the already shattered fur into strips and began to dab at the cuts on his back in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He reached into his pack and took out a vial of yellow powder that he sprinkled on some of his fur bandages and applied them to his wounds. The yellow powder would help the cuts scar over and stop the bleeding faster.
Cobalt laughed to himself at getting himself into such a fight almost instantly and smiled at his new scars. Scars were seen as badges of honor among the warrior caste and he had certainly earned these. After fixing up his cuts and scratches he left his shelter to inspect his kill. The cat seemed even larger now that it was dead if that was at all possible. He walked up the beast and pulled his staff out of its mouth. He inspected the blade fro any damage and looked over the slain creature with a smile. The animal had fought well and he would honor it in his prayers for the night. He decided to take a trophy for his efforts and reached into its mouth with his staff and cut out one of its larger canines. He held up the razor sharp tooth to the sky after he cleaned the blood from it, marveling at the the animals killing power.
He suddenly realized how much time he had spent fighting as he realized it was getting dark. Even though he was wounded, he needed to drag the kill someplace safe so that other predators would not seize it in the night. After securing a safe location not far away, he began the long and painful process of dragging the kill to his hiding spot. He was lucky that it was not far at all as the creature was extremely heavy and put a lot of stress unto his already damaged back. After dumping the corpse into a secure tunnel, he closed the door behind him and headed back to his shelter. As he walked back on the soft snow, gingerly feeling his wounds as he did so, he noticed that the white haze that had covered the sky had now faded.
In its place was a beautiful yellow sun, the likes of which he had never seen before. He smiled at the beautiful sight and took a moment to gaze out over the horizon. When he was not fighting for his life, the planet had a serene beauty to it that was startling to see. Cobalt reasoned that perhaps this was his new purpose in life, to survive in spite of extreme hardship and in spite of the misgiving of his childhood friends. This was his home now, and he would be damned if he wouldn't make the best of it. He was hopeful then, and the sun in the far distance seemed to radiate that hope as well.
It was the end of one life for him, and the beginning of a bright new one tomorrow, with only the sun as his witness.
Cobalt didn't have much time to gaze at the sun however, and quickly returned to his new home wit the intent to bundle fro the night before it got too cold. He started a small fire with his little burner and gathered up what little debris there was the looked flammable. Feeding the fire with the debris, he ate a small meal of grains and other small vegetables plus dried meats that were included in his pack. It was not enough to properly refuel from a battle like he had just fought, but it was enough to help his body through the night. Some of the plants in his pack also served as painkillers with a side effect of being a sedative so it wasn't long before he was drifting off to sleep, the front door firmly secured to keep anything curious out The night however did not offer much solace to the young warrior, as upsetting dreams would plague his mind.
For most of the Cerinian tribes, life near the equator, where the majority of the planet's population lived, was a busy affair. The majority of the males either hunted or kept watch over the other tribes, with the select few that earned the honor every year being sent off planet. This kept the population from having too many hotheaded males and keeping conflict and power struggles to a minimum. Cobalt was one such young warrior who hoped one day to earn the honor of being a wandering warrior, it was one of the most prestigious levels of Cerinian society, despite the fact that they were basically being cut of from said society. They knew that what they were doing helped maintain the peace and they were proud, if also sad, to do it.
It had been a typical day in the village outside the massive temple where Cobalt's father had served. His father, named Vekta, had passed on his duties to a servant for the day, taking the day off to be with his son.
For the young fox that day, he had been sparring with his father with wooden staves, a common tradition among father and son. His father was an honored priest, his mother a rare female hunter who was often busy keeping the peace. So he spent the majority of his time with his father and bonded with him quite deeply. He remembered asking him that day, after being soundly beaten by him in a mock duel, what the purpose of life was. The fact that he had been easily defeated in the duel did not bother him, his father wanted to prepare him the best he could fro the trials and that meant being as hard as he could.
His father had smiled at him after patting him on the head, as a priest he had anticipated a question like this. He sat down with his son on the damp earth and motioned for his son to join him before speaking.
"There are many reasons to live, and even more reasons to cherish said life. You may think that me, as a priest to the honored Krazoa, would tell you that honoring the spirits is more important than anything, and that is my purpose in life. But that is not true."
He leaned over and kissed his son's forehead and held him close.
"My reason in life is to love others, to be loved, and to return that love unconditionally. Others may have different definitions on what the purpose of life is, but for me, its simple. Loving life itself is enough for this simple priest."
Cobalt had looked somewhat disappointed at his answer, especially knowing what path in life he wanted to take.
"That does not mean that the path you desire in life is wrong. Because sometimes to protect the ones we love, we are forced to end life."
"So... I'm not wrong then? For wanting to be a warrior?"
"No. Not even close." Vekta hugged his son close reassuringly.
"I pray for you son, every day."
"I pray for you father."
Vekta took his son by the hand to the base of the temple where the device known as the space dial was located. Cobalt had been here many times himself, dreaming of being a warrior sent through the gate to fight dastardly foes and evil soldiers in open battle, fighting for worthy causes. His father gazed at the many symbols that arrayed on the dial and spoke to his son in a lower tone.
"If the day comes that you earn the right to be sent through this gate, then I will handle your ceremony myself. But promise me this: never take intelligent life easily or without cause. Murder is not the same as righteous killing in battle. Never forget that. Please, promise me that the innocent will not die by your hand."
"I promise. I wouldn't do that."
"The path of a warrior is winding and sloped, rage can overcome the heart and cloud the mind. Many warriors before you have claimed that they will not murder and many more after you will claim the same. It is not so easy."
Vekta looked to his son with a concerned and encouraging look, clearly not wanting to dissuade him from the path he wanted.
"I believe in you son, I know that you can accomplish this. Just be careful."
It was a tender moment, a break from the constant harassment from his so called friends and peers who only wanted to weaken him for their own status. It was one of his most cherished memories as a child, the times spent sparring and learning from his father prepared him mentally and physically for the challenges that presented itself when he would stand for an opportunity to become a blooded warrior.
When Cobalt awoke, it was to the same bright yellow sun that he had seen the day before. He removed himself from his makeshift bed of furs and shook the dream from his mind. He missed his father for sure, but to give in to that memory would be his end in a harsh place like this.
He exited out through the front door with his staff at the ready, eager and hopeful that his kill from the day before was still hidden. His wounds did not feel nearly as bad as they did the day before, the yellow powder he had sprinkled on his wounds would help it heal quickly, far quicker than it ever could normally He was still sore and a little creaky in his shoulders but he would be fine.
After quickly inspecting his kill to ensure it as still there and not spoiled, he started a fire in the opening outside his door with fallen debris from the ruins around him. The cold winter around him would do well to keep the meat preserved so he was in no rush. He suddenly remembered his trophy from the day before and pulled the small saber tooth from his pouch in his fur clothing. After drilling a small hole in its top with a knife, he took a piece of string and ran it through the hole he had created, creating a necklace that he fastened around his neck. It was hist first real trophy from a kill and he wanted to remember his dangerous encounter for some time. After getting the fire going, he turned to the carcass and readied himself for the process of butchering the meat.
He had a long day ahead of him.
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Thanks so much for reading!