The Burdens of Fate
Chapter One: Hope in the Valley
"When pain and suffering leaves, a part of you does as well."
I posted this once, but I took a good look and found a lot of grammatical errors and cancerous plot bunnies so took care of them. There probably still are, but onward!
I dedicate this story to my friend Tivis, who supported and reviewed all my attempts at Star Fox fan fiction.
"James! Get the door!" Vixy McCloud yelled from the second story of her house. Lazily, James dragged himself to the door. He opened it halfway to see his visitors. It was Peppy Hare carrying a young fox in his arms. The kit was wounded and he looked almost dead.
"Peppy! What the hell happened?"
"I found him in an alley crying for help." Peppy went ahead and placed the kit on the McClouds' couch.
James patted himself down desperately looked for his cell phone.
"James, Peppy! What happened?!" Vixy moved quickly down the stairs. Fox was tucked safely in bed, she had made sure of it.
"Oh my god," was all she could get out of her mouth.
"911?"
~+~+~
"Son, you'll be alright, just hang on!" Peppy held the child's hand gently. James fidgeted in his seat, he wanted to be with Peppy to support him, but noticing the medical tubes, he almost lost it.
"But what about Katrina... did she?" His voice was so low, and deep they could barely make out his words. Only the sounds of a heart monitor could be heard.
"I'm sorry, no one else was there." The hurt child closed his eyes as he finished. The tears were obvious.
He faded off into darkness.
~+~+~
Peppy paced around in circles in the hospital waiting area. He couldn't get his mind off how the boy's appearance. He had seen wounds, but never like that.
"Peppy." The pilot stopped and looked at James. His best friend doesn't call his name out in that tone very often.
"What's on your mind?" James asked calmly. The fox knew that Peppy was always an optimist and never worried about the little things. He was more of a deep thinker, and knowledgeable about more things than James could name. Even with all that, he still had trouble controlling his caring and worrying nature.
"That kid's burns weren't just from a fire, James." Vixy simply kept her gaze on the emergency room doors as they spoke. Fox was in school and she always spent as much time as she could with her husband. With him being a mercenary, they didn't get much time together.
"What are you suggesting?" He stared through his sunglasses, not letting any of this get to him.
"That boy's got a story to tell and I'm sure it's not a good one." Peppy took a seat next to James and tried his best to calm down. It was his only option.
~~~
"We did what we could. Now he just needs some rest. We weren't able to use anesthesia on him." The doctor told the group of adults.
"Why not?" Vixy asked him.
"To be honest, he's one of the very rare breeds that can't take it. When we injected him, there was an immediate allergic reaction, but he's now asleep. And he's..." He tried to start, but James wouldn't let him finish.
"How long is he going to be here?" The man was one of those rare breeds himself, and he knew how much pain the kid was in.
"A day at least, but I would like another to make sure he's recovering properly." That's when Vixy whispered something to her husband. James nodded to her words. It was completely unexpected to him, but he knew his wife always has good reasons.
"Do you think that we could take temporary custody of him?"
"Until we can find some sort of record of his parents, I'll see what I can do." He looked as his beeper and apologized for leaving. The doctor ran off disappearing into the hospital rush.
A day later...
"Keep someone around him at all times. He's at a major risk for infection."
"We'll be careful."
~~~
"Vixy, are you sure about this... I don't think my pay can take another kid."
"Honey, you always manage. I'll get a job if I have to."
"Wow. I like your house." He commented as he looked around him. He took a moment and looked at the hare standing beside him. He looked kind of fat.
"So how old are you?" Peppy asked him politely as he could.
"5. I think."
"What's your name?" James took a moment in hesitation, he didn't want any mistrust around the house, or a whiny kid, like his own son.
"Allen." He said bluntly. He felt like he was being interrogated with all the people surrounding him all the time. Home with his family was the only place he wanted to be.
"Well, Allen. You'll be staying here for now, so let me introduce you to my son, Fox." On cue, a young fox, quite cautiously walked down the stairs looking to see the young kit his age.
~ ~ ~
"Aahhhhh. Warm and bubbly." A day after, that was the first thing he did. He took a bath, a bubble bath. All of his worries seemed to go away when he did that.
"When was your last bath? You sound like it's been days." Vixy came in the room, unannounced.
"I took one a few days ago."
"That long? Now you need a long bath!"
"Like me!!!" A bare little fox ran in to the tub and jumped in, splashing water all over the floor.
"Like you! Alright!" She said in a playful voice.
"Wah! Fox! I was taking a bath in here!"
"I know, so am I!" Laughter and splashing water could be heard all through the house. Vixy took a step back. They both seemed to be having fun.
"Well, I think he fits in." James stated from the doorway with his wife.
"Me too." She agreed, but she didn't know for sure yet. She just leaned on James in a loving fashion, watching the kits splash water all over the linoleum floor. A floor that SHE was going to have to clean up.
~~~~~
James- You said Andross was going to change the future. I don't see any sign of him anywhere on Corneria or let alone my son saying more than two 'see spot run' sentences.
Dream- Well, hey! That is my plan, now shut up!
James- I thought I was your favorite character. Why are you yelling at me? I was merely pointing out a defect in your summary of this "fan-fiction" of yours.
Dream- No your not. I like yelling at you, and do you think that I wish, I mean want to hear you go on about my problems? AND I kind of like Slippy's annoying voice, and I kind of like Bill, I like his accent.
James- 0.o What about Krystal? Don't you want to be her?
Dream- Why the heck would I like some cat-thing with Fox. I've never played the game. I have a PS2. She looks like some sort of demented Fortunian hooker. Besides, Fox is MY furry!
James- What did you just say about my son?
Dream- He's mine!
James- Not if any readers and I have anything to say about it.
Dream- I can always go get a gun and just shoot you.
James- Now, now, let's not get hostile. Say, wasn't there something that you wanted to mention about the beginning?
Dream- Uh... if you know, why don't you say it?
James- And you wish to have my son. Fine then, be that way. She removed over half of the introduction to this story that introduced her main character. She thought the data was impertinent and incorrectly characterized the main character as some sort of innocent kid. In addition, she would like to apolo-
Dream- I do not apologize.
James- She would like to apologize if you did not enjoy this chapter, and if you perceived this as crap. I know I did.
Dream- *talking on cell phone* Yeah, Pigma, I was wondering if you would be willing to take on a mission for me. Yeah. Uh-huh, you betcha. Right, thanks I'll keep you on speed dial.
James- *silence*
Dream- I thought you were dead. Are you some sort of zombie? Does that mean I can mutilate you to my hearts content and you won't feel a thing? Or..
James- Until the next chapter! Goodbye, and get away from me.
Katrina- Hey, is our chat longer than the story?
James- Until next time!
Criticism on all lines is welcome!
Chapter One: Hope in the Valley
"When pain and suffering leaves, a part of you does as well."
I posted this once, but I took a good look and found a lot of grammatical errors and cancerous plot bunnies so took care of them. There probably still are, but onward!
I dedicate this story to my friend Tivis, who supported and reviewed all my attempts at Star Fox fan fiction.
"James! Get the door!" Vixy McCloud yelled from the second story of her house. Lazily, James dragged himself to the door. He opened it halfway to see his visitors. It was Peppy Hare carrying a young fox in his arms. The kit was wounded and he looked almost dead.
"Peppy! What the hell happened?"
"I found him in an alley crying for help." Peppy went ahead and placed the kit on the McClouds' couch.
James patted himself down desperately looked for his cell phone.
"James, Peppy! What happened?!" Vixy moved quickly down the stairs. Fox was tucked safely in bed, she had made sure of it.
"Oh my god," was all she could get out of her mouth.
"911?"
~+~+~
"Son, you'll be alright, just hang on!" Peppy held the child's hand gently. James fidgeted in his seat, he wanted to be with Peppy to support him, but noticing the medical tubes, he almost lost it.
"But what about Katrina... did she?" His voice was so low, and deep they could barely make out his words. Only the sounds of a heart monitor could be heard.
"I'm sorry, no one else was there." The hurt child closed his eyes as he finished. The tears were obvious.
He faded off into darkness.
~+~+~
Peppy paced around in circles in the hospital waiting area. He couldn't get his mind off how the boy's appearance. He had seen wounds, but never like that.
"Peppy." The pilot stopped and looked at James. His best friend doesn't call his name out in that tone very often.
"What's on your mind?" James asked calmly. The fox knew that Peppy was always an optimist and never worried about the little things. He was more of a deep thinker, and knowledgeable about more things than James could name. Even with all that, he still had trouble controlling his caring and worrying nature.
"That kid's burns weren't just from a fire, James." Vixy simply kept her gaze on the emergency room doors as they spoke. Fox was in school and she always spent as much time as she could with her husband. With him being a mercenary, they didn't get much time together.
"What are you suggesting?" He stared through his sunglasses, not letting any of this get to him.
"That boy's got a story to tell and I'm sure it's not a good one." Peppy took a seat next to James and tried his best to calm down. It was his only option.
~~~
"We did what we could. Now he just needs some rest. We weren't able to use anesthesia on him." The doctor told the group of adults.
"Why not?" Vixy asked him.
"To be honest, he's one of the very rare breeds that can't take it. When we injected him, there was an immediate allergic reaction, but he's now asleep. And he's..." He tried to start, but James wouldn't let him finish.
"How long is he going to be here?" The man was one of those rare breeds himself, and he knew how much pain the kid was in.
"A day at least, but I would like another to make sure he's recovering properly." That's when Vixy whispered something to her husband. James nodded to her words. It was completely unexpected to him, but he knew his wife always has good reasons.
"Do you think that we could take temporary custody of him?"
"Until we can find some sort of record of his parents, I'll see what I can do." He looked as his beeper and apologized for leaving. The doctor ran off disappearing into the hospital rush.
A day later...
"Keep someone around him at all times. He's at a major risk for infection."
"We'll be careful."
~~~
"Vixy, are you sure about this... I don't think my pay can take another kid."
"Honey, you always manage. I'll get a job if I have to."
"Wow. I like your house." He commented as he looked around him. He took a moment and looked at the hare standing beside him. He looked kind of fat.
"So how old are you?" Peppy asked him politely as he could.
"5. I think."
"What's your name?" James took a moment in hesitation, he didn't want any mistrust around the house, or a whiny kid, like his own son.
"Allen." He said bluntly. He felt like he was being interrogated with all the people surrounding him all the time. Home with his family was the only place he wanted to be.
"Well, Allen. You'll be staying here for now, so let me introduce you to my son, Fox." On cue, a young fox, quite cautiously walked down the stairs looking to see the young kit his age.
~ ~ ~
"Aahhhhh. Warm and bubbly." A day after, that was the first thing he did. He took a bath, a bubble bath. All of his worries seemed to go away when he did that.
"When was your last bath? You sound like it's been days." Vixy came in the room, unannounced.
"I took one a few days ago."
"That long? Now you need a long bath!"
"Like me!!!" A bare little fox ran in to the tub and jumped in, splashing water all over the floor.
"Like you! Alright!" She said in a playful voice.
"Wah! Fox! I was taking a bath in here!"
"I know, so am I!" Laughter and splashing water could be heard all through the house. Vixy took a step back. They both seemed to be having fun.
"Well, I think he fits in." James stated from the doorway with his wife.
"Me too." She agreed, but she didn't know for sure yet. She just leaned on James in a loving fashion, watching the kits splash water all over the linoleum floor. A floor that SHE was going to have to clean up.
~~~~~
James- You said Andross was going to change the future. I don't see any sign of him anywhere on Corneria or let alone my son saying more than two 'see spot run' sentences.
Dream- Well, hey! That is my plan, now shut up!
James- I thought I was your favorite character. Why are you yelling at me? I was merely pointing out a defect in your summary of this "fan-fiction" of yours.
Dream- No your not. I like yelling at you, and do you think that I wish, I mean want to hear you go on about my problems? AND I kind of like Slippy's annoying voice, and I kind of like Bill, I like his accent.
James- 0.o What about Krystal? Don't you want to be her?
Dream- Why the heck would I like some cat-thing with Fox. I've never played the game. I have a PS2. She looks like some sort of demented Fortunian hooker. Besides, Fox is MY furry!
James- What did you just say about my son?
Dream- He's mine!
James- Not if any readers and I have anything to say about it.
Dream- I can always go get a gun and just shoot you.
James- Now, now, let's not get hostile. Say, wasn't there something that you wanted to mention about the beginning?
Dream- Uh... if you know, why don't you say it?
James- And you wish to have my son. Fine then, be that way. She removed over half of the introduction to this story that introduced her main character. She thought the data was impertinent and incorrectly characterized the main character as some sort of innocent kid. In addition, she would like to apolo-
Dream- I do not apologize.
James- She would like to apologize if you did not enjoy this chapter, and if you perceived this as crap. I know I did.
Dream- *talking on cell phone* Yeah, Pigma, I was wondering if you would be willing to take on a mission for me. Yeah. Uh-huh, you betcha. Right, thanks I'll keep you on speed dial.
James- *silence*
Dream- I thought you were dead. Are you some sort of zombie? Does that mean I can mutilate you to my hearts content and you won't feel a thing? Or..
James- Until the next chapter! Goodbye, and get away from me.
Katrina- Hey, is our chat longer than the story?
James- Until next time!
Criticism on all lines is welcome!