"Fluff on a winter's night"
Stardate 9722.4 - 15:32:27
Fox Mccloud
Star Fox Mercenary Team
West Corneria City, Corneria

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This winter proved harsher than usual this year around for the citizens of Corneria, a blizzard of epic proportions swept across the northern continent and buried the capital in what could be described as a mountain of snow.

The Winter solstice was upon Corneria and the blizzard made all travel throughout the city a tedious nightmare.

An orange vulpine by the name of Fox Mccloud could be seen leaving the supermarket with a bag of groceries on the outskirts of Corneria City, the capital of Corneria. The massive blizzard had been raging through the city for the past two weeks and the effect it had was not lost on the vulpine, "Man, I hope I can make it home in time. I can barely remember the last time winter got this bad." The vulpine quietly mumbled to himself as his ears twitched in the cold air.

"Thank goodness for all of this fur, I doubt dad's old coat would be enough alone." Echoed his thoughts.

His father's old long coat was a gift from the old Vulpine on his fourteenth birthday and had served him many years during the harshest of winters of Corneria once he grew into it. A soft forest green trench coat adorned with the Star Fox logo was sewn into place of the old Cornerian Defense Force emblems on the shoulder pads, it made for a stylish yet comfortable fit.

Fox made haste towards his family home about a quarter mile outside the city bordering a dense forest. The road crews had been working around the clock to keep the streets manageable, but the sidewalks were barely plowed, forcing Fox to walk on the side of the road. Thankfully most of the traffic was through downtown and what little traffic passed by was moving at a snail's pace to avoid any ice that formed on the road, so the trip was rather uneventful. Anyone that he did encounter gave only a small nod when they recognized who he was, which suited the snow buffeted vulpine just fine.

Upon reaching the edge of the city, a small driveway buried in snow presented itself. Barely making out his deep footprints from when he started this venture, Fox made his way through about three feet of snow for the next five minutes.

Through the snowfall he saw a two story ranch style house getting closer in the distance. The house was left to Fox after his parents had moved back to Fox's home world of Papetoon to live in Fox's old childhood home.

The house being of a moderate size had been in Fox's family for generations with modest improvements over the years. One recent addition was a good sized hangar built by Fox's father years before the Lylat wars, located around the back of the house closer to the tree line.

If one looked inside, they would find two arwings stored within. One being the Arwing II, a specialized air and space superiority fighter that could only be matched by a Wolfen of similar design. The weapon systems and the agility it boasted allowed it to dogfight with ease, easily dominating the battlefield in the skies or space. But years of progress had improved the armor and shields of capital ships to the point that the Arwing assault variant of the aparoid war could only effectively engage other fighter craft. Necessitating Star Fox to contract Space Dynamics to draw up new variants to help cope with the ever changing battlefield.

The second craft was of a completely unique design developed to the specifications of one Star Fox member, the Cloudrunner. The best way to describe it would be to say that it was of perfect likeness to the Cloudrunners of Sauria. It behaved differently than the traditional arwing filling a role best described as a fighter mixed with a bomber. The Cloudrunner didn't have the agility of the Arwing II, nor the shield and weapon capacity of slippy's bomber, the Bullfrog. It had the capacity to dogfight effectively on its own and deal good damage to capital ships, striking a perfect balance between the two. Planetside it could perform the additional role of a close air support craft helping to support the team during ground operations when the situation called for it.

As Fox approached the door he put the groceries in one hand while fumbling his pockets for the keys with the other. With key in hand, Fox unlocks the door decorated with a reef that housed a tiny wooden cutout of the Star Fox logo inside it.

Upon opening the door he is greeted by a blast of warm air that beckons him to enter. "Aah, much better," He said in a relaxed tone as his ears spring back up into position. Hanging up his coat in the closet, a light green long sleeved sweater hugged his body, his extra poofy fur bulging out.

Taking notice that his entrance had gone unheard, he calls out, "I'm home!" He twinges his ears, listening for a response, his fluffy tail droops slightly when silence is all that greets him. Making his way through the living room, along the way he heard the crackling of the fireplace burning a fresh log, indicating that the fire was only kindled minutes ago.

Moving towards the kitchen at a brisk pace, Fox passed pictures of his younger self. One picture displayed Fox who looked no older than four years of age wearing one of his father's coats that was obviously too big for his size with the sleeves drooping down and the rest of the coat going down to his knees. Adorned with his dad's Sunglasses, a scarf, and the biggest smile imaginable. It was definitely a cute sight to behold.

After a moment, Fox continued his march to the kitchen. Making it through the small arch, he sat the groceries on the small island in the center of the luxurious kitchen, he pulled a small box from the bag, and hid it in a cupboard under the island.

James had made many additions and expansions over the decades and the kitchen was no exception. Sparing no expenses, the kitchen was well stocked and furnished. Frying pans hung from up above the stove, while a sink was built into the island with a dishwasher next to it that was opposite of the stove. There was a door to a well stocked pantry in the east corner of the kitchen which held enough food to keep the house fed for weeks.

Fox didn't hear the footsteps quietly approach from behind as he was unpacking the rest of the groceries. Without warning Fox felt a pair of blue furry arms embrace around him, pulling him into a deep hug. After the sudden surprise passed, Fox felt the vixen rest her head on his shoulder nuzzling the side of his cheek, taking in his scent.

She quietly whispered into his mind, Missed you.

Glancing at the kitchen clock, reading only four 'o'clock, Fox replied across the mental link in a happy tone, I've only been gone for an hour and a half, Krys.

Being unleashed from her hug, he turns around to be greeted by the magnificent form of his beautiful wife Krystal. "An hour and a half too long." She replies before planting a kiss straight on his lips, eliciting a small blush from him being caught off guard. "Glad to see I can still get my Foxy to blush." She said in a sultry voice.

Fox took in every detail that presented itself. Krystal had elected to wear her special tiara she wore when they first met on Sauria, a short burgundy colored t-shirt, with pink shorts that came up to her thighs that hugged her succulent form, it kept her from overheating on account of her very fluffy winter coat being just as grown out, if not more than his.

Despite his first impressions of her revealing outfit when they first met on Sauria, Krystal had explained that Cerinia's climate was similar but harsher than Corneria's in that the summers and winters were often at their extremes, with sweltering summers, and frigid sub zero winters.

She explained to Fox that Cerinians had evolved a very unique characteristic of adapting to nearly any environment with which they inhabited and their fur lengthened or shortened depending on said environment. The adapting process could take upwards of a few days to a week depending on environmental factors.

When Fox had brought Krystal to properly meet his parents, James and Vixy during Papetoon's sweltering summer, Krystal had shed most of her fur by the end of the first week. Leaving it barely half an inch thick, her tail twice as thin as it normally was. Much to Krystal and Fox's chagrin at having to clean up after her constant shedding, Krystal and Fox's parents had hit it off and she was welcomed to the family with open arms.

After Fox had unpacked all of the groceries, he and Krystal got to work making dinner, with the stew pot pulled from the cupboard he began to wash the vegetables, he then pulled the cutting board from its spot on the island and chopped the vegetables with swift efficiency.

Krystal glanced over to her husband as she sat the stew pot on the oven and took a long look at his backside as he chopped the vegetables for the stew. Fur bulging out of the sleeves and collar of his sweater, the vixen made out his broad muscular shoulders. Tracing her eyes down his sturdy back, finally resting on his toned posterior, his tight jeans leaving little to the imagination.

Staring for what felt like minutes she was brought back to reality, Little distracted, aren't we Mrs. Mccloud?

Krystal glanced up and saw Fox with the biggest smirk imaginable. Realizing her gaze hadn't gone unnoticed, she made her way over next to him in one swift motion and grabbed his rear with her free hand, "Wife privileges," She said with a sly grin, her tail wagging softly, batting his tail in the process.

"Didn't stop you when we were dating," The vulpine said with a coy smirk. He placed the knife on the counter and brought the vixen in for a hug, their tails wrapping together momentarily, "Could you finish this while I prepare the meat?" Fox said, as their tails released each other.

Krystal smiled and grabbed the knife, "Of course." Fox went to preparing the meat for the stew while Krystal finished with the rest of the vegetables.

After about an hour and a half, the stew was nearly finished, Fox continued to work on the stew while Krystal cleared a spot on the coffee table in the living room.

"All set here!" Krystal hollered across the room in enthusiasm. Excited for the time they were both going to have, she made her way back to the kitchen too see if Fox finished with the stew.

"Just finished." Fox said as he pulled two bowls from the cupboard nearest to the stove and began filling them with the hearty stew.

With both bowls filled, they made way to the living room and sat themselves on the floor in front of the couch. Krystal grabbed the HoloViewer remote and started browsing through STARFLIX until she got to their favorite crime drama show. Shoulder to shoulder, Fox and Krystal dug in while the show's title sequence began.

Fox and Krystal continued on throughout the evening watching their show, refilling their bowls between episodes. The couple eventually sat on the couch with Krystal resting her head on Fox's shoulder nuzzling his fluffy cheek with a content smile on her face.

Three episodes in and with full bellies, they both headed for the kitchen to pack away the leftovers. Fox dug through a cupboard next to the pantry pulling out some containers for the stew. "It's nice, you know," Krystal said as she packed stew into her easy seal container.

"Hmm?" Fox replied looking over to Krystal with a raised eyebrow.

"Finally getting some time off together." She sighed placing a hand on Fox's shoulder.

Fox looked out the window with a content smile, then turned to Krystal and nodded in agreement, "Yeah… things have been pretty calm the past month. Hopefully it will stay that way." Fox turned back and continued staring out the window, deep in thought, a small frown etched across his muzzle.

Krystal embraced him, "If anyone even tries to cause trouble they will have to face my wrath." Krystal tried to sound menacing, but her snickering made it possible.

Fox knew full well that Krystal was the kindest, sweetest vixen in the whole world, but was ruthless when she got pushed to the point of aggravation. He witnessed it most often when someone interrupted the vixen during her sandwich moments in the Great Fox lounge. Falco had rued the day he took her sandwich from the kitchen when she stepped out for a moment. To this day Falco gives Krystal a wide berth whenever he sees her with sandwich in hand, Falco always had to learn his lesson the hard way and he decided to choose life over the alternative when it came to the Vixen's sandwiches.

With a teeth clenched laugh, Fox gave Krystal a smirk, "That's it Krys, show 'em no mercy!" Fox exclaimed failing to hide his building laughter and Krystal was up there with him.

The kitchen filled with guffaws as the two broke into hysterics, Fox was the first to break out of the laughing fit, "You're so cute when you're trying to be vicious!" He said as he ruffled her hair.

Krystal managed to break out of it fast and grabbed his arm giving him a lewd grin, "Oh, I'll show you vicious." Krystal said as she pulled Fox into a deep kiss, her tongue dancing with his as they kissed passionately. Fox melted into the kiss as he began raising up her shirt.

Krystal pulled out of the kiss and gave him a smug grin, "That's just a taste, you'll have to wait til later."

Fox was left with a small pout, "Aww, you can be such a tease sometimes." Grabbing the bowls from the sink, he rinsed them out and sat them in the dishwasher with the rest of the dirty kitchenware.

"So what shall we do till then my lovely blue space vixen?" Fox said with a mischievous grin

Krystal put a paw to her heavily furred face, "Hmmm... I don't know."

Without warning Fox scooped Krystal up in his arms and carried her to the living room bridal style planting kisses on her neck along the way. "Tell you what, there's only two episodes left in the season. Let's finish those, then we can do whatever you want."

The orange vulpine placed the vixen down on the couch and sat down next to her, "That sound good?" Fox looked expectantly at her with the eyes of a kit that wanted the newest toy in the store.

Krystal looked into those eyes, knowing full well she couldn't resist them, "That's fine, but I'm holding you to that promise later." She said with a devious grin.

Fox knew what he had gotten himself into but couldn't care less, as long as he got to be with his beautiful vixen, he was happy.

All cuddled up on the couch in each other's fluffy embrace, they continued on with the show. Time went by slowly and half way through the episode Fox went to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of popcorn, Krystal's eyes got huge at the sight and beckoned Fox to sit down with haste.

With each other passing the bowl back and forth they once more pressed on. The popcorn was quickly devoured leaving nothing but an empty bowl with popcorn kernels mixing around in the bottom. Resting her head on his shoulder, the vixen felt content. At the same time the vulpine felt at peace knowing that he had the love of his life beside him and nothing would change that.

Eventually the final scene played out and the two foxes watched with rapt attention. The presiding juror stood up to deliver the verdict, "We find the defendant guilty." Fox stood there jaw agape while Krystal laughed.

He stared daggers at the sapphire vixen, "How did you know?!" Fox was certain that the defendant was gonna get off scot free, and was left slack jawed at the verdict.

Krystal heaved a heavy smirk at fox, "It's my job to read people, reading body language is just as important as my telepathy, you know. That and pulling your sexy butt out of the fire whenever you get in over your head." The smugness in her tone at that last statement caused Fox to put on a childish pout.

Turning off the HoloViewer, the orange vulpine knew it was time to get even. Krystal only saw the pout on his face turn to a grin rife with intent for a second before being assaulted by Fox's fingers. Without warning Fox had unleashed the ultimate form of torture upon the fluffy vixen, the tickle torture.

"FOOOOOX! WHAT ARE DOING, FOX! STAHP!" The vulpine was relentless in his quest for payback as he ran his fingers through her most ticklish of spots.

"Aahaaaha Fox! Have mercy!" Krystal yelled between breaths, tears in her eyes as she tried to resist the onslaught. Krystal's will was beginning to falter and she knew she wouldn't last long if she didn't stop him. Seeing the cocky grin on her husband's face made her determined to turn the tables on the excited vulpine.

In a quick move Krystal started slapping the side of his face with her fluffy tail distracting him for a moment, pushing the advantage she grabbed Fox's arms and immediately pinned him to the floor while sitting on his chest with a devious grin, "It's a two way street honey!" Fox's ears drooped with the look of abject horror plastered all over his face.

Krystal had learned every secret about the vulpine during their many sexcapades across the Great Fox and she knew just how to make him squirm when he got riled up like this.

She rapidly removed the vulpine's sweater while her tail was lashing about in excitement. As the shirt was removed his fur popped out barely showing his toned abs through the ocean of fur that covered his entire body.

"Now you didn't think you could just get away with that, did you?" Fox gulped and knew his impending doom was rapidly approaching.

Krystal went to work reaching for all of Fox's most vulnerable spots, one being right below his ch, once she got hold of that particular spot Fox was helpless, the next spot was the bottoms of his feet and she used her tail to tag team him while she worked his chin.

"No! Krystal! Gaaah!" Fox writhed under the barrage of ticklish torture, laughing uncontrollably.

Fox's struggles were futile once he lost control at the hands and tail of the blue vixen. Try as he might, there was no escaping her hold at this point, and it was only a matter of time before the vulpine would be down for the count.

Krystal knew she had him on the ropes and wanted to savor her victory. "Do you give?" She said as she continued on.

"I give." Fox said through gritted teeth.

"Didn't quite catch that." She said putting one hand up to her ear while her tail continued on.

"I GIVE!" Fox sputtered out in anguish.

With a triumphed smile Krystal got up off of her Husband and gave him a hand up. Once they both were on their feet she immediately turned around and engulfed the vulpine in a headlock, bringing her mouth up to his ear causing it to twitch on her breath, "What did we learn?" Krystal continued on in a playful tone.

With a small droopy frown on his face, Fox conceded defeat, "I won't provoke the beautiful blue vixen ever again."

Krystal released Fox from the headlock, "Good boy," she said as she sat back down on the couch feeling content that this whole event was behind them now. She flashed a smile and patted the empty spot next to her giving him the cue to sit down.

With the adrenaline rush wearing off of them, Krystal thought it was the ample opportunity to exploit the fact that Fox was without shirt. Without pause the vixen buried her face into her husband's fluffy chest, nestling up until she heard the steady thumps of his heart while she inhaled his scent. "Mmm, so warm." Krystal mewed as she emitted a soft purr that soothed the tired vulpine.

Fox sat there and held her while she continued to nuzzle his chest fluff. By this time the fireplace had gone out and the ambient light had dimmed significantly, leaving the two Mcclouds in the dark.

Fox reached up and started to scratch at a spot behind her ears only deepening the pleasure she was experiencing, she started moaning into his chest fur in pure delight, muttering something unheard as her tail flicked around.

Krystal pulled her face back for a second to look up into Fox's eyes, "Oooh, don't stop, keep going." She cooed, proceeding to bury her face once again.

Fox continued to work her ears over and the pleasure was apparent on the vixen's features. Krystal's leg began kicking in place and she was lost in a sea of delight. "So when do I get my turn?" Fox said in a voice laced with want, clearly feeling the urge to share in her pleasure.

"You'll get your chance in a moment, just keep at it for a few more minutes." She shifted her muzzle from his chest fluff to the tuft of fur under his snout nuzzling it with utmost affection as they held each other in their warm embrace. At this point they started to nuzzle one another's faces exchanging soft purrs and growls between them that last what felt an eternity.

Krystal shifted on the couch until she was sitting on the far end while she moved Fox around until he was laying down with his head resting in her lap.

She began stroking the spot between his ears where it was the most pleasurable for him, his ears twitched in pure ecstasy as she ran her fingers through the white tuft of fur on his head. He became slightly less coherent as her scalp massage went on, losing complete focus of his surroundings. His leg began to kick in the air as she started stroking his ears, Fox couldn't be more relaxed at this rate and he never wanted Krystal to stop her soft hands from working their magic.

But alas, all good things must come to an end and when Krystal glanced the clock she knew it definitely had to end. "Fox." Krystal called out to get his attention. "Fox?" It was no use, he was still in a trance from the massage. "FOX! It's a half hour til midnight, we have to pick up my family from the spaceport in the morning!" She shouted across the telepathic bond.

Fox's eyes shot open immediately and in an instant he was up on his feet. "We need to pick up my parents to!" Fox said in a panicked tone, "We still need to shower!" Fox darted up the stairs with Krystal close behind making a beeline for the master bathroom.

When they got to the top, the duo hanged a left heading down the hall, passing the linen closet and Fox's old bedroom, they continued down the hall till they reached the door to the master bedroom. They passed through the bedroom until they reached their destination, the master bathroom.

The master bath was one of James' favorite projects when he did his remodeling long ago, A double vanity with a granite counter-top stretched across the wall running parallel from the door, the sinks spaced evenly apart marking its owner with the left sink having an Orange toothbrush with a little F imprinted on it, placed in a holder while the right one had a blue toothbrush with a K stamped on it. Collections of various items to help start or end the day were scattered about the sinks.

At the opposite end of the bathroom were two doors, the left door leading to a small room, the porcelain throne contained within. The right door led into a large walk in closet that Fox and Krystal kept their day to day clothes, various jumpsuits, numerous formal suits, and dresses for special invitation events they occasionally attended.

The entrance to the shower was a sight to behold, an open archway led into a walk in shower which was spacious and allowed for ample movement. Many kinds of soaps, shampoos, and conditioners occupied a shelf built into the wall of the shower.

In the corner of the bathroom sat a good sized soaking tub that could hold up to two occupants, jets built in to the sides gave it a jacuzzi effect that helped soothe the aches and pains of its users.

Upon arrival, Fox and Krystal looked to the shower. "How are we gonna do this?" Krystal said as she looked to the vulpine.

"Lets both shower, we can get done in no time if we work together." Fox suggested as his eyebrows wiggled in a suggestive manner, his tail wagging rapidly behind him.

Krystal ears perked up as she shot a playful look back at him, her tail picking up equal amounts of speed. "What are we waiting for?" She said as she began to remove her tank top and tiny shorts on the spot. Leaving only her matching violet bra and panties, she quickly removed her undergarments followed by her removing the silver bands from her tail, and the tiara from her head.. With her extra fluffy tail now uncuffed it began to puff out to twice its normal size.

With his shirt still on the living room floor Fox removed his jeans to reveal a pair of boxer shorts that showed off all the things that drove Krystal wild. Removing the remainder of his clothing both foxes stood there stark naked. Both of them sharing in the brief moment. Fox snapped out of his trance, remembering just how little time they had, and turned to his wife, "Krys, time is short so we have to be quick on this one."

Krystal gave a slightly glumed look but knew they had a busy morning ahead of them. "Alright, but you'll have to make it up to me though." She chided at Fox in a joking manner.

"Consider it done." He said as he stepped into the shower, with her hand in tow.

After adjusting the water temperature to comfortable levels, they began soaking, their long fur starting to drape down under the torrential downpour of the showerhead.

Fox kicked things off by grabbing the pelt shampoo from the alcove and started to lather it up in his hands. With care he began rubbing the suds into his mate's fur as she faced away from him. Beginning a full body massage that started at Krystal's shoulders, his powerful hands working every kink from her shoulders while washing the day from her gorgeous fur.

Fox reached into the alcove again and grabbed a second bottle of shampoo, this one meant for Krystal's hair. Krystal felt a wave of relaxation roll over her as the vulpine ran his lathered hands through her hair, he began rubbing around the base of her ears, causing them to twitch with each pass, and this drove her wild. Fox continued on from this point until the vixen's hair began to shine in the light.

Krystal rinsed her hair of shampoo and let her hair drape back down.

As Fox kept massaging and rubbing the shampoo into her fur, Krystal couldn't help but release little mirthful moans as Fox started to work his way down the vixen's back. Her muscles began to relax as he kept going lower eventually reaching the base of her back. Fox gave the shampoo bottle another squeeze and began the process anew.

Fox worked the suds into the fur of the vixen's posterior, his hands gently massaging the area around the base of Krystal's tail causing it to slowly thrash about in pleasure, he grabbed hold of her tail, and started to work the shampoo into it, Krystal always had a funny reaction whenever Fox had hold of her tail, and she began to convulse in small twitches as he started to stroke it. As he finished with her tail, he continued on down to her nether regions, Krystal's face contorted into various states of delight and relief with her ears drooping down as she melted to his every touch. Little gasps escaped her mouth as Fox worked his magic fingers across her more sensitive areas.

Pleased with his results, Fox began caressing the inside of her thighs eliciting a soft growl from the vixen that could be barely heard over the deluge of water impacting their bodies. Fox's ears twitched at her mews of pleasure caused his tail to flail about in excitement knowing that she was enjoying this as much as he did.

Fox moved around the outside of Krystal's thighs and aimed for her clan markings adorning both of her hips. Fox's hands traced the swirl of her tattoos which earned him more growls from the vixen.

By this point Krystal was covered in those cleansing suds; she grabbed lathers from her body and started to rub it into Fox's shoulders and neck. Fox perked up while he was making his way down her legs and gave a grunt of approval as she started to work the soapy suds into the fur on his head. This began to make her amorous as Fox finished with her calves.

Fox rose back to his full height with Krystal moving down his muscular torso rubbing deep into his coat. Fox started enjoying the sensation to the point he grabbed some lather and went straight for the swells of her chest. In a flash Krystal's ears were fully erect and her tail had risen up to the point it was splayed across her back.

Krystal always had the same reaction when Fox began toying with her peaks, unabated arousal.

Krystal's train of thought was derailed for the next couple of minutes as Fox made sure every nook and cranny of her chest was scrubbed clean.

Fox looked to her face and could only smirk as he saw the vixen's eyes starting to roll to the back of her head with her tongue lolling out the front of her mouth. Meanwhile, Krystals mind was completely engulfed in pure pleasure as the vulpine continued to fondle her.

Krystal's tail returned to its normal position as Fox finished the upper deck, his hands went down and started scrubbing her abdominal muscles. They were nowhere near as toned as Fox's but she kept in peak physical condition for when the team needed their heavy weapons vixen on the ground.

Now that Krystal was cleansed and her mind refocused, she continued her soap laced assault on the vulpine determined to remove all the muck that he had accumulated over the day.

Krystal began by soaping up her hands with shampoo and began rubbing it on his muscular pecs. She went around to get under his arms and made way to his pits when Fox grabbed her arms and gave her a look that spelled doom if she tried. Krystal could only smirk at Fox's apprehension whenever she got in that spot.

Knowing that was off limits she decided on the next course of action, that being to sud up his abs.

His chiseled abdomen being one among many of her favorite features of the orange vulpine. She loved her orange wonder and she always made a point to show how much she appreciated everything he had done for her by spoiling him whenever she got the chance, and this was no different. Her hands started to head south while fox was washing his arms.

Fox's mind was brought to an abrupt halt as he felt a jolt run up his tail and spine. Which in turn caused his tail to go rigid, pointing straight up. The sensation he was experiencing was amazing and he knew exactly what the vixen was doing.

Fox was on cloud nine as Krystal continued on with her intimate activity, the vixen knew how much he was enjoying it, and his ears were beginning to slouch as his mind was consumed. If the gasps escaping his mouth were any indication, he wasn't long for this world and he would give at any point.

Krystal maneuvered a hand around his waist, grabbing his rear making sure she wasn't missing a spot. Fox was driven to the breaking point as his wife continued scrubbing, it was at this point that Fox's mind began to regain clarity as a new sensation washed over him.

The vulpinee was gasping for air as he regained control, looking down to the blue fox who began to rise up to meet his gaze. He planted a kiss on her lips and held her close as the water washed over both of them. They both wished the moment didn't have to end, but they knew they spent more time than what was necessary and began rinsing their bodies of the shampoo.

Fox grabbed the faucets and with a turn, the downpour ceased, leaving both of them dripping wet. They took a step closer to the portal that lead into the bathroom proper and grabbed a pair of towels not wanting to track the water dripping from their fur.

When the water finally stopped dripping from their coats they went to the end of the bathroom nearest to the closet, they turned and grabbed a special air dryer meant to quickly dry out wet fur.

As they ran the dryer over their bodies, orange and blue fur rapidly heated and started to fluff causing the pair to look like giant puff balls.

Krystal started laughing when she saw herself and Fox in the mirror. "What so funny?" Said Fox with a confused look etched across his face.

"This is the first time we've showered together when our fur was grown out like this and I must say, you look so adorable when your fur is fluffed up." Krystal giggled as she squished the vulpine's cheeks together.

Fox stuck his tongue out in faux disgust at Krystal's choice of words. "Me? Adorable? Bleh! You're the adorable one. You look even more beautiful when your fur is all grown out and it drives me wild!" This elicited a small blush from Krystal causing her to bring the tod in close so she could rub their noses together.

"You big flatterer, you know just what to say to make my day better." She said joyfully as she continued to hug her orange fluff ball.

Krystal gave a small sigh knowing it wouldn't last, "It's a shame that the moment we head back to work, I will end up losing it all. At least you get to keep yours for a few more months and I plan to enjoy every second of it."

Fox gave her a warm smile and a pat on the shoulder, "There, there Krys. I could always see if General Pepper could get us another long mission to an out of the way outpost on Fichina for a few weeks." Fox said smirking all the while causing Krystal's ears to droop when she remembered the last time she was stuck on Fichina during a particularly time consuming mission. Her fur grew out immensely which was the first time the Star Fox crew encountered the Cerinian races unique trait.

Of course when the mission ended and they returned to the Great Fox, Krystal began shedding her excess fur everywhere which had driven Falco and Slippy insane whenever the vixen sat down on the rec room couch. Falco always showed great disdain whenever he had to pick her fur off the cushions.

Krystal frowned a bit at the thought of going through all that, especially since it will be happening in a few weeks. "You know how on edge everyone gets whenever I start shedding, especially after one of those missions."

Fox laughed at that thought, "They had to put up with it long before you arrived. Besides, Falco is no better when he starts molting everywhere." Krystal thought back to her first few weeks on the Great Fox after the Sauria incident. Falco was going through a molting phase and she discovered a trail of feathers in the hall that lead all the way to the washroom from his quarters.

"Bringing that up always manages to shut his beak." Chuckled Krystal.

Fox laughed all the way to the walk-in closet and grabbed both of their robes. He made his way across the bathroom placing all of their dirty clothes in the hamper while Krystal stood at the mirror adjusting her hair.

"Honey, I think I might start growing my hair out, what do you think?"

"You know I always support your decisions and plus, I always thought you would look even sexier with longer hair. " Fox said with praise, causing a small blush to illuminate her face.

"Thank you, Fox." Krystal said as she grabbed the robe from him and gave him a soft kiss on the side of his muzzle.

Fox beamed his wife with a smile and exited into the bedroom proper. "I'll be out in a moment." The vixen called from the bathroom.

The master bedroom was large, and furnished with a lavish king sized bed, a simple nightstand with a lamp that held a small digital alarm clock, a large dresser that held Fox and Krystal's day to day clothing and undergarments, and a medium sized makeup vanity that Vixy had left to Krystal for when she wanted to get especially prettied up for a special event or just to get Fox's attention.

Fox sat down on the bed contemplating how the days ahead of them would pan out. Krystal's family coming in from Cerinia while his arriving from Papetoon. The last time both families were all together was during their wedding ceremony. It was going to be one heck of a week for sure. Fox was broken from his thoughts when he realized he had nearly forgotten about the surprise he had for Krystal. "Shoot. I left the kitchen lights on. I'll be right back." He said as he masked his thoughts carefully from their link lest he spoil the surprise.

Krystal poked her head out of the bathroom for a moment, "Alright but don't take to long."

Fox gave a nod and set forth to the kitchen, it was merely an excuse to get down to the kitchen and upon arrival he realized that he did indeed leave the kitchen lights on. Fox reached into the cupboard he stashed the box. Upon opening the box a small collection of exotic herbs were revealed.

Fox grabbed the electric tea kettle from the corner of the kitchen and filled it with water, setting it to boil the water in less than a minute. The clock read only minutes til midnight and Krystal was going to be out of the bathroom at any moment.

The water was brought to a boil, Fox poured a cup, emptied the contents of the box into the water, and gradually mixed it with a spoon. The water turned a soft blue color indicating that the tea was ready. Fox gave the liquid a tentative blow to cool it off and slowly drank the contents of the cup until nothing was left.

The instructions said that it would take about fifteen minutes to take effect. Fox turned off the lights and made his way back to the bedroom, as he entered, he turned off the bedroom lights leaving the lamp on the nightstand to illuminate one side of the room, Krystal had just finished up and came sashaying over to the bed; Fox's eyes not leaving her for a second. Her robe was loosely tied together leaving the center open to expose the front part of her body.

She patted the bed as she dropped her robe, leaving only her heavily furred curves to grace his vision. Cerinian couples always slept in the nude when permissible and Fox was no exception. Fox dropped his robe revealing his toned body to the love of his life. They both jumped at each other's embrace, landing on the bed.

Fox had about ten minutes before the effects of the tea could kick, in so he decided to spend it snuggling with his wife, he maneuvered onto his back while Krystal laid down beside him, cuddling up to his side, resting her head on his chest, and listening to the thumps of his heart.

"Love you, dear," whispered Krystal looking up to Fox as he ran his finger through her hair.

"I love you to," spoke fox in a caring tone, bringing her chin up so he could give her a kiss. It was a simple kiss with no tongue, they just wanted to hold the moment for as they could; eventually they had to come back up for breath though.

As they released each other from the kiss Fox gave a tired yawn, Krystal gave a yawn in response signaling that sleep was about to take the couple.

Krystal rested her chin on Fox's chest while he leaned back and rest his head on a pillow. "Good night, Fox," the tired vixen said in a groggy voice.

"Good night, Krystal," echoed the exhausted vulpine's voice as he reached over and turned off the lamp off, leaving them in complete darkness. Fox pulled the covers over Krystal and himself, bathing them in warming comfort; both foxes drifting off into a deep sleep.

# - # - #

Krystal slowly opened her eyes, giving a deep yawn while she stretched. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, allowing her vision to adjust to the light; but what she saw next was not what she expected. She rose from the bed only to realize that this wasn't their house, their bedroom, or their bed. As Krystal got out of the bed and walked around the bedroom, she saw that she had woken up alone. She passed by a small vanity table and gasped at what she saw in the mirror. She was in her small one piece bra and loincloth she wore on Sauria that she now used as a swimsuit, but the most unsettling thing was that the vixen in the mirror looked much younger. "How, w-what is happening?" She whispered to herself "The last time I looked like this was when I first got to… Sauria…" the only distinction she could make was that she still had her fur grown out as if it was winter, but the temperature felt like a balmy 70 degrees. She looked at the bedroom she occupied, It looked like a cave but the walls and ceiling were beautifully carved stone that had a glass dome in the center which allowed natural light to pour in, illuminating the whole room. The bedroom was spacious, a bed was made from a unique wood that was only found on Sauria with a comfy king size mattress resting in the frame, blankets made of the finest cornerian silk, and a small desk and chair off to the side. Two doors were on opposite sides of the bedroom, Krystal peaked through one of the doors and was greeted by a magnificently carved bathroom that rivaled theirs back on Corneria. She was mystified at the whole ordeal and stepped back into the bedroom; the floor was a smooth stone that was cool to the touch.

Krystal looked at the clock on the nightstand but the display was blank, and non functional. Something felt off, everything felt real but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Fox? Fox are you there?"" She yelled out to see if she was alone.

"In here!" called out the vulpine, his voice echoing from another room in the cave turned house. Krystal opened the wooden door and looked to her right, a small corridor that winded downwards in a slope towards an unknown destination was all she saw. "Over here, Krystal!" She turned to her left and saw Fox at the other end of a large cavernous room that was vaguely dome shaped, with a tall ceiling. Fox was looking out of a large glass window that overlooked a large field that seemed familiar. As she stepped into the big room, she looked from left to right, and took in the whole room. Off to the left was a carved archway that led into a big kitchen carved into the walls of the cave. It had all of the amenities of a normal kitchen; a fridge, a full range stove, and a dishwasher. Cupboards lined the borders of the kitchen.

The main room was incredibly spacious. To the right of the cave was a small area that held a sofa and a HoloVision mounted into a little alcove specifically carved for it, a table was in the center of the room that could sit many individuals, a skylight shining from the ceiling, and two armchairs that faced the window. Fox stood at the window; taking in the magnificent view it provided.

Krystal walked up beside him, looking out towards the field, realization dawned on her and she started piecing it all together. "Fox, is that… ThornTale Hollow? Are we on Sauria?"

Fox looked to her and to Krystal's astonishment Fox looked younger. The same age as they first met, he was even wearing the same outfit that he wore on that very mission. "Yes, the very same."

Krystal lost her breath when the final piece fell into place. "Fox… this cave… this cave is where we-"

"Where we first met, yes," Fox cutted in.

"Fox, what is going on? Is this a dream? Because this is a very surreal dream and we're both the same age we met. The only way it could be this detailed and real is if you," Krystal turned to her husband and her jaw drooped in astonishment, "you drank zander leaf tea!" Krystal was very confused at this point, "Zander leaf is only native to Cerinia, and it is extremely rare, how did you get your hands on enough Zander leaf to make the tea?" Krystal's ears stood at attention as she looked her husband in the eyes.

Zander leaf was a very powerful herb native to Cerinia that when properly brewed into a tea could allow the user to manipulate their own dreams. Cerinians had the ability to share dreams with ones another that were linked together as life mates, but usually the dreams were a random combination between the couple. Zander leaf tea allowed the drinker to override the random elements of the dream and manipulate it to their heart's desire, the dream became incredibly lucid and to the other they wouldn't be able to tell if it was a dream at all.

"Yes, this is a dream and to answer your question, down a block from the supermarket; a Cerinian couple had opened a small shop that specializes in importing products from Cerinia," The vulpine took a breath and continued, "I had to special order the leaf because of the rarity, it finally arrived today."

"But why this cave? It looks beautiful Fox but none of this is real." Krystal interjected.

The vulpine broke out into a toothy grin that perplexed the vixen even further. "That's where you're wrong!"

Krystal's face drooped down, her eyebrows furled in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"This cave is very much real Krys. After our honeymoon I called in a few favors to a construction firm that owed me."

Krystal looked about. "You mean…"

"Yes, all of the moss was cleaned from the cave and I had the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen carved in. It has indoor plumbing and everything, I also called in a favor to Fara and she got me a good deal on the finest SolPannels that money could buy. It took some time and construction only finished last month. The furniture is all in place to."

Krystal's eyes began to water as she brought Fox into a huge hug. "I love it Fox, but why did you go out of your way to do this?"

"Because I love you Krystal, with all of my heart, and I will do anything and everything to make you happy," Fox sniffed a little fighting back a tear and continued, "For me this cave held one of the most significant events in my life, it is the spot where I met the most beautiful vixen in the universe, you." A tear ran down her face when she heard Fox's words, "My life after the Lylat wars was at its lowest point, Star Fox was being barely held together, and I just didn't have the will to go on like this anymore, I only took the mission because the pay was too good to pass up and everyday I am thankful that I took it," Fox took a deep breath trying to regain his composure, "Meeting you that day was one of the greatest moment of my life, the adventure we shared on Sauria was the best thing that ever happened to me, and it gave me hope for the future. After the mission, I returned to the cave, contemplating my feelings. I thought the whole 'love at first sight' thing was a load of baloney, but as we fought side by side, shared in each other's anguish, and supported each other through everything this planet could throw at us, I just knew I was in love. So I spent the rest of my time analyzing the layout of the cave; I knew it would make the perfect home away from home someday, and the only thing I regret is how long it took me to act on my feelings."

Fox embraced Krystal, feeling her tears staining the fur of his shoulder, a few tears trailed from his eyes landing on her blue fur.

Krystal looked to her husband with a big smile as she cleared the tears from her eyes, "I love you Fox, after everything I've been through, I thought all hope of finding out the fate of my people was lost. You helped me save Sauria and gave me a new home out of the goodness of your heart. If it wasn't for a certain friend who reminded me to always see things through to the end and never give up, I doubt I would be here today. You also gave me hope for the future and now here we are." Krystal took a deep breath," I could sense your feelings growing as we trekked across Sauria, I started developing similar feelings as we continued on, after the whole ordeal I felt a bond begin to form between us as time went on, and as we spent more time together after Sauria my feelings grew even stronger." They continued to hold each other for what felt like an eternity, neither one wanting to end the moment.

Krystal perked up and was the first to speak, "I can't wait till we get to be here for real, when can we?" She said in a soothing voice, a content smile illuminating Fox's heart.

"Whenever we're in this neck of the system again." Fox gave Krystal a kiss on the lips and guided her over to one of the armchairs. They sat in there respective armchair and stared out the window towards the empty hallow.

"I took the liberty to sign us up for a small delivery mission to Sauria. Just you and me, the others won't be needed. King Tricky placed a special order for something and I told him that we would tend to it personally. We can spare another week on Sauria since we've had a lack of action for the past month," Fox said as he looked over to Krystal beaming a smile.

"What could he possibly need? I can't imagine Tricky needing to order anything from Corneria..." Krystal asked quizzically.

"No idea, could be a crate full of those tiny squeaky toy balls that he loves so much for all I know," Fox shrugged.

"He sure did love that ball," chuckled Krystal. "So… when do we leave?"

Fox chuckled at the memory of the games they both played with Tricky on their downtime during the Sauria Crisis, he placed his hand to his chin, "Not for a few weeks, Tricky said it wasn't a priority, and told me to wait till after our family get together before we go."

Fox and Krystal sat back and relaxed taking in the quiet visage, enjoying the peace it offered. It might of been a dream but it was tranquil.

Suddenly an idea sounded off in Krystal's head and she rose from the chair. Fox looked over in wonder and barely had time to respond before Krystal was right in his face bumping her nose up against his. "You. Bedroom. NOW!" Fox yelped as Krystal rapidly pulled him from the chair nearly dragging him across the wood flooring towards the bedroom. "This might be a dream, but it's real enough that we are going to make the most of it."

As they entered the bedroom, Krystal tossed Fox to the bed and dived on top of him, their lips merged as they kissed each other deeply, their tongues mixing together as they worked to get each other's clothes off which proved effortless for Krystal. Krystal ripped his clothes off as she got increasingly impatient, the effects of the tea could wear off at any moment and when it did the dream would end abruptly.

Things got steamy as they continued kissing each other, tongues danced, their fur intermingling as they continued in their endeavors.

The musk of their efforts filled the air as they continued on for a long time until they reached their limits and screamed in unison, "I love you so much Fox! I love you so much Krystal!" The couple collapsed in each other's embrace and drifted off to sleep.

The alarm clock on the nightstand read seven-thirty in the morning.

-END

# - # - #

A/N: And here we are, looks like I've finally decided to throw my hat into the ring. I hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it. I knew it was going to be a challenge and it sure as hell was. So let me know watcha think, cause I'm sure as hell sweating bullets over here.

Reviews are always appreciated.

I want to give a special shout out to General Whitefur, Xengo, Jack64, Heyren, XxSanitariumxX, and Groundis for inspiring me to start writing, Zavala you guys. Without you folks this probably would of never happened.

One last thing. If you've guessed correctly, you can tell I left it open for a continuation. You would be correct, I do plan to add onto this in the future, but not until I get more established, I still have much to learn and I want to get comfortable. So for the time being, this will be marked as complete. This story is related to a much bigger project I have in mind. This will probably make a little more sense as I work on that.

Y'all enjoy your 2018 now and have a wonderful time. Long live the OTP.

Cover image by Phersopiers of Deviantart. Star Fox is owned by Nintendo.