Wolf's Funeral
Wolf never did like the feel of the planet Kew. Too many filthy streets. Too many underhanded thieves. It seemed odd for a criminal with a three million credit bounty on his head to be looking down on the underbelly of the galaxy, but he just couldn't respect the villains of this planet. They had no class. They didn't show proper respect to the title "villain". They were just scum to him. He couldn't blame the ones who did it to survive and put food on the table. They were just trying to make it through a life that hadn't been fair to them. But the ones who walked around as if they were a somebody, the ones who acted like they were too good for the world were the ones who disgusted him. That's why he hated Kew.
And yet here he was, on a filthy street with all the underhanded thieves he could count. He didn't really have a choice though. A place to sleep and eat isn't easy to find when everyone is after the reward on your head. That's why he chose Kew. Everyone here was hiding something. Now he was no different. It was every man for himself, or woman. There were a fair few dangerous ones of those on this backwater planet too.
Leon had left him long ago. Something about being sick of waiting in ambushes instead of going after their enemies. His style always had been different. Panther, well Wolf had given him a ten second head start. He told him not to come near his base again if he wanted to keep what made him male. Wolf had grown tired of his pathetic attempts at gaining Krystal's favor, and his last stunt had been the final straw. A man had to know when to give up, but apparently Panther had never figured that out when his father had been beating lessons into him as a kid. Wolf himself had given up on his dream of exacting revenge on Fox McCloud. There was no drive in it anymore. No fuel for the fire. Like he had said, a man had to know when to give up. He sat inside a bar drinking a shot of the pub's signature drink.
"Shit. Just like everything else about this place." mumbled Wolf. Just like everything about his life. It had never gone right. First he lost his eye, then went into serious debt paying for the replacement. That forced him to become a mercenary to pay off his bills. That came with some serious moral baggage though. Andross was willing to pay a fair amount of money, and Wolf's share would more than finish off his medical loans. Unfortunately his job led him into conflict where he was shot down for the first time by none other than THE James McCloud. Wolf had sworn revenge against the one person who had ever beaten him, but before he could even attempt a way to get back at James, that bloated bastard Pigma got him. Wolf couldn't begrudge the swine to much, but he certainly didn't respect him. Now Wolf was stuck fighting against the only McCloud left. Of course after being shot down so many times by the pup, he just decided it wasn't really worth it. And after Wolf helped Fox out with those damned bugs, aparoids or whatever, he had to hand it to the kid. He could fly better than anyone else he knew. Time to let it go.
Although giving credit where credit is due to the pup didn't wipe Wolf's record anywhere near clean, and he knew now that his bounty had reached a new high, every sane hunter in the system would be after his head. Hell, even Leon might show up. So he kept on the move, but on a planet no one would look at twice.
Wolf signaled the bar tender over again. The drinks may have been shit, but they were what he had, and so he'd cope.
"Give me another one of whatever the hell this was. Shit, give me two."
"S'long as you're paying." grunted the barkeep.
"Shut the hell up and get me my damned drinks."
Wolf reached into his pocket. He didn't have many of these, but now somehow felt like the right time for one. He put the cigar in his mouth. He pulled out a match and ran it across the wood grain of the table. He lit the cigar in his mouth and closed his eyes. He listened to the noises in the pub. Patrons talked and drank. Some were arguing, some were whispering. Glasses clinked. The doors opened. The doors closed.
He looked up. When you had a price on your head this big you couldn't afford to not know who was around you. A vulpine with faded orange fur walked through the bar towards Wolf. His eyes weren't visible as a hood covered the top half of his face, but the hair on his paws looked scruffy and unkempt. He was looking much worse than the last time Wolf had seen him. The fox had made it to Wolf's table. He didn't bother to sit down.
"Let's cut straight to the chase. You know why I'm here Wolf. You can just let it happen, or I can take your dignity along with your life. Your choice." stated the hooded man. His voice was flat, emotionless, he could have been an extra in a movie practicing for his big debut.
"Never been one to cause a scene where it ain't necessary. But it seems to me that you should at least join me for a drink." said Wolf cordially.
"I can't do that. I came here for this and that's all I'm doing."
"Pup, sit. You can't fool me. You could really use something hard to drink. You've seen better days. I just happen to have ordered two of this place's special drink. It's shit, whatever it is, but it is liquor. So you ain't payin' and you get something to calm down with." The fox couldn't disagree with this logic, and so sat down. The bar tender came back with the drinks.
"Is he payin' for this? I don't let people in here unless they buy sumtin'." the bar tender said, gesturing towards the new arrival.
Wolf tossed the vulpine a coin, who gave it to the pub clerk.
"Now get back to doin' your job. I don't really want to see your fat face over here again until I leave. If you can manage that, I might come back to pay you more of my money." growled Wolf. The barman just shrugged and walked back behind the counter. Wolf turned to his guest. "So what's the bounty on my head up to now?"
"Four million credits."
"Hmmm." Wolf sounded almost pleased as he nodded thoughtfully. "How'd you even know to look here?"
"This is where she went after our falling out. It seems that friends who need to work out problems in their life come here."
They sat there in silence for a few moments. Wolf had nothing to say there, but he wasn't quite done.
"Before you start shootin' the least you can do is let me finish my drink, and try your own."
They both took a sip of the brownish liquid in their glasses.
"You're right Wolf. It is shit."
This made Wolf laugh a little.
"Told ya."
"So you ordered two drinks? What, were you expecting me?"
"Somethin' like that. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone came lookin' for me. Might as well have a drink with the one who gets me in the end." explained Wolf calmly.
"You sound really sure you'll die."
"I am." His response was robotic.
"That's a sad outlook."
"Only if you consider a way out of this life sad."
"What, and you don't?"
"Kid, don't play pretend. These ain't exactly the best of days of either of our lives. Yours might still get better, you're young. But not me."
"You're not that old."
"Old enough to be your pa."
"So, what, you aren't even gonna fight it? What happened to you? I'm disappointed. Where's your pride?"
"Where's yours? Bounty hunting don't seem like such an illustrious life for the "Great Fox McCloud"." said Wolf grinning. He knew he'd struck a nerve there.
Fox slammed his fists down on the table and stood up, pulling his hood off.
"Like I have a choice! System's safe now! I have no job! If I had any other skills I'd use them but I'm good at flying and tracking. Military doesn't want me so I'm stuck with this."
"Give it up Pup. This career ain't meant for you."
"Just a minute ago you were sure I was gonna kill you, and now you're acting like I don't have the guts to blast a worm out of existence."
"I said I was sure I'm gonna die, and that I wanted to have a drink with the person who did it. You just happened to need a drink. Whoever pulls the trigger on me will get a drink too. But you Pup" Wolf pointed a claw forward "You ain't a stone cold killer. Yeah you've killed before, and sure you've taken money for it. But that was all for a "righteous cause" or some shit. You don't have the balls to kill someone who hasn't done jack shit. 'Specially not someone you know as well as me, a friend."
At this Fox sat back down. He put his head in his hands. The world came down around him as the lupine picked him apart without even trying.
"Wolf, you have the highest bounty in the system, dead or alive. But alive you just get executed by the Cornerian government. I figured the least I could do is kill you in a fair fight rather than have you gassed in a chamber."
"And I thank you very kindly for that thought." said Wolf. "But you still ain't gonna be able to kill me. You ain't any less of a man for it, but you ain't a cold blooded."
Fox looked up into Wolf's eyes. The vulpine's usually shining emerald eyes were dull now and bloodshot. It was like looking at a pine tree on fire.
"Wolf, Krystal and I are married now. Neither of us have a job, and she's pregnant with my child. We have almost no money. Society tends to forget about its heroes when we don't save them every other God damned day. How the fuck am I supposed to support them now?"
"Organ doning?" joked Wolf. Fox chuckled.
"You jest, but I tried. I have one kidney right now. Krystal wanted to sell something of hers, but I didn't let her sell any of her organs. I don't want her to have to do that. I didn't let her pawn her Cerinian heirlooms either. They mean to much to her. And she isn't going into that business for damn sure."
Wolf knew what he meant by "that business." He grimaced. Fox was really sticking his neck out for this woman.
"I just want what's best for the kid. I want it to have a good life. What I'm doing here, right now? I don't want it to have to stoop this low. That's why I'm here. Your life for a baby's life."
"McCloud, how honest are you planning on being with the kid when you raise it?" queried Wolf.
"As open as possible, why?" asked Fox confusedly.
"How is he going to feel when he finds out that his life is based on the blood money of one of his father's friends? What will he do when he learns that his father killed a friend for money?"
At this Fox collapsed. He let his head sink to the table. Wolf heard the quiet sobs of the vulpine as he realized just how hopeless his situation was.
Another bar patron walked by the table. He looked down at the crying man at the table.
"Pussy" he snorted.
Wolf stood up and punched patron in the muzzle hard enough that he fell back into another table and broke it.
"When you've been through what this man has been through, and you solve his problems without a hitch, then come back here and say that again! But until that time comes, you keep your fucking mouth shut about shit you don't know!" he roared.
"That's it! I've had it with you." At this point the barman had returned. "You insult me, you bring in unsavory characters and you start fights! Get outta my bar, and don't come back!"
Wolf picked up the depressed McCloud and helped him out of the pub.
"Come on Pup. Let's get outta this shit hole. Whiskey sucked anyhow. Don't worry, we'll work something out." He looked back at the bar. "By the way, bar keep. Name's Wolf O'Donnell. I ain't payin' you shit. Add another thousand credits to my bounty for assault, disturbing the peace, and whatever the hell you call not payin' for shitty service and drinks."
Wolf had a hotel room out near the edge of the town he was staying in. After dragging the sobbing Fox McCloud all the way back to it from the bar, he set the vulpine down on the couch in the room.
"Here you go Kid. Some real whiskey." Fox took the offered glass, but didn't drink it.
"Drink. Trust me it'll feel better. And don't worry about bein' judged or nothin' for all the water works. If I were in your shoes I might be doin' the same thing. Hell, maybe I wouldn't. Never been there."
Fox took a sip of the liquor and stopped shaking. He felt ashamed. He had come here to kill Wolf and now he was sitting in his hotel room while Wolf tried to console him for his problems.
"Thanks." He mumbled.
"Don't worry about it."
They sat there for almost half an hour. Fox just stared at the empty glass of whiskey. Wolf just sat there and stared at Fox, and waited for him to say something. Finally, it seemed like the right time.
"Wolf, you're right. I'm no cold blooded killer. Look at me now. A hit man going to a therapy session with his target."
"Pup." started Wolf.
"I mean what am I gonna do now? I can't go back to Krystal like this. She'll know what I was gonna do, and she'll know I couldn't even do this for the ones I love."
"Kid." Said Wolf, a little more firmly.
"Shit. I guess I don't have a choice now. I get to raise a kid and teach him how to survive in life by digging through –"
"Hey McCloud!" shouted Wolf. "You wanna stop that train of thought before you let the waterfalls loose again? You don't have to worry about that for three reasons. One: No you ain't a killer like that. Two: Krystal isn't like that. You know it, I know it, and everyone knows it. She don't judge like most people do. And three: I may have a way to help you." A light from a car passed the window, as neither spoke for a moment.
"You, you do?"
"Well you need to kill me, and I don't want to be a part of this life anymore. We just both need a little help here. You can't bring yourself to kill me, and I can't just disappear without people coming to look for me. So here's what we do. We fake my death."
"That sounds simple enough, but that's the key word there. It sounds simple. I am willing to bet that this would be pretty hard."
"And nothing else has ever been hard in your life or mine has it Pup?" asked Wolf with one eyebrow raised.
"Touché."
"It'll actually be pretty easy. I have a blood bank set up for myself. I have a fair amount of blood in it. Never know when that'll come in handy in our type of work. You're gonna need some evidence to prove that you killed me. We go to this bank, we take a couple gallons and dump it all over me, and take pictures. I leave and you head back to Corneria to collect the bounty. The "experts" can then say that according to the evidence, I lost too much blood to have survived. You get the cash, I get a new life. How's that sound to you Pup?"
"I like it. It's simple. There's less that can go wrong there."
"Just do one thing."
"What's that?"
"Hold a funeral for me. I always wanted to stand at my own grave. It'll be… interesting. In a morbid kinda way."
Listen to Shinedown's What A Shame. It's perfect.
The day was cloudy. It wasn't raining, but it looked like it might start at any moment. A group of three Foxes stood in a cemetery by a large white marble gravestone. The tallest of them was dark orange. He laid a small flower on the grave. The second Fox was blue and was carrying another baby fox in her paws.
"I am forever thankful to him. He gave us a chance. His life was harder than anyone else's. He didn't want that to happen to another. Even though the world was always against him, he just pitied it." The orange fox just sighed. "Krystal?"
"Yes Fox?"
"Did I do the right thing?"
"Fox, look in my arms. We have a beautiful baby boy. We love him, and we will raise him in a world with far less hardship than either of us had to endure. You did the only thing you could do. Why do wonder?"
"How will Marcus feel when he grows up enough to understand where all this money came from? What will he think of me?"
"In time, he will learn of how we got the money to bring him up, but he will understand."
Fox sighed. She didn't know. He hadn't told her.
"Krystal, I don't mean that. I mean this lie."
"What lie, love?"
"I didn't kill him."
"What?"
"I didn't kill him. I told you he went without a fight. He didn't fight. This was all his idea. He was tired of his life, and he wanted to help another life. We faked his death. I don't even know where he is right now. But this money. It isn't actually something I earned. Our baby's whole life will be based upon a lie."
Krystal said nothing. She looked down at the baby in her arms.
"Fox, why didn't you tell me?"
"I was afraid that you would be angry. Angry that I couldn't do a simple job to protect my family."
"I'm not angry Fox. I'm proud of you for not doing this in fact. I am glad that you didn't have to sink to the level of killing a friend. And that makes me more thankful to him. He helped not only our baby, but you as well. As for Marcus's life being a lie, to hell with it. If Corneria will forget about all of us, including Wolf, that easily, then I don't care. Marcus will know what happened, and he will be a stronger person for it."
A breeze came through the cemetery. A hooded figure approached them.
"Thank you Krystal" said Fox. As he turned he saw an older wolf behind him. "Can I help you sir?"
"I'm just paying my respects to a friend, same as you Pup." he said.
"What's your name old man?" inquired Fox. He knew.
The wolf looked up. He had an eye patch now instead of a prosthetic.
"Lupe. Lupe O'Donner."
Krystal turned around and faced the man and instantly recognized him.
"Well it would be an honor to have you over for a visit Mr. O'Donner. Please, I am sure we have much to talk about."
She strode past him towards the car, leaving Fox alone with the wolf.
"Thank you, so much for all that you've done. Only four people will ever know about this. You, Krystal, Marcus when he's old enough, and myself. I want you to keep coming to our house. It is yours as much as ours anyways."
"Hmmm." hummed the wolf. "Sounds like a plan then."
Fox nodded to the lupine, then went of to join his wife. The wolf just stood there in front of the white marble grave as the rain started to fall.
A/N: This was actually my first idea for a fanfic inspired entirely by the afore mentioned song. I hope you all enjoyed.
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