Thank you my reviewers. I'm so glad you like my story.
I got the inspiration partly from playing Star Fox Adventures for the first time in a LONG while and discovering that my brother owns Star Fox 64 3D. I never played it for the 64 when I was younger, but I did watch my brother play it when we once rented it.
The other part of the inspiration was from a book called Daughter of the Flames. I ate up that book in one day(mainly because it was a library book at its due date). Even so, I fell in love with the story. In fact I gained some inspiration for Zel from the story of the heroine.
The Past Becomes Present Chapter 2
His Past Presents Itself
Fox couldn't believe his eyes. Standing across the room from him was his father; James McCloud. Who, for over a decade, was believed to be dead. But here he stood, almost exactly as Fox last remembered him. In fact, James still looked rather youthful, at least in Fox's comparison to Peppy who is the same age as his father. It made Fox believe he was hallucinating.
James came and embraced his son. Hallucination or not, Fox returned the embrace. He'd missed his father for so long, especially since his death had made him parent-less. Any opportunity with his father was a gift. "Is this real?"
He heard his father chuckle. "Yes, thank the goddess." James pulled away and held Fox at arm's length. "Look at how you've grown." James said admirably.
"It's not like I was a child when you died." Fox smiled, but soon realized that 'died' wasn't the correct word. His father realized it too.
"Father...what's going on?"
Fox completely forgot about Zel, who stared back and forth from father to son not understanding. But her calling James 'father' struck him. "Father?" He asked his dad.
"It's not what you think, son." James stated. He then turned to Zel. "This is my son from back home. If you don't mind, I'd like to do some catching up with him, come Fox."
With that, James lead Fox out of the hut and the village. Once out of earshot, Fox bombarded his father with questions. "I thought you died at Venom all those years ago. Have you been here this whole time? What haven't you contacted me? Do you have any idea how much it affected me when I believed you died? And what do you mean when you said it's not what it looks like? That Zel calls you father and that she says that you basically built the foundation for the village? So you start a life here and forget about me? What about mom?" Originally Fox wouldn't have been this out of control, but he couldn't help it. He just found out his father has been alive the whole time Fox believed to be dead.
James took his son's shoulders and faced him. "If I was able to contact you, I would have in a heartbeat. And I can't imagine how bad you took the news that I died. I would never forget you or your mother. I missed the two of you every day. Zel was just a child when I met her, but she is like a daughter to me. In fact, she reminds me of you and your mother."
Fox searched his father's face. He saw truth in his eyes and also sadness. Several moments passed before Fox spoke. "How did you end up here?"
His father led Fox onward, one arm around his shoulder. "That's a long story."
"Let's hear it."
(I'm going to put the story in flashback mode. It will be easier that way)
'Damn you, Pigma!' James mentally cursed as his Arwing took more damage. Team Star Fox, which consisted of Pigma Dengar, Peppy Hare and himself, were sent on a scouting mission of Venom by order of General Pepper. Suspicious activity had been brewing on the planet ever since the evil Andross, formally a scientist of Corneria, was banished there.
Unfortunately, Pigma had every intension to betray James and Peppy and hand them over to Andross. James and Peppy had strategized on how to escape, and after carefully analyzing every angle, the two set their plan in motion. Unfortunately, Andross turned an angle James didn't expect. James thought that the enemy aircraft would split evenly and give him and Peppy chase as they separated, but instead all enemy aircraft chased Peppy and Andross went solely after James. He didn't expect for Andross to have a personal vendetta against him. James believed Andross just wanted the Star Fox off his list of threats.
If James could only make it out the planet's atmosphere, then he might have a chance to get home to Corneria in one piece. He and Peppy both. At the moment, James was at the rendezvous point he and Peppy made.
Almost on cue, James saw Peppy on his radar...with several bogies on his tail. If only James could wipe them out, Peppy could make his turn for Corneria, to safety. But Andross was still on his tail. That would make it suicidal. Though, if he didn't do something, they were both dead.
"Heads up Peppy!" Making a split second decision, James made a U-turn, quickly took aim, and shot a bomb for Peppy.
Peppy angled up sharply, just missing the bomb's trail, and let on the boost. "No! James!"
"Ha ha! I have you now, McCloud!" Andross cired.
But James couldn't concentrate on him as he felt his Arwing being pulled backward by some unknown force. James couldn't fight it. He just sailed backward as he watched Peppy fly back toward Corneria and Andross, who seemed to stop at the mark where James had lost his controls.
The Arwing continued to speed down as James tried to gain control of the function. But it was no use, everything seemed to be jammed. James was desperate as his ship seemed to be flaming around him, much like if worse than delving into a planet's atmosphere. The worst part was he had no way of seeing where he was even headed.
Several moments passed and James finally saw what looked like the sky of a planet. But James was confused. There was no known planet so close to Venom. It obviously couldn't be a moon.
James snapped back into survival mode as his Arwing landed in a body of water. With the controls still jammed, James had no hope of getting his sinking ship back to the surface. Not even the hatch would open so he could get out. James grabbed a gun and shot at the window to make an opening. Water flooded in as James shimmied his way out of the cockpit, getting many scratches along the way. But blood loss wasn't important right now, it was oxygen.
James broke the surface, catching his breath before examining his surroundings. He was facing open ocean in every direction, except for distant land at least a mile away. He swam in that direction until he made it toward the shore.
Exhausted, James crawled out of the surf and collapsed into unconscious.
.
When James came into consciousness, he wasn't near the sea, but in the middle of a forest resting under a cave-in made from a long since fallen tree trunk. The light coming in told him it was late afternoon with the sun setting soon. He lifted himself into a sitting position and stretched his limbs. He found bandages on his arms, legs, and at his side made out of cut strips from his jacket. The one on his forearm still hurt, but the rest of them ached lightly.
A twig snapped and leaves rustled, grabbing James's attention. "Who's there?" He called. He heard no movement for several seconds. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
A small vulpine girl emerged from the bushes. She was timid and cautiously stepped forward. She was very thin, wrapped in a dirty sheet and carried harvested berries in what remained of James's jacket.
"Did you bring me here?" James's asked. The girl nodded. "How long have I been out?"
"Two sunrises." The girl answered. "I've changed your bandages twice."
"Thank you." James said. "What's your name?"
The girl paused before answering. "I don't know."
James tilted his head in confusion. "Well, we'll have to change that, won't we?" he said with a smile. She gave a small smile in turn.
The two ate the gathering of berries and stayed down for the night. James lay awake under the tree, with the girl snuggled up asleep at his side. He analyzed his situation; his Arwing had stumbled onto this planet which is unknown to the Lylat System, and no one he knows could possibly have any way of finding him. He would probably be named dead. James thought of his son, Fox, and how devastated he's going to be. It broke James's heart. 'My son...if only, if only.'
-
James soon found out that this planet, which he learned was named Orhea by the natives, was very different from his home in Corneria, even Lylat. There was absolutely no technology, which smashed any hope James had of returning home. With that knowledge, James decided he would build a life here. He wasn't alone with the little girl at his side. Not only the two of them, but many stray families and groups wandered the forests. With the encouragement of James, the groups and families gathered together and built the village that now stands prosperous.
_
"And that is what my life has been for these past years." James finished.
The father and son sat at the rocky shore of an ocean. James was throwing rocks into the tides as he told his story. Fox gazed steadily at the mild surf as he listened.
"It's just unfortunate that you're now stuck here too." James lamented.
"Well, I'm not so sure about that." Fox said. "I managed to get a message out."
"You did!" James exclaimed. "Thank the goddess." he added in a softer tone.
Fox examined the information his father gave him. "So, Zel found you at this beach and bandaged you up and she's been with you ever since." Fox stated. Something else crossed his mind. "Why did you say 'thank the goddess'?"
"Oh, I've been here so long that the culture has rubbed off on me." James said. "The Ohreans worship the vixen goddess Aniu, also called the Mother of Nature."
"And another thing; how is it you still seem so young?" Fox wondered. "Peppy is getting grey and complains about tired joints, yet you look barely older than before you left."
"Ah, so Peppy's still around, that's good. Well, it's because I've had a lot of the Slithering Grove delicacy." James answered. "It has healing properties in its nutrients."
"Yeah, Zel told me about that." Fox nodded. He paused before asking. "And you said that Zel didn't know her name. Why is that?"
"That's a story for tomorrow." James said, rising to his feet. "Time to turn in."
You people are probably going to hack up my beginning for the flash back. I found it simple and awkward myself and I suck at space/battle/plane concepts. But, hey it's better than a spoken explanation and has better detail.
Aniu is the name of Balto's wolf mother in Balto 2. But she's a fox in this story. I actually got the inspiration for the goddess from that movie and I really wanted to use her name as well. I find it hell trying to name characters.