Chapter 1; Talon's Reoccurring Epiphany
Introduction by Kiya Tix;
What the heck is an Epiphany?!
-End of introduction-
Talon took a seat next to Kiyo, looking behind him for a second. He wanted to make sure that the wrong somebody wasn't listening to what he was going to say.
For nearly two months, Kiyo had been staying with the StarFox team as a team member, but his skills with piloting were beyond most of them, except for Fox. Even Fara, who was extremely expert at the controls of any ship in general, had a hard time trying to keep the husky down. Thus, Talon had, for a while already, been persuading Kiyo to break off and form his own team. But it hadn't happened yet...
He whispered to him. "Have you asked Fox yet?", he inquired, scratching his left ear a bit. A portion of the top was missing, an injury Talon had gotten long before.
Kiyo paused, then shook his head. "No… not yet."
"Why not?"
Kiyo shrugged, returning to his food. "I dunno. I didn't think my piloting skills would exceed near his level, but they have. Really near to his mark in piloting. And I don't want to feel like I'm boasting or anything."
"Don't worry about it, he knows already how good you are. I'm willing to bet that he'd think of you as the best pilot in the mercenary wings today." Talon had been the first to befriend Kiyo besides Kiya, and the two had become best friends after that. But he didn't say this simply to bring his spirits up, because he actually believed Kiyo had a great talent for flying. The husky had claimed he had taken freelance lessons, none from the academy, but in a way, it was a good thing- anybody who was in training from, say, a smuggler would have more tricks and techniques in fighting than a nest of ants had drones.
"Still… Wolf would still be in this wing and I don't want to split him and Kiya apart. Not if it would hurt her in any way." Kiya and Wolf had been attracted to each other for a little while, already, and Kiyo hadn't wanted to intervene between them.
"Don't worry about it, Kiyo. You can always try to persuade Wolf to transfer wings. It isn't even that difficult to do. He'll agree to what you'd do." He waved over to ROB, said to him. "Get me some water, it's hot as Solar in the summer!" He turned back to Kiyo, waiting for an answer.
"Even so, it'd cost us some money to make a new mercenary unit, and I don't happen to have 100,000 credits lying around. I know you don't. And unless somebody is willing to give us a load of new ships for free and then get the money to be registered, we're out of luck." He paused, looking Talon in the eye, daring him to prove him wrong. When the feline didn't answer, Kiyo continued. "Besides, I made an agreement with Fox; the first day I beat him in a simulation dog-fight is the day he'll let me make a decision as to what I'm gonna do." It was true. Such registation procedures were expensive, and although they had the money to create a new unit, that didn't account for the cost of the ships.
"You know I've already completed the schematics for a newer and equally good ship, just for telepaths like you. And I know somebody who'll make them, if he knows he can get a profit from you somehow. And don't worry about Fox. If he'll let you go if you beat him," Talon shrugged, "then challenge him. You're good enough to beat him as it is."
Kiyo shook his head. "Thanks for trying to bring my spirits up, but please don't lie, Talon. Everybody and they're kin knows that Fox McCloud is the best pilot in the Lylat system. Challenging him with a team less than 5 is suicide, and challenging him with a team less than 20 makes the challenger a fool."
Talon sighed. "Kiyo, you seem to have the same problem as Fox does; you let yourself think you're not good enough to do anything and that's what keeps you from doing your best."
Kiyo shrugged, and an idea occured to the feline.
"Of course… you might be right. Fox is the best pilot in the Lylat system, having been beaten only a few times out of luck. You only smoked him the one time, and I doubt you could do it again, since you seem to be chickening out of it…"
Kiyo's ears perked up. "What was that, which you just said?' he said warily.
"Oh, nothing, except that Fox could beat you with both paws behind his back and using his tail, and you using both paws, of course, and that you'd be too scared to do try anyway."
Kiyo glared. "Hey, who said I was? Where'd that little assumption spawn from in your rotten little mind?"
Talon knew, from only a few months of experience with his new best friend, that Kiyo absolutely hated to be called a chicken. That was good, when you were canine and chicken was fowl and saying it to someone like him could get him to do almost anything. "You instigated it."
"Instigated my tail!" he said, voice rising in indignance.
"Which is exactly how Fox is going to beat you down with."
Kiyo stood and glared harder. His voice raised slightly. "That's bull, Talon, and you know it! I could hold my own against Fox if I needed to, but I don't!"
"You say so now, but if Fox beats you, you'd be wrong. And like I said, you're too scared to do it!" Talon was looking at Kiyo right in the eyes, as if daring him to do it.
"Say that again and I'll prove you wrong!" Kiyo challenged.
Talon grinned. He had him right where he wanted him. "Chicken."
Kiyo lost it then and there, forgetting completely where he was. "Alright, you want to know something? Fox was pure lucky for all those times he won those battles! And if I went against him now, I'd smoke him, what's more! Heck- I'm better than Fox!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
As he finished his last word, he froze. He turned around.
All eyes were turned on him, gaping in wonder and interest, at what Kiyo had just claimed out loud. Everybody had paused from what they were doing, whether it be eating or talking. Not a single sound could be heard. Kiyo's fur changed from gray to pale green as he noticed one pair of eyes belonged to Fox.
Kiyo turned back to Talon, who was grinning. "I hate you, my best friend."
Introduction by Kiya Tix;
What the heck is an Epiphany?!
-End of introduction-
Talon took a seat next to Kiyo, looking behind him for a second. He wanted to make sure that the wrong somebody wasn't listening to what he was going to say.
For nearly two months, Kiyo had been staying with the StarFox team as a team member, but his skills with piloting were beyond most of them, except for Fox. Even Fara, who was extremely expert at the controls of any ship in general, had a hard time trying to keep the husky down. Thus, Talon had, for a while already, been persuading Kiyo to break off and form his own team. But it hadn't happened yet...
He whispered to him. "Have you asked Fox yet?", he inquired, scratching his left ear a bit. A portion of the top was missing, an injury Talon had gotten long before.
Kiyo paused, then shook his head. "No… not yet."
"Why not?"
Kiyo shrugged, returning to his food. "I dunno. I didn't think my piloting skills would exceed near his level, but they have. Really near to his mark in piloting. And I don't want to feel like I'm boasting or anything."
"Don't worry about it, he knows already how good you are. I'm willing to bet that he'd think of you as the best pilot in the mercenary wings today." Talon had been the first to befriend Kiyo besides Kiya, and the two had become best friends after that. But he didn't say this simply to bring his spirits up, because he actually believed Kiyo had a great talent for flying. The husky had claimed he had taken freelance lessons, none from the academy, but in a way, it was a good thing- anybody who was in training from, say, a smuggler would have more tricks and techniques in fighting than a nest of ants had drones.
"Still… Wolf would still be in this wing and I don't want to split him and Kiya apart. Not if it would hurt her in any way." Kiya and Wolf had been attracted to each other for a little while, already, and Kiyo hadn't wanted to intervene between them.
"Don't worry about it, Kiyo. You can always try to persuade Wolf to transfer wings. It isn't even that difficult to do. He'll agree to what you'd do." He waved over to ROB, said to him. "Get me some water, it's hot as Solar in the summer!" He turned back to Kiyo, waiting for an answer.
"Even so, it'd cost us some money to make a new mercenary unit, and I don't happen to have 100,000 credits lying around. I know you don't. And unless somebody is willing to give us a load of new ships for free and then get the money to be registered, we're out of luck." He paused, looking Talon in the eye, daring him to prove him wrong. When the feline didn't answer, Kiyo continued. "Besides, I made an agreement with Fox; the first day I beat him in a simulation dog-fight is the day he'll let me make a decision as to what I'm gonna do." It was true. Such registation procedures were expensive, and although they had the money to create a new unit, that didn't account for the cost of the ships.
"You know I've already completed the schematics for a newer and equally good ship, just for telepaths like you. And I know somebody who'll make them, if he knows he can get a profit from you somehow. And don't worry about Fox. If he'll let you go if you beat him," Talon shrugged, "then challenge him. You're good enough to beat him as it is."
Kiyo shook his head. "Thanks for trying to bring my spirits up, but please don't lie, Talon. Everybody and they're kin knows that Fox McCloud is the best pilot in the Lylat system. Challenging him with a team less than 5 is suicide, and challenging him with a team less than 20 makes the challenger a fool."
Talon sighed. "Kiyo, you seem to have the same problem as Fox does; you let yourself think you're not good enough to do anything and that's what keeps you from doing your best."
Kiyo shrugged, and an idea occured to the feline.
"Of course… you might be right. Fox is the best pilot in the Lylat system, having been beaten only a few times out of luck. You only smoked him the one time, and I doubt you could do it again, since you seem to be chickening out of it…"
Kiyo's ears perked up. "What was that, which you just said?' he said warily.
"Oh, nothing, except that Fox could beat you with both paws behind his back and using his tail, and you using both paws, of course, and that you'd be too scared to do try anyway."
Kiyo glared. "Hey, who said I was? Where'd that little assumption spawn from in your rotten little mind?"
Talon knew, from only a few months of experience with his new best friend, that Kiyo absolutely hated to be called a chicken. That was good, when you were canine and chicken was fowl and saying it to someone like him could get him to do almost anything. "You instigated it."
"Instigated my tail!" he said, voice rising in indignance.
"Which is exactly how Fox is going to beat you down with."
Kiyo stood and glared harder. His voice raised slightly. "That's bull, Talon, and you know it! I could hold my own against Fox if I needed to, but I don't!"
"You say so now, but if Fox beats you, you'd be wrong. And like I said, you're too scared to do it!" Talon was looking at Kiyo right in the eyes, as if daring him to do it.
"Say that again and I'll prove you wrong!" Kiyo challenged.
Talon grinned. He had him right where he wanted him. "Chicken."
Kiyo lost it then and there, forgetting completely where he was. "Alright, you want to know something? Fox was pure lucky for all those times he won those battles! And if I went against him now, I'd smoke him, what's more! Heck- I'm better than Fox!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
As he finished his last word, he froze. He turned around.
All eyes were turned on him, gaping in wonder and interest, at what Kiyo had just claimed out loud. Everybody had paused from what they were doing, whether it be eating or talking. Not a single sound could be heard. Kiyo's fur changed from gray to pale green as he noticed one pair of eyes belonged to Fox.
Kiyo turned back to Talon, who was grinning. "I hate you, my best friend."