StarFox: ReUnition
Chapter Two
p*- The forest contained a vast assortment of flora I was unable to identify, as well as a multiplex of abstract rock formations. My mind returned to Sauria for a moment and I briefly wondered about the EarthWalker King, Tricky. The thought of his child-like bluntness caused me to smile.
p*- Falco kept a feathered hand on his blaster, expecting the worst at any moment. Part of me was curious about where this cautious behavior of his had come from, but I let it slide. Antonia was, after all, an unexplored planet and was thus bound to have unexpected hazards.
p*- "You know," said Falco, "We could make this a lot easier if we had ourselves a Landmaster."
p*- "You know, Falco, the mission is about exploring the planet, not tanking it down." A brief feeling of deja vu of the General telling me essentially the same thing on Sauria.
p*- "You seem extremely perky today." Falco noted. A sudden desire to plasma tape his beak shut came over me, but I repressed it. The fact that my hand had partially crept to the roll at my waist was probably indicative of the severity of my repression.
p*- We continued on for several minutes, the day growing brighter than I had seen in many years.
p*- Our proximity to Solar was unknown to me, but I didn't think we were close enough for sunlight this bright. I pondered this for a moment before deciding that Antonia must be within shine distance of some other star that I didn't know. My knowledge of astrology was extensive enough to allow me to comfortably navigate Lylat, but didn't extend out much past Venom, or the edges of the other nearby systems. Since Antonia was a drifting planet bordering Lylat's edges, I think that I'm excused in these regards.
p*- "Do you know how long the days are here?" I asked out loud, knowing perfectly that Falco would have no idea. The question just sort of came out.
p*- Falco grunted a negative.
p*- So we continued on, silently. Cautious. Perceptive.
p*- I heard a bubbling sound that my excusable paranoia thought was an Apperoid, until awareness and rationality reminded me that the Apperoids were extinct. Various sounds that, to me, were like those of SharpClaws hissed through the air, but did not advance closer.
p*- Why was I so unsettled? Why was I so on edge? If only I knew.
p*- At least one of those sounds became known to us. The Apperoid sound I had heard translated itself into a rock-dammed river, which my past had simply mistranslated. I was not, and am to this day, still not, a coward. But I definitely feel like I deserve the privlage of at least being allowed to be paranoid. Was I deserving of that much?
p*- Falco knelt down to wash the soot and ash off his face, arms, and legs. He then cupped his hands and took a long drink. Realizing I was thirsty, I did the same.
p*- The water was fresher here than on most other planets, Aquas and Zoness included. Water was definitely one of those things that helped me define a planet: on Corneria, it was simply there and without much definition, yet ofn Aquas, it was the planet's main ecosystem (there were, of course, others, but the primary one was water) and was not suited for consumption by terrainian life. On Antonia, it seemed, water was water: cool, simple, and simply there.
p*- I added this information to the mental encyclopedia I was compiling for the General: Antonia- Water- Drinkable. Check.
p*- Thus we continued following the stream simply for lack of actual direction.
p*- The river continued on for several lengths before widening out into a large basin, which itself was fueled by a cascading waterfall. A bizarre characteristic I noted of the planet: if I was correct about certain qualities of its geography, then this river seemed to actually be flowing from North to South, which was the reverse of most planets I had been to. Another notation made in the Fox McCloud Encyclopedia Antonia.
p*- Unfortunately for us, though, the waterfall was part of a large mountainous expanse. A sort of rocky bluff that rose upwards, but leveled off like the plateau we had landed on. The river had also picked up speed, indicating that some form of tidework was in effect. Possibly the result of a moon or other nearby gravitational force.
p*- Either way, the end result was the same: the river was moving too fast for Falco and I to cross safely. Without knowing what resided in the water, some formulation of rock, or some carnivorous fish, it was beyond dangerous to attempt to swim it, excluding the fear of being dragged away by the current. The attempt would be near suicidal. Which meant…
p*- "We either scale the waterfall," I told Falco, "Or turn back."
p*- "Options, options," said Falco, "They both sound so fun. Questio: Why didn't we just take your Arwing?"
p*- Yes, that would have been easier. I would definitely have made it easier to locate Peppy and Slippy, but would not have served well in terms of the actual mission. Besides, in regards to Peppy and Slippy, I had watched them fall and had a pretty fair idea of how much area we had to work with. Little more than a couple of square kilometers. Essentially, an overgrown vastness that was roughly the size of Corneria City, if not fractionally larger. The only real issue was that of the unknown.
p*- I told all of this to Falco in simplified terms. He reluctantly decided to try the bluff.
p*- The positive side was that we had reached the top. The negative side was that we were essentially slaughtered on our way up.
p*- What had looked like a short climb to the top was made considerably longer, due to several surface was moist and damp from the waterfall, which eroded away most of the handholds, leaving the rock soft and crumbly. The rock was also coated in a delightfully fun layer or moss, which was nearly impossible to grab onto. And the fun continued. Apparently, living within and beneath the moss was a family of hard-shelled insects with incredibly sharp pincers, that were, evidently, also capable of flight.
p*- Fun fact that I learned about Falco as we were climbing: apparently he's arachnophobic. When he was about halfway up the surface, the roc he had reached up for moved, revealing itself to be a nesting scorpion. And down went Falco, who landed with an oddly satisfying thump.
p*- It was several minutes before he joined me at the top.
p*- Whatever star Antonia orbited had reached its highest peak, giving the trees and rocks an odd, enlongated shadow. As much as we'd have like to continue our search, we were tired. And the sound of the waterfall crashing below us was somewhat hypnotizing.
p*- We breaked there for several long, comfortable minutes.
p*- Awakening was an experience that lent itself to be surprising and terrifying. Primarily because I was awoken by a compressing force lying upon me, like several heavy-boddied individuals. Secondarily because this force was growling, with a nicely sharpened pair of saber-like teeth exposed to me in a menacing hiss.
p*- Before loosing forth a high-pitched, headache inducing shriek, I was able to visually piece together the creature baring down on me.
p*- A golden pelt, and a quadrpedal body that reminded me of the silk-speaking Panther Carosso. Though only coming to a knee-height, the being's presence was very intimidating. Within its amber eyes I saw a great desire, not to kill, but to survive. This Panther-bing (I mntally dubbed it a Golden Panther, after the startling resemblance to the mercenary) might have been a great hunter, maybe even some form of ruler, monarch, or king. But it was clearly frightened of me and the still sleeping Falco Lombardi.
p*- However, I did mention that I shrieked, and that was entirely and instinctive reaction to seeing such a creature, with canines bared, looming over me.
p*- The golden panther reared back, batting out a large padded paw, a defiant and defensive maneuver. Falco woke in that same moment.
p*- A quick burst from his blaster caused the golden panther to jump back, surprised and fearful. Several more of the plasma shots appeared to have weakened it, singeing its fur in the process.
p*- I drew out my own blaster and took careful aim at the panther, as Falco shot it closer to the edge. I lined the sight with the same principal I lived by in aerial combat: make every shot as if it were the last. Make every shot count.
p*- But it was neither mine, nor Falco's which killed the predator. Suddenly, from the junction of its right shoulder and its neck, an arrow sprouted. Another appeared along its side. A final one, with incredible force, rent itself through its head, pushing it back and over the edge.
p*- "What in the-" Falco said, confused.
p*- My surprise and awe left me as I saw a shadowy figure retreat high into the mountains, leaving me agape at the nimble stealth with which he bounded the rocks.
p*- This shadow-being vanished as he ascended, disappearing into an alcove high into the mountain.
p*- "Did you see that?" I gasped.
p*- "What was that?" Falco replied.
p*- But neither of us had an answer, and we unspokenly agreed where our next path would take us.
A brief note: the updating of this story might seem a little sporadic in the future, what with me deciding (rather stupidly) to begin a multi-chapter story, right after school started back up. So, if it doesn't seem like I'm updating, odds are very much likely that I'm lying dead underneath a combination of Psychology and English papers. Otherwise, I'll try to update as much as possible, but...
Enough with my complaining. I'll leave you back to your lives now. Have a fantastic day, and I'll post more, when I have a decent next chapter written.
Good-bye!