Wolf Cub

Chapter 7 - The Past

"Wolf… I'm scared... for our boy…"

"I'm scared too… but don't worry, we'll save him…"

I wrapped my left arm around her right shoulder and began to embrace her. I could feel her sorrow from her fur. I too felt disappointed and worried… My son was in trouble, and I couldn't do anything to save him right now…

I remembered that I made a vow to Lucy in front of the Fountain. In fact… I remembered how we ended up together, and how our odd pairing ended up in a rather fun adventure, with Will as our prize.

-

We got a mission back then from a client who called himself "Rabbit P". We were supposed to protect a science vessel ship while disguised as uniformed guards, much to Leon's discomfort. I thought it was just some sort of undercover mission at first, until I saw the vehicle itself. It was a government vehicle - Cornerian Defense Force brand… I guessed our client knew that the military was a bit "distrustful" on hired mercenaries. We were able to manage by changing our looks as well.

Panther then saw a white female rabbit leading a bunch of teens. I never thought of civilians being inside a military craft until Panther himself asked the rabbit.

"Pardon me, o beautiful lady, but I would like to know why you're in this ship."

"Oh umm… I'm taking my class for a tour on how a typical science vessel works in space," she replied. Her view slowly crawled to me, probably because of my eyepatch. When I glanced back, she looked away… She was rather radiant-looking for a professor.

Leon told me that space pirates would attack this vessel. I recalled that the Anglar invasion pretty much ruined the military force, thus reducing the defenses of the ship. It wasn't long before what he told me came true - a small group made an attack. They were hiding from an asteroid field.

We three quickly boarded our Wolfens which were disguised as personal guard ships. My team was surprised - there had been bounties of us, apparently set up some of our weaker bounty hunter rivals. However, it was probably good - that would distract them from shooting the vessel… I wasn't really a fan of hurting civilians.

The pirates were easy to deal with. Our only trouble was those space rocks. However, one pirate ship exploded near me. The explosion pushed my ship to an asteroid, crashing me. My memory was quite blurry by then, but according to Leon they rescued me and took me to the sick bay.

My eyes were quite blurry then, but I could feel a caressing stroke on my bandaged wounds. I felt the white rabbit's palms striking my fur gently.

"You protected us, mister… Thanks."

"It's my job…"

"Well, at least I should know your names."

I was about to say no but Panther blurted out, "I'm Panther Caroso, milady."

"Panther Ca-… You mean to say…"

Well, I thought that we would be kicked out of the science vessel. I quickly stood up but a nearby medic told me to stay still.

"Well… this is new… Hospitality to space drifters…"

"Well, you just saved our lives, mister… Wolf O'Donnell, isn't it?" the rabbit calmly spoke. "It would be rude for you to be kicked out right?" The medic and even the guards agreed for us to stay until the end of the trip.

"And what's your name, miss?" Leon suddenly asked.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" she smiled. One of the guards told her not to tell her full name, but she disagreed. "I could tell that I can trust these men… It's an odd feeling, really." I wondered what was so special about her… until she told us her name. "My name is Lucy Hare."

The three of us gasped. She was a daughter of Peppy? No one knew Peppy had a daughter… Thinking back… it all fitted. We told her that our client was "Rabbit P"… Peppy Hare. At first it made me wonder why he hadn't sent Star Fox instead of us, when I realized that Star Fox had again broken up with Falco leaving and Slippy in vacation. But then, didn't he worry that we could use this information for our own needs?

I spent some time in the sick bay. Lucy was the one who visited me a lot aside from my team and the occasional medic. My wounds were many but not severe, after all. Lucy kept me company, much to Panther's recommendation. During the times when we were together… I could feel something missing inside me.

Let's just say that… she soon became more familiar to me. Before leaving, I asked her number. I soon began adding her to my schedules, letting Leon take the lead for a while. It was weird - it was my first time becoming comfortable outside the adventurous and dangerous realm of space skirmish. We watched movies that to my surprise I found enjoyable, eat together, and even enjoyed the starry sky. She didn't mind my history or my eye.

I was surprised when Peppy, in his casual, non-uniform clothing, suddenly appeared when I was in front of Lucy's doorstep. It was my first time seeing Peppy in his "ultimate father" form - it was very different from his "father figure" form towards Fox. He did give one heck of a pep-talk about responsibilities, his daughter, and… good gracious… grandchildren. I joked about something involving a barrel-roll and a bed but I seemed to make him angrier.

In the end, I decided to end my career as Star Wolf. I realized how much I became close to Lucy - I spent more time with her than the team since we met. Much to my surprise, Leon and Panther quit too, and with the help of Peppy's "influence", the two were able to land a job at Corneria. As for me… I decided not to get a job and stayed home as a house-husband. It was weird… former feared Star Wolf leader a house-husband…

We finally got married. We intertwined our lives in front of the Fountain. We got little visitors though - keeping Lucy's profile low was a must. It was then I vowed that I wouldn't make Lucy cry and promise to make our child happy… if we ever have one… and we did.

When Will was born, we were both happy. We finally found our treasure… I finally felt how a father would feel. It was a beginning of a new adventure.

-

"Lucy," I whispered to her, "I will save our child."

"I know, Wolf. I know." She hugged me and returned it.

Something still bothered me though - why was James involved here? It wasn't like him. That wasn't how I recalled him.