"I don't care who you have to kill, you're not getting paid until you bring him back to me alive."
The museum official hung up on yet another bounty hunter.
"This is getting ridiculous." He thought, "How hard could it be to find the fox? He doesn't know the language, the customs, or the laws. I imagine he'd stick out pretty well."
Then it occurred to him.
"Falco. That thieving, backstabbing falcon. He and his band of idiots probably kidnapped him. But why? Ransom? There'd be a note by now. Publicity? Was he that stupid? Love? Wouldn't surprise him. Falco's been unusually interested in the fox."
The official suddenly noticed an email from one of the bounty hunters he hired.
"Scheissmaster? What could she want now?"
The official opened up the e-mail's attachment, discovering five videos and countless photos.
"I knew it. I knew Falco had him. Probably got tired of that stupid cat and wanted someone a bit more foreign."
The official watched all five of the videos. The first one was pretty bland, showing Falco trying to show the fox a very dirty adult magazine. The second one showed the fox with Krystal and proved to be more interesting.
"What do we have here?"
The video consisted almost entirely of the fox trying to comfort an upset Krystal as Falco and Katt argued. The audio wasn't very good, but the official could understand what he was saying.
"Looks like he found himself a girlfriend. It would be a shame to separate them. There's no telling what we could learn. I'm going to have to alter the deal a bit. An extra twenty-thousand Credits should shut up any whiners."
The official watched the three remaining videos, though none of them impressed him as much as the one with the fox and Krystal. An email and a few calls later and the deal was altered. He would now pay 100,000 Credits to whoever brought him the fox and Krystal alive. The other three could die for all he cared.
"Maybe I can convince that Krystal girl to pretend to be an Ancient." He thought as he planned what he would do with them "She and I could learn his language. I myself speak several ancient tongues. How hard could it be? Of course she wouldn't do it for me. No. She'd do it for the fox. If the videos and photos were correct, she'd do anything to get closer to him. And if anyone asks, she was frozen in time with the fox. It's not unheard of to find couples sacrificed together.
But they won't be safe here. No. I'll need to take them to an island I own. They'll be able to safely make me a fortune there. All I have to do now is play the waiting game."
--Krystal's house—
Katt watched from afar as the fox and Krystal cuddled. She missed the days when she and Falco cuddled like that. But that was before they found the fox. She couldn't blame the fox. Her relationship with Falco was slowly crumbling under the weight of his profession.
She liked the fox. Everyone did. If they weren't hiding from the law, they'd show the fox everything the city had to offer. They'd take him to movie theatres and restaurants.
Katt's thoughts were interrupted when she thought she saw something in the window. She took a closer look, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Despite finding nothing unusual, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was out there, watching and studying them for a purpose she could only speculate.
Half an hour later, Krystal and the fox walked to their bedroom. Katt remembered when she and Falco were that close. She sighed, reminding herself that the past is the past and she should focus on the present and the future. Maybe there was hope for her and Falco. Falco would be trapped in the house with her, his profession no longer a threat to their love. Wishful thinking, maybe, but it was worth a shot. She'd just have to be careful not to make him get sick of her.
--Krystal's room—
Krystal was about to crawl into the bed with the fox when she noticed that her window was still open.
"Someone could have broken into here." She thought to herself "though my stuff sucks, so they'd probably return it."
Her thoughts were interrupted when she was shot with a tranquilizer dart. The fox got out of bed to help Krystal when a second dart knocked him out. Several bounty hunters emerged from her closet and from under her bed and carried the pair out the window. A final bounty hunter turned off the lamp and left, closing the window along the way.
--The museum official's plane—
Krystal slowly awoke to find herself tied up and strapped to a seat. To her left was the fox, who was still sleeping.
"Finally awake. You're going to like it on my island."
"What do you think you are doing?"
Krystal was furious. She knew the official was a little sleazy, but he had to be to get anywhere in his profession. She knew she and her friends had betrayed the official by "borrowing" the fox, but that was for the fox's own good. Nothing warranted kidnapping. She watched as the official sat down next to her and explained.
"After the explosion at the museum, I knew that the fox would never be truly safe there or anywhere else on the mainland. The only safe place was on one of my many islands, which is where I am taking him.
I'm also taking you because he needs you. I've watched videos that were taken of you two by bounty hunters I hired. If you knew anything about his culture, you'd know that his people mate for life. Once you hump, you're basically married."
Krystal was shocked. He knew? She knew that videos were taken of her and the fox, but surely some things would be left unwatched. This guy wasn't just sleazy; he was perverted. The official continued.
"He isn't going to learn about modern ways. You are going to learn about his ways. You are going to look, act, and talk like his people. You are going to do this because it will make him happy. He will happy to see and hear something he understands and he will be happy because it is you who he understands."
Krystal always was curious about the fox's culture and she wanted him to be happy. Could she really adapt to his culture, to his beliefs, language, and customs?
"Just to clarify some things," the official continued, "Your transition to his way of life is going to be permanent. You will forget everything about your current culture. You will speak his language, eat his foods, where his people's manner of dress, and worship his gods. You will do this because you want to make him very happy and you know he would never be able to adapt to modern life. I will help you because I am a scientist at heart. The world needs to learn where it came from to truly know where it's going and you will help the world learn."
Krystal thought about it. She didn't like the man, but she loved the fox. She didn't trust the official, but what could she do? She couldn't really escape, especially with the fox in tow. She knew she didn't have a choice.
"I'll do it."
"Great choice, though I didn't give you a choice. You were going to go through with it no matter what, but it's great that you're willing to go through with it. It'll make everything easier for everyone. Won't your mate be happy when he hears you use words he can understand.
When we land, you're going to be separated from him for a while. You're going to be taken to your new home while my medical team checks him for any diseases and whatnot. It won't take long, but it'll give you enough time to change and learn a bit about his culture.
Remember that this is permanent. By the end of the year, you will neither speak not understand any modern language, spoken or written. All you will know is what he knows."
"It probably won't be so bad." Krystal thought to herself. Sure, she'd probably be as lost in his culture and he was in hers, but she'd adapt. She'd learn.
Moments later, the plane landed on the official's island.