X

Mission No. 21

Cerinia
Altaira Valley

Garden of Tears

X

That evening the Cerinians brought Fox and Krystal before the council of elders, over which Namah presided. The Abbess and the other three elders who witnessed Fox's release explained to their sisters their decision, then consulted them to iron out the rest of the details. Even if Fox had paid attention to their bickering, he wouldn't have been able to understand. They argued in Cerinian, excluding him from the conversation and denying him any say in the matter. But that was fine by him, for as the Kaumatau argued over the specifics of his arrangement, Fox sat on the floor and gorged himself on a tray of food. Like the fruit Krystal had stealthily brought him earlier, he recognized none of the alien vegetables, though he was able to make sense of some in terms of the Lylatian fauna he knew. At the moment he didn't really care, and wolfed them down too fast to appreciate their novelty. Whatever the elders decided, Namah would fill him in at the end of the debate.

Once they were through, the elders agreed to let Fox stay in the village, but he wasn't to be left alone with Krystal at any time. As for his living arrangements, Fox was to board with the oldest male in the village; in fact, the only other male in the village older than himself. He lived in his own house a ways away from the village and had room to spare for Fox. That way they could keep him as far away from the other residents as possible while still technically keeping him within the village. Krystal on the other hand was to share a house with Māra, her attendant, and several other women her age. Perhaps together they could acclimate Krystal to Cerinian customs. After all, she was a fast learner. But the message was clear. One was welcome. The other…slightly less so, to say the least. That was alright with Fox. He was just happy to have a new home.

After the council meeting, Fox and Krystal were separated. The vixen left him reluctantly, but Fox assured her he would be safe not too far away. Evening was coming on, but the darkening sky wasn't the only thing that beckoned Fox to bed. He'd barely had any sleep the past three days, besides the short respite Krystal gave him when she snuck away to visit him. He was so tired that, as a pair of Kaitaki escorted him, he stumbled along the village path and ignored the old-fashioned buildings around him. At this point he had a one-track mind: sleep.

The path lead out of the village and through a small forest. After crossing a wooden bridge over a stream they came out on the other side of the trees. Before them lay plains of rolling hills which bunched up against the cliffs encircling the valley, and upon the rearmost hill sat an elegant but small cottage constructed from the same mahogany wood, upwards-curved roofs, and reed walls that the rest of the village was made from. The guards dropped Fox off at the door and explained the situation to the elderly Cerinian that lived there, who seemed quite surprised at his arrival but curious. They bade him farewell and left him alone with Fox, though he suspected they might stay nearby to keep an eye on him.

Neither Fox nor the man could understand each other given the language barrier, but he saw that Fox could barely keep his eyes open and led him to a side room where he rolled out a second futon for him to sleep on. It wasn't the feather bed Fox craved, but anything was better than being tied to a stone for three days. Fox bid the old man goodnight and passed out on the futon, even though the sun had only recently gone down behind the mountains. And, for the first time in three nights, he slept peacefully on his own.

X

Bright and early the next morning, Fox was awakened by a delicious scent tickling his nostrils. His nose sniffed in hungrily and his eyes popped open. The elder's room greeted him, illuminated by the glowing rays of the early morning sun. It wasn't originally outfitted to be a bedroom from the looks of it, but seemed to be a storage room in some capacity. Fox doubted they had even warned the owner ahead of time to expect a long-term guest. What was his name again? Itoh? Toro? He couldn't have been bothered to learn the foreign-sounding name the night before, but he'd have to learn it today.

Fox sat up and yawned, stretching his arms gratefully. The covers fell away from his bare chest, and he noticed the pink robe Krystal gave him in a pile on the floor nearby. The elders had neglected to give him proper clothes, and Fox had to walk around the village and the Hall of the Matron's the entire time in a prissy pink garment. Hopefully they would stop by with his confiscated flight suit and jacket later…

At that moment the reed door to his room slid open, revealing the old man. Over his washed-out coat of sky-blue fur, he wore a set of simple brown robes that looked rougher and dirtier than the rest of the Cerinians' silken ones. His eyebrows, upper lip, and chin fur were all long and faded to grey, giving the appearance of bushy brows and facial hair. His form was rather stooped, and his hands were folded together inside his drooping sleeves. He looked around 70, but a sparkle in his eye told Fox he wasn't one to be trifled with just yet.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Fox leaned out of bed and grabbed his pink robe, but he paused when he had only gotten it halfway on. A quiet fizzing sound emanated from the man's whiskers, and the wrinkles on his face arranged themselves in a jolly fashion.

"Tatari," he instructed Fox, then left the room. When he came back he was holding a set of white linen clothes and undergarments. He bent over and handed them to Fox, who gratefully accepted them.

"You can't go around the village dressed in nothing but a woman's robe, now can you? And a pink one at that."

Fox's eyes lit up in surprise. He concentrated and felt the older Cerinian's mind overlapping his own. "You are telepathic, too?"

"Aye, I possess the Curse. Most Cerinians have it in one form or another, and to different extents. For instance, the Kaitaki have the power to control things with their minds. Myself and the rest of the village? We can only communicate and share our feelings with one another. But you, my young friend, are exceptionally receptive; especially for a Lylatian."

"You've…met other Lylatians?"

"I have. But come, you must dress."

Fox stood and turned away from the man, slipping on the linen undergarments. But he had trouble understanding the rest of the clothes. He held up an article that looked like it was meant to go around his legs. "Is this a…skirt?"

The elder straightened up and looked at him indignantly. "Of course not! It is a shendyt."

Fox wrapped the linen kilt around his legs as best he could. "Sorry, I'm just not used to wearing something like this. Where I come from, we only wear pants. Most of the girls stopped wearing skirts, too."

Next the elder handed him the light tunic, and Fox slipped it over his head. "This set of clothes is mine; it's for work, though I don't have much use for it any longer."

When Fox was done dressing the man finally offered him his hand, and Fox shook it. "Well, now that we can speak as two equal, clothed men, what is your name, young one?"

"Fox," he said aloud. "Fox McCloud."

The elder looked him up and down. "An apt name."

"It's just a nickname, really," he explained.

"Well Fox, I hope I once looked half as handsome as you do wearing these now. My name is Itoro. I told it to you last night, but you seemed to lose it amidst all the rest of the Cerinian I uttered. I didn't want to share thoughts because I thought I would frighten you, and it looked like you needed sleep."

Fox laughed. "In the state I was in last night, I probably would have fumbled my own name too, no matter how simple." But at that moment the wall of scent renewed its assault on his nose, and his stomach gurgled for food. "Hey, is that breakfast I smell?"

"Indeed it is, and it's just about ready. Why don't we continue this over a hot meal?"

X

Itoro seated Fox at a low-resting table in the largest room of his house, which adjoined with the kitchen and living area. He served him a plate of freshly cooked food still sizzling from the iron skillet over the stove. The fried meal was made from plantain-like fruit and sweet-potato-looking roots, and Itoro also presented him with a bowl of ripe fruit that Fox recognized from the time Krystal snuck him some. Needless to say, it was delicious.

Through a mouthful of food Fox said, "Thanks Itoro, this hits the spot."

"I knew it would. But mind you, from now on you'll have to help me cook if you want to eat. Today was an exception; I just wanted to let you sleep in."

Remembering his manners, Fox spoke with his thoughts instead. "I really appreciate it. But how long was I asleep for? I feel like I slept through an entire day."

"Close to it. But I knew you needed the rest. I hear they were keeping you captive?"

"Yeah, they kept me tied up on a rock out by the water. Wouldn't let anyone see me, wouldn't let me eat or drink, and it was nearly impossible to sleep. Plus I went without shitting for three days."

Itoro chuckled knowingly. "Bless my soul!"

"Did you have to go through the same trial when you first came to the valley?"

The Cerinian shook his head. "My trial was much different, though it tested the same things. It only lasted a couple of minutes. They tied me to a weight and tossed me into a deep enough part of the river where I could drown. They reasoned if I had the Curse I would free myself and rise to the surface in a miraculous display of my powers. If not, well, I'd stay down."

"And obviously you didn't drown, so…"

"They left me floundering underwater till my old lungs nearly caved in! Of course Namah always intended to save me before I drowned."

"That's…kinda barbaric."

Itoro nodded. "I told them as much when they pulled me out, and the elders reluctantly agreed. Henceforth they used the endurance test instead. But it's a necessary evil, and I do not blame them…much. Before I found these sisters I traveled the wastelands with other survivors. Even the smallest disagreement could lead to enemies tearing each other's necks out without having to lay a finger on one's opponent. For a society to survive on this planet, they must be careful about who they admit."

"And…that's why there aren't any men here? Besides us, of course."

Itoro sighed and looked out the window, absently clutching his water mug. "I see you've been talking with Namah."

Fox's eyebrows raised. "Why? Was she lying about everything?"

The old man's hesitation betrayed the conflict in him. "She…tends to exaggerate parts of the story based on her own fears. Allow me to paint a clearer picture of what happened – or at least, my own view. When the Curse first spread, powers beyond belief were dumped in the laps of many a Cerinian. They didn't know how to use them, nor how to trust someone else who likewise possessed an invisible weapon that could kill you at any moment. Cities were leveled. Sides were chosen. Friendships crumbled. For whatever reason, the Curse manifested itself more commonly and strongly in the men. Perhaps it had to do with biological and physiological differences in the brain. When Cerinians awakened to their powers, we men found ourselves with heavier burdens. We were likelier to develop more dangerous powers than just telepathy. Many couldn't handle the changes their brains underwent, nor the yoke of such powers, and they went insane. They destroyed without rhyme or reason. But most perished bravely in wars and small skirmishes amongst the ashes, protecting those they loved. Many of the women here are the widows or daughters of those that died."

"Are there any male Cerinians left that are my age?" Fox asked.

"If by 'your age' you mean 'not old or decrepit' like myself, then yes, there are. I know a few who, order to protect one another, became hermits, finding homes in the wastelands or wilderness and staying clear of one another so they wouldn't cause anyone pain. Some brought their wives with them and started families, I suspect. But no group larger than 3 or 4 could flourish without infighting. You must understand young Fox, that a village of this size is unprecedented in a time like this. The Abbess's scrutiny of outsiders and strict discipline of the Curse is what keeps this village together. Otherwise, no one in Altaira would feel safe around each other. Maybe somewhere out there is an enclave where men can flourish. Sadly I've never seen one, but I can still hope."

"Are there any other men in the village?"

"Mostly young children that the women here gave birth too or brought with them. Their husbands long gone, whether crushed by their own powers, self-exiled into hermitage, or dying in wars for the safety of their families. The Curse is a terrible power to live with. Even those that can only read minds are driven to hate and murder when they know what others think of them. It's taxing when not even your most private of thoughts are solely your own."

He was right, Fox thought. It was hard to get used to Krystal's mind-reading habits when they first met. It took him awhile to adjust to having his secrets laid bare, and he still wasn't entirely comfortable with it.

"Namah's prejudices are not without basis in Cerinia's recent history, but that doesn't excuse or justify them. While men are more likely to have evolved stronger abilities and are inherently competitive, I don't agree with her policy of turning them all away. Regardless, it's only us now," Itoro concluded, "so the responsibility falls to the two of us men to protect and guide this helpless village of hens!"

Fox laughed and leaned back on his pillow seat. "Damn straight it does." The old man continued to fizz at his own joke.

A knock sounded at the door, and Fox straightened up in his seat. Itoro cleared his throat and said, "Tomo."

The door opened to admit Mother Namah and two members of the Kaitaki, who wore their signature grey cloaks and facial masks. Now that they were back within the village they let the masks simply hang around their necks, exposing their stern faces.

The elder Cerinian stood up and bowed. Fox rose from his seat as well, but didn't bother bowing. Namah and Itoro seemed to greet each other in Cerinian, then conversed shortly while glancing at Fox. The Lylatian merely rolled his eyes and waited impatiently for the results. When they were finished, Itoro patted Fox on the shoulder. "The Abbess wishes to speak with you now. She plans to show you some of the village, but I told her she better have you back by afternoon; there's work to be done around here."

"And I'm sure you phrased it just as strongly," Fox teased him. Itoro fizzed his laugh and set about gathering their plates. They said goodbye in their respective languages and Fox followed Namah outside.

X

The 'Abbess' as Itoro called her lead Fox through the village, while the two warriors trailed behind them. They seemed uneasy that a Lylatian was allowed so close to their mother, even when she was the most powerful denizen of the valley, and he was perhaps the least.

Fox wasn't aware of it, but his reaction to seeing Altaira Village was much like Krystal's own. The difference was Fox had an actual reference point from which to judge the town; he knew how old-fashioned – medieval, even, the village was, and how odd it was to find such an enclave after seeing the ruins of the modern city mere days before. It was evident Cerinia was an advanced civilization at one point, perhaps even equal with Corneria, but after the Cerinian holocaust the citizens of Altaira returned to a simpler, purer way of life.

Fox made note of the Cerinians' communal way of living. They were quick to help one another, eager to share, and willing to give away freely; provided, of course, that their sisters did their part. There were farmers with open storehouses of fruits, vegetables, grains, and fish; there were smithies and stone masons and carpenters that fashioned tools or constructed new houses; and there were weavers who sewed garments with lovely patterns.

For once Fox felt odd to be the one sticking out like a sore thumb. He was used to being singled out and given attention as a war hero, but even though he was a different species than the crowds that flooded him, at least everyone was different in Lylat. He took orders from a hound, flew beside a falcon, had his ship fixed by a frog, and accepted wisdom from a hare. On Cerinia however, they were all the same, and he was the only one different. Here hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at him curiously, as if he were a sideshow freak. Their pelts were similar cool hues of blues, purples, and greens, while his was a warm gold by contrast. Normally he would love having so much attention from so many beautiful women – especially with the prospects that one elder raised – but being the odd one out felt nerve-wracking.

Now he knew how Krystal must have felt.

Mother Namah was mostly silent, but she observed Fox's reaction to everything. Once they climbed up the hillside to the House of the Matrons, Fox was particularly intrigued by the humming stacks of copper disks, piled atop one another till they were as tall as trees. He was too tired and hungry to pay them any mind the night before.

He pointed to the towers. "What are those? Are they just for decoration?"

Namah glanced at the towers. "They do have a certain aesthetic charm to them. But they are meant to generate electricity. Ever since the Anomie, when our species awakened and society collapsed in the resulting chaos, a spiritual life force has flowed across Cerinia's surface."

"Sort of like ley-lines from folklore?"

Namah studied his mind closer to see what he meant. "Perhaps. Only instead of straight lines the currents reach out like the roots of a tree or blood vessels. One such 'ley-line,' as you call them, runs through Altaira Valley. And a powerful one at that. We have a…primitive form of technology that harnesses it. The copper disks react to the psychic energy by vibrating against one another. Their resonance creates an electric charge. We use underground copper wires to transport the current to various establishments around the village, but the program is still in its infant stage. Amazing how little one realizes they know about engineering without the aid of the world-web or textbooks."

"I guess it would be hard to rebuild a society from scratch, but that's still rather impressive."

"There is much work to be done. But come." Namah lead Fox inside the Matron's Hall, where he once again saw the elders seated in council. Today they were meeting with different women from around the village, conversing in Cerinian and probably advising them on different matters. It was quite loud in the hall from all the competing voices, so Namah guided Fox through a side door and a myriad of passages within the building. Eventually they came to a private room that jutted off from the rest of the hall like a peninsula. It was octagonal-shaped, with the walls made from folding reed partitions that opened to reveal a surrounding garden. Namah paused and gestured for Fox to enter, but she stopped the Kaitaki at the door.

Fox heard one of the Cerinians voice her concern, but the elder shook her head and spoke in a calming tone. They bowed to one another and the warriors reluctantly stood sentry outside the door, which Namah closed.

Fox looked around the room, admiring how luxuriant it was in contrast to Itoro's. The ground was carpeted and littered with large pillows. In cabinets around the room hung brilliantly-dyed robes with exquisite patterns stitched to the fronts, and valuable-looking trinkets lined the shelves. In the center of the room sat a raised bed with a canopy draped over top. Fox immediately eyed it with envy; he missed his feather bed after having to leave the Great Fox. Of course Namah saved all the good stuff for herself.

The Abbess seated herself on the bed and patted a pillow in front of her. "Please, sit."

The young tod hesitated, glancing suspiciously between the vixen and the pillow at her feet.

When she noticed she rolled her eyes. "Please young man, I am not trying to seduce you. Contrary to your misplaced hopes, we are not a village of pent-up women waiting to bed the first man we meet, or you would have been torn apart in the streets on the way here. I assure you we all have very different needs."

"And those needs would be…?"

"What we discussed earlier. The trade of information."

"Oh, well, if that's all…"

Fox obliged her and plopped down on the pillow by her feet. He had to look up a bit to make eye contact. Namah opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could Fox blurted out,

"Are we safe here?"

Namah's thought caught halfway up her throat, and she paused for a second. "Safe? Do you mean from the rest of the village? Someone you are afraid of overhearing? The lawless Cerinians scourging the wastelands? Safe from the very Curse itself, or…?"

"From the Cornerians," Fox explained. "I'm afraid they're after me and Krystal. I hope I didn't end up leading them here."

"If you had, they would have attacked the village by now. It's been at least three days since we found you, and-"

"You mean since Krystal and Ifound you?" Fox interrupted.

Namah smiled knowingly and shook her head. "No Fox. If you lead them directly here we would have known by now."

"Then, is there a chance they might track us? Like over the desert?"

"Sandstorms obliterate the footprints of travelers overnight. You would also have erased your scents in the river. Even if they had a method of tracking your particular thought waves, Cerinia is a big planet, and the valley is well-hidden."

"Then how did Krystal find you if it's so difficult?" Fox asked. "When we first landed at the ruined city, she lead us straight to you."

"Because we lured you here. The Kaitaki have scouts patrolling the wastelands around the valley. They warn us if marauders or Lylatians approach, and lead them away if deemed harmful. But if a harmless wanderer happens to pass by, we lead them here. When they sensed your arrival in the ruined city, they took you for a Lylatian capturing one of our sisters – or using her to sniff us out. They made the decision to try to rescue her from you. So they lead you two to the river bank and I helped overpower you. Needless to say, they were wrong in their assessment. We were wrong. It is a rare occurrence to find a Lylatian who cares so much for a Cerinian, and rarer still to find one daring enough to take her back home."

"Then we only found you because you wanted us to?"

"Precisely. Our village must remain safe both from Lylatians wishing to kidnap our sisters, and from our own kind who cultivate and use their powers solely for destruction."

"And there's absolutely no chance they can track us?"

Namah pursed her lips and stared darkly at Fox. "There…remains a possibility. My sisters and I have encountered your people before, and had several of our own kidnapped, but since our exodus to the mountains we have remained safe. Perhaps one day they will finally discover us or engineer some way of rooting out every last Cerinian on the planet, and everything we have worked for here will crumble down, but I and many others are tired of running."

Fox nodded. "So am I."

The matron sighed. "Well, now that I have assured you of your relative safety, it is time to answer some questions for me. I saw much of your past through your memories, but it was only a cursory reading of your life, and my attention was solely on you. Tell me more about Dr. Andross. The experiments that made him exiled, the civil war, and your discovery of Krystal."

Fox exhaled a small whistle. "Well, it's a long story, but I'll do by best." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I was only 11 when Andross was exiled. He tried to build a satellite and power it with a Cerinian at the core. Something somewhere went haywire, and the thing melted down. Thousands of lives were lost in the aftermath, and my mother…well, she was one of them. If you think your people were the only ones that suffered his evil, you're wrong. I loved my mother more than anyone else in the world, and having her taken from me…it changed me forever. I wasn't alone. Everyone wanted Andross to pay for his sins. It wasn't fair that he survived his own mistake, yet my mom – and everyone else there – didn't. So we made an example of him. We exiled him to Venom – a toxic planet that would've killed him in a few hours if things went as planned. But we should've known he'd have something up his sleeve. I don't know how, but he survived. And for the next five years, he raised an empire of pirates, smugglers, and disgraced scientists like himself.

"Well, eventually Corneria took notice of a stirring on Venom. My father was sent to investigate, though I think he begged General Pepper to let him go. He wanted revenge. But nothing could prepare him for what lay in wait. He…never came back. I was in Flight Academy at the time, learning how to be a good little soldier and all the theory behind flying a fighter craft. But the tedious curriculum only held me back. I dropped out and started my own team after I got the news. Then when war broke out two years later, the General relied heavily on my team. I was fueled by the same desire for revenge that drove my father. On every front we pushed Andross's forces back, but he left scorched ground in his wake. He polluted entire planets, enslaved populations, and mutated wildlife. If you were to see the state Lylat is in now, you'd realize Cerinia is just another one of his casualties."

There Fox caught himself. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to downplay what happened to you or your planet. I just want you to know that Andross was no friend of ours, either. He hurt us just as bad."

All through Fox's summary, Namah's face darkened into a somber expression. Her gaze was fixed far away, somewhere past Fox, as she brooded. When his pause dragged on, she looked up suddenly. "Sorry, I lost myself for a moment. Please, continue. How did you find Krystal?"

"Well, this all happened recently. I found out after the war that Andross had been experimenting with beings from another planet; Cerinia, which no one else in Lylat was supposed to know about. Well, my mother did. And my father. And Corneria, for that matter. I wanted to know how she was involved, so I traveled to Andross's labs and happened to stumble upon Krystal. I saved her from dying after…after another Cerinian unleashed her powers and began killing everyone she came across."

Namah nodded. "They desired us for our powers, but they couldn't control us. Nor could we always control ourselves."

"After that, I managed to escape with Krystal here. I'm sorry if that was too vague a summary, but I only found out what was going on behind the scenes a week ago. I was just a mercenary. I wasn't supposed to know anything; just follow orders, and my father kept everything hidden from me for my own protection, I guess." Fox looked down and laughed sheepishly. "You know, my godfather warned me not to poke my nose in places it didn't belong, but I didn't listen. Now look where it's landed me."

The Cerinian matron locked eyes with Fox. "And do you regret the things that happened?"

Fox clenched his teeth and nit his brow. He hesitated for a second.

"No. I think I'd do it all again."

Namah stood, which surprised Fox. She fixed him with a pitying gaze.

"Fox, your mother didn't perish with the satellite's destruction."

The tod's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean?"

"For your own sake, do not raise your hopes. I do not intend to disappoint you, but there is something you must know. Come."

X

Namah brought Fox behind the Matron's hall where a path lead into a wooded grove. Underneath the canopy of trees and lush plants was a garden; stone squares covered the ground, creating different paths that lead around the forest as well as open patios. Natural springs shot up like fountains between the tiles, then ran in rivulets between the stones and bushes down the hillside. Some of the most beautiful and largest flowers Fox had ever seen bloomed between the paths, which several Cerinian children tended to. They milled about with watering cans, hedge clippers, and strange powders. When they saw Namah approaching with Fox, they whispered in hushed voices to one another and scampered out of sight.

"What is this place?" Fox asked. He leaned his head back, taking in just how high some of the flowering plants towered.

The matron brushed leaves from a flat stone, in which writing was engraved that Fox didn't recognize.

"Māra te Roimata; the Garden of Tears. Our burial site for the dead."

Fox began to notice the rest of the burial markers, which were stacks of flat, rounded stones.

"It's so beautiful…" Rather than death, he felt a strong energy permeating the vibrant garden, as if barely contained by the stone tombs. "And it feels so…alive."

Namah let the leaves fall back over the epitaph. "And hopefully, one day all of Cerinia will as well."

She lead him deeper into the garden. At the far back of the graveyard they came up against a steep, moss-covered cliff. A strange, round-shaped stone lay against the side, almost as if blocking a tomb. But in front of it stood a stone statue. It was hunched over slightly, hugging itself. The smooth grey folds of a robe draped over its frame. From afar it looked feminine. As they approached Fox realized it was a vixen. Namah halted at the entrance to the terrace, but Fox didn't notice. He walked right up to the statue and examined the face. It was familiar; more than familiar.

"Who is this?" he asked, even though the answer seemed just within reach.

"Your mother," Namah answered quietly, "Vixy."

Fox's blood ran cold when he finally recognized his mother's face; frozen in stone. His world began to reel about him, and he grabbed onto the statue's shoulders for support.

"My mother…came here, after the satellite exploded?"

"She did. As I said, she did not perish in Lylat. When he knew the rest of Lylat would come for him, Andross sent her here. He loved your mother, you know, though I doubt his love was returned. Vixy…understood him, in ways no one else could…but she did not love him in the same way he loved her."

Fox brushed the hardened fur of the statue's cheek tenderly. "If she didn't die in the satellite, how did she come to die here?"

Namah looked down. "When Andross and Corneria first discovered Cerinia, Vixy was among the first to work with him. I do not know about your father's involvement, but Vixy and Andross headed the biological research program meant to study my people. He was responsible for accelerating our evolution and the resulting apocalypse."

"And my mother?"

"Around the time of the Anomie, your mother disappeared. Andross whisked her away before the holocaust. Then I assume he ferried her back immediately after his satellite collapsed. He had been…experimenting on her. She developed powers like the rest of us, though that is an understatement."

"What do you mean?"

Namah sighed. "She became much stronger than anyone else I had seen before. Even though she had a kind heart and gentle soul, she couldn't control it. The monster buried deep within her threatened to destroy the village. In her last act of mercy, she stopped that from happening. She…turned herself into stone."

Fox's paw froze on the statue's face – his actual mother's face.

His head hung low, and his shoulders slouched. "Please, I'd like to be alone."

"I'm sorry," was all Namah said. Then he heard her quiet footsteps and the swish of her robe fading away.

Fox tried to relax his breathing. Slowly in, slowly out. His shoulders began to shake with each breath. His fingers grasped at the stone remains of his mother, clenching around the folds in her robe, gripping her own hands, but the warmth he remembered so well was gone. She was cold now, and could return nothing. In the depths of his heart he had always held onto the chance that she might still be alive. He had never seen her body. There hadn't been a body. A thousand funerals held in the wake of Bolse Y's meltdown, yet all were for empty caskets. There was something hopeful about having a mysterious nebula for your mother's gravestone. As a child he always felt she could still be out there in the depths of space, and once he learned how to fly, he would find her.

And now he had.

The weight inside him became too much, and he dropped to his knees. He embraced the stone vixen and leaned his head against it. He could barely get the words out between his ragged breaths. A rock as solid as the grave markers around him formed in his throat, and tears began to form in his eyes. He could barely choke the words out.

"Please Mom. I hope you can hear me. I wish you were here with me now. I'm…sorry I wasn't there for you.

"I don't know what to do anymore. Nothing is simple like it used to be.

"No one's telling me what to do, or who to fight. I don't know who's good, or who's right.

"I'm so confused. I'm so alone.

"I have nothing left; I gave it all up.

"You were the only thing I came here for, and now you're gone.

"You and Dad were the only ones I ever loved."

His fingers clenched around her frozen robes.

"Please just…give me something. Anything to make me stay. I'm…praying to you. Help me."

X

She hesitated at the edge to the terrace. Across the stone floor she saw him kneeling, tightly embracing a woman's statue. For a moment she hid beneath the leaves of a bush, studying him between the green blades. She felt wrong for being there at all; for disturbing him. But a strong aura of sadness seeped from him, and she needed to know why.

Cautiously she crept onto the terrace; quietly, so as not to startle him. When she paused behind him she realized he was crying.

Kneeling, she placed a paw on his shoulder. "…Fox?"

The vulpine turned to her, his face ugly and contorted in a pained expression. Without answering, he dove forward and caught her up in a tight embrace. He hugged Krystal like he thought she would fade away or turn to stone if he let go. She had no idea what caused him such grief, or what brought him so much pain, but it didn't matter. Slowly she put her arms around him and massaged his back.

Fox burst out sobbing, and his shoulders trembled. She'd never seen his spirit so broken before, nor this amount of weakness in him. But she comforted as much as she could. In time he would heal, and it would all be over. But for now, his wet tears flowed freely down her shoulder and onto the floor, where they slipped between the cracks to join rivulets of spring water washed away in the Garden of Tears.

X

When the night passed on Zoness, Falco and Katt returned to Puke's lab for the results of her analysis. Knowing she would likely be sleeping in, they waited till the afternoon to pay her a visit. But to their surprise, Pukes was already up upon their arrival. Katt had barely gotten her second knock on the door when the green-furred vixen swung it open.

"Hey, welcome back! Come in, come in," she urged them. Neither Falco nor Katt were prepared to see Pukes up so bright and 'early,' nor so full of energy. She seemed to be possessed by a spirit not her own. And, judging by her still frazzled hair and twitching eyes, she hadn't gotten that full night of sleep she had planned on.

When Pukes seated them in the reception area, Falco commented, "I see those meds didn't really do the trick, huh?"

"The meds?" Pukes looked at him in confusion. "Oh, they were fine. More than I expected, even."

Falco peered at her suspiciously. "But it looks like you didn't get any sleep at all."

"Not a wink!" she beamed at them, left eye twitching. "Well, maybe I dozed off a couple of times, but I always was able to find where I left off!"

Katt felt suspicious as well. "You look rather excited. I guess the results of the test were…interesting?"

Pukes looked like she could barely contain herself. She leaned across the coffee table, inviting Falco and Katt to do so as well. When she spoke it was little more than a hushed whisper, but with the energy of a child discussing all the presents they thought Santa might bring them for Christmas.

"Crystal lysergic acid alters the makeup of the brain. Specifically several organs that literally no one understands what they do. Scientists presumed they atrophied over time from disuse, or even that different species around the Lylat are just devolving them. But this chemical you brought me reactivates them!"

"And?" Falco asked excitedly. "What does it do?"

"Well, last night I tried a sample and-"

But Katt interrupted. "Wait, don't tell me you drank some of it."

Falco waved her off. "Don't worry, it's harmless."

The feline turned on him. "What do you mean!? You've tasted it too!?"

"Just a few drops!"

Katt slapped a paw over her face. "You know, if you stopped tasting every chemical that came your way, maybe you'd throw up less and we wouldn't have to keep calling you Pukes."

"Nah, her fur color would still look like vomit."

"It does not!"

"Alright, whatever, I'm sorry for insulting your horrible choice in green. Now, can you tell us about the drug?"

The vixen pouted for a minute, then sighed. "Alright. I identified the components. It's made from a chemical found in psychedelic mushrooms in addition to the lysergic acid. Several more of the ingredients are found in OTC meds, others can be extracted from…various commercially-available sources."

"And what does it do?"

Pukes steepled her fingers and locked eyes with Falco.

"That's the funny thing. In addition to activating dormant areas of the brain, it increases the sensitivity of mirror neurons. I think once when I passed out I dreamed I was someone else nearby. I think I was eating a burger, but it was so real…" She licked her lips and stared off into space. "It was the best goddamn burger I've ever had…"

Falco raised his eyebrows expectantly. "And…?"

"Ahem, yes, and the chemical also increased dopamine response, though that may have just been the result of dreaming I ate a good fucking hamburger." She leaned in again. "So…now that you know what it's made from and what it does…what are you planning to do with it?"

Falco's expression sombered and he scratched the underside of his beak.

"Falco…" Katt growled, "you don't want to get involved in this."

"Well, we can't consume 15 liters of the stuff by ourselves, now can we?"

"Falco!"

He looked at Pukes. "You can synthesize more of it, right?"

"All of the ingredients are available through…different means," Pukes answered. "Like I said, we just need some OTC meds for anxiety and migraines. Ibuprofen, aspirin – heck, even cough syrup. The rest I can extract from dish detergents and other household cleaning products."

Katt shot up from her seat in frustration and began pacing about the room. "I do not want any part in this."

"What about the chemical from the mushrooms?" Falco asked doubtfully.

Pukes smiled. "We are in luck." She placed a printed page from a scientific journal in front of Falco, featuring a photo of a clump of mushrooms and several paragraphs of text. "Psilocybe crystallinus. The Bureau imported tons of the stuff to help clean the spilled oils and toxins polluting Zoness. It was one of the products the Venomian Containment and Reclamation Program originally unearthed. The mushrooms are being spread all over the Districts to filter the pollutants from the sea in a process called "mycoremediation." We can take as much as we want and no one will notice."

As Falco poured over the document, he noticed a series of strange circular patterns Pukes had doodled alongside her notes, but brushed them aside.

"If we want to keep selling the stuff, we'll need to reorganize the team. We'll need to collect the ingredients, get them to you, package it, and distribute it."

Pukes sighed and slumped back in her chair. Her eyes flickered shut. "It'll be just like old times…"

A thought still nagged at the back of Falco's head. "Say Pukes, did you end up taking those meds I gave you or not?"

She yawned but did her best to hold it in. "I didn't; I wanted to stay up to study the crystal lysergic acid. But I didn't have to take them to know their effects."

"What were they?"

Now struggling to keep her eyes open, Pukes sat back up.

"About that…"

X

Once Pukes finished catching them up-to-date on her findings, she insisted on staying up to research more of the chemical, but Falco and Katt would hear none of it. Together they grabbed her arms and legs and forcefully carried her upstairs to bed. While Katt stayed behind to tuck her in, Falco returned downstairs. He stepped out into a back alley for a smoke; and to make a call.

On his PDU he tapped Peppy's icon and waited a few moments for the hare to answer. It took a few rings, but eventually he picked up.

"Falco! Good to hear from you. How are things in Zoness?"

Falco filled him in on Pukes' findings, and the rabbit mhmm-ed along.

"This confirms my initial suspicions. Crystal lysergic acid is the chemical Andross used to awaken Cerinians' psychic abilities. I suggest you get rid of the stuff – fast."

"Don't worry old-timer, I'm planning on it."

Peppy sighed. "There's no telling what affects it might have on Lylatians, so best stay away from it."

"Anything else I can do for ya gramps?"

"Lie low; and stay safe. Thanks for looking into this for me. I'm still investigating other matters with Slippy. He managed to secure a job at Dawson-McLean, which means he'll be contracted out to any number of Cornerian intelligence agencies."

"Ha, I knew Slippy could land the job."

"I'm sorry there's not much you can do for me right now, Falco, but I'll keep you posted."

"Sure thing."

"Again, thanks for filling me in. I'll be sure to call you sometime next week to check in."

Falco caught him before he hung up. "Hey wait; there's one more thing gramps."

"Yes?"

Falco lowered his voice. "That friend of mine who analyzed the drug? I had her check Fox's meds as well."

"He needed those wherever he's going." Peppy sounded worried. "Well? Anything noteworthy?"

"Yes. Though they were watered down and had a few extra chemicals used to treat PTSD…

"They were the exact same."

X

(Author's Note: Based on feedback from Jack64, I've changed some of Itoro's exposition to give an alternate view of Cerinia's backstory)