Chapter Twenty Four: The Pillars Of Creation

Authors Notes:

Four Words: Eta Carinae, Eagle Nebula…google image them…

Read and review this one for me, I'm interested in hearing what you guys think about this slightly philosophical chapter…

SHORT CHAPTER INCOMING!

I have nothing left to give
I have found the perfect end
You were made to make it hurt
Disappear into the dirt
Carry me to heaven's arms
Light the way and let me go
Take the time to take my breath
I will end where I began

And I will find the enemy whithin
Because I can feel it crawl beneath my skin

Dear Agony
Just let go of me
Suffer slowly
Is this the way it's got to be?
Don't bury me
Faceless enemy
I'm so sorry
Is this the way it's gotta be?
Dear Agony

Breaking Benjamin - "Dear Agony"

As the day progressed, Fox had finally begun to walk around and socialize with the rest of the team. Despite the progress being made, the vulpine remained slightly sheltered, with him going back to his quarters every now and then to lament. During those brief episodes, he would spend most of the time sitting by the porthole looking out into space. In times of distress, he found the clusters of stars and galaxies as a safe haven from everything going wrong in his life in spite of their lethality. In fact, almost everything he was looking at was dangerous, but it was their beauty that cloaked their fatal secrets.

It was one of these times where Fox had reached the point of acceptance, the acceptance of his loss. It began as the act normally did, with him returning to his quarters on the verge of losing it once again. The fox began to walk over to his personal washroom and splashed a little bit of water on his face. While the liquid was refreshing and seemed to calm him slightly, the moment he looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror, the grief came back to him.

"Is this what my life is going to be?" He said to himself amidst a slow but steady flow of tears. He left the washroom and approached the porthole where he would likely spend the next half an hour at. With a keen eye, the vulpine began to observe the universe as it continued its normal processes.

All around him were bright colors from numerous corners of the galaxy, but none of it was interesting to him this time. However, wasn't long before something caught his eye. In actuality, it was two objects that were close to each other that interested him. While they were both extremely distant, their features were nearly crystal clear.

The first object was a dying star that took the form of a supernova. The bright pink colored gasses that were being expelled from the blinding purple center created a reddish halo around the entire being. It was obvious that this star had lived for many years and was prosperous in its endeavors, whatever they may have been. In the end, it was able to go out in a spectacular fashion, creating a mesmerizing light show that was left for all to see. It was the stars "swan song" so-to-speak.

The other stellar object was located slightly to the left of the supernova. Due to a forced perspective, the object oddly seemed to be larger compared to the previous phenomenon. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that this was a nebula, the source of all life for stars. The towering structure made completely out of bright-orange dust at the base, and a blue tint at the top, loomed over the landscape. The sight brought euphoria to Fox, who couldn't help but feel as though there was a connection between the two objects.

With death…comes a new beginning…

The vulpine continued to rack his brain over what he was seeing. He just knew that they were there for a reason, and not just by chance. As a young kit, his own mother would talk much about the stars and how they told us our own future. For the first time in a very long while, those memories were coming back to him.

"But can't we change what the stars say?"

"Of course you can! You just have to believe in yourself, and follow up with your promises. If you do that, anything is possible."

"Anything?"

"Anything…"

Thinking back on the times when his mother was still alive only made him sadder, but at the same time, he felt a burst of power. Fox had been through so many hardships in his life, and it was now that he believed that he could continue onward. The vulpine wiped his tears away on his sleeve and took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna do it…" He uttered. "I'm doing it for you all…" He fell to his knees and let out the lightest whimper.

In the doorway stood Wolf, cautiously watching over Fox since he had returned to his room. While he had been able to stay secretive, he decided that his charade would have to end now. He walked over to the vulpine who had now noticed his presence, and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Everything alright?" He said nervously, as he was unsure of what to really say.

"Yeah…just needed a moment there."

"We were just wondering if there's any orders to re-fire the engines?" Fox looked back up at the lupine with a bit of a smile and stood back up, appearing more confident than ever.

"Besdolore won't wait for us…" This made Wolf reply in the same manner.

"There's the Fox McCloud I know!"

Authors Notes:

Wow, despite the shortness of this, I am absolutely ecstatic on how this "interlude" turned out! I really hope you guys like this one a lot!