Chapter 24

Fox and his men were beginning to get antsy. Weeks crawled by without any action or fighting, adding to the frustration. The days began to become monotonous, as every day it seemed like it would begin and end with marching, with an occasional rainstorm to break up the day. Even the food was hard to cope with. Fox would eat whatever he could find, but he usually gave his meals to those who needed it more. However, though hardships were creeping in, tension on each other was usually kept at a minor.

"Fox," Rejklo asked as he sat down next to the vulpine. "Where are we marching today? The same direction?" He angrily ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, what?"

Fox glanced up at the human but continued to eat his jaku leaves, which made for a poor dinner. "I suppose so. We're bound to meet up with a town that needs liberating soon. It just seems like we're always one step behind the other Unonian divisions around here. Either that, or the Mafia is giving up here." Fox looked around him. He and his group arrived late last night into this area, not sure if they were at the edge of a dense forest or just in the midst of a patch of trees. Now, Fox could tell the forest was vaster and thicker than he once thought. Trees towered above him hundreds of feet into the air. The veil of crowded treetops allowed for some holes where sunlight would pour through, but shade ruled the land. The trees even fought for land on the ground, with their roots intertwined upon each other. Bringing his gaze back in front of him, Fox picked up some fresh joses and smiled when he felt the juices pour out in his mouth. The sweet liquid took away the bitter taste of the leaves and bark.

Rejklo sighed. "You know, I don't trust you vulpines. All of you are so… so… frugal and… weird! You're all like that!" Fox looked up and saw Rejklo pound his fists on the ground. "I'm tired of it! I'm tired of living with your kind! I grew up surrounded by you fools for the past three years, drowning in a sea of your morals and your traditions! And now you expect me to believe you when you say we're close to another town! You couldn't guide us out of a paper bag!" The human scoffed as he shook his head.

Fox rolled his eyes. "No one's saying you had to follow our ways. Your life is your own. You can let people change you, but they can't force you to change."

"Oh sure, easy for you to say."

"Hey!" Fox snapped. He paused. "Enough. We've got to stay united if we want to perform well."

"For what?" Rejklo put his face right in front of Fox's. "So we can be optimistic and hope to catch a break? Eh?" The human scoffed again. "Your race is dirt."

Fox grabbed the man by the collar, to which Rejklo grabbed Fox's hand with a his eyes ablaze. "Is that so?" Fox said. "Even though we've done nothing to hurt your species? Even though we've managed to grow and rise above others? I think we've endured much, and I think that's commendable." Rejklo swung a fist at Fox, but the vulpine caught it and squeezed it painfully tight. Before Rejklo could yelp, Fox added, "but what makes us intelligent is the fact that we've never warred with nations because of who they were. We've been fair and open-minded to all species, and that's even more commendable in my eyes. If you want to compare, then you'll have to take the flak from your little observations too!" Fox pushed the human back until the man lost his balance and fell backwards.

Rejklo sat back up, but didn't even look at Fox. Shrugging, Fox went back to eating. His stomach screamed for more food, but Fox knew that if he ate too much, his shrunken stomach would just vomit it back up. He began to decide what he should eat for now and what he should keep for later.

"Sir, are you going to finish that?"

Fox looked up and saw Rejklo eyeing his food like it was gold. He looked up at the vulpine with wide eyes. Fox sighed. "No, and don't call me sir." He pushed the leaves, bark, and fruit in front of the hungry soldier, who quickly began to chow down.

Fox watched him eat. He never actually paid attention to a human eating before. His large jaw moved up and down on a hinge, almost like it was spring loaded. Pale lips stretched and strained with each chew, almost as if his face was made out of the same material as Fox's skin. Look at his nose, Fox thought to himself. How can they even smell out of that thing? Fox let his eyes wander to the human's scalp, looking at the matted brown hair scattered about his head. It reminded him of the thatched roof of the marketplace in Fasaldesk, with hair that twisted and grew in almost all directions.

Rejklo looked up. "Something on my face, Fox?"

Fox shook his head while he furrowed his brow. "No, it's just that I've never really paid attention to a human before. Sure, I've spent a lot of time with them, but I never actually concentrated on how your species looks and functions." He paused. "What's it like not having fur and a tail and no muzzle? Are your ears hard or pliable?"

The human laughed. "I don't know what it's like to not have a tail or a muzzle or fur. I've never had those before!"

Fox rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know that." Glancing up, he checked on a group of men eating near the two.

"Well, I suppose not having fur would make it colder in the wintertime. And… I'd have to worry about bumping my muzzle on things, if I had one."

"You'd get used to it," Fox replied.

Rejklo paused as he finished chewing some bark. "We do have different diseases than your species does."

"Like what?" Fox asked.

"Well," Rejklo began, "we don't get yellow plague or resparosis like you vulpines might get. But, I'll bet you've never had the flu."

"What's that?" Fox scratched the back of one ear as he looked back down at the human.

The human snickered lightly. "It's sort of like how you people get fisas. The flu doesn't usually give us a horrible cough like fisas does, but it is a bother. It's when your nose runs and your throat gets really sore. You just feel terrible and everything feels sore." He paused as he brought more food to his mouth. "I know your species has many throat and lung diseases. But we've got a whole variety of them that affect every inch of us."

Fox leaned back. "Well, that's interesting."

"Now I have a few questions about your species." Rejklo paused as Fox raised his eyebrows. "Why is it that vixens' stomachs never grow when they are pregnant? I mean, I've lived with your people for three years after moving in from eastern Canvhis. What's with your vixens? They stay as thin as ever when they are expecting!"

Fox paused. "I don't know. Why do your women get big during pregnancy? It's just the way God made them, I guess."

"Is there a way to tell that they are?"

"Sure," Fox replied. "They can feel it. My aunt explained this to me. See, she said it's the same feeling as knowing you're hungry, but it's not painful or annoying. She said it was a very relaxing feeling."

"Was Maria ever pregnant?" Rejklo asked as he leaned in.

Fox laughed. "No, I wish we would have had a son or a daughter, though." He shook his head. "That would be fun."

Rejklo laughed with Fox until the fox stopped. "You could have, don't your people believe that sex between two fiancés isn't sinful, so long as you remain united and don't divorce?"

Fox nodded. "Yes."

Rejklo made a face. "That's disgusting."

"To you it might be." Fox sighed. "Us vulpines started that practice in the twelfth century. Back then, we were under Careinian rule and treated like dirt. The Careinians were allowed by law to have free rights to our women on the week surrounding their wedding day. To avoid this, we made our fiancés pregnant beforehand so that they couldn't really partake in intercourse with them. The practice was accepted by the church even. And, the tradition stuck even after we were freed from Canvhis sometime in the thirteenth century." Fox coughed. "It's just who we are."

"Then if it's okay and is accepted by the church, why didn't you?"

Fox paused. "She never got pregnant, Rejklo. Just leave it at that."

The human nodded as he chewed on more leaves. Brushing hair out of his eyes, the man coughed as he stared back up at Fox. "Does it bother your species that Christ was a human?"

Fox shook his head with a cold stare. "Of course not. He came to save the world, not just a certain race or species. It doesn't matter if He's vulpine or not, we still worship Him as God. Regardless, as my uncle taught me, His love extends out to all His creation. He loves us all equally, and I love Him for that." Fox paused. "Species aren't important when it comes to religion."

"Okay, I think I understand," Rejklo replied while crunching on more leaves. He started peeling away the thick skin of an iso while wrestling his small, furless hands around it.

"Most Unonian saints are vulpine, by the way," Fox reminded. "God doesn't show favoritism, but He does judge. And when…" Fox's ears suddenly perked up. He caught the sound of a faint engine hum from overheard. As he raised his gaze upward, he noticed a jet flying right over him. Smiling, Fox tried to see if it had anything special about it, but he couldn't. It didn't matter, though. Fox had another plan.

Fox shook Rejklo as he ate, the poor human nearly losing his grip on the fruit in his hand. "Rejklo! Round up your men! We're on the move now!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Fox!" Rejklo shouted. "Now look, the juice is all over my pants! It looks like I wet myself!"

Fox tried to hold in his laughter. "Relax. Just do as I say."

Glaring at Fox, the former Mafian paused, but then stood up and brushed his pants off in quick jerks. Then, with a quick glance at the sun peering through the treetops, he set off and began to buzz around the groups of men scattered about in the area covered with trees. They suddenly began to spring to life, slowly standing up and stretching, not too eager to set out marching again. They migrated over to Fox, who had a great grin on his muzzle.

"Today, we will fight!" Fox shouted. He pulled out his staff from the rucksack near his hover bike. With a quick press of a button, it extended out to full length.

"What do you mean?" a Unonian soldier questioned.

"I saw a jet fly overhead."

Upon hearing Fox's explanation, the soldiers began to scoff, speaking to each other with lewd remarks and hard sighs. "So what?" a muscular fox shouted over the chorus of remarks. "A jet's a jet, right?"

"No!" Fox shouted. Everyone calmed down. "You forget that I was once a pilot to the Unonian Royal Army. I can determine much from just a casual flyby." Fox began to pace around the group. "The way it was flying, it was going to the direction of a battle."

"How do you know? Maybe it was returning from battle!"

Fox nodded. "Yes! To you, that's an option. But no pilot would fly back to base in attack position. Nor would they fly back with a load of bombs under their wings. No, this pilot was going to battle, and his destination was not far from here. I'd say about a mile or two from where we stand."

Rejklo stood by Fox. He shook his head as he furrowed his brow. "How do you know we're only a mile or two out?"

Fox grinned. "I thought you'd never ask. The jet was close enough where I could see it was one of our jets, and close enough where I could even see the black number painted on its right front wing, UF-210. He was less than one thousand feet in the air, coming out of a long flight, because no one flies that low unless they are a few miles out of the target area. It's necessary because he must have enough time to analyze the surroundings and be able to determine if there are any Mafian aircraft in the area."

The soldiers began to slowly nod their heads and smile. "Which way was it going?" one asked.

Fox pointed down a loosely drawn out path in the forest. "That way, past those two large polvenu trees. It shouldn't be too far if we keep a good pace."

Suddenly, Fox felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned his head and noticed Rejklo was staring up at him. "Lead on, vulpine fighter."

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Dashing madly through the wooded terrain, the soldiers, hungry for any kind of action, raced down the direction Fox had pointed to. Scenery and breaks of sunlight blew passed. No one knew how long they had been running, not even Fox.

Fox kept himself toward the front of the group, eager to prove that he was right. Every limb he dodged, every vine he cut, and every root he crushed drew him closer. He could even taste the enemies in the air, as he panted feverishly though the Unonian landscape.

"I'm not seeing anything!"

Fox turned around and noticed Rejklo storming up to him at a feverish pace. Sweat fell from his forehead as he pushed another limb out of the way. Wiping his brow, he pointed his gun forward, staring at Fox as he walked, almost as if he was waiting for him to say something.

"Relax," Fox sighed, "I can feel that we're almost there."

"Really?" the human said with a hint of sarcasm. Fox turned to him. "You know, Fox, you'll say anything to try to get our hopes up."

"I don't lie. I can sense things you can't."

Rejklo smiled. "Right, right. I forgot. You have the Chaljsko. Right, right. Well, what does that style of yours say, eh? Tell me the truth. There is no town, right? Right?"

Fox furrowed his brow as he pushed a large plant aside. He looked behind him to make sure his men were still with him. Even they were beginning to doubt him. Sighing, Fox tried to keep it behind him and follow his plan.

"I knew it!" Rejklo shouted. "You don't know about any town. You don't know about anything! We're lost again, aren't we?"

Fox paused as a grin found its way across his muzzle. "Why don't you see for yourself?" He pulled back the last few tall bushes to reveal a town, a town roughly the size of Histe. Buildings sprawled out before them in an array of sizes and materials. Soldiers bedecked with chain mail stood around doing anything to keep themselves busy. Hover bikes rolled by carting staples for families. Even the faint whisper of snoozing Mafians could be heard not too far away. It was beautiful.

"Wow," Rejklo said slowly. He turned to Fox with his jaw dropped. "How did you, with the –"

"Just forget about it," Fox replied. "Organize your men and prepare them for a strike on my command."

Rejklo nodded dumbly and quietly set to work on readying the former Mafian soldiers. The men once belonging to Colonel McHeske were already in position, waiting for the moment they would be able to see action.

Fox's heart raced. Never before had he led an entire division alone into battle before. Doubts and concerns tore at his mind like parasites. Do they already know I'm coming and are leading me into a trap? Is there more men than what I think is here? What about the innocent? How will we make sure they are safe? With a look of concern, Fox kept his gaze forward, trying to figure out the best way to attack.

Suddenly, he stopped and turned his head. Rejklo stood right behind him with an excited grin. "We're ready for orders, Fox, sir," he stammered. The poor human could barely contain his composure. He was like a balloon with too much air, ready to explode at any minute.

Fox motioned him to sit down, and the man did without hesitation. Fox cleared his throat. "Your men no longer have their Mafian uniforms, so we can't make you decoys. But, I will do this." He paused, almost as if he was rethinking something over. He extended out his Chaljsko staff. "A sneak attack would be effective, but also very dangerous. A group of your men will go into town, acting like traders from a nearby town."

"A name," Rejklo said. "I'd need the name of a town. They'd never let that fly."

Fox grimaced. "Um, tell them you've ventured a long journey from Caviske and you're trying to make it to Fek, but you're tired and need a place to rest. While you're there, get a reading on the number of soldiers, innocent, and try to find out if there's anything unusual going on." Fox pointed to a large building in the distance. "If you get into trouble, hide behind there where we can see you. Then, we'll come running out. If we don't hear anything from you by sunset, I'll assume to attack and that there's not a load of soldiers around or any problems with sacking the town. I'll lead the rest from here, but some will stay behind in case I need reinforcements. Alright?"

Rejklo paused. "Why are my men and I going to Fek?"

"Um, you have family up there. Yeah, you're trying to make it for a wedding. Say that you're the best man. Tell them that, and allow them to come too. That'll show that you're not afraid to let them follow you."

Rejklo nodded. "And if they don't believe me?"

"Don't change your story. Keep it in line with the others who come along with you." Fox looked around and noticed some of Rejklo's men had already joined in and found seats near them. With a nod, the human stood up, motioned for a team of his men to follow him, and set off for the town. Fox watched them until they disappeared behind a collection of buildings.

The evening sun began its decent over the horizon. Shadows of trees stretched like giant claw marks across the landscape as the winds of the night began to make their appearance. Crickets and other critters began to come to life with a symphony of sounds echoing through the dense forest. Clouds donned purple robes as they too welcomed the departure of the great sun. Even the trees whispered to themselves that night would soon rule over the Unonian land. It was as if everything was preparing for the long night.

In a dense patch of woods, Fox and his men were no different. With a drawn out sigh, Fox kept lookout around the buildings to the town, making sure he didn't see Rejklo or any of his men nearby. He remembered how he'd pretend to be a lookout for his imaginary division long ago in Selena. Countless times he climbed up trees, scanning the perimeter for imaginary Mafian invaders. Little did he know that he would be doing it to save his life no more than a decade later.

"It's not as fun as I remember it."

"What?" Fox asked. He turned his head to where the sound come from and noticed a thin and short blue-furred fox was sitting on his haunches with a nervous look on his face.

"Fighting," the fox explained. "I'm a little worried about this. It's not like before when we had the colonel and he had orders he would follow from a higher command." He paused as a frown overwhelmed his face. "We don't know anything about this town. For all we know, there might be an ambush planned for us right now."

Fox nodded his head. "I understand. But trust me, there is someone who guides me to these things. Fate is not without its hard times, but I know we will not lose this contest." The Chaljsko fighter gripped his guardian staff. "She watches over me, and tonight, she'll watch over you."

The soldier nodded with his mouth agape. "Okay sir, I mean, Fox. Thank you."

Fox turned back out to the scene of the town. Darkness was coming quickly; even lights began to flicker on in the quiet town. There was no sign of Rejklo, though. Fox smiled. It's like I'm playing with Maria again back at Fasaldesk. This would be a perfect place to hide from her. I can see everything in front of me. I'm in the middle of a collection of bushes under a veil of thick jaku leaves, and day is soon giving way to night. A perfect hiding spot. Fox nestled lower in the brush, trying to look more undetected. Only the soft clinking of his metal plated tunic revealed his presence.

"Is that them?" the blue-furred soldier asked.

Fox looked up and squinted towards the building. "No, no those are not them. They look like civilians." Fox shook his head. "Don't worry, I'd say we're almost at dusk now. And if there was a problem, they would've said something by now."

"Sir?"

Annoyed, Fox looked back at him with a glare. The soldier was wringing his hands together, looking more nervous than before. "Yes?" Fox asked.

"When your fiancé died, did you or she say anything about roses?"

Fox paused as his glare quickly melted away. "Um, yes, I think I did."

The man shook his head. "In my home village, we hold roses with deep respect, more than most Unonians do. We believe they are made directly from God and placed in Uno by His own hands. We believe they represent love, compassion, and joy. The flower itself is vibrant, delicate, and sweet smelling, demonstrating some of the benefits of love. The thorns and stem represent the pain of love, which is present even in the perfect relationships. To us, roses teach us how to run our relationships sometimes."

"Why are you telling me this?" Fox asked.

The man pointed to Fox's foot. "A crimson rose is right next to you."

Fox paused. "Yeah, so?"

"Look at the stem. Someone cut it clean." Fox looked down at it and picked it up. "See? It was cut very cleanly, and no rose bushes are around us."

"What does that mean?" Fox held the rose delicately in the palms of his gloved hands.

"It means that she is not far, sir," the soldier replied. "A freshly cut rose at the foot of a man means togetherness." He paused. "It also means… no, I can't tell you."

"What?" Fox asked. He set the rose on the ground.

The soldier shook his head. "Fox, it means something very terrible is going to happen to you in the next five years of your life. Something that will change your entire life forever." He paused. "I believe it was your fiancé who warned you of this, because typically lovers tend to communicate with roses and other themes of nature when other ways of explaining something cannot be used at the certain time. It's her way of telling you that she's still in love with you, Fox. It's also her way of warning you."

The Chaljsko fighter nodded, trying hard not to show any emotions. Sighing, Fox didn't think much of the whole ordeal. Who can tell something about someone just by a rose at their feet? Fox thought.

Fox looked up. The sun disappeared over a forested hill, leaving its rays to hover on the horizon. Finally, it was time. Fox stood up and gazed at the collection of soldiers around him. "Former Mafians, hold this area –"

"Please don't call us that," one soldier asked.

Fox rolled his eyes. "You know who you are. Stay here in case we need reinforcements. The rest of the men," Fox added with a grin, "charge!"

Reminding Fox of stampeding cattle, men of various races came into view from every conceivable angle of wooded vegetation, screaming like the winds of hell that would make even the stout of heart shudder in fear. Droves of soldiers stormed out of the woods and onto the future battlefield, running with an overload of vigor and determination. Even Fox, who remained in the front of the pack, raised his staff in the air and joined in on the eerie shouts and screams.

Suddenly, Rejklo came into view. Fox watched him as the human raised his arms in the air and waved them up and down. He seemed to be saying something, but Fox couldn't make out whatever it was. Turning his attention elsewhere, the vulpine fighter continued toward the doomed town and was quickly met up by an unaware group of Mafian soldiers. With his staff in hand, he pushed through their weak defenses, slicing off the legs of one and cringing as the dying man's blood-boiling screeches echoed across the city. More Mafians came out, only to be met by the hungry Unonian forces. Armor clashed together and guns fired off in every direction. Blasts fired like the rumbling of thunder only to be accompanied with occasional screams or howls.

Fox ran after a group of Mafian soldiers with great enthusiasm. Doing a front flip, he pounced on one unsuspecting enemy and quickly made short work of him. Another one ran up to him from behind, but Fox didn't even have to turn around to impale the man on his staff. Only his bubbling cries remained as the Chaljsko fighter yanked his staff out of the enemy's abdomen, shaking off the bits of intestine at the end of the blades. Another Mafian stormed toward Fox, firing his machine gun around him. Other men closed in on Fox, but he kept his focus on dodging the bullets with his staff. Then, with a front somersault, he raced in front of the shooter and took out his legs from beneath him. Fox got to his feet just in time to bash his staff over another soldier and whip his weapon into the chest of another, wedging the blades until he could hear the tearing of muscle, which sounded just like the ripping of cloth.

Every time he was enthralled in contest, he thought of Maria. The memory of her death was still fresh in his mind. Every soldier he fought with reminded him of the grim faces of the evil men who tied her and beat her that day. They must pay. As Fox finished off the last opponent near him, he watched as the Unonians around him obliterated the Mafian forces. Scratching his head, Fox wondered why they were so successful. Something was wrong.

"Fox! Fox!"

Fox turned his head around and noticed it was Rejklo, or at least it looked like him under the halo of a streetlamp. "What?"

"We've got to turn around now!" he ran up to the Chaljsko fighter as he heaved in and out breaths. "No excuses!"

"What do you mean?" Fox asked. He lowered his staff when he noticed no enemy was near him.

Rejklo gripped his chest as his heavy breathing began to subside. "This is only one portion of the town, the part we can see. I tried to make it back in time to tell you, but I got held up."

"Held up?"

"Fox, this is McVankevo, the supposed birthplace of Todd McVanke II."

"What?" Fox's heart sank. McVankevo was one of the most sacred towns in all of Uno. Frankjo would only speak about it in whisper. To him, this was one of the towns that God protected and blessed.

"The city spans over three hills and one valley. This hill is the smallest one. It – look out!"

Fox turned around and blocked three slices of a Mafian field sword. When its owner lost his footing slightly, Fox sliced the man down the middle as his guts spilled out in front of him like meat coming out of a meat grinder. With his fur raised, he hastily checked around him to make sure no one else was coming.

"The valley is covered with factories. Fox, you don't know what I know. We must turn around!"

Fox shook his head. "We don't have any other option at this point! We have to keep going!"

"No! No! No!" Rejklo screamed as he shook Fox's shoulder.

Fox paused and scanned the area, making sure there were no advancing troops coming near them. "Why not?" Fox asked.

"They're going to gas the town!" Rejklo pulled at Fox's metal-plated tunic in hard jerks. "Come on! Call off the attack!"

Fox's eyes shot wide open. "Gas the town? Well, that explains why we haven't met up with much resistance. But civilians, are they still here? How did you find this out? Who told you?"

"I was informed by a Mafian soldier who was talking to his mother," Rejklo explained. He looked at the sky as if he was watching for something. "He said they were expecting another Unonian division to come through these parts. They were expecting them to come a day or two later, so we caught them off guard. He said for her to leave, since they were going to fly a jet overhead filled with poisonous gas, I don't remember the name of the gas, though."

Fox watched as more of his men plowed through the defenses. The weak Mafian division was no match for them, as the Unonian Royal Army fought with anything they had on them: guns, field swords, grenades – even rocks and broken glass. Bodies sprawled across the battlefield and lay upon the wet grass that already had been soaked from rain a few hours ago.

"What about the civilians?"

Rejklo looked up into Fox's eyes as his face darkened. "Most of them are still here, oblivious to what's going to happen."

Fox shook his head. "We can't let them die." He grabbed the man by his shoulders and shook him. "We got to get them out of here!"

"We don't have that time!" Rejklo shouted. "There's a Mafian air base nearby, and they have a half-hour response time over this area! We got to leave now! Come on, let's go!"

"No!" Fox shouted. He pushed the man aside and headed for a building, trying to bang on all the doors of the town if he had to and warn all of the inhabitants.

Rejklo followed him after he watched a Mafian soldier die about ten feet from him. "Fox! Get over here, you cocky little…" Fox turned around just before he rapped his fist on one of the doors to the tall brick building. "Fox, look at the battlefield. We're basically done fighting the Mafia here. If you don't get them out soon, you're leading these men to nowhere. I think we have enough gas masks, but that's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" Fox asked. The door to the building opened, and a young fox in his prime stood at the opening. "We got to try! I can't just walk away knowing people here will all be dead!"

"That's the deal?" Rejklo asked.

"Nothing less." Fox turned to the young vulpine male. "Get out of here! This town's about to be gassed! Go! Leave!" The fox's eyes shot wide open as he ran back inside and screamed commands at his family, grabbing his only daughter in his arms and moving through all rooms of the apartment building. Fox could hear furniture crashing and plates breaking inside. Soon, screams from other rooms of the complex echoed from the thin walls.

Turning around, the Chaljsko fighter retracted his staff and pointed it to the crowd of men as his heart raced with fear. "All of you! Run through the streets of this town and spread the news! At any moment now, this town will be gassed! We got to get the people out of here! If they have any airtight rooms, stick them in there instead!" As Fox shouted, people piled out of the building and soldiers ran in every direction. "Don't give up, and keep your eye's on the sky and listen for the sound of a jet!" Fox turned to Rejklo. "What about your men in the woods?" he asked in a soft tone.

Rejklo waived a hand. "They'll be alright."

Fox didn't even stay to hear the human's reply. He skipped over the houses and buildings where his men were already at and dodged civilians running for their lives. It was almost like they were bracing for impending death, but some might still live if they got far enough away.

In an instant, Fox stumbled up to the stoop of another building and pounded his fists on the door like a man scared out of his life. When the door opened, he almost tripped over his words. "Sir! Leave the town, you don't have much time! Tell everyone in here and go, we're about to be gassed!" The man nodded his head and trembled in shock. Fox leapt off the stoop, not wasting a single second to watch the shocked fox holler to his neighbors. Running faster than his legs could carry him, Fox clawed over to the next building and pounded on its steel and glass door. With the light of a side light shining in his eyes, the tired vulpine cried out commands and words of warning to those in the lobby area, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts when he saw people running to break the news of the coming danger.

Like the Angel of Death, Fox delivered the warning to every house and building he could. Some houses were already deserted, but Fox would bust through a window anyways to make sure no one was left inside. Everywhere he turned people were running and screaming. Total pandemonium was around him as he gasped for air, dragging his feet to the next house. He had passed hundreds of houses before, but he knew that time was running out. Through a bombardment of vixens screaming and men shouting, Fox arrived at the next house, nearly collapsing on the stoop. There was no answer. "Please open the door!" Fox breathed. He pounded harder.

Suddenly, the door opened slightly, and a young vulpine answered it. "Wh-what's going on out here!" he screamed. "Is the Mafia attacking?"

Fox shook his head. "No, leave! They're going to gas this town, and you'll all be dead!"

"My wife, Lishka, she's tucking my son in bed upstairs! Help me!" He ran inside and tore up the stairs to the left of the entrance.

Fox followed the man closely, trying to keep up, though his legs were screaming with soreness and pain and his lungs were burning with every breath he heaved in. Shaking it off, Fox watched as the man pushed through the door.

"Lishka!" he shouted as he turned on the light and ran to the bed she and her son were laying on. "Forget everything, there's no time to explain! We've got to go!" He grabbed his wife's arm.

Lishka looked up at her husband with slight confusion. "Karol, what's happening? Why is there screaming outside?"

"Please!" Karol shouted. He tugged at his wife's dress, and she quickly stood up and fell into his arms, grabbing his torso with long arms and messing up the creases in the man's long black tweed coat.

"What's happening, father?" the young kit asked. Fox looked at the small child who couldn't have been more than three years old.

Karol grabbed his thin son. "We're going on a… vacation, Ero. But, the… car leaves right now, so we have to go! Now!"

Fox motioned the family to get downstairs and to the door, and they did as fast as they could. As Fox opened the wooden door, he could hear a sound over the confusion and chaos.

"Wh-what's that?" Karol asked timidly.

Fox shook his head as he spotted a blinking light in the sky. "Oh Heavenly Father, no." With his ears down, Fox turned around to see Karol and Lishka holding each other closely and having looks of fear in their eyes. Defeat also settled in like a cold gust of wind.

Karol sighed as he gazed into the eyes of his wife. "I understand," he muttered. The sound was getting louder. With tears in his eyes, he looked down at his son, who lay in his arms. "Ero, this man here is a… driver, and he'll drive you out of here, okay?" His son nodded slowly. Karol looked up at Fox. "You'd better put your mask on right now, you don't have much time left."

Fox reached into his rucksack and pulled out his gas mask. "I… understand." He gazed down at the child with a smile. "Ero, we're going to a circus, and I'm going as a clown, so I have to look like this." He put the mask over his face. "See?" he muffled. "Funny, right?"

Ero nodded as Karol gazed down at his son, brushing his hair with gentle strokes. "Ero, we love you very much, and we'll see you as soon as we can, okay?" Sniffing his nose, he handed the child over to Fox, who held out his arms. As he stepped out of the house, he looked back and noticed the couple was holding each other close, silently loving each other in the last moments of their life.

Fox sprinted down the wide roadways like he was being chased down by the cold hands of death. He cradled the child in his arms, pushing the kit's face close into his vest. He looked down at the little life in his arms. His small ears were bent back as his bushy tail curled around his thin body. Nuzzling his head closer, the kit buried himself in Fox's arms as Fox stroked his back with a hand.

Through his glass eyeholes, he could see smoke approaching. Running faster, Fox ignored his body that cried and begged to stop for just one moment. He couldn't let the child die. No, that would be unacceptable.

Running faster, Fox tried to reach around, take off his mask, and put it on the kit, but as he did, his grip slipped and he almost dropped him. He held him closer, dodging over obstacles of flesh and fur.

"You okay there, Ero?" Fox asked. He patted the child on the back.

Fox thought he heard a faint "yes", but he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was finally over the hill and out of the valley enveloped in factories and tall buildings. Without slowing down, Fox looked behind him. The city of McVankevo, birthplace of the greatest leader Uno had ever seen, was now under a shroud of lethal smoke. Fox leaped over more dead bodies, bodies that stretched for freedom they would never taste. Even though the pain in his legs and lungs were unbearable, he still managed to keep a few steps ahead of the smoke.

------------

"Who is that?"

"It's Fox! Only he has a retracted Chaljsko staff in his rucksack!"

"Do you think he's okay?"

Fox knelt at the intersection of two stone roads surrounded by buildings and streetlamps. He didn't even look up; he just continued to bow his head, breathing hard and closing his eyes. With his mask at his side, he pulled his vest closer to his body.

"Hey, you okay?"

Fox slowly looked up and noticed the blue-furred soldier was bent over next to him, looking a little concerned. Around him were hundreds of people, people of all races and sexes. Some were even dressed in soldier attire.

"I think so, yeah," Fox muttered.

"Well then, what's the matter?" He scooted a dead body away from him as he found a place to kneel next to Fox. "Are you praying?"

Fox paused and held in a breath for a few seconds. "Yes."

"For who? Your fiancé?"

Fox shook his head. "No." He loosened his vest.

"Oh Heavenly Father," the soldier muttered when he looked over Fox's shoulder.

Fox shook his head. "I didn't think this would happen. I… I feel terrible." He rested the dead kit on the ground, leaving its lifeless body lay sprawled out on the bricked stone.

"Fox, sir, many perished because of the gassing," he whispered. "I know that you know how hard it is to get over a death, but you tried hard to save that child. That's nothing to feel terrible about."

Fox shook his head. "The gas didn't kill him."

"What?"

"I ran as hard as I could, trying to give his parents their last wish. I ran until I reached deep into the forest, passed the thick covering of leaves until I came to a clearing where moonlight shined down and set the child down. After I took off my mask, I shook the kit and shouted 'we made it, we made it.' But he didn't move, and my heart sank. I couldn't understand – I outran the gas the whole time, but he was still dead. It was then I realized I had suffocated him in my vest the whole time." Fox paused. "I was so afraid of dropping him that I held him too close and killed him."

"Don't worry, Fox," the soldier replied. "My father used to tell me 'Ives, sometimes horrible circumstances arise from good intentions. But, instead of feeling guilty over it, feel content that you honestly meant well.'"

Fox looked up and smiled weakly. "But good intentions don't make up for killing someone."

"It was a mistake, you didn't mean to kill the child," Ives said as he put a hand on Fox's shoulder. "Maybe it was just his time, you never know." He looked up. "See those stars up there? Millions of them, just look at how many. Sometimes I like to think that all those stars are cities in heaven, shining their light down on us. Fox, like those stars, there are millions of people here, in Uno. One or two innocent people will probably die in your hands. That's the way fighting is." Ives paused. "But, we should give the child a good burial." He patted Fox on the back. "Good intentions sometimes don't work out, but please remember this: all things work together for good."

Fox shook his head. Suddenly, he felt another hand rest on his shoulder. Looking up, he noticed it was Rejklo, beaming a wide grin. "Fox, I'm forever sorry I ever doubted you. Today has been the highlight of my life. Never before have I ever received so many comments and felt so good from something I did. But I'm not the one who should be commended; I was only following orders." He tried to make Fox stand up, but the vulpine only raised his head. "Look around you! Thousands of men, women, and children owe their lives to you! If it weren't for your cocky stubbornness, we all would've ran out of the town! All of us! And you're upset over one death?" Rejklo paused. "It was inevitable. But, I think one life lost is okay if thousands more are saved."

Fox glared at the human as he stood up. "And if I would've been two seconds quicker, this man might have survived." Fox pushed a dead fox with his foot. "Or this one. Or this one." He paused. "Don't you get it?" he shouted as he paced around him. "I could've saved these people! But they died because of me not acting fast and doing my job!"

Ives stopped Fox in his tracks as he put his hands on his chest. "No!" he screamed in Fox's ears. Fox almost decked him, but the blue-furred fox spoke before he could think about what he should do. "Fox, I saw you fight in Histe, in Bervesko, in Lesasko, and here. All those people in all of those towns across the blessed land of Uno live because of you. You're… different, and I don't know why. But I do know that you are too good of a fighter to beat yourself up. There are many dead here, I'd say about ten thousand. But, it could've been twenty thousand. Or thirty. Or forty. We did the best we could, and no guilt should arise from that." Sighing as he scoffed, Ives led Fox to the crowd of civilians watching their every move. "Whole families would've perished if it weren't for you, Fox. To be honest, the men and I spoke to each other when we met in a group somewhere in the forest. Most of us said we would've run had it not been for your determination. I know it sounds like I'm making it up, but, Fox McCloud sir, they feel you are the voice of Uno, the true voice of the guardians passed. Some even think you are the incarnate of Todd McVanke II. I know that's not true, but they look up to you, and so do I."

Fox looked out at the sprawl of people around him. Men, women, and children of all ages, species, and social class stood in front of him with complete awe. Some nodded their heads at him while smiling, some clasped their hands together, and even some vixen eyed him with a hopeful glow in their eyes. It was almost unbearable.

Blinking his eyes, Fox turned his head to Ives. "So if I didn't give the orders to save the town, all these people would've perished?"

Ives nodded. "None of us wanted to go and take people from a death zone. Some vowed to leave your division after today. But, we saw how determined you were, and that fueled us. It was like you were trying to save someone you'd never reach. Who was that, Fox?"

Fox shook his head. "I'm just trying to fulfill her wish, that's all I'm doing." Fox began to walk through the crowd, through the endless masses that stretched miles and miles through streets and avenues. He waded through cheers and smiles. Even proposals from vixen pulled at his tunic and toyed with his ears. But Fox didn't stop. He didn't know where he was going, why he felt the way he felt, or what he was becoming. Something was different, though. For the first time, he realized he was not only fighting the Mafia, but himself as well.