I'm so glad all of you readers enjoy this story a lot and I hope to continue to make you all happy with it too. So this chapter is dedicated to everyone and as an added bonus…just scroll all the way down after you read this chapter. Enjoy. :D

A Hero's Creed

Chapter Twenty-Five: A Princess and her Wolf

"Can you tell us…about what is to happen?" Zelda asked Palutena softly. She sat down on the stairs of the courtyard, wanting to listen in. Ike sat next to her, also wanting to listen in. Day had broken in; meaning that Zelda and her group had to hurry back to the castle before someone noticed they were gone. Tired, the princess was keeping herself awake.

Palutena sighed softly. "I can not stay here longer," she said, "these are not my lands to watch over…and the longer I stay the more I shall anger the three Golden Goddesses."

"Please…we won't take much of your time," Zelda said, "We just want to know…what is going on."

"There shall be a war…" said the kind goddess, "it will consume an entire continent which lays over the seas. A dark goddess will awaken…and her judgment will be much crueler and stronger than Nayru's. This can be avoided if you stop the Mad King, Ashnard. He will rage war in Tellius in order to use the power of that medallion."

"But…what about the threat with Ganondorf?"

"Ganondorf…he's growing stronger by the minute. His strength alone does not just come from the Triforce of Power but also from the power of Medusa, the Goddess of the Underworld. At the moment, Medusa's powers are not fully restored but they will be soon. Her plans, I have yet to know. However I do know this, any intentions she has are simply for her own benefit. It doesn't matter who she uses just as long as at the end, she gets what she wants. I may have not be able to stop this…but I do know about that contract you signed, Ike."

Ike perked up his ears.

"That contract you signed…you must take it from her and destroy it. Very foul things shall befall you if you do not destroy that contract."

Ike folded back his ears and whined slightly. "I…I know..." he whimpered, "That was stupid of me…"

Zelda frowned slightly. She carefully extended her hand and placed it on Ike's head. Ike jerked slightly as he felt Zelda's hand on his fuzzy head. He slightly turned to face her. Zelda smiled warmly at him; trying to reassure Ike that she will do everything she could to help him. Carefully, the princess stroked his slightly mangled fur. Ike couldn't help but wag his tail as he felt such pleasure from a simple pet.

"So…when can he change back?" Zelda asked.

"He will…once the Princess of Twilight is up for it," Palutena replied.

"Princess? You mean that small creature that was on Ike's back?"

"Small creature?!" barked Midna as she emerged from Ike's shadow, "Listen here, I'm NOT a small creature! In fact, I don't even look like this! Because of the curse that was put on me, I am stuck in this form until it is broken! Maybe I won't change your boyfriend back. He's better off as a dog…at least his intelligence now matches."

Ike growled at Midna.

"Oh! I…I'm sorry," Zelda replied, "I didn't mean to offend you. I…I just wasn't sure what you are…"

"And I'm not sure what YOU are. I mean look at you…you're so ugly and stupid!" Midna hissed, "I don't know why you're qualified to be princess of this kingdom. You almost got yourself killed! If you can't fight why bother even trying! Pathetic is what you are."

At that moment, Ike had lost his temper. He got up on all four paws and snarled viciously at Midna. It was one thing to insult him but it was another to insult someone he cares about. Zelda quickly took a hold of Ike and held him back. "Ike, no…" she said softly, "She…she's right. I…I am pathetic." Ike's face softened as he looked over at the princess. "Every time I try to come up with a plan…I fail at it," she continued, "I try to help and all I end up doing is getting the way. I should be wiser than this…but all I want is to save my kingdom. I don't want to be a burden…"

Zelda whimpered softly. Her vision became blurry as her eyes watered. Holding onto Ike, Zelda leaned on him and cried over his head. Ike whimpered slightly. "You're not pathetic," he said, "You're smart…hell, even smarter than me. Your plans are bad…they just need tweaking. You're not a burden…at least not to me. I'm the one who's been doing a horrible job at protecting you. If anyone is to blame for this…it should be me. Please…stop crying."

"Midna…" Palutena said, "That was unnecessary. The princess apologized for her mistake. Your rudeness is not to be tolerated."

"How can I be in the wrong?" Midna lashed out, "HE was the one who came into my world and kidnapped me! HE was the one that transformed me into this! It's HIS fault and that root of his reasons is because of THAT girl!"

"But he is mortal and like all mortals…they make mistakes. You have been in the wrong as well, Princess Midna. You need his help to go home…so I suggest you start by apologizing to the princess."

Midna scoffed as she turned away from the couple. She crossed her arms and squatted down, as if she was sitting in the air. "Fine…" she said, "I'm sorry…not quit sobbing…your little emotional moment there is making me gag. I'll turn you back…but when I'm fully recovered. I won't be able to use the Fused Shadow piece that's on my head until I'm rested."

"Thank you…thank you, Midna…" Zelda replied.

"Whatever…" replied the imp, "A girl and her wolf…how touching."

Trotting along in the garden, Wolf made his way into the courtyard. He growled at any of the guards that came near him, warning them that if they touched him, he will have no regrets attacking. Knowing better, the guards kept their distance away from the royal pet. Wolf growled slightly as he saw Zelda embracing the wolf version of Ike. Making his way past Palutena and Midna, Wolf stood in front of Zelda, not looking amused.

Palutena gasped lightly before she kneeled down next to Wolf. She placed her hand on the grumpy lupine and searched through his memories. "This wolf…" she said, "he has seen such harsh moments in his life." Wolf quickly turned his head over to Palutena. He grunted, not wanting her to say anything about him that would be private. "I have seen how you were turned into this…" she said, "though you have done such shady business…you really aren't a bad person, are you? Poor misunderstood Wolf. The curse upon you…is the same on two other individuals. I shall break your curses but under one condition. You three need to do an unselfish act. If you can perform one act of kindness, not wanting anything in return, you and the other two shall be back to normal. Do you understand?"

Wolf grunted softly. "Fine…I see how you want to play this game," he said, "You want to prove to yourself that there is some good in me. Why bother to tell me and not the boy scout and dumbass? Aren't they good enough for to hear this? Whatever…I'll do it."

Palutena smiled warmly at Wolf. She petted the grey wolf gently. "Thank you for understanding, Wolf," she said.

"Palutena…" Zelda said, "How do we defeat Ganondorf? We have to stop him…don't we?"

"The way you are equipped…you can't hope to defeat him," she said, "Any normal weapon won't be enough. Princess…now is the time for you to use your powers and create a weapon of light."

"Huh?"

"Do you know the main reason why Ganondorf wishes to kidnap you?"

"Of course…he desires the Triforce of Wisdom."

"It's not only that…" Palutena said, "It is because of your bloodline. That wizard, Vaati, was actually resurrected. He died eons ago while fighting against the legendary hero, Link…the very ancestor of the current hero. Long before then…a tragedy struck Hyrule. Six mythical monsters scourged the land, almost destroying it completely. It was then that a young maiden who wield an amazing power sealed the beasts inside of a chest. She was…your ancestor, Zelda. Since then, it has been tradition to name the first born girls, Zelda. Only the females of your bloodline can wield that power. That power…was the power that Vaati feared. It was that power that brought his downfall along with the legendary sword, the Master Sword. The sword alone can not defeat Ganondorf. It can weaken him…but his power will still be enough to resuscitate him. That is why…Zelda you must use your power to create a shimmering light that can pierce his black heart."

"Can I…really do that?" Zelda asked, "Can I truly make something of that caliber?"

"You can. You just need to concentrate. As for now, we shall have to wait on what to do with Ike."

"We have to keep an eye on him and Pit, huh?" squeaked a soft voice. Zelda and Ike looked around trying to find the source of the voice. "Up here!" it said. Both the princess and mercenary looked up at the sky. Hovering down gracefully was a group of tiny angels. All of them appeared to be children, even younger than Pit. One was a boisterous boy with short, ebony hair and matching coal colored eyes. His white toga hung loose on his shoulders. Behind him was a timid blond haired child who appeared to be the same age at the first boy. His dark colored eyes were slightly duller. His white toga was fastened tightly on his shoulders and kept neater. On to the left of the blond angel was another blond angel. Unlike the other two, this blond angel had pointy Hylian ears. His eyes were slightly larger and more cat like than his two companions. His toga was hung onto one shoulder. Underneath his toga was a dark green long sleeved shirt. To the opposite of the cat eyed blond were a pair of twins. Both had chocolate colored locks of hair framing their pale faces. The boy's hair was slightly spiky in the back. His bangs were brushed back. Meanwhile the girl twin's hair was rather puffy with her bangs split in two. Both their togas matched one another. The last angel was another girl. Her skin was darker than the others. Her blue eyes were cat like as well. Much like the other togas, hers was loose.

"Who…who are they?" Zelda asked.

Palutena giggled. "These are my other angel guardians."

"I'm Ness!" spoke the black haired boy.

"L-L-Lucas…" said the timid blond.

"I'm Nana!" squeaked the brunette girl.

"And I'm Popo…Nana's older brother," said Popo.

"I'm Link," said the cat eyed blond boy, "You can call me T.L."

"The name's Tetra," said the tiny elf girl.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Zelda bowed slightly. "So…all of you are Pit's friends?"

"Hehe, yep!" Nana squeaked.

Tetra cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Who the heck is Pit?"

"Oh…Tetra doesn't know who's Pit," Palutena whispered to Zelda, "Since she was barely 'born'. You could say…she happens to be a poor soul who passed away recently."

Zelda looked at Tetra, trying to figure out who she could be. Finally, the princess realized exactly who Tetra was. "She's my shadow…" she said, "But how?"

"After I found her Angelus Crystal, I broke it and set her free. Since she was not born, her soul could not pass through judgment. Instead, I took her with me and made her an angel. Sadly, she does not remember her mortal life. I think it would be best not to remind her."

"Oh…alright. So…her name is Tetra."

Tetra placed her hands behind her head. "What are you two babbling about over there?" she asked, "If it's about me I'm going to be really mad."

"Heh…it's nothing, Tetra," Palutena said, "Did you children bring what I asked?"

"We sure did, My Goddess," replied T. L.

Ness pushed Lucas towards Zelda. Lucas was slightly stunned after the older angel did so. Lucas shivered slightly before he presented an arrow at Princess Zelda. Zelda look at Lucas than at the arrow. She slowly reached for it and took it gently away from him. As soon as she held the arrow in her hand, Lucas immediately flew away from her and hid behind Ness. Zelda examined the arrow. There wasn't anything special about it. The arrow head was made out of mineral rocks, the shaft was wooden, there was nothing out of the ordinary. "What's with this arrow?" Zelda asked.

"Just something to help you," Palutena said, "Now…I must be off. I don't have much time here anymore. I wish you and the others much luck, princess."

"Thank you so much for your help, Palutena," Zelda responded.

Palutena smiled at the group. She looked back at her angels, pointing up at the sky. The angels bid their good byes at the princess before they ascendant back into the heavens. Palutena's body shimmered lightly before it she disappeared, leaving behind no trail that she was there to begin with.

Pit looked around at the busy market place. Dozens of people gathered around the vending stalls, hoping to get a good deal. Their loud yells were ear wretching to the brunette. He moved away from them as he covered his ears slightly. So loud, he thought, this place is so strange. Why is every being here with pointy ears? What are these strange garments they're wearing as well? Why must they be so loud? So many questions entered Pit's mind. As he walked through the market, he took notice of two lovers that were dancing near the fountain. Both were giggling and admiring each other, as if no one else in this world mattered. Pit squeaked lightly as a hand slightly jerked him.

"Hey," Sheik said softly, "How are you getting along?"

"Not so well," Pit replied, "Everything here is so…different. It almost feels like I'm in some sort of different world."

"Well…I'm sure Hyrule is different from where you came from. This…might sound crazy but," Sheik said as she bit her lip slightly, "You came here. In fact…this is where we met."

Pit blinked. "What?"

"Yes…it was this very same place. It was a festival in the fall. I…I was dressed in something I never wear with a mask covering my face. Then I saw you…standing here by yourself. I thought you were in costume since you had wings. I thought it was unique for someone to come as an angel. You approached me, wanting to see my face. When you did…you said…I was beautiful. Do you remember that?" Sheik smiled through her bandages, hoping that Pit would remember.

Pit remained silent. He looked at Sheik as if trying to figure out something. Finally his eyes narrowed. He slowly walked over to her and said in a low tone. "No…that I do not remember," he said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know…so I can't say that you're beautiful or not since your face is hidden. Listen…I'm trying to figure this out on my own. I'm not here to fulfill your girlish fantasies. Whatever it is your hope to accomplish with me, I'd rather not have anything to do with you. You creep me out." With that, Pit walked away from a broken hearted Sheik.

Sheik shivered lightly. She looked down at her bandaged hands. She quickly ran off towards Kakariko Village, trying her best not to cry.

Days would pass since the incident. The Greil Mercenaries have been trying to find any simple jobs they could take in order to bring up their upkeep in the village. Mist and Rhys would watch over Greil, making sure that he would be alright. With so much blood loss, one would think that he would have passed on. However, the leader of the mercenaries held on and was slowly recovering, though he was unconscious. Mist sighed as she leaned against the wall. She barely had finished changing her father's bandages. She looked at the bloody wad in her hands and frowned. "Father…" she let out softly. Her eyes widen slightly as she felt something wet touch her right leg. Fox was standing next to her. He nudged the young cleric with his wet nose, wanting to comfort her.

Mist smiled as she placed the dirty bandages down. She petted her fuzzy companion gently. "Thank you, Fox," she said softly, "You always seem to make me smile."

Fox couldn't help but wag his tail happily at her. Mist giggled as she continued to pet him. His fur felt so soft underneath her chaffed fingertips. It was a comfort for her. Fox slowly walked over to where the bandages were. He carefully lifted them using his teeth, making sure he didn't bite into any bloodied area, and carried them over to Oscar. Oscar took the bandages and walked off to go wash them.

"He's such a good fox, isn't he?" Titania asked as she held Ephraim, one of the babies that was part of Shadow Ike, in her arms. The tiny infant looked at Fox with such curiosity. The past days were big experiences for the tiny baby. He had so many colors, heard different types of noises, and felt different types of object. He extended his hands out, trying to reach Fox. "Oh…it seems Ephraim got curious," Titania giggled, "Maybe its okay if he can if Ephraim can feel Fox." Titania knelt down on the floor. She moved Ephraim over to where Fox is so he could feel. Ephraim's curious hands moved all over Fox. He wanted to feel as much as he could. Fox tried not to complain since it was a baby that was touching him. Titania slowly pulled Ephraim away from Fox, just so that he wouldn't lose his patience. "That's a fox, Ephraim," Titania said, "He's a good friend."

"Bwah…" was all Ephraim could reply.

"Titania," Rhys said, "I think Eirika is getting fussy." Resting in Rhys' arms was the tiny Eirika. The little baby girl, who was the other baby that was part of Shadow Ike, was starting to get restless and began to squirm a lot in the cleric's arms. Rhys tried to calm her down, but Eirika was too energetic at the moment. "Calm down, Eirika…please," Rhys said in a soft tone.

"I think she wants to play," said a mischievous voice. Standing at the doorway was Sonic. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Sonic, when did you get back?" Titania asked.

"Not too long ago," replied the blue hedgehog, "I had some errands to run for Samus. Speaking of Samus…where is she?"

"She left to the forest this morning," Rhys said, "For what reason, I don't know. All I remember is that Link was following her."

"Oh well, I could run off to find her, but I think she wants to be left alone," Sonic said. He approached the fussy Eirika and lifted her from Rhys' arms. "Hey there, little buddy," he said. Eirika was baffled at what she saw in front of her. She had seen quite a bit in her young life, but a blue hedgehog was not one of them. Out of sheer curiosity, she extended her hands, wanting to grabs Sonic's face to examine it. Sonic chuckled as he tickled Eirika's stomach. Eirika giggled cutely. "Heh…yeah, I was right," Sonic said, "she really does want to play."

"I didn't know you were good with children," Rhys said.

"Well…not so much children…but I do know how to take care of others." Sonic slowly handed back Eirika to Rhys. Rhys smiled as he tried to snuggle and tickle Eirika. Sonic turned his attention over to Fox. Sonic petted Fox roughly yet playfully. "Hey there," he said, "Haven't seen you in a while either. You doing okay, Foxy?"

Fox wasn't amused. He got slightly annoyed at the way that Sonic was handling him. Mist slowly made her way into the common room. She gasped lightly as she saw Sonic. "Oh, Sonic, you're back," she said, "Where did you go?"

"I had to run some errands," Sonic winked at her. "But I'm back now. So how you guys holding up? Any luck trying to break this little guy's curse? He's getting impatient."

"I'm getting impatient?" Fox let out, "I am just getting annoyed at you for treating me like some lowly pet."

"You know, he talks about you," Sonic said to Mist.

"Really?" Mist asked.

"Yeah, he says you're the cutest girl he's ever laid eyes on and he likes you." Sonic smiled in a cocky manner.

"What?!" Fox let out as he quickly looked at Mist. "He…he's lying! No…wait! I do think you're pretty and I like you…what I meant to say was…."

"You know…I had an idea," Sonic continued, "Maybe the way to break the curse doesn't lie with magic. Instead, maybe it's found in fairy tales. There was this one story I heard where a princess kissed a frog and he turned into a prince. Maybe you should kiss Fox in hopes that he turns into a magical prince. But it has to be a kiss of true love!" Sonic stuck his tongue out playfully at the duo. Fox couldn't handle anymore embarrassment. A light blush appeared on his muzzle.

"Knock it off!" Fox barked. "How much more do you have to…."

Fox yelped as he was lifted off the floor. Mist held Fox in her arms and smiled at him. Fox stiffened. He felt nervous as he kept looking into Mist's soft emerald eyes. She giggled lightly as she petted him. "So…you might turn into a prince if I kiss you, huh?" she asked in a playfully manner. Fox didn't know how to respond to that. Nor to the soft kiss Mist planted on his forehead. Unconsciously, Fox wagged his tail. However, he did not turn into a prince or anything else. "Hmm…I guess you really aren't a prince, huh?" Mist said softly.

Sonic leaned in and whispered in Fox' ear. "So…how'd it feel to be kissed by your princess?" he asked.

"Shut up, Sonic!" Fox retorded.

Evening set in on Hyrule. Wolf trotted over to his personal pet bed which was demanded by Zelda. However, the grey wolf stopped when he noticed Ike on Zelda's bed. Wolf detested having someone, who he thought inferior, being treated well. Ike just settled down on the bed and plopped down. Zelda had been busy brushing her hair. It was rare for Ike to see the princess without having her hair done, but not much less pleasant to him. In fact, Ike actually thought she looked prettier without all that jewelery. She placed her brush down on the dresser and walked over to Wolf. She bent down and caressed him. "Good night, Wolf," she said softly. Wolf only grunted softly in response before he laid on his bed, drifting to sleep.

Zelda got on her bed. Ike moved slightly, giving her space to get under the covers. He crawled over to her once she was tucked in. Zelda smiled at him. Her fingers played around with Ike's dark azure fur. A low purr emitted from the relaxed lupine. "Heh, good night, Ike," Zelda said softly. Ike merely wagged his tail before he laid his head down on the bed and closed his eyes. Zelda closed her eyes; falling asleep.

Later on that evening Zelda upruptly woke up. She panted lightly after having a horrible nightmare. In this dream, she had seen the same blue light that signified Ike from her prophecy. The clouds of darkness were destroyed, however something strange happened. A bright green light appeared next to the blue light. Slowly the green light revealed a young woman. Though Zelda has not seen the woman before in her life, she had a feeling that she was a princess. The girl extended her hand out to Ike, wanting him to take it. Ike reached out and held her hand gently. Both of them smiled at each other before they walked away from Zelda. Zelda tried her best to yell at Ike, but a strange dark aura took hold of her. The elfin princess was consumed by darkness while Ike and this mysterious princess disappeared from sight.

Zelda frowned as she shook her head from any thoughts of Ike leaving her for another woman. It's just a nightmare, she thought, it can't be another prophecy. Yes…that's what it is. Its just a nightmare…nothing. She turned her attention to Ike who was sleeping peacefully. His stomach rises up with every breath he takes. "You'll…never leave me…would you, Ike?" Zelda whispered softly. She gently gave Ike a kiss on his forehead. Ike's response to the kiss was an ear twitch and a tail flick. Zelda rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. She frowned as she was lost in thought.

The next morning Zelda placed Ike gently inside of a wooden tub. "It's time for you bath, Ike," Zelda said, "I noticed that you've been scratching a lot. And I really don't want you to spread anything to Wolf." Ike whined slightly. The thought of taking a bath didn't amuse him even more so the thought of being bathe by a woman. "Oh, don't give me that face. You'll enjoy it." After having that nightmare, Zelda wanted to volunteer bathing Ike herself. She rinsed and lathered him, trying to get as many as the fleas out of his fur.

Occasionally Ike did howl softly, enjoying the scrubs on his back and stomach. Ike bashfully leaned in and licked Zelda's cheek, earning him a giggle from the princess. As the two shared a moment, Midna was getting sick from it. She emerged from Ike's shadow and hid behind the bathtub. "Oh…if they keep doing this I'm going to die," Midna hissed between her teeth. Just then an idea struck the mischivious imp. A wicked smile played on her face. She gathered enough energy from the Fused Shadow and released it on Ike just as Zelda was scrubbing his lower stomach. Ike continued to lick Zelda's cheek, though now he felt the tub getting smaller. Zelda's eyes widen as she noticed the now naked human Ike in front of her. Ike stopped licking the princess' cheek as he did notice a light breeze over him. Both Ike and Zelda looked down at where Zelda's hand were currently residing.

A loud scream echoed through the hallways of the castle. Sheik quickly raced to where the shouts were coming from. "Your Highness," Sheik said, "I have come to…" The Sheikah stopped in mid sentence as she saw the rather awkward scene. "You voyeur! You tramp!" Sheik shouted, "How dare you come in here and corrupt the princess!" Sheik took out eight daggers and threw them at Ike. Ike quickly moved out of the way. He grabbed his shredded red cape, covered his nether regions, and ran out from the washing room with Sheik following him behind. Zelda shook slightly as Midna laughed hysterically.

After the fiasco had died down, Ike was given the chance to dress in new clothing. He looked down at his new clothing. He wore a dark blue shirt underneath his rough, dark olive tunic. He quickly donned his new pair of white pants and blue cape. The clothes were not bad to wear, especially with the comfortable leather armor he was wearing. He walked out from his room once he was done dressing. "So, how do I look?" he asked curiously.

"Those clothes really suit you," Zelda replied, "It's odd that Palutena knew your correct size and everything."

"Well she is a goddess. I suppose she kinda knew?" Ike wasn't even too sure about that himself.

"Well...it doesn't matter," Zelda replied as she hugged Ike, "Welcome home."

Ike smiled as he hugged back. "Thank you..."

Lucario rushed through the forest. He avoided any wild beasts or monsters that laid hidden in the Lost Woods. The jackal bolted past the Kokiri Forest and into Hyrule Field. He sighed in relieve as he enjoyed the sun. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Lucario dashed through the grassy fields. His paws were never giving up as he wished to only return to his companions as soon as he could. However, his mind was elsewhere. Lost in his thoughts, Lucario still reminisced about a dear friend he had lost. Gardevoir's words still echo in his mind. He tried to shake them away, not wanting her to be right.

The sun started to set just as he reached Kakariko Village. Once Lucario reached Impa's house, he slouched down on the ground, panting tiredly from his run. As he rested up, something caught the corner of his eyes. A strange figure at the doorway of Impa's house brought chills to the jackal's spine. A young man wearing a blue cape and a long tunic was walked inside, leaving Lucarion with only a short glance at him. "It...it can't be," Lucario said as he quickly got up from the ground and walked inside the house. Lucario kept his eyes locked on the young man as he approached him. Extending his paw out, Lucario tugged on the young man's cape. "Sir...Aaron?" Lucario asked.

The young man turned around. The image of Sir Aaron slowly vanished as Lucario was looking directly at Ike. "Who's Sir Aaron?" Ike asked softly.

Lucario was taken back slightly. He grunted as he looked away. "No one..." he said, "Just forget I said anything."

"You sure?" Ike asked.

"Yes...I'm sure." Lucario couldn't help but look back at Ike as he approached his father. In that light, the blue haired mercenary looked exactly like his old master. From his blue locks of hair down to his rough boots. It was as if Lucario was looking at his double. Ike...he thought, he looks just like him. Would he be able to...use Ragnell?

End of chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Six: Ragnell and Four Sad Tales Part One

-"Sir Aaron…was not only my master…he was my friend."

~Hey there, Mewlon here just letting you guys know that it has been one year since I started this fic and all. And as an added bonus, we get a bonus story. This idea is another story I was tempted to write. Maybe when I'm done with this one, I'll work on that one. So I hope you guys enjoy a small section of the pilot to this story. The title is a working title.

Possible rating on this fic: M rated.

End Game

RING! Echoed the phone in the shoddy looking bedroom. RING! It went again. A rough clawed hand roughly took a hold of the phone and moved it over to their scruffy grey muzzle. "What do you want?" spoke Wolf in a harsh tone.

"Oh, did I wake you?" came a soft, feminine voice, "I thought at this hour you'd be awake."

Wolf growled lightly as he rubbed his good eye. He slowly sat up on his messy, twin bed. The plain white sheets hardly covered his almost naked body. The only article of clothing the wolf anthro had on was a pair of boxers. His fuzzy chest had dozens of scars with bald spots surrounding them. The fan above his head squeaked lightly from the usage and age. "What do you want, Zelda?" he asked roughly.

"I'm here to talk about your next mission," spoke Zelda, "Do you accept it?"

"Fine…what's this gig about?"

"Well the next ranking target is a young man named Fox McCloud. Fox is a brilliant student who went to the Air Force Academy. He was a top student, clean, sufficient, polite, almost the ideal pilot. It wasn't until a background check on him that people realized that his father was James McCloud, also another 'perfect pilot'. If you recall, James was a loving father. His wife died when Fox was only three. Some say it was of an illness, but that was to cover up foul play. You see…James was more than just a pilot. He was one of our ranked assassins. He was number five on the list almost twenty years ago. However, someone landed a hit against him and killed him, leaving Fox in the care of James' most trusted companion, Peppy. Since then, the 'perfect boy scout' has been following his father's footsteps in both the public and shady world. Fox is rank number nine…he is not to be taken lightly. If you wish to take on this ranked fight for your chance to climb up this ladder then head over to the abandoned airport at the edge of town. He'll be waiting there."

"I see…fine, I'll be on my way over there," Wolf replied as he hung up the phone. The scruffy wolf got out of bed. He walked over to his closet that had a busted door and opened it. Taking out a black shirt, a silver and pink leather jacket, and a pair of black jeans, Wolf dressed in that attire. On the ground were his pair of dark blue boots in which he wore them. Once he was dressed, he grabbed his beam sword and blaster from underneath his bed and walked out from his apartment rather plain, apartment room.

At the edge of town, a run down airport laid in ruins. Though the city has done its best to tear it down in order to build another establishment, there have been rumors that the mayor has been bribed or threatened to keep it up. Or so were the rumors that Wolf had heard from the local bars. Usually one can't trust the words of drunkards; however, once in a while you do get an informant that knows what they're talking about. That's how he got into this mess in the first place. If it weren't for that night, he thought, I wouldn't have met Zelda. She wouldn't have recruited me into this whole assassin gig. Then again how she knew all that information about is still has me suspicious about her. Either way, I have nothing to lose or gain from this mess.

Wolf approached the broken down airport. He slowly opened the rusted door and walked inside the hangar. Broken down airplanes and other aircrafts were lined up in there. Rust, mold, broken windows, slashed tires, were all signs of their aging. As Wolf walked past a broken down fighter jet, he noticed a small figure leaning against it. It was a young anthropomorphic fox. His button up green shirt was neatly tucked inside of his beige pants. Around his neck was a red bandana. What stood out the most was his pilot jacket. Upon his arm was a patch that had a globe and wings on it. According to their region, that was an honorary patch for a veteran.

"You must be Fox," Wolf said.

Fox didn't bother to look at Wolf. Instead his eyes were focused on a pair of sunglasses that were in his paws. "I…I remember a time," Fox said, "When my father used to put these on me when I was little. Of course they'd fall off my head. This airport was where they used to keep both fighter jets and domestic airplanes. Of course that was before this city wanted to separate that. I don't blame them, except that they didn't have to close this place down. My father used to work here. He'd take me often to see planes take off and land. Sure it wasn't much, but at least I got to spend time with him. That was more than enough."

"What are you babbling about?" Wolf growled. "Listen, I really don't like to waste my time here, so if we just go I'll end your life quickly so you can go join Daddy down in hell." Wolf took out the beam sword and blaster from his belt.

"I never knew…Father was an assassin until Peppy told me that one day," Fox continued, "I think it was on my fourteenth birthday. Since then I have been working, just like you, to get up to this rank. I do have to admit…I did like the new upgrade I got on my ship. It was mighty generous for the organization to hand me that amount."

"Money?" Wolf asked, "How much?"

"Two hundred grand."

"Sons of…so basically the money I had to scrap up was given to you…so you can fix your stupid plane?!"

"You can call it the assassin's pay," Fox turned to see Wolf, "Basically as the ranked assassin; I am given this amount of money to use as I wish. I'd have to thank you though…you did help repair my ship." Fox reached into his jacket and pulled out a sleek, black blaster. "However…only one of us can leave this place as winner. I'm not ready to go yet."

"Then show me if you really do deserve to keep your rank then, pup," Wolf replied as he pointed his blaster at Fox.

A black limousine turned the corner, heading over to the next street. Sitting in the passenger seat was Zelda. The blond employer fixed her purple skirt and white button up shirt. She had taken off her purple jacket in order for her to relax. "You sure about this?" spoke a deep, masculine voice. On the other side of Zelda was a young man with dark azure, spiky hair that covered part of his face. His dark blue suit had yellow linings. It was kept nice and primp for a man of his caliber. His long, red jacket was off as well.

"Ike…" Zelda said, "I am sure about this."

Ike looked out the window of the limousine. His dark blue eyes were locked upon the people on the streets. "So instead of coming to me, you decide to pick up some stranger and make him into your pawn?" Ike asked.

"I thought it would be wise if I could use an outsider to investigate instead of a ranked assassin like you. They would have suspected you."

"Perhaps…" was all Ike replied, as if ignoring her.

Zelda frowned. "Please don't tell me you're upset," she said.

"No…it just makes it sound like you don't trust me."

"No, I do trust you; I just wanted you not to get hurt."

Ike remained silent for a while before he decided to continue. "You do realize that eventually he'll get to me," he said, "Then what?"

"Then…I know that anyone below you was innocent. I am only doing this so I can find out who was the one that killed my father."

"So you decide to suspect the R.A.O."

"Yes…I do suspect them."

"You do remember I'm part of the R.A.O."

"Yes…but I know you didn't do it," Zelda said, "I'm sure of it."

The limousine stopped at the police station. Ike grabbed his coat. "This is my stop," he said, "I need to get back to work. I need someone to take me seriously. Some members of the R.A.O. are starting to suspect that the reason why I'm in a high rank is because I've been sleeping with a recruiter, namely you. Problem with that is that you are not my recruiter. Everybody forgets that Soren is."

"Yeah…"

Ike opened the door and stepped out. "I have a difficult case to solve," he said, "the chief has been yelling at me to investigate recent murders."

"Is it really that bad?"

"No…I know who's behind the murders. Number four of the R.A.O. is. You should go talk to him. Tell him that before he starts to kill people, he should ask questions first. Killing them isn't going to bring his sister back."

"Why don't you ask him? He is your best friend…at least R.A.O. wise," Zelda asked.

"He's not going to listen to someone that's a lower rank than he is on this matter. If it were say, what to eat or something, he would listen. When it comes down to this shady business, he's stubborn. Tell him for his sake to stop. I don't want to arrest him."

"Alright…have a nice day at work, Ike," Zelda smiled.

Ike smiled slightly at before he walked off.