Fox padded up the front steps of his home before he hesitated at the front door. Slowly and quietly the vulpine opened the door, his ears twitching around for the slightest sounds. When he heard his parents talking he loosened up, but he was still ready for danger. Being the son of an elite mercenary was at times as dangerous as being one. At any time, one of James' rivals or enemies could come for him just to get at his father. Knowing this, James taught Fox everything he knew so that if the day did come he'd be able to defend himself and the family if need be.
When Fox stepped in he walked into the dining room where his mother and father were. The look on his father's face was stoic while his mother's face was solemn which made the young vulpine cringe. He knew those looks, and he hated seeing them every time.
"Fox. Good." James stated and motioned for his son to sit with them. Fox obeyed his father and sat down next to his mother, putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"What is it this time, Dad?" Fox asked as he stared into the reflective shades.
James inhaled deeply and sighed. "The General hired Star Fox to do a reconnaissance sweep of Venom. Corneria is prepping for a preemptive strike. We're leaving today and the mission will take place in one two weeks."
Fox's muzzle fell as his father's words sank in. He had so many questions to ask but his father knew him well enough and was able to answer them before they were asked.
"We've intercepted several encrypted messages between the Venomians and the humans. The details are still being decoded to this day but from what we've translated, we're sure they're close to striking some sort of deal, which is why they've finally decided to stop dragging their knuckles across the ground and finally put a stop to Andross and his regime. It is our guess that the humans are plotting with the Venomians to attack Corneria." James told his son, making him one of the small number of people in the Lylat to know this.
"What about Relics? What's going to happen to him?" Fox asked, wishing he could see his father's eyes right now instead of the bottomless sunglasses.
"I don't know. So far he hasn't been tied to any of this but… if he is involved he will be arrested and taken back to his people." James assured his son not wanting him to worry that his friend would be executed as a spy rather than deported.
"James." The once silent Vixy whispered as she blinked away the tears in her eyes. "Don't go on this mission, please."
James frowned for a second before he kissed his wife. "I have to, Vix. The outcome of the attack depends on us. If I back out now, they'll have to scramble to find a new group to take the job and will have to put off the attack. We have to strike now before the Venomian fleet is operational."
"Why does it matter? Venom's forces are not nearly as strong as Corneria's!" Vixy argued. "If we needed to, we could bombard their planet!"
"And what about the nine million natives?" James countered. "As easy as it would be to glass Venom, the public would riot because of all the innocent lives lost. A lot of people have family on Venom after all, plus, we don't know if there are human forces there or not. The last thing we need is to blindly jump into a war only to have both Venomians and humans waiting for us with charged blasters."
A freezing chill ran down the back of Fox's tail and spine. "Dad, we're not going to war with the humans… are we?"
James smirked. "No son. The humans may not trust us right now and have every reason to hate us, but I've seen how you and Relics have become friends and I can't help but believe that we can all get along… somehow. Whether it takes a few months, a few years, or even a few decades, we'll come together."
A long time passed in silence before anyone said anything. James cleared his throat and stood up. "Vixy, could you go get Sherry please? I want to say goodbye to her before I go."
Vixy nodded and quietly walked out of the room to fetch their daughter. As she had left, James watched her go from behind his shades. He hated these pre-mission talks, but this one seemed far worse. Even he felt it; the small feeling of dread of this next mission. He used to feel it before every mission back when he was a young, bright eyed pilot who barely knew the difference from a fixed wing aircraft and a rotary wing aircraft. It had been years since he had felt anything but a stoic confidence before mission; it had been years since he had felt fear.
When Vixy was out of the room, James turned to his son and removed his shades, allowing their matching eyes to look into each other finally.
"Son… Fox." James began but could not decide if he should tell his son the truth about the humans. War was inevitable, the peace talks had been abandoned, and now war was just a small misunderstanding away. "Listen son, I know you've grown close with the human, but from now on I want you to separate yourself from him."
Fox's muzzle fell and he blurted out. "Why? He's my friend; one of the pack!"
"I know son, I know. Relics is a good kid and we owe him a lot, but I can't help shake the feeling that he is the key to all this. The humans haven't attacked yet because they're waiting for the absolute right time. They have a genetically altered agent in the city that is the heart of our government. I believe that he is the catalyst, and once he has made his move he will start the war." James explained to the resentful young vulpine. "I want you to watch him and hopefully I'm wrong. If I am right then I trust you'll do what's right for our race."
"You want me to kill him. Don't you?" Fox asked, his voice cracking with rage.
James stared into his eyes and whispered. "Yes."
"He's my pack mate!" Fox hissed but kept his volume down so that his mother didn't hear him hollering at his father for suggesting he should kill Relics. "He saved Sherry's life and this is how you want me to repay him? I'd take a bullet for the guy!
"I know! He shaved Sherry's life and pack mate or not, he is a liability." James scolded. "I'm sorry, this is a lot to ask of you but you're the only one I can trust with this. I pray that my instincts are wrong on this, he's a good kid and I'd like to make him a part of the family pack one day, but this goes beyond us. If the humans start a war, there's a good chance they won't stop until they feel repaid for all the lives they lost on Mar Sara. How many people will die before they're bloodlust is sedated? With Relics unable to make a sneak attack, we'll have a better chance against them, and more lives will be spared."
Before Fox could respond, Vixy came back with a bundle of blankets in her arms.
"She's asleep. I couldn't bring myself to wake her." The vixen explained.
James turned to the two most important women of his life. He smiled as if nothing just happened and walked over to them. He gently wrapped his arm around Vixy's waist and beamed down at his daughter Sherry.
"She's going to be so beautiful when she grows up. Just like her mother." James said and bent down to his sleeping kit and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye Sherry, I'll be back before your birthday. I promise."
"Just come back safe, James. That's all she'll care about, no matter what day it is." Vixy murmured and pulled her husband into a deep kiss that made Fox avert his eyes. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Vixy." James swore to his wife of almost twenty years.
James separated from his wife and looked to his only son. "Come here."
Fox obeyed his father, and when he got within two steps of his father he was wrapped in a tight embrace that he returned.
"Take care of the family while I'm gone. If things get out of hand, go to the Papetoon and wait at the Fox's Den until I get there. I love you son." James whispered to his son.
"I love you too, Dad." Fox whispered back as his father let go and headed for the door.
The cold autumn air blasted James' thick orange fur coat. He reached into his pockets for his sunglasses but he looked over at the dinning room table where he left them. At first he thought about going and getting them, but something held him back. Instead he looked at his family one more time and smiled.
"I'll be back soon. I promise."
The door closed behind him in slow motion. The sound of a car driving off notified the foxes that he was gone. Fox looked to his mother who seemed on the verge of breaking down. He reached out to her but she was already turning away and heading upstairs.
"I'm going to… Sherry… put her to bed." She said with difficulty as she began to choke up. She hadn't even made it up to the top of the stairs before she began crying. Fox's ears drooped as he knew that even if he went after her, there was nothing he could do to make her feel better.
They all felt it, the foreboding feeling of dread and fear about this mission. Fox had seen his father leave for dozens of other missions all throughout his life, but none of them did he feel this weak and helpless. He had always revered his father and as a child he saw him as an indestructible hero that he wished to be. Now he was afraid he would never see him again, but he knew his father would never make a promise he wouldn't keep. If he said he would come back, he would come back, until then he would take care of his family.
The vulpine nearly turned to head up to his room but a small reflective glare caught his eye. He looked over to the dining room table and saw his father's sunglasses. His heart skipped a beat and for a second he thought he could quickly grab them and run them out to his dad but he was already long gone. Still, he took solace in a warm comforting feeling of knowing that he would return them to his father when he came back. Until then he'd keep them safe like he would the family until he came back.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~
The human's eyes snapped open. Where was he? He didn't recognize the ceiling he was under, or the rather beguiling scent that covered the other scents of sweat and other smells he hadn't smelt in a while. He was scared to move and his body was wracked with ache like he had slept on a bed of rocks which all varied in height and rigidity. Relics let out a long groan of pain and slowly sat up.
'What the fuck did I do?' Relics asked himself as he froze halfway up and gazed in horror at the room he was in. He did not recognize this room, it was so girly filled with posters of bands with hot looking guys and nearly everything else was pink. It made him want to vomit but he already wanted to before.
Then he looked down and saw he was in bed with someone else. She was sleeping soundly, her red feathers slightly ruffled, and the only thing covering her modesty was the blanket draped over her body.
'NO GOD! No, please God, no. No. No! NOOOOO!' Relics thought but could not alter the fact that he had made one of the worst mistakes of his life, no matter how much he bawled in his head.
Panic began to overtake the human and he slowly slipped out of bed without disturbing his partner. His body felt so sticky and cold, it didn't help any when he broke out in a cold sweat as he quietly retrieved his pants, shirt, jacket, and socks. His underwear was still on him, much to his relief, but there was little to no relief to be found with the horrible thought of what he had done hanging in his mind. Like a ninja he dressed himself and tiptoed to the door. He had to escape, he didn't know why, but he had to get away. Something was telling him that he needed to be somewhere else, he had to be doing something else, but what he had no idea.
In just under a minute, Relics had redressed himself and run out the door. He didn't stop until he was out the front door.
'I've gotta get out of here. Why's it have to be raining now of all times? Fuck it.' Relics thought and started running back towards the school.
The suburbs were all but deserted because of the storm, everyone smart enough would be inside in their warm houses. Despite the cold and the rain, Relics kept his jacket open and let the water wash over him. It was so refreshing letting the filth on his body get rinsed so that it didn't feel like it was hardening and crusting on his skin, and even as he kept running for almost a half an hour it kept his body cool. The monotonous running allowed his mind to stay preoccupied more with the motions than thoughts, but before he knew it he was back at school which was entirely deserted.
Despite it being the wrong thing to do during a lightning storm, Relics took shelter under a large tree in front of the school. He wouldn't care if he got struck by lightning; he just wanted to get out of the damn rain. He came to a stop at a small bench under the tree and plopped all his weight on it having ran three and a half miles but was still so close to his problems. A few minutes went by and Relics realized by looking at his wrist com's clock that school got out a half an hour ago and Jason should have been here by now or at least have called. Unfortunately for him, Jason was nowhere to be seen and that left him with a lot of time to think.
'What the Hell did I do?' He asked himself as he tried to retrace his steps. It all started in the morning, he talked with some of his friends only to find out from them Lana was kissing some other guy. When he confronted them he almost got his ass handed to him, and Lana refused to even look him in the eyes. That hurt him the most; someone he considered so important in his life wouldn't even give him the courtesy of telling him why she was hurting him so much. If she would have just said something, if she would have just given him a reason, it wouldn't have hurt like it did. In the end, no cause or excuse was given, she baited his heart and he fell for it thinking he finally found someone who might love him despite how different he was. He felt deadened inside without her and his nightmares began to crawl out from the suppressed dark folds of his mind.
He thought he was over it and had put the terrible things he saw behind him, but all the therapy in the world couldn't help him now. Everything came crashing back down on him, the attack on Mar Sara, the excruciating pain of the DNA enhancing process, his father's death, and the overwhelming pressure of being the catalyst for a war unlike any other. It was all too much for one man to bear, let alone a young man who had no one he could turn to. His sole reason for living was not to bring peace, but war, one that would make the galaxy a darker place to be. Only a few people could ever understand what he felt like, being Death the destroyer of worlds. No matter how much he hated it now however, he wanted that title at one point, craved it in fact, so that he might avenge his father and every life lost on Mar Sara, but now he just wanted it all to end.
These people didn't deserve obliteration; they were people just like him. They all had feelings, loved ones, dreams, and hopes. Most everyone here looked up to him as a celebrity, or even someone who would deliver them from a godforsaken war of attrition and spite.
Tears began to roll down his cheeks that were masked by the rainwater still dripping off his hair onto his face. He made so many friends here, met so many wonderful people, was accepted into a family with open arms, and yet he would repay them with war. The universe was a big place, but not big enough for two superpowers hell-bent on dominating the other.
The human wiped his eyes just as a horn jerked him out of his sad little world. He saw the familiar black SUV pulling up and the second it parked Jason was out and running towards him.
"I'm so sorry Relics, I lost track of time, Chloe and I fell asleep when I got back and we only just now woke up!" The canine shouted over the storm and by the time he ran the thirty feet to the tree he was soaked all the way through his fur.
'He doesn't even know, not even the smallest idea of what I really am, what I'm capable of or the burdens I have to bear.' Relics thought as he gave a small deceiving smirk.
"It's alright Jason, I'm just glad you showed up as soon as you could." Relics replied and shivered as a gust of wind whipped him with rain and unsympathetic cold.
Jason tilted his head to the right as he saw the red in the human's eyes. "Relics, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Relics replied, knowing that he saw his red eyes. "It's just some rain that got in my eyes and irritated them."
The German Shepard nodded. "Come on, let's get you home and by the fire."
'He cares so much about me. He might mess up time to time but he really does care a lot about me and not because it's his job.' Relics thought as the duo ran back to the car despite the fact that they were already as wet as they could get.
'Would he kill me if I gave him the chance? If he knew I was the sole deciding factor of when the war started, would he kill me? For Chloe's sake he would, he'd do anything to protect his family or his mate, but as for me, I'm just some guy living in his house that eats his food that he might consider as a friend. Why wouldn't he kill me? For all I know he's probably thinking of the most efficient way in case I flip out.' He kept on thinking while they drove through the bleak city with the heat cranked all the way up.
"Listen Relics, I really am sorry for being so late." Jason began and before Relics could tell him it was alright, Jason kept talking. "Chloe and I have been trying a lot to make a kid again, I got so tired I fell asleep and didn't even think to set an alarm so I'd be here on time. If anything would have happened to you… I…."
"It's okay Jason-" Relics began but was cut off abruptly.
"No, it's not okay Relics!" Jason barked making the human flinch with shock. Jason wasn't one to express his feelings with many people, save his wife. At the most the canine showed the standard macho emotions like a bro. "It's my responsibility to keep you safe, provide a home, and kill any sons-a-bitches that come near you with a knife! Yet I keep failing you at every turn."
"Bad things happen, Jason and it's my fault most of the time anyway." Relics argued but Jason slammed his fist on the steering wheel, putting a somewhat noticeable dent in it.
"I should be better than this, I'm a god damn Special Operative for God's sake." The dog growled more to himself than anything. His past failures were eating him up inside, coupled by the fact that yet another pregnancy test turned up negative drove the man into a seething frustrated mood.
"I'd understand if you would like to have me replaced." Jason said suddenly, catching Relics off guard.
"Replace you?" Relics asked. "Jason, I know you have your flaws but there is no one I would rather have to watch my back."
"Why though? If I can forget to pick you up on time, then why keep me around? You're so important; you're like a fucking celebrity." The canine argued.
"Because you're more to me than a bodyguard." Relics found himself saying. "You've been a good friend and welcomed me into your home. You mean a lot to me and after today, I find that I need to keep my true friends close."
The canine blinked. "A day like today? What happened?"
A hard lump formed in the human's throats and his eyes re-wetted.
"Lana… I…" Relics began but it hurt too much. He was just thankful that they pulled up into Jason's house. The human got out quickly and walked up to the front porch but he wasn't fast enough.
"Relics, what happened?" Jason asked just as Chloe opened the front door.
Relics looked to Chloe and immediately she knew something was wrong because of the red in his eyes. She knew all about his problems with Lana, but she had no idea they were this bad. It was like he could tell her with just a look that things had turned really bad. The human tore his eyes away from the panther, unable to look another person in the eyes without feeling shame.
"I did something bad." Relics admitted as the rain continued to pelt him and the canine.
Once more the painful inflammation in his throat kept the human silent. Not a single care was given for her own discomfort and feline aversion to the rain when Chloe stepped out into the storm and hugged her kit.
"It's okay sweetheart, come inside." She purred for him and led him inside.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~
The minx gazed at herself in the mirror with deadened eyes. Her eye shadow was smudged and her eyeliner was running down her matted fur. Her shoulder length hair was tangled and messy like she had ran through a gale force wind. She hadn't slept at all last night, the pain in her heart would not allow it and she cried all day when she got home and most of the night until the whites of her eyes were as red as her irises.
Lana felt as bad as she looked, her heart was in pieces and her head throbbed painfully in one of the worst headaches she ever had. If she even thought of Relics she felt even worse and like she would throw up. She felt so betrayed by him, but it was impossible to blame him. If it weren't for Bryce he would still love her and not be fucking that slut Melina. She was just waiting, biding her time for something to come up so she could steal him and dig her talons into him.
Sighing deeply, Lana reached into her desk's drawer and pulled out a comb and brush. First she attempted to clean the smudged makeup off her face before she began to comb the tangles out of her hair, pulling several hairs out as she didn't care to be gentle at the moment. Once her hair was straightened out she began to brush her fur, eliminating the patches of rebellious fur pointed in every other direction than the one she wanted.
She had to look good, she had to look pretty. The daughter and sole heir of an up and coming medical research company could not go out into public not looking her best. Rumors were already spreading about her cheating and breaking Relics' heart though. Half of the school wouldn't care but the other half that saw Relics as a celebrity would certainly shun her and call her out and once the other half saw this they'd join in. They'd all torment her, call her names, make her into a pariah, just like before.
Memories of her past resurfaced from her mental suppression. She tried to flush them out but it was impossible and she was starting to relive her past of being an outcast.
The minx began to growl and then slammed her fists on her desk. This was not her fault, none of this was. She wanted to make him pay for this but she knew she couldn't, he was far stronger than her.
Suddenly there was a knock on her door and Lana meowed. "Come in."
A violet panther slowly peaked into her room and smiled. "Lana, is everything alright?"
Lana summoned all the acting skills she had to put on the best smile she could.
"Yes mother, everything is fine." She lied but was sincere enough to get away with lying to her mother's face.
"You look nice, Lana." Angie pointed out as she stood in the doorway. "Are you ready for school?"
The minx nodded and watched her mother slowly walk into her room like an uninvited guest. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. Lana wanted to ask her mother, to beg her mother to leave and if she could go with her.
Lana's father and mother were born and raised on Zoness and loved the planet more than any other. That was why they established their business's headquarters there. Unfortunately on the Earthen calendar of February twelfth, twenty-five eighty-nine, during a routine business trip to Corneria, a very pregnant Angie began to feel some very painful contractions. After a quick rush to the hospital, little Lana was born.
Xavier and Angie rushed Lana to Zoness so as to keep her infant self from registering the scent of Corneria as her home planet in her rapidly developing mind. Sadly, after a few short years it had become apparent that Lana considered Corneria her home, no matter how pretty Zoness was with its uncountable islands and gorgeous beaches. Wanting nothing but the best for their daughter, the Tress family bought a second home on Corneria where they'd raise their little girl but all the while making numerous trips to Zoness for both business and vacation.
Now however, Lana just wanted to get away, to escape all the soon to come shunning and tormenting. She doubted she had any friends in the group now, and Fox would most likely kick her out after hearing her side of the story which she would only be able to tell just half of it. She also doubted that her track and field friends would stay with her for long; no one wants to go down with the ship after all.
"Mom… can we go to Zoness?" Lana asked making her mother's ears perk up and tail swish enthusiastically but only for a moment. Her daughter had never once asked to go to Zoness; in fact, she dodged most every trip to Zoness she could.
"Sweetie, is something the matter?" Angie asked her daughter as she tried to catch her elusive eyes.
"I just want to get away for a while, that's all." Lana admitted but wanted to tell her nothing more.
"Did you… did something happen with the human?" Angie asked timidly like she was tiptoeing through a minefield. She didn't want to drive her daughter away and make her retract her request to go to Zoness.
"No." Lana stated firmly but she might as well have said yes. "I just need a break, a long break."
The panther gazed at her saddened daughter. Angie wanted nothing more than to whisk her daughter away on the next flight out, but she wanted her daughter to be happy far more.
"Okay baby, we can go to Zoness. The next flight if you want." Angie promised but Lana shook her head.
"No, I have to say goodbye to my friends first." She said meaning her track and field teammates and friends. She doubted anyone from the group would even give her the time of day now. They'd shun her like an exile; no longer a part of the pack.
"Alright, I'll talk to Dad at work and we'll get everything in order." Angie said and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "I love you sweetie, I hope you'll have a good time on Zoness."
"I love you too mom." Lana meowed happily to make it look like she was excited. "I'm sure I'll love it on Zoness."
'At least there I can finally get away, and hopefully him out of my heart.'
~X~X~X~X~X~X~
AUTHOR'S NOTES~~~ Hey everybody. Just wanted to throw a few things out. First thing, I finally got around to drawing a picture of Relics, a link is on my profile to my Deviantart account. Second, I'm currently revising the older chapters of this fic fixing up spelling errors, grammatical errors, continuity errors and some other things. Third, as I said before, we actually are in the final stretch of the story. If I had to guess, there will be downwards of eight chapters left.