Chapter 36: Promises

The very next morning, Wolf got a call from Powalski at 6:00. The lizard told him that he would be arriving in five minutes, so Wolf decided to get up. Everyone else onboard was sound asleep, and Wolf saw no reason to wake them up. He asked R.O.B to open up the hanger door for Leon's ship, and then he headed down.

Five minutes later, a two-man fighter, about twice the size of an Arwing, entered the hanger. Wolf walked over as it landed. The cockpit door opened, and Wolf's lizard companion stood up, waving at him.

"Long time no see Powalski," Wolf said as he waved back.

The lizard frowned and grunted.

"For the last time Wolf, my name is Leon!" the lizard shouted, "Stop calling me by my last name. It's getting old!"

"But my son's name is Leon," Wolf noted as he continued to smile, "And I'm certainly not gonna call him O'Donnell."

"Doesn't he have a middle name?" Powalski asked as he stepped down from the ship, "Or were you just too lazy to give him one?"

"Lupines don't give their children middle names,"

The lizard rolled his large eyes.

"Just my luck you had to go and name your brat after me,"

"Take it as a compliment," Wolf chuckled, "I actually like your name."

"I'm flattered," Powalski huffed with sarcasm, "Now, can we go please? We need to get back to Golbekia soon. The head council needs us. They say it's urgent."

"Just a minute," Wolf walked over to the small transport he and Marcus used, "I was thinking about what to do with this thing."

Powalski sighed as he stood next to Wolf, examining the transport.

"Well, we can't take it with us," Powalski said, "Rusty thing has no hyper drive on it."

Wolf put a paw under his chin, thinking about their options. He shrugged and said,

"Well, we can just leave it here I guess. A little going away present for Falco and his crew."

Powalski grimaced when he heard Falco's name.

"Is that half-assed turkey really on this ship?" the lizard asked with a bitter tone, "because if we're gonna leave the transport for him, we might as well lace it with explosives."

Wolf let out a large laugh.

"Twenty or so years now, and you still have a grudge?" Wolf asked with amusement.

"Unlike you and Fox, our rivalry was never filled with good humor and friendship," the lizard said, still with bitterness.

"Right, how could I forget?" Wolf said as he and Powalski walked over to the two-man fighter, "You really have a salty attitude towards him."

"I have a salty attitude towards most things," Powalski said with a matter-of-fact voice, "Probably because I have a salty life and a salty job and salty friends."

"Yeah, yeah, don't start another rant one of your rants. I hear them more than I want."

Powalski climbed onto the ship, and Wolf was about to board as well until someone else in the hanger yelled,

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

Wolf paused halfway on the ship and turned around. Leon stood at the doorway in red striped pajama jeans with his hands on his hips. Wolf looked a little taken aback, and Powalski raised an eyebrow with surprise.

"Is that your son?" Powalski asked.

Wolf starred at Leon for a few seconds before a small grin spread across his muzzle.

"Yeah, it is," Wolf answered as he stepped down from the ship.

Powalski huffed.

"Figured he'd be taller," the lizard said with an unimpressed tone, "I'll wait here. Make it quick. We've really got to go.

Wolf walked over to his son, who moved his hands from his hips and crossed his arms. He wasn't smiling or frowning, but it wasn't exactly a blank stare either. His grey lifeless eyes, the same ones as his father, were filled with a fiery determination.

"I thought you'd be asleep with the others," Wolf said as he walked over.

"I don't like sleeping in," Leon answered.

There was silence for a couple of seconds, and then Wolf said,

"The transport is yours. We can't take it with us since it has no hyper drive, but I'm sure you guys can make some use out of it."

"Old man, I need you to promise me something," Leon said, changing the subject.

Wolf crossed his arms, looking at Leon with a curiosity.

"And what promise is that?" Wolf asked.

"In the future, whether it be in space, the Lylat System, or the Outskirts, promise me that we'll meet up someday."

Wolf's eye dropped a little as he thought of the request.

"We don't have to be father and son, or even friends right now," Leon continued, "However, in the future, it would be nice if we could be at least one of those things, right?"

Wolf closed his eye completely, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess it would be," Wolf plainly answered.

Leon struck a small smile, feeling a hint of hope grow in his chest.

"However," Wolf opened his eye again, "I need you to promise me something as well."

Leon stopped smiling.

"I want you to get stronger," Wolf said, sounding more fatherly now with Leon than any other time, "And I don't mean just lifting more. I want you to have power. I want you to break your limits until you're limitless. Perform the unnatural. Break the unbreakable. The next time we meet," here Wolf grinned menacingly, "I want you to kick my ass deep into the ground. Understand boy?"

Leon's eyes grew dark as he smiled back at his father.

"All right, you've got a deal old man," Leon nodded.

Wolf offered Leon his hand. His son shook it firmly, and Wolf's menacing appeal slowly died away until he was smiling normally again. It liked like he was about to say something else, but instead he just turned around and walked back to the ship. He climbed on board, and Powalski fired up the engine.

"By the way," Leon yelled over the noise, "thanks for the plasma blaster. The bayonet is really cool!"

Wolf was surprised at first, but then he grinned and nodded.

"A little graduation gift," Wolf shouted back, "Served me well in the past, so take good care of it!"

With those last words, the door to the cockpit closed, and the ship blasted off into space.

Leon smiled as he watched his Father's ship disappear into the distance. He stood in the hanger, watching the empty void of space. It was times like these in places like this were Leon got feelings he couldn't really explain, like he could sense very near parts of the future that would play a big role in his life. Leon chuckled to himself.

For some reason, he saw a marvelous adventure in store for the Star Fox team.

END OF PART 3

FINALLY DONE!

First off, I would like to apologize for a lot of stuff in this part. I noticed some of the scenes are nothing but pure exposition, and the detail is lacking in a LOT of places. Oh well, it could've been worse I guess. I'm satisfied with the story so far, but I don't want to settle for anything less than my best effort.

Concerning Part Four. Right now, it's still very early in development. I've deleted about twenty thousand words of material that was gonna be Part Four, but I finally got my outline together, so that shouldn't happen again. It should be released sometime in December (probably around Christmas). I know that's a while away, but I REALLY don't want to rush it.

Also, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? I know it's cocky to ask for reviews, but I really do want your guys's thoughts. What am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? What can I do better? What should I fix? What do you want to see? Come on, GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK PEOPLE! So far, Dram and Xengo have given me a lot of reviews, and that's been super, AMAZINGLY helpful, but I need more than just two people's criticism. Even a small, one or two sentence review makes a huge impact. Not only does it encourage me, but it also helps me write better.

Anyway, I'm hope you guys have enjoyed this! I've certainly loved writing it, and I feel very motivated to continue. I really don't want to let this series die like so many other Fan Fictions. You have no idea how much all your support has helped keep this story alive. You guys are awesome!

Good night (or day) to you all, and God bless!