Chapter 3 is here, and I have to say, I am really disappointed with myself for backtracking so much just so I can get decent progress on this story and go somewhere with the plot. But, you know as they say, "The show must go on!"

Also, I just got back from reading a magnificent piece of so furry fiction called "Addiction". It contains incest so, if you're not into that, don't even bother looking it up. I loved it, and while it brought me to tears at certain points, and even temporarily dissuaded me from reading any further, it was such a wonderful, magnificent read. I wish I could keep reading it forever and ever because it just feels like it's happening in reality. It's very emotional, I must warn you though, and a very twisty and loopy roller coaster that will have your stomach turning and tightening up into a knot and makes your heart race with anticipation for what's going to happen next. I certainly felt that way...I never want to experience it again, lol. :p

ANYWAY, enjoy chapter 3. It's another long one, excluding the A/Ns.


Chapter 3: Welcoming Committee

Three days later…

General Pepper stared out and observed Corneria City from the window to his office at the top floor of CDF HQ, his wrinkled, bloodhound face appearing to hold a somber expression. In reality, it was just the overlapping folds of his fur and skin, but he was indeed in a somber state. The rumors about Venom rising up from the ashes shortly after the Anglar Blitz saddened the old bloodhound. However, the rumors about the subject was quickly being drowned out by the news of an all new alien species being discovered. But that was another reason for the aging general to get upset. It wasn't just a species - only a single specimen - but a ship, of which the 'single alien specimen' was the only survivor onboard after an alleged attack by Venom. All physical evidence and signs pointed towards Venom, all though they were thought to be long gone and extinct. But there was no doubt on Pepper's mind that small splinter-cell groups and remnants of the ill-fated, totalitarian and terroristic empire would be capable of, and have the audacity, doing such a thing as they did to the alien ship and its crew.

He let out a sigh and turned away from the window and walked to his desk and leaned on it with his arms. He stood there for several still, silent moments, deep in thought. Then he reached out with one hand and pressed a button on the intercom. It beeped once as he did and a small voice came through from the other end: "Yes sir?"

He deeply inhaled through his nose and let out it as he said, "Martha. Contact Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell. I wish to speak with them."

A hesitant silence on Martha's end prompted Pepper to clear his throat and repeat his request, stirring the secretary on the ground floor from her slight shock. "Oh! Right. Of course. Right away, sir." Pepper released the button and sighed once more as he sat down in his chair, rubbing his temples vigorously. He was beginning to wonder if letting Wolf walk free after nearly ten years of committing crimes against Cornerian and her people of the Lylat was a good idea. On some days, he told himself that it was. Other days, like this one, he was second-guessing himself.

"Oh James," he muttered to the now-deceased fox who was his closest friend. "What am I going to do?"


Wolf lay in her bed half-naked and on her back, staring up at the ceiling as she tossed a rubber stress ball up in the air and caught it on its descent. She wasn't necessarily lost in deep thought, but she did have things on her mind that required a great deal of concentration on her part. One of them was that alien she and the others encountered three days ago. It was, interesting, for lack of a better term. Furless, save for the blonde patch on the top of its head and dotting its jawline and around its mouth and chin, flat-faced like an ape but not as grotesque, and able to speak the main language of the Lylat clearly and without any difficulty. It also spoke a couple other languages, but none of them were familiar to her. Or to the others for that matter. It also had a robot companion that it liked to call 'Tim'. Wolf figured that it was either by itself on that ship for far too long, or it was all alone like she was, with no real friends to call its own. Just like her…

She shook her head at the thought and, in the process, missed the ball as it came down and smacked her square in the nose, causing her to yelp and sit up, clutching at her muzzle with one hand and grasping at the bedsheets with the other. 'Stupid piece of crap', she mentally grumbled to herself. Once the stinging sensation subsided, she released her muzzle and relaxed her grip on the bedsheets and sighed. Whatever this alien was, it was slowly beginning to occupy her every thought. For the past three days since it passed out after being unnecessarily clotheslined by Miyu, the alien lay in a hospital at one of the many military bases that dotted the area around Corneria. 'No doubt enjoying the attention it's attracting', muttered a part of her in slight envy. She kept telling herself 'better it than me', but in the end, she wanted a piece of all that attention too. She sighed sadly, her ears drooping. She looked over to her left at a picture frame that rested on a nightstand next to her bed and, for the first time since the last time she looked at it, smiled sincerely.

Upon closer inspection, one would see a wolf couple, a male and a female, with a little wolf pup shared between their cradling, loving arms. The pup had heterochromatic eyes, one red-violet, one cloudy grey, and a streak of bare flesh over the grey eye, giving the impression that it was a scar. Wolf scooted closer and took the picture into her hands and stroked at the two parents' face with her thumb. "I miss you," she said under a shaky breath, tears blurring her vision and her throat tightening as she tried to hold back a sob. The photo was taken when she was but a year-old, and a day before her parents were unfortunately caught up in the midst of a war's outbreak; a war that would spark a young scientist's dangerous and treasonous ambitions and illegal experiments. The loss was what led to her growing so bitter and anti-social later on in her life. She sniffed and wiped her nose with her arm, immediately regretting it and letting out a sound of disgust at the matted fur covered in mucus. "Son of a…" She didn't get to finish her curse for her wrist comm went off with several rapid, obnoxious beeps. Wolf set down the frame on the bed and got up and walked over to the device lying on her dresser drawer and answered it.

"Yes, who is it?" The voice on the other end was the last person she expected to hear from:

"This is General Pepper, Katherine." She winced when the bloodhound used her real name out loud. She'd been using her alias 'Wolf' for so long, that her birth name sounded foreign to her. "I need to speak to you. Be at my office in thirty minutes. It's urgent." He disconnected before she even had the chance to ask why, leaving her clueless as to what he wanted to talk to her about. She sighed and shook her head as she got dressed into her usual attire of a purple vest, black t-shirt, grey pants and boots, and a pair of black fingerless gloves, and walked out of her bedroom with the wrist device in her hands. Whatever it was that Pepper wanted to talk to her about, it must have been really important. And it wasn't because he said that it was 'urgent', although Wolf did have a feeling that it was a little more than just that.

She left the Radiance in her shoddy, barely-flyable Wolfen I and flew towards the CDF HQ, the aircraft sputtering and spitting out smoke along the way.


James was beginning to get tired of all the flowers and balloons and 'get well' cards he was receiving from all these animal aliens for the past three days since he's been in the hospital at some military base on some distant planet far away from his home. Sure, he appreciated the gesture, but it was kind of weird and disturbing that complete and total strangers, who were also aliens, were concerned about his well-being. It was nice, but weird at the same time. It also didn't help that a few females that happened to 'pass by' the window were giving him the same hungry looks that the girls back on the Einstein and on Earth. Especially that one alien who just so happened to be the same one who'd clotheslined him three days ago. He later discovered, about a day in of his stay at the hospital, that her name was Miyu Lynx. Fitting, as she was an actual lynx, bearing all the markings and colorings of the medium-sized wild cat of North America. Whenever she 'passed by', she really stopped halfway and peered into the window with her hands cupped over her eyes in order to get a better look at him. Those blue eyes that stared at him with a lustful hunger made James feel uneasy, but he eventually grew to ignore it for the first two days. Today, however, was different. And a bit inconvenient for him.

On the third, and apparently final, day he was in the hospital, 'Miyu' accompanied the nurse, who was charged with James's health, into his room and remained a few feet away from the bed while the nurse went through with the morning check-up on James's physical health and the upkeep of the machinery he was hooked up to, the lynx's blue eyes staring at him with an innocent expression but hiding a darker, deeper desire that lay hidden underneath. He tried to hide the nervousness that was welling up inside him, but he knew that he was probably failing miserably. The nurse, a zebra who went by the name of 'Winona', was unaware of James and Miyu's visual exchange as she finished up her morning check-up on the human. When she was satisfied that everything was in working order, and that James was still healthy and able-bodied, she turned to Miyu with a stern expression, forcing her to break her eye contact with James and look at the nurse with anticipation.

"Ms. Lynx, I am happy to say that he is in a healthy state and ready to be discharged from the hospital. However, I will also say that you are restricted from coming into any form of close contact with him. That includes, but is not limited to: touching, hugging, kissing, holding hands, or, heaven forbid, getting intimate with him. Who knows what alien diseases he's carried with him from wherever he's from?" The nurse turned to James with a sorrowful look. "No offense."

James just shrugged and didn't say a word. The nurse went on. "I will get the doctor to finalize your discharge, sir. In the meantime, Miyu Lynx here will be your company and escort out of the hospital. Unlike the other girls out there, she's more self-controlled than one would think at first glance." He looked at Miyu, who flashed him a toothy smile and winked at him. He let out a short, nervous laugh. "Play nice, Miyu. I don't want you to infect him or vice versa because you decided to 'let loose' on him." She gave Miyu the 'I've got my eye on you' gesture with her hoof, which puzzled to James as to how she was able to hold that clipboard and manipulate certain objects like knobs, handles, and pens of all things, before turning and heading out the door, leaving James all alone with Miyu.

He gulped as he slowly swiveled his head towards her and they locked eyes with each other. She licked her lips and gave him a single raising of her eyebrows as she stood up and casually climbed onto his hospital bed and straddled his waist. She then leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of his head and touched noses with him. James gulped and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen. But it never did. Instead, he got this:

"Hi!" James peeled his eyes open and found Miyu sitting up straight with a wide, friendly smile plastered on her short, feline muzzle. Her hands were now resting on his chest, but she was still straddling him and lightly wiggling her hips, which was actually just her wagging her bobtail back and forth. He quirked one of his eyebrows in bewildered confusion as he attempted to contemplate what exactly just happened. One minute he was expecting to get boned by a horny alien, the next he found himself looking up at said alien who was now acting like an innocent child. His brain was trying to wrap up the situation, but it was too big of a mess to clean up.

Miyu eagerly waited for him to answer, and when he didn't do so right away, her enthusiastic demeanor slowly began to fade away into a disappointed frown. But she quickly perked right up again when he finally shook his head and let out a nervous, "Hello."

She smiled wider and her tail picked up speed again. "My name's Miyu. What's yours?"

James took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh and replied a bit more calmly, "I'm James, James Hayes. But you can just call me James."

She giggled softly and her blue eyes lit up with a childish joy. "Well, 'James', I just want to say that, on behalf of all Cornerians – present and all – thanks for not wanting to kill us all at first sight."

James's eyes widened and he tilted his head to the side. "Why on Earth would I do such a thing? What made you say that?"

She shrugged. "Well, you're the first alien we've ever had in three years who hasn't acted hostile towards us upon arriving in the Lylat. That and, well, you wanting to seek vengeance for your fellow crewmates on your ship…" Her smile faded and her eyes adopted a sad look as she gazed at him sadly. "Right?"

James was taken aback by her assumption, but he knew that she wasn't wrong. He wanted nothing more than to go after whoever killed his ship and his father's close friend; the captain. However, he was skeptical and hesitant to travel down that road. He's seen way too many films and read too many stories to know how pursuing revenge would destroy the person seeking it. He didn't want to ruin himself by doing such a thing. He sighed and bowed his head as if ashamed by her words. But in reality, he was thinking about what to say to Miyu in response. Finally, with the words ready to be spoken, he looked up at her and said, "You're not wrong, Miyu. I do want to avenge my crewmates, and my captain. But I know enough about that road to not want to travel it. I want justice, but I'll get it in time. Meanwhile, I just want to know where I'm going to be staying once I get out of the hospital." He gave her a small smile, to which she blushed at. "I'd also like a tour of the city whenever I get the chance. Maybe you would like to do the honors?"

She blushed even harder and she smiled bashfully at James. "Well, I don't know if I can, considering my 'restrictions'. But if I am able to, then I wouldn't have it any other way." Then, like a sudden flip of a switch, her childish demeanor disappeared and was replaced with the one from before when she first entered the room. "And, once we're finished with the tour, perhaps I can offer my place for you to crash at." She placed her hands to either side of his face on the pillow and leaned forward until they were touching noses once more. "Then we'd have the bed all to ourselves. Just me. And you. Alone in bed and going at it like a pair of—"

"Miyu Lynx! Get off of him this instant!" shrieked a shrill, female voice, startling both James and Miyu with the announcement, and causing Miyu to let out a frightened yowl and fall off the hospital bed. James almost laughed at this, but he didn't want to be rude and held his tongue. The speaker was the supposed doctor who was in charge of checking James out of the hospital, and a rather stern one at that. She was a red squirrel, dressed in military fatigues designed for a hospital setting, and had dazzling amethyst eyes that burned with a fierce passion that told one who would look into them that she enjoyed her job more than life itself and that she would do anything to keep it. She had a stethoscope hanging around her neck, and her hands were on her hips like a mother scolding their unruly child, and that child was Miyu, who sat on the floor rubbing her head and glaring at the doctor.

"Gee, thanks for the warning, Tammy," Miyu said sarcastically as she got up and dusted herself off.

'Tammy', the squirrel, tsked and shook her head as she made her way to James's bedside. "You know better than to mingle with my patients, Miyu. Especially this one. He could've given you an STD or some other plague that we do not have a cure for. No offense, Mr. Hayes."

James shrugged to the repeated statement, saying, "It's fine. None taken. And please, call me 'James'."

Tammy's serious and hardened expression was immediately wiped away and she appeared to be suddenly smitten with him as she giggled. "Oh please. You're being too modest, Mr. Hayes. I address all of my patients by their titles and not their first names. It's always been a thing with me, for some reason." She traced a clawed digit down the middle of his chest as she smiled sultrily at him, much to Miyu's, and James's, unbelief. "You know, Mr. Hayes, you're really cute. Why don't we grab a bite at my place once you get out of here? A welcoming treat from a hard-working citizen of Corneria." James gulped when she began to slowly lean forward and towards his face, her eyes closed and her furry lips pursed. He silently looked to Miyu for help, who understood immediately with a quick nod and tapped Tammy on the shoulder. The squirrel's eyes snapped open and she quickly shook her head and put a hand to it as if she were dizzy. "Oh my…what, what happened? I was just talking to Mr. Hayes here and then all of a sudden I just…lost control." She looked at Miyu, then at James, to whom she gave an apologetic look. "Please forgive me, Mr. Hayes. I don't know what came over me."

James slowly nodded and smiled sheepishly. "It's okay, Tammy. It's not the first time that's happened, and I doubt it's going to be the last." When Miyu and Tammy both looked at him in puzzlement, he sighed and clarified. When he had finished, they stared at him with wide eyes. "So, I guess I better be isolated someplace, right?"

Tammy shook her head and cleared her throat. "No, that won't be necessary. I'm just…surprised at how you've managed to stay untouched all these years, Mr. Hayes. I have to say, your kind are strange beings indeed and, needless to say, fascinating." She stood up and brushed off her jacket, then said, "Well then, I believe that concludes my part. You are free to go, Mr. Hayes. Just come to the front desk and sign some papers, then you may leave." She flashed him a quick smile before ducking out of the room, leaving James and Miyu to themselves. The lynx was still befuddled by James's explanation from mere moments ago, but she snapped back to reality when James waved a hand in front of her face.

She stared at him and shook her head, her mouth slightly ajar in a half-smile. "I don't believe it, James. You're an actual chick magnet, and like Tammy said, it's a wonder how you're still a virgin right now." She chuckled. "Well, I guess we should get going. We've got lots of places to go and see, and so little time to do it in."

James smiled as he sat up and threw off the covers, revealing his hospital scrub outfit underneath. "I couldn't agree more, Miyu. But first, uh," he looked down at himself then up at Miyu. "Where can I find my clothes?"


Wolf glared at Fox the entire elevator ride up to General Pepper's office. She couldn't believe that she was here with her arch-rival. Most of all, she couldn't believe that Pepper also called Fox to talk to him as well. She let out a huff and continued to glare at the vulpine out of the corner of her right eye. After running out of resentment to send Fox's way, Wolf sighed and stared ahead of her at the glowing, holographic keypad on the wall. However, her attention was brought from that and back to Fox when the vulpine cleared her throat and began a rather lengthy conversation with Wolf:

"So, the General call you too?" she said, looking over at Wolf.

The lupine glanced at Fox out the corner of her eye and stared at her in silence before looking forward. After a beat of silence, she replied, "Yeah. I wasn't expecting it, and I certainly wasn't expecting you to show up, either."

"Life's full of surprises, isn't it?" Fox asked with a light chuckle.

Wolf snorted in slight amusement. "Yeah, it is. Especially when it comes to that alien I found on the ship."

Fox raised an eyebrow at her. "You found the alien? How'd you do that? I thought it was Fara or Miyu who found it?"

"Well," Wolf rocked her head from side to side. "More like, he ran into me and found me."

Fox raised the other eyebrow. "'He'? It's a 'he', now? What, did he tell you or…" She leaned closer to Wolf and dropped to a whisper. "Did he show you?"

Wolf gave Fox an appalled expression. "'Show' me? How and why did you come to that conclusion? Of course he didn't show me! It was very obvious that the alien was male, body-structure-wise, anyway. And when he talked to that robot that follows him around, the voice was masculine."

Fox stared at her in a somewhat stunned silence before slowly donning a smile on her face and giving Wolf a sly look. "Sounds like someone was paying very close attention to this alien. Did you catch his name, too?"

Wolf glared at Fox and snapped at her with a light snarl. "No, I didn't. He ran off and got owned by Miyu just as he was about to make his escape."

"Owned by Miyu how?" Fox asked, intrigued.

"Stuck her arm out and clotheslined him. Knocked him out cold, too." Wolf relaxed slightly and sighed. "Couldn't even get an explanation as to what happened on that ship, thanks to her."

Fox chuckled and softly bumped Wolf in the arm with her elbow. "Hey, don't worry about him. I'm sure he's all right. It's been three days after all. Besides," she placed an arm around her shoulder, "no one's going to messing around with your future boyfriend while I'm around to say anything about it."

The conversation ended with the two of them scuffling around in the elevator, rocking it back and forth and straining the cables, yipping and yelping and growling as they did so. When the elevator finally arrived on the top floor and the doors opened, they were a breathless mess, fur all shoddy and ruffled, and their clothes practically falling off of their bodies. They didn't bother to fix themselves up as they walked out of the elevator and into Pepper's office. When they entered the office and the doors closed behind them, Pepper was giving them a wide-eyed look. But he didn't attempt to address the issue:

"I…I don't know what happened on your way up here, but I'm not going to even bother about it. I'm just glad that, ahem, you both came here on such short notice."

Wolf stepped forward, her hands on her hips. "What's so urgent that you called us both here, Pepper? Is it about that alien from a couple days ago?"

"Yeah," Fox echoed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Does it concern it—I mean, him?"

Pepper nodded with a tired sigh. "Yes, I am afraid it does."

"How do you mean by that?" Fox inquired. "You say it like that's a bad thing."

"Forgive me for being for sounding pessimistic, Fox, but it might as well be a bad thing."

Fox and Wolf looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Then Wolf looked at Pepper and said, "What makes you say that?"

The old bloodhound was silent for a moment before he sighed and turned towards the window behind him and stared out into the horizon. "This alien, this… 'James Beckham Hayes', is an interesting character. But I am more concerned about my personnel who've come into contact with him." Again, Fox and Wolf gave each other puzzled looks. Pepper sighed again. "I don't know what to make of 'James', but I believe that he may, or may not be, a threat to our existence. Now, I know that he is the survivor of an alleged Venom attack on his ship, but we can't be too careful."

"If you believe that he's a threat to us, sir," Fox began, uncrossing her arms and taking a single step forward. "Why keep him around? I'm not saying kill him or set him free, but I am wondering why we're keeping him here?"

"Yeah," Wolf piped in, stepping up next to Fox. "Why?"

"Because we have no other choice," Pepper said as he slowly turned to them. "Now, today is when he is released. I sent Lynx to pick him up and bring him here. From there, we will all discuss his being provided a place to stay for the duration that he is here. They should be here within the hour. Although, considering her attitude towards males these days, I think we can expect them later."


True to Pepper's words, James and Miyu did arrive later; about three hours later. But it was for a different reason than what Pepper had assumed. As they had originally agreed to back at the hospital, Miyu took him on a tour of Corneria City, parading him around to the public as she did. But thanks to T1M and some last-minute upgrades that James made to the little bot, the human was one with the Cornerians. To any member of the general populace, James was just an ordinary red fox, with black 'gloves' and 'socks' on his hands and feet respectively, and wore his human clothing. And with the unforgettable yet important feature that was his 'tail', no one ever suspected a thing. Miyu, however, was having a hard time containing herself, thanks to James's new appearance. Every now and then, the thought of jumping his bones in an alley crossed her mind, and every time she thought against it. She was here on Pepper's orders, and she wasn't about to let her over-heightened senses mess with her head. Meanwhile, James was taking in the sights like a child on Christmas morning, or at a candy store; whichever works best to describe his fascination with the Cornerian infrastructure and culture.

After walking around the city for about two-and-a-half-hours, Miyu told James that it was time to go. When he looked at her and asked why, she didn't reply as a black, limo-like vehicle pulled up next to her. Then she opened the door and said "Get in." The next thing he knew twenty minutes later, he was sans-disguise at the foot of the tallest skyscraper in the city, which he soon came to find out that it was the 'Cornerian Defense Force Headquarters', then on an elevator to the top where Miyu told him that he was to meet someone very important. When the doors opened and they stepped out into an office, James almost stopped in his tracks when he saw that 'Wolf O'Donnell' was present at his so-called 'important meeting'. They locked eyes for what was supposed to be a brief moment, but they found themselves staring at each other for longer than was necessary until finally being brought back to reality by a really old bloodhound dressed in a red officer's uniform with dozens of medals and ribbons pinned to the front of it clearing his throat. Standing next to Wolf and in front of the heavily-decorated bloodhound was an orange-furred fox. She wore a green shirt underneath her unzipped white vest, a pair of tan cargo pants, a pair of grey boots, and had a red ascot tied loosely around her neck. Her green eyes searched the human curiously, flicking up and down and around his entire form.

The bloodhound cleared his throat again and stepped forward towards James with his hand extended in greeting. "Welcome to Corneria, Mr. Hayes. I am General Pepper, Supreme Commander of the Cornerian Defense Force, or CDF for short. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the loss of your crewmates and captain. I know what it's like to lose good people."

James accepted the offered hand and shook it in greeting. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot. And please, call me 'James'. 'Mr. Hayes' is my father. Well, used to be. It's now Commander Hayes of the ESCCF, 'Earth Space Command of the Colonial Fleet' for short."

Pepper's brown eyes twinkled as he beamed at James. "Well, from one military brat to another, welcome." He withdrew his hand and wrapped an arm around James's shoulder. "Allow me to introduce three of my trusted acquaintances." He then gestured to the fox, who bowed her head slightly and smiled at him. "This is Fox McCloud, leader of the legendary mercenary team Star Fox. Her father and her mentor were close friends of mine. May their souls rest in peace." He pointed with an open hand at the wolf. She only gave James a snort through her nose. "This is Wolf O'Donnell. She's the leader of a more notorious group known as 'Star Wolf'. She is known for being a bit, uh, harsh to some people who get on her nerves. But a good person nevertheless." Wolf rolled her eye at this. "And finally, but certainly not least, Miyu Lynx. But I'm sure you've already met her."

Miyu gave James a small wave and a cheerful grin. James returned the wave. Pepper then removed his arm from the human's shoulder and walked over to his desk, his tone taking a serious and grave turn when he spoke. "Now with that out of the way, I'm afraid we have to cut this meeting short. Venom is still out there, and we need to find them. James, you will need a place to stay for the duration of your time here with us on Corneria. However, we need to keep your existence a secret until you and I are ready to come forward. With that being said, I'm charging both O'Donnell and McCloud with your safety and wellbeing." Miyu and Wolf, though James did not see it, donned surprised expressions. "They will also be in charge of giving you a place to stay at one of their homes in the outskirts of the city or on their respective ships. One or both of them will be keeping an eye on you at all times. Is this acceptable with you, James?"

James looked at both Fox and Wolf, the former with a neutral face and the latter with her mouth slightly parted as if to protest against Pepper's terms, then at Pepper and nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm fine with this. But I do have one question."

"Ask away, my boy."

"Most of my clothing and luggage is still on the Einstein, my ship. How do you suppose when I'll get it back?"

Pepper smiled warmly, like a grandfather would to his little grandchildren. "Don't worry, James. I've already taken care of that. In the meantime, Lynx, McCloud and O'Donnell will escort you out of here and the city to maintain discretion of your existence. Your first official night on Corneria will be spent at McCloud's home. Good day."


McCloud's home was not much to look at, but it was decently sized for a one-story house. The exterior of the building was very reminiscent of a house from Earth's 21st Century style of buildings. The sight made his chest tighten in nostalgia and homesickness. The interior didn't make him feel any better, though. But he was really good at hiding his emotions around other people – humans actually; surely Cornerians couldn't be any more different. If only he had taken into account that Cornerians, like their feral Earth counterparts, could detect scents. Well, the canines could, anyway. But unlike the ferals back on Earth, Cornerians could also pick up emotions that were associated with their own scent. With that in mind, Fox and Wolf immediately knew that something was wrong with him as soon as they had arrived at the former's residence.

Nostalgia and homesickness aside, James grew accustomed to his new environment rather quickly, much to his two supervisors' surprise. The food wasn't all that different; in fact, it pretty much tasted the same, even if it was made on an alien planet halfway across the galaxy. The bedding and such was comfortable, and yet, despite that, James always lost sleep almost every night. Nightmares and dreams of his home and family plagued his slumber and when he awoke, he dreaded the moment when he would have to close eyes to rest. Fox and Wolf also sensed that too, but only Fox took the initiative to sit down with James and talk about whatever it was that ailed him. He wasn't very comfortable with the idea, especially since she was a woman and her rarely ever talked to women, let alone alien women, but he told her regardless about him missing his home and his family, and asking what had he done wrong that let him to deserve this particular predicament. While Fox wasn't the counseling-type, she listened to each and every one of James's words with open ears and an open mind. She began to feel sorry for him as he went on about living a rather reclusive childhood that eventually grew with him well into his adult years. In fact, everything that he said reminded her of a certain lupine, and she nonchalantly glanced to where said lupine was lurking behind a corner before they ducked away.

Once James had finished with his life-story, Fox pursed her lips in thought as she searched for words to say. Unsuccessful, all she managed out was: "I don't know what to say, James." She shook her head in utter disbelief at what she had just heard. "That's just…awful. I apologize for the lack of a better term, but I have no better way to describe what you've gone through." She sighed and lowered her head a little. "I can only think of one other person who's suffered as you have, but I'm not obligated to say exactly who it was. I will say this, however," she added as she looked up at James and offered him a kind, sympathetic smile. "You're not alone in this. You've got a bunch of strangers, 'aliens from another planet', who've got your back. We're all going to help you through with this, and hopefully, maybe, get back at Venom before they cause any more damage." She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the human to shudder at the – no pun intended – alien contact of a woman, other than his mother, touching him in a comforting manner. "As I said, you're not alone."

James wasn't usually the one to make conversation; his reclusive attitude during all his years in public school, from elementary to high school to college, was to thank for that. He also wasn't the emotional type of person. But when Fox spoke those words to him as she looked at him in the way his mother used to when she comforted him in his time of need, he almost broke down then and there. A few stray tears found their way down his face, but he quickly wiped them away with his shirt sleeve, letting out a loud sniff as he did. He looked up at the Cornerian, who was easily taller than him by a foot or so, and gave her a weak smile. "Thank you for understanding, Fox. I'm not usually the kind of person who opens up to a complete stranger. No offense."

Fox returned the smile, but with a bit more ecstasy than his. "None taken. And, James? It's okay. It's always nice to open yourself up to others who are willing to listen. Like me. I understand what you've gone through, and while I can't say that I've been where you are now, I sympathize with you. It's also nice getting to know a little bit more about you." She squeezed his shoulder and flashed her pearly white fangs as her smile grew wider. "Why don't you go and try to get some rest, okay? I think this talk might have eased the burden on your shoulders; therefore ridding you of your nightmares and such."

James let out a shuddering sigh and nodded. "Okay. I will. Again, thank you so much for listening to me, Fox."

With that, he got up from the couch and walked to his room. On the way, he passed by Wolf, who had her arms crossed over her chest and her violet-red eye fixed on the floor. She looked up when he traveled into her line of sight and watched him as he disappeared into his room. As soon as the door had closed, Wolf walked into the living room and glared at Fox. "Just what do you think you're doing, McCloud?" she snarled softly. "We're under orders, you know that?"

Fox tilted her head at the lupine curiously. "What ever do you mean, Wolf? I know we're under orders and all, but I was just trying to be a helping hand to someone who's experienced a very traumatic experience." Then she raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Or do you think I'm just trying to steal your future mate?"

Wolf gawked at Fox in disbelief and blinked several times before she finally found her voice. "Are you kidding me?!" she said a little too loudly. She advanced several steps towards the vulpine, who didn't flinch one bit as she did. "Listen here, McCloud, and listen closely because I'm only going to say this once. I'm. Not. Interested. In. Finding. A. Mate. And even if I was, no one would bother with someone like me because of my past. Now, as for you and your insinuations, I don't trust this guy. Not one bit. Why? Because we're supposed to treat him like he could turn on us any moment. He's an alien for goodness sake! General Pepper himself said not to trust this guy at all."

"That's not what he said, Wolf," Fox countered calmly. "While James may be an alien, we're supposed to show him as much hospitality as possible so he can trust us. And if he trusts us, then maybe he won't turn on us. Got it? Now, I'm just trying to be an example for you, because you're the one on probation and whatnot for dozens, no, hundreds of crimes you've committed. Do I agree with the general's decision to let you walk? No, of course not. But do I respect his judgement in giving you a second chance in life after having everything taken away from you? Yes." Wolf's snarling mug softened to a simple frown. Fox then stood up and put both hands on either of the lupine's shoulders. "Listen to me now, Wolf. I'm just trying to be the example of the extended hand of friendship and kindness, and I want you to at least try to do that. If not for James, then for me, your partner. Okay? Promise?"

Wolf attempted to glare at Fox, but failed and sighed, bowing her head. "Fine. I promise," she murmured.

Fox smiled and removed her hands from her. "Good. Now go wash up for dinner. I'm ordering some takeout tonight. Want anything special?" Wolf shook her head as she spun on her heel and walked away. Fox sighed and shook her head before going into the kitchen. "Oh, dad. What am I going to do?"