Author's Note: Another repost that was deleted. Working on a handful of updates so should hopefully have more than just reposts soon!
It was cold- that was the first thing she noticed. It bit at her like needles, stabbing lightly into her fur. It almost reminded her of home, when she was a child living with her family in Dekh Veho- or what the common Lylatian tongue would know as the Northwood. Those days had been sublime, as youthful days often were. That had been a world before her people had known Andross. That had been a world before Cerinia had fallen.
When Krystal opened her eyes, she realized she was hanging upside down in her Arwing's cockpit, the pungent scent of fire tickling her nostrils. She gasped involuntarily, breathing it in and subsequently coughing. One of her arms moved to her mouth, trying to blot out more smoke from filling her lungs. Eyes burning with tears, she reached with her free hand and began struggling with her seatbelt.
While she reached for her seatbelt, her mind raced, trying to put together the pieces. How had she gotten here? Something about a mission. An ambush. Star Wolf had been there. Slippy had needed help. Krystal had gone to get Wolf off his tail. She had only noticed Panther when it was too late. But not late enough to get a final shot off. She knew it had hit true. She'd heard the engine go out on his Wolfen right before she had spiraled into the side of one of Fichina's snowiest mountains.
She knew Fox would come for her. That was without question. But until then, she was on her own.
Her fingers finally hit the release on the seatbelt and she tumbled down, bracing herself with her forearms. The vixen caught a glint of golden light and realized it was her staff, which had fallen from its holster on the back of the pilot's chair. She grabbed it with one hand, covering her mouth with the other. As her teal eyes searched the dark smoke for a way out of the collapsed Arwing, she told herself that the worst thing she could do was let herself panic. With the staff's butt, she began to feel for what was left of the windshield and began to try to assess what the situation was outside.
It seemed the Arwing had crashed upside-down, its nose buried in the snow. The glass was fractured and from what she could gather, what bits had been broken were replaced by a veritable wall of snow, trapping her inside with the growing levels of smoke. It was starting to get harder to tell herself not to panic.
She began trying to break the rest of the windows anyways with her staff but each time, more snow began to pile in. Her coughs made it harder for her to see and before she knew it, she was on her knees, feebly pawing at the opening leading into the snow in an attempt to somehow clear a hole through it. As her vision began to blur out, she noticed movement on the other side of the shattered window. Someone was there… Fox…?
The next few minutes were nonsensical as the vixen struggled to hold onto consciousness. She felt herself being moved and then felt the biting chill of fresh Fichinan air seep down her agape mouth. It was shocking, enough to make her eyes snap open, but she was still delirious. Her fingers gripped at whoever was near her, burying themselves into the cloth of their shirt. Her rescuer picked her up and she felt the faintest traces of warmth from their torso. The wind howled around them and somewhere in the distance, she could hear the roar of fire and metal breaking.
Krystal opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a rough cough, her delirious vision marred by tears from the smoke. She fought through the dizziness, staring up at the face of her rescuer as they gradually trudged through the snow. It took some time for her eyes to go back into focus but when they did, she could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
"Panther…?"
The midnight-furred feline looked down at her. "It is all right."
"P-put me down!" the vixen yelped but Panther did not listen to her.
He cast a forlorn look over his shoulder.
"Panther, put me-" Krystal repeated, wriggling a bit to emphasize that she did, in fact, want down. She felt a flare of pain wrap around her side and she gasped, fingers clutching into Panther's torn flight suit. Agonized tears nipped at the corners of her eyes, the world spinning.
"Stop. You're going to make it worse," Panther said firmly, but somehow, his voice sounded distant.
The bleak whiteness of Fichina eclipsed his midnight fur, the gold of his irises swirling into the white snow that blanketed them gently. She heard the whistling of the wind before her hearing went out, the pain radiating like a heartbeat in her ribcage until it, too was gone. The white nothingness became a dark abyss that she rested in. An abyss that banished her pain.
When she awoke, she expected to be dead. It soon became apparent to her that she still lived, however—either that or the afterlife looked suspiciously like an ice-fringed cave. The first thing she saw was the red of the firelight stretching across the stony ceiling. Strange shadows danced overhead. She watched them idly for a moment as she began to return to the waking world, each shallow breath accompanied by a dull ache in her side. It took some time before Krystal felt well enough to sit up, her turquoise eyes wondering over to the lone figure sitting next to a shoddily-made campfire.
Her brow creased in uncertainty when she looked at Panther Caroso, who was innocently warming his hands by the flames. He seemed different than he ever had before, although their interactions before had been brief and only in the middle of their teams having conflicts. If she was honest, she had never been impressed by him… but upon inspecting those feelings, she supposed she had never allowed herself to feel that way. After all, he was part of the enemy's team.
"Why'd you save me?" she asked him quietly and he glanced up at her.
"Why would I not?" Panther asked and she realized she had no real answer to that.
"Where… are we?" she asked next, taking a moment to look at where he had taken her.
They sat within a rather plain small, shallow cave. The walls were uneven and bumpy with rigid stone. It was tall enough that she could maybe stand on Panther's shoulders and reach the ceiling. Yet the cave was just barely shallow enough to keep them out of the cold, which had moved from a heavy snow to a whirling snowstorm outside. When she looked out the cave's mouth, she could see nothing except white snowfall and hear nothing but the raging gales.
"According to my GPS," Panther replied, holding a device up in one hand. "We're not far from a CDF base called 'Fort Snowdeep'. A rather apt name for such a desolate place."
"Fort Snowdeep is abandoned," Krystal said, remembering that vaguely from the mission briefing before they had arrived on Fichina. "It's been abandoned since the Lylat Wars."
"There could be a communication tower that still works," Panther replied with a shrug. "At least enough to send a distress signal."
"Fox will be looking for me," Krystal said, rubbing her forehead. "If the tower works, we'll be home free."
Or, I will be home free. I don't know if your team is looking for you and frankly, I don't know what Fox will do if he sees you…
"A more pleasant thought than roughing it out here until we're eventually found- preferably not as popsicles," Panther purred in reply, leaning back against the cold cave wall.
"I won't let that happen," Krystal said firmly, straightening her position. Her side burned with pain as she moved and she sucked in a quick inhale, moving her hand to the spot in question. When she lifted her clothes slightly to examine her ribcage, she realized it had been bandaged.
"I brought a first aid kit. We all keep them in our Wolfens," Panther replied. "I am… surprised you do not keep one yourself."
"I usually do but I guess it went up in smoke with the Arwing," Krystal said, wincing. Slippy was not going to be happy about that.
"I think you may have bruised a few ribs. I put some numbing salve on it but you'll have to reapply more soon," Panther shrugs. "A first aid kit will hopefully do the trick until we get you somewhere better than here."
"I appreciate it, Panther," the vixen said, but was careful to keep her tone from being too friendly. After all, he had been the one to shoot her down. This was mostly his fault and the pain was enough of a reminder to keep her from fully forgiving him. The vixen refrained from a snide remark towards him only because he had helped her get out of her Arwing.
She cast her turquoise gaze out to the blizzard outside. The frosty chill in the air was more than what her tattered flight suite could bear so she inched closer to the fire as best as she could. Though her fur was naturally thick due to hailing from a colder region, time away from that climate had caused it to thin out. She was not as used to these frigid temperatures as she once was.
"You know… it is likely we will perish out here if we do not come up with a suitable way to… keep ourselves warm…" Panther began languidly, the edge of his mouth tilting into a thoughtful smirk.
Krystal shot him a glare. Just what exactly was he getting at?
"You sound like you have something in mind," the vixen replied carefully.
"I do," the feline said in a matter-of-fact tone, his tail curling. "Body heat."
Her ears went back apprehensively. Ever since she had first met Panther at Sargasso, it had been made incredibly clear to her that he was interested in her. This was not something Krystal wasn't used to. People had always flocked to her, ever since she was a budding teenager. Randorn had to chase away would-be suitors somewhat daily and some of the more eerie ones had caused a spark in her training. She did not want to be a damsel to be saved nor a flower to be safeguarded.
At a shallow glance at the feline, it was obvious he was symbolic of everything she wanted to avoid. His affiliation with Star Wolf marked him as a criminal. She had never read his file but she knew he was wanted for several crimes across the Lylat System. His attitude was sleazy and loose, flagrantly flirting with anything under Lylat. But in these dire circumstances, she also acknowledged that they had little choice but to rely on each other.
Her gaze focused in on the tattoo under his eye. The white pigment was the same as her own but she could tell the style was far different. His tattoo trailed down beneath his collar. If there was anything else to it, it was obscured beneath his flight suit. Krystal entertained a perplexed thought. Was there a connection between them? Was it possible that Panther was from Cerinia? She told herself it was a huge stretch, after all, white tattoos… anyone could have them... right? But the idea lingered in the back of her mind, as much as she wanted to dismiss it.
"Fine," the vixen said, mature enough to know that Panther was at least right in the regard that they would need more than a fire to survive the storm. "Try anything funny and you'll regret it."
Panther looked at her quizzically, his smirk faltering ever so slightly.
"I may be a ruffian, but I would not pressure you into something you are uncomfortable with," Panther replied simply, stretching out near the fire with his legs out. "I do not know what Fox has told you about us, but we are far from the heartless criminals he seems to believe we are."
"I've heard the stories," the vixen shot back, tentatively scooting closer to Panther. "About the Lylat Wars."
"Ahhh that unpleasant business," Panther mused. "Well, then you know that was before either of us were even in the picture."
"Still," Krystal folded her arms stiffly over her chest.
They neared each other to the point where their shoulders were brushing. She fixated her gaze upon the fire, not daring to look at him as he very cautiously put his arm around her shoulders. The vixen didn't protest. Where his arm met her shoulders prickled under her clothes, her skin awakening to the feel of his touch. She scooted in even closer to him and they sat like that for some time, shivering still despite the flames and their closeness. But, the vixen did quietly confess that it felt better than sitting apart from him. It made her feel a bit less alone… and that made her feel like maybe they really did have a chance to make it to Fort Snowdeep.
"Where did you find kindling?" Krystal asked him, looking at the meager sticks burning in a heap.
"Before the storm grew rough, I was able to collect some wood. There is a forest not far from here," Panther informed her. "Fichina is not just tundra, you know."
"I do know that," Krystal retorted stubbornly.
The feline paused and then added. "And I am not just doing this because I want to get close to you."
The way he said it was so matter-of-fact that it was jarring to her. She looked at him in surprise, brows arched. Instinctively, she bristled, feeling defensive at the implied accusation. Her arms crossed over her chest and she glared at him.
"I never said you were."
Panther's gaze was long, parsing every inch of her cross expression. She hated how those yellow eyes seemed to pick through her, glaring past her frosty mien like it was nothing. Ever since Cerinia had fallen and the cruelty of how the world could be had become known to her, she had kept that barrier up. Fox had managed to break it somewhat. She had let him see glimpses. But she told herself that he had been the exception.
When she looked at Panther, she saw a person that was more perceptive than he let on. There was a finesse about his actions that bespoke a lethal type a grace. Everything about him was measured. She could even sense that he was withholding some of his weight as he lay his arm around her shoulder. Was he afraid that his brawn would crush her? That was… almost a noble consideration. But she didn't give it any praise.
"I understand my reputation proceeds me," Panther continued. "But believe me when I say that I have no intentions of letting you freeze to death after taking so much care to make sure you survived that crash. Life being wasted is always a tragedy. No matter if the other person is a business rival."
"A business rival?" Krystal asked, quirking a brow. "Is that how you see me?"
"Well, anything else would be inappropriate," Panther replied smoothly. "As beautiful as you are, I understand you and your… well, your leader have something of a relationship. Or is that false?"
"It's true," Krystal said, watching the fire flare upward for a second before dying back down to a regular height. "Some might consider it inappropriate given he's the leader of the team, but… Well. What we have is nice."
"Good," Panther replied lightly and the conversation died off from there.
After feeding the fire enough to keep it going for a while, the two decided to sleep. Having little to no provisions other than a few protein bars Panther had stuffed into his emergency kit, the imperative nature of their trip to Snowdeep became more and more clear. They had no blankets to split so they curled around the fire as close as they could, their backs against each other.
As she lay on the cold cave floor, she thought of her team looking for her. Would they find her Arwing, burnt beyond repair? Would they look for a body? When they didn't find one, would they fear the fire had burned her away, leaving nothing left but charred ash? Would they give up and leave Fichina behind? When she closed her eyes, she thought of Fox and how scared he must be. She thought of all of the people he had already lost and she wondered if he already considered her among them?
Feeling anxiety rush up her body and infect her lungs, the vixen reached out to where her staff lay a few feet away, sitting propped up against the cave wall. The metal was cold but her fingers found it pleasant. Her nails gently ran over the intricate engravings, looking at the blue gems embedded into its handle. She held the staff close to her chest, the power emitting from it like a hug she couldn't quite touch. It made her feel a little closer to Cerinia. Just a little. Not enough to sate her tidal wave of nerves.
Something about this miserable situation felt so familiar to her. After Cerinia's fall, she had been part of a caravan of civilian vessels. They had decided to try to make it to the planet known as Animus for refuge. Halfway to their destination and the caravan had fallen under attack by bandits. The vessel Krystal had been on was separated from the others. Its long-range communications were impaired and though they tried to get back in touch with the others, their search was in vain. Misfortune after misfortune struck after and then the vixen had been left behind to man the vessel all on her own. Silent as a tomb and all alone.
Just like now. The wind whistled and the vixen listened to it, her nails digging into the staff's metal until they bent. Part of her felt silly for feeling this level of despair. She had suffered worse, she told herself. But the thought of the others never finding her in those frigid wilds… the thought of freezing to death in solitude, in unceremonious quiet…
Panther rolled over and his movement reminded her that this time was not like the time before. Without looking over her shoulder, she felt his prying gaze again fall upon her back. She had no excuses for why she was still awake and prayed that he didn't notice.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Panther asked her and she tried to figure out what had given her away. Was it when she grabbed the staff? Was it the tautness in her breath?
"It's fine," the vixen retorted and the feline fell silent.
He didn't roll over though, instead resting a hand amiably atop her shoulder. The warmth from his palm was another reminder that she wasn't alone. There was hope.
It was some time before the vixen could fall asleep, dreaming of nothingness and enjoying it. The hardness of the cave floor made it difficult to stay comfortable for long but she found her slumber disturbed very little. After a few hours of rest, she woke up on her back, her side aching and her teal eyes unfocused. It felt like there was a halo of pain around the crown of her head, which only intensified as she sat up.
A glance outside saw that the snowstorm had passed, leaving behind a white winter landscape with looming gray and ice-capped mountains in the distance. The skies had yet to clear and a small, light flurry cascaded from the clouds. No wind howled, leaving a serene and yet eerie silence.
Panther was asleep but he roused before long, studying the outdoors immediately when he had woken up enough to process what the situation was. The fire had gone down to mere embers but Krystal saw no point in reviving it. She told herself that now would have been the time to take down camp, only their campsite was so meager that it barely would take time at all.
She grabbed her staff, realizing its sheath had been in the Arwing when she had crashed. It occurred to her that Panther must have grabbed it when he had pulled her out. The thought made her hesitate for a moment. She had received her staff from Randorn when she was young—just a few months past fourteen summers. Having opted for the path of a warrior, she had taken vows to keep her staff with her at all times, never letting it fall into enemy hands. Perhaps that had been a vow broken when she had come to Sauria, losing her staff quickly after embarking to the Krazoa Palace. But fate had seen it fall into Fox's hands and then back into hers. To have lost it in the crash would have been something beyond tragic. Now that the vixen thought back on it, she wasn't even sure if she had anything else left over from her apprenticeship under Randorn.
Had Panther known its value when he had plucked it from the burning wreckage? Krystal wanted to say no… but there was so much about him that she didn't know. He seemed like a worldly sort, one who had been everywhere among the stars that made up their complicated solar system. Perhaps even beyond. Did he know what the staff was…?
"And how did you sleep?" Panther asked her as they readied to depart.
"Fine," Krystal replied brusquely.
"Good," Panther said with one of his dazzling smiles and the two set off not long after.
Since the snowstorm had died down, it became apparent to her that they were within some form of pine forest. Tall trees stretched to the high heavens, their dark green needles layered in coats of fluffy snow. With each step, the vixen sank somewhat and Panther fared no better. She used the butt of her staff to feel around the snow for any obstacles hiding beneath, the soft breeze cutting through her flight suit.
The vixen adjusted the fuchsia scarf around her nape, the one Fox had given her when she had joined the team. It helped warm her face against the freezing air but her clothes felt like a feeble barricade against the low temperature. Her fur helped more than her flight suit, if anything. Krystal cast Panther a glance and saw he was doggedly pressing on, a stiff and stoic expression on his face. The tiniest sound of teeth chatter reached her ears. Sighing, she stopped her trek through the snowy woods.
"Come here," the Cerinian vixen said after a moment, holding her staff so that its crest pointed upward.
Panther did as he was bidden, casting a wary look at the staff. Krystal willed the element of fire to emerge from it, the flame manifesting in a lovely blue shade at the staff's head. The heat it emitted was pleasant against her face and Panther actively leaned in with relief in his gaze.
"Not too close. Wouldn't want to return you to Wolf burnt," Krystal tutted at him and Panther shot her a devilish smirk.
"Ahhh, so you do care," Panther remarked, warming his palms by the fire's glow. "After last night, I thought the young lady was as cold as this planet we find ourselves on."
Krystal snorted disdainfully at him.
"I suppose if we get cold enough, we could try to take some of the wood from the trees and make torches," she said to him. "Most of the wood is likely damp, however."
"I can manage. Are you going to be okay?" Panther asked.
The vixen studied the blue flame emanating from her staff for a moment, transfixed by an array of memories from her youth. The corner of her mouth tilted in a nostalgic-ridden smile and she said quietly, "The place I am from was not unlike this. Dekh Veho is what we called it. A mountainous, snowy region on the northernmost continent. My father and I used to explore the ice caverns when I was young."
"I had a feeling your fur was helping you stay warm. I… am afraid my homeland was quite warm," Panther replied. "If only we had crashed on Fortuna. I could have picked my way through a jungle far better than this frozen hellscape."
Krystal chuckled at the whine in his tone. "I suppose… I don't know much about you. Sure, I know there's files that exist on you but I've never…"
"Pried?" Panther asked, quirking a brow.
Krystal sighed again. She lowered her staff, the flame dying out after a moment. The vixen did not want to spend too much of its magic, knowing it was very likely they would need it later. As she and the feline continued through the snow-filled forest, she felt herself picking over her next words carefully. This felt like possibly a sensitive subject.
"I will be honest; it is seldom that I care where someone is from. I care more about what they're doing in the present than to care where they've been in the past," Krystal replied, turning her teal eyes skyward.
"A progressive way of thinking," Panther chuckled. "I'd like to think of myself as a man with no secrets—what you see is what you get. Yet… I suppose that would be lying. Everyone has secrets."
For someone who appeared to be as shallow as a wishing fountain, Panther had a surprising amount of wit about him. And wisdom. She acknowledged it silently, keeping her eyes both on the skies above and on the trail ahead. Everything he said felt like it was a probe for a reaction. Not a negative reaction but just any reaction. He was playing a game, feeling her out with each response. It was an interesting tactic. If she did not know better, she almost would have guessed it was a way he was guarding himself. If you know everyone around you then you know their weaknesses. A cunning tactic.
"I suppose you're right," the vixen said, a bit more quietly and thoughtfully.
A few moments of silence passed and then Panther carried the conversation onward.
"If you must know anything, it's that I owe Wolf a life debt," the midnight-furred feline said and Krystal found herself hesitating before she made the next step. She glanced over her shoulder at him, looking at the hardened gleam in his amber irises.
"A life debt?" Krystal asked.
"Yes. He saved me," Panther replied vaguely but his demeanor betrayed more than his words. "I am bound to his service until he deems it paid in full."
For a brief moment, the vixen felt the sting of heavy, hard emotions. They ebbed from Panther like a tide but just as soon as she began to untangle them, they vanished. Sapped back up and blocked away from even her invisible reach. A curious reaction, one the average Lylatian would not be capable of doing. It required mental training. Magic training. Had Panther grown up learning mystic arts himself? Her teal eye wandered back to that white tattoo beneath his eye.
"I see," Krystal said. She wanted to ask him what Wolf had saved him from but something about the way his emotions had lashed out and then receded made her think twice. There was obviously something there. Something that still ached.
She could relate. Even uttering the words Dekh Vehomade her remember that Cerinia was destroyed. Countless were dead.
"Do you like working for Wolf?" Krystal asked, forcing her tone lighter and forcing herself to continue walking.
Panther chuckled. "He knows how to keep things interesting. The pay could be better but I value loyalty over cash anyways. How is working for the dashing Fox McCloud? A dream come true?"
"It's fine. We do good works and we have a lot of fun together," Krystal scowled at him.
Panther leaned in slightly. "I'm sure you do."
"Oh, stop it!" the vixen exclaimed, feeling her skin grow hot under her azure fur. "I meant… in general. As a team."
"Oh?" Panther asked, raising his brows. "I was not aware that Team Star Fox was into such… debauchery."
"Panther!" Krystal's ears shot upright in shock, her fingers tightening around the handle of her staff.
The feline laughed heartily, hands on his thin hips.
"I apologize. You make it so easy."
Before long, the woods thinned until the trees became sparsely placed from each other. They came to the edge of a short incline which looked over a frozen lake with a picturesque mountain range in the backdrop. The area around the lake was flat and Krystal could not find a way to truly describe it. It was as if the lake stretched for miles either way, past the horizon with its frozen, pale blue waters. She combed through her hair with a stressed hand, resting her weight against her staff.
"There is a mountain pass on the far side," Panther said to her. "It will take us directly to Fort Snowdeep. Hm. I suppose going around the lake would be safest."
"We'll freeze to death before we even get halfway to the pass," Krystal sighed. "Across is our best option."
"Across?" Panther asked her. "Feeling a bit daring are we?"
"It's the most practical option we have," Krystal insisted. "Our supplies are low. We can't afford to make this into a long hike."
"It already is," Panther pointed out.
"Then we can't make it even longer," the vixen responded icily.
"Fine. Across we go, but we will need to be careful," Panther said. "I didn't exactly bring a swimsuit nor a desire to test Fichina's waters. Er… literally speaking, as it were."
The attempt across the lake was made slowly. After testing the ice to make sure it would support them both, the duo fell silent. Krystal did not want to admit it, but her own silence was born of nerves. This was not a smart plan and she knew it. But her desperation made her feel the need to keep going and so she did. One foot after the other. The blue and white-frosted ice below them creaked a few times but it never fractured.
She would occasionally glance back at Panther to see how he was getting along. He was slower than her by quite a bit but that did not deter the resolute flame in his eyes. When she would check on him, he would wave at her amiably, sometimes throwing in a cheerful thumbs up. The vixen sighed and shook her head at him.
The silence continued until Panther decided it was clearly too boring to stay quiet the entire slippery trek across the frozen water. So he began talking loudly at her, trying to not only fill the quiet between them but also all around them.
"So, Dinosaur Planet. Tell me about it," the feline said.
"What?" Krystal glanced back at him.
"The planet full of dinosaurs. I want to hear about it," Panther insisted and she frowned.
"I didn't spend long there. Well. Not while being conscious," Krystal replied. "It is a nice planet, I suppose. Lots of magic to be found there, but also a lot of danger."
"Would you ever go back?" Panther asked.
"Of course. I made friends there," Krystal shrugged.
"I would like to go there sometime, I think," Panther stated jovially. "I hear there are many beautiful sights."
"There are," Krystal replied. "If you can dodge the ShadowHunters, SharpClaw, and RedEye."
"Mmm, I'll pretend to know what those are," Panther chuckled.
"I won't lie," Krystal said as they continued slowly across the ice. "Wanting to go to a planet without any regular Lylatian civilization doesn't seem like you."
"It doesn't?" Panther asked in surprise.
The vixen stopped for a moment, looking around. A cold wind had taken to blowing across the lake but something seemed off. She sniffed the air for a moment. Nothing smelled odd. But something didn't feel right.
"I suppose I am a multi-faceted man," Panther continued. "Full of surprises."
Krystal sensed about for something nearby. She could feel primal thoughts circulating about nearby. But there was nothing definitive that she could put into words. Just instincts—the need to move, to eat, to survive. The vixen spent a few seconds trying to weave these feelings together, her brow knit in confusion.
"It may surprise you to know that I have gone to many planets—both civilized and uncivilized. But I suppose that's a rather narrow-minded way to phrase it. Lylatian civilization is often made with the Cornerian standard in mind," Panther carried on, oblivious. "I guess I should say that I'm well-traveled. Both when it comes to cities and the wilderness. It simply comes with the job."
"Panther," Krystal began quietly, still tracing the strange feeling towards its origin. There was a rumble underfoot that she did not like. "Hush."
But he didn't hear her.
"I guess you are correct in assuming I do prefer planets with cities and denizens that don't, say, want to devour you," Panther said. "But variety is the spice of life, my dear, and I firmly believe I can handle—"
"Panther!" Krystal snapped and the feline's ears went back.
"What?" he asked and then glanced down at the ice under his feet.
The rumbling grew and Krystal looked at him fearfully. His expression morphed into that of terror and without saying anything further, the two began sprinting towards the other side. The soles of their boots slipped and slid as they scrambled, the rumbling intensifying until the vixen could hear the first heart-stopping crack of ice breaking behind them. She ran but as she did, she looked over her shoulder at a single dorsal fin that protruded from the water.
"Ah shit," Panther breathed and the vixen wordlessly shared the sentiment.
As the creature grew closer and closer, Krystal's fear swelled. She could sense its primitive mind now, its sight honed in on the two who had dared to flagrantly traverse its icy domain. Its hunger was tied to no emotion except desperation. Hunting had been difficult in the snowstorm. Not much had dared to come to its lake… and now it had two juicy looking morsels sprinting before it. She felt its need for devouring and it scared her, spurring her legs to scramble and her feet to slip from the lack of friction underfoot.
The world was a blue and white blur for a moment as she fell. Krystal's knees hit the ice hard, jarringly so. The wound from yesterday's crash spiked hard in her side with such a force that she felt the wind whoosh from her lungs. At once, her hands moved to brace her fall, to keep her snout from hitting the ground. Her staff flew ahead of her a few yards. Still driven by fear, her feet scraped helplessly against the ground. A gurgling roar behind her paralyzed her thoughts, the edges of her vision hazy from adrenaline and panic. Krystal looked at the staff, looked at how it seemed forever away. She didn't hear Panther coming up behind her, grabbing her by the collar and hoisting her along with him.
She struggled to get her footing as the feline dragged her. One hand was a fistful of her jacket's cloth. The other hand swooped down to grab the staff. As Krystal started regaining her sense of balance and footing, she looked up at Panther's panicked face. And then she looked to the monster behind them, its fish-like mouth opening to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. Two appendages reached towards them with eager bloodlust. They were hybrid limbs, made something like flippers and something like clawed hands. She barely noticed them. Her eyes could not move away from the gaping maw, a dark abyss where only death awaited.
"It's gaining on us!" she screamed to Panther.
He made no verbal reply. Gaze fixated on the distant, snow-ridden shore, he ran with one hand still around her collar. His claws dug into the fabric. Krystal wondered if he heard her at all.
But then suddenly he moved in a strange, robotic way. His right arm extended forward, pointing the staff's head at the shore. Panther pulled her collar hard and mercilessly, dragging the azure vixen close to him. His arm went around her waist. For a moment, his amber eyes flickered to her and she saw sheer terror.
"Hold on!" Panther yelled and she obeyed, clutching to him with all of her strength.
A surge of magic took to the air. It was potent enough so that she could feel it waver across her fur, its scent like fire. She wasn't sure what was happening until a few seconds in. Krystal looked behind them, at the creature chasing them and saw a stream of blue flames spewing from the butt of her Cerinian staff. A glow enveloped it as they were propelled forward across the ice. The wind screamed in her ears, whipping through her fur. It was hard to tell what was happening. Her senses shrieked at what was going on all around her. Krystal closed her eyes and buried her face into Panther's shoulder, waiting for the whistle of air around them to end or a pair of bloodthirsty jaws to come crashing down upon them.
Just as suddenly as the staff's power came, it went. Both feline and fox were sent careening through the air towards the shore. Despite gripping onto each other, their desperate clinging fell apart. Tumbling through the air for a brief moment, all Krystal could do was try to make sense of her surroundings. And then everything was cold. Cold and wet.
When Krystal sat up, she became very much aware that she had landed in a snow bank. A glance around told her that somehow, they had made it across. The lake sat a few yards away, the ice breaking in the wake of the lethal creature that lurked in its depths. Its fin cut the freezing water like a knife through butter. Frustration paired with hunger reached out to her telepathic senses but she didn't feel a sliver of pity at all for it.
Shaking some of the snow from her fur and ignoring the thrumming in her side, Krystal resolved to find Panther, which turned out to be a rather short venture. He sat mostly buried, his rump and legs protruding from a mountain of snow. Krystal walked up towards him, cocking her head to the side. At first, she wondered if he was dead but then his tail twitched.
"Panther?" the vixen asked.
"Mmffmmfm," came a muffled reply.
She rested a hand on one of his calves sticking out. That was enough to shake him. He hastily decided to remove himself from the bank, shaking off snow and clawing his way out. Teeth chattering, the feline rolled onto his back. He offered the vixen's staff back to her, words marred by the clinking of his teeth.
"H-h-here you g-g-go…" the feline said weakly.
She took her staff into both of her hands, glancing it up and down. Odd. Cerinian staves were imbued with magic to the point where they radiated with their own sense of life and consciousness. Although passed down through generations of warriors, they had the option to reject ownership and not awaken their powers in the hands of those they deemed unfit. And yet… hers had awoken to Panther's touch. That was no light matter either. She had only ever seen it bow to one other and that had been Fox.
Had the staff understood the situation they had faced? Had it awoken out of desperation? Had it told Panther what to do? She couldn't say. The metal was lifeless in her hands save for a distant hum she felt in her fingers. The magic within it was mostly spent. She would have to wait for it to naturally recharge or find some sort of power it could leech from. But that was neither here nor there.
Krystal looked the snow-lodged Panther over carefully. For ramming himself face-first into a hill of snow, he looked uninjured. Not that it stopped him from draping an arm dramatically over his forehead, as though he were on his deathbed. The vixen rolled her eyes, unable to hide a small smile. She nudged him with her boot.
"Will you make it?" Krystal asked teasingly.
"I-I-I see a light," Panther mumbled.
"That's Lylat, Panther," Krystal smirked.
"Oh," Panther replied, looking at her. She offered the butt of her staff to him and he took it. As Krystal pulled him to his feet, snow showered off of his shoulders and rump. He dusted the rest off then shivered. "Cold…"
"I'm afraid the staff's nearly out of energy," Krystal said sorrowfully. "Want to make a fire for a bit? I guess we've made good progress."
"Sounds lovely," Panther answered, scratching the back of his neck.
A fire was made from a few sticks found with the nearby trees. Krystal managed to squeeze out a pathetic flame from her staff before it died out entirely. Panther crawled in close to the fire as she goaded it into growing. Soon enough, it was a pleasant crackle of heat they both huddled around to enjoy.
"What do you suppose that beast was?" Panther asked.
"I'd rather not know," Krystal shook her head.
"Anything like that on Dinosaur Planet?" Panther asked.
"Not… that I'm aware of," the vixen replied. "I suppose I ought to thank you for saving us. That's two I owe you now."
"Ha," Panther smirked at her. "Think nothing of it, my dear. I am just doing what any gentleman would."
Despite his humbleness, Krystal still felt grateful. It was a warm feeling, one that made her feel a bit like a traitor to her team. She should be hating him, she knew. But something about that… didn't seem right. Not that she hadn't tried to hate him. It was just hard. Especially when he had that confident albeit goofy grin on his face.
The two departed after rest and nibbling on some food from Panther's stash of protein bars. Although everything was covered in snow, it was easy to determine a path leading into the mountains. They angled their trek to go between the mountains rather than crest them. Still, their road took them upwards in elevation and Krystal quietly hoped the terrain would not be too difficult to traverse.
The growing elevation took slight tolls on them over time as they immersed themselves in the mountains. She could feel her lungs struggle to keep up with their rigorous pace. Her calves burned from uphill walking. Glancing back at Panther, she saw he was in no different shape than she was.
"Haven't done this in quite some time, I suppose," the feline remarked breathlessly, leaning over and grabbing his knees with shaky hands.
"Me neither," Krystal admitted.
"At least the view is nice," Panther said as he looked at her, a twinkle in his amber eyes. The vixen quirked a suspicious brow at him.
"The view, hm?" Krystal asked.
It took Panther a moment to understand what she meant. His ears went back and his eyes bugged out. "I mean of the mountains. Not to slander your pleasant, womanly features. I figured staring would cause discomfort."
"You assumed correctly," Krystal retorted but again, found herself smiling as she turned away from him.
They walked a bit more under the cold rays of Lylat. The trees thinned as the elevation grew. The trail they followed wound around the craggy, snowy side of one gray stone mountain. As the duo made it around the bend, Krystal felt the wind pick up in intensity. A wide snowfield sat below them in a valley nestled between the mountains. Down the steep slope they were standing on and on the far side of the valley, she could see the remnants of a Cornerian base. Its silver walls glinted in the sunlight and a crooked looking radio antenna sat pointed at the blue sky.
"Snowdeep," Panther said as he wandered up to her side. "We're almost there. What's the first thing you are going to do when you get back to the Great Fox?"
"Take a hot bath," the vixen replied and Panther laughed.
"I may have to do the same."
The walk to Fort Snowdeep would have to begin with a careful descent down the slope, Krystal knew. She glanced cautiously down the cliffside and the rocks that awaited below. While trying to slide down would clearly save them time, she thought back to her decision to trek across the lake. Her teal eyes moved to the way the trail gradually wound down into the snowy valley and she nodded once. Yes, this would have to do. She couldn't think of anything worse than dying out here, just shy of their goal.
The trail leading down into the canyon narrowed until it was nearly single-file with a sharp drop on one side and a sheer wall of stone on the other. Krystal's free hand skirted along the wall, feeling as if somehow, touching the stone would prevent her from plummeting to an early, bloody grave. The trail underfoot, however, soon proved to be a bit more perilous than she had anticipated. It was clear this had once been a road, but like Fort Snowdeep, it was abandoned and maintenance had not been performed on it in years. Even though they were descending, Krystal still felt uneasy. The rock and snow-frosted dirt beneath her feet shifted. Her nails raked the wall next to her in uncertainty.
As the path curved to match the mountain's shape, its stability deteriorated and soon enough, Krystal stood at a gap in the trail. One that was only linked by a single fallen log. She tested it with her foot. The wood creaked but held firm. Tossing a quizzical glance to Panther, she awaited his approval. He didn't give it; instead, he looked at the log warily and then back down at the sheer drop below.
"This does not bode well," the feline commented.
"Better than trying to go straight down, I'd wager," Krystal said nervously.
"You first," Panther said to her. "If it falls, it will be under my weight."
"Don't say that," Krystal replied, shaking her head at him. "It'll… it'll hold."
There was evident doubt in Panther's eyes but he smiled at her, nodding and gesturing that she should make her attempt at crossing. The vixen turned and apprehensively put a boot onto the log again. It shifted slightly but not enough to worry her too much. She pressed her weight down on it slowly and when it didn't budge, she decided to rise up onto it.
Thankfully, her crossing was uneventful. Krystal had learned to balance on beams when she was a kit. It had been part of her novice training back on Cerinia. All schooling had taught the basics of combat, acrobatics, and meditation. She kept her gaze flickering ahead of her and also on her feet, making sure to dodge some of the jutting stubs where branches had been. When she made it across, she landed nimbly then cast a glance back at Panther.
"It'll be fine," she said to him, feeling a bit more confident that they were just paranoid after the lake crossing. "If you fall, I'll… I'll catch you."
"Ha!" the feline laughed. "I do not wish to offend, but you are quite slender and I am quite not."
"Give it a try," Krystal encouraged him, walking to the edge of the cliff and extending her hand out. "Maybe I'll surprise you."
Filled with very evident trepidation, Panther walked to the edge of the log, looked down, then back at her. He sighed and braced himself.
"If I fall, I hope my blood splatter at least paints a beautiful picture."
"So morbid."
As he began across, Krystal simultaneously kept an eye on him and the log. His steps were less refined than hers, likely due to his larger size. He walked with his arms stuck out, waving about as if gently flapping would keep him from tipping over. She tried not to chuckle at him, but it was hard not to.
The last quarter of the crossing is where she began to notice the log's durability start to wear. It crackled behind the feline, soft and yet loud enough to alarm them both. Panther's speed increased twofold, the log jerking under his feet as it began to bow in the middle. A tiny chorus of crackling sang out a warning tone. The log would not hold and Panther's panicked expression suggested he understood this. Krystal reached out with her hand, stepping onto the log once more.
"Take my hand!" she yelled, as if he needed to be told.
A thundering crack heralded the final death of the log. Panther lunged for her hand, grabbing it as the makeshift bridge fell under him. His leap was just short of safety, his knees colliding into the cliffside along with his lower half. Their hands met, clasping each other in desperation. Krystal braced herself to support his weight only a millisecond before it tugged her nearly down to the ground. She countered it by digging her heels into the dirt, gritted her teeth and baring them as she pulled back. Panther's feet scraped against the sheer wall of rock that he was dangling off of. His amber eyes went to her in horror.
"You're… you're going to fall too!" the feline yelled.
"No!" Krystal snapped. "I won't!"
"Krystal-!" Panther cried out desperately. She could feel him slipping. Her other hand threw her staff to the side of the trail and snatched him around the wrist, tugging hard. Fearful pants filled her ears, his haggard breath moving in a frantic tandem with her racing heartbeat.
"Hold on!" the vixen yelled, pulling as hard as she could.
Adrenaline rushed through her, feeling her boots slide forward, towards that chasm of death. Panther's struggling was vocalized by desperate grunts and hisses. She closed her eyes, focusing her energy on hauling him over the cliff's edge. All the while, her mind berated her for this. Of course the log had fallen. Because of course the lake had a hungry monster in it. Because of course when they had shot each other down, she had been too weak to get out of her own Arwing. Here she was, relying on him and then leading him into mortal peril.
Too weak to do anything, she told herself angrily. Too weak to save Cerinia. Too weak to save Dinosaur Planet. Too weak…
No. Not this time. She wouldn't let this be another tally mark in her list of failures. The vixen's teal eyes, flaked with tears, looked down at Panther as he dangled beneath her. This time, she wouldn't be too weak. This time, she would be enough.
The rage married her adrenaline and with a small prayer to the gods above, she threw everything she had behind the next pull. Her muscles screamed, her sight became dizzy. A shrill scream tore from her muzzle as she pulled Panther atop the cliff with such a force that she fell backwards. Her fingers interlocked in his and refused to let go even as her back thudded into a small mound of snow. Weight snuggled on top of her, making her sink further into the cold ground but the warmth that emanated from that weight felt pleasant.
Krystal's eyes opened after a dizzy, extended blink, and the first thing she saw were his eyes. She had never noticed how stunning they were up close. Yellow with flecks of orange, like twin suns that burned eternally in the abyssal maw of space. He lay on top of her, hand still in hers with the other arcing around her, as if he had made an attempt to shield her from the fall. Their noses were touching, the heat of their breath intermingling in the meager space between them. A day ago, she might have pushed him off of her hastily. But she sat instead, transfixed by his sunlight eyes and the smile that stretched to them from his muzzle.
"You saved me," Panther said to her and the vixen flushed instantly under her azure fur.
"So I did," she said, still jittery from the adrenaline but managing out a light chuckle.
"I suppose I owe you a life debt too," Panther remarked.
"I think I'm still in the red, if I'm honest," Krystal replied.
Panther shifted off of her, laying in the snow beside her for a moment. His shoulders gave a small spasm and he shook his head vigorously. He looked a little shaken still, but she could not blame him. The vixen reached over, grabbed her staff, and hoisted herself upright. Her muscles grumpily protested, so she leaned against her staff for support.
"Well, that was enough to make me cherish the world of the living a little bit more. Are you all right?" Panther asked.
"Yes. You?"
"Of course."
"I guess Snowdeep awaits, then."
It was by a miracle that the rest of the descent proceeded smoothly. Within ten minutes, the two were laughing about Panther's near deathly plummet. Sometimes laughing so hard they had to stop and regain their composure before continuing. The trail widened slightly, making their trek a little more comfortable as the snowfield nestled in the valley grew closer.
"You ought to have seen your face," Krystal remarked with one of her coy smiles. "I thought for sure Fichina would be graced with its first yellow icicles."
"Yellow icicles?" Panther said, putting a hand to his chest in offense. "My dear. The correct Lylatian term is pissicles."
Krystal snorted, covering her muzzle. "I'll be sure to remember that."
"If there's anything I will remember, it's that the dainty Star Fox vixen is stronger than Wolf O'Donnell," Panther replied, tail flicking. "The last time I nearly fell to my death, Wolf spent the next thirty minutes complaining about how I needed to lose weight. He needed Leon to help him pull me up."
"'The last time'….? Do you make a habit of it?" Krystal quirked a brow at him.
"Hmm, maybe I should," Panther shrugged then shot her a devilish grin. "If it lands me atop beautiful ladies more often, that is."
Krystal blushed, her ears back. "You're too much."
"Most women say that," Panther smiled and gave her a wink.
She facepalmed at him, shaking her head. Still, she couldn't help but laugh. It felt like encouraging this bad behavior… even though she struggled to even find a reason to condemn it. Just yesterday, she had found herself so willing to write him off as a sleazebag yet the more she was around him, the more she started to wonder. Was Panther really trying to woo her? Or was he just playing around? Playing… a part. Like an actor. For all of his suggestive comments, he never seemed to act on anything. And she knew he had more than enough opportunity, particularly when he had been sandwiching her against the ground.
The vixen thought about divining his intentions with her telepathy, but decided against it. It felt cruel to probe about someone's mind without their knowledge. She also reminded herself that Panther had shut her out last time—a befuddling fact that made him seem all the more enigmatic.
When they made it to the valley, Krystal felt the air take on a soft crispness about it. The skies were clear but darkening. The sun slipped beneath the mountains and sunset would soon be upon them. Fearing the lethal drop in temperature, the duo made their way across the valley with all haste. There was still a lightness in the air between them, one that made the perilous situation feel a little less scary.
Thankfully, the valley was small enough so that they reached the metallic walls of Fort Snowdeep in relatively quick time. The main gate was left open, allowing easy access to the fort's courtyard. As soon as they walked in, it was clear that the fort had been abandoned some time ago. Ice covered certain sections in sheets, thick enough to obscure vision on the other side. The main building was relatively unscathed by the elements, however, and the two soon stepped inside.
Because the heater was out of commission, the cold lingered within the base's walls, although the wind was blocked out. Krystal and Panther found themselves in a labyrinth of corridors, made mostly of the same metal and harboring little distinction from each other. Emergency lights lined the halls, with a few overhead lights flickering. They crept carefully, a strange tension soaking the atmosphere. The vixen was not sure why but something felt amiss with the building. Something that she could not quite put her finger on.
They stopped in front of an elevator. Krystal cocked her head to the side and poked one of the buttons leading up. Miraculously, the button illuminated with power. Panther sighed and tutted at her, hands on his hips.
"I'm not going on that," the feline declared. "Who knows if it's been serviced in the last ten years."
Krystal opened her mouth to protest but then considered the incidents at the lake and trail. She relented, nodding to him. "Fair enough."
They found a set of stairs and began to climb it. It was fortunate that most military bases were constructed similarly by the CDF. Krystal had been to a few of them during her career on the Star Fox team. Fox had told her long ago that the communications were always at the top floor. That had stuck with her for reasons she could only describe as fate. Still, fate did not smile upon her legs, which burned angrily by the time both she and Panther made it to the top floor of the abandoned fort.
The communications room was relatively untouched, save for the large window that made up most of its southern wall. It was entirely devoured by ice, making it impossible to see out. The darkening skies and emergency lighting only served to cast an eerie gleam about the room. Enough to make Krystal feel uncomfortable, which was only topped off with the sudden realization that the room was not empty.
It happened as soon as she went to what ought to have been the fort commander's seat. Krystal found a switch to start broadcasting a message. Her finger hesitated just over it, a strange tingle rippling across her senses. They were not alone.
Another scattered pattern of thoughts came to her mind, coming across more like feelings than intelligent words. She turned and glanced at where Panther was looking around near the window. Her mouth opened to tell him that something was wrong but before the words could come out, something grabbed her ankle. It hoisted her into the air, dangling her like a ragdoll.
She screamed, grabbing for the chair closest to her. The creature was too strong and despite her clawing at the cushion, she was ripped free. Upside down, she could tell little about what had a hold of her—only that it was large, simian, and fanged. Each of its fingers around her ankle were armed with scythe-like claws. Its face was obscured by its snowy pelt but its mouth opened, revealing tusks and a row of sharp, carnivorous teeth.
"Krystal!" Panther yelled.
The creature took note of Panther and released Krystal. Her world was a tumbling mess for a moment before she landed on the hard, cold floor. As it turned to attack Panther, the feline pulled a small pistol from his belt-a pistol Krystal had not even realized he had been carrying. He fired upon the creature, enraging it further. It charged and Panther backpedaled rapidly. Krystal pulled herself upright, grabbed her staff, and began after the creature.
As it passed by one of the lights, she could tell tiny bits more about it. It had a tail, a single barb protruding from its thick, clumpy fur. It was built slightly hunched over and was mostly covered in a thick coat. It was also definitely gaining on Panther.
Krystal chased after it, the beast's tail thrashing with each gargantuan step. She reached back with her staff and slammed its crest down upon the barb. It shrieked and turned to strike with a set of claws. As she leapt back, Panther regained his composure and started to open fire on the beast. Each bullet burned through both hair and flesh, the smell of it tickling her nostrils.
Krystal dodged its claws, ducking low to the ground then jabbing the beast in the sternum with her staff. As it reared back, she sent the staff into the beast's jaw, knocking its head back. The wound from the Arwing crash ignited in her side for a moment and she gasped in pain, grabbing at it. Another shot from Panther's blaster saw a beam of red jerk through the monster's skull. Krystal felt its existence blink out suddenly, its body swaying, then falling to the ground. A swift, merciful ending. Its black eyes were lifeless as they stared up at the vixen.
Panther sucked in a sharp breath. He sounded pained. Concerned, Krystal nimbly leapt over the downed creature's corpse to see to him. The feline had a gash over one of his arms, blood pooling around the wound. He chuckled humorlessly then looked at her sheepishly.
"I guess I am not as fast as I thought," the feline remarked.
"We need to get the bleeding to stop," Krystal said at once, pulling off her jacket. Her fur and skin felt the chilly bite of Fichina's air but she could not bring herself to care. She wrapped it around the gash in his arm, tying it tightly. "I'll call for help. Please rest."
"Look at you, fawning over me as though I took a fatal hit," Panther chuckled. "I will survive, Krystal. There is no need to panic."
She believed him but something about seeing his blood splash onto the cold ground made her worry nonetheless. The vixen sighed at him, but decided he was right. Still, she thought the scratch should be looked at. Those claws were sharp and she had no idea if the creature was venomous.
The vixen opened the communications, broadcasting out a distress signal. While it played, she kept an eye on Panther. He was looking at the creature they had downed carefully. She swore she saw a bit of amusement in his eyes as he looked over its massive claws. Krystal was contemplating asking him if he knew what it was when something at the fort commander's dashboard beeped. Someone was trying to open communications with them. Hastily, she accepted, looking at the screen hopefully.
"Krystal?" Fox asked as soon as his face appeared. His green eyes were wide, filled with worry and disbelief. "Krystal, is that you? Are you okay!?"
"Fox!" Krystal exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face. Oh thank the stars, their luck was finally turning around.
"Krys…. Where are you? We've been scanning Fichina all day for your Arwing's signal, but…" Fox began.
"Krystal!" Falco leaned in from the left side of Fox's screen. "You're okay!"
"Yes, Falco, I'm quite all right. I'm here on Fichina at Fort Snowdeep. I'm uninjured but my Arwing is completely destroyed. I… am sorry about that," Krystal said sheepishly.
"I don't care about the Arwing. I'm just glad you're safe," Fox sighed. "We were all worried sick. Slippy, can you get coordinates for Fort Snowdeep? Hang on, Krys, we'll be there soon."
"Thank you! Oh… Panther's here too," Krystal added, uneasy at how Fox might react to that information. "We both crashed…"
"Panther's with you?" Fox blinked in surprise. "Is he…? Y'know…"
"Is he what?" Krystal asked, brows furrowed.
"Did you catch him?" Fox asked and Krystal took note of the alarm in Panther's expression from where he sat, just out of sight from the camera.
"No?" Krystal said in confusion. "No, he rescued me, Fox. I… I wouldn't have made it out of the crash if he hadn't been there. He's saved my life."
Fox's expression was quizzical. He was so far from her that it was hard to parse what he was thinking. Would Fox really ask her to arrest Panther? She couldn't do that. Not after all they had been through together.
"All right. We'll pick you both up and then I'll send a message out to Wolf to see if he can pick Panther up," Fox said carefully.
Krystal felt relief wash over her. For a moment, she had been worried Fox would try to turn Panther in to the Cornerian authorities. While she supposed it was true that his status as a Star Wolf member made him a wanted criminal, the vixen sensed that Fox was grateful enough for the feline's actions that he had at least decided to spare him a one-way trip to Chasma Penitentiary. And for that, she was grateful. As much as she did not want to admit it, perhaps part of her had learned something from this mission on Fichina. Maybe she had judged Panther too quickly… and maybe this was a life lesson she had needed.
"I would be most appreciative, Mr. McCloud," Panther purred.
"Er… just 'Fox' will do. Hang tight, we'll be there soon," Fox replied and the communications ended.
Krystal sighed and looked over to Panther. "I suppose we both get to live another day."
"Mm. I am just glad your boyfriend decided I would not look good in an orange jumpsuit," Panther replied wistfully.
She could not come up with anything smart to say to that. Instead, she sat down next to him for a bit, in the cold air that loitered in the communications room. Their arms brushed against each other. Krystal heaved out a sigh, feeling parts of her fears being laid to rest. The Great Fox would be there soon. It was time to bid farewell to this horrible misadventure… but perhaps part of her didn't want to and for reasons she couldn't quite place. Krystal glanced over at Panther, who stared off into the distance silently. His injured arm was cradled close to his chest, the blood staining Krystal's jacket.
"While Fox is trying to find Wolf, you can stay in the medical bay, if you'd like," Krystal said to him. "We can get that patched up."
"Is it bad I almost want it to scar?" Panther asked her and she tilted her head in curiosity. He smiled. "As a memento."
"You don't need that to remind yourself about this," Krystal shook her head at him.
"I suppose that's true but still. As insane as it sounds, I will think back on this experience fondly," Panther replied warmly, looking to her. "And I daresay… I may not be the only one."
The vixen felt her emotions were exposed but tried to correct that feeling with her usual stoicism. He was right; she would think back on this fondly. Even though it had been a horrifying ordeal, they had certainly shared some laughs together. And perhaps, she saw him in a new light now. One that was… well. She couldn't confess that truth even to herself.
"Come on, the Great Fox will be here before long," Krystal said to him, standing up and offering a hand to him. He accepted it, and she quietly cherished the feeling of his palm in hers.
They descended the fort, keeping wary of any more creatures that might have also decided to make the abandoned base home. But the silence that reigned the halls was a more peaceful one. Krystal sensed nothing and Panther trundled along behind her. She felt like there was much to say. The air between them was heavy with unsaid things… but it remained that way, only alluded to in small ganders at each other.
When they stepped outside, they were greeted with the sight of the Great Fox cresting over the mountain. A blue and green aurora danced behind its dorsal fin, spreading its hopeful light across the starry night sky. Krystal looked to Panther and caught a glimpse of a smile spreading across his face. She wondered what he was thinking about but dared not to pry. Some things were better not known. It left a distance between them; a distance she secretly yearned to close.