Hello! So, I wasn't happy with the current version of Chapter 6 and I decided to change it. And, well, here we are!
After having stormed out of Fox's house in a huff, Wolf hops on her personal speeder bike and zooms down the highway towards the city to take her mind off of things. This leads her to the local bar. There, she ends up in a fight not of her own choosing...
Chapter 6: The Whiskey Drowns and Beer Chases My Blues Away
Wolf was upset, annoyed, frustrated, even. All because of that damned McCloud and the way she talked down on her in front of the others. Panther, her teammate, and the human James. 'James,' her mind echoed as images of his face flashed in her vision. With a growl, Wolf shook her head, banishing any thought of him. She then focused on the road ahead of her.
As she neared the city limits, Wolf decided to cut back on the throttle a bit and cruise at a lower speed, especially since she was about to enter the suburban area of Corneria City. There was a speed limit throughout that area.
The sun still hung in the sky, and Wolf's biological clock told her that it was the mid-hours of the afternoon, around 1400 or 1500 hours (2 pm and 3 pm civilian time). As she passed through the suburbs of Cornerian City, she noticed the numerous residents, children and adults, out and about enjoying the sunshine. She slowed to a stop and picked a particular family to watch. They were a mixed couple, a German Shepherd and an ocelot, and their four offspring were happily playing and rolling around in the grass. Only one of the children took after their father, the German Shepherd, while the other three were either a mix or took after the mother.
A sense of longing welled up inside Wolf as she watched the happy family, silently wishing she had known her parents long enough to have a cherished memory of them. But that would never come to be, as they were victims of former Dr. Andross's experiments and loss of sanity as he became obsessed with creating the perfect 'Fountain of Youth.' They died preventing that from ever happening, destroying one of his leading labs. But they only delayed the inevitable war that was to come. She was only four when she was taken to an orphanage following the 'accident.'
Tears formed in her eye as the memory lingered for some time, but she quickly pushed it aside and wiped away the tears. After the brief trip down that grief-filled road, Wolf continued on her way towards the central city. Once again, the scenery flew by in a blur, but she didn't care; she just wanted some time to think and have some 'me time'. To her, the best way to do that was at a bar. And not just any bar, but one of the most popular establishments known to Cornerian kind.
Despite her reputation in the Lylat System, Wolf was rarely bothered by regular patrons at this particular bar. That's just the way she wanted it. But tonight? Tonight was different. Wolf felt it the moment she walked in after properly securing her bike to a lamppost so that no one would attempt to steal it. As expected, all eyes fell on her, and they observed her every move. Wolf gulped as an unfamiliar sensation welled up in her entire body, the same one she felt when she was on the Einstein: Fear. But she had a reputation to uphold, the one where she was seen as a fearless and merciless woman known throughout the entire Lylat System. So, she swallowed back that fear and stepped down the bar's stairs, and headed for the counter.
Wolf could feel the countless eyes follow her, and that fear was rising up again. Once again, she ignored it and focused on getting a drink to drown in for the rest of the night.
She sat down at the counter and waited for the bartender to acknowledge her. The artic vixen was dressed rather skimpily, with a tank top that barely contained her blatantly fake breasts and a pair of booty shorts that ended only three inches down from the waist. Wolf rolled her eyes at the vixen's attire, mumbling to herself about 'desperation'.
Five minutes passed, and the bartender refused to acknowledge the lupine's presence. This irked Wolf, but only slightly as she controlled her emotions to prevent stirring up a fight in a bar. And that was something that she didn't need at the moment. With a sigh, she cleared her throat and rapped her knuckle on the countertop, finally gaining the vixen's attention.
"Can I help you?" she asked innocently as she batted her eyelashes at Wolf, acting as she had just noticed the lupine sitting there.
Wolf grunted and pulled out a handful of credits and slammed them palm-down onto the countertop. "Give me the strongest drink you've got, missy," she said, keeping her face neutral. "I want to wake tomorrow morning with a massive headache and no memory of today," she said, dropping the accent she had used for the past decade.
The vixen smiled and nodded. "Of course. One beer coming right up."
She turned her back on Wolf and bent over some, flagging her bushy, solid-white tail in the air and slowly wiggling her hips back and forth. "And you can skip the whore show. I'm not interested. Period." The vixen stiffened before letting her tail fall back to the ground and over her shapely rump. A moment later, she stood up straight and presented a bottle of translucent, light-brown liquid and set it down on the counter.
"Here ya go, sweetheart," the vixen said with a wink and a teasing smile.
Wolf only snarled as she snatched the bottle and pulled out a wicked-looking knife and using it to pop the cap off. After opening the beverage, she sheathed her blade and stared long and hard at the bottle in her hand, letting the bitter aroma of alcohol tickle her nose. With a shrug, she put the bottle to her lupine lips and tilted her head back. The liquid scalded her tongue and the back of her throat the moment it spilled into her mouth. She ignored the tears that were now flowing freely down her cheeks, including the tears from her scarred eye, and chugged the bottle empty. When she was finished, she dropped the bottle, which shattered loudly on the ground. Her vision was blurred, and her lungs were burning, but not as much as her throat and tongue were. She cursed and silently asked for water. The bartender obliged with a smirk and settled a glass of water into Wolf's waiting hand. Wolf downed that in a single gulp and beckoned for more.
"I've got enough money to buy this entire joint a round of drinks," she said, not looking the vixen in the eye. "Keep the booze and water coming. Please."
The drinking of booze and then washing it down with water continued for another five minutes until Wolf decided to call it quits. She paid the bartender and sluggishly, drunkenly, staggered out of the bar and right into a black-and-white malamute. He pushed her off of him, and Wolf stumbled. But she managed to stay on her feet for the most part. "Watch where you're going, buddy!" He paused, and his left ear flicked. "Well, if it isn't the infamous Wolf O'Donnell!" The canine and his buddies sneered at the lupine, who shook her head dizzily as she struggled to focus on the blurs. "And she's drunk!" he guffawed haughtily, prompting the others to do the same. "What's the matter, Wolfy? Can't handle your alcohol?"
Wolf shook her head again, and her vision, albeit still blurry, focused on the ringleader of his band of misfits. "I can handle it just fine," she growled softly, splaying her arms out to the side to steady herself. "It's just been a while, alright?"
The malamute scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sure. Whatever you say, O'Donnell. What are you doing out here anyway? Running from the authorities again?"
Wolf chuckled before she stood to her full height without toppling over. She stared down her muzzle at what she realized was a teen and his friends out for a 'guy's day out.' She hid her amusement and said, "You wish, kid. I'm just here for a quick drink. Then I'm headed back."
"To where?" the teen interrogated, glaring at her. "Prison? Well, I certainly hope so, bitch, because that's where you—"
She halted him mid-sentence with a quick right hook to the cheek, sending him sprawled on the ground. "Don't you ever call me that again!" she snarled, baring her teeth. "I'm not looking for a fight, kid. Go home or whatever and leave me alone."
She slowly turned her back to the group before her ears picked up approaching footsteps and a roar of rage. She quickly sidestepped her attacker, who flew past her and right into a lamppost with a loud and painful Clang! Wolf winced before she let out an amused chuckle and went on her way to her parked bike, only for another of the rambunctious teens to charge her again. This time, she actually faced him and looked him in the eye. "Bad idea, kid," Wolf said before stopping him with a paw to his shoulder and then punching him in the gut, sending him doubled over onto the concrete sidewalk. She then looked up at the approaching group, all of them wielding pocket knives and nightsticks. "I just want to go home," she said, taking one uneasy step backward at a time. "I didn't ask for any trouble."
"Well, too bad, bitch!" said the malamute from earlier, pushing his way to the front of the group, his face a twisted expression of pain and fury. "You're getting it. You deserve it. My dad died fighting in the Lylat Wars, and official records say you shot him down!"
Wolf's ears twitched at this. She barely fought in the Lylat Wars. Even when she did, it only because Fox was present and it was her whom Wolf focused on. This kid could've easily mistaken one of her four teammates for her. However, she didn't blame this kid for accusing her of his father's death. She had claimed a few CDF lives during her career. But that all changed when the Aparoids showed up. Even then, Wolf was still responsible for some of the damage caused to the CDF and the Lylat System, all of which she felt guilty and regretful for.
She sighed and hung her head before she looked the malamute in the eyes. "Look, kid, I've done lots of things in the past I'm not proud of. Hell, I still feel guilty for it all. I understand your pain and loss." She pressed both of her hands to her chest. "I lost my family when I was but a wee pup. They worked for Andross before he lost his mind. They died believing they stopped him from continuing his experiments, and in a way, they did. For the most part."
"Lies," he spat venomously. "You don't know what it's like to have a family, mutt!" He threw aside his knife, drew a blaster from the back of his pants, and aimed it at Wolf. "But you'll pay for taking mine." His finger settled on the trigger and pulled, the weapon recoiling back and upward as the electric-blue projectile screamed towards its target.
Wolf's eyes widened in horror. A second later, she was sent flying onto her back from the force of the impact striking her stomach. She laid there, staring up into the blue sky and breathing heavily. Then she felt the searing pain where the laser bolt had struck her, and her face screwed up into that of agony. She screamed and clutched at her stomach with both hands.
The malamute and his friends chuckled maliciously as the former sidled up next to her and glared down at the fallen lupine. "How does it feel? To be shot? Hurts, doesn't it?"
Wolf attempted a snarl, but it immediately turned into a yelp of pain. "I-I'm sorry for your father's death, kid. Believe me," she said through the throbbing, agonizing pain. "I feel guilty for everything. That's...that's why I want to make things right. That's why I joined Star Fox."
The look of confusion on the malamute's face would've been priceless and amusing to Wolf were she not in pain. But his expression quickly reverted back to that of fury and hatred. "I don't believe you. You deserve to die." He settled the muzzle of his blaster to her forehead. "And I'll be the one delivering it to you."
Wolf stared into his silver-blue eyes one last time before closing her own, waiting for her end to come. Waiting for the sound that would be the end of her. But it never came.
Instead, she heard a voice, frantic and familiar: "Hey! Drop the weapon and step away from her!"
Wolf's eye snapped open when she recognized whom that voice belonged to. "J-James?"
With great difficulty, Wolf swung her head and body around to find James and her team running towards her. To her right, the malamute voiced his shock at the sight before them. "What the hell?"