A tranquil blue world reflected in the bloodshot green eyes of the lone red fox. Staring down at the world untouched by technology and people, it filled him with a calm that finally made the screaming stop. Like the planet devoid of sentient beings, he himself was entirely alone; and never again would he look upon the face of another. For years he had been surrounded by the parasitic leaches, blinding lights, and life draining masses. Every man, woman, and child knew his name, though his fame he felt was yet another cruelty bestowed upon him by fate. His legacy was forged with the deaths of thousands, all in the name of revenge. For that he was proclaimed a hero; made out to be the example to little children. While he reaped the rewards of his acts, the horrors he'd endured, the shame he carried, and the decadence he reveled in had rotted him from the inside.
He couldn't forget what he'd seen; forget what he had done.
So much death; so much killing for the sake of his own personal vengeance.
All of that was finally gone now while he looked down at the innocent planet below him. He had no idea what its name was or where it resided in the universe. A blind jump across space brought him here all because in a moment of weakness the animal in him felt trapped and in desperate need of escape.
He leaned in closer to the glass until his breath splashed against it. "Home," he whispered to himself.
The man could have stared at the planet for the rest of his life. Great continents scrawled across the blue seas, their true sizes unknown as they were veiled by the myriad of clouds and storms. Such diversity was not seen on any of the planets he had walked before, nor where they nearly as beautiful as this hidden gem. Even the desert that cleaved the largest landmass in twain, held a stark beauty. Even from high orbit, he could see the colors of the sands were many and were in constant flux. Perhaps hours passed before the fox finally tore his eyes from the planet. He'd wasted enough time only gawking when he should be down there living.
'This is for the best. I can never go back,' he thought sadly but still felt somehow relieved.
As he walked down the halls of his ship, every step he took made a ring of metal on metal. Looking down at his feet he saw that he forgotten to put on boots this morning. He sighed and quickly retrieved a pair before making his way out the Captain's quarters. For a moment, he considered forgoing them entirely, as he had hardly any use for such redundancy.
He lifted his left hand to his face and spoke into the communicator clasped to his forearm. "Rob, prepare my Arwing for departure," the fox said as cold and metallically as the ship to his robotic companion.
His heavy steps carried him through the ship until he reached the massive hangers of the Great Fox. Built for a squadron of almost two dozen, it now housed a single fighter. Half of the hanger was covered in dust while the other half was covered in rust. It hurt seeing his father's ship in such dishevelment, especially when he had the means to replace every missing rivet and make every surface shine until he could see his face upon it, but in his wild stupor, he failed to show any love for his inheritance. He had drowned himself in bright lights, endless liquor, countless women, and so many drugs that he never even bothered to learn the name to half of them. Whenever he managed to scrape what was left of himself and his decency off of the floor, out of the empty bottles, or away from the women in his bed, he vomited just looking at what he had become.
As he walked into the hanger his ears pinned back on his head. The loud and mighty roar of his incredibly advanced fighter threatened to deafen his pointed ears. Regardless, the red fox defiantly proceeded towards the venerable craft where a metal man stood in wait.
"Your Arwing is prepped and ready, sir," the synthetic being declared.
The fox raised his voice so that it reached over the engine, "Thanks, Rob!"
He started to climb up the small step ladder but hesitated. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the last time he would ever set foot on the Great Fox or see his friend Rob ever again. Most people could throw away objects like it were used tissue, but Rob was more than an object. Rob had helped him get through the hardest times of his life, stayed by his side even when the enemy outnumbered them a thousand to one, and even when everyone else was gone, here he still was.
"Rob I- …I wanted to… there's something I wanted to tell you-"
"Awaiting orders, sir," it replied in its toneless voice that only a machine could create. The man's ears drooped and he spat on the ground.
"Goodbye, Rob." Fox replied as cold as the metal Rob was made out of.
"Goodbye, master Fox. Have a safe flight."
Again, he hesitated but this time he did not look to the robot. Fox climbed into the Arwing and proceeded with takeoff protocols. He checked his flight controls and computer systems, oxygen and fuel levels—all systems green.
"This is it," Fox whispered to himself as his body instinctively pushed the throttle from idle to takeoff thrust. "It's only me from here on out. No more drugs, no more lying, no more parasitic leaches, no more fame and glory and shit."
"Just me."
The Arwing's engine unleashed its full might, making even the colossal Great Fox tremble. The exhaust trail exploded in size, stretching twelve feet back in a beautiful blue and orange flame and caused the air around it to appear like a coursing river. Fox's whole body lurched and felt like it was being crushed by the massive g-forces that the diffuser was unable to fully suppress. All of his blood started to rush downwards but stopped at the waist keeping him still in full control and mental capacity. The blackness of space soon surrounded him as he left the Great Fox. While the unknown planet called to him with such a vehement siren's call, his heart yearned for one last look at his father's old ship.
He banked back around until the Great Fox was easily visible. Fox flew around the warship taking in every inch of its mechanical beauty. Sure, it was battles scarred, but the old girl was still holding together, even after charging through an entire enemy fleet head on. It had been home to him for years, but now it only held painful memories and a cold, unbearable air in it.
When at last his aching heart was satisfied, Fox let out a low sigh and returned his course towards the planet. His eyes took in the new and beautiful sight of the tranquil world he had set his heart on. He set a course for the largest landmass and when the flames erupted around him and he broke atmosphere, he spied a large vein of mountains. The mountains ran down the landscape like a spine down a body. About halfway down the spine, a large valley opened up between the mountains that split apart down the middle and rejoined again a few miles down.
Inside the valley was a large lake as blue as the planet's many oceans. A winding river cut through the valley as immaculately as if it were part of a painting. There was a small forest in the valley that drank deeply from the lake and along the river. Hardly a sapling or new tree could be seen, as every tree was ancient with branches that blotted out the sun entirely. Wide open fields with noticeable game and blooming flowers tantalized the fox. A perfect spot opened up to him that he couldn't pass up.
Fox careened the ship down to the mountain valley; a long vapor trail tracing his descent towards his new home. His altitude dropped like a rock due to his over eager desire to be home again. Just as it looked like he would crash and burn against the earth, the Arwing snapped up vertically one hundred and eighty degrees and held a stall. The Arwing remained completely still as it hovered just six feet from the ground. To further defy laws of physics and gravity, the Arwing tilted back to a horizontal direction and deployed its landing gear. Coming to a complete stop, the warship simmered down and soon fell silent.
The vulpine opened the fighter's canopy and was blasted by the wind. His nose twitched as it was assaulted by hundreds of new and strange scents, all of them started itching at his animalistic curiosity. The air was light and pure that it felt as if he had never truly drawn a real breath before now. According to his instruments, this planet would support his lungs, his thirst, and even his hunger so long as he hunted and scavenged for himself. It was a veritable Eden planet, one that scientists back home only theorized and prospectors dreamed about.
"Seems like a nice place, even a little bit weird," Fox noted aloud as he looked around.
His new home bore many of the common traits other worlds did, blue skies, green trees, lush grass, and wildlife hiding in the grass, the trees, and the sky. Some rather uncommon abnormalities were the massive fungi growing alongside trees that rattled and hissed when he came close, flowers that grew in a manner like ivy on trees, and the strange crystal formations that seemed to be imitating the plants around them by growing and spreading. The finder's fee of such a place would rank in enough to buy a new house on the beach and the entire island for good measure. For a second, fox almost considered giving up this stupid idea and just heading back to collect and retire on a secluded beach planet with enough girls to have one a day but never again in the same month.
"No going back… I can't do it. This is my home now," Fox reassured himself and hopped out of his Arwing.
He walked back to the storage compartment he retrofitted from where he usually kept smartbombs, and pulled out his supplies. In a but a few minutes, he'd set up camp and unpacked everything. He smiled at his proficiency and how easy it was for him to pick up all his old skills he'd learned when he was younger. So many days and nights he'd spent in the woods with his father, mother, and friends… but that was so long ago now.
His supplies were without wanting as he had everything he could ever possibly need and then spares on the Great Fox if absolutely necessary. In the worst-case scenario, he could retreat to his inner sanctum, but he only had a few chances to do so. The closest re-fueling station was several star systems away, and if he dared show his face in civilized space, he'd be dragged back to Corneria.
Even though the sun was close to setting, the fox started to feel tired as his internal clock thought it was three in the morning and he should have been asleep several hours ago. He sighed disappointedly to himself and decided to put exploring off until tomorrow. All he could do now was start a fire to keep the bravest and the hungriest of animals away. Grabbing an axe from his wealth of supplies, Fox walked over to the nearest tree, and plunged his axe deep into the trunk.
For almost a half an hour he tirelessly hacked away at the tree, determined to take it down and turn it into firewood. He was about halfway through the trunk when he took a short break, allowing him to pull out a razor thin rectangular device and turn on some music. It made his work much easier now that he had a song to hold the beat for him, allowing his body to move in a synchronized rhythm.
The sun against his back felt good; incredibly good. He'd been trapped in the Great Fox for weeks trying to get here, and space was nothing but a cold darkness that always gnawed at even the most hardened spacer. Now that he was planet-side, he could relish in the warmth of the yellow sun until sweat began to form and dampen his fur. Before long he shed his shirt and his body glistened in the sunlight. Looking at him while his body was against the sunlight made him look like his fur had the bright orange glow of fire.
A half an hour passed by and Fox was starting to feel a little exhausted. He was about ready to take a short break but then he heard the tree groan and saw that he was on the verge of conquering the fifteen-foot-tall tree. With a second wind of renewed vigor, Fox chopped away faster and stronger than before until finally the tree began to snap and fall. The ground shook and the sound of it hitting the ground rang through the mountain valley scaring the wildlife and sending every bird within a mile scattering into the air.
A small hollow smile came to his lips when he saw the birds were a dark blue color with red striping. It reminded him a little of his old life, before the fame, fortune, and misery. It was hard to think about it, but even harder to stop. Fox only managed to stop thinking about it when the birds had all flown far away and all he could see was the sky had turned orange and red….
~X~X~X~X~X~X~
A lone figure sat in solitude on the edge of a cliff. Her eyes traced the remaining rays of light of the sun as it disappeared behind the mountains. She could not remember a more beautiful sunset in her young lifetime. There were so many oranges and reds that it looked to her like the gods had set fire to the sky. The young woman's bushy blue tail curled around her legs when her body started to tremble. Despite the cold she continued to gaze into the sunset, wishing she could fly high into the sky and be with all the beautiful colors.
Minutes trickled by and soon the colors gave way to darkness. When only a sliver of red remained, the vixen wept for the passing of such beauty. It hurt watching it go, as for the first time in weeks she felt at peace. Yet now the memories returned, memories of death, murder, and wicked black fire that burned everything she had ever loved until it was all but ashes and soot.
Darkness had fallen on the land before she mustered the strength to stand. Her soft paws walked so silently through the forest that she could have been mistaken for a blue furred ghost. In her hands she clutched a weapon so sacred to her that she hardly a day went by without it being in her hands. The further into the forest she walked the darker it became until she extended the weapon. The weapon turned out to be a staff with a very strong and heavy headpiece, perfect for bashing in skulls and yet light enough to strike with great speed and power, but that wasn't the most important thing about the staff.
"Light," the woman whispered, activating one of the staff's magical abilities.
A bright light blue light chased away the growing darkness, allowing the fox to proceed deeper into the forest without fear of falling and injuring herself. It wasn't until she came to a small camp, she shut off the light. There were many people in the camp huddling together for warmth as the camp leader refused to allow even the smallest fire to be built for cooking, let alone warmth. She was greeted by many of these people, especially the children, and when she sat down by her bed of skins she was passed a small wooden bowl.
"Thank you, father," she whispered and quickly put her lips to the bowl and drank deeply. Much to her disappointment, the soup was cold and uncooked. The scavenged vegetables were roughly cut and the water made her body shiver as it fell down to her gullet.
"I'm sorry it is so poor," the old black and silver vulpine whispered back as he watched his daughter eat.
The vixen was halfway finished with her meal until her sharp keen ears heard a grumble come from her father's stomach. The old man shuffled and let out a low hum in hopes of nullifying the grumble, but it was too late. She pulled her bowl away from her mouth and frowned.
"Father," she growled slightly louder than the man's growling stomach. "I'm not letting you get away without eating again!"
The man shook his head, "Now, Krystal-"
"Now nothing!" Krystal snapped and shoved the bowl into her father's hands. "You hardly eat anymore, instead you give it all to me. I am grateful father, but I will not lose you too. You must eat!"
"But Krystal-"
"Father. Eat." Krystal commanded with all the force of a lady atop her throne.
The old man tried to stare his daughter down, but ultimately succumbed to his own base desire. What was left of the soup did not even come close to filling his shrunken waistline, but it was a welcome reprieve having at least something in there. Before he could open his muzzle again, his daughter embraced him.
"When did I raise such a wonderful young woman?" He whispered, hugging his daughter back.
Krystal smiled despite the small pain of hunger still in her belly. Not since her tribe fled their village did she have a proper meal. Along their trek to the nearest city she managed to forage for a rare berry that had ripened early, and the hunters managed to bring back small game sometimes. It wasn't nearly enough however, as there were seventy others that were practically starving on their forced march.
She pulled away from her father just in time to see their tribe's chief approaching.
"Onyx, Krystal, you must get some rest soon. We have a long day tomorrow and we will not stop tomorrow until the day is done," the tall and muscular vulpine murmured.
"As you say, Chiefm" Krystal's father Onyx acknowledged with a tired sigh.
"Chief Brenner, will I be keeping watch tonight?" Krystal asked.
"No. Garret, Blaire, and Arden will be taking first watch. You need rest just as much as anyone, and I won't ask it of you tonight," he grunted causing Krystal to shift uneasily.
Garret and Blaire were simple folk, a potter and a farmer; both excellent in their preferred trades. Yet the two were hardly warriors or even capable sentries. They had no experience fighting or using weapons so if they were caught off-guard, they would be easy to eliminate, but that's not what really worried her. What worried her was Arden, the chief's son, being on watch. She wouldn't have trusted him to watch a pie as it cooled, much less entrust the lives of herself and what remained of her village to him.
"Oh. Okay. Good night, Chief," Krystal bade him goodnight before he walked off.
Despite the daunting feeling of being exposed, the young woman decided she best get as much rest as possible and laid down on her makeshift bed, but as she laid there, a nagging feeling coming from the back of her head. She didn't know if it was because of Arden, the whole situation, her growing hunger, her father's frailty, or something else entirely. Krystal tried to clear her mind but it kept coming back to her stronger than before. Not until she began to think about the beautiful sunset she had just witnessed did she start to feel calm again.
Her cerulean eyes fluttered shut, the last traces of light of day vanished behind her eyelids yet the colors of the sunset still glowed like embers in her mind. She allowed herself a small smile, and sleep seemed to be just seconds away until a loud roar both stronger and more frightening then thunder awoke the land.
It shook the trees and the ground amongst them like an earthquake. Women screamed, men yelled, and babes cried; the party of foxes was in absolute panic. Many of the villagers took up arms with spears, staves, and their sharpest farming tools, ready to defend their families and lives. Krystal herself leapt to her feet and drew her staff while also covering her ears with her left arm.
The thunderous roar seemed to come from everywhere until finally it passed over them and faded out towards the mountains. For several long minutes the only sounds that were to be heard were the sounds of children crying and their mothers and fathers attempting to cajole them back into silence.
Krystal closed her eyes and opened her mind. Her powers allowed her to stretch out vast distances and detect life and even communicate with sentient beings. Yet even at her long reaching limits she did not detect anyone not from her village.
Everything seemed to slowly calm back down and relax but then the air was pierced by a scream.
"Death! Death has come here! Here to our home!" An old and mangy looking woman shrieked at the top of her lungs. Many people, including the chief called for her to be silent, but the old woman seemed in a trance and detached from the real world and their voices.
"He is no ordinary man. Metal is woven into his body and flesh, he walks on fire like he would the earth, he holds the power of thunder and lightning in his hands, spraying death to all before him! His wrath will rain down from the stars and destroy the land! Wickedness. Wickedness is in his heart!" She prattled on making the recently quieted children start crying once more.
"Hannes! Silence your mate, now!" Chief Brenner commanded drawing his sword.
"Annie. Annie, please! Annie you must be silent-"
"The path he travels is one of misery and death! No one is safe. He must be stopped, he must not find-" Annie continued to shout until a pommel of a heavy sword struck the back of her head, effectively silencing her.
"Annie!" Hannes wailed as his mate collapsed into his arms and did not move.
Krystal's lips curled back and she began to snarl. Behind the old woman stood the cause of most of her life's transgressions. For years he teased her, bullied any boy that tried to become her friend, and though he was an untested warrior, he still strutted through the village like he was the gods' and goddesses' answer to all the world's problems. All of her hatred for him began to boil up to the surface the longer the sobbing of the old man continued.
"She's not breathing! Somebody, please help!" Hannes begged.
As much as the vixen wanted to enact justice on the arrogant vulpine, she couldn't ignore the old man's plea for help. The sapphire vixen rushed to the old couple, shoving Arden out of the way. Krystal did not listen to him or anyone's complaints about what he had done, she only concentrated on aiding the frail old woman.