Chapter 3: First Steps to Destiny
Inside a large house that sat conspicuously amongst the trees of the largely unknown Cornerian Forest, two animals quietly walked. As they did so, they passed through several different room, each seeming to be completely different in size, as well as the objects that we placed within. But even so, whatever was held within those rooms seemed slightly less then there could be, but with one vulpine to fill the entire household, it was understandable. And that was a fact that the feline, who was silently following her vulpine guide, did not want to bring up after having what she determined as a small victory towards fulfilling her personal promise to this same vulpine. Instead, she merely continued to quietly scan around the bevy of rooms, not wanting to lose whatever chance she had just gained of getting Fox back to what he was before this entire ordeal ever started; a concept of thought that had now been placed firmly in her mind.
Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought it'd be. A few cheesy lines and he's ready to talk. I guess I musta said something decent for him to just turn around on me like that, not that I'm complaining. Just as long as I do what I came here to do, it won't really matter. All I have to do now is just not say anything stupid, let him show me whatever it is he's got to show, maybe we'll get a few tears, and that'll be the end of it. Then we'll finally get to see the real McCloud, instead of this depressed whatever he is now. I mean, everybody that's ever heard of Foxboy looks up to him, and having him live through this crap everyday is not something anyone wants to see him go through. Heh, maybe I'll even get a little more notoriety on this planet if someone figures out that I was the one who got Fox past that last mission. Not that I really need any more publicity on Corneria, but I guess it can't be a bad thing…
"…are pretty popular in the fashion world, huh?"
Katt quickly broke from her thoughts as this voice echoed across the room they were now walking through. She hesitated for a second, trying to figure out what he might have said before she began listening, but eventually answered vaguely, "…Ya, I guess."
Fox, who had never faced the feline since that had stood in the entryway, continued to walk, never looking back as he answered in a voice that still seemed to be devoid of any type of emotion, "You guess huh? Well…at least your modest about it. A lot of people would let something like that go right to their heads, especially when they're as popular as you." Katt, having now understood that Fox was talking about her modeling job, nodded with both relief, because she could now more properly respond, and subtle excitement, realizing that he had heard about her during these past months. Feeling as if Fox was trying to comfort himself by starting a conversation, she quickly replied in a slightly fervent tone of voice, "Ya, you could say I've been getting a little more attention since I've started modeling. It's a little nerve-racking to have people following you around all the time and asking for autographs, but I got used to it after a while." The vulpine kept his even tone of voice as he spoke back in the form of a question, "So…you like the attention you get, huh?" The feline nodded, adding shortly after, "Ya, it's really nice. There are just so many benefits to being well known, especially on a planet as big as Corneria. The attention I get really gets me motivated; I guess that's why I've been in the business for all this time. Hey, I won't deny it, being famous is one of the best things that's ever happened to me."
It was only seconds after that before the vulpine gave his subtle reply to the feline's statement, "I'm…glad it all worked out so well for you Katt. But…when everyone knows your name, and you think you're on top of the world...just when everything is coming together…and you think you'll never come down…that's when it hits you the hardest. You make one mistake, and all you worked for your entire life is lost. And once the fame is gone, all that's left is that single mistake…it's all you can think about. One mistake, and you're left with nothing. Just…be careful Katt, I don't want anyone to go through what I have…"
The vulpine continued walking through his house after finishing this statement, but the feline that had been following him did not. She stopped the moment he had stopped talking, realizing quickly that he was referring to whatever had caused the death of his blue-furred companion. The feline bit her lip gently as her thoughts took over.
Oh, nice one Katt. It's only been like, five minutes, and I've already said something stupid. Now what, I gotta cheer him back up, but what the heck can I do to do that? I mean, it's not like the guy's been giving me any help here. He hasn't smiled, frowned, nothing. How am I supposed to know what he's thinking if he doesn't show me any kind of emotion at all? Maybe I should just shut up for once and not make this worse than it has to be. But…after that, I have to say something, don't I? Jeez, this whole deal seemed a lot easier in my head…
After her brief hesitation, the feline saw that the one she had been following was now several steps ahead of her. Upon noticing this, she quickly regained her pace, while suddenly speaking in an unsure voice, "Don't worry Fox…I'll make sure not to end up like…" The feline quickly cut herself off as she realized what she was about to say. She mentally yelled at herself because of her careless words, but much to her surprise, the vulpine made no gesture or statement against what she had said, merely continuing to walk forward as he had for the past few minutes. After seeing this, the feline took a small breath of relief, while at the same time quickening her pace slightly, significantly closing the small space that Fox had created between them.
For the next few moments, these two animals walked silently through the mansion. The feline doing so mostly because of the fact that she did not want to say anything to offend the vulpine further than she felt she already had. Instead, she merely continued to scan the several different rooms as they passed through them, each of them seeming to be emptier as they went on.
It was not long after Katt had last spoken before the one she had been following came to a stop in front of a large metal door, one that seemed slightly out of place within the otherwise tasteful interior of the mansion. Shortly after arriving at the door, Fox took a few additional steps forward towards a small keypad. The feline watched on with slight interest as the vulpine did so, but after only a few short button presses, the vulpine backed away from the keypad, an action that was followed only by the metal door itself as it slowly and quietly swung open. After it had successfully opened, the vulpine gave a subtle motion for the feline to follow, which she did without any hesitation, finding herself increasingly curious about what Fox was about to show her.
Upon walking through the large metal door, it let off a slight amount of hydraulic noise before slowly came to a gentle close behind them. Neither of them really noticed this fact however, mostly due to the fact that they had both walked a good distance within the strangely familiar metal hallway that had sat behind the now closed door. It was only a few moments of walking however before they came to yet another metal door, one that was only seen because of a slight, rectangular indentation that could be seen touching the wall it sat against. It was as they stopped in front of this door that Fox once again turned towards Katt, asking in his same, emotionless voice, "Katt…why did you come here?"
The question came as quite a surprise to the feline, thinking that she had already fully explained why she had come. But for the sake of Fox's well-being, she quickly responded, "Well…I came here to help you out Fox. No one's seen you for pretty much an entire year, and I just figured that since you helped me back on the Great Fox, I wanted to help you out too…" Katt paused momentarily as Fox walked a short distance away towards this new door, but she quickly continued, knowing that he would still be listening, "You told me back on the Ladekahn that were should take care of each other as teammates, but that's not all Fox. We're friends, and that's why I wanted to get you through this. I don't want you to go through stuff like this…no one does. I guess…that's why I came here, alright?"
The vulpine did answer, he did not even make a gesture in the feline's direction. He merely continued to stare to the side of this new door, letting its now slowly opening surface to reply for him. As it rose, the feline could see the base of a large machine, a device that was soon followed by a strange looking glass. As the door slowly rose higher, the feline began to see something that was seemingly suspended within the strange glass. At first, she had no idea what it was, but as the door eventually rose to reveal the entire device, the feline could do nothing more than freeze in the place she now stood, her mind screaming out in disbelief as she realized just what…or rather, who was inside the glass. There were so many words she wanted to say at that moment, but they came out in an awkward manner merely because of the complete surprise that had just been imparted upon her, "…That's…but how, why did you do that? Wh…Fox, what are you doing to her?"
Fox never looked up, having seen this same sight almost every day since she had left him. He just took a deep sigh as a single tear fell down his furry cheek, an event which happened simultaneously as he spoke in a voice that had just begun to mirror the sadness that he was truly feeling, "So…do you still think you can help me Katt?"
(Cornerian Merc. Headquarters)
The Cornerian sun had been sitting well above the tops of the monstrous buildings that stood within the city for some time now, but despite the relatively late hour of the morning, there was little movement within this building. No creature stirred, each peacefully attempting to regain whatever sleep they had lost when they were on their mission to all those planets, all of them except for one. He was always used to waking up early, it was easier to do repairs and maintenance checks when there was no one around to bother him. But today was different. Today, there was nothing to repair; there were no tests to run or checks to make. Usually, there was always something he could do, something to make himself useful, but now, after he and the rest of his teammates had finished their mission, he quickly found himself bored. It was not a feeling he was accustomed to, generally because he was the one to either say something stupid or get others laughing because of his sheer clumsiness. But today, there was nothing but silence, and all he could do was quietly watch on as the sun continued to rise, his mind becoming lost in his own thoughts as he did so.
Gee, I guess we might not have any more missions for a while now that we recovered all of those mind-controlled planets. I don't know what I'm going to do with all this free time I have now. Maybe I should go to the docking bays and see if any of those ships need repairs. Ya, that way I'll have something to do, plus I can earn the team some more money. I'm sure Falco wouldn't care if I went down there for a few days…not that he really ever cares about anything. …Sometimes I wish we got Fox back as our leader. Falco is good for fights, but he's not that friendly to me. Fox was always nice to me, and he was always making sure that I was doing ok. But there's no way that's gonna…
The green toad was quickly cut off from his thoughts as a gentle beeping noise began to emanate from within his room. He scanned the room for only a second, soon spotting a slowly flashing indicator that sat upon a small console next to his bed. He took a few curious steps towards it, and after successfully doing so, he saw that this light was informing their headquarters of an incoming call. Seeing this quickly brought the toad out of his more pessimistic mindset, finding that feeling to have instead been replaced with a sort of subdued excitement. Maybe this call was from General Pepper, telling them that he already had another mission for them. It was exactly what the toad wanted at that moment, and without wasting anymore time than he already had, he quickly turned towards the door to his room, wanting to inform those of his team who may still be sleeping of the call he had just been informed about.
As he reached out to open the door that sat just in front of him, the surface of the door suddenly opened on its own, causing Slippy to abruptly fall back as it contacted him firmly against the side of his face. He let out nothing more than a surprised shriek, a noise that was followed shortly after by a regretful gasp. But the second was not form Slippy, but as the toad looked up with his hand against the side of his head, he saw the remorseful face of Kaya, who was one of the additions that were made when both Katt and Fox withdrew from the mind control mission. Like many of his teammates this animal was a little more than twice the size of the toad, with most of her white and black-striped coat of fur covered by an orange uniform, one that perfectly resembled the color of the tiger's eyes.
The toad himself however found seeing such things quite difficult at the moment, due mostly in part to his now blurry vision. He gave his head a few abrupt shakes, hoping that in doing so he may shed his now impaired vision, but after doing so for only a short time, he quickly gave up on his remedy. Instead, he looked up towards the face of the tiger with whatever sight he had and said in a wavering voice, "Oh…Kaya, so I guess you must have…seen that incoming call too." For a moment, the tiger did nothing in response, but after her initial hesitation, she quickly nodded and said in a quiet voice, "Slippy…I'm sorry." The toad may not have been able to see very well at that moment, but he could see well enough to notice that the feline that stood above him had begun to blush heavily. Slippy gradually managed to regain his footing, shaking his head as he did so, which he followed by saying in a slightly wavering voice, "Oh…it's alright. That happens to me all the time. Just…don't worry about it. Why don't you go to the conference room and I'll go get Falco and Ayame." With nothing more than a quick nod and a simple, "Ok," the feline quickly made her way down the hallway of this building, disappearing from the toad's sight shortly after she did so.
After allowing himself to regain whatever senses had left him as a result of his collision with the door, he soon found himself walking past the threshold to his room and setting a brisk pace down the hallways of the team's headquarters. As he did, his continued trying to figure out what exactly this transmission would say. It could be from almost anybody, and it could mean nothing at all, but whatever slim chance that it could be Pepper with another mission, that was what the toad wanted. He wanted to be out in space, saving the world from bad guys like he did on the Great Fox. Maybe he wasn't the biggest factor in the actual destruction of whatever they were fighting against, but just the experience was enough for him. He never really made this clear verbally to anyone before, but the thrill of adventure was there, even if he had a different way of approaching it. The anticipation of this incoming transmission slowly built up within him, but was somewhat abruptly halted as he reached his intended destination, a closed door at the far end of the dormitory section inside their headquarters.
As he reached this point, he quickly reached out to open the door that sat in front of him, but he quickly and nervously jerked his hand away as he heard a sudden and rather loud giggle arise from within the room. Slippy hesitated as he heard this, only to hear a seconds voice speaking in a tone to low for him to clearly decipher. After hearing yet another giggle from beyond this door, Slippy quickly made the connection, but not without his face fading into a light shade of red. But despite how awkward it seemed for the toad, he slowly reached out with his clammy fist and knocked several times on the door, speaking in a strange sounding voice after doing so, "Uhh…Falco? We have an incoming transmission, and I think we should go see what it's about. Do you think you can get to the…"
Slippy's speech ended here as he heard several more noises coming from beyond the door. It began with several quiet whispers, a noise that was followed by what seemed like frantic footsteps that sounded from all around the inside of the room. It was only a few moments after these noises began before the door Slippy stood in front of cracked open slightly, allowing Falco to quickly slide out without letting anyone see inside. The falcon looked down towards Slippy with a smirk as he spoke nonchalantly, "Hey Slip, what's up? You say something about an incoming transmission?" The toad hesitantly looked away from the sweat-beaded face of the avian, speaking in a voice that continued to sound slightly uncomfortable, "…Ya, someone's trying to call us…and I think we should see who it is." The avian nodded, which he followed immediately after by pointing down the hallway and speaking a much more hurried voice, "Good idea Slippy, why don't you head down there and I'll meet you. Just…hurry, let the transmission through and tell whoever it is that I'm on my way, alright? So just get down there before…"
Before the avian could finish, the previously closed door swung open with a slight squeak, a noise that was followed immediately after by a third, more irritated voice, "What the heck was that about Falco? You just ditch me back there without saying a word. What is up with…" The voice wavered at this point as the speaker noticed Slippy standing there, and then realizing that she was standing in the open air with nothing to cover her. Because of this, the canine pulled the door towards her, effectively covering her up from unwanted eyes, which really was not a problem at all as the innocent toad passed out in front of the two animals as a result of the scene that had played out in front of him. Both the animals hesitated for a moment as they looked at Slippy's now motionless body, the wolf being the first to speak after doing so, "Good god, you could have told me there was someone at the door you idiot! Its not like I can hear when you're…" Falco quickly cut her off with his own slightly irritated speech, "Holy crap, I had everything under control until you had to walk out here like that! Just shut up and get dressed already. Not much we can do about it now, is there?" The wolf was about to make a retort, but instead took an aggravated sounding sigh before withdrawing back into the room and closing the door behind her. The avian did nothing more watch as she did so, shortly after returning his attention to the toad that remained unconscious on the ground. Falco shook his head as he waited for Ayame to return, speaking quietly to himself as he did so, "I don't know why I even try to put up with crap like this all the time…"
(Conference Room)
It had been nearly a half an hour since the incident with Falco and Slippy, and now each of the animals found themselves sitting around one large table. In the middle of this table was a small protrusion, one that served as the projector of the holographic image that would accompany the transmission. There was very little speech as Slippy tried to pass the incoming call, most of it coming in the form of several irritated whispers from the avian and the wolf, both of whom still seemed to be quite upset by the others actions a short while ago. But these angry whispers came to an abrupt end as Slippy announced with slight anticipation in his voice, "Alright guys, I'm letting the transmission pass right now." Almost immediately after the toad spoke these words, a well-sized holographic screen flickered to life in the middle of the table. It was a few moments before the image became completely clear, but once it did, it was immediately met by Falco's artificially welcoming voice.
"Well, General Pepper. What are you doin' talking to us so early after that last mission. Something up?" The aged canine gave a subtle nod towards Falco, temporarily avoiding his question as he made his customary opening words. "Well, it's good to see you all again. Actually, I'm impressed that after your mission yesterday that you'd be up at all at this hour." This statement was met with an unusual amount of silence, but this was broken shortly after by Ayame, who did not want to relive what had just happened a few minutes ago, "Ya, that's really something isn't it General? But let's get to the point, why are you calling us?" Pepper, who was used to being prodded forward in his speech by this team in particular, complied with the young wolf's wishes and replied in an even voice, "Yes, well, I've called you this morning to inform you of a meeting that I have just set up for this afternoon, and it is mandatory that you all attend." There was a brief hesitation as the General said these words, but this quiet state did not last long as Falco asked, "You want us to come to one of your meetings? You got another mission for us already or what?" General Pepper shook his head, his expression seeming to break from its regular seriousness as he continued on, "Well, telling you over this transmission may allow someone to overhear. I would like you all to make your was over to my office at noon. I'm sorry, but that is all I can tell you right now." Falco shook his head as he indignantly replied, "Oh no, you're not gonna leave us in the dark like this and just expect us to show up at your door. What is this really about Pepper?" The General shook his head, seeing that he would not be able to gain these animal's audience unless he revealed what this sudden meeting was about. So after taking a quiet sigh, he answered simply, "This meeting concerns the very future of Fox McCloud."
(Inside Fox's house)
It was something the feline had never thought she would witness before. After all this time, she had been dead, but she had never been buried, never been allowed to be laid to rest. Instead, she was right in front of her, suspended inside an enclosed glass surface, her body seeming no more decayed than it had almost an entire year ago. It was almost too much for her to understand, and then came Fox's question. How could she help someone who was so desperate to have done something like this? She managed to break her vision away from this sight, placing it instead on the vulpine that stood in front of her. The feline's expression mirrored both the feelings of confusion and sadness as she spoke towards him, "Fox…why would you do something like this? No wonder you can't get over this, you come back here and look at her like this everyday. Why didn't you just let her be and put her to rest Fox?" The vulpine hesitated for a moment, Katt's words seeming to be taking effect within him. This silence lasted for several seconds, but it was broken shortly after as Fox turned towards Katt, his expression showing his true sadness as he replied, "Because…it's because I can still save her."
This statement caught the feline as off-guard as did the vixen's suspended form in front of her. She shook her head, her face now expressing great sympathy towards this vulpines state of denial, and said in a quiet voice, "Fox…you can't bring back the dead, it's just not possible. You just have to let her go Fox. Let her go and move on…" Upon hearing these words, the vulpine's expression completely changed into one of anger. He fully turned his body towards the feline as he yelled in a weak voice, "No! She's not dead, they told me so! She's just like me after I died on Corneria! There is a way to bring her back!" Fox paused here, taking time to regain his breath before continuing on, his eyes now filling with tears as he did so, "…I know it. I can't…give up on her."
After hearing the vulpine's words, the feline quickly remembered back to the time he was referring to. Fox had been severely wounded during a fight with General Scales on Katina, after which he was sent back to Corneria for treatment, but despite the quick efforts of Bill Gray and the rest of the crew members on the Ladekahn IV, he died a few days later. This fact was confirmed by several of the best doctors on Corneria, but then after his funeral, he somehow managed to come back to life, an event that he followed by going on alone with Krystal to defeat Scales. Both herself and Falco had come to the conclusion that Krystal may have been able to revive him, but she had never really believed it to be the truth. But maybe it was, maybe they really did have some sort of weird powers that allowed them to do stuff like that. With this event fresh in her mind, the pink-furred feline asked in a quiet voice, "So…you think you can still revive her, huh?"
Fox just looked down towards the floor and nodded, finding himself too exhausted from his outburst to respond verbally. After this, there was a brief silence between the two animals, Fox heavy breathing being the only noise within the entire hallway. This silence remained for many seconds, but it was soon broken by the sound a gentle footsteps dropping against the floor of the metallic hallway. Only a few of these noises were heard before they ended, but it was then that the still slightly hunched over vulpine felt something subtly contact his back. He did not look back to see what had cause it however, that being made apparent as the one that now stood directly behind his spoke simply in the same quiet voice she had used previously, "Go for it Fox."
It was at these words that Fox's breathing returned to a more in loud state. The vulpine turned his head slightly so that he could see the feline out of the corner of his eye. There was a slight hesitation to act after he had done so, but this was quickly put past him as he spoke in a wavering voice, "What are you…are you saying that I should…" The feline quickly noticed the difficulty the vulpine had in speaking, and silently stopped him from doing so as she soothingly rubbed her hand against the back of his uniform, hoping that in doing so, she could calm the vulpine down. She could tell that it was helping to some extent as his previously noiseless sobs began to fade. It was shortly after this happened that the vulpine found the strength to stand upright, which in doing so caused the feline's hand to fall from his back. In this new position, he completely turned his attention to the feline and finished his previous statement with a much more solid voice, "Are you saying that…you think I can save her?" The feline nodded with a smirk, adding in a voice more characteristic of the feline, "Hey, when have I ever doubted you McCloud? I don't really understand this, but I'm sure that if you get out there and do whatever you need to do to get her back, you'll get the job done. Ya just gotta have a little faith McCloud, alright?"
It wasn't often that the feline would say something this profound, at least, in her own manner of speaking, but it was just what Fox had wanted to hear. He gave a slight nod, looking away from the feline slightly before speaking in a contemplative voice, "I've wasted so much time here, thinking about all the things I could have done to prevent her from dying." Fox stopped here, a nervous smirk breaking a across his face before he continued on, "But it wasn't until you showed up that I started to think of what I had to do to save her. I can't help what's already happened, but I can still do something about it, I can still get things back to the way they were." Katt's smirk broke into a smile as she saw that she really had gotten through to him, adding soon after in a cheerful voice, "Ya, that's right Foxboy. And I'm going with you. I don't know what I'm gettin' into, but there's no way I'm letting you go off on your own. And don't worry, I'll try not to be too big of a hassle." There was a short pause on the vulpine's part after hearing the feline's words, but he quickly ended this silence as he spoke, "…Thanks Katt, you've…done a lot. But I don't really know much about what I'm getting myself into either. Are you sure you want to do this?" She took almost no time in replying to the vulpine's question, doing so in a firm voice, "Hey, it may have been a year ago, but when I joined the Star Fox team, I promised to stay with you until this mission was over, and until I see that girl over there walking around, I'm stickin' with you."
Fox nodded, a quiet chuckle accompanying it as a result of the feline's words. He looked first at the encouraging face of Katt Monroe, soon removing it from there and replacing it on the floating body of his deceased love. Here his vision remained as he spoke in a voice that proved he was ready to take action, "Then we're not gonna wait around here any more. Let's go to the General's office and tell him what we're going to do. Then I'll finally be closer to saving you…" Fox's voice trailed of slightly as the sight that sat before him completely inspired him. He was going to save her, no matter how long it took or how hard the path was. As long as she had been alive, and even on the brink of death, she had never let Fox down, and now, it was his turn to follow in her example. He would save her, and at that moment, he realized he was finally taking those first steps.
(Spirit Realm)
For a while, her question did nothing more than slowly echo across the empty blue plains of that sacred place, making it seem as though she were the only one present within the entire space. It was a feeling that had first dreaded upon her arrival, but at least for now, she was accompanied by the translucent images of these three vulpines. It was comforting to see the faces of her parents, as well as Fox's mother, but it was nothing compared to the comfort that could be found with him. Those feelings of life without Fox slowly began to leek back into her mind as the echo of her question quietly faded into the distance, but was sparred from completely being absorbed in this mindset as the only male figure that stood before her stepped forward, speaking in a even voice.
You've asked a very good question, one that the spirits of this realm have been jointly debated ever since your arrival. But after taking the time to study the Scrolls of Destiny, we have come to the conclusion that you must assist Fox on his own journey. The manner in which you go about doing this is still unclear, but we have come to the conclusion that it may have something to do with the Spirit Links that are spread throughout this realm.
The vixen looked at her father inquisitively as he spoke, not fully understanding what he was trying to say. Because of this, she asked in a quiet voice, "I understand that I must aid Fox on his journey, but how can I do so from here? And what exactly are these Spirit Links?"
Well, before I explain what you must do to prevent the destruction of out worlds, I must first explain the Spirit Links. There are several sacred places within the Spirit Realm where residents may freely converse with the one's who are able to use the Energy of Life in the realm of the living. Or more simply, you can speak to Fox. But, as good as this may seem, there are two conditions that accompany use of the Spirit Links. The first being the fact that Fox must be positioned in one of the few Energy Temples that still remain in the other realm. These temples are the only remaining evidence of our race. In the distant past, many elders of our planet were able to use a type of telepathy to communicate with nearby planets, which in doing so created several friendships with the Cerinian tribe, even thought we would probably never have the technology to travel to them. These Energy Temples were placed on each of our befriended planets as a sign of peace, and not only this, but our elders were able to infuse the temples with the Energy of Life from our planet. Because of this, each Energy Temple has a direct link to one of the Spirit Links in our realm. So you may only converse with Fox when both you and he are positioned within the appropriate location at the same time, but this first condition will be the least of your worries.
The spirit of her father paused here, allowing the vixen a slight amount of time to drift into thought. But at that moment, she was not in the least concerned about anything, spare that one single bit of news she had just received. If she could get to one of these Spirit Links, and Fox got to the right Energy Temple, they would actually be able to talk. She would finally be able to hear his voice, a voice she knew would calm her feelings during this time more than anything else possibly could. Her anticipation quickly grew as these wonderful thoughts enveloped within her, but they were temporarily cut off as her father continued speaking.
The second of these two stipulations will bring cause you much pain, pain that you have never known before. Long ago, the deceased members of our tribe used to Spirit Links, each wanted to talk to loved ones who still resided on Cerinia, but many of them found themselves unable to do just that. Because you see, upon entering into the area of the Spirit Link, you will be confronted with a memory of your past, and knowing the struggles and tribulations of the Cerinian tribe, it can only be assumed that these visions are not pleasant. Not only that, but these visions are accompanied by the embodiment of the individual's doubts, causing happy memories to become tainted, or making terrible memories even more unbearable. And so, we of the Spirit Realm have avoided them for quite some time, but we were luckily able to develop a form of communication without use of the Spirit Links. That is, we may converse with the individual in their dreams. But unfortunately, you may not use this technique because you are not truly a resident of this realm. Instead, you must journey to the Spirit Links and face your past. In doing so, you will not only be able to converse with Fox, but you will also grow stronger in yourself, an attribute I am sure will be needed when the time comes to face the spirit of Andross himself. …Do you understand what you have been sent here to do, my beloved daughter?
The vixen seemed to be stunned with the amount of information that she had just been exposed to. She had never imagined that there were so many things she did not understand about her own culture, even if it all did have to do with the afterlife. She paused for a moment after hearing her father's question, trying to calm her thoughts from taking control of her. After being somewhat successful in doing so, she looked directly into her father's face and responded in a slightly confused sounding voice, "Yes, I now know why I was sent here…but about Fox? What has become of him over this past year?"
It was at this question that each of the spirits that stood before her conjointly smiled. At first, the vixen did not understand why this was so, but was soon answered as Fox's mother stepped forward, speaking in a calming voice as she did so.
Just as you speak now, Fox is making his way to his first Energy Temple, although he is not entirely sure that this is his mission. But that isn't stopping him. All he knows is that he wants to be back with you, and he's willing to go off whatever small leads he has to do just that. But perhaps me speaking these things does not satisfy you…
AUTHOR'S NOTES: And I guess that's all I got for ya this time dudes! Look's like Fox is gonna finally stop whinin' and start doing something! Booyah! I was really lazy on this chapter, I mean, as far as typing goes. I think I almost took a full 4 days off after posting my last chapter before typing this one, but I managed to get it done pretty fast after that. I don't know about you guys, but I really just…liked this chapter. I don't know why, but there aren't many chapters that I really like. There are a few that stick out to me, like the Xavix-Yuan trilogy and of course, the ending, but whatever. I don't see why you'd care about my feelings, seeing as how I am constantly prodded to update. Oh well, I guess that's just part of the dealio.
What's Your Opinion?
It's back and I've got more questions for you. I try to keep them vague so that you can't see what I'm trying to relate them to, but just don't look into it so much and you won't know! Gosh!
1.What type of battle do you prefer?
A.Air battles are so flippin' intense, they're awesome!
B. I like hand-to-hand combat, nothing's better than a sword fight!
C. Let's see some stupid guns and bombs! We like lot's o' blood!
D.Other
2. Is there a need for humor (good or bad) in an emotional/adventure story?
A. Heh, I've seen your attempts FoxMC, they're so lame. Get that crap outta my face.
B. Well, if you've ever put any in, I haven't noticed it, but I guess if it doesn't suck it's ok.
C. I like corny jokes! Try your best and I'll try to respect it.
D. This question is a joke.
3. How often to do feel some sort of action scene should be portrayed in the story?
A. A lot more than there is now stupid. We've heard enough about crap that happened "almost a year ago." Let's see some death already!
B. I guess every few chapters is alright, I can appreciate the emotion that goes into the story without the need for a lot of action.
C. I'm a pacifist, fighting and death is bad. Love makes the world go 'round bros!
D. Didn't you already ask this question before?
E. Other.
MAIL CALL!
sandman91
Hey people! This is sansman91, Fox MC's new creative director. Hope you're enjoying the stury as much as I am. Anyway, it's good Katt broke through to Fox. Maybe he can finally get some stuff done(after all, it's been a frickn' year already!). Sounds creepy what happens to the spirits. Hope Fox and Krystal work fast to kick the crap outta Andross. Anyway, g2g.
FoxMC: Ya, kick the crap outta Andross and finally get the heck rid of him! That guy just never dies! I'd love nothing more that to see the actual end of that monkey head dude.
Specter 117
You know what I think? I think you should be a proffesional author. You have the right stuff. Keep creating fan fiction like this! You have created a large impact here on That's my opinion.
They should make more video game movies. You know, like FF7: Advent Children. I hope they make a Starfox movie someday. Lord, please make it not suck!
P.S. You do R&R other stories, right? If you do, can you R&R my Super Smash Brothers fic (You don't have to if you don't want to)? I would greatly appreciate that.
FoxMC: Meh, a Star Fox movie wouldn't be a great idea. I don't think they'd get it right. But ya, there are some games that should definitely be movies, one of which wasn't Super Mario…
BlueWolf419
Woot! Chapter up!
Anyways, Katt is in for a surprise huh? Heh, can't wait to see that reaction! Regardless, even with the slight changes in it, I like how the spirit realm part came out:3
I love this story and it's an honor to be working on it! Let's keep up the great work and get the next chapter up quickly!
FoxMC: Whee! I had to actually type the Krystal section this time! Stop playing video games, they rot your mind! No worries though, I had fun typin' the Krystal section.
Ir0n Falco
LOLZ. Anyway great story. And Falco isn't dumb.
FoxMC: Well, maybe not to you, but to me…well, he's not my fav.
Fenrir Hellfyre
O.O Freakin' sweet, dude. So are Fox and Krystal not going to able to see each other for the majority of the story?
FoxMC: That is correct, and that single factor may be the hardest thing for me to do as I write this story. Having them both living in separate realms and having two different quests…it's crazy!
Ricky
Cool man! Your posting those stories quick! The faster the better. Don't know how long I could survive without a Foxmc chapter. Keep it up.
FoxMC: Well, I could go faster, but then the chapters would suck and no one would want to read. But don't worry, I'm guessing that if I can get 2-3 chapters done a month, I'll be finished by…the end of August 2006? That is of course a very rough estimate, but that would be perfect, cause I really don't want to be caught typing a Star Fox story in a dorm room…
foxdude33
This is looking good! You may not remember the screen-name, but I was the Unknown guy. This is sort of slow... let's see some action! Until next time then...
FoxMC: Ya! Action would be great, I agree! But alas, the way I tell stories is not centered around action. It's on the thoughts and emotions of the characters, and as far as I can tell, the 340 reviews and over 6000 views I got for Echoes of The Future says that how I do things now are pretty decent.
FoxJD
Yo whats up reviewers, this is FoxMC's new editer. So far the story is focused on Katt and Fox, I think it totally rocks. Whats goin on in da spirit realm to me is kinda creapy but cool.
FoxMC: Ya, my editor is really Joey Wheeler from Yugioh, that's why he talks like that. He also spells like my last editor…
Fox The Cave II
Well, first of all congratulations of finishing your other fanfiction.
Now, the only true problem I had was how some paragraphs are simply a bit too long and don't look attractive to read. I also think that you are thinking about this as a short of movie screenplay, and you need to stop. As much description as there is, and there is a lot, there are still parts where you just change scene by putting "Spirit Realm" in brackets. This transition can be done a lot more effictively other ways. Otherwise, it's pretty damn well done.
Kudos.
PS: Could you please read and review The Greatest Fear?
FoxMC: Darn right I don't split up those paragraphs! And I won't not either! I don't know, the spacing out thing…I tried it for my Teen Titans fic, and it just didn't seem to flow as well. So that's why I don't space, and since I've only got three complaints about that out of all the people that have reviewed, I don't think it's that big of a deal. And ya, the parentheses dividers aren't that cool, but I don't really know how else to do it, but if you can suggest something, I'd love to know dude.
Recon Unit 01
I don't know if you've seen anything I've posted or even heard of me for that matter, but I've read the first one andit rocked hard! This one looks very promising as well. I dunno what you're doing to make these so good, but whatever it is keep doing it.
FoxMC: Let's see, what do I do different from other authors here. Now, I don't want to sound like I'm way above other people, but from what I've gathered, I'm just more consistent with character dialogue and descriptions. Maybe I don't have the action of other fics, but I guess that's not all that makes the story good…
Whinnie
Awesome:D This is awesome! Can't wait for the next chappie. :)
FoxMC: I…really don't know how to respond to a review like this. Umm…thanks very much?
Sean mccloud
looking great so far i hope fox can break out of his deppresed state cantwait till next chapter!
FoxMC: Ya, he looks like he's gonna get going on his mission, but I don't know if he'll get out of his depression for a long time. Or maybe he just won't, I don't know…And don't look at me like I should either!
Ichibod Ricct (x2)
1.)It's good, but don't bunch everyone's dialouge in one paragraph. Hard to read, espcially for me. You know, my eyes?
Alright, now that's the first and last burning face joke, okay?
2.) Good greif, Coldfire. She only touched his shoulder.
Anyway, I loved the part with Katt and Fox in it. And, I'm glad you have that small summery in the end, because I don't know what was going on with Krystal. I just skipped her parts of the chapter.
FoxMC: 1.) The bunch dialogue is what I use. I'll always use it. It flows better for me. If I ever have to explain that again…I'm just gonna split up my paragraphs. 2.) I don't really have anything to say, except the fact that I'm assuming the review you left on the last chapter of Echoes of the Future was sarcastic? Cause it actually was pretty funny, seeing all these really positive reviews and then this one that just cussed me out. Heh, I won't forget that for a while…
Blondie on the Run
Great chapt-...oh, wait...you already know that! I like how you describe things with sensory details. Everything looks great and it's starting to attract readers. Though I really wish Starfox had more enemies than Scales, Starwolf/Pigma, and Andross/Oikonny...(sigh)
FoxMC: Hmm, maybe I could put Star Wolf in this one. But that's beside the point…YOU DIDN'T RUN AWAY! Pokeball, go! Yes! I caught a blonde reviewer Santa!
Ricky
man you are MEAN! Seperate My Fox and Krystal! Well i wll show u. This is probaly the worst chap ever by you. try better. heheheheheheh!1
FoxMC: Yep, I'm really mean. What'd be meaner would be me just never updating again! Ya, I know I just made you pee your pants by saying that.
death
if you like what you do keep going this is a good story i read your other one and it was good keep going man
FoxMC: Ok, I'll keep typing. I don't want to die when I'm 17 anyway…