A Journey Apart

by Fox MC

When the tears fade, all that remains is pain. And the only thing more daunting than this very pain, is the process of overcoming it alone, without her by his side.

7. Xantia's Secret, PART 1

In the midst of a vast and seemingly unending plain of wind-swept prairies and fields sat a conspicuously large city, one whose large and imposing edifices directly contradicted the natural beauty that surrounded it. However, this obvious anomaly within the waves of everlasting pasture was the only one in existence on the entire face of the planet. Such was the nature of this city, Estorra, "The City of Endless Plains." Xantia may have a great surface area when compared to the other planets that surrounded it, but even with this being true, it may ironically be one of the loneliest places in the galaxy…

Maybe that's why this place feels like home to me. It's just like me, wishing to be something more, yet completely secluded from everything around it, even though we have a lot to offer. I guess that's just what I am in this universe, a drifter, and I'll probably be that way for as long as I'm alive. I went to the Academy to become a pilot, but that fell through pretty fast. Then I became a mercenary for that floating head Andross, same result. As far as I can tell, I've wasted the last few years of my life accomplishing absolutely nothing. Maybe I'll just stay here…live out the rest of my pathetic life in a city that's just as hopeless as me.

This scruffy-looking wolf scanned the outskirts of the city with his single good eye, emotionlessly taking in the gently swaying beauty that spread out in front of him. Before he could do so for too long however, he was interrupted from behind by an astute-sounding voice, "You know, if you continually dwell on the past as you always do, you'll never get over being so disheartened all the time."

The formally contemplative animal turned to see an officially dressed and obviously aged echidna looking directly at him. He took no time in providing an unaffected answer, "And you know telling me the same thing over and over like that everyday won't change my past…or even help me forget it for that matter."

This older animal gave off a comforting smile towards the one he addressed, responding shortly after, "Yes, but perhaps you could put aside your worries for one day, surely you know what I am speaking of." The echidna waited a few seconds for a response, but after not receiving anything more than a disaffected stare for a few seconds, he continued on, "Today is the celebration of the legendary Five-Hundred Year Festival."

The wolf shrugged his shoulders indifferently before responding, "And how is some untrue religious ceremony supposed to make me feel better? The day I believe in that Energy of Life crap is the day I suddenly regenerate a new eye."

The echidna was visibly taken aback by this animal's words against Estorra's beliefs, but he continued on in a voice that still held a slight amount of reassurance, "But what if the legends really are true? It is said that one of the many that attend the ceremony of the reappearance of the Otherworldly Gate will be granted a miracle. Perhaps that is exactly the opportunity you need in order to get your life back to what it once was…"

The echidna's voice trailed off as he realized that the one he was speaking to had begun to leave out of disgust. As the wolf continued to walk farther and farther away from the on-looking echidna, he spoke back before fading into the crowd of people that occupied the busy streets of the city, "You can believe whatever you want, I'm not stopping you. But don't count on me being there, cause no matter what might happen, nothing will change my past."

As the sound of the wolf's voice faded from the ears of those around him, he quickly retreated inwardly and continued on in his same negative train of thought.

The only thing that matters now is accomplishing my mission; it's the only thing I have to live for right now. If I let that fall through…well, that'll put me over the edge, and I might just have to make a special arrangement so that I'll finally get to see what it's like to stare down the barrel of my own blaster. …I never knew it would come to this, but if that's what I have to do to get out of living this crappy life, then that's what I gotta do. I'd like to think there's something to live for but…if there ever was, it happened too long ago to make any difference now.

The wolf hesitated as he found himself now standing in front of a rather modest docking area that was located in the center of the city. He scanned the crowd carefully, knowing that sometime soon, he would rendezvous with his target, but this initial search proved to be in vein. So instead of continuing to purposelessly inspect the surrounding hoard of animals, he took a position within the shadows that this small docking bay provided, and it was there that he would wait until he arrived. And when that instant arose, he would be ready to strike, and this time, he would not fail…not again.

Chapter 7: Xantia's Secret, PART 1

"Well, look who decided to show up. It's the captain and her royal pinkness. Welcome to the docking bay you guys. I don't know if you remember, but we've got some kind of job to take care of down on that planet, and if I'm right, you seemed like you didn't want to mess around on this ship anymore just a little while ago, isn't that right McCloud?"

These words echoed for a short while after both Fox and Katt made their appearance on the docking bay floor. To a casual listener, the avian's words would have seemed quite rude especially considering that this bird was speaking to his captain, but having known the avian for so many years of his like, the vulpine was able to dischipher Falco's sarcasm and reply with not a hint of anger in his voice, "Ya, and that hasn't changed at all Falco."

The avian smirked and responded evenly, "Then lets get on with it then. I've been waiting to give the new Arwings of yours a good workout."

At these words, each head on the docking bay turned towards the four sleek new spacecrafts that sat quietly in the loading area of the room. Not only had the Great Fox been greatly remodeled and upgraded, but so had the Arwings that sat within the massive battleship. They were now much more angular in shape, making them appear much more aerodynamic and impressive than the old, more rounded hull of the previous Arwing model.

This short period of silent observation was broken as Fox spoke in concurrence with the avian, "I know what you mean, those other Arwings had been in service on the Great Fox since my Father was it's captain. It's about time we got some new ships." He paused slightly after saying this to scan the faces of his new crew, as if showing them that the disheartened Fox of the past no longer existed, and that he was ready to lead them to the best of his ability. This pause lasted for only more than a second before the vulpine continued with obvious determination in his voice, "Let's head down to Xantia and test em' out, I've made you guys wait long enough already."

"Just one thing captain." The staid voice of Ayame echoed across the bridge as she spoke these few words, an articulation that merited the attention of everyone that stood around her. The vulpine she was speaking to gave the wolf nothing more than a questioning look, which was enough to spur her on and finish her statement, "If you haven't noticed, there are only four of those Arwings and six of us. So here's the question, who's staying behind, and who's going down to the planet?"

Fox quickly turned away from the face of the wolf towards the Arwings, only to see that what she said was true. After a brief silence, he faced his crew once again and spoke in a slightly uneasy, "Oh, right. Looks like two of us will have to stay on the Great Fox while the other four head down to the planet. Is there anyone that wants to volunteer to stay on the Great Fox?"

Slippy's diffident voice was heard almost immediately after his captain finished, "I'll stay on the ship Fox, then I can help ROB out on the bridge and finish up some of the tests I've been running."

The vulpine nodded in the toad's direction, already knowing that Slippy would volunteer to stay on the Great Fox, and then spoke once again, "Alright, so Slippy will stay behind. Anyone else?"

For a moment, no one made any noise or eye contact with the vulpine. This stillness was broken however as a timid hand rose into the air, the hand of the quiet tiger, Kaya. The vulpine nodded in her direction, asking shortly after he did so, "Do you have a question?"

The tiger's hand quickly lowered as she shook her head. Her face began to fade into a light red color as she spoke quietly in correction of the captain's assumption, "…No, I'll stay too."

Fox hesitated for a second, feeling suddenly guilty for somehow embarrassing this quiet Star Fox member with his words. However, he pushed these feelings aside while speaking with a hint of regret in his voice, "Oh, right. That's fine, you can stay on the Great Fox and help Slippy on the bridge, alright?"

Upon these words, the white-furred tiger nodded silently and turned to the exit of the docking bay, making her way quietly towards its open surface shortly after. Slippy too made his way towards the interior of the ship after seeing Kaya do the same a few moments before himself. Once both of these animals were free from the room and out of sight, the vulpine captain turned to his avian friend and asked in a quieted voice, "Hey Falco, why is Kaya always so quiet? Is there something I should know about her?"

Falco nodded, but then added in a somewhat downcast voice, "Ya, there is something, but I don't think this is the time to talk about it. You can worry about her after we're finished on Xantia; we've got bigger problems to take care of right now."

Fox nodded in concurrence with the avian's comment, speaking soon after doing so, "I guess I'll hold you to that then. For now, let's head out of here and get down to the planet."

Falco let off a smirk at this comment, responding with a hint of enthusiasm, "Right, let's leave this place to Kaya and Slip while we get going with our own business."

It didn't take long after the avian's words that each of the four selected members of the Star Fox mounted their respective Arwings, an action that was followed shortly after by a period of silence as each pilot studied the new control scheme that sat in front of them on their in-ship consol. This process lasted only a few brief seconds however before the sound of blaring engines screamed throughout the Great Fox docking bay. Only seconds after this initial noise made itself present, the ships began to file out from their docks and gently float across the large floor until they found their way out into space through the enormous docking bay door.

For Fox, handling this new model of Arwing seemed to be second nature. The controls of the ship were all made to his exact specifications, and he could not be happier with the results. As the planet below him quickly neared, he found himself pushing this new Arwing to the limit, taking several rapid barrel-rolls and somersaults, just to see how well the ship handled compared to the previous version of this craft. However, his experimentation was cut short as a small light began to blink of the main consol of his Arwing, signaling him of an incoming transmission. He took a moment to center himself, finding that he had become slightly disoriented from his tests, and after successfully doing so, he let the transmission pass, causing the holographic image of a familiar pink feline to appear in front of him.

She spoke shortly after appearing within Fox's vessel, "So, how do you like em'? Personally, I think the controls are a little too tight, maybe it's just me though, I've been out of doing this sort of thing for a while now…"

Fox smiled at the felines comment, responding back in a leisurely voice, "Don't worry about it, you'll be fine. Besides, I think these Arwings are perfect, maybe you're just a little too picky."

"Well, you know what the animals in my line of work are like. I'd hate to think it could be true, but I hope their personalities didn't rub off on me. I'd like to think I'm smart enough to…" The feline's speech was cut off as the transmission signal in Fox's Arwing began to beep one again, signaling of another incoming message. He quickly excused himself from further conversation with the feline before allowing the second transmission to pass. After doing so, the image of Katt quickly disappeared and was replaced by a figure whose identity was hidden by a veil of static. Even though the picture was blurry, he could make out the shape of two pointed ears, a dull gray color that filled the figure's face, and a diminutive smirk that was defined by several sharp teeth. In order to clear the picture, the vulpine quickly tried to find if there was some kind of error in the transmission that was causing this interference, but he soon found that the haziness of the image was actually intended.

It was not long after he realized this interesting fact before a slightly distorted voice made it's way into the small space that the cockpit of his Arwing provided, "So Fox, you really did come. I wasn't sure that you'd make it, seeing as how you've been hiding from the world for some time now. Heh, I guess even the greatest of heroes have their weaknesses."

Fox hesitated only slight after hearing these mysterious words before he spoke back in a questioning tone of voice, "Who are you? And how did you get the transmission codes to the Arwings? Actually, how did you know my name at all?"

A subtle, imprecise chuckle was heard from the other end of the transmission, and when this strange-sounding noise had faded, the figure spoke back to the vulpine in a contented voice, "I guess you'll just have to find that out one you get here, won't you? I'll be waiting for you on Xantia, but you'll probably want to take a few extra precautions after you land here. See, I've been commissioned to take you down, Fox McCloud, and man, I've been waiting for this chance for a long, long time."

Perfect, the first planet we come to and I'm already getting death threats.

The vulpine exited from his brief thoughts before inquiring further with not a hint of fear in his voice as he spoke, "If it's true that you are supposed to kill me when I got to the planet, why would you tell me ahead of time? Doesn't that ruin the element of surprise?"

The figure spoke back in an apathetic tone of voice, "Element of surprise? Heh, only novices live by that rule. Where's the fun if I just sniped you from the top of some building without you having the chance to fight back? Does that sound like any fun to you McCloud? No, I don't need surprise, but I'm sure you'll figure that out on your own when you find yourself starin' down the barrel of my blaster in some dark, lonely alley. And trust me, I won't show you any mercy, not like that idiot Scales."

"Scales?" The word subconsciously slipped from the vulpine's mouth as soon as he heard it. That name was not one he had heard for over a year, but his memory of what that name meant to him had never been far from his thoughts since that day. It was Scales that led him on the mission that ended in his love's death, and he was grateful to know that he could no longer terrorize the universe as he once had. However, there was one thing that the vulpine could not understand. He made this fact clear as he spoke back in a voice that reflected the surprise that had come from hearing that name, "How do you know Scales? Are you one of his followers that managed to survive?"

A faintly visible smirk broke onto the face of the hazy image before he gave his answer, "I don't see why that matters. All you need to be concerned about is keeping that head of yours on your shoulders while you're on this planet." There was a brief pause in the figure's speech before he finished, "Anyway, you don't need to know anything more than I've already told you. Just be careful and be ready for a fight, I'd hate it if I had to kill you without much of a struggle."

As soon as these words were spoken, the transmission was abruptly ended, and the static-filled image of that mysterious figure disappeared along with the signal, leaving Fox to the silent, star-lit darkness that constantly filled the galaxy. The vulpine let out a quiet sigh and leaned back into his cockpit seat. For a moment, Fox released all control of his Arwing and allowed it to steer on it's own course while he allowed his thoughts to take over.

Scales, what is that guy's connection to Scales? I know that there weren't many animals that knew about that dinosaur besides my crew and General Pepper. So how exactly can this guy know about Scales? The only option is that he was part of Scales' team or something like that. I mean, Scales did have armies of mind-controlled animals, but there had to be more intelligent animals helping him run things behind the scenes. Maybe this guy is out for revenge since I…we, took him down. That guy did give the same speech about not wanting to kill me easily, so I guess that's the only possibility. I guess I'll meet him soon enough, so any other questions I have are gonna have to wait until then…

Other than this ominous transmission, the flight down Xantia's surface went smoothly. Once inside the atmosphere, each of the pilots that occupied the four Arwings could see nothing more than a never-ending plain of tall, swaying grass. It took almost a longer time for them to find any type of civilization than it did for them to reach the planet itself from the Great Fox. However, they did eventually come upon a large city, which sat conspicuously within the prairies that surrounded it. Soon after they spotted this, Fox signaled each of his wingmen to land in a small hanger bay that he had picked up on his radar. Upon reaching this modest hangar, the four Arwings floated down through an open hole in the structure's ceiling and were forced shortly after to try and avoid colliding with the many different ships that were already docked there. This task was accomplished with little difficulty, and soon each of the four chosen members of the Star Fox Team found themselves standing on the face of a new planet.

After exiting from their Arwings, the animals came together to form a single group as they walked towards the exit of the hangar bay. The group managed to cause a few animals to stop and look in their direction because of their recent arrival, but there was little commotion otherwise. Upon noticing this, Katt spoke with relief in her voice, "Well, at least we won't have to worry about animals pushing up to us and asking for autographs. I guess this place is just too far out from Corneria for anyone to know who we are."

Fox was the only one who acknowledged this comment with a nod, the other two not finding the same feeling of relief in the fact Katt had just stated. However, Falco was able to reply, but his words were directed towards his captain, "So, we're here…what are we supposed to do now?"

"Well," Fox said as he continued to walk, "I really don't know."

After hearing these words, Falco raised his hands and stopped walking, causing the rest of the group to halt as well, "Woah, hang on Fox. Are you being serious right now? We came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere and you don't even know what we're supposed to be doing?"

Fox nodded in an almost playful manner before speaking in response, "Yep, that's right. But that doesn't mean we're not here for a reason. I think we'll find what we're looking for if we stick around long enough."

Fox was hardly able to finish his statement before Falco turned away from the group and began to walk away, an action that was accompanied by skeptical words, "You mean we'll find what you're looking for, right? I'm not here to be a part of some scavenger hunt Fox, I'm here to fight and meet women, so if neither of those are happening, I'll just get back to the ship and outta your way."

There was a silence after Falco spoke these words, one that was interfered only by the gentle background noise of the small hangar. As Falco continued to walk back towards his Arwing, Ayame turned to Fox as she spoke flatly, "I'm gonna have to agree with Falco on this one. If there's no mission to be had down here, what was the point of even stopping at this planet? We'll be waiting for you on the Great Fox until you figure that out."

Fox could do nothing more than shake his head in subdued frustration as half of his landing team walked away from him.

Wow, that didn't take long. I knew they were impatient, but…

He knew that after informing the now retreating animals that his mission here was unclear, there would be little point in trying to dissuade them from the decision they had just made.

After this, he turned to Katt, his last remaining crewmember, and asked in an almost joking voice, "So, are you gonna leave me down here by myself or what?"

The feline flashed a brief smile before speaking back to the vulpine, "Nah, I can't leave you down here by yourself. Even if you don't know what you're supposed to be doing, I trust you enough to know that you're not trying to waste our time by stopping on this planet."

After hearing these words, Fox let out a sigh that contained both the frustration and relief he was feeling at that moment. He certainly did not want to be alone on the planet without any kind of help, especially since he himself did not know the dangers that might await him on this planet, but he was also glad that only one member of his crew was now placed in this potential danger. If he had his way from the start, he would have been the only one to leave the Cornerian Docking Bay. However, he soon after found himself quite grateful for his friends devotion, but after the display both Falco and Ayame had put on, he began to wonder just how strong that devotion was.

The vulpine broke from this momentary reflection shortly after it started in order to speak back to Katt, doing so with a smile that matched the feline's, "Good, then we should head into town, find out what it is we need to do here, get that done, and then leave as soon as possible."

The feline's smile seemed to widen as she heard these words, a gesture that was followed shortly after by her words, "Wow, how long did it take you to come up with that plan Foxboy?"

Fox shook his head as he began to walk further from the Arwings, speaking as he did so, "You'd be amazed what a little death threat can do to a guy, ya know? Kinda speeds up his thinking process a little bit."

Katt only paused for the moment it took for her to catch up to Fox's current pace before she spoke in response to the vulpine's statement, "Wait…death threats? What are you talking about McCloud? When did you…"

"Greetings travelers, and welcome to our humble city, Estorra, 'The City of Endless Plains.'"

These words forced Katt to stop mid-sentence, and it caused both of the animals to look in the direction of an approaching echidna, one that seemed to be dressed as if he were one of the higher-ranking rulers of the planet, and by the appearance of his face, he certainly had the age to accomplish such a ranking.

This echidna continued slowly toward the pair until he stood only a few short feet away, which is where he stopped and took the opportunity to continue speaking, "You are most fortunate to come to out planet at such a time. All of Xantia will be out to celebrate the festival, and I want to be sure that you don't miss out."

Both animals paused as they heard these words, neither really knowing what to say to the aged echidna, but Fox managed to break the extended silence as he spoke, "Well thanks, I'm sure it's a great festival, but we've got more important things to do here."

The echidna quickly countered with the same pleasant demeanor, "My friends, surely there is nothing more important than your participation in this festival. It's quite a time-honored tradition on this planet, and I must encourage you to..."

"You really need to stop badgering the tourists old man, you'll scare them away. I'm sure they didn't come here to listen to some old man pressure them into showing up at some festival."

All three animals turned towards this sudden voice to see the smiling face of what appeared to be a middle-aged gray wolf heading in their direction. Despite his words, he actually wore a rather good-natured expression upon his face as he drew near. The echidna momentarily forgot about the feline and vulpine that stood in front of him as he began to speak to this newly appeared wolf, "And I'm sure your negative connotations are exactly what these good animals want to hear after their long journey here?"

The wolf smiled in response to the echidna, but did not speak back to him. Instead, he faced the two Star Fox team members that stood before him and spoke in a keen voice, "Please excuse the old man, he can get a little fanatical sometimes. I'm sure once you get to that age…"

The wolf's words quickly faded into the back of Fox's mind as his eyes dutifully scanned this newly arrived animal. He subtly continued on in this fashion as his thoughts took hold.

This wolf…he seems so familiar, but how could I have seen him before? I've never been to this planet…or really heard of it at all for that matter. But something about this guy…he looks kind of like…Wolf. But that can't be. I know he went down in that fight over Venom, but…

Fox was quickly cut off from his thoughts as he noticed the outstretched hand of the wolf hovering in front of him. The vulpine wasted no time in accepting it, hoping that the wolf had not noticed his inattentiveness as he had been speaking. The vulpine's hopes were realized as the gray and white furred animal let off a smile as a result of his accepted offer, and he spoke in a voice that matched his expression soon after, "The name's Klyph, Klyph O' Donnell. Let me be the second to welcome you to Xantia."

Fox, as well as Katt, who also seemed to be thinking along very similar lines to the vulpine, were taken aback as soon as they heard that name. This time, Fox vocalized his thoughts instead of keeping them to himself, "Klyph O' Donnell, that's what you said, right? …Do you, by any chance, know someone named Wolf O' Donnell?"

Besides the initial surprise the wolf experienced by these outsiders having knowledge of that name, the wolf wasted little time in voicing a response, "Know him? Well, you could say that. He's my younger brother."

As if on cue, both Fox and Katt spoke out at the same time in the same surprised tone of voice, "He's…your brother?"

-

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Word. You know what I'll say. "I've been golfing, I have to get ready for college, I'm not inspired enough." Since you assume that much already, I won't point out the obvious. Well, I really did want to get this whole story done before college, but ya, that didn't work out so well. So guess what? I'll still keep chippin' away at this thing until it's done, you can be sure of that. I just…can't guarantee when that's gonna be. Right, so just don't lose faith, alright?

RANDOM NOTES: Well, I'm in college now, so, umm…slow updates upcoming? Don't get mad…just pretend it's a really…really long cliffhanger that you keep pondering and pondering until the next chapter is released…that's not very encouraging but…that's how it is. And check it out, Star Fox Command made me mad! For a lot of reasons...but the biggest one is a little guy name Marcus...Anyway, to those I told I'd post this chapter on Monday...I did! Just really late on Monday...like 10 min before Tuesday. Stupid dorm meetings...

MAIL CALL: I haven't done this in a while…but since I'm in a time crunch right now, I'll only pick a few out of the couple I got for last chapter. Who will the lucky few be? Well, let's find out…

SPG inc.
Sorry, I meant shrine
But MAN I'm getting depressed now. Does everyone have to suffer in every fic I read?

FoxMC: Yes, all fics must contain sadness, sorry, that's just how it is. Unless it's comedy, but you don't see many of those on the Star Fox boards…

Nin10col a.k.a KLink
I'm sorry for the long review in advance, but I've been waiting to say this scince I started reading EotF. (I didn't have an account then)
Echoes of the future and A Journey Apart: Best StarFox fanfics ever. No contest.
Awesome! 2 Chapters in the same week? Good to see you get back on the ol' horse.
You wrote Chapter 6 so well I could FEEL the tension on the bridge.
Keep it up!

FoxMC: Ya, I feel off that horse pretty quickly though…oh well. And dude, that review wasn't long…just look at Fox the Cave's review. I can't get through half of that without falling asleep…

sandman
Another nice chapter. You know, I just have to say one thing. Ever since I joined fanfiction, you have been my number one favorite writer. I'll admit, there is a close second, but you're still my favorite. Keep it up.

FoxMC: Well, the fact that I never update anymore may be a reason…or that my excuses for doing so never get any better…

fox's alter ego
i shall be your new faithful reviewer yay just so you know yesterday i started and finished echoes of the future loved it and now im reveiwing this (my eyes hurt by the way).n e way if you dont keep updating soon enough the starfox gods will trap you in a little room and make you wright forever muahahaha o and you are one of my 2 fav authors I AM NOT WORTHY!

FoxMC: Dang, well, they haven't got me yet, so I guess I'm good.

The Silent Wanderer
Yeah, I really, really hope you never pull that stunt again... Oh, and by the way, I also share your enthusiasm for Kingdom Hearts 2. I sincerely hope that you continue this story frequently and without delays such as this. And, even though you just revealed a bit about it in this chapter, and you'll probably explain it later, when you gonna talk about Kaya's past? Well... I should probably get back to my own story... Forgot all about it until I got the story alert from this story... So... Yeah. 'Till next time, Later.

FoxMC: Heh, so much for fast updates. I'm such a loser…anyway. Kaya will be revealed more later, but Fox has his own, more prevalent problems to take care of first!

qaz-wert
All right! What's it been...more than six months! I've read both your stories, but haven't left many reviews. However...(ahem)
I hereby swear allegiance to Fox MC and his uber-awexome story. I also hope he will take me into the innermost sanctum of MC honor by adding this post to the Mail Call section.

FoxMC: Well lucky you, you made it into the MAIL CALL section. Doesn't that just brighten your day? …Anyway, I don't know how long it was between putting this chapter up until this one, but it was too long, for sure…

Whinnie
Wow! Sorry I haven't been with you these last few chapters, but I haven't been checking into the Star Fox fanfic area cuz of no updates. T.T Well, anyway, great work! Very nice:) Very angsty, and I can't wait till they check out Xantia! -
Once again, great job! ;)

FoxMC: Where you the one I forgot to add to Mail Call that one time? I think so, so I am here to apologize. SORRY! Ok, so ya, you probably left the site again because of no updates, but that had to be done.

FoxSF
Love it! keep writing. I'm so freakin' tired of good authors like you starting a great story and than leaving it to die in the dust. You're awesome.

FoxMC: Oh ya! I would never do something like that! I would never make people wait upwards of 5 months for a new chapter, never! …

KrystalMC
:o FoxMC is back! Good to see ya fox! I thought this story had become a lost cause but obviously you decided to continue with it. Can't wait for the next chapter

FoxMC: Dang, I hope this story doesn't become a lost cause…I want to see how it ends myself!

tma205
I love this story so much! I never thought I would read a Starfox story so well written! I can't wait for the next chapter!

FoxMC: Thanks, just don't try and take after my updating habits…they are not good.