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.

9. Xantia's Secret, PART 3

Chapter 9: Xantia's Secret, PART 3

The sun had slowly started to fade from the sky over Xantia, and just as Klyph had predicated, the crowds had slowly begun to thin as they moved to a new area of the festival. Because of this, the unending noise that previously shrouded the area began to fade as well, rising now and again only as groups of rowdy children ran past, or similar groups of drunken animals, who passed by much more deliberately, and with greater effort.

However, the only thing Katt Monroe could hear during all of this was the sound of her impatiently tapping foot, which she faced with closed eyes. Her back rested gently against one of the few buildings that were not obstructed by one of the thousands of stands that littered the streets, and it was in that same spot that she had stood for several long minutes, occasionally glancing up towards a small, purple tent that sat only a few yards away.

After taking one last look at the tent, which was accompanied by a restless sigh, the feline pushed herself off of the wall and looked up instead towards the sky. As she did so, she muttered irritably under her breath, "Come on Fox, we don't have all day…"

It was one of the few times where Katt's restlessness may have had some merit.

"You've been in there for almost an hour Fox, what's going on? For someone who was so against the idea, you sure are taking your sweet time…"

Her quiet monologue followed along these same lines for a few seconds more as she paced the street just outside of the psychic's tent.

It was at this point, however, that Katt decided she had had enough waiting. With a frustrated grunt and a look of exasperation, Katt had finally reached the end of her patience.

That's it, this is ridiculous. I'm just gonna walk in there, break off the fortune telling or whatever the heck is going on in there, and drag him outta that hippy hut. Klyph's gonna be back here soon, and I'm sure we don't have time to waste here. Not that we hav…

Just as she was about to take her first aggravated steps towards the tent, she suddenly felt something tug at her flight vest. Still rather upset about her current situation, she turned and spoke in an angry voice before she really knew what was happening, "Hey, what are you doing? Don't touch me like…"

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Katt's antagonistic expression quickly shifted into one of regret as she saw a young, orange-furred kitten abruptly reeling away from her.

Seeing the innocent girls eyes rapidly filling with tears, Katt spoke in a contrite voice, "O-oh, no. No, don't worry about it. Sorry, I was just kind of surprised."

The kitten gave no indication of a response, but only continued to stare back at Katt with her large, teary-blue eyes. It was a look that made Katt immediately regret being forceful at all.

Taking a single step closer to the kitten and then kneeling down in front of her, Katt spoke reassuringly, "You can stop crying, I'm not mad at you. I just wasn't expecting to see you standing there, ok?" After a gentle nod and a quick wipe of her own tears, Katt continued on in a somewhat unsure tone of voice, "Is there…something I can help you with?"

In a slightly wavering voice, the kitten quietly spoke back, "Are you…Katherine Monroe?"

"Katherine…Monroe?" Stuttered Katt, not used to hearing her full name, especially coming from someone like this kitten. After a slight pause of confusion however, she nodded, "Ya, that's right…but how do you know who I am? How do you know my name?"

A sudden gleam of excitement seemed to spark within the small cat's still blurry eyes as she gently dug through her pants pocket, "Cause' I see you at the store and on books. I even have a picture from one, see?"

Just as she finished that sentence, the kitten proudly revealed a picture of Katt herself, modeling one of her many outfits on the roof of a Cornerian high-rise.

"Me and mommy think you're very pretty," Sincerely added the kitten, as Katt carefully removed the picture from her hands.

The older feline's expression softened at these kind words, a look that was defied slightly by her rather feeble response, "…Thank you. That's…really nice of you to say."

The sudden discovery of this small and excited fan had rather taken Katt by surprise. In all the time she had worked as a model, she had become accustomed to being marauded by fans and media alike. On Corneria, such widespread popularity had become a part of her life, but here, on a planet far removed from her home world, and on a mission with Star Fox, it was the last thing she expected.

"You're welcome," chimed the small kitten. Her polite words were followed shortly after by an eager question, "Can you sign it for me please?"

Katt smiled at the adorable kitten, "Sure thing. Is there something you want me to write?"

After handing the older feline a pen, the girl answered simply, "Your name, please."

Katt couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle, "Ok…anything besides that?"

"Oh, yes please!" The kitten closed her eyes as she recalled the exact order of her words, "Write, 'To Hayley and baby Emma and Mommy. I hope you can get Daddy to come back so he can help Mommy with chores like he used to. We really miss him. Love, Katherine Monroe."

Katt had stopped writing after the names had been said. Looking into the girl's expectant eyes, she commented regretfully, "You're dad left you? I'm sorry about that…"

The kitten remained strangely cheerful, "No, it's ok. When my Mommy told me to come and see you here she said you could help me find Daddy."

Katt raised an eyebrow, "She told you that I would help you?"

"Yep! She told me at the house, 'If you get Katherine's autograph, she'll be able to help me and Daddy get back together.' Mommy said so, so I know you can help."

The older feline exited from her kneeling position at this point as she thought out loud, "But how did she know I was going to be…?"

Instinct and years of mission experience suddenly kicked in as Katt abruptly rolled to her left, narrowly escaping a blaster shot that scorched into the street that lay behind her.

A scream pierced the sky as Katt looked back towards the source of the attack. Cloaked in the blackness of a nearby alleyway stood a middle-aged feline, whose intense eyes focused absorbedly on Katt's crouching figure. Katt, however, was rather impassive to the sudden attack, as she swiftly unholstered her own blaster from it's place at her hip.

A tear-filled voice shattered into the momentary silence that followed "…S-stop it, d-daddy! Don't hurt Katheri…!"

Katt's aggressor shouted back in a harsh tone, "Shut up, Hayley! If you want to live to see your mom ever again, shut up!"

Katt now seemed to become the third party in this dispute as she silently witnessed this tense father-daughter reunion.

"NO! Mommy…said that she can help! K-Katherine can…you'll come back to Mommy!"

"She said wh-…Damn it! Look, you don't know anything Hayley, so just get the hell outta here before I…"

"NO! Don't hurt her!"

The kitten's father shook his head angrily as he focused again on Katt, "This is why she...your mom, sent you here! So it'd be easier to kill Katt Monroe! And your whining sure as hell ain't gonna keep me from collecting those credits."

For a moment, silence once again found its place between the three animals. Both the kitten's father and Katt Monroe had their blasters squarely focused on the other.

Katt, however, flinched slightly as a small, furry body suddenly obscured her vision.

With hands outstretched, the kitten screamed out in a desperate voice, "I won't let you hurt her daddy! S…She didn't do anything wrong!"

Her father spoke back forcefully through clenched teeth, "Move Hayley."

The young girl shook her head, her fearful tears spraying onto the street as she did so.

"Move."

The kitten mustered up all the courage she had left in her and stared defiantly into her father's eyes, "I won't."

Without flinching, he spoke back in frustration, "Fine then. I never wanted you in the first place…"

A lone blaster shot rang out across the Estorran street; a noise that echoed among the tall buildings that surrounded the three animals.

Then came a sound of a different kind. Something metallic hit the ground, preceded immediately after by a yelp of surprise, "…W-what the hell!?"

Katt stood after successfully disarming her aggressor with a precise blaster shot and immediately approached him, blaster still drawn.

Staring down the barrel of her weapon, she stated firmly, "Get on the ground, now!"

The feline shook his head, "You think just cause' you got a gun you can order me around like that?"

She smirked, "As surprising as it sounds, ya, I do think that."

"Heh, like…like a pretty little kitten like you would have the guts to shoot me point blank in front of my own kid. …Then who's the bad guy here, huh?" He responded, his voice slowly getting shakier.

"I get the feeling she's starting to find that out for herself."

As if taking Katt's words as her cue, Hayley took a firm stance at the pink-furred feline's side and spoke with teary eyes, "You…were going to hurt me and Katherine. Why…why would you do that? We didn't do anything wrong…"

His eyes shifted to the side.

Katt nodded, "That's a good question, huh? And if I've been listening right, I'd say someone offered you a nice amount of credits to kill me. That sound about right?"

For a moment, it seemed as if he was going to resist from answering. However, as he glanced down into the innocent eyes of his daughter, he could not help but feel an immense amount of guilt come over him. With a weary, stressful sigh, he slowly dropped to the ground and leaned his back against a wall of the alleyway, placing his head in his hands as he did so, "Nice…is a bad word for it. Unbelievable, I'd say. He offered me almost a million credits to kill you. You look me in the eyes and tell me you'd pass that up."

"A million credits for what though?" Katt began, feeling it safe to re-holster her blaster, "Ruining your life? Ruining the rest of your family's lives? Doesn't sound like a fair trade to me."

The feline looked up at Katt with hurt eyes, "Says you. You've probably never had to worry about money your whole life. Me? I've been laid off, let go, put in jail, tossed aside, been called worthless…there've been times when I had to pull food from the garbage to feed my family. You tellin' me you'd like living like that? Wouldn't you do anything to end living like that? Huh!?"

Not feeling quite in the mood to answer ethical questions, Katt simply deferred her answer with another question, "Who's this guy you mentioned? The one that was gonna pay you to kill me."

The feline shifted his eyes, "Him? Well…uhh, you're not gonna like to hear this but uhh...I don't really know."

Just as he had predicted, the look Katt shot towards him said that she was indeed not happy to hear that. It was a look that, all on its own, inspired him to tell her whatever he knew, "This guy, he talked to me over my comm. I never actually saw him. He didn't give me a name, said he didn't like his clients to know his identity. But anyway, he was a wolf. Gray fur with a little white, rough voice, tough lookin' guy. He was even wearing an eye-patch."

"…Wolf?"

The feline nodded impatiently, "Ya…ya, I said he was a wol…huh? …Who the hell are you?"

Katt looked over, surprised to hear this third voice as well, to see both Shaara and Klyph standing in the street. The latter of the two stepped within inches of the seated feline and spoke with worry in his eyes. "Then he is here. Katt, where's Fox?"

Katt unsurely pointed behind her, fumbling slightly with her words as she tried to decipher why Klyph was in such an anxious mood, "Fox? He's…in that tent over there, the purple one."

Not wasting a single moment, Klyph rushed over to the tent and threw open the draping curtains that shielded the entrance. Taking only a second to survey the enclosure, he popped his head back out into fresh air, yelling across the street, "Fox is gone! I don't know how, but I know Wolf got a hold of him."

Rushing to his side, Katt peered into the tent, seeing that what Klyph had just spoken was indeed true. Looking up at him, she spoke in a tense voice, "How do you know it was Wolf? Fox could've just left on his own."

"And left you standing out here alone for all this time?" Klyph reasoned, "Hey, I don't know the guy like you, but from all I've heard, your captain doesn't make a habit of hanging animals out to dry like that."

Katt nodded, understanding now why it had taken so long for him to leave that tent. Looking down towards her wrist, she punched in a few keys on her comm. unit before speaking into it, "Great Fox, come in. Slippy? ROB? Whoever's listening, I need you to give me Fox's location on the planet, now. He could be in a lot of t…"

Before Katt could even finish her own hurried words, the urgent words of another blared out desperately from her wrist device, "…ther and he's coming for me… He's close to the bridge and I'm alone! Please, hel…!"

After those words, there was only static.

…Kaya?

Katt tried to reestablish a connection, but there was something hindering proper communication, despite how many times she tried.

"Guess we have two things to be worried about now." Started Klyph, who was now roaming down the street, "Let's start with what we can do, and that's finding Fox. Wolf didn't get far, not in the amount of time he had."

Katt nodded reluctantly as she gave up on contacting the Great Fox, "Right behind ya."

Man, all of a sudden this mission is just falling apart. And I thought we'd walk on and off this planet. Whatever, we've gotta find Fox now before Wolf does anything to him. And Kaya…she's gonna have to depend on Falco and Ayame… Poor girl…

-

Walking dutifully back and forth across the Great Fox Bridge, a lone white-furred tiger checked and double-checked the ship's orbital functions. She had been doing so ever since her teammates had departed for Xantia. Until only recently, however, he had been accompanied by Slippy, but he had not yet returned. Most wouldn't think much of this, especially in the case of Slippy, but she did.

Taking her first break, she leaned her delicate hands against a handrail adjacent to the captain's chair, her eyes wandering nervously over the yellow-green planet that hovered outside the bridge window. She knew the feline she had spoken to just minutes ago, Panther, was aboard the ship. She knew Slippy had gone to the docking bay to greet him. And most importantly, she knew he supposed to escort this Panther to the bridge. However, she had not seen or heard from him for several minutes.

Something went wrong. She could feel it.

Her senses were rarely wrong, as they were sharpened by years of fear, frustration, anger, sadness, and desperation.

It was times like this that caused her to remember those years of her life; years that had been deeply scarred into her memory, as well as her very being.

It was as her thoughts reached this point that her eyes lined with tears.

No Kaya…don't start…

Shaking her head with fleeting determination, she pushed away from the handrail and began walking towards the Great Fox's main terminal, knowing that distracting herself from thought would help ease the pain.

However, it was as she was making this short walk towards the terminal that she noticed something out of her still blurry eyes. Approaching several discreet monitors that sat within a wall of the bridge, she noticed a dark figure, which she quickly identified as their new visitor, Panther, calmly sauntering through the halls of the Great Fox. By the way the feline progressed from camera to camera, she knew that he was making his way to the bridge. More importantly, however, she noticed that Slippy was nowhere to be found around him. Momentarily looking away from Panther's current position, she glanced over the remaining monitors, checking every hallway and lounge area until she finally came to the Docking Bay camera. Kaya scanned over the large, more panned out image, trying to find her missing teammate. The tiger's sudden, surprised gasp broke the tense silence that had previously filled the bridge. Her eyes had not settled on Slippy, but rather their visitor's ship.

No…

Taking little time for herself, Kaya quickly ran to the captain's chair that sat only a few steps away and swiftly entered the code for Fox's comm. unit. Despite her quick work, she could not successfully establish a connection with her captain. Undeterred, she entered the transmission code for Katt's comm. unit, which she was able to establish a secure connection with.

Getting slightly ahead of herself, she began urgently speaking before the channel was actually open, "Hello? There is a member of team Star Wolf on the Great Fox! His name is Panther and he's coming for me... He's almost to the bridge and I'm alone! Please hel…!

Kaya was, unfortunately, unable to continue on, as the small device on the captain's chair suddenly burst into sparks. The feline quickly jumped back with a yelp to avoid getting seared, and quickly turned towards the bridge door.

There in the doorway stood the intruder, his blaster still raised as he spoke in a suave voice, "The desperation in your voice is quite attractive…has anyone told you that before?"

Kaya shot a silent, unyielding glance towards Panther before lowering her head.

"I think you know why I'm here, Kaya Aurion. Wolf wants back what is rightfully his."

Not having the courage to speak, she merely shook her head in simple disagreement.

Panther chuckled, "No? I'm afraid that is not an option."

Kaya stood in place, speaking softly without looking up, "No, I don't belong with you…any of you. I won't do it; I won't fight."

The black feline spoke back in an arrogant voice, "You know, if you weren't so opposed to carrying a blaster, you'd have an easier time convincing me to let you stay. Does the mighty Star Fox team really allow such weak animals join its ranks?"

Hinting at a rather uncharacteristic emotion, Kaya spat back in response, "A blaster doesn't make you strong."

"So true, but it doesn't make one any weaker, now does it?" Panther responded, quickly realizing that further conversation would be fruitless. To remedy this, he took a few short steps towards the meek and defenseless tiger and grabbed her firmly by the arm. The sudden contact caused Kaya to let out a slight gasp in fear, but she accepted it and remained with her head towards the floor.

"Now then," began Panther, "Let's get you back to my ship and I'll escort you back home."

It was at this point that she looked up into the eyes of her captor. At the mere mention of her former "home" all those memories began to flood into her mind, and her terrified gaze reflected it in a horribly perfect way.

No…I can't go back…

Panther seemed to derive some pleasure out of this as he suddenly let out a small chuckle, "Oh come now, don't look at me with those eyes. Wolf only wishes the best for you. If only you'd be more compliant, you wouldn't come to hate Star Wolf's cause."

I…won't go back…

Kaya spoke back flatly, "I will never become one of you."

Panther shook his head and turned to leave with his prisoner's arm still steadfastly in hand, "Of course you won't."

I'm…sorry…

"What the…!"

Those were the only words Panther could let out before, in what seemed like a split second, Kaya broke her arm free of his grasp and delivered a devastating kick to the side of his black, furry head. It was such harsh and spontaneous contact that Panther reeled back for several feet before crashing into one of the surrounding walls, jarring the blaster from his hand as he did so.

Shaking his head in surprise and subconsciously checking his face with his hand, Panther's attention locked onto the aggressive fighting stance of the previously helpless Kaya.

With a smirk, Panther readied himself as well, "Ahh…so you've finally come around. Wolf will be most pleased."

As the black furred feline cautiously approached her position, Kaya spoke to him in a determined voice, one that few had ever heard before, "Leave. Now."

"Not without you, I'm afraid." After speaking these smug words, Panther unexpectedly rushed towards his target, fist drawn at his side.

Kaya saw this and remained calm, lingering in her current position until she saw her attacker's fist begin to launch forward. Just as his attack was about to connect to her face, she leaned her upper body to the side, evading the punch, while also grabbing this same fist with her own hands, throwing his momentum further forward than he had intended.

With a grunt of surprise, Panther's arm was pulled fiercely across Kaya's body, causing him to fall to the ground and awkwardly tumble down the short flight of stairs that led to the bridge's main display monitor.

For a moment he lay there, feeling the pains that had arisen all over his body from his unforgiving fall. After that slight pause, he quickly gathered himself and propped himself up onto one knee before looking back towards his opponent. Quickly after doing so, however, he found it would have been better to stay on the ground. The moment he looked up, he could see nothing but the color of white and black striped fur flying towards his face before he felt Kaya's knee crash abruptly into his jaw, causing him to fall on his back as the structure of his face cracked a gave way in several places.

He let out a roar of pain as blood spewed forth from his mouth and nose, but was somehow able to use the backward momentum of the blow to somersault onto his feet. Once he reached this upward posture, however, he staggered slightly as his head throbbed with pain.

"Give up?" Kaya spoke with a still emotionless expression.

Wiping some blood free from his face, Panther took a deep breath before speaking back with a smile, "Wolf didn't mention how…feisty you were. …It's rather refreshing, really. None of my targets as of late have put up near the fight as you are now. I think I could grow quite fond of you in time, Kaya."

With almost no indication whatsoever, the young tiger flashed forward with remarkable speed.

"No more!"

That was the only sound Panther heard before Kaya slammed her closed fist into his diaphragm. The feline staggered back as a result of the forceful contact, but did not fall over. Instead, he quickly hunched over as a mass of blood rose from within his body and launched free from his mouth, which splattered against the ground, while also tainting portions of his opponent's face and left arm.

Feeling no pity, Kaya reared back and delivered the finishing blow, a fierce upwards kick to the head of the unsuspecting Panther Caroso, sending his body inches into the air before he came to rest on the unforgiving metal surface of the bridge floor among his own regurgitated blood.

For a moment, there was no noise, there was no movement, there was only the heavy breathing of the defeated Panther and he attempted to breathe through his damaged lungs. Kaya looked down at the bloody mess that was her opponent, then to her arm and uniform, which were covered in the same blood. With a content sigh, she smiled.

"What the! …Kaya, what happened in here!?"

Turning in surprise, Kaya saw Falco and Ayame standing in the doorway to the Great Fox bridge, their eyes locked onto the badly wounded feline that sat behind her.

Kaya herself turned back to see Panther laying there, motionless. His head lay awkwardly on it's side, allowing her to see the slow trickle of blood flowing from his face and muzzle. With a quiet gasp, her eyes began to tear as she slowly backed away from the gruesome sight, "He…he was going to take me back."

Leaving Ayame behind him, Falco ran over to the handrail that separated the bridge and leaned against its surface, quickly examining the damage that had been done to their now thwarted intruder, "Panther? Holy… You really beat him down, Kaya. …But wasn't he working for Corneria just a while ago?" The avian turned away from the bloody sight beneath him and looked over to Kaya instead, "Now the guy's a member of Star Wolf?"

Kaya couldn't look at Falco; the reality of what she had just done was beginning to take hold of her.

I…didn't mean to…I'm sorry…

The following silence was answer enough for Falco. "So he is, huh? What a screwed up idiot. Who'd wanna give up their cushy lieutenant position for the chance to work as a mercenary for Star Wolf?"

The avian didn't worry about it for long, however, as he turned to face Ayame, who seemed to snap out of some train of thought as she met his eyes. "Ayame, you wanna call the authorities on the planet down there? I'm sure they can find something to do with this guy."

The wolf hesitated for a second before responding unsurely, "Uh…ya, sure. I'm on it."

Falco gave her a strange look before speaking back, "Are you alright? You've been kinda quiet today. Heh, what'd I do to earn that reward?"

She paused for a moment, realizing that what he had said was true, but quickly remedied the situation as she spoke back in a more characteristic tone of voice, "Reward? Maybe I just don't have anything to say to you, blueboy. Today wasn't exactly something worth talking about anyway."

Falco smirked, "Ya, you're right. Besides the fact we had a new mission, found out Fox had no idea what he was doing the in the first place, you almost crashing into that cargo ship on the way back, and us coming in here to find out Kaya beat a member of Star Wolf half to death, it was a pretty normal day."

Once again, she struggled with her words, "Well…ya know, it was just a…"

Falco cut her off before she could go on, "Ok, ok, I'll do us both a favor and let you go pull yourself together. Call down to Xantia and get someone up here to deal with Panther, alright? We can practice finishing sentences later."

Rolling her eyes, Ayame turned and exited from the bridge.

As the door slid to a close behind her, Falco looked back at the figure of Kaya, who was still staring distractedly towards the ground through teary eyes. The avian took a few steps closer as he spoke, "Hey, come on. Panther's not gonna do anything to you now. We'll get him off this ship and you'll be fine, alright?"

"But…I fought him. Just like they taught me too…" Kaya's shaky voice was barely audible, even amongst the complete silence of the Great Fox bridge.

Falco nodded, understanding the true meaning of her words, "Ya, you did, and you had to. If you didn't, you'd be back with Star Wolf right now. I figure a quick little relapse like that's a fair trade. You gotta…"

"That's enough." Her voice was suddenly solid as she looked up into Falco's face, her eyes lined with the streaks of newly fallen tears. "I want to be alone."

At those words, Kaya sidestepped the avian and steadily walked towards the bridge door. Her pace quickened, however, as she suddenly tasted a strange, salty liquid seep into the corner of her mouth.

With both Ayame and Kaya gone, Falco was left to himself. Shaking his head with a sigh, he leaned his back against the dividing rail of the bridge, glancing over his shoulder to see the dilapidated Panther still lying silently beneath him.

Guess I'm on guard duty for now. How exciting. This day just keeps getting better and better. Hopefully ol' McCloud's having some fun down there; I'd hate to think we came all the way out here just to get our ship boarded…

-

…No! I…can't give up on her now! I…!

Fox's thoughts suddenly came to life as he abruptly regained consciousness. Snapping his eyes open, he suddenly realized that his head was throbbing with pain, causing them to wince hard as he let out a quiet groan.

"Heh, well this is a sad sight."

The vulpine froze as he heard that voice. It was one he had not heard for several years, but even after all that time, his mind instantly recognized it.

…Wolf.

Still wincing from his aching head, he looked up through one open eye and scanned the immediate area. A good distance away, he could see a wide opening of light that led into what looked like a city street. It was the first thing he was able to identify, because everything before that light was covered in darkness. As he looked to his sides, he could see this area was surrounded with high walls, including the one he was currently leaning against. With all this in mind, he realized that he must have been moved to an alleyway, and quite a dilapidated one as well, as the pavement was covered in litter and debris, all accompanied by the faint smell of rotting food. Upon completing his initial survey of his new surroundings, he could see a shadowed figure sitting atop a small garbage can. Focusing as much as he could, he looked into his old rival's face, which suddenly turned towards him.

Smirking upon eye contact, Wolf took his feet and slowly approached the vulpine. "I guess even the so called, "Savior of the Lylat system," can be naïve enough to fall for pathetic traps like that. Just because everyone knows your name doesn't mean they wouldn't turn on you, Fox. I'm glad I was the one that got to teach you that lesson…"

Managing to shake a bit of the pain out of his head, he opened both of his eyes and brought them into contact with his former adversary, speaking back in a rather weak voice, "What do you want?"

Wolf shook his head with a chuckle, "Same thing as always, McCloud; trying to collect some bounty on you and your team. I thought you'd be the hardest to capture, but it turns out it was the other way around. Your friend Katt managed to avoid her own death, but I'll make sure you don't get away with the same."

"Katt?" Fox blurted out, startled to hear that he was not the only intended target, "What do you want her dead for?"

"I have my orders."

Taking a few steps forward, Wolf continued, "But it's really none of your business, Fox. I'd be more worried about myself in your situation. This alley will be the last thing you ever see. You can bet on that. But before I get ahead of myself, there's a few things I want you to know. I've been chasing after you for all these years McCloud, and you're finally mine. I'm gonna make this worth every second of my time…"

Fox looked unflinchingly up at the lupine, "So…you were the one that sent me that message on the way to the planet."

With a snide chuckle, Wolf spoke back, "You really catch on quick, Fox. No wonder you're the leader of the most famous mercenary group in the galaxy."

As Wolf was speaking, Fox attempted several times to move his arms and legs, but they were still greatly limp and numb from the sedative he had been injected with, likely an after effect of the drug. The only thing he could really manage was to move his head around, and even his control over that simple motion had been greatly hampered.

I…I can't move at all. My body feels completely numb.

Needing more time to devise a course of action, Fox spoke back to Wolf, "But if that's true, you're going against your own words. The guy I spoke to said he didn't want to kill me without a fight. You used that drug to paralyze me; I can't fight back like this." Fox smirked, "Did you get scared and change your mind?"

Wolf sneered back at the vulpine, "No, that old hag injected you with too much sedative, but I've dealt with her.

Fox could see it in his eyes, his one weakness. For once, he was glad he had attended the Academy with Wolf. In anything, be it classes, simulations, or the practice range, Wolf would never do anything to damage his honor. If he believed something, he would never change his mind; never compromise.

Hoping that this still held true to this day, Fox shook his head, "Is that your excuse? Someone else's failure gives you the right to go back on your word? I thought you were looking forward to fighting me to the death, but if you're really that unsure…"

With a growl, Wolf bent over and picked up Fox's limp body by the collar of his shirt, staring at him with angry eyes as he spat back, "Don't think for a second that I'm against the idea of clawing you to death with my bear hands in a fight, McCloud."

Not able to move any other part of his body, Fox used only the unwavering determination in his eyes to stand up to his old rival, speaking back defiantly as he did so, "I'd like to see you try."

Before he knew it, Fox felt his body jerk downwards and then suddenly slam into the dirty ground, followed shortly after by Wolf's gruff words, "Fine Fox! If that's how you want to die, then I'll wait! Those drugs should wear of any minute, and when they do, you're dead." Pausing for a moment, he raised a clenched fist to his face and barred his fangs, continuing on immediately after in a grumbling, low voice, "I'll rip you to shreds and lick your cold, dead blood off my claws!"

For a moment, Fox struggled on the ground after the harsh impact, but he somehow managed to roll onto his side, allowing him to look up at the angered lupine that hovered above him. With his now dirtied face that was accented with a scrape near his right eye, Fox chuckled, "We'll see…"

Turning from his adversary slowly, Wolf quieted replied, "That's right, we will se…"

"…Fox!? NO!"

In the blink of an eye, the alleyway went from simple conversation to an eruption of blaster fire.

"What the…!" Wolf cut himself off as he swiftly rolled behind a pile of metallic crates, narrowly dodging the sudden attack.

Equally surprised, but unable to take any preventative action, was Fox, who eagerly looked down towards the end of the alleyway where the voice had emanated from. Because of the abrupt change from dark to light that was created within the area, he could not immediately identify who it was. However, he could distinguish three different silhouettes, and from there he quickly put the pieces together in his mind.

"Katt? Is that you!?"

He looked down for a moment, his eyes not wanting to adjust to the fading, orange-hued light that sat beyond the alleyway, as he heard the familiar female voice speak back, "Fox? It's Katt! Klyph and Shaara are here too! Where'd he go? Where's Wolf?"

The lupine's eyes seemed to freeze as he heard her speak. He remained this way for several seconds as silence wafted through the area until suddenly, he looked up at Fox, his eyes filled once again with anger. Quietly, he spoke, "Klyph? You dragged him into this?"

Fox didn't even have time to say anything back as a devilish smirk reappeared upon Wolf's face, "This is even better than I planned."

Standing up from behind the crates, Wolf turned confidently addressed the three newly arrived animals, "I'm right here. But be careful, take any more shots at me and Fox dies." Unholstering his blaster, Wolf calmly aimed it towards the reclining vulpine.

Katt's weapon was immediately trained onto the lupine's head as he revealed it from behind the distant crates, but her aim wavered slightly as she heard these words. Instead, her attention quickly shifted to Fox as she shot him a confused glance, as if to ask why he hadn't made any attempt to escape during their arrival.

Almost as if Wolf was able to pick up this subtle communication, he let out a slight chuckle as he continued, "And don't think you have any chance at surrounding me. Fox over here can't move, thanks to that sedative I injected him with. Like it or not, Fox isn't leaving this planet alive, but I'll let you live for a little longer. Just toss your blaster over here and run. Are we clear?"

Katt hesitated, desperately trying to devise a plan of action, but being unable to do so, she merely gave herself more time by posing a question, "If I do give up my blaster, what guarantee do I have that you won't just kill all of us right here?"

Wolf seemed slightly annoyed upon giving response, as if the answer should have been obvious, "I never go back on my word, cat. If you drop your blaster now, you'll leave here alive. But you have to do it now."

The feline's mind raced.

What am I supposed to do? If I shoot him, Fox dies. If I drop my blaster, Fox dies. There's gotta be another way out of this…another way to save Fox. If he were me I bet he'd think of something…Come on Katt, there's gotta be something. Anything…

"Wolf…why do you keep doing this?"

Klyph stepped forward in front of the pink-furred feline and sturdily faced his younger brother, a look of sudden melancholy filling his eyes, "Is this really what you want to do with your life?"

"Don't think you're any different, Klyph." Wolf began, his eyes in direct contradiction to those of his brother's, "I'll blast you without a second thought. Don't come any closer, or I'll…"

"Kill me?" Klyph's words completed Wolf's sentence, and after he did so, he began his own as he continued slowly closer, "You'd kill your own brother just to prove a point? Come on, that's not you."

Wolf's expression remained even, "I wouldn't test that theory. You take one step closer and I'll drop you to the ground."

As this less than perfect reunion was going on, the seemingly forgotten Fox suddenly felt his hands against the cold ground. The feelings in his limbs slowly came back to him, which he subtly tested by tapping each individual finger against the ground while shrugging his shoulders.

Great, this could time out perfectly. Just stall him for a second longer and I'll rush Wolf and disarm him. I don't know how, but I might actually get out of here alive.

Fox's cut his internal monologue short and returned his attention to the two wolves, neither of which had moved an inch since he retreated into thought.

"…n't bring mom and dad into this, Wolf. They did the best they could raising you. They gave all we had so you could go to the Cornerian Academy. You went there to train to fight for the good of the universe. How did you end up in this line of work?" Klyph reasoned.

Wolf shook his head, "You know what, Klyph? This is why I haven't seen you for ten years. I knew if I ever did, I'd get questioned like this. It's my life, and I'll live it how I want. If you don't like it, then I'll gladly let you join mom and dad in hell."

Klyph's calm demeanor suddenly snapped as he heard these words. For a moment, he turned his head towards the ground in disbelief, unable to believe those words actually came out. The wolf's fist roughly clenched at his side as he returned his eyes to his brother, which were now filled with unseen fury, "You…how can you say that? They raised you better than I could ever hope to raise my own kids. I saw it all, Wolf. For you to say that…it's…" Klyph paused for a moment as he took a deep breath, "It's unthinkable."

Wolf smirked as he turned completely towards Klyph, enjoying how angry he was making his brother, "What are you going to do about it. Huh? Brother?"

Fox's eyes flashed.

That's it!

Without a second thought, the vulpine skillfully hopped to his feet and sprung towards his captor, but was suddenly and unexpectedly stopped short of his target.

A chilling roar echoed through the area as Klyph took a few short steps forward and dove full speed towards the figure of his brother. Wolf was half expecting something like this, however, evidenced by his quick reaction and ability to send several blaster shots mercilessly through the abdomen and chest of his older brother.

"Klyph!" Shaara's bloodcurdling scream echoed through the alleyway, just as her husband's roar had seconds before, as she witnessed her love bleeding heavily atop the body of his younger brother.

By sheer power of will, however, Klyph managed to retain his strength long enough to restrain Wolf's blaster hand to the ground, while at the same time delivering a forceful punch to the side of his younger brother's face.

As Wolf's blood splashed lightly against the nearby alley wall, Fox snapped out of his surprise and quickly wrenched the blaster from his enemy's hand, immediately after aiming it confidently at his head.

"Klyph, it's alright! We've got him!" The vulpine's exclamation was blocked out by the continued grunts and growls of the two that fought on the ground, but their movements suddenly ceased as a heavily bleeding Klyph fell limp on top of his brother, spreading the red substance freely across Wolf's now torn and tattered uniform, as well as into several spots of his fur.

Seeing this, Fox yelled out new commands, "Katt! Come over here and help Klyph out, and Shaara, you go find help! He's gonna need medical attention, quick!"

After giving a nod to the other, both of the females ran off to perform their duties, Shaara disappearing from sight behind the buildings, and Katt quickly rushing to Klyph's side. As carefully and gently as she could, the feline slowly removed his motionless body from atop his younger brother, propping him up against a nearby wall for better support.

Fox, meanwhile, had not taken his eyes, or his blaster, off of the body of Wolf O'Donnell, who willingly remained on the ground, groaning slightly with winced eyes.

For several minutes, this was the scene in that alleyway. There was very little movement, and every few seconds, there would be a bit of conversation between Fox and Katt, but nothing else changed. With the exception of Klyph's physical condition, which was quickly worsening as time passed. There was nothing anyone in that area could do to help, however, as they were completely unequipped to handle blaster wounds like the one Klyph had sustained.

Thankfully, however, after several pensive minutes, help finally arrived. Shaara rushed to Klyph's side, followed shortly after by two doctors and their several attendants. After a brief examination, it was determined that the lupine's condition was sadly bleak, due to a severely heavy amount of blood loss. Accompanied closely by his tearful wife, Klyph was loaded onto a gurney, and then transported a short distance to the end of the alleyway, where a hovering ambulance sat. Opening the rear hatch, the attendants began to place their patient into the vehicle, but as Fox and Katt watched from a distance, they could see that they stopped for a moment as Shaara leaned in close to Klyph. A few seconds later, she gave a determined nod and backed away from his gurney as he was fully positioned within the vehicle. With light and horns blaring, the emergency transport sped off down the street, and with it went Shaara's best wishes, but that fact may not have been evident, as she made no attempt to follow. Instead, she turned back towards the two members of the Star Fox team, gradually making her way in their direction and stopping with a smile.

"He says that none of us should worry. I know he'll make it through this… I just know it."

Fox nodded, adding in a comforting voice, "I have a feeling he will too. He's a brave guy, going up against his own brother like that. He won't lose this fight either."

Shaara nodded thankfully, "It wasn't just him though, Fox. Without you, he really might have been gone…forever. …Thank you."

The vulpine was only able to nod back as he heard a sudden grunt come from his side. Looking over, he saw two well-built dogs, each wearing a decorated police uniform, supporting the limp form of Wolf O' Donnell, who cast a glance towards Fox that fully conveyed his hatred. Just that look alone would have sent the message he wanted to pass on, even without the weak, gruff words that passed through his bloodied mouth, "You won't…get away with living twice…Fox McCloud. Watch your back. You and me still have a fight to finish…"

He may have intended to say more, but a forceful twist of his left arm dissuaded him from doing so. With one final, spiteful glance, Wolf was roughly thrown in the rear seat of a nearby police cruiser, which quickly drifted across the street and out of sight.

"Well…" Shaara began, breaking a short period of silence that was held between the three animals, "It looks like this mess is finally over, thank goodness."

Katt let out an almost sarcastic sounding chuckle, "What a day this was. And here I thought we'd be off this planet by now. I should know by now that trouble like this follows Fox around wherever he goes." Katt leaned over and gave her captain a playful push with her hand, "What am I doing traveling around with you anyway, Foxboy?"

Fox smiled back, "Living an exciting life, at the least. Besides that, I don't know."

Breaking the somewhat lighter atmosphere that had been created, Shaara spoke in a calm voice, "But it's not over yet. The Five-Hundred Year festival is about to come to a close. Klyph told me to take you both to the opening of the Otherworldly Gate. We'll need to hurry, I'm sure the closing ceremony is about to start."

Fox and Katt both exchanged surprised glances, which effectively communicated that they'd both forgotten completely about Klyph's plan to help with the Star Fox team's mission here on Xantia.

There was a short silence, but it was broken shortly after by Katt, who'd been asking this question since she'd heard of this festival, "Alright, sounds good, Shaara. But first, can you tell us exactly what's supposed to happen during the ceremony? Klyph was a little vague about why we should go there in the first place, besides the fact it's supposed to help us out."

Shaara giggled in response, "Yes, we was, wasn't he? He just wanted to keep it a surprise is all."

Her smile faded only slightly as she began her explanation, "The Otherworldly Gate is said to be a portal to another world, separate from our own. It's written in our planet's history that every five hundred years, the Otherworldly Gate itself chooses one animal to enter into it, allowing them the chance to be granted a miracle. What that means, no one really knows. All we really know from the passages of our planet's record books is that this choice is made by one's strength in the Energy of Life. Apparently, it's power that animals of the past could harness. Everyone today though thinks the Energy of Life is more of a metaphor used by our ancestors to show how we should live our lives. Anyway, Klyph thought that maybe you'd have a chance to be chosen, and then you could find the animal you're looking for. It…is a bit of wishful thinking on Klyph's part, but he's always been optimistic. And besides, I have a good feeling about you both. I'm almost sure one of you will be chosen."

Katt nodded, satisfied with that explanation, and quickly turned to Fox, who was staring distractedly towards the ground.

The…Energy of Life?

The vulpine's head suddenly returned to a level position, and without wasting any more time, he spoke in an even voice that somehow was able to mask his anticipation, "Alright, let's go to the Otherworldly Gate. Lead the way, Shaara."

Maybe…maybe I can see you again.

---

Author's Notes: Alright, so that didn't take a year and a half, at least. You should all be happy about that. I'm pretty happy, that's for sure. So Star Wolf had a tough chapter, that's for sure. Thanks for showing up in my story Star Wolf, hope you enjoyed your stay! …Anyway, that was a really long chapter, but a lot of stuff happened, so it's justified, I guess. Did anybody notice how much blood there was in this chapter? So unlike me, right? I kinda like it though…maybe we'll see a bit more action than we did in Echoes of the Future, or maybe not. We'll find out.

(Chapter 10: Two Spirits, Linked)

Ok, I've been dying to get to this point in the story. Look forward to the reunion that we've all been waiting for. I think I can just leave it at that.

MAIL CALL

G wyvern
zomg lol this story is the shiz...after reading thru echoes of the future (did i spell that right?) and thru what is done with this i feel a big emptyness on how i dont know teh end! and 1 thing about emptyness is that it causes implosions...i dont want 2 implode...i want to explode...the pain isnt as drawn out that way...so keep up teh good work :D

FoxMC: Ha, did you spell what right? Echoes of the Future? Yes. A lot of other words, no. Sorry, I'm too sarcastic for my own good. However, I'm glad you've figured out you'd rather explode than implode. I'm still deciding which would be better…

Kitsune Arrow
Hay this is a great story Keep up the good work!

FoxMC: Thank you, dear sir. I wholeheartedly intend to do so.

Agt.Ferret
hey FoxMC,Ive read your storys and all I can say is...YOU ARE The GREATEST WRITER I KNOW! Im glad to see you're back

FoxMC: That is very nice of you to say, so thanks. I feel very good to be back, as well. Actually, how long between posts can you be to still consider yourself, "back?" Hopefully a few months, cause I'd rather stay than keep coming "back."

SPG inc.
Yay! New chapter!
Ok, I'll be more patient in respect of Kaya's dilemma. Just make sure you're nice to her (I'm english, we like the downtrodden ones) and if Panther has done/will do something to her, I want to see him DIE
Fox I don't care about. From when Krystal died he knew there was hope, yet he continues to let down his friends, cause criminal damage to Cornarian property and generally make everyone depressed. He and Falco can go fall on Solar for all I care.

FoxMC: After this chapter, looks like Panther's the trodden down one. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.) And ya, Fox is kind of a mess right now, but that last boost he needs to get back on track is coming in a big way. Falco, however, can, indeed, die.

arwingpilots825
HAha, you finnaly decided to post agien and get your story going agien. This chapter was very well done. Been a while since i read your ol' storys, but hey, im not flying at the time. WHy not read a good story by FOXMC.
(by the way, i read your answer to a review that involvd somthen with tree instead of three. Tree is a word to say 3 on radio communications in the army and The Air force communications relaying. one, too, tree, fo-ur, five, sixx, sev-an, aite, niner. just a little lesson from a pilot.)
Bravo Zulu
2lt Jensen

FoxMC: Oh, alright. Thanks for the lesson. I now consider myself a much more cultured and learned person. That's really cool that you're a pilot by the way. I respect that.

Northernmegas
Once again, yet another great chapter.
Assuming I got the time line correct. This is one year before Star Fox Assault, correct?
I know that there are a thousands of theory's, on why Wolf O'Donnell signed on with Andross. But what is your theory? It may or may not make the plot thicker (just a suggestion).
Even with all these comments, you are still writing up a storm and would very much like to see you continue. :D
Luck runs out. Skill doesn't.

FoxMC: Actually, this story runs independently from games after SF Adventures. But if it were on that timeline, A Journey Apart would be starting in the same year of the Aparoid invasion. However, there will be no tie-in to that at all, except a few things here and there. Thanks for the review, and the neat one-liner at the end.

LilGstryker
Man, poor Fox has been through a lot o crap. Great chapter! By the by, what has it been, a couple months since you updated? please don't make me wait that long again!

FoxMC: Make that a year and a half, good sir. I was sitting on that last chapter forever. I don't intend to make anyone wait that long again, but I never did in the first place…so…yikes.

PuffNStuff326
No words can express the joy i felt when I first gavzed at the screen seeing; A Journey Apart. Updated! I had a seizure. This is my utmost favorite fanfic! (sorry kitkamarak lol) Great update but YOU MUST UPDATE THIS AGAIN SOON OR KRYSTAL SHALL STAY DEAD FOREVER AND IT WILL BE ALL YOUR FAULT!

FoxMC: Heh, I couldn't help but laugh at the end of this comment. I suppose it would be my fault, huh? Well, Krystal may be dead, but she's not out of the story. Wait for the next chapter, you'll see.

PhantomX-91
Well, well, well. Good to see ya haven't died over that long gap. To think that if ya keep updating like this, I could probably end up in my 50's or something shudders at the thought. For Fox to be tricked like that, for shame. But I can't wait to see whats up with Kaya's story, she must have a very interesting past...

FoxMC: Yes, she does, and we'll get to it chapter after next. I'm excited to really introduce Kaya to the Star Fox team, and to you, the readers, as well.

SkullFox
Good to see you updating again. Almost lost faith, great story...would've been a sad day to see it end ahead of it's intent. Can't wait for the next chapter...

FoxMC: It would have been a sad day. I've said it many times before, but I want to see how this story ends just as much as all of you. And trust me, I'll get there…one day.

V-StarFox
Sweet! Another update... after forever :D
Anyway, awesome chapter (like always) Keep at it, and eventually you'll finish this (too bad we don't know how many years from now) :P

FoxMC: Heck yes I will finish this. Heck yes I don't know how long from now that will be. Heck yes this MAIL CALL is over!