Down below on the surface of the planet, long before Fox had even made his departure, another outworlder was stirring from a deep slumber. Surrounded by the soft sound of trickling water and the sweet smell of grass and flowers, a lone, blue vixen quietly opened her sapphire eyes with blurred vision and slow, disorderly thoughts.
Despite an almost unnoticeable sense of unease at the back of her already jumbled mind, the tranquil sounds and sensations of pure, untarnished nature filled her chest with a strange peace that she hadn't felt in a long time, and forced her to forget all her troubles, if but for a moment. With a long, contented sigh, she slowly leaned her head back and closed her eyes once more, a small smile threatening to tug at her lips.
Unfortunately, Krystal's mind soon caught up with her body, and she found her eyes quickly opening again. Recent memories returned to her like a thundering crash of lightning, causing a rush of panic to surge throughout her.
"K-Kyte?" She called, pushing herself up off of the ground.
However, as the vixen tried to sit up and quickly climb to her feet, she felt a rush of lightheadedness that forced her to sit back down.
"Ugh…" She groaned, clutching her temples as a throbbing headache assaulted her mind.
Eventually, as the blood flowed back into her brain and her vision returned to normal, she slowly climbed back to her feet. "Kyte?" She called again.
As her head shot back and forth to observe her surroundings, she saw that she was definitely no longer in Krazoa palace, but rather in a peaceful field of green grass, a few scattered trees, and a shallow stream of slowly running water. Despite the beauty of it all, she found that the panic filling her chest was increasing with the confusion of how she got there. Her eyes desperately darted around the unfamiliar landscape, searching for her young ward.
"Kyte!" She called again. "Where are you?"
"Krystal?"
The vixen spun around at the sound of the small voice, and she saw with a burst of relief that the young CloudRunner was not far away, peeking her head out from behind a small bush.
"Oh, Krystal!" She exclaimed with the same relief that Krystal was feeling. "You're awake!"
The small princess jumped out and ran to the vixen, a large smile gracing her beak. With a quick flap, she suddenly leapt up and wrapped her wings around Krystal's midsection in an excited embrace.
"Oh!" Krystal said with a surprised laugh as she grabbed hold of the young girl to prevent her from falling. "It's nice to see you too, Kyte."
"I was really worried." Kyte said as she dropped back to the soft grass. "I couldn't wake you up."
"Where are we?" Krystal asked with a frown, glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "How did we get here?"
"I don't know." Kyte responded, shrugging. "I don't think I've ever been here before."
"What were you doing over there?"
"I… well I got a bit hungry when I was waiting, so I decided to look for something we could eat. I didn't go far!" She said quickly as Krystal raised an eyebrow. "I was just exploring a bit."
Krystal sighed and shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Well, if you're still hungry, then perhaps we should find you something to eat. Come on."
"Okay, great!" She said happily before jumping up and perching on the vixen's arm. "I think we should follow the river. That's usually where most plants grow, so maybe we can find some food there."
"And perhaps someone who can tell us where we are." Krystal added with a nod. "Good thinking, Kyte."
Smiling at the pride that flashed across the young girl's face, Krystal began following the path of the gentle stream with the young princess perched on her upraised arm.
Krystal was glad that the young girl seemed to be so unfazed at their predicament. Though she herself was managing to keep an air of confidence, Krystal had a deep sense of of unease weighing down on her heart. Not only did she have no idea where they were or how they got there, but she had also realized that the Krazoa spirit that she had once been carrying through the palace was no longer with her. She had no idea what could have happened to the being, but the fear that it was lost or had somehow been stolen worried her greatly.
Those spirits are the only way to save Kyte's planet, she thought. We need to find them soon. What happened to me just can't happen…
"Krystal?" Kyte asked suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. "Are you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Of course I am."
Kyte frowned as she looked at the vixen. "Krystal, you know I can tell what you're feeling."
"What… oh, right." She said as she remembered their last conversation in the palace. "Of course you can."
"What's wrong?"
Krystal sighed, and her gaze fell down to observe the gentle stream at the duo's side. She didn't want to worry the young girl, so she tried to downplay her feelings a tad. "I'll admit I'm just a bit nervous. So much has happened since I first got here, and I've been given so much responsibility; it's a bit overwhelming."
Kyte smiled. "C'mon Krystal, don't you remember? This is an adventure! It's supposed…"
"To be fun." Krystal finished with a chuckle. "I know."
"Exactly. Besides, I bet I can teach you everything you need to know about Dinosaur Planet. You'll feel like you're home in no time!"
"Of course." The vixen said with a smile and a wink. "After all, I would be lost without my faithful guide."
The young girl giggled softly, but her smile fell as Krystal's eyes turned away back to the path, glimmering with a thoughtful shine.
"Krystal?"
"Who attacked us?"
"Huh?"
"In the palace, after the spirit's test?"
"Oh, I don't know. I didn't see him." She shuddered slightly. "He had a creepy voice though."
"You heard him speak?"
The young CloudRunner nodded. "Yeah. He said 'You're not supposed to be here.' Or something like that."
Krystal crossed her arms in quiet contemplation. "Strange." She muttered.
"Don't worry!" Kyte said enthusiastically. "Whoever it was, if we ever meet the creep again, I'm sure we can take him."
The girl's words made Krystal smile, but she still carried an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Perhaps." She said quietly.
Meanwhile, high in the sky above the unwitting duo, a sleek space fighter was sailing through the atmosphere like a diving falcon, drawing ever closer to the surface of the planet below. Though the small ship had certainly seen better days, being battered and in obvious need of a few basic repairs, it was still a powerful and agile machine, likely the most advanced that Sauria had seen for a very long time. Even if it was veering slightly to the left.
"Oh for crying out loud…" Fox muttered as he pulled his Arwing's controls to the right to compensate. "Slippy told me he fixed this. Little…"
He grumbled silently for a moment before glancing down to see that he was nearing the coordinates that General Pepper had given him. Pulling down on the controls, he angled the Arwing towards the surface preparing to touch down onto solid ground.
As habits that had been made solid from years of experience took hold, the vulpine allowed himself a moment of distraction to look down at the green land below. The planet of Sauria was beautiful from orbit, but now that Fox was down near the surface, he realized just how pristine it all really was. It looked as though no sentient life had ever set foot upon its soft soil, allowing armies of exotic plant life and fungi to assert their dominance across the whole surface. It was magnificent.
"Peppy to Fox. Come in, son."
The sudden voice cutting through Fox's daze caused the vulpine to jump slightly, but he quickly recovered to answer the communication.
"Uh, yeah. I read you Peppy."
"You're a bit off course, Fox. Are you alright?"
Peppy's words made Fox realize with a jolt that he had, in his daze, allowed the Arwing to stray far from his intended destination.
"Oh blast it. What are you doing McCloud?" He chided himself, before answering the old rabbit. "Sorry, Peppy. I got distracted."
"What a surprise." He said dryly. "Honestly, it's probably for the best anyway, since I don't think you want to land in a populated area. Touchdown nearby somewhere hidden, and you can travel to Pepper's coordinates on foot."
"Copy that. I think I see a good spot. I'm moving to land there."
"Roger. Contact us as soon as you arrive."
"Right. Fox out."
Cutting the transmission with a click, the skilled pilot steadily angled the Arwing's nose towards the ground, aiming for a small clearing in the trees that would have enough space to house the fighter as well as set up a small camp, but secluded enough that it would be unlikely a native would stumble across it. Easing back on the throttle and slowly powering down the G-diffusers, Fox activated the landing thrusters on the underside of the ship to begin a slow and steady descent.
Within moments, the Arwing was safely planted on Saurian soil, and Fox was powering down each of its systems before unbuckling his restraint and opening the cockpit. Lifting himself up and over the edge, he dropped to the ground with a grunt.
As he took a moment to stretch and take in his surroundings, the first thing he noticed was that it was very hot. Despite being in the shade of a few tall trees, the air was carrying with it a humid heat that many would find uncomfortable. Fox however, found it very pleasant. After being cooped up on the Great Fox and its artificially cooled interior for so long, it was nice to feel a natural warmth again.
He didn't take too long to rest and enjoy it however, because within moments he was opening the small cargo hatch at the base of the Arwing's nose to retrieve his supplies. He knew he would have to travel light, so he only took out basic necessities such as packets of rations, a simple sleeping mat, and his Pathfinder, which was programmed with all known data of Sauria's terrain. (Which admittedly wasn't a great deal.)
After tossing each of these into a compact backpack, he double-checked the charge level on his blaster before beginning his trek west towards Pepper's coordinates.
Alright, he thought, running over his plan in his mind. I just need to get to this place Pepper talked about, scout out for any of this foreign technology, and figure out how to find the EarthWalkers. Should be simple enough, I just hope I can find someone who can help.
"Oh, oh! Krystal, come here!"
The vixen's head shot up as her young ward's voice suddenly sounded from the top of the hill. "What is it?" She called.
The duo had been traveling for only a short while before they had come to a short hill with a path running up it's side. Kyte had flown up first to see across to the other side, and she was currently jumping up and down on a boulder at the top, gesturing to Krystal to climb up.
"Just come!"
Krystal nodded and doubled her pace, following the simple path and climbing the small boulder until she was at the CloudRunner's side.
"What did you see?" She asked.
"Look!" Kyte exclaimed pointing. "I know where we are!"
Krystal's eyes followed the young CloudRunner's digit to see that, far below them on the other side of the hill, surrounded by steep hills and small cliffs of craggy rock, lay a beautiful green valley, full of tall trees, exotic plants, and a small lake fed by the same river that the two had been following. But what stood out to Krystal was the huge, stone structure, with walls as tall as a keep, nestled into the side of one of the cliffs. Despite looking as though it had been standing for many years, it still had signs of life all around, as there were wooden huts and other such structures scattered within and without the stone walls.
"What is this place?" Krystal asked.
"This is ThornTail Hollow." Kyte explained. "It's where the ThornTail tribe live. Mother took me here once when she needed to speak to the elder."
"Well," Krystal said, crossing her arms. "It's certainly good that we know where we are now. Do you think the ThornTail elder could tell us where to find the other Krazoa spirits?"
"Oh, um…" The young girl's face fell into a sad look. "No. He's… I overheard my Mother talking to one of her guards a while ago. I guess the SharpClaw killed him because he wouldn't allow his tribe to follow them."
"Oh." Krystal frowned. "Who leads them now?"
"No one. Once the elder died, I guess General Scales sent a bunch of SharpClaw to stop them from getting a new leader, and to keep the tribe under control. I hear that it's been really hard for the ThornTails living here."
"Do they try to fight back?"
"No. The ThornTail tribe is super peaceful; I don't think they've gone to war or anything for a really, really long time."
"I suppose that's rather admirable."
Kyte shook her head. "Mother doesn't think so. She calls them cowards, since they don't help the rest of us fight the SharpClaw."
Krystal frowned and glanced back down at the valley for a moment. "What do you think?"
"I…" She thought for a moment before responding. "I don't know… I think it's great that they hold to their beliefs. But the SharpClaw still treat them like animals and take a lot of their food. I think a lot of them have died..."
Krystal sighed sadly as she looked back down at her young ward. There's so much death and sadness in this poor girl's world, she thought.
"Well," She said, trying her best to force a cheerful face. "Perhaps there's still someone here who can help us. And we still need to find something to eat. Come on."
She bent down, stretching her arm down to help the child jump up onto her shoulder, before beginning the trek down the small hill into the valley.
"Fox to Peppy. Do you read me?"
"You betcha. Have you arrived at the destination?"
Fox nodded, looking out past the grove of trees he was hiding in to observe the landscape before him. "I think so. I'm looking at a large valley with wooden buildings scattered all over. There's a stone structure built into a cliffside, and a river running through the middle."
"Yep, that matches the description alright. You're definitely in ThornTail Hollow."
"Alright, I'm beginning my search. If I meet anything intelligent I'll contact you for translation."
"Hold on." Peppy said. "Are you not seeing anyone in the valley? It says here that that hollow should have a high concentration of ThornTail; they should be everywhere."
Fox made another quick observation of the valley to see a number of large, reptilian creatures with stumpy legs and short beaks wandering about, but he couldn't see any signs of other life. "I don't think so. There's a lot of animals around, but…"
"Nxuk uh ooei teadw xor?"
Fox jumped in surprise and spun around to see one of the large creatures glaring into his face. Before he could react, the creature opened its mouth and a strange language came forth from its lips.
"No xul odeiwx fhercomj nakxeik eiknehctohj hiddadw uheidt. Ooei doot ke coul den."
As realization dawned on Fox, he slowly put a finger to his ear to reopen the com channel. "Uh, Peppy? Scratch that. I think I found the natives. I… I guess I'm talking to one now."
"You've found one? Excellent. Put it on speaker so I can help translate."
"Right." He followed through, opening the channel so that Peppy could hear whatever he did. "Alright what do I say?"
"Give me a moment…"
"Nxuk uho ooei kucbadw ke?" The creature said.
"There. What did he just say? It sounded like a question."
"I know, I know." Fox could hear the old rabbit muttering to himself quietly.
"Peppy, anything?"
"Be patient Fox. I'm working."
Fox cleared his throat, trying to maintain a cool composure in front of the creature, who seemed to be becoming more and more confused.
"So, can I assume that you're a ThornTail?" He asked as casually as he could, despite knowing the creature couldn't understand him.
"Ooeih u lohoo idijiuc ed." The creature said, giving the vulpine a strange look.
"Right. I guess I can take that as a yes. Um, sorry about all this… I, uh…" He coughed, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, quickly decided to try some form of visual communication. He raised his arms, waving his hands around and trying to mimic actions of shaking hands and respectful bowing to try to convince the ThornTail of his friendly intentions.
The ThornTail didn't seem to be amused however, and it shook its head in what appeared to be disbelief. "Ooeil cejk ooeih madt." It said.
Fox was slowing becoming more agitated, as he could tell the creature was becoming more and more impatient with him. "Peppy, hurry up please."
"Give me a moment! Good heavens, this reference was written by a baboon."
He continued muttering to himself for a few moments before finally speaking up. "Okay, first you need to say…"
"He's gone." Fox interrupted.
"What?"
Sure enough, the creature had turned around and begun walking away, but not before giving the vulpine one last, very strange look.
"What happened? Why did he go?"
A very frustrated and slightly embarrassed Fox answered. "Oh I don't know. Maybe because he was talking to a stranger who was babbling to no one in an alien language?"
"Don't get snippy with me." Peppy chided. "If you had been patient I could have worked a lot faster."
"Whatever. Sorry." Fox huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is Slippy almost done with the translator?"
"Fox, he's only barely gathered the parts together. It's going to take awhile to assemble it."
"Okay, fine. Then could you at least teach me some kind of universal greeting or something?"
"Right. That should be simple enough. Give me a few minutes. Peppy out."
Fox sighed quietly as the old rabbit cut off the connection. He crossed his arms and, still feeling slightly embarrassed, tried to make himself smaller and less noticeable as he waited. It didn't work however, as he saw that more and more ThornTails around the valley were gradually noticing and collectively staring at him, muttering among each other as they did. Remembering what Pepper had said about the last Cornerians that had come to Sauria, Fox didn't find it all surprising that his presence was causing some commotion. Even if it was still uncomfortable for him.
Letting out a sigh, he tried to avoid making eye contact with the sentient beasts, instead turning around and casting his eyes around the rest of the valley. It was then that he caught sight of something that he hadn't noticed in the green landscape surrounding him; a long, thin object sticking out of the earth at an angle a short distance away. Eager to escape the growing glares of the surrounding beasts, as well as curious as to what the object was, he began a slow walk towards it to find out what it was.
"So, where to?"
Kyte and Krystal had long since climbed down the large hill to the base of the valley, and had been walking for a short while towards the collection of large, wooden huts. Krystal found herself following Kyte most of the way, since the girl seemed to have a better idea of where they were headed.
"I dunno." Kyte responded with a shrug as she waddled alongside the vixen. "We could ask some of the tribespeople if they have any food they could spare."
Krystal frowned, a part of her not wanting to to ask for charity from strangers, especially after all Kyte had told her about the ThornTail's situation. Despite that, she had a feeling there weren't many other options available to the duo. Besides, if she had any hope of learning the lay of the land, as well as discovering where the next destination on her journey would be, she needed to start forging relationships with the tribes of the world. And there was no better way to do that than a polite introduction and friendly intentions.
Gifts helped too, but she didn't exactly have much to offer in that department.
"Krystal, we could ask them." Kyte said, pointing with an upraised wing.
Krystal's eyes followed where the princess was pointing until they landed on a small group of large, yellowish-brown creatures with tall, arched backs, and short but spiked tails.
"Those are ThornTails?" Krystal asked, noting how the creatures bore some resemblance to the EarthWalkers they had encountered in the palace.
"Yeah." Kyte responded with a nod. "They're the ones who live here"
"Very well. I suppose we should introduce ourselves then."
She motioned to the girl to follow and began to make her way towards the large beasts. As soon as she got close enough to speak to them, she put on a friendly face and opened her mouth.
"Greetings." She said politely.
The nearest ThornTail let out a grunt of mild surprise and slowly lumbered around until his eyes fell on the blue vixen.
"Oh." He said with a gruff voice that made him sound as though he was in his later years. "Another one. I should have guessed."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
The ThornTail rolled his eyes and sighed, ignoring her question. "You outworlders are nothing but trouble. We've already got Scales and his SharpClaw starving us to death; you and your friend over there will give our tribe more trouble than…"
"Hey!" Kyte intervened suddenly with a harsh tone in her young voice. "Krystal hasn't caused any problems for you, and neither have I! We're trying to help!"
"Kyte, be polite." Krystal said softly.
The ThornTail smiled however, amused that the young CloudRunner, who was no larger than his foot, could address him so bravely. "Is that so, young one?"
He sighed and shook his head. "Well, I suppose you can trust them if you want, but I'd be cautious, little CloudRunner. You should know better than anyone what outworlders are capable of."
"What do you mean?" Krystal asked, but the ThornTail had already turned away, apparently bored of talking to the duo.
"Big jerk…" Kyte muttered, quietly enough that he couldn't hear her.
Krystal shot a disapproving look at the girl, before sighing and turning and walking away from the ThornTails. "Come on Kyte, let's go somewhere else."
Kyte compiled silently, hopping and flapping her wings a few times to catch up with Krystal's strides.
With a sigh, Krystal rubbed her eyes, now at a total loss as to where to go next. It seemed as though the ThornTails were a bit less trusting than she had hoped for, and though she understood that mistrust, what with the dark times they had gone through as of late, it still didn't make her own situation any easier. They needed to find out where to go next, and a part of her was worried they wouldn't find any answers here. Perhaps they could...
Alright, no need to get ahead of myself, she thought with a frown and a shake of her head. Kyte is certainly still hungry, and it's my responsibility to solve that. Not to mention I wouldn't mind something to eat myself…
"Kyte." She said, her eyes turning to a small cluster of tall, thin trees. "Do you suppose those trees bear fruit?"
The young princess turned to see the trees that Krystal was pointing out. "I dunno." She said with a shrug. "It can't hurt to check, I guess. C'mon!"
Krystal smiled as she watched the girl walk ahead, and yet, she couldn't pretend that smile was a real indicator of what she was feeling. Despite her attempts to keep a light attitude, she couldn't quite shake the uncomfortable worry that was sitting on her heart.
They were lost, they were alone, and she didn't know if anyone could help them. What were they going to do next?
With one final grunt and firm heave, Fox finally managed to unearth the long, thin object from out of the earth it was embedded in. As he took in a sigh of triumph and held the object up in his hands, he saw that it was a smooth, balanced, and well-crafted staff, almost as long as he was tall. It was beautiful as well, having a long series of elegant blue, gold and purple patterns arching and twisting along its shaft, as well as shining sapphire crystals adorning its spade-shaped head. Fox had no idea what exactly it was he had found, but he knew there was no doubt it was a treasure.
With a small grin, he held it up and gave it a quick spin in his hands, testing its weight. However, his fingers fumbled when he tried grasping it again, and the staff instead clattered to the dirty ground below.
"Oops…" He muttered, quickly shooting down and snatching it back up, his eyes involuntarily glancing back and forth to see if anyone had noticed his blunder.
As soon as the staff was back securely in his hands and he took another moment to observe its long body, he noticed a short groove towards the upper midsection of the shaft. Experimentally, he touched the groove, and without warning, the staff suddenly collapsed in on itself, shrinking down until what was almost as long as his whole body was now shorter than his forearm.
"Cool…" He muttered with a grin.
However, when he tried touching the groove again, expecting the staff to extend back to its previous length, he was instead met with absolutely nothing. The staff remained in its collapsed state, and his grin dropped to a thoughtful frown.
"Hmm…" Grasping either end in both hands, he began pulling outwards, gently so as to avoid breaking it, but still firmly so as to try and coax the staff back to its elongated state. After a few seconds of no success, he sighed and held the now-shorter object back up, looking at it up and down again.
He couldn't quite place his finger on why, but the object was fascinating to him. What was it doing here, in a valley full of creatures who didn't even have hands? Why was it just lying half-buried in the dirt? Who made it, and why did they leave it behind? Why was there a way for him to shorten it, but no way to extend it again? Why was he putting so much thought into it?
His eyes turned to one of the sapphire-blue gems embedded securely into the top of the staff, and something odd tugged at his chest. Slowly, his hand reached out to touch the pristine crystal.
However, the moment his finger brushed the clear gem, a voice suddenly broke through the silence and assaulted his ears.
"Gah!" He cried out, involuntarily flinching backwards and almost dropping the staff. "What the-"
The voice became clearer in his head. "Fox, hello? Do you read me?"
Fox sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. I read you Peppy."
"Don't use that tone of voice with me, son."
"What tone of voice?"
"That one."
"I'm not using… Never mind. What do you need?"
"We're picking up an odd reading out near your position."
Fox raised an eyebrow, stuffing the staff behind him into his backpack. "What kind of reading?"
"We're not sure, but it looks like a small self-contained reactor, the same kind you'd see in your average spacecraft. But we can't seem to get a good enough read on it to identify what it is exactly."
"Is it stealthed?"
"Possibly, but it's more likely it's just small, and we're far away. If you can track it down and identify it, we might be able to learn a bit more."
Fox sighed and shrugged. "Well, I guess it's the best lead we've got; I doubt I'll be able to get anything out of these big lizards until the translator's done."
"Sounds like a plan. I'm sending the coordinates to your Pathfinder as we speak aaaand… there we go. You should have them now."
Fox reached behind him and pulled the small map-machine out of his backpack and flipped it on. The green screen flashed to life and, on the simple map representing his current surroundings, a yellow dot began blinking, marking a spot several miles away from where he was.
"Alright, I've got it. And it looks like I've got to go…" He began turning to face the direction of the indicated coordinates. As soon as he was pointed in the right direction, his eyes turned upwards, and his heart immediately sank.
Not too far away on the horizon was a single mountain, towering high above the other summits in it's long range, and peaked with a solid cap of pure, white ice. And, of course, that mountain was sitting on the exact coordinates that Peppy had just sent him.
"Oh, I'm going to hate this planet by the time I'm done, aren't I?" He muttered with a sigh.
Author's Note: I'll be honest, I can't even remember how long it's been since I last updated this story, and for that I'm very sorry. I know there are many of you out there who really like this fic, and I really shouldn't have kept you all waiting as long as you have. Heck, this isn't technically a new chapter, just a revised version of a chapter I've already posted, just with a few major changes. But I'm sure you all have already noticed that. If you're curious about why I made the changes in the first place, I guess all I can say is that I think it was a mistake to have it the way it was before, and I believe that the story as a whole will flow better this way.
Anyway, I guess the important thing is that I'm finally back and really raring to get back into writing again. I've already got plans in mind for at least the next few chapters, and I'm sure I'll be able to get them written and posted in at least a half-timely manner. Fingers crossed I suppose.
Finally, I really want to give out a genuine 'thank you' to everyone who takes the time even to read the first chapter or so of my work. I try to give my thanks to you all as often as I can, but I sometimes worry I'm not really conveying just how grateful I am that anyone takes time out of their day to read and enjoy my scribbles. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for the views, favorites, follows, and especially the reviews. It's so wonderful to get so much support from people who really enjoy what I make, and I thank you all again.
I think that's all I have to say at the moment. Please, feel free to leave any and all suggestions and criticisms you have in a review, and I hope you enjoyed this 'new' chapter. More will certainly be coming in the future.
Yours Truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman.
