The cold wind whipping at Fox's eyes made him wish he had a pair of goggles. Trees whistled at him as he shot past, as though warning him that if he were to even scrape their bark, he and his ride-bike would meet a quick and explosive end. His hands felt as if they were stuck to the bike's handlebars, not because of the freezing mountain air, but rather because of the adrenaline pumping through his heart and into every last inch of his body.

The two fleeing SharpClaw were dead ahead, weaving around trees and rocks in a desperate bid to escape his pursuit. But they had no chance. He could follow them whichever direction they took, and he could easily predict any trick they'd attempt to lose him. It was only a matter of time. Were he free to use his weapon, this chase would have been long over by now.

But his enemies had a prisoner. He couldn't risk opening fire, not even to disable.

So he stayed on their tails, even as they shot over the edge of a cliff and soared down to the ground below. He could feel the ride-bike beneath him shuddering in protest as he hit the ground, the anti-grav units below sending up a torrent of dust and dirt as they only barely stopped the machine from colliding with the earth. But he forced it onward, continuing to push the machine to its very limit.

Slowly, but surely, he was overtaking his targets as they flew across the mountainside together. It was only natural. He was the better pilot. His turns were tighter, his movements more precise, his instincts better honed.

All he needed was to cut them off and force them to stop. Without crashing, preferably.

And he soon saw his opportunity. The two SharpClaw, in one last, desperate move, flew into the mouth of a narrow, rocky gulch, likely the remains of an old, dried up stream. Instead of following them, Fox quickly decided to veer to the right and began traveling just above the gulch on the edge of its lip.

Down below and off to the side, he could see that the gulch was quite a few feet deep, and was only barely wide enough for a single ride-bike at a time, meaning the two SharpClaw were forced to fly through it one behind the other. Had he followed them into the gulch, it would have been impossible for him to pass them without crashing.

He wasn't free of obstacles though. There were a lot of trees growing along the edge of the gulch, forcing him to dodge and swerve through them in an attempt to keep pace with his prey. At one point, he saw the two SharpClaw were forced to duck to avoid having their heads taken off by a tree whose trunk was growing sideways across the width of the gulch.

Don't kill yourselves just yet, boneheads, he thought with a growl.

His eyes flickered forward, just in time to see that the gulch was about to curve sharply to the right in a couple dozen feet. Sharp enough that the two SharpClaw would be forced to slow down in order to make the turn without crashing into the gulch's stone wall. Perfect.

He glanced at his targets, just long enough to see the blue SharpClaw in the back look over his shoulder, evidently searching for his pursuer. He must have felt pretty proud of himself, thinking that he managed to lose the vulpine. He was about to have a very rude awakening.

And with that, Fox swerved off to the side, cutting a long corner to make it past the turn before the SharpClaw would be able to. Guessing that he had overtaken them, he eased off the engine and engaged the G-brake. The machine shuddered and shook as though it were about to fall into pieces from the sudden change in velocity, but Fox forced the side of the bike down into the ground, skidding across the dirt sideways in an attempt to help the machine slow down.

Within moments, he had reached the gulch and directed the bike down into it, stopping on a dime at the bottom. Now, the bike was parked in a perfect position to act as a makeshift barrier. The SharpClaw wouldn't be able to get past without crashing right into him.

And just in time, as a short ways down the gulch, he saw the two bikes had made the sharp turn and were speeding down towards him. He saw the moment that the SharpClaw in the front caught sight of him and barked a warning to his companion behind, right before engaging his own G-brake. Perfect. Now, with no way to turn their bikes around, Fox would have no problem overtaking the two warriors and freeing-

He wasn't stopping. Despite the SharpClaw's best efforts to slow his machine in time, Fox suddenly realized that he had miscalculated, and the bike in the front wouldn't be able to stop before crashing right into Fox's bike.

And Fox himself.

Oh blast it… he thought.

With the reflexes of a viper, Fox climbed up onto his seat and, milliseconds before the impact, leaped straight upwards. From an outside observer, it almost appeared as though he was flying as he sailed several feet through the air, flipping gracefully at the jump's peak. Below him, the SharpClaw's bike smashed into his own in a spectacular crash, causing the two bikes to explode as the force of the impact caused the anti-grav units to fail and combust. It was a good thing the kid wasn't in that particular bike.

Fox landed on his feet with little more than a grunt a couple of feet away, taking no notice of the mechanical carnage behind him. Instead, he turned his attention to the second ride-bike, the one being manned by the blue SharpClaw. In order to stop before crashing into the wreckage of the other two bikes, the SharpClaw had forced his bike into the gulch's stone wall. Though the impact probably wasn't as bad as it would have been if he hadn't turned, Fox could tell that the SharpClaw was still disoriented and very likely injured from the collision.

Eager to seize this opportunity, Fox dashed forward and pounced at the lizard, tackling him in midair and throwing him off the bike. The SharpClaw let out an angry roar as they both hit the ground, now locked in a furious struggle like a pair of wrestlers.

However, Fox realized his mistake too late, since even though the SharpClaw had seemed disoriented, he was still significantly stronger than Fox, and it didn't take long for the lizard to overpower the mercenary. While struggling in the dirt, the SharpClaw rolled him over onto his back and pinned him to the ground, closing his claws securely around the vulpine's throat with a feral growl.

Fox sputtered as the SharpClaw pushed down on his windpipe, blocking any air from leaving or entering his lungs. Instinctively, he tried lashing out at the warrior with his fists, but the blows did little but annoy the angry lizard. So instead, Fox kicked at his aggressor, thankfully managing to land a good blow between the SharpClaw's legs. The strike made the SharpClaw release a gasp of pain, loosening his grip just enough that Fox was able to curl up and throw the lizard off of his body with his legs.

Climbing to his feet, Fox unbuckled his gun from its holster and was about to take aim, finishing this fight with a single pull of the trigger. But the blue SharpClaw lashed out and struck the mercenary with a backhand to the face, causing the blaster to slip from his fingers to the ground while he stumbled backwards.

Recovering quickly, Fox turned to see the blue SharpClaw scoop the blaster off from the ground. He initially stepped back in fear, as he was sure the lizard was about to use his own gun to finish him off. However, instead, the SharpClaw took the blaster in both hands and, with a surprising show of strength, snapped the weapon in two.

The lizard gave Fox a satisfied grin as he dropped the pieces of the now-broken blaster, clearly thinking that he had the advantage now that the vulpine had lost his weapon.

It wasn't hard to prove him wrong.

Fox dashed at him without an ounce of hesitation, and though the lizard roared as he tried to aim a punch at the mercenary, Fox was easily able to sidestep the blow and counter with a punch of his own. His fist went deep into the blue SharpClaw's gut, but before the scaly meathead could even let out a grunt of pain, Fox had followed up with two more punches to the chest and one to the bottom of the jaw.

Then, stepping back and leaping up into the air, Fox finished with a roundhouse to the skull that sent the SharpClaw spinning, falling and hitting his head against the stone beside him with a sickening crack. He fell to the ground, possibly unconscious, probably dead. Definitely not a threat.

Fox meanwhile, sighed in relief, and allowed himself a moment to close his eyes and lean against the rock wall, rubbing his aching cheek and massaging his sore neck. It was over. He was gonna have a few bruises, but he'd had worse.

However, a moment was all he took, as with another sigh, and a sad glance at the broken pieces of his old blaster, he turned to face the blue SharpClaw's mangled bike and jogged over. The storage compartment at the back of the bike didn't seem to be too damaged, but he couldn't hear any activity within. He felt his heart sink. The kid had to be alright, right?

Unlocking the case, he opened up the lid and peered inside. The juvenile EarthWalker was still inside, lying on its side with its eyes closed. It wasn't moving.

"Oh no… Come on kid, you can't be dead after all that..." Fox muttered with a frown.

He reached inside and wrapped his arms around the EarthWalker's body, pulling him out as gently as he could. He let out a grunt of effort as he lifted him up out of the container and set him down onto the ground next to the bike.

From there, he took a closer look at the young EarthWalker. He was quite a bit larger than Fox had first thought, likely standing only a little lower than Fox's hip. His scales were mostly a dull shade of orange, but slowly morphed to a darker shade of purple towards his back and up to the flat crest on his head, which was ringed with a line of short, stubby horns. The purple coloration stopped at his head though, which was a slightly lighter shade of orange than the rest of his body. He was also naked (Fox didn't really know if he could call him "naked" or not) save for two pairs of iron bands clasped around each of his four legs, looking like they were more for decoration than anything else.

He also noticed that the kid was in rough shape, sporting a series of ugly bruises across his back and a couple on his face. However, as Fox examined these wounds, he realized that the kid's torso was still moving up and down with a slow but steady breath. Relieved, but also wanting to make sure, Fox put his ear on the kid's side and eventually found a definite heartbeat. He must have just been knocked out during the chase, or perhaps he had fainted somehow.

Regardless, he was alive, and that was all that was important. Now, Fox just needed to get him to a safer place where he could tend to his injuries a bit better. Hopefully the kid could regain consciousness soon, so that Fox could talk to him and find out more about his tribe.

He climbed back to his feet and turned to see if he could use the last remaining ride-bike but was quickly disappointed. The bike, though still technically in one piece, was in bad shape, and Fox noticed there was serious damage on one of the thrusters on the back. If he tried to coax the machine back to life again, there was a real chance that the thruster could fail and, in the worst-case scenario, possibly explode.

So, with a low groan, he decided that he was gonna have to walk the rest of the way while carrying the child. It was going to be a pain, but he had made it up the mountain on foot. He could make it back down, even if he had some extra weight.

But first, he was gonna have to get out of that gulch, and since the rocky walls were too high and steep to climb with the kid on his back, his only option was to walk out the way he came.

So, with a sigh of resignation, he walked over to where the kid lay and scooped him up into his arms, grumbling slightly as he realized that the kid was a lot heavier than he had first thought. Then, turning around and stepping over the blue SharpClaw's body, he began traveling back down the length of the long, deep gulch.

The sooner he got back to the valley, the better.


About an hour or two later, while the sun was slowly beginning its daily descent down to the horizon, Fox had emerged from the mouth of the gulch with the young EarthWalker still in his arms, his back sore, his mouth dry, and his face damp with sweat. The kid had hardly stirred at all, which perhaps was a good thing, since Fox wasn't sure if he could walk even if he was conscious.

And even though he had been planning on making the trip the rest of the way back down to the valley, he found that the fatigue of the day had finally started to weigh down on him, and he just couldn't coax himself to go any further. So, with a glance at the darkening sky above, he decided that he'd make camp for the night and tend to the kid where he was.

So, with a sigh he bent down and set the kid down on a soft patch of grass, right before stripping himself of his backpack and setting it down next to him. Then, he allowed himself to collapse onto his rear and ease himself onto his back, spreading himself in a loose, relaxed position. Closing his eyes as he lay on the ground, he let out a sigh and a groan as he finally gave his aching joints and muscles a chance to relax.

"I was right…" He muttered. "I hate this planet."

The sky was starting to get darker. Though it wasn't quite sunset yet, he could see one half of the blue sky slowly starting to melt into a warm, comfortable shade of orange. It wasn't as cold right then as it had been higher up the mountain, but it was still probably going to get pretty chilly once night fell.

Luckily, he had a solution for that.

Leaning up from where he lay and slowly scooting himself over to his backpack, he flipped the top open and reached inside. He soon found what he was looking for; his globe-light, a small, volleyball-sized sphere that could generate both light and heat. A perfect replacement for any campfire.

There was a smile on his lips as he flipped a small switch on the side of the globe, only for the smile to fall as he realized that it hadn't lit up as it was supposed to.

"What the…" He muttered, flicking the switch up and down a couple more times, to no avail.

Broken.

"Of course." He said with a shake of his head, tossing the paperweight behind his head and into a nearby bush. "What else could go wrong?"

He was probably going to have to contact the Great Fox at some point and see if Slippy had another globe-light in storage, not to mention a new blaster. He probably could make his own campfire if he was forced to, but that was only if he was forced to. He really, really didn't want to bother.

Come to think of it… he thought suddenly, a frown crossing his lips. I haven't heard from Peppy in a while. I wonder if-

His finger brushed the earpiece in his ear, only for his heart to stop as he realized that it was still switched "off".

"Uh oh…"

Flipping the device back on, he hesitantly contacted his team.

"Uh, Fox to Peppy. You there, Pep?"

On the other end, he heard the sound of furious rustling and what sounded like a chair or some other heavy object falling over.

"Where in the galaxy have you been!?"

Fox flinched as he heard Peppy's furious voice screaming in his ear. This wasn't going to be fun.

"C-calm down, Pep. I'm just-"

"HOURS you've been gone, HOURS! With nothing but complete and total radio silence! Stars above, I honestly thought that you were dead! The nerve of you! Running into an enemy war camp with nothing but your big head and a death wish! You're lucky I didn't tell Slippy, or the poor thing would've had a heart attack! Bah, your father would have never pulled a stunt like this! If he knew the half of-"

Fox listened to Peppy ramble on for a few minutes with his legs crossed and his head resting on a fist. Honestly, he probably deserved this, not contacting the old rabbit sooner.

But that didn't mean he had to enjoy it.

"Alright Peppy, I'm sorry." He said as the hare's tirade began to slow a bit. "I should have contacted you sooner, but I forgot. I'm sorry."

"You're darn right you are! I swear, the nerve of you!" Another short series of angry grumbles.

"Well, if it still means anything, I accomplished the mission at least."

Fox could hear Peppy let out a sigh, likely trying to force himself to cool down. "So you rescued the EarthWalker?"

"I did. But the poor guy's a little banged up. He's alive, but he's been unconscious since the chase."

"The chase?"

Fox began explaining all that had transpired, from his infiltration into the SharpClaw camp, up to where he was now, at the mouth of a gulch near the foot of the mountain.

"Sounds like things went about as smoothly as they could've gone." Peppy said as Fox finished his story. "And now, once the kid wakes up, you'll be able to interview him about the whereabouts of the rest of his tribe."

"Well, that's only if I can actually talk with him. Is Slippy almost done with the translator?"

"You know, if you weren't so darn lazy, you wouldn't need the blasted thing."

Fox chuckled. "Thanks Pep. I appreciate that. Hey, speaking of, do you know if Slippy has any spare globe-"

He stopped suddenly as he heard a noise behind him, and he turned as he realized that the EarthWalker was stirring from where he lay.

"Fox?" Peppy asked. "You still there?"

"One sec, Peppy." Fox said. "The kid's waking up."

"Great! If you need help translating anything he says, let me know."

"I'll certainly try. Fox out."

With that, he cut the transmission, and dashed over to the EarthWalker's side.

The kid indeed seemed to be coming out of his doze. His legs were moving back and forth in the air as if he were trying to walk on air, and he was rubbing his head on the ground as if he were trying to find the softest place to rest it on. Honestly, even though he was on the verge of consciousness, he looked a bit like a pet who was too lazy to wake up completely.

"Mekxoh…" Fox heard him mumble with a youthful but slightly raspy voice. "Mekxoh, aj ak kam ke wok if?"

Fox didn't understand his words, of course.

"Hey…" He said softly, trying to coax him awake. "Are you okay, little guy?"

He gently rested a hand on the EarthWalker's side. However, the moment he did, it was as if the kid's body had been struck by lightning, and Fox let out a cry and fell backwards as the kid suddenly shot awake and leaped to his feet much faster than Fox would have expected.

"Ah! Nxoh… Nxoo… Ooei…" His words were scattered as he spun around, seemingly trying to figure out where he was. It seemed as though Fox had greatly overestimated how injured he was.

"Hey, hey, easy kid." Fox tried to say, holding his hands up to try to calm the kid down.

It was all for naught however, as when the kid finally spun around to face the vulpine, his face fell into a mixture of shock and anger, and he backed away from Fox defensively.

"V-Vihhoo! Ooei uh u adlutoh!"

"Easy, easy!" Fox tried to say in an attempt to calm the agitated child.

"Ooei jkec mo! Nocc, xen ureik kxaj, raw zoht!"

Without warning, the kid suddenly reared down and charged forward, bashing his head right into Fox's shin.

"Hey!" Fox yelled as he stumbled backwards from the surprisingly strong blow. "Cut it out!"

He darted down to try to grab the kid, but he jumped out of Fox's reach, again moving much faster than Fox would have thought possible.

"Sud dek suksx mo!" The EarthWalker yelled, a tone of mocking in his voice.

"Will you calm down?" Fox tried to say, growing more and more irritated. "I just want to talk!"

He jumped forward to try to grab the child and restrain him long enough to calm him down, but once again, the kid jumped just out of his reach. Fox tried once more, but either he was too tired, or the kid was too smart for him, because he found himself once again grasping at thin air. And unfortunately, before he could turn around, he felt something hard and heavy bash into the back of his legs, and he quickly found himself lying face first in the dirt.

Great. Just great. This is what my life's come to… he found himself thinking as he pushed himself back to his feet, coughing up dust.

Somewhere behind him, the kid laughed.


Author's Note: Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you probably are.

I can't remember the last time I've ever, EVER finished a chapter this quickly. I can't really even explain how I did it. I just got into the zone while writing, and somehow I didn't fall out of it and get stuck as usually happens to me. Even editing didn't take all that long, and because of that, here we are now; a new chapter not even a week after I finished the last. I really need to figure out how I did this so I can replicate it in the future, because if all chapters came out this quickly, I might actually have a chance to finish this story before I turn 62.

Anyway, that's all I really have to say for now. Thank you all for viewing and reviewing, and be sure to stick around for the next chapter! It's gonna be a big one.

Yours truly, Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman.