So yeah, I reconnected most of this chapter as well. Felt the original version of it was bit wonky in terms of pacing and character interaction. I felt this version was better.
Krystal huffed as she finally finished her climb up the mountain. With one final effort, she had finally made it to the top of the cliff she was scaling. It had been at least a few hours with of effort to get to the top. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like things were going to get easier from here.
As she increased in elevation, she had been hit with bursts of cold air, and had been 'welcomed' by the frigid climate. Doing her best to ignore it, she mentally kicked herself for not having her warmer jacket from her ship. The shopkeeper did not sell warmer clothes, as few dinosaurs on Sauria bothered wearing any. Kyte, meanwhile, was already starting to shiver.
"K-Krystal, its c-c-cold. Can I-?" She asked, through shivers.
"Of course," Krystal uttered. With that, she grabbed a hold of Kyte, and brought her into her chest, trying to warm the girl with her fur. After ensuring Kyte was secure in her arms, the young woman preceded towards the pass the warpstone told her about. She had been given a description of where to find the pass, which from this part of the mountain, would be at least a few hours walk away from her position, depending on the weather conditions. She looked around and surveyed her surroundings. A vast white blanket of snow cover just about every nook and cranny of the surrounding environment. The terrain was rugged, but mostly flat, save for the incline she was about to climb up. A few trees stuck out of the snow, covered in thick leaves and bark. Ahead of the duo was a small incline, covered in snow, like the rest of their surroundings. Bracing herself, Krystal slowly marched upward through the snow, keeping her ward close to her chest, trying to keep her warm.
"Perhaps I should not have brought Kyte up here." Krystal thought to herself, as she observed the girl shiver.
Whatever the case was, she would have to keep pressing onward. Doing her best to push past the frigid winds, the blue fox eventually made it to the top of the incline. Surveying the area in front of her, she noted a pathway, carved out through trees. The appeared to have been carved up through a lower part of the mountain, making it easy to hike up from lower elevations. Guessing this to be the main hiking path for the mountain, Krystal guessed the lower part would likely take her down towards the base of the mountain if followed. But that was not her goal. She looked back up towards the upward end of the path.
If her hunch was correct, the Sharpclaw would have constructed their base camp further up the mountain, situated somewhere along this path they carved. It was the most strategic position on their part, after all. Climbing up the side of the cliff face like Krystal had saved her at least a few hours of hiking, and likely minimized encounters with any Sharpclaw patrols lower on the mountain. Though now, it was all up to chance if she would encounter one from here on, as she approached the Sharpclaw base.
Looking to her ward, still wrapped in her arms, she spoke. "We are getting closer, Kyte. Just hang on."
"O-ok." Kyte said, shivering. Stroking her head affectionately, Krystal continued towards the base.
After a while longer of hiking, Kyte's shivering had intensified. A frigid gust of wind had befallen the path they were on. As the wind pick up, Krystal could feel Kyte's body drastically drop in temperature, as her shivering continued to intensify. She was barely holding on by this point. To the duo's further strife, Krystal felt exhaustion overtake her body more and more. As she felt the poor girl shiver fiercely, she stopped. She could not push on, not at this moment. They needed rest and warmth.
Glancing around frantically, she sighed in relief when she noted a cave in the mountain side, past some trees. With haste, she darted over to i, as quick as she could,.
Kyte, who had been alerted to their sudden change in velocity, looked up. "What's wrong Krystal? Why are you running?"
"We both need to rest. And you need warmth. We walk much further and exhaustion will overtake us." The vixen stated.
"Krystal, i-its ok, i c-c-can hold out a b-bit longer-"
"No, no, I am not risking it." Krystal said firmly.
Entering the cave, she found it to be small but just roomy enough for a few individuals to fit inside. Setting Kyte down, Krystal quickly went back outside and broke some wood off a dead tree with her staff. Gathering up the wood quickly, she retreated to the cave, where Kyte was huddled on the floor. Instinct taking over, Krystal threw the sticks and bark into the center of the room. Drawing her staff, the pile was alit with a single burst from her staff's fire blaster.
Collapsing the weapon and putting it back on her back, she drew pulled Kyte closer to her, again burying the girl in her chest, as warmth overtook the pair. Kyte snuggled into Krystal's lap. The pair sat like this for some time, not caring how much time passed. Krystal doubted the prince would be going anywhere for a while anyway.
Silence blanketed the cave as the duo continued to rest. Krystal had been trudging through the snow for hours by that point, almost none stop. She barely realized just how exhausted she had been. She knew the hike was a strain, but she barely realized just how ahead of herself she was getting. She was so certain she could just brute force her way through the harsh conditions of the mountain, with little in the way of preparation. She only had so many supplies on her at the time she came here. She was so eager to help, that she did not take into account a number of factors she should have considered more.
Looking at the young child in her arms, slowly warming up but still shivering, it hit Krystal like a truck just how much she had overestimated herself.
This child was freezing, and in an environment, she was not built for, with next to no protection from the frigid conditions. And Krystal had been dragging her through the storm, further and further into ever colder winds, straight up to an enemy base; straight into even more danger. Now, Kyte had nearly frozen to death.
This was her fault. Krystal had done this to Kyte.
Krystal barely noticed the tears start to fall from her eyes as she mentally kicked herself more and more. She could not believe she exposed a child to the elements like this. She should have stopped Kyte from coming. How could she have been so foolish?
Tears continued to fall as the vixen's mood deteriorated. Her somber mood, though, had not gone unnoticed.
Kyte felt tears hit the back of her neck. Surprised she looked up at the vixen.
"Krystal, what's wrong?" She asked innocently, not grasping the vixen's emotional state.
Krystal didn't give a response, merely hugging Kyte tighter.
"Krystal?"
"I'm sorry." The vixen muttered, not releasing her grip.
"You're sorry?" The girl parroted.
"I'm sorry for dragging you up here," Krystal said, slowly regaining her composure.
Kyte shook her head. "Krystal, you didn't do anything. It was my choice to come up here." The child insisted.
Krystal shook her head. "I should have done more to stop you." She said sternly.
"But-" Before Kyte could speak up again, Krystal interrupted her.
"Kyte, you were freezing as we ascended that cliff face. As we trudged through the storm, it only got worse. You could easily have frozen to death if we did not take shelter in this cave. I might be able to brave the storm a bit better, thanks to my fur, but you are a different story." Krystal stated, not letting the girl out of her hug.
Kyte looked down for a moment, pondering the vixen's words. She tried to come up with a counter, but could not. After a bit longer, however, the girl shook her head.
"Krystal, it's my fault. I insisted on coming. Don't blame yourself."
Krystal remained silent.
"But, look, we are getting closer to the prince, right? And we are both safe." She pointed out.
Krystal sighed and nodded. "Well, I guess so. But, I promised your family I would take care of you and get you back to your mother safely." Krystal said.
"But you are. I am still here, right? And I am out of the Sharpclaw's clutches thanks to you. Surely that means you are doing something right." Kyte said, cheerfully.
Krystal gave a slight smile. "Yeah. Speaking of which." She checked Kyte's temperature and sighed in relief that it was going back to normal, and no sign of a fever.
"Your body heat has returned to normal. Good." Krystal stated.
"See, as I said, I am ok. Don't blame yourself, Krystal. I know you are doing your best." Kyte reminded her.
Krystal appreciated the gesture, but some doubts still lingered.
"But I did not come prepared. I promised to save this world, but I never really considered how big of a task that is for one person. Heck, I didn't even prepare for this trip up the mountain properly." Krystal stated.
Kyte adverted her gaze, before speaking again. "We have what we need, surely." She then wrapped her wings around the vixen. "You are doing more for my tribe and this world than many currently can. Sure you make some mistakes, but you just get up and keep going. Don't doubt yourself, you are doing good.' Kyte assured the vixen.
Krystal pondered her words for a bit. After thinking about it, she nodded. Sure she could do better, but she was doing what she could with what she had. Kyte was still fine, and progress was being made on her quest. She could not afford to doubt herself. She simply had to learn from her mistakes and press on. She could not let herself be plagued by so many self-doubts; she had people relying on her now. Kyte and her family, to keep the girl safe; Queen Thera, to see her son out of the clutches of the Sharpclaw. Heck, Sauria itself, to throw a wrench into Scales' schemes. She took this burden onto herself. Even if some doubts remained, she had to set them aside for now. Many were counting on her, and she refused to let them down. Reaffirming resolve, the vixen looked back to her ward.
"Y-yeah, you are right. Thank you, Kyte." Krystal said, sighing again. She returned the embrace, holding it for a while. That was, until she heard Kyte's stomach growl.
"Someones hungry." Krystal teased the princess, who giggled. Krystal reached into the sack tied to her hip and pulled out a few dumbledang fruits. Handing one to Kyte, the young girl started gorging on the fruit. Laughing slightly, Krystal looked outside again, noting the winds seemed to be dying down.
"Eat up. The winds are dying. We will wait it out a bit longer, before heading out." Krystal finished, before having some fruit herself.
Fox had grumbled and continued his hike up the mountain. He was currently wearing a white, hooded parka over his normal clothes, with the hood up. In the hours since he left the hollow, his team had given formed a more coherent map of the region. Adding to that, they had managed to pinpoint the most likely location of the Sharpclaw prison camp. All Fox had to do was get over there. Feeling the best option was to take a route from the base of the mountain, up a carved-out path, he felt he could get up there in no time.
Around him, he note the snow-covered trees and rocky cliff faces that composed the mountain's surface. Part of him could not help but recall the times his family had gone sledding on Fachina, in similar environments. He basked in the nostalgia for only a minute, as his mind drifted back to the task as hand.
Going over the plans in his head, he realized he had not really planned what he would actually do when he got to the base, or how he would get the child back down the mountain.
"Probably just go back up the way I came." He thought to himself. By this point, he was getting closer if his GPS coordinates were of any use.
As he got further up the path, the crunching of snow caught his attention. Shooting behind a nearby rock, he peered over at what had been making the sound. What he saw next left him baffled.
A blue vixen, wearing what looked like tribal garbs, blended with a modern blue rain jacket, was gazing upward, higher up the slope they were on. What she might be looking for, he could not tell. As he got a better look at her face and body, he was left stunned.
Her unusual blue fur was beautiful in a way he had never seen before. Her face, coated in snowy white fur around her eyes and muzzle, with experiencing blue eyes. The rest of her body, as far as he could see, was just as mesmerizing as her continence. A blue tail swung out from behind her, with a few gold rings along the ends of it. Her tribal garbs, as much as he could see, were both white and gold and composed of a wrap-around her mid section, as well as white 'shorts' as Fox could call them. Her footwear was a pair of simple sandals.
Fox could not find the words to describe the beauty of the woman before her. There was something about her that gave her an otherworldly beauty. Fox found himself briefly entranced by her features, losing all sense of urgency and just basking in her beauty where he stood.
It took a few moments for Fox to shake off the daze, and refocus on the woman before her. He needed to determine if she was friend or foe, before he could even think of approaching. He focused on her again.
On closer inspection, Fox noted she had something in her hands. A small, green dinosaur with wings. The dinosaur was barely a foot tall and wore a regal-looking piece of jewelry around her neck, an amulet with a blue stone on it. The woman held the Saurian tenderly, and close to her chest.
"What are they doing here?" Fox wondered. He slowly realized that this must be the other outworlder the Thorntails had talked to him about. As he watched her, he noted the woman beginning to walk away, further up the incline. Not sure what to do, Fox made the impulsive decision to step out of his hiding spot. The vixen's ears perked as she no doubt heard the snow crunching under Fox's footsteps. Knowing he could not back out of it now, Fox announced his presence.
"Hey!"
Krystal turned around, briefly caught off guard at the sound of footsteps approaching. As she did, she released Kyte, directing the girl to get behind her, while Krystal drew her staff.
"Hey!"
She heard a male voice call to her, as she saw a figure in a parka come out from behind a rock. She had not been actively scanning the area for brain waves with the telepathy before this. She would see if that was a mistake or not shortly.
Staff in hand, she challenged the new comer, who she noted to be a vulpine, much to her surprise.
"Stay right there." She spat, approaching the newcomer with suspicion
He held his hands up high, showing he meant no harm.
"I don't mean you any trouble." The stranger began. Krystal remained on deterred. She stood her ground, not wanting to risk anything. To read is mind, she would have to drop her guard and focus a bit more, if she were truly going to grasp his intentions. Right now, it was better for her to question him. She could verfiy whatever he claimed once she was sure he was not a threat.
"Who are you? Are you with the Sharpclaw?"
The todd did a double take. "Sharpclaw? No, no, I have nothing to do with them." He assured the vixen. Krystal lowered her staff just a bit, but stood her ground.
"What do you want then?" She inquired.
Again, the todd looked caught off guard. "Um... just to talk to you, really." He said, sheepishly.
Krystal raised a brow. "What? Why?" She said, subconsciously registering that this vulpine might not really mean her any harm. She relax her staff, but kept it at teh ready, just in case. "Show me you mean it."
To her surprise, the Todd pulled out a stun baton that had been on his side. Instead of flaunting it, he dropped it on the ground, and lowered himself.
"See, I am unarmed. I am no threat.' He insisted. Krystal would have scoffed a bit. This fox was clearly athletic, and built like an agile fighter, but it was clear to her that he really wasn't trying to harm her. As she relaxed, she scanned his mind for any signs of aggression or malice intent, but found none. She did not did deeper, yet; she wished to hear his intentions from him. She would verify his claims after he spoke his part. If she was going to build trust, it was better to talk out something first, scanning one's mind for everything was useful but did little to build actual trust. At least on a level other than logical.
"Alright, I believe you. But you still have not told me; who are and what are you doing here?"
Fox breathed a sigh of relief as the woman before him lowered her guard a bit. Normally, disarming oneself in front of stranger would be a risky move, but he had to prove to her he meant her no harm.
As she asked who he was, he breathed internally. He could not give way too much away, but at the same time, he needed to make his intentions and purpose here clear. Sighing again, he spoke.
"My name is Fox Mccloud, I'm the lead pilot of the Star Fox team." He introduced himself. The vixen tilted her head briefly.
"Star fox, eh? Sounds familiar..." The vixen muttered.
"Good, so she might have heard of us." Fox thought.
"So what is it that you want with me, then?" Krystal asked. Fox stuttered again. He could not just spill out the fact he had been watching her. Perhaps he had no real reasons to talk with her; other than the fact she just happened to be in his path at the time.
"Just seeing what you are doing up here, I suppose," Fox stated. "It's a bit of an odd place to be-"
The vixen sighed. "No harm in telling you, I guess. I am on a mission to rescue the Earthwalker prince from the Sharpclaw base." Krystal said, bluntly. Fox could tell she wasn't even bothering to come up with an excuse to be this far up. The good news was that she pretty much just confirmed Fox was on the right track. However...
Maybe they could help each other. If she was trying to do the same thing as Fox was doing, they would have an incentive to work together. Having an extra set of hands never hurt. And she looked as though she would be up for the task, to begin with. While he was normally hesitant to include strangers on his missions, he saw an opportunity here for valuable help. Planning fast, Fox prepared to explain himself more.
"Then maybe we could be of use to each other." He stated.
Krystal's ear's perked up at the vulpine's last statement. "And how is that?" She inquired.
"You can probably already tell I am not here randomly. I am on my way to rescue the prince as well. Some Thorntails told me of what happened" Fox stated.
Krystal raised a brow. Surely he had his reasons for doing so, but this could prove beneficial to her and Kyte. Some extra help was always welcome, and lord forbid she go in over her head. If he had any malicious intentions she would know. Focusing for a moment, and scanning his mind, she found his claims to be true. Krystal smiled.
"My name is Krystal, and this is princess Kyte of the Cloudrunners." She introduced herself while gesturing to her ward. She signaled Kyte to come back over, seeing as it was safe. She picked up Kyte again and held her to her chest, keeping her warm. Even though the winds had died down, the climate was still frigid.
"P-pleasure to meet you, sir." The child said, still shivering.
Fox seemed to take not of the girl's shivering but said nothing about it for now. 'Likewise. Look, I think we can help each other out. Besides not wanting to see a child in the clutches of savages, I have my reasons for wanting to save the prince. Whatever yours are, I think we would benefit from working together." Fox said, bluntly.
"You look like you would know how to handle yourself in a fight, Krystal." He reasoned, noting her athletic physic and build.
Krystal pondered the vulpine's offer for a second. Of course, having some help would be appreciated, and she already knew this stranger was being honest about his intentions. She had only just met him, but she knew she would be foolish to turn down his offer.
"Look, I get it. We just met. You have little reasons to trust-" Fox began.
"It's fine with me. Our interests align, so why not." Krystal said bluntly, to Fox's bemusement.
"Just like that?" Fox said. Krystal nodded and looked down at Kyte.
"You alright with that Kyte?"
"I think so. He seems nice." Kyte said, shivering still.
To Krystal's surprise, she detected a hint of worry within Fox's mind. He put down his bag for a moment and began to dig in it for a second. After only a few moments, he pulled out a red blanket and looked back up at the duo.
"I don't mean to intrude, but your young friend there looks a bit cold." Fox stated as he got back up.
Krystal looked down at Kyte and back to Fox. 'Would you like-"
"Yes please." Kyte said bluntly. Krystal smiled. Fox looked to Krystal for approval to approach, and the vixen nodded. Nodding back, he walk over and handed her the blanket.
Krystal sat Kyte down, and did her best to wrap the blanket under her wings and torso, like a cloak. Krystal noted the warmth quickly overtaking Kyte.
"Thank you." The girl said. Fox nodded.
Krystal smiled, and looked back at Fox. He looked at her briefly, before taking off his parka for a second, removing his white flight jacket afterward, and offering it.
"You seemed a bit cold." He said. Krystal blinked, a bit surprised at the generosity of a stranger.
"Thanks." She said as she took the jacket from Fox.
"You're pretty nice for a mercenary." She stated as Fox put back on his parka, and she picked up Kyte again.
"Just doing what anyone would do. Think nothing of it." Fox said. "So, shall we get a move on then?" Krystal nodded
The first half-hour of their hike together was full of awkward silence for a bit. The trio wanted to chat but no one was really sure how to break the ice. Finally, though, Fox decided to speak first.
"So, what brings you to Sauria?" He inquired.
The vixen looked at him. "A personal quest, you could say." She said, being a bit vague.
Fox noted her reluctance to disclose any personal details. Understandable, seeing as they just met. Moving on, he figured he could try more broad questions.
"Anything you can tell me about this base?" He inquired.
"Not too much. I was told it was situated up higher on the mountain."
"Anything more you can tell me about the Sharpclaws?" Fox pressed. Krystal looked at him.
"They're monsters. Tried to kill me when I got here. I've seen them... I've seen the aftermath of their handy work.' Krystal said, switching her words around, noting Kyte was present. "Most of the locals I spoke to had nothing positive to say about them."
"Their monsters, outworlder. Nothing more than cruel and vicious brutes." Kyte chimed in, venom evident in her voice.
Fox huffed. "Sounds like the usual types I deal with." He muttered. Having nothing else to say on the subject, he went remained quiet for a time, until another question appeared in Fox's mind.
"You seemed familiar with my team. But I am surprised you did not know who I was." He pressed.
Krystal sighed. "I am not really from around Lylat. I just heard of your team in passing at a few stops I made here and there." The woman stated. Fox shrugged.
Suddenly Krystal stopped and started scrunching her face as if trying to focus. After a few seconds, she spoke up again.
"I am sensing a few thought patterns nearby. We are close." She said, to Fox's confusion.
"Sensing? What do you-"
"I will tell you later. Come on." She said as she broke into a sprint, followed by Fox.
It was not long before the group saw smoke coming into view. Climbing back onto the nearby evaluation, the trio found a cliff face from which they could get a good view. As they approached it, they caught a view of the enemy war camp.
The war camp was a bit like the one Krystal had seen when she got to the planet. It was an impressive sight, situated at a cliffside with wooden walls erected at the front and a giant door in the middle of them. Behind this wall, a large area contained wooden huts, likely troop barracks, and weapon racks propped up all around. On one end of the camp, a group of cages was left lying around, on top of the others. Nothing seemed to be inside of them at first glance. The only other thing of note in the camp were several hoverbikes parked near a slope at the back of the base, jarringly out of place compared to the rest of the base. Fox made a note of this for his report. But the structures of the camp were not what caught the group's attention.
The occupants of the war camp were gathered around in the center, near a fire. Inside, a large green Sharpclaw adorned in gold armor and a red cloak bearing the Sharpclaw logo appeared to be addressing a large group of soldiers, each a different size and color. Their weapons and armor were miscellaneous and did not have much in the way of uniformity. He seemed to be giving them orders. But most jarringly of all was the dinosaur standing next to the leader. Each of the trio was a bit shocked, but Kyte was in particular.
Right next to the Sharpclaw leader, a large, orange Cloudrunner stood by, ideally. He was notably larger than the other Cloudrunners Krystal had met, even Kree. He wore armor similar to the Cloudrunner Royal Guards, but his armor seemed to be painted with the Sharpclaw insignia. He had a red fabric on his chest plate, identical to what the other higher ranking Sharpclaws Krystal had encountered wore. The trio was left shocked at the sight of this rogue.
"What is a Cloudrunner doing with the Sharpclaw?" Kyte asked, baffled.
"I don't know, Kyte. Let's see what we can make of it." Krystal replied before trying to focus on their thoughts. It proved difficult, however. She could sense emotions from far away, but only faintly. Reading one's thoughts took up more focus. The range between her group and the enemies did nothing to help the difficulty. It would take a moment to get a bead on his mind.
Fox, meanwhile, fished a pair of high-tech binoculars out of his pack. Zooming in, he turned on the sound amplifier it came equipped with, trying to make out the conversation. "Give me a moment; I might be able to pick up what they are discussing," He said before focusing on his task.
After zooming in on the leader crowd, Fox noted that the lead Sharpclaw had turned away from his soldiers, who left to resume their tasks and began conversing with the rogue Cloudrunner. Keeping his view steady, Fox turned up the mic on the binoculars, trying to make out what they said. Messing with the dial a bit, he finally picked up the audio.
"So, is everything ready then?" The Cloudrunner asked.
"Of course. We move out tomorrow. We have the Earthwalkers at a disadvantage; with their King and Prince in our custody, they are vulnerable. Only their Queen has evaded us." The leader replied. "We will deal with her later."
"Good, I always hated their kind." The rogue Cloudunner replied. "Though there's the matter of my tribe. I will be flying to Scales shortly to aid him in his plan. He suspects that the Queen Cloudrunner will be going after one of the Spell Stones. We have a trap set up just for them; using a Stone as bait," The Cloudrunner was heard to say over the audio.
Fox merely shook his head in disgust. He was about to turn it off when he heard a final piece that grabbed his attention. "As for my niece, I hope you find her soon. Scales told me a blue vixen and the Royal Guard Captain rescued her from the galleon. If you find her, report it to me. I have use for her," He said, before adding, "Just try to keep her unharmed." The rogue added.
The lead Sharpclaw scoffed at that" We will try. No promises, though. Well, until next time, Revallos," The leader said as he turned away from the rogue, who just rolled his eyes in response.
Fox was curious as he immediately connected the dots. "Blue vixen? It could only mean Krystal. I will have to discuss this rogue with her and the princess later." He thought as he switched off the mic and began scanning the camp for signs of the Earthwalker Prince.
Krystal, meanwhile, finally managed to decipher a few of the rogue's thoughts. "Finally, my chance for power has come. I can't wait to see the look on the Queen's face once we're through with her. Well, best be on my way."
Having had read some of the rogue Cloudrunner's thoughts, Krystal was disgusted by his traitorous actions and what Kyte would have to say about it. "Such poisonous ambitions. We'll inform Kree next chance we get" Krystal, thought. Remembering their goal here, she pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and asked Fox if he had spotted the Prince yet.
"Think I got a bead on him. Take a look," He said, handing her the binoculars and gesturing towards the cages. Upon closer inspection, Krystal noticed a small creature curled up in one. He appeared to be yellowish-brown, like the Queen and had a purple streak along his back. He sported a single horn on his snout. This had to be the target. "Alright, what's our plan of action?" Krystal inquired, readying herself.
As if in response to her question, a group of Sharpclaw had begun making their way towards the Prince. It looked as though they intended to move him. The rogue Cloudrunner had begun flying away by this point, leaving the rest of the camp to carry out whatever other orders the leader had given.
"We don't have much time. They seem to be moving the Prince." Fox said, as he scanned the camp, noting a nearby cliff, which was high enough that they could jump onto the top of the wall. He then glanced at the hoverbikes in the back. Like clockwork, a plan formed in his head. "Here's our plan: we infiltrate the camp from that cliff there, then we make for the hoverbikes in the back," He said, getting up. "I think you missed a few steps. Like how we get past the Sharpclaws," Krystal snarked." We don't have much time for logistics; we will have to wing it," Fox said before dashing for the cliff he mentioned.
Krystal rolled her eyes before turning to Kyte. "Stay out of range; we will deal with the Sharp claws. Meet us by those crafts in the back of the camp," She ordered." But what about that Cloudrunner?" She asked, still shocked one of her kind could betray their tribe to the Sharpclaw
Krystal put her hands on Kyte's shoulders. "Look, we will have to discuss that later. For now, we must rescue the Prince." The vixen said. Accepting what she said, Kyte nodded and flew up, trying to get a bead on things.
Krystal then dashed to join Fox, who had already begun his descent into the camp. He had sprinted with impressive speed, taking the Sharpclaw guard out by surprise with his baton. He then sprinted to the other end of the wall, which was a bit closer to where the cages were.
From there, he hopped off the wall onto a structure and began making for the cages.
Krystal, meanwhile, had followed suit. Proceeding to where Fox had ran, she joined him in hiding behind a wooden structure, eyeing the Sharpclaws at the cages. It had seemed they had not been noticed quite yet.
"So what's our plan of action," She asked, her staff at the ready." "Wait for them to open the cage, then we take them by surprise. We are going to have to move quickly. By my guess, we will have a couple of seconds to ambush them. "He stated, readying his baton.
The Sharpclaw, meanwhile, had opened Tricky's cage. The prince woke up immediately upon hearing them enter and snarled at the Sharpclaw. The largest one merely growled cornering the prince. Taking an ax off his back, he threatened the child with the weapon, ensuring the prince understood the threat. Tricky was motionless as the brute started tying a rope around his neck.
"Get moving, kid." The Sharpclaw growled. "And don't even think about trying to run off again. Or you will receive more than just a few bruises this time." The brute threatened. Tricky whimpered in response before complying with the Sharpclaw.
Seeing this, Fox signaled for Krystal to begin her attack. With that, the two vulpines sprang their attack. Fox elected a sharp claw in the back, while Krystal killed another one with the sharp tip of her staff. Knocking at a third enemy with his baton, Fox then made for the larger Sharpclaw. Caught off guard, the brute went down quickly, thanks to the two foxes' joint efforts. They then turned their gazes to the prince, who was surprised at what had just happened. "That was awesome! Are you here to rescue me? "He asked, happy to see his tormenters brought down.
Krystal was the one who spoke up. "Yes, young one. Your mother sent us. We are here to bring you back to her," She began, uniting the leash from his neck. "But we have to hurry; follow us."
Nodding, Tricky followed Krystal's commands. The group was hoping they could dash for the bikes when they suddenly heard yelling. "INTRUDERS! They are going for the Prince; stop them" a sentry called, having spotted the two foxes freeing the prince. Without hesitation, each Sharpclaw in the area began grabbing and brandishing their weapons and ran over to the cages.
Fox reacted quickly. Turning towards the vixen, he spoke.
"Krystal, take the prince and make a break for the bikes; I will be right behind you," He ordered, used to giving commands during a mission. Krystal nodded before addressing the prince.
Tricky," Stay close, and keep dashing for the hoverbikes"
"The what?" Tricky asked, not knowing what a hoverbike was. Krystal, however, had little time to explain.
"Just run for those metal things at the back of the camp," She said, sprinting in that direction with the prince in tow. Along her path, she encountered more Sharpclaw. She wasted little time with them, dodging most of them and taking out the weaker ones who got in her way. As she maintained her sprint, she noted a large group blocking her path. She bombarded the Sharpclaws with a barrage of fire blasts, dropping at least two of them and forcing any others to take cover. But, while she did this, the rest of the enemy soldiers had begun forming a circle around her, trying to cut her off. It became clear she had to fight her way through them.
At the forefront was a tall, green brute. He aimed his ax at the vixen, but she skillfully dodged his blow, then countered with a job of her own. Disorienting the Sharpclaw, she charged the magic in her staff, intent to use it in a powerful blow. Charging a magic blast within her staff, she whacked the Sharpclaw in the chest, unleashing the built-up energy. The blast sent the brute flying into the smaller Sharpclaw behind him. Seeing their chance, Krystal and the prince quickly made for the bikes.
Fox was following suit, having engaged a few Sharpclaw to provide a distraction. Then he had knocked out a few of the smaller, less trained ones with ease. He was about to sprint for the bikes when a large foe stepped into his path.
The Sharpclaw leader stood in his path, sword in hand." You're not getting away that easily." He sneered.
Fox, on instinct, grabbed his baton and attempted to electrocute the leader, but, with surprising grace, the leader dodged his attacks. With lightning-fast reflexes, the leader Sharpclaw grabbed his baton by the handle and disarmed Fox. He then snapped the baton in two on his leg before engaging Fox further.
The vulpine was briefly stunned at the agility this Sharpclaw had displayed but quickly got over it. He might almost pose a threat.
Luckily for Fox, he had dealt with far worse than an oversized lizard.
The leader slashed at Fox with his sword but repeatedly failed to land a hit. With his trained reflexes, Fox dodged each blow with ease. Eventually, he managed to sidestep the leader and caught his sword in his grasp. Thinking fast, Fox kicked the leader in the face, causing him to lose his grip on the sword, which fell into Fox's grasp. Taking advantage, the mercenary quickly stabbed the leader in an exposed spot on his leg, causing the lizard to fall to the ground in pain.
Not seeing any point in killing him now, Fox resumed his dash to the hoverbikes, having slung the sword across his back. (It had a sash on the back of it.) "This thing looks like it could be of some use," The fox mused as he caught up to Krystal, who was still there.
"What are you still doing here? Go!" Fox yelled. "
Waiting for Kyte. We can't leave her," Krystal replied." Who's Kyte?" The prince asked from the back of Krystal's bike.
"No time to explain, Prince. I will get her, Krystal. Now move" The male vulpine replied.
And with that, the vixen nodded and sped off down the slope. As expected, Kyte flew in shortly after. "There you are; I was worried for a second there," She began, relieved her acquaintance was ok. " I had been watching from above. Those Sharpclaw have no idea what hit them. My uncle will be impressed." Kyte complimented.
"Appreciate it; now let's move," Fox said, hopping on a hoverbike.
"Wait, I can't fly fast enough to follow you on that," Kyte replied, flustered, after seeing how fast Krystal sped off on it.
Fox thought quickly, "Well, you're in luck. I have some room for you in my pack, I think." He said, opening his pack.
"You cannot be serious." The Cloudrunner frowned.
"Look, Kyte, we have no time. I think you would fly off the back of this thing otherwise, with how fast we are going to be moving. Unless you have a very firm grip, this is our best option." Fox said, noting the Sharpclaw would be there any second."
"Oh, alright," Kyte muttered, getting into the top of his bag and attempting to bury herself into it. "Ok, now hang on!" Fox shouted before closing the bag and speeding off down the slope.
The Sharpclaw in the camp were disoriented. With some dead and others, including their leader, wounded, they knew they would catch heat for this with their superiors. Regardless, they still had a job to do. A few of them ran over to the remaining hoverbikes and began their pursuit of the foxes.
And that's a wrap.
At this rate, Kyte and bags might be becoming a running gag. Also, as for how she would fit into it, just assume the bag Fox has in this story is much larger than the one he brought in-game.
Sidenote: A bit of explanation about the rogue Cloudrunner. I won't give any major spoilers, but I figure I should elaborate a bit since I couldn't figure out how to explain in this chapter.
As the dialogue implies, he is Kyte's Uncle, but from her father's side. He is not related to the Queen or Kree by blood. His backstory and motives will be explored in the following chapters.
While writing the drafts for this story, I stumbled on some Dinosaur Planet storyboards while reviewing material from the leaked prototype. That's where I got the idea for him.
Basically, there was a storyboard for Cloudrunner Fortress that involved an evil uncle of Kytes.
I was interested in the concept of rogue members of the heroic dinosaur tribes and thought it would make for an interesting conflict in the story. I almost deleted the evil uncle from this story since Kree is already Kyte's uncle, but I ultimately decided to use it. Hopefully, things don't get too convoluted with him running around.
Also, I will try to be more thorough in my editing from here on.
