The morning sun awoke the sleeping dinosaurs of Thorntail Hollow the next day. Awakening, the residents stretched and went about their daily routines. The Thorntails did not have many tasks as a tribe; though, they mainly grazed around. But for a few dinos and foxes, it was a big day.
Krystal and Fox were starting to wake up by this point, having gotten a well-earned night of sleep. They knew they would need it for the day ahead. Krystal looked up from where she laid and noticed Kyte was still asleep. The vixen allowed her a few more minutes of rest. This left her and Fox alone for a moment.
"Are you sure you are ready for this?" The vixen asked Fox.
"Believe me. I have had my share of adventures. I am always prepared." Fox affirmed. "Besides, I am not alone on this adventure; I have my team supporting me and you at my side and side. We should be fine. But enough pep-let's, let's get some breakfast." Fox stated before setting down and opening his backpack to fish out some breakfast. Luckily for him, he had just the thing: energy bars. He took one out and began eating it. He noted Krystal did not seem to have any food on her and fished out another bar.
"Want one?" He offered.
"Sure, sounds good." Krystal accepted it.
She sat next to Fox and counited eating while enjoying the lovely morning. She noted how nice the morning breeze felt and how peaceful everything in this valley seemed. She almost wished they had more time to enjoy it. But, alas, they had to get a move on soon.
Soon after, she looked to Kyte and noticed the young Cloudrunner beginning to stir. Kyte seemed to be waking up. Krystal watched as the child stretched her body and wings before turning to the vulpines.
"Good morning, you two. Watcha got there?" She asked, having never seen food like that before.
"Outworlder food. Nothing you would really like or be familiar with." Fox replied.
"Probably not. Anyways, I am gonna hit up a Dumbledang tree. See you in a second." Kyte announced before flying off towards the nearest one.
In another part of the hollow, Queen Thera and her son began awakening. There had finally managed to get some decent rest for the first time in the past few days. Both mentally and physically, she felt better now thanks to her son's return and the elder's care. She glanced at the Thorntail elder, who was still asleep and snoring loudly. She opted to leave him be, as he was old and had attended to her day and night. He deserved a bit of a respite.
Tricky, on the other hand, was already bursting with energy. The prospect of the adventure before him was exciting.
"Come on; mom, let's go get the others," Tricky called, getting ready to dash out of the cave. Then his stomach growled. "But first, some breakfast."
Thera rolled her eyes but smiled. Regardless if he could be a handful at times, she was happy he was back. She then walked off with her son towards the spot where the elder gathered Grubtubs for her and her soldiers.
After each member of the group had eaten breakfast, everyone reconveyed near the tunnel that leads to the wastes. The queen came as well to see her son off.
"Alright, Fox, Krystal, a lot is riding on your group here. But you have my undying gratitude for taking up this task. I will remain here and do everything I can to aid you. For the time being, I will have to try to reconnect with my scouts. Return to me when you have the first Spell Stone." Queen Thera addressed the group.
She then glanced at her son. Though she had volunteered him for this trip, she still had a bit of worry. It was dangerous, after all. But the group would need him; the guidance he could offer could be vital.
"But please, take care of my son," Thera added.
Krystal spoke up. "Don't worry, your grace. Both the royal heirs will be safe with us."
"No problem, lady. Now, if everyone is ready, let's get a move on. "Fox replied, motioning for the group to begin. The group waved goodbye to the queen and began their journey to the Snow Horn Wastes as he did this.
Along the way, Krystal figured it might be good to lay down some ground rules, seeing as the two children still were at odds, despite their common goal. Though Tricky had thanked Kyte for her aid, Krystal still sensed animosity between the two. It was clear the wounds that ran between their tribes ran deep.
"Tricky, Kyte, listen up." Krystal began, getting the two young dinos' attention. "We are going to need to set aside our differences. We are a team here; we have to work together. The planet is counting on us."
"Hey, I will work with him just fine if he loses the attitude." Kyte snarked.
"So long as she keeps her distance." Tricky shot back at her.
Krystal groaned and rolled her eyes. This was going to take some work.
(Meanwhile, on another part of Sauria)
Kree and his fellow Cloudrunner soldier had been flying nonstop since they left the Thorntail Hollow. They had managed to find many patrols roosting around the rest of the tribes' usual patrol routes. Speaking with some of the soldiers he found, he managed to learn that their queen had sent her guards to gather the scattered Cloudrunners, just as Kree was doing.
"And what of the queen herself, where is she now?" Kree had asked the soldiers who informed him.
"We believe her to be somewhere in the mountains near where our fortress is supposed to be. She sent has another party looking into the location of a Spellstone." They had informed him
"Good, I think I've gathered most of our patrols by this point. The scouts will pick up any stragglers; I need you to lead me to the queen. She and I need to speak." He had ordered the soldiers.
Obeying him, the soldiers who had been with Saffali started leading their captain towards the queen's designated meeting spot in the mountains.
(Back in the Snowhorn wastes)
Eventually, the group made it through the tunnel and back to the Snowhorn wastes. Krystal had been given Fox's flight jacket again, while Fox put back on his parka. He also gave a blanket to Kyte and Tricky. At the end of the tunnel, they were greeted by the Bribeclaw.
"Oh hey, it's you. Welcome back. I was getting lonely here." He said sarcastically.
Fox merely rolled his eyes as the guard stepped aside. Apparently, he was true to his word.
Going past the guard, the group figured they should ask for some directions. Glancing around, they located a Snowhorn and began pacing towards him.
"Greetings. We were hoping you could point us towards your tribe leader. We need to speak with him." Krystal stated.
The Snowhorn looked around nervously, unsure of what to say.
Krystal then leaned in and whispered to him. "Look, we are here to free your tribe, but first, we are going to need your leader's help. Any directions you could give would be helpful."
The Snowhorn gave one more glance around before leaning in and whispering something. "I saw you four pass through here yesterday. If you are here to help, be careful. Our leader is across the river, but he has been imprisoned in the ice by the Sharpclaw. There are guards stationed there, though."
"Don't worry; we've dealt with those idiots before. We will be fine. Thanks for the help."
Krystal told what she had heard to the rest of her group. Tricky then perked up.
"My mom brought me here before. If it's a river he's near; then I think I know where Gerunda Te is being held. Follow me."
With that, Tricky guided the rest of the group to another area in the wastes. He took the group across a frozen river to what looked like a cave system. They noticed a trunk sticking out of the ground just outside of it, through a hole in some kind of pit covered in ice.
"Hello? Is someone there?" A voice sounded from inside.
"Are you Gerunda Te?" Fox inquired.
"Yes. Please, help me out. The Sharpclaw haven't fed me in days. I just need a bit to eat to regain my strength. Once I do, I could bust out of here."
"Alright, what do you need?" Fox asked, scanning for guards.
"There should be some Frostweed in the tree nearby. But please hurry; the guards could be here any moment." The voice called back.
As if on cue, a pair of Sharpclaws suddenly came walking out of the cave.
"You there, stop!" One called.
"Damn it."
"You, get the other guards, now!" The apparent leader barked at his companion, who ran back into the cave."
Fox and Krystal grabbed their weapons and readied for battle. Fox, however, stopped Krystal from engaging them. He instead directed her elsewhere.
"Krystal, I can deal with these guys. Take Tricky and Kyte, and try to get those weeds."
"By yourself? It's too dangerous."
"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Getting those weeds is more important."
Krystal hesitated but then nodded and then directed the children to the nearest frostweed trees. Kyte flew up and began plucking the weeds off with her talons while Tricky and Krystal bashed another tree and carried what they could to Gerunda Te.
Meanwhile, Fox had begun to engage incoming Sharpclaw. He had struck down a few of the smaller guards who came, but he had a bit more difficulty against their larger brutes.
Dodging and parrying their blows, he fought on.
Krystal, however, could not just let him fight alone. She knew he would exhaust himself eventually.
"Kyte, Tricky, I am going to assist Fox; keep doing what you are doing." She said before she ran off to assist Fox.
"Got it," Kyte responded as she flew another weed to the trapped Snowhorn. With the two working together, they managed to keep a steady supply of weeds running back and forth. This process went on for a bit longer until the leader finally started to regain his strength.
"Thank you, now give me a moment while I bust out of here." Gerunda Te began as he started bashing the ice.
Tricky looked on with satisfaction, knowing he had played his part. But just as he was turning away, he suddenly felt a hand harshly grab him from behind.
"Hello, young prince." A familiar blue Sharpclaw greeted him coldly. He seemed to be the leader from the war camp who had imprisoned Tricky. The young Earthwalker's heart sank at the sight of him.
By this point, the fighting had died down enough for Krystal to be able to glance back to her wards and see what was happening. She quickly broke away and ran over. In response, the lead Sharpclaw held a blade to the prince's neck.
"Come closer, and I bleed this runt." He responded coldly to the vixen, who stopped dead in her tracks. But before anything could happen, a loud breaking sound suddenly came from behind. Turning around, the Sharpclaw came face to face with a very large, very angry Snowhorn.
"Release the prince now, or I flatten you." Gerunda Te said coldy.
In a flash, the Sharpclaw dropped his blade and began dashing off. The other Sharpclaw nearby followed suit. The rest of the group hardly cared, though, being more relieved to see the gatekeeper free and the prince safe.
Tricky suddenly shot forward and begun to nuzzle the Snowhorn. Te was massive and wore fitted plate armor and a helmet.
"Uncle Gerunda, you saved me. Thank you so much."
The elderly leader returned the gesture with his trunk. "Just making sure you are safe. Thank you all for freeing me from there." He addressed the group.
"No problems, I am Fox Mcloud, and this is Krystal and Kyte. But uncle?" Fox asked, confused.
"Queen Thera and I have known each other a long time. She has visited with her son many times. As such, I got the honor of being Tricky's 'uncle,' they decided." Te explained with a smile.
"Yeah, and he's a fun one at that. You should see him when he's not scary. You almost wouldn't know to think it, given how he acts on duty." Tricky teased.
"Aw, but a leader must act responsibly when needed." His expression dropped. "Unfortunately, my daughter did not seem to grasp this."
Krystal sensed thoughts of sorrow in the Snowhorn. She decided they should press the issue, as she sensed it related to their reason for being here.
"I take it something happened when your domain left the surface?" She asked.
Te grew stern. "Yes, you see, it was my daughter who opened the gateway." He began to explain the full story.
"Scales came here some time ago and offered me an ultimatum: give him the Spell Stone and access to the Dark Ice mine, or he would massacre my whole tribe. It was a sadistic choice: but I could not risk the entire world's safety. I hated it, but I had no choice; I had to refuse to let him have the Spell Stone. This was my burden as a gatekeeper. But by a daughter, Belina, thought differently." He paused, his expression falling for a moment as if he was pondering something before he continued.
"She revealed to Scales where the stone was in order to spare my tribe. Scales did as he promised and let us live but enslaved us as well." His voice trailed off again.
"I do not blame Belina for making this decision. I don't believe we had any good options, to be honest. But she dishonored me as a gatekeeper."
"But your whole tribe could have been rendered extinct! How could you refuse?" Krystal shot at him.
"I have to put the planet before anything else—even my own tribe. I don't think any of you would understand the kind of burden I hold, through my positions . But… I do not hold it against her. Regardless though, my tribe are now slaves. This fate is hardly better than the alternative." The elder mammoth muttered.
"But it would be the end of your kind as you knew it!" Krystal said sternly, anger oozing out of every syllable. Fox and the kids were caught off guard at the uncharacteristic burst of anger from the vixen. Fox was not to surprised that she would be angry, though; given what happened to her home world and species.
The gatekeeper looked a bit surprised at the vixen's anger. "Look, miss... it was no easy choice to make-"
"Its not choice at all. Do you even realize what you almost did?!" Krystal almost spat. After a few moments, she breathed heavily and sighed. "You have no idea what it was like, to lose you whole species. You were a fool for thinking it was a worthy sacrifice." Krystal said, a bit more calm but anger still evident in her voice.
"Miss, it was my duty to put the planet first-"
"Does that justify dooming the rest of your kind to death? Did the other's of your species even have a say in this? At least through your daughter's actions, they are alive and can be saved." Krystal argued.
Gerunda Te was caught off guard. He took the insult in stride, but was surprised by the vixen's anger. He did not blame her for disagreeing with his decision. But he could tell there was something more to the vixen's anger. He opted to reamaining quiet and let her speak.
The vixen however, sighed again. She took a few moments to breath, before she spoke more. Tricky and Kyte were caught off guard, but remained silent as she spoke, hoping to understand the situation more.
"Please forgive me. Look... my home world is gone, and my species is dead; there are very few other Cerinians left. When you mentioned sacrificing your own kind, it... touched a nerve, ok?" Krystal sighed. Fox stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. Gerunda Te sighed and spoke.
"Look, its alright. I understand, miss. And i am sorry for what happened to your kind. Perhaps I was a fool. I can see now why Belina did what she did, truth be told. But my tribe is still under the Sharpclaw's grasp." He muttered.
Kyte and Tricky felt spymathy for Krystal, but could not do much more to help her; they both knew her feelings were beyond anything they might understand. The vixen had begun to regain her composure anyways. Kyte realized the best she could do now is maybe try to lighten the mood.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Kyte interjected, hoping to lift the mood.
It worked, and Gerunda Te looked reinvigorated. "Maybe you are right. I take it you are trying to find the Spell Stone, yes?"
The two foxes nodded.
"Good. With your help, maybe we can kick Scales out of the area. I can lift the force field I put around the mines. I put it up to disrupt the Sharpclaw in the area there, though I believe they would have noticed sooner or later, now that I think about it." Te noted. "Anyways, you should be able to access it if you can get a hold of one of those crafts of theirs."
"No need; I have one of my own." Fox finished. "Now, thanks for your help; we will be off if that's fine."
"Good luck. In the meantime, I will see about rallying my tribe and kicking the remaining Sharpclaw out of here. But one more thing." He replied, eyeing Kyte.
"I recognize you as the Cloudrunner princess, young one. Your jewelry is a dead giveaway. If you get a chance, please tell your mother to send envy here. I believe we should combine our efforts against Scales."
Kyte, whose tribe never had a problem with the Snowhorns, nodded.
"And as for you, Prince Tricky, I hope to see you and your mother again soon. Know that we will support your tribe in this conflict." Gerunda Te said before suddenly dropping his stern demeanor and tickling the prince.
"And be sure to tell your mother Uncle Gerunda was fun, as always." He suddenly teased. Tricky laughed before nuzzling him again and saying goodbye.
"Seems like a swell guy, all things considered," Fox noted, surprised that this mighty-looking warrior could be so goofy at a moment's notice.
And with that, the group headed back to the Thorntail Hollow.
(A bit later)
It was early afternoon when the group made it back to the hollow. Wasting no time, Fox lead them to the Arwing. When they got there, the children stared in awe at the ship.
"Wow, that thing looks cool!" Trick said.
"I don't know how that works, but it seems like it could fly so smoothly." Kyte squealed, noting the aerodynamic shape, somewhat like that of her tribe's.
Krystal, however, was only slightly impressed. She had seen other ships before and found this fighter a fine craft . But she noted how beaten and rusted it seemed to be.
"Hard times, lately?" She asked Fox
"Yeah, its been a rough couple of years. But at least she still flies." He replied.
"Yes, but how are we all supposed to fit in there?" The vixen asked.
Fox realized he hadn't thought of that yet, being preoccupied with the adventure at hand, but quickly thought of something.
"OK, if I pull the pilot's see all the way forward, you can probably squeeze into the cockpit."
"OK, fine. But what of the kids?" She said, gesturing towards them.
Kyte then turned their way. "Oh yeah, what are we going to do?"
He then pressed a button on the device on his wrist, and a hatch on the bottom of the ship opened. Per the ship's schematics, it was the bomb storage area, which he knew to be airtight.
The two dinos stared at the tiny hatch. Fox merely looked at them as if not seeing any problem.
"OK, get in." He told them
"A tiny space with her? No, thank you." Tricky retorted.
"Yeah, I am not a fan of it either. I hate cramped spaces, to begin with, let alone sharing one with a big jerk." Kyte shot back at the Earthwalker, who rolled his eyes.
"It's this, or you two get left behind. We don't have any room elsewhere." Krystal reasoned.
"Fine, but I am not going to enjoy this." Kyte signed and got into the hatch behind Tricky.
This left Fox and Krystal to get into the cockpit.
"OK, sorry about the tight squeeze. I will see about modifying this later." Fox said as the vixen curled up behind him, clearly cramped.
"Try not to go upside down. There are no seat belts for me." Krystal said somewhat humorously.
With that, Fox began to take off.
It had only been a few seconds into takeoff before Fox and Krystal heard a loud thud from the cargo hold of the Arwing, followed by the muffled voices of the children.
"OW! TRICKY, GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF MY FACE!"
"Sorry, but I am getting thrown around in here."
Krystal groaned while Fox rolled his eyes. "And there they go again. We need to talk to them about their arguments; we can't have them bickering every other moment like this." Krystal sighed.
"We will talk to them when we get to the mine," Fox replied before glancing nervously. "Unfortunately, there's more where that came from."
"Oh, dear." Was all Krystal could reply.
Hitting the thrusters, the Arwing began its ascent into the atmosphere. This was quickly followed by another loud thud from the cargo bay.
"Ow, my head." Came Tricky's voice again
"This is going to be a long flight." That was all Fox could think as he continued gaining momentum.
(about 20 minutes of thuds and arguments later)
Fox had breached the floating rock's orbit by now, coming into view of the snow-covered region. He noted the deposits of lava around in certain areas as if this place was built near a volcano. He began searching for a spot to land before coming upon an opening in the cliff sides, situated at the top of a small cliff face. It was the perfect spot to land the Arwing.
Touching down, he and Krystal quickly got out, relieved to be out of the cramped cockpit.
"You OK, Krystal?" He asked the vixen.
She nodded. "Just need to stretch my legs, is all. But let out the kids; I don't think they can take much more of this." She replied.
Fox opened the hatch from his wrist control panel. Slowly, Kyte and Tricky tumbled out, dizzy and experiencing turbulence. Tricky collapsed on his side while Kyte fell over onto her belly. While the adults were used to this kind of feeling, it was clearly new to the young dinos.
"OK, that was the worst experience of my life. I think it beat out being a Sharpclaw prisoner." Tricky stated, rubbing his head.
Kyte glared at him from the ground. "At least you didn't have someone's butt shoved into your face every other moment." She said, irritated.
Fox grew an embarrassed look on his face. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was not prepared for the company on this trip. I think we might need to get my mechanic on that. Speaking of which…" he then rang up Slippy on the team comms.
"Fox to Slippy, you there?"
"Yeah, I am here. I take it you made it to the Darkice mines?" Slippy's voice sounded over the comms.
"Yes, but I have a task for you." Fox began, glancing at the dizzied dinosaurs to his side. "I am sure Peppy told you about my new friends I have on this adventure, yes?"
"He has. Nice to know you won't be down there alone, by the way. I never was good at on-foot missions." The toad replied.
"Well, I need some modifications done to my Arwing. Our dinosaurs friends had a second seat and safety measures here; they barely made it through a flight in the ship's bomb storage. Can you get try to get the transmission system working again?" Fox asked, knowing he had little time to fly back to the ship for these kinds of modifications. He knew it would take some time to modify the ship as he needed, and time was of the essence with their mission. Sure, Fox could just wait around for a few hours on the Great Fox for Slippy to finish, but there were so many more pressing matters to attend to.
"Sure, Fox, but it will take a bit of time to repair the system and work out the bugs. And then there is the matter of actually making the modifications." Slippy said, not particularly excited about the laborious task at hand. "It will be a bit tough, though. We have neglected this part of the Great Fox pretty badly."
"You're smart; I am sure you can fix it. But don't worry, you should have enough time; I am not sure how long this adventure in the mine could take." He was about to hang up before he remembered something. "Oh, and please send down a spare parka in a drop pod. Krystal could use one. Also, see if we have anything we could use to keep the kids warm."
"Will do. I think we have some spare fabrics lying around. As for Krystal, I think we have Miyu's old parka somewhere in the closet. I will send them down when I locate them. Slippy out."
Krystal had been listening and turned to Fox. "Thanks for that, Fox, but are you sure this Miyu won't be upset I am using her clothes?"
Fox shook his head. "Nah, she left the team earlier in the year when she found a better opportunity, though I don't blame her for that. She left this parka behind by accident but never bothered asking for it back. I am sure she wouldn't mind, anyway."
Discussing Miyu had brought back memories for Fox. The team had recruited her about two years ago, and she had served the team well. But as things went south, she knew the Star Fox team was beginning to become a dead-end job, and she left when another PMC offered her a position. The team didn't blame her, though, and urged her to do what she felt was right. Things were going downhill anyway.
"Maybe we can turn things around for the team after this mission."
After a few minutes, Tricky and Kyte had regained had collected their bearings. Both got up, and Kyte flew towards Krystal. It was apparent to the group how Kyte seemed to gravitate towards the vixen. With how well they got along, it was almost like they were old friends. Tricky, on the other hand, walked towards Fox, who he then addressed.
"OK, I think I know where we are. Just a bit through that pass over there, the Snowhorns have a village for their miners." The Earthwalker said, gesturing towards the bottom of the cliff face, where a path was clear through the pass it gave way to.
"Alright, but before we go, I feel I should reiterate what Krystal told you two," Fox responded, catching both Kyte's and Tricky's attention.
"I don't know why your tribes seem to dislike each other, you in particular Tricky, but Krystal and I need you both to work together. You bickered almost the entire way here for crying at loud." Fox began.
Krystal then gestured for Fox to let her take it from there. "Look, I know your tribes have a bad history with each other. But this is the time to look past that. You both want the same thing: Scales' defeat and for your world and tribes to be saved."
"Yes, but Tricky has been a jerk to me this whole time," Kyte responded.
"A little bit, but you have acted like you are so superior to me since we met." Tricky accused, though Krystal felt his accusation rang hollow.
"And here we go again." Krystal huffed. "Look, this is getting us nowhere. Tricky, Kyte is doing her best to help. She already aided with your mother, didn't she?"
Tricky went silent.
"What snob would risk her life to help the queen of her rival clan?" The vixen went on. "Plus, you heard what happened to her tribe. It is like what is happening to yours. I know you two share a lot of common ground; it's just neither of you wants to admit it."
Tricky and Kyte remained silent. Neither would say it outright, but both knew, deep down, the vixen was right. They just had no idea how to admit it.
"And so, I believe that should about cover it. I can't force you two to get along; that's up to you, of course. But I hope both of you think about what I said." The vixen finished her lecture.
Fox, however, felt they needed insurance, just in case. "Just to make sure we are on the same page, both of you will be left with Queen Thera back in the hollow if your arguing continues. Is that clear?"
Tricky and Kyte shared a nervous look at one another; neither wanted to be left out of the adventure they were on. After a moment, they both glanced back at Fox and nodded.
"Good, now I believe we all should get suited up for this weather. Hopefully, my team should be sending a drop pod in just a- "Fox was cut off as something fell from the sky and landed nearby. It was the drop pod he was hoping for.
"Well, looks like the package was delivered on time."
Approaching it, he opened the small pod and found what he was looking for—Miyu's old parka and some warm fabrics could function as cloaks for the younger ones. Krystal put on the parka, which was purple, and went down to her legs. She was also given leggings that she put on under her skirt. (she changed behind the Arwing, when everyone was looking away) Fox and her aided Kyte and Tricky in putting on the fabrics as makeshift cloaks.
Kyte's was wrapped around her lower body, under her wings. On the other hand, Tricky was wearing a brown fabric that covered his back and had a makeshift hood over his head.
After they were done, Krystal admired her and Fox's handy work. "Aw, Tricky's looks like a little cloak." She noted. Tricky blushed at this.
Fox, however, wanted to get to the point. "Cute. Now please take us to the village you mentioned, Tricky." Nodding, the Earthwalker lead the group down the side of the cliff, sliding down it its slope, and preceded to the pass below. He led the group through the pass for a bit, aiming to make it to the village. The group was mostly silent with each other during their journey there. Tricky and Kyte, however, were lost in thought for some time.
"Maybe Krystal is right about Tricky. He has been a jerk, yet at the same time, we have been through a lot of the same experiences in the past few days. We both were kidnapped from our families; both of us have had loved ones suffer by Scales. And Krystal is right: our goals are the same. But how do I get through it with him about this? That was all Kyte could think on the matter. From Krystal's shoulder, she glanced down at the little Earthwalker, who was leading the way. She wondered if he was thinking the same as she was.
Little did she know, Tricky was on the same train of thought.
As he walked through the snow, he went over what the vixen had pointed out in his head. "She had a point. The princess has been through a lot of what I have. She must know what its like." Then it hit him. "But she already helped my mother and even went on the mission to rescue me to begin with. Maybe she's not so bad." He then thought back to what his father would tell him about the Cloudrunners: how they were nothing but a snobbish tribe who had robbed them. The king had told his son how the Cloudrunners had instigated bloody conflicts over petty reasons and how they were little better than the Sharp claws. And they were just a bunch of petty snobs who basked in their own wealth. Such feelings ran throughout the tribe, all though it was hard to pin the cause of such feelings on any particular event. They had been around long since a certain incident years ago.
Yet, at the same time, his mother urged her son to consider the Cloudrunner's point of view and not to hate them so blindly. She had tried to teach her son to understand that there was more to the two tribes' conflicts than they thought and that it might not be as simple as it had seemed. Tricky felt that this prejudice his tribe showed was born more at resentment for the bloody conflicts and the losses the tribe had suffered by the Cloudrunners, rather than born out of genuine racism.
This, however, did not mean the Earthwalker king was solely a hate-filled bigot. He was beloved by his tribe for the kindness he showed to other tribes( besides Cloudrunners), as well as his wisdom and fair judgment. On top of that, he showed nothing but love for his wife and son and only wanted what was best for them and his tribe, as far as Albada believed.
Still, Tricky knew he had to be honest with himself. Much of this hate he spewed at Kyte was just him projecting what his father wanted to see from him.
"But what if he's wrong? Maybe they aren't so bad if we can just get past each other. Kyte has already disproven much of what he said about the tribe. But I will withhold judgment until I meet more of her kind. In the meantime, I should think of a way to make it up to her." He affirmed to himself.
He then shook aside his thought for the moment and noticed they were coming up on the village he had mentioned.
The Sharpclaw seemed to have erected a few wooden structures in it, while the makeshift Snowhorn shelters adorned different areas in the village. There seemed to be no Sharpclaw around, but most of the Snowhorns there were chained. At the center, there was a draw bridge powered by a gear mechanism.
As they approached, they suddenly heard a voice. "Psst, over here."
Turning to their left, the group saw a female snow horn chained to a bolt in the ground.
They quickly ran over to help her. Thinking on her feet, Krystal froze the chain on her leg with her staff, and then Fox broke it with his sword. The female breathed a sigh of relief and then spoke to the group.
"Thank you for releasing me. Are you here to free us by chance?" The female asked, sounding hopeful. Krystal was the one who spoke to her.
"Indeed, we are. But can you give us directions into mine? We seek the Spell Stone."
"Of course, dear. Just go across that bridge and keep following the path to the north. The Sharpclaw carved the path, so it should be pretty clear. But please, when you get to the mine, look for Belina Te, the gatekeeper's daughter. It's not her fault this happened'; Scales would have killed us all if she didn't open the give him the stone." She pleaded,
Tricky, surprisingly, was the one to speak. "We are aware: we spoke to Gerunda Te already. I know Belina personally; she was doing what she thought was right."
Fox nodded in agreement. "Yeah, not sure what else she should have done. Don't worry, we will find her. Maybe we can help smooth things over with her and her father while we are at it."
With that, the group freed any other Snowhorns nearby before lowering the bridge and crossing it. On the other side, the group found a sign giving directions. Though the penmanship was crude, Krystal could make out what it said.
"The mine is further up this path, but it talks about a gate up ahead. I think we might need some help breaking that down." She noted.
Fox nodded but wondered something. "Wait, why is this planet's native language written? Don't must dinosaurs here not have arms?" He asked, confused.
"Well, some tribes do like the Lightfoots and Sharp claws. They, and a handful of others, are the only ones who use the written language. But at least it's decipherable for most of us." Kyte explained.
Fox shrugged and went along with it.
The group kept moving forward along the path toward the mine when they suddenly heard the sound of some arguing. Ducking behind a nearby rock, the group notices two yellow Sharpclaw, each wielding clubs, beating an old Snowhorn.
"Please, let me rest. I have been working for almost a full day." The Snowhorn pleaded.
"Sorry, but no. Boss wants more shifts done." A Sharpclaw mocked him before beating the Snowhorn with his club.
Enraged, Fox dashed forward, sword drawn, and attacked the Sharpclaw. With a well-placed strike, he stabbed the lizard in the chest. Krystal had flanked the vulpine and made short work of the other one. However, their victory was short-lived, as more Sharpclaws were coming in from the further ahead.
Krystal and Fox engaged them while Kyte and Tricky ran and flew over to tend to the elderly Snowhorn. While they did this, a Sharpclaw managed to slip past Krystal and Fox and was coming for the children. Tricky took a defensive stance. He was enraged by the Sharpclaw's cruelty and felt a strange sensation arising in his throat. As if on instinct, flames suddenly shot out of his mouth at the Sharpclaw, and the Sharpclaw was seared. While the fire did not kill him, as his kind had at least some natural resistance to them, it did hurt him greatly. The pain caused him to roll like mad in the snow before running off back towards the gate. The other Sharpclaw soon followed suit.
Fox glanced at Tricky, having seen what just happened. "What was that?"
"My flame breath. My dad has been teaching me how to use it, but I've never really had much control over it. I guess the anger I felt caused me to spit it out suddenly." Tricky explained, guessing how he had shot it out.
"Didn't know Earthwalkers could do that. I saw Cloudrunners do it, though. Is this a common ability in your tribe, Tricky?" Krystal asked.
"Not really. I know a number of our soldiers can do it, but not many people in my family could. Dad had to have one of his soldiers teach me about it, though I could hardly summon it. I don't get too angry that often." Tricky explained.
Kyte suddenly spoke up. "You're lucky; I still haven't gotten the hang of it yet. Maybe you could give me a few pointers?" She asked the prince.
Fox expected an insult, but Tricky instead looked like he was pondering an answer.
"Maybe later, if I figure out any to give. I am not an expert on this." Was his response.
"Finally, some progress between the two. Maybe we can build on this." Krystal thought to herself, hopeful.
The group then glanced back at the Snowhorn, who had been catching his breath. He spoke up after a few moments.
"Thank you, strangers. I can tell you are seeking to enter the mine. If you give me a moment to catch my breath, I can help you through that gate further ahead."
Fox nodded and opened his bag, intending to give the elder something to eat. Having a spare Dumbledang pod brought to him by Kyte that morning, he gave it to the Snowhorn. After eating and catching his breath, the Snowhorn got up and followed the group further down the path to the Sharpclaw gate.
From here, Fox devised a plan. "Kyte, see if you can get us a view of whats on the other side of that gate." Kyte nodded and flew up.
On the other side, she saw a few Sharpclaw waiting near the wooden gate, which looked only lightly fortified. Then beyond that, there were only a few other guards around, mostly smaller Sharp claws. The larger brutes most have been further in the mine, to enforce the slaves. She flew down and reported what she had seen to her friends.
"OK, sounds easy enough then. Those smaller ones aren't much in terms of brains or brawn. And the gate sounds weak. This should be easy." Fox said, readying himself.
"Get ready then." The Snowhorn came
With a mighty push, the gate was forced open, sending the Sharplcaw on the other side flying. The guards had little time to react, as the two vulpines decided upon them and made short work of them. Fox slashed at the one's closet to him, while Krystal shot down the other at a distance with some well-aimed shots from her staff's fire blaster.
A few guards had managed to dodge the blasts and engaged the vulpines. But their clumsy blows were quickly blocked by the well-trained vulpines. They were then disarmed and dispatched, like the rest of the Sharpclaw in the area. After the area was clear, the vulpines glanced around at their handy work.
"Well, that was easy," Fox noted.
"Yeah, they knew we were coming, yet they still fell to complete pieces." Krystal agreed. "Though, these are just their lower-ranked grunts. Their more elite warriors are deeper in the mine, I suppose. Best not get cocky." Krystal warned.
"Oh, come on, these idiots won't know what hit them. We could slip past them easily." Tricky chimed in.
"Don't tempt fate, Tricky. Those words might come back to bite you later. "Fox warned.
"Anyways, thanks for the help. We will take it from here." Fox told the Snowhorn.
"No problem. I am going to take a rest over there; I could really use it. But be careful: the area ahead is plagued by fierce blizzards due to the gusts from the mine. We normally travel in pairs when traversing it, though some of my tribe are accustomed to the storm and act as guides. They can travel back and forth through this storm alone. There should be a horn nearby. I know of a Snowhorn who escaped and has been bringing food back and forth to the slaves in the area. He should answer your call." The Snowhorn said before heading to a corner and taking a nap.
Fox and Krystal looked at each other nervously. They knew this next part would not be easy. But they had no choice.
The group proceeded through the guard station and further into the tundra. Following a marked path, they eventually came upon a large horn situated near a large cave, which was big enough for a Snowhorn to fit in. They could hear strong gusts through the cave, which they guessed must be them from the blizzard-infested area that the snow horn warned them about. With nothing else to do, Fox walked up to the horn and blew it.
After a few minutes, another Snowhorn walked into the area, through the cave. He was a bit surprised by who had called him.
"I must say, I was certainly not expecting such an interesting group to call me. It's not every day you see a few outworlders on this world, to say nothing of a Cloudrunner and Earthwalker together. Now, what can I do for you?"
"Your gatekeeper sent us here. We are trying to get into the mine. We aim to free the rest of your tribe, but we need your help getting through the blizzard." Fox said, getting straight to the point.
"I friend of Gerunda Te is a friend to the whole tribe. I will gladly help you." The Snowhorn replied in a friendly manner. He moved towards the ledge the horn was situated on and instructed the group to get on his back. The vulpines and princess hopped on his back while the prince stayed on the ground. The group glanced at him.
"Uh, what are you doing down there, Tricky? Hop on." Fox asked, uncertain what the Earthwalker was doing.
Tricky shook his head. "I don't think I could balance up there very well. I will follow you from close behind."
"Whatever floats your boat. Just don't get lost and stay close." Fox responded.
With that, the Snowhorn proceeded through the cave, with the Earthwalker close behind him. As they eventually got closer to the other side, the gusts of wind picked up. It was not long before the group was out of the cave and released into a wide tundra, covered in icy winds.
Everyone hunkered down into the Snowhorns fur. They trudged fiercely through the blizzard for some time before they felt the wind pick up. They all shuddered, knowing this meant a fierce gust of wind was coming.
"Everyone, hang on!" Fox called as he gripped the Snowhorn's fur as tight as he could. Krystal grabbed Kyte and held onto her with an iron grip while grasping the Snowhorn as best she could. Kyte, likewise, clutched her talons into the great heap of fur as well.
Tricky, on the other hand, had no such options. He tried to hide between the Snowhhorn's legs, but that did nothing to shield him from the storm. A strong gust of wind suddenly came and blew him several feet back and buried him in the snow. By the time he got his head out of the snow, he could not find his friends.
The little Earthwalker was caught in a state of panic. He had just been separated from his friends and was now at risk of freezing to death in a blizzard. In desperation, he tried calling out to his lost group.
"FOOOOXXXX!" KRYSTAL!" ANYONE, HELP!"
He repeated this a few times before it sunk in that they were gone by now. Even if they were near, he doubted they could find him in this storm.
"No, no. What do I do?" Tricky had asked himself. As he asked himself this, another breeze came and sent shivers down his spine.
"OK, I will have to find them later. Got to get some shelter."
With that, he began to aimlessly, searching any kind of rock formation he could find. After a few minutes, he found what looked like an entrance to a cave.
"Hope no one's home. Whatever is in there, it's better than freezing to death out there." He muttered to himself, knowing this was his best bet for shelter. As he walked through the cave, he noted a few light fixtures along the walls and melt pipes that ran along the rocky cave walls. It dawned on him that he had stumbled into the mines. As he went further in, he noted a few rooms around, with metal doors to them. He came to a stop at a three-way split between a few hallways. However, he had little time to decide what to do as he suddenly heard footsteps heading his way. A pair of green Sharpclaws, both large and wearing plate armor, were walking by.
Without hesitation, he hid behind a small stalagmite that ran along one of the walls. Out of the incoming Sharpclaw's views, he eavesdropped on their conversation.
"Can you believe the new weapons the boss has been cooking up?" One asked.
"Yeah, it's beyond anything we or any other tribe have seen. It puts the galleon to shame; Scales has really outdone himself this time." The other responded.
"Especially these new transport ships. It should make the assault on the Cloudrunner Fortress easier.
They won't even know what hit them." One laughed as if excited at the kind of pain they could inflict on their old enemies now.
"But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have those intruders to deal with. The scouts reported that they seemed to be moving towards the mines. The foreman said to be on high alert."
"Shouldn't be too much of a problem. We can take them. Even if they get past us, they will never get past the Klannadack. Don't think the boss could have chosen a better guardian for the Spell Stone." One said before laughing again. He seemed confident in his tribe's position, with their newfound advantages.
For Tricky, this conversation was worrisome. Whatever this' Klannadack' was, it sounded deadly. But there was also the matter of the assault on the Cloudrunner fortress.
Tricky got the feeling that the tribe's leaders suspected such a thing, but it was damning to hear this straight from the enemy's mouth. Tricky had already been pondering the common threats his tribe and the Cloudrunners faced; hearing about it from the enemy's mouths put things into perspective for the little Earthwalker.
"I was wrong to treat Kyte like this. Her tribe and mine really are in this catastrophe together. Our fighting is pointless. I got to make it up to her somehow."
But has he thought his, he failed to noticed a large shadow looming over him. Abruptly, the little Earthwalker felt a scaly hand grab him by the tail and lift him off the ground.
"Ow, let go of me!" Tricky spat.
He then caught wind of what had grabbed him: a very tall Sharpclaw, who made the ones who just passed look small by comparison. This one must have been the foreman they were talking about, given how Sharpclaw normally assigned their leadership roles.
"What's wrong, little one? Are you lost?" He taunted the prince before calling the attention of the other two Sharpclaw who had passed. The foreman began to address them as they turned around and approached their boss..
"Looks like I've caught myself a spy. And by the looks of it, the Earthwalker prince. According to reports, this runt was traveling with the two outworlders who had been giving us trouble, as well as the Cloudrunner princess."
"What should we do, sir?" One brute asked.
"Throw him in a cell for now, and stage a 'welcoming party' for the other members of his group by the main entrance. I have no doubt they are almost here by now."
"Yes, sir!" Both brutes responded before one took the prince.
"I will inform the general of the situation once they are dealt with. For now, I will prepare the lower defenses. Make sure this runt doesn't get out again." The foreman finished before walking off.
The brutes did as they were told and dragged the prince to the prison area before tossing him into a cell.
"Don't worry; we picked our nicest cell just for you. It even has a light fixture." One of the brutes mocked cruelly. With that, the brutes left to go prepare the ambush.
Tricky could not believe what had happened. He was scared to be back in Sharplcaw custody again, knowing what feats of cruelty they were capable of. With little other options, he merely curled up and kept his head low, hoping to rest up a bit. He could only hope that his friends would find him soon.
Authors note: The banter between Kyte and Tricky on the Arwing, as well as some of the dialogue in this chapter, were inspired by a scene from the SFA retelling by PhoenixAlaris. I found it funny and wanted to include something like it in my story.
As I noted in the intro chapter, I was inspired by other SFA fanworks, but I do not intend to steal any ideas from anyone. I just want to make clear, though I may have taken inspiration from other works for some of the ideas for my story, I do not intend to plagiarize anything.
(Take the title of this story, for instance. Names like SFA Reimdaining or Retold were already taken. But I liked the ring of this title, though I know it is similar to others. )
Finally, I would personally recommend taking a look at Phoenix's story on Deviant Art. He, in more opinion, is doing a really good job with his story.
Until next time, peace.
