*~
Fox awoke in a field, cradling a crying Krystal in his arms. He looked around and saw a fox kit running, frightened, through the field. The kit was headed towards them, and Fox was about to say something when the kit ran right through them. Fox's eyes widened.
"Krystal..." Fox said softly. "Where are we?"
Krystal looked up. "Cerinia," she whispered.
"Cerinia?" Fox echoed, standing up. "But I thought it was destroyed?"
"It was," Krystal said darkly, standing up as well. "And this is that day."
Fox blinked at Krystal. How could they be on Cerinia the day the planet was destroyed if it had already been destroyed? And how could he be seeing this? He didn't even know Cerinia existed outside of ancient history books until Krystal told him about it.
"Krystal, were you there the day Cerinia was destroyed?" Fox asked.
"Yes..." Krystal whispered, clutching Fox.
"Then this is your memory of it," Fox said softly, holding her close. "Where are you?"
Krystal looked around and pointed to a far-off kit, no older than ten, standing by an adult vixen, her fur a deep blue.
"You must run, Krystal," the vixen said, every word of it in Dinosaur, yet Fox understood it. "Go to your father."
"Momma, why can't you go with me?" the smaller Krystal whimpered, looking up at her mother.
"I must help the others," Krystal's mother said, kissing her daughter on the forehead and slipping off her necklace. "Here, take this. You can give it back to me when I come back, okay?"
"O-okay," little Krystal sniffled, and Fox's Krystal touched the necklace she was wearing lightly.
Fox saw a door on the opposite end of the field. Vulpines were running right through it, just as the kit had run through Fox. He motioned towards the door.
"That's the exit," he said. "At least, the exit from this memory. C'mon, Krystal."
He led Krystal to the door, trying to shield her from her own memory. He was halfway across the field when he heard a scream.
"Mother!" little Krystal shrieked, staring back at her mother, horrified.
Fox followed her gaze and gasped. Irae hovered in front of Krystal's mother, his laugh echoing through the air. Krystal's mother glared, and Fox could see her preparing her magic.
- Fool, - Irae said. - Your magic is of no use against me. -
As Krystal's mother stared Irae down, little Krystal had disappeared into an escape pod. Fox could see the kit's horror as she was blasted into space. The memory began to fade, for Krystal remembered nothing more.
"My mother..." Krystal whispered, sobbing and falling to her knees. "She was killed... And my father... And everybody..."
"Oh, Krystal..." Fox whispered, rocking her; they were now in darkness. "C'mon, let's get out of here."
Fox helped Krystal to her feet and looked to the door. It had moved farther away. Fox blinked; he was beginning to hear something.
"Fox?" Keystal said softly. "Fox, what's wrong?"
"Don't you hear something?" Fox said, blinking at her.
Krystal shook her head. Fox shook his head to clear it and continued towards the door.
"Dad, do you have to leave?" Fox heard a younger version of himself groan, and Fox stopped dead.
"Yes, Fox," James said, his voice patient, as it had always been. "You know work has been scarce."
"But we were supposed to go to the amusement park!" teenage Fox grumbled. "You promised!"
"I'll take you once I get back, Son," James said, and Fox saw him ruffle the younger Fox's fur.
"Okay," the younger Fox sighed. "Hurry up, okay?"
Okay," James laughed, and disappeared into his Arwing.
Fox shuddered. That had been the last time he had seen his father alive. The younger Fox didn't know that, though. He fully expected his father to return in no more than a week. Fox headed for the door. The last thing he wanted was to relive hearing of his father's death. Not that he had been told much about it.
As Fox walked, the memory seemed to speed up, racing him to get to the dreaded end of this particular string of events. Krystal held his paw reassuringly, and Fox was glad that at least she was there to comfort him. Still, Fox wanted desperately to get to that door.
Fox glanced to the side and saw his younger form sitting in a chair in General Pepper's office, kicking his legs, bored. He had no idea anything could ever happen to his beloved father. Pepper cleared his throat nervously.
"You see..." Pepper began, glancing at the young Fox once but mostly focusing on the paper on his desk. "Well, you know your father was sent on a mission to Venom, correct?"
"Yeah," young Fox said, nodding. "To investigate some weird signals or something like that."
"Yes, well..." Pepper trailed off, coughing. "You understand that the mission has run longer than expected?"
Young Fox nodded slowly, a confused look on his face. Krystal jerked the older Fox's paw lightly, and he then realized he had stopped. he focused on the door and kept walking; his legs wouldn't allow him to run.
"You see, Fox..." Pepper continued to stare at the paper. "There was a problem. Pigma Dengar... He was a traitor."
"A traitor?" young Fox echoed, his eyes widening slightly. The door grew ever closer.
"Yes," Pepper said. "He was bribed by the Venomian army and turned on your father. Well, actually, he went for Peppy..."
"Did something happen to Peppy?" young Fox asked, his ears drooping a bit.
"No, Peppy got back safely..." Pepper said. "But you see, he wouldn't have had your father not interfered with the fight and ordered Peppy to leave. You see, he..."
There was a long silence. Fox realized the door was beginning to grow dim. Fox ran for it, afraid it would disappear completely and that he would hear the rest, still clutching Krystal's paw. Fox placed a hand on the doorknob.
"He... My dad... He's dead, isn't he?" young Fox said numbly, and older Fox's paw froze on the knob.
"Fox, turn the knob," Krystal said gently.
Fox did so, and the memory ended. But it had not ended nearly soon enough. Fox slid to the ground, leaning against the wall. Krystal sat beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. They said nothing for awhile, and then Fox examined the room around him. There were three doors: one was black, one red, and one white. Fox looked to each in turn.
"Now where are we?" Krystal wondered aloud.