Author's Note: Hello! This is my first fanfic…ever. Complete virgin about the entire process. So, try not to say anything too mean. If there is something I'm doing wrong, please, don't hesitate to tell me, but try to tell me in a nicer way. I would really appreciate it.
Another Author's Note: Just in case anyone gets confused, the first chapter, And She Came to Be…, is a brief general summary about Krystal before Star Fox Adventures. The second chapter should continue after Star Fox Adventures. It should be obvious, but since this is my first fic, I'm just being cautious.
Disclaimer: I do not own StarFox or any of the characters mentioned in this fic.
The sweet aroma of the rose incense drifted carelessly throughout the temple's room, its only trace a thin wisp of smoke. The cerulean vixen bowed to her knees in front of the intimidating statue of an ancient god, Sarozi, the lion god. Her staff, inscribed with scared text and tribal images, and topping it, a white sapphire shaped to a teardrop, laid next to her, but not far from her. Never too far from her. With the offering complete, she gracefully rose to her feet, grasping her staff and then slipping it through a loop on her skirt-like garment. She left the incense burning, and quietly left the temple.
All little vixens, while they play with their beaded toys and sparkling clothes, dream of growing up and becoming a beautiful princess. They dream of meeting their perfect vulpine, prince charming, and live happily ever after. Naturally, this rarely happens. Most end up living among the numerous huts on the unusually small planet, weaving cloth or tending their small gardens. They end up with average husbands who perform their own duty in the village, whether hunting in the neighboring forests or standing on guard by the gate. But the vixens continue to dream their near impossible dream, wishing it would come true. However, they all forget about the other position in society, an even more rare and more powerful position. Priestess. The one who holds great magical and mystical powers. One is selected from a handful of female pups; status in society, father's occupation, mother's occupation, none of it matters. The currently standing priestess would select a pup that she felt would be most capable of handling the stress and demands. And the pup that year was Krystal.
A young pup could never understand the sheer importance of her destiny. Everything to her was either a game, or something she could not comprehend. No matter how much her parents explained, the idea never remained in her young mind. She was given the staff at a very young age, and clung on to it tightly, feeling an instant bond with the inanimate object. Her parents tried to raise her like any other normal pup, but there was always an air of distance around her, and it was only when she was older that she realized how others acted towards her, the separation she experienced while with them. The reality of her position stuck early, the most damaging at the human age of six, when a group of adults lead her to a fire. She remembered her parents hanging near the back, their gazes diverted to anything but her. She questioned an older lady on the happenings, but received no response. The same older vixen grabbed Krystal's arm and twisted her to be facing the back, then reached into the fire and grabbed a long, iron rod with a peculiar design etched on the tip. Krystal began to fidget as the elder vixen gripped her shoulders tightly. The young pup instinctively cried out for her mother, but her mother only turned away. She could not bear to watch her daughter experience this horrific ritual. The hot iron grew closer to the pup's fur, and she began to scream and sob, terrified that the people of her own village would do such a thing to her.
Her mother whimpered and cooed softly, only to reassure herself, "It's all right baby. Please don't cry. Please don't cry…"
With a swift flicker of the wrist, the iron was driven into Krystal's skin, and she cried an ear-splitting scream. She threw her weight forward, but the elder vixen's grip was too tight, too strong. The iron was finally removed, and left was the permanent scar of the priestess' mark, now a fiery red on the pup's shoulder.
She was now much older, and her skills and abilities as a magician rose to unheard of heights. The staff in her paw was now a dangerous weapon to anyone who crossed her path. She grew into a beautiful young vixen, and it was no surprise that she attracted the attention of nearly all the young vulpines in the village. She was uninterested though, concentrating on more important matters at hand, like her training and duties. She matured quickly, quicker than anyone ever should. She soon realized that the blessing of being chosen was also a curse, forever trapped in a pre-set destiny. She would forever serve the spirits that inhabit the planets of nearly every galaxy system. Her life would be predictable. She would marry a promising vulpine her father chose, and than spend the rest of her time caring for temples, or on the rare occasions, engage in conflicts that threatened any natural spirit. She would probably give birth to some pups, and then when she reached an old age, select a young female pup to carry on the tradition, as with what happened to her.
A rebellious spirit soon rose in Krystal and she began to hate the thought of her fate. It became increasingly difficult for anyone to talk to her, and when any subject was brought up about her future tasks, she would explode into a rage, ending up with her storming out of the village. Her parents, at first, were very worried about their daughter. But as the fits continued without any progress, their sympathy morphed into anger.
"You cannot change your fate! You must accept was has been brought upon you!" they would argue.
Krystal would not accept such a thing. So finally, at the age of fully maturing into an adult, she announced to the entire village that she would be leaving.
"The idea is preposterous! No one has ever done such a thing! You cannot just abandon your duties!" her father would scream.
"It does not matter to me! I will not stay here and let my life be planned for me! This village offers nothing for me!" Krystal screamed back while packing a small bag. "I must experience what else is out there! For me! Will no one think of my well-being for a change?!"
At that moment, her mother entered, and interjected with a much more pleading voice. "Oh sweetie, we are considering your well-being. We love you very much. But this is not right. You have responsibilities! I'm sorry that you were selected, but all of that does not matter now. It is shameful. Think of what will happen to the universe if you are not there to protect the spirits!"
At this Krystal did stop and reconsider. It was true that she played an important role in the balance of control within the other planets. She abruptly turned and faced her parents, her shimmering eyes reflecting the importance of the decision she was about to face.
"All right. I will not turn away from my responsibilities. I will continue to serve and protect the mighty spirits, care for the temples, and practice in the art of magical energy. But!" Her ears suddenly grew flat and her lip curled upwards. "I will not stay here any longer. I shall travel, and learn, and grow, while continuing my duties to the spirits." She flung her bag over her shoulder and snatched her staff from her bed. "And that is final." She began to storm out of the hut, her parents on her heels.
"I command you to return to me at once!" stammered her father.
Her mother sobbed, begging, "Please! Krystal! Don't go!"
Krystal, with great difficulty, ignored her parents' cries, and continued on down a path that led to a station with only a few spacecrafts. They were the only transportation to lead off the planet, but few ever ventured that far. She quickly slid into a ship that she had practiced in as a pup, the one she felt most comfortable in. With a click of a switch, the ship was closed, and the screams of her parents and mummers from the other villagers were quickly shut off. Krystal took a deep breath and started the engines. This was really it. In a flash, the craft hovered off the ground, positioned itself, and blasted off, leaving the villagers behind, waving their arms and screaming.