"Mommy? Daddy?" A frightened little fox pup ran desperately around what was once her village, dodging blazing fires and the corpses of what were once her neighbors. Rain pelted mercilessly against her naked body, causing her to stop and look up. It's raining, but the fires aren't going out...water's supposed to make fire go out! She thought, breathing heavily. All around her, she could hear people crying out in pain, and there were explosions and the sound of burning everywhere. She couldn't stand it, and covered her ears as she began to run.
Suddenly, flaming tree fell inches in front of her, and she could see the flames dancing, as if beckoning her to come on in and burn as well. She stared in terror for a while, before spinning around and hysterically calling out for her mother again. Her blue fur was soaking by now, and seemed to weigh her down, causing her to wear out and drop on the ground, arms flailing helplessly. She lay on the ground, whimpering for a while until she heard a voice over the chaos.
"Krystal....? Krystal!" It was her Mommy! Feeling a sudden boost of energy, she stood up and ran around, following the voice. "Mommy?! Mommy, I can hear you!" She finally found her Mother buried under a huge pile of rubble that used to be a stone temple. "Mommy?" The little girl dropped down on her knees next to the already half-dead woman and began to push at her shoulder with her tiny hands. "Mommy, what are you doing under there? Get out and lets find daddy, I wanna go home!"
Gem looked up at her daughter, smiling at her innocence. The blue little fox blinked at her, not understanding what was so funny. "Mommy, what are you doing? Let's get Daddy and go!" Gem put a hand on the girl's face, slightly calming her down. Her hand sifted through the girl's head fur, while her thumb smoothed down the matted, tear-streaked fur on her cheek. "Krystal, I can't come out from under here, and Daddy..." She paused, not knowing how to explain this to a two-year-old girl. "....daddy's gone." She finally sighed.
"Gone? What do you mean-" Suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps filled the air, and grew louder as the owner of the footsteps came closer. "Oh no, they're coming back...." "What? Mommy, you're confusing me, what do you mean-" Gem took her hand off the girl's face and reached into the rubble, pulling out what appeared to be a couple of Crystals attached to a golden metal pole. She held it out to her only daughter, who took it in her hands.
"Krystal, listen to me. This is what they're after. It may not seem like it, but it is a very powerful weapon, and must not fall into the wrong hands. Do you understand?" The blue fox nodded, her face scrunched up as she tried not to cry. She knew what was coming next. "Krystal, Your dad and I are very proud of you, and we love you. I don't want you ever to forget that. Now away before they get here...."
The girl then shot up and ran off as she was told. She had no idea what was going on, but something inside her told her that this was important, she had to get as far away as possible...
Many years later, several galaxies away, the same fox, now a grown woman, sat up in bed, covered in cold sweat, remembering the horrors of that afternoon.