A/N: I know this fic seemed to be left in the dust but I wanted to concentrate a bit on "Beyond the Foxes Eyes". It has come to my knowledge that "The Vixen Princess" has quite a few fans of its own. I would hate to make all those who love this fic to have to wait for "Beyond the Foxes Eyes" to be finished. It just isn't fair to them.

This chapter isn't anything special. A little bit more about Wolf's character is revealed as well as Shannon's. Not only that but we start to learn what Fox and the old woman share in common as far as being in Cerina is concerned. This isn't quite as long as the last chapter (I think) but it works for the fic being forgotten for a while.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Starfox, Nintendo and/or Rare do. Any relation to my original characters in anyway is entirely coincidental.

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Chapter 7: The Vixen and The Foxes

Early in the next morning, Shane awakened on the floor next to Krystal's bed. He had to sleep on the floor in case anyone came by. It would be bad to be spotted and in the dungeon. He was beginning to wonder how Fox was doing anyhow. Things had to be going pretty bad for him.

Shane sat up, hoping that nobody else was awake. The sun was barely up. It was the perfect moment for him to go off and grab something to eat. He put on the guards uniform and walked out of Krystal's room.

He was still rather tired and he didn't sleep well. Despite the fact that he was warmer, the marble floor was considerably worse than sleeping on the cold adobe ground at home. He began to wonder what would become of him now that he had made it here.

When he got to the kitchen no one else was present so he assumed it was safe. He ran over to one of the cupboards and grabbed himself some bread. The fruit bowl on the table in the center of the kitchen had an apple that looked appetizing. He grabbed that. As he was leaving, Shannon stepped in.

"It's a little early to be scrounging around for food don't you think?" He asked as Shane froze in his tracks.

"Besides, with the kind of work we'll be doing today you'll need more than that to fill you up." Shannon advised him. "Get some meat to eat."

"What are we doing today?" Shane deepened his voice to disguise it. Somehow it was working. Just like in the stories he'd read.

"We caught one thief, so we're going out to find the other one."

"What would you do with the thief once you catch him?" Shane asked.

"Oh, I don't get to decide. If it were up to me they'd just stay in the dungeon for a while. Thieves around here usually have a good excuse for stealing food. I can't hold it against them forever."

"But when you let 'em go you'd just end up having to catch them again." Shane reminded him.

"Regardless, its up to Wolf and the King to decide."

Shane had heard about Wolf from Krystal. He heard about how Wolf didn't live in Cerina. "Why does he get to decide?"

"Beats the hell out of me. It should be up to the King and Queen. Wolf thinks the thief in the dungeon should be executed for committing a crime. I don't think he should be executed. I'm pretty sure if I ask him why he was stealing it would be because he needed to survive."

Shane began to understand that Shannon was only doing his job. "What do you think should happen to him?"

"I don't know." Shannon quickly replied. "Larc says he actually LIKED it in the dungeon. First time he got a bed to sleep on."

"Yeah I bet." Shane said. Maybe I would've been better off in the dungeon.

Shannon pretended not to hear that. Why anyone would enjoy the dungeon was beyond him. It was dark and grimy and it smelled. "Anyway, Larc likes him so he must not be a bad fur. Probably just one of those thieves trying to survive."

"Why don't you make a deal with him?" Shane suddenly spoke. "Make a deal with him. Something you can both benefit from, sir."

"I don't make deals. My job is to enforce the law and punish those who disobey them."

Of course. Shane thought.

"I hope the King isn't serious about forcing Krystal to merry Wolf. If he was the King, Cerina would be in ruins."

Krystal had mentioned about the forced marriage. Shane was hoping that Krystal would merry who she wants. But it seemed as if Krystal had no say in it at all.

Soon after Shannon had finished his statement, Wolf walked in. He gave Shane a sniveling look. Shane looked to Shannon who jolted his head up. What does that mean?

"You know it's rather rude to wear your mask when royalty is around you. Not only that but you should bow to me as well."

What a bastard! Shane thought. An arrogant bastard at that.

Wolf was waiting for him to take off his mask but instead Shane began to walk off and Wolf grabbed him, causing him to drop the bread and apple. "I order you to remove your mask at once, or I shall do it for you!" Wolf said.

Shane froze with fear. What was he to do?

Before long Wolf reached out for his mask when Shannon stopped him. "My liege, he is sick and it would not be wise for him to take his mask off. If he should sneeze it wouldn't be the best if he sneezed on you. Therefore, I think he is showing you MORE respect by keeping the mask on."

Wolf reclined his paw back and decided that getting sick wasn't worth it.

Shane reached down and picked up the loaf of bread and the apple before he ran off. Wolf found it rather odd and so did Shannon but guards came in and out with food all the time.

"What is he trying to hide?" Wolf asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He's the only guard who walks around with a mask."

"Well, he really is sick. He covers himself up so as not to pass it on to everyone else."

"Tell me then," Wolf gave Shannon a menacing look, "Why would a sick guard sleep in the Princess' bedroom?"

Shannon was not even aware of that. "Do you want me to check it out?"

"No, I think you already know the obvious. He's not sick."

"Which is precisely why I must investigate." Shannon offered. "Honestly, I think you should leave this one to me. When it comes to the guards I'm in charge."

"Very well," Wolf allowed, "you can investigate. But you give a full report to me about what the guard is REALLY up to."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying he's no guard at all."

***

Fox woke up in the morning and he never felt so good. The irony that he got to sleep in a bed and Shane didn't. He felt great. He'd never been more comfortable in his life. Fox looked into the corner and gave a great big "Good morning." But when he looked in the corner there was no old woman. Instead there was a platinum vixen.

"Who are you?" Fox asked.

The vixen slowly awakened to find a startled Fox staring him in the face. "I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. I'm no different then when we first met."

"What ARE you talking about? When we first met? Don't tell me you're the old woman?"

The vixen nodded. "I can go from being a human to being a vixen in the blink of an eye."

Fox didn't want to believe her but she had the same voice and didn't seem to fret. Perhaps she was the old woman after all. "Who are you?" He finally asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I don't believe this, try me." Fox said.

"I used to rule this kingdom. It was perhaps under the greatest rule at that point in time. And then 'he' took over and it went to hell. The current King isn't as in control as I was."

"Mia. You're Mia!" Fox screamed. "How can this be? You should be dead!"

"I should be but I'm not and that's precisely why I'm in here."

"Huh?"

Mia sat up. "Apparently I'm a 'Platinum Demon.' As the years passed on the furs peasants began to die. The King now is about 50 years old and had been watching me since he was seven. He noticed that while he aged, I didn't. He declared that I must be a bad omen in the aspect that I didn't get any older. I'm over five hundred years old, mind you. Give or take a few centuries."

Fox sat down next to her. "If you're a 'demon' as they say wouldn't you have used your 'powers' to get out by now?"

"You'd think that, wouldn't you? By now he's probably forgotten that I'm down in here. I had several children who could've been heir to the throne but I didn't let them. I was pretty selfish I suppose."

"What about the 'tradition'?" Fox asked.

"This so-called 'tradition' didn't begin until King Cerina stepped in." Mia said. "It's NEVER been done before."

"Is there a chance tradition could change?" Fox asked.

"If you let Wolf become King, I doubt it."

Fox would remember that. "But I can't do anything!"

"Sure you could. You're friends with the guard right? I heard you two talking last night. Maybe he could put in the good word for you."

"Maybe." Fox sighed. "No, I'm a thief… there's nothing I could do."

"You like Krystal. I can tell."

"How can you tell?"

"That look in your eyes. Your eyes never looked prettier. Your eyes light up whenever I mention her name. You should give her courage."

"What can I do? I'm just a poor kid. I've got NOTHING to offer her. Shane has NOTHING either. We have no power, no friends; nothing that would make the furs and humans notice us in anyway. How could someone like me make a difference?"

"Because Wolf has no good intentions. You don't think the peasants of Cerina will see past him? They may not know everything that's going on but they aren't blind to the truth."

"I suppose you're right." Fox said. "But how do I get out of here?"

"The same way your father did." Mia smiled. "Talk to Larc and convince him to let you be a servant."

***

Shane had been eating the bread like a vacuum cleaner. He'd never had such good bread before and lets not even TALK about the apple and how sweet that was.

Not long after he got back Krystal woke up. Shane had closed the doors and when Krystal awakened she was surprised to see Shane eating at her table out in the open. "Shane! What if someone were to walk in?"

"I would hope that royalty would have the courtesy to knock." Shane smiled. "You guys have the best bread here. You want some?"

"I know where the kitchen is, thank-you." She said and swung her feet over the bed. "Jade will be here in a second. She'll knock of course, she usually wakes me anyway."

Shane didn't acknowledge. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Shane dropped the last of his bread. Damn!

"Who is it?" Krystal asked and shooed Shane over to bed, hinting that he should hide underneath the bed.

"It's Shannon. I need to come in for a second."

Krystal looked to the table that Shane was eating at and noticed the apple core, and breadcrumbs as well as the guard uniform. "Just a second!" She yelled back and swept the crumbs to the ground tried to sweep them under the bed. She threw the apple core out the window and took the guard uniform and shoved them under the covers of her bed before she finally shouted, "Come in."

Shannon opened the door and invited himself in. "Princess, it seems, according to Wolf that a guard was in here last night."

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"Besides the fact that Wolf is your," he shuddered at the thought, "fiancée." He sat down on her bed. "That and the guards have their own quarters to sleep in."

"I understand that. But this guard is different." Krystal spoke.

Shannon placed a claw on the bed and felt something in the sheets. He ruffled through the sheets to find the guard uniform, complete with the mask and all. He looked at Krystal as if she were his daughter. "What is this?"

Krystal was a bit speechless and shocked. "It's nothing. Just a uniform… with nobody in it."

Shannon frowned. "You realize this same uniform was on a guard in the kitchen earlier today?"

Krystal didn't say anything. "This is absurd! Why are you in my room?"

"Wolf asked me to come investigate a guard sleeping in your quarters." He stood up and walked around.

"There's no one here!" Krystal tried to get him out.

"Oh?" Shannon said as he made his way to the table and ran a claw over the surface. "What is this then?" He said as he swept off some breadcrumbs. Krystal froze for an instant. Shannon walked around, noting the apple was nowhere in sight. Suddenly he saw a white tail tip poking out from under her bed. "And what is," he raised his foot and stomped on the tail. Shane screamed and immediately crawled out form underneath the bed, dropping the apple core, "THIS!" Shannon finished.

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Oh no! Shane's been discovered by Shannon, the captain of the guards and its up to Krystal to help him out or else Shane will be joining Fox and Mia in the dungeon. Or does Shannon really have the heart he posses to have?