Wolf Brother

Disclaimer: Star Fox and its trademarks are owned by Nintendo. Other characters are owned by me.

IV - Past's Coin

Happy birthday, Wolf!

Wolf, why do you look so sad?

Your mommy? But, I'm here… Don't cry…

Wolf… I think he's not ready yet…

It was already seven in the morning. A grey wolf wearing pale blue wool jacket and black shirt, with matching grey pants and white shoes, entered a very silent and tranquil place. He was holding a bouquet of Purple Harmony, a variety of flowers growing only in cold places on his left, and a bag on his right.

"So quiet," he thought in his mind as he walked the stoned pathway.

The place was very humble by its look. It looked like a park, judging by appearance. The gate he just passed was newly opened, and it seemed that he was the first one to enter the place. He looked at the small forks of the pathway, leading to slabs of decorated stones with garlands and imprints. Crosses could also be seen on their top, while others have angel decorations.

The memorial park was not really supposed to be crowded unless it was All Saint's Day. There were the usual people who were seated on the benches, and there were some who were cleaning their loved one's headstone. It was a good time to visit the place, well, not mainly, because it was not full of people, but it was really his beloved's death anniversary.

Wolf felt a gentle cool breeze blowing through his fur. He felt the comfort and coldness of it. It reminded him of his fourth birthday, and his parents' death. He thought that it was going to be the best, but it all went down. However, he had already been there, and he was only returning to greet the past.

He finally stopped when he reached an old oak tree with a bench beside it. There were two monuments there, equal in size and shape. There were pieces of oak leaves on top of it. A small vase was there too, but it had wilted flowers. Candle wax was also there, and it seemed that the candle previously placed there had died.

"It's cleaning time," the wolf nodded as he removed tools from his bag: chisel, candle, hand broom, and a container of water.

He gently chiseled off the wax from the platform. Afterwards, he brushed the leaves and the wax away from the slab. He removed the dried flowers, refilled the jar, and placed the bouquet in it. After some cleaning, the grave looked new.

"It has been… many years, right?" he softly spoke to the slabs of stone with the name of his parents. "You know, I… I miss you two… It's so tragic for my birthday to be the day you two… passed away…"

Wolf sat on a comfortable chair in the living room. This innocent wolf pup was rather happy today, for it was his birthday. However, according to his parents, that would be a special day, for it would have a special birthday.

"Mommy," he asked in his high voice, "it's my birthday today! I am four! Yippee!"

A white she-wolf noticed her cub, and she was happy to see him delighted. She sat beside him and carried him to her lap. "Of course, it is!" She tapped his nose with hers, and she swayed it, making her son giggle. "And don't worry, today will be a special birthday! Your dad will be with us today!"

"You mean… he will come?" the cub stared with awe. "He will… YIPPEE!"

"Yes," she smiled back. "Now, I want you to dress up and wait for your father, okay? He said that he'll bring home a cake!"

Wolf was so delighted that he rushed to the bathroom quickly to clean up. His mother chuckled after seeing him strut like that. She couldn't blame him, though. His father had been working through the whole day. Nighttime was the only part of the day when he was in home, but he was too tired to talk to him. At least he had the habit of looking at his son, sleeping.

It was after thirty minutes when Wolf was finished. He hurried back to his mom and asked, "Is he here already?" She simply waved her head. "Okay, then I'll wait for daddy!"

He sat down at the couch once more. Time passed. Hours slipped like there was no tomorrow. It was already past six in the night. Wolf woke up, for he fell asleep waiting. He asked once more, "Is he already here?"

Her mother finished cooking the turkey. She placed the food on the table and then approached her son. "Wolf," she tried to cheer him up, "he'll come! Don't worry! He made a promise…" She then hugged him tightly, knowing that he might get sad if her husband didn't arrive sooner.

"I'm home!"

The two were surprised to see a sweating black wolf entering the house. To his left was a box containing cake. He quickly placed it on the sofa and hugged his beloved ones. "Happy birthday, Wolf!"

"Daddy!" he replied joyfully. He then let go and placed the cake on the table, and finally opened it. He saw a fabulous pastry. Four candles were standing out there on a brown cake, filled with icing and candies. "T-thank you, dad!" he gleefully shouted out.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" his mother suggested while getting a match from a drawer. "Dear, Wolf, altogether now!"

The young lupine was smiling when they were singing "Happy Birthday". However, his moment didn't last when he sniffed a scent. It was gas. He wanted to tell them not to flick the match, but it was too late. A sudden flash closed his vision. It was all too fast for him.

The next thing he remembered was that he was on a bench, crying. There were small wounds on his body, but he wasn't that injured, for he was only covered in soot. However, he was sad because his parents were nowhere. Police were everywhere, as well as the firefighters, but his mommy and daddy weren't around him. He felt loneliness.

A fox with shades approached him. He then tapped his shoulder. Wolf was slightly scared, but the authorities confirmed that he would be the man who would take him in. He was informed by that man that he was his true father… He was James…

"If you only had broken your promise," Wolf sniffed out as he rubbed his moist eyes, "then you'd still be alive. I could've told mommy that there's a gas leak… and all will be normal…"

Suddenly, somebody tapped him to his left shoulder. When he glanced back, he saw his father, James, looking firmly at him.

"You are still thinking about what happened, eh?" he asked while giving him a birthday card. "I know how you feel. You couldn't feel the happiness of your birthday since you remember the… Well, the only advice I can give right now is that you should try to put the past behind you."

"I know," he replied while looking at the sky, "and, thank you for bringing me to your house, dad…"

"No problem," he smiled back. He then placed his arm to his son's shoulder as they walked. "Oh yeah, your mom sent you a nice gift. It's a sweatshirt of your favorite color. In addition, your friends are in the house. I also whipped up something nice and…"