Krystal was floating lazily in the cool waters of the creek in ThornTail Hollow. She had floated the length of the stream and had walked back to the waterfall for another trip several times that day. Finally, she climbed on the rock in the deeper area and was dangling her bare feet in the water.
"Greetings, Krystal," said a ThornTail, "You are enjoying our creek, no?"
She grinned at the dino, "Yes, I am. How do you do?"
The dinosaur glanced to his left, down to the valley below, "We are at peace here. A hard fought peace."
"Yes," Krystal murmured.
"We have heard you are meeting with each tribe, as a gesture of kindness," he said.
"I am. But there are some… unfriendly tribes that I am unsure of how I should greet them," Krystal said, "I had in mind to visit the SnowHorns next."
"Ah yes, the SnowHorns. They should welcome you warmly, oh hoho," he laughed at his own joke, and Krystal chuckled.
"However," he continued, "I think you should visit the LightFoot tribe next. They are secretive and distrustful, but I know they are curious about you. It would be well to show yourself plainly, and state your intent outright. They will test you, and you must not back down."
Krystal thoughtfullytapped her finger on her muzzle and murmured, "The LightFoot, huh? They are close, right?"
"A short walk from here. Just follow the path," he answered.
The ThornTail ambled back to his grazing and Krystal peered at the valley the dino had indicated. The memory resurfaced of Fox showing her the LightFoot Village doorway and the code to gain entrance. She had brought her PDA by chance, and it seemed like then was as good a time as ever.
The vixen stood on the rock and dived into the water. She surfaced near the bank and climbed out, going next for her towel. It wouldn't remove all the water, but at least the walk would add to drying time.
Krystal bid farewell to the ThornTails and set off down the valley path. She avoided the mushrooms and walked along the winding path. After a while, her fur began to dry, so Krystal paused to brush out her fur. She didn't want to show up with a mangy look.
After finishing, she continued along the path. When she arrived, the gate to the LightFoot Village was closed. Krystal drew her staff and hit the three marked trees in order. The gate cranked open and she walked in.
"Halt!" Came screeching cries from several of the deceptively diminutive dinos.
She found herself surrounded by spears and fierce looks from the tribesmen.
"Clear the way," several shouted as one who looked to be the leader walked up to her.
"Who are you?" he asked with no preamble.
"I am Krystal, friend of Fox McCloud," she answered, hoping the name-dropping would help her cause.
It seemed to work, as most around her gasped and exchanged pleased glances. The leader, however, remained passive as he glanced at her body.
"You are not strong like Fox. You cannot beat Musclefoot. How can you defend the lands without strength?" he asked.
Krystal resisted the urge to ball her fists, "I can do it with my staff when I need brute strength. Otherwise, I can use my head."
Laughter echoed throughout the village.
"What? Your head is like a rock?" said one, whose joke only caused more laughter.
Krystal frowned. This was not going well. Not going well at all.
"Show her the way out," the leader said with a tone of finality.
The vixen was indeed shown the way out, and was very nearly thrown by the two LightFoots that had escorted her. When Krystal turned to watch the gate lower, laughter was still coming from the village. With a small growl of frustration, Krystal stalked back to ThornTail Hollow.
When she arrived, the afternoon was fading into dusk, so the vixen warped back to Krazoa Palace. The sun was setting as she laid down a blanket on the smooth, cold stone. She reclined back and gazed at the fading light and emerging stars.
She only lay like that for a short while; soon she sat up and pushed a few buttons on the PDA she had brought.
There were a few moments of steady beeping as the device waited for the other end to receive and acknowledge. Fox's head popped up from the PDA.
"Krystal! It's great to see you," he said with a grin.
"It is good to see you too, Fox," she replied.
The image of his head bobbed in a computer-generated nod, "How is it going down there?"
"Good," she said, "and not so good."
"What happened?" he asked, the concern evident.
She explained the LightFoot incident that had taken place earlier.
"Ah, yes. The LightFoot are a bit... primitive. I was accused of being a thief when the LightFoot had practically given me the Fire Gem. It took the help of a fire-breathing CloudRunner to free me. After that, I had to pass two physical tests before they would even trust me."
Krystal tilted her gaze away from the PDA, "I didn't know what to do, so I told them I was your friend. It... didn't work."
"Hm..." Fox murmured. He was going to suggest what she had done, but since it hadn't worked, maybe there was something else he could do.
"I'll tell you what, Krystal. I'll come down to the planet tomorrow and we'll go to the LightFoot Village together," he said.
She smiled and her eyes glowed, "Really? Oh thank you Fox. It will be good to see you again."
Fox smiled back, "I'll meet you at ThornTail Hollow intwelve hours. See you soon."
"See you, Fox," Krystal said.
The digital Fox disappeared and Krystal relaxed back on the blanket. For the first time in days, she felt okay. She hadn't realized just how lonely she had become. Not just during her stay on Dinosaur Planet, but since she had become a homeless vagabond. How long had it been since she had had a true companion?
Much too long, her heart told her.
Krystal watched the stars while in deep thought, until she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Fox went through the final landing procedures as the Arwing gently set down on the landing gear. The hatch opened and he jumped out into the humid air of ThornTail Hollow.
"Fox!" Krystal yelled, "It is good to see you."
"Hey, Krystal," he caught her in a hug.
They began walking down the path to LightFoot Village and Krystal told Fox about her meeting with the CloudRunners. She also told him about her discoveries in Krazoa Palace, from the wind lifts to the furniture room to the… well, for dignity's sake, she left out the part about her running away, screaming in terror.
She seemed very pleased at her progress on the planet, and that made Fox happy. Seeing Krystal's genuine smile brought a smile to his muzzle.
The walk to the village was short and they soon were entering the gate to the distrustful tribe. Krystal entered first, and the guards who saw her growled and readied their spears. When Fox emerged next to her, the guards nearly dropped their weapons in their haste to welcome the rather famous, honorary tribe member.
The pair was escorted to the real chief of the tribe. Krystal figured the LightFoot who had ordered her out had been a captain.
"Welcome Fox. Have you come to see the cavern again?" he asked with a sly grin.
"No, I haven't. I would like to introduce you to my friend, Krystal."
Krystal stood a bit taller and looked the chief in the eye. He glanced her up and down once and looked back at Fox. She slumped a bit. There was nothing like being appraised that could take away one's sense of worth.
"Hmph," he snorted, "She will not pass our tests."
The chief leapt from his chair, "I know what you are doing," he jabbed his finger at her.
"How?" Krystal asked, thoroughly incensed by then, "You haven't talked to me. You haven't even addressed me yet."
The chief laughed heartily then, while Krystal's eyes bugged. She couldn't read this dino at all!
"I know what you are doing because word travels like the wind around here. The breeze touches the leaves, and the leaves talk. We know. We LightFoot don't need no stinking help from furry wimps. The SharpClaw never found out our little secret," he said, then turned and sat down on his chair.
It was Krystal who broke the silence, "Surely there must be something I can do to prove myself."
"She could try the totem poles test," Fox said, "There are four poles in the village with switches you use to activate them. I bet you could do it faster than I did."
The chief rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Yes… It would be interesting to see her do it."
"Let me try," Krystal was nearly begging by then, "You must let me try."
"Very well," he stood, "Activate all four totem poles before time runs out. Go!"
It took a quick moment before Krystal realized he meant right then. She took off down the bridge and quickly located the first totem pole. Once she activated it, she used the high perch to find the next. Each one she managed to find and activate in that way.
When Krystal arrived back at the chief's hut, she was panting and soaking wet, but the sly grin on Fox's muzzle hinted that she had done well.
"I was right," Fox said, "Your time was better than mine. I should start running again."
Krystal was relieved and gave Fox a big grin.
"Hmph," the chief snorted, "So you can run and swim fast. What's the big deal?"
Krystal snapped, "What's the big deal? I'll tell you what the big deal is. I am not here to change your way of life, I am not going to tell you how to lead your tribe. I am only here to protect the Shrines and Force Point Temples like my ancestors did. The main reason I am even here now is so you know I am staying on the planet. The only thing I ask is access to your Krazoa Shrine, if needed. Answer that, and we will be gone."
The vixen's outburst caught all by surprise. Even Fox was taken aback, but he could understand why she was so frustrated. He looked back and forth between the two, the chief and Krystal, as they stared pointedly at each other.
"Hmph," the chief snorted again.
He was silent for a few more moments, "Very well. We will know if you are needed. So don't come back until then."
"That is acceptable," Krystal muttered.
With nothing left to say, Krystal and Fox left the village under watchful eyes of the LightFoot guards. When they were halfway back to ThornTail Hollow, Fox broke their silence.
"Well, at least you know you can get to their Krazoa Shrine entrance," he said.
The sentiment didn't appear to cheer up the obviously troubled vixen. She opened her muzzle a couple times, but couldn't seem to find the right words.
Finally, all she did was nod. Fox turned his head back to the path and they arrived back in ThornTail Hollow before mid-afternoon. The two stood next to Fox's Arwing for a while.
"I guess I should go now," Fox said, hoping his unwilling tone was enough to prompt Krystal to invite him to stay.
The unspoken plea was unnecessary; Krystal didn't want him to go, "Maybe you can stop by Krazoa Palace for a while? I want to show you how the fans work."
"Okay! I'll land on the roof then, and meet you there," he said.
Krystal smiled then, and Fox was glad he could cheer her up a little.
There were few clouds in the sky viewed on the roof of Krazoa Palace. The air was cooler on top, and a light breeze was always present. Krystal watched Fox set down his Arwing and jump out of the cockpit.
He smiled as he walked up to her, "I will always prefer to visit the Palace when it's sunny."
"I am happy anywhere outside. I don't know how my ancestors lived in the dark tunnels below," she said, glancing away at the mention of the lower levels.
"Let's go down to the lowest level, and I will show you my trick," Krystal said.
They traveled down to the lowest level by the fans, and at the edge, Krystal tapped the bottom of her staff on the edge of the activated fan, and it slowed to a stop. Then, she and Fox stepped into the middle. Krystal twirled the staff above her head once and set the bottom down in the center. The fan kicked on and the two were sent flying into the air.
"Hey, that's great," Fox said as he bobbed around next to the vixen, "Where did you learn that?"
It was then that Fox noticed Krystal's loincloth bottom was obeying the laws of physics, or in the very least, was obeying the laws of upward wind motions. His temperature rose significantly. As much as he wanted to see if she wore something (or nothing?...) under it, he forced himself to look her in the eyes.
Krystal seemed oblivious to her garments as she answered his question, "I read it on the parchment scans. It took a few tries to get the motions right, but now at least I can explore the entire Palace."
She spun herself around and moved to the highest fan, "Let's go upstairs again."
They soon sat on sat on the roof, resting on a blanket Krystal left tucked in a crate. The sun was setting and the stars were appearing in the eastern sky.
"I keep looking for Corneria, but I can't find it," Krystal said.
"It's only bright enough to distinguish from other stars for one week every ten standard months," he explained.
"I see," she murmured.
Krystal looked at Fox and said, "I thought by seeing Corneria, I could see where you were."
His heart skipped a beat when she looked away; Fox glimpsed what might have been a blush around her nose. He wondered if it was best to not say anything than risk ruining the moment with some stuttered, dorky reply.
Krystal saved him from embarrassment when she casually said, "Some of the EarthWalkers have shown me constellations."
She pointed at seven stars, "That is Grornda the mythical EarthWalker King of the sky. Over there," she referenced four stars, "Is Dashan, the CloudRunner who rules over the night skies. When Dashan is covered by thin clouds, it means he is angry, and there will be storms within three days."
Fox chuckled.
"They have many stories and myths like that. I believe there is some truth to angry Dashan stories. I studied the weather patterns after I heard the story, and typically the weather does come from that direction," she said, moving her paw from west to east, where Dashan and Grornda sat respectively.
The conversation seemed to die then, as was usual with the two, but the silence was companionable. Eventually, Fox had to leave.
He stood, "Krystal, take care of yourself. Don't hesitate to call us if you need anything. We'll be nearby."
"Thank you for coming today, I really appreciate it," she said.
Krystal stood and the two hugged. Without thinking about it, Fox kissed her forehead and Krystal snuggled deeper into his arms. They stood that way for a long while, but even as both wished the moment wouldn't end, they did eventually part.
The vixen remained on the roof long after Fox had departed. She realized that even if she were able to successfully protect the Spell Stones and Krazoa Shrines, there would be no one to pass on the knowledge and duties. There was no way she could rebuild what her people had had before they left, but she could at least try to have a few children. And as long as those children choose too, they could work on continuing her legacy.
She looked back up at the sky where she last saw the blue glow of Arwing engine, unmoving, until small droplets of rain began falling from rapidly incoming dark clouds. After reaching the lowest level, Krystal retired for the night, in the cold, drafty palace.