Author's note:
I would have liked to have uploaded this chapter around Christmas, but things didn't go that way. Enjoy.
Chapter 14: Pink Snow
Soft, white powder blanketed Kezamat. It capped every rooftop and dusted every tree. Children ran and dug through the snow on open lawns, racing up hills with wooden toboggans held over their heads. Their laughter rang like bells, making Fox grin as he passed them
His breath misted around his nose. Even as an adult, he never got bored of puffing bursts of fluffy plumes from his lips. He played with the fantasy that he could conjure magic from his lungs. With one blow, the air itself could harden with frost. He became a dragon of winter.
His spirits flew a little higher as Fox approached the stone wall surrounding the city. Before the heavy, wooden gate, he spied Krystal waiting for him. Fox pulled the pack over his shoulders up as he quickened his pace to join her.
"Ready to go?" Krystal grinned eagerly. Her own pack hung over her back.
"Got the provisions like you asked me to," Fox replied in kind. "So, where is it that we're going?"
"You'll see." Krystal's playful eye lingered on him as she turned away. Her movement drew Fox to watch her tail sway behind her, poking out from underneath her thick overcoat. Her winter pelt made it fluffier than ever. Fox wrestled against a desire to reach out and touch it.
Due to being half-fennec, his fur didn't grow nearly as thick in the colder weather. Thus, Fox's own tail was wrapped up in a third sleeve sewn into his animal-skin pants. He felt jealous of the freedom of exposure that Krystal enjoyed. Fox gripped the front of his cloak a little tighter. It astounded him that Kezamat's climate could switch from one extreme to the opposite. Must be due to the weak sunlight the region received this time of year.
They bade the guards farewell as they passed through the gate. Beyond it, the snowbound fields were awash with the rosy midday light. Fox could never get used to Cerinia's strange beauty. He had never seen winter like this on any other planet.
"How was the morning patrol?" Krystal asked as they marched north.
"Peaceful," Fox replied with a smile. "Almost slipped down the hill on my way back to the barracks though. I'm lucky I didn't break a leg or something."
"That would have been unfortunate. I'd then have to make this trip all on my lonesome."
"Then I'm glad that nothing bad happened," Fox chuckled. The gleam in Krystal's eyes made his ears feel hot. Maybe that was just the first warning sign of frostbite setting in. Fox pulled his hood over his head just in case.
Shortly after his recovery last summer, Thalse had offered Fox a job within the city guard. It gave him a means to earn his own money, as well as the chance to get more acquainted with the denizens of Kezamat. After sitting around doing nothing for so long, Fox was grateful beyond measure. Thalse also helped immensely by accompanying Fox on his patrols. They used that time to teach him more about the Cerinians' laws in practice. The work felt familiar and kept Fox busy when Andross had no need of him, which had been the case for most of the last few months.
With a long way to travel and no one else around, Fox and Krystal talked freely. He felt quite proficient speaking in Cerinian nowadays. It was easy to convey his meaning most occasions, and Fox rarely felt the need to open his phrasebook when he struggled. He now enjoyed talking to people on this planet, especially Krystal. Fox liked these private conversations with her the most. It simply felt nice spending time with her.
A gust of wind made Krystal shiver. "Feeling cold?" Fox chuckled.
"Yes." She rubbed her arms close to her body. "I miss the warmer seasons already. They change so quickly."
"Really?" Fox looked to the clouds congregating over their heads. "To me, it feels like it's taken ages for winter to come."
Krystal's ears perked. "Does it?"
"Yeah… It feels like time moves slower here." Fox breathed a sigh, forming a haze in front of his face. "I asked Andross about it last time I saw him. He says that Cerinia takes longer to travel around your sun than Corneria and Papetoon do around theirs. That's why the last six months feel like they've lasted so long. I've probably been here a lot longer than that if we tracked time like my world does."
A look of deep thought and confusion overtook Krystal. She was still getting her head around the concept that Cerinia and its sun, Ilis, were giant balls of matter floating through infinite space; and that the planet travelled around the sun, not the other way around. Throwing temporal theory into the mix would have fried Fox's brain in her position.
"That's so strange," she finally said.
"Yeah, it is." It also explained why a lot of Cerinians Fox met claimed that they were younger than they appeared. This was supposedly Krystal's 19th winter, even though she looked well into her twenties. "I think Andross said that one year here is as long as one and a third on my home planet."
"I see… That's simpler to understand."
"I thought it would be." The brief smirk fell from Fox's muzzle. "It probably means I've already missed Christmas though," he sighed.
"Christmas?" Krystal tilted her head. "What is that?"
"Oh! Christmas is a holiday celebrated in the Lylat System," Fox explained. "Every planet celebrates it at different times, but it's always on the 25th day of the last month of a planet's year. My friends and I usually celebrate on Corneria's date. But Papetoon's was supposed to be around the same time this year, so I was hoping to spend it with my mom too."
He felt worse as he imagined his mother sitting at home alone on Christmas, missing Fox, and unsure if he was still alive. Peppy and Lucy would likely keep Vixy company at least. Regardless, not being there for her opened a hole in Fox's heart, marking a broken promise. He wiped a tear forming in his eye.
"I'm sorry, Fox," Krystal lowered her gaze. "Being stranded here has been hard on you. I wish there was more I could do to help."
"Thank you. But I'll be fine." He forced himself to smile. "I can live with missing one Christmas. You don't need to worry about me." The smile faded the second that Fox looked away from Krystal. "It's my family I'm worried about though. I wish I could let them know that I'm okay."
The only sound that followed was the crunching of snow underneath their boots. Eventually, Krystal spoke up. "This Christmas… How do you celebrate it?"
"How do we celebrate Christmas?" Krystal nodded. Fox scratched his head as he considered how he should explain something that he used to think was common knowledge. "Uh… Um… Well… The main thing about Christmas is getting together with people who you care about. Close friends and family, and like that. You have a party together with food and drinks. And you give each other gifts."
"Gifts? Why is that?"
Fox paused. What was the least materialistic way to describe it to Krystal? "It's to show how much you appreciate them. It… It doesn't have to be a fancy or expensive gift though. Sometimes it means more to give someone something simple that they want or need. Or something that feels important to them."
"Oh."
"The fun part is always unwrapping the gifts," Fox grinned. "We cover them up so that they're a surprise when you give them to someone."
"That sounds so different to what we celebrate here. The parties we have don't involve giving gifts like that. It's a nice idea," Krystal said. "What else do your people do to celebrate Christmas?"
"Well, we also decorate a tree and put all the gifts under it before they're opened."
"You decorate a tree?" she blinked incredulously.
"Yeah! We get a tree and hang decorations on its branches, like lights, baubles, tinsel, and a star on the top." Fox realised as he spoke that a few of the words he used had no Cerinian translation. It only made Krystal more confused. "Would you like to see what I mean?" he asked, tapping his head.
Her mind seeped into his. Fox brought up memories from his childhood: decorating the tree with his parents; building gingerbread houses with Lucy; walking through the city at night to see the streets awash in twinkling lights; listening to carollers sing like angels; the holiday specials that aired on television; drinking hot cocoa and roasting chestnuts; leaving milk and cookies in the living room; and waking up early on Christmas morning to scope out his presents before it was time to open them. Fox felt Krystal's wonder as she waded through the visions and emotions bound to them.
"Amazing," she whispered into his thoughts. "It's like a festival."
"I guess you could call it that," Fox laughed. A shadow of past sorrows tainted his good mood though. "It wasn't always that happy every year. The war didn't stop just because it was Christmas on one planet. A couple of times, my dad was called away to fight. Then he died, and Mom and I never spent another Christmas with him again."
Krystal's hand came to rest at her bosom. "You must have missed him terribly."
"I still do," Fox nodded. "The first few years were the hardest. I was still just a kid. I was sad. And I was angry. I even wished that Dad survived the war and came home just in time for Christmas. Now Mom's probably wishing the same thing for me."
Suddenly, Krystal grasped Fox's arm. He stopped when she pulled back, turning to ask what the matter was. Before he could open his mouth, Krystal wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his. Fox overcame his surprise and hugged her back. His arms crushed into her body. All the pain inside him flowed out through that physical pressure. It centred his soul on the here and now.
"Thank you," he said softly. "You always seem to know what I need before I do."
"Having the ability to sense emotions helps with that," Krystal replied. "I know that one day we'll find a way to get you home, Fox. Then you can celebrate Christmas with your mother again."
Fox sniffed. "I'd like that."
He held onto Krystal for a few minutes longer. She did not say a word or move until he felt ready to let go. When he did, Krystal gave him a warm smile. She took Fox's hand and led him through the snowfields side by side.
After more than an hour, Fox puffed as the ground rose into a steep, rocky incline. "Is this place we're going to much farther?" he asked.
"We're almost there," Krystal assured. She barely broke a sweat. "Just past that boulder."
They could have made it in and out in less than five minutes if his Arwing was still whole and working, Fox thought bitterly. He climbed after Krystal and heaved for breath as soon as he cleared the ridge. Hopefully, the return journey wouldn't be as tough. Walking all day since morning was killing Fox and his feet.
The soft gurgle of water tickled Fox's ear. He looked ahead to see the spring stretched out before them. A modest grove of trees surrounded it, each slumbering as frost coated their branches where leaves once hung.
Krystal led Fox through the trees, stopping him briefly with excited cheer. "Fox, look!"
He followed her finger to the spring. A group of small animals sat over it. Fox rubbed his eyes when he realised that they weren't resting on a sheet of ice. The pond's surface was still fluid. He questioned his sanity again when he looked closer at the creatures. Shaped somewhat like rabbits, their bodies were entirely made of water! Long, gelatinous ears flicked above their heads.
"What are they?" Fox whispered in awe.
"Nias yan," Krystal beamed.
Fox's jaw hung low. That directly translated to water spirits. He barely believed Andross that they really existed. Nomar confirmed the truth when he asked her later. Cerinia was home to many incorporeal beings that took tangible form through merging with the elements. This was Fox's first time seeing them with his own eyes.
Tearing his gaze away from the spirits, Fox scouted the rest of the surrounding area. A narrow waterfall fed the spring from higher atop the mountain. Around the rocky landscape, many clusters of translucent, blue crystals grew. Altogether, Fox began to sense something mystical in the air.
"What is this place?"
"This spring sits within a strong mana hotspot. The energy seeps into the water and earth, giving them special properties. Yan feed on mana, so the abundance of it attracts them." Krystal crept forward, beckoning Fox. "Come on. Let's get closer."
The water spirits didn't flee as the two foxes made their presence known. Instead, they stared at them with interest. Their ears flopped and twitched just like those of wild rabbits would. "See that?" Krystal gasped. "They're freezing."
Indeed, the spirits weren't completely fluid like Fox thought from a distance. He could see ice forming in and around their bodies. "Is that normal?"
"During winter, nias yan will freeze into polis yan. The polis yan will then migrate across the snow to find new bodies of water, where they'll melt and breed in spring. We're just in time to see them change."
Krystal pointed Fox to one spirit in particular. Its body had almost frozen through. Blocks of ice jiggled against each other as the spirit crept towards the spring's stony shore. It pawed the ground tentatively. After half a minute, the spirit leaped clear from the water, landing all four legs on frozen ground. Krystal giggled as the spirit began playing in the snow. It hopped and rolled, bathing itself in powder. Fox realised that the spirit was likely trying to freeze the rest of its body as quickly as possible.
"This is incredible," he remarked. "I've never seen anything like this back in Lylat."
"I remember when my mother brought me out here for the first time," Krystal replied. A soft sigh seeped through her smile. "I thought the spirits were so pretty. I wanted to play with them, but Mama didn't want me getting wet in the spring."
Closing her eyes, Krystal lifted her chin. She took a deep intake through her nose and released her breath slowly. "I love the ambiance of this place. It feels like Cerinia's lifeforce is strong here, like I could reach out with my mind and touch her heart."
Fox smiled. He didn't believe in gods or the like, but he did feel something special about this place. "It's beautiful. Thank you for showing me this."
"It was my pleasure." Slipping off her pack, Krystal opened it to extract a collection of waterskins. She handed one to Fox. "Here. Fill the spring water into this."
"Am I supposed to drink it or just fetch it?"
"You could drink it. Water blessed by spirits has many health benefits. But I'd like to bring as much back to the shrine as possible before the spring freezes over."
Fox took the skin and carried it to the shore. Taking his gloves off so as not to get them wet, he plunged the waterskin into the spring. Shock shot through his fingers from the cold. Fox gritted his teeth as he endured. Once the skin was full, Fox pulled it out and dried his hand hurriedly on his cloak. When he was just about to seal the bladder, a watery head popped out of its neck.
Startled, Fox dropped the waterskin and fell onto his backside. The skin hit the snow. Its contents spilled out, including the nias yan that had been hiding inside it. The spirit scrambled back out across the spring. Fox clutched his speeding heart. Krystal cackled behind him.
"I think I'll pass on the spirit water today, thank you," he said, causing Krystal to laugh harder. She had a beautiful peal, though Fox wished he didn't need to have made a fool of himself to hear it. He tried filling the waterskin again. He shook it a few times. Once he was sure there were no more surprises, Fox corked the bladder and returned it to Krystal as she calmed down.
Krystal prepared a fire before helping Fox fill the rest of the waterskins. They warmed their hands over the flames. Heat prickled Fox's numb fingers. He flexed them repeatedly, feeling his nerves slowly waken.
The long trek had left them hungry. Fox handed Krystal a parcel of dried fruits and spiced bread. He drank greedily from the water he brought from the city. No spirits contained within it whatsoever. Fox watched the nias yan frolic as they ate. The water bunnies danced and dived into the spring, popping up again to tussle with their kin over the surface.
Fox watched several more spirits change and leave the spring when something puny and cold landed on his nose. He rubbed the spot, feeling nothing but moisture. Small specks then drifted past his eyes. Fox looked around to notice snow falling around them. The lazy flecks danced in the light breeze.
Krystal smiled as she looked to the sky. Fox followed her gaze. Countless snowflakes fell from a thin cover of clouds. A beam of sunlight breached through them. It bathed the flakes in a soft, pink glow. Wonder flickered inside Fox's chest. It was like a shower of cherry blossoms often seen in the eastern nations of Corneria.
"It's rare to see Ilis shine his light when it snows," Krystal commented. "Such a lovely sight."
"It is," Fox marvelled. "I've never seen it snow like this on any other planet."
"They say that this happens when Ilis and Arethan briefly put aside their differences and make this gift together for Cerinia."
"Can't say I'm familiar with your gods yet," Fox admitted. "What? Are those two rivals fighting over her or something?"
"Not quite. Arethan is Cerinia's brother, who doesn't trust Ilis not to hurt her. He is very protective of his sister and keeps Ilis away from embracing Cerinia."
"Considering I know what happens to planets that get too close to a sun, I'd say Arethan's got good reason to worry," Fox remarked. "Do you think you could ask him to open up a little so I can fly home?"
"I could try praying to him," Krystal said with a laugh. "But if Arethan refuses to listen to his sister's pleas, I doubt he'll answer to mine." Fox couldn't tell whether she knew he was joking or not. He decided that he didn't want to risk offending her by asking if she was being serious.
Fox and Krystal extinguished their fire with snow and picked up their packs. Krystal murmured a soft prayer to the remaining spirits, which seemed to draw their attention to her. She and Fox then made their way back to Kezamat, hoping to reach the city before the weather worsened.
Despite it being cold enough to snap his tail in half, Fox felt grateful to Krystal for bringing him out here. If he ever did get off Cerinia, he looked forward to telling Slippy, Falco, and Peppy all about this. They'd never believe he had seen real-life spirits. They'd never believe anything that Fox told them about this world. He glanced over to Krystal. Well, they might believe him, especially if he brought along a witness who could share her memories with people.
A grin broke across Fox's muzzle the more he thought about it. Even if Krystal used her telepathy, even if Fox took photographs, even if they brought a live spirit off-world with them to show, Falco would still never believe them. He'd admit himself to the nearest psychiatric hospital and die there of old age before he ever would. And Fox would visit him every week until that day just to wind the stubborn birdbrain up.
Peppy sat in his room aboard the Great Fox with a fresh cup of coffee on his desk. The videoconferencing app was open on his personal computer. With a few clicks, Peppy navigated through his contact list and started a new call. The computer rang several times until Vixy's face appeared onscreen.
"Good evening, Vixy," Peppy greeted jovially, despite the Great Fox crew having only just started their day.
"And good morning to you, Peppy."
Although she smiled, Peppy could see the dark circles around her eyes. "How are you feeling? I hope that you're not overworking yourself still."
"I'm getting as much rest as I need to," Vixy replied stiffly. Peppy expressed his concerns almost every time they spoke, leaving her with little patience lately.
"Any updates on your research?"
"No," Vixy sighed desolately. "We've studied the quartz dust from every possible angle. The energy it emits doesn't match any known radiation on the spectrum. The closest we've been able to compare it to is data taken from old studies of Sauria. Even then, there are key differences between those samples and the ones from Purgatory."
Peppy rubbed his chin. Many people spoke rumours that parts of Sauria's ecosystem were the products of magic. He, himself, didn't put much stock into the stories. As a scientist, neither did Vixy. Peppy wondered if visiting Sauria would shed some light on the mystery but quickly discarded the idea. Even with Pepper's support, they'd never get clearance to set foot on Sauria just to save one man stranded on a completely different planet. Galactic treaties against contacting primitive cultures could be a severe nuisance at times.
"Is there any way to shield us from the radiation?" Peppy asked.
Vixy shook her head. "We've tried all the methods we can think off. Lead plating doesn't dampen it by any degree. Energy shields short-out instantly." She paused to rub between her eyes. "We did manage to nullify the radiation by dissolving the crystals in solution, but that's because the energy gets released all at once and explodes. Our last test knocked out every electrical device running within a 30-metre radius. That was from just a small sample."
Peppy whistled. "Reminds me of my high school chemistry class." Small wonder that Purgatory dust sold so highly on the Balven System's arms market.
"We think that the effects can be measured logarithmically. The more dust that we break down, the wider and more powerful the energy pulse becomes. That could mean that trying to melt through Purgatory's atmosphere would be extremely dangerous; even if we could get permission to do so." Peppy heard Vixy tap her nail anxiously on the desk on her end. "I get the feeling that we're wearing out Space Dynamics's hospitality after our last near-disaster."
"Maybe put the explosive experiments on hold for a while," Peppy advised.
"Slippy and I have talked it over. We're going to switch our focus to see if it's possible to find Fox without flying through the planet's atmosphere."
Peppy nodded. "I wish you luck with that. If we can communicate with Fox, he might be able to do something to help us from his end." Of course, that was assuming that Fox was still alive. Peppy pushed those thoughts away once again.
Vixy's ears drooped. "I'll be happy enough to find out if he's okay," her voice broke, reflecting the state of Peppy's heart. "How are things with the team?" she then asked.
With a sigh, Peppy brushed a hand through his ears. "Still going through some teething issues. Katt likes to stir trouble with Falco when she's bored, but I'm more worried about Dash. He hasn't been quite himself since what happened in Sector X."
Whatever he saw in the flicker of Vixy's expression, Peppy dared not ask about it. "Have there been any other problems?"
"Not on missions, but things are still tense between him and Falco." Peppy felt tired just thinking about it. "Falco's been on Dash's case ever since Katt got hurt. I do my best to support Dash where I can, but I can tell that his confidence is on the rocks."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I was hoping that Falco would get over it and change his attitude," Peppy frowned, "but at this rate, I feel like I'm going to have to smack some sense into him to make that happen."
"Honestly, I never understood why Fox became friends with that man."
"He told me it had something to do with seeing a bit of himself in the feathered punk. In any case, it's not your problem for me to trouble you with. I'm sure things will smooth out. Eventually…"
They chatted about less bothersome topics for a while longer. Vixy gave a gaping yawn midway through speaking, prompting Peppy to wrap up the call so that she could go to bed. "It was good talking with you, Vixy. I hope you and Slippy have a breakthrough soon."
"So do I, Peppy. Please take care of yourselves out there. Slippy has been telling me about some of the more… adventurous missions that you boys have taken over the years."
Peppy flinched. "Um… Of course, we will." He cleared his throat. "Uh… Well… I should let you go. Have a good night, Vixy."
"Goodnight, Peppy."
After terminating the call, Peppy leaned back on his chair. A nervous breath blew out from his lungs. He couldn't say why women like Vixy could put the fear of death in him while speaking so calmly. It probably had to do with Peppy knowing that if another young pilot became lost under his watch, Vixy would almost certainly skin him alive.
"And that is why I'm glad I'm not the captain," he muttered to himself.
End note:
I empathise with Fox in this chapter since I didn't get to spend time with my family on Christmas either. Between the pandemic, high traffic at airports, and soaring ticket prices, it just didn't seem worth it. I became glad about my decision when COVID outbreaks closed down three capital cities across eastern Australia around the new year. Hoping that 2021 becomes a lot better for me.