Note: I've been playing Doom II again, and I keep forgetting how hard it can be at times. Along with that, there isn't much going on in my life. Okay, I'll stop before I ramble. Before we begin, I want to say something to a reviewer.
Big Bossk Man 92: I actually mentioned Katt's family in a past story, including her older sister. As for the fact that Fara and Sabre are going to be parents, I probably should've waited until later to do that. But, I'm glad that you like it.
Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter three.
Chapter 3: Sparring with the Lucky Rabbit
Upon opening the elevator door, Katt found herself meeting up with Peppy. The hare didn't look surprised to see her, almost as if Falco told him that she had been at the Great Fox earlier.
"Hello, Peppy, I'm here to speak with Falco." Katt said.
"Didn't you come to the Great Fox to do that earlier?" Peppy asked.
"That was before I learned why he was gloomy." The pink cat stated. "Is anyone else here?"
"Fox and Slippy are in the dining room, and Krystal's at her apartment." The hare said.
"Is Falco in his room or something?" The feline asked.
"Yeah," the lepus said, "do you want me to take you there?"
"No, I know where it is."
Peppy stepped out of the way, letting Katt into the main room. After that, she went down a hallway that led to the bedrooms. Coming across Falco's room, the pink cat carefully knocked on the door. Inside the room was an annoyed grumble, hinting that Falco wasn't pleased to be visited by anyone. Katt waited by the door, hoping that he would talk to her. When the door came open, the pheasant stepped out, having an annoyed look on his face.
"Oh, it's you." Falco spoke. "Why are you back, Katt?"
"I just wanted to talk to you about what went down at Corneria College." Katt said.
"The shooting?" The pheasant furrowed his brow.
"If you're upset about it, I understand." The pink cat said. "I mean, no one likes hearing about terrorist attacks on schools and colleges."
"I'm not upset about that, Katt!" The avian stated.
"Then what are you upset about?" The feline asked. "Is something bothering you?"
"Katt," he sighed, "look, I don't want to talk about it right now. Please, understand, it's something personal and nothing that I would want to put you through."
"Oh, sure, I can't handle anything horrible in your life!" She said, sounding almost angry. "Falco, we've been through wars and attacks by alien monsters! Do you really think that I wouldn't understand something bad when I hear about it?!"
Falco didn't answer, only shaking his head.
"Well, if you're too good to talk to me about it, then I guess I'll leave!" Katt scoffed. "It might've been a mistake for me to come here in the first place!"
"Katt, it's not -!" Falco tried to speak.
Before Falco could say anything else, Katt was practically running out of the hallway. She was so frustrated with the pheasant being secretive, she wanted to punch him. Ever since they began dating, the two promised that they would talk about anything that was bothering them. It seemed that Falco wasn't abiding by that promise, as if he was taking it back. The pheasant was always kind of stubborn, but now he wasn't going to explain why he was so down. Would it have really killed him to do so?
Exiting the main room through the elevator, Katt went out to the docking bay, running up to Fara's Arwing. She practically pounded on the side of the ship, signaling for Fara to open up the cockpit. The fennec did so, seeing that her friend was angry.
"Did Falco do something stupid?" She asked.
"He won't talk about what's got him down!" Katt said. "Anyway, do you know where the apartment building Krystal lives at is?"
"Yeah, why?" Fara asked.
"Because I want to go down there!" The pink cat stated.
In response, Fara closed up the cockpit on her Arwing. After that, she flew out of the Great Fox, setting a course for the apartment buildings in Corneria City. Once she landed on the roof of the building Krystal was taking residence in, the fennec opened up the cockpit again, allowing Katt to get out. The pink cat was about to enter the building, but then she figured that she would say something to her friend before she left.
"Thanks for dropping me off, hon!" Katt spoke. "I'll try to see if Krystal's okay with me dropping by!"
"As long as you aren't a criminal, you'll be fine!" Fara stated.
After that, Katt walked into the building. Taking the stairs, she made it to the floor Krystal was on. The pink cat knew that the cobalt vixen would sense for her on account of her telepathy, so she decided to not keep anything secret. Even if the feline could keep secrets away from telepaths, she would have to shuffle her thoughts. It would be difficult, as she wasn't skilled at doing something like that. People with ESP do, after all, have different abilities.
Upon reaching the door to Krystal's apartment, Katt knocked on it.
"I'm coming!" Krystal's voice rang out from the room.
After a few seconds, the door came open. Standing in the doorway was Krystal, who looked happy to see Katt. The cobalt vixen was wearing a purple bathrobe, hinting that she was getting ready for bed. She was even wearing house slippers, primarily the pair she received as a housewarming gift. Krystal smiled at Katt, with the feline returning her expression.
"Hello, Katt." Krystal spoke.
"Hey, Krystal, how are you doing?" Katt asked.
"Well, currently, I'm about to head to bed for the night." The cobalt vixen said.
"Mind if I come in?" The pink cat asked.
"Sure." The vulpine said. "You can even stay for the night."
"Did you sense that I was about to ask that?" The feline asked.
"I tried not to peek into your thoughts with my telepathy."
Krystal then stepped out of the way, letting Katt into her apartment. After that, the pink cat decided to take a seat until it was time to go to sleep. When it was midnight, Krystal began to climb into her bed, having drank a glass of warm milk. Katt lie on the couch, getting covered up with a blanket that was sitting on one of its arms.
"Goodnight, Krystal!" She spoke.
"Goodnight, Katt!" Krystal responded.
Once the lights went out, Krystal and Katt closed their eyes, trying to fall asleep. However, for a brief moment, Krystal got up and made sure that her door and windows were locked. The noise bothered Katt a little, but she understood that her friend had to make sure that they would both be safe for the night. When that was out of the way, Krystal climbed back into her bed and fell asleep. In order to make sure that everything was okay, the cobalt vixen's telepathy was turned on as she slept. That way, she would be woken up if something was wrong.
However, Krystal heard a whimper while she was trying to sleep. Startled by the noise, the cobalt vixen went over to Katt. While it was dark in the room, she could see the troubled expression on the pink cat's face. The vulpine's telepathy was scanning for anything that would be troubling the feline. As much as she wanted to wake up her friend, Krystal decided to leave her alone until morning. Climbing into her bed, she went to sleep, waiting for morning to arrive.
In the morning, Krystal woke up and saw Katt sitting at the table. Getting up from her bed, the cobalt vixen went over to the pink cat. The feline had a saddened expression on her face, complete with bags under her eyes. Using her telepathy, Krystal found what was troubling her. Concerned, she spoke to her friend.
"Katt," Krystal said, "if there's something you want to talk about, you can tell me."
"Gee, what would I tell you?" Katt spoke. "Doesn't having telepathy mean that you would be able to find out what was going on without asking anything?"
"There's more to telepathy than that." The cobalt vixen stated. "I just want to know what's troubling you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Katt swallowed, knowing that she couldn't keep a secret for long. Not wanting to worry Krystal, the pink cat spoke to her.
"How did that music festival on campus go for you?" She asked.
"It wasn't pleasant." Krystal stated. "I mean, everyone was just waiting for one of the musicians to perform, then the shooting began. While there weren't many casualties, there was only one: Louise Palmer. She was shot in a vital area, so no one could help her. What made it worse is that she died in my arms. Compared to most of the shit I've been through in my life, I don't think that I'll be able to get Louise bleeding to death after being shot out of my head."
Krystal wiped a tear from her eye, reliving a painful, but recent, memory. Katt put her hand on the cobalt vixen's shoulder, having heard her side of the story.
"Do you know a girl named Annie Pleurodelnae?" Katt asked.
"She was the perpetrator of the shooting, as well as a former student on Corneria College." Krystal stated. "She was motivated by racial hatred, intending on shooting me. Even though people have told me that it wasn't my fault, and that Pleurodelnae would've gone after me no matter where I went, I still feel responsible for Louise getting shot to death."
"Did she push you out of the way of a round?" The pink cat asked.
"No," the cobalt vixen said, "but I think Pleurodelnae shot her by accident."
"Then it wasn't your fault that she died." The feline said.
"Still feels like it, though." The vulpine said.
With that topic out of the way, Krystal could see that Katt still had a saddened expression on her face.
"The shooting wasn't the only thing on your mind." Krystal said. "There's something else that's got you down."
"It's Falco." Katt said. "He's acting depressed all of a sudden, and I really want to know why. I thought that he was thinking about the shooting, but he told me that he wasn't."
Upon hearing Katt say that, Krystal didn't say anything. While she wouldn't deny it, the cobalt vixen had seen Falco like that before. What she could admit was that it wasn't common for the pheasant to be depressed or down, given how he would usually act in everyday life. During the moments where he did act depressed, everyone could tell that it was due to something concerning his family, primarily his parents. Krystal knew what might have caused him to become depressed, but she decided to not tell Katt about it. As much as she wanted to, she felt it would be necessary for Katt to figure it out.
"Do you know what has him down?" Katt asked.
"I don't know for sure," Krystal stated, "but I'm sure that he'll tell you when he's ready."
"I hope that happens." The pink cat said.
An hour later, Krystal made breakfast for her and Katt. The meal consisted of eggs, pancakes, hash browns, and toast. While Katt was a little disappointed to find that there was no bacon or sausage, she enjoyed the meal. Once she was done eating, something crossed the pink cat's mind. She wondered about Krystal's neighbors, seeing as she had yet to meet them. However, one neighbor was someone who Katt hoped to talk to.
Standing up, Katt looked at herself, knowing that she hadn't showered for a few days.
"Krystal, is it okay if I use your shower?" She asked.
"Sure," Krystal said, "just be careful."
Knowing that it was okay, Katt went to the bathroom and got undressed. Stepping into the shower, the pink cat turned it on. For a minute, the feline bathed in the waters. She didn't use any soap, finding it rude to use something without asking. Once she was done with her shower, Katt got out and dried herself with a towel. The moment she was dry, she got her clothes on and stepped out of the bathroom.
Upon seeing Katt, Krystal spoke with her.
"Looking good, Katt." Krystal said.
"Thanks." Katt said. "Anyway, I've got something to ask you, hon."
"Ask away." The cobalt vixen said.
"Is it true that the Lucky Rabbit is living next to you?" The pink cat asked.
"Yeah, but we barely see each other." The vulpine said. "In fact, I don't think I've spoken to her at all."
"Do you think she's home?" The feline asked.
"She might be. If you want my advice, I think that you should leave her be."
"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks for letting me stay here, hon!"
"Anytime, Katt!"
After that, Katt walked out of Krystal's apartment. Now that she was out in the hallway, she was tempted to ask for a ride home. However, the pink cat found herself heading to the door of the next apartment over. Upon seeing it, the feline cautiously knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" A voice came through the door.
"It's me, Katt Monroe!" Katt stated.
"Who?" The voice responded.
"You know me: I'm an ally to Star Fox!" The pink cat said.
"Oh." The voice spoke. "Well, I don't want any!"
"C'mon, hon, I just want to talk to you!" The feline said.
From inside the apartment, there was an annoyed grumble. This was followed by the locks on the door shifting, indicating that it was being unlocked. After that, the door came open, allowing Katt to see the apartment's inhabitant: Maria Fairweather. The Lucky Rabbit's violet eyes locked onto the pink cat, her stern expression indicating how it didn't take much for her to get angry. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit, but rather a black gym shirt, black gym shorts and tennis shoes.
"Good morning, sunshine!" Katt greeted, trying to sound friendly.
"What are you doing here?" Maria asked.
"Oh, I'm just here to talk with you." The pink cat said.
"Well, I'm not in the mood for talking." The rabbit said. "I just got back from a workout, and I'm trying to cool off so that I'm not sore later."
"That sounds like fun." The feline said.
"It really isn't." The lepus stated. "I'd prefer a new mission over working out. But, you know the General, he often has that team out to do his dirty work."
"You mean Star Fox?"
"I don't know everyone in the Lylat System, nor do I care who they are!"
"Well, you should, because without Star Fox, there would've been no way to take down the threats the Lylat System faced."
"Well, if that's true, why didn't they look for the people responsible for the death of my family?!"
Katt only let out a sigh, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"I can see why Krystal told me not to approach you!" She spoke. "You're still living in the past, hon, which is not good! You've already gotten your revenge on the man who orchestrated the deaths of your family, so what else could you want? Are you seriously trying to find more purpose in your life now that you've accomplished your goals?! Is working for the General not enough for you?! Well, tough, because you can still find purpose in your life! Accept where you're at now, because I'm not the one to tell you where to go from here!"
"I hate to break it to you, but it's not that easy!" Maria stated. "As for me living in the past, need I remind you that you were obsessed with some dumb guy to the point where he started dating you? If you want to talk to me, then you'll have to do something that catches my interest!"
Realizing that Maria was more of a hard head than she thought, Katt thought about something that would be able to get her to talk. Upon getting an idea, the pink cat spoke.
"How about we spar?"
For a second, Maria was stunned, as if she had been hit with a taser. She regained her composure, getting a confident look on her face. This surprised Katt, who never thought that the rabbit would have a look like that on her face. In fact, whenever the pink cat saw her, it seemed like her face was constantly in a look of pure anger. The feline smiled back at the lepus, waiting for her to speak. The Lucky Rabbit gave a slight chuckle, essentially showing how confident she really was.
"Meet me at the gym in the Cornerian Military Base." She said.
Katt nodded, saying that she would be there. After that, Maria exited her apartment, going down the stairs. Before Katt could follow her, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Katt, I told you not to talk about her." Krystal warned.
Seeing Krystal walking out of her apartment, Katt decided to speak to her friend before she went down to the gym.
"I know that you did, hon, but I realize that I'm not going to talk to her unless we spar." Katt stated. "Besides, sparring with the Lucky Rabbit might take my mind off of Falco for a bit."
"Be careful," Krystal warned, "because she's not real merciful. Keep in mind that she was a bounty hunter before Pepper had her work with the CDF, which means that she might have different training in combat than we do."
"I'll be careful, Krystal." The pink cat said.
After that, Katt walked out of the apartment building, following Maria to the gym of the Military Base.
The gym at the Cornerian Military Base was surprisingly empty. It was to the point where, if someone were to shout, it would echo. Maria stood in the room, cracking her knuckles. The moment Katt came in, she saw that the Lucky Rabbit was ready to begin. She took off her jacket, deciding to increase her speed. Upon seeing the pink cat, Maria approached her.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"I'm more than ready, hon." Katt stated.
"Before we begin, I might as well tell you this: I won't go easy." Maria said.
"Neither will I, hon." The pink cat said.
With that in mind, Maria was the first to throw a punch. However, Katt caught her fist and delivered an uppercut. This knocked the Lucky Rabbit back, allowing the pink cat to throw a right jab at her face. The lepus tried to dodge, but took the hit at full force. Her opponent followed it up with another right jab, as well as a left hook. Katt even did another uppercut, hitting Maria square in the stomach.
"Getting rusty, are we?" Katt asked.
Maria didn't go down from the amount of punches she received. Rather, she delivered a sweep kick to Katt, which knocked her down. Before she could receive another hit, the pink cat rolled out of the way. Maria was quick to grab her, getting her fist ready for a left hook. However, Katt grabbed the rabbit's shoulders and head butted her. After taking the hit, the lepus steadied herself.
For the next two minutes, Katt and Maria threw punches and kicks at each other. While Katt was on the winning side, Maria did deliver a few hits that knocked her off her balance. The pink cat wasn't going to go down, so she did a scissor kick. The Lucky Rabbit took the hit, but then she delivered a right jab to her opponent. The hits that the two of them received were enough to knock them off their balance. They collapsed, laying on the ground.
Now that they were laying down, Katt and Maria found themselves having a conversation.
"Well, I'm hurt now." Katt stated.
"I didn't know you had that in you." Maria spoke. "Why don't you fight with your fists more often?"
"I never usually find myself in a situation where I fight with my bare hands." The pink cat said.
"Well, you should, because you can really punch!" The rabbit said.
"I just wish that there was something else that could help me use them." The feline said.
"There is." The lepus said.
Intrigued, Katt found herself sitting up.
"What is it?" She asked.
Without warning, Maria did a cartwheel. This astonished Katt, who was certain that the rabbit was every bit as injured as she was.
"Follow me!" Maria said.
Getting up from the floor, Katt got ready to follow Maria again. She was sore, but decided to fight through the pain for the time being. After she got off of the floor, the pink cat began to follow the Lucky Rabbit, wondering where she could be leading her to now.
Note: Welp, Katt and Maria are on good terms now. But, where could Maria be going? Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!
