Yeah, the guards' names. Ben and Jerry. Bwahahah.

Okay, back to the story. Things seem a bit rough for our heroes. And I can't offer you any comfort, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.

What the hell is Wolf up to anyway? Nothing makes sense. Krystal only barely escaped being viciously ravaged and Fox is... well I dunno really, he might be dead. I still have to write this chapter and I'm making it up as I go along, hah. It feels like a heavy responsibilty, having all their lives in my hands. I hope I'm up to the task. The path this story takes is going to say a lot about MY morals.

Unh, anyway. Trust me. That's all I can say.

"Drink up."

Krystal warily eyed the heavy glass tumbler Wolf had handed her after he returned. It was half-filled with an amber liquid and by the scent of it she recognized it as hard liquor.

Seeing her hesitation he raised his own glass. "It's not spiked. Trade you if you don't trust me."

She narrowed her eyes. After Wolf had left she'd quickly freed herself from her remaining cuff and shackles, leaving the chains in a heap upon the bed. And had then retreated to the 'safe' side of the room, as far from the door and Wolf as she could. Now they were at a stand-off, on opposite sides of the bed.

She aimed a defiant stare at the lupine and raised the tumbler to her lips, taking a sip. Her azure gaze never left his, locked. The alcohol burned its way down her throat and she welcomed its heat, embracing the feeling. She rarely indulged in hard liquor but right now it was exactly what she needed. Had Wolf instinctively understood that or was it just a lucky guess? If anything, he was more of a mystery to her now than ever before.

It had been simple when he was just the stereotypical villainous cut-throat scoundrel that they'd fought in space. And had defeated, as it should be. Good and bad were clearly defined and there was no ambiguity as to what had to be done, and to whom. They knew exactly what to expect, and had gotten exactly that.

Now though? She couldn't be more confused. Wolf hadn't followed through on his implied threats, he hadn't violated her, hadn't assaulted her virtue. He didn't seem driven by spite or revenge. What had he been after then? Think, girl. It's starting to look like Wolf's actions aren't random at all. Nor are they based on lust or other misguided urges, like revenge.

Damn. He's not as simple as they thought him to be. This changed everything. They'd been underestimating him all this time. She bit down on a groan. Stupid, stupid, they'd been so stupid!

Wolf was much more dangerous than they'd ever suspected.

She kept her thoughts from here eyes. It would be bad to give anything away at this point. Instead, she went on the offensive.

"Nice. Who'd you steal this from?" She licked her lips.

Instead of answering her question, Wolf answered another unspoken question.

"Had to be done, you understand."

Wait, what? Was that an apology?

She thought hard. And quickly realized that he meant her telepathy. Why would that be so important to him, why would he so desperately need to find out if she could read his mind? Oh. Right.

"Are your secrets that dark then, Wolf?"

He actually grimaced. A hit, score. His answer though, when it came, was unnerving for all its candid simplicity.

"Yes."

She slowly breathed. And took another sip of her drink to buy some time. Behind her the room ended in a row of closets that stretched the length of the station's outer bulkhead. She leaned back against them, mirroring Wolf's pose against the opposite wall.

"Tell me, Wolf. What would have happened if you'd found out I could read your mind? That I could access all your secrets?"

He quietly eyed her, seeming to accept her attempt to take charge of the conversation.

"I would have done what had to be done."

She felt a chill run down her spine, understanding exactly what he was saying. Her grip tightened on the glass and she raised it to her lips, downing the rest of its contents in one fiery swallow. She knew he could see the fear in her eyes, the sharp spike of anxiety that his words had caused.

But she didn't see any satisfaction in his gaze. He wasn't trying to scare her, he was just stating fact. That in itself was much more chilling than any heated threats he could have made.

"Fuck, Wolf."

If he was surprised by her use of such a coarse word he didn't let it show.

"You'd really have done that?"

He answered her question with one of his own. So much for being in charge of the conversation, Krystal thought wryly.

"So. What do you think happens now?"

Shit. That was a scary question. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to contemplate all the possible answers to that question. None of them were good.

"Wh- what do you mean?"

Yeah, he wasn't going to play that game. Wolf didn't reply.

He just stared... as the time ticked on.

She'd never realized how powerful silence could be. Or how terribly intimidating a level stare could be. Wolf used both, mercilessly, silently watching her as she struggled to think things through. His gaze didn't waver, his body language gave her nothing and, worst of all, she couldn't get a grip on his mind, couldn't read him at all.

She wanted to cry. The situation was hopeless, she was cornered, trapped. But her pride was strong, she refused to give Wolf the satisfaction of seeing her break. Taking a breath she squared her shoulders, mentally gave herself a good shake and gave Wolf a hard stare. And an answer to his question.

"You deliver us both to Andross. And get a nice fat reward."

Wolf watched her a moment more. Nothing registered on his features. Then he gave a small shrug and pushed off from the wall he'd been leaning against.

"I need to speak with Leon and Panther. You stay here. Don't fuck up my room."

And with that, he left, locking the door behind him.

Krystal slowly slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, tightly, the empty glass falling to the carpet. She felt deflated, uncertain, as if she'd somehow failed a test.

################

Pain.

He moaned. The pain was all-encompassing, it filled his world, it defined his being. He shuddered, eyes screwed shut, jaws open wide on a silent scream.

Hands were on him, tugging at his jacket.

"Easy, easy."

A sharper pain, more localized.

"There ya go."

A heat spread through his body, and where it touched him the pain dissipated, subsiding to a bearable throbbing ache. Oh gods, the relief was indescribable.

"Wh- who..?"

"Shh. It's me."

Fox frowned and fought to open his eyes. He was lying on the floor in some bare concrete room, cradled in the arms of... wait, the guard. What was his name... Jeremy?

The tactical goggles had been pulled down around his neck. Fox looked up into hazel eyes. Jeremy was a wolf, but with a tan and brindle colouring, unlike his boss' gun-metal gray pelt.

"Give the painkiller some time to take effect, 'kay?"

Fox could only nod. His body felt like he'd been run over by a Landmaster tank.

Words were a struggle.

"G- gotta save... Krystal..."

Jeremy heaved a sigh.

"Look man, we can't always stop bad things from happening. Life's a bitch."

"Let it go for now. Roll with the punches alright? Survive man, survive."

Jeremy grimaced. After a moment he continued.

"You've got some balls, y'know? The stories about you aren't bullshit."

"Wh- what?"

The guard chuckled, a bitterness to his voice.

"You fucking did it. You knew I was gonna shoot you. But... you went for it anyways. That's just.. .I have no words man. No words."

Fox tried to think of an intelligent comeback but could only choke out out a short reply.

"... hurts."

A snicker. "No shit. These carbines pack one hell of a punch, even on stun."

The guard gently massaged the back of his neck, digging his paw deep into the vulpine's neckruff, kneading the muscles underneath. The touch was disturbingly intimate but Fox was beyond caring, it just felt too good.

Jeremy spoke, a growl to his voice. "Don't ever do that again okay? You dick.I really don't want to tell my friends that I was the one who killed THE Fox McCloud."

Fox managed a weak smile. Dammit. Speak of friends in strange places. He rested his head against the canine's chest.

"... Andross?"

Meaning, what about Andross and his plans for total domination over the Lylat system and all its inhabitants. What about that huh? Whose side are you even on, Jeremy?

Even in his weakened state Fox tried his best to turn the situation to his advantage. The guard had showed hesitation before. What was that about? Were his loyalties divided? Did he feel sympathy for his captives? It sure felt like it. Could Fox use that to his advantage, could that help him and Krystal escape?

Jeremy huffed a sigh, puffing out his muzzle.

"Shit man. All we want is a chance to live, y'know? Something to live FOR. A future for our kids, a good one."

It wasn't what Fox had expected. What Jeremy said next surprised Fox even more. No, not just surprised, it shook him to his core.

"Y're in a rough spot Fox, I understand that."

"I honestly don't know what's gotten into the boss but... y've gotta have faith in him. He's come through for us so far, in so many ways. It might look bad right now but... ah man."

Jeremy ran a paw down his muzzle, clearly torn.

"Gotta have faith in someone, y'know?"

The hell? Fox had expected a different reply, anything, but certainly not this. It made him question everything he knew about Wolf. Or thought he knew. What was it about the canine that he inspired this level of loyalty in his troops? What had he done, what was he doing, what did they not know about him? Were their intel profiles incomplete? Hell, were they WRONG?

Fox had been fighting to maintain consciousness throughout the mostly one-sided conversation and just couldn't hold on any more. He had a lot to think about. What the guard, Jeremy, had said was... disturbing. On more than one level.

It was all just too much. With a soft sigh Fox nestled into Jeremy's arms and gave himself up to the encroaching darkness, letting himself slip back into unconsciousness.

Strangely enough, he felt absolutely safe in his enemy's arms.

################

"Wolf, Panther doesn't mean to offend, but you are crazy. This will never work."

They were all sat in Wolf's private lounge, Leon, Panther and himself.

The lounge was comfortably large, it basically paralleled the office next to it and was only shorter due to the space the bedroom took up. The room held a spacious rectangle of black leather couches and matching heavy seats surrounding a low table. Deep dark carpeting and subdued lighting made for a restful, intimate atmosphere. There was a small but well-stocked bar and one wall held a wide bookcase filled with a curious mix of ship tech manuals, weapons' catalogs, star charts, fiction novels and a smattering of mementos from past missions. Shell casings. Shards of shattered armour. A wicked dagger, its blade dark with dried blood. The books were an anachronism, being printed on real paper. Some were even bound in leather.

Entrance to the lounge was through the office or coming out of the bedroom. Those were the visible doors. Unknown to most the room held a few surprises. To either side of the door leading into the bedroom were recessed panels, made to look like the station's familiar plassteel bulkheads. One panel gave access to a small armoury. The other opened upon a secret passageway that led deep into a series of disused maintenance tunnels. These could be used as escape route or as a means of entering and leaving unseen by prying eyes. The tunnels were monitored by sensors and were booby-trapped.

Wolf took his security seriously.

The lounge was home. This was where the Star Wolf team came to decompress, to lick their wounds, to take some time away from the stressful mercenary life. This was also the place to discuss plans when they were between missions, especially ones that weren't meant to be known to Andross, whose cameras and spies were spread throughout Sargasso. Leon regularly scanned Wolf's quarters for surveillance devices and, as far as they could tell, the place was clean.

Wolf's office was another matter though. While Wolf might get away with explaining to Andross that he valued his privacy and therefor didn't appreciate cameras in his bedroom and lounge, there were limits to how far the Emperor was willing to let him get away with that. Beyond their small safe haven all bets were off.

"We've been over this. If you have a better idea I'm open to suggestions."

Wolf didn't seem to take offense at Panther's words. This was just the usual way they did things, each member of Star Wolf was free to speak his mind. Wolf made the final decisions, of course, but he valued the process of examining all aspects of a mission with his team, weighing the risks, evaluating threats and planning for contingencies. But for that to work everyone had to be able to speak freely.

"I think what our kitty is trying to say is that there's no room for error, Wolf. The margin is too thin, any of us slip up even once and we are done for."

If Panther took offense at being called 'kitty' he didn't let it show. Probably best to interpret Leon's jab as a term of endearment and not as a slight to his manlihood. Not a bad thing when viewed like that. If anything it was a sign that he'd been fully accepted into the tight-knit team that was Wolf and Leon. Andrew wasn't a factor, it was always these two.

Panther's tail flicked lazily. In some ways he was just as closed as his two teammates when it came to expressing his feelings. He felt a genuine connection to the team, it went farther than just doing a job and getting a paycheck. But you couldn't just come out and say that. The others understood that unspoken rule as well. But where he hid behind a facade of bravado and grand-standing and Wolf pulled up walls of hard, uncompromising armour, Leon's mask was one of stillness, broken by sharp verbal barbs applied with surgical precision. He had a sharp tongue, that one.

They were different, but same.

Panther glanced over at the chameleon. Leon's pebbled reptilian skin was a deep emerald with subtle variations in shading, and stood out against the black backdrop of the seat he was curled up in. His head, hands and tail almost seemed disembodied. The effect was reinforced by the matte black jumpsuit that covered the rest of his frame. His utter stillness was unnerving, Panther couldn't even see him breathe.

"Then don't slip up." Wolf growled.

Panther returned a low growl of his own. "That's too simple Wolf." The cat's sleek pelt was black as the darkest reaches of space, with deep blue highlights whenever he moved. A white scar ran from under his right eye down the curve of his cheek, down to his jawline. Instead of being disfiguring it gave his features a roguish charm. Not that he didn't have enough of that on his own.

"This time it is not just us, Wolf. There is the lovely Krystal to take into account, and our little hero Fox. How are you going to control them?"

Wolf huffed a breath and leaned back in the couch, crossing his arms across his chest.

"They'll play along if they know what's good for them."

Leon opened his mouth to speak but Wolf wasn't done yet.

"As long as we keep them separated they'll be more manageable. Especially if we make it clear that their survuival is dependent upon their cooperation. They won't want to put eachother at risk. You've seen what Fox is like."

Leon slowly nodded. "And this afternoon?"

"We're doing that as planned. You got that covered? I didn't give you much time."

The chameleon simply nodded. "No worries Wolf. I know the perfect candidate. You'll see."

Wolf shifted his attention to the feline member of the team. "Panther?"

"Panther will arrange for some discreet purchases. All will be ready within the timeframe you specified. It will be tight but no challenge is too much for the great Panther Caroso."

He continued. "But I do wish you would reconsider. Fox's blue vixen would be much better off in Panther's care. Putting lady Krystal under my supervision would leave your hands free for more important matters."

Leon snickered and quoted from Panther's appeal.

"'under', indeed."

Wolf stifled a groan and pinched the bridge of his muzzle, eyes scrunched shut "Oh for fuck's sake, not this again."

There were times when he almost regretted taking Panther on board. This was one of them. The cat had a one-track mind where it came to the opposite sex and was painfully pushy about it. Wolf tried to imagine what his behaviour was like in Sargasso's bars and clubs, and could only wince in sympathy for anyone who caught the feline's interest.

"Panther, I'll introduce you like I promised. But that's where I draw the line. Now drop the subject before I fucking hurt you."

Panther looked unhappy and opened his short muzzle to unwisely press his case, which would surely have resulted in physical harm.

Leon spoke up, saving him.

"Wolf, about this afternoon."

That got Wolf's attention, his muzzle turning to focus on the chameleon. Leon inwardly smiled to himself. It was on Wolf's mind too, apparently. Just as he thought.

"Are you sure you want to do this? There ARE alternatives you know."

Leon's worry wasn't for the plan but was for Wolf himself. He'd known Wolf for years and had a pretty good understanding of the lupine's inner workings. He knew that Wolf was steadfast and resolute and wouldn't hesitate to do whatever was necessary. It wasn't his commitment that Leon had misgivings about.

Wolf was all about results, sometimes dangerously so. He knew that Wolf wouldn't hesitate to do things that would cost him, things that would later come back to haunt him. He'd seen Wolf sell pieces of his soul before... and now it looked as if he'd be doing it again.

Wolf was his friend, he didn't want to see him get hurt like that. But that wasn't something he could say out loud, it implied a weakness. In both of them. Wolf wouldn't take kindly to that.

Wolf shrugged nonchalantly and offered a curt reply. "None of the alternatives are nearly as good, we've gone over that. This is Andross we're talking about Leon. Half-measures won't cut it."

Leon accepted the answer. So be it.

Changing the subject, the reptile voiced the next point on his mental list. "Andrew?"

Panther spoke up, keeping his tone carefully neutral. This was dangerous territory. It was a tribute to his courage that he took it upon himself to voice the issue, to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"He's one of us Wolf."

Wolf answered with a silent snarl, muzzle twisting. "He's also Andross' nephew, Panther!"

To Leon, Wolf's violent reaction was simply a sign of how much this problem bothered him. It was at times like these that Wolf's care for his team shone through, even though he tried his best to cover it up. Tough mercenary, right? Leon hid a smile.

"And unlike you, I didn't choose him! He was foisted on us by Andross. Just like that fucker Pigma was!"

Slamming his drink, Wolf took a moment to calm down. He scowled, but his tone was quieter when he next spoke.

"But yeah, I hear what you're saying. And you're right. He's a good kid, it's not like he can help it that his uncle is a homocidal maniac. And he's part of our team."

Wolf grimaced.

"He's my responsibility. When the time comes I'll take care of it."

Wolf stood.

"Panther, get somebody to deliver some food and drink to the kid. He's been stuck in that stealth transport for an hour already."

"We owe him that much."

################

The door to the bedroom opened and Wolf stood in the opening. Krystal looked up from her spot on the floor. She hadn't moved since their last conversation, had just rested her head on her knees, closed her eyes and tried to calm her frayed nerves. The talk with Wolf had been rough. And had left her with so many questions.

Looking up, she wordlessly examined the mercenary. Wolf was wearing his usual hard don't-fuck-with-me expression but she noticed that he looked slightly haggard. Something was on his mind, something was bothering him. What had happened? Or was it about something that was still to come? She bit her lip. Was it about her?

Wolf's words answered her silent question.

"Fox has been shot."

Shock.

Her breath caught, her heart throbbed in her throat. All she could do was stare, eyes wide, mouth open. What? No, no, no no no! She felt lightheaded.

Her throat was constricted, she tried but couldn't speak.

He raised a hand, palm outwards, in a gesture of reassurance. "He's alive, the gun was set to stun."

Wolf watched as she processed the new information. He could see it happen, see her thoughts as clearly as if he were the one with telepathic abilities instead of the blue vixen. He saw her fight her panic, grapple with it, control it. Wolf suppressed a smile. His intel had led him to believe that she was one of the weak links in Star Fox, one of the lesser members of the team. His intel was shit, apparently. This girl was tough.

His smile actually shone through when he saw her expression turn to anger. Good, damn good. Burn the shock away girl, that's the way to do it. Channel your emotions, find your inner strength by turning your rage outward. Yeah!

Krystal saw Wolf's toothy grin and it pushed her over the edge. She mis-intepreted his admiration and thought he was mocking her. She shot up from her crouch and snarled, eyes shooting daggers.

"Wolf, you ASSHOLE!"

"You did that on purpose, you cruel godsdamned $! #$! jackass!"

He just raised a brow. Creative, he hadn't heard that one before. And he'd been around, there weren't many names he hadn't been called before.

She opened her muzzle to continue but he interrupted her tirade.

"I don't think that's physically possible."

Krystal paused, confused, eyes wild, breathing heavily. "Wh -what?"

His grin turned wicked "That ahh, jackass thing" and to illustrate, he gestured with both hands, mimicking some vaguely lewd action.

This didn't do much to appease the vixen. On the contrary.

"Ahhh FUCK YOU!" She grabbed the nearest pillow and flung it at him as hard as she could! It struck him in the face but Wolf wasn't fazed. Hell, it was just a pillow. Krystal wasn't done though and jumped onto the bed to grab the next one, threw it, and then surprisingly threw herself after it, leaping straight at him!

"...!"

Wolf took a left hook across his jaw and stepped back, grinning as she pummeled him with fists, elbows, feet, anything she could hit him with. She was good too, even in her rage she didn't stop thinking, her attacks weren't blind, oh no. He deflected some, let some get through, avoided others, all the while taking slow steps backwards into the lounge.

She was stronger than he'd expected too, some of her strikes actually hurt. And fast, cripes, she was giving him a run for his money.

At one point he stopped and shoved her back, big paw on her chest. And got bitten for his effort.

"Ow, fuck! No biting!"

The pain sparked his own anger and on her next swing he leaned past an incoming fist, jabbed an uppercut into the vixen's exposed ribs, used his other hand under her chin to push up and back while pivoting around his axis, shifting the wild vixen's momentum to take her to the floor with him. As the pain hit and her body reflexively flinched, he slammed her down to the carpet and pinned her there, one knee on her chest.

Even through the pain she kept trying to hit him, clawed at his leg, tried to land a vicious punch to his groin.

"ENOUGH!"

Wolf's harsh command voice cut through her anger. She froze, staring. Knew it was over and let her fists drop to the carpet, arms stretched above her head. Breathing hard she just watched him, chest heaving, waiting for his next move.

Wolf chuckled, catching his breath too, tongue lolling out between sharp fangs. A small cut on his lip glistened bright red.

"Not bad girl, not bad at all."

She held her defiant expression a moment longer but the fight was gone. She sniffed and rubbed at the side of one eye, looking away. Her expression had turned sad, hurt, confused. Fuck. She wasn't going to cry on him, was she?

"Wolf, why did you DO that? Why would you... b-be such a jerk?"

She looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. And didn't know why it was being punished. He winced but quickly pushed the feeling down.

Keeping his expression neutral he replied. "You needed it."

He didn't add that he'd needed it too. A distraction, a way to vent his stress. Cruel? Not really. A dick move? Yeah definitely. He'd used her. Stress-relief and also to get her measure as a fighter. Her anger was justified, even if she didn't know his reasons.

She muttered something.

He leaned a bit closer. "What was that?"

Azure, almost turquoise eyes blazed back at him. "Note to self. Hitting Wolf O'Donnell does wonders for my mood. Must do it more often."

He softly chuckled. Again, impressive. Even under pressure she kept her sense of humour. And didn't hesitate to mock him right back. He was starting to get a feel for this girl and it was very different from the initial impression he'd gotten when studying the intel data on her. There was potential here.

"Wolf."

He blinked, snapping back out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"Get off me."

"Oh. Right."

He looked sheepish, rose up from his crouch and offered her a hand.

She ignored it and back-crawled a short distance, keeping a wary eye on him as she got to her feet.

His gaze tracked her tactical retreat. Hm. That was good, she wasn't stupid, didn't trust easily.

Wolf deliberately turned his back on her and casually walked to the corner where he'd sat earlier with Leon and Panther, bushy gray tail lazily a-swish. He sat down at one end of the largest couch, half-turning in the seat to face her.

"Come. Sit. Catch your breath. I'll tell you what happened."

Despite her misgivings and distrust he knew it was an offer she couldn't refuse.

And he was right. After a moment's hesitation Krystal carefully approached and gingerly took a seat on the other end of the couch, sitting as far away from him as she could, leaving a bit more than a meter's space between them. She sat straight, knees pulled up with her arms wrapped around herself, probably to hide her shakes, he thought. Understandable, under the circumstances.

Wolf shrugged. "He resisted, tried to escape." He felt the weight of her azure gaze and continued. "He wanted to create a distraction, raise the alarm. To distract me."

Krystal frowned. Wolf watched her, she'd recovered enough to be using her brain again, good. Impressive even.

"Why?"

"To stop me from ravishing you."

He didn't mince his words, didn't cushion their impact. He saw uncertainty flash across her expression, the unspoken question.

He drew her back into the conversation. While keeping her off-balance.

"He almost did it y'know."

She perked her ears and straightened her lithe frame, attentive. Damn, Panther had a point, she wasn't hard on the eyes. To the point of distraction even. He gave himself a moment to enjoy the view.

"Yes, and?"

Blinking the thought away he got back to business.

"Oh, haw no, not Fox. Your precious Fox never stood a chance. All he did was get himself shot, the idiot. I meant the guard, Jeremy."

That only earned him a look of confusion so he continued. "Fox knew he'd never reach the alarm before Jeremy shot him." He softly chuckled, it had been a ballsy move, he had to admit. Not that he'd ever say that to her. Or to Fox. "He tried to convince Jeremy to activate the alarm, promised to not try and escape."

"As long as they tried something, however slim the chance, to save you from me, see?"

Krystal looked uncomfortable, was probably thinking back to the terrifying moments in the bedroom. He wasn't going to tell her that she'd never been in any danger of being assaulted that way. Hell, on some level she'd probably already figured that out on her own. But there would always be that doubt.

"Why would one of your guards even for a moment consider helping Fox?"

Ah good. They were getting closer to what he really wanted to get across to her.

He leaned forward, his already growly voice taking on a hard edge. "You've had a glimpse of Sargasso, Krystal. Its people. Maybe you've even caught some of their feelings, their emotions. What does that tell you?"

She frowned, thinking. Watched Wolf. What did he want, what was he leading up to? She thought back to the short ride she and Fox had taken through the station. The surprising difference between the bleak military section with its soldiers and stark gray walls, and the colourful, vibrant atmosphere of the civilian section, with its hodgepodge mix of people of all ages going about their daily routines. It had felt so very normal, peaceful even. Even back then the contrast had seemed strange to her, significant somehow.

Had she picked up any emotions, any thoughts? Yes. She looked back up at Wolf.

"They're trying to lead a normal life."

His heart skipped a beat. Yes. Fuck yes. He couldn't just explain these things to her. For this to work she had to understand, truly understand. And that was only possible if she reached her conclusions on her own.

"And about Andross?"

He watched her again.

"No specific thoughts, but... the soldiers' presence felt out of place. It felt.. oppressive, unwanted." She looked up again, caught his gaze. "The people resent Andross' soldiers, they don't want them here. They... " Her eyes widened. "They're not on Andross' side."

He slowly nodded. Damn but she was good.

"Now... this guard, Jeremy. He's one of mine, understand, not some Andross thug. After shooting Fox he called me. Reported it in. And then actually chewed my ear off for being a dick."

He couldn't hold back a laugh, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Haw, that was an amazing conversation. Do you realize how much guts that takes, to go up against me?"

Krystal was confused. One of his men showed signs of insubordination and Wolf was okay with that? Not just okay, but happy?

She replied dryly. "Is this Jeremy still alive?"

He snorted. "Fuck yeah. He doesn't know it yet but he's getting a raise."

The vixen tilted her head to the side "I don't get it."

"Don't you see? He's a good man, he's like the people of Sargasso. What I had in store for you REALLY bothered him. And he had the backbone to call me out on it."

Krystal pulled a face "Are you trying to convince me that you're a good man too?"

Wolf was so surprised all he could do for a moment was stare. And then he laughed, hard, the question had taken him totally unawares!

"Bwahah! Who, ME?" and smirked. "Don't be fucking naive."

"That's NOT the point I'm trying to make here, girl."

She growled at him, visibly annoyed. "Stop calling me 'girl'!"

He leaned back, expression hardening. Stared down the length of his muzzle at this slight female who dared interrupt him. Hmph. Then again, she'd had a rough day. And had showed considerable backbone these last few hours.

Maybe he should cut her some slack.

Besides, it was a good moment to jerk her chain some more. He'd planted a seed and she'd be thinking upon their conversation, was no use trying to force his point across any further.

Fine.

"Fox will be here in an hour."

He saw her mind skid off track, scrambling to adjust to this new jink in the conversation.

"F-Fox?"

He nodded.

"I'll give you two a few minutes together."

She processed that, he could see it in her eyes. And instead of holding onto that happy thought like some weaker person would, she followed it through, explored the what-if's, played out possible scenario's in her mind. She didn't settle for the comfort he'd offered her.

"And... then?"

He waited too long to answer. She must have noticed something in his expression. Fuck. That was more than he wanted her to see. The vixen's eyes widened and she raised a hand to her muzzle, staring, suddenly fearful.

"W-wolf?"

Godsdammit. Too late to back off now.

He shrugged. He wasn't going to coddle her. Any reassurance would be a lie. So he gave her the truth.

"What happens after that, you ask?"

"Bad things happen."

Oofh.

It's late and I'm tired. But I don't care, writing this is so much fun. Thing is, at the start of a chapter I have a clear view of how the scenes are going to unfold but... once I start writing, and the characters start to interact with eachother, it goes places that I hadn't planned on. It's like Fox, Wolf and Krystal take over and the story writes itself.

It's freaky.

But hey! Hope you're enjoying the ride so far! Leave me some feedback if you can, I'd really appreciate it!

To sorta-quote Krystal, what's next? Well, next chapter will be rough. Don't say I didn't warn you. Mop-and-bucket rough. But y'know what they say, after rain comes sunshine of something like that.

Here's something to remember though. Something that will remain true throughout this whole story, the journey our heroes will be taking. A well-known author once said :

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future"

Yeah. So true.